LIVE
Sun, 19 February 2017
BJP not in favour of suspending Sena mouthpiece: Fadnavis

Timeline  Refresh

image
20:48   BJP not in favour of suspending Sena mouthpiece: Fadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said the Bharatiya Janata Party 'is not in favour of suspension of publication of Saamana newspaper during election days' but the party has objections to certain content published in it.

After a BJP functionary wrote to the State Election Commission demanding ban on publication of Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana on three days, Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had compared the situation to 'Emergency'.

State BJP spokesperson Shweta Shalini had said in a letter to SEC that 'publishing content or undertaking publicity campaign (of parties and candidates) two days before polling date' is prohibited, so publication of Saamana should be banned on February 16, 20 and 21.

Asked about his views on the issue, Fadnavis said, "During the first phase of voting (for Zilla Parishad polls) held on February 16, an objectionable content was published in Saamana newspaper. We object to such content as it violates the (model) code of conduct. And our demand to the SEC has been not to allow Saamana to publish such content on the day of polling."

"The BJP is not in favour of suspension of publication of Saamana newspaper during election days," the CM said.

Meanwhile, sources close to Fadnavis said, the CM has expressed his disappointment over the letter sent to SEC, as it 'dented' the party's image.

They also claimed that not all the advertisement and communication content of the party for the polls was approved by Fadnavis.
image
19:45   Naga CM Zeliang quits; ex-CM Rio likely to replace him
Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang says he has decided to step down from office, new consensus leader to be selected tomorrow at an emergency meet.

Emergency meet of the ruling Naga Peoples Front legislature party will take place at 10 am tomorrow, followed by the NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland legislature party meeting at 11 am.

In the latest development, former chief minister and Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio is reportedly in the offing to replace Zeliang.

On Thursday, at least 34 NPF legislators had chosen its party president Shurhozelie Liezietsu to replace Zeliang. AIR correspondent reports, however, now 45 legislators have elected Rio as their new leader of the NPF legislature party, who is going to replace Zeliang.

In the 60-member assembly, the ruling DAN comprises 48 NPF legislators, including suspended legislator Imkong Imchen, four of Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs and eight Independents.

Sources said that the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has four MLAs, would continue to be part of the new government led by Rio.

Political situation has been boiling ever since the Nagaland Tribal Action Committee began their agitation demanding the resignation of the chief minister. -- ANI

IMAGE: T R Zeliang. Photograph: ANI
image
19:11   Jet Airways Mumbai-Germany flight loses contact with ATC 'briefly'
A reported communication failure on board a Jet Airways aircraft while flying in the German skies gave a scare to German authorities who feared a hijack and scrambled their fighter jets.

The incident happened three days back when the Mumbai-London flight 9W-118, with 330 passengers and 15 crew members, lost contact with the Air Traffic Control for a 'brief period' while flying over Cologne.

The pilots of the Boeing-777 lost contact due to a reported communication failure, the Jet Airways said in a statement in Mumbai on Sunday.

However, the communication was safely restored within minutes and the flight landed at its destination without any hitch, the statement said.

The airline has de-rostered the pilots of the flight pending investigation and reported the matter to the civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

'Contact between Jet Airways flight 9W-118 from Mumbai to London Heathrow, of February 16, 2017, and the local ATC, was briefly lost while flying over German airspace,' the airline statement said.

'As a precaution, the German Air Force (GAF) scrambled its fighter jets to ensure the safety of the flight and its passengers,' it said.

The communication was, however, safely restored within a few minutes, the statement said.

Representative image.
image
18:08  
JUTS IN: 61.16 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the third phase of Uttar Pradesh election. -- ANI
image
17:19   UP polls Phase-III: Voting ends, 55% turnout recorded till 4 pm
The voting for third phase of Uttar Pradesh polls is over.

A voter turnout of over 55 per cent was recorded till 4 pm. A final turnout is awaited.

69 constituencies, considered ruling Samajwadi Party stronghold, went for polls in the third phase.

"Till 1600 hours, the turnout was over 55 per cent," a spokesman of UP chief electoral officer said. -- PTI
image
17:05   4 charred to death in major fire in Bhiwandi
Four persons were charred to death and two others received severe burn injuries in a major fire that broke out today at a godown in the powerloom town of Bhiwandi in the district.

The blaze broke out at a godown at Harihar complex in Dapoda around 12.30 pm, Thane Municipal Corporation said.

"It is not known what these people were doing in the godown and their identity is yet to be established," said Santosh Kadam chief of the Thane Municipal Corporation's Regional Disaster Management Cell.

He said the administration's focus now is rescue operation.

The godown has been gutted in the fire, said the official, adding, fire engines from Bhiwandi and Thane were rushed to the spot to contain the fire.

The injured have been shifted to Sion hospital, said the officer.

The reason of the blaze is being investigated, Kadam said. -- PTI

Photograph: ANI
image
15:57  
JUST IN: A voter turnout of 53 per cent has been recorded in the third phase of Uttar Pradesh election till 3 pm.
image
15:25   UP polls Phase-III: Over 44% turnout till 2 pm
Over 44 per cent votes were cast till 2 pm on Sunday in the 69 assembly constituencies, considered ruling Samajwadi Party stronghold, which figure in Phase-III of Uttar Pradesh elections.

"Till 1400 hours, the turnout was over 44 per cent," a spokesman of UP chief electoral officer said.

The polling has been largely peaceful, he said. -- PTI

IMAGE: BSP supremo Mayawati shows her inked finger after casting her vote in the third phase of the UP assembly elections in Lucknow on Sunday. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo
image
15:10   Seoul says probe shows N Korea killed Kim Jong-un's half brother
South Korea has said that Malaysia's investigation into the murder of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother shows Pyongyang's involvement in the assassination.

Malaysian police has arrested one North Korean suspect and are seeking four more North Koreans who left the country last Monday, the day Kim Jong-Nam was poisoned at Kuala Lumpur's main airport.

"Based on various factors, our government is certain that the dead man is Kim Jong Nam, and considering that the five suspects are North Korean nationals, we view that the North Korean government is behind the incident," Seoul's unification ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-Hee was quoted as saying by news agencies. -- Agencies
image
14:43   After Kejriwal, Mann donates a month salary to Irom's party
A day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal donated Rs 50,000 to rights activist Irom Sharila's party which is fighting Manipur elections, Aam Aadmi Party Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann followed the suit and donated his one month salary.

'As a member of parliament m donating my one month salary to Irom Sharmila who is fighting against corrupt system n justice in Manipur (sic),' Mann, tweeted today.

In response, Sharmila's People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance tweeted 'Thanks a lot Mann sir for supporting our campaign and believing in us. We will change Manipur for good'.

Maan himself is fighting Punjab Assembly elections as AAP candidate from Jalalabad seat against deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

With shortage of funds and manpower, Sharmila's PRJA has taken to online crowdfunding to raise funds and campaigning on cycle to reach out to the masses.

Kejriwal had yesterday said he is donating Rs 50,000 to Irom Sharmila and also made an appeal to people on Twitter to help her. -- PTI
image
13:56   Stalin seeks Prez's intervention in TN crisis; to go on hunger strike
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Sunday announced that it will hold a hunger strike on February 22 in all district offices of the party in Tamil Nadu.

The decision was taken after the party MLAs met at their headquarters and DMK leader Tiruchi Siva said the trust vote moved by Chief Minister yesterday was 'illegal'.

Party working president M K Stalin will also participate in the strike.

"I will participate in Tiruchi for the hunger strike on Feb 22. We're trying to meet President Pranab Mukherjee in Delhi on this regard; have sought time to highlight the assembly situation," Stalin said.

Siva has confirmed that the party has submitted a memorandum on the issue to Tamil Nadu Governor who has promised to look into the matter.

"Sans participation of Opposition in Assembly, the trust vote moved by Chief Minister was passed. It's illegal. We've submitted a memorandum on the issue to TN Governor. He has promised to look into the matter," he told the media after meeting the Governor.

Earlier in the day, Stalin held a special meeting with party MLAs at DMK headquarters following which some members of the party met with Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao. -- ANI
image
13:40  
JUST IN: 38.96 per cent voter turnout in third phase of UP elections till 1 pm.
image
13:36   Cops summon Russian model who dangled out of Dubai skyscraper
Dubai Police has summoned Russian model Viktoria Odintcova who posed for a video while dangling from a skyscraper to sign a pledge not to put her life in danger again, reported local media.

A video of the model, 23-year-old Odintcova, went viral after she posted it on her Instagram account earlier this month.

It shows her stepping off a girder at the top of Dubais 73-storey Cayan Tower and dangling in the void, held only by a man gripping her hand.

Read more

Photograph: @viki_odintcova/Instagram
image
13:29   IPL: Dhoni removed as Pune Supergiants captain
Former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been removed from captaincy of Rising Pune Supergiants for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League, ANI reported.

The management has appointed Australias Steve Smith as the new captain.

Quoting sources, India Today said that Dhoni has also been communicated about the decision by the franchise.

It is learnt that Dhoni has extended his full co-operation and is ready to help Smith in decision-making on the field.
image
13:05   28% voting till noon in Phase-III of UP polls
Over 28 per cent votes were cast till noon today in the 69 assembly constituencies, considered ruling Samajwadi Party stronghold, that figure in the crucial Phase-III of the staggered Uttar Pradesh elections.

"In the first five hours of polling, the turnout was over 28 per cent," a spokesman of UP chief electoral officer said.

Polling was going on peacefully in these areas, he said. -- PTI
image
12:13  
Mulayam Singh Yadav, accompanied by daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav, casts his vote in Saifai. Photograph: ANI
image
12:00   UP polls Phase III: 24.19% voting till 11 am
A turnout of 24.19 per cent was recorded in the ongoing third phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections till 11 am.

Kannauj recorded 26.6 per cent voting, while Sitapur and Kanpur recorded 29 percent and 20.68 per cent respectively till 11 am.

Union minister Uma Bharati and Kalraj Mishra cast their votes in Lucknow while former Union minister Sriprakash Jaisawal voted at a booth in Kanpur.

Mualayam Singh Yadav cast his vote at Saifai. -- ANI

IMAGE: BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj after casting his vote in Unnao. Photograph: ANI
image
11:43   Actor Ravi Kishan joins BJP
Actor Ravi Kishan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday in the presence of party president Amit Shah.

Kishan, who was with the Congress from 2014, said after joining the BJP that he has 'come to the party that thinks for the poor'.

"My focus is on development not on insulting others," he said. -- ANI
image
11:27   Akhilesh votes, says SP-Cong leading in all phases
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said his party in alliance with the Congress party will again form government in the politically crucial state.

While speaking with media after casting his vote in Saifai, Yadav said akin the first and the second phase the Samajwadi party will maintain its lead in the third phase as well.

"We were ahead in the first and the second phase and I am confident that we will lead in the third phase as well. Once again the Samajwadi Party, in alliance with the Congress, will be forming the government," said Akhilesh.
-- ANI
image
10:55   Obama ranked 12th best leader in US presidential history
Barack Obama ranks as the 12th best leader in US presidential history, according to a new survey.

The survey of 91 presidential historians conducted by C-SPAN placed the 44th president just below Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) and just above James Monroe (1817-1825).

This is the third such survey by the organisation, which began polling the panel of presidential experts in 2000.

Obama scored particularly high on the "equal justice" scale, coming in third behind only Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) and Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969.

But Obama ranked fifth from the bottom on "relations with Congress", and got a middling 24th best score on "international relations", the survey showed.

For the third time in a row, Abraham Lincoln ranked as the nation's best presidential leader, according to the panel. George Washington, the first US President (1789-1797), came in second, and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) rounded out the podium at third.
image
10:39   Sasikala glued to TV, congratulates new CM Palaniswami over phone
VK Sasikala, who's lodged in Parappana Agrahara central prison, watched the developments in Tamil Nadu on television in a special room on Saturday.

The AIADMK general secretary expressed joy after her loyalist E Palaniswami won the trust vote during a special session. She reportedly congratulated him over the phone and also held discussions with cabinet members in Chennai, sources said. The Supreme Court had upheld her conviction in a disproportionate assets case.

Sasikala and her niece J Ilavarasi are lodged in the women's barrack on the first floor of the building. Since there's no TV in her cell at present, she requested jail authorities to let her go to another room. 
image
10:19   'Newton' wins Art Cinema honour at Berlinale
Raj Kummar Rao and Anjali Patil starrer political satire "Newton", which had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin Film Festival, has won the International Federation of Art Cinemas award in its Forum segment.

Rao shared the news on Twitter by congratulating the entire team of the Amit Masurkar-directed movie.

"So happy to share 'Newton' has won the Art Cinema award for the Forum section at Berlinale. Congratulations team."

The movie, which also stars Pankaj Tripathi, revolves around the story of a rookie clerk on election duty in a conflict-ridden jungle of Central India, who tries his best to conduct free and fair voting.
image
10:01  
According to reports, Shivpal Yadavs convoy was pelted with stones in Katiyapur of Jaswant Nagar (Etawah). 
image
09:51   Cops file case against DMK's MK Stalin over hunger strike
The Chennai police has filed a complaint against the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham's MK Stalin over his hunger strike at Marina Beach after the chaos in the Tamil Nadu assembly during which Sasikala loyalist Palaniswami won the trust vote.

Stalin was detained on Saturday after he sat on a hunger strike at Marina beach against the alleged attack on him and his party MLAs during the trust vote in the state assembly.

Terming Saturday as a "black day" for democracy, the senior DMK leader urged all those who wanted to "remove" the "anti-democratic" AIADMK government to join him.

After alleging that he was manhandled in the assembly by the marshals on the day of the vote of confidence, which the Palanisamy government won with a comfortable margin of 122-11, Stalin sat on a protest at the Marina along with his MLAs. However, police detained the protesting MLAs including Stalin.
image
09:20   'Tamil Nadu's government is akin to a criminal conglomerate'
Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami may have won the vote of confidence in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, but Kamal Haasan, one of the biggest stars of the South, said it's not an outcome he accepts. "The emotion(s) on streets denote something else," he told NDTV.

He said AIADMK chief VK Sasikala's family, which anointed Mr Palaniswami as Chief Minister after she was convicted by the Supreme Court in a corruption case, is "a criminal conglomerate".

"What I am saying, it is the truth and it was reiterated by (the) Court. Even the late Chief Minister (Jayalalithaa) has been accused," Mr Haasan said.

"We need our assembly floor clean. Give elections to people and they will speak their mind," Haasan said.
image
09:15  
BSP is going to win at least 300 seats in the UP assembly polls: BSP chief Mayawati after casting vote in Lucknow
image
08:59   2 Indians die every minute due to air pollution: Study
 The air Indians breathe is turning more toxic by the day and an average of two deaths take place daily due to air pollution, says a new study.

According to medical journal The Lancet, over a millionIndians die every year due to air pollution and some of the worst polluted cities of the world are in India.

The study released this week but based on 2010 data estimates that globally 2.7-3.4 million preterm births may be associated with PM2.5 exposure and South Asia is the worst hit accounting for 1.6 million pre-term births.

The study says causes of air pollution and climate change are intricately linked and needed to be tackled together.
image
08:39   Modi, Akhilesh appeal voters to vote in large numbers
As people line up to cast their votes today in the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have appealed to the voters to vote in large numbers for the development of the State.

BJP chief Amit Shah also appealed to voters "vote for a government which will put UP in a path of development."

In this round, all eyes are on people from the Yadav clan, like Shivpal Singh Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadavs daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav, Akhilesh Yadavs cousin Anurag Yadav. The fate of BJPs Rita Bahuguna Joshi will also be decided in this round.
image
08:09  
All eyes are on these seats in the third phase of the UP polls. 
image
07:58   Voting for third phase UP elections gets underway
Voting for 69 seats in the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections began today amid tight security.

Heavy security deployment has been made across the 12 districts where polling began. Sensitive polling stations marked by the Election Commission are being monitored online, an official said.

Poll panel officials said they hope that more and more people will come out to vote this time and that the previous turnout of 59.96 per cent in this region in 2012 will be bettered by the end of the day.

In all, there are 826 candidates in fray whose fate would be decided by 2.41 crore voters.

Prominent districts where polling is underway include Lucknow, Kanpur, Etawah, Kannauj, Etah and Mainpuri.

In this round, all eyes are on people from the Yadav clan, like Shivpal Singh Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadavs daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav, Akhilesh Yadavs cousin Anurag Yadav. The fate of BJPs Rita Bahuguna Joshi will also be decided in this round.

TOP STORIES