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Wed, 11 May 2016
Biden says he would have been best US president
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23:48 North Korea sings praises of 'motherly' ruling party after
North Korea today sang the praises of the ruling party in a two-hour concert extolling its achievements and those of the Kim dynasty that has ruled the country for its entire history.
The show entitled "Always follow our party" was staged to celebrate a Workers' Party congress, the first for 36 years, which ended on Monday.
That meeting was widely seen as a coronation for current leader Kim Jong-Un, who took power after the sudden death of his father Kim Jong-Il in December 2011 and has been working to claw back power from the military.
The concert featured the country's first all-women group, the Moranbong Band, whose members -- clad in white outfits ending above the knee and matching hats -- were said to have been chosen by the leader himself.
23:44 Biden says he would have been best US president
US Vice President Joe Biden, who last year decided not to run for presidency, said today that he would have been the best president of the country.
Biden told ABC News that he "would have been the best president" if he had run.
He decided against mounting a campaign following the death of his son last year.
"No one should ever seek the presidency unless they're able to devote their whole heart and soul and passion into just doing that," Biden said.
"And Beau (Biden) was my soul. I just wasn't ready to be able to do that. But, so, my one regret is Beau's not here. I don't have any other regrets," Biden said.
After months of speculation, Biden announced last October that he is not running for presidency.
22:59 94 dead in triple Baghdad car bombings claimed by IS
Three car bombs in Baghdad, including a huge blast at a market in a Shiite area, killed at least 94 people today, the bloodiest day in the Iraqi capital
this year.
The attacks, all claimed by the Islamic State group, came with the government locked in a political crisis that some have warned could undermine the fight against the jihadists.
The worst bombing struck the frequently targeted Sadr City area of northern Baghdad at about 10:00 AM (0700 GMT), killing at least 64 people, officials said.
The blast set nearby shops on fire and left debris including the charred, twisted remains of a vehicle in the street.
Dozens of angry people gathered at the scene of the bombing, blaming the government for the carnage.
22:57 Guj: 121 more villages declared scarcity-hit, total at 1,115
One hundred twenty-one villages in parched Saurashtra, north Gujarat and Kutch region were today declared as 'partially scarcity-hit' due to acute shortage of water owing to deficient rainfall in last monsoon, the state government said.
With the latest addition, the total number of such affected villages across Gujarat stands at 1,115, even as all 203 dams in the state had approximately 20 per cent water of their total storage capacity, according to an official release.
22:44 London mayor says he is not Muslims' spokesperson
Newly-elected London mayor Sadiq Khan today said that he was not simply a Muslim leader or a spokesperson for those who follow the faith but represented everyone in the British capital.
"Let me be very clear, I'm not a Muslim leader or Muslims' spokesperson, I'm the mayor of London. I speak for all Londoners," the 45-year-old told reporters at a media briefing at his City Hall office today.
Khan, however, said that his election proved "that it is possible to be Muslim and a Westerner. Western values are compatible with Islam".
22:41 Mossack Fonseca to start legal action over Panama Papers leak
The law firm at the center of the Panama Papers scandal says it is filing suit against the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists for the leak of information it says is false.
The public gained its first access to the Panama Papers records of over 200,000 secret offshore companies when the ICIJ put a searchable database online earlier Monday.
The database, built on just a portion of the 11.5 million documents leaked from Panama's Mossack Fonseca law firm, reveals more than 360,000 names of individuals and companies behind the anonymous shell firms, the ICIJ said.
The law firm urged the ICIJ to cease and desist prior to the leak online, but it moved ahead with the release.
22:32 SAARC nations to set up uniform toll-free child helpline
SAARC nations today agreed on setting up a uniform child helpline in the region even as India offered support to South-Asian countries in expanding and upgrading their child helpline services to check violence
against children.
The three-day meeting of South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children, which concluded today, saw participation of ministers and delegates from SAARC nations who agreed to cooperate on information, communication and technology initiatives to trace missing children on the
lines of Track Child and Khoya Paya missing child tracking
websites.
Technical cooperation for programming on ICT initiatives to trace missing children, working towards setting up a toll-free helpline across the SAARC region, developing a regional strategy and common standards for addressing all forms of sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking were among the recommendations made at the meeting.
21:29 French 19-year-old commits suicide live on Periscope
A 19-year-old French woman committed suicide by throwing herself in front of a suburban train in Paris and streamed the act live on Periscope, a judicial source said on Wednesday.
The unnamed woman "spoke of a rape and named the aggressor" during the filming, the judicial source said, adding that the claims were being treated with caution at this stage, AFP reported.
The actual death, which took place at a station in Egly to the south of Paris, was removed by Periscope but some of the video leading up to the suicide was still available on YouTube.
At one point the victim is seen on a couch, saying the video is "not designed to create a buzz... but to make people react, to open their minds, and nothing else".
The video then cuts to a black screen, and what appear to be the voices of emergency personnel can be faintly heard. Many messages of concern from Periscope users are seen flashing up on the screen.
Periscope is a smartphone application that allows users to stream live video via their Twitter account. The video remains accessible for 24 hours.
An investigation has been opened into the circumstances of the suicide.
21:12 Buoyed by U'khand result, Congress demands PM's apology
Buoyed by the Uttarakhand assembly floor test result, Congress on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding his apology in Parliament and sacking of the minister who "advised" him to impose President's rule in the state.
"The prime minister should apologise in Parliament and sack the Minister who advised him to impose President's rule in Uttarakhand," party spokesman Kapil Sibal told reporters.
He, however, did not name the minister.
Sibal also steered clear of questions whether President Pranab Mukherjee should also quit in the wake of the Supreme Court revoking President's rule in the hill state.
"It is not for me to say what the President should have done and I do not wish to comment. I don't think it is proper for me to make any comment on the actions of the President, who is a high constitutional functionary," he said.
He, however, insisted that it is "not correct" to say that the President does not act on his own and acts in the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.
"The President can return the file only once" in the event of such proposals, he said.
Targeting the prime minister, Sibal alleged that the highlight of Modi's two-year rule was attack on the Constitution.
"The problem is that Modi forgets he is the Prime Minister of India and not a RSS pracharak," Sibal said even as he assured Congress' full cooperation to the government if it "worked properly."
21:05 Digital India programme to offer passport, pension online
The government is implementing the Digital India programme to transform the country into a digitally empowered and knowledge economy so that various services like passport, pension and driving licenses could be delivered online, Lok Sabha was informed today.
Telecom and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said one of the primary focus areas of Digital India is Pillar 5: eKranti - electronic delivery of services.
"e-Kranti aims to ensure a government wide transformation by delivering all services electronically to the citizens through integrated and interoperable systems via multiple modes while ensuring efficiency, transparency and reliability of such services at affordable costs," he said during Question Hour.
In e-Kranti, 44 Mission Mode Projects (MMP) - 13 central, 17 state and 14 integrated MMPs - are being implemented. Under the 25 operational MMPs 222 services are being provided. More than 192 e-transactions have been reported since January 1, 2016.
"Under e-Kranti, the government of India has made concerted effort to make offline government services to be also delivered through online mode, ensuring that all citizens would have access to them, thereby improving the quality of basic governance on an unprecedented scale," he said.
20:44
JUST IN: Rajya Sabha passes the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Bill
20:30 Attorney General briefs Prez on U'khand result
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi is now with President Pranab Mukherjee to brief him on Uttarakhand result.
In a major embarrassment for the Narendra Modi government, the Centre had to revoke President's Rule in Uttarakhand after Congress leader Harish Rawat won the floor test.
"Rawat gets 33 votes out of 61 in the floor test. No irregularities were found in the voting. Nine MLAs could not vote due to their disqualification," the Supreme Court said.
20:25 Number of unemployed persons rises to over 1 cr in FY12
The number of unemployed persons in the country was higher at around 1.06 crore in 2011-12 than about 95 lakh in 2009-10.
"The estimated unemployed persons on usual status basis during 2009-10 and 2011-12 was 0.95 crore and 1.06 crore, respectively," Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.
This is as per the result of two most recent labour force survey on employment and unemployment conducted by Statistics and Programme Implementation Ministry's National Sample Survey Office, he added.
The minister, however, said that employment in the organised sector has also risen between 2011 and 2012.
"As per the information collected from state governments under Employment Market Information Programme of Ministry of Labour and Employment, the employment in the organised sector during 2011 and 2012 were 2.90 crore and 2.96 crore, respectively," he added.
20:02 Bollywood singer Mubarak Begum hospitalised
Noted Bollywood playback singer Mubarak Begum has been hospitalised after complaining of weakness and stomach ache.
Begum, 76, was admitted to a hospital in suburban Andheri on May 3, a family member told PTI on Wednesday.
Doctors have said there is a small hole in her heart, the member said.
Begum, who sang the evergreen song "Kabhi tanhaiyon mein hamari yaad ayegi," from the 1961 movie "Hamari Yaad Aayegi", has not been keeping well for the last few years.
Through the 1950s and 1960s, she worked with the best music directors in the film industry, collaborating with S D Burman, Shankar Jaikishan and Khayyam for movies that starred screen legends like Sunil Dutt, Nargis and Rajendra Kumar.
Now, she lives in a one-bedroom house in the Mumbai suburb of Jogeshwari. Her health deteriorated after the demise of her daughter last year.
Her son who used to freelance as a driver and his wife live in the same house.
Mubarak Begum was born in Rajasthan. She moved to Mumbai when she was 10-year-old. Among her favourite memories is singing "Woh na aayenge palat kar" from "Devdas" which released in 1955 starring Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala.
19:50 DU VC is under pressure over Modi degree: AAP
Keeping up its offensive, an Aam Aadami Party delegation on Wednesday met Delhi University Vice Chancellor demanding that they be allowed to examine records of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BA degree but they had to return empty handed.
After meeting DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi, AAP leader Sanjay Singh claimed he refused to furnish the records, saying he is "under a lot of pressure". Singh claimed Tyagi looked "helpless".
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been leading the attack on Modi on the issue, wondered why the Delhi University VC refused to share records of the PM's BA degree when Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had released the documents at a press conference three days back.
"Jaitley ji n Amit Shah ji, after showing papers in press conference, said- 'jao ab jaakar DU mei dekh lo' (go and see it in DU). Now VC refuses? What is so secret abt PM's degree?," the chief minister asked.
Singh said refusal of the DU to share the details has strengthened the doubts that Modi's BA degree was forged.
"Our doubts about Modi's BA degree being forged have strengthened. We had a meeting with the VC for over an hour but he refused to show the degree or any records. He also asked us to understand his position saying there is a lot of pressure on him on the issue," Singh told reporters.
19:43
JUST IN: Session of Lok Sabha ended two days ahead of schedule.
19:35 Call off hunger strike as matter is sub-judice: JNU to students
Hinting at limited scope of negotiations with students on the punishment in connection with the February 9 event, the Jawaharlal Nehru University on Wednesday asked students to call off the hunger strike saying the matter is sub-judice.
"The JNU Administration appeals to students to end the hunger strike immediately in view of some students moving to the high court on the issue of the high level enquiry committee report related to the event on February 9," the university said in a statement.
The varsity had earlier this week formed a four-member committee to look into demands of students protesting against punishments by the JNU for involvement in the controversial event during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.
However, the panel may take a back seat after the two students -- Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya -- on Tuesday moved the high court against the punishment orders.
"The court has asked the university to deposit all the documents related to it for judicial scrutiny. Since the matter is sub judice, the administration will abide by the court ruling," the varsity statement said.
Meanwhile, the indefinite hunger strike by the students entered 14th day on Wednesday even as one more student had to withdraw the fast after she was admitted to AIIMS when her health deteriorated on Tuesday.
So far, 13 students, including JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid, have withdrawn from the fast while 7 others are still continuing with the strike.
19:05 Home sweet home for Gilani
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari @BBhuttoZardari has reason to cheer. Bilawal tweets this picture and writes, "Miracles do happen. Welcome home @haidergilani."
Ali Haider Gilani, the son of Pakistans former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, was today flown from Kabul to Lahore, a day after he was rescued by US and Afghan forces from the clutches of Taliban militants who had held him hostage for three years.
Pic: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with Ali Haider Gilani (right) and Gilani's twin Ali Qasim Gilani.
Ali Haider Gilani, the son of Pakistans former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, was today flown from Kabul to Lahore, a day after he was rescued by US and Afghan forces from the clutches of Taliban militants who had held him hostage for three years.
Pakistan said on Tuesday that American and Afghan security forces had recovered Haider from Taliban militants in a joint special operation in Afghanistans Ghazni province after he was kidnapped from an election rally on May 9, 2013.
The Pakistan Foreign Office said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif dispatched a special plane to bring Haider from Kabul.
Local media reported that the plane had landed at the Lahore airport
where his family members and close relatives were present to receive
him.
Pic: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with Ali Haider Gilani (right) and Gilani's twin Ali Qasim Gilani.
18:47 'Nizami's only sin was upholding Pak's Constitution'
Amid a diplomatic row with Bangladesh, Pakistan today expressed its "deep sadness" over the execution of chief of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami Motiur Rahman Nizami, saying his "only sin" was upholding the Constitution and laws of Pakistan.
"Pakistan is deeply saddened over the hanging of the Ameer of Jamat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Mr. Moti-ur-Rehman Nizami, for the alleged crimes committed before December, 1971," Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement. "His only sin was upholding the constitution and laws of Pakistan," the statement added. It said that "the act of suppressing the opposition by killing their leaders through flawed trials is completely against the spirit of democracy".
"The execution is also unfortunate for the people of Bangladesh who had elected Mr. Nizami as their representative in the Parliament," it said.
"Pakistan is deeply saddened over the hanging of the Ameer of Jamat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Mr. Moti-ur-Rehman Nizami, for the alleged crimes committed before December, 1971," Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement. "His only sin was upholding the constitution and laws of Pakistan," the statement added. It said that "the act of suppressing the opposition by killing their leaders through flawed trials is completely against the spirit of democracy".
"The execution is also unfortunate for the people of Bangladesh who had elected Mr. Nizami as their representative in the Parliament," it said.
18:44 Jamaat calls Bangladesh strike protesting Nizami's execution
Bangladesh's biggest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami today called a nationwide general strike tomorrow to protest the execution of its chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, the senior-most Islamist to be executed for war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan. \
In a statement, Jamaat, which was opposed to Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, described 73-year-old Nizami's execution as a "planned murder" and called a nationwide 24-hour strike from 5 am tomorrow to 5 am on Friday.
"He (Nizami) was deprived of justice. He is a victim of political vengeance," acting Jamaat chief Mokbul Ahmed said in the statement urging people to observe the strike.
Jamaat's previous such strike calls protesting the trial of their senior leaders for war crimes largely went unheeded. The party last called a nationwide hartal on May 6, a day after the Supreme Court rejected Nizami's review petition reconfirming his death penalty.
Nizami was hanged at midnight, a day after the Supreme Court verdict reached authorities at the Dhaka Central Jail. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said Nizami had preferred not to seek presidential clemency as his last effort to avoid the noose "because he understood the crimes he had committed were unpardonable".
Nizami was buried in line with Islamic rituals at his village home at northwestern Pabna's Sathia sub-district early this morning in presence of family members and neighbours while armed police kept a sharp vigil.
An ambulance escorted by police cars carried the body straight to Sathia for burial though family members of the 1971 war victims and freedom fighters in the neighbourhood earlier declined to allow it to be buried there.
After pursuance by the local administration the freedom fighters and atrocity victims backed off a planned siege on the highway leading to Nizami's home while several groups earlier demanded the body be sent to Pakistan for burial. TV footage showed hundreds of people rallying at central Dhaka's Shahbagh Square to celebrate the execution under the banner of Ganojagaran Mancha which was instrumental in building up a massive campaign seeking punishment for the war criminals.
In a statement, Jamaat, which was opposed to Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, described 73-year-old Nizami's execution as a "planned murder" and called a nationwide 24-hour strike from 5 am tomorrow to 5 am on Friday.
"He (Nizami) was deprived of justice. He is a victim of political vengeance," acting Jamaat chief Mokbul Ahmed said in the statement urging people to observe the strike.
Jamaat's previous such strike calls protesting the trial of their senior leaders for war crimes largely went unheeded. The party last called a nationwide hartal on May 6, a day after the Supreme Court rejected Nizami's review petition reconfirming his death penalty.
Nizami was hanged at midnight, a day after the Supreme Court verdict reached authorities at the Dhaka Central Jail. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said Nizami had preferred not to seek presidential clemency as his last effort to avoid the noose "because he understood the crimes he had committed were unpardonable".
Nizami was buried in line with Islamic rituals at his village home at northwestern Pabna's Sathia sub-district early this morning in presence of family members and neighbours while armed police kept a sharp vigil.
An ambulance escorted by police cars carried the body straight to Sathia for burial though family members of the 1971 war victims and freedom fighters in the neighbourhood earlier declined to allow it to be buried there.
After pursuance by the local administration the freedom fighters and atrocity victims backed off a planned siege on the highway leading to Nizami's home while several groups earlier demanded the body be sent to Pakistan for burial. TV footage showed hundreds of people rallying at central Dhaka's Shahbagh Square to celebrate the execution under the banner of Ganojagaran Mancha which was instrumental in building up a massive campaign seeking punishment for the war criminals.
18:33 Rs 5 lakh for widow of Godse's captor
About 33 years after the death of Raghu Nayak who showed exemplary courage in capturing Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse, the Odisha government today provided a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to his widow.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik handed over the cheque to Mandodari Nayak and felicitated her by presenting a shawl at the secretariat in Bhubaneswar.
She was accompanied by the Collector of Kendrapara district and her family members. The financial assistance was given to Nayak'w widow from the chief minister's relief fund, officials said.
Raghu Nayak was awarded Rs 500 during his lifetime for his extraordinary courage by former President Rajendra Prasad.
The state government, according to the Chief Minister's Office, decided to provide financial assistance to Nayak's widow after it came to know about her financial hardship. While Nayak had died in 1983, their son also passed away some years later and Mandodari now stays with her daughter.
Raghu Nayak, a resident of Jagulaipada village of Kendrapara district, was working as a gardener at Birla House in Delhi where Godse had opened fire on Gandhiji on January 30, 1948. Though he could not save the leader, he was the first to chase down Godse and overpower him.
Later, Godse was awarded capital punishment. The residents of Jagulaipada erected a memorial pillar in Nayak's memory in 2005 with assistance from German automobile maker Daimler-Chrysler. Nayak's family members and residents of his village lament that history has failed to give the brave man his due.
"History books are almost silent on him. Nowhere can you find the mention of the person who tried to save the life of the Mahatma. We believe he deserved recognition by his countrymen," said Maheswar Das, a schoolteacher. The only book where Raghu's bravery finds a mention is 'Mahatma Gandhi -- The Last Phase', a biography of the Father of the Nation written by his private secretary Pyarelal.
Pic: Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik handed over the cheque to Mandodari Nayak and felicitated her by presenting a shawl at the secretariat in Bhubaneswar.
She was accompanied by the Collector of Kendrapara district and her family members. The financial assistance was given to Nayak'w widow from the chief minister's relief fund, officials said.
Raghu Nayak was awarded Rs 500 during his lifetime for his extraordinary courage by former President Rajendra Prasad.
The state government, according to the Chief Minister's Office, decided to provide financial assistance to Nayak's widow after it came to know about her financial hardship. While Nayak had died in 1983, their son also passed away some years later and Mandodari now stays with her daughter.
Raghu Nayak, a resident of Jagulaipada village of Kendrapara district, was working as a gardener at Birla House in Delhi where Godse had opened fire on Gandhiji on January 30, 1948. Though he could not save the leader, he was the first to chase down Godse and overpower him.
Later, Godse was awarded capital punishment. The residents of Jagulaipada erected a memorial pillar in Nayak's memory in 2005 with assistance from German automobile maker Daimler-Chrysler. Nayak's family members and residents of his village lament that history has failed to give the brave man his due.
"History books are almost silent on him. Nowhere can you find the mention of the person who tried to save the life of the Mahatma. We believe he deserved recognition by his countrymen," said Maheswar Das, a schoolteacher. The only book where Raghu's bravery finds a mention is 'Mahatma Gandhi -- The Last Phase', a biography of the Father of the Nation written by his private secretary Pyarelal.
Pic: Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse
18:24 PMO gets over 61,000 public grievances every month
Over 61,000 public grievances related to a range of issues are received by Prime Minister's Office (PMO) every month, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said today.
The grievances include concerns related to employees, quality of service, amenities, police, allegation of corruption or malpractices, labour issues, education, land-related problem and financial services.
According to the data available on the online Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), the average number of grievances received every month in PMO is 61,919, said the Minister of State in the PMO in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
There are 11,028 grievances pertaining to Delhi, he said.The total number of grievances disposed of and pending as on May 5, 2016 were 7,18,241 and 2,72,466 respectively, the minister said.
The government has established CPGRAMS to facilitate citizens to lodge their grievances from anywhere, anytime for redressal.
The grievances include concerns related to employees, quality of service, amenities, police, allegation of corruption or malpractices, labour issues, education, land-related problem and financial services.
According to the data available on the online Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), the average number of grievances received every month in PMO is 61,919, said the Minister of State in the PMO in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
There are 11,028 grievances pertaining to Delhi, he said.The total number of grievances disposed of and pending as on May 5, 2016 were 7,18,241 and 2,72,466 respectively, the minister said.
The government has established CPGRAMS to facilitate citizens to lodge their grievances from anywhere, anytime for redressal.
18:04 60 injured as shallow earthquake hits Tibet
Over 60 people were today injured, six of them seriously, when a 5.5-magnitude shallow earthquake hit the remote and mountainous region of Tibet, collapsing houses and damaging roads.
The quake, which occurred at 9:15 am (local time) near Tibet's border with Qinghai province to the north, was only seven kilometres deep.
It was strongly felt in several townships in Dengqen County in Tibet's Qamdo City and caused houses to collapse besides damaging bridges and roads. Some media reports also said that the temblor triggered landslides.
The quake, which occurred at 9:15 am (local time) near Tibet's border with Qinghai province to the north, was only seven kilometres deep.
It was strongly felt in several townships in Dengqen County in Tibet's Qamdo City and caused houses to collapse besides damaging bridges and roads. Some media reports also said that the temblor triggered landslides.
18:00 Pathankot attack also Jungle Raj, bristles Lalu's son Tejaswi Yadav
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav today expressed grief over the recent death of a youth in Gaya in a road rage case but alleged BJP and "BJP supported media" were targetting the state government through use of word like "jungle raj."
"The BJP and media supported by the party are advertising the Gaya incident in a way as if it is a rare and first incident of road rage," Tejaswi Yadav, the son of RJD president Lalu Prasad said in a statement as part of "Dil ki Baat" programme run by him.
"If a relative of any accused is member of a party (it) does not mean that the lawbreaker enjoys protection of the power that be," he said.
The Deputy CM in the Nitish Kumar government and younger son of Lalu Prasad alleged that the saffron party has maximum numbers of people with criminal background who enjoy its patronage.
"In Madhya Pradesh an officer was killed brutally by sand mafias. In VYAPAM scam witnesses were killed one by one...then this is not called a 'jungle raj'," he said.
"When an engineer was killed in Jharkhand neither conscience of BJP was pricked nor the BJP-supported media remembered 'jungle raj' jumla (euphism)," he added.
Tejaswi referred to violence during quota agitation in Gujarat and Haryana to hit at BJP.
The RJD leader came down heavily on a larger section of media, print as well electronic, "which is singing in tune with a particular party (BJP) after giving a go-bye to principles of journalism".
Tejaswi Yadav said "our supporters neither express opinion by sending SMS to prime time channel nor air views on Facebook and Twitter. They give answer only by pressing EVM button at the time of election."
He strongly defended the grand secular alliance government in the state and asserted rule of law prevails and would continue to be like that in future too.
"The BJP and media supported by the party are advertising the Gaya incident in a way as if it is a rare and first incident of road rage," Tejaswi Yadav, the son of RJD president Lalu Prasad said in a statement as part of "Dil ki Baat" programme run by him.
"If a relative of any accused is member of a party (it) does not mean that the lawbreaker enjoys protection of the power that be," he said.
The Deputy CM in the Nitish Kumar government and younger son of Lalu Prasad alleged that the saffron party has maximum numbers of people with criminal background who enjoy its patronage.
"In Madhya Pradesh an officer was killed brutally by sand mafias. In VYAPAM scam witnesses were killed one by one...then this is not called a 'jungle raj'," he said.
"When an engineer was killed in Jharkhand neither conscience of BJP was pricked nor the BJP-supported media remembered 'jungle raj' jumla (euphism)," he added.
Tejaswi referred to violence during quota agitation in Gujarat and Haryana to hit at BJP.
The RJD leader came down heavily on a larger section of media, print as well electronic, "which is singing in tune with a particular party (BJP) after giving a go-bye to principles of journalism".
Tejaswi Yadav said "our supporters neither express opinion by sending SMS to prime time channel nor air views on Facebook and Twitter. They give answer only by pressing EVM button at the time of election."
He strongly defended the grand secular alliance government in the state and asserted rule of law prevails and would continue to be like that in future too.
17:44
#Flash Lok Sabha likely to be adjourned sine die today, Rajya Sabha tomorrow: Government sources.
17:07 Rocky Yadav to move from jail to police custody for two days
A local court today remanded in two days police custody Rocky Yadav who allegedly shot dead a student for overtaking his vehicle in Bihar. Additional District and Sessions Judge S K Jha accepted police's prayer seeking Rocky's custody and granted permission.
The court had yesterday sent to 14 days' judicial custody the son of absconding JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi and RJD strongman Bindi Yadav.
Rocky, whose real name is Rakesh Ranjan Yadav, is accused of killing Class XII student Aditya Sachdeva after their car did not allow SUV of the accused take over on Saturday night.
After remaining in hiding at his father's mixer plant in Bodh Gaya, Rocky was arrested early yesterday after over 50 hours. He is currently lodged in Gaya central jail where his father Bindi, known in the area for his muscle and money power, and his mother's bodyguard Rajesh Kumar are also kept in the Aditya death case.
Bindi and Rajesh were arrested on Sunday for allegedly helping Rocky escape.
The court had yesterday sent to 14 days' judicial custody the son of absconding JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi and RJD strongman Bindi Yadav.
Rocky, whose real name is Rakesh Ranjan Yadav, is accused of killing Class XII student Aditya Sachdeva after their car did not allow SUV of the accused take over on Saturday night.
After remaining in hiding at his father's mixer plant in Bodh Gaya, Rocky was arrested early yesterday after over 50 hours. He is currently lodged in Gaya central jail where his father Bindi, known in the area for his muscle and money power, and his mother's bodyguard Rajesh Kumar are also kept in the Aditya death case.
Bindi and Rajesh were arrested on Sunday for allegedly helping Rocky escape.
16:58 Haryana's oldest mother
Mommy at 72: Mohinder Singh Gill (75) and his wife Daljinder Kaur (72) with their baby Arman. The woman delivered the baby on April 19, with the help of IVF in Hisar, Haryana.
16:43
Just in: Bomb threat aboard the Mysore-Ajmer Express.
16:26 This iconic Devgn shot would now need a disclaimer
Rajkumar Rao director Hansal Mehta shares a circular by the Committee on Road Safety on scenes in films that violate traffic guidelines. The circular says:
Dear Members,
This is with regard to the meeting called by the Committee on Road Safety, constituted by the Supreme Court of India with the various bodies representing Films and Television industry and Director (Films), Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on Road Safety issues and initiatives to educate public.
During the said meeting it was decided that the all Producer bodies shall request their respective members to exercise caution wherever possible while depicting rash, negligence and dangerous driving scenes in films and television shows and if such scenes need to depicted as integral part of the story/film scenes, then the producers of those films and television shows should be informed to voluntarily put a disclaimer only in the beginning of the film or television show that performing such scenes by the audience may violate traffic laws/rules hence should not be emulated
We would request your cooperation in this matter
Kind Regards.
Dear Members,
This is with regard to the meeting called by the Committee on Road Safety, constituted by the Supreme Court of India with the various bodies representing Films and Television industry and Director (Films), Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on Road Safety issues and initiatives to educate public.
During the said meeting it was decided that the all Producer bodies shall request their respective members to exercise caution wherever possible while depicting rash, negligence and dangerous driving scenes in films and television shows and if such scenes need to depicted as integral part of the story/film scenes, then the producers of those films and television shows should be informed to voluntarily put a disclaimer only in the beginning of the film or television show that performing such scenes by the audience may violate traffic laws/rules hence should not be emulated
We would request your cooperation in this matter
Kind Regards.
15:54
Desh Gujarat, a Twitter handle which says "Gujarat is something we are passionate about. Resurgence of Bharat in action," tweeted the story carried below on Nehru, chose to use this collage of pictures on India's first prime minister and nation builder.
15:47 Nehru finds mention at 15 places in revised syllabus: Rajasthan govt
References to Jawaharlal Nehru figure at 15 places in different textbooks under the revised syllabus, a Rajasthan minister has said even as Congress accused the state government of removing his name from a Class VIII book, saying it reflected the dispensation's 'mental bankruptcy'.
"The government has not omitted Nehru's name from textbooks. His name is there at 15 places in the revised books. The references to Nehru are available in textbooks of Class 7 (Hindi), Class 9 (Social Science) and Class 11 (World History),' state School Education Minister Vasudev Devnani said in a statement.Nehru's role in the freedom movement, introducing Panchayati Raj system, and the non-aligned movement have been given space in the revised textbooks, he said yesterday.
"The state government does not favour politics in education. Syllabus from class 1 to 8 is prepared by the State Institute of Education Research and Training (SIERT) and the Board of Secondary Education prepares the syllabus for classes 9 to 12," Devnani said.
He also said if two or three chapters on Nehru were not included in the syllabus, they would be added in the textbook in supplementary form.
Accusing the state government of omitting references to Nehru from the textbook, the state unit of Congress had yesterday held a demonstration here with PCC chief Sachin Pilot saying that it reflected the "mental bankruptcy' of the Vasundhara Raje dispensation.
"The government has not omitted Nehru's name from textbooks. His name is there at 15 places in the revised books. The references to Nehru are available in textbooks of Class 7 (Hindi), Class 9 (Social Science) and Class 11 (World History),' state School Education Minister Vasudev Devnani said in a statement.Nehru's role in the freedom movement, introducing Panchayati Raj system, and the non-aligned movement have been given space in the revised textbooks, he said yesterday.
"The state government does not favour politics in education. Syllabus from class 1 to 8 is prepared by the State Institute of Education Research and Training (SIERT) and the Board of Secondary Education prepares the syllabus for classes 9 to 12," Devnani said.
He also said if two or three chapters on Nehru were not included in the syllabus, they would be added in the textbook in supplementary form.
Accusing the state government of omitting references to Nehru from the textbook, the state unit of Congress had yesterday held a demonstration here with PCC chief Sachin Pilot saying that it reflected the "mental bankruptcy' of the Vasundhara Raje dispensation.
15:36 Subrata Roy's parole extended till July 11 on deposit of Rs 200 crore
Just in: The Supreme Court extends Sahara chief Subrata Roy's parole till July 11. Roy walked out of Tihar jail on May 6, where he was lodged for over two years, after the Supreme Court granted him a four-week parole to attend the funeral of his mother who died on May 5. Besides Roy, the apex court also granted parole to a jailed Sahara director Ashok Roy Choudhary, who is a relative of Subrata Roy.
The court extended Roy's parole till 11 July on condition that he would deposit Rs 200 crore. The SC said that the "failure to deposit Rs 200 crore by July 11 shall land Roy back in Tihar jail".
The court also directed SEBI to continue with the auction of his properties and observed that the "value of Sahara assets is many times more than its dues." Roy has submitted a list of his immovable assets to the court and requested the court to keep details in a sealed envelope. The SC has permitted Roy movement within the country.
Roy's mother Chhabi Roy, 95, passed away in Lucknow after prolonged illness.
"Both Subrata Roy and Ashok Roy Choudhary were released around 8.45 pm from the jail number 1 of Tihar where they had been lodged since March 4, 2014," said a senior jail official.
The court has directed that Roy would be under the protective custody of police during the parole period. His counsel Kapil Sibal assured the court that he will not try to escape or run away.
He was sent to jail on the orders of Supreme Court in a long running dispute with market regulator SEBI.
The court extended Roy's parole till 11 July on condition that he would deposit Rs 200 crore. The SC said that the "failure to deposit Rs 200 crore by July 11 shall land Roy back in Tihar jail".
The court also directed SEBI to continue with the auction of his properties and observed that the "value of Sahara assets is many times more than its dues." Roy has submitted a list of his immovable assets to the court and requested the court to keep details in a sealed envelope. The SC has permitted Roy movement within the country.
Roy's mother Chhabi Roy, 95, passed away in Lucknow after prolonged illness.
"Both Subrata Roy and Ashok Roy Choudhary were released around 8.45 pm from the jail number 1 of Tihar where they had been lodged since March 4, 2014," said a senior jail official.
The court has directed that Roy would be under the protective custody of police during the parole period. His counsel Kapil Sibal assured the court that he will not try to escape or run away.
He was sent to jail on the orders of Supreme Court in a long running dispute with market regulator SEBI.
15:27 64 dead in Baghdad bombing, ISIS claims responsibility
At least 64 people were killed when a bomb went off at a market in Baghdad, according to Iraqi police, reports CNN.
An additional 87 people were injured in the attack in the largely Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on social media, saying it was targeting Shiite militias. Police said the bomb was placed in a parked car.
The Sunni terror group has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in Iraq in recent weeks, including one last month east of Baghdad in which more than two dozen people were killed.
After that attack, a speech by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr sparked a massive protest that ended up with Iraqis storming the city's Parliament and Green Zone.
An additional 87 people were injured in the attack in the largely Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on social media, saying it was targeting Shiite militias. Police said the bomb was placed in a parked car.
The Sunni terror group has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in Iraq in recent weeks, including one last month east of Baghdad in which more than two dozen people were killed.
After that attack, a speech by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr sparked a massive protest that ended up with Iraqis storming the city's Parliament and Green Zone.
15:14 Shallow quake hits Tibet, casualties feared
A 5.5-magnitude shallow earthquake hit Changdu in Tibet Autonomous Region this morning, causing casualties and damage to properties. The China Earthquake Networks Centre monitored the epicentre of the quake, which occurred at 9:15 am, at a depth of seven kilometres. Shallow earthquakes cause more damage despite moderate intensity. Local authorities have said casualties are likely as the rescue teams rushed to the area.
15:04 Britain's queen caught on camera calling Chinese officials 'very rude'
Queen Elizabeth has been caught on camera saying Chinese officials were "very rude" to the British ambassador during a state visit to Britain by President Xi Jinping last year.She made the comments at a garden party at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, the same day that Britain's prime minister, David Cameron, was filmed making undiplomatic remarks about Nigeria and Afghanistan being corrupt countries.
His comments were especially awkward as he is hosting both countries' leaders at an anti-corruption conference in London on Thursday, while the queen's comments are not helpful to the British government's determined efforts to court Beijing to boost trade ties with China.Under her constitutional role, the 90-year-old monarch never makes any politically or diplomatically sensitive comments in public, and it is rare for the content of her private conversations to be revealed.In footage broadcast by the BBC, the queen is seen meeting senior police officer Lucy D'Orsi, who is introduced by an official as having been in charge of security during Xi's visit in October last year.
"Oh, bad luck," the queen says in response.
Orsi then describes her dealings with Chinese officials as "quite a testing time" and recounts that at one point they had walked out of a meeting and told her "the trip was off".
The queen says: "They were very rude to the ambassador."The BBC reported that in China, items about the queen's remarks were censored from its news bulletins.The Chinese authorities often censor items they object to from foreign news bulletins, which can only be seen by very few people in China as foreign TV channels are only allowed in high-end hotels and a tiny number of select apartment buildings.
A spokeswoman for the queen said: "We do not comment on the queen's private conversations. However, the Chinese state visit was extremely successful and all parties worked closely to ensure it proceeded smoothly.
"Xi's visit was full of pomp and ceremony, with Cameron and his finance minister George Osborne keen to impress the Chinese leader and present Britain as China's firmest friend in Europe.
The queen has been careful to keep her views to herself during her 64-year reign, but several other members of Britain's royal family have made undiplomatic comments about China in the past.The queen's husband, Prince Philip, warned some British students in China in the 1980s that they would get "slitty eyes" if they stayed there too long.
Her eldest son, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, has skipped two state banquets for Chinese guests in Britain, and described some Chinese officials in a journal that was leaked to the media as "appalling old waxworks"
His comments were especially awkward as he is hosting both countries' leaders at an anti-corruption conference in London on Thursday, while the queen's comments are not helpful to the British government's determined efforts to court Beijing to boost trade ties with China.Under her constitutional role, the 90-year-old monarch never makes any politically or diplomatically sensitive comments in public, and it is rare for the content of her private conversations to be revealed.In footage broadcast by the BBC, the queen is seen meeting senior police officer Lucy D'Orsi, who is introduced by an official as having been in charge of security during Xi's visit in October last year.
"Oh, bad luck," the queen says in response.
Orsi then describes her dealings with Chinese officials as "quite a testing time" and recounts that at one point they had walked out of a meeting and told her "the trip was off".
The queen says: "They were very rude to the ambassador."The BBC reported that in China, items about the queen's remarks were censored from its news bulletins.The Chinese authorities often censor items they object to from foreign news bulletins, which can only be seen by very few people in China as foreign TV channels are only allowed in high-end hotels and a tiny number of select apartment buildings.
A spokeswoman for the queen said: "We do not comment on the queen's private conversations. However, the Chinese state visit was extremely successful and all parties worked closely to ensure it proceeded smoothly.
"Xi's visit was full of pomp and ceremony, with Cameron and his finance minister George Osborne keen to impress the Chinese leader and present Britain as China's firmest friend in Europe.
The queen has been careful to keep her views to herself during her 64-year reign, but several other members of Britain's royal family have made undiplomatic comments about China in the past.The queen's husband, Prince Philip, warned some British students in China in the 1980s that they would get "slitty eyes" if they stayed there too long.
Her eldest son, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, has skipped two state banquets for Chinese guests in Britain, and described some Chinese officials in a journal that was leaked to the media as "appalling old waxworks"
15:00 Everyone evacuated in TOI building fire
A fire broke out in the Times of India building in central Delhi's ITO area this afternoon. Hundreds of employees and others present in the building evacuated the premises by the time fire officials reached. No casualty was reported. The incident took place around 2.15 pm, following which five fire tenders were rushed to the spot, a senior fire official said, adding that the fire broke out in a room on the rear side of the building. "The dousing operation is underway," he added
14:49 After 3 years in Qaeda captivity ex Pak PM's sons meet
Ali Qasim Gillani (in grey) at Kabul airport bringing back his twin brother Ali Haider Gillani, the kidnapped son of Pakistan's ex-Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani. He was rescued in Afghanistan in a joint Afghan-US special forces operation yesterday.
Pakistani officials said Ali Haider Gilani would be transferred to Pakistan after undergoing medical checks. Gilani was abducted three years ago in his home town of Multan as he was campaigning in elections for the Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP). The Afghan envoy to Pakistan said he was held by an al-Qaeda-linked group.
Pic courtesy: Kasim Gilani
Pakistani officials said Ali Haider Gilani would be transferred to Pakistan after undergoing medical checks. Gilani was abducted three years ago in his home town of Multan as he was campaigning in elections for the Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP). The Afghan envoy to Pakistan said he was held by an al-Qaeda-linked group.
Pic courtesy: Kasim Gilani
14:41 Fire in TOI Delhi building
Just in: Fire at the Times of India building at Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, New Delhi. Six fire tenders at the spot.
14:35 Why would AgustaWestland pay journos?
On the defence beat, journalists walk a fine line between being courted and being irrelevant. Read more
14:20 AgustaWestland row: Never met Sonia, Manmohan or Antony, says middleman Christian Michel
Chirstian Michel, the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal, Wednesday said that he has never met Congress President Sonia Gandhi or the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to push for the purchase of VVIP choppers.
"No, never," was the prompt reply of Michel when he was asked whether he had ever met Gandhi, Singh or the then Defence Minister A K Antony for pushing the deal.
"I have never met any of these," he said in an interview to 'TV Today' news channel in Abu Dhabi. Michel sought to clear his name from the kickbacks scam claiming that he had "once' shaken hands with the then IAF Chief S P Tyagi in Delhi but "avoided him' for his links with Italian businessman Guido Haschke and another middleman.
"I probably met him (S P Tyagi) in Gymkhana club and I think I shook his hand there. But because of his association with Haschke I really avoided him," he said.
He also said that BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has not lied about the deal but it seems he has been misled. "He has authenticated (documents) what was given in the CAG report. The CAG report was prepared in great hurry as the deal was always blowing away.
"They (CAG) are not aviation experts and they are bureaucrats asked to put together document way beyond their expertise. So he was misled by his own documentation," he said.
"No, never," was the prompt reply of Michel when he was asked whether he had ever met Gandhi, Singh or the then Defence Minister A K Antony for pushing the deal.
"I have never met any of these," he said in an interview to 'TV Today' news channel in Abu Dhabi. Michel sought to clear his name from the kickbacks scam claiming that he had "once' shaken hands with the then IAF Chief S P Tyagi in Delhi but "avoided him' for his links with Italian businessman Guido Haschke and another middleman.
"I probably met him (S P Tyagi) in Gymkhana club and I think I shook his hand there. But because of his association with Haschke I really avoided him," he said.
He also said that BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has not lied about the deal but it seems he has been misled. "He has authenticated (documents) what was given in the CAG report. The CAG report was prepared in great hurry as the deal was always blowing away.
"They (CAG) are not aviation experts and they are bureaucrats asked to put together document way beyond their expertise. So he was misled by his own documentation," he said.
14:08
Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray admitted to Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai.
Details awaited
Details awaited
14:07 Battle sites
Kashmir's young are no longer just shouting slogans on the streets. Their smartphones are their new battlefield - as well as their ammunition, finds Sonia Sarkar. Read
13:57 Will meet PM Modi, tell him Uttarakhand needs your support: Rawat
Harish Rawat holds his first press conference as he is set to be reinstated as Uttarakhand CM. "The judiciary has restored faith in democracy. We want to look ahead leaving behind the bad patch," said a jubilant Rawat.
"I thank the SC and High Court for coming in as adjudicator and intervening in the whole political situation. I want to thank the Centre and Attorney General for their magnanimity. After my cabinet is restored, will meet Sonia-ji & Rahul-ji to thank them for their unconditional support. I want to thank my party, PDF, UKD, BSP and independent MLAs for their support, also want to thank Bhim Lal Arya (the BJP MLA who went over to the Congress).
"I will also meet PM Modi and FM (Arun Jaitley) and will tell them that "the state of #Uttarakhand needs your support". Will also tell them that we want to work closely with the Centre as a determined partner."
In a major embarrassment for the Narendra Modi government, the Centre had to revoke President's Rule in Uttarakhand after Congress leader Harish Rawat won the floor test.
"Rawat gets 33 votes out of 61 in the floor test. No irregularities were found in the voting. Nine MLAs could not vote due to their disqualification," an apex court bench said and directed revocation of the President's rule forthwith so that 68-year-old Rawat can assume office as chief minister.
"I thank the SC and High Court for coming in as adjudicator and intervening in the whole political situation. I want to thank the Centre and Attorney General for their magnanimity. After my cabinet is restored, will meet Sonia-ji & Rahul-ji to thank them for their unconditional support. I want to thank my party, PDF, UKD, BSP and independent MLAs for their support, also want to thank Bhim Lal Arya (the BJP MLA who went over to the Congress).
"I will also meet PM Modi and FM (Arun Jaitley) and will tell them that "the state of #Uttarakhand needs your support". Will also tell them that we want to work closely with the Centre as a determined partner."
In a major embarrassment for the Narendra Modi government, the Centre had to revoke President's Rule in Uttarakhand after Congress leader Harish Rawat won the floor test.
"Rawat gets 33 votes out of 61 in the floor test. No irregularities were found in the voting. Nine MLAs could not vote due to their disqualification," an apex court bench said and directed revocation of the President's rule forthwith so that 68-year-old Rawat can assume office as chief minister.
13:33 Iraq car bomb kills 17
Car bomb near market in Baghdad's Sadr City district kills at least 17 people and wounds 40, Iraqi officials say.
13:19
Union Cabinet recommends revocation of President's Rule in Uttarakhand, Harish Rawat set to be CM.
13:11 'Sheena was strangulated', Indrani's driver tells court, wants to turn approver
The trial in the Sheena Bora murder case hots up: Key accused in the Sheena Bora murder case and driver of Indrani Mukerjea, Shyamvar Rai on Wednesday told the court that the 24-year-old young woman was killed by strangulation.
Admitting his participation in Bora's murder, Rai said that he was aware about the about the acts connected with commission of the offence.
"I was a participant in the murder (of Sheena). She was killed by strangulation," Rai told the court.
Indrani, along with her husband Peter Mukerjea, ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna and former driver Shyamwar Rai are accused in the murder case of her daughter Sheena Bora in 2012.
While Peter was arrested on November 19, Indrani, Khanna and Rai were arrested in August 2015 and continue to be in custody.
Admitting his participation in Bora's murder, Rai said that he was aware about the about the acts connected with commission of the offence.
"I was a participant in the murder (of Sheena). She was killed by strangulation," Rai told the court.
Indrani, along with her husband Peter Mukerjea, ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna and former driver Shyamwar Rai are accused in the murder case of her daughter Sheena Bora in 2012.
While Peter was arrested on November 19, Indrani, Khanna and Rai were arrested in August 2015 and continue to be in custody.
12:55
Celebrations outside Harish Rawat's residence in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
12:36 They did their worst, we did our best: Rahul on Uttarakhand win
First reactions from the Congress. Office of RG @OfficeOfRG tweets: "They did their worst. We did our best. Democracy won in Uttarakhand! Hope Modiji learns his lesson - ppl of this country & the institutions built by our founding fathers will not tolerate the murder of democracy!"
The Congress is set to return to power in Uttarakhand with the Centre acknowledging before the Supreme Court that Harish Rawat had won a trust vote yesterday. The Centre informed the court that President's Rule, which it has controversially used in March to remove Rawat, will be lifted.
Pic: The Congress poster on the Uttarakhand win.
The Congress is set to return to power in Uttarakhand with the Centre acknowledging before the Supreme Court that Harish Rawat had won a trust vote yesterday. The Centre informed the court that President's Rule, which it has controversially used in March to remove Rawat, will be lifted.
Pic: The Congress poster on the Uttarakhand win.
12:29 SC: Rawat wins 33/61, will be CM as soon as Prez rule is revoked
Supreme Court on the Uttarakhand floor test: No irregularities in carrying out of the trust vote and voting pattern. KC Kaushik, appearing for Harish Rawat, says court dictated the order -- 33 votes in favour of Harish Rawat and 28 against him. AG Mukul Rohatgi has said to SC that they are likely to complete proceedings to revoke President's rule in Uttarakhand today.
12:18 Harish Rawat can take charge as Uttarakhand CM
NEWS FLASH: Supreme Court says Harish Rawat can take charge as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. Order of revocation of President's rule will be placed before Supreme court. Cabinet meet at 12:30 pm to revoke President's rule.
12:15 Cong wins floor test in Uttarakhand, Prez rule to be revoked: Centre to SC
Just in: Harish Rawat wins floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly. "We will revoke President's rule in Uttarakhand," Centre tells SC. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi tells the Supreme Court that the Congress has won the floor test.
"It's a fair decision," senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Harish Rawat, tells the court. Rawat obtained 33 votes in the floor test, SC was informed by its observers. "There is no doubt that Harish Rawat has proved majority. My instructions are that the Centre will revoke the President's rule," AG tells the SC.
Congress MLAs came out of the Uttarakhand Assembly flashing smiles and victory signs yesterday after the floor test was held. The Congress said it had the numbers and for once, the BJP didn't disagree. Former chief minister Harish Rawat smiled and flashed a V-sign but refused to put any numbers to today's vote. "I respect the Supreme Court's order to keep it secret but I am assured of the results,' said Rawat.
The vote was held under the supervision of the Supreme Court, which officially unveiled the result today.
"It's a fair decision," senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Harish Rawat, tells the court. Rawat obtained 33 votes in the floor test, SC was informed by its observers. "There is no doubt that Harish Rawat has proved majority. My instructions are that the Centre will revoke the President's rule," AG tells the SC.
Congress MLAs came out of the Uttarakhand Assembly flashing smiles and victory signs yesterday after the floor test was held. The Congress said it had the numbers and for once, the BJP didn't disagree. Former chief minister Harish Rawat smiled and flashed a V-sign but refused to put any numbers to today's vote. "I respect the Supreme Court's order to keep it secret but I am assured of the results,' said Rawat.
The vote was held under the supervision of the Supreme Court, which officially unveiled the result today.
12:04 1993 Rajdhani train blasts: SC acquits 4 of the 16 accused
The Supreme Court on Wednesday acquitted four of the 16 accused in the 1993 Rajdhani Express blasts case. The case dates back to 1993, when trains including a Rajdhani Express were targeted by the accused exactly one year after the Babri Masjid demolition.
On December 5 and 6, 1993, five explosions took place on four trains Delhi and Howrah-bound Rajdhani trains, Flying Queen Express and AP Express killing over 200 people and hundred others were injured.
While the blasts on Rajdhani trains took place near Kanpur, the other explosions took place at Kota (Rajasthan) and Malkajgiri (Andhra Pradesh).
In 2004, the TADA court had found the accused guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The accused had then appealed to the Supreme Court. Details awaited.
File pic of a Rajdhani Express train.
On December 5 and 6, 1993, five explosions took place on four trains Delhi and Howrah-bound Rajdhani trains, Flying Queen Express and AP Express killing over 200 people and hundred others were injured.
While the blasts on Rajdhani trains took place near Kanpur, the other explosions took place at Kota (Rajasthan) and Malkajgiri (Andhra Pradesh).
In 2004, the TADA court had found the accused guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The accused had then appealed to the Supreme Court. Details awaited.
File pic of a Rajdhani Express train.
11:53 Budweiser renames itself 'America' to inspire drinkers
What could be more American than standing in a backyard at a barbecue while holding a beer on the Memorial Day weekend in the United States? Budweiser thinks it has the answer: Holding a beer called America.
The brewer said on Tuesday it will rename its eponymous Budweiser brew as "America' from May 23 through to the Nov. 8 presidential election to "inspire drinkers to celebrate America.'During that period, cans and bottles of the beer will be adorned with U.S. icons such as the Statue of Liberty, phrases from the Pledge of Allegiance and lyrics from "America the Beautiful' and "The Star Spangled Banner."
The change will coincide with the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.The marketing effort sent both Budweiser and "America" trending on Twitter in the United States, with social media users reacting in befuddlement and amusement.
The brewer said on Tuesday it will rename its eponymous Budweiser brew as "America' from May 23 through to the Nov. 8 presidential election to "inspire drinkers to celebrate America.'During that period, cans and bottles of the beer will be adorned with U.S. icons such as the Statue of Liberty, phrases from the Pledge of Allegiance and lyrics from "America the Beautiful' and "The Star Spangled Banner."
The change will coincide with the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.The marketing effort sent both Budweiser and "America" trending on Twitter in the United States, with social media users reacting in befuddlement and amusement.
11:50
BSP won't form a pre-poll alliance in any state including UP, Punjab and Uttarakhand, says Mayawati. |
11:44 Rocky Yadav's cook detained
Suspended JDU Leader Manorama Devi's cook Lallan has been detained by Bihar police. Bihar lawmaker Manorama Devi, whose son Rocky Yadav was arrested on Monday for a road rage killing, faces arrest over liquor bottles seized from her home.
Manorama Devi, a legislative council member of the ruling Janata Dal United, was suspended from the party last night by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
An arrest warrant has been put out against her for violating the liquor ban enforced in April. Her home has also been sealed. The lawmaker has allegedly gone into hiding.Liquor bottles were found at her house in Gaya when the police were searching for her son, who had gone into hiding after allegedly killing a teenager for overtaking his Range Rover on Saturday.
Manorama Devi, a legislative council member of the ruling Janata Dal United, was suspended from the party last night by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
An arrest warrant has been put out against her for violating the liquor ban enforced in April. Her home has also been sealed. The lawmaker has allegedly gone into hiding.Liquor bottles were found at her house in Gaya when the police were searching for her son, who had gone into hiding after allegedly killing a teenager for overtaking his Range Rover on Saturday.
11:37 President in PM's constituency tomorrow
President Pranab Mukherjee is visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency of Varanasi on Thursday for two official functions. The presidential visit assumes significance since infrastructure and developmental works have taken place in Varanasi like cleaning the ghats. President Mukherjee will also visit the Kashi Viswanath Temple for prayers on Friday morning.
11:22
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley speaks in Rajya Sabha on issue of Vijay Mallya deportation from UK.
11:18 SC allows tax dept to reopen 2001 case against Bachchan for KBC income
Just in: Supreme Court allows Income Tax department to reopen the 2001 tax case against Amitabh Bachchan. The SC sets aside the Bombay HC order that gave relief to Bachchan in a tax dispute arising from his income from his show KBC. The IT-Dept had challenged the Bombay HC order in the SC, which gave tax relief to Amitabh Bachchan over case related to his income.
The Income Tax Department which has claimed that the actor owes to it Rs 1.66 crore as taxes on his income he earned through quiz show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' during 2001-02.
The Income Tax Department which has claimed that the actor owes to it Rs 1.66 crore as taxes on his income he earned through quiz show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' during 2001-02.
11:11 SC steps in to help drought-hit farmers
Just in: Supreme Court relief for drought-hit farmers. The SC says that disaster mitigation fund should be created by the Centre to tackle drought-like situations. The SC says the Centre should revise the drought management manual to provide effective relief to calamity-hit farmers and should define a time limit for the declaration of drought. The Agriculture Ministry should hold a meeting in a week with Chief Secretaries of Bihar, Gujarat and Haryana to assess the drought situation.
10:47 NO penalty on call drops, rules SC
The apex court has struck down the TRAI rule making it mandatory for telecom companies to compensate consumers for call drops, saying the notification is 'illegal, not transparent'.
According to its October 16, 2015 notification, the government made it obligatory for service providers to compensate consumers for dropped calls, at Rs 1 each for the first three calls daily.
However, telecom service providers (TSPs) contended that the TRAI decision to saddle them with penalty for call drops was a "populist" measure.
They had contended that under the terms and conditions of licence, it was only when call drops exceed a 2 per cent ceiling that operators attract penalties, and none of the telecom service providers have breached the cap or penalised on this count.
10:27 Ragging takes an ugly turn at DPS Noida; 2 students hospitalised
Two Class XI students were injured in an alleged incident of ragging at the Delhi Public School hostel in Noida Sector 30 following which an FIR has been registered against six identified and 12 unidentified students. The victims -- a 15-year-boy hailing from western Uttar Pradesh and a 16-year-old boy from Kolkata alleged that their seniors ragged them on Monday night and when they objected, they were beaten up in the hostel, police said.
09:53 Amit Shah to take dip with Dalit sadhus at Kumbh today
BJP national president Amit Shah will go ahead with his plan to take a holy dip, named 'Samrasta Snan', with Dalit sadhus in the Shipra river on Wednesday during the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Ujjain despite reservations from some quarters.
The 'Snan' comes at a time when RSS is organising a series of functions to draw Dalits and tribals into its fold in the wake of the backlash caused by its chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement calling for review of the reservation policy before the Bihar assembly polls last year.
09:33 Lok Sabha records 120 per cent productivity, Rajya Sabha 84 per cent
Despite deep fissures emerging between BJP and Congress over the AgustaWestland defence deal, Parliament suffered limited damage with Lok Sabha working overtime recording 120 per cent productivity, while Rajya Sabha recorded 84 per cent.
LS had an unblemished record in conducting question hour so far with 100 per cent productivity while question hour functioned 63 per cent of the time in RS.
This is just a shade lower than the budget session 2016 when LS functioned 121 per cent of the time and RS for 96 per cent, according to analysis by PRS Legislative Research.
09:16
JUST IN: One army jawan killed in an ongoing encounter with terrorists in Rajwar area of Handwara, Jammu and Kashmir
09:10 After son's arrest, Bihar MLC Manorama Devi faces arrest
Bihar lawmaker Manorama Devi, whose son Rocky Yadav was arrested on Monday for a road rage killing, faces arrest over liquor bottles seized from her home.
Manorama Devi, a legislative council member of the ruling Janata Dal United, was suspended from the party last night by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
An arrest warrant has been put out against her for violating the liquor ban enforced in April.Her home has also been sealed. The lawmaker has allegedly gone into hiding.
Liquor bottles were found at her house in Gaya when the police were searching for her son, who had gone into hiding after allegedly killing a teenager for overtaking his Range Rover on Saturday.
08:32 Look who's keeping Assange company!
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may have been getting lonely living in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for the past four years, but now he has something to keep him company: a new kitten.
Assange has been living in the Ecuadorean embassy since being granted diplomatic asylum by the country in 2012. Sweden has attempted to extradite him for questioning in a sexual assault investigation, which Assange believes could lead to his transfer to US custody for his role in leaking classified documents on Wikileaks.
In February, a United Nations group found that Sweden and the UK are violating Assange's rights. Assange's lawyers have applied to Sweden to enforce the UN's findings.
At least now he has a feline friend to help him wait.
08:27 Breather for Mallya as UK refuses his deportation
The Indian government's efforts to bring back Vijay Mallya through the expeditious route of deportation came a cropper when the United Kingdom expressed its inability to accede to the request.
Through a note verbale to the high commission, it informed the investigating agencies of its inability to deport Mallya despite the fact that his diplomatic passport was revoked by the external affairs ministry on April 24.
However, the UK authorities have agreed to consider the government's request for Mallya's extradition under the 1993 treaty with India or any other necessary assistance under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty signed in 1992.
08:15 Barack Obama to visit Hiroshima on Japan trip
During his historic visit to Hiroshima this month, Barack Obama would promote his vision of a nuclear weapons-free planet by becoming the first sitting US president to tour the site where America first dropped an atomic bomb in 1945, killing an estimated 140,000 people.
"The President intends the visit to send a much more forward-looking signal about his ambition for realising the goals of a planet without nuclear weapons," White House PressSecretary Josh Earnest said.
Obama would be the first American president to visit Hiroshima -- the site of the first nuclear attack by the US on Japan -- later this month. The visit is also an opportunity to highlight the remarkable transformation in the relationship between Japan and the US.
Obama is visiting Japan to attend the G-7 meeting. Obama's visit to Hiroshima follows that of US Ambassador to Japan and Secretary of State John Kerry.
07:46 Trump sweeps West Virginia and Nebraska primaries
Donald Trump has won West Virginia's Republican primary over former rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich, who remained on the ballot despite their having dropped out of the race last week.
Trump's win -- called by the Associated Press minutes after polls closed --was expected even before Cruz and Kasich suspended their campaigns following poor showings in Indiana.
In the Democratic race in West Virginia, Bernie Sanders beat Hillary Clinton.
03:52 David Cameron calls Afghanistan, Nigeria 'fantastically corrupt'
Well, whoops. British Prime Minister David Cameron may have been a little too honest Tuesday while speaking to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
At a reception, a television crew picked up a conversation between the prime minister and the Queen.
"We had a very successful cabinet meeting this morning talking about the anti-corruption summit ...," Cameron told Her Majesty. Then, with a bit of a chortle, he said, "We have got the leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain ... Nigeria and Afghanistan, possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world."
Read more HERE.
03:37 Russian bid to blacklist Syrian rebel groups blocked at UN
Britain, France, the US and Ukraine have blocked a Russian request to add two Syrian rebel groups to a UN terror blacklist and sideline them from the Syrian peace process, diplomats said.
Russia had requested that Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) and Ahrar al-Sham be added to the sanctions list for their ties to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Adding names to the UN sanctions list requires a consensus decision from the 15-member council and after objections were raised by the four countries, Russia's request was rejected.
"Russia publicly attempting to designate groups that are parties to the cessation of hostilities could have damaging consequences to the cessation just as we are trying to de-escalate the situation on the ground," said a spokesperson for the US mission to the United Nations yesterday.
02:21 Nehru finds mention at 15 places in revised syllabus: Raj Edu minister
Rejecting allegations of removal of references to Jawahar Lal Nehru from a Class VII textbook in Rajasthan, state School Education Minister Vasudev Devnani today claimed the revised syllabus has the first prime
minister's name at 15 places in different textbooks.
"The government has not omitted Nehru's name from textbooks. His name is there at 15 places in the revised books. The references to Nehru are available in textbooks of Class 7 (Hindi), Class 9 (Social science) and Class 11 (World History)," Devnani said in a statement.
He said Nehru's role in freedom movement, introducing Panchayti Raj system and non-aligned movement have been given space in the revised textbooks.
00:39 RSS chief may meet Trupti Desai after June
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has agreed to meet Bhumata Brigade president Trupti Desai who had sought an audience with him demanding that women be allowed to become members of the outfit, however the meeting is not likely to be held anytime soon.
The meeting could be possible only after June as Bhagwat is busy attending the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's camps, RSS national communication head Aniruddha Deshpande said today.
"(Trupti) Desai had sought a meeting with Bhagwatji, however, RSS' national camps are being organised in the country and Bhagwatji will be attending these camps in May and June and scheduling the meeting during this period is not possible," Deshpande said.
00:39 RSS chief may meet Trupti Desai after June
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has agreed to meet Bhumata Brigade president Trupti Desai who had sought an audience with him demanding that women be allowed to become members of the outfit, however the meeting is not likely to be held anytime soon.
The meeting could be possible only after June as Bhagwat is busy attending the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's camps, RSS national communication head Aniruddha Deshpande said today.
"(Trupti) Desai had sought a meeting with Bhagwatji, however, RSS' national camps are being organised in the country and Bhagwatji will be attending these camps in May and June and scheduling the meeting during this period is not possible," Deshpande said.
00:04 NASA's Kepler telescope finds largest trove of exoplanets
The largest trove of planets outside our solar system -- 1,284 in all -- was announced today, more than doubling the number of known exoplanets found with the Kepler space telescope, NASA said today.
"This announcement more than doubles the number of confirmed planets from Kepler," said Ellen Stofan, chief scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
"This gives us hope that somewhere out there, around a star much like ours, we can eventually discover another Earth."
The unmanned Kepler space observatory, which launched in 2009, has been scanning 150,000 stars for signs of orbiting bodies, particularly those that might be able to support life.
It works by observing a dimming in the light of star, known as a transit, each time an orbiting planet passes in front of it.
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