News updates from Hindustan Times: Supreme Court sets Oct 18 target to complete Ayodhya hearing and all the latest news at this hour

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Updated: Sep 18, 2019 12:53 IST

Here are today’s top news, analysis and opinion: Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

On Ayodhya dispute, top court sets October 18 target to complete hearing

The five-judge Supreme Court bench hearing the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title case on Wednesday set October 18 target to complete hearing in the case. “Let us make a joint effort to conclude the same by Oct 18”, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said.

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PM Narendra Modi fulfilled Patel’s wish on Article 370, says Ravi Shankar Prasad

Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it took 70 years for Indian government to show its strength under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and nullify Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Delivering the opening address at ‘Purvoday Hindustan’, an event organized by popular Hindi daily Hindustan in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi on Wednesday, Prasad said India’s first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had left the job of dealing with Article 370 to a future government that had the required strength and the guts for taking the monumental step.

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‘Desperate attempt to save Rajeev Kumar’: Vijayvargiya on Mamata’s PM meet

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday. Banerjee has said she will discuss various issues concerning her state, including funds and changing name of West Bengal.

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Box office report: Kabir Singh, Uri, Mission Mangal power Bollywood, gross earnings may cross Rs 5000 cr

It goes without saying that 2019 started off on a blockbuster note with Uri: The Surgical Strike making it big at the box office. It was soon followed up by other big hits such as Gully Boy, Manikarnika, Luka Chuppi and Kesari. But take a closer look and you will find that the second half of the year kicked off with an even more renewed vigour, resulting in India (net) box office figures of nearly Rs1,100 crore. As per an estimate, Bollywood’s gross earnings in 2015, 2016 and 2017 were Rs 3,780 crore, Rs 3,808 crore and Rs 4,096 crore respectively. Last year, the numbers were believed to be over Rs 4,800 crore. This year, as per trade estimates, Hindi films have already made over Rs 3,000 crore, and experts feel by the end of the year, the cumulative figures may touch Rs 5,000 crore.

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12 years after last ODI, India’s 2003 WC team member Dinesh Mongia announces retirement from all forms of cricket at 42

12 years after playing his last ODI, former India cricketer Dinesh Mongia announced his retirement from all forms of cricket at the age of 42 on Tuesday. Mongia last played for India in an ODI in Dhaka in 2007 before joining the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) and getting a ban from BCCI. All the players participating in ICL were later cleared by BCCI but interestingly, Dinesh Mongia was the only one not to get a clearance from the board for his alleged involvement in match-fixing.

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Ending India’s preferential status hurts, 44 US lawmakers tell Donald Trump

The Donald Trump administration has been urged by a group of 44 influential lawmakers to reinstate India as a beneficiary of the duty-free import scheme for developing nations. The United States had suspended India from the list of beneficiaries under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) in June.

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Facebook briefly blocks Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu chatbot on election day

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at Facebook on Tuesday after the social network blocked a “chatbot” from his right-wing Likud party’s account for violating election day rules.

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Opinion| India must plan for an oil crisis

Uncertainty is the primary additive to global crude these days. India, the world’s fastest growing oil importer, needs to prepare for the possibility of oil prices and supplies going awry. The recent attack on the massive Abqaiq oil complex in Saudi Arabia is a reminder of India’s over-dependence on the world’s most unstable region. But, the Persian Gulf is still a distance away from war, and the oil prices are unlikely to superspike.

Read full Opinion piece here.