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The Centre's decision to call off unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir may have also brought down curtains on dialogue offer to the separatists The Centre’s decision to call off unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir may have also brought down curtains on dialogue offer to the separatists who had sought clarity over the proposal before committing to any kind of engagement with New Delhi. During his visit to the summer capital of Srinagar on June 7, Union home minister Rajnath Singh had dropped enough hints about extending the halt in anti-militancy operations beyond Ramzan, raising hopes within the state government of a possible breakthrough for talks with separatists. In fact, the chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had twice made a passionate appeal to Hurriyat to take the talks offer saying “such opportunity doesn’t come time and again”. But a sudden surge in militancy-related incidents during the last two weeks of Ramzan seems to have forced government of India to reconside...

Sushma Swaraj sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government on the assault One of the two Swiss tourists attacked and badly injured near Agra five days ago was discharged from Delhi's Apollo Hospital on Thursday even as five people, including three minors, were taken into custody for the crime. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who visited Agra, promised better security for tourists. Sushma seeks report External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said while Marie Droz had been discharged from the hospital, her male friend Quentin Jeremy Clerc's condition was improving. The Swiss embassy in New Delhi confirmed the October 22 attack and said it was providing them consular services. The ugly attack took place when the young couple was walking alongside a train track in  Fatehpur Sikri  near Agra. Clerc was left with a fractured skull and several bruises. Senior Superintendent of Police Agra, Amit Pathak, said late on Thursday evening that fiv...

The exercise was conducted near Bangarmau in Unnao Twenty aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF), including AN-32 transport, Mirage 2000 and Sukhoi 30 MKI, made a touchdown on the  Lucknow Agra Expressway  on Tuesday. Two AN-32 transport and fighter planes such as Mirage 2000, Jaguar, Sukhoi 30 MKI are taking part in the exercise.The AN-32 are meant for humanitarian assistance and relief operations during floods or any other natural calamity. Latest Current Affairs  : The exercise was conducted near Bangarmau in Unnao. The IAF's touchdown exercise, in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Government, is the first official IAF exercise on the expressway, which was inaugurated in November last year. "It is for the first time any transport aircraft will land and then take off from the expressway. The AN-32 are meant for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief during floods or any other natural calamity," PRO, Defence (Central Command), Gargi Mali...

A ban is rarely a great solution, but we must recognize that no other agency is upholding our right to breath clean air. Current Affairs   :  Go outside and get some fresh air. Go for a walk, it will clear your mind.” Fresh air and a relaxing walk are simple pleasures unavailable to residents of Delhi/NCR. Walking, running or cycling here might cause more damage to your health than any good. Why do you say this? Because on an average day in Delhi/NCR PM2.5 pollution is between 150-400 micrograms per cubic metre. This means the ‘baseline’ or ‘everyday’  pollution  in the NCR due to essential or routine economic activities, in and around Delhi, is 2 to 4 times above the danger mark. Transportation, factories, coal-fired power production, waste burning, unending construction work, slash and burn agriculture in neighbouring states, and local climate effects are the major reasons. This has been the case for the last 5-10 years. It is a problem because PM2.5 ...

Ruparelia claims to have already sold 100 million pounds worth of properties since he set up his business Latest Current Affairs  :  An Indian-origin teenager has become one of Britain’s youngest millionaires after his online estate agency business got valued at 12 million pounds in just over a year. Akshay Ruparelia, at just 19 years of age, juggled his school work with negotiating property deals for his no-frills business that offers to sell properties for a fraction of the cost charged by established high street estate agents. This week "Nationwide Online Agents: Doorsteps. Fees From £99." became the 18th biggest estate agency in the UK just 16 months after the website went live. Ruparelia claims to have already sold 100 million pounds worth of properties since he set up his business. “I got the website up and running and after a couple of weeks a man in Sussex asked me to sell his home and a separate chunk of land he owned beside it. “I had t...

A minority stake in BookMyShow to give Flipkart a play in the fast-growing online ticketing space and also an access to a high-spending loyal customer base Amid competition from deep-pocketed global players like Alibaba, India’s leading online ticketing platform BookMyShow is looking for a backing in its space from Flipkart, the country’s largest internet company. While  Flipkart BookMyShow Deal  has been one of the few profitable internet companies in India, with a profit of Rs 3.1 crore on a revenue of Rs 248 crore in the year that ended March 2016, competition from rivals like Paytm has caused sales growth to slow. To shield itself from cash-burning rivals, BookMyShow will sell a minority stake to Flipkart, a behemoth with a cash reserve of $4 billion. For the e-commerce major, a stake in BookMyShow will give it a play in the fast-growing online ticketing space and also an access to a high-spending loyal customer base. Also Read :  Latest Current ...

The bench said they wanted to see the impact of a cracker-free festivity at least in one Diwali Latest Current Affairs   :  The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that there will be no sale of firecrackers during Diwali, as it restored a November 2016 order banning the sale of  firecrackers  and stocking of firecrackers in Delhi and National Capital Region. A bench headed by Justice A K Sikri, while restoring the order, said: “We should see at least in one Diwali the impact of a cracker-free festivity.” However, the court said that the September 12, 2017 order lifting the ban on the sale and stocking of firecrackers in Delhi NCR will be back into effect from November 1.  

Mukesh Ambani remains India’s wealthiest with a net worth of $38 bn, Azim Premji distant second Latest Current Affairs   :  Indeed, even as the nation is confronting financial hiccups and the administration confronting reactions from different quarters over its treatment of the economy, the wealthiest individuals in India don’t appear to be influenced. Despite organizations confronting troubles in the consequence of the administration’s demonetisation of high-esteem cash last November and its rollout of the products and enterprises assess (GST) administration in July this year, India’s 100 wealthiest big shots have seen their joined total assets zooming to an incredible $479 billion, up 26 for each penny from $374 billion out of 2016. As per the  Forbes ‘ yearly rundown of India’s 100 wealthiest big shots, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani remains the nation’s wealthiest, with a total assets of $38 billion, Wipro Chairman Azim Premji is a far off se...

Pawan Goenka says not sure about selling cars in phase-II M&M, which is competing with rival   Tata Motors Electric Cars   in the country’s largest electric car tender, said the company finds it “difficult” to comprehend the latter’s pricing in the tender. Tata Motors quoted a price of Rs 10.16 lakh for its electric Tigor sedan in the tender for 10,000 electric cars when M&M offered to sell its e-Verito at approximately Rs 12 lakh (both prices are exclusive of the goods and services tax). “This pricing is difficult for us to comprehend given the fact that we have been in the business for more than five years and have good knowledge about the industry,” Pawan Goenka, managing director at M&M, said in a conference call on Thursday. Also Read :  Tata Motors Wins Bid To Sell 10,000 Electric Cars Tata Motors emerged as the lowest bidder in the tender and is selling 250 of the order for 400 units in the first phase. EESL, which invited the bids...

To seek reservations in jobs and education for the Maratha community Latest Current Affairs  : Lakhs of people from across Maharashtra are expected to attend a protest march in Mumbai on Wednesday, seeking reservations in jobs and education for the Maratha community. This will be the 58th — and the largest-protest march of the Maratha community, exactly a year after the first march was held in Aurangabad, the organisers told reporters in Mumbai. So far, 57 protests, in the form of 'Mook Morcha' (silent rallies), have been held in various parts of the state following the brutal rape and murder of a 14-year-old Maratha girl in Kopardi in Ahmednagar district in July 2016. On Wednesday, the  Maratha Kranti Morcha  will begin at 11 am from the BMC's Jijamata Udyan and culminate at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, the organisers said. Social media platforms like Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter have been used to spread the morcha message to community members, they s...