Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has added about 10,000 shakhas during the last decade and more than half of these came up in the last one year.

Currently, there were 50,432 shakhas across the country, a senior leader of the Hindu nationalist outfit today said here.

Significantly, more than half of the new shakhas came up in the last one year. Shakha is a place where RSS volunteers gather every day.

"The RSS shakhas are increasing and more and more youths from schools and colleges, particularly those pursuing higher studies in medicine, engineering and technology, are attracted to the Sangh," said Vidarbha joint secretary of RSS Deepak Tamshettiwar here.

Controversial Hindutva leader Sadhvi Prachi today termed Shah Rukh Khan as a "Pakistani agent", who should be sent to that country, a day after the Bollywood superstar added his voice to the protest against "extreme intolerance" in the country.

"Shah Rukh Khan is an agent of neighbouring coutry Pakistan as he reflects their (Pakistan's) ideology. Such a man should go to Pakistan," she said while talking to reporters in the court complex here.

Not new to controversies, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader had earlier targeted actors Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan in March this year for "spreading a culture of violence" and advised youngsters not to idolise the Bollywood triumvirate.

Just in: A senior air force officer has been sacked on charges of harassing a woman. Details awaited. 

Rahul Gandhi addressing the media outside Rashtrapati Bhavan after the Congress submitted a memorandum on the increasing incidents of intolerance in the country.

IAS and IPS officers overstaying on foreign assignments or remain on unauthorised leave without permission stand to lose their jobs under new rules unveiled by the government today that reduces the grace period. Cracking down on such delinquent officers, the government's move came after it was noticed that some officials were not reporting back to India after completion of their foreign postings. Some of them were also went  on unauthorised leave soon after completing their tenure abroad.

As the Congress marched to Rashtrapati Bhawan against "growing intolerance", the Government and BJP today hit out saying "politically-displaced" people were challenging the democratic mandate and were resorting to such "dramatic actions" out of their desperation to stay relevant.


Alleging that "political intolerance" was in Congress' genes, Union Minister and senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said they are going to the "wrong address" as they should have gone to Raj Bhawans instead, as such "stray unfortunate" incidents happened in states ruled by Congress or its friendly parties.


"Congress talking about intolerance is like devil quoting scriptures," he said, adding that the mass exodus and genocide of Kashmiri Pandits happened during their regime.


"It is a well-organised effort to defame our cultural ethos which are based on time-tested traditions of accommodation and acceptance. "This ongoing campaign is a clear effort to derail developmental momentum. They don't want Modi government to succeed. Now to say that intolerance is raising suddenly is far from truth," he said.

The Congress submits its memorandum on the increasing cases of intolerance in the country.

Early reports on the memorandum says:

A sinister campaign being unleashed to create social and communal tension. The Congress expresses gratitude to the President for speaking out
strongly and unequivocally against forces of prejudice, bigotry and intolerance. The Congress conveys grave concern at "growing atmosphere of fear, intolerance and intimidation being deliberately created by
sections of ruling establishment".


The Congress in its memorandum to the President expresses concern over "growing atmosphere of fear, intolerance in the country".


The INC in its memorandum "humbly requested the Rashtrapati-ji to use political and moral authority of his office to impress upon PM; this is unacceptable."

Just in: Ahmedabad court sends Patidar leader Hardik Patel, facing a sedition case to Sabarmati central jail. 

Security has been beefed up across Kashmir four days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit during which he is scheduled to address a public rally in Srinagar. The venue for the Prime Minister's rally -- Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium -- has been turned into a virtual fortress with a large posse of police and paramilitary personnel deployed in and around the area to secure it, a police official said.


He said anti-sabotage checks are being carried out within the stadium as well as in the surrounding areas to ensure fool proof security for the high profile visit of the Prime Minister later this week.


Modi is scheduled to address a public rally in Srinagar on November 7, besides inaugurating the 450-megawatt Baglihar Phase II power project in Ramban district of the state.

Another picture of the Congress march to Rashtrapati Bhavan to protest rising intolerance in the country. In the picture (L to R) are Rahul, Sonia, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Dr Manmohan Singh, Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma and Kapil Sibal.

 

Manpreet Vohra has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. He replaces Amar Sinha. 

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi begin their march leading the party's leaders and parliamentarians in a march to the President's House Rashtrapati Bhavan this afternoon.

The march is to protest what the party calls rising intolerance in the country and comes after Sonia met President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday evening for a one-on-one meeting.


The Congress is expected to submit a memorandum to the President urging him to use his Constitutional powers to ensure an end to the "the atmosphere of intolerance, intemperate behaviour, violence and communal polarisation".


The Delhi Police, meanwhile, informed the Congress it would allow only 125 people to participate in the march. 

Congress march to Rashtrapati Bhavan led by Congress President Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi over rising intolerance in the nation, begins. 

The International Space Station (ISS) has completed 15 years of continuous human presence and to mark the event NASA has released an official 'country song' that describes the epic journey.


Expedition 1, the first station crew, docked November 2, 2000 after launching two days earlier inside the Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft. The space station at the time consisted of just three modules.


Commander William Shepherd and Flight Engineers Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko spent 141 days in space, saw two space shuttle missions and the addition of a solar array truss structure and the US Destiny laboratory module.


The US space agency released a delightful video about the space orbiting lab, set to a very country and banjo-filled tune.


The video details interesting facts about the station in twanging verse, according to 'The Verge'.


It also explains the station's logistics: it's about the size of a football field and weighs up to 1 million pounds.


The current six-member crew, Expedition 45, consists of NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and veteran cosmonauts Sergey Volkov, Mikhail Kornienko and Oleg Kononenko. Kelly and Kornienko are spending nearly a year in space.

Microsoft chief Satya Nadella will meet industry leaders like Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, Axis Bank head Shikha Sharma and Tata Starbucks CEO Avani Davda during his one-day visit to India on November 5. The India-born CEO will also deliver a keynote address at 'Microsoft's Future Unleashed' event here that will bring together 3,000 industry thought leaders, enterprise heads, developers and entrepreneurs.

Uber rape: Handing out the sentence, the prosecution said a strong message should go out.


The incident took place on December 5, 2014 when the victim, a finance executive working in Gurgaon, was headed home. Yadav was arrested on December 7, 2014 from Mathura.

As per the amended rape law a life term means Yadav will remain in jail till death.  

Just in: Life sentence for Uber cabbie Shiv Kumar Yadav convicted of raping a 25-year-old passenger. The crime led to widespread protests and ban on taxi aggregators in the national capital.

Additional sessions judge Kaveri Baweja, who had convicted 32-year-old Yadav last month, gave Yadav a life term.

The court had on October 20 held Yadav guilty of kidnapping, threatening, raping and trying to strangulate his passenger. The offence of endangering womans life while raping her entails a minimum of 10 years rigorous imprisonment and a maximum of life term.

In its 99-page judgment, the special fast track court set up to deal with cases of sexual offences against women has said that the victim was reminded of the horrific December 16, 2012 gang rape incident after the driver of the US-based service provider had threatened to insert an iron rod in her body.

The court has held that threat perception was very much real in the mind of the 25-year-old victim when the driver had intimated and threatened her that too at an isolated spot in the late hours on December 5, 2014.

Ahmad Chalabi, the Iraqi politician who, from exile, helped persuade the United States to invade Iraq in 2003, and then unsuccessfully tried to attain power as his country was nearly torn apart by sectarian violence, died at his home in Baghdad on Tuesday. He was 71. Read more

Just in: Following an eruption of an ash cloud over Mount Rinjani in Lombok near Bali, today, several flights operating from Bali airport in Indonesia have been cancelled.


According to a statement by Jetstar, all flights for the day to and from Bali have been cancelled. Singapore, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide remained the most affected destinations. Counting on the safety of the passengers and the crew, all the airlines have cancelled the flights.


What this means is that gangster Chhota Rajan's departure to India will also be delayed. Rajan's deportation was cleared by the Interpol in Bali today and he was expected to reach India tonight through a chartered plane under strict security arrangements.


However, due to the volcano eruption and cancellation of all flights, Chhota Rajan will have to stay put in Bali for the time being.

FLASH: SC dismisses DMK leader Kanimozhi's petition seeking quashing of chargesheet in 2G case.

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje Scindia tweets: My wonderful ride today -- when you catch these beautiful autos in Jaipur, tweet back with pictures! #ArtOnWheels.


The Jaipur Municipal Corporation has got at least a 100 autorickshaws painted to portray Rajasthan's art and culture.

Arun Jaitley takes a swipe at the increasing chorus on intolerance in the country. Asserting that India will never be intolerant, the finance minister today rejected the Congress' pitch on the issue, saying opponents must fight political battles politically, and wondered "where is the intolerance".


Calling as "aberrations" some of the recent incidents including the beef row, Jaitley insisted that there is "no justification" in returning of awards and the national situation "is absolutely peaceful. India is fully committed as a liberal democracy to peaceful co-existence". "There is an atmosphere of harmony. This country has never been intolerant and will never be intolerant," the BJP leader said.


He was replying to questions including about the protest march of Congress to President Pranab Mukherjee on the issue today and Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Sciences holding a seminar with 'Leftist' intellectuals on the issue.


Stressing that "political opponents must fight political battle politically", the Finance Minister said that it is "not fair" to create an issue due to political reasons and then link it to government even when incidents of crime are happening in states ruled by other parties.


"Where is the intolerance? We are the most vibrant democracy. The atmosphere will not change only by talking. If some incident happens like the one in Karnataka, which is Congress-ruled, you cannot link it to the central government to attack. That is not fair. "This is a crime and action should be taken against whoever commits crime. That is why people in the mainstream in the country have opposed it," he said.

UP Special task force arrested three shooters who were linked with Chhota Rajan, in Allahabad: Sujit Pandey (IG, STF)

Renowned and respected actor Kamal Haasan a recipient of four National Awards (three for acting, one for producing), a Padmashri and a Padma Bhushan says he will not return the awards. Haasan says there are sensible politicians in every party and returning awards is a futile exercise. "There are other ways to get attention. Intolerance must not divide the nation," the superstar said.


This comes a day after Shah Rukh Khan spoke about intolerance yesterday. At a press conference in Mumbai, when asked whether he would return an award -- on the lines of what writers and filmmakers have been doing as a form of protest -- he said on a light note, "No one can force me to do anything I don't want to, but let me get a National Award, and then I will return it." He added that he respected the writers for what they are doing.

A district office bearer of the BJP in Karnataka has threatened to behead Chief Minister Siddaramaiah if he "dares to eat beef' and "play with his (severed) head'.


Initially, the BJP denied any such statement, but later said that the man was only a worker and not a party leader, and that it had sought an explanation from him.


Shivamogga district secretary of the BJP SN Channabasappa said on Monday that if Siddaramaiah dared to eat beef at Gopi Circle in Shivamogga town, he would be beheaded.


Channabasappa made these comments at a protest organized by the party against Siddaramaiah's statement that he would eat beef if he wished, and that the BJP did not have the right to question him on it.

Just in: Media reports say that the Interpol has said that gangster Chhota Rajan will be deported to India tonight. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis rubbishes Rajan's fears that his life may be in danger in Mumbai. Rajan claims that his arch rival Dawood Ibrahim, who has tried to bump him off several times, has links in the Mumbai police. Fadnavis says Rajan will be brought to Mumbai and kept in an Anda Cell at the Arthur Road jail. A chartered plane is likely to bring Rajan back from Bali. Reports say security has been increased at Arthur Road jail.


Rajan told the media, "The Mumbai Police has committed a lot of atrocities on me and I don't trust them. There are some in the Mumbai Police who are working with Dawood. The Delhi Government should do justice with me keeping that in mind. I am not scared of Dawood and I will continue fighting against him and terrorism."

Just in: Indrani Mukherjea gives her consent to give her voice samples to the Mumbai police. Indrani, wife of former television honcho Peter Mukerjea, was arrested on August 25 by the Khar police for allegedly murdering her daughter Sheena Bora in April, 2012. Later, her driver Shyam Rai and former husband Sanjeev Khanna were also arrested.

Just in: The Delhi police issues an advisory to the Congress ahead of the protest march to Rashtrapati Bhavan today. The Delhi police said that it cannot allow more than 125 people in the march. The Congress was planning to lead a 500-people march.


The march will be led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi to appeal to President Pranab Mukherjee to use his constitutional powers to end the "atmosphere of intolerance'.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley at a press briefing on black money brought up Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's remarks on intolerance yesterday, saying Khan had said nothing wrong. "If someone says "there shouldn't be intolerance in the country" what is wrong in that? Jaitley said.
The finance minister said there was an atmosphere of complete peace in the country. "The nation has never been intolerant and debates won't spoil the atmosphere," he added.


Actor Shah Rukh Khan, yesterday,  joined the chorus against "growing intolerance' in the country, saying that "religious intolerance and not being secular'is the worst kind of crime that you can do as a patriot". At a press conference in Mumbai, when asked whether he would return an award '" on the lines of what writers and filmmakers have been doing as a form of protest '" he said, "No one can force me to do anything I don't want to, but let me get a National Award, and then I will return it.' He added that he respected the writers for what they are doing.


Jaitley also said that the government was doing everything it could to get back black money.

The final lap of underworld don Chhota Rajan's deportation process to India began today as the Denspar Immigration Chief along with the Jakarta Interpol are questioning him at the Bali Police Headquarters.


According to immigration sources, the time of Rajan's deportation will be made clear by the Interpol after they quiz him and a final clearance is issued.In an explosive claim today, Rajan alleged that some officials in the Mumbai Police are working with India's most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.


"The Mumbai Police has committed a lot of atrocities on me and I don't trust them. There are some in the Mumbai Police who are working with Dawood. The Delhi Government should do justice with me keeping that in mind. I am not scared of Dawood and I will continue fighting against him and terrorism," Rajan told the media.


He also appealed to the Indian Government to do justice with him while asserting that all 'cases' against him are false and baseless.


The six-member joint team from the Mumbai crime branch, Delhi Police special cell and the CBI presently in Indonesia is carrying all the relevant documents needed for Rajan's deportation, including his crime history and a court warrant against him.Rajan, one of India's most wanted criminals and a leading figure in the Mumbai underworld, was arrested on October 24.


He is wanted for at least 68 cases in Mumbai alone, including over 20 murder cases and other serious offences under MCOCA, POTA and the Arms Act

IPL Sundar Raman quits. Raman was under pressure to quit for the last couple of months. The Supreme Court inquiry committee had linked him to the IPL betting and match-fixing scandal, and Raman's credibility was at stake.

Just in: IPL COO Sunder Raman resigns. 

Record numbers of migrants and refugees crossed the Mediterranean to Europe in October '" just in time for the advent of winter, which is already threatening to expose thousands to harsh conditions. Read more

Many eyebrows were raised in the security establishment when Delhi police, after the CBI, was roped into the operation to bring Chhota Rajan back to India.


TOI was told by reliable sources, holding senior positions in the security establishment, that the Centre is not comfortable in allowing Mumbai police to handle the Rajan case. Delhi police, which reports to the Centre, is considered more reliable. Read more

A police constable in Mumbai has been arrested and suspended for allegedly molesting and assaulting a woman while he was in an inebriated state, a senior police official said today.


Constable Pravin Nalawade was suspended last night with immediate effect for molesting and assaulting the woman in Andheri's Marol area, Mumbai's Joint Police Commissioner Deven Bharti said.


The accused police personnel was allegedly drunk last night at around 9.30 pm when a passerby saw him chasing a woman and assaulting her, police said. As the woman cried for help, the passersby then caught hold of the cop.


Later, an FIR was registered at Powai police station against Nalawade under relevant sections and subsequently he was suspended and arrested, police added.

A day after it emerged as the single largest party but fell short of a majority in Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC), the Shiv Sena today hinted at a truce with BJP, saying whatever happens during polls is temporary.


Notably, the BJP sharply increased its tally in the KDMC polls, the results of which were declared yesterday.


"There was a lot of mudslinging (between the BJP and Sena) while campaigning for the KDMC election...but, we need to respectfully accept the verdict given by people. Whatever happens during election is temporary and we should let bygones be bygones," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said today.


Further indicating a mellowed stance as against its aggressive posturing before the polls which saw ties with ally BJP plunge to a new low, the Sena said everyone needs to be taken along to ensure development.


"We are worried about the development of Kalyan and Dombivali and thus, people have got us to the brink of majority. We need to take everyone along to ensure development," it said.

Pakistan on Monday banned the media coverage of terror groups like the Jamaat-ud-Dawa as part of a wider crackdown on terror, acknowledging for the first time that the outfit led by Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed was a wing of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. 


The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) issued a notification to all satellite TV channels and radio stations, banning the coverage of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) under United Nations restrictions.  


"The Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation are the other wings of Lashkar-e-Taiba," the notification said.  


This is for the first time that a Pakistan government department has admitted that JuD and FIF are "other wings of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)".   According to the notification, 60 proscribed organisations and 12 others have been placed under a watch list.

Security of underworld don and India's most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim has been enhanced in Pakistan after the arrest of his bete noire Chhota Rajan in Indonesia.

The Supreme court on Tuesday will hear the suggestions from different stakeholders and most likely the government to improve the collegium system.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh mouthpiece "Panchjanya" has alleged that JawaharlalUniversity is home to "a huge anti-national block which has the aim of disintegrating India.

An American trade body focused on India has said that only "substantive reforms" will advance the NDA government's efforts to promote 'Make in India' and attract high value-added foreign direct investment.

Neurosurgeon Ben Carson has emerged as the new front-runner in the crowded Republican presidential race, with real estate tycoon Donald Trump now following him as the runner up, latest opinion poll has said. According to the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released last evening, 62-year-old Carson has received support from 29 per cent of Republican primary voters.

Underworld don Chhota Rajan, who was arrested in Bali upon arrival from Australia on October 25 alleged on Tuesday that5 some Mumbai cops have links with Dawood Ibrahim. 

Mumbai underworld don Chhota Rajan, now in police custody in Bali, Indonesia, is likely to be deported back to India as "early as Tuesday.'Sources in Mumbai told The Hindu on Monday that the Mumbai police would likely get the final custody of Rajan once he was brought back to India.

In a big set back to China's e-commerce giants like Alibaba, an official report submitted to the Chinese lawmakers said only 58.7 per cent of items in online trades were genuine or of good quality last year with the remaining 40 per cent shoddy or counterfeit.

A federal jury in the US state of Alabama has failed to arrive at a decision on the case of a brutal police assault on a 57-year-old Indian-American grandfather who was left partially paralysed.