BJP chief Amit Shah today said those opposing the special package to Bihar were against its development and claimed that it would usher in large scale development in the state and make it self reliant.

Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh today said the Lalitgate scandal was the fallout of a tussle between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

A local court will tomorrow pronounce order on the anticipatory bail application of the former Chief Minister of Goa Digambar Kamat in the Louis Berger bribery case.

A 24-year old man, Mbuso Mandela,  believed to the grandson of former South African president Nelson Mandela has been arrested for raping a 15-year old girl at a restaurant in Greenside, South Africa.

The Batmobile pulled into a gas station Sunday night and, as usual, the children who spotted it gawked.

A group of activists today claimed that the Salwa Judum movement is "making a comeback" in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, and alleged that it was being done to drive away the tribal people from their land.

The scale of the deadly bomb blast in Bangkok on Monday means it is unlikely to be motivated by domestic politics, writes analyst Pavin Chachavalpongpun.

Yoga guru Ramdev's reported claim regarding the cure of HIV-AIDS will be clinically checked by the government, Union Minister of State for AYUSH, Shripad Naik said today.

Former IPS officer D G Vanzara today denied the allegation that he filed the Rs 101-crore defamation suit against Mufti Abdul Qayum Mansuri, a Muslim cleric acquitted in the Akshardham temple attack case, at the behest of Hindu right wing groups.

A 22-year-old engineering student has written a letter seeking help from Prime Minister Narendra Modi after she was allegedly molested and assaulted near her college by a group of people.

A man, who allegedly engaged in vulgar act before an American woman in Mumbai, was on Tuesday booked by the Mumbai police on charges of outraging her modesty.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called up Ranil Wickremesinghe to congratulate him on his party's victory in Sri Lankan parliamentary polls, and expressed confidence that the relations between the two countries will get better under his leadership. 

The number of refugees seeking asylum in Germany could surge to 750,000 this year, according to reports citing official projections.

Just in:Captured Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Naved Yakub who underwent a polygraph test (lie-detector test) today, has confirmed he is a Pakistani.

Opposition Congress today claimed that over a lakh commuters have supported their protest against the proposed fare hike for the Mumbai Metro by signing petitions.


The Mumbai Congress had started the three-day-long protest on August 16 at all the 12 Metro stations here on the Versova to Ghatkopar corridor, demanding immediate roll back of the proposed hike.


Congress MLA and former Maharashtra minister Naseem Khan, who led the protest, claimed, "By this evening over one lakh commuters including students, businessmen, women came forward and signed the petition seeking immediate roll back of any proposed hike."


The petitions would be submitted to the representatives of the Centre and State government and to the Maharashtra Governor, he said.

PM Modi pays his respects at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

And another picture of Mrs Suvra Mukherjee during her son Abhishek's wedding with then President, Giani Zail Singh.

Rashtrapati Bhavan tweets a clutch of pictures called 'Memories of Smt Suvra Mukherjee'. This picture shows a very dapper Pranab Mukherjee with his wife, Suvra Mukherjee.

The First Lady passed away today after a prolonged illness. She will be cremated tomorrow.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's point-by-point rejoinder to PM Modi's speech in his territory. Highlights.


--On one hand PM Modi calls me a beggar and on the other he calls me arrogant. For Bihar's development, Bihar's progress, I have no qualms in being a beggar.

-- He is the Prime Minister of the country. He talks of cooperative federalism. But works for something else. He humiliates the state government. Tries to prove them incompetent. But his saying doesn't change anything.

-- Health, education, roads everything has been improved. We have created 66,000 roads, 5,000 bridges/flyovers. The government health system is dependable. Most people can rely on it. Average people visiting  primary health centres monthly has gone up from 49 people to 11,000.

-- The PM says if the state is not BIMARU, then why are you asking for help? All the other states which have been given a special status for development, given funds are BIMARU?

-- Instead of encouraging a state that is progressing, you are humiliating it?
We are fighting for the rights of Bihar.

Home minister Rajnath Singh lays a wreath before President Pranab Mukherjee's wife's body. 

Congress leader and President's daughter Sharmishta Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

Congress president Sonia Gandhi pays her respects to the First Lady, Suvra Mukherjee, at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President's wife passed away today. 

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his second Independence Day speech, IndiaSpend and FactChecker reviewed the implementation of key pronouncements he made in his first Independence Day Speech on August 15, 2014. Take a look a the progress report. 

Former PM Dr Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur arrives to pay tribute to President Pranab Mukherjee's wife Mrs Suvra Mukherjeewho pased away this morning.

South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is back in hospital, less than a month after being discharged for a persistent infection, his daughter said Tuesday.


"Doctors anticipate that he should be out within the next couple of days... they want to keep him for observation for at least another 24 hours," his daughter the Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu told a press conference in Cape Town.


The 83-year-old Nobel peace laureate was readmitted to hospital on Monday night -- his third visit in as many months. He was hospitalised twice earlier this year over a persistent infection that his foundation said was a consequence of the prostate cancer treatment Tutu has been receiving over the last 18 years.

Delhi Joint CP MK Meena meets armed services veterans protesting at Jantar Mantar and says he regrets the police crackdown on August 14. "I want to speak on behalf of Delhi police that we have full respect for Army servicemen and ex-servicemen. What happened on 14th August was due to some confusion and misunderstanding, we are with you. We request you to end your hunger strike. We are here to provide security to veterans," Meena said.

The apology comes after a huge public outcry against an attempt on Friday morning to dismantle the protest site, supposedly for security reasons. It  forced the Centre to climb down, with the Delhi Police being ordered to allow the veterans to stay put at Jantar Mantar. Backchannel talks with government representatives also failed to make headway.

There are now three Army veterans on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar in protest against the delay in implementing One Rank One Pension or OROP.

Retired Havildar Ashok Kumar Chouhan of the Signal Regiment this morning joined Col Pushpendra Singh (retd) of the 3 Grenadiers and Havaldar Major Singh of the 3rd Sikh Regiment in what they are calling a "fast unto death" at the venue of a two-month-long protest to demand OROP.

A perfect tax is one that the entire population would pay without noticing. A tax that came close to it was the match tax. Cigarette lighters and gas lighters would reduce its reach today, but even then, it would be paid by a very high proportion of families, and few of them would give it a second thought.
Read more

The National Investigation Agency  (NIA) released the sketches of two terror suspects who allegedly entered India along with Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Naved Yakub. The NIA said the terrorists were Abu Okasha, age 17-18 years and a resident of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan, and Zargham or Mohammad Bhai, 38-40 years old and from the same area.

Sources say they have not been sighted so far and could strike anytime, which is a major cause of concern for security forces. A total of four terrorists infiltrated into India. Of the four, Naved is in custody, one terrorist Noman was killed in the attack on the BSF convoy in Udhampur on August 5, and the other two are missing.

Thai police release images of a man believed to be the Bangkok bomber. "Today there is a suspect who appeared on CCTV but it's not clear... we are looking for this guy," Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha said, adding he was believed to be from an "anti-government group based in Thailand's northeast" -- the heartland of the anti-coup Red Shirt movement.


Twenty-seven people, including four foreigners, were killed and over 80 others injured in a powerful bomb blast inside a hugely popular Lord Brahma temple in a crowded area in Bangkok on Monday in the first such attack in the Thai capital.

The blast, which the government believed was aimed at damaging economy and tourism, occurred inside the Erawan Shrine dedicated to Lord Brahma in the downtown Chidlom district, creating panic as people fled the place where cars and motorcycles exploded in the impact.


The temple is located on a main road through Bangkok's commercial hub and is surrounded by three major shopping malls and big hotels of international chains. It is among Bangkok's most popular tourist attractions visited by East Asian tourists and local Buddhists.


However, there were no reports of any Indian casualties in the explosions that caused a huge amount of chaos, with body parts and glass panes scattered everywhere.

Just in: 10 people dead and many feared trapped after boulders fall on Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib due to a landslide in Himachal Pradesh.
Details awaited.

Another explosion occurred on Tuesday at a pier in Bangkok, the local press reported.No injuries have been reported as yet and the authorities are at the scene now, Xinhua reported. A bomb explosion on Monday, close to Hindu Erawan Shrine in the centre of Bangkok, killed over 25 people and injured 78 others.

PM Modi addresses a rally at Saharsa in Bihar after the one at Arrah where he announced a Rs 1.25 lakh crore package for the state. 

Rashtrapati Bhavan tweets: The body of Smt Suvra Mukherjee will be kept at Rashtrapati Bhavan for family and friends to pay last respects from 3.00 to 5.00 pm today and thereafter, at 13, Talkatora Road, the residence of her son, Shri Abhijit Mukherjee, MP. The cremation ceremony will be held at the Lodhi Road Crematorium at 10.00 am tomorrow.

On the 315th birth anniversary of the great Maratha warrior, Peshwa Bajirao today, here's a picture of Ranveer Singh in the eponymous role for the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. 

India will, in the coming weeks and months, be confronted with cross border terrorist actions of increasing intensity. Those who had hoped that the Modi government would follow a more muscular approach towards Pakistan than that adopted by the UPA government are, no doubt, disappointed. Read Ambassador Satish Chandra also a former deputy national security adviser's column for Rediff.com.

Charges framed against Asaram's son Narayan Sai and 10 others in a rape case by Surat Sessions Court.

One state armed police constable was killed and two constables injured when militants attacked a posse of police guarding a shrine at Tujjar Sharief in north Kashmir's Baramulla district this afternoon.


A senior police officer said, militants fired at the cops guarding the historic shrine. Head constable identified as Fayaz Ahmad of the Jammu and Kashmir armed police was injured and immediately taken to hospital but succumbed to his injuries en route.

Senior police officers along with reinforcements rushed to the spot and the area around the shrine is being sanitised. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

-- Mukhtar Ahmad/Rediff.com

And another picture. Kanishk's mother Tilottama is Shashi Tharoor's first wife. The Congress MP tweets: "Both of Kanishk's grandmothers were there to bless him. Every single aunt, uncle, cousin (& his baby niece) attended!" 

Shashi Tharoor tweeted: Proud father with @kanishktharoor & @ishaantharoor just before the wedding 

As India brought in its 69th Independence day, Kanishk Tharoor 'lost' his independence, or so his father Shashi Tharoor tweeted. "The groom sets out to lose his independence on Independence Day!" Tharoor posted on Twitter along with the newly wed couple's picture. Tharoor's son Kanishk Tharoor tied the knot with Amanda Calderon in New York. A Christian wedding took place at Grace Church in Manhattan on 15 August, while a Hindu wedding will be held in India in winter.

And finally, the condolence message from the PM.

"Pained to know about the passing away of Mrs Suvra Mukherjee. My condolences to Rashtrapati-ji & his family in this hour of grief. Mrs Suvra Mukherjee will be remembered as a lover of art, culture & music. Her warm nature endeared her to everyone she met."

PM Modi announces a Rs 1.25 lakh crore package for Bihar. Highlights


-- I salute the Governor, ministers and other dignitaries present at this function to inaugurate this road project.

-- Nitin Gadkari is the man who in revolutionized roads in Maharashtra.

-- We have come with a plan to connect every corner of Bihar with the nation.I returned this morning from Dubai.

-- People who make my schedule asked me how will you get up so early

-- My officers were worried but you called, so I came.

-- Whether it is women's safety or laying roads in Bihar, we will change the face of Bihar. My friend Rajiv Pratap Rudy, has taken the responsibility of skill development for crores of people in the country.

-- The government in Delhi does not work in bits and pieces. The crown prince of Abu Dhabi has promised an investment of Rs. 4.5 lakh crore. But the factories that this investment will set up, will be of no use without skilled labour. That's why we have the 'Skill India' programme. If we want factories in Bihar, do we not need electricity in Bihar? Do we not need power plants here?

-- In my speech on August 15, I spoke of 'Startup India, Stand up India'.

-- We have uncountable youth in our country who have the ability to do something. But they don't get an opportunity. We are knocking on the 70th year of Independence.

-- I had come to Bihar recently. I had said Bihar is counted among 'bimaru' (sick) states.We have to bring them out of t them out. So the Chief Minister took offense. He said Bihar is no longer a 'bimaru' state. I accept your argument. And if it is true, I will be the happiest.

-- I repeat, what the CM has said - Bihar is no longer a Bimaru state.  Whether it is UP, WB, Bihar, Odisha, Assam - till they progress, the country will not.

-- So far Bihar has received two packages, one during the divide of Jharkhand. In 2003, keeping in mind the state's needs the package was announced. Then the government changed in Delhi. And I have to say this bitter truth which the people must know. The package that Atal Bihari Vajpayee announces, Bihar didn't use it.


-- The government in Delhi treated Bihar like a kid and gave a chocolate.It gave just 12,000 crore rupees. Of this, only 4,000 crore was spent. And that too, most of it happened after you put us in Delhi.

Has Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped into the recent breach between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates over Islamabads refusal to actively join the Yemen war against the Houthi fighters?

The Dawn, Pakistan, reports. Read

Just in: The Bangladeshi paper, Daily Star reports: Law enforcers today claimed to have arrested three militants of the  Ansarullah Bangla Team from Dhaka including the mastermind of the Avijit Roy and Ananta Bijoy killings. The detainees were identified as Touhidul Islam, the mastermind and a financier of the banned group, and its active members Sadek Ali and Aminul Mollik.


They were detained last night from Dhanmondi and Nilkhet areas, said Maj Maksudul Alam, deputy director for Rapid Action Battalion's (Rab) legal and media wing. Further details will be disclosed at a press meeting later in the day, said a text message from Rab issued to the media.


Unidentified assailants killed writer and blogger Avijit Roy and badly wounded his wife Rafida Ahmed Banna on the Dhaka University campus on February 26 after the couple came out of the Ekushey Boi Mela (Book Fair). Blogger Ananta Bijoy Das who had been in a state of dread since the brutal murder of Bangladesh-born US writer and blogger Avijit was killed in Sylhet on May 12.


Frustrated with the lack of progress in the Avijit murder case, the 32-year-old had posted a status on Facebook on March 15: "If the killers are not tried, it is understood that they will hone another machete for another strike!"

His trepidation turned out to be all too real as Ananta, known for advocating science and secularism, was viciously hacked to death by a group of masked men in Sylhet city, in a continuation of attacks on free thinkers.

Pic: Slain blogger Avijit Roy.

Also read: Blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh; fourth incident this year

A former Sikh separatist leader was stabbed to death by unidentified assailant outside his apartment in the US city of Illinois.

Markandey Katju, former Chairman, Press Council of India and a Supreme Court judge seemingly finds it difficult to be courteous.

Azmi Shabana @AzmiShabana  tweeted this morning to say, "Its my father in law Jannisar Akhtars death anniversary today. A romantic poet and revolutionary- he combined these in his exquisite poetry."

To which Markandey Katju @mkatju responded "@AzmiShabana Jan Nisar Akhtar was a great Urdu poet, far superior to your husband."


On Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's birthday on August 16th, Katju tweeted: Happy birthday to that cunning fraud, who sold dreams to Delhiites, that Don Quixote surrounded by chamchas and Sancho Panzas like Ashutosh.

The January issue of Architectural Digest India magazine featured President Pranab Mukherjee's home and office. That's President Pranab Mukherjee with the First Lady, Mrs Suvra Mukherjee, in their personal wing at Rashtrapati Bhavan. See more pictures here.

Arvind Kejriwal @ArvindKejriwal 
Very sad to hear the demise of Mrs Suvra Mukherjee. May her soul rest in peace. Heartfelt condolences to Hon'ble President n his family.


Rajnath Singh ‏@BJPRajnathSingh 
Saddened to hear the news of Smt. Suvra Mukherjee's demise. My heartfelt condolences to Shri Pranab Mukherjee and his bereaved family.

Anandiben Patel ‏@anandibenpatel 
Heartfelt condolences to President Pranab Mukherjee on the sad demise of the First Lady Mrs Suvra Mukherjee. May her soul Rest in Peace!


Shashi Tharoor ‏@ShashiTharoor 
Thoughts and prayers from President Pranab-da & family on this sad news


Rahul Gandhi ‏@OfficeOfRG 
My deepest condolences to @RashtrapatiBhvn President Pranab Mukherjee &his family on the passing away of Smt Suvra Mukherjee @Sharmistha_GK


Mamata Banerjee ‏@MamataOfficial 
I have known Suvra boudi for more than three decades. She was simple, lovable and a caring housewife


Nirmala Sitharaman ‏@nsitharaman 
Condolences @RashtrapatiBhvn on the passing away of Smt. Suvra Mukherjee. May God Almighty give the family strength to bear with the loss.


ShivrajSingh Chouhan ‏@ChouhanShivraj 
Extremely saddened to learn about the passing away of First Lady Smt. Suvra Pranab Mukherjee. My deepest condolences to the family.

Rashtrapati Bhavan tweets: "First Lady Smt Suvra Mukherjee suffered a cardiac arrest on August 7, 2015 and was admitted to ICU of Army Hospital (R&R) same day."

On Independence Day, Saturday, Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had called President Pranab Mukherjee to inquire about the health of his wife Suvra Mukherjee, who has been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi.


Suvra Mukherjee's ancestral home is in Bangladesh's Narhail district. She has been suffering from respiratory problems and was hospitalised on August 7. 

President Pranab Mukherjee's wife, who was critically ill, passed away today. The President's office tweeted: "It is informed with deep sorrow that First Lady, Mrs Suvra Mukherjee passed away this morning at 10:51 am."


Mrs Mukherjee died from a respiratory ailment at the army hospital in New Delhi.


This is the Rashtrapati Bhavan's profile on the First Lady.

"Suvra Mukherjee was born on September 17, 1940 in Jessore (now in Bangladesh) and married Shri Pranab Mukherjee on July 13, 1957.
A graduate, Smt. Suvra Mukherjee was an ardent fan of India's national poet, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. She was a vocalist of Rabindra Sangeet and performed in the poet's dance-dramas for long years not only in different parts of India, but also in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Smt. Suvra Mukherjee founded the 'Geetanjali Troupe', whose mission is to propagate Rabindranath Tagore's philosophy as expressed through his songs and dance-dramas. She was the guiding force behind all productions of the Troupe.

Smt. Mukherjee was also a highly talented painter who had many group and solo exhibitions to her credit. She considered her mother who was herself a painter as the source of her creative inspiration and her works won critical acclaim.

Smt. Mukherjee has written two books: Chokher Aloey which is a personal account of her close interaction with Smt. Indira Gandhi and Chena Achenai Chin- a travelogue recounting her visit to China.
Smt. Suvra Mukherjee and Shri Pranab Mukherjee have three children Shri Abhijit Mukherjee, Shri Indrajit Mukherjee and Ms. Sharmistha Mukherjee."   

Rahul Gandhi arrives in Lucknow to meet Congress workers, will visit Amethi at noon.

Sweet victory for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal: Three private power distribution companies (discoms) in the national capital inflated their dues to be recovered from consumers by almost Rs 8,000 crore, the comptroller and auditor general has said in its report on the discoms and claimed that there is scope for reducing tariffs in the city. 

The CAG audit endorses the claims of the Aam Aadmi Party and other activists that high power tariffs in Delhi were unjustified. The 49-day-old AAP government led by Arvind Kejriwal had ordered the special CAG audit of the power sector on January 1, 2014.

Read more

Terrorist Naved being taken for lie detector test in this vehicle. Yesterday, Naved was produced before District Judge Amar Nath, who after holding in-camera proceedings, ordered the lie detector test to be performed at 11 am today at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in CGO complex. Earlier, the militant gave his written consent for the test, writing in Urdu.

A villager was injured as Pakistani Army violated the ceasefire four times overnight by pounding civilian hamlets and posts with 120 mm and 82 mm mortar bombs along the IB and LoC in Jammu and Poonch districts, drawing retaliation from the Army and BSF.


This is the 10th consecutive day that Pakistan has violated the ceasefire.There have been 45 violations of the 2003 ceasefire accord in August and over 240 ceasefire violations along the Indo-Pak border this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday will visit Ara to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of the 11 National Highway Projects of 700 kilometres length at a capital cost of Rs 9,700 crore in Bihar. He will be accompanied by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate the first phase of Skill Development Centre in Bihar. He will lay foundation stone of the state's first regional Vocational Training Institute for Women in Patna. The Prime Minister will also address a 'Parivartan Rally' this afternoon at Saharsa. This is his third rally after Muzaffarpur and Gaya in the poll-bound state

The Mumbai police today said they have received written complaints against singer Sonu Nigam over his tweet about controversial godwoman Radhe Maa. Nigam, in his tweet, had compared Radhe Maa to a Hindu goddess, said the police.

This payday, why not treat yourself to a modest timepiece, featuring the signature of one of the world's most well-known politicians

Fasting Sikh activist Surat Singh Khalsa's son-in-law Satwinder Singh Bhola was murdered in Chicago, US, on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home on Tuesday morning after completing his successful visit to the UAE during which both sides came down heavily on countries sponsoring terrorism against other states.

Hackers stole tax return information from 334,000 taxpayers, according to a new review.

The Madras high court today closed a PIL filed against actor Prakash Raj, objecting to an advertisement which was allegedly "degrading and demeaning" to women and girls of marriageable age and seeking action against the actor who had endorsed the advertisement.

Dashcam footage has emerged of a bomb that exploded close to a shrine in the centre of Thailand's capital, Bangkok.

Israel said Monday it was not engaged in talks with Hamas following a flurry of media reports suggesting the two sides were discussing a long-term ceasefire.

The bomb explosion in the center of the Thai capital, Bangkok, which killed more than 27 people, has been caught on video. 

Real estate royalty? Donald Trump wanted Princess Diana to be his "trophy wife," according to BBC TV anchor Selina Scott, who was also a friend of the late People's Princess.

Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has ratified a new anti-terrorism law aimed at stemming the rising tide of terrorism in the country.The law gives the police and prosecutors additional powers for combating terrorism, and provides for death penalties and life sentences for those convicted of forming, financing or leading terrorist cells.

Bulls have gored seven people to death during festivals across Spain since the beginning of July -- four of them over the past weekend.The deaths occurred during bull-running in the streets, not in bullrings. 

Military air strikes in North Waziristan on Sunday killed around 40 militants, Pakistan state-run television reported.

It's unclear at present who or what group is behind a bombing near a busy Bangkok intersection that killed at least 16 people and injured dozens on Monday evening.

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