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Sun, 22 February 2015
Live! INS Sindhughosh 'brushes' trawler off Mumbai
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21:41 Latest incident involving Russian-built submarine causes concern
Two years after INS Sindhurakshak (image alongside), the Russian-built diesel electric kilo class submarine torpedoed itself off Mumbai and sank, another Russian-built kilo class submarine, INS Sindhughosh has had a "minor collision'.
The incident happened a few days ago, when the submarine collided lightly with an unlit trawler, off the Mumbai coast, while on a special operation close to the shore.
While details of the incident are not available yet, the Indian Navy has claimed that the submarine did not suffer any damage.
Mumbai-based journalist Dharmesh Thakkar has tweeted: 'Naval submarine INS Sindhughosh collides with fishing trawler off Mumbai coast, no casalties.'
The submarine was involved in another incident last year when it ran agound while returning to the Mumbai harbour. The Navy had then denied that it had run aground, but admitted there was an issue while returning to the harbour.
In 2008, the submarine had a 'brush' with a merchant ship in the north African sea.
20:51 Would seek Modi's cooperation for Bihar development: Nitish
Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for congratulating him on becoming Chief Minister of Bihar for fourth time, Nitish Kumar today said political rivalry notwithstanding he would meet PM and seek Centre-State cooperation for development of the state.
"Politically we can be face to face with each other. But, for development of Bihar I will have no hesitation to meet him and stress for healthy Centre-State cooperation," Kumar told media persons after taking oath as CM of Bihar for the fourth time.
He thanked PM for extending congratulation to him by tweeting a message. Kumar's hostility towards Narendra Modi is an open secret. Its an established political fact that he had driven JD-U to severe ties with BJP in June 2013 over elevation of Narendra Modi.
20:28 Car bomb kills 8-year-old boy, injures 9 in Pak
An eight-year-old boy was killed and nine others were injured today after a bomb planted in a car exploded in Pakistan's troubled Baluchistan province.
The bomb was planted in the car parked on a market street in Chaman town, close to the Afghan border, and was detonated by a remote control, police said. In the powerful blast, a child identified as Zabihullah was killed while nine others were injured, senior police official Habib Baluch said.
The blast also destroyed two vehicles and a motorcycle. It was not yet clear who was behind the attack. Chaman town is one of the two main crossing points for supplies for American and NATO troops fighting Taliban in Afghanistan.
20:28 Released Indian Christian priest reaches Delhi airport
Father Alexis Prem Kumar who was held captive in Afghanistan for 8 months has reached the Delhi airport.
20:24 Party drug worth Rs 30 cr seized; two held by DRI
In one of the biggest drug hauls in recent times, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized 500 kgs of Mephedrone, a party drug, worth Rs 30 crore in the street market, from a truck in New Delhi.
Extremely addictive with several debilitating side effects, Mephedrone was included under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act on February 5 this year as a restricted drug.
"This is one of the biggest seizure of drugs in the country and certainly the biggest of Mephedrone," according to a Finance Ministry statement. It is also the first case of Mephedrone's seizure in the country after its inclusion in the NDPS Act.
20:24 Party drug worth Rs 30 cr seized; two held by DRI
In one of the biggest drug hauls in recent times, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized 500 kgs of Mephedrone, a party drug, worth Rs 30 crore in the street market, from a truck in New Delhi.
Extremely addictive with several debilitating side effects, Mephedrone was included under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act on February 5 this year as a restricted drug.
"This is one of the biggest seizure of drugs in the country and certainly the biggest of Mephedrone," according to a Finance Ministry statement. It is also the first case of Mephedrone's seizure in the country after its inclusion in the NDPS Act.
20:06 Why homeless Britons are turning to the Sikh community for food
Homeless people in the UK are getting free meals thanks to a centuries-old Sikh tradition. Why, asks Rajeev Gupta.
"We come here because we get food... A hot meal. It's a luxury for me." John Davidson is 55 and homeless. He is one of 250 people who have just received a hand-out of hot soup, drinks, chocolate bars and other supplies from the Sikh Welfare and Awareness Team van parked up on the Strand in central London on a cold Sunday evening.
Read this fascinating story HERE
20:01 Advani renews wedding vows on 50th anniversary, PM wishes him
Away from political limelight, BJP veteran L K Advani was the cynosure of all eyes today as he turned a 'groom' once again, exchanging the traditional 'varmala' with his wife Kamla on their 50th wedding anniversary.
Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Governors and BJP leaders were among those present to wish him on his golden wedding anniversary. Renewing his marriage vows, 87-year-old Advani relived his memories.
Their daughter Pratibha made a montage of their golden years of togetherness for the occasion. Lt governor of Delhi and Governors of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Nagaland, some chief ministers, Union Ministers fomrer ministers Praful Patel and Rajiv Shukla and Amar Singh were also present on the occasion.
19:35 Fresh nuclear leak detected at Fukushima plant
A fresh leak of highly radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean has been detected today.
Sensors detected contamination levels up to 70 times greater than the already-high radioactive status seen at the plant campus, Tokyo Electric Power Co announced this morning.
19:17 Kejriwal, Rahul can join protest but not share stage: Hazare
Terming the land ordinance as anti-farmer, activist Anna Hazare, who will hold a two-day protest against it here from tomorrow, said today that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi can join the movement but they will not share the stage with him.
They will have to sit among the common workers, he said.
The 77-year-old Gandhian also said that he has spoken to Kejriwal on phone and he will meet him tomorrow to discuss the next course of action. "This ordinance is against the farmers.
In an agriculturally dominated nation, when there is torture on the farmers then all the people should stand united. So we want that any opposition party or be it Kejriwal, all the workers should work together to take this agitation forward," he said.
Hazare also said that the Delhi chief minister has expressed his desire to join the agitation.
18:22 Swine flu claims 38 more lives, death toll crosses 800
Swine flu claimed 38 more lives in the country taking the death toll beyond 800 even as the total number of people affected by the disease today breached the 13,000 mark.
According to health ministry figures, the total number of deaths due to the disease has now reached 812 while 13,688 people have been affected with the H1N1 virus across the country.
Health ministry officials had yesterday said that the number of people affected by swine flu was 12,963 while deaths caused by the infection was 774 as per figures available till February 20.
A senior health official said that in comparison to yesterday, there has been a dip in the number of fresh positive cases. Seven more persons succumbed to swine flu in Rajasthan. Out of 4318 patients who tested positive for the HINI virus, 212 have died since January 1, an official of Medical and Health Directorate (MHD) said here.
17:48
Besides Nitish, 22 ministers were administered oath by the governor.
17:45 Nitish Kumar takes oath as Bihar chief minister
Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar took oath on Sunday afternoon as the chief minister of Bihar for the fourth time.
Several leaders such as Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and JD-U president Sharad Yadav were also present.
The ceremony was held at 5 pm at Patna's Raj Bhavan.
17:30 Posters ridicule Manjhi, BJP outside Nitish residence
Several posters and hoardings ridiculing former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and rival BJP have surfaced around his residence.
In varied colours and sizes, the posters are propped onbamboo poles for several metres along the stretch of 7, Circular Road which is Kumar's residence. Drawing inspiration from the 'Mahabharata', one poster shows Kumar dressed as Arjun, shooting arrows at his rivals, including Manjhi and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar.
Another one portrays Manjhi on a sinking boat surrounded by BJP leaders from the state. Yet another portrays Kumar being eulogized by saffron party stalwarts such as former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani.
The words that they said in his praise are prominently printed to grab the attention of passers-by.
16:59 Abducted Indian Christian priest freed in Afghanistan
An Indian Christian priest, Father Alexis Prem Kumar, abducted in Afghanistan eight months back, has been released, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced today.
"Delighted at securing the release of Indian Jesuit priest Father Alexis Prem Kumar from captivity in Afghanistan," Modi tweeted.
"Have spoken to Father Alexis Prem Kumar. Informed happy family of Father Alexis Prem Kumar of his safe return after 8 months in captivity," he added. 47-year-old Prem Kumar, an aid worker, was abducted from Herat in Afghanistan by unidentified gunmen on June 2 last year.
An External Affairs Ministry spokesman had then said that Prem Kumar was working with an NGO and had no connection with
16:45 UK parents told to take away passports of girls at terror risk
Amid reports that three missing British Muslim schoolgirls may have crossed over to Syria to join Islamic State terrorists, parents in Britain are being asked to confiscate the passports of their children if they feel they were at a similar risk.
The head of Inspire, a human rights organisation working with Muslim women, called on schools to do more to burst the 'romanticised notion' of IS that is being peddled to young people by a slick online propaganda machine.
Sara Khan said the tactics used by those luring young girls to Syria and Iraq to marry them off to jihadis or force them into domestic servitude were the grooming methods of paedophiles.
"We need to stop using the phrase 'jihadi brides'," she told the Guardian.
16:41 Modi praises Indian cricket team after victory over S Africa
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hailed the Indian cricket team for victory over South Africa in World Cup match.
"Great performance. Well played. Congrats Team India. You make us proud yet again," he tweeted. His tweet came as soon as India beat South Africa by 130 runs.
16:10 Swine flu toll in Maharashtra mounts to 99
Seven deaths due to swine flu were reported in Maharashtra today, taking the number of disease-related deaths in the state to 99.
"Seven deaths were reported today, one each from Thane, Raigad, Pune, Nashik districts and three from Nagpur," Public Health Minister Dr Deepak Sawant, told PTI. So far, there have been 911 cases and as many as 39 people infected by the H1N1 virus are on ventilator, the minister said.
"Total number of patients discharged is 521 while 291 are still in hospitals. 61 new cases have been reported," Sawant said.
16:06 Family dismisses Shakti Kapoor's death rumours
Bollywood actor Shakti Kapoor's son Siddhanth has rubbished the death rumours of his father. Social media was abuzz with the news that the 56-year-old actor, who is also the father of 'Ek Villain 'actress Shraddha Kapoor, had died in a car accident.
Siddhanth later took to Twitter to clarify the hoax.
"It's all rumours, my father is fine... There was no accident, touchwood... Please retweet all.." he wrote. Shraddha soon retweeted his tweet. Shakti was last seen in the 2014 film 'Mr Joe B Carvalho'.
15:34 Mamata threatens media after asked about aide's arrest
"I could also have arrested you, be glad that you are not arrested: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told media persons when asked about her close aide Shibaji Panja's arrest.
"Why you asking me? You are doing too much. This is not decency," Mamata lashed out.
Panja was detained at the airport in Kolkata by the Delhi police after the team landed on Saturday night.
15:32 Properly dispose of RTI applications, appeals: Govt to deptts
The Government has asked ministries to properly dispose of applications and appeals filed under the Right to Information Act as per the laid down guidelines.
The Public Information Officer should communicate reason for rejection, period within which appeal can be filed and particulars of appellate authority while rejecting a RTI application, the Department of Personnel and Training said in an order.
An applicant should be given details of further fees to be paid, the calculations made to arrive at the amount of fees asked and the fact that the applicant has a right to make appeal about the amount of fees so demanded, it said.
15:29 Turkey enters Syria to evacuate tomb of Suleyman Shah
Turkish tanks backed by drones and reconnaissance planes entered Syria overnight to evacuate several dozen Turkish soldiers.
The soldiers were guarding a tomb considered sovereign territory by Ankara and surrounded by Islamic State insurgents.
15:16 Have British teen 'ihadi brides' already Joined the IS in Syria?
Even as international search operations for the three missing British teen girls continues unabated, reports have emerged that their Isis handlers may have been able to sneak the 'jihadi brides' into Syria through Turkey.
15:03 Trove of ancient gold coins discovered off coast of Israel
Divers exploring an ancient Mediterranean harbor in Israel's Caesarea National Park a few weeks ago discovered glittering treasure on the seabed -- nearly 2,000 gold coins dating back more than 1,000 years.
The sunken treasure -- which the divers handed over to the Israel Antiquities Authority -- included coins of various denominations and sizes from the period of the Fatimid Caliphate, the Muslim dynasty that ruled in much of North Africa and the Middle East from 909 to 1171, Discovery News reported.
Image: Ancient gold coins are displayed in Caesarea, north of Tel Aviv along the Mediterranean coast. Photograph: Nir Elias/Reuters
Read the full story HERE
14:43 New IS video shows Iraqi soldiers in cages
The IS has released a new propaganda video showing what appears to be Kurdish Peshmerga fighters paraded down Iraqi streets in cages.
The video features a man saying the Peshmerga soldiers were captured by the IS.
Read the full story HERE
14:19 Ferry with 100 passengers capsizes in B'desh; many feared dead
Many people are feared dead after an overcrowded ferry with over 100 passengers capsized today, in the latest maritime tragedy to hit the country within 10 days.
The ferry was heading to Paturia from Daulatdia in Rajbari when was hit by a cargo trawler, a senior police official of Manikganj district said.
The number of people who died or are missing in the incident could not be immediately ascertained.
A rescue operation is underway in the Padma river in which the ferry sank. Ferry disasters are common in Bangladesh due to poor safety standards.
Image for representational purposes
13:47 UK to unveil Gandhi statue on March 14
The much-awaited Mahatma Gandhi's bronze statue at Britain's historic Parliament Square here will be unveiled on March 14, Prime Minister David Cameron announced today.
The announcement came as the Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust surpassed the 1-million pound mark in donations, with steel tycoon Lakshmi N Mittal adding 100,000 pounds and the Infosys Board chaired by K V Kamath 250,000 pounds in the last few weeks. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is expected to be the special guest at the ceremony to install the statue which will be the last one to up in the square alongside South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela and Britain's war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
"The statue in Parliament Square not only marks his huge importance in the history of both our countries, but will enrich the firm bond of friendship between the world's oldest democracy and its largest," Cameron said in a statement.
13:47 Venkaiah meets Sonia; says govt willing to sit with oppn
On the eve of the Budget session of Parliament, government today reached out to the opposition for cooperation saying it is willing to discuss resolution of any issue to ensure a productive session.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu met Congress President Sonia Gandhi here this morning in an apparent attempt to seek cooperation of the largest opposition party which the government will require particularly in the Rajya Sabha for conversion of Ordinances into Acts.
He described the meeting as 'good'. Later, he hosted a meeting of leaders of all parties in both Houses of Parliament and emphasised the need for a spirit of mutual cooperation during the Budget session beginning tomorrow.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also joined the meeting.
12:59 Naxal carrying reward of Rs 2 lakh arrested
A 23-year-old Naxal, who was carrying a reward of Rs two lakh on his head, has been arrest by Gadchiroli police from Maharasthra-Chhattisgarh border. T
he naxal has been identified as Baburao alias Vinu Madavi, police said here today.
Madvi, who was arrested yesterday, was responsible for procuring arms and ammunition for the ultras, besides being involved in other crimes, police added.
12:41
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu meets Sonia Gandhi; says govt is willing to sit with the opposition to resolve differences on any issue.
12:19 Press Club invites entries for awards in journalism
The Mumbai Press Club has invited nominations from journalists across the country for best stories in 10 categories for its coveted Redink Awards for excellence in journalism.
Journalists from print, television and digital media have been invited to submit their entries by February 28 for the awards which carry a total prize money of over Rs 20 lakh, said a release.
For the first time in its five-year history, the awards have been expanded to include television and visual stories on par with print and digital media.
In order to encourage investigative journalism and stories that make a difference, separate awards have been instituted for best writing and TV stories in categories of human rights and environment.
12:11 Three IEDs recovered in Kashmir
Three Improvised Explosive Devices weighing 11 kg and other ammunition have been recovered by the Army from North Kashmir's Kupwara district.
A search party of the Army detected the three IEDs hidden in the hollow of a tree along with other war-like stores on the fringes of Gazrial forest in Trehgam area of Kupwara district, army officials said today.
Based on specific intelligence inputs, the troops of an Infantry Unit carried out a search operation in the forest area late last night, which resulted in the recovery of three IEDs -- two weighing five kgs each and one weighing one kg approximately.
12:08 Live telecast of anti-terror ops should be prohibited: MHA
Taking a step forward to ban live coverage of terror-related operations by TV channels, the Home ministry has said that 'anti-terror operations' should be prohibited from telecasting.
The Home ministry stated its position on the matter after the information and broadcasting ministry sought definition of terms 'anti-terror operations' and 'counter-terror actions'.
The Home ministry has conveyed that live coverage of anti-terror operations would compromise various aspects of security and jeopardises the life of security personnel and innocent people in a hostage situation.
The counter terrorism initiative include construction of roads, bridges, schools, health centres, improvement of telecommunication network in Maoist-hit areas besides others.
Earlier, the Home ministry had asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to amend the rules to stop live telecast of anti-terror operations.
12:04 AI, IndiGo flyers worst hit by flight delays in Jan: DGCA
Passengers of Air India and no-frill carrier IndiGo, which has best on-time performance record among the domestic airliners, were most affected due to delays of flights by over two hours in January, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation data.
The number of Air India passengers affected due to flight delays beyond two hours stood at 96,232 in January while of IndiGo was 75,034, the monthly domestic air traffic report released by the DGCA said.
Also, as many as 11,666 passengers of private carriers Jet Airways and its subsidiary JetLite were also affected after their flights were reported late by more than two hours.
The DGCA norms make it mandatory for the airlines to submit data on number of cases of denied boarding, cancellations and delays along with the status on a monthly basis.
11:50 Mamta's close aide arrested over fraud charges
Shibaji Panja, an associate of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who accompanied her to Bangladesh, was detained at the Kolkata airport on his return on Saturday night.
Panja is a small-time businessman who has become increasingly close to the chief minister over the past years and is often seen around her in various programmes.
According to sources, he was detained at the airport's immigration counter after he returned to Kolkata with the CM's entourage, and then handed over to the NSCB airport police station.
11:32 BSF wants special pay for being 1st line of defence at borders
India's largest border guarding force, the Border Security Force has made a strong pitch for a special 'border service' pay for its men stating the troops are deployed well ahead of the Army along international borders and they face the "first brunt" of an enemy attack.
The 2.5-lakh strong BSF has sought the special allowance on the lines of what is being granted to army troops under Military Service Pay when deployed in hard and harsh border areas, like on the Indo-Pakistan border.
The BSF, in a report presented to the Union Home ministry and the 7th Pay Commission, said it meets the criteria for qualifying under this category like the army and other defence forces, as it is the'first line of defence on borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh and it faces the first brunt of enemy and has been defending the borders of India from the last 49 years'.
11:24 Nitish Kumar to take oath as Bihar CM today
Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar will on Sunday take oath as chief minister of Bihar for fourth time on Sunday.
Assam CM Tarun Gogoi, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav, Haryana leaders Abhay Chautala, Dushyant Chautala and former Jharkhand chief minister Babu Lal Marandi will attend the oath ceremony at Raj Bhavan.
Read the full story HERE
00:28 Modi's next test: The 'other' minority issue
Much as you detest some old British politicians and their ghisa-pita old cliches, you can't help falling back on them. It just so happens that nobody has written a better description of the unpredictable nature of democracy than Harold Wilson's "a week is a long time (in) politics".
And remember, he said this in 1964, when a week wasn't really such a long period of time.
That is precisely what happened over 48 hours last week. First, Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised us by accepting an invitation from Christian groups to speak at a commemoration for two Indians recently beatified, and never mind that it was on the day of Mahashivratri.
He chose that forum to firmly state what is, after all, no more than a restatement of the central proposition of the Constitution he has been sworn in to protect. This was followed, as if choreographed, by a statement from RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat that Hindu women were not baby-bearing factories and thereby rubbishing Sakshi Maharaj, one of the BJP MPs in saffron.
Sure enough, both correctives were deliberate, if instigated by the setback in Delhi.
Read more HERE
00:24 Centre to revamp land acquisition ordinance?
The Centre appears to be having a rethink on the Land Acquisition Ordinance to accommodate the concerns of farmers, claimed members of a delegation which called on senior ministers to discuss the issue.
The delegation of farmer leaders from various organisations met Home Minister Rajnath Singh at his residence and expressed their concerns about the changes made in the Land Acquisition law by the Ordinance. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rural Development Minister Birender Singh were also present in the meeting.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of protests against the Ordinance by famers' groups, including those affiliated to RSS, and opposition parties as the government remained firm to go ahead with a bill in the budget session to seek parliamentary nod for the contentious ordinance.
While the ministers refrained from speaking to the media, farmer leaders Yudhvir Singh of Bhartiya Kisan Union, Krishan Bir Chaudhary of Bhartiya Krishak Samaj and Punit Singh Thind of Rashtriya Kisan Sangathan told reporters that they are confident that the BJP government will listen to their grievances and make suitable changes in the law.
"We (farmer groups) were assured by ministers that the government will take into account our concerns. We have told them that the Ordinance was brought in haste and interests of farmers were ignored. Ministers heard us patiently.
"From our talks today, we are confident that our voice will be heard. The ministers said the voice of farmers should have been heard. We have got positive signals," BKU General Secretary Yudhvir Singh said.
00:24 No official record of Modi being tea-seller: RTI reply
There is no record available that shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a tea-seller on railway platforms or trains during his childhood, an RTI query has revealed.
A Congress supporter and social activist Tehseen Poonawalla, had sought information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from the Railway Board about whether there was any record, registration number or official pass issued to Modi allowing or entitling him to sell tea on trains and at stations.
Quoting the RTI response from the railway ministry, she said: "No such information is available in TG III Branch of Tourism and Catering Directorate of Railway Board," an IANS report stated.
00:16 Top headlines at this hour
It's a Rs 10,000 cr scam, says key accused in corporate espionage
Exposed! Indian corporates' sloppy spy network
Surat diamond baron takes out procession of Modi's suit
Yadav mega bash draws the who's-who of power to Saifai
PDP-BJP agree on J&K govt formation, Mufti to be CM: reports
Don't amplify differences, China tells Modi after his Arunachal visit
Exposed! Indian corporates' sloppy spy network
Surat diamond baron takes out procession of Modi's suit
Yadav mega bash draws the who's-who of power to Saifai
PDP-BJP agree on J&K govt formation, Mufti to be CM: reports
Don't amplify differences, China tells Modi after his Arunachal visit
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