LIVE! Dialogue, not arguments the way: Prasoon Joshi on 'Padmavati' row
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Write a commentNovember 20, 2017
19:25 Still waiting to determine cause of Sherin's death: Police: With both adoptive parents of Indian toddler Sherin Mathews now booked into a Dallas jail, police say they are waiting for the autopsy report and details from laboratories to determine the cause of her tragic death. Wesley Mathews and his wife Sini Ann Mathews have been arrested by police in the Texan city of Richardson weeks apart in connection with the mysterious death of 3-year-old Sherin, who was adopted by the Indian-American couple last year. Sherin was found dead in a culvert nearly 1km from her home in suburban Dallas, weeks after Wesley informed the police that the toddler was missing. Wesley initially said he sent Sherin outside to an alley near their house about 3 am as punishment because she refused to drink her milk. Wesley, 37, was arrested on October 26, hours after a cadaver dog found Sherin's body in the culvert. He has been charged with injury to a child, a felony charge. He is now in the Dallas County Jail with a USD 1 million bond. The crime is punishable with up to 99 years in prison. Sini, 35, the foster mother of Sherin, was arrested on November 17 after the police alleged that the couple, hailing from Kerala, left Sherin in the kitchen alone and went out for dinner with their 3-year-old biological daughter October 6, the night before the toddler was reported missing by Wesley. Sini, has been arrested and charged with with abandoning or endangering a child, a state jail felony in Texas. Sergeant Kevin Perlich with Richardson Police says the arrest of Sini came after investigators went through a lot of evidence and determined that the time was right to go forward and arrest her for endangering a child. He said police have sent a lot of "stuff" to laboratories for analysis and some of them have returned. But they were still waiting for details from other equipments seized from the home and vehicles of the Wesley and Sini Mathews. Perlich, the Internal Affairs & Public Information Officer of Richardson Police Department said, "We are still waiting for the additional evidence to come to us. "When that additional evidence comes into us, it may lead us in another direction, it may result in additional charges, may result in amended charges. We will wait and see how it unfolds and make those adjustments," he said last week after Sini was arrested. Police have said the investigation into the death of Sherin is continuing. "As far as exact time and cause of the (Sherin's) death is concerned, we are still waiting to get from the Medical Examiner's office as well as trying to piece that together as when she may have actually passed away," Perlich said. Last week, police said they have not determined whether Sherin was alive when the couple returned home an hour and a half later after having dinner at a restaurant. An arrest affidavit said the toddler was in the kitchen where the couple had left her. "The medical examiner's office is probably waiting for additional tests on the body that they have to do, once we have that, it will tell us something as well," he said. "Hopefully, there is always a possibility that they can't make a determination, but if there is something that comes in back, may lead the investigation in another direction, may be something else we have to take a look at we haven't been able to look at because we haven't been aware of it," he said. After Sherin's body was found, Wesley changed his story and to say he "physically assisted" Sherin with her milk, and admitted to removing her body from the home after she choked and stopped breathing, according to an arrest warrant affidavit made public by police. Sini appeared before a family court judge on November 13 to attempt to regain custody of her biological daughter, who had been moved into foster care by Child Protection Services after Sherin's death. The toddler is expected to be moved out of foster care to live with an extended family member in Houston. -- PTI
19:20 No authoritative info on presence of Islamic Satte in J&K: MHA: The government today sought to downplay Islamic State's presence in Jammu and Kashmir, but acknowledged the resurgence of a radical group in the Valley. There is no authoritative information about the presence of Islamic State in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior home ministry official said. The comment came in the wake of claims that the global terror organization was involved in an encounter with security forces in Srinagar wherein a terrorist, identified as Mugees, was killed and a sub-inspector, Imran Tak, lost his life. 'Amaq', which is the official news agency of Islamic State, had claimed the responsibility for the attack. Pictures of Mugees with the Islamic State flag in the background surfaced on social media. Even his body was wrapped in the flag of the banned terror group during funeral. However, the official said it has come to light that Mugees belonged to an extremist group called Tehrik-ul- Mujahideen and was its Pulwama district commander. The Tehrik-ul-Mujahideen was among the first few terrorist groups that emerged at the onset of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1990s, the official said. It follows the ideology of Salafism which is ultra radical like Islamic State. However, the police have found no logistical connection between the two, another official said.
18:28 Dialogue, not arguments the way: Prasoon Joshi on 'Padmavati' row: Central Board of Film Certification chief Prasoon Joshi today said the censor board was trying to resolve the controversy over the film Padmavati through dialogue and not arguments. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film is the first major hurdle that Joshi faces as the head of the Central Board of Film Certification. "This is not the right place to talk about the issue. We are trying to follow the due process. We should sort out the issue through dialogue, not through arguments," Joshi said at the red carpet of the inaugural day of the International Film Festival of India. The censor board had returned the application to the film's makers citing "technical issues" after protests erupted over the magnum opus on the legendary queen of Chittor, with various Rajput groups and politicians accusing the director of "distorting historical facts". The makers Viacom18 Motion Pictures said yesterday it had deferred the December 1 release of the film. Shahid Kapoor, who plays Raja Ratan Singh in the movie, also expressed the hope that the period drama would be soon released. "Sometimes films of this nature.... it gets a bit complicated. I will choose to be optimistic till the due course is done. This is not the time to be angry, not the time to lose your cool. There are enough people doing that. So Iwould choose to say that I believe in the process," Shahid, who is also attending IFFI, said today. "I am sure Padmavati will come out. It is a film we are very very proud of. I am sure once people see the film, all this will be forgotten," he added. -- PTI
17:58 Aadhaar data is fully safe, assures UIDAI: The Unique Identification Authority of India today said that Aadhaar data is completely safe and secure. Aadhaar number, it said, is not a secret number and it is to be shared with authorised agencies if one wishes to avail a certain service or benefit of government welfare schemes or other services. "Aadhaar data is fully safe and secure and there has been no data leak or breach at UIDAI," the authority said in response to a report based on RTI that 210 government website made Aadhaar information public . "There was no breach or leakage of Aadhaar data from UIDAI database or server...," it said in a statement. The UIDAI had said in the RTI reply that it "found that approximately 210 websites of central government, state government departments including educational institutes were displaying the list of beneficiaries along with their name, address, other details and Aadhaar numbers for information of general public". The UIDAI said the data which was placed in the public domain as a measure of proactive disclosure under the RTI Act by the government and institutional websites included beneficiaries name, address, bank account and other details including Aadhaar number. It was collected from the third party and users for various welfare schemes. The authority said it acted promptly on the report, and both the UIDAI and Ministry of Electronics and IT directed the government departments and the ministries concerned to immediately remove the data from their websites and ensure that such violation does not occur in the future. "Certain other measures were also taken at various levels to ensure that such incidents of display of Aadhaar numbers do not take place. Following UIDAI's action such data were removed from these websites immediately," the statement said. It added that Aadhaar numbers which were made public on the said websites do not pose any real threat to the people as biometric information is never shared and is fully secure with highest level of software security codes encryption at the UIDAI. "...mere display of demographic information cannot be misused without biometrics," the statement said. -- PTI
17:45 GST, note-ban have lowered cities' real estate ranking: Report: Implementation of the goods and services tax and the last year's note-ban have not only created liquidity issues for the real estate sector but also impacted investment and development prospects of the cities, thereby pulling down their rankings, a report has said. As per a survey conducted jointly by the Urban Land Institute and consultancy PwC, the initial effects of demonetisation and GST reforms reflected in the investment and development prospects of the country's cities which have moved out from the premier positions of last year.
The report, titled 'Emerging trends in real estate-- Asia Pacific 2018', is based on the opinions of over 600 realty professionals including investors.
"Investments, specifically into affordable housing in the country, continues to be strategic in nature and offers massive scale of opportunity, a factor that makes it especially popular for funds deploying large capital," PwC India leader, real estate tax practices, Abhishek Goenka said.
While Mumbai ranks 12th in the list of preferred investment destination for 2018--massively down from the second rank last year, and it stands at the 8th slot in terms of development prospects. -- PTI
17:21 Just in: One terrorist, identified as Adil Chopaan, killed by security forces in Tral's Gulshanpora in Jammu and Kashmir.
17:11 Dec 4-14: Mallya's extradition hearing : A defiant Vijay Mallya today appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London for his pre-trial hearing where the liquor baron's extradition hearing was confirmed for eight days starting December 4. The 61-year-old businessman, out on bail on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard earlier this year, was released by the judge on the same bail conditions and asked to appear at court on December 4.
The trial will last until December 14, with December 8 marked as a non-sitting day. Speaking to reporters as he left today's case management hearing, Mallya said he has repeatedly stressed that he has done nothing wrong and will let the evidence speak in court.
"It will all become clear in court," he said. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service, which is arguing the case against Mallya on behalf of the Indian authorities, had presented additional "supplemental" charges of money laundering to the previous charges of fraud at the last hearing in the case on October 3.
The previous fraud charges relate to Mallya's now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines owing more than Rs 9,000 crore to various Indian banks. The UB Group chief has been on self-imposed exile in the UK since he left India on March 2, 2016. -- PTI
16:31 Supreme Court refuses to interfere in the matter of the film Padmavati's release. The court was hearing a plea filed by a lawyer. The court stated, "we cannot interfere with CBFC's work".
16:09 The New York Times tried to explain sari fashion and became the laughingstock of India: "In India's highly unequal and stratified country, the sari is the most democratic clothing; it cuts across classes and castes, regions and religions, albeit with delightful variations in weave, fabric and style of draping. Of all the different kinds of clothes women can wear -- dresses, shorts, skirts, gowns, kurta pyjamas -- it's also the most empowering to the female form; its one-size-fits-all style is wonderfully non-hierarchical about weight or body type. There is probably no woman in India who does not own a sari; the villager who walks 10 miles to fetch water for her children, an earthen pot perched precariously on her head, has one, as does the chief executive of the biggest corporate firm. In the weave of the sari, our history, culture, collective consciousness and identity are tied together."Barkha Dutt takes on the New York Times for its appalling misrepresentation of what the sari means to Indians. Do read
Image: Indira Gandhi wears a purple silk brocade sari to a White House state banquet hosted by the then US President Lyndon B Johnson and his wife during her 1966 visit to the US. Priyanka Gandhi wore the same sari to the wedding reception of Ajitabh Bachchan's daughter Naina.
15:58 Princess Diana's jewelled bag may fetch USD 12k at auction: An exquisite jewelled evening bag owned and used by Princess Diana in the 1980s is expected to fetch up to USD 12,000 at an auction in the US. The satin-lined silver bag was passed on to Kensington Palace Senior Housemaid Sheila Tilley. "The bag is heavy and solid, and no picture can behold its beauty. An exquisite item demonstrating Diana's fabulous style and refined taste," according to RR Auctions.
"I write to confirm that I was in the employ of their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Charles and Diana. The duration of my service at Kensington Palace was from 1981 to 1983," Tilley wrote in a letter of provenance that accompanies the bag.
"It (the bag) came into my possession when the Royal Butler, Alan Fisher, distributed a few of Diana's unwanted items to staff who were present at the time in the kitchen," Tilley added. -- PTI
15:37 First, screen Padmavati for Mewar royals, historians : BJP'S Chittorgarh MP CP Joshi writes to HM Rajnath Singh requesting him to allow Padmavati to release only after it has been shown to members of Mewar's royal family and historians and they have agreed to it. Also adds that the film be banned if they object to it after the screening. 15:35 Former Czech Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna has passed away at the age of 49. 15:23 Former Czech Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna has passed away at the age of 49.
15:22 Indira Gandhi: Fearlessness in the national interest: "I single this out as the strongest trait -- fearlessness to do what she thought was in the national interest and fearlessness in the personal sense; physical and mental courage in adverse circumstances. This was translated into courage which infected others."Having worked for Indira Gandhi for three years between 1980 and 1983 R Rajamani observed many of her qualities and remembered the late prime minister in a special feature for Rediff.com. Do read
15:10 Distortion of historical facts won't be tolerated: MP CM: Padmavati will not be allowed to be screened in Madhya Pradesh if historical facts are "distorted" in the film, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said today. The chief minister said any distortion of historical facts will not be tolerated. "We will not tolerate any distortion of historical facts. The entire country is speaking in one voice that historical facts were distorted," he said. "If there are scenes breaching the honour of queen Padmavati, then the movie will not be allowed to be exhibited on the land of Madhya Pradesh," Chouhan said addressing members of the Rajput community at his residence in Bhopal.
He said queen Padmavati "is a true reflection of the Indian woman." "We have been studying about the rare sacrifice and dedication of queen Padmavati since our childhood," he noted.
The chief minister said a memorial of the queen would be constructed at a site in the state capital, where a memorial for the country's brave soldiers has been proposed.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also voiced his support for the protesters and said nobody would accept the distortion of history
Earlier, several delegations of the Rajput community arrived from different parts of MP and submitted a memorandum to the chief minister demanding a ban on the release of "Padmavati" in the state.
The film has been facing controversy since director Sanjay Leela Bhansali started its shooting earlier this year. The director was roughed up by members of the fringe group Rajput Karni Sena in Jaipur. Its elaborate sets were also vandalised during shooting schedules in Jaipur and Kolhapur. -- PTI
14:26 Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman meets former army chief General Dalbir Singh. @DefenceMinIndia tweets, "Continuing to take inputs from former office bearers, Smt @nsitharaman meets General Dalbir Singh Suhag (Retd.), former Chief of Army Staff."
13:53 CBFC turns down plea to hasten Padmavati certification: The Central Board of Film Certification turns down an application by makers of Padmavati seeking to expedite the certification process of the movie. Turning down the plea of the Padmavati makers, CBFC said that the movie will be reviewed and certified as per set norms of following chronological order of all applications. Yesterday, CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi slammed the makers of Padmavati for screening the movie for various TV channels without getting a censor certificate.
Joshi's statement comes after reports that the producers of Padmavati -- mired in controversy over allegations that it distorts history -- held a special screening for a few journalists.
A day after the CBFC sent Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film back because the application for the certification was "incomplete", Joshi said he was "disappointed" that it was being screened for the media and getting reviewed on national channels without CBFC having seen or certified it.
"This compromises the role of systems and balances that are part of a functioning industry. It's myopic to treat the certification process haphazardly to suit convenience," he said in the statement to PTI.
13:38 Modi govt sabotaging Winter session of Parl: Sonia: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today launched an all out attack on the government, accusing it of sabotaging the Winter session of Parliament on flimsy grounds.Addressing the meeting of the Congress Working Committee, she also accused the government of being "ill prepared" to implement the goods and services tax, which she described as a "flawed" tax regime.
The Congress president also hit out at the government over demonetisation, saying the move left millions of people "suffering".
"The Modi-government in its arrogance has cast a dark shadow on India' Parliamentary democracy by sabotaging the Winter session of Parliament on flimsy grounds," she told the party's highest decision-making body.
The Winter session of Parliament traditionally convenes from the third week of November and lasts till the third week of December.
According to sources, the government is considering a truncated Winter session of around 10 days starting from the second week of December.
The Congress president also charged the government with "forcefully" trying to change history of modern India by "erasing contributions" made by former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. -- PTI
13:26 Just in: The Supreme Court directs all states to make school children aware about dangers of games like Blue Whale challenge.
13:24 Guj polls: NCP to contest all seats, talks with Cong fail: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today said it will contest all 182 seats in the Gujarat Assembly elections, after talks for alliance between the Sharad Pawar-led party and the Congress failed. In 2007 and 2012, the NCP and the Congress had fought the state elections in alliance. In the present Assembly, the NCP has two MLAs.
The Congress alleged that the alliance broke down because of the NCP's demand for more seats than it should have in the prevalent situation in the poll-bound state. Senior NCP leader Praful Patel said, "We will fight on all the 182 seats. We will release our candidates list today."
"I think it would be better for us to fight on all the seats on our own than in alliance with the Congress," the former Union minister said. The NCP is expected to announce the first list of its candidates later in the day. -- PTI
13:05 Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi dead : Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi passes away, reports the Indian Express. Dasmunsi, a former MP and Information and Broadcasting Minister, has been in Apollo Hospital since 2008, after he suffered a stroke and a paralytic attack.
12:50 Serial killer Charles Manson dead : Nearly 50 years after he ordered the killing of Sharon Tate and eight others, America's most notorious murder is dead. Read more
12:44 SC stays NGT's direction to open new path to Vaishno Devi: Update on the Vaishnodevi hearing: The Supreme Court today stayed the National Green Tribunal's order directing opening of a new path to Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu for pedestrians and battery-operated cars from November 24. A bench comprising Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta passed the order after the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board told the apex court that it was not possible to open the new path from November 24.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Board, told the bench that the construction work of the new path was going on and it would be opened in February end next year.
He told the court that two paths to the shrine were already operational and this is the third path which is being built by the Board. The bench also issued notice to the petitioner before the NGT on whose plea the Green Panel had given the direction on November 13.
Besides directing the opening of the new path, the NGT had capped the number of visitors to the Shrine at 50,000 per day. It had also said that no horses or mules shall be allowed on the new route.
The Green Panel had also directed the authorities to impose a fine of Rs 2,000 on anyone found littering roads as well as the bus stop at the nearby Katra town. -- PTI
12:39 Deadline for Cong polls is Dec 31: The 47-year-old Rahul Gandhi is expected to take over the reins in the first week of December, ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections starting December 9, the sources said. The party's organisational election has to be completed before December 31. The Election Commission has given the party the last extension for completing the internal poll process by the end of this year. 12:34 Vaishnodevi hearing in SC: Just in: The Supreme Court to hear the plea filed by Vaishno Devi shrine challenging the NGT order on capping of number of pilgrims to 50,000 per day. Supreme Court stayed one of the NGT orders that a new path exclusively for the pedestrians and battery-operated cars at Vaishno Devi shrine will be opened from 24th November. 12:31 BJP reacts to Rahul's nomination as Cong prez : BJP reacts to the CWC resolution to make Rahul Gandhi party president. Jitendra Singh, MoS PMO says, "Each electoral defeat of the Congress Party is directly proportional to the promotion of Rahul Gandhi in the party hierarchy. BJP has nothing to do with it. We are confident of our victory."
12:26 CWC nod for Rahul as party prez:
Just in: Congress Working Committee passes resolution to make Rahul Gandhi party President. CWC also approves poll schedule for the Congress President's election; the process to start with issue of notification on December 1, party sources tell PTI.December 4 is the last date of filing nominations, with the 5th as the last date of withdrawing notifications. December 15 is the polling date, while December 19 is the date of the election results.
The decision was taken at a crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee in New Delhi today to clear the decks for the elevation of Rahul Gandhi as party president.
The meeting, chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, was held at her 10 Janpath residence.
The decision on the schedule of party organisation poll at the meeting will pave the way for elevation of party vice president Rahul Gandhi as the new chief, party sources said.
Rahul Gandhi is expected to be the only candidate in the fray, the sources said. -- PTI
11:58 Gujarat polls: Notification for second phase to be issued today : The notification for second phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections will be issued on Monday.Polling for this phase will be held on December 14 in 93 constituencies.Yesterday, the Congress released the first list of its 77 candidates for the upcoming polls.
The Central Election Committee of the party selected the names in a meeting held in New Delhi.
The names had been chosen for the first phase of polls to be held on December 9.
Senior party leader Shaktisinh Gohil will contest from Mandvi constituency. Arjun Modhwadia has been given party ticket. The Congress and Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leaders have held a meeting in Ahmedabad regarding the reservation issue for Patidar community in the state. The BJP has already announced two lists of 106 candidates.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will file his nomination from Rajkot later today. The last day of filing nominations for the first phase is on November 21. Of the 182 seats, 89 in Saurashtra, Kutch and South Gujarat will go to polls in the first phase. The result will be announced on December 18. -- PTI
11:39 Rahul elevation: CWC meeting underway: A crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) is underway in New Delhi today to clear the decks for the elevation of Rahul Gandhi as party president. The meeting, chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, is being held at her 10 Janpath residence.
The decision on the schedule of party organisation poll at the meeting will pave the way for elevation of party vice president Rahul Gandhi as the new chief, party sources said.
Once the schedule for the election is approved by the CWC, the party's Central Election Authority will notify the same. Rahul Gandhi is expected to be the only candidate in the fray, the sources said.
With the completion of the election process, the 47- year-old Rahul Gandhi is likely to take over the reins before the Gujarat Assembly elections, which start on December 9.
The party's organisational election has to be completed before December 31. The Election Commission has given the party the last extension for completing the internal poll process by the end of this year. -- PTI
11:34 Born To Fly wins Award for Best Non Fiction: The biography of Indian Air Force fighter pilot and the late Rediff.com columnist M P Anil Kumar -- has just won the Award for Best Non Fiction at the Valley of Words International Literature Festival in Dehradun. Born To Fly written by Air Commodore Nitin Sathe -- MP's course mate at the NDA and colleague in the IAF -- chronicles Anil Kumar's extraordinary life.
Paralysed neck down after a freak road accident, MP became an inspiration to many in the way he courageously rebuilt his life. The MiG pilot lived within the confines of the armed forces paraplegic home in Pune for 25 years from where he wrote extensively and touched countless lives.
Born To Fly is Air Commodore Sathe's second book. His first book A Few Good Men and the Angry Sea chronicled how a dedicated team of IAF officers and men -- of which he himself was a part -- rebuilt the strategic Car Nicobar air force base in record time after it was devastated in the December 26, 2004 tsunami.
The seeds of Born To Fly were sown on Rediff.com when then Group Captain Sathe wrote about M P Anil Kumar in this evocative feature.
11:19 Weinstein told me I'd never work in Hollywood: Pamela: Supermodel-actor Pamela Anderson said disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein once told her that she would never get work in Hollywood, after she refused to follow his orders. The 50-year-old "Baywatch" star claimed being verbally abused by the producer, who has multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him, after disagreed working with a real dog on a movie set, reported The Times.
"He told me I'd never work in this town again, because I refused to work with a dog. He wanted me to play Invisible Girl on superhero movie. But they wanted me to work with an actual dog. I said, 'I won't work with animals in a film.'
And he said, 'We're just going to put the dog there. What's the problem?' And I said, 'No. Put an X on the floor. I am talking to an invisible dog. Why do we need an actual dog?'
"And he was so mean. He called me back and shouted, 'You're Pamela Anderson; you're lucky I'm even putting you in a f***ing film. You're never going to work in this f***ing industry again, you son of a f***ing bitch," Anderson recalled. The actor added although Weinstein was "intimidating", she held her ground.
"He's so intense. I've never been talked to that way by anybody. Not even by a boyfriend. He was really intimidating. And I did it. But I did it without the dog," she said. -- PTI
11:07 CWC meet begins: Delhi: Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting underway at 10, Janpath. Discussion on making Rahul Gandhi President of the party may take place at the meeting. 
10:47 BJP corners Tharoor for 'chillar' remark : The BJP on Monday accused Congress leader Shashi Tharoor of politicising the victory of newly-crowned Miss World, Manushi Chhillar. BJP leader S Prakash said, "Mr. Shashi Tharoor who brands himself as an intellectual, he is politicising her achievement even here. Let us compliment her and not politicise it and make fun of her achievement."Stating that those in public life should "be very careful," Prakash said the controversy should end now that Tharoor has apologised for his comment.
"I'm happy that he has apologised and deleted the tweet. I think the controversy should end here," he said.
Following Manushi Chhillar's victory at the Miss World 2017 pageant on Saturday, Tharoor had tweeted, "What a mistake to demonetise our currency! BJP should have realised that Indian cash dominates the globe: look, even our Chhillar has become Miss World!"
However, the tweet backfired on Tharoor, when Twitteratis slammed him for comparing Manushi's surname to 'loose change'.In another tweet, Tharoor issued an apology, saying, "Guess the pun IS the lowest form of humour, & the bilingual pun lower still! Apologies to the many who seem to have been righteously offended by a light-hearted tweet today. Certainly no offence was meant to a bright young girl whose answer i've separately praised. Please: Chill!." -- ANI
Image: Newly-crowned Miss World Manushi Chhillar.
10:43 Minister pees on roadside, social media goes berserk: Maharashtra Minister Ram Shinde has landed himself in a controversy after a video clip purportedly showing him urinating on the roadside surfaced on social media. The incident occurred on a stretch of the Solapur-Barshi road when the water conservation minister was travelling in his car.
When contacted, Shinde told PTI that he urinated in the open as he was feeling ill after touring the state nearly a month for the government's flagship Jalyukta Shivar scheme.
"I have been travelling continuously for the last one month reviewing the Jalyukta Shivar scheme. Continuous travelling in high temperatures and dust made me ill.
"I was suffering from fever and when I couldn't find a toilet while travelling, I had to relieve myself in the open," he said.
However, the opposition NCP said the minister not finding a toilet on a highway shows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has failed.
"It is now proved that the government has been looting people in the name of Swachh Bharat cess on petrol and diesel," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.
"If the minister did not find a toilet on a highway, it means the government has all along been looting people in the name of Swacch Bharat cess on fuel. The minister has proved that the whole scheme is nothing but a big failure," Malik said. -- PTI
Image: Minister Ram Shinde
10:35 Farmer protest to hit Delhi today: Farmers from across the country will gather in thousands in New Delhi on Monday for a Kisan Sansad, or farmers' parliament. As many as 180 big and small farmers' organisations of all political and non-political hues have come together to form the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee.The farmers would walk from Ramlila Maidan to Parliament Street and hold a meeting there to highlight farm distress and farmer suicides. The AIKSCC has put forth two chief demands with the Centre '" 50 per cent profit margin over the cost of production and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations. There are seven prominent leaders of the movement, who are: Hannan Mollah, Raju Shetti, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Amra Ram Sunilam,
Avik Saha and Kiran Kumar Vissa.
-- Archis Mohan & Sanjeeb Mukherjee/Business Standard
File pic of Tamil Nadu farmers' protests last year.
10:30 Trump not anti-immigrant: Raj Shah: A prominent Indian-American, who holds a key position in the White House, has refuted the notion that US President Donald Trump is anti-immigrant. "First of all, I don't think that the rhetoric is anti- immigrant. I think it's anti-illegal immigration," White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said. Shah's comments come days after a key Congressional committee passed a legislation that proposes to increase the minimum salary of H-1B visa holders from USD 60,0000 to USD 90,000 and imposes a number of restrictions on the work visa that is popular among Indian IT professionals.
The bill prohibits H-1B dependent employers from replacing American workers with H-1B employees, there are no longer any exceptions. It also lengthens the no-layoff policy for H-1B dependent employers and their client companies for as long an H-1B employee works at the company, which means they cannot layoff equivalent US workers. -- PTI
10:20 Sensex loses sheen, IT, metal stocks weigh: The market got off to a muted start today on weakness in IT and metal stocks after participants took profit amid sluggish global pointers. The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 54.59 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 33,288.21 in early session. The gauge had gained 582.36 points in the previous two sessions. Also, the wider 50-share NSE Nifty shed 22.10 points, or 0.21 per cent, to 10,261.50. Traders went about pocketing profit in those shares that have run up recently. Asia remained weak.
Among major Sensex losers, Cipla, ICICI Bank, Infosys, Tata Steel, M&M and SBI fell by up to 0.99 per cent, pulling the index down. -- PTI
10:16 Trump says he should have left UCLA players in Chinese jail:
United States President Donald Trump on Sunday continued his tirade against the father of one of the UCLA basketball players saying he should have waited until 'his next trip' to China to negotiate for the player's release.'Shoplifting is a very big deal in China, as it should be (5-10 years in jail), but not to father LaVar. Should have gotten his son out during my next trip to China instead. China told them why they were released. Very ungrateful!' Trump tweeted.
Earlier in the day, President Trump said LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo was downplaying formers importance in getting his son released from China.
'Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!' Trump said earlier.
Three players were arrested and accused of shoplifting from a Louis Vuitton store while the UCLA basketball team was on a trip to China for its season-opening game.
Last week they were released and returned to the US, after the President Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping about resolving the situation.
The players held a press conference last week in which they apologised for the incident and thanked President Trump for the help.
During an interview, when father of one of the players was asked about Trump's role in bringing his son back to the US, "Who?" the father responded.
"What was he over there for? Don't tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out." -- ANI
10:09 Missile deal with Israel scrapped, DRDO asked to develop them: The Centre has scrapped a $500-million missile deal with Israel, reportedly asking the Defence Research and Development Organisation to indigenously develop the Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile.A report in the Indian Express says 'the deal was expected to be signed after price negotiations with Rafael Advanced Defence Systems of Israel were completed last year'.
The report quoted ministry sources as saying that 'the decision to cancel the deal was based on the consideration that importing a foreign ATGM at this stage would adversely impact the programme for indigenous development of the weapon system'.
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09:02 Mugabe ends first TV speech since coup without declaring resignation: Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Sunday night didn't announce his resignation instead said the country needs to 'return to normalcy'.The 93-year-old Mugabe made his first television appearance since the military intervention.
According to the Anadolu Agency, in a televised speech read in the presence of the country military chiefs, Mugabe acknowledged the concerns raised by the army as well as his own party.
He called for respecting the constitution, 'and the need to address differences amicably'.
President Mugabe has been asked to step down from presidency and end his nearly four decades of rule, in a latest development in country's ongoing crisis.
The ruling ZANU-PF party has given Monday noon as the deadline or else he would have to face impeachment in Parliament.
Mugabe has already been voted out from the party following a de facto military coup.
The ZANU-PF has replaced Mugabe with recently dismissed Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa as new party leader.
Mugabe's 52-year-old wife Grace has also been booted out from the party over accusations of 'preaching hate, divisiveness and assuming roles and powers not delegated to the office'.
The controversial first lady used to be her husband's secretary as well.Tens of thousands of Zimbabweans attended street protests on Saturday to demonstrate against the Mugabes.
Saturday's marches capped an unprecedented week in which army generals led by General Constantino Chiwenga seized power and placed Mugabe under house arrest. -- ANI
08:17 Patidars, Congress workers clash soon after 'reaching agreement': Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti workers in the late hours of Sunday protested against the Congress in Ahmedabad and Surat, expressing dismay over ticket distribution ahead of assembly polls in the state.Following the release of Congress' list of candidates which includes only three PAAS candidates, angry leaders of the community staged protest.
In Surat,the agitated protestors clashed witch Congress workers, and allegedly vandalised the party's office.
Speaking to ANI in Ahmedabad, PAAS leader Dinesh Patel said, "We'll protest against Congress tomorrow (Monday), and will rethink about extending our support to them, who are shirking their responsibility."
"We'll also ask public to rethink about Congress, because they are not answering a simple question. How can we expect to be heard when our questions are also not being answered by Congress?" he said.
"We'll ask our party candidates to not file a nomination. If they still do, we'll protest against them also," he added.
A clash also broke out between Patel and a police personnel outside the residence of Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki.
Patel informed that PAAS members had to wait for hours outside after they were called to Solanki's residence for a meeting.
"All we want to ask him is why he declared our members' names," he told reporters.
Thereafter, Patel alleged that the concerned police personnel abused and threatened to arrest him.
The Patidar leader also alleged that the Police has been targeting the community, and posing a threat to their lives.
"Police personnel are arresting us under the influence and out of uniform too. They want to kill us. Our life is under threat," he added. -- ANI
Photograph: ANI
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