LIVE! One more held for 'spreading rumours' on Jaya's health

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Wed, 19 October 2016

One more held for 'spreading rumours' on Jaya's health

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23:35 Gujarat riots accused brought from London; sent to jail

An accused in a post-Godhra riots case in Ode village of Anand district of Gujarat was today brought from London, where he was arrested, and produced before a local court, which remanded him in 14-day judicial

custody.

Samir Patel, who had escaped to UK after jumping bail, was brought to India in the wee hours of today by the Special Investigation Team probing the massacre. Patel became the first person to be sent back from Britain 24 years after India and the UK signed an extradition treaty.

Later in the day, the 40-year-old was produced before Additional Sessions Judge R T Panchal, who sent him to judicial custody for two weeks. Patel has been lodged in Anand sub-jail.

He was arrested in West London in August by Scotland Yard following a Red Corner Notice issued against him by Indian authorities in the case in which 23 people from the minority community were killed during the riots.

The massacre at Ode took place on March 1, 2002, when 23 people, including nine women and as many children of the minority community were burnt to death in a house by a mob of over 1,500 following the Godhra train burning incident.

The next day, four more persons were killed in a different locality in the same village.

One more person was arrested today for allegedly spreading rumours on Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's health on social media, taking the total number of those detained on similar charges to eight.

"Sagayam Antony, a resident of Tuticorin District was spreading rumours, false information on social media on the health of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and he was arrested today," said a senior police official.

The 33-year old man, a grocer, was brought in Chennai and produced before a court which remanded him to judicial custody.

With this, the total number of persons arrested on the charge of spreading rumours about the health status of Jayalaithaa, undergoing treatment at the Apollo Hospital since September 22, has gone up to eight.

22:17 Malala urges Muslims to unite for peace

Pakistan's Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, giving a speech today in the Emirates, urged Muslims to respect the "true message of Islam" and unite against wars in their countries.

The 19-year-old, who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 after she had publicly advocated education for girls, urged the world's Muslims to "come together... and follow the true message of Islam as they join hands in the struggle for peace".

"We cannot talk about investing in our future in this region without calling for an end to these bombings and these attacks," she told a conference in the southern Gulf emirate of Sharjah on the future of women in the Middle East.

"We must not forget that the majority of those suffering because of these conflicts and wars are Muslims," said Malala, referring to conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

"I cannot stop thinking of those 500,000 children in Mosul right now under a threat to be used as human shields," she said of the Iraqi city where an offensive has been launched to retake it from the Islamic State jihadist group.

Amid suspicion of foul play in the road mishap in which West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew and TMC MP, Abhishek Banerjee, was injured, a team of forensic experts today visited the accident site near Singur on National Highway 2.

The forensic experts collected broken glasses, examined the paints on the surface of the truck with which the TMC youth wing president's car collided while returning to Kolkata after a public meeting in Murshidabad district.

Police today registered attempt to murder and conspiracy cases against unknown persons in connection with the mishap. Sections under the Highways Act were also added in the case, a senior officer of the CID said.

Though nobody was detained in the incident, a few persons, mainly eyewitnesses, were today questioned by the CID, the officer said.

According to the medical bulletin issued in the evening, the MRI report confirmed that Abhishek suffered "orbital floor fracture".

At present he is under strict observation of the 14-member medical board. Any decision on surgical intervention shall be made as soon as the acute swellings subside.

The Taliban today rejected reports of secret meetings with the Afghan government in a bid to resume long-stalled peace negotiations, insisting that their hardline policy remains unchanged.

Afghan officials yesterday said they held two meetings since September in Doha, where the Taliban maintain a political office, after the news was first reported by Britain's The Guardian newspaper.

But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a statement rejected any reports of talks or meetings. Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, Afghanistan's intelligence chief, and National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar had attended one of the Qatar meetings, local Tolo television said citing a presidential palace source.

"The representatives of the Islamic Emirate have not met with Stanekzai or any other officials. Our stance about the negotiations has not changed. Our policy is very clear on that," Mujahid said, referring to the Taliban's official title.

Bengaluru FC has become 1st Indian club to enter AFC Cup final after beating defending champions Johor Darul Ta'zim of Malaysia 4-2.

Skipper Sunil Chhetri scored a brace and Juan Antonio added a third for Bengaluru FC as they won the second leg of the semifinal 3-1 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru FC had earned a crucial away-goal as they drew 1-1 against the defending champions in Malaysia on September 28.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh today asked a group of newly-inducted IAS officers not to hesitate in putting forth their point of view before the ministers in case of difference of opinion.

The assertion was made during an interactive session between 11 union ministers, including Singh, and about 35 IAS officers of 2014 batch of Uttar Pradesh cadre as well as those officers who are domicile of the state, presently posted in various ministries as Assistant Secretaries.

Addressing the young officers, Singh called upon them to always uphold their reputation and credibility.

Asking them to bear empathy for the last man in the queue, he said the IAS officers should shoulder big responsibility in the district and must win the trust of the common people.

Recalling his tenure as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Singh asked the IAS officers not to hesitate to put across their point of view before the ministers in case of difference of opinion, according to an official release.

Amid Indo-Pak tension, Pakistan's media regulatory authority on Wednesday decided to enforce a complete ban on Indian TV and radio contents from Friday and warned that the licences of those found guilty of violating the ban will be suspended.

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority decided to ban airing of Indian content from October 21 at the request of the federal government, it said.

"The ban will come into effect at 3 pm on October 21, and radio and television stations which violate the ban will have their licences suspended without a prior show cause notice," PEMRA said in a statement.

The ban extends to all Indian content on cable and radio being aired in Pakistan.

The authority also decided to cancel one-sided rights given to Indian media by the government of former military dictator Pervez Musharraf in 2006.

20:37 After HRD, now Smriti out of government panel

Union Ministers Smriti Irani and D V Sadananda Gowda have been dropped from Inter-State Council, official sources said on Wednesday.

Irani and Gowda were permanent invitees to the council headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Irani and Gowda were divested of their HRD and Law and Justice portfolios respectively in the last Cabinet reshuffle in July. Irani is now Textiles Minister, while Gowda holds Statistics and Programme Implementation portfolio.

Both the ministers were dropped from the council which was reconstituted yesterday, according to an official order.

Earlier, the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs had dropped Irani as a special invitee and her successor in the HRD Ministry Prakash Javadekar elevated as a member.

Javadekar has been included in the new council. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, who also holds the Law and Justice portfolio, continues to be on the council.

The Inter-State Council was established in May 1990 with a mandate to act as a coordinating body between the states and the Centre.

It is tasked to inquire into and advising upon disputes which may have arisen between states and also to investigate and discuss subjects in which some or all of the states, or the Union, have a common interest.

As part of the ongoing initiative, to enhance interaction and cooperation between India and China, under the provisions of Border Defence Cooperation Agreement, 2013, Indian and Chinese armies today held second joint exercise Sino India Cooperation 2016.

This exercise was a sequel to the first joint exercise held on February 6 this year, in the area of Border Personnel Meeting Hut at Chushul Garrison of Eastern Ladakh, along with Chinese troops of Moldo Garrison.

During the day-long exercise on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief, a fictitious situation of earthquake striking an Indian border village was painted.

Thereafter the joint teams carried out rescue operations, evacuation and rendering of medical assistance, a statement said here today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today sanctioned Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in the hospital blaze in Bhubaneswar two days back, PMO said.

He also sanctioned Rs 50,000 to each of those seriously injured from the PM's National Relief Fund, the PMO added.

Earlier on Monday, the Prime Minister had voiced "deep anguish" at the loss of lives in the hospital blaze, calling it "mind-numbing".

"Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in the hospital fire in Odisha. The tragedy is mind-numbing. My thoughts are with bereaved families," he had tweeted on that day.

He had also spoken to Union Health Minister J P Nadda and asked him to facilitate transfer of all those injured to AIIMS.

All India Congress Committee General Secretary Digvijaya Singh today said the ruling BJP has "changed the meaning of secularism" and was taking up issues convenient to its political agenda.

Addressing a gathering at the Rajiv Sadbhavana Yatra in Hyderabad, Singh hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying BJP was taking up issues that would "divide people on communal lines."

"BJP has changed the meaning of secularism. Those who oppose BJP are being termed as 'anti-nationals'. Those who support them are called nationalists. According to BJP or Sangh, Muhammad Ali Jinnah who was behind the division of this country, is secular and Mahatma Gandhi who fought and took bullet for the unity of Hindus and Muslims is called communal," the senior leader alleged.

He charged the BJP with taking political advantage out of the sacrifices made by the Indian soldiers.

Reacting to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's recent remark where he credited his 'RSS teachings' behind taking decision to conduct 'surgical strikes' across LoC, Singh said, "Is it not insulting the Army? Our Foreign Affairs Secretary says surgical strikes were held even before also. You mean to say the Army had the ideology of Sangh at that time also?"

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar told a Parliamentary panel yesterday that the army had carried out "target specific, limited-calibre, counter-terrorist operations" across the LoC in the past too but this is for the first time the government has gone public about it.

He ridiculed Modi's recent comments that the country would go from "Yudh" (war) to "Budh" (referring to Buddha, peace) and sought to know if the government wants to destroy the lives of lakhs of people before seeking "peace like Samrat Ashoka."

"The NDA government has failed on all fronts. No jobs, no increase in FDIs, no black money brought back to India. In order to cover up their failures, they want bring war between India and Pakistan," he claimed.

Domestic air passenger traffic increased by 23.46 per cent during September to 82.30 lakh, official data showed on Wednesday.

The domestic passenger traffic during the corresponding month of last year stood at 66.66 lakh.

In August, the passenger traffic rose by 23.98 per cent to 83.81 lakh from 67.60 lakh in the corresponding month last year.

According to the data furnished by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, passenger traffic during January-September period grew by 23.17 per cent.

The Chief Electoral Office in Goa has ordered an inquiry into pictures which surfaced on the social media showing hundreds of EPIC cards dumped in a roadside drain in Margao, 40 kms from Panaji.

The Goa Forward party too met officials at the Chief Electoral office producing pictures of the voter cards which were found dumped in the poll-bound state.

"I have asked District Collector to submit a report within 48 hours about those pictures," said Joint Chief Electoral Officer Narayan Navati.

Navati said a thorough probe will reveal the truth behind the cards but the first look at the pictures indicates that these are old Electoral Photo Identity Card cards.

"They may have been dumped in the dustbin during shifting of mamlatdar office in Margao town. But I will be able to comment properly only after the inquiry," he said.

The Collectorate complex including mamlatdar office which was earlier located in the heart of Margao city has shifted to the outskirts in a new complex.

Union Minister Babul Supriyo on Wednesday was attacked with brickbats by a mob at Asansol in West Bengal.

Supriyos vehicle was stopped allegedly by Trinamool Congress supporters near Asansol and agitators pelted stones at him.

One of the brickbats hit him on the stomach and he suffered minor injuries.

Later, the infuriated mob vandalised Supriyo's vehicle and attacked two other BJP supporters who were accompanying him.

Karnataka government on Wednesday said it would stick to the Supreme Court direction to the state to release 2,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu till further orders.

"We will stick to the Supreme Court order. I want to say no more than that," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters on the sidelines of a media briefing on cabinet meeting.

The Supreme Court had on Tuesday retained its direction to Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs till further orders and asked the two states to ensure peace and harmony, saying citizens should not become law unto themselves.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra, which commenced the crucial hearing on various issues arising out of the dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over sharing of Cauvery waters, had said it first intended to adjudicate the issue of maintainability of appeals filed by both the states and Kerala against the Cauvery water dispute tribunal's 2013 award.

"The interim order dated October 4 directing Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu will continue till further orders," the bench also comprising Justices Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar had said.

Airtel has announced a new data offer for all its customers purchasing a new 4G-enabled smartphone.

Users who purchase a new 4G-enabled smartphone will be eligible to get 10 GB 4G/3G data on a recharge of Rs 259.

Airtel says 1GB data will be instantly credited to the customers account and the additional 9GB data can be claimed via MyAirtel App.

The data will be valid for 28 days. Users can recharge a maximum of 3 times within 90 days to avail the offer.

Beverages major Coca Cola India has dropped Bollywood superstar Salman Khan as brand ambassador for its soft drink 'Thums Up' after four years of association and the company is in talks with young star Ranveer Singh to replace him.

The contract with Khan had expired last month and the company has chosen not to renew it, according to industry sources.

When contacted, Coca Cola India declined to comment.

The company's decision to not to renew the contract with the 50-year-old actor is more to do with the image of Coca Cola, which is seen as a young brand, a source said.

"That explains why Coca Cola is talking to a much younger star like Ranveer Singh," the source added.

Khan has been among the top celebrity endorsers reportedly charging Rs 5 crore per year per brand. Recently, he had courted controversy when he supported Pakistani artists saying "they were not terrorists" in the wake of a debate on whether they should be allowed to work in Indian movies after the Uri attack.

Coca Cola India had roped in Khan as its brand ambassador for the second time to endorse its Thums Up brand in October 2012 replacing another Bollywood star Akshay Kumar. He had earlier endorsed the brand in early 2000s.

At that time, Coca-Cola India had also signed an agreement with Being Human -- The Salman Khan Foundation -- to jointly promote, conceive and execute charitable and social activities.

A newly-wed man in the UAE has divorced his wife saying he could not recognise her when he saw her natural face for the first time after her make-up got washed off when she went for swimming.

The Arab couple went swimming at the Al Mamzar beach in Sharjah in the UAE after the 34-year-old man saw his 28-year-old wife's "features change" as her makeup washed off, said a psychologist who counselled the unidentified woman.

The husband believed she did not look as pretty as before the wedding and accused her of deceiving him by using so many cosmetics, including fake eyelashes, the Gulf News reported.

Dr Abdul Aziz Asaf, consultant psychologist said his clinic received a request from the woman to help her overcome her psychological suffering after her divorce.

The groom said he could not recognise his wife after the make-up was gone. The bride wore artificial eyelashes and had undergone cosmetic surgeries before the marriage.

The bride said she intended to tell her husband the truth about her but it was too late, Dr Asaf said.

18:06 No consensus on Goods and Services Tax

The GST Council today failed to arrived at a consensus on GST rate.

Now, the council will meet again on November 4-5.

The all-powerful GST Council, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, on Day 1 of its three-day meet yesterday reached consensus on the formula for payment of compensation to states from any loss of revenue from implementation of Goods and Service Tax in the first five years beginning April 1, 2017.

West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi, a distinguished poet, adds another feather to his cap, agreeing to write songs for an upcoming bilingual movie on patriotism and nationalistic values.

The song for the movie Jowar Bhata in Bengali and Rishtey in Hindi will be sung by BJP leader and Union MOS for heavy industries Babul Supriyo. FTII director Gajendra Chauhan will act in the role of a doctor in the film.

"The director came to me and narrated the story. He liked one of my poems. He wanted to use it as a song in his movie. I gave him the permission to use it," Tripathi said, adding he was happy that his song was being used in a movie and that he would also be present during the screening of it.

The film will be directed by Kolkata-based filmmaker Milan Bhowmick, who has directed a few movies in the past.

Congress leader and industrialist Naveen Jindal, accused in a coal block allocation scam case along with 14 others, was today allowed by a special court to travel abroad later this month for business purposes.

Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar allowed the plea filed by Jindal seeking the court's permission to visit China from October 22 to 29 and imposed certain conditions on him.

Jindal was earlier granted bail by the court which had imposed several conditions, including that he will not leave the country without the court's nod.

Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK today named its candidates for the Thanjavur, Aravakurichi and Thirupparankundram Assembly constituencies.

The polls to Thanjavur and Aravakurichi and bypoll to Thirupparankumdram will all be held on November 19.

Stealing a march over rival parties, the AIADMK named M Rengasamy in Thanjavur, former transport minister V Senthil Balaji for Aravakurichi and AK Bose from Thirupparankundram.

The DMK had announced yesterday that candidates willing to contest in the polls could file their papers in party office till October 20 and an interview will be held the next day.

Both Rengasamy and Senthil Balaji were the AIADMK candidates in the May 16 assembly elections as well.

However, the poll was cancelled in the two constituencies by Election Commission following seizure of huge sums of cash, distribution of money and gifts by candidates and parties.

As the MLA-elect of Tiruparankundram constituency, SM Seenivel of the AIADMK, passed away days after results for the May 16 assembly election were declared, a bypoll was necessitated.

The ruling party has named long-time party functionary, AK Bose, who is also a former MLA (Madurai North, 2011-16) as its nominee for Thiruparankundram in Madurai district.

Modernist painter Francis Newton Souza's 'The Deposition' sold for a whopping 1,565,000 (approx Rs 13 crore) at Sotheby's Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art Sale in London.

The 1963 masterwork, which was the top lot of the sale, is among the most celebrated works of the artist from his exhibition 'The Human and the Divine Predicament', held at London's Grosvenor Gallery in 1964.

"Francis Newton Souza's 'The Deposition' estimated at 400,000-600,000 (approx Rs 3 - 4 cr), achieved a spectacular 1,565,000, almost three times the high estimate," according to a statement by Sotheby's.

The sale realised a total value of 4,015,125 (approx Rs 32 cr), exceeding the pre-sale estimate of 2.7 to 4 million. All of the 21 paintings from Herr Amacker collection that had not been seen since the 1970s, were also sold at the auction, with Ganesh Pyne's 'Under the Fountain' fetching the highest price in the lot.

Image of F N Souza's painting used for representational purposes only.

Goa's plush Kingfisher Villa, where Vijay Mallya has hosted several glitzy parties in the past, failed to attract a single bidder at an e-auction today -- marking yet another failed attempt by lenders to recover dues from the embattled businessman.

While repeated attempts have been made without any success for sale of several other assets kept as collaterals by erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines of the Mallya-led UB Group, the famed Villa was put under hammer for the first time.

However, the auction turned out to be a damp squib, supposedly due to its high reserve price at Rs 85.3 crore, sources said.

The 12,350 sq mt Villa was once used by Mallya to host lavish parties in his 'good times'.

"None of the bidders came forward, so the auction of Kingfisher Villa failed. Higher reserve price could be the reason," a source said.

The sea-facing palatial villa, situated in Candolim, Goa had earlier attracted interest from at least half a dozen players in the hospitality industry and a media group, when it was opened for inspection to interested bidders during the end of September and early October.

The 17-lender consortium led by State Bank of India took physical possession of the property in May after a long legal battle with United Spirits over tenancy rights.

The Villa was owned by United Breweries Holdings and mortgaged by Kingfisher Airlines to the consortium of banks to obtain loans in 2010.

The Villa is among many movable and immovable properties under lenders' possession, which they are trying to auction as a part to recover Rs 9,000 crore from Mallya.

Coming out in support of Karan Johar, veteran director Shyam Benegal today said it is sad that the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil filmmaker had to reiterate his patriotism.

Johar made a video appeal yesterday to those protesting the release of his directorial venture because it has Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has threatened to stall the movie's release on October 28.

Benegal, 81, also questioned the constant demand made on people to prove their patriotism.

"I feel very sad that he had to make a statement like that because how can anybody doubt his patriotism or his love for this country. Does it need to be reiterated everyday of his life or my life, because there is a demand on people to prove his patriotism? Why should one do that?

"When you are born here, when you live here or make a livelihood here, you are going to live all your life in your country and you are not planning to leave or go anywhere else. You are an important and successful member of the society. Why should a person like him have to constantly say that he will not do this? Why have we come to this situation?," Benegal said.

In the video, Johar had said that he was hurt to be called an anti-national because "country comes first" for him.

Meanwhile, veteran scriptwriter Salim Khan tweeted that film industry is not divided and is the only place where talent is valued.

"What works is talent & capability. This is true from the time of Dada Saheb Phalke till date. It is true that there are some amongst us who have aligned themselves to political parties for personal gain.

"And yes we are a happy lot. If our films work we are happy and if a rivals film flops we are happy too. And we live happily ever after," he tweeted.

Noted Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen today slammed those who are boycotting Pakistani artistes, saying terrorists should be banned not artistes, and cautioned that such actions were similar to Hitler's idea of 'blood purity'.

In a series of tweets, Taslima, who is living in exile in India after facing death threats from fundamentalists in Bangladesh, said, "Ban terrorists. Don't ban artists. Artistes belong to the places where art is honoured.

"Today you ban Pakistani artists. Tomorrow you ban Bangladeshi writers. You will live with yourselves. 'Pure Indian' blood. Hitler's idea of 'blood purity'."

Hitler, who led Germany during World War II, propagated the idea of a "pure Aryan race" supremacy under Nazism, leading to the killings of millions of Jews and ban on mixed marriages.

Tasleema's came a day after filmmaker Karan Johar said he will not "engage with talent" from Pakistan in future and made a fervent appeal against stalling his upcoming film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' that features Fawad Khan.

Just in: The Delhi High Court rejects Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea to stay the proceedings before a trial court in a criminal defamation case filed against him and other AAP leaders by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The court said that Kejriwal's plea is devoid of merit.

The high court had reserved its verdict on July 25 on Kejriwal's plea challenging the trial court's May 19 order by which it had turned down the Delhi Chief Minister's request to adjourn hearing on a criminal defamation case before it, till the high court decided a related civil suit.

As per Kejriwal's plea, there are two casesone civil and the other criminalfiled against AAP leaders on the same allegations and the trial court should have stayed the proceedings in the matter, but it had declined the matter.

16:47 News updates

-- UP CM Akhilesh Yadav writes a strong letter to Mulayam Singh making his intentions clear that he is going ahead with his November 3 yatra.

-- Two Chinese astronauts enter space lab for a month-long stay after successful docking.

-- Delhi HC rejects Arvind Kejriwal's plea to stay defamation case filed by finance minister Arun Jaitley.

Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju tweets his distaste for the MNS: "Why do MNS attack helpless people? If u are brave, come to me. I've a danda waiting for u and is getting impatient. MNS people are goondas who have drunk the salt water of the Arabian Sea. I am an Allahabadi goonda, who has drunk the water of the Sangam. So instead of showing your bravery on those helpless artists, come have a dangal with me, and let the world see who is a bigger goonda."

Katju has slammed Raj Thackeray's party, for issuing threats to Pakistani artists to leave India post Uri attacks. Katju has even suggested people to file a PIL against the those who have threatened Pakistani artists to leave India, in which he is willing to give his legal advice.

Karan Johar through a video message last evening put his country before self and saluted the Indian army for their valour. The director condemned terrorism and also declared that going forward he wouldn't work with Pakistani talents given the current circumstances prevailing in India.

Even as rumours were rife that Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar would be shown the door for his remarks yesterday, our sources in Delhi tell us that Jaishankar will in fact get a year's extension in tenure.

Yesterday, Jaishankar contradicted Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar when he told the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs that India had carried out strikes earlier. "The Army had carried out target-specific, limited-calibre, counter-terrorist operations across the LoC in the past too but this is the first time the government has gone public about it, the parliamentary panel was told on Tuesday.

The PMO has initiatied a file to put into effect the year's extension on the lines of the Chairman Railway Board AK Mittal who was given a two-year extension for his splendid performance.

We can also tell you that in government circles the news of Jaishankar's extension has been circulating after Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha today is believed to have been alerted by the PMO to process the FS's extension and bring it up before the Appointments committe of the Cabinet.

Jaishankar is due to superannuate on the last working day in December 2016.

15:43

Open letter to Karan Johar: I'm sad that you surrendered your freedom of expression. Read

15:27 Can Trump win 3rd debate?

Third presidential debates tend to be the least exciting, but Wednesday's final clash between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton figures to be an exception.

Trump comes roaring into the prime-time face-off at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, claiming that the Clinton campaign, the media and the political establishment are conspiring to "rig" the election against him, using "false" stories from women who have accused him of sexual aggression.

"The media is trying to rig the election by giving credence, and this is so true, by giving credence to false stories that have no validity and making the front page," Trump said Monday in Green Bay, Wis.Will the candidate echo his conspiracy claims in Vegas?"Trump's participation ensures there shouldn't be many dull moments on Wednesday night," said Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan. -- USA Today

15:11 Month-long Winter Session to begin on Nov 16

The Winter Session of Parliament will commence on November 16 and is likely to end on December 16, it was officially announced today. This will be the 10th Session of 16th Lok Sabha and 241st Session of Rajya Sabha.

The Session dates have been advanced this time since in the past it was normally convened in the third or fourth week of November. The recent surgical strikes in PoK are expected to grab limelight during the month-long Session. Some parties have alleged that the government is trying to politicise it.

People cannot be put to a daily test of patriotism, senior BJP leader Ram Madhav has told NDTV in a comment on a Delhi minister's recent attack on Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.

Aam Aadmi Party's Kapil Mishra had at a recent function in Delhi accosted Ms Mufti with the question, "Do you believe Burhan Wani was a terrorist," referring to the 22-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist killed by security forces in Kashmir earlier this year.

"You cannot put people to a daily patriotism test. You can't ask them to prove their patriotism every day. They are responsible people holding responsible positions," said Madhav, who is in charge of managing BJP's alliance with Mufti's Peoples Democratic Party or PDP in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mufti, he said, was confronted with such questions regularly for some time now and she had handled "such situations with great maturity and she has been consistent. She is very clear in her head about such issues. She has no ambiguities about the issue".

14:50 India watches over Myanmar

PM Narendra Modi looks on as State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi signs the visitor's book at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

India, Myanmar joint statement at the joint press meeting:

PM Narendra Modi: "I welcome her Excellency to her second home. It is an honor for us to receive you in India," PM Modi addresses Aung San Suu Kyi.

"As you lead Myanmar to become modern, prosperous, India and its friendship will stand by you in full support, solidarity. We've agreed to enhance our engagement in several areas including agriculture, power and renewable energy. Our societies enjoy a centuries old cultural connect. We have offered assistance in restoring pagodas damaged in recent earthquake.

"The ASI will also soon begin work on restoring two old temples and inscriptions of King Mindon and King Baygyidaw in Bodh Gaya. As close and friendly neighbours, the security interests of India and Myanmar are closely aligned. India has a robust development cooperation programme with Myanmar.

"We have agreed to enhance our engagement in several areas including agriculture, power, renewable energy and power sector. India has a robust development cooperation programme with Myanmar. As close and friendly neighbours, the security interests of India and Myanmar are closely aligned. "

Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor of Myanmar: We are inspired by by Gandhi, Nehru. We are confident that our countries can overcome challenges. The time has come for us to say that, yes we can do this. We have always admired India for being the greatest democracy in the world.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met State Counsellor and Foreign Minister of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi here on Wednesday, the third and concluding day of her three-day state visit to India.

"An old friend from the East, a partner in our common Progress. PM receives Myanmar State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at Hyderabad House," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders.

14:07 Hillary, Trump neck and neck in Texas: Poll

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is narrowing in on her Republican rival Donald Trump's lead in Texas which has dropped from double digits to under 5 per cent in the last two weeks, according to a new poll.

According to Washington Post survey 'Monkey poll' Trump is ahead of Clinton by only 2 points in the lone star state. In a University of Houston poll, the Republican presidential nominee is leading by 3 points, whereas the survey 'USA/Texas Tenga poll' showed him ahead by 4 points.

Trump, 70, is still winning Texas, but his advantage has dropped precipitously from double digits to under 5 per cent in the last two weeks, the survey said.

Released yesterday by the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs, the poll also found that 16 per cent of respondents were undecided or refused to answer. Four per cent chose Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson and 1 per cent selected Green Party nominee Jill Stein. Republican presidential candidates have won Texas by no less than 11 percentage points since 2000, according to a memo accompanying the poll results.

Democrats last won Texas in a presidential race in 1976.

Just in: The Hyderabad High Court stays further probe against Michael Ferreira. The former World Billiards Champion and three others accused in a case of a Rs 400-crore alleged fraud involving the multi-level-marketing company QNet were taken into custody by the Hyderabad Police today.

A Hyderabad Police team had last week submitted an application seeking their custody in connection with the case registered by them. A Mumbai court then granted transit remand and the Hyderabad Police took them into custody.

"The four directors of the company, including Michael Ferreira, have been brought to Hyderabad from Mumbai on warrant," a senior police official attached to Central Crime Station, a wing of Hyderabad Police, said on Wednesday.

They have been brought to Hyderabad as part of further investigation and will be interrogated, he said.

Security forces carried out a massive search operation at Jammu airport after an input that two persons had entered the premises after scaling the airport wall, police said today.

One person has been detained for questioning in this regard, sources said. "A massive search operation was launched by security forces and police in and around the airport and IAF station after some inputs about suspected movement last night", a senior police officer said today. The IAF pressed into service helicopters armed with search lights during the night operation, he said.

Some children in the Azadnagar locality close to Airport in Jammu had informed the people that two suspected persons have breached the wall and entered airport area. The information was passed on to police.

The blue-eyed chaiwalla from Pakistan who has been killing the internet with his stunning, yet shy looks, has bagged a contract with an online fashion retailer in Islamabad.

The online shopping website has now posted several pictures of the chai-walla wearing a blue suit on its Facebook page. @GaylaxyMagazine tweeted the picture, saying, "Finally this hot and happening Chaiwala has been signed by a modelling agency in Islamabad. #KeepRockingMate."

The unnamed chaiwalla, who is referred to as, well, chaiwalla, became a social media sensation after a Pakistani photographer called Javeria (Jiah Ali), posted this image (alongside) on her Instagram account.

jiah_aliHot-tea: "p.s you can catch him at itwar bazaar (peshawer mor) near the sabzi area. #seewhatididthere #potd #instadaily #igersislamabad #igerspakistan #instagram #nikon #jiahsphotography #nikonpakistan #vscocam #vscogrid #dawndotcom #shutterpak #etribunepk #vdco #tea."

The photographer told Buzzfeed that her first two shots were of him looking down, concentrating on the chai he was making. But the picture that captured the collective fantasies of India and Pakistan was captured seconds after he looked up at her.

Hours later, the young chaiwalla was trending on Twitter in both Pakistan and India with people quipping, @sohailcheemamd: Surgical Strikes on Indian girls though Pak #ChaiWala . Do we really need to unleash our other weapons? "

Some chaiwallas order surgical strikes, some stir up desire.

IAF Mi-17 V 5 helicopter crashes near Badrinath in Uttarakhand during take off. No casualties.

After film-maker Karan Johar gave in to the pressure of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and said he will not work with Pakistani talent in future, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday said that it would have been better had the director expressed solidarity with India's armed forces post Uri and Pathankot attacks.

BJP spokesperson Shaina NC told ANI that the Centre has decided to give protection to every theatre that is going to showcase Johar's film.

"Clearly, there is a sentiment in public at large, which is anti-Pakistan at the given juncture as we all know post Uri and Pathankot. I wish the directors like Karan Johar would have come out with a statement in solidarity with our armed forces after the attacks rather than let a controversy break loose," said NC.

"However, we do believe that the rule of law must prevail and because it cannot implement retrospective, our government has decided to give protection to every theatre that is going to showcase that film," she added.

NC further said that the question is who has actually boycotted this particular film, as the government has no role to play.

Earlier on Tuesday, Johar broke his silence on the row over his upcoming film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', in an emotional video statement expressing a "deep sense of hurt and pain" by the charge of being anti-national.

"I condemn terror in the strongest terms, I respect our Army, for me, the country comes first," the 44-year-old said.Johar, who made his directorial debut with the blockbuster romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, further said:
"The best way to express your patriotism is to spread love and thats all I have ever tried to do through my work and cinema."

Yesterday, prominent industry veterans including filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt met Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar and Joint Police Commissioner (Law and Order) Deven Bharti, who assured them that they would provide protection to theatres screening Dharma Productions next release.The meeting took place in the wake of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) veiled threat of vandalizing multiplexes if they screen 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'.

11:35 Situation in Kashmir Valley peaceful

Defying the separatist-sponsored strike, more and more people were out on the streets today to resume their day-to-day activities in the summer capital which witnessed increased movement of public transport.

While shops and business establishments including petrol pumps remained closed in commercial hub of Lal Chowk and adjoining areas, many such outlets were open in civil lines areas of Sanat Nagar, Jawahar Nagar, Rajbagh and Bishembar Nagar and in the outskirts of the city, a police official said.

He said a large number of roadside vendors set up their stalls on the TRC crossing-Batamaloo axis passing through Lal Chowk, while there was increased movement of private vehicles and auto-rickshaws in the city. However, shops and business establishments were shut in most of the other district headquarters of the Valley. They open only during the periodic relaxation announced by the separatists.

Image: Kashmiris celebrating India's 69th Independence Day

Ivanka Trump finally broke her silence on on the 2005 tape in which her father Donald trump made sexually aggressive remarks about women, and said that the comments were "clearly inappropriate and offensive".

"My father's comments were clearly inappropriate and offensive and I'm glad that he acknowledged this fact with an immediate apology to my family and the American people," CNN quoted Trump's eldest daughter as saying in a statement.

She added that her "greatest comfort' is that she knows her father while "most of the people who write about him don't'. This gives her the ability to "shrug off' reports she knows are wrong.

Ivanka also said that media often refers to her as Trumps surrogate wife which was a deeply offensive thing to say.

Her statement comes the same day as Melania Trump, who defended her husband and called those accusations lies and that Trump was egged on into boy talk.

She also said she never heard her husband use that kind of language before. The tape in which Trump bragged about sexually aggressive behaviour toward women was published by The Washington Post and NBC on October 8. Several women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct since then.

11:14 Dear Gauri, looking forward

First look at the Gauri Shinde film, Dear Zindagi poster and we love the look. Directed by Shinde, the film is produced by Gauri Khan and Karan Johar and stars Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur, Ira Dubey, Kunal Kapoor, Pink fame Angad Bedi and TV actor Sidharth Shukla. The film releases on November 25.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today compared the Indian "surgical strikes" with the covert operations of Israel. "Earlier, we used to hear of Israel doing things like this," Modi told a rally at Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. "Now everyone knows our army can do it too." The nature of Israel's covert operations suggests key differences with India's strikes, which the Indian government broke from the past to publicise and tom-tom and which Pakistan so far has denied ever occurred. The following are some of the operations Israel has acknowledged... Read it here.

10:43 Gandhian activist in S Africa passes away

A South African freedom struggle icon and husband of Mahatma Gandhi's granddaughter Mewa Ramgobin has died at the age of 83 after a prolonged illness.

Ramgobin, the former president of the Natal Indian Congress which fought discrimination against Indians in South Africa, breathed his last at a Cape Town hospital on Monday.

A family member said he was admitted to hospital on October 8 and was doing well until two days ago. Ramgobin was married to Ela Gandhi, a human rights activist and Mahatma Gandhi's granddaughter.

A former African National Congress member of Parliament until 2009, he was among the first supporters of the Release Mandela campaign. He was charged for treason in 1985. The couple was involved in the activities of the Phoenix Settlement Trust that was established in 1904 by Gandhi near Durban during his tenure in South Africa. Just hours before Ramgobin's death, Ela had departed for Sweden with one of their daughters Asha who is due to receive an honorary degree there.

The Rajasthan government on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court against Bollywood actor Salman Khan's acquittal in the blackbuck and chinkara poaching cases, ANI reported. In July, the actor was acquitted of all charges in connection with the cases that date back to 1998.

Khan had moved the Rajasthan High Court against a lower court verdict that had sentenced him to a one-year term in jail in the blackbuck case and five years' imprisonment in the chinkara case.

Hyderabad police arrests former billiards champion Michael Ferreira. Ferreira and three others held in multi-crore Qnet scam case.

Central Crime Station sleuths of Hyderabad have arrested the Padma Bhushan awardee-cum-former Billiards Champion and three others in multi crore Qnet multilevel marketing fraud case. Police brought Michael, Magaral Balaji, Srinivas Vanka and Malcolm Desai to Hyderabad on a Prisoner Transit (PT) warrant from Mumbai on Tuesday night.

In 2016, eight victims lodged complaints with CCS sleuths against the owners of Hong Kong based QNet multilevel marketing company for duping them to the tune of several lakhs through various fraudulent investment schemes and by promising to provide e-commerce jobs.

10:20 Sensex stays positive

So your wallet is half full... Strong global cues helped the Sensex climb over 80 points today, which extended its previous day's rally amid signs of a firming trend at Asian markets after data showed China's economy is stabilising.

Sania Mirza celebrated her 80th consecutive week as the doubles World No.1 yesterday. Mirza is the first Indian woman to hold the No.1 ranking last season after winning the Volvo Car Open in Charleston with her former partner Martina Hingis.

Mirza took to Twitter yesterday saying, "Today I complete 80 consecutive weeks as the number 1 player in d world👆its been an amazing journey and just inspires me to work harder @WTA."

Sania Mirza continued to stay on top of the WTA women's doubles ranking following her recent victory in the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

Sania had partnered Czech Republics Barbora Strycova to claim the title, following 6-1, 6-1win over Chinese pair of Chen Liang and Zhaoxuan Yang.

Sania (9730) is now only five points adrift of former doubles partner Martina Hingis (9725) in the rankings chart.

09:59 When Jai Bhim meets Lal Salaam

Dalit politics cannot move forward unless it is willing to articulate the material aspirations of the dispossessed. Similarly, Left politics has no future unless it recognises that annihilation of caste is vital for any progressive politics. Read more

US Presidential debates provide the crucial opportunity for candidates to make a "big difference" and influence voters but the history of debating is also littered with gaffes, from Richard Nixon's legendary "sweaty upper lip" to George H W Bush checking his watch.

With Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump gearing up for their final debate today at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, Dean of the Austin Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College, David Birdsell said the final debate is the "last known opportunity" to make a big difference but the candidates can also "injure themselves through a gaffe, a serious misstep of some sort".

"This is indeed the last scheduled opportunity for either candidate to make a big difference," Birdsell said at a session organised by the New York Foreign Press Centre this week on what to expect in the final debate.

He said as the debates progress, the number of people who call themselves undecided shrinks as more and more people make up their mind about which candidate they want to vote for.

While the presidential debates provide the candidates a unique opportunity to win voters with their performance and policy visions, Birdsell said the history of presidential debating is littered with gaffes, including Nixon's famous sweaty upper lip and shifting eyes in the first ever presidential debate in 1960 and President Barack Obama's lackluster performance in his first debate with Mitt Romney in 2012.

The first presidential debate was held in September 1960 between US Senator John F Kennedy, the Democratic nominee, and Vice President Nixon, the Republican nominee, in Chicago. It was also the nation's first televised debate and Nixon was even criticised for wearing his light-coloured suit against a light-coloured background.
The picture of Nixon dabbing the sweat off his upper lip during the debate is part of legendary debate yore.

Birdsell said there was widespread consensus that Obama too "did not do such a great job" in the first debate against Romney in 2012. "Romney looked energetic. He was smart. He had his numbers behind him. And Obama looked a little, 'I'm here, I'm going to make my arguments but I'm a little tired and I really wish I weren't here'", Birdsell said. Obama, however, was back in the game in the second debate, meeting "expectations as a tremendously articulate, successful communicator" and emerging the victor in the debate.

India and Russia have signed an agreement for the Indian Navy to acquire a second Russian Akula-2 class nuclear-powered attack submarine, Russian journal Vedomosti has confirmed.

NDTV reports that the deal was not publicly announced in Goa, where it was signed alongside a host of big-ticket defence deals between India and Russia.

Vedomosti columnist Alexei Nikolski wrote: "According to a source in the Russian defence industry, the long discussed lease to transfer a multipurpose Project 971 nuclear submarine to India from the Russian Navy was signed in Goa.

"India already operates a Russian Akula 2 nuclear powered attack submarine under lease from Russia since 2011. With the 10-year lease of this submarine likely to end in a few years, New Delhi was looking to close a deal for a second submarine of this class.

"It does not have to be that way." Those eight words of a chorus line made memorable by John Edwards, the vice presidential running mate during John Kerry's unsuccessful American presidential bid in 2004, are applicable to the just concluded Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa summit in Goa. It was not that way, as Edwards would convincingly put it in a very different setting, that New Delhi conducted its neighbourhood diplomacy or, for that matter, dealt with Moscow 20 or 25 years ago when the diplomatic challenges that this country faced were no different from what Narendra Modi faces today. Read more

The Supreme Court will today resume its hearing on the Cauvery water dispute after it directed the Karnataka government to release 2000 cusecs per day to Tamil Nadu till further orders are given.

In response, the Karnataka government has filed a petition in the court asking for larger constitutional bench to be constituted to look into the dispute.

A bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra, Amitava Roy and AM Khanwilkar are currently hearing the case.

The G S Jha-led Supreme Court appointed team on Monday submitted its report before the apex court after inspecteing the Krishnaraja Sagar and the Kabini dams in Karnataka, and the Mettur and Bhavani Sagar dams in Tamil Nadu.

The high-level central technical team also interacted with public works department officials and delta farmers in Thanjavur Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts.

The farmers in Tiruchirapalli and delta regions told the team that the samba crop will be damaged if water from the Cauvery is not released by Karnataka.The committee has stated 42 of the 48 talukas of Karnataka in the Cauvery basin have been affected by drought. The team was constituted as per orders of the apex court to assess the realities in the Cauvery basin areas in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Also read: 'If Cauvery water doesn't come, we are at God's mercy'

09:08

JUST IN: Union Health Minister JP Nadda to visit SUM hospital in Bhubaneswar where 20 people were killed in a massive fire on Monday.

09:06 GST Council to take final decision on tax rate today

The decision on the Goods and Services Tax rates, which will have four slabs, will be taken today by the GST Council that kicked off its three-day meeting yesterday.

On Tuesday, the Council reached a consensus on state compensation and the base year will be 2015-16. The meeting reached at a consensus on the way states would be compensated for any loss of revenue from implementation of the new indirect tax regime from April 1, 2017.

The finance ministry has set the November 22 deadline for building consensus on all the issues in the Council for rollout of the new indirect tax regime from April 1, 2017.

Majority of Indian-Americans prefer Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump as their choice for the next US president when it comes to issues of immigration,religious freedom and outsourcing, a Silicon Valley-based think tank has said.

However, the New York-based billionaire has an edge over Clinton when it comes to India-specific foreign policy of the United States and the fight against terrorism, the Indian-American think-tank said yesterday quoting its recent survey.

Most of the respondent preferred Clinton over Trump on immigration (59 to 29 perc ent), religious freedom (67 to 27per cent), outsourcing (52 to 22 per cent) and trust issues (40 to 17 per cent), the Foundation of India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS-USA.org) said while releasing the results of the survey carried out on Indian-Americans about their opinions on the two US presidential candidates.

Trump fared little better against Clinton over terrorism(48 to 43 per cent) and India specific strategic alliances (47 to 40 per cent) with respect to countries like Pakistan, China, Russia among others.

Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar took a dig at the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Twitter. On his Twitter account, he wrote, "One MLA party, MNS, not learning their lessons. With threats of vandalism etc they are certain to be a zero MLA party next elections."

The dig comes after MNS threatened mulitplexes in Mumbai of damaging their property if they screened Karan Johar's latest Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

Thackeray's ggroup said it would intensify its opposition to Johar's film as it features Fawad. They issued a veiled threat of vandalism to the multiplexes if they screened it.

Maharashtra Navnirman Chitrapat Karmachari Sena executive president Shalini Thackeray said, "The producers can get protection for the movie screening, but are they prepared for the outrage of the audience once they see a Pakistani actor on the screen."

Also please read: The man who wants Pakistani actors to leave India

Three students, two males and one female, were injured in a shootout near the City Arts and Technology High School and the June Jordan School for Equity, authorities with the San Francisco Police Department said.

The 15-year-old female victim was shot in her upper extremities and is listed in critical condition. Shes currently fighting for her life at the San Francisco General Hospital. Both male students are recovering from non-life threatening injuries after they were shot in the lower extremities.

Police are currently searching for four male suspects they believe are connected in with the shooting.

Ecuador has said that it had cut the internet access of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is holed up at its London embassy, due to leaks by the anti-secrecy website that could impact the US election.

"The government of Ecuador respects the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states. It does not interfere in external electoral processes, nor does it favor any particular candidate," the Ecuadoran foreign ministry said in a statement.

In consequence, the ministry said, it decided to "temporarily restrict" communications at the embassy.

WikiLeaks has published a damaging trove of hacked emails from US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign in the recent weeks.

Ecuador reaffirmed its decision to grant Assange asylum, and said the restriction on communications at its embassy did not hinder WikiLeaks itself.

"This temporary restriction does not prevent the WikiLeaks organisation from carrying out its journalistic activities," it said.

Assange fled to Ecuador's London embassy in June 2012.

The 45-year-old Australian is fighting extradition to Sweden to face a rape accusation.

00:35 Trump backing of Russia unprecedented: Obama

United States President Barack Obama on Tuesday called Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin "unprecedented" in American politics and accused Republicans of softening stand on Russia.

According to the outgoing US President, Trump's continued flattery of Putin and the degree to which he appears to model many of his policies and approaches to politics on Putin, is unprecedented in American politics.

"It is out of step with, not just what Democrats think but out of step with what, up until the last few months, almost every Republican thought, including some of the ones who are now endorsing Trump," he said.

Trump, he noted, rarely surprises him these days.

"I am much more surprised and troubled by the fact that you have Republican officials who historically have been adamantly anti-Russian and in fact have attacked me for even engaging them diplomatically now supporting and, in some cases, echoing his positions. It's quite a reversal," he said.

"We think that Russia is a large important country with a military that is second only to ours, and has to be a part of the solution on the world stage, rather than part of the problem.

"But their behavior has undermined international norms and international rules in ways that we have to call them out on," Obama told reporters at a joint news conference with the visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, in the Rose Garden of the White House.

"Anybody who occupies this office should feel the same way because these are values that we fought for and we protected," he said.

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign considered tapping Apple chief executive Tim Cook to be her running mate, according to hacked emails published on Tuesday by WikiLeaks.

In an email dated March 17 to Clinton, campaign chairman John Podesta also proposed the mega-billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, his wife Melinda and General Motors chief executive Mary Barra as possible Democratic vice presidents.

"Let me know if there are people you would like to see added or removed," Podesta wrote, enclosing a list of more than 30 names.

"I have organized names in rough food groups."

The email also identified well known military figures -- such as Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Marine Corps General John Allen, the former commander of US forces in Afghanistan -- as well as Clinton's opponent for the Democratic nomination, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and other lawmakers.

Podesta also suggested billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as well as more conventional political choices, such as Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown.

Clinton ultimately settled on Virginia Senator Tim Kaine to campaign with her.

Reacting to the Supreme Court order directing Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu till further orders, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said there was no water in the

state's reservoirs.

"There is no water at our reservoirs, I have not yet seen the order copy. I will speak to the advocates after going through the order copy," he told reporters.

The apex court retained its direction to Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu till further orders and asked the two governments to ensure peace and harmony, saying citizens should not become law unto themselves.

"We intend to first adjudicate the issue of maintainability of appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. At this juncture, the interim order dated October 4 directing Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu will continue till further orders," the bench comprising of Justices Dipak Misra, Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar said.

Residents of Mosul said Islamic State was using civilians as human shields as Iraqi and Kurdish forces captured outlying villages in their advance on the jihadists' stronghold.

The leader of Islamic State was reported to be among thousands of hardline militants still in the city, suggesting the group would go to great lengths to repel the coalition.

With attacking forces still between 20 and 50 km (12-30 miles) away, residents reached by telephone said more than 100 families had started moving from southern and eastern suburbs most exposed to the offensive to more central parts of the city.

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