Scotland Yard is trying out a new scheme of recruiting convicted terrorists to counter Islamic State (IS) terror propaganda in the United Kingdom. 

Warning that the Census data based on religion could create a communal tension, senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar today said that certain people may be planning to do "something big over 2 or 3 points", referring to the population of certain communities. 

With just four days left for the grand 'secular' alliance rally in Bihar, uncertainty looms large over the participation of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi. 

Expressing alarm over a report that a Nepal-like quake could wipe out 90 per cent of the population here, Delhi High Court today rapped the Centre, the city government and municipal bodies saying they were waiting for disasters to happen as only 10-15 per cent buildings in the capital complied with the building bye-laws. 

Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency, which probed the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case, has not investigated the role of LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and the reccee conducted by David Coleman Headley with the help of Pakistan army officers. 

Just in: Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria issues a statement on the Sheena Bora murder:

Sheena Bora was killed on 24th April 2012. She was strangulated and her body set on fire.

Her body was found on 23rd May 2012.

DCP South Kolkata police says:
Mumbai police approached us to help them arrest the accused. Accordingly a team was formed and with the input given, the accused was arrested. The accused will be produced in the Alipore court, Kolkata tomorrow

Channel $ News reports on the shootout in Virginia where two journalists were killed:


Alison Parker, 24, and Adam Ward, 27, both worked for CBS affiliated WDBJ-TV. The pair were carrying out a live interview at Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta, Virginia, when the shooting took place.


During the interview shots suddenly begin ringing out and screaming can be heard. As the camera falls to the ground the suspected gunman can be seen holding what appears to be a handgun.


Police are now on the scene. There are currently few details about the attacker and no description of the suspect was immediately available.


Franklin County Sheriff's Department spokesman Phillip Young confirmed reports of an active shooter at Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta.


ABC News affiliate WJLA reported that all Bedford County schools were on lockdown.


Image: Journalists Alison Parker, 24, and Adam Ward(Source: WDBJ/Twitter)

BBC reports: Two journalists have been shot dead during a live TV report in the US state of Virginia, their employer confirms. WDBJ7 TV reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were killed during an interview in Moneta, Bedford County, the TV station said.

During the live broadcast, shots could be heard, sending the reporter and the person she was interviewing screaming.

Police say they are investigating the incident and still searching for the suspect.

The man wearing spectacles is Sanjeev Khanna, Indrani Mukerjea's ex-husband, who was arrested a few hours ago in Kolkata in connection with Sheena Bora's murder. 

Major loss of face for the Gandhis and the Congress and a huge win for Smriti Irani and the BJP.


A revenue court today ordered the return of the land sold to the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust by an industrial house to Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC).


The order passed by sub-divisional magistrate, Gauriganj, Vandita Srivastava comes days after Union Minister Smriti Irani questioned the sale of the land to the Trust and had accused the Gandhi family of "land-grabbing' .


The land of Kauhar village already belonged to UPSIDC which was illegally transferred in the name of the Trust, Srivastava said. Asked about the order, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said the Trust "has explained itself very very clearly'.


"It runs a self-help group system that is the largest in Uttar Pradesh. They have created SHGs for over 1.4 million women. They have transformed lives of millions and millions of women there. So Mrs Irani should go into the details of what work they have done and exactly what they are doing before she says anything,' he told reporters in Jammu.

Yet another OMG moment in this case. 

sumaira @sumairakh of ABP tweets on the Indrani Mukerjea murder case: "Reports emerging that garage of former ceo starindia peter mukherjee's home used to keep body of #sheenabora"

 Amitabh Kant retweeted
 Amitabh Kant retweeted: Chetan Bhagat @chetan_bhagat  Reservation kills merit. Has no place in a modern nation. Someone doesn't get a seat, someone who deserves it loses it.

Kant is the 'Secretary- Industrial Policy & Promotion, GOI and the kKey driver of Make in India, Incredible India & God's Own Country campaigns. 

Just in: Sheena Bora murder case: Kolkata Police arrests Sanjeev Khanna, Indrani Mukerjea's former husband, says ABP News. He was interrogated in Kolkata by the Mumbai police. Details awaited.


Mumbai Police Commissoner Rakesh Maria, who is heading the case, has so far revealed that the victim, Sheena Bora, Indrani Mukerjea's daughter and not her sister. Indrani claimed that Sheena was her stepsister from her mother's second marriage. The police, however, claim that Sheena is Indrani's daughter from her first marriage. However, other reports say that Sheena was born out of wedlock.

Fellow teachers take note: if you want your students to look forward to the new term then this is the way to do it.A classroom at a school in the US has been transformed into a Harry Potter fest by an enterprising teacher: who happens to be a self-sorted Hufflepuff. Read more

And in the real world: A final solution to the 'One Rank One Pension' row remained out of reach despite hectic back channel talks, as the protesting ex-servicemen today rejected government's formula saying an attempt was being made to "short change" them.

"Government is hell bent on short changing us. There are only three points of contention," a source here said. Sources said that the government wants 2011 to be the base year besides no three per cent annual increase. The government also wants payment to begin from April 1, 2015 as against the agreed date of April 1, 2014.


"We have rejected the proposal. Escalation of our protest in expected. The complicated arithmetic will mean reduced payout," source in the ex-servicemen movement said.


The development came after a nearly two-hour long meeting was held between representatives of ex-servicemen and Army chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag.


Government sources have now said that in the wake of these differences, an announcement on OROP in the next few days is unlikely. It was speculated that the government might announce OROP on August 28, the 50th anniversary of 1965 war with Pakistan.


This comes even as six Army veterans are on fast-unto-death and two of them are currently in hospital. The Army veterans currently on fast-unto-death are Colonel Pushpender Singh, Havaldar Major Singh, Havaldar Sahib Singh, Havaldar Ashok Chauhan, Major Piar Chand and Naik Uday Singh.

In a U-turn, the US today said it will move a pro-Sri Lanka resolution at the UNHRC ahead of a crucial report on alleged war crimes during the country's three-decade long civil war with the LTTE. Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asia Nisha Biswal said the matter had already been discussed with the international community as there is a need to give the new Sri Lankan government time to address the human rights concerns.


Interestingly, it was a US-moved resolution that called for an international probe into alleged war crimes during the nearly three decade-long civil war that ended in 2009 and was adopted last year in the 47-member UN Human Rights Council. US was at the forefront in adopting a total of three resolutions at the UN human rights session on Sri Lanka and today's announcement marks a complete shift in US' stance.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has issued 80 notices this month to the Rashtrapati Bhavan after dengue mosquitoes were found breeding at various places at the sprawling estate.


"The Presidential Estate is huge and during the inspection heavy mosquito breeding was found at various places especially near the residential quarters of the Rasthrapati Bhavan staff. During this month, we have issued around 80 notices to various departments to check mosquito breeding on their premises," a senior NDMC official said.

Indrani Mukerjea's Facebook post ushering in Christmas and new year.


December 23, 2014 
 

Hi all, Have a lovely year end and a fabulous 2015. We've had a hectic but enjoyable year with a nice mix of travel and staying put , spending time with family and friends , eating healthy but finding it impossible to lose weight - but simply put its been a pretty reasonable year all round.

I hope you've all had a good 2014 and I wish we all have a safe, healthy and happy new year and we get to see more of you in 2015 than we did this year.

Peter has put a little collage (pictured) capturing some of the happy times we've had and thought we'd share those with you .

Warmly

Vidhie, Peter and me

Updates at this hour:

-- The Supreme Court has suspended the court proceedings in the Italian marines case.

-- Eight killed in Kochi boat mishap.

Top Commanders of Pakistan Rangers and Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) are scheduled to meet in New Delhi from September 9 to 13, sources in Pakistan's paramilitary force told DawnNews.

"As per border ground rules 1961, a routine, biannual meeting of Inspector General BSF and Director General Pakistan Rangers is scheduled to take place in New Delhi starting September 9, 2015," a spokesman for Pakistan Rangers told DawnNews.

Pakistan would take up the matter of 'unprovoked' Indian firing along the Line of Control (Loc) and Working Boundary, and the killing of its civilians, the spokesman said.

Just in: The Delhi-Ahmedabad Rajdhani Express has been cancelled after Patel protestors damage rail tracks. The Ashram Express from Ahmedabad to Delhi has also been cancelled. 

The Karnataka High Court has given a notice to the Centre on the Khel Ratna being awarded to Sania Mirza. HC issued a notice after a paralympian Girisha filed a notice and has issued a stay on the award. Details awaited.

What Peter Mukerjea, who has been speaking to every TV channel told Headlines Today:

--  I spoke to my son this morning after three years. My son knew Sheena was Indrani's daughter.


-- I feel betrayed by my wife if everything is true.


-- Once in a while, Indrani would show me a photograph of Sheena in US. I am not on Facebook, so I believed what Indrani said.

The Quint throws a whole new light on Indrani Mukerjea's relationships. Take a look. 

"Two or three times every month, there would be these 'Indrani' meetings. Indrani Mukerjea nee Bora, was Peter's wife, half of the 'Power-that-was' at NewsX, but ever keen to increase her stake."

-- Avirook Sen, former Executive Editor of NewsX, on his experiences, and his meetings with Indrani Mukerjea. Read his account here. 

Mumbai police arrive at Peter Mukerjea's residence. They will question him over Sheena's murder.


Pic: Peter Mukerjea, wife Indrani and their daughter Vidhie in less turbulent times.

Times Now reports that Sheena's body was chopped up and burnt, and disposed off in Raigad. A school friend, Indrajit, speaking to the media, said that her murder 'is a kind of honour killing.'

Mikhail Bora, the victim, Sheena Bora's brother tells CNN IBN that the reason behind the murder was not property, but 'something else'.


Meanwhile, Peter Mukerjea speaking to almost every TV channel says he found the developments "very hard to process". He also said that his wife did not approve of Sheena's relationship with his son Rahul.


More importantly he seems to be alluding to Indrani as the person who killed Sheena by saying, "I never took the rumours seriously when I heard them four years ago, but now it is coming to me from credible sources, the police."


He also admitted that he and Indrani were both unhappy about Sheena's affair with his son. "They were both adults so they carried on. When I was told that Sheena was sent off to the US, I felt a sense of relief."


He said it was his son Rahul who first called him and told him that Sheena seemed to be missing, back in 2012.

So, here's the antecedents of Mukerjea marriage: Peter Mukerjea  married Indrani Bora, a 30-year-old HR consultant, in 2002. From being the father of two sons aged 22 and 18, he also has a daughter with Indira called, Vidhie. "I recommend it to all fellow 46-year-olds, have another child," he had said.


Pic: Vidhie Mukerjea from her Facebook page.


Meanwhile, Indrani's first husband Sanjeev Khanna is being questioned by the police.

Sucheta Dalal @suchetadalal  Poor Sheena Bora, Father some Khanna out of pic, brother & boyfriend did not pursue her disappearance. Bother Mikhail talks 2 TV not police!

Sucheta Dalal @suchetadalal  What's with Peter Mukherjea giving himself a clean chit on every TV channel? A man who ran Star TV clueless about his own home? unbelievable.

Mikhail Bora, who is believed to be Indrani Mukerjea's son says, "We had been trying to get in touch with Indrani for the last one year, but she has not been taking calls. There has been a dispute between Indrani and Sheena but I cannot say what the dispute was. I have met Peter only twice.


"I want to hear Indrani's version to the police. I met Sheena the last time in 2012 January. The situation was very bad. We didn't have money to run the house so we were dependent on Indrani so I didn't care if she said we were her siblings."

Peter Mukerjea speaking to CNN IBN, distances himself from the murder.  Mukerjea said he was introduced to both Sheena and Mikhail Bora as Indrani's siblings and not her children.


"I have not spoken to my wife since her arrest," he told CNN IBN. "She was picked up and taken into custody yesterday.  I was completely in the dark. They were some rumours I had heard which were confirmed yesterday. Mumbai police has said they might call me for questioning."


On the Sheena murder:

"I was told Sheena went to the US to study. They often spoke in Assamese. I don't know Assamese so I don't know what they said. I was  shown pictures of Sheena by Indrani saying she was in the US. I never thought twice about this. Indrani always told me I shouldn't engage with her family. Nobody from her side came for our wedding.  My son was in a relationship with Sheena but I haven't spoken to him since this happened. Sheena was sent off to the US because Indrani did not approve of the relationship."


Pic: Sheena Bora taken from her Linkedin profile.

What we have so far is this:

Indrani Mukerjea, wife of former Star TV boss Peter Mukerjea, was arrested in connection with the murder of Sheena Bora in 2012.

Indrani was arrested by Khar Police last night following questioning over her alleged role in the murder in 2012 and remanded to police custody till August 31.


Maharashtra's Raigad police had found remains of Bora in a forest following which a murder case was registered against unidentified persons in 2012.


DCP (Detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni said, "The case being more than two years old where there isn't any DNA sample of the deceased or appropriate remains of the body, police is only relying on co-accused's confession," an officer at Khar police station, who is part of investigation team, said on the condition on anonymity.


Indrani's driver, a co-accused who was picked by the police few days back in connection with the murder, too was arrested yesterday.


During interrogation, the driver claimed that Indrani had killed Bora and that he had helped her in disposing of the body by dumping it in the forests of Raigad district, the officer said.Raigad police had come across remains of an unidentified body, which they had disposed of without collecting DNA samples, the officer said.Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria had interrogated Indrani at Khar police station yesterday.


The officer said they would take the two accused to the crime spot where the body was dumped.


The update we have today is Mumbai top cop Rakesh Maria says that Sheena Bora is in fact Indrani Mukerjea's daughter and not sister. A fact which was confirmed by Mikhail Bora, Sheena's brother. Mikhail told CNN IBN that both he and Sheena were Indrani's children. He also said he as no doubt that Indrani killed Sheena. He also said that after Sheena went missing he asked Indrani about her whereabouts to which Indrani said that Sheena was abroad studying.

Just in: Mumbai police chief Rakesh Maria confirms that Sheena Bora is in fact, Indrani Mukherjea's daughter and not sister as mentioned earlier. Indrani claims that Sheena was her step sister from her mother's second marriage. The police however claim that Sheena Bora is Indrani Mukherjea's daughter from her first marriage.

An appeals court here has affirmed a district judge's order to dismiss a human rights violation lawsuit filed against Congress president Sonia Gandhi by a Sikh group in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, ruling that the petition lacked merit.


The three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that it found the arguments presented by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) in its case against Gandhi "without merit".


The bench of Circuit Judges Jose Cabranes, Renna Raggi and Richard Wesley affirmed the district court's order of June 9, 2014 in which the judge had dismissed the human rights violation lawsuit filed by SFJ against Gandhi.

Indrani Mukherjea has been sent to police custody till August 31. 

This is Peter Mukerjea's reaction when Indian Express called him for his response on his wife's arrest:


"The police will not make up a case and they would arrest a person only after they have something against her. They told us that she is being taken to a police station in connection with a case.


"There was nothing amiss in my wife's conduct and the two shared a very normal relationship like any other siblings. I am shocked to learn about the arrest."'


He said he did not recall details of the missing person's complaint registered in May 2012 for Sheena. He said he didn't know of any farmhouse that Indrani's family owned or visited in Raigad. 

This is what the Tehelka has on the case:


"Peter and Indrani got married in 2002, when she worked as an HR Consultant and Peter was the CEO at Star India Network. It was second marriage for both individuals. Before entering media, Indrani's biggest client was Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Group for which she was responsible to do high-level hiring. The couple founded INX media and INX News in 2007 which was later renamed 9X Media after the couple exited in 2009. Singapore based company Temasek invested in the the media company of the Mukherjea's and after the global recession, Temasek got the media company audited. It was found out during this audit that Peter and Indrani had siphoned of huge sums of money from the company in the name of various family members, including Peter's brother Gautam Mukherjea who brings out the magazine Planet Goa.


"Mumbai Police sources have revealed on the condition on anonymity that a conflict over this money possibly led to Indrani conspiring her sister's murder. Sources have further added that Sheena refused to transfer back money siphoned off by Indrani, to the couple and hence a bitter feud followed leading to the killing. Further investigations are going on in the case, the source added."

Indrani Mukherjea, wife of former Star India chief Peter Mukherjea, has been remanded to police custody. She has been arrested for the murder of her sister, Sheena Bora, three years ago.


The high-profile case is now being headed by Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria.


Sheena was murdered in 2012 and her body was dumped in the forests of Raigad, 84 km from Mumbai. Indrani Mukherjea allegedly helped dispose of the body.


According to The Telegraph, an even more dramatic element has been added to the case. The newspaper reports:  "With a close family friend claiming that she had been told Sheena was Indranis daughter from an earlier relationship. The claim could not be verified with either Peter, the former CEO of STAR India, or the legal representatives of Indrani who has been sent to police custody till August 31. But at least four other friends echoed the family friend."


The murder would have remained a mystery had the police not been tipped off that Indranis driver Shyam Rai had been seen frequenting the place in Raigad from where Sheenas body was found.


The Telegraph also reports that Indrani had introduced Sheena to Mumbai society as her sister. Sheena and a younger boy were born to Indrani when she was married to another man before she became Peters wife.

Mutual fund managers would want to forget about Monday in a hurry -- in a matter of hours, their efforts to ensure positive returns for investors this year went into thin air. 


The BSE Sensex lost about 1,600 points, while the National Stock Exchange Nifty was down about 400 points. The net asset value of equity schemes across categories witnessed an average fall of 6.4 per cent, bringing the valuation back to levels at the beginning of the year. In a single trading session on Monday, a steep fall of about six per cent in stock markets wiped out almost all the gains of equity schemes. 

Read more

A 27-year-old Indian-origin former investment bank analyst and his two friends have been charged in the US with trading on inside information about technology deals that netted more than USD 600,000 in illicit profits.


Ashish Aggarwal of San Francisco, Shahriyar Bolandian 26, and Kevan Sadigh, 28, both of Los Angeles are named in an indictment that charges each with one count of conspiracy to commit securities and tender offer fraud, 13 substantive counts of securities fraud, 13 substantive counts of tender offer fraud and three substantive counts of wire fraud.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday 'exposed' the Rs. 1.25 lakh crore package for Bihar announced recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing it as a 'packaged propaganda' and a repackaging of old schemes and ongoing projects announced in the past.


"Rs. 1.08 lakh crore out of Rs. 1.25 lakh crore is a mere repackaging & appropriation of old schemes, & ongoing projects announced in the past," Nitish tweeted.


The chief minister took to social media to expose the package which he broke down into several segments and branded it as an effort to narrate a fairy tale to the people of Bihar.


"Rs. 6000 crore for whimsical projects which have absolutely zero trace on ground. Barely, Rs. 10500 crore out of Rs. 1.25 lakh crore could be called an incremental benefit," he said.


He also added that it was not a surprise that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley or his ministry was not worried or was seen scrambling to provide for the additional resources from the Union Budget. Nitish branded the entire package an outrageous act and accused Prime Minister Modi of auctioning Bihar and the trust of its people.

India may be heading for a huge surplus of generation capacity because the 300 million people who don't have access to electricity also don't have the means to buy power from new plants that are being set up to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of power for all, experts said.
Read more

An attempted attack by a heavily armed man on a train in France last week was premeditated and well prepared, according to a French prosecutor.

Commander-In-Chief of Israeli Navy Vice Admiral Ram Rutberg, who is on an official visit to India from August 24 to 27, visited Mumbai today. 

Expressing deep concern over former Maldivian President Mohammad Nasheed's imprisonment, the UN today said the move was a "serious setback" to the human rights situation in the country. The High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed his deep concern to the Maldivian government after Nasheed was again sent to prison on Sunday night, a month after the former president's 13-year prison term was commuted to house arrest.

The United Nations envoy to South Sudan cautioned today that a power-sharing deal set to be signed by President Salva Kiir was only a first step to end the brutal conflict. 

Hardik Patel detained in Ahmedabad, released an hour later
'Give quota to Patels or the lotus will not bloom in 2017'
Second army veteran fasting for OROP hospitalised
Early polls likely for TN assembly?
In Mangalore, man stripped, tied to pole for talking to Hindu woman
Why Patels are angry with Modi and the BJP
Nationalism in India is being anti-Pakistan and anti-China
20,000 cops, drones, CCTVs, bomb squads -- how Ahmedabad is facing the Patel rally