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Turkey vows no 'step back' from Russian S-400 purchase

an hour ago  
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Turkey on Friday vowed there would be no "step back" from Ankara's controversial purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defence system despite the threat of US sanctions. "There is no question of a step backwards, Turkey will activate the S-400," promised President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, in an interview with state broadcaster TRT Haber. Ankara's deal with Russia and the subsequent delivery of the system in July has been a major source of tension between NATO allies Turkey and the United States. Last month the US said Turkey would be spared sanctions under a 2017 law if the S-400 system is not turned on. The American act, known as CAATSA, mandates sanctions for any "significant" purchases of weapons from Russia. Turkey was also removed from the F-35 fighter jet programme as a consequence of the purchase. The issue was on the agenda during Erdogan's talks with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday. Trump told reporters after their meeting that Turkey's .....
                 

UN adds bomb-making materials to Somalia arms embargo

an hour ago  
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The United Nations Security Council added ingredients for home-made explosive devices that are increasingly being used by the Al-Shabaab militant group to an arms embargo on Somalia Friday. The British-drafted resolution prevents the sale, supply and transfer of several chemical materials as it noted a surge in homemade bomb attacks by the Al-Qaeda-linked group. The addition follows a recommendation by UN experts in October that the embargo should restrict access to the chemicals it said Al-Shabaab had been using to manufacture IEDS since at least July 2017. Members passed the resolution -- which renews the partial lifting of the arms embargo on Somali security forces until December 2020 -- by 12 votes to zero. There were three abstentions. Al-Shabaab has been waging an insurgency against Somalia's foreign-backed government for over a decade and, while it has lost ground, continues to stage deadly attacks. In September it claimed responsibility for a gun and bomb attack on a US base ...
                 

Senior Islamic State commander arrested in Ukraine: security service

an hour ago  
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A senior leader of the Islamic State group has been arrested in Ukraine after an operation conducted with the help of Georgian police and the CIA, the Ukrainian security services said Friday. The Georgian national, known as Al Bara Shishani, was previously deputy to top IS commander Omar al-Shishani ("Omar the Chechen"), Ukraine's SBU security services said in a statement. Omar al-Shishani was the nom de guerre of a Georgian Chechen jihadist who was killed in a US-coalition led strike in Syria in 2016. Al Bara Shishani left Syria in 2016 for Turkey, where he "continued to coordinate" Islamic State activities, the SBU said. He arrived illegally in Ukraine last year, using a false passport, and was arrested near his house in a Kiev suburb. According to Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, Al Bara Shishani was not however a high-ranking IS figure but "a simple fighter". The Georgian security service gave his real name as Cezar ...
                 

S Africa's platinum firms, top union sign pay hike deal

an hour ago  
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South Africa's biggest platinum mining union AMCU on Friday signed a three-year wage hike deal with the country's top platinum producers after four months of intense negotiations. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union said the deal was a "monumental victory" for the employees. Workers at Anglo American Platinum, Implats and Sibanye Stillwater will receive average annual pay increases of between five and six percent, or a minimum hike of 1,000 rand ($67) in monthly wages each year, the union said in a statement. Implats Group Executive, Lee-Ann Samuel, said: "We are so pleased to have reached a settlement that is both fair and sustainable and that takes into account the inflationary pressures". Wage negotiations in the South African platinum sector have been particularly delicate after police were deployed to break up a wildcat strike at the Marikana mine in 2012 and gunned down 34 workers...
                 

Odisha: Inter ministerial team visits flood-affected areas to assess loss incurred by cyclone Bulbul

an hour ago  
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An inter-ministerial team recently visited the cyclone affected areas of Odisha to assess the loss incurred by cyclone Bulbul.The seven member central team led by Joint Secretary (CIC), Ministry of Home Affairs, Saheli Ghosh Roy, was on a two day-visit to assess the situation in cyclone affected areas of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts on November 14 and 15.After the field visit of the team, a wrap up meeting was also held between the state government officials and inter-ministerial team at state secretariat on Friday."We have visited four cyclone affected districts. There has been a lot of damage to agriculture sector and paddy crops have been completely destroyed in coastal areas, so we will be making our recommendation," Roy told reporters after the meeting.Further stating that there have been other damages like infrastructure and transmission lines, Roy said that they will be submit the assessment report to the central government."We are also waiting for ...
                 

Real estate heiress who posted USD 35 mln bail acquitted of murder

2 hours ago  
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A San Francisco Bay Area real estate heiress whose family posted USD 35 million bail to keep her out of jail until her trial was acquitted Friday of killing the father of her children. After deliberating for 12 days, jurors said Tiffany Li is not guilty of conspiring with her boyfriend to kill 27-year-old Keith Green in 2016 over a custody dispute. The case drew global attention when Li's family, who made a fortune in real estate construction in China, posted USD 35 million bail for her, one of the highest on record in the United States. San Mateo County prosecutors said Li lured Green to her mansion in Hillsborough, south of San Francisco, to discuss custody of their children. They say Bayat shot Green in the mouth and the two hired a friend to dispose of the body. Prosecutors presented evidence that Green's blood was found in Li's Mercedes and gunshot residue was discovered in her garage. Li's attorneys argued that Green was killed in a botched kidnapping plot and that she had .....
                 

3 policemen in UP siphons off Rs 12 lakh seized from gamblers, bounty announced

2 hours ago  
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A bounty of Rs 25,000 each has been announced for arrest of three police personnel, including a Station House Officer, accused of siphoning off Rs 12 lakh from a group of gamblers, officials said on Friday. Indirapuram's SHO Deepak Sharma, sub inspectors Sandeep Kumar and Sachin Kumar are accused of siphoning off Rs 12 lakh from a group of gamblers who were detained after raid at a hotel in the city, police said. The gamblers were brought to the Indirapuram police station and were let off without any legal action. However, the money seized from them were siphoned off by the three police personnel, Senior Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar Singh said. A case under relevant sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act has been filed against them but they have gone missing, following which the bounty was announced, he added. Probe in the case is being conducted by city superintendent of police Maneesh Mishra, said Singh...
                 

WCD to launch Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh

2 hours ago  
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Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh, a repository of diverse crops across 128 agro-climatic zones in India, will be launched on Monday for better nutritional outcomes and to fight malnutrition, the Women and Child Development Ministry said. WCD Minister Smriti Zubin Irani along with Bill Gates, co-chair, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will deliver a special address and eminent agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan will give a special message on this occasion, it said in a statement. At the request of the ministry, the Harvard Chan School of Public Health through its India Research Center and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will document and evaluate promising regional dietary practices and the messaging around them and develop a food atlas on regional agro-food systems. Both efforts are aimed at mobilizing the diverse sectors of the society, the statement said. In consultation with WCD Ministry and the foundation, the project team will select around 12 high focus states which are ....
                 

Woman gang raped, assaulted in Noida, 4 arrested

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A 21-year-old woman was allegedly raped and assaulted by five men near a park where she had reached to meet a friend in the hope of finding a job but was molested by him also, police said on Friday. The incident took place in an isolated area in Sector 63 on Wednesday night and three of the five rape accused as well as the woman's friend have been arrested, Senior Superintendent of Police, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Vaibhav Krishna said. The friend, a Class 7 passout, works as a peon in a local private firm and had fled the spot after he was assaulted by the group, leaving the woman behind, he said. "The woman is illiterate and was in search of employment. She had reached the park to meet a friend who is also known to her brother. This friend had assured her help in finding a job and had asked her to meet him in the park, where he tried to rape her," Krishna said. When a group of men present near the park saw the duo, they reached the spot and chased away the woman's friend after beating him..
                 

UN renews Central Africa peacekeeping mission

3 hours ago  
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The United Nations Security Council extended the UN's peacekeeping mission in the violence-plagued Central African Republic for another year on Friday. The decision comes two months after four UN personnel died when a Russian-made helicopter crashed during an operation against the 3R militia, one of several armed groups in the country. The mission -- known by the acronym MINUSCA -- authorises the presence of 11,650 troops and 2,080 police in CAR in order to protect civilians and foster stability. It is also authorized to help facilitate presidential, legislative and local elections scheduled for 2020 and 2021. The Security Council unanimously renewed its mandate until November 2020. It is the first renewal since 14 militias signed up to an eighth attempted peace agreement with the Central African government early this year. Militias have breached the accord repeatedly. One of the world's poorest and most unstable nations, CAR has suffered several violent crises since 2003 when former ...
                 

Bloomberg launches USD 100 mln ad campaign targeting Trump

3 hours ago  
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US billionaire Michael Bloomberg has yet to decide whether to run for president but on Friday he announced a USD 100 million online advertising campaign attacking Donald Trump. "This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. We're taking the fight to Trump directly," the former New York mayor tweeted, alongside a link to a New York Times article about the plan. The digital ads, which will not feature Bloomberg himself, focus on the swing states of Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which will be crucial to winning the keys to the White House in 2020. Bloomberg, 77, has taken steps towards a run at the Democratic nomination without confirming whether he is in or out, suggesting that he doubts the current candidates can beat Trump. On Tuesday, Bloomberg, who like Trump is a septuagenarian white New York billionaire, submitted paperwork to be on the ballot in Arkansas, four days after doing the same in Alabama. Bloomberg, 15th on the Forbes rich list, has a personal fortune of more .....
                 

Congress slams BJP IT cell over hashtag supporting re-election in Maharashtra

3 hours ago  
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The Congress party on Friday slammed the IT Cell of BJP for allegedly 'misusing' the fame of Marathi cine and stage artistes for campaigning for re-election in Maharashtra after no party could form a government in the state.In a press note, the Congress party alleged that this hashtag was being a misuse of stardom of Marathi cine and stage artistes by the BJP IT Cell for propaganda.Maharashtra Congress General Secretary and spokesperson Sachin Sawant also shared a screenshot of hashtag "Punhanivdaduk" (re-election) where several Marathi artistes have made similar tweets.In the screenshot, actors Sonali Kulkarni, Siddhartha Jadhav, Sai Tamhankar and Ankush Choudhary, etc., were seen making similar tweets.Sawant also alleged that the IT Cell of the BJP was spreading propaganda to make an atmosphere of uncertainty in Maharashtra in the name of "mid-term polls"."Congress has also demanded a police probe into the matter for any larger conspiracy while several actors using the same hashtag ...
                 

Want no company to shut operations: Sitharaman on telecom stress

3 hours ago  
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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said that the central government does not want any telecom firm to shut down its operations due to financial issues and wanted every company to flourish."We want no company to shut its operations. We want everyone to flourish," she told reporters here when asked about the stress in the telecommunications sector.The queries were regarding the major telecom firms Vodafone Idea and Airtel which posted a combined quarterly loss of about Rs 75,000 crore as they were hit by statutory dues after a recent Supreme Court ruling.The minister said that the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) dealing with financial problems faced by telecom firms has not taken any final decision in the matter.Asked if the government was considering the dues coming from telecom firms after the Supreme Court ruling in the case as part of revenue, she said, "I am not hurrying to take any decision on this."After the Supreme Court ordered telecom companies to pay as much as Rs ....
                 

UP: Miffed with his transfer to another police station, cop runs 65 km non-stop

3 hours ago  
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Maha man duped by duo posing as UK citizen, Customs official

4 hours ago  
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An investment consultant was duped of Rs 2.45 lakh by two people posing as a UK citizen and Customs official respectively, Nagpur police said on Friday. Sanjay Gunghe (56) used to advertise his investment firm on social media platforms and one of the two accused befriended him on the internet by claiming he was a citizen of the United Kingdom, an official said. "This man, who gave his name as Howard Artiyana, contacted Gunghe and assured investment of a huge sum in his firm. He told Gunghe he would come to India on October 9," the official said. However, on October 9, Gunghe got a call from a woman, who claimed she was a Customs official posted at Delhi airport, he said. "This fake Customs official told Gunghe that Artiyana had been detained at Delhi Airport with millions of pounds. In order to get Artiyana released, the Customs official asked Gunghe to deposit money several times, all of which added to Rs 2.45 lakh," the official said. The woman and the "UK citizen" .....
                 

'The Weeping Woman' best international film in 25th KIFF

4 hours ago  
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Spanish movie 'The Weeping Woman' (La llorona) got the Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for the Best Film in International Competition of the 25th Kolkata International Film Festival which concluded on Friday. The 2019 Guatemalan film directed by Jayro Bustamante was in the International Competition on Innovation in Moving Images' section and got Rs 51 lakh as cash award along with the Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Trophy from actress Shabana Azmi at the function. Czech film 'The Painted Bird' (Nabarven ptce), a black-and-white war drama written, directed and produced by Vclav Marhoul, got the Best Director crown in International Competition category getting Rs 21 lakh as prize money apart from the Golden Royal Bengal Crown at the function. The Special Jury prize in International Competition section went to 'Aga's House' (Shpia e Ags) by Lendita Zeqiraj. The NETPAC Award for Best Film went to The Goddess and the Hero by Aditya Kripalani. Malayalam movie 'Run Kalyani' got the ...
                 

Raj Guv asks farmers to adopt commercial farming

4 hours ago  
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Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra on Friday exhorted farmers to do commercial farming instead of traditional farming. He also asked agricultural scientists to emphasise on the need to add value and market products. Mishra was addressing a seminar at the Agricultural University in Bikaner. He said that in order to reduce the cost of farming and increase production and income, agricultural scientists will have to devise new techniques and make the technology available to the farmers. The Governor said that ground water is continuously decreasing. In such a time, it is a big challenge to take maximum production using water properly. Farmers will also have to adopt dimensions like horticulture, vegetable production, floriculture and bee-keeping along with cultivating less water crops. He said that many progressive farmers, especially women, have increased their income by using integrated farming system...
                 

Armed men attack BSF trucks carrying seized cattle in Bengal

4 hours ago  
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RTC employees continue stir;temporary driver attempts suicide

4 hours ago  
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The striking employees of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), who expressed willingness to drop their major demand of merger with the state government, continued their protests in support of their other demands on Friday. The RTC employees and activists of different opposition parties organised two-wheeler rallies, sit-ins and other forms of protest at different places in the state, as the idefinite stir entered the 42nd day. Finding fault with the TRS government for not resolving the strike, state Congress vice-president Mallu Ravi demanded that the government hold talks with the RTC staff without any further delay. Slamming the government over the deaths of some RTC workmen during the strike period, BJP MLC N Ramachander Rao said the government should initiate dialogue with the employees immediately if it had any moral values. The state government had earlier declared the strike to be illegal. A private driver, working for TSRTC, allegedly tried to..
                 

TDP's Nara Lokesh calls Andhra Pradesh CM 'psycho'

4 hours ago  
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TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh on Friday termed Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy as a "psycho" and his father YS Rajasekhara Reddy was a "factionist".Addressing media here, Nara Lokesh said, "While YS Rajasekhara Reddy was a factionist, his son Jagan is a psycho," adding that rate of crime has risen rapidly during the five months rule the Chief Minister.The TDP leader alleged that Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy had converted the rising Andhra Pradesh into suicide state."Within five months of Jagan's rule, 241 farmers, 43 construction workers, two employees, five TDP workers committed suicides. During this period, 690 TDP workers were attacked, eight were killed. In Palnadu region 127 BC, SC, ST families were shunted out," he said.Earlier in the day, he visited the family of a party worker here who allegedly committed suicide allegedly due to harassment of ruling YSR Congress Party leader and police.He has announced Rs 5 lakh for the kin of Kartik.During his interaction, Nara ...
                 

IIT Madras student's death is not suicide, says Stalin

4 hours ago  
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The death of IIT Madras student Fathima Latheef is not suicide and there are many questions around her demise, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin said on Friday."The death of IIT Madras student Fathima is not suicide. After interacting with Fathima's father it is clear that there are many mysteries and questions around her death," he tweeted in Tamil.Stalin urged the state government to arrest the culprits in the case and ensure that justice is given to the victim.Earlier today, the father of the victim Abdul Latheef met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and called for a proper investigation into the matter.Speaking to reporters, the victim's father alleged that her daughter was subjected to harassment and she feared Sudarshan Padmanaban, a professor of IIT Madras.He asserted that the IIT management did not inform the family after her death and said he was assured by the DGP that the culprits would be brought to book.Fathima had allegedly committed .....
                 

HC throws out TN govt quota in promotions, seniority

4 hours ago  
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The Madras High Court on Friday declared unconstitutional and ultra vires Tamil Nadu government fixing seniority and conferring promotions for its employees based on reservation. The government's adoption of roster point system in fixing seniority of government servants is nothing but an indirect way of providing reservation even beyond 69 per cent, a Division Bench of Justices MM Sundresh and RMT Teekaa Raman held. Section 40 of the Tamil Nadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016, that governs seniority in service as per the rule of reservation and the order of rotation and section 70 that validated it notwithstanding any judgment were declared unconstitutional. Also, a provision which gave a retrospective effect to the seniority aspect covered under section 40 of the said Act was also declared unconstitutional. The bench, pointing to the State government taking umbrage under Article 16(4) of the Constitution that facilitates reservations, held that the government .....
                 

Tata Tele (Maha) posts Rs 2,335 cr loss for Jul-Sep

4 hours ago  
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Telecom operator Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) on Friday posted a loss of Rs 2,335 crore on account of provisioning for liabilities after the Supreme Court ruling on statutory dues. The company had recorded a loss of Rs 383.06 crore in the same period a year ago. Tata Teleservices ( Maharashtra) Limited (TTML) made provision of Rs 2,151 crore following the Supreme Court order on calculation of annual adjusted gross revenue (AGR) of telecom companies. The apex court last month upheld the government's position on including revenue from non-telecommunication businesses in calculating the annual AGR, a share of which has to be paid as licence and spectrum fee to the exchequer. The revenue of TTML declined by about 16 per cent to Rs 270.35 crore during the reported quarter from Rs 321.84 crore in the corresponding quarter of 2018-19. Though the company has demerged its consumer mobile business, the Department of Telecom has not taken the same on record. "The Company understands that DoT ...
                 

Govt puts in place norms for resolution of fin service providers under insolvency law

5 hours ago  
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The government on Friday put in place a framework for dealing with systemically important financial service providers, excluding banks, under the insolvency law wherein sectoral regulators can seek resolution of stressed entities. The introduction of the "generic framework" comes against the backdrop of ongoing liquidity crisis in the Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) that has also sparked concerns about overall stability of the financial sector. Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said there would be something similar to the insolvency law for financial sector and till that time the new provision would take care of financial institutions. The corporate affairs ministry has notified the Insolvency and Bankruptcy (Insolvency and Liquidation Proceedings of Financial Service Providers and Application to Adjudicating Authority) Rules, 2019 (Rules). It will provide a generic framework for insolvency and liquidation proceedings of systemically important Financial Service .....
                 

Guj HC issues notices to govt on allegations against BJP MLA

5 hours ago  
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The Gujarat High Court on Friday issued notice to the state government and BJP MLA and former minister Babu Bokhiria on a PIL alleging illegal transfer of forest land in favour of him and his family members in Jamnagar district. The district's Paradva Gram Panchayat had moved a PIL in the matter last year and it came up for hearing on Friday before the division bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice A J Shastri. The bench issued notices to the state government, the Jamnagar district collector, the district forest officer and Bokhiria. Further hearing would take place on December 13. The petition alleges that Bokhiria, his son and son-in-law "forged and fabricated power of attorney" to acquire a piece of land in Paradva village. The land, measuring 200 hectares, was already declared as reserve forest and is home to several wild animals, it stated. However, since it has rich deposits of limestone, used for manufacturing cement, the petition alleged that Bokhiria was using his ...
                 

Union Minister Chaudhuri greeted with 'go-back' placards during visit to cyclone-hit WB

5 hours ago  
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Union Minister Debasree Chaudhuri was shown black flags and placards that read 'Go back' allegedly by ruling TMC supporters when she went to visit people affected by cyclone Bulbul in Gosaba area here on Friday.Chaudhuri was on a visit to South 24 Parganas district to ascertain the damage caused by the cyclone in the state when the protest took place.Earlier on Thursday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that nine people lost their lives while more than 15 lakh hectares of agricultural land and five lakh houses have been destroyed due to Bulbul that caused widespread damage to the state.The severe cyclonic storm Bulbul had ravaged South 24 Parganas region in the state on November 10. Due to high-speed powerful winds, several trees were uprooted and roads were blocked forcing the administration to carry out road clearance work.The cyclone made landfall on the night of November 9, around 60 kilometres east of Sagar Island and 100 kilometres south of Kolkata and left a trail of .....
                 

Modi has changed country's political culture: Nadda

5 hours ago  
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BJP national working president J P Nadda on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has transformed the country's political culture by bringing his own interpretation to the word "power". Attributing the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir toModi's political will and Amit Shah's strategy, Nadda said by uprooting a "70-year-old cancer" within a month of coming to power for a second term, the prime minister has shown how a strong government works. "The Prime Minister has changed the country's political culture by giving a new meaning to the word power. For Narendra Modi power is not a means of enjoyment but a means to serve people," Nadda said addressing party booth presidents here during his first visit to the state after assuming office. He said Parliament which did not function smoothly for even five consecutive days earlier has increased its productivity by 128 per cent under Modi government. Under Modi, 100 bills were introduced in the Parliament and 40 of them were .....
                 

MOSPI says not releasing consumer expenditure survey due to data quality issues

5 hours ago  
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The Statistics and Programme Implementation Ministry (MOSPI) on Friday said it has decided not to release the Consumer Expenditure Survey results of 2017-18 due to data quality issues. The MOSPI also mentioned that an expert panel has recommended that 2017-18 would not be an appropriate fiscal to be used as a base year for new GDP series. On the consumer expenditure survey, the ministry stated that it is separately examining the feasibility of conducting the next Consumer Expenditure Survey in 2020-2021 and 2021-22 after incorporating all data quality refinements. The statement came against the backdrop of the Congress attacking the Modi government over the National Statistical Office (NSO) survey which reportedly points to a fall in consumer spending for the first time in four decades in 2017-18. A media report has claimed the survey was approved to be released on June 19 this year but was withheld by the government agency owing to its "adverse" findings. "Modinomics stinks so bad, ....
                 

'Systems falling short of ensuring vulnerable children have access to treatment services'

5 hours ago  
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Health systems are falling short of ensuring that most vulnerable children have access to prevention and treatment services in the 23 countries, including India, that account for 75 per cent of global pneumonia and diarrhea deaths in children under five, stated a recent report. The report, however, described the progress made in fighting pneumonia and diarrhea in countries with the highest absolute number of deaths and for the first time in countries with the highest rates of deaths from these illnesses. According to Pneumonia and Diarrhea Progress Report 2019, the progress in India, which because of its population, recorded the highest number of under-five pneumonia and diarrhea deaths than any other country in 2017, has been mixed. Rollout of rotavirus vaccines, beginning in 2016, and introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, beginning in 2017, helped India's scores improve, a statement by the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) said. India's exclusive breastfeeding .....
                 

Kerala: Ahead of Sabarimala Temple's opening, security arrangements tightened in Pathanamthitta

5 hours ago  
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A day before Sabarimala Temple opens for the Mandala Pooja festival tight security arrangements have been made in Pathanamthitta district, the location of the shrine.Devotees will be able to visit the temple from November 17.Pathanamthitta District Collector PB Nooh said that all basic necessities such as toilets, water kiosks and medical emergency centres are in place."All basic arrangements are in place. We have deployed over 800 medical staff and established 16 medical emergency centres. Around 2,400 toilets and more than 250 water kiosks are ready. We have more than 1,000 sanitation workers deployed to ensure a clean atmosphere," he told reporters here.Earlier in the day, Kerala Devaswom Board Minister K Surendran said the state government will not provide protection to any woman visiting the temple and those who need protection should get an order from the Supreme Court.The opening of the Sabarimala Temple comes a day after a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court had referred a ....
                 

Punjab: Rs 19.09 cr compensation to 29,343 farmers for not burning paddy residue

5 hours ago  
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Punjab government led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has so far disbursed over Rs 19.09 crore to 29,343 non-basmati paddy cultivating small and marginal farmers from across the state, who have not burnt the paddy residue.Secretary, Agriculture, Kahan Singh Pannu said that the amount of compensation has been released directly to the bank accounts of the farmers as per the list supplied by the field officers.It may be recalled that the state government has decided to give Rs 2,500 per acre as compensation to those small and marginal farmers, who have refrained from burning paddy straw.Pannu further said that as many as 85,000 applications have been received till date as the last date for submission of these applications is November 30, 2019.Every application has to be verified by village panchayat and then by revenue authorities to ensure that only the non-basmati cultivating farming families owning land up to 5 acre and having not burnt any part of the field, are recommended..
                 

Paddy procurement delay: BJP holds protests in Chhattisgarh

5 hours ago  
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The BJP on Friday held statewide protests against the Congress government in Chhattisgarh over what the opposition party claimed was delay in paddy procurement. While BJP national vice president and former chief minister Raman Singh led the day-long demonstration at Budhapara here in the capital, its state president Vikram Usendi led the protest in Pakhanjore in Kanker district. Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik led the protest at Bilha in Bilaspur district. The farmers are bearing the brunt of inordinate delay in paddy procurement, the party said. "Earlier, the state government had announced that the procurement would start from November 15, based on which farmers had started harvesting crops. But later the state government postponed the paddy procurement process," Raman Singh said addressing protesters. "Farmers are now bound to sell their paddy produce to bichauliye (middlemen) at throwaway prices. The delay in procurement will benefit middlemen while farmers .....
                 

NCW member meets mentally challenged woman who was allegedly

5 hours ago  
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National Commission for Women member Chandramukhi Devi on Friday spoke to the mentally challenged woman who was allegedly gangraped inside a moving vehicle in the city earlier this week. She spoke to the 36-year-old woman and to the officials of the home in Panchasayar area where the complainant was staying. Chandramukhi Devi also met senior officers of Kolkata Police at its headquarter at Lalbazar in the city. "I have spoken to the woman as well as to senior police officers of Kolkata Police in connection with their investigation into the matter and tried to find out why nobody was arrested in this matter," she said. West Bengal Women Commission chairperson Leena Gangopadhyay had spoken to the woman on Thursday and is said to be preparing a report on her findings. According to a senior official of Kolkata Police, circumstantial evidences did not support the woman's claim that she had been gangraped. "She has serious psychological problem but there were no evidences that..
                 

Marathi actors under fire after tweeting 'Elections again?'

5 hours ago  
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Sai Tamhankar, Sonalee Kulkarni and a few other Marathi actors faced flak on Friday when they simultaneously tweeted a message which seemed to be about the prospect of mid-term elections in Maharashtra. The actors were apparently promoting a film, but the Congress and NCP lashed out at them, questioning if this was being done at the behest a political party. "Punha Nivadnuk?" (elections again?), Tamhankar, Kulkarni, Siddharth Jadhav and others tweeted. With no party being able to form government after last month's polls, Maharashtra is currently under President's rule. "The actors are promoting their upcoming film 'Dhurala', a political drama. Their tweet was not about the political situation. The look of the film is likely to be unveiled by early next week," sources close to one of the actor told PTI. But some Twitter users alleged that it was part of sponsored agenda. "Hope all this Marathi actors tweeted this on order of IT cell will get good payment. Otherwise they ....
                 

Draft CAB to be changed to preserve identity of NE people:

5 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Senior BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the draft of the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) will be altered to preserve the identity of the indigenous people of the Northeast and stress on the development of the region. There has been an apprehension among the people of the region that if the CAB is enacted, indigenous people of the Northeast will face the crisis of identity and livelihood. The CAB will create problems for about four to five lakh people in Assam but it will ensure all-round development of the state, said Sarma, who is also the Assam finance and health minister. "The old draft of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will be changed. The new draft will give more emphasis on the development of the unique culture of North East region and on the identity of the indigenous people," said Sarma who is the convenor of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the NDA's version in the northeast. A new CAB will be tabled in the next session of Lok..
                 

Sukhbir urges PM to request Pak to remove passport clause to access Kartarpur corridor

5 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to request Pakistan to revise the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the countries and remove the clause which requires a passport to access Kartarpur corridor besides simplification of the documentation as well as verification process.Badal, who has written to the PM on this issue, said lakhs of Sikh pilgrims wanted to visit Kartarpur Sahib but the cumbersome procedure coupled with the requirement of passports was coming in the way of their pilgrimage to the holy site."Instead of 5,000 pilgrims slated to visit Kartarpur Sahib, the figure is in few hundreds as a majority of devotees who want to go on the pilgrimage do not have passports. The devotees are demanding this clause be struck down," he said.Badal said as per the MoU signed between Pakistan and India a passport was required to undertake the journey even though it was not being stamped and an entry/exit slip was ....
                 

Let 3 leaders 'remain inside' if you see Valley is peaceful due their detention:Jitendra to officers

5 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday told officers if they believe that the detention of three Kashmiri leaders has helped in maintaining peace in the Kashmir Valley, then the trio should "remain inside". Singh was addressing officers here after inaugurating a two-day regional conference, which focuses on the implementation of good governance practices in the region. "Ab app kah rahay hai ji ki woh teen aadmi aunder thay, is liya theek hai. Is ka matlab hai un ke ander rahnay say theek Hai, touh unkoo ander he rahana chahiya (Now you (officials) say that situation is right, because those three persons are inside. If the situation is peaceful, because they are inside, then should they remain inside," Singh said. "You (officials) are indirectly supporting that (move),'' he added. Singh, however, did not name any detained leader. He said the government has to change the narrative on Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to have good governance and development in the region with a focus on the ....
                 

CBI questions Ateeq Ahmed in abduction, assault case

5 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The CBI on Friday questioned former Samajwadi Party MP Ateeq Ahmed in a Gujarat jail in connection with a case of alleged abduction and assault of a businessman, officials said. The agency recorded his statement at the Sabarmati jail, they said. The CBI, early this year, had registered a case against Ahmed for allegedly assaulting and abducting real estate dealer Mohit Jaiswal in December 2018. Ahmed was then lodged at the Deoria jail. The agency had then raided some of his premises too. The case was registered following the Supreme Court's direction. Jaiswal was abducted from Lucknow and taken to Deoria jail, where he was allegedly assaulted by Ahmed and his aides, who were lodged there, and forced to transfer his business to them, the CBI FIR had claimed. Ahmed was an SP member in the 14th Lok Sabha from Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh from 2004 to 2009...
                 

Centre committed to providing better infrastructure in north-eastern states: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday called for bolstering the border infrastructure, stating that his government is committed to providing better infrastructure in north-eastern states.Speaking on the inauguration of a strategically-located bridge in Arunachal Pradesh, Singh said the Centre has adopted the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) in view of security of the people residing in the border areas."Infrastructural upgradation is necessary for the security of the North-East and the entire country," he said, adding that the Central government has initiated numerous infrastructure projects in the state.He inaugurated the 200-metre long Sisseri river bridge in Lower Dibang Valley district which connects Dibang Valley to Siang. It would cut down the travel time from Pasighat to Roing by about five hours, according to an official release.The bridge, which connects Tinsukia via Dhola-Sadia bridge, was constructed under the Project Brahmank of the Border Roads Organisation .....
                 

Smriti Irani wields two swords, performs 'Talwar Raas' in Guj

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Union Textiles and Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Friday performed the 'talwar raas', a traditional Gujarat dance form using swords, at a cultural program organised in the state's Bhavnagar area. During the function, Irani took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who she defeated in Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Irani said she could not resist the urge to perform the traditional dance after watching girls put up a stellar display. Irani then took the stage and tried her best to match steps with the girls while holding two swords, a video of which later went viral on social media platforms. Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani and Lok Sabha MP Bharatiben Shiyal were among the dignitaries present on the occasion. The cultural program, attended by hundreds of women, was held in the premises of Swaminarayan Gurukul here. In her speech, Irani referred to her victory against Rahul Gandhi from Amethi Lok Sabha seat. On a lighter note, she said, "When..
                 

Congress condemns govt decision to revoke OCI status of Aatish Taseer

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Congress on Friday "unequivocally" condemned the government's decision to revoke Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status of journalist Aatish Taseer, saying this must be seen as a "wake-up call" for all members of the media fraternity. Last week, the Ministry of Home Affairs revoked the OCI card of the 38-year-old British author saying he concealed the fact that his father was a Pakistani. Critics have countered it, claiming Taseer was being targeted for his write-up "Divider-in-Chief" in the Time magazine which was critical of Modi. "Aatish Taseer's mother is a very famous columnist Tavleen Singh. We have been reading her columns. When UPA was in power, he was anti-establishment, when NDA has been in power, she is pro-establishment. She has written in praise of Shri Narendra Modi like no other columnist, like no other Journalist and yet this is what is done to her family just because he chose to write against the government based on some facts in the Time Magazine," Congress .....
                 

JMM leader Antu Tirkey joins JVM-P

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Antu Tirkey on Friday joined the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), leading to his expulsion by the JMM for six years. JVM-P president Babulal Marandi welcomed Tirkey and his supporters at the "Milan Samaroh (welcome ceremony)" at the party office here. "It will be a fight between the JVM and the BJP in the assembly elections. The people of Jharkhand will seize one of the double engines," Marandi said alluding to the BJP government saying the people of Jharkhand are being benefited by the "double engine" governments--at the Centre and in the state. Addressing the welcome ceremony, the former chief minister claimed, "The josh (enthusiasm) and junoon (passion) of the JVM workers will help the party win the elections." Marandi appealed to the party workers to put up a strong fight and "turn the tide of change in favour of JVM". The JVM-P has already announced to contest all the 81 seats on its own in the five-phase assembly .....
                 

HC asks local court to continue trial in Bhanwari Devi case, holds directions on FBI expert

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Rajasthan High Court on Friday directed a court here to proceed with trial in the sensational Bhanwari Devi abduction and murder case, which has been held up for over a year as an FBI expert who conducted DNA tests did not appear before it. Defence counsels in the case had moved the high court, praying to proceed the trial in the local court with recording of statements of the accused and close witness statement of Amber B Carr, the FBI's DNA expert. Carr, a prosecution witness, had conducted the DNA test of the charred bones' claimed to be of Bhanwari Devi, which had been obtained by the CBI from a canal near Jodhpur. Admitting the plea, Justice Dinesh Mehta directed the trial court to proceed further and complete trial in the case, which has been underway since May 2012. The high court, however, decided to hold the decision to close the witness statement until the order on a similar petition pending in the Supreme Court is handed out. Closing of witness statement means the .....
                 

Central team visits cyclone-affected districts of West Bengal

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
A central team on Friday visited cyclone 'Bulbul'-affected areas in North & South 24 Parganas and Purba Midnapore districts in West Bengal to asess the extent of damage caused by the calamity. The officials from various departments of the central government held meetings with the district magistrates, elected members of panchayat bodies and locals. "We visited the areas affected by the cyclone to assess the extent of devastation. We have spoken to all the people concerned," a member of the central team said. "The team members have taken a note of what we have gathered from our meetings in these districts. We will now submit a report to the central government," he said. The death toll due to the cyclone has risen to 14 in the state. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, after conducting an aerial survey of the cyclone-hit areas, had said on Wednesday that the loss incurred by the state due to the catastrophe might go up to Rs 50,000 crore. She said that at least ...
                 

Declare Nov 15, Birsa Munda's birthday, as national holiday:

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Friday demanded that November 15, birthday of legendary tribal leader Birsa Munda, be declared a national holiday. Addressing a public rally in Nagpur to commemorate the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, Pawar also said Adivasis should be declared "mool nivasi" or original inhabitants of the country. Pawar said leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi worked hard to bring about progress in the country while social reformers like Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule created a roadmap for brotherhood and equal rights for all through the Constitution. "However, it is for us to ponder that one section of society did not get the benefits of freedom. Today, we see that the population living below the poverty line are mostly tribals," Pawar said, and stressed that this scenario needed to change for the better. He said that the Centre, by declaring November 15 as a national holiday, will bring before the ...
                 

Ton-up Jaiswal guides India 'A' to 7-wicket win over India 'C'

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed a superb hundred as India 'A' registered a seven-wicket win over India 'C' in the men's U-19 One-Day Challenger Trophy here on Friday. Jaiswal cracked a 100-ball 108 which was laced with 15 hits to the fence and two sixes, while Sai Sudharsan slammed a 89-ball 60 as the duo shared a 164-run opening stand. Jay Gohil (43) and Sameer Rizvi (38) also chipped in with useful contributions as India 'A' posted a competitive 256 for three in 50 overs. India 'A' then returned to restrict India 'C' to 250 for seven to win the match. Chasing the total, India 'C' opener Divyaansh Saxena made a 115-ball 89, while Saurav Dagar (51) and Kumar K Kushagra (40) also shone with the bat but it was not enough in the end. For India 'A', Kaki Nithish Reddy took two wickets, while Purnank Arun Kumar Tyagi, Kritagya Kumar Singh and Rishabh Bansal claimed one each. In another match at Vijaywada, Divyansh Joshi's all-round show helped India 'B' notch up a two-wicket win over .....
                 

Dish TV posts Q2 net loss of Rs 96.37 cr

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
                 

KPL team Bellary Tusker's owner summoned, LoC issued

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Karnataka premier League team Bellary Tusker's owner Arvind Venkatesh Reddy has been summoned to appear before the Central Crime Branch police here and a look out circular issued against him in connection with match fixing scandal in the tournament, police said on Friday. In the KPL match fixing scam, role of Bellary Team owner Reddy has come to light. Since he is abroad, notice has been served on him to appear for investigation and LOC has been issued against him, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Patil said. Another cricket player was also questioned in connection with the fixing charges, he said, without giving further details. The CCB police, which is investigating charges of spot- fixing in the last two seasons of KPL, has so far arrested eight people, including four cricketers, the owner of the Belagavi Panthers' team and an international bookie. Bellary Tuskers captain C M Gautam, a first-class player who turned up for three IPL teams, and his former ....
                 

C'garh govt to launch new integrated healthcare scheme

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Chhattisgarh government has decided to launch a new integrated healthcare scheme to provide better and quality medical facilities to the people of the state, officials said on Friday. The scheme will be implemented in a trust-based model, they said. The ongoing central and state healthcare schemes - Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme, Chief Minister Bal Hriday Suraksha Yojana, Chief Minister Bal Shravan Yojana and National Child Health Program (Chirayu) - will be merged into this new scheme named as 'Dr Khubchand Baghel Health Assistance Scheme', the officials said. A decision in this regard was taken during a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday at his official residence here, a government public relation official said. Under this scheme, families possessing 'priority' and 'antyoday' (categories under BPL-below poverty line) ration cards along with those .....
                 

TRS to raise assurances to T'gana in AP re-organisation Act

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The ruling TRS in Telangana would bring up during the winter session of Parliament the assurances made to the state in the Andhra Pradesh Re- organisation Act, including the setting up an IIM and a steel factory, among others. This was decided at a TRS parliamentary party meeting chaired by TRS working president K T Rama Rao here on Friday. The meeting had always been chaired by TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao but Rama Rao presided over it for the first time on Friday, TRS sources said. Rama Rao, son of Chandrasekhar Rao and Municipal Administration Minister, directed the MPs to follow up on establishing IIM, besides a steel factory at Bayyaram near Khammam (as per the assurances made in the AP Re-organisation Act). He urged the MPs to follow up on the state governments pending requests with the Centre, including according national status to Kaleswaram irrigation project and providing funds to the Mission Bhagiradha (scheme to supply safe drinking ...
                 

Shiv Sena to lead three-party alliance govt, says NCP

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The first-ever Shiv Sena- NCP-Congress alliance in Maharashtra appears to be taking shape with Sharad Pawar on Friday expressing confidence that the government of the three parties will last a full term. The NCP also said that the Sena, which fell out with the BJP over chief minister's post, will lead the alliance. A delegation of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena is set to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Saturday, but the three parties maintained that it was for seeking immediate aid for rain-affected farmers, and was not about government formation. The three-party coalition, a new experiment in Maharashtra involving outfits with diverse ideologies, will be led by the Sena, leaders in the Uddhav Thackeray-party and the NCP said, marking a progress in power-sharing negotiations. They have already prepared a draft common minimum programme (CMP). NCP chief Sharad Pawar said a Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government will be formed, and it will complete five-year term as he ruled ...
                 

Interlocutor for Naga Peace Talks meets leaders of apex body of Naga tribes of Manipur

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
In a bid to conclude Naga Peace talks and finalise an agreement, Government of India's Representative and Interlocutor, RN Ravi on Friday met leaders of United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of Naga tribes of Manipur."In pursuance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's desire for a comprehensive resolution of the Naga issue with due regards to the sensitivities of all the stakeholders, including the neighbours, the Government of India Representative and Interlocutor for Naga Peace Talks, RN Ravi met leaders of United Naga Council (UNC) Manipur, the apex body of Naga tribes of Manipur, on Friday at Kohima, Nagaland," government said in a press statement.According to the government, the UNC leaders were briefed about the current status of the Peace Talks including the significant development of amicably settling all contentious issues between the negotiating parties. Queries of the UNC leaders were clarified."When the Naga issue is at the stage of settlement, the UNC leaders were reminded..
                 

ArcelorMittal says looks forward to completing acquisition of Essar Steel

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
ArcelorMittal on Friday expressed hope to complete the acquisition of Essar Steel soon after the Supreme Court allowed the world's largest steelmaker to pay Rs 42,000 crore to creditors of the Mumbai-based Ruia family-owned firm. Reacting to banks making an unprecedented recovery of almost 90 per cent of loans given to Essar Steel, an Essar spokesperson said ArcelorMittal and its Japanese partner Nippon Steel were "acquiring a world-class facility in a market that has a long runway for growth." The Supreme Court on Friday scrapped a bankruptcy appellate tribunal's order that gave secured and unsecured lenders equal rights over insolvency proceeds. It said bankruptcy courts have no say in deciding the distribution of funds raised through insolvency auction. They can only examine the legality of the resolution plan approved by the panel of lenders of an insolvent company. Only the Committee of Creditors (CoC) has the right to distribute the proceeds. Essar Steel was auctioned under the ...
                 

Lawyers in Delhi's district courts call off strike, to resume work on Saturday

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Lawyers, who went on a strike on November 4 after the Tis Hazari Court complex clashes between them and police, called off the agitation on Friday, with a body representing them saying the advocates would resume work on Saturday. The strike was called by lawyers of all six district courts in the national capital after the violence on November 2 left at least 20 police personnel and several advocates injured. Lawyers will resume work in the district courts from Saturday, the Coordination Committee of All District Courts Bar Associations (CCADCBA) announced this evening. In view of the Delhi High Court order granting relief to two police officials on Friday, further course of action will be decided after taking the view of the members of the Bar, the association said. The high court has directed authorities not to take coercive action against the police officials who were booked in connection with the clashes. It adjourned the matter for December 23. "In a general meeting held today, .....
                 

Pink Test Build Up: Rohit and Pujara face Ashwin first time under lights

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Senior India cricketers Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin got a first feel of playing with the pink ball under lights during a day-end net session at the Holkar Stadium here on Friday. With only two training sessions are possible under lights before the day/night Test at the Eden Gardens starting November 22, the Indian team is trying to make most of the time at their disposal. Couple of days before the first Test, skipper Virat Kohli and other top-order batsmen had a throwdown session in the afternoon but Friday was the first time when they had a nearly 35-minute session under lights. It was opener Rohit and premier spinner Ashwin, who spend considerable time in one of the nets with head coach Ravi Shastri keeping a close watch on the proceedings. Skipper Virat Kohli spoke about adjusting to the new colour under lights and that precisely was the exercise as the two senior players faced each other. Ashwin bowled with the semi-new ball as Rohit and later Pujara .....
                 

Drugs worth Rs 1,081cr seized in the last 19 months: RTI

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Mumbai police has seized narcotic drugs worth Rs 1,081 crore in the last 19 months and arrested 1,073 people for drug-related crimes, an RTI query revealed. The number of people arrested in drug-related cases more than doubled as of September 2019 compared to the previous year, the information obtained from the Anti- Narcotics Cell revealed. The RTI query filed by activist Anil Galgali sought information regarding the number of drug-related cases, arrests, seized drugs and their value. The police has provided the data from January 1, 2018 to September 2019. "We have recovered narcotics worth Rs 1,081 crore in the last 19 months (between January 2018 to September 2019) and arrested more than 1,000 people, which includes drug peddlers," said Shivdeep Lande, deputy commissioner of police (ANC). As per the data shared by the police, a total of 1,363 kg of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana, MD and LCD were seized in the whole of 2018. The drugs seized last year are .....
                 

Shrine set to open on Nov16;not a place for activism:minister

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Against the backdrop of the Supreme court's decision to refer the Sabarimala case to a larger bench, the Lord Ayyappa shrine is all set to open on Saturday, even as the government said those women desirous of visiting the hill temple should get a "court order. " The top court has decided to set up a larger bench to re-examine religious issues including those arising out of its earlier verdict that lifted a centuries-old ban on women of menstruating age visiting the shrine. With the two-month long annual pilgrimage season set to commence from November 17, Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran said Sabarimala was not a place for activism and the LDF government would not support those who make announcements about entering the hill shrine for the sake of publicity. Dismissing reports that police would provide security to women activists who attempt to enter the shrine, he said there was "some confusion" over the latest Supreme Court order and women desirous of visiting .....
                 

Bhupathi was badly treated: Mukerjea

6 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Former Davis Cup captain Jaidip Mukerjea is unhappy with the way the All India Tennis Association handled the issue of selecting the team for India's Asia/Oceania Group 1 match versus Pakistan to be held on November 29-30. The AITA unceremoniously removed the non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi and on Thursday named an eight-member team with veteran Leander Paes making a comeback since his history-creating doubles win during their tie against China in April 2018. Bhupathi and some senior players had refused to travel to Pakistan before the International Tennis Federation (ITF) shifted the tie out of Islamabad to a neutral venue. "I think Bhupathi was badly treated. They should have asked him to leave earlier itself, could've been communicated properly. It leaves a bad taste for Indian tennis," Mukerjea said on the sidelines of the announcement of the fourth edition of Premjit Lall Invitational Tennis Tournament. "AITA has done what it thought was best. Safety and security for our .....
                 

Maha crop loss: Uddhav tours Sangli, Satara

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday toured Sangli and Satara districts in western Maharashtra to take stock of crop loss due to unseasonal rains. Interestingly, Thackeray was accompanied by local Congress MLA and state working president Vishwajit Kadam during his tour of Sangli. In Sangli, Thackeray visited Aatpadi and Kadegaon talukas and reviewed losses, especially in vineyards. The Sena chief interacted with farmers at Vita village in Kadegaon taluka, and assured them of compensation. He asked authorities at farmer relief centres to write to him on woes faced by cultivators. In Satara, Thackeray told farmers not to worry over the delay in government formation in the state. "I had assured farmers that I would free them from debt. I will honour that commitment," he said. In an apparent swipe at the BJP, Thackeray added, "The Shiv Sena honours commitments and does not break it...
                 

Five of a family injured in cylinder blast

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
                 

Lynn, Miller, Unadkat among 71 players released ahead of IPL auction

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Chris Lynn, David Miller, Jaydev Unadkat and Chris Morris were among the 71 players released by their respective franchisees on Friday ahead of next month's IPL auction. Friday was the deadline for releasing, trading and retaining players. A total of 127 players have been retained including 35 foreigners. Lynn, the big-hitting Australian opener, was released by Kolkata Knight Riders after five fruitful seasons when he got the team off to a flying start on umpteen occasions. The other 10 released KKR players include West Indian Carlos Brathwaite, South African Anrich Nortje, former India players Piyush Chawla and Robin Uthappa, who struggled to get going last season. Kings XI Punjab go into the auction on December 19 with a purse of Rs 42.70 crore, the biggest among the eight teams after they released eight players including South Africa's Miller, Englishman Sam Curran and mystery Tamil Nadu spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who was bought for a whopping Rs 8.4 crore last year. Miller went ....
                 

Ayodhya verdict: Jamiat undecided over filing review, forms panel to take call

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Prominent Muslim body Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind's executive committee has been unable to come to a consensus on whether to file a review petition on the Supreme Court's Ayodhya verdict and formed a panel on Friday to decide on it after consulting with lawyers and experts. The panel comprises Jamiat chief Maulana Arshad Madani, Maulana Asjad Madani, Maulana Habibur Rahman Qasmi, Fazalur Rahman Qasmi and advocate Ijaz Maqbool. An emergency meeting of the working committee of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind was held to review the recent Supreme Court verdict under the chairmanship of Maulana Arshad Madani at the central office of the Muslim body here, a statement said. "Babri Masjid was a mosque in the eyes of law and justice and it is still a mosque according to Shariah and will remain so till the Day of Resurrection regardless of its structure and name," the Jamiat executive committee said in a statement. "This is because no individual or party has the right to withdraw the claim of mosque in return..
                 

SC sets aside NCLAT order, clears decks for ArcelorMittal to take over Essar Steel

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Supreme Court Friday set aside a NCLAT order which gave equal rights to the secured and unsecured creditors during the insolvency proceedings of debt-ridden Essar Steel, clearing the decks for it takeover by Lakshmi Mittal-led ArcelorMittal. Setting aside the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) order, a 3-judge headed by Justice R F Nariman, said the two set of creditors will be treated differently during the insolvency proceedings and taking over of a debt-ridden firm by another company. There is no principal of equality between secured and unsecured creditors, said the bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant and V Ramasubramanian. "The NCLAT judgment which substitutes its wisdom for the commercial wisdom of the Committee of Creditors (CoC) and which also directs the admission of a number of claims which was done by the resolution applicant, without prejudice to its right to appeal against the aforesaid judgment, must therefore be set aside," said the bench. The .....
                 

UNICEF, IGNOU join hands to develop curriculum on child rights for budding journalists

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The UNICEF in association with IGNOU is developing an Open Educational Resources (OER) curriculum on child rights for budding journalists, an official said on Friday. Academicians from over 15 premier government and private institutes participated in a workshop focused on child rights to create the new courseware and instil a perspective amongst budding and working journalists. "In the discipline of mass communication and journalism, there are only a handful of institutes that offer courses or programmes on media and children. This scenario requires academia as a major stakeholder to initiate a catalytic action to introduce courses on this area," said Shambhu Nath Singh, School of Journalism, IGNOU. "The IGNOU-UNICEF initiated model course ware can be adapted as certificate courses, executive courses and part of current full-time curriculum in media and communication institutes for budding and working journalists," he added. The eminent institutions included Jamia Millia Islamia, .....
                 

VHP to launch awarenesss program on CAB and NRC in WB

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The VHP will launch an awareness programme in West Bengal from next week on the need for National Register of Citizens (NRC) to weed out Bangladeshi muslim infiltrators from the state and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to grant citizenship to refugees, its senior leader said. The VHP will hold its membership drive in the state between November 17 to December 1 and will speak of the two issues during their door to door campaign, VHP leader and spokesperson Sourish Mukherjee said on Friday. The VHP has set a target of increasing its number of members from 55,000 to two lakh. "We have been campaigning on NRC in Bengal for the past few months. But within the next few days we will launch it in a massive way. This time we will campaign for both NRC and CAB," he said. The VHP Bengal unit has come out with a leaflet on CAB and NRC. Speaking on the implementation of the NRC in West Bengal, he said the demography in the state's border districts has completely changed in the .....
                 

Sukhbir Badal writes to PM, says urge Pak to remove passport requirement for visiting Kartarpur

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to request Pakistan to revise the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries and remove the clause which requires devotees to carry passport to access the Kartarpur Corridor. In a letter to the PM, Badal also sought simplification of the documentation and verification process. He said lakhs of Sikh pilgrims wanted to visit Kartarpur Sahib but the cumbersome procedure and the requirement of passports were coming in the way of their visit to the holy site. "Instead of 5,000 pilgrims slated to visit Kartarpur Sahib, the figure is in few hundreds as majority of devotees who want to go on the pilgrimage do not have passports. The devotees are demanding this clause be struck down," Badal said according to a statement released here. As per the MoU, a passport is required to undertake the journey even though it was not being stamped and an entry/exit slip was being issued to all .....
                 

Rohtang pass to be officially closed if snowfall continues after November 15

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Himachal Pradesh administration on Friday said that the Rohtang Pass will be closed officially if snowfall continues after November 15 and tourists will not be allowed to go to the Rohtang Valley.Akshay Sood, Additional District Magistrate Kullu said: "For the last four to five 5 days it has been snowing in Kullu. We received an advisory day before yesterday regarding the weather situation. Rohtang Pass will be closed officially if there is snowfall after November 15. Tourists will not be allowed to go to Rohtang valley now. I appeal to people to not venture into higher terrains for their safety."Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and parts of Uttarakhand witnessed heavy snowfall over the past few days.According to IMD, scattered to fairly widespread rain and snow along with isolated heavy precipitation is likely over Himachal Pradesh during the next 48 hours...
                 

Ex-Fortis Healthcare promoter Malvinder Singh sent to ED custody by Delhi court

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
A Delhi court on Friday sent former Fortis Healthcare promoter Malvinder Singh and former CMD of Religare Enterprises Ltd Sunil Godhwani to the ED's custody till November 18 for allegedly misappropriating funds of Religare Finvest Ltd (RFL). A duty magistrate sent both the accused to the Enforcement Directorate's custody in a proceeding held inside the Tihar central jail due to an ongoing strike by lawyers in district courts here, following a clash between them and police personnel at the Tis Hazari Court complex earlier this month. ED Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh Rana sought 14-day custody of Singh and Godhwani. However, the court directed the agency to produce them before the court concerned on Monday. The ED had arrested Singh and Godhwani in the money laundering case on November 14 . The agency took both the accused in its custody inside the Tihar central jail here, where they were lodged in a case filed by the Delhi Police in relation to the alleged scam. Both Singh and .....
                 

Rajnath Singh inaugurates Sisseri River bridge in Arunachal Pradesh, call for bolstering border infrastructure

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday inaugurated the Sisseri River bridge at Lower Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh and called for bolstering the border infrastructure, saying that national security is the topmost priority of the government.The 200-metre long bridge between Jonai-Pasighat-Ranaghat-Roing road will provide connectivity between Dibang Valley and Siang to meet the long-pending demand of the people of Arunachal Pradesh as it would cut down the travel time from Pasighat to Roing by about five hours."The government has adopted the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) in its plan keeping in view the security of the people residing in the border areas. Infrastructural up-gradation is necessary for the security of the North-East and the entire country," said Singh.Singh further stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the decision to stay out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), keeping in mind the economic interests of the country, especially..
                 

Congress slams govt over pollution in Delhi-NCR

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The Congress hit out at the Centre on Friday over the issue of rising pollution in Delhi-NCR and asked what has Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his office done to address this "very critical emergency". Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, while responding to a question on four MPs of a 28-member parliamentary panel attending a key meeting to discuss the air pollution crisis in Delhi-NCR on Friday, said it is not just about one committee meeting, but about the serious situation prevailing here. The attack from the opposition party came even as its all four MPs, also part of the parliamentary panel, did not attend the meeting. "A holistic solution can only be worked out, especially, when there are several stakeholders of different state governments belonging to different parties. A holistic solution can only be found out at the level of PMO -- nothing less than that because this is after all the capital city of India," Khera said at a press conference. "What has the Prime Minister of .....
                 

Tata Steel arm exits NatSteel Vina

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Tata Steel on Friday said its arm NatSteel Holdings Pte (NSH) has concluded the sale its entire equity stake in NatSteel Vina (NSV) to a Vietnam-based company for Rs 36 crore. The steelmaker earlier in the month had announced that NatSteel Holdings Pte (NSH) had agreed to sell its entire 56.5 per cent stake in NSV for about Rs 36 crore to Vietnam-based Thai Hung Trading Joint Stock Company. "NSH has today concluded the sale of equity shares in NSV and NSV ceases to be a related party to NSH," the company said in a filing to BSE on Friday. "This is further to our disclosure dated November 4, 2019 regarding execution of definitive agreements by NatSteel Holdings Pte. Ltd. (NSH) (a step-down subsidiary of Tata Steel) with a Vietnam based company Thai Hung Trading Joint Stock Company to divest its entire equity stake held in NSV (56.5%)," the filing said...
                 

Medium doesn't matter, my output as an actor is same: Vikrant Massey

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Vikrant Massey has acted across mediums, from television to now web series, and the actor says he remains honest as a performer irrespective of the platform. Vikrant says he has learned a lot during his TV days, when he acted in shows such as "Dharam Veer", "Balika Vadhu" and "Qubool Hai". "I have done a decade of work in television also. Television has taught me everything that I have today and I will retain it as long as I can. You can't be thinking what will happen. For me, the medium doesn't matter, my output as an actor is the same irrespective of the medium be it for TV or web or films," he said. The actor has so far shied away from fronting mainstream films and believes that has spared him of the pressure one faces while doing them. "Luckily, I have not done an outright commercial film where I have the pressure of the box office, I don't want to get into that space. I am very happy, coming and doing my job and collaborating with people like Ekta Kapoor and others who recognise ...
                 

Collecting, baling paddy straw may be solution to stubble burning: New Holland

7 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
Farm machinery maker New Holland on Friday said collecting and baling paddy straw using machineries like balers are preventing over 1.5 million tonnes of crop residue from being burnt in India every year. Since last two years, the company is demonstrating a method of collecting and baling paddy straw and stubble in northern states using its machineries like rotary slasher, RKG 129 gyro rake and BC5060 small square baler, it added. As a result in 2017, New Holland said, about 1,000 tonne of paddy straw and crop stubble were baled in Kallar Majri in Patiala district, Punjab, preventing more than 1,500 tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In 2018, 1,500 tonne of straw were collected, preventing more than 2,250 tonne of CO2 from entering the earth's atmosphere. "Farmers here slashed, collected and baled the paddy straw and stubble and sold it to the local biomass plant to generate electricity for nearby rural communities," the company said. Also, in October 2018, a second straw .....
                 

New Collectors, SPs for 5 new districts appointed

7 hours ago  
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The Tamil Nadu government on Friday appointed Collectors and police chiefs to the five newly created districts in the state. The government had earlier notified the creation of Kallakurichi, Tenkasi, Chengalpet, Tirupattur and Ranipet, taking the total number of districts in Tamil Nadu to 37. On Friday, the government said it has sanctioned creation of 'temporary' posts of Collector for the districts for a period of one year with effect from the date of functioning of the districts or till the need for them cease, whichever was earlier. Kirran Gurrala is Collector of Kallakurichi while GK Arun Sundar Thayalan is Collector for Tenkasi. A John Louis and M P Sivanarul are Collectors of Chengalpet and Tirupattur districts respectively. S Divyadharshini is Collector, Ranipet. Similarly, the government announced appointing Superintendents of Police for the districts. T Jeyachandran will head Kallakurichi while Dr P Vijayakumar will head Tirupattur. G Suguna Singh has been .....
                 

Hrithik Roshan celebrates 'Super 30' success with Anand Kumar

8 hours ago  
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Hrithik Roshan hosted mathematician Anand Kumar, the man he portrayed in the critically-acclaimed film "Super 30", for a special dinner to celebrate the movie's success. The film, directed by Vikas Bahl, featured Hrithik as Anand, the Patna-based scholar who trains 30 deserving, economically-backward students for IIT-JEE entrance exams every year with commendable success rate. The get-together on Thursday was also attended by the director and Anand's brother Pranav Kumar. "It was a delightful evening. My mother has watched 'Super 30' nine times in the theatres but never got the chance to meet Anand sir and his brother Pranav personally. "Yesterday, we all sat and reminisced about the tough journey of super 30 with smiles and laughter. Incidents and interactions that were devastating while shooting today seemed to make us laugh in victory," Hrithik said in a statement. According to the makers, "Super 30" has so far minted Rs 317 crore at the box office. Anand said he feels indebted to ...
                 

World realises Indian family system and values way forward for peace, harmony: Vice Prez

8 hours ago  
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Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday that people all over the world realise that the Indian family system is the way forward to have harmony in society, concern for others and internal peace. India can be a role model for the entire world because of its robust family system which has successfully withstood the test of time, he said Inaugurating an international conference held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) here, he extolled the role of mothers in society saying all religions accord them a high place of relevance and reverence. "Religions in the world hold women and mothers in a special position of relevance of reverence as a central figure of a family and mankind," Naidu said at the conference 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam -Family System and Role of Mother'. Drawing from Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, the vice president said in our society, women are not only held equal but also superior to men because they are creators of humanity. "In Islam, Prophet..
                 

Withdraw naib courts unless cops-lawyers relation improve, North-East Public Prosecutor writes to DCP

8 hours ago  
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Chief Prosecutor North-East district, Karkardooma court complex, on Friday urged North-East DCP to withdraw naib-court or cops on court duty due to prevailing situation post November 2 conflict.In a letter to the DCP, VK Sharma said that advocates were not allowing the naib-courts to enter in court."It is most respectfully submitted that due to the prevailing situation in all the courts' complexes of Delhi and taking into consideration the safety and security of police officials. it is impressed that the naib courts posted here may kindly be withdrawn for the time being from the court duty for their safety and security," he wrote.The Chief Prosecutor said that the police personnel can be again posted in their respective court duties once normalcy is restored in the courts.The chief prosecutor has listed the names of five police personnel who can be allowed to be stationed at the Karkardooma court complex during the period.As many as eight lawyers and about 20 policemen including .....
                 

CBI raids Amnesty International Bengaluru, Delhi offices

8 hours ago  
Business / Business Standard/ General News  
The CBI on Friday conducted raids at the Amnesty International Indias Bengaluru and Delhi offices. Yes, raids were carried out. Details are awaited, a CBI officer told PTI. An Amnesty International India executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said about half-a-dozen CBI sleuths arrived at about 8.30 am at the Bengaluru office and carried out searches till 5 pm." In a statement, the human rights watchdog said "Over the past year, a pattern of harassment has emerged every time Amnesty India stands up and speaks out against human rights violations in India. It said that it stands in full compliance with Indian and international law. Our work in India, as elsewhere, is to uphold and fight for universal human rights. These are the same values that are enshrined in the Indian Constitution and flow from a long and rich Indian tradition of pluralism, tolerance, and dissent, it added. About a year ago, the Enforcement Directorate had raided the Amnesty International India..