#MeToo: Maneka Gandhi urges political parties to set up Internal Complaints Committee

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on Thursday said she has requested the heads of all national and regional political parties to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee to deal with sexual harassment cases.

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Former Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand CM ND Tiwari dies at 93

ND Tiwari, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, died at Max Hospital in Delhi’s Saket on Thursday. He died on his birthday at the age of 93.

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United States: Facebook shareholders move proposal to replace Mark Zuckerberg as chairman

Four major United States public funds that hold shares in Facebook Inc on Wednesday supported a proposal to remove Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg as chairman. State treasurers from Illinois, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer co-filed the proposal

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Delhi air quality remains ‘very poor’ for the second consecutive day, expected to worsen

The air quality in Delhi remained “very poor” for the second consecutive day on Thursday, PTI reported. The overall Air Quality Index stood at 313 in the afternoon, according to data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research.

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#MeToo: Delhi court to examine MJ Akbar, witnesses in defamation case against journalist on October 31

The Patiala House Court on Thursday began hearing former minister MJ Akbar’s defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani. Akbar had filed the case after Ramani accused him of sexual harassment. The court will examine Akbar and his witnesses on October 31 at noon.

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SEBI orders Singh brothers, eight firms to repay Rs 403 crore to Fortis Healthcare

The Securities and Exchange Board of India on Wednesday ordered the Singh brothers and eight entities related to them to repay Rs 403 crore to Fortis Healthcare Limited. Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh are the former promoters of Fortis Healthcare.

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Madhya Pradesh: Two coaches of Rajdhani Express derail as truck rams into it at level crossing

At least two coaches of the Hazrat Nizamuddin-Trivandrum Rajdhani Express derailed when a truck hit the Delhi-bound train near Thandla crossing in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday morning. The truck driver died in the collision.

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Mobile numbers verified through Aadhaar will not be disconnected after SC order, says UIDAI

The Unique Identification Authority of India on Thursday dismissed news reports suggesting that mobile numbers verified using Aadhaar identification will be disconnected after the Supreme Court order. The authority said the reports create “unnecessary panic” among people.

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#MeToo: Editors Guild urges MJ Akbar to withdraw defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani

The Editors Guild of India on Thursday called upon Bharatiya Janata Party leader MJ Akbar to withdraw the criminal defamation complaint against journalist Priya Ramani, who accused him of sexual harassment. Akbar, a former president of the guild, resigned from his position of minister of state for external affairs on Wednesday after 16 women accused him of sexual harassment and misconduct in the past.

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Supreme Court didn’t consider traditions while giving Sabarimala verdict, says RSS chief

“The version of heads of religious denominations and faith of crores of devotees was not taken into account,” Mohan Bhagwat said. The RSS chief claimed that those women who filed petitions against the ban will not visit the shrine.

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Jammu and Kashmir: Militant involved in attack on police party killed in gunfight in Pulwama

A Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen militant was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday night, PTI reported. The person was identified as Showkat Ahmad Bhat and some arms and ammunition were recovered from his possession, said an unidentified police official.

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#MeToo: Group of ministers to look into laws against sexual harassment at workplace, say reports

The government will soon form a group of ministers to look into legal provisions against sexual harassment at the workplace. The group, to be headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, is likely to consist of Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Maneka Gandhi and Nitin Gadkari, among others.

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Delhi hotel brawl: BSP leader’s son to surrender, claims he’s being projected as a terrorist

Ashish Pandey, who was seen threatening a couple with a gun outside a hotel in Delhi earlier this week, reached the Patiala House Court on Thursday morning to surrender. He is the son of former Bahujan Samaj Party MP Rakesh Pandey.

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Clean Ganga activist, on fast for 116 days, taken to AIIMS, Rishikesh

An activist fasting since June 24 to demand steps to conserve the Ganga river was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh on Wednesday. It was the second time in a week that 36-year-old Gopaldas was brought to hospital.

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#MeToo: Singer Shweta Pandit accuses Anu Malik of sexually harassing her

Singer Shweta Pandit on Wednesday accused music composer Anu Malik of sexually harassing her when she was 15 years old. In a Twitter post, Pandit referred to Malik as a “paedophile”. Malik has called the allegations “ridiculous”.

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Petrol, diesel prices fall for the first time since October 5

Prices of petrol and diesel fell on Thursday for the first time since the Centre decided on October 5 to intervene in the market to control the rising prices. A litre of petrol cost Rs 82.62 in New Delhi on Thursday, down 21 paise since Wednesday. Diesel cost Rs 75.58 a litre in the national capital, 11 paise lower than on Wednesday.

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#MeToo: Vikas Bahl files Rs 10 crore defamation lawsuit against Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane

Filmmaker Vikas Bahl, who has been accused of sexual assault, has filed a Rs 10-crore defamation suit against his former Phantom Films partners Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, PTI reported. Earlier, Bahl had sent legal notices to the two, accusing them of orchestrating a campaign against him by using the allegation as an opportunity to disband Phantom Films and pin the blame on him.

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Sabarimala temple opens on second day as 24-hour shutdown begins in Kerala

Prohibitory orders are in place in four towns of Kerala on Thursday even as some outfits began a shutdown to protest a Supreme Court order allowing women to enter the Sabarimala temple. Violent protests against women devotees and journalists were reported on Wednesday, when the temple’s gates opened to devotees for monthly rituals for the first time since the verdict.

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Pakistani forces capture 11 Indian fishermen, seize their boats off Gujarat coast

Pakistan’s maritime forces on Wednesday captured 11 Indian fishermen and seized their boat in the Arabian Sea, PTI reported. The Indian Coast Guard said that it is in touch with its counterparts in Pakistan to enable the release of the captured men and their boat.

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Man arrested for allegedly raping seven-year-old girl in Rewari district

A 35-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly raping a seven-year-old girl in Haryana’s Rewari district the previous day when she was returning from school. The accused allegedly accosted the child when she was on her way home, took her to a nearby field and raped her. The girl was bleeding severely when she reached her home in Khol village.

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Centre sends medical team to Rajasthan as number of Zika cases rise to 100

The number of cases of infection from the Zika virus in Rajasthan rose to 100 on Wednesday, prompting the Centre to send a team from the Indian Council of Medical Research to accelerate measures to stop its spread. An unidentified official of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told PTI that 20 new cases were identified in Jaipur and two neighbouring districts on Wednesday.

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