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LIVE! Screening of Kedarnath banned in 7 districts of Uttarakhand


13:45  Voter turnout recorded till 1 pm in Telangana elections 2018 is 49.15%

13:35  Nobody can stop BJP rath yatras in Bengal, fumes Amit Shah:  BJP President Amit Shah on the pending permission for the party’s rath yatra in West Bengal. Shah held a press conference even as the BJP has decided to put on hold Shah’s proposed rally saying it will wait for the final order from the Calcutta high court,
which will now hear an appeal by the saffron party this afternoon. 

Shah said a democratic process has been suppressed in West Bengal, with the misuse of power. “The CM is following this trend. This is non-democratic. She (Mamata Banerjee) is scared that if BJP takes out all these three rallies in the state of West Bengal and assemble in Kolkata then the foundation of a complete change will be laid down. So she attempted to stop all these yatras.”

He said West Bengal leads in the number of political killings and that the entire West Bengal administration was working for the ruling TMC.

In a message to the BJP rank and file, Shah said, “We will definitely carry out all ‘yatras’, nobody can stop us. People of West Bengal are now ready for change. We want to advice Mamata Banerjeeji that denying permissions to BJP events in the state will only result in more resentment among the people. BJP karyakartas do not fear the suppression of Mamata Banerjee. We are committed to bringing good governance and change in Bengal,” he said.


13:16  BJP convenes emergency meeting after Rath Yatra uncertainty:  The BJP leadership on Friday convened an emergency meeting in Coochbehar to discuss the future course of action after uncertainty loomed over the party’s Rath Yatra programme in several districts of West Bengal.

The Calcutta High Court had on Thursday refused permission to the BJP for holding a ‘Rath Yatra’ in Coochbehar, which was to be flagged off by party president Amit Shah on Friday, after the West Bengal government refused to allow the event saying it may cause communal tension.

The BJP had decided to put on hold Shah’s proposed rally and the Rath Yatra, saying it will wait for the final order from the high court, which will now hear an appeal by the saffron party at 12.30 pm.

The emergency meeting that started at around 10.30 am is being attended by BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, along with other senior party leaders such as Arvind Menon, Shiv Prakash, Dilip Ghosh and Mukul Roy.

A section of party leaders, who spoke to PTI on the condition of anonymity, said if the BJP fails to conduct the proposed Rath Yatra, it would send a wrong message to the rank and file of the party. “We are waiting for the court’s verdict. We have also called a meeting of party workers at 2 pm,” said a senior state BJP leader. Asked to comment on media reports that BJP chief Shah would not be coming for the yatra, the party’s state president Dilip Ghosh said he was not aware of it.– PTI

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12:47  Screening of Kedarnath banned in 7 districts of Uttarakhand:  A ban has been imposed on the screening of the film “Kedarnath” in seven districts of Uttarakhand in view of protests by Hindu outfits, a senior official said Friday.

The decision has been taken by District Magistrates concerned in view of the situation prevailing in their areas, ADG (law and order)Ashok Kumar told PTI on Friday. There will be no screening of the film in seven districts of the state where Hindu outfits have protested against the film burning effigies of film-makers, he said.

The districts where the film has been banned include Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Pauri, Tehri and Almora, the ADG said.

Set against the backdrop of the 2013 deluge, the film, which depicts the love story of a Muslim porter and a Hindu girl on a pilgrimage to Kedarnath, releases Friday. Sushant Singh Rajput and debutante Sara Ali Khan portray the lead characters in the movie. Those seeking a ban on the film accused it of hurting Hindu sentiments and alleged that it was promoting love jihad. — PTI

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12:41  Glam and glitz queue up to vote for Telangana polls :  Adding a dash of glamour to the poll process in Telangana, Telugu film bigwigs turned up in good numbers to cast their ballot Friday. Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, popular Telugu hero Nagarjuna and director of Baahubali SS Rajamouli were among the early voters in the election to the 119-member Telangana Assembly.

Another leading Telugu film star “Junior” NTR, grandson of TDP founder N T Rama Rao, also queued up to vote. Film personalities cast their votes in polling stations mainly in the posh Jubilee Hills locality of Hyderabad. Junior NTR’s sister N Suhasini is the TDP candidate in Kukatpalle Assembly constituency in Hyderabad.

Counting of votes would be taken up on December 11. Assembly polls in Telangana were originally scheduled to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls next year.

However, the Legislative Assembly was dissolved prematurely on September six following a recommendation made by the TRS government. The ruling TRS is going alone in the polls and so is the BJP. The Congress, TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti have formed the ‘People’s Front’ for the election. — PTI

Image: Tennis star Sania Mirza casts her vote at Film Nagar Cultural Center in Hyderabad. Pic: ANI

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12:35  Former Jodhpur maharaja votes :  Erstwhile royals of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh and his wife cast their votes at polling booth no. 194 in Sardarpura constituency.


12:32  SC dismisses PIL against FM Arun Jaitley:  The Supreme Court Friday dismissed a PIL raising allegations against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley relating to capital reserve of the Reserve Bank of India. The apex court also imposes a cost of Rs 50,000 on advocate M L Sharma, who had filed the PIL.

“We find no reason whatsoever to entertain this PIL,” a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justcie S K Kaul said. Sharma had accused the Finance Minister of “plundering” the capital reserve of the RBI. The bench also directed the apex court registry not to allow Sharma to file any PIL till he deposits Rs 50,000. The top court imposed the cost as the advocate continued with the argument after dismissal of the PIL. — PTI

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11:56  Delhi HC to hear Asthana’s plea seeking quashing of FIR in bribery case :   The Delhi High Court will on Thursday hear a plea filed by the CBI special director, Rakesh Asthana and others seeking quashing of the FIR filed against them in a bribery case.

The matter will be put forward for hearing at around 2.15 pm today.

CBI Director Alok Verma has already filed his reply in the High Court. Verma has clearly denied all the charges and allegations made against him by Asthana and said that the allegations are nothing but a figment of the imagination of the petitioner.

“Allegations are nothing but the imagination of the petitioner, a petition by Asthana is not maintainable and is misconceived. The investigation is at a nascent stage. Allegations made in the complaint against Asthana and others are very serious and requires thorough probe,” Verma had said.

Verma has also submitted to the court that the petition moved by Asthana is not maintainable and is misconceived.

Alok Verma has said that the allegations of corruption against Rakesh Asthana, who is holding a very high public office of such a prestigious institution raise serious concern, which is required to be thoroughly investigated without any bias so that public faith in CBI is maintained. — PTI

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11:35  Rath Yatra: BJP moves HC against refusal of permission:  The BJP on Friday moved an appeal before a division bench of the Calcutta High Court against refusal of permission for its Rath Yatra. Granting leave to the BJP to file the appeal, a division bench comprising Justices B Somadder and A Mukherjee said it will hear the matter at 12.30 pm.

The bench directed BJP’s lawyers to serve copy of the appeal to the West Bengal government and other respondents before the matter is taken up for hearing.

A single bench of the high court on Thursday said it cannot grant permission at this stage for the BJP rally in Coochbehar, scheduled to be flagged off by party president Amit Shah on Friday, after the West Bengal government refused to allow the event on the grounds that it might cause communal tension.

The court directed that superintendents of police of all districts in West Bengal will file a report by December 21 to it on the holding of ‘rath yatra’ rallies by the BJP, after hearing all district presidents of the party.

Directing that the rally stands deferred till the next date of hearing on January 9, Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty observed that the prayer of BJP for permission to hold the Rath Yatra cannot be granted at this stage.
—  PTI

Image: BJP chief Amit Shah flashes the victory sign as West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh looks on.

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11:05  We are working on Mika Singh case: Envoy :   Indian Ambassador Navdeep Singh Suri to United Arab Emirates on Friday informed that his representatives are present at the police station in the UAE, where Bollywood singer Mika Singh has been detained for allegedly harassing a woman.

Suri informed that the concerned officials are working on the case. “Our team is at the police station. We are working on it,” Suri told ANI.

A member of the singer’s team yesterday informed that a girl had lodged a complaint against the former. However, the questioning in the case is still underway.

The ‘Subha Hone Na De’ hitmaker had gone to Dubai to perform at a Bollywood event in the UAE.

Earlier this week, the ‘Aaj Ki Party’ singer took to his official Instagram account to share a video from Dubai. “Hey Dubai.. I’m in your city and it’s the 1st time I’m here to attend the most popular awards the Masala Awards. See you tonight!” he wrote alongside the video.

This is not the first time that the 41-year-old singer has faced charges for inappropriate behaviour. He was also accused by Rakhi Sawant for forcibly kissing her in the past. — ANI


11:01  BJP moves Calcutta HC against denial of permission for Rath Yatra; court to hear appeal at 12.30 pm.

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11:01  Very sure things will work out for BJP: Vasundhara Raje:  Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Friday exuded confidence over the work done by her government, while adding, that she is sure, the people of Rajasthan will take cognizance of the initiatives taken by the state government and help strengthen the Bharatiya Janta Party.

Speaking to media after casting her vote at polling booth no. 31A in Jhalrapatan constituency of Jhalawar, she said, “This is a vote for development. This hasn’t been done singlehandedly. Unlike other parties, the complete organisation, every party worker and leader has worked hard to take our message to people of Rajasthan. I am very confident that because excellent development that has taken place in the state, people would vote to strengthen the party that has done this development work.”

Urging people to vote for development, she said, “I think they have seen the kind of work in Rajasthan all this time. They must go out and vote for development.”

Later speaking to ANI, she added, “I am very sure that things will work out.”


10:55  CNN offices evacuated:  ANI quoting AFP says CNN’s New York offices were evacuated Thursday night after a bomb threat, the network said, recalling a similar evacuation in October after an explosive device was discovered.

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10:54  Nirav Modi’s illegal bungalow in Alibaug to be razed: Maha govt to HC:  The Maharashtra government has told the Bombay High Court that it has ordered demolition of fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi’s illegal bungalow built along the beach at Alibaug in adjoining Raigad district.

Government counsel advocate P B Kakade told a bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice M S Karnik on Thursday that it had served demolition notices to another 58 private properties in the area constructed in violation of the state’s rules and coastal zone norms.

He made the submissions in compliance with a previous order of the bench which had directed the government to submit details of action taken and pending litigation concerning the illegal private constructions along the beaches in Alibaug, a coastal town popular with weekend tourists.

The state filed an affidavit in the court stating that orders to demolish Modi’s illegal bungalow have been issued. It also said 58 other properties were served with the demolition notice on December 4, and their owners asked to raze all illegal structures within a week.

In the affidavit, the state submitted that the owners of around 61 such illegal private structures had managed to get stay orders on demolition from local civil courts.

However, it was planning to initiate legal action to get the stay orders lifted, the government submitted. The bench took note of the state’s submissions and scheduled the matter for further hearing on December 20. — PTI

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10:47  Telling letter on slain Bulandshahr cop:  Subodh Kumar Singh, the police officer killed on Monday in an attack linked to alleged cow-slaughter in Bulandshahr, had angered local BJP functionaries who wrote to their MP in September seeking his transfer.

Grouses mentioned in the letter include “thefts, cattle theft and cow slaughter’.

The September 1 letter carries the purported signatures of several BJP leaders in Syana, Bulandshahr district. The names include those of the BJP’s Syana town general secretary Sanjay Shrotriya, Syana vice-president Kapil Tyagi, former civic councillor Manoj Tyagi and three others.

Read the report here.

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10:26  Ashok Gehlot votes:  Rajasthan: Congress leader Ashok Gehlot cast his vote at polling booth no. 106 in Jodhpur. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje (Jhalrapatan), Congress state president Sachin Pilot (Tonk), former chief minister Ashok Gehlot (Sardarpura) are among the 2,274 candidates in the fray. The election in Ramgarh constituency of Alwar district was put off following the death of Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Laxman Singh.

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10:21  Voting turnout in Telangana 10.15%:  TRS MP K Kavitha stands in a queue to cast her vote at polling booth no. 177 in Pothangal, Nizamabad. Voting turnout recorded till 9.30 am in Telangana is 10.15%.

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10:18  Chiranjeevi queues up :  Actor Chiranjeevi stands in a queue to cast his vote at polling booth no. 148 in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. Polling began amid elaborate arrangements in all 119 Assembly constituencies in Telangana on Friday morning. Voting began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm, except in 13 constituencies classified as Left Wing Extremist-affected, where the process ends at 4 pm itself.

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10:15  Owaisi votes :  In Hyderabad, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi casts his vote at polling booth no. 317 at Mailardevpally, Shastripuram. Telangana is also going to the polls today.

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10:11  Rajasthan polls: 6.11% turnout so far :  Update on the polling in Rajasthan.

Rajasthan records a turnout of 6.11% till 9 am. Polling has begun to decide the fate of over 2,000 candidates across 199 Assembly constituencies in Rajasthan. It is scheduled to end at 5pm today.

Elections will take place at 51,667 polling stations where 4,74,79,402 people will cast their vote. Out of the 200 constituencies in the state, polling is being held in 199. Voting in Alwar constituency was countermanded following the death of a Bahujan Samaj Party candidate.

The fight is to win a target of at least 101 seats to achieve majority mark in the intense polling between the BJP and Congress.

In the 2013 assembly elections, the BJP won the mandate with 163 seats, while Congress was reduced to 21 seats. This year, Vasundhara Raje, the state’s incumbent chief minister, is facing a tough fight from the Congress, which has not left any stone unturned to muster support while attacking the state government over its various initiatives.

On the one hand, the Congress has kept its card close to the heart as far as a chief ministerial candidate is concerned. However, it is being speculated that Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot are reportedly considered the main contenders.

On the other hand, BJP is pinning its hopes on Raje, who has been hailed time and again for her work in the state by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Besides Raje who is contesting from Jhalrapatan, other top contenders include state Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria from Udaipur, Rajendra Rathore from Churu, state party president Ashok Parnami from Adarsh Nagar and Anita Bhadel from Ajmer South. — PTI

Image: A 90-year-old man arrives at polling booth no. 104 in Sardarpura constituency of Jodhpur district to cast his vote. Pic: ANI


09:57  Rupee rises 46 paise to 70.44 against US dollar in early trade:  The rupee appreciated by 46 paise to 70.44 against the US dollar in early trade Friday at the interbank foreign exchange, amid weakness in the greenback against some currencies overseas and a higher opening of domestic equities.

Forex traders said, increased selling of the American currency by exporters and banks and sustained foreign fund inflows also supported the domestic currency.

At the interbank forex market, the rupee opened higher at 70.58 and rose further to quote at 70.44, showing a rise of 46 paise over its previous close.

On Thursday, the rupee fell by 44 paise against the dollar to close at 70.90. The local unit also gathered momentum following easing crude oil prices. — PTI

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09:46  EC should act: Vasundhara Raje on Sharad Yadav’s body-shaming remark :  

Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje today expressed shock at senior politician Sharad Yadav’s body-shaming comments at her in an election rally and said the Election Commission must act.

“I am shocked. I feel insulted. He has insulted women. I think to set an example, it is very important that the Election Commission takes cognizance,” Raje told reporters on Friday, after casting her vote for the Rajasthan election.

“Is this the sort of example he wants to set for youngsters? Congress and its allies should be restrained in their language,” the CM said angrily.

Sharad Yadav while addressing a rally in Alwar said, “Vasundhara ko aaram do, bahut thak gayi hain, bahut moti ho gayi hain, pehle patli thi. Humare Madhya Pradesh ki beti hai. (Give rest to Vasundhara. She looks too tired and has gained too much weight. Earlier she was slim. She is our Madhya Pradesh’s daughter),” Yadav said on Thursday in Alwar while addressing a rally.

Later, while clarifying his remarks, Yadav said that it was a mere ‘joke’ and his intentions were not to hurt the Bharatiya Janata Party leader.

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09:24  An 80-year-old woman cast her vote at booth no. 103 in Sardarpura constituency of Jodhpur district in Rajasthan. 


09:06  Indian IT firm HCL Tech to acquire select IBM software products:  

Indian IT company HCL Technologies on Friday said it will acquire select IBM software products for USD 1.8 billion (over Rs 12,700 crore) in an all-cash deal.

 

The transaction, subject to “completion of applicable regulatory reviews”, is slated to close by mid-2019, HCL Technologies said in a statement.

The deal entails seven products in areas including security, marketing and collaboration solutions, and represents a total addressable market of more than USD 50 billion, HCL Tech said in a regulatory filing.

“IBM and HCL Technologies today announced a definitive agreement under which HCL will acquire select IBM software products for USD 1.8 billion,” it said.

With this acquisition, HCL Tech will get software products in areas of marketing, commerce, security and collaboration, a “highly profitable revenue stream” containing a significant annuity component, and access to over 5,000 large clients across industries and geographic markets, along with sales and marketing teams, the filing said.

HCL Tech Chief Financial Officer Prateek Aggarwal told PTI that the deal also entails transfer of IBM employees, but did not divulge any numbers. 

The cash deal will be funded largely through internal accruals, with USD 300 million of debt, HCL Tech said, adding that nearly half of the total amount will be paid at close of the deal.

This is the biggest acquisition for HCL Tech till date, and among the largest by an Indian tech company. The acquisition also reflects HCL’s ambitions for software products business — considered to be the next growth frontier for IT companies.

The software products in the deal include Appscan (for secure application development), BigFix (for secure device management), Unica (for marketing automation), Commerce (for omni-channel eCommerce), Portal (for digital experience), Notes & Domino (for email and low-code rapid application development), and Connections (for workstream collaboration).

HCL and IBM have an ongoing intellectual property partnership for five of these products. — PTI

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08:59  Polling begins in Telangana, Rajasthan:  

After a high-voltage campaign that saw war of words among contending parties, polling began in Rajastha and Telangana today.

In Telangana, voting began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm, except in 13 constituencies classified as Left Wing Extremist-affected, where the process ends at 4 pm itself.

Over 2,000 candidates are in the fray for 199 assembly seats in Rajasthan, where polling on Friday will determine whether the Bharatiya Janata Party bucks anti-incumbency and an increasingly aggressive opposition to return to power.

Votes will be cast at 51,687 polling booths, 259 of them managed exclusively by women officials and security personnel.

In Telangana, the Congress-led alliance is challenging the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti, and the Bharatiya Janata Party seeking to make it a triangular contest for 119 assembly seats.

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08:34  IndiGo becomes first Indian airline to have 200 planes:  

Budget carrier IndiGo on Thursday said it has become the first domestic airline to have 200 aircraft in its fleet.

 

Four new aircraft have joined the fleet, including town Airbus A320 ceo (VT-IKA and VT-IKB) and two A320 neo (VT IZK AND VT-IZI) taking the fleet count to 200 and number of deliveries to 226, IndiGo said in an internal  communication.

With the addition of VT-IZI, IndiGo has become the first Indian airline to have two aircraft in its fleet, the largest domestic carrier said in the communication.

The Gurgaon-based no-frills carrier, which enjoys over 40 per cent of the total domestic traffic, had inducted the 100th aircraft on December 24, 2015.

“It has taken us only three years to take delivery of another 100 planes,” it added.

The airline’s fleet now comprises 123 A320ceos (current engine option), 61 A320 neos (new engine option) as well as 12 regional jets ATR.

IndiGo currently offers over 1,200 flights to 63 domestic destinations, which include 49 domestic and 14 international ones. — PTI 


08:30  2 Indian-American CEOs attend White House summit for Tech leaders:  

Two Indian-American CEOs — Satya Nadella from Microsoft and Sunder Pichai from Microsoft — were among a select group of CEOs invited by the White House for a technology summit as part of the Trump Administration’s move to ease its relationship, which thus far has remained tensed, with the Silicon Valley.

“We had a productive and engaging discussion at the White House today about America’s leadership in emerging technologies,” Pichai was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal. 

President Donald Trump made a brief appearance at the summit organised by his daughter Ivanka Trump. Ginni Rometty (IBM) Safra Catz (Oracle) and Steve Mollenkopf (Qualcomm) were among those who attended the White House Tech Summit. 

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and former secretary of state Henry Kissinger also attended the summit which was themed “Industries of the Future”. 

The tech summit was intended to be a listening session for tech leaders to share policy ideas, a senior administration official said.

No other details were immediately available. CEOs who attended the summit did not respond to reporters’ questions at the White House. — PTI

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00:19  OPEC to consider views of Modi before cutting production: Saudi oil min:  

Oil cartel Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries will consider views of world leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represent the voice of major consuming nations, with seriousness before taking a decision on cutting output to support falling prices, Saudi oil minister Khalid Al Falih said on Thursday.

India is the world’s third largest oil consuming nation, which is more than 80 per cent dependent on imports to meet its energy needs.

Led by Modi, it has been very strongly making a case for oil producers’ cartel OPEC to price crude at reasonable and responsible rates.

Speaking to reporters at the meeting of the OPEC, he said: “We take the views of Prime Minister Narendra Modi seriously who (like US President Donald Trump) is equally vocal about the issue.

“We just met him in Buenos Aires (during G20 summit) and privately he made those points very very strongly that he does care for Indian consumers and is very serious about it. I have also seen him at three times at various energy events in India where he was very vocal.”

He was replying to a question on US President’s expectations from OPEC meeting.

OPEC on Thursday delayed a decision on production until it meets with other producers on Friday.

Following this, crude oil prices traded sharply lower.

Growing concerns that oil producers won’t reach an agreement to aggressively reduce production has also weighed on prices.

West Texas Intermediate crude for January delivery lost $2.30, or 4.4 per cent, to $50.59 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Members of OPEC concluded their meeting in Vienna, without deciding on output-cut figures. It plans to debate output figures with non-OPEC producers during their meeting Friday.  — PTI

Source: Rediff