The Congress workers staged a protest outside Rishi Kapoor's residence in Mumbai on Wednesday over his 'Baap ka maal samjh rakha thaa' jibe at the Gandhis and alleged that the actor had links with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

One of the Congress protestors said Rishi Kapoor has denounced the Nehru-Gandhi family with his unwarranted remarks.

"He has earned money by dancing and drama where as Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi have given their lives for the nation. Rishi Kapoor is a BJP, RSS guy and if he continues to defame the Nehru-Gandhi family then we will make his life difficult," he added.

Another protester echoing similar sentiments said the actor is making such comments to please the BJP top brass.

"Was Rishi Kapoor sleeping till today? Nehru-Gandhi family has given lives for this nation. He is doing this to make the top rung of the BJP happy. We will not allow the screening of his films in theatres," he said.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board today slammed the University Grants Commission's directive on chanting of 'Om' during Yoga Day celebrations on June 21, terming it as 'unconstitutional'.

'The government of India is governed by the Constitution, which is a secular Constitution. It has not recognised the religious sentiments of any community...The government has no right to issue any such directive. It is in violation of the Constitution. It is totally unconstitutional,' AIMPLB member Zafaryab Jilani said.

A controversy broke out yesterday over the UGC's directive asking universities and colleges to follow Ayush ministry's yoga protocol that begins with chanting of 'Om' and some Sanskrit sholakas during Yoga Day celebrations.

Nine rebel Uttarakhand Congress MLAs, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday evening.

Reports were coming in since yesterday that the nine rebel MLAs may join the BJP today.

However, the state BJP leaders were dissatisfied with the Congress rebels being taken into the party fold.

Now, with the nine rebels formally joining the BJP, there is major dissatisfaction in the party's state unit.

A week after the BJP lost its shot at power in Uttarakhand, its core group met today at the party's Ashoka Road headquarters to discuss the future course of action in Uttarakhand amid the changed political scenario.

The group comprised the state president, organisation secretary, five MPs and BJP president Amit Shah.

According to an India Today report, the dominant view among the state BJP leader was that inducting these MLAs will put a lot of them in an uncomfortable situation. The core group members said that since they had been campaigning against the alleged charges of 'corruption' by the likes of Vijay Bahuguna and Harak Singh Rawat, inducting these very faces would blunt their fight against the Congress.   However, the BJP central leadership decided to induct the Congress rebels into their party.

The CBI rejected a fresh notification from the Uttarakhand government withdrawing its permission to probe the sting operation against Chief Minister Harish Rawat. Ergo, the CBI will continue its probe into the sting against the CM.

One of the missing Chibok girls has been found in Nigeria, activists say, the first to be rescued since their capture two years ago, reports the BBC.


The 276 girls were taken from their secondary school in north-east Nigeria by Boko Haram militants in April 2014.


Activists confirmed to the BBC that Amina Ali Nkek was found by a vigilante group on Tuesday in the Sambisa Forest, close to the border with Cameroon.She was reportedly identified by a civilian fighter who recognised her.


The fighter belonged to the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), a vigilante group set up to help fight Boko Haram.


Sources told the BBC she came from the town of Mbalala, south of Chibok, from where 25 of the kidnapped girls came. It is understood she was found with a baby.


The gunmen arrived in Chibok late at night, then raided the school dormitories and loaded 276 girls on to trucks. Some managed to escape within hours of their kidnapping, mostly by jumping off the lorries and running off into the bushes.In total, 219 girls were taken away.

MoS Home Kiren Rijiju flew in a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter from Halwara airbase in Punjab today. Just yesterday, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha took control of the indigenous light combat aircraft. the Tejas for the first time. 

The UP government declares the Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Randeep Hooda starrer 'Sarbjit' tax free. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced that the decision will be implemented with immediate effect, starting from the release date on May 20. 

Sparing Tamil Nadu, the deep depression over Bay of Bengal has moved to Andhra Pradesh coast and is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by tomorrow, Met office said today.


The danger of heavy rainfall in excess of 25 cm in Chennai and neighbourhood, forecast last night, has abated with the weather system moving away but coastal areas of the state would continue to experience heavy rains for another 24 hours.


The meteorological department said the rainfall would gradually decrease in the state as the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal has moved toward Andhra Pradesh and lay centred about 170 km southeast of Nellore.


Meanwhile, several parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry continued to receive rains for the third day today. Regional Meteorological Centre, Director, K Balachandran told reporters "due to the system moving away from Tamil Nadu, rainfall would decrease in a phased manner".


"We are expecting the deep depression to become a cyclone in the next 24-48 hours.", he said adding heavy rainfall may occur over North Tamil Nadu in one or two places during the period. A met office bulletin said, "The system is likely to move north-northeastwards off Andhra Pradesh Coast and intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours."


In the last 24 hours that ended at 8.30 am today, Kelambakkam on the outskirts of Chennai received the highest rainfall of 23 cm, Chennai 11 cm, Nungambakkam 8 cm and Anna Universiy 7.5 cm.


Acting on the Met office forecast last night, the Tamil Nadu government has ordered precautionary measures, including directing District Collectors to take all precautionary measures and advised senior civil servants to visit districts which are expected to receive heavy rainfall.

Just in: The Indian Meteorological Department on Wednesday formally announced that the eagerly anticipated south-west monsoon had made its appearance over the Andaman-Nicobar Islands. Despite its relatively accurate prediction last week that the monsoon would hit Nicobar in four days time, the IMD on Sunday said the monsoon over Kerala, whose normal date of arrival is June 1 and accounts in excess of 75 per cent of the country's rainfall, was likely to be delayed by a week till June 7, with a model error of plus or minus four days.


As per the IMD's criteria, the monsoon is said to be have "well and truly arrived' if at least 60 percent of the stations in Kerala record 2.5 mm of rain for two continuous days.The announcement is more of a symbolic palliative for drought-ravaged parts of Maharashtra and the country as a delay over Kerala -- even if one does occur -- does not imply that the monsoon will be likewise behind schedule in other parts of the country as well.

Ujjain: Sadhvi Pragya Thakur reaches VHP's Vande Matram Ashram before Simhastha Kumbh 'snaan'.

Thakur, who went on hunger strike on Monday for not being allowed to visit the Simhasth Kumbh going on in Ujjain, was taken for Shipra snaan by the police on Wednesday morning.  She will break her fast thereafter.

The sadhvi wanted to take a dip in the Shipra river in Ujjain and had secured an order from a court in Dewas district.

She had begun a fast unto death at around 9 am on Monday in Pandit Khushilal Sharma AyurvedicHospital, where she is undergoing treatment, by refusing to take food and water.

Upset over not being allowed to visit Simhastha mela and take holy dip in Shipra river, the Sadhvi has started protest in the Pandit Khushilal Sharma Ayurvedic Hospital by leaving water and food since 9 am today, her close associate Bhagwan Jha had told reporters.

The National Investigation Agency had recently dropped charges against Sadhvi in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

China today said it wants to enhance mutual trust with India and move forward their bilateral cooperative partnership as it announced President Pranab Mukherjee's maiden visit here from May 24.


 "This will be the first visit for President Mukherjee to China. It is also one of the high level exchanges between China and India this year," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a media briefing in Beijing.


"China and India are the major emerging countries and play a major role on the international stage. They have made great contribution for peace and stability in the world," he said. President Xi Jinping's visit to India in 2014 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China last year have marked a "new era" for Sino-Indian relations, Hong said.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, BJP president Amit Shah and NSA Ajit Doval to meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Jammu and Kashmir. 

Senior CPI(M) leader G Sudhakaran has been booked for allegedly "peeping" into the voting compartment while Marxist veteran V S Achutanandan was casting his vote during the May 16 assembly polls.

However, Sudhakaran denied the charges and said he had done nothing wrong and was ready to fight legal battle. The case against the sitting MLA, who is seeking his electoral luck again from Ambalapuzha constituency, was registered based on the direction of Chief Electoral Officer E K Majhi, police said. Congress' district committee president A A Shukkoor had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission demanding action against Sudhakaran for violating electoral rules.

Police said the case was registered under IPC 171 C (undue influence at elections) and various provisions of the Representation of the People Act. Sudhakaran, along with Achutanandan's son Arun Kumar, was standing very close to the voting compartment when the Marxist veteran was casting his vote.

Congress today responded strongly to Rishi Kapoor's tirade against naming major assets of the country after the Gandhi family members during the party's rule, saying the veteran actor is not aware of the family's contribution towards nation-building.


"Rishi Kapoor fails to realise the contribution of the Gandhi family towards nation building," Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) chief Sanjay Nirupam told said.


"Some people say anything for the sake of power and due to their parochial attitude," he said, attacking the 63-year-old actor. "I have sent him a list of airports in the country, named after several important leaders from Maharana Pratap and Shivaji Maharaj to Lal Bhadur Shastri. Saying that everything is named after the Gandhi family is not correct," Nirupam said.


"Maybe he is not aware of the pioneering work done by late Rajiv Gandhi in areas of women empowerment and panchayat raj," Nirupam, former MP, said.


In a series of tweets, Kapoor had slammed the Congress for naming national assets after Gandhi family during their rule.


The actor said the names of the prominent places should be changed after those who worked for the welfare of the country "Change Gandhi family assets named by Congress. Bandra/Worli Sea Link to Lata Mangeshkar or JRD Tata link road. Baap ka maal samjh rakha tha? (Did they consider it family property?) "We must name important assets of the country who have contributed to society. Har cheez Gandhi ke naam? I don't agree. Sochna log!," he tweeted.

Ramesh Srivats @rameshsrivats tweets: "Tim Cook starts India trip with visit to Siddhivinayak. Next stop - Sabarimala. If he hears that the God there is called iAppa."

BJP's Shaina NC says her bit on the ongoing obliteration of historical figures by the Centre and union minister VK Singh's suggestion that Akbar Road be renamed Maharana Pratap road. Shaina NC tweets: "#AkbarRoad should be renamed to Maharana #Pratap Marg. Imagine #Hitler Road in #Israel ! No country honours its oppressors like we do!!"

And here's ‏@ShirishKunder awesome retort: "Anarkali's point of view! This is what happens when you judge Akbar based on Mughal-e-Azam."

A new Secretary-level post has been created in Defence Ministry to help in better management of its accounts and its huge budget of over Rs two lakh crore.


The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shobhana Joshi, an Indian Defence Accounts Service officer of 1979 batch, as Secretary (Defence Finance) with effect from June 1, 2016, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said. She is presently working as Controller General of Defence Accounts.

Global tech giant Apple Inc's chief executive Tim Cook started off his maiden five-day visit to the country with a visit to the famous Siddhivinayak Temple in central Mumbai today. Cook was seen with Anant Ambani, the son of RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani, at the temple devoted to the deity of wisdom Lord Ganesha.


Sources said the temple visit of Cook was unplanned and so was the chance of meeting junior Ambani. He arrived in the city late last night from Beijing and is staying at the Taj Mahal Hotel in the city.


He was seen wearing a light blue shirt and a stole with Sanskrit scriptures, which is generally worn by Hindu devotees. Indian spirituality is not really new to the American company known for cutting-edge scientific innovation. Its famed founder, the late Steve Jobs, had a fling with it over four decades ago, and some accounts say that he had also stayed at the commune of a Hindu ascetic at Haridwar during the trip.


At Prabhadevi's Siddhivinayak Temple, Cook was accompanied by Sanjay Kaul, the head of country operations for the tech giant, which witnessed its first quarter of dip in sales of its flagship iPhone. India, however, figures as a bright spot amid the slump and recorded a 56 per cent jump in sales here with the revenue crossing a USD 1-billion mark for the first time.


While some media reports said he would be meeting Mukesh Ambani, a RIL spokesperson said the company chairman is away in the US.

Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Wednesday reported a net loss of Rs 5,367 crore for the March quarter.

This was the biggest quarterly loss in India's bank history. The lender had reported a net profit of Rs 307 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year.

The bank said its gross non-performing assets (NPAs) surged to 12.9 per cent in the fourth quarter against 8.47 per cent in the December quarter. In value terms, gross non-performing assets for the quarter stood at Rs 55,818 crore against Rs 34,338 crore in the third quarter. Provisions kept aside for bad assets stood at Rs 10,490 crore in the fourth quarter, compared with Rs 3,448 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year. Bank of Baroda had in December quarter reported a loss of Rs 3,342 crore.

Wow! Robert Vadra kin steal show, Congressmen revolt. Read

Just in: Ecuador struck by 6.7 magnitude quake: USGS.

Punjab National Bank posts Rs 5,367.1 crore net loss in Q4 as against net profit of Rs 306.5 crore.

Congress party favours Priyanka Gandhi Vadra getting into active politics but it has to be decided by the family, according to AICC General Secretary Digvijaya Singh, who said she has the potential to emerge as a mass leader.


Asked if Priyanka would play a significant role in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due early next year, he said, "It's a family decision." "As far as we (Congress party) are concerned, we will be very happy if she comes into active politics," the two-time Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh told PTI in an interview.


On whether Priyanka would campaign beyond the Nehru-Gandhi pocketborough of Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, Singh said: "The decision would be hers and the family's." Asked whether Priyanka has abilities of her grandmother Indira Gandhi, he said she has a "striking resemblance" with the former prime minister but he can't say "just now" whether she has the same abilities. "She has the potential," Singh replied when asked if Priyanka can emerge as a mass leader. Asked if the "delay" in Rahul Gandhi taking over as Congress President is hurting the party's prospects, he said, "No. This is a decision to be taken by the Congress President (Sonia Gandhi) and she will take a decision when the time comes."


Singh declined to discuss the exit poll results of the recent assembly polls, saying he does not trust them. "I don't trust these (exit) polls. It's (questions) too hypothetical," he responded. To a query on whether JD(U) President and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's efforts to prop up a broad non-BJP front to defeat BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha election would be a non-starter "given the past experiences", he said: "No. It's not that. 'Mahaghatbandan' has worked in Bihar (Assembly elections recently)". Asked if the Congress would be a party to such an initiative by Nitish Kumar, Singh said it's a policy decision to be taken by the Congress President and the Congress Working Committee.


On his assessment of Narendra Modi government's two-year tenure, he said: "Very high on publicity, very low on performance."

Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandarababu Naidu had an hour-long meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday.

PMO officials were in attendance to provide quick references to the Prime Minister on crucial issues in AP.


Chandrababu Naidu invariably comes with a lengthy list of demands focussing on the cash  crunch in the state. The central leadership of the BJP and also one section of PMO officials are upset and unhappy with Naidu's repeated requests for more funds from the Centre.

The other side of the story is that Naidu and the TDP are also not enthusiastic about the meeting and buzz in the capital is that cracks are now developing between the TDP and the BJP.

UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's office on Tuesday clarified that Etawah SSP Manzil Saini would be posted in Lucknow thus making her the first-ever woman district police chief in the state capital.

ABP News says earlier, reports emerged that the transfer of Saini from the home district of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to Lucknow was put on hold by the state government. The CM's office confirmed in a tweet that her repositioning would take place as decided. Since her entrance into the police force, the 2005 batch IPS officer has hit headlines. She's popularly known as 'Lady Singham'.


The upright police officer was earlier posted in Badayun, Muzaffarnagar and Mathura. During her tenure as an SSP in Etawah, Saini she launched a crackdown against unauthorized usage of party flags by Samajwadi Party workers in four-wheelers and also penalizing them for bearing tinted windows.


While taking a review of security arrangements in Etawah, she found 10 constables of the quick response team in Etawah napping inside the police van. These cops were punished by the SSP and made to jog inside a playground.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is likely to resume his political activities from early next week, say Monday, May 23. Rahul, who was suffering from high fever is now responding to medical treatment.

Except for his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, nobody was permitted to meet Rahul, who had been admitted to a private hospital in New Delhi. Rahul had to cancel his election campaign tour to Puducherry and Kerala last week because of his ill health. And the diagnosis? Doctors say it's most likely exertion and pollution.

Authorities have managed to bring under control the devastating fire that broke in the forests of Trikuta hills, the abode of Mata Vaishno Devi. As per reports, over 200 men -- including firemen and staff of the Shrine Board '" have extinguished the fire in the 40% of the affected area and are working on a war footing to douse the flames completely.

Gujarat ATS arrests a person in connection with 2002 Godhra train burning case. Gujarat ATS has arrested Farooq Bhana, main conspirator of Godhra train burning case who was absconding since 2002.


In February 2011, the Gujarat High Court on the orders of the Supreme Court convicted 31 accused and acquitted 63 others in the Godhra train burning case.Coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express, in which 59 people, mostly 'kar sevaks' returning from Ayodhya were travelling, was burnt on February 27, 2002 at the Godhra station.

President Pranab Mukherjee is hosting a farewell dinner tonight for outgoing Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, chiefs of staff and Chief of Naval Staff designate Admiral Sunil Lamba are being invited to the farewell dinner. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi strictly follows diplomatic protocol. His two-day bilateral visit to Iran (May 22 to 23) was to be extended for another day, but Modi decided against it.

The reason is that President Pranab Mukherjee will leave New Delhi on May 24 afternoon for China and the Prime Minister does not want to encroach into the President's schedule.

The protocol is that the President and Prime Minister are generally not out of the country at the same time.


Incidentally, the same aircraft -- Air India One -- which the PM will use to return to India on May 23 will be used by the President the next day to fly out to China, quite naturally after a technical check in the VVIP area in
Palam airport. 

Veteran film actor Rishi Kapoor yesterday took to Twitter to launch a scathing attack on the Gandhi family and demanded that national assets named after them should be renamed.

"Change Gandhi family assets named by the Congress. Bandra/Worli Sea Link to Lata Mangeshkar or JRD Tata link road. Baap ka maal samjh rakha tha?," Rishi Kapoor said in a series of tweets.

"We must name important assets of the country after those who have contributed to society. Why every asset is named after the Gandhis? I don't agree," said the actor.

"If roads in Delhi can be changed why not the name of Congress assets/property? I was in Chandigarh recently, there also I saw assets named after Rajiv Gandhi. Think. Why?" questioned the actor in another tweet.

"Raj Kapoor has made India proud all over the world for years, even after his death. Certainly more than What has been perceived by the politics," he said.


Taking a jibe at the Gandhis, Rishi Kapoor tweeted, "Why Indira Gandhi International Airport? Why not Mahatma Gandhi or Bhagat Singh Ambedkar or on my name Rishi Kapoor. As superficial! What say?"

"Imagine Mohamad Rafi, Mukesh, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar venues on their name like in our country. Just a suggestion," he said.

"Film City should be named after Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar or Amitabh Bachchan. Why Rajiv Gandhi udyog? Think friends," the veteran actor said.

Yesterday, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh has asked the government to rename Akbar Road, also in Lutyens Delhi, as Maharana Pratap Road because the Rajput king has not been given his due despite being truly secular and a man of masses.

Piped water supply systems will be used more extensively in Maharashtra to carry dam water to farms. Faced with a severe drought, the Maharashtra Cabinet on Tuesday adopted a policy for promoting micro irrigation and piped water supply.


The government has claimed that the initiative would bring down the extent of non-revenue water by nearly 35 per cent, while reducing costs incurred on conveying irrigation water to farm lands.


The move follows a directive from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had directed the chief minister to increase water use efficiency through drip and micro irrigation methods. Read more

Counting of votes for the high stakes Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry will be held tomorrow morning with trends expected to be available by 11 am. By noon, a final picture could emerge on who would be the major players in the five states. Election Commission officials said counting of votes, to commence at 8 am, will be over by 3 pm. According to Election Commission guidelines, half-an-hour after the postal ballots are counted, the process of counting votes from the EVMs begins. The 'ballot unit' is switched on in the presence of senior poll officials and counting agents of candidates and the result command keyed in to get results per machine. Where a paper trail audit or 'voter-verified paper audit trail' (VVPAT) has been used, the counting agent can call for a count of the paper slips in the drop box attached to the voting machine, but a final count is taken by the returning officer. Once the results are declared, the names of the winning candidates will find mention in the gazette. The gazette notification will initiate the process to form the next legislative assemblies in the states.


According to various exit polls shown on TV channels on May 16, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have voted for change giving BJP its first government in the northeastern state dislodging Congress which also lost Kerala while DMK was set to regain power trouncing AIADMK. Only West Bengal has bucked the trend by re-electing Trinamool Congress led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who managed to hold on to power by defeating the Left-Congress alliance convincingly for a second consecutive term, the polls showed.


The Congress could take solace from its projected victory in the tiny Union Territory of Puducherry where it is likely to get power in alliance with the DMK. The Exit poll results were released at the end of the polling in Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Monday, marking the closure of voting in five states.

A powerful lobby aiming for a lease extension worth hundreds of crores for a prominent Connaught Place hotel could be the behind the murder of an NDMC law officer as investigators are trying to determine whether he was targeted for refusing a bribe.


The family of Mohammad Moin Khan, who was shot dead on Monday evening, claims that the civic officer was getting threat calls as he did not succumb to pressure and rejected kickbacks repeatedly.


The incident took place outside Khan's residence in southeast Delhi's Jamia Nagar around 7.30 pm when he was driving home. Read more

In Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal of the BJP, who exit polls say is likely to be Assam's next chief minister, watched Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani and kept himself busy with his work as sports minister at the Centre, as he has waited for election results to be announced, reports NDTV.  

The Congress's Tarun Gogoi, who hopes to win a fourth straight term as chief minister, took a week-long family vacation in Thailand, worked on his golfing skills and released his memoir, Turnaround, that talks about his Assam story.

Tech giant Apple will set up an app design and development centre in Bengaluru to support developers in India creating innovative mobile apps for its iOS platform. The announcement comes as part of the visit of Apple chief Tim Cook to India. Cook, who arrived in the country last night, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials as part of his trip. The company, however, did not disclose the investments for the initiative. The centre is expected to open in early 2017.


"The company will establish a design and development accelerator in Bengaluru, the home of India's startup scene. Tens of thousands of developers in India make apps for iOS (foundation for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch). This initiative will provide additional, specialised support for them," Apple said in a statement.


Apple's team will work with developers on best practices, help them hone their skills and transform the design, quality and performance of their apps on the iOS platform, it added. "India is home to one of the most vibrant and entrepreneurial iOS development communities in the world.


With the opening of this new facility in Bengaluru, we are giving developers access to tools which will help them create innovative apps for customers around the world," Cook said.

Taking a dig at the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh for nominating Amar Singh for the Rajya Sabha, BJP leader Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the Samajwadi Party is a 'sinking ship', adding it is good that all those destined to sink would sink together.


"SP doobta hua jahaz hai, accha hai saare doobne waale log ek saath aakar doobein (SP is a sinking ship, it is good that all those who want to sink are coming together," he told media when asked about Amar Singh.


He also said that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh has been deteriorating and blamed the state government for it. Earlier, senior SP leader and UP Minister Azam Khan had expressed disappointment over the party' decision to nominate Amar Singh, saying the whole incident was 'unfortunate'.


"As far as I think, this whole incident is unfortunate. Netaji malik hai aur malik ke faisle ko chunauti dena mere adhikar chetra ke bahar hai (Mulayam Singh is the party chief and to challenge his decision is beyond my rights)," Khan told reporters.

Minor rape case: Goa Court grants bail to St Cruz MLA Atanasio Monserrate (Babush). The Children's Court grants conditional bail to Babush and two others. He has to report to crime branch for 7 days and pay surety of Rs 1 lakh.

Monserrate filed a  bail application in the Goa Childrens Court on Saturday. The MLA and the girls mother, who allegedly sold the girl to the MLA for Rs. 50 lakh, were arrested last week. The mothers accomplice, Rosy Ferrol, was said to have brokered the deal.

JUST IN: 6 including hotel managing director, two contract killers and facilitator have been arrested in NDMC lawyer murder case; more arrests likely

Met department issues 'severe heat wave' warnings for parts of UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi

JUST IN: Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is the projected winner of the Democratic presidential primary in Oregon, according to the Associated Press.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook to visit Hyderabad on May 19, expected to announce opening of company's first technology development centre outside US

JUST IN: The Associated Press is reporting that Donald Trump has won the Oregon Republican primary.

The Police on Tuesday claimed news channel journalist Akhilesh Pratap Singh was shot dead by activists of the ultra outfit Trutiya Prastuti Committee for not meeting their demands for levy.

Addressing a press conference here, Chatra district Superintendent of Police Anjani Jha said one person arrested today in this connection turned out to be a local representative of Simaria Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ganesh Ganju.

Police was still in search of the shooter in the case who was identified as Munesh Ganju, mastermind of the incident Mukesh Ganju and another TPC ultra, Jha said adding the accused had demanded Rs 7 lakh levy for a contract, which the journalist had reportedly bagged.

The murdered journalist used to do some contract work for DVC in Rajpur police station limits, he said.

The Police had already arrested Birbal Sao, a native of Mayurhund block, and Jhaman Kumar of Lawalong on Monday.

Hours after a court awarded death sentence to seven persons in connection with the lynching of three women in West Midnapore on suspicion of being witches, a woman was lynched at Debra area in the district late on Tuesday night on the suspicion of witchcraft.

A senior district police officer said Sambari Tudu, 45, was dragged from her house at Birsinghpur hamlet under Debra police station area by some locals late last night after a local village court held a sitting and blamed her for the death of some neighbours due to ailments.

She was thrashed after being tied to a post and as she slumped to the ground the attackers left the spot, the officer said quoting some eyewitnesses.

As a police force recovered the body today tension escalated in the area.

The police officer said eight persons have been arrested in connection with the incident so far and further raids were continuing.

Seven persons, including a woman, were sentenced to death and six others to life imprisonment by a court in Ghatal yesterday for the 2012 lynching of three women of a single family on suspicion of their being witches at a village in the same district.

The government of the Maldives has decided to sever 40-year-old diplomatic ties with Iran, saying the country's policies in the Middle East are detrimental to peace and security in the region.

The Maldives foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday night that peace in the Middle East is also linked to the island nation's own peace, stability and security.

The decision by the Indian Ocean archipelago nation, whose population is predominantly Sunni Muslim, reflects its increasing closeness to Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, the long-time rival of Shiite-dominated Iran.

Last year, Saudi Arabia opened an embassy in the Maldives. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran earlier this year after Iranians protesting the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric stormed Saudi diplomatic posts in Tehran and Mashhad.

The Telangana Government on Tuesday announced Rs 25 lakh ex gratia to the kin of Army jawan Santosh Kumar, from Navgambasti in Adilabad district, who died while discharging his duties in Siachen on December 24.

According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office, the amount will be handed over to Kumar's wide Naga Mani.

It said a job will be provided to one of the family members recommended by Kumar's wife.

Former Aam Aadmi Party leader and social activist Mayank Gandhi claims to have turned into a 'shameless beggar' in his bid to raise funds to help the drought-hit districts of Maharashtra.

The activist, who had been the face of the AAP in the state and is currently associated with city-based public charitable trust Fulora Foundation, wrote in his blog today, 'Have become a shameless beggar' when he agreed to attend private parties on the condition that he would be given money to help mitigate the drought crisis.

'A few days back, someone invited me for his daughter's birthday (I have not attending social functions since over a decade) -- I agreed, provided he gave money for the drought. When an old friend invited me for dinner, I agreed, provided he donated. Have become a shameless beggar,' Gandhi wrote in a blog post titled 'Shameless Begging'.

Gandhi, who is currently involved in water supply works in Beed, said he use to earlier 'shy away from asking for anything -- bhiksha or begging.'

'This time when we started water supply in Beed, we had to ask donors for money. But I suddenly found that my diffidence for asking for money was gone. When people had doubts or questions regarding the integrity of the expense, my ego would have earlier raised its head and I would have felt hurt that people asked ME for justification.'

'But, now I do not think that and I feel that it isour duty to be very transparent and accountable for every rupee that we get,' he wrote in the post.

Three more persons, including the main accused Gautam Goyani, were on Tuesday arrested in connection with the Surat triple murder case, police said. Gautam alias Golden and two other accused, Bhadresh Patodiya and Kishan Khokhar, were arrested from Kim town in Surat district.

Police said eight persons were involved in the murder, of which seven have been arrested so far. Another accused Ganesh Goyani is yet to be arrested, police said.

On Monday, police had arrested Komal Goyani. Komal is the sister of Golden.

Three persons-- Bharat Togadia, a cousin of Vishwa Hindu Parishad international working president Pravin Togadia, along with Balu Hirani and Ashok Patel, were murdered on last Saturday.

Police had said that trio was murdered as the accused were trying to extract Rs 50 lakh that Balu Hirani, one of the three victims, owed to Komal for clearing a disputed land in Amreli's Bagasara village.

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