Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has resigned after nearly four decades as the country's leader, according to the parliament speaker Jacob Mudenda.

The producers of the controversy-ridden film Padmavati will take a call on its release only after the censor board's go-ahead, a source said today.

The film starring Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati, Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji, was earlier scheduled to release on December 1.

On Sunday, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the studio behind Padmavati, announced in a statement that they were voluntarily deferring the release of the film out of 'respect and regard for the law of the land' including the Central Board of Film Certification.

They said a new release date will be announced once the 'requisite clearances' are in place.

But media reports have claimed that the film is now pushed for next year and the promotions have been put on hold.

The source from the production house, however, told PTI that no concrete decision has been reached yet.

"We will decide the release date of the film after getting the certificate from the CBFC. We will wait for the censor board to give us clearance and then decide which is the best date for the release," the source said.

CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi had yesterday said that the board should be given adequate time to come up with a balanced decision about the movie.

The Ministryof Information and Broadcasting also said today that the CBFC should be allowed to do its job.  -- PTI

Narendra Modi is 'Brahma, the creator', who controls everything and alone knows when the winter session will be convened, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said today, targeting the prime minister over the delay in summoning Parliament.

He alleged that democracy has suffered a 'big jolt' under the Modi government.

"I have talked to many ministers, the Speaker, Lok Sabha Secretary General, but no one knows the dates of Parliament session. Only one man knows and they call him Brahma, the creator. That's why till Brahma orders, we won't know the dates (of Parliament session)," Kharge told reporters.

"Democracy has suffered a big jolt under the Modi government. We term it as Modi 'Sarkar', because BJP members and even ministers in the government do not know anything," he said.

Kharge alleged the government was not convening the winter session to avoid facing criticism over issues it was uncomfortable about. Targeting the prime minister, Kharge said he was working at his own 'whims and fancies'.

"We condemn them (the government) for doing this. For (the sake of) democracy, we should run Parliament," he said.

Kharge said the prime minister did not want a Parliament session ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections, as he feared the Bharatiya Janata Party will be 'exposed'.

He claimed the government did not want any discussion on issues like demonetisation, GST or corruption.  -- PTI

Actor Ranveer Singh who essays the role of Allaudin Khilji in the film Padmavati reacts to the controversy over its release. This is Ranveer's first statement since the row over the film erupted. The actor speaking to ANI said, "I am 200% with the film and my Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I have been asked not to say anything, whatever the official stand is, you will get it from the producers. It's a very sensitive issue."


The Mumbai Police have beefed up the security of actor Deepika Padukone after Shri Rajput Karni Sena warned of physical harm in case she did not refrain from inciting public sentiments, a senior official said.

Karni Sena leader Mahipal Singh Makrana invoked the nose chopping of Surpanakha in the epic Ramayana and said if the Bollywood film Padmavati was not banned and Padukone does not refrain from fanning sentiments with her provocative language, the Rajputs will not lag behind in acting.

Amid a raging controversy surrounding Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting today said the Central Board
of Film Certification should be allowed to do its job. Amid rumours of a romantic dream sequence between Rajput queen Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji's characters in the film, many Rajput groups have been protesting against the movie, alleging that it distorts history.

The 50-share NSE Nifty settled up 28.15 points, or 0.27 per cent, at 10,326.90 after shuttling between 10,358.70 and 10,315.05. Positive leads from other Asian markets tracking overnight gains at Wall Street helped. Investors continued to focus on corporate earnings and prospects for tax cuts. "Anticipations on further list of stressed assets should keep banking stocks in focus, in view of provisioning required," added James.

Image: KBK Graphics

Stock benchmarks made it four in a row as they closed higher today, fending off adverse political developments in Germany threatening to derail European markets.


Pharma stocks stood out following a string of USFDA clearances. "Positivity in global peers and buoyancy in the pharma sector following USFDA clearances helped extend yesterday's gains, but profit booking in the recent outperformers capped any further gains," said Anand James, Chief Market Strategist, Geojit Financial Services.


The Sensex opened higher and went further up, but settled at 33,478.35, a gain of 118.45 points, or 0.36 per cent, due to profit-booking in the last one hour of trade.


Image: KBK Graphics

Anticipatory bail granted by Punjab and Haryana High Court to Pinto family in the Pradhyumn Thakur murder case. The Pintos are the owners of the Ryan International chain of schools. Seven-year-old Pradhyumn Thakur was found murdered in the washroom of Ryan International's Bhondsi branch on September 8.

The lawyer representing Pradyuman's family said they will file an appeal after receiving a copy of the court's order and assessing it. 

The CBI, which is probing the case, had opposed the bail plea of the three trustees of the school and demanded that their custody should be granted to the investigating agency.

The Delhi government has directed schools across the national capital to appeal to parents to continue restricting outdoor activities of their wards as long the pollution condition persists.


The government restricted outdoor activities in schools and asked parents to follow the same at home when the pollution level in the city touched alarming levels earlier this month.


Schools also remained closed for a week when the situation turned worse. After two days of relatively cleaner air, the air quality of Delhi once again turned 'very poor' yesterday as the impact of sporadic drizzle in flushing out pollutants ebbed and more vehicles hit the streets on the first working day of the week. -- PTI

Yet another journalist was killed in Tripura on Tuesday, the second in exactly two months, the victim being Sudip Datta Bhaumik, who was allegedly shot dead by a jawan of the 2nd Tripura State Rifles (TSR) at RK Nagar, about 20 kms from Agartala. Read the report here.

Hadiya's father moved a fresh application in the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking direction for in-camera proceedings of the hearing on November 27, in connection with the Kerala 'love jihad' case.


The 24-year-old Hadiya has been in the headlines after she became a Muslim following her marriage to Shafin Jahan.


Earlier on Monday, the Chairperson of Kerala Women Commission was again denied permission to meet Hadiya, whose marriage to a Muslim man set off a legal war - famously known as Kerala 'love jihad' case.  -- ANI

In yet another controversial and disruptive move -- after demonetisation -- aimed at encouraging digital transactions and create a cashless India, the Centre is likely to ban all cheque books, a decision that could affect the transaction preferences of millions of people in the country, reports India Today.


News agency PTI, in a story dated November 16, has quoted a senior official of a prominent trade body as sayig that the government needs to encourage the use of debit and credit cards.


Confederation of All India Traders secretary general Praveen Khandelwal told PTI, "In all probability, the Centre may withdraw the cheque book facility in the near future to encourage digital transactions."


He was talking to reporters at the launch of 'Digital Rath', a joint initiative of the CAIT and Mastercard to encourage traders to adopt different modes of digital transactions and promote cashless economy.

The Centre is likely to introduce a bill in the winter session of Parliament to end the practice of Triple Talaq. ANI reports that a ministerial committee has been constituted to frame a law and the government proposes to bring this legislation in the forthcoming session of Parliament.


The Supreme Court had banned the controversial Triple Talaq practice in August this year for just six months. The apex court had also asked the Centre to bring a legislation for the same, else the injuction of the court would continue.


The law allows Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by uttering the word "talaq" three times. Muslim women say they have been left destitute by husbands divorcing them through "triple talaq", including by Skype and WhatsApp.


It has been at the centre of the controversy for a long period, raising questions of human rights, secularism and gender justice. Some Muslim groups see the issue as a matter of religious right while others, including the Centre, term it unconstitutional.

Just in: Fierce encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district.

The Kerala High Court has directed the organisers of the International Film Festival of India to include and exhibit the film S Durga, directed by Sanal Kumar Sashidharan in the Indian Panorama section of the Festival.


The judge overruled the objections raised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and held that the CBFC certified version of the film was entitled to be screened.


S Durga and the film, Nude, were dropped from the Goa festival after it was axed by the I&B ministry.

Just in: Bus conductor Ashok Kumar has been granted bail by the Gurugram court in the Pradhyumn Thakur murder case. Ashok Kumar has been granted bail on a surety of Rs 50,000. The school bus conductor was arrested on September 8 for the murder. His family has maintained that Ashok had been framed and was forced to sign a confessional after he was beat up by the police.

After the CBI took over the case it apprehended a senior student of Ryan International School in connection with the murder, rejecting the Gurugram police's theory that the killing was the handiwork of Ashok Kumar.


Also read: 'My husband can come home because of the CBI'

Just in: Kerala High Court gives the green signal for the screening of the film, S Durga at the International Film Festival in Goa. 

The Shiv Sena on Tuesday drew a comparison between the British era and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government stating that both had blind followers who believed their governance to be god's blessing.


Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece Saamna stated that whenever anything good happens in the country, the Centre or the BJP ruled states are appreciated but at the same time the party is not ready to take the blame when things go wrong.


"During the British rule, there were people who said that the English rule is god's blessing. Similarly, now we have people who say the same about Prime Minister Modi's. If it rains good, then it is because of the Modi government but when insects ruin crops then no one from the party will own up to the loss," the Shiv Sena in its editorial said.


Taking a dig at the BJP-led government at the Centre over the train accidents, the Shiv Sena said: "Bullet train is a Modi government's boon but, train mishaps are not. The BJP and its followers will not even shy away from crediting Modi for natural phenomena like sunrise."


The editorial, citing the British divide and rule policy, opined that businessmen running a country is not a good idea. "People who think that the Modi's rule is god's blessing are disrespecting the almighty. It is the common which is god in democracy," the editorial added. -- PTI

Unified AIADMK MP V Maitreyan today hinted at discontent among leaders of the erstwhile factions led by E K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam which merged over three months ago.


"It has been three months now since the merger of EPS-OPS faction. Months are passing by, what about hearts?," Maitreyan, who is a member of Rajya Sabha, said in his Facebook post.


Asked about his remarks, Maitreyan, who was in the OPS faction, said he had already expressed his views and did not wish to say anything more. Senior party leaders K P Munuswamy and Manoj Pandian refused to comment on Maitreyan's remarks. -- PTI

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today alleged that 'Padmavati' director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is no less guilty than those issuing threats to actors and others involved with the film and asserted that if there is any action, "it will be against both the sides". Lashing out at the film-maker, he said Bhansali was "habitual of playing with public sentiments".


The state government has said it would not allow the movie's release till certain "controversial portions" are removed. "No one has the right to take the law into own hands whether it is Sanjay Leela Bhansali or anyone else," the chief minister said. "I feel that if those threatening (the actors of the film) are guilty, Bhansali is no less guilty," he said.


The chief minister said if there is any action, "it will be against both the sides." On threats being issued to eliminate actors, Adityanath said, "Everyone should respect the feelings of each other. And I feel that if everyone has good thoughts and intentions, there would be amity in society." The film is based on Rajput queen Padmavati.

File pic.

A husky voice, a yellow shawl and thick black spectacles have for long provided DMK leader M. Karunanidhi a distinct identity in Tamil Nadu politics. On Saturday, after 46 years, he changed his spectacles on the doctor's recommendation.The new frame is an imported one and is lighter compared to the ones he has been using all these years. Read the story here.

"There is delightful irony that China has put forward a plan to resolve Rohingya refugees, which is so deceptively simple and yet didn't occur to Indian ingenuity. The 3-stage Chinese plan proposes to:

-- Achieve a ceasefire so Rohingyas are no longer displaced. (The ceasefire is now in effect.)

-- Encourage Myanmar and Bangladesh to keep communication lines open in a bid to arrive at a feasible solution by carrying forward their initial agreement on repatriating refugees in Bangladesh.

-- Find a long-term solution by addressing the root cause of the conflict through development of Rakhine state. (Xinhua).

It is a moot point whether the Chinese plan will work, because in the long run, as they say, we are all dead. What matters is time present."

Read MK Bhadrakumar's blog here.

The Madras High Court today reiterated that by-polls to the RK Nagar constituency have to be held before December 31. The Radhakrishnan Nagar seat in Tamil Nadu had fallen vacant following the demise of then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and the elections were earlier scheduled to be held on April 12.


The Madras High Court had in September too directed that the RK Nagar bypolls be conducted by December 31. However, the Election Commission had cancelled the by-election after investigations led to the discovery of a  cash-for-votes scam where voters were being offered incentives in the form of cash and other materials.


Jayalalithaa had won the RK Nagar by-polls by over 1.5 lakh votes during the Assembly polls in 2015.

Chief Justice Mohit Shah made an offer of Rs 100 crore to my brother for a favourable judgment in the Sohrabuddin case: Late Judge Loya's sister.
The explosive story by Niranjan Takle for the Caravan. Do read.

Bengaluru: Security heightened outside residence of Deepika Padukone in the wake of controversy over her film Padmavati. 

A fire at a block of flats in north London has left one woman dead, the London Fire Brigade said, reports the Independent. Some 60 firefighters tackled the blaze at the four-storey building in Daleham Gardens, Hampstead, that broke out in the early hours of Tuesday. Around 20 people fled the building before crews arrived, however one woman who was rescued from the building died at the scene, the LFB said. No further details have been released about the woman.

Also read: London fire: Manslaughter charges could be filed

Indian Navy's Remotely Piloted Aircraft crashes during take off at Kochi: Defence spokesperson.

A man from Gurugram on Tuesday filed an FIR against Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suraj Pal Amu for his comments on actress Deepika Padukone and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali over film Padmavati.


Earlier on Monday, the National Commission for Women wrote to the Haryana DGP seeking action against state BJP chief media coordinator Amu.


Amu on Sunday made derogatory remarks against Padmavati filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh and announced a reward of Rs 10 crore for beheading the actress.


The NCW requested the DGP to look into the matter immediately and take an appropriate action in accordance with the law. -- ANI

Delhi High Court refuses to pass order on a PIL seeking action against National Conference president Farooq Abdullah over his alleged remarks on Pak- occupied Kashmir.

Vijendra Singh Kalyanwat, the spokesperson for the Rajput Karni Sena, has led the agitation against Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film Padmavati. Kalyanwat tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf why he is unhappy that Padmavati's release has been postponed. Read the full interview here.

Hyderabad police have amped up the security measures in the city and imposed curbs on residents living in and around the Falaknuma Palace ahead of the visit of United States President Donald Trump's daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump later this month.


The first daughter is visiting the country to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, and is expected to have dinner with international delegates on the 101 dining table, one of the world's largest dining tables, at the Taj Falaknuma Palace, in Falaknuma area.


V Satyanarayana, DCP of South zone Hyderabad, informed ANI that on the eve of Ivanka Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival to the Falaknuma Palace on November 28 evening, the Hyderabad city and South zone police along with Octopus, Greyhounds, City Security wing, GRP, Intelligence wing and Task Force will be prepared with safety security measures, ensuring the event proceeds peacefully.


The police has already conducted a cordon and search operation in Falaknuma, and advised nearly 3500 residential areas to not allow strangers or their relatives and friends to come to their houses during this period. -- ANI




Image: The 101 Dining room, says the Taj, has "sophisticated wood interiors and ornate crystal chandeliers, and exquisite acoustics that enable you to hear whispers from one corner of the room to another". The 101-seater table, says the hotel website, is the world's largest dining hall.  Picture courtesy: Taj Hotels.

Shatrughan Sinha @ShatruganSinha acknowledges the challenge from the opposition in the upcoming Gujarat polls. "The coming together of Congress & Patidaars in Gujarat via dynamic leaders Hardik Patel, Jignesh Patel & Alpesh Thakore, creates more challenge for our party & people in Gujarat. Hope wish & pray that our people have taken care of these developments & will manage desired results."

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar on Tuesday said a Cabinet Committee meeting will be held soon to fix the dates for winter session of Parliament.


The Union Minister told ANI that the Bharatiya Janata Party is committed to hold the winter session.


"We are committed to hold winter Parliament session and in the next couple of days we are going to have cabinet committee meeting on parliamentary affairs and decide the dates," Kumar said.


Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi on Monday accused the Centre of sabotaging the winter session of Parliament on flimsy grounds.


Sonia further said that the Centre cannot escape constitutional accountability by "locking the temple of democracy."


She also accused the ruling dispensation of deliberately trying to delay the session to prevent the Opposition from raising 'uncomfortable questions' ahead of the Gujarat assembly elections.


The winter session of Parliament usually starts in the third week of November and lasts until the third week of December.


Reportedly, the government was considering a truncated winter session of around 10 days starting from the second week of December. -- ANI

Former employees of Britannia Industries and the company have settled an over decade-long dispute pertaining to pension, paving the way for release of dues estimated to be in the region of Rs 40 crore, report Raghu Krishnan and Viveat Susan Pinto in Business Standard.   

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra on Tuesday cried foul after liquor baron Vijay Mallya drew parallels citing both of them were victims of political vendetta.


In his defence before a UK court against India's request to extradite him in a money laundering case, the businessman had said that he was a political victim like Vadra and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.


Vadra, however, shrugged off Mallya's statement saying that he was a political victim but never misused his position or ran away with anyone's money. "Yet again, I came across the news, where somebody or the other is using my name as crutches, for their personal benefits... This time, none other than Mr Vijay Mallya citing my references in the UK courts. I would like to remind Mr Mallya, yes I am a political victim, but I never misused my position and have full faith in my country's judicial system... I never ran away with anyone's money from the country like him," Vadra said.


Mallya, who is wanted in India for financial irregularities involving a total amount of Rs 9,000 crore as well as money laundering, will be tried in the UK court on December 4.


Vadra also advised the now-defunct Kingfisher airline's chairman to come back to India and face all pending legal matters against him.


"My piece of advise to him is 'to please return to India and face all pending legal matters and to clear his dues to the people owed', and last but not the least, 'please avoid using my name', I do not wish to be associated with you in any matter," Vadra said.


Mallaya has been staying in the UK for over a year now. Vadra has been under the scanner for dubious land deals made in Haryana when the Congress was in power for 10 years. The deals were held up by BJP) during poll campaigns for years as proof of massive corruption on Congress watch. -- ANI


Image: Robert Vadra's Twitter page. He writes, "Happy Birthday P.
Much Love, all the happiness n the best of Health."  Vadra is married to Priyanka Gandhi.

Actress Deepika Padukone, who is at the centre of a row over Padmavati, has pulled out of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, that will have US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the inauguration on November 28.


A senior official of Telangana government said on Monday that Deepika has withdrawn her name from the event. She had earlier confirmed her participation, the official said. He, however, said the reason for her pulling out of the event is not known.


The actress was one of the speakers at a session on 'Hollywood to Nollywood to Bollywood: The Path to Moviemaking'. The Nigerian film industry is popularly referred as Nollywood.  -- IANS

The Sensex struck a positive note today by jumping 154 points, in keeping with firm Asian shares. Fresh capital kept the flow on in the wake of continued buying by domestic institutional investors amid positive global indicators.


The 30-share index was trading higher by 154.01 points, or 0.46 per cent, to 33,513.91. Metal, consumer durables, realty and banking counters kept buzzing, with indices rising by up to 0.96 per cent.


The barometer had notched up 599.46 points in the previous three sessions. The NSE index Nifty hit 10,337.75, with gains of 39 points -- or 0.37 per cent. -- PTI

The Delhi High Court will today hear a Public Interest Litigation seeking action against National Conference president Farooq Abdullah for his reported controversial remarks on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.


President of Gharib Nawaz Foundation Maulana Ansar Raza filed the petition on November 17, and demanded that Abdullah's passport should be cancelled.


Recently, Abdullah said that the PoK belonged to Pakistan and the fact would not change no matter how many wars are fought over the issue.


Social activist Sukesh Khajuria also filed a complaint with District Magistrate against Abdullah, on the same day, and sought action against him under section 196 of CrPC, which deals with offences against the State and for criminal conspiracy to commit such offence.


A Bihar court has also ordered filing of FIR against Farooq Abdullah on charges of treason over his remarks on PoK.


India maintains that the PoK was invaded by Pakistan in 1947. On February 22, 1994, the Indian Parliament passed a unanimous resolution that demanded "Pakistan must vacate the areas of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, which they have occupied through aggression; and resolves that all attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of India will be met resolutely."  -- ANI

The rupee firmed up 5 paise to 65.06 against the dollar today, set off by fresh selling of the US currency by exporters and banks. The local unit received some good support from higher domestic equities. But a strong dollar overseas kept the rupee in check.


Yesterday, the rupee had retreated from its near one-week high and ended lower by 10 paise at 65.11 in a restricted trade amid stray dollar demand. Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex rose 154.01 points, or 0.46 per cent, to 33,513.91 in early session today. -- PTI

If the noxious smog smothering north India has robbed Delhi of its once splendid winters, the Union government's disdain towards democratic niceties and necessities threatens to deny Parliament - or at least curtail - its customary winter session this November.


Of the three sessions - budget, monsoon, and winter - that Parliament has to hold each year, the last one is the shortest but that does not take away from its importance.


The session usually lasts around three weeks starting the third week of November. Notice for a session has to be given two weeks in advance after the cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs clears the dates.  Read more on the Telegraph.

Three LeT militants killed in encounter with security forces in Handwara in J-K: Police. Details awaited.

Former chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification Pahlaj Nihalani on Monday brushed aside Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's ban on the upcoming film Padmavati, saying that a movie cannot be banned in a state before receiving a certification from the censor board.