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Tue, 19 May 2015
US-led strikes in Syria kill 170 IS jihadists in 48 hours

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23:57   US-led strikes in Syria kill 170 IS jihadists in 48 hours
Air strikes by a US-led coalition against the Islamic State group in northeastern Syria have killed around 170 jihadists in the past 48 hours, a monitoring group said today.

"The jihadists were killed in the past 48 hours in the province of Hasakeh, nearly all of them in very intense air strikes by the international coalition which is helping Kurdish forces in the area," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

In its latest update on the coalition's operations, the US military said in a statement that the alliance's warplanes carried out seven strikes near Hasakeh.

They struck four IS tactical units, destroying seven vehicles, three fighting positions, two armoured vehicles and a shipping container.

"In northern Syria, Daesh continues to cede military capacity, fighters and terrain," US Brigadier General Thomas Weidley said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

"The coalition remains committed to targeting Daesh across Iraq and Syria," he was quoted as saying in the statement.
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23:27   Six Chinese nationals charged with economic espionage in US
Six Chinese nationals, including a professor, were today charged with economic espionage and theft of US trade secrets for the benefit of universities and companies controlled by China, federal law enforcement agencies said.

Among those charged were Tianjin University Professor Hao Zhang who was arrested on May 16 upon entry into the US from China in connection with a recent superseding indictment in the Northern District of California. 

The 32-count indictment charges Zhang and five other Chinese with economic espionage and theft of trade secrets for their roles in a long-running effort to obtain US trade secrets for the benefit of universities and companies controlled by the Chinese government.

"According to the charges in the indictment, the defendants leveraged their access to and knowledge of sensitive US technologies to illegally obtain and share US trade secrets with China for economic advantage," said Assistant Attorney General John Carlin.
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23:03   Swamy demands declassification of Bose documents
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today led a demonstration here demanding declassification of documents and records related to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

The demonstration was organised by Virat Hindustan Sangam, an outfit formed by Swamy to take up Hindutva issues such as construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Addressing the protesters, Swamy said Bose was a leader of Congress and contributed a lot to the growth of the party. Raising questions about his death in an aircrash, he said if the Central government did not declassify all Bose documents, he would file a petition in Supreme Court.
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22:57   Pak arrests 4 involved in killing of 45 Ismailis in bus attack
Four persons were today arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of 45 Shia Ismaili Muslims who were gunned down by IS militants in a bus attack in Pakistan's volatile Karachi city last week.

The Chief Minister of Sindh, Qaim Ali Shah, said that four accused have been arrested.

The office of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also confirmed it in a statement. "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif talked to CM Sindh on phone and appreciated the law enforcement agencies, especially police, on arresting four persons responsible for Safoora Chaurangi incident," it said. 

Kalashnikov-wielding IS militants donning police uniforms gunned down 45 Shia Ismaili Muslims, shooting them in the head as they attacked their bus in Pakistan's volatile Karachi city The bus was carrying over 60 people from the group when the militants barged into it near Safoora Chaurangi on May 13.
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22:19   Govt considers launching 'DD Kisan' on Modi govt's 1st anniv
As it plans a series of events to mark its first year in office on May 26, the government is considering to launch 'DD Kisan', a 24-hour channel for farmers, on the occasion.

Sources said the move was under "active consideration" of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Prasar Bharati but added that a final decision was yet to be taken.

"The preparations for the launch of the DD Kisan channels are at a very advanced stage. There is a suggestion that it can be launched as the government marks its first year," a senior official said.

The source, however, said that a final decision will only be taken in consultation with the Prime Minister's Office. After it came to power, the NDA government had announced that it will launch a 24-hour TV channel for farmers.

In his Union Budget 2014 speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who now also holds the charge of the I&B ministry, had announced that a 24-hour TV channel will be dedicated to the agriculture sector, for which he had marked an outlay of Rs 100 crore.
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22:09  
After acquittal by Karnataka high court from a disproportionate assets case, AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa is likely to make her first public appearance onFriday for a scheduled MLAs meet here, party officials said.

On May 22, the 67-year-old leader would garland thestatues of party founder M G Ramachandran, former Chief Minister C N Annadurai, and Dravidian veteran E V Ramaswamypopularly known as Periyar, a party statement said.

Jayalalithaa last week had announced convening of the legislature party leaders meeting on Friday at around 7 am where observers feel she may be elected as Legislature Party leader.

There are, however, no clear indications on whether the oath taking ceremony of Jayalalithaa would take place on Friday or in the coming days.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued yesterday, Jayalalithaa said that those things desired by her party cadres would happen at the right time and "nobody can stop" it.
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21:51   2 jawans injured in militant attack in Shopian
According to Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar, an encounter is underway between militants and security forces in the Shopian district. Two jawans have been injured, while two militants are believed to be trapped in house.

More details are awaited.
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21:18   Afghan police jailed over mob death
Eleven Afghan policemen were sent to prison for failing to protect a woman killed after being falsely accused of burning the Qran.

Read this story HERE
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21:06   Islamic State advances in Syria, Iraq despite strikes
The Islamic State jihadist group has made several high-profile advances in recent days, despite a US-led air campaign against the movement in Syria and Iraq.

Read this story HERE
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20:54   Delhi govt calls meeting of all senior officers tomorrow
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has called a meeting with all senior bureaucrats tomorrow in the backdrop of the turf war between Delhi government and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.

The government's move comes a day after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued an order to department heads to apprise him or the Minister concerned about any oral or written direction from the LG or his office before following them. "Sisodia will hold a meeting with all department heads, including Principal Secretaries and Secretaries, to discuss flow of work," sources said.

The deputy CM will also cite the rules under which Delhi is administered and will ask officials to follow the government's directions, they added. 

Yesterday, the AAP government had issued an order signed by Kejriwal, asking the bureaucrats, including the chief secretary, to first consult the Chief Minister and other Ministers about any communication from the LG before acting on such directions.
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20:40   Kohli let off after minor anti-corruption code breach: Report
Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli was found guilty of violating the BCCI's anti-corruption code after he met his girlfriend Anushka Sharma at the stands during an IPL cricket match in Bangalore but let off as the breach was found to be a minor one, according to a report.

Kohli met Anushka at M Chinnaswamy Stadium stands during the rain-break of the RCB's match against Delhi Daredevils on Sunday. Kohli was seen interacting with Anushka, who was standing in the VIP enclosure which is adjacent to the players' dressing room.

The precise code that Kohli was found to have breached relates to the minimum standards for Players and Match Officials Area.
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20:38   'Centre planning bullet trains when people travel like 'cattle' in locals'
Former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi today took a swipe at the Centre's bullet train project, saying it should care about the suburban local commuters first, who are forced to travel like "cattle" in peak hours in Mumbai.

Trivedi pointed out the jam-packed and highly overloaded suburban local trains here and said, "Just see how the people are forced to travel like cattle. Even cattle travel better than this."

Debunking the idea of bullet trains, he said,"First think about these people, and then talk something else. On one side we talk about 'Chandrayaan' and on the other side these people are forced to travel like this."

"First make common man's travel dignified and then talk about bullet trains. The bitter part of the truth is that the foundation of Indian Railways is shaken," he added.

Trivedi was in the city as a member of Lok Sabha Petition Committee comprising 15 MPs under the chairmanship of Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
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20:24   Nursing school in Thane to be named after Aruna Shanbaug
The Maharashtra government today announced that the state-run nursing training school in neighbouring Thane will be named after Aruna Shanbaug, the KEM staff nurse who passed away yesterday.

"Maharashtra government decides to give the late Aruna Shanbaug's name to nursing training school, Thane. Our infinite salutes to her spirit!" Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted.

Shanbaug, who was in a vegetative state for 42 years following a brutal sexual assault by a ward boy in 1973, passed away at King Edward Memorial hospital yesterday.
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20:13   Severe dust storm hits north, 7 dead in Rajasthan
A severe dust storm, coupled with light rain, swept vast swathes of north India this afternoon bringing some relief from sweltering heat but it played havoc in Rajasthan where at least seven persons were killed and several houses damaged.

In the national capital, the 80-kmph wind, accompanied with drizzle, started around 4.15 pm and helped cool the temperature.

The dust storm was an outcome of the extremely hot conditions yesterday which had pushed the mercury up to 43 degrees Celsius, weather department officials said. The maximum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 41.5 degrees Celsius, two notches above the normal, and the minimum stood at 28.5 degrees, a MeT official said.

The city, which has been reeling under extreme heat for the past few days, also received traces of rainfall and humidity levels oscillated between 69 and 28 per cent. In the desert state of Rajasthan, the storm killed at least seven persons -- five in Bharatpur and two in Bikaner -- and injured many others, police said, adding that many houses were damaged and trees uprooted in rural areas.

However, the exact extent of damage was yet to be ascertain. However, severe heatwave conditions prevailed in many areas of Rajasthan. Kota was the hottest place with a maximum of 46.2 degrees Celsius, followed by Jaipur which sizzled at 45.2 degrees Celsius. Other places registered day temperatures between 36.2 and 44 degrees Celsius.
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19:49   Modi-Li selfie gets ver 31 million hits on Weibo
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's selfie with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, hailed by western media as one of the most "power-packed selfie", has got over 31 million hits on his account on Chinese social media Weibo.

Modi, who is one of the world's most followed leaders on Twitter with 12.3 million followers, debuted on Chinese social media just ahead of his visit to China that began on May 14. The number of followers of Modi's Weibo account has gone up to over 1.65 lakh, Indian officials said.

The selfie Modi took with Li and posted it on his Weibo account after attending a Yoga-Tai Chi event has registered 31.85 million hits, they said.

Some posts have even asked Modi to continue to tweet on his Chinese account well after his visit. During his three-day visit to China, Modi visited Xian, Beijing and Shanghai an held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li and other officials.

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19:05   The fall of UPAs crony capitalism: Arun Jaitley writes on 1 year of Modi govt
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's report on one year of the Modi government. Jaitley posted his thoughts on this Facebook page. 

"Look back at the situation that existed a year ago before the NDA Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office. The Government wanted to centralize power in its own hands rather than promote non-discretionary and rule-based governance. "For Sale' signs hung over all Ministries.


Spectrum was allocated at throw away prices to the favoured few.  Investors lost their investment.  Ministers, civil servants, investors were jailed and prosecuted.  Coal blocks were allocated at virtually no price.  Environmental clearances were up for sale.  The Congress Party leaders had become rent seekers and name lenders.

Read the full text here
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18:52   Delhi LG meets Home Minister as battle with Kejriwal continues
Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung today met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and informed him about his stand-off with the AAP government on appointment of acting Chief Secretary Shakuntala Gamlin.


'During the 15-minute meeting, Jung told the Home Minister the circumstances leading to the appointment of Gamlin, a senior IAS officer, as acting Delhi Chief Secretary and the process followed in doing that, official sources said.


The Home Minister is expected to meet President Pranab Mukherjee tomorrow, a day after Jung and Kejriwal's meeting with Mukherjee. Delhi government comes under the administrative control of the Home Ministry.


The Home Ministry is of the opinion that the LG as well as the Chief Minister should discharge their duties following rules and as per Constitution.
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18:04   Room #4 in KEM may be turned into Aruna Shanbaug's memorial
For 42 years they waged a quiet battle here to keep alive Aruna Shanbaug and now the nurses of Mumbai's KEM Hospital want Room no. 4 to be turned into a memorial to her.


Shanbaug, a nurse at the hospital, existed comatose in the room since being subjected to a brutal sexual assault in 1973 by a ward boy, who tried to throttle her with a dog's chain, leaving her in a permanently vegetative state.


Aruna, 66, who passed away yesterday, had become the face of a debate on euthanasia in India. The nurses, who took care of Aruna, sponge-bathing and feeding her, and ensuring she got not a single bed sore through the 42-year ordeal, have broached the idea of converting the room into a memorial with the hospital authorities.


"Yes, it is true that some nurses wish that there be a memorial for Aruna. For the time being, we have kept her photo in the room. However, no final decision has been taken on the 'memorial' idea," KEM dean Dr Avinash Supe told PTI today.


"An alternative could be to name the room after Aruna and continue with patient care in the room. That way, we won't be wasting a room where patients could be treated," Supe said.


Today, the room where generations of nurses waged a grim battle for Aruna's survival is without the routine hustle and bustle, with only a photo of Aruna reminding the visitors about the passing away of its sole occupant of four decades.


The nurses will miss wishing Aruna on her birthday which falls on June 1, said a hospital official.
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17:58   Massive explosion in Kabul's diplomatic enclave
Just in: Loud explosion heard in Kabul at the Serena hotel frequented by expats. Reuters reports that sirens could be heard as rescuers raced to the scene in central Kabul where there are several government buildings, an area which houses diplomats of several countries.

There was no immediate word of any casualties.

A Reuters witness said the explosion hit an intersection near the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Mines.

The blast was strong enough to rattle windows several kilometres away in Kabul's diplomatic district.

Just two days ago, on Sunday, a suicide car bomber rammed a European Union vehicle near the main airport in Kabul, killing at least three people. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. 


Then, last week, the Indian ambassador to Afghanistan Amar Sinha had a miraculous escape when he dropped out from attending a concert for expats in a Kabul hotel that was attacked by Taliban. The attack on Wednesday night left 14 people dead, four among them Indians.
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17:21   Modi's mantri gets a thorough snubbing trying to play VIP at airport
When will they ever learn? Union minister Ram Kripal Yadav received a thorough snub at the hands of a security officer when he tried to enter the Patna Airport through the exit gate, proclaiming his VIP status.


The security officer at the gate, a woman stopped him, but when Yadav insisted, she called her boss on the walkie-talkie and stopped him at the gate. Yadav is caught on CCTV camera trying to argue with the officer but she refuses to relent. Sheepishly he then turns away enters the airport through the Entry gate like he should have.


Yadav is a Lok Sabha MP from the Pataliputra parliamentary constituency and is the Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation.


This morning, Madhya Pradesh home minister Babulal Gaur embarrassed his partymen when he reportedly said the wife of a Russian leader was curious about how he wore the dhoti without a zip or a belt.


"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,'' local newspapers quoted the veteran leader as saying during an event, also attended by BJP's state unit chief Nandkumar Chouhan.
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17:20   Cannes steps into controversy with high heels-only policy
The Cannes Film Festival has been facing an angry backlash after it was accused of turning away women from a red-carpet screening for not wearing high heels.


A number of women, who took to Twitter later, some in their fifties, and some with medical conditions, were denied access to the screening of Todd Haynes' entry Carol on Sunday night, reported Screen magazine.


Some of the women who had been turned away, were wearing rhinestone flats at the time. They said it was ironical that the subject matter of the film -- a lesbian romance -- starring Cate Blanchett was about fighting against societal norms.


Film critic Anupama Chopra who is at the event tweeted, "Heading home-read about guests turned away fm Palais red carpet because of inappropriate footwear - flats. That's just absurd! #Cannes2015."


The Screen reported, did however mention that it was obligatory for all women to wear high heels to red-carpet showings. And yes, selfies on the red carpet are frowned upon.
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17:17   Emily Blunt upset at 'only high heels' dictat at Cannes
Actress Emily Blunt joined a growing number of voices upset at the Cannes Film Festival, after women were reportedly turned away from the Carol gala premiere night because they were not wearing the required heels. Read
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16:53   Kim Jong Un criticises turtle farm for failing to breed lobsters
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has reportedly criticised a turtle factory for "serious shortcomings' after it failed to breed lobsters. The dictator toured the Taedonggang Terrapin Farm outside Pyongyang on Monday, according to a release from the state's official media outlet. Read more
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16:44   HC seeks Pachauri's response on plea to cancel his bail
The Delhi High Court today sought the response of TERI Director General R K Pachauri on a woman's plea seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to him by a lower court in a case of alleged sexual harassment.


Justice Sunita Gupta also issued notice to Delhi Police asking it to file a status report on an appeal by the 29-year -old female research analyst, who has alleged that "free and fair investigation" cannot be carried out if Pachauri was "allowed to roam around freely".


The court, which asked Pachauri to reply as to why the stay on his arrest should not be withdrawn, has now transferred the matter before another judge of the high court which had earlier heard the issue on two occasions. The court has now posted the woman's application for bail cancellation before the other bench on May 20.
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16:29   Pak, Afghanistan sign intelligence-sharing deal
In a first of its kind deal, Pakistan's spy agency ISI has entered into an agreement with its Afghan counterpart over intelligence sharing and coordinated operations against Taliban militants. The accord between Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and Afghanistan National Directorate of Security (NDS) was reached as the two sides have started cooperation in the war on terror after years of bickering and misunderstanding.
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16:27   Omar takes swipe at PM's foreign policy
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today took a swipe at the Prime Minister's statements on India and its foreign policy during the latter's three-nation tour.


"Actually the 'Look East' policy was NDA-1's policy under Vajpayee Sahib. I was MOS MEA and remember it well," Omar Tweeted.


Omar who was Minister of State for External Affairs during the Vajpayee-led government, was apparently reacting to the Prime Minister's statement in South Korea.


"Earlier, it was 'Look East Policy'. We have had enough of looking east. We now have 'Act East Policy' - a key component of my government's foreign policy," Modi had told Indian diaspora during a community reception at the Kyung Hee University in Seoul.


The National Conference working President also expressed surprise over the some of the remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his tour of China, Mongolia and South Korea.


"So it seems there were no Indians who took pride in their country before 16th May 2014. I was completely blind to this amazing fact. Or at least no Indians abroad who took pride in their country. I'm so glad you have since been temporarily rescued from your misery," he added.
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16:12   Salman a murderer: Separatist slams superstar for saying cinemas should reopen in Valley
Jammu and Kashmir separatist leader Asiya Andrabi has slammed Salman Khan for saying he wanted cinema theatres to re-open in the Valley.


Speaking to media persons in Sonmarg today, Salman, who is the state to shoot Bajrangi Bhaijaan, said, "Everyone watches movies here. Cinema theatres should be re-opened here. We would love to premiere a film here if theatres are re-opened."


Andrabi, who belongs to the pro-Pakistan Dukhtaran-e-Milat,  said Salman was a murderer and condemned his statement saying she believed that cinema was like an evil which will trigger waywardness in society. Andrabi in a statement today said, "We can't allow the spread of vices in Jammu and Kashmir through Bollywood.'


Allah Tigers, now a defunct militant outfit, had embarked on moral policing bandwagon in 1989. Led by self-styled 'Air Marshal' Noor Khan, the militants had banned cinema halls and sale and consumption of liquor in 1989 when militancy started in Kashmir.


Salman tweeted a flurry of pictures saying he was in love with how beautiful the state was and urged producers to shoot here. He tweeted saying, "Kashmir nahi dekha toh Kya dekha kehtey hai kahin jannat hai toh woh idharich hai idharich hai idharich hai." 
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15:37   Checkmate: Kejriwal replaces LG's man with his own
Just in: The AAP government appoints a new general administration department's secretary, Arvind Ray, to replace Anindo Majumdar.


Principal Secretary (Services) Anindo Majumdar had reached his office on Monday only to find himself locked out as per a directive from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals office.


Majumdar was told he had been replaced by Principal Secretary to Kejriwal, Rajender Kumar. However, this was declared constitutionally void by the L-G Najeeb Jung.


This comes just ahead of Kejriwal's meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee to take up issues like appointments of bureaucrats and other "unilateral actions" by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.


Kejriwal's office said the meeting will take place at 6 pm on Tuesday. On Saturday, the chief minister had sought an appointment with Mukherjee following his bitter face-off with Jung over the appointment of Power Secretary Shakuntala Gamlin as acting Chief Secretary of Delhi.


Jung met the President just an hour or so ago.
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15:20   LG Najeeb Jung meets President ahead of Kejriwal
Just in: Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung reaches Rashtrapati Bhawan to meet President Pranab Mukherjee. That's come just ahead of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's meeting with the President at 6 pm today.


Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to take up issues like appointments of bureaucrats and other "unilateral actions" by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.


Kejriwal's office said the meeting will take place at 6 pm on Tuesday. On Saturday, the chief minister had sought an appointment with Mukherjee following his bitter face-off with Jung over the appointment of Power Secretary Shakuntala Gamlin as acting Chief Secretary of Delhi.
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15:13   Charlie Hebdo suffers post-attack divisions, departure
French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo is facing new problems, with a top cartoonist leaving because of the emotional burden after terrorists killed his colleagues, and divisions over how to use donations from around the world. Cartoonist Renald Luzier, who drew the newspaper's first cover after the January 7 attack killed 12 people, said in an interview today in the daily Liberation that each issue is "torture, because the others are no longer there."


He will leave in September. Charlie Hebdo was criticised for its controversial drawings. Meanwhile, the long-struggling paper's editorial staff and management disagree over the 4.3 million euros in donations received since January. The editor and publisher said a special commission will determine how to use it.
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15:09   BJP accuses Cong of 'plundering' the country
Hitting out at the Congress, BJP President Amit Shah today charged the previous UPA government with 'plundering' the country through scams while asserting that the Narendra Modi government had mobilised huge revenues during its one-year rule.


"While the UPA government plundered Rs 10 lakh crore in the country in 76 scams, the present NDA government under Narendra Modi could mobilise Rs 2 lakh crore by auctioning 20 of the 230 mines and Rs one lakh crore through spectrum auctions," Shah said.
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14:37  
On Day 2 of Rahul Gandhi's visit to Amethi, a meet and greet. On stage is  the Sultanpur Congress party candidate, Ameeta Sinh, who lost to BJP'S Varun Gandhi.  
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13:59  
@ShivAroor tweets: IAF Su-30MKI crashes in Assam. Pilot ejects safely.
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13:47   AI Airbus makes emergency landing in Lucknow after windshield crack
An Air India Airbus with 169 passengers on board makes an emergency landing at Lucknow Airport after a windshield crack. The wide-body aircraft was on is its way to Bhubaneshwar from Delhi. All passengers are safe, the Lucknow Airport Director says.

Representational picture
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13:43  
PM Modi tweets: Official programmes in Korea continue: now at the Hyundai Heavy Industries Shipyard. 
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13:38   Modi hails Friends of India in S Korea
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today lauded the Friends of India association in South Korea and underlined the need to find ways to connect people working in arts and culture here with those in similar fields in India.


"I find that young generation of Korea is interested in Indian culture, arts and music. We need to find ways by which people working in arts and culture here can remain connected with the similar people in India," he told the members of the association at a programme in Seoul.


"You know about the Bollywood... but you may not know about the regional films of India," he said on the country's cultural diversity.


Ahead of the International Day of Yoga on June 21, Modi asked the Friends of India members to participate in events to mark the 5,000-year-old Indian physical, mental and spiritual practice that aims to transform body and mind.


"Friends of India can think about the largest Yoga celebration in Korea. I request you all to join International Day of Yoga on 21st June," he said.


The UN adopted an India-led resolution declaring June 21 as 'International Day of Yoga' in December last year, less than three months after Modi proposed the idea. Modi said he was proud to meet them in the "special meeting".


"I feel proud to meet all of you". PM @narendramodi to Friends of India in the Republic of Korea. "Hanguk chingudeul thedani gamsahamnida! Thank you to all Korean friends. PM @narendramodi meets Friends of India," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.


"This is a very special meeting in Korea for me, says PM at programme of Friends of India in the Republic of Korea."
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13:17   AAP-LG war: SC lawyers say Jung exceeded authority
The Delhi government has sought opinion over the issue of the powers of the Lt-Governor to appoint a chief secretary from eminent lawyers Rajeev Dhavan and Indira Jaising, who have supported its stand asserting that the LG has no independent discretion in the matter.


Supreme Court lawyers Rajeev Dhavan, in his letter, said that Chief Minister has a "perfect right" to a Chief Secretary of his choice and the current "crisis" has been created by the Lt Governor.


"The Chief Minister has a perfect right to a Chief Secretary of his choice. I am firmly of the opinion that this crisis has been created entirely by the LG," Dhavan wrote in his opinion to Delhi government over appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as acting Chief Secretary by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung against the wishes of the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation.


Dhavan mentioned that "lapse of 40 hours is not sufficient reason for the LG to impose his choice on the CM especially when his urgency powers arise only when a reference is pending before the central government".


He mentioned that at best, the Lt Governor can advice the Chief Minister that it is necessary to appoint a Chief Secretary forthwith. It is absolutely clear that the LG has exceeded his authority and has turned the entire relationship between himself and council of ministers on its head to jeopardise democracy and the Constitution, he said.
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12:55  
Kerala ko bhi Congress mukt kar dijiye, BJP President Amit Shah says outside the Kerala Secretariat.

It's good to be an optimist, even better to be a realist.
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12:53  
Salman, who is shooting in Kashmir for Bajrangi Bhaijaan, tweeted this picture, saying, in classic Salman-esque: @BeingSalmanKhan Kashmir nahi dekha toh Kya dekha kehtey hai kahin jannat hai toh woh idharich hai idharich hai idharich hai. 
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12:48   At least 61 dead in Colombia landslide: officials
A massive landslide tore through a ravine in northwest Colombia before dawn, killing at least 61 people and injuring 37, authorities said. Most residents were sleeping when the landslide hit the municipality of Salgar around 3:00 am, burying a large area in mud and debris. The rush of mud and water "tore down everything in its path," Salgar Mayor Olga Osorio told RCN Radio. The small town of Santa Margarita was practically "wiped off the map," she said.
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12:33   On Friday, Jayalalithaa will make first public appearance since acquittal
Big day for J Jayalalithaa on Friday. For the first time since she was acquitted in a corruption case, Jayalalithaa will appear in public on Friday in Chennai.


In fact, she has not made a public appearance since she was given bail on October 17.


So, thousands of supporters thronging the route she takes when she steps out of her Poes Garden residence tomorrow. The former Chief Minister will make pit stops to garland statues of famous Tamil icons, including AIADMK founder, MG Ramachandran, her mentor.


She will also meet with her party's 150 MLaS, which is when a decision will be taken on when she will return as head of government.


On May 11, Jayalalithaa, was declared not guilty of amassing wealth that far surpassed her declared sources of income during her first term as Chief Minister in the 1990s. 
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11:58   Lesson from Mongolia
If Narendra Modi truly wanted a lesson on how to contain China, he should have travelled by a Trans-Mongolian Railway train on Saturday night after his well-attended diaspora speech in Shanghai and arrived in Ulan Bator instead of taking the easier and more comfortable option of a VVIP cabin on Air India One.

Read more
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11:53   Diplomacy? Indira bested Modi
As PM Modi went on a selfie whirl in Mongolia with a shot at archery, strumming a fiddle, getting the beats right with a percussion instrument, getting a handsome brown horse as gift, few people now remember that when India fought a difficult diplomatic battle with its back to the wall for the creation of Bangladesh four decades ago, it had one unwavering ally: Mongolia.

Read
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11:47   Su chhe? Modi's message sends Chinese monks in a tizzy
A message written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarati during his visit to a Chinese temple in Xi'an sent monks into a spin following which they took the help of an Indian to decipher its meaning.


In his message to the Daxingshan Temple in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province during his three-day visit to China on Thursday, Modi praised a monk for his contributions to Buddhism and spoke of man's search for world peace.


However, his insights were lost on the monks as the message was in the Prime Minister's mother tongue, Gujarati, Li Li'an, a professor from Xi'an's Northwest University who examined it told state-run Global Times.


Li was first approached by the temple's abbot to decipher the message following which the professor sent it to his doctoral student Guan Xiujie, a native of India.


Recognising it as Gujarati, Guan sent the text to an Indian friend, who translated it into Hindi.


Guan then translated it into English, which Li finally presented in Chinese.


Li said that Modi wrote in Gujarati to honour Dharmagupta, a fellow Gujarati who lived at the temple during the Sui Dynasty (581-618).
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11:34  
PM leaves for Gimhae in South Korea. This is the second and last day of his South Korea visit.
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11:31   Apologise for anti-national activities if you want passport, BJP tells Geelani
The BJP said on Sunday that the hard-line Hurriyat Conference chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, should acknowledge he is Indian and "apologise' for his anti-national activities if he wanted to get a passport to visit his ailing daughter in Saudi Arabia.


"Passport cannot be given to Geelani sahib till he apologises for the mistakes he has committed in the past 25 years. Passports are issued to Indian citizens and not the ones who don't believe in India and its democracy," BJP spokesman Khalid Jehangir said.


"If Geelani sahib wants the passport, he has to fall in line and follow the law of the land." Jehangir said: "If Geelani acknowledges that he is an Indian and won't indulge in anti-India activities, the Government of India can consider his request for passport. The government cannot give passport to a person who spews venom on the country where he lives and enjoys all the comforts."
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11:01   Told Russian woman I can show how to remove dhoti: BJP minister
Madhya Pradesh's octogenarian Home minister Babulal Gaur gave his party leaders, including women, some uncomfortable moments at the BJP office in Bhopal when he recalled how the wife of a Russian leader was curious about his dhoti.


The Indian Express reports, that the occasion was a state-level convention organised by the party's naturopathy cell and an international naturopathy organisation on Sunday.


Addressing the event, the 84-year-old former chief minister reportedly said the wife of a Russian leader was curious about how he wore the dhoti without a zip or a belt.


"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,'' local newspapers quoted the veteran leader as saying during the event, also attended by BJP's state unit chief Nandkumar Chouhan.


Guar, whose utterances often border on double entendre, including those made on the floor of the assembly, told the gathering that he was kissed on the forehead by a Russian woman and he prevented some more women from doing so.


"Russian women are healthy. Had that photograph (of a woman kissing his forehead) been available locally, BJP would not have given a ticket in the first place,'' he said.
When his comment had the audience in splits, he went on to describe the dhoti incident that made some party leaders and workers a little uncomfortable.


When the media sought his explanation for the comments, he brushed the queries aside saying, "I have said what I had to say.''


And read: Bigmouths who embarrassed Prime Minister Modi
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10:33   'Modi insults India' trends on Twitter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's diplomatic efforts with China turned sour on Tuesday with a leading Chinese government mouthpiece saying that not many foreign direct investments are coming to India.

According to the mouthpiece, ""For the moment, there is little evidence of success for foreign investments from private enterprises. Economy a dilemma for globe-trotting Modi. Relentless efforts at major power diplomacy. In the end, if any country tries to encourage investments to India, most of the programmes will be led by the government itself, with most of the private business sector skeptical about the whole idea."

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10:23   Author Ruskin Bond turns 81 today
Author Ruskin Bond turns 81 on Tuesday and bookstores and admirers are eagerly waiting for the release of a special collection of his stories, timed to coincide with his birthday. 

From English teachers to publishers, all agree that despite reading habits taking a hit, Bond is an evergreen favourite among children and adults alike. 

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10:14   Charges filed against 170 motorcycle gang members in Texas
About 170 members of rival motorcycle gangs were charged with engaging in organised crime, a day after a shootout at a Texas restaurant that killed nine people and wounded 18. 

The crowd of suspects was so large that authorities opened a convention centre to hold them all before they were arrested, police said yesterday.
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09:45   Working aggressively to make India easy for business: Modi
Wooing global investors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today promised a more stable and predictable taxation system and said his government was working aggressively to make India a very easy place to do business. 

Addressing South Korean CEOs in Seoul on the last day of his three-nation tour, he said his government has in last one year restored India's global positioning in politics, governance and economy.
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09:27   Indian-American filmmaker dies after accident in US
A 26-year-old aspiring Indian- American filmmaker has died over a week after he was hit by a car while riding a bike in his home town of Philadelphia. 

Vijay Mohan was born in a suburb of Chicago, attended high school in India and studied at the Temple University, where he earned a degree in film and media arts. 

Mohan sustained multiple fractures and head trauma after he was hit by a car shortly after midnight on May 10, police said.
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09:13   More than six years in, Obama gets his own Twitter account
In less than 12 hours after he officially entered 'Twittersphere', US President Barack Obama's account has attracted 1.46 million followers. 

The President of the United States Barack Obama -- or @POTUS -- account will allow Obama to communicate directly for the first time. He follows 65 people, surprisingly none of them are foreign leaders.
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08:22   Flood, mudslide sweep away homes in Colombia, killing 58
An avalanche of mud and debris roared through an alpine town in western Colombia before dawn Monday, killing at least 58 people in a flash flood and mudslide triggered by heavy rains.

Residents were stirred from bed in the dead of the night by a loud rumble and neighbors' shouts of "The river! The river!" as modestly built homes and bridges plunged into the Libordiana ravine. Survivors barely had enough time to gather their loved ones.

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08:17   Harvard names two Indians for prestigious Radcliffe fellows
Two Indians from Indian Institute of Science and University of Delhi have been named for the prestigious Radcliffe fellowship of Harvard University. 

Shivani Agarwal from Indian Institute of Science and Maharaja Pandit from University of Delhi are among 50 scholars, scientists and artists who will begin their one-year fellowships along with 48 at the Radcliffe Institute in September 2015, a media release said.
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08:16   Trial looms for Thailand's deposed PM Yingluck
Thailand's first female prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra is expected to appear in court today for the start of a negligence trial which could see her jailed for a decade. 

It is the latest legal move against Yingluck, sister of fugitive billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra whose administration was toppled in a military coup nearly a year ago.
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03:52   Fierce fighting as ISIS push towards Baghdad
ISIS forces pushed east Monday from their fresh victory in Ramadi as the Iraqi government rushed reinforcements to shore up defensive lines meant to stop the terror group's advance.

Iraqi and U.S. officials promised eventual defeat for the self-proclaimed Islamic State, but the loss of the strategically and symbolically important city of Ramadi -- just 110 kilometers (70 miles) west of Iraq's heavily fortified capital of Baghdad -- had taken its toll.

"This is a huge setback to Iraqi forces and to the U.S. strategy to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIS," said retired U.S. Army Col. Peter Mansoor, a CNN military analyst.

That effort Monday was focused east of the city, where tribal and local forces had set up defensive lines west of the cities of Khalidiya and Husaybah, said Ibrahim Hassan Khalaf al-Fahdawi, head of the Security Council in Khalidiya, and Mahmaoud al-Fahdawi, a leader in the Albu Fahad Sunni tribe.

They were joined by a brigade from the Iraqi Federal Police and another from the government's quick reaction forces, the officials said.

Read full story HERE.
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03:21   Colombia landslide kills at least 48, official says
At least 48 people were killed after heavy rains caused a landslide Monday in the municipality of Salgar, Colombia, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of Medellin, according to Carlos Ivan Marquez, national director of risk management. Twenty-seven people were injured and an undetermined number of people are missing, Marquez said.

The landslide also damaged homes and bridges, said Maria Ines Cardona, Columbia's director of disaster emergency management.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Twitter that the government is working with emergency services in Salgar and that the affected population will receive "all their support."

Read more HERE.
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02:56   Indian envoy presents his credentials to President Obama
The Ambassador of India to the United States, Arun Singh presented his credentials on to the President of the United States of America Barack Obama at the Oval Office of the White House.

President Obama warmly welcomed Ambassador Singh back to Washington and wished him success in his responsibilities as India's next Ambassador to the United States. 

The President fondly recalled his visit to India in January and personal friendship with Prime Minister Modi.

Ambassador Singh, in his remarks to President Obama, conveyed warm greetings from the President and the Prime Minister of India to him and Michelle Obama. 

Ambassador Singh said that he was committed to work towards making the India-United States strategic partnership global in outlook, strategic in content and transformative for India's development, as decided by the leaders of the two countries in the summits held in September 2014 and January 2015.
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02:32   Shiite militias converge on Iraqs Ramadi after ISIL takeover
Shiite militias converged on Ramadi on Monday in a bid to wrest the city back from ISIL fighters who seized it in a deadly three-day blitz, dealing a stinging blow to the Iraqi government.

The loss of the capital of Iraq's largest province was Baghdad's worst military setback since it started clawing back territory from the militant group late last year.

It comes days after a rare message from ISIL leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi urging mass mobilisation.

Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi had been reluctant to deploy Shiite militias to Anbar province for fear of alienating its overwhelmingly Sunni Arab population. He favoured developing locally recruited forces, a policy that had strong US support.

But militia commanders said on Monday that Ramadi's fall had shown that the government could not do without the Popular Mobilisation units, or Hashed Al Shaabi.

Badr militia chief Hadi Al Ameri said the province's leaders should have taken up his offer of help sooner.

The group's Al Ghadeer television said Mr Al Ameri "holds the political representatives of Anbar responsible for the fall of Ramadi because they objected to the participation of Hashed Al Shaabi in the defence of their own people".

Read full story HERE.
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02:11   2015 could be warmest year yet
New climate change records have come along to remind us that Earth's thermostat is steadily pushing upward.

More exactly, there are two global high temperature records and a smattering of climate change low points.

March 2015 was the warmest March since record-keeping began in 1880, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And the first quarter of 2015 was the warmest first quarter on record in those same 136 years.

That gives 2015 a stab at trumping the hottest year on record -- which was 2014.

Read full story HERE.
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01:42   US drone kills four militants in Pakistan: officials
A US drone strike today killed at least four militants in Pakistan's restive tribal region near the Afghan border, officials said.  

The strike took place in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, where the Pakistani military has since June been battling militants linked to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. 

"A US drone fired two missiles at a militant compound killing four militants," a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The identities of those killed in the strike were not immediately known, he added.  

Another security official confirmed the strike and details of the casualties. North Waziristan is one of seven semi-autonomous tribal districts that border Afghanistan. It has been a hub for Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants since the early 2000s. 

The area is generally off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to independently verify the number and identity of the dead.
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01:05   Airstrikes resume in Yemen as cease fire ends
Smoke and the stench of bombs filled the skies over Yemen again Sunday as a five-day humanitarian cease fire ended. Saudi-led coaltion airstrikes resumed in four Aden districts, according to Ali al-Halemi, a security official in Aden, and another official who did not want to be named.

There was also confirmation from two activists, Basem Al-Sultan and Abdulaziz al-Shuaibi. All four of those who confirmed the airstrikes were in different districts of Aden.

The airstrikes targeted Yemeni Houthis battling coaltion forces on the ground. The cease fire ended at 11 pm local time Sunday (4 pm ET). There has been no word of death or injuries yet from the renewed airstrikes. No airstrikes have been witnessed in Sana'a, Yeman's capital.

Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi -- speaking in Saudi Arabia at the Riyadh Conference for Saving Yemen -- promised his country would survive the unrest.

Read full story HERE.
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00:40   For displaced Pakistanis to return home: fight the Taliban
Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis displaced by anti-Taliban military operations in tribal areas wish only to return home -- but first they have to agree to fight the extremists themselves.

It's "social engineering" unheard of in the recent war on terror: displace an entire population, fight the insurgents who remain, then bring back those uprooted and charge them with keeping the militants at bay.

And this time, North Waziristan's displaced have little choice but to accept.

June marks one year since the army launched an offensive in this region of northwest Pakistan, which became a refuge for jihadists after the Afghan Taliban was driven from power across the border.

On the Taliban's fall in 2001, tribal chiefs welcomed them with open arms, or were forced to, transforming the area into a hub for the global jihadi movement, hosting fighters from Al-Qaeda, the Haqqani network and European apprentice militants, targeted by US drone strikes.

But in launching their operation last year, the Pakistani army pushed out hundreds of thousands of ordinary Waziris, who today live in camps, with relatives, or in rented hovels in the tribal areas.

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00:27   Jeb Bush stands by opposition to same-sex marriage
Jeb Bush stood by his opposition to same-sex marriage in a new interview, saying he doesn't believe it's a constitutional right and that traditional marriage is central to Catholicism.

"It's at the core of the Catholic faith, and to imagine how we are going to succeed in our country unless we have committed family life, a child-centered family system, is hard to imagine," he said on Christian Broadcasting Network's "The Brody File."

"So, irrespective of the Supreme Court ruling because they are going to decide whatever they decide, and I don't know what they're going to do we need to be stalwart supporters of traditional marriage."

Read full story HERE.
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00:22   Facebook deletes woman's post slamming her harasser citing 'nudity content'
Facebook on Monday pulled down the screenshot posted by a girl slamming her online harasser citing Nudity Content.

Delhi girl, Prerna Pratham Singh, had on May 17 uploaded a screenshot of her response to a Facebook message from a certain Raushan Kumar who asked her offensive questions. She publicly humiliated him with her response on Facebook and threatened legal action.

Within hours after Prerna posted this on her Timeline, a post came from the accused Raushan Kumar, claiming that his profile had been hacked and misused to send offensive messages.

Prernas post invited huge support from Facebook users resulting in more three thousand shares and over twenty-one thousand likes within 24 hours.

However, the post was on Monday deleted by Facebook.

Read more HERE

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00:21   Up to 170 face murder-related charges in US biker melee
The police charged about 170 people on Monday in the shootout among rival motorcycle gangs at a busy shopping plaza in this Central Texas city on Sunday that left at least nine bikers dead and 18 others wounded.

Law enforcement officials said the midday gun battle was primarily between the Bandidos and Cossacks gangs, a continuation of a long-running feud between the two groups, though members of the Scimitars and two other gangs were also involved.

The people arrested after the shootout at the Twin Peaks restaurant, in south Waco, were charged with engaging in organized crime linked to capital murder, said Sgt. Patrick Swanton, a Waco Police Department spokesman. It will be up to prosecutors and a grand jury to decide what charges they will ultimately face, but capital murder charges can carry the death penalty.

Read more HERE

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00:21   US Computer expert hacked into plane and made it fly sideways: FBI
In a shocking incident in the US, a computer security expert hacked into a plane's in-flight entertainment system and made the jet briefly fly sideways by ordering one of the engines to go into climb mode.

Chris Roberts of 'One World Labs' in Denver was flying on the plane at the time it turned sideways, according to an FBI search warrant.

The warrant was first reported on Friday by news network APTN, a Canadian News Service.

Roberts told the FBI that he had hacked into planes "15 to 20 times," according to court documents first made public last week.
 
Roberts first made news in April when he was told he could not fly on United Airlines because of tweets he had made about whether he could hack into the flight's on board computer settings. The FBI search warrant describes him doing just that.

Read more HERE

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