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Sat, 20 August 2016
Trump companies owe $650 million: Report

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23:54   AK Antony backs PM's Balochistan statement
Former defence minister and senior Congress leader A K Antony on Saturday found nothing wrong in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement mentioning Balochistan in his Independence Day address to target Pakistan. 

"I don't find any wrong in the prime minister's statement on Balochistan," he told reporters.

Antony also said Pakistan was behind terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir. 

"As a former Defence Minister, I know very well about the role being played by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Antony urged the government to give utmost importance to solving the problems of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

In his Independence Day speech, Modi had talked about the situation in PoK, Gilgit and Balochistan and said people from there have thanked him for raising their issues.
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22:59   Trump companies owe $650 million: Report
Companies belonging to Donald Trump have at least $650 million in debt, more than twice the amount shown in public filings made by his presidential campaign, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
The paper employed a property information firm to search publicly available data on more than 30 US properties connected to the Republican candidate, including offices and golf courses.
In addition to the $650 million liabilities, "a substantial portion of his wealth is tied up in three passive partnerships that owe an additional $2 billion to a string of lenders," the Times said about debt that could significantly affect Trump's wealth.
The billionaire tycoon campaigns on what he says is his spectacularly successful real estate record, claiming to be worth $10 billion and citing his business acumen as his major qualification for the presidency.
However, he has dismissed mounting pressure even from within his own party to disclose his tax returns or allow an independent valuation of his assets.
Trump's campaign filings show his businesses owed at least $315 million, the Times noted, saying they appear to be accurate and that Trump was not required to disclose all of his business activities.
Although the paper does not accuse him of any wrongdoing, the investigation "underscored how much of Mr Trump's business remains shrouded in mystery."
The probe "also found that Mr Trump's fortunes depend deeply on a wide array of financial backers, including one he has cited in attacks during his campaign," the Times said.
His lenders include one of the largest banks in China -- which the Republican candidate accuses of being a US economic foe -- and the investment bank Goldman Sachs, which he says influences his Democratic White House rival Hillary Clinton.
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22:56  
During his official visit to Syria, MoS M J Akbar called on President Bashar Al Assad in Damascus today.
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22:35   Patel will contribute to India's growth story: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today exuded confidence that Urjit Patel will contribute to India's economic development as the next Reserve Bank governor.
"I'm sure he will successfully lead the Reserve Bank & contribute to India's economic development," Jaitley tweeted while congratulating Patel, who is currently Deputy Governor at the RBI.
Named as 24th Governor of the Reserve Bank, Patel will take over as head of the central bank from Raghuram Rajan on September 4.
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22:34   Unpolluted, speedy justice still a distant dream: CJI
Chief Justice of India Justice T S Thakur today said that "corresponding upgradation" of judiciary was a must to face the challenges of emerging social and economic scenario and observed that "unpolluted and speedy
justice still remains a distant dream". 
Thakur said that the three pillars of our democratic set up have many challenges, which assume greater dimensions as we make all round progress, widening the gulf between haves and have nots.
In his address at 23rd convocation of Himachal Pradesh University in Shimla, Thakur said that "the judiciary as third pillar has its own challenges of making access to judiciary easy and unpolluted and speedy justice remains a distant dream for variety of reasons, especially when the country is making rapid strides on the developmental front".
"The legislature and executive face the formidable challenge of banishing poverty by preventing concentration of wealth in the hands of a few as a sizable section of people continue to suffer from all kinds of deprivation and the number of poor people is increasing ever year and challenges of clean drinking water, basic minimum health care, education and jobs for every able bodied person remains a daunting task even after 70 years of independence," he lamented.
Forty years of planned development, liberalisation and reforms has made India relevant to the world and enabled 700 million smartphones and 332 million internet users, but India's consumer story is led by 130 million urban consumers and is only one side of the story, he said.
He said that land reforms have remained an unfulfilled project since 1950s, growth carries burden of shrinking jobs, workforce falling into urban middle class constitutes only two per cent of the population, educated middle class facing reduction in jobs and technology was replacing the labour, as he stressed need for immediate re-skilling to be job relevant.

"A resurgent India faces challenges of global competitiveness, social inclusiveness, and environmental sustainability and it is not possible for the institutions handling these challenges without a resurgent idea of justice that is actually enforced. Increasing farmer suicides and resurgence cannot go together," he added.
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22:25   Rio 2016: Golfer Aditi Ashok finishes 41st in women's event
India's Aditi Ashok finishes 41st in women's Golf event. South Korea's Park wins the gold.
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21:41   It will be idiotic to attack Urjit Patel: Swamy
Urjit Patel's appointment as new RBI Governor appeared to have support of BJP MP Subramanian Swamy who had launched a series of attacks against the outgoing Governor Raghuram Rajan.
     
In a string of retweets and replies to his Twitter followers, Swamy said it will be utter "idiotic" to think he will attack Patel because he was born in Kenya. 
     
Swamy, who has been extremely critical of Rajan's policy of not lowering interest rate to check inflation, hoped that Patel will not be as "hawkish".
     
When one of his followers criticised Patel for being a Kenyan national, Swamy replied: "He is not a Kenyan citizen, but was. R3 was born Indian and chose to continue his US green card even though in India from 2007."
     
R3 is the acronym he uses for referring to Raghuram Rajan whom he had on several occasions attacked for keeping interest rate high and hurting growth.
     
When someone else said if Patel will be as hawkish as Rajan, Swamy replied: "Don't be an idiot like presstitudes."
    
 His tweets led to his followers proclaiming that he was backing Patel's appointment.
     
Swamy even retweeted a follower's comment: "Looks like @Swamy39 approves Urijit Patel's appointment." 
     
When a twitterati posted, "I am so dead sure that Swamy is not happy with this appointment", the BJP MP shot back, saying "rubbish".
     
Swamy also retweeted a follower's tweet that said: "Bye Raghuram Rajan. Pick another hobby. Thanks @Swamy39. Welcome @UrjitPatel_ #TransformingIndia #RBI #AchheDin."
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21:04  
Here's the market capitalisation of top 10 companies as on August 19.
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20:44   Bulandshahr rape case: CBI takes custody of 3 accused
The Central Bureau of Investigation has taken into its custody three accused in the case of rape of a woman and her minor girl in Bulandshahr last month. 

CBI sources refused to disclose the identity of the accused who were taken into custody by it but said they would be produced in the fast-track court-2 of Bulandshahr on August 23. 

Uttar Pradesh Police had arrested six persons, including the prime suspect, in connection with the rape of the woman and her 13-year-old daughter while they were travelling from Noida to Shahjahanpur on the intervening night of July 29-30. 

The case was transferred to CBI on the instructions of the Allahabad high court. The agency had registered a case yesterday and sent a team of forensic experts and DIG-ranked officer to the crime scene. 

UP Police, which received flak from the Allahabad High Court, had claimed to have solved the blind case within nine days of the incident with arrest of Salim Bawariya, the head of a gang from Rajasthan.

On the basis of his interrogation, two other gang members -- Zubair and Sajid -- were arrested by the Special Task Force of UP Police. Later, three more accused -- Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) -- were arrested.
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20:41   Urjit Patel right man to succeed Rajan: Narayana Murthy
After backing a second term for Raghuram Rajan, Infosys founder and IT doyen NR Narayana Murthy today called Urjit Patel as the "right man" to succeed Rajan and hoped the new Governor will balance growth and inflation. 

"He is the right man to succeed Raghuram Rajan. Who better than him to see what needs to be done to stimulate growth and contain inflation," Murthy said while extending wishes to Patel on his appointment. 

The IT doyen had batted for re-appointment of the former IMF chief economist saying he deserved at least two more terms for all the "great job" he has done.

On his wishlist from the new governor, Murthy said Patel should continue with what Rajan started in terms of balancing growth and inflation and clean up of banking system. 

Asked if India Inc would be disappointed given Patel's stance on inflation, Murthy said: "Technical issues must be left with experts. I as a citizen of the country will accept what he decides. Who am I to second guess him!"
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20:35   Pokemon Go may have health benefits: expert

'Exergames' such as Pokemon Go, that combine augmented reality technology, geocaching and other novel techniques, have potential personal and public health benefits, researchers claim.
Tom Baranowski from Baylor College of Medicine in the US identified many lessons that can be learned from the success of the popular Pokemon Go, in which players can log hours of walking as they physically chase the virtual Pokemon creatures based on video images displayed on their smart phones.
Baranowski encouraged researchers to conduct well-designed studies to assess the health effects of active video games.
Game developers could then use this information to create new games that would be both fun to play and promote beneficial physical activity, he said.
"Pokemon Go stimulated substantial amounts of physical activity in many likely-otherwise sedentary game players without intending to," said Baranowski.
"We might call this stealth exergame programming, and we have a lot to learn about how to achieve this," he said.
The research is published in the journal Games for Health.
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20:31   Sonia is much better: Rahul Gandhi
Congress President Sonia Gandhi is "much better now" and will be "up and about very soon", Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday. 

The 69-year-old Congress President was discharged from the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi two days back after successfully undergoing a minor procedure. She was earlier in the hospital for 11 days for treatment of fever, dehydration and a shoulder injury. 

At a function at which noted singer Shubha Mudgal was presented the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award, the Congress Vice President said that Sonia was "very keen" to attend the event, but he and Priyanka Gandhi did not allow her. 

Rahul said though his mother was "very very impatient" to attend the programme, he and his sister told her that she should "rest a little bit".

"She is much much better now and will be up and about very soon," he remarked. Gandhi, who is recuperating after falling ill during a roadshow in Varanasi, also did not visit the Vir Bhumi memorial on the 72nd birth anniversary of her husband and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
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19:58   SBI chairman welcomes Patel's appointment as RBI governor
SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya, who was mentioned as one of the candidates to succeed Raghuram Rajan, has welcomed the appointment Urjit Patel as the RBI governor.

"Appointment of Urjit Patel comes as a welcome move. Dr. Patel has been at the helm of institutionalizing the inflation targeting regime in the monetary policy framework.
 
His appointment signals continuity of policy intent, both on part of the RBI and the government," Bhattacharya said.
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18:48   Modi govt is bulldozing federal structure: Mamata
Launching a frontal attack on the Narendra Modi government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused it of bulldozing the federal structure in the country and said she would seek the President's opinion on the issue.
"The Modi government is bulldozing the federal structure and violating Constitution. It is interfering in the functioning of the state governments. We will seek the opinion of the President," Banerjee told reporters at the 'Nabanna', the state secretariat.
The state government, she said, received a letter from the Centre during the day saying that centrally-sponsored schemes are being rationalised.
"This is being done by force without taking the states into confidence ... They talk about cooperative federalism. I don't know what is cooperative federalism.
"If they interfere into the functioning of the states, there is no meaning of the existence of the state governments. It is a very serious matter," she said.
"Narendra Modi is running dictatorship. The people of the country have lost freedom under Modi.
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18:26   Urjit Patel succeeds Rajan as new RBI governor
Deputy RBI governor Urjit Patel has been appointed as the new RBI governor. The 52-year-old will replace Raghuram Rajan as the governor whose term ends on September 4. 
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17:54   Taliban seizes Khanabad in Afghanistan's Kunduz
After days of heavy fighting, the Taliban has taken control of another of the five districts in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz, according to provincial authorities.

The fighters seized the district of Khanabad, which connects Kunduz to Takhar and other northern provinces, on Saturday morning, with heavy clashes reported in several other districts.

"The Taliban attacked the district from different positions and we resisted for hours but we received no support. The district fell to the Taliban," said Hayatullah Amiri, the Khanabad chief.

The Taliban has intensified its attacks in Kunduz and also carried out attacks on other key districts in the province in the past weeks.

"The reports that I have by talking to people in Kunduz is that the district fell into the hands of the Taliban without any combat or conflict," Habib Wardak, who campaigns for good governance, told Al Jazeera from Kabul.

"It looks like the capture of the district Khanabad will have severe repercussions on the socio-economic, political and security situation not just in Kunduz but the entire northern part of the country."

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17:41   More accolades for Sindhu
Accolades are pouring in for Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu.

The Andhra Pradesh government has announced Rs 3 crore cash, 1,000 square yard house site in the state capital and group 1 employment in state government for Sindhu.

Sindhu scripted history by becoming country's first shuttler to hand India an Olympic silver medal on Friday.

The Andhra cabinet also announced Rs 50 lakhs for Sindhu's coach Pullela Gopichand.
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17:08   Polish olympian puts silver medal on sale to help boy with cancer
Polish discus thrower Piotr Malachowski has put up for sale the silver medal he won at the Rio Olympics to help raise funds for a boy with a rare cancer, the athlete said. 

"In Rio I fought for gold," Malachowski said on his Facebook profile. "Today I call on all people - let us fight together for something that is even more valuable. For the health of this fantastic boy."

Reigning world champion Malachowski said all the money raised from the auction would be spent on treating 3-year-old Polish boy Olek Szymanski, who has suffered for nearly two years from retinoblastoma, an eye cancer affecting young children.
"There is no chance of saving Olek's eyes in Poland. The only chance is therapy in New York," Malachowski said.

A Polish foundation called Siepomaga has already gathered about a third of the roughly 480,000 zlotys ($126,000) it said was needed to finance the boy's treatment at ophthalmic oncologist David Abramson's clinic in New York.

The highest bid in the auction for Malachowski's silver medal on Poland's Allegro website had reached about $6,000 on Friday. The auction ends on August 26.
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17:04  
Chhattisgarh: Two engines and 13 coaches of a goods train derail in Dantewada. Police at the spot
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16:54   Need a PM who protects our freedom: Bezwada Wilson
Bezwada Wilson, Magsaysay award winner for 2016 and National Convenor of the Safai Karamchari Andolan on the visible Dalit anger in India today and his fight to end manual scavenging in India. 

Read the interview HERE
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16:33   Karnataka home minister gives clean chit to Amnesty
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara gave a clean chit to Amnesty International in the sedition case, saying he does not believe Amnesty did anything wrong. 

The city police commissioner also stated that there was 'no substantial evidence to proceed against Amnesty on sedition charges'.

An FIR, including Sec 124 A (sedition), was filed against the NGO following a complaint by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad alleging that 'anti-national comments' were made at an event organised to highlight human rights violations by security forces in the Kashmir valley.

On Friday, police used lathis to disperse ABVP activists when they attempted to barge into AAI headquarters in Indiranagar. The police have cautioned the CM that the ABVP agitation could lead to law-and-order problems not just in Bengaluru but across the State, said a senior officer.
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16:15   Nation wants to see pen, computers in hands of Kashmir youth, not stones: Rajnath
In an attempt to reach out to the youth of Kashmir, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday insisted that India wants to see pens and computers in their hands and not stones and firearms.

Addressing a gathering, Singh said, "The people of this country want to see pens and computers in the hands of Kashmiri youth and not stones and firearms. We want to see employment in your hand. We want to see you working hard."

"There can be no solution by protests. We first want that peace is established in the valley and only after that we can mutually find a solution. The people of this country not only love the land of Kashmir but the Kashmiri people as well," he added.
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15:57   550 litres of country liquor unearthed in search in Gopalganj
More than 550 litres of country liquor, which was buried under the earth, was recovered during a search operation launched in Khajurwani ward of Gopalganj town where 16 persons died in a suspected hooch incident early this week.

Search operation in which JCB machines are being used to dig the earth for hidden plastic containers of "mahua" (country liquor) is continuing today, District Magistrate Rahul Kumar said.

Meanwhile, Lalbabu Passi, said to be the main accused in the suspected hooch tragedy has been arrested by Deoria in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Officer In-charge of town police station Santosh Kumar said.

Passi had fled to Deoria after the incident.
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15:52   Name a storm after PV Sindhu, says Kapil Dev
Shuttler PV Sindhu's Silver at the Rio Olympics lifted India's spirits as the nation erupted in joy at the 21-year-old's historic feat on Friday.

World number 10 Sindhu settled for silver after being beaten 21-19, 12-21, 15-21 by Carolina Marin of Spain.

Former captain of the cricket team Kapil Dev was ecstatic about the win and tweeted, "Let's name a storm after Sindhu. PV Sindhu means glory. This silver is worth a 1000 golds. Whole India is proud of you."
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15:13  
JUST IN: Coal India workers to go on strike on September 2, may impact production and dispatch of coal
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14:46   Disappointed with Centre & state: Omar Abdullah after meeting President
Omar Abdullah and other Opposition leaders from Jammu and Kashmir met the President this afternoon to apprise him of the situation in the troubled state. 

The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said that the leaders and he were troubled that the state government had not taken any steps to stop the violence, which has already claimed over 45 lives and injured over 3,000. 

"The initiatives that should have been taken up by state government are being taken by the opposition. We are disappointed with the Centre and state," said Abdullah after his meeting with President Mukherjee. 
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14:30   Shobhaa De clarifies on 'selfie' tweet, says 'nothing personal'
After drawing a lot of flak on social media for her controversial 'selfie' tweet mocking the Indian contingent at the Rio Olympics, columnist and author Shobhaa De has clarified her post saying that there was no 'malicious' intent behind her tweet.

The famed writer asserted that she was dealing with the backlash on her tweet and had moved past it.

"I don't want to get into further negativity. There was no malice intended. Sometimes in 140 characters, your sentiments may not be fully expressed as you would want to be conveyed. If a controversy follows, a person like myself who is in the public space, we have to deal with it with a big smile and look forward and look ahead. I don't believe in that kind of a drama which a lot of people may be comfortable doing that you say something in a tweet and then because of public pressure, you delete the tweet," she added.

Further stating that she has put the tweet behind her and taken all the trolling, shaming, hate and abuse that came her way, De hoped that the entire nation would move past the debacle by now.

"The time right now is to really rejoice in the few triumphs that we had, especially the three exceptional women athletes, who have proved over and over again that despite the odds, it's possible to succeed. It's an individual achievement of theirs. They have done it without infrastructure being the kind of support that they require was not really available to them. So, hats off to them," she added.

Reiterating her stand that no malice was intended behind her tweet, De said she has been a national level sportsperson herself and she knows how much hard work goes into it.

"I respect athletes because it was because of my athletic and my sports that I even got into college in a sports quota. I hope that ends that," she added.
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14:11   Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan finally gets UK visa
After a huge controversy, Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan has finally been granted a UK visa. 

Writing on Facebook about getting his visa, Khan said, "My '#'UK' work visa has finally been granted.... I would like to thank everyone for their absolute love extended to me last week over this....was humbling to read all the messages of support...truly means a lot!"

He added, "A special thank you to Keith Vaz for taking such a keen personal interest in the matter. I look forward to performing in London on the 18th of September at the ‪#‎RoyalFestivalHall‬."

Last week, the sarod maestro's visa application was rejected by the United Kingdom High Commission
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13:56   Andhra 'ammayi' or Telangana 'bidda', Sindhu is claimed by two states
Even before Pusarla Venkata Sindhu pumped up the excitement on Friday at Rio, her admirers staked claim to her: both in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The champion shuttler was their 'ammayi' (girl, in Telugu), both sides said. Some asserted that she was born and brought up in Hyderabad and was a Telangana 'bidda.' The counter was that she belonged to Vijayawada and was therefore an Andhra 'ammayi'.

Read more HERE
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13:46   New RBI Governor likely to be announced today
The finance ministry is likely to announce the next governor of the Rerserve Bank of India today.

As incumbent RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan's exit date, which falls on September 4 nears, speculations about his successor have been doing the rounds for the past few weeks.

Former deputy governor Subir Gokarn and current deputy governor Urjit Patel are in the race for the top job.

The other names doing the rounds are that of Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya, Former RBI Deputy Governor Rakesh Mohan, SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya and Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das.

To discuss the same, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for over an hour.

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13:39   Karzais back, but wont like what he sees
Hamid Karzai, former Afghan president, is back in Delhi visiting us, and promptly reciprocated his hosts' hospitality by nodding concurrence with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's anguish over the human rights situation in Balochistan. It's always good to have Karzai saying nice things about us.

Read more HERE
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13:11   It's official! Modi's monogrammed suit is world's most expensive suit sold
Remember the suit that had 'Narendra Damodardas Modi' monogrammed as pinstripes on it? Well, guess what. The same suit, that was sold in an auction in February 2015, has entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the 'most expensive suit sold ever'.

The suit, that was worn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his meeting with US President Barack Obama, was sold to the highest bidder, Laljibhai Patel, a diamond baron and private airline owner based in Surat, Gujarat for an astounding Rs 4.31 crore. 
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12:30   Don't cross Lakshman Rekha of beliefs: Sena to court
Adopting a strident stand towards Supreme Court's curbs on Dahi Handi in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena today said people will foil such attempts to hinder celebration of Hindu festivals.

"Ganeshotsav, Dahi Handi and Navratra festival are all parts of our beliefs. Courts which are now governing us should not cross the Lakshman Rekha at least in these issues," the Sena said. 

"People have elected their government in a democratic manner. Let the government do its job. The head atop the government's body knows what's right and wrong. If an attempt is made to remove this head and murder democracy, then all tiers of national system will collapse," it said. 

"The festivals and rituals of Hindus will happen. People will foil attempts to stop them and Shiv Sena will lead this dissent," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.

"When courts take on the role of government, they should be ready to face mudslinging," the Sena said.
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12:13   Swaraj delights Twitter again with her humour
The external minister does it again! When she isn't busy fulfilling her duties as minister or congratulating Olympics medal winners or consoling Olympians who had to quit the games after being injured, Sushma Swaraj manages to get everyone to smile. 

Singapore-based countryman Arif Rashid Zargar had been waiting for a while now for his infant son to get a passport. He can't see his little boy, Ali, in person again, until he gets his documentation. So Zargar tweeted his predicament to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj: "@SushmaSwaraj Maam my 5 month old baby's passport is pending since a month in PSKsgr due to police verification. :( need your magic advise. @SushmaSwaraj pls help out with my baby's passport or he will grow thinking whatsapp n skype is his father :( PSK sgr

Swaraj's reply was what we can, by now, call 'vintage-Swaraj'.
"Ohh ! That will be too much, pl give me the details. @Gen_VKSingh @CPVIndia @passportsevamea."
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11:50   3 IndiGo pilots grounded for mid-air selfies
India's aviation safety regulator has grounded three IndiGo pilots for a week for taking selfies in a cockpit while airborne, a rising phenomenon which distracts pilots and may endanger lives. 

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation officially warned some pilots of Indian carriers, and may soon issue guidelines prohibiting mid-air selfies in cockpits, sources said. 

An IndiGo spokesperson said that the pilots have been de-rostered for seven days for selfies taken about 1.5 years ago.
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11:27   On Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary, West Bengal's Congress commits faux pas
Today as the Congress party remembers former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary, the West Bengal unit of the party decided to mark his death anniversary by tweeting a quote he was infamous for. 

Bengal's Congress members might have meant well, but that Rajiv quote didn't go down well -- at all --with anyone, likely not even the Congress top brass. 

The Congress's Bengal members soon deleted the tweet but the damage was done. The quote in question was Rajiv's comment days after his mother, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

"When a big tree falls, the earth shakes," Rajiv said, rather unfortunately, back then.
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11:16   Biopic on PV Sindhu's coach Gopichand in the offing?
Along with PV Sindhu, another person whose stature has phenomenally grown in course of the Rio Olympics is her coach, Pullela Gopichand.

The persona of Gopi -- as he is better known within the badminton circuit -- is set to get bigger with a Hindi-Telugu biopic being planned on the 2001-All England Badminton champion.

Abhisek Nama, the biopic producer, believes Gopi's exploits will be as much a hit on celluloid as he had been on the court.

"Gopichand's life is very filmy, the early struggle, his love story, his mother's emotion, his injury that almost finished his career and then his win that changed the face of Indian badminton. It is a story waiting to be told,'' says Nama.

To be directed by national award-winning director Praveen Sattaru, the film `Pullela Gopichand' will be the first on an Indian badminton player, though Amole Gupte of 'Stanley ka Dubba' fame is also reportedly planning a film on Saina Nehwal.

The film is scheduled to go on the floor this November and will be shot across Hyderabad, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Birmingham.
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10:57   Modi pays tribute to Rajiv Gandhi on birth anniversary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today remembered former premier Rajiv Gandhi on his 72nd birth anniversary. "Remembering former PM Rajiv Gandhi ji on his birth anniversary," he said in a tweet.

Rajiv Gandhi was born on August 20, 1944. He served as prime minister from 1984 to 1989. Rajiv Gandhi took office after the assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984.

He was assassinated in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.
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10:43   Kashmir unrest: J-K opposition leaders to meet President Mukherjee today
An all-party delegation from Jammu and Kashmir led by former chief minister Omar Abdullah will meet President Pranab Mukherjee this afternoon to apprise him about the prevailing situation in the Kashmir Valley.

The decision came at a meeting attended by members of the National Conference, Congress, Communist Party, Democratic Party Front, Awami Ittehad Party and People's Democratic Front participated on Wednesday.

The members decided to seek a suitable time from President Mukherjee so that they can apprise him that the situation in the Valley is turning for the worse due to the non-stop killing of people.

"When you say Kashmir is an integral part of India, you are talking the land not of people. Make people yours too. A small problem with Gujarat and the prime minister spoke to the people there in Gujarati; why our problem is not important enough," Omar asked.

"We want the Centre to take emergent steps to check excessive use of force. There is a need for a judicial probe into the Kashmir situation," said Omar, alleging that both the Central and state governments "totally failed" to stop the killings of civilians in the Valley.

Omar said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had been blaming Pakistan for the unrest. "Yes, they are playing a negative role, but it is the security forces who are killing youth and other people of the Valley," he said. 

He said Jammu and Kashmir is a political issue and should be solved politically. "But unfortunately, the Centre has been saying 'Kashmir is integral part of India'; they are not talking about the Valley people, they are only taking about the land of Kashmir," he added.

Omar said they would try to meet leaders of all political parties in Delhi and also former judges of the Supreme Court urging them to help resolve the problem.

Holding Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti responsible for the unrest, the leader of opposition said, "She has played worst form of politics by holding everybody from Nehru to Modi (responsible for the Kashmir situation). Unlike Peoples Democratic Party, which actively lobbied for dismissal of my government, I neither sought the dismissal of Mehboobaji's government nor had asked for her resignation. This is not a battle for chairs; this is about safeguarding the future generation of Jammu and Kashmir."
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10:35   Delhi government offers promotion to Rio winner Sakshi's father
Delhi government has offered a promotion to Subir Malik, the father of Rio Olympics bronze medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik, who works as a conductor in Delhi Transport Corporation. 

In a communication to Delhi transport minister Satyendar Jain, Delhi deputy chief minister Sisodia said, "One of our colleagues (Sakshi's father Subir Malik), while working as a conductor, created such an atmosphere for her daughter so that she could raise the honour of the nation...

"I propose that apart from felicitating Sakshi Malik, the government should felicitate her family, especially her father. I recommend for the promotion of Subir Malik for his contribution," he said.

The state government has also announced a cash award of Rs 1 crore to Sakshi Malik and a Rs 2 crore cash prize to Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu.
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10:07   Mumbai: Uber driver booked for molesting Italian national
The Santacruz police registered an FIR against a driver, identified as Shehbaaz, employed by cab aggregator Uber for allegedly molesting a passenger, an Italian national, on Thursday night. A Facebook status uploaded by the victim's friend on Facebook went viral, with over 7000 users sharing it.

The friend outlined the incident on Facebook:

Last night an expat girl friend who is currently working in Bombay took an Uber from my house in Pali Hill to 7 Bungalows. She asked us if Uber was safe and all of us jumped to assure her that she was in 'Bombay' and she had nothing to worry about. Unfortunately we were proved wrong because this Uber driver tried to molest her on their way to Versova. 

He spoke to her in a friendly manner when she first got in and asked her where she was from and made small talk. Later, he said that since the roads in Mumbai are horrible she was welcome to come sit in the passenger seat up front with him. 

When she refused to move he complained about low visibility through his back screen and told her he was going to pull over to clean it. She was very uncomfortable but allowed him to stop to clean the screen. She was surprised when he came to the back seat under the pretext of cleaning the window from the inside and proceeded to put his hand on her thigh and tried to feel her up. 

She panicked and tried to push him off and only when she started shouting at him did he move off her and go back to his seat. She managed to jump off and get home safely.

But what angers me is that this has happened in Bombay! I cannot believe this happened to my friend. This happens because there are no consequences! And Uber? How many of us are using Uber? I'm expecting Uber to deal with this in a way that scares any Uber driver from violating someone. While we are going to make an official police complaint, Uber needs to check the backgrounds of their drivers and have consequences. 
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09:58   Army admits Kashmir teacher killed by soldiers
Amid protests in Kashmir, the army admitted today that a 32-year-old school teacher was beaten to death by its soldiers during overnight raids at a village and called it "absolutely unjustified and unacceptable".

Shabir Ahmad Mangoo, who taught at a government school, was killed when he and several others were thrashed on Wednesday night at Khrew, 40 km from Srinagar.

His family alleges that the army searched house to house for protesters and beat Shabir mercilessly. The death has led to fresh protests in Kashmir, which has seen clashes in the aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani on July 8. 

"These raids are not sanctioned at any level. Let me tell you what happened when one person was killed in the beating by army persons. It's unjustified. Nobody can support this. And there's absolutely no sanction for these actions," Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda said. 
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09:39   IAF rescues pregnant woman in Jammu
At a time when the defence services in India are being slammed, here comes a story that might help the situation. 

On Friday, the Indian Air Force Indian came to the rescue of a pregnant woman as they airlifted her from mountainous Nawapachi belt of Kishtwar to Udhampur in Jammu and later admitted her to a hospital. 

Samina Begum, 28, was in a critical condition due to profuse bleeding when the district administration sought the help of the IAF, a district administration official said. 

"After receiving the message of the district administration, we flew a chopper to Nawapachi and airlifted her," an Udhampur-based defence spokesperson said. "She was flown in a Chetak helicopter. However, due to bad weather the chopper could not make it to Jammu and landed at Udhampur IAF station. She was taken to IAF's hospital in Udhampur where she is now admitted," he added.
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09:39   'Sindhu, I'm your fan', tweets Rajinikanth. 14,000 retweets and counting
The entire country celebrated PV Sindhu winning the silver medal in the women's singles match at the Rio Olympics. Superstar Rajinikanth, who rarely tweets, declared himself a fan of the young player. 

His tweet had been retweeted over 14,000 times and still counting. His tweet read, "Hats off to you #PVSindhu .... I have become a great fan of yours ... Congratulations!"

Other celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar to name a few also tweeted their congratulations to the silver girl!
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09:29  
JUST IN: RJD leader Vinod Yadav shot dead by unidentified criminals in Bhagalpur district of Bihar.
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02:22   NC leader, family escape unhurt in militant attack
A senior National Conference leader and former legislator escaped unhurt along with his family in a grenade attack by suspected militants at his house in Shopian district of south Kashmir, police said on Friday.

Unidentified militants hurled the grenade at the residential place of Sheikh Mohammad Rafi at village Kachdoora, 50 km from Srinagar, late on Friday night, a police official said.

He said the grenade landed on the lawns of the heavily-guarded house and exploded without causing any damage. Rafi along with his family was present in the house at the time of the attack.
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01:24   Who will be Pakistan's next Army Chief
When Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif finally sits down to choose Gen Raheel Sharif's successor, his decision will be guided by personal choices, political considerations, and, in a couple of cases, his own experience of working with the candidates -- with a great temptation to go for someone safe, retired and serving bureaucrats and military officials were quoted as saying by Dawn.

The succession would take place upon the retirement of Gen Sharif at the end of November.

The line-up is more or less clear. Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Zubair Hayat is the senior most followed by Multan Corps Commander Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed, Bahawalpur Corps Commander Lt Gen Javed Iqbal Ramday and Inspector General Training and Evaluation Lt Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.

There are two other generals between Gen Zubair and Gen Ishfaq Heavy Industrial Complex Taxila Chairman Lt Gen Syed Wajid Hussain and Director General Joint Staff Lt Gen Najibullah Khan but both are not technically qualified to be appointed army chief since they have not commanded a corps.

Lt Gen Maqsood Ahmed, who is serving as military adviser with the United Nations, is already on an extension and not eligible for promotion either.

All four generals eligible for promotion are from the 62nd PMA Long Course.

Read full report HERE
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00:37   I've become your fan, says Rajinikanth to Sindhu
P V Sindhu's performance at the Olympics has earned her many fans, including none other than Superstar Rajinikanth!

Rajinikanth, who doesn't use Twitter as often as other celebrities do, took to the microblogging site to congratulate Sindhu sometime after she bagged a silver medal at the Rio Olympics.  

'Hats off to you #PVSindhu .... I have become a great fan of yours ... Congratulations!' he wrote.

Within a couple of hours, the tweet got over 11,000 re-tweets and 21,000 favourites. That's the magic of Rajini.

One must ask Sindhu right now that how does it feel when Rajinikanth tells you, 'I'm your big fan'.

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