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Mon, 12 November 2018
DGCA suspends licence of AI operations director for 3 years

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23:50   DGCA suspends licence of AI operations director for 3 years
Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Monday suspended the flying licence of Air India Operations Director Arvind Kathpalia for three years following his failure to clear the mandatory pre-flight breath analyser test.

On Sunday, Kathpalia, who is also an AI board member, was grounded by the airline after he tested alcohol positive twice during as many breath analyser tests performed on him before he was to operate Air India's New Delhi-London flight.

"In exercise of the power delegated under clause (a) of sub-rule (3) of rule 19 of the Aircraft Rules 1937... the undersigned hereby suspends in public interest the privileges of the pilots licence held by Capt A Kathpalia for a period of three years from Nov 11, 2018," DGCA joint director general J S Rawat said in an order in New Delhi.

The suspension of Kathpalia's flying licence is effective from the date on which he was tested BA (breath analyser) positive, the order stated.

Repeated calls and text messages to Air India chairman and managing director Pradeep Singh Kharola on the issue did not yield a response.        Air India spokesperson was also not available for comments.

Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew members from partaking any alcoholic drink 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight, and it is mandatory for him/her to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight.

The prescribed punishment for such offences under the DGCA rules is suspension of flying licence for three months in case of first breach.

For violating the norms for a second time, the licence is suspended for three years and for a third time, the licence is permanently cancelled.

This is the second time Kathpalia has been taken off flying duties as in February 2017 DGCA suspended his licence for three months for skipping the BA test before a flight when he was working as an executive director for operations with the airline.

He was subsequently removed from the post of executive director, operations.

Later, in March the government appointed him to the post of Director for Operations.

Significantly, as many as 132 pilots and 434 cabin crew of AI were found to have allegedly skipped both the pre- and post-flight alcohol tests last year, forcing the then airline CMD Rajiv Bansal to request the regulator to take a 'lenient view' on the issue, maintaining they (the crew members) never intended to violate norms.  -- PTI
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23:09  
Top market losers today.
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23:08  
BSE Sensex today.
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22:56   Lankan parties move SC against Parliament dissolution by Prez
Sri Lanka's major political parties and an election commission member on Monday dragged President Maithripala Sirisena to the Supreme Court, challenging his controversial move of dissolving Parliament, almost 20 months before its term was to end.

Sirisena dissolved Parliament on November 9 and announced snap polls to be held on January 5 next year after it became evident that he did not have enough support in the House to prove the premiership of 72-year-old Mahinda Rajapaksa, whom he has appointed prime minister after abruptly sacking Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26.

Rajapaksa needed the support of minimum 113 parliamentarians in the 225-member House to prove his majority.

Wickremesinghe's United National Party, the main opposition Tamil National Alliance and the leftist JVP or the People's Liberation Front were among the 10 groups that filed the fundamental rights petitions in the apex court, seeking declaration of the president's action as illegal, officials said.

The petitioners also include Election Commission member Prof Ratnajeevan Hoole.

The Supreme Court adjourned till Tuesday morning the hearing of the petitions, Daily Mirror reported.

The petitions were taken up for hearing before a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Nalin Perera, Justices Prasanna Jayawardane and Priyantha Jayawardane.

Sirisena on Sunday stoutly defended his move to dissolve Parliament, saying it was taken to prevent clashes among rival lawmakers. He said there were media reports that politicians would clash during the floor test, which was due on November 14.

In a televised address to the nation, the President said he heard stories from lawmakers on both sides of possible violence in Parliament that could even result in deaths and clashes spreading around the country.

"It appeared to me that, if I allowed Parliament to be convened on the 14th, without dissolving it, it could have brought about commotion and fights in every city and every village would lead to very unpleasant and difficult situation for the average citizens of my beloved country," he said.

"As such, the best solution was not to allow those 225 members in Parliament to fight each other and allow that to develop into a street fights in every part of the country.

"It is my duty and the responsibility to... create a situation for the 15 million voters in this country (to) take the ultimate decision by choosing their members to Parliament through a free and fair election," Sirisena added.

The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), a leading civil society think tank, has also filed a petition, challenging the president's move.

"The CPA categorically opposes this move as it is unconstitutional and ultra vires," it said in a statement.

Rauff Hakeem, a leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, which also filed a petition said: "Filed action in the Supreme Court today challenging the purported dissolution of Parliament as untenable as per the 19th amendment of the Constitution".

The 19th Amendment to the Lankan Constitution restricts powers of the President to dissolve Parliament before the expiry of four-and-a-half years of a total five-year term.

Therefore, constitutionally a fresh election could not happen before February 2020 as the current Parliament's term was to expire in August 2020.  -- PTI
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21:39   Girl who escaped from Patna shelter home returned home
One of the four minor girls who had escaped from a shelter home in Patna, has reached her home in West Bengal and efforts are on to trace the three others, Bihar police said on Monday.

The girls had escaped from the government-funded Asha Kiran Home For Girls in Patliputra colony early on Sunday by using their 'dupattas' as a rope to climb down from its second-floor balcony.

They had been brought to the shelter home last month.

One of the four girls who escaped is 12 years old and the rest are 16, police said.

"One out of four girls, one has reached her home in 24 Parganas district in West Bengal. The girl has informed the manageress of the Patna shelter home after reaching her home.

"The shelter home manageress in turn informed us about the incident," Patliputra station house officer Tarkeshwar Nath Tiwary said.

The girl, he said, had also apologised to the manageress of the shelter home for leaving without informing and had said that the other three too had planned to return to their respective homes, he said.

The FIR about the escape was filed by the shelter home's manageress and efforts are on to find the three girls.

In April reports of over 30 girls and women being allegedly raped at a state-funded shelter home in Muzaffarpur had come to light, sending shockwaves across the country.

There were other reports of inmates escaping from shelter homes.

While a woman fled from a shelter home in Patna on September 24, two minor girls escaped from another government-funded short-stay home in Khagaria district on October 29.

The woman who fled from the Patna shelter home was later found. -- PTI
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21:10   Reports of Aasia leaving Pakistan 'fake': Minister
The Pakistan government on Monday rejected the reports claiming Aasia Bibi has fled abroad, saying the images on the social media showing the recently-acquitted Christian woman being greeted overseas are 'fake'.

Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, was release from Multan jail last week after the Supreme Court in its landmark decision acquitted her of blasphemy charges.

She was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. Bibi always maintained her innocence, but spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.

"Fake news is a big challenge. Aasia Bibi is in Pakistan and images of her leaving the country and greeted abroad are fake," Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told PTI.

He said some media outlets showed irresponsibility by reporting that Bibi had left the country after her release from the jail.

Chaudhry said the government was considering to introduce a law to regulate the social media.

"There is a need to check the unchecked social media and bring it within the ambit of law," he said, adding that fake news and fake notifications come up from fake accounts on social media on almost daily basis and needed to be checked.

Bibi's acquittal sparked violent protests from radical Islamists across Pakistan.

The Imran Khan-led government had agreed to their demand to stop her from leaving Pakistan and extend its help to place her name on no-fly list.

The BBC Urdu's report that she had been taken to another country created a lot of confusion and the Foreign Office had to issue a clarification that Bibi was in the country.

Earlier, Bibi's husband had appealed to US President Donald Trump and premiers of the UK and Canada to help her and other family members leave Pakistan as their lives were in danger. Italy had offered asylum to Bibi.

Reacting to the uproar over Aasia's acquittal, Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) said it had 'some reservations over the Aasia Bibi acquittal' but respects the national institutions including the judiciary.  -- PTI
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20:32   Akshay denies arranging meeting between Dera head and Sukhbir
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar on Monday denied arranging any meeting between former Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Dera Sacha Sauda sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Kumar also denied having ever met Sirsa headquartered Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is currently serving a 20-year jail term in a rape case.

Kumar issued the denial a day after the SIT, probing the 2015 police firings at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura in Faridkot at mobs protesting the state-wide sacrilege incidents, summoned him along with former Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.

'It has come to my knowledge that some rumours and false statements are being loosely made on social media about my involvement with a person named Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the context of a fictitious meeting involving Sukhbir Singh Badal,' Akshay tweeted Monday.

'With all humility, I would like to state the following facts. I have never ever met Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in my life, anywhere. I learnt from social media at some point that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh resided for a while at some place in my locality Juhu in Mumbai but we never crossed each other's paths,' Akshay said on micro-blogging site.

'Over the years, I have dedicatedly (sic) made films, promoting the Punjabi culture and the rich history and tradition of Sikhism through films like Singh is King, Kesari (based on the battle of Saragarhi) etc. I am proud of being a Punjabi and have the highest regard for the Sikh faith. I shall never do anything that would even remotely hurt the sentiments of my Punjabi brothers and sisters for whom I have the utmost respect and love,' tweeted Kumar.

'My statement above is the utmost and absolute truth. I challenge anyone who can prove it otherwise,' he added.

Actor Kumar's name figures in the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report on the sacrilege incidents. The report was tabled in Punjab assembly in August.

The report claimed Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had met former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal at the actor's flat in Mumbai in 2015 in connection with the release of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect head's movie MSG.

The meeting was allegedly held before the Dera chief was pardoned in a blasphemy case.

The movie MSG could not be released in Punjab in September 2015 because of an edict by the Akal Takht against it.

Akshay Kumar, however, had denied having met Dera Sacha Sauda sect head even then.

SIT member Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, an inspector general of Punjab police, has  issued separate summonses to the Prakash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Akshay Kumar on behalf of the SIT.

While the senior Badal has been asked to appear before the Punjab Police SIT on November 16, the junior one has been summoned on November 19.

Akshay Kumar has been asked to appear before the SIT on November 21. The three have to report to the SIT at the Amritsar circuit house.

IGP Singh said the summonses relate to the investigation of cases involving various incidents of sacrilege in 2015.

The summonses have been issued under the section 160 of the CrPC, requiring the attendance for investigation, relating to the Bargari sacrilege case and the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura police firing incidents.

The summonses say, 'The presence of the aforesaid person is necessary for the purpose of inquiry into the above-mentioned offence' and the person summoned needed 'to give such information relating to the said alleged offence as he may possess'.  -- PTI
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19:45   Kerala govt mulling all-party meet on Sabarimala issue
The Kerala government is likely to convene an all-party meeting to discuss various matters relating to the Sabarimala temple, which has been rocked by the issue of entry of women in the menstrual age, ahead of the annual pilgrim season commencing this week.

"We are thinking of having an all-party meeting. We have not taken a final decision yet. There are plans...," Devaswom Minister Kadakkampally Surendran told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

The hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala opens on November 17 for the two-month long season in the backdrop of continuing protests against the Supreme Court order allowing women of all ages to offer prayers at the temple.

A batch of review petitions against the September 28 verdict that ended the ban on entry of women in the 10-50 age group into the shrine, will be heard on Tuesday.

Surendran said a decision on the all-party meeting would be taken based on the outcome of the court hearing.

The temple and nearby areas had witnessed massive protests from devotees against the entry of young women into the shrine, when it was opened for monthly pujas on November 5 and 6 and for five days from October 17.

Over a dozen women under 50 had been prevented from reaching the temple. The main opposition Congress had earlier urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to convene an all-party meeting before the annual Mandala-Makaravilikku pilgrimage season.

Congress MLA K Muraleedharan had alleged that even basic infrastructure like toilets and drinking water for pilgrims was yet to be put in place at Sabarimala.

The devastating floods in August had caused severe damage to the infrastructure facilties at Pamba following which the base camp had been shifted to Nilackal.

"The facilities for the pilgrims will be completed before the start of the pilgrim season," Surendran added.  --  PTI
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19:02   Noted economist T N Srinivasan dead, experts pay tributes
Renowned economist T N Srinivasan, known for his contribution to developmental economics, died following a brief illness in Chennai with experts and contemporaries hailing him as a 'strong advocate' of liberalisation.

Srinivasan, 85, died of aspirated pneumonia on Saturday night in Chennai, family sources told PTI.

He is survived by wife and son.

The cremation is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, they said.

A distinguished economist, Srinivasan who had received Doctorate from Yale University was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2007.

Several economists including former chief economic adviser to the central government Arvind Subramanian condoled his death.

Former Chairman of Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, C Rangarajan said, "I am deeply saddened by the death of Dr T N Srinivasan. TN as he was known to his colleagues and friends was one of the India's outstanding economists."

Noting that Srinivasan worked in all areas of economics and particularly in international trade, Rangarajan said, he was a 'strong advocate' of liberalisation.

Srinivasan had spoken and written extensively on India's growth and was often unhappy with the pace of reforms, he noted.

"Policy makers listened to his criticisms because of his standing as an eminent economist," he said.

Subramanian described Srinivasan as a 'great Indian economist.'

'His legacy; outstanding scholarship; principled belief in growth, free trade & multilateralism; unassuming; mentoring and wit. A great TN quip: Perfect examples of self-referential systems are papers written by Indian economists,' he said in a tweet.  -- PTI
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18:27   First phase of Chhattisgarh polls ends with 70% voting
The Election Commission said that a voting turnout of 70 per cent was recorded in the first phase of Chhattisgarh elections.

"Figures will be updated later," Umesh Sinha of EC said.

According to news reports, the lowest polling percentage was recorded in Dantewada

Whereas Naxal-affected Bastar district recorded 58 per cent voting.

More details awaited.
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18:23   Retail inflation cools to year-low of 3.31% in Oct
Retail inflation fell to a one-year low of 3.31 per cent in October on the back of cheaper kitchen staples, fruits and protein-rich items, official data released on Monday showed.

The inflation based on the Consumer Price Index was 3.7 per cent in September 2018 and 3.58 per cent in October 2017.

The retail inflation number is the lowest since September 2017 when it touched 3.28 per cent.

The rate of price rise in the food basket contracted by 0.86 per cent in October compared to 0.51 per cent rise in September, according to the Central Statistics Office data.

Vegetable prices declined by 8.06 per cent in October against a 4.15 per cent contraction in September. Inflation also slowed to 0.35 per cent in the fruit basket as against 1.12 per cent recorded a month ago.

The retail inflation also cooled in protein-rich items like cereals, eggs, milk and related products. However, inflation quickened to 8.55 per cent for the 'fuel and light' category against 8.47 per cent in the previous month.  -- PTI
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18:03   Chhattisgarh: 5 commandos injured in encounters with Naxals
Five CoBRA personnel were injured in two encounters with the Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Monday, the first phase of the state elections, police said.

The skirmish took place at separate spots at a forest in Pamed, around 500 km from Raipur.

The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) -- an elite unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) -- was patrolling the area in view of the voting going on in the region, a senior police officer said.

A group of Naxalites opened fire on a patrolling team of the CoBRA's 204th battalion when it was near Empur village.

When the security personnel retaliated, the rebels fled from the spot, the officer told PTI.

The injured, sub-inspector Lal Chand and a constable, were taken out of the forest and admitted to a hospital, he said.

After the first incident, when the same patrolling team was cordoning off a forest patch near Majiguda village, the rebels again opened fire at them, injuring assistant commandant Amit Deswal, head constable Sunil and constable Chaitanya, the officer said.

Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and efforts were on to evacuate the three personnel, he added. Voting in 18 constituencies of eight Naxal-affected districts, including Bijapur, was being held on Monday.

Around 1.25 lakh security personnel were deployed in the region to ensure peaceful polling.  --  PTI
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17:50   Polling ends in phase I of Chhattisgarh elections
Polling for all 18 seats in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections has ended.  Amid tight security, polling in 10 constituencies- Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta -- concluded at 3 pm. In the other eight constituencies -- Khairgarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot -- polling concluded at 5 pm.


After 15 years, polling was held in Palam Adgu village of Sukma district where 44 voters exercised their franchise till 2:30 pm, a poll officer said.


A surrendered Naxal couple, identified as Mainuram and wife Rajbatti, also voted in Narayanpur segment, the official said, adding the duo was earlier associated with the Maoists's Kiskodo LOS (local organisation squad).


Elderly voters, including some of them above 100 years of age, and persons with disability also came forward to cast their votes, the poll officer said.


At least 30 EVMs and 51 VVPAT machines were replaced due to technical snags, the poll official said. A thick security blanket comprising over 1.25 lakh police and paramilitary personnel was in place across the 18 constituencies, all of them falling in Naxal-affected areas of Bastar, Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon districts.
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17:45   Badals will appear before SIT, expect its probe to be fair: SAD
Both former Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and his son and former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal will appear before the SIT, probing the 2015 police firings at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura in Faridkot at mobs protesting the state-wide sacrilege incidents, the Akali Dal said Monday.


"SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal and party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal will cooperate (with the SIT) so that the truth (behind sacrilege incidents) comes out,' SAD leader and former Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa told media here.


The decision on appearance of the two Badals before the SIT was taken Sunday by the party's core committee. "We expect that the SIT will conduct a fair probe into the matter,' said Dhindsa. The Special Investigation Team had issued summonses to the two Badals and Bollywod actor Akshay Kumar on Sunday.


The Badals decided to join the investigation amid their party's consistent demand for probe into the sacrilege incidents by a sitting Supreme Court judge.
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17:33   Want to imbibe Kareena's professionalism: Sara Ali Khan
Actor Sara Ali Khan says she is in awe of Kareena Kapoor's professionalism and going forward wants to imbibe the same. Daughter of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, Sara says the way Kareena, who married Saif in 2012, carries herself is amazing.


"I think Kareena is extremely professional. The way she does her work, it's amazing. So I would want to imbibe her professionalism," Sara told reporters. The actor was speaking at the trailer launch of her debut film "Kedarnath".


The romantic-drama is directed by Abhishek Kapoor and features Sushant Singh Rajput as male lead. Sara said her father always wanted her to first finish her studies before entering the film industry.


"My father used to say I should finish my studies first before entering films. He was fully supportive if I wanted to do films but wanted me to study first. When I got a chance to be a part of 'Kedarnath', I liked the script so much I knew I had to do it," she said. The actor already has her second film, Rohit Shetty's "Simmba", lined up for release. -- PTI
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17:31   57% voter turnout in Chhattisgarh so far
Chhattisgarh elections: 56.58% voter turnout recorded till 4.30 pm in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections including 61.47% in Kondagaon; 63.51% in Keshkal; 62% in Kanker; 58% in Bastar; 49% in Dantewada; 60.5% in Khairagarh; 64% in Dongargarh; 65.5% in Khujji.
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17:19   Tea estate employee abducted by armed militants
The supervisor-cum-store keeper of Sati Tea Estate at Namsai district in Arunachal Pradesh has been abducted by armed militants, police said Monday. The tea estate belongs to former MLA Nang Sati Mein and the abductors have demanded a ransom of Rs 3 crore, the police said. The victim, identified as Debabrata Deb works at Sati Tea Estate was abducted from his temporary residence at around 7.15 pm on Saturday evening.


The kidnappers were carrying sophisticated weapons and had reportedly introduced themselves as members of Udoy Asom group of the outlawed ULFA-Independent faction, the police said. Security forces have swung into action to ensure safe release of the person, the police added. -- PTI
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16:56   Chhattisgarh: 56.58% voter turnout recorded till 4.30 pm
56.58 per cent voter turnout recorded till 4.30 pm in the first phase of Chhattisgarh assembly elections 2018 including 61.47 per cent in Kondagaon; 63.51 per cent in Keshkal; 62 per cent in Kanker; 58 per cent in Bastar; 49 per cnet in Dantewada; 60.5 per cent in Khairagarh; 64 per cent in Dongargarh; 65.5 per cent in Khujji.  -- ANI
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16:47   PM inaugurates India's first multi-modal terminal on inland waterways
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated India's first multi-modal terminal on the Ganga river in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi and received the country's first container cargo transported on inland waterways from Kolkata.

The first consignment containing food and beverage had set sail from Kolkata in the last week of October.

The prime minister was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and Bharatiya Janata Party state president Mahendra Nath Pandey, who is also the MP of the neighbouring Chandauli Lok Sabha constituency.

This is the first of the four multi-modal terminals being constructed on the National Waterway-1 (river Ganga) as part of the World Bank-aided Jal Marg Vikas project of the Inland Waterways Authority of India.

The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 5,369.18 crore, which will be equally shared between the Government of India and the World Bank.

Earlier, upon his arrival in Varanasi, the prime minister was given a detailed presentation of the waterways and watched a short film on the viability of the waterways between Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Haldia in West Bengal.

According to an official statement, the Centre's Jal Marg Vikas Project aims at developing the stretch of the river between Varanasi and Haldia for navigation of large vessels weighing up to 1,500 tonnes to 2,000 tonnes.

Its objective is to promote inland waterways as a cheap and environment-friendly means of transportation, especially for cargo movement. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the project implementing agency.

The project entails construction of three multi-modal terminals (Varanasi, Sahibganj and Haldia), two inter-modal terminals, five roll-on-roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminal pairs, new navigation lock at Farakka in West Bengal, assured depth dredging, integrated vessel repair and maintenance facility, differential global positioning system (DGPS), river information system (RIS), river training.  -- PTI
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16:08   5 Naxals killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh
Update: Three more personnel of the CoBRA are injured and around five Naxals are dead in the encounter that broke out between security forces & Naxals in Bijapur's Pamed area today. All the CoBRA personnel are out danger.
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16:03   SC declines to entertain PIL to make rape gender-neutral offence
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea challenging the Constitutional validity of Section 375 of Indian Penal Code which deals with rape on the ground that the provision is not gender-neutral.


A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul said the issue raised in the petition is a subject matter of the legislature's domain.


"The issue falls in the realm of the Parliament. We don't want to say anything on it right now", the bench said, while granting liberty to the petitioners to make a representation to the legislature.


While Section 375 of the IPC deals with rape committed on a woman by a man, Section 376 lists out the punishment for the offence.


The top court was hearing a petition filed by NGO Criminal Justice Society of India, through advocate Ashima Mandla, contending that Section 375 violates Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution as it does not account for rape of men and transgender persons.


The plea sought that the definition of rape under Section 375 be held "ultra vires" for being "discriminatory and violative of Articles 14 (right to equality), 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex...) and 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution".


The petitioner has submitted that the section applies only to women as victims and men as perpetrators. It does not take into account non-consensual sexual assault inflicted on a woman by a woman, on a man by another man, on transgender by another transgender or a man or woman, on a man by a woman.


The plea referred to the August 2017 order passed by a nine-judge bench of the top court that declared privacy as a fundamental right and also cited the NALSA judgment that recognised transgenders as the third gender.


"It is imperative to note that transgenders including but not limited to homosexuals & bisexuals, and men are sequestered from the point of view of victims of rape under the existing penal laws of the country, despite an impending need for the same", the plea said. -- PTI
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15:02   Ramani intentionally harmed Akbar's reputation: Journalist
A former woman colleague of ex-Union Minister M J Akbar, who has filed a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani, told a Delhi court Monday that his reputation has been "destroyed" and "damaged irreparably" due to allegations of sexual misconduct.


Joyeeta Basu, the editor of Sunday Guardian, who appeared as a witness to support Akbar's case, told Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal that Ramani posted all her tweets "intentionally with a purpose to harm" Akbar's "reputation and goodwill".


"I have seen tweets by Priya Ramani dated October 10, 2018 and October 13, 2018. I have overcome by doubts but I know from the number of questions raised by people, I know personally that his reputation has been destroyed and damaged irreparably," Basu told the court.


"After reading these these tweets by Ramani, I believe that this vilification was conducted and the tweets were published intentionally by Ramani with a purpose to harm Akbar's good reputation and goodwill in the eyes of society," she said.


The journalist said that she has worked with Akbar for 20 years and had not heard anything "untoward" from the staff of the organisation where they worked together. He was a public figure who was held in high esteem.


"I have always held Mr Akbar in high regard. He has been perfectly professional in his dealings with me. He has always been a tough taskmaster, a thorough professional and a brilliant teacher," Basu said.


She said she considered him to be "a brilliant journalist, a scholarly writer and a thorough gentleman with an impeccable reputation". Basu said that she was "shocked, disappointed, embarrassed" to see Ramani's tweets against Akbar and "in spite of my experience with him, his image, his reputation took a beating in my eyes on reading these tweet/article.


"It was aggravated during my interaction with friends and colleagues who had read and heard about the widely publicised tweets and articles and asked me whether he was really like that? They questioned his character and said that his image has taken a severe beating and had been lowered in their eyes. They said that his reputation had been permanently damaged as far as they were concerned," she said. The court has now posted the matter for next hearing on December 7. --  PTI
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14:47   SC refuses to hear plea seeking gender neutrality in rape law
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a petition filed by the Criminal Justice Society of India, seeking a direction to review and amend the present rape laws gender neutral.


The petition demanded that Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code be declared violative.The apex court's division bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, dismissed the PIL filed by the NGO.


The bench, while refusing to hear the PIL at this stage, said just because Section 377 was decriminalised, the court would not step in to make rape gender neutral, as the matter is in Parliament's domain."We are not inclined to interfere at this stage. The Parliament has to take a call in the issue," CJI Gogoi said.  -- ANI
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14:38   'Violations of guidelines in killing of tigress evident in postmortem report'
Amid outrage among wildlife lovers over killing of tigress Avni, a senior forest department official has said that violations of guidelines are "evident" in the postmortem report which also found that the feline was shot while it was "facing away" from the shooter.


The postmortem report issued recently stated that the bullet which killed the tigress entered from the rear part of its left fore limb. "The animal was facing away from the shooter at that time," it said.


The report also raised doubts over the tranquiliser dart, which was seen on the big cat's carcass, suggesting that it was not even released from the tranquilising rifle.


"No haemorrhage was observed in the tigress' muscles at the darting spot. A dart fired from a syringe projector (tranquilising rifle) always leaves a significant and obvious haematoma, which was not observed in this case," it said. The senior forest department official said the revelations are "serious" and could cost some people "dearly".


"Violation of guidelines to capture or kill a protected species like tiger is evident," he said, on condition of anonymity. Asked about the shooter's claims that the tigress was killed in self-defence, the official said, "If it is true then how come the bullet entered from rear. And the tranquiliser dart is another evidence suggesting that it was not even used as a first option to bring the tigress under control."


The tigress, who had allegedly killed 13 people in Yavatmal district's Pandharkawda area in the last two years, was shot dead by a marksman hired by the state government in a forest there on November 2.


The BJP-led government in the state has come under fire over the killing of the tigress who left behind two 10-month-old cubs. The killing led to an outrage among animal lovers and wildlife organisations which accused the state government of violating norms. -- PTI
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14:31   Centre says due process followed in Rafale deal
The Centre on Monday complied with a Supreme Court order and handed over to petitioners, who sought a court-monitored CBI probe into the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, the document detailing the decisions taken to procure the aircraft.


The document titled "Details of the steps in the decision making process leading to the award of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft order" stated that the process as laid down in the Defence Procurement Procedure-2013 has been followed in procurement of the Rafale aircraft. It said the procurement process laid down in the Defence Procurement Procedure has been completely followed for the procurement of aircraft and Approval of Defence Acquisition Council for aircraft taken for the same.


The documents said the Indian Negotiating Team was constituted which conducted negotiations with the French side for about an year and approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security, being the Competent Financial Authority, was taken before signing the Inter Government Agreement.


The document was supplied to the petitioners as per the apex court's October 31 order. The top court had said details, including the steps in the decision making process for the procurement of jets, which could "legitimately" be brought into public domain, be made available to the parties who have filed petitions before it in the matter.


It had also asked the Centre to place before it in a sealed cover within 10 days the pricing details of 36 Rafale fighter jets India is buying from France. The apex court, which had posted the matter for hearing on November 14, had categorically told the Centre that if the pricing detail was "exclusive" and could not be shared with the court then the Centre should file an affidavit in this regard and say so. -- PTI
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13:44   Rupee falls below 73 level against US dollar
The rupee weakened further and dipped by 54 paise to 73.04 against the US dollar Monday, owing to increased demand for the American currency from importers amid increasing global crude oil prices.


International benchmark Brent crude was trading higher by 2.04 per cent at USD 71.61 per barrel. Forex traders said besides increased demand for the US currency from importers, the dollar's strength against some currencies overseas weighed on the domestic unit. -- PTI
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13:38   Two CoBRA personnel injured in encounter with Naxals in C'garh
Two CoBRA personnel were injured in an encounter with Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Monday, even as polling was underway for the first phase of the state elections, police said. The skirmish took place at a forest in Pamed area, located around 500 km from the state capital Raipur, when a team of security personnel was patrolling in view of the voting going on in the region, a senior police official told PTI.


As per preliminary information, a group of Naxalites opened fire on the patrolling team of Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), a elite unit of the Central Reserve Police Force, he said.


However, ultras fled from the spot after security personnel retaliated, he added. "Two CoBRA personnel, including a sub-inspector, received injuries in the incident," he said.


Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and efforts were on to evacuate the injured commandos by a helicopter, he said. Voting in 18 constituencies of eight Naxal-affected districts, including Bijapur, was underway on Monday. Around 1.25 lakh security personnel were deployed in the region to ensure peaceful polling. -- PTI
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13:28   25% turnout in Chhattisgarh polls so far
A healthy 25.15% voter turnout has been recorded till 1 pm in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections even as two CoBRA personnel were injured in an exchange of fire with Naxals in Bijapur district.


Polling in 18 assembly constituencies in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh elections began on a slow note Monday with about 14 per cent of the electorate casting their votes in the first few hours, a poll official said.


An improvised explosive device was detonated early morning in Dantewada district by Naxals, who had called for a boycott of the polls, police said. Voting in nine seats of Bastar division and one seat in Rajnandgaon district began at 7 am while in the other eight seats, it started at 8 am.


Image: In Sukma, a 103-year-old woman, Soni Bai, exercised her voting rights at a polling booth in Gorgunda's Devarpalli. His son carried her to the polling station. Pic: ANI
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13:12   Tulsi Gabbard planning to run for US presidency in 2020: Sources
Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, is considering a run for the American presidency in 2020, according to sources close to her.


On Friday, at a Medtronic conference in Los Angeles an eminent Indian-American Dr Sampat Shivangi introduced Gabbard, 37, and said that she could be the next president of the US in 2020.


The brief statement was marked by a standing ovation, in the presence of the four-term Congresswoman from Hawaii. Gabbard, a Democrat, who addressed the gathering, however neither confirmed or denied that she is running for president in 2020.


A decision on this could be taken before Christmas, which might not necessarily result in a formal announcement as that could be delayed till the next year, people familiar with her thinking process told PTI.


However, it is said that she and her team has quietly been reaching out to prospective donors, including a large number of Indian Americans, and volunteers to build an impressive campaign for her 2020 run.


Given that Gabbard is highly popular among Indian-Americans, a constituency she has nurtured from the very beginning of her political carrier, it is but natural that her team has quietly started reaching out to this community, which is considered as the richest ethnic group after the Jewish Americans.


File pic: Tulsi Gabbard with PM Modi in 2014
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13:10   Akbar has been professional in dealings with me: Journalist records statement
Journalist Joyeeta Basu records statement in defamation case filed by MJ Akbar in Delhi's Patiala House Court: "I've always held him in high regard. He has been professional in his dealings with me. He has always been a tough taskmaster, thorough professional & a brilliant teacher."
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13:04   Temple will be built in Ayodhya when Lord Ram wants it: UP Dy CM
Uttar Pradesh deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma has said that the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be built "when Lord Ram wants it". Sharma was in Bahraich on Sunday to attend a programme at the residence of UP co-operative minister Mukut Bihari Verma.


"The BJP has explained its stand on Ram temple in its Sankalp patra. Every work is done by God," Sharma said. "The sooner the benevolence of Lord Ram showers, the work (constructing the temple) will be accomplished. When Lord Ram wants, he will become the kaarak (factor) and kaaran (reason)," he added. The UP deputy chief minister also said, "Our country runs on religion and belief. And, it motivates us to move on the path of piety." -- PTI
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12:57   DGCA suspends flying licence of AI Operations Dir Kathpalia for 3 yrs
Aviation regulator DGCA has suspended the flying licence of Air India Director of Operations Arvind Kathpalia who failed alcohol test Sunday, a senior official said. On Sunday, Air India grounded Kathpalia after he failed to clear pre-flight alcohol test. In the case of Kathpalia being detected 'BA positive' on November 11, the privileges of his licence have been suspended for a period of three years as per the provisions of applicable regulations, the official said. The suspension is effective from November 11.


Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew members from partaking any alcoholic drink 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight, and it is mandatory for him/her to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight.


The prescribed punishment for such offences under the DGCA rules is suspension of flying licence for three months in case of first breach. For violating the norms for a second time, the licence is suspended for three years and for a third time, the licence is permanently cancelled. -- PTI
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12:52   That's a nice, tattoo!
@RahulGandhi tweets: Jack Dorsey, the Co Founder & CEO of Twitter dropped in to chat this morning. Twitter has grown into the most dominant "conversations' platform globally. Jack explained some of the steps being taken to keep those conversations healthy & to tackle the menace of fake news. 
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12:42   The Rs 20 crore Diwali gift!
Capital First's founder and chairman V Vaidyanathan has gifted 4.29 lkah shares, worth over Rs20 crore from his personal stake to 26 of his colleagues, three former employees, 10 close relatives and five of his personal staff including house help and drivers. This is a gesture of gratitude to his colleagues, close relatives and personal staff, who stood with him in all the ups and downs of building the Capital First brand.  Read more
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12:38   EVMs not malfunctioning, voting smooth: EC on Chhattisgarh polls
Election Commission on Chhattisgarh elections: "Certain sources are spreading rumours that EVMs are malfunctioning repeatedly. This is to clarify that above information is false. Voting is going on smoothly. If at all, any glitches are noticed, issue is sorted out as quickly as possible."


However, voters in Jagdalpur's Gandhi Nagar ward protested outside the polling centre, saying, "The names of many voters are missing including those who have been living here for the past 25 years."


Polling in 18 assembly constituencies in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh elections began on a slow note Monday with about 14 per cent of the electorate casting their votes in the first few hours, a poll official said.     


An improvised explosive device was detonated early morning in Dantewada district by Naxals, who had called for a boycott of the polls, police said.   


Voting in nine seats of Bastar division and one seat in Rajnandgaon district began at 7 am while in the other eight seats, it started at 8 am.


Image: Voters in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, say many names are missing from the electoral rolls. Pic: ANI
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12:12   CBI vs CBI: CVC files preliminary probe report in sealed cover in SC
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Monday filed its preliminary probe report relating to CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma in a sealed cover in the Supreme Court today. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul took the report on record and fixed the next hearing on November 16. During the hearing, interim CBI Director M Nageswar Rao also filed his report on decisions taken by him from October 23 till date as head of the agency.  -- PTI


Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that former apex court judge A K Patnaik supervised the CVC inquiry which was completed on November 10.


The CJI observed that the Registry was open on Sunday also but no intimation was given to the Registrar regarding filing of the report. Later the SG tendered an apology and said though he was not explaining the circumstances there was delay on their part in submitting the report. -- PTI
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12:10   Home they brought her warrior dead
Bharatpur: The mortal remains of BSF Sub-Inspector Mahender Singh who lost his life in an IED blast in Chhattisgarh's Kanker yesterday, was brought to his residence in Dumariya village, Rajasthan.
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11:54   Oil-producing nations close to pact on output cut
Plummeting oil prices and signs of a coming global oversupply are bringing producers closer to a pact to cut output, report Summer Said, Christopher Alessi and Benoit Faucon in the Wall Street Journal.   

While the Saudis have announced that the kingdom would unilaterally cut its exports next month, they write, the OPEC is still debating a collective cut in output. Russia, which has kept pace with OPEC on such issues, naturally has its options open.   

The oil producing nations were meeting in Abu Dhabi over the weekend to decide if they needed to collective pull back production by one million barrels a day, over fears of looming oversupply and falling oil prices.   

You can read the WSJ report here.
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11:27   Last rites of Ananth Kumar tomorrow in Bengaluru
The last rites of Union minister Ananth Kumar, who passed away in Bengaluru Monday, will be performed on Tuesday afternoon, Karnataka BJP said. The mortal remains of Kumar was placed at his residence in Basavanagudifor the entire day today, state BJP General Secretary N RaviKumar said in a statement. He said, by 8 am on Tuesday, it would be taken to Jagannath Bhavan, BJP state office at Malleshwaram, where arrangements would be made for party workers and his followers to pay their last respects.


Kumar's body would then be taken to National College Ground in the city for public to pay their respects, and the last rites would be performed at 1 pm at Chjamarajapete crematorium, the statement added.


Kumar died at a private hospital in Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday after battling lung cancer for several months. PTI
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11:19   Amit Shah pays tribute to Ananth Kumar
BJP President Amit Shah pays a floral tribute to Union Minister Ananth Kumar at the party headquarters in New Delhi. The national flag will fly at half mast throughout the country on Monday as a mark of respect to the Union Minister who passed away in the early hours, the Home Ministry announced. The Central government will also accord a state funeral to the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister.
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11:16   SC declines early hearing Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title case
The Supreme Court Monday declined early hearing of petitions in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul said it had already listed the appeals before the appropriate bench in January.


"We have already passed the order. The appeals are coming up in January. Permission declined," the bench said while rejecting the request of early hearing of lawyer Barun Kumar Sinha, appearing for Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha. -- PTI
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11:12   Defying Naxals, 100-year-old woman votes in Chhattisgarh polls
As voting for the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections is underway, a 100-year-old woman, Viswas, cast her vote at a polling station in Dornapal district.


The woman was helped by her son as she visited the polling booth set up near her house. The woman looked very fragile but it did not stop her to exercise her franchise.


The first phase of the Assembly elections for 18 seats began on a full swing on Monday. Of these, 12 are Scheduled Tribe seats while one is a Scheduled Caste seat.


Out of the 18 seats, 12 are located in the sensitive Baster region dominated by the Maoists.


Talking about the preparations undertaken by the poll body and the government, Chief Election Commissioner, OP Rawat, said, "As many as 900 polling personnel have been air-dropped from helicopters so that they can reach safely. Over 16,500 polling personnel went by road. I we  will be in a position to deliver peaceful elections." -- ANI
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10:47   Ajit Jogi: 'I will be the King, not the kingmaker'
"Raman Singh will certainly be defeated by the alliance we have created," Ajit Jogi, Chhattisgarh's first chief minister and one of Indian politics's great survivors, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih. Read the report here.
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10:41  
In Jharkhand, children of Naxal-affected Chakulia's Pochpani village carry bow and arrows to school to protect themselves from Naxals. Locals say the children have to pass through a forest area where a number of Naxals have been spotted.
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10:37  
In Dantewada, a differently-abled person reaches Chintagupha polling booth to cast his vote in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2018.
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10:23   10.7% voting in Chhattisgarh so far
Voting underway in interior areas of Kistaram, Palem and Bejji in Naxal-affected Sukma district in Chhattisgarh. An IED was detected near a polling booth in Konta's Banda in Sukma. Nevertheless voters queued up at polling booths like this makeshift one under a tree, to cast their vote. 10.7% voter turnout recorded till 10 am in the first phase in 18 constituencies in the Naxal hotbed. At least 700 paramilitary companies have been deployed to keep the peace.


A thick security blanket, comprising over 1.25 lakh police and paramilitary personnel, was thrown across the 18 constituencies as they fall under the Naxal-hit areas of Bastar, Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon districts.


Polling in 10 constituencies -- Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta -- started at 7 am and would conclude at 3 pm, an election official said.


In the other eight constituencies -- Khairgarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot -- voting began at 8 am and would end at 5 pm, he said.
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10:17   Sensex, Nifty back in green, all eyes on macro data
The BSE benchmark Sensex recovered by over 155 points and the NSE Nifty breached the 10,600-mark in opening trade Monday on fresh buying by investors, ahead of release of macroeconomic data later in the day.


Traders said, fresh fund inflows by foreign funds and a bullish trend on other Asian bourses also influenced trading sentiments.


The 30-share Sensex was quoting 155.14 points, or 0.44 per cent higher at 35,313.69 points. The gauge had lost over 79 points on Friday. Reflecting the market's better mood, all the sectoral indices led by consumer durables, IT, healthcare and banking were trading in the positive zone with gains up to 1.66 per cent.


Also, the NSE Nifty was trading higher by 46.55 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 10,631.75. Brokers said, building up of positions by domestic investors ahead of the release of index of industrial production data for September and inflation data for October later in the day, buoyed trading sentiment.


Among the Sensex constituents, Kotak Bank, Bharti Airtel, IndusInd Bank, Adani Ports, Infosys, HDFC Ltd, Tata Steel, M&M, TCS, ONGC, Coal India, Asian Paints, Bajaj Auto, L&T, Vedanta Ltd, Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank were major gainers, rising by up to 1.49 per cent. -- PTI
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10:14   Why is Salman irked by Arjun and Malaika?
"Is it because Salman didn't expect his protge, who once dated his sister Arpita (when both were young, nice and plump) to get seriously involved with his bhabhi? That shouldn't matter either since Arjun and Arpita broke up ages ago and, at that time, the young Kapoor wasn't even looking at Malaika.

"Could it be that Salman felt cheated that a fat boy he had brought into the house to use his gym, a boy on whom he prevailed to shed weight fast, had found chemistry with his bhabhi?"


Read the column here.
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10:02   State funeral for Ananth Kumar; Tricolour to fly at half mast
The national flag will fly at half mast throughout the country on Monday as a mark of respect to Union Minister Ananth Kumar, who passed away in the early hours, the Home Ministry announced. The Central government will also accord a state funeral to the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister.


"Following the unfortunate demise of Union Minister Ananth Kumar, it has been decided that the national flag will fly at half mast throughout the country today and a state funeral will be accorded," a Home Ministry spokesperson said.


Kumar died at a private hospital in Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday after battling lung cancer for several months. A six-time MP, Kumar was in the inner circle of the central leadership of the BJP -- be it during the heydays of Atal Bihari Vajpayee or L K Advani and now Narendra Modi. --  PTI
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09:51  
Bengaluru: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala pays last respects to Union Minister Ananth Kumar.
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09:36   Sacrilege incidents: Parkash, Sukhbir Badal, actor Akshay Kumar summoned by SIT
The special investigation team, probing police firing incidents at Behbal Kalan on sacrilege issue, has summoned former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and actor Akshay Kumar.
   
While Parkash has been asked to appear before the SIT of Punjab Police on November 16, Sukhbir has been summoned on November 19 and Akshay has been asked to come on November 21 to the Circuit House in Amritsar.
 
The summon orders have been issued separately for the three by SIT member and IG rank officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, according to an official release.
 
The SIT is probing police firing incidents at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in Faridkot in 2015 after a series of sacrilege incidents in the state. In police firing at Behbal Kalan, two persons were killed.
 
Notably, the actor's name was mentioned in Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report on sacrilege incidents.
According to the report, a meeting between former deputy chief minister Sukhbir and Dera Sacha Sauda sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in connection with the release of latter's movie 'MSG' was held at Akshay's flat in Mumbai.
 
The meeting was held before the pardon given to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a blasphemy case. However, Akshay had denied all the claims.
 
Kunwar Singh said the summons relate to investigation of cases originating from the various incidents of sacrilege in the year 2015.
 
The summons have been issued under Section 160 of the CrPC, requiring attendance at investigation, relating to the Bargari sacrilege case and the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura police firing incidents, the release said.
 
The notice says the presence of the aforesaid person is necessary for the purpose of inquiry into the above-mentioned offence and the person summoned needed to give such information relating to the said alleged offence as he may possess. -- PTI
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09:35   K'taka declares 3-day mourning as mark of respect to Ananth Kumar
The Karnataka government has declared a three-day state mourning till November 14  as a mark of respect to Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, who died in the early hours of Monday.
 
The state government has also declared a holiday on Monday as a mark of respect to Kumar.
His last rites would be performed with all Government honour, an official release said.
Kumar died at a private hospital in Bengaluru after battling lung cancer for several months.
A government notification said, during state mourning there would be no official programmes.
The national flag would fly at half mast atop all government buildings, it said.
Condoling Kumar's death Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said, he has lost a great friend.
"Our families had a friendship beyond politics. He always valued and gave priority to friendship. I have lost a great friend in his death, Kumaraswamy said in a statement.
Describing him as a "value-based politician", who made significant contribution to the country as an MP and Union Minister, the Chief Minister said, his pro people attitude and activities had made him the "apple of the eye of Bengalurians".
Kumaraswamy will directly arrive to the National College Ground from Mysuru Monday and will pay his last respects to the departed leader, the Chief Minister's Office said. -- PTI  
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09:28   Shiv Sena loves us 'secretly': Fadnavis
The Shiv Sena "secretly" loves the Bharatiya Janata Party while the latter shows its affection openly, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said. 
On the Sena's demand that the names of Aurangabad and Osmanabad be changed to Sambhaji Nagar and Dharashiv respectively, Fadnavis said the state government had cleared the proposal but there were litigations pending in this connection.
The Maharashtra chief minister said an expansion of the state cabinet was likely before the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature.
Fadnavis' government has 38 ministers and as per norms, its strength can go up to 42. -- PTI
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09:26   Over 1.28 lakh tourists visit Statue of Unity in 11 days
Since opening for the public on November 1, the 182-metre tall Statue of Unity in Narmada district of Gujarat has attracted more than 1.28 lakh tourists, officials said.
A huge rush of tourists was seen during the weekend, with over 50,000 people visiting the world's tallest statue at Kevadiya village on Saturday and Sunday alone (November 10- 11), they said.
"Since November 1, when the statue opened for the public, we have recieved around 1.28 lakh tourists (till Sunday)," Superintending Engineer of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd R G Kanungo said.
Over 24,000 tourists visited the site Sunday and more than 27,000 Saturday, he said.
The statue, dedicated to `Iron Man of India' Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is situated on an islet near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Kevadiya. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31.
Principal Secretary (Tourism) S J Haider said more than 10,000 tourists had visited the statue on the very first day of its opening.
"The number of tourists kept on increasing since November 1," he said.
Haider said the government is ready to welcome any number of tourists at the site.
He said the new tourist attraction in Gujarat will help increase the number of travellers visiting the state from other parts of the country and also abroad.
"Gujarat has registered 17 per cent year-on growth in tourism with a total 5.2 crore tourists visiting the state in 2017. The Statue of Unity will help in achieving considerable growth in arrival of tourists to Gujarat," he said.
The towering structure, built at a cost of Rs 2,989 crore, is nearly twice the height of Statue of Liberty in United States and also bigger than Spring Temple Buddha, China (153 metres) and Ushika Daibustum Japan (120 metres). 
Along with the Statue of Unity, Gujarat Tourism has added many attractions nearby for sight-seeing. Two tent cities have been created along the backwater lakes of the Narmada dam reservoir for tourists who want to stay there.
Among the prime attractions at the site is a viewers gallery inside the statue located at a height of 135 metres with a capacity to accommodate 200 persons at a time. -- PTI
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09:24   C'garh poll: Minutes before polling, Naxals trigger IED blast in Dantewada
Minutes before the polling for first phase of the Chhattisgarh assembly elections, an improvised explosive device of 1-2 kilograms was exploded by the Naxals near Tumakpal camp in Katekalyan block of Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district.

The blast triggered when troops of 195 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force were approaching polling booth at 6:20 am.

No injury or loss of life has been reported.

On Sunday, a Border Security Force personnel was killed in an IED blast in Kanker's Koyalibeda area of Chhattisgarh.

Naxalites have called for a boycott of polls in the state and have executed half a dozen attacks in the last 15 days, three of them major ones which left 13 people dead including a camera-person of national broadcaster Doordarshan who was covering the election campaign.

Keeping in view the growing terror of Naxals in Chhattisgarh, tight security arrangements have been made in several sensitive areas of the state to ensure peaceful elections.
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09:17   UPDATE: Voting begins for 1st phase of Chhattisgarh poll
Voting for all 18 constituencies in the first phase of Chhattisgarh assembly election has began.

Of total 18 constituencies, polling for 10 seats began from 7 am to 3 pm while voting in the remainder of the constituencies will take place from 8 am to 5 pm.

Tight security arrangements have been made in all the districts of the state to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections.
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08:54   Raje in first list of 131 BJP candidates for Rajasthan
The BJP on Sunday announced its candidates for 131 of the 200 seats of the Rajasthan assembly with Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje being fielded from her traditional seat of Jhalrapatan.
The names were announced by senior party leader J P Nadda following a meeting of the BJP central election committee which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its president Amir Shah besides other top leaders.
Raje also attended the meeting.
The party has also fielded its Lok Sabha MP Sona Ram Choudhary in the assembly poll and given tickets to 12 women.
Nadda said the party has fielded 25 new faces.
BJP sources said 85 sitting MLAs have found their names on the first list.
"Party candidates for all the seats we're discussed in the meeting. Names of other nominees will be announced soon," Nadda told reporters.
The BJP is facing a strong challenge from a resurgent Congress in the state with the opposition party winning a number of by-polls in the last couple of years. 
A number of opinion polls has also given an edge to the Congress but the BJP has insisted that it will be able to repulse the opposition's challenge.
The saffron party under Raje had won a whopping 163 of the 200 assembly seats in the state in 2013, giving the Congress its worst ever drubbing at its hands.
The state has for the last two decades has seen the incumbent party losing the assembly polls. -- PTI
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08:41   Voting begins under tight security for 10 seats in Chhattisgarh
Voting began in 10 out of 18 assembly constituencies in the first phase of Chhattisgarh elections on Monday under a tight security blanket comprising over 1.25 lakh police and paramilitary personnel.
   
In the first phase, 190 candidates are in the fray and as per electoral rolls, there are 31,80,014 voters.
 
Women voters outnumber men for the first phase of polling, with 16,22,492 female voters on the rolls against 15,57,435 men. There are 87 third gender voters as well.
 
As many as 4,336 polling booths have been set up for the first phase and 19,079 polling personnel have been deployed.
 
"Polling in nine constituencies of Bastar division and one in Rajnandgaon district has begun from 7 am and will conclude at 3 pm, while in the rest of the constituencies the polling time is from 8 am to 5 pm," a poll official said.
 
Polling time in 10 constituencies -- Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta -- is from 7 am to 3 pm, due to the Naxal menace.
 
In the remaining eight constituencies -- Khairgarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot --  it is from 8 am till 5 pm.
 
Among the prominent candidates who will try their electoral luck are Chief Minister Raman Singh, state ministers Kedar Kashyap (Narayanpur) and Mahesh Gagda (Bijpaur), as well as BJPs Kanker Lok Sabha MP Vikram Usendi (Antagarh).
 
In the first phase, the prestige of nine sitting Congress MLAs -Manoj Singh Mandavi (Bhanupratappur), Mohan Lal Markam (Kondagaon), Lakheshwar Baghel (Bastar), Deepak Kumar Baij (Chitrakot), Devati Karma (Dantewada), Kawasi Lakhma (Konta), Girwar Janghel (Khairagarh), Santram Netam (Keshkal) and Daleshwar Sahu (Dongargaon) is at stake.
 
Of the 18 seats going to polling in the first phase, 12 are reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) while one is for Scheduled Caste (SC) category.
 
The second phase of polls will see voting in 72 seats on November 20. -- PTI 
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08:08   Union Minister Ananth Kumar passes away
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar died at a private hospital in Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday, party spokesman said.
 
He was suffering from cancer and had come back from the United States in October after treatment at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York.
 
Kumar, 59, is survived by wife and two daughters.
 
He breathed his last around 4 am, party spokesman Prakash told PTI.
 
Kumar's wife Tejaswini and his two daughters were with him when he passed away, he said.
 
Kumar was a BJP MP from south Bengaluru constituency.
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the demise of Kumar.
 
"Extremely saddened by the passing away of my valued colleague and friend, Shri Ananth Kumar Ji. He was a remarkable leader, who entered public life at a young age and went on to serve society with utmost diligence and compassion. He will always be remembered for his good work," he tweeted.
 
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also expressed deep sorrow over Kumar's death.
 
"Deep sense of grief on hearing that Shri @AnanthKumar_BJP is no more with us. Served @BJP4India @BJP4Karnataka all along. Bengaluru was in his head and heart, always. May God give his family the strength to bear with this loss," she tweeted. -- PTI  

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