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Wed, 05 October 2016
3rd Test: Shardul Thakur replaces injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar

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23:40   3rd Test: Shardul Thakur replaces injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar
The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named medium pacer Shardul Thakur as the replacement for injured pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the Indian Team.

Kumar has been ruled out of the third Test of the Paytm Test series against New Zealand after he sustained a back strain in the second Test at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
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23:37   Paris climate pact to enter into force in 30 days: UN
The landmark Paris climate deal, ratified so far by 72 countries accounting for more than 56 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, will enter into force in 30 days, the UN's climate body said Wednesday.

"On October 5, 2016, the threshold for entry into force of the Paris Agreement has been achieved," the UNFCCC announced on its website.
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23:10   Skull image of Hurricane Matthew spooks the Internet
CNN reports: Hurricane Matthew is a monster storm. Now it has a monster image to match.

A sinister image of Hurricane Matthew, resembling a human skull, has lit up the Internet. The creepy satellite photo was posted Tuesday by Weather Channel senior meteorologist Stu Ostro as the hurricane made landfall in Haiti.

The image shows the hurricane through an infrared camera lens. It's been tweaked to show the storm in apocalyptic colors that accentuate the hurricane's eye and make its teeth look like the comic book character Ghost Rider or the Grinch, some Twitter users suggested.

It's creepy, but in a nutshell, CNN meteorologist Judson Jones explains that "basically, scientists use color tables to identify the strongest part of the storm."
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23:01   2 Brussels policemen stabbed in possible terrorist attack
Two police officers were stabbed in Brussels on Wednesday in what prosecutors said could have been a terrorist attack.

Brussels is on high alert after bombings in March killed 32 people at the city's airport and in a subway carriage.

According to public broadcaster VRT, one officer was stabbed in the neck and another in the stomach. The attacker then broke the nose of a third policeman who had arrived on the scene.

The attacker, identified as 43-year-old Belgian Hicham D, was shot in the leg and taken away by ambulance, prosecutors said in a statement, adding that the police officers' wounds were not life-threatening.
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23:01   2 Brussels policemen stabbed in possible terrorist attack
Two police officers were stabbed in Brussels on Wednesday in what prosecutors said could have been a terrorist attack.

Brussels is on high alert after bombings in March killed 32 people at the city's airport and in a subway carriage.

According to public broadcaster VRT, one officer was stabbed in the neck and another in the stomach. The attacker then broke the nose of a third policeman who had arrived on the scene.

The attacker, identified as 43-year-old Belgian Hicham D, was shot in the leg and taken away by ambulance, prosecutors said in a statement, adding that the police officers' wounds were not life-threatening.
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22:58   NSA contractor arrested for alleged theft of top secret info
The FBI has arrested a National Security Agency contractor on suspicion of the theft of top secret classified data and documents in an alleged security breach at the same intelligence agency whose spy secrets were exposed by Edward Snowden.

Disclosure of the documents stolen "could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security of the US", claimed the Justice Department in a press release giving details of the criminal complaint against Harold Thomas Martin III, 51, of Glen Burnie, Maryland.

He was charged with theft of government property and unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials by a government employee or contractor, and, it emerged on Wednesday, has been in detention since a court appearance on 29 August.
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22:46   Clinton holds 41-point lead over Trump among Asian-American voters: Poll
Hillary Clinton holds a 41-point lead over Donald Trump among Asian-American registered voters headed into November's presidential election, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The Fall 2016 National Asian American Survey, taken between Aug. 10 and September 29 in 11 different languages, found that 55 percent of registered voters intended to vote for Clinton compared to 14 percent for Trump. 

Eight percent intended to vote for a different candidate, and 16 percent had not yet decided, according to the survey. Seven percent of registered voters declined to give an answer.

In an attempt to woo Indian Americans in the run-up to the United States Presidential election on November 8, Republican candidate Donald Trump is set to interact with members of the community at the Humanity United Against Terrorism Charity Event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition in New Jersey on Saturday, October 15. Click HERE to read that story.

Read more HERE
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22:42   US postal service honours Diwali with a 'Forever Stamp'
The US Postal Service will on Wednesday commemorate the joyous Hindu festival of Diwali with a Forever stamp. 

The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony will take place at the Indian Consulate in New York.

The stamp design is a photograph featuring a traditional diya oil lamp beautifully lit, sitting on a sparkling gold background. Diya lamps are usually made from clay with cotton wicks dipped in a clarified butter or ghee. 

Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil. 

Diwali is a shortened version of the Sanskrit word Deepavali, which roughly translates as a necklace of lights. During Diwali, the flickering oil-wick diyas sprinkle the homes of observers around the world.
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22:07   Portugal's Antonio Guterres chosen as UN secretary general
The United Nations Security Council says Portugal's Antonio Guterres is its unanimous choice to be the UN's next secretary general.

None of the five Security Council veto powers voted against the former prime minister of Portugal in a sixth secret ballot on Wednesday, diplomats said.

"Today after our sixth straw poll we have a clear favourite and his name is Antonio Guterres," Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters with his 14 council colleagues standing behind him.

Guterres, who served as the UN's refugee chief until last December, led all five previous polls. 

"An agreement has been reached. UN Security Council members to elect me as new UN Secretary General. I'm honored and happy," Guterres tweeted.
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21:46   Saudi teen arrested for online flirting with US woman
When a teenager in Saudi Arabia began chatting up an American woman online, he first found fame and then notoriety before he was arrested over concerns that his clumsy cyber flirtation violated the kingdoms conservative norms.

The teenager, known only by his online name of Abu Sin, a reference to his crooked teeth, speaks almost no English. Christina Crockett, a 21-year-old vlogger from California, speaks no Arabic.

Even so, they managed to create goofy, light-hearted videos in which they appear fascinated by one another. The spectacle of the two trying to communicate attracted millions of viewers both inside the kingdom and abroad. As a result, Abu Sin shot to fame on the livestreaming site YouNow, receiving nearly 6.5 million views of his videos.

Read full story HERE.
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21:42   Surgical strike: Mirpur's SP confirms strike happened
A CNN News18 report based on disclosures by a senior Pakistani police official confirms that the strikes did indeed take place and killed at least five Pakistani soldiers and an unspecified number of militants.

A senior police official in PoK who, under the impression he was speaking to his superior, rattled off the events of that tumultuous night and confirmed every single claim made by the Indian army.

Ghulam Akbar, Superintendent of Police (Special Branch) of the Mirpur Range in PoK, is heard admitting that the surgical strikes had indeed taken place at many sectors on the early hours of September 29. 

During the call with Gupta, he clearly stated that the Pakistani Army was caught unawares by the Indian attack and lost 5 of its soldiers and that the bodies of unknown number of terrorists were quickly removed by the Pakistani military.

The full story can be read HERE.
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21:34   Ex-DGMO counters Congress' claims about past surgical strikes
Former Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen (Retd) Vinod Bhatia has stated that no surgical strikes took place during the previous United Progressive Alliance government. 

In a discussion with Doordarshan that can be seen HERE the former DGMO said that such strikes never happened in the past.

This statement contradicts the statement made by the Congress party on Tuesday.

"We are proud that even in the past our forces have successfully conducted such surgical strikes on numerous occasions, particularly on September 1, 2011, July 28, 2013 and January 14, 2014, giving a befitting reply to the enemy," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala while briefing media persons.
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21:34   42 more taluks declared drought-hit in Karnataka
The Karnataka government today declared an additional 42 taluks in 13 districts as drought affected, taking the total number of affected taluks in the state to 110.
"Considering various factors we have approved the  proposal to declare 42 more taluks as drought hit," state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said. 

Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting here, he said, "earlier 68 taluks were declared as drought hit, now  42, this will take the total number of taluks to 110".

"Of the 177 taluks in the state, 110 are now drought hit. There are chances of more taluks getting added to this list," he added.
Pointing out that there has also been incidents of excess rains and floods in Kalaburagi, Bidar and Raichur, Jayachandra said there are both incidents of floods and drought in the state and that officials had been directed to prepare memorandum to the Centre, seeking assistance.
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20:43   Pak violates ceasefire in four sectors
Pakistan troops today violated the border ceasefire four times as they resorted to heavy shelling and firing on Indian posts and civilian areas in
Poonch, Rajouri and Kupwara districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian troops retaliated to the firing which was still on.
"Pakistan troops resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violations in Sunderbani and Krishnagati sectors in Rajouri and Poonch district from 1700 hours and 1730 hours today," Defence PRO Manish Mehta said.
A senior army officer said ceasefire violations have also taken place in Mendhar sector of Poonch and Macchil sector of Kupwara.
There have been eight ceasefire violations since yesterday along LoC.
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19:36   2 policemen injured in Brussels stabbing in suspected terror attack
A knife-wielding assailant stabbed two policemen in a Brussels district known as a hotbed of jihadism on Wednesday as one of the Belgian capital's main train stations was briefly closed due to a bomb scare.

Police then shot the suspect in the leg and arrested the unnamed individual.

The assailant lunged for the officers in a busy main road in Schaerbeek, the neighbourhood of Brussels where the terrorists behind the airport and metro attacks of March 22 had set up their bomb making factory.

Several terror suspects linked to the Brussels blasts, in which 32 people were killed and around 300 injured, were based there, as were members of the commando behind the attacks in Paris last November, in which 130 died.

While the assailant said nothing during the attack, the Brussels federal prosecutor's office told La Libre Belgique that it had "reason to believe this was a terrorist attack" without providing further details. 

Read full story HERE.
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19:27   Mehbooba urges Modi to de-escalate tension with Pakistan
Amid strain in ties with Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him de-escalate tension along the border besides reach out to the people of the state with "tangible" confidence building measures to address their political, economic and developmental concerns.

During the meeting, the first after army carried out 'surgical strikes' on September 29 across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, the Chief Minister discussed with the Prime Minister the law and order situation and that prevailing along the border following soaring tension
in the region, a state government spokesman said. 

"The people in Kashmir have gone through enormous agony and pain and the time has come to reach out to them and apply a balm to their wounds through ample initiatives at political, economic and developmental levels," she told the prime minister.

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19:15   PM will decide whether to release strike video: MoS
Amid the raging debate over releasing the video of the Army-led cross-LoC surgical strikes, Union Minister Hansraj Ahir said in Mumbai on Wednesday that it was for the Prime Minister to decide whether the footage should be made public or not. 

"The PM will take a decision on whether to release the video handed over to the government by the army," he said. 

 "It is unfortunate to indulge in politics over the surgical strikes. This has maligned the image of the army," he said. 

To a question on efforts undertaken by the Central government to bring home Chandu Babulal Chavan, the 22-year-old soldier of the 37 Rashtriya Rifles captured by Pakistani forces, the Union Minister of State for Home said, "We are making all efforts to bring him back. We will definitely bring him back.  However, one cannot say how much time it will take."  
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19:07   BJP's UP unit to felicitate Parrikar for 'successful' strike
On a day PM Narendra Modi cautioned his ministers not to create hysteria over India's surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit is planning to accord a "warm reception" to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who is set to visit in Lucknow on Thursday.

"Parrikar, a Rajya Sabha member from the state, arrives in state capital tomorrow and party cadres will accord him a warm reception," a BJP spokesman said. "

The workers are upbeat after the success of the Indian Army and it is natural for them to express themselves by according a warm reception to all those connected with it, and the local unit has drawn up a grand welcome programme," the spokesman added.

Besides public reception at different spots on way to the party office from the airport in the afternoon, Parrikar would attend a reception at a school auditorium in the evening. He is expected to return to New Delhi later in the day.

BJP workers in the state capital have put up big hoardings thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Parrikar for "teaching a lesson to Pakistan."
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18:38   EC collaborates with Facebook to register young voters
In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, social networking site Facebook is partnering with the Election Commission of India in five states going to polls next year to run a voter registration drive aimed at encouraging youth to participate in the democratic exercise.

Facebook is collaborating with the Election Commission and the office of Chief electoral officers in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand for the first time in the country to run a voter registration drive, Chief Electoral Officer Radha Raturi said.

With over 155 million people in India on Facebook, the 'Register to vote' button is designed to encourage citizens across these five states to exercise their vote in the upcoming elections.

From October 6 to 9, Facebook users in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand who are 18 years and above will receive a reminder in their News Feed to register to vote. 

By clicking on the 'Register Now' button, people will be directed to the National Voters' Services Portal which will guide them through the registration process, Raturi said.

The feature will be available for people on Facebook in Punjab on October 6, for those in Manipur on October 7, for those in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh on October 8 and in Goa on October 9.  
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18:30   Rains to continue in Mumbai for next two days: Met Dept
Rains continued to lash the city on Wednesday as this season's last leg of spell brought temperature down by few notches.

Met department officials have predicted the downpour will continue for the next two days. 

"There is an upper air circulation over Konkan, Goa and parts of Gujarat, this is causing the rainfall," director of Indian Meteorological Department, Mumbai, V K Rajeev said.

"This spell of rain is likely to last two more days with intermittent rains or shower," he added. 

Earlier, this upper air circulation was over the Marathwada and adjoining region and is now moving towards Gujarat, Rajeev said. A

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18:25   Explosion in Afghan capital, Kabul, casualties feared
An explosion struck a busy road during rush hour traffic in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Wednesday, police and witnesses said.

The blast, suspected of being set off by a suicide bomber, occurred on a major road near a university and an old parliament building, said Najib Danish, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry.
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18:18   Pakistan violates ceasefire again along LoC
Just In: Violating the ceasefire again, Pakistani troops on Wednesday targeted Indian posts along the Line of Control. 

The Pakistani rangers resorted to firing and targeted Indian posts in Sunderbani and Mendhar sector in Jammu, the army said.

Pakistan has stepped up cross-border firing after the surgical strikes on September 29 by the India Army to destroy terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
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17:55   5-storey building collapses in Bengaluru, 1 killed
One person was killed and at least four others are feared trapped under the rubble after a five-storey under construction building collapsed on Wednesday near Bellandur in Bengaluru officials said.
One body has been recovered so far, officials said, as the rescue operations carried out by the State Disaster Response Force are underway.
"Four persons escaped, four are suspected trapped. One of them was rescued by our rescuers alive," Director General of Police, Fire and Emergency Services, M N Reddi said in a tweet.
Bengaluru Mayor G Padmavati visited the spot and said quality issues in the construction was the main reason for the mishap.
Stating that one entire floor was constructed in an unauthorised manner, she said "strict and merciless action will be taken against the owner, architect and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officials involved".
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17:50   We are against war, want to resolve Kashmir issue peacefully: Sharif
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday praised slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in the Parliament.

Addressing a joint session of Parliament, Nawaz said Burhan Wani's sacrifice has brought Kashmir movement to a defining moment.

"We are trying everything possible to bring India on the table of talks. The region is in danger due to Indian attitude," Sharif said.

"India has resorted to false allegations on Pakistan to suppress Kashmirs freedom movement," he added.

Playing victim card, Sharif said that Pakistan is the biggest state who is the victim of terrorism.

"We're against war, we want peace and want to resolve all issues including Kashmir peacefully," said Sharif.
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17:42   J&K CM Mehbooba meets PM Modi
Amid tensions between India and Pakistan and prevailing unrest in the Valley, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

The Valley is burning for the 89th consecutive day on Wednesday after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir on July 8.

Eighty three persons, including two cops, have been killed and thousands others injured in clashes between protesters and security forces since the unrest began.
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17:23   Regrettable that TN govt not explaining Jaya's health condition: DMK
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Wednesday said it is "regrettable" that the Tamil Nadu government has not given details on the health condition of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa despite their request in their regard.
Party Treasurer and Opposition Leader M K Stalin said his father and DMK President M Karunanidhi had earlier issued a statement, urging the state government to come out with 'due explanation' on the Chief Minister's health, saying it would "put an end to all rumours" about her wellness.
"But it is regrettable that they have so far not taken a position (to release information)," he told reporters.
To a question, Stalin ruled out possibility of him or Karunanidhi meeting the Chief Minister in Apollo Hospital, saying she was "reportedly" not in a position to do so.
There was no was no need for such a visit, he added.
Jayalalithaa, 68, had been admitted to Apollo Hospital in Chennai since September 22 for fever and dehydration.
 
On October 2, the Hospital had said she was being treated for "infection" and "continues to improve".
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17:06  
TMC MP and Saradha scam accused Kunal Ghosh gets interim bail.
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17:05   Dadri lynching accused death: NHRC notice to police
The National Human Rights Commission issues a notice to DG police and prisons for the death of one of the accused in the Dadri lynching case.


One of the accused in the infamous Dadri lynching case died on Tuesday night of kidney and respiratory failure at a hospital in New Delhi.

Ravi, 22, was rushed to Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Hospital from district hospital in Noida in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday after suffering kidney failure.


He was brought here in a very bad condition, with kidney failure and high blood sugar level, around 12 noon. He died around 7 pm of kidney and respiratory failure," Medical Superintendent of LNJP Hospital, Dr J C Passey said.


He was lodged in a jail in Gautam Buddh Nagar district.


"Ravi was first brought to the district hospital in Noida this (Tuesday) morning from the jail. He was then rushed to a Delhi hospital after his condition worsened, Station House Officer of Jarcha Police Station, Pradeep Kumar Singh said.


It is also suspected that Ravi was suffering from dengue, though hospital authorities said, medical report is still awaited.


"We had done his dengue and chikungunya tests. But, it is only by tomorrow that we can say whether he was suffering from dengue or not, as the medical reports are not out yet, Passey said.


In Dadri's Bishada village, Mohammed Akhlaq, 51, was dragged out of his house and killed by a mob in September last year on suspicion of eating beef, triggering communal tension in the region.


Image: Dadri lynching victim Mohammed Akhlaq's son.
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16:56   Pak 'concerned' over US 9/11 law
Pakistan, a close ally of Saudi Arabia, today "noted with concern" a new US law that allows Americans to sue foreign countries that "aids and abets" acts of terrorism on US soil. US Congress in a historic vote on September 28 overturned President Barack Obama's veto to pass the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), informally known as the 9/11 law, which has been primarily drafted with Saudi Arabia in mind as most of the 9/11 attackers were Saudi citizens.


The Obama administration had argued that the law would undermine the principle of sovereign immunity and open up the United States itself to unending lawsuits.


Pakistan's Foreign Office said: "We have noted with concern the overturning of the US Presidential veto on JASTA, a law passed by US Congress aimed at targeting sovereign states. Many countries across Europe and in the Middle East have also expressed similar concern over JASTA." Pakistan has expressed anguish over adoption of a domestic legislation with extra-territorial application, it said.
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16:51   Kanye West hires Kim Kardashian lookalikes after robbery
Rapper Kanye West has reportedly put in 6 million pounds into boosting security in the hours after wife Kim Kardashian was bound and gagged at gunpoint by raiders. The rapper will even have lookalikes of Kim on permanent duty to act as decoys and help keep her movements secret.


And he has enlisted an online security team that previously advised the White House in order to combat accidental leaks while using social media, reported Daily Mirror. Kim's personal bodyguard warned the gang: "We will find you. You messed with the wrong one" Kim, 35, was ambushed in her Paris apartment in the early hours of Monday.
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16:45   Slap sedition charges on Nirupam: Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena today demanded that sedition charges be slapped on Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam for questioning the integrity of the Army and sought his immediate removal from the party's Mumbai chief post. Nirupam had yesterday raised questions on the veracity of the surgical strikes by the Army on terror launch pads across the LoC, suggesting it was "fake".


He also went on to demand "some evidence" to prove that the strikes did take place and accused the ruling BJP at the Centre of indulging in politics over the issue. "Every Indian wants surgical strikes against Pakistan but not a fake one to extract just political benefit by BJP. politics over national interest(sic)," Nirupam had tweeted, kicking up a row over the emotive issue.


"Nirupam needs to be lessoned on keeping blind faith on our Army. It is surprising that he can dare to question the veracity of the Army operations at a time when even Congress president and vice-president have made their stand very clear on this issue," Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said.
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16:33   Tharoor's book on British empire set for Nov release
"The British Empire was responsible for reducing India, one of the world's richest countries in the 17th century, to one of the poorest in the 20th century," says Shashi Tharoor in his latest book titled 'An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India'.


Tharoor had released the final cover of next book on his twitter handle and the title is expected to release on November 11 by Aleph Book publications.


The book is expected to shed light on how the imperial Britain systematically and scientifically looted colonial India and the dark roots of their reforms in favor of British economy.


Dr Tharoor is the author of three novels -- The Great Indian Novel (1989), Riot (2001) and Show Business (1992). He has also authored a collection of short stories, The Five Dollar Smile (1990) and the text of a coffee-table book with the photographer Ferrante Ferranti, India (2008).
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16:12   Congress spells out three strikes UPA carried out
The Congress on Monday claimed the UPA II, like the NDA government, had also conducted "surgical strikes' -- but without making them public. The party listed three dates -- September 1, 2011; July 28, 2013; and, January 14, 2014 -- when the strikes took place.


The Manmohan Singh government, known for its publicly stated policy of "strategic restraint", was in power at the time. While the strikes were not made public, a look at events around those dates offers some clues into what could have transpired.
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16:04   Karl Lagerfeld says Kim Kardashian's jewellery theft
Karl Lagerfeld has suggested Kim Kardashian West should not have displayed her wealth for millions to see after the reality star was robbed at gunpoint.


Lagerfeld, the creative director of Chanel and Kardashian's friend and sometime collaborator, questioned why she would share pictures of her diamond rings and grillz and then stay somewhere without putting heightened security in place.


French police say the 35-year-old was targeted by thieves at a luxury residence in Paris after sharing pictures of her diamond jewellery with her 84 million Twitter followers.


The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was bound, gagged and held at gunpoint by two men who authorities say made off with jewellery worth 9 million.
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15:53   Chemistry Nobel awarded to three scientists
The 2016 Nobel Prize for Chemistry has been awarded for the development of the world's smallest machines. Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L Feringa will share the 8m kronor (727,000) prize for the design and synthesis of machines on a molecular scale.


They were named at a press conference in Sweden.


The winners join a prestigious list of 200 other Chemistry laureates recognised since 1901.


The machines conceived by today's laureates are a thousand times thinner than a strand of hair.They could be used to deliver drugs within the human body - for instance, applying them directly to cancer cells.
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15:49   Eerie calm prevails along Indo-Pak border
An eerie calm prevailed along the Indo-Pak border here as guns fell silent overnight after a series of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops in the past week.


"There was no ceasefire violation reported along LoC in Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts last night," a defence spokesman said today.


"Guns have fallen silent after our strong retaliation and befitting reply to the Pakistani troops," he said.


Violating the border ceasefire five times in 24 hours, Pakistan troops had yesterday pounded Indian military and civilian positions in 10 areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu region, provoking retaliation. A jawan was reportedly injured due to a splinter in Pallanwala sector.
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15:40   No chest thumping on surgical strikes, PM warns ministers
PM Narendra Modi tells his ministers there should be no chest thumping on the surgical strikes. He also warned them that there is no need to speak out of turn and only authorised leaders should speak.


A few days ago, the BJP leadership is learnt to have quietly told its leaders to refrain from chest thumping and wait and watch for some more time before drawing political mileage from the operation.


However, there is near unanimity within the party leadership that the highly successful strikes will translate into massive vote swing in favour of the saffron party in the next years Assembly elections.
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15:30   Army hands over surgical strike clips to govt
As chorus for showing proof of the surgical strikes on terror launch pads grew, Union Minister Hansraj Ahir today said the Army has handed over to the government video clips of the cross-LoC operation as per the laid down procedure.


Ahir said there is a process for putting such issues in perspective which was duly followed by the Army as well as the government.


"The laid down procedure has been followed. The DGMO briefed (about the surgical strikes). It was not the Defence Minister nor the Prime Minister and not the Home Minister. It was the DGMO who briefed (the media). That was the right thing to do and they (Army) did it. "There was a time when written documents were submitted. Now the times have changed. Now clips are given and the clips have been given," he told reporters.


The Minister of State for Home's statement came amidst the growing chorus for showing proof of Army's surgical strikes on terror launch pads in PoK. A political slugfest broke out yesterday over surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC with Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam calling it "fake", provoking stinging criticism from BJP even as his own party said it "totally dissociates" from his remarks.


Representational picture
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15:10   Pakistan debarred from Kabbadi World Cup held in India
Pakistan debarred for the kabaddi World Cup 2016, which will kick off this week in India. The 12-nation Kabaddi World Cup kicks off in Ahmedabad.


Formidable Iran clash with newcomers the United States in Friday's opening round of the competition that also includes top sides from Australia, South Korea, England, Poland, Kenya and Argentina.


With the World Cup last staged nine years ago, teams are relishing the chance to compete in the two-week event being held in Ahmedabad.
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15:07   UN top court throws out Marshalls nuclear case against India
The UN's highest court today threw out a bid by the tiny Marshall Islands to sue India for failing to halt the nuclear arms race, saying it lacked jurisdiction. "The court upholds the objection to jurisdiction raised by India... and finds that it cannot proceed to the merits of the case," judge Ronny Abraham told the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
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15:03   Building collapse in Bengaluru
A seven-storey building collapses under HSR Layout Police Station in Bengaluru. No casualties reported so far. Rescue ops underway.
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14:37   Third Pakistani boat seized in Kutch, suspects detained
A Pakistani boat has been seized in the Kutch area of Gujarat by BSF, suspects detained.

This is the third Pakistani boat that has been seized since the surgical strikes on the morning of September 29.

Yesterday, amid heightened vigil, an empty Pakistani boat was seized by the Border Security Force troops from River Ravi in Punjabs Pathankot sector.

We have captured a Pakistani boat which had washed away to this side in River Ravi along the International Border in Pathankot sector, a senior BSF officer said.

He said it was an empty boat.

The boat was probably washed away due to rising water level in River Ravi in Pathankot sector, he said.

The seizure comes at a time when there is heightened vigil due to increasing tension between India and Pakistan.

The seizure comes two days after a Pakistani boat with nine crew members was apprehended off the Gujarat coast by the Indian Coast Guard on October 2.

Coast Guard Ship Samudra Pavak apprehended the Pakistani boat having nine crew members off Gujarat coast during patrolling.

There were alerts then that two other suspicious Pakistani boats are moving towards either Gujarat or Maharashtra from the Karachi port.

Coast Guard Ship Samudra Pavak apprehended the Pakistani boat having nine crew members on board at around 10.15 am today (Sunday) off Gujarat coast during patrolling, the defence minister had said in a statement.

Preliminary information indicated the people on board were Pakistani fishermen.

However, the boat and the crew members are being escorted to Porbandar for further investigation, the release said.

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14:24   RBI to continue with easing; next cut in Feb: Analysts
A day after the monetary policy committee (MPC) debuted with a surprise 0.25 per cent cut in rates, analysts today said the Reserve Bank will continue with the accommodative stance but the next action can come only in the February review.


In a note, domestic rating agency Icra said it expects the rate easing cycle to continue.


"With the indication that real interest rates (the differential between the key lending rate and inflation) may need to be lower than 1.50 per cent given prevailing global scenario of negative rates, further easing by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) can't be ruled out," its senior vice president Karthik Srinivasan said, adding that he is uncertain over the timing.


Economists at foreign brokerage Bank of America Merill Lynch said however that it doesn't expect any rate cut in the upcoming review of the bi-monthly policy in December. "We expect a final 0.25 per cent cut on February 7," it said in a note.
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13:57   Govt in the dark about Pakistanis role in Pathankot attack
The Pakistan government on Tuesday admitted on the floor of the Senate that it was still in dark about the alleged involvement of Pakistanis in the attack on the Pathankot airbase in India. Read more
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13:55   Mystery of the surgical strike
It cannot get more absurd. While the Indians insist that they carried out a cross-LoC surgical military strike, the Pakistanis are befuddled by the claim. Either the Indians are hallucinating or the Pakistanis are in a complete state of denial.


The riddle gets more confusing with the Indian claim of having destroyed 'terrorist camps' a few kilometres inside Azad Kashmir killing dozens of militants, and the Pakistani security forces unofficially claiming to have captured one Indian soldier who 'strayed' into our part. The mystery thickens.  Read more
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13:50   It's a baby girl for Fawad Khan!
Congratulations are in order for Fawad Khan and his wife Sadaf. The Pakistani actor and a heartthrob in India have a baby girl! Although the birth has been hush-hush - no congratulatory messages or pictures doing the rounds on social media - the Dawn reports that Sadaf gave birth to a girl on October 1st.


The actor had flown to his hometown in Lahore from India a few months ago as Sadaf's delivery date crept closer. This is the couple's second child; they had Ayaan in 2010. The duo wed in 2005.
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13:41  
@mayankgandhi04  tweets: Was hoping AAP wins by defeating BJP-Akali. But with anti-army statement,only chance 4 AAP to win Punjab will be Pak province of Punjab :)
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13:33   The biggest ever fire sale of Indian corporate assets has begun
We are seeing what is effectively India Inc.'s biggest ever fire sale. It's even bigger than the government's planned divestment target.The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) has decided to clean up the balance sheets of Indian banks, which are collectively saddled with Rs five lakh crore of bad loans, by the end of this fiscal. So, the banks have started cracking the whip on Indian companies for repayment of loans. For most affected firms and groups, this will mean they will be forced to sell prized assets to repay their ballooning debts. Read more
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13:27   'Over 100 terrorists ready in launch pads at LoC to enter India'
More than 100 terrorists are ready in more launchpads across the LoC to cross over into India and carry out attacks here, according to an assessment by the intelligence agencies. Intelligence inputs have indicated that Pakistan is making efforts to take stock of the deployment of Indian forces in a bid to help the terrorists get through. Read more


Image: Mohammed Naved Yakub, a Pakistani terrorist from the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, who was captured after ambushing a Border Security Force convoy near Udhampur in August 2015.
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13:13  
'You don't bother when children die: Supreme Court slams Maharashtra for inaction on malnutrition deaths. Details awaited.
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12:59   Posters showing Modi as Ram, Sharif as Ravana put up in Varanasi
A poster put up by Shiv Sena in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, shows him as Lord Ram while Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif as Ravana and Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal as 'Meghnad'.

The poster reads: 'We need another surgical strike by Modi to end a Ravana-like Pakistan and Meghnad-like Kejriwal, who is a Pak-supporter.'

The posters have been put up for the festival of Dusshehra.

Similar hoarding was yesterday seen in Meerut in UP, put up by state Bharatiya Janata Party, congratulating the PM for the surgical strikes and warning Pakistan that 'we will keep on hitting you like this'.

UP will go to polls next year.
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12:33   Call centres outside Mumbai scammed US citizens, empoyees booked
In a major raid, over 500 employees of some call centres were detained for allegedly threatening the US citizens and siphoning off their money in Mira Road area in Thane district, Maharashtra, the police said today. 

The raid was carried out by over 200 police personnel, mostly from the Crime Branch, late last night and continued into the wee hours of today, they said.

Those apprehended operated from call centres in the Mira Road locality, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Thane Rural Police, and posed as officials of US tax department, which is equivalent to the income tax department in India, the police said. 

They would call up the US citizens and demand their financial and bank details, allegedly threatening them with dire consequences if they failed to comply, including legal action. After obtaining the requisite details from the American citizens, these call centre employees would siphon off money from their accounts, the police said, adding that the daily turnover of such dealings was estimated to be over Rs 1 crore.

Based on complaints received, the police kept a tab on the call centre employees and subsequently raided their premises late last night. The process of registering offences in the matter was on, the police said. Further details of the racket were awaited.
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12:07   Villagers near LoC live in fear as Pak shelling continues
Villagers near the Line of Control in Rajouri, Jammu showed shells that were fired from Pakistan in Kalsian area.

They expressed their fear and frustration over the escalating tension between the two countries.

Families who stayed back in the village because crop had to be harvested, had to hide in makeshift bunkers during firing from Pakistan last night.

Craters were formed at several places in the village due to heavy shelling from Pakistan.
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11:48   Shah Rukh Khan gets clean chit in Wankhede brawl
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is also the co-owner of Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders was given a clean chit by the Mumbai police on Tuesday in connection with a brawl at the Wankhede stadium, Mumbai after an IPL match in 2012. .

Following the incident, the Mumbai Cricket Association had imposed a five-year ban on Khan which was lifted last year.

The Mumbai police has filed a report saying that no cognisable offence was made out against Khan after investigation in this case.

Complainant Amit Maru, who claims to be a social worker, had gone before the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) which in 2015 had directed Mumbai Police to register an FIR against the actor after prima facie investigations found out that SRK had used foul language before minors.
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11:45   Dispalced villagers on international border want to go home
Displaced from their home for over a week, villagers now want to know when they can go back home. This woman who has been staying with relatives tells ANI: "How long will we be displaced? Relatives can't keep us for very long."


Panic gripped the residents of villages in many border districts of Punjab, while a high alert was sounded in Rajasthan and Gujarat on September 29, after reports of escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan spread, following a surgical strike by the Indian Army on terror launch pads in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.


The authorities began evacuating people living in villages located within 10 kilometres of the international border. Heads of local gurdwaras and temples with the help of village sarpanches asked the people to evacuate at the earliest.

The Border Security Force has put the international border on further alert after the Indian Army's surgical strike.

Punjab shares a 553 km border with Pakistan. It has six districts which lie close to the international border. Some 135 villages lie very close to the border.


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11:41   God bless those who threw ink at me: Kejriwal
Two ABVP activists threw ink at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his comments on surgical strikes by the Army on terror launch pads across the LoC, in Transport Nagar of Rajasthan's Bikaner district.


ABVP activists yesterday raised slogans against the Aam Aadmi Party national convener and threw ink at him, Kote Gate police station Assistant Sub-inspector Birbal said. Following the ink attack, ABVP activists Dinesh Ojha and Vikram Singh were taken into custody, he said.


Kejriwal was in Bikaner to visit the house of AAP worker Hiralal Sevta to console him on his wife's death. Reacting to the ink attack, Kejriwal wished the attackers "well".


"Hmmm... God bless those who threw ink at me. I wish them well," he tweeted last night. Earlier, several activists of a right-wing group yesterday showed black flags to Kejriwal in Nokha town when he was on his way to Bikaner from Jodhpur.
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11:39   Trump outsourced jobs to 12 countries: Clinton
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has accused her Republican rival Donald Trump of outsourcing jobs to 12 countries and said if elected she would tax companies for shipping jobs overseas.


"I'm tired of American companies shipping jobs overseas. So, we're gonna make them give back any tax breaks they've ever gotten. If they wanna move jobs out of America, they're gonna have to pay an exit tax if they think that's what they wanna do. But again, Trump sees it differently. He actually outsources jobs to 12 different countries," Clinton said.


"So when I heard him say that the first time, that well yeah he - he couldn't find anybody in America to make clothes or furniture. I said, 'Well, we're gonna start a website and we're gonna put on that website all the companies we know of here in Pennsylvania and Ohio and Michigan and Colorado and Virginia and across the country who could make everything that Donald Trump sells.' I mean, look, you wanna make America great again, don't you think you should have jobs in America that make Americans' lives better?" she said. "But this is - this is the pattern with Donald Trump... This is a man who we now know paid no taxes. That's what we suspected, but until some of his tax returns were made public we couldn't prove it," she said addressing a well-attended election rally in the key battleground State of Pennsylvania.
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11:24  
Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe met with Sonia Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh in Delhi today. 
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11:20  
Security forces launch search ops in border village Chakan Walia in Dera Baba Nanak sector after two suspects were seen by villagers.
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11:14   When Jayalalithaa wanted to break free
"On October 18, 1972, MGR announced the formation of a new political party -- the ADMK. 'MGR now become more deeply involved in politics and with that came a parting of ways between Jayalalithaa and him. 'For Jayalalithaa this was, in a way, liberation."


An exclusive excerpt from Vaasanthi's Amma: Jayalalithaa's Journey From Movie Star To Political Queen.  Read
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11:10   Cabinet Security meet ends, Rajnath briefs PM on J-K
Cabinet Security Panel meets. Home minister Rajnath Singh briefs PM Narendra Modi on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister Modi chaired a high-level meet to review the security situation across the border. The meet took place at 10.30 am today in Delhi and is believed to be aimed at discussing the strategies to tackle the continuous ceasefire violation and attacks that have been happening after India's surgical strike.


The meeting was briefed about the situation on the LoC and the International Border as well as the hinterland, sources said.


Tensions between India and Pakistan have increased after the surgical strikes carried out on the intervening night of September 28 and 29 on terror launch pads across the LoC.


Pakistan has intensified cross-LoC firing and shelling since the surgical strikes.The PM had chaired a similar a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meet on September 29.


In the previous meet, the chiefs of defence forces and BSF were guided by Home Minister Rajnath Singh to double check security across the LoC and curb any possibility infiltration bid.The meet held by the Prime Minister will be attended by top security officials, including Defence Chiefs, NSA Ajit Doval, Union Home Minister amongst many others.
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10:50   'Those questioning surgical strikes are treacherous'
General Shankar Roy Chowdhury was chief of the army staff from 1994 to 1997 when he retired after 40 years of service. The general is furious after some politicians questioned the army's surgical strikes in Pakistan on September 29. "These people are definitely anti-national to question the army's surgical strikes," the general told Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

Read the interview here.
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10:30   A couple in Chicago
Yesterday was Barack and Michelle Obama's twenty-fourth wedding anniversary. In 1996, when they were an unknown couple in Chicago, they spoke about their relationship and ambitions. Do read
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10:21   Parallels in MGR, Jaya's journey
When MG Ramachandran (MGR) was shot by fellow actor M.R. Radha on January 12, 1967, I was probably a few weeks old in my mother's womb. MGR's next near-brush with death was 32 years ago, and as an aware 17-year-old, I have distinct memories of it. MGR was admitted to the same Apollo Hospital where his protg J. Jayalalithaa is now apparently battling for life. The parallels are stronger than mere calendrical coincidence.  Read more


Image: MGR with actress Saroja Devi
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10:13   Sensex rallies 143 pts on IMF growth upgrade for India
Adding gains for the fourth day on the trot, the Sensex jumped over 143 points and the Nifty retook the 8,800 level today amid continuous foreign capital inflows driven by a higher growth projection for India by IMF. Asian cues remained in a fine shape, backed by a strong conviction that US economy is on mend after a better showing of its manufacturing sector, which cheered investors.
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10:12   Do you hear the sound of distant drums?
The stunning Manipuri drummers with Astad Deboo (not in picture) during the the Rhythm Divine 11, River Runs Deep, at the Opera House Bastille, Paris.
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10:08   Astad storms the Bastille
For the first time ever, a contemporary dance group from India performed at the prestigious Opera House Bastille Paris.


Choreographer-dancer Astad Deboo -- who has performed in Paris at the dance festival of Arles, Aix en Provence, Theatre Bastille, Paris, Cafe de La Danse Paris, the Choreographers competition in Bobigny with his solo work -- performed his company work Rhythm Divine 11, River Runs Deep.


Deboo's work was showcased under the Festival of India. The festival, Namaste India, began on September 15 and will go on till November 30.


Rhythm Divine 11, River Runs Deep is performed by the drummers of Manipur's Shree Shree Govindajee Nat Sankirtan.


After the Paris performance, Deboo and the drummers  will perform in Lisbon (Deboo solo on October 6 at the Theatre Lumiere and on October 7 at the Orient Foundation with the drummers).


Image: Astad Deboo with the Manipur drummers at the Opera House Bastille, Paris.
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10:00   Army gives green signal for release of surgical strike video footage
India's armed forces have given the green signal to the government to use the video footage of the surgical strikes against terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in any manner it sees fit to make New Delhi's case, reports the Economic Times.


The final decision on this rests with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).


Top army officers, speaking off record, told ET that the army is keen that India release evidence that will answer those alleging the strikes never happened. This recommendation was made in the wake of Pakistan's military establishment persistently claiming that the September 29 predawn strikes never happened.


Top government officials, also speaking off record, told ET that the decision on whether or not to release the strike footage will depend on the larger call on likely Pakistani response. One possibility being considered is whether making the video evidence public may escalate Indo-Pak tensions by forcing the Pakistani establishment into a corner.

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09:39   Yes, surgical strikes took place. This is what eyewitnesses say
Locals living in areas across the Line of Control where the Indian army conducted surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads last week have given details of the operation, according to a report published in The Indian Express today.

The report quotes eyewitnesses describing how bodies of those killed in the strikes before dawn on September 29 were loaded onto trucks and taken for secret burials.

They also described brief but intense fire engagements that destroyed makeshift buildings that housed jihadists before they left to cross the LoC.

The report corroborates India's claims that it carried out strikes against terror launch pads -- a claim Pakistan has denied.

Read full report HERE
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09:26   Not another war, please! Say Kargil residents
Residents in the Kargil and Drass areas of Ladakh division have said that they are not in favour of India and Pakistan engaging in another war, as it will only create more problems for them.

They said that the Kashmir issue should be solved by both sides amicably.

The president of the Buddhist Association was quoted as saying by ANI that he had come to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and briefed him about the problems being faced by people in the region.

"Our Kargil is in the vicinity of Pakistan, so we are all worried," he added.

Remembering the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan, he said it is the poor which suffers the most in such conditions, adding both Asian neighbours must stay united so as to avoid confrontation.
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08:12   Ink attack on Kejriwal for 'remarks against' surgical strike
An unknown person threw ink on Aam Aadmi Party national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Rajasthan's Bikaner district late on Tuesday night.

According to reports, the AAP chief was attacked with ink for his alleged remarks on Indian Army's surgical strikes carried out across the Line of Control in response to Uri attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

Kejriwal reacted to the ink attack and tweeted, 'God bless those who threw ink at me, I wish them well.'

As per the latest reports, two men have been detained in this regard. 
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04:25   Trump's tax avoidance: Most Americans call it 'unpatriotic': Poll
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says paying no income tax would make him "smart." While nearly half of Americans agree with him, more people think it is "selfish," and "unpatriotic," according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday.

Some 67 percent of Americans said it is "selfish" for a presidential candidate to pay no taxes, while 61 percent said it is "unpatriotic," according to the poll, which allowed respondents to pick more than one adjective to describe paying no taxes.

At the same time, the results showed some respect for a candidate who can figure out how to reduce their tax bill. Some 46 percent of Americans, including 35 percent of Democrats and 62 percent of Republicans, thought a presidential candidate who pays no taxes is "smart."

Trump's taxes have become a big campaign issue after the New York Times released a portion of his 1995 tax returns last week and estimated that Trump likely paid no taxes for a number of years. The celebrity real estate developer, who is the first presidential candidate in decades to refuse to release his full tax returns, didn't deny the report. He later said that he had "brilliantly used" US tax rules to his advantage.
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01:53   Yahoo secretly scanned customer emails for US intelligence
Yahoo secretly scanned millions of its users' email accounts on behalf of the US government, according to a report.

Reuters news agency says the firm built special software last year to comply with a classified request.

"Yahoo is a law abiding company, and complies with the laws of the United States," the tech firm said in a statement provided to the BBC.

The allegation comes less than a fortnight after Yahoo said hackers had stolen data about many of its users.

Some surveillance experts said this represents the first case to surface of a US Internet company agreeing to a spy agency's demand by searching all arriving messages, as opposed to examining stored messages or scanning a small number of accounts in real time.

Yahoo is in the process of being taken over by Verizon Communications in a $4.8bn deal. The telecoms provider declined to comment on the report.

Read more HERE
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01:52   Hurricane Matthew: Nikki Haley declares emergency in South Caronia
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley says she plans evacuation ahead of Hurricane Matthew to get 1 million people away from coast.

Haley said evacuations will start Wednesday afternoon and schools will be closed that day.

Haley urged residents evacuating coastal communities to make sure they had a full tank of gasoline.

"With winds this high and surge this high, this is not something we want to play with," Haley said. "I don't want to sit there and talk about fatalities. Our goal is to save anybody we can."

The goal is to make sure South Carolina residents get 100 miles away from the coast, Haley said.

Haley has also declared a state of emergency, a move that allows her to call up the national guard. 

"If you can leave early do that, the goal is to not leave all at once," Haley said. "It's not going to be a fast evacuation but we ask that you be patient and understand that it will take up to several hours."
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01:15   Powerful Hurricane Matthew pummels Haiti
Hurricane Matthew -- a Category 4 storm -- made landfall in western Haiti on Tuesday with wind speeds reaching 145 mph as small towns and villages in the hemisphere's poorest country braced for life-threatening winds, rains and storm surge.

The storm -- at one point the most powerful hurricane in the region in nearly a decade -- dumped heavy rain as it swirled on toward Cuba and the Bahamas. 

Forecasters said it could hit Florida toward the end of the week and push its way up the East Coast over the weekend.

US officials issued a Hurricane Watch from Deerfield Beach, Florida to the Volusia/Brevard county line. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from the Florida Keys to south of Deerfield Beach.
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01:10   Rearranging the thresholds of conflict
Dr Ayesha Siddiqa, former bureaucrat and political commentator, writes for The Wire:

These are indeed tricky times for the subcontinent in which excessive or incorrect claims can both be dangerous. 

They could raise expectations that could later force the hand of political leaders to act less rationally or even irrationally.

These are tough times for peace and stability in the region as the militaries of India and Pakistan test and redefine their thresholds. 

Any miscalculation could result in an inadvertent but costly escalation. 

At the end of the day, there are no prospects for a decisive victory by either side and sacrificing over a billion lives or more is too big a risk to take.

Read more HERE
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00:52   Yahoo secretly scanned customer emails for US intelligence
Yahoo secretly scanned millions of its users' email accounts on behalf of the US government, according to a report.

Reuters news agency says the firm built special software last year to comply with a classified request.

"Yahoo is a law abiding company, and complies with the laws of the United States," the tech firm said in a statement provided to the BBC.

The allegation comes less than a fortnight after Yahoo said hackers had stolen data about many of its users.

Some surveillance experts said this represents the first case to surface of a US Internet company agreeing to a spy agency's demand by searching all arriving messages, as opposed to examining stored messages or scanning a small number of accounts in real time.

Yahoo is in the process of being taken over by Verizon Communications in a $4.8bn deal. The telecoms provider declined to comment on the report.

Read more HERE
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00:43   Heavy cross winds delay GSAT-18 launch by a day
The launch of India's communication satellite GSAT-18 from French Guyana has been postponed by a day due to heavy cross winds, ISRO announced late Tuesday night.

Along with GSAT-18, the Ariane-5 VA-231 rocket was expected to put into orbit Sky Muster II for the Australian operator, National Broadband Network.

GSAT-18 is designed to provide continuity of services on operational satellites in C-band, Extended C-band and Ku-bands. 

Weighing 3,404 kg at lift-off, the satellite carries 48 communication transponders to provide services in Normal C-band, Upper Extended C-band and Ku-bands of the frequency spectrum. It also carries Ku-band beacon to help in accurately pointing ground antennas towards the satellite, ISRO said. 

GSAT-18 will be launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, it said.

After its injection into GTO, ISRO's Master Control Facility at Hassan will take control of the satellite and perform the initial orbit raising manoeuvres using the Liquid Apogee Motor of the satellite, placing it in circular Geostationary Orbit. 

Once placed into this Orbit, deployment of appendages such as the solar panels and antennas as well as three axis stabilisation of the satellite will be performed, ISRO said. With designed in-orbit operational life of about 15 years, GSAT-18 will be positioned at 74 degrees East longitude and co-located with other operational satellites. 
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00:42   Upgraded Indian attack submarines to receive US anti-ship missiles
The US Department of Defense has awarded US defense company Boeing an $81 million contract modification to supply the Indian Navy with 22 submarine-launched Harpoon over-the-horizon anti-ship missiles under the Pentagon's Foreign Military Sales program, according to a September 23 press release.

In detail, the Boeing will supply 12 UGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles and 10 UTM-84L Harpoon training missiles, all encapsulated in a container to enable submerged launch through a torpedo tube. 

"Also included are two Encapsulated Harpoon certification training vehicles, containers, spares, as well as all-inclusive logistics support, and instruction for IN personnel on the missile system," IHS Jane's Defense Weekly reports.

The arms package is estimated to have a total worth of around $200 million. The deal is expected to be completed in June 2018. India first purchased 24 AGM-84L Block II Harpoons in 2010 for the Indian Air Force. It bought an additional 21 Harpoons in 2012 at a cost of $200 million. India's burgeoning fleet of Poseidon 8I Neptune advanced maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare aircraft are armed with Harpoon missiles.

Read more HERE

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00:41   Telecom company accuses Dhoni of 'willfully' misleading court
A telecom company for which Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni was a brand ambassador on Tuesday accused him in Delhi High Court of "wilfully" misleading the court for creating "alarmist circumstances".

The top officer of Maxx Mobilink Pvt Ltd, who has been accused by Dhoni of defying the High Court 2014 order that the company should not use his name to promote and sell its product, said it never indulged in misusing the name of the ODI captain to take any advantage.

In an affidavit filed in pursuance to the April 21 order, Ajjay R Agarwal, Managing Director of the firm, claimed that the company had not sold any products post November 17, 2014 in which image and name of Dhoni was used or misused and they did not have any such stock in its custody after that date.

Dhoni had an endorsement agreement with the company which had expired in December 2012.

While seeking that Dhoni's plea for initiating contempt against him be dismissed with cost, the MD said "I say and submit that the company has removed all material from its own websites and from social media websites including Facebook."

"However, at this juncture, I say and submit that the petitioner number one (Dhoni) is guilty of wilfully misleading this court for the sake of creating alarmist circumstances," Agarwal said in his affidavit filed before Justice Manmohan.

Click HERE to read Tuesday's commentary

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