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Fri, 11 September 2015
Washington rail station evacuated after reports of shooting

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23:52   Russia announces plan to bury last Tsar's heir and daughter
Russia today announced a proposal to finally bury the remains of Tsar Nicholas II's son and heir Alexei and daughter Maria alongside their family in Saint Petersburg next month.

But a government spokeswoman cautioned the plan had not been given final approval, amid objections from the Russian Orthodox Church.

A high-level government task force put forward a proposal for the burial to take place in Russia's former imperial capital on October 18.

The task force "will propose to the government the holding of a burial ceremony of the remains of Tsarevich Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria on October 18," it said after meeting on Friday.

But Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's spokeswoman, Natalia Timakova, later told RIA Novosti state news agency "there has  not been a final decision on the date."

She said that further consultations would be held, including with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The task force proposed that the burial take place in the former imperial capital's Peter and Paul Cathedral, where Nicholas II, his wife and their three other children were buried in 1998.
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23:44   Washington rail station evacuated after reports of shooting
The main train station in Washington was briefly evacuated today after reports of a shooting in the facility's food court, witnesses said.

City police said on Twitter there was "no active shooter" at Union Station, but that an investigation was under way.

The Washington Post, citing a police spokesman, said security guards had shot a person, and the condition of the person was unknown.

The spokesman, Lieutenant Sean Conway, also had no immediate information about the circumstances of the incident, which occurred on the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks -- when US authorities are on high alert.

Local television footage showed people streaming from the station, a main stop on the US East Coast rail line. Many commuters use Amtrak trains to travel between Boston, New York and Washington.

Union Station is also located near Capitol Hill. 
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23:09   Not cosying upto BJP, says Amritanandamayi
Spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi today said she was not warming upto BJP or any other political party and her wish is only to establish
'dharma'.

Amritanandamayi, popularly addressed as 'Amma' by her followers, was talking to reporters after handing over a cheque of Rs 100 crore to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for the construction of toilets under the Namami Gange and Swachh Bharat programmes.

Asked whether the Amritanandamayi mutt was moving close to BJP-led NDA government, she said, party or government is irrelevant to her.

"As far as I am concerned, it is not politics or government that concerns me. What is important to me is to establish dharma irrespective of governments," she said. 

However, she wanted everybody to work together to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat dream.

Also known as "hugging mother", she wanted all states, through which the river Ganga flows, to ensure that the effluents from the factories were not discharged into the river before being treated and to create awareness among local people on the necessity of using toilets.

She said the mutt had donated Rs 100 crore for the ambitious programmes based on her meeting with Modi in March this year.
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22:50   More than 60 dead in crane collapse in Mecca's Grand Mosque
A huge construction crane buffeted by strong winds collapsed and crashed through the roof of the Grand Mosque in Mecca Friday, killing as many as 62 worshippers in the city for the annual Muslim pilgrimage, the Saudi Arabia Civil Defense reports.

The Civil Defense said on Twitter that as many as 30 people had been injured.

Photos sent by Twitter from the scene show numerous blood-covered bodies strewn on a marble floor. The arm of a huge crane appears through a large hole in the roof of the mosque.

Even before the crane accident, the Civil Defense was warning of thunderstorms, heavy rain and wind in the area.

Read more HERE.
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21:58  
JUST IN: The government has announced dates of Israel visit of President Pranab Mukherjee. He will be visiting Israel, Palestine and Jordan from October 10-15.
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21:57   Obama leads Americans in observing 14th anniversary of 9/11
US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle today led Americans in observing the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 that killed nearly 3,000 people.

In New York, police and relatives of those killed at the World Trade Centre (WTC) began the annual reading of names of victims at Ground Zero, the present site of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

At 8:46 am, precisely 14 years after American Airlines Flight 11 flown by al-Qaeda hijackers smashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre with enough sound and fury to be heard around the world, there was silence on the South Lawn of the White House.

Obama stood, head bowed, along with his wife and senior staffers including his Chief of Staff Denis McDonough,National Security Advisor Susan Rice and spokesman JoshEarnest.
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20:24   Rains force Port Blair bound AI flight to land in Chennai
A Port Blair-bound Air India flight with 148 passengers was diverted here due to heavy rains in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands today.

The flight could not land in Port Blair due to heavy rains and was hence diverted here where it landed by 5.40 pm, airport sources said.

The passengers who are now in the airport would be accommodated in a hotel and would leave for Port Blair tomorrow, they added.
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20:14   Hardik Patel stopped from meeting Gujarat MoS for home
Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel and his supporters were today stopped by police from meeting Gujarat Minister of State for Home Rajni Patel at a function in Mehsana today.

Hardik, who heads the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, has started a campaign where a rose is offered to Patel MLAs and they are asked whether they back the community's demand of inclusion in the OBC category.

Rajni Patel was today scheduled to attend a program at the Sarvajanik School here where allotment letters were to be distributed to the talathis (village revenue officers). Hardik had announced that he would be meeting the minister at the event and give him a rose.

Hardik and his supporters reached the venue moments after the programme started around 4 pm. However, the police, deployed in a large number, stopped them at the entrance and forced them to leave without meeting the minister.

"There were no detentions or arrests," said the Mehsana Superintendent of Police, J R Mothalia, adding that Hardik "didn't create any trouble". The programme passed off peacefully.

More than two thousand women from the Patel community had also gathered outside to protest against the minister for the alleged police atrocities during the Patels' agitation last month. However, they too were disappointed as the minister used another gate to enter and leave.
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20:11   Rewards for info on 6 terrorists behind Udhampur attack on BSF convoy
The National Investigation Agency, which is probing the terror strike on a Border Security Force convoy case in Jammu and Kashmir last month, today announced cash reward on information leading to the arrest of six Lashker-e-Tayiba and Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists who were part of a larger conspiracy behind the attack.

Abu Dujana (LeT terrorist), a Pakistani resident, Adil Sher Gujri alias Abu Baqa, Ashiq Hussain Bhat alias Obiada and Manzoor Ahmed Bhat alias Fahadullah, all residents of Pulwama, Moin Kachroo, alias Altaf Dar, and Majid Zargar alias Talhaa, residents of Kulgam, in South Kashmir, were named as linked to the conspiracy behind the August 5 terror strike.

Barring Kachroo, who has an allegiance with the banned Hizbul Mujahideen terror group, all others have been associated with the LeT terror outfit. While Dujana, Gujri and Kachroo carry a cash reward of Rs 8 lakh each for information leading to their arrest, Rs 5 lakh each has been announced for information leading to arrest of the other three.

The accused persons are alleged to be accomplices of self-styled Commander of LeT in Kashmir Abdul Rehman alias Qasim, a resident of Bhawalpur in Pakistan, and Mohammad Naveed, a Pakistani LeT terrorist who was caught alive after the terror attack on BSF convoy in Udhampur in Jammu region. Two BSF personnel were killed in the terror strike while one terrorist Mohammed Noman alias Momin perished in retaliatory fire.
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19:19   First Indian woman operative of ISIS deported from Dubai; she was online recruiter of terror group
In what has alarmed Indian intelligence and security agencies, the first Indian woman operative of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been deported from Dubai.

Top government sources said that the woman operative of ISIS identified as Afsha Jabeen, who also has an alias Nicole Joseph, is an online recruiter for the Islamic State.

Jabeen was deported from Dubai with the help of intelligence agencies on Thursday night along with her husband - identified as Devender Batra alias Mustafa and three daughters.

The agencies managed to track her after one Salman Moinuddin, caught from Hyderabad Airport in January this year while he was trying to go to Dubai and then to Syria to join and fight for ISIS.

Sources say that Salman was motivated by Jabeen to join the outfit, which has captured most of the areas of Iraq and Syria since it came into prominence last year.

Jabeen is being intensively questioned by intelligence agencies to know more about the recruits she has motivated from different parts of India and her association with the outfit.

She was presently residing in Dubai but as soon as Indian agencies managed to find evidence against her and enough details about her involved, the UAE officials were contacted and her deportation was initiated.

The recent association with UAE, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the country last month, has led to deportation of people of Indian origin trying to join the Islamic State. Two persons, who had joined ISIS, were deported last month to Kerala.
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19:16   40 MPs conspiring to block development, says PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hit out at the Congress over the deadlock in Parliament, saying 40 MPs are "conspiring" to hamper the country's development against the wishes of 400 MPs which is an "insult" to democracy.


In a hard-hitting speech at a public meeting, he said he decided to share his feelings before the public because 'jan sabha' (public assembly) is above Lok Sabha where the government's voice was being "throttled" despite being given a massive mandate by the people. Time has come to spread awareness about democracy in the country and for the people to pressurise their representatives to do their work in Parliament by asking questions and debating issues and letting the Houses function, he said after inaugurating a slew of projects. The people will not forgive such opposition parties, Modi said.


"Beyond Lok Sabha is 'jan sabha' and that is why I am expressing my views here. Some people (opposition) are doing this just for their arrogance. There can be nothing more unfortunate than this. The people will not forgive these parties for their conduct in Parliament," he said.

"40 MPs are conspiring to block development of the country against the wishes of the 400 MPs," the Prime Minister said attacking Congress.
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18:37   We have left our fate to Allah: Parents of 11/7 convicted
Ten minutes before the judgment was passed on the accused in the 7/11 case, an elderly couple sitting on the benches in Special Judge Y D Shinde's court was hopeful that Allah would give them justice. When the trial began nine years ago, Attaur Rehman and his wife Parveen Bano felt that their accused sons -- Faisal Shaikh, the man the Mumbai police alleged was the mastermind in the 7/11 case -- and Muzzamil Shaikh would be let off. Read more
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18:04   Why was the Delhi CM so happy today?
Delhi Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had an interesting visitor today, which left him beaming from ear to ear. Can't recognise the person in the red shirt?

That's the four national awards winner, actor Kamal Haasan!

Fanboy moment for Mr Kejriwal, we think.
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17:49   Chronology of 2006 Mumbai train blasts
July 11, 2006 - Seven RDX bombs kept in Mumbai suburban trains exploded killing 189 people and injuring over 800 people.

July 20, 2006 to October 3, 2006 - ATS arrests 13 accused in connection with the serial blasts.


November 30, 2006 - Charge sheet filed against 30 accused including 13 Pakistani nationals who are now absconding.


2007 - Trial begins


February, 2008 - Supreme Court stays trial


April 23, 2010 - Supreme Court vacates stay on trial.


August 19, 2014 - Trial in the train blasts case ends.


September 11, 2015 - MCOCA court convicts 12 out of the 13 arrested accused in the case.
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17:39   Meat ban reduced to 2 days in Mumbai after court slams 'regressive' outlook
Just in: In the aftermath of the immense flak that the Maharashtra government has faced over the four-day mean ban in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has voted to reduce the number of days to two. This morning, the BJP government asked the BMC to reduce the ban to two days.

A four-day ban on meat in deference of the Jain festival of Paryushan was not an apt formula for a city like Mumbai, the Bombay High Court said yesterday and today questioned why fish and eggs were left out of the ban.

The court said, "How can you stop sale? Will the police and the municipal officers enter houses and say meat can't be eaten?" Thursday was the first of the four days of the ban in the eight-day Paryushan period as decided by the BMC and the state government.

The BMC today voted to reduce the ban from four days to two days.

The court today slammed the government saying, there is "no progressive outlook in Mumbai. How can you take these decisions at the 11th hour? These are regressive steps." 


The mutton traders of Mumbai challenged the four-day ban that started yesterday amid protests not just by opposition parties but also the ruling BJP's ally Shiv Sena. The BJP wanted the ban extended to eight days, but the Sena said it would ensure that meat was openly sold and eaten in the financial capital on the days of the ban.

Meat will now be banned on the 17th. The ban on the other two days -- 13th and 18th -- have been lifted.
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17:25   A big win for Moneylife, a small step for journalism
Moneylife's victory against NSE shows good journalism does not need to fear deep pockets of big corporations, says N Sundaresha Subramanian.
Read why
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16:33   FTII: Students' hunger strike enters day two
A sombre mood prevailed at the Film and Television Institute of India campus as the indefinite hunger strike of the three students demanding removal of actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as FTII chairman entered its second day today.


Students at the prestigious institute have been protesting since June 12 over the controversial appointment of Chauhan as chairman of the governing body even as the impasse remains unsolved.


A makeshift pandal housed the fasting students for whom three beds have been put up by their colleagues who also burnt mosquito repellent to take precaution against the dengue virus. The condition of the students was stable, according to students' representatives.
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16:16   PM turns 65 on Sept 17
So, it's Narendra Modi's birthday is on September 17, his second at 7 Race Course Road. Sources tell us that he plans to bring it in quietly with no celebrations at all. No confirmation as yet on whether he will visit Gandhinagar to meet his mother, Heeraben. The PM will turn 65.  
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16:02   64 Netaji files to be made public on Sept 18, promises Mamata
Just in: Netaji files to be made public next week, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. The 64 digitised files, from 1937 to 1947, on Subhas Chandra Bose will be made public next Friday.


The decision comes in the wake of Netaji's grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose's repeated pleas to the West Bengal government, which said that 23 members of Netaji's family had written six times to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requesting her to declassify the files that were with the state government, but got no response.

A large section of the Bose family, researchers and historians have been seeking declassification of over 100 secret files said to be with various government departments including the prime minister's office (PMO).

The family and the researchers are also making efforts to create a nationwide movement seeking declassification of the documents.


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15:57   Tagore talks about Ray
On the 60th anniversary of Satyajit Ray's first film, Pather Panchali, Sharmila Tagore looks back at the life and work of India's greatest director. Read
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15:55   Looking forward to some good news: Shatrughan
Shatrughan Sinha @ShatruganSinha tweets: "Off for a short vacation - of the family, by the family and for the family. Looking forward to some good news on my return...God willing."


Over the last few months, as the Bihar assembly elections drew closer, Sinha has become more brazen in his actions. He skipped the Maha Parivartan Rally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bihar's Muzaffarpur and then left the party's leadership red-faced by meeting and praising Janata Dal (U) leader and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar the very next day.


Watch this space.
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15:24   Maha govt explains why fish not banned: They die out of water, so no slaughter
NDTV reports: The Maharashtra government today strongly defended in court a controversial meat ban in Mumbai, which has been challenged by mutton traders and fueled protests, even by the ruling BJP's ally, the Shiv Sena.


"The Supreme Court judgement says that we have to respect the sentiments of a particular community. It doesn't matter if Jains are fewer in number in Mumbai," the government argued in the Bombay High Court.


The court questioned why the ban was limited to mutton and chicken.

"We have to change our attitude in view of globalisation. We want to understand why fish, sea food and eggs are not banned," the judge questioned.

The government replied: "Fish die the moment they are out of water. So there is no slaughter involved."

Mutton traders in the city have moved court against the ban, saying it discriminates against their right to a livelihood.

Meat shops were open on Thursday, on the first of a four-day ban, but the government-run slaughterhouse was shut.
 
"An eight-day straight ban can't be a formula. Mumbai is a modern city," the court observed yesterday.

The government today said the ban is only for two days, arguing: "How can two days be unreasonable?"

The ban on slaughter and sale of meat in Mumbai has been imposed because of a Jain festival of fasting, Paryushan. After yesterday, the ban will be in force on three more days, Sunday, September 17 and 20.

The BJP wants the ban extended to eight days, but its own ally Shiv Sena says it will ensure meat is openly sold and eaten on the days of the ban.

The meat ban during the Jain fast was introduced in 1994 by the then Congress government. Ten years later, the two-day ban was extended to four days, but has never really been implemented, officials say.
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14:41   Time taken to travel to work 'should count as work' according to European court
Time taken to travel to and from work at the beginning and end of each day should count as working time under the law, according to the Europe's highest court. Read more


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14:23   PM apologises after schools, crematoriums close for Chandigarh visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tweeted his regrets for the inconvenience caused to Chandigarh by his visit to the city today. The PM said on Twitter that, "the inconvenience caused to citizens in Chandigarh, especially shutting of schools due to my visit is regretted. It was totally avoidable. An inquiry will be held and responsibility fixed for the inconvenience caused to the people of Chandigarh."


The PM was in Chandigarh for the 34th convocation ceremony of a hospital and inaugurated a  modern 900-crore version of the city's airport this morning which will handle  domestic as well as international flights.

Consequently, the parking lot at the main crematorium in the heart of the city was turned into parking space for a public rally addressed by the PM. Families that are bereaved have been asked to use another crematorium in the western part of the city. Schools were also closed for his visit.
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13:56   India wont fire first bullet along border: Rajnath Singh to Pakistan
India will not fire the first bullet towards Pakistan as it wants cordial relations with all its neighbours, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today told a visiting delegation from the country which is here for border talks.


"India wants friendly relations with all its neighbours. India will not fire the first bullet towards Pakistan along the border,"  Singh told the delegation of Pakistan Rangers, headed by its Director General Maj. Gen. Umar Farooq Burki.


In his response, Burki told Singh that he was the mere DG of a force and not the leadership like the Home Minister and could not give any commitment in this regard. Burki, however, said that he would convey Singhs message to the Pakistani leadership.


The Home Minister further told the Pakistan Rangers delegation that it should be ensured that no infiltration takes place from Pakistan to India. He also said that both India and Pakistan must unite against the menace of terrorism.


Like India, Pakistan, too, is a victim of terrorism, he told the Pakistani delegation. Singh said India wanted to engage in dialogue with Pakistan at different levels and that was why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif at Ufa in Russia.


Unfortunately, the NSA level talks did not take place. But we want to have a good relation with Pakistan. I am saying this not for formalitys sake, but tah-e-dil-se (from the bottom of the heart), he said.


Quoting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Singh further said that we can change friends, but not the neighbours and that was why it was necessary to have cordial relations with all neighbouring countries.


Pic: A delegation led by DG Pakistani Rangers, Maj Gen Umar Farooq Burki called on the HM in New Delhi today
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13:52   NDA: Over 700 cadets rushed to hospital after food poisoning
Hundreds of cadets at the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla were rushed to hospital on Thursday afternoon after suffering from food poisoning, sources in the NDA have told The Indian Express.


About 700 of them had to be taken to the Military Hospital in Khadakwasla in ambulances, personal vehicles of officers, trucks and other modes of transport available.


Many were made to sleep on the floor of the hospital due to lack of space, sources said. Later, they were rushed to Military Hospital (Khadki). While there were close to 700 cadets on Thursday, the number has reduced to 400- 500 on Friday, they said.  Read
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13:43   The man who was acquitted
Accused number 8, Abdul Wahid Din Mohammed Shaikh, who was acquitted, was charged with housing and harbouring the terrorists in assembling the bombs at his Mumbra residence. The charges did not stick, and he was the only one among the 13 accused to acquitted today in the 7/11 blasts case.
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13:34   Mumbai train blasts in numbers
Year: 2006

Trains:7

RDX bombs: 7

Duration: 7 blasts in 11 minutes


Deaths
:189  (The number of deaths has gone up from 188 after Parag Sawant, who was in coma for nine years after the blasts, passed away in July this year.)

Injured: 828

Convictions: 12

Acquittals:1

Number of years it took for the verdict: 9

Deposition: 5,500 pages

Witnesses:192

Absconding accused: 15

Pakistani accused: 13

Indian accused: 17
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13:20   What are the charges on the accused
The accused were charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosives Act, Explosive Substances Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, The Railways Act, and Passport Act.


Seven powerful explosions ripped through the first-class compartments of Mumbai local trains between Churchgate and Bhayander in 11 minutes, killing 189 people and injuring 800 others.
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12:58   Mumbai train blasts: 12 convicts to be sentenced on Monday, Sept 14
The 12 men convicted of killing 189 people in the serial blasts in Mumbai suburban trains in 2006, will be sentenced on Monday, September 14.


Nine years after the serial train bombing, a special court in Mumbai pronounced 12 accused guilty in the case on Friday.


Accused number 8 Abdul Wahid Din Mohammed Shaikh was acquitted.


The convicted are Kamal Ahmed Mohammed Vakil Ansari, Dr Tanveer Ahmed Mohammed Ibrahim Ansari, Mohammed Faisal Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Ehtesham Kutubuddin Sidduqui, Mohammed Majid Mohammed Shafi, Shaikh Mohammed Ali Alam Shaikh, Mohammed Sajid Margub Ansari, Muzammil Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Sohail Mehmood Shaikh, Zameer Ahmed Latuir Rehman Shaikh, Naveed Hussain Khan Rasheed Hussain Khan and Asif Khan.


A series of bombs had ripped across seven western suburban coaches killing 189 commuters and injuring 824 on July 11, 2006.
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12:40  
First reactions from KP Raghuvanshi, former ATS chief, who was heading investigations in the case says the delay was partly because the case went back and forth.
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12:34   12 convicted in 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, 1 acquitted
Alright, the number of convictions are now 12. One person -- Abdul Wahid Shaikh, 34 --  has been acquitted.

The names of the 12 people convicted are: Kamal Ahamed Ansari, 37, Tanvir Ahmed Ansari, 37, Mohd Faisal Shaikh, 36, Ehtesham Siddiqui, 30, Mohammad Majid Shafi, 32, Shaikh Alam Shaikh, 41, Mohd Sajid Ansari, 34, Muzzammil Shaikh, 27, Soheil Mehmood Shaikh, 43, Zamir Ahmad Shaikh, 36, Naveed Hussain Khan, 30, Asif Khan, 38, are the accused who were arrested by Anti-Terrorism Squad.

As we said, the earlier report of five convictions came in as the order was still being read out. The conviction figure is now 12, with one person acquitted.
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12:31   Order still being dictated, no confirmations on convictions yet
Early reports say five have been convicted in the 2006 train blasts, but no official confirmation as yet. None of the lawyers -- defence or prosecution -- have come out of the court to give their statements or confirm the verdict. While we write this, sources outside the MCOCA court in Mumbai, say the order is still being dictated and speculation abounds about the number of convictions with figures ranging from five to 12.
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12:26   Names of the five convicts in the Mumbai train blasts
India Today TV says the five accused convicted for killing 188 people in the serial blast in Mumbai's suburban trains are: Kamal Ansari, Faizal Shaikh, Naveed Hussain Khan, Asif Khan and Ehtesham Siddiqui. 
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12:22  
The order is still being pronounced in the case. 192 witnesses were examined in the case.
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12:21   5 of 13 accused convicted in 20016 Mumbai train blasts case
A Special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court has convicted five of the 13 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case.
Details awaited on which of the 13 accused have been convicted. The quantum of sentence has not been announced yet.

The verdict comes nine years after seven RDX bombs kept in Mumbai suburban trains exploded killing 188 people.  

Special MCOCA judge Yatin D Shinde had concluded the trial on August 19 last year.

In a trial that lasted for eight years, the prosecution examined 192 witnesses, including eight Indian Police Service and five Indian Administrative Service officers as well as 18 doctors. The defence lawyers examined 51 witnesses and one person was called as a court witness.

The deposition made by witnesses runs into around 5,500 pages.

Seven RDX bombs had exploded in the first class coaches of Mumbai's suburban trains on July 11, 2006, killing 188 people and injuring 829.


The blast occurred between Khar Road-Santacruz, Bandra-Khar Road, Jogeshwari-Mahim Junction, Mira Road-Bhayander, Matunga- Mahim Junction and Borivali.

Kamal Ahamed Ansari, 37, Tanvir Ahmed Ansari, 37, Mohd Faisal Shaikh, 36, Ehtesham Siddiqui, 30, Mohammad Majid Shafi, 32, Shaikh Alam Shaikh, 41, Mohd Sajid Ansari, 34, Abdul Wahid Shaikh, 34, Muzzammil Shaikh, 27, Soheil Mehmood Shaikh, 43, Zamir Ahmad Shaikh, 36, Naveed Hussain Khan, 30, Asif Khan, 38, are the accused who were arrested by Anti-Terrorism Squad.

Azam Chima, along with 14 others, is absconding in the case.

Examination of witnesses resumed after two years since the Supreme Court had stayed the trial in 2008.

Before the stay, the prosecution had already examined a police officer. The Supreme Court vacated the stay on April 23, 2010.

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12:17   India will never fire first bullet: Rajnath tells Pak Rangers
Update on the meeting between Home Minister Rajnath Singh's meeting with Pakistan Rangers: It was decided that communication through phone and emails will be maintained. Pak DG said as he is not a part of Govt so can't assure on border firing issue. Rajnath also said that India will never fire the first bullet.
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12:15  
Just in: Two armymen martyred in encounter with terrorists in Handwara, Jammu and Kashmir. Four terrorists have been killed.
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11:58   All 13 accused brought to MCOCA court, verdict any time now
With all the 13 accused in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case brought to the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime court on Friday morning, the verdict in the case is expected to be delivered by special MCOCA judge Y D Shinde any time now.

Kamal Ahamed Ansari, 37, Tanvir Ahmed Ansari, 37, Mohd Faisal Shaikh, 36, Ehtesham Siddiqui, 30, Mohammad Majid Shafi, 32, Shaikh Alam Shaikh, 41, Mohd Sajid Ansari, 34, Abdul Wahid Shaikh, 34, Muzzammil Shaikh, 27, Soheil Mehmood Shaikh, 43, Zamir Ahmad Shaikh, 36, Naveed Hussain Khan, 30, Asif Khan, 38, are the accused who were arrested by Anti-Terrorism Squad.

Azam Chima, along with 14 others, is absconding in the case.


Meanwhile, general secretary of the Jamiat Ulema e Maharashtra, Maulana Alimullah Kazmi, told Rediff.com outside the court, "We believe all the 13 are innocent and they are being discriminated against because of their religion, they will get justice." The Jamait is fighting the case on behalf all the accused. "Allah ki marzi hai, hum uske intezaar par baithen hain."

A heavy police cordon has been thrown outside the court, with media entry strictly regulated.
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11:51   Why Israel is proud of Tel Aviv University
For Israel, a country whose image has, in recent years, been marred by political controversy centred on its perceived rough and ready handling of the Palestinian question, particularly in the Gaza strip on its southern frontier, this alternative projection of the country is important. The sight of purposeful twenty-somethings working on a hi-tech improvisation that could earn them either millions of dollars or years of wasted effort is truly energizing and helps shift focus from Israel's other image - as a doughty defender of its national interests against overwhelming odds.


Read Swapan Dasgupta's piece for the Telegraph.
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11:47   Man arrested for plotting 9/11 memorial bomb
A man faces up to 20 years in federal prison after authorities say he was trying to help plan an attack on an upcoming September 11, 2001 attacks memorial.


The US Attorney's Office announced on Thursday that 20-year-old Joshua Ryne Goldberg was arrested and charged with distributing information relating to explosives, destructive devices and weapons of mass destruction.


A criminal complaint says Goldberg, of Orange Park, south of Jacksonville, began communicating online with an FBI informer in July and gave that person information on how to build a bomb with a pressure cooker, nails and rat poison.

The complaint says Goldberg also instructed the informer to place the bomb at an upcoming memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, that was commemorating the 14th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. 
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11:44   BSF-Pak Rangers talks end
Just in: BSF-Pakistan Rangers DG level talks end.

Yesterday, India asked Pakistan to "talk about the future" as border security forces of both countries sat across the table for a meeting.

Highly-placed sources in the Border Security Force said India did most of the talking, and all issues including ceasefire violations and sniper firing targeting Indian soldiers were raised.

The talks concluded "cordially" and both sides agreed to take steps to start coordinated patrolling at the border, as well as to monitor ceasefire violations.

"India did most of the talking and Pakistan was receptive. The talks concluded in a cordial manner," an official told IANS.

"Pakistan mentioned some incidents of the past. We said we would not gain anything from the past. We said if you have 20 points, we have 40 points. Let's device a system so that this situation is controlled," the official said.

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11:36   Teesta cannot be arrested till October 15, says SC
Just in: The Supreme Court extends the stay on Teesta Setalvad's arrest till October 15. The Supreme Court in March had extended the anticipatory bail granted to Setalvad and her husband in a case related to alleged misuse of funds meant for Gujarat riots victims and referred the case to a larger bench.


Setalvad and her husband have been booked by the Crime Branch of Gujarat Police on charges of cheating, breach of trust and under the IT Act, in a matter relating to the construction of "Museum of Resistance" in the Gulbarg Society in Ahmedabad which was hit by communal riots in 2002.


On February 28, 2002, in the aftermath of the Godhra train burning incident, armed rioters had swooped on the Gulbarg Society and killed 69 people, including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri.


One of the riot victims from Gulbarg Housing Society, which was burnt during the 2002 post-Godhra riots, had lodged a complaint with the Ahmedabad Police against Setalvad, Anand and two NGOs run by them - Citizens for Justice and Peace and Sabrang Trust - alleging misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 1.51 crore.


According to the complaint, the accused persons had collected funds in the name of converting part of the Gulbarg Society into a museum and had allegedly misappropriated funds worth Rs 1.51 crore.

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11:11   First look: Robert De Niro as Bernie Madoff
HBO has released the first image of Robert De Niro as convicted fraudster Bernie Madoff, who conned investors out of an estimated $65bn.


The picture shows De Niro sitting in a chair, while Michelle Pfieffer, who stars as Madoff's wife Ruth, stands behind him. Dressed all in black, De Niro is also pictured wearing monogrammed slippers and an electronic tag around his ankle.  Read more
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11:09   Ramdev, MSG urge govt not to frisk them at airports
The Narendra Modi government is considering requests from yoga practitioner Baba Ramdev and self-styled godman Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to exempt them from frisking at airports.


The proposal comes at a time the Centre is undecided on whether to drop Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law, Robert Vadra, from the list of VIPs exempted from airport security checks.


Modi had attacked the "special treatment" for Vadra during his campaign speeches before last year's general election. Ramdev had publicly endorsed Modi's candidature ahead of the elections while Ram Rahim, who heads the Dera Sacha Sauda sect, is said to have helped the BJP win the Haryana Assembly polls.  Read more
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10:51   US police release video of fatal Taser stunning
A video of an incident in which US police officers repeatedly used a stun gun to subdue a mentally ill inmate who eventually died from the encounter was released. Earlier this week, the officers were found to have not committed any crimes in the February 3 incident, in which Natasha McKenna was shocked four times, stopped breathing and died in a hospital five days later.


The video shows McKenna, 37, struggling as officers in biohazard suits, who said she had urinated and defecated in her cell, attempted to move the inmate to a different prison.


"You promised me you wouldn't kill me. I didn't do anything," McKenna says before a graphic struggle in which the officers eventually shock her with Taser stun guns. She stops breathing soon after. The video alarmed mental health advocates and McKenna's family.
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10:24   After Rajasthan and Mumbai, now Ahmedabad bans meat
After Mumbai and Rajasthan, sale of meat has now been banned in Ahmedabad during the Jain festival period of 'Paryushan'. As per reports, the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner has ordered a ban on meat for a week. During the ban, any kind of cattle slaughter will not be permitted in the city. On Thursday, the BJP government in Rajasthan had imposed a ban on sale of meat during Paryushan, a festival celebrated by Shwetambar Jains.The ban in Rajasthan will be in place on September 17 and 18. Slaughterhouses as well as meat and fish shops in the state have been ordered to remain closed on these days.
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10:06   The many reasons why Hardik Patel and other haters of reservations are wrong
Despite the doublespeak used by Hardik Patel, the leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, it is abundantly clear that his campaign is not for, but against, reservations. The 22-year-old argues that Patels deserve reservations like Dalits because some Patels, like Dalits, are economically backward. If Patels don't get reservations, he believes, nobody should.

Read more HERE
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09:33   Modi to visit Rishikesh today to meet his ailing guru
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today visit Rishikesh to meet his guru Swami Dayanand Giri at his ashram in Sheeshamjhadi. Besides visiting an ashram, PM Modi is also expected to attend a felicitation ceremony being organised for him in Virbhadra town near for the implementation of One Rank One Pension scheme.
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09:29   Fatwa against A R Rahman for film on Prophet
A Mumbai-based Sunni Muslim group has issued a fatwa against celebrated Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi and Indian music composer A R Rahman. The fatwa, issued by Raza Academy, demands that Muslims reject Majidi's film titled 'Muhammad: Messenger of God' -- first of the trilogy on the life of Prophet Mohammad. 

Last week, the group had written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, seeking a ban on Majidi's film. 
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09:15   BJP chickens out, reduces Mumbai's meat ban to 2 days
Facing heat over the eight-day meat ban in Mumbai, especially from its ally the Shiv Sena, the BJP  called for an end to the controversy and asked the BMC to reduce the duration of the ban to two days. In consideration of the Jain fasting period, Paryushan, the BMC had announced a prohibition on the slaughter of animals and sale of meat. However, the Sena took on the government vociferously and said that they would ensure that such a ban would not be enforced at all. 
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09:05   Florida man plotted to carry out 9/11 memorial bombing
A 20-year-old Florida man is in custody after allegedly plotting to help carry out a terror attack during a September 11 memorial in Kansas City, his weekend. 

Joshua Goldberg, of Orange Park, was arrested after federal authorities say he instructed an undercover officer on how to create and detonate a pressure-cooker bomb during the city's Memorial Stair Climb on Sunday.

The explosive would have contained nails and metal shrapnel dipped in rat poison, a chemical which would help ensure the victims bleed out due to its use as a blood thinner, federal authorities said. 

The Jacksonville-area resident was tracked down through his internet communications. It was there authorities say he claimed to have motivated two gunmen into storming a Muhammad cartoon convention in Garland, Texas in June. That attack left two people dead.
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08:45  
JUST IN: Police detain 10 Congress leaders in Chandigarh ahead of PM's visit as they planned to hold protests. 
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08:42   OROP: Govt warns ex-servicemen ahead of September 12 rally
Ahead of the massive rally the ex-servicemen are planning on September 12, the government has warned the veterans, saying such protests have no place in army discipline. The veterans have been protesting at Jantar Mantar for over 85 days demanding the implementation of One Rank One Pension. On September 6, the government had announced that they would be implementing the contentious scheme. However, veterans were unhappy that the government had failed to agree on all the 6 conditions and decided to go ahead with their mega rally.  
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08:30   Bihar polls: BJP likely to fight 170 seats, offer 73 to allies
The BJP has decided to contest 170 seats in the Bihar assembly polls - a major chunk in the 243-member house -- leaving 73 seats for its three allies - LJP, HAM and RLSP, sources said. A maximum of 40 seats was likely to go to Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, followed by 20 seats to Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, and 13 seats to former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), according to informed sources. 
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07:52   2 soldiers, 2 terrorists killed in ongoing encounter in J-K
Two soldiers and two terrorists have been  killed in an ongoing encounter at Handwara in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. The firing comes even as border forces of both countries -- India and Pakistan -- held talks in New Delhi and decided to put an end to ceasefire violations. 
So far, Pakistan has already violated the ceasefire 11 times. 
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04:47   Convert or die: ISIS chief's former slave says he beat her
When ISIS came for Zeinat and her family, they ran, terrified, for the safety of the mountains. They had heard the horror stories and knew only too well what might happen to them if they stayed in their home.

But they were too late; stranded at the foot of Iraq's Mount Sinjar by the huge crowds of refugees struggling uphill, they were easy pickings when fighters arrived.

Separated first from her father, and then from her sisters, she was forced -- like thousands of Yazidi women -- into slavery, treated as the property of the so-called "Islamic State."

Zeinat, though, wasn't working for ordinary rank-and-file ISIS militants; instead she was handpicked to serve terror boss Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his family and friends.

Read more HERE.
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04:44   Donald Trump: I wasn't talking about Carly Fiorina's face
Donald Trump said Thursday that when he suggested Carly Fiorina's face would make her unelectable, he wasn't talking about her looks.

"I'm not talking about looks. I'm talking about persona," Trump told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day."

That's how Trump defended the remarks he made about his fellow GOP presidential contender in a Rolling Stone profile published Wednesday.

"Look at that face!" Trump told the magazine while sitting with a Rolling Stone reporter as Fiorina appeared on TV. "Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president."

"I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not s'posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?" Trump said, according to the magazine.

Trump didn't only call in to CNN. He had a similar message on The View, the afternoon talk show geared toward women.

"Look, I'm talking about her persona," he said, deflecting to Fiorina's previous career as CEO of Hewlett Packard. "She failed miserably at Hewlett Packard and ran for the Senate and lost in a landslide and now running for president. I'm talking about her persona."

Read more HERE.
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04:22   US warns Russia on military buildup in Syria
America's top diplomat called his Russian counterpart Wednesday to warn that Moscow's military buildup of troops in Syria could escalate the bloody conflict there that has engulfed the region for more than four years.

The U.S. has been watching Russia's movement of military personnel with concern for several days, though the Foreign Ministry only confirmed the buildup Wednesday.

There are "Russian military experts in Syria who are instructing (the Syrians) on the use of the military systems being delivered" to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a close Moscow ally, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

Russia "has long been supplying arms and military equipment to Syria in accordance with bilateral contracts," she said.

Read more HERE.
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01:23   Tensions to mark Xi's White House visit
President Barack Obama will offer his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a full state welcome at the White House later this month, belying tensions fueled by Beijing's increased military assertiveness.

The commanders-in-chief from the world's two largest economies will meet amid global financial unease and with mounting US disquiet about Beijing's behavior in cyberspace and on the high seas.

Obama has been under pressure to downgrade the visit, expected on September 24-25, with Republican presidential candidates saying Xi does not deserve the prestige of a state dinner.

"I would not be throwing him a dinner. I would get him a McDonald's hamburger," said Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.

More than half of all Americans have an unfavorable view of China, according to a recent Pew Research poll, including 63 percent of Republicans.

The White House has rebuffed Republicans' calls, stressing the value of engagement, but it has also signaled a more confrontational stance on cyber security, maritime disputes and the economy.
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00:50   President Obama to award National Medal to Stephen King, Jhumpa Lahiri et al
In the three decades that the National Medals of Arts have been awarded, the list of recipients has grown long and luminous. Ray Bradbury, Maya Angelou, Aretha Franklin, Frank Capra, Georgia O'Keeffe, even AT&T (and many, many more) the artists and arts patrons who have earned the prize from the U.S. government are as hallowed in name as they are diverse in discipline.

This year, that list gets a bit horrific.

Stephen King, the prolific novelist behind best-selling frights such as The Shining and Carrie, will receive the 2014 National Medal of Arts from President Obama on Thursday, along with 10 other artists. In the citation for the prize, to be read by Obama at the White House awards ceremony, the National Endowment for the Arts spoke of King in glowing terms:

"One of the most popular and prolific writers of our time, Mr. King combines his remarkable storytelling with his sharp analysis of human nature. For decades, his works of horror, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy have terrified and delighted audiences around the world."

Read more HERE.
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00:40   ISIS says Norwegian and Chinese hostages are 'for sale'
Two men stand in yellow jumpsuits, staring toward the camera with a chilling message posted below their portraits: "FOR SALE."

The images, tucked away in the final pages of the latest edition of the ISIS online magazine Dabiq, are part of a troubling new claim: The terrorist group says it's holding two more foreign nationals hostage.

Read more HERE.
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00:30   Iran's supreme leader: There will be no such thing as Israel in 25 years
Israel will not exist in another quarter century, Iran's supreme leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said during a speech this week in Tehran, state-run media report.

"I'd say (to Israel) that they will not see (the end) of these 25 years," the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Khamenei as saying Wednesday at the Imam Khomeini Mosque.

Khamenei raised the issue while discussing the recent nuclear deal between Iran and the so-called P5+1 -- the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, China and Russia -- by which, among other things, Iran agreed to cut its uranium stockpiles and centrifuges and limit uranium enrichment in exchange for the West lifting sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Read more HERE.

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