"When I stood at the Red Fort and talked about cleanliness, people raised their eyebrows," PM Modi on his Swacch Bharat program.

"We don't want the world's charity we want equality," PM Modi tells the world. 

"Bhaarat ki dharti par Kabir aur Rahim ki baatein hume prerna deti rahin," PM Modi said citing India's proud spiritual traditions.

"Show me one Indian who isn't proud when they see Mahatma Gandhi's statue outside the British Parliament," PM Modi says at Wembley Stadium.

"There is no reason for India to remain poor, we harbor poverty for no reason," the prime minister said.

Prime Minister David Cameron address the Indian Diaspora. 

The two prime ministers shake hands with children who participated in singing the national anthems.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sings the Indian national anthem. 

Prime Minister David Cameron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive at the Wembley Stadium for Modi's address to the Indian Diaspora. 

Prime Minister David Cameron's wife Samantha is stunning in a blue saree as as she accompanies her husband and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Wembley Stadium.

The moment that the Indian Diaspora has been waiting for is almost here. 

Wembley local Sonna Rele performs live

Kamaljit Singh Jhooti, better known as Jay Sean, rocks the house. The star singer sang his best tracks, including Do You Remember and Down

Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor performs "Hello Namaste" composed specifically for the Wembley event

Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band, Marathi Mandal, and the Muktajeevan Drumming Corps takes on Wembley

The stadium erupts as the Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band take the stage at Wembley

That's followed by the Gujarati Hindu Association of Leicester's Garba performance

Indian diaspora awaits PM Modi's arrival as cultural performances continue.

Sheer sight of 60,000 people at Wembley, a historic moment for everybody, will be remembered for a long time: Manoj Ladwa,Wembley event organizer

If you are wondering about the scale of the Wembley reception for Prime Minister Modi, look at this image posted by the UKwelcomesModi/Twitter

JUST IN: Prince William and Kate Middleton, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, to visit India in Spring 2016

The grand show at Wembley is underway!

Don't understand Hindi? Buy this translation device available for sale outside Wembley, just in the case PM speaks in Hindi.  

So, what will PM Modi be lunching on with the Queen? The details of the menu are not out yet, but what we know is that it will be on the lines of British PM David Cameron's dinner menu that he hosted for Modi at Chequers.

The Chequers dinner has been called an "intimate dinner", the end to a power-packed day on Thursday that included delegation-level talks, an address to MPs and a speech at the financial hub of London.


The two leaders got a chance to relax over the private dinner for which Cameron's expert chefs had prepared British Autumn Salad of Beets and Roots as a starter followed up by a main course of Porcini Mushroom Pulao, Tarka Dal and Kachumba Salad with Mango Pudding for dessert.


The menu also reflected a perfect India-UK blend with some of Britain's seasonal vegetables making up Indian dishes.


A similar menu is expected from the royal chefs of Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth II will be hosting a lunch in honour of Modi today.

Merchandise sold at Wembley stadium for the PM's rock show.  

Ahead of lunch with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, the PM was at India-UK CEO Forum. In this picture, the PM meets Cyrus Mistry, chairman of the Tata Group.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Jaguar Land Rover plant, a subsidiary of Tata Motors, during the course of his three-day visit to Britain.

Queen Elizabeth II's signature handbag has stayed firmly on her left arm as she meets PM Modi. You see, when the Queen swaps her handbag between arms, it's an indication that she is bored talking to someone. The handbag is made by British luxury leather manufacturer Launer and costs 1000 (Rs 1.01 lakh). More queen trivia here.


By the way, guess what the Queen drinks in the morning? Yes, it's Darjeeling tea.


After lunch, PM Modi will address the Indian community at the Wembley Stadium in what is flagged as the centerpiece of his three-day UK visit.

Meanwhile, a massive fire broke out in the Delhi centre of NGO Goonj on Wednesday allegedly due to a stray firecracker. In a Facebook post, NGO founder Anshu Gupta, who won the Ramon Magsaysay Award this year, informed that it took more than 7 hours and 10 fire brigades to douse the flames. The office is located in Sarita Vihar.


Huge stocks of woolen clothes, blankets and other essential winter commodities were  burnt to ashes.  Goonj undertakes  undertakes disaster relief, humanitarian aid and community development in parts of 21 states across India. 

First image of PM Narendra Modi with Queen Elizabeth II. 

PM Narendra Modi reaches Buckingham Palace for lunch with Queen Elizabeth II.  She will greet Modi at the Grand Entrance of her London palace and then move on to inspect items from the Royal Collection, brought out specially for the Indian Prime Minister's visit, a palace spokesperson said in London on Friday.


Soon after the lunch, Modi will make his way to the Wembley Stadium to address a 60,000-strong audience at the UK.

Narendra Modi's Wembley show in numbers... Click on the picture to enlarge.

David Cameron has long courted India as a business and strategic partner '" he has visited the country three times -- and the UK has sought to host a reciprocal visit since Mr Modi was elected. But Britain must realise that it needs India perhaps more than India needs Britain. Read more

Hoping to get tickets for the Modi show at Wembley? A little late in the day, folks. Tickets have been sold out.

@narendramodi these ladies have a question for you! #ModiAtWembley

The value of investment in joint UK-India research from the UK Research Councils, the Indian government and third parties received a 72-million-pound boost during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ongoing visit in London.


The research partnership now exceeds 200 million pounds covering programmes across food, energy and water security; health and well-being; smart cities and rapid urbanisation -- and increasing access to expertise, resources and facilities.


"The research partnership between the UK and India has gone from strength to strength in recent years as we have worked together to address some of the world's major challenges. From securing a sustainable water supply to providing clean energy, this research is advancing scientific capabilities in both countries and helping to improve the lives of millions around the world," said UK universities and science minister Jo Johnson.


A series of funded projects for UK-India research programmes were announced today as part of the Newton-Bhabha Fund.

Members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal today burnt the effigy of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Hyderabad protesting the death of their leader during a stir in that state triggered by a controversy over holding of birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan.


According to police, some activists arrived in a group at a spot in Sultan Bazaar area and burnt the effigy and raised slogans against the Karnataka government and Siddaramaiah. However, no arrests have been made, they said.


"We have dispersed them. Nobody was arrested," Sultan Bazaar Police Station P Shiva Shankar Rao said. When contacted Vinod Kumar Nomula, General Secretary of Bajrang Dal's Greater Hyderabad unit, said that they burnt the effigy in protest of "killing" of their leader D S Kuttappa in the violent incident in Karnataka's Madikeri this week.

After the CEO meet PM will have lunch with the queen. These are the preparations in front of Buckingham Palace before the meeting.

With the retreat at Chequers behind him, PM Narendra Modi is now addressing the India-UK CEO's Forum in London.


Here are the highlights:

-- We are confidently, consistently and ceaselessly working to ingrate our economy with the world, says PM Modi. 

-- The forum is discussing bilateral issues of developing bond markets, smart cities, defence manufacturing and skills.

-- The PM says India's focus is on skill development. India will supply manpower for the rest of world. Government is pro-active. We are confidently, consistently and ceaselessly working to ingrate our economy with the world.


The picture was tweeted by Amitabh Kant, secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.

Excited British Indians on their way to Wembley, where PM Modi will address a 60,000-strong crowd. PM Cameron is also expected to attend the event.

Watch your step, prime minister: PM Cameron guides PM Modi into the grounds at Chequers.

"And that's where PM Xi and I took a selfie," David Cameron seems to be telling PM Modi at Chequers. 

PM Modi signs the Visitors Book at Chequers as PM Cameron looks on.

The Wembley event is expected to be the biggest welcome reception that any Indian Prime Minister has experienced outside of India, with a stellar line-up of performers. The International Business Times lists the performances... 

- Arunima Dance Academy
- Encee Arts
- Jayesh Patel
- Alan Sampson
- Alisha Chinai
- Ankh Dance
- Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
- Bhartiya Vrund Gaan group
- Choir of 180 Children from Avanti School, Swaminrayan School and Sai School
- Devika Dance Theatre
- DJ Raj
- Geetha Sridhar Dance Company
- Gujarat Hindu Assosiation
- Honey's Dance Troupe
- Jay Sean
- Jyotsna Shrikanth
- Kanika Kapoor
- Maher Raas
- Marathi Mandal
- Marathi Mandal Drummers
- MC Zani
- Members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra
 -Members of The Royal Ballet
- Navin Kundra
- Patricia Rozario OBE
- Sanskriti UK
- Sapnay School of Dance
- Saraswati Academy of Indian Dance
- Seetal Patel
- Shammi Pithia
- Shiamak Dance Group
- Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Drummers
- Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band
- Sona Rele
- Usha Raghaven
- Vidya Patel
- VP Entertainment
- Yoga Performance Group

Pic: Dancers get their jewellery in place ahead of the mega event.

After lunch with Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will head to Wembley stadium where he will address 60,000 people.


As thousands of British-Indians have come together to welcome the PM with a cultural show, the welcome reception has been plagued by ticketing issues a few days ahead of the event. Many have posted on social media raising the alarm over the fact that, despite having received their confirmation email for the event, they are yet to receive their tickets from Wembley Stadium.


At Wembley, Modi will be greeted by a peppy new song by popular Bollywood playback singer Kanika Kapoor which will highlight the friendship between the two countries.

'Hello Namaste' has been described as a "festive upbeat Hinglish" number which highlights the UK-India friendship.

Keerti Mathur, the song's music producer, said: "Easy to sing along, this retro feel song with a nostalgic 'Ye Dosti' (Sholay) start and an upbeat Bhangra end will be performed by Kanika Kapoor live at Wembley Stadium next week and is a perfect way to mark this iconic moment which will go down in history." The singer shot to fame by singing Baby Doll for Sunny Leone in Ragini MMS 2, last year.

Amnesty International has called on British Prime Minister David Cameron to not just "unfurl the red carpet" for his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi but "raise some red flags on human rights concerns too".


"NGOs and activists face multiple obstructions to carrying out their work, including being subjected to smear campaigns, having their funding cut off and being accused of being anti-national," said Allan Hogarth, head of policy at Amnesty UK.


"The UK needs to do more than unfurl the red carpet for yet another world leader, Mr Cameron must raise some red flags on human rights concerns too," he added.


The human rights organisation highlighted that over 10,000 organisations had been "de-registered" over the last year to prevent them from receiving foreign funding, and just last week Greenpeace had its license to operate cancelled.

A close-up view of the bookends... 

The Prime Minister today presented British Prime Minister David Cameron a specially handcrafted pair of bookends made of wood, marble and silver. The centerpiece of each of these bookends is a silver bell, an object of rich symbolism relating to inner wisdom and tidings, which has a verse from the Bhagavad Gita etched in Sanskrit, along with its English meaning along the inside rim.


Taken from Chapter 13 of the Bhagavad Gita, these verses (15-16) describe the ultimate underlying reality. Each bell has one verse etched on it.

"Without all beings, yet within; immovable yet moving; so subtle that it cannot be perceived; so far yet so near It is. (Verse 15)
It is indivisible yet appears divided in all beings. Know it to be the creator, the preserver and the destroyer. (Verse 16)"


In addition, in view of Prime Minister Camerons fondness for Robert Graves work on World War I Goodbye to All That, the Prime Minister also presented to him David Omissis Indian Voices of the Great War.
For the First Lady, the Prime Minister presented Aranmula metal mirror, a unique handicraft from Kerala, and some pashmina stoles


Also see: Modi's bag of gifts for Kazakh president
Modi gifts hand-woven tapestry, DVD on LBA debates to Hasina

For the First Lady, PM Modi presented Kerala's Aranmula metal mirror and some Pashmina stoles.

Never heard of an Aranmula mirror? Read this feature on Rediff.com and find out. 

While the PM takes a morning walk with British PM David Cameron around Chequers, this is what's been happening at home.


The Congress today attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying his remark that intolerance will not be accepted in any part of the country is "doublespeak" as he is a tacit "endorser" and nothing prevented him from taking action against hotheads within BJP.


"It is important to remind the Prime Minister that he has neither condemned, nor acted upon number of incidents which involve his party colleagues, his ministers, the leaders of BJP and the RSS," senior Congress leader Anand Sharma told reporters.


Responding to a question at a press interaction in London, Modi had said, "India does not accept intolerance even if it is one or two or three incidents. But for a country of 125 crore people whether it is significant or not, it does not matter. For us every incident is serious. We do not tolerate it." Sharma said since Modi has not taken any action, the only inference or conclusion that can be drawn is that he is very much a tacit "endorser".


"It is his characteristic style and an exercise in hypocrisy and double speak," Sharma said while accusing Prime Minister of being intolerant to criticism itself.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vegetarian tastes were well catered for at Chequers, the British Prime Minister's country residence in Buckinghamshire, where he was served dishes like Mushroom Pulao and Tarka Dal.


Cameron hosted Modi for what has been described as an "intimate dinner" last evening after a power-packed day that included delegation-level talks, an address to MPs and a speech at the financial hub of London.


The two leaders got a chance to relax over the private dinner for which Cameron's expert chefs had prepared British Autumn Salad of Beets and Roots as a starter followed up by a main course of Porcini Mushroom Pulao, Tarka Dal and Kachumbar with Mango Pudding for dessert.


The menu also reflected a perfect India-UK blend with some of Britain's seasonal vegetables making up Indian dishes. A similar menu is expected from the royal chefs of Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth II will be hosting a lunch in honour of Modi today.


"The Queen will receive the Prime Minister of the Republic of India and later hold a lunch for the Prime Minister at Buckingham Palace. The Prime Minister is in the United Kingdom on an official visit as a Guest of Government," a palace spokesperson said today.


The Queen will greet Modi at the Grand Entrance of her London palace and then move on to inspect items from the Royal Collection, brought out specially for the Indian Prime Minister's visit. Soon after the lunch, Modi will make his way to Wembley Stadium to address a 60,000-strong audience at the UK Welcomes Modi event.

In Indian English, London is often conflated with Britain, as in: "Do you live in London or London proper?' with the rest of the country being regarded as insignificant, just as many Londoners themselves do, the parallel being England's old-fashioned upper class who recognise only London and "the country.'


Again we find major geographic liberties taken, as Oxford University is now in London (Kuch kuch hota hai/Something happens, dir. Karan Johar, 1998), Cambridge and Oxford universities are used interchangeably (Paa, dir. R. Balki, 2009), trains to Glasgow from London take nine hours and are routed through Chelsea (Tezz/Speed, dir. Priyadarshan, 2012). However, Scotland's castles and lochs provide scenic backgrounds, notably Eilan Donan castle, in films including Kandukonain Kandukondain/I have found it, (dir. Rajeev Menon, Tamil, 2000)."


Rachel Dwyer on Narendra Modi comes to Bollywood Britain. Read

British PM David Cameron takes PM Narendra Modi for a walk around 16th century home Chequers. Chequers is the country house retreat of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom  and has been the private retreat of the Prime Minister since 1921.


Modi spent Thursday night at Chequers with Cameron. The large house and extensive grounds make up the official country residence of the British prime minister and are located in Buckinghamshire, 30 miles northwest of the capital London.


The house is covered by its own act of Parliament and reserved only for the use of serving British leaders.


Cameron also hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping there.

India and the United Kingdom on Thursday announced deals worth 9 billion Pound (Rs 90,550 crore) as they signed a civilian nuclear pact and decided to collaborate in the field of defence and cyber security besides launching a railway rupee bond in London.British Prime Minister David Cameron described the relations between the two sides as a "new dynamic modern partnership" and reiterated his country's support for India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will embark on a two-day visit to United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday to impress on investors various attractive investment opportunities that India provides. "One of the main objectives of the visit is to meet and apprise the UAE based investors about investment opportunities in various sectors in India including infrastructure, manufacturing, services and National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) among others," a Finance Ministry statement said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said reconciliation with Pakistan is on the agenda of the ruling PDP-BJP alliance in the state but termed it as an "evolutionary process".


Mufti said that he will continue perusing the agenda of reconciliation with the neighbouring country with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When asked about why he termed the Modi's Srinagar rally as historic even though he did talk about reconciliation with Pakistan, Mufti said,"Modi is not under any pressure to talk about Pakistan."


Mufti said that Modi has been totally focused on the development of the state. "You (media) should not jump to conclusions. Everything is in an evolutionary process... Whatever is that. Reconciliation with Pakistan, it is on the agenda of alliance," Mufti told a press conference at his residence here today. "It (reconciliation with Pakistan) is there. I have high hope on that. Why should we make Prime Minister say everything like that (talk about reconciliation with Pakistan). Why should he say that. He is not under pressure to say that," Mufti said. The PDP chief was replying to a volley of questions on the Prime Minister's rally in Srinagar.

Lebanon today mourned 43 people killed in south Beirut in a twin bombing claimed by the Islamic State group, the bloodiest such attack in years.


The Red Cross said at least 239 people were also wounded, several in critical condition, in the blasts that hit a busy shopping street in the Burj al-Barajneh neighbourhood, where the Shiite Hezbollah movement is popular.


The attack harked back to a campaign against the group between 2013 and 2014, ostensibly in revenge for its military support of regime forces in neighbouring Syria's civil war. But it was the largest attack ever claimed by IS in Lebanon, and among the deadliest bombings to hit the country since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.

From now until December 5th a replica of Van Gogh's severed ear will be on display for the citizens of New York in Manhattan's Ronald Feldman Fine Arts gallery thanks to DNA artist Diemut Strebe. And it can hear you.


No one seems to be able to agree on just what happened to Van Gogh's ear. Did he give it to a prostitute? Did Paul Gauguin cut it off? Did Van Gogh cut it off for Paul Gauguin? Perhaps we'll never know the answer.
Read more

Guards shot at protestors who had carried the coffin of a young girl to the Afghan president's palace after she was found beheaded on Saturday.


The girl was one of seven Hazaras -- a minority group of Persian-speaking Shia Muslims -- whose bodies were discovered in the country's south-eastern Zabul province.


It is believed that the group was taken hostage by militants about a month ago.No one has claimed responsibility for the killings, but Afghan officials have blamed extremists ranging from the Taliban to Isis.

Former Baywatch fan?

Well, former Baywatch hottie David Hasselhoff has changed his name to Hoff. David Hoff.


"Big news today and a massive relief for me. I hope everyone can understand... it feels great!" he tweeted, alongside a video clip in which he shows off documents with his new moniker.

Former Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan tweeted his outrage at the vicious attacks in the media against his former wife Reham Khan.

@ImranKhanPTI tweeted: Am ashamed of the moral collapse in our society, esp how some media ppl are conducting a baseless & malicious attack against Reham. The vicious attacks targeting Reham's financial integrity are absolutely unfounded. Shameful esp as she is mother of 3 children.



A theory that has been doing the rounds since the two announced their divorce was that Reham Khan had tried to poison Imran to usurp his political legacy.


The Pakistani press has been severely critical with journalist Arif Nizami citing intelligence sources on the 'revelation'.


Nizami told Pakistan's News 24 channel that Reham's intentions weren't right and that she tried to poison her husband to grab hold of his political power. "Intelligence agencies conveyed to Imran through his close friends that Reham's intentions were not right. It was feared she could poison Imran to grab his party's reigns."


Since the couple announced their split on October 30, this theory was brought up.

The BBC reports that there was a "high degree of certainty" that 'Jihadi John', the Islamic State militant who carried out a number of beheadings,  was hit in the attack near Raqqa, in Syria.


Quoting a senior military, the BBC said Mohammed Emwazi, the Kuwaiti-born British militant, who appeared in videos of the beheadings of Western hostages, said there was at least one other person in the vehicle targeted. A US official told the BBC Emwazi had been "tracked carefully over a period of time".

Offering a clarification on his previous comment regarding the outrage being expressed by the Bharaitya Janata Party (BJP) veterans over the Bihar debacle, Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari on Friday said that there was no question of taking 'disciplinary action' against the 'respected' delegation of senior leaders.


"Party elders including Shri L.K.Advani and Dr. M.M. Joshi are our highly respected leaders and neither I nor any other party functionary has ever shown any disrespect to them and there was absolutely no question of any one suggesting explanation from them and not the least demanding disciplinary action against them," Gadkari said in a statement.


He emphasised that the BJP central leadership is discussing with the veterans the issues raised by them in the wake of party's unsatisfactory performance in the Bihar Assembly elections.


However, he slammed reports indicating that he had suggested BJP president Amit Shah to initiate disciplinary action against the veteran leaders and said the rumour was incorrect and misleading


Earlier, Gadkari had said that he has suggested the BJP chief to take stringent action against leaders who make unwarranted controversial statements while defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah for the Bihar elections fiasco. Union Minister Venkaiha Naidu today in an indirect message to the veterans said that dissent should be expressed within the party and not be made publicly.

Seven more persons lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Tamil Nadu, taking the death toll to 55 as the North East Monsoon continued to pound several parts of the state disrupting rail and road traffic.


The government had yesterday put the toll in rain-related incidents at 48, including 27 from Cuddalore district.


According to an official release today, the toll stood at 55, as seven more persons lost their lives in rain-related incidents in various parts of the state since last night.


Parts of South Chennai including St Thomas Mount and Velacherry witnessed heavy water logging which even resulted in railway under-bridges being flooded. Schools and colleges in northern districts including Chennai, Vellore, Thiruvallur and Kanchipuram remained closed.


Office goers in the capital city had a harrowing time as they had to wade through knee-deep and in some places waist-deep waters. Trains leaving Chennai were also affected due to water logging in the tracks.

Chhota Rajan's sisters file appeal in the CBI court seeking permission to meet him today on Bhai Dooj. Rajan, the 55-year-old gangster, is currently being held at the Central Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Delhi.

1.15 am IST: Private dinner hosted by Cameron at Chequers, followed by night halt.

1 pm IST: Meeting between PM Modi and Cameron, following which the Prime Minister will depart from Chequers.


3.45 pm IST: PM to attend UK CEOs forum.


6.15 pm IST: Modi to attend lunch hosted by The Queen.


8.45 pm IST: Arrival of Prime Minister Modi at Wembley Stadium.


9.15 pm-11.30 pm IST: Community address by PM Modi at Wembley Stadium.


9.40 pm IST: Call on by Lords and British MPs.


10 pm IST: Reception hosted by Indian High Commissioner in London.

After the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh fan handle on Wednesday demanded that the government should act against Myntra as it sold shoes made from cow leather, the RSS has now said that the views expressed on twitter handle are not of them.


An independent handle created by RSS Swayamsevaks on Wednesday targeted e-commerce site Myntra, owned by Flipkart for selling cow leather shoes. It demanded that the government should act against Myntra as it sold shoes made from cow leather. Read more

When coalitions of political parties lose their gravitas, especially when they are in power, and when the parting of ways between constituent elements surges into view, it presents a painful sight.


The unraveling of the ruling alliance in Kerala has begun and the only comforting point is that attrition is taking its toll, finally, after over decades of co-habitation by the coalition partners.


The alliance in Maharashtra, on the contrary, is only holding together due to the lure of big money and loot and patronage, whereas it has been an improbable alliance of opportunists right from its inception last year. 

Read MK Bhardrakumar's blog here.


A file pic of Jammu and Kashmir CM Mufti Mohammed Sayeed with PM Narendra Modi.

All it takes are a couple of angry tweets from Sachin Tendulkar and Indians may just boycott British Airways. Sachin Tendulkar, better known as the 'god of cricket' vented on twitter about his  bad experience with British Airways a couple of hours ago. The tweets said...


sachin tendulkar @sachin_rt Angry Disappointed and Frustrated.. #BAdserviceBA Family member's Waitlisted ticket not confirmed despite seats being available


sachin tendulkar @sachin_rt  And luggage being tagged by @British_Airways to wrong destination and don't care attitude! #NeveronBA


British Airways responded, but committed a huge faux pas, tweeting: 

British Airways @British_Airways@sachin_rt We're sorry to hear this Sachin, could you please DM us your baggage ref, full name and address so we can look into this for you?


Tendulkar who has 84 lakh followers on Twitter, didn't have to bother replying to the British Airways tweet. His followers helped him out with a barrage of tweets lambasting BA. Here's a selection and they keep coming.


Sagar @cigardubey@British_Airways @sachin_rt OMFG YOU IGNORANT DUMMIES DO YOU EVEN KNOWNWHO YOU'RE TALKING TO?


Nive @NivivaciousHow dare @british_airways not know Sachin's full name!?!


Mehul Solanki @Mack_solanki@British_Airways @sachin_rt  are you drunk British Airways ?check the name of the man who is telling you then reply! He is God of cricket!


Kapil Bajaj @kapsbajaj@British_Airways Your Business in India is gonna be hit. If you cannot Service the God of Cricket, you cannot service anyone. @sachin_rt


abhinav khandelwal @abhi_khandu@British_Airways God doesn't have full name idiots.. @sachin_rt

Canada's newly-appointed Sikh defence minister Harjit Sajjan has allegedly faced racist remarks by a soldier on social media, prompting the Canadian Armed Forces to launch a probe.


The military declined to identify the soldier or precisely what was written, but a source said the non-commissioned member from Quebec, made an "inappropriate statement" on Facebook about India-born Sajjan's "ethnic background", The Globe and Mail reported. Sajjan immigrated to Canada from India when he was a young boy.


The offensive post, which was written in French, was quickly removed. A Forces spokesman said the army's chain of command is probing the matter.

The London Eye dressed up in the colours of the Indian tricolour.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern over a sharp decline in the number of Indian students coming to study in the UK and problems faced by them while applying for visas during his talks with British counterpart David Cameron.

"The Prime Minister raised the issue [of student visas] very strongly. The Prime Minister said that Indian student numbers in the UK has fallen by 50 per cent in the last three years," a Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said.

"He urged that Indian students are among the best and the brightest in the world and it would be a win-win partnership for both sides. Indians needing a quality education and the UK benefiting from the expertise that Indian students bring," the spokesperson said.


He urged that Indian students are among the best and the brightest in the world and it would be a win-win partnership for both sides. Indians needing a quality education and the UK benefiting from the expertise that Indian students bring," the spokesperson said.

"The Prime Minister said we are right now in a situation where countries are actually wooing Indian students because India has the biggest education market today. There's a burgeoning middle class, there is an aspirational upper class that wants to educate its kids abroad and it's an opportunity to tap into what has become a big economic market," she said.


In reference to Cameron's response on the issue, she said: "There was a lot of understanding and appreciation. This is a matter for continued discussion. I don't think we can close the chapter on this."

The number of Indian students coming to the UK fell from 18,535 in 2010-11 to 10,235 in 2012-13, according to a report by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Universities have previously warned that negative impacts from the Conservatives' drive to reduce net migration is harming their recruitment of international students, calling for students to be removed from net migration figures.

The removal of post-study work visa route, which allowed students to work for two years after finishing their course, has been seen is one of the major off-putting factors for Indian students, who are choosing destinations like the US and Australia over the UK.

Maggi may be back in Maharashtra, but for how long? The Maharashtra government will challenge the Bombay High Court order on Maggi in the Supreme Court, will seek a ban again.

Last week, a separate legal panel set to work out all the possible legal angles and is readying the case as the state government does not want the case to be quashed by the SC.

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Girish Bapat Sunday said the state will honor the Bombay HC decision but a detailed study was being conducted for challenging the HC decision in the Supreme Court.


The state had decided to ban Maggi noodles in June after some samples were found to have lead content exceeding permissible limits. Gujarat and Karnataka have decided to lift the ban.


Meanwhile, Maggi announced its return with a vengeance at all retail retail outlets, saying, "Your favourite Maggi noodles is back".


Pic: A website even offered Maggi noodles on a 'flash sale'

Aung San Suu Kyi has won Myanmar's landmark election and claimed a staggering majority in parliament, ending half a century of dominance by the military and providing the symbol of a decades-old democracy movement with a mandate to rule.


The Guardian reports that the government's election commission in the capital of Naypyidaw said the National League for Democracy (NLD) party had won 348 seats across the lower and upper house of parliament, 19 more than the 329 needed for an absolute majority.


With only 83% of the results announced so far this week, the party's majority is likely to rise yet further.


Although Aung San Suu Kyi is banned from the presidency under an army-drafted constitution, her party will now be able to push through legislation, form a government and handpick a president.


Aung San Suu Kyi, who spent years under house arrest, has said that a triumph for the NLD would place her "above the president'. An NLD government would be the first administration not chosen by the country's military establishment and their political allies since the early 1960s, most of that time under army dictatorship. Months of political haggling will now begin as the nation is drastically reordered.

The US has carried out an air strike in Syria targeting Mohammed Emwazi, the Isis terrorist and British citizen referred to as Jihadi John believed responsible for the beheadings of several hostages in the groups gruesome propaganda videos, reports the Guardian.


The Pentagon did not say whether Emwazi had been killed in the strike.

US forces conducted an airstrike in Raqqa, Syria, on 12 November 2015 targeting Mohamed Emwazi, also known as Jihadi John, the Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.

Emwazi, a British citizen, participated in the videos showing the murders of US journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, US aid worker Abdul-Rahman [Peter] Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and a number of other hostages.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy wins majority in both houses of parliament after Myanmar election.


Myanmar President Thein Sein has congratulated Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party on its success in polls, his spokesman told the BBC.With about 47% of seats declared, the National League for Democracy (NLD) has taken over 90% of the vote.


Suu Kyi has written to the leadership requesting talks on national reconciliation. But spokesman U Ye Htut said such a meeting could only take place after the final results were announced.

Acid thrown on Russian woman in Varanasi; police name landlord's son as main accused. Woman admitted to hospital in critical condition.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad has given a call for an hour-long statewide 'rasta roko' protest on Friday against the Madikeri incident. VHP organisational secretary Gopal announced that the roads would be blocked from 11 am.

A second wave of protests by the veterans over their unhappiness with One Rank One Pension scheme rolled out by the government is expected to gather heat as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will join the stir at Jantar Mantar on Friday. After a group of protesters marched to President House on Wednesday rejecting the government's OROP notification, the veterans said they would unveil another explosive event on Friday. An ex-servicemen organisation said that Kejriwal has expressed desire to visit Jantar Mantar on Friday at 3.30 pm.They also said that as per their policy, no political leader will be allowed to share mike and make any political statement.

Yuvraj Singh, often linked to some of the most sought-after women, including a lady who has been turning out mega hits on the big screen, has got engaged to British-born model and actor Hazel Keech.

US forces have carried out an air strike targeting Jihadi John, the Pentagon has said. Mohammed Emwazi, the Kuwaiti-born British militant, was the target of an attack near Raqqa in Syria. A worldwide hunt was launched for Emwazi after he was pictured in videos of the beheadings of Western hostages. 

The Hindu god Vishnu has several incarnations, many of them human. The latest of these appears to be Narendra Modi. All over India there are images of the man, right arm raised in the benevolent gesture of good fortune. But this strong-but-enlightened-man image hides the frightening and shrill reality of an increasingly Modi-led Hindu dominance of India.

Many newly-elected Congress MLAs in the Bihar assembly have rushed to Delhi to lobby with central leadership for a ministerial berth in the Mahagathbandhan government even as sources confirmed that the party, with 27 legislators, is eyeing the Speaker's post too. 

With underworld don Chhota Rajan in CBI custody, his Maharashtra-based sisters have appealed to the "compassionate" side of the court, to "be allowed to meet" their brother for 'Bhai Dooj' after 27 years. The application states that the two women -- Sunita Sakkharam Chavan and Malini Sakpal -- are the 'real sisters' of Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, alias Chhota Rajan, and "have not met their brother for the past so many years," and " wish to bless him".