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Thu, 13 September 2018
JNUSU elections tomorrow, 8 candidates in fray

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21:20   JNUSU elections tomorrow, 8 candidates in fray
Jawaharlal Nehru University students will vote on Friday in the students' union polls, which will test the electoral fortunes of eight candidates eyeing the top post in the politically active campus.

All arrangements have been made by the election authorities for the Jawaharlal Nehru Students' Union (JNUSU) polls, which are being closely watched in the aftermath of various controversies which rocked varsities across the country in the recent past.

The Left-backed All India Students' Association, Students Federation of India, Democratic Students Federation and All India Students Federation have come together to form the United-Left alliance.

The alliance has fielded N Sai Balaji of the School of International Studies as its presidential candidate.

DSF's Sarika Chaudhary will be contesting for the post of vice president, SFI's Aejaz Ahmad Rather will be contesting for the post of general secretary and AISF's Amutha Jayadeep will be contesting for the joint secretary's position.

All three of them are from the School of Social Sciences.

The Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) has fielded Vikas Yadav of the School of International Studies for the president's post. Lijy K Babu of the School of Life Sciences will be contesting for the post of vice president.

Md Mofizul Alam will be contesting for the post of secretary, while Ngurang Reena of the School of International Studies will be contesting for the post of joint secretary.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad has fielded Lalit Pandey for the president's post, Geetashri Boruah for the vice-president's post, Ganesh Gurjar for the post of general secretary and Venkat Choubey for joint secretary's post.

Besides the routine campaigning, the candidates in JNU are also supposed to participate in the presidential debate and answer questions that follow.

The event, a sought after affair, was held on Wednesday night on the lines of the US Presidential debate and will be a deciding factor for the union elections.  -- PTI
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20:40   China: 11 killed, 44 injured as driver intentionally crashes into crowd
A driver of a SUV vehicle deliberately crashed into crowds at a busy public square in central China's Hunan province, killing 11 people and injuring 44 others, state-media reported on Thursday.

The attack took place on Wednesday night and injured mostly elderly people who had gathered in the square by the river in Hengdong county.

The driver, Yang Zanyun, 54, first ploughed through the people with his vehicle and later got out of it and went on a rampage attacking people with a knife.

Local police detained Yang and is investigating the case, the report said. The office released no other details about the suspect.

Yang was reportedly sentenced several times for robbery and drug abuse, state-run Global Times quoted local media reports as saying.

Yang was diagnosed with gastric cancer and coronary heart disease, another report said.

A court verdict earlier said Yang has been involved in drug dealing, setting fires, racketeering and robbery in the past 26 years. He has been jailed for over 10 years.

Several bystanders posted graphic video footage shortly after the incident.

Videos and photos circulated on social media purportedly show large crowds of up to several hundred people running frantically from the square in different directions, amid bodies scattered on the ground.

Local media reports quoted a manager of a restaurant in the vicinity of the attack spot as saying that he saw a red Land Rover suddenly ploughing through a crowd at a high speed.

A large number of people mostly elderly were dancing or walking in the square after dinner, at that time. Many fell to the ground after they were hit by the speeding SUV, the reports said.

Knife attacks by disgruntled people in public places and schools to highlight their grievances periodically occur in in China.

Uygur militants from Xinjiang from the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) also in the past attacked crowds with speeding cars.  -- PTI
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19:56   UP govt orders early release of Bhim Army chief
Uttar Pradesh government orders early release of Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar alias Ravan, who is jailed under National Security Act charges in connection with 2017 Saharanpur caste violence.

He would be released on November 1.

More details awaited. -- ANI

Photograph: Courtesy @BhimArmyOfficial/Facebook
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19:14   Justice Ranjan Gogoi appointed as next CJI
JUST IN: President of India has appointed Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of India.

He will assume office on October 3, 2018 after the retirement of the current Chief Justice, Justice Dipak Misra.  -- ANI
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19:13   Counting resumes for DUSU polls, NSUI leads for prez post
Counting for the student union polls which was stopped midway on Thursday due to 'faulty EVMs' and the 'students' uproar over it' has been resumed, an university official said.

The counting was initially stopped for an hour when there were allegations of faulty EVMs, however, following objections by students the election officials decided to suspend the counting.

"After elaborate discussions it was decided that the counting will be resumed today. All candidates have reached an agreement on this," an election officer for DUSU polls said.

"We had proposed rectification of the faulty EVMs and resumption of the counting but the students were not ready for it. It was decided to suspend counting in the afternoon," he added.

In the initial trends, Congress-backed National Students' Union of India was leading for the president post, while Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad was leading for the vice president's post.

Amid heavy police presence and some last-minute wooing of voters, DUSU polls were held yesterday with a voter turnout of 44.46 per cent.

Polling took place at 52 centres in the colleges.

There are as many as 23 candidates in the fray.  -- PTI

IMAGE: ABVP leaders forcibly come out of a room where the police had detained them following a protest in connection with DUSU elections, at counting station in DU, on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo
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18:54   On mother's advice, Shivinder to withdraw NCLT petition against brother
Former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh on Thursday said he has decided to withdraw his petition in National Company Law Tribunal against elder brother Malvinder Mohan Singh and ex-Religare chief Sunil Godhwani, as desired by his mother.

Shivinder had earlier this month filed an application before the Delhi bench of the NCLT alleging that collective and ongoing actions of Malvinder and Godhwani led to a systemic undermining of the interests of the companies and their shareholders.

Confirming the move, Shivinder told PTI :"I have applied to withdraw the petition before NCLT, that is coming up for hearing."

"There is a mediation process that has been kicked off and if it does not work I have the option of refiling it," he added.

In his application before NCLT, Shivinder has said: "The mother of petitioner no 2 (Shivinder) and respondent no 2 (Malvinder) has requested both her sons to engage in mediation led by family elders respected by both her sons with a view to them settling inter se issues between them."

The application further said: "Out of respect for their mother, the parties have already started mediation and as per the request of the mediators to constructively progress the mediation, the petitioners wish to withdraw the petition, without prejudice to their rights and contentions."

Shivinder's counsel Ranjana R Gawai said the petition is not withdrawn yet but getting withdrawn because the ailing mother wants to get this matter sorted out within domestic forum through mediation.

Passing an interim order over Shivinder's earlier plea, the principal bench of NCLT on September 6 directed to maintain status quo over the shareholdings and composition of RHC Holding board.

As on August 27, Malvinder and Shivinder were the promoters of Religare on behalf of PS Trust while RHC Finance and RHC Holding were the promoter groups, according to data available on bourses.

The tribunal had also issued notice to Malvinder along with Godhwani and other respondents over Shivinder's petition alleging 'oppression and mismanagement' of RHC Holding.

It had also allowed both parties -- Shivinder Singh and his wife Aditi Singh -- and other party Malvinder Singh to inspect documents and take photocopies of the records of RHC Holding.  -- PTI
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18:44   Fire breaks out at Safdurjung hospital; resident docs suffer burn injuries
Two resident doctors and a nursing officer suffered burn injuries after a fire broke out Thursday in the new OPD building of Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital.

The hospital administration has constituted an inquiry committee to probe the incident.

According to a preliminary report submitted to the medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Rajendra Sharma, the fire broke out in the eye operation theatre on the fourth floor of the new OPD building during a routine surgery.

'During a routine eye surgery at around 12 noon, a fire incident occurred due to the spirit swab getting afire accidentally. While the patient suffered no harm and his operative procedure could be completed satisfactorily, the injured staff were immediately shifted to the burns casualty,' the report read.

Three persons, a PG resident doctor, 26, a senior resident doctor, 30, and a nursing officer, 33, 'received thermal injuries'.

The woman PG resident doctor has suffered five per cent thermal burns and was discharged after first aid, Dr Sharma said.

The senior resident doctor with 10 per cent burns on the arms and the nursing officer with 30 per cent burns were admitted to the Burn ICU for observation and required treatment, he said.

According to a Delhi Fire Service official, seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the flames were doused within half an hour.

The official suspected overheating of spirit (chemical) as the cause of the fire.  -- PTI
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18:10   Mallya a criminal, cannot be taken seriously: Goyal
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday defended Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as Congress president Rahul Gandhi sought his resignation over his alleged meeting with Vijay Mallya, saying the fugitive businessman was a criminal and his words could not be taken seriously.

At a press conference, Union minister Piyush Goyal asked Gandhi to resign, claiming that due to his family's 'relations' with Mallya, banks were pressured by the previous United Progressive Alliance government to sanction loans to the fugitive businessman, violating all norms.

"Rahul Gandhi should answer what were the relations between his family and Mallya," Goyal said, adding that the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines was given loans bypassing all norms, laws and regulations.

Gandhi should resign from all the posts he held, the BJP leader said.      

Mallya, he asserted, had no credibility as he was under the 'glare of law' and was a criminal.

He could not be taken seriously, Goyal said.

The fugitive liquor baron had yesterday claimed in London that he had met Jaitley before fleeing to the United Kingdom.

Refuting Mallya's claim, Jaitley had said he had never given him an appointment since 2014, but he used his privilege as a Member of Parliament to accost him once in Parliament.  -- PTI
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17:57   580-kg laddu offered to Lord Ganesha in Hyderabad
A laddu weighing about 580 kg, known as maha prasadam, was offered to the idol of Lord Ganesha installed at the Film Nagar Daiva Sannidhanam (Temple Complex) in Hyderabad on Thursday.

The sweetmeat was prepared by Suruchi Food at Tapeswaram in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.

"The laddu, which costs about Rs 3 lakh, will be offered to the devotees on the third day after performing puja," Uppalapati Ramabhadra Raju, spokesperson of Suruchi Foods, told PTI.

Last year, they had offered a 500-kg laddu to the Ganesha idol, he said.

About 220 kg of sugar, 145 kg of cow ghee, 175 kg Bengal gram flour, 25 kg cashew nuts, 13 kg almonds, three kg cardamom and one kg of green camphor went into the making of the sweet, Raju added.

Suruchi Foods used to offer the maha prasadam laddu to the faomus Khairatabad Ganesh.  -- PTI

IMAGE: Devotees carry a laddu, weighing about 580 kg, to offer to Lord Ganesh at Film Nagar Daiva Sannidhanam on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, in Hyderabad on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo
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17:03   PM to spend birthday with school kids in Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to celebrate his 68th birthday in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi, where he will spend the day with schoolchildren and watch a film based on his life, a district official said on Thursday.

Modi is likely to go for a two-day visit to Varanasi on September 17 and 18. He will also offer prayers at the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple during his visit and address a public gathering in Varanasi, the official said.

On his 68th birthday, the prime minister will watch a 32-minute film called Chalo Jeete Hain with schoolchildren and is also likely to inaugurate several development projects worth crores of rupees.

A special cleanliness drive will be launched and health camps will also be organised in the town, he said.

"District officials are holding meetings regarding the visit and all the security arrangements are being made for the various events in which he will take part, though the final itinerary of the prime minister's visit is awaited," the official said.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held meetings with the district officials in Varanasi on Wednesday and reviewed the preparations for the prime minister's two-day visit, sources said.  -- PTI
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17:01   Pak SC allows JuD and FIF to continue their activities
Pakistan's Supreme Court has allowed Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) to continue their activities in the country.

A two-member bench Wednesday rejected an appeal by the government against an interim order of the Lahore high court on April 5 which had allowed the two groups to continue their welfare work.

The high court had restrained the government from interfering with the social work of the two groups and also allowed their legal activities.

Earlier, the Pakistan government had banned companies and individuals from making donations to JuD, FIF, and other organisations on the UN Security Council sanctions list.

JuD chief Saeed termed the apex court verdict as a 'victory of justice and truth'.

Officials said JuD's network includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance service.

The two groups have about 50,000 volunteers and hundreds of other paid workers.

Saeed was listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008. He was released from house arrest in Pakistan in November.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people.

It has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.  -- PTI
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16:29   Didn't use undignified words against PM: Nirupam
Defending his 'anpadh-gawaar' (illiterate) remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Thursday said that his words were not 'undignified'.

"It is a democracy and the prime minister is not God in a democracy. People speak of him while maintaining decorum. The words I used are not undignified," Nirupam told ANI.

He added, "If the children will ask about educational qualification of the Prime Minister, what will you tell them? People don't know his qualification. What are the forces which pressurise Delhi University not to release his degree, even when it is claimed that he studied there?"

On Wednesday, Nirupam got embroiled into controversy after he said, "Jo bachhe school, college mein padh rahe hain woh Modi jaise anpadh-gawaar ke baare mein jaan kar unko kya milne wala hai? Yeh bahut sharmnaak baat hai ki aaj tak humare desh ke nagrik aur bacchhon ko pata hi nahi hai ki prime minister ki degree kitni hai. (What will the children studying in schools, colleges get by learning about an illiterate like Modi? It is a very shameful thing that citizens and children of India are not aware of the degrees that our Prime Minister holds)."

Nirupam's remark reportedly came in response to the screening of 'Chalo Jeete Hain' -- a short film inspired by Prime Minister Modi's life -- in schools across Mumbai.  -- ANI
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15:42   Faulty EVMs in DUSU polls: NSUI wants fresh polls
The Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India on Thursday demanded that fresh polling be held for the Delhi University Students' Union election, while the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's student wing, the  Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, wanted the counting of votes, which has been suspended, to be resumed.

The counting of votes for the DUSU polls was suspended midway on Thursday due to 'faulty EVMs and the students' uproar over it'.

The counting was initially stopped for an hour after the allegations of faulty EVMs surfaced.

However, following objections by the students, the election officials decided to suspend the process.

"The polls are being held at the behest of the central government. The EVMs were tampered with. We want fresh elections," Rocky Tuseed of the NSUI said.

The ABVP's Shakti Singh said, "Only one EVM was faulty and it can be repaired. We want the counting to be resumed. Since we were leading on all the seats, the other parties are demanding fresh elections."

The supporters of both the groups shouted slogans against the Delhi University (DU) administration and created a ruckus inside the counting centre.

"A fresh date for the counting will be announced soon," an election officer for the DUSU polls said.  -- PTI

IMAGE: Students wait in a queue to cast their vote during Delhi University elections, in New Delhi, on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Photo
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14:56   Handling of Rohingya could've been better, says Suu Kyi; defends army
In the face of global condemnation, Myanmar's leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday said that the handling of Rohingya Muslims could have been better, but still defended security forces from charges of civilian atrocities.

Myanmar's army is accused of mass rape, killings and setting fire to thousands of homes in the aftermath of an August 2017 attack by Rohingya militants on security outposts.

A report issued two weeks ago by a specially appointed United Nations human rights team recommended prosecuting senior Myanmar commanders for genocide and other crimes.

"There are of course ways in which with hindsight I think the situation could have been handled better," Suu Kyi said, responding to questions during a one-on-one discussion at the World Economic Forum's regional meeting in Hanoi.

She still defended Myanmar security forces, saying that all groups in western Rakhine state had to be protected.

"We have to be fair to all sides," Suu Kyi said. "The rule of law must apply to everyone. We cannot choose and pick."

Suu Kyi said the situation was complicated by the myriad ethnic minorities in the area, some of which are at risk of disappearing entirely and which include not just the Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists.  -- Agencies
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14:09   Communal clash erupts after 2 thrashed for carrying meat in Bihar
A clash erupted between members of two communities in Dehri on Sone town of Bihar's Rohtas district on Wednesday after two motorcyclists were allegedly thrashed by a mob for carrying meat, police said.

According to Sub Divisional Police Officer, Dehri, Mohd Anwar Javed Ansari, the trouble began when a crowd stopped the two motorcyclists in Akodhigola locality, while they were carrying meat for sale in Nasriganj area.

The motorcycle-borne youths -- Noor Mohammad and Mohammad Shakeel -- were severely thrashed and their vehicle was damaged by the mob, the SDPO said in a statement.

A police party rushed to the spot, took the two youths to a hospital and seized the damaged motorcycle.

The police said Thursday they are yet to make any arrests.

Meanwhile, some locals objected to an insignia relating to Muharram been put up at a temple nearby and tried to remove it.

This resulted in a full-blown clash between members of two communities, following which police used batons to quell the rampaging mobs, the SDPO said.

"A flag march was also staged in the area where the situation is now under control. Video footage of the incidents is being examined for identifying those involved in the violence. Action will be taken against them in accordance with the law", he added.  -- PTI
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13:41   Jaitley colluded with Mallya, must resign: Rahul after BJP attack
Congress president Rahul Gandhi says that Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley 'has colluded in a criminal running away from the country'.

Gandhi's comments come a day after liquor baron Vijay Mallya said that he met the finance minister before leaving India, a sensational claim denied by Jaitley as 'factually false'.

"The government is lying about Rafale. The government is lying about Vijay Mallya. He was given a free passage out of the country by the finance minister," Gandhi said at a press conference, flanked by party leaders Ashok Gehlot, Randeep Surjewala and P L Punia.

"Vijay Mallya said yesterday that he met Arun Jaitley ji in Parliament before leaving. Arun Jaitley writes blogs on all meetings but I don't know why there was no blog by him on this meeting. He (the FM) said that he spoke only a few words to him (Vijay Mallya), which is a lie," Gandhi said.

"The finance minister talks to an absconder, absconder tells him that he going to London. The finance minister doesn't tell the CBI, ED or police. Why? The arrest notice was changed to informed notice. This can be done only by the one who controls the CBI," the Congress president said.

"Even if he (Mallya) caught up with you in the corridor why did you not tell the CBI, ED that he's going to flee, catch him? This is clearly a collusion, there is definitely a deal. The finance minister should clearly say what transpired and he should resign," he said.

Earlier in the day, the Bharatiya Janata Party came down heavily on the Congress and Rahul Gandhi and said that the United Progressive Alliance government benefited Mallya.  

"Rahul Gandhi has gone on the backfoot over Kingfisher Airlines. Sometimes it seems the airline wasn't owned by Mallya but by Gandhi family in proxy. Benefits that the Gandhi family got out of Kingfisher Airlines via business class upgradation, free tickets etc is in public domain," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said.

Defending Jaitley, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad suggested that the FM was in fact rebuffing Mallya.

"Deliberate accosting by Mallya in corridors of Parliament and Jaitley rebuffing him to talk to banks for repayment of loans in just half sentence is sought to be made an issue by the Congress. It comes after Rahul Gandhi's visit to London. Are Mallya and Rahul Gandhi working in tandem?" Prasad asked.

"I can understand when the banking system is being made transparent and accountable, the Congress party has become uncomfortable. From 1947 to 2008 Rs18 lakh crore bank loans were disbursed, which increased to Rs 52 lakh crore by 2014 under UPA-II led by the Congress," he said.

Union minister Dharmedra Pradhan also defended Jaitley and blamed Gandhi for the controversy.

"Who used to go to parties in Goa? Who used to be his guests abroad? It should be found out. Won't let him go, as long as Narendra Modi is PM, however strong might the fugitive be, he'll be brought back," Pradhan said.

"He (Mallya) had taken undue advantage of his (Jaitleys) presence in Parliament corridor. Its a lie and violation of decorum. Those who believe such an untrustworthy person show their friendship with the fugitive," the minister said.  -- ANI
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12:45   Myanmar permits UN to probe Rohingya abuse
The Myanmar Government granted permission to the United Nations inspection teams to assess dozens villages and townships in the country's Rakhine State, that were home to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims last year.

A total of four teams from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and UN Development Program (UNDP) will spend two weeks in the northern state where the Rohingya Muslims were allegedly murdered and subjected to imprisonment and sexual violence at the hands of the Myanmar military, CNN reported.

However, the country's military, who is known as the Tatmadaw, has repeatedly denied the mounting allegations.

According to UN spokesman Aoife McDonnell, the Myanmar government has given the UN teams to assess 23 individual villages and three other village wards at the weekend, while, the Inspectors began their initial work on Wednesday.

In June, the UN signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Myanmar in which the government agreed 'to create the conditions for safe, voluntary and sustainable return while fostering social cohesion', Al Jazeera quoted McDonnell as saying.

Around 70,000 Rohingya fled the country and settled into Bangladesh, where they have sought refuge. Many of those who crossed the border have recounted horrific stories of being evicted from their homes by the Myanmar army. -- ANI
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12:18   Oppn disunity? Cong unhappy over Maya blaming UPA for petrol hike
Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati's remarks holding the previous United Progressive Alliance government and the Bharatiya Janata Party equally responsible for the steep hike in fuel prices has ruffled many a feather in the Congress rank and file whose leaders feel it will once again raise a question mark on attempts at striking Opposition unity ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The BSP chief's views on fuel price hike came a day after her party stayed away from the 'Bharat bandh' call given by the Congress on the issue.

"These remarks, at a time when the need for unity among Opposition parties is being felt clearly among all partners, could send a wrong signal both to the public and the ruling party which is already doubting our strength," a Congress insider said on Thursday requesting anonymity.

"Party workers are not happy with the BSP president's observations and they are very sceptical about her intentions," he said, adding the central party leadership surely needs to take note of it.

A senior Congress leader said her views on the topic needs to be viewed as her bargaining tactics for more seats in the Assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

"By doing so, she is sort of trying to gain upper hand in negotiations for the assembly seats in these states...it is, however, for the Central leadership to understand that we should weigh our options and potential before entering into any alliance," he stressed.

"Although the foundation of the intricacies of the alliance for the Lok Sabha polls will be set much before in the Assembly polls in these states, the party needs to be clear that its negotiations on seat sharing should not be at the cost of the party and its workers as Congress is the stronger party in these states," he said.

Speaking on the fuel price hike, Mayawati has stated both the National Democratic Alliance and the UPA had disregarded the interest of the farmers and the poor.

The previous UPA regime had brought fuel out of government control and the ruling NDA continued with the policy, she had said, adding that after coming to power in 2014, the NDA had deregulated diesel, which had hurt the interest of the poor.

Mayawati's statement is largely being viewed in the political circles as a dent in Opposition unity against the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

She had also criticised incidents of violence in some states during the protest, saying her party had always desisted from such acts.  -- PTI
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11:27   Petrol reaches Rs 81/litre in Delhi, close to Rs 89/litre in Mumbai
Fuel prices once again witnessed a hike on Thursday, with petrol being sold at Rs 81 per litre and diesel at Rs 73.08 per litre in New Delhi.

The price of petrol has been increased by 13 paise per litre, while diesel saw a hike of 11 paise per litre, as compared to Tuesday's prices in New Delhi.

In Mumbai, petrol and diesel have touched a new high of Rs 88.39 and Rs 77.58 per litre respectively.

On Wednesday, fuel prices remained steady after breaching record levels continuously for over a week.

As per the Indian Oil Corporation, petrol was being sold at Rs 80.87 and diesel at Rs 72.97 per litre in the national capital on Tuesday, while in Mumbai, petrol and dieselwere being sold at Rs 88.26 and Rs 77.47 per litre respectively.

On Monday, the commuters in New Delhi paid Rs 80.73 to get a litre of petrol and for diesel Rs 72.83.

On Sunday, Delhites were charged Rs 80.50 for a litre of petrol while diesel was sold for Rs 72.61 per litre.

In Mumbai, the financial capital, people had to shell out Rs Rs 88.12 for a litre of petrol and Rs 77.32 for diesel per litre on Monday.

On Sunday, the petrol was bought for Rs 87.89 per litre while diesel Rs 77.09.  -- ANI
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10:59   PM Modi likely to review state of economy amid falling rupee and rising oil prices
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to hold a meeting to discuss the countrys economy this weekend, according to multiple reports on Wednesday thta triggered a sharp recovery in rupee, which has shed 12% of its value this year.

According to reports possible fiscal and monetary steps will be discussed at the meeting which will include the countrys top finance officials. Both cited sources who asked not to be named.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley, NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar, Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council chairman Bibek Debroy and finance secretary Hasmukh Adhia are among the officials who are likely to attend the meeting on Saturday, officials were quoted as saying.

Fiscal and monetary measures cannot be ruled out after the review meeting, nor a rate hike by the central bank, television channels said earlier in the day, prompting a recovery in rupee from record lows. Indeed, talk of an unscheduled increase in the rate (between two meetings of the Monetary Policy Committee) has been doing the rounds for a few days.
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10:35   Kerala nun rape case: Police asks Jalandhar bishop to appear on Sept 19
Kerala Police issued summons to Jalandhar-based bishop Franco Mulakkal to appear for another round of questioning on September 19 in a case of rape against him and said that a decision on whether to arrest the priest will be taken post-questioning. A nun from the Missionaries of Jesus has alleged that Mulakkal had sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions over two years since May 2014, when he was in Kerala.

Mulakkal has accused the nun of lying and making up the case because I had ordered action against her. After a review meeting on Wednesday, Inspector General (Kochi range) Vijay Sakhare said a notice has been issued to the bishop to appear before the investigating officer Vaikom Deputy Superintendent of Police K Subhash, who is probing the case.

I-G Sakhare said, The decision on whether to arrest him would be taken after questioning. There are lot of discrepancies in the statements of the bishop and other witnesses, including the complainant. The contradictions have to be cleared. Sakhare said the police will submit a fresh affidavit in High Court on Thursday detailing the probe conducted so far. The High Court had, on Monday, sought an action-taken report.
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09:30   Former India hockey captain Sardar Singh announces retirement
Former India hockey captain Sardar Singh decided to call time on his illustrious career, saying he had played enough in the last 12 years and now it's time for the youngsters to take over. 

Sardar said he made the decision after a disappointing Asian Games where India failed to defend its title and returned with a bronze medal. 

With age and speed not on his side, Sardar's performance in the Games came under the scanner. 

"Yes, I have decided to retire from international hockey. I have played enough hockey in my career. 12 years is a long time. Now it's time for the future generation to take over," Sardar told . 

"I took the decision after consultation with my family in Chandigarh, Hockey India and my friends. I think it's the right time to think about life beyond hockey," he added. 

Interestingly, during the Asian Games in Jakarta, Sardar said he still has hockey left in him and desires to play one last Olympics in 2020 Tokyo. 
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09:21   6 shot, killed in 5 separate locations throughout Bakersfield, California
Six people have been shot and killed in five different places throughout Bakersfield.

One shooting happened in the area of the 8000 block of Di Miller Drive off Weedpatch Highway. Another happened at a residence. There are five different search warrants. Multiple others have been shot.

Police say there are at least 30 witnesses. A suspect has been "contained," police said.

No other information has been made available by police.
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09:02   Controversy erupts over Nirupam's comment of 'illiterate' PM
Triggering a controversy, Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam called Prime Minister Narendra Modi "illiterate", while criticising the state government's decision to screen a short film on the prime minister's life at schools in Maharashtra.

His comment drew sharp reaction from BJP leaders with the party's Maharashtra unit spokesperson Shaina NC calling Nirupam "mentally deranged."

"The decision to screen the film forcibly is wrong. Children should be kept away from politics. What will students learn from watching a film on an uneducated and illiterate person like (prime minister) Modi," the Congress leader told a news channel.

"Children and people do not know how many degrees the prime minister holds," he said.

Later, asked by reporters about his choice of words, Nirupam said the ruling party need not object to each and every word, and "in democracy the prime minister is not god".

Reacting to Nirupam's remarks, Shaina NC tweeted, "Yet another obnoxious comment by a mentally deranged @sanjaynirupam . May be he forgets that @narendramodi is elected by 125 cr Indians who aren't "unpad or gavar".@INCIndia is devoid of ideology and relevant questions. Sure citizens will give a befitting reply in 2019 (sic)."
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08:37   Nawaz Sharif's brother arrives in London to get Kulsoom Nawaz's body
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Shehbaz Sharif reached London late on Wednesday to bring Begum Kulsoom Nawaz's body back to Pakistan, Geo News reported.
Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, passed away in London after a period of prolonged illness, at the age of 68.

According to the party sources, the funeral prayers of the former first lady will be offered at the Regent Park mosque on Thursday in London and her body will be flown to Lahore after the completion of legal formalities.

Upon reaching Pakistan, the funeral prayers of Kulsoom Nawaz will be offered on Friday at Sharif Medical City in Jati Umra at 5 pm on Friday, Geo News quoted a party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb as saying.

On Tuesday, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were released from the Adiala Jail on parole to attend Kulsoom Nawaz's funeral. The Punjab government is also likely to extend their parole as the Sharif family has requested that a five-day release be given to them.
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08:02   Reports of denying permission to Mamata to visit Chicago not true: MEA
The external affairs ministry dismissed reports that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was denied permission to visit Chicago to attend the world Hindu conference.
  
Spokesperson of the ministry Raveesh Kumar said the government did not receive any request for clearance for her visit.

"We did not receive any request for clearance regarding the visit of Ms Mamata Banerjee to Chicago for the event. The reports about the denial of permission are, therefore, not true," he said in response to a question on the reports.

The West Bengal chief minister had on Tuesday said, "I wanted to go to Chicago... I could not go there because of an unholy conspiracy hatched by certain people. This incident has given me a lot of pain."

She had made the comment at a gathering in Belur Math, the global headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, to mark 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's historic speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions held in Chicago. 
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00:30   EC may hold assembly polls in 5 states together
The Election Commission is looking at the possibility of holding assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana together and the poll process in the five states could be completed by the second week of December, a senior poll panel functionary said Wednesday.
 
Going by past poll schedules, while Chhattisgarh could have polls in two phases, in the remaining states the exercise could be completed in a single phase, he said.
Stepping up preparations for conducting assembly elections in Telangana, the Commission had announced on Saturday that the final voter list will be published on October 8.
The poll panel has suspended an ongoing process of revision of electoral rolls in the wake of premature dissolution of the state assembly and declared a new schedule for revision.
Under the new schedule, integrated draft electoral roll will be published on September 10.
Claims and objections can be filed from September 10 to September 25 while disposal of claims and objections will be taken up on October 4. Updation of database and printing of supplement will be completed before October 7.
October 8 will be the date for final publication of the electoral roll, which means elections may be held any time after that date.
 
After the new roll is published, the EC is legally ready to announce the poll schedule, the functionary said.
 
The Telangana cabinet had on Thursday last recommended the dissolution of the state Assembly. The term of the House was to otherwise end in June 2019.
 
While the term of Mizoram Assembly ends on December 15, the terms of the legisalative assemblies of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan end on January 5, 2019, January 7, 2019 and January 20, 2019 respectively.
 
Sine the plan is to hold all the elections together, the exercise has to be completed well before December 15 so that the next Mizoram assembly can be constituted before that date, the functionary explained. -- PTI

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