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Tue, 01 November 2016
Government not to meddle in Tata-Mistry spat, for now

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21:12   Government not to meddle in Tata-Mistry spat, for now
Ousted Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry has sought an appointment with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who also heads the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, but the government has decided to stay clear of the boardroom tussle in India's largest conglomerate, for now.

Mistry, the first non-family chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, who was unceremoniously removed from his position last month, has sought an audience with Jaitley possibly to explain his side of the story. 

But the finance minister has for now decided not to meet either side as the government does not want to be seen getting embroiled in the Tata Group turmoil, a senior government official said.

Ratan Tata, Mistry's predecessor, who was brought in as his replacement in the interim period, has so far not sought an appointment with Jaitley even though there are reports that the two had sought time to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The official said the government will not suo motu get involved in the turmoil at the Bombay House, the seat of the $100 billion (around Rs 6.67 lakh crore) salt-to-software conglomerate. Ministers, he said, are unlikely to meet either side till the matter reaches the National Company Law Tribunal or any other judicial forum because then it will be a legal battle with the government having practically no role to play. The government does not want to give an impression of siding with either party, the official added.
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20:44  
NDTV: Election strategist Prashant Kishor meets Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh in Delhi
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19:43   Rajnath reviews Indo-Pak border situation with Parrikar, NSA
With cross-border firing escalating, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today reviewed the situation along the Indo-Pak border where eight civilians were killed and 22 injured due to Pakistani shelling and two Pakistani soldiers killed after Indian forces retaliated. 

The meeting, attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag and other top officials, took stock of the situation along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

The top security brass briefed the Home Minister and the defence minister the steps taken to counter firing by Pakistani forces, official sources.

Since early morning, Pakistan troops resorted to heavy shelling of hamlets and military posts in Samba, Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts along the IB and the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani troops used heavy calibre weapons like 120 mm and 82 mm mortar bombs, army said. 

The Border Security Force, deployed along the IB, today said it had destroyed 14 posts of Pakistani Rangers in retaliatory action in Ramgarh and Arnia sectors of Jammu frontier. 

Army sources also said two Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliatory firing along LoC opposite to Naushera sector of Rajouri district today.
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19:25   BSF says it destroyed 14 posts of Pak Rangers
BSF today said it had destroyed today 14 posts of Pakistani Rangers in retaliatory action along International Border (IB) in Ramgarh and Arnia sectors of Jammu frontier. 

Eight people were died, mostly children and women, were killed and 22 injured when Pakistan troops resorted to heavy shelling on border hamlets and military posts with 82 and 120 mm mortar bombs along the IB and LoC in Samba, Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir today.

"BSF gave a calibrated retaliation on IB in response to unprovoked firing and shelling of Pakistan Rangers in area of Ramgarh and Arnia Sectors since morning," its DIG Dharmendra Pareek said.

"Since morning, BSF targeted Pakistan Rangers' posts across IB in the same sector and caused heavy damage to 14 Pakistani Posts," he said.
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19:02   Arnab Goswami resigns from Times Now: Report
Arnab Goswami has resigned from his position at Times Now, a media report said on Tuesday.

Arnab was the Editor-in-Chief and President, News, of Times Now and ET Now

According to The News Minute, Arnab announced at an editorial meeting that he has resigned. He told his team that he will start something on his own. Multiple sources in Times Now have confirmed this to TNM. 

He told the editorial team that he believes in the media, and that he will continue in television. 

Read more HERE

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18:50  
Indian Deputy High Commissioner summoned by Pakistan to lodge strong protest over ceasefire violations.
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18:48   SIMI jailbreak case: NHRC sends notice to MP govt, DGP
The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to Madhya Pradesh government, police and prison authorities over the killing of eight SIMI activists in an alleged encounter after they had fled from a jail in Bhopal. 

The Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report on the case and observed that it has always been "concerned" about deaths in police and judicial custody as well as in police action.

The NHRC has issued notices to the state's Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and the Director General and Inspector General of state prison department, and sought detailed reports in six weeks.

Eight SIMI activists pulled off a daring prison break and escaped in the wee hours yesterday after killing a security guard at the Bhopal Central Jail. Within hours, they were hunted down and killed in an alleged police encounter on the city outskirts.
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17:37   Imran calls off Islamabad lockdown plans
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan today called off Wednesday's anti-government protest and instead announced celebrations after the Supreme Court ordered a probe against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family over the Panama Papers scandal.

PTI chairman Khan had threatened to lockdown the capital by mobilising a million supporters to force Sharif to step down over corruption allegations against him and his family. 

Khan, 64, said outside his Bani Gala residence in Islamabad that it time to "celebrate victory and offer thanks".

"Go home and rest," cricketer-turned-politician Khan told about 300 supporters who had been camping outside his residence.

He asked them to return to Islamabad on Wednesday to celebrate thanksgiving at the Parade Ground in the capital. 

"I am elated that the investigation into Nawaz Sharif's (alleged corruption) will begin day after tomorrow," he said. 

The Supreme Court had set November 3 as date of hearing in the case.
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17:29   S Ramadorai to be next Tata Sons chairman?
S Ramadorai, the former vice chairman of Tata Consultancy Services, has reportedly quit as the head of the National Skill Development Corporation and National Skill Development Agency.

Ramadorai is rumoured to be heading to Tata Sons as its new chairman, Economic Times reported.

He recently retired as the vice-chairman of Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, a company he was associated with for 42 years. He took charge as CEO in 1996 when the company's revenues were at $155 million and since then led the company through some of its most exciting phases, including its going public in 2004. 

According to PTI, NSDC board is likely to meet on Wednesday to discuss the road map following his resignation. Vice Chairman Rohit Nandan has stepped in as interim chairman.

His role with NSDC was a cabinet position which he took on in 2013. 
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17:23  
Madhya Pradesh: Special Task Force chief Sudhir Shahi removed, Dr SW Naqvi to be the new STF chief
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17:22  
Hockey coach Roelant Oltmans' contract extended till 2020 Olympics
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16:28   All Docomo deal decisions had Tata Sons board approval: Mistry
Former Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry on Tuesday refuted the allegations that he took decisions on the NTT Docomo deal on his own. He said all decisions related to the deal had been taken with the unanimous approval of the Tata Sons board. 

"All decisions were collective decisions and the actions were consistent with every such collective decision. To suggest I acted on my own or without knowledge and/or concurrence of Ratan Tata on Docomo deal false and mischievous," Mistry said.

Mistry said that he kept in loop interim chairman Ratan Tata and Tata trustee NA Soonawala on the litigation with NTT Docomo over the latters exit from their loss-making joint venture Tata Teleservices Ltd.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Mistrys offices said both Tata and Soonawala participated in the meeting with the legal counsel (who also happened to be a trustee of the Dorabji Tata trust) and who represented Tatas in the litigation. "At all times Ratan Tata and Soonawala concurred and approved the course of action adopted by Tatas and as advised by legal counsel," said Mistry.

Read more HERE

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16:24  
Pak SC orders probe against PM Nawaz Sharif in Panama Papers scandal
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15:04   Gautami announces separation from Kamal Haasan
In one of the most high profile splits in Tamil cinema, actress Gautami Tadimalla on Tueday, announced she was separating from veteran star Kamal Haasan, terming it as "one of the most devastating decisions that I have ever had to make in my life."

"It is heartbreaking for me to have to say today that I and Mr Haasan are no longer together. After almost 13 years together, it has been one of the most devastating decisions that I have ever had to make in my life," she wrote in a blog whose link she later posted on her Twitter page.

Gautami, who starred opposite Haasan in films like Aboorva Sagotharargal, Thevar Magan and the recent Papanasam, said it was not an easy decision for her.

A cancer survivor, the actress said, "It is never easy for anyone in a committed relationship to realise that their paths have irreversibly diverged and that the only choices in front of them are to either compromise with their dreams for life or to accept the truth of their solitude and move ahead. It has taken me a very long time, a couple of years at the very least, to accept this heartbreaking truth and come to this decision."
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14:58  
India Today is reporting that near the spot where the alleged encounter of SIMI suspects happened, villagers are saying that police is confiscating their mobiles are being confiscated, checked for videos & pics.
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14:56   Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly quits
Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly has quit the company after spending four years at the popular microblogging website.

He made the announcement on Twitter itself by writing: "Today, after 4 years of user/business momentum in India & the region, I'm sharing my intention to move on to new opportunities, same mission." 

Jaitly, who played a key role in expanding the company's operations in India, further said leading Twitter India and expanding @TwitterMedia across Asia Pacific and Middle East was "leadership experience of a lifetime". 

While he did not disclose his next destination, he said "a personal/civic calling takes me to Chicago, I'll spend significant time in India/Asia, drawing on my past to further tech's promise". 

The former Google executive added that he intends to devote himself to "building bridges in service of my mission". 

Jaitly has also been associated with Knight Foundation and College Summit and was co-founder and CEO of Michigan Corps.
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14:51   TATA: N S Rajan resigns from Indian Hotels post
Days after quiting as the Tata Group's HR head, N S Rajan has now resigned as a non-executive director of its hospitality arm Indian Hotels Company Ltd with effect from October 28. 

"We wish to inform you that Dr N S Rajan has resigned as a Non-Executive Director of the Company with effect from October 28, 2016," Indian Hotels Company said in a BSE filing on Tuesday. 

Last week, Rajan had stepped down as the chief of human resources (CHRO) of Tata Group. Rajan was one of the members of the now disbanded Group Executive Council set up by ousted Tata Sons' chairman Cyrus Mistry.

Read more HERE 

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14:40  
Kerala: Explosion in a car parked in Malappuram collectorate premises. Bomb squad and dog squad at the spot.
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14:16   Pak suspends Nickelodeon's licence for airing Indian content
Pakistan's media regulatory authority has suspended the licence of US-based Nickelodeon channel for airing cartoons dubbed in Hindi, days after it decided to enforce a complete ban on Indian TV and radio contents amid Indo-Pak tensions. 

The electronic media watchdog announced that the licence was suspended over violation of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) directives, the Dawn newspaper reported along with a copy of the statement. 

The authority had announced on October 19 that any satellite channel or those with landing rights would face bans over screening of Indian content, in order to enforce a complete ban on Indian TV and radio contents. 

The statement issued by PEMRA yesterday said that all distribution networks have been informed about the suspension of Nickelodeon channels. The decision will come into effect immediately, the report said. ARY Communications is the channel's landing rights holder in Pakistan.
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13:52   Need more time on 5th-gen fighter jet, India tells Russia
In the latest round of India-Russia military talks, New Delhi has told Moscow that it will need more time to examine the proposal to jointly develop the fifth generation fighter aircraft.

The FGFA, which is under development, is very much a future requirement for the Indian Air Force upgrade programme, the Russian side was conveyed last week at a meeting between Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu in New Delhi.

New Delhi has told Moscow that it wants a new engine and the plane must have super cruise ability, a 360-degree radar ability, added stealth features among 40-odd other India-specific modifications over the existing prototype. 

Read more HERE
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13:42   2 more civilians killed in Pak shelling; total 6 in one day
Two more civilians killed in Pak shelling in Ramgarh sector in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba sector.

This takes the total number of civilian deaths due to ceasefire violations by Pakistan on Tuesday to six.

Security expert Nitin Gokhale tweets: "India must consider carefully whether it should continue with the charade of a ceasefire on the LoC."
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13:39   Political crisis in Pakistan affecting Kashmir cause: Hafiz Saeed
Pakistan appears to be on throes of a leadership crisis, especially when it comes to defining the relationship between the civilian administration and the military top brass.

At least this seems to be the case if one were to go by Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed's fervent appeal to the government and the opposition to mend fences and work for the unity of Pakistan.

Saeed, according to the Dawn, has urged ruling and opposition parties to resolve all their issues through talks and avoid becoming tools of international forces who only want both to ignite a crisis in Pakistan.

"Just a few days after the Quetta attack, which has left our scores of policemen dead, the country has plunged into a political crisis," he was quoted as saying.

Saeed alleged that India is behind this political crisis in Pakistan to prevent Islamabad from raising the Kashmir issue.

He lamented that as far as Pakistan is concerned the Kashmir issue has disappeared from the national scene.
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13:23   Why do only Muslims break out of jail and not Hindus: Digvijay
Questioning the authenticity of the encounter video after eight SIMI terrorists escaped from a high-security prison in Bhopal, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday wondered as to what is the reason that only Muslims break out of jail and not Hindus while stating that he was against all those playing politics in the name of religion.

The Congress general secretary stated that he had put ban on the SIMI when he was the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.

"I was the first Chief Minister to put ban on the SIMI. Rajnath Singh was then the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh...he did not put the ban. Other controvertist Hindu organisations like the Bajrang Dal along with the SIMI used to ensure that riots take place. I had proofs and based on that the NDA put the ban on SIMI," he told ANI in an exclusive conversation.

"I don't have love either for SIMI or Bajrang Dal. I am against all those who create ruckus and play politics in the name of religion. Owaisi ji is also included in that," he added.

The Congress leader stated that the cases of the SIMI terrorists were taken back in 2011 during the BJP's rule in Madhya Pradesh.

"Some SIMI terrorists escaped from jail in Khandwa in 2013. In 2014, the Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary was informed that they may attempt to run away from the jail. On October 31, 2016, eight SIMI terrorists ran away from jail. Now, what is the reason that only Muslims break out of jail and not Hindus," he added.
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12:42   Shivraj condemns 'vote-bank politics' over SIMI men's killings
Launching a scathing attack on the opposition over the Bhopal encounter in which 8 SIMI undertrials were shot dead after escaping from jail, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said some leaders were doing vote-bank politics which is highly condemnable. 

"He tried to stop the terrorists from escaping and sacrificed his life. He was a hard-working security guard. He sacrificed his life while fulfilling his duties. His daughter's marriage is in December. The family's pain can be guessed. His daughter is now the daughter of the entire nation. The entire nation, especially the government, will consider this family," Chouhan told the media after meeting the family members of security guard Ramashankar Yadav, who was killed in the Bhopal jailbreak.

"I don't know what sort of political mudslinging has begun. Some leaders of our nation cannot see the martyrdom of our soldiers. Some people are doing vote-bank politics on this matter which is highly condemnable. One must refrain from doing this," he added.

Escalating his attack on the opposition, Chouhan said it was extremely unfortunate that the leaders do not utter a word about the martyrdom of the soldiers.

"Shame on such politics and shame on such leaders. For us, the nation is our first priority," he added.

Chouhan also announced Rs 10 lakh as compensation to slain security guard Ramashankar Yadav's family, besides Rs 5 lakh for his daughter's marriage and renamed the colony in his name.

Eight terrorists of the banned group SIMI, who escaped from the Bhopal Central Jail after killing a guard, were gunned down in an encounter by the state police on Monday.
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12:25   4 TN fishermen arrested by Lankan navy off Katchathivu
Four Tamil Nadu fishermen were attested today by Sri Lankan Navy personnel when they were fishing near Katchathivu, on charges of fishing in their territorial waters. 

The arrested fishermen have been taken to Jaffna, the Fishermen's Association president Sagayam said.
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12:14   20 still trapped in China's coal mine after explosion
Rescuers were racing against time to save 20 workers who were trapped after an explosion rocked a coal mine near China's Chongqing city, killing at least 13 miners. 

The State-run Xinhua news agency had last night reported that 15 workers had been killed but revised the toll today to 13 with 20 still missing. 

Rescuers were working around the clock to search for 20 miners who are still trapped in the colliery in southwest Chongqing municipality since nearly 24 hours following a gas explosion, the report said.

Altogether 33 miners were stranded in a pit of Jinshangou coal mine in Yongchuan district after an explosion went off at 11:33 am yesterday.

As of midnight, rescuers had retrieved 13 dead bodies, but the remaining 20 were still unaccounted for, Chongqing's deputy mayor Mu Huaping told a press briefing.
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12:02   Clinton leads Trump by 3.1 pc
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is leading her Republican rival Donald Trump by 3.1 percentage points in the average of polls. 

According to RealClearPolitics, which keeps track of all major polls, Trump is trailing Clinton by 3.1 percentage in an average of polls. 

However, in the Bing average of national polls, Clinton is leading by five points. Clinton has 82 per cent chances of winning elections, as per Bing political predictions.

Polls have been tightening after last week's decision by the FBI to reopen its investigation into Clinton's alleged email scandal. 


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11:47   It's no-tobacco day in Punjab today
To reduce the prevalence of tobacco and nicotine use and to prevent the spread of non-communicable disease, the government of Punjab is observing Tuesday as 'No Tobacco Day'.

State Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani said the aim of this campaign was to reduce tobacco and nicotine use in Punjab so as to reduce the prevalence of diseases like cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

He also said that the sale of loose cigarettes, tobacco and e-cigarettes is banned in Punjab.

According to a study carried out by the web site alcoholrehab.com, the extent of drug addiction in Punjab is alarming. Near the border areas of the state, the rate of heroin abuse among 15 to 25 year olds is as high as 75 percent -- the figure is 73 pc in other rural areas throughout the region.
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11:34   Desi Girl turns Bad Girl in 'Baywatch' glimpse
No one imagined how Desi Girl Priyanka Chopra would look as a villain in her Hollywood debut Baywatch.

Clearing the doubts of many, the Mary Kom star has given us a sneak-peak of her villainous character in a Halloween special poster of the film, which proves that she is the ultimate baddie. 

The 34-year-old star took to Instagram and shared the first look with the caption, "I'm watching you... #BooWatch #BeBad ... Happy Halloween, everyone! @baywatchmovie".  

She is seen wearing a black one-shoulder, high slit gown and also sports bat wings and devil horns in the poster. The blood dripping from the side of her lips and a gun strapped on one of her thighs makes her look every bit like her bad girl character of Victoria Leeds from the film.  

The Barfi actress will be seen opposite Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron in Baywatch, which releases on May 19, 2017.
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11:18   Terror threat from Pakistan to its people, outside: Pentagon
The Pentagon has warned that there continues to be a terror threat from within Pakistan to the Pakistani people and to outside, even as it acknowledged that "more can be done" to address the issue.

"Focusing on counter-terrorism has been a big part of our ongoing conversations with Pakistan and will continue to be a major focus of our efforts with Pakistan," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told reporters. 

"We believe that there continues to be a terrorist threat within Pakistan against the Pakistani people and also posing a threat outside of Pakistan and we continue to work closely with the Pakistan government to try and address it," he said in response to a question. 

"We think there's more that can be done and this is something that will continue to be a major focus," he added.

Cook said the United States continues to have regular communication with its Pakistani counterparts on the safety and security of nuclear weapons. 

He said the US was watching the situation and the region closely.
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11:15   Pak may pull out 4 high commission staffers from India
Pakistan is considering pulling out from India four officers posted at its high commission in New Delhi, days after India declared one Pakistani official persona non-grata for espionage activities, a media report said today.

"This is under consideration. A final decision would be taken shortly," a source at the foreign office was quoted as saying by Dawn News

The names of the officers -- commercial counsellor Syed Furrukh Habib and first secretaries Khadim Hussain, Mudassir Cheema and Shahid Iqbal -- were made public after a recorded statement of high commission staffer Mehmood Akhtar was released to the media, the report said. 

Akhtar was expelled from India after being declared 'persona non-grata'. Akhtar told Dawn News that he had given the statement under duress.
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11:06   Spurned youth hacks teenager to death in Maharashtra
A spurned lover allegedly axed a teenage girl to death in tribal Jawhar taluka in Maharashtra, the police said today 

The incident took place yesterday when the accused, 19-year-old Nilesh Kharpada, who was in love with the 14-year-old victim, found her walking alone along the Saivan road near Kharvada village and attacked her.

Both the accused and the victim are residents of Tilonda village in the taluka. 

According to the police, the accused made advances towards the girl but she turned him down. Annoyed, he fatally attacked her. 

The girl's body has been sent for postmortem to the government hospital. An offence under section 302 of the IPC has been registered and a hunt is on for the alleged accused, the police added.
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10:50   Deepika slays it with her latest look in 'xXx'
Deepika Padukone is killing us with her Serena looks every time she gives us a glimpse of her character in Hollywood flick xXx: Return of Xander Cage.

Holding a gun and prepping up for some action, the dimpled actress recently took to Instagram to share her new look in the film and captioned it as "#serena #girls #guns #globaldomination #xxxreturnofxandercage #january2017 #coming soon."

The 30-year old actress also shared a new teaser of the third installment in the xXx franchise starring Vin Diesel in the lead.

The short clip gives us a sneak-peak of Padukone's deadly character, Serena Unger, a 'highly classified XXX operative from India who is as sharp as a knife'.

Directed by DJ Caruso, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage hits theatres on January 19, 2017.
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10:13   Bhai Dooj treat: Free travel for Delhi women in all DTC buses
On the occasion of Bhai Dooj, the Delhi Government on Tuesday announced free travel for women and girls throughout the day on all Delhi Transport Corporation buses.

Delhi Transport Minister Satyendar Jain announced that all AC, non-AC and cluster buses will provide free travel facility.

Jain said the decision has been taken to allow women and girls to travel without any hassle throughout the day to meet their family members and celebrate Bhai Dooj. He said all necessary formalities have been completed in this regard and relevant orders issued to the concerned officials for implementation.

On the day of the festival, sisters invite their brothers for a lavish meal often including their favourite dishes. The whole ceremony signifies the duty of a brother to protect his sister, as well as a sister's blessings for her brother.
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09:55   Karnataka turns 60! PM tweets Rajyotsava wishes
Karnataka is celebrating the 60th anniversary of state formation day on Tuesday.

This was the day in 1956 when all the Kannada language-speaking regions of South India were merged to form the state of Karnataka. 

"My greetings to the people of Karnataka on the auspicious occasion of the state of Karnataka Rajyotsava," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.

Known as Rajyotsava Day, it is customary on this day to take pride in the promotion of the language, literature, culture and traditions of the state and also to honour eminent persons from various fields who hail from Karnataka.

The state government has announced Rajyotsava Awards to 61 eminent personalities to be presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru today. The state information department tableaus on greatness of Karnataka will tour of the entire state starting from today.
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09:39  
19-year-old girl killed in firing by Pakistan in Ramgarh sector of Samba district, Jammu and Kashmir, reports ANI
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09:39   'Die Hard' man jazzes it up at NYC music concert
Hollywood star Bruce Willis performed at a jazz benefit concert in honour of blues legend Dr John.

The Die Hard star showed off his musical talents at the Jazz Foundation of America's annual show, held at New York's Apollo Theater, in honour of Dr John and McCoy Tyner, reported Contactmusic

Willis served as back-up on the harmonica for blues veteran Henry Gray as he played the piano, while the Hollywood action man later took over the microphone to sing the blues with a cover of Roomful of Blues' She'll Be So Fine

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09:35   Did Rolls Royce pay 10m pound bribe for India's Hawk engine deal?
British defence major Rolls Royce made 'secret payments' of around 10 million pounds to an Indian defence agent that may have helped the company to win a big contract for engines on Hawk aircraft used by the Indian Air Force, a media report said today. 

The person who is alleged to have received the secret payment of over 10 million pounds was arms dealer Sudhir Choudhrie, the BBC reported.

The arms dealer, who is on the Indian government's blacklist of people suspected of "corrupt or irregular practice" is now settled in London. The blacklist warns government officials and ministers to be extra cautious while dealing with people and companies on the list. 

The report also quoted Choudhrie's lawyer as saying that his client has never paid bribes to Indian government officials or acted as an illegal middleman in defence deals. 

Choudhrie also serves as an adviser on India to Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron and his family. 

Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce said it was "fully co-operating with the authorities" and "cannot comment on ongoing investigations". Hawk aircraft are used by the Indian Air Force for training purposes.
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09:35   Clinton challenges FBI, declaring, 'There's no case here'
Hillary Clinton has forcefully challenged the FBI's new email inquiry, declaring during a campaign rally in battleground Ohio, "There's no case here." 

Clinton's comments on Monday were her most pointed yet on the subject, and they underscored her campaign's decision to fight back aggressively against FBI Director James Comey. 

On Friday just over a week from Election Day Comey alerted Congress that the FBI has obtained new material that may be related to its dormant investigation into whether classified information passed through Clinton's private email server while she served as secretary of state.

The FBI plans to review the emails to see if they contain classified information and if so, whether they were handled properly. The Justice Department said yesterday it would "dedicate all necessary resources" to concluding the review promptly. 

Clinton accused the FBI of having jumped into the election "with no evidence of any wrongdoing with just days to go." She said that if the bureau wants to look at the emails, which appear tied to her longtime aide Huma Abedin, "by all means, they should look at them." 

But she insisted the FBI would reach the same conclusion it did earlier this year, when it declined to recommend Clinton and her advisers face charges for how they handled classified information.
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09:30   Two of killed SIMI undertrials were wanted by TN police
Two of the SIMI activists, among the eight killed in an encounter near Bhopal, were wanted by Tamil Nadu police in connection with the 2014 train blast case in Chennai and warrants obtained for bringing them to the city remained pending due to concerns that they might escape in transit. 

Sources in CB-CID, which investigated the May 1, 2014, blasts on a Bengaluru-Guwahati train at the Chennai Central station which killed a young software engineer, said the Madhya Pradesh police were apprehensive that the duo might escape if they were sent to Chennai.

Out of the three accused in the case, Aijajudeen was killed in an encounter by police on April 4, 2015, at Suryapet in Telangana and the remaining two -- Zakir Hussain and Mehboob -- were killed in Monday's encounter. Their death virtually brings the curtains down on the case.
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09:21   3 civilians injured in Pak shelling in Jammu
Pakistan violates ceasefire by resorting to mortar shelling in Ramgarh, Arnia and Naushera sectors along the International Border and LoC.
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09:18   Coming soon! Central policy to address alcoholism
The Centre is working on the formulation of a national policy to address the emerging challenge of alcohol dependency in the country, especially among youth.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the policy will follow the same approach as it is being used in cases of drug de-addiction, a source said.

The proposed policy is being developed by the social justice ministry specifically to tackle the problem of alcohol dependence, a psychiatric disorder in which an individual is physically or psychologically dependent upon drinking alcohol. 

As of now, deliberations are on with various stakeholders to formulate a comprehensive policy which addresses the challenges of alcoholism and alcohol abuse cases, the source said.
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09:15   Kejriwal will appear in Amritsar court today
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will appear before the district court in Amritsar today in connection with a defamation case filed by Punjab Minister Bikram Singh Majithia.

On May 20, Majithia had filed a criminal defamation case against Kejriwal and two other AAP leaders in the Amritsar court alleging that the AAP was bent upon tarnishing his and his family's image by levelling baseless allegations on the drug issue. 

Besides Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh and Ashish Khaitan were also named in the case which accuses them of "tarnishing" the reputation of Majithia and his family members by levelling "false, baseless and malicious charges".
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09:12   Rural Kerala hits a milestone, gets ODF tag today
In a milestone, rural Kerala is all set to be declared 'Open Defecation Free' today, state Local Administration Minister K T Jaleel said.

"We completed the construction of about 1.75 lakh toilets  in the last two months in rural areas," he told reporters. 

The rural ODF programme by the Suchitwa Mission, the state's nodal agency for sanitation, would benefit 1.75 lakh families across the state, Jaleel said. 

The programme got a boost after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, heading the CPI-M led LDF government, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Vijayan would make the declaration in the presence of Union Minister for Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation and Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar, at a function to be held in state capital Thiruvananthapuram today.
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09:06   Digvijaya questions killings of 8 SIMI undertrials
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh today allehas ged that the Madhya Pradesh police killed the 8 SIMI activists who escaped from the high security Bhopal Central jail in an encounter as it feared they would make some revelations.

In a series of tweets in Hindi, the Congress general secretary also pitched for a court-monitored NIA probe into the incident as also a judicial inquiry into the functioning of the jail.

The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister wondered as to how only jail inmates associated with SIMI escape and alleged that the eight have been gunned down by the Madhya Pradesh police. 

He sought to know whether the SIMI activists were armed. "If all had been caught alive they would have given information about the whole incident, but would have also revealed the sequence of events. Perhaps, that is why they were gunned down," Singh claimed.
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09:04   Gangotri temple shuts for winter, to reopen in May
The sacred portals of the Gangotri shrine in the Garhwal Himalayas were ceremoniously closed on Monday for the winter and will remain so till May.  

The shrine closed on the occasion of Annakoot festival amid chanting of vedic hymns. The idol of the goddess Ganga was taken in a colourful palanquin to Mukhwa village through Bhairoghat, Gangotri Shrine Samiti chief Mukesh Semwal said.         

"For the next six-months the goddess will be worshipped at the village," he said, adding on Diwali pilgrims thronged the temple to be part of the closing ceremony.         

The temple is located at 3,415 metres above sea level and is one of the four famous Himalayan shrines of Uttarakhand.         

Called the 'chardham', it becomes snowbound during the peak winter months and closes either in October or November every year.         

"The temple reopens for devotees in the month of May after the snow melts and the roads are cleared," Semwal said. 

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