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Tue, 13 October 2015
Ukraine should have closed air space over war zone: MH17 probe

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23:01   Ukraine should have closed air space over war zone: MH17 probe
Ukrainian authorities should have closed the air space over the eastern region wracked by fighting with pro-Russian separatists, the official inquiry into the MH17 air disaster found today.

"We have concluded as a precaution there was sufficient reason for the Ukrainian authorities to close the air space above the eastern part of their country," the chairman of the Dutch Safety Board, Tjibbe Joustra, told reporters. 

The Dutch-led probe concluded that the Malaysia Airlines flight, headed from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down by a Russian-made BUK missile fired from war-torn eastern Ukraine.

All 298 people -- most of them Dutch and including some 80 children -- died in the Boeing 777 crash on July 17 2014.
Joustra hit out at Ukrainian authorities for allowing commercial aircraft to continue flying over the separatist region despite the dangers involved.

On the day MH17 was blown out of the skies, some 160 commercial flights overflew the area, the inquiry said.
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23:00   Farmers' stir ends, leaves Railways with loss of Rs 150 cr
Farmers in Punjab today ended their week-long rail blockade that crippled train services and caused a loss of about Rs 150 crore to railways besides a huge loss to the state but decided to continue their protest in a different format.

The farmers, seeking higher compensation for the losses caused to the farm produce, decided to prevent ministers from entering villages and 'gherao' (picket) the residences of ministers, MLAs and other leaders of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal on October 23. 

"We have called off our 'Rail Roko' agitation and started lifting blockade at different places in the state," BKU Ekta (Dakunda) General Secretary Jagmohan Singh said about the stir which was launched on October 7.

However, BKU Ekta (Ugrahan) General Secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri said their agitation against the state government would continue for non-acceptance of all of their demands including higher compensation for cotton crop loss.

The agitation badly hit rail movement in Punjab with over 1,200 trains being affected because of protest in Ambala and Ferozepur divisions of railways, causing inconvenience to passengers and an estimated loss of about Rs 150 crore to the railways.
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21:51   Mandakranta Sen returns her Sahitya Akademi award
Joining the ranks of writers who have returned the Sahitya Akademi award is Mandrakanta Sen.

The authoress has decided to return her Sahitya Akademi Young writers special award.

Sen is a prominent voice in contemporary Bengali poetry. Her literary engagement spans various genres: she has authored 19 collections of poems, eight novels, two volumes of short fiction and a book of essays.
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21:22   Swedish 'Bearded Villains' mistaken for ISIS cell
It's not often that a bit of facial hair can get you into trouble. But for a group of Swedish men, their beards -- and a familiar-looking flag -- had them mistaken for an ISIS terror cell.

The Swedish chapter of Bearded Villains, an international "brotherhood of elite bearded men" was meeting at a ruined castle for a photo shoot featuring the organization's black-and-white flag when a concerned motorist mistook them for an ISIS cell, according to local media reports and a member's posts on social media.

Read more HERE.
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21:21   Anti-Muslim hate crimes to be recorded separately: Cameron
For the first time, police in England and Wales will record anti-Muslim hate crimes as a separate category, British Prime Minister David Cameron said today.

"We all have a role to play in confronting extremism. That's why I have invited important Muslim and non-Muslim figures to join the new Community Engagement Forum, so I can hear directly about their work in our communities, the challenges they face and so that they can be part of our One Nation strategy to defeat it," Cameron said.

"I want to build a national coalition to challenge and speak out against extremists and the poison they peddle. I want British Muslims to know we will back them to stand against those who spread hate and to counter the narrative which says Muslims do not feel British.

"And I want police to take more action against those who persecute others simply because of their religion," he added.

The move brings Islamophobia in line with anti-Semitic attacks targeting Jews, which have been recorded separately for years in the country.
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21:06   Two Assamese writers to return Sahitya Akademi awards
Joining the growing band of protesting writers, noted Assamese authors Nirupama Borgohain and Homen Borgohain today announced that they were going to return their Sahitya Akademi awards to express disapproval of the "growing intolerance" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
"silence" in this connection.

"Religious intolerance has reached extreme level. But the leader of the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not assured us to stop it and he is remaining silent. It is as if he is encouraging fascism to grow," Nirupama Borgohain told PTI here.

She said that as Modi was not doing anything to curb the "religious fanaticism", so she is returning her Akademi award to lodge her "symbolic protest" against the current state of affairs in the country.

Nirupama Borgohain won the prestigious award in 1996 for her novel 'Abhijatri'. 

Another eminent writer Homen Borgohain also announced return of his award. 
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20:45   Hindi translator Chaman Lal returns Sahitya award
Hindi translator Chaman Lal, a retired JNU professor, today returned his award and cash money of his 2002 translation prize to the Sahitya Akademi. 

Noting that the issue now went beyond the "Akademi's insensitive behaviour", he said "there is wider government patronisation to Akademi's such conduct". 

"This is moment of crisis and choices have to be made clearly - with whom I stand and I stand with my fellow writers of Punjabi as well as other languages, who have taken side of suffering humanity and spoken against the patronisation of communal hatred, attack on institutions of knowledge, attack on freedom of ideas and their expression fearlessly," he said. 

Meanwhile, Odia poet Rajendra Kishore Panda invoked the constitution of the Sahitya Akademi in his letter to the Akademi President urging the literary body to hold an urgent meeting and said if it failed to do so then its members should do so.

Over the past week poets, playwrights and writers have gradually built up a crescendo protesting against the Akademi's silence over the killings.

The poet said that the protests by the authors are mere symbolic and much more needs to be done.  
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20:29   Pak hangs 9 in busy day of executions
Pakistan today executed nine convicts, including four brothers, in the latest hangings since it lifted a moratorium on death penalty last year
following the Peshawar carnage.

The executions were carried out in four cities of the largest province of Punjab - Gujrat, Bahawalpur, Multan and Attock, an official of interior ministry said.

Two brothers were executed in district jail Gujrat, while separately, another two brothers were sent to the gallows in Bahawalpur.

A man convicted for murder in a separate case was also hanged in Bahawalpur.

Two men were hanged in Multan in southern Punjab while a man who had killed two persons in a village of Attock district was hanged in the district jail.

In all cases, the executed men had exhausted their appeals against conviction and the president had also rejected their mercy petitions.

None of them was convicted for terrorism.

Pakistan lifted moratorium on executions in December after the Taliban attacked a school and killed 150 people, mostly students.
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20:27   Twitter to lay off 336 employees
Twitter is laying off 336 employees, or about eight per cent of its global workforce of 4,100 people, days after the microblogging giant brought back its co-founder Jack Dorsey as permanent CEO.

"We have made an extremely tough decision: we plan to part ways with up to 336 people from across the company," Dorsey in a letter to employees.

"We feel strongly that engineering will move much faster with a smaller and nimbler team, while remaining the biggest percentage of our workforce," he said, adding that the rest of the organisation will be streamlined in parallel. 

He said the team has been working around-the-clock to produce streamlined roadmap for Twitter, Vine, and Periscope and they are shaping up to be strong. 

"The roadmap is focused on the experiences which will have the greatest impact. We launched the first of these experiences last week with Moments, a great beginning, and a bold peek into the future of how people will see what's going on in the world," he said.

Dorsey said the "roadmap is also a plan to change how we work, and what we need to do that work".

He added that product and engineering are going to make the most significant structural changes to reflect the microblogging company's plan ahead.

Twitter brought back Dorsey two weeks back with a hope that he would be able to resolve financial problems and boost profits. 
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20:16   Writer Surjit Patar from Ludhiana returns his Sahitya Akademi award
Punjabi poet Surjit Patar has returned his Sahitya Akademi Award to register his protest against the growing incidents of intolerance and communal violence in the country.

Recently, poets Jaswinder and Darshan Buttar, and prose writer Baldev Singh Sadaknama also returned their awards, taking the total number of such writers from Punjab to eight.
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20:16   VHP puts up banners asking non-Hindus not to take part in garba
With the Navratri festival starting today, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has started putting up banners at the entrances of select garba venues across the state, asking non-Hindus not to participate in the dance programmes as it is restricted "only for Hindus".

According to Gujarat VHP leaders, the banners are being put up at over 100 garba venues across Gujarat, which are hosting commercial events during the nine-day festivity. 

"We put up our first such banner at the entrance gate of Rajpath Club on S G Highway here today. Gradually, we will cover all other venues in the city, which are hosting garba events. VHP will put up such banners at around 100 such commercial venues across the state," state VHP media
coordinator Jay Shah said.

These posters carry a common text, which warns non-Hindus from entering the venue.

"Navratri is a sacred Hindu festival...People who don't believe in idol-worshiping must stay away..This festival is for Hindus only," the banner says.
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19:34   Encounter between militants, forces in south Kashmir
A fierce encounter has ensued between militants and security forces at Awantipora in south Kashmir district of Pulwama this evening.

Official sources said that following intelligence information about presence of militants at village Dogripora in Pulwama, a joint search operation was launched by 55 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and Special Operations Group of the Jammu and Kashmir police in the area.

However, when security forces were moving towards a particular area, militants hiding inside a residential house fired at them indiscriminately with automatic weapons.

The security forces retaliated, ensuing in an encounter, they said. Additional security forces were rushed from nearby camps to further cordon off the area to foil any attempts by militants to escape, they added.
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19:19   PM to attend Kalam's birth anniversary celebrations on Oct 15
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the birth anniversary celebrations of former President A P J Abdul Kalam on Thursday, during which he will unveil his statue and inaugurate a photo exhibition on the departed leader.

"Glad to join Dr. Kalam's birth anniversary celebrations, which includes unveiling of his statue & photo exhibition," Modi tweeted today.

The prime minister will attend the celebrations at DRDO Bhavan here, a PMO statement said.

As part of the event, Modi will unveil a statue of Kalam. He will open and witness a photo exhibition titled 'A Celebration of Dr Kalam's Life', the statement said. 

He will also make an address on the occasion.

Bharat Ratna awardee Kalam, who passed away on July 27, was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. 
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19:11   Putin slams US on Syria, says partners have 'mush for brains'
President Vladimir Putin today slammed Washington for refusing to share intelligence with Russia on Syria, and accusing it of muddled thinking.

"I believe some of our partners simply have mush for brains," Putin said, expressing some of his strongest criticism yet of Washington's handling of the Syrian crisis. 

Late last month Moscow launched a bombing campaign in Syria, saying it needed to target Islamic State jihadists before they cross into Russia, which has a large Muslim population.

But Washington and its allies slammed Russia's intervention in the conflict, saying Moscow was also targeting Western-backed moderate rebels and sought to prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
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19:04   Ideological inclinations of writers should be checked: BJP
Facing heat over a long list of writers who have returned Sahitya Akademi awards or resigned from their posts in the literary body, BJP today denied that it was being soft on the issue of "intolerance" and said the ideological inclinations of the writers should be looked into.

BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh described the claim that the central government was going soft on intolerance as "baseless".

"The argument is baseless. We have taken measures, whatever needs to be taken. We feel that the ideological inclinations of the writers who have either resigned or have returned their awards should be looked into. You will get the answer," Singh told PTI.

"I want to ask them whether they had thought of returning their awards or resigning from the posts during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots or during the Bhagalpur riots," he said.
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18:54   Netaji's family members to meet PM tomorrow
Family members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi here tomorrow when they are expected to seek declassification of all the files related to the leader whose mysterious
disappearance 70 years ago continues to be a talking point.

"The prime minister will meet the family members of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose tomorrow - October 14th, 2015," a PMO statement said.

He will receive Netaji's family members at 7, Race Course Road, the official residence of the prime minister, tomorrow evening, the statement added.

Modi had said in his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme last month that he would be receiving over 50 members of Netaji's family members at his residence in October.

"Over 50 members of Subhas babu's family, from various countries, will be coming... I am happy to welcome them," Modi had said.

Describing it as a momentous occasion for him, he had said that it would perhaps be the first time that the family members of Netaji would be together visiting the prime minister's residence.
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18:51   300 infiltrators trying to enter Kashmir valley via LoC: Indian Army
The Army today said that 300 infiltrators are waiting on the other side of the Line of Control on different launching pads to sneak into the valley; but the infiltrators are unable to enter due to strong counter insurgency grid.


"This is a time when winter sets in and militants try to infiltrate into Kashmir, but they are not getting an opportunity to infiltrate,'' Corps Commander, 15 Corps, Lt Gen Satish Dua said.


He said that this time around 300 militants are waiting at different launching pads. "The infiltrators are ready to be launched but they are not getting an opportunity to sneak in.'' Read more
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18:20   Rohini Salian names NIA officer who told her to 'go soft' against Malegaon blasts accused
Former Special Prosecutor Rohini Salian has disclosed that it was Suhas Warke, a Superintendent of Police in the National Investigation Agency (NIA), who asked her to "go soft' against the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case after the NDA came to power.


More than three months after Salian's interview to The Indian Express, the first disclosure on the name of the agency officer has been made in an affidavit she filed in a matter relating to initiation of contempt proceedings against NIA for "tending to hamper the judicial process,' resulting in "weakening of the prosecution's case'.


"I am told that a criminal contempt petition is filed before this Honb'le court and in administration of justice and as an officer of the court, I am disclosing the name of the NIA officer, who had tried to interfere with the delivery of the administration of justice, as a messenger. His name is Suhas Warke, SP, NIA, Mumbai branch,' Salian said in her affidavit. 
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18:06   35 members of Netaji's family to meet PM tomorrow
Just in: Subhash Chandra Bose's family to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow. Nearly 35 members of Bose's family from across the world and around 15 research associates who have been asking for the declassification of the Bose files by the government, will be hosted at 7 Race Course Road on October 14 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for what is being seen by the family members as an important juncture in their "movement' for some closure on the late leader's life and death.
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17:55   400 girls share one toilet in govt schools: RTI reply
Eight months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Union government's much-hyped Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign from Haryana, the BJP-ruled state has failed to construct toilets for girls in most of the government schools.


Cleanliness and maintenance of toilets is another challenge.These facts came to light in a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Rohtak-based social activist Subhash wherein he had sought details of toilets in government schools. Read more
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17:31   UK pulls out of Pound 5.9m Saudi jail deal
The UK government has withdrawn from a controversial Pound 5.9m prisons deal with Saudi Arabia. The prime minister's official spokeswoman said it reflected the government's decision to focus on domestic priorities.


This comes in the wake of UK PM David Cameron writing to the Saudi government over the "extremely concerning" case of a British grandfather facing 350 lashes.


Karl Andree, 74, has served a year in jail after he was caught with bottles of homemade wine in the back of his car. His family say they are concerned that a further punishment of flogging could prove fatal due to his age and ill health.
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17:16  
A meme on our globe-trotting PM... and a must-read report based on an RTI on the expenses involved in Narendra Modi's foreign trips and what India got in return.  Read
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17:11  
JUST IN: President Pranab Mukhjeree arrives on the first-ever visit by an Indian Head of State to Israel.
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16:57   Myanmar may postpone landmark November poll due to floods
Myanmar's election commission summoned major political parties on Tuesday to discuss postponing a historic Nov 8 general election due to the worst flooding to hit the country in decades, a government official and two politicians present said.


Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) is expected to do well in the poll, which has been billed as the country's first free and fair election in 25 years.  -- Reuters
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16:32   MH17 hit by Russian missile, victims did not suffer: Final report
Relatives of some of the 298 people who died on board Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014 have been told some of the contents of a final report by the Dutch Safety Board. One told the BBC the report found the plane had been hit by a Russian-made Buk missile.


The West and Ukraine say Russian-backed rebels brought down the Boeing 777. But Russia claims a missile was fired from Ukrainian-controlled territory.


The report will not apportion blame.


The plane - flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur - crashed in rebel-held eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014 at the height of the conflict between government troops and the pro-Russian separatists. Among the victims were 196 Dutch nationals and 10 Britons.
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16:05   Charity founded by Mother Teresa is halting adoptions over single, gay and divorced parents
In a statement that is sure to dishearten many prospective parents and may even challenge the well-being of hundreds of orphaned children, the Missionaries of Charity have sought de-recognition of 13 of its 16 orphanages across India from the government.


The Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, have reportedly sought de-recognitionfrom the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) on account of "ideological differences" '" mainly due to the fact that the new guidelines notified by the Ministry of Women & Child Development (WCD) allow single, separated or divorced individuals to adopt children.Also of concern to the organization is that gay or lesbian individuals might adopt children from their orphanages.


"The new guidelines hurt our conscience. They are certainly not for religious people like us. ... What if the single parent who we give our baby [to] turns out to be gay or lesbian? What security or moral upbringing will these children get? Our rules only allow married couples to adopt," said Sister Amala, the head nun at the Missionaries' home in North Delhi, according to NPR.   Read more
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15:40   Uddhav honours the 6 Sena men who smeared paint on Kulkarni
Just in: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has honoured the six Sainiks who smeared black paint on Sudheendra Kulkarni, reports NDTV. Shiv Sena activists on Monday smeared black paint on Observer Research Foundation chairman Sudheendra Kulkarnis face for refusing to cancel former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuris book launch.


The six Shiv Sena workers who were arrested on Monday night in connection with the paint attack were released on bail today.  Among those arrested were Gajanand Patil, Shakha Pramukh (branch chief) of Shiv Sena, said police. The other accused were identified as Dinesh Prasad, Ashok Waghmare, Prakash Husbe, Samadhan Jadhav and Venkatesh Nair, they said.


Kasuris book Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insiders Account of Pakistans Foreign Policy, which was recently unveiled in Delhi, was set to be launched in Mumbai on Monday. Sena had demanded that the event be scrapped and had threatened to disrupt it.


Kulkarni, who has served as speechwriter for Bharatiya Janata Party veterans Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani, had met Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at the latters residence Matoshree late Sunday night, but left without getting any assurance from him.


Kasuri said he was most upset over the unfortunate incident and asserted that while he respected the right to protest, it should be done in a democratic manner.
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15:29   Don't need a lecture, India hits back at Pak over Kasuri row
Responding to Islamabad's statement over the 'disruption of events organised for prominent Pakistani personalities in India', the Centre lashed out saying it does not need a 'lecture' as the hostile neighbour is not an 'embodiment of tolerance'.


Pakistan's Foreign Office had earlier today expressed its concern over the protests against Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri and Ghulam Ali and had asked New Delhi indirectly to take steps to prevent a repeat of such incidents.


According to government sources, India hit back by saying that the Hurriyat being projected as a third party in the Kashmir issue by Pakistan would not be tolerated. India was open for NSA level talks in New York, Pakistan was not. India was adherent to agenda agreed upon in Ufa, Pak was not, the sources added. In a statement, the Foreign Office said, "We have noted with concern attempts to disrupt functions organised in respect of prominent Pakistani personalities on visit to India."


"Recently, a cultural event in Mumbai by Pakistani maestro Mr. Ghulam Ali was cancelled because of threats from a fundamentalist organisation," the Foreign Office said in an apparent reference to the right-wing Shiv Sena.


The statement further added, "Attempts were also made to disrupt a function in Mumbai organized for Khurshid Kasuri, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan." The Foreign Office said it was important to ensure that such incidents do not take place again.
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15:15   India has made a terrible mess of meritocracy
olitics is a human game; it sees a change of players from time to time as they pass on or pull out. The last general election saw the eclipse of Bharatiya Janata Party's older generation, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani. Read more
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15:13   Anger beyond words
Over the past week, a growing number of writers have returned literary honours that had been awarded to them in recognition of their work '" and in doing so reminded the state of its failure to protect the last man standing. What started with writer Nayantara Sahgal returning the Sahitya Akademi award she won in 1986, led to a wave of protests. The others also chose to give up their precious Sahitya Akademi awards, given by writers to writers. Read


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15:02   Padma Shri writer returns award over clamp on free speech
In protest against the attempts to put gag on freedom of expression, Punjab's foremost woman writer Dalip Kaur Tiwana has announced to return the Padma Shri, fourth highest civilian award, she was conferred with in 2004. She was also awarded the Sahitya Akademi in 1971. She is the 12th Punjabi writer to give up their awards in the last three days.


In her statement she said: "In this land of Gautama Buddha and Guru Nanak Dev, the atrocities committed on the Sikhs in 1984 and on the Muslims recurrently because of communalism are an utter disgrace to our state and society. And to kill those who stand for truth and justice put us to shame in the eyes of the world and God. In protest, therefore, I return the Padma Shri award."


More than 25 authors having already returned their Sahitya Akademi Awards.  Read more here
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14:53   Dadri Mob Killing 'Part of Pre-meditated Strategy of BJP': Akhilesh
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has alleged that the mob killing of a Muslim man in Dadri two weeks ago over beef rumours is "part of a pre-meditated strategy of the BJP".


In his first interview since Mohammad Akhlaq of Bisada village in Uttar Pradesh was lynched by a mob, Akhilesh Yadav told NDTV that he did not believe the attack was a spontaneous act.


He cited a preliminary investigation by his government to say, "Facts indicate that Dadri was part of a pre-meditated strategy of the BJP and those affiliated to the party."
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14:10   BJP MP terms Dadri lynching a 'small incident'
BJP MP Satyapal Singh on Tuesday kicked up a row with his remarks calling Dadri lynching a "small incident', evoking strong reactions from Opposition parties, which said it was a reflection of the party's "polarisation' strategy."


"As far as a small incident like Dadri is concerned, our country's democratic atmosphere is fully competent to handle such incidents," Singh told CNN-IBN.


The BJP MP from Baghpat also said that the government needs to take a view on the plight of Muslims as well as followers of other religions. Reacting sharply to Singh's comments on Dadri, Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said it is a reflection of what the BJP was trying to do.


"I am absolutely dismayed at the remarks of the BJP MP, who was also a former police commissioner of Mumbai,' he said, alleging that such remarks reflect the "strategy' of BJP to "usurp' power by "polarising' communities.SP leader Rajiv Rai demanded an apology from the BJP and alleged that it was aiming at "communal polarisation', which would be seen more as Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled in 2017 comes closer.


"They should apologise. I am disgusted that this statement comes from an MP, who was a former police commissioner.'55-year-old Ikhlaq was dragged out of his home by a 200-strong mob and beaten to death after a public announcement from the local temple that the family had slaughtered a calf and eaten its meat in Uttar Pradesh's Bisada village in Dadri.


The Uttar Pradesh government has submitted a report to the Centre on the issue.Concerned over communal incidents in Dadri and other places, the Centre had last week asked all states to take strictest action against those who attempt to weaken the secular fabric by exploiting religious emotions. The incident has triggered a nationwide outrage with a number of eminent authors deciding to return their awards.
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13:54   Russian embassy bombed in Syria
Just in: The area around the Russian embassy in Damascus in Syria, has been bombed, with the embassy taking a direct hit. The bombing occurred during a pro-government rally. 
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13:52   Multiple attacks in Jerusalem
Violent tensions between Israel and the Palestinians peaked Tuesday, with multiple terror attacks reported in Jerusalem and the central city of Ra'anana, leaving over 30 Israelis wounded and at least two dead.

In the morning, a stabbing was reported in Raanana, followed by two separate attacks in Jerusalem, followed by yet another attack in Ra'anana.

Two suspects were apprehended at the scene and at least 5 people were taken to hospital with moderate injuries. In a second incident on Malkhei Yisrael Street an attacker stabbed 3 people; the suspect was shot and captured.

President Pranab Mukherjee is on a five-day state visit to Jordan, Palestine and Israel landed in Tel Aviv from Jordanian capital of Amman yesterday.
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13:45   'Education gives me confidence to survive in an unequal world'
Sarmesh Kumar is the first in his family, that comes from the community of rat eaters, to go to college. That is why when he passes his degree in business economics, it will not just be an academic formality but an accomplishment that should make every Indian proud.  Read more
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13:33   Playboy to stop publishing nude photos!
Playboy, the adult magazine that launched in 1953 with a sultry Marilyn Monroe on its cover will stop publishing the photographs of the fully nude women so closely associated with it.


The decision came after a top editor of the magazine met with its founder Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion last month, according to chief executive Scott Flanders.


Starting in March, Playboy's revamped print edition will still include photographs of women in provocative poses. They just won't be nude anymore, Flanders told The New York Times, adding that such pictures have become "passe" in the Internet age.


"You're now one click away from every sex act imaginable for free. And so it's just passe at this juncture," he said.


It's a remarkable move for a magazine that came onto the scene by breaking the taboo of showing women au naturel.


But with pornographic images now so readily available online, and accessible via a variety of connected devices, Playboy is selling less and less copies. The magazine's circulation decreased from 5.6 million in 1975 to about 800,000 now, the Times said, citing Alliance for Audited Media figures.


In order to be allowed on now-ubiquitous social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that drive Internet traffic, Playboy has already made some content safe for work, according to Flanders. For its latest redesign, the magazine sought to answer the question: "if you take nudity out, what's left?" he explained.
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13:12   MP govt forms panel of astrologers to pacify Gods and Grahas
Petrified with recent series of incidents that killed hundreds of pilgrims at religious gatherings at annual Hajj, Godavari Kumbh, the Madhya Pradesh government went on to constitute a team of astrologers to pacify 'Gods' and 'Grahas' to avert Guru Chandal Yogam which is coinciding with Simhastha fair, that is going to take place between April and May next year. Read more
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12:38   Tiger or Cow? Haryana mantri launches poll on Twitter
Vij, who has unbelievably launched an online poll across social networks like Twitter, Facebook and Google+ to garner support for cows, says making the cow India's national animal would preclude the need for any special laws to protect the animal from slaughter.  Read more
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12:36   Uddhav may ask Sena ministers to quit Maharashtra government
Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's memoir may have the unintended consequence of catalysing the breakdown of the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra.


The Sena is all set to walk out of the alliance, because Matoshree is peeved with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on a host of issues, the latest being the release of the former Pakistan foreign minister's book in Mumbai. Read more
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12:24   Brit man to receive 350 lashes for flouting alcohol law in Saudi
The children of a British man have called on David Cameron to intervene to save their father from being subjected to 350 lashes in Saudi Arabia. Karl Andree, 74, faces being publicly flogged as part of a punishment imposed after bottles of homemade wine were reportedly found last year in his car by Saudi police enforcing strict laws prohibiting alcohol.


The family of the oil executive, who is being held at Jeddah's Briman prison, say he is already weak as a result of cancer and fear that the flogging will kill him.  Read more
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12:15   After inking Kulkarni, Sena forces cancellation of Indo-Pak rock band show
After forcing the cancellation of Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali's concerts in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena compelled organisers to abandon a show by an Indo-Pak sufi rock band in  Ahmedabad on Sunday night.

Eleven Shiv Sena activists, who staged a protest outside the venue, were arrested for defying police orders and later released on bail, police said on Monday.

The live concert of 'Mekaal Hasan Band' was to be held at the premises of C N Vidyalay in Ambawadi area. Indian singer Sharmistha Chatterjee is part of the band led by famous Pakistani guitarist Mekaal Hasan.

Eleven persons, who claimed to be associated with Shiv Sena, shouted slogans like 'go back Pakistani artistes' ... 'Jai Bhawani'... and cancel this event'.

"We have arrested them for violating the Police Commissioner's order which bars people from holding such protests without getting our permission," said Vyas.

After the protest, the organisers called off the event, said Sharma who was among those arrested last night.

"Pakistan is killing Indian soldiers and promoting terrorism. They are responsible for killing many innocent civilians. Thus, we cannot tolerate their artistes coming here and singing songs on our soil. Due to our protest, organisers called off the event," said Sharma before being taken into custody.

The Sena activists, including Sharma, who were booked under IPC Section 188 (defying orders of police), were produced before a court which released them on bail this morning, said Vyas.

Last week, Shiv Sena had forced cancellation of Ghulam Ali's concerts in Mumbai and Pune.

The saffron outfit, which is part of the BJP-led ruling coalitions in Maharashtra and also at the Centre, has been consistently opposing shows by Pakistani artistes on the ground that the neighbouring country sponsors terrorism in India.
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12:06   Sharif to take up Indo-Pak dialogue issue with Obama: Aziz
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will raise the issue of suspended Indo-Pak peace process with President Barack Obama during his US visit next week, Pakistan's National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz has said.

"Yes, this issue (Pakistan-India stalled peace process) and several other issues would be discussed between the US President and PM Nawaz Sharif," Aziz, Pakistan Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs and National Security, told reporters yesterday. Sharif is expected to meet Obama on October 22 in Washington during his US trip for which he was invited by the US President.

Aziz also hinted on sharing with the US dossiers on India's alleged involvement in "subversive" activities, saying that documents shared with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon would also be shared with "other friendly countries".

He accused India's state institutions, including the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), of allegedly supporting militants to destabilise Pakistan. India has always rejected such allegations made by Pakistan.
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11:40   Gujarat riots: SC dismisses Sanjiv Bhatt's plea against Amit Shah
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's plea to add BJP president Amit Shah and S Gurumurthy as parties in his petition about the Gujarat riots of 2002. Bhatt said Shah and Gurumurthy were "part of the larger design to subvert the course of justice", before the SC and the trial court in the cases.


The top court also approved action against Bhatt for allegedly hacking the email account of former Gujarat advocate General Tushar Mehta. Bhatt had requested the SC to set up a special investigation team to probe the then state law officer's series of emails that he said indicated a serious conspiracy to subvert justice.  Read more
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11:38   The Sonia-Rajiv wedding
Social media is agog with a video showing clippings of Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi's wedding reception in 1978. The video was shot in London.


According to AICC sources, the video of Sonia's wedding was released to garner sympathy for a party whose fortunes are waning. It's a new public relations exercise by the AICC.


The question being asked now is, when will Rahul Gandhi marry and upload a clip of his wedding on YouTube? 
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11:23   Indians crowdfund Pakistani girl's medical treatment
Around the time that Shiv Sainiks were blackening Sudheendra Kulkarni's face on Monday morning, a Pakistani girl and her mother were getting ready to leave Mumbai with warm memories of a 49-day stay and gratitude for Indians. Read more
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10:38   J-K CM lambasts Sena over Kasuri book launch protest
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed strongly condemned the assault by the Shiv Sena on Sudheendra Kulkarni, the organiser of former Pakistan minister's book launch in Mumbai. The CM said that the hawkish attitude of certain fringe elements can not be allowed to shrink space for freedom of expression. "Those who think they can resort to political hooliganism and get away with it are living in a fool's paradise," said Sayeed.
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10:09   With people like Kulkarni, Pakistan doesn't need to send Kasabs: Sena
After a day-long drama of Shiv Sena, the party is in no mood to relent and has called Sudheendra Kulkarni an agent of Pakistan. The Shiv Sena attacked Chairman of Observer and Research Foundation Sudheendra Kulkarni for organising former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book launch in Mumbai. 

Sena in a hard-hitting editorial in party's mouthpiece Saamna said that with people like Sudheendra Kulkarni present in India, Pakistan need not bother sending those like Ajmal Kasab. 

 The article also attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party and said that Kulkarni was the man behind cash-for-votes sting, which embarrassed the party and alleged that as an aide to senior leader LK Advani he was responsible for Mohammad Ali Jinnah fiasco.
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09:42   2008 Malegaon bomb: NIA court refuses to grant Lt Col Purohit bail
A Special NIA court has rejected the bail petitions of Prasad Purohit and three other accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case. Besides Purohit, who is in jail since his arrest in late 2008, the other accused whose bail pleas were rejected were Dyanand Pandey alias Swami Amritanand Dev, Rakesh Dhawade and Major Ramesh Upadhayay (retd). 

The accused, in their bail applications, had told the court that they were innocent and incarcerated for the past seven years without the trial taking off. However, National Investigation Agency opposed their bail, saying there were evidences against them in the terror attack.
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09:24   Take a quick call on uniform civil code: SC tells Centre
The Supreme Court asked the government to tell if it is willing to bring the Uniform Civil Code in the country, saying there was "total confusion" due to personal laws governing religious practices. 

A bench of Justices Vikramjit Sen and Shiva Kurti Singh asked the government to clarify its position on the vexed issue on framing the Uniform Civil Code so that different standards enjoined in various religions could be regulated under the law. "There is total confusion. We should work on the Uniform Civil Code. What happened to it? If you (government) want to do it then you should do it. Why don't you frame and implement it," the bench asked the counsel representing the central government.

The bench put the poser to the government while hearing a petition, challenging the legal provision that forcing Christian couples to wait for at least two years for divorce whereas other religions like the Hindu Marriage Act and the Parsi Marriage and the Special Marriage Act, and Divorce Act prescribed only one year for it. 

During the hearing, the bench asked the government also to explain as when it proposed to pass the amendment.
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09:21  
JUST IN:  24 Indian fishermen arrested and 4 boats seized by Sri Lankan Navy near Gulf of Mannar.
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09:11   Lashkar develops exclusive mobile app for operatives
Pakistani terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba has developed an exclusive mobile application for its operatives in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere to make their communication secure, counter terror officials have revealed. The application allows the user to make phone calls and send text messages to other users who have the same application installed on their devices."

LeT terrorist Mohammad Naveed told interrogators that his commander in the Valley, Abu Qasim, was using an app on his mobile to stay in touch with his handlers and other operatives. Naveed clarified that the app was specially developed by Lashkar for its operatives,' said a central counter terror official.
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08:56   PM Modi to host high tea for Netaji's family on Wednesday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a high tea for forty close relatives and friends of Netaji Subas Chandra Bose on Wednesday. The PM will meet with Bose's family individually and would also hold a group discussion with them, sources have said. Political pundits believe that the meeting is being held keeping in mind next year's West Bengal assembly elections. The initiative comes days after the Mamata Banerjee-led government announced the declassification of 64 Netaji's files.  
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08:25   YSR chief Jaganmohan Reddy admitted to hospital
Police took YSR Congress party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy's, who is on an indefinite hunger strike demanding special category status to Andhra Pradesh, to a hospital today on account of his deteriorating health. He has been on strike for that last six days and as his health worsened, police took him under custody from the hunger strike camp in Guntur around 4 am. He was taken to a government hospital in an ambulance and was admitted to the intensive care unit. Doctors are administering him fluids intravenously.
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08:22   Let them stop writing, then we'll see: Culture minister on writers returning awards
As more writers returned their Sahitya Akademi awards on Monday to protest against the silence of the central government and the Akademi over the threat to free speech, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma struck back, saying, "If they say they are unable to write, let them first stop writing. We will then see." He added, "This is an award given by writers to writers. It has nothing to do with the government. It is their personal choice to return it' we accept it." 

Meanwhile, the Akademi called an emergency meeting of its executive board on October 23 to discuss the situation. 
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03:19   Sea level rise will swallow Miami, New Orleans: study
Say goodbye to Miami and New Orleans. No matter what we do to curb global warming, these and other beloved US cities will sink below rising seas, according to a study today.

But making extreme carbon cuts and moving to renewable energy could save millions of people living in iconic coastal areas of the United States, said the findings in the October 12 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal.

Scientists have already established that if we do nothing to reduce our burning of fossil fuel up to the year 2100, the planet will face sea level rise of 14-32 feet (4.3-9.9 meters), said lead author Ben Strauss, vice president for sea level and climate impacts at Climate Central. 

The big uncertainty is the issue of when. 

"Some of this could happen as early as next century," Strauss told AFP, adding, "But it might also take many centuries," he added.

To bring this issue home for people in the United States, the study pinpoints at-risk land where more than 20 million people reside.
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02:48   Shiv Sena ministers to quit Maharashtra government?
Times of India reports: Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's memoirs may soon consign the BJP-Sena government to Mantralaya archives. The Shiv Sena is all set to walk out of the saffron alliance, peeved as Matoshree is with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on a slew of issues, the latest being the release of the former Pakistan foreign minister's book in Mumbai. 

According to sources in the Sena, Uddhav Thackeray may soon ask the party's ministers in the Fadnavis government to quit their offices. "Yes, it is very, very likely that we may sever ties with the BJP," a key Sena leader, on condition of anonymity, told TOI soon after the book release function. 

A section in the Sena is keen that Matoshree should without further delay snap ties with the BJP in view of the latter's "condescending style of behaviour", sources in the Sena said.

Read more HERE
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02:45   UK police removed from embassy where Assange holed up
British police has removed a round-the-clock guard from outside the Ecuadorean Embassy hideout of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying it wasn't "proportionate" to keep up the operation when no end to the three-year stalemate is in sight.

The Metropolitan Police said the force would still do its best to arrest Assange, who sought refuge at the London embassy in June 2012 while facing extradition to Sweden for questioning about alleged sex crimes.

The force said that because there is "no imminent prospect of a diplomatic or legal resolution to this issue" a round-the-clock police presence is "no longer proportionate."

Ecuador has granted Assange political asylum, but he faces arrest if he leaves the embassy. 

Read more HERE
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02:44   'Jihadi John' made him do tango in Syrian prison
A Danish photographer who endured months of torture at the hands of Islamic State extremists says the terrorist killer known as 'Jihadi John' forced him to stand for days and dance the Tango at a prison in Syria.

Daniel Rye Ottosen, 26 -- the last ISIS hostage to be released alive last June -- revealed details about his experience in captivity in an interview Sunday with Denmark radio network DR.

The identity of 'Jihadi John' -- the British terrorist infamous for beheading at least 4 hostages -- became public last spring. Mohammed Emwazi, 26, was born in Kuwait, raised in London, and graduated from Westminster University before going to Syria in 2013 to fight with ISIS.

He has become the face of several gruesome propaganda videos wearing a mask and all black, and wielding a knife before decapitating high profile hostages captured by ISIS terrorists.

Read more HERE
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02:23   A very revealing conversation with Rihanna
Author and filmmaker Miranda July asks the pop superstar Rihanna what turns her on, how she handles the pressure of public scrutiny and why shes been Googling childbirth. (Then they become best friends.) 

Read more HERE
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02:23   Resurgent Taliban threaten to overrun another Afghan city
Fighting flared in eastern Afghanistan today as Taliban insurgents threatened to storm another provincial capital, two weeks after their lightning capture of northern Kunduz city which marked their biggest military victory in 14 years.

The attempt to seize Ghazni city was repelled by Afghan forces but it raised security alarm bells as the resurgent militant group pushes to expand beyond its rural strongholds in the south of the country.

The violence, which prompted local shops and schools to close, follows the Taliban's three-day occupation of Kunduz and an attempt by the militants to capture the capital of northern Faryab province.

"This morning some 2,000 Taliban fighters launched attacks on Ghazni from several directions," deputy provincial governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi told AFP. 

"They managed to come as close as five kilometres (three miles) to Ghazni city as fierce fighting flared but were quickly pushed back by Afghan forces." 

The development comes after days of sporadic clashes and officials said Afghan military reinforcements had arrived from neighbouring provinces to secure the city. 
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02:22   6 Shiv Sena workers held for paint attack on Kulkarni
Six Shiv Sena workers have been arrested in connection with the paint attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni, a former BJP member and head of a city-based think-tank, on Monday.

The arrest came hours after police registered an FIR against unidentified persons for blackening the face of Kulkarni, Chairman of Observer Research Foundation (ORF), ahead of the launch of former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book, 'Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider's Account of Pakistan's Foreign Policy'.

"Police have arrested (six) accused and a further probe is on," DCP (Zone IV) Ashok Dudhe told PTI. 

Among those arrested is Gajanand Patil, Shakha Pramukh (branch chief) of Shiv Sena, said police. The other accused were identified as Dinesh Prasad, Ashok Waghmare, Prakash Husbe, Samadhan Jadhav and Venkatesh Nair, they said.

Black paint was sprayed on the technocrat-turned-columnist for not bowing to Sena's diktat calling for cancellation of the event over its Pakistan connection. A group of Shiv Sainiks intercepted Kulkarni's car just outside his Matunga home on Monday morning and painted his face black. 

The book launch event was organised by ORF at Nehru Centre in Worli, Central Mumbai, and it took place as scheduled in the evening amidst tight security.
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02:21   Foreign toll figures show Hajj tragedy deadliest in history
The death toll from last month's stampede at the Hajj has risen to at least 1,608, according to tallies given by foreign officials, making it the deadliest incident in the pilgrimage's history.

Saudi Arabia has yet to provide an updated death toll after saying two days after the stampede that 769 Muslim pilgrims had died. Saudi authorities have also not provided a breakdown by nationality.

Hundreds of pilgrims have also not been accounted for following the September 24 stampede at the hajj, one of the largest annual gatherings in the world. 

But many foreign governments have provided numbers on pilgrims killed from their countries and an AFP tally shows the death toll has overtaken the 1,426 pilgrims who died in the hajj's worst previous incident -- a tunnel stampede in July 1990.

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