New York Times reports:

A long chapter in media history came to an unlikely close on Sunday night with a sale agreement for Time Inc, the publisher of once-prestigious magazine titles including Time, Sports Illustrated and People.

The Meredith Corporation -- the owner of Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens and AllRecipes -- agreed to purchase Time Inc in an all-cash transaction valued at nearly $3 billion.

The deal was made possible, in part, by an infusion of $650 million from the private equity arm of Charles G and David H Koch, the billionaire brothers known for using their wealth and political connections to advance conservative causes.

Read full report

The Sharad Yadav-led Janata Dal-United faction, whose claim over the party's poll symbol was rejected by the Election Commission, today announced that it will forma new party after the Gujarat polls which it is fighting in alliance with the Congress.

The faction's general secretary Arun Shrivastava said its lone MLA, Chhotu Vasava from Gujarat, will fight the state polls under the banner of the new party, Bhartiya Tribal Party, whose symbol will be auto rickshaw.

Vasava was the Yadav-led group's acting president but floated a new party after the EC recognised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led faction as the real JD-U and accepted its claim over the poll symbol of arrow.

"We will hold a convention after the Gujarat polls and form a new party. Our candidates will contest seven seats under the banner of Bhartiya Tribal Party in alliance with the Congress," Shrivastava said after his faction's national executive meeting in New Delhi where Yadav was present.

The announcement marks the formal separation between Yadav and Kumar, who had joined hands to oust Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal government in Bihar.  -- PTI

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal was hospitalised today after he complained of uneasiness but was doing 'fine' now, a senior railway official said.

Before hospitalisation, Goyal visited suburban Elphinstone Road and Currey Road stations to take stock of ongoing construction of the Foot Over Bridges by the Army.

Goyal complained of uneasiness after addressing a review meeting of senior Central and Western Railway officials at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus this evening.

"After holding a review meeting with the officials, the minister complained of uneasiness due to acidity. An ambulance was called as part of protocol though he was fit enough to walk and preferred to travel in his own vehicle," the official.

"He (Goyal) has been admitted to a private hospital and is fine now," he added.

Goyal did not attend a scheduled press conference due to ill health.

'Visited Elphinstone Road railway station and reviewed the progress of foot overbridge's construction. The Army has been working tirelessly to build the infrastructure within the given timeline,' Goyal said in a tweet tonight.  -- PTI

The Income Tax Department has charged the Aam Aadmi Party with taking 'hawala entries' worth Rs 2 crore from a Delhi-based operative and revoked the tax exemption given to it as a political party for assessment year 2015-16.

The taxman, in the penalty notice accessed by PTI, alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, in power in Delhi, 'incorrectly disclosed the hawala money as voluntary donations'.

The department slapped these charges on AAP in its assessment order issued to the party last week and determined the total taxable income of AAP at Rs 68.44 crore with a corresponding income tax of Rs 30.67 crore for AY 2015-16.

The order came with the penalty notice (under section 271[1] [c]) for allegedly concealing its correct income.

The party has also been charged by the department with not correctly reporting political donations received by it as stipulated under the Representation of the People Act.

'The AAP party had taken hawala entries of Rs 2 crore during the financial year 2014-15 from a hawala entry operator of Delhi and the same was incorrectly disclosed as voluntary donations,' the I-T notice said.

It added the the taxman's probe had found the said hawala operative provided such illegal entries to 372 other entities/persons.

Hawala is the criminal act of skirting legal banking channels to move funds and thereby evading tax.

Chief minister Kejriwal dubbed the I-T action the 'height of political vendetta'.

'In the history of India, all donations to a political party have been declared illegal. All these were accounted for and shown in books of accounts. This is the height of political vendetta,' he tweeted.

The taxman also accused AAP of not recording 'donations of Rs 13.16 crore in its books of accounts and in the audited income and expenditure account filed along with the return of income for FY 2014-15'.

'The names and addresses of the donors contributing Rs13.16 crore were not disclosed,' the tax notice alleged.

It also charged AAP with 'not recording the full detailsof names and addresses of 461 donors (each donation exceeding Rs 20,000) who had allegedly donated (a total of) Rs 6.26 crore, in its audited books of account and its contribution report filed to the Election Commission (EC).'  -- PTI

The Punjab and Haryana high court today dismissed a petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the alleged lynching of 17-year-old Junaid Khan, who was stabbed to death on a train in June.

A single bench of Justice Rajan Gupta passed the order.

"The judge dismissed the plea on the ground that the police investigation in the case was proper," said Arshdeep Singh Cheema, the counsel for Junaid's father Jalaluddin.

"During the course of the hearing, the complainant has not been able to show that there are serious flaws in the investigation, which would lead to the conclusion that the same is shoddy or tainted.

"Besides, there is nothing to show that the incident has any national or international ramifications. It is, thus, not a fit case to exercise extraordinary power to hand over the investigation to the CBI," the judge wrote in the order.

On November 17, the high court had reserved its order on the petition after the conclusion of arguments.

Jalaluddin, through his counsel, had filed the petition on October 26, seeking a probe by an independent agency, such as the CBI in the Junaid lynching case.

The petitioner had also demanded a stay on the trial in a Faridabad court in connection with the killing of Junaid.

The high court had issued notices to the CBI and Haryana government on the plea of Junaid's father. Junaid, who had boarded a Mathura-bound train from Delhi, was allegedly stabbed to death when he, along with his brothers and cousins, was returning home to Khandawali village after shopping for Eid in Delhi in June.

His body was dumped near Asaoti village in Faridabad district. -- PTI

The Aam Aadmi Party was today served a notice of Rs 30 crore by the Income Tax department over the donations received by it, a move Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal dubbed as the "height of political vendetta".

Kerala woman Hadiya, who is at the centre of the Love Jihad controversy, appeared before the Supreme Court today. Hadiya has maintained that she wants to be with her husband Shafin Jahan and had married him out of her own will and not compulsion. She told the court that she wanted her freedom.

The court asked her if she wanted to continue her studies at the state's expense, but Hadiya said that while she wanted to continue her studies, her husband would take care of her. She said she did not need the state to fund her.

The hearing will continue in the Supreme Court tomorrow, but the court directed that Hadiya be taken to college for her studies and that college should allow her to stay in the hostel.

The SC ordered the college administration to treat Hadiya like any other student and as per hostel rules, but remained silent on whether Shafin Jehan or her parents would be allowed to meet her while she completes her studies.

The court ordered the state of Tamil Nadu to provide security to Hadiya for the next 11 months until she finishes her medical internship.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh will campaign for the Congress in Gujarat. Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayananswamy without being invited has been camping in a town where there is a sizeable Tamil population. The BJP on the other hand has brought in all their chief ministers to Gujarat, who have been addressing public rallies across the state.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who is the political advisor to Congress President Sonia Gandhi has said that the BJP and Narendra Modi's style of campaign has led to the downfall of the Congress. Patel is believed to have conveyed this to 10 Janpath after he watched live telecasts of the PM's rallies and the response he got from the crowds in Gujarat. Congress insiders say while they are not hoping for wonders in the Gujarat polls, they have been feeling particularly let down by the new set of advisors Rahul Gandhi had brought in from New Delhi. 

According to the latest survey conducted by the Congress, it hopes for a maximum of 40 seats. If Modi's carpet-bombing of Gujarat is effective, the numbers may come down to 25. 

Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar addresses the media in Mumbai. Chhillar used the Miss World platform to highlight the urgent need for increased menstrual hygiene awareness in India. She was the co-winner of the Beauty with a Purpose competition where she presented her Project Shakti which among other things makes sanitary napkins available to women in rural India at a nominal price.

"When I started this project, I realised that there is less awareness as far as menstrual hygiene is concerned and availability of sanitary napkins. Then I also realised that we need to make people aware about it. This (the Miss World 2017 title) isn't only about physical beauty but how you utilise that beauty to do something good.

"I am really happy that we will be spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene and I'll be joined by other Miss World sisters. That is what I am excited about. Bollywood is something which is not on my mind right now," she said.


Read: Miss World Manushi Chhillar wants to talk about menstrual hygiene

Captain Virat Kohli has been rested for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka but will play the third and final Test in New Delhi.  Rohit Sharma replaces him as the skipper.


"Current India captain Mr. Virat Kohli has been rested for the ODI series," BCCI said in a media release on Monday.


Shreyas Iyer and Siddarth Kaul are the two new additions in the ODI team.


India squad for the third Test: Virat Kohli (Captain), M Vijay, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (Vice-Captain), Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar.


India squad for the ODI series: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul.

His parents named him Sathyanarayana Iyer. But he changed it to Regret Iyer. The BBC's Geeta Pandey meets him in the southern Indian city of Bangalore to find out if he has ever regretted his decision. Read the full story here.

Latching on to the Congress party's comments of his humble beginnings as a tea vendor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked the grand old party over the numerous scams that allegedly took place under the UPA's tenure. The prime minister said he might have sold tea to earn a living, but never sold his nation.


"The Congress dislikes me because of my poor origin. Can a party stoop so low? Yes, a person belonging to a poor family has become the prime minister. They do not fail to hide their contempt for this fact. Yes, I sold tea but I did not sell the nation," Prime Minister Modi said, while addressing a rally in Rajkot.


The political slugfest between the Congress and the BJP reached a new low when 'Yuva Desh', the 'Indian Youth Congress' online magazine, tweeted a derogatory meme attacking Prime Minister Modi, a few days back.


Congress senior leader Anand Sharma reacted saying the PM knows very little history. "Maybe he forgot Lal Bahadur Shastri belonged to a poor family. Manmohan Singh came as a refugee and was from a poor family too. The PM must recall Indira Gandhi's slogan of 'Garibi Hatao'. She nationalised banks so poor can get money easily."

There's a royal wedding in the offing.

US actor Meghan Markle and UK's Prince Harry are engaged to be married.

Clarence House, which is the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall's twitter handle, announced: @ClarenceHouse "The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle."

The tweet said that the couple will wed in Spring 2018.

Queen Elisabeth has given her blessings to Harry, Kensington Palace announced.

The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace. 

Veteran actor Susan Sarandon said the who's who of Hollywood ignored disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct for years.


The 71-year-old actor said she was "furious" with people who let the producer exploit his power by harassing scores of women, reported Daily News.


"Everybody did give Harvey (Weinstein) a pass for the longest time and said, 'Well that's just Harvey'. "I really am furious with the people that enabled, that delivered the girls because I know there were agents and managers that didn't allow people to go to a hotel room for an interview or went with them," Sarandon said.


The "Feud: Bette and Joan" star said there are still many men "equally severe" like Weinstein who are yet to be called out by their victims. "Some of the women who have come forward have had other men, equally severe and cannot go through it again. I know one who told me about a drugging situation and I said, 'Are you going to come forward? Are you going to do something?'


"And she said she's just so worn out. Because this woman has already had to come forward with a lot... She said, 'I just don't have the strength to come forward'." More than 50 women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein including prominent actors such as Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow. - PTI

The Shiv Sena today questioned the government claim that terror activities have come down in Jammu and Kashmir and said terrorists were now killing jawans to create fear among the youth in the Valley. Referring to the killing of Territorial Army jawan Irfan Ahmed, the Sena said it is a "new technique" aimed at demoralising and creating fear among the Kashmiri youth.


The Sena said the brutal killings of jawans is a Pakistani game plan. "All this is the 'Mann ki baat' of Pakistanis. Will the person, who does his 'Mann ki baat' every (month on a) Sunday will realise this?" the Sena questioned, alluding to the radio programme hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


It also said that the release of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed from detention in Pakistan may give a new lease of life to militancy in the border state. -- PTI

"Special occasions call for special gestures and November 19 was a special day indeed. Yet in an extraordinary display of mean-mindedness, the government of the day chose to ignore the 100th birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi. Barring a perfunctory tweet by the prime minister, there was no advertisement issued in her memory, no commemoration of her life, no discussion on her contributions - for better and for worse - in her long innings at the helm of the country."

Read Manini Chatterjee's column here.

A rape victim on Monday was expelled from a school in Maharashtra's Latur district in the name of maintaining dignity of the institution.


The 15-year-old victim, a Class 11 student, had allegedly been raped by an army man on the pretext of marriage.


The victim, on Monday, said, "My school has suspended my admission saying their reputation can be tarnished if I continue to study.


"Meanwhile, the victim's uncle alleged that when they went to a police station to lodge an FIR, the police demanded Rs. 50, 000 bribe to lodge their complaint.


Later, the victim approached Latur's Superintendent of Police (SP) Shivaji Rathor and hence the FIR was registered yesterday.


A medical examination of the victim has been conducted and a case under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered in this regard. -- ANI

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi on Monday said Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's son and former state cabinet minister Tej Pratap Yadav would be taught a lesson by the public for his threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


"He can use language of his choice. But those who use this kind of foul language are taught a lesson by the countrymen," Modi told ANI.


Earlier in the day, Tej Pratap alleged the Centre was conspiring to get his father killed and that, to this end, he would get Prime Minister Modi "skinned".Tej Pratap's remark came in the wake of the Centre's decision to completely withdraw the NSG (National Security Guard) security cover provided to Lalu Yadav.


His Z-Plus security category has also been downgraded to 'Z' category. 

Furious over the Centre's decision to withdraw the NSG security from former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, son Tej Pratap today said that he will skin Narendra Modi, reported ANI. "Narendra Modi-ji ka khaal udhedva lenge," he said.


The Centre has withdrawn RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's 'Z+' VIP security cover of NSG commandos after a recent review of the threat to various protectees, official sources said today.


The former Bihar chief minister will now be given 'Z' category security and be guarded by an armed commando squad of the Central Reserve Police Force, in accordance with the protocol of the scaled down cover, the sources said.


Yadav will not have National Security Guard black cat commandos guarding him any more. The NSG only provides 'Z+' security cover. The decision was taken after the Union home ministry recently reviewed the threat levels of various VIP protectees, the sources said. 

In the worst terror attack this year, ISIS terrorists killed 305 Muslims and wounded over a hundred others at a Sufi mosque in Bir al-Abed on Friday, November 24. "It is important to destroy, to undermine, to debunk the narrative of ISIS," Olivier Roy -- one of the world's leading experts on radical Islam -- tells Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel in an exclusive interview. Do read

Telecom regulator Trai will issue recommendations on the thorny issue of Net neutrality tomorrow over which operators and those who provide apps have locked horns.


"We will issue recommendations on Net neutrality tomorrow," Trai Chairman RS Sharma said on the sidelines of an open house discussion on in-flight connectivity for providing phone call and data service.


The recommendations on IFC will be issued within 10 days, he said. Supporters of Net neutrality back the principle that the entire Internet traffic should be available to everyone on equal terms without any discrimination based on business considerations of service providers.


The Trai's recommendations will come at a time when there is a debate raging over Net neutrality globally. -- PTI

Microsoft chief elected to Chinese Academy of Engineering because of work to develop advanced nuclear technology. Read the report here.

Just in: Income Tax department sends Rs 30.67 crore tax notice to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party.

The PM tweets another picture with supporters at a rally in Kutch saying,  @narendramodi Kutch has overwhelmed me with affection. It is indeed special to be here.

The family of seven-year-old Pradyumn Thakur, who was killed on September 8 inside Ryan International School in Gurugram, filed a petition challenging the anticipatory bail granted to the Pintos, founders of the Ryan Group of Institutions, by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.


"We are filing a petition challenging the anticipatory bail granted to the Pintos by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. We are challenging the manner the anticipatory bail is granted to them," Sushil Tekriwal, Pradhyumn's father Varun Thakur's lawyer in the case, told ANI.


He added, "The CBI has categorically said in the reply that they were a part of or they could be a part of the larger conspiracy, and possible destruction of evidence. They are also opposing the ban granted to the family."


The High Court had, on November 21, granted an anticipatory bail to the Pinto family, in connection with the case.


The court bench of Justice Surender Gupta also barred them from leaving the country without permission and directed the family to extend their help in the investigation.


Pradhyumn was found in a pool of blood with his throat slit inside the school, sparking a public outcry following which the Gurugram Police arrested bus conductor Ashok, accusing him of killing the seven-year-old student. -- ANI

PM Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Bhuj, Gujarat. He is expected to attend at least 20 public meetings and rallies in the next 15 days ahead of the assembly polls to be held on December 9 and 14. Excerpts from his speech in Bhuj.


-  The Gujarat election is a contest between trust on development and dynastic politics. This 'son of Gujarat' has no stains in his public life, people will reject baseless allegations hurled at him.


--  The Congress is unhappy about demonetisation. They keep attacking me but I want to tell them... I have grown up in the same land as Sardar Patel. I will ensure that the poor get their due. We will not allow this nation to be looted.

- India was attacked on 26/11 and in Uri. You can see how India responded in the wake of both attacks. This explains the difference between their government and ours. Indian Express reported that on that side, dead bodies were taken in trucks so at least you (Congress) don't lie.

- I was asked why don't you name Nehru in your speeches, so I asked Congress leaders to give me in writing the names of their own party Presidents, but they don't remember the ones like Bose & Kamraj. When they don't remember names of their own how will they understand Gujarat?


- Congress had insulted Sardar Patel, people of Gujarat still forgave them but they will no longer tolerate any attack on their prestige:

- When big earthquakes take place people say see this building has fallen but in Kutch people say this school, this hospital. These buildings were made after the earthquake. All this was done on a war footing by the army of Kutch which consists of its people.


- Officers did not want to get posted to the Kutch region as the water here was black in colour. Congress did not allow the Narmada water to come to Kutch region. What if the Narmada waters had come to Kutch 30 years earlier? It would have made such a big difference.


- When our soldiers were standing eye-to-eye in Dokalam
for 70 days, why were you (the Congress party)hugging the Chinese ambassador?


Image: The PM interacts with people in Kutch ahead of his rally in Bhuj. Picture courtesy the PM's Twitter account.

Just In: SC permits Centre to withdraw up to four companies of Central Armed Police Forces out of eight from strife-torn Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of West Bengal.

A CRPF jawan was killed while two others were injured in an encounter with Naxals in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, officials said today.  

Aadhaar card linking: The Supreme Court says it will hear pleas challenging Aadhaar after the Constitution Bench concludes hearing the Delhi-Centre case. The Centre tells the court it was willing to extend deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar to various services till March 31 next year. Details awaited.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at the Ashapura Mata temple in Kutch, Gujarat this morning.

The PM will on Monday continue his Gujarat campaign with a rally in Bhuj. This will be followed by several public meetings in Kutch, Jasdan, Dhari and Kamrej.

He is expected to attend at least 20 public meetings and rallies in the next 15 days ahead of the assembly polls to be held on December 9 and 14.

In his tweet, Prime Minister Modi mentioned that the main 'matra' of the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls will be 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'.

"Tomorrow I begin my rallies across Gujarat. My first rally will be in Bhuj, Kutch. This district is close to my heart. Its spirit of resilience after the 2001 quake was seen by the world. Since then, Kutch has seen record progress, which has benefitted all sections of society. Tomorrow I would address rallies in Jasdan, Dhari and Kamrej. Guided by the Mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' we are committed to taking Gujarat to even new heights of growth and building on the good work done in the last two decades in the state," read a series of tweets the prime minister posted yesterday.

Gujarat has a total number of 182 assembly seats and the polling will be held in two phases. Voting in 89 constituencies of Saurashtra and South Gujarat region will be held in the first phase while the remaining 93 constituencies in central and northern regions will be held in the second phase. -- ANI

Hyderabad has been decked up to host the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minster Narendra Modi tomorrow.


US President Donald Trump's daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump (pictured) will lead a delegation from her country at the three-day event.


In view of the event's prominence, the Telangana government allotted funds for the city's beautification and for the arrangements of the summit, a senior official said.


"Utmost care is being taken for the smooth functioning of the event," he said. The event will primarily focus on four thematic sectors -- energy and infrastructure; healthcare and life sciences; financial technology and digital economy; and media and entertainment sectors, according to its agenda.


Officials of the Special Protection Group and the US Secret Service have visited Hyderabad and reviewed the arrangements, an official at the police commissionerate said.  -- PTI

South Asian experts reject the nuclear pessimism in Western capitals about their region, noting that the West's nuclear "sky is falling" in South Asia argument does not hold when seen in proper context. This is the conclusion of a report by a prestigious Washington think-tank, the Atlantic Council, which also rules out the possibility of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan. Read the full report here.

South Africa's Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters was today crowned the Miss Universe for the year 2017. India's Shraddha Shashidhar failed to make a mark at the world's biggest beauty pageant as she could not even make it to top 16.

Colombia' Laura Gonzalez and Jamaica's Davina Bennett were announced as first runner-up and second runner-up respectively.

The announcement of the winner was also made on Miss Universe's official Twitter account.

The event which was held in Las Vegas was hosted by comedian Steve Harvey. A total of 92 contestants participated in the pageant. -- PTI

The rupee depreciated 9 paise to 64.79 against the US dollar in early trade today at the interbank foreign exchange amid fresh foreign fund outflows. Dealers attributed the rupee's fall to increased demand for the US currency from importers and banks and a lower opening in the domestic equity market. On Friday, the rupee had lost 12 paise to close lower at 64.70 a dollar due to renewed demand for the US currency. -- PTI

The benchmark BSE Sensex fell by 107 points in early trade today, cutting short its seven-day winning streak as investors reduced their bets after Standard & Poor's kept India's sovereign rating unchanged. Negative Asian cues too weighed on sentiment.


The 30-share Sensex fell 106.92 points, or 0.31 per cent, to trade at 33,572.32.


The gauge had rallied 918.80 points in the previous seven sessions. The NSE Nifty dropped 41.65 points or 0.40 per cent to 10,348.05. IT, banking, oil and gas and FMCG stocks fell in early trade dragging the indices into the negative zone.


Infosys, Adani Ports, Sun Pharma, Power Grid, Bharti Airtel, Hindustan Unilever, SBI, Kotak Bank, Tata Steel, ITC Ltd, Bajaj Auto, Tata Motors, Coal India, Reliance Industries and TCS fell up to 1.33 per cent.


However, ONGC, L&T, Lupin and ICICI Bank were trading in the positive zone. -- PTI

Despite repeated requests from the Catholic Christian community, the government has not shown any interest in welcoming Pope Francis to India during his tour to South Asia which begins on Sunday, a senior official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) said. Read more

Miss World 2017 Manushi Chillar offered prayers at the Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple at Prabhadevi, Mumbai, in the early morning hours today.

Following the abduction and killing of a Territorial Army jawan by militants, NC chief Farooq Abdullah has expressed concerns over the "worsening security situation" in Jammu and Kashmir and said the Centre has to frame its response vis-a-vis Pakistan for bringing peace in the region.


A 23-year-old Territorial Army jawan was abducted and killed by militants in Shopian district of south Kashmir while he was on leave. His bullet-riddled body was recovered from an orchard in Watmullah Keegam area of the district.


Abdullah also termed the meetings of the Centre's special envoy on Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, with people as a "formality" and said peace would be achieved only when "sincere and serious efforts" were made. "Claims of peace (in Jammu and Kashmir) are falling flat in the face of increased killings.


Yet another jawan has been abducted and killed," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Kathua district. The NC president attributed the grim security scenario to infiltration by militants from across the border and said the Centre would have to frame its response vis-a-vis Pakistan for the larger interest of peace in the region. -- PTI