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Sat, 06 August 2016

If you love gai so much, keep them at shakhas: Nitish Kumar to BJP

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23:14 If you love gai so much, keep them at shakhas: Nitish Kumar to BJP

Amid the raging debate over so-called cow vigilantism, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday launched a scathing attack on BJP and RSS saying if they love "the gai (cow) and the nilgai so much they should keep them at their shakhas".

"If the cow protectors have so much of sympathy towards 'gai and nilgai' then they should keep them at their shakhas. Don't let them roam in fields and trouble farmers," the CM advised.

Kumar said his party would fight the Uttar Pradesh polls on the plank of prohibition and asked the Akhilesh Yadav government to ban liquor.

Immigration authorities detained Narada News CEO Mathew Samuel at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on his arrival from the US following a lookout notice issued against him by the Kolkata police.

Kolkata police have been informed about the detention and asked to approach the immigration authorities with relevant documents about the case before he could be handed over to them, official sources said.

Kolkata Police had registered a case against Samuel on a complaint by city Mayor and Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sovan Chattopadhyay's wife. Chattopadhyay was purportedly seen accepting money in the sting operation video released by Narada News.

The controversial Narada sting operation, which surfaced just ahead of the assembly elections, purportedly showed several Trinamool Congress leaders and an IPS officer accepting money for consideration.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian high commissioner in Pakistan to seek consular access to an Indian prisoner who was attacked at least thrice by inmates in a Peshawar jail.

Hamid Nehal Ansari, a Mumbai resident arrested in 2012 for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online, suffered injuries after he was attacked by inmates in the Peshawar Central Prison.

"I am very much disturbed to read about repeated attacks on Hamid Ansari who is detained in Peshawar jail since 2012. It is inhuman.

"I have asked our high commissioner in Pakistan to seek consular access to Hamid Ansari in hospital/Jail and report," Swaraj tweeted.

Ansari, 31, was sentenced to three years imprisonment by a military court for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card.

Police in the Bangladeshi capital said on Saturday they will assign identity numbers for all Dhaka residents who live in rented houses following the deadly terror attack on a cafe here that killed 22 people.

"Every tenant will have a unique ID number, so police will be able to monitor any shift to other accommodation," said police commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia adding that they were creating a database for tenants.

"I witnessed the team of surgeons and anaesthetists resuscitating a young 24-year-old bullet-ridden body... the guy lost the battle.. he died..I couldn't hold myself for a while... I couldn't hold my tears," narrated a doctor working in SMHS hospital in the Valley.

Read his emotional account of treating Kashmir protesters' tale HERE

21:26

JUST IN: Punjab RSS vice-president Brigadier Jagdish Gagneja injured after being shot at by two bike-borne men in Jalandhar.

21:03 2 cops attacked with machete in Belgium

Two police officers have been injured by a machete-wielding assailant in the Belgian city of Charleroi. The attacker was shot and wounded, Charleroi police said on Twitter (in French).

The assailant is said to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great" in Arabic) during the assault outside the city's main police station. The area has been sealed off.

Expressing concern over spillover of unrest in Kashmir, Union Minister Jitendra Singh today said the Union home ministry will deploy additional forces to contain the situation.

"This is a matter of concern. There is unrest in theValley for the last four weeks with the last 2-3 days we saw disturbance happening in this part of the state, including Kishtwar, which has remain sensitive all along," Union Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh said.

"We have brought it to the notice of Home Minister and he has assured us that they are looking into it and are sending extra forces," he said.

20:29

JUST IN: Infiltration bid foiled in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowgam on Saturday afternoon. One terrorist killed.

20:18 "Win hearts of people" in Kashmir, Azad tells PM Modi

The Congress asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "win the hearts" of the people of Kashmir, where the situation is turning "too dangerous".

"I would request your kind indulgence for taking urgent steps to win the hearts of the people of the state and also ensure that the law and order situation is restored at the earliest," Ghulam Nabi Azad, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said in an open letter to the prime minister.

Azad, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, regretted that there was no recognition of the Kashmir situation at national level.

Making a pitch for "political process" to find a solution to the problem, he reminded the prime minister that even in the face of worst provocations past governments had never abandoned it both on external and internal fronts.

"The initiative taken by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that Kashmir problem can be solved within the ambit of 'insaniyat', Jamhuriyat' and Kashmiriyat" followed by Delhi-Lahore bus service, was appreciated by one and all," Azad said.

Nidhi Chaphekar says she could not recognise herself when she saw a photo of herself sitting on a chair, her clothes torn, hair caked with soot and blood streaking down her face after the March 22 Brussels attack.

Chapekhar, the 42-year-old Jet Airways flight in-charge sustained severe burn injuries and fractures following twin blasts at the Zaventem Airport in Brussels. Her photo immediately after the attack became one of the defining images of the terrorist attack.

See the full interview HERE

In yet another bid to highlight the Kashmir issue, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed to provide medical help to those injured in violence there and called on the international community to ask India to provide access for treatment of victims.

Two days after Home Minister Rajnath Singh at the SAARC meeting is Islamabad asked countries to stop glorifying terrorists as martyrs, Sharif described the Kashmir situation as an "ongoing humanitarian crisis".

"Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called upon the international community to immediately help arrange medical treatment for the victims" in Kashmir, especially for treatment of eye injuries resulting from use of pellet guns by the Indian forces, a Pakistan Foreign Office statement said.

"The PM conveyed Pakistan's unequivocal support in arranging best available medical facilities to these injured people, anywhere in the world," it said.

Speaking at the first ever Townhall, Modi addresses the issue of gau rakshaks and cow vigilantism.

>> People who want to do social service should first make cows stop eating plastics and waste

>> People who have set up shops in the name of gau raksha (cow protection) make me angry

>> Anti-social elements hiding behind cow-protectors mask

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with citizens at Indira Gandhi indoor stadium in New Delhi during his first-ever 'townhall' event on Saturday.

>> The world is in recession. Despite the purchasing capacity of world going down, we have a growth rate of 7.6%

>> Tourism will boost our economy, we should try and drive our economy. If we achieve 8% growth rate for 30 years then, we will be at the top

>> Our focus should be on preventive health care

>> Now Health Department is reaching out household to household to reach everyone

>> We are focusing more on health assurance than health insurance

And India suffers upsets at the Olympics. Apurvi Chandela and Ayonika Paul are out of the women's 10m Air Rifle event. Unfortunately, this brings the curtains down for both of them in their debut Olympics.

17:52

At the Townhall, Modi addressing the crowds says:

>> Responsibility with accountability is hallmark of good governance

>> Good governance is all about making things easy for people

>> If we don't focus on good governance then lives of normal people will not change

>> Grievance redressal systems are the biggest strengths of a democracy

17:41 Participative democracy is essential: Modi at 1st townhall

PM Modi interacts with the citizens at the first of its kind Townhall. Ahead of his address, he thanks the citizens for associating with MyGov in such large numbers. Modi says, "The spirit of a democracy is incomplete if one thinks the citizen's role stops at voting. Participative democracy is essential."

Dattu Bhokanal has made his way to the quarter finals of the Men's Sculls in his first Olympics. He's the only representative from India in the Men's sculls event.

Go, India, go!

At least 15 people have died in separate rain-related incidents in Pakistan's southern Sindh province with heavy monsoon showers wreaking havoc here.

The heavy rain, that began last evening, continued today leaving 50 per cent of Karachi in darkness as around 450 feeders of K-Electric -- Karachi's power utility company -- tripped with several roads heavily inundated and communication systems badly disrupted.

Rescue and government officials said around eight deaths were reported in Karachi from electrocution or roof collapse in low lying areas while another 7 were killed in Badin, Mithi and Thatta in interior Sindh.

The rains also resulted in massive traffic jams and gridlocks in various parts of the city.

Kurdish and Arab militias seized full control of the northern Syrian city of Manbij after fierce fighting with ISIS militants, a rights group reported Saturday.

The militias are combing the city, searching for remaining ISIS militants, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

US officials describe Manbij as a strategic supply point for ISIS, and the terror group's principal hub between Raqqa, the capital of its self-declared caliphate, and Turkey.

Rebel forces launched the offensive to take back Manbij in early June.

It's yet another stronghold ISIS has given up in recent months after the loss of parts of Sirte in Libya, and Falluja in Iraq.

16:45 Taxies in Dubai to promote Kerala Tourism

With the onset of the outbound tourism season in the Middle East, Kerala Tourism has rolled out a promotional campaign in Dubai targeting Arab travellers and showcasing the state's backwaters and waterfalls on taxis plying in the bustling metropolis.

As many as 200 Kerala-branded taxis will ferry the message of 'A Faraway Land Four Hours Away' with eye-catching visuals featuring hill stations, backwaters, waterfalls and also Ayurvedic therapies - through the streets of Dubai, the throbbing heart of the UAE, an official release said here

today.

The campaign will see the cabs take to the streets sporting wrappings aimed to promote the state's Monsoon getaways, offering respite from the sizzling Arabian summer.

A Kuwaiti national - identified as Abdullah Hadi Abdul Rehman Al-Enezi - who had helped in arranging finances for the travel of first batch of Islamic State recruits from India - Areeb Majeed, Fahad Sheikh, Saheem Tanki and Amand Tandel, has been arrested by Kuwaiti authorities on the basis of information provided by Indian agencies.

Sources told ToI that Kuwait authorities have informed NIA through ministry of external affairs about Abdullah Hadi's arrest few days back.

The Kuwaiti national is learnt to have admitted to 'terror financing' and supporting travel of ISIS recruits to the caliphate territory.

Chinese media today dismissed Hong Kong's independence movement as a political "gimmick", following the city's first pro-independence rally that was attended by more than 2,000 people.

The unprecedented rally saw people fill a park near the government's headquarters last night, chanting "Hong Kong independence".

The protest was led by five pro-independence candidates who were banned from standing for election in Hong Kong because they advocate a split from mainland China.

Critics have slammed the move as censorship as fears grow over Beijing interference in the semi-autonomous city in a range of areas, from politics to media and education.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has been summoned by Kamrup metropolitan court (Assam) in connection with a defamation case for his remark against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Gandhi has to appear before the Court on September 29.

Rahul Gandhi had alleged that RSS workers had stopped him from entering the Barpeta satra, a Vaishnavite monastery. His remarks triggered a controversy across the country when he alleged that women were made to sit at the entrance of the satra, refusing him entry.

In the suit, the complainant charged Rahul Gandhi of making false statements to defame the public image of RSS. The lower court has fixed March 30 to record further evidence in the case. Senior advocate Bijon Mahajan represented the petitioner.

Facing flak over death of cows at a state-run shelter due to alleged negligence, Rajasthan government today swung into action with its minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat inspecting the Hingonia Cow centre.

The UDF minister flanked by officials of municipal corporation reviewed the condition and said that he will apprise the Chief Minister of the situation.

He directed the centre to take prompt action to clear mud from there and provide better living conditions.

Congress as well as the VHP targeted the BJP government in Rajasthan for the "poor" condition of cow shelters in the state and demanded a rescue campaign for sick cows.

14:58 Clinton is queen of corruption: Trump

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump today attacked his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by calling her 'queen of corruption' and predicted "destruction of this country from within" if she is elected as

the president.

"We're going to be talking about the queen of corruption," Trump said at election rally in Des Moines Iowa,

"If Hillary Clinton becomes president you will have, you will have terrorism, you will have problems, you will have, really, in my opinion, the destruction of this country from within," Trump told a cheering crowd as he launched another scathing attack on his Democratic rival.

Clinton, 68, has been leading in all national polls for the past one week. If elected, she would be the first woman president of the United States.

Over 30 madrasas in Ujjain have refused to accept the food that comes as mid-day meals for the students, alleging it was an attempt to defile their faith.

The providers of mid-day meals used to be the Iskcon Temple since 2010, which catered to schools in the city. Administration of the madrasas, however, refused to accept food from Iskcon any longer.

Parents of Muslim students believe the trust used to offer the food to Hindu gods before sending them to schools, which is unacceptable to some.

When the tender of Iskcon ended in July 2016, suppliers BRK Foods and Ma Parvati Foods were roped in to provide the mid-day meals but madrasas have declined to accept food from either of them.

BRK supplies mid-day meals to 315 schools, out of which 56 madrasas have turned down their offer.

Parents of the madrasa students have also threatened to remove their children from madrasas who accept food from the present suppliers.

They have demanded that meals be cooked in the madrasas themselves instead of being brought from outside.

However, when contacted, the official administration denied the reports saying madrasas rejected the meals as the students are used to a different kind of food.

A rare copy of a Superman comic book sold for nearly $1 million this week.

The 1938 comic book marks the first appearance of Superman, and is considered a gem among comic book fans, according to Heritage Auctions.

It was expected to sell for $750,000 but fetched $956,000 instead, setting a record for a copy of Action Comics #1, Heritage Auctions said.

About 100 copies of the comic book are believed to exist decades after production.

"Few copies of this comic survive, let alone come to auction with such a bright cover," said Lon Allen, managing director of comics and comic art at Heritage Auctions

The comic book sold Thursday was part of a collection owned by a fan who bought it in the 1990s for $26,000, Dallas-based Heritage Auctions said.

When it first came out in 1938, Action Comics #1 cost 10 cents.

ISIS militants have captured up to 3,000 people displaced from their homes trying to flee conflict zones in northern Iraq, the United Nations said Friday, reportedly killing 12 of them.

The UN refugee agency said it had received reports that ISIS rounded up the thousands of internally displaced people Thursday from villages as they tried to escape to the city of Kirkuk.

"Reportedly, 12 of the IDPs have been killed in captivity," the agency said in its daily Iraq update, using an acronym for internally displaced persons.

The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday that an estimated 100 to 120 ISIS militants had captured around 1,900 civilians.

Delhi's Patiala house court has issued non-bailable warrants against absconding liquor baron Vijay Mallya in a cheque bounce case.

The court has asked Mallya to be present in the court on November 4.

The court has also asked the ministry of external affairs to send non bailable warrant to Mallya as he is currently residing in London.

The court said, "Despite repeated orders Vijay Mallya hasn't appeared in court. We need to take coercive steps to ensure his appearance in court".

Major volcanic activity on Mercury planet most likely ended about 3.5 billion years ago, according to a new study which shed light into its geological evolution.

There are two types of volcanic activity: effusive and explosive. Explosive volcanism is often a violent event that results in large ash and debris eruptions, such as the Mount Saint Helens eruption in 1980, researchers from North Carolina State (NC State) University in the US said.

Effusive volcanism refers to widespread lava flows that slowly pour out over the landscape - believed to be a key process by which planets form their crusts, they said.

Determining the ages of effusive volcanic deposits can give researchers a handle on a planet's geological history.

For example, effusive volcanism was active a few hundred million years ago on Venus, a few million years ago on Mars, and it still takes place on Earth today, researchers said.

Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the 2nd anniversary event of MyGov today. PM Modi is set to address a Obama-style townhall later in the day.

"Our PM Narendra Modi calls himself Pradhan Sevak and that reflects the people centric change in governance," Prasad said.

"Those who think for the country and work for its development have been given a platform to participate. It's our effort to connect with people directly in governance of India," he added.

"Digital India is the destiny of India and digital democracy is essence of India," the minister said.

Two more bodies were recovered today during the search operation in Savitri river where two state-run buses and some private vehicles were swept away after a British-era bridge collapsed in Mahad, taking the toll in the tragedy to 24.

"Two more bodies, both males, were found at different locations in the river and the toll has now gone up to 24. Of these, one was found near Mhapral bridge and the other in Amber creek," a Raigad district official said.

A fresh search operation involving multiple agencies and local divers was launched this morning, he said.

The tragedy occurred on Tuesday night at Mahad when two state-run buses and some private vehicles fell into the swollen river following collapse of the nearly-century-old bridge on the Mumbai-Goa Highway.

11:32 PM Modi to address Obama-style townhall today

For an hour on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with citizens at an indoor stadium in Delhi in what has been described as his first Obama-style townhall.

PM Modi's session, scheduled between and 5 and 6 pm, is the showstopper in a day-long programme that will see top ministers also engage with people in sessions.

The event marks two years of MyGov, the government's citizen engagement platform. A new app will be launched to allow mobile users to connect with website of the PMO.

About 2000 people have been invited as audience, chosen for their engagement with MyGov.

"They would be selected from among the regular users of MyGov, based on their ideas, level of engagement, questions and suggestions," said MyGov Chief Executive Officer Gaurav Dwivedi.

A Muslim couple who accused Delta Air Lines of Islamophobia for throwing them off a flight have spoken of their ordeal for the first time.

They said they were singled out because flight crew had noticed them "sweating" and saying the word "Allah", which they denied.

Faisal Ali and Nazia Ali were waiting for about 45 minutes on a Delta Air Lines flight in Paris to fly back to Cincinnati, Ohio when a Delta employee asked the couple to exit the aircraft as he needed to ask them questions.

"We asked if we should get our stuff and he said, 'Yes, take all of your stuff as you won't be on that flight'," Ms Ali told The Independent. "That was really alarming."

After interrogating them about their stay in Paris - the couple had been enjoying a brief holiday in the capital city for their 10th wedding anniversary - the police said they had no problems with them and there was nothing else he could ask the couple.

Curfew and restrictions continued in Kashmir for the 29th day after fresh clashes erupted in the Valley killing three men, raising the death toll to 53.

Thousands defied curfew imposed to prevent a protest march to Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, which is when the clashes broke out.

Two youth were killed in Budgam District and in Soporr. At least 20 policemen and soldiers were also reported injured.

The government had put restrictions in place in various old Srinagar areas to thwart the Friday protests in the city.

10:16 Trump ends suspense endorses Ryan and McCain

Ending days of suspense, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump today endorsed his party's two stalwarts House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator John McCain for re-election and vowed to make Republicans a "big tent" party as was under ex-president Ronald Regan.

"In our shared mission to make America great again, I support and endorse our Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. We need unity. We have to win this election. This is truly one of the most important elections in my lifetime," Trump said at an election rally in Ryan's home state of Wisconsin.

Over the past few days, Trump had refused to endorse either Ryan and McCain fueling speculations that all is not well among the Republicans and the party is not united ahead of the crucial November general elections.

Japan today marked 71 years since the city of Hiroshima was destroyed by a US atomic bomb, as its mayor urged the world to unite in abolishing nuclear weapons.

The annual ceremony came just months after Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit the city, paying moving tribute to victims of the first atomic bomb.

American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped its deadly payload, dubbed "Little Boy", on the western Japanese city at 8:15 am local time on August 6, 1945.

Much of the city was incinerated by a wall of heat up to 4,000 C (7,232 F) -- hot enough to melt steel -- killing tens of thousands.

Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui recalled the visit by Obama in his peace declaration during the solemn ceremony.

"(His visit) was the proof that Hiroshima's strong wish not to tolerate the 'absolute evil' was shared by President Obama," he said.

"It is the time for us to make actions towards the abolition of the 'absolute evil', the ultimate form of inhumanity, united and with passion."

The bombing claimed the lives of 140,000 people. Some died immediately while others succumbed to injuries or radiation-related illnesses weeks, months and years later.

An accidental explosion at a bar in Rouen, Normandy, in northern France sparked a deadly fire early Saturday, killing at least 13 people and injuring others, according to Rouen police.

A witness told CNN a major street was blocked and a security perimeter was set up around Le Cuba Libre bar.

He said he had seen 15 fire trucks and several police vehicles around the bar on Avenue Jacques Cartier.

Local media reported that a birthday party was taking place and the victims were between the ages of 18 and 25.

04:19 Eiffel Tower evacuated in safety drill muddle

Paris's Eiffel Tower was evacuated in error after an employee mistook a safety drill for a real incident, a police source said in the increasingly jittery terror-hit country.

"It was a safety exercise drill, the sort that is done dozens of times a week, which went wrong. One employee thought that it was a real threat and the Eiffel Tower was evacuated," the source said.

It was unclear how many people were told to leave the landmark and the tower's management could not immediately be reached for comment.

The incident came as French authorities announced the cancellation of two major events over security fears.

One of Europe's biggest flea markets, in the northern French city of Lille, and the European road cycling championships, which were due to be held in Nice from September 14 to 18, were both called off yesterday. They are the latest events to be cancelled following the November attacks in Paris that left 130 dead and last month's Bastille Day truck massacre in the Riviera town of Nice that claimed 85 lives following a fireworks display.

CNN reports: Hillary Clinton on Friday doubled down on recent misleading statements about her use of a private email server at the State Department, even as she acknowledged that she "may have short-circuited" her answers about it.

At a gathering of black and Hispanic journalists in Washington, DC, Clinton -- who has come under fire for not often taking media questions -- was asked about her recent assertion that FBI Director James Comey had said she was "truthful" to the public in discussing the issue, a claim that a number of media outlets, including CNN, have debunked.

"I was pointing out in both of those instances, that Director Comey had said that my answers in my FBI interview were truthful. That really is the bottom line here," she said.

"What I told the FBI, which he said was truthful, is consistent with what I have said publicly. I may have short-circuited and for that I will try to clarify."

The Truth about Trump by Michael D'Antonio makes for disturbing reading, but not for the obvious reasons.

Originally published in 2015 as Never Enough, this book does not tell you much about the man himself that you may not already know, but it does reveal much about the country and circumstances that gave rise to such a person.

D'Antonio's contention is that now Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is not such an unusual man, but merely, "one of us writ large".

As not all of us -- or even many Americans -- have a hairstyle so unique that it seems unreal, or orange coloured skin, this statement seems a little strong.

But D'Antonio, who was part of a team of reporters who won a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting, does great, detailed work to back up his theory.

Read more HERE

Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres is still the front-runner to become the next United Nations Secretary-General after a second UN Security Council secret ballot on Friday, said diplomats.

The 15-member council cast a ballot for each of the 11 candidates, and the choice is encourage, discourage or no opinion. Guterres received 11 encourage, two discourage and two no opinions, diplomats said. In the first poll on July 21, Guterres received 12 encourages and three no opinions.

Former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic moved up to second with eight encourage, four discourage and three no opinion, edging out Argentinian Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra who got eight encourage, six discourage and one no opinion.

Former Slovenian President Danilo Turk dropped to fourth from second with seven encourage, five discourage and three no opinion, while Irina Bokova of Bulgaria, director-general of U.N. cultural organisation UNESCO took fifth spot.

Read more HERE

A Moroccan Olympic boxer was arrested today on allegations he sexually assaulted two Brazilian housekeepers in the Olympic Village.

Police said the possible attacks by Hassan Saada happened Wednesday. The women filed a report this week, saying the 22-year-old boxer asked them to go to his room, then restrained and fondled them, chief investigator Carolina Salomao said.

"They were cleaning the room right across his, and he assaulted them. He groped the breast of one of them and touched the other woman's thigh. They were able to get out," Salomao told reporters.

The detective said Saada shared the room with two other athletes, but was alone at the time of the alleged assault. Saada will be jailed for 15 days while they investigate. Under Brazilian law, suspects can be held for a long period while a case is examined.

Police originally said in a statement the man had raped the housekeepers, but the investigator said it was a sexual assault. It's not clear what charges he is facing.

The Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel has claimed that Vijay Rupani, who has been chosen to replace Anandiben Patel as Gujarat Chief Minister, was a loyalist of Amit Shah and that all the work in the state will now be carried out on the BJP president's orders.

"Rupani will be the Chief Minister of Gujarat just for the sake of it. All the work will be virtually done by Amit Shah," said Patel, who has been living in Udaipur after a court ordered him to stay away from Gujarat.

He accused the BJP government in the state of misdirecting the Patel community and said if Nitin Patel, who has been chosen as Rupani's deputy, "wants to save his image among the Patel community, he should resign".

He said that the Patel community has been insulted once again in the state and Shah has started a new type of politics by naming Nitin Patel as the deputy chief minister.

He vowed to continue his agitation for quota in the state.

01:53 Last 2 journalists leave London's Fleet Street

The last two reporters working on Fleet Street filed their final stories today, ending more than 300 years of journalism on the London thoroughfare synonymous with Britain's newspaper industry.

London chief reporter Gavin Sherriff and entertainment features writer Darryl Smith, journalists with Scottish weekly The Sunday Post, are all that remains of the famed institution.

"We knew as journalists that this was an important part of history for our profession, which we love," Smith said.

"There is still that attachment to Fleet Street as a centre of the profession, and we are that final torchbearer." AFP's departure from Fleet Street in 2009 left the London bureau of Scottish publishers DC Thomson as the last remaining newsroom in the industry's spiritual home, now overtaken by investment banks and legal offices.

But the group of 15 reporters that were there seven years ago have dwindled down to Sherriff and Smith, who have accepted redundancy packages. DC Thomson will continue to produce non-news publications from 185 and 186 Fleet Street, with its nationally-protected edifice bearing the names of its newspapers.

In a veiled attack on Pakistan, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said the neighbouring country hates India so much that it was ready to let itself down in order to harm India.

"There is so much hatred: 'our (Pakistan's) own condition is quite bad, but we (Pakistan) would let ourselves down to spite the neighbour (India).' This is how our neighbour is behaving," Bhagwat said while speaking at a book-launch in Indore.

"Whenever we extend the hand of friendship, it (Pakistan) makes such circumstances that we can not offer friendship again," he said.

He also said that both developed and developing countries were getting caught in the crossfire as the tussle to become superpower was on in the world.

"Global thinkers are wondering if the race to become superpower continues like this then whether the world would survive. The world is looking at India with hope for answers. If we are able to answer these questions then we can become the number one country," Bhagwat said.

Missed out on Friday's commentary? Click HERE

If you love gai so much, keep them at shakhas: Nitish Kumar to BJP

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