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Displaced families from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing the violence, walk on the outskirts of Sinjar, west of Mosul, 5 August.

Rescue Begins for 40,000 Yazidis Trapped in Sinjar Mountains [Photos]

Some of the refugees have now been rescued in an operation overseen by the United Nations.

Aug 7, 2014

BSE closes points 76.26 down on August 7

New Delhi, August 07 (ANI): Trading at the Bombay Stock Exchange today closed 76.26 points down to stand at 25,589.01. At the National Stock Exchange the Nifty closed 22.80 points down to stand at 7,649.25. MCX and RAMCOCEM were among the top gainers of Group A with an increase of 5.73% and 4.05% along with HPCL and Indian Oil Corporation with an increase of 3.41% and 3.16% respectively, while the top losers of Group A include Bhushan Steel and Bharti Infratel with a decrease of 19.99% and 7.07% along with Jubilant Food Works Ltd and UPL with a decrease of 4.81% and 4.72% at the close of the markets. The Auto sector is down 9.90 points at 15,763.33 while the banking sector is up 0.20 points at 17,180.05 and the reality sector is down 6.78 points at 1,912.54. The Indian currency is down 0.30% at Rs 61.31 per dollar.

Aug 7, 2014

SGPC row: SC says maintain status quo

New Delhi, Aug 7 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) and Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committe (HSGPC) to maintain a status quo on the issue of management control of all 52 Sikh shrines in Haryana till its further orders. The court also directed the SGPC and HSGPC to open separate bank accounts in which all incomes of gurudwaras under their control will be deposited and posted the matter for further hearing on August 25. The court also directed the police chief of the state to take all steps to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident.

Aug 7, 2014

Demand for diamond studded rakhis soars in Surat ahead of Raksha Bandhan

Surat, Aug 7 (ANI): The demand for diamond studded sacred threads, known as rakhis, has shot up in Surat, the famed city of diamond cutters in Gujarat, ahead of Raksha Bandhan. On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, a sister ties rakhi on the wrist of her brother as a token of love and wishes him prosperity and happiness. On his part, a brother pledges to protect his sisters' honour and in return offers gifts to her. In order to add a bit of sparkle to the celebrations, the jewellers are offering doting sisters a chance to present their brothers with diamond-studded rakhis. Meanwhile, a customer, Poorvi Sancheti, said as a sister she would want to buy the best for her brother. 'Rakhi' is a symbol of affection and bonding between sisters and brothers. It is celebrated on the full moon day of month of Shravana.

Aug 7, 2014

Artists enchant audience at cultural festival in Kashmir

Srinagar, Aug 7 (ANI): A five-day cultural festival, organised jointly by Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, and the North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC), Patiala, started in Jammu and Kashmir. The event will take place at different parts of the valley. The festival consists of musical programmes and poetic symposium featuring renowned artistes from Kashmir and neighbouring states. He added the aim of holding this festival is to promote the culture and traditions of the valley to attract tourists and aware the future generations about it. Artists performing on stage also seemed delighted with the response.

Aug 7, 2014

Flood disrupts everyday life in Odisha

Bargarh, Aug 7 (ANI): Nine persons died while several were affected as flood inundated large parts of Bargarh town in Odisha. Among all, the low-lying areas are the worst hit. The residents of Dam colony, Bandhutikra and Bhatli roads had to move as floodwater entered their houses. Fifteen families of Ghunghutipada in ward number 1 of Bargarh Municipality were rescued by fire and police personnel and accommodated at the local dharamshala. Five houses were damaged in the rain that continued to lash the town since Wednesday (August 05) night. A traditional water harvesting structure, Daani Kata, overflowed forcing the civic body to cut its embankment for release of excess water.

Aug 7, 2014

China Earthquake: Rescue operations underway as death toll reaches 589

China, Aug 7 (ANI): Rescuers have been making all-out efforts to search for missing people and clear roads after landslides in and around Longtoushan Town, the epicenter of a 6.5-magnitude earthquake that rocked China's Yunnan Province. According to rescuers, at least 55 people were buried and 49 went missing in a landslide in Ganjia Village on Wednesday morning. About 170 firefighters and soldiers searched the area and found six bodies. The death toll in China's earthquake rose to 589 as search and rescue teams worked to clear debris from isolated mountain communities struck by the disaster. The collapsed parts of the road are 300 meters long and 12 meters deep, blocking access to five villages and one town. A total of 10,000 emergency lights for tents will arrive in quake-hit areas on Thursday in addition to 55,000 blankets, 22,800 sets of clothes, 2500 T-shirts, 24,000 flashlights and 2,000 raincoats.

Aug 7, 2014

Rani Mukerji promotes 'Mardaani' in a school

Mumbai, August 7 (ANI): Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji visited a school in India's showbiz capital Mumbai to promote her upcoming film 'Mardaani'. 'Mardaani', which means manly, revolves around a senior police inspector, played by Mukerji, who unearths human trafficking racket. Interacting with the audience and the media present at the Priyadarshini Vidya Mandir School, Mukerji stressed upon the need to make women strong not only physically but also mentally and said women should not depend on men for safety and security. Mukerji, who plays the protagonist called Shivani Shivaji Rao, as a police officer takes stringent action against the atrocity of human trafficking happening in the country. Reportedly, some real incidents have been portrayed in this film. She visited the School to lend her support to 'Support My School Campaign' by a beverage brand as a part of the promotion of her movie. Rani also presented Medal of Bravery to five girls of the school who have shown courage and achieved success by overcoming odds. The film has been produced by Aditya Chopra and is slated for release on August 22.

Aug 7, 2014

Efforts on to rescue BSF jawan swept away in River Chenab to Pakistan

Firozabad, Aug 7 (ANI): Efforts are on to bring back a BSF jawan who entered Pakistan after being swept away in the Chenab River in Jammu district. Satyasheel Yadav was deployed along the India-Pakistan border as part of a water patrol party in Akhnoor area when he was swept away on Wednesday. The Border Security Force (BSF), immediately after the incident, sought a flag meeting with their counterparts Pakistan Rangers for getting the jawan back. According to the BSF, Pakistan Rangers have confirmed that the trooper is in their custody. Meanwhile, his family grieved on the loss and waited for any development in the case.

Aug 7, 2014

Jailed SP leader Amarmani's son booked for abduction and extorting money

Lucknow/ New Delhi, Aug 7 (ANI): A case has been registered against Samajwadi Party leader Amarmani Tripathi's son Amanmani for abduction and extorting money from a former aide Rishi Kumar Pandey. Pandey was heading towards AIIMS in his car in Delhi when the incident took place. Amanmani's father Amarmani Tripathi is serving life term in the Madhumita murder case.

Aug 7, 2014

Third batch of Indians stranded in Libya arrive home

New Delhi, Aug 07 (ANI): Third batch of Indian nurses and workers, who were stranded in Libya following an escalation in violence, arrived home in New Delhi on Thursday. Annie Elizabeth, a nurse who was among those stranded in Libya, said the situation was tense, which forced them to return to their homes. Meanwhile, another nurse Cynthia Varghese said they were driven from their homes by continuous bombing.

Aug 7, 2014