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Muzaffarpur Shelter Home, Where Inmates Were Sexually Abused, Is Being Demolished

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Representative image. 

MUZAFFARPUR — The demolition of a building in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur that housed a shelter home, where inmates were allegedly sexually abused, began on Thursday, officials said.

The demolition work began in presence of a five-member team headed by executive engineer Suresh Kumar Sinha. Municipal Commissioner Sanjay Dubey has set up the panel to look after the demolition job.

Orders for razing the building were issued by the municipal authorities last month after it was found that the structure was raised in violation of the approved plan, officials said.

The shelter home has been closed down and the building was vacated on Tuesday.

It may take a few days to demolish the building completely as is located in a narrow alley, sources said.

The building is situated close to the residence of Brajesh Thakur, the prime accused in the sex scandal. He is currently lodged in a jail at Patiala.

The scandal at the shelter home called ‘Balika Grih’, run by Brajesh Thakur’s NGO ‘Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti’, came to light earlier this year in a social audit by the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences, which said that over 30 girls living there were sexually abused.

After the shelter home scandal came to light, Thakur and others were booked on May 30. The Bihar government later handed over the probe to the CBI. The agency is investigating the case under supervision of the Supreme Court.

Bihar Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma had resigned following the Muzaffarpur case, when it came to light that her husband, Chandrashekhar Verma, had spoken to Thakur several times between January and June.


In Rebuke To Donald Trump, US Senate Blames Saudi Crown Prince For Khashoggi’s Murder

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A file photo of US president Donald Trump. 

WASHINGTON — The US Senate delivered a rare double rebuke to President Donald Trump on Saudi Arabia on Thursday, voting to end US military support for the war in Yemen and blame the Saudi crown prince for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The votes were largely symbolic because to become law the resolutions would have to pass the House of Representatives, whose Republican leaders have blocked any legislation intended to rebuke the Saudis.

In a historic move, Senators voted 56-41 to end US military support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s civil war. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and spawned what the United Nations calls the world’s most dire human crisis, with the country on the brink of famine.

It was the first time either chamber of Congress had backed a resolution to withdraw US forces from a military engagement under the War Powers Act. That law, passed in 1973, limits the president’s ability to commit US forces to potential hostilities without congressional approval.

 Seven of Trump’s fellow Republicans joined Senate Democrats to back the measure.

Immediately after the Yemen vote, the Senate backed a resolution blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for Khashoggi’s murder and insisting that Saudi Arabia hold accountable anyone responsible for his death.

Khashoggi, a US resident who was a columnist for The Washington Post, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October. The Senate vote, which was unanimous, puts pressure on House leaders to allow a vote on the Khashoggi resolution this month, before Congress adjourns for the year.

“Unanimously, the United States Senate has said that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. That is a strong statement. I think it speaks to the values that we hold dear,” said Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and sponsor of the resolution.

Trump has said he wants Washington to stand by the Saudi government and the prince, despite a CIA assessment it was likely he ordered Khashoggi’s killing. He promised to veto the war powers resolution.

Opponents of the resolution are reluctant to take any action to disrupt the strategic US relationship with Saudi Arabia, seen as an essential counterweight in the Middle East to Iran, arch-enemy of close US ally Israel.

Administration officials also see Saudi support as a linchpin for an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan yet to be unveiled by the Trump administration. And they have argued that ending US support could complicate Yemen peace talks.

‘Shared strategic interests’

Asked to comment on the Khashoggi resolution, a White House spokesperson noted sanctions imposed on 17 Saudis over the killing and said, “Our shared strategic interests with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remain, and we continue to view as achievable the twin imperatives of protecting America and holding accountable those responsible for the killing.”

But backers of the resolutions, including some Republicans, promised to press ahead. On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of senators promised to push in the new Congress legislation for humanitarian sanctions and a ban on weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

“What’s next is to do everything possible to demand that the House of Representatives do what the members of the House want done, an opportunity to vote on this,” Senator Bernie Sanders told Reuters.

Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said he would bring the resolution up again after the new Congress convenes in January, when Democrats will control the House of Representatives. The measure could pass the Senate again, given the bipartisan support it received on Thursday, even though Trump’s Republicans will have a larger majority in the upper chamber next year.

“I think we’re going to win in the Senate and I think we are going to do what the American people want, that is to end our participation in this horrific and destructive war,” Sanders said.

There was no immediate word from House leadership on whether they would allow a vote on either resolution.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, who briefed House members on Thursday, urged senators during a briefing last month to keep supporting the Saudi-led coalition.

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said her members supported congressional action. “There certainly is an appetite in our caucus for that,” Pelosi, who is expected to be the next House Speaker, told reporters.

Yemen’s warring parties agreed on Thursday to cease fighting for the Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah and withdraw their troops, the first significant breakthrough for UN-led peace efforts in five years of conflict.

 

Mohanlal's Odiyan Releases Today. Here's All You Need To Know About The Film

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Mohanlal, Prakash Raj and Manju Warrier in 'Odiyan'.

Malayalam magnum opus Odiyan, starring Mohanlal, is out in theatres today.

One of 2018′s biggest releases, Odiyan is being touted as the untold story of Malabar region tribesmen who have extra terrestrial powers to transform themselves into animals.

Mohanlal plays a superstar Odiyan whose fame spread across the border. The actor will be seen in three different avatars in the film.

The film’s release coincides with a hartal called by the BJP in Kerala following the death of an Ayyappa devotee in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.

Odiyan is director VA Shrikumar Menon’s feature film debut. On Tuesday, Menon claimed it had become the first Malayalam film to join the Rs 100 crore club pre-release.

The film will also release in Tamil and Telugu and is expected to create a new record for Malayalam cinema, opening in over 3000 screens across the world, Indian Express  reports.

Odiyan stars Manju Warrier as the female lead, with Innocent and Sana Althaf in pivotal roles.

Actor Prakash Raj reunites with Mohanlal on the silver screen two decades after they were last featured together in Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar. 

The film is written by scriptwriter and senior journalist with Malayala Manorama Hari Krishnan, who won the National Award for best screenplay for Shaji N Karun’s Kutty Srank in 2010.

The film’s music is composed by M Jayachandran with Shaji Kumar as cameraman.

(With agency inputs)

Rafale Deal: Supreme Court Dismisses Petition Saying 'Detailed Probe Not Required'

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Representative image.

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed all petitions seeking a court-monitored probe in the multi-billion dollar Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

NDTV quoted the apex court as saying, “We don’t find any substantial element to show that there is any favouritism.”

The apex court said that a detailed review of the Rafale deal was not required. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi also said that it is satisfied with the decision-making process.

“A country can’t afford to be underprepared. Not correct for the Court to sit as an appellant authority and scrutinise all aspects,” the bench added. 

On the issue of pricing, the bench said that it is not the job of this court to go into issues of pricing. 

CJI Gogoi also said that there is no reason for interference in the choice of offset partner and perception of individuals can’t be the basis for roving inquiry in sensitive issue of defence procurement, reported ANI.

Advocate ML Sharma was the first petitioner in the case. Later, another lawyer Vineet Dhanda had moved the apex court with the plea for court-monitored probe into the deal.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh has also filed a petition against the fighter jet deal.

After the three petitions were filed, former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie along with activist advocate Prashant Bhushan had moved the apex court with a plea for a direction to the CBI to register FIR for alleged irregularities in the deal.

The Centre has defended the multi-billion deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets and opposed public disclosure of the pricing details.

India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of Indian Air Force equipment. The estimated cost of the deal is Rs 58,000 crore.

(With PTI inputs)

Huawei Mate 20 Pro Review: A True Premium Flagship Phone

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After lurking in the shadows in the smartphone market over the past several years, instead letting its Honor brand hog the limelight, Huawei has come out strong this year and nowhere is it more evident than its latest Mate 20 Pro flagship. Packing stellar hardware and a bunch of next-gen features into a cohesive, downright gorgeous unit, the Mate 20 Pro delivers a complete package and easily goes head-to-head with the Note 9, the Pixel 3 XL and the iPhones XS, showing them a thing or two in the process. This is Huawei's confident, pull-no-punches entry into the premium smartphone space and if you're on the lookout for a 2018 flagship, it would be a travesty not to consider this one strongly.

The Best Smartphones Of 2018 For Every Budget

Mate 20 Pro Pros

Design: It may arrive in an almost nondescript black box with some Leica branding, but the Mate 20 Pro makes one of the best first impressions the moment it's out. The design is somewhat reminiscent of the S9 series, with the precision curved glass melding seamlessly into the phone's thin metallic frame and a rear panel on the 'Twilight' variant that blends blue and black into a stunning looking color gradient. Whether you pick the Twilight or textured Emerald Green (less of a fingerprint magnet), the Mate 20 Pro is an incredible looking phone, with the look made even more distinctive courtesy the triple camera setup in the square shaped module on the rear. What's even more striking is that the phone manages its rather handy dimensions while still packing in a large 4200mAh battery.

The phone has a very unusual camera layout and a striking color.

OnePlus 6T Review

Display: The Mate 20 Pro offers a massive 6.39-inch display packing a suitably high 1440x3120-pixel QHD+ resolution. The OLED panel means that blacks are inky black and colors are punchy, and there's a limited feature always-on mode. The notch isn't particularly deep, but it is wide to accommodate the sensors for the infrared-based 3D face unlock, which works plenty fast no matter how well your face is lit. There's also an in-display fingerprint sensor, which works fairly well albeit with the mild but discernible lag each time you use it. At least the face unlock is fast, so you don't really need the fingerprint scanner most of the time.

Redmi Note 6 Pro Review

Camera: Huawei's switched out the monochrome lens for a much more useful wide-angle 20MP f/2.2 camera alongside the 40MP f/1.8 sensor and an 8MP f/2.4 3x optical zoom camera. The primary shooter combines four pixels into one and shoots images that are rich in detail and spot on in terms of exposure. Some may like the Master AI which auto detects scenes and switches modes/colors accordingly but it was still a bit too aggressive for my liking.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is able to take good looking photos even when the lighting isn't ideal.

The wide-angle setup is one of the best implementations of a wide-angle shooter and has a side benefit of allowing super-up-close macros as well. Given sufficient light, the telephoto sensor produces surprisingly detailed and clear images and even goes all the way to a hybrid 5x zoom without adding in much noise or losing too much detail. Even when the sun goes down, the Night Mode performs admirably, maybe not as freakishly brilliant as the Pixel 3's but a close second. If anything, the 24MP selfie camera disappointed in low light, lacking in sharpness and clarity.

The Mate 20 Pro's ultra-wide mode opens up a scene.The Mate 20 Pro lets you go from ultra-wide to normal to telephoto, affording a huge 3X optical zoom.

Performance: The Mate 20 Pro is the first phone with Huawei's 7-nanometer Kirin 980 SoC which, when mated with the 6GB memory (plus 128GB storage), handles multitasking and heavy games with ease, even at the highest settings. Benchmarks reveal numbers above the Snapdragon 845 and lower than Apple's A12 Bionic, but what really matters is that you get uncompromised performance for the money. Where the Mate 20 Pro pulls ahead is its remarkable battery performance, which lasts well past a full day of heavy use on a single charge on maxed out performance settings (display set to QHD+, Performance Mode in battery settings). It tops up equally impressively with the bundled charger – the Super Charge feature takes the battery from 0 to full in only an hour and 10 minutes. Interestingly, the phone can act as a wireless charger itself and charge any Qi compatible device off the back of this phone.

Apple iPhone XR Review

Mate 20 Pro Cons

Design Quirks: As much as Huawei's gotten right with the design, the Mate 20 Pro has its share of design oddities. The main speaker, for instance, sits inside the USB Type-C port so the sound is mildly muffled when you're charging the phone. The dual-SIM tray is rather unique as well – it accommodates 2 Nano SIMs or a single Nano SIM and a new 'Nano Memory' card on the other side – and while pushing new standards is all very well, Huawei could certainly have included one in the box since it isn't easily available to begin with.

The phone's screen is a selling point, although there are a few strange quirks in the overall design.

EMUI: Huawei has made some rather big strides in EMUI 9.0 (based on Android 9.0 Pie), decluttering the overly complex menus and improving the responsiveness across the board. Even so, it’s still in need of refinement around the gestures and the unnecessarily complicated camera UI, not to mention some of the first-party app icons are still hungover from the time when EMUI was particularly iOS inspired.

 

Huawei Mate 20 Pro Specs

Chip: 8 cores 2.6 GHz Huawei HiSilicon KIRIN 980

Memory: 6GB

Storage: 128GB

Display: 6.39 inches, 538 ppi, OLED

Camera: 40 MP primary, 20 MP ultrawide and 8MP telephoto Rear Camera, 24 MP Front Camera

Battery: 4200 mAh with Super Charge 2.0 and USB Type-C v3.0 support

5 Of The Best Hindi Films Of 2018, Ranked

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It’s the season to make lists. 

And this year, it’s safe to declare that the corridors of Bollywood have, temporarily as it may seem, relieved the Khans of their blockbuster duties and instead, recruited, the Kaushals, the Khurranas, and the Raos to infuse young energy into the tried-and-tested paradigm of the conventional Hindi film.

While we’re yet to see Shah Rukh Khan’s Zero and Ranveer Singh’s Simmba, so far, it’s the middle-of-the-road cinema and not the tentpoles, that have dominated 2018, a year that has seen a seismic shift in Bollywood as an industry.

Appropriately mirroring an ongoing dialogue on abuse and exploitation, Hindi cinema this year gave us empowering narratives for women, with some strikingly memorable characters that called out patriarchy in households and outside while simultaneously breaking archaic stereotypes that Bollywood has cashed on since ages.

Below is a list of 5 of our absolute favourites of the year, films that subverted the idea of commerciality and set new rules.

5. BADHAAI HO

It’s like Ayushmann Khuranna can do no wrong. After de-stigmatising sperm donation and ereticle dysfunction, Khuranna found himself dealing with his parents getting pregnant again in this film. Amit Sharma’s Badhai Ho, at once, dismantled several subjects considered fiercely taboo in Indian society ― sex and more specifically, old people having sex.

Creating an authentic Delhi universe, Sharma told a heartfelt story about an ageing couple coping with the prejudices of a conservative society. Badhai Ho, with its outrageously eccentric humour and an ensemble cast, managed to rip apart staid notions and shared a decidedly progressive worldview. 

4. STREE

Bollywood has rarely confronted patriarchy as boisterously as it did in Amar Kaushik’s Stree, a film that ingeniously used tropes of horror and comedy to critique social oppression of women. The Rajkummar Rao-Shraddha Kapoor starrer imagined a world where the men were locked up in their houses in a sleepy Madhya Pradesh town. 

Stree presented a dystopia which mirrored the actual lives of women in India, a country where women have to live with the constant threat of sexual violence and domestic abuse. Given the current conversation around predatory behaviour, Stree turned out to be an unexpected feminist masterpiece.

Read our review here.

3. MANMARZIYAAN

Though he has a reputation for helming violent gangster films, there’s nobody who handles romance as deftly as Anurag Kashyap. The Wasseypur director submitted himself to Kanika Dhillon’s sparkling screenplay and the product of this wonderful collaboration was Manmarziyaan. In an industry notorious for churning out hyper-unrealistic love stories that bear no semblance to a real life romance, Manmarizyaan ripped apart the idea of romantic idealism and looked at love in all its unflattering reality ―  the bitterness, the jealousy, the insecurities, the hate.

In Rumi, Kashyap and Dhillon gave us a flawed protagonist unapologetic about her selfishness, confusion, and her indecisiveness, while Vicky Kaushal owned the screen as the raging romantic, in every frame that he appeared in. The film also encapsulated the dilemma the Tinder generation faces today ― to settle for certain stability guided by the mind or to keep exploring the unknown terrains the beating heart takes us to.

Read our review here.

2.OCTOBER

An achingly poetic reflection on love, loss, and longing, Shoojit Sircar’s October is a difficult movie to watch as it sucks the viewer into a world of uncertainty and grief, making us confront our biggest vulnerabilities: sudden death of a loved one. In October, celebrated writer Juhi Chaturvedi created memorable characters in Dan and Shiuli, two could-be lovers who live a lifetime in a brief window between life and death. Aided by a melancholic background score, October gently wove in themes of remorse and mortality and spoke the loudest in its silences, quietly meditating on the healing powers of unconditional love. It remains Varun Dhawan’s most endearing performance. 

1. ANDHADHUN

Sriram Raghavan’s mind-boggling thriller takes the top slot of 2018 for its terrific performances (Tabu is outstanding), a nerve-wracking plot that culminated with a hefty payoff, and Raghavan’s inventive directorial vision ― a vision so boldly adventurous it challenged the accepted notions of commercially-acceptable cinema and went about setting its own rules. Raghavan, a true-blue cinephile, also weaved in several homages in the film’s narrative. From doffing his hat to Louis Malle to Chazelle’s La La Land to the kitsch of 80s Bollywood, AndhaDhun is a film for the ages. 

Read our review here.

These Were The Best Performances In South Indian Films In 2018

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In 2018, audiences of films in south Indian languages embraced movies made on low budget, but a lot of heart. While stars like Rajinikanth, Mahesh Babu and Vijay continued to make a mark, the best performances came from actors who took up challenges and roles that weren’t typical of them to take on.

 Here’s a list of the 10 best performances in south Indian movies this year. 

 

A poster of Kancherapalem.

The entire cast of ℅ Kancherapalem (Telugu)

Venkatesh Maha in his debut film explored romance through four different stories — the first crush at school with a boy and a girl from different economic classes, the adolescent love between a Christian guy and a girl from an orthodox Hindu family, an unconventional relationship between a liquor shop employee and a mysterious Muslim woman and a nuanced romance between two people in their 40s. The film had a staggering 86 debutants, with a majority from Kancherapalem, a locality in the city of Visakhapatnam. The lack of prior acting experience or training for majority of the cast did not prove to be a hindrance. Like Thithi in 2016, the raw performances only enhanced the film’s appeal as the audiences could relate with the characters on screen as they mirrored the society we inhabit.

Chemban Vinod Jose (Eeshi) and Vinayakan (Ayyappan) - Ee.Ma.Yau (Malayalam)

If you’ve ever wondered how an acting ‘partnership’ looks like, you have to watch Chemban Vinod Jose and Vinayakan in full flow. Followed by their successful outings in Kali and Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil, they carried their great form into Lijo Jose Pellissery’s brilliant Ee.Ma.Yau, arguably the film of the year from the south. The dramedy revolves around the death of Eeshi’s father, Vavachan. Helping Eeshi with the funeral arrangements is his friend Ayyappan. The two actors slip into the skins of the two characters and share such an excellent chemistry that one cannot help but wonder, can they read each other’s mind as well?

Samuel Abiola Robinson (Sudani) and Soubin Sharif (Majeed) - Sudani from Nigeria (Malayalam)

Kerala’s passion for football is quite well known and so is the popularity of Soubin Sharif as a comedian. Zakariya Mohammed’s heartwarming dramedy revolves around the relationship between a Nigerian football player in Malappuram’s sevens football team and his manager, Majeed. No foreign actor has instantly connected with the Indian audience as much as Samuel and Soubin Sharif delivers an impactful restrained performance as Majeed. The film also had memorable performances from the late K.T.C Abdullah (as Majeed’s father), Savitri Sreedharan (as Majeed’s mother) and Sarasa Balussery (as Beeyumma).

Vijay Sethupathy (Ram) and Trisha (Janaki) - 96 (Tamil)

Not since Radha Mohan’s Mozhi has a romantic film warmed the Tamil audience’s hearts like 96. C Prem Kumar’s debut film shows two high school lovers reconnect after two decades and reflect over their lives that took different directions. While Vijay Sethupathy shed his usual mannerisms to pull off a restrained performance as travel-photographer, Ram, the performer in Trisha stood out for her memorable portrayal as Janaki. For an actor who has consistently been reduced to glam roles, this was a welcome change and she pulled it off with elegance and grace.

Keerthy Suresh (Savitri) - Mahanati (Telugu), Nadigayar Thilagam (Tamil)

The late actress Savitri is revered to this day. So, when news caught around that Keerthy Suresh, who has consistently played heroines with minimal screen space in hero-centric films, people on social media were quick to criticize the casting. All doubts were put to rest when the audiences finally witnessed her in Nag Ashwin’s memorable biopic owing to her stunning portrayal as Savitri, perfecting it right down to the legendary actress’ dance movements.

Antony (Rangasamy) - Merkku Thodarchi Malai (Tamil)

 

Lenin Bharathi’s debut feature film, produced by Vijay Sethupathy, showed the plight of landless workers in the Western Ghats. Antony, a struggling actor, finally got a major break when he was offered the opportunity to play the lead — a character called Rangasamy — in this film. A more popular star in Antony’s place would have taken the focus away from the character and more importantly, the place where the story is rooted in. But Antony as Rangasamy was convincing. He kept the viewers emotionally invested in Rangasamy’s journey.

Joju George (Joseph) - Joseph (Malayalam)

 

Joju George has been evasive of the limelight, having played minor roles, several of which had negative shades. In Padmakumar’s Joseph, Joju George plays the titular character, a retired policeman suffering from an emotional turmoil but whose expertise is still needed by the force. The movie, which transitions from an intense character study of its protagonist to an investigative thriller, would have ideally suited the likes of Mammootty or Mohanlal. But casting them would have also meant that they would have to cater to the audience expectations from mainstream stars. On the other hand, casting Joju George was a perfect move. As the film progresses, the audience empathizes more with Joseph by learning about his troubled past and through the delicate handling of the character, Joju George reveals the unexplored facets of his acting talent to the audience.

Jayasurya (Marykutty) - Njan Marykutty (Malayalam)

Jayasurya was caught in the shadow of the heavyweights and the rising crop of young actors. A remarkable actor on his own right, he seldom got the recognition he deserved. 2018 was kinder to him, through Captain and Njan Marykutty. But it is his portrayal as Marykutty — a trans person who tries to gain social acceptance and flourish in a career — that everyone will remember Jayasurya for. When Marykutty looks at herself in the mirror or drapes herself in a saree, we are moved by how consciously Jayasurya has brought these subtle changes to the body language to play a trans person convincingly. The scene where Marykutty wins the approval of her father is moving, without becoming melodramatic and Jayasurya should get credit for that.

Fahadh Faasil (Sibi Sebastian) - Carbon (Malayalam)

Last year, Fahadh Faasil won the Best Supporting Actor at the National Film Awards for his role as an unnamed thief in Dileesh Pothan’s Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum. In Carbon, he plays Sibi Sebastian, a youth on a single-minded pursuit of making it big the quickest way possible. The character has shades of the role Fahadh played in Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum. Look for the scenes where he explains his aspirations to his friend and the one where he attempts to sleep in the open. It is a classic example of how an extraordinary actor can elevate a film’s appeal. Suffice to say, he is our own Irrfan Khan.

The list is merely an indicator of performances that the writer loved, that were markedly different from the rest. Here are a few that almost made the list:

Rajinikanth (Kaala), Eswari Rao (Selvi), Nana Patekar (Haridada), Anjali Patil (Puyal) and Manikandan (Lenin) - Kaala (Tamil/Telugu/Hindi)

A stellar cast in Pa.Ranjith’s high octane political action drama that had electrifying performances from almost everyone.

Prithviraj (Joshua) - Koode (Malayalam)

In this remake of Marathi film ‘Happy Journey’ directed by Anjali Menon of ‘Bangalore Days’ fame, Prithviraj was superb in his portrayal of a man struck by grief and struggles to relieve himself from the emotional trauma of losing his younger sister.

Sharaf U Dheen (Josey) - Varathan (Malayalam)

Sharaf U Dheen stunned audiences as a perverse villain In the Fahadh Faasil-starring revenge saga and successfully came out of being typecast in stereotypical sidekick and comedian roles.

Zoramthanga To Take Oath On Saturday: Who Is Mizoram's New CM?

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A file photo of Zoramthanga.

AIZAWL — After being in political wilderness for two assembly terms, rebel-turned-politician Zoramthanga is back with a bang as he led the Mizo National Front (MNF) to a thumping victory in the state's elections.

Zoramthanga has been chief minister of Mizoram twice. He was a former underground leader and a close aide of the legendary MNF leader Laldenga.

Seventy-four-year-old Zoramthanga joined the underground MNF while waiting for his bachelor's degree in arts at the DM College in Imphal. The MNF, led by Laldenga, declared independence from the Indian Union on 1 March, 1966.

Zoramthanga came to know that he has graduated with English honours while in the jungles with his MNF comrades.

READ: Assembly Elections Final Tally: How The Parties Performed

He was appointed secretary to MNF 'president' Laldenga in 1969 and was appointed as vice president of the 'Mizoram government-in-exile' in 1979 as well as the vice president of the MNF party.

He accompanied Laldenga to Pakistan and Europe while the MNF was holding talks with the Indian government and was actively involved in the peace parleys.

Coming out of hiding following the peace accord signed on 30 June, 1986 between the MNF and the Indian government, he was inducted as a minister in the interim government headed by Laldenga for six months.

A group of independent candidates under the MNF umbrella contested for the 40-member Mizoram state legislature for the first time in 1987 Assembly polls, when 24 of them were elected, including Zoramthanga.

He was inducted as cabinet minister holding portfolios like Education and Finance.

Mizoram was placed under President's Rule in the later part of 1988 after defections by some legislators including former underground personnel.

He was re-elected from Champhai seat in 1989 Assembly polls.

READ: Mizoram Elections 2018: CM Lal Thanhawla Loses From Both Seats

After the death of Laldenga due to lung cancer on 7 July 1990, Zoramthanga was elected as the MNF party chief, the post he continues to hold till date.

He contested the state Assembly polls from his home turf — Champhai — in 1993 and won for the third time to become the Leader of the Opposition in the state legislature.

Zoramthanga led the MNF to victory in 1998 state Assembly polls when he won from Champhai and Khawbung seats and formed the government with 21 legislators.

He was inducted as the state chief minister for the first time and completed the full term. He retained power in the 2003 state polls and continued as the chief minister.

Zoramthanga won from Champhai, his home turf, and also from Kolasib constituency on the Mizoram-Assam border, However, he vacated the Kolasib seat.

His party faced a severe debacle in the 2008 polls bagging only three seats while its junior partner, the Maraland Democratic Party (MDF) won one seat. Zoramthanga lost from both Champhai North and Champhai South constituencies.

The Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) and the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) both secured two seats each The opposition Congress bagged 32 seats with former chief minister Lal Thanhawla bouncing back to power and won from two seats — Serchhip and South Tuipui.

Zoramthanga continued to be in the political wilderness as he again lost from East Tuipui and the Congress retained power with 34 legislators in the 40-member state legislature.

This time around, he contested from the prestigious Aizawl East-I seat and defeated journalist-turned politician K Sapdanga by 2504 votes. Congress's K Vanlalrawna came third.

Sapdanga is the editor and publisher of the largest circulated vernacular daily — Vanglaini.

For Zoramthanga, this poll verdict was a do-or-die situation where losing the electoral battle this year would have meant the last nail in his political coffin and survival of his MNF party while winning would have meant revival for not only him, but also for the erstwhile underground party.

Zoramthanga would be sworn-in as the chief minister of Mizoram at the Raj Bhavan at 12 noon on Saturday.


After SC Verdict On Rafale, BJP, Opposition Take Political Potshots At Each Other

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Soon after the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to the Narendra Modi government on the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) began demanding an apology from the Congress

The apex court on Friday dismissed all the petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the deal and said there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the multi-billion dollar defence deal.

The top court said there has been a necessity for fighter aircraft and the country cannot remain without jets. CJI Ranjan Gogoi, who read out the judgement for the three-judge bench, said the court found no reasons to interfere in the procurement process for the fighter jets.

The apex court said it is not the job of the court to deal with the comparative details of the pricing.

BJP demands apology

Union Minister Rajnath Singh said that the matter was crystal clear from the very beginning. “We have been saying that the allegations levelled by Congress were baseless and to gain political mileage,” he said after the ruling.

Singh also demanded in the Lok Sabha that Congress President Rahul Gandhi should apologise on the floor of the House for “misleading” the country on the Rafale jet deal issue.

BJP president Amit Shah tweeted, “Truth always triumphs”. He said that the judgement on the Rafale deal exposes the campaign of misinformation spearheaded by the Congress President for political gains.

BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain referred to the scandal that rocked the rajiv Gandhi-led government in the late ’80s, saying, “Every deal is not Bofors deal.”

“It is the culture and tradition of Congress and its top leadership to mint money from such deals on the cost of country’s national security,” he added.

Opposition says ‘not a setback’

The Supreme Court order is not a setback as the issue is still alive in the “people’s court” and the Congress will continue to raise it in Parliament, senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday.

Congress has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Reacting to the ruling, senior party leader Anand Sharma said that there is no reason for the Prime Minister and the BJP to celebrate and that they would ask a Joint Parliamentary Committee to look into the deal. 

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said that the decision upholds his party’s stand that corruption in Rafale deal cannot be decided by the Supreme Court. He further said the Congress was challenging the Prime Minister for a JPC probe into Rafale deal to unveil every layer of corruption, reported PTI.

Congress senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that the party’s main demand was for a JPC and it still stands. He further said that there was no question of Rahul Gandhi apologising. 

Meanwhile, Saugata Roy of the TMC also said that the Supreme Court said what it thinks was right, but that the opposition was demanding a JPC probe.  

Rafale Deal: Rajya Sabha Adjourned Till Monday After Uproar

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A view of Parliament.

NEW DELHI — The Supreme Court order on the Rafale jet deal issue Friday rocked the Rajya Sabha which witnessed intense sloganeering by the ruling BJP and opposition Congress members leading to adjournment of House proceedings.

Amid noisy protests, Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was heard saying that the Opposition has been demanding a debate on the jet deal and so the question hour should be suspended to take up the issue.

Besides the two major parties, members of the AIADMK and the Samajwadi Party too raised slogans in support of their respective demands.

No sooner the House assembled for the Zero hour, members of the Samajwadi Party raised slogans relating to the recent violence in UP’s Bulandshahar district while AIADMK members trooped into the well over the Cauvery river water issue.

Buoyed by the clean chit given by the Supreme Court on the Rafale jet deal, members of treasury benches were heard raising slogans demanding an apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi for his alleged lies on the issue.

Congress members too entered the Well of the House to demand a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the purchase of jets from the French company Dassault.

Amidst uproar, the members were heard raising slogans -“We want JPC” and “Chowikdar Chor Hai”.

BJP members were heard shouting slogans like ‘Rahul Gandhi Jhootha Hai’ (Rahul Gandhi is a liar).

The uproar started as soon as the proceedings began following which Deputy Chairman Harivansh first adjourned the House till 11:30 hours.

However, as the protests intensified, he adjourned the Rajya Sabha till Monday after his repeated attempts to bring order in the House failed.

Before adjourning the House for the day, Harivansh tried to run the Zero Hour proceedings smoothly and some of the members even read out mentions amid uproar.

Unlike other days, there was ruckus in the House even when ministers were laying listed paper on the table of the House.

Cyclone Forming Over Bay of Bengal, Likely to Hit Andhra on Monday

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The deep depression in Bay of Bengal off the Andhra Pradesh coast is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours, the Met Department warned on Friday. In the subsequent 36 hours, the storm may intensify into a severe cyclonic storm, it said

It is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Ongole and Kakinada on Monday afternoon, 17 December. 

The depression is currently 930 km east-southeast of Chennai  and 1090 km southeast of Andhra’s Machilipatnam.

According to the Indian Express, if the depression intensifies into a cyclone, it will be called Phethai. 

Coastal Andhra Pradesh is likely to receive heavy to very rainfall beginning Saturday evening.

The IMD has forecast rain over south Chhattisgarh and  Odisha on 17 December.

It has also issued wind warnings for Andhra Pradesh, north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts.

Fishermen out in the deep sea have been advised to return to the coast.

They have been advised not to venture into southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal on Friday, into southwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal on Saturday and westcentral and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal and along and off Andhra Pradesh, north Tamilnadu and Puducherry coasts on Sunday and Monday.

Andhra and Tamil Nadu were on alert last month when Cyclone Gaja passed over the states. Gaja made landfall on the Tamil Nadu coast between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam on 16 November.

Kamal Nath To Take Oath As Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister On Monday

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BHOPAL — Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said he will take oath as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh on 17 December.

The swearing-in ceremony will take place at Lal Parade Ground here around 1.30 pm, Nath told reporters outside Raj Bhavan.

Nath, along with senior Congress leaders, including Digvijay Singh, Vivek Tankha and others met Governor Anandiben Patel and informed her about his election as Congress Legislature Party leader, following which the governor invited him for the oath.

The meeting lasted for nearly 50 minutes.

The Congress has won 114 seats in the 230-member House, the poll results of which were declared on December 11.

It has secured support of a total of 121 MLAs, including SP - 1 and BSP - 2 legislators as also of four independents, to cross the majority mark of 116 seats.

The party Thursday night named Nath as Madhya Pradesh’s next chief minister after hours of hectic parleys held by party chief Rahul Gandhi with senior party leaders.

A Comic For People Who Look To Their S.O For Outfit Advice And Get None

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Love Illustrated is a HuffPost comic series that captures the realities of modern love.

A wise philosopher named Shania Twain once said, “Any man of mine’ll say it fits just right when last year’s dress is just a little too tight ― and anything I do or say better be okay when I have a bad hair day.”

While we tend to agree with the Canadian country goddess’ stance, every once in a while, you really just want some honest feedback from your S.O. on your look. 

Los Angeles-based illustrator Damian Alexander gets that. In the very relatable comic below, he illustrates how hard it can be to get an opinion from your partner when they think everything looks good on you:

Zero percent helpful, but 100 percent sweet.

The comic was inspired by real life. Seven months into his relationship with his boyfriend, Alexander’s S.O. still defaults to “you look cute!” when pressed for sartorial feedback. 

“When we’re getting dressed to head out to Disneyland or somewhere nice, I want to look my best, and I’ll ask for his advice but he just says I look cute in everything,” Alexander, who grew up in Boston, told HuffPost. “I certainly don’t mind the compliments, though.” 

Alexander’s work tends to be highly personal, focusing on things that happened to him that are “outlandish, poignant, or both.”

“I want my comics to be funny, but also say something important at the same time,” he said. 

The illustrator’s graphic memoir, OTHER BOYS, is set to be released in 2021. In the meantime, follow him on Instagram or Tumblr

Creatrs is a collective of Tumblr’s most talented artists. HuffPost has partnered with Tumblr — which is also owned by Oath, HuffPost’s parent company — to create this original illustrated series.

Chris Watts Killed His Family. Then The Love Letters Started Rolling In.

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The world was introduced to Chris Watts, a 33-year-old oil field operator in Colorado, on local television. Tanned and fit, he looked into the camera ― apparently in anguish ― and begged for his family to come home.

His pregnant wife and their two daughters had vanished.

Within a day, he was in handcuffs. Police found his wife, Shanann Watts, 34, buried in a shallow grave at an oil field owned by his employer. Floating in nearby oil tanks were his daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3.

Domestic violence killings are common and rarely get sustained national media attention. But this case was different. It had all the ingredients for a tabloid sensation. A pretty mom who documented her every move on social media. A disappearance. A pregnancy. And a vicious, inexplicable crime.

It didn’t hurt that the family was young, white and Instagram perfect.

Chris Watts eventually admitted to all three murders and was sentenced to life behind bars. Once the case was over, the district attorney released thousands of pages of documents related to the deaths in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Much of it was standard ― photos of the crime scenes, interviews with witnesses, copies of text messages.

But nestled among the documents was something unusual: a cache of adoring letters sent to Watts while he sat in jail awaiting trial. To some women observing from afar, Watts was a heartthrob ― and a potential romantic interest.

“I want to get to know you soooo bad its not even funny,” a 39-year-old woman from Colorado wrote to him. “Literally your on my mind almost every single day since you were in the news.” In a follow-up note, she said she would be “the happiest girl alive” if Watts wrote her back. She signed off with the hashtags #TEAMCHRIS, #CHRISISINNOCENT, #LOVEHIM and #SOOOOCUTE.

On its face, it’s difficult to comprehend why any woman would fall for a man known solely for committing a violent crime. Especially the vicious killing of his own family. And yet they do.

Attracted To Notoriety

The phenomenon of women becoming infatuated with murderers behind bars is not new: Notorious killers throughout history, like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy, attracted female groupies.Charles Manson was engaged to a woman who began writing to him in prison when she was a teen.  

Recently, the accused Parkland, Florida, school shooter, Nikolas Cruz, has been inundated with love letters. So has Steven Avery, the subject of the hit documentary series “Making a Murderer,” who was convicted of killing Teresa Halbach. Just this week, a woman who exchanged letters with Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who massacred nine black worshippers at a church in 2015, was arrested for plotting to attack a bar.

But experts reached by HuffPost said that cases appear to be increasing, because of the public’s fascination with true crime and the rise of social media.

“We have always worshipped our celebrities,” said Sheila Isenberg, who interviewed women obsessed with murderers for her book Women Who Love Men Who Kill. “In the past, it was just movie stars. Now anybody who does anything unique becomes a celebrity, even if they’ve committed murder.”

Nowhere is this more apparent than on Facebook, where true crime groupies gather to discuss cases. One such page, dedicated to the Watts murders, has over 19,000 members. In a recent thread, members debated whether Ryan Gosling or Jake Gyllenhaal should play Watts in a movie.

“People can communicate with each other instantly to discuss the case, and they can make heroes out of criminals,” Isenberg said. “Today more than ever, this is a common phenomenon.”

Chris and Shanann Watts with their two daughters, Celeste and Bella. He is serving a life sentence without parole for murdering his family.

In handwritten letters to Watts released by the state, some illustrated with hearts, many women described feeling inexplicably drawn to him after hearing about his case. A few said they believed his claims that he didn’t kill his kids ― he originally told police his wife murdered them ― while others said they didn’t care what happened and wouldn’t ask him details.

“I know I’m a stranger ― but I care about you and your situation. I can’t help it. Is there anything you need? Can I send you something ― a book perhaps?” wrote a 29-year-old Brooklyn woman in a tidy script on lined notebook paper. “Keep your head up and stay strong. Please know there are strangers out there (like me) who care about you.”

She enclosed a photo of herself in a bikini.

“I will never ask you anything about your case,” wrote another woman, a 39-year-old who said she was currently incarcerated for a financial crime. “For some reason I find myself caring about how you’re doing. So all I’m trying to say is that I’m here.”

Women who are besotted with murderers often remain in denial about the crime. That way they can live inside a fantasy relationship, experts told HuffPost. There is a bizarre juxtaposition between the affectionate mood of the letters to Watts and the gruesome facts of his case.

Autopsy reports revealed that Watts slowly killed his wife by strangulation, which would have taken two to four minutes, according to prosecutors. He suffocated his two daughters to death. Bella, who was 4, had bite marks on her tongue and cuts in her mouth, indicating that she fought for her life.

Investigators believe Chris Watts killed his family because he was having an affair and wanted a new start without the baggage of a pregnant wife and two young children. In the weeks leading up to the murders, Shanann Watts, sensing his distance, tried desperately to fix their marriage, even sending her husband a book titled Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love.

Police found the apparently unread book in the trash.

Understanding Why

There are many reasons women are attracted to men locked up for monstrous crimes. Some are motivated by a desire for fame, Isenberg explained. They want to be in the spotlight and believe that having a relationship with a high-profile killer could translate to a television interview or book deal.

“They don’t look at the crime. They look at his fame, and they don’t even do it on a conscious level,” she said. “They think that by being associated with him, they can get their names in the papers too.”

Katherine Ramsland,a forensic psychology professor at DeSales University, said that in rare cases, women may be sexually aroused by the idea that the men committed a violent act, a condition called hybristophilia.

“There is a titillation factor of getting close to violence,” she said.

More commonly, though, she said, women are motivated by an instinct to nurture. They think ― however naively ― that they can fix such men with their love. They want to tame them.  

“It empowers the woman to believe that she, unlike anyone else out there, can create this special relationship that will change this guy and redeem him,” she said.

In letter after letter, many women encouraged Chris Watts to keep his head high and expressed concern about his state of mind. Some divulged personal details about their lives, describing their day-to-day activities and interests, like their favorite sports teams. Others wrote to him offering him emotional support.

“You honestly have one of the kindest faces I’ve ever seen,” wrote a 35-year-old woman from Australia. “I don’t even know you, yet I don’t want you to feel alone.”

California psychiatrist Carole Lieberman, who wrote Bad Boys: Why We Love Them, How to Live With Them and When to Leave Them, said in her experience, many women who reach out to men in prison have low self-esteem.

In some cases, she said, women may have experienced abuse in the past.

“They feel unlovable,” she said. “They don’t feel they deserve a man who has more to offer them, and so they go for this special kind of relationship with a murderer.”

Indian Techie Gets 9 Years In Jail For 'Brazen Sexual Assault' Inside Plane

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WASHINGTON —An Indian IT professional was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment on Thursday on charges of a “brazen sexual assault” against a fellow female passenger inside a commercial airplane early this year.

Prabhu Ramamoorthy, 35, who came to the US on a H-1B visa in 2015, will be deported after he serves his sentence, a federal court in Detroit said as it sentenced the Indian national to nine years of imprisonment.

Judge Terrence Berge hoped it would be grave enough to deter others from committing similar crimes. Federal prosecutors had sought 11 years of imprisonment for Ramamoorthy.

“Everyone has the right to be secure and safe when they travel on airplanes. We will not tolerate the behaviour of anyone, who takes advantage of victims who are in a vulnerable position. We appreciate the victim in this case for her courage to speak out,” US Attorney Matthew Schneider said after the sentencing was announced.

Ramamoorthy was convicted in August after a five-day trial that was conducted before United States District Judge Terrence Berg. The jury deliberated approximately three-and-a-half hours before returning the guilty verdict.

According to the evidence presented at the trial, on January 3, Ramamoorthy had engaged in a sexual act with a female, while she was sleeping on a flight from Las Vegas to Detroit. Ramamoorthy was seated along with his wife, when he sexually assaulted his co-passenger.

During the trial, the government admitted evidence demonstrating that Ramamoorthy had digitally penetrated the woman sleeping next to him during the overnight flight. The sexual assault woke her up, she found her pants unbuttoned and unzipped, and sought help from the flight attendants.

The sentence was proof that the safety and security of all aircraft passengers was a priority for the FBI, said Timothy R Slater, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Division of the FBI.

In recent years, a number of Indian nationals have been arrested or charged with sexual assaults inside a plane. The FBI says airplane sexual assault is a serious offence that is on the rise. FBI statistics indicate that investigations of mid-air sexual assaults increased by 66 per cent from 2014 to 2017.

That was in part due to increasingly “cramped, confined spaces; alcohol and drugs; fewer flight attendants; and dark cabins on night flights” ― factors that “likely embolden offenders” ― the FBI said in a recent report.

The cramped style of airplane seating can exacerbate trauma for victims. According to mental health professionals, victims who are violated in confined spaces feel even more helpless, vulnerable and powerless. Victims may also feel intimidated by the person sitting next to them since the seating arrangement means that the perpetrator is effectively blocking the victim from getting up, according to the FBI.

According to court papers, Ramamoorthy is from Tamil Nadu, where he grew up. His parents are farmers. He came to the US in July, 2015 after his graduation to work as an IT professional.

During his trial, Ramamoorthy presented himself to the court as a confused man stranded in America without English language skills despite his sophisticated technological job, federal prosecutors alleged. “His lack of empathy and remorse should not go unnoticed by this court,” they argued, seeking nearly 11 years of imprisonment for him.


Sabarimala Row: Activist Rehana Fathima Gets Bail, Barred From Entering Pamba

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Activist Rehana Fathima, arrested for allegedly posting controversial remarks on Ayyappa devotees and Sabarimala on social media, was on Friday granted bail by the Kerala High Court.

According to Malayala Manorama, the court has directed Fathima to not post anything that social that may hurt religious sentiments and barred her from entering Pamba.

Fathima, 39, who unsuccessfully tried to visit the Lord Ayyappa temple in October, submitted that the Constitution guaranteed freedom of speech and she should be granted bail “in the interest of justice”.

She is an accused in a case registered by the Pathnamthitta Police for offences punishable under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).

She was alleged to have posted some pictures on her Facebook account and written her opinion which hurt the religious sentiments of Ayyappa devotees.

Fathima, a BSNL employee, was arrested from her office here on November 27 and remanded to judicial custody. Her bail plea was rejected by the judicial magistrate court at Pathnamthitta earlier. 

While the state government has decided to implement a Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all ages to offer prayers at the Sabarimala temple, the Congress-led UDF and the BJP have said they are with the believers and against the entry of young women.

Fathima had courted controversy when she attempted to trek to Sabarimala along with a Hyderabad-based journalist Kavitha during the ‘thulamasa’ puja in October.

(With PTI inputs)

Nitin Gadkari Says His Remarks On Vijay Mallya Were Misconstrued

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Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in a file photo. 

After saying it was wrong to call absconding business tycoon Vijay Mallya ‘chor (thief)’, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has clarified saying his comments were misconstrued. 

Speaking to ANI, Gadkari said that he had never commented on the court proceedings against Mallya. 

Mallya is facing extradition from the UK for alleged bank fraud and money laundering amounting to an estimated Rs 9,000 crore.

Gadkari had said on Thursday, that it was unfair to tag a “one-time loan defaulter Vijay Mallyaji” as a “chor” (thief), adding that the embattled businessman has a four-decade-long track record of timely debt servicing.

40 saal Mallya regular payment kar raha tha, byaaj bhar raha tha. 40 saal baad jab wo aviation mein gaya....uske baad wo adchan mein aaya to woh ekdum chor ho gaya?...jo pachaas saal byaaj bharta hai wo theek hai, par ek baar wo default ho gaya...toh turant sab fraud ho gaya? Ye mansikta theek nahi hai. ((For 40 years Mallya was regularly paying interest on loans. After entering the aviation sector, he started facing problems, and suddenly he became a thief? If a person repays the interest for 50 years, and if he defaults once, then suddenly everything is fraud? This mindset is not correct),” Gadkari said at an economic summit organised by the Times Group.

Gadkari said the loan he was referring to was from the Maharashtra government-owned entity Sicom to Mallya, extended 40 years ago, which he repaid on time without any default.

Stating that ups and downs are part and parcel of any business, the road transport minister said if someone goes through a downward cycle, then he or she has to be supported.

“There are risks in the business, be it banking or insurance, there are ups and downs. But, if the mistakes are bona fide, because of global or internal factors in the economy like a recession, then that person who is facing difficulties must be given support,” the minister said.

Likening an election loss to a business failure, he recalled how he lost an election when he was all of 26, but underlined that the loss did not mean that his political career ended.

“If Nirav Modi or Vijay Mallyaji has committed (financial) fraud then send them to jail, but whoever comes in distress, and if we label them as fraudster then our economy will not progress,” he had said.

(With inputs from PTI)

Rahul Gandhi's Tweet With Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot Hints End Of Rajasthan Tussle

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Rahul Gandhi with Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday appeared to have successfully brokered peace between the two contenders for the post of Rajasthan Chief Minister — Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot — after several rounds of discussions. 

This perhaps also indicates that there will be an announcement on Rajasthan soon. 

He tweeted a picture of the two warring leaders from Rajasthan with himself.

“The united colours of Rajasthan,” he said in the tweet. 

Sources have said that while Gehlot is going to be chief minister of Rajasthan, Pilot will be deputy chief minister. 

Gandhi met the two leaders separately thrice since Thursday and is learnt to have decided the chief ministerial face in the state. According to reports, an official announcement is expected at 4:30 pm on Friday. 

Congress chose Kamal Nath as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday evening after several meetings. Before the announcement, Gandhi had tweeted a picture of the two contenders — Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia — with a quote from Leo Tolstoy. 

There have been hectic discussions between top party leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on the selection of chief ministers for Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

(With PTI inputs)

RBI Discusses Governance Framework In First Board Meet Under Shaktikanta Das

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RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das

The RBI Board deliberated on its governance framework and decided the matter required further examination, RBI Chief General Manager Jose J Kattoor said, reported ANI

This was the first RBI Board meeting since the appointment of Shaktikanta Das as Governor.  The government has been pushing to have a bigger say in the central bank’s regulatory decisions.

In its meeting on Friday, the board reviewed current the economic situation, global and domestic challenges, matters relating to liquidity, among others,  Kattoor said.

The Board placed on record its appreciation of services rendered by former Governor Urjit Patel, he added. 

In the past, the board has acted as little more than an advisory body, but under the 1934 law that established the central bank it has the ability to possess real teeth and force policy change.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Ashok Gehlot To Be The Next Chief Minister Of Rajasthan

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Ashok Gehlot in a file photo. 

After days of deliberation, the Congress on Friday announced that party general secretary Ashok Gehlot will be the next chief minister of Rajasthan.

 Sachin Pilot will be the deputy chief minister. 

This comes after Rahul Gandhi held separate meetings with both Gehlot and Pilot. 

Both the leaders had flown down to Delhi to meet Gandhi.

While the two leaders have maintained that they have fought these elections together, and were seen celebrating together in photo, there have been reports there is friction among supporters of each leader. 

While Gehlot is the old guard with experience of being a chief minister, Pilot is the young face of the party. 

This will be Gehlot’s third stint as chief minister. He was chief minister of the state from 1998 to 2003 and from 2008 to 2013.

Gehlot fought in these elections from Jodhpur’s Sardarpura. He won by a huge margin 45597 votes.

The Congress bagged 99 seats in Rajasthan pushing the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government out of power. The BJP won 73 seats.

Congress president Gandhi is said to have deliberated over his decision after meeting with both the leaders and even taking into account opinions of party workers. 

It was report on Thursday that Gandhi had allegedly sent voice messages to all party workers in Rajasthan and other states, asking them for their choice of chief minister. 

The Congress party MLAs at least three meetings to decide who they would like to nominate as chief minister. 

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