Delhi HC seeks Centre’s response on plea to regulate Netflix, Amazon Prime Video content

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the Centre’s response to a petition seeking to regulate content on online media streaming platforms like Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video. The plea alleged that these platforms show “uncertified, sexually explicit and vulgar” content.

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Winter Session of Parliament to be held from December 11 to January 8

Union minister Vijay Goel on Wednesday said the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs has decided that the Winter Session will be held between December 11 and January 8. The Union minister Rajnath Singh-led CCPA met on Thursday at his home to deliberate on the dates of the session.

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ISRO launches GSAT-29 satellite expected to enhance communication in India’s remote areas

The Indian Space Research Organisation on Wednesday launched its heaviest satellite, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III rocket carrying communication satellite GSAT-29 at 5.08 pm from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.

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Mining baron Janardhan Reddy granted bail in ponzi scheme case

A court in Bengaluru on Wednesday granted mining baron and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gali Janardhan Reddy bail on a bond of Rs 1 lakh, in a ponzi scheme case.

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Centre renaming historical places but delaying approval to rename West Bengal, says Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government of ignoring her administration’s request to rename her state while going on a renaming spree of its own. In a Facebook post, the chief minister and Trinamool Congress leader said the state Assembly had in July passed a resolution to change the state’s name to “Bangla” in Bengali, English and Hindi.

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Chennai: AIADMK unveils new Jayalalithaa statue after criticism that earlier one didn’t resemble her

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam unveiled the new statue next to another one of AIADMK leader MG Ramachandran. They praised sculptor Rajkumar Udayar’s craftsmanship.

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1984 anti-Sikh riots: Delhi court convicts two people in murder case

Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Pandey found Naresh Sherawat and Yashpal Singh guilty of killing Hardev Singh and Avtar Singh in the Delhi’s Mahipalpur locality. The court will hear arguments on the quantum of sentence on Thursday.

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#MeToo: India Today’s Gaurav Sawant sends defamation notice to The Caravan, accuser

India Today Executive Editor Gaurav Sawant on Wednesday said he has sent a defamation notice to The Caravan and journalists Nikita Saxena and Vidya Krishnan following an article accusing him of sexual harassment. On Monday, Sawant had denied the allegations, calling the article “irresponsible, baseless and completely false”.

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Delhi High Court issues notices to Centre, AAP government on chief secretary’s plea

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Centre, Aam Aadmi Party-led government in Delhi, Assembly Speaker’s office in connection with a case involving Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash. Prakash had moved the court on Tuesday against the decision of the Delhi Assembly’s Privilege Committee to initiate breach of privilege proceedings against him.

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UP: Election Commission bars Shamli magistrate from poll duty for lapses during Kairana bye-poll

The Election Commission on Tuesday banned Shamli District Magistrate Inder Vikram Singh from poll-related duty for a year for lapses during his stint as returning officer in the Kairana Lok Sabha bye-poll in May, reports said.

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Rajasthan: Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot to contest elections amid rumours of a divide

Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot on Wednesday said they will contest the December 7 Rajasthan Assembly elections. The announcement comes amid speculation about a possible rift within the party over the chief ministerial candidate’s position.

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18-year-old athlete found dead in hostel room at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru stadium

Parvinder Chaudhary, an 18-year-old athlete who represented India at the international level, was found dead in his hostel room at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium premises, reported PTI.

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Assam: ULFA(I) warns of ‘armed revolution’ if Centre does not scrap Citizenship Bill

The banned United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) has warned of an “armed revolution” if the Centre goes ahead with its move to amend the Citizenship Act, PTI reported on Wednesday.

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Rafale deal: SC reserves order on pleas seeking probe, says price details need not be discussed now

The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from French company Dassault Aviation. The top court said the pricing details of the controversial jet deal need not be discussed now.

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J&K Police suspect Hizbul Mujahideen militants were behind BJP leaders’ killings

The Jammu and Kashmir Police suspect Hizbul Mujahideen militants Osama Javed and Sajjad Khandey were responsible for killing state Bharatiya Janata Party Secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday. Javed is a resident of Dachhan in Kishtwar district while Khandey is from Pulwama.

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Wholesale price inflation surged to 5.28% in October

Wholesale price inflation rose to 5.28% in October compared to 5.13% the month before, the Ministry of Commerce on Industry said on Wednesday. The rate of inflation was 3.68% during the corresponding month in 2017. This is the highest inflation rate since June, when it was 5.68%.

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Google planning to share information on how election ads are funded in India: The Indian Express

Google is planning to introduce controls on political advertisement funding and set up tools to check the spread of fake news ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year. The company will list out regulations, making it mandatory to include disclosures about who paid for the advertisements.

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Art historian Kavita Singh among six winners of Infosys Prize 2018

The Infosys Science Foundation on Tuesday announced the names of six eminent researchers and scientists who have won this year’s Infosys Prize. Art historian Kavita Singh won the prize in the humanities category for her study of Mughal, Rajput and Deccan art and her writing on the role of museums.

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Chhattisgarh: Five security personnel and a civilian injured in Bijapur IED blast

Five security personnel and a civilian were injured in an improvised explosive device blast in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur Ghatti on Wednesday. Suspected Maoists triggered the blast and a gunfight is currently under way.

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Financial inclusion has become a reality for 1.3 billion Indians, Narendra Modi says in Singapore

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said financial inclusion is now a reality for 1.3 billion Indians as he pitched India as the “best destination” for financial technology companies and startups. Modi made the remarks in his keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival.

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Cyclone Gaja: Tamil Nadu deploys 15 disaster response teams ahead of landfall

The state government has deployed eight teams of the National Disaster Response Force and seven units of the State Disaster Response Force ahead of cyclonic storm Gaja’s landfall in the state on Thursday. They will be stationed in the coastal districts of Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin, which are expected to receive heavy rainfall.

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Delhi air quality in ‘very poor’ category, ban on entry of heavy vehicles lifted

The air quality in Delhi tuned “very poor” on Wednesday with the Central Pollution Control Board recording an Air Quality Index of 341 at 11 am. On Tuesday, the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research, or SAFAR, said isolated showers in parts of Delhi has made the air heavier with more moisture that will “force AQI to go to ‘severe’ category from evening until late night”.

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CBI books deputy legal adviser for allegedly forging senior officer’s signature in appraisal reports

The Central Bureau of Investigation has booked one of its deputy legal advisers for allegedly forging the signature of a senior officer on annual performance appraisal reports to secure promotion, The Hindu reported on Tuesday. The agency filed a First Information Report against Beena Raizada on Monday on the charges of cheating and forgery.

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Cine & TV Artists Association expels Alok Nath after rape, sexual harassment allegations

The Cine & TV Artists Association on Tuesday said it has expelled Bollywood actor Alok Nath, a month after writer-producer Vinta Nanda accused him of rape. Nanda accused Nath of raping her in her home nearly two decades ago, after he was expelled from 1990s’ television show Tara for harassing its lead actress.

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