National
Rajkumar Badole rubbishes report of assault on his PA

There were reports in a section of media that there was a physical altercation between the personal assistant of Badole and Nithure in the minister’s third-floor office in Mantralaya.
Mumbai| Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Rajkumar Badole Friday rubbished reports that his personal assistant was assaulted in his office by a proprietor of an unaided ashram school in Osmanabad district over bribery charges.
Arun Nithure, proprietor of an unaided Ashram school in Osmanabad district had on September 12 alleged that a personal assistant of Badole had demanded Rs 10 lakh bribe from him to approve his proposal.
There were reports in a section of media that there was a physical altercation between Badole’s personal assistant and Nithure, when the latter had gone to the minister’s third-floor office in Mantralaya to inquire about the status of his case.
In his written response to a question by NCP‘s Hemant Takle, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde and others, Badole, however, said, “No personal assistant of the minister was assaulted.”
Reacting to the media report, leader of opposition in legislative assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil had earlier said, “If the beating up of the corrupt personal assistant of the minister for work not done even after payment of Rs 10 lakh is anything to go by, the day is not far when a similar fate could befall the minister.”
Following the controversy, Badole had said that Nithure had “unsound mind” and beaten up a clerk.
During the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislature held in Nagpur, Badole had said that he had given a notice of self-immolation to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
National
India invited as ‘Guest of Honour’ to OIC meet, Sushma Swaraj to attend

Official sources said it was for the first time, India has been invited to an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting as a guest of honour.
New Delhi| In a significant move, India has been invited to the inaugural plenary of the foreign ministers’ conclave of the OIC, a powerful grouping of Muslim majority nations, and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will attend it in Abu Dhabi next month as the ‘guest of honour’.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) called the invitation a “welcome recognition” of the presence of 185 million Muslims in India and of their contribution to its pluralistic ethos, and of India’s contribution to the Islamic world.
Official sources said it was for the first time, India has been invited to an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting as a guest of honour. The 46th Session of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers will be held in Abu Dhabi from March 1 to 2.
The invitation to India by the OIC comes at a time when India has been mounting a diplomatic offensive against Pakistan to isolate it internationally following the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
The OIC has usually been supportive of Pakistan and, often sided with Islamabad on the Kashmir issue.
First time as Guest of Honour!
EAM @SushmaSwaraj will attend 46th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation as ‘Guest of Honour’ to attend the Inaugural Plenary at the invitation of UAE Foreign Minister.
https://t.co/CgYRBbEfp2 1/2— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) February 23, 2019
The MEA said Foreign Minister of United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan invited Swaraj as the ‘guest of honour’ to address the inaugural plenary and that India was happy to accept the invitation.
“We see this invitation as the desire of the enlightened leadership of the UAE to go beyond our rapidly growing close bilateral ties and forge a true multifaceted partnership at the multilateral and international level,” the MEA said in a release.
“We see this invitation as a milestone in our comprehensive strategic partnership with the UAE. We also see this invitation as a welcome recognition of the presence of 185 million Muslims in India and of their contribution to its pluralistic ethos, and of India’s contribution to the Islamic world,” it said.
India is, therefore, happy to accept the invitation and thanked the leadership of the UAE for it, the ministry said.
Last year, Bangladesh proposed a restructuring of the charter of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to pave way for the inclusion of non-Muslim countries like India as an “observer state” of the 50-year old grouping.
National
Assam hooch tragedy death toll mounts to 59, 200 taken ill

Jorhat| At least 59 people have died and over 200 taken ill after consuming spurious liquor in tea gardens in Assam‘s Golaghat and Jorhat since Thursday night, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday.
The death toll is rising every minute, the minister said after visiting Jorhat Medical College Hospital (JMCH) here.
“This morning the death toll in Golaghat and Jorhat districts was 59 and 200 people have been admitted to hospitals. The death toll and the number of people admitted are changing minute by minute,” Sarma told reporters after meeting some patients at the hospital.
National
100 cars gutted in fire at Aero India 2019 show in Bengaluru

Bengaluru | More than 100 cars have been gutted in to fire at the parking lot near the Aero India Show held at the Yelahankha air base in Bengaluru.
According to a local eye witness, a grass fire spread to parking area number 5 and some vehicles which were parked there have also caught fire. The fire department has stated that around 80-100 cars gutted in fire near the venue of the Aero India Show in Bengaluru.
Officials stated that around 10 fire engines have rushed to the spot. Responding on the incident Senior police official MNReddi tweeted, “Fire in the open field parking lot of aero show. Nearly 20 cars burnt. Fire fighting operations by Chief Fire Officer and 10 water tenders staff underway.”
Earlier on Tuesday, one fighter pilot was killed after two Surya Kiran Aircraft crashed during the rehearsal of the Aero India Show.
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