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Mishika Bangia

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

India stands 4th among fastest growing economies: World Bank

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-china-fastest-growing-economies-world-bank/1/1004183.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

According to World Bank's latest edition of Global Economic Prospects, India has ranked fourth among world's fastest growing economies. India is expected to grow at 7.2% in the current fiscal and domestic demand is expected to remain strong, supported by policy reforms, reports added. India has been placed behind smaller economies of Estonia, Uzbekistan, and Nepal in growth rate.

The latest World Bank report about the economic health of the member countries clearly says that while India is among the fastest growing economies - big and small, China is not doing as well.Chinese economy is slowing down. In its latest report, the World Bank has said, "The continued gradual slowdown in China will slightly offset a pickup in the rest of the region led by a rebound among commodity exporters. Growth in China is anticipated to slow to 6.5 percent this year and 6.3 percent in 2018." According to the World Bank's latest edition of the Global Economic Prospects, India is the fourth fastest growing economy in the world. China shows a clear sign of slowdown and ranks at number 16 in terms of GDP growth rate.INDIA PICKING UPThe World Bank has pegged India's growth rate at 7.2 for the current year on the back of rising export and increase in government spending. Writing in the June edition of the Global Economic Prospects, the The World Bank analysts said, "In India, recent data indicate an acceleration in growth, with an easing of cash shortages and a rise in exports. An increase in government spending, including on capital formation, has partially offset soft private investment." According to the World Bank, "India is expected to accelerate to 7.2 per cent in fiscal 2017 (April 1, 2017 - March 31, 2018) and 7.5 per cent in the following fiscal year. Domestic demand is expected to remain strong, supported by policy reforms."CHINA SLIPSIn terms of growth rate, India is placed behind smaller economies of Estonia, Uzbekistan and Nepal. On the other hand, China failed to secure a place in the top 15 economies in terms of GDP growth rate. The World Bank said, that though China has shown recovery in exports and the robust consumption pattern has helped it grow at 6.9 per cent in the first quarter, Beijing's slowdown is pulling down the east Asian region. Other countries in the region are showing better growth rates.The World Bank has also expressed concern about exacerbating financial vulnerabilities of China on account of "elevated domestic debt." According to the World Bank, the policy uncertainty in the United States and Europe is likely to impact Chinese growth rate more adversely. The trade, immigration and fiscal policies of the US are under review by the Donald Trump administration. Similarly, the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union carries financial risks that could weigh on heavily on the China's growth prospects. Also read:China flexing muscle? Frontline combat brigade holds 'live fire drills' in Tibet Doklam standoff: Why China wants India to stop defending Bhutan How India and China can defuse Doklam tension by blaming colonial Britain

Ankush Verma

08 Jul 2017,Saturday

All G20 countries except US vow to fight climate change

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2017/jul/08/g20-summit-may-meets-world-leaders-in-bid-to-boost-brexit-trade-prospects?page=with:block-5960e8aae4b042dfbe78b34f#block-5960e8aae4b042dfbe78b34f

All G20 member countries except the US on Saturday reaffirmed the 2015 Paris climate accord as "irreversible". German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there had been no compromise on climate change and called the US position "regrettable". However, the US affirmed its strong commitment to an approach that lowers emissions while supporting economic growth and improving energy security needs.

5.04pm BST 17:04 We?re going to wrap up our live coverage of the G20 summit for the day. Thanks so much for joining me. Here?s a summary of what happened on the final day of the summit. 4.39pm BST 16:39 French President Emmanuel Macron says that he has not given up on trying to get Donald Trump to chance his mind over the Paris climate deal. I never despair to convince, because I think it is a duty, given my position, and it is a trait of my character. 4.25pm BST 16:25 Speaking after a day of bilateral discussions at the G20 summit in Hamburg, the prime minister said the UK had led on bolstering the global fight against terror and modern slavery as well as pushing for the implementation of the Paris agreement and boosting international trade.On terrorism, Theresa May repeated past calls for world leaders to do more to disrupt international finance streams for terror groups and to help stop foreign fighters returning to the west from conflicts in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere. She also said the G20 agreed to do more to combat domestic violent extremism and welcomed moves from technology companies to address the online spread of extremist content.The prime minister went on to describe modern slavery and trafficking as the ?great human rights issue of our time? and highlighted the UK?s taskforce to combat the issue. She said more needed to be done around thew world and called for a ?radically new global approach? to stopping human traffickers. On the Paris Agreement, the most contentious issue of the summit, May said she was ?dismayed? at the US decision to leave the pact. She urged Trump to rejoin it and said, following questions, that she had pushed the US president to do so in conversations during the Hamburg meeting. May went on to say she was a leading advocate of free trade but admitted some had been ?left behind? by globalisation - an admission she has made repeatedly in the past. She said the UK had pushed for G20 leaders to stop steel dumping practices and to do more to economically empower women. The prime minister added that the UK would work with others to improve international trading systems and to ensure more job opportunities for women. Linking her bilateral meetings to the Brexit process, May said she looked forward to agreeing trade deals with ?new friends and old partners?. Asked about a visit from one of the UK?s oldest partners, the US, May said no date had been agreed for Trump?s arrival in London. 4.13pm BST 16:13 Theresa May is now holding a press conference. She said she is dismayed that the US have not changed their mind on withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, but Trump would still be visiting the UK although a date had not been set.May said: ?Like other leaders, I am dismayed by the US withdrawing from the Paris agreement?She said had urged president Trump to change his mind and that the UK?s commitment ?is as strong as ever?.?We play a leading role internationally,? she added. Discussions on Syria, violent extremism, modern slavery, women empowerment and trade had been positive, she said. On Brexit she said: ?I?ve been struck by positivity of world leaders at G20 on Brexit trade.?Updated at 4.17pm BST 4.01pm BST 16:01 Oliver MilmanWorld leaders have made clear the US?s isolated stance on climate change, with 19 of the G20 countries affirming their commitment to the ?irreversible? Paris climate agreement.After lengthy negotiations that stretched well into Saturday, the final G20 joint statement notes Donald Trump?s withdrawal from the Paris deal while stating that the world?s other major economies all still support the international effort to slow dangerous global warming.The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said on Saturday she ?deplored? the US exit from the agreement and added she did not share the view of Theresa May, the British prime minister, that Washington could decide to rejoin the pact.Read the full article on the leader?s communique here: 3.58pm BST 15:58 French president Macron said Paris will host a summit on 12 December to make further progress on the 2015 Paris climate agreement and to address its financing issues.Le 12 décembre 2017, deux ans après l'adoption de l'Accord de Paris, la France accueillera un nouveau Sommet de mobilisation sur le climat.?On December 12, two years after the Paris (climate) agreement, I will convene a summit to take further action on climate, notably on the financial front,? Macron told journalists. He said that the summit would aim to mobilise private and public financing for the projects committed to in the Paris agreement. 3.47pm BST 15:47 Vladimir Putin said he had established a working relationship with US president Donald Trump, speaking at a press conference as the G20 summit draws to a close.The Russian president said thought there were grounds to believe at least partial cooperation with Washington could be achieved. Putin said he felt Trump had accepted Putin?s assertions that Moscow had not interfered in the US presidential election last year, but that it was best to ask Trump what his views on that were. He said the two leaders at their meeting had agreed to work together on cyber security and said he thought Trump in reality was a different person from the one seen on TV.Putin said Trump had asked him detailed questions regarding allegations that Moscow had interfered in last year?s US election. He said he had tried to give Trump detailed answers which he said seemed to satisfy his counterpart.The new ceasefire deal in southern Syria was the result of the United States altering its stance and becoming more pragmatic about the situation there, Putin said.He also said that certain pre-cursors had been created for an improvement in relations between Moscow and Washington going forward. 3.30pm BST 15:30 While climate change could not be agreed on, officials did reach a common statement including Trump about the other contentious issue at the summit, trade. However Merkel said discussions on subject with the US had been particularly difficult. The statement retains the G20?s longstanding rejection of protectionism. But it also acknowledged that trade must be mutually beneficial and that countries can use ?legitimate? trade defenses to protect workers and industries against being taken advantage of by trade partners.Merkel reiterated her statement that Europeans have to take their fate ?in their own hands,? saying that while cooperation with the US is important, some topics like trade, steel in particular, are ?difficult? to discuss with the Americans. Updated at 3.47pm BST 3.16pm BST 15:16 In a press conference, Angela Merkel said world leaders have agreed their final communique at the G20 summit.She said 19 members of the Group of 20 have reaffirmed the Paris climate accord as ?irreversible.?She made clear that it had been very difficult to get a consensus and in the end, breaking from tradition, a separate paragraph was included to cover the position of the US, who are withdrawing from the Paris climate change agreement and wanted fossil fuels to be mentioned. The German chancellor said the declaration makes absolutely clear that is not the common position of the other 19 world leaders. Merkel said there had been no compromise on climate change and called the US position ?regrettable?.She said: ?We amended the declaration and it says very clearly what the United States of America want and underneath what the other countries want.?The German chancellor said she ?deplored? the decision by the US to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement, but said that all other nations agree Paris climate accord is irreversible.Here is the controversial section of the G20 communique:We take note of the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. The United States of America announced it will immediately cease the implementation of its current nationally-determined contribution and affirms its strong commitment to an approach that lowers emissions while supporting economic growth and improving energy security needs. The United States of America states it will endeavour to work closely with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently and help deploy renewable and other clean energy sources, given the importance of energy access and security in their nationally determined contributions. Directly following that paragraph is this one, as Merkel said in her press conference:The Leaders of the other G20 members state that the Paris Agreement is irreversible. We reiterate the importance of fulfilling the UNFCCC commitment by developed countries in providing means of implementation including financial resources to assist developing countries with respect to both mitigation and adaptation actions in line with Paris outcomes and note the OECD?s report ?Investing in Climate, Investing in Growth?. We reaffirm our strong commitment to the Paris Agreement, moving swiftly towards its full implementation in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances and, to this end, we agree to the G20 Hamburg Climate and Energy Action Plan for Growth as set out in the Annex. Read the whole declaration here. Updated at 3.32pm BST 3.11pm BST 15:11 Reporters in the room keep coming back to the problem of the fossil fuel sentence. Merkel said this into response to how they got round the disagreement:We amended the declaration and it says very clearly what the United States of America want and underneath what the other countries want.It?s absolutely clear it is not a common position.We worked on this until noon today. 3.05pm BST 15:05 My colleague Anushka Asthana has more on the problem with the communique. Are we seeing an emergence of a G19?Are we seeing the emergence of a G19 of sorts? Every country but US agrees to irreversibility of Paris, & Trump isolated on other issues tooA diplo source told me that Macron asked May and Ox PM, Malcolm Turnbull, to step out of G20 session to speak to Trump about climate change"There was a concern that not being able to agree the language on the Paris agreement could hold up the whole summit communique," they said. 2.59pm BST 14:59 Angela Merkel is giving a press conference and says world leaders have agreed their final communique at the G20 summit.She is discussing all the issues that have been discussed including corruption, education, sustainability and female empowerment. The German chancellor said she ?deplored? the decision by the US to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement. The G20 communique reflects the position of the US, she said, but all other nations agree Paris climate accord is irreversible.I?ll post more from the speech as soon as I can. Updated at 3.09pm BST 2.51pm BST 14:51 Trump?s daughter could be taking on the fight against modern slavery if this conversation is anything to go by. Ivanka apparently asked the UK government to send across information on the subject during a chat with May, who brought in landmark anti-slavery legislation while home secretary. PM chatted to Ivanka Trump at G20 - and apparently she raised Britain's work on modern slavery and asked for UK govt to send info on it. 2.35pm BST 14:35 Trump has had another bilateral meeting this time with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.Trump began by saying they had discussed trade ?we made a lot of progress on trade? and that he and Abe agreed on the importance of the ?problem and menace of North Korea.??The prime minister is, I will say this, very very focused on what is going on with respect to North Korea.?Abe (through translator) thanked ?Donald? for organizing the trilateral summit with Japan-US-South Korea on Thursday and noted that the threat from Pyongyang ?has become increasingly severe.?He said he hoped they could ?demonstrate robust partnership? in the face of that threat.Abe said: As I look at the current situation, particularly the security environment in the Asia Pacific region, including North Korea, we believe that it has become increasingly severe and against such backdrop together with you Donald we would like to demonstrate the robust partnership as well as the bond between Japan and the United States on this occasion.Updated at 2.36pm BST 2.28pm BST 14:28 Putin has told leaders at the G20 summit that Russia has never interfered in the U.S. election, Russian G20 sherpa Svetlana Lukash reportedly said on Twitter, although the tweet seems to have since been deleted.?Pres Putin points to £G20 partners on absence of real evidence of that & confirms that Russia had never interfered in US elections,? the tweet read. 2.08pm BST 14:08 Trump has promised $639 million in funding for humanitarian programmes, including $331 million to help feed starving people in four famine-hit countries - Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen. The US president?s pledge came during a working session of the G20 summit of world leaders in Hamburg, providing a ?godsend? to the UN World Food Programme, the group?s executive director, David Beasley, told Reuters on the sidelines of the meeting.?We?re facing the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two,? said Beasley, a Republican and former South Carolina governor who was nominated by Trump to head the world?s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. He said the additional funding was about a third of what the agency estimated was required this year to deal with urgent food needs in the four countries facing famine and in other areas. The WFP estimates that 109 million people around the world will need food assistance this year, up from 80 million last year, with 10 of the 13 worst affected zones stemming from wars and ?man-made? crises, Beasley said. ?We estimated that if we didn?t receive the funding we needed immediately that 400,000 to 600,000 children would be dying in the next four months,? he said. Trump?s announcement came after his administration proposed sharp cuts in funding for the US State Department and other humanitarian missions as part of his ?America First? policy. Beasley said the agency had worked hard with the White House and the U.S. government to secure the funding, but Trump would insist that other countries contributed more as well. A WPF spokesman said Germany recently pledged an additional 200 million euros for food relief.The United States has long been the largest donor to the WFP.

Aarushi Maheshwari

31 Jul 2017,Monday

Cable car gondola crashes into pillar, passengers rescued

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/30/passengers-rescued-after-cable-car-gondola-crashes-in-cologne?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

As many as 76 passengers were rescued from cable cars suspended over a river in German city Cologne after a gondola crashed into a support pillar on Sunday. Passengers were left stranded, and children were seen clinging to parents while dangling as many as 40 metres above the river. The fire department lowered them to safety from the cable cars.

Up to 76 people were rescued from cable cars suspended over the river Rhine in Cologne on Sunday afternoon after a gondola crashed into a support pillar, leaving passengers stranded. German fire crews lowered people to safety from cable cars in a dramatic recovery operation, with children seen clinging to parents as they dangled 40 metres above the river. German media reported that rescue teams in Cologne had practised for an incident on the gondola just a week ago.A pregnant woman and a man were slightly injured in the rescue mission in which mobile cranes were used to bring the stranded passengers to safety. No other injuries were reported.Public transportation authorities for the city in North-Rhine-Westphalia state said 32 gondolas were operating when the incident occurred. An official cause has not been announced, but there was strong wind at the time. Martina and Hans-Peter Rieger, the first to be rescued, were celebrating their 41st wedding anniversary on a day out in Cologne when the cable cars stopped. ?That will always be in our memory,? Mr Rieger said. ?Fortunately, we were given hand signals to tell us we should remain calm and the incident was nothing bad.?Emergency services from Aachen and Dusseldorf assisted fire crews with the rescue. Henriette Reker, the mayor of Cologne, said: ?I would like to thank the Cologne fire brigade for their great dedication. This meant that the passengers could be rescued quickly. My thoughts were with the children and adults, who had to wait courageously and patiently for many hours.? The cable cars in Cologne are a popular means of transport, connecting the zoo to the Rheinpark across the river. The system remained close on Sunday evening as officials worked to establish the cause.

Shubhodeep Datta

14 Feb 2017,Tuesday

Haryana seeks 5k paramilitary personnel over Jat agitation

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/haryana-seeks-5600-paramilitary-to-deal-with-jat-stir/1/882688.html

The Haryana government has sought from the Centre 5,600 paramilitary personnel to deal with Jat quota stir. The agitation in Haryana seeking reservation in education and government jobs entered its 17th day on Tuesday. Though agitation has been peaceful so far, but the Jat leaders have threatened to intensify the stir after February 19 if demands were not met.

New Delhi, Feb 14 (PTI) With Jat agitation continuing, the Haryana government has sought from the Centre 5,600 paramilitary personnel to deal with the growing tension in the state. In a communication to the Union Home Ministry, the Haryana government has conveyed that due to the ongoing Jat agitation demanding quota, tension has gripped in different parts of the state and hence the additional paramilitary personnel were required to deal with any possible law and order situation. The Haryana government has requested to provide 56 companies of paramilitary personnel and the Home Ministry is examining the request, a Home Ministry official said. A company of paramilitary personnel comprises of around 100 personnel. The Jat agitation in Haryana seeking reservation in education and government jobs among other demands, entered its 17th day today. Sit-ins and dharnas continued in many areas across the state.

Rini Sinha

20 Dec 2016,Tuesday

Girl dies after being banished to shed for being on periods

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/teenager-dies-in-nepal-after-her-banishment-under-hindu-custom/1/838118.html

A 15-year-old girl died in Nepal after being banished to a shed during her menstrual cycle, under a custom 'Chhaupadi'. According to it, menstruating women have to stay in a shed outside the village as they're considered unclean. According to an official, over ten females have died due to this practice since 2006, despite it being outlawed by the government.nn

Kathmandu, Dec 19 (PTI) A 15-year-old girl has died in Nepal after she was banished to a shed outside the village during her menstruating cycle, under an ancient Hindu custom outlawed by the government over a decade ago. The practice, known as chhaupadi, is a social custom of keeping menstruating girls and women in a narrow shed outside the village, under the ancient Hindu custom which views menstruating girls as unclean. The practice was outlawed by the government in 2005, but it is still prevalent among many village communities in Nepal, especially in western Nepal.

Sumedha Sehra

17 Jul 2017,Monday

Prez Elections: Voters can't carry pens in voting chambers

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/presidential-poll-voters-can-t-carry-their-pens-inside-voting-chamber/story-KOOZymZvT48zIpyCcXABEI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Election Commission (EC) barred voters from carrying their personal pens inside the voting chambers while casting their vote in the Presidential Election on Monday. All voters were given special serial-numbered pens with violet ink before entering the polling station, and their personal pens were collected. MPs had green-coloured ballot papers and MLAs pink-coloured ones.

MPs and MLAs who vote to elect the next President on Monday have been barred from carrying their personal pens inside the voting chamber and will have to mark their ballot with a specially-designed marker, the Election Commission said on Sunday.Following the ink controversy in the Rajya Sabha polls in Haryana last year, the Election Commission has decided to use special pens for the electors to mark their votes in the presidential and vice presidential polls.Specially serial-numbered pens with violet ink have been supplied by the Election Commission to ensure that only the writing instrument issued by it is used by voters to mark their votes.?Before entering the voting chamber, a polling staff will collect personal pens from the voters and hand over the special pen to mark their vote on the ballot paper.?When the member comes out of the voting chamber, the special pen will be taken back and the polling staff will return the personal pen,? a Commission spokesperson explained the new rule.While announcing the schedule of the election, the poll panel had made it clear that use of any other pen could lead to invalidation of the vote at the time of counting under the Presidential and Vice Presidential Elections Rules, 1974.These special pens have been procured from Mysore paints and varnish Ltd which supplies indelible ink to the EC.In another first, the poll watchdog has also prepared special posters carrying dos and don?ts for the voters. It asks them to use only EC-issued pen and warns that no whip or directive can be issued to party members to vote in favour of any candidate. Since it is a secret ballot, the voters should not disclose whom they have voted for.Green-coloured ballot papers will be there for members of Parliament and pink for MLAs who vote in the election.The value of an MLA?s vote depends on the population of the state he or she represents. But the value of the vote of an MP does not vary -- it is 708.Hence, the different colour of ballot papers will help the returning officer count the votes based on the value. The total value of the electoral college is 10,98,903.The ballot boxes will be brought to Delhi for counting on July 20.The electoral college, which elects the President through the system of proportional representation, comprises elected MPs and members of state legislative assemblies -- a total of 4,896 voters including 4,120 MLAs and 776 elected MPs.While 233 are elected members of the Rajya Sabha, 543 are from the Lok Sabha.A total of 32 polling stations -- one in Parliament House and one each in the state legislative assemblies, have been set up.33 observers have been appointed by the EC to oversee the conduct of election. While two observers will be present in the Parliament House, one each will be deployed in the respective state assemblies.NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind is pitted against opposition candidate Meira Kumar in presidential poll.

Mansha Mahajan

12 May 2017,Friday

Airtel, Idea, Vodafone to be probed for blocking Jio's entry

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/cci-to-probe-established-telcos-for-unfair-business-ways/1/951468.html

The Competition Commission has ordered a probe against major telcos for allegedly trying to block the entry of Reliance Jio, reports said. The regulator's decision comes after a complaint filed against Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, and Cellular Operators Association of India. The watchdog reportedly has concluded that dominant telcos used the platform of COAI to deny interconnection points to Jio.

New Delhi, May 11 (PTI) The Competition Commission has ordered a detailed probe against major telecom players for allegedly trying to block the entry of newcomer Reliance Jio, according to sources. The fair trade regulators decision comes on a complaint filed against leading incumbent players -- Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular -- and industry body COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India). A senior official said the regulator has decided to investigate allegations of unfair business practices made against the incumbent telecom players. Sources said the regulator would also examine the overall conduct of the COAI, especially since the allegations of anti- competitive practices have been made against three of its key members. The probe by the Director General (DG) has been ordered for allegedly trying to restrict the entry of Reliance Jio, the official added. DG is the investigation arm of the Competition Commission of India (CCI). Cases where the watchdog finds prima-facie evidence of competition norms violations are referred to the DG for detailed probe. When contacted for comments on the CCI ordering the probe, an Airtel spokesperson said, "We have not received any such communication from the CCI and would, therefore, not be able to comment." "We have already stated that we have always responded with alacrity and provided a staggering quantum of PoIs (Point of Interconnections) to Reliance Jio in record time," the spokesperson added. Emails sent to Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Reliance Jio did not elicit any response. "Though we have not seen the order as it has not been published yet, we are disappointed at the apparent news (if confirmed), that the CCI has decided to go forward with an investigation into the complaint filed by Reliance Jio," COAI Director General Rajan Mathews said. "We believe the COAI and its members will be fully vindicated in the matter and truth will prevail," he said. Last year, billionaire Mukesh Ambanis venture Reliance Jio stormed into the Indian telecom market - the second largest market globally with 1.2 billion subscribers - with disruptive offerings and has since been at loggerheads with the incumbent operators. Reliance Jio had accused incumbent players of not providing sufficient network connectivity (leading to call failures on its network) while the latter countered the claims saying the newcomer was unleashing "tsunami" of free traffic from its mobile network. The two sides have also clashed on other contentious issues like free voice and data offers, and customised retention plans.

Krishna Veera Vanamali

27 Jul 2017,Thursday

AAI hikes penalty amount for violators at airports

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/airports-authority-of-india-hikes-penalty-amount-for-violators-at-airports/story-oYZYFXdgAb9oKMtFLCbzYJ.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Airports Authority of India (AAI) has hiked the penalty amount for individuals violating regulations at airports. Any person contravening the regulations would now face up to ?5,000 penalty, compared to the earlier quantum of ?500. AAI Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said the penalties have been increased as the earlier quantum was not appropriate with the changing times.

Individuals violating regulations at airports will now have to pay higher penalties, with state-owned AAI notifying revised fine amounts.Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said the penalties have been increased as the earlier quantum was not appropriate with the changing times.Now, any person contravening the AAI regulations would face up to Rs 5,000 penalty, a steep hike from the earlier quantum of Rs 500.?... in the case of continuing contravention with an additional fine which may extend to Rs 500 for everyday during which such contravention continues after conviction for the first such contravention,? according to a notification issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).Under the earlier rules, this amount was just Rs 20 per day.The revised quantum of fines have been notified by way of amendments to the AAI (Management of Airports) Regulations, 2003.?Earlier provisions were very dated and not keeping in tune with changing times,? Mohapatra told PTI.When asked whether the revision has been effected due to any recent incident involving unruly passengers, he replied in the negative.?This (amendment) has nothing to do with (any) recent incident. This has been under consideration for some time,? he noted.There have been instances of unruly behaviour at airports. Last month, there was an incident involving TDP MP J C Diwakar Reddy as he got into a verbal spat with IndiGo ground staff at Visakhapatnam airport. He allegedly threw a printer kept at the airline?s counter after he was informed that boarding for his flight to Hyderabad had closed.The AAI manages 125 airports, including 11 international and 81 domestic aerodromes.Besides, it provides Air Traffic Management Services (ATMS) over the Indian air space and adjoining oceanic areas.

Ankur Vyas

09 Feb 2017,Thursday

I am a freelancer, can go anywhere to root out BJP: Lalu

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/uttar-pradesh-assembly-election-lalu-yadav-bjp-rss/1/878436.html

RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday called himself a "freelance" politician who can go to any place to root out forces like BJP and RSS. Yadav also criticised BJP for not being able to project a Chief Ministerial candidate for the Uttar Pradesh polls. He was campaigning for his son-in-law Rahul Yadav who is a Samajwadi Party candidate.

Chhavi Tyagi

12 May 2017,Friday

Passersby watch, film biker burning to death on highway

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mumbai-highway-biker-burn-to-death/1/952318.html

A video of the aftermath of an accident on a highway in Mumbai has surfaced online wherein passersby can be seen standing to watch and film a biker burning to death instead of doing anything to help him. In the accident, a bike caught fire after colliding with another bike on Thursday, resulting in the death of both the bikers.

In an apalling incident, passersby simply stood and watched a biker burn to death on Mumbai Highway after his bike caught fire due to a collision with another biker on Thursday. Both the bikers have died.In a video published by NDTV, people can be seen using their phones to record the burning biker, instead of doing anything to help him. The channel reports the video was shot by one such onlooker.According to the report, no one tried to rush the burning biker's aid or put off the fire. Even the traffic remained unaffected by the incident.The accident ocurred on a highway in Maharashtra's Beed district. Police say, when the two bikers collided, one of them got stuck under his bike, which in turn caught fire. By the time the police reached the spot and put out the fire, the man had already charred beyond recognition. Authorities are yet to identify him.

Tarun Khanna

14 Dec 2016,Wednesday

Elected govt must have power: SC on AAP govt?s plea

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/arvind-kejriwal-supreme-court-centre-delhi-government-aap/1/834170.html

The Supreme Court, while hearing an AAP government's petition on Wednesday over the Delhi's statehood issue, said that an elected government should have some power to run, otherwise the government cannot function. CM Arvind Kejriwal had challenged the Delhi HC's order that stated the administrative head of the city is the Lieutenant Governor.

In his bitter and long tussle with the Centre, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today got a shot in the arm with the Supreme Court saying an elected government must have power."An elected government should have some power to run, otherwise the government cannot function," the apex court said while hearing an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government petition on Delhi's statehood issue.The matter will be next heard on January 18.ALSO READ | Najeeb Jung acting like Hitler, Modi won't make a Muslim India's Vice-President: Kejriwal

Krishna Veera Vanamali

25 Jul 2017,Tuesday

IT firms should manage employee expectations: Ex-Infosys CEO

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/manage-employee-expectations-kris-to-it-cos-as-growth-slows/1/1010343.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Former CEO of Infosys Kris Gopalakrishnan has said that Indian IT companies need to learn to manage expectations of their employees as the growth rate slows down. He said that as technology is transitioning, companies must invest in retraining employees and employees must invest time in learning. He also said that automation has impacted services like infrastructure management and maintenance.

Hyderabad, Jul 25 (PTI) As growth rate slows down, Indian IT companies need to learn to manage expectations of their employees, says a senior industry figure as he pitched for retraining of staff, in the era of rapid technology transition. When growth rate slows down, one has to manage the expectations of the employees within the company, former CEO of Bengaluru-headquartered IT major, Infosys, Kris Gopalakrishnan said. "The number of promotions will come down because there are no openings at higher levels. So, you have to set expectations properly", he told PTI. Secondly, the former President of Confederation of Indian Industry said, technology is transitioning and, so, employees will have to be retrained. "One, the company must invest in retraining employees, and two, employees must invest time in learning. So, these are stressful situations for both employees as well as leadership in the companies", Gopalakrishnan said. Last month, Indian IT industry body NASSCOM projected software export growth in 2017-18 at 7-8 per cent in constant currency, down from 8.6 per cent in the previous fiscal. The industry would add 130,000-150,000 jobs in the current financial year, it had forecast. Gopalakrishnan, the Chairman of Axilor Ventures, an early stage startup accelerator and venture fund, rejected suggestions that there is job-crisis in the Indian IT sector. "Even NASSCOM has projected this sector will add one lakh-plus jobs this year also. Yes, growth rate has come down, recruitment numbers are lower but its still positive and the industry is still recruiting people", he said. Gopalakrishnan, however, said hiring is slowing down because growth rate has come down. "There have been some impact of automation on certain services. For example, infrastructure management services, maintenance services where automation has had an impact. Several tasks can be automated and those services will require less number of people. "Now these are services where the work is actually quite repetitive and in the long run, these tasks are better done by machines because they are repetitive", he said. Gopalakrishnan also shared his thoughts on opportunities and challenges for the industry in the coming decade, a period he said would be exciting for the sector as every industry is transitioning, and IT companies need to be "reimaginative" in helping such industries in the process.

Aarushi Maheshwari

20 Jul 2017,Thursday

185 Air India safety violations in 3 yrs, 3 by IndiGo: Govt

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/air-india-recorded-maximum-safety-violation-cases-minister/1/1005245.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Union Minister Jayant Sinha on Thursday said Air India, along with its subsidiaries Air India Express and Alliance Air, recorded the maximum number of safety violations in the last three years at 185. It was followed by Jet Airways and SpiceJet, which recorded 154 and 142 instances of safety violations respectively. Meanwhile, IndiGo recorded only three cases of safety violations.

New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) National carrier Air India recorded the maximum cases of safety violations in the last three years, followed by Jet Airways and SpiceJet, Union Minister Jayant Sinha said in the Rajya Sabha today. Air India, along with its subsidiaries Air India Express and Alliance Air, registered 185 cases of violations where punitive measures were taken against the crew in 2014, 2015 and 2016. These measures included warning to personnel, derostering, corrective training and suspension of licences, he said in response to a question. During the same period, Jet Airways recorded 154 instances where penalties were imposed on their crew and SpiceJet saw such 142 cases. Market leader IndiGo recorded three cases during this period. But over the years there has been a decline in such instances, the government said. "There is a reducing trend in cases of safety violations in the last three year," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Sinha said.

Ankur Vyas

15 Dec 2016,Thursday

Govt seeks Interpol's help to curb child pornography

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/child-pornography-sexual-abuse-internet-interpol-crackdown/1/834815.html

Amid a surge in online child pornography, the Centre has roped in international police agency Interpol to curb the menace. The government plans to obtain a list maintained by Interpol of the domain names that host child sexual abuse content. The government can then ask the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to remove the access to such material.

The Narendra Modi government has roped in international police agency Interpol in a bid to crack down on sexual abuse and pornography of children amid a surge in photographs and videos on the internet showing kids being sexually exploited.EXPLOSION IN CHILD PORNOGRAPHYExperts say the advent of digital cameras and camcorders has fueled an explosion in such material available online. Last year, 96 reports of children being sexually exploited in internet imagery were reported in India - a rise of 140 per cent from 2014, according to National Crimes Records Bureau data. "IT ministry has approved a formal agreement wherein Department of Telecommunications will obtain list maintained by INTERPOL containing domain names hosting child sexual abuse contents and act as an appropriate agency of the government to direct its licensee ISPs to expeditiously remove or disable access to material found in violation of the IT Act," the Centre said in an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court. "Further the mechanism to obtain the list containing domain names hosting contents of child sexual abuse is being worked out in consultation with the CBI." The top court asked the Centre in February to suggest ways to ban child pornography in all forms in the country saying that the nation cannot "afford to carry on any experiment" in the name of "liberty or freedom of speech and expression". INTERPOL A MAJOR ASSET The SC was hearing PILs filed by Indore-based advocate Kamlesh Vaswani and Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association seeking a direction to the government to adopt various measures towards improvement in the effectiveness of blocking child pornography on the Internet and to eliminate it. RP Saxena, co-ordinator of the cyber Laws and e-security group of the government, said in the affidavit that a meeting was convened recently to seek cooperation and support from Internet Service Providers, which in turn can play an important role by blocking or disabling the lists containing domain names/URLs/website addresses hosting child pornography content. Interpol is a major source of getting access to such lists of websites containing child sexual abuse. The agency maintains a regular update of the "worst" of such sites. Interpol has been tasked by the UN General Assembly in 2009 to maintain and disseminate to the national central bureaus a worldwide list of URLs, which contains these websites that publish the most severe child abuse material. Ordering a crackdown against child porn, the SC had said that one needs to draw a distinct line between art and obscenity and child pornography cannot be justified in the name of freedom of speech and expression.

Rini Sinha

12 May 2017,Friday

Fresh non-bailable warrant against Rakhi for Valmiki remarks

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/fresh-non-bailable-warrant-against-rakhi-sawant/1/952057.html

A Ludhiana court has issued a fresh non-bailable warrant against actress Rakhi Sawant for her alleged objectionable remarks against sage Valmiki. The complaint was filed against Rakhi last year for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of the Valmiki community. After a warrant was issued against her in April 2017, Rakhi claimed she never spoke against sage Valmiki and issued an apology.n

Ludhiana, May 12 (PTI) A Ludhiana court has issued a fresh non-bailable warrant against actress Rakhi Sawant for allegedly making objectionable remarks against sage Valmiki, who wrote the Hindu epic Ramayana. The court of Judicial Magistrate Vishav Gupta yesterday fixed June 2 as the next date for hearing in the case. A local advocate Narinder Adiya had filed a complaint against Rakhi on July 9 last year alleging that she had hurt the religious sentiments of the Valmiki community by making derogatory comments against the sage. On the last date on April ten, Rakhi had withdrawn the anticipatory bail application from the court.

Dishant Sharma

25 Jul 2017,Tuesday

9-year-old found to control HIV without any treatment

http://www.hindustantimes.com/health/after-taking-anti-aids-virus-9-year-old-south-african-girl-is-third-child-with-hiv-remission/story-q5TLkFppo8zBlLo9SnbN0N.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A 9-year-old South African child has become only the third known case worldwide to show signs of AIDS virus' long-term remission without any drugs. The child was given anti-AIDS medicine for 10 months till the age of one which helped lower HIV levels from "very high" to undetectable. The kid was then taken off drugs as part of a trial.

A South African girl has become only the third child to beat the AIDS virus into long-term remission -- almost nine years and counting -- after receiving a drug cocktail in infancy, researchers announced Monday.The child was given a ten-month course of anti-AIDS medicine until she was one year old, then taken off the drugs as part of a medical trial.Eight years and nine months later, the virus is still dormant and the girl healthy without needing treatment, a research team reported at the International AIDS Society conference on HIV science in Paris.?This new case strengthens our hope that by treating HIV-infected children for a brief period beginning in infancy, we may be able to spare them the burden of life-long therapy,? said AIDS expert Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) which funded the study.Some scientists refer to sustained, drug-free remission as a ?functional cure?.Unlike a traditional cure, where the virus is eradicated, the patient still has HIV in their system but it is so weakened that it cannot replicate or spread to sexual partners.Researchers hope that by treating people as soon as possible after infection, they can one day induce drug-free remission for sustained periods of time, perhaps for good.This has become a major focus of research amid fading hopes of finding a permanent cure.The virus has proven more sneaky than imagined -- it has the ability to hide out in human cells and play dead for years, only to re-emerge and attack as soon as treatment is stopped.Anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment inhibits the virus, but doesn?t kill it, and infected people have to take pills daily for life which are costly and have side-effects.Relapse possibleA rare group of infected people -- fewer than one percent -- are able naturally to stop the virus replicating. They are known as ?elite controllers?, but the mechanism by which they keep the virus at bay remains a mystery.The girl does not have ?elite controller? DNA, said the study authors.Among people taking virus-suppressing anti-retroviral drugs, only a few have attained drug-free remission.They include 14 adults in a French trial who were able to quit their medication after three years and stayed healthy.A French woman aged 20, treated as a baby, has been healthy for 14 years since stopping her medication -- the longest-known remission.In the United States, the so-called Mississippi Baby was in remission for 27 months after being given ART for the first 18 months of life, but the virus rebounded in a major let-down for researchers.This undated photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a scanning electron micrograph of multiple round bumps of the HIV-1 virus on a cell surface. (AP Photo) Now there is the South African girl -- the first case of remission in a child enrolled in a trial to test the effectiveness of early treatment, for a limited time.?Relapse is a possibility in any case of remission,? underlined study co-leader Avy Violari of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.However, ?the fact that remission has been for a long period suggests this is likely to be durable,? she told AFP.Researchers do not understand how the girl achieved remission when 410 other children in the trial did not.?We can?t tell if her immune system would have controlled the virus on its own or if the treatment made a difference,? said Sharon Lewin, a professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne.?Impressive?The girl was diagnosed HIV-positive on her 32nd day of life. After ten months of treatment, levels of HIV in her blood went from ?very high? to undetectible.Tests conducted when she was nine-and-a-half years old showed the vaguest trace of virus, unable to replicate, said the team. The girl had healthy levels of key immune cells.Some fear the girl is in a minority of people for whom early treatment is sufficient to induce remission.?Early treatment is good for lots of reasons. Early treatment stops HIV transmission, early treatment means the immune system stays in better shape and early treatment keeps the (virus) reservoirs small,? Lewin told AFP. ?Early treatment may also increase the chance of remission, but more studies are needed to really prove this.?Michael Brady, medical director of the Terrence Higgins Trust, an AIDS charity, said remission was ?impressive?.?We just need to understand more about why this is and then find ways to apply it to others,? he commented on the study.The children in the trial were monitored for rebounding virus levels, and the experts stressed it is not a good idea for people to take themselves off ARV treatment.

Niharika Prabhakar

22 Jul 2017,Saturday

Indian Army's ammunition will run out after 10 days of war

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indian-army-ammunition-war-supply-shortfall-cag-report/1/1008042.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has said that the Indian Army's stock of 61 types of critical ammunition will last only for ten days of war. The stocks of just 20% of the armoury were found to be satisfactory. Notably, the Indian Army is required to hold ammunition enough to fight a short intense war of 20 days.

The stock of as many as 61 types of ammunition - out of a total of 152 types of ammunition considered critical by the Indian Army to fight a war - is available for just 10 days only, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has found.The stocks of just 20 per cent of the armoury - 31 types of ammunition - were found to be satisfactory, the CAG has found. The CAG report was placed before the Parliament today.The Indian military is required to hold ammunition enough to fight a short intense war of 20 days. Earlier, Indian military was required to have store supplies, spares and ammunition - called War Wastage Reserve (WWR) - to fight a 40 day intense war. In 1999 the WWR was scaled down to only 20 days.The CAG says that of the 152 types of ammunition identified as critical stocks of only 31 were available for 40 days whereas as many as 12 types of ammunition was available for 30 to 40 days and stocks of as many of 26 types of ammunition was available for a little over 20 days.The CAG report says that while WWR stocks of some of the critical items have improved - for instance explosives and demolition items- ammunition for Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFV) and Artillery ammunition "meant for sustaining superior fire power were under critical level".FROM INDIA TODAY MAGAZINE: Unmade in India  SHORTFALL NOT MET DESPITE SPECIAL PLANConcerned by shortfall, the previous UPA government had come up with a plan - Ammunition Road Map - to rapidly add to ammunition stocks by 2015. The CAG report, however, observes that "despite a lapse of more than three years - from March 2013- no significant improvement in availability of WWR ammunition was noticed". SHORTAGE OF AMMUNITION AFFECTS TRAINING OF SOLDIERSLack of ammunition stocks is severely affecting training of the Indian Army. The CAG has observed because of shortage of ammunition, the Army Head Quarters had imposed "restriction" on training. It says in 2016, of the 24 types of ammunition required for training only three were available for more than five days for training activity. And, the availability of as much as 88 per cent of ammunition was far below requirement. "Majority of training ammunition - 77 to 88 per cent - remained critical i.e. less than five day".  FROM INDIA TODAY MAGAZINE: Preparing for the worstSPECIAL POWERS TO INDIAN ARMY TO MAKE EMERGENCY PURCHASESConcerned by huge shortfall of ammunition, the Government recently gave the vice-chief of Army Staff powers to make to emergency purchases.Sources told India Today that the Indian Army has identified 46 types of ammunition, about half dozen types of mines and 10 weapon systems as extremely critical. "These can now be purchased immediately bypassing the long winded procurement procedure," a senior officer said.Also read:Army authorised by Centre to make emergency purchases for short war Doklam standoff: China tells Arun Jaitley it is also different from 1962

Dishant Sharma

28 Jul 2017,Friday

NFL player retires to complete math doctoral degree at MIT

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jul/27/ravens-john-urschel-lineman-and-phd-candidate-retires-from-nfl-aged-26?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

American footballer John Urschel, who played for the Baltimore Ravens, has retired from football to complete his doctoral degree in applied mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Urschel's decision comes after a research involving brains of 111 former NFL players found that 99% of them suffered from a degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel has abruptly retired from the NFL after just three seasons, the team announced on Thursday.The 26-year-old from Winnipeg, who is a doctoral candidate in applied mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was expected to compete for a starting role at center or guard in training camp, which gets under way this week in suburban Baltimore.Urschel?s surprise decision comes two days after the release of a medical study that further underscored the link between the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and participation in football. Researchers at Boston University and the Boston Veterans Affairs health system examined 111 deceased NFL players? brains that were donated to scientific research and found CTE in 110 of them, or 99% of those studied.The Baltimore Sun and ESPN said that Urschel?s decision was linked to the results of the study, citing anonymous sources close to the team.Urschel?s agent, when reached by the Guardian on Thursday, said the player has no statement or comment and will not be doing media at this time.?This morning, John Urschel informed me of his decision to retire from football,? Ravens coach John Harbaugh said in a statement Thursday. ?We respect John and respect his decision. We appreciate his efforts over the past three years and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.?Urschel has been pursuing his doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the offseason with a concentration on spectral graph theory, numerical linear algebra and machine learning. He earned his bachelor?s and master?s in mathematics at Penn State, where he played on the football team and was chosen by the Ravens in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft.A January profile of Urschel for HBO?s newsmagazine Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel found the lineman at odds with reconciling his two gifts. He further elaborated on the dilemma in a first-person essay for the Players? Tribune in 2015.?I recognize that this is somewhat irrational, but I am doing it,? Urschel told HBO?s Bernard Goldberg. ?It?s more important to me that I?m able to do the two things I love. I don?t know if people have really done things that I?ve done before. I don?t know if they?ll do it after me. But I enjoy carving out my own path and not listening to what people say I can and I can?t do.?By retiring after three full seasons, Urschel is eligible for an NFL pension.Urschel is not the first player to attribute early retirement to fears over the connection between football and CTE. In March 2015, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland retired after one season, a promising rookie campaign that saw him lead the team in tackles, due to concerns over the long-term effects of head trauma.

Saloni Tandon

10 Mar 2017,Friday

Maradona to be ambassador of Chinese Super League

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/diego-maradona-chinese-super-league-csl-fifa-football/1/901063.html

Former Argentina captain Diego Maradona will become the ambassador of the Chinese Super League, the former footballer announced on Instagram on Thursday. The 16-club league reportedly saw over ?2,591 crore (£320 million) being spent on transfers, but matches failed to draw spectators. Ex-Chelsea players Oscar and Ramires, and ex-Manchester City player Carlos Tevez are playing in the tournament.

Argentina football legend Diego Maradona announced on Thursday that he will be the new ambassador of the Chinese Super League (CSL). (Also read: Diego Maradona given FIFA ambassadorial role)On his Instagram account, Maradona said: "Thank you very much Ms. Tang Qinghui for this opportunity you are giving me to work in China, I will be eternally grateful!"

Abhishek Bansal

04 May 2017,Thursday

Delhi taxi driver returns lost bag with valuables worth ?8L

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/taxi-driver-at-delhi-airport-returns-lost-bag-with-cash-iphone-jewellery-worth-rs-8-lakh/story-4GPohFcC4wUpTigUT06cBJ.html

Debendra Kapri, a 24-year-old taxi driver, has returned a bag containing gold jewellery, laptop, iPhone, camera and over ?4,400 in US currency, together worth over ?8 lakh, to the Domestic Airport police station in Delhi. The driver said the bag belonged to a passenger whom he had dropped earlier. The police identified the owner and returned the bag to him.

A 24-year-old kaali-peeli taxi driver Debendra Kapri walked into the Domestic Airport police station in Delhi on Wednesday evening and opened a backpack on the reception table. The officer manning the reception desk was shocked when he found that the bag contained gold jewellery, a laptop, one Apple iPhone, a camera, 70 US dollars ? all valued over Rs 8 lakh. Kapri told him that he had come to return the bag that belonged to a passenger who had forgotten it in his cab. Kapri said that he had dropped the passenger in central Delhi?s Paharganj area and he did not know his identity or where he went from Paharganj. ?I was impressed with the honesty showed by Kapri. He knew the value of the items in the bag but decided to return it,? said the officer.Sanjay Bhatia, deputy commissioner of police (IGI), said that the duty officer alerted the station house officer (SHO) who in turn informed him about the matter. ?The bag was thoroughly checked. In addition to the US currency notes and costly electronic items, the bag also contained important documents,? said Bhatia. Kapri claimed that after dropping the passenger outside a hotel in Paharganj, he returned to Connaught Place area. He was cleaning the windowpanes of his Maruti Esteem car when he saw a backpack lying on the rear seat. ?I was confused and did not know what to do with the bag. I could not return it to its owner because I did not know in which hotel the passenger was staying. I opened the bag and found cash, jewellery and electronic items. I decided to hand it over to the police,? said Kapri, who came to Delhi four years ago from Bihar?s Banka district for livelihood. While scanning the documents, the DCP said, a wedding card was also found. The card had a mobile number on it. A call was made on the mobile number and it was received by a man in Srinagar. When the man was asked if anybody known to him was travelling to Delhi by air, he claimed that his brother reached Delhi in the evening to seek a Visa for himself from the US embassy. He was informed about the bag and was asked to inform his brother in Delhi about it. As the police personnel were making a list of the items in the bag on a piece of paper, Kapri stood by and ensured that no item is misplaced. ?I insisted that the list should be made in my presence and even requested for a copy of the list. I wanted to keep it as a proof so that if by any chance the owner of bag finds me and asks me to return the bag, I can prove that his belongings were safe in the police custody,? Kapri told HT. While the policemen were busy completing the legal formalities, the owner of the bag, Mubisher Wani, arrived at the police station and claimed that his brother from Srinagar informed him about his missing backpack. Kapri identified the man as the same passenger whom he had dropped in outside a hotel in Paharganj. The passenger gave details of the items which were there inside the bag. Upon confirmation that the bag belonged to him, all items were returned to him. ?Even the bag owner appreciated and thanked him for his efforts His act is exemplary and need highest recognition. I have recommended for a suitable cash reward for the Good Samaritan,? said Bhatia.

Akshita Jain

12 Feb 2017,Sunday

PM Modi issues orders to put armed forces under one officer

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-issues-directives-to-set-up-new-tri-services-commands-for-indian-military/1/879902.html

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly asked the Ministry of Defence to initiate theatre commands for the military, which would put the troops and resources of the three forces under one officer. New initiatives, including the appointment of a four-star general to look after the issues of the armed forces, would also be taken by the end of the year.

Seeking to bring in major reforms in the country's defence forces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Ministry of Defence to initiate steps towards creating theatre commands for the military.Under a theatre commands, all the troops and resources of the three forces - Army, Navy and Air Force - would be combined and put under the command of one officer, who would be from either of the three serivces and who would determine their use.At the combined commanders conference headed by the prime minister, the Integrated Defence Staff under the Defence Ministry was asked to prepare a roadmap for theatre commands and new initiatives would be taken by this year-end, senior Defence Ministry sources told India Today.APPOINTMENT OF NEW FOUR STAR GEN ALSO BEING CONSIDEREDThe three services had made a detailed presentation to the prime minister at the conference, which was held recently. As part of defence reforms, the government is also appointing a new four star general to looking after the issues related to three services.All these structures of proposed command would be provided in the roadmap by the military officers under the guidance of political leadership the sources stated.

Tanya Dhingra

25 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Release date of new James Bond film 'Bond 25' announced

http://www.hindustantimes.com/hollywood/confirmed-daniel-craig-will-return-for-the-25th-james-bond-film-here-s-when-it-ll-release/story-DB892PlHhpcDn6ql3fIevN.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The official James Bond Twitter handle has announced November 8, 2019 as the release date for the new film in the franchise titled 'Bond 25'. The film will be written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Daniel Craig will reportedly return as the character James Bond in this film.

Daniel Craig will return to play James Bond at least one more time, for a new film -- the franchise?s 25th -- scheduled to be released in November 2019.The official James Bond Twitter handle revealed the news after months of negotiations and discussions with the star, who famously said that he would rather slash his wrists than return for another movie, while promoting 2015?s Spectre.James Bond will return to US cinemas on November 8, 2019 with a traditional earlier release in the UK and the rest of the world. pic.twitter.com/6HnaDnfruK? James Bond (@007) July 24, 2017That film was met with mixed reviews, and witnessed a drop at the box office after the record-breaking success of its predecessor, Skyfall. A rushed production and director Sam Mendes not having enough time to do justice to the film was blamed.According to the New York Times, ?Craig?s return is a done deal, according to two people briefed on the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid conflicts with Eon and MGM.?But details about the film?s ?distribution partner, international release dates and the cast and director would be announced ?at a later date??.It was previously reported that Sony?s deal with Eon Productions (James Bond?s home) to distribute the Bond movies had ended after Spectre. A bidding war over its rights, which involved some of the biggest Hollywood studios -- Warner Bros, Universal, Fox -- had begun. Daniel Craig as James Bond in a still from Spectre.There were also rumours that Dunkirk director Christopher Nolan would be helming a reboot of the character after the film?s IMDb Pro page listed his production company, Syncopy, in the list of credits.The film will be written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have collaborated on the last six Bond movies.Follow @htshowbiz for more

Sumedha Sehra

24 Jul 2017,Monday

V-C wants Army tank in JNU for nationalism in students

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/tiranga-march-a-message-for-anti-nationals-v-c-wants-army-tank-in-jnu/story-kTO0q2kglet2wnQbgULtyO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Jawaharlal Nehru University's Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar has requested the government to get an Army tank for the campus to instill a feeling of nationalism in the students. "The tank will remind students of the great sacrifices and valour of Indian Army", Kumar said. He was speaking at the celebration of the Kargil Vijay Divas at the campus.

At a Tiranga March organised in the Jawaharlal Nehru University ahead of the Kargil Vijay Diwas, the university vice-chancellor sought help to procure an Indian Army tank to be displayed inside the varsity premises. The Sunday?s gather at the university was unique in many ways. In attendance were minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan, minister of state for external affairs VK Singh, Major General (retd) GD Bakshi and cricketer Gautam Gambhir. Only a handful of students, however, turned up for the advance celebration of Kargil Vijay Divas, which actually falls on July 26.Slogans such as Jahan hue balidaan Mukherjee (Syama Prasad Mukherjee), woh Kashmir humara hai. Sare ka sara humara hai (The Kashmir where Mukherjee died is ours) echoed on a relatively empty JNU campus as a group of over 300 people walked, fluttering the tri-colour, from the main gate to the convention centre. During the programme, JNU vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar, who stood in support of the march, requested Dharmendra Pradhan, and VK Singh, to procure an army tank to be exhibited in JNU. ?We request you to help us procure an army tank so that it could be put in JNU. The tank will remind students of the great sacrifices and valour of Indian Army.?Terming it as a defeat of the ?anti-national? forces in JNU, the slogans ?Naxalwad na Maowad, sabse upar Rashtrawad (no Naxalism or Maoism only nationalism,? and ?Pakistan Murdabad (down with Pakistan),? were raised as the crowd followed people leading the protest with the 600-metre-long flag.On the evening of February 9, 2016, JNU students were accused of raising anti-India slogans on the campus at an event to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and were booked for sedition.Even though the event, a part of the Vidya Veerta Abhiyan initiative of the Ministry of HRD, was to be joined by JNU students, there were only a handful of them. The event was also attended by relatives of martyrs.?Jahan kiya jhande ka apman, ab wahin hoga jhande ka samman,? said a participant. Everyone repeated followed by whistles, claps and the chants of ?Bharat Mata ki Jai?.Saurabh Sharma, vice-president, ABVP called the march ?historic?. ?ABVP led today?s historic march along with the veterans of Indian Army and JNU students and teachers. JNU is now changing. The students are understanding the meaning of true nationalism. Earlier JNU only spoke about Maoism, now it nationalism it taking roots here,? he said.Major General (retd) GD Bakshi termed JNU as a ?new and transformed campus?. Taking a jibe at the Left-leaning students in JNU he said, ?See how we turned things around. We want to make them understand how people in the Army lay down their lives. Last year, what happened at JNU was a clear show of shamelessness by separatist forces.?Talking about how an institution must impart not just knowledge but also values, he said. ?Today we made sure to send a message across to those who do not get what nationalism is by hoisting the Indian flag here. Those people were against putting Indian flag on the campus. I ask them why? How dare they say that? Is this our land or Pakistan?s? Why won?t the flag be here? Today, they have been answered,? he said.Supreme Court advocate Monika Arora voiced the same opinion. ?Those people who shouted slogans were followers of Marx and Stalin, the people who not only destroyed themselves but also the countries they belonged to, with their ideas. These ideas spread like a disease and if not treated then it develops into gangrene.? Reacting to the event, Amal, vice-president JNU Students Union, said that everyone has the right to conduct a programme but they should also respect the right to dissent. ?They can hold their programmes and say what they wish but why have they been curtailing the voices of dissent. Each time we screen a film or hold an event that does not suit their agenda, they send notices to us. When we do not have a problem with them holding events, they why stop us? They call such events patriotic but they just use them as an opportunity to recruit people in RSS,? he said.

Niharika Prabhakar

28 Jul 2017,Friday

Four Mumbai auto drivers arrested for string of burglaries

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/four-mumbai-autorickshaw-drivers-who-broke-into-12-houses-arrested/story-pKDjObyyw4MiGGmoVT7u6N.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Mumbai Police arrested four auto-rickshaw drivers for allegedly robbing several houses when they were empty. The accused are reportedly wanted in 12 other burglaries and were out on bail. "We had checked the CCTV footage from the areas where they had committed burglaries and could figure out their faces enough to make a sketch," a police official said.

The Vile Parle police recently arrested four people for allegedly carrying out several burglaries across Mumbai. The police added they have a prior criminal record and were out on bail. According to the Vile Parle police, the accused have been identified as Ayappa Shetty, 40, Dinesh Ramashankar Yadav, 26, Himanshu Dilip Somaiya, 34 and Sunil Baburao Shetty, 35.All of them are autorickshaw drivers and operated in Kandivali, Nalasopara, Malad and Virar. They were wanted in 12 other burglary cases, which were registered against them at various places in Mumbai.Senior police inspector, Laxman Chavan, of Vile Parle police station said, ?We have been on the lookout for the accused since the past four months and were working on information against them. We had checked the CCTV footage from the areas where they had committed burglaries and could figure out their faces enough to make a sketch. Their modus operandi was the same.?The burglars would keep an eye on house owners and figure out the timings when the owners wouldn?t be home. When their houses would be empty, the burglars would enter the house by breaking open the locks and flee with cash and gold ornaments. The accused used their autorickshaws to carry the booty and flee from the crime spot.A team led by police sub inspector Vikas Patil nabbed the accused from Kandivali on last Thursday after receiving a tip-off about their hide out. They were later taken to the Vile Parle police station.?There is a possibility that there are more members involved in the crime. We are investigating the case,? added Chavan.He also added that no recoveries have been made until now, but with the ongoing probe there is a high possibility of majority of the stolen items being recovered.The accused were kept in police custody till Monday and were produced before the Andheri magistrate court on Tuesday. They have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for burglary, criminal conspiracy.

Prashanti Moktan

29 Mar 2017,Wednesday

I have lost films in South India for being too fair: Taapsee

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/taapsee-pannu-naam-shabana-akshay-kumar-fairness-creams/1/915997.html

Actress Taapsee Pannu has revealed that she lost out on a few films in South India because she was too fair and the people there did not relate this (fair) complexion to a girl-next-door. Taapsee said, "I have never used a fairness cream in my life.... when I started working, I found that being fair has actually backfired for me."

If there's one thing that stands out in the Naam Shabana trailers, it's Taapsee Pannu's badass fighting skills. Taapsee and Akshay Kumar have been creating awareness about self-defence and even made a video urging women to learn to protect themselves and demonstrating techniques for the same. Has Taapsee ever had to use such techniques in real life? She tells IndiaToday.in, "Thankfully, since the time I have learnt it, no. I guess no one wants to take on me after that (laughs). But in school and college, there have been instances where I wish I knew how to defend myself."Don't just freeze...ACT & REACT coz ur biggest weapon is with YOU! Watch, learn & show your move with #KohniMaar! Kya pata kab kaam aa jaye pic.twitter.com/ugDEtRvouzTaapsee tells us that unlike her onscreen persona Shabana, she "hates to hit people." In fact, she says that she does not relate to her character on any level. "She is a very composed and a controlled person. I am very expressive and hyperactive. She can read between the lines and has a strong sixth sense. I'm very gullible, I take everything at face value," the actor elaborates.The toughest part of getting into Shabana's shoes was not the physical aspect of it, contrary to what people think. "I have always been inclined towards sports. What really took a toll on me was the mental bit of it. To give each shot keeping in mind all the characteristics of this girl, who is completely opposite to me, was pretty taxing," Taapsee reveals.And after back-to-back "intense" films, she is going to take a break and do a fun, glamourous role in Judwaa 2. "After Pink, I decided I won't shoot a hardcore, intense film. But I started shooting for Naam Shabana just two days after Pink. It has been too intense, it is high time I relax a bit. It's good that Judwaa 2 came my way. I'm going to dance, wear fancy clothes and all of that," she says, looking almost relieved.Taapsee is one of those actors who put their foot down and refuse to endorse fairness creams. She earnestly tells us, "I have never used a fairness cream in my life. I don't think being fair in any way superior to any other colour. And when I started working, I found that being fair has actually backfired for me. I have lost a few films because I'm too fair. Especially down South (she has done several Tamil and Telugu films), they don't relate this complexion to a girl-next-door. This is something that has not worked for me, so why will I endorse it?"She also appeared in a video alongside Swara Bhaskar about how much cleavage is appropriate. Has Taapsee ever been slut-shamed? "Not to my face, because I can pretty much rip a person apart if that happens. But behind my back, I'm sure people do talk, but that's how the society is. Just because a female does not walk by the conventional rules, people like to call her by different names like sl*t or b*tch or wh*re or whatever," the Baby actor says, advising women to make use of the block option if this happens online."It's not worth your time and effort attending to such people. They are doing this only to get your attention. And by giving them the attention, you are fulfilling their agenda," she signs off.

Radhika Chugh

31 Jul 2017,Monday

Ensure street dogs are not a nuisance while feeding them: HC

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ensure-street-dogs-are-not-a-nuisance-while-feeding-them-hc/1/1014386.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Delhi High Court has warned two Delhi residents against feeding or sheltering stray dogs in the common area of a private property stating that dogs can "cause fear and discomfort" to others living there. Notably, the Supreme Court had earlier ruled that "stray dogs have a right to live" over a submission demanding complete elimination of stray dogs.

New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) Feeding or sheltering stray dogs in the common area of a private property can cause nuisance, the Delhi High Court has said, warning two south Delhi residents to ensure that the canines do not cause fear or discomfort to others. A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli told the two respondents that they cannot be permitted to keep stray dogs in the common driveway of a private property which was jointly owned by others, if their neighbours did not approve. The court also said in a recent order that the two cannot feed the dogs or chain them in the driveway. The bench said it was the duty of the two "to ensure that the stray dogs do not cause any nuisance to the other residents within the same property and in the neighbourhood". The court noted that keeping stray dogs would "cause fear and discomfort" to others living or coming there "who are not accustomed to keeping pet dogs". "The nuisance caused by the conduct of respondent nos.3 and 4 (the two individual respondents) in sheltering the stray dogs in the common driveway in the present case is writ large from the photographs placed on record. "To a person, who is not accustomed to keeping pet dogs, it also causes fear and discomfort to walk into a property where stray dogs are kept either chained or let loose," it said. The bench said it "rues the lack of civic sense and concern exhibited" by the two towards their fellow inhabitants in their immediate neighbourhood. "Their concern for the stray dogs also appears to us to be superficial and lacks commitment. Otherwise, the dogs would not have been left in such unhygienic and filthy conditions, as appear from the photographs on record," the bench said. It directed them to "stop chaining, feeding or sheltering the stray dogs in the driveway of the aforesaid property. It shall also be the obligation of respondent nos.3 and 4 to ensure that the said dogs do not defecate in the driveway, and if they do so, it shall be their responsibility to clean up the same." It directed the Station House Officer of Malviya Nagar police station, under whose jurisdiction the property fell, to ensure strict compliance of this order. The order came on the plea by one Om Prakash Saini, who jointly holds the property with the two respondents, claiming that keeping and feeding the stray dogs in the common driveway was "causing immense nuisance and harassment for the other residents". The court has listed the matter for further hearing on September 1. The order comes in the backdrop of a January order of the Supreme Court which categorically said "stray dogs have a right to live." During that hearing, the apex court had reacted sharply when a submission was made that such canines should be completely eliminated across the country.

Radhika Chugh

03 Aug 2017,Thursday

Congress workers booked for violence at Ghaziabad Haj House

http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/ghaziabad-police-deployed-outside-haj-house-fir-lodged-against-congress-workers/story-mdWffLyNyfG1rdVvdazSJP.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Ghaziabad Police has booked 14 people including 3 Congress workers for resorting to violence during protests in front of the Ala Hazrat Haj House on Monday. Nearly 500 protesters had pelted stones at the police during the protest demanding that the facility be opened to pilgrims immediately. The facility has remained sealed since its inauguration last year.

The Ghaziabad police arrested three persons and lodged an FIR under sections of the IPC and Criminal Law Amendment Act against them. Also, 14 persons were booked for causing damage to public property.The police have also named the involvement of 300-400 unidentified persons for inciting violence near ?Ala Hazrat Haj House? on Monday night.Those arrested include Naseem Khan, district president of Congress? minority cell and Puja Chaddha, the district president of Congress? women?s cell. Other Congress leaders have also been named in the FIR, in which the police alleged that 14 police personnel, including four sub-inspectors and a woman constable, were injured.?The FIR is lodged at Sahibabad police station and we have arrested three persons in this connection. Teams are on the lookout for other persons and trying to identify them through video footage,? Akash Tomar, superintendent of police (city), said.A large number of locals and Congress workers started gathering outside the Haj House near river Hindon from Monday afternoon, despite prohibitory orders in place in the district. The police also charged them under Section 188 of the IPC, which is applied only when prohibitory orders are violated.?Naseem Khan and Puja Chaddha are not traceable. We will protest against the police and the administration and will also hand them a memorandum about the lathi charge carried out by police on innocent people who were staging a peaceful dharna outside the Haj House. There were some miscreants who resorted to violence but they were outsiders,? said Harendra Kasana, district president of the Congress.For the last one week, since the Haj pilgrimage is on, locals have been demanding that the newly constructed Haj House, which was inaugurated by former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in September 2016, be opened.However, the Haj House is caught up in litigation after three residents approached the National Green Tribunal and demanded its demolition, contending that the structure was built on land chunks of the Hindon floodplains.The tribunal on September 2, 2016, had said in its order, ?We make it clear that any steps or construction taken in the meanwhile shall be subject to the orders of the Tribunal passed in this Application (sic).?Earlier on July 27, Hindustan Times had published a report listing the reasons for closure of the facility. In response, UP minister Mohsin Raza had said that the decision not to make the Haj House operational was taken by the previous government (led by former Akhilesh Yadav) and the present government is continuing the same.?The decision was already taken by the previous government as the matter was with NGT even before the present government assumed office. The decision was taken to protect the environment and the river ecology. The influx of thousands of pilgrims is bound to create garbage issues in the river zone. This decision was taken earlier to avoid being in contempt of court,? Raza had said.In the meantime, the district administration has deployed police and provincial armed constabulary personnel outside the Haj House and are keeping a tight vigil on activities that may lead to an escalation of law and order.

Sonu Kumari

01 Aug 2017,Tuesday

Ghaziabad police arrests man with 31 countrymade guns

http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/ghaziabad-arms-supplier-from-muzaffarnagar-held-with-31-countrymade-guns/story-4bLUuIdRl7MveB56KG4kpN.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Ghaziabad police on Monday arrested a man in possession of arms that he was to allegedly deliver to an unidentified buyer on the same day. Police have recovered 31 countrymade weapons and 16 live cartridges that were allegedly manufactured at an illegal arms factory. He has also been to jail earlier in connection with manufacturing and supplying arms, police said.

The Ghaziabad police on Monday arrested an alleged arms supplier from Muzaffarnagar who had come to Sahibabad to allegedly deliver a cache of newly developed arms and live cartridges to an unidentified contact.The police said they recovered 31 countrymade weapons and 16 live cartridges that were to be delivered to the buyer on Monday.A team from the Sihani Gate police station nabbed Mohammad Ilyas, the accused, from the crossing at the Karhera exit early Monday morning. The police said that Ilyas is a resident of Muzaffarnagar, where he owns and runs a grocery shop that he also uses as a front to sell arms to ?regular customers?.?The accused brought the weapons and cartridges, which we found were manufactured at an illegal arms factory owned by one Mobin, who is also a co-accused in the case. Mobin had told Ilyas to deliver the arms to a contact in Ghaziabad and was to give him the identity of the contact once he reached Ghaziabad,? Manish Mishra, the assistant superintendent of police, said.However, before Mobin could give him the information, the police nabbed Ilyas along with the cache of illegal weapons. Officers said that the bigger weapons are generally sold for Rs20,000 apiece while the smaller ones, shaped like pistols, are sold for Rs10,000 each. Sources said that illegal countrymade pistols are generally manufactured from spare parts of trucks, especially, the lower end of the steering gear, which are shaped into barrels as they are strong and can withstand the firepower. The illegal weapons are then shaped by the manufacturers with the help of heat generated in a furnace.There have been several instances wherein the police have nabbed arms suppliers in Ghaziabad.In April, the police arrested a man who was carrying 12 pistols and 11 magazines, and had come to Ghaziabad from Muzaffarnagar to deliver weapons.In January, the Ghaziabad police arrested two persons from Shatabdipuram and recovered three illegal pistols and 600 semi-built magazines (used to store cartridges in weapons) from their possession.?Ilyas has also been to jail earlier in connection with supplying and manufacturing arms. We suspect that the accused was on his way to meet Mobin in Pasonda and the purchaser was to be identified later on. Our teams have launched a search for Mobin, who is presently absconding,? Mishra said.

Vani Vivek

01 Jul 2017,Saturday

Indian-origin Adobe CEO to receive US Great Immigrants award

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/2-indian-americans-to-be-honoured-with-great-immigrants-award/1/991746.html

Technology major Adobe's CEO Shantanu Narayen and former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy are the two Indian-Americans among 38 individuals who will be honoured with the Great Immigrants award in the US this year. Narayen, who is originally from Hyderabad, joined Adobe in 1998 and was named one of the world's best CEOs by Barron's magazine in 2016.

By Yoshita Singh New York, Jul 1 (PTI) Indian-Americans, Adobe chief Shantanu Narayen and former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, are among 38 immigrants to be honoured this year for their role in helping advance the countrys society, culture and economy. Narayen and Murthy will be honoured with the prestigious Great Immigrants annual award on USs independence day on July 4. Murthy, 39, born in the UK and a Harvard and Yale alumnus, was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2014, becoming the first-ever Indian-American to occupy the post and also the youngest ever surgeon general of the country. However, Murthy was dismissed this year in April by the Trump administration. Narayen, 54, a native of Hyderabad has an undergraduate degree in electronics engineering, a masters degree in computer science, and an MBA from UC Berkeley. He is a board member of Pfizer and US-India Business Council (USIBC). He was among a select group of CEOs who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington for a roundtable during the leaders visit for first bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump this week. Among other honorees include Canadian-origin social entrepreneur Jeff Skoll, who has been awarded the 2017 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, PayPal cofounder of Ukrainian origin Max Levchin, Iranian-origin philanthropist and entrepreneur Hushang Ansary. Each year since 2006, the corporation has recognised the contributions of naturalised citizens, and for 2017, the honorees represent more than 30 different countries of origin, a wide range of personal immigration stories, and a high-level of professional leadership in numerous fields. "Our annual tribute to Great Immigrants demonstrates the richness of talent, skills, and achievements that immigrants from around the world bring to every sphere of American society," said Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York. "This campaign reminds us of the debt the United States owes to generations of immigrants who become citizens and contribute to the progress of this country. Today, we celebrate and thank them," he said.

Radhika Chugh

26 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Petitions against textbook calling Bhindranwale a terrorist

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/maharashtra-school-textbook-should-not-call-bhindranwale-a-terrorist-sikh-groups/story-Rm3F374hxa4Dj5sRKu9MYJ.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A member of Sikh community's Damdami Taksal seminary has filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court against Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale being called a 'terrorist' in Maharashtra State Board's Class 9 textbooks. The petition demanded that the 'objectionable part' be removed immediately. Notably, Bhindranwale was a militant preacher, killed in a military operation at Golden Temple in 1984.

Sikh organisations in Maharashtra have written to education minister Vinod Tawde to remove references to Jarnailsingh Bhindranwale, a militant preacher who was killed in the military operation at Amritsar?s Golden Temple in June 1984, as a ?terrorist? in the Maharashtra state education board?s class 9 history textbook.The textbook based on the new syllabus was released in the market earlier this month. The Sikh groups have asked the government to amend the paragraphs on page 6 and 10 that mention Bhindranwale and his followers as ?terrorists?. Under a chapter titled ?India?s Internal Challenges, Operation Bluestar?, conducted by the army in Amritsar, where militants supporting the Khalistan movement were hiding, is described as ?an operation to evict terrorists hiding in the Golden Temple.? On page 6, it further states, ?The Sikhs in Punjab demanded an independent state of Khalistan and began a movement which went onto become violent and destructive. Pakistan lent it support.? More ?objectionable? references are made to Bhindranwale and other militants throughout the page. ?The main task of getting the terrorists out of the Golden Temple was entrusted to?? and ?The operation ended with the death of Bhindranwale and other terrorists.?The issue was first highlighted in Punjab by Damdami Taksal, a Sikh seminary, which was headed by Bhindranwale before he was killed in Operation Bluestar. In a letter to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Taksal complained against ?disseminating sensitive information to impressionable minds of school students that would put the Sikh community in a poor light.?Following this, Sikh community groups in Mumbai have also written to Tawde to rephrase the paragraphs on Bhindranwale. ?He was not a terrorist, he was a saint,? said Puran Singh Banga, general secretary, Sat Sri Akaal Charitable Trust and president of Sri Guru Nanak Darbar, Chembur. ?The government should have consulted with Sikh groups and other academicians before printing the text.?Refusing to comment on this, Sunil Magar, director of state?s textbook publishing bureau, Balbharti, said, ?The matter is in the Bombay high court. We are preparing our reply to the court.? Magar added, ?We had published the information in the book on the basis of historical evidence and proof.?On the other hand, history teachers in Mumbai argued that the information is historically accurate. ?Bhindranwale?s activities endangered several Indians, many people were killed,? said a history teacher from Bhandup on the condition of anonymity. ?Tilak and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose can be considered as ?extremists?, but from the point of view of the British, they too can be called ?terrorists?,? the teacher added. A similar controversy had emerged in 2006 when the NCERT was forced to amend lessons on Sikhism after protests by Sikh organisations against ?objectionable? references to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru of the Sikhs, in class 12 textbooks.

Ayushi Ahluwalia

20 Jul 2017,Thursday

DDA clears plan to revamp Delhi's Basant Lok complex

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/dda-clears-upgrade-plan-of-once-popular-hangout-basant-lok-work-to-start-in-three-months/story-0JJctimlF8jk67nE46lx9M.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has cleared a proposal to revamp the Basant Lok market complex in Delhi. The new project will include extra parking, more toilets, an amphitheatre, upgraded buildings, and electrical and fire-fighting mechanisms among other facilities. The authority has allocated ?10 crore for the project which is expected to start in the next three months.

The Basant Lok complex, popularly known as Priya?s, was once a favourite hangout spot in South Delhi. But with fast depleting infrastructure and civic amenities, the area was losing competition to nearby malls.The Delhi Development Authority will spend Rs 10 crore to revamp the complex with spacious lanes, an amphitheatre, extra parking, an open plaza, more toilets, rainwater harvesting system and sewage treatment plant facility.?The plan has been approved by lieutenant governor Anil Baijal and the work will start in the next three months,? said a DDA official. An survey of the area showed lack of fire safety arrangements, broken walkways and choked drains, he said. ?We will not just upgrade buildings but electrical and fire fighting mechanisms too,? he said. The corridors will be paved in granite, disabled friendly infrastructure and CCTVs for security. The area will be declared one-way for traffic on the road in front of the market complex. Basant Lok was built in the 1970s and till the early 2000s was one of the most prominent markets of Delhi. Even big international brands opened their flagship stores at the market. But in past one decade poor maintenance had led to market associations complaining about loss of business.?Street furniture, plantation and lighting arrangements will be made in the complex to give it a distinct look,? the official said.

Tarun Khanna

02 Apr 2017,Sunday

Govt plans to change security marks of banknotes in 3-4 yrs

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/govt-plans-to-change-security-marks-of-banknotes-every-3-4-yrs/1/918505.html

The government has planned to change security features of ?2,000 and ?500 banknotes every 3-4 years in accordance with the global standards to keep a check on counterfeiting. The move came after fake currency notes were recovered post demonetisation. The security features in newly introduced notes are same as that of old notes, the MHA officials have said.

To check counterfeiting, the government plans to change security features of higher denomination banknotes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 every 3-4 years in accordance with global standards. The move comes in the wake of recovery of a large amount of fake Indian currency notes in last four months after demonetisation.The issue was discussed threadbare at a high-level meeting on Thursday attended by senior officials of the ministries of finance and home, including Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi.Advocating the move, Home Ministry officials said most of the developed countries change security features of their currency notes every 3-4 years and therefore, it is absolutely necessary for India to follow this policy.DECISION LONG DUEThe change in design of Indian currency notes of higher denominations was long due. Till its demonetisation, there had been no major change in the Rs 1,000 note since its introduction in 2000. Changes in the old Rs 500 note, which was launched in 1987, were carried out more than a decade ago.The newly introduced notes had no additional security features and were similar to those in the old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, officials said.11 OF 17 SECURITY FEATURES REPLICATEDA close look by the investigators on some of the recently seized fake notes found that at least 11 of the 17 security features in the new Rs 2,000 notes had been replicated.These included the transparent area, watermark, Ashoka Pillar emblem, the letters Rs 2000 on the left, the guarantee clause with the Reserve Bank of India Governors signature and the denomination number in Devanagari on the front, officials said.Besides, the motif of Chandrayaan, the Swachh Bharat logo and the year of printing had been copied on the reverse side. Although the print and paper quality of the seized counterfeits was poor, they resembled genuine notes.The officials said the change of security features of currency notes in every 3-4 years will lead to curbing of counterfeiting to a great extent.Those who were arrested recently along with fake notes with face value of Rs 2,000 have told investigators that the notes were printed in Pakistan with the help of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and had been smuggled into the country through Bangladesh, the officials claimed.A study conducted by the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, in 2016 pegged the value of fake Indian currency notes in circulation at Rs 400 crore.

Sanira Mediratta

22 Dec 2016,Thursday

PM Modi features on Government of India calendar for 2017

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pib-yearly-calendar-theme-pm-narendra-modi-2017-press-information-bureau/1/840662.html

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has featured on the Government of India 2017 calendar, released by the Press Information Bureau. The calendar features candid pictures, with each month representing the issues that Modi has worked for. The photos depict the Prime Minister's participation in campaigns including 'Swachh Bharat', 'Sashakt Nari, Sashakt Bharat', and 'MSME: India's economic backbone'.

The Press Information Bureau has come out with its edition of its yearly calendar and it is all about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is a keen photographer and loves being photographed, some would say to a fault. You know how photos of the PM looking at the camera when the camera looks at him are all the rage on Twitter. However, for its 2017 calendar edition, PIB did not make the prime minster pose. Instead it chose some of his candid pictures. In the calendar, each month thematically represents the issues PM Modi has worked for.Here's how it looks like: The month of January focuses on 'skilling India for youth-led development' February's theme is 'empowering the poor'The month of March highlights 'Sashakt Naari, Sashakt Bharat' April's theme is 'futuristic India through infrastructure building' The month of May gives importance to 'MSME: India's economic backbone'  June's theme acknowledges farmers, the bread winners of our nation   July's theme focuses on "rural electrification"  The month of August highlights the importance of our armed forces as they are the 'pride of the nation' September's theme promotes 'cashless transactions' The month of October is all about 'Swachh Bharat' November's theme is 'corruption free governance'

Chhavi Tyagi

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Gorkhaland supporter killed in 'police firing' in Darjeeling

http://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/gorkhaland-supporter-killed-in-police-firing-darjeeling-shutdown-enters-34th-day/story-01cOHVWBn0HKCit1KFPe1O.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

After a Gorkhaland supporter was allegedly shot dead by police in Darjeeling on Monday night, the death toll reached eight in the West Bengal's district amid the ongoing unrest. Notably, the indefinite shutdown of the hills entered the 34th day on Tuesday. However, the police have denied opening fire in any of the incidents which have allegedly killed eight people.

A Gorkhaland supporter was allegedy shot dead by police during a demonstration in Darjeeling?s Mirik town, statehood activists said on Tuesday, the 8th death in a violent unrest in West Bengal?s hill districts.Asish Tamang, 38, was killed on Monday night when police allegedly opened fire on a group of Gorkhaland supporters in the popular tourist town, about 50 km from Darjeeling.Police refused to comment on the issue. The Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee, spearheading the statehood movement, is scheduled to meet at Kalimpong on Tuesday, and Tamang?s death could trigger fresh tension in the hills. The committee is an umbrella body of several organisations which are demanding creation of a Gorkhaland state, to be carved out of the hills and parts of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts in north Bengal.An indefinite shutdown of the hills entered the 34th day on Tuesday with no signs of an early settlement to the issue.The state government led by chief minister Mamata Banerjee has ruled out bifurcation of the state and has blamed ?outside forces?, including militant groups of the northeast and Maoist rebels from Nepal, of backing the Gorkhaland movement.Yogesh Goley, a senior member of the Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha, said Tamang was killed around 10.30 pm. Activists said police fired on them when they gheraoed the Mirik police station demanding release of a Gorkhaland supporter who was detained following a clash between agitators and Trinamool supporters. Police, however, deny opening fire in any of the incidents which have allagedy killed eight people.Darjeeling, known as the Queen of the Hills for its picturesque tourist spots, and other hill areas of the state are on the boil since the first week of June when the GJM launched an agitation over alleged attempts to impose Bengali in schools of the Gorkha-dominated hills.The GJM later revived the 110-year old statehood demand but has refused to hold talks with the Mamata-led government.

Sumedha Sehra

25 Jun 2017,Sunday

I fear for my life: RJD man who failed to defend Lalu on TV

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rjd-sanoj-yadav-lalu-prasad-yadav-tej-pratap-yadav-benami-property/1/986804.html

A worker of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), who failed to defend Lalu Prasad Yadav on a TV debate, has said that he fears for his life now. Sanoj Yadav had appeared on a TV debate during which he couldn't put up a defence for Lalu in the corruption and benami cases. He was beaten by Lalu's son later.

Sanoj Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) comradeship of 30 years failed to wane Bihar Health Minister Tej Pratap's ire towards him who thrashed him brutally in a party on Friday. An RJD loyalist and worker, Sanoj had a few days back appeared in a news debate on television where he was unable to defend Lalu Yadav and his family over allegations of corruption and acquiring benami properties. This enraged the young Yadav so much that he abused and thrashed Sanoj black and blue in their iftar party that was held on June 23, Friday. Sanoj Yadav expressed dismay and shock over the humiliation that he was subjected to in a gathering full of party cadres and ministers. He was also aghast at Lalu Yadav's inaction to control his son.Speaking to India Today, Sanoj said, "I have been a loyal worker of the party for last 30 years and today I have been humiliated by Lalu's son in such a manner that I am completely shattered." He added that now he fears for his life and has asked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to expel Tej Pratap Yadav from his cabinet. Yadav further alleged that RJD has been completely hijacked by Tej Pratap Yadav.   "This is not the first time that a RJD worker has been beaten up and humiliated by Lalu's family members. Now I fear for my life from Tej Pratap Yadav and therefore I am appealing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to take action against him and sack him from his cabinet", said Sanoj Yadav.Also read: Bihar ki beti will lose presidential election: Nitish on Meira Kumar

Tarun Khanna

22 Feb 2017,Wednesday

Lalu made his illiterate wife CM: BJP on 'dictator' remark

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/lalu-prasad-yadav-sushil-modi-pm-modi-rjd-bjp-dictator-rabri-devi/1/888539.html

After RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav called PM Narendra Modi a 'dictator', BJP leader Sushil Modi retaliated and said that Lalu had made his illiterate wife (Rabri Devi) the Chief Minister". "He made his sons ministers. He never allowed anyone else to become president of RJD. How can he say that PM Modi is a dictator," Sushil Modi added.

BJP has hit back at RJD chief Lalu Prasad over "dictator" barb which he used for Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday before leaving for Uttar Pradesh to campaign for Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance. Lalu had said that Narendra Modi was a dictator who would split the country into parts.Retaliating to the RJD chief's comments, senior BJP leader Sushil Modi said,"Lalu made his illiterate wife the Chief Minister and his sons ministers. He never allowed anyone else to become president of RJD. How can he say that PM Modi is dictator?" Lalu Prasad Yadav has been the president of Rashtriya Janata Dal for the last 17 years, ever since the party was formed. Sushil Modi added that he has now inducted his sons in the Nitish Kumar cabinet too, which shows his authoritarian side.Also read: RJD Chief Lalu Prasad should not talk about democracy and constitution: Sushil Modi Also read: Sushil Modi is acting like a dictator, sidelining leaders in his party: Tejaswi Yadav On the other hand BJP also took a dig at Abdul Gafoor, a minister in Nitish Kumar cabinet who had declared that he would continue to meet don and former RJD MP Shahabuddin even inside Tihar jail in Delhi. Gafoor had met and dined with the dreaded don inside Siwan jail in March last year creating a massive furore.

Dishant Sharma

04 May 2017,Thursday

Three Indian boxers reach Asian Boxing C'ship semi-finals

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/asian-boxing-championships-semi-finals-shiva-thapa-sumit-sangwan-amit-phangal/1/944888.html

Indian boxers Shiva Thapa (60 kg), Sumit Sangwan (91 kg) and Amit Phangal (49 kg) assured India of a medal each after entering the semi-finals of their respective weight categories at the Asian Boxing Championship on Wednesday. The trio also qualified for the World Championships which will be held in Hamburg, Germany, from August 25 to September 3.

Indian boxers Shiva Thapa (60kg), Sumit Sangwan (91kg) and Amit Phangal (49kg) entered the semi-finals of their weight categories at the Asian Boxing Championships on Wednesday.The trio not only ensured podium finish for themselves, but also qualified for the World Championships to be held in Hamburg, Germany, from August 25 to September 3.Sumit was the first Indian boxer to advance to the last-four stage when he thrashed third seed Fengkai Yu of China 4-1 in the Light Heavyweight (81kg) quarter-finals.Sumit will now face second seed Jakhon Qurbonov of Tajikistan in the semi-finals on Friday. Qurbonov had defeated Mehmood Sanaullah of Pakistan in the quarter-finals.Amit also faced a relatively easy day, defeating fourth seed Cornelis Kwangu Langu of Indonesia 5-0 in the last-eight stage of the Light Flyweight (49kg) category.He is expected to face a tough task in the semi-finals against reigning Olympic and Asian champion Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan.Later in the day, Shiva defeated Chu-En Lai of Taiwan 5-0 in the Lightweight (60kg) quarter-finals.

Deepali Aggarwal

01 Aug 2017,Tuesday

Qatar complaints to WTO against Saudi-led trade boycott

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/qatar-launches-wide-ranging-wto-complaint-against-trade-boycott/story-gsfTn2TuqgrVgPRRBENYqM.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Qatar on Monday filed a legal complaint at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against a trade boycott by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates. By formally requesting consultations with the three countries, Qatar has triggered a 60-day deadline for them to settle the complaint or face litigation at the WTO and potential retaliatory trade sanctions.

Qatar filed a wide-ranging legal complaint at the World Trade Organization on Monday to challenge a trade boycott by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates, the director of Qatar?s WTO office Ali Alwaleed al-Thani told Reuters.By formally ?requesting consultations? with the three countries, the first step in a trade dispute, Qatar triggered a 60 day deadline for them to settle the complaint or face litigation at the WTO and potential retaliatory trade sanctions.?We?ve given sufficient time to hear the legal explanations on how these measures are in compliance with their commitments, to no satisfactory result,? al-Thani said.?We have always called for dialogue, for negotiations, and this is part of our strategy to talk to the members concerned and to gain more information on these measures, the legality of these measures, and to find a solution to resolve the dispute.?The boycotting states cut ties with Qatar - a major global gas supplier and host to the biggest US military base in the Middle East - on June 5, accusing it of financing militant groups in Syria, and allying with Iran, their regional foe, allegations Doha denies.The boycotting countries have previously told the WTO that they would cite national security to justify their actions against Qatar, using a controversial and almost unprecedented exemption allowed under the WTO rules.They said on Sunday they were ready for talks to tackle the dispute, the worst rift between Gulf Arab states in years, if Doha showed willingness to deal with their demands.The text of Qatar?s WTO complaint cites ?coercive attempts at economic isolation? and spells out how they are impeding Qatar?s rights in the trade in goods, trade in services and intellectual property.The complaints against Saudi Arabia and the UAE run to eight pages each, while the document on Bahrain is six pages.There was no immediate reaction from the three to Qatar?s complaint, which is likely to be circulated at the WTO later this week.?REMAIN HOPEFUL?The disputed trade restrictions include bans on trade through Qatar?s ports and travel by Qatari citizens, blockages of Qatari digital services and websites, closure of maritime borders and prohibition of flights operated by Qatari aircraft.The complaint does not put a value on the trade boycott, and al-Thani declined to estimate how much Qatar could seek in sanctions if the litigation ever reached that stage, which can take 2-5 years or longer in the WTO system.?We remain hopeful that the consultations could bear fruit in resolving this,? he said.The WTO suit does not include Egypt, the fourth country involved in the boycott. Although it has also cut travel and diplomatic ties with Qatar, Egypt did not expel Qatari citizens or ask Egyptians to leave Qatar.Al-Thani declined to explain why Egypt was not included.?Obviously all options are available. But we have not raised a consultation request with Egypt yet,? he said.In its WTO case, Qatar would also draw attention to the impact the boycott was having on other WTO members, he added.Many trade diplomats say that using national security as a defence risks weakening the WTO by removing a taboo that could enable countries to escape international trade obligations.Al-Thani said governments had wide discretion to invoke the national security defence but it had to be subject to oversight.?If it is self-regulating, that is a danger to the entire multilateral trading system itself. And we believe the WTO will take that into consideration.?Qatar also raised the boycott at a meeting of the United Nations? International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Monday, al-Thani said.In comments to Qatar-based Al Jazeera television later on Monday, Qatar?s transport and information minister said the boycotting countries had discriminated against Doha in violation of an international agreement guaranteeing overflights.?These countries have used this right arbitrarily and imposed it on aircraft registered only in the State of Qatar,? Jassim bin Saif al-Sulaiti said.Qatar in June asked Montreal-based ICAO to resolve the conflict, using a dispute resolution mechanism in the Chicago Convention, a 1944 treaty that created the agency and set basic rules for international aviation.Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain said on Sunday they would allow Qatari planes to use air corridors in emergencies.

Mansha Mahajan

06 May 2017,Saturday

Wipro threatened of drug attack if it doesn't pay ?500 crore

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/wipro-email-threat-bitcoins-bangalore-police/1/947239.html

Wipro has filed a complaint after receiving an anonymous email threatening an attack if it doesn't pay ?500 crore in bitcoins. Attackers threatened to use a fatal toxin 'ricin'. "It would be used through food served at your cafeteria, disperse it using a flying drone or even on...the toilet paper with which you wipe your ar*e," the email reportedly said.

IT major Wipro has filed a complaint with the Bengaluru Police after they received an anonymous email on Friday that there would be an attack on their offices if Rs 500 crore is not paid in bitcoins. The email also mentioned a specific portal where the currency needed to be deposited. The money was asked to be deposited in 29 days from the day the email was sent.Wipro has filed a case under the cyber terrorism laws. "Wipro confirms that it has filed a complaint with the local law enforcement authorities after receiving a threatening letter from an unidentified source. Wipro has augmented security measures at all its office locations. There is no impact on the company's operations. We have no further comments as the investigation is ongoing," the IT major said in a statement.The Bengaluru Additional Commissioner (crime) S Ravi too confirmed that the IT giant had filed a complaint.The sender of the email had threatened to use ricin, which is known to have fatal error facts if ingested, inhaled or injected. In the vicious email, the sender mentioned that  he had isolated 1 kg of high-quality ricin and would be sending 2 grams in envelopes to one of Wipro's offices in the city in the coming days to prove that he was not to be taken lightly.The email was sent from the id Ramesh2@protonmail.com.The Wipro officials have lodged the complaint and an FIR under Section 66 F of the IT Act has been registered at the cyber crime police station.Also read:Wipro sacks around 600 employees post performance appraisal

Prashanti Moktan

17 Apr 2017,Monday

Udta Punjab wasn't made with aim to win National award: Alia

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/didnt-make-udta-punjab-to-win-national-award-says-alia/1/930550.html

Actress Alia Bhatt has said that the film Udta Punjab was not made with the purpose of winning a National Film Award. "When the film released, it got that appreciation and recognition from the people. It's not that National awards are not prestigious, but it doesn't take away the fact (from) whatever the film has achieved," added Alia.n

Mumbai, Apr 16 (PTI) Actress Alia Bhatt, who played the role of a Bihari migrant in "Udta Punjab", said the film was not made with the intention of winning a National award. Abhishek Chaubeys "Udta Punjab", which dealt with the issue of substance abuse in Punjab, failed to win an award in the 64th National Film Awards. When asked how she felt on the film not getting recognition at the National awards, Alia said she did not feel bad, as the film had already been well received by the audience. "When the film released, it got that appreciation and recognition from the people. Its not that National awards are not prestigious, but it doesnt take away the fact whatever the film has achieved. "We did not make a film for that purpose, so its ok. An award is given when your efforts are rewarded. So, the people who have won, have put in more efforts and have been rewarded, so you shouldnt feel spiteful to somebodys elses win. Thats the wrong way of looking at it," Alia told reporters here. She was speaking on the sidelines of International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards press meet of voting weekend. "Udta Punjab" also had Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh were in key roles. Alia, who made her acting debut with Karan Johars "Student of the Year", has delivered great performances in films like "Highway", "2 States", "Udta Punjab", "Dear Zindagi", doesnt feel a sense of fulfilment yet in her career. Alia says there is still a lot for her to achieve.

Mansha Mahajan

27 Mar 2017,Monday

Switzerland warns it can suspend black money info exchange

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/can-suspend-auto-exchange-if-confidentiality-breached-swiss/1/913325.html

Following India's agreement on automatic exchange of information from next year about suspected black money hoarders in Swiss banks, Switzerland said it can suspend such exchange if confidentiality is not maintained. Further, the Swiss agency, mandated to defend the interests of Switzerland on international financial matters, said steps will be taken to ensure exchanged data doesn't get misused.

As India and other countries await an automatic exchange of information from next year about suspected black money hoarders in Swiss banks, Switzerland has said it can suspend such sharing of details at any time if confidentiality is not maintained. As part of an international commitment to fight the black money menace, Switzerland has effected the automatic exchange of information standard since January 1, 2017. The sharing of details under this framework will begin from next year with the first batch of countries, including India. "Domestic financial institutions are collecting this data for the first time this year, and the Swiss tax authorities will exchange it with their counterparts in partner states in 2018," said the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF). The Swiss agency is mandated to defend the interests of Switzerland on international financial and tax matters and participates in international negotiations. It said in its latest quarterly newsletter that necessary steps will be in place to ensure the exchanged data do not fall into the wrong hands or get misused. "Switzerland is prepared in principle to introduce the automatic exchange of information with all states and territories which meet the relevant requirements. In this sense, the confidentiality and security of the data are important elements of this international standard," it said. "Switzerland implements the automatic reciprocal exchange of information only with countries which can guarantee confidentiality and data protection. Before any exchanges occur, the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes carries out a thorough examination as to whether or not the partner states which have undertaken to introduce the automatic exchange of information comply with the requirements." "In some important cases, Switzerland additionally gets an on-the-spot impression of the situation in the partner states. Given that Switzerland does not belong to the group of countries which implemented the standard early on (so-called early adopters), it is also benefiting from the experience of other countries," the SIF said. "Before the first exchange occurs, it will be able to examine if all significant elements of the standard have been met. Should it subsequently transpire that a country has not fulfilled its obligations, Switzerland can at any time suspend the automatic exchange of information with the country concerned," it added.SYSTEM IN PLACE 'RELATIVELY SIMPLE' The Swiss agency further said the system in place so far has been "relatively simple", wherein whenever a foreign tax authority was interested in obtaining information located in Switzerland, it had to make a request for administrative assistance. "However, the rapid international developments in recent years have provided Switzerland with two new forms of exchange of information in the area of taxes: spontaneous and automatic exchange of information (AEOI)," it added. In the case of the AEOI, countries mutually exchange information automatically on financial accounts and the details in this case are determined as the standards drawn up by the OECD. The information in spontaneous exchange needs to be exchanged if the transmitting country suspects that the information available might be of interest to another country. While spontaneous exchange has nothing to do with voluntary in this context -- it only means that no preliminary request has been submitted -- this framework was being handled very differently from country to country up to now, the SIF said. "Within the scope of the OECD and G20 project to combat base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), the spontaneous exchange of information was specified for the first time in the area of advance tax rulings, where there is a risk of base erosion or profit shifting." "The Federal Council adopted the current international standard in this area in the context of a revision of the Tax Administrative Assistance Ordinance. Switzerland will spontaneously exchange information on advance tax rulings for the first time next year," it added. 'NUMBER OF DOMESTIC SWISS BANK BRANCHES HAS HALVED' The agency further said that over the past 30 years, the number of domestic bank branches in Switzerland has almost halved. "A reduction in the number of banking institutions and their branches can be the result of mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies. A number of policy measures have been put in place by Swiss authorities in recent years to address concerns of its banks providing high secrecy walls around their global clients. New rules make it much easier for several foreign jurisdictions, including India, to get details from Switzerland about people suspected to be involved in tax evasion and other financial crimes. Switzerland has also been issuing notices to several resident Indians and even Indians settled abroad after the receipt of request from India for "administrative assistance", including information about their Swiss bank account details. As per the local law, Switzerland gives an opportunity to the entity concerned to challenge the sharing of information, before providing the assistance to the requesting nation. While India and Switzerland late last year signed a new pact for automatic exchange of information about account details 2018 onwards, the pending requests have been made under their existing bilateral tax treaty. The pace of seeking such details seems to have quickened in recent months, going by the sudden spurt in the number of Indian names figuring in such notifications. ALSO READ | Switzerland to share info on Indians holding Swiss bank accounts

Tarun Khanna

24 Mar 2017,Friday

Nawaz Sharif celebrated Holi to appease Indian govt: JuD

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pakistan-pm-nawaz-sharif-holi-jamat-ud-dawa-indian-government/1/911615.html

Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) acting chief Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki on Thursday said that Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif celebrated Holi to appease the Indian government. "The rulers must realise that Muslims and Hindus are two separate nations. Their culture and civilisation are different. They cannot live together," said Makki, who is terrorist Hafiz Saeed?s brother-in-law.n

Jamat-ud-Dawa acting chief Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki on Thursday said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif celebrated Hindu festival 'Holi' to please the Indian government."The prime minister and other ruling elite celebrated Holi festival to please the Indian government. The rulers must realise that Muslims and Hindus are two separate nations. Their culture and civilisation are different. They cannot live together," Makki, who is the brother-in-law of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, said at a conference here.Makki said the rulers are weakening Pakistan's ideology for extending hand of friendship with India."We will defend Pakistan's ideology and will make nation strong to fight the enemy," Maki said.NAWAZ SHARIF RECEIVES IRESharif participated in a function in Karachi to celebrate the Holi festival with the Hindu community.In his message to minorities, Sharif warned against the forced conversion and destruction of worship places of other religions, describing them as "crime in Islam".Earlier, cleric Allama Ashraf Jalali, secretary general of Sunni Ittehad Council, said that the Prime Minister had not only blasphemed against Islam but also demeaned the "ideological foundations" of Pakistan by participating the function.Issuing a fatwa against Sharif the cleric demanded "an open apology from the premier for violation of his oath."

Vani Vivek

24 Dec 2016,Saturday

Govt partners with Google for online consumer protection

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/google-and-ministry-of-consumer-affairs-working-to-improve-online-safety-in-india/1/842109.html

Google India has partnered with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs for a campaign called 'Digitally Safe Consumer' to help protect consumer interest online. The company has said it will provide training material to over 1,200 consumer organisations and consumer affairs departments of all Indian states. Google is also working with schools to spread awareness about internet safety among the youth.

Global search engine giant Google has tied up with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to raise awareness about online safety in India. Together, they will embark on a nationwide 'Digitally Safe Consumer' campaign, to help better protect consumer interest online, Google India announced on Saturday."With the rapid increase in digitisation across all spheres, the message of internet safety needs to be integrated into the everyday tasks that the consumer undertakes online. This initiative will add to our existing campaigns guiding users to navigate the web and manage their digital lives safely and leverage the web to the fullest," Chetan Krishnaswamy, who is country head, Public Policy at Google India said. Google and its partner agencies will "work towards advocating digital security and privacy needs through 'Digital Literacy, Safety & Security' workshops through a 'Train the Trainer' model for approximately 500 people including 250 consumer organisations across the country," the company said in a press statement. Through the workshops, Google aims to provide people in India the desired training and necessary information on online safety tools.Also Read: Google free WiFi reaches 100th station, Ooty now connects to rail fibre lineThese trainers will then engage with the local community to spread awareness around the need for Internet safety. Google's Digitally Safe Consumer campaign is expected to roll out sometime in January, 2017 and will "reach out with training materials to over 1,200 consumer organisations as well as consumer affairs department of every state and union territory."

Mansha Mahajan

05 Mar 2017,Sunday

Aadhaar data of people fully safe and secure, assures UIDAI

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/aadhaar-uidai-data/1/897115.html

Amid reports of security breach of Aadhaar data, the Unique Identification Authority of India has assured personal data of individuals is "fully safe and secure". Reports claimed Aadhaar data was breached and biometrics were misused for creation of parallel databases. The agency, however, asserted there has been "no... misuse of Aadhaar biometrics leading to identity theft and financial loss".

The Unique identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has rebuffed the reports of misuse and breach of security of Aadhaar data of the individuals.The UIDAI's clarification has come in the wake of reports claiming that Aadhaar data was breached and biometrics were misused for creation of parallel databases by some interested parties.

Dishant Sharma

03 May 2017,Wednesday

Lightning strike kills man during football match

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/lightning-strike-kills-man-during-football-match/1/944122.html

A 20-year-old man, Rajat Barla, died after being struck by a lightning during a football match in the area under Bistupur police station in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, the police said on Tuesday. Barla was playing a match when thunderbolt accompanied by rain lashed the city. He sustained injuries and was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

Jamshedpur, May 2 (PTI) A 20-year-old man died in lightning strike during a football match at Loyola Round under Bistupur police station here today, police said. Rajat Barla was playing a match when thunderbolt accompanied by rain lashed the city.

Mansha Mahajan

28 Mar 2017,Tuesday

SBI spent ?775 crore in maintaining Jan Dhan accounts: Govt

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sbi-spent-rs-775-cr-in-maintaining-jan-dhan-accounts-govt/1/914645.html

The total cost of operation of Jan Dhan accounts by SBI has been around ?775 crore as on December, 2016, Union Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said. Further, the number of zero balance Jan Dhan accounts was 6.32 crore. Moreover, over 92 lakh such accounts in different banks have been frozen due to lack of transactions last year, he added.

Animesh Choudhary

07 Apr 2017,Friday

Russia responds strongly to US missile attack on Syria

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2017/apr/07/us-syria-response-donald-trump-assad-pentagon-live?page=with:block-58e72a22e4b0e0ec04efe923#block-58e72a22e4b0e0ec04efe923

Russia said that the US missile strike on its ally Syria amounted to "aggression against a sovereign nation" and is likely to "damage US-Russia relations, which are already in a poor state." The US had fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles on a Syrian government airbase said to have been used to launch a chemical attack that killed over 100 civilians.

7.12am BST 07:12 The Turkish deputy prime minister, Numan Kurtulmu?, has backed the US strikes.Speaking on Turkish Fox TV, Kurtulmu? said he hoped the operation would contribute to achieving peace in Syria, and said the international community needed to maintain pressure on Assad. 7.00am BST 07:00 In its first public response to the airstrikes, the Kremlin has issued a strong statement condemning the US move as ?aggression against a sovereign nation?.Moscow said the strikes had been carried out on an ?invented pretext? and claimed the Syrian army did not have chemical weapons.The strikes, it said, would do ?significant damage to US-Russia ties? and created a ?serious obstacle? to creating an international coalition to defeat Isis.Russian president Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said, views the strikes as an attempt to deflect world attention from civilian deaths in Iraq ? where at least 150 people died in a series of coalition airstrikes in Mosul last month. 6.52am BST 06:52 Iran has condemned the US missile strike on Syria, Associated Press reports:Foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said the ?unilateral action is dangerous, destructive and violates the principles of international law?, in a report carried Friday by the semi-official ISNA news agency.Iran is one of the biggest supporters of Assad and its hardline paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is deeply involved in the war.Ghasemi described Iran as ?the biggest victim of chemical weapons in recent history?, referencing Iraqi use of the weapons during its 1980s war. He said Iran condemned the missile launch ?regardless of the perpetrators and the victims? of Tuesday?s chemical weapons attack in Syria.He also warned it would ?strengthen terrorists? and further add to ?the complexity of the situation in Syria and the region?. 6.37am BST 06:37 In addition, Shaun Walker reports, there?s a big round of diplomacy ahead in Russia next week: US secretary of state Rex Tillerson is due in Moscow on Wednesday and is expected to meet with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and president Vladimir Putin.Boris Johnson is in Moscow on Monday and will meet Lavrov. 6.31am BST 06:31 Shaun WalkerThe Guardian?s Moscow correspondent reports:The Russian foreign ministry has said it will make a statement soon on the US action. There has been a lot of negative comment so far, comparing Trump?s move to previous US incursions in the Middle East, but little concrete information about the potential consequences, as people wait for a signal from the Kremlin on how Russia is going to play this.The Pentagon has said there were ?multiple conversations? with Russia before the strike, and that ?extraordinary precautions? were taken not to target Russians at the base, but we are also yet to hear anything from either the Kremlin or military HQ on how these discussions looked from Moscow.A report on the state news said the US had launched the attack after ?baseless? claims that Assad had used chemical weapons. Senator Viktor Ozerov said Trump was ?following in the footsteps of Bush Jr who looked for chemical weapons in Iraq, and we all know how that worked out?.Alexei Pushkov, a Russian senator and former top foreign policy official, wrote on Twitter shortly before the US missiles were launched:In the 21st century, every US president has had a war in the Middle East, if not two. If Trump goes into Syria, he?ll sit alongside Bush and Obama.Vladimir Safronkov, Russia?s deputy UN ambassador, said:The authors of these plans should stop and think what military operations in Iraq, Libya, and other countries led to. All the consequences will be on the conscience of those who came up with these plans. 6.23am BST 06:23 Britain, too, has issued a show of support for the US action against Syria.A Downing Street spokeswoman said:The UK government fully supports the US action, which we believe was an appropriate response to the barbaric chemical weapons attack launched by the Syrian regime, and is intended to deter further attacks. 6.19am BST 06:19 Gareth HutchensAustralia?s prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has said he ?strongly supports? the US military strike on Syria?s al-Shayrat airfield, calling it a calibrated, proportionate and targeted response to the Syrian regime?s ?shocking war crime?.He said Australia was in close discussions with its allies about the next steps, but said the airstrike had sent an important signal that the world would not tolerate the use of chemical weapons. In a specially-convened press conference in Sydney on Friday, Turnbull said:It sends a strong message to the Assad regime.The retribution has been proportionate and it has been swift. We support the United States in that swift action.Turnbull said it was important to note that the international community was not at war with the Assad regime, and the US had made it clear it was not seeking to overthrow Bashar al-Assad.However, he said events of this week raised ?very real questions? over whether Assad could remain as leader of Syria:This chemical attack was a horrific crime, shocking, even in the context of that brutal war.Turnbull said the US had not asked for more military support, but he left open the possibility of providing it in the future:There is no question that this shocking conflict in Syria is crying out itself for a resolution and we certainly will continue to work with our allies and our partners to see a resolution to this shocking war. 6.13am BST 06:13 The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organisation that monitors the war, says al-Shayrat airbase has been almost completely destroyed.There are reports that some troops have been killed, but this is as yet unconfirmed. 6.08am BST 06:08 Elle HuntA mainstay of US warfare for more than 20 years, the Tomahawk cruise missile had been considered the most likely weapon for any strike by the Trump administration against the Syrian military. And so it proved.The US launched its surprise attack on an inland airbase near Homs early on Thursday morning, with 59 of the missiles deployed from two naval destroyers. USS Ross and USS Porter were in the eastern Mediterranean sea off Syria?s western coast.More than 6.25m long (20ft) and weighing 1,590kg (3,500lb), the Tomahawk land-attack missile is billed by the US navy as ?an all-weather, long range, subsonic cruise missile? able to be launched from either ships or submarines.They commonly carry warheads of up to 454kg (1,000lb), and are designed to fly at low altitudes towards even heavily defended land targets with extreme accuracy.Their chief advantage in warfare is that they are unmanned, guided by GPS to targets more than 1,600km (1,000 miles) away at high subsonic speeds of 885km/h (550mph). 5.56am BST 05:56 Russia is waking up to news of the strike ? though we know military channels were used to alert Moscow before the missiles were launched ? and reaction so far has been hostile.State news agency RIA quoted Viktor Ozerov, head of the defence and security committee at the Russian upper house of parliament, saying the US strikes could undermine the fight against terrorism.Ozerov said Russia would call for an urgent meeting of the UN security council: This [the attack] could be viewed as an act of aggression of the US against a UN nation.

Chhavi Tyagi

04 Mar 2017,Saturday

Indian-origin businessman shot dead in US

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indian-origin-businessman-shot-dead-in-us/1/896610.html

Indian-origin businessman Harnish Patel (43) was found dead of gunshot wounds outside his home in USA's South Carolina on Thursday. A Lancaster County police official said, "I don't have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated." This comes days after an Indian engineer was killed at a bar in Kansas, USA, in a hate crime shooting.

A 43-year-old Indian-origin store owner in the US has been shot dead outside his home, just days after an Indian engineer was killed in Kansas in a hate crime shooting that had sent shockwaves across the country. Harnish Patel, 43, the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County, South Carolina, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home on Thursday, coroner and police officials said. Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer. The store is about 6 km from his house, The Herald reported. He had locked up his nearby store less than 10 minutes before he was found dead, police said.Also read: Kansas shooting: Silence observed at US Congress; White House says case looks racially motivatedPatel was found in the yard a few minutes before midnight, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroners Office. Lancaster County police received calls at 11:33 PM after people called 911 to say that they heard screaming and gunshots. Sheriff Barry Faile said the Indian ethnicity of Patel does not appear to be a factor in the crime. "I dont have any reason to believe that this was racially motivated," Faile said Friends and customers were in shock and were visiting Patels home to offer condolences to his family. "Who would do anything like this to him, as good as he is to everybody," Nicole Jones, a frequent customer at Patels store, told WBTV. Also read: Trump on shooting of Indian man: America is united in condemning hate and evilJones and other friends said Patel was not always worried about the bottom line of his business. "If you didnt have the money, he'd let people have food," Jones said. Mario Sadler, another customer and friend, said Patel had offered him jobs before, and did anything he could to help out in tough times. "Hes watched my kids grow up, which is why its painful. From day one hes been amazing, just awesome, and I just dont understand the sense behind it," Sadler said. Dilipkumar Gajjar, a close friend of Patel and the owner the ABC store next to the Speedee Mart, said Patel came over to this country to better his family's life, and did that. Patels death comes close on the heels of the shooting in Kansas of a 32-year-old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar before yelling "get out of my country." The shooting last month had sent shockwaves across the Indian-American community with people expressing concerns over their safety in an environment of xenophobic and racist rhetoric in the country.

Prashanti Moktan

22 Mar 2017,Wednesday

If Yogi is UP CM, Dawood can be CBI Director, tweets Shirish

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/yogi-adityanath-comments-shirish-kunder-bulldozed-twitter/1/909985.html

Filmmaker Shirish Kunder has slammed Yogi Adityanath's appointment as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh by comparing it to how Dawood Ibrahim can be made CBI Director. Shirish also tweeted, "Hoping a goon will stop rioting once he's allowed to rule is like expecting a rapist to stop raping once he's allowed to rape." However, the tweets have been deleted.

Shirish Kunder is famous for going out on a limb and attracting trolls on Twitter. More or less, that is. This time around, the filmmaker invited the wrath of a certain section of Twitter for his comments on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.When Yogi Adityanath was announced as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, writer Chetan Bhagat tweeted, "#YogiAdityanath as UP CM. Because when you make the naughtiest guy in class the class monitor, he behaves the best."Shirish Kunder's tweets on the UP Chief Minister were probably in response to Bhagat's 'logic'.In the now-deleted tweets, Kunder wrote, "Hoping a goon will stop rioting once he's allowed to rule is like expecting a rapist to stop raping once he's allowed to rape."And the next tweet read, "Going by the logic of making a goon as CM so that he behaves, Dawood can be CBI director. And Mallya - RBI Governor."Even though Yogi Adityanath's appointment as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has raised several eyebrows, Shirish Kunder's tweets were not spared. The Joker director was burnt on the micro-blogging platform for his anti-Yogi tweets. And for the uninitiated, Kunder has more often than not been roasted on Twitter for his views on politics.

Ankur Vyas

13 Apr 2017,Thursday

Israeli people eagerly waiting for Modi's visit: Netanyahu

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/netanyahu-modi-israel-prime-minister-tweet/1/927743.html

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday tweeted that the people of Israel were eagerly waiting for PM Narendra Modi's historic visit. He also thanked PM Modi for his greetings on the Jewish holiday of Passover on Tuesday. Notably, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin had visited India in November last year, setting the stage for PM Modi's visit this year.

Israelis are waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to the country, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today.Thank you, my friend, for your kind holiday greeting. The people of Israel eagerly await your historic visit. https://t.co/Is1NmfWiMF Netanyahu's tweet was then re-tweeted by the PMO.Two days ago, Modi had tweeted, "Khag Sameach Khaverim". In Hebrew, it is used as a greeting for the holidays.Modi is expected to travel to Israel sometime in the next few months.Israeli President Reuven Rivlins visit to India last November had set the stage for Prime Minister Modis historic visit to the Jewish state which is likely to take place in the middle of this year.

Daisy Mowke

25 Mar 2017,Saturday

Firefighter revives dog rescued from fire by performing CPR

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/firefighter-saves-dog-cpr-santa-monica-fire-department-pet/1/912579.html

A firefighter from US revived a dog rescued from a burning building by performing CPR on it. The dog was reportedly no longer breathing and did not have a pulse. It was also given oxygen through an oxygen mask designed for animals. "It was a win for the whole team... that we got him back," said the fireman.

When a disaster like fire or earthquake strikes, our first reaction is to grab our dear ones and run. But what about the times when we get separated from someone we love in a moment of such crisis?That's where real life heroes come in.After an apartment in Santa Monica, California, caught fire recently, somebody's pet dog got trapped inside the burning building. When firefighter Andrew Klein noticed, he climbed into the building and rescued the poor dog.However, the dog, who's called Nalu, was no longer breathing and didn't have a pulse. Nalu had been "overcome by heat and smoke," the Santa Monica Fire Department said in a statement.Klein, a fireman from the Santa Monica Fire Department, did not give up. He performed a CPR on Nalu as people and his colleagues looked on. Nalu was also given oxygen through an oxygen mask designed for animals. Around 20 minutes after the CPR, as Klein and others kept coaxing him, Nalu began to breathe on his own again. "It was pretty amazing because I've been on a number of animal rescues like this that did not come out the same way that Nalu's story did," Klein told KTLA 5. "It was definitely a win for the whole team and the department that we got him back."Like Dr Derek Shepherd used to say on Grey's Anatomy, "It's a beautiful day to save lives." It always is.|| Read more at FYI ||Is culling the solution to stray dog menace in Kerala?Chandigarh youth spins dog and mercilessly hurls it against the wall

Ankur Vyas

06 Feb 2017,Monday

11 deaths in 2 months in Delhi mental health facility: DCW

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/asha-kiran-mental-care-unit/1/875586.html

A surprise Delhi Commission for Women inspection of Asha Kiran home for mentally challenged women on Saturday revealed 11 unreported deaths in two months. DCW officials also found patients roaming in the corridors in the nude while the CCTV footage was being monitored by male staffers. The patients were also being made to do the staff's personal chores, it found.

In a late night surprise inspection to the Asha Kiran home for mentally challenged women, the Delhi Commission for Women discovered patients in the nude roaming around in corridors.The team, comprising DCW chief Swati Maliwal, and other members and staff of the commission, conducted the visit on Saturday night and left the home on Sunday morning.CCTV cameras - monitored by male staff - installed in the home showed mentally challenged women roaming around nude. The inspection team also found patients in need of wheelchairs crawling on the floor to reach toilets.Also Read: Black Diwali in DCW over unpaid salaries, women commission might close down mobile helpline, rape crisis cellThe commission also discovered 11 unreported deaths in the last two months in Asha Kiran and has demanded complete medical records.Among other shocking revelations, the team found that mentally challenged children are being denied mattresses.The staff cited wetting of mattresses by children as the reason to force them to sleep on the floor in the cold weather.Not only were the washrooms in a deplorable condition with excreta, menstruation blood and urine spread all over with patients walking over them, even the rooms housing them were reeking of urine as the patients relieved themselves there, DCW officials told Mail Today"In addition to overcrowding, we saw mentally challenged residents sweeping the house, cleaning clothes and tending to the staff's need like massaging legs. Only one staff has been made available for 153 residents in one of the dormitories," a DCW spokesperson said.The spokesperson also said that the commission found no clinical psychologist at the home. "Barring one psychiatrist who visits the home for a few hours once a week, several positions for doctors have been lying vacant at the home," the official said.Also Read: DCW notice to Delhi Police over CCTV camera installations, asks why Supreme Court order not implementedMaliwal told Mail Today that what the commission encountered in the wee hours on Saturday and Sunday is nothing short of horrifying.

Mansha Mahajan

19 Jun 2017,Monday

Nutella maker wins case against rival's false health claims

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jun/19/belgium-palm-oil-nutella-ferrero-delhaize-court-battle-environmental-health-claims?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Slack

A Belgian court has ruled that advertising claims about the health and environmental benefits of a palm oil-free 'Choco' spread by supermarket chain Delhaize were illegal. The case by Nutella manufacturer Ferrero argued that Delhaize's campaign unfairly damaged its iconic brand. Delhaize has now been ordered not to repeat claims about its spread being better for the planet or health.

A Belgian court has ruled that advertising claims about the health and environmental benefits of a palm oil-free ?Choco? spread were illegal, in a case brought against the supermarket chain Delhaize by Ferrero, which manufactures Nutella.Delhaize has been ordered not to repeat any claims about its Choco spread being better for the planet or your health, on pain of a ?25,000 (£22,000) fine for each repetition.Ferrero argued that the Delhaize campaign unfairly damaged its iconic Nutella brand, which was placed next to the Choco spread on the supermarket?s shelves.Delhaize, which had won an earlier court case on the issue, told the Guardian it was considering further legal actions but would not appeal the verdict.At issue is a short-lived Delhaize advertising campaign in 2013, which claimed that the Belgian outlet?s best-selling Choco spread was better for the planet and for consumer health because it contained no palm oil. Ferrero argued this implied that firms which used sustainable practices for buying palm oil within existing supply chains were ethically inferior.Greenpeace, which in 2015 rated (pdf) Ferrero one of the best of 14 global manufacturers with ?no deforestation? policies, said the case had turned into a battle of sales strategies.?Ferrero is definitely one of the companies doing its best to implement sustainable commitments,? said An Lambrechts, a Greenpeace Belgium spokeswoman. ?This case is more about marketing ploys and market shares and less about who has the best initiative on palm oil.?Ferrero?s use of palm oil was pushed into the spotlight in 2015 after then-French environment minister Ségolène Royal called for a consumer boycott of Nutella over deforestation concerns. Royal subsequently backed down from the call, offering the confectionery titan ?a thousand apologies?.Multiple studies (pdf) have drawn causal links between the growth of palm oil plantations in south-east Asia and deforestation but the court ruled that Delhaize?s claims were unverifiable.Ferrero has a robust palm oil charter and says it can trace almost all of its palm oil to sustainable sources. The company came top of a WWF sustainability league table of 137 palm oil buyers last year. It is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and the Palm Oil Innovation Group.?The court sustained Ferrero?s arguments that it is illegal to claim that a product without palm oil is de facto better for environment and has better nutritional qualities than one containing palm oil,? a spokesman for Ferrero said.?Ferrero has taken admirable steps to reduce the impact of palm oil within its supply chain,? said Glenn Hurowitz, the CEO of Mighty, which campaigns against deforestation caused by palm oil. ?But it is as yet impossible to delink one company?s supplies from the broader, continued deforestation of the palm oil industry as a whole.?A separate argument by Ferrero that Delhaize not be allowed to call their spread ?Choco? ? because it contains no chocolate ? was thrown out by the court.For its part, Delhaize said Choco was still being manufactured with sunflower oil, cocoa butter and coconut oil ? and packaged as palm oil-free.?We have not seen any impact on [Choco] sales. On the contrary,? said the firm?s communications director Roel Dekelver. ?Despite this judgement, we will continue to propose and present innovative and inspirational products to customers that answer their different needs. This won?t hold us back.? The Belgian supermarket, which merged with Ahold to create a ?40bn retail empire last year, had also alleged health benefits from palm-oil free produce, citing ?potential health concerns? from palm oil in an assessment by the European Food Safety Authority.However, this assessment also applied to other vegetable oils and products, and the analysis is currently being reassessed. Ian Barber, the communications director of the Advertising Association, said that the first rule of advertising was: ?If you can?t back up the claim, you can?t make it?. ?I?d imagine the strategy open to Delhaize now is just to advertise that they?re palm oil-free and leave world to make up its mind if that?s a good or a bad thing,? he said. Sign up to be a Guardian Sustainable Business member and get more stories like this direct to your inbox every week. You can also follow us on Twitter.

Rini Sinha

13 Jun 2017,Tuesday

Sunil, Krushna to feature together in a comedy show: Report

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bad-news-for-kapil-sharma-sunil-grover-has-just-joined-hands-with-his-rival-krushna-abhishek-lifetv/1/977452.html

According to reports, comedians Sunil Grover, Ali Asgar, Chandan Prabhakar and Sugandha Mishra will feature together in an upcoming comedy show. None of these comedians shot for Kapil Sharma's show, following Kapil's brawl with Sunil. The show, which will reportedly also feature Krushna Abhishek, has tentatively been titled 'Comedy Company' and will have a format similar to Kapil's show.

Ever since Kapil Sharma and Sunil Grover parted ways, people have been speculating about the latter's return to the small screen. And finally there is news that Sunil is making a comeback to television, but with Kapil's rival Krushna Abhishek.According to recent reports, Sunil, Krushna, Ali Asgar will be seen together on a comedy show soon.

Ayushi Ahluwalia

15 Jul 2017,Saturday

Govt planning a passport centre every 50 kms

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/govt-planning-one-passport-centre-ever-50-kms-mos-external-affairs-mj-akbar/story-oPDwWdCyGYYaFQRPDQfwWM.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Union Minister MJ Akbar on Saturday said that the government is working towards setting up a passport centre every 50 kilometres in the country. He further said that the project which began one or one and a half year back has picked up speed. "You will see exponential growth in coming days,? he added.

Minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar said the government is working on a vision to set up one passport centre in every 50 km range in the country in future.?Passport is a right. It is not a gift. We are a democracy,? Akbar said while inaugurating the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) in north Kolkata?s Beadon Street Post Office.He said the as per ?Prime Minister Narendra Modi and MEA minister Sushma Swaraj?s vision to reach out passport facilities to the common man, one passport centre (POPSK) will come up in every 50 km range in future.?The Union minister also inaugurated another POPSK in Kishnanagar in Nadia district through video-conferencing at the same time.Akbar said, ?Instead of the past when people were in quest of passport, now the government wanted passport office to be in quest of its citizens.??We are committed to give upper class seva to gariv seva,? he said.Akbar said while in West Bengal POPSK had come up first in Asansol and then in Raiganj, the government would now set up similar offices in Siliguri and Darjeeling.?Passport offices will now come up in places where one could have never imagined in past. The project began one-one half year back and now it has picked up speed. You will see exponential growth in coming days.?On the issue of POPSK coming up at Beadon Street Post office, Akbar said, ?It had never been thought by anyone in past that there could be collaboration between Department of Posts, West Bengal circle, and Regional Passport Office, Kolkata in this way.?Akbar, a former journalist, said ?in past some of the officials had made passport offices a power centre and the whole process was very very laborious.??People were scared about the days to take the whole thing to complete, about the number of times they would have to stand in queue. Not any more,? he said.Turning to another issue, the minister said, ?The post offices are good real estate examples. We must think how to modernise their real estate, how to maximise their potential which will result in new productivity.?Applicants in Normal category (Fresh/Re-issue) only will be entertained at the two new POPSKs, Regional Passport Officer Bibhuti Bhushan Kumar said.He added Tatkaal, On-hold files, walk-in and PCC applications will not be accepted and processed in these POPSKs.

Chhavi Tyagi

27 Jul 2017,Thursday

MP ?miracle baby? was buried alive by rape survivor mother

http://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mp-miracle-baby-was-buried-alive-by-mother-who-conceived-him-after-rape-police/story-aVBNoIGpmU3xu7nlCpy7BI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A baby boy, who survived after being buried alive just 10 days after his birth, was put in a grave in Madhya Pradesh by his minor mother who conceived him after rape. The infant was found on July 3 by a tribal couple and the suspected rapist, also a minor, was arrested after the girl was traced in Maharashtra.

A baby boy, who survived after being buried alive just 10 days after his birth, was put in the shallow grave in Madhya Pradesh?s Barwani by his minor mother who conceived him after rape, investigators said on Thursday.The suspected rapist, also a minor, was arrested after the girl was traced to a village in Maharashtra.The infant was found on July 3 by a tribal couple, who were alerted by his cries from a burial ground at Ghus village, about 64 kms from Barwani. The village is not far from the border with Maharashtra.The baby is admitted to a hospital and will be handed over to the district child welfare committee (CWC), officials said.Despite stringent rape laws, people in rural areas rarely report sexual assaults to police because of the stigma attached. Activists say people also blame the character of the victim, which puts more pressure on families to hide such incidents.Barwani superindent of police, Prashant Khare, said the girl?s family hurriedly married her off to a minor boy after discovering her pregnancy. She said she was raped about a year ago.But her husband, who came to know about the incident, also refused to accept the baby and told her to abandon it, the officer added.Khare said the ?painstaking investigation? took around 20 days.?It was a shock for us when we saw that the mother was a minor, her husband too was a minor as was the rapist,? he added.The girl hails from a village of Barwani and lives with with her husband in Sirpur, Maharashtra. Police said she came to her parents house on July 2 and buried the baby in neighbouring Ghus, about 10 km away.Besides the accused, police have also booked the mother on charges of abandoning the baby and exposing him to danger.?I didn?t want to kill my baby. I requested a lot but nobody supported me, so buried him in a shallow grave,? police quoted the girl as saying.The mother told police she wanted to become a teacher but was forced by her parents to leave her studies.The parents allegedly did not tell her husband that she was carrying a child, the police officer added.

Saloni Tandon

01 Feb 2017,Wednesday

Mexico, US to play football tournament to oppose Trump wall

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mexico-border-donald-trump-u-s-mexico-football-tournament-protest/1/871936.html

Football teams from USA and Mexico will play a football tournament to protest US President Donald Trump's proposed US-Mexico border wall. No dates have yet been announced for the tournament, which has been named 'The Bridge Tournament'. The event would pit three teams from each nation, with one of the participating clubs recently calling for "football above walls" on Twitter.

Mexican and US football teams will play a tournament in protest of the wall that US President Donald Trump plans to build along the border of the two nations, a media reported said on Wednesday.Mexican sports daily Medio Tiempo said on Tuesday on its website that no date has yet been fixed for the aptly-named 'The Bridge Tournament', Efe news reported.

Parmeet Kaur

28 Jul 2017,Friday

SP MLA Abu Azmi's son gets death threat for marrying a Hindu

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/sp-mla-abu-azmi-s-son-farhan-receives-death-threats-for-marrying-hindu-woman/story-HQbIBmOEyQvoMC2xiUXeAO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Son of Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi, Farhan Azmi, has lodged an FIR against the Hindu Sena on Wednesday, claiming that he and his family received death threats from them. They reportedly threatened Farhan that he will suffer for having married actress Ayesha Takia and said, "Have you forgotten you have indulged in Love Jihad by marrying a Hindu girl?"

Hotelier Farhan Azmi approached the Mumbai police on Wednesday saying that he received death threats on the phone.Azmi is the son of Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi. According to Azmi, the caller said he was from the Hindu Sena. He allegedly told Farhan his family would be targeted and killed. Azmi has submitted a written application to the Mumbai police commissioner requesting an investigation. Azmi in his application claimed that the caller told him that he would suffer as he had married a Hindu woman.Police officers confirmed that Farhan had given them an application and also submitted the phone recordings of the threatening calls. The police said that they would now investigate the case. ?This is a serious matter and should be investigated as we are living under threat,? said Farhan.

Daisy Mowke

22 Apr 2017,Saturday

Not like I bought the car and took Kriti for a ride: Sushant

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sushant-singh-rajput-kriti-sanon-raabta-long-drive-maserati/1/935535.html

Sushant Singh Rajput has said he didn't take rumoured girlfriend Kriti Sanon on a ride as soon as he bought his new car. "I had taken the car out for a spin alone the day it was delivered. Nobody clicked any pictures then," he added. Sushant further said he and Kriti are good friends and the dating rumours are untrue.

Reams of newsprint have been dedicated to Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon's rumoured relationship. The Raabta co-stars have repeatedly denied being in a relationship, but to no avail. When Sushant was clicked taking Kriti for a spin in his new swanky car, rumour mills went into an overdrive. Sushant opened up about in an interview with Mumbai Mirror."It's not like I bought the car and took Kriti for a ride," he laughed. "I had taken the car out for a spin alone the day it was delivered. Nobody clicked any pictures then."For the last few weeks, stories of Sushant and Kriti's relationship going kaput were doing the rounds. Photos of their long drive made people think they had decided to rekindle their dying out romance. Sushant laughed, "I read about this thing between us, then there were stories about a fight and a break-up and then suddenly, probably because of the Maserati we were back together."He added, "They are all very interesting but untrue. We are good friends. She's an engineer and I was studying to be one too before I dropped out. We're both from Delhi, big foodies and like spending time together. Period."

Niharika Prabhakar

29 Jul 2017,Saturday

Maharashtra govt to waive loans of 10 lakh more farmers

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/maharashtra-government-to-waive-loans-of-10-lakh-more-farmers/story-xJ3ltkqgRwONy7N4BBIjYP.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday announced a loan waiver for an additional 10 lakh farmers who had been left out of last month's waiver, which amounted to over ?34,000 crore. This will reportedly add a ?8,000-crore burden on the state. Fadnavis further criticised the Opposition for alleged anomalies in the 2008-2009 loan waiver package.

Widening the scope of the farm loan waiver, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that the package would benefit about 10 lakh more farmers whose loans banks had restructured. Now, the loans of up to 46 lakh farmers will be waived. This will also put an additional burden of up to Rs8,000 crore on the exchequer.After days of protests last month, the government announced a loan waiver of Rs34,022 crore. A major chunk of the farmers whose outstanding loans were restructured in 2014-15 and 2015-16 owing to drought were left out. However, they were eligible for Rs15,000 and Rs25,000 in incentives because they paid their loans regularly. ?The outstanding amount of the farmers who got their loans restructured in 2014-15 and 2015-16 is Rs3,500 crore and Rs5,200 crore,? said an official from the cooperation department.In a reply to both the houses of the state legislature, Fadnavis said that the government would ensure that the package was not misused by ineligible people. He also refused to concede to the opposition?s demand to extend the cut off date to June 30, 2017 from June 30, 2016. He argued that this would set a bad precedent and was against the norms of the Reserve Bank of India. Fadnavis also attacked the opposition for alleged anomalies in the 2008-09 loan waiver package. He said at the time farmers in five-suicide prone districts in Vidarbha were given Rs286 crore, while farmers in Mumbai got Rs208 crore. ?There were beneficiaries from Mumbai who were not even farmers. They used this amount for commercial and construction works. A major chunk of waiver went to ghost accounts. Some of the banks even had revived their dormant accounts to reap the benefits. To avoid a repeat, we have asked farmers to fill up forms,? he said.The chief minister said that the government would scrutinise the list of more than 600 people from Mumbai, who had applied for the loan waiver. He also ridiculed the Congress and the NCP for their claim that the loan waiver was the result of their Sangharsh Yatra in April and May. He said that the protest march was a dud. In the legislative council too, Fadnavis said the erstwhile Congress-NCP government took?12 months and 15 months to disburse loan packages in 2008 and 2009 . ?The forms will be collected in a month. In August, we will scrutinise them and in September we will complete the first lot of the loan waiver,? he said.

Chhavi Tyagi

01 Aug 2017,Tuesday

Gujarat Congress MLAs to get Gujarati chef in Bengaluru

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/yearning-for-their-bhakhri-and-thepla-cong-mlas-to-get-gujarati-chef-at-bengaluru-resort/story-wvByGjbTjw5UjC5v9RoUCI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A Gujarati chef has been arranged for over 40 Gujarat MLAs who were flown to Bengaluru on Friday night to reportedly prevent them from switching sides to the BJP. "We Gujaratis have food that is not very spicy. We like roti, dal, and kadhi, so there is a change," Gujarat Congress MLA Gyasuddin Shaikh said.

Gujarat Congress MLAs lodged in a Karnataka resort to deter defections from their ranks ahead of next week?s Rajya Sabha polls say the south Indian food being served to them is a big sore point amid their four-star comfort.?All the arrangements are great. But there is bound to be a difference in cuisine,? Gyasuddin Shaikh, one of the 42 legislators, told Hindustan Times on Tuesday. ?We Gujaratis have food that is not very spicy. We like roti, dal and kadhi, so there is a change,? he regretted.Reluctant to leave anything to chance before the August 8 vote which has senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel vying for one of the three Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat, the party leadership has decided to arrange for a Gujarati chef for the legislators? culinary comfort.DK Shivakumar, the power minister in Karnataka?s Congress government, said a Gujarati chef will be made available for the MLAs soon. ?Some have even expressed the desire to cook and asked the resort for permission, which has been granted,? he added. A nostalgic Shaikh said a typical breakfast back home in Gujarat consisted of ?bhakhri? and ?thepla?. Lunch normally consisted of dal, roti and a dry vegetable dish.However, breakfast at ?Eagleton - The Golf Village?, some 40km outside the state capital Bengaluru, typically comprised idli and dosa while the menu for lunch mostly included rice or ragi balls.?In Gujarat, we are not used to consuming much rice. We prefer roti,? Shaikh explained.The Congress legislators were flown to Bengaluru late on Friday after six of their colleagues quit the party, depleting its numerical strength in the Gujarat assembly to 51.At least half-a-dozen of the remaining legislators are reportedly loyalists of Shankersinh Vaghela, a former chief minister recently expelled from the party. Patel needs the support of 45 MLAs to be re-elected and the Congress is doing everything it can to keep its flock together.On Saturday, the Congress moved the chief election commissioner, accusing the BJP government of Gujarat of using ?money, muscle power and government machinery? to engineer defections. The BJP has denied all the charges.

Tarun Khanna

05 Feb 2017,Sunday

We urge India to stop bloodbath in Kashmir: Nawaz Sharif

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kashmir-is-core-dispute-between-india-and-pakistan-sharif/1/875124.html

Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif on Sunday said, "We urge India to stop the bloodbath in Kashmir and allow free and fair plebiscite under the UN auspices". "The people of Pakistan join their Kashmiri brothers and sisters in observing Kashmir Solidarity Day to reaffirm our moral, diplomatic and political support to the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiris," he added.

Upping the ante, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said Kashmir is the "core dispute" between India and Pakistan and the dream of peace and prosperity of the people of the region will remain elusive without resolving the issue. Describing Kashmir issue is the "unfinished agenda of partition and the oldest disputes in the UN Security Council, Sharif said "for the last seven decades India has denied the people of Kashmir the right to self-determination promised to them by the international community through numerous UN Security Council resolutions". He was speaking on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day.Also read: Pak minister: Hope assembly elections in India help resume talks

Daisy Mowke

02 Aug 2017,Wednesday

'Victoria & Abdul' costumes to be displayed at Queen's home

http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/victoria-and-abdul-dresses-of-ali-fazal-judi-dench-to-be-displayed-at-the-queen-s-official-home/story-Et5YsHSnEJZqc0BhH6KN7L.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Costumes worn by actors Judi Dench and AIi Fazal during the shooting of the film 'Victoria & Abdul' will be displayed at Queen Victoria's home, the Osborne House in the UK. They will go on display for public Friday onwards. Most of the scenes from the film were also shot in the same house.

Bollywood actor Ali Fazal is certainly going places with his upcoming film alongside Judi Dench - Victoria and Abdul. The film is already being screened at several film festivals including Venice International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. We have now learnt that the costumes used during the shoot of the movie will be displayed at the Osborne House in the UK.The dresses from Victoria and Abdul shoot being displayed at Osborne House.Directed by Oscar nominee Stephen Frears, Victoria and Abdul is based on the friendship between Queen Victoria and her most trusted clerk, Abdul Karim. While Dench plays the titular role of Queen Victoria, Ali plays Abdul who was the Queen?s munshi. Adapted from author Shrabani Basu?s book by the same name and directed by British filmmaker Stephen Frears, the film is set to release in September this year.Multiple costumes were designed for both the lead actors keeping the stature and royalty of the era of late 1800s in mind. A dress that Judi Dench wore in the film, being arranged for the display.All the costumes will be go on display Friday onwards, for public viewing at the Osborne House, located at Isle of Wight, in the UK. Most of the scenes from Victoria and Abdul were also shot in the same house. Ali Fazal?s dress being prepared for the display.Also, it will be one of the first films to be shot inside the former royal residence so that?s one more feather added to the cap of the films achievement. Osborne House holds significant place in the history of Britain?s royalty. It was built in mid 1800s for the Queen and Prince Albert. All the costumes worn by Judi and Ali will be on display at the museum site of inside the house. Ironically Queen Victoria breathed her last in the same palace, which is now open as tourist attraction.Follow @htshowbiz for more

Sanira Mediratta

11 Apr 2017,Tuesday

Who is Jamini Roy, artist honoured with Google Doodle?

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jamini-roy-google-doodle-artist-painter/1/925894.html

Indian painter Jamini Roy, born in West Bengal, is known as one of India's leading modern artists of the 20th century. Roy, who reportedly made about 20,000 paintings, was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1954. Google Doodle honoured Jamini Roy on Tuesday with a doodle inspired by his 'Black Horse' painting, on the occasion of his 130th birth anniversary.

Born on April 11, 1887 in West Bengal's Beliatore village in Bankura district, Jamini Roy is often called the father of Modern Indian Art. On his 130th birth anniversary, Google India honoured him with a Google Doodle.In 1903, at the age of 16, Jamini Roy joined the Government School of Art in Kolkata. Despite beginning his career as a painter in the Post-Impressionist genre of portraits and landscapes and following it for quite some time, Jamini Roy, by 1925, began experimenting. Jamini Roy was influenced by the bazaar paintings sold in Kolkata. In another five years, Jamini Roy switched to using indigenous materials and painted on woven mats, cloth and wood coated with lime, says a profile of the artist on saffronart.com.Here are 10 things to know about the impeccable artist:

Rini Kapoor

06 Jan 2017,Friday

World Book Fair begins in Delhi from Jan 7

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/world-book-fair-begins-on-saturday-in-delhi-focus-on-women-writers/story-0ig9FPR9bmUgyUwpaMlskI.html

The World Book Fair which is being organised in the national capital from January 7-15 at Pragati Maidan, will have 'Manushi' as the theme of the year and will focus on writings on and by women. Prominent writers and scholars such as Kailash Satyarthi and Hemant Singh Katoch will reportedly be available for interactions during the book fair.

Bookworms in the Capital can rejoice as the New Delhi World Book Fair, organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), India, in association with India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), will start on Saturday at the Pragati Maidan.The fair will run till January 15 and will be open to public from 11 am to 8 pm for the first eight days, and until 5 pm on the closing day. This year?s theme is ?Manushi?. The fair will celebrate women writers and writings about women. It will also feature special pavilions dedicated to NBT?s journey through 60 years of its existence, books for children, and international literature.Prominent writers and scholars such as Kailash Satyarthi, Hemant Singh Katoch, Omair Ahmad, Vikram Kapur and Vipul Mudgal, among others, will be available for interactions during the book fair. Photo exhibitions by the delegation of the European Union (EU) which examines the lives of the Indian diaspora in Europe, and by the Embassy of People?s Republic of China which explains the Chinese New Year, will also feature at the fair. Other highlights this year include film screenings based on Shakespearean plays by the British Council. NBT chairman Baldeo Bhai Sharma said if reading habits are on the decline in the country, it is not because people are any less in love with books and reading, but because of other factors like lack of access and high costs associated with books, according to Sharma. Addressing the high costs associated with books, Sharma said they have spoken to publishers and distributors participating in the fair to try to offer books at discounted rates. ?We will also facilitate cashless transactions and digital payments, and have made arrangements for ATMs, including a mobile ATM, to ensure that business is not affected in the wake of demonetisation,? said Sharma.The ITPO has also collaborated with BSNL to ensure better network connectivity at the fair, so that digital transactions can happen with ease.Entry is free for senior citizens and children in school uniforms. ?We have discussed free entry passes with ITPO, because it is unfortunate that people will have to pay to enter the fair, where they come to buy books,? said Sharma.ITPO general manager SR Sahoo said they were considering issuing free passes from next year. ?General entry tickets will cost Rs 30 for adults and Rs 20 for children below 12 years of age. These are the Pragati Maidan entry charges,? he said.The fares are Rs 10 higher than what they were last year because entry charges to Pragati Maidan were increased, not just for the book fair, Sahoo clarified.The fair will be inaugurated by Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, minister of state for human resources development (higher education), on Saturday at 11 am. Dr Pratibha Ray, a Jnanpith Awardee and Odia writer, will be the guest of honour. 0Tomasz Kozlowski, ambassador of the delegation of the European Union to India, will also be present as a special guest.FIND OUT WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR YOU AT NAKSHATRA 2017 Visitors to the book fair can also try to find out more about their future at ITPO?s annual astrology event Nakshatra. The event will run from Saturday to January 15 at Pragati Maidan between 11 am and 8pm. ITPO executive director Shubhra Singh will inaugurate the event which will focus on astrology, vastu, palmistry, numerology, Feng Shui, among others. Seminars on astrology, geopathic stress, ayurveda and Jyotish Vastu Healing have also been scheduled.

Sonu Kumari

19 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Illegal sand mining uncovered along Yamuna in Noida

http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/illegal-sand-mining-detected-along-yamuna-river-in-greater-noida/story-qe2OSMvalopNoICWjf8dIK.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Police and the state mining department on Tuesday found that illegal sand mining was taking place in Greater Noida on two plots near the Yamuna river. Authorities said that they have recovered around 18,126 cubic metres of sand from the plots in Sikandarpur and Murshadpur. The plot owners were booked and issued notices worth ?70 lakh.

Police and the state mining department have detected illegal sand mining on two plots along the Yamuna river in Greater Noida, the district magistatre said on?Tuesday.DM BN Singh told PTI that illegal mining was detected on two plots in Sikandarpur and Murshadpur along Yamuna river and around 18,126 cubic metres of sand was recovered from the sites.An FIR has been lodged and notices worth Rs 70 lakh have been issued to the plot owners, he said.Singh said that SDM Sadar Anjani Kumar led the team comprising police officials and the mining staff.

Aarushi Maheshwari

13 Jul 2017,Thursday

Malana's deity 'orders' closure of joints and guest houses

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/hasish-village-malana-s-deity-orders-restaurants-guest-houses-shut-to-save-culture/story-LBj0YA3NtbrdGmJEln2w1J.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Jamlu, the presiding deity of Malana village, has "ordered" the closure of guest houses and restaurants to protect its culture, a panchayat official said. Malana follows Jamlu's orders and recently its parliament met to invoke the deity. "Those violating his orders will have to bear the brunt of his curse," the official said. n

Malana village in Himachal Pradesh, famous for its premium quality hashish, has just become off limits for tourists after its presiding deity Jamlu ?ordered? the closure of all guest houses and restaurants ?to protect? local culture and traditions.The deity?s diktat came on the heels of a meeting of the village?s own ?parliament? which concluded that outsiders thronging their village were a threat to their culture. The ?parliament? comprises an upper house called Jayeshthang and a lower house called Kanishthang. Villagers invoked Jamlu after the ?parliament? met. Villagers in Malana invoke Jamlu through a chosen medium ? in this case an oracle, who then conveys to them what the deity ?said.? Devotes believe Jamlu responds to all kinds of queries.?The deity did not want any of the villagers to rent out their property for running guest houses and restaurants. He has forbidden everyone from doing this, and those violating his orders will have to bear the brunt of his curse,? Malana panchayat pradhan Bhagi Ram told HT on the phone.Corroborating the development, district tourism officer in Kullu, Rajnish Gautam, said, ?I learnt that the deity has forbidden the villagers from running guest houses.? The restaurants and guest houses have to be registered with state government?s tourism department?s office in Kullu. There are nearly a dozen guest houses in the village with a population of 4700. Inhabitants of Malana known as the Malanis have a distinctive dialect called Kanashi, which is different from the others spoken in the Kullu region. Malana is an isolated village in the Parvati Valley and its reclusive inhabitants are said to be descendants of soldiers of Alexander?s army.A few months back, the village had banned photography because villagers felt that visitors clicking pictures were portraying Malana as a hub of narco-tourism. ?It?s unfortunate that cannabis trade has defamed our village. People of this village have their own culture and beliefs,? said Mahila Mandal pradhan Ram Kali, adding that they have been struggling to shed this cannabis tag.Vivek Mohan, winner of a national award for his critically acclaimed documentary on Malana, said, ?Malana managed to preserve its culture due to two factors: devotion to Devta Jamlu and its geographical isolation. Now both are getting diluted due to the Malana hydro project and mobile telephony. Their devotion to the devta is keeping them together, but how long will it be before it becomes a cosmetic ritual.?Traditionally, inhabitants of this land-locked village used to make baskets, ropes and slippers from hemp. But in the late 1980s, the visiting foreigners taught the villagers to extract the intoxicating resin from cannabis. Though successive governments have tried to wean the villagers away from narcotic trade, there is no other cash crop to rival cannabis in Malana. The maize and potatoes grown by the villagers do not fetch handsome returns.

Daisy Mowke

14 Apr 2017,Friday

Women share pictures of 'feather eyebrows' on Instagram

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/feather-eyebrows-weird-beauty-trend-internet-lifest/1/928946.html

Several women are taking to Instagram to post pictures of 'feather eyebrows', which involves separating the eyebrow hair so that there is a parting running through the middle of the brow. The trend was reportedly started by Finnish makeup artist Stella Sironen. She wrote in a post that she had started the trend as a 'joke'.n

Let's not even get started on how strange certain beauty trends on the internet are. From vloggers passing off makeup application with sanitary napkins, eggs etc as the new normal, to viral beauty challenges that don't always have ideal endings--the internet is a goldmine of bewilderment. The latest addition to the league being the phenomenon of feather eyebrows. Yes, it's exactly how it sounds. Eyebrows that look like feathers. so i'm starting this new brow trend please recreate it and wear it everyday and dont forget to tag me like and subscribe and hit that bell buttonð???ð??©ð???ð??» ALL credits go to my muse @leevittu he came up with this whilst brushing my eyebrows last sunday brow: glue stick skin: @maccosmetics Face&Body foundation C1, @maccosmetics pro longwear concealer NW20, a lot of Fix+ for the wet effect highlight: @katvondbeauty Alchemist Palette (Emerald, Opal, Amethyst) eyeshadows: @lipsicosmetics lipstick on the lid and @maccosmetics matte lipsticks in Frosting and Matte Royal mixed for the inner&outer corners mascara: @maccosmetics in extreme dimension lash mascara in Hold For 10A post shared by Stella Sironen (@stella.s.makeup) on Apr 8, 2017 at 10:46am PDTBeleived to be the brainchild of Finnish makeup artist Stella Sironen, the trend began when she posted a closeup of her eyerows clearly bifurcated into two halves--as a joke. But as go the rules of the internet world, people took it seriously and began posting pictures of their own versions of the feather brow. Sironen soon noticed and posted yet another picture featuring her 'glorious' brow.note to self: when u make a joke about starting a funny brow trend people will take it seriously and.... well. start the trend anyways THANK YOU for all the love and hate on my last pic! i think we should call this #featherbrows so if you actually want to recreate this, pls use the hashtag and tag me in the pictureð??? skin: @maccosmetics strobe cream, face&body foundation c1, pro longwear concealer in NC15, fix+ highlight: @maccosmetics Double Gleam brows: glue stick + @anastasiabeverlyhills dipbrow pomade in Dark Brown eyeshadows: @maccosmetics Texture & Coppering lashes: @ardell_lashes Wispies lips: @lipsicosmetics Leros + clear lip gloss

Ankur Vyas

26 Mar 2017,Sunday

Depression needs expression, not suppression: PM Modi

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mann-ki-baat-pm-narendra-modi-assembly-elections-2017/1/913079.html

Addressing the 30th edition of his monthly radio address 'Mann Ki Baat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asserted that depression needed expression and not suppression. "We are fortunate to have been raised in joint families, it ends any chance of...depression," he said. PM Modi also said it is good to share your feelings with others if feeling depressed.

In the 30th edition of Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation for the first time after BJP's resounding success in Assembly elections 2017.Modi in his national radio address 'Mann Ki Baat' wished prosperity for the neighbouring country, recalling the common memories of Rabindranath Tagore shared by both India and Bangladesh."We all are proud that both the nations share the memories of Gurudev Rabindra Nath Tagore who wrote the national anthem of both India and Bangladesh," the Prime Minister said.

Rini Sinha

22 Jun 2017,Thursday

Pak Twitter user trolled for sharing pic captioned 'SRK who'

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pakistani-man-tweets-srk-who-shah-rukh-khan-fans-sarfraz-ahmed/1/984042.html

A Pakistani Twitter user was trolled after tweeting a picture of Pakistani cricket captain Sarfaraz Ahmed waving to a crowd, captioned, "SRK who?" A user commented, "SRK- he whose films have more crowd than this.. that too in theatres in Karachi, Islamabad & rest of Pakistan." "Never Underestimate Papa," read another tweet accompanied by Shah Rukh's pictures waving to fans. n

A Pakistani fellow stepped into the lion's den after he took an uncalled-for dig at Shah Rukh Khan after Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy 2017 victory.Twitter user @iUsmanJameel, while sharing celebratory pictures of Pakistan Captain Sarfraz Ahmed being welcomed back home, tweeted "SRK who?".SRK who? pic.twitter.com/900UKZKdyCThe attempt was to compare Ahmed's fame to that of Shah Rukh Khan's and Usman supported the comparison sharing a few photos of crowds cheering the cricketer back home.This comparison did not sit well with Shah Rukh Khan fans, not even with those from Pakistan, as they soon came to his rescue.Never repeat but for Shahrukh it's a routine. Every birthday, every eid, every diwali. And everywhere he goes So no comparison at allSRK WHO?WORLD'S BIGGEST SUPERSTAR pic.twitter.com/J0dZJHyJOnHowever, not all were kind in their response.SRK who???YE DEKHO TUMHARE ABBA JAAN KOpic.twitter.com/aDeGBPBu7cNever Underestimate Papa ð???ð??? pic.twitter.com/AE36x8SA54waise to reply pane ki aukaat nahi h teri par lele..Multiply your crowd of a lifetime by 10 to compare with crowd for SRK on normal day- pic.twitter.com/UgmQLNvrErWhile it was an absurd comparison to make, considering one is an actor and the other a cricketer, both with expertise in completely unrelated fields, most fans just let pictures do the talking.  Bhai galat fans se panga le liya tune ab to tweet delete Karna padega tujhe ð???ð???In pic this a normal day for @iamsrkpic.twitter.com/93neq4eOCRYou were saying ð???? pic.twitter.com/qdfjShCXvvSrk who? 'Baap h sabka' ð??? pic.twitter.com/p8OnxwpFyEthis is SRK! â?¤ pic.twitter.com/VOBloe3XNbSRK who??????????

Tarun Khanna

17 Mar 2017,Friday

Data against corrupt people on CVC's portal deleted: Report

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/cvc-portal-crashes-narendra-modi-fight-against-corruption/1/905497.html

As per an India Today report, the hard disk of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) portal crashed on November 28 and the data stored online until that date has been lost as it was not backed up. One of those cases which got deleted pertains to alleged corruption in National Textile Corporation under the Textiles Ministry, now headed by Smriti Irani.

In a severe setback to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fight against corruption in public places and his mission to promote Digital India, the portal of the country's anti-graft watchdog Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has not been functioning for about four months now.Sources told India Today that the hard disk of CVC's portal crashed on November 28 and all data stored online till that data has been lost. The problem has been compounded as the data was not backed up.The portal was maintained by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). To make matters worse, CVC's contract with TCS expired in December. There is no annual maintenance contract either between CVC and TCS.The sources said after the grave tragedy, the Centre's web services organisation, National Informatics Centre (NIC), took over the maintenance of the CVC's portal this year. NIC has also been trying to retrieve the old data but without much success.All efforts to talk to senior officials of CVC such as vigilance commissioners Rajiv and TM Bhasin, secretary Nilam Sawhney, additional secretary Salim Haque and director Jyoti Trivedi were in vain.Though new complaints can now be made with CVC and their details would be available, the particulars of almost all the previous cases have been permanently erased.ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION IN NTCOne of those cases pertain to alleged massive corruption in National Textile Corporation (NTC) under the Union Ministry of Textiles, now headed by Smriti Irani.Mumbai-based whistleblower HR Kosia had filed an RTI application with CVC in 2013 demanding action taken report in an alleged corruption case. He had accused NTC chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) PC Vaish of selling a godown for a song to a private party in 2013.According to Kosia's complaint, Vaish, then NTC's director, finance, had sold off Mumbai-based Poddar Process Malharvadi Kalbadevi worth crores to private builders Om Vastu Shanti for mere Rs 75 lakh. The transaction was allegedly done without due tendering process or without approval from Textiles Ministry and NTC's Board of Directors.The deal was done despite the fact that NTC had won a case against lease holder (Poddar Process) in 2013 when Vaish was finance director.Kosia, who was deputy manager (security and vigilance) with NTC, had to pay a heavy price for bringing to light this corruption and several other cases of irregularities in the Corporation. He was dismissed from service in July, 2016.Kosia's grievance is that the Textiles Ministry neither filed any chargesheet against him nor lodged an FIR nor had a 'panchnama' done.SORRY STATE OF AFFAIRS IN CVCFinally, Kosia filed an RTI in the Commission. After several communications, CVC director and Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) Jyoti Trivedi replied on December 22, 2016, saying that "due to technical problem in the working of complaint portal of the Commission, it is not possible to provide the action taken on your complaint at this stage".She added that the appellate authority in the matter was CVC additional secretary Praveen Sinha.Kosia petitioned Sinha, saying that the CPIO's response was not legally valid as per RTI Act 2005. Sinha replied to Kosia on January 24, and admitted that the "corruption case lodged with CVC required action taken reports copy".In his decision, Sinha said, "I have gone through the relevant records and find that at the time of giving a reply to the appellant (Kosia), the complaint portal was not functioning and this position was intimated to the appellant by the CPIO."I direct the CPIO concerned (Jyoti Trivedi) to confirm the position regarding complaints mentioned by the appellant in his RTI application and provide an appropriate reply to him within 15 days of the receipt of these orders," he said.Sinha further said, "The issues raised by the appellant have thus been addressed appropriately. However, if the appellant is not satisfied with the above decision, he can make an appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC). The appeal is accordingly disposed (of)."Following the appellate authority's decision, Jyoti Trivedi sent a second reply to Kosia. In her letter dated February 9, she said, "TCS system of the Commission is still not working. It is not possible to provide the action taken on your complaints at this stage."Kosia has now made a second appeal to CIC. He also apprehends some major conspiracy behind the whole episode. "The portal crashing on November 28, CVC's contract with TCS ending just next month, no AMC either between the two and there is no back up of data - all these cannot be coincidences. There is more to it than meets the eye. The PM should have an inquiry ordered into it," he said. The fate of Kosia's application is uncertain and so does that of thousands of such cases. While the whistleblowers struggle, action against several alleged corrupt government officials may not be taken ever, dealing a severe blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's crusade against corruption.WATCH: Modi government has zero tolerance on corruption, says his ministerALSO READ: PM Modi thanks diaspora for supporting war against black money, corruptionNo report of RTI activist murder during last 3 years with CVC

Parmeet Kaur

29 Jul 2017,Saturday

Delhi mayor directs ?25 lakh each to ward councillors

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/north-delhi-mayor-calls-for-funds-to-councillors/1/1012945.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

North Delhi mayor Preeti Aggarwal on Thursday directed the Municipal Commissioner to give all councillors ?25 lakh each during a North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) meeting. "She directed that each councillor be provided with ?25 lakh for development work in their respective wards," an official said. Delhi government's 'party politics' wasn't allowing NDMC to function, she reportedly said.

New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) North Delhi Mayor Preety Agarwal today directed the municipal commissioner for facilitating councillors with funds to undertake development works in their respective wards. The mayor gave the direction to commissioner P K Gupta during a meeting of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC). "She directed that each councillor be provided with Rs 25 lakh for development work in his/her respective wards," an official of the civic body said.

Chhavi Tyagi

06 Jan 2017,Friday

1 in 100 sexual assaults in K'taka end in conviction: Report

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bengaluru-molestation-case-sexual-assault-karnataka-new-years-eve-ncrb/1/851002.html

According to National Crime Records Bureau data, one in 100 sexual assault cases in Karnataka ended in conviction in 2015 as against the national average of 10% conviction. While the number of sexual assault cases reported in India rose by 92% from 42,968 in 2011 to 82,422 in 2015, conviction rate declined from 16% in 2011 to 10% in 2015.

The New Year's eve sexual attacks against female revellers in Bengaluru may have generated nationwide outrage, but most such cases end up with no punishment. No more than one in 100 cases registered in Karnataka under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) "Assault on women with intention to outrage her modesty" ended in a conviction in 2015, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.Nationwide, one in 10 such cases ended in conviction, 10 times better than Karnataka's record.In 2015, of 5,112 cases registered under Section 354, only 69 (1.3 per cent) ended in conviction. Of the 9,118 persons arrested in these cases, only 107 (1.2 per cent) were convicted.WATCH: Bengaluru mass molestation issue was blown out of proportion: Karnataka energy minister

Aarushi Maheshwari

07 Dec 2016,Wednesday

Bakery serving chocolate replicas of old ?500, ?1000 notes

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kolkata-bakery-banned-500-1-000-demotisation-notes-dessert/1/828799.html

Kolkata-based bakery 'Krazy for Chocolates' has introduced dark chocolate replicas of the old ?500 and ?1000 notes. The bakery said, "The base is chocolate and the layout of the notes is painted with edible sugar paint." People have asked if the chocolates, which cost ?100 each, are edible, and ordered them for their parties and events, the bakery added.

Dessert lovers in Kolkata are in for a treat after old currency notes went on a retreat post Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation drive on November 8. Stacks of scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes are being used for various purposes. While some are making stationary like calendars, paper weights, files and boards, some are planning to use it in construction of roads. Letting the imagination run wild is what it depends on. In the past, according to various reports, people have even used them as toilet paper while some used them to serve 'chana garam/bhel puri'.IT HAPPENS ONLY IN KOLKATAOld notes are now etched in sugar and chocolate forever, all thanks to a Kolkata-based bakery's creative twist to the demonetisation move.The bakery has come out with dark chocolate replicas, made using scrapped notes and each thin slice of the chocolate is priced at Rs 100. "The base is chocolate and the layout of the notes is painted with edible sugar paint. They were introduced right after demonetisation was announced," an official of Krazy for Chocolates, a bakery specialising in chocolates, pastries, customised cakes among others, said.At its outlets across numerous city malls, salespersons have been assailed with questions over its edibility."Some people give it a second look because they think it's incredible. It has raised a lot of eyebrows and the curiosity is good for business," a salesperson manning a counter at City Centre 2 mall, said.

Mansha Mahajan

07 Apr 2017,Friday

OnePlus asked to stop Amitabh Bachchan ad after Sony plea

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/sony-says-oneplus-3t-cant-be-part-of-crorepati-game-files-case-in-court/1/921232.html

The Delhi High Court has restrained Chinese mobile manufacturer OnePlus from airing its advertisement featuring actor Amitabh Bachchan after a copyright infringement plea by Sony. Sony claimed OnePlus copied their show, Kaun Banega Crorepati's format in the advertisement. The ad, shot in the show's format, has Amitabh Bachchan asking a question related to India's best smartphone to a contestant.

OnePlus is in trouble now. If you are an avid television viewer, you must have come across the new OnePlus 3T ad, in which the Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan himself claims OnePlus 3T to be the best smartphone of India currently. The advertisement has been broadcasting all across the country for the past few days. But, sadly, you may not be able to see the ad being aired again.This comes in as the maker of the popular television reality show - Kaun Banega Crorepati, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) files a copyright infringement plea against the Chinese smartphone vendor - OnePlus. Wondering what does the broadcaster have to do with the Chinese smartphone manufacturer? Sony claims that OnePlus has copied their show's format in the latest OnePlus 3T advertisement.The new television ad campaign of OnePlus 3T is shot in a Kaun Banega Crorepati format, where the show host, Amitabh Bachchan is shown asking a question related to the best smartphone of the country to the contestant. Here comedian Rohan Joshi plays the role of the contestant. The ad campaign, as SPN claim has been copied from its Kaun Banega Crorepati show without its consent. Hence, the broadcaster calls it to a breach of intellectual property. "OnePlus takes intellectual property very seriously. However, as per company policy, we are unable to discuss any ongoing legal matters," says OnePlus in an email statement. 

Daisy Mowke

10 Feb 2017,Friday

Akshay Kumar's 'Jolly LLB 2' hits the theatres

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jolly-llb-2-movie-review-akshay-kumar/1/879596.html

The Akshay Kumar and Huma Qureshi starrer film 'Jolly LLB 2', which released on Friday, "feels stretched at times," wrote India Today. Hindustan Times said the "theme, not Akshay Kumar, is the star of this satire". NDTV wrote that "Akshay Kumar's film is both funny and thought-provoking". The film has been rated 3/5 (Hindustan Times, NDTV) and 3.5/5 (India Today).

Jolly LLB 2, starring Akshay Kumar and Huma Qureshi in the lead roles, is the big Bollywood release this week. Will the sequel to Jolly LLB match up to the first film? Here is our Jolly LLB 2 movie review.Jolly LLB 2 Cast: Akshay Kumar, Huma Qureshi, Annu Kapoor, Saurabh ShuklaJolly LLB 2 Director: Subhash KapoorJolly LLB 2 Rating:  (3.5/5)Jolly LLB was a jolly good movie. A little film by Subhash Kapoor, Jolly LLB was shouldered by actors like Arshad Warsi and Saurabh Shukla. Actors, not stars. So when a second film in the franchise is announced, and an Akshay Kumar is attached along with it, it sort of brings about mixed feelings in people. On the one hand, while a star comes with expectations along, there's somewhere a shred of regret at seeing yet another tiny film being hijacked by a star. But Kumar doesn't let his stardom overshadow his performance.In the courtroom drama called Jolly LLB 2, Jagdishwar Mishra aka Jolly (Akshay Kumar) is the lead actor. Jolly LLB 2 is generously peppered with one-liners that deserve to be repeated. Most of these high-voltage lines are mouthed by the film's pivot, Justice Sunderlal Tripathi (an inimitable Saurabh Shukla). Shukla brings his humour and straight-faced dialogue-delivery from the first Jolly LLB, including slight references to it. However, this is a different courtroom. This is Lucknow and you're told "Muskuraiye, Aap Lucknow mein hain," even as goons blow bullets through your brains.Jolly moves out of the shadow of his employer Rizvi Sa'ab and opens his own chamber. He takes money from a heavily pregnant client (Hina, played by Sayani Gupta), looking for justice for the death of her husband. Jolly lands right in the middle of a tragedy in the process. Nightmares rob him of sleep and he decides to file a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) and begins fighting the case.His adversary in this Lucknow court is big-shot advocate Mathur (Annu Kapoor). Mathur symbolises all your lawyers who are driven to nondescript courts in flashy red Range Rovers. The intimidating, rich lawyer vs the underdog. You get the drift.ALSO READ: Bombay High Court orders deletion of four scenes from Akshay Kumar's Jolly LLB 2At its core, Jolly LLB 2 is the story of the condition of courts in the country, much like its predecessor. Akshay Kumar is the driving force of this drama. Director Subhash Kapoor doesn't do enough to extract the best of Akshay's comic timing. But there are enough to get by. Saurabh Shukla's dialogues make you break into a laugh every now and then. The man steals the show.Jolly LLB 2 feels stretched at times. It is a crowd-pleaser alright, but director Subhash Kapoor goes overboard with melodrama at certain points in the film. The film could have been a lot tighter and streamlined had the filmmaker concentrated on just the case. But no. It is an Akshay Kumar film. So you HAVE to have Akshay Kumar delivering lectures on patriotism in the courtroom. You have to have Akshay Kumar taking bullets on duty. You have to have Akshay Kumar breaking into song and dance at the drop of a hat, right when he's out of the hospital, ad nauseum. Well, you do need the whistles for Kumar too.WATCH | Jolly LLB 2 Movie Review: Akshay Kumar is fabulous in this dramaJolly LLB 2 leaves you with a strong sense of deja vu. Annu Kapoor is among the weaker points of the film. Kapoor's character is tolerable to a certain point before saturation hits you like a bus. Huma Qureshi doesn't have much to do in Jolly LLB 2. The supporting cast is chosen well.The charm of this film lies in the details. Scenes like Saurabh Shukla discussing his daughter's wedding lehenga on the mobile in front of a board asking people to not use mobiles inside the courtroom are brilliant. There are little things here and there that are extraordinarily done. The music is not impactful. Jolly LLB 2 would have been the same even without the numerous songs.The paan and people of Lucknow are captured well on camera. Kudos to Subhash Kapoor for making his Jolly LLB 2 on a believable plot. These are all real cases we have seen, heard of, grown up with. From references to Sunny Deol to what actually goes on inside a courtroom, Jolly LLB 2 has it all.

Saloni Tandon

23 Apr 2017,Sunday

Voting for Delhi municipal corporation election begins

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/delhi-mcd-elections-2017-voting-live/story-ImYzTH2Z0cAwrBnimtIfxH.html

Voting in Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections for 272 wards across three corporations took place on Sunday. More than 1.3 crore people including 1.1 lakh first-time voters are expected to vote, with the counting to be held on April 26. This is the first time that voters are being given the 'None of the Above' option in Delhi's municipal elections.

Voting for polls to three municipal corporations in Delhi ended on Sunday at 5.30pm with exit polls predicting huge win for BJP in all three corporations. The day began with thin turnout of voters, with the number crawling to about 35% by 2pm. While the final reports of voter turnout were awaited, polling officials said the figure was likely to cross 54%. There were reports of faults in EVMs in some wards, which were flagged by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on social media. Some voters also complained that their names were missing from the voters list in some areas. The day began with L-G Anil Baijal turning up early 8am to cast his vote at Masjid Moth polling centre. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also exercised his franchise and said that people should vote against vector-borne diseases this time. Among other leaders who have cast their vote are deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Congress leaders Ajay Maken and BJP leader Dr Harsh Vardhan. Read:No voter id, no problem: How to find your booth, what to carry to vote in MCD electionsDelhi had a total electorate of over 1.32 crore voters who cast their votes to choose councillors in 272 wards for three corporations ? North, East, South. While the North and South corporations have 104 wards each, the East ward has 64 wards. The voter turnout remained low for most part of the day even as the last civic polls in 2012 was at a record 54%. Elaborate security arrangements have been made across the Capital for the election. The fate of 2,537 candidates is now locked in the EVMs which will be now opened on Wednesday for counting. Read:MCD elections: Come out and vote if you want cleaner and better DelhiHere are the day?s highlights:7.05 pm: Another exit poll by Aaj Tak and India Today TV also calls the election for BJP. The India Today exit poll predicts around 80 seats for BJP in North and South corporations and around 50 seats in East corporation. AAP is far behind in second place in all three corporations, according to the poll, just ahead of the Congress.6.40pm: Exit poll by ABP News predicts huge win for BJP in all the three municipal corporations with AAP a distant second. They give the BJP 88 out of 104 seats in North, 83 out of 104 in South and 47 out of 64 in East. In the overall tally, the ABP News poll gives BJP 218 seats out of 272 seats, AAP 24 and Congress 22.BJP?s Manoj Tiwari at a ward on Sunday. (HT Photo) 6.35pm: Many Delhiites who braved the scorching sun to reach polling stations had to return home disappointed as their names were missing from the electoral rolls. Such complaints were received from wards across the Capital.6.25pm: Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit says MCD polls are not a referendum on two year?s of AAP government in the Capital, but on BJP?s 10-year-rule in the MCDs. ?It will be unfair to say that this election is referendum on the Kejriwal government. In fact, it is a referendum on the BJP?s performance as it ruled the MCD in last ten years,? she said.6.15pm: Security was a priority for women voters across wards in the Capital. Urmila Devi, 73, said security of her grand daughter was her prime concern. Similarly, Isha Goel, a first-time voter and DU student, said security was the key issue for her.Isha Goyal first time voter, student of #DelhiUniversity at #LadoSarai polling station. Safety for women is her issue @htdelhi @htTweets pic.twitter.com/caU2hKBO8S? Shradha Chettri (@Shrads_chettri) April 23, 2017 6.05pm: State Election Commission says voting percentage of 252 wards till 4pm is 44.48%. 6pm: Polling booth gates closed as voting ends. Voters already standing in queues will be allowed to vote. 5.55pm: With over 1 lakh first-time voters in MCD polls, many expressed hope that the councillors they vote for will actually work. Some of the young voters had also come well informed about the candidates and their promises. .@htTweets @htdelhi @ajaymaken I watched interviews of all candidates on YouTube before deciding my vote: Abhinav Manjal, voter in East Punjabi Bagh. @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/DtXk4PbKRP? Shiv Sunny (@shivsunny) April 23, 20175.45pm:The Delhi State Election Commission asks two major news channels to explain the reason for the telecast of the survey ahead of the MCD polls, in which they had projected a big BJP win. 5.35pm: Voting percentage so far reported by State Election Commission till 4pm was 42.89% in 219 wards. Data from other wards is being compiled. Officials estimate the turnout will cross 50% after a late surge.5.25pm: ANI reported ruckus outside Patparganj polling station by voters alleged that the EVMs were not functioning properly. Voters also alleged that the officials did not take note of the problem.5.08pm: Irked over delay in sending poll percentage by the officials concerned, the SEC has decided to issue a memo to them, PTI reported. ?There has been a delay on the part of concerned official in sending poll percentage data to a control room which has been set up at the SEC headquarters. It has been decided to issue a memo to them,? an official said.4.30pm: Among voters who came out to vote, sanitation was a key issue. A number of voters also pointed to heaps of garbage outside polling stations indicating that it was a major concern to them.On the day Delhi is voting for #MCDelections2017 , garbage can be seen lying everywhere. @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/qPY4KIZXrc? Faizan Haidar (@FaiHaider) April 23, 20174pm: Voting begins to pick pace again in some wards. With only one-and-a-half hour more to go, voters were seen arriving in dozens at Tilak Nagar, Punjabi Bagh and Jehangirpuri. Voting will close across the Capital at 5.30pm. However, in last Assembly polls election time was increased by an hour due to rush of last minute voters. .@htTweets @htdelhi @ajaymaken Polling picks up at this booth in Tilak Nagar. Voters arriving by dozens. #MCDpolls @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/K68oxLBPA5? Shiv Sunny (@shivsunny) April 23, 20173.50pm: Former Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely says BJP will get majority in all three municipal bodies.?The BJP is laying the foundation of a new corporation with an idea of clean politics. And this is why I have joined this party. Today history will be made, as no party on the face of Indian politics has taken such a decision where it has changed its entire political leadership. I believe that BJP will win with majority in all three MCDs,? Lovely said.3.40pm: Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari visits a polling station in Vasundhara Enclave in East Delhi. Meets party workers.Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari meets party workers near a polling station at Vasundhara Enclave in East Delhi. (Ravi Choudhary/HT Photo) 3.35pm: 44,46,000 (33.37%) voters turn up to cast their vote till 2 pm in 236 of 272 wards. Data for the rest of the wards being compiled. 3.30pm: Polling picks up at a booth in Tilak Nagar. Voters arriving by dozens. Will Delhi redeem itself in the last two hours?3.20pm: 95-year old Digambar Sen Sawhney braves the heatwave to exercise his franchise. 95-year old Digambar Sen Sawhney has braved the #Delhi #heatwave to vote. Have you? #MCDelections2017 @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/64kJUEfyz1? Sweta Goswami (@sweta_goswami) April 23, 20172.40pm: Sheila Dikshit says people will vote for the Congress in the civic polls this time. ?We are very hopeful about these polls. And I am sure that we will perform much better this time. People are really angry with the BJP as there is no cleanliness, workers don?t get their pay,? Dikshit said.2.30pm: CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury says MCD election is a ?big battle for the future of Delhi? and said that people should vote to create a world-class city in Delhi and not in terms of political bickering. ?It is not a political battle between the BJP, Congress or the AAP. Yes, the political parties are there in the fray, the Left is also there in the fray. The point is that Delhi has become a city that has virtually becoming unmanageable in terms of your civic amenities,? Yechury said.Voters stand in a queue at a polling station in Sarita Vihar. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo) 2.20pm: Voters faced problem due to faulty EVMs in some wards. Former Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely, who joined BJP recently, could not cast his vote due to problem in EVMs at East Azad Nagar polling booth. There were also complaints of faulty EVMs in North Delhi Burari area and South West Delhi?s Kapashera due to which voting had to be stopped for a few minutes. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal took to social media over the matter saying that many EVMs had malfunctioned. Reports from all over Delhi of EVM malfunction, people wid voter slips not allowed to vote. What is SEC doing?? Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 23, 20172.10pm: The participation of Delhi?s affluent in MCD poll process has remained low over the years. This time too, polling station at posh Vasant Vihar has stayed empty with officials saying that only voters from illegal colonies and slums have cast their votes so far. Empty tent at a polling station in posh Vasant Vihar.Only those from slums & illegal colonies coming,officials #MCDpolls @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/Ju3pnVJkgl? Sweta Goswami (@sweta_goswami) April 23, 20172pm: Despite relatively moderate temperature on Sunday, voters stay away. Temperature was 36 degrees Celsius at 11.30am in the Capital and is expected to touch 38 degrees Celsius by 2.30pm. 1.45pm: State Election Commission says only 29.23% polling seen in Delhi by 1.30pm. 1.35pm: After declining AAP?s plea for EVMs with paper trail for MCD polls, the EC has set the ball rolling to buy over 16 lakh paper trail machines in the next two years to be used in all polling stations in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. 1.25pm: There were some voters who felt disillusioned with the system. They complained that their problems are never addressed and voting makes not difference. Maulana Rahi from JJ Colony in Dwarka, said the poor locals vote every time but their problems are never solved. Najafgarh farmers, too had a similar stand. Mahender Singh of Punjabi Bagh said he is from a family that suffered during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. ?No one bothers about our colonies,? he said. Maulana Rahi from JJ Colony, a farmer from Najafgarh and Manhender Singh of Punjabi Bagh. (HT Photo) 1.15pm: Villagers of Kanjhawala, who had boycotted the MCD polls last time, voted on Sunday. They however, said that they have been demanding metro connectivity in the area and threatened to boycott the next Lok Sabha elections if their demands are not met.They had boycotted the last municipal polls, the villagers of Ladpur says only candidate matters. #MCDelections2017 @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/ua5ZonRXv3? Faizan Haidar (@FaiHaider) April 23, 20171.05pm: AAP leader Sanjay Singh removed from Janakpuri polling booth after an argument with polling officials over giving an interview after he cast his vote. 12.50am: Union minister Harsh Vardhan confident of the AAP?s rout in the civic polls, says people of Delhi have a clear choice in front of them. ?The people of Delhi want to be governed by the BJP, which is led by Prime Minister Modi, who is leaving no stone unturned in developing the nation on all fronts,? said Vardhan.In pics |Delhi?s senior citizens lead the way in MCD election, cast their vote by all means12.40pm: Delhi State Election Commission registers 12.62% tuned out till 12pm.12.30pm: At a polling booth in Jamai Nagar, 28-year-old Aas Mohammed cast his vote. Aas, who does not have both arms was helped by his wife Afsana and was inked on one shoulder. Aas runs and embroidery business and said he was proud to have exercised his ballot. Aas Mohammed, 28 - I have no arms. My wife will help me vote. I am lucky to live in a democracy @htdelhi @htTweets pic.twitter.com/TGyLVWqbuE? prawesh lama (@LamaPrawesh) April 23, 201712.25pm: In polling stations at Sarita Vihar, Burari and Tughlaqabad voters are braving long queues to exercise their vote. Senior citizens are being assisted by the Delhi police personnel on duty at the polling booths. 12.15pm: Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit casts her vote at a polling booth in DAV School, Nizamuddin East. Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit after casting her vote for MCD polls on Sunday. (HT Photo) 12.10pm: Voters says sanitation is a prime concern for them in this election. The MCDs have seen repeated strike by sanitation workers over the past years. Each time such a strike left the city?s civic infrastructure in tatters. Garbage dumped outside a polling station in north Delhi's Burari. Voters say cleanliness main agenda for #MCDPolls2017 @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/P0dBzfMsa4? Faizan Haidar (@FaiHaider) April 23, 201711.58am: Among a number of women voters who said security is a crucial issue for them, is Ratna who lives in Defence Colony. She rues that while leaders come to seek votes, they forget about it once elections are over. For her too, security of young girls is a prime concern. Watch here: In posh Defence Colony, Ratna also came to vote. She worries about the girls who live with her below a #Delhi flyover @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/dbpvTVpynP? Sweta Goswami (@sweta_goswami) April 23, 201711.50am: The otherwise crowded lanes of Karol Bagh stand deserted today because of MCD elections. Voter turnout at the polling booth in Karol Bagh has also thinned with increase in temperature..@htTweets @htdelhi @ajaymaken Traffic cops have it easy today on this otherwise busy road in Karol Bagh. #MCDpolls @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/ouj7jAUSQM? Shiv Sunny (@shivsunny) April 23, 201711.40am: Delhi Police received 300 calls related to polls till 11 am, one was about firing outside a booth in Dhansa,Najafgarh. 11.30am: Turnout is also low in villages where election officers are still waiting for voters to turn up.Officials waiting for voters as turn out is low in the villages in of Delhi. @htTweets @htdelhi #MCDPolls2017 pic.twitter.com/HZjYL10RDT? Faizan Haidar (@FaiHaider) April 23, 201711.20am: Delhi State Election Commission reports 7.67% polling till 11am. 11.10am: BJP vice-president Shyam Jaju says Delhi has already rejected the Congress. ?People of Delhi are fed up of Arvind Kejriwal and his party. I am absolutely confident the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win. This is a litmus test for the AAP, as these polls will decide that how the national capital has accepted Arvind Kejriwal,? said Jaju.Voters in a polling booth to cast their ballot at Burari, Nourth Delhi. (HT Photo) 11am: BJP leaderVijender Gupta casts his vote, says that with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ruling the nation, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will find it hard to rule the national capital again. ?I have done my best to win people?s hearts; it?s like a challenge for me to contest in the MCD polls. With Modi ruling the nation, it is going to be difficult for Arvind Kejriwal to rule in the state again,? Gupta told ANI.10.50am: Some voters in areas like Sangam Vihar and Tilak Nagar complain that they were unable to find their name in the voters list.Have the voter ID, but can't vote as my name is missing in voters' list: Mohinder Singh, Tilak Nagar. #MCDelections2017 pic.twitter.com/ZhTqQAWmrX? Vishal Kant (@VishKant) April 23, 201710.40am: Only 1.16% voting reported from across three corporations till 10am. East, is the slowest so far with only .78% votes polled while North and South have reported 1.47% and 1.10%, respectively.10.30am: Ajay Maken says Delhi should vote for Congress for sensible governance. ?Looking at the track record of the Congress Party, the people will vote for the Congress in Delhi. BJP ruled corporations have caused enough damage. We need to rectify this now and give good governance in Delhi,? said Maken.10.12am: Congress? leader Ajay Maken arrives with his daughter Arushi to vote at Rajouri Garden polling station. Sports minister Vijay Goel also cast his vote along with his wife. Ajay Maken with his daughter Arushi and Vijay Goel with his wife. (HT Photo) 10.05am: North Delhi?s Burari has seen 13% votes till 10am. With the heat increasing now, voters have to stand in the open to cast vote. 13% votes till 10 am in north Delhi's Burari. Voters standing in open in this heat. @htTweets @htdelhi #MCDelections2017 pic.twitter.com/6cGEAvrmK9? Faizan Haidar (@FaiHaider) April 23, 20179.58am: The Delhi State Election Commission has deployed ample staff to man its polling stations, some of which fall in outer Delhi areas and the EVMs being used this time do not have paper trail. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had raised fears of tampering and demanded that EVMs with paper trails be used this time. 9.50am: Rajouri Garden councillor Subhash Arya casts his ballot, says confident of winning over 200 seats. ?AAP will be at the third spot,? says Arya9.38am: Over an hour after voting began across the Capital, some polling booths are yet to see voters. Polling booth, at Deoli for example, has not seen any turnout so far. Polling booth at #Deoli mostly empty, voters have still not turned up for #MCDelections2017 @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/EowYZqibKu? Shradha Chettri (@Shrads_chettri) April 23, 20179.30am: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal?s daughter Harsita, who accompanied her father, exercised ballot for the first time. Young and first-time voters were also seen enthusiastically taking part in the polling process at polling booths in Rajouri Garden. Arvind Kejriwal?s daughter Harsita, after casting her vote for the first time. (HT Photo) 9.18am: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal casts his vote at a Civil Lines polling booth, says people should vote to make Delhi free of dengue and chikungunya.Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal says people should vote to make Delhi free of Dengue, Chikungunya.#MCDelections2017 #MCDpolls@htdelhi pic.twitter.com/JL2BvHVXbJ? Heena Kausar (@heenakausar19) April 23, 20179.10am: A number of senior citizens are turning up to vote. Seen below is 82-year-old Raja Ram who voted at Rajpura Road polling booth and 88-year-old Gulaab Devi in Dwarka, who voted for the fifth time in an MCD election. Polling booths in Lado Sarai and Jungpura also reported a number of senior citizens arriving to exercise ballot. Senior citizens turn out to vote for MCD elections. Seen in the picture: Raja Ram, 82, and Gulaab Delvi, 88. (HT Photo) 9.08am: Union Minister Dr Harshvardhan casts his vote at the polling booth in Krishna Nagar?s Ratan Devi School. He was accompanied by his mother, who also cast her vote. 9.01am: Voting also reportedly slow at Hari Nagar, voters are in and out in two minutes.8.53am: Polling has a slow start near Tiraha Bairam khan, Delhi Gate. Volunteers at counters set by political parties sit idle as voters yet to arrive. In Pandav Nagar, on the other hand, people have queued up to cast vote in the early hours. 8.42am: EVM at a polling booth in East Azad Nagar reportedly not working. Arvinder Singh Lovely, who recently quit Congress to join BJP, could not cast his vote. 8.39am: Couples, families and elderly seen arriving at polling booths to vote. Out of 1.32 crore voters, nearly 1 lakh are expected to exercise franchise for the first time. .@htTweets @htdelhi Couple brings elderly parents to vote. "Security is a concern. It is not a municipal issue, but will decide our votes". @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/5RBWscsNhB? Shiv Sunny (@shivsunny) April 23, 20178.29am: Leave your phones at home when going out to vote today. Voters carrying mobile phones have to return home as phones are not allowed inside polling booths. 8.25am: Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia arrives at Pandav Nagar, says if people want to see a clean Delhi and get rid of dengue they should vote AAP. Also adds that you should definitely vote if you are troubled by corruption in MCDs.Video: If you are troubled by corruption in MCD, you should definitely vote, says Deputy CM @msisodia #MCDelections2017 @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/KWtxVpBjtT? Abhinav Rajput (@Abhinavrt) April 23, 20178.20am: Arvind Kejriwal likely to vote at 9am at Civil Lines polling booth.8.17am: Pleasant Delhi weather expected to draw out early voters today. Voting expected to be highest in the morning and evening hours.8.10am: Voting begins for 272 wards in Delhi. Voters line up at booths across the Capital early Sunday morning to cats ballot. A couple show their ink-marked finger after casting vote at Rajpura Road polling station in New Delhi. (Ravi Choudhary /HTPhoto) 8.05am: Elections in Sarai Pipal Thala and Maujpur ward postponed due death of two candidates. Bypolls for these wards will take place on May 21 and May 14, respectively and the results will be declared on May 16 and May 23. 8am: Delhi L-G Anil Baijal arrives at Masjid Moth polling station to cast his vote. Delhi Lt.Governor Anil Baijal after casting his vote in a polling station in Greater Kailash-3 #MCDelections2017 pic.twitter.com/9QyWVTmyHp? ANI (@ANI_news) April 23, 20177.55am: Delhi sky is expected to remain partly cloudy throughout the voting day Sunday. Met officials have predicted possibility of thundery development in the evening. The day temperature is expected to remain around 39 degrees Celsius7.45am: Posters at polling booth instruct voters not carry mobile phones and cigarettes inside. Voters should carry Aadhar card, passport, voter identification card or driving licence. Keep bidi, cigarettes, matchboxes at home when you come to vote for #MCDElections2017 @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/2WsX9iP4Rd? Shradha Chettri (@Shrads_chettri) April 23, 20177.40am: Volunteer of key political parties have stationed their desks at various polling booths to help voters.Viren&Nidhi Razdan first ones to turn up to vote. #MCDelections2017 They have been asked to wait as voting begins at 8am @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/9btr4Jvva0? Shradha Chettri (@Shrads_chettri) April 23, 20177.35am: In a first, voters will have the option to choose NOTA in Delhi civic polls this time. 7.25am: Voters have already started to arrive at polling booths in some areas. Voting begins in about 30 minutes.Voters start coming in at one of the polling stations in Dwarka. Voting to begin from 8am @htdelhi @MCDElections pic.twitter.com/xTxntSK1fz? Snehal Tripathi (@SnehalATripathi) April 23, 20177.17am: As one EVM can only have 16 candidates, wards with more candidates will have two EVMs placed side by side at polling booths. 7.07am: Nearly 13,100 polling stations across the Capital are set to receive voters as the polling for MCD election begins at 8am today. Polling will close at 5.30pm.

Daisy Mowke

31 Jan 2017,Tuesday

Shraddha has a rich father, she can take it easy: Shakti

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/shraddha-kapoor-shakti-kapoor-flops-farhan-akhtar-ok-jaanu/1/870532.html

Actor Shakti Kapoor, while speaking on his daughter Shraddha Kapoor's lack of success with her last two releases, said that she can take it easy as she has got a rich father. He also denied reports about Shraddha changing her team of managers. "Her manager and the agency she is signed up with are doing a good job," he added.

May all fathers be like Shakti Kapoor, one who can provide for you if you are really bad at your job and not making money.Recently, news broke that Shraddha Kapoor was changing her team of managers due to her string of flops, 2016's Rock On 2 and OK Jaanu which released this year.MOVIE REVIEW: OK JaanuALSO READ: Shraddha finally opens up on relationship with Farhan AkhtarSpeaking about her daughter's lack of success with her last two films, papa Shakti Kapoor told DNA, "Unlike me, Shraddha has got a rich father, so she can take it easy (about signing films)."Shakti also denied that Shraddha is changing her managing team."We are not changing anybody in her team. I have no clue where this news is coming from. Her manager and the agency she is signed up with are doing a good job. In fact, I introduced Shraddha to her current manager. We are very happy with their work. She is one of their oldest clients and joined them before Aashiqui 2," said Shakti KapoorShakti also added that his daughter Shraddha is working with more brands than Alia Bhatt and as such, there is no question of replacing her managing team.

Dishant Sharma

22 Jul 2017,Saturday

10-yr-old accidentally discovers 1.2 million-year-old fossil

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/10-year-old-stumbles-on-rare-1-2-million-year-old-fossil-in-the-desert/story-D6NKA3lGpZJEsiIgG5NZtN.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Jude Sparks, a 10-year-old kid, accidentally discovered a rare 1.2 million-year-old skull of a stegomastodon, a prehistoric ancestor of elephants, while hiking in the Las Cruces desert in New Mexico, US. "This may be only the second complete skull found in New Mexico", said a University professor who is currently studying the fossil, which weighs about a tonne.

A 10-year boy has accidentally discovered a rare, mostly intact 1.2 million year-old skull of stegomastodon - a prehistoric ancestor of elephants - while hiking in the Las Cruces desert in the US.?I was running farther up and I tripped on part of the tusk,? said Jude Sparks, who had been hiking in the desert with his parents.?My face landed next to the bottom jaw. I looked farther up and there was another tusk,? said Sparks.The Sparks family contacted Peter Houde, a professor at the New Mexico State University (NMSU) in the US.?A stegomastodon would look to any of us like an elephant,? said Houde.?For the several types of elephants that we have in the area, this is probably one of the more common of them. But they?re still very rare. This may be only the second complete skull found in New Mexico,? he said.After the family contacted Houde, the jaw and two pieces of tusk were taken to the Vertebrate Museum at NMSU.In May, the family joined a team of scientists who worked for about a week to carefully unearth the skull.Houde estimates the jaw weighs about 120 pounds and the entire skull as little as a tonne. While the skull may appear to be strong, it is quite delicate.?The upper part of the skull is deceiving. It?s mostly hollow and the surface of the skull is eggshell thin,? Houde said.?An extremely large skull would be very heavy for the animal if it didn?t have air inside it to lighten it up just like our own sinuses,? he said.?That makes the thing extremely fragile and the only thing holding it together is the sediment surrounding it,? he added.During the weeklong extraction process, 10 to 12 people helped at different times with the excavation of the stegomastodon skull.Researchers painstakingly brushed away the last bits of dirt from the skull and tusk and applied chemical hardeners to ensure the ancient bones remained intact.Acting like plastics, the chemicals harden and restore the strength that would otherwise be present in the bone as protein.After the skull was unearthed, the team carefully coated the fossil with plaster and placed wood braces to protect and support it.The skull was lifted from the dig site by a front-end loader and placed on a flatbed truck for the trip back to the university.While the process to study and reconstruct the skull, jaw and tusks will take years to complete, Houde said that the stegomastodon fossil will eventually go on display.

Saloni Tandon

29 Apr 2017,Saturday

Sachin should aid in cricket administration: BCCI panel head

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/vinod-rai-bcci-coa-sachin-tendulkar-icc-cricket/1/941137.html

Vinod Rai, head of the Supreme Court-appointed BCCI's Committee of Administrators, has said former players like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid should aid in cricket administration. "We have a remarkable young team...legends like Kapil, Sourav, Anil Kumble, Rahul, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar need to speak up and ensure that cricket administration in this country improves," said Rai.

After the embarrassing loss of vote and face for Board of Cricket Control for India (BCCI) at the International Cricket Council (ICC) and left to deal with defiant office bearers, the head of BCCI Committee of Administrators (CAO) Vinod Rai urged legends of Indian cricket to speak up to ensure cricket administration improves. Rai was speaking at the launch of a biographical book of cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar. Closing his speech Rai addressing Tendulkar said, "I think Indian cricket is once again at its peak, you would agree. We have a remarkable young team. They are aggressive, they are dedicated. Their commitment on the field is wonderful. We go to see these matches because cricketers perform remarkably on the ground. We need to ask ourselves if we are providing them with the right support in terms of logistics, administration. All that you must be reading in the newspapers is unfortunate and I don't think we are doing good service to the excellent team we have." He went on to urge the former greats of Indian cricket to take a stand over administrative matters using their position of influence to clean the system. "I would suggest that because of the fact that they deserve something far better, legends like Kapil (Dev), Sourav (Ganguly), Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar need to in some ways mentor these people and also speak up and ensure that cricket administration in this country improves.

Sonu Kumari

01 Aug 2017,Tuesday

Delhi bans flying of aerial vehicles till August 15

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/flying-of-aerial-vehicles-banned-in-delhi-till-august-15/story-cWbCLdp0qml0eqIRNdbrPN.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Delhi police on Monday said that it has banned the flying of aerial vehicles till Independence Day owing to terror threat. The banned aerial vehicles include drones, paragliders, quadcopters, hang-gliders, hot-air balloons, and UAVs among others. "Certain criminal/anti-social elements or terrorists... may pose a threat to safety...by the use of sub-conventional aerial platforms", police said.

Flying of aerial vehicles like quadcopters, paragliders, and hot-air balloons in Delhi has been banned till the Independence Day celebrations on August 15 due to the terror threat, Delhi Police said on Monday. ?... certain criminal/anti-social elements or terrorists... may pose a threat to the safety of the general public, dignitaries, and vital installations by the use of sub-conventional aerial platforms,? a police statement said. The list of aerial platforms banned also includes para-motors, hang-gliders, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, microlight aircraft, remotely-piloted and small-powered aircraft, apart from parajumping from aircraft.

Niharika Prabhakar

21 Jul 2017,Friday

FTII students failing to finish course cause ?12cr loss: CAG

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ftii-students-caused-institute-rs-12-crore-loss-cag-says/1/1008020.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Students over-staying and not completing their course work caused the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) a loss of nearly ?12 crore, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said on Friday. The loss was caused by 212 students who continued to stay in hostels without paying the hostel fees after failing to complete the course.

Students overstaying and non completing their film courses at the Film and Television Institute of India have resulted in losses to the tune of up to Rs 11.83 crore, the Comptroller and Auditor General said today in a report. The massive revenue loss was caused by 212 students who failed to complete their course work, resulting in them staying on in hostels beyond the schedule completion of their academic terms. According to the CAG report, the failure of the students to complete their respective courses within the prescribed time period also resulted in admissions being held up during the academic years of 2010-11, 2014-15 and 2015-16.The 212 students continued to be on the academic roll and in hotels without any paying any fees/hostel charges, resulting in a revenue loss of Rs 11.83 crore. The CAG also said that it found cases of irregular payment of service tax, excess release of advance payment and unfruitful expenditure on consultancy fees without any commensurate benefits.STUDENTS OVERSTAYEDBetween 2006 and 2012, 315 students were admitted on a total capacity of 352 seats for various six-month diploma courses. Of these, 212 students were still on the academic roll as of March 31, 2016, as they failed to compelte their academic exercises, projects and other course work. These included 94 students who were on the roll for more than three years after their courses should have been completed.WHAT THE CAG FOUND1. The institution (FTII) neither has any specific rule to extend the tenure of such students nor any approval for such group extensions were taken from the Academic Council or Governing Council.2. The tution and hostel fees are not charged after the scheduled completion of courses. Hence, the students continued to be on academic roll and in hostels without payment of fees/hostel charges beyond the prescribed tenure of their courses.3. Continuance of a very large number of enrolled students creates additional pressure on the academic and other infrastructure of the institute.4. Of the total revenue loss of Rs 11.83 crore, Rs 2.78 crore due to FTII not charging fees for the extended duration of the courses and Rs 9.05 crore due to non-recovery of hostel fees for overstay.FTII's REPLY Responding to the CAG's findings, the FTII, in a reply on September 2016, admitted that there was a problem of students not completing their course work on time and that the institution does not have a set system of dealing with such situations.The CAG report, however, noted that the FTII students' hand book states that a student has to leave the hostel room and campus after completion of the academic tenure of his/her course.CASCADING EFFECTApart from causing a revenue loss, students overstaying at FTII has also had a cascading effect on fresh admissions, the CAG said. The situation caused the institution to skip fresh admissions in 2010, 2014, 2015.

Dishant Sharma

29 Jul 2017,Saturday

Fight gets cancelled as boxer falls in shower, breaks teeth

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jul/28/carl-frampton-andres-gutierrez-boxing-weight-limit?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A boxing match which was supposed to be a World Featherweight title eliminator was cancelled on Friday with less than 24-hour notice after a contender fell in the shower, breaking his teeth and injuring his face. Mexican boxer Andrés Gutiérrez, a former world champion in featherweight and super-bantamweight, was due to fight Northern Ireland's Carl Frampton in his home town.

Carl Frampton?s fight with Andrés Gutiérrez in Belfast was called off on Friday night with less than 24 hours? notice after the Mexican fell in the shower.Barry McGuigan, the fight?s promoter, told the BBC: ?We?re all so disappointed, it was a freak accident. He slipped in the shower, smashed his face, the guy is concussed. He?s a deep gash on his chin, his nose, lost two of his teeth.?An earlier statement on McGuigan?s Facebook page said: ?It is hoped that the event will be re-scheduled but ticket holders are advised to retain their tickets and contact point of purchase for further information.?The 30-year-old Frampton, once a world champion at featherweight and super-bantamweight, had been priming himself to fight in his home city for what might have been the final time.Earlier in the day he realised it would no longer serve as an eliminator for the WBC featherweight title for him after he came in one pound overweight at 9st 1lb. He is coming out of a six-month lay-off which followed his first professional defeat, by another Mexican, Léo Santa Cruz, in Las Vegas.Frampton has made no secret of his desire to face Santa Cruz for a third time, or to challenge Wales?s IBF champion, Lee Selby. His trainer, Shane McGuigan, has said the ?finish line? is in sight for him despite only 24 professional fights.McGuigan, speaking to the Irish media before the now cancelled Gutiérrez bout, said: ?We feel Saturday night is the next chapter in Carl?s career and one I?m excited about, because we can see the finish line now.?It?s like running a marathon and you can see that 20-mile mark and you?ve got around six miles to go. The legs are a bit heavy but we?re going to finish strong with four or five big wins.?

Parmeet Kaur

22 Jul 2017,Saturday

81% of fund for malnourished kids went unused in Maharashtra

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/81-of-money-meant-for-malnourished-children-remains-unused-in-maharashtra/story-VvNf26aGjIwE18xkl9SY8L.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

According to an analysis by National Centre for Advocacy Studies, ?1,084 crore or 81% of ?1,339 crore released by Maharashtra government to provide food for malnourished children in April- June 2017 remained unused. Most of the money spent under Centre's Integrated Child Development Scheme was used in providing ready-to-cook food items, which allegedly taste bad and cause indigestion.n

Only 19% or Rs339.9crore of Rs1,339crore released by the state government to provide food for malnourished children was used between April and June 2017, according to an analysis by the National Centre for Advocacy Studies (NCAS), which is based in Pune. Of the spent money under the Centre?s Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), most of it was used for the Take Home Ration (THR) scheme, which provides ready-to-cook food items to infants from 0 to 3 years, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women. The THR scheme comes under the ICDS.Several studied have shown that the ready-to-cook food tastes bad, causes indigestion and is mostly fed to cattle and other livestock.?Around 98% of the children did not like the taste of the THR supplements. 40% of the families said that it smelled bad and was difficult to cook. Some of them complained of indigestion. Some even found worms in the sealed packets,? according to a previous study conducted by NGOs, Rachna, Khoj, Aamhi Aamchya Aarogyasathi, Janaarth, Lokseva Sangam and Sathi. Amit Narkar of the NCAS has questioned why the government is spending so much on the THR scheme, when reports suggest that the food is not palatable. ?The government needs to give this issue a serious thought,? he has said. Earlier, the state government used to distribute three packets of powdered food, comprising sheera, upma and sattu.Meanwhile, Anganwadi workers and helpers hired by the government to run the ICDS programme have complained that their salaries haven?t been paid. ?Three years ago, the central government cut their funding for ICDS, but the state government did not increase the budget. Instead, they have reduced it even further,? Shubha Shamim, secretary of Anganwadi Karmchari Sangathana, has said.

Saloni Tandon

22 Dec 2016,Thursday

Mary Kom given AIBA Legends award by int'l boxing body

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/aiba-mary-kom-vikas-krishnan-legends-best-boxer/1/840238.html

Five-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist MC Mary Kom was given the AIBA Legends award by the International Boxing Federation (AIBA) at the body's 70th anniversary in Montreux, Switzerland, on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Asian Games' bronze medalist Vikas Krishan Yadav was awarded the AIBA Pro Boxing Best Boxer trophy. Vikas had competed in two pro boxing bouts this year.

Five time world champion MC Mary Kom got the AIBA Legends award while former Asian Games champion Vikas Krishnan received the AIBA Pro Boxing Best Boxer trophy at the International Boxing Federation's (AIBA) 70th anniversary here on Wednesday.Both Indian boxers were present at the ceremony along with Boxing Federation of India (BFI) President Ajay Singh."Its an honour for the whole country that our boxers Mary Kom and Vikas Krishnan have been awarded at this global stage of AIBA," Ajay Singh said in a statement. (Mary Kom to receive 'Legends Award' from International Boxing Association)Thank you for all champs ð???ð???ð???ð???ð??ªð??ª #AIBALegends - @Klitschko@MangteC@brahiminside#FelixSavonpic.twitter.com/JHrf9G7Vso"BFI congratulates AIBA on their 70th anniversary and look forward to hosting the AIBA family in February 2017 in India for the 71st AIBA commissions meeting," he added.Besides, the best performances and events of 2016 were recognised, with reigning Olympic men's and women's Light Flyweight (49kg) champions Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan and Britain's Nicola Adams both winning the title of Boxer of the Year in their respective categories. (Boxer Mary Kom to return to 48kg category) 

Aarushi Maheshwari

30 May 2017,Tuesday

Kerala's Munnar named India's best destination for romance

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/lonely-planet-magazine-awards-2017-best-destinations-travel-lieftr/1/963684.html

Kerala's Munnar was named India's best destination for romance at the 2017 Lonely Planet India Travel Awards in Mumbai. While New Delhi was named the best destination for shopping, Lucknow was named the best destination for food and drink and Goa the best destination for relaxation. Himachal Pradesh was named the best family destination and Maharashtra the best adventure destination.

The tourism fraternity came together to celebrate yet another bonanza, with the 6th Lonely Planet India Travel Awards 2017 recognising their respective contributions to global travel.Deemed one of the leading magazines in the country, Lonely Planet India organised a star-studded event in Mumbai, attended by who's who from Bollywood, travel, hospitality and other corporate industries.After thorough research, Lonely Planet India awarded destinations across the world, in several categories, as per the experience they offer to tourists.Destinations in India won accolades for their immmense contribution to tourism. Karnataka (Best Destination for Culture), Maharashtra (Best Destination for Adventure), Madhya Pradesh (Best Destination for Wildlife), Himachal Pradesh (Best Destination for Family), Goa (Best Destination for Relaxation), Tamil Nadu (Best Destination for Value), Lucknow - Uttar Pradesh (Best Destination for Food & Drink), New Delhi (Best Destination for Shopping), Munnar - Kerala (Best Destination for Romance), Rajasthan (Best Destination for Indulgence) and Meghalaya (Best Emerging Destination) were among the awarded tourist hubs at a national level.

Prashanti Moktan

02 Jul 2017,Sunday

Posters for independence by Khalistani groups seen in Punjab

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/punjab-khalistan-groups-separatists-in-punjab-amarinder-singh/1/992599.html

Hoardings demanding independence by Khalistani separatist groups have emerged at various places in Punjab. The hoardings carried slogans like 'Azadi Hi Hal (solution), Punjab Independence 2020 Referendum'. Calling for the removal of the hoardings, State Secretary of the BJP in Punjab Vineet Joshi said, "It is a sinister attempt to disturb the peace and harmony of Punjab by anti-national forces."

Nipped in the bud three decades ago, the Khalistani separatist groups continue to threaten the hard earned peace in the frontier state of Punjab.Controversial hoardings demanding independence and referendum have created a stir. The hoardings with slogans like "Azadi Di Gal, Punjab Independence, 2020 Referendum" were installed at various places including Fatehgarh, Roopnagar, Dhanaula in Barnala and Rajpura in Patiala.The administration has neither removed the controversial hoardings nor have taken any action against the people behind the controversy. Reacting to the controversy, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has slammed the state government for having failed to remove the hoardings and maintaining a stoic silence over the efforts being made by the Khalistani groups to revive terrorism. WHO IS BEHIND THESE CAMPAIGNS?BJP claimed the hoardings were put up by a Canada and US based NGO Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). It is the same organisation which had opposed Captain Amarinder Singh's election campaign in Canada."While at one hand the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh is vocal against the Khalistani elements including Sikhs for Justice, his government's silence over the referendum hoardings is deplorable," Secretary BJP, Vineet Joshi said.BJP has appealed the state government to remove the hoardings immediately and threatened to destroy them in case the local administration did not act immediately.

Deepali Aggarwal

26 Jun 2017,Monday

US government websites hacked with pro-ISIS message

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/us-government-hacking-cyberterrorism-islamic-state/1/987416.html

Several government websites in the US state of Ohio were hacked on Sunday with a message that purports to be supportive of the Islamic State. "You will be held accountable Trump, you and all your people for every drop of blood flowing in Muslim countries," read the message. All affected servers were taken offline and authorities are investigating the incident.

Government websites, many of them in Ohio, were hacked Sunday with a message that purports to be supportive of the Islamic State terrorist group.A message posted on the website of Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich said, "You will be held accountable Trump, you and all your people for every drop of blood flowing in Muslim countries."The message, left by "Team System Dz," also ended, "I love the Islamic state."The same message also infiltrated government websites in the town of Brookhaven, New York, according to news reports in that state, as well as the website for Howard County, Maryland. In the past, the group also claimed responsibility for similar hacks in the past in Richland County, Wisconsin, and in places such as Aberdeen, Scotland, and Sweden.Several other government websites were hacked in Ohio, including that of first lady Karen Kasich, Medicaid, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and the Casino Control Commission.'ALL AFFECTED SERVERS TAKEN OFFLINE'Tom Hoyt, chief communications officer for Ohio's Department of Administrative Services, was among Ohio officials who confirmed the hack."All affected servers have been taken offline and we are investigating how these hackers were able to deface these websites," he said. "We also are working with law enforcement to better understand what happened."He said the hacking in Ohio happened at about 11 am EDT. He hoped the websites would be up and running sometime Monday.The websites in Brookhaven and Howard County also remained down on Sunday. When asked about the outage on the Brookhaven site, a spokeswoman who answered the phone at the New York town's police department simply offered a "no comment."The hack is part of ongoing cyberterrorism that has impacted governments and corporations across the globe.Some see these types of hacks - sometimes called "defacement" - as simply a nuisance, though in some instances, they have been disruptive to work and government life.But others see cause for alarm. "Wake up freedom-loving Americans. Radical Islam infiltrating the heartland," Josh Mandel, the Ohio treasurer and a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, said in a tweet Sunday.Authors of the website "Cryptosphere," which tracks hackers worldwide, have detailed dozens, if not hundreds, of similar hacks in recent years by the so-called Team System DZ, which they called a "pro-ISIS hacker crew" and claim are based in Algeria.Impacted websites, they said, have included those for a synagogue in Florida, the student union at the University of New Brunswick in Canada, for UK Rugby and a number of websites on Wordpress.ALSO READ | How ISIS lures youth with women, meat, chocolates to recruit in Kerala. An India Today exclusive

Rini Sinha

09 Feb 2017,Thursday

In a very happy space right now: Sagarika on dating Zaheer

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sagarika-ghatge-zaheer-khan-link-up-relationship-yuvraj-hazel-wedding-irada/1/877571.html

Actress Sagarika Ghatge, commenting on rumours of dating former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan, said that she's in a very happy space right now. The couple made their first public appearance together at cricketer Yuvraj Singh and actress Hazel Keech's wedding in December 2016. Sagarika, who made her Bollywood debut with 2007 film 'Chak de! India', will feature next in 'Irada'.nnn

The rumours of Chak De girl Sagarika Ghatge dating former cricketer Zaheer Khan started doing the rounds when the two were seen inseparable at Yuvraj Singh wedding last year. And Zaheer's pictures with Sagarika gave way to their blossoming relationship. Soon enough, the rumours of their link-up started doing the rounds.Buzz has it that the two have been dating each other for last six months. Reportedly, the couple met through common friends and hit it off immediately. ALSO READ: Zaheer Khan and rumoured girlfriend Sagarika Ghatge arrive together at Yuvraj-Hazel's Delhi receptionPHOTOS: Zaheer-Sagarika to Virat-Anushka, Bollywood's love affair with Cricket And months after the speculation, Sagarika, who will next seen in Irada, opened up on the link-up rumours with Zaheer. In an interview to Mid-Day, Sagarika said, "Let's just say I am in a very happy space right now. I have never spoken about my personal relationships. In fact, I have never spoken about anything to the press. Personal space is not for discussion."

Niharika Prabhakar

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Shortage of over 5 lakh police personnel in India

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/shortage-of-over-5-lakh-police-personnel-in-country-govt-tells-parliament/story-E3EGqF2vo0pqhTRJOw2cZO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday told the Parliament that there is a shortage of over 5 lakh police personnel from the authorised strength of over 22 lakh in the country. It also admitted that there are only 3,905 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in service in place of the required 4,843 IPS officers.

There is a shortage of over 5 lakh police personnel in the country as compared to their overall sanctioned strength, the government told Parliament on Tuesday.The union home ministry, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, also said that there are fewer Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in position across the country, than their authorised strength.?As on January 1, 2017, there are 3,905 IPS officers in position against an authorised strength of 4,843,? minister of state for home Hansraj G Ahir said.The minister said that according to the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), as on January 1, 2016, against the authorised strength of 22,80,691, there are 17,31,666 police personnel in position.Ahir said about 150 officers are recruited every year in the IPS and the central government reviews the strength and composition of each state IPS cadre, ordinarily at the interval of every five years.?Since 2014, cadre review of 11 cadres has already been notified by the central government,? he said.

Chhavi Tyagi

15 Jul 2017,Saturday

Man, wife assaulted for stopping mob from beating cattle

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/meat-mafia-goons-tourists-odisha-kanan/1/1002835.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A man, his wife and her two friends in Odisha's Khedapoda village were thrashed and molested by a mob armed with sticks and knives for stopping them from beating cattle. As per reports, the man also took videos and clicked pictures of the distressed animals and called the police control room and senior officials. However, they reportedly did not arrive.

A software engineer, Kanan, along with his wife and her two friends were brutally assaulted by a mob of armed meat mafia goons on Friday evening. "It was about 4pm on Friday when all four of us were sightseeing in village Khedapoda, Chandili when we saw some gangster like men armed with sticks and knives, severely beating cattle," said Kanan, who took videos and clicked pictures of the distressed animals before dialling the #100 number for police and senior officials of the locality including SP Rahul. The police, however, did not come to the site.  "With no response from the police and SP Rahul, we tried reasoning with the goons ourselves. Little did we know, that they would attack us with the same sticks and axes with which they were beating the animals. I was attacked while my wife was molested by these barbarians. They snatched and smashed my phone which had all recordings.  It's a miracle we are still alive. Seeing the lawlessness here, would not like to come back to Odisha," Kanan, elaborated further. Kanan is undergoing treatment. A case has been filed in Chandili Police Station, but no arrests have been made for the assault and no cattle have been seized till now.SP Rahul evaded India Today's calls and was not available for a comment.Sources revealed that 1000's of cattle are smuggled for slaughter on foot from Odisha to Andhra Pradesh through the vast rainforest cover in Odisha on a weekly basis. This is the same belt where Kanan and his wife and friends were attacked. This is not the first case of growing lawlessness in Odisha, where criminals are at large and police is missing in action. RECENT CASES OF ATTACKS- Earlier this week, in Odisha's Raigada district, animal activists informed police of several hundred cattle being smuggled on foot through the Chandili rainforest area in the middle of the night (with photographs and videos for proof). On arriving at the spot, the police official from Chandili Police was seen ushering cattle smugglers to hide the animals and no case was filed on the grounds that no cattle were found. India Today has access to photographs and videos to prove that cattle were indeed being taken on foot and audio recordings of police officials saying that no cattle were found on the spot. - Recently, animal lovers Teertho and Niranjan, were pelted with stones and beaten with sticks by meat mafia goons for visiting and clicking photographs at an animal fair, in Kaalapatthar, Beguniya district of Odisha. Niranjan was wounded on the head while Teertho was severely attacked and his wallet, phone and passport were stolen. - Shifting focus to Karanataka, Thimaraju, an AWBI officer, was thrashed by a mob of meat mafia goons last month, in the presence of police officials, for bringing to light the workings of an illegal slaughter house in Channarayapatna, Hassan district. "I went for a visit with police officials to the illegal slaughterhouse where we found hoards of calves locked inside a small room. On releasing the animals, we were returning towards the PCR van when I heard a mob of butchers chasing me and surprisingly no police officer was there in sight for my protection. I was hit on the head and thrashed in front of the Police PCR van. The police had conveniently vanished for those few minutes." This is a brief list of recent cases of attacks by meat mafia goons on tourists, animal lovers, AWBI officers and genuine gau rakshaks. In the above cases, even when police was informed of illegalities in their jurisdiction, no action was taken indicating a strong nexus between the police and the rampant meat-mafia in India which does not spare women or tourists.ALSO READ:Cow vigilantes or extortionists? India Today exposes Maharashtra's cow saviours

Rini Sinha

28 May 2017,Sunday

Don't mind men flirting with me, it's a compliment: Sushant

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sushant-singh-rajput-kriti-sanon-raabta-relationships/1/964905.html

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput has said that he doesn't mind men flirting with him and takes it as a compliment. However, he added that he doesn't usually expect attention from men. Meanwhile, it has been rumoured that Sushant has been dating actress Kriti Sanon since they started filming for their upcoming film 'Raabta'.

Sushant Singh Rajput is currently on cloud number nine. He had a fantastic 2016 with his film MS Dhoni: The Untold Story earning more than Rs 100 crore at the Indian box office. Now he has a range of films lined up, in various stages of production, the latest being Raabta which stars Sushant's rumoured ladylove, Kriti Sanon.Given Sushant's good looks and his new-found success, it is understandable that women would like to hit on him these days. But it's not just the fairer sex who take an interest in Sushant. When Filmfare Magazine recently asked him about his thoughts on the attention he gets from his male fans, the actor was at his nonchalant best.So, do men hit on him and does he like it? "Probably... but I don't get to know. Normally, you sense things that you expect. And that's not what I'm expecting. So I don't get it many times but there are times when I do understand. I don't mind it. It's a compliment," Sushant Singh Rajput said.Sushant Singh Rajput is rumoured to be dating Kriti Sanon though neither of them have officially confirmed or denied the buzz. Regardless of its truth, the dating rumours can only add to the pre-release noise around Raabta, for now, and that isn't harmful.

Dishant Sharma

02 Mar 2017,Thursday

Don't drop catches else Smith will score a ton: Clarke

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/michael-clarke-india-vs-australia-bengaluru-test-virat-kohli-steve-smith/1/895259.html

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has advised the Indian cricket team to not drop catches or else current Australian captain Steve Smith will score a century. Clarke, who recently had a dinner with Indian captain Virat Kohli, called him a strong character and said, "He is ready and focused on the Bengaluru Test".

Question: Do you think Bhuvneshwar Kumar will replace Ishant Sharma in Bengaluru? Clarke: I think Ishant Sharma deserves to be in the team. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a great player. He has great record against the left-handers, especially against Warner. India would want to get him in the squad. But I think Ishant surely deserves a place. CLICK TO WATCH FULL INTERVIEWQuestion: If it is a good pitch in Bengaluru, which team will have the advantage?Clarke: It is a first innings game... it is very critical to make as many runs in the first innings. Doesn't really matter if you win or lose the toss. You have to get a good score in the first innings. It sets the tone up. We have seen that now in a tough wicket in Pune. Test match is literally over in the first innings. It will be no different in Bengaluru. The wicket will deteriorate over the five days. So, on a good wicket, toss doesn't matter. You just want to score more runs in the first innings. Question: How would you get Steve Smith out?Clarke: Laughs... Smith is in unbelievable form... a lot like Virat Kohli. Some times you have to just watch and applaud when a player is in such terrific form. I think India had a lot of opportunities to get him out in Pune. There's now doubt India will have plans for each Australian batsmen. My advice to India would be to hand on to your catches. #AskMichael what advice you give to team india when they are using DRS system in test match where you have only 2 reviews for 80 overs#AskMichael Do you think India should open with Vijay and Pujara and send KL Rahul to bat at No. 3 with Kohli coming in at No. 3??NO CHANGES FOR AUSTRALIA:Clarke: I don't think Australia will make any change in Bengaluru. They have won the first Test and have the momentum. I think they will go with the same team in Bengaluru. On Ajinkya Rahane: Clarke: I think Rahane is a wonderful player... think India will give him another opportunity. I think India will make a change in Bengaluru. They will go with two spinner - R Ashwin and R Jadeja. I like to see Rahane in the team. If he is good form, that puts India in dominant position. Boria Majumdar: You had dinner with Virat Kohli last night. Give us some insights about his mind.Clarke: Virat Kohli is a strong character. He is ready and focused on the Bengaluru Test. I consider Kohli as the best batsman right now in all formats. Question: What India need to do to win in Bengaluru?Clarke: India need to combat the big four players in Bengaluru. David Warner, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. If India can keep these four quiet in Bengaluru, they can win the Test match.  Michael Clarke: Positive for Australian cricket that they have won the first Test. But they know what challenge lies ahead. I am very impressive with what Virat Kohli said after the Pune loss.Australia now are confident that they can beat India at their own backyard. That's a big boost for the visitors. Ask me your questions live today on @indiatoday at 6pm IST with @boriamajumdar by using the hashtag #AskMichael

Arshiya Chopra

12 Jul 2017,Wednesday

CBSE re-evaluation can change DU merit list: Delhi HC

http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/cbse-re-evaluation-could-change-du-merit-list-says-hc/story-wVEwuJaJ9rejuvoc3QVdFL.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Delhi High Court on Tuesday said the merit position of students could change substantially in the ongoing Delhi University admissions after re-evaluation of the answer sheets submitted to the CBSE. However, Delhi University officials said this should not worry students who have already secured the college seats even if their marks get reduced after re-evaluation.

New Delhi The Delhi high court on Tuesday said the ongoing Delhi University admissions could be impacted by the Class 12 examination answer sheets submitted to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for re-evaluation this year.A bench of acting chief justice Gita Mittal and justice C Hari Shankar said ?the merit position of students could change substantially? on the basis of marks obtained after re-evaluation. ?Therefore, as a matter of abundant caution, colleges and admission-seeking students need to be kept informed about the pendency of the writ petition as well as the fact that the process of re-evaluation of marks by the CBSE on the request of some students is underway,? it added.Last week, the court had lifted all conditions imposed by the CBSE on students seeking to re-evaluate their Class XII answer sheets. The verdict came on a plea filed by advocate Sandeep Bajaj, who was representing four students against the board?s notification limiting the scrutiny of marks to just 12 subjects.Nearly 11 lakh students appeared for the Class 12 exams conducted by the CBSE this year, of which 2.47% applied for re-evaluation.However, Delhi University officials said this need not worry students who have already secured college seats. ?Once a student?s admission is approved and they pay the admission fees, it will not be cancelled even if their marks get reduced after re-evaluation. Admissions will be cancelled only if the student provides the university with fabricated certificates and such,? said MK Pandit, chairperson of the admissions committee.Pandit said there are provisions in the university admission guidelines to accommodate students whose grades have increased after re-evaluation. ?The guidelines clearly state that a student who qualifies under a cut-off list but fails to take admission may do so on the last day of admissions under subsequent cut-off lists, subject to the availability of seats,? he added.Pandit said college principals and students are aware of the stipulations, and clarifications have also been issued in this regard.(With inputs from A Mariyam Alavi)

Chhavi Tyagi

15 Dec 2016,Thursday

I-T raids are surgical strikes against black money: DEA Secy

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/demonetisation-surgical-strike-black-money-raids/1/835293.html

Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das on Thursday said, "The action taken by the enforcement agencies on illegally accumulated money is based on specific inputs, you may call it a surgical strike." Notably, PM Modi had asked BJP to stop calling demonetisation move a surgical strike, saying, "Only a soldier can do surgical strikes. We aren't capable of it."

In the wake of Income Tax raids being conducted across the country, the government today called it a "surgical strike" on illegally accumulated money.Addressing a press conference, Secretary, Economic Affairs, Shaktikanta Das today said, "The action taken by the enforcement agencies on illegally accumulated money is based on specific inputs, you may call it a surgical strike".Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked BJP members to stop calling demonetisation move "a surgical strike" on black money. "Only a soldier can do surgical strikes. We aren't capable of it. The Opposition can say it, but you don't say it," Modi reportedly told party MPs at a BJP parliamentary meet. ALSO READ: PM Modi to BJP MPs: Don't call demonetisation surgical strike, only soldiers do that FOCUS ON RURAL INDIAEnumerating the steps taken by the government to fight the cash crunch due to demonetisation of high-value currency, Shaktikanta Das said that of the 2.20 lakh ATMs in the country, more than 2 lakh have been re-calibrated.ALSO WATCH  He said the government is airlifting currency to affected areas with a special emphasis on rural areas. He said the total number of notes in denominations of Rs 100 and below to be supplied to banks in the last five weeks is three times more than what the Reserve Bank of India supplies in a year. ALSO READ: Modi government cracks whip on black money: 5 biggest Income Tax seizures in 15 days PRINTING MORE Rs 500 NOTESAmid reports of Rs 500 currency notes not being circulated enough, the economic affairs secretary said that the initial focus of the government was to supply Rs 2000 notes to replace the value that was pulled out of the market. "Now the focus is more on printing of Rs 500 notes," he said.

Dishant Sharma

25 May 2017,Thursday

PV Sindhu elected as member of BWF Athletes' Commission

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/p-v-sindhu-elected-member-bwf-atheletes-commission/1/962233.html

India's Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu became one of the members of the BWF Athletes' Commission. The 21-year-old Indian topped the ballot with 129 votes, and is among the three female players to be elected to the commission. Notably, Sindhu has been elected for four years and will join Saina Nehwal as the member of the players' representative body.

Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu became one of the members of the BWF Athletes' Commission after the end of voting for the four places on the representative body.The 21-year-old Indian topped the ballot with 129 votes as she led a trio of women onto the BWF Athletes' Commission."I am happy to be elected as a member. Thanks to the players who have elected me. It is a great responsibility and I will surely do justice to my new post," Sindhu told PTI. Congratulations to @Pvsindhu1 for being chosen as a new member of BWF Athletes' Commission. pic.twitter.com/btJ2cgYHTOSindhu, Gilmour along with Germany's Marc Zwiebler, who received 108 votes, will serve four-year terms. These three will replace Yuhan Tan (Belgium), Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus (Denmark) and Greysia Polii (Indonesia) who have concluded their four-year terms.Stapusaityte will only serve two years as she will finish the term of Tang Yuanting. The Chinese player became a member of the Athletes' Commission in 2015 but resigned following her retirement from badminton last year, thus leaving a casual vacancy on the Commission.

Daisy Mowke

25 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Randeep visits war memorial ahead of Kargil Vijay Diwas

http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/kargil-vijay-diwas-randeep-hooda-visits-war-memorial-urges-all-indians-to-go-once/story-CLEu6b3SNnB2h4DbWQZE8J.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Actor Randeep Hooda visited the Kargil War Memorial in Dras ahead of Kargil Vijay Diwas, which is observed on July 26. "I felt belittled even as my chest was feeling full of pride and sorrow. We lost 559 citizens of our country in that war," wrote Randeep on Instagram. His visit was part of an event organised by an NGO.

Actor Randeep Hooda describes his recent visit to Kargil?s Drass sector as ?overwhelming? and urges everyone to visit the war memorial at least once. The actor visited the memorial ahead of the Kargil Vijay Diwas , which is on July 26. After his return, the actor chronicled his experience via Instagram and Twitter through words, photos and videos. Randeep?s visit was part of an event organised by an NGO. He was also accompanied by singer-composer Kailash Kher. ?The experience was surreal, standing amidst those who have been safeguarding our nation at such harsh terrains. It has to be with so much discipline and, obviously, passion for their jobs. I felt belittled standing amidst them and at the same time, there was a sense of pride. As many as 559 people died in the war and I was reading their names. People from various parts of India coming together at the line of control, laying low their lives for the sovereignty of our country,? says Randeep, sounding deeply moved. Over the weekend I had the honour and the privilege to visit #Drass where the actual battle of #Kargil took place. I felt belittled even as my chest was feeling full of pride and sorrow. We lost 559 citizens of our country in that war. With the sacrifice of these brave sons we won. Got to know so much more about what happened at the #WarMemorial in #Drass. Every Indian worth his or her salt must go and visit the biggest war memorial in our country. Just to stand there and hear Havildar Kuber Singh and see for themselves the terrain and the sacrifice of our boys standing there defending our borders so that we can pursue our lives in security. The Army and its personnel don't need our sympathy nor encouragement. They are going about doing their job that they have taken an oath to do. It's an organisation that is unfazed about the political going ons and does what it has to do to protect our sovereignty. I had a great time interacting with officers and Jawans. The level of our Jawans has gone so high in the last few years that it is a testament to the citizens wanting to join the forces. The officers are so apt, sympathetic, professional and duty bound that it leaves most of our civilian leaders wanting. I would like to thank Mrs Ruchi Chauhan Khan for making this possible and the great entertainment provided by many,especially, @KailashKher that the evening among the windy mountains was filled with laughter and song. I would also like to thank GOC Major General Cariappa for his gentle and inspiring personality. A towering man with a vision for the future of the army and personal development of its personnel - Brigade Commander and double Shaurya Chakra awardee Brigadier Bhalla, a man of great grace and full of laughter, no doubt a man who commands respect and love of his troops - The Deputy Commander Colonel Pandey for his empathetic and resourceful company - Colonel Vikrant Sharma, a man of great organisational skills and the most disarming smile - and last but not the least by any standards the officer's mess Haviladar "the boxer" who's hospitality I shall never forget. It's been the most unforgettable and inspiring trips of my life. Thank you Jai Hind A post shared by Randeep Hooda (@randeephooda) on Jul 24, 2017 at 1:54am PDTSharing more from his journey, Randeep talks about visiting the war memorial, the biggest in the country, on the way from Srinagar to Leh. ?Many must have already visited the place and I think a lot more people should go there to get an idea of the never ending sacrifice of our soldiers. Those deployed there are not just soldiers, they are also citizens of this country...they are like you and me. They are chosen to do this job but that doesn?t mean that their lives are meant to be like that. Such bravehearts deserve our utmost love and support for sacrificing their precious lives for the nation,? he says, adding that he had a wonderful time meeting army officers and jawaans. Randeep also had the chance to meet their families, who are their support system.?????? ??? ?? ???? ??,??????? ??? ?? ???? ?? honoured to see preparations #VijayDivas #WarMemorial #Drass #Kargil must visit #JaiHind @adgpi pic.twitter.com/EQWHrEIK5b? Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) July 24, 2017Talking about his memories of the 1999 Kargil War, Randeep says, ?I was studying in Australia at that time when we heard about the war. Not just the war, the after effects also bothered me. And thinking about Kargil Vijay Diwas, I am reminded of it all over again. Such things also make me realise that it?s high time we understand what these people are doing rather than sitting in the comfort of our homes and politicising such situations,? he adds.One of the photos Randeep shared from his visit to Kargil?s Drass sector.Follow @htshowbiz for more

Arshiya Chopra

25 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Delhi cop masturbates at woman constable in training academy

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/delhi-cop-masturbates-before-women-constables-molests-them-at-training-academy/story-7rRQYXwzOQYUC6wp68BGTO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A Delhi police officer has been suspended for allegedly getting drunk and masturbating before a woman constable at a training academy. The cop also inappropriately touched two other women constables who then warned him of informing senior officials about his actions. A senior police officer has confirmed the incident and said a departmental inquiry is being conducted in this case.

A Delhi police cop has been suspended for getting drunk and flashing in front of a woman colleague at the police training college. The incident was reported by the woman officer who informed her seniors on Saturday night. Police sources said the cop, posted at the police training college in Jharoda Kalan, had also inappropriately touched two women constables at dinner. At around 6pm, inside the mess, the cop who was reportedly reeking of alcohol touched two women constables. They threatened to inform their superiors if he did not apologise. An hour later, another woman constable alleged that the cop had stripped and masturbated in front of her. The woman informed the police after which senior officials reached the spot. Investigation revealed that after being warned by the two women in the mess, the policeman returned to his room and drank more liquor. Later, he went to his terrace and stripped. Senior officers who reached the spot held an informal test identification parade during which the complainant identified the man. A senior police officer confirmed the news and said they are conducting a departmental inquiry.

Daisy Mowke

19 Jan 2017,Thursday

Harshvardhan slams Filmfare for naming Diljit best debutant

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/harshvardhan-kapoor-diljit-dosanjh-filmfare-awards-best-debut-trophy/1/861061.html

Actor Harshvardhan Kapoor has expressed his displeasure over Diljit Dosanjh bagging the Best Debut trophy at the Filmfare Awards. "I think a debutant award is meant for someone working on his first film. It shouldn't go to an actor who has worked in several films in another industry or language," he said. Diljit has previously worked in several Punjabi films.

Harshvardhan Kapoor, who made his big Bollywood debut with Mirzya, went onto win a handful of Best Debut trophies at various award functions. And the 26-year-old actor was expecting the same at Filmfare Awards which took place recently. But to his surprise, the Best Debut trophy went to Diljit Dosanjh for Udta Punjab. And this hasn't gone down too well with Junior Kapoor. ALSO READ: Mirzya was a failure as the film was not for everybody, says Harshvardhan Kapoor  ALSO READ: Harshvardhan is undergoing drastic physical transformation for Vikramaditya Motwane's Bhavesh Joshi  The Mirzya actor in an interview to Mid-Day lashed out at Filmfare for giving the award to the Punjabi actor. He expressed his displeasure over not winning the award and said, "Although I picked up two debutant awards earlier, I was really looking forward to winning the black lady. But I guess every awards event has its own parameters. I'll be honest, though. I think a debutant award is meant for someone working on his first film. It shouldn't go to an actor who has worked in several films in another industry or language."

Aarushi Maheshwari

01 Mar 2017,Wednesday

AI plane makes emergency landing as staff forgets protocol

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kochi-cochin-air-india-flight-emergency-landing-delhi-indira-gandhi-international-airport/1/893635.html

An Air India flight was forced to make an emergency landing at the Delhi Airport on Monday when the pilot was unable to retract its wheels mid-air. The incident occurred as its engineers had forgotten to remove pins from the landing gear, the airline said. Meanwhile, the Delhi-Cochin-Dubai flight carrying 234 passengers was delayed by over four hours.

A Kochi-bound Air India flight was forced to make an emergency landing in New Delhi soon after its take-off from the Indira Gandhi International Airport as the engineers had failed to remove pins from the landing gear, a spokesperson said today.Two engineers have been taken off duty pending inquiry after they 'forgot' to remove the pins last morning, an Air India spokesperson said.WHAT HAPPENEDThe AI 933 Delhi-Cochin-Dubai plane with 234 passengers onboard took off from the Indira Gandhi International Airport yesterday at 5:36 am but was forced to return and make an emergency landing 40 minutes later after the pilot was unable to retract the wheels.