The Bharatiya Janata Party today demanded Ashok Chakra, the countrys highest peacetime military decoration, for the soldiers who killed Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, saying he was a militant who had to die.

Burhan Wani was a militant who had to die and the security personnel who killed him need commendation. The personnel should be awarded Ashok Chakra, former state BJP president and Member of Legislative Council Ashok Khajuria said in Jammu today.

The BJPs point of view to deal with militancy is clear that the one who picks up a gun to disintegrate the country has to be dealt with an iron fist, he said.

Our viewpoint is clear, for us it is the message from Bhagwad Gita, BJP viewpoint is clear and we in no way support the policy of appeasement.

What I am saying is that Burhan wani was a militant and he met the end of a militant and security forces need to be appreciated for the same, Khajuria said.

After the arrest of its Narela MLA Sharad Chauhan, 12th Aam Aadmi Party legislator to be arrested by police, the party today launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking whether he (PM) has lost his 'mental balance' and wondered whether the country is 'safe' in the hands of a person who acts with such 'vengeance'.

AAP's Ashish Khetan alleged the PM spends his every waking moment in plotting the 'fixing' of all his political opponents. He further alleged Modi appears to be concerned only with political persecution.

"He (Modi) appears wholly unfit to lead this country as the prime minister. Can we trust the country's administration in the hands of a person who spends his every waking moment in plotting the fixing of all his political opponents? Is such a person psychologically and temperamentally fit to run the country?"

"The way Narendra Modi is running his reign of vindictive politics is dangerous for the country. He is targeting his opponents in a systematic manner, be it his action against (Gujarat cadre IAS officer) Pradeep Sharma, other officers, AAP MLAs or against the AAP government in Delhi."

Senior party leader Ashutosh said instead of appreciating AAP government's 'good' work in health and education sector, the prime minister is sending its MLAs to jail.

'Another AAP MLA arrested. Has Modi gone mad? Has he lost his mental balance? If PM acts with such anger/vengeance then is country safe! "Delhi govt doing great job. Yesterday 16 lacs parents of govt schools 1st time came for PTM (Parents Teachers Meeting). Instead of appreciating he is putting in jail. Great initiatives are taken by Delhi govt in education-health instead of praising Modi is sending AAP MLA jail. Is country safe in his hands?' Ashutosh said in a series of tweets.

Amid the ongoing unrest in Kashmir over Hizbul Commander Burhan Wani's killing, Union minister Jitendra Singh today said the security forces engaged in anti-militancy operations in the Valley know their work well and everyone should trust their 'wisdom' and 'discretion'.

"It is not necessary (for me) to comment on someone's statement. As far as we are concerned, it is our understanding that security forces should be allowed to do their work," the minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office told reporters in Katra.

"Security forces know their job better than all of us and we must trust their capacity, their discretion, their wisdom how to go about an anti-militancy operation," Singh said.

Asked about the unrest in the Valley, Singh said the situation was slowly returning to normalcy. "The state government has got the full support from the central government. With the coordinated efforts of security forces, state government and central government the situation has been brought under control," Singh said.

JUST IN: The senior superintendent of police, additional SP, circle officer and an inspector of Bulandshahr have been suspended following the rape of a woman and her 14-year-old daughter on a highway.

The station house officer was already suspended in the morning following the incident which has sparked a major outrage.

This crackdown comes even as the chief minister had set 24-hour deadline for cops to crack the case:

Turkey's government on Sunday dismissed nearly 1,400 military personnel, including a top aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the latest round of a sweeping purge following a failed coup.

The announcement in the official gazette came as Erdogan sought to tighten his grip over the country by bringing the armed forces and spy agency under his control.

State-run news agency Anadolu said the soldiers were dismissed because of alleged links to the movement led by United States-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of masterminding coup. Gulen strongly denies the charges.

The latest expulsions followed the dishonourable discharges of 149 admirals and generals -- almost half the military's entire contingent -- along with 1,099 officers and 436 junior officers.

JUST IN: Petrol and diesel prices reduced by Rs 1.42/litre and Rs 2.01/litre respectively with effect from midnight tonight.

Watch the video of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar speaking at Rediff.coms columnist Nitin Gokhles book function HERE.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will attend a 10-day vipassana session at a meditation centre in Dharamkot in Dharamsala. He will arrive at the vipassana centre in Dharamkot, upper Dharamsala, on Monday and begin the course on Tuesday.

In-charge of the vipassana centre Pawan Sharma said Kejriwal would be briefed about his daily routines on August 1 and the course would start on August 2 morning and continue till August 11 evening.

He will not take up any official work and will not have access to newspapers, television or any other media during the period. His deputy Manish Sisodia will be in-charge of the government then.

The chief minister's plan to go for vipassana comes nearly one-and-a-half years after he had gone for a similar session after hectic campaign for Lok Sabha elections in May, 2014.

Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Home) Debasish Panda and Director General of Police Javed Ahmed inspected the spot where a woman and her teenage daughter were gang-raped by bandits in Bulandshahr on Friday night.

We inspected spot of the incident, will also meet the family of victims, the DGP said.

According to a CNN News 18 report, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has given 24 hours to the senior superintendent of police to solve the case and bring offenders to book.

Three culprits have been taken into custody. Investigation is on. This is a heinous crime and well demand that the case be tried in a fast-track court to expedite justice, the DGP said.

A team of the National Commission of Women also visited the spot and claimed negligence by the police when the victims tried to report the crime soon after the incident.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had to beat a hasty retreat today from an examination centre at Womens College in Srinagar after angry parents protested against her visit.

She went to Womens College on Moulana Azad Road to check the arrangements for the pre-medical and pre-engineering test being conducted by the Board of Professional Entrance Examination in various centres.

As soon as her cavalcade reached the examination centre, the people, mostly parents who accompanied their wards, protested against her visit.

This is an unnecessary visit. It will only disturb the candidates, a parent said.

Another person said while the candidates were already tenses due to the prevailing situation in Kashmir Valley, the chief ministers visit would disturb them more. How will they remain focused? he asked.

The Islamic State has attacked two energy plants in north Iraq, killing at least five people, says a report from Reuters.

Armed militants, believed to be wearing suicide vests, attacked the Bai Hassan oil field near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. They have also taken four workers hostage, a senior security source in the city was quoted as saying by CNN.

One attacker remains in the facility, while two were killed by security forces and another detonated himself when security forces responded.

IS-affiliated Amaq news agency has released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack.

A 42-year-old skydiver with more than 18,000 jumps made history when he became the first person to leap without a parachute and land in a net instead.

After a two-minute freefall, Luke Aikins landed dead centre in the 100-by-100-foot net yesterday at the Big Sky movie ranch on the outskirts of Simi Valley.

As cheers erupted, Aikins quickly climbed out, walked over and hugged his wife, Monica, who had been watching from the ground with their 4-year-old son, Logan, and other family members.

"I'm almost levitating, it's incredible," the jubilant skydiver said, raising his hands over his head as his wife held their son, who dozed in her arms.

"This thing just happened! I can't even get the words out of my mouth," he added as he thanked the dozens of crew members who spent two years helping him prepare for the jump, including those who assembled the fishing trawler-like net and made sure it really worked.

The stunt, broadcast live on the Fox network for the TV special Stride Gum Presents Heaven Sent, nearly didn't come off as planned when Aikins revealed just before climbing into his plane that the Screen Actors Guild had ordered him to wear a parachute to ensure his safety.

He jumped with three other skydivers, each wearing parachutes. One had a camera, another trailed smoke so people on the ground could follow his descent and the third took an oxygen canister he handed off after they got to an altitude where it was no longer needed.

Then the others opened their parachutes and left him on his own. AP

The National Disaster Response Force has joined the rescue operations in Bhiwandi after a building collapsed, killing eight people.

20 people have been rescued so far and many are still feared trapped.

A fresh batch of 515 pilgrims today left for the twin base camps of the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas amidst tight security.

The batch comprising 367 men and 148 women left in 13 vehicles from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for Pahalgam and Baltal in Kashmir this morning, a police officer said.

Yesterday 1,115 pilgrims paid obeisance at the Holy Cave.

Till date, 2,12,822 people have have paid obeisance at the cave shrine.

A shooting early Sunday in downtown Austin, Texas has claimed the life of a woman, according to the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.

CNN reported that several other people were wounded in the shooting.There are multiple victims with gunshot wounds at 208 East 6th Street, EMS says.

Three people have been transported to the University Medical Center Brackenridge.

Authorities are urging people to stay away from the downtown area. Austin police had earlier referred to the event as an 'active shooter incident' in a tweet. It is unclear if the shooter is now in police custody.

Image used for representation only: Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

A man was lynched by a mob for protesting against power theft in the Kolakata's port area, a police officer said today.

Sk Nazrul Islam, 41, known as a crusader against anti-social activities, was killed by a group of people who attacked him with shovels and iron rods in Lichubagan area of Metiabruz late on Friday night, he said.

A police picket has been set up in the area and two persons arrested in connection with the incident, DC 1st Battalion, Port division, Biswajit Ghosh said.

He said five persons have been named in the first information report lodged by victim's family.

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday detained 15 suspects and also identified the main accused involved in the Bulandshahr gang rape case.

A 35-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter from Noida were raped by a gang of robbers at gunpoint for close to three hours near Bulandshahr on Friday night.

The UP police has formed 15 Special Investigation Teams to probe the incident.

15 suspects have been detained. Main accused has been identified and he belongs to a nomadic tribe. Special teams have been formed and the ones being detained are being inquired for more details, Vaibhav Krishan, senior superintendent of police Bulandshahr, was quoted as saying by news agencies.

UP director general of police and principal secretary home will visit Bulandshahr to take stock of the probe.

Meanwhile, CNN News 18 reported that a station house officer has been suspended in the aftermath of the incident.

Iconic Hindi writer Munshi Premchand has been hounoured with a Google doodle on his 136th birth anniversary. The doodle is inspired from Premchand's last and most popular novel, Godaan, which he penned in 1936. It shows the Upanyas Samrat bringing his signature working-class characters to life.

'Today's homepage celebrates a man who filled many pages (of a different kind) with words that would forever change India's literary landscape,' said the search engine.

Born as Dhanpat Rai in a small village near Varanasi in 1880, the renowned author produced more than a dozen novels, 250 short stories, and a number of essays, many under the pen name Premchand.

While he began writing under the pen name of Nawab Rai, he subsequently switched to Premchand. The illustration by Google is a 'tribute to the multitude of important stories he told'.

At least five persons were killed and ten others injured when a building collapsed in the powerloom town of Bhiwandi this morning amid heavy rains.

The two-storey structure at Gaibi Nagar under Shanti Nagar police station limits in the town crashed at around 9.30 am, Bhiwandi tehsildar Vaishali Lambate said.

About 7-8 families were residing in the building. Firemen and policemen rushed to the site. It was not known immediately known if people were still trapped in the debris, police said.

A spokesman of Thane district disaster cell said that at least five persons were killed and ten others injured, one seriously, in the building collapse.

Nine of the injured were rushed to Thane Civil Hospital where they were being treated for their injuries, he said, adding that one person has been admitted to a hospital in Bhiwandi.

Here are a few quotes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his Mann ki Baat

-I will address the nation on August 15. I seek your ideas for my address. Please share them on the Mobile App or MyGov.

-Raksha Bandhan is approaching. Cant brothers gift Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana or Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana to their sisters?

-These days we get messages on our phones promising huge profits on investments. Some people get enticed into it. These are latest methods of loot. Several conmen have come to the fore. You must keep away from such things. One needs to be cautious and alert of the digital fraud which is quiet rampant these days.

-Recently, I had the opportunity to visit South Africa for diplomacy purposes, but for me the visit was a teertha yatra (pilgrimage). When we talk about South Africa, its natural to think about Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela and their great work.

- The state governments and the Centre are working closely to help the flood-affected people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today wished luck to the Rio-bound Indian contingent and exuded confidence that they will not only clinch medals but also win hearts with their conduct during the Olympic Games starting on August 5.

Modi today flagged off 'Run for Rio' event at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium to cheer for the largest ever Indian contingent who will be participating at the multi-sport event in Rio.

Thousands of school children, wearing masks of Rio-bound Olympians, participated in the 'Run for Rio' from Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

"Wherever our athletes go, India is visible not only on the ground but in their conduct as well. I am confident that these players will win hearts with their behaviour during the Games. They will introduce the great Indian heritage to the world," he said.

"I want to convey this to the members of Indian contingent that there will be many athletes from all over the world but there are 125 crore Indians standing behind you. When we will hoist the tri-colour here on the occasion of 70th Independence Day, I am sure that our national flag will also be hoisted in Rio during this period," said Modi. He also urged the youth to work hard for 2020 Olympics and said the focus should be on sending more than 200-member contingent to Tokyo.

In yet another tragedy in the series of selfie deaths in a selfie-obsessed India, a national level athlete died while taking a selfie on Saturday.

According to ANI, the athlete, named Puja Kumari was taking a selfie near harvesting plant in the Sports Authority of India academy in Bhopal on Saturday evening.
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Image for representation only

A three-storey building has collapses in Bhiwandi area near Mumbai. Some feared trapped under the debris.

More details awaited.

Image for representation only

Winter is finally set to bid goodbye to "Game of Thrones" as HBO has confirmed the popular fantasy series will go off air after its eighth season.

New HBO programming president Casey Bloys told the press yesterday at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour that the plan is for the yet-to-be announced eighth season of the adaptation of George RR Martin's novel to be its last, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Yes, I think [the showrunners, DB Weiss and David Benioff] have a very specific plan about the number of seasons they want to do," Bloys said. "If I could get them to do more, I would take 10 seasons but we want to take their lead with what they could do and what the best version of the show is." Though the episode count, and a potential spin-off, remain big questions.

Meanwhile, the upcoming seventh season will premiere in summer 2017. The seven-episode drama will be based in Northern Ireland with portions filming in Spain and Iceland. PTI

Tension prevailed in Kandhla village here after a mob attacked a house where an alleged cow slaughter took place with police booking four members of the family on the charge.

The trouble started when irate locals last evening gathered outside Zishan Qureshi's house accusing him and his family members of cow slaughter, they said. The mob damaged Qureshi's house and tried to set it on fire but police reached the spot and brought the situation under control, police said.

When the mob gathered outside the house, Qureshi along with his wife Shenaz and two others Saddam and Mota escaped from the spot, they said. A case has been lodged against the family members for alleged cow slaughter, police said. Heavy police force has been deployed in the village as tension prevailed there, they added.

A woman and her teenaged daughter were dragged out of their car and then gang-raped by a group of five men near a highway in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr on late Friday night.

Right after they entered Bulandshahr, their car was hit with a blunt object. As it stopped, a group of men allegedly dragged the family to a nearby field and looted their cash, jewellery and phones.

The police said that they allegedly tied the men of the family and raped the woman and her daughter.One of the family members, who managed to untie the ropes, reported the matter to the police the next morning.


The highway connects Delhi to Kanpur. There was a police post just 100 metres away from the spot where the car was stopped.

Pink Floyd is all set to release its unexplored recordings in a massive box set for hard core rock music lovers. The band's official website announced that they are offering fans an in-depth retrospective of the psychedelic rockers' early career, from 1965 to 1972.

A 27-disc set will include Pink Floyd's unreleased material and also a complete collection of everything which is already in the public domain. It will be available from November 11 this year.

Most of the set will be divided into six volumes for separate release in 2017.

Publicis Groupe SA said it put the chairman of its Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency on leave after he was quoted dismissing the debate over gender bias as "over.'I

n a wide-ranging interview with Business Insider published on Friday, Saatchi & Saatchi Executive Chairman Kevin Roberts said he doesn't spend "any time' on gender issues at his agency, saying the issue is "way worse' in sectors such as financial services, where there are "problems left, right, and center.'

"It is for the gravity of these statements that Kevin Roberts has been asked to take a leave of absence from Publicis Groupe effective immediately,' Publicis Chief Executive Officer Maurice Lvy said Saturday in a statement.

"It will ultimately be the Publicis Groupe Supervisory Board's duty to further evaluate his standing.'

Read this story here

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leads her Republican rival by five points and has improved her image over the past month, according to a latest national poll which attributed it to Democrats who have an increased enthusiasm for her.

The former secretary of state has improved her image by as many as nine points after the successful Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, which concluded on Thursday. "In a head to head just between Clinton and Trump, Clinton hits 50 per cent and leads Trump 50-45. A month ago, Clinton led 45-41 in the full field contest and 48-44 in the head to head so there hasn't been much change.

"But not much change is good news for Clinton," the Public Policy Polling said releasing the results of its latest opinion polls. PPP said the race is shaping up pretty similarly both nationally and at the state level to the margins Barack Obama won by in 2012 - not a huge landslide by any means, but a solid victory.

Srinagar: Wreath laying of two soldiers who lost their lives in Kupwara encounter.Yesterday, the army had foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Naugam sector of Kashmir's Kupwara district, killing two militants in the operation.

Two soldiers were also killed while another was injured in the operation.

AAP MLA Sharad Chauhan along with 7 others have been arrested including previous investigating officer probing suicide of a woman worker.

Security forces recover 50 kg explosive in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, it is being defused now.

Continuing his famous trend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak to the nation on Sunday morning through his radio programme "Mann Ki Baat'. This week PM Modi will be speaking on ideas and innovations including monsoon. PM Modi had earlier called people to contribute ideas and thoughts for next Sunday's "Mann Ki Baat'.

This will be PM Modi's 22nd address through All India Radio. Last time on 26th June, PM Modi who choses to pick up last Sunday to address the nation, branded 1975 period of emergency as a black day for the country and expressed happiness over the fact that the people in India had always given importance to democracy. 

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is boasting about how his group's release of hacked Democratic National Committee emails is affecting the US presidential election -- and says it has unreleased information about Hillary Clinton's campaign."We have more material related to the Hillary Clinton campaign," Assange told CNN's Anderson Cooper on "Anderson 360" Friday night. "That is correct to say that."Assange has been coy about how WikiLeaks came into possession of internal Democratic party cyber information.

The FBI and Justice Department are investigating a computer hack of Democratic nominee Clinton's presidential campaign in addition to its examination of intrusions of other Democratic Party organizations, two law enforcement officials told CNN.

Read this story here

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off 'Run for Rio' in Delhi. Run has commenced from the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium.

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed five wickets to send West Indies crashing for 196 in their first innings on Day 1 of the second Test match in Jamaica, on Saturday.

Ashwin took five for 52 in 16 overs, his second successive five-wicket haul, to run through the West Indies batting line-up after they had elected to bat first.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton held a 6- percentage-point lead over Republican rival Donald Trump, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll with new wording that was released on Friday, the day after she formally accepted her party's nomination for the November 8 election.

- 16 killed in Texas hot air balloon crash