Top news: Cyclone Titli kills eight people in Andhra Pradesh
The biggest stories of the day.
Cyclone Titli, which made landfall on the Odisha coast on Thursday, has claimed eight lives in Andhra Pradesh. The weather department has forecast a weakening of the storm to a “deep depression” by Friday.
The Gujarat High Court has directed the state government to respond to a plea seeking action against culprits responsible for the migrant exodus.
Meanwhile, Congress President Rahul Gandhi claimed that the documents of French firm Dassault Aviation on the Rafale deal showed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is corrupt. “Earlier, former French President [Francois Hollande] revealed that Indian prime minister had told them that Reliance should get a deal,” Gandhi said at a press conference in New Delhi. “Now a senior official of Rafale has said the same. It is a clear cut case of corruption.”
Cyclone Titli kills eight in Andhra Pradesh, weather department predicts weakening of storm
At least eight people died in storm-related incidents in Andhra Pradesh after Cyclone Titli made landfall in Odisha on Thursday. Odisha Chief Secretary AP Padhi said the destruction caused by the storm in the state was less than expected.
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India suffered losses of $79.5 billion due to natural disasters in last two decades: UN report
India suffered economic losses of $79.5 billion (Rs 590000 crore at current exchange rate) over the last 20 years due to natural disasters, said the United Nations in a report released on Wednesday. Globally, climate-related and geophysical disasters killed 1.3 million people and left 4.4 billion injured, homeless, displaced or requiring emergency aid between 1998 and 2017, said the report.
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Gujarat High Court directs state to respond to plea seeking action against culprits in migrant exodus
The Gujarat High Court on Thursday asked the state government to file an affidavit on the recent attacks on migrants after admitting a petition seeking action against those responsible and the state personnel who failed to protect them, The Indian Express reported.
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Two militants killed in gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir’s Handwara
Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed in Shatgund Bala village of Handwara town in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district during an encounter on Thursday. One of them was identified as a PhD scholar from Aligarh Muslim University, Mannan Bashir Wani. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on termed his death as “entirely our loss”.
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Ex-PDP leader Vikramaditya Singh joins Congress
Former Peoples Democratic Party leader Vikramaditya Singh on Thursday joined the Congress. Singh is the son of senior Congress leader Karan Singh and grandson of Maharaja Hari Singh. Singh had resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party and the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council in October 2017, saying it was “neither morally, nor ethically right” to continue as a party member.
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Vijay Mallya’s properties to be attached
A Delhi court on Thursday ordered that fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya’s properties in Bengaluru be attached, in a case relating to violation of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act.
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After new Rafale report, Rahul Gandhi says Narendra Modi is a corrupt man
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed that the documents of French firm Dassault Aviation on the Rafale deal showed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is corrupt. On Wednesday, a document accessed by French investigative website Mediapart showed that Dassault Aviation entered into an agreement with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence as it was presented as a “trade off” to obtain the contract of Rafale sales.
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Environmentalist GD Agarwal, who was fasting to demand a clean Ganga, dies in Rishikesh
Environmentalist and academic GD Agarwal, who was on an indefinite fast in Haridwar since June 22 to urge the government to clean the river Ganga, died of a heart attack on Thursday, ANI reported. Agarwal’s demands included maintaining the environmental flow of the river to prevent pollution, removal of encroachments along the riverbank, and a special law to deal with pollution and encroachment of the Ganga.
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Religious leader Rampal convicted in two murder cases, quantum of punishment next week
A Hisar court on Thursday found religious leader Rampal Dass guilty in two murder cases filed against him. The quantum of punishment will be announced over two days on October 16 and 17. Dass, lodged in Hisar’s Central Jail 2, has been charged with murder, attempt to murder, sedition, rioting and illegal detention.
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Centre clarifies citizenship status of Gorkhas living in Assam
The central government on Wednesday said that members of the Gorkha community living in Assam can neither be sent to detention centres nor their cases on citizenship status be referred to the Foreigners Tribunals.
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ED attaches Karti Chidambaram’s assets worth Rs 54 crore
The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday attached assets worth Rs 54 crore belonging to Karti Chidambaram, the son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, in connection with the INX Media money laundering case. Assets in India, Spain and the United Kingdom were attached, the investigation agency added.
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After Vinta Nanda and Sandhya Mridul, actor Deepika Amin alleges Alok Nath harassed her years ago
Actor Deepika Amin on Wednesday claimed that actor Alok Nath harassed her during a shoot for a telefilm several years ago. Her allegations come after writer, producer and director Vinta Nanda and actor Sandhya Mridul also accused Nath of rape and sexual harassment. “Everyone in the industry knows that Alok Nath is an obnoxious drunkard who harasses women,” Amin wrote in a Facebook post.
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Dassault Aviation says it freely chose to partner with Reliance Defence for Rafale deal
French defence firm Dassault Aviation on Wednesday denied a media report that claimed the firm entered into an agreement with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence as it was presented as a “trade off” to obtain the contract of Rafale sales. “Dassault Aviation has freely chosen to make a partnership with India’s Reliance Group,” the firm said.
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Income Tax officials ‘survey’ Quint founder Raghav Bahl’s home, media organisation’s office
Officials of the Income Tax Department on Thursday conducted a survey on The Quint’s office in Noida and the media organisation’s founder Raghav Bahl’s home, Bahl said. The visit is reportedly in connection with an alleged tax evasion case. The officials also surveyed the office of The News Minute in Bengaluru. Quintillion is an investor in media firm.
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Sensex tumbles by 760 points to close near 34,000, Nifty ends the day below 10,300
The BSE Sensex on Thursday fell by around 760 points to close at 34,001.15, recording its lowest closing since April 11, PTI reported. The National Stock Exchange Nifty 50 closed at 10,234.65, down 225.45 points since Wednesday.
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Violence breaks out at Manipur University as students clash with police, 17 detained
Fresh violence broke out at Manipur University on Wednesday when students clashed with security forces during which the police used tear gas shells to quell the situation. At least 17 students were detained later. The clash erupted when a number of students staged a demonstration in front of the administrative block, demanding the release of students and teachers who were arrested after a midnight raid on campus on September 20.
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Two women accuse author Suhel Seth of sexually harassing them
Two women on Wednesday accused public relations consultant and author Suhel Seth on Twitter of sexually harassing them several years ago. Journalist Mandakini Gahlot said that Seth forcibly kissed her in public at a conference in Goa in July 2011. Film director Natashja Rathore took to Twitter to accuse Seth of taking her to his apartment in Gurugram and kissing and groping her.
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Actor Tanushree Dutta files FIR against Nana Patekar and three others
Actor Tanushree Dutta on Wednesday night filed a first information report against Bollywood veteran Nana Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, producer Samee Siddhiqui and director Rakesh Sarang for allegedly molesting her on the sets of a movie in 2008. In her complaint on Wednesday, she has accused Patekar of inappropriate behaviour on the sets of the unreleased film Horn ‘Ok’ Pleassss.
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Centre cuts excise duty on jet fuel from 14% to 11%
The Centre on Wednesday cut excise duty on jet fuel from 14% to 11% with effect from October 11. This move seeks to help the aviation sector, which has been hit by rising fuel prices and a continuing fall of the rupee. Aviation turbine fuel prices are at their highest level since January 2014.
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Dassault document says picking Ambani as Rafale partner was ‘mandatory’: French news report
Dassault Aviation entered into an agreement with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence as it was presented as a “trade off” to obtain the contract of Rafale sales, according to document accessed by French investigative website Mediapart. The document shows that Dassault considered this alliance as a “counterpart”, “imperative and mandatory” to get into the Indian market. Dassault Aviation’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Loïk Segalen, made this clear during a presentation of the Dassault Reliance Aerospace joint venture to staff representatives in Nagpur in May 2017, according to a report prepared by the staff.
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