LIVE! Sacked AAP Minister Sandeep Kumar arrested for rape

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Sat, 03 September 2016

Sacked AAP Minister Sandeep Kumar arrested for rape

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23:24 Sacked AAP Minister Sandeep Kumar arrested for rape

Sacked Delhi Minister Sandeep Kumar was on Saturday arrested by Delhi police after a woman, who purportedly figured in an "objectionable" CD, filed a rape complaint against him.

Kumar was booked on charges of rape, transmission of material containing sexually explicit act and taking illegal gratification.

Earlier in the day, AAP's Political Affairs Committee suspended the 36-year-old first-time MLA from the party and referred the matter to its disciplinary committee.

Kumar was removed from the council of ministers on August 31 by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after the CD purportedly showing him in compromising position with a woman surfaced.

22:49 Preparations for Sainthood to Mother Teresa

On the eve of the canonisation ceremony of Mother Teresa, sand artists Sudarsan Pattnaik pay his tribute with a sand art.

Mother Teresa will be declared a saint by Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church in a canonisation ceremony in Vatican City on Sunday in the presence of over a lakh of her followers from all over the world.

Here are few things you should know about her

Bangladesh hanged a top Islamist party figure on Saturday for atrocities committed during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan, the law minister said, a move that could draw an angry reaction from his supporters.

Mir Quasem Ali, 63, a key financier of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was executed at Kashimpur Central Jail on the outskirts of the capital, for murder, confinement, torture and incitement to religious hatred during the war fought to break away from Pakistan.

Ali was hanged at 10.35 pm local time, Law Minister Anisul Haq told Reuters.

22:11

Nationwide strike by government nurses called off: All India Government Nurses Federation spokesperson.

22:10 2,000 protestors join march for Europe in London

Up to 2,000 protesters marched through the streets of London today to voice their discontent after June's referendum vote to leave the European Union.

The protesters, some carrying EU flags and others with faces painted in EU colours, carried placards with slogans like "Stop Brexit" and "We Need EU!"

In the June 23 referendum, 51.9 per cent of people voted to leave the European Union compared to 48.1 per cent who wanted to stay in the 28-nation bloc.

Prime Minister Theresa May says her government will not trigger Article 50, the formal process for leaving the EU, before next year.

"We don't want to leave the European Union," said one protester, 42-year-old charity director David Hillman, who called for a second referendum.

"I think the people here really hope that it won't happen... we're here to try and overturn this," he added. Comedian Eddie Izzard, who campaigned to stay in the EU, joined the demonstration sporting a pink beret.

"Is it too late? No, we just keep fighting," he said.

"Theresa May said Brexit means Brexit. What does Brexit mean? She doesn't know what it means."

22:02 India beat Puerto Rico 4-1 in soccer friendly

India beat Puerto Rico 4-1 in a football friendly at Mumbai Football Arena, Andheri, in Mumbai.

Nayan Das, Sunil Chhetri, Jeje Lalpekhlua and Jackichand Singh scored for India.

This is the first time since August 2008 that India have scored three in the first half.

Ahead of the all-party delegation's visit to Kashmir in the wake of ongoing unrest, Left parties on Saturday asked the Centre to bring Pakistan to the discussion table, besides holding talks with other stakeholders including

Hurriyat leaders to find a "final solution" to the problem.

Speaking to mediapersons after a consultation meeting with intellectuals here on the Kashmir issue, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury and his CPI counterpart Sudhakar Reddy also urged Hurriyat leaders to discuss their positionswith the delegation to find a solution to the problem.

"A final solution to this (problem) cannot happen without engaging with Pakistan. Yes, Pakistan's involvement in cross-border infiltration, terrorism...on that all of us have said unitedly that the country as a whole will face it.

"But at the same time, the engagement with Pakistan is also important," Yechury, who is part of the 30-member delegation, said.

On asked whether inviting Pakistan to come to discussion table will mean converting the issue as one associated with Pakistan and not India's internal matter, Yechury said "the Kashmir dispute is between Pakistan and India".

"(However) there is no scope for third party involvement nor there is a requirement. This is an Indo-Pak dispute," he said.

20:14 Mumbai court issues NBW against Mallya

A Mumbai court on Saturday has issued a non-bailable warrant against Vijay Mallya in Rs 1000 crore service tax evasion case.

Mallya was asked to appear before the court but he failed, following which the court has issued a NBW against him.

The court has also issued a non-bailable warrant against Kingfisher Airlines's chief executive Sanjay Agrawal in the case.

Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate had attached the beleaguered businessman's properties and shares worth Rs 6,600 crore.

On the eve of the visit of an all-party delegation to Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday has invited separatist leaders for talks.

The country's political leadership must, without any further delay, reach out to and engage all sections of the society, including leaders of the Hurriyat Conference, in a productive dialogue process to resolve the issue and make peace a reality in Jammu and Kashmir, she had said while visiting the family of a person killed in firing by security forces.

Seventy people have been killed and thousands injured in violence in Kashmir Valley following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter on July 8.

"Visited the family of late Mashooq Ahmed, firing victim of Kund, Kulgam and offered heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family... The loss of human lives is a colossal tragedy and every one should strive for peace in J&K," she posted on Facebook.

The chief minister said it is perhaps for the first time that the Kashmir issue has been, during the past two months, discussed in so many forums and at so many levels including Parliament and at all-party meetings where judicious views were put across by all shades of the country's political opinion on how to end the stalemate.

After a meeting held by the government to brief the MPs who are part of the 30-member delegation, leaders from Congress and CPI-M said all stakeholders, including Hurriyat should be approached during the two-day visit of the delegation to Jammu and Kashmir beginning on Sunday.

Singapore on Saturday reported 215 cases of Zika infections as scientists in the city-state said the virus strain comes from within Asia and was not imported from Brazil.

The ministry of health and national environment agency said in a joint statement this evening that of the 26 new cases reported =, 24 were linked to a cluster in the Aljunied district where the country's first locally-transmitted cases were reported.

The statement did not say where the other two cases were from. A week after Singapore reported its first case of locally transmitted Zika infection, local scientists say they have completed genetic sequencing of the virus.

"The analysis found that the virus belongs to the Asian lineage and likely evolved from the strain that was already circulating in Southeast Asia. The virus from these two patients was not imported from South America," the statement said.

19:11

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in Hangzhou, China for the Annual G-20 Leaders Summit.

18:29 Sacked Delhi Minister Sandeep Kumar surrenders before police

Ousted Aam Admi Party minister, Sandeep Kumar, who has been mired in a sex scandal controversy, surrendered before the Deputy Commissioner of Police office in Rohini on Saturday.

The Delhi Police has booked Kumar under rape charges (Section 376) while the woman has been taken for a medical examination for investigation.

A woman had lodged a complaint against Kumar, alleging that she had been given a drink laced with drugs by the minister.

Earlier in the day, the AAP had suspended Sandeep Kumar from the party. The suspension came nearly four days after the decision to remove the 36-year-old minister was taken at a high-level meeting attended by top AAP leaders. Kumar was the former Social Welfare and Women and Child Development Minister.

In the "objectionable" CD that emerged, he was shown in a compromising position with the woman.

17:14 Modi creates a legacy on China ties

All (Indian) eyes are on Hangzhou where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.

This is their first meeting after June in Tashkent.

The good part is that Modi is reviving his predecessor Manmohan Singh's practice of sustained interaction with the Chinese leadership.

The barren one-year interlude following the July 2015 Ufa meeting last presumably becomes a thing of the past.

Read more HERE

A day before demitting office, Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan today said the RBI's ability to say 'no' to highest echelons of government has to be protected as the country needs a strong and independent central bank.

Delivering a lecture on 'independence of the central bank' at the St Stephens College in New Delhi, the outgoing governor said the central bank cannot be free of all constraints as it has to work under a framework set by the government.

Recalling his predecessor D Subbarao's comments on policy differences with the government, Rajan said he "would go a little further" as he believes that "the Reserve Bank cannot just exist, its ability to say 'no' has to be protected."

"In this environment, where the central bank has to occasionally stand firm against the highest echelons of central and state governments, recall the words of my predecessor, Dr. Subbarao, when he said "I do hope the Finance Minister will one day say, 'I am often frustrated by the Reserve Bank, so frustrated that I want to go for a walk, even if I have to walk alone. But thank God, the Reserve Bank exists," the outgoing RBI governor said.

He further said that freedom to take operational decisions is important for the central bank.

The survey by the West Bengal government of the 997 acres of land to be returned to farmers in Singur under a Supreme Court ruling continued today on war footing despite inclement weather, a district official said.

The land had been acquired by the former Left Front government for the Tata Motors project.

The survey had begun on Friday after senior state officials and police entered the abandoned site filled with wild grass and overgrown bushes, after 10 years.

Satellite-based mapping and drones carried out aerial survey as huge contingent of workers and employees from various departments were pressed into service for cleaning and preparing ground work for plotting of the land.

Additional District Magistrate Land Revenue (ADMLR) P Maji said, "We are working on a war footing. We are going to work even during night with floodlights. We will complete cleaning and the land survey will be finished in two weeks. There will be no slowdown of work despite inclement weather."

17:05 Modi leaves Vietnam; heads to China for G20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today left Vietnam for China to attend the G20 summit beginning tomorrow after wrapping up his two-day maiden visit to the country that witnessed the signing of 12 agreements.

"A packed day of diplomacy in Vietnam ends as PM @narendramodi emplanes for Hangzhou to attend G20 Summit," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a photo showing a red carpet goodbye for Modi.

The first leg of his 2-nation tour saw India extending a $500 million line of credit to Vietnam to deepen their defence cooperation, amid China's claims in the disputed South China Sea.

Bilateral ties were also upgraded to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership besides inking of 12 agreements including in defence, trade and sharing white shipping information. Vietnam currently has Comprehensive Strategic Partnership only with Russia and China.

"I thank the people and government of Vietnam for the very good hospitality during my visit," Modi said.

17:03 Saint Teresa: What you should know about her

For many of the poor and destitute whom Mother Teresa served, the tiny nun was a living saint.

Click on the image (left) to know a few things about her...

Amid debate over alternative to pellet guns, according official source, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has approved use of chilli-based PAVA shells for crowd controlling ahead of his visit to Kashmir.

A seven-member panel involving officers from home ministry, BSF, CRPF, J&K Police, IIT-Delhi and Ordnance Factory Board had suggested their use for control crowd.

These shells have been developed by the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, a laboratory in Lucknow under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

The expert panel reportedly held a demonstration of PAVA shells at a test field belonging to CISF in the NCR some weeks ago.

Home minister Rajnath Singh later indicated that an alternative to pellet guns would be found in the coming days.

"In 2010, it was said pellet gun is a non-lethal weapon which can cause least damage but now we feel there should be some alternate to this," he said.

Ahead of the visit of an all-party delegation to Jammu and Kashmir, political parties on Saturday pitched for holding dialogue with "all stakeholders", including Hurriyat, to douse the unrest and banning the use of pellet guns by security forces.

After a meeting held by the government to brief the MPs who are part of the 30-member delegation, leaders from Congress and CPI(M) said all stakeholders should be approached during the two-day visit of the delegation to Jammu and Kashmir beginning on Sunday.

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the UPA is open to holding dialogue with all stakeholders.

"We have said that the option of dialogue should be open to all stakeholders. Government should open the dialogue with all stakeholders. The Centre and the state government know who the stake holders are. They have to identify the stakeholders and invite," he said in the presence of Tariq Anwar of NCP, a UPA constituent.

Azad said the pellet guns should be replaced with less lethal options to control protesters in Kashmir Valley.

China today ratified the climate change agreement reached last year in Paris that aims to significantly reduce global emissions, giving a big boost to hopes to bring the accord into effect by the end of this year.

China's approval to the agreement came a day ahead of the G20 summit in Hangzhou, where the leader of the world's two biggest polluters -- US and China -- will meet.

China and the US together are responsible for around 40 per cent of the world's emissions so their ratification of the international legal document is viewed crucial.

The Paris Agreement is the third attempt to address the issue of climate change, after the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

The accord, which sets ambitious goals for capping global warming and funnelling trillions of dollars to poor countries, will come into effect 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, have ratified it.

Lawmakers of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress voted to adopt "the proposal to review and ratify the Paris Agreement," state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

In probably its biggest action against Vijay Mallya, the Enforcement Directorate attached the beleagured businessman's properties and shares worth Rs 6,600 crore.

According to Times Now, among the things ED attached include Mallya's farmhouse in Maharashtra worth Rs 200 crore, an apartment and a mall in Bangalore worth Rs 800 crore and shares of UBL and USL, owned by the businessman, worth Rs 3,000 crore.

There could be more trouble for Mallya. The government is considering getting banks laden with bad debt to put the screws on some large defaulting promoters and make an example of them to persuade others to pay up quickly.

"A strong message needs to go from all concerned that resolution is important for the system," said a note on bad loans drawn up after a discussion among regulators and submitted to the government.

Read more HERE

Times of India reports: India is unlikely to give French naval contractor DCNS a proposed order for three new submarines, in addition to the six it is already building in the country, following the leak of secret data about its capabilities, Indian defence officials said.

Details of the Scorpene submarine were published in the Australian newspaper last month, triggering concerns that it had become vulnerable even before it was ready to enter service.

DCNS had offered to build three more submarines to help India replace its ageing Soviet-era fleet, and had held talks over the past year, two Indian sources said.

That offer will not now be taken up, according to the officials.

"We had an agreement for six, and six it will remain," a defence ministry official briefed on the navy's plans told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The CPI-M today said that the government should invite Hurriyat Conference for talks with the all-party delegation and announce confidence building measure during its visit to Kashmir.

Coming out of a briefing held by the government for members of the delegation, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, "Government should invite Hurriyat for talks with the all-party delegation" when it visits Kashmir from tomorrow.

He also suggested that confidence building measures should be announced during the visit of the delegation.

An interactive session to brief MPs who will be part of the 30-member all-party delegation was held today to make them aware of the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir and contours of the tour during which they will hold talks with a cross-section of people.

The prevailing ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir and positions and views of different stake holders, individuals and groups were conveyed to the parliamentarians.

The exercise was undertaken to ensure that all MPs speak in tandem and there is consensus among the lawmakers while speaking to a cross-section of people, aiming to bring peace in the state, sources said.

Growing reserves of bullion have raised the annual Ganeshotsav insurance cover sought by Ganpati mandals to record levels this season.

The richest mandal in the city, GSB Seva Mandal at King's Circle, has purchased insurance cover worth Rs 300 crore. The amount is Rs 2 crore more than last year's, mainly due to the increase in silver offerings.

The mandal has added a 15kg silver mandap.

"Our idol is adorned with 68kg of gold and 315kg of silver. Our silver reserves have increased by 17kg over last year's 298kg, thanks to a large donation by one particular devotee whose wish was fulfilled. We have used that to craft a beautiful mandap for the deity," said former president R G Bhat.

Of the Rs 300 crore, Rs 25 crore covers ornaments against theft and robbery, Rs 10 crore insures against fire and earthquake, Rs 40 crore is public liability cover, while the remaining Rs 225 crore protects devotees, officials and volunteers.

Read more HERE

Meeting of all-party delegation to Kashmir is underway in Delhi.

At the meeting called by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar and chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the itinerary of the visit will be shared with the members, who will also hold discussions on the prospective meetings in Kashmir.

The all-party delegation led by Singh will visit Jammu and Kashmir on September 4 and is expected to meet a cross section of people, individuals and organisations as an effort to restore peace back in the state.

The delegation will have 28 parliamentarians and senior government officials.

The delegation may include Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge as well as opposition leaders like Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM.

Curfew has been imposed in the valley ever since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

AAP suspends primary membership of sacked minister Sandeep Kumar: Sources.

Kumar was sacked by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday evening after receiving an 'objectionable' CD in which he was purportedly shown in a compromising position with a woman.

The decision to remove the 36-year-old minister was taken at a high-level meeting attended by top AAP leaders and the announcement was made by Kejriwal himself through a tweet.

Kumar, however, insisted that he had resigned on moral grounds.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday that Kumar had betrayed the AAP movement.

Taking a high moral ground for "promptly sacking" Sandeep Kumar, Kejriwal said that AAP never tries to cover up wrongdoings of its leaders.

10:20 India, Vietnam upgrade strategic partnership

PM Narendra Modi is speaking at the Joint Press conference in Vietnam shortly after the signing of 12 agreements between the two countries:

* As two important countries in this region, we feel it is necessary to further our ties on regional and international issues.

* Decided to upgrade our strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

* Buddhism & monuments of Vietnam's Hindu Cham temples stand testimony to the 2000-year-old bonds between our societies.

* Agreed to deepen defence & security engagement. Happy to announce new defence Line of Credit of US$500 million for facilitating deeper cooperation.

* It will be my pleasure to host Vietnam PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the leadership of Vietnam in India.

* Under Vietnam's leadership as ASEAN Coordinator for India, we will work towards a strengthened India-ASEAN partnership across all areas.

* We agreed to tap into growing eco opportunities in the region; recognized need to cooperate in responding to emerging regional challenges.

Just In: The CBI is carrying out searches at the residence of former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda in a land allotment case registered last year.

Apart from Hooda,former Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister M L Tayal and Union Public Service Commission Member Chattar Singhs residence was raided.

Earlier, a criminal case was lodged against the then Hooda-led government in Haryana for questionable allotment of coveted industrial plots in Panchkula's Industrial Estate.

"Searches are being carried out at 20 places in Rohtak, Gurgaon, Chandigarh and Delhi. The premises of Hooda, his two former personal secretaries and a serving Indian Administrative Service official are being searched by different teams. Some private companies are also under scanner," said a CBI official.

In September last year, the CBI had taken over the investigations into alleged swindling of about Rs.1,500 crore by private companies and their associates in acquiring 400 acres of prime land in Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula in Gurgaon, in conspiracy with unknown government officials.

The land in question was acquired by the builders in Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula in the Gurgaon district. The land worth Rs 1,600 crore was purchased for just Rs 100 crore, it is alleged.

Half a million people are expected to attend the canonisation of Mother Teresa at the Vatican on Sunday, in a ceremony transmitted live to her adopted home of Kolkata and Catholic audiences worldwide.

The two-hour mass in St Peter's Square, led by Pope Francis almost 19 years after she died, will transform the diminutive nun who became a global icon for her work with the poor into Saint Teresa of Kolkata. But it will also reignite deep criticism of the order she founded, the Missionaries of Charity, which according to detractors focused on the elevation, rather than the relief, of suffering.

Critics however have protested against Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to send a 100-strong delegation, led by foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, to Sunday's mass. An online petition said: "It boggles the mind that the foreign minister of a country whose constitution exhorts its citizens to have scientific temper would approve of a canonisation based on 'miracles'."

Hindu nationalists have claimed that Mother Teresa was a "soul harvester" who proselytised among the poor, and that she and her followers surreptitiously baptised the dying without their knowledge.

Read more HERE

The Indian administrative service, which is hamstrung by political interference and outdated personnel procedures, need urgent reform or risk institutional decline, according to a top US-based thinktank.

"Unfortunately, the IAS is hamstrung by political interference, outdated personnel procedures, and a mixed record on policy implementation, and it is in need of urgent reform," the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said in its report on 'The Indian Administration Service Meets Big Data' released yesterday.

"The Indian government should reshape recruitment and promotion processes, improve performance-based assessment of individual officers, and adopt safeguards that promote accountability while protecting bureaucrats from political meddling," said the report authored by Milan Vaishnav and Saksham Khosla.

In the report running into 50 pages, Carnegie said political interference generates substantial inefficiency: the best officers do not always occupy important positions, while political loyalty offers bureaucrats an alternative path to career success.

"Counter-intuitively, greater political competition does not necessarily lead to better bureaucratic performance," it said.

Radiologists across the country on Friday deferred their indefinite strike by a few months, after the government assured them their issues related to a legislation on sex determination would be addressed.

The Indian Radiological & Imaging Association had on Thursday said it would go on a nationwide indefinite strike from Friday, after it failed to reach a resolution with the government.

We held further talks with the government. We also communicated to our branch presidents the assurances given by the Health Ministry and, barring a few of them, all agreed to defer the strike by at least two-three months and work out a common ground during this time, IRIA President O P Bansal said.

The IRIA had yesterday held a protest at Jantar Mantar to press for their demand of amending the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, claiming that even clerical mistakes committed during their job like writing wrong names of patients are "equated" with sex-determination.

The apex body of radiologists had on August 31 given the first call for an indefinite strike from September 1. Later it held talks with the Health Ministry the same day.

Spanish MPs on Friday rejected acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's bid to form a minority government for the second time in 48 hours, setting the country on course for a possible third election in a year.

Rajoy, leader of the conservative Popular Party, lost the vote of confidence with 180 votes against and 170 in favour -- the same result he obtained during the first vote on Wednesday.

He was backed only by members of his own group, by centrist upstarts Ciudadanos and a lone member from a regional party from the Canary Islands.

Political leaders now have two months from Wednesday's parliamentary vote to explore alternative alliances but if their efforts come to nothing vote-weary Spaniards will be asked to return to the polls in December.

The PP, in power since 2011, won the most seats in elections held in December and June but fell short of a majority both times as voters angry over corruption and austerity flocked to new parties.

Spain has never had a coalition government since it returned to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975 and the country's four main parties have been unable to cobble together a governing alliance.

In his speech before the second vote, Rajoy made a final appeal to Socialist MPs to support his bid to form a government, and so avoid 'running the risk of having to return to the polls'.

"We all have the obligation to ensure that Spain does not foot the bill for parliamentary rifts and stubbornness," he added.

President Vladimir Putin says Russia wasn't involved in the hacking of e-mails of the United States Democratic Party, but thinks the release of the information was a benefit.

Some American officials have claimed that Russian military intelligence was behind the hacking, which provoked a political scandal in the US by revealing apparent prejudice in the Democratic National Committee against Hillary Clinton's challenger for the presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders.

'At the state level, we certainly weren't involved in this,' Putin said in an interview with the Bloomberg news service, according to a transcript released on Friday by the Kremlin.

Putin said it wasn't important who conducted the hacking, but 'what's important is that there was material that was released to the public.'

Syrian rebels supported by Turkish and coalition air strikes pushed further west into areas held by Islamic State in northern Syria as Ankara and its allies step up a campaign to rout the jihadists from the border area.

Turkish strikes destroyed three buildings used by IS around the villages of Kunduriyah and Arab Izzah, about 30 kilometres west of the border town of Jarabulus, the army said in a statement.

The pro-Ankara rebels took Jarabulus from IS last week on the first day of an unprecedented Turkish offensive aimed both at IS and a United States-backed Kurdish militia that had been leading the fight against the jihadists.

In the last few days the rebels have been moving quickly to clear the jihadists from the last stretch of the border under their control, backed by Turkish artillery and Turkish and coalition air strikes.

The army said the area around Kunduriyah was now controlled by the opposition rebels.

On Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis estimated IS only retained control of about 25 kilometers of the border, east of Al-Rai.

Turkey sent tanks and troops into Syria on August 24 to both combat IS - which has been blamed for a string of suicide attacks inside Turkey - and halt the westward advance of the Kurdish People's Protection Militia.

00:49 Apple just remembered it had a Twitter account

After five years, Apple has officially made its debut on Twitter.

The company added a profile image with its logo to the account on Friday and also secured 'verified' status for it. However, it's yet to tweet anything from @apple.

Apple already maintains accounts for customer support, iTunes, the App Store, iBooks and Apple Music.

Its Twitter account was first registered in September 2011, but hasnt seen any activity until now. It isnt clear if Apple was the first to score the account; its entirely possible that it was held by someone else prior to the company taking control of it.

Read full story.

Bangladesh police on Friday raided a militant hideout here and killed a top Islamist extremist who helped plan the the Dhaka cafe siege and was the deputy of attack mastermind Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury.

The terrorist was killed during a raid on a house in Dhakas Rupnagar area and was identified by police as top Neo-Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh leader Chowdhury's second-in-command.

Detective Branch Additional Deputy Commissioner Sanwar Hossain identified the deceased as Murad or Major Murad as referred to by the members of his outfit.

Joint Commissioner Abdul Baten said police raided the house around 9:30 pm local time.

Three policemen, including the officer in charge of the nearby police station, were also wounded in the gunfight with the terrorist.

00:10 Top headlines at this hour

Nurses strike hit hospital services; Delhi invokes ESMA

Vikas, vishwas are solution to Kashmir problem: PM

PM Modi's visit to Vietnam kicks off with defence, trade as top agendas

Modi, Xi to meet on Sunday, may discuss China-Pak corridor

'Court can't interfere in religious freedom': Muslim body on triple talaq

Sacked RSS leader keeps up attack on BJP, camp tones down

HIV positive woman gives birth to stillborn after hospital denies admission

Trinamool Congress recognised as 7th 'national party' in India

Read yesterday's live commentary HERE.

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