Sony Pictures Releases The Interview Online

Sony Pictures is releasing its film The Interview, after the 22 November cyber-attack and a row over the contents of the movie.

The movie is being released exclusively on a dedicated website - seetheinterview.com. In addition, the film can be streamed on other channels like the YouTube and Microsoft. It can only be watched in the United States.

The company says that it has decided to release the film on the Internet so that maximum number of people can watch the movie. On Tuesday, the Sony Pictures has said that the movie could be released in selected cinemas. Prior to that the Sony pictures had decided to halt the release of the film altogether because of the fear of the hackers.

The chairman and the CEO of the Sony Pictures Michael Lynton has said he feels proud that the culprits could not manage to stifle the creative voice.

President Obama had criticized the company's earlier decision to shelf the movie altogether.  Encouraged by the President's words many of the independent cinema hall owners came forward with proposals to launch the film.

The response of North Korea will defiantly be interesting as the film comically portrays the assassination of Kim Jong-un.

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Govt. Confers Bharat Ratna Upon Vajpayee and Malaviya

BJP Gets The Lead In The J&K And Jharkhand Assembly Elections

Govt. Confers Bharat Ratna Upon Vajpayee and Malaviya

The President's office announced today that former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and freedom fighter and educationist Madan Mohan Malaviya will be honored by Bharat Ratna. The Bharat Ratna happens to be the highest civilian award of India.

"Atal ji means so much to everyone. A guide, inspiration & giant among giants. His contribution to India is invaluable," tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

Vajpayee, 89, is a three times PM, and is BJP's most popular leader till date. He was the PM of India till 2004 and is popular across all party lines. He abstained from politics in 2009 due to bad health.

Senior party leader and a longtime colleague, LK Advani has said, "[he has a] blemish free record and deserves the Bharat Ratna." The BJP has always demanded a Ratna for Vajpayee. And severely criticised the government last year when Sachin Tendulkar and CNR Rao were conferred the award and Vajpayee wasn't.   

A Ratna for Madan Mohan Malaviya was one of PM Modi's promises he made during during his for the general election held in April-May this year.

Malaviya, popularly known as Mahamana, was the founder of the Banaras Hindu University. He was a two times president of the INC. He was also the chairman of the Hinduatan Times newspaper for a considerable amount of time. 

Forty three people have been given the Bharat Ratna till date.

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BJP’s Intent To Keep The Congress Out Of Power In J&K

BJP Bags Jharkhand, J&K Gets A Hung Assembly

BJP Gets The Lead In The J&K And Jharkhand Assembly Elections

BJP’s Intent To Keep The Congress Out Of Power In J&K

The BJP might not have achieved - the full majority with 44 seats - what it was claiming before the elections in J&K. But the results are nothing less than a pleasant surprise for the party.  And the actual number (25) that the party got would definitely have matched the party's strategy makers' speculations. 

Now that the results are out, and all the parties are doing their share of negotiations and counter negotiations. The most logical choice would be an alliance between the PDP and BJP, as the numbers don't support the BJP-NC proposition.

BJP president Amit Shah's media outing yesterday gave a hint about its willingness to keep the Congress out of the power in the state at any cost. The congress has been a part of the last two governments in the state; first with the PDP, after that, in the previous government with the NC. 

Two things are have come to light in J&K: the people of Jammu have voted overwhelmingly for the BJP and the people of the Valley have done the same for the PDP. And for the NC and Congress - both have been voted out of the power.

Now the experts say that to respect the mandate of both Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP and the PDP should come together. But there are people who say that both the parties are like water and oil, they can never gel together. BJP will have to keep mum on the article 370 and the conversion and ghar wapsi kind of things, while the PDP will have to avoid its closeness with the separatists and stop taking in a hardline terminology.  

Any solid news will, hopefully, come by today evening.

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BJP Bags Jharkhand, J&K Gets A Hung Assembly

BJP Gets The Lead In The J&K And Jharkhand Assembly Elections

BJP Bags Jharkhand, J&K Gets A Hung Assembly

BJP chief Amit Shah says the party has all the options open as far as the formation of government in Jammu and Kashmir is concerned. This statement of the veteran politician comes after the party could manage 25 seats in the 87 member J&K assembly and has come second to the PDP which obtained 28.

Mr Shah has also congratulated the BJP workers in the both J&K and Jharkhand states for being there and seeing that the party does well in the elections. "2014 was the year of unprecedented electoral successes for the BJP," Shah said.

The think tank of the PDP will be sitting tonight to sketch their future course of action. They will have to choose between Congress and the BJP. The political pundits are of the opinion that the PDP should swallow its pride and ally with the BJP for the sake of the development of the state.

On the other hand the BJP has bagged 38 seats in the 81 member assembly of Jharkhand. With a little bit of political mathematics, it should reach the coveted number 41, which is just 3 steps away at the present moment.

For a state like Jharkhand, which has seen 9 governments in 14 years since its inception in 2000, a stable government is like a magic potion. 

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There Is Nothing Wrong With Reverse Conversion: Shiv SenaUP Government Bans The Imports Of Poultry Products From Other States

Nitish Wants To Be The Next CM of Bihar

BJP Gets The Lead In The J&K And Jharkhand Assembly Elections

Counting of votes has started in the Jammu and Kashmir province of India, where the BJP is trying its utmost to come in power for the first time in the history of independent India.

The early trend suggests that it's a close fight between the BJP and the People's Democratic Party (PDP). To come in power, a party needs to get 44 seats in the 87 member house.

The five phase election that started on 25 November and ended on the 20th of December, saw thousands of police and army personnel deployed in and around the polling stations all around the state.

According to the data provided by the election commission of India, around 65% of the eligible voters exercised their franchises. The politics of the state is dominated by two regional parties - the governing National Conference and the People's Democratic Party (PDP). The former is owned by the Abdulla family and the later by Saeed family.  

The BJP has never been a force to reckon with the muslin dominated Kashmir valley because of its hardline views of the state's relation with the Indian union. But with its thumping win the general elections in May; the BJP is eying a foothold in the valley.

The BJP, in the meanwhile, looks ready to move towards the majority in the 81 seat assembly of the statehood of Jharkhand, where the elections were held at the same time. Early leads tell us that it is already leading in 40 seats, while the main rival JMM is leading in 21 seats.

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There Is Nothing Wrong With Reverse Conversion: Shiv SenaUP Government Bans The Imports Of Poultry Products From Other States

Nitish Wants To Be The Next CM of Bihar

There Is Nothing Wrong With Reverse Conversion: Shiv Sena

Shiv Sena has said that there is nothing wrong in reverse conversion, and has targeted those who have maintained a silence when the same was being done to the Hindus. 

Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamna has said in its editorial today, "Till yesterday, Hindus were converted to Muslims. Then, nobody said those were done forcibly or through enticement. But now when the Ganga has started flowing in reverse, the pseudo secularists are saying the conversions are not right."

The paper has raised a question mark on those who have kept a mum on Hindus being converted to either Islam or Christianity during the Mughal, or British, or the Portuguese period.  

The editorial further supported the demand of the UP governor Ram Naik on Ram Mandir being built soon in Ayodhaya.

 "All around the world, conversions take place through sword or money; Hindus don't have either of the two. Despite this, Hindu organizations are undertaking the important work of reconverting those who had gone to other faiths," the article said.

Shiv Sena, founded in 1966 by Bal Thackeray, is in a coalition government in Maharashtra with the BJP.

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UP Government Bans The Imports Of Poultry Products From Other States

Nitish Wants To Be The Next CM of Bihar

UP Government Bans The Imports Of Poultry Products From Other States

Taking cognizance of the bird flu reports from Chandigarh, the UP government has banned the imports of all the poultry products from other states. A thorough check-up of all the poultry units inside the state has also been ordered by the state government.

Chief Veterinary Officer Vipin Kumar Agarwal has confirmed the concern of the government and said that the veterinary doctors of the state government were sensitized with regard to the matter.

The chief of animal husbandry department R.P. Singh has told the media that till the further notice comes, the imports of all the poultry products from other states has been completely banned. He said that the decision has been taken after the reports of bird flu have broken out from other parts of the country.

The UP government has ordered the sampling of all the chickens at every poultry unit and formation of rapid action force to ensure vaccination.

It is estimated that the state has around 4000 small and big poultry units.

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Nitish Wants To Be The Next CM of Bihar

BJP Set To Get A Majority In Jharkhand, Hung Assembly In J&K: Exit Poll

Nitish Wants To Be The Next CM of Bihar

JDU commander-in-chief and party's face in the statehood of Bihar Nitish Kumar is supposed to be the unanimous choice to be the same for the proposed Janata Parivar in the coming Bihar assembly elections.

"Lalu Prasad, Mulayam Singh and Sharad Yadav will be in the role of guardians at the national-level. Nitish, who has a fabulous record as the state chief minister and resigned from the post in May owning moral responsibility of his party's defeat at the Lok Sabha polls, is best suited to lead the Parivar against the BJP in the run-up to the Assembly polls," a top leaded of the would be Parivar said. 

The Janata Parivar is going to be a merger of five different parties namely: JD(U), RJD, SP, INLD, and JD(S). Giving air to the proposed merger, the parties would perform a mahadharna at Sansad Marg in New Delhi against the alleged failure of the Modi government. 

Nitish gave a hint about his desire to become the Chief Minister of the state again under the banner of the Janata Parivar while he was addressing his Sampark Yatra at Madhepura. He spoke, "If I succeed in winning the people's trust in the Assembly polls, I shall shoulder the responsibility of becoming the chief minister again." 

The significance of the Janata Parivar is going to be the most prominent one in Bihar as the assemble elections, taking place in the state in October-November 2015, would see the two archrivals - Lanu and Nitish- coming together and, in their own words, fight the same enemy. 

The old Janata Parivar members already have gone through two rounds of meeting, and have authorized Mulayam Singh Yadav to lead the mission of bringing the factions together under one roof.

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BJP Set To Get A Majority In Jharkhand, Hung Assembly In J&K: Exit Poll

Hindu Mahasabha Tells The Government to Install Nathuram Godse's Statues In Different Places

BJP Set To Get A Majority In Jharkhand, Hung Assembly In J&K: Exit Poll

Exit poll results of the recently concluded assembly elections in Jharkhand and J&K indicate that the BJP is set to form a government in the statehood of Jharkahnd and the new assembly of J&K is going to be a hung one.

The last phase of the elections in the both states was today. In Jharkhand polling was held for 16 constituencies spread over 6 districts of Dumka, Godda, Sahebganj, Jamtara, Deoghar and Pakud. In J&K the same happened for 20 assembly seats.

Initial predictions of the exit polls show that the BJP, in the 81-seat Jharkhand assembly, will get somewhere between 45 to 50 seats, hence will definitely get a majority in the house.

On the other hand, in Jammu and Kashmir the BJP and the PDP will emerge as the two big players, getting around 30 seats each, and the NC and Congress will reach in the vicinity of 15.     

The counting for the elections will begin on the 23rd of December.

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Hindu Mahasabha Tells The Government to Install Nathuram Godse's Statues In Different Places

Mumbai Terror Master Mind, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Will Have To Remain In Jail

After 55 Years, Thaw In US - Cuba Relations

Ministry Of External Affairs Relives Devyani Khobragade Of Her Duties, Places Her Under "Compusary Wait"

A furious Ministry of External Affairs has stripped Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade of her duties as a Director in the Development Partnership Division of the MEA. She has been placed under a "compulsory wait". Sources say that the ministry was unhappy because of an interview that she gave to news channel that is not on good terms with the BJP government.

She was in news around a year ago when she was arrested and strip-searched in the US on charges of making false statements on a visa application for her housekeeper.   

Khobragade, a 1999 batch IFS candidate and a mother of two, said in the interview, "Some false reports have come in the newspapers that there is some illegality around my children's passports and that I hid a fact that my children have American passports. There is nothing of that sort, I myself informed the government that my kids were born in the US and are considered US citizens."

When a question was asked about falsifying documents in the Adarsh housing scam she said, "My father never handled the Adarsh file, therefore he never violated any of the service rules. The CBI has now closed its inquiry and neither my name nor my father's name figures in that report. So that rests the allegations of corruption and wrongdoing."

Ms Khobragade, for now, has returned back to India.

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Hindu Mahasabha Tells The Government to Install Nathuram Godse's Statues In Different Places

Mumbai Terror Master Mind, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Will Have To Remain In Jail

After 55 Years, Thaw In US - Cuba Relations

Alastair Cook Sacked As England ODI Captain, Eoin Morgan Given the Top Job

Alastair Cook has been removed as the ODI captain of England and has been replaced by team mate Eoin Morgan, prior to the World Cup which is going to take place in less than two months time from now.

The 29 years old left hand batsman was appointed the captain of the national team in 2011. His average in the last 20 ODIs is just 27.52. This decision of ECB is being seen in the lights of the recent 5-2 drubbing at the hands of Srilanka, in Srilanka.

Morgan, also a left hand batsman, started his career with Ireland and has played 107 ODIs for England. Morgan, 28, has also seen some very average run of form in the recent times. He averages only 23.45 in the last 23 outings.

Eoin Morgan's record, however, is fantastic in the eight matches in which he has captained the English team; he has scored 427 runs at an average of 71.16. 

England starts its world cup preparations with the tri-series in Australia with India and the hosts Australia as the opponents. The WC starts on 14th of February next year. England has been drawn in pool A along with Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Scotland.

The outgoing captain Alastair Cook has, in total, played 92 ODIs in which he has scored 3204 runs with an average of 36, his highest score being 137.   

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Hindu Mahasabha Tells The Government to Install Nathuram Godse's Statues In Different Places

Mumbai Terror Master Mind, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Will Have To Remain In Jail

After 55 Years, Thaw In US - Cuba Relations

Hindu Mahasabha Tells The Government to Install Nathuram Godse's Statues In Different Places

As the dust started to settle over the uproar created by BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj by his controversial statement on Godse where he called him a patriot, Hindu Mahasabha showed its intentions of keeping the issue alive. Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha has given the government of India an unsolicited advice of keeping Godse's statues at different places in in the country.

The president of the Mahasabha, Chandra Prasad Kaushik, has asked for a full length debate on the Gandhi-Godse debate, he also wants the reasons given by Godse in the court during hi trial should be made public.

 

"We are going to demand for a place from the government for installation of the bust. If the government fails to provide us with such a place then we will install it at our places. We have Hindu Mahasabha, which has offices in various states. We will install the busts there. We will write a letter to the government," Kaushik told the media.

He vehemently denied the fact that the entire nation sees Nathuram as a murderer. Kaushik is of the opinion that there is a very big section of the population that see him as a patriot.

"The country should debate this and there should be a survey done on this. If a selected few in the country say that Gandhi was great and Godse was a murderer, we do not accept this. The country's citizens have not said this. This was said by those who were sitting in the government. The judge who sentenced Godse wrote a book later in his life in which he stated that if people were made jury during that period, then Godse would have been released," was Kaushik's vitriolic statement.

Nathuram Godse shot Mahatma Gandhi on 30th January 1948 in Delhi. 

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Mumbai Terror Master Mind, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Will Have To Remain In Jail

After 55 Years, Thaw In US - Cuba Relations

Mumbai Terror Master Mind, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Will Have To Remain In Jail

26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi has again been detained today after an anti-terrorism court granted him bail yesterday. The man has been kept behind the bars under Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) act, a leading Pakistan newspaper has said.

The decision comes after the Pakistan government decided to appeal against the bail in a higher court. 

"We are going to challenge the bail order of Lakhvi. We will go to Islamabad High Court on Monday to file the application" government prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar told Reuters.

This decision of the Pakistan government comes after the bail incident caused a huge uproar in India. And the India's Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh urged the Pakistan govt. to get the bail cancelled.

India's foreign ministry's spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said, "Despite repeated assurances that have been received, we have seen both the prosecution of the seven accused in the Anti-Terror Court in Islamabad, as also the investigation by the authorities into the larger conspiracy surrounding the Mumbai attack case, proceeding at a glacial pace."

"We have, therefore, forthwith communicated to Pakistan through diplomatic channels our strong concerns on this matter and the sentiments across the spectrum of Indian society that that this will make a mockery of Pakistan's commitment to fight terror groups without hesitation and without making distinctions," Akbaruddin further said.

Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi is among the seven Pakistani nationals accused plotting the terror attack that rendered 166 people dead and several injured.

Zakiur Rehman would not be able to leave the prison until the higher court upholds the bail as a justifiable thing.

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After 55 Years, Thaw In US - Cuba Relations

Apple Says It Will Not Sell Its Products In Russia; Ruble Is Too Unstable and Unreliable!