Politics

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sydney hostage crisis

New Delhi, Dec 15 (ANI): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that the government of India is ensuring full security in the country in wake of the Sydney hostage crisis. He also added that the government would take all the necessary steps on the matter. Earlier in the day, India's second largest IT services provider Infosys confirmed that one of its employees has been taken hostage.

Dec 15, 2014

Hindus and Muslims come together to seek blessings during Urs of Lassa Bab in J and K

Jammu and Kashmir, Dec 15 (ANI): The Jammu and Kashmir state is a mix of varied religious beliefs, and people here enjoy this diversity. The state houses a sizeable population of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians and they have always lived in peace and amity, besides celebrating each other's fairs and festivals. A similar example is seen during the annual Urs of Ghulam Rasool Bhat alias Lassa Bab in Srinagar where devotes from different religious communities pray together to seek blessings of the saint. The devotees, who come from different parts of the valley, hold the day-and-night-long prayers to pay obeisance to Lassa Bab. Women, men and children all form the part of celebrations, which is marked by prayers and chanting hymns to please the God at the holy place.

Dec 15, 2014

Hindus-Muslims perform community wedding under one roof in Rajkot

Rajkot, Dec 15 (ANI): The City of Rajkot, located in the western Indian state of Gujarat, is known as the colourful city of India. A multicultural city, people here are living together peacefully. To give further impetus to this age-old ethos, a mass wedding was held here recently, in which around 101 Hindu and Muslim couples got married. The aim was to spread the message of love and brotherhood across the country. The couples mostly belonged to economically backward classes. During the marriage ceremony, Hindu priests and Muslim clerics conducted the respective rituals in front of hundreds of invitees. The couples were happy with the arrangement, as the marriage ceremony was held in a unique way.

Dec 15, 2014

Bengaluru Police commissioner says threats by Islamic State taken seriously

Bengaluru, Dec 15 (ANI): Police in Bengaluru on Monday said that threats by Islamic State on Twitter about carrying out Sydney-like siege in the city were being taken seriously after an armed man walked into a downtown Sydney cafe, took hostages and forced them to display an Islamic flag, igniting fears of a jihadist attack. Bengaluru police commissioner MN Reddy said they were investigating threats by Islamic State militants, who have warned of taking Bengaluru hostage. Meanwhile, Reddy said that they had sent a notice to Twitter Corporation in India regarding information on a company executive suspected of operating a pro-Islamic State Twitter account. Police on Saturday arrested a company executive suspected of operating a pro-Islamic State Twitter account that pumped out a stream of updates on the violent group's military campaign from his base in Bengaluru.

Dec 15, 2014

Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Dia Mirza, Sonakshi Sinha, Arjun Kapoor Attend 'Banega Swachh India' Cleanathon Event [PHOTOS]

'Banega Swachh India' was attended by Shashi Tharoor, Priyanka Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha, Arjun Kapoor, Govinda and Dia Mirza, among others.

Dec 15, 2014

No efforts spared to secure Indian cricket team, GoI monitoring situation: MEA on Sydney attack

New Delhi, Dec 15 (ANI): MEA Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin on Monday gave updated information about the attack on a café in Sydney, Australia. Akbaruddin said that the Indian cricket team is a national treasure and no efforts will be spared to secure the players. He added that the Government of India is in constant touch with the government representatives and the local authorities in Sydney which are giving all possible information. He added that at this stage it would be best to allow the Australian authorities to do their work effectively.

Dec 15, 2014

Despite changes, Delhi women still fear for safety

Two years after the fatal gang-rape of a student on a Delhi bus and a week after a female passenger was allegedly raped by her Uber taxi driver, the issue of women's safety is again under the spotlight.

Dec 15, 2014

A pampered pooch or a mangy mutt? The Thai dog's life lottery

They are banned from most parks and often find the heat oppressive -- but dogs in Bangkok are finally getting to live the good life well, the ones who have owners anyway.

Dec 15, 2014

Hostages held inside Sydney cafe, Islamic flag held up

Terrified hostages are held inside a cafe in central Sydney with an Islamic flag displayed against a window, sparking a security lockdown in an area home to government and corporate headquarters.

Dec 15, 2014

AFP looks back at 2014's top news stories

From the Ebola epidemic to the Hong Kong democracy protests, conflicts around the world to George Clooney's Venice wedding, AFP looks back at the top stories of 2014.

Dec 15, 2014

Tirupati MLA M Venkataramana passes away in Chennai

Chennai, Dec 15 (ANI): Tirupati MLA and Telugu Desam Party leader M Venkataramana passed away on Monday morning while undergoing treatment at Apollo hospital in Chennai. Venkataramana was admitted to Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences in Tirupati after suffering a stroke on November 15. After undergoing treatment for over a fortnight, the Venkataramana who was discharged from SVIMS was shifted to Apollo hospital at Chennai where he underwent a bypass surgery. However the MLA's condition started deteriorating and he passed away on Monday morning at around 7.30 am. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Dec 15, 2014

One Indian among hostages inside Lindt cafe, EAM in touch with the embassy, says Venkaiah Naidu

New Delhi, Dec 15 (ANI): Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said that some information has come that there is one Indian among the hostages inside the Lindt cafe in Sydney. He added that External Affairs Ministry is keeping in touch with the Indian embassy as well as that of the counterparts. Earlier in the day, an armed man took an undisclosed number of people hostage at the Martin Place Cafe in Sydney and displayed a black flag with Arabic script in the window, sparking a security alert in Australia. Authorities in Australia have reportedly sealed off surrounding streets in Sydney, evacuated people from buildings, and suspended rail services following the incident.

Dec 15, 2014

TMC protest against Madan Mitra's arrest in Saradha chit fund scam case

New Delhi, Dec 15 (ANI): Leaders of Trinamool Congress (TMC) party on Monday protested against the arrest of state minister in connection with Saradha chit fund scam, shouting slogans against the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested transport minister of West Bengal Madan Mitra, on Friday for his role in the scam. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refuted allegations against her minister and has alleged political vendetta by the BJP. TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee said CBI was working on the orders of the BJP. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that everyone in West Bengal is aware of TMC's fraud and the arrest of their leaders have come as berserker for the party, hence it is using the protest tool to protect them, which is not going to help in anyway.

Dec 15, 2014

Security Experts raise concerns of terrorist involvement in Sydney Cafe Hostage

New Delhi, Dec 15 (ANI): Reacting on hostage of unknown number of people in Sydney cafe, Security experts on Monday said that this raises concern of terrorist involvement in the mater. Praful Bakshi said that the world need to look at the threat completely as people belonging to same religion of ISIS are following them at massive scale. Uday Bhaskar said that said that the incident poses threat to civil society. Meanwhile, Major General (retd.) SR Sinho said terrorists through the Sydney hostage crisis are sending out a message to important nations of the world that this is what they can do. Sinho said Australia until now was peaceful and the terrorists have by this activity sent a message that now they can go out anywhere in the world. He said the attack is a threat to India also as it is the most vulnerable country.

Dec 15, 2014

PM Narendra Modi addresses rally in Dumka

Dumka, Dec 15 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally in Dumka, Jharkhand, attacked his rival parties. Modi accused the Congress and the JMM of looting public money. He urged voters to vote for his party to ensure development in their state.

Dec 15, 2014