Shiv Sena threatened Pakistani cricket umpire Aleem Dar on Monday to quit the current series between India and South Africa, shortly after storming BCCI’s Mumbai office to protest a planned meeting with Pakistan cricket officials.The protest was carried out ahead of the meeting of Board of Control for Cricket in India chief Shashank Manohar and his Pakistani counterpart Shahryar Khan.

Dar is part of the ongoing Indian home series against South Africa and is scheduled to officiate in the fifth ODI of the tournament in Mumbai. Shiv Sena issued the threat to him after the Mumbai protest, Indian cricket news website Espncricinfo.com and state-run Radio Pakistan reported.Earlier on Monday, around three dozen supporters of the Shiv Sena barged into the headquarters of the BCCI and shouted anti-Pakistan slogans at Manohar.

The protesters demanded that the BCCI chief cancel talks with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Khan that were planned in Mumbai on Monday. The talks were later rescheduled for Tuesday.

Ink attack on J&K MLA who had hosted a 'beef party'
Ink and mobil oil was thrown on Engineer Rashid, an independent lawmaker from Jammu and Kashmir, at the Press Club in Delhi on Monday days after he hosted a 'beef party'. This was the second attack on the MLA within a fortnight.The attack took place when the MLA was addressing a press conference. Rashid was thrashed by BJP MLAs inside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for hosting the party at the lawns of government circuit house. Rashid and his supporters staged a protest along with his supporters against the attack.

Govt allows transfer of blood from one blood bank to another
The Union health ministry has allowed transfer of blood from one blood bank to another, a move that will help take it to places of scarcity to save lives.The ministry has also fixed “non-cash” exchange value for surplus plasma available at some blood banks in the country, aiming to increase the availability of essential life-saving medicines.

In a statement, the ministry said that the transfer of blood from one bank to the other was not allowed earlier. “The first step is permitting the transfer of blood from one blood bank to another. This was not allowed earlier and will help in transfer of blood to places of scarcity. Detailed guidelines for proper and efficient transport of blood between banks have been prescribed,” it said.“The second step is fixing of an exchange value for surplus plasma available at some blood banks in the country, it said.


Pulse prices continue to rise, tur dal hits Rs 200/kg
Retail tur dal prices on Monday shot up to Rs 200 per kg despite the government’s steps to boost supply and check prices, aggravating consumers’ woes.Till last week, tur was available at Rs 185 per kg in the retail market.The prices of pulses have increased unabated in the last few months due to a fall in domestic output by about 2 million tonnes (mt) to 17.20 mt in 2014-15 crop year (July-June) owing to deficient monsoon and unseasonal rains.As per the data maintained by the consumer affairs ministry, the maximum retail price of tur, also known as arhar dal, soared to Rs 200 per kg today, as against Rs 85 per kg in the year-ago period.

In the last five years, retail tur prices were ruling in the range of Rs 74-85 per kg, the data showed.
Urad too is retailing high at Rs 170 per kg today though it declined from Rs 187 per kg last week, but rates are still way higher than Rs 98 per kg that prevailed a year earlier.Despite the government taking several measures, including imports and curbs on hoarding, to improve domestic supply, the prices of these two pulses have failed to cool.

Sensex gains for third day, Nifty closes at 8,275
The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty gained for a third consecutive trading session on Monday as Reliance Industries surged after posting a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit, while sentiment was supported after Chinese economic growth data eased fears of a hard landing. Sensex closed 150.32 points up at 27364.92 while Nifty closed 36.90 points up at 8,275.05. The market breadth indicating the overall health of the market was strong. On BSE, 1,565 shares advanced and 1,157 shares fell. A total of 162 shares were unchanged.

Validity of environment clearance to 7 years
Government has extended the validity of environment clearance (EC) from five years to seven years, a senior Environment Ministry official said. It is mandatory to take environment clearance for execution of both 'A' and 'B' category projects in the country. The EC is granted after carefully assessing the environment impact of a project and taking into account the environment management plan.

Govt mulling more FDI in news channels, to hike digital ad spend
Government is mulling on the issue of bringing more FDI into news channels, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said today while voicing concern over "quality of news" and little investment in training of journalists. Speaking at an event organised by the CII, he said the government is talking about the concept of "bringing in more" Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into news channels. As per present rules, 26 per cent FDI is allowed in uplinking of news and current affairs TV channels. He also said that the government plans to increase advertising spend on digital, while lowering its ad spend on traditional media such as print including newspapers.

Gujarat lifts ban on Maggi noodles
The Gujarat government on Monday lifted ban on Maggi after all samples of Nestle India's product have cleared tests conducted by three laboratories, as mandated by Bombay High Court. The instant noodles brand was banned over the presence of excess lead. "We have received test results from all three laboratories mandated by the Hon'ble Bombay High Court to test Maggi Noodles samples. All the 90 samples, covering six variants, tested by these laboratories are clear with lead much below the permissible limits," Nestle India had said in a statement.

Digvijay Singh's uncivil conduct with policeman caught on camera
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh's pictures of unruly behaviour towards policemen in Bhopal have surfaced on social networking sites. Singh after recording his statement before SIT in connection with an alleged recruitment scam at Madhya Pradesh Assembly Secretariat was coming out of police control room when he saw police dispersing the Congress protesters. Singh immediately moved out of his car and held a policeman by his uniform and pushed him aside. This act was caught on camera by one of the onlookers.

Rahul writes to Modi on special status for AP
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has written to prime minister Narendra Modi seeking special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Rahul requested PM to announce a time-frame for fulfillment of commitments made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2013. Modi is due to visit Andhra Pradesh on October 22 to lay the foundation stone of the new capital.