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Wed, 16 August 2017
Rajnath terms Modi's outreach to Kashmiris as 'heartwarming'

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23:21   3rd woman comes forward to accuse Roman Polanski of sexual assault
"The day after it happened, I did tell one friend that Polanski had done that to me," the woman, identified as Robin, said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The reason, with this exception, that I kept it to myself is that I didn't want my father to do something that might cause him to go to prison for the rest of his life."

The alleged victims lawyer remained tight-lipped about the details of case, but said that it had occurred in southern California. 

The director of "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown" was previously accused of drugging Geimer when she was 13 before raping her at Jack Nicholson's house in Los Angeles in 1977 while the film star was away.

Robin on Tuesday said that she was "infuriated" that Geimer had forgiven Polanksi and asked in June for the case to be closed.
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22:43   Rajnath terms Modi's outreach to Kashmiris as "heartwarming"
Home Minister Rajnath Singh today termed Prime Minister Narendra Modis outreach to Kashmiris as heartwarming and said the NDA government believes that common people in the state want to be active stakeholders in the peace process.

In an article, Decoding PMs Speech, the home minister said it was heartwarming to see Modi make his government's stand clear that the Kashmir problem cannot be resolved by use of "gaali" (abusive language) or "goli" (bullets).

On the contrary, it could only be resolved by embracing the common Kashmiri. The Centre has been consistent in its belief that the common Kashmiri wants to be an active stakeholder in the peace process, he said in the piece circulated to media houses.

Singh said the Kashmiris have been made victim by certain vested interests who do not want peace in the valley. The prime minister in his speech appealed to those who take recourse to violence and exhorted them to abjure violence and adopt democratic means to voice their concerns and
grievances, he said.
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22:18   Sohail Mahmood assumes charge as Pak's high commissioner to India
Sohail Mahmood on Wednesday assumed his charge as the Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, after his predecessor Abdul Basit announced retirement before his tenure was scheduled to end

Mahmood, who joined Pakistan's Foreign Service in 1985, had discharged his responsibilities in Islamabad's diplomatic mission in Washington, New York, Ankara and Bangkok.

He is taking charge of his office at the time when bilateral ties between the two countries are tense.

Mahmood's predecessor Abdul Basit was appointed as high commissioner to New Delhi in 2014.
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21:57   Congress questions Modi on demonetisation figures in speech
The Congress today questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over figures quoted in his Independence Day speech on demonetisation, and asked him how he knew that Rs three lakh crore had come into the banking
system when the RBI was still counting notes.

Senior Congress spokesperson Ghulam Nabi Azad said the claim made by the prime minister yesterday of Rs three lakh crore getting into the banking system post-demonetisation, is in clear contrast to what the RBI has said.

"The prime minister said Rs 3 lakh crore which were not in the banking system have come into it. We ask the prime minister, how much money has come in after demonetisation. We were told that the RBI is still counting...it may take decades to count.

"When RBI is still counting then how has the prime minister come up with this Rs 3 lakh crore figure...Two contrary stands are being taken by the prime minister of India and the Reserve Bank of India," he told reporters.

Azad, the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, said this is a big question as either the prime minister or the RBI is lying.
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21:35   Charlottesville violence: Former US presidents denounce racism
Former US Presidents George HW Bush and George W Bush released a joint statement Wednesday denouncing racism in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

But the statement, coming one day after US President Donald Trump was widely criticised for appearing to draw a moral equivalency between white supremacists and those protesting against them, did not directly address the president's response.

"America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms," they said. "As we pray for Charlottesville, we are reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city's most prominent citizen in the Declaration of Independence: we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights. We know these truths to be everlasting because we have seen the decency and greatness of our country."

During his news conference, Trump blamed "both sides" in the protests and equated the white supremacists on one side with the counter-protesters on the other side.

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21:12   'Commons to review 4-year Big Ben silence after criticism'
The House of Commons today said it will review at the length of time the iconic Big Ben will be silenced during renovation work after concerns expressed by lawmakers, the media as well as Prime Minister Theresa May.

The bell of one of the world's most famous clock towers of the 19th century is to be dismantled - except for special occasions - for four years on Monday to allow repairs to the surrounding Elizabeth Tower.

The Big Ben has sounded on the hour for 157 years. It last fell silent in 2007 and before that, for major refurbishments between 1983 and 1985.

Responding to the concern of the MPs, the House of Commons said: "When Parliament returns, in light of concerns expressed by a number of MPs, the House of Commons Commission will consider the length of time that the bells will fall silent.

"Of course, any discussion will focus on undertaking the work efficiently, protecting the health and safety of those involved, and seeking to ensure resumption of normal service as soon as is practicable given those requirements," the House said in a statement.

A Commons spokesman told the BBC that the bells would cease to ring on Monday, following the chimes at noon, as planned.
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20:39   JK govt begins building 100 bunkers along LoC in Rajouri
The Jammu and Kashmir government has begun the construction of 100 bunkers in border villages along the Line of Control in Rajouri district where there have been repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan forces.

"The district administration has started the construction of 100 bunkers in villages along the LoC in Nowshera sector," Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said today.

These bunkers will accommodate around 1200-1500 people in case of ceasefire violations, especially shelling from across the border, he said.
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20:22   Hizbul Mujahideen designated as Foreign Terrorist Organisation by US
US Department of State has designated Hizbul Mujahideen as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation. 

Earlier in June ahead of a visit to Washington by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the US had declared Syed Salahuddin, the chief of the terror group, as a global terrorist. 

Salahuddin has vowed to continue fighting until India relinquishes control of Kashmir.

The designation blocks any assets the group may have in US jurisdictions and bars Americans from doing business with it.

Image: Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin
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19:44   Nitish to seek Rs 2.75 lakh crore Bihar package from Modi
Back with the NDA, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will seek a special package of a whopping Rs 2.75 lakh crore from the Centre for the state's
development, JD-U spokesman K C tyagi said today.

Tyagi said Kumar had informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about various initiatives of his government during their meeting on August 11. The two are slated to meet again in the last week of this month.

"The chief minister told the prime minister that expectations of the people of Bihar have risen (after Nitish joined hands with the BJP). They want developmental works to be done quickly. Modi was positive," Tyagi told reporters.

The prime minister's office, he said, has begun working on projects concerning Bihar.
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19:26   Trump hails Kim Jong Un for making 'wise decision'
United States President Donald Trump has hailed North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un's decision of scrapping his plan to attack Guam as a "very wise and well reasoned decision".

"Kim Jong Un of North Korea made a very wise and well reasoned decision. The alternative would have been both catastrophic and unacceptable!" Trump tweeted.

Trumps' reaction came as North Korea earlier threatened to attack Guam and other US territories in the Pacific region, saying a strike plan was ready "to put into practise in a multi-current and consecutive way any moment" on Kim's instruction.

However, Kim later on decided not to launch an attack but warned he could change his mind.

Guam is home to a US military base that includes a submarine squadron, an airbase and a coastguard group and is armed with the U.S. Army's missile defense system known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, the same system recently installed in South Korea.

Trump had earlier reiterated his bellicose rhetoric on North Korea and warned Kim Jong Un that if any of the U.S. territory is attacked, he "will truly regret it."

He also issued a warning to North Korea on Friday, saying that the US military is 'locked and loaded' to deal with any provocation from Pyongyang.
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18:58   LeT commander Ayub Lelhari killed in Pulwama encounter
An encounter between security forces and terrorists broke out on Wednesday in Kakpora's Banderpora in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir. LeT commander Ayub Lelhari was killed in the encounter.

"He (Ayub Lelhari) was one of the most wanted terrorists. It's a great success for the forces," said SP Vaid, DGP J&K.

Earlier on Sunday, at least three terrorists including chief operations commander of Hizbul Mujahideen Yaseen Itoo were killed in an encounter with security forces in Awneera village of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian.

Five soldiers were also injured in the encounter, two among them succumbed to injuries while two other terrorists escaped. The encounter broke out on Saturday evening and ended around noon on Sunday.
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18:30   Doordarshan refutes allegations of blacking out I-Day speech of Tripura CM
National broadcaster Doordarshan on Wednesday refuted allegations of intentionally blacking out the Independence Day speech of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and said that the reports are 'totally incorrect'

Doordarshan in its letter stated that the News Unit of the local station of Doordarshan has given wide coverage to the public address of the chief minister and the development activity of the state government.

"On August 15 2017, Doordarshan gave a wide coverage to the chief minister's Independence Day programme and telecast reports running to 29 minutes and 45 seconds. Out of which the chief minister's speech coverage was for 12 minutes," the letter read.

Doordarshan even claimed that the show was repeat telecasted on August 16 and added that the speech and Independence Day programme in various district of Tripura was give wide publicity in the Regional News Bulletin.

The CM on Tuesday alleged that Doordarshan and All India Radio refused to broadcast his customary Independence Day speech and asked him to rewrite and rerecord it.

The public broadcasters allegedly did not air Sarkar's speech which was scheduled to be aired at 6.30 am on Tuesday.

As per the media reports, the CM's Office was informed via a letter that his speech would not be broadcast unless he "reshaped it".
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18:10   1984 Anti-Sikh riots: SC appoints panel to examine over 235 cases
The Supreme Court on Wednesday appointed a panel comprising of two retired judges to examine more than 235 cases in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

The top court said the panel would supervise whether the cases in which the closure report had been filed was correct or not and asked to review all the cases and submit a report within three months.

The apex court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra passed this verdict while hearing the plea filed by Gurlad Singh Kahlon.Earlier on August 2, the court had directed petitioner Kahlon to file his suggestions in connection with the riot cases.

Kahlon had sought the court's direction for setting up of the SIT to ensure speedy justice to the riot victims.Earlier, the apex court directed the Centre to deposit more than 190 files in connection with this case.

Expressing serious concern over the closure of more than 190 cases, out of a total of the 293 cases referred to SIT on 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases, the court asked the Union of India to produce on record on April 25 all the files related to closure of these cases by SIT.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the apex court that the SIT in as many as 263 cases had no case files and there was no trace of any victim or witness.

On February 20, the Centre filed a status report in the top court on the investigation conducted by the SIT into anti-Sikh riots cases.

The court had asked the government to brief it within four weeks on the steps taken in the matter, after the Centre had said that the SIT's work was "in progress".

Anti-Sikh riots that broke out after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi had claimed 2,433 lives in Delhi alone.
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17:34   ED permitted custodial interrogation of Indrani Mukerjea
A special court on Wednesday permitted the Enforcement Directorate for custodial interrogation of Indrani Mukerjea in connection with the INX media case.

The Delhi Court issued production warrant against Indrani seeking her presence before the court on September 9th.

Earlier in May, an FIR was lodged against former Union minister P. Chidambaram's son Karti, Indrani Mukerjea, unknown officers of FIPB Unit of Ministry of Finance and others over alleged financial misappropriation over Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to Peter Mukerjea and Indrani's media company INX Media in 2008.

INX Media operated channels like NewsX, 9X and 9X Music.

The charges include criminal conspiracy, cheating, taking gratification in order by corrupt or illegal means to influence public servant and criminal misconduct.

The case was registered under section 120-B r/w, section 420, section 8 and section 13(2) r/w and 13 (1) (d) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

It is alleged that while the clearance was only for Rs. 4 crore, the actual foreign investment was much higher, and this was allowed because Karti allegedly facilitated the deal. The CBI is also investigating a money trail and the bribe allegedly given to Karti.

According to reports, in 2008, Karti's Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited (ASCPL) allegedly received Rs 35 Lakhs from INX Media, on the same day another Rs 60 lakh was allegedly paid from INX Media to Northstar Software Solutions Pvt Ltd. On September 24, 2008, another tranche of 20,000 Dollars were allegedly paid to ASCPL's Singapore subsidiary by INX Media.

The involvement of P. Chidambaram is also being investigated since he was a Union Minister then.

Indrani, accused in her daughter Sheena Bora's murder case, is currently lodged in the Byculla prison
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17:04   Modi govt's J&K policy has created space for Pak to misbehave: Rahul
Rahul Gandhi today flayed the Jammu and Kashmir policy of the Narendra Modi government, alleging that it has created a space in the troubled state for Pakistan to "misbehave".

His attack on the government at a Congress rally in Bengaluru comes a day after Modi, in his Independence Day address, reached out to Kashmiris, saying abuses and bullets would not resolve their problems but embracing them would.

"He (Modi) has created an environment in Jammu and Kashmir of hatred and anger, and the only people who benefit from violence and hatred are the Pakistanis," he said.

Claiming that he worked on the J-K issue with Manmohan Singh, who was the prime minister, and leaders like P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh silently without any "drama or tamasha", he said their effort of 10 years was "destroyed by Modi in one month".

Gandhi said that the Congress-led coalition in 2004 inherited a government from Atal Bihari Vajpayee under which Kashmir was "burning", and one of the biggest successes of the Manmohan Singh government was creating an environment of peace in J&K.

"We worked for 10 years to bring peace in Kashmir. We  did panchayat elections, we did work on employment, we  connected thousands of women there to banks. The reason was we wanted peace and harmony in Kashmir," he said.

"We wanted to embrace the people of Jammu and Kashmir and we wanted them to embrace us. We wanted peace there, also  because when there is peace, Pakistan can do nothing in Jammu  and Kashmir... The space for Pakistan to do mischief there  closes," he said.
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16:51   Will Sharad Yadav be disqualified as RS MP?
Former JD-U national president Sharad Yadav may be disqualified as a member of the Rajya Sabha. Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu can take a decision on this provided a complaint is lodged against Yadav. Legal teams representing the JDU and the BJP are working towards this as you read this. Under what rules Sharad Yadav can attract a disqualification is still undecided. A final call will be taken only by Nitish Kumar and interestingly, he wants action before the month end.
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16:38   Any death due to oxygen shortage is a henious crime: UP health min
Amid allegations that shortage of oxygen cylinders at a Gorakhpur hospital led to the deaths of scores of children, Uttar Pradesh health minister Siddharth Nath Singh said today that the loss of life due to such a reason was nothing less than heinous crime.

He said that all aspects related to the deaths at the state-run BRD medical college hospital were being probed by a panel led by UP chief secretary and promised that those found guilty would be punished.

"Any death due to oxygen shortage is a henious crime... Any laxity on this front is also a crime," the UP health minister told reporters in Lucknow. He said the team led by the state's chief secretary was probing the deaths in the Gorakhpur hospital.

"All issues that are coming up about the exchange of money, demand of commission for not clearing the payment (to supplier) are also being probed ...besides a team of three specialist doctors from Delhi is also looking into the matter and if it is found that anything was wrong in oxygen supply, all those found guilty will be punished," Singh said.

He said that "on the basis of the primary inquiry", action was taken against the principal of the college. To another question, he said that a report had been sought from all the medical colleges and hospitals on the availability of oxygen or payment issues and everything has been found in order.

The minister said that hospitals and community health centres in the area are being provided all necessary facilities so that they are well equipped and patients do not have to run to BRD medical college. As many as 93 lakh children have been immunised in the districts affected by Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus, he added.


Also read: Gorakhpur: Yogi promises 'exemplary punishment' as another child dies

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16:28   Theresa May refuses to condemn Trump's defence of neo Nazis
UK PM Theresa May has refused to directly condemn Donald Trump's defence of neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville, despite three senior Conservatives having issued strong criticism of the US President's remarks. Developing story.
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16:17  
Rahul Gandhi with Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah at the launch of the Indira canteens which will dole food out at a cost of Rs 5 and Rs 10. 
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16:09  
Delhi High Court sets aside Rs 100 per kg fee fixed by DGCA for excess check-in baggage of 15-20 kilos on private airlines: PTI
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15:53   Revealed: The world's best (and worst) cities to live in
Melbourne has been named the world's most "liveable' city for the seventh year running.The capital of the Australian state of Victoria, known for its trendy cafs, bars and laneways, topped the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2017 ranking, which examined five categories - stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education; and infrastructure - in 140 destinations. Read more
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15:41   Wanted: Three young people for three top posts
The Narendra Modi government may have to fill in three constitutional positions -- Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, and one vacacny in the Election Commission. Informal exercises have since begun to fill in the posts.

A lakshman rekha has been drawn that the appointees will be between in the age bracket of 60 to 65 and the head of the Finance Commission should be a technocrat and not a politician.  

We can tell you that the names doing the rounds are NK Singh and Ashok Lavasa, but the Prime Minister wants a person with a strong background in economics. Also NK Singh may be out of the race since he is over 65 and so the choice is now down to two or three former finance secretaries.

Will the prime minister spring a surprise by bringing a professor or a chancellor from a foreign university like former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan? Excitement is rife in North Block and the decision is expected by early September.
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15:05   AIADMK may not be part of council of ministers during Cabinet expansion
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not keen to take representatives from the AIADMK into his council of ministers when the Cabinet expansion takes place in mid September.  

The reason is that the three warring factions of the AIADMK have still not merged as one party and appropriated the two leaves symbol.

The BJP will consider inducting the AIADMK into the NDA only if the Election Commission allots the two leaves symbol to a unified party.

The BJP needs an alliance with the AIADMK to face not just the Panchayat elections in Tamil Nadu, but also the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

Insiders in the AIADMK also confirm that three main points were discussed at the meeting between former Tamil Nadu CM O Panneerselvam and Narendra Modi. The PM asked that the two factions should merge; the DMK should be pushed towards the Congress so that they do not pose a challenge to the AIADMK and a distance should be kept from "Mannargudi Mafia". Mannargudi mafia is a term to describe the clique which consists of VK Sasikala's immediate relatives that had a strong influence on the first term of J Jayalalithaa as CM.  

So far, AIADMK leaders from both the E Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam groups have made eight visits to New Delhi to meet BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister, since the death of J Jayalalithaa in December. 

Two key ministries defence and environment are without a full-time minister. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan are holding the additional charge of these two portfolios respectively.
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14:57   Four years after Tamil Nadu's Amma Canteens, K'taka wakes up to Indira Canteen
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a 'Indira Canteen' in Bengaluru with the vision of providing good quality of food to the poor at a cheap price.

While addressing the public gathering, Rahul said that he was proud that it is the Congress government that conceptualised this canteen.

Rahul also congratulated the Karnataka Government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for the initiative and said that the Indira Canteen is another step towards the "Food for All" commitment of the Congress.

"I would like to thank the chief minister and the Congress party who have conceptualised this programme that is designed to make sure that not a single person in Bengaluru goes hungry," he said.

He further said the aim of the canteen is to ensure that the poorest and the weakest people should not remain hungry.

The Congress vice-president said that breakfast would be served at Rs 5 and lunch and dinner at Rs 10 in the canteen.

A hoarding carrying a picture of former prime minister Indira Gandhi and a young Rahul were also placed outside the canteen.

Earlier in the day, Rahul took to his Twitter handle saying that he was looking forward to attend the inaugural function of Indira Canteen and public meeting in Bengaluru.

A total of 101 Indira Canteens, one of Karnataka Government's most ambitious projects to serve affordable food, rolled out today.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took to Twitter to speak on the same, terming it to be a "historic day" in Karnataka's fight against "hunger and malnutrition."

"Today is a historic day for Karnataka, in our fight against hunger and malnutrition, with Indira Canteens getting launched across Bengaluru," he tweeted. Karnataka Chief Minister had announced this project when he presented the budget on March 15, this year.

Representational image.
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14:18   Police, CRPF being trained to handle stone pelting: CRPF DG
Police and paramilitary CRPF personnel are being trained in standard operating procedures (SOPs) to help them deal with stone throwing incidents in Kashmir, CRPF Director General R R Bhatnagar said today. The DG said strategy, training and new SOPs had been formulated.

"Using non-lethal ammunition mostly, we along with JK police have devised a strategy to put to work during strikes and stone pelting and you will see its effect soon," he said.

The DG was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function held for widows of paramilitary personnel killed on duty. Among the personnel killed was Commandant Pramod Kumar, who died in a militant attack on August 15 last year. On counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir, Bhatnagar said security forces were meeting with success.

"There is good coordination between the JK police, Army and CRPF, who are all working as one unit, and the operations will continue in the future as well," he said.

Referring to the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen operational commander Yasin Itoo last week, the DG CRPF said seven commanders had been killed this year and 132 terrorists "neutralised". "In the coming time, we will have more successes," he said.

Bhatnagar refused to speak on the number of militants active in the Valley but maintained that "anti-militancy operations are ongoing and whoever treads this path, will face action".

On NIA probes into separatist and terror funding, he said these would have an effect. "Illegal things, illicit funds are either for terror or law and order (disturbance) or stone pelting. The NIA raids will have an effect on them," he said, adding there was already a "positive effect". He said the situation in Kashmir was "definitely under control".
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14:11   SC asks for NIA probe into 'love jihad' case
The The Supreme Court today directed an NIA probe under the supervision of a retired apex court judge into issues raised by a Muslim man whose marriage was annulled by the Kerala High Court that described the case as an instance of 'love jihad'.

A bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar said the investigation into the matter will be supervised by the retired apex court judge R V Raveendran. It directed the probe agency to furnish the report to it after completing the investigation. The apex court bench, also comprising Justice D Y Chandrachud, said it will take a view after considering the NIA's probe report, inputs from the Kerala Police and after talking to the woman.

On August 10, the apex court had asked the Kerala Police to share the probe details of the case with the NIA. The issue reached the apex court as Kerala-native Shafin Jahan challenged the annulment of his marriage by the Kerala High Court which ordered the state police to probe such cases. The top court had said that it was entrusting the task to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as a neutral agency to get a "whole picture" and ascertain whether the particular instance was limited to a "small pocket" or was there "something wider" to the issue.

Jahan, who had married a Hindu woman in last December, had moved the apex court after the Kerala High Court annulled his marriage, saying that it was an insult to the independence of women in the country.

The woman, a Hindu, had converted to Islam and later married Jahan. It was alleged that the woman was recruited by Islamic State's mission in Syria and Jahan was only a stooge.

Earlier, the apex court had sought a response of the NIA and the Kerala government on the plea of Jahan. Ashokan K M, the father of the woman, had alleged that there was a "well-oiled systematic mechanism" for conversion and Islamic radicalisation.

The NIA has recently conducted probe into some cases of 'love jihad' in which women were allegedly being sent to Syria to join the ISIS. The high court, while declaring the marriage as "null and void", had described the case as an instance of 'love jihad' and ordered the state police to conduct probe into such cases.
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13:54   100-million-year-old damselfly named after Sir David Attenborough
A new species of a 100-million- year-old damselfly discovered in Myanmar has been named in honour of famed British broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, scientists said today.

The species, belonging to a group more commonly known as shadowdamsels, has been named Mesosticta davidattenboroughi.

Researchers decided to name the new species after David Attenborough because of his long-standing appreciation of dragonflies, and to celebrate his 90th birthday.

Mesosticta davidattenboroughi joins a long list of animals which have been named after Sir David Attenborough, including a weevil and fossil species of a plesiosaur and a fish.

The finding, described in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, was made in the Hukawng Valley of Kachin Province in Myanmar.

The fossil was found in a piece of mid- Cretaceous Burmese amber. "Dragonflies in amber are extremely rare and the recent discoveries by my Chinese colleagues are a new window on the past.

It is tradition in taxonomy (the naming of a new species) to contact the person concerned," said Edmund A Jarzembowski, professor at Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology in China. "Sir David was delighted because he is not only interested in the story of amber, but also a president of the British Dragonfly Society," he added.


Representational image of a damselfly.
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13:39   Parl answerable for banning Tripura CM's speech: Dy. Assembly Speaker
With Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar alleging that Doordarshan and the All India Radio refused to broadcast his Independence Day address, state Deputy Assembly Speaker Pabitra Kar questioned the federalism structure of the country.

"If the chief minister says anything, it cannot be censored. It should be answerable to the Parliament and Assembly. We oppose it. If this kind of things can be done, then how India can be a federal state?" Kar told ANI.

The Chief Minister on Tuesday alleged that Doordarshan and All India Radio refused to broadcast his customary Independence Day speech and asked him to rewrite and rerecord it.

The public broadcasters did not air Sarkar's speech which was scheduled to be aired at 6.30 am on Tuesday.

As per the media reports, the Chief Minister's Office was informed via a letter that his speech would not be broadcast unless he "reshaped it".

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) strongly condemned the move and also released an official statement.

"This is a gross infringement on the right of a Chief Minister to address the people of his state on Independence Day. This act is a reminiscent of the Emergency days and goes beyond as it seeks to gag the elected Chief Minister of a state. The Central Government is trampling upon the autonomy of Doordarshan/AIR and Prasar Bharati by such acts of censorship," the statement read.

The CPM also demanded an action against "those responsible for prohibiting the broadcast," adding, "the Modi Government should stop treating the Prasar Bharati as a department of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting."

The party also tweeted the text of Manik Sarkar's Independence Day speech on their Twitter handle, adding, "Text of Tripura CM's Speech which AIR & DD had the audacity to censor. This is an insult 2 People of Tripura & Constitutional Rights of States."


Image: The letter, assistant director of programmes (policy) for director general, Sanjiv Dosajh, wrote: "Keeping in view the sanctity and solemnity attached with the occasion the broadcast is meant for, the CEO, Prasar Bharati was also consulted and the collective decision taken at Delhi advises that the broadcast may not go with its existing content. AIR/Prasar Bharati will however be more than happy if the Hon'ble Chief Minister agrees to reshape the content making it suitable to the solemnity of the occasion and sentiments of the people of India at large."
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13:17   Trump's Charlottesville remarks a "disgrace": Indian-Americans
Indian-Americans have condemned US President Donald Trump's remarks blaming "both sides" for the Charlottesville violence and termed his defence of neo- Nazi groups and white supremacists as a "disgrace".


Trump had come under fire from both Republicans and Democrats for his muted response to the violence unleashed by white supremacists during a rally in Charlottesville in Virginia in which a woman was killed and 19 others were injured when a car ploughed into a crowd of counter- protesters.


The president reverted yesterday to his initial position that both left and right-wing extremists became violent during the weekend rally and blamed both sides including the "alt- left".


"I think there's blame on both sides. If you look at both sides - I think there's blame on both sides. I have no doubt about it, and you don't have any doubt about it either. And if you reported it accurately, you would say," Trump said.


Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said the US knew the price of hate too well to deny it, to marginalise it, or to accept David Duke's twisted view of the world.


"I condemn in the strongest possible terms any moral equivalency between white nationalists and those who would peacefully oppose them," he said yesterday.


"Thousands of Americans made the ultimate sacrifice in the quest to rid the world of tyranny, oppression and injustice. It is a disgrace to the legacy of those brave men and women -- living and dead -- for the President to in any way accommodate values so antithetical to those of their nation," Krishnamoorthi said.


He lamented that it took Trump two days to denounce neo- Nazis, members of the Ku Klux Klan, and other white supremacists and then doubling down on blaming both sides for the violence and defending people who chanted anti-Semitic slogans in a torch-lit rally.
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13:05   Adani mining giant faces financial fraud claims as it bids for Australian coal loan
A global mining giant seeking public funds to develop one of the world's largest coal mines in Australia has been accused of fraudulently siphoning hundreds of millions of dollars of borrowed money into overseas tax havens. Indian conglomerate the Adani Group is expecting a legal decision in the "near future' in connection with allegations it inflated invoices for an electricity project in India to shift huge sums of money into offshore bank accounts. Read more
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13:02  
BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra defames former Vice President Hamid Ansari. Read
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12:51   Obama's Charlottesville tweet is the most liked tweet in history
An anti-racism tweet by former US President Barack Obama after the Charlottesville violence in which he quoted iconic South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela has become the most liked tweet ever, garnering more than 2.8 million likes.

"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion," the tweet read.

It was posted on Saturday along with a photo of 56-year- old Obama looking up to a window of children of different ethnicities and races. "This Tweet from @BarackObama just became the most Liked Tweet ever. It set the record at approximately 10:07 EST," a Silicon Valley-based social media company said in a statement. The tweet has been endorsed by more than 2.8 million social media users and has also been retweeted by over 1.2 million times.

"It is also currently the 5th most Retweeted Tweet ever," the company statement said.

The record of most retweeted tweet is by Carter Wilkerson who tweeted earlier this year, "Help me please, a man needs his nuggs". On Monday, Obama's tweet surpassed talk show host Ellen DeGeneres' 2014 Oscars selfie tweet, which stands at number 3 with 2.4 million likes.

The Obama tweet became the most liked ever, taking the top spot from pop star Ariana Grande's tweet which has 2.7 million likes. Her heartfelt tweet had come in response to a terrorist bombing that killed 22 people after she performed a concert in Manchester, England, in May.

Obama's tweet, which quotes a line from Mandela's autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom" came after a 32-year-old woman was killed and 19 others were injured when a car rammed into a crowd of counter-protesters at a white supremacist rally Charlottesville. Two police officers also died on Saturday when their helicopter monitoring the rally crashed.
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12:29  
From Iraq to Burma: These recipes show that Bengalis aren't alone in their devotion to hilsa. Read
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12:13   Gorakhpur tragedy: Grieving father files complaint against health minister
The father of a child, who died in Gorakhpur's BRD Medical College tragedy, has filed a police complaint against the Health Minister, the Medical Education Minister and the Principal Secretary Health in Gorakhpur.

The father of the deceased child, Rajbhar, who hails from Gopalganj in Bihar had admitted his child for treatment on August 10.

Rajbhar, in a letter, has claimed that his child died due to disruption of oxygen supply and has blamed Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh, Medical Education Minister Ashutoh Tandon and Principal Secretary Health Prashant Trivedi for the same.

He also alleged that no post-mortem was done after the child's death.

The complaint was filed on August 14, but no FIR has been registered as yet.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, meanwhile, has outrightly blamed the college principal, Rajiv Mishra, for laxity in performing his duty.

He also said that a team of top ministers was asked to determine if the death of the children was actually due to a disruption in oxygen supply at the hospital and assured to "not spare anyone found guilty".  -- ANI
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11:52   Govt orders FB, Google, Microsoft to remove Blue Whale game
The deadly 'Blue Whale Challenge', an online game which urges players to fulfill self-harming challenges resulting in suicide, has already claimed a few victims across the country, alarming the authorities.

In a bid to stop it, the government has directed social media and internet companies such as Facebook, Google and Microsoft to immediately remove the game, which has claimed 100 lives across the world, from their platforms.

In an August 11 letter to Google India, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Microsoft India and Yahoo India, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has instructed, "It is understood that an administrator of the game uses social media platforms to invite/incite children to play this game, which may eventually lead the child to take extreme steps for self-inflicting injuries, including suicide."

The ministry directed the companies to ensure that any such link of this deadly game in its own name or any similar game was immediately removed from their platforms and the proponent of this game should be reported to law enforcement agencies.

The trend of this game becoming popular in the country first came to light when a 14-year-old boy jumped off the fifth floor of a building in Mumbai earlier this month.     According to the police, his friends linked the death to the Blue Whale Challenge.

-- Kiran Rathee/Business Standard
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11:44  
A Congress leader pushing 50 is welcomed in Kanakanapaiya in Karnataka with his baby pictures. The picture was tweeted by @KiranKS
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11:32   'Mooh-bola beta' SRK visits ailing Dilip Kumar at home
Legendary actor Dilip Kumar, who was recently discharged from Lilavati Hospital, was on Tuesday visited by Shah Rukh Khan, his 'mooh-bola beta' (like his son).

Wife and veteran actress Saira Banu took to Twitter to share photos from the evening.

"Message from Saira Banu: Sahab's mooh-bola beta-"son" @iamsrk visited Sahab today. Sharing some photos of the evening," read a post.

She also informed that the King of Tragedy is 'doing much better since return from the hospital.'

"2/ @iamsrk visited Sahab this evening. Sahab's doing much better since return from the hospital. Shukar Allah."

The 94-year-old was admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati hospital on August 2 due to kidney issues.

This was the third time the actor had been admitted to the hospital. In April last year, he was hospitalised due to fever and nausea. -- ANI


Image: Shah Rukh Khan with a still under-the-weather Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu at their home.
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11:09   Annie Besant was placed under House Arrest in this house
Dr Annie Besant, an Englishwoman, was part of India's freedom movement. 100 years ago, she was placed under house arrest by the British in a bungalow in Ooty. It was here she unfurled the Home Rule flag as a symbol for India's right to self government. Archana Masih/Rediff.com stops by. Do read
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11:01   Question after Gorakhpur: Is India at 70 too late to recover its own humanity?
Maithili Sharan Gupts immortal lines hum kaun thae, kya ho gaye hain, aur kya honge abhi, aao vichare aaj mil kar yeh samasyaen sabhi (Who were we? Who have we become? And what more shall we be?

Come, let us together meditate on all these conundrums), seem the right exhortation on Indias 70th Independence Day. It seems necessary since the virtues Gupt extolled in the imaginary universe of his poem knowledge, self-knowledge, independence, detachment, piety, free-spiritedness and, above all, compassion (by the suffering of others, we were with tenderness moved) seem all but eclipsed from our scale of values. 

Read Pratap Bhanu Mehta's column for the Indian Express here.
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10:37   Hugs, not bullets or abuse, will solve problem: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today signalled a shift in his government's "hardline" Kashmir policy, echoing former chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's 2002 formula of "na bandook se, na goli se; baat banegi boli se (not the gun, nor bullets, a solution will be reached through dialogue".

For the most part, Modi's fourth Independence Day address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort appeared to be an effort to allay fears among sections of his supporters of a government adrift, particularly on the economic front that has not been bringing in good tidings despite the bid to present a rosy picture.  Read more
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10:29   Trump blames 'both sides' for Virginia
Amid a political storm over his position that 'both sides' were at fault for the violence in Charlottesville, a combative President Donald Trump said that he has "no doubt" over his comments.

The US President went back to to his initial stand that both left and right-wing extremists became violent during a weekend rally by white nationalists in Virginia. He has blamed both sides including the "alt-left" for the deadly violence.

Trump had come under fire from both Republicans and Democrats for his muted response to the violence unleashed by white supremacists during a rally in Charlottesville in which a woman was killed and 19 were injured when a car ploughed into a crowd of counter-protesters.

"I think there's blame on both sides. If you look at both sides -- I think there's blame on both sides. I have no doubt about it, and you don't have any doubt about it either. And if you reported it accurately, you would say," Trump told reporters at an impromptu news conference at Trump Towers in New York.

When a reporter challenged his observation by saying that this was started first by neo-Nazis groups, Trump said that both sides are to be blamed. "Excuse me, excuse me. They didn't put themselves -- and you had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides. You had people in that group," he said. "You had a lot of bad people in the other group," he said, adding that a night before, the white supremacist groups took out a peaceful rally in Charlottesville.

"There were people in that rally -- and I looked the night before -- if you look, there were people protesting very quietly the taking down of the statue of Robert E Lee. "I'm sure in that group there were some bad ones. The following day it looked like they had some rough, bad people -- neo-Nazis, white nationalists, whatever you want to call them," he said.

"But you had a lot of people in that group that were there to innocently protest, and very legally protest -- because I don't know if you know, they had a permit. The other group didn't have a permit. So I only tell you this:  There are two sides to a story. I thought what took place was a horrible moment for our country -- a horrible moment. But there are two sides to the country," Trump said.

"What about the alt-left that came charging at -- excuse me, what about the alt-left that came charging at the, as you say, the alt-right?  Do they have any semblance of guilt? Let me ask you this:  What about the fact that they came charging with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs?  Do they have any problem? I think they do. As far as I'm concerned, that was a horrible, horrible day," said the US President. 
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10:03   In Netaji's Bengal, a vandalisation
Meanwhile, in West Bengal, unknown persons threw ink at a bust of Subhash Chandra Bose in Birbhum. 
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09:56   Terror funding case: NIA raids 12 locations in Kashmir
The National Investigation Agency today conducted searches at about a dozen locations in Jammu and Kashmir in connection with the terror funding case against separatists and others.

Officials in the central probe agency said the searches are being carried out at 12 locations in Srinagar, Baramulla and Handwara. They said those being searched today have alleged links to persons being investigated in this case.

The NIA had arrested seven persons on July 24 in the case of alleged funding of terror and subversive activities in the Kashmir Valley to fuel unrest. The money was being raised to fund separatist and terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir, the NIA had alleged. The agency had claiming that the accused were waging war against the country and were involved in various offences punishable under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

It had also alleged that the accused were involved in creating unrest by way of anti-India demonstrations and bandhs.

File pic.
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09:53   Air India announces priority boarding for serving armed services personnel
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Air India has started giving boarding priority to serving Armed Forces personnel from the Army, the Air Force and the Navy. This exercise commenced on Tuesday (August 15), on the occasion of India's 71st Independence Day, to recognise, respect and honour all our fighting forces of the past, present and future.

According to AI CMD Ashwani Lohani, "The Armed personnel will be requested to board before first and business class passengers."

The airlines will also be giving discounted air fares to armed forces personnel in the domestic sector. -- ANI
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09:34   DMK chief Karunanidhi admitted to hospital
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M Karunanidhi was today admitted to a hospital to undergo a minor procedure, an official said.
The nonagenarian leader "has been admitted for a minor procedure -- change of (Percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy) PEG tube. He will be discharged from the hospital later today,"  Kauvery Hospital Executive Director S Aravindan said in a statement.
The veteran leader has been ill since last year and has been getting treatment at his Gopalapuram residence in Chennai.
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09:31   Govt asks Google, FB, Microsoft, others to erase Blue Whale links
The government has directed internet majors Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Microsoft and Yahoo to immediately remove links of the dangerous online game Blue Whale Challenge, which has led to suicides of children in India and other countries.
"Instances of children committing suicide while playing Blue Whale Challenge have been reported in India...You are hereby requested to ensure that any such link of this deadly game in its own name or similar game is immediately removed from your platform," the ministry of electronics and IT (Meity) said in a letter to the internet majors.

The letter, dated August 11, was issued following instructions from IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, an official source said.
The Blue Whale Challenge is a suicide game in which the player is given certain tasks to complete for a period of 50 days and the final task leads to suicide. The player is asked to share photos after finishing the different levels of the game. The game is spread via links on social media platforms.
Expressing concern on availability of such a deadly game on the internet, Meity said, "It is understood that an administrator of the game uses social media platform to invite /incite children to play this game, which may eventually lead them to take extreme steps for self inflicting injuries, including suicide".
Mumbai and West Midnapore district have reported deaths linked to this game.
Meity said the proponent of Blue Whale Challenge should be reported to law enforcement agencies.
Internet Service Provider Association of India's President Rajesh Chharia appreciated the government's move for issuing the order to block the game.
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09:17   Religious freedom under attack in Pakistan: US
Religious freedom is under attack in Pakistan where minorities like Sikhs, Christians and Hindus remained concerned over government's "inadequate" action to address forced conversions to Islam.
Members of religious minority communities said that there continued to be inconsistent application of laws safeguarding minority rights and enforcement of protections of religious minorities at both the federal and provincial levels by the federal Ministry of Law, Justice, and Human Rights and its provincial counterparts, said the report released by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
"Religious minorities said they remained concerned that government action to address coerced conversions of religious minorities to Islam was inadequate," the report, first under the Trump administration, said.
"Religious freedom is under attack in Pakistan, where more than two dozen are on death row or serving a life imprisonment for blasphemy," Tillerson said in his speech as he released the 2016 International Religious Freedom report.
Religious minority community leaders continued to say that the government failed to take adequate action to protect minorities from bonded labour in the brick-making and agricultural sectors, an illegal practice in which victims were disproportionately Christians and Hindus, it said.
According to Hindu and Sikh leaders, the legal uncertainty surrounding the process of registering marriages for their communities continued to create difficulties for Hindu and Sikh women in obtaining their inheritances,
accessing health services, voting, obtaining a passport, and buying or selling property, the report said.
"It is my hope that the new prime minister (Shahid Khaqan Abbasi) and his government will promote interfaith harmony and protect the rights of religious minorities," Tillerson said after releasing the Congressional mandated report.
The government marginalises Ahmadiyya Muslims and refuses to recognise them as Muslims, the report said.
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09:09   Pak troops violate ceasefire, shell LoC areas in Poonch
Pakistan today resorted to firing and shelling on forward posts and civilian areas along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, prompting the Indian army to give a befitting response.
"Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 0534 hours today in Poonch sector along the Line of Control," a defence spokesman said.
"Indian Army retaliating strongly and effectively", he added.
There had been reports of firing and shelling in Mankote sub-sector of Poonch too.
It may be recalled that Pakistan violated ceasefire 4 times on August 13 by resorting to firing and shelling in Krishnagati, Nowshera, Mankote and north Kashmir, resulting in injuries to three Jawans.
On July 12, Pakistan troops had heavily fired on forward posts and civilian areas in Krishnagati and Poonch sectors in which a Junior Commissioned Officer and a woman were killed.
Pak army's shells exploded near a house killing 40-year-old Raqia Bi of Gohlad Kalran on August 12. Naib Subedar Jagram Singh Tomar was also killed in Pak firing in Krishnagati sector on August 12.
On August 8, Pakistan troops resorted to firing and shelling in Krishnagati sector of Poonch district, in which  Sepoy Pawan Singh Sugra was grievously injured and later succumbed to his injuries.

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