An Air India aircraft, carrying former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with other passengers, flew from Amritsar to Delhi with one of its landing gears not retracting. The airline, however, said there was no harm to any passenger and that operations procedure as per checklist was followed by the crew before the take-off.

Three weeks after a local court refused her bail, corporate lawyer Janhavi Gadkar, accused of crashing her car into a taxi and causing the death of two persons, today filed another application for release on the ground that the investigation in the case was over.

Extremists loyal to the Islamic State in Egypt have attacked a naval patrol ship in the Mediterranean Sea, causing it to burst into flames.The Egyptian military said earlier a coastguard vessel had exchanged shots with militants just two miles off the coast of northern Sinai, an area bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip.There were no fatalities among the vessel's crew in the shootout with the terrorists, according to a Facebook message posted by military spokesman, Brigadier General Mohammed Samir. 

The alleged mastermind of the Garissa University massacre in Kenya has been killed in a drone strike in Somalia, Kenyan officials have claimed. The drone attack killed four senior members of al-Shabaab, the Al Qaeda affiliated group, including Mohamed Mohamud, a Kenyan interior ministry spokesman said. In April, suicide vest-clad al-Shabaab gunmen stormed the university and gunned down 147 people. 

Suspended IPS officer Amitabh Thakur submitted his reply to the chargesheet slapped on him by the UP government accusing him of dereliction of duty, saying he never flouted rules and manuals and was "not at fault". "I was given 15 days to reply to the charge sheet but I have submitted it within 24 hours. I am not at fault in any of the 16 points stated in the chargesheet," Thakur said. The IG-rank officer went to the DGP headquarters andsubmitted his point-wise 30-page reply to IG personnel. 

A man claiming to be armed with explosives is understood to have taken at least one hostage in an Australian city's park. Police have cordoned off an area of a park on the corner of Koombana Drive and Blair Street in Bunbury, Western Australia, after the unidentified man took one person hostage. Armed police officers, wearing bullet proof vests have arrived on the scene. 

Superstar Salman Khan has a wish on the eve of 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan's release -- both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif should watch his film which has an Indo-Pak theme. Salman, 49, who helps a deaf and mute girl reach her home in Pakistan in the film, says love for children is beyond boundaries. 

Germany's finance minister, Wolfgang Schauble, suggested that Greece might be better off leaving the euro, saying that a temporary exit from the common currency could give the country additional flexibility to reduce its crippling debt load. It was the second time this week that Schauble has raised the idea in public. 

So, that's Narayan Murthy at IIT Kanpur. Co-founder of the country's major IT firm Infosys has made headlines for saying there has not been a single invention from India in the last 60 years that became a household name globally, nor any idea that led to "earth shaking" invention to "delight global citizens.

The Bombay high court on Thursday directed a notice to be issued to State Women and Child Development minister Pankaja Munde on a public interest litigation seeking action against her in the chikki scam.


The PIL filed by Sandeep Ahire wants the loss to the public exchequer to be personally recovered from her. Among the other reliefs, Ahire has also sought probe by a high-level inquiry committee headed by a retired HC judge "to look into the procurements made by the government " to the tune of Rs 206 crore. He has also urged anti-corruption bureau inquiry.

BJP Parliamentary Party Executive meet to be held on 20th July at 7 RCR for Parliamentary session.

Foreign secretary S Jaishankar addresses a press conference on the continued ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

Key points from the presser.

-- Today at 1:35 am, there was infiltration attempt in Jammu sector. I urged our High Commissioner in Islamabad to speak with the Pakistan Foreign Secretary.

--  Pakistan govt has sought to shift responsibility of cross-border firing to the Indian side.


-- India has sought an end to the firing and asks for corrective steps on Pakistan's part.

-- India, Pakistan officials in touch over recent incidents of firing along LoC.

-- The NSA inquired why conversations weren't initiated by Pakistan if firing was started by the Indian side.


-- BSF in Jammu tried to contact officials across the border. Jammu BSF got no response to the demarche. And India retaliated.


-- Pak High Commissioner Abdul Basit said the firing had been initiated by India and the drone belonged to India. Basit said there had been casualities on their side.


-- The drone is not of Indian design, is of Chinese design and is commercially available. It is not used by Indian forces.

Barely a week after Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan broke the deadlock and decided to re-engage, the two countries were back to a blame game over ceasefire violations with both sides lodging protest with each other.

While India lodged protest with Pakistan both in New Delhi and in Islamabad, the Pakistan foreign office summoned Indian high commissioner and lodged strong protest over "air space violation" by an alleged Indian "spy" drone near the Line of Control and "ceasefire violation".

The Delhi government has decided to start 'aam aadmi' canteens in the national capital which will provide 'wholesome' meals for Rs 5 to Rs 10.

The canteens will first be introduced in industrial areas, hospitals and commercial Institutes and will be run by the Food and Civil supplies ministry.


The canteens are being modeled around J Jayalalithaa's Amma Canteens which have been set up in Tamil Nadu and are hugely popular.


The canteens provide three meals every day and on the menu is sambar rice, curd rice, lemon rice, idli and chapatis aimed at providing nutrition to the poor working class at nominal rates.


Representational picture.

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court hearing the 2007 assassination case of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto today issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against her driver, who has failed to turn up for the hearings despite repeated summons.


Javaid ur Rehman drove the vehicle carrying 54-year-old Bhutto out of a park in Rawalpindi after she addressed an election rally when a bomb and gun attack killed her.


The driver, who escaped the attack, has not made any appearance in the court till date despite many summons. The special anti-terrorism court issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Rehman, and also summoned four other witnesses to record their statement in the next hearing, The Express Tribune reported.

The second unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu will be commissioned in the next 6-8 months amid efforts to expedite the setting up of 12 atomic plants proposed to be built by Russia in India in two decades.


Indian Ambassador to Russia P S Raghavan said discussions are underway on the units III, IV, V and VI to be built at Kudankulam. Process is also underway to identify a site in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for a plant which was proposed to be set up in Haripur in West Bengal but could not materialise due to various factors, including protests by locals. "We are committed to the Russians... In last December (during the visit of President Vladimir Putin to India), we had decided that we will speed up the nuclear plant manufacture and that in two decades, we will have 12 power plants," Raghavan said.

The president's estate will be India's first-ever smart city, our sources tell us.  President Pranab Mukherjee is keen to introduce all the parameters which make a smart city into the 330-acre estate, with the building itself covering an area of five acres.


The term smart city basically encompasses a vision of an urban space that is ecologically friendly, technologically integrated and meticulously planned, with a particular reliance on the use of information technology to improve efficiency.


Senior officials of the Rashtrapati Bhavan told Rediff.com there will be a mega event on July 25 to mark the completion of three years of Pranab Mukherjee's arrival at the president's estate. 

Residents along the International Border (IB) along Jammu, who were hopeful of reaping dividends of the latest peace talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Russia, were left shell-shocked amid a fresh spurt in ceasefire violations.


"All our hopes have been shattered, the border residents suffer whenever there is a ceasefire violation from across the border," said Sham Lal, a resident of R S Pura.


The mainstay profession of majority people in this frontier sector on the IB is farming and occurrence of a ceasefire violation at a time when they were transplanting paddy crop has put them in a fix.


"Our sustenance depends on farming and it is the season of transplanting paddy plants but now we are afraid to venture into our fields, as we don't know when we would become a target of Pakistani fire" said Prem Singh, a resident of Abdullian village of R S Pura sector.


Pakistani Rangers today indulged in heavy firing and mortar shelling on five border outposts (BoPs) and some villages in Jammu district which left four persons injured, a day after a woman was killed in the ceasefire violations prompting India to lodge protest with Pakistan.


According to a BSF official, "Pakistani Rangers resorted to small arms firing and mortar shelling along IB in R S Pura sector of Jammu district since 0115 hours today."


They targeted five BoPs and some civilian areas in R S Pura and Tawi forward belts, the official said adding that Pakistani Rangers fired 81 mm mortar shells at around 0350 hours.

With hours to go before his multi-crore release Bajrangi Bhaijaan hits theatres across the country, actor Salman Khan has stated that Gajendra Chauhan, whose appointment the students are protesting, should step down if that is what students want. 

The protest by the students against the appointment of Chauhan has entered its second month. Many from the industry have lent their support including Anupam Kher, Ranbir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Kiran Rao, Resul Pookutty and  Rajkummar Rao.

A committee including FTII alumni and student body had met with I & B Minister Arun Jaitley to sort out the issues, but no conclusive decision was taken. 

Protests by the student body started after Gajendra Chauhan was appointed as Chairman of the governing body. The students protested that the actor turned BJP member was appointed 'as a stooge' by the government, and also that Chauhan is not as qualified as others in the industry and 'lacks vision' for the premiere institute.

Security forces on Wednesday night killed two militants belonging to the Khaplang faction of NSCN, while a third militant was injured in the process. Official sources in the Assam Rifles in Kohima in a statement said that a patrol party which had gone to Meluri in Phek district following the kidnapping of two school boys by the militant group, were attacked by the militants leading to a heavy exchange of fire.

Read more

Pitching Pipavav Shipyard as a one-stop shop for all requirements of the Indian Navy, from frigates to aircraft carrier and submarines, industrialist Anil Ambani today said he will invest an "additional Rs 5,000 crore" over the next few years in the project. The Reliance Group Chairman emphasised on self-reliance in the defence sector for flexibility to pursue country's foreign policy objectives and called for more transparent and predictable systems and procedures.

Actor George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney are reportedly planning to have a baby.


"They decided that it would be the right time. Amal isn't taking on extra work at the moment and just continuing with the cases she has," a source told usmagazine.com.


The 37-year-old human rights attorney is focusing on welcoming an addition to their family next year in London, where the couple's mansion is currently undergoing a $15 million renovation.


"The building plans include a nursery. They hope to have all the work done by Christmas," the source added.


Although George said in May that fatherhood "hasn't been high" on his priority list, he is undeniably a family man with close relationship with his parents and sister.

BJP minister Piyush Goyal on why PM Narendra Modi's visit to Varanasi today was cancelled.


"A laborer who was working at the rally venue died in an unfortunate incident, which is why the PMs visit to Varanasi has been cancelled. The state police has been directed to conduct investigations and a magisterial inquiry has also been ordered," said Piyush Goyal.


The Prime Minister was to make a day-long visit to his Lok Sabha constituency during which he was supposed to address a public rally, inaugurate a power project scheme and open a trauma centre at the Banaras Hindu University.
Earlier reports said that the visit was cancelled because of heavy rains in Varanasi.


This is the second time Modi's visit to the city has been cancelled. A June 28 rally in the holy city was cancelled due to heavy rain, which had left the venue (DLW Grounds) waterlogged. Foolproof arrangements were supposed to have been made this time round with the PMO monitoring all the preparations.

Expressing their solidarity with activist Teesta Setalvad, several opposition MPs including Ghulam Nabi Azad of Congress and Sharad Yadav of JD(U) today accused the Centre of "subjecting her to the worst kind of harassment" to silence voices of dissent. In a joint statement, the opposition leaders said the recent CBI recent raid at her residence was a "blatant misuse" of the central agency for "vindictive reasons".


Besides Yadav and Azad, who is the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Motilal Vora of Congress, K C Tyagi of JD(U) and D P Tripathi of NCP endorsed the statement, which also bore signatures of Hannan Mollah of CPI(M) and Manoj Jha of RJD. "We express our solidarity with Teesta Setalvad, Javed Anand and their colleagues who are being subjected to the worst kind of harassment by the (Narendra) Modi government," they said.


Setalvad has been severely critical of the BJP government in Gujarat over the 2002 riots and her NGO has been pursuing criminal cases against the accused. The state government has accused her of working at the behest of its political opponents and charged her with misappropriating money. Anand is also an activist and her husband.

Meanwhile, there's been a gas cylinder blast in a house in Santacruz, Mumbai. Four people are dead and three injured. Details awaited.  

Home minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to meet at 3:30 pm in the North Block to discuss the ceasefire violations by Pakistan. The DG BSF has also briefed NSA Ajit Doval, who is also likely to attend the meeting.


After fresh firing along the Line of Control killed one woman, India today lodged a protest with Pakistan over the ceasefire violation in Akhnoor sector. India had expressed disappointment at the fresh breach.

India's High Commissioner in Pakistan TCA Raghavan had raised the issue with Pakistan Foreign Secretary on Wednesday after one woman was killed and six others, including two BSF jawans, were injured on Wednesday in a "major ceasefire violation" by Pakistan.

The violation came two days ahead of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu.

Pic: An injured woman being taken to hospital after Pak Rangers fired on civilians.

FTII students have refused to blink and will continue their strike.


Yesterday, Film and Television Institute of India Director D J Narian served a notice to the striking students asking them to terminate the protest immediately or face "strong" administrative action which may include "rustication".


In the first warning to the students who are on strike since last 35 days demanding cancellation of actor Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as FTII chairman, the FTII administration said, "All concerned students will themselves be responsible for any administrative action in this regard.


"You are therefore ordered to terminate the strike with immediate effect and resume academic activities without any further delay, failing which the institution will be free to take strict administrative action," the notice said.


The notice addressed to the students' leader Harishankar Nachimuthu said the students should go back to their academic activities and defiance of the directive would result in a strong administrative action which may include rustication as well.


The agitating students have alleged that the actor, known for his role of Yudhishthira in TV series Mahabharat, lacks "vision and stature" to head the FTII.

Former environment minister and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh will soon be out with his third book in September.

Called, 'To the Brink and Back: India's 1991 Reforms Story', the book reveals the inside story of how eonomic reforms and liberalisation came about. Jairam was a key aide in the PV Narasimha Rao government from June to September 1991.


His first book, Green Signals, was on his 25-month tenure as Minister of Environment and Forests, while the second book, 'Legislating for Justice' was on the making of the controversial 2013 land acquisition law.


Certainly sounds promising.

Cabinet clears policy for composite foreign investment limits by including FDI, FII and other routes, says finance minister Arun Jaitley.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) commits to make internet free and fair and thereby upholds the long-standing demand for net neutrality.

The report on Net Neutrality by a DoT panel led by AK Bhargava has been made public and has 24 recommendations. The report has slammed telecom companies and has laid down recommendations that will aim to ensure internet in India remains free and fair. 


The Committee recommended that "the core principles of Net Neutrality must be adhered to. The Committee said India should take a rational approach and initiate action in making an objective policy, specific to the needs of our country.


The DoT panel also said that an endeavor in policy approach should be to identify and eliminate actions that inhibit the innovation abilities inherent in an open Internet or severely inhibit investment in infrastructure. 


The primary goals of public policy in the context of Net Neutrality should be directed towards achievement of developmental aims of the country by facilitating "Affordable Broadband', "Quality Broadband' and "Universal Broadband' for its citizens. 


User rights on the Internet need to be ensured so that TSPs/ISPs do not restrict the ability of the user to send, receive, display, use, post any legal content, application or service on the Internet, or restrict any kind of lawful Internet activity or use.  


Unclear about net neutrality? Read our FAQ

George H W Bush, the oldest living former US president, fell at his summer home and broke a bone in his neck but was doing OK, a spokesman said.


Bush, 91, was hospitalised in stable condition and was doing "fine" after yesterday's fall, spokesman Jim McGrath said. McGrath tweeted that the 41st president would be in a neck brace. Bush was being treated at Portland's Maine Medical Center, where a children's hospital is named for his wife.


Bush, who has a form of Parkinson's disease that has forced him to use a motorized scooter or wheelchair for mobility, has suffered a few other recent health setbacks. He was hospitalised in Houston in December for about a week for treatment of shortness of breath. He said he was grateful to the doctors and nurses for their care there. He spent Christmas 2012 in intensive care at the same Houston hospital while being treated for a bronchitis-related cough and other issues. He was discharged in January 2013 after a nearly two-month stay.


Bush, a Republican, served two terms as Ronald Reagan's vice president before being elected president in 1988. After one term, highlighted by the success of the 1991 Gulf War in Kuwait, he lost to Democrat Bill Clinton amid voters' concerns about the economy. Bush, the father of Republican former President George W Bush, was a naval aviator in World War II and was shot down over the Pacific. He also was a former US ambassador to China and a CIA director.

Here's why the Smart Troll is trending on Twitter. Read Vivek Agnihotri's The psyche and the power of a Smart Troll.

The Supreme Court today agreed to hear on Monday the plea of CBI that Special Investigation Team (SIT) be allowed to file charge sheets in the Vyapam scam cases in which the investigation is over.


A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu, fixed the plea of the probe agency for hearing on July 20 and asked CBI to serve the copy of the application to the parties concerned.


Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Maninder Singh, appearing for CBI, said that the transfer of more than 185 Vyapam scam cases from SIT to CBI will take time and the state investigating agency be allowed to file charge sheets in the cases in which the probe is complete.


"Otherwise, the accused will get statutory bail on account of default of non-filing of charge sheets within stipulated time period," the ASG said.


On July 9, the Supreme Court had ordered transfer of the probe into all Vyapam scam cases and the deaths allegedly linked to it to CBI. The apex court had passed the order while hearing a batch of petitions, including the one filed by senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh seeking apex court-monitored CBI probe into all cases arising out of the Vyapam scam.


While passing the order, the apex court had also taken on record the submission of the Madhya Pradesh government that it had no objection on transferring the investigation of cases relating to Vyapam scam to CBI. Congress has alleged that around 49 persons linked to the Vyapam scam have died under mysterious circumstances, a charge refuted by the state government. The official figure is around 25 which the state government says includes suicides, accidents and some other unnatural deaths.


The multi-crore rupee professional examination scam involves several high-profile professionals, politicians and bureaucrats as accused. The alleged scam involves MPPEB, which holds examinations for various posts such as that of teachers, medical officers, constables and forest guards.

The police report on RK Pachauri says that he is trying to influence witnesses and is not cooperating with the investigations. 

The Delhi High Court has refused to cancel former TERI chief RK Pachauri's bail saying the matter requires detailed hearing. The police report says Pachauri's anticipatory bail should be cancelled since he is influencing witnesses. The police have filed a status report in the case today.

Pachauri was granted anticipatory bail on March 21 by the court which had rejected the request of police for his custody in the molestation case.


The court had granted him anticipatory bail by imposing several conditions on him including that he will join the probe as and when called, he will not enter TERI office premises and not intimidate or threaten the complainant and the witnesses of the case.

On February 13, a First Information Report was registered against Mr Pachauri on charges of sexual harassment under sections 354, 354(a), 354(d) (molestation) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC at Lodhi Colony Police Station after the woman had submitted a 33-page complaint in this regard to the police.

When Professor G N Saibaba, who teaches English at Delhi University's Ram Lal Anand College, was 'abducted' while on his way home from class by the Maharashtra police on May 9, 2014, no one expected that the wheelchair-bound academic would be physically ill-treated in jail.


But for the 14 months he was imprisoned in the Nagpur Central Jail, Professor Saibaba, who is 90 per cent disabled, was denied life-saving medicines and assistants, despite repeated court orders. A vocal critic of Operation Green Hunt, the Centre's anti-Maoist, anti-Adivasi campaign launched by the United Progressive Alliance government in 2009 across the tribal belt of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Orissa, Professor Saibaba had faced interrogation and police raids earlier.


Charged with being a member of a banned terrorist organisation (the Communist Party of India-Maoist), providing logistics and helping in recruitment for the group, the academic/activist, who finally secured bail from the Bombay high court for three months for medical treatment, spoke to Jyoti Punwani about his experience in jail, lodged in the notorious anda cell reserved for terror accused and alleged Maoists. 
Read the interview here.

Maoists set property in Forest Dept office in Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) on fire, official documents destroyed.

Petrol and diesel prices were on Wednesday cut by Rs 2 per litre, excluding local levies, in the second reduction of rates this month by oil companies, but the petrol would actually become costlier in the national capital due to an increase in VAT rate in Delhi.


The decrease in diesel prices would also be less in Delhi due to a hike in Value Added Tax (VAT) by Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government. The new rates announced by the oil marketing companies will be effective from midnight yesterday.

Vyapam accused should not get bail during handover of inquiry to CBI, agency says in the Supreme Court. The transfer of more than 185 Vyapam cases to it will take time and accused should not get statutory bail even if chargesheet is not filed, says the CBI. The SC agreed to hear the CBI's plea on Monday.

Initiating its probe into the Vyapam scam, the CBI on Wednesday registered FIRs in two cases related to rigging of examinations, naming among others a member of the Madhya Pradesh Backward Classes and Minorities Commission and his son.

The FIRs have been registered in connection with the Pre-Medical Test of 2010 and the pre-PG Examination 2011.

The Central agency had on Monday taken over all Vyapam scam cases from the Special Task Force of the Madhya Pradesh Police. The Supreme Court while handing over the investigation to the CBI had also asked it to probe the deaths of people linked to the Vyapam scam. According to the Congress, 49 people associated with the massive admission and recruitment scam have died mysteriously so far.

The CBI has named 21 candidates in the FIR in connection with Pre-Medical Test 2010, booking them under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery among others, sources said.

In the second case against eight suspects in Pre-PG examination 2011, the agency has registered FIR under same sections.

Those named in the FIR include Gulab Singh Kirar, a member of the MP Backward Classes and Minorities Commission and his son Shakti Singh Kirar.

Others named include Sudhir Bhadauria and Pankaj Trivedi, both former controllers of examination with Vyapam.

PM Narendra Modi's visit to Varanasi cancelled due to heavy rain in the city.


This is the second time Modi's visit to the city has been cancelled. A June 28 rally in the holy city was cancelled due to heavy rain, which had left the venue (DLW Grounds) waterlogged. Foolproof arrangements were supposed to have been made this time round with the PMO monitoring all the preparations.

More than 50 children injured after a school bus met with an accident in Perambadur (Tamil Nadu). Details awaited. 

The Congress on Thursday said that Pakistan would never mend its ways with India over the consecutive ceasefire violations by the country, and added that they were concerned about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's safety for his scheduled visit to the country next year.


"Pakistan will never mend its ways as it is not ready to change. It is wrong to expect anything from them again and again. Will the Prime Minister still go to Pakistan? If he goes there, his life might be under threat. This is what we said earlier. I fear for the Prime Minister's safety when he goes there next year," said Congress leader Rashid Alvi.


India has lodged a protest with the Pakistan High Commission over the two consecutive ceasefire violations by the country in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor sector.


Three civilians were severely injured, after Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in RS Pura sector and Shahpur sector of Poonch earlier today.


Those injured have been admitted to a local hospital. According to reports, Pakistani forces started unprovoked firing on Indian posts around 2:00 a.m., which was retaliated by the Indian side. On Wednesday, one person was killed and four others were injured after Pakistani forces violated the ceasefire agreement in the Pargwal sector of Akhnoor in the state.