'Cheated by Mamata's TMC', Muslims flock in huge numbers to Amit Shah's rally - Indian Express

Amit Shah during a rally in Kolkata.

Participation of Muslims in large numbers at BJP president Amit Shah’s rally here on Sunday is an encouraging sign for the saffron party in West Bengal, where votes from the minorities hold the key to forming a government.

Muslims who attended the rally complained that the Trinamool Congress government had let down the community as it did not fulfil its promises, and the BJP now appeared to them a viable option.

“We have been cheated so many times by so many political parties that we don’t believe anymore in what they said about the BJP. I am ready to test the BJP as well,” said 60-year-old Fazlur Rahman Mondal from Balurghat in South Dinajpore.

Safiqul Islam from Barasat in North 24 Parganas too said Muslims were misled by several political parties. “We have been brainwashed for too long. Now, we can see through what the previous ruling party had done and the present one is trying to do,” he said.

Some accused the Trinamool Congress of treating the community as a vote bank and favouring only influential Muslims. Md Alam from Mominpur, a Muslim-dominated locality in the city, said, “If one observed closely, one would see that the TMC was only handing over freebies to some of the influential Muslims and treating the rest of us only as vote bank.”

Rahidul Khan, Anarul Seikh and Mansad Khan, who belong to Saltola in Bankura, said they have defected from the TMC to the BJP because of internal clashes and bias in the Mamata Banerjee-led party. “We had to endure a lot of atrocities from our own party till we could not stand it,” said Rahidul. Anarul alleged:”In a housing project at our locality, those who already had homes were given homes, and we were deprived and homeless.”

“I defected because the TMC leaders there (in Bankura) are only busy filling their own pockets. They are not bothered about the people of the locality,” Mansad said.

In the rally, there were some like Mofizul Islam, who had initially started with the CPM, then moved the TMC and now has joined the BJP. “There is a lot of internal clash in the TMC at Arambagh which has made people very anti-Trinamool there. They are all looking for a change,” said Islam, a resident of Arambagh in Hooghly.

The recent clash in Makra village of Birbhum also appeared to a result of several Muslims shifting their allegiance from the Trinamool Congress to the BJP.

Danish Rahman from West Midnapore too thought the BJP deserved a chance. “We have been disappointed by the CPM and the TMC and have been fed by a lot of negativities by their leaders about the BJP. But, it cannot get any worse and so the BJP should be given a chance as well.”

A large number of Muslim women too participated in the rally. continued…

Starlet Gauhar Khan slapped during reality show shoot - Financial Express

Summary

Model and actor Gauhar Khan was today slapped by an audience member while she was hosting…

Gauhar Khan was today slapped by an audience member while she was hosting 'India's Raw Star'.

Model and actor Gauhar Khan was today slapped by an audience member while she was hosting ‘India’s Raw Star’, a reality show, at Film City in suburban Goregaon, police said.

Gauhar Khan was attacked and threatened by an audience member who said that, “being a Muslim woman, she should not have worn such a short dress”, Aarey Colony police said.

The accused, identified as Mohammed Akil Mallick (24), slapped and touched her inappropriately during the break of the show, but was immediately overpowered by the security guards deployed there, following which the police were notified.

Senior inspector at Aarey police station, Vilas Chavan, told PTI that the accused was subsequently arrested and booked under IPC sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation).

Mallick will be produced before the court tomorrow.

Jaitley mulling to introduce GST bill in winter session - The Hindu

The Hindu Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addressing a workshop in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday expressed hope that the much-awaited GST Bill, which provides for a uniform indirect tax structure, would be introduced in the current winter session of Parliament.

“We will try and introduce GST (Goods and Services Tax) Bill in this session...GST Bill would be taken up by the Cabinet after Empowered Committee (of state finance Minister) meeting on December 12,” he said here.

The government has proposed to implement GST from April 1, 2016, and the new Finance Commission may be set up ahead of its schedule to look into the issues related to the new indirect tax regime.

The GST will subsume indirect taxes like excise duty and service tax at the central level and VAT on the states front, besides local levies.

There are differences between the Centre and states on some issues with regard to the implementation of GST that includes the revenue neutral rate and keeping petroleum, liquor out of the ambit.

While a sub-committee on GST has suggested that the revenue neutral rate of GST be pegged at about 27 per cent, the states are yet to decide on it.

It had suggested states GST at 13.91 per cent and Central GST at 12.77 per cent.

Besides, states have been demanding that petroleum, alcohol and tobacco should be kept out of the purview of GST.

The GST Constitutional Amendment Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2011, had lapsed and the NDA government will be required to come up with a fresh bill.

The GST rollout has missed several deadlines because of lack of consensus among states over certain crucial issues on the new tax regime.

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Youth who slapped Gauhar Khan, detained - The Hindu

A youth was detained on Saturday night for allegedly slapping and molesting a film and television actress.

The victim, Gauhar Khan, in her complaint said that the accused entered Film city in Goregaon, a western suburb of Mumbai, on the pretext of being a spectator, slapped and molested her on the sets of a show.

The accused identified as Akil Mali (24) was booked on the charge of molestation. He allegedly did not like the actress sporting ‘short dresses’ in her shows and therefore landed up at the sets to express his displeasure.

The police are likely to place him under arrest and produce him before a local court on Monday.

Meanwhile, twitteratti came in support of the actress. Actor Farhan Akthar said:

"Dearest natural selection, please help us out-evolve morons like the one who slapped Gauhar Khan. Sincerely...— Farhan Akhtar"

More In: Mumbai | Cinema Plus | Features | Entertainment | Cinema

CBI questions senior IPS officer in Odisha chit-fund scam - India Today

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday questioned senior IPS officer Rajesh Kumar for three hours at its regional headquarters in Bhubaneswar for his alleged links with a broker in the multicrore chit-fund scam.

Sources said the interrogation of Kumar, who ironically was himself probing the chit-fund scam until recently in his capacity as DIG, Crime Branch (Economic Offence wing), was based on the information obtained by the CBI from the diaries seized from the residence of broker, Shubhankar Naik over a fortnight ago. The probe against Kumar is a huge embarrassment for the Naveen Patnaik government which had resisted the CBI investigation till the last moment claiming that a Crime Branch probe into the scandal was enough.

Kumar, who is currently DIG, north central range, refused to divulge details of his interrogation. "I have told the CBI whatever I had to tell them," he told the mediapersons after coming out of the agency's office.

The CBI sources, however, said he was quizzed about his alleged close links with Naik whose diary has revealed some sensational facts.

The diaries seized from the Kharvel Nagar apartment of Naik has revealed, among other things, that he had been making payments to a number of police officers and bureaucrats besides some journalists on behalf of Seashore group whose chairman-cum-managing director, Prashant Dash is now in jail. The names in the diary include a woman IAS officer currently on central deputation.

Sources said that Naik, a resident of Sambalpur, became close to Kumar when he was posted in the western Odisha district. He had also cultivated some other IPS officers who had stints in districts like Dhenkanal, Keonjhar and Sundergarh.

The ruling BJD is already in deep trouble over the chit-fund scam probe with the CBI having arrested some of its senior leaders, including sitting Mayurbhanj MP Ramchandra Hansda, sitting MLA from Banki Pravat Tripathy and former MLA Subarna Nayak.

For more news from India Today, follow us on Twitter @indiatoday and on Facebook at http://ift.tt/1aKMnw7

For news and videos in Hindi, go to AajTak.in. ताज़ातरीन ख़बरों और वीडियो के लिए आजतक.इन पर आएं.

Adding to the market fire: Citi raises Sensex target to 33000 - Firstpost

As Indian equity markets continue to hit record highs, global investment bank Citigroup has raised the BSE Sensex December 2015 target to 33,000 from 31,000.

The brokerage also increased the Nifty target to 9,850 from 9,240.

It said 2015 should be front-loaded with falling interest rates and back-loaded with actual economic recovery amid steady reforms. It added that falling rates in a rising economy/earnings could fire the market more.

Citi expects policy rates to fall by 75 basis points in 2015.

Rejigging its portfolio, it said it is overweight on banks, energy, cement and pharmaceutical shares.

It listed Adani Port and Special Economic Zone, Aurobindo Pharma among top large-cap picks and also likes Ashok Leyland and DB Corp among midcaps.

Meanwhile, JP Morgan too epects the Sensex to hit 32,500 by end of December 2015.

“Indian equities are benefiting from the start of a new growth cycle, a benign global environment resulting in a positive shift in terms of trade and reforms, which can lift India's potential growth rate,” the brokerage said in a note to clients.

“From a portfolio perspective we back cyclical stocks and sectors that could benefit from policy changes,” the note said, while sounding a cautious note on high beta stocks.

Morgan Stanley is overweight on oil & gas, auto, banks and IT sectors. It is underweight on FMCG, healthcare, capital goods, cement and power utilities.

With inputs from Reuters

Gauahar Khan in shock after getting slapped on reality show - Indian Express

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  Former ‘Bigg Boss’ housemate and host of reality show, ‘India’s Raw Star’, Gauahar Khan was slapped by an audience member, while hosting the grand finale of the show on Sunday (November 30). (Source: Varinder Chawla)

  
  


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  The starlet was attacked and threatened by an audience member who said that, “being a Muslim woman, she should not have worn such a short dress”. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

  
  


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  Gauahar was clearly upset as she took a seat after the incident. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

  
  


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  A stony-faced Gauahar Khan, gets her makeup and hair re-done on sets. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

  
  


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  Gauahar Khan, later put on a brave face as she welcomed Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor on stage. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

  
  


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  Arjun Kapoor, who will next be seen in ‘Tevar’, opted for a black kurta with grey coloured dhoti pants. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

  
  


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  Gauahar seemed to have recovered enough from the unpleasant incident, as she shook a leg with Arjun on stage. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

  
  


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  Arjun obliges fans with a selfie. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

  
  


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  Judge on the show, singer Himesh Reshammiya gets ready to announce the winner. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

  
  


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  Winner of ‘India’s Raw Star’, Rituraj Mohanty accepts his award. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

  
  


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  Arjun Kapoor, who was present to promote upcoming film, ‘Tevar’, watches the performances. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

  
  

Review security in Shopian district:NC to EC - Press Trust of India

Rajya Sabha adjourned briefly after opposition uproar over fall in procurement price of paddy and cottonCentre has sanctioned Rs 5,000 crore to provide 2G mobile coverage to this area for better connectivity: PMEvery year we will send 2000 students and 500 teachers from the Northeast to other parts of the country during vacation to familiarise them: PMCentre to provide Rs 28,000 crore for new railway lines in the Northeast: PM Narendra ModiFormer Arunachal Chief Minister Jarbom Gamlin passes awayRupee trims initial losses, still down by 12 paiseNifty hits new peak; Sensex trades higher

Centre has sanctioned Rs 5,000 crore to provide 2G mobile coverage to this area for better connectivity: PM.

Every year we will send 2000 students and 500 teachers from the Northeast to other parts of the country during vacation to familiarise them: PM.

Centre to provide Rs 28,000 crore for new railway lines in the Northeast: PM Narendra Modi.

Rajya Sabha adjourned briefly after opposition uproar over fall in procurement price of paddy and cotton.

Why is Mamata shielding Saradha scamsters, asks Amit Shah - Firstpost

Kolkata, Nov 30 (IANS) Alleging that that involvement of Trinamool Congress leaders led to the proliferation of the multi-crore-rupee Saradha chit fund scam, BJP president Amit Shah Sunday challenged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to prove that her leaders arrested by the CBI were innocent.

Addressing a rally in the city for which the Banerjee administration had initially denied permission, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief also claimed that Saradha money was used in the Oct 2 Burdwan blast in which Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh was involved.

"Mamata didi says the CBI has framed Trinamool leaders. Whether they have been framed or not that is for the court to decide. But I challenge didi, do you have the guts to claim that your party leaders who have been arrested are innocent?" asked Shah.

Besides suspended Trinamool Rajya Sabha member Kunal Ghosh, who was arrested by police, fellow party parliamentarian Srinjoy Bose and party leader and former IPS officer Rajat Majumdar were arrested by the CBI for their alleged complicity in the scam.

"Didi, did your leaders not benefit from the Saradha scam? If yes, how can you claim that they are innocent. It's your leaders whose involvement led to the proliferation of the scam," Shah said.

The BJP chief also questioned the closure of the Justice Shyamal Sen Commission set up by the Banerjee government to probe the scam.

"Didi, please tell us why are you shielding the scamsters? You also need to tell who bought your paintings as well as why was the Shyamal Sen Commission closed?

"Didi, can you say that Saradha money was not used by militants in the Burdwan blast?" Shah asked.

During the Lok Sabha poll campaigns, the then BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi too had raised the issue of Banerjee's painting, one of which he claimed was sold for Rs.1.86 crore.

Asserting that time has come for "uprooting" the Trinamool from Bengal, Shah also wondered why Banerjee, who sat on a fast during the anti-land acquisition movement against the erstwhile Left Front regime, was not bothered by the fate of the 17 lakh depositors ruined by the scam.

"Didi, are you not moved by the condition of the 17 lakh depositors who were ruined by the scam in which your leaders are involved? Is it because of their involvement that you have not hit the streets like you did during your Singur movement?" Shah asked.

Slamming the Banerjee regime over flight of industry, deteriorating law and order and poor infrastructure, Shah urged people to bring in the BJP and uproot the Trinamool from Bengal.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.

ISIS recruit Arif Majeed to undergo narco test - Times of India

MUMBAI: The security agency interrogating the 23 year old ISIS recruit Arif Majeed who returned to India on Friday does not believe him completely and hence want to conduct the scientific test like narco and lie detection test on him to get to the bottom of the truth. Arif told interrogators that though he went to take part in the war for jihad, he actually could not participate as he was injured and was made to do civil work. While Arif worked for a civil contract company, his friend Shamim Tanki was asked to do office work. ''We suspect that whatever he is telling is subjective and we have to carefully take his version like pinch of salt. And the only way to extract truth is the scientific tests.''said an officer. ATS officials who are also keeping itself update on his interrogation said that Arif may also be lying that he got accidentally got bullet injuries.

Sources in the National Investigating Agency (NIA) said that though Arif claims that he is repenting over his decision for joining ISIS, they does not believe him completely. '' We want to know minutes details ranging from indoctrination to recruitment, how and where he got bullet injuries and what compelled him to return.''said an officer. Arif told police that he and his friends were indoctrination through internet chat room. A man on the facebook is believed to have given Arif a contact in Mosul in Iraq and was told to contact that person only after reaching Iraq.

The three other youths -all in their twenties -who left their Kalyan homes with Majeed to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, were also reportedly indoctrinated through chat rooms. Majeed, who was arrested on Friday and booked under the anti-terror law and for waging war against a friendly Asian country, was produced before the notified National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in south Mumbai on Saturday and remanded in police custody till December 8.

Arif told police that he seperated from his three friends shaheem Tanki, Fahad Shah and Aman Tandel around two months ago when he was injured badly in Mosul. It was here that his handlers admitted him in a hospital and he lost contact with his three accomplices. And after not finding Arif in the group, trio thought he may have died and hence, one of them called up Arif family and informed about his death. Arif who does not have any remorse on his course of action said that while being admitted in the hospital he was totally ignored which prompted him to return to India. Arif said that till while he was leaving for Turkey, he had no clues of his three friends but he says that he feels that they may be safe as the handlers never allowed them to participate in the war.

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Narendra Modi vows to halt illegal immigration from Bangladesh - Livemint

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing members of his Bharatiya Janata Party, which is trying to make political inroads in Assam. Photo: PTI

Guwahati: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed on Sunday to halt illegal immigration from Bangladesh into Assam, saying they were “destroying” the northeastern state.

Modi, whose right-wing Hindu nationalist party stormed to power at May elections, said: “Bangladeshis are entering Assam every day and destroying the state.”

“I will make an arrangement by way of which all the routes used by them to enter Assam are closed,” he promised in the state’s main city of Guwahati.

He was addressing members of his Bharatiya Janata Party, which is trying to make political inroads in Assam.

During his election campaign earlier this year, Modi said illegal immigrants from Bangladesh should pack their bags and leave, warning of tough action if he were elected prime minister.

Tensions have been high in recent years in Assam. More than 40 Muslims including women and children were slaughtered in May this year by Indian tribal separatists called Bodos.

The tribals and some politicians blame unrest between Muslims and Bodos in Assam on an influx of illegal immigrants from Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Muslims claim they have been targeted by well-armed Bodo militias in land and other disputes.

On Sunday Modi promised that his government would permanently resolve the illegal immigration issue by securing a long-pending land swap agreement with Bangladesh.

“When we execute the land swap deal it might look like a loss for Assam, but in the long run Assam will gain by the deal,” he said.

“We are not going to compromise the interests of Assam.”

India and Bangladesh have for years been trying to resolve their land border disputes, including settling the future of 162 enclaves—small pockets of one country’s territory surrounded by that of the other.

More than 50,000 people live in the enclaves, cut off from their respective governments and without access to many basic services.

The enclaves date back to ownership arrangements made centuries ago between local princes. They survived the partition of the sub-continent in 1947 after British rule and Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

The two countries signed an agreement in 2011 to demarcate their 4,000km border.

Atty: Wilson resigned due to threats to department - Washington Post

A man is arrested by police after kneeling in the street during a protest outside the Ferguson Police Department Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. (Jeff Roberson/Associated Press)

By Associated Press November 30 at 11:28 AM

FERGUSON, Mo. — Darren Wilson resigned from his job as a Ferguson police officer after learning of threats of violence against other officers and the department, his lawyer said Sunday.

Wilson, a 28-year-old white officer, had been on administrative leave since Aug. 9, when he shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed. A grand jury decision not to indict Wilson was announced Monday, setting off massive protests that included looting, violence and fires that destroyed about a dozen businesses.

Wilson’s attorney, Neil Bruntrager, told The Associated Press that Wilson decided to step aside after Ferguson Chief Tom Jackson personally told him of the threats. Bruntrager declined to go into detail about the alleged threats, and Jackson, didn’t immediately respond to a voicemail and email seeking comment.

“The information we had was that there would be actions targeting the Ferguson (police) department or buildings in Ferguson related to the police department,” Bruntrager said. He said Wilson and the city were already discussing an exit strategy, acknowledging that staying on as an officer there would be impossible.

Once Wilson learned of the threats, Bruntrager said, he decided to go ahead and resign.

“Under the circumstances, nothing else was important other than safety,” Bruntrager said.

Wilson, who had been with the department for less than three years, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Saturday, “I’m not willing to let someone else get hurt because of me.”

Ferguson officials planned to address details of the resignation later Sunday, the same day Brown’s parents planned to attend a church service where civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton was scheduled to preach.

Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Brown’s family, said Wilson’s resignation was not a surprise.

“It was always believed that the police officer would do what was in his best interest, both personally and professionally,” Crump said. “We didn’t believe that he would be able to be effective for the Ferguson community nor the Ferguson Police Department because of the tragic circumstances that claimed the life of Michael Brown Jr.”

Crump said the family is still considering civil litigation such as a wrongful death lawsuit, “but don’t let that get confused with the fact that they really wanted the killer of their child to be held accountable.”

Wilson’s resignation meant little to activists and protesters.

On Saturday night, more than 100 protesters gathered near police headquarters, where they were outnumbered by officers. Two people were arrested. Another protester burned an American flag. By midnight, only about two dozen protesters remained.

Many seemed unfazed by the resignation. Several merely shrugged their shoulders when asked what they thought, while Rick Campbell flatly said he didn’t care about the resignation, noting: “I’ve been protesting out here since August.”

Victoria Rutherford, a resident who was not protesting, said she believed Wilson should have not only resigned, but been convicted of a crime.

“I’m upset. I have a 16-year-old son. It could’ve been him. I feel that he was absolutely in the wrong,” she said.

Another resident, Reed Voorhees, said he hoped Wilson could find similar work “someplace where he would enjoy life, and move on with his life.”

Wilson fatally shot Brown in the middle of a Ferguson street after the two scuffled inside Wilson’s police SUV. Brown’s body was left for more than four hours as police investigated and angry onlookers gathered.

Some witnesses have said Brown had his hands up when Wilson shot him. Wilson told the grand jury that he feared for his life when Brown hit him and reached for his gun.

The U.S. Justice Department also is conducting a civil rights investigation into the shooting and a separate investigation of police department practices. It isn’t clear when that decision will be announced.

It isn’t clear what the future holds for Wilson, who has spent his adult life in police work and never wanted to do anything else, Bruntrager said.

“In terms of what it (the resignation) means, it means at this point he doesn’t have a paycheck,” Bruntrager said. “He has no income so he’ll have to make some decisions pretty quickly.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ISIS recruit Arif Majeed to undergo narco test - Times of India

MUMBAI: The security agency interrogating the 23 year old ISIS recruit Arif Majeed who returned to India on Friday does not believe him completely and hence want to conduct the scientific test like narco and lie detection test on him to get to the bottom of the truth. Arif told interrogators that though he went to take part in the war for jihad, he actually could not participate as he was injured and was made to do civil work. While Arif worked for a civil contract company, his friend Shamim Tanki was asked to do office work. ''We suspect that whatever he is telling is subjective and we have to carefully take his version like pinch of salt. And the only way to extract truth is the scientific tests.''said an officer. ATS officials who are also keeping itself update on his interrogation said that Arif may also be lying that he got accidentally got bullet injuries.

Sources in the National Investigating Agency (NIA) said that though Arif claims that he is repenting over his decision for joining ISIS, they does not believe him completely. '' We want to know minutes details ranging from indoctrination to recruitment, how and where he got bullet injuries and what compelled him to return.''said an officer. Arif told police that he and his friends were indoctrination through internet chat room. A man on the facebook is believed to have given Arif a contact in Mosul in Iraq and was told to contact that person only after reaching Iraq.

The three other youths -all in their twenties -who left their Kalyan homes with Majeed to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, were also reportedly indoctrinated through chat rooms. Majeed, who was arrested on Friday and booked under the anti-terror law and for waging war against a friendly Asian country, was produced before the notified National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in south Mumbai on Saturday and remanded in police custody till December 8.

Arif told police that he seperated from his three friends shaheem Tanki, Fahad Shah and Aman Tandel around two months ago when he was injured badly in Mosul. It was here that his handlers admitted him in a hospital and he lost contact with his three accomplices. And after not finding Arif in the group, trio thought he may have died and hence, one of them called up Arif family and informed about his death. Arif who does not have any remorse on his course of action said that while being admitted in the hospital he was totally ignored which prompted him to return to India. Arif said that till while he was leaving for Turkey, he had no clues of his three friends but he says that he feels that they may be safe as the handlers never allowed them to participate in the war.

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Egyptians Protest After Charges Dropped Against Mubarak - Bloomberg

Small clashes broke out between security forces and protesters on two Egyptian college campuses as a court cleared President Hosni Mubarak of complicity in the deaths of civilians during the 2011 uprising that toppled him.

Yesterday’s dismissal of charges, after Mubarak’s initial conviction and life sentence were overturned in January 2013, sparked an anti-government rally of about 2,000 people in Tahrir Square, the center of the revolt against Mubarak, 86. The protest was largely quashed by police in confrontations that killed two and wounded nine, some critically, according to the Health Ministry. The protests renewed today, with demonstrations on campuses in Sharqiya and Alexandria provinces, authorities said, as well as near Al-Azhar’s Nasr City campus in Cairo.

Critics contend that the election of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has allowed the reincarnation of Mubarak’s police state and crushed hopes of justice for the families of those killed in the uprising.

“Since 2011, the official state narrative viewed Jan. 25 as a revolution, which was against Mubarak and the system over which he presided,” H.A. Hellyer, non-resident fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy of the Brookings Institution in Washington, said by phone yesterday. “With this verdict, it becomes even harder for that narrative to hold.”

Mubarak’s ouster was a key milestone in the 2011 Arab Spring revolts that began in Tunisia and spread to Bahrain, Yemen, Syria and Libya, triggering years of violence. The decision to drop charges against him can be appealed, Yasser Sayed Ahmed, attorney for the families of protesters killed during the uprising, said by phone.

Little Changed?

Activists and opposition figures had seen Mubarak’s trial as an opportunity for justice to take root in Egypt after years of official corruption. The acquittals, whether outright or through technicalities as in Mubarak’s case, feed into the perception that little has changed in the four years since his removal, said Wael Eskandar, who took part in the 2011 uprising.

“The verdict will be the grand finale of a long process of injustice, and evidence that the current regime is just an extension of Mubarak’s,” Eskandar said from Cairo. “It’s not a verdict that would move the street now, given the general mood of hopelessness and the crackdown on opposition. But it’s significant because it’s very symbolic of where we are right now.”

Much of the talk about the re-emergence of a police state follows the crackdown on Islamists and other government opponents after the July 2013 overthrow of Mubarak’s elected successor, Mohamed Mursi, led by then-defense chief El-Sisi.

Low Turnout

The thin turnout in Tahrir reflected both the El-Sisi government’s intolerance for dissent and comes as many Egyptians feel a sense of frustration after years of post-Mubarak turmoil. At the height of the 2011 uprising, hundreds of thousands massed in the square, calling for Mubarak’s removal. It later served as a rallying point for calls to topple Mursi. Since Mursi was ousted, protests there or elsewhere in the capital have been limited, and quickly quelled by security forces.

Advocacy groups, including Human Rights Watch, contend El-Sisi’s government is curbing freedoms under the pretext of combatting terrorist groups, after branding Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood one. Security forces have killed hundreds of Brotherhood members and supporters since he was overthrown, and arrested and charged thousands more. They have also opened an offensive in the restive Sinai peninsula after militant attacks against troops there.

Embezzlement Conviction

Mubarak may not be freed immediately because he’s serving a three-year sentence imposed in May after he was convicted of embezzling public funds.

The presiding judge yesterday, Mahmoud El-Rashidy, also found the former president not guilty in a corruption case linked to the sale of natural gas to Israel. He also acquitted former Interior Minister Habib El-Adli in the deaths of the protesters in 2011.

On trial with Mubarak were his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, as well as six of El-Adli’s top aides and businessman Hussein Salem, who was tried in absentia. All were acquitted of the various criminal charges against them.

The corruption-related acquittals troubled advocacy groups such as Transparency International, which called them a “serious setback in the effort to fight graft and the abuse of power in the Middle East’s most populous country.”

“This is a reversal of one of the most important outcomes of the Arab Spring: leaders being held to account for betraying the trust of their citizens,” Jose Ugaz, Transparency’s chairman, said in an e-mailed statement. The verdicts send “a message that leaders can get away with decades of running a country while coffers are stripped bare.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Salma El Wardany in Cairo at selwardany@bloomberg.net; Tarek El-Tablawy in Cairo at teltablawy@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net Paul Jarvis, Kim McLaughlin

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Petrol price cut by 91 paise per litre, diesel by 84 paise - Times of India

NEW DELHI: Petrol price was cut by 91 paise a litre on Sunday, the seventh reduction since August, and diesel by 84 paise per litre, the third straight cut, as international oil rates continued to slump.

Petrol and diesel price reduction will be effective midnight, Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest fuel retailer, announced here.

In Delhi, petrol price will cost Rs 63.33 a litre as compared to Rs 64.24 per litre previously while in Mumbai the reduction will be 96 paise to Rs 70.95 per litre.

Diesel will cost Rs 52.51 a litre in Delhi from Monday as against Rs 53.35 currently while in Mumbai the price will be cut by 93 paise to Rs 60.11 per litre.

Rates differ from state to state due to differential local sales tax or VAT rates.

An Indian Oil petrol station in New Delhi.

The prices of petrol and diesel were last revised downwards on November 1 by Rs 2.41 a litre and Rs 2.25 per litre respectively (including state levies at Delhi) on the back of declining international oil prices.

"Since the last price changes, the international prices of both petrol and diesel have continued to be on a downtrend. The rupee-dollar exchange rate has however appreciated since the last price change. The combined impact of both these factors warrant a decrease in retail selling prices of both petrol and diesel," IOC said in the statement.

This is the seventh consecutive reduction in petrol prices since August and third in diesel in rates since October.

An Indian Oil diesel station in Bangalore.

Prior to Sunday's reduction, petrol price has been cumulatively cut by Rs 9.36 per litre since August.

Diesel price was cut for the first time in more than five years on October 19 by Rs 3.37 a litre when the government decided to deregulate the fuel. This was followed by another reduction on November 1.

"The movement of prices in international oil market and INR-USD exchange rate shall continue to be closely monitored and developing trends of the market will be reflected in future price changes," the statement said.

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BJP warns MDMK chief Vaiko for remarks against Modi - India Today

A file photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and MDMK leader Vaiko. BJP on Sunday hit out at MDMK chief Vaiko for his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The party warned its Tamil Nadu ally and said it would not tolerate it.

"We never deny MDMK's democratic rights. But we won't tolerate continuous attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi," BJP national secretary H. Raja told reporters.

He said Vaiko had a penchant for making such remarks, one of which was blaming the Centre over the death sentence awarded by a court in Sri Lanka to five fishermen, who were subsequently released. Another was saying that 'imposition' of Hindi in Tamil Nadu would lead to divisions in the state.

Raja pointed out that the fishermen were granted pardon by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa after Modi spoke to him. His efforts in getting them released had been appreciated by the Tamil Nadu chief minister and also DMK chief M. Karunanidhi.

Vaiko had reportedly criticised Modi for greeting Rajapaksa at the recent SAARC summit in Nepal.

Raja said the Centre had granted several schemes for Tamil Nadu. They had also announced that Thiruvalluvar day and poet Bharathiar's birthday would be celebrated as national festival.

He urged Tamil Nadu government to take appropriate action to check movements of Maoists in the state, whose numbers were reportedly increasing.

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