The New York Times We're live from West London after at least 12 people died in a fire in a high-rise apartment tower overnight. NYT journalist Prashant Rao is at the non-profit Rugby Portobello Trust, where many of the families of victims are waiting for more informat Read more ... ion, and clothing and food donations are being made. Leave your questions for him in the comments, and he'll answer some.

The New York Times We're by the British Parliament, near the site of an attack that left at least 3 people dead and 20 others injured, according to officials. New York Times journalists Camilla Schick, Stephen Farrell and Prashant Rao are at the scene to break down the Read more ... details. Comment with your questions, and they will respond to some.

The New York Times We're live from London, where Britain’s Parliament was on lockdown after an assailant stabbed a police officer outside the building, and then was shot. NYT reporters Prashant Rao and Camilla Schick are on the scene. Comment with your questions, and Read more ... they'll respond to some.

TreeHugger In Dhaka, Bangladesh, the embodied energy and carbon from making bricks and tile is responsible for 58% of the city's air pollution — much more than cars, power generation and other industries combined.

Techmeme Apple teams up with a handful of homebuilders to push Homekit-enabled bundles of smart appliances in new homes (Prashant Gopal / Bloomberg) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-19/inside-the-ihome-apple-helps-builders-pitch-gizmo-packed-hou Read more ... ses

Suraj Ntr We also tried something... Is it ok #brothers #monty #dive #awesome #donttrythis #budees Amar Rathod Prashant Chavan Rajat G Rathore Krishna Pawar Akhil Pawar Narayana Pwara Sunil Thakre Suni Harwalkar Maya Mahi Anil Harley Rathod Shashikant Hosmani Read more ... Sameer Sam Symon Rt Abhishek Raikhelkar

Sushmita Barthakur Did you know how the following are inter-connected? -These unseasonal rains - Global warming - Race to consume - Women's exploitation Watch: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k_iwtN49icw For the sake of the women in your life, help spread the message Read more ... ! #NoChangeOfSurname

Entertainment Weekly R.I.P. Prashant Bhargava.

TIME Internal dissent is tearing apart India’s upstart Aam Aadmi Party.

Dilip Banerjee OBSERVATIONS BY INTELLECTUALS & NGOs A group of prominent intellectuals from India and abroad, including linguist Noam Chomsky, have issued a statement in solidarity with Setalvad and Anand, saying they are "shocked to see this persisting spirit of Read more ... vendetta against an effort to enforce legal and moral accountability for … massacre in Gujarat". Titled Politics of Vendetta Shall not Defeat the Cause of Justice, the statement was signed by Chomsky, historians Irfan Habib and Romila Thapar, economist Amiya Bagchi, Prabhat Patnaik, and Ashok Mitra, noted Sanskrit scholar Sheldon Pollock, film-maker Kumar Sahani and screenwriter Saeed Mirza, among others. [http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/new-sc-bench-to-hear-teesta-setalvad-husband-s-bail-plea/article1-1318339.aspx] ********************************************************************************************** ‘Facts twisted in an effort to malign her work’ Terming corruption charges against Teesta Setalvad baseless, civil society on Tuesday stood behind the social activist and her husband Javed Anand. If BJP president Amit Shah, who faced grievous murder charges in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, could get the luxury of not having to appear before court, why were Ms. Setalvad and Mr. Anand being subjected to a “witch-hunt” over charges of financial corruption, activists in Mumbai asked. “There is no doubt in my mind that the persecution is because of the work they have done in bringing the guilty to book. It is our duty to see that the witch-hunt doesn’t go on,” said noted documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan. The activists, who included Tushar Gandhi, great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi said the state was sending the strong message that “if you stand up for rights, honesty or ethics, you will be persecuted.” Mr. Gandhi said he faced a barrage of obscene response after he tweeted in her support “Will the government ensure their safety? From the people who are in jail due to the efforts of Teesta and Anand? As we can see in Gujarat, the accused have been rewarded. How does the state ensure that it doesn’t fall prey to such strong-arm tactics?” http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/teesta-setalvad-victim-of-witchhunt-say-activists/article6905938.ece ********************************************************************************************** "The court has not seen the papers where proof that the money collected for the museum continues to remain untouched is provided," said Chayanika Shah, member of the Hum Azaadiyon ke Hak Main, a platform formed to support Teesta and Anand. Activist Sandhya Gokhale said: "If at all money is misused, they should have also be pulling up the charity commissioner and income tax officials among others." Great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi Tushar Gandhi stated: "All this is just a signal for the rest that they should shut up. It is time the fourth estate strongly stood up to such things." Patwardhan stated "In several cases where there have been convictions, it is because these two people were pursuing the cases. Now, the case of the Gulbarg Society massacre is likely to come up for hearing. The only reason this has been started is to harass them. There are far more serious charges like murder, and they are exempted from even attending the hearing," http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-fellow-activists-back-teesta-setalvad-javed-anand-say-fourth-estate-should-step-up-2062270 Senior lawyer and former additional solicitor general Indira Jaising said: “This is not a lesson for Teesta, this a lesson for us. In a government with such absolute brute majority in the Lok Sabha, the only weapon of dissent left to us is our own voices. It is not a crime to hold views contrary to that of the government…” She added: “Why has the CBI not appealed against the discharge of Amit Shah while the state is pressing for custodial interrogation in a case of embezzlement where all the evidence is documentary and cannot be tampered with”. Former journalist and member of National Integration Council John Dayal alleged that the state’s full might was being used to persecute Setalvad and Anand, raising serious questions about policing and the criminal justice system. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/rights-activists-question-gujarats-insistence-on-arresting-teesta/ ********************************************************************************************** Prashant Bhushan, said in a statement: "It has been brought to my notice that Mr Narendra Modi was an invitee of and recently attended the weddings of the children of Justices Mukhopadhyaya and Ramana, who are hearing the case of Teesta Setalvad. "The allegation of Teesta in this case is that she is being hounded by Gujarat police since she had played a leading role in exposing the role of Modi in the Gujarat carnage of 2002 and is seeking accountability for it. In these circumstances the question has arisen whether it would be appropriate for these judges to hear this case." Bhushan said the Supreme Court had laid down in 1987 that when a judge considers whether to recuse from a case, the correct principle is not to ask "Will I be biased" but to ask "Will the litigant have a reasonable apprehension of bias". The code of conduct for judges says "justice must not merely be done but it must also be seen to be done". It further says that "a judge shall practise a degree of aloofness consistent with the dignity of his office" and that a judge shall not decide a matter in which a friend is concerned. Bhushan said: "A consistent reading of this code requires that a judge should not socialise with politicians unless they are his close personal friends, and if so should not hear cases concerning them." The lawyer further said: "A person in Teesta's position can reasonably apprehend that Modi must have been invited to the weddings of the judges' children because they are his personal friends and in which case, she can reasonably apprehend bias in this case." The president of the Supreme Court Bar Association and senior lawyer Dushayant Dave said "It is the fundamental principle of the separation of powers that judges shall keep themselves away from socialising with the executive and legislature. Otherwise judges will start hobnobbing with every person and marriage functions will only be an excuse," http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150219/jsp/nation/story_4338.jsp#.VOV4xoeqqko