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Tue, 08 January 2013
Award-winning journalist, Richard Ben Cramer, dies

Timeline  Refresh

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23:44   Yemen says US drone strikes to continue
AFP reports:  Yemen's national security chief said today that US drone strikes against Al-Qaeda targets will continue as the two governments keep up their counter-terrorism cooperation.

"The Yemeni-American cooperation, including the use of friendly aircraft, will continue," Ali Hassan al-Ahmadi told reporters in Sanaa."Yemen is one of the countries that joined the international alliance to combat terrorism after the September 11," 2001 attacks on the United States, he said.

Washington has been stepping up its support for Yemen's battle against militants of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which it regards as the most active and deadliest franchise of the global jihadist network.
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23:42   Yemen says US drone strikes to continue
AFP reports:  Yemen's national security chief said today that US drone strikes against Al-Qaeda targets will continue as the two governments keep up their counter-terrorism cooperation.

"The Yemeni-American cooperation, including the use of friendly aircraft, will continue," Ali Hassan al-Ahmadi told reporters in Sanaa.

"Yemen is one of the countries that joined the international alliance to combat terrorism after the September 11," 2001 attacks on the United States, he said.

Washington has been stepping up its support for Yemen's battle against militants of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which it regards as the most active and deadliest franchise of the global jihadist network.
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23:29   Award-winning journalist, Richard Ben Cramer, dies
AP reports: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Richard Ben Cramer, whose in-depth non-fiction spanned presidential politics and baseball, has died.

He was 62. His agent, Philippa Brophy, says Cramer died yesterday at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore from complications of lung cancer. He lived with his wife, Joan, on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
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23:10   Gujart cop arrested on charges of rape
The Crime Branch today arrested a police inspector for allegedly raping a 37-year-old woman and extorting Rs 50,000 from her. An FIR was registered against Inspector F M Qureshi, after the woman lodged a complaint yesterday, and he was arrested by the Crime Branch, police said.

The victim told the police that she had come here to attend hearing in a case in the Gujarat High Court on November 1, 2012. As she knew no one in the city, she came in contact with Qureshi, posted as a security officer at the HC.
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22:43   Sparrow to become the state bird in Bihar
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today announced that sparrow would be declared state bird to save the endangered species. He made the announcement at a meeting of state wildlife council here, an official statement said. Kumar expressed concern that the sparrows are slowly vanishing.

He said sparrow is a bird which lives near human habitations and not in jungle and makes their dwellings in urban homes.

Kumar said increase in pollution, rising number of mobile towers and pesticides in food-grains were contributing to dwindling population of the winged beings.
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22:41   Noida murder: Third accused held
The third accused in the murder of a factory worker here was today sent to 14-day judicial custody after he was arrested even as two more policemen were sent to police lines for allegedly not acting on the victim's complaint earlier.

"The third accused Udeyveer was arrested last night," a senior police officer said today. The accused, who was presented before the district court later in the day, was sent to 14 days judicial custody. According to the officer, initial medical report of the woman did not confirm rape and police are now waiting for the final report.

"Her body, however, showed signs that a rape attempt was made," he said.
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22:30   Abu Azmi's son sorry for dad's remark over rape
Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi's son Farhan today expressed regret over his father's remark. "I agree my father made a wrong statement," held told CNN-IBN.

Farhan's wife and Bollywood actress Ayesha Takia tweeted: Im an individual n have my own mentality which doesn't match any regressive way of thinking at all! Comments made by anyone,even sumone close to me, when they r regressive,, they do not reflect my thoughts n mindset.    

 
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22:28   Sandeep Dikshit demands reshuffle of Delhi Police brass
With the Delhi police facing flak for using force against people protesting the gang-rape of a paramedic student, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit today said there was a need to reshuffle the force for restoring people's confidence in police system.

The December 16 gang-rape was unprecedented and subsequent protests across the country was unprecedented too, he said.

"Not only the people of Delhi but of the entire country got united and said something. And when such unprecedented incident happens government should take action. I hope the Home minister or other will take action and will give a signal," he said.
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21:48   Pak army denies attack on Indian troops at LoC
The Pakistani army has denied reports that two Indian soldiers were killed in a border clash between the two armies in the Mendhar sector at the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu region on Tuesday, reports Tahir Ali.

The Indian Army had said in a release earlier, "A group of their (Pakistan's) regular soldiers intruded across the LoC in the Mendhar Sector on January 8. A firefight broke out between the two sides, and continued for approximately half an hour after which the intruders retreated towards their side of the LoC. Two soldiers -- Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh-- laid down their lives."
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21:13   Ceasefire violation by Pak again, firing resumes
Ceasefire violation by Pakistan again, firing resumes along the Krishna Ghat Sector of Sona Galia area along the Line of Control, reports Times Now.

The firing started at 8.45 pm.

More details are awaited.  

 
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19:47   Jawan's body badly mutilated; weapons taken away
During the brutal assault on the Indian Army's patrol party, the Pakistani soldiers are said to have badly mutilated a jawan's body, informed sources have said.

The weapons and other material carried by the dead and injured jawans were taken away by the Pakistani troops, the sources added
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19:42   Women unwilling to work in night shift after Delhi gangrape case
Women are scared and hesitant to work in night shifts after the gangrape and murder of 23-year-old paramedical student in Delhi, according to an Assocham survey. 

The survey reveals that women are afraid of working in night shifts as they feel that there is a lot of risk involved and some of them have also quit their jobs as it involved working in night.

According to the survey working women are desperate to go home after sunset as they are apprehensive of a mishap while returning. 

Assocham report is a revelation about the state of the women mindset following the barbarous Delhi gangrape case on December 16.

A total of 2500 women working in Delhi-NCR were included in the survey. Those surveyed work in IT and BPO companies where night shifts are involved. 
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19:15   SC notice to Amitabh Bachchan on IT Deptt's plea
The Supreme Court has sought the response of superstar Amitabh Bachchan on a petition by Income Tax Department which has claimed that the actor owes to it Rs 1.66 crore as taxes on his income he earned through quiz show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' during 2001-02.

A bench of justices D K Jain and Madan B Lokur issued notice to the megastar on the IT Department's petition against a Bombay High Court order dismissing the government's plea challenging the exemption granted to Bachchan by Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) in 2010. 

The Bombay high court had dismissed the IT Department's plea on February 29 last year. 

The IT Department in its petition has alleged that the actor in his returns filed for the assessment year 2001-02 showed his taxable income to be about Rs 3.23 crore while the Assessing Officer (AO) assessed the money earned by Bachchan to be around Rs 26 crore including the amount he had earned from the TV show, KBC.
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19:11  
The Army has called the incident a significant violation of ceasefire. The soldiers were moving from Chhatri Post to Atma post in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir. . 
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19:09   Indian soldiers may have been mutilated: TV report
Tiny little slap on the hand from the Indian government. MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin says Pakistani should remember that the sanctity of the Line of Control should be maintained at all times. Pakistan fired first and Indian troops retaliated...

CNN IBN says that the bodies may have been mutilated, but there is no confirmation from the northern command.

And it's time to play cricket again.

 
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19:00   MEA to Pak: Killings of Army jawans UNACCEPTABLE
Syed Akbaruddin, the MEA spokesperson says India has reminded Pakistan of ceasefire sanctity. Indian troops did not cross the ceasefire line nor did they provoke the attack, says Akbaruddin. The attack occurred 600 metres inside Indian territory. "The provocation is unacceptable," says the MEA and adds that it was a planned attack.  Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh of the Rajputana Rifles were killed in the provoked attack. 

The Pakistani personnel were wearing black headgear.
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18:54  
The name of the two Indian soldiers killed by Pakistani troopers inside Indian territory are Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh.
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18:51   Outrage on Twitter...
AristocRat Miller: Pakis snatched the weapons before killing the Indian soldiers. They were just propagating Aman Ki Asha by removing the weapons first.

Devang ‏Aman ki aasha!!! Aur karo goverment of india: Pak army violates ceasefire again, kills two Indian soldiers"

Pawan Durani: Aman screws Asha again RT @timesnow: #BreakingNow - Pak provokes again: Pak soldiers kill 2 Indian Army jawans in unprovoked violence in LOC

RockyandMayur: MEA's response to Indian Army soldiers killing across the LOC. Dear Pakistan - dont do it again, its important for us. SHAME SHAME SHAME

Anuj Tela: Pak army violates ceasefire again, kills two Indian soldiers. TheekHai says Mannu..
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18:41   Anna calls for stringent punishment in rape cases
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare today reiterated his demand for stringent punishment to those accused in rape cases. "There should be stringent punishment for the rape accused. Tough laws are necessary," Hazare told reporters in Mumbai.

He was speaking after paying tribute to the Mahatma Gandhi memorabilia bought by an Indian businessman at the International Airport. Former Army chief V K Singh was also present on the occasion.

Hazare added that it was also important that family members should inculcate strong values in children. He, however, declined to comment on the recent remarks made by spiritual leader Asaram Bapu and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in connection with the Delhi gang rape.
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18:38  
NDTV's Barkha Dutt tweets that Army sources say the weapons of the two Indian soldiers were snatched by the Pakistani troops before they were killed inside Indian territory. While Headlines Today's Shiv Aroor says that the two Indian Army jawans were ambushed by terrorists in the Mendhar sector on the LoC by . Pak Army regulars in disguise.

So much for Aman ki Asha.
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18:25   Pakistani troopers kill two Indian soldiers at LoC
Reports of a ceasefire violation at the Line of Control. Pakistan troopers have killed two Indian soldiers in a direct violation of the ceasefire agreement between the two countries. The army says that the Indian patrol was attacked by Pak troopers in the Sona Galli sector of Mendhar near Loc in Poonch.  
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18:11   Lawyer: Owaisi arrested despite cooperating
Akbaruddin Owaisi has been charged under the following sections...

Section 295 A: Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.

Section 298, IPC: Uttering words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings.

Section 153 A: Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.

Section 121: Waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India -- Firstpost.com
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18:04  
Chetan Bhagat: Thinking about being a baba. More money and respect. Less work and say whatever. I have nice name for it too. Bhagat Baba.
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18:01   Owaisi's lawyer: He has been arrested for cooperating
Akbaruddin Owaisi's counsel Shafiuddin Khan says the police have not informed him where his client is being taken. "He has been arrested on charges that he is not cooperating in the probe. The media has been following us around for the whole day, tell me how he has not cooperated with the police," asks Khan.

He added that Owaisi had requested the police to allow him to go home and pick up his toileteries and grab a bite, but he was not allowed to do so.

"He has not even eaten breakfast today since he had to undergo medical tests. . We have not been given a copy of the medical report. But we know that he is not in a fit state of health. My client has never wanted to evade the law. He has acute pain because of his hernia; he is suffering. He will collapse if he takes pain His sciatica nerve is giving him intense pain, but he cannot take pain killers as he will collapse," said Khan. .

So the wind has been knocked out of Owaisi's sail, at least for now.

Also read: Akbaruddin Owaisi's journey to national 'notoriety'
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17:44   Security beefed up across Hyderabad
Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa adds that in the aftermath of his arrest, security has been beefed up across the state especially in the Old City of Hyderabad, which is an MIM stronghold. Owaisi's legal team will now apply for bail before the sessions court, but will have to await the outcome of the writ petition filed by Owaisi before the High Court seeking the quashng of charges against him.

The police are likely to keep him under medical supervision. Although the medical report cited three problems, the police said that it was not good enough to evade arrest. The cases are non-bailable and he will therefore be in police custody. 
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17:38   Hate speech row: MIM's Akbaruddin Owaisi arrested
MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi has been arrested after his medical test in the hate speech case. He has been held for not cooperating with the the police in the probe.

His medical report says that he has hernia and abdominal problems and that he also has a bullet lodged in his right leg. The MIM leader avoided arrest yesterday citing medical reasons and had sought four days time to appear before the police. The medical test will determine whether Owaisi is fit for further questioning. Owaisi who has been detained for a series of hate speeches against Hindus Details awaited.     
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17:10  
Twitter rages against Abu Azmi...

Lalita Singh: ‏Vulgarity,fashion & nudity r causes for violence against women. U think 2 yr olds trying to be fashion babes too?

Stereotypewriter: Revered Asaram Bapu has just passed the baton to respectable Abu Azmi in this never-ending crap-talk relay. Please clap.

sharmishtha sheth: Funny how the sound of the first two letters of their names is common for ASaram Bapu and Abu AZmi. Explains a few things.

Hersh Lulla And one more to the list. Abu Asim Azmi. And India is supposedly a secular, sensible democracy. Not while they breathe...
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17:08  
The full medical report of MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi. Read
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17:05   Abu Azmi wants law to stop women roaming with men
More Abu Azmi rants: "There needs to be a law which also prevents women from roaming around with men. Vulgarity, fashion and nudity are causes for violence against women. I believe the increasing amount of nudity in films is one of the causes for increase in violence against women."
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16:56   Abu Azmi: Wearing skirts lead to rape
And the list of misogynist politicians grows. Now, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi agrees with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's comments on ABP news that rapes do not happen in villages. Azmi says girls should be prohibited from roaming at night and therefore, "the law that delivers death penalty for rapists should also forbid boys and girls from roaming around at night."

Wonder what his daughter-in-law Ayesha Takia has to say on this.
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16:49  
The report also says Owaisi requires physiotherapy every day and that the bullet in his thigh has been pressing down on the sciatic nerve causing pain and preventing him from walking comfortably. 
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16:40   Owaisi medical report: Extra bone, hernia, bullet!
OK, Akbaruddin Owaisi's medical report is out. The report, and it's bizarre at best, says that the MIM MLA has "one extra bone in his left forearm, a bullet in his left thigh and a hernia problem in his abdomen. He cannot walk long distances without hurting his knees."  A police escort team reached the MLA's house at Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, this morning and took him to the Gandhi Hospital for medical tests.

The MIM leader avoided arrest yesterday citing medical reasons and had sought four days time to appear before the police. The medical test will determine whether Owaisi is fit for further questioning. Owaisi who has been detained for a series of hate speeches against Hindus  
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16:33   Asaram Bapu calls his critics barking dogs
CNN IBN: Asaram Bapu has finally reacted to the widespread criticism to his remarks against the the Delhi gang rape victim. Addressing his supporters he says he is not bothered about what the media thinks of him or his comments. The self-proclaimed godman says, "First one dog started barking. Then another dog started barking. And then all dogs started barking. If the elephant runs after dogs, then their (dogs) value increases and the elephant's decreases. Why should I run after them?"

Obviously, Asaram calls himself an elephant, and his critics, dogs. Asaram had said that the Delhi gang rape victim was equally to blame for the rape. He said she should have begged and pleaded before the six drunk men to let her go and called them her 'brothers'. He had also said that had the girl chanted the Saraswati mantra she would not have got into the bus or gone out for a movie with her friend.
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16:18   Munda asked to continue as caretaker CM
Jharkhand Governor Syed Ahmed has asked Arjun Munda to continue as the caretaker chief minister till a final decision, Raj Bhavan sources said. Munda earlier resigned and recommended dissolution of the 82-member Assembly. Coalition partner JMM in a letter to the Governor formally withdrew its support to the 28-month-old Munda government reducing it into a minority.
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16:16   'Hate speeches won't make Owaisi a hero of Muslims'
Why did Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Akbaruddin Owaisi make his recent hate speech that has landed him in hot waters? Was he appealing to the base elements in his community, or was there a grand design behind it? In an interview with rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, Zahid Ali Khan, editor-in-chief of the popular Urdu daily Siasat, says Owaisi's speech was a desperate attempt to garner Muslim votes. Read
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16:11  
Smita Prakash tweets on the medical tests being conducted on MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi: Speech me to bada sher bar raha tha:"He has not even had breakfast,is being made to wait.The police has no plan" Shafiuddin, Owaisi's lawyer
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16:00   Smriti Irani files defamation suit against Nirupam
Just in: BJP MP Smriti Irani files a defamation suit against Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam.  Nirupam had reportedly used defamatory and indecent language against Irani during a TV debate when the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh election results were pouring in on December 20.
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15:48   CPM-Left clash: Violence and arson in South 24 Parganas
Left workers were attacked and several vehicles set ablaze allegedly by the Trinamool Congress at Bamunghata in South 24 Parganas district today when they were going to attend a rally to protest Sunday's attack on Marxist leader Abdur Rezzak Mollah, CPI(M) leader and former minister Kanti Ganguly said. Ganguly alleged that the Left supporters were attacked and eight of their vehicles were set on fire by TMC workers.

Left sources also claimed that three persons received bullet injuries and were admitted to hospital. TMC leader Arabul Islam, accused by the CPI(M) of of leading the attack against Mollah on Sunday, counter claimed that his car was fired on allegedly by Marxist workers who tried to kill him as a result of which he fell off and was rescued by party workers. Superintendent of Police Pravin Tripathi, when asked, admitted that some incidents had take place, but could not give details immediately.
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15:33   Maha govt allows rape victim to chose lawyer
The Maharashtra government has decided to allow a rape victim to chose a lawyer of her preference to fight her case in the court at the state's expense. Home Minister R R Patil said here yesterday that the decision has been taken by his department to provide maximum possible legal assistance to rape victim and not restrict to public prosecutors alone.

He felt this will help expedite conviction in rape cases. "The victim can seek legal assistance even from private lawyers and the fees will be borne by the state government. They will be appointed as special public prosecutors," Patil said.
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15:29   Toughening biz environment major challenge: Ratan Tata
Ratan Tata, who has just stepped down as Tata group's head, has said that the biggest challenge for the USD 100 billion conglomerate's new Chairman Cyrus Mistry will be the country's business environment that is going to be tougher and more complex than the crisis of 1991.

"The big picture challenge is that the (business) environment is going to be tougher and more complex than it was in 1991. In 1991, there were less people aspiring to succeed in this newly opened economy. Today there are many," he said in an interview published by Time magazine.
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15:19   Map: Rape rate across India
We already looked at the overall number of reported rape cases in 2011. In this graphic, we broke these figures down for population size. Using data from the National Crime Record Bureau and the 2011 Census, below is how many rape allegations are reported to police for every 100,000 women across India's states. Read
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15:12   600 police women to join the Bihar force on Jan 17
The Bihar police is all set to get an additional 600 women constables next week to strengthen the infrastructure of its women police stations in the districts.

The new women police constables have been trained in arms and will be posted in women police stations across the state, he said. Additional Director General of Police, Headquarters, Ravinder Kumar said there are 1500 police women, officer as well constables, in the state at present.

Women police stations were set up in all 40 police districts in the state in 2012 for effective hearing of crimes pertaining to dowry and other family disputes. Out of 40 women police stations in the state, 33 have women station house officers, while 7 others are run by male SHOs due to shortage of women staff.
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14:58   Govt gives SC ENTIRE Niira Radia transcripts
The almost-forgotten Niira Radia case resurfaces. The government has submitted to the Supreme Court the entire transcript of conversation between Radia and politicians, corporates and others. The SC says it will go through the transcripts before deciding on the future course of action.

Radia become a household name ever since a news magazine published taped conversations from her phone over a six-month period in 2009. The 5,800 tapes have revealed, among other things, how key portfolios were allocated when the Union Cabinet was formed after the victory of the Congress-led UPA in May 2009, with the lobbyist, who counts the Tatas and Ambanis among her clients, in the thick of it.
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14:48   Delhi rape victim's family will burn Asaram's books
The family of 23-year-old Delhi gang-rape victim has taken a strong exception to Asaram Bapu's controversial statement on the girl, terming it as "illogical". "It is an absolutely illogical statement least expected from him," the family told newspersons in Ballia, UP.

"We had immense respect for Asaram Bapu and also have many books related to him, but as soon as we get back to Delhi we would put them on fire," the brother of the deceased said terming the statement as "very cheap"

"Godman or saints can never say anything of this sort... It only exposes his mentality," the family said. Asaram Bapu had yesterday said that the rape and murder would not have happened if the victim had called the rapist killers her brothers. Referring to the growing incidents of rape, the family said that strict laws were necessary to check the crime against women and also for changing the attitude of the people.
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14:41   Ramkrishna Math wants Hindu to apologise for Vivekananda pic
This photograph of Swami Vivekananda used by The Hindu has ruffled feathers at the Ramkrishna Mission. The photograph, with the caption, Celebrating  Manhood: Swami Vivekananda's masculine photographic-pose is revealing of how Indian nationalism encouraged a deeply masculine notion of modernity, has prompted the mission to write to the Hindu protesting that the piece, 'Taking the aggression out of masculinity', were totally inappropriate to the context of the article. Read the letter and the Hindu story.

Incidentally, the Ramkrishna Math and Mission have been entirely silent on the remarks made by Asaram Bapu blaming the rape victim for the incident.   
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14:32   Kamal Nath will head delegation to Davos
Prime Minsiter Dr Manmohan Singh has approved Union Minister of Urban Development  Kamal Nath  to lead the delegation to Davos for the World Economic Forum. But the decision has sent shock waves in political circles.

The buzz is that since FDI in retail was approved by the Parliament -- the leader of the Indian delegation should have been Finance Minister P Chidambaram or Commerce Minister Anand Sharma. On the other hand, Chidambaram is expected to be busy with the 2013 Budget preparations, which means Kamal Nath is a certainty to head the delegation to Davos.
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14:24   Will 'message' be sent to VK Singh to shun protests?
Should former Army chief General VK Singh visit anti-rape protests in Delhi or elsewhere in India? That was part of the deliberations at the Cabinet Committee on Security today. Two ministers opined that a 'message' should be sent to VK Singh.

The Prime Minister did not speak a word [we are hardly surprised], but another senior minister said the since VK SIngh hared a dais with Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev -- he should be treated like Ramdev.

A union minister who recently got a position in the CCS after his elevation to Raisina Hills agreed to withdraw not only the security, but also the facilities provided to VK Singh like free phones and army cars.
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14:02   A rape victim writes: I was wounded, my honour was not
Sohaila Abdulali's piece for the New York Times:  Thirty-three years ago, when I was 17 and living in Bombay, I was gang raped and nearly killed. Three years later, outraged at the silence and misconceptions around rape, I wrote a fiery essay under my own name describing my experience for an Indian women's magazine.

It created a stir in the women's movement -- and in my family -- and then it quietly disappeared. Then, last week, I looked at my e-mail and there it was. As part of the outpouring of public rage after a young woman's rape and death in Delhi, somebody posted the article online and it went viral. Since then, I have received a deluge of messages from people expressing their support. Read
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13:44   HC issues notice to cops on section 144 of CrPC at India Gate
The Delhi police was asked today by the High Court to explain how a special executive magistrate can be vested with the power to impose prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC for up to six months despite the same being contrary to the fundamental rights of citizens.

"Issue notice (to Delhi Police). You file your counter within two weeks as to how the government can delegate the power to invoke section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrpC) for a period extending up to six months. "You can't uniformly, just like that, extend the operation of section 144 as it is in contrast with the fundamental rights of the citizens," said a bench headed by Chief Justice D Murugesan.

The court, which had fixed the matter for today for issuing directions on a plea for framing guidelines for imposing prohibitory orders under the CrPC, issued the notice to Delhi police and asked it to file a detailed reply. The court slated the matter for further hearing on February 6.
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13:25   Norway custody battle: Mom gets the kids
In April 2012, a court in Norway had given the custody of the children of estranged couple Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya who lived in Norway, to Anurup's brother Arunabhash after it found the mother unfit to take care of the children. The Indian government had to intervene in the matter.

Arunabhash returned to India on 24th April with the children and has since then been taking care of them at his home at Kulti in Burdwan district where he lives with his parents.

In June, Sagarika applied to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Burdwan to intervene in the matter and have the children handed back to her. The CWC has now decided that the mother should get the custody of the kids. 
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13:23   Norway custody battle: Mom gets the kids
The Child Welfare Committee(CWC) of Burdwan in West Bengal has passed an order providing that Abhighyan, 4, and Aishwarya, 2, should be released from foster care of their uncle and handed over to their mother. But the uncle's family refused to give up the children and the local police refused to intervene in the matter without proper papers.
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13:22   Fixed match between Owaisis and Andhra Govt., alleges BJP
BJP spokesperson Balbir Punj on Tuesday hit out at the Andhra Pradesh Government for allegedly failing to take prompt action over the "hate speech' of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Akbaruddin Owaisi.  

"Somewhere, the Andhra Pradesh Government and the Owaisi clan, they are mixed up. It is a fixed match,' Punj said.  

"Owaisi has made a highly criminal and an anti-national speech. Any serious government would arrest right at the time he stepped out of aircraft and would not have allowed the crowd there," he added. 
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13:19   Chhatisgarh mantri: Astro positions cause rape
And an another instance of the ludicrous. Chhattisgarh Home Minister Nanki Ram Kanwar has landed himself in a spot by saying that crimes against women were happening as their stars were in adverse positions, a remark termed as childish and vulgar by the state Congress.

"We have no answer to this rising spate of crimes against women. Star are not in position," Kanwar said. "Harm can come on a person if the stars are in adverse positions...We have no answer to this, only an astrologer can predict," the state Home Minister said.

Kanwar's remarks yesterday came after opposition Congress in Chhattisgarh demanded the dismissal of the BJP government over the issue of the alleged rape on minor inmates of a government-run residential school for tribal girls in Kanker district. Chief Minister Raman Singh today quipped, "Now, what do I say on this." Two persons, including a teacher, have been arrested for allegedly raping the minor inmates of the government-run residential school.
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13:07   The court met in secret but all of India was watching
Delhi gang rape: It took all day to happen and was over in minutes: the moment five men were charged with a crime that has gripped a nation. The Guardian's Jason Burke reports.
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12:56   David Bowie releases first single in decade
In other news: David Bowie took to Twitter this morning to announce his first new single for a decade to coincide with his 66th birthday. Read more
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12:31   New Delhi Attack: The Victim's Story
It was early afternoon just before Christmas in India's capital, and a young woman spoke to her friend on the phone, eager to get together.

"Wake up, wake up," she told him. "It's already very late1 o'clock."

The two agreed to meet. And so began an innocent outing that set in motion a killing that would horrify the world. More
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12:18   Himachal Cong MLA wanted for murder surrenders
CNN IBN: Absconding Congress MLA from Himachal Pradesh, Ram Kumar Chaudhary, has surrendered at the Panchkula court. The MLA wanted for the murder of a young girl, was absconding since one month. Details awaited. 
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12:10   Arjun Munda resigns as Jharkhand CM
Arjun Munda has submitted his resignation from the post of chief minister of Jharkhand. Munda put in his papers before Governor Syed Ahmed where he has also recommended the dissolution of the state assembly.  
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12:07   Retrograde torrent
Asaram Bapu's statement that the 23-year old woman who died after being gang-raped in Delhi last month was as much at fault as her offenders is shameful coming from a spiritual guru who is seen as a role model by his huge fan following, both in India and abroad. Read
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12:02   Bharat is an ugly place for women
A debate has flared up recently on whether Indian women are safer in traditional, rural environments than they are in cities.It all started when a senior leader of the right-wing Hindu organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said that sexual crimes "hardly take place in Bharat but occur frequently in India.' Read
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12:00   Soon... flights to Kargil
India's civil aviation map will have a notable addition this week  -- Kargil. The Union civil aviation ministry has roped in a private airline, Air Mantra, to start regular services to and from the country's northernmost town. Read more
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11:50   Snide and prejudiced
The English media went into overdrive yesterday. They'd managed to find another misogynist to quote, and as a cherry on the sexist cake this quote was from Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the RSS, the English media's favourite bug bear.

According to most of the English press, Bhagwat, a chauvinistic prig, had the temerity to make a public speech stating that women are bound to look after their husbands by contract, and if they didn't fulfil their duties, their husbands could and should leave them.

And that a woman's place is in the kitchen doing household chores. Many news channels ran with the story. And their public school educated reporters and editors tweeted and retweeted gleefuly with gay abandon, exposing the shakha-types.

Only problem, Bhagwat -- whose main sin appears to be that he wears khaki bermudas despite the effect the vision might have on unsuspecting viewers '" has been misquoted. Read
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11:45   Don't blame army or officer for phone line disconnection
Former Chief of Army Staff General (retired) V. K. Singh appears to have absolved Army Major R.Vikram who entered his residence without official permission purportedly to remove military telephone connection lines, saying that the blame should be laid at the doorstep of those people who ordered him to do so.

While expressing his shock over the incident on the sidelines of a function that he was attending here, General Singh said: "I neither blame the officer, nor do I blame the Army for this. But, I blame those, who directed him to do that. Maybe, he was ordered in such a way that he had to do that work.

"So, in this case, what is important to know is that who has ordered him to do that and why because such things are not part of the army's protocol, as it has basic protocol and courtesy.'
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11:42   A woman alone in the forest
Nilanjana Roy's masterful piece on the epics and rape. Read
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11:33   Hyderabad awaits Akbaruddin's medical test results
Update on what's happening with MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi. A police escort team reached the MLA's house at Banjara Hills and took him to the Gandhi Hospital, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) G Sudhir Babu.

Earlier, this morning the Nirmal rural police at Adilabad district issued a notice to Akbaruddin to make himself present for the medical examination.

Investigating officer A Raghu had found Akbaruddin fit enough to face police inquiry in connection with the case filed against him for the alleged provocative speech.

However, the MIM legislator had informed that he was suffering from pain and had sought four days time to appear before the Nirmal police for questioning. After this, the police had last night decided that he will be subjected to medical examination today.

"In view of his medical examination police issued a notice to him to come to the Gandhi Hospital where government doctors will carry out his medical examination. Once the medical test is complete, a certificate will be issued and based on it further course of action will be taken," another senior police officer said.
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11:21   Khap panchayat bans jeans, T-shirt for girls
A khap panchayat in a Hisar village in Haryana has banned mobile phones for youngsters and ordered girls not to wear jeans and T-shirts.

Organising a DJ party is out of bounds and a complete prohibition on liquor has also been issued.

The decision was taken by the panchayat at Khedar village. Sarpanch Shamsher Singh said, "We have decided to ban alcohol as it is the main reason behind rapes. We have also banned jeans and T-shirts for girl students as it is not a proper dress."  More on the TOI.
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11:19   ED attaches Jagan's properties worth Rs 143 crore in DA case
The Enforcement Directorate attaches properties worth Rs 143 crore in connection with its probe into the disproportionate assets case of YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy.  Reddy is in jail in connection with his alleged disproportionate assets case.
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11:14   Delhiites reel under cold, maximum temperature is 13.4
Meanwhile, Delhi continued to reel under intense cold as the mercury stayed below normal to settle at 3.3 degrees Celsius. Today's minimum was up by almost a degree from the previous day, but icy winds and fog forced people to stay indoors during the morning hours.

The minimum was registered at 2.4 degrees Celsius yesterday, five notches below normal while the maximum stayed seven degrees below normal at 13.4 degree Celsius. The weatherman had predicted mainly clear skies for today with the maximum hovering around 13 degrees Celsius.
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11:12   Hate speech: Owaisi undergoing medical tests now
MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi is undergoing medical tests in a hospital in Hyderabad now. 
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11:06   No shades of grey in rape
Pritish Nandy's blog for the Times of India: There's no sex in rape. No love. No pleasure. Except that which comes from inflicting pain. There's no pride either, the pride that comes from killing someone for what you believe in. Rape doesn't even empower you because power comes from defeating an enemy stronger than you.  Read 
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11:00   Trains to fog-hit Delhi running up to two days late
Sudhir Kumar was to appear for a job interview in Delhi on Monday. To make sure he arrived well in time, the resident of Bhagalpur in Bihar had booked himself in a train that was to reach Delhi on Saturday.

But the Bhagalpur Garib Rath that he boarded had not arrived in Delhi till Monday morning. The railway websites aid the train was 48 hours behind schedule. Like Kumar, the schedules of thousands of passengers have been thrown totally off-track across fog-hit north India and beyond. The delays this season have been more severe then previous years, exposing the railways' inability to deal with the situation. Moreon the TOI
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10:55   Hate speech: Owaisi reaches hospital for medical tests
Meanwhile, police teams have escorted Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi from his residence in Hyderabad to a hospital for medical tests. The MIM leader avoided arrest yesterday citing medical reasons and had sought four days time to appear before the police. The medical test will determine whether Owaisi is fit for further questioning. Owaisi, who returned from London on Monday, is facing a slew of cases for his hate speeches that he delivered in December last year.
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10:43   JMM submits 'withdrawal support' letter to governor
The Jharkhand Cabinet has decided to recommend the dissolution of the state assembly to Governor Syed Ahmed, says Chief Minister Arjun Munda. Yesterday, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) said it has withdrawn its support from the BJP-led government, putting the 28-months-old coalition government led by Arjun Munda in a minority.   "The support has been taken back. We would go to the Governor's house tomorrow (to submit a letter on the withdrawal)," JMM chief Sibu Soren said in Ranchi. The JMM has now submitted the withdrawal of support letter to the governor. CM Munda will meet the governor at 11.15 am.
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10:23   Asaram Bapu won't apologise over rape comments
Spiritual leader Asaram Bapu has refused to apologise for his statement blaming the victim of the Delhi gang-rape for the horrific incident.

Asaram had landed himself in a controversy over his remark that the Delhi gang-rape victim was as guilty as those responsible for the barbaric sexual assault on her.

A spokesperson for Asaram Bapu ruled out the possibility of an apology, adding that the spiritual leader had been quoted out of context. 

"Bapujee never made such statements. He just asked his women followers to avoid such a situation anyhow," she said.
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09:40   Hate speech: Police team reaches Owaisi's home
Vicky Nanjappa reports: A police team has arrived at the residence of MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

Owaisi has been in the eye of a storm since he allegedly made a communally provocative speech.

Owaisi, who returned from London on Monday, was supposed to appear at the local police station for questioning. But he claimed that he was unwell.

The police team is likely to insist that Owaisi undergo a medical check-up by a government doctor to ascertain if he is fit to be questioned.
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09:20   JMM MLAs to meet Jharkhand Guv today
Jharkhand's ruling coalition partner Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has decided to withdraw support to the Arjun Munda-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state, pushing it to a minority, in a new twist to the tussle for power between the two allies.

JMM chief Shibu Soren has said that the 18 legislators of the party in the state assembly would meet Governor Syed Ahmed on Tuesday to hand over their resignations

The 28-month limit for ruling by the BJP, according to JMM, ended on January 10.

Relations between BJP and JMM have come under strain since Chief Minister Arjun Munda, in a written reply to a letter from JMM on January 3, rejected that there was an agreement between the two parties on 'rotation of power' after 28 months in office.
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03:42   US much safer than four years ago, says Panetta

The US is safer and more secure than it was four years ago, and has reached a turning point after more than a decade of war, the outgoing Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said on Monday.         

 

"Because of the outstanding dedication of our intelligence and military professionals, America is safer and more secure than it was four years ago, and we have reached a turning point after more than a decade of war," Panetta said in his remarks at the White House.         

 

US President Barack Obama Monday nominated Chuck Hagel, the former Republican Senator from Nebraska, as his next defence secretary to replace Panetta and John Brennan as his next CIA director.         

 

"And on that, as we've reached that turning point, we've developed a new defence strategy for the 21st century. We have, with John's leadership, decimated Al Qaeda's leadership and weakened their effort to attack this country," Panetta said in his statement.         

 

"We have brought wars in Iraq and we will bring the war in Afghanistan to an honorable conclusion. We've opened up opportunities for all Americans to serve in our military. And we continue to strongly support our forces, their families, and our wounded warriors. These are some of the achievements that I am proud of," he said.         

 

Panetta said after being in public life for five decades he would return to private life and to his home in California.

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03:42   Colorado gunman 'relaxed' after theatre massacre

AFP: The alleged gunman behind the Colorado theatre shooting was "relaxed" and compliant when arrested after the massacre which killed 12 people, an officer told a court hearing Monday.         

 

James Holmes, who was wearing body armour and a mask, told police his name and volunteered that there were improvised explosive devices rigged up in his apartment, when detained after the shooting last July in Aurora, Colorado.         

 

Holmes, sporting dark brown hair and a full beard, was led into court in handcuffs at the start of a week-long hearing expected to hear more details about the shooting, which revived America's perennial debate over gun control.         

 

Clad in dark red prison scrubs, Holmes -- who had bright orange hair when he first appeared in court last July -- stared straight ahead and talked to no-one in the courtroom, as relatives of the victims looked on.         

 

Aurora policeman Jason Oviatt told the court how he at first thought Holmes was another officer when he arrived with dozens of other police, in response to 911 calls about the midnight shooting at a screening of the new Batman film. 

 

Image: Police photograph of James Holmes | Photograph: Reuters 

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03:34   Not received serious response for peace talks: Pak Taliban

The Taliban Monday claimed it had not received a "serious response" from the Pakistan government to its offer for peace talks, which could be jeopardised by the stance adopted by the army.        

 

The outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan clarified its position on the proposed peace talks in an email sent to journalists by spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan, who said the group had not got "any serious response on our offer for talks".         The Taliban "do not have any trust in (the) army for talks being successful, so we need some surety about (the) army", Ihsan said.        

 

 

Current steps towards talks "are in danger (because of) the mood of the army", he claimed.

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03:33   'Clinton admn believed ISI would pass intel to Qaeda'

Much before the US carried out the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden without informing Pakistan, the Bill Clinton administration had little faith in Islamabad when it came to sharing important intelligence information, a former top American general said today.        

 

Gen (rtd) Stanley McChrystal in his book, "My Share of the Task: A Memoir" which hit the stands today, says that as a result of the lack of trust with the Pakistani leadership, the latter were given just 10 minutes notice when the Clinton administration launched a barrage of missiles in August, 1998, entering the Pakistani airspace.        

 

"So they gave the Pakistanis notice, but just barely: Over a late-night chicken tikka dinner in Islamabad on the night of August 20 (1998), Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Ralston told the head of the Pakistani army, General Jehangir Karamat, that in ten minutes, missiles would be entering Pakistani airspace," McChrystal wrote.

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01:52   End LoC exchange of fire: US urges India, Pak

The US today asked India and Pakistan to take steps to end the exchange of fire and resume normal trade and travel across the Line of Control.         

 

"We urge both sides to take steps to end exchanges of fire and to resume normal trade and travel across the line of control," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters.         

 

Nuland was responding to questions on news reports of firing by the Pakistani forces across the LoC on Indian posts. India said its troops retaliated after unprovoked shelling by Pakistan destroyed a home.

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01:23   Messi wins record fourth Ballon d'Or

Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi has been awarded the Ballon d'Or for the fourth season in a row. Messi, 25, hit 91 goals during 2012 and beat club team-mate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid's Ronaldo to the trophy.

 

Despite his goals, the Catalan giants failed to win either the Spanish league title or Champions League last year.

 

Read more on BBC

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00:08   Obama names Hagel, Brennan to lead Pentagon, CIA

US President Barack Obama has named a maverick former Republican senator as defence secretary, despite a political backlash over the nomination. Chuck Hagel would replace Leon Panetta at the Pentagon, but Mr Hagel's fellow Republicans have questioned the Nebraskan's views towards Israel.

 

Mr Obama has also picked his counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan as director of the CIA. Both appointments must be confirmed by the Senate.

 

Mr Obama, who has just returned from a family holiday in Hawaii, said at a White House press conference that Mr Hagel was "the leader our troops deserve".

 

Read the full report on BBC

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