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Dilip Kumar discharged after a week in hospital

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Mumbai: Veteran Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar was on Wednesday evening discharged from Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai.

Dilip Kumar, who was admitted to the hospital last week, showed considerable improvement after struggling with dehydration, kidney dysfunction and urinary tract infection.

Talking about Dilip Kumar, Ajay Kumar Pande, the VP of Lilavati Hospital, said, “Yes, Dilip Kumar sahab is ready to go home. He will be discharged today. He is eating well and feeling better. There is nothing to worry about as his creatinine levels have come down to normal. He has been suggested some rest at home, and soon he will start following his normal routine.”

Dilip Kumar’s wife Saira Banu was by the actor’s side throughout his stay at the hospital. Earlier in the day, Saira had said, “By the grace of Allah, Dilip Sahab is under the care of Dr. Nitin Gokhale, Dr. Arun Shah of Lilavati Hospital and Sahab’s personal family physicians Dr. R C Sharma and Dr S Gokhale, along with the able input of Dr. S. D. Bapat. This excellent team has given the green signal to take Sahab home today. My gratitude to fans, friends, doctors, hospital staff and Sahab’s personal attendants for all the care. It is the Almighty God’s will and benevolence that I wish to acknowledge in all humility and gratitude.”

On Wednesday morning, the medical bulletin from the hospital suggested that the 94-year-old actor is showing great progress and will be discharged soon. The Vice President of Lilavati Hospital had said, “We are very happy on the progress of Dilip Kumar’s health. He has responded so well. One thing he has been suggested by the doctors is to stay away from getting any sort of infection. Dilip Sahab’s creatinine level has come down further. He is normal and responding. Enjoying his food. It is a good sign. Will take a decision on his discharge soon.”

(Agencies)

Mamata launches ‘BJP quit India’ campaign

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Medinipur: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused the BJP government at the Centre of subverting democracy and said the TMC will work with all opposition parties to oust the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Giving the slogan of ‘BJP quit India in 2019’, Banerjee charged that the BJP-led government at the Centre has “taken away the rights of the people in the country”.

She also alleged that “secularism is under threat”.

“The BJP-led government is trying to divide the country.

We will not allow it. In 2019 our slogan will be ‘BJP quit India’. We will work with all other opposition parties, so that we can unitedly fight against the BJP. We want this politics of communalism and hatred to come to an end,” she said while kicking off the campaign here.

The West Bengal chief minister launched the campaign on a day when the country is commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement.

“We will fight and not stop till the BJP is ousted from power. Democracy will triumph against all odds”, she said.

“They can threaten us by using the ED, Income Tax and the CBI but we are not afraid of it. The central government has turned into a government of the agencies, by the agencies, of the agencies and for the agencies,” she alleged.

Banerjee said she will attend the rally convened by RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in Patna later this month.

The TMC leader also accused the BJP of shedding “crocodile tears” for adivasis and backward sections of the society,

“On the one hand they (BJP) are lynching adivasis and people from backward sections of society, while on the other hand, they are are clicking photographs with adivasis and having lunch at their houses,” she charged.

(Agencies)

Haryana BJP Chief’s Son Vikas Barala Arrested For Stalking Woman In Chandigarh

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Chandigarh: In a fresh development in the Chandigarh stalking case, Haryana BJP chief’s son Vikas Barala, who is the main accused, has been arrested by the Chandigarh Police. Vikas surrendered before the police on Wednesday afternoon after being summoned amid heavy security. He was arrested along with his friend after questioning. The police have slapped kidnapping charges against both the accused.

“We called both the accused for interrogation. It was a lengthy interrogation. A number of things have come to fore in today’s interrogation. Thus we have decided to press two charges – attempt to abduction (365/511). We have also decided to arrest both the accused. Both shall be produced in the court tomorrow. We shall request the court for their police custody. There are a number of things for which we need the accused to reconstruct the scene of crime to verify many facts. I can’t share many things that are part of investigations. I have shared the conclusion of our investigations done so far,” said DGP TS Luthra.

Luthra also added that there has been no political pressure on the police. “We have no political pressure. We are doing our bit professionally, objectively and legally. The new charges are based on many facts. We have new pieces of evidence in form of CCTVs footage, statements of witnesses and of course legal opinion also. In last four days, we have constructed many things and the investigation has come to a stage from where v r taking it forward,” added Luthra.

Police had summoned Vikas Barala, 23, early Wednesday, asking him to appear by 11 am but he reached the Sector 26 police station in a white SUV at around 2:30 pm along with the other accused- Ashish Kumar. The two accused were earlier arrested after a 29-year-old woman accused them of chasing her car on Friday but were granted bail. “Both accused are with us and we are interrogating them,” UT Chandigarh DGP Tejinder Singh Luthra told news agency PTI.

Vikas Barala reached the police station shortly after his father, Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala told reporters that, “He (Vikas) will cooperate with the police investigation”.

Earlier Wednesday, DGP Luthra said Vikas refused to receive the notice so the police opted to paste the notice outside his house.  Addressing a press conference, DGP Luthra said the CCTV footage from different places indicated that the accused were chasing the girl. “Our investigations are at critical stage and we are taking it to the next level,” DGP was quoted as saying. The DGP added that Vikas and his friend Ashish Kumar (27) had refused to give blood and urine samples for medical examination which could go against them during prosecution.

DGP  Luthra further stressed that the Police will do “everything under the sun” to ensure the 29-year-old complainant gets justice.

(Agencies)

Marathas take out massive march in Mumbai to press for quota

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Mumbai: Thousands of people belonging to the Maratha community from different parts of Maharashtra converged here today as part of their campaign to press for reservation in jobs and education among other demands.

Amid tight security, the massive silent march began from the Jijamata Udyan in Byculla this morning with participants carrying saffron swallowtail flags.

People had started arriving in the city since early morning in private vehicles as well as public modes of transport. Police and traffic personnel were deployed in large numbers to manage the huge inflow of people and the movement of vehicles in Mumbai.

The Mumbai’s famed ‘Dabbawalas’ (lunchbox delivery men), majority of whom hail from the Maratha community, also joined the march.

This is the 58th march of the Maratha community, exactly a year after the first such protest held in Aurangabad. The march has been organised by the Sakal Maratha Samaj, an umbrella organisation of several Maratha groups.

These ‘mook morcha’ or silent rallies were held in various parts of the state following the brutal rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl, belonging to the Maratha community, at Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district in July 2016.

The JJ flyover was closed for traffic in view of the march, police said. Schools in south Mumbai were closed today as a precautionary measure, an official said.

At Azad Maidan, where the Maratha morcha will culminate later today, the campaigners raised slogans as Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar reached the venue.

Some of the campaigners said that they don’t want politicians to interfere.

Shelar rubbished reports that he was stopped and manhandled at Azad Maidan.

In Maharashtra Legislature, where the monsoon session is underway, Shiv Sena MLAs joined legislators across parties in shouting slogans demanding reservation for Marathas.

Social media platforms like Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter have been used to rally the community members, the organisers said.

The silent protest is a peaceful way to press the demands for reservation in jobs and educational institutions and punishment for culprits in the Kopardi case, they said.

Their other demands include amendments in SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act) to stop its misuse, loan waiver to curb farmer suicides and remunerative prices for agricultural produce.

A police official said over five lakh people are expected to participate in the morcha.

No toll will be collected today from vehicles coming into Mumbai in order to avoid delays at collection points, considering the large number of vehicles entering the city.

In the state legislature, Shiv Sena members, led by Eknath Shinde, supported the demands of the Maratha community.

The party MLAs raised slogans on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan.

Shinde said, “We completely support the demands of the Maratha community. A large section of the community is deprived of education, good income sources and skills that would get them good jobs. Reservation in education and jobs could be one way of supporting them.”

“The other demands, such as strict action against those who had allegedly sexually assaulted the girl and murdered her, will be given the required support,” he said.

(Agencies)

Juhi Bharathi – AN ASPIRING ACTRESS ALL SET TO STORM BOLLYWOODIAN ARENA

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by Rizwan Asad and Shaheen Raaj

Juhi Bharathi, this Banglorean beauty surely rocks the fashion scenario in Bangalore that too as a “Show Stopper” time & again. And now Juhi Bharathi, with a chiselled, girl next door look, is also surely going to rock the Bollywoodian Tinsel Town. Juhi Bharathi, no doubt, has already got 2 Bollywood projects safely tucked up under her sleeves but is indeed skeptical of divulging its details unless she signs on the high – profiled banner’s prestigious dotted line. Rizwan Asad & Shaheen Raaj recently caught up with Juhi Bharati for this face to face interactive session, amidst her extremely busy schedules, in her posh office located on Church Street, Bangalore.

Right at the outset Juhi Bharati gave an insight of her background by stating that she was born in Bangalore in a middle class family and she happens to be the middle one amongst the 3 siblings. Continuing further Juhi Bharati stated that her Father happens to be Civil Engineer and her mother happens to be a house maker, holding a lawyer’s degree. Juhi Bharati also added that her parents have always been supportive of all her decisions right since she was that high.

Elaborating on her modeling & acting career Juhi Bharati averred, “I am very lucky to have a very supportive parents. And being a middle one amongst the 3 siblings I was not even pampered much but of course all my justified demands were always complied with so when I got this modeling offer for college fests, when I was just that high, they instantly gave their nod of approval. And this incident in my life kick started my most ambitious modeling career. At that stage I had started learning all forms of dances. In fact the modeling stints increased in leaps & bounds and when I attained my adolescence stage I soon started rocking the Banglorean fashion scenario and that too as a “Show Stopper” 1st for ZEPHYRS events and then for many more events. Some of my other achievements include: I was one of the “Top 10” in Bangalore Model hunt in the year 2015. That apart I have worked for “Silver Star” Company, under the tutelage of Ravi Haasan whom I consider as my Godfather, as its promo model for Mr. & Miss. South India and many more pageants. So much so that soon enough I had myself started grooming & training aspiring models and even choreographing varied pageants. And last but not the least I was the title holder of “Miss. Karnataka 2016” & “Times Fresh Face” as the 2nd runner up in Bangalore in the year 2015. At present I have just finished the print modeling shoot of the American Brand of mattresses.”

At this juncture Mademoiselle Juhi Bharathi felt that from modeling to acting was the only crossover destination that she had to cover to make inroads in B – Town arena. And indeed she has done the needful and succeeded in bagging the most prestigious projects she avers, “It is true that right now I am not going all out in my mission Bollywood but still I have bagged 1 big Bollywood project with a reasonably good director & hero. This project is all set to roll in Oct, 2017. And I am also trying out for another very big project. In fact I am in constant touch with the people close to this big producer & director.”

In conclusion Juhi Bharathi also shared her pearls of wisdom when queried about her wish list of directors & actors and varied other aspects like the kind of roles she would like to perform, the casting couch syndrome and her take on nudity, kissing & bedroom scenes et al she avers, “As far as the requirement of the script is concerned it is a strict no – no for kissing & bedroom scenes and that also includes nudity. You see I am in no hurry so I will strictly put down my foot as far as the casting couch syndrome is concerned in fact I am looking out for inspirational albeit women centric roles and a chosen few others in which I can really sink my teeth into. Amidst my wish list of directors are Karan Johar, Rohit Shetty, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and of course Prakash Jha as I really adore the films of these directors. Amongst the actors I would really like to work with all the 3 Khans namely Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan & Salman Khan and amongst the new breed of actors I would really like to work with Varun Dhawan.”

Citizens of 80 countries including India now don’t require visa to enter Qatar

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[AFP]

New Delhi: Citizens of 80 countries including India can now enter Qatar visa-free, a Reuters report said.

The countries include India, the UK, the US, Canada, South Africa, Seychelles, Australia and New Zealand.

“Citizens of these 80 countries wishing to visit Qatar will not need to apply or pay for a visa,” the agency reported quoting a release from Qatari officials.

“A multi-entry waiver will be issued free-of-charge at the port of entry, upon presentation of a valid passport with a minimum validity of six months and a confirmed onward or return ticket,” the release added.

“Depending on the nationality of the visitor, the waiver will either be valid for 180 days, and allow the visitor to spend a total of 90 days in Qatar (multiple-entry); or it will be valid for 30 days and entitle the visitor to spend up to 30 days in Qatar (multiple-entry) with the possibility of applying for an extension of the waiver for an additional 30 days,” it said.

The report quoted Acting Chairman of Qatar Tourism Authority Hassan Al Ibrahim, who said: “With 80 nationalities eligible for a free visa waiver upon arrival, Qatar is now the most open country in the region and we are delighted to invite visitors to discover our renowned hospitality, cultural heritage and natural treasures.”

In November 2016, Qatar introduced a free transit visa, which allows passengers of all nationalities transiting in Qatar for a minimum of five hours to stay in Qatar for up to 96 hours (four days). In May 2017, QTA and Qatar Airways launched +Qatar, a package which includes a free night’s stay in a 5- or 4- star hotel in Doha, alongside a complimentary transit visa.

(Agencies)

Ahmed Patel deals severe blow to BJP, wins RS poll

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Gandhinagar: Ahmed Patel on Wednesday dealt a severe blow to the BJP when he won the Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat in a cliffhanger contest in which the top BJP leadership staked its all by backing a Congress defector.

Patel got 44 votes that was just enough to beat his rival Congress defector Balwantsinh Rajput and earn a fifth term in Rajya Sabha while Shah and Irani got 46 and 45 votes respectively in the counting that was delayed by over nine hours because of the Congress challenge in the Election Commission first and the BJP’s objections before the returning officer past midnight.

Celebrations broke out in the Congress camp with workers setting off firecrackes and distributing sweets as Patel reacted saying “truth alone triumphs”.

“This is not just my victory. It is a defeat of the most blatant use of money power, muscle power and abuse of state machinery,” he tweeted.

Patel thanked his party MLAs, workers and the leadership for the victory and said under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, the Congress will get strength and win Gujarat assembly election.

In a jibe at the BJP top leadership, Patel prayed to God that everybody be given good sense.

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, who was part of a Congress delegation that met the Election Commission on Tuesday seeking rejection of votes of two Congress rebels said: “Money, muscle and manipulation could not win in the Guarat Rajya Sabha elections.”

“BJP can break a few weak Congress MLAs but BJP cannot break the Congress party,” he said in his reaction.

The victory that came as a major boost to Congress has been battered in many elections in the last three years and did not come easily given the fact that the whole of Tuesday was marked by high drama and allegations, counter-allegations and high-pitched legal battle in the Commission over votes of two rebel Congress MLAs.

The first setback for the BJP came after the poll panel upheld the Congress complaint seeking rejection of the two votes by Bhola Bhai Gohil and Raghavji Bhai Patel, both loyalists of Shankarsinh Vaghela, who had shown their ballots to Shah and Irani against Conduct of Election Rules.

The Commission rejected the arguments of a high-powered BJP delegation led by Arun Jaitley that the Commission had no power to intervene in the matter as retunring officer is the statutory authority to decide the validity or otherwise of ballot paper.

This was countered by the Congress delegation that asserted the Commission was the only authority to decide on the issue in keeping with the precedents set by it in Haryana last year and in Rajasthan in 2000.

In the Gujarat assembly with an effective strength of 176 MLAs, the numbers were enough for a comfortable victory for two BJP candidates and one of Congress.

But the BJP made it a prestige fight in Gujarat from where both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah hail in an apparent attempt to inflict another crushing blow on the Congress in the assembly elections scheduled later this year.

The battle became bitter between the powerful BJP ruling both at the Centre and in Gujarat and the political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi when defections were engineered from the Congress first by friend-turned-foe-turned ally Shankarsinh Vaghela and six other MLAs who resigned from the Congress.

From 57, the Congress strength came down to 51 when Vaghela quit the party while six of his loyalists quit the assembly. The strength further came down when six of the MLAs defected to the BJP reducing his backing to 45. The Congress had to shepherd 44 MLAs to Bengaluru to counter poaching by the BJP.

On the day of reckoning, Ahmed Patel had 44 in his bag along with the backing of one NCP and one JD-U MLA though there was day-long speculation on how the two allies voted.

(IANS)

Counting for Rajya Sabha elections halted amid legal wrangle Counting for Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections halted amid legal wrangle

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Gandhinagar: Counting for the Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections had to be stopped on Tuesday evening with the Congress demanding cancellation of votes of two of its legislators who cross-voted and displayed their ballot paper to the BJP’s polling agent.

Two rebel Congress MLAs, Raghavji Patel and Bholabhai Gohil, displayed their ballot paper before the BJP agent as well as the Congress counterpart, which was challenged by senior Congress leaders.

Later, Shaktisinh Gohil and Arjun Modhwadia of the Congress and state BJP president Jitu Vaghani viewed the videography of the polling. A report was sent to the Election Commission in Delhi on the incident.

The Commission’s decision is awaited.

(IANS)

Amnesty: Israel’s ban on Al Jazeera a ‘brazen attack’

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Rights group says move to shut network’s Jerusalem operation demonstrates Israel’s intolerance over criticism.

Netanyahu threatens to shut down Al Jazeera’s offices in Jerusalem accusing the network of inciting tensions around Al-aqsa [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Israel’s decision to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in Jerusalem sends a “chilling message that Israeli authorities will not tolerate critical coverage”, Amnesty International has said.

“This is a brazen attack on media freedom in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty’s deputy Middle East and North Africa director, said in a statement on Monday.

The sharp criticism came a day after Ayoub Kara, Israel’s communications minister, proposed closing Al Jazeera’s office in Jerusalem, revoking press credentials of the network’s Arabic and English journalists there and shutting down Al Jazeera’s cable and satellite transmissions.

“Al Jazeera denounces this decision made by a state that claims to be ‘the only democratic state in the Middle East’,” the network said in a statement, adding that Kara’s reasons used to justify such a move were “odd and biased”.

Amnesty said Israel “joins a host of other countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, which have demanded the channel’s closure in the wake of a dispute between Gulf countries and Qatar”.

The crisis in the Gulf began on June 5 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting “terrorism”. Qatar has vehemently rejected the allegations as “baseless”.

On June 22, the Saudi-led group issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera. Qatar has dismissed the list and rights groups have called the demand to close Al Jazeera an “unacceptable attack”.

Amnesty called on Israel to “halt any attempt to silence critical media”.

“All journalists should be free to carry out their work without facing harassment or intimidation,” the rights group said, adding that Israel’s move was a “repressive clampdown on freedom of expression”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly called for Al Jazeera’s closure.

Amnesty’s criticism follows condemnation by the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.

“Censoring Al Jazeera or closing its offices will not bring stability to the region, but it would put Israel firmly in the camp of some of the region’s worst enemies of press freedom,” CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator, Sherif Mansour, said in a statement on Monday.

Following the Israeli minister’s announcement on Sunday, it remains unclear what the next steps will entail.

The director of Israel’s government press office, which issues press credentials to journalists, said it would not distribute press cards if it believed that would endanger state security.

The blocking of the Al Jazeera network from broadcasting through cable and satellite companies requires special legislation.

The closure of Al Jazeera’s offices has recently been a contentious subject between Kara and Gilad Erdan, the Israeli public security minister, who deflected the issue to police. Police reportedly advised Erdan back to the communications ministry.

Malayalees protest Rijiju’s statement on Kerala in Lok Sabha

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New Delhi: Malayalees living in Delhi today took out a protest march to Parliament, demanding that Union minister Kiren Rijiju’s statement in the Lok Sabha that Kerala registered a large number of incidents of violence be expunged from the House proceedings.

The protesters, in a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, said: “The minister’s statement would add to the already existing attempts to defame and tarnish Kerala’s reputation”.

National Federation of Indian Women general secretary Annie Raja, who led the protesters, claimed that Rijiju’s statement was “factually incorrect”.

“On July 31, while replying to a debate on mob lynching, Rijiju made a statement that between 2014 and 2016, Kerala, UP and West Bengal topped the list of states with most cases registered under sections 153 A and 153 B of the Indian Penal Code,” the letter said.

Sections 153 A and 153 B deal with promoting enmity between different groups on various grounds.

“The minister’s statement is factually incorrect and it hurts the sentiments of people of Kerala who always maintain communal harmony in the state,” it said.

The protesters demanded that the statement be deleted from the records of the House proceedings.

“Rijiju’s statement is an insult to the people of state.

It is a big lie. There is a political agenda behind it. On the floor of the House, he is lying and insulting people of the state,” she alleged.

Another protester, Damodaran of Janasamskriti, a Malayalee socio-cultural organisation, said: “We are not going to allow Kerala to be considered the worst place in the country. We do not want anyone to blame Kerala based on incorrect facts.

(Agencies)

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