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Sat, 31 January 2015
Live! Tendulkar stars as chaotic National Games kick off
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22:37 AAP receives Rs 1.25 crore as donation
In a fund raising event held after the party's manifesto launch, AAP today claimed to have received around Rs 1.25 crore as donation, supposedly the party's highest collection from a single event.
"The party's fund raising event today with Arvind Kejriwal saw a record donation of Rs 1.25 crore, the highest collection for a single event," a party release said.
Over 150 donors and supporters attended the event at Constitution Club, where the party earlier launched its manifesto.
The donors were primarily professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs and small businessmen.
Speaking at the event, AAP leader Gul Panag said, "The nature of support for the party proves that AAP is neither leftist nor rightist but realist."
AAP National Secretary Pankaj Gupta said the party's "transparent" funding is changing the political landscape in India.
"Recently, a daily wage earner came to my office and offered his entire days' earning because he said that he wants clean politics," he said.
22:34 Tendulkar stars as chaotic National Games kick off
Sachin Tendulkar was there to bring a capacity crowd on its feet and the cultural splendour was there for all to see as the 35th National Games were declared open in Thiruvananthapuram today with a colourful opening ceremony even as organisational chaos continued to take sheen off the event.
The Greenfield Stadium on the outskirts of the city bathed in spectacular colours to welcome the athletes, quite a few of whom were, ironically, still not staying in the Games Village owing to the last-minute finishing touches.
"I am sure the Games will be a huge success," said Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in his address at the ceremony, the comment coming despite the clearly visible poor state of the state's preparations as the venues can still not be called fully ready for competition.
The chaos outside was, however, hardly noticed in the way the ceremony was conducted inside the stadium where the loudest round of applause and cheers went out for Games Goodwill Ambassador Tendulkar, who got up twice to acknowledge the adoring fans.
Flanked by Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy, Sonowal and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, Tendulkar sported a wide grin all through as he applauded the marching athletes from 30 states, five Union Territories and one Board.
"A big thanks from the sports fraternity of Kerala to Sachin Tendulkar," Chandy said in his address to a crowd which went delirious at the mere mention of the now-retired cricketing icon's name.
20:44 Search for MH370 will continue: Malaysia
Malaysia today said the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 will continue even as families of the victims questioned why authorities did not inform them before declaring the mysterious disappearance as accident.
Transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said the welfare of the next-of-kin was the government's top priority.
He pledged that the search for the plane will go on, with no expense spared.
"It will continue for however long it takes, there is no time limit," Liow said.
"We will need to devise a more comprehensive plan," he said, adding that Thursday's announcement declaring the plane's mysterious disappearance as an accident and all 239 people, including five Indians, on board as presumed dead, was to help the next-of-kin move on with life.
Jacquita Gonzales, the wife of crew member Patrick Gomes, said the families had been told that they would be informed immediately of any new developments and were shocked when the announcement declaring the tragedy as an accident was made yesterday, New Straits Times reported.
"It should not have happened. We had to watch on TV with the rest of the world the announcement that our loved ones were no longer with us."
19:14 Snow avalanche alert in high altitude areas of Uttarakhand
An alert has been sounded in the high-altitude districts of Uttarakhand after a warning from Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment Chandigarh about its possibility in areas located above 2,500 metres in the hill state.
Avalanche activity may take place in the higher reaches of the hills of Chamoli, Tehri, Pauri, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Pithoragarh districts from February 1-3, State Disaster Management, Mitigation and Control office informed in Dehradun today.
The alert was sounded following a communication from the centre at Chandigarh yesterday, a DMMC spokesman said.
As per SASE communication, areas above 2,500 metres in the state will remain prone to snow avalanches in the specified time-frame, he said.
The administration in these districts is on the alert. Residents of villages located in high altitudes of these districts have been asked not to venture out during the specified period.
They have also been asked to clean snow deposits on their rooftops on a regular basis to avoid damages, he said.
This is the second such alert for the high altitude districts of Uttarakhand in less than a month.
19:01 Dreaded Chambal dacoit nabbed in Ahmedabad
Dreaded dacoit of Madhya Pradesh's Chambal region, Dhara Singh aka Surendra Singh, wanted in many cases in the state, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan has been arrested, a top police official said today.
He also carried a bounty of Rs 85,000 on his head.
"Special Task Force (STF), Agra arrested Dhara in Ahmedabad yesterday," district Superintendent of Police, Navneet Bhasin said.
He said Singh, in order to dodge police, was working as a driver with a private firm when he was arrested.
Bhasin said police of UP, MP and Rajasthan had announced reward of Rs 50,000, 25,000 and 10,000, respectively, on Dhara's head who was wanted in several cases of killing, attempts to murders, dacoities, loot and kidnappings.
Singh and his gang operated in the three states. He had kidnapped one Giriraj Katare in the district in July last year. And since then, a hunt was launched to nab him. The officer said they will seek his transit remand and bring him to the district for prosecuting him in different cases
18:52 Cool-mask lifts as Dhoni looks for answers
Remember the Phantom? That masked crusader who lived in the woods and fought crime. Well, in the comics anyway. There were times, however, when the ghost who walks would doff his superhero costume and walk the streets as an ordinary human. Again, according to Lee Falk, the man whos responsible for bringing the Phantom to life.
Well its something like that whenever MS Dhoni loses his cool on the cricket field.
For, most times he can seem almost superhuman, at least in terms of his ability to stay impassive even when the situation demands that he let some emotion show.
So when Dhoni literally refused to collect a throw from Mohammed Shami and subsequently berated him for not having moved into a finer position at fine-leg, it became an event.
Like it always does when the inscrutable Indian captain vents it out uncharacteristically, like an ordinary human.
Read more HERE
18:41 President congratulates DRDO on successful Agni-V test
President Pranab Mukherjee today congratulated DRDO on the successful test-firing of the third developmental trial of Agni-V surface-to-surface missile.
In his message to Avinash Chander, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister and Director-General, DRDO, Mukherjee has said "I extend hearty congratulations to all those associated with the successful test-firing of the third developmental trial of India's indigenous Agni-V surface-to-surface missile."
"I am happy to know that many new technologies relating to navigation and guidance, warhead as well as engine has been tried out in this version. I understand today's test is also the first time the missile has been tried out in a canisterised version," he said.
The President said "kindly convey my felicitations to the members of your team of scientists, engineers and all others involved in this effort. Our nation is grateful for their hard work and proud of their accomplishment."
18:34 Uber cab rape case: Prosecution evidence closed in 17 days
Prosecution today completed recording of evidence in the Uber cab rape case as part of the fast-track trial in a Delhi court, taking just 17 days.
The prosecution closed the evidence with the recording of statement of investigating officer of the case, Delhi Police Sub Inspector Renu.
The prosecution, which had cited 44 witnesses in the charge sheet, examined 28 of them, dropping 16 saying they were not relevant.
Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja, who had started the trial on January 15, fixed February three to record the statement of the accused driver, 32-year-old Shiv Kumar Yadav.
"Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava states that all the relevant prosecution witnesses have been examined and no other witness is left to be examined.
"Accordingly, prosecution evidence is closed. Put up the matter for February 3, 2015 for recording of statement of the accused," the judge said.
During the hearing, the IO in her cross examination by Yadav's counsel Aalok Dwivedi denied his suggestion that she has not probed the case properly and fairly.
16:55 People you voted for in last election stabbed you in the back: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a public rally in Karkarduma to directly take on the Aam Aadmi Party. Attacking the party, the PM told the people, "You must check the track record of the big-talkers around you. A year ago the people of Delhi voted with some dreams, but those very people betrayed you, led you to instability. They stabbed you in the back." Modi said that he wanted to help Delhi realise its dreams and that he had personally come to fix the damage that was caused in the last 15 years.
16:30 Don't elect a government that believes in dharnas, says Amit Shah
Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah addressing crowds during a rally in Delhi, attacked the Aam Aadmi Party. He said that the BJP government is moving towards country's improvement which has been proved in the last 8 months.
He said, "Delhi can develop only when there is a BJP-government in the state under Kiran Bedi's leadership."
The BJP president further added, "Don't elect a government that believes in dharnas."
15:49 I'm what I'm because of my work, not looks: Ilmi responds to Katju
Bharatiya Janata Party's Shazia Ilmi responded to former Press Council chairman Markandey Katju's tweet about her looks. She said, "I am what I am because of my work, not looks."
The statement comes after Katju took to Twitter on Friday writing, "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,& should be construed as such."
15:28
JUST IN: Mig-21 crashes near Jamangar in Gujarat; pilot ejects safely, says SP Jamnagar.
15:09 Islamic State seizes oil facility in north Iraq
Islamic State terrorists seized a small crude oil station near the northern Iraqi city Kirkuk where 15 employees were working, security and oil officials said on Saturday. Two officials from the state-run North Oil Co confirmed the militants seized a crude oil separation unit in Khabbaz and said 15 oil workers were missing after the company lost contact with them.
14:43 Bangladesh cuts power supply to ex-PM Zia's house
Bangladesh authorities today cut the power supply to opposition leader Khaleda Zia's home after she called a 72-hour nationwide strike beginning tomorrow which coincides with the school exams of over 1.5 million students. Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Partyalleged that the state-run Dhaka Electric Supply Company disconnected the power lines to her upmarket Gulshan office early this morning in an apparent bid to force her to call off the scheduled strike.
14:27 Australia to fund free spectacles for Hudhud victims
The Australian consulate general in Chennai will provide replacement glasses for members of socio-economically disadvantaged communities who lost their glasses when Cyclone Hudhud hit the Visakhapatnam coast on October 12 last year. Those who were affected can have their vision screened free of cost at the Out-patient Department of LV Prasad Eye Institute's campus, a hospital spokesman said. Under the programme, 3,000 free spectacles will be given to those who lost their own during the cyclone or might have developed eye disorders in its aftermath.
14:17 AFSPA, a hurdle in BJP-PDP alliance
With a coalition PDP-BJP government imminent in Jammu and Kashmir, sources in both the parties said a last-minute point of contention between the two is the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.While the Peoples Democratic Party wants the AFSPA to be lifted from a few places to have something to sell to the Kashmir valley from its 'marriage of convenience' with the BJP, the BJP, according to sources, does not even want any mention of the AFSPA.
Read more HERE
13:45 Police complaint against Kumar Vishwas for sexist remarks on Bedi
The Bharatiya Janata Party has lodged a police complaint over an allegedly sexist remark made by Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas against Kiran Bedi. The party will also be filing a complaint with the Election Commission. The offensive remark was made by AAP leader Kumar Vishwas at a rally in which Arvind Kejriwal was also present.
12:59 Best farewell gift: Outgoing DRDO chief on Agni V missile launch
Following the successful test-firing of the Agni V missile, the outgoing Director General of the Defence Research and Development Organisation Avinash Chander said, "This was a great event and I could not have asked for a better farewell gift from my team which has worked hard to make India a missile superpower."
"I am going, leaving behind a dynamic young team that can lead India to greater heights. India will now be autonomous in missile capability," said Dr Chander.
Dr Chander's contract ends on today - January 31, 2015. He had joined the organisation in 1972.
12:43 Putin's daughter dances out of the shadows
Vladimir Putin's 'secret' daughter is an acrobatic rock 'n' roll-dancing businesswoman and scientist, according to a Moscow journalist. Ekaterina Tikhonova, 28, is claimed to be one of Putin's two daughters who until now has been mystery figures to Russians, who are not allowed to see pictures of or know about the personal lives of the President's children. It is claimed Putin's youngest daughter Ekaterina is using her mother's maiden name, Tikhonova, and has been put in charge of a 1.1billion expansion of Moscow State University.
12:30 Inside the camp where junior jihadis are made
Judging by the hundreds of young men lined up in crisp military fashion at their graduation ceremony, the armed wing of the Islamist movement Hamas will have plenty of eager recruits this year. More than 17,000 fresh-faced teenagers and young men, aged 15 to 21, mustered at a dozen camps over the past week in the Gaza Strip to climb ropes, practise close-order drills and fire Kalashnikov rifles, all of them pledging to defend the coastal enclave and ready to fight the next war against their Zionist enemies.
Read full report HERE
11:49 Aung San Suu Kyi's house gate auctioned for Rs 1.25 crore
The metal gate from the house of Burmese Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi is to be sold at auction. The gate, painted the red and yellow of her party in 2007, became a symbol of the struggle against Myanmar's military rulers during her long house arrest. Soe Nyunt, Suu Kyi's supporter and friend, announced the sale with a starting price of $200,000 (Rs 1.24 crore). The money will go towards a new headquarters for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.
11:40 Michelle Obama praises 'American Sniper'
US First Lady Michelle Obama has praised Oscar-nominated film American Sniper. Michelle attended a panel at Got Your 6 event, which helps expand understanding regarding military veterans through pop culture. At the event, which was also attended by the film's star Bradley Cooper, the First Lady urged people in the entertainment industry to "change the conversation about our veterans and military families," before offering praise to the Clint Eastwood-directed war movie.
11:20 Cheap electricity, women's security force: AAP's poll promises
The Aam Aadmi Party released its manifesto ahead of the February 7 polls in Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal, the party's chief, released a 70-point programme, promising Delhiites free electricity, free Wi-Fi and a women's security force.
Speaking to the media, Kejriwal said that their manifesto was like the Gita, Bible. "It is holy to us." He added, "The AAP's manifesto is work of 4 months, it's about what kind of Delhi we want. One where low class, middle class and everyone develops."
He also took a potshot at the BJP saying that as the BJP didn't see through any of its promises, it was not even bothering to release a manifesto this time around.
Read the AAP manifesto in full HERE
10:47 Gunman recorded terror attack on Parisian grocery
The terrorist who gunned down four people at a market in eastern Paris earlier this month recorded the attack on a camera, a US intelligence official said. The information backed up a report by Eric Pelletier said that Amedy Coulibaly recorded seven minutes of the attack, including the moments when he killed three people. Pelletier reported that Coulibaly was able to use a computer at the market to email a copy of the attack video before he was killed by police.
10:23 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 HERE
09:56 Nuclear deal no cause for celebration
At their recent meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama discussed methods of circumventing the Indian nuclear liability law to protect American reactor suppliers from the consequences of accidents caused by design defects. Although public details are scarce, if they have indeed reached an understanding on the issue, then this is not a cause for celebration; it should be a matter of deep concern.
Read full report HERE
09:51 AAP to release manifesto at 11 am today
Ahead of the February 7 polls in the nation's capital, the Aam Aadmi Party will release its manifesto, outlining its goals and mission for Delhi today at 11 am.
The BJP, on the other hand, announced that they will not be releasing a manifesto, but a vision document for Delhi. They said that the vision document will feature a roadmap for development and welfare of the people.
09:24 India successfully test fires N-capable Agvi V missile
India successfully test fired the surface-to-surface nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-V with range of 5,000 kilometre from Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast. The 5,000 km-plus nuclear capable missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation was launched for the first time from a canister.The canister launch of the missile is a big boost to the defence forces as it gives "greater mobility and flexibility".
09:04 5,000 bottles of liquor seized from AAP candidate's home
Around 5,000 bottles of liquor were seized by the Election Commission during a raid of Aam Aadmi Party's Naresh Balyan's home. Balyan is contesting the Delhi polls from Uttam Nagar area.
03:33 Ukraine peace talks aborted as civilians die in east
Civilians were killed on both sides in heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine on Friday, while an attempt to reopen peace talks in neighboring Belarus was aborted before it began.
Rebel delegates flew to the Belarus capital Minsk, only to announce that no talks would take place on Friday and they were flying straight back to Moscow. Any talks would be the first since a five-month-old ceasefire collapsed with a new rebel advance last week.
02:34 Nigeria military says NE town retaken from Boko Haram
Nigeria's military today said it had retaken the northeast town of Michika from Boko Haram after weeks of unrest that reportedly killed dozens of people and forced thousands to flee.
The Islamist insurgents were thought to have controlled the town for several months, while local officials and relief workers said the area had seen a spike in Boko Haram attacks over the past two weeks.
02:34 Venezuela confirms it downed plane near Aruba
Venezuela's military confirmed that it shot down over the Caribbean Sea a small civilian plane believed to be carrying drugs.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino today defended the military's action saying the plane had entered Venezuela's airspace without permission and didn't respond to orders to land immediately.
He said the plane was heading from Central America and taken down 25 nautical 15 miles from the coast near the island nation of Aruba.
01:27 French judge to probe AirAsia crash
France has opened a formal criminal investigation into the crash of an AirAsia plane in the Java Sea last month while a French co-pilot was at the controls, a judicial source said today.
A judge will investigate possible "manslaughter" in connection with the crash that killed all 162 people on board. Flight QZ8501 went down in stormy weather on December 28 in the Java Sea during what was supposed to be a short trip from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. Only 72 bodies have so far been recovered.
01:27 Alibaba promises more action against fake goods
E-commerce giant Alibaba pledged Friday to do more to fight online sales of counterfeit goods, quickly settling a public dispute with a Chinese regulator after the value of its US-traded shares plunged.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma and the director of the Cabinet's State Administration of Industry and Commerce met and pledged to cooperate more closely to combat sales of fakes, the agency said in a statement.
00:37 ISIS launches attack on oil-rich northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk
ISIS militants have attacked Kirkuk in northern Iraq, an effort that might be an earnest attempt to capture the key oil-rich city or perhaps to divert Kurdish troops fighting to capture the Islamist extremist group's stronghold of Mosul.
For months, ISIS has been facing off with the Peshmerga -- armed fighters who protect Iraqi Kurdistan -- to the west of Kirkuk. It hadn't gone into areas on Kirkuk's outskirts, but not the central city.
00:36 Violence spirals as Egypt's army and militants clash in Sinai
Ahmed Abudraa was on his way to visit relatives near the north Sinai town of Sheikh Zuwaid when he came across a checkpoint of bearded men wielding assault rifles. He slowly opened his window and asked whether it was safe for him to continue.
The militants barked into walkie-talkies and then assured him that they had secured the road.The men belonged to the outlawed Islamist group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, thought to be responsible for a campaign of violence against the Egyptian government of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Abudraa, a local resident who is among the few journalists still able to enter the volatile area, quizzed one about their operations.
00:34 Sonia to campaign in Delhi on Sunday
Congress President Sonia Gandhi will join the high-pitched battleground in Delhi to campaign for the party for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Gandhi will address a rally at Meethapur Chowk in Badarpur constituency seat on February 1, Sunday.
00:34 Kerry in Kiev next week to show US support for Ukraine
US Secretary of State John Kerry is to head to Ukraine next week to underline Washington's support of the country in the face of attacks by pro-Russian rebels.
The State Department said today that Kerry would arrive in Kiev on February 5 and meet Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.
00:33 Top headlines in that last 24 hours
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'Deeply pained', says dismissed foreign secretary Sujatha Singh
Senior Navy officer to face court martial for fire in INS Sindhuratna
'Suffocating atmosphere' in Cong forces Jayanthi Natarajan to quit
Kejriwal fumes after BJP 'kills Anna' in campaign ad
11 things about Rahul Gandhi/UPA we learnt from Jayanthi Natarajan
S Jaishankar: The strict IFS officer with a wicked sense of humour
These Women made us proud on Republic Day
The truth behind the assassination of Gandhiji
Why Kejriwal tenders an apology at every 'jan sabha'
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