New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced that the appointment of Sree Sreenivasan as the city's new chief digital officer.

The Urban Development Ministry has accepted the recommendation of a panel to withdraw the cancellation of 26 prime plots by the United Progressive Alliance government, mostly allotted to organisations affiliated to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and will place it before the Cabinet for approval.

The panel, set up by the Modi government to review the cancellation of 29 allotments under UPA 1, has found that 26 cancellations out of the 29 cases were 'unjustified'.

"Urban Development Ministry has decided to send the recommendation to the Cabinet for its approval. Once the Cabinet accepts it, the Ministry will put the report before the high court, where the case is pending in this regard, to revoke these cancellations," a source said.

Headed by former transport secretary L K Joshi, the panel, however, has endorsed the cancellation in case of three organisations--Asim Sen Spiritual Charitable Society, Sanatan Dharam Sabha and Gujarat Education Society.

The panel, which was set up in December last year, had submitted its report to the Ministry on June 21.

The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had made 32 allotments to socio-cultural and religious organisations between 1998-99 and 2004, of which 22 were RSS-affiliated or backed outfits including Samarth Shiksha Samiti, Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Sewa Bharti and Swadeshi Jagran Foundation.

However, the UPA government cancelled 29 allotments in 2004 on the grounds of violations of norms. The government's decision was based on the recommendations of one-member inquiry committee headed by retired IAS officer Yogesh Chandra.

With the National Democratic Alliance coming to power again in 2014, these organisations had approached the Urban Development Ministry to revoke the decision of the previous dispensation.

The introduction of Goods and Services Tax Bill in Parliament is shifted from Tuesday to Wednesday at the request of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Gulam Nabi Azad.

Azad approached leader of the house Arun Jaitley, saying that he is accompanying Sonia Gandhi to Varanasi on Tuesday. After Jaitley spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the tabling of the bill was shifted, according to highly-placed sources. From R Rajagopalan/Rediff.com

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today expressed happiness over Narsingh Yadav getting a clean chit in the doping scandal, saying he always knew the wrestler was being victimised.

'Great news! Congratulations to Narsingh Yadav for getting a clean chit from NADA to participate in the Rio Olympics. All the best Narsingh!,' Fadnavis tweeted.

'We always knew that Narsingh Yadav was being victimised. Our stand is vindicated. Thank you Hon Narendra Modi ji and Vijay Goel ji!' Fadnavis said in another tweet.

Five people on board a Russian military helicopter were killed today when it was shot down over Syria, in the single deadliest incident for Moscow since it intervened in the war.

The attack came as Syrian opposition fighters and their jihadist allies battled government forces outside Aleppo in a bid to ease the regime's siege of rebel-held parts of the northern city.

Russias defence ministry announced the downing of the helicopter, which it said was carrying three crew and two officers.

A Russian Mi-8 military transport helicopter was shot down from the ground after delivering humanitarian aid to Aleppo, the defence ministry said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies.

The Kremlin said all five people on board were assumed dead.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible.

The incident was the deadliest single attack on Russian forces in Syria since Moscow began its intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assads government last September.

It brought the total number of members of the Russian forces killed in Syria to 18.

Just in: The Home Ministry asks for a report from the UP government on the Bulandshahr gang-rape case.

The three accused in the Bulandshahr gang rape case were on Monday sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

The Uttar Pradesh police on Sunday arrested the three and detained a dozen others after launching a massive hunt for a gang of dacoits suspected to have gang-raped a mother and her daughter.

The woman from Noida and her minor daughter were raped on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday after being dragged out of their car by dacoits near a highway in western U.P. They were travelling with other family members to their native place in Shahjahanpur to attend a family ritual.

The car was hit by a blunt metal object near village Dostpur on the Delhi-Kanpur Highway and when the driver got down to examine the damage, he was surrounded by the dacoits. They overpowered him and forced the car off the main road towards a thicket.

First reactions from Sushil Kumar on Narsingh Yadav's Rio nod. .

Double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar today welcomed the NADA decision to exonerate Narsingh Yadav from charges of doping which would enable him to represent the country at the Olympic Games. Sushil and Narsingh were locked in a bitter legal battle as to who would represent the country in the 74kg category. Narsingh won the quota place while Sushil wanted a trial.


"Bahot Khushi ki baat hain. Mera support pahle bhi thaa, aaj bhi bhain aur kal bhi rahega. (It's a great news. My support was there earlier also, even today and will remain tomorrow). Go win for me and the country," the legendary Olympian tweeted.


He also lamented that wrestling in the past few months went through this tumultous phase. "very unfortunate 2 see the Wrestling go through this. I hv given my life to ot (sic) & wl always support fellow wrestlers," Sushil tweeted. 

NarsinghYadav says he is grateful that Prime Minister Narendra Modi helped him get justice and he hopes to win a medal in Rio.

Minutes after Anandiben Patel resigned as the chief minister of Gujarat, Delhi Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter saying Aam Aaadmi Party's popularity in the state "forced' Patel to quit the chair.

"Anandi-ji ka isthifa Gujarat mein  'AAP' ke taji sein badthi lokpriyata ka nateeja hein. Bajpa Gujarat mein buri tarah se dari hui (Anandiben Patel's resignation came because of the gaining popularity of AAP in Gujarat. BJP is frightened in Gujarat now," Kejriwal tweeted.

Anandi ji ka isthifa Gujarat mein 'AAP' ki bhrastachaar ke khilaf ladai ki jeet hein (Anandiben Patel's resignation is the victory of AAP's fight against corruption in Gujarat),' he added.


Anandiben Patel has submitted her resignation as CM of Gujarat to the top brass of the party seeking relief from the top job in the state. In a letter posted on her Facebook page, Patel, who took charge as Gujarat's first woman chief minister has said that she had two months earlier sought to resign from the party to give "enough time to the new incumbent to prepare for important events like the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat summit'.

Just in: BJP president Amit Shah says he has received Anandiben Patel's letter. "Her letter will now be kept before the BJP Parliamentary board for further decision." Shah said. Patel resigned saying she wants to pave the way for younger leaders in the party. She said she wanted to be relieved two months before she turned 75.

Expelled AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP M Sasikala Pushpa today did not give any indication about her joining any political party but thanked Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi for their support.

Sasikala, who reportedly slapped DMK lawmaker Trichy Siva at Delhi airport on Saturday, also dismissed suggestions that there was any connection between the incident and the alleged pressure on her to resign from Rajya Sabha.

Earlier in the day, AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa expelled her from the party, saying her behaviour had brought "great disrepute" to the organisation.

"I want to thank Congress party governed under Soniaji and Rahulji, Because they have supported me today and then I want to thank DMK which has supported me today even though there was an issue," Sasikala told NDTV. Asked if she would now join Congress, the former Tuticorin mayor said,"I don't know."

Image: Celebrations outside the NADA office as NADA gives clean chit to Narsingh Yadav to participate in the Rio Olympics 2016.

Wrestler Narsingh Yadav has been CLEARED of doping charges. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), which delivered its verdict on the doping scandal today ruled that he was not guilty of consuming anabolic steroids. The NADA disciplinary panel ruled that it was a case of sabotage and Narsingh was unaware of the banned substance. NADA says Narsingh deserves to get the benefit of doubt.

At stake was Narsingh's career and India's reputation in the world of sports, less than four days before the Rio Olympics kick off in Brazil.

The 26-year-old was one of India's top medal hopes but a sample collected on June 25 tested positive for traces of a banned anabolic steroid. Narsingh faced a four-year ban as per the new rules for doping offences.

He is now set to represent India in the 74-kg freestyle wrestling at the Rio Olympics.

Anandiben Patel in her Facebook post has sought to be relived of responsibilities of Gujarat Chief Minister.

In the Facebook post, Patel, who took charge as Gujarat's first woman chief minister has said that she had two months earlier sought to resign from the party to give "enough time to the new incumbent to prepare for important events like the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat summit".


She said on the post, "Today once again I have sent a letter to the top brass of the party requesting I be allowed to step down as chief minister," Patel said.

The BJP has been considering replacing the Gujarat chief minister as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah want to craft a new strategy to ensure that the party retains their home state in assembly elections next year.

Reports say that Patel will be appointed as a state governor to make place for a new chief minister.


In the post, she said it is better to step down now as she will turn 75 in November.


File pic Anandiben Patel with PM Modi

The status of an Olympic lightweight has only a few advantages. India has just discovered one of them.

The Narendra Modi government has decided not to prod the country's sport associations to aid Moscow's lobbying efforts against serial Olympic bans on Russian sportspersons, citing India's limited influence among its reasons for not publicly backing its steadiest all-weather friend. Read

Sporting dreams are often nipped in the bud in India due to elusive access to athletic facilities. Read more

The government will take up the GST constitutional amendment bill in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. 

Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel went up to expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa at the Central Hall of Parliament and spent close to 15 minutes with her. Pushpa told Patel that she wanted the Tamil Nadu Congress to release a statement about her and that the state unit should give her political protection. She also thanked Congress senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for his support in the Rajya Sabha.

Pushpa also expressed her desire to meet Sonia Gandhi and requested Ahmed Patel to organise a meeting at the earliest time. Pushpa told Ahmed Patel that she would reveal many inside stories about her expulsion and the slapping of DMK MP Tiruchi Siva.


Pushpa also met Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari in Parliament house and explained that she was facing a threat from the Tamil Nadu government and AIADMK MPs. Ansari has now ordered protection for Pushpa.


Days after she reportedly got into a scuffle with a Dravida Munnetra Kazagham MP at Delhi airport, Rajya Sabha MP M Sasikala Pushpa was on Monday expelled from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam by party supremo Jayalalithaa for bringing disrepute to the party.

In a brief statement, Jayalalithaa said that Pushpa was being expelled from all party posts, including primary membership, as she had acted in violation of the party principles and ethics.

Her behaviour has brought great disrepute to the party, she said.

Jayalalithaa asked party supporters not to have any contact henceforth with the Thoothukudi based Rajya Sabha MP.

Last week, Pushpa had reportedly got into a scuffle with her Rajya Sabha colleague from DMK Tiruchi Siva at Delhi airport.


File pic: Sasikala Pushpa with AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa in happier times.

The Uttar Pradesh government today posted PAC officer Anees Ahmad Ansari as the new Senior Superintendent of Bulandshahr following suspension of Vaibhav Krishna after the gang rape of a woman and her teenage daughter by bandits on gunpoint. Ansari is the Commandant of 34th Batallion of Provincial Armed Constabulary.


Maan Singh has been posted as Additional SP in place of Rammohan Singh, who was also suspended yesterday, an official spokesman said today.


Facing the flak from opposition, the government had suspended five officers, including the SSP. The gang had brutally gang-raped a woman and her 13-year-old daughter on gunpoint on Friday night after dragging them out of a car in Bulandshahr on NH-91 when they were travelling with their family from Noida to Shahjahanpur.

"That Wani was hunted down, and killed instead of captured, was bad enough. But the use of pellet guns to blind and maim hundreds of protesters at his funeral '" no less than 200,000 '" is downright criminal. Wani's killing was also a clear slap in the face for India's Supreme Court which, on July 8, had curtailed the immunity enjoyed thus far by the Indian armed forces. Specifically, its ruling declared that every armed person in a disturbed area, including Kashmir, may not be necessarily considered an enemy but, even if he turns out to be an enemy, excessive use of force is still not legally permitted."

Read more on the Dawn.

A person was arrested on Sunday for allegedly trespassing Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan's residence in Juhu, Mumbai.


The man identified himself by the name of Bullet Banwari Lal Yadav, a resident of Pune, but originally hailing from Bihar. Reports said at around 2pm on Sunday, the 25-year-old jumped over the compound wall deceiving the security guards at the bungalow. The incident occurred when fans and well-wishers had gathered to get a glimpse of Big B.

While people were eagerly waiting for Bachchan, the accused swiftly entered Bachchan's Jalsa bungalow by climbing up the wall.


Yadav said he intended to sing a song in Bhojpuri to Amitabh Bachchan who was present at the residence. It is still not clear whether he could meet the superstar before being apprehended by the guards.


It also appears that the man did not have any malicious intention. After his detention, he was brought to Juhu police station and was booked under IPC 447 for criminal trespass.


Image: Security personnel outside Bachchan's Mumbai home, Jalsa.

AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP Sasikala Pushpa could easily go down in her party's history as being the only leader to have openly defied their chief J Jayalalithaa.

In the Rajya Sabha today, Sasikala Pushpa revealed that the party leadership had in a manner of speaking, 'slapped her' and she had not been able to meet her children or her husband. She also claimed that her life was in danger from the state government.

This statement has evoked huge political controversy with the Congress leadership.

Ghulam Nabi Azad and other senior Congress MPs in the Rajya Sabha wanted Sasikala Pushpa to be allowed to speak more so that inside information of the party is revealed.

But knowing the political ramifications, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu stood up and said protection would be given to the MP if she approached the Rajya Sabha chairperson. He added that it was a personal matter between two MPs - Sasikala Pushpa and DMK MP Tiruchi Siva -- and the Rajya Sabha could not get involved.

To this Pushpa stoutly denied that it was a personal affair and said that while Tiruchi Siva was a gentleman, she repeated that her life was in danger.


The AIADMK is a one rule-one leadership party, but Sasikala Pushpa has broken the hold iron-hold Jayalalithaa has on the party when Pushpa refused to resign from the Rajya Sabha as she has another four years left.

In the past, many senior leaders in the AIADMK feel that RK Kumar who was union minister of state for revenue in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee  government was asked to resign because he could not help in closing Jayalalithaa's income tax matters. After Kumar, Kadambur Janardhanan was brought in as Union Minister, but he too could not help Jaya in her income tax cases. SImilarly, MP TTV Dinakaran had become an untouchable for AIADMK MPs for three years after he fell out of favour with Jaya.

None of them fought the dictat to leave the party.

But Sasikala Pushpa stood her ground and by doing so is fighting Jayalalithaa's authority and the AIADMK its grip over its MPs.

Sources tell us that a communication gap between Jayalalitha and AIADMK MPs has brought about the Pushpa episode.

The 49 AIADMK MPs in the Rajya Sabha have different views on the issue. The Deputy Speaker of the RS, M Thambidurai is the leader of both houses of parliament an he has been conveying real stories about the conduct and lifestyle of the AIADMK MPs to the leadership. And that, dear reader, is the main reason for such a political mishap.

The real danger of the Pushpa episode is that it may be a threat to the AIADMK leadership and its authority.  First,  it failed to get her resignation, and second, she exposed the AIADMK leadership in the full glare of 250 Rajya Sabha MPs.

The question to be asked then is, how did Jayalalitha's authority get eroded?


-- R Rajagopalan/Rediff.com.


Read more on what Sasikala Pushpa said in Parliament today.

Just in: SC rejects plea to reopen Sohrabuddin fake encounter case. In   2014 Special CBI judge MB Gosavi in Mumbai discharged Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah as an accused in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter case of 2005.

The order had come as a huge relief to Amit Shah who was Gujarat home minister at the time of the alleged encounter of Shaikh in 2005 and of Tulsiram Prajapati in 2006. Amit Shah has maintained that the case was false.

With this order Shah became a free man and did not have to face any trial. The case against him of criminal conspiracy to commit the fake encounters stands dropped.

Congress MP Ghulam Nabi Azad on Manohar Parrikar: Entire nation should be told what type of action and lessons he is going to teach the minorities of this country. Let the members see the video for themselves, and make up their mind.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar: I have not taken anyone's name, I did not threaten anyone.

At the launch of the Marathi edition of a book by journalist and Rediff.com columnist Nitin Gokhale in Pune yesterday, Parrikar didn't take any name but hinted at Aamir Khan while delivering his speech. "How can anyone dare to talk ill about our country? If anyone speaks like this, they need to be taught a lesson. People have shown their power. An actor did this mistake. Said his wife wants to go and stay in a foreign country. It was an arrogant statement. However small my house is, I have to love my house and aim to make it big bungalow," he said.

AIADMK's Rajya Sabha MP Sasikala Pushpa expelled from the party for bringing disrepute to the party and for anti-party activities.

AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa allegedly slapped a DMK MP Tiruchi Siva at Delhi's IGI airport. Both the Rajya Sabha MPs were checking in for a Jet airways flight to Chennai, when they realised that the other was also traveling in the same flight.

In Parliament today, Sasikala Pushpa broke down saying she needed protection. "I don't have safety in Tamil Nadu. There is a threat to my life. We should have human dignity. I'm being compelled to resign from my constitutional post. I will not do it." she said.

The order to expel her from the party comes from AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa.

Tiruchi Siva, the Rajya Sabha MP from DMK, said that as he was returning from the Delhi airport canceling his tickets, he was shocked by Sasikala Pushpa's attack on him. He said that Sasikala slapped him once.
However, Sasikala Pushpa said that she overcame with emotions as Siva criticized the Tamil Nadu government and Jayalalithaa and that's why she slapped him four times.

"Our enemy is once again taking a shot at the morale of our soldier by spreading cooked-up stories on the 7th Pay Commission implementation on social media. I will discuss this in the following paras:

"I am quoting from the 7th CPC report:
"Equivalence in pay levels for certain levels: The starting pay level for officers at Group `A entry level is identical at Rs 56,100 in the case of both civilian and defence service officers. Similarly the pay of the Major General and Joint Secretary and equivalent officers and those above [viz., Lieutenant General (in HAG, HAG+, Apex) and Chief of each defence service] has been kept identical with their civilian counterparts. Identical pay levels have been devised for JCO/ORs and their civilian counterparts corresponding to the existing pay bands and grade pay."
"It is clear that:
"a) We are getting same starting pay as civilians. Edge to defence forces is given by way of MSP, unique to dfence forces only. A jawan gets a start of 21,700 with a MSP of 5200, a 24℅ edge over their civilian counterparts. Officers start with same pay as IAS and IPS at Rs 56,100. In addition we get MSP -- for officers it is Rs 15,500. That means we get an edge of (15,500/56100) x 100 = 27.62%. This edge continues till Brigadier rank and per centage goes down with increase in basic pay.
"b) Since Independence, forces have been compared with police for pay. During V CPC Major's pay with 14 years of service considered to be low was brought up to the level of police officer with same length of service. However, the edge over all other services, including IAS and IPS is provided in the form of MSP.
"c)  7th CPC has not made any changes to pay fixed by 6th CPC. They have just given a multiplication factor of 2.57 with slight variations to fix the pay in a new matrix. Hence, there is no way that it can upset the established equation between civil and defence forces. Whatever discrepancies were noticed were already in existence in previous CPCs. Chiefs and governments have resolved them in favour of soldiers. Instead of thanking them, we are blaming them!
"d) A big lie circulating on social media is that 7 CPC has brought down the status of Lt Col to the 3rd Pay Panel level. Fact is that this was actually done by the 6th CPC. Our chiefs at the time put their foot down to push it up to PB4. Present status is that Lt Colonels are placed at level 12A. Level 12 starts at Rs 78,800 and level 12A at Rs 11,6700+ map 15,500, a huge jump of Rs 53,400. There is no degradation, no pushing back to PB3 or level 12.
"Each and every word written above is easily verifiable on internet and also through authentic sources of information.

"I request friends not to play into enemy hands by forwarding their anti-national emails."

-- From an ex-Fauji who has studied the pay panel award in detail

Former UP CM and BSP chief Mayawati has asked for the resignation of UP CM Akhilesh Yadav over the Bulandshahr horror. "Resign if you can't handle law and order. Agar UP sambhaala nahin ja raha hai, toh behtar hoga ki CM ke pad se naitikta ke aadhar pe isteefa dedena chahiye.Ye meri salah hai. Iss ghatna se saaf zahir ho gaya ki UP mein kanoon ka raj nahi, jungle-raj chal raha hai. My advice is that if you cannot handle UP it's better that you resign from the CM's post. After this incident it is apparent that there is no law and order in UP. "

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday claimed to have held three of the accused involved in the brutal gang rape of a woman and her teenage daughter by bandits on gunpoint on Friday night after dragging the family out of a car near Bulandshahr, even as the Samajwadi Party government came under intense flak over the incident.


UP Director General of Police Javeed Ahmed, who was rushed to Bulandshahr by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav after the incident at village Dostpur here on Delhi-Kanpur highway came into limelight, identified the three detained as Naresh, 25, Bablu, 22, and Rais, 28.

He said police had taken into custody 15 persons, all of them belonging to a nomadic tribe, on Saturday evening and interrogated them.

Three of those held who belonged to Bawariya gang have been identified by the victims and all the culprits would be booked under the stringent National Security Act, he said.

As the incident, which occurred near bypass when the family from Noida was from travelling to Shahjahanpur on NH-91, acquired a political hue, the chief minister went into a fire-fighting mode and suspended Senor Superintendent of Police Bulandshahr Vaibhav Kishan, SP city Rammohan Singh, Circle Officer (Sadar) Himanshu Gaurav and Station House Officer Ramsen Singh of Kotwali Dehat, amid allegations of laxity by police.

The DGP, accompanied by principal secretary (home), visited the site of the incident on the direction of the CM.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers are not entitled to government accommodation and any such possession should be vacated within two months, the Supreme Court ruled today. 

India is a unique country. This is the only nation in the world to have passed laws that protect one animal and its progeny even if it means the death of human beings, Dalits and Muslims. 

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has found support in BJP MP Subramanian Swamy for his criticism of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan over the intolerance row.

With the killing of three Taliban fighters, the attack at the Northgate hotel in Kabul, close to Bagram US airbase, has come to an end. Earlier, the Taliban claimed responsibility when gunmen attacked the compound following a powerful explosion and engaged in a shootout with security forces. 

The flood situation in Assam, where two more people were killed on Sunday, and Bihar remained grim, while the death toll in lightning strikes in Odisha in the last 24 hours climbed from 32 to 45, taking the overall number of casualties to 74.

What is it that Narendra Modi values more than winning elections? What does he want, now that he has achieved the highest political office that the Indian democracy allows a citizen to occupy? 

While China continues to hail the nuclear non-proliferation treaty as the cornerstone of global non-proliferation regime, Beijing itself has violated the consensus arrived at the 2010 NPT review conference on supply of nuclear technology by transferring nuclear reactors to Pakistan.

A teenager was raped, murdered and then burnt by two stalkers in Delhi' Gandhi Nagar area. 

Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin threatened to stop Home Minister Rajnath Singh when the latter visits Islamabad next week to attend a SAARC meet.