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Tue, 03 October 2017
Congress delays vote on gun silencers after Vegas massacre

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23:52   Taj Mahal our cultural heritage: UP tourism minister
Amid criticism for allegedly ignoring the Taj Mahal in its tourism plans, Uttar Pradesh tourism minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi today said the monument was "our cultural heritage".

Her comments came after reports in some sections of the media yesterday said that the Taj Mahal -- one of the seven wonders of the world -- had been excluded in the latest booklet issued by the state tourism department.

"Taj Mahal is our cultural heritage and occupies a place among the world's famous tourist places," the 68-year-old minister said.

In an official statement issued by the UP government, Joshi said, "Holistic development of the cultural heritage and that of infrastructural facilities is the priority of the state government."

She said that under the 370-crore World Bank-aided tourism scheme, in which the state and the bank will have a 30:70 funding share, there is a plan to "alleviate poverty and create employment" through tourism-related
activities in Agra and Braj.
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23:17   Congress delays vote on gun silencers after Vegas massacre
The US Congress today shelved a controversial plan to make it easier to purchase gun silencers, as President Donald Trump signalled a future debate about the nation's gun laws was possible.

The announcement about the bill came days after the tragic shooting massacre in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"That bill is not scheduled now," House Speaker Paul Ryanreferring to a measure that also includes language making it more difficult to classify certain ammunition as "armor piercing."

"I don't know when it's going to be scheduled," Ryan added. "Right now we're focused on passing our budget."

Following the Las Vegas shooting, in which a retiree murdered 59 people and wounded more than 500 when he sprayed a festival crowd with gunfire, gun-control groups and several Democrats warned that the measure would only make it more difficult to locate such shooters.

The devices, also known as suppressors, do not eliminate gunshot noise entirely.

One of the bill's sponsors Republican Jeff Duncan, argues that reducing gun noise is a safety issue for hunters.
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22:44   Former sarpanch killed by terrorists in Jammu-Kashmir
A former Sarpanch Gh Rasool Ganie was shot by terrorists in Anantnag's Nambal Mattan area in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

Ganie was shifted to Mattan hospital after he was fired upon by terrorists, where he was declared brought dead.
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22:17   You've thrown our budget little out of whack: Trump to Puerto Rico
US President Donald Trump huddled with local and federal officials Tuesday in Puerto Rico, praising his administration's response to the hurricane that devastated the island.

Still, Trump noted that the devastation in Puerto Rico has "thrown our budget a little out of whack," though he said that was "fine."

"I hate to tell you Puerto Rico, but you've thrown our budget a little out of whack," Trump said. "But that's fine."

At one point, Trump remarked on the 16-person death toll, which he touted as low compared to how many could have died.

Trump said officials can "be very proud of what's taken place," immediately after remarking on the death toll.
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21:55   All good changes can be expected if Rajini joins politics: Wife
The wife of Tamil 'superstar' Rajinikanth, Latha, today said her family is "eagerly" waiting to see what decision the veteran star would take on his
political plunge, but asserted "all kinds of good changes can be expected" of him if he did enter politics.

Rajinikanth, besides his contemporary Kamal Haasan, had recently hinted about taking the political plunge, saying the present system had "rotten".

He had also urged his fans to be ready to "be prepared for a war" when it came. These remarks were seen as him dropping hints of taking the political plunge.

Latha, involved in various social activities, including working in the field of children, said there are many shortcomings in the educational system and when a scribe asked if Rajinikanth would enter politics to set these things right, she said :"he might set many things right."
    
"But this (question of his entering politics) has to be asked to him," she added.
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21:24   Fadnavis offers Narayan Rane to join NDA; he seeks 2 days time
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has invited Narayan Rane to join the National Democratic Alliance government. It is learnt that the former Congress man has sought two days time to respond. 

Days after quitting the Congress, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane launched a new party called 'Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh'. 

At the time of the launch, Rane, who served as the chief minister in 1999 when he was in the Shiv Sena, hinted that his outfit might be veering towards the BJP camp.

Asked if he aspires to become the chief minister, he said, "I still have an ambition to become the chief minister of Maharashtra. It never dies. I will wait for the right time to come."

He said he or his new party will never oppose any development work, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious bullet train project.

The BJP's saffron ally Shiv Sena has been critical of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. The criticism has become increasingly strident following the stampede on the narrow foot overbridge linking Parel and Elphinstone Road stations that claimed 23 lives recently.
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20:34   Pak FM terms Modi as 'terrorist', BJP calls him 'political pygmy'
In a breach of diplomatic propriety, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has branded Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "terrorist" and said India was being run by "a terrorist party", evoking a sharp reaction from the BJP that dismissed the Pakistani minister as a "political pygmy".

Asif made the remarks in an appearance on Geo TV's Capital Talk show, in response to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's UN General Assembly speech last month, in which she had accused Pakistan of "producing and exporting terrorism".

"Pakistan Foreign Minister is a political pygmy in a powerless government kowtowing to the terror organisations. These pusillanimous comments reflect Pakistan's frustration with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's successful diplomacy in exposing the terror face of Pakistan to the world," BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said. 

Asif made the remarks while talking about Kashmiris who have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir and civilian casualties in cross-border firing along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary, the Dawn reported.

"A terrorist is their (India's) prime minister at this time. One whose hands are stained with the blood of the Muslims of Gujarat," the report quoted him as saying.
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19:47   Govt cuts excise duty on petrol, diesel by Rs 2/litre
Bowing to public pressure, the government today cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre to moderate the relentless rise in fuel prices
witnessed for the last three months.

"Govt of India has reduced Basic Excise Duty rate on petrol and diesel [both branded and unbranded] by Rs 2 per litre w.e.f. 4th October,2017," the finance ministry said in a tweet.

Prices of petrol and diesel will be reduced by the amount of duty cut with effect from tomorrow.

Petrol currently costs Rs 70.88 per litre in Delhi while a litre of diesel is priced at Rs 59.14, the highest ever.

On petrol, the government currently levies excise duties totalling Rs 21.48 per litre while that on diesel is Rs 17.33 per litre.

The government, which had raised duties three years back to take away gains arising from plummeting global oil prices, has been criticised for not cutting excise duty despite a sustained rise in fuel prices since early July.

Petrol price has jumped by Rs 7.8 per litre since July 4, while diesel rates have touched an all-time high after rates went up by Rs 5.7.
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19:37   Suu Kyi stripped of Oxford honour over Rohingya criticism
An honour bestowed on Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi by the city of Oxford has been withdrawn as a reaction to her perceived inadequate response to the plight of Rohingya Muslims in the country.

The 'Freedom of Oxford' had been granted to the de facto leader of Myanmar in 1997 for her "long struggle for democracy" by the Oxford City Council.

A cross-party motion was unanimously passed by the council which said it was "no longer appropriate" for her to hold the honour.

Oxford City Council leader Bob Price supported the motion to remove her honour and confirmed it was an "unprecedented step" for the local authority.

The city council will hold a special meeting to confirm that the honour is removed on November 27.

Suu Kyi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, has close links to the city of Oxford, having lived in Park Town with her family and earlier attended St Hugh's College from 1964 until 1967.

The city council's move comes days after her alma mater, St Hugh's, removed her portrait from the main college entrance.
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19:30  
JUST IN: Govt cuts excise duty on petrol, diesel by Rs 2 per litre.
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19:07   Sasikala's parole plea to visit ailing husband rejected
Karnataka Prisons department rejects Sasikala's parole application to visit her ailing husband.

Sasikala had applied for a 15-day parole to meet her ailing husband M Natarajan, her nephew and sidelined party leader T T V Dinakaran said on Monday.

Natarajan, undergoing treatment at a corporate hospital for liver problem, was stable and was awaiting liver transplantation.

Currently lodged at Parappana Agrahara jail in Bengaluru, Sasikala was convicted and sentenced to a four-year prison term in the Rs 66.6-crore disproportionate assets case.
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18:27   Nobel for gravitational waves a dream come true: Indian scientists
Indian scientists who contributed to the discovery of the gravitational waves today described the Nobel Physics Prize win for three US astrophysicists as "a dream come true."
US astrophysicists Barry Barish, Kip Thorne and Rainer Weiss were today awarded the Nobel Physics Prize for the discovery of gravitational waves.

Predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago as part of his theory of general relativity but only first detected in 2015, gravitational waves are 'ripples' in the fabric of space-time caused by violent processes in the universe, such as colliding black holes or the collapse of stellar cores.

"It is something which is a dream come true," Professor Bala Iyer, from the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences in Bengaluru said. 

Iyer is the part of IndIGO, the Indian Initiative in Gravitational-wave Observations to set up advanced experimental facilities, with appropriate theoretical and computational support, for a multi-institutional Indian
national project in gravitational-wave astronomy.

"The people responsible for the Nobel prize today, they were the visionaries who basically dreamt about making this possible and worked very hard to get this collaboration to this particular point. I am very happy," said Iyer.

"It is a discovery of a phenomena predicted by fundamental physics and which manifests only in an astrophysical source," he said.
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17:54   Vijay Mallya gets bail in London
Former liquor baron Vijay Mallya has been granted immediate bail after his arrest in London in money laundering case.

Mallya has been rejecting allegations by investigation agencies that he diverted most of the Rs 6,000 crore borrowed from a State Bank of India-led consortium of lenders as fabricated and baseless. This is the second arrest this year. He was arrested in April and was granted bail.

The Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, in their yet-to-befiled chargesheet, said the funds were allegedly laundered to shell companies in half a dozen countries.

Mallya, who fled to the UK from India in March 2016, said in January the allegations of fund diversion were a joke and that he was getting used to witch hunts coming from all directions with no legal basis whatsoever.

With the fresh allegations, Mallya may find the going tough when his extradition case comes up for hearing in December.
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17:23   Vijay Mallya arrested in London
Vijay Mallya arrested in London. This is the second time that Mallya has beebn arrested. He was earlier arrested in London in April based on an extradition warrant, but was later granted bail and released on a bond of 6,50,000.


The 61-year-old liquor baron, wanted in India for defaulting on loans, was arrested this morning, reports Doordarshan.


The flamboyant businessman, who once called himself 'The King of Good Times", was arrested in a money-laundering case.
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17:13   Army jawan killed in Pak sniper attack in J-K
An Army jawan has been killed in a Pak sniper attack in Balakote, J&K. The martyred jawan belonged to the Gorkha regiment. Meanwhile, the three BSF men injured during an encounter with Jaish terrorists at a BSF camp near Srinagar airport, are out of danger.


Security forces foiled an attempt by the Jaish-e-Mohammed to storm a BSF camp near the high- security Srinagar airport today, killing all three militants in an operation that also claimed the life of an assistant sub-inspector of the force, police said.


State Director General of Police S P Vaid said the three terrorists who had sneaked into the BSF camp had been "neutralised". "We are carrying out search operations inside the premises to rule out the possibility of planting of explosives," he said.
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16:52   Assam govt to gift khadi clothes to its employees
The Assam government will gift khadi clothes, worth Rs 12 lakh, to its four lakh employees, but wearing them to office is "not mandatory", state finance minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said today.


The Khadi board has been entrusted with the responsibility of providing the clothes, Sarma told reporters yesterday on the sidelines of a meeting at the Khadi Board on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.


"Every government employee will be gifted a set of Khadi clothes - shirts for men and either salwar-kurta or saree for women," Sarma said. The minister, however, clarified that wearing khadi clothes to office is not obligatory.


"We will gift shirts but wearing it is not mandatory. The material is so good that people will wear it voluntarily." He also hoped that the employees wore them to work on special occasions. "We (government) hope the employees wear them during Gandhi Jayanti and other such auspicious occasions," he said. -- PTI
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16:43   The Mahatma's missing specs
Spectacles missing from Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Porbandar's Manek Chowk for the last three days.
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16:39   Cracks in security
Remains of the day: The BSF Camp near Srinagar airport that was attacked by terrorists today. 3 terrorists were killed by security forces; 1 BSF jawan died. The area close to the camp and the Kashmir Valley School was sealed for the search and security operation to continue smoothly.
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16:21   Throw out Cong govt 'on bail': PM in Himachal
Prime minister Narendra Modi today took a swipe at Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh by asking the people of the state to throw out the Congress government which is "on bail".


Kicking off the BJP's election campaign in Himachal Pradesh, he said the Congress leadership was wary of taking action against the Himachal chief minister as it was also sailing in the same boat. He was addressing the "Abhar rally' of the BJP after laying the foundation of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Kothipura in Bilaspur district, IIIT in Haroli constituency in Una and dedicating the Steel Processing Plant at Kandrori in Kangra district online from the Water Sports Complex on the banks of Gobind Sagar Dam.


"The entire family of the chief minister is facing corruption charges and is on bail and when I asked some Congress leaders as to why the chief minister is not being replaced, they said that how can the party take action when the entire top leadership is itself on bail," Modi said.


Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh is facing money laundering and disproportionate assets case. Asserting that no case of corruption has surfaced after the NDA government came to power, Modi said that till 2014, newspapers were full of reports about scams, be it Coalgate or 2G scam and asked the people of Himachal to "throw out the government on bail'. The Himachal BJP was fully geared up to take up the reins of power and fulfill the dreams of the people to provide a clean and efficient government, Modi said.


The NDA government believes in development and currently 13 major projects involving an investment of Rs 15,000 crore are under implementation, which would accelerate economic activity and generate employment, he said. The 68-member Himachal Assembly is likely to go to polls in November.
-- PTI
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15:58   3 Americans win Nobel Physics for gravitational waves
The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to Rainer Weiss, Barry C Barish and Kip S Thorne.


According to the Guardian, the three American physicists have won the Nobel prize in physics for the discovery of gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of spacetime that were first anticipated by Albert Einstein a century ago.


Rainer Weiss has been awarded one half of the 9m Swedish kronor (825,000) prize, announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm today. Kip Thorne and Barry Barish will share the other half of the prize. All three scientists have played a leading role in the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or Ligo, experiment, which made the first historic observation of gravitational waves in September 2015.
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15:15   Honeypreet arrested
After a month-long search for Gurmeet Ram Rahim's adopted 'daughter', Haryana Police today arrested Honeypreet Insan. 'Papa's angel', the description on her Twitter profile, has been handed over to the Panchkula police (Haryana Police) by the Mohali police (Punjab police).

Honeypreet had been on the run for the past 38 days since Gurmeet Ram Rahim's conviction in twin rape cases on August 25.

Honeypreet said today that she was "devastated" by allegations that she incited the Panchkula violence.

She told a TV news channel that her "papa" was innocent and that his conviction on August 25 in two rape cases has left her "depressed".

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, who tops the list of 43 people 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with the incidents of violence that left at least 41 people dead and several injured following Ram Rahim's conviction, said she was seeking legal opinion on her next step and was likely to move the Punjab and Haryana high court.

Honeypreet, 36, against whom a lookout notice and later an arrest warrant was issued by the Haryana Police, told AajTak that allegations levelled against her are not true.
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15:04   J-K attack ends, hunt on for 7 terrorists
Four suicide attackers carrying a massive arsenal of guns and explosives broke into a Border Security Force camp near Srinagar airport at 4 am today and opened fire, killing a BSF jawan.


Three terrorists were killed in an eight-hour operation after which security forces stormed the campus for the remaining terrorist. The camp has now been sanitised.


However, IGP Kashmir Munir Khan said security forces were looking for six to seven terrorists."We need to neutralise them very fast," he added.

 
Flights were suspended at the Srinagar airport for over five hours and long delays through the day were anticipated.


Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's "Afzal Guru squad" has claimed the attack.


IGP Khan said such attacks will not end. "As long as Pakistan is our neighbour, such attacks will take place," he said addressing a press conference in the aftermath of the sanitising operations at the camp.


Khan said two terrorists had sneaked into the camp; one terrorist was killed earlier.


Terrorists today launched a suicide attack on a BSF camp near the Srinagar International Airport, killing an Assistant Sub Inspector of the BSF and leaving four security personnel injured.


Image: Security personnel during an anti-terror operation at the building where terrorists were believed to be hiding after they stormed a BSF camp early morning near Srinagar airport. Photograph: S Irfan/PTI Photo
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14:21   Godfather without the mafia? Raja Sen's new book for kids
We are happy to tell you that former Rediff.com staffer and popular film critic, Raja Sen's first book will be out next month.

Published by Penguin/Puffin it's a children's book, written entirely in limericks, meant to be read out loud by parents and precocious kids.


Called The Best Baker In The World, it is part of a series called My First Marquee, wherein Sen takes cinematic masterpieces and adapts them for children.


Which means the stories are shorn of blood, sex, death, but still keeps all the drama of the narrative intact.

The first book is an adaption of The Godfather, but without the mafia.

That's an offer you can't refuse! 

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14:08  
BSF says all three terrorists involved in attack near Srinagar airport killed.
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13:44   Gun lobby puts profit over people: US lawmaker
Indian-American lawmakers have called for changes in the gun control laws in the US, as they condemned the Las Vegas mass shooting, the deadliest in the country's modern history which claimed nearly 60 lives.


Gun violence is a public health crisis that has claimed thousands of innocent lives and the Congress must do everything it can to address it, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said, hours after a gunman opened fire on a large crowd during a music concert in Las Vegas.


The American people are tired of being outraged, sending thoughts and prayers, seeing men, women and children die because the gun lobby does put profit over people, Jayapal said during her speech on the floor of the US House of Representatives yesterday.


"That is not what our founders intended by the 'right to bear arms'," the first-time lawmaker from Washington State said, as she joined several of her Congressional colleagues calling for changes in gun control laws.


"With rights come responsibilities: the responsibility to stop gun sales loopholes, to enact protections that make sure our children and those with severe mental illnesses don't have access to guns, to address funding for mental health, and to oppose any efforts to make it easier to purchase silencers," Jayapal said.


The first ever Indian-American women elected to the House of Representatives said 87 per cent of gun owners and 74 per cent of NRA members support those commonsense solutions like criminal background checks.


"I have a plea for gun owners across this country: Urge the non-resident aliens (NRA) to represent your views. Show them that you mean business by speaking out or even terminating your NRA membership. Show that you care about your fellow Americans," she said. She added: "Act now. Enough is enough."


The Las Vegas shooting on Sunday night, in which at least 59 people were killed and more than 500 wounded, has rekindled the debate on gun control laws in the US. Nearly 12,000 Americans have been killed by guns in 273 mass shootings in 2017 so far -- one incident for each day, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a not-for-profit corporation that tracks gun-related violence in the US.


On an average, more than 90 Americans lose their lives to gun violence every day, a daily toll of heartbreak and tragedy in communities across the US.
-- PTI


Image: A man holds a rose outside a police perimeter near the scene of the Route 91 music festival mass shooting in Las Vegas. Courtesy: Mike Blake/Reuters

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12:48   Can't a father touch his daughter lovingly?: Honeypreet
The adopted daughter of self-styled god man Guru Ram Rahim Singh, Honeypreet Insan, has cried foul and downplayed all allegations framed against her.

Reportedly, Honeypreet is likely to surrender before a court today after being on the run for over a month.

While talking with a Hindi news channel, Honeypreet said that false news is being spread about her relationship with Singh and described bond she shared with the Dera Sacha Sauda chief as "pious".

"I am scared. I cannot believe that people are saying such foul things about me. I am depressed. My father is innocent and so am I. I am sure that one day the real truth will come out in the open. I will urge people not to believe in these hoax reports. Nothing which is being assumed about me and my father is true," she told the news channel.

Honeypreet questioned why people are tarnishing a father-daughter relationship. 

"Why are they flinging such malicious charges. Can't a father love his daughter, can't a father touch his daughter lovingly?" she said.

Honeypreet's former husband Vishwas Gupta had alleged that he had caught Ram Rahim having sex with Honeypreet. He claimed his ex-wife used to sleep in the "gufa" at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa.

Honeypreet added that she had slipped into depression post the conviction of Ram Rahim and that it took her a while to muster courage and come out in the open to air her views.

She also criticized reports of her inciting riots in Sirsa and in other parts of Haryana and Punjab.
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12:36   President Kovind leaves for Djibouti and Ethiopia
President Ram Nath Kovind today embarked on a four-day visit to Djibouti and Ethiopia, his first trip abroad since taking office.   

During his visit to the two African nations, the President is expected to sign agreements on institutionalisation of foreign office consultation and greater economic cooperation with Ethiopia, Neena Malhotra, joint secretary (east and southern Africa) in the ministry of external affairs had said earlier.   

Press Secretary to the President, Ashok Malik has said that Djibouti is an important Indian Ocean partner country with whom India's bilateral trade stands at USD 284 million in 2016-17.   

"The President is looking forward to the visit. He recognises that the Africa and Indian ocean region are central to Indian foreign policy. That is why this region was chosen as his first foreign visit," Malik said.
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12:32   SC to hear Kerala man's plea against NIA probe into marriage
Supreme Court hear on October 9 the plea of Kerala man opposing an NIA probe into his marriage with Hindu woman who had converted to Islam.   

SC says it will examine as to whether the high court can annul the marriage by exercising its writ powers. 
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12:00   J-K attack: Terrorists still holed up at BSF camp
Terrorists still holed up inside the building campus of the 182nd Battalion camp in Srinagar, BSF officials said.


Terrorists today launched a suicide attack on a BSF camp near the Srinagar International Airport, killing an Assistant Sub Inspector of the BSF and leaving four security personnel injured.


Three terrorists were killed in the gunbattle that is still raging near the airport, forcing brief suspension of air traffic and closure of schools in the vicinity.


While the exact number of the militants are not known, thee men stormed the BSF camp located just outside the main gate of the high-security Srinagar International Airport at 4 am, breaching a four-tier security.


The BSF jawan identified as B K Yadav laid down his life while battling the attackers, officials said. Three other BSF personnel were injured in the firefight while a policeman guarding the residence of a retired police officer nearby sustained superficial injuries due to a stray bullet, the official said. Intermittent exchange of firing was going on, he added.  -- PTI


Image: Plumes of smoke arise from a building at the BSF camp.
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11:33  
Former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif re-elected as president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N): Pakistan Media
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11:23   Outbound flights from Srinagar airport resume
Update on the suicide terror attack at a BSF camp near Srinagar airport.


The BSF, Special Ops group and the J-K police have sanitised the area. Three terrorists have been killed, while as many BSF jawans injured. The body of one BSF jawan was recovered from the BSF camp. The IGP, Srinagar, says hundreds of explosives have been recovered. Outbound flight operations from Srinagar airport have now begun. 


Militants today carried out a pre-dawn suicide attack on a BSF camp near the high-security Srinagar International Airport in Srinagar leaving an Assistant Sub Inspector of the force dead and three security men injured.


Three militants were killed in the exchange of fire with security forces, a police spokesman said. BSF officials said an ASI of the force was killed in the attack on the 182nd Battalion camp.


The attack took place at 4.00 am and the exchange of fire is still on between the militants and security forces, they said.


The terrorists are holed up inside the building campus of the 182nd Battalion camp, BSF officials said.


Image: A BSF jawan sanitises the area where the attack took place this morning.  Pic: Umar Ganie.


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11:11   Have got clues In Lankesh murder, says K'taka HM
Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Monday claimed the Special Investigation Team probing the killing of senior Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh has got clues and is in the process of gathering evidence.


Gauri Lankesh, known to be an anti-establishment voice with strident anti-right wing views, was shot dead at close range by unknown assailants at her home in Bengaluru on the night of September 5.


"We have got clues, but we cannot tell things to the media for now, because we should have correct evidence for the clues we have got," he told reporters at Chikkaballapura.


He said "If there are no proper evidence when we file a charge sheet at the court, it won't stand. So we are trying to collect the evidence correctly... Our SIT is working towards gathering evidence."


The Minister had on September 9 made similar claims about SIT having gathered "some clues" in connection with the case, as he expressed hopes about nabbing the culprits soon.


The Karnataka government, which has constituted the SIT headed by IGP (Intelligence) BK Singh, has announced a Rs. 10 lakh reward to anyone who gives clues about the killing that led to outrage and protests.  -- PTI
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10:58   Ranveer's Allaudin Khilji look
Ranveer Singh's first look as Alauddin Khilji from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus "Padmavati" was unveiled today and the actor looked fierce as the most powerful ruler of the Khilji dynasty. His is the third look to be revealed after Deepika Padukone's Padmavati and Shahid Kapoor's Maharawal Ratan Singh. Jointly produced by Bhansali Productions and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, "Padmavati" will hit the theatres on December 1.
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10:55   Rock legend Tom Petty dead at 66
Veteran rocker Tom Petty has passed after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 66. Petty's longtime manager confirmed the singer's death and said that the the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer took his last breath at his home in Malibu, reported People magazine. -- PTI
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10:52   J&K attack: 3 terrorists killed
Update on the J&K terror attack: One more terrorist has been gunned down in the anti-terror operations at a BSF camp, taking the number of terrorists killed to three.

However, one BSF jawan was killed and three jawans and a policeman were injured after terrorists attacked a camp near the Srinagar airport on Tuesday morning. Reports said the Jaish-e-Muhammed may be involved in the suicide attack.


Two of the three terrorists were holed up in an administrative building and JCO Mess, said Deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Nirmal Singh.


Militants carried out the pre-dawn suicide attack on the BSF camp near the high-security Srinagar International airport.


The attack took place at 4.00 am and the exchange of fire is still on between the militants and security forces, they said. 


The terrorists were holed up inside the building campus of the 182nd Battalion camp, BSF officials said.


Outbound passengers have been now allowed to proceed towards the airport where operations were initially suspended as security forces engaged militants who breached the 182 battalion headquarters of the BSF located in Gogoland, police said.


This battalion is entrusted with the security of the runway of the Srinagar Airport. Adjacent to the camp is the old Srinagar air field which is been run by the Indian Air force. The area also houses training centres of the BSF and
the CRPF. Schools in the vicinity of the airport have been closed.
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10:30   Srinagar airport flights remain suspended
Update on the J&K attack: One terrorist still holed up inside a building in the BSF camp near Srinagar airport. At least two terrorists have been killed. Ops on.Anti-terror ops continue.The BSF camp is near the Srinagar airport and flights have been temporarily suspended. The decision of resuming air traffic will be taken by the Airports Authority of India and concerned airlines. 
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10:22   J&K attack: Jaish claims responsibility, 1 BSF jawan dead
According to media reports, the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist outfit has claimed responsibility for the Srinagar attack.

Early reports say one BSF jawan has been killed. Two terrorists were gunned down in retaliatory firing.

Airport operations at Srinagar International airport have been suspended as the security forces were fighting terrorists who had breached into the 182 battalion headquarters of BSF located in Gogoland, police said.
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10:17   Turkey to provide university scholarships to 53 Rohingya Muslim students
The Turkish Deputy Prime Minister, Hakan Cavusoglu, has announced that the country will provide university scholarship to 53 Rohingya Muslim students.


The students from Myanmar's troubled western Rakhine state will study communication, law, politics and human rights at Turkish universities, the Anadolu Agency news quoted Cavusoglu, as saying.


He further said that the Rohingya students are currently studying in Turkish universities.Cavusoglu reaffirmed Turkey's support to Rohingya Muslims by providing them food and health facilities.


"We will set up mobile health clinics [in the refugee camps]," he said.


Nearly half a million Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh due to violence in the Rakhine state that has claimed lives of at least more than 100 people and displaced several others.Bangladesh is currently sheltering 5,07,000 Rohingya refugees in the country.


The Myanmar troops launched a crackdown in the Rakhine state in response to attacks on three border posts last year that killed nine police officers, since then many Rohingya Muslims have tried to move into Bangladesh illegally.


The Rohingyas are not recognised by Myanmar as its citizens and are called Bengali by them. -- ANI
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09:51   Not the time to talk with North Korea: White House
The White House has maintained that this is "not the time to talk" to North Korea, which has been carrying out ballistic missile test and going ahead with its nuclear weapons programme in violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
"We have been clear that now is not the time to talk," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at her daily news conference on Monday.
She was responding to a question if the White House is trying to get back to talks with North Korea.
Sanders said the only conversations that have taken place, or that would be taking place would be on bringing back Americans who have been detained.
Beyond that, there will be no conversations with North Korea at this time, she said, observing that the line of communications open with the North Koreans is only for this purpose.
Currently there are three Americans still detained in North Korea. However, Sanders noted that the US continue to exert diplomatic pressure on North Korea.
"We still strongly support putting diplomatic pressure on North Korea, which we're continuing to do. But now is not the time simply to have conversations with North Korea," she said.
The US has encouraged all of its allies and partners to do more.
The Trump administration is going to continue to keep all options on the table when it comes to that, Sanders said.
Responding to a question, Sanders said President Donald Trump has full confidence in his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
A day earlier differences appeared in the public domain on the issue of talks with North Korea.
In China, Tillerson had told reporters that the US is in talks with the North Korea. -- PTI
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09:03   Srinagar terror attack: Rajnath calls high-level meeting
Home Minister Rajnath Singh has called a high level meeting at 11.30 am today after a suicide attack on a Border Security Force camp.

Following the terror attack near the Srinagar International airport, airports in all metro cities have been put on high alert.

Heavily-armed suicide attackers stormed a BSF camp near the airport and an air force station at 4.00 am today, leaving three soldiers wounded. 

Firing is still on and more terrorist believed to be hiding inside the BSF campus.

Terrorists - there were reportedly four - breached four layers of security at BSF's 182 battalion at 3.45 am and fired indiscriminately, an officer said. 
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08:48   PM to visit HP today to lay foundation stone of AIIMS and IIIT
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Himachal Pradesh today to lay the foundation stone for an AIIMS and an IIIT besides inaugurating a steel plant.
Modi will lay the foundation stone for the AIIMS at Bilaspur.
The 750-bed hospital is to be built at a cost of about Rs 1350 crore and will, in addition to healthcare, provide medical education at the under-graduate and post-graduate level, besides nursing, according to a PMO statement.
The prime minister will also lay the foundation stone for an IIIT at Una.
He will also inaugurate a Steel Processing Unit of Steel Authority of India Limited, at Kandrori in Kangra, the statement said.
He will later address a public meeting.

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08:27   Las Vegas shooting: No specific threats to other public venues, says authorities
The United States government has said that there was no specific credible evidence of a threat involving other public venues in the country after at least 58 people were killed and over 500 others injured at a concert in Las Vegas, the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.
The department of homeland security said in a statement that an increased-level of security in and around public places and events may be experienced as officials take additional precautions.
"At this time, we have no information to indicate a specific credible threat involving other public venues in the country," it said.
The shooting was carried out by a lone gunman identified as Stephen Paddock, 64, from a 32nd floor hotel room on a nearby concert being attended by thousands of people.
This is one of the deadliest shooting in modern American history. The police joined by the FBI is still investigating the case. The FBI office in Las Vegas refuted claims of Islamic State taking responsibility of the attack.
"The department is closely monitoring the situation and working with our federal, state and local partners in responding to and investigating this tragedy," the statement said.
Reacting on the mass shooting incident, President Donald Trump said he and the First Lady Melania were praying for every American who has been hurt, wounded or has lost the loved ones in the "terrible" attack.
"We pray for the entire nation to find unity and peace. And we pray for the day when evil is banished, and the innocent are safe from hatred and from fear," he said.
"My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting," Trump had tweeted earlier. 

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08:17  
In a view of terrorist attack on a BSF camp in Srinagar, schools in Kashmir Valley will remain closed.
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08:00   Suicide attack at BSF camp in Srinagar; 3 jawans injured
Terrorists today carried out a suicide attack on a Border Security Force camp located near Srinagar International airport leaving three jawans injured.
A body suspected to be that of a terrorist was found. The identity is yet to ascertained, Director General of Police SP Vaid said.
"Three personnel have been injured. Firing is ongoing," according to BSF officials.
The attack took place at 4.00 am and exchange of firing was going on between the terrorists and security forces, they said. 
The terrorists are holed up inside the building campus of the 182nd Battalion camp, BSF officials said.
Airport operations have been suspended as the security forces were fighting militants who had breached into the 182 battalion headquarters of BSF located in Gogoland, police said.
This battalion is entrusted with security of runway of the Srinagar airport.

Adjacent to the camp is the old Srinagar air field which is been run by the Indian Air force.
The area also houses training centres of the BSF and CRPF. -- PTI

Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com

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