Live! Bhagwad Gita 'perfect textbook' for leaders: Tulsi Gabbard

LIVE

Sat, 03 January 2015

Timeline Refresh

23:31 Nearly 500 Hindus converted to Buddhism in Bihar

Nearly 10 days after 200 poor Mahadalits converted to Christianity in a village near Bodh Gaya in Bihar's Gaya district, around 500 Hindus on Saturday converted to Buddhism in over half a dozen villages in Gaya, police officials said.

This is the first major case of conversion of Hindus to Buddhism in Gaya, hardly 13 kilometres from Bodh Gaya, the birthplace of Buddhism, where the holiest shrine of Buddhists -- the Mahabodhi Temple. All those who embraced Buddhism on Saturday made it clear that it was their own decision.

"We have embraced Buddhism on our own will, there was neither any allurement nor any pressure," one of those who converted said. They also said that they have changed their religion for a more peaceful and prosperous life. All those converted to Buddhism are residents of Khanjahapur, Usri, Bara, Joda Masjid, Kukra, Beldari, Bansibigha and Tapsi villages under Manpur block in Gaya, about 100 km from Patna.

"The conversion of them took place at a Buddhist temple in Khanjahapur village," the police said.

23:14 Air India Kolkata office receives threat call

A threat phone call was made to the city's Air India office this evening and a complaint was lodged with the police. An Air India spokesperson said the call was received by its officials at the city booking office at around 5.40 pm and a complaint was subsequently lodged with the Bowbazar police station.

"The Bureau of Civil Aviation has been contacted and all standard precautionary measures have been taken. Flight operation is normal from Kolkata," the spokesperson added. City Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha told PTI that "a call received at Air India office today.

Though such calls are quite common, still we are looking into it quite seriously. There is nothing alarming,"

The Bhagwad Gita is the "perfect textbook" for those who are striving to be "servant leaders" and its message is relevant for all days and ages, American Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said today.

"The teachings by Lord Krishna in Bhagwad Gita are life and soul for me. They are the absolute foundation and motivation for the actions and the work and everything that I am trying to do with my life," she said during a discussion on 'The Future of Indo-US Relationships' organised by the India Foundation.

Noting that the level of "optimism" for the future of Indo -US ties is very high at the present juncture and there were many areas of collaboration, Gabbard -- a member of the US House of Representatives -- said that these ventures can be successful by upholding and living the ideals of Lord Krishna as taught in the Gita.

A consumer court in Gujarat has issued a bailable warrant against Reliance Capital chief Anil Ambani in a case of alleged over-charging of a five-gram gold coin.

The consumer court comprising President of District Consumer Disputes' Redressal Forum in Surendranagar S K Pandya, members A C Pandya and S A Patel, on January 1, issued the bailable warrant to Anil Ambani directing him to appear before them on January 20 or to pay a sum of Rs 2,000.

"Anil Dhirubhai Ambani stands charged under section 11 (Jurisdiction of the District Forum), section 12 (Manner in which complaint shall be made) and the section 27 (Penalties) of the consumer protection act- 1986," said the order of the court directing him to appear before the court on January 20.

The consumer court further directed, "The said persons (Anil Ambani) shall bail himself with a surety amount of Rs 2,000."

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama today underlined the need to develop an "investigative" bend of mind and appealed to people not to follow any religious leader "blindly".

Addressing the international conference on 'Secular Ethics' here, Dalai said religious differences are borne by "retarded thoughts" and also stressed the need to develop a "holistic, six-dimensional" approach to understand reality.

The gathering was organised by 'Indo-Tibet Mangal Maitry Sangh'. "It is very important to develop an investigative bend of mind. Do not follow any religious leader blindly. Buddha said question and investigate a thought thoroughly, study qualifications of a guru or a leader, meet them, observe, till you develop a conviction that what the leader says can be followed. This is the Nalanda tradition and time has come that we follow it," he said.

Lashing out at Trinamool Congress over alleged involvement of its several leaders in Saradha scam, CPI-M Politburo member Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said the TMC regime has no moral right to continue in office in the wake of the arrest of some of them.

"We all know the kind of involvement their leaders have in the scam. It has never happened in the political history of Bengal that a minister has been sent to jail on charges of corruption while in office," Bhattacharjee, the former chief minister of the state, said in a programme of CPI-M mouth piece "Ganashakti".

"The TMC regime is neck deep in corruption. It has no moral right to continue. In the last three and a half years of its rule the party has pushed the state 10 years behind compared to the development in other states. No new industry - whether heavy, medium or small scale, have come up in the state," he said.

21:23 Apple sued over iPhone and iPad storage space

A lawsuit has been filed against Apple, accusing the technology giant of promising more available storage space than it actually delivers in its iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices.

Read the story HERE

Reacting sharply, India today dismissed Pakistan's allegation of 'breach of trust' over the killing of Pakistan Rangers and asked it to adhere to the mechanisms that have been evolved to ensure peace and tranquility on the International Border and Line of Control.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj wrote to Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs and National Security, a day after he lodged a strong protest and sought an immediate probe into the killing of Rangers by BSF on December 31.

Aziz alleged that India killed two Pakistani Rangers after calling them for a meeting on the IB.

Dismissing contentions made by Aziz, Swaraj emphasised that Pakistan commanders responded to Indian defensive fire by escalating matters by using higher calibre weapons, expanding the zone of conflict to other sub sectors and targeting civilian habitations.

BJP today hit back at Congress for asking the government to 'come clean' on Pakistani boat issue and accused the opposition party of advocating the cause of terrorists and being soft on terror due to its "vote-bank politics".

"There is nothing new in the Congress speaking the language of terrorists. Congress has a history of advocating the cause of terrorists, be it those creating terror within the country or emanating from Pakistan. Congress is soft on terror due to its vote-bank politics," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

He said soon after coming to power in 2004 one of the first actions of the Congress government was to abolish the Prevention of Terrorism Act and later tried to divert the attention of people of the country from terror on incidents like the Bhatla House encounter, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the Bodhgaya and Patna bomb blasts.

Congress today asked the government to "come clean" on the Pakistani boat issue and explain "which terrorist organisation" was behind the episode that unfolded on the high seas.

"The government should come clean on it. There is no evidence ... How can you say that a terrorist attack was prevented? "How did they (government) come to the conclusion that it was a terrorist boat? It is very strange. Nothing has been explained. Which terrorist organisation was behind it?" party spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said citing media reports which have questioned the government version about the interception and the subsequent blast on board and sinking of the fishing boat.

In a midnight operation off the coast of Gujarat, a Pakistani fishing boat said to be carrying explosives was intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard before it exploded and caught fire and sunk with four crew members on board.

The incident, which occurred on the intervening night of December 31, 2014, and Jan. 1 some 365-km off the Porbander coast, is being regarded in some quarters as being reminiscent of the 2008 Mumbai terror strike.

However, there has been no official confirmation of that conjecture with the defence ministry merely stating that the boat from Keti Bunder near Karachi "was planning some illicit transaction" in the Arabian Sea.

20:14 Ganga will transform in five years: Javadekar

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar today expressed confidence that under the Centre's 'Clean Ganga' campaign, the river will become clean and its flow will be unhindered in the next five years. "The Clean Ganga campaign is in full swing.

Under the programme, the river will be transformed in five years and its stream would be made free and unhindered," Javadekar told reporters here. Other rivers in India would also be cleaned in a similar way under this campaign at a later stage, he added. "In order to check pollution in the Ganga river, 17 highly-polluting industries were identified and their 3,206 units were directed to install 24X7 pollution control systems by March 31," he said.

Javadekar claimed that after he took charge of the environment ministry, its role did not just remain confined to creating hurdles in the way of development, but to ensure environment protection and development together.

A car of AAP's Tughlakabad assembly poll candidate Sahi Ram was today set ablaze as supporters of Aam Aadmi Party clashed with BJP activists during the shoot of a TV news debate in which leaders of both the parties were engaged in a heated argument.

"During the shoot, heated argument ensued between the two groups which turned into a scuffle and someone set Sahi Ram's car on fire. We are probing the incident," said a senior police official. Soon after the incident, AAP volunteers reached the Govindpuri police Station and demanded registration of an FIR against BJP supporters alleging that they acted at the behest of an influential BJP leader from the area.

In a statement, AAP alleged those involved in the attack were supporters of BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri. "It is shocking that a mob led by the MP's nephew attacked the AAP volunteers in broad daylight when a TV news channel was conducting a debate in the DDA park at Tuglakabad."

Accusing Narendra Modi government of "aggressively thursting" RSS ideologies on the people, CPI(M) today said it was preparing for a mass struggle to combat 'Rightist' attack on the country's communal harmony.

"The Modi government has been working on RSS's agenda of creating a 'Hindu Rashtra'. Minorities are being targetted and attacked at places and there is forceful conversion. This is against the basic principles of India. Therefore, I describe it as 'Dakhinpanti hamla' (Rightist attack) on India's secular fabric," CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said at the 20th conference of the party's Odisha unit.

He also alleged that people were being lured with money and other facilities in the name of 'ghar wapsi'. Hitting out at BJP government at the Centre, he said a particular group has raised its wealth by Rs 25,000 crore during the span of only seven months since Modi became Prime Minister.

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen have kidnapped 40 boys and young men in a remote village in northeast Nigerian Borno state on New Year's Eve, residents who fled the isolated settlement said today.

Scores of Boko Haram militants stormed the Malari village around 8:00 pm (local time) and whisked away the males, aged between 10 and 23, into the nearby Sambisa forest, believed to be one of the Islamists' major bases.

The news of the abductions came out only days later, after residents who fled the village arrived in the state capital Maiduguri late yesterday.

A top Gujarat Congress leader today said it would have been better if at least one of the occupants of the "terror" boat had been captured alive even as he alleged loopholes in the State's coastal security.

A Pakistani fishing boat said to be carrying explosives was intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard off the Gujarat coast, but the vessel exploded and caught fire before sinking along with four occupants on December 31 night.

"We had caught a 26/11 terrorist (Ajmal Kasab) alive during the operation. It would have been better if at least one of the boat occupants had been caught alive.

Large parts of the UK were warned of dangerous conditions today as forecasters said the rain sweeping across the country could turn into ice because of a cold front.

In Scotland, there is a flow of showers coming from the northwest turn into sleet and snow. For England and Wales, it should clear and get colder tonight, with a risk of ice almost anywhere and freezing fog patches. "Even a "widespread frost" is expected overnight," said John Lee, a forecaster for MeteoGroup.

The Met office has issued yellow weather warnings for ice for most of Scotland this morning, but with a weather front drifting in from the Atlantic, the rain falling across much of England and Wales could also freeze tonight.

At least 16 people, including five firefighters, have been killed and 14 others injured in three major accidents in China.

Five fire fighters were killed and 14 others were injured in a warehouse collapse while trying to put out a fire in Harbin city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province yesterday, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The fire burnt down the third floor of a market warehouse at the Beifangnanxun ceramics market at about 10 pm (local time), burying them on the second floor, the report said.

The injured were rushed to hospital. The condition of three of them was said to be critical. The warehouse was part of an 11-storeyed residential building, where the first to third floor were being used as warehouses and the rest eight floors as residential. Residents have been evacuated from the building.

In a separate incident, six workers were killed after a rooftop and scaffold collapsed in central China's Hunan Province yesterday.

A small plane went down in western Kentucky Friday evening, killing four people, according to Sgt. Dean Patterson with the Kentucky State Police.A 7-year-old girl was the only survivor.

She was taken to a local hospital with "non-life threatening injuries," Patterson said.A resident in the area called 911 after the girl walked up to his house, telling him she had been in a plane crash.

Read the full story HERE

A small plane went down in western Kentucky Friday evening, killing four people, according to Sgt. Dean Patterson with the Kentucky State Police.A 7-year-old girl was the only survivor.

Read the full story HERE

As BJP seeks to regain its supremacy in Karnataka, party President Amit Shah today launched an offensive against the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, calling it "non-performing", corrupt and "defunct" with "abysmal" failure in governance and law and order.

The Siddaramaiah government had "failed" to inclusively represent the cause of 6.2 crore people and instead indulged in "sectarian populism", Shah alleged at a press conference after the party's core committee meeting.

The most recent example has been the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill of 2014 which was introduced in the Assembly but withdrawn after opposition from BJP, he said. The bill had come in for attack from seers of mutts who feared it was an attempt to take over their institutions.

Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Protection Bill of 2010 and its amended 2012 version which was awaiting the President's assent was withdrawn "hurriedly" during a protest by BJP, to further their sectarian agenda, Shah said.

Two jawans of an elite anti-Naxal unit were injured when a pressure bomb planted by Maoists exploded in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district today, police said.

The incident took place when a contingent of 206 CoBRA unit was carrying out a combing operation in restive forests under Chintagufa police station limits, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh told PTI. During the operation, the jawans accidentally stepped on a pressure bomb planted by the extremists, leading it to explode and cause injuries to them, he said.

The injured were identified as Tilak and C J Reddy, both Constables. A helicopter was sent to the spot to retrieve the duo, the officer said, adding they were airlifted to Raipur, about 400 km from Sukma, for treatment.

A day after declaring its last list of candidates for the Delhi assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party today dropped its Wazirpur candidate for "hiding certain facts".

The party dropped Suresh Bhardwaj as a large section of the supporters expressed their "displeasure" over the decision, AAP leader Ashutosh said in a press conference. Rajesh Gupta will now be contesting from Wazirpur constituency on AAP ticket, he added. According to sources, the decision came following an internal investigation conducted by the party over a complaint received against Bhardwaj.

"This candidate was given preference over others because of the positive feedback received by the party but despite this there were reports that Bhardwaj had hid certain facts," the party sources said.

"When confronted he could not give a satisfactory answer after which a decision was taken to change the candidate," the sources added.

JUST IN: Two army jawans have been killed and another wounded in the Tangdhar sector of north Kashmir Kupwara district today, according to a senior police officer.

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

17:06 22 arrested for Mumbai train mayhem

Police have arrested 22 people for violence and arson during an agitation that caused a major disruption of suburban train services on Central Railway yesterday and left lakhs of commuters stranded at multiple places.

Mumbai came to a halt for over six hours when angry commuters staged a protest at Diva station over frequent train delays.

The demonstration turned violent as agitators pelted stones and engaged in rioting and arson within and outside the station premises.

Railway Police arrested four persons in Dombivali on the basis of CCTV footage and video shootings that showed them destroying Railway property and preventing public servants from discharging their duty.

"While the protests were on at Diva, some unruly people vented their anger by taking law into their hands at Dombivali station. Accordingly, an FIR was registered and the four accused were apprehended last evening based on the electronic evidence," Government Railway Police (Central Railway) DCP Rupali Ambure told PTI today.

In a related development, Mumbra Police have arrested 18 people for arson and rioting outside Diva station.

"We have identified the rioters and arrested 18 persons since last night. Some more arrest are likely in the coming days," said Parag Manere, Thane DCP (Crime Branch).

The Haryana government has decided to include 'Bhagwad Gita' in the school curriculum from the next academic session for students from class five to 12th.

"We have decided to include Bhagwad Gita in the school curriculum. Gita is knowledge, Gita is our way of life Gita is science and Gita is solution," Haryana's Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma told ANI.

Earlier in December last year, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had called for declaring Bhagwad Gita as 'National Scripture'.

"The Bhagavad Gita teaches us the way to lead life in a happy and stress free manner. It shouldn't be left for old age; it is something that one should read for guidance throughout your life," she had said while addressing the Gita Prerna Utsav that was held in New Delhi.

16:53 Apple sued over iPhone and iPad storage space

A lawsuit has been filed against Apple, accusing the technology giant of promising more available storage space than it actually delivers in its iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices.

The plaintiffs argue that while Apple advertises 16 gigabytes of digital storage on lower price models of gadgets such as iPhones, about a fifth of that is eaten up by the latest operating software.

The percentage of space touted as available for digital content such as photos, video, or music shrinks further on Apple gadgets built with eight gigabytes of storage, it is claimed.

Apple's latest operating system, iOS 8, which was beset with problems when it launched in September, takes up as much as 23.1% of storage capacity on some devices.

Read more HERE

Defending the controversial ghar wapsi program, senior RSS leader Manmohan Vaidya today said 'conversion' is a wrong term to be used for'home coming'.

"Conversion is not an appropriate word for ghar-wapsi. This is not conversion. This is a home coming for those who have natural urge to reconnect with their roots," said Vaidya, Akhil Bhartiya Rashtriya Prachar Pramukh of RSS.

"So many Muslims and Christians come to our shakhas. We never pressurise them to convert to Hinduism. Our point of view or ideology is same. Our ancestors were also same. So we believe all are Hindus. Ghar wapsi is a natural process that has been running for a long time," he told reporters on the second day of RSS workers' conclave in Ahmedabad.

Three persons arrested in Assam for alleged connection with the Burdwan blast case were today remanded in eight days' NIA custody by a city court which sent eight other accused to judicial custody till January 16.

Officiating chief judge at Bankshall Court G C Talukdar remanded Saiful Islam, Rafikul Islam and Sahanur Alam, who were brought on a production warrant by this court from Gauhati Central Jail, till January nine.

NIA counsel Shyamal Ghosh prayed for their custody for 10 days submitting that they were directly involved in the Burdwan case, wherein an accidental blast on October two revealed an international terror link, and that they trained jihadi elements.

Ghosh also alleged that they were found to have connection with Bangladeshi terror outfit JMB.

The court remanded Hasem Mollah, Razia Bibi, Abdul Hakim, Khaled Mohammad, Alima Bibi, Zia-ul-Haq, Amjad and Sajid to judicial custody till January 16 on a plea by NIA.

Sajid's remand was extended in absentia as he is at present in custody of Bidhannagar Police in connection with a case registered by it.

NIA prayed before the court for a direction to jail authorities to produce him on the next date of hearing on January 16.

Six Left parties would organise demonstrations across the country on January 24, ahead of President Barack Obama's visit here, to protest US "interference" in India's internal affairs and the BJP-led government's "pro-US" policies.

The parties, which met here yesterday, decided to hold the protests on three primary slogans - 'halt US aggression' in West Asia and other parts, 'stop interference in India's domestic matters' and 'stop US-India strategic collaboration'.

In a joint statement, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML)-Liberation, AIFB, SUCI(C) and RSP accused the Narendra Modi government of "pursuing a pro-US foreign policy which is contrary to an independent non-aligned foreign policy. This is being done in the interests of Indian and foreign monopoly capital."

Noting that Obama has been invited to attend the Republic Day celebrations, they said "it is a supreme irony that the day which symbolises India's independence and sovereignty is being graced by the head of a country which has done the most to assault and destroy the sovereignty of many countries around the world.

The ease of doing research is as important as ease of doing business, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today as he promised the scientific community that he will cut red tape and pitched for greater academic freedom and autonomy to universities.

He also underscored the need for making investment in science and technology a part of corporate social responsibility and said digital connectivity must be "as much a basic right" as access to schools while calling for efforts to "revive the romance" of science in society and "rekindle" the love for it in children.

"When I speak of ease of doing business in India, I also want to pay equal attention to ease of doing research and development in India.... We need to put science, technology and innovation at the top of national priorities," Modi, whose government has made a strong push for improving business environment to attract investment, said inaugurating the 102nd Indian Science Congress.

Reaching out to scientists, who often complain of bureaucratic hurdles and funding troubles for research, he said, "We want our scientists and researchers to explore the mysteries of science and not of government procedures. We want them to consider publications not government approvals."

"Funding proposals should not take too long to clear. Meeting applications, requirements should not become more complex than research," he said.

Pakistan on Saturday rejected reports that a Pakistani fishing boat said to be carrying explosives was intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard off the coast of Gujarat and the vessel exploded before sinking along with four occupants.

Foreign Office Spokesman Tasnim Aslam categorically denied the reports which said that the incident occurred on the night between December 31 and January 1, some 365 km off the coast of Porbander, generating strong speculation that it was reminiscent of the 2008 Mumbai terror strikes.

Aslam told the media that no boat from Karachi had gone to the open seas.

Pakistan defence ministry officials also rejected the reports and said the Indians were "trying to divert attention" from the killing of two Pakistan Rangers on December 31.

"It is part of Indian propaganda to tarnish the image of Pakistan," a Defence Ministry official told PTI.

India's Defence Ministry said the Coast Guard ship warned the fishing boat to stop for further investigation of the crew and cargo. However, the boat increased its speed and tried to escape away from the Indian side of maritime boundary.

14:23 LTTE still active overseas: Rajapaksa

The threat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has not been wiped out and the rebel group is still active overseas, a top Sri Lankan defence official has warned while criticising the opposition for seeking to reduce military presence in the Tamil-dominated north.

"Prabakaran was killed but if anyone thinks that the danger has been wiped out its not true. Those who fled are very active overseas," Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said at a campaign rally of his brother and incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

"The threat of LTTE reviving its terror campaign is very real and the country could be plunged back into the dark era of terrorism of the 80s," the defence secretary, who spearheaded the war against the LTTE, said.

"It is with much effort we have been able to maintain national security. So people who seek power by trying to reduce military camps in the north are wrong," he said.

Sri Lanka will go to the polls on January 8. 68-year-old Rajapaksa is seeking a record third term -- a move widely seen as an attempt by the president to seek a fresh six-year mandate amid signs of fading popularity.

The famous Shirdi Saibaba temple in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, has received offerings worth Rs 11.50 crore including gold and silver ornaments during the year-end festive week beginning December 25, officials said.

Dilip Zirpe, Chief Accounts Officer of Shri Saibaba Sansthan told PTI that the temple received the offerings in the form of donations, cash, demand drafts, online money orders besides foreign currency and other valuables from eight lakh devotees across India and abroad till January 1, 2015.

After enumerating the offerings yesterday, Sansthan said that it received Rs 6.90 crore in its cash boxes; Rs 68 lakh worth gold ornaments; Rs 4 lakh worth silverware and the rest in the form of donations, foreign currencies, drafts and money orders.

According to Zirpe, the Sansthan earned the highest, a total of Rs 4.53 crore between December 30 and January 1.

Atleast 92,100 devotees took 'darshan' of Saibaba on January 1, while nearly 6 lakh pilgrims visited the temple during the week, Sansthan sources said.

One woman killed and six injured in the fresh firing on BSF posts at Jammu and Kashmir's Hiranagar sector on Saturday afternoon, after three Pakistan Rangers soldiers were killed in a strong retaliation from India.

This came right after Pakistan on Friday night had resorted to heavy mortar shelling and firing on several BSF posts along the border in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Saturday's ceasefire violation was the fourth by the Rangers in as many days and the ninth in the last ten days.

A BJP MP on Saturday demanded the sacking of senior cabinet minister Mohd Azam Khan, saying he was a "threat to the unity of the country".

BJP MP from Ballia Bharat Singh accused Azam of "promoting those hurting Hindu sentiments and making statements causing threat to the unity of the country".

Speaking to reporters here, Singh demanded Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to immediately sack Azam from the ministry alleging that his acts amounted to "sedition".

Criticising Aamir Khan-starrer 'PK', the MP said that it has hurt the sentiments of Hindus and demanded for a ban on the film.

13:19 Kashmiris get slight respite from biting cold

There was some respite from the intense cold wave for the residents of Kashmir Valley and Ladakh region as the night temperature appreciated by around three degrees at most places, even as the Met office predicted isolated rains or snowfall over higher reaches.

"There is a possibility of light isolated to scattered rain or snowfall in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir today," a Met office spokesman said.

He said the weather would continue to remain cold and dry over the plains.

There was, however, some respite from the intense cold as the minimum temperatures across the Valley appreciated with the mercury in Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, increasing by over three degrees from the previous night's low of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius, to settle at minus 2.0 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said.

Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir Valley in south, recorded a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius compared to minus 5.2 degrees Celsius the previous night, he said.

Pahalgam resort in south Kashmir, which serves as a base-camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, registered an increase of over four degrees from minus 7.6 degrees Celsius the previous night to settle at minus 3.0 degrees Celsius, he said.

The spokesman said the minimum temperature in the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg settled at minus 3.0 degrees Celsius, up from the previous night's minus 4.8 degrees Celsius.

CNN-IBN reports: Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft are continuing operations to search for wreckage and dead bodies in the area where they intercepted a Pakistani boat on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1.

Coast Guard IG Kuldeep Singh on Saturday said, "In the afternoon of December 1, we had positively identified a suspected boat 265 km south west of Porbandar. We tried to stop the boat and communicate with it, but there was no response from the boat."

"They switched on the light for some time and when we saw that those on board did not look like fishermen, the boat did not respond to out repeated signals but after sometime they themselves blew up the boat," he said.

Coast Guard is continuing its operations in the Arabian Sea. According to sources, the Pakistani boat was tracked after a conversation from Karachi about delivering a huge consignment to India was intercepted.

On the current situation of the boat, the IG said, "We are investigating, the area is under surveillance and we are trying to recover something from it, haven't found anything yet."

12:24 Mystery of the Pakistani fishing boat

Noted analyst M K Bhadrakumar blogs on Rediff: The sensational reports in the Indian newspapers regarding the incident involving a Pakistani fishing boat in the high seas several hundred kilometers off the Gujarat coast two days ago leave one utterly confused.

They demand a suspension of disbelief.

The solitary exceptions are an excellent investigative report by Praveen Swami in the Indian Express and some tricky question marks put on the official version by the DNA newspaper.

Read more HERE

The Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh police has been directed to track down two absconding policemen who allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl inside police station premises on Wednesday and were sacked.

ADG (Crime) H S Awasthi said the Special Task Force has been roped in as both the constables were missing after the incident.

The ADG said that medical examination had found injuries on the girl and they were awaiting other reports. However, IG, Law and Order, A Satish Ganesh had told reporters yesterday that the medical examination of the girl had confirmed the rape.

In an insensitive move, the ADG today disclosed the identity of the girl's parents and their residential address while talking to reporters after having an hour long meeting with her family members.

Awasthi said that there was no criminal record of the two constables, but one them had been penalised for dereliction of duty in the past.

The 14-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by the two constables inside a police station prompting the authorities to terminate the accused and suspend the SHO.

India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal took to Twitter to express her disappointment over the Padma Bhushan snub.

Slamming the Sports Ministry of India, the Hyderabad-based player -- in a volley of tweets -- wrote: 'I saw the news in Times of india about the Padma awards and I was really sad to see that my name was not sent to Ministry of home affairs by sports ministry of india.'

'I won the commonwealth games gold in 2010 and I m world number 4. As a player we feel good when we get such a great award and it motivates. I got the Padma Shri in 2010 and there is a policy that u can get the next Padma award only after 5 years and this year I completed my five years.'

'When I sent my file in 2014 for the Padma Bhushan award the ministry said u have to follow the rules and submit the application after 5 years. So my file got rejected last year and I again applied this year for the award. I read that (boxer) Sushil Kumar name is recommended by the sports ministry and he is not completed 5 years as a special case. But even iIwon the Olympic bronze medal in 2012 and won many titles in 2014."

West Bengal minister Madan Mitra, arrested by CBI in Saradha scam came, was taken to a state-run hospital in Kolkata for a check-up this morning.

"Mitra will undergo a regular medical check-up today. There is nothing serious," hospital sources told PTI today.

It was learnt that doctors of the seven-member medical board, earlier set up to monitor the minister's health conditions, would also be present during the check-up at SSKM hosiptal.

A city court yesterday rejected Mitra's bail plea and remanded him in judicial custody till January 16. The minister claimed innocence saying he was ready to be hanged if found guilty in the chit fund scam.

The magistrate, yesterday, however, directed jail authorities to ensure medical-aid to the minister.

Mitra, who is Transport and Sports minister, was arrested on December 12 and following two spells in CBI custody, he was sent to judicial remand on December 19.

He was, however, admitted to state-run SSKM Hospital on the same evening following complaints of chest pain and uneasiness and was there for most part of his judicial remand before he was shifted back to Alipore Central Jail on December 28 after the doctors gave the go-ahead for his release from hospital.

Pakistani troops have targeted villages and 13 border outposts in heavy shelling since Friday night along the border in Kathua and Samba districts in Jammu and Kashmir, leaving six civilians injured.

The latest round of ceasefire violations by Pakistan which started on New Year eve has left a BSF jawan dead and seven others injured while five Pakistani Rangers have been killed in retaliatory firing by India till Friday.

"Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked and heavy firing and mortar shelling on posts and civilian areas along IB in Samba and Kathua districts since 2130 hours last night," Inspector General of BSF Rakesh Sharma told PTI.

"BSF troops gave a befitting reply resulting in exchanges which stopped at 3am in the morning," the IG said, adding that Pakistan again started mortar shelling and firing targeting civilian areas since 7am and it is going on intermittently.

He said that all BoPs in three battalion areas of Samba and Hiranagar sub-sectors in Kathua district were targeted.

The 102nd session of Indian Science Congress was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday at the University of Mumbai.

Addressing the gathering, Modi said: "Our children should see role models in scientists as much as sportsmen. I would personally love to meet the best of our young scientists. We should draw inspiration from our achievements in the last decade. We need to put science and technology and innovation at the top of our national priorities."

"I feel humbled by the work that scientists do. And, I find science and technology an invaluable ally in governance and development. Human civilization has advanced because of the basic human spirit of enquiry and quest for understanding our universe and world. It is a search driven by the belief in what our Vedas described as, Satye Sarvam Pratishthitam -- everything is established in truth."

"Science may be the product of human brain. But, it is also driven by the compassion of human heart -the desire to make human life better We have here with us Nobel Laureates, whose work in science has given new hope against dreaded diseases."

Two large metal objects have been found in the search for the AirAsia airliner in the Java Sea, Indonesian officials said on Saturday, even as continuing bad weather held back efforts to hunt for the plane's data recorders.

The objects were found at the bottom of the sea near Pangkalan Bun, head of Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency, Bambang Soelistyo, said.

Soelistyo told reporters that the two objects represent the main part of the Airbus A320 that lost contact with air-traffic control on Sunday morning with 162 people on board. Oil spills have also been detected in the area.

"With the oil slick that we found and the discovery of the two big objects, I can confirm that this is the big part of the AirAsia plane we have been looking for all this time," Soelistyo said, adding that a remotely operated vehicle would be sent to take pictures of the objects, though rough weather is hampering the deployment.

He said that the first object appeared to be more than 9 meters long, and the other was more than 7 meters long.

The objects were found close to each other around 11 pm local time on Friday in a priority area of the wider search zone, he said.

Three Pakistan Rangers soldiers were killed on Saturday morning in a strong retaliation from India, after Pakistan on Friday night resorted to heavy mortar shelling and firing on several BSF posts along the border in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Friday's ceasefire violation was the fourth by the Rangers in as many days and the eighth in the last nine days.

BSF sources said they have got reports that five Pakistani Rangers have been killed in the exchange of fire, with two casualties post 9:30 pm.

BSF Director General DK Pathak, who briefed Home Minister Rajnath Singh at 10 pm on Friday, said the force had thwarted a "major infiltration attempt" from across the border and his troops were on high alert.

"We have foiled a major infiltration bid that was being carried out from across the Chorgali border outpost under the cover of heavy ceasefire violation firing," Pathak said.

With the violations continuing unabated, Singh had ordered BSF to respond with "appropriate" action. The Home Minister also said the firing was unprovoked.

The 102nd session of the Indian Science Congress will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday at the University of Mumbai.

The five-day event will see deliberations and presentation of papers by the scientific fraternity from across the globe.

This is after a gap of 45 years that the Science Congress is returning to Mumbai and the emphasis will be on showcasing it as a science city besides being the financial capital of India, an official release said.

Mumbai has world renowned institutes like Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Tata Memorial Centre among others, which will be actively participating in the Science Congress.

The Congress Session will bring together eminent scientists, research scholars to popularise science and foster a scientific temperament.

The theme for 102nd ISC is "Science and Technology for Human Development."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday meet top bankers, insurers, financial sector regulators and finance ministry officials, who assembled in Pune on Friday for a two-day "retreat" to discuss plans for revitalising the banking sector.

The PM will meet bankers today during the concluding session of the retreat, where an action plan for reforms in public sector banks will be prepared.

The second day would begin with regular sessions at 9 am with a talk by Swami Sukhbodhanandji on "Leadership and Change Management".

"In view of the importance of the retreat being held January 2-3 at Pune for banks and financial insititutions with a view to injecting more money into the system, the prime minister will go to participate in the concluding session," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced last week.

Jaitley, along with Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan and heads of PSBs will be attending the retreat called "Gyan Sangam".

"The final objective would be to prepare a blue print of reform action plan. The outline of the reform action plan would be presented to the prime minister on January 3 at the retreat. Then, further deliberations will take place on this in the presence of the prime minister," the finance ministry said in a statement.

For the second time in three days, the Italian authorities found themselves racing on Friday to rescue hundreds of migrants from an aging freighter that traffickers had pointed toward Italyand then abandoned, leaving the ship to plow through wintry seas at top speed with no one at the helm, on a collision course with the coastline.

Rescuers were able to board the ship only after it ran out of fuel and stopped, and by afternoon they were towing it toward shore. But the episode was further confirmation that traffickers have hit on a new tactic to extract ever greater profits from human misery while eluding apprehension.

03:56 Amal Clooney risked arrest in Egypt

Amal Clooney's honeymoon doesn't extend to the courtroom.The bulldog human rights attorney risked arrest in Egypt after she blasted the country's judicial system for flaws that eventually led to the conviction of three Al Jazeera journalists accused of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood.

More than a thousand protesters took to the streets in Sweden on Friday to urge an end to a spate of attacks against mosques, amid growing tensions over the rise of an anti-immigration party.

The demonstrations in Sweden's three largest cities, Stockholm, Malmoe and Gothenburg, under the banner, "Don't touch my mosque," came a day after what was believed to be the third arson attack on a mosque in the span of a week.

03:42 Apple sued over storage sleight of hand

Apple faces a lawsuit accusing it of promising more available storage space than it actually delivers in iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices. The suit filed early this week in US District Court in Northern California argues that while Apple touts 16 gigabytes of digital storage on lower price models of gadgets such as hot-selling iPhones, about a fifth of that is eaten up by the latest operating software.

A Libyan army spokesman says armed militants have shot and killed 17 soldiers and one civilian at a checkpoint. Mohammed Hegazi told The Associated Press that the attack occurred yesterday in the central district of Jufra. He blamed the attacks on "terrorists roaming the desert areas freely."

Wearing gas masks against the smoke, Italian firefighters and investigators boarded the charred Norman Atlantic ferry today and retrieved a data recorder they hope will help them discover what caused a deadly blaze.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon is to grant the Special Tribunal for Lebanon another three years to try those responsible for the 2005 murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

The tribunal, which was inaugurated in 2009, will continue its work until March 2018, said a UN statement.

01:58 Iran, 6 powers move closer to nuke talks deal

Diplomats say Iran and the US have tentatively agreed that Tehran will ship to Russia much of the material it could use to manufacture nuclear weapons.

The two diplomats also say that negotiators at the nuclear talks in December were for the first time able to draw up a catalogue that outlines areas of potential accord and differing approaches to remaining disputes.

President Obama has signed an executive order imposing new sanctions on North Korea following last month's cyber-attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment.

In issuing the order, Obama accuses North Korea of "destructive, coercive cyber-related actions during November and December,' calling them a "continuing threat to the national security,foreign policy and economy of the United States.'

Six Somali soldiers and one civilian were killed today in an attack by Shebab militants on a military checkpoint in Baidoa and in a car bombing in the capital Mogadishu, officials said.

A Somali military official, Colonel Mohamed Hassan, said six soldiers died when the Shebab, Al-Qaeda's main African affiliate, carried out a pre-dawn raid against their post near Baidoa, some 250 kilometres northwest of Mogadishu.

00:34 UN tally of Ebola-linked deaths tops 8,000

The World Health Organization says more than 8,000 people are thought to have died last year from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

The Geneva-based body says the total number of confirmed, probable and suspected deaths from the disease in the three most affected countries reached 7,989 by December 31.

At least 19 people were killed overnight by Syrian rebel fire on government-controlled parts of the northern city of Aleppo, a monitor said today. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead included at least five children, three of whom were killed with their mother when a rocket hit the car they were in.

00:33 Top headlines in that last 24 hours

Pak resorts to firing, shelling again along IB in Samba, Kathua districts
Mumbai: 15 cops, 2 motormen injured as commuters vent anger
Pak writes to India on Rangers' killing; seeks probe
Pak boat chased down by Coast Guard near Porbandar sinks after blast
What NaMo will do in 2015
UP CM 'downloads' PK, lands in piracy row
Fury breaks out on Mumbai's railway tracks after trains halt
Bangladeshi terror suspects arrested in Uttar Pradesh
How NTRO, Coast Guard stopped explosive-laden Pak ship
Swine flu grips Andhra; 88 tested positive so far

Yesterday's Live commentary

Timeline Refresh

TOP STORIES