Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are now married.

The couple, who are parents to six children together, tied the knot at Chateau Miraval in France on Saturday, said a spokesman for the couple. They were wed in a small chapel in a private ceremony attended by family and friends.

For the second time in three days, Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Raheel Sharif today met beleaguered Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss the over two weeks-long political turmoil in the country.

The government did not issue any details of the meeting but after their previous meeting on Tuesday, the PM's office had said they agreed on the need for a quick resolution of the deadlock.

Political stalemate has continued for the last two weeks with Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri's Pakistan Awami Tehreek  refusing to budge from their demand of the Prime Minister's resignation over allegations of rigging in last year's general election and killing of 14 PAT supporters in Lahore on June 17.

India's badminton ace Saina Nehwal beats Japan's Sayaka Takahashi 14-21, 21-18, 21-12 to reach the quarter-finals of the World Badminton Championship.

NDTV reports: The Pakistan government today conceded a key demand of anti-government protestors and said it would register a case of murder against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and 20 others, for their alleged role in the clashes that killed 14 supporters of the cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri.

"A process for the FIR has started and the government will not appeal against court orders," Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif said during a debate in Pakistan's national assembly.

Expressing concern over a large number of Indians returning home after suspecting to have contracted Ebola virus in African countries, the Bombay high court today asked the Centre and the Maharashtra government to file a reply on September 2 stating what steps had been taken by them to prevent the spread of this deadly virus.      

The direction was given by a bench of Justices Abhay Oka and G S Kulkarni which asked both the governments to inform whether India was fully equipped to treat the people who had contracted the 'Ebola' virus.     

The court also sought to know what measures had been taken so far to prevent the spread of the virus which was considered a life-threatening disease. 

The judges observed this was a serious matter and the government must ensure that enough steps were taken to ensure that the 'Ebola' virus does not spread in India.

PM Narendra Modi's visit to Japan begins on August 30. His first stop is at Kyoto, a heritage city. Japan PM Shinzo Abe will fly down to Kyoto to host Modi and the next day he will head to Tokyo. Modi will have an important round table meet with top business heads and visit an elementary school and a college as well. Besides, the bilateral meet, he will also meet Emperor Akhito and Empress Michiko.  

PM Narendra Modi launches the Jan Dhan Yojna. "Ab mere Gareeb ke paas bhi debit card hoga. It will bridge the gap between the poor and richer of the nation. The poor of the nation will get strength to fight poverty with this scheme. This entire effort is for poor, to eradicate poverty from the nation. The poor are going to get renewed strength to fight poverty. Even after 68 years of independence, 68 per cent of population not connected with banking.

"Women of the nation will bless us, if they are able to open bank accounts easily. To eradicate poverty, we must get rid of financial untouchability. If we have to eradicate poverty from the nation, we'll have to make our nation free from financial untouchability."  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Jan Dhan Yojana that entails providing a bank account to every Indian family. The major initiative, which is his brain child, will help the government to save billions of rupees on social spending.

"There is an urgency to this exercise as all other development activities are hindered by this single disability," he had tweeted.

Under the banking scheme, account holders would get a debit card and accident insurance cover of up to Rs 1 lakh and an overdraft facility of up to Rs 5,000 and would cover 1.5 crore households. 

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today refused to point fingers as to who could be behind "rumours" of his son being ticked off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an alleged "misconduct", which have been denied by the PMO.

"You are investigative journalist and you should find out who is the rumour mongerer," was his curt reply to queries by reporters on whether he suspected any person or leader to be behind the "rumours".

Singh had yesterday asserted that he would quit politics if even "prima facie" it is proved that any of his family member had been involved in any misconduct following reports which claimed that his son Pankaj had been ticked off by the Prime Minister for an alleged "misconduct".

Actress Priyanka Chopra-starrer 'Mary Kom' biopic has finally got a 'U' certificate from the Central Borad of Film Certification. The sports drama, which is based on the life of the Olympic bronze medal winner, was earlier issued U/A certificate by the board.

JUST IN: Swami Aseemanand, accused in the Samjhauta Express blast case, granted bail by Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Congress leader Janardhan Dwivedi has set the cat among the pigeons with his statement that politicians must have a retirement age and senior leaders should not be on active posts. He said youth should be given preference in active politics and that a generational change is essential in politics. 

This comes just days after the BJP shunted stalwarts like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, from its highest decision-making body, the parliamentary board.

Japan PM Shinzo Abe responds to PM Modi's tweet. "India has a special place in my heart, eagerly waiting for your arrival in Kyoto. Together we can do a lot for peace and prosperity in the world. Your first visit to Japan as Indian PM will add new chapter to our strategic partnership."

Tech-savvy Narendra Modi reached to Japan ahead of his five-day visit to the country on Saturday -- his first major bilateral tour since his visit to Nepal -- by tweeting in Japanese.

In one of his tweets addressed to Japan PM Shinzo Abe, Modi says, "Japan's friendship with India is time tested. We are 2 vibrant democracies committed to advancing peace & prosperity in the world. Am particularly excited to meet PM @AbeShinzo . I deeply respect his leadership & enjoy a warm relationship with him from previous meetings."

An 18-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by a group of criminals in Hyderabad who reportedly used a snake to terrorise her. The gang also thrashed her fiance and allegedly filmed the act.

The Hyderabad police on Thursday arrested nine mebers of the gang and have revealed that it had been conducting local darbars to terrorise people and indulge in extortion for the last 4-5 years.

Police said they would make a video of their misdeeds. Some of those videos were found in their mobile phones.The group, which operated in Pahadishareef area of Hyderabad, also reportedly bribed local police officials, a senior official said.

Further interrogation of the nine arrested members of the gang is on.

An activist's controversial crusade against genetically modified crops. Readthe NYT piece on Vandana Shiva.

How NDTV's Claims about "Love Jihad" Don't Add Up. Read

This is a must-see -- 52 powerful photos of women who changed history forever. And don't miss the last photograph.

Hmmmm. So, we know what the Maharashtra CM was doing yesterday.
Prithviraj Chavan tweets: Watched a well made #Mardaani last night at a screening arranged by Women & Child Devl Dept, thought provoking.

The Jammu and Kashmir assembly passes a resolution calling for the Centre to resume talks with Pakistan. 

As Kingfisher scion Sid Mallya keeps himself busy doing this: Sid: ‏"I may have fiiiiiinally mastered the art of taking a selfie haha." , the Delhi High Court today set aside a Punjab National Bank notice to the extent that Kingfisher airlines and its guarantors, United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd (UBHL) and Vijay Mallya, will be deemed as willful defaulters in the event of no reply to the bank's notice within seven days from August 21.

Demands for Haldar's head grows and calls for his suspension from the party.

If you recollect the the Tapas Pal episode, it is extremely unlikely that the West Bengal CM will suspend Haldar.

After Pal's 's unconditional apology for his controversial statement on rape, Mamata Banerjee, while facing questions regarding TMC's apparent inaction against him, said, "What do you want me to do about him, kill him?" She claimed that Pal made a blunder by giving the statement which has maligned the party image, not only in West Bengal but in the whole country. "He committed a blunder. He has been cautioned by the party. What else do you want me to do?"

So Haldar, much like Pal, will remain in the party.

The TMC obviously doesn't believe in learning from its mistakes. MLA Dipak Haldar, who was elected from Diamond Harbour in Kolkata, made an outrageous statement recently while addressing a rally, where he touched upon the criticism the Mamata government has faced over rising crimes against women in West Bengal. As the crowd cheered him on, Haldar tried to justify the breakdown of law and order saying,  "As long as Earth exists, there will be rapes."

In July this year, Trinamool Congress MP, Tapas Pal, had to apologise and has been AWOL from Parliament after he made a statement inciting violence and rape against CPM workers and women, threatening murder, destruction of homes of CPM men.

Railway Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, against whose son Karnataka Police registered a case of rape, today said his son has been "falsely implicated" in the matter. "Law will take its own course. I will not interfere in the matter", he said when asked about the complaint filed against his son Karthik by a small-time Kannada model and actress yesterday. "It is a personal matter. It is a falsely implicated complaint. As a Minister I am here", Gowda told reporters.

Fans share a rare moment as Mary Kom weeps after momentous win. Read

A Delhi court today fixed December 9 for hearing the complaint case, in which it had issued summons against Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others, on the issue of acquisition of National Herald daily.

Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha postponed the matter after the counsel appearing for Sonia Gandhi and others informed the court that Delhi High Court had stayed the criminal proceedings pending before the trial court till September 3.

The complaint case in the matter was filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

This is what wannabe Jihadists order on Amazon before leaving for Syria. Read

Bangalore-based model on Wednesday filed a case against Karthik Gowda, son of Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda under section 420, 376 and 406 (charges relating to cheating and dishonesty) of the Indian Penal Code.

The model claims that she got married to Karthik Gowda on June 5, 2014 after meeting him on May 8, 2014. The model alleges, "We know each other from May 8, 2014. This was after the election and before the results. We became very close friends. We met because my family was looking for a groom, so for that reason I met Karthik. So he promised me that he will marry me. So he got married to me on June 5 2014 in his Mangalore house."

She added, "His mother was not there. Both us were present and the driver was there,' she added. The model also said that she wanted his family to accept her as their daughter-in-law. "I will be a very good daughter-in-law," she said.

Union Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda, however, refuted the allegations saying, "Shocked to see this report, it hurts me. My personal and public life is an open book."

He also said that since the news came right after his son Karthik Gowda's engagement, it raises suspicion. "Suddenly after engagement, if a girl claims such things it leads to suspicion,' said Gowda. 

Pakistan created an abnormal situation by asking its high commissioner to meet the Hurriyat leaders despite the Indian foreign secretary's "advice' against such a move.

Advice like this is not given normally to a foreign envoy unless an issue of high political sensitivity to the host government is involved. But, if given, the expectation is that it will be accepted.

A foreign envoy has to maintain a functional relationship with his host government that can be seriously impaired if a confrontational choice is made.

Read the full column here.

The Kuldeep Bishnoi-led Haryana Janhit Congress on Thursday decided to snap its ties with the BJP, putting an end to the prolonged tussle between the two parties which have been in an alliance for three years now. "We tried our level best to keep the alliance working... made sincere efforts...They (BJP) are not ready to stick to agreed alliance principles. So we have taken a decision," a top HJC leader said.

Modi's media plan under spotlight after Rajnath episode. Read

Visitors to Narendra Modi's Twitter page were greeted by eight tweets in Japanese this morning. After moments of complete incomprehension, the PM tweeted saying, "Friends from Japan asked me to talk to the people of Japan directly in Japanese. I also thank them for helping with the the translation."
 
The tech-savvy PM's reach-out to Japan comes ahead of his five-day visit to the country on Saturday -- his first major bilateral tour since his visit to Nepal.

In one of his tweets addressed to Japan PM Shinzo Abe, Modi says, "Japan's friendship with India is time tested. We are 2 vibrant democracies committed to advancing peace & prosperity in the world. Am particularly excited to meet PM @AbeShinzo . I deeply respect his leadership & enjoy a warm relationship with him from previous meetings."

The Supreme Court agrees to hear ex-Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran's plea for restraining CBI from filing charge sheet in Aircel- Maxis deal.

PM Narendra Modi tweets in Japanese, says he looking forward to meet Japan PM Shinzo Abe and respects Abe's leadership.

Australia has expressed willingness to contribute its Super Hornet fighter jets to help United States-led air strikes in Iraq. Defence Minister David Johnston said that Australia was ready to assist the US with air strikes targeting IS terrorists in Iraq. He said the US was already carrying out air strikes in Iraq with the purpose of preserving civilian lives. "If this situation continues, I think it's incumbent upon nations that have a strong, clear and understandable reputation and sense of right and wrong to do the right thing here and assist a stable Iraqi government if we can get one to defend itself and to retake and assert some reasonable level of legitimate control over these villages," he said.

A failed satellite phone call suggests Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 may have turned south earlier than previously thought, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said. He explained that after Flight 370 dropped off the radar on March 8, Malaysia Airlines ground staff tried to make contact with the plane using a satellite phone. The attempt was unsuccessful, Truss added, but subsequent analysis of the failed call has given experts a better idea of the aircraft's position and where it was travelling.

In a video message to Jains on the occasion of Paryushana parva, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised them for their simple living. He also said that while the world has now began to celebrate vegetarianism, it was the Jains who had begun this practice long ago. He also said that it was time that we moved away from violence and moved towards love and non-violence. He said that as a nation we needed to get rid of the emotions of hatred and move towards love. At the end of the video, he wished them 'michchami dukkdam' and also wished them for the upcoming Ganeshotsav. 

Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf in an interview to a Pakistani channel slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling him anti-Muslim, anti-Pakistan. He said, "As far as my opinion is concerned about Narendra Modi, his attitude clearly shows that he is anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan and there is no doubt about it. However, he has been elected as the prime minister of India and till now hasn't shown his cards." Hours after the comments were made by the former president, Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh said that Musharraf shouldn't be bothered with, as he is sick at the moment and is undergoing treatment. "Pervez Musharraf is undergoing treatment. A sick man can say anything why should we bother about it?"

The three nations at the centre of the west African Ebola outbreak were left increasingly isolated on Wednesday as more airlines suspended flights to the crisis zone. On Wednesday, Air France agreed to Paris's request for a "temporary suspension" of services to Sierra Leone. The decision comes a day after British Airways said it was suspending flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone until next year due to Ebola concerns. Authorities are scrambling to contain the worst outbreak of the lethal tropical virus in history, which has killed more than 1,400 people since it erupted in west Africa early this year.

Hours after India and Pakistan held a flag meeting near the International Border in Jammu to diffuse the tension along the border, there has been a fresh ceasefire violation. Pakistani rangers targetted a BSF jawan on Deora international border of Akhnoor sector. The violation was made in the same area of Akhnoor sector where the flag meeting was held. There have been over 23 violations by Pakistan in August alone.

Hours after he got engaged, a case of rape and cheating was filed against Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda's son, Karthik late on Wednesday night. The complainant, an actress in regional films, claims Karthik Gowda married her. Bangalore Police Commissioner MN Reddi said, "She has filed a complaint in RT Nagar police station against Karthik Gowda, Sadananda Gowda's son, for allegedly raping and cheating her." The complainant alleged that she was in a relationship with Karthik for several months. She claimed that he wanted to have a physical relationship with her but she refused as they weren't married. She further added that Karthik then took her to a temple in Bangalore on June 5 and tied a thread soaked in turmeric around her neck to formalise a nuptial as per Hindu customs.

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