India stood up Sunday to protest the recent Unnao and Kathua gang rapes.&nbsp;

Protests were held in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Aligarh, Bhopal, and Goa and Kerala.&nbsp;

The Mumbai protest began at Bandra's Carter Road.&nbsp;

Ekta Kapoor had earlier tweeted: "Everyone should come. Whatever religion, gender or belief you belong to. For humanity, for justice..."&nbsp;

The Delhi protest is being held at Parliament Street where, news reports said, Swati Maliwal, the chief of the Delhi Women's Commission, is holding a hunger strike.

The Kathua and Unnao gang rapes have left the nation in shock.&nbsp;

In the first attack, an eight-year-old girl was kept captive in a temple in Kathua, Jammu. The child was sedated and gang-raped repeatedly.&nbsp;

The alleged mastermind was a retired revenue official and policemen were allegedly involved in the crime.&nbsp;

The Unnao gang rape only came to light when the girl and her family tried to immolate themselves outside the residence of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.&nbsp;

The girl said she had been raped by the BJP MLA from Unnao Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his associates in May 2017 but had got no justice.&nbsp;

The girl's father died a few days later. He was reportedly beaten by Sengar's brother in front of the police who allegedly did nothing because of the MLA's clout.&nbsp;

Sengar's brother has been arrested. Sengar himself was finally arrested only after the CBI took over the case.&nbsp;

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Protest held over <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Unnao?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Unnao</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kathua?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kathua</a> rape cases at Carter Rd in Mumbai's Bandra <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Maharashtra?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Maharashtra</a> <a href="https://t.co/u3aCXue1fE">pic.twitter.com/u3aCXue1fE</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/985496803574460417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Protest held at Parliament Street against Unnao & Kathua rape cases. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/JPAAiIgKMT">pic.twitter.com/JPAAiIgKMT</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/985495235777179648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Protests were held in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Aligarh, Bhopal, and Goa and Kerala

India stood up Sunday to protest the recent Unnao and Kathua gang rapes. Protests were held in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Aligarh, Bhopal, and Goa and Kerala. The Mumbai protest began at Bandra's Carter Road. Ekta Kapoor had earlier tweeted: "Everyone should come. Whatever religion, gender or belief you belong to. For humanity, for justice..." The Delhi protest is being held at Parliament Street where, news reports said, Swati Maliwal, the chief of the Delhi Women's Commission, is holding a hunger strike. The Kathua and Unnao gang rapes have left the nation in shock. In the first attack, an eight-year-old girl was kept captive in a temple in Kathua, Jammu. The child was sedated and gang-raped repeatedly. The alleged mastermind was a retired revenue official and policemen were allegedly involved in the crime. The Unnao gang rape only came to light when the girl and her family tried to immolate themselves outside the residence of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. The girl said she had been raped by the BJP MLA from Unnao Kuldeep Singh Sengar and his associates in May 2017 but had got no justice. The girl's father died a few days later. He was reportedly beaten by Sengar's brother in front of the police who allegedly did nothing because of the MLA's clout. Sengar's brother has been arrested. Sengar himself was finally arrested only after the CBI took over the case. Protest held over #Unnao & #Kathua rape cases at Carter Rd in Mumbai's Bandra #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/u3aCXue1fE — ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2018 × Protest held at Parliament Street against Unnao & Kathua rape cases. #Delhi pic.twitter.com/JPAAiIgKMT — ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2018 ×

India stands up to protest against Kathua, Unnao gang rapes

A woman PhD student, identified as Dr. Atreyee Majumdar, who had been missing from Bengaluru for nearly a week, has been found.&nbsp;

Family and friends of Atreyee had shared her pictures extensively on social media in an attempt to reach her or find her whereabouts after she went missing.

Atreyee, an anthropologist, is an alumnus of the National Law School in Bengaluru. She had just returned from Toronto, where she is pursuing a post-doctoral research.

Majumdar went missing on April 6, the day she arrived from Canada and was taken by her parents to their home in Bengaluru. Her parents said she slept in her room till 9 pm and then went out with her handbag.

A day before her disappearance, she had not responded to calls from her parents. When she finally got back a day later, she said she had arrived in New Delhi. She was asked by her father to fly to Bengaluru.

Pamphlets were distributed and the police conducted searches in hospitals and hotels before she was found.

Family and friends of Atreyee had shared her pictures extensively on social media in an attempt to reach her or find her whereabouts after she went missing.

A woman PhD student, identified as Dr. Atreyee Majumdar, who had been missing from Bengaluru for nearly a week, has been found. Family and friends of Atreyee had shared her pictures extensively on social media in an attempt to reach her or find her whereabouts after she went missing. Atreyee, an anthropologist, is an alumnus of the National Law School in Bengaluru. She had just returned from Toronto, where she is pursuing a post-doctoral research. Majumdar went missing on April 6, the day she arrived from Canada and was taken by her parents to their home in Bengaluru. Her parents said she slept in her room till 9 pm and then went out with her handbag. A day before her disappearance, she had not responded to calls from her parents. When she finally got back a day later, she said she had arrived in New Delhi. She was asked by her father to fly to Bengaluru. Pamphlets were distributed and the police conducted searches in hospitals and hotels before she was found.

PhD student, missing for a week, found after massive search in Bengaluru

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a ride in Bangalore metro, shopped for books and savoured local delicacies. Gandhi was on a two-day weekend visit to poll-bound Karnataka.

"Gandhi, accompanied by party leaders, rode the metro and later shopped for some books at a bookstore in the city centre," a party official said.

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Congress President <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RahulGandhi</a> takes time out for a selfie during a ride on the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NammaMetro?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NammaMetro</a> in Bengaluru. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BengaluruNammaHemme?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BengaluruNammaHemme</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JanaAashirwadaYatre?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JanaAashirwadaYatre</a> <a href="https://t.co/A6tq6msmHW">pic.twitter.com/A6tq6msmHW</a>
— Congress (@INCIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/982917404966744065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Congress chief boarded the metro at Vidhana Soudha metro station and took a train&nbsp;to MG Road station.

Gandhi was accompanied by other senior party leaders like state unit chief G. Parameshwara, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge and state in-charge K.C.Venugopal, among others. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah bought metro tickets for all party leaders.

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CM <a href="https://twitter.com/siddaramaiah?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@siddaramaiah</a> bought & gifted books to Congress President <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RahulGandhi</a> at a bookstore in Church Street.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BengaluruNammaHemme?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BengaluruNammaHemme</a> <a href="https://t.co/RNC7AP5HkX">pic.twitter.com/RNC7AP5HkX</a>
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCKarnataka/status/982925090844274688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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After the metro-ride, Rahul Gandhi visited High Street, a recently renovated vehicle-free pedestrian plaza.

He also visited a bookstore located at Church Street and browsed through books.<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3ZkUkJHyqbc" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

CM Siddaramaiah bought and gifted books to Gandhi, that included Tamil writer Perumal Murugan's 'The Goat Thief', British author Karen Armstrong's 'A History of God', 'The Art of Living' by Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh and a book on the Japanese concept of 'Ikigai'.

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Congress President <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RahulGandhi</a> stops for lunch at Koshys. The staff share pictures of Former Prime Ministers Nehru ji and Indira ji dining at their establishment. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JanaAashirwadaYatre?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JanaAashirwadaYatre</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BengaluruNammaHemme?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BengaluruNammaHemme</a> <a href="https://t.co/pTMVypZQ7f">pic.twitter.com/pTMVypZQ7f</a>
— Congress (@INCIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/982924519286411264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Gandhi, along with other leaders, stopped at Koshys for a quick traditional lunch and was spotted indulging in post-lunch&nbsp;kulfis at a local joint.

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi stops by for a post-lunch kulfi in Bengaluru. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JanaAashirwadaYatre?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JanaAashirwadaYatre</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BengaluruNammaHemme?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BengaluruNammaHemme</a> <a href="https://t.co/KUZyMIGZOF">pic.twitter.com/KUZyMIGZOF</a>
— Congress (@INCIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia/status/982932346168016896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

After metro-ride, Rahul Gandhi visited High Street, a recently renovated vehicle-free pedestrian plaza

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a ride in Bangalore metro, shopped for books and savoured local delicacies. Gandhi was on a two-day weekend visit to poll-bound Karnataka. "Gandhi, accompanied by party leaders, rode the metro and later shopped for some books at a bookstore in the city centre," a party official said. Congress President @RahulGandhi takes time out for a selfie during a ride on the #NammaMetro in Bengaluru. #BengaluruNammaHemme #JanaAashirwadaYatre pic.twitter.com/A6tq6msmHW — Congress (@INCIndia) April 8, 2018 × Congress chief boarded the metro at Vidhana Soudha metro station and took a train to MG Road station. Gandhi was accompanied by other senior party leaders like state unit chief G. Parameshwara, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge and state in-charge K.C.Venugopal, among others. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah bought metro tickets for all party leaders. CM @siddaramaiah bought & gifted books to Congress President @RahulGandhi at a bookstore in Church Street.#BengaluruNammaHemme pic.twitter.com/RNC7AP5HkX — Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) April 8, 2018 × After the metro-ride, Rahul Gandhi visited High Street, a recently renovated vehicle-free pedestrian plaza. He also visited a bookstore located at Church Street and browsed through books. CM Siddaramaiah bought and gifted books to Gandhi, that included Tamil writer Perumal Murugan's 'The Goat Thief', British author Karen Armstrong's 'A History of God', 'The Art of Living' by Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh and a book on the Japanese concept of 'Ikigai'. Congress President @RahulGandhi stops for lunch at Koshys. The staff share pictures of Former Prime Ministers Nehru ji and Indira ji dining at their establishment. #JanaAashirwadaYatre #BengaluruNammaHemme pic.twitter.com/pTMVypZQ7f — Congress (@INCIndia) April 8, 2018 × Gandhi, along with other leaders, stopped at Koshys for a quick traditional lunch and was spotted indulging in post-lunch kulfis at a local joint. Congress President Rahul Gandhi stops by for a post-lunch kulfi in Bengaluru. #JanaAashirwadaYatre #BengaluruNammaHemme pic.twitter.com/KUZyMIGZOF — Congress (@INCIndia) April 8, 2018 × (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: Rahul Gandhi takes a metro ride, browses books in Bengaluru

A recent report states Bengaluru to be one of the top cities in the world facing an imminent acute water crisis. According to a report by a CSE-assisted environment magazine, India&#39;s IT-city may face a grave water crisis similar to the one faced by Cape Town in South Africa.

&quot;The number of waterbodies in Bengaluru has reduced by 79 per cent due to unplanned urbanisation and encroachment -- while the built-up area has increased from eight per cent in 1973 to 77 per cent now,&quot; claimed Down To Earth, the magazine that Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) helps publish.

CSE estimates Bengaluru&#39;s water table to have dropped from 10-12 m to 76-91 m in the past two decades while the number of extraction wells has gone up from 5,000 to 0.45 million in 30 years.

&quot;Cape Town in South Africa is facing the prospect of all its taps running dry by June-July this year,&quot; the report claimed.

Bengaluru&#39;s population, which is estimated to be growing by 3.5 per cent annually, is likely to hit 20.3 million by 2031.

&quot;Many of the world&#39;s leading cities will see Cape Town-like water crisis in the not too distant future... 10 cities across the world are facing &#39;Day Zero&#39; (when taps are expected to run dry), and severe water shortage will hit them in the not-too-distant future unless cities innovate, diversify supply sources and use water judiciously,&quot; it said.

The report also listed out other cities that may face a similar water crisis; the list featured cities like Beijing (China), Mexico City (Mexico), Nairobi (Kenya), Karachi (Pakistan), Kabul (Afghanistan) and Istanbul (Turkey).

The report also listed out other cities that may face a similar water crisis

A recent report states Bengaluru to be one of the top cities in the world facing an imminent acute water crisis. According to a report by a CSE-assisted environment magazine, India's IT-city may face a grave water crisis similar to the one faced by Cape Town in South Africa. "The number of waterbodies in Bengaluru has reduced by 79 per cent due to unplanned urbanisation and encroachment -- while the built-up area has increased from eight per cent in 1973 to 77 per cent now," claimed Down To Earth, the magazine that Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) helps publish. CSE estimates Bengaluru's water table to have dropped from 10-12 m to 76-91 m in the past two decades while the number of extraction wells has gone up from 5,000 to 0.45 million in 30 years. "Cape Town in South Africa is facing the prospect of all its taps running dry by June-July this year," the report claimed. Bengaluru's population, which is estimated to be growing by 3.5 per cent annually, is likely to hit 20.3 million by 2031. "Many of the world's leading cities will see Cape Town-like water crisis in the not too distant future... 10 cities across the world are facing 'Day Zero' (when taps are expected to run dry), and severe water shortage will hit them in the not-too-distant future unless cities innovate, diversify supply sources and use water judiciously," it said. The report also listed out other cities that may face a similar water crisis; the list featured cities like Beijing (China), Mexico City (Mexico), Nairobi (Kenya), Karachi (Pakistan), Kabul (Afghanistan) and Istanbul (Turkey).

Bengaluru may face imminent water crisis similar to Cape Town: Report

The Karnataka police have arrested four people in connection with an incident where a cop was thrashed by goons.

A group of goons thrashed a cop who went to bust a gambling den in Bengaluru&#39;s Whitefield area.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The police have also registered a case against the people involved.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Goons thrashed a cop who went to bust a gambling den in Bengaluru&#39;s Whitefield area <a href="https://t.co/ZjGZbvdCK6">pic.twitter.com/ZjGZbvdCK6</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975628745926172672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Goons thrashed a cop who went to bust a gambling den in Bengaluru's Whitefield area

The Karnataka police have arrested four people in connection with an incident where a cop was thrashed by goons. A group of goons thrashed a cop who went to bust a gambling den in Bengaluru's Whitefield area. The police have also registered a case against the people involved. #WATCH Goons thrashed a cop who went to bust a gambling den in Bengaluru's Whitefield area pic.twitter.com/ZjGZbvdCK6 — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 ×

Watch: Bengaluru cop thrashed after he tries to shut down gambling den

App-based taxi service reached another level on Monday when first helitaxii service took off in Bengaluru.

Ferrying 10 passengers from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) to Electronics City in 15 minutes, the helitaxii made two trips, with the first one taking off at 6.30 a.m.

Helitaxii is touted to be the first such service in the country, was announced in August 2017 by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha.&nbsp;

The service is offered by KIA in partnership with Thumby Aviation Pvt Ltd, in an effort to reduce the time taken to travel to the city from the international airport.

HeliTaxii services will soon open up for bookings at HAL and plans to activate more helipads in the city to make it an intracity 
service.&nbsp;

It has begun its operations with one Bell 407 helicopter which carries 6 passengers and in near future will bring in a 
13-passenger Bell 412 helicopter as demand picks up.&nbsp;

The airport shuttle is currently operational from 06:30 AM &ndash; 09:45 AM and 3:15 PM &ndash; 6:00 PM.&nbsp;

The per seat price for a one-way journey for the airport shuttle between KIAL and Electronic City/HAL airport is Rs 3500, excluding GST.

At present, the company is operating only one helicopter. The number will increase depending on the demand.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

It is touted to be the first such service in the country

App-based taxi service reached another level on Monday when first helitaxii service took off in Bengaluru. Ferrying 10 passengers from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) to Electronics City in 15 minutes, the helitaxii made two trips, with the first one taking off at 6.30 a.m. Helitaxii is touted to be the first such service in the country, was announced in August 2017 by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha. The service is offered by KIA in partnership with Thumby Aviation Pvt Ltd, in an effort to reduce the time taken to travel to the city from the international airport. HeliTaxii services will soon open up for bookings at HAL and plans to activate more helipads in the city to make it an intracity service. It has begun its operations with one Bell 407 helicopter which carries 6 passengers and in near future will bring in a 13-passenger Bell 412 helicopter as demand picks up. The airport shuttle is currently operational from 06:30 AM – 09:45 AM and 3:15 PM – 6:00 PM. The per seat price for a one-way journey for the airport shuttle between KIAL and Electronic City/HAL airport is Rs 3500, excluding GST. At present, the company is operating only one helicopter. The number will increase depending on the demand.

First helitaxii service takes off in Bengaluru

Persistent heavy rain have caused widespread disruption in India's major cities and severe floods in the rugged northeast have killed at least 12, the government said on Friday. 
 
About 50,000 from southern and eastern India had to be evacuated as storms pushed water levels to dangerous levels, damaging crops and causing more than 3,000 houses to collapse. 
 
Flooding, an annual problem during the monsoon season, has been worsened by crumbling civic infrastructure, clogged drains and uncontrolled urban expansion in a country with a fast-growing population of 1.3 billion.&nbsp; 
 
The rains triggered waterlogging and led to massive traffic jams in the city of Gurugram near capital New Delhi. 
 
Deputy police commissioner of Gurugram, T L Satyaprakash, had imposed prohibitory orders preventing gatherings of more than five near Hero Honda Chowk to ease the congestion as thousands of commuters were left stranded on the Gurgaon-Delhi Expressway and the National Highway-8 due to traffic jam. 
 
People vented their anger on social media after being stranded for up to 12 hours as traffic gridlock paralysed roads in the business hub of Gurugram near New Delhi. Trains were also delayed. 
 
"It took me four hours to drive 6 km (4 miles)," said Randeep Dev, a consultant at a private bank in New Delhi. "Our cities are a living hell in the monsoon." 
 
The city police said they have made detailed plans to avert a similar situation in the future. 
 
According to sources, the police force has been deployed in full strength 24*7 at 14 crucial points, mainly on the NH8 and NH-248A. 
 
"At each point, inspector rank officer have been deployed along with police personnel as per requirement of each spot," said the source. 
 
The fourteen points where the police personnel have been deployed are Hero Honda Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Jharsa Chowk, Signature Tower Chowk, IFFCO Chowk, Shankar Chowk, Subhash Chowk, Golf Course Extension Road intersection on Sohna Road, Main Chowk in Sohna, Maharana Pratap Chowk, Atul Kataria Chowk, IMT Manesar Chowk, HUDA City Center Station and its vicinity in all directions and Sector 31 red light. 
 
With major arterial roads leading to Gurgaon, including the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway and the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, witnessing massive traffic jams, leaving commuters stranded for hours, transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday directed National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) chairman Raghav Chandra to immediately send a team of officials to clear NH-8.&nbsp; 
 
Tracts of the southern technology hub of Bengaluru and the financial capital of Mumbai on the west coast were inundated by flood waters and sewage swirled in the streets. 
 
Fire officials in Bengaluru used boats to rescue people stranded near Electronics City which is home to technology firms and multinationals such as Infosys. 
 
Forecasters warned of a new round of heavy rains and flooding, as the government opened shelters and stepped up emergency rescue operations. 
 
(Agencies) 
 
 
&nbsp;

Deputy police commissioner of Gurugram had imposed prohibitory orders to ease traffc congestion as thousands were left stranded

Persistent heavy rain have caused widespread disruption in India's major cities and severe floods in the rugged northeast have killed at least 12, the government said on Friday. About 50,000 from southern and eastern India had to be evacuated as storms pushed water levels to dangerous levels, damaging crops and causing more than 3,000 houses to collapse. Flooding, an annual problem during the monsoon season, has been worsened by crumbling civic infrastructure, clogged drains and uncontrolled urban expansion in a country with a fast-growing population of 1.3 billion. The rains triggered waterlogging and led to massive traffic jams in the city of Gurugram near capital New Delhi. Deputy police commissioner of Gurugram, T L Satyaprakash, had imposed prohibitory orders preventing gatherings of more than five near Hero Honda Chowk to ease the congestion as thousands of commuters were left stranded on the Gurgaon-Delhi Expressway and the National Highway-8 due to traffic jam. People vented their anger on social media after being stranded for up to 12 hours as traffic gridlock paralysed roads in the business hub of Gurugram near New Delhi. Trains were also delayed. "It took me four hours to drive 6 km (4 miles)," said Randeep Dev, a consultant at a private bank in New Delhi. "Our cities are a living hell in the monsoon." The city police said they have made detailed plans to avert a similar situation in the future. According to sources, the police force has been deployed in full strength 24*7 at 14 crucial points, mainly on the NH8 and NH-248A. "At each point, inspector rank officer have been deployed along with police personnel as per requirement of each spot," said the source. The fourteen points where the police personnel have been deployed are Hero Honda Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Jharsa Chowk, Signature Tower Chowk, IFFCO Chowk, Shankar Chowk, Subhash Chowk, Golf Course Extension Road intersection on Sohna Road, Main Chowk in Sohna, Maharana Pratap Chowk, Atul Kataria Chowk, IMT Manesar Chowk, HUDA City Center Station and its vicinity in all directions and Sector 31 red light. With major arterial roads leading to Gurgaon, including the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway and the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, witnessing massive traffic jams, leaving commuters stranded for hours, transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday directed National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) chairman Raghav Chandra to immediately send a team of officials to clear NH-8. Tracts of the southern technology hub of Bengaluru and the financial capital of Mumbai on the west coast were inundated by flood waters and sewage swirled in the streets. Fire officials in Bengaluru used boats to rescue people stranded near Electronics City which is home to technology firms and multinationals such as Infosys. Forecasters warned of a new round of heavy rains and flooding, as the government opened shelters and stepped up emergency rescue operations. (Agencies)

Police deployed in India's business hub Gurugram to manage traffic, rain continues to lash major cities

Bengaluru District Youth Congress General Secretary Mohammed Haris Nalapad was suspended from the party for 6 years for allegedly beating up a person in a restaurant in Bengaluru.&nbsp;

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Mohammed Haris Nalapad suspended from party for 6 years: G Parameshwara, President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (File pic) <a href="https://t.co/SxvUhXESKA">pic.twitter.com/SxvUhXESKA</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/965101189732937728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The FIR names Nalapad and 10 others for the alleged violence in UB City of Bengaluru.

The Congress leader has also been accused of threatening the victim, identified as Vidyut, at a hospital where he was admitted for treatment.

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Karnataka: FIR registered against Bengaluru District Youth Congress General Secretary Mohammed Haris Nalapad &amp; ten others for allegedly beating up a person in a restaurant in Bengaluru&#39;s UB City &amp; threatening him at a hospital where he later went for treatment. <a href="https://t.co/KlVO1MbjDe">pic.twitter.com/KlVO1MbjDe</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/965095791869202433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The accused Congress leader is the son of Shantinagar MLA NA Haris. He was appointed the general secretary after emerging victorious in an election held by the Congress for the post in May 2017.&nbsp;

He was also the executive director of the Nalapad Group of Companies.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident and promised to punish the offenders.

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Offenders should be punished to the full extent of law regardless of who they are. No less, no more.<a href="https://twitter.com/CPBlr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CPBlr</a> will take action as per law and bring the guilty to book. <a href="https://t.co/H0Km8zauVz">https://t.co/H0Km8zauVz</a>
&mdash; Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) <a href="https://twitter.com/siddaramaiah/status/965086638811566080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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An investigation is underway and the police are questioning the restaurant owner and other people present at the time of the incident.&nbsp;

The FIR names Nalapad and 10 others for the alleged violence in UB City of Bengaluru

Bengaluru District Youth Congress General Secretary Mohammed Haris Nalapad was suspended from the party for 6 years for allegedly beating up a person in a restaurant in Bengaluru. Mohammed Haris Nalapad suspended from party for 6 years: G Parameshwara, President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (File pic) pic.twitter.com/SxvUhXESKA — ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018 × The FIR names Nalapad and 10 others for the alleged violence in UB City of Bengaluru. The Congress leader has also been accused of threatening the victim, identified as Vidyut, at a hospital where he was admitted for treatment. Karnataka: FIR registered against Bengaluru District Youth Congress General Secretary Mohammed Haris Nalapad & ten others for allegedly beating up a person in a restaurant in Bengaluru's UB City & threatening him at a hospital where he later went for treatment. pic.twitter.com/KlVO1MbjDe — ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018 × The accused Congress leader is the son of Shantinagar MLA NA Haris. He was appointed the general secretary after emerging victorious in an election held by the Congress for the post in May 2017. He was also the executive director of the Nalapad Group of Companies. Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident and promised to punish the offenders. Offenders should be punished to the full extent of law regardless of who they are. No less, no more.@CPBlr will take action as per law and bring the guilty to book. https://t.co/H0Km8zauVz — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) February 18, 2018 × An investigation is underway and the police are questioning the restaurant owner and other people present at the time of the incident.

Bengaluru: Youth Congress leader suspended for assaulting man in restaurant, threatening him in hospital

The Supreme Court <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cauvery-verdict-bus-services-between-karnataka-tamil-nadu-curtailed-33040">today delivered its verdict on</a> the decades-old Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

The Supreme Court<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/siddaramaiah-refuses-to-release-cauvery-water-to-tamil-nadu-29432"> judge directed Karnataka to</a> get additional 14.75&nbsp; thousand million cubic(TMC) water and Tamil Nadu to now get 177.25 TMC&nbsp;water instead of 192 TMC.

SC directed Karnataka to release 177.25 TMC&nbsp;of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from its inter-state Biligundlu dam.

Bengaluru will get additional 4.2 TMC&nbsp;water, India&#39;s highest court said. There is no change in allocation for Kerala and Puducherry, the court declared.

The apex court also allowed Tami Nadu to draw an additional 10 TMC&nbsp;&#39;groundwater&#39; from a total of 20 TMC&nbsp;beneath the Cauvery basin.

It said the increase in share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft is because of the 10 tmcft groundwater and 4.75 tmcft drinking water requirement for Bengaluru residents.

The pre-Independence verdict is valid, the top court said in its verdict, adding that no state can claim&nbsp;&quot;exclusivity&nbsp;over rivers.&quot;&nbsp;

The court said there should be &quot;no deviance&quot;&nbsp;of the order by any state.

The Court also directed the Cauvery water dispute management to be set up. The Supreme Court order will remain in force for the next 15 years.

Tamil Nadu, represented by senior advocate Shekhar Naphade had urged the court to initiate a &ldquo;fundamental change&rdquo; in the water sharing arrangement.&nbsp;

The Cauvery water dispute was decided unanimously by CWDT in 2007, after determining the total availability of water in the Cauvery basin at 740 thousand million cubic (tmc) feet at the Lower Coleroon Anicut site, including 14 tmcft for environmental protection.

The Supreme Court today delivered its verdict on the decades-old Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

The Supreme Court today delivered its verdict on the decades-old Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The Supreme Court judge directed Karnataka to get additional 14.75 thousand million cubic(TMC) water and Tamil Nadu to now get 177.25 TMC water instead of 192 TMC. SC directed Karnataka to release 177.25 TMC of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from its inter-state Biligundlu dam. Bengaluru will get additional 4.2 TMC water, India's highest court said. There is no change in allocation for Kerala and Puducherry, the court declared. The apex court also allowed Tami Nadu to draw an additional 10 TMC 'groundwater' from a total of 20 TMC beneath the Cauvery basin. It said the increase in share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft is because of the 10 tmcft groundwater and 4.75 tmcft drinking water requirement for Bengaluru residents. The pre-Independence verdict is valid, the top court said in its verdict, adding that no state can claim "exclusivity over rivers." The court said there should be "no deviance" of the order by any state. The Court also directed the Cauvery water dispute management to be set up. The Supreme Court order will remain in force for the next 15 years. Tamil Nadu, represented by senior advocate Shekhar Naphade had urged the court to initiate a “fundamental change” in the water sharing arrangement. The Cauvery water dispute was decided unanimously by CWDT in 2007, after determining the total availability of water in the Cauvery basin at 740 thousand million cubic (tmc) feet at the Lower Coleroon Anicut site, including 14 tmcft for environmental protection.

Supreme Court verdict on Cauvery dispute: Karnataka to get additional water, no change for Kerala

Three labourers were was killed and seven injured when a four-storey under construction building collapsed on Jail Road at Kasavanahalli in Bengaluru on Thursday afternoon, news reports said.

Fire tenders, rescue personnel and local residents managed to rescue as many as eight labourers trapped under the debris.

The injured were taken to hospitals.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bengaluru?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bengaluru</a>: Three people dead, seven injured admitted to hospital in incident where a building collapsed on Kasuvanahalli&#39;s Sarjapur road
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/964136968702562305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Watch video below:&nbsp;

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-rYsU45A6lE" width="560"></iframe>

A search was on as some more labourers were suspected to be trapped under the debris.

Bengaluru Development Minister KJ George said that they are concentrating on the rescue operation. All aspects will be investigated and action will be taken against those responsible, he further said.

The Bellandur police are supervising the rescue operation.

Six people have been rescued so far following the building collapse

Three labourers were was killed and seven injured when a four-storey under construction building collapsed on Jail Road at Kasavanahalli in Bengaluru on Thursday afternoon, news reports said. Fire tenders, rescue personnel and local residents managed to rescue as many as eight labourers trapped under the debris. The injured were taken to hospitals. #Bengaluru: Three people dead, seven injured admitted to hospital in incident where a building collapsed on Kasuvanahalli's Sarjapur road — ANI (@ANI) February 15, 2018 × Watch video below: A search was on as some more labourers were suspected to be trapped under the debris. Bengaluru Development Minister KJ George said that they are concentrating on the rescue operation. All aspects will be investigated and action will be taken against those responsible, he further said. The Bellandur police are supervising the rescue operation.

Video: 3 killed as under-construction building collapses in Bengaluru

In a one of a kind incident, a monkey got intoxicated at a Bengaluru bar and created a ruckus. Authorities at Bengaluru&#39;s Diwakar Bar noted that the monkey used to be at the bar and would usually consume leftover drinks and food.&nbsp;

It is not clear whether the animal consumed too much of alcoholic beverages that night or someone tricked it into consuming excess amount.&nbsp;

The monkey is reported to have troubled the customers at the bar before passing out eventually.

Reports also suggest that the animal was later taken to an animal rehabilitation centre.&nbsp;

The monkey is reported to have troubled the customers at the bar before passing out eventually

In a one of a kind incident, a monkey got intoxicated at a Bengaluru bar and created a ruckus. Authorities at Bengaluru's Diwakar Bar noted that the monkey used to be at the bar and would usually consume leftover drinks and food. It is not clear whether the animal consumed too much of alcoholic beverages that night or someone tricked it into consuming excess amount. The monkey is reported to have troubled the customers at the bar before passing out eventually. Reports also suggest that the animal was later taken to an animal rehabilitation centre.

Bengaluru bar: Monkey enters, drinks, creates trouble

Bengaluru&#39;s 1,000-acre Bellandur Lake, which caught fire on Friday, is now under cooling operations after 5,000 army personnel and fire-fighting equipments&nbsp;were deployed to bring the fire that raged for seven hours, under control.

Bellandur Lake, the biggest water body of the city, which is full of pollution and toxic foam, could be seen with massive plumes of smoke billowing over it even from a distance.

The fire started at one spot&nbsp;on Friday evening but spread in two other places again. A jet fighter was appointed to curb the fire.&nbsp;

According to media reports, residents living on the Yemlur side of Bellandur spotted smoke in the lake known to be full of sewage, chemical effluents and construction debris around noon on Friday. Shortly thereafter, flames started rising.

Fire department officials are reportedly making concerted efforts to bring the fire under control under the supervision of Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) officials.

The cause of the fire is being attributed to locals burning the grassy land near the lake to get a fresh crop to feed their cattle.

Some areas located away from the waterbody are still burning.

Bellandur Lake, the biggest water body of the city, which is full of pollution and toxic foam, could be seen with massive plumes of smoke billowing over it even from a distance

Bengaluru's 1,000-acre Bellandur Lake, which caught fire on Friday, is now under cooling operations after 5,000 army personnel and fire-fighting equipments were deployed to bring the fire that raged for seven hours, under control. Bellandur Lake, the biggest water body of the city, which is full of pollution and toxic foam, could be seen with massive plumes of smoke billowing over it even from a distance. The fire started at one spot on Friday evening but spread in two other places again. A jet fighter was appointed to curb the fire. According to media reports, residents living on the Yemlur side of Bellandur spotted smoke in the lake known to be full of sewage, chemical effluents and construction debris around noon on Friday. Shortly thereafter, flames started rising. Fire department officials are reportedly making concerted efforts to bring the fire under control under the supervision of Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) officials. The cause of the fire is being attributed to locals burning the grassy land near the lake to get a fresh crop to feed their cattle. Some areas located away from the waterbody are still burning.

Cooling operations underway after fire at Bengaluru's Bellandur Lake

As the Cape Town city is at the edge of becoming a first modern city to run out of the water, India&#39;s It hub and Karnataka&#39;s Bengaluru is also facing similar circumstances.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/as-cape-town-drought-bites-residents-prepare-for-day-zero-32350">As Cape Town drought bites, residents prepare for &#39;Day Zero&#39;</a>

India&#39;s IT hub, Bengaluru has been listed&nbsp;at number two in the list carrying cities name that would soon run out of the water.

Surprisingly the city that was also in the list was London; despite the recent heavy rains in January.

In 2017 many reports claimed that Bengaluru faced the worst drought in past 40 years in 2017.

Water in the Bengaluru city comes from&nbsp;number of sources and 80% of that supply is fulfilled by Cauvery river; &nbsp;report says that the place where Cauvery river originates has gone dry.

Other two main sources Krishna Sagar Dam and the Arkavathi has also gone dry.

According to reports as the sewage system need an urgent which leads to the loss of over half of the drinking water to waste.

Some of the cause of water shortage is the sewage system of the city which needs urgent expand.

Though the city is known for its lakes and rivers and not a single river is suitable to use for drinking or bathing purpose.

The number of healthy existing lakes has been reducing to 17 which used to be 51 in 1985.

The city that is at number one is Brazil&#39;s capital, Sao Paulo.&nbsp;

According to reports in 2017 about 850 cities of Brazil are suffering from water scarcity including Sao Paulo which is also in the list of most polluted cities in the world.

Beijing who is also suffering from pollution problem was at number three in the list.

Two-thirds of the water supply comes from groundwater, one third from surface water. Average rainfall has substantially declined since the 1950s. Furthermore, one of the two main rivers supplying the city, the Yongding River, had to be abandoned as a source of drinking water because of pollution.&nbsp;

The full list of cities that would soon run out of the water.

1. Sao Paulo, Brazil 
2. Banglore, India 
3. Beijing, China 
4. Cairo, Egypt 
5. Jakarta, Indonesia 
6. Moscow, Russia 
7. Istanbul, Turkey 
8. Mexico, United States 
9. &nbsp;London, United Kingdom 
10. Tokyo, Japan 
11. Miami, United States

South Africa&#39;s Cape Town has been hit by a severe drought&nbsp;due to climate change and is heading towards <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/drought-forces-some-cape-town-residents-into-midnight-queues-for-water-32064">&#39;day zero</a>&#39;, the day when the water in the dams reaches 13.5 per cent of the capacity which currently three-quarter empty, which probably will fall in April.

&nbsp;

Bengaluru has been listed at number two in the list carrying name of eleven cities that would soon run out of the water

As the Cape Town city is at the edge of becoming a first modern city to run out of the water, India's It hub and Karnataka's Bengaluru is also facing similar circumstances. Also read: As Cape Town drought bites, residents prepare for 'Day Zero' India's IT hub, Bengaluru has been listed at number two in the list carrying cities name that would soon run out of the water. Surprisingly the city that was also in the list was London; despite the recent heavy rains in January. In 2017 many reports claimed that Bengaluru faced the worst drought in past 40 years in 2017. Water in the Bengaluru city comes from number of sources and 80% of that supply is fulfilled by Cauvery river; report says that the place where Cauvery river originates has gone dry. Other two main sources Krishna Sagar Dam and the Arkavathi has also gone dry. According to reports as the sewage system need an urgent which leads to the loss of over half of the drinking water to waste. Some of the cause of water shortage is the sewage system of the city which needs urgent expand. Though the city is known for its lakes and rivers and not a single river is suitable to use for drinking or bathing purpose. The number of healthy existing lakes has been reducing to 17 which used to be 51 in 1985. The city that is at number one is Brazil's capital, Sao Paulo. According to reports in 2017 about 850 cities of Brazil are suffering from water scarcity including Sao Paulo which is also in the list of most polluted cities in the world. Beijing who is also suffering from pollution problem was at number three in the list. Two-thirds of the water supply comes from groundwater, one third from surface water. Average rainfall has substantially declined since the 1950s. Furthermore, one of the two main rivers supplying the city, the Yongding River, had to be abandoned as a source of drinking water because of pollution. The full list of cities that would soon run out of the water. 1. Sao Paulo, Brazil 2. Banglore, India 3. Beijing, China 4. Cairo, Egypt 5. Jakarta, Indonesia 6. Moscow, Russia 7. Istanbul, Turkey 8. Mexico, United States 9. London, United Kingdom 10. Tokyo, Japan 11. Miami, United States South Africa's Cape Town has been hit by a severe drought due to climate change and is heading towards 'day zero', the day when the water in the dams reaches 13.5 per cent of the capacity which currently three-quarter empty, which probably will fall in April.

Bengaluru, London, Tokyo among cities that would soon run out of water!

A driver with the &nbsp;Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) kept on driving for nearly 70 kilometres without realising that a dead body was stuck to the undercarriage of the bus.&nbsp;

The 45-year-old driver usually operates from the Shantinagar depot. He was en-route Bengaluru from Coonoor via Tamil Nadu.&nbsp;

According to the driver, he felt a thud around 70 kilometres before reaching Bengaluru but never realised that it could be a body. The bus reached Bengaluru around 2.30 am while the body was discovered around 8 in the morning when the bus reached the depot for washing.&nbsp;

The victim was unidentified until late Saturday night. The driver has 10 years of driving experience and remains in custody.&nbsp;

The 45-year-old driver usually operates from the Shantinagar depot

A driver with the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) kept on driving for nearly 70 kilometres without realising that a dead body was stuck to the undercarriage of the bus. The 45-year-old driver usually operates from the Shantinagar depot. He was en-route Bengaluru from Coonoor via Tamil Nadu. According to the driver, he felt a thud around 70 kilometres before reaching Bengaluru but never realised that it could be a body. The bus reached Bengaluru around 2.30 am while the body was discovered around 8 in the morning when the bus reached the depot for washing. The victim was unidentified until late Saturday night. The driver has 10 years of driving experience and remains in custody.

Karnataka: Bus driven 70 kilometres with body stuck in undercarriage

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public rally in Bengaluru, Karnataka today to mark the culmination of Karnataka BJP&#39;s &#39;Parivarthana Yatra&#39;.

During his address, PM Modi shared what exactly he means by the term &#39;TOP&#39; priority of the NDA government.

&quot;Those growing vegetables and fruits are our top priority. When I say TOP, I mean whichever part of the country you go, three vegetables are very much visible -- Tomato, Onion and Potato,&quot; PM Modi.&nbsp;

&quot;That&#39;s why I call TOP Priority. T for Tomato, O for Onion and P for potato - that makes TOP priority, &quot; he explained.&nbsp;

PM Modi shared that the three food items are staples all across the nation and symbolise his government&#39;s initiative called &#39;Operation Greens&#39;. The project is aimed at improving the living condition of farmers and was announced in the budget as well.&nbsp;

Citing the efficacy of the government-led AMUL initiative, PM Modi noted that &#39;Operation Greens&#39; will also prove beneficial for vegetable growers.

PM Modi also announced that party&#39;s state president B S Yeddyurappa would earmark Rs one lakh crore to improve the state irrigation system if the party comes to power in Karnataka in the upcoming assembly elections.&nbsp;

BJP&#39;s &#39;Parivartan Yatra&#39;&nbsp;would crisscross the entire state covering all the 224 assembly constituencies.

BJP's 'Parivartan Yatra' would crisscross the entire state covering all the 224 assembly constituencies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public rally in Bengaluru, Karnataka today to mark the culmination of Karnataka BJP's 'Parivarthana Yatra'. During his address, PM Modi shared what exactly he means by the term 'TOP' priority of the NDA government. "Those growing vegetables and fruits are our top priority. When I say TOP, I mean whichever part of the country you go, three vegetables are very much visible -- Tomato, Onion and Potato," PM Modi. "That's why I call TOP Priority. T for Tomato, O for Onion and P for potato - that makes TOP priority, " he explained. PM Modi shared that the three food items are staples all across the nation and symbolise his government's initiative called 'Operation Greens'. The project is aimed at improving the living condition of farmers and was announced in the budget as well. Citing the efficacy of the government-led AMUL initiative, PM Modi noted that 'Operation Greens' will also prove beneficial for vegetable growers. PM Modi also announced that party's state president B S Yeddyurappa would earmark Rs one lakh crore to improve the state irrigation system if the party comes to power in Karnataka in the upcoming assembly elections. BJP's 'Parivartan Yatra' would crisscross the entire state covering all the 224 assembly constituencies.

'TOP' priority for NDA government means Tomato, onion, potato: PM Modi 

A 28-year-old man, who the BJP claimed was a party worker, was hacked to death by a gang here following which two people were arrested in the case, police said on Thursday.

Santhosh was attacked by a four-member gang when he was returning home from a party last night, they said.

They said he was murdered over the previous enmity and added that two people were arrested in the case while a hunt was on for two others.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka unit of the BJP claimed that Santhosh was a party worker and the incident took place when he was putting up party flags and buntings in Chennappa Garden area in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s visit to the city on February 4.

In a tweet late last night, the Karnataka BJP said, &quot;Santhosh was found dead in a pool of blood after he was hacked near Channappa Garden, JC Nagar, Bengaluru.&quot;

&quot;When will this cycle of violence stop in Karnataka Santosh was stabbed in the thigh and died during treatment,&quot; it alleged.

On January 3, Deepak Rao (28), who was associated with the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, was killed, triggering tension in Dakshina Kannada district and leading to a retaliatory attack that claimed the life of Basheer (47).

A series of killings of Hindu activists in the state triggered a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and the BJP in recent months.

The BJP had alleged that the Congress government allowed &quot;jihadi forces&quot; to have a field day and to indulge in &quot;wanton killings&quot; of Hindu workers in pursuance of &quot;vote-bank politics&quot; and minority appeasement.

The Congress had charged the BJP with polarising the sensitive situation in the region with an eye on the upcoming Assembly polls due this year.&nbsp;

A series of killings of Hindu activists in the state triggered a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and the BJP in recent months

A 28-year-old man, who the BJP claimed was a party worker, was hacked to death by a gang here following which two people were arrested in the case, police said on Thursday. Santhosh was attacked by a four-member gang when he was returning home from a party last night, they said. They said he was murdered over the previous enmity and added that two people were arrested in the case while a hunt was on for two others. Meanwhile, the Karnataka unit of the BJP claimed that Santhosh was a party worker and the incident took place when he was putting up party flags and buntings in Chennappa Garden area in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the city on February 4. In a tweet late last night, the Karnataka BJP said, "Santhosh was found dead in a pool of blood after he was hacked near Channappa Garden, JC Nagar, Bengaluru." "When will this cycle of violence stop in Karnataka Santosh was stabbed in the thigh and died during treatment," it alleged. On January 3, Deepak Rao (28), who was associated with the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, was killed, triggering tension in Dakshina Kannada district and leading to a retaliatory attack that claimed the life of Basheer (47). A series of killings of Hindu activists in the state triggered a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and the BJP in recent months. The BJP had alleged that the Congress government allowed "jihadi forces" to have a field day and to indulge in "wanton killings" of Hindu workers in pursuance of "vote-bank politics" and minority appeasement. The Congress had charged the BJP with polarising the sensitive situation in the region with an eye on the upcoming Assembly polls due this year.

Man murdered in Karnataka by gang, BJP claims he was party worker

Another shocking incident of harassment emerged from the IT hub of the country, Bengaluru, after a video showing a group of drunk revellers beating a biker went viral.

&nbsp;A close look at the video shows a group of drunk men stop a biker and hurl punches at him.

The biker was accompanying a girl who tried getting away from the situation but was hit by a couple of men from the mob.

The incident took place in Bengaluru&#39;s plush Indiranagar locality.&nbsp;

Additional Commissioner Police, Seemanthkumar Singh, confirmed the arrest of two people.

Karnataka government tightened security measures to avoid any mishap from taking place during this year&#39;s new year celebrations in Bengaluru.

Last year, media reported incidents of sexual harassment and molestation during New Year celebrations in Bengaluru&#39;s Brigade Road and MG Road areas.

A close look at the video shows a group of drunk men stop a biker and hurl punches at him

Another shocking incident of harassment emerged from the IT hub of the country, Bengaluru, after a video showing a group of drunk revellers beating a biker went viral. A close look at the video shows a group of drunk men stop a biker and hurl punches at him. The biker was accompanying a girl who tried getting away from the situation but was hit by a couple of men from the mob. The incident took place in Bengaluru's plush Indiranagar locality. Additional Commissioner Police, Seemanthkumar Singh, confirmed the arrest of two people. Karnataka government tightened security measures to avoid any mishap from taking place during this year's new year celebrations in Bengaluru. Last year, media reported incidents of sexual harassment and molestation during New Year celebrations in Bengaluru's Brigade Road and MG Road areas.

Video: Drunk revellers assault Northeast biker, girl on New Year's eve in Bengaluru

AIADMK leader VK Sasikala who has been imprisoned in a Bengaluru jail for a period of four years is now learning Kannada, reports said on Saturday.&nbsp;

Reports said that Sasikala has been attending classes conducted under the Adult Literacy Programme at Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara.&nbsp;

She has been learning alphabets, basic reading ability and pronunciation of Kannada and is also accompanied by sister-in-law and fellow convict J Ilavarasi who has been outperforming Sasikala.&nbsp;

Apart from the language, Sasikala has also been taking classes for basic computer science.&nbsp;

However, since Sasikala has taken a vow to remain silent, she could not appear for the oral examination but did well in writing, reports said.&nbsp;

The pair will receive participation certificates for having attended the course.

Additionally, women inmates will now be granted access to the jail library after Sasikala played a massive role in bringing the issue forward to the officials and also taking personal interest in sorting out the library.&nbsp;

Sasikala was convicted by the Supreme Court in February in a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/india-supreme-court-finds-sasikala-guilty-she-will-not-be-chief-minister-12382" target="_blank">disproportionate assets case</a>.

She was granted five days of parole to visit her <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sasikala-granted-5-day-parole-to-visit-her-ailing-husband-21079" target="_blank">ailing husband</a> last year.&nbsp;

She has been learning alphabets, basic reading ability and pronunciation of Kannada. She is also accompanied by sister-in-law and fellow convict J Ilavarasi who has outperformed Sasikala

AIADMK leader VK Sasikala who has been imprisoned in a Bengaluru jail for a period of four years is now learning Kannada, reports said on Saturday. Reports said that Sasikala has been attending classes conducted under the Adult Literacy Programme at Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara. She has been learning alphabets, basic reading ability and pronunciation of Kannada and is also accompanied by sister-in-law and fellow convict J Ilavarasi who has been outperforming Sasikala. Apart from the language, Sasikala has also been taking classes for basic computer science. However, since Sasikala has taken a vow to remain silent, she could not appear for the oral examination but did well in writing, reports said. The pair will receive participation certificates for having attended the course. Additionally, women inmates will now be granted access to the jail library after Sasikala played a massive role in bringing the issue forward to the officials and also taking personal interest in sorting out the library. Sasikala was convicted by the Supreme Court in February in a disproportionate assets case. She was granted five days of parole to visit her ailing husband last year.

Sasikala learning Kannada, computer science in jail

At least five people have died after a major fire broke early on Monday morning in&nbsp;a restaurant in Bengaluru.

Reports said five employees sleeping inside died in the fire.

The restaurant named Kailash bar situated in&nbsp;Kumbaara Sangha building caught fire at 2:30am.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Two fire tenders&nbsp;and one rescue vehicle reached the spot immediately and the fire was put off.

Reports said the owner of the restaurant RV Dayashankar has been absconding after a call from the police.

Names of people who died in the fire:

Swami, 23-years from Tumkur.

Prasad, 20-year-old from Tumkur.

Manjunath, 45-year-old from of Hassan.

Keerthi, 24-year-old from Mandya.

Mahesh, 35-year-old from Tumkur.

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Two fire tenders and one rescue vehicle reached the spot immediately and the fire was put off. (WION Web Team)
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The restaurant named Kailash bar situated in Kumbaara Sangha building caught fire at 2:30am. (WION Web Team)
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Five people died after a fire broke out in a restaurant in Bengaluru

At least five people have died after a major fire broke early on Monday morning in a restaurant in Bengaluru. Reports said five employees sleeping inside died in the fire. The restaurant named Kailash bar situated in Kumbaara Sangha building caught fire at 2:30am. The cause of the fire is still unknown. Two fire tenders and one rescue vehicle reached the spot immediately and the fire was put off. Reports said the owner of the restaurant RV Dayashankar has been absconding after a call from the police. Names of people who died in the fire: Swami, 23-years from Tumkur. Prasad, 20-year-old from Tumkur. Manjunath, 45-year-old from of Hassan. Keerthi, 24-year-old from Mandya. Mahesh, 35-year-old from Tumkur. Two fire tenders and one rescue vehicle reached the spot immediately and the fire was put off. (WION Web Team) × The restaurant named Kailash bar situated in Kumbaara Sangha building caught fire at 2:30am. (WION Web Team) ×

Fire breaks out in Bengaluru restaurant, 5 dead

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/golden-globes-2018-live-james-franco-wins-best-actor-coco-best-animation-film-28819">Golden Globes 2018, Live: James Franco wins Best Actor, Coco Best Animation Film</a>

Everyone on the red carpet chose to wear black to launch the Times Up campaign that has Hollywood setting up legal aid for victims who have faced sexual harassment or violence at work place.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/fire-breaks-out-bengaluru-restaurant-5-dead-28823">Fire breaks out in Bengaluru restaurant, 5 dead</a>

At least five people have died after a major fire broke early on Monday morning in a restaurant in Bengaluru, five employees sleeping inside died in the fire.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/european-union-to-invite-iran-foreign-minister-for-talks-over-protests-berlin-28814">European</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/european-union-to-invite-iran-foreign-minister-for-talks-over-protests-berlin-28814"> Union to invite Iran Foreign Minister for talks over protests</a>

The European Union will invite Iran&#39;s foreign minister for talks about the recent anti-government protests that have hit the country, Germany&#39;s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Sunday.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/watch-spacex-launches-secret-us-spacecraft-zuma-28827">Watch: SpaceX launches &#39;secret&#39; US spacecraft Zuma</a>

Elon Musk-led SpaceX today launched the secret Zuma spacecraft for the US government which was scheduled to take place in November finally happened after nearly two-month delay on Sunday night.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/google-doodle-celebrates-110th-birthday-of-hunterwali-fearless-nadia-28829">Google Doodle celebrates 110th birthday of &#39;Hunterwali&#39; Fearless Nadia</a>

It&#39;s Mary Ann Evans&#39; 110th birth anniversary and Google has a Doodle in place to commemorate the event.&nbsp;Popularly known by her stage name &#39;Fearless Nadia&#39;, Evans was born on January 8, 1908, in Perh Australia.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Golden Globes 2018, Live: James Franco wins Best Actor, Coco Best Animation Film Everyone on the red carpet chose to wear black to launch the Times Up campaign that has Hollywood setting up legal aid for victims who have faced sexual harassment or violence at work place. Fire breaks out in Bengaluru restaurant, 5 dead At least five people have died after a major fire broke early on Monday morning in a restaurant in Bengaluru, five employees sleeping inside died in the fire. European Union to invite Iran Foreign Minister for talks over protests The European Union will invite Iran's foreign minister for talks about the recent anti-government protests that have hit the country, Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Sunday. Watch: SpaceX launches 'secret' US spacecraft Zuma Elon Musk-led SpaceX today launched the secret Zuma spacecraft for the US government which was scheduled to take place in November finally happened after nearly two-month delay on Sunday night. Google Doodle celebrates 110th birthday of 'Hunterwali' Fearless Nadia It's Mary Ann Evans' 110th birth anniversary and Google has a Doodle in place to commemorate the event. Popularly known by her stage name 'Fearless Nadia', Evans was born on January 8, 1908, in Perh Australia.

WION Morning News Brief, January 8, 2016

Bengaluru has become one of the first cities to introduce its own identity badge.&nbsp;

In a move to build its image on an international platform, the city has launched its own identity badge &#39;Brand Bengaluru&#39; with a logo

The logo was unwrapped in the presence of Bengaluru development minister KJ George, Gandhinagar MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao, Shantinagar MLA NA Haris and Bengaluru mayor Sampath Raj on Sunday at Vidhana Soudha.&nbsp;

The tagline of the brand is &#39;Bengaluru- Be U&#39; (be you).

The logo signifies Bengaluru&#39;s cosmopolitan culture, a sense of belonging, 480-year-old history and futuristic outlook.

The logo has been selected from 1,350 entries.&nbsp;

IT-BT and Tourism minister Priyank Kharge said that the &quot;identity&quot; will &quot;tell the Bengaluru stories across the globe&quot;.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NammaBengaluru?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NammaBengaluru</a> gets its own identity. A city steeped in history, culture, art, cuisines. A identity that will tell the Bengaluru stories across the globe. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NammaBengaluruHabba?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NammaBengaluruHabba</a> <a href="https://t.co/fwUUrr2Kdp">pic.twitter.com/fwUUrr2Kdp</a>
&mdash; Priyank Kharge (@PriyankKharge) <a href="https://twitter.com/PriyankKharge/status/944858776204537856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah&nbsp;had also tweeted about the launch of Brand Bengaluru. He wrote &quot; Launching Brand Bengaluru -- the most enterprising, dynamic, progressive and global city, a city that allows you to be yourself.&quot;

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Launching Brand Bengaluru - the most enterprising, dynamic, progressive &amp; glocal city; a city that allows U to be yourself. Participate in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NammaBengaluruHabba?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NammaBengaluruHabba</a> near Vidhan Soudha today, and celebrate Namma Ooru Bengaluru! <a href="https://twitter.com/PriyankKharge?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PriyankKharge</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KarnatakaWorld?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KarnatakaWorld</a> <a href="https://t.co/zFGi1sLLfc">pic.twitter.com/zFGi1sLLfc</a>
&mdash; CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMofKarnataka/status/944823239489884160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The font was devised by bankers-turned-designers Rushi Patel and M Venkateswara Rao, founders of Nammur, a design firm.

In a move to build?its image on an international platform, the city has launched its own identity badge 'Brand Bengaluru' with a logo

Bengaluru has become one of the first cities to introduce its own identity badge. In a move to build its image on an international platform, the city has launched its own identity badge 'Brand Bengaluru' with a logo The logo was unwrapped in the presence of Bengaluru development minister KJ George, Gandhinagar MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao, Shantinagar MLA NA Haris and Bengaluru mayor Sampath Raj on Sunday at Vidhana Soudha. The tagline of the brand is 'Bengaluru- Be U' (be you). The logo signifies Bengaluru's cosmopolitan culture, a sense of belonging, 480-year-old history and futuristic outlook. The logo has been selected from 1,350 entries. IT-BT and Tourism minister Priyank Kharge said that the "identity" will "tell the Bengaluru stories across the globe". #NammaBengaluru gets its own identity. A city steeped in history, culture, art, cuisines. A identity that will tell the Bengaluru stories across the globe. #NammaBengaluruHabba pic.twitter.com/fwUUrr2Kdp — Priyank Kharge (@PriyankKharge) December 24, 2017 × Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also tweeted about the launch of Brand Bengaluru. He wrote " Launching Brand Bengaluru -- the most enterprising, dynamic, progressive and global city, a city that allows you to be yourself." Launching Brand Bengaluru - the most enterprising, dynamic, progressive & glocal city; a city that allows U to be yourself. Participate in the #NammaBengaluruHabba near Vidhan Soudha today, and celebrate Namma Ooru Bengaluru! @PriyankKharge @KarnatakaWorld pic.twitter.com/zFGi1sLLfc — CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) December 24, 2017 × The font was devised by bankers-turned-designers Rushi Patel and M Venkateswara Rao, founders of Nammur, a design firm.

Bengaluru launches logo for identity badge 'Brand Bengaluru'

After Karnataka government denied permission to Time Creation&#39;s new year&#39;s eve event -- owing to Sunny Leone&#39;s participation -- the organisers have now sought&nbsp;relief and moved the high court.&nbsp;

&quot;No permission has been granted for Time Creation&#39;s New Year&#39;s Eve event in which Sunny Leone was to take part,&quot; Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy had told the media last week.&nbsp;

The event management firm also noted they were unable to forward requests and submit necessary clearances to various authorities due to a pending police permission.&nbsp;

Firm&#39;s proprietress, H S Bhavya, has already filed a petition stating that a letter was previously submitted to the police seeking permission to allow the&nbsp;show.&nbsp;

Over past the few weeks, Bengaluru witnessed multiple protests staged by groups demanding Sunny Leone to withdraw from the event.&nbsp;

Members of a pro-Kannada group, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/karnataka-government-bans-sunny-leone-from-participating-in-an-event-26894">Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Yuva Sene</a> (KARAVE) had previously threatened to commit suicide in case Sunny performed at the event wearing &#39;inappropriate&#39; garments.

(With inputs from agencies)

Over past few weeks, Bengaluru witnessed multiple protests staged by groups demanding Sunny Leone to withdraw from the event

After Karnataka government denied permission to Time Creation's new year's eve event -- owing to Sunny Leone's participation -- the organisers have now sought relief and moved the high court. "No permission has been granted for Time Creation's New Year's Eve event in which Sunny Leone was to take part," Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy had told the media last week. The event management firm also noted they were unable to forward requests and submit necessary clearances to various authorities due to a pending police permission. Firm's proprietress, H S Bhavya, has already filed a petition stating that a letter was previously submitted to the police seeking permission to allow the show. Over past the few weeks, Bengaluru witnessed multiple protests staged by groups demanding Sunny Leone to withdraw from the event. Members of a pro-Kannada group, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Yuva Sene (KARAVE) had previously threatened to commit suicide in case Sunny performed at the event wearing 'inappropriate' garments. (With inputs from agencies)

Sunny Leone's New Year show organisers in Bengaluru seek relief, move High Court

Karnataka government has denied permission to Time Creation&#39;s new year&#39;s eve event in which actress Sunny Leone was to perform.

&quot;No permission has been granted for Time Creation&#39;s New Year&#39;s Eve event in which Sunny Leone was to take part,&quot; said Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy.

Members of a pro-Kannada group, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Yuva Sene (KARAVE), were previously seen staging protests against Sunny Leone demanding her not to take part in the event.&nbsp;

KARAVE party members have threatened to commit suicide if Sunny performs at the event wearing &#39;inappropriate&#39; garments.

&quot;We don&#39;t have any objections if she (Sunny) attends the programme with a saree as per Indian culture. If she attends the event in a half dress or in any other ways we will commit suicide at the event,&quot; noted Jayadev Prasad, Secretary, KARAVE.&nbsp;

Prasad mentioned his group to have already purchased 70 tickets and claimed to stage stronger protests if Sunny Leone &quot;dances half-naked&quot;.&nbsp;

Karnataka government has denied permission to Time Creation`s New Year`s Eve event in which actress Sunny Leone was to participate

Karnataka government has denied permission to Time Creation's new year's eve event in which actress Sunny Leone was to perform. "No permission has been granted for Time Creation's New Year's Eve event in which Sunny Leone was to take part," said Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy. Members of a pro-Kannada group, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Yuva Sene (KARAVE), were previously seen staging protests against Sunny Leone demanding her not to take part in the event. KARAVE party members have threatened to commit suicide if Sunny performs at the event wearing 'inappropriate' garments. "We don't have any objections if she (Sunny) attends the programme with a saree as per Indian culture. If she attends the event in a half dress or in any other ways we will commit suicide at the event," noted Jayadev Prasad, Secretary, KARAVE. Prasad mentioned his group to have already purchased 70 tickets and claimed to stage stronger protests if Sunny Leone "dances half-naked".

Karnataka government says no to Sunny Leone's new year event

An Ola cab driver allegedly harassed woman&nbsp;passenger in Bengaluru, Karnataka on Wednesday.

The driver allegedly even tried to hold the woman hostage inside the car by activating the child lock.&nbsp;

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Bengaluru: Ola cab driver allegedly harassed a woman and tried holding her hostage inside cab by activating child lock. More details awaited.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938299647021539329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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This is not the first time an app-based cab service driver has been accused of sexual harassment, further shining a light on how unsafe they can be.&nbsp;

(This is a developing story. More details awaited.) 
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This is a developing story. More details are awaited

An Ola cab driver allegedly harassed woman passenger in Bengaluru, Karnataka on Wednesday. The driver allegedly even tried to hold the woman hostage inside the car by activating the child lock. Bengaluru: Ola cab driver allegedly harassed a woman and tried holding her hostage inside cab by activating child lock. More details awaited. — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × This is not the first time an app-based cab service driver has been accused of sexual harassment, further shining a light on how unsafe they can be. (This is a developing story. More details awaited.)

Ola driver harasses Bengaluru woman passenger, activates child lock to stop her escaping

An<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ola-driver-molests-bengaluru-woman-activates-child-lock-to-prevent-her-from-escaping-26011"> Ola driver was suspended</a> on Tuesday after he was allegedly accused of molesting a 23-year-old woman in Bengaluru on Sunday night, reports said.&nbsp;

An Ola representative has also told the customer to file a formal complaint against the driver to the police.&nbsp;

&quot;We regret the unfortunate experience the customer had during their ride. We have zero tolerance for such incidents and the driver has been suspended from the platform as an immediate action upon receiving the complaint,&quot; the Ola spokesperson said.

&quot;We have also urged the customer to lodge a formal complaint with the authorities. The safety of customers is our priority and we will continue to extend our full support to this investigation against the said driver,&quot; the spokesperson added.

The woman, who was a fashion designer by profession, complained to Ola Cabs safety team where she said that the driver misbehaved with her, held her hostage and child locked the doors.&nbsp;

The driver further threatened the woman and said that she would face consequences if she reports a complaint to the authorities, media reports said.

The woman did not lodge an official complaint. According to reports, she was not a resident of Bengaluru and did not file the complaint to avoid legal issues.&nbsp;

The victim has confirmed that the incident took place at around 10:30 pm.

The driver further threatened the women and said that she would face consequences if she reports a complaint to the authorities, media reports said

An Ola driver was suspended on Tuesday after he was allegedly accused of molesting a 23-year-old woman in Bengaluru on Sunday night, reports said. An Ola representative has also told the customer to file a formal complaint against the driver to the police. "We regret the unfortunate experience the customer had during their ride. We have zero tolerance for such incidents and the driver has been suspended from the platform as an immediate action upon receiving the complaint," the Ola spokesperson said. "We have also urged the customer to lodge a formal complaint with the authorities. The safety of customers is our priority and we will continue to extend our full support to this investigation against the said driver," the spokesperson added. The woman, who was a fashion designer by profession, complained to Ola Cabs safety team where she said that the driver misbehaved with her, held her hostage and child locked the doors. The driver further threatened the woman and said that she would face consequences if she reports a complaint to the authorities, media reports said. The woman did not lodge an official complaint. According to reports, she was not a resident of Bengaluru and did not file the complaint to avoid legal issues. The victim has confirmed that the incident took place at around 10:30 pm.

Ola suspends driver for molesting woman passenger

The&nbsp;Bellandur lake in Bengaluru continues to pollute the city with untreated sewage&nbsp;&quot;overflowing&quot;&nbsp;out of the lake.

The lake once inhabited flourishing ecosystem has&nbsp;now reduced to a stinking drain.

The lake burned for hours in 2015 when it caught fire in May.&nbsp;The city also witnessed the foam &quot;overflowing&quot;&nbsp;out of the lake during the recent rain in the city.

The situation has not changed much as the frothing continues even today.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bengaluru?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bengaluru</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Visuals</a> of Bellandur Lake, residents say &quot;situation has not changed much as frothing continues, poses a major health risk&quot; <a href="https://t.co/thK3N46kkb">pic.twitter.com/thK3N46kkb</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/933172259522428929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The white discharge from the lake overflows into residential areas and roads, often disrupting the traffic.&nbsp;

The toxic foam has caused breathing problems&nbsp;and irritation in the skin, reports said. The carcinogenic foam has also led to serious health hazards.

The white froth over the lake is majorly the result of a direct&nbsp;discharge of untreated domestic waste in it. Out of the total waste dumped into the lake, 90- 95 per cent accounts for domestic waste.&nbsp;

An IIT Bengaluru research stated that around 90 per cent of the lakes in Bengaluru were affected because of the &quot; sustained inflow of untreated sewage and industrial effluents&quot;, a report said.

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The white froth over the lake is majorly the result of a direct?discharge of untreated domestic waste in it

The Bellandur lake in Bengaluru continues to pollute the city with untreated sewage "overflowing" out of the lake. The lake once inhabited flourishing ecosystem has now reduced to a stinking drain. The lake burned for hours in 2015 when it caught fire in May. The city also witnessed the foam "overflowing" out of the lake during the recent rain in the city. The situation has not changed much as the frothing continues even today. #Bengaluru: #Visuals of Bellandur Lake, residents say "situation has not changed much as frothing continues, poses a major health risk" pic.twitter.com/thK3N46kkb — ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2017 × The white discharge from the lake overflows into residential areas and roads, often disrupting the traffic. The toxic foam has caused breathing problems and irritation in the skin, reports said. The carcinogenic foam has also led to serious health hazards. The white froth over the lake is majorly the result of a direct discharge of untreated domestic waste in it. Out of the total waste dumped into the lake, 90- 95 per cent accounts for domestic waste. An IIT Bengaluru research stated that around 90 per cent of the lakes in Bengaluru were affected because of the " sustained inflow of untreated sewage and industrial effluents", a report said.

Watch: Bengaluru's Bellandur lake continues to froth

With the GST Council meeting underway, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gst-on-over-200-daily-use-items-expected-to-fall-sushil-modi-23850">Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar that at least 227 items</a> were there in 28% GST slab, now only 50 remain, which are mostly luxury items, rest have been put in the 18% bracket.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/does-congress-want-to-make-bmws-mercedes-cheaper-jaitley-22889">Assam finance minister added that GST meeting</a> will be &quot;path-breaking with many crucial decisions in favour of traders, manufacturers and consumers.&quot;

The GST council meeting being held today is set to take crucial decisions including extending sops to small traders and businesses.

Earlier, finance minister Arun Jaitley had defended the multiple slabs under the Goods and Services Tax.&nbsp;

The GST -- which was meant to replace India&#39;s myriad indirect taxes with one single tax -- has come under severe criticism.

Jaitley said that bringing everything under 18% GST would help those buying luxury items.&nbsp;

With the GST Council meeting underway, Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar that at least 227 items were there in 28% GST slab, now only 50 remain, which are mostly luxury items, rest have been put in the 18% bracket. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam finance minister added that GST meeting will be "path-breaking with many crucial decisions in favour of traders, manufacturers and consumers." The GST council meeting being held today is set to take crucial decisions including extending sops to small traders and businesses. Earlier, finance minister Arun Jaitley had defended the multiple slabs under the Goods and Services Tax. The GST -- which was meant to replace India's myriad indirect taxes with one single tax -- has come under severe criticism. Jaitley said that bringing everything under 18% GST would help those buying luxury items.

22,000 private doctors to go on strike from Thursday in Bangalore

The IT sector in the country is going through a transformational phase. Technology is changing, services are getting automated and increasingly India&#39;s traditional service based IT industry is shifting to software and innovation based.

But are the colleges and engineering institutions in the country catching up with the changing requirement? The larger opinion is in the negative.&nbsp;

The needs of the fast-changing&nbsp;Indian IT are being met by, what Dr Somdatta, Co-chair of the NASSCOM Product council terms, a robust parallel training and hiring sector.

Institutions are spurting across the country that are picking candidates from underprivileged backgrounds, diploma holders, 12th standard graduates or college dropouts and are training them in web technology, app development and coding.&nbsp;

&quot;Some skills don&#39;t require theoretical education. They can be taught on practical application. That ecosystem is becoming very robust now,&quot; says Dr Somdatta.&nbsp;

Institutions like Zoho in Chennai and Navgurukul in Delhi-NCR are changing lives of students, who have the talent but lack opportunities. Several start-ups in the IT capital of Bengaluru are also choosing to pick candidates purely based on their talent and less on the college that they studied in or the degree that they hold.

One of the biggest reasons for such a demand in a country that produces 1.5 million engineers every year is the quality of talent.

The National Employability Report by Aspiring Minds in 2016 found that only 8% of Indian engineers were employable in core engineering sectors.

The changing technology and lack of quality talent is leaving a huge gap, that is being filled by these trained professionals.&nbsp;

Nikhil Jois, a 27-yr-old entrepreneur from Bengaluru, also an engineering dropout feels that very little of the syllabus taught to them over the 8 semesters has practical usage.

&#39;Most of what is taught is useless on the job. It would be better if colleges encouraged learning rather than ensuring students mug up their way to clearing exams&#39;, says Jois.

His start-up Eventosaur hires candidates from such unconventional backgrounds and trains them extensively over several months. &#39;It&#39;s a clean slate as far as we are concerned.

We only want to know if they have the potential and the hunger in them.

We then assign them to a mentor. They get to shadow their mentor over the next few months where they attend meetings, write mails, draft presentations etc. The learning happens on the job&#39;, says Jois.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The hypergrowth software startups are worlds apart from India&#39;s traditional service-based IT industry and demands candidates who can unlearn, relearn and update quickly.

Also business managers consider&nbsp;such candidates as assets to the company as they are grateful and more loyal to the organisation in comparison to engineering graduates.

MNCs such as BOSCH and HCL have set up their own training centres, whereas other major companies such as PwC and Flipkart have started accepting candidates without a formal degree, at least for some posts.&nbsp;

&#39;Digital means, being able to automate most of the things that are today tangibly handled, over digital.

To be able to do that you need skilled people who can make that happen&#39;, says Dr Somdatta, while reiterating that the trend is a wake up call to colleges across the country to upgrade, or face the threat of becoming irrelevant.&nbsp;

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A parallel hiring ecosystem developing in India. IT firms going for practical knowledge instead of theoretical.

The IT sector in the country is going through a transformational phase. Technology is changing, services are getting automated and increasingly India's traditional service based IT industry is shifting to software and innovation based. But are the colleges and engineering institutions in the country catching up with the changing requirement? The larger opinion is in the negative. The needs of the fast-changing Indian IT are being met by, what Dr Somdatta, Co-chair of the NASSCOM Product council terms, a robust parallel training and hiring sector. Institutions are spurting across the country that are picking candidates from underprivileged backgrounds, diploma holders, 12th standard graduates or college dropouts and are training them in web technology, app development and coding. "Some skills don't require theoretical education. They can be taught on practical application. That ecosystem is becoming very robust now," says Dr Somdatta. Institutions like Zoho in Chennai and Navgurukul in Delhi-NCR are changing lives of students, who have the talent but lack opportunities. Several start-ups in the IT capital of Bengaluru are also choosing to pick candidates purely based on their talent and less on the college that they studied in or the degree that they hold. One of the biggest reasons for such a demand in a country that produces 1.5 million engineers every year is the quality of talent. The National Employability Report by Aspiring Minds in 2016 found that only 8% of Indian engineers were employable in core engineering sectors. The changing technology and lack of quality talent is leaving a huge gap, that is being filled by these trained professionals. Nikhil Jois, a 27-yr-old entrepreneur from Bengaluru, also an engineering dropout feels that very little of the syllabus taught to them over the 8 semesters has practical usage. 'Most of what is taught is useless on the job. It would be better if colleges encouraged learning rather than ensuring students mug up their way to clearing exams', says Jois. His start-up Eventosaur hires candidates from such unconventional backgrounds and trains them extensively over several months. 'It's a clean slate as far as we are concerned. We only want to know if they have the potential and the hunger in them. We then assign them to a mentor. They get to shadow their mentor over the next few months where they attend meetings, write mails, draft presentations etc. The learning happens on the job', says Jois. The hypergrowth software startups are worlds apart from India's traditional service-based IT industry and demands candidates who can unlearn, relearn and update quickly. Also business managers consider such candidates as assets to the company as they are grateful and more loyal to the organisation in comparison to engineering graduates. MNCs such as BOSCH and HCL have set up their own training centres, whereas other major companies such as PwC and Flipkart have started accepting candidates without a formal degree, at least for some posts. 'Digital means, being able to automate most of the things that are today tangibly handled, over digital. To be able to do that you need skilled people who can make that happen', says Dr Somdatta, while reiterating that the trend is a wake up call to colleges across the country to upgrade, or face the threat of becoming irrelevant.

Changing hiring trend? Bengaluru IT firms picking up Class 12 students and college dropouts

Bangalore, Silicon Valley of India, now known as Bengaluru has emerged as the best host among 45 cities of the world for digital hosting of businesses.

Bengaluru is rated highest for the digital environment of people, skills, financial environment, innovation and entrepreneurship, new technology development, and ICT infrastructure, according to a report from The Economist, published on Tuesday.

&ldquo;India&rsquo;s cities may suffer from infrastructure deficits, pollution, poverty and other ills, but when it comes to the environment for digital transformation, their executives are remarkably optimistic&quot;, the report said.

San Francisco came in the second followed by Mumbai and New Delhi, while Tokyo, Yokohama, and Berlin were at the bottom.

Citing a case study in digital security, the report&nbsp;mentioned that it was surprising to see train riders in San Francisco were unable to pay their fares, hackers had attacked the system&#39;s computers, encrypting all its data, and were demanding a ransom to return it.

The report has taken&nbsp;into consideration four broad parametres to rank cities: digital security, health security, infrastructure security&nbsp;and personal security.

Top 10 cities on the list of 45 were Bengaluru, San Francisco, Mumbai, New Delhi, Beijing, Manila, Shanghai, Jakarta, London, and Madrid.

The Economist surveyed, 2,620 executives across the 45 cities in June and July, in partnership with telecommunications firm Telstra Corp.&nbsp;

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Bangalore, Silicon Valley of India, now known as Bengaluru has emerged as the best host among 45 cities of the world for digital hosting of businesses?

Bangalore, Silicon Valley of India, now known as Bengaluru has emerged as the best host among 45 cities of the world for digital hosting of businesses. Bengaluru is rated highest for the digital environment of people, skills, financial environment, innovation and entrepreneurship, new technology development, and ICT infrastructure, according to a report from The Economist, published on Tuesday. “India’s cities may suffer from infrastructure deficits, pollution, poverty and other ills, but when it comes to the environment for digital transformation, their executives are remarkably optimistic", the report said. San Francisco came in the second followed by Mumbai and New Delhi, while Tokyo, Yokohama, and Berlin were at the bottom. Citing a case study in digital security, the report mentioned that it was surprising to see train riders in San Francisco were unable to pay their fares, hackers had attacked the system's computers, encrypting all its data, and were demanding a ransom to return it. The report has taken into consideration four broad parametres to rank cities: digital security, health security, infrastructure security and personal security. Top 10 cities on the list of 45 were Bengaluru, San Francisco, Mumbai, New Delhi, Beijing, Manila, Shanghai, Jakarta, London, and Madrid. The Economist surveyed, 2,620 executives across the 45 cities in June and July, in partnership with telecommunications firm Telstra Corp.

Bengaluru beats San Francisco to emerge on top in 'best digital environment' survey

The civic authority in Bengaluru has come up with a novel idea to make women feel safe. The city will soon have as many as 1000 parking spots reserved for women across its busy, prime areas.

The project has been implemented in Brigade Road so far and will be extended to 85 prime areas of the city.

&quot;There are people who have all the time and money in the world. They park their vehicles for a long time, for the entire day till late evening. The women, meanwhile, are troubled by this. When they come, they have to go looking for parking for 1-2 km,&quot;&nbsp;Sampath Raj, Mayor, Bengaluru.

Mayor Raj says that the idea behind the initiative is to better&nbsp;women&#39;s safety by allowing them to park&nbsp;on main roads, especially&nbsp;during the&nbsp;night.

&quot;I think something like this has happened for the first time in the world. There will be some teething troubles initially, but this move will be beneficial in the long run,&quot; he added.

Bengaluru&#39;s packed streets desperately lack parking spaces and more often than not drivers are forced to go looking for suitable&nbsp;bylanes. The women drivers in the city that WION spoke to expressed great excitement over the initiative.&nbsp;

&quot;It is something nice that the city is doing for us. you find it so difficult to park with those big cars. it&#39;s a wonderful initiative, said a woman driver.

&quot;It gives me more pleasure to come to brigade road and church street now that I have a few slots available where I can park without hassle,&quot; said another.

Traders in these areas are also expecting an increase in their businesses as they feel that the slots will be available for genuine shoppers.

The civic authority in Bengaluru has come up with a novel idea to make women feel safe. The city will soon have as many as 1000 parking spots reserved for women across its busy, prime areas.

The civic authority in Bengaluru has come up with a novel idea to make women feel safe. The city will soon have as many as 1000 parking spots reserved for women across its busy, prime areas. The project has been implemented in Brigade Road so far and will be extended to 85 prime areas of the city. "There are people who have all the time and money in the world. They park their vehicles for a long time, for the entire day till late evening. The women, meanwhile, are troubled by this. When they come, they have to go looking for parking for 1-2 km," Sampath Raj, Mayor, Bengaluru. Mayor Raj says that the idea behind the initiative is to better women's safety by allowing them to park on main roads, especially during the night. "I think something like this has happened for the first time in the world. There will be some teething troubles initially, but this move will be beneficial in the long run," he added. Bengaluru's packed streets desperately lack parking spaces and more often than not drivers are forced to go looking for suitable bylanes. The women drivers in the city that WION spoke to expressed great excitement over the initiative. "It is something nice that the city is doing for us. you find it so difficult to park with those big cars. it's a wonderful initiative, said a woman driver. "It gives me more pleasure to come to brigade road and church street now that I have a few slots available where I can park without hassle," said another. Traders in these areas are also expecting an increase in their businesses as they feel that the slots will be available for genuine shoppers.

Bengaluru now has reserved parking for women

Abdul Karim Telgi, a convict in counterfeit stamp paper scam, passed away in Karnataka capital, Bengaluru, due to multiple organ failures. He was undergoing treatment at Victoria hospital&#39;s intensive care unit (ICU) in Bengaluru.

Telgi was on the ventilator and was suffering from meningitis.

Telgi was arrested in Ajmer in November 2001 and has been suffering from diabetes and hypertension for more than 20 years, besides other ailments, including AIDS.

He was serving his term in Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in Bengaluru after being sentenced to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment in&nbsp;a multi-crore fake stamp paper racket.

A whopping fine of Rs 202 crore was also imposed on him.

Recently, Telgi was in thick of controversy when former DIG (Prisons) D Roopa alleged that prison authorities were giving him preferential treatment in the prison.&nbsp;

Telgi was lodged in Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in Bengaluru after a 30-year rigorous imprisonment sentence in multi-crore fake stamp paper racket

Abdul Karim Telgi, a convict in counterfeit stamp paper scam, passed away in Karnataka capital, Bengaluru, due to multiple organ failures. He was undergoing treatment at Victoria hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) in Bengaluru. Telgi was on the ventilator and was suffering from meningitis. Telgi was arrested in Ajmer in November 2001 and has been suffering from diabetes and hypertension for more than 20 years, besides other ailments, including AIDS. He was serving his term in Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in Bengaluru after being sentenced to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment in a multi-crore fake stamp paper racket. A whopping fine of Rs 202 crore was also imposed on him. Recently, Telgi was in thick of controversy when former DIG (Prisons) D Roopa alleged that prison authorities were giving him preferential treatment in the prison.

Abdul Karim Telgi, kingpin of fake stamp paper scam, dead

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