Police baton-charged farmers at the Kheda District Milk Producers' Union plant here today after they created a ruckus alleging disparity in the payment of price difference by the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation to its constituent dairies.        

 

GCMMF markets its products under the brand name 'Amul'. The farmers were demanding a price difference of 14 per cent for the year 2013-14 while the dairy authorities were ready to pay 7 per cent, said Anand police inspector HB Waghela.        

 

Waghela said, "2,500 farmers from 150 villages in Kheda district had earlier announced they would protest in front of the Kheda plant on the Amul Dairy Road in Anand city."        

 

The Kheda District Milk Producers' Union is one of the 14 dairies affiliated to GCMMF.        

After the defence ministry termed as "illegal" his decision to put a ban on promotion of Army Chief designate Dalbir Suhag, Gen (retd)V K Singh, now a Union Minister, today justified his action.        

 

"If unit kills innocents, does dacoity and then head of organization tries to protect them, should he not be blamed? Criminals should go free!!," he tweeted.     

 

The Defence ministry has told the Supreme Court in a recent affidavit in a promotion case related to Lt Gen Ravi Dastane that the alleged lapses which were made as grounds to impose disciplinary ban on Suhag were "premeditated", "vague" and "illegal".        

The former Army Chief's comments came against the backdrop of reports that a unit under Lt General Dalbir Suhag had allegedly carried out killings and daocities in the North East region.        

 

Latching on to the affidavit, Congress spokesperson Abishek Singhvi sought the resignation of V K Singh, saying that the NDA government's affidavit in the Supreme Court on the issue of Army vice chief Dalbir Singh Suhag's promotion was an expression of "no confidence" in him.

After law and order in the state came into questioning following the rape of Dalit sisters and then the murder of a Bharatiya Janata Party, 36 IAS officials have been transferred from Uttar Pradesh after a meeting was held to take stock of the situation. 

The Art of Living on tuesday said its faculty members and volunteers in Pakistan have been receiving threat letters and calls from the Taliban for over two months, accusing them of 'conspiring against Islam'. Authorities in Pakistan had been informed about the threats, the Bangalore-based AOL founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said.

Taking cognisance of the 5 students that died and the 19 others who are still missing after the sudden release of water from the Larji Dam, three dam authority officials, engineers MS Dadwalia and Mandeep Singh and technician Harwansh Lal, have been suspended. Additionally, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has also demanded for a high level inquiry. 

Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has asked parliament to declare a state of emergency after Islamist militants effectively took control of Mosul. Maliki acknowledged 'vital areas' of the country's second largest city had been seized.Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria seized control of key government buildings late Monday night, leaving the central government's control of northern Iraq in grave doubt.

In the wake of the acute power crisis in Delhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday spoke to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and asked him to take immediate steps for early resolution of the problem. "Spoke to Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Shri Najeeb Jung regarding an early resolution of the current power crisis," Singh wrote on Twitter. 

Five people including a police officer were injured when clashes broke out between police and aggrieved parents at a school in West Bengal over lowering of fees. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has scrapped four cabinet committees, including one on Unique Identification Authority of India. 

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay expressed alarm today at the rise in extremist, racist rhetoric in Europe, warning that anti-immigrant language can spark serious rights abuses. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two-day visit from June 15 to Bhutan, his first destination abroad after assuming office. Modi will be travelling to Bhutan and will hold talks on key bilateral and regional issues with the leadership of the Himalayan nation, top government sources said.

The visit reflects the importance India attaches to its ties with Bhutan whose Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay was among the leaders from the neighbouring countries to attend Modi's swearing-in on May 26. After the swearing-in, Modi had held a short duration bilateral meeting with the Bhutanese leader.

After Bhutan, Modi will be travelling to Japan in July. The prime minister is also likely to travel to Brazil to participate in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in mid-July.

After low-cost canteens and drinking water, the Jayalalithaa government in Tamil Nadu is launching "Amma Salt" tomorrow.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa will inaugurate the sale of the "Amma Salt", a product of Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation Limited under the State Industries Department, according to an advertisement released by the government today.

The salt would be available in three varieities -- double fortified, refined free flow iodised and low sodium, they said. However, the details related to pricing is not known. This is the latest in the series of welfare initiatives named after Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who is addressed as "Amma" (mother) by her supporters.

Nitin Gokhale tweets: Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri, an indigenously built guided missile stealth frigate, reached Darwin, Australia after travelling 6,500 km: Navy

Dumping or spitting in River Ganga may land you in jail, if the union water resource ministry has its way.

Keen to keep its promise of cleaning up Ganga, the ministry is also pondering whether to impose a fine of up to Rs 10,000 and a three-day imprisonment if anyone is caught spitting or dumping waster in the Ganga.

The Modi administration has ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the gang rape and murder of two Dalit sisters in Badaun.

The decision came hours after the Bahujan Samaj party demanded dismissal of the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh over the deteriorating law and order situation and staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha.

Thirteen Russian nationals killed as bus carrying them plunges into Bhagirathi River in Uttarakhand, the police said today.

The bus was on its way from Rishikesh to Gangotri when the mishap occurred. 

Image: Representation purpose

A Bharatiya Janata Party leader Omveer was shot dead in Meerpur village near Muzzafarnagar.

The 40-year-old was walking towards his farm from his home when he was shot at. He reportedly returned fire with his revolver before dying on the spot.

Omvir, 40, was the deputy leader of the BJP in the town of Mirapur.

On Saturday, BJP leader Vijay Pandit was shot dead in Greater Noida.

More than two weeks after he was shot at from close range, jailed self-styled godman Asaram's former aide and Ayurveda doctor Amrut Prajapati died today at his residence in Ahmedabad. 

The official trailer of Hate Story 2 has crossed over four million views on YouTube, within four days of its launch. 

One more person has been taken into custody in connection with the mob violence and murder of Mohsin Shaikh (in picture, left), a 28-year-old techie at Hadapsar in Pune on June 2 after the surfacing of objectionable Facebook posts, taking the number of arrests in the case to 20. 

Amid confrontation with Vietnam over the deployment of its drilling rig in the disputed South China Sea, China has complained to the UN that Hanoi's actions violate its sovereignty and undermine safety of navigation. 

Just In: The Congress has dissolved the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. However, the PCC chief, Nirmal Khatri, stays.

Flight operations resumed after being temporarily suspended after terrorists flee.  

Pakistan army says: Terrorists flee Karachi airport and the situation is now under control. Pakistan commandos and ASF rangers are the spot.

Deputy Director General ASK, Colonel Tahir Ali said the airport is secure at that operations have resumed. He said that two attackers opened fire near the ladies hostel near D gate, which is located behind the ASF camp.

"The ASF checkpost is about 100 metres from the scene. We were informed of the incident by our sentry posted there," he said. 

Pakistan Interior Minister Chuadhary Nisar says that five people have been killed in Tuesday's attack.

The Director General of Rangers has reached the site to oversee the operation. 

Pakistan Interior Minister Chuadhary Nisar says 10 gunmen have attacked the Karachi airport. "Firing between security and terrorists on the civilian attack." 

A Twitter account allegedly operated by Omar Khorasani of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan Mohmand faction tweeted on Tuesday that the group has carried out this second attack.

Roads leading to the airport have been cordoned off as the standoff between security forces and terrorists persists, reports Dawn.

A gunbattle is on at the Airport Security Force camp number 2, which is located at the ASF academy in Bitai Abad, Pehlwan Goth in Karachi. Four to five terrorists have attacked the security camp. 

Flight operations at the Karachi airport are suspended after second strike in two days. There are reports of firing from two different spots. 

The Pakistan Taliban has claimed responsibility for Sunday night's attack in which 28 people including 10 terrorists were killed. 

Terrorists strike Karachi again. Firing is on between terrorists and Paksitani forces. Security forces are engaged in a gun battle at the Airport Security Force camp in Karachi.

DawnNews reported that sounds of explosions were also heard, causing panic among citizens in the vicinity.

Image: The strike on Karachi airport on Monday.

The camp is situated near the Jinnah International Airport which the Civil Aviation Authority had cleared on Monday after a long battle between security forces and terrorists left 28 dead.

Talking about the ongoing power crisis in New Delhi, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal said that there will be complete restoration in 10 days. "Most power lines will be restored in 2 days."

"Gujarat ready to supply power to Delhi at attractive rates. There is no shortage of power in the country. We are assisting the Delhi Electricity Co to restore lines."

Blaming the Sheila Dikshit government, he said no holistic plans existed.

Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal addressed the media after he held an emergency meeting with Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and other top officials to discuss the power crisis.

"I discussed the power station with stakeholders in the meet. The last government was extremely insensitive towards the needs of the people. There has been serious neglect in the last 12 years."

He said that East Delhi was the worst affected. "The power will be restored soon. 400 megawatt will be generated by 9 pm today," he assured.

BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy said in the Lok Sabha today, "There is no Opposition left, yet we will consult all. The government will not adopt any outdated option on the Opposition."

Rudy was intiating a discussion on Modi government's growth roadmap, which was outlined by the President yesterday.  

According to Parliament rules, the biggest Opposition party in the House has to have at least 10 per cent of the total strength of the Lok Sabha, or 55 seats, to be eligible for the post of Leader of Opposition.

In the Lok Sabha elected last month, no party has that number. The Congress, with 44 MPs is the largest Opposition party, closely followed by J Jayalalithaa's AIADMK at 37.

An Indian national Aman Kumar Sharma was among11 crewmembers of a ship freed after being held hostage for nearly four years by Somali pirates, with a top United Nations official calling for the release of all remaining captives.

Sharma hails from Himachal Pradesh.

According to the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia, the 11 survivors of the MV Albedo crew were released to officials from the UN Office for Drugs and Crime inside Somalia and are now safely back in Kenya.

The crewmembers include seven men from Bangladesh, one Indian, one Iranian, and two from Sri Lanka. They will be repatriated to their home countries over the coming days.

Image: Courtesy Facebook

Talking about the ongoing power crisis, BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy said that it was a challenge.

He also raised the issue of the Badaun rape cases in the Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, the ruckus continued in the Upper House over the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh. "The law and order is deteriorating in Uttar Pradesh under the Samajwadi Party rule," BSP chief Mayawait said.

She too demanded President's rule in the state. A few BSP MPs staged a walkout.       

Five North Atlantic Treaty Organisation soldiers killed in an incident in southern Afghanistan on Monday, International Security Assistance Force says.

More details are waited. 

An under-construction flyover collapses in Surat.  Four people have been killed and three  injured.

More people feared trapped, reports ANI. Rescue operations are on.

Photograph: ANI/Twitter

Lok Sabha is holding discussions on Narendra Modi agenda, which was outlined by President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday. The debate is initiated by Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

"The BJP's vote share has gone up drastically. Modi communicated with so many people in this election. We will move ahead with everyone because our PM has a big heart. The nation has faith in us that's why we are here."

Taking a dig at the Congress, Ruday said the party has only 44 MPs. "We don't know who to consult now on our decisions." He also said that 3 parties have been completely wiped out of Uttar Pradesh.

Congress MPs try to disrupt Rudy, but Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asks them to allow Rudy to continue speaks.       

There was ruckus in the Rajya Sabha today over the Badaun gang rape and murder case. The Bahujan Samaj Party demanded dismissal of the Uttar Pradesh government and imposition of President's rule in the state.

The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 11.19 am.  

Continuing its record-breaking spree for the fourth session in a row, the benchmark BSE Sensex today hit another life-time high of 25,711.11 on sustained capital inflows as the new government unveiled its agenda for economic reforms.

The 30-share index Sensex, which had gained nearly 775 points in the previous three sessions, up by another 130.90 points, or 0.51 per cent, to trade at fresh record high of 25,711.11 in the opening trade today. The gauge had touched intra-day high of 25,644.77 yesterday.

The US today said the prisoners swap deal with the Taliban might have opened up political doors but the odds of peace talks with banned group were"difficult" and "long".  

"The goal of this recent effort was to secure the releaseof Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. That was achieved. If that paves the way, if that builds a little trust and creates some spaceto enhance or restart negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government and there is a role for the US and our othercoalition partners to play in that, then we welcome that opportunity, and we'll certainly consider it," White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest, told reporters.   

Responding to questions, Earnest said common sense does indicate that because there is an ongoing armed conflict in Afghanistan, there is an incentive for both sides to try to resolve their differences.

Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal calls for an emergency meet with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and senior government officials to discuss the power crisis in New Delhi. He is expected to brief the media at 10.30 am. 

Large part of Delhi continues to face long outages as the power transmission network damaged by the devastating storm on May 30 is yet to be restored fully.

Delhi chief secretary has said it will take 20 days for normalcy to return.  

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and BJP Maharashtra unit president Devendra Fadnavis met Home Minister Rajnath Singh today. They have demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe in the death of Gopinath Munde, a former Union minister.

The late BJP leader died due to shock and hemorrhage following injuries to his neck and liver in a road accident in Delhi on June 3.

China has justified as "goodwill" gesture its policy of issuing stapled visas to residents of Arunachal Pradesh, saying such a policy does not "undermine" the positions of both India and China which have disputes over big parts of that area.

"China has resorted to a special arrangement of issuance of stapled visa to address the need for travel of local people. This gesture is out of goodwill and flexibility and if we do not do that we will not be able to address the concern of outbound and overseas travel of these people," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on a two-day visit to India, said.

Wang further said "if this is acceptable to Indian side, it could be continued in the future as it does not undermine or compromise our respective positions on the border question and we will be able to address the question of these people".

Workers from the Aam Aadmi Party are staging a protest outside Union minister Harsh Vardhan's residence in New Delhi over the ongoing power crisis.

Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said, "We have requested Harsh Vardhan to look in the issue. The Union minister will meet us tomorrow."

Harsh Vardhan blamed the AAP, saying the party didn't improve electricity supply when in power. 

Large part of Delhi continued to face long outages as the power transmission network damaged by the devastating storm on May 30 is yet to be restored fully.

The Himachal Pradesh high court has taken suo moto cognisance of the tragedy at Pandoh Dam where 24 classmates were washed away in Beas river. The court wants the state government to file a report by June 16.

Twenty four engineering students from Hyderabad, who were on an excursion, were swept away on Sunday in a sudden surge of water released from the dam. Five bodies have been found, while 19 students are still missing.

A plane carrying the five bodies and 22 survivors of the group returned to Hyderabad last night on a special flight arranged by the Andhra Pradesh government.

       

The Jinnah International Airport in Pakistan's Karachi reopened to passengers last afternoon following Sunday night's terrorist attack.

Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority, in its statement, said the airport was reopened to passengers after the security forces declared it clear, Xinhua reported.

Heavily-armed Pakistani Taliban terrorists launched an assault on Pakistans largest airport in which at least 28 persons, including 10 terrorists, were killed before security forces eventually regained control over the key facility.

The former Chief Minister, B.S. Yeddyurappa, is expected to get a post in the Bharatiya Janata Party national organisation. According to sources in the BJP, there are no vacant posts in the State that suit the stature of Mr. Yeddyurappa, and the party does not want to abruptly curtail the term of incumbent State president Pralhad Joshi.

 

"Several posts in the party's national organisation have fallen vacant in the wake of the formation of the new government. But, a clear picture on the post to be given to Mr. Yeddyurappa is expected to emerge only after the appointment of the new national president,' sources said.

 

According to them, the party central leadership is expected to focus on the appointment of a new national president before filling up other organisational posts.

 

Read more on The Hindu

Intelligent machines that can pass for humans have long been dreamed of, but as Chris Baraniuk argues, they're already among us.  

 

Sometimes it's the promise of sex that fools you. Sometimes it's because they seem wise, friendly or just funny. The bots don't really care how they trick you '" their only objective is to make you think they're human. In fact, if you use social media or spend any time online, it's quite possible you've already been a victim.

 

This week, a controversial claim was made that a 'chatbot' passed the Turing test at an event at the Royal Society in London. During a series of text-based conversations, a computer program named Eugene Goostman persuaded judges it was a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy, thus passing a benchmark for artificial intelligence proposed years ago by the computer scientist Alan Turing.

 

So does this announcement mark the era of human-like AI, as has been claimed? Not really. Turing's test stopped being important for AI research years ago, and many scientists see the contests as flawed because they can be won with trickery '" such as pretending to be a non-native English speaker.

 

Read more on BBC

18 Pakistan nationals have been detained by the police after they were found violating visa norms in Dungarpur district of Rajasthan.        

 

According to Dungarpur Superintendent of Police, Gagandip, the foreign nationals had visas for visiting Mumbai, Surat and Jodhpur.        

 

"They were supposed to board the Thar express on June 14 from Bhagat Ki Kothi area of Jodhpur," Gagandip said. However, flouting visa rules, they came to visit the Galiakot shrine in Dungarpur district and were detained by Chitri police on Saturday.        

 

The SP said that the home ministry has been informed about the development and the district police is awaiting instructions for further action.  

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray today flayed NCP chief Sharad Pawar for claiming that communal forces had received a boost as a result of the NDA coming to power led by Narendra Modi.        

 

"The Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra should first find the killers of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, only then can Pawar criticise the Modi government," Uddhav told reporters in Mumbai.        

 

Dabholkar was killed in Pune in August last year.        

 

In a veiled attack on the Modi government in the context of the murder of a software professional in Pune, allegedly by activists of a Hindu outfit, Pawar had yesterday said that "certain ideologies" have become emboldened to spread communal fever after the BJP-led NDA formed the government at the Centre.

Close to the geographical heart of Brazil, in the little-known state of Tocantins, soccer players argued with a referee over a decision. Tensions ran high at the state championship match in the small town of Peixe, and in the midst of the ruckus, an official observer called Silvio Santana Ribeiro, an Afro-Brazilian player, a "monkey.'

 

The incident barely made a ripple outside the town of 9,000, and police ignored the victim, a middle school teacher.

But as Brazil pulled behind its defender Daniel Alves after a banana was thrown in his direction while he was playing for Barcelona, the episode in Tocantins revealed the country's complicated relationship with racial identity.

 

While a long history of intermarriage created an impression of racial tolerance, soccer is one area of life in Brazil in which scratching beneath the surface reveals lingering prejudices.

 

"We are men of science and principles, and we know how to deal with people,' said Santana Ribeiro, 36, from Paran. "I was armed with substantiated arguments that I imagined would be enough, but he used a weapon that knocks down any science '" prejudice '" and called me a monkey.'

 

Read more on Al Jazeera

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh returns to the besieged rebel areas of Aleppo, a pale skeleton of a city that has had the life bombed out of it by the Syrian regime.

 

Read the story here

Hillary Clinton justified the tens of millions of dollars she and husband Bill have earned giving speeches, saying that they were in dire financial straits after leaving the White House. "We came out of the White House not only dead broke, but in debt,' Clinton told ABC's Diane Sawyer, explaining the legal fees the duo racked up during their White House stay, which stretched from 1993 to 2001.

 

"We had no money when we got there, and we struggled to, you know, piece together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for Chelsea's education,' said Clinton. "You know, it was not easy,' she added.

 

Read more here

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will undertake a three-day visit to Bangladesh from June 25 during which she is likely to meet the top leadership of that country.      

 

Swaraj, who will be the first senior Indian minister to travel to Dhaka since the change of guard in India, is expected to meet Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Ali.       

 

She is also likely to meet top opposition leader and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.     

 

Swaraj's visit to Dhaka is part of Narendra Modi government's outreach to India's neighbouring countries as was evident in the invites sent to top SAARC leaders to attend the swearing in of the Prime Minister here on May 26.

Will not interfere in Campa Cola issue: CM Chavan

IB alerts government over 'mischievous' NGOs

Himachal tragedy: Bodies of four victims to be flown to Hyderabad

GRAPHIC: The key points in President's address

NCW demands Akhilesh Yadav's resignation

Sharad Pawar refuses to be NCP's chief ministerial candidate

Under your leadership, India will achieve greater progress: Chinese FM to Modi

Badaun rape: Family holds dharna under tree where they were hanged

23 Pakistan Shia pilgrims killed

Sharad Yadav, Hariprasad among 12 to file RS poll papers

Indian airports on high alert after Karachi terror attack

Himachal tragedy: Shocked survivors allege there was no warning

India condemns terror attack on Karachi airport

All's well in the House: Modi grabs Rahul's hand; Sonia, Advani chat

Kerala CM seeks Centre's mediation on Mullaperiyar dam issue

Jaitley named Leader of Rajya Sabha, Azad leader of Opposition

R R Patil warns of action against those misusing social media

Jayalalithaa welcomes 'inclusive' roadmap of BJP-led govt

Two Shiv Sena MLAs suspended for anti-toll protest

Opposition slams Modi govt, says they are only selling dreams

Search on for Hyderabad students feared drowned, 5 bodies found

PHOTOS: 28 killed as bloody siege of Karachi airport ends

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