LIVE! Book claiming Christ was Tamil Hindu relaunched amid protest threats

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Fri, 26 February 2016

Book claiming Christ was Tamil Hindu relaunched amid protest threats

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23:45 Book claiming Christ was Tamil Hindu relaunched amid protest threats

A controversial book penned by brother of Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, claiming Jesus Christ was a Tamil Hindu, was re-launched here today, 70 years after it was first published.

The book was relaunched at the Swatantryaveer Savarkar National Memorial in Dadar this evening amid threats of protests by Christian organisations, who have objected to the book. Members of Alpha Omega Christian Mahasangh had threatened to gather outside the venue of the launch, carrying black flags to protest against the contents of the book. But no such protest took place.

The book, penned by Ganesh Savarkar, elder brother of V D Svarkar, was re-launched on the death anniversary of V D Savarkar. It was released by historian Pandurang Balkawade. President of the Swatantryaveer Savarkar National Memorial Ranjit Savarkar, who is the grandson of Ganesh Savarkar, said Christians will feel proud after reading the book.

The book, first published in 1946, claims that Christianity was initially a Hindu cult and that Jesus died in Kashmir. It claims that people from the Essene cult rescued the crucified Christ and revived him with medicinal plants and herbs from the Himalayas. It also says Christ attained 'Samadhi' in Kashmir.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in the Madhya Pradesh recruitment scam, said that he would surrender before the court tomorrow and the state police can arrest him if they want to.

"The Madhya Pradesh police can arrest me if they want. I will surrender before the court tomorrow. I was about to go to Delhi but I have cancelled that also and now I will go to Bhopal," Singh said."

This is a 22-year-old scam and it is inevitable that the state government, who is already worried about the Vyapam scam, will target me. In those appointments there was an order by the Cabinet and not alone of mine," he added.An arrest warrant was issued against the Congress leader after he failed to appear in court for the hearing.

22:58 Madan Mitra's bail plea rejected

A court today rejected the bail application of Trinamool Congress leader and former West Bengal minister Madan Mitra, an accused in the Saradha chit fund scam.

District Judge of the Alipore Civil and Criminal Court Siddhartha Kanjilal rejected the bail plea of the Trinamool leader stating in his order that the nature of offence was serious and the larger interest of the society was involved.

The CBI counsel objected to the bail plea describing Mitra as still an "influential" person who, if released on bail, could affect the proceedings of its probe into the case.

In his order, the judge also stated that because the investigations into the case was still in progress and there has been no change in circumstances, the bail plea of Mitra was rejected.

22:37 Gianni Infantino elected new president of Fifa

JUST IN: Gianni Infantino has replaced Sepp Blatter as the FIFA president. Earlier, Infantino, general secretary of European football's ruling body UEFA and initially seen as a stop-gap candidate, had said he was confident of winning the election and dispelled the suggestion of a deal that would involve him withdrawing.

22:33 India's oldest first-class cricketer dead

India's oldest first-class cricketer and former captain of Mysore -- as Karnataka was called till 1974 -- B K Garudachar passed away today in the city aged 99.

A right-hand batsman and a leg-break bowler, Garudachar made 1,126 runs at an average of 29.63 from 27 matches in first-class cricket between 1935 and 1946. Born on January 13, 1917 in Chikamagalur, Karnataka, Garudachar graduated in engineering from the Benares University, and started playing for Mysore before representing United Province and Bombay in the 1940s.

As a bowler, Garudachar finished his career with exactly 100 wickets, which included seven five-fours and three 10 wicket match hauls. His only century came against the Holkar team in the 1946 Ranji Trophy semi-final.

Bangladesh opened their account in the Asia by securing a comfortable 51-run victory over UAE in the Asia Cup.

Mustafizur Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mahmudullah and Shakib al Hasan picked up two wickets each as the host bundled out UAE for 82 runs defending their target of 138 runs. Mohammad Mithun made a crucial 47 for Bangladesh, who had lost their opening encounter against India.

The MOU between Indian Coast Guard and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency has been extended by mutual consent through diplomatic channels for the period of further five years from 17 March 2016.

The MOU, signed on 3 October 2005, had come into effect on 16 March 2006.

It envisaged cooperation between ICG and PMSA through exchange of information on EEZ violations, apprehended vessels, marine pollution, natural disasters/calamities, combating smuggling, illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and piracy, and coordination in search and rescue and return sea passage.

It also established a communication link which is operational.Under the provisions of the MOU, Directors General of ICG and PMSA meet periodically.

A local court today issued a non- bailable arrest warrant against Congress leader Digvijay Singh in an alleged recruitment scam at Assembly Secretariat here which took place when he was chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Special Sessions Judge Kashinath Singh issued the warrant after the Congress General Secretary, an accused in the alleged scam, did not turn up in the court where a 169-page supplementary charge sheet was filed today.

The Rajya Sabha member was summoned by prosecuting agency -- MP Police -- to attend the court proceedings. The seven other accused, including K K Kaushal and A K Pyasi -- who appeared in the court -- were granted bail after they furnished a personal security bond of Rs 30,000 each. Kaushal and Pyasi were employees of the Secretariat.

The court fixed March 14 for hearing. Ahead of filing the charge sheet last year, police had grilled the veteran Congressman for five hours in connection with the scam. The scam pertains to alleged irregularities in recruitment in MP Assembly Secretariat here between 1993 and 2003 when Singh was Chief Minister.

Indian Coast Guard ship 'Arnvesh', which arrived here today, will be commissioned soon. 'ICGS Arnvesh' belongs to Fast Patrol Vessel class of ships and was constructed at Cochin Shipyard Ltd, Kochi.

The ship was inducted in Coast Guard on January 12 this year and will be commissioned at Visakhapatnam soon, the maritime security organisation said in a release. On its arrival here, the vessel was received by senior CG Officials.

It is 50 metres long, fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and has a complement of five officers and 33 crew. Post commissioning, the ship, whose maximum speed is 33 knots, will play a vital role in strengthening security of Andhra Pradesh coast, the release said

Three Pakistani-origin brothers and their uncle were today sentenced to up to 35 years in prison for raping as many as 15 teenage girls in the UK.

Arshid Hussain, the 40-year-old ringleader guilty of 23 offences, was sentenced to 35 years while 39-year-old Basharat got 25 years and their 36-year-old youngest brother Bannaras was jailed for 19 years at Sheffield Crown Court. Their 53-year-old uncle Qurban Ali, found guilty of conspiracy to rape, was jailed for 10 years while co- conspirator Karen MacGregor, 58, was jailed for 13 years.

MacGregor's housemate Shelley Davies, 40, was handed 18- months suspended sentence as her defence team argued that she herself had been a victim of abuse in her childhood. The gang's six members led by Arshid were sentenced to a total of 103 years.

Sentencing the gang, Judge Sarah White said the harm they had caused was of "unimaginable proportions". "The impact of your offending upon the victims, their families and indeed the wider community has been devastating.

Their childhood and adolescence can never be reclaimed. Each has suffered immense psychological harm. They continue, and will continue to suffer throughout their lives as a result of your actions," she said.

Around 22 people present at the flashpoint JNU event, including some outsiders, have been identified after the joint interrogation of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya conducted at a south Delhi police station today. "We have ascertained the identities of around 22 persons who were present in the crowd raising seditious slogans. We are likely to question them in the coming days," a police source, said adding that further details about the identified persons are yet to be verified.

He added that the police have so far been unable to identify four persons who had covered their faces with mufflers -- all believed to be outsiders -- who were spotted allegedly raising anti-national slogans at the event.

The investigators are now awaiting the report of JNU high level committee's report on the matter which will be the deciding factor whether the varsity's vice-chancellor, who had withdrawn permission for the February 9 event, or other members of the committee will be listed as witnesses in the case, the source said. Meanwhile, the police have started preparing the evidence file of the case.

Haryana Legal Services Authority today set up help desks in its offices across the state to facilitate victims of the Jat quota agitation who suffered sexual harassment, loss of property or failed to get insurance compensation.

The victims may approach these help desks for free legal services which have been set up pursuant to order passed by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, a spokesman of State Legal Services Authority said.

"In case anyone has been subjected to sexual assault by the arsonists or protesters at any place in the state, the person can submit a complaint in a sealed envelope to the Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, of the district concerned either in person or through some relative or even by post or e-mail," he said.

The official will then immediately forward the application to the police authorities for investigation and thereafter, pursue the matter with them, he said, adding the identity of the victim will not be revealed.

Pakistan has set up a five-member Joint Investigation Team to probe the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase, a week after it lodged an FIR over the assault without naming JeM chief Masood Azhar who India has accused of having masterminded the strike.

The Joint Investigation Team, which was formed by the Punjab government yesterday, is expected to visit India"shortly" to gather evidence if the Indian government gives its permission.

According to Dawn News, the probe team comprises Punjab Counter Terrorism Department Additional Inspector General of Police Muhammad Tahir Rai, Lahore Deputy Director General Intelligence Bureau Mohammad Azim Arshad, Inter-Services Intelligence Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed, Military Intelligence Lt Col Irfan Mirza and Gujjaranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer.

18:48

JUST IN: Saradha chit fund scam: TMC leader Madan Mitra's bail plea rejected by Alipore court

18:42 Haryana Jat stir death toll now 30, army withdrawal begins

The death toll in the nine-day long violent Jat reservation agitation in Haryana has touched 30, the state police chief said. Haryana's Director General of Police YP Singhal said that 30 people lost their life, while over 200 people were injured in the violent agitation that paralysed life in the state.

At least 10 Haryana districts were severely affected by the violence.He also said that the army, which was requisitioned by the Haryana government to control the volatile situation, would start withdrawing from the affected areas on Friday.

"Normalcy is fast returning to the state. All railway tracks and highways are functional and withdrawal of the army would begin today (on Friday) and continue in a phased manner," the DGP said.He said that 713 first information reports had been registered till Friday and 133 people have been arrested.

Aam Aadmi Party Convener Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the SAD-BJP government in Punjab has "lost moral right" to continue as it has "miserably failed" in providing basic amenities like safe drinking water to the people of the state.

"After so many years of independence villages in Punjab are still deprived of drinking water," Kejriwal said on the second day of his five-day Punjab tour, at Teja Ruhela village. He "assured" availability of drinking water to all villages in Punjab within one month if AAP voted to power in the 2017 assembly poll.

The judge who sentenced Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru to death has hit out at opposition members for backing students who allegedly participated in an event at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in his support.

Former High Court judge SN Dhingra, who had heard the 2002 Parliament attack case said that the "same politicians could have been killed" in the terror attack.

"If the group of which Afzal was a part been successful, and many people wanted them to succeed, then those Parliamentarians who are today siding with them, what if 40 -50 of them were killed? The whole scene in India would have been different," Justice Dhingra said, adding, "So do we want to celebrate Afzal martyrdom day since only 15 common citizens died?"

The Indian Air Force has just 32 squadrons of fighters - the lowest in a decade - to guard the Indian skies, top IAF commanders have said. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has flagged the worry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and made a detailed presentation recently on the operational difficulties that the IAF faces because of the depletion in fighters.

The Indian Air Force needs at least 42 squadrons of fighters to protect its western and northern borders with Pakistan and China. By 2019 -2020 it will lose another 14 squadrons of the vintage MiG 21s and MiG 27s. There are 16-18 planes in one squadron.

Britain's Prince William and Kate will visit the Taj Mahal during their tour of India, it has been announced. Their excursion to the sacred landmark on April 16 will no doubt strike a chord with the Duke and Duchess; it comes 24 years after the late Diana, Princess of Wales made the same visit.

The family of Rohith Vemula, the Hyderabad Central University scholar who killed himself last month, spoke to the media today. Here are the highlights of their address:

-- This press conference has been called to expose the lies being propagated by Smriti Irani in Parliament

-- On the day when Rohith died, no Police and doctors were allowed inside to revive Rohith Vemula

-- Why is no action being taken against Smriti Irani who is repeatedly giving false statements?

Sitaram Yechury in Rajya Sabha to BJP leaders:

* You pushed the child (Rohith Vemula) to commit suicide; its virtually a murder

* Who is a good Hindu? Will they give certificates? Why is all this being brought up here in august House to divide country?

* She (Smriti Irani) quoted Macbeth: foul is fair and fair is foul. She is making all that is foul, fair.

* I beseech you, please do not pass unverified statements as evidences.

16:00 Mumbai win Ranji Trophy

Mumbai have won the Ranji Trophy for the 41st time by beating Saurashtra by an innings and 21 runs at the MCA Stadium in Pune.

Scores: Saurashtra 235 & 115 and Mumbai 371.

15:59

JUST IN: FIFA Congress approves reforms to curb president's powers, protect against corruption.

15:43

The adherents of Durga view the war-episodes described in Durga Saptashati as allegorical. The asuras to them were not people, still less representative of any race, but ideas and states of mind. There is not a single mantra used in Durga Puja that has any racial bearing whatsoever. No worshipper of Durga would begrudge the asuras remembering their legendary king Mahishasura. They have their freedom of belief not merely under the Constitution of India but also in Hindu view of life, writes Priyadarshi Dutta in The Pioneer, here.

15:39

Sensex ends 178 points higher at 23,154.30

15:38 Pay hike unlikely to destabilise prices: Survey

The hike in wages under the Seventh Pay Commission is unlikely to destabilise prices and will have little impact on inflation, the Economic Survey said today.

"For most of the current fiscal year, inflation has remained quiescent, hovering within the RBI's target range of 4-6 per cent. But looming on the horizon is the increase in wages and benefits recommended for government workers by the Seventh Pay Commission (7th PC).

"If the government accepts this recommendation, would it destabilise prices and inflation expectations? Most likely, it will not," the survey, tabled in Parliament, said.

Citing example of implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, the pre-Budget document said the Commission award barely registered on inflation despite the lumpiness of the award, owing to the grant of arrears.

"If the 6th Pay Commission award barely registered, the 7th Pay Commission is unlikely to either, given the relative magnitudes, even if fully implemented," it said.

The Survey noted expected wage bill (including railways) will go up by around 52 per cent under the Seventh Pay Commission vis-a-vis 70 per cent under the 6th pay commission.

15:35 US Senators slam H-1B visa programme

Top US lawmakers today slammed the popular H-1B visa programme and demanded strict action against companies abusing it to replace Americans with low-paid foreign workers, including from India.

"The sad reality is that -- not only is there not a shortage of exceptionally qualified US workers -- but across the country thousands of US workers are being replaced by foreign labour," Senator Jeff Sessions, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and The National Interest, said during a Congressional hearing.

Sessions refuted the claims of many US companies about shortage of skilled workers in the US and thus the need to bring in qualified foreign workers from India.

"The data shows that there is no shortage of highly qualified working American professionals, nor is there a shortage of American STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) college graduates every year," he said.

Senator Patrick Leahy, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee said immigrant visa programmes must be used to complement the US workforce, not displace it.

"We must ensure that current laws are not misused in ways that disadvantage American workers," he said.

14:51 The Trump phenomenon, explained

What makes Donald Trump unstoppable in the American presidential race? The Rolling Stones says he's no ordinary con man. He's way above average '" and the American political system is his easiest mark ever.

Read Matt Taibbi's riveting account of the Trump phenomenon as it gathers steam across the US, here.

Hours after the Haryana government ordered probe into alleged rapes in Murthal during Jat stir, Haryana DGP YP Singhal says: "Have recovered clothes from site of alleged rape. No complaint has been received so far. Can't confirm incident, will take action if there's a complaint. Matter was investigated but no concrete evidence could be found. Request journalists to give us information if they have any."

"It has been decided that 3 women police officers (1DIG rank, 2 DSPs) will be available on phone from 3pm today. There numbers are: Rajshree Singh (DIG) 9729995000, Bharti Dabas (DSP) 8053882302, Surender Kaur (DSP) 9729990760."

Pakistan has set up a five-member Joint Investigation Team to probe the Pathankot airbase terror attack, a week after it lodged an FIR into the incident.

The JIT would be visiting the airbase next month to gather evidence subject to permission by the Indian government to conduct its own investigation.

The probe team comprises Punjab Counter Terrorism Department Additional Inspector General of Police Muhammad Tahir Rai (convener), Lahore Deputy Director General (DDG) Intelligence Bureau Mohammad Azim Arshad, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-Col Tanvir Ahmed, Military Intelligence Lt-Col Irfan Mirza and Gujjaranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer (members).

Earlier, a six-member Special Investigation Team was set up by the government to carry out initial probe into the case based on the leads given by India.

A police official said that the SIT would become dysfunctional once government formally transferred its powers to the JIT.

The Pakistani team of experts is expected to visit India "shortly" to collect more evidence into the attack.

14:16 India won't vacate Siachen glaciers: Parrikar

India will not vacate the Siachen glaciers as Pakistan cannot be trusted and it may occupy the strategic location once it is vacated, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said today.

India occupies the highest point in Siachen glaciers, the Saltoro Ridge which is located at 23,000 feet, he said.

"If we vacate the position, the enemy can occupy the position and they would have the strategic advantage. Then we would have to lose many more lives. We know the experience of 1984 (Siachen conflict).

"I know we have to pay the price and I salute our armed forces personnel, but we have to maintain this position. We have to man the strategic position. The position is very important from the strategic point. I don't think anyone in this House can take Pakistan's words for granted," Parrikar said during Question Hour.

The statement comes few weeks after ten soldiers were buried alive under snow after their camp in the northern part of the Siachen glacier was hit by a major avalanche on February 3.

Expressing disappointment over delay in the passage of GST bill, the Economic Survey today said the roll out of Goods and Services Tax will usher in an "unprecedented reform" in modern global tax history.

"There have also been some disappointments -- especially the Goods and Services Tax -- which need to be retrieved going forward," said the Survey tabled by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament.

GST will subsume excise, service tax, VAT and other state levies, will bring in a single-rate indirect tax in the country and is estimated to affect 2-2.5 million excise and service tax payers.

"Accelerated structural reforms at the Centre, the dynamism of competitive federalism, and good economics being good politics could all combine to maintain the fundamental promise that is India," the Survey said.

14:08

'As a loose statement of belief that heavy-handed policing should be avoided and that universities should resolve disputes without outside involvement, the principle of autonomy is unexceptionable. The problem arises when the position is taken to absurd extremes and the campus is declared a de facto 'liberated zone' where consensual decencies can be disregarded. It is instructive to recall that in the 1970s, the hostels of Jadavpur became armed fortresses, with Naxalites calling the shots. It was also the campus where the vice-chancellor was hacked to death by students proclaiming "China's chairman is our Chairman".

'Clearly no two situations are alike. But to prevent the law from taking its course because the campus community has prejudged otherwise, strike me as extending the notion of autonomy from the sublime to the ridiculous. There is a compelling case against policemen unable to appreciate the convergences and divergences of the far-Left vis vis Kashmiri separatists. But one case of overkill cannot be countered by alternative grandstanding, as is happening in both Delhi and Calcutta,' writes Swapan Dasgupta in The Telegraph, here.

14:02 Judges donate Rs 1 cr for Chennai flood relief

Judges of the Supreme Court and Madras high court have contributed over Rs 1 crore towards restoration and rehabilitation of those affected by the December 2015 deluge, the Tamil Nadu government said today.

Advocate General A L Somayaji presented a cheque for Rs 1.28 crore, received as contribution from the judges, to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa recently, an official release said.

The judges of the Supreme Court, Madras high court and judicial officers had contributed Rs 1.18 crore while Administrator General and Official Trustee had given Rs 10 lakh towards the Chief Minister's Public Relief fund.

The government has so far received Rs 373.32 crore towards the relief fund, it said.

Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya together for the first time at a south Delhi police station in connection with the sedition case. The questioning started in the wee hours today and lasted for around five hours, before it resumed around 10.30 am.

The interrogation is taking place at R K Puram police station, a source said.

In the first round of questioning, Kumar was confronted with Khalid and Anirban separately. In the second round, the three were grilled together.

The interrogation is being conducted by at least two teams, said the source.

He claimed that Kanhaiya has so far maintained that on February 9, he came out of his room only when he got to know about a possible confrontation between two groups over the event inside the campus and has dissociated himself with the event.

While Khalid has so far denied having indulged in any anti-national sloganeering, Anirban challenged claims that the slogans pointed out by the police were anti-national in nature, the source claimed.

By questioning the three together, the police is also trying to ascertain who the organiser of the event was, what steps were taken to stop what had happened there and the identities of the outsiders spotted in the video footage of the event.

Just In: The Supreme Court has allowed BJP leader Subramanian Swamy to intervene in the pending civil appeals in the Ayodhya title suit.

While tagging Swamy's plea with the pending cases, the court refuses to accord a separate hearing on his plea seeking the construction of a Ram temple as a matter of Fundamental Right.

Opposition parties on Friday sought an apology from HRD minister Smriti Irani for reading out in Rajya Sabha "objectionable" comments made outside against a god, as she defended herself saying she was asked for proof of her statements against JNU students.

BJP members also hit back at the Congress saying the opposition party was raising the issue due to the criticism of its Vice President Rahul Gandhi over his visit to JNU.

As the House met for the day, Deputy Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma raised a point of order saying the Constitution and rules do not permit anything to be raised in the House which is blasphemous and can hurt religious sentiments.

Irani, he said, had read out "insulting" comments made against Goddess Durga "verbatim" in the House hurting sentiments and sought a ruling from the Chair as to whether such comments made outside Parliament against any religious figure or a deity can be read out inside the House.

Members of other opposition parties also agreed with K C Tyagi of JD(U) demanding that Irani should unconditionally apologise for the comments read out by her.

Irani, however, remained unfazed by the criticism and asserted that she herself was a "practising hindu and a Durga worshipper".

Shares of United Spirits surged over 6 per cent today after Vijay Mallya quit as chairman of the company following an agreement with its majority owner, Diageo.

Under the agreement, the UK-based company agreed to pay Rs 515 crore and absolve him from all the liabilities over alleged financial lapses at the firm founded by his family.

The stock after a positive opening jumped 6.4 per cent to Rs 2,835.30 on BSE.

On NSE, it climbed 6.28 per cent to Rs 2,833.

Mallya, who along with his group firms, who is fighting the 'wilful defaulter' tag in relation to loans taken by the long-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, said he would now "spend more time in England" closer to his children.

12:32

JUST IN: SC seeks Centre's response on plea for SIT probe and contempt action against lawyers, accused of beating Kanhaiya, others in Patiala House court

12:31 7 Indian firms unintentional source of IEDs to IS, says report

A report by the Conflict Armament Research, which studies weapons-specific issues in conflict areas, finds that 'Indian firms have emerged as a leading, but unintentional, source of components used by the Islamic State terror group to fabricate improvised explosive devices (IEDs),' reports the Hindustan Times.

The CAR, which published the report after a 20-month investigation funded by the European Union, 'studied more than 700 IED components seized from IS forces by the Iraqis, Kurds and Syrians during major battles in their respective areas, such as Mosul and Kobane,' reports Yashwant Raj in the HT.

'The report names seven companies from India as the source of detonating cords and detonators, only the second largest supplier by country of origin after Turkey, with 11. But the report was unequivocally clear that these supplies were not intended for IS, and were not delivered directly to the terrorist group or to its known fronts or allies,' Yashwant Raj writes.

'Detonating cords from Indian companies were seized from IS forces, or found left behind by them, in the battles of Kobane in Syria and on the Makhmour front line in Iraq. Detonators from India, plain and electrical, were found at Kobane in Syria and Kirkuk and Erbil in Iraq. According to the product label, some were made in 2012,' he reveals.

You can read the Hindustan Times report here.

The HT does not name the 7 Indian firms, but you can read the CAR report here.

The Economic Survey for 2015-16 was tabled in Parliament by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday.

The Economic Survey is the Finance Ministry's view on the annual economic development of the country that gives a broad idea on the macro-economic data, which will impact the budget decisions.

Highlights of Economic Survey 2015-16:

* GDP growth rate for 2015-16 to be in the range of 7 % to 7.75 %

* Amidst gloomy international economic landscape, India stands as a haven of stability

* Low inflation has taken hold and confidence in price stability has improved

* Services continues to be key driver; expected to be 9.2% in 2015-16

* Foreign exchange reserves have risen to US $349.6 (Jan-2016)

* Govt will meet its fiscal deficit target of 3.9 per cent of GDP

* Agriculture sector needs a transformation to ensure sustainable livelihoods for farmers and food security

* Growth in the services sector moderated slightly, but still remains robust.

11:32

Defending her remarks on Goddess Durga in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister Smriti Irani says, "I myself am a practicing Hindu, Durga worshipper."

11:22 Today's business in Parliament

If things go according to plan, meaning if the session is not disrupted, this is the business listed before the two Houses of Parliament.

Lok Sabha: Discussion on Motion of Thanks on the President's Address.

Rajya Sabha: Bills for consideration and passing: The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016; The National Waterways Bill, 2015; The Carriage by Air (Amendment) 2015; The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015; The High Court and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2015.

11:13 Government set to table Economic Survey

Ahead of the Union Budget, the government will on Friday present its Economic Survey.

The report, authored by Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, is the summary of the economic performance of the nation in the past fiscal year.

While the Union Budget lays down the road map for the economy in the next fiscal year, the economic survey is the government's analysis of the past fiscal year.

It contains data of various macroeconomic indicators which reflect the state of the economy such as Gross Domestic Product, Gross National Product, Inflation rate, foreign exchange trends, balance of payments etc.

It outlines the performance of the various sectors of the economy -- agriculture, industry, services sector in the past fiscal year.

It also shows whether the targets mention in the Union Budget of the previous fiscal year were achieved or not.

The report comes days after the International Monetary Fund hinted at another downward revision of the world growth forecast for 2016, barely six weeks after it revised the estimates. Elsewhere in the Eurozone, Britain's economy slowed sharply to 2.2 per cent in 2015, down from 2.9 per cent in 2014.

The benchmark Sensex reclaimed the 23,000-mark as it rebounded by over 251 points in early trade today, spurred by buying by funds and retail investors ahead of release of the Economic Survey later in the day.

The beginning of the March series in derivatives contracts and positive global cues kept mood upbeat.

The 30-share index recaptured the crucial 23,000-mark by surging 251.91 points, or 1.09 per cent, to 23,227.91, with all sectoral indices led by capital goods, auto and power trading in the green and rising by up to 1.76 per cent.

The gauge had lost 813 points in the previous three sessions.

Mumbai police has registered an FIR against event management company Wizcraft for alleged negligence in connection with the fire at a cultural event during the recently held 'Make in India Week'.

Mumbai police spokesperson Dhananjay Kulkarni today said a case was registered last night under IPC sections 336, for an act endangering life or personal safety of others, and under 285, for negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter.

On February 14, a massive fire had engulfed the stage at a cultural event held at Girgaum Chowpatty seafront here where a string of film celebrities and political leaders were present as part of the high-profile 'Make in India' investment meet.

The fire caused a damage of around Rs 5 crore but nobody was injured.

'It is curious that despite the presence of police at the 9 February event, the Delhi Police relied upon videos from news channels to arrest JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar. The videos turned out to be fake, but what did the police witnesses see that was not used to find and arrest the people who actually raised those slogans? The answer is Kashmiris,' writes Shivam Vij in Huffington Post, here.

Pop sensation Justin Bieber is preparing for a wedding as his father Jeremy is engaged to his longtime love. Jeremy, 41, popped the question to his girlfriend Chelsey Rebelo, 28, last week while on vacation in St Barts, reported Hollywood Life.

Jeremy confirmed the engagement news by posting a video of the big moment on Twitter, adding the caption, "The beginning of a new journey with Chelsey Rebelo."

In the clip, Jeremy leads Chelsey to a scenic outlook, before getting down on one knee and presenting an engagement ring to his new fiancee.

Jeremy was in a relationship with Justin's mother Pattie Mallette for nearly five years, but they split 10 months after she gave birth to Justin in 1994. Jeremy has two other children, Jaxon and Jazmyn, with ex-girlfriend Erin Wagner.

10:28

Just In: A Delhi court grants bail to ex-MoS for Coal Dilip Ray in the coal scam case.

10:16

JUST IN: India submitted formal request to UN 1267 committee today, to designate Masood Azhar as a terrorist: Sources.

09:46

JUST IN: Resolution introduced in the US Congress to block the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

09:42 Haryana govt orders probe into Murthal rapes during Jat stir

JUST IN: Haryana government orders probe into alleged rapes in Murthal during Jat stir.

The government action comes a day after the Punjab and Haryana high court took suo-motu cognizance of news reports about mass gang rapes of women in Haryana's Murthal during the Jat reservation protest and subsequent blockade.

Till 48 hours ago, the Haryana government, senior bureaucrats and police officials continued to vehemently deny reports of any such incident.

"Following the report the Haryana government formed a committee of a financial commissioner and an inspector general of police, which worked on every angle to find the facts, but found that the news is false, Haryana DGP, Yash Pal Singal said.

The incident came to light on Tuesday, that at least 10 women who were travelling to NCR was dragged out of their cars and sexually assaulted on Monday.

"District officials who arrived there, instead of investigating the matter, persuaded the families to take the women home. Many were provided transport," The Tribune quoting an eyewitness reported.

If you've ever tried to express something other than admiration or approval over someone's post on Facebook and come up short, these new reaction buttons the social media platform is rolling out are just for you. fter the announced global rollout, Facebook reactions are availble in India from today.

Facebook has replaced its iconic 'Like' button with emojis called reactions -- Love, Haha, Angry, Sad and Wow.

Company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in a post on the social network that "Reactions are a new way to express yourself. Not everyone is happy with a moment. Sometimes you want to share something sad or frustrating."

Read more HERE

Hindustan Times reports: Indian firms have emerged as a leading, but unintentional, source of components used by the Islamic State terror group to fabricate improvised explosive devices, according to a new report.

The report names seven companies from India as the source of detonating cords and detonators, only the second largest supplier by country of origin after Turkey, with 11.

But the report was unequivocally clear that these supplies were not intended for IS, and were not delivered directly to the terrorist group or to its known fronts or allies.

Conflict Armament Research, which studies weapons-specific issues in conflict areas, published the report after a 20-month investigation funded by the European Union.

CAR studied more than 700 IED components seized from IS forces by the Iraqis, Kurds and Syrians during major battles in their respective areas, such as Mosul and Kobane.

Read more HERE

With the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Haryana drawing flaks over the law-and-order failure due to the Jat agitation for job reservation, the core group of the party is scheduled to hold a review meeting at the Haryana Bhawan in Delhi on Friday.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is also likely to attend the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Jat agitation has caused loss to public and private property, halting trade, industry and small business and transport.

Moreover, the state has suffered a loss of around Rs 20,000 crore on account of burning and destroying of public and private property due to Jat stir.

08:53 Jaitley cancels Budget-eve meet with analysts

Times of India reports: Finance minister Arun Jaitley's scheduled meeting with analysts, financial experts and editors on Saturday has been cancelled.

Initially, a finance ministry official said that Jaitley was to meet analysts and editors to discuss the Economic Survey, which will be tabled in Parliament on Friday, and not the Budget.

"The chief economic advisor may brief the participants about the economic situation both global and domestic and may also brief about the economic analysis of micro and macro-economic situation made in the survey and likely state of the economy in the coming year and the steps to deal with the same," a finance ministry spokesperson said in the afternoon.

A few hours later, he said that the meeting had been postponed a s Jaitley had other engagements.

Read more HERE

08:32 India to raise Azhar's detention with Pak SIT

India will raise Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's detention issue with the Pakistan investigation team which will be visiting the country in connections with the Pathankot terror attack.

"We have carefully noted the comments made (by Sartaz Aziz, advisor to Pakistan PM) on Maulana Masood Azhar. I think it will be a subject of discussion once the SIT visits India," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told ANI.

He further said that India was awaiting a firm proposal from Pakistan on 'dates and composition' of the Special Investigation Team and only after that security agencies will decide what all places will be visited by the team.

During a TV interview recently, Aziz had said Masood Azhar and a few other JeM operatives, have been kept under protective custody and that some of the terror outfit's premises have also been sealed

The Supreme Court will today hear a plea seeking contempt action against three lawyers who were allegedly caught on camera bragging and boasting" that they had beaten up JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar and others, including journalists, in a court complex.

A bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice U U Lalit will hear the plea by lawyer Prashant Bhushan who had sought urgent hearing of the matter filed by another advocate Kamini Jaiswal on the issue.

Bhushan said that a bench headed by Justice Chelameswar had fixed another pending matter on JNU issue for hearing on March 10 and the instant plea needed to be heard urgently.

The plea, which was filed in the apex court on Wednesday, also sought a direction to set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the incidents of violent attacks on some journalists, students, teachers, defence lawyers and Kanhaiya on February

15 and 17 by some advocates in the premises of Patiala House courts here during the hearing of the sedition case involving the JNUSU leader.

The plea was filed in pursuance of an oral observation by a bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar, which is hearing the matters arising out of violence in the trial court premises in the JNU case, that the allegations are fresh ones and hence, a fresh petition is required to be filed.

The hugely successful e-Tourist Visa (e-TV) facility will be extended to citizens of 37 more countries, including Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark and South Africa, from today, taking the total count of countries under the scheme to 150.

The new 37 countries included in e-Tourist Visa scheme are Albania, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Comoros, Cote d'lvoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana and Greece.

Others are Guinea, Iceland, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Moldova, Namibia, Romania, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Trinidad & Tobago, Zambia and Zimbabwe, an official statement said.

TVoA (tourist visa on arrival), enabled by Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), popularly known as e-Tourist Visa scheme, was launched on November 27, 2014.

Under the e-Tourist Visa scheme, an applicant receives an email authorising him or her to travel to India after it is approved and he or she can travel with a print-out of this authorisation.

On arrival, the visitor has to present the authorisation to the immigration authorities who would then stamp the entry into the country.

Mechanised boat fishermen in and around Rameswaram would go on an indefinite strike from today pressing their demands, including steps to secure the release of 27 of their colleagues detained in Sri Lanka.

Around 1,500 mechanised boats from Rameswaram and neighbouring Pamban and Mandapam would stay off the sea from today, as decided at a recent meeting, Tamil Nadu Coastal Mechanised Boat Association President P Sesuraja said.

He said the state and central government should take necessary steps to secure the release of the fishermen and their 79 boats held by the Sri Lankan government.

The association also wanted suitable compensation for 18 boats allegedly sunk by Sri Lankan Navy in the sea, he said.

Besides, he said the central government should take necessary steps to allow them to fish in their traditional area.

At least four people were killed and up to 30 wounded when a gunman opened fire at a lawn mower factory in a small Kansas town, police has said.

Harvey County Sheriff T Walton said yesterday the number of victims could possibly rise to seven.

He said the gunman, an employee at Excel Industries, was among the dead.

"The shooter has been shot and killed. He's an Excel employee," Walton said. "Authorities killed him."

"This is just a horrible incident that happened here," he said.

"There's going to be a lot of sad people before this is all over."

Local media identified the gunman as Cedric Ford, who worked as a painter at the factory and had posted a picture of himself on Facebook with an assault rifle. Witnesses reported seeing the gunman first shoot a woman in the parking lot of the factory.

Lawyers of the district court today beat up a group of people who were taking out a protest demonstration against slapping of sedition on student leaders in JNU even as an ultra-Left outfit alleged that the attack was carried out by "RSS hoodlums wearing black coats".

The incident took place this afternoon when a group of lawyers thrashed the demonstrators, comprising trade union leaders and student leaders affiliated to the Left Parties, who were protesting the police action against Kanhaiya Kumar, said the inspector in-charge of Kernalganj police station Samir Singh.

The lawyers allegedly attacked the procession when it was passing by the district court premises, which is situated adjacent to the collectorate where the demonstrators had intended to gather, Singh said.

A number of the agitators received minor injuries and they have registered a complaint, Singh said, adding that "the demonstrators too may face action as per law for taking out a procession without having obtained a prior permission from the district administration".

Efforts are being made to change the country's national anthem and replace 'Jana Gana Mana' with 'Vande Mataram' as has been demanded by the right-wing groups, historian Tanika Sarkar said today.

"The right-wing groups have been demanding since long to make 'Vande Mataram' the national anthem. So, don't be sure that 'Jana Gana Mana' will remain national anthem forever," Sarkar, a former JNU professor, told students at the varsity.

Sarkar was fifth lecturer in the series of the "nationalism" open-air lectures, organised at the varsity in protest of the branding of the university as "anti-national" in wake of an event against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The professor who retired from JNU's Centre for Historical Studies to which Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya belonged, made the remarks during a lecture titled 'Gandhi's Nation'. Khalid and Bhattacharya, besides JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar, have been arrested on charges of sedition.

Former Republican presidential candidate Senator Rand Paul has introduced a joint resolution in the US Congress to block the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

The resolution (SJ Res 30) calls for prohibiting sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, which the State Department had recently notified to the Congress.

Introduced by Paul on February 24, the resolution also calls for prohibiting sale of other military hardware to Pakistan including eight Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suites, 14 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems. Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has put a hold on the sale of F-16s to Pakistan. The Obama administration is hopeful that it would be able to overcome legislative challenges to proceed with the sale of the F-16s, which it promised to Pakistan several years ago.

"The US-Pakistan relationship has been a troubled one. Though the government of Pakistan has been considered America's ally in the fight on terrorism, Pakistan's behaviour would suggest otherwise. While we give them billions of dollars in aid, we are simultaneously aware of their intelligence and military apparatus assisting the Afghan Taliban," Paul said.

At least six people were killed and around 21 injured after a bus rolled down a 250- feet deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur District on Thursday.

The mishap occurred at around 6.30 pm at a place called Pajjhar (200 kilometres from Shimla) when a bus going from Solan to Chambi Dhar fell into a gorge.

China's actions in the disputed South China Sea aimed at extending its sway in the region are provoking reactions from countries like India, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines who are ramping up their defence spending, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter told lawmakers today.

"It (Chinese actions) is having the effect of causing others in the region both to increase their own maritime defence activities, and to align them with the United States. Old allies, like Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines, and then new partners, like Vietnam and India, that are working with us increasingly," Carter said during a Congressional hearing.

"So, the Chinese behaviour is having the effect of self-isolation, and it's also galvanising others to take action against it. That is a change in the strategic aspect that China presents to the region. We're determined to do what the United States has done for 70 years, which is to keep a peaceful and stable environment," he said. Responding to a question, Carter acknowledged that China is placing great importance to developing a blue water navy.

"There was a time when the Chinese military was largely a land-based military. It was a military focused on defence of its own territory. Now, it clearly has the aspiration to extend its sway in the Pacific. And the United States policy there is, as it has been for 70 years, to remain the pivotal military power in the Asia-Pacific," he said.

00:09 Top headlines of the last 24 hours

Hate speech is not freedom of expression: Jaitley vs Yechury in RS
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2009 affidavit on Ishrat to Guj HC changed at 'political level': Pillai
Kalikho Pul wins trust vote in Arunachal assembly
Siddarmaiah to declare Rs 70 lakh watch as state asset
Wasn't stopped from examining Rohith: HCU doctor disputes Smriti's claim
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