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Tue, 03 May 2016
IS may be making chemical arms, warns watchdog

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23:43   DCW to undertake study on 'unilateral Triple Talaq'
The Delhi Commission for Women has decided to undertake a study on 'unilateral triple talaq' which has become a burning issue in the backdrop of a case in the Supreme Court challenging this practice along with that of
nikkah halala and polygamy.
The DCW which wants to formulate its recommendations in this regard is seeking a copy of all the laws pertaining to unilateral triple talaq, marriage, divorce and polygamy in Islamic countries as well as in countries with a significant Muslim population in order to study these laws in depth and understand the existing best practices on the issue across the globe.
DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal has written to the ministry of external affairs and sought to know if the latter can coordinate with the embassies and consulates of the relevant countries to collect these laws or if the commission should directly write to them.
"Delhi Commission for Women is of the opinion that the issues raised in the Shayara Bano case is of pertinence to the lives of Muslim women in India. DCW would be exercising its mandate in this regard and giving recommendations on this important matter," she said.
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23:18   45-year-old woman dies while standing in water queue in Latur
A 45-year-old woman died while fetching water in Maharashtra's drought-hit Latur district on Tuesday.
     
Kevalbai Kamble had been standing in a queue to fetch water from a borewell at Atola village in Chakur tehsil for over two hours when she collapsed, a local police official said.
     
She was rushed to the government hospital at Latur but was declared dead on admission.
     
In the drought-hit Beed last month, 11-year-old Sachin Kengar died while he was trying to get water from a well near his village.
     
In the parched district, it was one of the many deep wells in which water had mostly dried up and pooled at the bottom.
     
Also last month in Beed district, 12-year-old Yogita Desai died after making five trips to a water pump near her home.
     
She had been unwell for days with dysentery but was forced to go out in 42 degrees Celsius heat to get water from an almost dry hand-pump. 
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23:16   IS may be making chemical arms, warns watchdog
There are "extremely worrying" signs that the Islamic State group may be making its own chemical arms and have used them already in Iraq and Syria, a global watchdog said today, AFP reported. 
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons head Ahmed Uzumcu said that his body's fact-finding teams have found evidence of the use of sulphur mustard in attacks in the two war-torn countries.
"Although they could not attribute this to Daesh... there are strong suspicions that they may have used it (chemical weapons)," Uzumcu told AFP, using the alternative name for the jihadist group.
"Secondly the suspicions are that they may have produced it themselves, which is extremely worrying," Uzumcu said on the sidelines of a three-day conference at the OPCW's Hague-based headquarters.
"It proves that they have the technology, know-how and also access to the materials which might be used for the production of chemical weapons," Uzumcu said.
CIA director John Brennan in February told CBS News that IS fighters had the capability to make small quantities of chlorine and mustard gas.

Uzumcu did not point to any specific attacks, but last month IS mounted a deadly gas attack against Syrian troops at a government-controlled airbase outside the divided eastern city of Deir Ezzor, according to the SANA state news agency.
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22:36   Central law needed to legalise betting in cricket: BCCI to SC
The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that betting in cricket matches can be legalised only if a central law is enacted in this regard.
A bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice F M I Kalifulla asked for BCCI's response after amicus curiae Gopal Subramaniam supported the recommendations of Justice R M Lodha panel on legalising betting in cricket matches.
"You did not argue against this point of legalising betting in cricket matches. Shall be construe that you agree with it," the bench said to BCCI counsel.
Senior advocate K K Venugopal appearing for BCCI said for legalising the betting in cricket matches, a central law has to be passed.
He said every state has its own law relating to betting and gambling and it will not be feasible.
The current proceedings in the apex court is the outcome of the petition filed by Cricket Association of Bihar through its secretary Aditya Kumar Verma who has alleged large scale irregularities.
The apex court had on April 25 pulled up BCCI for "monopolising" cricket in the country and had said several youngsters wanting to be Dhonis and Kohlis are not given equal opportunity if they are not on the right side of the cricket body.
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21:48   Air India no longer loss-making: Government
Efficient functioning and reduction in operational costs has helped national carrier Air India turn from a loss-making airline into an "operational profit unit", the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

The government also asserted that with regard to safety issues for air travellers, it will be the endeavour of the government "to keep our airports and skies absolutely safe" through foolproof adherence to prescribed international standards.

"By cutting its operational expenses by almost 11 per cent, Air India has turned from a Rs.2,636 crore loss making unit in 2014-15 to a Rs.8 crore operational profit unit in 2015-16," Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said while replying to the debate on demand for grant for his ministry.

He also pointed out that Air India joined Star Alliance in 2014, "which has helped it to integrate better with the international civil aviation market".
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21:23   UK's Indian-origin minister asks community to vote for Brexit
UK's senior-most Indian-origin minister Priti Patel today asked British-Indians to vote to leave the European Union in the June 23 referendum, saying the membership of politico-economic union puts barriers in trading with nations playing increasingly important role in the world.
Patel, who has a seat in the UK cabinet as minister for employment and who also serves as Prime Minister David Cameron's 'Indian Diaspora Champion', has been one of the most vocal campaigners for Brexit -- an abbreviation for "British exit" from the 28-member European Union.
"British-Indians and Asians should feel confident about voting to leave the EU in the forthcoming referendum," she said in a statement.
Using the long-pending India-EU Free Trade Agreement as an argument in favour of her 'Vote Leave' camp, she said: "While the UK remains a member of the EU, we are unable to work closely with India and other countries who are playing an increasingly important role in the world. The EU puts up barriers to trade and restrictions on imports.
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21:00   Rajya Sabha rejects Mallya's resignation
The Rajya Sabha chairman has rejected Vijay Mallya's resignation on procedural grounds.  

"Mallya's resignation letter is not according to procedure and does not bear signature in original," said the Rajya Sabha secretary general.

The Ethics Committee of Parliament is set to recommend the expulsion Mallya. 

Sources said the panel was unanimous in its decision that Mallya, facing a case of loan default of over Rs 9,400 crore, should no longer remain a member of the Upper House.
The sources said the panel will submit its report before the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
A motion has to be introduced in the House and approved by it for termination of the membership of any MP.
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20:44   Myntra does a U-turn, to re-launch desktop version from June 1
A year after going app-only, fashion e-tailer Myntra will now launch again its desktop website on June 1.
Myntra, part of e-commerce giant Flipkart, had attributed the decision to the manifold growth in traffic from smartphones, which prompted it to go 'mobile-only' from May last year.
Myntra said the U-turn in its decision was based on consumer feedback and launch of new categories like home furnishing and jewellery.
"The premises of going on an app only strategy were based on mobiles being personal devices that enable a tailored experience unlike desktops and that mobiles are the future of computing devices," Myntra CEO Ananth Narayanan said in an emailed statement.
Both the premises were proven to be right and Myntra app became the most loved amongst leading Indian eCommerce firms, he claimed.
According to Google Playstore, Myntra's app has seen over 10 million downloads.

"Despite the many clear positives, weve decided to revisit our decision. The biggest reason is that the feedback from consumers, especially women," he said.
Citing company data, Narayanan said women customers, in particular, want to have the option of shopping across channels.
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20:38   Will quit if proven guilty in Panama Papers probe: Pak PM
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said that he will quit if corruption worth a single penny is proved against him amid growing demands by the opposition parties to probe the premier's family first in the
Panama Papers leak.
Panama Papers, a massive leak of 11.5 million tax documents that reportedly exposed the secret offshore dealings of around 140 political figures globally, named three of Sharif's four children -- Maryam, Hasan and Hussain -- listing them as owners of offshore companies.
Sharif had formed a high-level judicial commission which will be led by a retired Supreme Court judge to probe the leak.
Sharif has vowed to quit if proved guilty of graft or misappropriation.
"If corruption worth a single penny is proved against me, I will not wait for a moment to quit," he said while addressing a public gathering in Bannu town of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Meanwhile, major opposition parties met in Islamabad to decide how to launch the probe, after Sharif last month asked the chief justice of the Supreme Court to set up a commission to probe allegation of corruption against those mentioned in the leaked documents.
Pakistan People's Party senior leader Aitzaz Ahsan said after the meeting that opposition parties had prepared the terms of reference for the commission.
"The process of accountability needs to be initiated, and the prime minister and his family should be the first to be probed by the inquiry commission set-up to probe Panama Papers," said Ahsan.
He also said that all opposition parties already rejected the ToRs presented earlier by the government.
However, in a relief to Sharif, the opposition parties could not agree on the issue of demanding resignation of Sharif.
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20:32   Trump's popularity in Republican party soars: poll
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's popularity has reached a new high of 56 per cent among his party's voters and he has narrowed down the gap in a theoretical match-up with Democrat Hillary Clinton for the November elections, according to a national poll.
"Donald Trump has narrowed the gap on the Democratic front-runner: In a theoretical match-up, 43 per cent of registered voters would support Clinton and 37 per cent would support Trump," NBC News/Survey Monkey said in its weekly election tracking poll.
While Trump is six points behind Clinton, Senator Ted Cruz from Texas is 14 points behind the former Secretary of State in a potential November matchup between the two, the poll said.
The billionaire from New York continues to gain popularity as the Republican primary enters its last lap.
The crucial primary was underway in Indiana. Trump was leading Cruz by a double digit margin in opinion polls ahead of the primary.
A victory in Indiana which has 57 delegates at stake would bring Trump within striking distance of bagging the Republican party nomination.
Compared to few weeks ago, Trump has gained ground in the match-up against Clinton, whereas Cruz has lost momentum, suggesting that perhaps voters are supporting Trump as the Republican Party's potential nominee more than they have in the past, the survey said. 
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19:57   What steps taken to tackle drought in May-June?: HC to Maha
The Bombay high court on Tuesday asked the Maharashtra government to inform what steps it had taken to tackle the drought situation in May and June when it may worsen before the onset of monsoon.
     
The reply is to be filed on May 5. Hearing a public interest litigation filed by Loksatta Movement seeking shifting the Indian Premier League matches out of Maharashtra on account of water scarcity, a bench headed by Justice V M Kanade also asked the government to explain why it had not declared drought in the state so far.
     
"Merely shifting the IPL out of the state will not be sufficient...we want to know what are the short-term and long-term steps taken by the government to tackle the drought situation," the bench said.
     
Acting Advocate General Rohit Dev said a policy to tackle the drought was in place. There was no need to declare drought because the statutory provisions were being implemented and short-term measures had been taken, he added.      

On April 13, the court had ordered shifting of all the IPL matches from Maharashtra after April 30.
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19:28   JK govt requested for identifying land in Valley for Pandits
The Jammu and Kashmir government has been requested for identifying suitable land in the Kashmir Valley where Kashmiri migrants could be rehabilitated, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
Further action would be taken once the land is identified, Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said in a written reply.
There are about 62,000 registered Kashmiri migrant families in the country, who migrated from the Valley due to the onset of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1990s.
About 40,000 registered Kashmiri migrant families are living in Jammu, about 20,000 in Delhi-NCR and about 2,000 families are settled in other parts of the country.
Chaudhary said the government, on November 18 last year, approved a rehabilitation package involving an estimated expenditure of Rs 2,000 crore for providing additional 3,000 state government jobs to the Kashmiri migrants and construction of 6,000 transit accommodation in the Kashmir valley for the Kashmiri migrants to whom state government jobs have been provided or will be provided.
The state government has been requested to take necessary action for the implementation of the package at the earliest, he said.
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18:59   Do you have a Rs 1000 note without a thread running through it?
The banknotes of 1,000 denomination that were printed without security thread are genuine, but defective, and issuance of all such banknotes of the series is stopped from circulation, Parliament was informed today.


It's one of the RBI's regional offices that had reported on December 11, 2015, that it had received some banknotes of 1,000 denomination of some particular series without any security thread, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said today in the Rajya Sabha.


File pic of a Rs 1000 note
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18:51  
All schools in Delhi ordered to close for summer vacations from May 11 because of heat wave, says government.
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18:47   Wasn't prepared for the name-calling, Kangana speaks out
Ahead of receiving her National Award (her third) from President Pranab Mukherjee for Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Kangana Ranaut gave interviews to a couple of TV channels where she talks about the controversy (without naming Hrithik Roshan) and spoke about being vilified in the English press. Excerpts of her interview with Headlines Today and NDTV.    


--  I am proud of my fragile body and sharp mind. Why should I use my body if I can use my mind.
--    If a woman is super successful, she is called a psychopath   
-- My success is my sweet revenge against controversy   
-- I am a self-pleaser, not a people-pleaser.   
-- We as women have been defending ourselves way too long.   
-- I don't find it humiliating when they call me a psychopath, witch or whore.
-- If a woman is sexually active, she's called a whore.
-- Women can kill with success and sarcasm, why use hands?   
-- Sometimes you have bad days, but then you have cupcakes   
-- I am not entitled to give my views on something which will be decided in court.
-- I don't know how to be anybody else than who I am.
-- It's been a roller coaster ride but I feel I am on the right track.
-- It's unbelievable that women have been treated like objects.
-- Every attempt is being made to embarrass me.
-- I wasn't prepared for what happened (with Hrithik).
-- I wasn't prepared for the name calling.
-- Easy to call a woman a psycopath, a whore.
-- Can't pretend to be sorry for what I have done.
-- Can't explain why I went into certain relationships.
-- Not ashamed about anything I have done in my life.
-- Unacceptable that people discussed my periods and called it gross. There is nothing gross about menstruation.
--The mentality is if I cannot get you I will destroy you. 
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18:21   'Cash-strapped ISIS selling chickens and eggs in Libya'
Cash-strapped Islamic State terror group has taken to selling chickens and eggs in the streets of Libya's Sirte at a "very cheap price" in an apparent sign of its deepening financial woes, according to a media report.


"When IS took over Sirte, they seized many properties, including farms, and some of these are very large chicken farms," a former resident told Middle East Eye, an online news portal.


According to former residents from the ISIS stronghold of Sirte, militants have implemented rental and taxation systems, with a side-line in poultry. "Relatives tell me IS people can now be seen standing in the streets in their black outfits with their faces covered, selling both the eggs and the chickens. And they are selling the chickens for a very cheap price of just one or two dinars," the source was quoted as saying.


Another indication that IS finances were stretched was a series of demands for rent, he said. Shopkeepers were being forced to pay, despite owning their shops, as well as 10 Libyan dinars (USD7.35) per week was being charged for street cleaning and rubbish collection services.
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18:03   Ex-Air chief Tyagi admits meeting Finmeccanica boss, says CBI
Just in: Ex-IAF Chief SP Tyagi tells CBI he had met Finmeccanica officials. Tyagi has accepted the meeting with the COO of Finmeccanica Mr Zapa in India in 2005, the CBI said. Tyagi admitted to have financial interests in three companies, Banshi, Anuras,  and Shavan.

The CBI on Monday began the questioning of the former Indian Air Force Chief in connection with the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal scam. The former IAF chief has also been issued summons by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.


The CBI is examining Tyagi on the various meetings he had with Agusta's parent company Finmeccanica.


Tyagi will be summoned for questioning tomorrow again.


Pic: The former air chief in a file picture.
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17:20   Expel Mallya, recommends Rajya Sabha panel
Rajya Sabha Ethics Committee recommends the expulsion of Vijay Mallya.

Mallya, who faces a case of loan default of over Rs 9,400 crore, resigned from the Rajya Sabha Monday, a day before the Ethics Committee of the House was expected to recommend his disqualification.

The Ethics Committee move had only symbolic value, as the liquor baron had less than two months of his six-year tenure left. He had been elected from Karnataka for a second time.

Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari will decide on Mallya's resignation.

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17:14   Prashant Kishor doesn't have it easy in Cong
"We know that Uttar Pradesh is difficult for the Congress at this stage. Does he want to finish off Rahul and Priyanka in this hopeless battle?"

"He has expertise of a certain kind. It's wrong to presume that he has been assigned the political role of reviving the Congress."

"Some people in the party may be uncomfortable with the novelty of this idea but there is nothing wrong in taking professional assistance."


What the Congress rank and file think of master strategist Prashant Kishor. Read

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16:50   Italy must return marine if India's jurisdiction is proved: UN court
Italy will have to return its marine Salvatore Girone, held in India on murder charges, in case the court finds Indian jurisdiction over the case, the UN tribunal said today.


"Italy and India shall cooperate, including in proceedings before the Supreme Court of India, to achieve a relaxation of the bail conditions of Sergeant Girone so as to give effect to the concept of considerations of humanity, so that Sergeant Girone, while remaining under the authority of the Supreme Court of India, may return to Italy during the present arbitration," the order said.


Girone, along with another Italian marine, Massimiliano Latorre, is facing charges of murdering two fishermen in 2012 off the Kerala coast. Latorre is back in Italy after suffering a stroke in 2014 while Girone is staying in Italian embassy at The Hague. The two countries have agreed to arbitration by the UN court.
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16:45   American serviceman dies in Iraq near Irbil
An American serviceman has been killed in combat in Iraq, officials said Tuesday. The U.S.-led coalition issued a statement saying one of its service members died in northern Iraq on Tuesday as "a result of enemy fire."


It did not specify the victim's nationality, but Defense Secretary Ash Carter confirmed that an American serviceman died near the Iraqi city of Irbil.


"It is a combat death," Carter told reporters in Germany, according to The Associated Press.
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16:35  
JetLite Flight 4264 (Kolkata to Delhi) makes an emergency landing due to problem in landing gear. All passengers safe.
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16:18   A message for Hrithik
A lesson in etiquette from an ex. Dino Morea, a guest at Bipasha's wedding, tweets: "With the beautiful couple @bipsluvurself & @iamksgofficial. Wish them loads of love & happiness."

Dino and Bipasha were in a relationship in the late 1990s but called it quits over 10 years ago. The two have remained friends.
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16:13   8 Bangladeshis held in Singapore for IS-related terror plots
Singapore has detained eight radicalised Bangladeshi supporters of the Islamic State terror group for plotting terror attacks back home as part of efforts to overthrow the Bangladeshi government, the Home Ministry here said today.


The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the eight men, who were migrant workers in Singapore, were detained in April under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and were members of a secret group called Islamic State in Bangladesh that was set up in March this year.
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16:13   Govinda took Dawood's help to defeat me in 2004, says UP governor Ram Naik
Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik has said that actor-turned-MP Govinda took help from mafia don Dawood Ibrahim and builder Hiten Thakur to defeat him in Mumbai North in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, a charge that the actor rejected.


The BJP leader has made the charge in his memoir, Chaireveti, Chaireveti (Keep Moving), written in Marathi and released in Mumbai on April 25, reports the Times of India.


A Union minister between 1999 and 2004, Naik says in his book that despite being a three-time MP and having contributed so much to Mumbai, he was unable to digest his defeat by a margin of 11,000 votes.


Going into the 'bitter truths', he wrote that Govinda was friends with Dawood and Thakur and he (Govinda) used them to terrorise voters.


Govinda, however, said people ensured his victory. "I did not need anyone's support at that time. By saying such things, does Ram Naik mean that the people of the constituency were sold into the hands of the underworld? Please do not insult anyone by saying such things," he said.


Govinda said it was not expected of a man of Naik's stature and age to oppose him in such a manner."At this juncture, when I am coming back into films, I humbly request Ram Naik not to damage my name and create hurdles in my work," he said. 
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16:06  
Ramesh Srivats tweets:

India's Goodwill Ambassador meet
Abhinav Bindra: I shoot targets.
Sachin: I shoot TVCs.
Salman: No comments. The matter is sub judice.
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16:00   New hit-list threatens teachers, politicians in Bangladesh
A new hit-list naming 10 people, including the head of a university and ruling party officials, have been released by a Bangladeshi extemist outfit amid a series of gruesome murders of secular bloggers and intellectuals in the Muslim-majority country.
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15:58   BJP trying to break Coochbehar, Darjeeling: Mamata
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today accused the BJP of inciting the separate statehood movements in Coochbehar district and Darjeeling sub- division in West Bengal for narrow political gains.


The two districts have witnessed for some years agitation for separate states.


While it has been led by the Greater Coochbehar People's association in Coochbehar, that in the Darjeeling subdivision is spearheaded by the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha. "The BJP is trying to break Coochbehar and Darjeeling for narrow political gains. It always tries to fuel separate statehood movements in the state," Banerjee told an election rally. Banerjee took the credit of settling the 68-year-old border enclave issue with Bangladesh.
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15:52   India rubbishes US report on lack of religious freedom
Just in: India responds to the The US Religious Freedom report."Once again the US fails to show proper understanding of India, its constitution and its society. The government does not see the locus standi of a foreign entity like USCIRF to pronounce on Indian citizens' constitutionally protected rights," the MEA said.


The US Congress-formed federal body on international religious freedom said religious freedom in India was on a "negative trajectory" in 2015 as religious tolerance "deteriorated" and religious freedom violations "increased".

The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its 2016 annual report also suggested that the Indian government publicly rebuke officials and religious leaders that make derogatory statements about religious communities.


It has also appealed to the Obama administration to designate Pakistan among nations listed as worst violators of religious freedom due to the current state of minorities in the country.
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15:21  
While the plains sizzle, the mercury dips in Himachal Pradesh as heavy rains and hailstorm lash Shimla. 
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15:09   Jacqueline opens up about Hrithik-Kangana tussle
Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez today said she hopes that the ongoing feud between Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut ends soon. The two actors have been at loggerheads since the "Queen" star called Hrithik her 'silly ex'.


The feud between Hrithik and his "Krrish 3" co-star turned nasty after they slapped legal notices on each other. When asked about her views on the topic, Jacqueline told reporters, "I hope it just finishes and ends because I know how difficult (it is)... what they must be going through right now. I hope it comes to an end soon."


The "Roy" actress was speaking at an event. Actor Sidharth Malhotra, who was also present, said it was a personal matter between the two actors.

"It is somebody's personal matter and I have no knowledge. It is not right for me to comment," he said. Hrithik, who was the first to send the legal notice, has demanded that Kangana apologise in a press conference and clear the air about their alleged affair which he firmly refutes.
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14:51   Not targetting Rahul, but won't spare corrupt: BJP
Ravi Shankar Prasad, BJP, on Rahul Gandhi's statement that he is being targeted in the AgustaWestland scam: "We have no intentions of targeting Rahul Gandhi, but we are not going to spare corrupt people. We are not targeting any person. We are only targeting corruption."


Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today sought to brush aside BJP's attempts to drag him into the CWG and VVIP chopper scams, saying he is "happy to be targeted".


"I am always being targeted, happy to be targeted," he told reporters while entering Parliament House. He was asked about BJP MP Kirit Somaiya's letter to ED and CBI asking them to check Gandhi's links with a real estate developer allegedly involved in the CWG scam and also the alleged connections of his political aide with a middleman in the AgustaWestland deal. Somaiya had said that Guido Haschke, an alleged middleman in the chopper deal is common in both the scams and that he is linked to Christian Michel, an accused in the VVIP chopper scam. 
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14:28   It's all about family
Salut. Shabana Azmi tweets this picture of the family celebrating Tanvi Azmi's National Award win for Best Supporting Actress in the film Bajirao Mastani. Tanvi Azmi is married to Shabana's brother cinematographer Baba Azmi (foreground, right).


Shabana has won the prestigious National Award five times.
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14:20   Nawaz Sharif and the Panama papers
Ever since the Panama leaks engulfed the Sharifs earnest souls, in various stages of excitement, are bemoaning the threat to democracy. The way they are formulating their anxiety, they seem to equate democracy with the survival of the Sharifs. Read more
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14:08   Tendulkar accepts offer to become Rio Ambassador, joins Salman, Bindra
No surprise this, but Sachin Tendulkar is willing to don the mantle of Rio ambassador.


Tendulkar today joined Salman Khan and ace shooter Abhinav Bindra to become the third Goodwill Ambassador for India at the Rio Olympics this year. The Indian Olympic Association had invited Tendulkar to come on board on April 29 and they heard from the Master Blaster today. Tendulkar said he would be happy to accept the honour and added that he would do whatever he could to promote sports in the country.
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13:51   Something seriously wrong: House panel raps govt on Pathankot attack
The Standing Committee of Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday pulled up the Centre for the January 2 Pathankot terror attack, saying had the Centre been serious and the intelligence agencies had functioned properly, then the picture would have been entirely different.

Pradip Bhattacharya, the Chairman of the Standing Committee said security agencies were ill-prepared to anticipate the threats in time and to counter them swiftly. "Something is seriously wrong with the country's counter-terror security establishment," the Parliamentary Standing Committee said on the Pathankot terror attack.


"The committee is unable to understand how terrorists managed to reach the Pathankot airbase in spite of terror alerts being sounded well in advance. The security agencies were ill-prepared to anticipate the threats in time and counter them swiftly," Bhattacharya claimed.


"We had a long interaction with officers at the Pathankot airbase. They said they had no information that their airbase would be attacked. He got information early in the morning, that too not from Punjab, but from the Delhi Air Force. How did it happen? Who gave this information to Delhi Air Force? These are remarkable things to search out," he added.


He also said that during the visit to the Pathankot airbase, the committee found that the airbase security was not robust.


"We urge upon the Government of India to take this report seriously and take appropriate steps. Even today, there are very unsafe conditions at the Pathankot airbase," he said.


The Pathankot air base was attacked by heavily armed terrorists reportedly having allegiance to the Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist organisation based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in which four terrorists and three security forces personnel were killed.


A five-member Pakistani Joint Investigation Team (JIT), comprising Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP), a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), two Lt. Colonels and one inspector, from Pakistan had visited India between March 27-31 to collect, review and document physical evidences and to interview key witnesses and victims through the NIA in connection with the Pathankot attack.


Just a few days after the Pakistani JIT probing the Pathankot attack admitted that the four terrorists who attacked the Pathankot Indian Air Force base were from Pakistan, the JIT had said that the attack had been staged by India, according to a Pakistani media report.


The JIT "says the attack was a drama staged to malign Pakistan," according to a report in Pakistan Today. It further said that the JIT report, which was submitted to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the next few days, had even concluded that Indian authorities had prior information about the terrorists.


Meanwhile, on April 28, the Centre had told told the Rajya Sabha that Pakistan had been clearly told that it should allow an Indian probe team to visit that country in connection with Pathankot terror attack as reciprocity was the principle on which Pakistan's JIT was allowed to visit here.


At the time of writing, India and Pakistan maintain their differences on the sequence of events related to the attack.

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13:31   Delhi govt moves SC on removal of diesel cabs
Delhi Government moves SC requesting the removal of diesel cabs from the NCR in a phased manner, saying the order has led to law and order problems.


Traffic on the Delhi-Noida Direct flyway came to a near standstill on Tuesday morning, as Delhi faced its second straight day of crippling traffic jams.

Traffic was brought to a grinding halt by taxi owners who are protesting a Supreme Court order that made it illegal to operate diesel vehicles as taxis.


The protests near the toll plaza on the busy DND, one of Delhi's key links to the residential and office hub of Noida meant traffic was bottlenecked. Motorists headed towards Delhi then started driving in the opposite lane as well, restricting traffic heading towards Noida and making the jam worse.
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13:24   AgustaWestland: Defence minister's statement in Parliament shortly
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar to brief the House on AgustaWestland. Parrikar is likely to target Congress top brass. 
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13:00   Rahul or Priyanka or a Brahmin - as UP CM candidate, says strategist Prashant Kishor
Struggling to arrest its falling fortunes in electorally important Uttar Pradesh, Congress may carry out a massive rejig of its state leadership next fortnight and announce its chief ministerial candidate who in all likelihood will be a "Brahmin".


There are also views within a section of the party that a turnaround in Uttar Pradesh is possible only if either of the Gandhis -- Priyanka or Rahul -- takes the lead in the state polls.


However, there has been no indication from the party so far that it is inclined to field any of the two Gandhis in the assembly polls in the state where Congress is considered to be on a weak wicket.


Poll strategist Prashant Kishor is learnt to be in favour of either of the Gandhis taking the lead in the state election and, if they do not agree, a well-known Brahmin face should be projected as the chief ministerial candidate.


Sources close to the leadership indicated that key decisions about the rejig are likely to be announced after May 19, the day counting of votes for the assembly polls in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry takes place.


The pradesh Congress committee chief, the Congress legislature party leader and even those managing the state affairs at the AICC level could be changed, the sources say.


Making a serious attempt to stage a comeback in the state to which most of the Congress Prime Ministers belonged and where it has been in wilderness after the surge in Mandal-Mandir poitics, the party has roped in Kishor, who is learnt to have strongly favoured a Brahmin as the party's face in the polls due next year.


The name of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit has also been considered, sources said.Kishor, who had managed the hugely successful election campaigns for Narendra Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and Nitish Kumar-led grand alliance in the Bihar assembly elections last year, has been drafted by the Congress to draw up a campaign strategy for the key cow belt state.


There is a thinking in the party that since Brahmins, who constitute 10 to 12 per cent of the electorate, are the only vote bloc Congress can hope to make inroads into, projection of a person from the community as chief ministerial face would help the party regain their support. With the advent of mandal-mandir politics, Brahmins, who had traditionally voted for Congress, shifted allegiance to the BJP.


There has also been a buzz that the Congress could field its top guns in the assembly polls, including some of its MPs, especially those who had been Union ministers in UPA I and II governments.Kishor, who is known for building his campaign strategy around strong personalities, is learnt to be keen that Congress should project a face in the state as it could galvanize the cadres.
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12:49   China irked by delay in Gwadar project
China is reportedly upset over the slow progress made in awarding the $2-billion commercial contract that includes laying a gas pipeline and setting up a LNG terminal in Gwadar. Read
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12:43   Hersh on Osama
As the world commemorates Osama Bin Laden's capture five years ago, the world's best known investigative reporter Seymour Hersh on the untold story of Osama killing.


Hersh's most recent break threatens to blur the boundary between investigative reporting and conspiracy theory. The story, published last May in the London Review of Books, alleges that Pakistan caught Osama bin Laden years ago and then kept him under house arrest in Abbottabad. Eventually, Hersh writes, a walk-in leaked bin Laden's whereabouts to the CIA. The SEAL raid that killed bin Laden was military theater, staged in cooperation with the Pakistani government. Read
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12:34   I'm always being targetted, happy to be targettted, says Rahul on Agusta
Congress Vice president Rahul Gandhi speaking to NDTV on the way to Parliament on the AgustaWestland chopper scam probe says, "I'm always being targetted, happy to be targetted."


Today, the BJP's Kirit Somaiya said that that the Congress vice-president will be asked in Parliament to explain why one of the Agusta middlemen was employed as Director by a firm linked closely to his aide, Kanishka Singh.

Kanishka Singh responded with a statement last night.

Kanishka Singh's statement reads as follows:

Response to BJP MP Shri Kirit Somaiya's Letter and his Tweet dated 02.05.2016 in re AgustaWestland and Emaar-MGF

Mr. Somaiya's allegations about Kanishka Singh are entirely baseless, false and with an ulterior political motive. Mr. Somaiya has been making these false allegations about Mr. Kanishka Singh with malafide intent since February 2013. Mr. Kanishka Singh rejects these allegations in their entirety.

Whether officials of AgustaWestland were involved with Emaar-MGF or not, should be investigated by the agencies.

In so far as Kanishka Singh is concerned he:

(1) Has absolutely nothing to do with the matter; and

(2) Wishes for parties found to be guilty, including AgustaWestland and/or Mr. Hashke and/or Emaar-MGF if so found, to be punished in the harshest possible way. In any case, Mr. Kirit Somaiya is requested to provide material at the earliest to his own Government and its agencies, which will facilitate investigation and enable prosecution of the guilty; and

(3) Has nothing to do with and has been on estranged terms with the Rajiv Gupta family (Emaar-MGF) who, though related, fell out in 2005 when Rajiv Gupta propounded a Will of Shri Ved Prakash Gupta which Kanishka Singh and his mother say is a case of forgery and fabrication, and the matter has been pending in court since then.
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12:14   Verify facts before calling me a defaulter, tweets Mallya
Hours after sending in his resignation from the Rajya Sabha yesterday, liquor baron Vijay Mallya today tweeted that he was not a defaulter. He said that facts needed to be verified first before he was branded as a 'defaulter'.


However he admitted that Kingfisher Air owes money to banks. "Agree Kingfisher Air owes money to Banks. I am neither a borrower or a judgement debtor. Why am I a defaulter inspite of a settlement offer?" Mallya tweeted.


On Monday, Vijay Mallya resigned from Rajya Sabha. In his resignation letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, he said he does not want his "name and reputation to be further dragged in the mud".


"And since recent events suggest that I will not get a fair trial or justice, I am hereby resigning as a member of the Rajya Sabha with immediate effect," Mallya said in the letter.


He also referred to the letter written to him by the Chairman of the Ethics Committee of Rajya Sabha Karan Singh and said he had replied to Singh.


The Ethics Panel of the Rajya Sabha, which had taken up the matter, had unanimously decided in its April 25 meeting that Mallya should no longer remain a member of the House and was planning to recommend his expulsion in its next meeting on May 3.


Mallya is facing a case of loan default of over Rs 9,400 crore and is believed to be in the UK after leaving India on March 2.


Pic: Vijay Mallya at the McDowell Derby in 2013
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12:11   Raja Harishchandra made history today
On this day in 1913, the first full-length Indian film 'Raja Harishchandra' was released for public viewing in Mumbai.
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12:08   Maha CM's meeting on drought
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to meet union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Uma Bharti to discuss drought in Maharashtra.
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11:40   Kohli recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Rahane for Arjuna
Virat Kohli, India's Test captain, has been recommended for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the nation's biggest sporting honour, by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. His deputy, Ajinkya Rahane, is also in line for another honour, having been nominated for the Arjuna award.

The Khel Ratna carries a cash reward of Rs 7.5 lakh along with a citation, while the Arjuna award consists of a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh and a citation.
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11:27   Intolerance in India rose in 2015, says USCIRF
Religious freedom in India was on a "negative trajectory" in 2015 as religious tolerance "deteriorated" and religious freedom violations "increased", alleged US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its 2016 annual report.


The USCIRF suggested that the Indian government publicly rebuke officials and religious leaders that make derogatory statements about religious communities.


Pointing out that it will continue to monitor the situation closely during 2016 to understand if India should be recommended to the State Department for designation as a "country of particular concern," USCIRF advised the US government to integrate concern for religious freedom into bilateral contacts with India, including the framework of future Strategic Dialogues.


USCIRF reports are not binding on the State Department. Interestingly the report comes a little more than a month before PM Narendra Modi's bilateral visit to Washington where he is also scheduled to address joint session of the US Congress. Read more
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11:17   Agusta probe: Ex-IAF chief reaches CBI HQ after 10-hr interrogation yesterday
Former IAF chief SP Tyagi reaches CBI Headquarters for questioning in the AgustaWestland matter.


Yesterday, the CBI examined the former IAF chief in connection with its probe into bribery charges in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. Sources in CBI said Tyagi had visited Florence, Milan and Venice after retirement, and the purpose of these trips are under investigation.

Tyagi's cousins Sanjeev will be summoned today, while his other cousins Rajeev and Sandeep will be examined soon. Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan, who allegedly played a key role in moving the bribe money, is likely to be examined Wednesday.

Tyagi arrived at the CBI headquarters in New Delhi around 10 am yesterday and was examined till late in the evening for approximately 10 hours.
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11:06   Pakistan has one month's time to grab US F16 deal
Pakistan has time till May end to avail the American offer to procure eight F-16s at an estimated cost of USD 700 million after Obama administration told Islamabad that it should put forward national funds to buy these fighter jets.


The State Department yesterday told reporters that it has told the Pakistani leadership that "they should put forward national funds" for the purchase of F-16s given that key members of the Congress have made clear that they have objections to using foreign military financing -- American tax payer's money -- to support. In the absence of Pakistani taking any tangible action against the Haqqani network, the Senators have said they would not let the Obama Administration use tax payer's money to give F-16s to Pakistan as notified to the Congress on February 11.
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10:44   Chopper scam: European middlemen codenamed ex-IAF chief 'gorgeous girl'
Former Air Force chief SP Tyagi was codenamed 'Giuli' --Italian for 'gorgeous girl' -- by the European middlemen in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper AgustaWestland scam, taped conversations accessed by investigators have revealed. 

Guido Ralph Haschke and Carlo Gerosa are the middlemen who are heard referring to Tyagi as 'Giuli' .

Documents shared with India also reveal that Tyagi visited Milan in March 2012 while the Italian agencies were investigating corruption allegations in the Agusta deal. It was likely during this visit that Tyagi, or 'Giuli', was agitated about the Italian inquiry.
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10:34  
The AgustWestland chopper scam issue will be discussed in Lok Sabha on May 6, and in Rajya Sabha on May 4, Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy has announced. 
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10:26  
JUST IN: BJP MP Kirit Somaiya to raise Emaar-MGF and Kanishka Singh issue in Lok Sabha.
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10:25   I turned down Nobel, Malalas prize unworthy: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Questioning the credentials of the Nobel Committee and peace activist Malala Yousafzai, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said he would turn down the prestigious global award if given to him.

The Art of Living founder, who was in Latur, Maharashtra to take a look at the drought conditions, was speaking to journalists when he termed Malala's peace prize as a political move.

Saying he had once turned down the award, Sri Sri said, "Nowadays, there is no value to the Nobel Prize. When you award it to a 16-year-old girl who hasn't done anything, what value is left? It has become a political prize."
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10:22   Uttarakhand fire reaches boarding school, students evacuated
The forest fires raging through large parts of Uttarakhand began showing signs of abating, however, they reached a boarding school in Himachal Pradesh's Kasauli. 

The evacuation of the children began soon after the fire started. The number of active fires dropped sharply to 40 in the hill state and the Centre claimed the situation was under control. Three persons were arrested from Pithoragarh and Nainital for burning dry leaves of Cheed and stoking the fires. 

Panic gripped Lawrence school, Sanawar near Kasauli, on Monday as fires raging in adjoining forests advanced towards the school. "The fires were brought under control and no damage was caused to the 169-year-old residential school and the situation was normal," said R Chauhan, a senior teacher of the school.
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09:52  
JUST IN: Solar plane lands in suburban Phoenix after flight from San Francisco area.
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09:50   'Pakistan knew about Osama's hideout'
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made strong claims that senior officials in Islamabad knew about the hideout location of former Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, asserting that it was too much of a coincidence that the 'unusual-looking house' where the wanted terrorist was hiding, was surrounded by retired military professionals. 

 "It was just too much of a coincidence that that house, that unusual-looking house would be built in that community near the military academy, surrounded by retired military professionals, even though, we couldn't prove it, " she said.

She added that even though there was never any evidence that the US could uncover that led directly to the top of the Pakistani military and intelligence service, she believed that 'Pakistanis knew'.

Hillary's statement came in the wake of the fifth anniversary of the May 2011 raid that killed the mastermind of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
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09:46   The departure Obama may be most dreading: Malia moving out
As he walked to Air Force One, US President Obama draped his arm around his daughter Malia's back. She accompanied him on a recent trip to Chicago and Los Angeles, and he seemed giddy to have her along, smiling broadly as they walked through drizzling rain.

With Malia's high school graduation just a month away, Obama has grown wistful. The 17-year-old will be moving on -- maybe soon. The White House said Sunday that she will enter Harvard in fall 2017 after taking a gap year. Someone familiar with her thinking said Malia has made no decision about what she will do during those months.

Read more HERE

Image: US President Barack Obama with his daughters -- Malia (left) and Sasha
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09:35   Poll shows Trump is ahead of Hillary
A new poll shows Donald Trump is ahead of Hillary Clinton for the first time in the presidential race.

According to Rasmussen Reports, the billionaire has the support of 41 per cent of the American voters while the former Secretary of State has just 39 per cent.

The latest survey results have Trump leading Clinton for the first time since last October. 'Trump now has the support of 73 per cent of Republicans, while 77 per cent of Democrats back Clinton,' the report states. 

'But Trump picks up 15 per cent of Democrats, while just eight percent  of GOP voters prefer Clinton, given this matchup,' it continues.
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09:29   Uttarakhand crisis: SC to hear Centre's plea today
The Supreme Court will today hear Centre's petition challenging the Nainital High Court order quashing imposition of President's rule in Uttarakhand.

An apex court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra, had on April 27, directed to continue the President's rule for the while. Posting the matter for further hearing today, it had extended the stay on the high court's order quashing the central rule in Uttarakhand.

The two-judge division bench, comprising of Justice Dipak Mishra and Justice Shiva Kirti Singh, had also asked several questions to the Centre asking it to justify imposition of President's rule in the state.
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09:12   Not angry at India, China or Japan, but at incompetent US leaders: Trump
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has said he is angry at the "incompetent" American leadership and not at countries like India, China, Japan or Vietnam, which he alleged are taking away jobs from the United States. 

"I'm not angry at China. I'm not angry at Mexico. I'm not angry at India or Vietnam, which is hot as a pistol right now, taking a lot of stuff away from us," Trump said. 

Latest polls show that Trump is leading by 15 points against his nearest GOP rival Senator Ted Cruz from Texas and a win in Indiana would propel him near the footsteps of being a presumptive nominee. 

In his address, the New York billionaire continued to lash out at the Obama administration for his economic policies as a result of which he claimed countries like Japan, India, China and Vietnam are taking away jobs from the Americans in states like Indiana.
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08:24   Uttarakhand forest fires could melt glaciers faster, say experts
Raging forest fires in Uttarakhand could have a devastating effect on the state's glaciers which are the lifeline of the major rivers flowing through India's northern plains. 

According to experts at Nainital's Aryabhatta Research Institute for Observational Sciences and Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development in Almora, 'black carbon' from smog and ash is covering the glaciers, thereby making them prone to melting. 

According to experts, the forest fires have already resulted in a jump of 0.2 degrees Celsius in temperatures across northern India which can have a detrimental effect on the monsoons. 
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08:05   Rahul Gandhi as 'Singham' on Congress poster in UP
Congress workers in Gorakhpur have released a poster where Rahul Gandhi is shown in 'Singham' avatar. The posters have been put in different areas of the city, showing Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati, BJP state president Rahul Keshav Prasad Maurya and Asaduddin Owaisi apologising to Rahul Gandhi.
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03:13   US tells Pakistan it will have to fund F-16s itself
The United States has told Pakistan it will have to finance the purchase of U.S. F-16 fighter jets itself after members of the US Congress objected to the use of government funds to pay for them, Reuters reported.

The US government said in February it had approved the sale to Pakistan of up to eight F-16 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp LMT.N, as well as radar and other equipment in a deal valued at $699 million.

However, Republican Senator Bob Corker said he would use his power as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to bar the use of any U.S. funds for the deal to send a message to Pakistan that it needed to do more in the war against militants.

Here's the report
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02:29  
JUST IN: Leicester City win their maiden English Premier League title in club's 132-year history following Tottenham's (2-2) draw against Chelsea
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02:21   US panel wants Pak on list for religious freedom violations
A US Congress-formed federal body on international religious freedom on Monday appealed to the Obama administration to designate Pakistan among nations listed as worst violators of religious freedom due to the current state of minorities in the country.
"In 2015, the Pakistani government continued to perpetrate and tolerate systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations," US Commission for International Religious Freedom said in its annual report.
As such USCIRF again recommended the State Department to designated Pakistan a "country of particular concern, or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act, as it has recommended since 2002. Its recommendations are non-binding and Pakistan has not been designated as a CPC country by the state department.
In addition to Pakistan, USCIRF has recommended to the state department to designate seven other countries as CPC: Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Syria, Tajikistan and Vietnam. The state department designated CPC countries are Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
     
"Religiously-discriminatory constitutional provisions and legislation, such as the countrys blasphemy law and anti-Ahmadiyya laws, intrinsically violate international standards of freedom of religion or belief and result in
prosecutions and imprisonments," the report said. 
The actions of non-state actors, including US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, continue to threaten all Pakistanis and the countrys overall security, it said.
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01:35   Teen dies after accidentally shooting himself while taking selfie

A teenage boy from Punjab has died after accidentally shooting himself in the head while taking a selfie, CNN reported.

Fifteen-year-old Ramandeep Singh was posing with his father's .32 caliber pistol on Friday evening when he accidentally pulled the trigger, according Manoj Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police in Pathankot, Punjab state.

The safety catch wasn't on, police said.

Singh was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery but died of his injuries.

Hers; the full report.
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00:43   Breast cancer: Scientists hail 'milestone' genetic find
Scientists say they now have a near-perfect picture of the genetic events that cause breast cancer, BBC has reported.

The study, published in Nature, has been described as a "milestone" moment that could help unlock new ways of treating and preventing the disease.

The largest study of its kind unpicked practically all the errors that cause healthy breast tissue to go rogue.

Read full REPORT
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00:39   First US cruise in decades arrives in Havana
The first US cruise ship in nearly 40 years crossed the Florida Straits from Miami and docked in Havana on Monday, restarting commercial travel on waters that served as a stage for a half-century of Cold War hostility, AFP reported.
Carnival Cruise Line's Adonia became the first US cruise ship in Havana since President Jimmy Carter eliminated virtually all restrictions of US travel to Cuba in the late 1970s.
Travel limits were restored after Carter left office and US cruises to Cuba only become possible again after Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro declared detente on December 17, 2014.
Hundreds of workers and passersby gathered to watch, some cheering, as the gleaming white 704-passenger ship pulled into the dock -- the first step toward a future in which thousands of ships a year could cross the Florida Straits, long closed to most US-Cuba traffic due to tensions that once brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.
The straits were blocked by the US during the Cuban Missile Crisis and tens of thousands of Cubans have fled across them to Florida on homemade rafts -- with untold thousands dying in the process.

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