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Wed, 23 March 2016
Did Belgium ignore prior warnings about attacks?

Timeline  Refresh

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23:49   Mukund Padmanabhan is editor of The Hindu
The Board of directors of Kasturi & Sons Ltd., at its meeting on Wednesday, decided unanimously to appoint Mukund Padmanabhan, editor of Business Line, as editor of The Hindu.

The KSL Board also decided unanimously to appoint Raghavan Srinivasan, senior associate editor of Business Line, as editor of Business Line.

Read full HERE
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22:59   Hardik to depose in case against police on April 18
A magistrate's court in Ahmedabad today set April 18 as the date for deposition of Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel as a witness against the police personnel accused of excesses on members of Patel community.

Hardik, who was brought in Ahmedabad from Surat's Lajpore Jail and produced before additional metropolitan magistrate R R Dave, sought more time to consult his lawyers and study the case.

The court then scheduled his deposition for April 18.

Hardik is named as one of the witnesses in the petition filed before the court seeking direction to prosecute police personnel allegedly responsible for atrocities on those who had gathered for the Patel community's mega rally in Ahmedabad on August 25 last year.
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22:29   Denied entry inside HCU, Rohit Vemula's mother sits on dharna
The mother of deceased Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula tonight went on a sit-in protest in front of the main entrance of Hyderabad Central University after she was denied entry inside the campus to meet students who were injured in a police lathi-charge yesterday.

Radhika Vemula wanted to hold a demonstration inside, but was prevented from entering the HCU campus, HCU chief security officer T V Rao said.

"She wanted to hold a dharna inside the campus. We stopped her from entering. She and around 20 students then sat on a dharna in front of the HCU gate," Rao said.

Raja Vemula, the younger brother of Rohit, said his mother wanted to meet the students who were injured yesterday in a police lathi-charge. "They did not allow her to enter the HCU campus, hence she sat on a dharna," Raja said.

The protesting students raised slogans against HCU vice chancellor Appa Rao Podile, demanding his immediate removal from the post.

They also sought the release of students and faculty members arrested in connection with yesterday's vandalism of the VC's lodge and stone-pelting.
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22:07   Did Belgium ignore prior warnings about attacks?
Belgian authorities received advanced warning of possible attacks on the airport and metro system according to Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper. 

Haaretz reports that Belgian security services had "advanced and precise intelligence warnings" ahead of Tuesday's attacks. "The security services knew, with a high degree of certainty, that attacks were planned in the very near future for the airport and, apparently, for the underground railway as well," the report says. The report has not been publicly confirmed by any intelligence services.
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21:43   Air India One crew to soon wear khadi bandhagala coats, silk sarees
Cabin crew aboard the Air India One -- the official aircraft of the President, the prime minister and the vice-president -- will soon be wearing khadi garments to promote adoption of the indigenous fabric. While female crew members will wear a silk saree, their male counterparts will turn up with Jodhpuri bandgala coats, trousers and jackets -- all made up of khadi, the order said. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advocated the need for use of khadi products as a homage to Mahatma Gandhi and pitched for efforts to popularise the fabric in his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat'.
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21:41  
JUST IN: RohithVemula's mother stages protest outside Hyderabad Central University campus gate.
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21:08   Interpol had issued notice for one of Brussels bomber before attacks
It appears that Interpol issued a red notice for Khalid El Bakraoui, identified this morning as one of the suicide bombers in yesterday's attacks, prior to the attacks taking place.

Khalid carried out the attack in the metro station, investigators says, about an hour after his brother Ibrahim and another unidentified man blew themselves up at the airport.The notice indicates that Khalid was already wanted on terrorism charges.
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20:59   Controversy over 'Bharat mata ki jai' meaningless, says Advani
Amid a charged debate over patriotism and chanting of "Bharat Mata ki Jai", BJP patriarch L K Advani said the controversy over the slogan is "meaningless". "I don't want to comment on it. This is a meaningless controversy ('yeh ek vyarth vivad hai')" Advani said.
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20:51  
JUST IN: Jet Airways guests to be transferred to Amsterdam from Brussels and accommodated in hotels there. 
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20:33   Call for splitting Maharashtra attempts to weaken PM: Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena alleged that provocative statements favouring division of Maharashtra are aimed at creating an unrest in the state and an attempt to "weaken and destabilize" Prime Minister Narendra Modi by his own partymen. 

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that the party is concerned about whether attempts are on to "weaken and destabilise" the PM by making such statements given the fact that he had assured he would protect Maharashtra's integrity as long as he is in Delhi. 

"We suspect that people from the PM's own party are trying to make him unstable by raking up the issue. Shiv Sena is unfazed. It is not afraid of a fight. It is ready for the battle for the cause of Maharashtra", said Raut, whose party is a coalition partner of the BJP both at the Centre and in the state.

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20:02   If I give myself I'll end up in a cell: Brussels bomber wrote after attack
Brussels airport suicide bomber Ibrahim El Bakraoui in a note, which was later found, that he did not know what to do as the police were hunting for him, Belgium's federal prosecutor said on Wednesday. Bakraoui's will said he was "in a rush", "I don't know what to do, hunted everywhere, no longer safe" and "I don't want to end up in a cell next to him," Frederic van Leeuw said at a press conference.

The "cell" reference appeared to be of Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, who is reportedly linked to Bakraoui, and who is in custody in Belgium after being captured last week.
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19:31   Kashmir governor calls for meetings with PDP, BJP presidents on Friday
Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra this evening invited the leaders of the PDP and BJP for separate meetings with him on March 25.

An official statement issued said, "Through separate communications, the governor has intimated the PDP and BJP presidents to meet him on Friday. The meetings with the two leaders have been scheduled to be held separately." 

Informed sources said that Vohra's invitation to the party heads has been made to know their stand on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been under governor's rule since the demise of former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 9.

The PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has called a meeting of the party legislators tomorrow to discuss the recent developments on the formation of a government in coalition with the BJP and her meeting with the prime minister.Mehbooba is likely to inform her party legislators about discussions with senior BJP leaders, including BJP president Amit Shah. 

PDP is stated to be divided on the formation of a new coalition government with the BJP with some favouring it while some others opposed to it.

-- Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar
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19:15   What we know now of the Brussels attacks
-- Brothers Khalid and Brahim el-Bakraoui have been named among the attackers

-- A manhunt is currently underway for the third suspect, Najim Laachraoui, who was identified by a Belgian newspaper as the third man in an airport CCTV image handed out by police.

-- Reports from Belgian media indicated Wednesday morning that Najim Laachraoui had been arrested in Anderlecht, and have been subsequently been withdrawn.

-- Local police denied reports that Laachraoui had been arrested, saying that armed police had arrested one person at a house in the Brussels district of Anderlecht, which was not the suspected bombmaker.

-- According to La Derniere Heure, prosecutors have said Laachraouis DNA was found in houses used by the Paris attackers last year, and he is thought to have travelled to Hungary in September with the Paris attacks prime suspect Salah Abdeslam, who was arrested on Friday

-- Belgium will observe three days of mourning following the attacks, and a minute's silence for the victims was held at midday today, (11am GMT). The silence was also observed in UK government buildings, while whitehall flags are currently flying at half-mast, and the Belgian flag is flying at half-mast over Downing Street.

-- Isis has claimed responsibility for the attacks

-- Police in Brussels raided homes in the Schaerbeek districts last night to find suspects, finding a nail bomb, chemical products and an Isis flag. Belgian authorities have said that two or more men could be on the run

-- Belgian newspaper HLN reported that a taxi driver approached police, saying he believed he unwittingly drove the bombers to the airport

-- David Cameron will hold an emergency second Cobra meeting on Wednesday morning in response to the attacks

--- While the official death toll remains at 31, it has been reported by news agencies that the figure could be 34
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19:06   Kanhaiya Kumar returns without speaking at Hyderabad university
Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union leader Kanhaiya Kumar has arrived at Hyderabad Central University to join pro-Rohith Vemula protests, but has not been allowed to speak.


Arriving in Hyderabad today, Kanhaiya said, "The JAC of University of Hyderabad has asked me to come to address a public meeting on the university campus, and that's why I am here."


"If I am allowed to enter the campus and speak, then I will address the gathering. If the police deny us permission I will speak outside the campus gate," said a determined Kanhaiya to reporters at the airport.


"The campus campaign is to ensure social justice. I will meet Rohith Vemula's mother and his brother and chalk out an action plan," he said.


As a tense standoff persisted on the UoH campus, Left party members who are overseeing the arrangements of Kanhaiya's meeting and movements, are mulling alternative plans if Kanhaiya's meeting plan is scuppered. One of the alternatives is a press conference, according to sources. While addressing the varsity students he said that has come there to show solidarity with the students.


"We will fight till Rohith Vemula does not get justice. We are fighting to save Constitution and democracy," said Kanhaiya."Government is not listening to the voice of students, we condemn the act of police against university students," added Kanhaiya.
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18:46   How an oil contract sowed seeds of radicalism
There are many reasons why Belgium has become a hotbed of radical Islamism. Some of the answers may lie in the implanting of Saudi Salafist preachers in the country from the 1960s. Keen to secure oil contracts, Belgium's King Baudouin made an offer to Saudi King Faisal, who had visited Brussels in 1967: Belgium would set up a mosque in the capital, and hire Gulf-trained clerics. Read more
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18:41  
Just in: Brussels police find 15 kilos of explosives following attacks: prosecutor.
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18:39   Migrants in Athens fear backlash
In Athens, where thousands of asylum seekers hoping to reach Germany and Northern Europe from war-torn countries have been stuck since the recent closing of several borders, migrants said they were horrified by the attacks in Brussels.


Some worried about a possible backlash and wondered whether the second act of terrorism on European soil in less than six months would further affect the European Union's migration policies. Those were tightened last week under a deal between the E.U. and Turkey after more than one million asylum seekers arrived in Europe over the past year. Read more
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18:05   The Hindu gets a new editor
Mukund Padmanabhan will be the new Editor for the The Hindu, one of the largest English dailies in the country. He will be the second non family member who hold this position in the 125-year old Newspaper.Since August 2012, Padmanabhan was the editor of The Hindu Business Line. He has been working with The Hindu for the last 15 years.
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18:02   Maheshwar Peri, Chairman of Careers360, vanquishes IIPM in court
After a long and bruising legal battle - both civil and criminal - across several states, Maheshwar Peri's dogged persistence and staying power has led a big victory for freedom of the press and will protect students who have long been misled by IIPM's advertisements in every publication. In the course of the battle, IIPM closed its many campuses and chose to withdraw all cases against Peri, when the matter reached the Supreme Court.  Read more 
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17:58  
Belgian federal prosecutor says police found suicide bomber's will on a computer. However, no details on which one of the two bomber's.  
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17:55   Khalid El Bakraoui identified as Brussels metro bomber
Belgian federal prosecutor says bomber on Metro in Brussels was Khalid El Bakraoui. The two suicide bombers were brothers Khalid and Ibarahim El Bakraoui, both of whom are known to police, Brussels public broadcaster RTBF said.


Belgian police are hunting an Islamic State suspect seen with two supposed suicide bombers shortly before they struck Brussels Airport in the first of two attacks that also hit the city's metro, killing at least 30 and wounding over 200.
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17:46  
Cartoon in the the Daily Maverick expressing solidarity with Brussels. Fictional hero Tintin, Belgium's most popular export, has been used in several cartoons.  
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17:31   President Mukherjee's aides to get plum postings by year end
Top advisors and aides to President Pranab Mukherjee are set to get plum posts by the end of the year. Pranab Mukherjee's term ends on July 25 2017, unless the BJP government allows him a second term. Here's who's up for reckoning...


Dr Thomas Mathews, who missed the position of chief of SEBI is likely to be posted as CEO of India Investment Fund.

Suresh Yadav OSD to President Mukherjee may be posted as technical assistant to Executive Director of India at the World Bank in Washington.


Rajnish, a close confidant and private secretary to Pranab Mukherjee may be the next Economic Counselor at the Indian High Commission in London.

-- Gayatri Issar Kumar, an IFS officer is being posted as Indian Ambassador in a South Asian Country.


-- Venu Rajamony, IFS, presently Press Secretary to the President of India may be posted as Indian Ambassador to UAE or South Korea.


-- Omita Paul, Secretary to President will have a new team of aides from 2017. She also brought in Ashok Mehta an IRS officer as private secretary to the president. More new faces at the junior level are also likely by 2017.
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17:19   Remember Ankara?
Brussels terror attacks generate nearly 17.5 million more Google News results than Ankara car bombing. Read more
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17:12   Bomb alert for 10 Indigo flights
Ten Indigo flights are under scanner after warnings that they have bombs on board. A flight from Srinagar is currently undergoing security check at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport. The flight 6E853 was coming to Delhi via Jammu.  


The warning was received at the Indigo call centre in Chennai, said airport sources.


Yesterday, a hoax call to Jet airways saying bombs were on board for five of its flights, had triggered a huge search operation.  


Most of the key airports in the country are under alert following yesterday's terror attack at the Brussels airport, in which 14 people had died.  


IndiGo said it would issue a statement shortly, reported Reuters.
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17:10   Suspect arrested in Belgium is NOT bomb-maker Najim Laachraoui
Just in: Belgian media withdraw report that Brussels attacks suspect Najim Laachraoui has been arrested. This means that the Brussels airport attacker is still at large. Laachraoui, 25, a man already sought by the police since Monday, Belgian newspaper DH said.

Laachraoui's DNA has been found in houses used by the Paris attackers last year, prosecutors said on Monday, and he had traveled to Hungary in September with Paris attacks prime suspect Salah Abdeslam.


Meanwhile, in India, 10 Indigo flights have received bomb threats.
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16:59   IS trio held in Turkey planned to attack German interests
Three suspected Islamic State members arrested in Turkey were planning attacks on Germany's diplomatic missions or schools in the country, which were closed last week over a terror threat, Turkish media reported today.


The three men -- a Turk, an Iraqi and a Syrian -- were arrested in Istanbul yesterday by police acting on information from both Turkey's and Germany's intelligence services, Hurriyet newspaper and the broadcaster CNN-Turk reported.


The suspects, presented as members of an IS cell, are accused of plotting attacks on German interests in Turkey, the reports said. Last Thursday, Germany closed its embassy in Ankara, its consulate in Istanbul and German schools in both cities, with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier citing "very serious" indications of planned attacks. Turkish authorities had criticised the closures, saying they were unjustified. Two days later, a Turkish alleged IS member blew himself up on a busy shopping street in Istanbul, killing three Israelis and an Iranian and injuring dozens.
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16:54   The story behind the iconic photo of a Brussels airport attack victim
Blood is running down the woman's face as she looks around in fear. She's lost a shoe and her shirt has been ripped to shreds in the blasts that left at least 11 people dead at Brussels' Zaventem airport. In just a few hours, her portrait has come to define the March 22 terrorist attacks. Shot by Ketevan Kardava, a special correspondent for the Georgian Public Broadcaster network, the photograph has been published and shared across the world including on the front page of the New York Times.


Kardava was on her way to Geneva to report on talks between Russia and her home country, Georgia, when the first of two suicide bombers detonated his explosive vest.


"Doors and windows were flying,' Kardava tells TIME. "Everything was dust and smoke. Around me there were dozens of people without legs, lying in blood." Her first instinct was to look down at her own legs.


"I couldn't believe I still had my legs. I was in a state of shock.' Less than a minute later, the second explosion sent everyone running for their lives. "I wanted to run to a safe place too,' she says. "But I also wanted to take pictures. As a journalist, it was my duty to take these photos and show the world what was going on. I knew I was the only one at this spot.' Kardava's first photograph was of the woman in a yellow jacket.


"She was in shock, speechless. There was no crying, no shooting. She was only looking around with fear.' Kardava didn't ask for the woman's name, she photographed another victim '" former Belgium basketball player Sebastien Bellin '" before she was forced to leave the airport. "I left them and went to a safer place,' she explains. "I hope they are well. I really hope they will overcome all these difficulties."


For Kardava, now comes the question of what's next. In the coming hours and days, she will stay in Brussels to report on the situation, but she knows she'll eventually have to come back to Zaventem Airport. "I can't imagine it,' she says. "It's going to be very difficult for me.'
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16:47   Deonar fire: Action will be taken based on report, says Javadekar
Even as an infant died allegedly of suffocation in a locality near Deonar dumping ground where a fire has been raging since last week, Environment Ministry has said that future course of action will be taken after a two-member probe team submits its report on Monday.
"My team has gone there and seen the fire. They will submit report by Monday. They will apprise us. After that, we will talk to the state government.

"We will also hold a special meeting next week here with state government officials, Mumbai officials and those who are concerned with the dump waste management in Deonar.
"Regarding the issue, what they are doing and what needs to be done, will be assessed during that meeting," Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters.
A six-month old boy died in a locality near Deonar dumping ground with the parents saying the baby died of suffocation due to emission of toxic gases from the blaze, a charge refuted by officials.
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16:36   Infosys employee missing after attacks in Belgium
An Indian missing since the Brussels attacks on Tuesday has been identified as Raghavendra Ganeshan, an Infosys employee who works in the Belgian city. The Indian embassy is making all efforts to establish contact with him.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who has been tweeting updates and assuring people of all help in Brussels, said, "We are doing our best to locate Raghavendran Ganesh."

"We are looking to establish contact with one person of the community since last evening...we haven't been able to do so and its a matter of concern," Indian Ambassador to Belgium Manjeev Puri told NDTV. He said Mr Ganeshan's friends and others are also trying to contact him.  
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16:16   Bomb threat on Jammu-Delhi Indigo flight
A bomb threat has been reported on a Jammu-Delhi Indigo flight 6E 853. The flight has been taken to isolation at the Delhi airport and is being checked by security officials.

More details are awaited.
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15:53   IS can find no ground in India
The Paris terrorist attacks, which killed at least 129 people, have raised the global threat perception of the Islamic State (Isis) or Daesh, which has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and apprehensions of similar acts on Indian soil. Read the column on Hindustan Times in the immediate aftermath of the Paris attacks.
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15:47   Why US realpolitik on Cuba unnerves Russia
Moscow feels rattled that the normalization between the United States and Cuba is gaining traction. A columnist writing for the new agency Sputnik virtually warns Havana that the leopard cannot change its spots and America does not intend to "remove its boot off the Cuban nation's neck" (Sputnik).


Another commentary featured by a Kremlin-funded media organ on US President Barack Obama's trip to Cuba rues that Havana may be bidding farewell to its revolutionary ideals by letting in the "cigar chomping, Bermuda shorts wearing, and Hamburger-eating' Yankee. Read more
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15:46   Anti-Trump ads try to win over Mormons by slut-shaming Melania
Mormons don't like Donald Trump, and it's easy to see why. He's a fan of profanity; Mormons think swearing's a sin. Trump has founded his candidacy on draconian, xenophobic immigration proposals; Mormons, once the victims of discriminatory immigration policies, are more likely to support immigration than the average Republican.

The conservative anti-Trump SuperPAC Make America Awesome has proposed another reason for Mormon Republicans to ditch the current front-runner: his wife.  Read more
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15:37   Molenbeek broke my heart
A former resident reflects on his struggles with Brussels' most notorious neighborhood. Read more
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15:35   Laachraoui key plotter in Brussels attacks
The suspected Isis bomb maker believed to be behind the terror attacks that killed more than 30 people in Brussels has been arrested in Belgium, a newspaper has reported.


La Derniere Heure quoted anonymous police sources saying that Najim Laachraoui had been detained in the city of Anderlecht on Wednesday morning.


Under his alias Soufiane Kayal, the 25-year-old had been wanted for months as a suspect bomb-maker linked to the Paris attacks after his DNA was found alongside that of the terrorists who carried out the massacres at a safe house where traces of explosives and suicide belts were found.


He rented one of the hide-outs, in Auvelais, where the cell prepared for the massacres that would kill 130 people in the French capital.Laachraoui was picked up in Budapest by Salah Abdeslam, possibly making his way back from Syria, on 9 September alongside Mohamed Belkaid, the 35-year-old Algerian killed by police in Forest on 15 March.


The net has been tightening on the remaining accomplices following Belkaid's death and Abdeslam's eventual arrest on Friday and there was speculation that Tuesday's attacks were either an act of revenge or the fulfilment of plots Abdeslam claimed had already been hatched.


The airport explosions, followed little over an hour later by another blast at a Metro station, left at least 31 dead and 250 wounded.

-- The Independent
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15:30   Brussels bomb suspect Najim Laachraoui arrested in Brussels
Brussels bomb suspect Najim Laachraoui arrested in Brussels, says ANI quoting Reuters. Laachraoui is the man in the hat.
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15:27  
In the Miami Herald today... 
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15:18   How BJP overlooked Bhagat Singh for a pracharak in Haryana
In its desperate search for historical icons of its own, the BJP doesn't mind casting aside the memory of the most revered Indian martyr, writes Chander Suta Dogra in the wire.in, here.
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14:55   Rohith Vemula's mother is like mother of Bhagat Singh: Kanhaiya
JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar today said the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice of Hyderabad Central University will continue with its struggle until the Centre brings out 'Rohith Act'.


Kanhaiya, who landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad at around 11 am also said that he will participate and address a public meeting organised by the JAC on the HCU campus this evening, "if the police permits".


"Today, I will first meet Rohith Vemula's mother Radhika and his brother Raja. JAC has invited me to address a public meeting on HCU campus...If police allows me then I will definitely go to HCU and address the students," Kanhaiya told reporters at RGIA.


On meeting Rohith Vemula's mother, Kumar said, We will meet Rohit's mother, she is like the mother of Bhagat Singh.


"We have experience with JAC for various struggles and we will take this
fight forward...this struggle will continue until 'Rohith Act' is implemented...to fulfil his (Rohith) dreams of social justice on the campus," he said.


Notably, the mother and brother of Dalit research scholar Rohith, who had allegedly committed suicide in a hostel room on the campus on January 17, had last month met political leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Sitaram Yechuri and KC Tyagi, seeking their support for enactment of a 'Rohith Act' against caste discrimination in educational institutions.



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14:49  
Bhagat Singh and Savarkar, two petitions that tell us the difference between Hind and Hindutva. Read more
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14:39   'Urgent' need to bolster EU external border controls:French PM
France's prime minister today said there was an "urgent" need to tighten controls on the European Union's borders after bombings in Brussels that left around 30 dead and were claimed by the Islamic State group.


"There is an urgent need to strengthen the external borders of the European Union," Manuel Valls told French radio, adding that heightened vigilance was required to stop people crossing into Europe with false passports, as IS has "stolen a large number of passports in Syria."


Europe is facing a security crisis after the Brussels attacks and those in Paris in November which revealed jihadists were easily moving between member states, several of them returning from battle in Syria.


Two of the suicide bombers involved in the Paris attack -- which left 130 dead -- were found with fake Syrian passports and several crossed into Europe posing as refugees.
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14:28   US govt says militants planning 'near-term attacks throughout Europe'
The US government has issued a warning to Americans planning travel to Europe - saying that terror groups are continuing to plan attacks throughout the continent.In a warning that was rare in its scale, the State Department said people should exercise vigilance when in public places or when using mass transportation.


"The State Department alerts US citizens to potential risks of travel to and throughout Europe following several terrorist attacks, including the March 22 attacks in Brussels claimed by Isis,' said the warning.
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14:24   Cong, Rahul figure in BJP meet
More on the BJP's just concluded national executive on Sunday.

BJP President Amit Shah announced that three Union Ministers will make a presentation, a stock taking of sorts, of the two years its been in power. Shah called upon Sushma Swaraj, Piyush Goyal and Prakash Javdekar to do the honours.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi also asked junior ministers Rajiv Pratap Rudy and MA Naqvi to make a presentation to the BJP executive on three sessions of Parliament and Congress's obstructionist behaviour in the House.


The ministers pointed out how the Congress MPs repeatedly walked up to the Well of the House and even came close to wear the PM sat in the Lower House. They said that a few Congress MPs also misbehaved with the Lok Sabha Speaker by standing up on the podium, and tearing up papers.


On hearing it, BJP seniors shouted, 'Shame Shame!' BJP MPs also said that Rahul is yet to digest that the Congress is out of power and Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister.
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14:08   Will the Islamic State survive 2016?
As Belgium launches a manhunt for the missing third suspect in the Brussels terror attack, read this piece on whether the ISIS (which has claimed responsibility for the attacks) will survive. Following spectacular combat gains for two years, the Islamic State (IS) is on the defensive in Iraq and Syria. In 2015, IS lost 14% of the territory it once controlled. It has lost another 8% in just the first three months of this year, according to a new study from IHS Jane's 360. Read
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14:00   The man who had to be told to stop speaking at the BJP meet
Juicy stories trickling in on the BJP's just-concluded national executive meet. First up is the one about the party's general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal, who was asked to speak on the opening day of the meeting. Ram Lal droned on and on and would have probably gone on for hours had BJP president Amit Shah not intervened and told him on the mic to end his speech. Ram Lal is a nominee of the RSS.


But it wasn't just his long-drawn speech, but his long-winded eulogies to the PM that upset Modi. It is popularly believed that Venkaiah Naidu took his cue from Ram Lal when he went up to speak.
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13:55   Venkaiah's 'Modi is God's gift to India' upsets PM, RSS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is upset with his minister Venkaiah Naidu for his comments that the PM is God's gift to the nation. Soon after the Union Cabinet meeting ended today, Modi told senior Union Ministers that Naidu's comparison "was avoidable". Ministers who heard this quip pointed out that Modi does not like eulogies.

RSS leaders have also expressed displeasure over Naidu's remarks and is believed to have told the BJP leadership not to encourage "individual worship" as "organisation" is supreme.


While moving the political resolution at the party's National Executive on Sunday, Naidu described Prime Minister Modi as "God's gift for India" and a "messiah of poor" who "inherited challenges in each and every sector", but was "steering clear of them".

Naidu's remarks, however, were not part of the political resolution that was adopted at the National Executive, and released later.
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13:46   Neither a word, nor a smile from Advani at BJP meet
Delhi has been speculating about BJP senior leader LK Advani's stoic silence at the party's national executive meet.

Every single photographer was waiting, finger on the shutter, for the perfect picture of Modi-Advani.

But alas, they waited in vain.

Not a word was exchanged for the three hours that the National Executive meeting was on. Advani shared the dais party president Amit Shah, PM Narendra Modi and finance minister Arun Jaitley.


Advani didn't applaud speeches, he didn't smile nor did he speak to anyone. In fact, he didn't even lean in towards any of the three men on stage, which for those conversant with body language says that the senior leader, sidelined since Modi came to power, was upset.


Will Advani call a presser and tell us why... Watch this space.
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13:20   Day after Brussels, French airport evacuated after suspicious baggage found
The Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France has been evacuated for security reasons after a suspicious baggage was found on its premise. The security alert came a day after serial blasts at Brussels airport in Belgium killed 34 people and injured nearly 60 people. Terror group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. 
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12:59  
Brussels airport attacker still at large named as already sought Najim Laachraoui - Belgian newspaper DH. The name of the two Brussels attackers are Khalid and Brahim El Bakraou, says AP. 
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12:37   Brussels airport suicide bombers were brothers El Bakraoui known to police
Brussels airport suicide bombers were brothers El Bakraoui known to police,  says Brussels public broadcaster RTBF.

Belgian police are hunting an Islamic State suspect seen with two supposed suicide bombers shortly before they struck Brussels Airport in the first of two attacks that also hit the city's metro, killing at least 30 and wounding over 200.

The blasts on Tuesday claimed by the Syrian-based militants four days after the arrest in Brussels of a prime suspect in November's Paris attacks, sent shockwaves across Europe and around the world, with authorities racing to review security at airports and transit systems, and drawing an outpouring of solidarity.

Investigators said they were focusing on a man in a hat who was caught on CCTV pushing a laden baggage trolley at the airport with two others they believed were the bombers. An unused explosive device was later found at the airport and a man was seen running away from the terminal after the explosions.

Security experts believed the blasts, which killed about 20 on a metro train running through the area that houses European Union institutions, were probably in preparation before Friday's arrest of locally based French national Salah Abdeslam, 26, whom prosecutors accuse of a key role in the Nov. 13 Paris attacks.

"A photograph of three male suspects was taken at Zaventem. Two of them seem to have committed suicide attacks. The third, wearing a light-colored jacket and a hat, is actively being sought," prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw told a news conference.

The two men in dark clothes wore gloves on their left hands only. One security expert speculated they might have concealed detonators. The man in the hat was not wearing any gloves.
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12:29  
Delhi High Court adjourns hearing on a batch of petitions seeking cancellation of interim bail granted to Kanhaiya Kumar for May 30.
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12:26  
Just in: Ted Cruz beats Donald Trump in Utah Republican caucuses: AFP
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12:25   Life among the ruins
NEXT month, the Temple of Baal will come to Times Square. Reproductions of the 50-foot arch that formed the temple's entrance are to be installed in New York and in London, a tribute to the 2,000-year-old structure that the Islamic State destroyed last year in the Syrian town of Palmyra. The group's rampage through Palmyra, a city that reached its peak in the second and third century A.D., enraged the world, spurring scholars and conservationists into action. Numerous nongovernmental organizations are now cataloging and mapping damaged cultural heritage sites in the region.

Read Kanishk Tharoor's column for the New York Times.
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12:10   Markets on edge, Sensex slides 145 points
The benchmark Sensex took more blows as it slid further by nearly 145 points to 25,185.5 after selling in frontline shares in energy and oil and gas made things shaky. This came on top of weak global cues after deadly terror attacks in Brussels yesterday. Investors are bracing for a long weekend of holidays as markets will remain closed tomorrow and Friday on account of Holi and Good Friday, respectively.
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12:09   All temples must be opened for women to enter: Farooq Abdullah
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah today hailed the widows who celebrated Holi in Vrindavan and that all temples must be opened for women to enter.


More than a thousand widows in Vrindavan broke from tradition to celebrate Holi at an ancient temple in the Uttar Pradesh town.


Describing it as a "wonderful thing", the National Conference leader and former Union minister said, "I think we all should be proud that this is happening. It is a great thing and India is moving forward in a positive manner.


"I think this is a great thing that temples are opening up for women. They are a part of this nation and if you want women's empowerment, then it is vitally important that all temples must be opened to women," he added.
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12:00   Kanhaiya Kumar reaches Hyderabad
Just in: JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar reaches Hyderabad to join protesting students at Hyderabad Central University. This is the university where Dalit student Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide in January, went to.

Twenty-five students were arrested over violence at the Hyderabad campus yesterday. Students barged into Vice Chancellor Professor Appa Rao Podile's office, broke window panes, smashed doors and a television among other items, protesting against his resumption of duty.

Podile, who is in the eye of a storm over Vemula's suicide, had gone on leave on January 24 as the agitating students demanded his resignation and held vigorous protests seeking "justice' for Vemula.
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11:53   Pune's Fergusson College withdraws police complaint on anti-national students
Pune's famous Fergusson College has withdrawn its complaint to the police asking it to identify and punish students who the administration accuses of shouting anti-India slogans at a campus event on Tuesday.


The principal, Ravindra Pardesi, has in a letter to the police claimed that the event was not granted permission.


However, he told NDTV this morning that he is retracting the complaint and spoke vaguely of "a typographical error."


The request for police action comes just weeks after three students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi were arrested on sedition charges.


All have been granted bail. Kanhaiya Kumar, the first among them to be arrested, has been catapulted into the national political landscape with opposition parties holding him up as an example of the country's determination to fight the government's alleged crackdown on free speech and dissent.


The event at Fergusson was organized by JNU student leaders of the ABVP, which is affiliated to the BJP. At the meeting, Left-leaning and other students protested against the event, describing it as "illegal" and chanting "azaadi" (freedom) slogans.


Upon his release from bail, Kumar delivered a fiery speech with repeated references to "azaadi", usually associated with calls for Kashmir's independence from India. Kumar said students like him want to fight for azaadi not from India, but from poverty, communalism, caste politics and other issues that divide India.

Pic: JNU students protesting last month over the arrest of their student body president Kanhaiya Kumar 
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11:44  
Historian S l Habib @irfhabib: All historical records show that Bhagat Singh raised just 2 slogans Inquilab Zindabad and Down with Imperialism. And its no surprise.
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11:39   Hurriyat leaders attending Pak Day reception not an issue: Abdul Basit
Pakistan envoy Abdul Basit, who invited Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani and Asiya Andrabi among others to attend 'Pakistan Day' function at its High Commission in Delhi today, said that this was not an issue at all as Hurriyat leaders had been attending the reception for years.


"Hurriyat leaders have been coming to our reception for years now, so we do not see this as an issue as far as Pakistan is concerned," Basit said.


Eyebrows have always risen whenever Pakistan has invited separatist leaders for different events sparking controversies. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh had represented the government at the Pakistan National Day reception last year causing an uproar.
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11:30  
The Tribune on this day in 1931.
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11:29   Remembering the martyrs
Today is Shaheed Diwas. On this day in 1931, freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged by the British for sedition. To honour their sacrifices, the day is observed in the country as Shaheed Diwas.

It's also the day when all political parties stake claim to the three heroes.
Pic: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis offers his respects before the portraits of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru.
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11:08  
DMDK Chief Vijayakanth to be the CM Candidate from the People's Welfare Front in the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections.
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11:06   Will Kanhaiya be stopped at Hyd University gates?
A quick recap: After violent protests at the university yesterday, 25 students have been arrested for damage to public property, unlawful assembly, illegally confining staff and attacking the police. Yup, that's a whole lot of charges. Classes have been suspended till Monday next. 

The university has sought police protection and said in a statement that it will from today close down all gates except the main entrance to the university and will not allow "media personnel, political groups, external students, organisations and politicians into the campus."

According to officers, Kanhaiya's visit has not been sanctioned.
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10:54   Taskin Ahmed suspension upheld by judicial commissioner
Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed's suspension from bowing in international cricket was today upheld by a judicial commissioner following a review hearing.

The ICC said in a release that Taskin had "exercised his right to request an expeditious review of his case by a judicial commissioner" after his suspension for an illegal bowling action. The hearing was conducted yesterday by Michael Beloff QC over a tele-conference call that lasted several hours and in which numerous legal challenges were made on behalf of the player.

Having carefully considered those arguments and the responses of the ICC, Mr Beloff has now notified all parties concerned of his decision that Taskin's suspension from bowling in international cricket shall be upheld and indicated that a written reasoned decision will be provided in due course.

In the meantime, Taskin, at any time following appropriate remedial work, can apply to the ICC for a re-assessment of his bowling action.
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10:53  
The Election commission has seized over Rs 11 crore till March 20 in Tamil Nadu. The Model code of conduct has been into effect since March 4. 

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10:26   25 students arrested over violence on Hyderabad campus
Twenty-five students have arrested over violence on Hyderabad campus on yesterday. Students barged into Vice Chancellor Professor Appa Rao Podile, broke window panes, smashed doors and television among other items, protesting against his resumption of duty.

Podile, who is in the eye of a storm over Vemula's suicide on January 17, had proceeded on leave on January 24 as the agitating students demanded his resignation and held vigorous protests seeking "justice' for Vemula.
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10:14   US warns near term attack in Europe
Alerting American citizens travelling to Europe to exercise caution and remain alert in the wake of the terrorist attack in Brussels that killed around 35 people, the United States has warned of a near term terrorist attack in Europe.

"Terrorist groups continue to plan near-term attacks throughout Europe, targeting sporting events, tourist sites, restaurants, and transportation," the state department said in a travel advisory yesterday.

In its advisory, the state department alerted US citizens to potential risks of travel to and throughout Europe following several terrorist attacks, including the March 22 attacks in Brussels that killed over 35 people which was later claimed by the dreaded Islamic State militant group.

US citizens should exercise vigilance when in public places or using mass transportation. 

"Be aware of immediate surroundings and avoid crowded places. Exercise particular caution during religious holidays and at large festivals or events," the state department said.
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10:04  
Meanwhile, classes have been suspended until March 27 following yesterday's violent protests at the campus.
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10:04   Ahead of Kanhaiya's visit, Hyd varsity bars entry of media, outsiders
The Hyderabad University has barred the entry of the media and outsiders inside its campus ahead of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's planned visit today.

Kanhaiya will also meet Vemula's mother.

Kanhaiys is expected to join the protest against Rohith Vemula's suicide. Vermula, a Dalit PhD scholar, was found hanging at the Hyderabad University's hostel room on January 17. 


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09:55  
The court proceedings will continue today until 2 pm. Right now it has taken a 15-minute break.
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09:46   Tahawwur Rana was not in touch with LeT: Headly tells court
The deposition of Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Tayiba member David Coleman Headley began before a special Mumbai court where he is giving further testimony about the 26/11 terror attacks. 

Headley recused himself from answering any questions pertaining to his wife Shazia Gilani, saying 'ask question about me, not my wife'.

"Interaction with my wife is a personal issue,," he said. Th defence Lawyer objected, saying, "You are running away from answering questions."

But the prosecutor said that no one can be forced to give statement against his own wife as per law of "privileged communication" in the evidence act.

The court has asked for more citation of law and then it will decide whether Abdul Wahab Khan can ask questions related to wife Shazia or not.
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09:23   Chhattisgarh journalist arrested for a WhatsApp dig at a cop
JUST IN: A Dantewada-based journalist was arrested yesterday for allegedly posting a message against a police officer on a WhatsApp group.

The journalist, Prabhat Singh, was produced in a local court on Tuesday, where he alleged that he had been "assaulted by policemen in custody', Indian Express reports.

Read this story HERE
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08:58   Cross-examination of Headley begins in Mumbai court
The cross-examination of David Coleman Headley in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case has begun in a Mumbai court.

Abdul Wahab Khan, the lawyer of Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, one of the prime accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack will cross-examine Headley and Special Public Prosecutor in the case Ujjwal Nikam will also be present.Mumbai crime Branch chief Atul Kulkarni also arrived at the Court along with Nikam today.

Headley, who is testifying as an approver in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case, was deposed before a Special Court in Mumbai earlier this month.

In his fourth deposition, he had told the court that he was told to survey naval air station and Siddhivinayak temple, but he discouraged the idea to target them as both were heavily guarded.
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08:43   Nation pays homage to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev today
The nation on Wednesday paid homage to the three great freedom fighters -- Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on their martyrdom day. It was on this day, in 1931 that they were martyred in Lahore jail and cremated on the banks of Satluj river at Hussainiwala in Ferozpur district of Punjab.

The petroleum ministry has set up Amar Jyoti at the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala which will be inaugurated today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on their martyrdom day.In a tweet, Prime Minister Modi said, "I bow to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on their martyrdom day & salute their indomitable valour & patriotism that inspires generations."
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08:35   The most-posted photo that epitomises the horrors of Brussels terror attack
The woman who was pictured covered in blood and dust in aftermath of Brussels airport bombing is revealed to be Nidhi Chapekar, a Jet Airways stewardess from Mumbai who is recovering in a hospital now.

Smoke-blackened Nidhi was pictured dazed and covered in dust just seconds after the deadly attack.

Her photograph lying injured at the airport, epitomises the horrors of the terror attack in Brussels.

Nidhi, who is married with two children, has worked for the airline for 15 years.
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07:50   Headley's cross-examination to start today
The cross-examination of Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case was today deferred to Wednesday. It was earlier scheduled tomorrow.

"We informed the court that one of the attorneys of Headley was not well and requested the court to start the proceedings from Wednesday. The court ordered accordingly," Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told PTI. Nikam said Headley's cross-examination will go on for four days. Abdul Wahab Khan, the lawyer of Abu Jundal, an alleged key plotter of the terror attack, will cross-examine. 

Headley, who has turned an approver, concluded his week-long deposition before Mumbai sessions court through a video-link from the US on February 13. 

 On February 22, Judge G A Sanap had directed Nikam to contact US authorities for Headley's second round of deposition and inform the court by February 25, after which the dates of his testimony were to be finalised.
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07:38   Three armed men hijack civilian's car in Pathankot
Three armed men on Tuesday evening hijacked a car at gunpoint in Sujanpur District of Pathankot near the Jammu and Kashmir Border.It is reported that the car is a Ford Fiesta Model with number PB 06 S 8982. 

The police have reached the spot and have started the investigation.The identity of the three men has yet not been ascertained.

The incident assumes importance as the similar incident had taken place before the terror attack at the Pathankot air base on January 6 when terrorists had hijacked a car belonging to a Gurdaspur Police official.
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04:40   Security in major US cities beefed up after Brussels attack

Security at major American cities along with public places like airports, train stations and shopping malls was today enhanced with additional layers of screening, in the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attack in Brussels that killed about 35 people.

Security has been in particularly beefed up here in the US Capital, which would host Nuclear Security Summit later this month that would bring in heads of States from over 40 countries.

Officials said there was no specific security threat to any major US cities, but as a matter of precautionary measure security agencies began performing additional sweeps and patrols.

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04:39   ISIS global attacks: 1,280 killed
Since declaring its caliphate in June 2014, the self-proclaimed Islamic State has conducted or inspired nearly 75 terrorist attacks in 20 countries other than Iraq and Syria, where its carnage has taken a much deadlier toll; those attacks outside Iraq and Syria have killed at least 1,280 people and injured more than 1,770 others.

It can be difficult to divine the precise role that international terrorists play in this or that attack. The person who killed four U.S. Marines and a sailor in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in July 2015, for example, was "motivated by foreign terrorist organization propaganda," FBI Director James Comey says, though he added that it's hard to say which terrorist group motivated the killer.

Regardless, it is clear the deadly tentacles of ISIS have spread quickly, from the terrorist group's epicenter in Iraq and Syria to points around the globe.

HERE's a look at terrorist attacks outside Iraq and Syria believed to have been inspired or conducted by ISIS or its regional affiliates, along with context about the known connections to ISIS.
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03:59   Denver airport evacuated over security threat
A section of the main terminal at Denver International Airport was evacuated because of a possible security threat, officials said.
An airport spokesman told AFP that police were evacuating the western side of the terminal but that flights were continuing.
"It's a possible physical threat," Heath Montgomery said, without elaborating.

"Vehicle traffic has been stopped on the west side of the terminal, however, passengers may continue to access the east side of the terminal."
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03:01   US President Barack Obama leaves Cuba after historic trip
President Barack Obama has left Havana after a historic three-day visit, the first to Cuba by a US leader in nearly nine decades.
Obama, who was heading to Argentina, was seen off at the airport by Cuban President Raul Castro yesterday.

Earlier, Obama said that his visit meant the two countries could "bury" their Cold War-era hostility and he also called for Cuba to allow more political and media freedom. 
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01:45   Turkey detains 13 suspects amid fear of new attacks
A Turkish state-run agency says authorities detained three men, including two foreigners, suspected of planning another attack in Istanbul.
Security forces also captured 10 men suspected of being linked to the Islamic State group in southern Turkey.

Anadolu Agency says security operations targeted three different Istanbul addresses based on information gathered by the Turkish anti-terrorism agency and German intelligence services. A Turkish national, an Iraqi and a Syrian were detained.
In the southern province of Gaziantep, 10 men were detained after being caught trying to enter the country illegally from Syria. One was wearing a suicide vest.

The arrests come after a suicide bomber in Istanbul killed four foreigners. Turkey has witnessed a series of deadly suicide bombings, some claimed by Kurdish militants and others blamed on IS. 
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00:42   Eiffel Tower lights up in colours of Belgiums flag
Following the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris in November, Brussels town hall was lit in the colors of the French flag. Today, sadly, the Eiffel Tower is being lit for Brussels.

On Tuesday, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced that the tower would be lit in black, yellow, and red, to show solidarity after terrorist attacks of the morning left at least 31 dead and many more injured.
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00:29   UN chief condemns Brussels attack
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the "despicable" terror attacks in Brussels that killed about 35 people and called for the perpetrators to be swiftly brought to justice.
Ban was joined by senior UN officials who condemned the terrorist bombings that killed at least 30 people.

A series of explosions ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train, killing around 35 people and injuring more than 200 in the latest attacks to rock Europe. 

The attacks occurred four days after the Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam was captured.

"The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist bombings today in Brussels. The despicable attacks struck at the heart of Belgium and the centre of the European Union," a statement issued by Ban's spokesperson said. 

Ban hoped that those responsible will be swiftly brought to justice.

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