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Sat, 21 May 2016
Will Cong remain a party crowding around a family: Jaitley

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23:37   World's Oldest Olympic Champion Sandor Tarics Dies at 102
The oldest living Olympic champion Sandor Tarics, who was a member of Hungary's gold-medal winning waterpolo team at the 1936 Games, has died aged 102, AFP reports.
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23:17   Will Cong remain a party crowding around a family: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today raised questions over the leadership issue in Congress, wondering whether it will remain a party "crowding around a family".

"Congress has to decide what is its journey ahead. Will it remain a dynastic democracy or will there be merit-based leadership? "No political party can survive in such a big country by crowding around a family. They have to decide whether they want to be a structured political party or a party crowding around a family," Jaitley said at a conclave of TV news channel News24

In a separate interaction at the conclave, AICC general secretary Digvijiay Singh targetted Jaitley over his remarks wondering whether it is the senior BJP leader who will decide who will become the President of Congress.
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21:43   Three Naxals including two women killed in Chhattisgarh
Three Naxals -- a couple and another woman -- were today killed and three policemen were injured in separate incidents in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region since last night.

A Maoist couple was gunned down in an encounter at around 2:50 am today between the security forces and ultras in the jungles under Gangaloor police station area of Bijapur district, Bijapur Additional Superintendent of Police Indira Kalyan Elesela told PTI.

They were identified as LOS (local organisation squad) commander of Darbha division Manoj Hapka, his wife Tati Hapka who was a member of the same squad. The operation involving personnel of 85th battalion of Central Reserve Police Force, 204th battalion of CRPF's elite unit Commando Battalion for Resolute Action and Gangaloor police had been launched last night, he said.
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20:32   Man calls NIA, threatens to blow up residences of PM, Kejriwal
Security officials were sent into a tizzy after they received a call from a man, who claimed to have planted bombs at the residences of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal this afternoon.

The call later turned out to be hoax.

A senior police official said the call was received around 12.30 PM at the control room of the National Investigation Agency, which informed the matter to the police immediately.

Several teams, with bomb disposal squads, were rushed to the Prime Minister's 7, Race Course Road residence and the Kejriwal's residence at Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines.

"Thorough checks were conducted in both places but nothing was found. It was a hoax call," the official said, adding Delhi police's anti-terrorism unit Special Cell was also informed about the matter.
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20:11   Crude bombs hurled at houses of AIADMK functionaries
Some unidentified persons today hurled 'crude bombs' at houses of AIADMK functionaries at Kazhugumalai and Tuticorin, about 160 km from here, police said.

The motorcycle of a Muthuraj, an AIADMK functionary, was destroyed when a petrol bomb was hurled at his house around 1 AM. AIADMK workers in the area and residents staged a demonstration demanding arrest of the culprits.

In another incident at Rajagopal Nagar in Tuticorin, a petrol bomb was hurled at the house of AIADMK functionary Chinnadurai, around 2:30 am.

The shed in front of his house was destroyed and his two-wheeler was also destroyed, police said, adding, a two-wheeler of another functionary Pitchiah was also damaged.
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20:07   Churu, Sriganganagar sizzle at 49.2 deg C; two die in UP
Heat wave continued to sweep several parts of the country with both Churu and Sriganganagar in Rajasthan scorching at 49.2 degrees Celsius even as some regions of Bihar and Odisha received rainfall as cyclone Roanu made a landfall in Bangladesh.

Two persons were killed in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district as strong winds and thunder showers hit several parts of the state. While one died in a tree fall incident the other was hit by lightning, police said.

Churu and Sriganganagar sizzled at 49.2 degrees Celsius followed by Kota where the mercury shot up to 47.3 degrees Celsius. Mercury in Rajasthan's Phalodi which had touched the 50 degrees Celsius mark for the last three days, today received received a slight respite as it dipped to 46 degrees Celsius. Bikaner and Jaisalmer recorded the maximum temperature of 46.7 and 44.7 degrees Celsius respectively.

Parts of Haryana and Punjab also reeled under intense heat wave conditions with Hisar scorching at 47.8 degrees Celsius. In Odisha, Bhawanipatna was hottest at 44 degrees Celsius followed by Titlagarh at 43.5 degrees Celsius, a MeT official said.
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19:16   India appreciates Trudeau's apology on Komagata Maru incident
India today "deeply appreciated" Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's formal apology in the House of Commons for the Komagata Maru incident, saying it reflects Canada's commitment to the values of pluralism which India fully shares.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson said, "We welcome and deeply appreciate the gesture of Prime Minister of Canada to deliver a formal apology in the House of Commons for the Komagata Maru incident."

The Indian diaspora in Canada has contributed immensely to Canada's growth and development and acts as a bond between our two nations, the Spokesperson said. "Prime Minister Trudeau's gesture constitutes an acknowledgement of the positive role of the Indian diaspora. It also reflects Canada's commitment to the values of pluralism and multiculturalism, which India fully shares," he added.
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18:29   5 terrorists killed, 3 jawans injured in encounter in Kupwara
Mukhtar Ahmad reports from Srinagar: Five terrorists were killed and three army jawans were injured in an encounter in Kupwara district.

The encounter is now over. More details are awaited.
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17:40   Khadse denies receiving calls from Dawood's residence
Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse today dismissed as "baseless" an AAP leader's charges that calls were made from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's residence in Karachi to his mobile phone, saying the particular phone number was not in use for the last one year.

"The phone (number), which the AAP spokesperson is referring to, is not in use for the last one year. During this period, no international call was made from or received on this phone," Khadse said.

"The telecom service provider has sent a letter clarifying the facts. There is a possibility that the number was cloned," Khadse, a senior member in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet, said.

"I have asked the CM and Jalgaon SP to probe if any person is using this number. I have also asked the CM to initiate an in-depth inquiry into the Gajanan Patil bribery issue," Khadse said.
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17:27   AIR launches app for Persian service as Modi visits Iran
The Persian service of All India Radio's External Services Division is launching a multimedia website and mobile app to coincide with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Iran which begins tomorrow.

AIR is also starting a WhatsApp-based listeners' response forum for its Persian service where listeners from Iran can directly interact.
AIR has been broadcasting to Iran in Persian language since 1941 and it is one of the oldest services in which external broadcast is done.
The Persian service of late has been facing competition from other broadcasters like BBC, China Radio International, Radio Pakistan, etc which have started Internet and mobile-based services for Iran as the younger generation prefer listening to radio broadcast on Internet and mobile apps, an official statement said here.
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17:26   Three naxals killed in gun-battle in Chhattisgarh's Bastar
Three naxals, including a couple, were today gunned down in a fierce encounter with security forces at different places of Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bastar region, police said.
The naxal couple, active in Darbha division of Maoist, was killed in the skirmish that took place at around 2:50 am between ultras and a joint team of security forces in jungles of Gangaloor under Bijapur police station area, district
Additional Superintendent of Police, Indira Kalyan Elesela,
told PTI.
They were identified as LOS (local organisation squad)
'commander' of Darbha 'division' Manoj Hapka and his wife
Tati, a member of the same squad, the ASP said.
The operation involving composite forces of Central
Reserve Police Force 85th battalion, CRPF's elite unit
Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) 204th battalion
with the support of Gangaloor police was launched last night.

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17:14   Access to space observatory from Oct: ISRO
Access will be open for guest observers from the Indian science community to Astrosat, the country's first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory from October, Indian Space Research Organisation said. 

Observing time will be awarded on the basis of proposals reviewed by peers (or senior academics), it said.

ISRO in collaboration with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, has set up an Astrosat Support Cell to facilitate the proposal making process and the use of AstroSat data.
It said the cell will operate o t of IUCAA and will provide resource material, tools, training and help to guest observers. A Memorandum of Understanding between ISRO and IUCAA for the operation of the Astrosat Support Cell was signed on May 5.
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16:25   Sanders outraises Clinton for fourth consecutive month
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders from Vermont has outraised his rival Hillary Clinton in the Democratic race to the White House for the fourth consecutive month.
Sanders'campaign yesterday filed a report with the Federal Election Commission showing he raised more than USD 26.9 million in April, out-raising Secretary Clinton for the fourth month in a row.
He has raised more than USD 212 million since the start of the campaign.
A similar report filed by Hillary for America showed that her campaign began in May with more than USD 30 million in the bank after raising more than USD 26.4 million in primary contributions in April thanks to more than 630,000 contributions from about 400,000 people during the month. 

The average donation during April was about USD 42. Clinton has raised more for the primary than any other candidate in either party over USD 213 million from more than 1,200,000 contributors.
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16:02   Mary Kom fails to qualify for Olympics
JUST IN: Indian boxer M C Mary Kom fails to qualify for Olympics after losing in second round of World Championships.
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15:19   Poll: Both Clinton, Trump unpopular
Despite being the front-runner candidates of their respective parties, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are extraordinarily unpopular heading into their party's conventions this summer.

According to a recent New York Times/CBS poll, nearly two-thirds -- 64 per cent -- of registered voters answered "No" when asked if Trump and Clinton are "honest and trustworthy."

Two-thirds of voters also said Trump does not share their values, while only 37 per cent of voters said Clinton did share their values.

Seventy percent of registered voters said Trump does not have the right temperament, while only 48 per cent said the former Secretary of State had the right temperament, the poll found.

Read more HERE.
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14:35   Border with Bangladesh will be sealed in 2 year's time: Sonowal
Sealing of the borders with Bangladesh will be completed in two year's time to put an end to infiltration, Assam's Chief Minister-to-be Sarbananda Sonowal said today.
 
A product of the student movement of the 80s during the anti-foreigners agitation, Sonowal, who steered the BJP to victory in the elections, has put the issue of infiltration and attempts to check them as his government's priority. BJP had made infiltration one of the major issues in the poll
campaign. 

"Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had given a two-year time frame for permanent sealing of the border. We will work towards finishing within that time frame the border sealing work, including the riverine border," he told PTI in an interview.
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14:28   Rare red carpet welcome awaits Modi during US visit
A rare red carpet welcome awaits Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Capitol on June 8 when he will address a joint meeting of the US Congress, the first by a foreign leader this year.
This includes a rarest of the rare lunch hosted by Speaker Paul Ryan at the Capitol, meeting with the top Congressional leadership and a unique reception thrown in his honour jointly by House and Senate foreign relations committees in association with the two India caucuses.
Modi's joint address to the Congress - the first by a foreign leader in 2016 and the first of House Speaker Ryan - is likely to be attended by Vice President Joe Biden and several Cabinet members of the Obama Administration in a rare show of solidarity and support for the Prime Minister, Congressional sources told PTI.
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14:16   5 killed as Cyclone Roanu hits Bangladesh coast
Tens of thousands of Bangladeshis fled to safety as cyclone Roanu today made a landfall at the country's southern coast, with stormy winds and incessant downpour, that triggered landslides, killing five persons and
injuring over 100 others.

With a wind speed of up to kilometres per hour while heading east-northeastward, the cyclone hit the Barisal-Chittagong region, sending impacts across the country. 

Most places of the country witnessed rain and thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty and squally wind since early morning.
At least five persons were killed and over 100 injured as the advancing cyclone had started ravaging the southern coastlines.
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14:01   Vietnam frees jailed dissident priest ahead of Obama's visit
Vietnam granted early release from prison to a Catholic priest who is one of its most prominent dissidents, a move widely seen as a goodwill gesture before US President Barack Obama arrives on an official visit.
The Catholic Archdiocese of the central city of Hue reported on its webpage that it welcomed the return yesterday of 70-year-old Father Nguyen Van Ly from prison.

Photos on its website showed a frail Ly being helped off a minibus, kneeling to pay his respects to his senior colleagues, then being led to a room prepared for him at the diocese. He has suffered several health crises while imprisoned.

Ly has served several long terms in prison or under house arrest for promoting political and religious freedoms in the communist nation.
He has been serving an eight-year prison term since March 2007 after being convicted of spreading propaganda against the state. He was first jailed in 1977, two years after the Communist takeover of all Vietnam.
Vietnam's persecution of dissidents has been a roadblock to warmer relations with the United States, from which it is seeking the lifting of an arms embargo. 

Washington and Hanoi share a strategic interest in challenging Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea, some of which are in areas long claimed by Vietnam.
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13:18   'Those serious about security shouldn't support Trump'
Questioning the foreign policy and national security credentials of Donald Trump, the rival Clinton Campaign has said that Americans who care about these issues should not stand with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

"This is not about ideology -- it's about responsible leadership. Anyone who is serious about our national security, regardless of their party, should not stand with Trump," the Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta said. 

"Every time Trump opens his mouth, he makes it even more clear that he doesn't have the qualifications or the temperament to be our Commander-in-Chief," Podesta said yesterday hours after Trump gave an interview in which he talked about foreign policy and national security issues.
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12:37   Vijayakanths DMDK loses state party recognition after getting less than 6% votes
The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazgham party headed by actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth has lost its status as a political party in Tamil Nadu after it polled less than 6% of votes in the recent Assembly election. 

The DMDK had been the main Opposition party after it won 29 seats in the 2011 state election. However, the party did not win a single seat this time. DMDK chief Vijayakanth lost in Ulundurpet constituency and came in a distant third, losing his deposit.

The party got only 2.4% of votes in the state. 

For any political outfit to be recognised by the Election Commission as a state party, it needs to get a minimum of 6% of the votes polled. 
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12:11   Apple CEO Tim Cook meets PM Narendra Modi
Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is on his first official visit to India, met PM Narendra Modi on Saturday. 

During the meet, Tim Cook launched an updated version of the 'Narendra Modi Mobile App' in the presence of the prime minister. 

The App contains a new feature 'My Network'  that will consist of thoughtful forums where App users can share their ideas, views and deliberate with a wide range of people. 

Several daily tasks would also be put in this section at a very regular basis.

His meeting with PM Modi is the third and final leg of the 55-year-old Cook's visit to India, after Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kanpur. 
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11:45   'Smoke detected' inside cabin before EgyptAir crash: reports
Smoke alerts were triggered inside the cabin of the ill-fated EgyptAir jet minutes before it plunged into the Mediterranean Sea with 66 people on board, according to new details emerging shortly after human remains, luggage and seats were found by searchers.

Smoke was detected in the toilet and the aircraft's electrics, just minutes before the signal was lost, according to data published on air industry website the Aviation Herald, which said it had received flight data filed through the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System from three independent channels.

The fresh details follow Egyptian military's recovery of debris, passengers' belongings, body parts, luggage and aircraft seats from the ill-fated EgyptAir Flight MS804, en route from Paris to Cairo, even as the crucial black box has not been found.
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11:36   Security forces deployed in Srinagar to prevent seperatists' rally
Authorities on Saturday imposed restrictions in parts of summer capital Srinagar to prevent a separatist called rally.

"Restrictions have been imposed in areas falling under the jurisdiction of seven police stations in Srinagar city today. The police stations whose areas shall remain under restrictions include Khanyar, Nowhatta, M.R. Gunj, Rainawari, Safa Kadal, Maisuma and Nigeen," Farooq Ahmad Lone, district magistrate Srinagar said.

"The restrictions are purely of prohibitory nature and have been imposed to maintain law and order in the city," Lone added.

Separatists including Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Syed Ali Geelani,

Muhammad Yasin Malik and others have called for a public rally to the martyrs graveyard in Eidgah area of old city Srinagar on Saturday.
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10:56   Woman gangraped in Telangana
A 26-year-old woman was allegedly gang raped by five unidentified persons in Medak district of Telangana, police said today.
According to the woman, who is still semi-conscious, five persons took her in a vehicle at around 9.00 PM yesterday from Narsapur village towards Doultabad and stopped it midway after which she was gang raped, a police official said. 

"The woman managed to admit herself in a hospital in Sangareddy town in wee hours of today after the incident...We are in the process of registering a case," Narsapur Circle Police Inspector N Tirupati Raju told PTI over phone.

The inspector said further probe is on.
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10:54   Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat meets injured BJP MP Tarun Vijay
Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat visited injured BJP MP Tarun Vijay at the hospital on Saturday.

Tarun Vijay was on Friday attacked by a mob and his car vandalised after he came out of a temple with Dalit leaders in Chakrata, 180 kilometres from Dehradun.

The mob attacked Vijay and the Dalit leaders apparently for visiting the temple where entrance of persons belonging to backward castes is prohibited.
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10:41   Encounter rages in Drugmulla village of north Kashmir
A gunfight broke out between government forces and a group of militants at Drugmulla area of north Kashmirs Kupwara district on Saturday.

A senior police officer told Srinagar based news agency Global News Service that SOG, armys 47 RR and CRPF cordoned off the Check Drugmulla area following specific information about the presence of some militants.

The forces, as such, intensified the cordon-and-search operation and fired several warning shots towards the suspected spot, the officer said, adding that the militants hiding inside the house opened fire, triggering off an encounter.
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10:41   Severe thunderstorm lash Shimla, surrounding areas
Shimla and surrounding areas were lashed by severe thunderstorm this evening, disrupting normal life.
The thunderstorm followed by showers uprooted trees and disrupted power supply and several parts of the town remained without power for nearly three hours.

The power supply was also hit in Parwanoo which received sharp showers.
Dark convective clouds overcast the sky in Shimla, reducing visibility to few meters and vehicles had move at slow pace with head lights on even during the day.

The rains provided some relief from scorching heat as mercury dropped by few notches after the storm and mild rains. 

Una was hottest in the region with a high of 42.0 degree, while Sundernagar and Bhuntar recorded maximum temperatures at 36.5 degree and 36.2 degree, followed by Nahan 34.0 degree, Dharamshala 33.8 degree, Solan 32.6 degree, Shimla 27.6 degree, Manali 26.0 degree and Kalpa 25.6 degree C. 
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10:10   Armed man outside White House shot at by Secret Service
An armed man was shot at and critically injured by the US Secret Service outside the White House even as the official residence of the American President was put on lockdown for over an hour.
The incident took place at around 3.06 PM (local time) yesterday when an 'adult male', carrying a firearm, approached an outer perimeter checkpoint accessible to the general public on E Street near the White House, the Secret Service said. 

The Secret Service agents on duty gave numerous verbal commands for the accused to stop and drop the firearm.

"When he failed to comply with the verbal commands, he was shot once by a Secret Service agent and taken into custody," said David A Iacovetti, Deputy Assistant Director Office of Government and Public Affairs, United States Secret Service.
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10:05   Congolese national beaten to death in Delhi
A 23-year-old Congolese national was allegedly beaten to death by a group of men in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area, police said today.
The incident took place around 11.45 PM yesterday when the man, M T Olivia had a heated argument with a group of three persons at Kishangadh locality in Vasant Kunj.

Following the argument, the group pounced on Olivia, and as he tried to escape, they chased him for around 20-25 metres and attacked him again with stones. 

"A case of murder has been registered. We are checking CCTV footage to identify the accused," additional DCP (South) Nupur Prasad said.
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09:48   Nation remembers Rajiv Gandhi on 25th death anniversary
The nation on Saturday remembered former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 25th death anniversary as several leaders paid homage at Veer Bhumi memorial here.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi accompanied by her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi, daughter Priyanka Gandhi and son-in-law Robert Vadra paid homage to late Rajiv Gandhi.

President Pranab Mukherjee, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and a number of Congress party leaders also paid tributes to the former youngest prime minister of India.

Rajiv, who was the sixth and youngest prime minister of India, was assassinated on May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu during a poll campaign. 
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03:44   Ammonia gas leakage in Kochi contained
After nearly a five-hour-long hectic efforts by experts, the ammonia gas leakage from a barge, which spread panic among the people in Champakkara area near Kochi, was contained, district administration sources said.

The leakage was contained following hectic efforts by experts from various fields, they said. Earlier several families living in the 2 km radius site of the incident were evacuated to safer places by the district administration as a precautionary measure.

Over 10 people, who complained of breathing problem, nausea and irritation in the eye after breathing the gas, have been admitted to District Hospital here.

However, their condition was not serious, they said. The barge carried over 90 tonnes of ammonia and it started leaking at around 6.30 pm when it was passing through a canal.

The gas was being taken to the Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited  in Eloor from Willingdon Islands here through the canal. Ernakulam district authorities including police, fire force, medical teams and officials from the Disaster Management Authority have been pressed into service to assist people affected by the leakage.
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02:07   White House on lockdown lifted
The lockdown has been lifted from the White House. However, tourists are not allowed anywhere near the White House and the security has been heightened.Traffic is being diverted

US media reported that Secret Service shot a man who had a weapon near the White House. That man did not disarm when asked to.
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01:37  
President Obama was golfing at Joint Base Andrews when the shooting incident occurred at the White House. Lockdown continues at the site.
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01:33  
JUST IN: One person shot and taken to hospital from the White House. Conflicting reports coming in about whether the casualty is a Secret Service officer or suspect.
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01:22   White House on lockdown after shots fired one block away
JUST IN: United States President Barack Obama is not in the White House as per media reports.

The media briefing room is on lockdown.

There are reports of shooting at West Executive drive.

The US media is reporting that one person has been shot near the White House.

Police helicopters have reached at the White House.
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01:12   Security alert at White House after shots fired one block away
A security alert has been sounded at the White House and the US Presidential residence is on lockdown after shots were fired one block away.

More details awaited.
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00:55   '4.11 lakh people affected due to Roanu cyclone'
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister N Chinnarajappa today said around 11.4 lakh people were affected by 'Roanu' cyclone in the East Godavari district.

"Crops in 9,360 hectares were damaged due to rains, which have been lashing the district for the last two days. 304 villages in 33 mandals of the district are affected by the cyclone," he said.

According to Chinnarajappa, while eight houses were damaged another 19 were partially damaged. Officials said rainfall of 117 mm was recorded in the district till 6 pm today.

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