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Tue, 12 July 2016
British MPs to debate second EU referendum petition

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23:43   Resigned due to personal reasons: Najma
Najma Heptulla, who resigned on Tuesday from the Union Cabinet, said she has done so due to "personal reasons" and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving her the opportunity to "serve" the people.
She also said she will be available for any responsibility given to her in future.
"I am extremely thankful to the Prime Minister for giving me the opportunity and honour to be in his Cabinet where I gained a lot of experience and have tried to fulfil his expectations towards 'sabka sath sabka vikas'.
"I will always be available for any responsibility given to me in future. I have resigned from my post due to personal reasons," she said. 
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23:27   Gadoli encounter case: 2 Haryana cops arrested
Two Haryana police officials were today arrested by Mumbai Police in connection with the alleged fake encounter of Haryana-based gangster Sandeep Gadoli here. 

The policemen, identified as constables Vikram Singh and Jitendra Yadav, were arrested from the city. 

 Last week, police had arrested Sub-Inspector Pradhyuman Yadav who led the team of Haryana police that killed Gadoli in an encounter at Hotel Airport Metro here on February 7. Gadoli's family had moved the Bombay High Court alleging that it was a fake encounter, following which Mumbai police had started a probe.
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22:37   British MPs to debate second EU referendum petition
An online petition that calls for a second referendum for the United Kingdom to decide on its fate in or out of the European Union will be debated in the British Parliament after it was signed by more than 4.1 million people.
The UK's petitions committee said the debate would be held on September 5 as a "huge number" had signed it but it would not influence any change in the rules of the referendum already held on June 23, when Britain voted to leave the European Union by 52 to 48 per cent.
In a statement, the House of Commons Petitions Committee said a debate on the petition would allow MPs to "put forward a range of views on behalf of their constituents" and a government minister would respond to the points raised.
It added: "A debate in Westminster Hall does not have the power to change the law, and won't end with the House of Commons deciding whether or not to have a second referendum.

"It will be up to the government to decide whether it wants to start the process of agreeing a new law for a second referendum."
The online petition, set up by William Oliver Healey, gained more signatures than any other on the parliamentary website in the wake of Brexit.
Before the result was declared on June 24, just 22 people had signed it.
The petition, set up on 25 May before the referendum, states: "We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the Remain or Leave vote is less than 60 per cent, based on a turnout of less than 75 per cent, there should be another referendum."
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22:19   James Stavridis, retired admiral, is being vetted as Hillary Clintons running mate
Hillary Clintons campaign is vetting James G. Stavridis, a retired four-star Navy admiral who served as the 16th supreme allied commander at NATO, as a possible running mate, according to a person with knowledge of the vetting process.

Some close to Mrs. Clinton, the former secretary of state, say she was always likely to have someone with military experience on her vice-presidential short list, and Mr. Stavridis, currently the dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University, fits the description.

During his four years as NATOs supreme allied commander, he oversaw operations in the Middle East Afghanistan, Libya and Syria as well as in the Balkans and piracy off the coast of Africa.

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22:16   Third phase of odd-even might come during winters
Delhi Transport Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday hinted at introducing the third phase of the odd-even scheme in the national capital during winters.

"There is no need to implement the third phase of odd-even scheme during monsoon season as the pollution is on the lowest level during this season. Whenever the scheme is implemented, it would be in the winter season when the pollution levels are high," he told reporters here.
The first and second editions of the road-rationing scheme had been implemented in January and April.
The Kejriwal government is claiming that due to the odd-even scheme, pollution level had gone down significantly in the national capital.
However, some reports suggest there was no significant impact on pollution during operation of the scheme.
Jain, who recently took charge of the transport ministry, said the notification for imposing a fine of Rs 2,000 on motorists obstructing the plying of buses in their dedicated lanes will be issued by the end of July.
"The government is in the process to finalise the modalities of the new rules which will come into effect by the end of this month," he said.
On the scrapping of Bus-Rapid-Transit corridor, Jain said the demolition part has been completed but construction part, which includes building new roads, footpaths, will be carried out by the government only after the monsoon season.
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21:48   German jihadist jailed for posing with severed heads in Syria
A German jihadist was sentenced to prison today on war crimes charges after posing for pictures in conflict-torn Syria with the severed and impaled heads of two government troops.
Aria Ladjedvardi, aged 21 and with Iranian roots, received a prison term of two years, handed down by the Frankfurt regional court.
The court heard that the man, having been radicalised in Germany, travelled to Syria for at least several weeks in early 2014, where he joined a militant identified only as Vedat V, who remains at large.
In March or April, jihadists including Vedat V attacked a Syrian army checkpoint near the town of Binnish, Idlib province, captured at least two troops, beheaded them and impaled their heads on metal rods.
"The accused posed with the dismembered heads and let himself be photographed three times, so as to mock and belittle the deceased, whom he considered 'dishonourable infidels'" or non-believers, the court said in a statement. 
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21:43   Bernie Sanders endorses Hillary Clinton in 2016 US Presidential race
The chasm between presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her primary rival was bridged on Tuesday, with Senator Bernie Sanders formally endorsing Clinton's bid for the White House.

"Secretary Clinton has won the Democratic nominating process, and I congratulate her for that," Sanders said. "She will be the Democratic nominee for president and I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States.

"I have come here today not to talk about the past but to focus on the future. That future will be shaped more by what happens on November 8 in voting booths across our nation than by any other event in the world. I have come here to make it as clear as possible as to why I am endorsing Hillary Clinton and why she must become our next president."

The Sanders endorsement ends a lengthy -- and awkward -- period in which many were wondering if and how he would back Clinton. 
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21:24   Pakistani police search for Christian charged with blasphemy
Pakistani police say they are searching for a Christian man facing blasphemy charges after a Muslim friend accused him of insulting Islam with a poem.

Local police official Mohammad Asim said today that the accused is on the run.

The man is alleged to have sent his friend the controversial poem on WhatsApp. The incident occurred in the town of Sara-e-Alamghir in Punjab province. 

Asim said police are also guarding a local church to prevent any violence.

Under Pakistan's blasphemy laws, anyone accused of insulting Islam can be sentenced to death. However, the laws are often misused to settle personal scores and target minorities.
In 2015, Muslims beat to death a Christian couple and burned their bodies in a brick kiln for allegedly desecrating the Quran. 
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20:55   Najma Heptulla, G M Siddeshwara quit as Union ministers
Union ministers Najma Heptulla and GM Siddeshwara resigned on Tuesday, a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made big cabinet changes.

Najma Heptulla was the Minority Affairs Minister; minister of state Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has now been given independent charge of the ministry.

Siddeshwara was minister of state for heavy industries. His job will be taken over by Babul Supriyo, who was junior minister for Urban Development.

The BJP leader from Karnataka had been asked to resign before the cabinet reshuffle but he bought more time citing his birthday.  

In addition to introducing 19 new junior ministers, PM Modi swapped a series of key portfolios in his cabinet. The biggest change was Smriti Irani leaving the Education Ministry to Prakash Javadekar, the sole member of the government to have been promoted to the cabinet.
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20:26   Trump expects more violence, friction between police, blacks
Donald Trump says he believes relations between police and the nation's
African-American community are "far worse" than people think, predicting that protests against police violence that followed last week's slaying of five police officers in Dallas "might be just the beginning for this summer."

In an interview yesterday with The Associated Press, the presumptive GOP nominee struck a balance between the law-and-order rhetoric he has espoused during his campaign and an appreciation for the concerns held by African-Americans nationwide about the conduct of police.
Trump suggested that a lack of training for officers might be at least partially to blame for the two police shootings that led to last Thursday's protest in Dallas, where a lone gunman killed five in an act of vengeance against white officers. At the same time, Trump denounced the name of the Black Lives Matter movement as "a very divisive term."
The interview followed a speech on veterans issues in which Trump declared, "I am the law and order candidate," an echo of Richard Nixon's response to protest violence that broke out in 1968 following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr Like Trump, Nixon was a Republican running for president at the time.
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19:57   CM Mehbooba Mufti appeals for peace in video message to Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has released video message appealing to people in the state to maintain and restrain peace.

In the video, the CM appeals everyone to help the government bring back normalcy to the state. "I appeal everyone to help the Govt to bring back peace and normalcy in the state," Mehbooba says in the video.

"When I got news that Burhan Wani has been killed in an encounter, I ordered curfew anticipating protests, so that no life is lost," she added.

"Security personnel were told to act calmly. Sad, despite taking all measures, lives were lost during protest," she stated.

"Incidents where security personnel have acted harshly and have used excess force, will be investigated," the CM added.
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19:39   Cameron's musical exit: 'Winnie the Pooh' or 'West Wing?'
In what might be the best hot mic moment of the year -- and there have been a few to choose from -- David Cameron was caught humming a little tune to himself shortly after he announced Theresa May would become the next UK Prime Minister.

"Do, doo, do, do...," he sings as he heads back to the Prime Minster's residence.

For those wondering exactly what Cameron was getting at with his ditty, British radio station Classic FM immediately offered up some analysis, christening the soon-to-be anthem, "Cameron's Lament."

Read full story HERE.
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18:54   20 killed in Italy train collision
The toll in the Italy train collision has gone up to 20.

Twenty people have been killed and dozens more hurt in a head-on collision involving two passenger trains in southern Italy, officials say. The two trains were on a single-track line at the time of the crash, between the coastal towns of Bari and Barletta.
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18:51   Raj Babbar made UP Congress chief
Just in: Raj Babbar has been appointed the UP Congress Committee president, in effect the UP Congress chief. Making the announcement Ghulam Nabi Azad who is the UP poll in-charge said that the name of the CM will be decided later once the campaign begins. He admitted that Congress workers want Priyanka Gandhi to campaign across the state, but remained mum on whether she would step in beyond the family boroughs of Amethi and Rae Barelli.
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18:47   Omar's ex-wife, kids will not be evicted from govt bungalow... yet
Delhi High Court on Tuesday protected the estranged wife of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and their children from being evicted from their government residence here till July 28.

Justice Indermeet Kaur asked the Centre not to take any coercive steps against Payal Abdullah and her two sons till next date pursuant to the eviction order of June 30.

The court asked the Ministries of Urban Development and Home Affairs to reply to the petitioners plea that if they are found to be entitled to an alternate government accommodation then the Centre be directed not to evict them till a suitable residence is alloted to them and it is cleared and equipped by the security personnel.


The Estate officer, Resident Commission, Government of Jammu and Kashmir was asked by the court to respond to the plea that petitioners should not be evicted or a suitable alternate accommodation be allotted to them where they can be effectively protected.

In their plea, the wife and sons of Omar Abdullah, have claimed the Centre, through a letter dated September 9, 2015, allotted the 7 Akbar Road bungalow to the state of Jammu and Kashmir as the Chief Ministers residence with retrospective effect from August 11, 2009, without following the due process of law, which was thus illegal.

They have contended that even now the website of the Department of Hospitality and Protocol of Government of Jammu and Kashmir shows that the residence of Chief Minister of the state was at 5, Prithviraj Road.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain, during the hearing, told the court that the petitioners were not entitled to stay on at the premises as Omar Abdullah was no longer the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
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18:14  
Just in: One person killed in fresh firing by security forces in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, police sources.
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18:05   India to give Rs 5 lakh to victims of cross-border firing
Home Minister Rajnath Singh approves compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the civilian victims of cross border firing along the border. The compensation given to those who die due to terrorism or Maoist violence has been increased from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, says the home ministry.

Rs 5 lakh will also be given to those who receive 50 per cent or more disability or incapacitation due to the same reasons.

The compensation amount will be given subject to the condition that no employment has been provided to any of the family members of the victims by state or central government.

A formal notification in this regard will be issued by the Home Ministry after taking an approval of the Union Cabinet soon, the official said.

More than 50 civilians die every year due to shelling and cross border firing along the Indo-Pak order in Jammu and Kashmir.


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17:46   Mother admits killing babies in one of Germany's worst cases
A woman on trial in one of Germany's worst infanticide cases, involving eight dead babies, confessed today to killing several of them but said she could not remember how many.

Andrea Goeppner, 45, was charged with four of the murders after the babies' remains were found wrapped in towels and plastic bags last year in a case that revulsed the country. Asked how many of the eight she confessed to killing, her defence lawyer Till Wagler said, "it could have been two, three or four".

Prosecutors were unable to pursue murder charges for the other four infants, as one was found to have been stillborn and three were so badly decomposed that it was unclear whether they were viable at birth.

The grisly remains were uncovered last year in Goeppner's apartment in the Bavarian small town of Wallenfels. The woman's estranged husband, Johann Goeppner, 55, is charged with complicity for failing to stop the killings, which took place between 2003 and 2013.

In her confession, read out by her lawyer, the mother said she had given birth to each of the eight babies at home alone and had wrapped every infant in a hand towel. She would promptly suffocate any baby that moved or cried, then place the body in a plastic bag or containers and hide it in the apartment, said Wagler.

The pair had each brought two children into the marriage, and the couple conceived three more surviving children together, the court heard. Even though they did not want any more children, they used no contraceptives, and Andrea Goeppner was almost constantly pregnant over a decade.
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17:14   Null and void, says China rejecting South China Sea verdict
An angry China today rejected as "null and void" the verdict of a UN-backed international tribunal which struck down its claims over the South China Sea saying Beijing has no "historic rights" in the disputed area. China "neither accepts nor recognises" the ruling of a tribunal in the South China Sea arbitration established at the request of the Philippines, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.


"The award is null and void and has no binding force," it said in a statement minutes after the five judge tribunal appointed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration delivered its judgement striking down Beijing's claims of historic rights over the area, strongly disputed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea (SCS) shall under no circumstances be affected by those awards. China opposes and will never accept any claim or action based on those awards, the statement quoted by state-run Xinhua new agency said.


"China has territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea," said a separate statement titled 'Statement of the Government of the People's Republic of China on China's Territorial Sovereignty and Maritime Rights and Interests in the South China Sea'.
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16:49   Imran Khan weds for the third time?
Cricketer-turned politician and Chairman of opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has married for the third time in a simple ceremony in London, according to media reports today.


The news of the marriage surfaced after 63-year-old Khan in a recent interview said that he might consider marrying for the third time after his two marriages ended in divorces.


Duynia TV reported that Khan has "completed hat-trick of marriages", a cricketing jargon used when a bowler takes three wickets on consecutive deliveries.


It said Khan married a woman belonging to Maneka family in a simple ceremony few days back in London. Geo TV reported that Khan decided to get marry at the suggestion of female spiritualist called 'Pinki' of influential Maneka family from Punjab province.


Other TV channels reported that Khan was seen with his wife in London where he had gone to spent vacation with his two sons. There was no definite report about his third (would be) wife.


Though, Geo identified her with single name Mariam. However, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party rejected the news as rumor and said he will be back soon to take up political challenges. "This is not true. We are seeing the news channels and laughing," said Naeem ul Haq, Central Information Secretary of the party.


Khan last year married for the second time when he entered in wedlock with former BBC weather girl Reham Khan, but the marriage failed to prosper and the two separated before the end of the year. His first marriage was with Jemima Goldsmith (later Jemima Khan) of UK in 1995 but they separated in 2004

Image: Imran Khan with his second wife Reham Khan
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16:41   Ten killed in Italy train crash
Ten people have been killed and dozens more hurt in a head-on collision involving two passenger trains in southern Italy, BBC reports.

The two trains were on a single-track line at the time of the crash, between the coastal towns of Bari and Barletta.

Emergency services are trying to free passengers from the wrecked carriages near the town of Andria."I think there are many dead," local fire brigade commander Riccardo Zingaro said.
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16:37   UN steps in, calls for restraint in Kashmir
Expressing regret over the loss of lives and injuries in the clashes in Kashmir, UN chief Ban Ki-Moon has called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further violence and hoped that all concerns would be addressed through peaceful means.

The Secretary-General is closely following the recent clashes in Kashmir. He regrets the reported loss of dozens of lives and the injuries to many others, a statement issued by Bans spokesperson said today.

Earlier during the daily briefing on Monday, Bans spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the reports of the clashes in Kashmir, in which about 31 people have been killed so far and over 250 injured, are of concern to us.

Dujarric also rejected remarks by a Pakistani journalist that the UN chief, who had earlier in the day addressed the press on the situation in South Sudan, had brushed aside the Kashmir issue and was not taking note of the situation there.

I think no one is denying that we are concerned about the situation in Kashmir. The fact that the Secretary General did not raise it as he did not raise many other critical situations around the world does not mean that he is brushing anything aside, Dujarric said.

Tensions are rising in Kashmir where clashes have broken out between protesters and security personnel following the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani last week. 
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16:23  
JUST IN: Italian news reports say two trains have collided head-on in the southern region of Puglia, killing at least 4
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15:56   Ex-CBI chief Ranjit Sinha indicted by SC panel on coal scam
Former CBI chief Ranjit Sinha has been indicted by a Supreme Court-appointed panel that investigated his alleged role in the coal scam.  

The panel reportedly found that the coal scam accused had visited the CBI chief. It also found that Sinha tampered with the proceedings of the coal scam probe and his decisions were influnced by meeting with the accused.

The report "points the needle of suspicion" at Sinha, said the sources.

The apex court had appointed a team led by former CBI special director ML Sharma in 2015 to probe allegations that a visitors book from Sinhas official residence showed he met several accused in the coal scam. On Monday, the SC panel said the diary was genuine.

Police have been investigating suspected collusion between government officials and private companies in under-priced sales of coalfields, which the Comptroller and Auditor General said in 2012 might have cost India around 1.86 lakh crore in lost revenue.

In 2014, the SC revoked the allocation of more than 200 coal blocks sold by the government.
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15:53  
7 terror suspects arrested in Hyderabad, have been sent to judicial custody till July 26 by NIA Special Court, reports news agency ANI
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15:43  
Sensex surges 181.45 to close at 27,808.14. Nifty closes at 8,524.10
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15:30   Will the Ganga Jal project survive?
attempts to strengthen the foundation of Indias culture, Union Communication and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had decided that the waters from the River Ganga will be distributed through the postal network.

But with Manoj Sinha, the new MoS Communication and IT, will the waters make it to people's homes? Sinha is from Uttar Pradesh and he does not want the controversy on the Ganga Jal project to be bequeathed to him, so he held a special briefing on this and will discuss the future of the project with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

Ravi Shankar Prasad used to claim that he is the advocate for Lord Ram or Ram Lalla as he won the case in the Constitutional bench of the Allahabad High Court a few years ago.


The minister had proclaimed loudly, "I used to get several requests from people that the vast postal network be utilised to deliver Ganga water at home. I have directed the Department of Posts to utilise the e-commerce platform and make the arrangement of providing pure Ganga Jal from Haridwar and Rishikesh to the people, Ravi Shankar Prasad had said.

Will Sinha water it down?
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15:11   I will return: Swamy on National Herald verdict
Subramanian Swamy reacts to the National Herald verdict (Please, scroll down): "Delhi HC judgement is not on law but on procedure. I will return to Patiala House for documents again and let court follow the HC procedure."
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14:50  
Here's the backgrounder on the South China Sea dispute. Read
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14:49   China has NO 'historical title' over South China Sea, rules Hague tribunal
An international Hague tribunal has finally given its ruling over a centuries-old maritime dispute between the Philippines and China. The courts findings could call into question Beijings wider claims to the South China Sea and spark a potentially destabilising reaction from China.


The tribunal has ruled that China has no historical title to the South China sea. China has reacted saying the tribunal's ruling is ill-founded.

Control of the South China Sea is the most contentious and explosive diplomatic issue in east Asia, with China asserting sovereignty over maritime areas that span 3.5m square kilometres but are also claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Japan. Washington has become deeply involved, backing those against China and conducting military patrols.

Although the case was raised by the Philippines, it will affect all these countries as it questions the legality of Chinas nine-dash line, a dotted marker in Chinese maps stretching hundreds of miles south and east from the mainland.

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14:45   Huge relief for Gandhis, Swamy won't get National Herald documents
National Herald case: Relief to Rahul and Sonia Gandhi as the Delhi HC sets aside trial court order. Petitioner and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. will not get the documents that had been summoned by the trial court.

The trial court had summoned various documents from the Finance Ministry and other agencies and the party's 2010-11 balance-sheet.

The High Court had earlier on April 18 reserved its order on the pleas of Congress leaders challenging summoning of documents from different ministries in connection with this case filed by Swamy.

A Delhi Court had on March 11 given its nod to Swamy's plea, seeking the balance sheets of the Indian National Congress (INC) and Associated Journals Pvt Limited (AJL) for the purpose of investigation in this case.

Swamy had on March 1 approached a Delhi Court seeking summoning of certain documents related to the financial details of Congress, AJL and Young Indian Pvt. Ltd.

In an application moved before Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen, Swamy sought to summon the balance sheet, receipts, income and expenditure statements for assessment years 2010- 11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 of the INC, AJL and Young Indian Pvt. Ltd.

Besides the Congress president and her son, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda are the other accused in this case.
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14:28   NIA arrests Hyderabad ISIS module chief and fundraiser
NIA arrests Hyderabad ISIS module chief Yasir Niamatullah and Athaullah Rehman, who raised funds.

Investigating a suspected terror module of ISIS in Hyderabad, the NIA today said the accused were tech-savvy and using a modern software to secure their email conversation with their handler in Syria.

According to the NIA, the alleged kingpin Mohammed Ibrahim Yazdani was using 'tutanota' software, a secure encryption mail to be in touch with his handler abroad. The coordinates of places where logistics like weapons were to be delivered, were sent to him by his handler through this email.

Tutanota is a combination of Latin words "tuta" and "nota" meaning "secure message". It provides a platform for not having any personal data and also does not log Internet Protocol address to secure locations of sender or receiver.

The platform encrypts data including its subject, content and attachments.

Yazdani had also purchased a weighing machine from a shop at Biwi bazar for weighing explosive precursors and chemicals, the NIA alleged.

Another accused Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Amoodi alias 'Fahad' had procured nine Aircel preactivated SIMs from a promotional temporary stall at Charminar bus stop.

Subsequently he had purchased five Chinese mobile phones from a mobile shop at the Charminar bus stop so that they can be used in their planning and operations.

The NIA had on June 22 lodged a common FIR against ISIS for "criminal conspiracy to wage war against the government of India" by collecting weapons and explosive materials to target public places, religious sites and sensitive government buildings in various parts of country and arrested five persons in this connection.

The agency has alleged that the five had acquired weapons and explosive materials to carry out terror attacks and were in touch with the banned ISIS. They were getting directions for planning and executing terrorist activities from ISIS, which has captured various towns and cities in Iraq and Syria.

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14:17   In exalted company
President Pranab Mukherjee with author Amitav Ghosh and his wife Deborah Baker during the Writer-In-Residence Programme at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
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13:58   Sardar dropped as captain, Sreejesh to lead India at Rio
Just in: Sardar Singh removed as hockey team skipper. PR Sreejesh named captain, SV Sunil named vice captain. However, Sardar Singh remains in the 16-member squad for the Rio Olympics.

The Indian women's hockey team captain Ritu Rani fails to make the cut for the Indian Hockey team to represent India at the Rio Olympics.
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13:53   Do dooooo, do dooooo ... mystery tune Cameron hummed announcing resignation
British Prime Minister David Cameron has gone out not with a bang, nor a whimper, but a mystery tune.

He appeared to be humming a little tune to himself as he walked away from cameras after announcing he would hand over power to his successor Theresa May on Wednesday.

Cameron stepped away still wearing his lapel microphone and could be heard singing to himself as he reached the door of 10 Downing Street, his official residence, in video footage broadcast by ITV.

As the door opened, he could be heard saying "Right!" before it closed behind him and a scratching sound was audible, indicating the microphone was removed.

"Do doooooooo, do doooo," he sang to himself, according to the clip sent by BBC reporter Daniel Sandford.

Moments earlier the departing Conservative Party leader had announced: "We'll have a new prime minister in that building behind me by Wednesday evening".

It wasn't immediately clear what tune Cameron was singing, but the social media world poured forth with often-satirical suggestions. One writer opined that Cameron had just unwittingly revealed the secret "Open Sesame" musical code for the Downing Street door.

Another theorized that it was Cameron's personal "game over" videogame hook.

Some thought they detected a hint of "The West Wing" theme tune.Soon, hastily remastered clips of Cameron's doings accompanied to the beats of Dr. Dre were doing the social media rounds.

Bloomberg's Rob Hutton said it sounded like the beginning of the theme song for the hit US political drama series "West Wing", while ITV's Robert Peston said it was just a "Winnie-the-Pooh style hum".
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13:37   Priyanka meets UP poll chief Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sonia
Delhi: Meeting underway between Congress UP incharge Ghulam Nabi Azad and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at Azad's residence in New Delhi. Before meeting Azad Priyanka met Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Reports suggest that Priyanka is likely to lead the poll campaign across UP. In the earlier state elections and in the Lok Sabha polls she only campaigned in the Gandhi bastions of Amethi and Rae Barelli.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka may together kick-start the party's campaign for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections at a workers' meeting in Lucknow next month.
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13:21  
Ankur Bhardwaj @Bhayankur  A page in Greater Kashmir today.
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12:58   A day later Shaktiman statue disappears from Dehradun
Following backlash on social media over 'Shaktiman' being given more importance than the cops who lost their lives, the Uttarakhand Government has removed the statue of the police horse installed at the Police Lines in Dehradun.

"The statue was here till last evening. Today morning when I came here, it wasn't here. It was a horse statue. I don't know where did it vanish,' a local resident told ANI.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat was supposed to inaugurate the 'Shaktiman Park' named after the police horse, who was critically maimed in a BJP rally carried out by MP Ganesh Joshi earlier on March 14.

However, Rawat skipped the inaugural ceremony Monday and left the venue soon after his visit.Shaktiman was a well-trained 13-year-old horse of the Uttarakhand Mounted Police.

When the horse was deployed by the police during a BJP rally, Joshi had allegedly attacked the horse's leg with a baton, critically injuring the animal. The outrage over this incident of gross animal abuse grew so large that Joshi was briefly arrested.The white Kathiawari horse succumbed to its injuries on April 20.
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12:50   Kashmir an international matter, not India's internal affair: Pak
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria has said that the Kashmir dispute has international ramifications and rejected India's assertion that it is an internal matter where Islamabad has no role to play and should have no role to play.

"The dispute of Kashmir has international recognition. It is not an internal matter of India. Such an assertion is a violation of UN Security Council's Resolutions," The Express Tribune quoted Zakira, as saying.


He said the current situation on the Indian side of Kashmir is a manifestation of what Kashmiris wanted, their right to self-determination. Reportedly, Pakistan has decided to be aggressive diplomatically on the Kashmir issue.


A senior Foreign Office official said Islamabad has directed all diplomatic missions, particularly those in key world capitals, to brief the host governments about the current situation in Kashmir.
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12:13   Peshawar school massacre mastermind killed drone strike
Justice at last for the family of the victims massacred at the Peshawar Army Public school.

The mastermind behind the December 2014 massacre has been killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan, senior Pakistani security officials claimed.

The officials told Dawn on Monday that Umar Mansour was killed, along with another militant leader Qari Saifullah, in the US drone attack in the Bandar area of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province on Saturday.

One of the officials said they had credible reports of Mansour having been killed with Saifullah, who was in charge of suicide bombers. "What we have is pretty credible," the official said.

On May 25, the US State Department had declared Umar Mansour a global terrorist, thus clearing the path for his inclusion in the hit-list.The State Department's announcement came four days after a drone strike killed Afghan Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour in Balochistan on May 21.

Mansour orchestrated the attack on December 16, 2014, on the Army Public School which killed 122 students and 22 teachers. It was one of the worst terrorist attacks which prompted the government to declare an all-out war against terrorist outfits in the country.Mansour and Saifullah belonged to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) Tariq Geedar group and used to operate in Peshawar and adjoining Frontier Region Peshawar and Darra Adamkhel.Mansour fled to Afghanistan following a military operation in Khyber tribal region and continued to operate from there.

He was held responsible for the September 2015 attack on a Pakistan Air Force base in Peshawar's Badaber area, which killed 29 people.He was also behind the January 2016 attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda in which 18 students and faculty members lost their lives.

Image: Kids being escorted to safety on the day of the attack.
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12:07   Cuffs on youth bound for Syria
Mumbai police today intercepted a young man from Kerala who was on his way to Syria, with sources saying he could be "helpful" in cracking the disappearance of nearly two dozen Malayalees since they went abroad last month. "We are questioning him. We intimated Kerala police and a team from there has arrived in Mumbai. He could be helpful in tracking down the remaining young men," said a source in the Maharashtra anti-terror squad. Sources said Firoz, a 20-year-old from Kerala's Kasargode district, was on his way to Syria to join the Islamic State.  Read more
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12:04   Cairn Energy seeks USD 5.6 bn compensation from India
British explorer Cairn Energy has sought USD 5.6 billion in compensation from the Indian government for raising a retrospective tax demand of Rs 29,047 crore on 10-year old internal reorganisation of its India unit.


In a 160-page 'Statement of Claim' filed with an international arbitration panel on June 28, the Edinburgh-based company sought withdrawal of the tax demand and declaring that India has "failed to uphold its obligations" under the UK-India Investment Treaty by not giving its investments in the country "fair and equitable treatment."


It sought USD 1.05 billion in compensation for the loss of value its 9.8 per cent shareholding in its erstwhile subsidiary Cairn India suffered following Income Tax Department raising the tax demand in January 2014 and attaching the shares.


"In the alternative, and should the (arbitration) Tribunal determine not to order India to refrain from enforcing its unlawful tax demand", Cairn sought to be compensated of breaches of the Investment Treaty by being paid for the loss of value of its holding in Cairn India as well as interest and penalties, totalling USD 5.587 billion (Rs 37,400 crore).


The total compensation sought is equal to the tax demand raised and the value of Cairn Energy's 9.8 per cent shareholding in Cairn India.
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11:36   J-K not represented, why is CM not in meeting with PM, asks Omar
Former J-K CM reacts to PM Narendra Modi's high-level meeting at his residence to review the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.Kashmir has been witnessing violent clashes between security forces and protesters in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen's poster boy Burhan Wani. The death toll stands at 24.

The PM's meeting was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar among others.

Omar tweets, "I understand if @MehboobaMufti didn't leave the state to attend but why not by video conference? State unrepresented. We set up video links for all sorts of meaningless things but here where it matters to have @MehboobaMufti involved in the process - nothing."


Yesterday Abdullah tweeted, "Those who glorify the stone pelting and violence should spare a thought for the family of this dead policeman. RIP. "

One policeman died when he was thrown into the Jhelum by protesters.

Abdullah also said he was with the J-K CM over the fresh outbreak of violence. "Dear @MehboobaMufti We in @JKNC_ are always ready to contribute towards maintaining peace but you must take the lead & show the way. This is the time to lead from the front. You must accept the responsibility both for letting things get to this point as for the recovery. Please don't take the easy option of hiding behind your spokesperson & your police officers. No one elected them, the people elected you.
More than anyone else I know what you're going through @MehboobaMufti & I can assure you that we will follow your lead but lead YOU must. The @JKNC_ will never be an irresponsible party & opposing you will never mean setting the state on fire for narrow political ends."

Yesterday Home Minister Rajnath Singh had met Sonia Gandhi and Omar Abdullah over the violence in the state. Omar tweeted, "HM @rajnathsingh ji spoke to me earlier today. I told him that until security forces exercise maximum restraint & stop killing protestors..." 
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11:23   Now, dry Bihar to make mouths dry with fear
Bihars dry law is going to be scarier. By the end of this month, once the proposed amendments to the New Excise Act, promulgated only three months ago, gets the approval of the State Legislature, the law will have more teeth. As per the proposed amendments, recovery of a bottle of liquor from anybodys house would mean arrest of all the adult male members of the family and even the neighbours. Read more
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11:21   Kashmir protests: Pellets take a toll, 92 eye surgeries and counting
Pellet guns have been regularly used to quell protests in Kashmir since 2010, when the state police introduced them as "non-lethal weapon', their use has increased over the years. Read more
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11:20   How Kashmiri Muslim couple defied a curfew and walked miles to feed Pandit friend's starving family
With 30 dead in Kashmir and curfew clamped in large swathes of the state amid the unrest over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani this heartwarming story is a must read. Take a look.
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10:39   Kashmir unrest: High-level meeting underway at PM's residence
Narendra Modi's high-level meeting to review the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is underway at the prime minister's residence.

Kashmir has been witnessing violent clashes between security forces and protesters in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen's poster boy Burhan Wani. 
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09:53   Kashmir unrest: Rajnath Singh cancels his US visit
Home Minister Rajnath Singh has cancelled his visit to the United States in view of the unrest in Kashmir.

On Monday, the home minister had reached out to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah and discussed solutions to the on-going unrest.

Singh also held a meeting earlier in the day with senior officials of the Home Ministry and security agencies and directed them to take measures to ensure swift return of normalcy. An additional 800 CRPF personnel were rushed to Kashmir as reinforcements for the 1,200 CRPF personnel sent earlier to assist the state administration.

The Valley is seeing protests after security forces killed Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani last week. The death toll has risen to 30, including the death of one police official.
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09:15   Why it won't be easy to charge Zakir Naik
Condemning or trolling televangelist Zakir Naik for allegedly spreading hatred through religious preaching might come easy, but law enforcing authorities would face difficulty in proving in a court of law. 

Over the years, the Supreme Court has consistently and meticulously differentiated between public perception and facts. 

It has insisted on hard facts to substantiate charges of causing communal disharmony under IPC Sections 153A and 295A of IPC.

Read more HERE
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09:01  
BSF gunned down 3 Pakistani intruders at Shahpur post in Ajnala sector of the India-Pakistan international border, early this morning: Anil Paliwal, IG
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08:58   Police shooting: Obama to visit Dallas today
President Barack Obama will travel to Dallas today where he will address an interfaith service in memory of five police officers shot dead in a sniper attack during a protest decrying police shootings of black men.

"At the invitation of Dallas Mayor, Obama will deliver remarks at an interfaith memorial service with the families of the fallen police officers and members of the Dallas community whose unity is reflective of who we are as Americans," the White House has said. 

Obama will also meet privately with the families of the five slain police officers and those wounded to express the nation's support and gratitude for their service and sacrifice, it said. 

The memorial service would also be attended by Vice President Joe Biden and former President George W Bush and his wife Laura.  
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08:40   Herald case: HC verdict likely on summoning of documents
Delhi High Court is likely to pronounce its verdict today on pleas of Congress leaders against a trial court order summoning documents from the Ministries of Finance and Corporate Affairs and other agencies and balance sheet of the party for 2010-2011 in the National Herald case.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi, party leaders Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) are accused in the case filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. 

Swamy has accused them of allegedly conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by just paying Rs 50 lakh by which YI obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which Associated Journals Pvt Ltd (AJL) owed to the Congress party. 

All the accused have denied the allegations levelled against them by Swamy. 

Congress leaders, Vora, Fernandes, Dubey and Sam Pitroda had argued through their lawyers that there were "no reasons or objects" in the application filed by Swamy in which he had sought summoning of these documents.
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08:34   Back in India, PM to get cracking on Kashmir tension today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a high-level meeting today to review the situation in Jammu and Kashmir which is witnessing violent clashes between security forces and protesters in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen's poster boy Burhan Wani. 

Ahead of the meeting, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had on Monday chaired a discussion with senior Union ministers and officials during which it was suggested that security forces make "judicious" use of force and ensure smooth movement of Amarnath pilgrims. 

According to official sources, the prime minister will be given a detailed presentation on the prevailing situation in Kashmir Valley arising out of escalating protests following the killing of Wani on Friday.

As many as 23 people have lost their lives during the clashes. Unconfirmed reports put the death toll at 31. Monday's meeting was convened to discuss the tense situation in Jammu and Kashmir was attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and NSA Ajit Doval, who returned a day earlier.
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08:28   UK PM Cameron to chair his last Cabinet meeting today
British Premier David Cameron will chair his last Cabinet meeting today and attend House of Commons for his last prime minister's questions on Wednesday before heading to Buckingham Palace to offer his official resignation to Queen Elizabeth II.

"We will have a new Prime Minister in that building behind me by Wednesday evening," Cameron told reporters outside 10 Downing Street. 

"I am delighted Theresa May will be Prime Minister. She has the overwhelming support of the Conservative parliamentary party...she is strong, she is competent, she is more than able to provide the leadership that our country is going to need in the years ahead," said Cameron, who had announced he would be stepping down for a new prime minister to take the Brexit negotiations forward with the European Union a day after the June 23 vote in favour of Britain leaving the economic bloc. 

59-year-old May, who would become Britain's second female Prime Minister after Margaret Thatcher, made a statement outside the Houses of Parliament here soon after saying she is "honoured and humbled" to be chosen as leader of the Tory. 
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08:23   Modi returns home after four-nation Africa tour
Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home today after his four-nation Africa tour aimed at enhancing ties with the continent. 

Modi came back from Kenya, which was the last leg of his visit that also covered Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania. "After a vital Africa tour which witnessed key talks, interactions & agreements, PM @narendramodi reaches Delhi," the PMO tweeted.

Modi had on Monday held talks with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta during which the two sides decided to deepen and expand cooperation in a wide range of areas as they signed seven pacts, including in the field of defence and security and avoidance of double taxation. 

Earlier the prime minister visited Tanzania, South Africa and Mozambique as part of the five-day tour. 

India has offered $92 million Line of Credit to Tanzania for a key water supply project and signed five agreements with it.

In South Africa, Modi held talks with South African President Jacob Zuma on a wide range of issues, particularly in the economic sphere. Showcasing India as an attractive destination for defence production, the Prime Minister also sought deeper collaboration in the sector with South Africa, a major arms exporter, even as he thanked it for supporting India's bid for membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group. 

In Mozambique, Modi held wide-ranging talks with President Filipe Nyusi. The two countries signed three pacts, including a significant "long-term agreement" under which India will buy pulses from this African nation to meet its recurring shortfall and contain prices of this commodity. 
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05:25   I am law and order candidate: Trump
Describing himself as the law and order candidate, Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday said that if elected he would protect everyone and treat them justly without prejudice.
"Not only am I the law and order candidate, but I am also the candidate of compassion, believe it. The candidate of compassion. But you can't have true compassion without providing safety for the citizens of our country," Trump told his supporters at an event in Virginia.
"Every kid in America should be able to securely walk the streets in their own neighbourhood without harm. Everyone will be protected equally and treated justly without prejudice. We will be tough. We will be smart. We will be fair and we will protect all Americans," he said amidst big applause from the audience.
"Without safety, we have nothing. It is the job of the next president to make America safe again for everyone," he said in his first public event after last week's shooting incidents in Dallas that killed five policemen and the killing of two other African Americans in different parts of the country at the hands of police.
"The attack on our Dallas police is an attack on our country. Our whole nation is in mourning, and will be for a very long time. Yet we have also seen increasing threats against our police and a substantial rise in the number of
officers killed in the line of duty -- very big rise," he said.
Observing that America's police and law enforcement personnel are what separates civilisation from total chaos and the destruction of the country, Trump said its time to "immediately end" the hostility against police and against all members of law enforcement.

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03:44   Black Lives Matter protests spread to Europe
hey may be thousands of miles apart -- but that didn't stop Black Lives Matter protesters in Europe marching in solidarity with their United States counterparts over the weekend.

Hundreds of people marched in London, Berlin and Amsterdam, Netherlands, holding signs emblazoned with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter and chanting, "No justice, no peace.

"They followed similar protests across the United States after police shot dead two black men --Alton Sterling on Tuesday in Louisiana and Philando Castile on Wednesday in Minnesota.

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02:59   PM-in-waiting Theresa May promises 'a better Britain'
Theresa May promised to build a "better Britain" and to make the UK's EU exit a "success" after she was announced as the new Tory leader and soon-to-be PM.

Speaking outside Parliament, May said she was "honoured and humbled" to succeed David Cameron, after her only rival in the race withdrew on Monday.

Cameron will tender his resignation to the Queen after PMQs on Wednesday. Cameron, who has been UK prime minister since 2010, decided to quit after the UK's Brexit vote.

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02:10   Kashmir is an internal matter of India: US
Kashmir is an internal matter of India, the US today said and asked all stakeholders to make efforts towards finding a peaceful resolution of tensions in the Valley following the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani last week. 

"We have seen reports of the clashes between protesters and Indian forces in Kashmir, and are concerned by the violence. We encourage all sides to make efforts towards finding a peaceful resolution," a State Department Spokesman said.

The spokesman said the US has not spoken with Indians on this issue as it is an internal matter of India. "We have not. This is an internal matter for the Government of India," the spokesman said.
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01:51   2 bailiffs killed, deputy injured in shooting at Michigan courthouse
Three people are dead after a shooting at the Berrien County Courthouse.

The Berrien County Prosecutors Office tells media that two of the dead are courthouse bailiffs and the third person was the shooter.  

A fourth person was wounded.

The courthouse is still under lockdown, but the situation is determined to be over.
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01:29   US: At least 3 dead in shooting at Michigan courthouse
At least three people were killed in a shooting at a courthouse on Monday in southwestern Michigan, an employee at the county prosecutor's office told the Detroit Free Press

The employee, who wished not to be named, told the newspaper that three people are dead and one person is injured.

Two of the people dead are court bailiffs. The other person dead is the shooter, the employee told the Detroit Free Press.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced on Twitter that Michigan State Police has secured the scene, and is beginning its investigation into the shooting.
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01:19   South Sudan's warring factions declare ceasefire
South Sudan's Vice President Riek Machar ordered a ceasefire by his forces on Monday, reciprocating a move made his rival President Salva Kiir who had earlier ordered his SPLA army forces to halt fighting, he told the independent Eye Radio.

"The president has declared a unilateral ceasefire, I want to reciprocate the declaration of unilateral ceasefire," he told the radio, saying he had ordered it to come into effect at 8 p.m. (1700 GMT), two hours after the deadline Kiir had set.

Monday had witnessed some of the heaviest fighting between the two sides, after clashes erupted on Thursday.

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00:58   8 Somali soldiers killed in suicide car bomb, attack at base
Eight soldiers were killed when a suicide car bomb targeted a Somalia military training camp and attackers then entered the base on foot, the military said today.
The car bomb today morning allowed the fighters to infiltrate the Lanta Buro base in Lower Shabelle region, a military officer, Said Mohamed Adawe, told The Associated Press.
"They are still in control of the base," a senior Somali military official said, insisting on speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it killed 30 soldiers.
Al-Shabab also targeted the camp last year with a similar attack, killing more than 15 soldiers.
Residents said they heard heavy gunfire and an explosion today before the extremists raised their black banner over the base.
Military officials said the attackers confiscated military vehicles and arms during the attack, which highlights the challenges facing the government and African Union forces in restoring peace and stability in the Horn of Africa nation.
Al-Shabab, which maintains a military presence largely in rural areas, has stepped up attacks on military bases across large parts of south and central Somalia.
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00:22   PM Modi leaves for India after concluding four-nation tour
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday left for home after concluding his four-nation Africa tour aimed at enhancing ties with the continent.
The prime minister, who arrived in the Kenyan capital on Sunday night on the last leg of his tour, on Monday held talks with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
India and Kenya also decided to deepen and expand cooperation in a wide range of areas as they signed seven pacts, including in the field of defence and security and avoidance of double taxation.
Earlier, he visited Tanzania, South Africa and Mozambique as part of the tour.
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00:19   Some elements hell-bent on fomenting trouble in Kashmir: Mehbooba
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said some elements are hell-bent on fomenting trouble and mayhem in Kashmir for their vested interests playing with the lives of innocent youth by instigating them to indulge in violence "resulting in a vicious cycle of frenzy and bloodshed".
     
She sought the wholehearted cooperation of the people in restoration of peace and normalcy in the valley to prevent further loss of precious lives and destruction of public and private properties.
 
Without identifying anyone, the Chief Minister, who was interacting with civil society members, said while certain quarters are only interested in playing politics over the dead bodies of youth, it is the family members of these slain youth who have to live with this pain forever.
"It is only the parents and other immediate family- members of these ill-fated youth who have to live with the life-long trauma of losing their near and dear ones to this senseless violence,"  she said.
 
There are hundreds of such families in Kashmir today who have lost their near and dear ones to the violence, one way or the other, and have been left at the mercy of the God, she said.
 
Most of these families are living in such miserable conditions that they have to even struggle for day-to-day living,  she said.

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