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Sat, 28 February 2015
Live! Sajjad Lone likely to be in J&K cabinet
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22:41 Sajjad Lone likely to be in J&K cabinet
Sources have revealed names that are believed to be set to join the Jammu & Kashmir cabinet.
The names include Nirmal Singh, Bali Bhagat, Chander Prakash Ganga, Sukhnandan Chowdhary, Lal Singh and Sajjad Lone.
Among names that are believed to be elevated as Ministers of State are Priya Sethi, Chering Dorjay, Pawan Gupta, Sunil Sharma, Abdul Gani Kohli.
Kavinder Gupta is believed to be appointed as the Speaker of the J&K assembly.
Kavinder Gupta is believed to be appointed as the Speaker of the J&K assembly.
22:20 JPUF convenes 2-hour Jammu bandh tomorrow against BJP-PDP tie-up
The Jammu Pradesh United Front (JPUF) has called for a two hours' token strike tomorrow in protest against the coming together of PDP and BJP.
"The coalition between BJP and PDP is a sellout by BJP of the interests of the people of Jammu region. It (BJP) has gained nothing for the people of Jammu region in this deal as they have surrendered everything to the Kashmir-based politicians," said Balwant Singh Mankotia, JKPP President and convener of Jammu Pradesh United Front.
He said as a token of protest he has appealed to the residents of Jammu region to observe a two-hour strike tomorrow.
22:08 Appeals court rejects request to move Boston Marathon bombings trial
A US appeals court has rejected a fourth request to move the trial for the accused Boston Marathon bomber to another city.
The death penalty trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been delayed by painstaking jury selection, crippling snowstorms and last-ditch appeals for change of venue.
Earlier this month, Judge George O'Toole, along with the prosecution and defense teams, settled on a pool of 70 jury prospects after questioning 256 people over three weeks.
Before the appeals court ruled Friday, the defense tried three times to persuade O'Toole to move the trial, claiming it couldn't find an impartial jury in Boston. He refused.
Read full story HERE.
Read full story HERE.
21:39 Congress, NC to stay away from Mufti swearing-in tomorrow
Congress and National Conference, the erstwhile ruling alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, are likley to "stay away" from tomorrow's swearing-in ceremony of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP-BJP government in the state.
"We are going to stay away from the ceremony tomorrow," a senior Congress leader said on the condition of anoymity, adding no senior leader of the party was also coming to attend the ceremony from Delhi.
According to sources in National Conference, which ruled the state for six years with Congress, the party leadership is also likely to "abstain" from the ceremony which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Several other top BJP leaders are also expected to attend the ceremony, which will herald first-ever BJP government in the only Muslim-majority state of the country.
The lone CPI-M MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami is also likely to stay away from the function.
21:20 What would Wittgenstein say about that dress?
"What colour is that dress?" The question has been fascinating people all around the world, including Prof Barry C Smith of the University of London's Institute of Philosophy.
We all assume that we see what's before our eyes, and if we have normal colour vision we should be able to tell what colour the dress is.
And yet we've just discovered that the world of observers divides into two groups -- those who see the dress as white and gold, and those who see it as blue and black, or blue and olive green.
They know they are looking at the same image and that it isn't changing, so why is there such marked disagreement about how the dress looks?
Read full story HERE.
Read full story HERE.
20:49 Egypt courts list Hamas as terrorist group
An Egyptian court listed the Palestinian group Hamas as a terrorist organization, judicial sources said on Saturday, part of a sustained crackdown on Islamists in the most populous Arab state.
In a separate case earlier in the day, a court sentenced the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's top leader Mohamed Badie to life in prison while other members received the death penalty.
Hamas is an offshoot of the Brotherhood, which the authorities have also declared a terrorist group in Egypt and have repressed systematically since the army ousted one of its leaders, Mohamed Mursi, from the presidency in 2013.
While a court ruled in January that Hamas' armed wing was a terrorist organization, Saturday's broader ruling against the entire group has potentially greater consequences for the already strained relationship between Cairo and Hamas, which dominates the Gaza Strip on Egypt's border.
20:18 Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi floats a new party
Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday announced the launch pf a new political outfit -- Hindustani Awaam Morcha counter chief minister Nitish Kumar and his party JD-U in the state ahead of next state assembly polls later this year.
"Finally ,we have decided to work under the banner of HAM after discussion with supporters and sympathisers including former ministers," said Manjhi.
20:04 Fans honor Nimoy with tweets, Vulcan salute
Fans shared touching 'Live long and prosper' tributes to legendary Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy.
Read full story HERE
Read full story HERE
19:38 Swine flu claims 36 more lives, over 19,000 affected
Swine flu has claimed 36 more lives raising the toll to 1,041 even as the number of people affected by the H1N1 virus in the country breached the 19,000 mark today.
As per data collated by the Health Ministry, the total number of deaths due to swine flu was 1,041 till yesterday while the number of people affected were 19,046.
The Health Ministry had yesterday given the figure of those affected to be 18,105.
19:04 Petrol, diesel price hiked by over Rs 3
Public sector oil marketing companies will increase the retail selling price of petrol and diesel by Rs 3.18 a litre and Rs 3.09 a litre respectively in Delhi with a corresponding increase in other States.
The increase includes state levies and will be applicable from midnight February 28.
"There has been a further steep increase in international prices of both petrol and diesel and the rupee-dollar exchange rate has also depreciated slightly since the last price revision. The combined impact of both these factors warrants increase in Retail Selling Prices of both Petrol and Diesel," said Indian Oil Corporation in a statement.
This is the second successive price hike in the retail selling price of petrol and diesel.
18:49 Another Hindu temple vandalised in US
A Hindu temple in the US has been vandalised with several windows broken and the word "fear" painted on its wall, the second such incident in America's Washington state this month.
Vandals used bricks to break several windows and then painted the word "fear" on the wall of the Kent Hindu Temple late Thursday night.
Members who came to worship last night were greeted by shards of broken glass after vandals targeted the building.
Image for representation only.
Image for representation only.
18:19 Mukul Roy sacked as Trinamool general secretary
In a major party reshuffle, Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy was on Saturday removed from the post of all India general secretary of TMC. Roy said that it is the prerogative of party to constitute and reconstitute and that the power lies with the Chairperson.
However, Roy declined the reports of him joining the BJP.
Reportedly, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had called for an urgent meeting at her residence after reports of Roy's meeting with the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had surfaced.
Roy was not present at the party meeting. Thereafter, Roy was stripped from the post of All India General Secretary.
18:11 Saudi blogger's weekly flogging delayed for 7th week in a row
Raif Badawi, the Saudi blogger jailed for criticizing Islam, has had his weekly lashes delayed for a seventh time.
Badawi was arrested in June 2012 after criticizing the Saudi regime and expressing views critical of Islam on his blog.
He was eventually sentenced in May 2014 to 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes, to be delivered in batches of 50 every week.
He was flogged for the first time on Jan 9. However, the next seven flogging sessions were postponed. At least two of the postponements were due to medical reasons, but no reasons were given for subsequent delays.
Read full story HERE.
Read full story HERE.
17:48 Internet responds to blogger Avijit Roy's murder
Fellow bloggers have started responding to the brutal murder of Avijit Roy.
Roy, an American blogger of Bangladeshi origin, was known for his writing against religious fundamentalism, was hacked to death by unidentified assailants in Dhaka, according to the police.
Avijit Roy, 40, was attacked with machetes when he was returning from a book fair at Dhaka University late on Thursday night along with his wife Rafida Ahmed.
Avajit, founder of Mukto-Mona (free mind) blog site which defends liberal secular writing, was in a rickshaw with his wife when two assailants stopped it, dragged them to the footpath and started hacking him, according to eyewitnesses.
17:36 S Gurumurthy scoffs at experts' views on Budget
RSS ideologue
#My first comment on budget is: it is the first budget resting on what would work in
#Three game changers in budget. Mudra Bank for 58 millions unfunded micro businesses. Law against black money. Partial monetisation of gold.
#It's shocking that great economists n experts don't still know that 58 m micro units give 128m jobs but get only 4% credit from banks
#Credit Suisse notices this sector as engine of growth. Our "experts" comment on piffle in the budget as highlights. How unconnected they are
#Our experts are as unconnected with
#Only budget since 1992 that has courageously ignored how the stock market would take it. It has looked more at
17:28 Mugabe turns 91 with million dollar birthday bash
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe today will celebrate his 91st birthday will a million dollar bash attended by thousands of faithful party supporters.
As elephants are slaughtered for the feast at a luxury hotel in Zimbabwe's famed Victoria Falls, critics are questioning the scale of the festivities, calling them "obscene" in a country where millions live in poverty.
Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, is the world's oldest leader.
While he is hailed by many of his African peers as a liberation hero, critics say that over the following decades he turned the "breadbasket of southern Africa" into a basket case, trampling human rights, justice and democracy.
Mugabe's violent seizure of white-owned farms triggered food shortages and hyper-inflation, while Europe and the United States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe over elections seen as rigged.
In an interview marking his birthday, Mugabe admitted he blundered by giving ill-equipped black farmers vast tracts of farmland under his controversial land reforms.
17:24 PMO accepts Pachauri's resignation from PM's council on climate change
The Prime Minister's Office has accepted RK Pachauri's resignation as Chairman of the PM's council on climate change.
Pachauri, 74, who faces allegations of sexual harassment, had quit on Tuesday also from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
TERI, which he heads in India, had also announced on Tuesday that he had proceeded on leave for the time being but disclosed no reasons for doing so.
17:04 Jihadi John had anger management issues: ex-teacher
Jihadi John, a masked Islamic State terrorist seen in gruesome videos of beheadings of Western hostages, received anger management therapy in his first year of secondary school in the UK after getting into fights.
Mohammed Emwazi, who has been seen in beheading videos of Western hostages, attended Quintin Kynaston school in Queens Park, north west London, a decade ago.
His former teacher said Emwazi needed help controlling his emotions but he was regarded as a "success story" after the therapy, she added.
Emwazi was unveiled as a Kuwaiti-born British man in his mid-20s leading to criticism of UK security services for being aware of him but not preventing him from joining Islamic State.
16:58 Australian Muslim activist fights Twitter 'troll army'
Mariam Veiszadeh, an Australian lawyer and founder of the Islamophobia Register, which tracks instances of abuse against Muslims, has become a target for Twitter trolls.
"The reality is people don't abuse me just because I'm a woman or because my name is Mariam or because I'm Middle-Eastern. They abuse me because I have a scarf on my head and because I'm a Muslim," Veiszadeh told CNN.
Read full story HERE.
Read full story HERE.
16:17 It's official, Catwoman is bisexual
Superhero Batman's enemy and romantic interest Catwoman, Selina Kyle, has come out bisexual in the latest issue of 'Catwoman' comic book.
Selina is the head of Gotham's Calabrese crime family, and, on the brink of a mob war, shares a kiss with the woman currently in the Catwoman costume, Eiko Hasigaway, in a moment that have major ramifications for both characters as the storyline progresses, reported the Verge.
In her blog, series writer Genevieve Valentine wrote that, for her, "this wasn't a revelation so much as a confirmation."
Selina Kyle's relationships outside of the one she shares with Bruce Wayne have been viewed with ambiguity for years, and adding this angle to her character was "indispensable".
The moment between Selina and Eiko in Catwoman #39 is not meant to titillate, though, but lends the characters depth, especially with war right on the horizon in issue #40.
15:48 Manmohan on Budget: Lot of good intentions, but no roadmap
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the budget reflected lot of "good intentions" of the NDA government but it lacked any clear roadmap to achieve the goals.
Describing the budget as disappointing, Singh, who is credited with ushering in economic reforms as finance minister in the Narasimha Rao government in 1991, said the Modi dispensation did not lay out any framework to implement various initiatives announced in the budget.
"My worry about the budget is that it has good intentions but it does not have an adequate roadmap and framework to implement the inititiaves," the former prime minister said.
He said though lot of funds have been established there was no concrete direction to convert them to solid action plan.
Singh was also critical of the government over "inadequate" fund allocation to various welfare measures for rural areas of the country and poor people.
15:38 Actress Sonam Kapoor in hospital with swine flu
Just In: Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor has been admitted to a hospital in Rajkot, Gujarat. She is under treatment for suspected swine flu, and the medical reports are awaited.
15:27 Sister gives Jaitley "full marks" for "very good" Budget
It was "full marks" for Finance Minister Arun Jaitley from his elder sister Madhu Bhargava for presenting a "dynamic" budget, saying it took care of all sections of society.
After keenly watching the Budget presentation by Jaitley in the Lok Sabha from the visitors' gallery, she went to her younger brother's chamber to congratulate him on what she described as a very productive document.
"It is a very dynamic and very good Budget. I give full marks to him for the Budget in which he has taken care of all sections of society," she told reporters outside Parliament.
Asked how many marks she would give her younger brother, she said, "He is my younger brother and I will be very partial by giving him 10 marks out of 10."
Jaitley's lawyer niece and Bhargava's daughter Punita also termed it as a "forward-looking" Budget.
"It is a very good budget and a very inclusive one. It is a forward-looking Budget," she said, adding that her uncle has taken care of all sections of society.
15:18 Baag me ab tak kaante kai purane hai: Jaitley runs down UPA
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley peppered his speech with digs at the previous UPA regime and sprinkled it with interesting phrases taken out from Urdu poetry and religious scriptures as he presented his first full-fledged budget in Lok Sabha today.
Sample this:
Sample this:
"Kuch to phool khilaaye humne, aur kuch phool khilaane hai... Mushkil yeh hai baag me ab tak, kaante kai purane hai (We have blossomed some flowers and have to grow many more. But we are facing difficulty with some legacies)," he said in an apparent attack on the previous UPA government.
15:18 Budget: SIT on blackmoney gets 10 per cent hike
The Special Investigation Team on black money has been accorded an about 10 per cent hike in the latest budgetary allocation for expanding its infrastructure and procuring logistics to effectively conduct its task of tackling the menace.
The budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has allocated a total of Rs 45.39 crore for the SIT for 2015-16 financial year as compared to an amount of Rs 41.34 crore allocated to the high-powered panel in the last fiscal.
The SIT, headed by former Supreme Court Judge M B Shah and Vice Chairman Arijit Pasayat, has 11 members in the panel who are the heads of a number of central investigative and enforcement agencies of the country.
The panel was notified by the government last year on the directions of the Supreme Court and is mandated to lead India's fight against the menace, especially to check illegal assets of Indians stashed abroad.
The panel has held various meetings till now and has also presented two major action taken reports to the apex court and government vis-a-vis status of investigations in black money cases and recommendations for tightening laws to check the menace.
14:43 Quiz the FM on Union Budget during his talkathon today
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will interact with the public on the Union Budget via a talkathon today at 6 pm.
One can ask him questions via Twitter, with the hashtag #AskYourFM. The talkathon will go live on the information and broadcasting ministry's YouTube channel and DD News.
14:06 Budget blues over, FM settles down for quick lunch
Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt scooped this photograph of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley lunching on Kulcha-Chawal. The best way to beat the Budget Blues, we say, is a satisfactory meal!
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13:47 No desire to be CM for another term: Karuna
Downplaying partymen's desire for him to become Chief Minister for another term, DMK President M Karunanidhi today said he was more focused in protecting the party and urged his supporters to ensure that the movement flourished by serving people.
The 91 year-old five time former Chief Minister's comments came at a function on the eve of 63rd birthday celebrations of his son and DMK Treasurer M K Stalin, where party leaders who spoke before him wanted him to become Chief Minister for a sixth time.
"Those who spoke before me said that I should become (Chief) Minister for a sixth time. That is not my desire, that (feeling) is not something that is dominating me. My desire is to protect DMK. Till the last supporter is there, it cannot be given away to the enemy," he said.
Urging his party leaders and supporters to follow suit, he said they should realise that DMK is the only movement serving the economically and socially downtrodden and that they should protect it for the benefit of the society and "atleast" for themselves.
Protecting the party should be the 'primary duty' of all concerned, "else we would not be showing gratitude," he said in the midst of senior leaders including former Union Ministers A Raja and T R Baalu.
13:30 Modi praises Jaitley's Budget
The Union Budget is progressive, positive, practical, pragmatic and prudent, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
13:23 US Homeland Security survives...
Feuding US lawmakers narrowly avoided a Department of Homeland Security shutdown at the 11th hour, but funded the agency only until March 6, forcing Congress to revisit the issue next week.
House and Senate members yesterday scrambled to prevent the premier agency securing the United States against terror threats from running out of money at midnight, as DHS became a battleground for lawmakers clashing over President Barack Obama's controversial immigration reforms.
The president signed the temporary measure into law shortly before midnight, despite his preference for full DHS funding through the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
Earlier attempts to secure comprehensive funding failed spectacularly yesterday, with conservative Republicans balking because amendments they had inserted to repeal Obama's immigration executive orders had been stripped out.
With the clock ticking, the House of Representatives passed the seven-day measure 357 to 60, with just two hours to spare. The Senate approved it earlier by voice vote.
Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi suggested congressional leaders agreed to a deal that would see Democrats help get the one-week stopgap over the finish line, in return for a vote next week on full funding.
13:21 Goa NCP chief Halarnkar resigns
Goa's NCP chief Nilkanth Halarnkar today stepped down from his post, saying that he is not happy with the functioning of the party.
"NCP didn't contest 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Goa... they didn't contest Panaji by-poll and now they don't want to contest upcoming Zilla panchayat polls too in the state. I am feeling demoralised," Halarnkar told PTI after tendering his resignation.
The outgoing president, however, said he will continue to be with the party and won't switch over to another political outfit.
The former Goa Tourism Minister said the existence of the party gets hampered when it doesn't contest polls.
Party's local leaders, during their recent interaction with senior leader Praful Patel, had expressed willingness to contest ZP polls. The demand was, however, refused by the party high command.
NCP, which shared power till 2012 in Goa, does not have a single MLA in the current legislative assembly
12:50 Kim tells North Korean army to 'prepare for war'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has urged his army to prepare for war with the United States and its allies, state media said today, as Pyongyang ramps up the rhetoric ahead of US-South Korea military drills.
Kim's comments came after South Korea and the United States yesterday conducted a joint naval drill involving 10 South Korean warships and a US Aegis destroyer, ahead of the launch of large-scale military exercises that have enraged the North.
"The prevailing situation where a great war for national reunification is at hand requires all the KPA (Korean People's Army) units to become (elite) Guard Units fully prepared for war politically and ideologically, in military technique and materially", he was quoted by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as saying.
North Korea regularly ratchets up hostile rhetoric at times of joint US-South Korea military exercises that spark a sharp surge in tensions on the divided peninsula.
Kim called on the military to train hard in order "to tear to pieces the Stars and Stripes", in comments made while opening a new hall at the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang, KCNA said.
The drill yesterday was a prelude to an eight-week exercise, Foal Eagle, involving air, ground and naval field training, with around 200,000 Korean and 3,700 US troops that begins on Monday.
12:19 The Russia that died with Boris Nemtsov
For years, Moscow insiders have reacted to former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov's philippics against President Vladimir Putin with a roll of the eyes.
Everyone knew what Nemtsov was going to say. The man Boris Yeltsin almost piсked as his successor had become irrelevant, marginalized.
Now Nemtsov's criticism of Putin's Russia has been validated in the most terrible way. Tonight, the opposition politician was killed a few hundred yards from the Kremlin, shot at least four times as he crossed a bridge over the Moskva River.
Read more HERE
Read more HERE
11:20 Two Hizbul terrorists killed in encounter
Two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Tral area of south Kashmir's Pulwama district.
"Based on specific intelligence about presence of terrorists in Ratsuna area of Tral, a joint operation was launched by Rashtriya Rifles units of Army and the Special Operations Group (of Police) resulting in the killing of two hardcore terrorists," a Defence Spokesman said in Srinagar today.
The operation was launched last night and ended in wee hours today.
The security forces recovered two AK-47 rifles, six AK magazines and 90 rounds of AK ammunition from the scene of the encounter.
The slain terrorists have been identified as Shabir Mir and Idris Ahmad Shah, both local residents of Tral area. They were affiliated to Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, the spokesman said.
This is second success for the security forces this week. Two terrorists were killed in Zainapora area of Shopian in south Kashmir on February 25.
11:07 Spock's Voyage Home: Farewell To Leonard Nimoy
When Leonard Nimoy titled his 1975 autobiography I Am Not Spock, some Star Trek fans took it as an insult, thinking Nimoy was trying to distance himself from the role that made him famous.
Nothing could have been further from the truth. Rarely does an actor get a chance to play a character as memorable as the starship Enterprise's Mr Spock: a superior intellect with a cool demeanor, a casual courage, and a fierce sense of loyalty.
Nimoy appreciated the opportunity when he was cast in the original Star Trekpilot back in 1964, and it was his performance as Spock over the next five years -- playing the half-Vulcan scientist with confidence and a deadpan wit -- that made Spock such a pop culture icon.
Read more HERE
09:37 Uber says security breach affected about 50,000 drivers
Reuters reports: A security breach at car service Uber may have disclosed the names and driver's licence numbers of about 50,000 drivers across multiple states, the company said in a statement.
The data breach involved current and former Uber drivers, and the company has notified attorneys general in states where those drivers live, including California.
"To date, we have not received any reports of actual misuse of any information as a result of this incident," the company said. However, Uber advised drivers to monitor their credit reports for fraudulent transactions.
The company has raised more than $4 billion from prominent venture capital firms such as Benchmark and Google Ventures, valuing Uber at $40 billion and making it the most valuable startup in the United States.
Uber also filed a lawsuit in a federal court in San Francisco on Friday against the unnamed individual who accessed the company's files. Such litigation can be used to help uncover who committed the breach.
09:25 Leonard Nimoy 'Spock' showed us what it truly means to be human
Leonard Nimoy didn't just have a massive impact on science fiction, he also transformed pop culture. Nimoy, who died today, took the thankless supporting role of an emotionless alien science whiz, and turned Spock on Star Trek into an icon.
Before Spock came along, alien beings in mass media (and most written SF as well) were one-dimensional. They represented the "other," the strange and unknowable beings who could only throw our human characters in relief.
In the hands of most actors, Spock would have been a one-note joke character: the guy who spouts off formulas and equations in a monotone. Spock could easily have become the butt of Star Trek's jokes, or just a weird side character.
But Nimoy imbued Spock with a life and complexity that were impossible to deny. Far from being a one-note character, Spock became one of the most complex and nuanced people on television.
From his inner torment to his quiet amusement at the humans around him to his occasional flashes of anger, Spock was a constantly surprising mystery, with a lot of layers.
From his inner torment to his quiet amusement at the humans around him to his occasional flashes of anger, Spock was a constantly surprising mystery, with a lot of layers.
Read more HERE
03:34 Russia opposition politician Boris Nemtsov killed in Moscow
A leading Russian opposition politician, former deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, has been shot dead in Moscow, Russian media report.
An unidentified attacker shot Nemtsov four times in central Moscow, a source in the law enforcement bodies told Russia's Interfax news agency.
Image: Slain Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov attends a rally in central Moscow. Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters
Read this story HERE
02:14 Afghan President to make first US visit next month
US President Barack Obama will meet new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah on March 24, the White House said today.
This would be the first US visit of the new Afghan President after taking over from his predecessor Hamid Karzai last year. Obama will host Ghani, Abdullah, and key members of their unity government for meetings and a working lunch at the White House.
"The two presidents will discuss a range of issues including security, economic development, and US support to the Afghan-led reconciliation process," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
This marks the first meeting between the two presidents at the White House following the 2014 presidential election, which produced the first democratic transfer of power in Afghanistan's history, he added.
02:05 Aboard the starship Enterprise, actor found a legacy as Mr Spock
"Someday,' producer Gene Roddenberry said many decades ago, "I'm going to make a science-fiction series and put pointed ears on that guy.'
The series was "Star Trek,' and the guy was Leonard Nimoy, who died Feb. 27 at 83. A tall, taut-faced actor, he had been laboring in obscurity for 15 years before Roddenberry hired him in 1966 to play the half-human, half-alien space explorer Spock.
Read this article HERE
02:01 Somali pirates release 4 Thai sailors held nearly 5 years
Somali pirates have released four Thai sailors who were held hostage for nearly five years, the longest period of captivity of hostages held by Somali pirates, a U.N. official said Friday.
The four released on Wednesday were sailors of the MV Prantalay 12 vessel, a Taiwanese flagged fishing vessel seized by Somali pirates on April 18 2010, said the U.N. Special Representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay.
Read this story HERE
01:35 TN CM asks Centre to ensure release of 29 arrested fishermen
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam today asked the Centre to take urgent steps for release of 29 fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, besides releasing a financial package of Rs 1,520 crore for improving the socio-economic status of the state's fishermen.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the CM said besides arresting the fishermen yesterday, the island navy had also seized their three boats. "It is unfortunate that this incident has taken place even after the change in regime in Sri Lanka.
Nearly 10 lakh fisherfolk in Tamil Nadu depend on marine fishing as their only source of livelihood," Panneerselvam said in his letter.
Stating that a two-pronged approach was necessary to allay apprehensions of the fishermen, he said, "One is the sanction of financial package of Rs 1,520 crore and a recurring grant of Rs 10 crore per annum for maintenance dredging would go a long way in improving the socio-economic status of the fishermen."
00:55 British victims' family slams Gujarat riots acquittal verdict
The acquittal of six people in a case related to the killing of three British nationals of Indian origin during the 2002 Gujarat riots was today described as a 'failure of justice' by the victims' family.
Citing lack of evidence, a special trial court in India today acquitted all the six accused of killing three British nationals near Prantij town in Sabarkantha district of west Indian state of Gujarat in 2002.
"The tragedy, something that the family has to live with on daily basis, is that the mob responsible for killing their loved ones are still loose on the streets.
"The family will not rest until the Indian government fulfills its legal duty and responsibility of bringing the real culprits to justice," said Suresh Grover, spokesperson for the Dawood Family Justice Campaign set up here in the wake of the tragedy.
00:17 Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek's Mr Spock, dies at 83
Leonard Nimoy, the sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a worshipful global following as Mr. Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie juggernaut "Star Trek,' died on Friday morning at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles.
He was 83. His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, saying the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Read the full story HERE
00:14 Top headlines of the last 24 hours
Would have been good if Rahul attended budget session: Tharoor
Mufti to head 25-member cabinet; PM to attend swearing-in on Sunday
The people who make Modi look stylish
Shame again: Sikkimese woman raped in Delhi; AIIMS doctor, 4 others arrested
Swine flu death toll crosses 1,000 mark
The DRESS that broke the Internet
Mufti to head 25-member cabinet; PM to attend swearing-in on Sunday
The people who make Modi look stylish
Shame again: Sikkimese woman raped in Delhi; AIIMS doctor, 4 others arrested
Swine flu death toll crosses 1,000 mark
The DRESS that broke the Internet
TOP STORIES
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