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Wed, 20 May 2015
Indian man shot dead in Florida, 2 teenagers arrested

Timeline  Refresh

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23:55   Will speak to police, not to self appointed liars: Shashi Tharoor tells media
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor today attacked the media accusing it of being "self-appointed liars and scum."

"I'll speak to the police not to self-appointed liars and scum", he told mediapersons here when asked why his aides were not speaking the truth in the case relating to the mysterious death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.

He was asked the question in the context of a Delhi court today allowing the police to conduct a lie-detector test on three "suspects" in the case.

The three suspects are Tharoor's domestic help Narain Singh, driver Bajrangi and friend Sanjay Dewan.
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23:48   Swamy almost ties the knot at wedding
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today found himself in an awkward situation while presiding over a wedding here when he inadvertently appeared to be on the verge of tying the mangalsutra instead of handing it over to the groom.

Swamy was presiding over the wedding of a party colleague at a temple when the faux pas occurred.

Quick on her feet, his party colleague Chandralekha made a timely intervention and prodded Swamy to give the mangalsutra to the groom.

Rectifying the situation, Swamy, repentingly smiling, handed over the mangalsutra to the groom, who duly tied it around the bride's neck.

Swamy was earlier welcomed by priests and temple authorities. 
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23:34   Indian man shot dead in Florida, 2 teenagers arrested
 An Indian man, who was working as a clerk at a convenience store in the US state of Florida, has been shot dead by a teenager in an apparent robbery attempt, the second such incident in just over a month.

Manav Deshi, who was in his 30s, was shot in the face by a 16-year-old teenager yesterday in St Augustine. The incident has sent shockwaves among the small but vibrant Indian- American community in Florida.

Deshi, who along with his fianc recently moved to St Augustine in Florida from North Carolina, died instantly inside the store after he was shot by the teenager who had covered his face with a handkerchief, local media reported citing eyewitnesses.

The accused along with his accomplice has been arrested by the police after a long high-speed chase. They face multiple charges.

Deshi had moved to Florida only two months ago and was excited for his upcoming wedding, media reports said.

Deshi's parents were on their way to Florida from India.

In April, 39-year-old Sanjay Patel was shot dead by two masked men during an apparent robbery attempt at a gas station in Connecticut.

Patel, who worked as a clerk at a gas station in New Haven, was shot three times in the chest and once in the hand by two masked men.
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23:26   ISIS storms Syrian city near Palmyra ruins
ISIS militants on Wednesday stormed and captured roughly a third of a central Syrian city that's just meters from the ancient ruins of Palmyra, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

ISIS fighters entered Tadmur, the Arabic name for the modern city of thousands of people at the Palmyra site, after days of fighting with Syrian government forces in the area over the past week, the observatory said.

About 100 to 150 ISIS fighters were in the area Wednesday and were as close as 700 meters from Palmyra, said Rami Abdurrahman, the monitoring group's director.

The centuries-old temples and streets of Palmyra are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Homs countryside northeast of Damascus. United Nations and Syrian officials have expressed fears that ISIS aims to destroy the ruins, just as it bulldozed the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud and took sledgehammers to statues in Iraq's Mosul Museum.

Read full story HERE.
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23:10   Algerian army kills more militants, total of 25 in 2 days
Algerian forces killed three militants just east of Algiers in a counter-insurgency sweep, raising the total slain over the past two days to 25, the Defense Ministry announced today.

Acting on intelligence tips, the army ambushed a meeting of militants in the Boukram forest in Boumerdes province, about 60 kilometers from the Algerian capital on Tuesday. The militants were allegedly planning to carry out operations on the capital, which has been largely free of terror attacks for several years.

The army continued its sweeps and killed three others who had escaped the initial attack and fled south through the rugged terrain, the ministry said.

Algeria has been battling the local branch of Al Qaeda for years but most of their operations have been restricted to attacks on security forces in the rugged central mountains.

The ministry's statement said more than a dozen Kalashnikov assault rifles were recovered, along with shotguns, a sniper rifle, a light machine gun, ammunition and grenades. Two militants were captured alive.

The two-day sweep was one of the most deadly anti-terror raids ever reported by the Algerian military.

The last major attack in Algeria was the attack on a desert gas plant in January 2013 that left 40 hostages, mainly foreigners, dead. It was claimed by a group headed by the feared Mokhtar Belmokhtar, loyal to al-Qaida but not to its Algeria branch. 
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22:45   Osama secret files reveals Al Qaeda leader's message: Forget Islamic state
In his final years hiding in a compound in Pakistan, Osama bin Laden was a man who at once showed great love and interest in his own family while he coldly drew up quixotic plans for mass casualty attacks on Americans, according to documents seized by Navy SEALs the night he was killed.

On Wednesday morning, the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence released an unprecedented number of documents from what US officials have described as the treasure-trove picked up by the SEALs at bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011.

Totaling 103 documents, they include the largest repository of correspondence ever released between members of bin Laden's immediate family and significant communications between bin Laden and other leaders of Al Qaeda as well as Al Qaeda's communications with terrorist groups around the Muslim world.

Also released was a list of bin Laden's massive digital collection of English-language books, think tank reports and US government documents, numbering 266 in total.

To the end bin Laden remained obsessed with attacking Americans. In an undated letter he told jihadist militants in North Africa that they should stop "insisting on the formation of an Islamic state" and instead attack US embassies in Sierra Leone and Togo and American oil companies. Bin Laden offered similar advice to the Al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, telling it to avoid targeting Yemeni police and military targets and instead prioritize attacks on American targets.

Read full story HERE.
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22:26   India move for UN sanctions for Hizbul chief faces China roadblock
India's on-going effort to seek United Nations Security Council sanctions against Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin is facing a roadblock from China, which has threatened to place a technical hold preventing the listing of the terror chief.

India is currently in the process of seeking the support of the UNSC's 15 members before formally introducing an application to list Salahuddin. Under UNSC resolution 1267, members would be required to enforce travel bans and freeze his assets.

Sources in Beijing said China is considering placing a technical hold on the application, and says it is seeking more information to prove Salahuddin's links to Al Qaeda - a prerequisite for listing under 1267.

Read full story HERE.
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21:50   Salman wants to go to Dubai, seeks HC's permission
Bollywood actor Salman Khan, out on bail after being convicted in 2002 hit-and-run accident case, today moved the Bombay High Court seeking permission to travel to Dubai for a show later this month. 

On May 6, Salman was convicted by the sessions court in Mumbai of 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder' and sentenced to five years in jail. 

On May 8, the High Court granted him bail and suspended his sentence pending the hearing and disposal of his appeal against the conviction. 

The high court had also said that the actor would need to seek the court's permission every time he wants to leave the
country. 

Salman's application, filed today, says that he wants to travel to Dubai for a show on May 29. 

A vacation bench of the High Court is likely to hear it next week.
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21:46   A lot of good things have happened in one year: Murthy lauds Modi
Praising the Narendra Modi government, IT czar N R Narayana Murthy today said a lot of good things have happened in the last one year and the Prime Minister should be supported in his endeavours. 

"We have a PM who is enthusiastic and working hard. People, all parties, the Opposition should rally behind him. I think a lot of good things have happened but it's still early to say. Therefore, we must all be with the PM and support him and we continue to do things with the sense of efficiency, then I'm sure we will make some progress," Murthy said 

Demanding stable and transparent taxation regime, he said retrospective taxes should not be levied. 

Taxation policies should be "transparent, stable, easy to communicate, easy to understand and comply with and one that creates confidence about the government among tax payers and therefore collect maximum tax," he said. 

"Such a tax policy should have three fundamental principles -- equity, certainty by not imposing taxes in an arbitrary manner and by not levying taxes in retrospective manner and by transparent method," he said. 
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21:40   News channel Headlines Today renamed as 'India Today'
English news channel Headlines Today will be renamed as 'India Today' as TV Today group revamps its network under new brand identity. 

The English news channel with a new brand identity and fresh look would beam within a week, India Today Group CEO Ashish Bagga said. 

"We are launching India Today news channel in a week. This has been in the development process from past six months although the thought process had started much earlier. We believe that the time is appropriate now with the kind of investment has gone in and the kind of quality we have built over time," Bagga said.

The company believes that time has come for the transition for not only to leverage the brand 'India Today' but to further the news viewing experience of the seekers, he added.

The group plans to center all new activity under the brand name of its weekly magazine 'India Today' for English and 'Aaj Tak' for the Hindi media. 

"Everything in Hindi would be centered around brand Aaj Tak and essentially in the English, it would be centric to India Today," he added.
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20:59   NSG cover of Raman Singh, Lalu withdrawn
The National Security Guard cover of Raman Singh, the chief minister of naxal violence-hit Chhattisgarh, and RJD chief Lalu Prasad has been withdrawn and replaced with the personnel of Central Reserve Police Force. 

Sources said the decision of changing the guard of the two leaders was taken in the light of "operational efficiency" as the Central Reserve Police Force is deployed thickly in areas of maximum movement of these two political leaders.

Both the leaders, with Singh being under Naxal threat, will continue to be guarded under the top category of the 'Z+' VVIP security cover which entails deployment of as many as 60 armed commandos and five to six vehicles including some bullet-proof ones at a given time.

"As the Chhattisgarh CM moves extensively in his state, it was thought appropriate to entrust the CRPF with his full security as the force has bases and contingents all along the Left Wing Extremism-hit corridor and it is easy to coordinate the security requirements. 

"The CRPF has been looking after the security of Singh's official residence and movements in state capital Raipur for sometime now and they have been doing the job with finesse," sources said.
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20:53   AirAsia India operations from Delhi from tomorrow
Budget carrier AirAsia India will spread its wings to the national capital with the launch of its services from here tomorrow, nearly a year after it commenced operations in the country.

The airline had last month, while announcing its plans to operate services from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in NEw Delhi, had said that New Delhi would serve as its hub for the North India market.

As of now, the domestic arm of the Malaysian no-frills airline AirAsia flies to Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Pune from its Bengaluru base. 

The airline would launch flights to Bengaluru, Goa and Guwahati from here. 

AirAsia India on this occasion organised a pre-launch special patch flight for prominent personalities in New Delhi to give them a special onboard flight experience.

Among those guests on the special short flight included Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, his deputy Mahesh Sharma, AirAsia India board member Arun Bhatia, airline's non-executive chairman Ramadorai and several ministry officials besides AirAsia India chief executive Mittu Chandilya.
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20:18   AirAsia operations from Delhi from tomorrow
Budget carrier AirAsia India will spread its wings to the national capital with the launch of its services from here tomorrow, nearly a year after it commenced operations in the country.

The airline had last month, while announcing its plans to operate services from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here, had said that New Delhi would serve as its hub for the North India market.

As of now, the domestic arm of the Malaysian no-frills airline AirAsia flies to Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Pune from its Bengaluru base. The airline would launch flights to Bengaluru, Goa and Guwahati from here. AirAsia India on this occasion organised a pre-launch special patch flight for prominent personalities here to give them a special onboard flight experience.
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20:09   Separatist leader Mirwaiz placed under house arrest again
Authorities today place Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest to prevent him from attending a rally proposed for tomorrow to commemorate the death anniversary of his father, who was assassinated in 1990.

"Mirwaiz was placed under house arrest this morning, thus preventing him from attending Hafta Shahadat (martyrdom week) programme," a Hurriyat spokesman said.

"It is state-sponsored terrorism and an example of aggressive politics. When Kashmiris were peacefully organizing Hafta Shahadat to remember martyrs, placing the Mirwaiz under house arrest was akin to rubbing salt over wounds of Kashmiris and playing with their emotions," the spokesman said.

The moderate Hurriyat Conference had planned a rally at Eidgah to pay tributes to Mirwaiz's father Moulvi Mohammad Farooq and Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone on their death anniversary tomorrow.
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20:00   Bin Laden bent on spectacular US attack until the end: Files
Hunkered down in his Pakistani compound, Osama bin Laden pleaded with his followers to stay focused on attacking the US instead of being dragged into Muslim infighting.

Documents declassified today shed new light on the mindset of al-Qaeda's founder, his debates over tactics, his anxiety over Western spying and his fixation with the group's media image.

"The focus should be on killing and fighting the American people and their representatives," Bin Laden wrote in one of the newly revealed documents. The letter was among thousands of files found by US Navy SEALs on May 2, 2011 when they descended on Bin Laden's hideout in the garrison town of Abbottabad and shot him dead.

US intelligence agencies have now declassified more than 100 of these documents taken from Bin Laden's archive, after lawmakers ordered the move and critics accused the CIA of withholding material. AFP was given exclusive access to the documents in advance of their release.
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19:58   Tibet out of purview of India's new Consulate in China
India will soon be opening a new Consulate in China's Chengdu city, capital of Sichuan province but Tibet, which borders it will not come under its purview.

Under the agreement signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit last week, both China and India have agreed to open their third Consulate in each other's territory.

While India will open its Consulate in Chengdu, China will open its mission in Chennai, making debut in the South for the first time. However, the Chengdu Consulate will cover the areas of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou provinces and Chongqing municipality, according to the officials. Tibet, which is next door to Sichuan is conspicuously missing from its purview.
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19:53   Maharashtra govt to allow women to work in night shifts
Maharashtra government today decided to make necessary changes in the Factories Act, 1948 to allow women to work in factories in night shifts. 

The decision was taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Earlier, section 66 (1) (c) of the Factories Act, 1948 restricted women from working at a factory between 7 pm and 6 am.

Now that has been done away with, an official said. The managements will have to ensure security of women working in night shift. The Cabinet also decided to make necessary changes in the Factories Act, 1948 which will lead to 14,300 factories being free from 'inspector raj'.
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19:43   'ISIS recruit' decided to return after being injured: NIA
The National Investigation Agency today told a court here that the arrested ISIS `recruit' Arif Majeed wanted to "sneak" back into India after he got injured while fighting in Iraq but was nabbed on arrival in Mumbai.

NIA said this in its 8,000-page charge sheet running into seven volumes filed against the 23-year-old Majeed, who hails from neighbouring Kalyan township, in the court of special NIA judge Y D Shinde.

"Between August and October 2014 he sustained injuries three times, twice bullet injuries and once by American strike," reads the charge sheet. At this point he decided to return to India, it says.

In November 2014, he approached the Indian embassy in Turkey, saying he had lost his passport. The embassy issued him an `emergency certificate'.

"He tried to sneak into India and boarded a Turkish Airlines flight, but was arrested (on landing) in Mumbai," the NIA has said.

Majeed returned to Mumbai on November 28 last year,following which he was detained and subsequently arrested.

Before heading for Iraq, Majeed had downloaded some videos from social networking sites to know more about ISIS.He also started contacting people through social networking websites, and in the process came in contact with three other youths from Kalyan (who are still missing).
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19:16   NIA to probe 2014 Bengaluru IED blast
NIA today took over the probe into last December's IED blast at a busy road in Bengaluru in which a woman was killed.

A case under various sections of Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosives Substances Act has been registered at NIA office in Hyderabad, officials said. The move comes following an order by Union Home Ministry asking National Investigation Agency to probe the case, they said.

Suspected militants had on December 28 wrapped the improvised explosive device in a plastic bag and placed it in a bushy plant outside a famous restaurant in the heart of the city.

The restaurant is close to the fashionable Brigade Road and M G Road, dotted with bars and restaurants with teeming crowd on weekends.
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19:07   J-K separatist leader Mirwaiz Farooq's supporters raise Pak flags
In Jammu and Kashimr, Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's supporters raise Pakistani flags at a rally in Srinagar's old city area. It's the eve of death anniversary of Mirwaiz s father, who was assassinated by unknown gunmen, in 1990.


Several separatists, including Mirwaiz were placed under house arrest last month by authorities in Jammu and Kashmir over the strike called by hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani over the killing of two young men in an army operation earlier this week.


Last month, an FIR was filed against hardline separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Masarat Alam Bhat and other separatist leaders 'for provocative  activities and hoisting Pakistan flag' in Srinagar. Geelani's supporters also shouted anti-India and pro-Pak slogans.
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17:47   Sisodia to Jung: What law allows you to issue orders to Delhi govt?
Manish Sisodia writes to LG Najeeb Jung asking for the provisions under the Constitution, GNCT Act & TBR which provide him (LG) power to issue directions to the Delhi govt. 
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17:39   Gogoi slams Centre for stopping police modernisation fund
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi today criticised the BJP government at the Centre for stopping the police modernization fund and said it would hamper the sustained fight against insurgents, reports K Anurag/Rediff.com from Guwahati.


"The Centre's decision not to provide funds for police modernization to the state will put the state government in difficulty in containing insurgency which though on the wane, is yet to be rooted out," Gogoi said.


"We need funds for procuring modern weapons for our police force, for setting up modern police stations and residential accommodation for policemen. All these will be severely affected in view of the Centre's decision to stop the police modernization fund," Gogoi said.


He pointed out that there was renewed threat from insurgents in view of several North East insurgent groups including ULFA (Independent) ganging up in Myanmar to launch a joint fight.  "We have to constantly remain on vigil against insurgents as they have formed a joint organization (United Liberation Front of West South East Asia)," he said. 


Meanwhile, Gogoi claimed that the on-going talks between the Centre and a faction of the ULFA led by Arabinda Rajkhowa was progressing well. The ULFA faction, he said, had raised the demand for declaring Assam as a tribal state, which had got the nod from the Assam government as well.
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17:29   IS 'seizes part of Syria's Palmyra'
Islamic State fighters have seized the northern part of the ancient World Heritage-listed city of Palmyra in Syria, a monitoring group has said.


The BBC reports that militants seized part of the town of Tadmur located on a strategic east-west route next to Palmyra on Saturday but had been pushed back from the ruins.


Palmyra contains the ruins of one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world, according to UNESCO.


It is feared IS fighters may now damage or destroy the site. Monitoring sources said a third of the area had been taken.
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17:18   Modi@1: Is this what our armed forces were promised?
"The government has belied the hope that many harboured of change, efficiency and dismantling old practices as the defence ministry continues to pursue the same well-trodden and wasteful path," Rahul Bedi paints a worrying picture as he examines the defence ministry's performance under Narendra Modi's prime ministership. Read 
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17:13   CID deleted evidence before handing case to CBI, claim D K Ravi's kin
It may be recalled that D K Ravi's father-in-law had alleged that the Crime Investigation Department probing the case had deleted sensitive evidence before the case was handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation.

The CID has deleted some of the CCTV footage in the digital video recorder installed at his residence, Hanumanthrayappa claimed.

Facing rising public anger over the death of an upright IAS officer with growing clamour for a CBI probe, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had on Monday announced the government's decision to handover the case to the central agency, saying it had nothing to hide and was not protecting anyone.

Hanumathrayappa, a local Congress leader, said CID had taken the CCTV footage two days after Ravi's death and returned it on March 23 and he was surprised to see some portions deleted.

"Two days after Ravi's death, the CID took away the footage and returned it on March 23. I was shocked to see the footage recorded before 10.30 am on March 16 was deleted," Hanumnthrayappa told PTI.
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17:13   IAS officer DK Ravi hanged himself due to business failure: CBI report
Just in: A CBI probe says that IAS officer DK Ravi committed suicide by hanging himself. The report says the reason for the suicide was given as 'business loss'. Ravi and a partner had invested in a land deal worth Rs 5.5 crore which fell foul.

The CBI started a preliminary enquiry into the "unnatural" death of Karnataka cadre IAS officer D K Ravi last month. His body was found hanging at his residence in Bengaluru in March.

Ravi, an IAS officer of 2009 batch, was found dead on March 16 at his residence in Bengaluru.


His death had snow-balled into a major controversy with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah initially refusing to seek a CBI probe in the case. The case was handed over to the Karnataka CID.


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16:47  
Blast at a petrol pump on the Western Express Highway at Virar. Details awaited. Pic tweeted by @Mumbaikhabar9
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16:42   Cong report on Modi govt: Maximum arrogance, one-man govt
The Congress announces a nationwide program on the 1st anniversary of the NDA government. Congress senior leader Jairam Ramesh says the party will highlight what PM Modi's government has done or not done in the last one year.

Putting a spin on each of Modi's schemes, Ramesh said:

"One year ago Mr Modi promised maximum governance and minimum government, 1 year later what we see maximum arrogance, one man Govt."

"Mr Modi promised selfless govt, 1 year later what we see is not selfless Govt but 'selfie PM'."

"One year ago NDA govt took office, National democratic alliance, 1 year later we have 'MNDA' , Modi's Non democratic alliance."

"One year ago PM said 'Skill India', 1 year later we see 'Kill India', killing of Parliament, killing of judiciary and killing of civil society."

"One year ago Mr Modi promised 'turn around' of Indian economy, 1 year later we don't have turn around but we have 'U-turn'."
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15:52   Sunanda Pushkar murder: Court allows 'suspects' to undergo lie detector test
A Delhi court has given its nod on a plea filed by the police to conduct a polygraph test on three "suspects" in the Sunanda Pushkar murder case. The three "suspects" have said they are willing to undergo the polygraph tests.


The Delhi Police submitted before Metropolitan Magistrate Sunil Kumar Sharma that Shashi Tharoors domestic help Narain Singh, driver Bajrangi and friend Sanjay Dewan were concealing material facts about Sunandas mysterious death on January 17, 2014, hence they should be subjected to polygraph test.

Citing specific instances to claim that they are lying, the police told the court that the three were Tharoors close associates and were in present at Hotel Leela Palace just before Sunandas death.


"During investigation, it has been found that the three persons are concealing material facts and did not disclose several issues related to the death of Sunanda Pushkar," the plea filed by SHO of Sarojini Nagar Police Station said.

It said that on January 17, Tharoor's close friend Sanjay Dewan came to the hotel at 5 pm and remained there till the discovery of Pushkar's death. He could not give plausible reason for cancelling his trip to Mumbai and his coming to the hotel in Delhi, it said.


Among the other points raised by the police was his silence about a power cut in Room No 345 just before the discovery of Sunandas death and, despite being there, they failed to explain the injury marks on Sunandas body.
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15:39   Will ask Centre to grant passport to Geelani: Mehbooba
Ignoring ally BJP's objections, PDP today said it will ask the Centre to grant passport to separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani on "humanitarian" grounds even as NC leader Omar Abdullah questioned why it was being made an issue when he has been given passport earlier also.


"This issue has to be dealt with from humanitarian point of view and we will pursue the matter with the Union Home Ministry," PDP president Mehbooba Mufti told PTI.


Hardline Hurriyat faction leader Geelani has applied for a passport to visit his ailing daughter in Saudi Arabia. Several mainstream leaders have called for issuing passport to the separatist leader.


Reacting to the PDP president's statement on the issue, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah wondered if it was "fixed match" between the ruling allies in which Mehbooba was trying to appear as a "crusader".


"What's the big deal? Geelani declined to avail a passport in 2011 so why is Mehbooba suddenly trying to appear as some sort of crusader," Omar said on Twitter.


BJP, the coalition partner of PDP in the state government, has said Geelani must apologise for his "anti-national activities" and acknowledge that he is an Indian if he wants an Indian passport. Omar questioned BJP's objections on the passport issue.


"I completely fail to understand why BJP would object to Geelani calling himself an Indian unless this is a PDP-BJP fixed match," he tweeted.


Apparently referring to the requirement of declaring nationality as Indian in the application form, the former chief minister said, "If he could get a passport in 2011, there is no reason he can't get one in 2015. He's happy to travel on an Indian passport & citizenship."
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15:34   UP may ban Maggi noodles
Uttar Pradesh is in mourning.


Maggi noodles may lose its license and be banned in Uttar Pradesh. The decision is likely to be taken after monosodium glutamate or MSG and lead were found beyond permissible limits in Maggi samples.


The Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration department will soon start prosecution proceedings against Nestle which manufactures Maggi.


The Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety in Uttar Pradesh said that the samples were tested in a Kolkata lab and showed added MSG and lead. Further tests have been ordered.

Watch this space ... after two minutes.
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15:27   Why is Aung San Suu Kyi silent on plight of Rohingyas?
When thousands of Rohingya people from Burma were discovered floating in boats on the south-east Asian seas much of the world was understandably gripped by this unfolding human tragedy. Voices of anger were raised; something had to be done to end the suffering, to help those men, women and children in need. But what has surprised some is the silence of the Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Read
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15:19   Expect Rahul to become Cong prez this year: Jairam
Rahul Gandhi is expected to become the party president this year and intends to build the outfit similar to the one that existed during Nehru's time by promoting regional faces, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said today.


"..I expect that it would be in 2015. We are expecting that he will take over (as Congress President), and we are expecting that he would take over in 2015," the former Union Minister told PTI in an interview. Gandhi is committed to creating a new cadre of leadership in states, he said.
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15:09  
I think both LG and CM should sit together, and find a solution to this problem: HM Rajnath Singh on the Delhi chief secretary issue.
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14:50   'Modi sold dreams but where are the dreams being fulfilled?'
"In the first eight years of UPA did you see any corruption case surfacing? So it's a long rope, you just wait and see," newly-elected CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury speaks to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com.

Read
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14:49  
Magnitude 4.4 strikes Kathmandu, epicenter is at the Lalitpur-Makwanpur border.
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14:48   NIA files charge sheet against ISIS recruit Arif Majeed
The National Investigation Agency today filed its charge sheet against arrested ISIS 'recruit' Arif Majeed in a special court in Mumbai, "We have filed a charge sheet in the special NIA court against Majeed," said an NIA official.


The 8,000-page charge sheet running into seven volumes contains the statements of witnesses, his conversation in the chat rooms and his mobile phone records, the official added.


In January this year, a local court had allowed NIA to seek details of conversations and chats carried out by the alleged ISIS 'recruit' through telecommunication apps Skype and Tango headquartered in Luxembourg and California, USA respectively.


The 23-year-old youth from Kalyan in neighbouring Thane landed in Mumbai on November 28 last year after a visit to Iraq, following which he was detained and subsequently arrested.
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14:35  
And now, Home Minister Rajnath Singh meets President Pranab Mukherjee amidst Delhi Govt-LG standoff.
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14:32   From steno to IAS officers, I make appointments: L-G tells Kejri
Just in: Delhi LG Najeeb Jung writes a letter to CM Arvind Kejriwal, and says all transfer and posting in the last four days to stand cancelled. The LG's sharp retort to Kejriwal's protests to the President and PM is: "The power to appoint and to transfer, from steno to IAS officers, is with the LG." Jung says he has "constitutional powers" to appoint and transfer bureaucrats.


In effect, the L-G put a stay on appointments by the Delhi government without the CM's consultation. Jung's letter is in response to the CM's order that all files should be routed through him or ministers. All orders issued by AAP govt in the last four days regarding transfer and posting of officials have been cancelled by the LG.
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14:15   Obama breaks Guinness record
US President Barack Obama broke a Guinness record by becoming the fastest person to garner one million followers on Twitter, a feat he accomplished in less than five hours with his new account @POTUS, Efe news agency reported.


In obtaining a million followers in less than five hours, Obama broke the record previously set by actor Robert Downey Jr., who got to the one-million mark in 23 hours and 22 minutes in April 2014.


The president already has another Twitter account, @BarackObama, which is handled by the team that directed his second presidential campaign, Organizing for America, and the messages he has written there so far have been marked with the initials "bo" to differentiate them from tweets created by other presidential staffers.
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13:42   Harbhajan back in Test team for Bangladesh
Just in: The ODI squad for Bangladesh has been announced: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain),  Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Dhawal Kulkarni.


The Test squad:  Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay, Rohit Sharma, K L Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha (w/k), Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Aaron.


Former captain Sunil Gavaskar has stated that Virat Kohli should lead India in the one-off Test match against Bangladesh and sit out of the three-match One-Day International series that will follow.


The Indian team for the tour of Bangladesh was selected today in Mumbai. 
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13:33  
Just in: The High Court has sent a notice to the Delhi government over the appointment of 21 Parliamentary secretaries. 
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13:21   Breast cancer patient posts photo of 'subtle dimples' that alerted her to illness
A mother diagnosed with breast cancer has posed a picture of the "subtle dimples' that were the only outward sign of her illness online to urge other women to check themselves.Lisa Royle, 42, put the photo on Facebook earlier this month before going into surgery for a mastectomy. Read more
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12:56   Woman robbed of jewellery, cellphone at gunpoint in Hyderbad ATM
A woman was robbed of her gold jewellery, cellphone and ATM card by an unidentified person after he terrorised her by firing inside an ATM in Yosufguda area in Hyderabad this morning, police said.


The incident occurred at around 7.45 am when Lalitha (aged around 25), a private firm employee staying at a hostel in Madhura Nagar, went to the ATM to withdraw money, they said.


"The armed man had covered his face with a kerchief. When the woman entered the ATM centre, he suddenly came from behind and demanded her valuables. When she refused, he fired on the wall and after terrorising her took away her gold chain and earrings (weighing around 20 grams)," S R Nagar Police Station Inspector G V Ramana Goud said.


The accused also snatched her ATM card before fleeing. He also attempted to withdraw money from the ATM, but failed to do so due to some technical problem, he said.


Police is verifying the CCTV footage and efforts are on to nab the accused, he said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) A Venkateshwera Rao, who reached the crime scene, said the accused threatened the woman with a weapon and fired single round on the wall before robbing her gold ornaments.


"He also took away her cellphone and ATM card and forced her to disclose its PIN number before fleeing. We suspect that the accused is an repeat offender...we are collecting scientific evidence," the DCP said, adding, that the accused apparently used a country-made weapon for firing. A probe is on into the incident, he added.
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12:48   Twitter responds to the Obama's new account with stream of racist vitriol
The sitting President of the United States thought it was a good idea to start a personal Twitter account, despite the fact that most of the people who would respond to anything he tweeted believe him to be a Muslim Kenyan usurper who shouldn't have been eligible to run for president in the first place. Read
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12:43   Breakthrough! Indonesia, Malaysia agree to help Rohingyas adrift at sea
Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to provide temporary shelter to thousands of migrants stranded at sea in the first breakthrough in the humanitarian crisis confronting south-east Asia.


The announcement was made on Wednesday by the Malaysian foreign minister, Anifah Aman, after a meeting with his counterpart from Indonesia and Thailand to address the plight of the migrants. Read more
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12:37   HC refuses to cancel immediately Pachauri's anticipatory bail
The Delhi High Court today refused to cancel immediately the anticipatory bail granted by a trial court to TERI Director R K Pachauri in an alleged sexual harassment case lodged by a woman research analyst.


Justice S P Garg posted the matter for July 16 after the counsel for Pachauri sought more time to file response to the application move by the 29-year-old woman, who has alleged that "free and fair investigation" cannot be carried out if Pachauri is "allowed to roam around freely".


"Let them (Pachauri and Delhi Police) file their responses then we will think over it. There is no point of cancelling the bail application immediately," the court said. It added that "This application (for cancellation of Pachauri's bail) should not come in the way of trial court proceedings."
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12:26   Kejriwal should give up dharna mindset: Maken
Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken on the Kejriwal-L-G tussle: Administration in Delhi will come to a standstill if Arvind Kejriwal doesn't quit being arrogant and the Centre should act maturely too. Delhi is a Union Territory and the CM should know that he doesn't have all the powers. Kejriwal should change his mindset, he should give up the "dharna mindset" now that he is a CM."
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12:19   Allow city govt to function independently: Kejriwal to Modi
Taking his fight against the LG to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today asked him to allow the city government to function "independently" even as he accused the Centre of trying to run the Delhi administration.


In a letter to Modi, Kejriwal mentioned the posting and transfers made by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and said the elected government must have a say about distribution of work to senior officials.


"In Delhi, Central government is trying to run government unconstitutionally through the Lt Governor. Let Delhi government function independently," Kejriwal said in the letter to Modi.


The letter by Kejriwal to the Prime Minister came a day after both he and Jung took their bitter fight to President Pranab Mukherjee, accusing each other of violating the Constitution and overstepping their respective jurisdictions.


The Lt Governor has been maintaining that he has the power to appoint and transfer the bureaucrats and none of his actions has been "unconstitutional" as was being alleged by the AAP government.


Kejriwal had yesterday met Mukherjee along with his deputy Manish Sisodia, who said "LG was functioning as if there is President's Rule in the national capital and there is no elected government here."


"Despite having a democratically elected government, he (LG) is bypassing the chief minister and ministers and issuing instructions to officers. He is even threatening them with transfers if they do not follow his orders. It is not good for democracy.


"We told the President that we accepted LG's decision to appoint acting Chief Secretary even without consulting us. But after that too, he has been appointing officers bypassing the elected government. He is even interfering in the appointments of secretaries and directly ordering them. Then where is democracy," Sisodia had told reporters after meeting Mukherjee.


Jung had yesterday also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue and informed him about his stand-off with the AAP government.


The tussle over appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as acting chief secretary of Delhi had turned into a full-blown war between the AAP government and Jung with Kejriwal alleging that the LG was trying to take over the administration. Despite Kejriwal's strong opposition, Jung had appointed her to the post on Friday.
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12:10   43 yrs on, HC orders relief for Majors wife
Nearly 43 years after Major Kanwaljit Singh went missing in the 1971 war with Pakistan, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Punjab Government to pay compensation to his wife.


The Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice PB Bajanthri directed the Punjab Government to compensate Jasbir Kaur by paying price equivalent to that of 10 acres of cultivable land.


The price is to be determined at collector rate.The Bench also criticised the 2010 rules, which envisaged payment of compensation at the rate of Rs 1 lakh per acre for 10 acres of cultivable land, instead of allotting 10 acres.


The Bench satirically observed: "We may take judicial notice of the fact that one cannot purchase even one-eighth of an acre in any corner of Punjab for Rs 1 lakh.'Major Kanwaljit Singh was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for displaying gallantry and initiative of high order on February 2, 1971, when a grenade attack by the Pakistani soldiers was repelled by him.

Read more
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12:05  
With sea levels rising around the world, the refugees adrift in the Andaman Sea are the heralds of a future age of migration. The Rohingya crisis is not an isolated tragedy -- it's the shape of things to come.  Read
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11:55   Jaya to be sworn-in as CM on May 23, Paneer resigns on 22nd
Tamil Nadu CM O Panneerselvam will resign on May 22nd. J Jayalalithaa will be sworn in as CM on May 23rd, says AIADMK spokesperson C R Saraswathi.


Decks were cleared for the return of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo Jayalalithaa as Tamil Nadu chief minister after she was acquitted May 11 in the 19-year-old disproportionate assets case against her by the Karnataka high court which said her conviction suffered from infirmity and was not sustainable in law.

"...the accused are entitled to acquittal. When the principal accused (Jayalalithaa) has been acquitted, the other accused, who played a lesser role, are entitled to acquittal," Justice C R Kumaraswamy said in his 919-page judgement that set aside trial court judge Michael D'cunha's order last year holding her guilty of corruption and sentencing her to four years imprisonment.


The high court verdict, that also acquitted Jayalalithaa's close aide Sasikala and two others, triggered immediate jubilation among the AIADMK ranks who celebrated the event with bursting of crackers, distribution of sweets and dancing outside her residence in Chennai and across Tamil Nadu.


After she secured the clean chit, stop-gap Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and a host of party leaders trooped to her Poes Garden residence and held consultations apparently on her assuming reins of office once again.


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11:47   No acche din for higher education
Besides cuts in state funding which is a critical area of concern, the BJP-led government's overall approach to education is destructive of autonomy, creativity and diversity. Read
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11:42   Modi is no 'Ronald Reagan on a white horse', says Raghuram Rajan
The expectations from the new government when it came to power last year were "probably unrealistic' but it has taken steps to create an environment for investment and is "sensitive' to concerns of investors, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has said.


"This government came in with tremendous expectations and I think the kind of expectations were probably unrealistic for any government,' Rajan said responding to questions after his address to the Economic Club of New York on Thursday.


He said in the minds of the people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image was that of "Ronald Reagan on a white horse' coming to slay anti-market forces and such comparison was "probably not appropriate'.


Rajan, however, said the government has "taken steps to create the environment for investment, which I think is important'.The government is "sensitive' to the concerns of investors and is looking into addressing economic issues, he said. Rajan's remarks come as the Modi-led government completes one year in office in May 2015.
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11:31  
25,000 detonators have been recovered from a car in West Bengal's Bankura district.
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11:28   Kejriwal writes to PM: Centre running Delhi govt through L-G
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal writes to PM Modi as the turf battle with Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung escalates. In separate meetings on Tuesday, Kejriwal and Jung urged President Pranab Mukherjee to step in amid an escalating power struggle that started with the appointment of a top officer last week.


Kejriwal told the President about what he alleges is a blatant overreach by Jung, who promoted IAS officer Shakuntala Gamlin as acting Chief Secretary, making her Delhi's seniormost officer without the Chief Minister's consent.


In the letter to the PM, Kejriwal accuses the Centre of trying to run the Delhi government through the LG.


Reports suggest at least 20 senior bureaucrats have indicated that they would like to be relocated from Delhi. Sources in the Union Home Ministry said that the bureaucrats have cited "adjustment problems" with the functioning of the Delhi government.
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11:07   Kyunki's Sudha Shivpuri passes away
Sudha Shivpuri popularly known as Baa from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi passed away this morning. Funeral at Oshiwara Crematorium 2.30 pm today. That's the soap that also made HRD minister Smriti Irani a household name.

 The senior actress was 77 and had been unwell for a while. In 2013, she had suffered a stroke and had to be hospitalised. However, she regained her health thereafter.


Also read our 2008 interview with the actress: 'I feel I'm the real Baa of the Viranis!'
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11:02   The Aishwarya, Sushma connect at South Africa
South Africans want Sushma Swaraj, who is on her first visit to Pretoria, to think "BIG" as the external affairs minister of a close partner country with emotional, ethnic - and now, multi-faceted - relations with them. B stands for business, I for India and G for glamour. The role of glamour in India's relations with South Africa is often not fully grasped in this country.

Read KP Nayar's piece on the Telegraph.
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10:56   Kejriwal-Jung row will shatter morale of civil servants: Congress
The Congress party on Wednesday said the ongoing tussle between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung will shatter the morale of the civil service officers and affect administration.


"The Governor's office and Chief Minister's officer are responsible for this ruckus. This is totally unnecessary, there is no issue involved in this. After the Chief Secretary appointment which was controversial, the morale of the officers of the civil service will be completely shattered and that will affect the administration. Both the senior people should understand that," Congress leader P.C. Chacko said.
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10:35   People in Mongolia are luckier than those in Maharashtra: Sena slams Modi
Three days after India announced a credit line of $1 billion to Mongolia to expand its economic capacity and infrastructure, Shiv Sena took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi through its mouthpiece Saamana

At a time when Maharashtra farmers are committing suicide due to unseasonal rains and hailstorm, the prime minister is giving away such a huge amount to Mongolia, the Sena said. "If the huge amount pledged by the PM is converted into the Indian rupee, the amount would only aggravate the pain of the farmers in Maharashtra," it said. 

"Hailstorm or drought-hit farmers in Maharashtra are still waiting to receive help from the government. Turns out people in Mongolia are luckier than those in Maharashtra," it added. 
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10:32   More we use words like saviour, more we lose the language of democracy
Narendra Modi came to power on May 26, 2014. Since then, these questions have been asked incessantly: can Modi change India? Can he do what Manmohan Singh could not? Can Modi take India to superpower status? But the critical point is this: these questions are completely contradictory to the ethos of a democracy. It is the inability to rise above them that is the greatest crisis in Indian politics: the lag between the formal shell of democracy and its practice, the republic and its language.

Read more HERE
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09:49   Jaitley, Rajnath to kick off Modi@1 celebrations with pressers
Nearly 30 press conferences are lined up by as many central ministers for over a fortnight as part of the Modi government's one-year anniversary blitzkrieg, kicking off with two of National Democratic Alliance government's leading ministers, Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh later this week. 

The idea is to hold 8-10 press conferences in Delhi by the likes of Jaitley, Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Manohar Parrikar and Venkiah Naidu. Jaitley is expected to kick off matters with his briefing on May 22 and present a detailed report card on the government's achievements, while the home minister is likely to hold his briefing the following day. 
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09:35   Nepal fears heritage at risk as post-quake demolition begins
Thousands of centuries-old homes could be demolished in Nepal's historic cities as the government begins the long process of tearing down buildings rendered unsafe by last month's 7.8 earthquake.

More than 600 temples, statues and museums across the country were damaged in Nepal's deadliest earthquake on record, including Kathmandu's 200-foot Dharahara Tower, built in 1832, which collapsed.

The government has pledged to restore the damaged monuments, a magnet for foreign tourists. But hundreds of private houses that authorities deem a risk to passers-by in Bhaktapur, one of several quake-hit medieval cities, may face the wrecking ball, raising fears among conservationists that Nepal's heritage will be lost in the rush to rebuild.
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08:57   He who lives by Twitter shall...
Tuesday will go down in history as the first bad-Twitter day for Narendra Modi, the coiffured prime minister who rarely has had a digital bad hair day since taking over a summer ago. 

Modi, susceptible to being carried away by tumultuous receptions abroad, appears to have crossed the 140-character rekha when he said on his latest foreign tour that "earlier, you felt ashamed to be born in India". Not once but twice -- in Shanghai on Saturday and in Seoul yesterday.

The PM, true to his style of dividing the history of India into "before-me" and "after-me" in the manner of messiahs, was trying to draw a distinction between the country he inherited and the one he rebuilt in the past 12 months.

The dam broke in the morning - and digital fire and brimstone fell mercilessly upon the unchallenged poster-boy politician of the Twitter age.

Read more HERE
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08:47   PM Modi to meet top ministers to discuss year in power
It's all business for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After returning to the country from his three-nation visit to China, Mongolia and South Korea, PM Modi will be meeting his top ministers -- Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari -- at 10 am to discuss their one year in power and come up with new plans for the second year. 

The BJP is also preparing for Modi's rally in Mathura to mark the first year in power. According to reports, the BJP plans to carry out several rallies across the country to celebrate the milestone. 
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08:02   This 'most power-packed' selfie registers 31.85 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 microblogging site Weibo. 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.     
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07:57   Germanwings crash: All 150 victims identified, can now be buried
Investigators have identified the remains of all 150 people aboard a Germanwings flight that was deliberately crashed into the French Alps, prosecutors say, allowing them finally to be buried.

Experts have taken more than six weeks to painstakingly match DNA found at the crash site to that provided by the victims' families. "The 150 death certificates can now be signed, as well as the 150 burial permits," said Marseille city prosecutor Brice Robin in a statement. 

The Germanwings Airbus 320 crashed in the Alps on March 24 en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf. Investigations say 27-year-old co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who had a history of severe depression, purposely downed the plane.
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04:32   Bioluminescence turns Australia's shores fluorescent blue
The shores of Hobart, Tasmania, have been twinkling a bright, neon blue the past few days, turning the water's surface into a scene that looks out of this world.

Photographers have flocked to the glowing waters to witness the bioluminescent phenomenon firsthand.

Jo Malcomson, owner of Blackpaw Photography, splashed in the water Monday while capturing the bright display at South Arm, a town on the outskirts of Hobart.

"It was very much like entering into a magical wonderland. It's a childlike wondrous experience, which completely absorbs one's attention and captures one's imagination," he said.

The bioluminescence is caused by blooms of large single-cell organisms called dinoflagellates. The particular dinoflagellate glowing in the Australian waters is the Noctiluca scintillans species.

Dinoflagellates are very common in the ocean, explained Michael Latz, marine biologist and bioluminescence expert at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California.

Read full story HERE.
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03:40   Neruda Foundation demands Chile immediately rebury poet
Chile's Neruda Foundation has demanded that the remains of Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda be reburied immediately.

Neruda died in the chaos following Chile's 1973 military coup, and his body was exhumed in 2013 to determine the cause of his death, which some people speculated was from poisoning. Forensic tests showed no toxic agents in his bones.

Plans to rebury him last month in the coastal town of Isla Negra were suspended after members of the poet's family and other groups asked the courts to block it, demanding more tests.

The Neruda Foundation, which oversees the poet's estate, had refrained from commenting, but yesterday it said it has grown frustrated with the legal wrangling that has kept the body from being reburied.

"More than two years have passed and his remains are still unburied waiting for a decision by an appeals court," the foundation said in a statement.
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03:12   Defectors 'forgiven' by North Korea
In early summer 2013, the world's media cried foul over the repatriation of a group of nine North Korea children, then aged between 14 and 19, from Laos. They had been picked up by border security as they were being smuggled from China into Laos by South Korean missionaries, in the hope of getting them resettled in South Korea.

Pyongyang is not shy about its hatred of defectors. It refers to them in official media as "human scum" and accuses them of criminal acts, lying about their own country for fame and money and abandoning their own families.

The decision to return the children was widely condemned. Dire predictions were made about their fate: The children were being sent back to prison; they would face a lifetime of retribution and could even be executed.

But here in this room, nearly two years after their return, these former kkot-jebi appear transformed. Four young men dressed in the blue blazers of university students and two boys and two girls in secondary school uniforms, all sat waiting to answer our questions. The ninth member of the group was in a university further away from Pyongyang and could not be brought in at short notice.

Read more HERE.
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02:42   Anti-Muslim film back up on YouTube after court ruling
An anti-Muslim film that sparked violence in the Middle East and death threats to actors was reposted to YouTube today, a day after a federal appeals court ruled the website should not have been forced to take it down.

The roughly 14-minute trailer for "Innocence of Muslims" was reposted by a YouTube user.

YouTube is owned by Google, which declined comment. 

Monday's court ruling by an 11-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals cleared the way for YouTube to remove filters blocking users from posting the clip on its site.

The panel said a previous decision by a smaller group of judges from the same court ordering Google to take the film down gave "short shrift" to the First Amendment and constituted prior restraint, a prohibition on free speech before it takes place.
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02:37   Former Pak Army general may have informed CIA about Osama's location
A UK-based former senior officer in the Pakistan Army has been accused of being a supergrass who sold the secret location of Osama bin Laden to the CIA.

Retired Brigadier Usman Khalid, a British citizen, has been named as the informant whose tip-off led to the assassination of the worlds most wanted man in 2011.

His family have told The Telegraph of their anger that their father - who died a year ago after living in London for 35 years - has been publicly identified as the source of the leak.

And they have denied that Brigadier Khalid was the man responsible.

Read full story HERE.
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02:08   Florida's Valencia College sued over forced vaginal exams
Two college students say they were forced to submit to transvaginal probes as part of their classroom training to learn how to perform the medical procedure.

The details are outlined in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Orlando against Valencia College and three instructors. It alleges that medical diagnostic students at the college were forced to submit to the examination of their sexual organs under threat of having their grades reduced or of being blacklisted by future employers. The three defendants named in the lawsuit, Maureen Bugnacki, Linda Shaheen and Barbara Ball, have not responded to CNN's requests for comment.

Peer physical examination is an accepted practice in the medical field, but several recent reports cited by the U.S. National Library of Medicine mention a growing need for clear policies regarding peer physical examination at medical schools.

The lawsuit claims that during orientation, the college "had a second year student ... (nicknamed the 'TransVag Queen') explained the Medical Diagnostic Sonography Program's faculty believed that students should undergo invasive transvaginal ultrasound procedures in order to become better sonography technicians."

Read full story HERE.
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01:24   Tunisia: Can't confirm killing of journalists in Libya
Two Tunisian journalists who disappeared in Libya could still be alive, Tunisia's foreign minister said today, calling into question reports that they
were killed by the Islamic State.

Journalists Sofiene Chourabi and Nadhir Ktari disappeared in Libya eight months ago. Libyan officials recently said captured militants said they were executed.

But speaking in front of Tunisia's parliament, Foreign Minister Taieb Baccouche said further proof is needed to confirm they are dead.

A Tunisian investigative judge is in Libya to try to determine their fate but has run into difficulties because the area where the journalists disappeared is under the control of the Islamic State.

"What is important for us is to discover the truth, whatever it may be," Baccouche said. "We have to be very careful, we are walking on eggs and dealing with many different parties."

The case has been closely followed in Tunisia. Before Chourabi became a journalist, he was a prominent activist during the 2011 revolution that overthrew Tunisia's dictator and kicked off the Arab Spring around the region. 

The case has underlined the growing chaos in Libya, where power is shared by rival governments on either end of the country and hundreds of militias, as well as a powerful presence from the radical Islamic State group.

Despite the dangers, many Tunisians work in Libya and over the weekend, 172 were detained by authorities in Tripoli.

The Foreign Ministry has said they were picked up in an immigration sweep and would soon be released. 

The Tunisian consul to Tripoli, Brahim Rezgui, however, said on Saturday that their arrest was in retaliation for the detention of a Libyan militia leader at the Tunis airport Thursday.

Authorities yesterday charged Walid Klib of the Libyan Dawn militia under the anti-terrorist law, judicial spokesman Sofiane Selliti said, without giving details.

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01:00   Cartoonist who survive Charlie Hebdo massacre to leave the magazine
The only Charlie Hebdo cartoonist to survive the massacre of the magazine's staff is leaving the publication, he says.

Renald Luzier was running late on the January day when two gunmen burst into the satirical magazine's offices and killed the other five cartoonists who worked for Charlie Hebdo.

Luzier then drew the French satirical magazine's first front cover image after the deadly Islamist terror attack, showing the Prophet Mohammed weeping and saying "All is forgiven."

The cartoon prophet held a sign saying "Je suis Charlie," the slogan of those who stood up for the magazine after the killings.

Luzier, who draws under the pen name Luz, said in an interview with French newspaper Liberation that continuing to work at Charlie Hebdo had become "too much to bear."

Read full story HERE.
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00:44   Kim Jong Un takes aim at North Korean terrapin farm
It's usually top generals or potential rivals who feel the wrath of North Korea's leader, but this week Kim Jong Un's ire was directed at a terrapin farm.

According to North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency, the country's Supreme Leader recently carried out an inspection of the Taedonggang Terrapin Farm where he noted a number of "serious shortcomings."

For one thing the farm, which is located on the outskirts of Pyongyang, didn't pay enough attention to the study of his late father, who KCNA said was the inspiration behind the project to "provide the people with tasty and nutritious terrapin widely known as a precious tonic from olden times."

Read full story HERE.
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00:32   Irish bakery that refused to bake cake with gay slogan loses
Everyone loves Bert and Ernie, right? So what could be controversial about going to a bakery and ordering up a Bert and Ernie cake?

Well, plenty, if the cake is supposed to bear -- in addition to the depictions of the two "Sesame Street" characters -- the inscription "Support Gay Marriage."

That is the kind of cake that gay rights activist Gareth Lee ordered in greater Belfast, Northern Ireland, in May 2014 for a function marking the International Day Against Homophobia.

But Lee ordered the cake from the Christian-owned Ashers Baking Co., which refused on the grounds that baking it would conflict with the religious beliefs of the bakery's owners.

Read full story HERE.
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00:28   US names ISIS commander killed in raid
The US government says it believes it knows the real name of Abu Sayyaf, the key ISIS commander it says was killed during a US raid in Syria over the weekend.

"While he had a number of aliases, we believe his real name to have been Fathi Ben Awn Ben Jildi Murad al-Tunisi," a US official said Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

Al-Tunisi, until now known by the nom de guerre Abu Sayyaf, was killed in a heavy firefight after he resisted capture in a US special operations forces raid in eastern Syria, the US Defense Department has said.

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00:07   PM Narendra Modi lands in Delhi after his tri-nation visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in Delhi after his tri-nation visit.

He began his three-day visit to China from Xi'an, the hometown of Chinese President Xi Jinping with whom he held very substantive discussions focussing on strengthening of mutual trust and the boundary issue.

Modi also held talks with his counterpart Li Keqiang and pushed for clarifying the Line of Actual Control. The prime minister then headed to Mongolia for the first ever visit by an Indian premier to the country. The final leg of the journey was South Korea.

Modi's visit to the three countries also had its share of colour and light moments as he was seen clicking selfies with leaders and common people, shooting arrows and playing musical instruments.

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