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Mon, 29 June 2015
Did not meet Lalit Modi in London: Shah Rukh Khan

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23:18   M K Meena shunts out ACB SHO reportedly close to AAP govt
Delhi Anti-Corruption Bureau chief M K Meena today transferred an SHO, considered close to the AAP government, and made a new appointment hours after the Delhi high court turned down its plea seeking to restrain him from entering his office.

Inspector Brij Mohan has been appointed as the new SHO of the ACB. He will replace Inspector Vinay Malik with immediate effect, sources said. 

Malik is considered close to the AAP government-appointed ACB chief S S Yadav and had been playing a crucial role in the recent anti-corruption action, according to the sources. 

The move can further intensify the tussel between Meena and Yadav who operate from the same premises. 

The face-off between Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had resulted in the Delhi government's ACB having two chiefs. 

It all began on June 8, when Joint Commissioner Meena, a 1989-batch Indian Police Service officer, took charge of ACB after he was appointed by Jung, superseding Additional Commissioner SS Yadav. Yadav had been hand-picked by Delhi government for the post. 

The AAP government had reacted by terming the appointment illegal and claimed that there was no post of joint commissioner in ACB.
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21:24   Plane with 193 people makes emergency landing in Ireland
An Aeromexico flight bound for Paris with 193 people on board today made an emergency landing at Ireland's Shannon Airport, due to a fire in the cargo hold. Passing near the Irish coast, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was diverted to Shannon after a fire was detected in the cargo hold.

The plane was flying from Mexico City to Paris, but declared an emergency at about 2.30 pm local time. Emergency vehicles were waiting to assist on the tarmac.

There were 193 passengers and crew on board, a spokesman for the airport said.

"All 193 souls disembarked and the plane is currently being assessed," he was quoted as saying by Irish Examiner. Shannon Airport's full emergency response plan was activated with fire crews and ambulances on the runway as the plane landed.
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21:16   Fresh wave of flood in Assam, two die
A fresh wave of flood hit the northern bank of Brahmaputra in Assam today claiming lives of at least two persons and affecting over 5,500 people in 20 villages.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority said one person died in Lakhimpur and Sonitpur districts each. With this, the death toll in this year's flood in Assam has gone up to five -- two in Lakhimpur and one each in Bongaigaon, Baksa and Sonitpur districts. ASDMA said over 5,500 people are affected as of now in 20 villages across Sonitpur, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts. 

Of them, 4,000 belonged to Lakhimpur. Authorities have opened one relief camp in Sonitpur, where 75 people have taken shelter.
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20:47   Did not meet Lalit Modi in London: Shah Rukh Khan
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, co-owner of Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders, today said he did not meet former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi in London. The 49-year-old actor was asked whether he met Modi, embroiled in a row after it came to light that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had facilitated travel documents for him in London and that Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had reportedly favoured Modi's immigration plea in a London court.

Modi has also been active on his Twitter page, alleging he had private meetings with Priyanka Vadra and husband Robert Vadra. When asked during an interview to NDTV if he met the tainted former IPL boss during his stay in London, Khan said if he had met Modi, it would be out by now. 

"No, I didn't even have a vacation in London... I was shooting in Bulgaria... I finished in the evening, took the morning... (sic) After because it was the last night... we were awake till about 6 in the morning... chatting and talking... and just about we entered the plane at about 2 o' clock landed in the evening and next day I had my daughter's and son's admission.
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20:44   Turkish police fire pepper spray at gay pride parade
 Although the gay pride parade has happened in peace for at least 13 years in Istanbul, on Sunday the parade was interrupted by police who fired pepper spray and rubber pellets at thousands when they arrived to march.

Organisers of the march released a statement saying the Istanbul governorship was not allowing the procession, citing the Muslim holy month of Ramzan.

Read this story HERE
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20:38   Plane crashes into Boston home killing 3 aboard; residents escape
A small Beechcraft BE36 airplane crashed into the house 30 miles southwest of Boston Sunday afternoon. Although the house immediately caught fire, the residents were able to escpae and were unharmed.

All three people onboard the airplane, a Beechcraft "Bonanza", are reported killed, police said.The aircraft had departed from Lancaster Pennsylvania airport and was headed to Norwood Memorial Airport in Massachusetts, said Jim Peters of the federal Aviation Administration in the Boston Globe interview.

Enroute, the general aviation aircraft crashed about 5:45 pm, striking the Victorian two-story house near Boston, he said.

Read this story HERE
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20:28   Helsinki has a new Guggenhime museum
After years of public scrutiny and six months of jury deliberations, the Guggenheim has finally revealed the winner of its Helsinki museum design competition.

It is young Paris firm Moreau Kusonoki, which has proposed to break the museum into a series of nine low-slung pavilions, connected by outdoor walkways and oriented to frame views of both the city and the South Harbor where it aims to reside.

Read this fascinating story HERE
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20:22   Bachchan,Salman,Akshay,Dhoni among world's highest-paid celebs
Bollywood stalwarts Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni are among the world's 100 highest-paid celebrities, according to the Forbes' annual list which is topped by by American boxer Floyd Mayweather.

The Forbes 2015 list of  'Celebrity 100: The World's Top-Paid Entertainers 2015'. has been topped by Floyd Mayweather with earnings of 300 million dollars.

Breaking into the elite global club, Bachchan and Khan are tied for the 71st rank with earnings of 33.5 million dollars each.

Coming in at the 76th spot is Akshay Kumar with earnings of $32.5 million. Dhoni is ranked 82nd with earnings of $31 million dollars. 

Notably India's biggest superstar Shahrukh Khan and no woman celebrity from the country has made it to the list. Forbes, which releases the Celeb 100 list every year since 1999, said given the profound changes in the entertainment world, it changed its methodology and for the first time, made the list "truly international: instead of using US-centric power metrics, we're simply ranking the world's 100 highest-paid celebrities, regardless of nationality.
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20:09   ISIS threat grows as 'caliphate' celebrates second anniversary
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria group's "caliphate" enters its second year Monday with the militants expanding their territory in Syria and Iraq and their global reach by claiming attacks in Tunisia and Kuwait.

The extremist group headed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced on June 29, 2014 that it was reviving a form of Islamic government known as the "caliphate", pledging it would "remain and expand".

In the year since, it has gained more territory in Syria and Iraq despite an attempted fightback supported by a United States-led coalition air campaign.

It has also attracted a string of affiliates - in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere - and sought to project fear on an international scale.

Read more HERE.
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19:40   80 children fall sick after mid-day meal
Around 80 children fell sick after consuming mid-day meal in Madhubani district of Bihar.

The children were immediately rushed to hospital. 

This National Human Rights Commission has issued notice to Bihar government about the incident.
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19:23   NSCN-K, KYKL insurgents killed during Manipur ambush
Two insurgents were killed during the June 4 ambush on armymen in Chandel district of Manipur and they belonged to NSCN (Khaplang) and Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup, the state Assembly was informed today.

Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam Gangmei, who holds the Home portfolio, said this while replying to a question from Samuel Risom, MLA of Ukhrul.

NSCN-K, KYKL and Kangleipak Communist Party were suspected to be responsible for the ambush that killed 18 soldiers of the Army's Dogra Regiment, Gangmei said.

Risom also asked him whether it is true that 83 insurgents were killed in a retaliatory move by the army as reported in an English daily.
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18:43   Israel's Gaza blockade violates rights of population: UN probe
Israel's blockade of Gaza has impeded the realisation of every right of the population there and strangulated its economy, a UN investigator told the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) today.

"Three major conflicts in six years and the blockade have strangled Gaza's economy and impeded the realisation of virtually every right of the population of Gaza, hampering access to education, housing, health, food, water and sanitation," Chairperson of the UN Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on the 2014 Gaza Conflict, Mary Mc Gowan Davis, said while presenting her report at the 29th session of the UNHRC.

The UN investigators called on all sides to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has opened a separate preliminary investigation, adding that "current accountability mechanisms may not be adequate to address this issue".

The Gaza conflict was being debated under Agenda "Item 7" which deals with human rights situation in Palestinian and other occupied Arab territories.
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18:40   French attacker who beheaded boss denies religious motivation
A man who beheaded his boss in France has denied any religious motivation, investigative sources said Monday, muddying efforts to pin down the reasons for an attack which bore the hallmarks of a jihadist act.

Yassin Salhi, 35, on Sunday confessed to decapitating his employer and pinning his severed head to the fence of a gas factory in eastern France in a macabre display that included two Islamic flags.

However according to a source close to the investigation, Salhi, who was known to security services for radicalisation, "denies any religious motivation to his act".

"He hasn't explained" why he attached the head to the fence, or shouted out "Allahu Akbar"(God is greatest) as firefighters overpowered him as he attempted to open bottles of acetone in a warehouse at the factory, said the source on condition of anonymity.

Read full story HERE.
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18:36   R K Nagar by-poll vote count to begin tomorrow
The counting for the RK Nagar by-poll in Chennai will take place at 8 am on Tuesday.

"The count will be completed in 17 rounds," said Chief Electoral Officer Sandeep Saxena.

"All arrangements in place, we're geared up to complete counting in a peaceful and successful manner," Saxena added.

A record 74.4 per cent turnout of voters marked the by poll to R K Nagar assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu, from where Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is seeking re-election.
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18:33   Maharana Pratap inspirational to nation than Akbar: Rajasthan governor
Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh has compared Maharana Pratap with Mughal emperor Akbar, saying the Rajput ruler was "inspirational" to the nation than Akbar with the suffix "great".

Questioning use of suffix "great" after Akbar, the governor said, "Desh ki prerna ke shroyt Akbar nahin balki Maharan Pratap hain" (Maharana Pratap is the source of inspiration not Akbar)."

The education department should run such courses in which Maharana Pratap's life and his struggle should be mentioned specifically, he said after presenting awards to teachers at Bhamashah Samman Samaroh here yesterday.

"Maharana Pratap was an idol of sacrifice and struggle, and he was never defeated by any adverse conditions and thus, he is inspirational, ideal and great," the governor said.

Singh asked the education department to put up a statue of the 16th century Rajput ruler of Mewar and his aide Bhamashah in Jaipur.

His comments came after Union Minister Rajnath Singh had on May 17 in Pratapgarh welcomed Rajasthan government's decision to include a chapter on iconic figures like Maharana Pratap in school textbooks and said he would urge the HRD minister to consider inclusion of such chapters in CBSE syllabus.
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18:27   Ravishankar convinces Colombian rebels to adopt Gandhian principles
Leaders of Colombia's guerrilla movement FARC have agreed to follow Gandhian principle of non-violence to attain its political objectives, Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has said.

On his three-day-visit to Cuba, Sri Sri had several rounds of discussions with leaders of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) in an exercise of confidence-building for the peace process in Colombia, which faced many hurdles in the past three years.

FARC leaders were holding peace talks with the Columbian government in Cuba and Sri Sri was invited by FARC to mediate in the peace talks.

Sri Sri said, "In this conflict everyone should be considered as victims. And inside every culprit, there is a victim crying for help."
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18:17   NSCN-K top leader behind Manipur ambush arrested
The National Investigation Agency has arrested a top leader of Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang. Khumlo Abi Anal was allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind the June 4 killing of 18 army personnel in Manipur on the Indo-Myanmar border. On June 4, a military convoy with 18 army personnel in Manipur's Chandel district was killed and 11 others were injured. A team of 6 Dogra Regiment was on a road opening patrol as part of its daily routine along Tengnoupal-New Samtal road, about 80 km from Imphal, when it was attacked first with a powerful Improvised Explosive Device.
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18:05   Anti-government protest leader Tahir-ul-Qadri returns to Pakistan
Anti-government protest leader and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri on Monday returned to Pakistan from Canada after about eight months and vowed to seek justice for 14 of his supporters killed in a police raid last year.  "I call upon the responsible officers of rangers, those commanding them and security institutions of the country to begin an operation against those who mercilessly killed 14 people during Model Town clashes in Lahore," he said, addressing his workers outside his residence in Model Town. 

 64-year-old Qadri, a Canadian national, had staged a two-month-long sit-in in Islamabad in August last year along with Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan in a bid to oust Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and bring down his government.
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17:55   PM need not react to everything: VK Singh
Dismissing criticism over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the Lalit Modi controversy, Union minister VK Singh said it is not necessary for the PM to react to everything and he will speak when the right time comes. 

"Why do you want to force upon him that he should speak and speak? It is not appropriate to react to everything. If a news channel is running something, is it right on the part of the PM to speak on that? When the right time will come, the PM will speak," Singh said.
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17:36   Olympic bronze-medalist Vijender Singh signs 6-fight contract
Olympic bronze-medallist Indian boxer Vijender Singh has signed a 6 fight contract with Frank Warren. Vijender, the 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medallist, has signed a multi-year promotional agreement that will see the talented middleweight fight a minimum of six times in the first year as he looks to herald in a new era for Asian boxing. He will miss the 2016 Rio Olympics. 

A thrilled Vijender Singh said, "I'm excited to turn pro and looking forward to the new chapter of my life. I want to train hard and perform for my country at the global level. My immediate goal will be to work hard and make a good boxing record in the next year or so."
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17:20   CNN, TV18 Broadcast to end alliance after 10 years
Media firm TV18 Broadcast Ltd and Cable News Network, Inc (CNN) will part ways in January next year at the end of their 10 year brand licensing agreement for English news channel CNN IBN in India.


"The conclusion of the arrangement will enable each company thereafter to chart its own growth trajectory independently in one of the most dynamic, complex and fast growing markets in the world," the two firms said in a joint statement.


In a filing to the BSE, TV18 Broadcast, which operates English news channel CNN IBN, said the company and CNN "will be successfully concluding their ten-year brand licensing and news services arrangement for use of the CNN brand and CNN news content in January 2016".


"The parties have decided not to renew the arrangement," it said. In 2005, Global Broadcast News (GBN), a TV18 group company, had signed a branding agreement with CNN Turner International leading to the launch of English news channel CNN IBN in India.
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16:30   Reveal info on Priyanka's land deal in Shimla, Himachal govt told
The details of how Priyanka Gandhi Vadra bought land in Mashobra near Shimla nearly eight years ago must be revealed within 10 days, the top most officers of the  Information Commission of Himachal Pradesh have ruled today.


Information on Priyanka's real estate deal in Himachal Pradesh was sought last year by Debashish Bhattacharya, an RTI activist.


Information Commission officials had said the details should be shared, but the officer handling the RTI application did not comply. Vadra, 43, wrote to the state government claiming that the details should be kept confidential for security reasons.


The State Information Commission today said that her land transaction must be revealed under the RTI.
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15:56   Lalit Modi row: VK Singh defends PM, says he need not react to everything
Dismissing criticism over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the Lalit Modi controversy, Union Minister V K Singh on Monday said it is not necessary for the Prime Minister to react to everything and he will speak when the right time comes.


"Why do you want to force upon him that he should speak and speak? It is not appropriate to react to everything. If a news channel is running something, is it right on the part of the Prime Minister to speak on that? When the right time will come, the Prime Minister will speak," Singh said.


In reply to a question that the Ministry of External Affairs has not responded to an RTI query on Lalit Modi, he said RTI has some rules and the Ministry must have given answer in accordance with that.


"Those who have to criticise, will do it anyways. So there is no need to talk about that because often unnecessary things are blown out of proportion. These things have no ground,' he said on the sidelines of 9th Statistics Day in New Delhi.


V K Singh is Minister of State for External and Overseas Indian Affairs apart from holding independent charge as Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation.


Some channels have been running news on Lalit Modi episode for over half a month now and they must have been acting at someone's behest, he said in reply to a question that the MEA is hiding information.


"The channels have been doing this for the last 17 days. I ask them who has given them a contract for that," he said.


On the demand for resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje before commencement of monsoon session of Parliament, he said it is the job of the opposition to speak and let them speak.


Swaraj and Raje have been facing the heat from various quarters, including from within the BJP, over their alleged role in facilitating travel related documents to former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi, who had fled to London in 2010 citing threats to his family's safety.


Lalit is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate for his alleged role in embezzlement of funds and breaking code of conduct.
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15:51   Raje illegally occupying Dholpur Palace: Cong
Keeping up the heat on the Lalitgate issue, the Congress today accused Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje of "forcible, illegal occupation" of the Dholpur Palace along with Lalit Modi through a private company.


Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh claimed that Hemant Singh, the estranged husband of Raje, had admitted before a court that the palace was the property of the Rajasthan government. He told reporters that several revenue department documents between 1954 and 2010 showed that the palace was a government property but Raje and Lalit Modi's company Niyant Heritage Hotels has turned it into a "high end luxury hotel" and invested Rs 100 crore with no role of the state government.


Incidentally, this has happened post 2009 when the state was ruled by Congress. Ramesh said that Raje in her 2013 assembly poll affidavit had admitted having shares of the Niyant Heritage Hotels Pvt Ltd along with her MP son Dushyant Singh and daughter-in-law Niharika, and Lalit Modi.


"The election affidavit reflects that she own 3280 shares, her son and daughter-in-law about 3225 shares each and Lalit Modi's company Ananda Heritage Hotels Pvt Ltd 815 shares, establishing the financial relationship, partnership and investment of overseas money from a tax haven," he said. He said it proved her business partnership with the former IPL chief, who is now a "fugitive".


The Congress leader alleged that Lalit Modi had used the "Mauritius route" to invest in the company. He also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing him as "Swami Maunendra Baba" for his continued silence over the Lalitgate issue.
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15:45   Ahead of Bihar polls no action in Congress HQ
The Congress War Room may not be revived with the Lok Sabha results Congress quietly decided to close the war room concept. But for Bihar - Congress wants to launch a 'control room inside AICC.

 
Where there shall be a map of Bihar villages and polling booths wall paining of the control room is over, but now daily few COngress leaders visit  this Control room.


One senior congress leader quipped- we do not have cash or cadre- what will Control room perform- Much before elections of Bihar assembly is held result is known for Congress. That it will not get five or six MLAs what is the use of spending huge amount in control room?
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15:28   Conspiracy theory wracks Rashtrapati Bhavan
President Pranab Mukherjee has been concerned about the bad publicity in the print media about him and his secretariat over the Lalit Modi episode.


For the last 36 months, the President has always got very positive publicity, and as his tenure comes to an end in another two years -- the Lalit Modi saga is not something he wants to be remembered by. Lalit Modi, in a tweet, had accused Omita Paul of having connections with a big hawala operator.


In the past three months his erstwhile colleagues have repeatedly talked about how badly the economy had fared during the time when Pranab Mukherjee was finance minister in the UPA government.


Insiders says that the President feels the Lalit Modi taint on the presidency has been orchestrated by his arch rival, his successor in the North Block.
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15:02   Congress objects to 'Namaste'
Namaste is the new acronym for the north-east states -- Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Sikkim, Tripura, etc -- coined by Assam governor, Padmanabha Acharya, who uses the word while referring to the seven sisters, the north-east, during his speeches.


Congress leaders have objected to 'namaste' as they feel it may hurt religious sentiments in a predominantly Christian region, but Acharya is in no mood to relent.
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14:32   'Sanskari Babuji' Alok Nath's abusive tweet to activist Kavita Krishnan
Popular film and TV actor Alok Nath, was trolled today after he tweeted an abusive message and later deleted it.  

It all started after activist Kavita Krishnan took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his radio programme Mann ki Baat where he urged citizens to share selfies with their daughters.  


Krishnan, secretary, All India Progressive Women Association (AIPWA) called Modi a "lame duck PM" and accused him of "stalking daughters".


Krishnan's comments didn't go down well with Modi supporters and she was trolled.  But among the many comments, what grabbed eyeballs was Alok Nath's tweet where he called Krishnan a "bitch."

Although the tweet has been deleted, screenshots of Nath's tweet have started doing the rounds.

In January, last year, for no apparent reasons, jokes, based on Alok Nath started trending on Twitter and by the next day he was the top 2 trending topics on Twitter India with the #sanskari babu, a reflection of the roles he has essayed. 


Read what Krishnan tweeted 
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14:04   Young woman steers Chennai's first Metro train
Steered by a young woman, the first train of the Chennai Metro Rail chugged off from Alandur Station in Chennai on Monday after being flagged off by chief minister J Jayalalithaa.


The first train which left at 12.15 pm from Alandur to Koyambedu was driven by A Preethi, a 28-year-old diploma holder in engineering from Government Dharmambal Polytechnic College.


The Chief Minister inaugurated it by flagging it off via live video from the State Secretariat. "I am excited, my daughter's dream of becoming a locopilot of Metro Rail has come true," Preethi's father R Anbu said.
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14:01   Battling perceptions
In a battle of perceptions, to concede an inch is to lose several feet. After having won the 2014 Lok Sabha election on an anti-corruption platform, relying heavily on a carefully crafted clean image of himself, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot afford to now be seen as leading a party or government of corrupt individuals. Read more
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13:58   Greece crisis may trigger outflows from India: Fin Secy
The economic crisis in Greece may trigger capital outflows from India and the government is consulting the RBI to deal with the situation, Finance Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said today.


Stating that the Greece situation has no direct impact on India, he said there may be some indirect effect via Europe on capital inflows and outflows here.


"Greece crisis does not have any effect directly on India. (But) interest rate may firm up in Europe. In case of firming up of interest rate in Europe, there can be outflow of capital from India," Mehrishi said.


Terming the situation as dynamic and evolving, he said, the crisis may have an indirect impact on India by way of its outcome on the European currency euro.



"To the extent it affects the euro, there might be some indirect impact on India. If yields on euro bonds go up, then it might impact inflows and outflows from India," he said. He said nobody can predict how the situation evolves. "Obviously we are in touch with the RBI but they will do what they have to do," he said. Asked if any Indian company has an exposure in Greece, he said, "I don't know."
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13:53   HC turns down Kejriwal govt's plea to stop ACB chief entering office
Kejriwal government's request to keep Anti-Corruption Bureau chief MK Meena from entering office rejected by Delhi High Court. The court ruled that Meena will remain ACB head and function in accordance with the law.


Intensifying its battle against the Lt Governor and the Centre, the Delhi Government had on Saturday urged the High Court  to issue directions to restrain LG- appointee ACB chief MK Meena from entering his office and "interfering" with the functioning of the anti-graft body.


The Aam Aadmi Party government had filed a fresh application in the ongoing litigation challenging the Centre's notification giving Lt Governor Najeeb Jung absolute powers to appoint bureaucrats in the capital, after AAP government- nominated Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) chief S S Yadav accused Meena of threatening and pressuring him.

The face-off between the LG and Arvind Kejriwal's government had resulted in the ACB now having two chiefs.

In its application filed through standing Counsel Raman Duggal, the city government alleged that "M K Meena has been misusing his powers to browbeat and threaten officials of ACB and the Vigilance Department.
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13:31   Tunisia hotel attack: Authorities 'sure' killer did not act alone as they search for accomplices
Seifeddine Rezgui -- the student who carried out the murderous attack in the Tunisian resort of Sousse which left at least 30 Britons feared dead -- disappeared along with six other young men he shared a house with a month before the slaughter on the beach, The Independent reports. Read
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13:12   Rahane to lead India in Zimbabwe, Dhoni and Kohli rested
Ajinkya Rahane was chosen as captain of the depleted Indian team for the limited overs tour to Zimbabwe next month as the selectors decided to rest several seniors including Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli.


Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin were also given a break, while pacer Umesh Yadav was named in the India 'A' squad that will participate in a tri-series against Australia 'A' and South Africa 'A' to be held in Chennai and Wayanad from July 19.


India will play three ODIs and two T20s in Zimbabwe, starting on July 10.
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13:11   Isis, a year of the caliphate: Who can defeat the so-called 'Islamic State' and how?
As the bloody events of Friday demonstrated, Isis has become a threat far beyond the borders of its so-called "Islamic State'. Yet one year on from its declaration of a caliphate, the international community seems no closer to forming a strategy to combat the militant group's rampant rise. How and when that will happen, is what you should read about right here.
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12:46   Not directly, but Greece WILL impact India indirectly: Finance secretary
Just in: Finance Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi says the Greece situation does not affect India directly, but indirect impact will be felt because of the Euro. He said the govt is in touch with the RBI to deal with the impact of the Greece situation.


Greece and its international creditors yet again failed to sign a truce to avert a default, causing panic across Asian markets. The markets continue to remain under immense selling pressure in morning trades as panic spread across the Asian markets over Greece default. However, amid this pressure, Nifty has managed to hold on to its crucial 8,200 mark.


Not just India, world over, stock markets tumbled as the Greece crises deepened. Share prices slumped after Athens ordered banks shut until after Sundays snap referendum, with stock exchange closed on Monday and ATM withdrawals limited to Euro 60.
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12:16  
Delhi court defers framing of charges to July 25 in the IPL6 spot-fixing case.
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12:10   Babulal Gaur at it again, says consuming alcohol is a status symbol, fundamental right
Known for courting controversies by his various remarks, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Babulal Gaur on Sunday left many activists bewildered when he said that consuming liquor is a status symbol and also a fundamental right.


Speaking to ANI, Gaur rubbished all logics that alcohol consumption can be a reason for rise in crimes."Sharaab peene se apraadh nahi badhte, pee kar dagmagaane se apraadh badhte hain (Crimes don't happen due to alcohol consumption, they happen when people lose control of themselves afterwards),' he said.


Peene wala samajh kar piye, itna piye ki kissise baat karte waqt pata na chale. Sharab peena ek status hai, uska fundamental right (One having liquor should be cautious while drinking. The person should drink it in such a way so that none around him can find out whether he is drunk or not. Consuming liquor is a status symbol. It is his fundamental right),' he added.



This is not the first time Gaur has stoked a controversy. Earlier, he had described rape as a social crime, saying "sometimes it's right, sometimes it's wrong".


"It is a social crime which depends on the man and the woman. It is sometimes right and sometimes wrong. Unless a complaint is filed, nothing happens," he had said.


He had also angered women rights activists when he disclosed that he had once told the wife of a Russian leader that he would teach her how to untie a dhoti."I told her I can't teach you how to wear it, but I can certainly teach you how to remove it, but that too later, not now," Gaur had said.
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11:57   Israel to free Palestinian hunger strike detainee, who may 'die any moment'
Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan ended a 56-day hunger strike after Israel agreed to release him, his lawyer and the Palestinian Prisoners Club announced.


Adnan, 37, has been in prison for a year under administrative detention, which allows imprisonment without charge for renewable periods of six months indefinitely, and his case had been at the heart of concerns in the occupied Palestinian territories. Officials and activists had recently sounded the alarm, warning that he could die "at any moment".
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11:53   Mamata's former close aide Mukul Roy likely to float new party
Former Trinamool Congress general secretary Mukul Roy will float his own political party after Id, his aide and expelled party leader Dipak Ghosh said on Sunday.


The former Union minister, however, declined to confirm the development."The draft is ready and we will file the documents for floating the new party with the Election Commission after Eid. Once the formalities are completed, we will make the announcement," Ghosh said.


Roy, however, termed Ghosh's comments as personal. "His comments are his own, I have nothing to say about that," he said in his reaction.


Once the second-in-command of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool and credited as the architect of the party's electoral success, Roy was stripped of all party posts and his status worsened after he was quizzed by the CBI in the multi-crore-rupee Saradha scam.


Going against the party stand that the CBI was targeting Trinamool leaders, Roy insisted that he would cooperate with the probe agency even if it called him a hundred times.Speculation has been rife that Roy, a former Union railway minister, has been endeavouring to float his own political outfit.
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11:16   Regret the embarrassment caused to Catherine: Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas has admitted that his confession about the cause of his throat cancer may not have been the best move for wife Catherine Zeta-Jones.


The 70-year-old actor had suggested that his throat cancer could have been caused by oral sex and made front-page headlines, reported E!Online.


"It was one of those things... And I so regretted any embarrassment that it caused Catherine. And her family. We had a little bump in the road. The problem in this business is that everything is so public," he said. In fact, the couple ultimately split in August 2013 but not before reconciling and getting back together months later.


"I love Catherine as much, more than I ever have. And hopefully the feeling's mutual. We worked things out'"if both people want to work something out and make it better, you can do it. You can't do it if it's just one person." Douglas also feels extremely grateful for his great health and surviving the disease truly gives you a new outlook on life. "I was just happy to be alive. I was ecstatic," he shared when recalling his battle. It feels like a rebirth after you go through cancer and you come out of it. You feel like you're a child."
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11:11   Cop injured in firing in Kathua
A policemen was injured when some unidentified gunmen fired upon him in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir today.


Constable Jagdish Singh was injured when some unidentified gunmen fired upon him at Shahidi Chowk in the district around 9:20 am today, a police official said.


The injured cop was initially shifted to district hospital Kathua and later referred to Government Medical College (GMC) hospital at Jammu for specialised treatment, he said.


The gunmen managed to escape in a car with Punjab registration number, he said, adding the vehicle was later recovered from some distance. Police has registered a case and launched a hunt to nab the culprits, he added.
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11:01   IPL-6 spot fixing case: Court to frame charges on Sreesanth and co today
A Delhi court is likely to pronounce on Monday, June 29 its order on framing of charges in IPL-6 spot fixing case in which suspended cricketers S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, Ankeet Chavan and others, including underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his aide Chhota Shakeel, are accused.


Additional Sessions Judge Neena Bansal Krishna had on May 23 reserved for tomorrow the order on framing of charges in the case and had asked the counsel appearing for the accused to file their written arguments, if any, by June 6. Read more
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10:52   Spooked by Greece, Sensex tumbles 535 points in opening trade
The benchmark BSE Sensex tanked over 535 points and the NSE Nifty slid below the 8,300 mark in opening trade today on across-the-board selling by participants. A weak trend at other Asian markets was the main trigger for the plunge as investor sentiment was dampened by fears of a possible Greece default. The 30-share gauge, which had lost 84.13 points in the previous session, hurtled down 535.87 points, or 1.92 per cent, to 27,275.97. All the sectoral indices were trading in the negative terrain, led by realty, capital goods and banking, with losses up to 3.16 per cent.


So, what is going wrong in Greece?
Read: Everything you need to know about this unfolding Greek tragedy
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10:31   Railway minister to inaugurate Integrated Security System in Mumbai
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu will today inaugurate the Integrated Security System installed with a total cost Rs 21.72 crore at four railway stations in the metropolis comprising CST, Dadar, Kurla and LTT.

He will also inaugurate the modified foot over bridge to facilitate passenger movement at Diva, new FOB at Vithalwadi apart from laying the foundation stone of a multi-level two-wheeler parking at Thane.

According to PR department of Central Railway, a total of 118 CCTVs have been installed at Dadar station as part of ISS along with six monitors of 42 inches.

While describing salient features of modified FOB at Diva, the statement said the width of extended foot over bridge is four meters and the length is 2.5 meters across PF No 1 and 2 with an approximate cost at Rs 75 lakh.

On multi-level two-wheeler parking at Thane, it said that under Phase-I, the work for the ground plus two structure involving shifting of some offices on the proposed site was completed in June 2015.
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10:02   Hindu religion has solution to all problems in the world: Amit Shah
Addressing audience at a book launch in Ahmedabad, BJP chief Amit Shah on yesterday said that "Hindu religion has solutions for all problems in the world".

"I am not saying this because I am born Hindu," Shah said while unveiling former President A P J Abdul Kalam's book 'Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji' at the Gujarat University convention.

"When I faced difficulty for two years, I visited each and every religious centre in India. In that period, I sought blessings from all the 'jyotirlings' and 'shaktipeeths' of India, except Somnath temple (in Gujarat)," Shah said referring to the two years that he was barred from entering Gujarat due to legal proceedings in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case.

Shah was acquitted in the Sohrabuddin encounter case in December last year by a Mumbai court.
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09:49   Raghuram Rajan didn't mean world facing new Great Depression: RBI
With Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan's comments on 1930s-like problems resurfacing having created a flutter, the central bank said the RBI chief did not imply there being an imminent risk of the world economy slipping again into the Great Depression as that was caused by "many factors".

The RBI, however, added that Rajan indeed said that "the policies followed by major central banks around the world were in danger of slipping into the kind of beggar-thy-neighbour strategies that were followed in the 1930s".

"The Great Depression was a period of great turmoil, caused by many factors and not just beggar-thy-neighbour policies.

Governor Rajan did not imply or suggest that there was any risk of the world economy, which is in steady recovery notwithstanding uncertainties like those in the Euro area, slipping into a new Great Depression," the RBI said.
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09:38   Sensex opens 500 points down on Greek worries
Markets have kick-started the week in the red tracking cues from the Asian peers after Greek debt crisis worsened and Greece's exit from the Euro Zone seemed inevitable.

Over the weekend, Greece and its international creditors yet again failed to sign a truce to avert a default. The Greek drama is likely to dictate the trend on the bourses this week.

At the opening bell, the Sensex dropped 520 points or 1.8% at 27,292 levels while Nifty was at 8,222 levels, shedding 160 points or 1.82% The barometer BSE Sensex had declined by 84 points or 0.3% to settle at 27,811 on Friday.

However, the index had surged by 495 points or 1.8% in the week ended June 27. The rupee opened at 63.84, depreciating by 20 paise against its previous close of 63.64
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09:27   Markets open in the red
Just in: Sensex opens over 450 in the red.  
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09:24   #SelfieWithDaughter: Activist Kavita Krishnan accuses PM of 'stalking', sparks outrage
In a rather nasty tweet, All India Progressive Women Association secretary Kavita Krishnan has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "stalking daughters".

Krishnan tweeted, "Careful before sharing #SelfieWithDaughter with #LameDuckPM. He has a record of stalking daughters."

The hashtag #SelfieWithDaughter started trending worldwide yesterday after Modi asked people to post their photos during his radio address Mann ki Baat.

The PM made the request referring to a contest started by the sarpanch of a village in Haryana -- the state that has acquired a dubious distinction for its skewed sex ratio (the number of females to males).

"Some days ago, a sarpanch in Haryana's Biwipur village, Sunil Jaglan, had come up with an interesting idea," Modi said yesterday. "He started the Selfie With Daughter initiative, under which all fathers had to click selfies with their daughters and post it on social media."

Krishnan's tweet has angered Modi's followers.

"You have to be really blinded with hatred to diss something like #SelfieWithDaughter just because it is proposed by Modi," tweeted Shefali Vaidya.

"Spineless Kavita Krishnan the so called fighter for women's rights, has really stooped too low to get attention," said another tweet.
 
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09:04   Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnappa win Canadian Open
 India's women's badminton doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa win the Canadian Open. They bear the top seed Netherlands pair of Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek.

This is their first title win since winning silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow.

Details awaited.   
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08:30   Greece closes banks amid debit crisis
Greek banks are to remain closed and capital controls will be imposed, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said.

Speaking after the European Central Bank said it was not increasing emergency funding to Greek banks, Tsipras said Greek deposits were safe, reports BBC.

Greece is due to make a 1.6bn payment to the International Monetary Fund tomorrow, the same day that its current bailout expires.

Greece risks default and moving closer to a possible exit from the Eurozone.
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08:20   Sushma Swaraj's ministry refuses RTI on Lalit Modi
At a time when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is under fierce attack from the Opposition for "helping" Lalit Modi obtain UK travel documents, her ministry has refused to provide any information about the passport issue involving the scandal-tainted former chief of the Indian Premier League.

The ministry has refused to answer a Right to Information application containing seven questions, including who took the decision to not appeal the Delhi high court's decision restoring Modi's passport in the Supreme Court.

"Kindly note that the office of the external affairs minister has informed that the questions in Serial 1 to 3 of your RTI does not seem to fall under the purview of the RTI act, 2005. As regards to queries Sl No 4 to 7, no information is available with EAM's office," the external affairs ministry said in its reply dated June 26.

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