Syrian President Bashar al-Assad thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his military support during a visit to Moscow, according to a transcript of their meeting published on the Kremlin website.

At the meeting, Putin said Russia was also ready to help with a political solution in Syria, and would work closely on that with other world powers who want a peaceful solution to Syria’s prolonged conflict.

“I would like to express enormous gratitude to the whole leadership of the Russian Federation and to the Russian people for the help they are giving Syria,” the transcript quoted Assad as saying

Thank you for standing up for the unity of Syria, and its independence,” he said. “Those political steps that have been taken by the Russian Federation since the start of the crisis have not allowed events in Syria to develop following a tragic scenario.”

Putin said that positive developments on the military front in Syria would provide a basis for a long-term political solution, involving all political forces, ethnic and religious groups.

“We are ready to make our contribution not only in the course of military actions in the fight against terrorism, but during the political process. This will, of course, be in close contact with other world powers and with countries of the region which are interested in a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” Putin said, according to the transcript.

Dusshera signifies the victory of good over evil.
May all the evils in and around you vanish by the
virtue of the goodness in and around you.
Happy Dusshera!

Enjoy your Dusshera and long weekend.

Govind Ghimire and team

An emergency landing of Mi 17, air force helicopter was made at 3.08 pm, today at the commercial hub of Mumbai at Bandra Kurla Complex. The chopper was forced to land to due to some technical hitch.
However all on board were taken out safely from the chopper and are found to be safe and sound.
It learnt that the chopper was heading towards Mumbai airbase.

Amidst the ongoing row over cow slaughter, a group of women associated with Muslim Mahila Foundation (MMF) in Varanasi came forth with an appeal to end the dispute and protect cows.

These Muslim women called cows as their mothers, ‘Gau Mata’, and performed aarti at ‘Gaushala’ situated in Golghar on Monday. They also offered ‘Chunri’ and fodder to cows.

“Cow is a symbol of our Indian culture and at any cost we will save them. Those who advocate beef consumption are actually trying to defame Muslims,” said MMF President Nazneen Ansari, adding that efforts are being made to give an impression that all Muslims consume beef, which is not true.

“We request our Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi to impose ban on cow slaughter completely and stop politics on cow,” she said.

Founder of Indian Institute, Rajiv Srivastava said, “Cow is the carrier of human civilization and culture. Eating beef could lead to various diseases. However, drinking cow’s milk is healthy. In future also we will support these muslim women who are conveying the message of communal harmony.”

An Uber cab driver was today held guilty by a Delhi court of raping and endangering life of a 25-year old woman executive in his taxi last year, and faces maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
32-year-old Shiv Kumar Yadav was convicted by Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja for all the offences he was charged with including endangering a woman’s life while raping her, abducting with an intent to compel her for marriage, criminally intimidating and causing hurt under the IPC.
“Shiv Kumar Yadav is convicted of all charges (framed against him). To come up for arguments on quantum of sentence on October 23,” the judge said, pronouncing his verdict 11 months after the crime which had brought into focus the working of radio taxis.
Yadav faces maximum punishment of life imprisonment for the offences.
The driver, who is in judicial custody, was present in the court room along with his wife, parents and other family members.
The court had on October 7 reserved its judgment in the case.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on the night of December 5 last year when the victim, a finance executive working in Gurgaon, was heading back to her house at Inderlok.
The accused was arrested on December 7, 2014 from Mathura. The prosecution had produced 28 witnesses in the case.
Yadav, however, had denied all the allegations leveled against him, terming them as “false”.
Following is the chronology of events in the Uber cab rape case:
Dec 5, 2014: US-based Uber Cab service provider’s driver Shiv Kumar Yadav accused of raping a woman in his taxi when she was heading from Vasant Vihar to her house in Inderlok.
Dec 7: Delhi Police arrests Yadav from Mathura, UP.
Dec 8: Yadav produced in court and sent to police custody. He refuses to go for Test Identification Parade. Victim identifies him as the offender while coming out from another court.
Dec 17: Yadav sent to police custody in another forgery case for allegedly procuring fake character certificate.
Dec 24: Police files charge sheet against Yadav in the rape case 19 days after the incident.
Jan 5, 2015: Magistrate takes cognisance of the charge sheet, commits case to the sessions court.
Jan 9: Special fast track court begins hearing arguments on framing of charges in the case. Special Public Prosecutor appointed in the case.
Jan 13: Court frames charges for alleged offences of endangering a woman’s life while raping her, kidnapping with an intent to compel her for marriage, criminally intimidating and causing hurt. Judge orders trial on a daily basis.
Jan 15: Trial commences, victim deposes and identifies accused in court.
Jan 17: Court concludes recording of victim’s statement.
Jan 31: Prosecution evidence concludes.
Feb 3: Accused testifies and denies charges of rape and claims to be innocent.
Feb 11: Court observes accused trying to delay trial, fixes case for February 16 for final arguments.
Feb 16: Accused seeks to recall all prosecution witnesses.
Feb 18: Court rejects plea to recall witnesses.
Feb 19: Prosecution commences final arguments, says accused can be convicted on sole testimony of the victim.
Feb 19: Driver moves Delhi High Court against trial court order rejecting plea to re-examine 28 prosecution witnesses.
Mar 4: HC allows accused plea to recall 13 prosecution witnesses, including victim.
Mar 5: Victim re-examined by defence counsel in trial court. Woman says traumatised due to delayed proceedings.
Mar 9: Supreme Court agrees to hear on March 10 victim’s plea against HC order allowing accused to recall witnesses.
Mar 10: SC stays HC order and trial court proceedings and issues notice to police and accused on victim’s plea.
Aug 13: SC reserves order on victim and police plea.
Sept 10: SC sets aside HC order, says victim and witnesses not to be re-examined and vacates stay on trial proceedings.
Sept 15: Trial court could not hear final arguments as record were yet to come from SC.
Sept 24: Accused advances final arguments in trial court, alleges police manipulated evidence.
Oct 7: Defence counsel concludes arguments, court reserves judgement for October 20.
Oct 20: Court convicts Yadav for offences under Sections 376(2)(m), 366, 323 and 506 of IPC. Court to hear arguments on quantum of sentence on Oct 23

In the wake of Prime Minister’s flagship project ‘Make in India’, where he is going overseas to promote it, the gruesome situation in the country compels one to ask ‘Is the Make-in-India’ initiative just a namesake programme?’

KS Kalyanasundaram, a first-generation entrepreneur in his blogpost wrote his grievances against the government where he mentioned about the hurdles he has been facing to run his newly-launched company ‘Whistle TV’.

In 2014, Kalyanasundaram, who has previously worked with several media companies, quit his job to launch his own music channel for which he had applied for a loan from the Bank of India.

He wrote in his post, “I had to offer my own flat, which I got from my father as, collateral. Bank of India, as a professional bank, did all the due diligence, conducted internal TEV, took my interviews several times, and finally sanctioned the loan.”

Having gotten the sanction, he invested all his savings, around Rs 7 crore to set up the channel and received license form the Ministry of I&B and in order to obtain the license he had to incur huge expenses on the project.

“We had to pay a hefty amount to uplink the channel. We had to do this as the bank said it would disburse the loan only after the license was obtained,” he added.

Since, then he approached the bank twice to get the sanctioned money but the bank told him that the loan disbursement would not be possible.

“When we approached the bank for disbursement with the license in hand, we were told that due to mismatch in bank’s Capital Adequacy Ratio, we would have to wait till September 2015. When we next approached the bank, we were told that the loan disbursement would not be possible!!! And this time there was no reason offered!!!”

Kalyanasundaram expressed his grief towards the situation of the government and lashed out by saying “How can a bank approve of the loan, make the entrepreneur invest heavily in the venture, and then back off citing internal policies? This amounts to not only the killing of the business but also the spirit of entrepreneurship.”

This blogpost is a wake-up call for government officials where the writer says “While our honourable Prime Minister Shri Modiji is promoting Make in India and Ease of Doing Business, the Government of India officials are being the biggest roadblock.

Mumbai, Bandra West- Asif Bashir a resident of Mahim was allegedly beaten up by cops and asked him to go Pakistan. The boy was also denied medical treatment at Bhabha Hospital who has suffered cuts and bruises all over his body. The authorities put forward a proposal that Asif will not complain against the cops but would make a statement that he was beaten up by the local public.

Asif along with his friend paid a visit to his Uncle who was admitted at Bahabha Hospital. After that he drove his motorbike to bandstand a popular place by the beach. As he was driving along with his friend just outside Salman Khan’s residence two drunkards were creating a scene and one them was almost hit by a car. So Asif got down from his bike and made he man sit by the side in case of any mishaps.

Unfortunately the drunkard got furious and started shouting. This happened just in front of Salman Khan’s residence so the cops on duty came to spot. The vehicle the cops used was a swift car and the police were in civil clothes. They got the two drunkards along with Asif and his friend to Bandra West Police station.

It may be noted that Asif is a gym goer and has a good physique. He had a scuffle with the police demanding why he was brought to the police station. In the process Alim pushed one of the cops who almost fell off nearby the bin.

This enraged the cops and the whole team of policemen started beating Asif. He has suffered with heavy injuries. In the heated argument the cops told him to go to Pakistan.

The cops informed Asif’s parents about his condition. They rushed o Bhabha Hospital. The incident now became viral with all he media people and political parties coming to he aide of Asif. Present among them was Faran Azmi leader of Samaj Wadi Party who demanded that PI Kedar Pawar be arrested and that Maharashtra Government should compensate the victim. AAP leader Preeti Menon Sharma have demanded justice to Asif and an apology from the police for making absurd statements like go to Pakistan to Asif. MIM party workers have pldeged not to leave unil an FIR is lodged against PI Kedar Pawar.

Recently, one Sarfraz Alam had uploaded a picture of himself with his daughter on the occasion of Janmasthami. He had dressed her up as Radha. The Facebook post has gone viral and has nearly 1000 shares and 2000 likes.

While most people were supportive of the post, Sarfraz Alam responded to the negative comments quite amicably and reasonably. Check out some of his responses:

Brother that what I wanted to make you understand That I am not doing wrong I just copied a character for time to teach my daughter.

Alhamdullilah Allah know our heart is pure and have fear of Allah. We respect all. Cause everyone created by Allah but this is other thing they believe to call things in different ways.

We in Islam Believe: There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is Allah’s prophet. But Same time Islam teach us to respect every ones Belief. So lets live the life by giving respect, Spread love and peace. Keep me remember in your DUA.
In many ways, Sarfraz Alam’s post reminds us of an India where despite our different religions or beliefs or lack thereof, we learn to respect each other and live peacefully .In fact, it’s quite common to see such pictures reminding us that we are all part of one country and culture.

If only the various hardliners, in politics or religion, could realise that religion was a stick that the British used to divide the people of this great nation. Divide-and-rule was one of the most important sticks that the British used to rule over India for so long.

Lord Elphinstone had reportedly said to a commission investigating the 1857 riots: “”Divide et impera (divide and rule) was the old Roman motto, and it should be ours”. In Political Thinkers of Modern India: Lala Lajpat Rai, Volume 15 By Verinder Grover, Sir John Maynard, a retired Senior Member of the Executive Council of Punjab says: “It is, of course, true that British authority could not have established and now could not now maintain itself but for a fissiparous tendency, of which the Hindu-Muslim antagonism is one manifestation. It’s also the true that the mass rivalry of the two communities began under British rule. Persecuting rulers made their appearance from time to time in the pre-British era, levying tribute on unbelievers or punishing with masses — before they had eaten of the tree of knowledge and became religion-conscious — worshipped peacefully side by side at the same shrines.” Now the same tricks are used by people in power to divide society based on our religious or caste identities. It’s time we stop being blinded by those people who claim they have our best interests at hurt but continue to poison our mind against people of different religions.

Scientific efforts are being made to find the possibility of life at Mars and while NASA’s announcement of liquid water on the planet was deemed as one of the most important discoveries so far, there are organisations with absolutely bizarre findings.

UFO Sightings Daily, involved in researching on aliens, claims that there is a giant statue of Gautam Buddha on Mars. By this alleged ‘discovery’, UFO Sightings is trying to imply that Mars has already gone through life and it probably even had religion.
The image that Scott C Waring has presented as a reference was taken from a YouTube video uploaded by a channel called Paranormal Crucible. It’s the same channel that recently showed Obama’s head, a ghostly women and a military bunker on Mars. (Read: US Airforce officer claims she was abducted and raped by aliens on the moon)

Scott alleges that NASA doesn’t want anyone to know the truth because in that scenario it will be asked to share the info and technology that it has found. “This photo alone should be enough to convince the United Nations that intelligent life once existed on Mars,” Daily Mail quotes him as saying. While there is little possibility of any truth to the claim, it provides material for conspiracy theorists.