Ex-NFL player Darren Sharper sentenced to 18 years in prison for ...

Darren Sharper Faces Sentencing for Rape

NEW ORLEANS -- Former NFL star Darren Sharper has been sentenced to 18 years and four months in prison in a case where he was accused of drugging and raping as many as 16 women in four states.

U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced Sharper on Thursday, telling him she couldn"t understand how he did what he did, since he was college educated and obviously had grown up "in one of the most loving households."

"We can never ignore the damage you inflicted on those women and society at large," she said.

Sharper had pleaded guilty in federal court in New Orleans to drugging three women so he could rape them. He also has pleaded guilty or no contest in state courts in Louisiana, Arizona, California and Nevada to charges arising from allegations of drugging and raping women.

"I would like to apologize a thousand times," Sharper said. He looked at the floor as he said, "I"m still trying to figure out why I made some of these choices. ... I lived my life right for 38 years, then I took this path."

His voice thickened and broke as he said his parents hadn"t raised him to take such actions.

Defense attorney Billy Gibbens asked leniency because Sharper"s testimony helped get "late" guilty pleas from two codefendants who will be sentenced in October.

Sharper will be sentenced next Thursday in Louisiana state court, Gibbens said outside court. He said he believes Sharper will be sentenced next month in Las Vegas, and couldn"t recall the Los Angeles sentencing date. (See full story.)

Giants: Brown confirms domestic violence chargeEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants kicker Josh Brown has confirmed that an arrest on a domestic violence charge in May 2015 led to his one-game suspension by the NFL for violating the league"s personal conduct policy.

Speaking after practice on Thursday, the 37-year-old Brown said the woman whose wrist he grabbed in Woodinville, Wash. during a disagreement was his wife. He said the couple has since divorced.

Brown said the case was dismissed by the King County Prosecutor"s office five days after his arrest for fourth-degree domestic violence.

A spokesman for the prosecutor said in an email to The Associated Press that no charge was filed because of insufficient evidence.

Brown said he informed the Giants immediately after his arrest, and the team informed the league.

He was notified of his suspension in June. He appealed the decision and it was rejected. The league announced the suspension Wednesday.

Broncos: Siemian competing with SanchezENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Trevor Siemian, locked in a tight battle with Mark Sanchez for the Broncos" starting quarterback job, will get his turn to start on Saturday night, when Denver plays a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Sanchez, acquired in a trade with Philadelphia as a potential replacement for the retired Peyton Manning, started last week"s game.

Rookie first-round pick Paxton Lynch also is in the mix, though the bulk of his work has been with the third team.

Siemian and Sanchez have split repetitions with the Broncos first-team offense throughout training camp and with the two waging a close competition for the job, coach Gary Kubiak decided Siemian should also get a crack at starting.

Kubiak said he would like to make a decision on a starter next week but did not rule out taking more time to finalize his pick.

49ers:Kaepernick resumes throwingENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Colin Kaepernick threw dozens of passes on the side during the 49ers" joint practice Thursday with the Denver Broncos, signaling the quarterback"s return from a sore passing shoulder.

The throws were the first on the practice field in a week for Kaepernick, whose competition with Blaine Gabbert for the starting job had to be put on hold after tightness in his right shoulder forced him to rest his throwing arm.

Kaepernick also took part in individual quarterback drills and conditioning. However, coach Chip Kelly said Kaepernick would be eased back into full participation in practices and ruled him out for Saturday night"s exhibition game against the Broncos.

Panthers: OT Willie Smith signsCHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Panthers signed 29-year-old offensive tackle Willie Smith to help bolster their depth on the offensive line.

The move comes after backup tackles Daryl Williams and David Foucault have struggled in training camp and the preseason. Michael Oher and Mike Remmers are expected to be Carolina"s starting offensive tackles again this season.

The 6-foot-5, 310-pound Smith didn"t play in the NFL last season, but saw action in 15 games in 2014 with the San Diego Chargers. Smith, who played at East Carolina, has started 11 games and played in 19 since breaking into the league with the Washington Redskins in 2011.

Carolina waived injured fullback Devon Johnson to make room for Smith on the roster.

Source: http://www.csnphilly.com/philadelphia-eagles/ex-nfl-player-darren-sharper-sentenced-18-years-prison-rape

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Gawker Is Dead. These Posts Are Why We"ll Miss It.

Why #Gawker is so Awful

Gawker, one of the defining magazines of the 21st century, announced Thursday that its shutting down next week for reasons that are too repulsive and terrifying to think about for long. In its 14-year lifespan, Gawker published breakthrough investigations and scurrilous gossip and everything in between. It created much of the lively, ironic, emotionally labile house style of the internet. It revealed that the mayor of Toronto had been filmed smoking crack and that Politicos Mike Allen let a source write an item and that BuzzFeeds Benny Johnson plagiarized from Yahoo Answers. The fact that a billionaire could kill Gawker out of spite is a crisis, and the fact that Gawker is gone is a tragedy.

When it comes to Gawker we are conflicted out the wazoo.One Slate editor is married to a Gawker editor. One is married to a lawyer who represented Gawker in the Hulk Hogan trial. One is a former Gawker Media executive editor. None of these Slate staffers worked on this roundup.

Here are some of our favorite Gawker posts for you to read before they disappear into the Memory Furnace to be replaced by something Peter Thiel likes better.

Weavers famous mozzarella-stick stunt isnt just about TGI Fridays endless appetizer. Its about the supreme difficulty of entertaining yourself for 14 g*****n hours without being able to read a book or use the free Wi-Fi. (Though she did play with the TGI Fridays app.) Torie Bosch

Everythingpublished in Gawkers Dog column was a pure delight. Its impossible to imagine any other publication printing this spot-on but affectionate satire of both dogs and columnists, and accompanying it with such beautiful illustrations (by Jim Cooke, of course). This is a good one in which Dog explains why he doesnt wear a watch. Its not for me. Im classy, not flashy. I also dont know how to read a watch, Dog writes. I will miss Dog so much. L.V. Anderson

Coens departing editor letter is a total evisceration of the then-editor of Star, who tried to have an unflattering post removed. It is hilarious yet very fair, a burned bridge done right. Jeffrey Bloomer

Writing before the #blacklivesmatter movement took hold, Jeffersons bracing, bitter essay on George Zimmermans acquittal, on what he had experienced as a black man in America, and on what black people have to put up with every day remains powerful. Seth Maxon

Lawsons Real Housewives roundups summed up so much of what made Gawker Gawker: bitchy, exacting, exhaustive, hilarious, obsessive, and a little surreal. At their best, the recaps blurred fiction and reality so that if you didnt watch the show (and maybe even if you did), you wouldnt be quite sure what really went down and what was spun purely out of Lawsons Bravo-addled headspace. The loopy patois he concocted for the Countess LuAnn de Lesseps was mind-alteringworthy of a thread in David Mitchells Cloud Atlas. Jessica Winter

Donald Trumps hair, with its absurd, origami-like complexity, has long been an object of ridicule and speculation. Is it a wig? Is it a transplant? Is it the hide of an unfortunate golden retriever? This year, Gawker finally cracked the case, accumulating a mountain of circumstantial evidence that the persimmon-colored demagogue is wearing an awful and outrageously expensive weave, created by a specialist who worked out of his own building. This is a hilarious investigation for the ages and one of the best things Ive read this whole godforsaken election cycle. Jordan Weissmann

Cushs outrage over the revealed history of bogus synopses for the 90s cartoon Street Sharks is one of the funniest things to come from the Ghost of Internet Past. Who knows how much time (or how many takedown requests) will pass before we purge this fake history from our collective consciousness? Dawnthea Price

Perhaps the defining literary work of our time, every sentence a crystalline gem of violent beauty and power. Gabriel Roth

This little throwaway post from almost 10 years ago is so funny and great that I dont even know what to say. Heather Schwedel

Plenty of media organizations are happy to be the vessels for the stories famous and powerful people tell about themselves. Gawker never was, and we all benefitted from the existence of a place that called out and ripped apart self-serving narratives. Josh Levin

This is a little morbid, but its also an example of what made Gawker great. Even with its hearty sense of self-deprecation, rereading this today stings. Susan Matthews

Pareenes case against each of the remaining presidential candidates on the day of the New York primary was a lucid encapsulation of this dreadful political year. Seth Maxon

Snark is the revenge of the powerless. The powerful dont like it. They prefer smarm, a positive, happy view of the world, which smooths out conflict and serves to maintain the status quo. Tom Scocca makes the case against smarm and shows why we need snark in this memorable 2013 essay. Helaine Olen

This might not be the most serious or poignant of Richs writing at Gawkerat root its about trading b******s with a guy in Toon Lagoonbut it is representative of the fearless, honest, and compassionate way hes treated subjects, especially queer ones, in his time there. Richs ability to find humor and beauty in the strangest or most mundane of assignments has always impressed me, and this piece represents an early and important ethnography of a now-defining aspect of queer male life. I think of his as a crucial voice in the LGBTQ conversation, one with which Ive often agreed and just as often argued. I hope, after Gawker, we continue to hear it. J. Bryan Lowder

f**k Boston by Hamilton Nolan

Ive only lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts for a year and Im leaving in two weeks, but I quite like the place as well as the city it borders. Still, Hamilton Nolans 2013 essay f**k Bostonin which Hamilton clarifies that he also means f**k the Puritans and f**k Boston (the band)is one of the funniest things Gawker ever published. Seth Maxon

What other magazine would have let someone publish this? And yet, why not! They probably got a lot of pageviews out of it too. Gabriel Roth

Source: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/08/18/the_best_gawker_posts_from_the_site_s_14_year_history.html

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Is it time to start drinking Lady Grey with your cream tea?

Katzenjammer - Lady Grey (Official Video)
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What tea do you have with your scone, jam and Cornish clotted cream?

Because it seems we"re about to see a huge decline in tea sales as younger drinkers ditch Britain"s traditional cuppa in favour of fancy flavours.

Healthier options like green or fruit tea are preferred by almost half of 25 to 34-year-olds who claim the classic tea it has too much caffeine and stains their teeth.

READ MORE: 7 places to stop those cream tea cravings

While one in three those aged 55 to 64 drink at least five cuppas a day, research by Mintel suggested just one in five of younger drinkers do.

Apparently tea bag sales plummeted 14% between 2013 and 2015 and are set to fall again by 5% this year.

But sales of green tea have gone up by 39% while herbal tea sales rose by 13%.

Mintel"s senior food and drink expert Richard Caines said: "Tea brands need to increase the appeal of their products to 16 to 34-year-olds who drink standard black tea less frequently.

"One way of encouraging more tea drinking among younger consumers is with more choice of flavours and indulgent varieties."

Read more: Feathers fly as tame jackdaw known as Jack Daw goes missing in Launceston amid threats

RETURN TO HOMEPAGE

Source: http://www.cornishman.co.uk/is-it-time-to-start-drinking-lady-grey-with-your-cream-tea/story-29610030-detail/story.html

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Schmeit Amy Schumer ihre Sendung hin?

WTF with Kurt Metzger

Die explosive Info verpackte Amy Schumer in einem Nebensatz ihres Tweets. Eigentlich schrieb die Komikerin ber die Enttuschung, die sie mit ihrem Kollegen Kurt Metzger erlebt habe, und dass er kein Autor ihrer Sendung "Inside Amy Schumer" sei - "weil wir die Show nicht mehr machen".

TV-Autor Kurt Metzger hatte sich vor einigen Tagen in sozialen Netzwerken abfllig ber Frauen geuert, die sich gegen sexuelle Gewalt wehren. Anlass war der Ausschluss des US-Comedian Aaron Glaser aus der New Yorker Comedy-Truppe Upright Citizens Brigade. Glaser werden sexuelle bergriffe vorgeworfen. "Leute, ich hab gerade eine verstrende Nachricht erhalten", beginnt der Facebook-Eintrag vom Metzger. "Dieser Typ Jiff Dilfyberg ist ein Vergewaltiger! Ich wei das, weil Frauen das gesagt haben und das alles ist, was ich wissen muss. Egal, wer sie sind. Sie sind Frauen! ALLE Frauen sind so zuverlssig wie die Bibel! Ein Buch, das hnlich wie eine Frau, gar nicht lgen kann."

ber Twitter forderten viele Fans Amy Schumer auf, Kurt Metzger zu kndigen. Schumer hatte selbst erst krzlich in ihrem autobiografischen Buch "The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo" (Das Mdchen mit dem Arschgeweih) ffentlich gemacht, dass sie mit Anfang 20 von ihrem damaligen Partner krperlich und emotional missbraucht worden war.

"Kurt Metzger hat mich so sehr betrbt und enttuscht. Er ist ein Freund und ein toller Autor", schrieb Schumer am Mittwoch auf Twitter, und zwei Stunden spter: "Kurt arbeitet nicht fr mich. Er ist keiner der Autoren von meiner Show. Hrt bitte auf, mich ber ihn zu befragen. Er spricht nur fr sich." Dann folgte der ominse Tweet mit dem Satz, dass sie Metzger nicht gefeuert habe, weil sie die Sendung nicht mehr produzieren und gar keine Autoren mehr beschftigen wrden.

Ob Kurt Metzger blo deshalb nicht als Autor fr Schumer arbeitet, weil ihre Show momentan Produktionspause hat, blieb zunchst unklar. Kurz darauf retweetete Schumer einen Fan, der schrieb: "Du bist die Beste, und wir werden deine Show vermissen." In den Branchendienste wurde daraufhin spekuliert, dass Schumers beliebte Sketch-Show trotz bereits angekndigter fnfter Staffel wohl gecancelt worden sei.

Am Freitagmorgen Los Angeles Ortszeit bereitete Schumer den Spekulationen aber ein Ende: "Inside Amy Schumer" sei nicht gestrichen worden, so Schumer auf Twitter. "Ich toure einfach nur."

Source: http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/tv/schmeisst-amy-schumer-ihre-sendung-hin-a-1108301.html

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Will Univision Shut Down Gawker? - TheWrap

[Internet] WTF - Gawker tries to satire ReturnOfKings & AVFM with "The Cuck"?

Gawker Media president Heather Dietrick told staffers on Wednesday that she does not know the fate of the companys flagship site, according to a blog postby Gawker.com reporter J.K. Trotter.

Staffers were told that Univision has not yet decided whether the company will take Gawker Medias namesake website under its wing, Trotter wrote.

Univision won the bankruptcy auction to purchase Gawker Media and all of its assets for $135 million on Tuesday, but many feel the companys cornerstone blogisnt as valuable as sister sites such as Deadspin and Gizmodo. The proposed acquisition dealgives Univision the option to transfer Gawker.com back to Nick Dentons bankrupt Gawker Media LLC before a judge makes thedeal official.

Also Read: Gawker Sale: What"s Next for Founder Nick Denton?

Alternatively, Univision could choose to acquire Gawker.coms assets but decide not to operate it, Trotter wrote.Earlier this week, the New York Post cited two sources close to the sale process that suggested the websiteis such a PR problem that the winner will probably shut it down.

According to Politico, Univision will offer Gawker.com staffers jobs at other Univision properties if they chose to shut it down, but the sites editorial staff want Univision to continue operating Gawker.com and plan to make their case to their new boss, Isaac Lee.

In March, a jury awardedHulk Hogana total of $140 million after Gawker published portions of a s*x tape featuring the wrestler and the then-wife of his close friend, Todd Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. After awarding Hogan $115 million in damages, the jury tacked on another $25 million in punitive damages. The sitehas filed an appeal over thejudgement.

• Hulk Hogan was born Terry Bolea and attended high school in Tampa, Fla.

  Thomas Richard Robinson High School

• Hogan broke into the wrestling business in the late 1970"s, working under names like Terry Boulder.

  WWE

• Hogan and his 24-inch pythons ran wild when Hulkamania swept the globe in the 1980"s.

  WWE

• Hogan shocked the world when he bodyslammed the 520-pound Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III.

  WWE

• Hogan"s movie debut was in "Rocky III" as Thunderlips, a wrestler Rocky takes on at a charity event.

  MGM

• Hogan later starred alongside Christopher Lloyd in "Suburban Commando," one of many critical and commercial bombs Hogan was involved in.

  New Line

• Hogan admitted to taking steroids while testifying during a federal trial against WWF owner Vince McMahon. Hogan denied McMahon supplied or forced him to take the steroids, resulting in McMahon"s acquittal.

  WWE

• Hogan left WWF and competed in WCW from 1994 to 2000. While there, he teamed with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to form the infamous New World Order.

  WWE

• Hogan returned to WWF in 2002 and faced off against The Rock at Wrestlemania X8.

  WWE

• Hogan starred in "Hogan Knows Best," a reality show with his family, from 2005 to 2007. The show was abruptly cancelled after Hogan"s wife, Linda Claridge, filed for divorce when she discovered Hogan cheated on her during filming.

  VH1

• A few months prior to the divorce, Hogan was harshly criticized after his son was sent to jail for reckless driving that left a friend with irreversible brain damage. Tapes released by local police revealed Hogan and his son blaming the victim during a phone call and planning to capitalize on the crash with a reality TV deal.

  Clearwater PD

• Hogan moved to TNA Wrestling in 2010, immediately becoming a major character in the promotion. He returned to WWE in 2014.

  TNA

• A clip from a s*x tape featuring Hogan and Heather Clem, ex-wife of Bubba The Love Sponge, is published on Gawker in October 2012.

  Getty Images

• After returning to WWF, now called WWE, in 2014, Hogan was fired in July 2015 after a racist rant from his s*x tapes was released by the National Enquirer.

  WWE

• On March 7, the trial between Hogan and Gawker began. Hogan is suing Gawker for $100 million in damages, accusing the outlet of invasion of privacy.

  AP

• On March 18, Hogan was awarded $115 million (more than the amount he was seeking) after a ten-day trial and less than a day of deliberation by the jury.

  Getty Images

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Hogans turbulent career and personal life has put Hulkamania through the wringer

Hulk Hogan was born Terry Bolea and attended high school in Tampa, Fla.

Source: http://www.thewrap.com/univision-shut-down-gawker/

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UFC 202 news conference ends abruptly after water bottles, energy ...

Here"s the best of UFC 202"s wild press conference

What started as yet another odd news conference involving Conor McGregor ended in complete chaos Wednesday at the MGM Grand.

McGregor arrived more than 15 minutes late, after UFC president Dana White began the news conference without the typically tardy Irish superstar, who will fight Nate Diaz in a rematch at UFC 202 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Once McGregor finally took his place on the dais, the situation quickly deteriorated.

Diaz, who appeared to be acting on the directions of his older brother and UFC star Nick Diaz, rose from his seat and walked off the stage in the David Copperfield Theater in the middle of McGregors response to a question just minutes after his arrival.

As Nate Diaz led his entourage toward the exit, he and some of his teammates held up their middle fingers and hurled expletives and threats at McGregor and his entourage, with McGregor firing back from the stage.

You will do (expletive) nothing, McGregor uttered several times. Get the (expletive) out of here.

Soon, more than words were flying through the air.

Water bottles were thrown in the direction of a group of McGregors friends and training partners, several of which were tossed directly back.

From the stage, McGregor grabbed an unopened can of an energy drink and lobbed it toward Diaz and his crew, which included UFC lightweight contender Gilbert Melendez and former UFC fighter Jake Shields.

UFC officials stopped McGregor from leaving the stage to physically confront Diaz, and hotel security and uniformed police officers kept the entourages separated.

An agitated White, who could be heard onstage instructing McGregor not to throw the can, quickly called an end to the news conference.

Sorry, guys. See you Saturday, said White, referring to the rematch between McGregor and Diaz, which will be contested at welterweight and tops a pay-per-view card that begins at 7 p.m.

Nobody appeared injured in the fracas, though several people were struck with projectiles, including rolls of tape.

Early on, it appeared the story of the day would be Whites decision to begin the news conference without the enigmatic headliner.

McGregor regularly shows up late for scheduled appearances, and his rematch against Diaz was removed from the UFC 200 card when McGregor decided not to fly to Las Vegas for a news conference, triggering a public spat between the featherweight champion and the organization.

He has to start respecting peoples time, man, White said of starting without McGregor. Yours, mine, (the other fighters), David Copperfields. Everybody.

Light heavyweights Anthony Johnson and Glover Teixeira, who will meet Saturday for the top contender spot, smiled through much of the drama onstage before they were whisked away by White.

It was not the first time there has been drama between the camps. Before the first meeting in March, a tense news conference in Los Angeles almost bubbled over into a physical altercation. During a staredown two days before the bout, McGregor took a swipe at Diazs hand and the two had to be separated.

Diazs camp also has a history of issues outside of competition, most notably a brawl on a 2010 Strikeforce card on CBS that was triggered when Jason Mayhem Miller entered the cage to challenge Shields to a fight and was violently beaten down by a group that included Nick and Nate Diaz.

The Diaz brothers also were involved in a skirmish with UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov last year while attending a World Series of Fighting event at Planet Hollywood.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.

Source: http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/mma-ufc/ufc-202-news-conference-ends-abruptly-after-water-bottles-energy-drinks-get-thrown

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Raksha Bandhan: From PM Modi to Smriti Irani, how politicos celebrated the festival

The Gold Digger Song - Raksha Bandhan Special by Funk You

PM Narendra Modi celebrates Raksha Bandhan with school children in Delhi (ANI photo)

President Pranab Mukherjee received Rakhis from school children at the Rashtrapati Bhawan (Facebook)

"The festival of Rakhi stands for the eternal bond of love and trust that brothers and sisters share," wrote Pranab Mukherjee on Twitter

Home Minister Rajnath Singh celebrates Raksha Bandhan at his residence in New Delhi (ANI photo)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav wished everyone on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)

Textiles Minister Smriti Irani ties a Rakhi on the wrist of an Army jawan at Siachen base camp. (ANI Photo)

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar celebrated Raksha Bandhan by receiving rakhis and distributing gifts among students (Twitter)

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav celebrates Raksha Bandhan by tying a Rakhi to a Peepal tree at his residence in Bihar (Twitter)

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani celebrates Raksha Bandhan with his predecessor and fellow BJP leader Anandiben Patel, whom he described as a "source of inspiration for several years." (Twitter)

A Muslim woman tying a Rakhi on the wrist of Rupani on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan (Twitter)

Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik celebrating Raksha Bandhan at Raj Bhawan in Lucknow on Thursday. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)

BJP MP and cine star Shatrughan Sinha"s sister offers sweets to after tying Rakhi on his wrist on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan festival in Patna on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

Union Minister of Water Resources Uma Bharati offers sweets after tying rakhi to CRPF officers during Raksha Bandhan celebration at Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) unit in Nagpur on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

Union Minister Sushma Swaraj tying rakhi to I & B Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Raksha Bandhan in New Delhi on Thursday. (PTI Photo/ Twitter)

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar"s sister tying Rakhi on his wrist at his residence on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan festival in Patna on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

BJP MLA Angurlata Deka ties rakhi on Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal"s wrist on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan in Guwahati on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

chool children tie Raskhi to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on occasion of Raksha Bandhan in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

Source: http://indianexpress.com/photos/picture-gallery-others/raksha-bandhan-from-narendra-modi-to-smriti-irani-how-politicos-celebrated-the-festival-2983048/

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