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Sat, 01 August 2015

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23:13 Chennithala won't pursue case against cop who did not salute him

Seeking to put a lid on the controversy over a senior police officer not saluting Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala at a function, the minister today said that he did not want to pursue the case against the officer and has conveyed this to the Chief Minister.

According to Chennithala, ADGP Rishiraj Singh met him three days ago and explained the whole episode. "Rishiraj Singh, ADGP, met me and explained about the whole episode. He told me that had he known that I was there, he would have stood up. So, I feel that this matter is closed," the Home Minister said.

The parents and brother of a Palestinian toddler burned to death by suspected Jewish extremists were fighting for their lives today, as demonstrators held a second day of protests over the arson attack.

The firebombing of the family's home in the occupied West Bank that killed 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha sparked an international outcry over Israel's failure to get to grips with violence by hardline Jewish settlers.

21:19 Iraqi Kurds warn PKK amid Turkey air strikes

Iraq's Kurdistan region has urged Turkish Kurd separatist forces of the PKK to leave civilian areas amid continuing Turkish air strikes.

The call follows reports that civilians have been killed in Turkish raids on PKK targets which resumed a week ago.Turkey's official news agency says about 260 Kurdish fighters have been killed in strikes in northern Iraq and Turkey itself since then.

11 Colombian military personnel were killed on Friday when their transport plane suffered motor failure and crashed in the northern province of Cesar, killing all on board, according to a statement from the Air Force.

The burned hulk of the plane was found near the town of Codazzi, about 600 kilometres (372 miles) northeast of Bogota near the border with Venezuela.

Armed helicopters from Naval Air Station 'INS Parundu' at Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu maintained an 'air-cover umbrella' during the funeral of former President A P J Abdul Kalam.

"Armed helicopters from the Air station maintained an air-cover umbrella over the burial proceedings," a Defence press release said today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi were among the VVIPs present in Rameswaram during the last rites of Kalam, who passed away on July 27. The Navy also provided safety and air traffic cover at Mandapam civil helipad and Coast Guard helipad, it said.

20 people have died in landslide caused by heavy rain in the Joumol village in Manipur's Chandel district, Deputy Commissioner Robert Khetrimayum said.

"Rescue teams are being sent to Juomol at the earliest and will reach by tomorrow morning because of heavy rains and landslides. The government is trying to mount relief operations as effectively as possible," Chandel lawmaker Victor Nunghlung told NDTV.

Airplane debris that washed up on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion and may belong to the vanished Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 arrived in France on Saturday for investigators to study its origin.

According to a Reuters witness and Agence France Presse, an Air France flight carrying the debris landed at Orly airport near Paris at 0417 GMT.

It will be delivered to a military unit near the southwest city of Toulouse which specialises in analysing aviation wreckage.

New Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor called for unity in the movement in his first audio message released today amid reports of rifts in their ranks following the announcement of the death of former chief Mullah Omar.

"We should all work to preserve unity, division in our ranks will only please our enemies, and cause further problems for us," he said in the recording released by the group. In the 33-minute message, the new Taliban chief also says the insurgency will continue and advises his followers not to pay attention to rumours spread about the Taliban campaign.

For the first time ever, the Chinese People's Liberation Army today hosted an Indian Army delegation in the Daulat Beg Oldie area along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

The day marked a milestone in India-China ties at the border-troops level as the PLA hosted an Indian Army delegation for the first time in the area of Daulat Beg Oldie, a defence spokesman said.

16:48 Sania recommended for Khel Ratna

The Sports Ministry today confirmed that Wimbledon doubles champion Sania Mirza has been recommended for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna but made it clear that the final decision rests with only the Awards Committee.

Sania won her career's first ever women's doubles Grand Slam title with Swiss partner Martina Hingis in June. She also became world number one before winning the Grass Court major.

Sports Secretary Ajit Sharan said the Sports Minister Sarbanada Sonowal has indeed recommended to the tennis exponent for the highest honour given for achievement in sports.

"We had got a late recommendation from AITA but the Minister accepted that and recommended the same to the Awards Committee," Sharan told said.

"But the final decision to give the honour rests with the Awards Committee," he clarified.

Sania, who has won three mixed doubles Grand Slams in her career, is reportedly competing with Squash player Deepika Pallikal and discus thrower Vikas Gowda for the prestigious award.

The RSS today said the hanging of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon was dealt with humanely by the government by allowing his family access which ensured peace in the aftermath.

Senior leader Indresh Kumar said the government acted as it should in a democracy. It made sure that Memon's family was present in Nagpur to take the body and also allowed other people to participate in his funeral, which displayed "the values and morals of Indianness".

"There was an atmosphere in the country that some incident will take place (because of the hanging). Judiciary did its duty.... Its duty is not to tackle the situation emerging out of it (the verdict). Who will tackle the problems that arise after the decision? It has to be tackled by the government.

"Government, while tackling the decision of the judiciary, followed the basic structure of Indianness which was that when the person is being hanged, his family is give access," he said.

Indresh said such a gesture was absent the "last time", a reference to the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

He added that the government also ensured the Memon family's stay in Nagpur and then gave them permission to hold the last rites and allowed people to participate.

"All humane behaviour that is expected in a democracy was displayed hundred per cent by the government," he said during a seminar held here on border management issues.

Maharashtra Women and Child Welfare Minister Pankaja Munde tops the list of ministers remaining absent from state cabinet meetings, a RTI query has revealed in Mumbai.

Other state ministers who were high on absenteeism include PWD minister Eknath Shinde, Health Minister Deepak Sawant, Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar and Social Welfare minister Rajkumar Badole.

Barring Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Water Supply Minister Babanrao Lonikar who have attended all cabinet meetings, none have a 100 per cent track record, according to the information provided to RTI activist Anil Galgali by the Chief Secretary office.

Galgali had filed a RTI query with the Chief Secretary office seeking details of the total number of cabinet meetings

held by the state government and the attendance of ministers.

The Under Secretary and the public information officer N B Khedekar informed Galgali that since December 11, 2014 to June 23, 2015 a total of 28 cabinet meetings were held.

Prior to this, eight meetings were held in the period when the complete ministry was not constituted. Out of the 18 ministers, barring CM Fadnavis and Lonikar rest 16 ministers have been absent in some or other cabinet meetings.

A controversial list of cuss words that was circulated by the Central Board of Film Certification soon after Pahlaj Nihalani took over as its chairperson has been withdrawn after a majority of members voted against it.

Sources said the issue was discussed at a meeting of the Board held yesterday in Mumbai where an overwhelming majority of the members felt that rather than banning such words, they should be looked in the context of the film.

"The issue was discussed and most members fovoured that the list be withdrawn. And since the overwhelming majority held this view, the decision was taken," a Board member, who had attended the meeting yesterday, said.

The controversial list banning the use of "objectionable" and "abusive" words was circulated by its chairperson Nihalani, but the Board had decided to hold its implementation after a massive controversy broke out and it was felt that more consultation is required.

The move to ban all the words in the list met with much opposition from film-makers and even the Information and Broadcasting is also understood to have been not too pleased with the controversies that emanated.

Union Home Ministry is holding a meeting with DGPs of various states on Saturday to review the situation in the wake of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria threat.

The meeting is being held a day after the Indian authorities managed to secure the safe release of two out of four Indians abducted by the terror group in Libya.

Externals Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed the development on Twitter.

Four Indian teachers were abducted by the terror group while they were on their way to India from Tripoli and Tunis.

While two of the professors are from Hyderabad, one is from Raichur and the other is from Bengaluru.

14:49 Expensive watch doesn't miss Modi's eye!

Here is some grapevine from the corridors of Parliament:

Expensive watch doesn't miss Modi's eye!

Recently after a Union Cabinet meeting, a senior minister pulled up a colleague who wore a costly wrist watch of Swiss make which reportedly costs over Rs 4 lakh.

The junior minister was told that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had seen the watch during the meeting and that it was advisable he did not wear it again.

The shocked minister removed it once and didn't wear it in subsequent Cabinet meetings. Modi's roving eyes, it seems, do not seem to miss such "growth in one year".

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Modi's formula to silence Congress is working

At 10 am daily, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sets the agenda for the day in Parliament during a meeting with his five top Cabinet ministers.

On Friday, Modi's formula to neutralise the Opposition tirade against the government worked finally.

Sources say it was Modi who told Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu to ensure that Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan conducts the Question Hour even if the Congress MPs shout in the well of the House.

The Congress MPs kept shouting anti-government slogans, but the Question Hour continued.

Privately, Congress leaders now say that disurping Lok Sabha for over ten days will be a futile exercise.

A senior leader jokingly remarked that Monday onwards Congressmen will be supplied with strepsils and throat relievers.

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So who will be the 2016 Republic Day chief guest?

Unlike previous times when suggested names for Republic Day chief guest would come from the Chief of Protocol to the Foreign Secretary, now Prime Minister Modi alone finalises the name.

And this time, Modi seems to be looking at international leaders who have so far supported him.

The names doing the rounds are British Prime Minister David Cameron, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and French President Francois Hollande.

Modi will tweet his choice once the formal diplomatic drill completed.

Floods in West Bengal have claimed over 40, with water levels rising arlamingly in East Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, Birbhum and Burdwan districts.

The heavy rains have been brought about by Cyclone Komen, which though has weakened into a depression after making landfall in Bangladesh still sustains strength to bring torrential rain over several parts of West Bengal.

Reports of power outage and shortage of potable water are coming in from parts of Kolkata after heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours led to massive waterlogging.

Indian Meteorological Department has predicted a stormy weather for the next 24 hours, advising people to maintain caution.

"Rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places would occur over the Gangetic West Bengal and North Odisha during next 24 hours and isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall thereafter. Sea condition would remian rough. Fishermen are advised not to venture along the coast," said a statement released by by IMD.

According to private weather forecaster Skymet, the weather system is moving in a west/northwest direction and is likely to weaken further into a well-marked low pressure area within next 24 hours.

In view of the storm, heavy to extremely heavy rains are expected to lash coastal and southern parts of West Bengal. Heavy rains are likely over Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha as well.

During last 24 hours, flood fury was witnessed in several districts of West Bengal including Hoogly, Midnapore, Burdwan, Asansol, Bankura and 24 Parganas. Kolkata received 133.6 mm of rain in the last 24 hours followed by Midnapore 89 mm, Bankura 57 mm and Asansol 62 mm.

Pakistani Rangers today violated the ceasefire by resorting to small arms firing and mortar shelling on border out posts along the International Border in Jammu district, drawing retaliation from the BSF.

Three border out posts (BOPs) of BSF were targeted in the firing.

A BSF spokesman said, "Pakistan Rangers resorted to unprovoked firing by small arms and few mortar shells on BoPs along IB in Akhnoor sector around 1040 hours".

BSF troops guarding the borderline also retaliated and the exchanges continued till 1140 hours, he said.

"There was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the Pakistani firing", he said.

Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire four time on 29 and 30 of July along the LoC.

There have been three incidents of sniper attacks by Pakistani troops along the LoC in July. An Army jawan was killed in Poonch and two BSF jawans were killed in similar incidents along the LoC in Kashmir Valley.

There have been 18 ceasefire violations along the Indo-Pak border in July in which four persons, including three jawans, were killed and 14 others injured.

12:47 Coming soon: A new 'winter-proof' LoC fence

The Army has finalised plans to construct a new type of fence on the Line of Control in Kashmir, which will not collapse due to heavy snowfall every winter.

Nearly 350 km of the 400 km-long fence in the Kashmir region gets damaged every winter and has to be fixed in the summer.

This, officials say, makes it easier for terrorists from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir to infiltrate from across the LoC.

"We have arrived at this new design after winter trials and are going to put it in place in the Kashmir region. The new fence will be of great help in improving our counter-infiltration posture and minimise infiltration from across the LoC," Northern Army Commander Lt General D S Hooda told The Indian Express.

Read more HERE

CNN-IBN reports: A Samajwadi Party leader on Saturday stirred a controversy by requesting party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to nominate 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon's widow Raheen as a Rajya Sabha MP.

The remarks came just two days after 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon was hanged at Nagpur Central Jail.

Vice president of SP's Maharashtra state unit Mohammed Farooq Ghosi wrote a letter to Mulayam in this regard and termed the timing of the letter wrong.

"I should not have written a letter to SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. I understand this was not a proper time to write such a letter."

Ghosi, however, is firm on his demand for Rajya Sabha berth for Memon's widow.

Going to spa, gymnasium and living in expensive rooms in hotels will become costlier from Saturday with the Delhi government notifying the increase in luxury tax.

"The government has notified the increased luxury tax which will come into force from August 1," said a senior government official.

The proposal to increase luxury tax from 10 percent to 15 percent was tabled by Deputy Chief minister Manish Sisodia in Assembly in June and the government has now notified its decision.

After the notification of the increase in luxury tax, going to restaurants, clubs, gym, spa will become costlier.

India now boasts of being the worlds second-largest telecom market in the world. But do you know how it all started?

Exactly on this day, twenty years ago, one phone call was made which announced the arrival of a communication revolution!

In a first for India, the then Union Telecom Minister Sukh Ram and the then Chief Minister of West Bengal Jyoti Basu spoke to each other using hand held mobile phones on July 31, 1995. This was the historic call that forever changed the way we communicate with each other.

The call made in July 1995, between Writer's Building in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Sanchar Bhavan in New Delhi was carried over Modi Telstra's MobileNet service.

The Change of Guard ceremony that takes place every Saturday at Rashtrapati Bhavan will not be held on August 1 due to national mourning following the demise of former president APJ Abdul Kalam.

"The Change of Guard Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan will not be held on Saturday (August 1, 2015) due to national mourning on the sad demise of APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India," said a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement earlier this week.

The ceremony, a military tradition, is held in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan when a fresh unit of troops takes charge.

Opened for public viewing in 2007, the ceremony was revamped and relocated in December 2012 after President Pranab Mukherjee assumed office. The step was taken to make the ceremony more visually appealing and public-friendly.

Ending a border dispute, the much-awaited exchange of enclaves (Chhitmahals) between India and Bangladesh came into effect at the stroke of midnight on Friday-Saturday.

Crackers were burst and people rejoiced as India and Bangladesh exchanged enclaves, ending the 68 years of stateless existence for over 51,000 enclave dwellers.

Around 14,000 people living for so long in 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in the Indian territory, and another 37,000 residing in 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh, now have a country of their own.

The Bangladeshi enclaves are now a part of India, while the Indian enclaves join Bangladesh.

Torches and candles were lit, people came out of their houses, burst crackers and hugged each other as part of the celebrations with their eyes shining bright with hope.

Their facial expressions showed ecstasy after decades of isolation and deprivation during which they were denied even the basic civic amenities.

History was written as India gave away to Bangladesh a total area of 17,160 acres, covering the 111 enclaves and in return received 7,110 acres comprising 51 enclaves.

As the clock struck 12, the Bharat Bangladesh Enclave Exchange Co-ordination Committee (BBEECC) - an organisation that fought for the rights of the enclave dwellers -- celebrated the occasion in Mosaldanga enclave of West Bengal`s Cooch Behar district.

No sooner had the Taliban selected a new chief to replace Mullah Omarthan deep fractures emerged on Friday, as the former leader's son said he rejected the choice of successor.

The dispute threatens to derail embryonic peace talks and a rift could allow other Jihadist groups, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a foothold in Afghanistan.

Read this story HERE

Dylann Roof pleaded not guilty Friday to 33 federal charges in the deadly June attack at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, according to the court clerk's office.

Earlier this month, a grand jury indictedRoof on 33 counts, including federal hate crime and firearms charges, in the shooting that killed nine people.

Dylann Roof faces hate crime charges in Charleston shooting.

Read the story HERE

01:48

A vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus has led to 100% protection and could transform the way Ebola is tackled, preliminary results suggest.There were no proven drugs or vaccines against the virus at the start of the largest outbreak of Ebola in history, which began in Guinea in December 2013.

Read the story HERE

01:43 READ:'Blessed' world war that made modern Iceland

Named for the drifting Arctic ice that has blocked its coasts for centuries, Iceland has long relied on the sea '" from the underwater volcanic eruptions that first formed the land mass to the abundant supply of fish that feeds its people.

Less well known is how the sea granted Iceland a strategic location between belligerents during World War II '" one that eventually served as a welcome foothold for the Allies in the battle for the Atlantic.

Read the full story HERE

01:19

British Car Auctions, based in Farnham, Surrey, operates an auction site and warehouse at the Hampshire airfield. Barry Wright was at the warehouse when the crash happened.

He said the plane "went up in a ball of flames in about 60 seconds".

Acting chief inspector Olga Venner, of Hampshire police, said: "We can confirm that there were four people on board, including the pilot. Sadly, there were no survivors. No one on the ground has been injured."

00:30

our people have died in a plane crash at a car auction site in Hampshire, police have confirmed.

The private jet, which crashed during an attempt to land at Blackbushe Airport, burst into flames on impact, witnesses said.Its pilot and three passengers were killed.

There were no survivors, Hampshire Constabulary said.No-one on the ground was injured. British Car Auctions in Farnham evacuated its Yateley warehouse.

Read this story HERE

00:05 Top headlines of the last 24 hours

Chief of deadly Afghan terror group Haqqani network dead
VOTE: Do you think 'Hindu terror' exists?
Blue moon rising: Stunning images of the night sky
2 of 4 Indians abducted by Islamic State in Libya released
Tiger was worried that ISI might kill Yakub: Kashmir lawmaker spills the beans
Tripura governor stokes controversy with remarks on Memon
What has Dr Kalam left behind for his family?

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