HRD Minister Smriti Irani today launched a social awareness programme for the girl child "I Am" at a school here, expressing the hope such programmes will empower especially those who are struggling to have two square meals a day.

"Such programmes are crucial in our country where we idolise Shakti, we have many girls who are still struggling to have two square meals a day, to have basic education, to have basic rights as human beings and as citizens," she said.

The programme was launched in DPS, Dwarka. A documentary highlighting the problems faced by the girl child globally was screened on the occasion.

Nobel Peace Prize winner MalalaYousafzai today invited Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif to the ceremony where she and fellow awardee India's Kailash Satyarthi will receive the prestigious honour.

"I myself requested that honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and honourable prime minister Nawaz Sharif bothjoin us," she said while mentioning that she had already spoken to Satyarthi on inviting Modi and Sharif to join them in the Norwegian capital Oslo for the award ceremony in December.

Satyarthi and Malala also agreed to work jointly to build"strong relations" between their countries, amid growing tensions along the border.

"We will work together and try to build strong relations"between India and Pakistan, she said, adding that it was"really disappointing" that India and Pakistan were engaged in confrontation.

"We want to have good relations...I really believe in peace," the 17-year-old told reporters after being chosen for the coveted prize along with Satyarthi.

Image: Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, the joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, speaks at Birmingham library in Birmingham, central England.  Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters

Coming barely five days before the Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena today released its election manifesto, which focusses on the overall development of the state.

The manifesto, released by Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, stresses on keeping Maharashtra united. Sena and MNS have previously attacked BJP after charging that it was plotting to divide Mumbai and Maharashtra while NCP chief Sharad Pawar has claimed that the party was pursuing its agenda favouring the formation of smaller states.

Sena vowed to once again make Maharashtra the most- favoured investment destination if voted to power.

Congratulating Nobel Peace Prize winners Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousufzai, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said he hopes that the award will inspire India and Pakistan to work sincerely for the cause of peace.

Former prime minister Singh said that the ideas and ideals which these two "outstanding personalities" have championed deserve the support of all the right-thinking people.

He said it is a matter of added pleasure that the award is being shared by two outstanding persons from the Indian subcontinent.

"I sincerely hope that this (award) will inspire the people of India and Pakistan to work sincerely for the cause of peace and amity between the two countries and in particular for the promotion of child rights, particularly the right to education," Singh said in a statement here.

BBC reports: Number of people killed in Ebola outbreak rises above 4,000, according to World Health Organisation.

A special TADA court today discharged 20 witnesses recalled by an accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, after CBI sought their discharge saying the accused was not cross-examining the witness. "The court has discharged all the 20 witnesses," a CBI official said.

Accused Feroze Rashid moved an application in the court seeking time to cross-examine a witness. However, CBI prosecutor Arun objected to it saying it was a "delaying tactic" and sought to discharge all the witnesses.

"The witness who deposed today came from neighbouring Pune district and this was his fourth appearance in the court," the officer said. Yesterday, Feroze had reportedly filed an application before the special TADA court saying that he had no faith in the judge.

Keeping in mind the safety of passengers, East Coast Railway has decided to cancel the services of 38 trains on October 12 when cyclone Hudhud is expected to hit Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. "We do not want even a single casualty as our passengers safety is foremost in our agenda. Hence, we have decided to cancel 38 the trains on the Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam route from 6 amon October 12 and during that time the entire section would be closed to all mail express and passenger trains," ECoR CPRO J P Mishra said

Speaking for the first time after winning the Nobel Peace Prize along with India's Kailash Satyarthi, Malala Yousafzai said, "I feel honored that I am being honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. I am also very honored that I am sharing this award with Kailash Satyarthi."

Brazil is treating its first suspected case of the Ebola virus, the country's health ministry announced. A 47-year-old man arrived in Brazil on September 19 from Guinea and reported he had a fever on October 8, within the 21-day Ebola incubation limit. He has no other symptoms, like bleeding or vomiting, but has been put in isolation and flown to the National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rio de Janeiro per the country's security protocol.

On Friday -- just after the second anniversary of the gunshots by Taliban militants that changed her life -- word raced through Mingora: The 17-year-old Yousafzai was a co-winner of the prize for her global advocacy for education for women and girls. 

As Cyclone Hudhud is poised to strike the east coast, the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy has assumed a high degree of readiness to provide necessary humanitarian assistance. Four Indian Navy ships are on stand-by to proceed to the most affected areas to undertake Humanitarian Aid Distress Relief, evacuation, as well as to provide logistics support, including medical aid. These are equipped with additional divers, doctors, inflatable rubber boats, helicopters and relief material including food, tentage, clothes, medicines and blankets in quantities sufficient to sustain more than 5,000 personnel.   Six aircraft are on stand-by at Naval Air Station INS Dega to undertake reconnaissance, rescue, casualty evacuation and airdrop of relief material to stranded people. Additionally, 30 diving teams and four platoons with additional relief material are ready to be pressed into action at short notice, the release said.  

Jailed former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's plea for bail is likely to come up for hearing on Monday in the Supreme Court. Lawyers associated with her matter said some procedural aspect for mentioning it for urgent hearing was yet to be completed and the apex court registry is likely to put it in the mentioning list of October 13. Jayalalithaa, who was denied bail by Karnataka high court following her conviction and four year sentence in a graft case, had on Thursday moved the Supreme Court for bail.

This meeting will surely be 'liked'. Facebook CEO met Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. Zuckerberg is on a two-day visit to India to promote the internet.org app, which allows people in underdeveloped areas to access basic online services. This is his first visit to India. Yesterday, during a conference, Zuckerberg had said that Facebook wants to help PM Modi connect remote villages of India to the Internet.

Pakistan's top leadership congratulated teenage girls' education activist Malala Yousafzai for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, calling her the 'pride' of the country.   "She is the pride of Pakistan. She has made her countrymen proud. Her achievement is unparallelled and unequalled. Girls and boys of the world should take lead from her struggle and commitment," Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in his felicitation message. She was also congratulated by interior minister Nisar Ali Khan, information minister Pervaiz Rasheed, former president Asif Ali Zardari, opposition leader Imran Khan, TV anchor Hamid Mir and several others.

Angelina Jolie, the Tomb Raider star, has been made an honorary dame by the Queen. Read

The government is taking no chances as cyclone Hudhud nears. Home minister Rajnath Singh says that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is fully prepared to meet any emergency in wake of cyclonic storm 'Hudhud'. "The NDRF has despatched 39 teams comprising 1573 personnel with 193 boats and other equipments in various parts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha," said the home minister.

Cyclone Hudhud has turned into a very severe cyclonic storm, Indian Meteorological Department chief LS Rathore said on Friday evening.

It will bring heavy rain and gusting winds of about 100-110 km/hour as it inches closer to the coast of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, where it make a landfall on Sunday.

On Twitter: First Nobel Prize Winner of Pakistan was forced to die in exile and 2nd Nobel Prize Winner of Pakistan Malala and her family are forced to live in exile.

JUST IN: Hudhud has turned into a very severe cyclonic storm, says IMD chief LS Rathore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio broadcast did not violate model code of conduct, says the Election Commission.

The Congress had approached the EC against Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of "misusing state machinery" and "abusing authority" over the broadcast of his 'Mann ki Baat' address on All India Radio ahead of assembly polls later this month.

First reactions from Malala Yousafzai @Official_Malala: Thank You all Support And Love...! 

Dr Ved Pratap Vaidik, the man who interviewed 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Sayeed has joined News Express as Chief Consulting Editor.

PM tweets: Malala Yousafzai's life is a journey of immense grit and courage. I congratulate her on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The only other Pakistani to win a Nobel prize, has been erased from record books in his country. He was the first Pakistani to win a Nobel prize in physics after he predicted the existence of the 'God particle', but in his home country Abdus Salam's achievements have been written from the record books. In fact, a Pakistani court ordered that the word Muslim be removed from the Physics Nobel winner's gravestone because he was Ahmadi.

Read more

Finally, a congratulatory message from the PM.
@narendramodi: Congratulations to Shri Kailash Satyarthi on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The entire nation is proud of his momentous achievement.

While the Nobel prize was being announced, Haryana leader OP Chautala to go to jail tomorrow after Delhi High Court cancels his bail in the teachers' recruitment case. 

Plagues on the poor: What Ebola can learn from malaria.  Read

Update on the Burdwan blast: Rediff.com's Indrani Roy reports that a low intensity bomb went off at Burdwan's Mongalkote area this afternoon. Two people, including a child, were injured. Police have cordoned off the area and are investigating the case.

Oh yes, if you're reading this, and you're in Seoul, and want to spend a memorable evening, catch contemporary dancer and choreographer Astad Deboo performing at the Oneness festival in the city. It kicks off at 8 pm local time at the Seoul Institute of Art.

Former UN general secretary Kofi Annan tweets his congratulations: There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. Congratulations Malala & @k_satyarthi.

@harrierobertson  Proud that I went to school with the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel peace prize. Sad to see ignorant comments. 

Just in: Rediff.com's Indrani Roy reports that there has been another blast in Mongalkote in Burdwan district. Details awaited. 

Last year Malala Yousafzai confronted Obama about drones: "Instead of soldiers, send books. Instead of sending weapons, send pens" she said.

Burdwan blast update: Militants had chalked out a plan for serial blasts during Durga Puja and Eid. They had shortlisted some puja pandals and shopping malls as their targets, CID sources told Rediff.com Friday.

And in case you missed this, this is a must-read.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday, shared the stage with underworld don Chhota Rajan's brother Deepak Nikhalje at an election rally in Mumbai.

Pictures clearly show Chhota Rajan's brother welcoming Modi on the stage and shaking hands with him. The Prime Minister responded by taking Nikhalje's name and greeting him. Read more

Pakistani writer Saba Imtiaz writes about the Malala win. The Guardian reports:

"Congratulatory messages came in from the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, as well as a slew of other politicians. But there is sadness amongst many in Pakistan that Malala isn't in Pakistan to celebrate this, and that she was nearly killed for her work advocating education for children."There's also a bitter sense of irony that Malala, like Pakistan's first Nobel Laureate theoretical physicist Dr Abdus Salam, has been the subject of a campaign of vilification in Pakistan.

"Dr Salam has been virtually forgotten in Pakistan because he was a member of the Ahmadiyya sect, which has been excommunicated in Pakistan, and Malala has been accused of selling out to the West. Liaquat Baloch, a leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a right-wing religious-political party, told the Guardian that "Malala is a Pakistani student and she is getting a lot of support and patronage abroad.

"On the surface this is not a bad thing and we welcome this, and there is no objection to the award, but the attack on Malala and then her support in the West creates a lot of suspicions. There are lots of girls in Pakistan who have been martyred in terrorist attacks, women who have been widowed, but no one gives them an award. So these out of the box activities are suspicious."

He missed out to Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi, but Jockin Arputham's nomination is a landmark for the grassroots. Read

Malala was at school in Birmingham when she was told she had won the Nobel Peace Prize, reports the Dawn newspaper. The 17-year-old, who came to the city for life-saving medical treatment after being shot in the head by the Taliban in Pakistan, lives in Birmingham with her parents.

Indian Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi will be meeting PM Narendra Modi tonight. 

British doctor Fiona Reynolds, who was treating Malala Yousafzai after she underwent a successful surgery on her skull and ear at the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham said Malala is "very deserving" of the Nobel Peace Prize. 

So true. Minhaz Merchant tweets: @minhazmerchant Pakistan establishment can hardly be proud of Malala's Nobel prize having driven her out of the country with Taliban threats. 

Kailash Satyarthi says he is "Extremely delighted. This is recognition of our fight for child rights. I am thankful to the Nobel committee for recognising the plight of millions of children who are suffering in this modern age. I will invite Malala to work with me. Got the news through the media."

94 Nobel Peace Prizes have been awarded since 1901. It was not awarded on 19 occasions: in 1914-1916, 1918, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1939-1943, 1948, 1955-1956, 1966-1967 and 1972.

Why were the Peace Prizes not awarded in those years? In the statutes of the Nobel Foundation it says: "If none of the works under consideration is found to be of the importance indicated in the first paragraph, the prize money shall be reserved until the following year. If, even then, the prize cannot be awarded, the amount shall be added to the Foundation's restricted funds." During World War I and II, fewer Nobel Prizes were awarded.

This is what Thorbjorn Jagland, the Nobel Prize committees chairman said of the two winners:

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 is to be awarded to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. Children must go to school and not be financially exploited. In the poor countries of the world, 60% of the present population is under 25 years of age. It is a prerequisite for peaceful global development that the rights of children and young people be respected. In conflict-ridden areas in particular, the violation of children leads to the continuation of violence from generation to generation.

Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Gandhi's tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain. He has also contributed to the development of important international conventions on children's rights.

Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzay has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations. This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls' rights to education.

The Nobel Committee regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism. Many other individuals and institutions in the international community have also contributed. It has been calculated that there are 168 million child labourers around the world today.

In 2000 the figure was 78 million higher. The world has come closer to the goal of eliminating child labour.The struggle against suppression and for the rights of children and adolescents contributes to the realization of the "fraternity between nations' that Alfred Nobel mentions in his will as one of the criteria for the Nobel Peace Prize."

Pic sourced from http://www.kailashsatyarthi.net/picturegallery/
withchildren.php

On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes, the Nobel Prizes. As described in Nobel's will, one part was dedicated to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses". 

That, in essence, is the thought behind the Nobel Peace Prize.

Pic: Martin Luther King Jr won the Peace prize in 1964. And if ever there was an acceptance speech that will really move you, this is it. Read

So, Kailash Satyarthi becomes the 2nd Indian to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Mother Teresa won it in the year 1979.

So much for bookies who placed their bets on Pope Francis.

First reaction from Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi: Voice of crores of children has been heard.

Read:Our 1999 interview with Kailash Satyarthi. 

The Nobel Committee said it "regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism".

The founder of the Nobel Prizes, Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, said the prize committee should give the prize to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

Norway's PM tweets her congratulations: Erna Solberg (@erna_solberg) Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Kailash Satyarthi and @MalalaYousafzai for their important work to secure education for children. Congrats!

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1930:  Sir Venkata Raman for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan "for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome"

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1968: H. Gobind Khorana"for their interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis"

The Nobel Prize in Literature 1913: Rabindranath Tagore"because of his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, by which, with consummate skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, a part of the literature of the West"

The Prize in Economic Sciences 1998: Amartya Sen"for his contributions to welfare economics"

The Nobel Peace Prize 2014: Kailash Satyarthi "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education"

The Nobel Committee says of Kailash Satyarthi, "Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Mahatma Gandhi's tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations."

Gandhi, the strongest symbol of non-violence in the 20th century, was never awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala Yousafzay (17) is the youngest Nobel Laureate ever. She is also the third Laureate born in Pakistan. Kailash Satyarthi is the eighth Laureate born in India. 

This is what the Nobel Peace Committee says of why the Satyarthi and Malala won: The Nobel Peace Prize 2014 was awarded jointly to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education".

So, ironically, India and Pakistan, in the midst of ceasefire violations, share the peace prize.

"If not now, then when? If not you, then who? If we are able to answer these fundamental questions, then perhaps we can wipe away the blot of human slavery."

This is what Kailash Satyarthi, a crusader against child slavery, said. He is a 54-year-old born in Central India. Imagine being a slave, being forced to work almost all of your life.

Read about the man who won the Nobel Peace prize.

This is what Wiki has on Kailash Satyarthi: Born 11 January 1954, Satyarthi is an Indian children's rights activist. He has been active in the Indian movement against child labour since the 1990s. So far his organization, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, has freed over 80,000 children from various forms of servitude and helped in successful re-integration, rehabilitation and education. Together with Malala Yousafzai, he won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.

The Nobel Peace prize is awarded to Indian Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistani Malala Yousafzay. The Norwegian Nobel committee today announced the prize, an award that comes with a $1.24 million check.

The most-awaited Nobel prize will be announced today, six minutes from now. The Nobel prize for peace. 

The Supreme Court adjourns the Delhi Government formation matter till 28th of October. 

PM Modi addressing a rally in Hingoli, Maharashtra. He says what he almost always does -- attack the Congress. "Congress was in power for 60 years, took votes in name of the poor but did nothing. Congress party can never have a place in the country again, it is dying of the sins it committed."

A strengthening U.S. economy has spurred the largest pickup in immigration since before the recession, driven by Asian newcomers and a gain in Hispanic arrivals. Read

It is now official. The Pakistani Taliban, a jihadist group that has concentrated its efforts in the tribal areas of Pakistan, has announced its support for ISIS in Iraq and Syria, thousands of miles away. Read

With the severe cyclonic storm 'Hudhud' 610 km from the state's coast, the Odisha government today deployed rescue teams at vulnerable places and asked district collectors to begin evacuation of people, particularly in tribal dominated Malkangiri district.

"At least 25 teams, 15 of NDRF and 10 ODRF, have been deployed at vulnerable areas keeping an eye on the cyclone and heavy rainfall," Special Relief Commissioner P K Mohapatra said.

Malkangiri was this time in focus, Mohapatra said, adding the severe cyclonic storm was likely to pass over the district.

Read our report on Sunanda Pushkar's death published in January: Shashi Tharoor is in big trouble. 

So, the mystery surrounding the death of Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Puskhar deepens.

Her family has now said they always knew she was poisoned to death.

Yesterday, a team of AIIMS doctors submitted a fresh report to police which said that she died of poisoning. Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi has, however, dismissed the report, saying no conclusions can be drawn from the report as yet.

Talking to a TV channel, Ashok Kumar, a cousin of Sunanda Pushkar, said that the family knew it wasn't a natural death, but had in fact been pre-planned.

The family also questioned why Tharoor went for the All India Congress Committee meeting when his wife was unwell at the Leela Hotel where they were staying. The cousin said CCTV evidence wasn't available since the cameras were not working, which was pre-planned.

Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in suite 345 of south Delhi's Leela hotel on January 17 this year. Her body was reportedly found by Tharoor around 8pm, when he returned to the hotel after attending a meeting of the All India Congress Committee meeting.

PM Narendra Modi addresses a rally in Dhamangaon, Amravati (Maharashtra). "What does a farmer want? Does he ask for a bungalow or a car? A farmer only asks for water," he says referring to the perennially water starved region.

Since his debut 45 years ago Doraemon has become one of Asia's best-loved animated characters -- but in the eyes of some Chinese media the chubby, earless cat with the gaping smile is now on a mission to corrupt the nation's youth. Read

Six persons have been detained for questioning in Barpeta district in Assam in connection with the Burdwan blast case.

The centre on Thursday decided to hand over to the National Investigation Agency  the probe into the bomb blast in Burdwan in West Bengal in which the role of terror groups is suspected, a decision which the Trinamool Congress government said was taken suo motu.

India is growing nine times faster than China by technology device sales, a new report has found. Read

This month Keya Acharya is responding to a nine-page legal notice demanding she pay 1 billion rupees ($16.3 million) over her article on India's rose industry. Her legal troubles are a window on to a pattern of how big businesses are using India's outdated defamation laws to silence criticism of their operations. Read

The cub of Baghdadi': ISIS reports its youngest jihadist 'got martyred' in battle. Read

The BJP today said that the minorities in the country have realised that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not working for any particular community, but for all sections of society.

"Our so-called secular political parties created a lot of confusion among minorities about the BJP and Modi. However, minorities have realised that Modi is not working for any particular community, but for all sections of society," BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

"We say, sabka saath, sabka vikas. Poor and weaker sections are in all communities. A particular scheme should not be for a particular community as poor people are in all sections of society," he said.

The biggest change that has taken place with Modi government is that the power brokers have disappeared from corridors of power in Delhi, he said.

"With Modi's motto: na khayenge, na khane denge, the power brokers' shops have downed shutters. Now, they are looking for havens in states ruled by their favourite Congress party," the BJP leader said.

Tagore, the author of India's national anthem, had warned warned against nationalism. Read

Cyclone Hudhud has moved closer to the coast of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh and will turn into a severe cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours, the India Meteorological Department said.

Home minister Rajnath Singh said he spoke to the chief ministers of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regarding their preparedness to face Hudhud. He said he assured the CMs "all help from the Centre". The Centre is monitoring the progression of' Hudhud expected to hit the coast in the next 24 hours. The home minister also took stock of the level of preparedness of the states likely to be affected by Hudhud.

Odisha has sought additional satellite phones, which have been sent by the Centre. The Centre is monitoring the landfall, intensity and state-level preparedness.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said today that there are many indications that prove the Delhi Police is under pressure adding that a CBI investigation is inevitable in the case.

"This is something that has vindicated my position and I have been saying this from day one. There are many indications that now prove that Delhi police did not provide the documents to the autopsy committee which proves that they are under some pressure," Swamy told ANI.

Defence minister Arun Jaitley's threat to impose costs on Pakistan for its "adventurism' in firing at Indians along the Line of Control and the International Boundary here has led to questions on what these costs might be.

Assessments by The Telegraph after talking to military and paramilitary sources along the border in Jammu point to Indian firing taking a toll on Pakistani "administrative bases' with a "collateral damage' on civilians across the Line of Control.

Read more

Subramanian Swamy's call for burning books written by Nehruvian historians is part of a larger conspiracy to underplay the contributions made by Nehru, writes senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.

Read

In what is probably the first incident of its kind, a train guard was allegedly abducted by suspected Maoists in Bihar's Jamui district, police said today.

D Gope, the guard of a passenger train travelling from Jesidih in Jharkhand to Kiul in Bihar, was abducted late on Thursday night near Narganjo railway station in Jamui by armed Maoists, a  district police official said.

Police have launched search operations. Jamui is considered to be a  Maoist stronghold. Maoists have in the past blown up railway tracks in Bihar and neighbouring Jharkhand, but have never abducted any personnel from the train.

-- MI Khan in Patna

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella apologized yesterday and said that he was wrong saying that women don't need to ask for a raise and should just trust the system or rather 'karma' to pay them well.

Nadella was blasted on Twitter and in blog posts for his comments, which were made earlier on Thursday at an event for women in computing.

Tech companies hire many more men than women. And beyond the tech industry, women are typically paid less than men. 

After nine days of heavy firing and mortar shelling from across the border, firing de-escalated along the 192-km long International Border in Jammu frontier overnight with Pakistan opening fire on four border out posts in Kathua district.

There was no firing along the IB in Jammu and Samba districts. "There was no cross-border firing during the intervening night of October 9 and 10 along the International Border in Jammu and Samba districts", BSF spokesman said.

However, there was firing by Pakistan along IB in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district for 20 minutes from 2000 hours to 2020 hours involving four BSF BoPs, the spokesman said.

"There was no loss of life or damage", he said. The IB has witnessed heavy firing for nine days that has left eight persons dead and injured nearly 90 people, including 13 security men.

The US has dismissed Chinese resentment over India and America expressing concern on the South China Sea dispute during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington, and described New Delhi as an important partner.

"I think our position hasn't changed on this issue. You are familiar with it, but we certainly work with countries in the region to address maritime issues," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

"And certainly, India is an important partner, and it's only natural that this was a topic of discussion but also a topic of output from our meetings when the prime minister was here just a few weeks ago," she told reporters yesterday.

A joint statement issued after Modi's meeting with US President Barack Obama on September 30 for the first time made a direct reference to the South China Sea dispute.

BBC reports: Several thousand Kurdish fighters are still in control of Syrian border town of Kobane despite an all-out attack by a much better-equipped and numerically superior slamic State army since mid-September.

Read the full article here

From the Dailymail: A North Korean official has claimed there is nothing wrong with the country's 'dear leader' Kim Jong Un --dispelling any rumours of failing health or gout.

Kim Yang-Gon, who heads a ruling party department in charge of South Korea-related affairs, was speaking during an extremely rare visit to South Korea.Following whispers of a debilitating illness or even a coup in Pyongyang, he told South Korea's Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-Jae - 'there is nothing wrong with the health of Secretary Kim'.

Read the full story here

From The Guardian: Peter Piot was a researcher at a lab in Antwerp when a pilot brought him a blood sample from a Belgian nun who had fallen mysteriously ill in Zaire.

Read the full article here

BBC reports: The alleged leader of the Juarez drug cartel - one of Mexico's most powerful crime syndicates -- has been arrested, government sources say.Carrillo Fuentes, known as "the Viceroy", was held in the northern city of Torreon.

The arrest is the latest in a series of high profile operations against drug lords in Mexico this year.

Read the full story here

CNN reports: President Barack Obama's chief anti-ISIS coalition envoy, retired Gen. John Allen, arrived Thursday in Ankara, where it will be up to him to convince the Turkish government to take more decisive action against the terrorist group.

Read then full story here

Online retail colossus Amazon.com plans to open its first brick-and-mortar store in New York ahead of the year-end holiday season, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Read the full story here

Cyclonic storm Hudhud will turn take a "very severe" turn in the next 12 hours, bringing with itself very heavy rainfall and gusty winds as it inches closer to the coast, the MeT department has said.

In the evening, Hudhud was 675-km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam and 685-km southeast of Gopalpur, moving closer to the coast.

"The system would continue to move west-northwestwards and intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours. It would cross north Andhra Pradesh coast around Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of 12th (Oct.)," the Indian Meteorological Department said in a bulletin.

The cyclone had been yesterday positioned at about 1100-km southeast of Gopalpur and 1150-km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam at around 11.30 am.

Cyclone Hudhud over East Central Bay of Bengal moved westnorth westward and lay centred over West Central Bay and adjoining East Central Bay at 5.30 pm today at about 675 km east-southwest of Visakhapatnam, a weather office report said tonight.

The depression would continue moving west north westwards and intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm during thenext 12 hours, it said.

The depression would cross north Andhra Pradesh and Odissacoasts between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur by forenoonof October 12, 2014, the report said.

Distant warning signal number two has been kept hoisted at Visakhapatnam, Machilipatnam, Nizampatnam, Krishnapatnamports, the report said.

Distant warning signal number two with section signalnumber two and three have been kept hoisted at Kakinada and Gangavaram ports, the report said.

Washingtonpost reports: Patrick Modiano was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature, the world's highest literary honor, on Thursday.

The Swedish committee praised the 69-year-old French writer for "the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation.'

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The Centre today decided to hand over to the National Investigation Agency the probe into the bomb blast in Burdwanin West Bengal in which the role of terror groups is suspected, a decision which the Trinamool Congress government said was taken suo motu.

It is perhaps for the first time that the Centre has taken a suo motu decision to hand over a probe into a bomb blast case in any part of the country to the NIA since this premier agency was created in 2008 after the Mumbai terror attack.

The BJP and CPI-M while demanding that the Centre handover the case to NIA has alleged that the Mamata Banerjee government was trying to hush up the matter.

The BJP also accused the state government of "resisting" a NIA probe.

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