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Wed, 24 January 2018
Ex USA gymnastics doctor gets 175 years in prison for sexual assault

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23:45   Ex USA gymnastics doctor gets 175 years in prison for sexual assault
Former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar has been sentenced to up to 175 years in prison, a judge said after hearing statements from more than 150 women and girls who said he sexually abused them over the past two decades.

"I've just signed your death warrant," Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said. "I find that you don't get it, that you're a danger. That you remain a danger."

Larry Nassar defended his medical practices and accused the women who said he sexually abused them of lying for media attention and financial reward, according to a letter he wrote to the court last week.

"I was a good doctor because my treatments worked, and those patients that are now speaking out are the same ones that praised and came back over and over," Nassar wrote in the letter. "The media convinced them that everything I did was wrong and bad. They feel I broke their trust. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Nassar apologised in a brief statement, turning around to directly address the victims and saying that the comments "have shaken me to my core."

"There are no words that can describe the depth and breadth of how sorry I am for what has occurred," he said. "An acceptable apology to all of you is impossible to write and convey. I will carry your words with me for the rest of my days."
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23:19   Karnataka bandh over Mahadayi river row likely to hit normal life
Normal life is likely to be hit in Karnataka tomorrow following the state-wide bandh called by several pro-Kannada outfits demanding the prime minister's intervention in the inter-state Mahadayi river water dispute
with Goa.

The dawn-to-dusk bandh is expected to be in total in the northern districts that come under Malaprabha river basin.

In other parts, normal life may be disrupted as certain public services are expected to decide on their operations, depending on the situation

While most private school managements have decided to remain shut, for government schools district administrations have been authorised to take a decision, depending on the situation.

Several examinations have also been rescheduled.
   
The film industry and multiplexes are likely to stop operations tomorrow.

State transport buses are likely to ply. However, authorities say the services will depend on the situation.

Auto rickshaws and taxis are also likely to follow the norm.

-- PTI
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22:49   Day before release, bounty out for Deepika Padukone's nose
In a shocking development a day before the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's controversial film Padmaavat, an outfit in Kanpur announced a cash reward for anyone chopping off actor Deepika Padukone's nose.

"We have collected a bounty of crores of rupees from Kanpurites to be given as reward to anyone who will bring the chopped off nose of Deepika Padukone," Kanpur Kshatriya Mahasabha president Gajendra Singh Rajawat said. 

Earlier, a Meerut resident from the Kshatriya community had announced a bounty of Rs 5 crore on the heads of film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actor Deepika Padukone for allegedly "wrongfully portraying" queen Padmini in the film 'Padmavati'.

Earlier in the day today, Kanpur Kshatriya Mahasabha activists staged a dharna at Shikshak Park here seeking a ban on the movie and warned the district administration and police to be ready to face massive protests across the city if the controversial film "which has twisted the facts" was allowed to be screened in the city.

They also threatened theatre owners that their property would be vandalised.
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22:15   Padmaavat an attempt to hurt public sentiments, alleges RSS official
An RSS official today alleged that Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film Padmaavat is an attempt to "hurt" public sentiments by presenting heroic characters and their lives on the basis of unconfirmed and controversial
information.

RSS north-west regional sanghchalak Bhagwati Prakash said that films should spread the message of social harmony and brotherhood.

"The film is being released on the lives of heroic characters for pure commercial interest, which is based on unconfirmed, controversial and imaginary information," Prakash alleged in a statement.

 "It is an attempt to hurt public sentiments and disturb social harmony, and the matter is of grave concern," Prakash said.

Cinema hall owners and people of the country should refrain themselves from watching the movie and condemn it, the statement said.

"What do we want to show by presenting barbaric atrocities committed by ruler Alauddin Khilji," he said.

"Khilji had looted states, made people slaves, forced women to marry him. Due to his atrocities, countless warriors sacrificed their lives," the statement added.

-- PTI
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22:01  
JUST IN: Gurugram police arrest 20 persons for allegedly violating prohibitory orders and violence
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21:41   Padma awards to be announced tomorrow
The Padma awards, which seek to recognise works of distinction and exceptional achievements in different fields, will be announced tomorrow, officials said.

The awards -- Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri -- are announced on the eve of the Republic Day every year.

They are given in different fields and disciplines such as art, literature and education, sports, medicine, social work, science and engineering, public affairs, civil service, trade and industry.

More than 15,700 people applied for the prestigious awards for 2018, with the government laying stress on honouring the unsung heroes, an official said.

Last year, the number of Padma awardees was 89, which included seven recipients each of Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan. 

-- PTI
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21:24   CRPF to receive 35 gallantry awards on Republic Day
The Central Reserve Police Force is all set to receive 35 Gallantry awards on the occasion of Republic Day.

Of the 35 awards, 27 will be given to the Kashmir Sector of the CRPF, while the remaining eight will be awarded to the personnel in Left Wing Extremism sector, the ministry of home affairs notified in an official release today.

"The awards will be notified in the Gazette of India by President's Secretariat shortly", the statement further read.

The CRPF awardees include Kishore Kumar, Arun Kumar, Manesh Kumar Yadav, Pradeep Kumar Singh, Pathare Swapnil Hemaraj, Nand Kishore Prasad, Mahender Pratap Singh, Koshal Kumar, Ajay Negi, Santosh Kumar Suman, Bijender, Mohd Ashraf Plote, Mandheer Singh, Rajesh Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, Rajendra Nath Mallick, Kamal Singh Baghel, Manohar Lal Meena, Ranjan Kumar Sah, Vinay Anand Prakash, Rajesh Shah, Shankar Lal Jat, Pankaj Hallu, Pankaj Kumar, Ram Dulare, Balram Tudu, Dilip Kumar Singh, Govind Singh, Saddam Ansari, Vishwanth Kumar, Arun Kumar, Lal Singh Dawar, Harish Kumar and Ratan Lal Meena.

-- ANI
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21:07   BJD lawmaker Baijayant Panda suspended from party
Member of Parliament Baijayant Panda has been suspended by the Biju Janata Dal after recurrent run-ins with party boss and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

BJD chief Naveen Patnaik suspends MP Baijayant Panda from the party on disciplinary grounds," party vice-president SN Patro said this evening.

Panda had been removed as the BJD's parliamentary party spokesperson last year after he had written an article shortly after the rural body polls, criticising the BJD leadership, saying it was being run by "opportunists", and asking for the party to introspect.

A "shocked" Panda said he was "gravely disappointed that party president Naveen Patnaik did not see through the conspiracy against me by a coterie led by an IAS officer now controlling the party."

He also said all allegations against him are false and baseless. "I vehemently deny the allegations against me," he said.
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20:34   Bawana fire: Court sends factory owner to 5-day police custody
A Delhi court today sent the owner of the firecracker storage unit in Bawana area where 17 people were killed in a massive blaze, to five-day police custody.

Metropolitan Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh allowed the Delhi Police to quiz 49-year-old accused Manoj Jain, who was arrested on January 21 in connection with the fire tragedy which took place a day before, till January 29.

Jain was produced before the court from judicial custody.

"Having considered the submissions in light of the record, gravity of the incident which had led to unfortunate demise of 17 persons and injury of two others, this court is of a view that the investigating agency deserves every lawful opportunity to investigate the matter fairly.

"In these circumstances, this court allows and grants police custody remand of the accused Manoj Jain," the court said in its order.

-- PTI
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20:03   Got any blackmoney back from Switzerland on your plane, Rahul asks PM
In yet another swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi today reminded him of his promise to bring back black money stashed abroad and asked if he had brought some of it on his plane
while returning from the WEF meet in Switzerland.

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi had yesterday also attacked the prime minister, who addressed the annual summit of the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying he should tell people there why one per cent of India's population has 73 per cent of its wealth.

"Dear PM, Welcome back from Switzerland. Quick reminder about your promise on black money. Youth in India were wondering if you got any back with you in your plane?" the Congress chief tweeted today.

In the tweet addressed to the prime minister ahead of his speech at WEF, Gandhi tagged a news report quoting an Oxfam survey that the richest 1 per cent cornered 73 per cent of wealth generated in India in 2017.

"Dear PM, Welcome to Switzerland! Please tell DAVOS why 1% of Indias population gets 73% of its wealth?  Im attaching a report for your ready reference," he had tweeted.

Gandhi has been critical of the prime minister for his foreign visits and has accused him of failing to deliver on his poll promises. The Congress chief has alleged that the government was working only to benefit the rich.

-- PTI
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19:35   Padmaavat protests spread to J-K; protesters go on rampage in movie hall
Fringe group activists today targeted a cinema hall breaking window panes and allegedly trying a burn a ticketing counter as a protest against the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama 'Padmaavat' tomorrow.

Some activists and miscreants resorted to breaking of window panes of a cinema hall in Jammu and police intervened, Additional Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Arun Manhas said.

He said the authorities were holding a meeting with activists of Yuva Rajput Sabha and other groups to ensure that there was no law and order problems due to the screening of the movie.

He said that security will be provided to the cinema halls and protesters will not be allowed to cause any damage.
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19:10   Maha bans sale of tobacco at shops selling FMCG items
The Maharashtra government today announced a ban on sale of tobacco at merchant establishments selling FMCG items to ensure children don't consume tobacco.

Fast-moving consumer goods include packaged food and other consumables, toiletries etc.

"Children tend to get influenced a lot by the presence of tobacco and other items while they are out shopping for food items like chocolates and chips," Pallavi Darade, Commissioner, Maharashta Food and Drug Administration said. 

The FDA has also extended ban on 'scented supari' (areca nut) by six months till July 2018, she said.

-- PTI
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19:04   25 killed, 163 injured in Pak shelling in 2016-17: Govt
The Jammu and Kashmir government today said 25 civilians were killed and 163 injured in Pakistani firing and shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in the state during the last two years.

In a written reply to a question of MLCs Ali Mohammad Dar and Showkat Hussain Ganaie, Minister for Revenue Abdul Rehman Veeri informed the Legislative Council that in 2016, two people were killed in Jammu, six in Samba, two in Rajouri and three in Poonch while in 2017, one civilian was killed in Jammu, three in Rajouri, seven in Poonch and one in Baramulla.

The minister said that in 2016, 40 were injured in Jammu, nine in Samba, four in Kathua, six in Rajouri, 20 in Poonch and four in Kupwara.

He said that 18 got injured in Jammu, 10 in Rajouri, 47 in Poonch and four in Baramulla in 2017.

Of the 224 structures damaged in the shelling and firing during the period, the minister said 221 houses have been damaged, besides two mosques and a school.  -- PTI

Photograph: PTI Photo
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18:44   No screening of Padmaavat in 4 states, says major multiplex body
As violent protests against the release of film Padmaavat burgeoned, the Multiplex Association of India said today its members would not screen the period drama in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa.

The decision of the association, which represents about 75 per cent of the multiplex owners in the country, came as Rajput outfits and other fringe elements vandalised malls, burned vehicles, and issued open threats to theatre owners and public in their bid to stall its release, claiming distortion of history.

The film is slated for release tomorrow.

"We have decided not to play the film in four states -- Rajasthan, Gujarat, MP and Goa -- as the local management has told us that the law and order situation is not conducive," Deepak Asher, president of the association, told PTI.

"For us safety of patrons is important. Depending on the scenario, we will see if the atmosphere is safe, then we will play it (in these four states). Things could change (but) at the moment we are looking at safety of people," he added.

Even in the states where the film would be released, private security guards would be deployed outside cinema halls besides police, he said.

The association members together account for for 1,800- 2,000 screens across the country.

A top official in Mumbai said police will provide adequate security to theatres wherever it is required.

"We are releasing the film almost everywhere, except few places where there is disturbance. We have 488 screens across India. In a few places the film won't be shown due to possible threat (of violence)," said Rajender Singh, Chief Programing Officer, Inox.

He said Inox has been assured of protection by the local police stations at various places and that it has also stepped up in-house security.

Singh said though advance booking was very encouraging, it was difficult to say how many people would turn up to see the film.

Nitin Datar, executive committee member, Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India, said the organisation has asked its member exhibitors to contact the nearest police stations and seek protection.

"Police officials called us to find out where the film is releasing. They have assured police protection. Ultimately, it is the individual choice of the exhibitor (to screen or not), taking into consideration the risk, the damage that can be caused to the property. But more than that, exhibitors are worried about the security of patrons," Datar said.

The association, with members in Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra and parts of Karnataka, has over 500 theatres affiliated to it.

Manoj Desai, Executive Director of Gaiety, Galaxy and Maratha Mandir single-screen cinemas in Mumbai, said they have yet to get any security.

"We have not received any security yet, but we might get it till tomorrow morning. We are still waiting. It is the job of the authorities to provide us adequate security. If something happens to my property, I am even willing to sit in front of the CM's house (to seek justice)," Desai said.

He said while 70 per cent of seats in the three cinema halls were booked, families were a little scared to watch thhe film.

"There is excitement about the film. I hope law and order prevails and the film has a smooth release," he said. An exhibitor from Maharashtra, who did not wish to be named, said his chain of theatres is ready for the release.

"We will abide by the Supreme Court's order and screen the film as we have got a fantastic advance booking. We have faith in the state government and the police," he said.  -- PTI

IMAGE: Members of Rajput community protest against the film. Photograph: PTI Photo
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18:40   4 policemen killed in encounter with Naxals in Chhattisgarh
Four police personnel, including two sub-inspectors, were killed and seven others injured in a gun-fight with Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district today, police said.

The encounter took place in the forests of Irpanar village in Abhujmad area when a police team was out on anti- Naxal operation, Special Director General of Police (anti- Naxal operations) D M Awasthi told PTI.

"Two sub-inspectors and as many constables, belonging to DRG (District Reserve Guard of Police) lost their lives and seven other personnel sustained injuries in the incident," he said.

The team, comprising personnel from DRG and the Special Task Force (STF) of police, was cordoning off Irpanar forests when the exchange of fire broke out, he said.

Soon after getting information about the encounter, reinforcement was rushed to the spot, Awasthi said, adding that the injured were being airlifted to Raipur for treatment.

Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Vivekanand Sinha said the encounter started around 11 am and lasted for about two hours.  -- PTI
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17:58   Rajnath announces 7 measures to restore normalcy in J&K
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday announced fresh measures to be taken by the government of Jammu and Kashmir to restore normalcy and peace in the state.

Singh said the Ministry of Home Affairs has given its approval to the state government to use an amnesty scheme that it announced on November 23 last year to give relief to 3,685 students and youth who were apprehended for participating in incidents of stone pelting against security forces.

He said this humanitarian step is aimed at giving students and youth another chance to rebuild their lives and careers without being under any kind of stress of being declared criminals.

The state government, the minister further said, has been advised to appoint a high-level committee to review the remaining cases of stone pelting.

This committee would be headed by a senior police officer.

'The MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) is of the view that stone pelting cases of a non-grievous nature against the students/youth should be closed/withdrawn so that they get a chance to focus on their studies and pursue their careers without any psychological pressure,' a statement issued from his office said.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has also been advised to formulate a new surrender and rehabilitation policy that will ensure economic rehabilitation and provide suitable training to the youth to run their own businesses, return to the mainstream and lead a dignified life.

The state government has also been advised by the home ministry to create an advisory board to redress grievances of migrants, displaced persons and West Pakistan refugees in the region.

Steps will also be taken to repair and renovate old and dilapidated migrant camps at Jagati and Talwara.It has also been decided to restart work on an artificial lake in Jammu.  -- ANI
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17:38   Protests continue against bus fare hike, Kamal attacks TN govt
College students across Tamil Nadu continued to hold protests for the fifth day today against the recent hike in bus fares, and demanded immediate rollback of the revision.

Actor Kamal Haasan, who has announced his foray into politics, also hit out at the government on the issue.

Students held protests in Madurai, Thanjavur, Perambalur and Dindigul among others, with several of them boycotting classes opposing the government move, police said.

Many students said the hike has 'severely' affected them and that many of them could not afford the 'manifold increase', and therefore the demand for its rollback.

Haasan, who has taken on the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam over alleged corruption, also hit out at the Palaniswami-led government for hiking bus fares.

In a tweet, he said if the government was pro-poor, it would have made all efforts to prevent the hike.

After a hiatus of six years, the state government had on January 19 hiked ticket fares of buses operated by state run transport corporations and private entities by about 20 to 54.54 per cent.

The government has hiked fares across categories such as mofussil, city, ordinary, express, ultra deluxe, Volvo and air-conditioned buses.

The hike which came into effect from January 20 has triggered protests from day one with people hitting the streets at many places besides venting their anger on social media platforms against the 'steep revision'.

Termed as 'inevitable' by the government, the increase came in the wake of the recent eight-day strike by a section of transport employees unions in the state over wage revision.

The agitation had severely affected public sector transport.  -- PTI

IMAGE: Actor Kamal Haasan interacts with representatives of various fan clubs at his house, in Chennai. Photograph: PTI Photo
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17:07   HC quashes order gagging media in Sohrabuddin case trial
The Bombay high court today quashed and set aside the trial court's order prohibiting journalists from reporting on or publishing the proceedings of the Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter case trial.

Justice Revati Mohite-Dere minced no words in holding that the special Central Bureau of Investigation court overreached its powers in issuing the order.

She agreed with the petitioners -- a group of court reporters and city-based Union of Journalists -- that the Criminal Procedure Code provided only for the high courts and the apex court to issue such ban orders.

Such an order could be issued only in rare cases, and for a limited period of time, the court said.

Justice Mohite-Dere said mere apprehension of sensationalism by the accused was not a sufficient ground for issuing such gag orders.

On November 29 last year, the special CBI court had barred journalists from reporting or publishing the proceedings of the ongoing trial in the case.

The CBI court said while journalists can attend the proceedings, they must not make what transpired public.

Justice Mohite-Dere held that such a ban was unjustified and it breached a journalist's constitutional right of freedom of expression.

"The rights of the press are intrinsic with the constitutional right that guarantees freedom of expression. In reporting from an open trial, the press not only makes use of its own right, but serves the larger purpose of making such information available to the general public," she said.

She also dismissed the objections to such reportage by the accused persons in the case, saying they had failed to prove to the court that there existed any legal provision for a trial court to prohibit the press from reporting.  -- PTI
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17:03   China praises Modi for opposing protectionism in Davos address
China today welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at Davos where he described protectionism as being 'as dangerous as terrorism', and evinced interest in enhancing cooperation with India to strengthen the globalisation process.

Modi, the first Indian prime minister to address the World Economic Forum annual summit in Davos in two decades, yesterday talked about grave concerns facing the world, including terrorism and climate change.

"Many countries are becoming inward focused and globalisation is shrinking and such tendencies can't be considered lesser risk than terrorism or climate change," he had said.

"I noticed that Prime Minister Modi made some remarks on protectionism and his remarks showed that globalisation is the trend of the times and serves the interests of all the countries including developing countries and the fight against protectionism and promoting globalisation," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing in Beijing.

She also said China would like to work with India and other countries to strengthen globalisation process for the benefit of all countries.

Her surprise comments followed official media here giving big play to Modi's speech at the World Economic Forum at Davos yesterday where he called protectionism 'as dangerous as terrorism'.

Some of the dailies like Global Times carried the photo of his address on the front pages.

One of the biggest beneficiaries of globalisation, China has emerged as emerged as the world's factory in the last three decades posting double-digit GDP growth rates for years while thriving on massive exports to all parts of the world.

China is also firmly opposed to 'America First' policy of US President Donald Trump which was the main theme of Chinese President Xi Jinping's Davos speech last year.

"China and India share a lot of common interests. China would like to enhance coordination and cooperation with all countries including India to steer the economic globalisation towards benefiting world economic growth and well-being of all countries," Hua said.

Answering a question that Modi's speech 'echoed' last year's speech by Xi at the same forum where he made a pitch for globalisation, Hua said Xi called for moving globalisation to a more open, inclusive, universal, balanced and win-win direction.

Asked whether the common position of India and China in opposing protectionism could help improve strained bilateral ties, Hua said "Our position is clear. India is a big neighbour of China. As the two largest developing countries and as two close neighbours, of course we hope that we can maintain steady development of bilateral relations. It serves the interests of our two sides".

"We look forward to working with India to enhance our communication and our mutual trust, properly handle our differences and ensure sound and steady development of our bilateral ties. I believe this is the aspiration of the people of our countries," she said.  -- PTI
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16:17   Won't let Bhansali earn profit by defaming Rajputs: Karni Sena chief
Rajput Karni Sena Chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi on Wednesday said that team Padmaavat cannot be allowed to earn profit by defaming Rajputs.

"We are adamant on our stand that this film Padmavaat should be banned; there should be a self imposed curfew by people. We cannot let them earn profits by defaming us," Kalvi said while addressing a press conference.

The Karni Sena also condemned the violence erupted against the release of the film.

Yesterday, Kalvi had urged people to impose curfew in cinema halls and stop screening of the movie Padmaavat.

Meanwhile,  protesters in Haryana torched a bus and pelted stones at Gurugram's Sohna Road in protest against Padmaavat.

In Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, a group of people stopped a train at Bhuteshwar railway station in protest against the release of the film.

The protestors also denounced the director of the movie Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Several incidents of violent protests are surfacing in different parts of the nation against the release of the movie.

In some states, including UP, Telangana, Gujarat and Haryana, the members of Karni Sena have resorted to burning posters and vandalising the ticket counter.  -- ANI

Photograph: Protesters torched a bus at Gurugram's Sohna Road in in Haryanaon Wednesday. Photograph: ANI
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16:02   India Today posted two year old video of Pak shelling, says AltNews
'Pak army fires mortar'. 'Pak Army targets civilians. Here's the proof'. 

'These were the titles used by India Today when it reported on the evening of January 22 that Indian civilians in Jammu & Kashmir had been targeted by Pakistani mortar fire along the Line of Control and the International Border,' reports Arjun Sidharth in altnews.in.   

'According to the location key on the top left corner of the screen, the video was apparently shot at a place named Kotli in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The correspondent can be heard saying, "You can see the Pakistani army; how they are using civilians and they are targeting our civilian areas",' Sidharth writes.   

However, 'Alt News was informed by Neelesh Purohit, who pointed out that the video shown by India Today is not new and has been available on YouTube for almost two years. The video shows the Pakistani army firing mortars as part of its operation named 'Zarb-e-Azb' which was launched against terrorist groups in the North Waziristan region,' Sidharth reports, here.
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15:53   No bypoll announcement until Monday: HC to EC on AAP disqualification
The Delhi high court has asked the Election Commission not to announce byelections to the seats held by 20 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs disqualified from the Delhi assembly for holding offices of profit, till its next hearing on Monday. 

The HC has also sought response of the EC, Centre in the case.

The plea by the MLAs has sought stay and quashing of the government's notification stating the President had held that the 20 MLAs stand disqualified under the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act.

The notification came two days after the EC wrote to the President recommending the disqualification of 20 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs for holding office of profit while serving as parliamentary secretaries between March 13, 2015 and September 8, 2016.
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15:17   Haqqani commander, 2 others killed in US drone strike in Pak
A top commander of the Haqqani network along with two others were killed today when a United States drone struck a home near Pakistan's restive tribal Kurram agency bordering Afghanistan, media reports said.
Two missiles were fired from the drone at the house in Speen Thall area -- on the confluence of borders between Hangu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Orakzai agency.
Haqqani Network Commander Ehsan alias Khawari and two of his companions were reportedly killed during the strike conducted in North Waziristan, Dawn news reported.
The drone strikes, carried out by US spy planes, targeted the house belonging to Afghan refugees, the report said.
Local sources belonging to the Orakzai Agency said that the strike was carried out on the Haqqani Network hideout.
On January 17, in the first drone strike of the year, one man was severely injured in Kurram agency's Badshah Kot area near the Pak-Afghan border.
Drone strikes have surged in Kurram agency in the wake of US President Donald Trump's announcement of a new Afghan policy in August, in which Pakistan was also accused of offering "safe havens to agents of chaos".
Pakistan has repeatedly said that drone strikes on its soil are a violation of its sovereignty and denies the charge, saying it acts against militants without discrimination.
Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was also killed in one of such strikes in 2016.  -- PTI
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15:09   For poor, registration of FIR impossible: Delhi HC
It is "impossible for the poor".
This is how an annoyed Delhi high court bench termed the non-registration of an FIR in a case of a missing woman.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar expressed anguish when it found that no FIR was lodged by the police despite a woman's complaint that her daughter has been missing from her in-laws' house since June 2016.
The bench took note of the letter written to it by the woman explaining the ordeal suffered by her daughter before she went missing after she was harassed by her in-laws.
In her letter, the woman has also alleged that her daughter was beaten up for bringing less dowry.
Moved by the contents of the letter, the bench expressed unhappiness over the lack of action by Delhi Police and said "it discloses a hopeless state of affairs that even after a complaint was filed in this regard, the police has failed to lodge a case".
It, thereafter, sought the response of senior police officers on the woman's complaint.
The bench also asked the DCP of the area, where the woman had lodged a complaint, to place before it the action taken in this regard.
It directed the police to ensure that the missing woman and her husband are present before the court on the next date of hearing on January 29. -- PTI
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14:50   Shastri wasn't hostile to RSS, often consulted Golwalkar: Advani
Lal Bahadur Shastri was not ideologically hostile towards the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh like Jawaharlal Nehru and would often invite its chief Guru Golwalkar for consultations when he was prime minister, veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani has said.
Describing Shastri as a "dedicated Congressman" in an article in the 70th anniversary edition of the RSS-affiliated weekly Organiser, Advani said his personal qualities won him the goodwill of the nation.
"Unlike Nehru, Shastri did not harbour any ideological hostility towards the Jana Sangh and the RSS. He used to often invite Shri Guruji for consultation on national issues," Advani said.
The article is an extract from Advani's autobiography "My Country My Life".
Advani, who joined Organiser in 1960 as an assistant editor, said he had met Shastri as the weekly's representative several times, "each time carrying a positive impression of this remarkably short-statured but large-hearted Prime Minister".
Working as a journalist with Organiser also necessitated a change in his sartorial appearance, Advani said, recalling that he went back to trousers from the dhoti he wore as an RSS activist.
"Dhoti-kurta is the dress of a neta (political leader). It does not suit journalists, my colleagues told me. I saw some merit in the advice given by my colleagues and started wearing trousers once again," Advani said.
Despite being deeply involved and interested in political activities, he said he volunteered to write on films in the magazine and penned a cinema column under the name Netra (Eye).
In 1977, when he was information and broadcasting minister, he met filmmakers Khwaja Ahmed Abbas and Prithviraj Kapoor who were pleasantly surprised that "we have a Minister who has earlier been a film critic", Advani wrote.
Shastri, who was prime minister from 1964 to 1966, came in for praise from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat last year.

Bhagwat referred to him as "lok neta", mass leader, at an event near Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, where he unveiled a statue of Shastri and his wife. -- PTI 
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14:37   Day before Padmaavat's release, protests intensify
A day before the release of controversial film Padmaavat, protests against the Sanjay Leela Bhansalis magnum opus have intensified several parts of the country.

In the morning, protesters blocked the Delhi-Ajmer highway and burnt tyres.

In Mumbai, the police arrested 50 Karni Sena workers when they gathered to protest against the film. 

Protests against the film turned increasingly violent from Tuesday after vandalism reported near a number of multiplexes in Gujarat.

In Ahmedabad, the police had to open fire to disperse crowds on Tuesday night as a mob burnt nearly 30 two-wheelers and smashed shop windows. 

The film, starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, is based on the saga of the 13th Century battle between Maharaja Ratan Singh of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi.
The Supreme Court had last week paved the way for the nationwide release of Padmaavat, by staying the ban on its screening in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The movie, which was earlier named Padmavati and was slated for a December 1 release, will now hit theatres worldwide tomorrow.
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14:23   Lok Sabha elections in March-April this year?
We had reported recently that the next Lok Sabha elections, due in April-May 2019, will be advanced to December this year along with some 20 state assembly polls.   

Rajesh Jain, technology entrepreneur behind Niti Central and whose political venture Niti Digital was part of Narendra Modi's 2014 election campaign, writes in nayidisha.com that the Lok Sabha elections could actually happen in the next 100 days.   

To buttress his belief, Jain offers six reasons and six inferences, here.
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14:18   President Kovind meets National Bravery Award winning children
President Ram Nath Kovind met National Bravery Award winning children at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday, Among them was Mamata Dalai (6), from Kendrapara district, Odisha, and a winner of National Bravery Award 2017 who fearlessly fought off a crocodile to save her sister Asanti's life.

President Kovind tweeted the video of the brave girl receiving the award, here.
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14:05   Vinod Rai readies to take on A Raja's claims on 2G case
Former comptroller and auditor general Vinod Rai, whose computation of a notional loss of Rs 176,000 crores in the sale of 2G spectrum was recently junked by the CBI special court, is readying to rebut former telecom minister A Raja's utterances since then, even terming the former CAG as a "contract killer'.   

Even as the CBI readies to appeal against the court order acquitting everyone in the case, and ruling there was no scam involved, Rai said he too was preparing his own stand.   

"I will speak out and tear apart A Raja's claims and prove how my figure of Rs 176,000 crores was indeed a loss," Vinod Rai said when asked if he will implead himself in the case. "I am consulting lawyers about all aspects, and I will not speak anything now," he added.   

The Union law ministry has given permission to the CBI to appeal against the court ruling acquitting all accused, and it is only a matter of time, say, the middle of February, before the CBI files its appeal, a government source told Rediff.com.
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14:01   Lalu sentenced to 5-yr jail in 3rd fodder scam case
JUST IN: Lalu Prasad Yadav sentenced to five years in prison in third fodder scam case by Ranchi Court.

Former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra also sentenced to five years in prison in the case.

Both Lalu and Mishra  also fined Rs 5 lakhs each by the Ranchi Court.  -- ANI
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13:44   City once known for Sufi shrines is now known as Pakistan's 'rape capital'
'In the weeks since Ameen's 6-year-old daughter, Zainab, was found dead in a trash dump, her body showing signs of rape, the family has become Pakistan's portrait of grief. Parents from across the country have traveled to the eastern city of Kasur and sat in the family's two-story house, trying to offer comfort but also to voice their anxieties about what many describe as an epidemic of child sexual abuse in Pakistan,' reports Kiran Nazish in latimes.com.  

'A total of 12 children have been raped over the last year in this district of 3.4 million people, all the incidents occurring within a 1.5-mile radius, in neighborhoods with streets so narrow that cars cannot fit, the reporter says, here.
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13:41   Army jawan injured in Pak firing, dies
An army jawan who was injured in unprovoked Pakistani firing on Sunday along LoC in Poonch district, succumbed to his injuries today.
"Pakistan had resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts in Krishna Ghati sector on January 20. During the  exchange of fire, Naik Jagadish sustained grievous splinter injuries. He was immediately evacuated and provided intensive medical care in Military Hospital," an army officer said.
However, despite all efforts the gallant soldier succumbed to his injuries in the early hours today.
Naik Jagadish, 34, was the resident of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand and is survived by his wife and two young children, the officer said.
As may 13 people, including seven civilians and six troops, were killed and over 65 others injured in Pakistan shelling and firing since Wednesday last. 
The dead troops included 2 BSF and 4 army jawans.  -- PTI
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13:39   BJP is framing my father: Tejashwi after Lalu's another conviction
The Rashtriya Janata Dal today said the special CBI court order convicting Lalu Prasad in a fodder scam case was not final and it would appeal in the high court and, if necessary, in the Supreme Court.
Leader of the opposition in Bihar assembly and Lalu Prasad's son Tejashwi Yadav also accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP of framing his father who was viewed as a "hero" by the masses.
"We have to abide by whatever is the court's ruling. But the CBI court order is not going to be final. We will appeal in the high court and, if need be, in the Supreme Court," Yadav said about his father's conviction in the third
fodder scam case.
"It is a common perception that Lalu Prasad, whom the public views as its hero, has been framed in the cases at the instance of Nitish Kumar and the BJP-RSS brigade," Yadav told reporters outside Raj Bhavan in Patna.
Prasad's detractors, he added, have always been scared of his immense popularity.
Yadav claimed the BJP-led NDA was planning to hold elections in Bihar by December this year and this was evident with senior BJP leaders as well as RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat undertaking tours of the state.
The NDA wants to keep Prasad embroiled in legal difficulties so that it is smooth sailing for the alliance, he said. But it is mistaken as the RJD would give a fitting reply to the NDA whenever elections are held, the former Bihar deputy chief minister added.
Yadav and other senior RJD leaders called on Governor Satya Pal Malik and submitted a memorandum to him alleging that the law and order situation in the state was deteriorating and the weaker sections of the society,
especially the Dalits, were being oppressed.
He also took up the issue of the Srijan scam, in which government funds worth about Rs 1,000 crore were allegedly diverted to the accounts of a non-government organisation. -- PTI
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12:51   Pak embassy official in Austria goes missing
'An army official appointed as a clerk at the Pakistani embassy in Austria some five months ago disappeared along with some sensitive documents,' Munawer Azeem reports in Dawn.com, quoting officials.   

'The official had been found absent from his duty since Jan 2 this year, the FIR stated, adding that on checking of embassy's record the documents carrying sensitive information were also found missing. 

'After his disappearance, the man contacted his family and asked his wife to shift to her parents' house at Tarnol in Islamabad, the FIR stated. 

'According to his wife, her husband left the embassy of his free will and will "return after five years",' the report states, here.
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12:37   Lalu fodder scam verdict: Sentence will be announced after 2 pm
The special CBI court will pronounce the quantum of sentence in the third fodder scam, in which it convicted RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yave, after 2 pm. 
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11:44   Lalu convicted in 3rd fodder scam case
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has been convicted in the third fodder scam case.

A special CBI court in Ranchi convicted him in the case related to alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 35.62 crore from the Chaibasa treasury in the 1990s when he was the chief minister of undivided Bihar.

Lalu is currently lodged in Birsa Munda jail after being convicted last month in the second case of the fodder scam linked to illegal withdrawal of money from Deoghar treasury.     

Earlier, on September 30, 2013, Prasad was held guilty in another case pertaining to illegal withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore and handed down a five-year prison term.     

The 69-year-old RJD president had five cases against him in the Rs 900 crore fodder scam. He was on bail in the first case when he was convicted and sentenced in the second.      

Prasad is also an accused in two other fodder scam cases relating to alleged illegal withdrawal of Rs 3.97 crore from Dumka treasury and Rs 184 crore from Doranda treasury. 
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11:22   US Senate confirms Powell as next Fed chairman
The United States Senate has confirmed Jerome H Powell as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve, a powerful post having an influence on global economy.
Powell, 64, will replace Janett Yellen, whose term ends in February.
He was confirmed by the US Senate by an overwhelming vote of 84-12.
Currently a Fed governor and former financial-firm executive, Powell is expected to mostly continue with Yellen's policies.
The Wall Street Journal said Powell inherits an economy on the upswing fuelled by a booming labour market and strong global growth.
"His task will be to sustain the economy's expansion without letting it pick up so much momentum that the Fed would be forced to cool it off with sharp rate increases, risking a downturn," it reported.
According to The Washington Post, Powell will oversee an economy in which unemployment is at 4.1 per cent, job growth steady but unspectacular and inflation at or below the Fed's targets.
"The economy, however, faces persistent and growing inequality, and workers have seen only limited wage gains during the long, slow recovery from the Great Recession," it said.
Several lawmakers, however, expressed concern over Powell taking over as the next Fed chairman.
"I'm deeply concerned that as soon as Governor Powell unpacks his boxes in the Chairman's office, he will begin weakening the new rules Congress and the Fed put in place after the 2008 financial crisis," Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said on the Senate Floor.
"We need someone who believes in tougher rules for banks, not weaker ones. That person is not Governor Powell," she said. -- Lalit K Jha/PTI 
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10:35   This election is between Allah and Rama, says K'taka BJP MLA
A BJP MLA in Karnataka has created a controversy by saying that the contest in the state's Bantwal constituency during the upcoming assembly polls will be between Allah and Lord Rama.

V Sunil Kumar, representing the Karkala in the assembly, also termed the election to Bantwal, in the communally-sensitive Dakshina Kannada district, as a "question of Hindu self-esteem".

"I request friends here, the election here is not between Rajesh Naik (BJP) and Ramanatha Rai (Congress). It is an election between Allah and Rama. Whom, Bantwal wants it has to be decided. Whether we will repeatedly make Allah win or will we make a person who loves Rama win, people of Bantwal has to decide," Kumar said.

Kumar made the remarks after Bantwal MLA and minister Ramanatha Rai credited his successive victories from the constituency to the grace of Allah and secular credentials of the Muslim community there.

Assembly elections in Karnataka are due early this year. 

Reacting to Kumar's comment, Rai said elections should be contested on the plank of development.
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10:03   Shoe hurled at Owaisi during Mumbai rally
A man on Tuesday night hurled a shoe at All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi while he was addressing a rally at Nagpada in south Mumbai, police said.

The MP was not hurt in the incident and the accused has been identfied but was yet to be taken under arrest, they said.
Owaisi was voicing his opposition on the triple talaq issue at the rally around 9.45 pm when the incident took place, a senior police officer said.
"I am willing to lay down my life for my democratic rights. These are all frustrated people, who cannot see that the government decision on triple talaq has not been accepted by the masses in general and Muslims in particular," Owaisi told PTI.
"These people (referring to the person who threw the shoe at him) are the ones who follow the ideology of the killers of Mahatma Gandhi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar," he said.
Owaisi claimed that such incidents were happening at the behest of people, who follow "hate ideologies" and that they are getting emboldened with each passing day.
"This will not stop us from speaking the truth against them," the Hyderabad MP said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-III, Virendra Mishra said the police have identified through CCTV footage the man who hurled the shoe at Owaisi and were in process to arrest him.
AIMIM MLA Imtiyaz Jaleel said Owaisi was unhurt and continued his speech after the incident.
"We do not care for such incidents. Some people and parties do not want us to speak the truth. Mr Owaisi continued with his speech (despite the incident). We simply ignore these type of acts," he added. -- PTI
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09:59   Twin car bombings in Libya kills 27
 
A powerful twin car bombing in Libya's Benghazi killed at least 27 people and injured 30 others, Libyan officials said late on Tuesday.

According to the Independent, the first explosion took place outside a mosque, in the heart of the city, when worshippers were leaving after their evening prayers.

The second explosion took place after 10 to 15 minutes, when a bomb, planted in a Mercedes car parked on the opposite side of the mosque, exploded.

Security and health officials were present at the scene when the second explosion took place.

Local authorities have said that civilians, security and health officials were among the casualties.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. -- ANI
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09:37   Pakistan's Chief Justice faces women's ire on 'skirt' analogy
Pakistani women's rights activists on Tuesday criticised the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and demanded a public apology over his 'skirt' analogy which, they said, reveals the "deep-rooted sexism" discouraging women from joining the legal profession.
Justice Saqib Nisar, during a speech delivered in Karachi on January 13, quoted former British prime minister Winston Churchill as saying that "a good speech should be like a woman's skirt; long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest".
Rights group Karachi chapter Women's Action Forum, in a letter to Nisar, castigated his skirt remarks.
"Reliance on this quote reveals deep-rooted sexism and double standards women are held to which discourage women from joining the legal profession due to hostile mindset towards them," the letter reads.
It said that women face harassment at different levels including the legal system.
"Statements that dehumanise and objectify women are not only derogatory and demeaning towards women but also contribute to the victim-blaming culture which is the biggest impediment in fighting crimes committed against women," the letter said.
The group demanded that the chief justice should tender "a public apology to the women of Pakistan". -- PTI 
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09:20   US designates Indian-origin Islamic State terrorist as global terrorist
The United States on Tuesday designated Indian-origin Islamic State terrorist from Britain Siddhartha Dhar along with a Belgian-Moroccan citizen as global terrorists and imposed sanctions on them, the State Department said.
Dhar, a British Hindu who converted to Islam and now goes by the name Abu Rumaysah, had skipped police bail in the UK to travel to Syria with his wife and young children in 2014.
Nihad Barakat, a Yazidi teenager held as a sex slave by Islamic States, was quoted as saying by the Independent in May 2016 that she was kidnapped and trafficked by Dhar, who was based in Mosul, the group's former stronghold in Iraq.
Dhar was dubbed as the "New Jihadi John" and became a senior commander of the dreaded outfit, the report had said.
The State Department has designated two Islamic State members, Siddhartha Dhar and Abdelatif Gaini, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under Section 1(b) of Executive Order which also imposes sanctions on foreign persons determined to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the US, a state department spokesperson said in a statement.
These designations seek to deny Dhar and Gaini the resources they need to plan and carry out further terrorist attacks, it said.
Among other consequences, all of Dhar's and Gaini's property and interests in property subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them, it said.
Dhar was a leading member of now-defunct terrorist organisation Al-Muhajiroun. In late 2014, Dhar left the United Kingdom to travel to Syria to join Islamic State, it said.
He is considered to have replaced ISIS executioner Mohammad Emwazi, also known as "Jihadi John", it said. -- PTI
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09:10   Ex-FBI Dir seeks to question Trump on Russia probe
Special Counsel and former Federal Bureau of Investigation director Robert Mueller probing Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election wants to question President Donald Trump on the issue, a media report said.
The Washington Post, citing two people familiar with Mueller's plans, said the special counsel was seeking to question Trump about his ousting of FBI director James Comey and national security advisor Michael Flynn.
They told the newspaper that Trump's attorneys have worked out terms for the president's interview with Mueller's team which could be presented to the special counsel "as soon as next week".
"The president's legal team hopes to provide Trump's testimony in a hybrid form -- answering some questions in a face-to-face interview and others in a written statement," said the Post.
A day earlier, the US Justice Department had confirmed that Attorney General Jeff Sessions was questioned by Mueller on his investigation on potential links between the Trump campaign and Russia in the presidential election.
Mueller has already interviewed several of the close aides and family members of Trump over the issue.
Trump, earlier, had hinted that it "seems unlikely" that he would allow Mueller to "interview" him.
Meanwhile, the White House said it supports "full transparency" around a secret memo criticising the FBI but it was for the House Intelligence Committee to decide whether to release it or not.
"We certainly support full transparency, and we believe that's with the House Intel Committee to make a choice," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at her daily news conference.
She reiterated that the White House would be cooperative with Mueller. -- PTI
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08:42   Karni Sena okay with Padmaavat?
Karni Sena members watched Padmaavat on Tuesday evening, reports Subhash K Jha, and gave the film a clean chit.

Karni Sena members later stated that the film's makers had made all the changes required by the Sena.

"No changes were made," a member of the Padmaavat team told Jha.

"The Karni Sena saw exactly what Sanjay Bhansali had shot. Nothing more nothing less."

"When they realised there was nothing objectionable they decided to back off pretending that the changes had been made."


Read the film's review HERE 
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00:06   US First Lady Melania Trump gives Davos a miss
US First Lady Melania Trump, in a change of plans, will not be joining US President Donald Trump on his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later this week.

East Wing communications director Stephanie Grisham confirmed to CNN that the First Lady's decision to forgo the trip was based on "scheduling and logistical issues."

A week ago, Melania was to attend the annual meeting of influential financial leaders and business titans in a show of support for her husband, who intends to give remarks during his visit.

The US President's own trip to Davos was also in flux until several hours ago, due to the government shutdown, which has been now been resolved.

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