Rupee vs Dollar.

Biggest fall in Sensex. 

Sensex top losers today.

BSE Sensex today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's lookalike, Abhinandan Pathak, who has been his ardent follower, has now decided to campaign against the BJP. The Saharanpur native has campaigned for Modi and his party BJP on many occasions, including a door-to-door campaign during the Gorakhpur by-elections in March 2018.


"I am taken aback by seeing how the BJP is working in contrast to what Modi actually thinks and says. People have been asking me 'Acche din kb ayenge?'," he told ANI.


Pathak narrated the woes of being a look-a-like of the prime minister and stated that he has to bear the brunt of the people's wrath.


"I am being cursed and beaten. It's because of all these reasons that I have decided to campaign against the BJP and for the Congress, in the upcoming 2019 elections," he said.


He further said that he has already met Uttar Pradesh Congress President Raj Babbar. According to Pathak, Babbar has assured him of arranging a meeting with United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi to further the discussion.


"I have made up my mind that I will now work with Congress," said a miffed Pathak. However, he added that he is not unhappy with the prime minister and is only against the party's way of working.


"Prime Minister Modi has given India a better image across the globe. My grievance is with the party and not with the Prime Minister," he explained. "The party is just focused on putting across their 'Mann Ki Baat', but is not ready to listen to what the heart of the common man says," he concluded.
-- ANI

Some days later he got a call from this Indrani Mukerjea.

A woman called on his cell, identifying herself as Indrani Mukerjea and told him that "She was the sister of Sheena Bora. I told her that Rahul Mukerjea told me she was the mother of Sheena Bora. She said that wasn't the case and she was the sister."


"I then asked her about the whereabouts of Sheena Bora. She told me that she has gone somewhere and doesn't want to be contacted, I told her that she was employee of the organisation and she just can't leave like that. To which she replied that Sheena Bora has told her that she will be sending her resignation letter at the earliest."


A resignation letter arrived on May 2, 2012.


It was filed, with its envelope, and finally after three months, Colonel Mukherjee said, using an HR term which is now in vogue to benignly imply termination, Sheena was "separated as an employee from the office system."


Little did he know that the separation was far graver than that.

Sheena had been separated as a human being from life too.


Vaihayasi Pande Daniel reports from the Sheena Bora murder trial.
Read the gripping account here.

The equity benchmark Sensex Thursday hit its lowest level in three months, crashing over 806 points to close below the 35,200-level as concerns over weakening rupee and rising crude oil prices spooked investors.


Similarly, the NSE Nifty cracked the 10,600-level by falling 259 points. The rupee plunged to an all-time low (intra-day) of 73.81 to the US dollar and global crude oil prices touched a four-year high of USD 86 a barrel, triggering worries for India on the macro-economic front.


The weakness in other Asian markets and a lower opening of the European shares also added to negative sentiments on the domestic bourses.


The 50-share NSE Nifty also cracked the 10,600-level by falling 259 points, or 2.39 per cent, to close at 10,599.25 after hitting a low of 10,547.25. -- PTI

A defamation case has been filed against Bollywood actor Tanushree Dutta for her comments about Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, police said Thursday. The case was filed by the Kaij police in Maharashtra's Beed district on Wednesday evening after MNS district unit president Sumant Dhas lodged a complaint, alleging that Dutta had defamed his party chief, a police officer said.


"We have registered a non-cognisable offence against Dutta under Section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code and are investigating the complaint. We have also asked the complainant to approach court," the officer said.


Dutta, 34, who has accused actor Nana Patekar of harassing her on the sets of a film in 2008, recently said Raj Thackeray wanted to succeed late Bal Thackeray as the Shiv Sena chief, but could not do so. She had also alleged that the MNS was involved in vandalising her vehicle when she opted out of the 2008 film, 'Horn Ok Pleassss'.


Dutta also alleged that she had been getting threats from the MNS, adding that two persons recently tried to barge into her home. The MNS youth wing, meanwhile, handed over a letter to the makers of the 'Bigg Boss' on Wednesday, following reports of Dutta participating in the ongoing season of the TV reality show, a party functionary told PTI.  The party workers threatened violence on the set in Lonavla if she was let in.


Maharashtra minister Deepak Kesarkar had backed Patekar on Wednesday, saying he was an "illustrious personality" who has done tremendous work for the state and questioned the veracity of Dutta's claims. -- PTI

A much-needed and much-awaited relief to consumers as the government today announced a reduction in excise duty on fuel.


Excise duty to be reduced by Rs.1.50 and oil marketing companies will absorb 1 rupee. So, a total of Rs 2.50 will be reduced on both diesel and petrol, the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, announced today.


"We are writing to the state governments that as the central government is cutting Rs 2.50 on both petrol and diesel, they do the same.


"Rs 10,500 Crore will be the impact of excise duty cut this year. Several macroeconomic data is indicating stable measures. The first quarterly results have shown an 8.2% growth. Inflation is still moderate less than 4%," Jailtey said.


He said the relief will not impact fiscal defict.  


The finance minister has also urged the state governments to reduce VAT or value added tax on petrol and diesel, to bring further relief to customers.

The Supreme Court has denied relief from arrest to journalist Abhijit Iyer-Mitra who is facing charges over his alleged objectionable remarks against Odisha's popular Konark Sun Temple.


The three judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranajn Gogoi, said, "Your comments incite religious feelings. How are you entitled for bail?"


Iyer-Mitra had been arrested last month in New Delhi by a team of Odisha Police. Mitra was initially detained from his home in New Delhi's Nizamuddin area. He was later placed under arrest.


The arrest was over alleged derogatory comments that Iyer-Mitra made about Odisha MLAs, the Konark temple and Lord Jagannath.


A couple of hours after his arrest, Iyer-Mitra was granted bail by a local court. However, the court directed Iyer-Mitra to head to Odisha and join an investigation that is being carried by the police in a case registered over his comments.


The development in the capital came around the same time when a privilege motion was moved against Iyer-Mitra in the Odisha Assembly.


Image: Journalist Abhijit Iyer-Mitra. Courtesy: Twitter

The Delhi High Court has sought responses from the Centre and the AAP government on a PIL seeking that drinking water, sanitation and healthcare facilities be made available to traffic police officers on their sites in view of "extreme weather" and pollution.


Apart from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Aam Aadmi Party government, a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao also issued notice to Delhi Traffic Police and the Central Pollution Control Board, seeking their stand on the issue.


The central government's standing counsel Ravi Prakash and advocate Farman Ali, appearing for MHA accepted the notice and said that a response would be filed before the next date of hearing on January 23, 2019.


The NGO has alleged that queries under the Right to Information law have revealed that neither the MHA nor the Delhi government has any such scheme to provide health benefits, water or sanitation to Delhi Police officers. -- PTI

Assam Police hands over the 7 Rohingyas to Myanmar authorities after deportation formalities were completed. These seven men had been in an Indian jail since 2012 for illegally entering the country.

Shares of ICICI Bank surged nearly 6 per cent Thursday after its Managing Director Chanda Kochhar resigned from the bank with immediate effect. Following the announcement, the stock soared 5.69 per cent to Rs 320.90 on BSE. On NSE, shares of the company jumped 5.77 per cent to Rs 321.25.


The stock was the top gainer among the blue chips on both the key indices during the afternoon trade. The board of the bank has accepted the request of Kochhar to seek early retirement, according to a regulatory filing. -- PTI

To give you a background of the possible reasons behind her resignation, read this report: ICICI Bank orders probe into allegations against Chanda Kochhar

ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar has quit the bank today with immediate effect. Sandeep Bakhshi will replace her.


In a statement to the bourses, the Board of Directors of ICICI Bank Limited, said it had accepted the request of Chanda Kochhar to seek early retirement from the bank at the earliest. The Board accepted this request with immediate effect.


The statement said that enquiry instituted by the Board will remain unaffected by this and certain benefits will be subject to the outcome of the enquiry.


Kochhar will also relinquish office from the Board of Directors of the Bank's subsidiaries


Her successor Sandeep Bakshi's appointment will be for a period of five years until October 3, 2023, subject to regulatory and other approvals. The other terms and conditions of his appointment, such as remuneration, would remain unchanged. 

A 16-year-old girl has alleged that she and her mother were raped by an assistant sub-inspector rank police official in a village in Kaithal, Haryana, last month following which police booked 18 people, including seven policemen in the case.


The victim told senior officials the main accused who was a ASI rank police official raped them at their house here last month, while other accused, including a sarpanch and former sarpanch of the village, stood outside and supported him, a senior police official said.


The case was registered Wednesday against the 18 people on the basis of the girl's complaint.


Among the policemen who were booked was a head constable and a constable rank official. Besides the rape charge, the case was registered under IPC sections pertaining to punishment for voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful confinement, criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Kaithal Superintendent of Police Aastha Modi said. -- PTI

Yippee! One of our favourite writers, Mumbai-born and raised Susmita Bhattacharya released her new book, Table Manners (Dahlia Books, UK), at the P&G Wells last Friday in Winchester, England, where she now lives with her husband Syamantak and daughters Rohini and Mihika.


Susmita's first novel The Normal State of Mind was published in 2015 after her grim battle with cancer. You can read more about that here.


Writer Mahesh Rao hailed Table Manners -- a book of short stories -- as 'A winning collection. These stories are delicately shaped around sharp and tender moments rendered in rich, vivid prose.'

We can't wait for an Indian publisher to pick up Table Manners and  publish it in India.

Susmita's is an interesting voice and deserves to be read.


Image: Author Susmita Bhattacharya.

A group of about 40 enthusiasts who are embarking on a rafting expedition to raise awareness on the cleaning the River Ganga, called on PM Modi, today. The group includes eight mountaineers and is led by Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The month-long rafting expedition' Mission Gange', will see the group travel through the river from Haridwar to Patna, with halts at Bijnor, Narora, Farrukhabad, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi and Buxar. At each of these nine cities, the group will raise awareness about keeping the Ganga clean.


Meanwhile, here's what the govt has done or rather not done on its promise of cleaning the Ganga.  Do read

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will visit Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh after Dussehra, senior party leader Sanjay Raut Thursday said and criticised senior ally BJP over the Ram temple issue.


Thackeray will announce the date of his visit during the party's annual Dussehra rally to be held in Mumbai on October 19, the Rajya Sabha MP told PTI.


"The Sena has always championed the cause of Ram temple in Ayodhya. The BJP, despite being in power for four years, has not yet fulfilled its commitment of building a grand Ram temple there," he said.


Thackeray met Ram Janmabhoomi trust chief Janmejay Sharanji Maharaj at the party's headquarters Sena Bhawan here Wednesday evening, party sources said.


Sharanji Maharaj invited Thackeray to visit Ayodhya and told him that the trust needed the Sena's assistance in the construction of Ram temple, they said.


Senior Sena leader Arvind Sawant pointed out that before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the ruling NDA had given three assurances to people -- to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution, construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and to solve the Kashmir issue. Article 370 of the Indian Constitution accords special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. "We are not doing something which we haven't spoken of earlier. When nobody took responsibility of the Babri Masjid demolition, (Sena founder) Balasaheb did so. Now four-and-a-half years have passed (since NDA came to power) but the construction of Ram temple has still not begun and the issue is pending in court," Sawant said.  -- PTI

The BSE benchmark Sensex plummeted 705 points in the afternoon session at around 1 pm Thursday as the rupee sank to another low amid boiling crude prices, weak global cues. The rupee plunged to a new low of 73.81 against the dollar, while the international benchmark Brent crude breached the US 86 per barrel level, nearing its four-year high.


The BSE 30-share barometer pared some losses and was trading at 616.15 points, or 1.71 per cent, lower at 35,359.48 at 1245 hrs. The gauge had lost nearly 550 points in the previous session Wednesday.


The NSE Nifty index too fell 213.15 points, or 1.96 per cent, to 10,645.10. Volatility index India VIX also surged 6 per cent. All sectoral indices were trading in the red, with IT, auto, pharma, banking and realty stocks witnessing most losses.


Top laggards include Reliance Industries, Hero MotoCorp, TCS, IndusInd Bank, Adani Ports, HDFC Bank, Infosys, HUL, Asian Paints, HDFC and Bajaj Auto, falling up to 6 per cent.


While, Yes Bank was the top gainer, rising up to 2.18 per cent. According to analysts, the equity benchmark indices have fallen nearly 10 per cent from peak levels attained in August, led by weak domestic sentiments, global uncertainties, depreciating rupee and strengthening crude oil prices.


With rupee and crude oil showing no signs of stability, weakness is likely to continue in the coming sessions, they said. --  PTI

Deepshikha Sharma, 23, 5"11', Miss India Multinational 2018, is a role model for young women in Jammu and Kashmir. An engineer by training, Deepshikha pursued her modelling dreams despite not receiving support from her family initially.


An IT professional and part-time fashion blogger, Deepshikha was also one of the fbb Miss India finalists from Jammu and Kashmir.


As she embarks on her next chapter, she talks to Anita Aikara/Rediff.com about losing 20 kilos in a month-and-a-half, staying strong despite resistance from her family and explains why she wants to win the upcoming Miss Multinational title. Read the interview here.

The Met department has forecast widespread, moderate rain with some isolated incidents of heavy downpour in the next three days in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea between October 6 and 8 over the South Kerala coast, Lakshadweep area, Comorin area, Southeast Arabian sea and Central Arabian sea.


Heavy rains lashed Puducherry and its outskirts affecting normal life Thursday morning. Most educational institutions in the union territory remained closed in view of the intermittent rains which started Wednesday night, officials said. Rainfall of 96.4 mm was registered during the last 24 hours ending 8.30 am Thursday.


Waterlogging was reported in some residential areas on the outskirts of the town. Traffic came to a standstill at some important junctions, officials added.


An emergency meeting of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department was chaired by the district Collector to review the rain situation, official sources told PTI.


Image: Residents carry their children as they wade through a flooded street in Chennai in the torrential rains of 2015. Over 400 people died in floods.

Vivek Agnihotri denied allegations of "misbehaviour and/or harassment" levelled by actor Tanushree Dutta Thursday, saying the claims "have been borne with an intent to attract publicity and wreak personal vendetta" against the filmmaker.


Agnihotri's lawyer Nidhish Mehrotra said the team has sued Dutta on the charge of defamation.


"The allegations levelled against my client Mr Vivek Agnihotri by Ms Tanushree Dutta for misbehaviour and/or harassment are absolutely false, frivolous and vexatious. These allegations are deliberate and have been borne with an intent to attract publicity and wreak personal vendetta against my client with mala-fide intentions.


"On the instruction of my client, we have served a legal notice to initiate defamation action against her," Dutta also issued a statement saying she was slapped with two legal notices - one from Agnihotri and another from Nana Patekar.


In a recent TV interview, Dutta alleged Patekar misbehaved with her when the two were shooting a special song for "Horn Ok Pleassss" 10 years ago, a claim she reiterated.


Following the resurgence of the controversy, in an interview to a leading daily, she accused Agnihotri of behaving inappropriately with her during the making of 2005 film "Chocolate", which he directed.


The film also starred Irrfan Khan, Arshad Warsi, Suniel Shetty and Emraan Hashmi. The statement by Agnihotri's lawyer further said all the news agencies that have engaged in unethical and immoral conduct to promote sensational journalism without any diligence or proper verification and with the intent of defaming his client. -- PTI

Govt unveils Digi Yatra initiative; passengers can soon use facial recognition biometric to enter airports: Suresh Prabhu

Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria was to attend an event organised by Civil Services Academy in Pakistan. But, according to sources, the event was cancelled at the last minute.Sources added that no specific reason was given for the cancellation of the annual event.The Civil Services Academy is responsible for the training of fresh entrants to the Pakistan Administrative Service and was originally called Pakistan Administrative Services Academy.  -- ANI

Rahul Gandhi @RahulGandhi "#Breaking: Rupee slips to 73.77. It's not breaking - it's Broken. #Rupee."

The Congress president's tweet comes after the rupee collapsed to a fresh low of 73.77 against the US dollar Thursday, as global oil prices continued to rise, deepening concerns about the current account deficit and capital outflows. Consistent dollar demand from importers, mainly oil refiners, following higher crude oil prices, kept the rupee under pressure.

Receiving hugs may buffer against damaging effects of interpersonal conflict -- an emotional experience where one feels held back from achieving their goals due to another person's interference, scientists say.


Individuals who engage more frequently in interpersonal touch enjoy better physical and psychological health and improved relationships.


Theorists have proposed that interpersonal touch benefits well-being by helping to buffer against the deleterious consequences of psychological stress, and touch might be a particularly effective buffer of interpersonal conflict.


However, the generalisability of past research on this topic is limited because studies have largely focused on the role of touch in romantic relationships.


Researchers from the Carnegie Mellon University in the US focussed on hugs -- a relatively common support behaviour that individuals engage in with a wide range of social partners. The researchers interviewed 404 adult men and women every night for 14 consecutive days about their conflicts, hug receipt, and positive and negative moods. -- PTI


Representational image.

Three-time Olympic gold medal winning hockey legend Balbir Singh Sr. has been admitted to a hospital in Chandigarh after he complained of difficulty in breathing. The legendary centre-forward, who is 94, is being treated at the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit of the PGI Hospital.


A doctor attending to Singh told PTI on Thursday that an endotracheal tube has been inserted into his trachea. "The purpose of endotracheal intubation is to permit air to pass freely to and fro from the lungs in order to ventilate the lungs," the doctor said. His condition has shown mild improvement since Wednesday when he was admitted to the hospital. The doctors are closely monitoring the iconic player and he will continue to remain in the hospital for the time being.


In 2012, Singh became the only Indian among 16 legends chosen by the International Olympic Committee across the modern Olympic history. His world record for most goals scored by an individual in the men's hockey final of the Olympics still remains unbeaten.


He had scored five goals in India's 6-1 victory over the Netherlands in the gold medal match of the 1952 Helsinki Games. He was conferred with the Padma Shri in 1957 and was also the manager of India's World Cup-winning team in 1975.

No surprises here. Reliance Industries' Chairman Mukesh Ambani has emerged as the richest Indian for the 11th consecutive year with a net worth of USD 47.3 billion, according to Forbes magazine.


Ambani is also the year's biggest gainer, adding USD 9.3 billion to his wealth amid the continuing success of his Reliance Jio broadband telco service.


As per the 'Forbes India Rich List 2018', Wipro Chairman Azim Premji has retained the second spot, adding USD 2 billion to his wealth at USD 21 billion; while ArcelorMittal Chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal moved a place ahead to the third slot with a net worth of USD 18.3 billion, increasing his wealth by USD 1.8 billion. Mittal is followed by the Hinduja brothers at with a net worth of USD 18 billion and Pallonji Mistry with USD 15.7 billion.


Other business magnates making the top 10 list are Shiv Nadar (USD 14.6 billion), Godrej family (USD 14 billion), Dilip Shanghvi (USD 12.6 billion), Kumar Birla (USD 12.5 billion) and Gautam Adani (USD 11.9 billion).


"In a challenging year, which saw the rupee taking a tumble, the country's 100 richest collectively managed to hold their own. Moreover, new billionaires continue to be minted, which indicates that India's entrepreneurial energy is upbeat as ever," said Naazneen Karmali, India Editor of Forbes Asia.


Biotechnology pioneer Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has emerged as the biggest percentage gainer of the year. One of only four women on the list, her net worth rose 66.7 per cent to USD 3.6 billion. In terms of net worth, she stood at 39th spot. -- PTI

Update on the deportation of the seven Rohingyas: An application was moved Wednesday seeking to restrain the Centre from deporting to Myanmar the seven Rohingyas lodged in a detention centre at Silchar in Assam.


The Rohingya immigrants will be handed over to the Myanmar authorities in Moreh border post in Manipur on Thursday, a Home Ministry official had said Wednesday.


The interim plea, seeking urgent measures to stop the proposed deportation of seven Rohingyas, was filed in a pending PIL. The PIL was filed earlier by two Rohingya immigrants -- Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir -- challenging the Centre's decision to deport over 40,000 refugees who came to India after escaping from Myanmar due to widespread discrimination and violence against the community. -- PTI

The Supreme Court Thursday allowed the deportation of seven Rohingyas, who have illegally crossed the border to India via Assam, to their country of origin Myanmar. It said the seven Rohingyas were found by the competent court as illegal immigrants and Myanmar had accepted them as its citizens. "We are not inclined to interfere on the decision taken," the SC said on the impending deportation.


The Centre had told the apex court earlier that the seven Rohingyas were convicted under the Foreigners Act and Myanmar has issued a certificate of identity to seven Rohingyas along with a one month visa to facilitate deportation.


Image: File pic of Rohingyas in India.