LIVE! Islamic State captures several villages from Syrian troops in Aleppo

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Sat, 16 April 2016

Islamic State captures several villages from Syrian troops in Aleppo

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23:21 Islamic State captures several villages from Syrian troops in Aleppo

The Islamic State group has captured more than a dozen villages and hills during a fresh offensive in norther Syria, opposition activists said. The IS territorial gains bring the extremist group close to the main highway that links the capital, Damascus, with the country's largest city of Aleppo.

IS also clashed with rival insurgent groups near the border with Turkey where they have been on the offensive for days, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee toward safer areas near Turkey. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting between IS and government forces is concentrated in areas east of the town of Khanaser, which has changed hands several times in recent months.

Even presidents dip into their savings when they are getting ready to switch jobs. US President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, cashed out nearly $1 million in investments last year, according to their 2015 tax return, which the White House released.

The figure suggests that they were preparing to finance large expenses like a home purchase. Obama said last month that the family would remain in the Washington area after he left the White House in January 2017, while his younger daughter, Sasha, finishes high school.

The tax return, released before the filing deadline on Monday, shows that the Obamas earned $436,065 last year and paid $81,472 in total tax an effective rate of about 18.7 per cent. They are getting a refund of $22,859.

But it is clear that the Obamas will face an array of new costs over the next year, including a likely home purchase and the first year of college for Malia, their older daughter. She is said to be considering Stanford and Harvard, where tuition and other costs exceed $66,000 for the coming academic year. Unlike in previous years, the Obamas opted to take their refund instead of applying it to the next year's tax payment.

Air quality in Delhi improved and was logged between moderate and poor levels as fine respirable pollutants tapered off considerably across the city on the second day of the odd-even car-rationing scheme.

Eight-hour average of Ozone, a gaseous pollutant, also dipped below 40 parts per billion, a sharp drop from yesterday and the day before. Its eight hour notified average safe limit is 100 micrograms per cubic metre.

Delhi government said that as per initial trends, the scheme, under which cars with odd and even number plates run on alternate days, will have a "positive impact" on the city's air quality.

Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after Panama Papers revealed that his children ran shell companies through which they owned expensive property in London, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan on Saturday said the PM never thought to clear the air on the issue.

On the contrary, he said, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who was also facing the charges under the Panama Papers revelations, made his tax payments record for the past five-six years public. "How will he (Nawaz Sharif) as a PM tell others to declare assets when he himself has not done so," asked the PTI chairman, during his visit to UK.

The voting in the second phase of Assembly election for 56 constituencies in West Bengal will take place on Sunday amidst an Election Commission's showcause notice to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC leader Anubrata Mondal being under the poll body surveillance.

Over 1.2 crore voters will seal the fate of 383 candidates, 33 of them women, in six north Bengal districts '" Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Malda '" and Birbhum in south Bengal.

Check the graphic for important facts.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appealed to non-BJP parties to make a 'Sangh-mukt' (Sangh-free) country "to save democracy".

"Sangh-mukt Bharat banane ke liye sabhi gair BJP parties ko ek hona hoga (to usher in a Sangh-free India all non-BJP parties have to come together)," the new JD-U chief said at the 'Advantage Conclave'.

"Uniting against BJP and its divisive ideology is the only way to save democracy," said Kumar, who has already talked about "largest possible unity" among secular parties.

The chief minister said he was not against any party or individual, but against "divisive" ideology of the Sangh, the ideological parent of BJP. "The three stalwarts of the BJP -- Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi -- have been sidelined within the party and power has gone to people who have no faith in secularism and communal harmony," he said.

World Champions Australia thrashed India 4-0 to win Azlan Shah Cup hockey title in Ipoh, Malaysia, on Saturday.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sought to deflect responsiblity for the Kolkata flyover collapse, saying that the CPM should be blamed as the flyover was built during their government.

At least 27 people were killed and more than 80 injured as two parts of an under-construction 2.2-km-long Vivekananda Flyover collapsed in a congested market area in Burra Bazar, north Kolkata, on Thursday, April 1.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in Iran today on a two-day visit to boost ties with a focus on raising India's oil imports and enhancing trade with the powerful Persian Gulf nation which has opened several lucrative sectors after sanctions against it were lifted under a historic nuclear deal.

The visit to the oil-rich country comes amid a rush for investment in the resource-rich nation by global economic powers including Japan, China, the US and several European countries after Iran invited foreign companies for joint ventures in many of its crucial sectors including oil and gas.

Swaraj was received at the Mehrabad International Airport by Rasul Islami, Director General (South Asia) in Iran's Foreign Ministry and Indian Ambassador Saurabh Kumar.

Swaraj's visit is seen as a balancing act by India as it came nearly two weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Saudi Arabia, another West Asian power which considers Iran its rival.

National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah today took on the newly formed PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir over the recent Handwara clashes, saying it must work to end violence.

"The government should have stopped this from happening, but it failed. Today, the government should take care of the fighting. The government must work to end the violence. We can never bring peace in the state if innocents die," Abdullah said.

Meanwhile, fresh clashes broke out today between protestors and the police in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Northwest India is likely to get some respite from the torrid heat over the next two-three days due to a fresh western disturbance but mercury will continue to soar in central India and other parts of the country.

India Meteorological Department Director General Laxman Singh Rathore said the fresh western disturbance is over North Pakistan and adjoining areas. "It will start affecting Jammu and Kashmir from April 16 evening. The effect will be there for two-three days," he said.

Facing a terrible drought, the collector of Aurangabad just announced a 20 per cent water cut for breweries and 10 per cent for industries in the area. The move comes after the high court ruled that IPL matches to be played in the state be moved out.

As many as 3,228 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra in 2015, the highest since 2001, according to data tabled in the Rajya Sabha on March 4, 2016that is almost nine farmers every day. Vidarbha and Marathwada, with 5.7 million farmers, accounted for 83 per cent of all farmer suicides in Maharashtra in 2015.

17:51 Parrikar on a 5-day visit to China

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will hold talks with top Chinese political and defence leaders during his five-day visit to that country beginning today which comes amid strains in bilateral relations over Beijing's move to block India's attempt in the UN to clamp a ban on JeM chief Masood Azhar.

Defence ministry sources said the focus of the visit, which comes days after India decided to sign a logistics support agreement with the US, will be to deepen military-to- military ties and focus on the border issues.

Parrikar will be the first Indian defence minister to visit China since 2013, the last being his predecessor A K Antony. He is expected to hold talks with top Chinese political and defence leaders. No agreements are expected during Parrikar's visit, they said.

Following a row erupting over the rent that the Congress president's daughter Priyanka Gandhi pays for her Lutyen's bungalow, Priyanka has issued a statement, saying that she has paid all the dues as per the rules. Earlier, it was reported that Priyanka had got the Vajpayee government to reduce the rent of her house from Rs 53,421 to Rs 8,888.

The information was accessed under an RTI application, filed by Noida resident Dev Ashish Bhattacharya. The daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi said that it was beyond her capacity to pay such high amount for a 2,765.18 sqm house in Lutyens Delhi.

Priyankas argument, in a letter she wrote on May 7 2002 to the government, was that she had been occupying the bungalow on the request of Special Protection Group and a large part of it was occupied by SPG itself.

17:33

JUST IN: PMLA court to announce order on NBW against Vijay Mallya on April 18.

17:00 A month after viral video, Delhi police nab alleged dog killer

The sociopath serial dog killer who was spotted slaughtering puppies and dogs in the national capital was finally arrested by the Delhi police on Saturday.

A massive manhunt had been set in motion after the CCTV footage showing the man brutally killing the dogs went viral. The arrested suspect is a resident on Lucknow and the knife he used to butcher the dogs has also been seized. The shocking incident happened last month when three dogs and a puppy were found lying in a pool of blood near the exit gate of Green Park metro station.

According to the CCTV footage, the accused who was dressed in jacket and shorts attacked and stabbed the dogs one by one after luring them with food. After stabbing three dogs, he brutally thrashed another puppy before leaving the area.

A Delhi-based non-governmental organisation had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for helping in identifying the accused.

17:00 Prince William and Kate visit Taj Mahal

Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton have arrived at Taj Mahal and are sitting at the bench, the same one Prince William's mother, Diana, sat on two decades ago in 1992.

The Royal couple arrived in Agra this morning after a two-day journey to Bhutan.

17:00

Kate is wearing Indian designer Naeem Khan.

16:59

Archaeological Survey of India officials said due to exemption under protocol, the royal couple and their entourage were not required to purchase tickets nor undergo frisking at the entrance.

They used a separate pathway to Taj, where they will stay for about two hours.

While officials in-charge at the Taj speculated closing the monument to the public during the royal viewing, it was decided to keep it open.

16:59

And here is a picture of William's mother Diana, Princess of Wales, sitting alone in front of the monument of love in 1992.

It prompted rumours about the state of her marriage to the Prince of Wales and their separation was announced later that year.

16:59 When a contractor prostrated at feet of 'unhappy' Yashodhara

In a bizarre incident, a contractor fell at the feet of Industries Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia after she expressed unhappiness with the construction of a hostel in Shivpuri.

The incident happened yesterday when Scindia, who was to inaugurate the building of a 120-bedded hostel meant for ITI students, was unhappy with the construction quality.

According to reports, the minister announced on the spot that the inauguration programme stood cancelled and that the building would be inaugurated only after the defects were rectified.Following her reaction, the contractor immediately fell at her feet in an attempt to appease her.

It was a hot morning in the national capital with the minimum temperature settling at 24 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal.

"The minimum temperature recorded at 8.30 am was 24.3 degrees Celsius and the humidity was 37 per cent," a MeT official said.

The mercury has risen up to 43 degrees Celsius and dust raising winds might prevail during the day.

16:59 How B-town reacted to SRK's 'Fan'

Shah Rukh Khan's latest release 'Fan' not only wooed the audiences, but it also did some magic over the tinsel town.

Directed by Maneesh Sharma, the flick narrates the story of a man, who develops a dangerous obsession with a movie star, who looks just like him.

As soon as the film got released,Bollywood celebrities flooded the 50-year-old actor's Twitter handle with their compliments and wishes.Actress Bhumi Pednekar wrote, "The entire theatre broke into an ovation after #FAN, only fr @iamsrk. Frm gaurav to aryan, outstanding sir. Had goosebumps. Epic sir like wow."

Prince William and his wife Kate have reached Agra where they will visit the Taj Mahal that carries poignant echoes for Britain's royal family.

When Princess Diana was photographed sitting alone outside the tragic monument of love in 1992, it sparked much media speculation and later became a symbol of her failing marriage.

A speeding BMW car allegedly knocked down four persons in Noida, adjacent to the national capital, on Saturday afternoon.The car first hit a bike and then the other victims close to Adobe crossing area near the Noida stadium, according to the police.

"The BMW driver fled immediately after the incident. The car bears a Haryana registration number and the driver is said to be residing in Delhi. We are trying to locate him at the earliest. Four persons got injured in the accident. The vehicle is seized,' said Neeraj Kumar Singh, station house officer at sector-24 police station.

JUST IN: Protesters are clash with the police in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir. With one more youth getting killed and three others being injured in firing by security forces in Kupwara district to disperse stone-pelting mobs who attacked an army camp, Kashmir has continued to be on the boil.

The police resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse protesters.

More details are awaited.

14:37 Selfie mania claims two more lives in UP

A 'selfie' moment has ended in a tragedy for two youths who were run over by a train while clicking themselves on the tracks in the district while a curious onlooker trying to get a closer look at them fell to his death from the train.

The incident took place about 20 metres from railway crossing, Mirzapur when Vinod, 18, and Jitendra, 20, were trying to take a selfie in front of the Brahmaputra mail and were warned by the gateman on duty to step away.

They tried to jump on another railway line when the train came closer but failed, a senior railway official said. Another person, who was on the train and was trying to get a closer look at

Four bombs were today found in a car, which was supposed to pick up poll personnel, in Malda town just as a driver was about to start the vehicle. The driver noticed a polythene bag containing some objects lying under his car seat. The vehicle was parked in the compound of the Central School which is serving as the DCRC office for the Assembly polls, slated for tomorrow.

The driver was about to start the car for picking up the polling personnel who had assembled at the DCRC office. He raised a hue and cry following which people rushed to the spot.

A bomb squad arrived and took away the polythene bag. Confirming the incident, ADM, General, Debotosh Dutta, said he was rushing to the spot. Meanwhile, the assembled drivers of the vehicles have refused to drive demanding adequate security, leading to the suspension of movement of polling personnel.

14:09 One more 10-wagon water train reaches Latur

A special train carrying around five lakh litres of water for the parched Latur in Marathwada region of Maharashtra which is battling its worst drought ever, left Miraj today.

Last evening, another fourth train carrying five lakh litre drinking water had reached Latur, an official said. The water train with 10 wagons carrying water for Latur left from Miraj in western Maharashtra this morning and will traverse a distance of around 350 km to reach Latur.

"The 10 wagons, each with a capacity of around 50,000 litres, were filled with water at Miraj railway station in Sangli district," the official said. The district administration has acquired a huge well located near Latur railway station to store the water which is then supplied to Latur town.

A firefighter was shot and killed, and a second one critically injured while responding to a medical call at a home in Maryland, authorities said.John Ulmschneider, 39, died following the shooting Friday night in Prince George's County, fire officials said.

The firefighters were responding to a call from a "concerned citizen" about the occupant in the home, said county Police Chief Henry P. Stawinski.As they tried to enter the home, the occupant shot them, he said.

Specifics on the call were unclear, but authorities said it was medical-related.A suspect is in custody.

Read this story HERE

It was a scene of apathy as slum dwellers were seen distraught in shock after their jhuggies were gutted in a major fire which broke out on Saturday in a slum cluster near sector 3 in Dwarka.

According to the fire officer present at the spot, around 400 jhuggies were gutted in the enormous fire which broke out this morning."We received a call on 10:08 am. Around 400 slums have doused in fire," fire officer, Dharampal told ANI.

"There were two cylinder blasts also, but now the situation is under control. It would take another hour to completely douse the fire," he added.

A brazen Trinamool Congress leader Abdul Mannan has threatened the electorate in West Bengal's Birbhum district, saying his party and he won't tolerate people not voting for them in the ongoing assembly elections.

Addressing an election rally on Friday, Mannan said he would take care of the people for the entire year, but would want them to vote for him and his party."Cast your votes in a peaceful manner. Cast with so many votes that we can understand that you have voted us. I will take care of you for the entire year, but I won't tolerate if you don't repay me back during the election. We will never tolerate this," Mannan warned.

"We will provide all facilities and won't get back anything in return.won't happen. We are trying to get 800-850 votes. You all have to vote for us." he added.West Bengal will go for the second phase of polling on Sunday for 56 seats.

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary's son Karthik has been booked for rash driving by Hyderabad Traffic Police which also seized his Porsche car.

During a special road safety drive conducted last night by traffic cops, Karthik was found driving the vehicle allegedly in a "rash" manner between Jubilee Hills Check Post and KBR Park gate here, Banjara Hills Traffic Police Station Inspector N Vidya Sagar told PTI.

"We caught him along with some other (motorists) during the special drive for different violations," the Inspector said, adding a case was booked on charge of rash driving against Karthik under section 184 (B) of MV Act and the Porsche car was seized. He has not been arrested. However, fine will be imposed, the police officer said.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who will leave today to attend the Russia-India-China trilateral in Moscow, will raise the proscription of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar with her Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the meeting.

"I am going to Moscow. The final investigation report into fire tragedy in which we lost Pooja Kallur and Krishma Bhonsle is on my agenda," Swaraj tweeted.She added that she will also be taking up the matter of Yasir, an Indian national from Srinagar who was killed in Kazan in Russia.

After the attack on the Pathankot airbase in January, India in February had written to the UN calling for immediate action to list Masood Azhar under the UN Sanctions Committee.

BJP Karnataka unit chief BS Yeddyurappa on Saturday said that an SUV, worth of Rs. one crore, had been gifted to him by former industries minister Murugesh R Nirani.

"Murugesh Nirani has given me this car for party work. After that, he will take back the car. I am going around the state, so a good car is required. I am going to use it and after two years, once my term is over, he will take the car back," Yeddyurappa said.

When asked why he was using this car to travel across drought-hit Karnataka, Yeddyurappa said these two things should not be compared.

Stringent security measures are in place at the Taj Mahal for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton's visit to the monument on Saturday.

The couple is expected to arrive at the iconic 'monument of love' late afternoon, at around 3:45 pm, and will fly to Delhi post dinner. The Taj Mahal will remain open to public during the royal visit.

10:20

JUST IN: Union Minister Y S Chaudhary's son Karthik has booked for rash driving by the Hyderabad police. He was seen driving a sports car rashly in the Banjara Hills area.

His car has been seized by police.

10:10 Sakshi Dhoni likely to step down as director of Amrapali

After Mahendra Singh Dhoni, his wife Sakshi is likely to step down as director of Amrapali Mahi developers. Media reports have claimed that Dhoni and Sakshi own 25% share in Amrapali.

Dhoni quit as brand ambassador of Amrapali, a real estate firm, six days after homebuyers trolled the cricketer on Twitter.Residents of Noida's Sector 45 Amrapali Sapphire Society had tagged Dhoni in their tweets complaining about the delay in completion of the housing project.

The residents asked Dhoni to either dissociate himself with the builder or force him to complete work.

After making Jackie Chan groove to her tune in Rajasthan, choreographer Farah Khan is all set to do the same in the Beijing schedule of the former's upcoming movie 'Kung Fu Yoga.

Happy New Year actor Sonu Sood, who is also a part of the movie, took to his Twitter handle last night to share a snap of his and the Om Shanti Om director with Jackie Chan from their shooting days in India and wrote alongside, "Farah! Everyone in Beijing is waiting 4 u with their dancing shoes on. see u tomorrow. Time to dance on ur tunes."

The Election Commission has barred political parties and candidates in West Bengal from giving any print media advertisement on April 16 and 17 for the second phase of the assembly polls without pre-certification.

The polling for the second phase of the assembly elections in the state will be held on April 17.In a letter to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer, the EC said that instances of advertisements of offending and misleading nature published in the print media have been brought to the notice of the commission in the past.

At least nine people died when an earthquake shook southwestern Japan's Kyushu island late Thursday, the Kumamoto Prefecture disaster management office said.Search crews scrambled to dig through rubble looking for people trapped under collapsed buildings.

The magnitude-6.2 quake struck near Ueki, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Dozens of smaller aftershocks followed.

Read this story HERE

Veteran actor Dilip Kumar was admitted to a Mumbai hospital early today, family sources said.

"He was admitted today around 2.30 am at Lilavati hospital," sources said.

The 93-year-old legend was born as Mohammad Yusuf Khan but adopted the screen name of Dilip Kumar.

In a career spanning over six decades, the actor gave hits like Madhumati, Devdas, Mughal-e-Azam, Ganga Jamuna, Ram Aur Shyam, Karma and others. He was crowned the 'Tragedy King' for playing a doomed lover in films like Andaz, Baabul, Mela, Deedar, Jogan and others.

He was last seen in the film Qila in 1998. Kumar was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2015. Earlier, he was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994 for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.

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