Top Stories on 16th October in a capsule

“BJP has shown how to run a party”: Modi at Mahasammelan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed his home state of Gujarat, as a part of the Gujarat Gaurav Mahasammelan mega rally in Gandhinagar. Speaking to an estimated 7 lakhs party workers, the PM lauded party chief Amit Shah for all their win in elections, saying BJP has shown the country how to run a party. He announced ferry services between Dahej Ghogha and also talked about demonetization leading to close down of 2 lakh fake firms and surrender of Rs. 4000 crore. He assured that the problems people are facing due to the GST will be solved soon. Meanwhile, Shah also showed confidence of winning 150 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The last time any party won with majority in Gujarat was congress in 1985, winning by 149 seats.

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Aarushi Murder Case: Talwars walk out of jail after 4 years

Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, the dentist couple acquitted of murdering their daughter Aarushi Talwar, were freed from Dasna Jail in Ghaziabad after four years of custody on Monday. Though the order was released Friday, Dasna jail authorities did not receive the court order, causing the delay. The couple has promised to visit the jail every 15 days to treat the inmates facing dental problems for free, the authorities said. The Ghaziabad Police will escort them to their home and provide security. The couple has also refused to take remuneration of rupees 49,500 for their services to patients inside the jail.

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Markets close at new lifetime highs

It was early celebrations for the Indian indices as the markets closed at record highs on Monday, led by gains in HUL and telecom stocks. BSE Sensex closed higher by 200 points to 32,633, while the Nifty gained 65 points to close at 10,233. Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors DVR and Tata Power were the top gainers on both indices, while Axis Bank and Adani Ports were the top losers. As many as 75 stocks on the NSE hits fresh 52-week highs. Airtel gained the most today with a stock price increase of 6%.

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Apple may launch its payments app in India

Apple’s senior Vice-president of Internet software and services, Eddie cue in his India tour talked about introducing Apple Pay in India. Cue announced plans to set up Mac Labs where students of music could learn to use Apple equipment at AR Rahman-founded KM Music Conservatories (KMMC). He also said that Apple is trying to introduce more languages supported. Apple's plans for India include setting up retail outlets, including ones that will focus on pre-owned devices, investing locally, and developing India centric features in iOS.

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Tata in talks to merge DTH business with Airtel

After merging with the consumer mobile operation business, Tata is now in talks with Airtel to merge its DTH business, media reports said on Monday. If the two companies merge, the company will have the largest market space in the direct-to-home (DTH) business with a share of 44%.  The talks are in the initial stages and would take both the companies a couple of months to take the next step. The Indian direct to home market has 61.2 million subscribers with Dish TV being the largest player with 25 percent market share.

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Tejas Express Food Poisoning: 2 officials suspended

An IRCTC officer and a catering manager were suspended after at least 26 people aboard the Mumbai-bound Tejas Express from Goa were taken ill on Sunday. They had consumed food served by the railways' catering wing, a spokesperson said. The Mumbai-bound passengers complained of uneasiness and nausea after having breakfast served on the train and were admitted to a hospital in Ratnagiri district after the train stopped in Chiplun village. ”A show cause notice has been served to the catering contractor, and strict action will be taken if found guilty,” the IRCTC statement stated on twitter.

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 Veteran Filmmaker Lekh Tandon passes away at 88

Lekh Tandon, director of iconic films like Amrapali and Prince, passed away at his residence on Saturday. The announcements were made on late Sunday. He directed his first television serial Dil Dariya in 1988 for which he was also credited for discovering Shah Rukh Khan. Tandon also acted in films like Swades, Chennai Express and Rang De Basanti, among others. He also bagged the Filmfare Best Screenplay Award for his movie Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaye, along with Vrajendra Gaur and Madhusudan Kalekar in 1978. He gained national fame due to success of his directorial ventures namely Professor, Prince, Ek Baar Kaho and Agar Tum Na Hote.

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Delhi ranked as worst city for sexual violence against women  

According to a survey by the Reuters, Delhi is considered the world’s worst megacity in context to sexual violence against women. India’s capital shares the tag with Sao Paulo in Brazil, according to a poll of 19 megacities. In 2016, there were 2,155 rapes recorded in Delhi, which is a 67% rise in such cases since 2012, stated the report.  However in Sao Paulo, 2,287 rapes have been reported till July this year compared to 2,868 in 2016. Tokyo is considered the safest city for women in terms of sexual violence. The survey asked 380 experts in cities with populations of more than 10 million to assess the risk of sexual violence and harmful cultural practices to women, as well as rank women’s access to health care and economic opportunities.

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Bengaluru woman attacked for reporting 'illegal cow slaughter'

Nandini M, a Bengaluru animal rights activist was assaulted by a mob indulging in alleged illegal cow slaughter, media reports said on Monday. “Assuming there would be police inside the lane, we went inside. There, I was shocked to see that we were alone. Not one cop was there. The mob got into a frenzy and hurled bricks at my vehicle," Nandini told media. Nandini, a software engineer who works in an IT company, filed a complaint on Friday, after she received information that some people were involved in illegal cow slaughter in Avalahalli.

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Taj Mahal is a blot in our society: BJP MLA

A BJP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Uttar Pradesh, Sangeet Som came in the headlines after he made remarks against the Taj Mahal, saying that the epic monument was a ‘blot’ in the culture of the country, as its ‘traitor’ creator wanted to wipe out the Hindus. Reacting to the comment, BJP disowned Som’s comment saying ‘this is his individualistic view’ and the party can’t control everything its members say. AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, lashed out at the party saying “If Taj Mahal is built by traitors, so is the Red Fort. Will the PM stop hoisting flag from the Red Fort then?” Earlier the UP government’s tourism booklet did not feature the UNESCO World Heritage site, sending anger nationwide.

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Cylinder blast kills 7 in Bengaluru’s Ejipura district

Seven people were reported dead after a cylinder blast rocked Ejipura district, in the city of Bengaluru on Monday. Four residential buildings also collapsed as an aftermath. The incident was reported to have occurred at 6:45 am, when a wall of a residence fell down following a gas cylinder blasting. However according to the Home Minister of Karnataka, there were no cylinders on both the ground floor and first floors and hence was not the reason of the blast. The state development minister KJ George announced rupees 5 lakh as compensation for families of the deceased and rupees 50,000 for the injured.

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3 dead as Hurricane Ophelia  hits UK and Ireland

3 people have died till now in assumed to be the worst hurricane to hit the United Kingdom in 56 years, Ophelia, at 80mph on Monday. 1,000 troops are deployed by the Therasa May government for evacuation and rescue operations. Weather forecasters in Monday stated that the powerful hurricane is capable for causing ‘danger to lives.’ In Ireland, some 120,000 homes were left without electricity as the hurricane lashed across the country.

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Mulayam Singh sacked from Samajwadi party’s national executive committee

The Samajwadi party removed former party chief Mulayam Singh and member Shivpal Yadav from its National executive committee on Monday. The veterans have not been assigned any post as in the National office bearer’s list, which will be submitted to the Election Commission office. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who heads the Committee was at tussle with uncle Shivpal, who also mentioned floating a new Samjawadi Secular Party in June this year. While, last month  Mulayam Singh had mentioned that he does not nurture any differences with son Akhilesh and will not be forming a new party anytime soon.