SRK crosses 9 million followers on Twitter
 Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has crossed 9 million followers on micro-blogging site Twitter. The 48-year-old actor is now the second most followed Indian actor on Twitter after megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who has 10.4 million followers. The 'Chennai Express' star joined the site in July, 2010 and has since shared 7,718 tweets. His contemporaries Salman Khan and Aamir Khan lag behind with 8.26 million and 8.45 million followers respectively.

Typhoon Kalmaegi kills 8 in China
The death toll in the heavy rains triggered by typhoon Kalmaegi rose to 8 today, even as nearly 400 students were rescued from an inundated school in China's southwestern Yunnan province. Heavy rains caused by the typhoon, which is the fifteenth typhoon to hit China this year, since Wednesday have flooded 53 counties and cities in Yunnan, leaving 390,000 people affected and resulting in an economic loss of USD 55.86 million.

ONGC to begin oil production from KG block in 2019
State-owned ONGC's significant oil discovery in Bay of Bengal will begin production in 2019, with a peak output of 4.5 million tonnes a year, 20 per cent more than previous estimates. The oil discovery in Krishna Godavari basin block KG-DWN-98/2 or KG-D5 will be the first large oil production from the east coast. The block also has 10 gas discoveries. "We are moving fast on KG-D5 development.

Indian male cagers off to winning start in Incheon Asiad
 Indian male cagers started their Asian Games campaign on a resounding note, thrashing a lowly Palestine 89-49 in their opening Group B encounter at the Hwaseong Sports Complex Gymnasium, here today. India dominated Palestine in all the four quarters with Amjyot Singh turning out to be the highest scorer for the formers with 25 points.

Kejriwal, 3 others put on trial in defamation case
 Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan and two others were today put on trial by a court here on charges of defamation in a complaint filed by ex-Telecom minister Kapil Sibal's son Amit Sibal. Metropolitan Magistrate Sunil Kumar Sharma framed charges against Kejriwal, Bhushan, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia and Shazia Ilmi, who has quit the party, under section 500 (defamation) of the IPC.

Abducted Naga social worker found dead in Manipur
The body of an abducted Naga social worker was recovered from an interior area of Imphal East district of Manipur, police officials said today. The body of Ngamreishang Ningshen, former Vice-president of Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS) which is an important Tangkhul Naga civil organisation, was recovered from Thayong village area yesterday.

Four militants killed in gunbattle with security forces
Four militants were today killed in an encounter with security forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Tangdhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir. "Four militants were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district near LoC," a defence spokesman said. He said four AK 47 rifles and ammunition were recovered from the scene of the gunbattle that began in the wee hours.

Khandu urges centre to open 7 pilgirmage circuits
Arunachal Pradesh Tourism, Art & Culture Minister Pema Khandu has urged the Centre to open seven new pilgrimage circuits in the state to attract religious tourists. Khandu accompanied by Tawang mla Tsering Tashi on Friday called on Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent) Shripad Yesso Naik at his New Delhi office and submitted a memorandum apprising him of the issues confronting the state, an official communiqu? informed here today.

SSI, constable booked for assaulting reporter
A Special Sub-Inspector and a constable were today booked for allegedly assaulting a Doordarshan reporter following an altercation between them. ADSP Velladurai said a case has been registered against SSI Murgaboothi and constable Senthil of the town police station here and they have been transferred to the Armed Reserve Police pending inquiry. Initial departmental inquiry revealed that the altercation took place at a tea shop over placing some chairs.

Ragging slur surfaces in SCB medical college
Trouble seems to be brewing in SCB Medical College and Hospital here over alleged ragging and subsequent assault on a member of the college anti-ragging committee, who is also the caretaker of the students' hostels. Local police officials today said that while the assaulted caretaker has brought this to their notice, a group of students alleging that the caretaker has misbehaved with them, are now demanding action against him.

BJP retains Antagarh seat, NOTA gets 2nd highest vote
 Ruling BJP today retained the naxal-hit Antagarh assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh with the second highest votes going to the NOTA (none of the above) option in the absence of a Congress nominee who pulled out of the contest at the last minute. BJP candidate Bhojraj Naag trounced his lone opponent Rupdhar Pudo from Ambedkarite Party of India in the by-election by a margin of over 50,000 votes.

Indian Mulims will live and die for India: Modi
Indian Muslims will live and die for India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, maintaining that they will not dance to the tunes of terror outfit Al Qaeda. "My understanding is that they are doing injustice towards the Muslims of our country. If anyone thinks Indian Muslims will dance to their tune, they are delusional.

Modi to talk about ending open defecation at global festival
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will highlight the need to bring an end to open defecation during an event here that will be attended by over a dozen world leaders including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Organisers of the Global Citizen Festival said Modi will be attending the event on September 27 because he is dedicated to bringing an end to open defecation.

Envoys of 11 nations to attend Global Investors Summit in MP
To attract major investment in Madhya Pradesh during next month's Global Investors Summit, the state government is making all efforts for participation of not just leading captains of the industry but also ambassadors and high commissioners of 11 countries. Besides leading Indian industries, six nations ? Australia, Mexico, Canada, Czech Republic, Republic of South Africa and Quebec - will also be participating in the summit as partner countries.

Mandolin exponent U Srinivas passes away
Renowned Mandolin exponent Uppalapu Srinivas passed away at a private hospital here today after a prolonged illness, hospital sources said. Srinivas (45), popularly known as 'Mandolin Srinivas', is a renowned mandolin player of South Indian Carnatic music. He was being treated for a liver related illness. "He was pronounced dead at 10.00 am," an Apollo hospital spokesperson said. Srinivas, who used to play an electric mandolin, had collaborated with...

Mandolin exponent U Srinivas passes away
Renowned Mandolin exponent Uppalapu Srinivas passed away at a private hospital here today after a prolonged illness, hospital sources said. Srinivas (45), popularly known as 'Mandolin Srinivas', is a renowned mandolin player of South Indian Carnatic music. He was being treated for a liver related illness. "He was pronounced dead at 10.00 am," an Apollo hospital spokesperson said. Srinivas, who used to play an electric mandolin, had collaborated with...

"CBI probe in coal scam case bereft of basic nuances"
Observing that the CBI probe into a coal block allocation case was "bereft of basic nuances of investigation", a special court today ordered further probe in an FIR in which the agency had filed a closure report against Kolkata-based Vikash Metals and Power Ltd and its officials. The court said that CBI's closure report requires further probe as some "crucial" aspects were not covered during the investigation.

Indian-American nominated as US envoy to India
Richard Rahul Verma has been nominated as the next US Ambassador to India, becoming the first Indian-American to be appointed for the top diplomatic position in Delhi days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden visit here. 45-year-old Verma's nomination was announced by President Barack Obama late yesterday along with several other key administration appointments.

Man dies of snake bite in Raj
 A 50-year-old man died of snake bite here, police said today. The incident took place last night when the victim, identified as Jograj Singh, was in his farm. He fainted after the snake bite and was rushed to Pokaran government hospital where doctors declared him dead, police said.

Gold worth Rs 2.4 cr seized at Chennai airport
Gold worth about Rs 2.4 crore was seized in two separate incidents at the airport here, officials said today. Air Intelligence Unit of Customs seized seven kg gold, worth Rs two crore, from one Manmeet Singh Bhardwaj who arrived from Hong Kong last night. The gold was recovered from his check-in baggage, officials said. In the second incident, 1.4 kg of gold was seized from a woman passenger who arrived from Kuala Lumpur last night.

India announce squad for friendlies against Palestine
Defender Pritam Kotal was handed a maiden national call-up as India today announced a 20-member football squad for the back-to-back international friendlies against AFC Challenge Cup Champions Palestine next month. National coach Wim Koevermans announced his squad for the matches to be held at the Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri, West Bengal on October 6 and 9 respectively.

Guj fisherman's body arrives in Mumbai from Pakistan
Fifty five days after his death in a Pakistani jail under mysterious circumstances, the body of a Gujarat fisherman was flown to Mumbai from where it is being brought to his native village in the state today

Maoists torch mobile towers, bus in Bihar
Armed Maoists torched three mobile towers and a bus in different areas of the district, police said today. Around 40 women Maoists cadres, all in police uniform, raided Bhedia and Gonda villages and torched mobile towers of the telecom operators - BSNL, MTS, and Vodafone - last night, Superintendent of Police Dr Satyaprakash said.

Modi, Xi hold talks, India conveys concern over incursions
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping today held talks during which the Indian side conveyed its concerns over Chinese incursions as the two sides discussed all "substantive issues" having bearing on bilateral ties. Modi and Xi held talks in restricted format and then in delegation level during which the two leaders also focused on cooperation in key areas of trade and investment.

Tibetans protest outside Hyderabad House
Scores of Tibetans today staged a vociferous protest and clashed with police outside Hyderabad House, the venue for the bilateral talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The protesters reached Gate No 3 of the building around 11:45 AM and started shouting anti-China slogans. The police tried to pacify them but they did not relent and eventually clashed with the police as they were stopped from approaching the gate.

ISIL must be defeated, says US Secy of State Kerry
Asserting that the US has a full-fledged policy against the Islamic State which has seized hundreds of square miles in Iraq and Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the terrorist group must be defeated. "ISIL must be defeated, period, end of story.

South Asia to add 1,750 new airplanes in 2014-2033: Boeing
South Asia is expected to add 1,750 new airplanes worth USD 230 billion between 2014-2033, according to a projection by Boeing here today. The South Asian markets would account for 13 per cent in volume and 11 per cent in value of the total 13,460 aircraft worth USD 2 trillion to be bought by the Asia Pacific region during the 20 year period.

DDA to pay Rs 50K for wrongly cancelling flat allotment
The Delhi Development Authority has been asked to pay Rs 50,000 compensation to a woman and a flat, whose allotment was cancelled, while noting that she was not informed in a proper manner. New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, presided by C K Chaturvedi, asked DDA to pay the money to one Rekha Raghav, while holding that it did not send the allotment letter to her directly.

Rains return to lash Kashmir Valley today
After few clear days, rains today returned to the Kashmir Valley in bad news for flood victims as it could hamper rescue operations in the submerged areas. Rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning lashed Srinagar and other parts of the Valley. The weather had been clear for the past five days after incessant rains led to unprecedented floods in the Valley.

President appeals for popularisation of Hindi
President Pranab Mukherjee today appealed for popularisation of Hindi, saying it has a special place among all languages in the country. Addressing a function organised on the occasion of Hindi Divas, the President said efforts should be made to use simple words while transacting official business in the language for the benefit of common people. "I appeal to everyone to give more emphasise on expansion and popularisation of Hindi, the official language of the country.