AG Noorani, Noted Constitutional Expert, Lawyer, Author And More

Abdul Ghafoor Noorani, eminent constitutional expert, lawyer and author, died today at the age of 93. A noted scholar on Jammu and Kashmir, his absence is being felt in the Union Territory, where many are mourning him.

An alumnus of Mumbai's Government Law College, his unwavering commitment to justice and legal acumen brought him accolades and helped him blaze a trail from the Bombay High Court to the topmost court of the land.

In the courts, Noorani played a critical role at a difficult time, defending some of the leading lights of the day -- including Sheikh Abdullah during his detention and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

In recent days, he emerged as a sharp and incisive commentator on legal issues, including key judgements of the Supreme Court. With an overview of British India -- he was born in 1930 -- and the post-Independence ideologies, he was a stern critic of what, in his opinion, was a gradual degeneration of the legal system.  

These opinions were expressed in an array of eminent publications including The Statesman, Frontline, Economic & Political Weekly, The Hindustan Times and The Hindu. His views were cited by academics and judges and even in Supreme Court judgments. But along with many admirers, they also earned him some critics, who felt his views were out of sync with ground realities.

As an author, he penned books on constitutional law, politics, and history. Some of his notable works include The Kashmir Question (1964), Ministers' Misconduct (1973), Constitutional Questions and Citizens' Rights (2006), and The RSS: A Menace to India (2019). He also authored the biographies of Badruddin Tyabji and Dr Zakir Hussain.

"Sorry to hear about the demise of A G Noorani Sb earlier today. Noorani Sb was a man of letters, an accomplished lawyer, a scholar & a political commentator. He wrote extensively on matters of law and on subjects like Kashmir, RSS and the constitution. May Allah grant him highest place in Jannat," posted former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in his condolence message on X, formerly Twitter.

"AG Noorani, a giant among scholars has passed away. I learnt a great deal from him, from the constitution, to Kashmir, to China & even the art of appreciating good food. May Allah grant him maghfirah," posted AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

"A man erudite, gruff n scholarly! Be it the #BabriMasjid #Kashmir #RSS #Hyderabad history & rigorous legal documentation was is his forte! Salaam forever #Nooranisaheb or #Ghafoor as his close friends knew him! AG Noorani passes away at 93!" posted activist Teesta Setalvad.

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29 Dead, More Rain In Store For Gujarat Over Next Two Days: 10 Points

1. The India Meteorological Department has forecast of extremely heavy rains in isolated parts of districts in Saurashtra on Thursday.
2. With the latest spell, Gujarat has so far received 105 per cent of its average annual rainfall, the State Emergency Operations Centre has said.
3. Twenty-nine people have died in rain-related incidents since the deluge started on Sunday. Around 18,000 people have been evacuated to safety.
4. Water from the Ajwa and Pratappura Reservoirs was released into Vishwamitri River, causing floods downstream. Parts of Vadodara and other cities and villages along the river have been under 10 to 12 feet of water.
5. Vadodara grappled with floods as the Vishwamitri river, flowing through the city, breached its banks and entered residential localities, inundating buildings, roads and vehicles.
6. An official release said 140 reservoirs and dams, and 24 rivers in the state were flowing above the danger mark.
7. Besides the National and State Disaster relief forces, the Army, the Air Force and the Coast Guard have been called in for rescue and relief work.
8. Many people are yet to be evacuated from flooded areas. Hungry and wet, they are struggling to stay safe, moving to rooftops under temporary sheds.
9. This morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and assured all possible support and assistance.
10. State health minister Rushikesh Patel said the government is considering diverting the flood water into the Narmada canal instead of releasing it in Vishwamitri river

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Mother And Son In China Demand Free Upgrade To First Class, Delay Flight

A woman in China faced widespread criticism for failing to control her unruly child on a domestic flight from Chongqing, causing a one-hour delay. According to the South China Morning Post, the incident occurred on August 15 when the boy, whose age was not disclosed, became upset about the limited legroom in their economy-class seats. He cried, complained, and stood in the aisle, before barging into the first-class cabin, disrupting fellow passengers and prompting a delay in the flight's departure.

Despite flight attendants' repeated requests, the mother refused to restrain her son and allowed him to enter the first-class cabin. Multiple attendants attempted to reason with the duo, but their efforts went in vain.

''There are empty seats. Why don't you just let us sit here?'' the woman said in a video that went viral on social media in China. 

As tensions escalated, fellow passengers grew angry, with some loudly demanding, "Remove them from the plane!" and "Stop negotiating, just eject them!" The standoff ultimately delayed the flight's departure by an hour before it finally took off.

The mother's actions sparked a torrent of outrage on Chinese social media, drawing widespread condemnation and criticism from internet users. One user wrote, ''It's not the child's fault. The parent's education is the issue. She should be held fully responsible for the inconvenience she caused to other passengers.''

People also criticised the airline's handling of the incident, questioning their response to the disruption and whether more could have been done to resolve the situation promptly. 

''The flight attendants did not do a good job in dealing with the disturbance. Also, the company has not issued a statement explaining to passengers why the flight was delayed, or offering them compensation,'' another user commented. 

The country has witnessed several similar incidents involving plane seats, including a notable case last year on a Jiangxi Airlines domestic flight. An elderly woman allegedly hurled expletives at a young passenger who declined to exchange seats, citing her health conditions as the reason for wanting the window seat. A flight attendant intervened, relocating the elderly woman to a different seat and defusing the tense situation.

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Watch: Baker Makes Bread Dough On Plane, Apologises After Backlash

Our social media feeds often feature bizarre cooking experiments. From trying viral food hacks to making treats at unusual locations, these posts stand out for a range of reasons. You may have come across videos of people cooking complicated dishes in their cars. Recently, a vlogger took this idea to the next level, by making bread dough on a plane. In a reel shared on Instagram, she documented the process from scratch and also explained how she spent part of her time while flying.

Also Read: Viral Video: Woman Cooks Seafood Meal Inside Her Car, Internet Reacts

The now-viral video begins with the text, "Making sourdough bread on my flight to Spain." This is followed by the baker stating, "I want to surprise my sister with a fresh loaf of bread." To this end, she starts by adding water, starter, flour and salt to a large bowl/ vessel. She mixes the ingredients to make a dough, kneads it and applies pressure as required. She covers the bowl and allows it to rest for some time. Later, she showcases the dough to the camera. She stretches and folds it carefully from different angles. The text on the video stated that she slept during the bulk fermentation stage of her creation.

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A post shared by Maria Baradell (@leafandloafco)

Also Read: Viral Video: This 'Chalte Firte Ghar Ka Kitchen' In Car Has Left The Internet Divided

The reel has clocked 1 million views so far. In the comments, many users criticised her for undertaking such an experiment on a plane. She responded to several comments, even apologising for not realising the consequences. Check out some of the reactions below:

"This is inconsiderate for all the people on the plane allergic to wheat and/or gluten. If I sat next to you, I would ask for a new seat immediately and a full refund because it would make me sick for several weeks to just inhale the flour. Please be more considerate next time."

"Looks really cute but please don't do it in planes, it's a really closed place and a celiac could suffer an intoxication, the flour can easily "fly" and spread. I know there is HEPA in the plane but is not instantaneous, so please avoid doing it in closed public places if you do not want to ruin some days of someone's holidays."

"I'd be too worried about airplane airborne germs on my dough."

"Plane is one of the dirtiest places even if you say you didn't touch anything but you did! Not a place to cook for your own health."

"Nope! It's so easy to just dehydrate your starter and take it anywhere and rehydrate and it goes back to normal in a day. A plane is no place to be doing this."

The vlogger responded to one of the initial comments, saying, "Lesson learned. Thanks for letting me know. I'm sorry." In a separate reel posted later (meant to be "Part 2"), she wrote, "#milehighsourdoughclub won't be a thing. I was trying to be creative after I saw another creator making pasta in-flight, but thanks to your comments I learned this was not a great idea. I am very thankful for the people who shared their feedback in a kind way, but it's ok if you want to hate on it, I had good intentions. We had this bread for dinner the following day and it was great! I am loving exploring Barcelona and visiting a few of the best bakeries here."

Also Read: Watch: Man Cooks Chicken Curry Inside Truck On Highway, Internet Impressed

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"Send Me Rs 500 For Cab": Scammer Poses As Chief Justice, Case Filed

From fake digital arrests to courier fraud, cybercriminals have become crafty. After several instances of fraudsters impersonating policemen, messaging and calling people to dupe them of their hard-earned money, a fake message from the 'CJI', seeking money to book a cab, is now going viral.

According to a screenshot of the post on the microblogging platform X, the impersonator, who claimed to be Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, was stranded at Connaught Place (CP).

"Hello, I am CJI and we have urgent meeting of the collegium and I am stuck at Cannaught Place can you send 5000rs for cab," read the screenshot of the post riddled with spelling and grammatical errors.

"I will return the money once I reach the court," assured the fraudulent message.

The Supreme Court has now taken note of the viral post and filed a complaint of cyber fraud on the instructions of the Chief Justice.

Several cases of cyber fraud have emerged in the recent past where people have lost lakhs of rupees after falling prey to the ingenious digital methods used by criminals.

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India proposed to set up a 'Digital Payments Intelligence Platform', which will have advanced technologies to mitigate payment fraud risks.

According to the annual report released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on May 30, there was a significant surge in the number of financial frauds reported by banks, increasing by 166 per cent year-on-year in the financial year 2023-24 to reach 36,075 cases.

This figure starkly contrasts with the 13,564 cases reported in the previous fiscal year, FY23.

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Case Filed Against Filmmaker Ranjith After Fresh Sexual Abuse Allegations

The fallout from the Justice K Hema Committee report on harassment and abuse in the Malayalam film industry intensified on Monday as a case was charged against well-known filmmaker Ranjith, and several female actors stepped forward with disturbing accounts of the mistreatment they faced at the hands of their various male counterparts.

The case was charged against Ranjith after a Bengali actress filed a complaint on Monday with the Kochi City Police Commissioner.

The complaint, sent via email, alleged that Ranjith had touched her inappropriately with sexual intent after inviting her to act in the movie Paleri Manikyam in 2009.

Kochi Police Commissioner S Syamsundar said a case under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) has been registered against Ranjith.

Another actress, Minu Muneer, who has appeared in a few movies, levelled sexual abuse allegations against prominent actors M Mukesh, who is also an MLA, Jayasurya and Maniyanpilla Raju, as well as small-time actor Idavela Babu who has a prominent role in the actors' association.

A more well-known actress from the 1990s also came forward on Monday with allegations of misconduct from years ago against a noted filmmaker. She has expressed willingness to provide a statement to the police.

The filmmaker has denied the charges.

In a Facebook post, Minu Muneer said, "I am writing to report a series of incidents of physical and verbal abuse I suffered at the hands of 1 Mukesh 2 Maniyan Pilla Raju, 3 Idavela Babu, 4 Jayasoorya (Jayasurya), 5 adv Chandrasekaran, 6 production controller Noble and Vichu, in the Malayalam film industry." "In 2013, I was subjected to physical and verbal abuse by these individuals while working on a project. I tried to cooperate and continue working, but the abuse became unbearable," the actress, who signed as Minu Kurian in her Facebook post, alleged.

With the exception of Maniyanpilla Raju, none of the actors have reacted.

On the same day, a junior artist accused actor Baburaj, known for villain roles, of sexual assault.

Rejecting the allegations, Baburaj, an office bearer in the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A), claimed it was an attempt by vested interests in the film industry to prevent him from becoming A.M.M.A general secretary, replacing Siddique, who resigned on Sunday amid similar charges.

Meanwhile, the serious and elaborate revelations of sexual harassment charges against two-time CPI(M) legislator M Mukesh brought embarrassment to the state government.

Though the opposition parties have accused the Left government of protecting the predators, its leaders put up a defence, saying a special investigation team has been formed to probe the allegations.

Yet, the continuing charges against Mukesh, who represents Kollam constituency in the assembly, have put the CPI (M)-led government under pressure.

A harassment allegation levelled by a woman against Mukesh years ago also resurfaced on Sunday.

Hours after Minu Muneer's allegations against Mukesh on Monday, workers from Yuva Morcha and Mahila Congress organised separate marches towards his residence in Kollam, demanding that a case be registered against him and that he resign as a legislator.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan said he expects that, like Ranjith and Siddique, Mukesh will also step down.

Reacting to the revelations against Mukesh, Higher Education Minister R Bindhu said any accusation against any person should be examined on factual grounds. "The wrongdoers should be punished. Innocent people should not be penalised," she told the media here.

Eminent writer Sara Joseph and Kerala Chalachitra Academy Vice-Chairman Premkumar raised objections against the reported inclusion of Mukesh in the film policy committee of the upcoming cinema conclave of the state government.

"The inclusion of Mukesh on the panel is ridiculous. He should resign as MLA if he has any self-pride," Joseph said.

Mukesh has claimed he is being deliberately targeted by vested interests as he is a CPI(M) MLA.

The female actor who accused him has also levelled sexual abuse allegations against three other prominent Malayalam actors.

Actor Maniyanpilla Raju has called for an overall investigation. "Some people will try to capitalise on the situation," he opined. "Among those accused, there will be both innocent and guilty parties. Therefore, a comprehensive investigation is necessary." Meanwhile, leading actor Prithviraj has called for corrective actions from A.M.M.A and a comprehensive investigation into the various allegations.

It came a day after director Ranjith and actor Siddique stepped down from their leadership roles in the Kerala Chalachitra Academy and A.M.M.A respectively, following sexual abuse allegations against them.

Amid mounting pressure on the government, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday announced the establishment of a seven-member special investigation team for the probe into the allegations made in the wake of the Hema Committee report being published.

There is however no move to conduct investigations on revelations made by women victims in the Hema Committee report.

The report by the Justice Hema Committee, constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case has revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry, prompting calls for action against the guilty.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Prince Harry Has Found A New "Father Figure" In US. He Is A Music Mogul

Prince Harry has found a new mentor and "father figure" in Canadian music icon David Foster, according to sources close to the pair, The Times reported. The 74-year-old music producer has become a close friend and confidant to the Duke of Sussex during his time in the US, as per the report.

Foster, who lives near Harry and Meghan Markle in Montecito, California, has apparently filled a void left by Prince Harry's strained relationships with his own family, particularly King Charles. Katharine McPhee, Foster's wife, described the bond between Harry and her husband as "like father and son". 

How they became friends

Meghan Markle attended the same Catholic middle school in Los Angeles as Foster's wife, Katharine McPhee. Although they weren't close friends at school, they reconnected in London when McPhee was starring in the musical Waitress on the West End. It was then that David Foster and Prince Harry hit it off.

Foster and McPhee helped the Sussexes find a place to stay in Canada after they left the UK in 2020. The 16-time Grammy winner helped the couple find a $14.1 million rental home in Victoria, British Columbia, while they looked for a permanent residence in California.

Foster told the Daily Mail back in 2020 that he was honoured to help the ex-royal couple, citing his Canadian roots and the commonwealth connection. "I was just happy through my friend to facilitate what I could for them, and it looked like they had a great rest," he said. "They are a young modern family. I'm sure they want to balance their commitment to the crown and be a 2020 family." 

Since then, Harry and Foster have been close friends. McPhee said, "My husband has a really, really beautiful relationship with Harry. They're so cute."

In October 2020, the Sussexes moved to Santa Barbara, and the two couples have been inseparable ever since. They were spotted enjoying a double date at Lucky's Steakhouse in Montecito, where Katharine McPhee, then pregnant with her son Rennie, chatted with Meghan Markle about purchasing a home in the area.

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