Box Office day 3: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil & Shivaay see a DROP in their collections on Diwali day

The third day box office collection of both the films ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ and ‘Shivaay’ saw a drop on the day of Diwali that was a Sunday. It was expected that both the films will see a good collection at the ticket windows been a day off. But looks like people preferred being at home and celebrate the festival of lights with their near and dear ones. Yes, both these films didn’t do well on the day of Diwali. These were two big Friday releases on this Diwali. But till now the movie that is ruling the box office is Karan Johar’s ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’. The movie has done well in the country as well as even in the international markets.

Pakistan espionage case: India expels Pakistani diplomat Mehmood Akhtar spying for ISI

India on Thursday told a Pakistani diplomat to leave by Saturday for running a spy ring after he was caught receiving secret information about Indian military deployments from two Indians who were arrested. A third accomplice was caught later.  Pakistan denied the espionage charges as “false and unsubstantiated”, alleging that Indian police “manhandled” Mehmood Akhtar, a visa officer at the Pakistan High Commission. His expulsion could deepen tensions between the two countries over Kashmir and cross-border terrorism.  External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit to inform “that India had intercepted an official of the High Commission in the pursuit of espionage and that he was being declared persona non grata”.

Yadav family feud: Mulayam to return as UP Chief Minister, Akhilesh to leave Samajwadi Party, claims report

The political landscape of Uttar Pradesh could be turned upside-down in the next couple of days. The escalating tension within the Yadav family blew up on Sunday, with the party being clearly divided into two camps – one led by Mulayam Singh Yadav (and his brother Shivpal Singh Yadav), other by his son and reigning Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav. According to The Indian Express report, Akhilesh is on his his way out from the party. The report claims that pro-Akhilesh leaders have already devised a strategy to fight the upcoming UP elections alone. On the other hand, Mulayam is expected to takeover the government in the state.

BSF kills 7 Pakistani rangers,1 terrorist in retaliatory fire, gives befitting reply to Pakistan

In a befitting reply to Pakistan, Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday launched a counterattack after the neighbour country violated the ceasefire in Hira Nagar Sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Indian soldiers killed 7 Pakistani rangers and one terrorist in response to sniper attack by Pakistan army, said BSF in a statement. One BSF jawan was also injured during the fierce gun-battle. Pakistan army fired at Indian positions along the Line of Control (LoC) on Friday morning and Indian soldiers effectively retaliated.

BSF said Pakistan army launched sniper attack at Indian positions in which a jawan was critically injured. In retaliation, Indian soldiers neutralised 7 Pakistani rangers and one militant who was trying to infiltrate. “In a befitting reply to a sniper attack of Pakistani rangers at 9:35 am this morning in Hira Nagar Sector of Jammu, BSF launched an offensive. During intermittent firing of small arms and area weapon, one militant and 7 Pakistani rangers were shot dead,” said the BSF in an official statement.

Seeking to suggest that the killings had been corroborated by Pakistani media, the BSF said “source input” claimed that a media organisation in that country was running a news item about death of 5 Rangers. The strong response by the BSF came after one of Constables Gurnam Singh was injured in a sniper fire attack by Pakistani Rangers this morning in the same area.

BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Thursday denied allegations of being “honey trapped and compromised” by defence middleman Abhishek Verma and said he didn’t pass on any “secret data”. Gandhi also said he would file a criminal defamation suit against Swaraj Abhiyan leaders who held a press conference on the allegations against him. ”I am going to file a criminal defamation suit against Swaraj Abhiyan leaders,” Gandhi told.
Swaraj Abhiyan leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan on Thursday released a letter written by US based lawyer C. Edmonds Allen to the Prime Minister’s Office in which he has alleged that Gandhi was “honey trapped and compromised” by defence middleman Abhishek Verma.”They made allegations on behalf of the mails sent by an American lawyer to the Prime Minister,” Gandhi said, adding “But that didn’t have any evidence against me”.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton face off in final presidential debate

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump took to the stage on Wednesday night going head-to-head in their last presidential debate, 20 days before the November 8 election. The 90-minute debate taking place at University of Nevada’s Thomas and Mack Centre is being moderated by Fox News journalist Chris Wallace. Minutes ahead of the debate, Moderator Wallace just asked the audience not to “hoot and holler”, as many did during the previous two debates, CNN reported.
The debate started with the topic Supreme Court and the first question Wallace put out was “Where do you want to see the court take the country and secondly what’s your view on how the Constitution should be interpreted?” Clinton, who got the first question by coin flip, said: “When we talk about the Supreme Court, it really raises the central issue in this election, namely what kind of country are we going to be?” She went on to all the left’s wish list, including abortion, gay marriage and money in politics.

Narendra Modi equates Indian army with Israel: Why this analogy should have been avoided

When Kashmir was on the boil in the aftermath of Burhan Wani’s killing, and the civilians were suppressed by the armed security forces, Indian parliamentarian Sitaram Yechury made a strange reference to Israel. Yechury, the general secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist) said, “The use of pellet guns is inhumane. Even Israel has banned its use against the Palestinians.” The remarks were made by Yechury in the Rajya Sabha, demanding an immediate ban on pellet guns which had left dozens of Kashmiri youths blind. Nearly two months later, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made another Israel-Palestine analogy at the United Nations General Assembly. While asserting that Kashmir and Palestine are facing foreign occupation, he added that Burhan Wani was a symbol of Kashmiri intifada. ‘Intifada’ is the only arabic word included in English dictionary in the 20th century, referring to the freedom movement of Palestine. Nearly three months after the Kashmir civilian unrest, much of whose angst is directed towards the Indian security forces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi likened his army to that of Israel. Here is why this analogy should had been avoided.

Fire at SUM hospital in Bhubaneswar: 22 dead, several injured

Nearly 22 people are dead and dozens are left injured in the fire which broke out at Bhubaneswar’s SUM hospital on Monday evening. The fire reportedly erupted at 7:30 PM in the evening. Fire tenders were subsequently rushed to the spot. As per preliminary reports, the fire broke out in the dialysis ward of the hospital. The casualties have been caused due to burn injuries. However, several injuries were reported due to the panic which was created after the fire broke out. While some patients suffered injuries due to suffocation, others also suffered bruises as the entire hospital attempted to escape out

BRICS Summit 2016: Narendra Modi terms Pakistan ‘mothership of terror’

The day two of the BRICS summit is underway in Goa. The grouping which comprises of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa is proceeding with its 8th summit since its formation. The most recent event to conclude at the Summit in Goa is a restricted meeting of the leaders of the five countries. Speaking at the summit, Narendra Modi, made India’s position clear on the number one problem facing the country ie. terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

Modi started out by greeting the other leaders present at BRICS including Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Jacob Zuma and Michel Temer. Starting out his address Modi congratulated  the BRICS by saying, “BRICS nations have been a voice for peace, reform,reason and  purposeful action. We’ve built new global institutions to complement existing architecture. The New Development Bank  and the Contingency Reserve Arrangement stand out.”

Narendra Modi then addressed the issue that has been hanging in the air for long. The issue of terrorism which has been haunting India for long was taken up by the Prime Minister. That terrorism emanates from Pakistan, was a fact made very clear by Prime Minister Modi as he called the country the “mother-ship of terror”. The proclamation was especially relevant because of China’s extremely close ties to Pakistan.

Pakistani Pashtuns flee country as Army,Air Force launch attack, seek refuge in Afghanistan

In a very stark reversal of roles, Afghanistan it seems has turned out to be a shelter providing country for Pakistanis fleeing Pakistan. In a shocking bit of news today, it has come to light that, thousands of Pakistani Pashtuns had to flee the country after an unprovoked attack was mounted on them.

Unbelievable as it seems, the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Air Force collaborated yesterday and led a joint attack on their own citizens residing in the Pakistani region of Waziristan. Waziristan is a mountainous region covering the North Waziristan and South Waziristan agencies,  After the unprovoked attack was launched, thousands of Pakistanis fled the country and crossed the border to seek refuge in Afghanistan. They have all been set up temporarily in the Khost area of Afghanistan.

Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar admitted surgical strike was a bluff, says Pakistan media; MEA denies report

In a startling claim, a Pakistan news outfit carried out a report saying Indian Foreign Secretary in a conversation with German ambassador admitted that surgical strike was a bluff. According to the report of the News International Pakistan, Indian Foreign Secretary Subramaniam Jaishankar told German ambassador that no surgical strikes was conducted by the Indian Army across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Reacting sharply on the report, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) refuted the entire news terming it ‘completely concocted and baseless’.

Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar to Pakistan: Let our jihadists carry out attacks in India, we will solve Kashmir problem

Rattled by the surgical strikes conducted by Indian Army across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar asked Pakistan government to allow them to carry out violent activities against India. Maulana Masood Azhar asked Pakistan government ”to open the path” for terrorism and jihadist groups if it wants to solve the problem of Kashmir and dispute over water sharing between India and Pakistan. The JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar also took a dig at army might of India saying Pathankot and Uri attacks have exposed their baseless claims.

China does not want to de-friend India at cost of Pakistan, says former foreign secretary

Ahead of the weekend meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, China has said that it is ready to have talks with India on the latter’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Former foreign secretary Bhupatray Shashank on Wednesday said China does not want to de-friend India at the cost of Pakistan. Shashant told ANI, “China is saying that India has to negotiate with all the members of the NSG. So, it’s not a bilateral issue.” “China is trying to divert attention from its own role in blocking India’s entry into NSG by saying ‘look you have not spoken to others and they are others, who are blocking it,” he added.

Narendra Modi targets Pakistan at Lucknow Dussehra rally: ‘Those who shield terrorists cannot be spared’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a strong anti-terror message during his address at the Dussehra Mahotsav rally in Lucknow. Modi attacked Pakistan in a veiled manner, saying that action should also be taken against the ‘supporters of terror’. Describing terrorism as the enemy of humanity, Modi said that is imperative upon the 125 crore Indians to tackle the threat of terrorism. The Prime Minister urged people to recall the valour exhibited Ramayana character Jatayu, who unsuccessfully attempted to battle Ravana at the time the demon was abducting Sita.

Hitting out specifically at Pakistan, Modi said, “Those who shield terrorists cannot be spared”. In what appeared to be another veiled warning to Pakistan, Modi added, “As the Ramayana bears testimony, war is sometimes necessary.” The remarks of Indian Prime Minister struck with the crowd who received the message with huge applause. Chants of Jai Shri Ram erupted at the Aishbagh in Lucknow, where the Dussehra Mahotsav was being held.

Describing terrorism as the greatest evil of this era, Modi expressed sorrow over the condition of children and civilians in Syria. “Tears get filled in my eye when I watch the condition of Syrian children. This terrorism has no boundaries. No nation is safe. The world needs to unite and fight against this evil,” Modi said. Modi recalled an incident of 1992, when a United States diplomat shunned off his suggestion that world needs to take a tough stance against terrorism. “In 1992-93, I was talking to someone from US Department of State on terrorism. They said it is your ‘law and order’ problem. That changed after 26/11,” Modi recalled.

Apart from speaking on the issue of terrorism, Prime Minister Modi also stressed on the eradication of other manifestation of Ravana from the society. “Filth, poverty, corruption and illiteracy are another form of Ravana, so lets burn them as well this year. Everyone should take the resolve of eradicating the Ravana from himself, and from all spheres of the society.

Declaring Masood Azhar a ‘global terrorist’: Why is China blocking India’s proposal before UNSC?

In the past week, China extended its veto against India’s move to declare Maulana Masood Azhar a global terrorist. Using technical grounds, China has once again extended the hold. Defending the decision taken by China, Beijing’s Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong cited ‘differing views’. Baodong accused India of scoring political points by pushing such a proposal before the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). He further added that India should  not pursue its own political goals using the agenda of counterterrorism. The justification given by China has rattled the Indian establishment. Even the most hardline opinion makers in Pakistan could not give a rational justification to prove why Masood Azhar cannot be categorized as a terrorist. The decision taken by China is void of logic as Masood Azhar’s outfit, Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) has already been designated as a ‘terror group’ by the United Nations.

The reason why China is blocking India’s proposal before UNSC is purely geopolitical. Since Pakistan is it’s time trusted ally in South Asia, the communist nation is taking all steps necessary to diplomatically counter India’s assault. According to China’s Permanent Representative to UN Liu Jieyi, Masood Azhar does not qualify to be declared a terrorist under the United Nations 1267 Sanctions Committee. The panel was formed in 1999 to declare Al Qaeda and Taliban as global terrorist groups since they were providing safe haven to Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.

To declare an individual or group as a ‘global terrorist’, the UNSC needs to adhere to 1267 Sanctions Committee rule. Any individual who gets designated as a global terrorist will have all his financial accounts freezed. Member nations would be instructed to raid all his properties and assets. Pakistan would be further nailed under global pressure to arrest Masood Azhar.

Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba suffered maximum damage in surgical strikes

Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashker-e-Taiba(LeT) suffered the maximum damage in the cross-LoC surgical strikes on terror launch pads carried out by Indian army with assessment reports of radio intercepts indicating that around 20 of its militants were killed. The assessment reports available from Indian army field units which included radio conversations between various Pakistani formations showed maximum damage was inflicted on LeT, a banned terror group, at Dudniyal launch pad in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, opposite to Kupwara sector of North Kashmir, according to sources in the know of details of the recent surgical strikes.

91 dead in Kashmir: Amid India-Pakistan war euphoria, Valley still remains burning

On the 92nd day of the Kashmir unrest, another civilian casualty was reported. A 12-year-old boy, identified as Junaid Ahmad Akhoon, was laid to rest after he succumbed to the injuries sustained at the hands of security forces. Junaid was struck with pellet bullets on Friday, October 7. On Saturday morning, he was declared dead at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Soura. A large crowd gathered at the Martyrs’ Graveyard in Srinagar to attend the boy’s funeral. Loud slogans were raised against India, amid chants of ‘azaadi’. With the demise of the 12-year-old, the death toll in the Valley has escalated to 91, as per reports. Subsequently, protests erupted in several regions of South Kashmir, including Saidpora, Soura, Shopian and Aanchal. In order to curb the rejuvenated anger among the public, fresh c

Surgical strikes aftermath: Pakistan violated ceasefire 25 times last week! Here are the details

A week after Indian Army conducted surgical strikes and destroyed seven launch pads in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, Pakistan has stepped up cross-border firing and violated ceasefire at the Line of Control for at least 25 times. As Indian Army jawans are on high alert following the protocols issued by Ministry of Home Affairs, Pakistan is left red-faced on the international forum as not a single country has come forward to support them. Also in the wake of the increasing ceasefire violations at the LoC, the Border Security Force (BSF) has increased vigilance and had also deployed more troops at the international border (IB). People living near the border areas along the LoC, especially those living in Punjab’s International Border, have been evacuated and moved to safer places. In 2015, Pakistan violated ceasefire for at least 405 times in which 16 civilians were killed and 71 others were injured. Out of 405, 253 incidents of ceasefire violations took place along the IB and 152 incidents were reported along the LoC.

Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane reacts to Uri attack, while Fawad Khan is still quiet!

Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane, who debuted with the movie Sanam Teri Kasam in Bollywood, has reacted to the Uri attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir state. The Uri attack was carried out by militants allegedly trained by Pakistan. The attack killed 19 Indian soldiers who were sleeping – some were burnt to death. This resulted in nationwide furore and everybody started condemning Pakistan and its actors and singers who regularly get work in Bollywood. Even as open letters were written to the most loved Pakistani actor in India currently, Fawad Khan, on his silence on the Uri attack, a nationwide debate began whether artistes from the neighbouring country should be allowed to work in India or not. Pakistani actress Mahira Khan finally reacted to the India-Pakistan conflict by resharing a post by Pakistani girl Alizay Jaffer, preaching love and peace. And now, Mawra Hocane has also reacted to the Uri attack on India. She said on Twitter, “I strongly condemn all terror attacks We must realise that a life lost is a LIFE LOST!The world needs to stand together against terrorism!”

Surgical Strikes: Why Arvind Kejriwal’s demand for evidence holds merit

There has been a lot of talk about whether India should release evidence of the surgical strikes or not. With the Indian Army giving the green signal to the government to release the footage of the strikes, it is now solely a matter of how careful or how bold the Narendra Modi government can dare to be. Besides the obvious dangers of the releasing the evidence that have been highlighted by the experts, many have raised questions on the doubt itself. Any one and every one treating the surgical strikes with skepticism, is being branded as anti-national, as happened with Sanjay Nirupam and Arvind Kejriwal. Although, one can easily write-off Nirupam’s attempts at nay saying, Kejriwal’s appeal to the PM holds merit.