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Fri, 30 January 2015
Mitt Romney will not run in 2016 election

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23:51   Report: 8 dead after illegal migrant boat sinks off Morocco
At least eight people died when a boat carrying illegal migrants sank today amid gales off Morocco, near the Spanish enclave of Melilla, the latest victims of the treacherous effort to seek a better life in Europe. 

The boat was carrying 20 people when it sank early Friday, including two migrant traffickers, according to authorities in the Nador province quoted by the state news agency MAP.
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23:15   Top officer killed as Iraq Kurds repel major IS attack
Iraqi Kurdish forces repelled a major attack by the Islamic State group in Kirkuk province that killed a top officer today, while violence elsewhere left at least 19 dead. 

The IS assault on areas south and west of the northern city of Kirkuk began at around midnight, sparking fighting with medium and heavy weapons in which the militants were ultimately held off.
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22:43   Will contest the 2016 Assembly polls from Titabar seat: Gogoi
K Anurag reports from Guwahati:

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, 80, today said he was going to contest next Assembly election in the state in 2016 going back on his earlier declaration that he would retire from politics after his present tenure as chief minister of Assam.

"Yes, I am going to contest in 2016 assembly election from Titabar LAC which I have represented since 2001. In fact, this time I am going to contest polls with more vigour," Gogoi today announced in Jorhat in eastern Assam.
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22:41   Krishna Chaudhary appointed DG Indo-Tibet Border Police
Krishna Chaudhary, 1979 IPS of Bihar cadre, appointed as Director General, Indo-Tibet Border Police while heavy industries secretary Rajan Katoch will continue to hold additional charge of Enforcement Directorate for 3 more months.
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22:00   Mitt Romney will not run in 2016 election
Mitt Romney, the Republican beaten by President Obama in the US 2012 election, has decided he will not run for president again.

Romney said he had decided it was "best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity to become our next nominee".

His statement comes weeks after a surprise announcement saying he was considering another bid.

Read full story HERE.
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21:48   'Mahatma Mandir' a "weird" name: Rajmohan Gandhi
Narendra Modi may have conceptualised 'Mahatma Mandir', the memorial to the Father of the Nation as a 'centre of inspiration', but Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Rajmohan Gandhi finds the name given to it "weird" and does not feel like going there.

"I have never been there because I don't feel that the word Mahatma Mandir is proper. It's a weird word and that's why I never felt like going there, I don't like it," Rajmohan Gandhi said at an event today to commemorate the martyrdom day of Mahatma Gandhi. 

He was responding to a question from the audience on whether he liked the concept of 'Mahatma Mandir'.

'Mahatma Mandir' project was conceptualised by Prime Minister Modi when he was the chief minister of Gujarat as a tribute to the Father of the Nation in the state capital Gandhinagar to act as a 'centre of inspiration' for future generations.
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21:26   25 swine flu deaths in Telangana, 8 in Haryana
Twenty-five people have succumbed to swine flu and related complications in Telangana this month, while 8 deaths occurred in the state of Haryana.

As of January 29, 1,472 samples of suspected infection cases were tested, of which 523 were positive for swine flu, the state health department said.

Yesterday itself 121 samples were tested and 35 were found to be positive for the H1N1 virus.

"In Haryana, at present 47 positive cases of swine flu have been reported from various districts including Gurgaon, Hisar, Jind, Karnal, Sirsa, Rohtak etc. Total eight deaths have been reported so far," an official spokesman of Haryana Health department said.

As per the statistics from 2009 onwards, the virus had weakened and severity of infection had come down, it said, adding that enough stock of medicines was available at all the hospitals.

Asking people not to panic, it advised them to report to the doctor the symptoms such as high fever, sneezing, cough and body pain, and avoid going to crowded places. 
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21:04   Veteran freedom fighter, wife die on same day
Veteran freedom fighter Rattan Chand (97) and his wife Shanti Devi (88) died at their native village Saloh in Palampur sub-division, about 10 kms from here, today.

According to family sources, the couple was unwell for some time and Shanti Devi breathed her last at about 10 in the morning. Her husband Rattan Chand died later in the evening.

The couple is survived by two sons and a daughter. 

Both were cremated with state honours in the evening and Palampur DSP Navdeep Singh and a police contingent gave them the last salute.

Hundreds of villagers attended the funeral.

The district administration through the SDM Palampur gave immediate financial assistance of Rs 10,000 each to the next of kin of the deceased.
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20:43   ISIS launches attack on Iraqi city of Kirkuk
ISIS militants have launched an attack on the oil-producing northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

There had been recent speculation that ISIS might attack Kirkuk to force Kurdish troops to divert their efforts away from Mosul, ISIS' stronghold in Iraq, about 100 miles to the northwest.

Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have moved in around the outskirts of Mosul recently, backed by airstrikes by the US-led international coalition against ISIS, forcing the Sunni extremist group onto the defensive.

ISIS has been facing off with the Peshmerga -- armed fighters who protect Iraqi Kurdistan -- to the west of Kirkuk for months.

The extremist group has previously held areas on the outskirts of Kirkuk but not the central city.

Read full story HERE.
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20:11   Saudi blogger's 2nd round of flogging postponed again
A planned flogging for a Saudi blogger was not carried out today -- the third straight week that a scheduled set of 50 lashes was postponed after he endured wounds in an initial set in the conservative kingdom. 

The reason why Raif Badawi received another reprieve Friday wasn't immediately available, but previous postponements were made because doctors determined he was too badly injured in his first beating January 9 to withstand more
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19:45   Naval officer to face court martial for fire on INS Sindhuratna
The commanding Officer of INS Sindhuratna will face court martial while six other officers were issued letters of "severe displeasure" after being found guilty for the fire onboard the submarine last year, which led to the resignation of then Navy chief Admiral D K Joshi. Commander Sandeep Sinha will face court martial proceedings by the Western Naval Command and will get an opportunity to defend himself.
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19:27   Who's the most tainted of them all? Kejriwal has 10 criminal cases against him
The election watchdog Association of Democratic Reforms said Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has 10 criminal cases against him. The ADR pointed out that Congress leader Shoib Iqbal, contesting from Matia Mahal has maximum criminal cases against him. Iqbal is followed by AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Gulab Singh who have 10 criminal cases each against them.
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19:12   Shazia more beautiful than Bedi, should be CM candidate, tweets Katju
Meanwhile, Former Press Council chairman Markandey Katju has come in for huge criticism on social media for tweeting that the BJP should have made Shazia Ilmi its Chief Ministerial candidate as she is "more beautiful" than Kiran Bedi.

Katju tweeted: "I regard Shazia Ilmi much more beautiful than Kiran Bedi. If Shazia had been made their C.M. candidate BJP wud have definitely won the Delhi elections. People vote for beautiful faces, as in Croatia. Even a person like me who does not vote wud have voted for Shazia."

After angry responses flooded his timeline, Katju backtracked, tweeting, "Some people objected to my last tweet. My response is : develop a sense of humour. The tweet was in lighter vein,& shud be construed as such."

Katju may also be remembered a couple of earlier boo boos when he said Katrina Kaif should be president of India or that talk of gay marriages is "humbug and nonsense" and 90 per cent Indians are fools.
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19:11   Youth Congress protests against Jayanthi
Hours after former Union minister Jayanthi Natarajan attacked Rahul Gandhi over alleged interference in environment clearance for projects, Youth Congress functionaries staged a protest in front of her residence in Chennai. A group of party workers led by J M H Hassan of Youth Congress staged the demonstration. Raising slogans against her for blaming the high command and party vice president Rahul Gandhi, they demanded that she apologise for her comments.
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19:07   Sujatha Singh: Why was it necessary to malign my reputation?
"Some who reach high positions think it's all about themselves. May be I should have beaten the drum about my achievements.

"Why was it necessary to malign my reputation just ahead of my departure, Singh asks. 
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18:38   Sujatha Singh: My reputation is being maligned
Former foreign secretary Sujatha Singh in an interview to NDTV says her reputation is being tarnished. "I want an honourable exit. I believe I therefore need to set the record straight. Honesty is more important to me than intellectual brilliance."

Sujatha Singh is the third senior official to have been dismissed since the National Democratic Alliance government came to power at the Centre.

The swiftness with which Sujatha Singh was dismissed from the post of foreign secretary, six months before the end of her term, has stunned the bureaucracy at Raisina Hill. The message from the Prime Minister's Office to bureaucrats is unambiguous -- shape up or ship out.

Singh who was summarily sacked Thursday is believed to have been removed because Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unhappy with her efforts to boost Indias global standing.
 
Singh, who was replaced late on Wednesday six months before her two-year tenure was to end, sent a farewell email to former colleagues in which she stressed the 'institutional strength of the ministry of external affairs (MEA) and the importance of institutions over individuals.
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18:33   Amit Shah addresses 'Rahul Baba' in Delhi
BJP president Amit Shah addressing a poll rally in Delhi addresses teh increasing deaths along the LoC.

"Recently Rahul Baba while addressing a rally said, firing at Indo-Pak border still takes place, what's the difference after BJP came to power?'

My answer is 'Rahul Baba you won't see the difference as you are wearing Italian glasses'.

"Let me tell you what the difference is. Earlier they used to start firing and they used to end it, now they start firing and we end it.

"Goli aati hai toh yahan se gola jata hai," says Shah.
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17:58  
Shekhar Gupta asks a valid question: Why was #Jayanthi taking orders from Rahul? Her oath was to stand by Constitution & she happily obeyed an extra constitutional authority
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17:17   Jayanthi acting at behest of new political masters: Cong
Congress rounds up the troops to defend the Gandhis and says that Jayanthi Natarajan acting at the behest of her new "political masters" who may have got evidence against her. 

Abhishek Manu Singhvi says Jayanthi Natarajan is in minority of one. "If Jayanthi acted upon Congress principles of working for the poor why is she now saying such things against Rahul.  I hope she is not saying that she should have been asked to work according to BJP's interests," he says.

"The party and interests on whose insistence she held the conference today are the ones who coined 'Jayanthi tax'," says Singhvi.
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16:29  
PM Narendra Modi pays tribute at Rajpath on Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary.  Click on the picture for a larger image.
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16:24   100 skeletons dumped in Unnao
A two-member committee has been constituted to probe the recovery of around 100 skeletons from a room in the local police lines and a team of forensic experts from Lucknow has been sent to the spot at Unnao.

The room was meant for storing viscera samples and other human remains like unidentified mutilated bodies which were sent for postmortem and had to be preserved for further action on the basis of court orders, an official said.

Forensic expert Ashutosh, who rushed in here from Lucknow, said nothing could be commented before the test was complete. Proper probe and DNA testing would be done to corroborate the facts, he said.

The skeletons were kept in 22-25 sacks scattered all around in the locked room of the Reserve Police Lines, located opposite the police quarters and Mahila police station.

The matter came to light when some painters were working inside the Reserve Police Lines premises, when they curiously peeped into the room through an open window and saw human remains piled up in huge number. They immediately alerted the police, who rushed there.

No one initially dared to enter the room that emanated unbearable stench. It was only with the help of some class IV civic employees arranged by the Unnao police that investigators entered the room and the remains were taken away to the district hospital mortuary.

Local police believe that the heap of bones and skulls in the room could be the body parts that were used for crime investigation and left in that room, which was once the store of a police hospital but has been lying unused and has been locked up for years.
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15:47   Where R-Day floats go to die
Ever wondered where the massive floats that chug on tractors down Raj Path on India's Republic Day parade go to die? They end where they began, in a massive temporary township on a 12-acre site in Delhi's army cantonment equipped with tuck shops, a small medical clinic, a cafeteria, a large dining room, and even a reading room. After their moment in the sun (or rain this year) on parade day, the 48-feet floats return here to be dismantled.  Read
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15:38  
What was the environment and forest ministry like under Jayanthi Natarajan?

Read
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15:30  
Just in: Bomb blast at Shia religious centre in south Pakistan kills at least 12 people and injures many more, officials say.
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15:24   Govt's initial 5% stake sale in Coal India fully subscribed
The government's initial lot of 5 per cent stake in Coal India today got subscribed much before the close of market hours fetching the government at least Rs 11,300 crore even as bidding for the remaining lot continues on the bourses.

The total issue of 63.16 crore shares got bids for 33.77 crore shares by 1435 hours, representing 53.47 per cent of the shares on offer, as per BSE data. The bidding for the public offer will continue till 1530 hours. The government is selling 31.58 crore shares, or five per cent stake, through a public offer, with an option to sell another 5 per cent.
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15:07   Gita, Gandhi and Godse
Both Nathuram Godse and Mahatma Gandhi read the Bhagavad Gita but one became a martyr and the other a murderer. January 30 reminds us of the fact that even the holiest of texts can have subjective and differential meanings.

Read more
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14:53   Rahul never ever told me what to do: former environment minister Jairam Ramesh
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who was the Environment Minister before Jayanthi Natarajan, today rubbished her allegations about Rahul Gandhi's interference in the ministry's work as "not just completely unfair but also preposterously baseless."

In a statement, Ramesh said, "As Jayanthi Natarajan's immediate predecessor for slightly over 25 months, I can say with all honesty that at no point of time did Rahul Gandhi ever tell me, directly or indirectly, what to do or what not to do in the discharge of my ministerial responsibilities.

"Her allegations against him are not just completely unfair but also preposterously baseless." Ramesh's statement came after Natarajan quit the Congress party, claiming that she followed directions of Rahul Gandhi on green nod to projects but was "vilified, humiliated and sidelined" by central leadership.
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14:46  
AAP to release its manifesto for the upcoming Delhi Assembly election, tomorrow.
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14:45   Cong to Jayanthi: Why are Sonia, Rahul bad when you are asked to resign?
Rajeev Shukla, Congress on Jayanthi Natarajan: As long as you are a minister holding positions, Congress is good, Sonia-ji is good, Rahul-ji is good. The moment you have been asked to resign, Congress is bad, Sonia-ji is bad, Rahul-ji is bad, what is this?
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14:23  
Sreenivasan Jain tweets: "Btw perception of UPA as green crusaders is entirely misplaced. Rejection rate for forest clearances is under 1%.
Blocking a handful of mega projects fuelled myth of green activism. Now it turns out those were done not on merit, but for political gain. Playing both sides can boomerang badly. It now has."
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14:11  
Sambit Patra, BJP on Jayanthi Natarajan's letter: "It has become clear Rahul-ji is the supervisor of a factory where policy paralysis was manufactured. Also shows Congress is not a political party but the syndicate of a family and the UPA government was functioning from 10 Janpath."
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14:01   Did Jayanthi meet Amit Shah?
Media reports indicate that Jayanthi Natarajan, in fact, did meet Amit Shah, before she quit the Congress. The meeting was facilitated by a party general secretary. The BJP is reluctant to induct her because many of her decisions as environment minister are now under CBI scanner.

While she said she will not be joining any other party, she tellingly stated at today's presser that the Congress over-ruled her objections to attacking Narendra Modi, then the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, over the controversy known as Snoop-gate. She said she was forced into criticizing Narendra Modi, then the BJP PM candidate by the party high command even though she had said the party should stick to issues and not individuals.
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13:57  
The day when the Congress prince has been publicly vilified, is ironically the day when one of the founding father's of the party, was assassinated.


This is a picture of the Mountabattens at Gandhi's funeral
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13:51   And S Swamy feels...
Here's what the BJP's Subramanian Swamy is planning: That letter (Jayanthi Natarajan's) can become evidence for prosecution under Prevention of corruption act. 
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13:41   Cong: Jayanthi promised benefits from another party
Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza says that Jayanthi Natarjan speaking up now clearly shows that she has been promised some kind of benefit from another party. Calling the allegations baseless, Oza says Jayanthi has no facts and if she did indeed have the facts, why has she kept quiet so far.

While the Hindu published the letter today, it was in fact written in November 2014.

Read the full text of Ms Natarajan's letter published in the Hindu today.
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13:34   BJP reluctant to induct Jayanthi, say reports
Jayanthi has however denied meeting any BJP leader. The BJP is apparently reluctant to induct Jayanthi into the party because the CBI is looking at her decisions when she was environment minister.
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13:30  
Congress rushes to defend Rahul. Digvijaya Singh says, "It's wrong that Sonia ji/Rahul ji ever interfered in functioning of UPA Govt. Ministers were free to take decisions. Rahul-ji would be last person to interfere in the functioning of the ministry, if he wanted to, he would have become a Minister/PM himself." 
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13:26   Jayanthi: Suffocating atmosphere of lies in Congress
Jayanthi Natarajan says, "Why should I blame PM Narendra Modi when my own party has treated me like this? I had attacked him strongly."

She says she had tried to meet Rahul Gandhi many times. "I asked for an appointment with the High Command or Rahulji, but did not get one. When I was miserable, what do I do?"
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13:18   Jayanthi: Suffocating atmosphere of lies in Congress
Jayanthi Natarajan: I have been a faithful, loyal servant of the party, utter loyalist of Gandhi family, and I have no shame in saying this.

"I followed rules, I did as my party told me, I was never told by Rahul Gandhi that I was holding up environment projects, as was told by him in FICCI."

"I want to uphold the legacy of my family, my integrity, I only did the right thing for my country, I committed no wrongdoing.

"There is a suffocating atmosphere of lies in the Congress.

"So, today, I announce my resignation from the primary membership of the Congress."
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13:00   Jayanthi on Rahul's U-turn to FICCI
Jayanthi Natarajan: "I served the country as a good minister for environment following the instructions of my high command.

"I was called by the PM and told that the high command had asked me to be more involved in party work. I was told to resign.

"Day after I resigned, Rahul told FICCI that there would no bottlenecks for projects anymore from the environmental ministry.

"I wrote a passionate email to Rahul Gandhi-ji saying I saw your speech in FICCI, I want to know why you did this.

"I got a reply from him: I am a little busy, I will meet you. But it hasn't happened.

"I want to know why I was removed. I still have no answer."


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12:52   Jayanthi: I was deputed to attack Narendra Modi on Snoopgate
Jayanthi on the Snoopgate issue...

"I was called to Delhi by Ajay Maken to attack Narendra Modi and it was based on the decision taken by the high command.

"When I asked why I was told, I had to launch an attack on Narendra Modi, who was the then BJP PM candidate.

"I said I wasn't happy because I said he (Modi) should be attacked on policy not on this (Snoopgate), but I was deputed to attack him (Modi).

"I wanted Congress to attack BJP based on their policy not an individual,  but I was overruled.
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12:49   The NGO-RG-minister connect
Jayanti slams Rahul on environment turnaround.

-- Many of colleagues in the Cabinet protested strongly, I had to face anger and wrath of Cabinet members many times.

-- I had to keep on saying that I have to make sure that environment and future is not destroyed.

-- I received specific inputs from Rahul's office on complaints by NGOs against a project by Adanis. It was my duty to make sure that every single step I took, no matter how popular/unpopular was to preserve environment.

-- All this made me stall projects -- Vedanta, Niyamgiri -- in which Rahul Gandhi told tribals he will be their sipahi, like the Nirma project.
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12:42   'Congress is no longer the same party I believed in or I joined'
Jayanthi Natarajan:

-- Congress is no longer the same party I believed in or I joined.

-- I received several requests, memorandums from Congress VP, Rahul Gandhi, I was asked by his office to protect, preserve environment.

-- It is my duty to make sure, every single step I took should be strictly according to law, and to preserve the environment.

-- I was asked by Congress VP office to ensure that the enviroment was protected and these large projects don't cause havoc to environment. 
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12:39   Jayanthi: Time to rethink my 30-year association with Congress
Jayanthi Natarajan:

-- The time has come to rethink my 30-year association with the Congress party, it is not the Congress anymore which I had joined.

-- I come from a family that has Congress blood in its blood... from youth Congress days, its in my blood.

-- I am thankful to my party for whatever opportunities were given to me to serve the nation and the party. There has not even been a single blemish against my name during my time.
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12:36   Jayanthi: I acknowledge I wrote the letter, extremely painful day for me
Jayanthi Natarajan addresses a press conference in Chennai. She says she had not intended to hold a presser, but is doing so after her letter appeared in the Hindu. She accepted that she had written the letter.

She says that she is extremely pained to have to take the decision to quit the Congress. "I come from a family which has Congress blood flowing in her veins. It is a way of life for us. It is an extremely anguished moment that it has come to a situation where I have to rethink my association with the Congress."
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12:32   Chinese envoy first to meet foreign secy Jaishankar
In Delhi, Chinese ambassador to India Le Yucheng meets Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar. 

Le Yucheng said, "It was a privilege that I was the 1st ambassador that met S Jaishankar after he was appointed Foreign Secretary. We talked about our bilateral relations and the upcoming visit of EAM Sushma Swaraj to China. We talked about the agenda and the possible outcomes of this visit." 
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12:26   Remembering Gandhi
Is Mahatma Gandhi and his teachings still relevant today?

We asked Mumbaikars and here's what they told us. Watch.
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12:25   Jaitley on Jayanthi
Jaitley on Jayanthi:

"During UPA's regime, the growth rate was radically going down and one of the prime reasons for that was delay in approvals being granted to projects," the finance minister said.

He said Natarajan's letter "conclusively establishes" that it was not the statutory or mandatory considerations which weighed with the ruling party.

"But what weighed with them was the whims of political leaders of the party as to who is to be granted environmental permission and who is not to be granted an environmental permission," the Finance Minister said.

In a scenario where whims overtake legal requirements, it becomes a textbook case of "crony capitalism, which the UPA was practising," he said.

Attacking the UPA regime further, Jaitley said that it was a practitioner of a "sadistic" economy which was vindictive in nature, wanting to teach some people a lesson while wanting to favour some others.

"This obviously had to be for corrupt and collateral reasons," he charged.
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12:18  
Jayanthi Natarajan will hold a press conference at 12:30 where she will present proof of her allegations against Rahul Gandhi. 
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12:07   Govt will review Jayanti files, says environment mantri Javdekar after letter bomb
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar says that the revelations made by Jayanthi Natarajan is a  matter of great concern. The government will review those specific files.

Jayanthi Natarajan said she had become a victim of a "vicious, false and motivated' media campaign by particular, chosen individuals in the party after Rahul Gandhi shifted from his pro-environmental position to a corporate-friendly one at the height of electioneering for the Lok Sabha.
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12:02   The truth behind Gandhi's assassination
The New York Times front page on Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. See


This day, in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse. Chunibhai Vaidya, a well-known Gandhian, on the truth behind Gandhi's death.

"
The killer of Gandhiji and his apologists sought to justify the assassination on the following arguments: Gandhiji supported the idea of a separate state for Muslims. In a sense he was responsible for the creation of Pakistan.

In spite of the Pakistani aggression in Kashmir, Gandhiji fasted to compel the Government of India to release an amount of Rs 55 crores due to Pakistan.

The belligerence of Muslims was a result of Gandhiji's policy of appeasement."

Read

Pic: Jawaharlal Nehru at  the immersion ceremony of Mahatma Gandhi 's ashes in Allahabad.
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11:52  
Mihir Sharma tweets: To counter Jayanthi's claims, any normal party with a normal leader would have wheeled him out. Any word from Rahul? Of course not. Silly qn
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11:51   Takeaways from Obama's visit
Twenty years ago, the talking points of U.S. policy were to 'cap and eventually eliminate' the subcontinent's nuclear programmes. Now, to have the U.S. President at the Republic Day parade in 2015 while negotiators worked out ways to operationalise civil nuclear cooperation shows how far India-US ties have progressed. Read
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11:48   Mukul Roy at CBI office for questioning in Saradha scam
Trinamool Congress General Secretary Mukul Roy today presented himself before the CBI team here to face interrogation in connection with the Saradha scam. Roy, former Railway Minister, arrived at the main gate of the CGO Complex and walked down to the CBI office. He was surrounded by security and media personnel leading to a stampede-like situation.
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11:32   Salman Rushdie's first novel in seven years, out in September
British author Salman Rushdie's first novel in seven years will be released in September, his publishers said today.

The title, "Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights', is a reference to the collection of folk tales known as the Arabian Nights.

It "blends history, mythology and a timeless love story to bring alive a world that has been plunged into an age of unreason,' publishers Jonathan Cape said in a statement.Rushdie, known for lengthy tomes such as the Booker Prize winning "Midnight's Children', says his latest book is shorter than previous works.

"It's not long. It will be something like 250 pages, which is like clearing my throat. I have finally learned how to shut up,' he reportedly told the Cheltenham Literature Festival in southwest England last year.

Rushdie, 67, was placed under a fatwa by Iran over his 1988 book "The Satanic Verses' and received police protection.His last novel for adults was "The Enchantress of Florence' in 2008.
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11:24   An unfair allegation
It is untrue that the position the BJP took on the nuclear deal in 2005 was LK Advani's alone; it was arrived at after detailed discussions within the party at every stage. Read
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11:23   Sujatha Singh never expected to be sacked
The Telegraph reports that in early January, before US President Barack Obama's visit to India, Sujatha Singh was prodded with an offer - the government would give her a constitutional post if she resigned from the position of foreign secretary.

A constitutional post - membership on the Central Information Commission or the Union Public Service Commission - would have come with an extended tenure till she turned 65.

Singh, who will turn 61 in July, replied that she needed three days to decide. But in the end, she turned down the offer - in the belief, an official close to her said, that the government would respect her decision.

"Neither she nor others expected she would actually be pushed out this way, so unceremoniously," the official said. "She thought her decision would be respected, and she would be allowed to complete her term."
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11:13   Full text of the interview with Sujatha Singh
"It hurts when it becomes a question of individuals -- of this personality versus the other personality, about brilliance and about not having experience.

"I would challenge anybody to look at the record of the Ministry of External Affairs, over the past 18 months that I have been Foreign Secretary, and to say that any part of our foreign relations have suffered or that any part of our strategic engagement with the rest of the world, and, more importantly with the neighbourhood, has not got the attention that was due to it because I was Foreign Secretary.

"I am satisfied that there is nothing more that I could have done or anybody else could have done."

Former foreign secretary Sujatha Singh's interview to the Hindu after she was sacked yesterday. Read
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10:53   Cong reacts: Charges against Rahul are false
Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam says the charges against Rahul Gandhi are false and that Jayanthi Natarajan is using the letter to protect herself.
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10:51   Congress forced me to attack Modi on Snoopgate: Jayanthi
Is Jayanthi Natarajan in her letter to the Congress president Sonia Gandhi says, that she was forced by the Congress to attack then BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi, now Prime Minister, in what was called the Snoopgate controversy. She said she had been reluctant to do so, since it was a personal matter.

The opposition alleged that as Gujarat Chief Minister, Modi, through his then Home Minister Amit Shah, had ordered the illegal surveillance of a young woman architect during her visits to Gujarat.
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10:45   Jaitley: Rumours have been vindicated
BJP reacts to the Jayanthi Natarajan bomb that dropped in the Congress.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley says that on the basis of the former environment minister's letter that has emerged this morning, issues which were believed to be rumours have been vindicated now.

"For any government which administers the country, the prime responsibility remains to administer the economy of the country," Jaitley says.
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10:40   SpiceJet board approves up to $243 mn share sale plan
Spicejet's Board of Directors have approve the Maran's entire 58.46% stake sale to Ajay Singh. Spicejet plans to raise Rs 1,500 crore through issue of overseas securities.

Reuters reports that troubled the carrier said its board has approved selling shares worth up to 15 billion rupees ($242.6 million) in the company, following a deal between its current majority owner and a co-founder leading a rescue plan.

Ajay Singh, who helped found the airline in 2005, agreed this month to buy a controlling stake from billionaire majority owner Kalanithi Maran's Sun Group in a bid to turn around the money-losing airline.

SpiceJet has been struggling to pay its bills due to a cash crunch and had briefly grounded planes in December.
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10:36   Rahul was involved in UPA-II policy decisions: Natarajan
The Hindu reports: In the letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Jayanthi Natarajan said she received "specific requests" from Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on environmental clearances and she consequently rejected big-ticket projects despite pressure from Cabinet colleagues seeking approval.

The letter also indicated that Rahul was involved in policy decisions at a micro level during the UPA II under Dr Manmohan Singh, something that the Congress has consistently denied.

Rahul's views on Vedanta's proposal to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri hills in Odisha were conveyed to her by his office and she took "great care to ensure that the interests of the tribals were protected and rejected environmental clearance to Vedanta" despite "tremendous pressure" from her colleagues in the Cabinet and huge criticism from the industry.

In the case of projects of the Adani group, Natarajan said she was asked by Rahul's office to "liaise" with Gujarat Congressman Deepak Babaria on complaints of NGOs and local fisherfolk about violations.

Read more HERE
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10:18   Sensex hits another peak of 29,844.16; Nifty at 8,996.60
The BSE Sensex continued its record setting spree and hit a new peak of 29,844.16 and the NSE Nifty inched towards the 9,000-level in early trade today on robust fund inflows and sustained optimism over the upcoming Budget.

The 30-share index rose by 162.39 points, or 0.54 per cent, to hit a new peak of 29,844.16 (intra-day), breaking its previous record of 29,786.32 touched on January 28. 

In previous ten sessions, the Sensex had recorded a massive rise of over 2,346 points, or more than 8 per cent. 

Stocks of realty, power, IT, capital goods, PSU and oil & gas sectors, led the rise. 

Rising for the eleventh straight session, the 50-share NSE Nifty gained 44.25 points, or 0.49 per cent, at its lifetime high of 8,996.60, just shying away from the psychological 9,000-mark.

The gauge had touched an intra-day high of 8,985.05 in yesterday's trade. 

Brokers said apart from beginning of February series in the derivatives segment, continued buying by foreign funds as well as retail investors supported by improving macro economic data amid optimism over upcoming Budget and encouraging Q3 earnings by some bluechip companies, lifted the key indices to new highs.
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09:41   Jayanthi Natarajan quits Congress; slams Rahul in letter to Sonia
Longtime Congress loyalist Jayanthi Natarajan has reportedly quit the party. 

Questioning party Vice President Rahul Gandhi's leadership in a letter to party President Sonia Gandhi, which was reported in The Hindu newspaper today, she said: 'Over the last 11 months, I have suffered the most excruciating mental agony, and have been continuously attacked, wrongly vilified and defamed in the media, and exposed to every possible humiliation in public life. 

'From December 20, 2013, until now, I have still not been told by you, why I was asked to resign from the council of ministers, nor have I ever been asked or given an opportunity to explain, if indeed I had committed any wrongdoing. 

'I received information that persons from the office of Shri Rahul Gandhi were calling the media and planting stories that my resignation was NOT for party work,' she said in the letter.

She alleged that she had become a victim of a "vicious, false and motivated" media campaign by particular, chosen individuals in the party after Rahul shifted from his pro-environmental position to a corporate-friendly one at the height of electioneering for the Lok Sabha
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09:34   Ordinance issue: Tops officials to meet today
Racing against time to convert recent ordinances into legislations in Budget session beginning on February 23, top officials of several ministries will sit together on Friday to move forward in this direction.

Sources said that Secretaries and officials from the ministries of Home, Finance, Law, Rural Development, Steel and Mines, Agriculture, Coal and Surface Transport will be attending a meeting convened by the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry today to thrash out the blueprint of the legislations and the legalities involved.

Eight ordinances that the NDA government has brought in its over seven-month rule include those on coal, mines and minerals, e-rickshaws, amendment to Citizenship Act, Land Acquisition and the one on FDI in insurance sector, which seeks to raise the FDI limit in the insurance sector from 26 percent to 49 percent.

The government is especially under pressure to legislate the ordinance on insurance sector and the coal sector in view of the fact that the new systems in place for attracting FDI in insurance and for auctioning of coal blocks are not disturbed.

As per the rules, an Ordinance has to be converted into legislation within 42 days of commencement of Parliament session else it lapses. An Ordinance can be repromulgated only three times.

Read more HERE
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09:31   Now 'secular' and 'socialist' go missing from Rajya Sabha calendar
Mail Today reports: The government's Preamble play up has reached the portals of Parliament. 

In what appears to be a trial balloon floated by the BJP led NDA to introduce the original Preamble in the political discourse to generate debate, the latest calendar published by Rajya Sabha also carries the picture of the Preamble without the key words "secular" and "socialist". 

To that end the objective has been achieved as the Congress has taken strong objection to the government's Republic Day advertisement in which the two "S" words were missing leading to a raging controversy which was later aggravated by NDA partner Shiv Sena as it demanded permanent removal of the words "secular" and "socialist" from the Constitution.

The Rajya Sabha, meanwhile, has defended its calendar and clarified that it was not a mistake.

Gurdeep Sappal, OSD to Vice-President Hamid Ansari, who is also chairperson of the upper house, told Mail Today that the calendar is part of the history and heritage series which reproduces the original historical document hand calligraphed volume of the Constitution by Nandalal Bose.
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09:28   Saradha scam: TMC leader Mukul Roy to appear before CBI today
Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy on Friday said he would "fully cooperate" with CBI in its probe into the Saradha chit fund scam and claimed he had not committed any "immoral activity".

"I will meet the investigating agency in the morning and fully cooperate in the investigation. But what I had said on the first day, I am repeating it today. I was never involved in any immoral activity individually or as the custodian of the party," he told reporters on Thursday.

The former railway minister has been summoned by CBI to appear before it in connection with the Saradha scam
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09:26   CIL stake sale today; government eyes Rs 22,600 cr
In the biggest ever share sale, government will offer Coal India shares at a floor price of Rs 358 a piece on Friday for divestment of up to 10 percent stake in the state-run behemoth for an estimated Rs 22,600 crore, even as trade unions warned of strike against the move.

The floor price was fixed on Thursday at a discount of about 5 percent from the current market price of Coal India (CIL), where the government presently holds nearly 90 percent stake.

In the one-day stake sale, to be conducted today during market hours from 9 am to 3.30 pm, the government will sell 31.58 crore shares or 5 percent stake with an option to sell a further 5 percent stake depending on the demand.

At the floor price, the total 10 percent stake can fetch the government Rs 22,600 crore, although retail investors would get a five percent price discount and 20 percent shares worth over Rs 4,000 crore would be reserved for them.

This would exceed the existing record amount of over Rs 15,000 crore raised through a public offer, which was also by CIL when it had entered the market with its IPO in 2010.

CIL shares were sold at a price of Rs 245 in the IPO, which was oversubscribed by more than 15 times.

The government will have to dilute its stake by further 5 percent at a later stage to meet the capital market norms of maximum 75 percent promoter shareholding in a listed company.
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03:06   WHO: New Ebola cases drop to lowest level in 7 months
The number of new Ebola cases reported in the three worst-hit countries fell to its lowest level since late June, the World Health Organization said Thursday

Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone had a combined total of 99 new cases for the week ending January 25, the WHO said.The total breaks down to 65 in Sierra Leone, 30 in Guinea and four in Liberia.
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03:01   Three US contractors killed in 'insider attack' in Afghan capital
An Afghan soldier killed three U.S. contractors and wounded a fourth on Thursday at Kabul's military airport, an Afghan air force official said.

"It is unclear yet why he shot these advisers and no one else was there to tell us the reason," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. "An investigation has been opened."
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02:39   Netanyahu blasts Iran for Hezbollah attack on Lebanon border
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today blamed Iran for a deadly flare-up along the Lebanese border, the deadliest escalation on the disputed frontier since the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. 

"It is Iran that is responsible for yesterday's attack against us from Lebanon," Netanyahu said. "We will continue to defend ourselves against all threats, near and far alike." There was no immediate comment from Tehran.
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02:39   Netanyahu blasts Iran for Hezbollah attack on Lebanon border
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today blamed Iran for a deadly flare-up along the Lebanese border, the deadliest escalation on the disputed frontier since the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. 

"It is Iran that is responsible for yesterday's attack against us from Lebanon," Netanyahu said. "We will continue to defend ourselves against all threats, near and far alike." There was no immediate comment from Tehran.
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02:08   Why PM Modi was unhappy with former foreign secretary Sujatha Singh
Over the past six months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is learnt to have been repeatedly unhappy with the MEA and particularly with former foreign secretary Sujatha Singh's leadership, which failed to keep pace with his bigger interests.

Where Sujatha Singh and the PMO diverged was her inability '" or unwillingness '" to make the necessary course corrections.

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01:42   Militant attacks in Egypt's Sinai kill 6 military personnel
At least six military personnel were killed and 30 others injured today in Egypt's restive Sinai as militants fired rockets and set off a car bomb, the deadliest assault on security forces in recent weeks. 

The attacks targeted the police headquarters of North Sinai in the provincial capital of El-Arish, a military unit and a residential area housing army and police officers.
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00:33   US lawmakers seek to end restrictions on travel to Cuba
Eight Republican and Democratic U.S. senators introduced legislation on Thursday to repeal all restrictions on U.S. citizens' travel to Cuba, the first step in Congress toward ending the U.S. embargo since President Barack Obama moved toward normal relations last month.

The bill would end legal restrictions on travel to the island by U.S. citizens and legal residents, as well as on related banking transactions.
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00:31   London summons Russian envoy after bombers near UK airspace
Britain summoned Russia's ambassador today and asked him to explain why Russian warplanes flew near British airspace, disrupting civil aviation. 

The Foreign Office said today that Royal Air Force Typhoon jets were scrambled to escort Russian Bear bombers in a "U.K. area of interest" on Wednesday. The Russian planes did not enter British airspace, but flew along the coast and over the English Channel without communicating with British air traffic control.
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00:29   EU foreign ministers extend targeted sanctions on Russia over Ukraine
European Union foreign ministers agreed on Thursday to extend targeted sanctions against separatist leaders in Ukraine and their Russian backers by six months and hit additional people with sanctions but showed no appetite for broader economic measures against Russia in the immediate future.

The extension of the sanctions suggested that Greece's new government, while openly skeptical of sanctions on Russia, wouldn't break European Union unity on the issue.
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00:28   Mexico City gas tank truck explodes outside hospital, killing 7
A gas truck explosion decimated large parts of a maternity hospital west of Mexico City on Thursday, killing at least seven people, including three children, and leaving many others missing, officials said.

Several babies were found alive under the rubble but dozens of people were unaccounted for, as scores of rescue workers continued to scour through the concrete and twisted metal in search of survivors.

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