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Martin Place siege: Hostages held in Sydney cafe, Islamic flag seen in window

Sydney, Dec 15 (ANI): Hostages have been held inside a central Sydney cafe in Australia on Monday where a black flag with white Arabic writing was seen in the window, raising fears of an attack linked to Islamic militants. Patrons were seen inside a cafe standing with their hands pressed against the windows. A black and white flag similar to those used by Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria was also visible. Part of Martin Place, home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, commercial banks and close to the New South Wales (NSW) state parliament, has been cordoned off by the armed Australian police. Trains and buses have come to a halt and roads have been blocked in the area. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott called an emergency meeting of the cabinet's national security committee. Dec 15, 2014
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PM Modi pays floral tribute to martyrs of 2001 Parliament attack

New Delhi, Dec 13 (ANI): On the anniversary of 2001 Parliament attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the martyrs who lost their lives during attack. Along with PM Modi, former PM Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and BJP senior leader LK Advani also paid tribute to the martyrs. Earlier in the day, PM Modi had tweeted "We salute martyrs who lost their lives protecting the Temple of our Democracy on this day in 2001. Their sacrifices are etched in our memory". On December 13, 2001, heavily armed terrorists infiltrated the Parliament House and began firing their weapons during the time of Parliament session. Dec 13, 2014
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Elaborate security for PM Modis rally in Kashmir

Rajouri, Dec 12 (ANI): Security forces made elaborate arrangement on Friday (December 12) for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of recent militant attacks. The armed security personnel sensitised the nearby mountainous region as well as the rally venue to prevent any untoward incident. Modi will address an election rally in Rajouri district to seek votes for Bharatiya Janata Party in the fourth phase of polls. The polling will end on December 20 and the results will be declared on December 23. Dec 12, 2014
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India and Russia sign 16 MoUs to bolster ties

New Delhi, Dec 11 (ANI): Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two nations signed a total of 16 agreements. The Memorandum of Understanding were signed in varied fields like Petrol and Gas, Military training exchange, Nuclear energy, health research and others. The two leaders signed the pact to further bolster ties between two nations at Hyderabad House in the national capital and they spelt out their vision for cooperation in key areas including defence and nuclear. Earlier, Putin held detailed talks with Modi both in restricted and delegation level formats. He is also scheduled to call on President Pranab Mukherjee who will hold a banquet for him. Dec 11, 2014
india-expects-fruitful-outcome-from-russian-presidents-visit-mea

India expects fruitful outcome from Russian President's visit: MEA

New Delhi, Dec 11 (ANI): Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said on Thursday that the country is expecting a fruitful outcome from Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit. Putin arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday in an attempt to revive a historic friendship that has faded over the years, seeking to improve cooperation in energy, defence and nuclear power. He will have his first summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a time when Russia is at odds with the West over Ukraine, and its economy is stalling as oil prices tumble to their lowest point in five years. Akbaruddin said there is enormous potential in India-Russia nuclear energy cooperation. Putin and Modi are also expected to hold an interaction with Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of major companies. Dec 11, 2014
vladimir-putin-arrives-in-india-to-deepen-ties-politicos-react

Vladimir Putin arrives in India to deepen ties, politicos react

New Delhi, Dec 11 (ANI): Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi for annual summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that is aimed at building on the already close strategic ties, particularly in the fields of nuclear energy, hydrocarbons and defence. Meanwhile, political leaders in India welcomed Puttin's visit and said that it will deepen relationship of both the countries. Dec 11, 2014