OK, ta ta for now, but before we close Live! the big stories that made headlines today remain, Muammar Gaddafi, CVC Thomas, Pak loss against Canada. For the rest, do scroll down.

Our Syhynx-like PM will finally speak on the CVC issue next week. Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court gave its verdict saying PJ Thomas has to quit. As of now, there are conflicting reports on whether tainted Thomas has in fact quit, with Law Minister Veerappa Moily saying, yes, and Thomas' lawyer saying 'no'.

The opposition has said that home minister P Chidambaram has to quit, while the PM has to accept moral responsibility.

The mystery of famed aviator Amelia Earhart (and Subhash Chandra Bose --Bengalis will be quick to add) continues to remain a mystery after DNA tests on one of three bone fragmentsdiscovered on a Pacific island proved inconclusive.

Here's more on the fascinating story

Just in: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi faces investigation for alleged crimes against humanity, says an International Criminal Court.

Scroll down for more news on Gaddafi.

The Union Cabinet today passed a pathbreaking Bill dealing exclusively with sexual offences against children which provides for a jail term of up to seven years and a fine of Rs 50,000.

The Protection of Children Againat Sexual Offences Bill, 2011, also legalised consensual sex with a person aged between 16-18 years.

The proposed legislation aims at protecting children against offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment, pornography and provide for establishment of special courts for trial of such offences.

Details on rediff.com soon.

More on the amazingly competent (and no, we're not being sarcastic) evacuation of Indians from Libya.

Defence Minister A K Antony today said that two Air Force IL-76 heavy-lift transport aircraft would be sent to Libya to evacuate Indians stranded there. The MoD has also dispatched two naval ships including INS Jalashwa, which can carry more than 1000 passengers.

Marine Commandos have been deployed on it to ensure the safety of the passengers.

The high-level panel formed by the Centre to address grievances of telecom service providers, tackle concerns of stakeholders concerned and ensure a follow-up action of its recommendations in connection to electronic surveillance by government agencies has given in its report.

The report says the income tax department should not be allowed to seek phone taps. Moreover, the finance minister has to clear phone tap requests from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and the Enforcement Directorate. The Home ministry and the finance ministry have to now decide on the panel's recommendations.

A lovely story of hope and life from the sun.co.uk.

A baby girl who was born dead miraculously survived after doctors froze her for three days.

Stillborn Ella Anderson bled to death in the womb. She was revived 25 minutes after her birth - but she had suffered oxygen starvation and medics feared she could still die or be left with crippling brain damage.

They whisked her to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, where a pioneering cooling technique was used. It works by slowing down the metabolism of the brain, enabling it to repair itself.

And then, here's what happened

Two towns in eastern Libyan were bombed for a second day today after the government denounced reports of attacks on protesters and military facilities.

Cnn.com says two bombs were dropped on military camps in Ajdabiya, a tribal leader said. Another bomb fell in al-Brega between the oil facility and the airport today, but there were no injuries or damage, witnesses said.

The attacks come a day after ground and air attacks on al-Brega, which has key oil and natural gas facilities.

And there's this:Three Dutch marines were captured by forces loyal to Gaddafi during a rescue attempt of two European workers and are being held by Libyan authorities for five days.

Just in case you are as fixated as the Brits are about the impending royal wedding, read this.

St James's Palace is considering plans to broadcast Prince William and Kate Middleton's marriage service live on the web.

If possible the screening of the nuptials will be featured on a website dedicated to the royal wedding which has been launched.

Fans wanting the latest news about the big day can log onto the new website, www.officialroyalwedding2011.org, to learn about the preparations.

On the wedding day itself the site will be the first place to read about details of the bride's dress and other information.

Libyan despot Muammar Gaddafi has spread his wealth, estimated to run into hundreds of billions of dollars across at least 35 nations on four continents, as Western bankers attempt to unravel his financial tentacles.

His bizarre mix of investments range from luxury real estate and publishing companies in Britain to hotels in the Middle East and a prized stake in Italy's famed Juventus football franchise.

These were his well known investments, but the Libyan strongman in recent years has turned away from the West and is believed to have poured hundreds of billions of dollars in unstable African nations, with reports that Gaddafi even holds a major stake in a Zimbabwe's giant commercial bank.

All these come on top of billions of dollars that Libya has stashed away in the United States' largest and most influential investment banks.

Alright another piece of breaking news from cnn.com says that Egypt's former dictator Hosni Mubarak will be questioned in Cairo over alleged corruption.

Details as soon as they are in.

If you've just joined us, you should also know that...

Speculation has mounted that former dictator Hosni Mubarak has left Egypt for Saudi Arabia to be treated for cancer. The globalpost.com reports on state-owned Egyptian newspaper Al-Akhbar yesterday that Mubarak left his home in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheik and was being treated in ahospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, for colon and pancreatic cancer. The army has denied rumors about Mubarak's deteriorating health condition.

Aiin? PJ Thomas' lawyer Wills Matthews says the CVC has not quit and will not till he sees the judgement order. "Appropriate action will be taken after going through the judgement," says Matthews.

Immediately after the SC order asking Thomas to resign, union minister Veerappa Moily had confirmed Thomas had resigned.

Speculation has mounted that former dictator Hosni Mubarak has left Egypt for Saudi Arabia to be treated for cancer.

The globalpost.com reports on state-owned Egyptian newspaper Al-Akhbar reported yesterday that Mubarak left his home in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheik and was being treated in ahospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, for colon and pancreatic cancer. The army has denied rumors about Mubarak's deteriorating health condition.

Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq has resigned, the country's ruling military council has announced in a statement, says the bbc.co.uk.

A former transport minister, Essam Sharaf, has been asked to form a new government. Shafiq was appointed days before President Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office following days of anti-government protests.

Did you see Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin kiss at the Oscars? We know you didn't, so don't think about it... and here's why.

The audience missed a spontaneous kiss between 'No Country for Old Men' co-stars Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin. The incident was "unscripted" and producer Bruce Cohen admitted that it would have made a "great TV moment" but while the two-stars were exchanging their friendly greeting the camera cut to show Bardem's star wife Penelope Cruz, thus missing the moment, the Daily Mail reported.

The viewers did not see Bardem and Brolin dancing onstage or the two actors kissing before reaching the podium. But since it was not planned, the moment got lost in the camera movement.

A post on the MEAwebsite:

The latest reports from Pakistan are ringing alarm bells throughout the Western intelligence community. Disinformation about U.S. intentions is being circulated by "mid-level" Inter-Services Intelligence agency operatives and some field grade army officers. Samples:

-- US forces are not to be trusted "at all."
-- Pakistan's nuclear program is the key objective.
-- China, working closely with ISI, has saved the Pakistani nuclear program several times by informing Pakistani intelligence of American, Israeli and Indian plans to destroy it.
-- India and Israel will try again to attack Pakistan's nuclear facilities at Kahuta (near Islamabad), just as Israel bombed Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981.

The point the post is trying to make is whether Pakistan is taking Afghanistan's place as the new fulcrum of transnational terrorism? Intelligence sources in Washington, London, Paris and Rome agree that al Qaeda's underground network in Pakistan is functioning with the complicity of the clergy and intelligence services.

Read more

Meanwhile our prolific blogger MK Bhadrakumar is at it.

First up is Libya...

Bahrain's slow-motion revolution is inching forward despite the media inattention. The regime seems to imitate Col. Gaddafi's tactic and put into action mercenaries from abroad as the 'pro-government' faction. In Bahrain, regime is more sophisticated, given the legacy of British rule. (Bahrain used to be Imperial Britain's favourite possession in the Persian Gulf due to its strategic location.).

Read(The two other blogs are available on the same link)

An interesting read from the guardian.co.uk, which says Indian fave Alu-Gobi is trending in the UK. The recipe is by a Brit and the picture looks authentic.

Take a look

Reuters.com confirms that Twitter is not on sale. We quote:

Biz Stone, co-founder of popular microblogging site Twitter, denied a report that the company was in talks to sell a $450 million stake to a JPMorgan fund, reiterating that it was committed to remaining independent.

A JPMorgan Chase & Co fund was in talks to acquire 10 percent of Twitter for $450 million, valuing the company, which has 350 employees, at $4.5 billion, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

A"(The report is) made up," Stone told Reuters in Seoul.

From Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao: MEA trying to help Indians in Libya. As a public servant I do not want to enter into arguments on this. Our commitment to India is profound.

News flash: Our sources say that Tihar jailbirds are waiting to welcome Suresh Kalmadi with an adaption of a golden oldie: Con aaya mere jail ke dware...

Hope it's not a long wait.

Good news:

Judicial custody (their stay in Tihar jail) for former telecom ministerA Raja, former telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura and Raja's former personal secretary R K Chandolia has been extended.The trio were arrested for their alleged role in the 2G spectrum scam allocation scam. Their judicial custody had ended today.

Likewise, judicial custody for DB Realty'sShahid Balwa has also been extended.

Health news coming up.

From the dailymail.co.uk: Ibuprofen could reduce the odds of developing Parkinson's disease by more than a third. A study found that men and women who took the painkiller at least twice a week were 38 per cent less likely to develop Parkinson's which is considered incurable.

It is thought that the pills, taken by millions for headaches, sprains, arthritis and other ailments and illnesses, counteract inflammation that can lead to the death of brain cells.

Where is the X-Files' Fox Mulder and Dana Scully when you need them? Remember the cozy duo investigating strange happenings -- including alien abductions?

Well, now the National Archives in London is releasing documents called Close Encounters on military sightings of UFOs, alien abduction in London and an unidentified aircraft shadowing a Lancaster bomber feature among thousands of other UFO sightings.

The independent.co.uk reveals that extra-terrestrial files reveal how the phenomenon was discussed at the highest level of government and security services worldwide, including at the United Nations, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and was even the subject of a debate in the House of Lords.

Readand as Mulder says: You will want to Believe!

Forty-three people, including 34 members of a marriage party, were killed and eight others were injured in two accidents in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. A truck carrying 40 members of a marriage party rolled 500 meters down into a gorge near Sherhpur village, 50 km from district headquarter of Chamba, last night. He said 32 people died on the spot while two other succumbed to their injuries.

More joy for Indians and India.

According to the Times, London, India is set to outstrip China for the first time as the world's fastest-growing big economy as early as next year, after Beijing trimmed its economic growth targets to reduce its impact on the environment.

India's Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee estimated in his Budget this week that Asia's third-largest economy would expand at a rate of between 8.75 per cent and 9.25 per cent during 2011-12, up from 8.6 per cent in 2010-11 and stronger than expected.

PM Manmohan Singh has spoken on the CVC issue with a bland: "I respect the Supreme Court verdict."

The Congress core group is meeting at 6.30 pm on the issue at Sonia Gandhi's residence. The Congress has also said there is no question of either the PM or Home minister P Chidambaram quitting -- the Opposition demands after the SC verdict.

If you've just joined us read this for an update on the CVC PJ Thomas issue.

Remember Julian Assange? Remember WikiLeaks? Remember Bradley Manning?

Our guess is 'yes' on first two counts, 'no' on the third.Well, Bradley Manning is the alleged WikiLeaks source-- the person who is believed to have givenAssange and Co all the dope on the classified information, whichcreated a stir worldwide with the US, UK baying for Assange's blood.

Now the US military has filed 22 charges against Manning -- a charge of "aiding the enemy," which can carry the death sentence.

The Pentagon confirmed to the Huffington Post that the charges had been filed.

After news of his hair auction, popstar Justin Beiber has issued an apology to his young fans after a photo of him holding up his middle finger to the paparazzi went viral online.

The teenager's gesture was caught on camera while he was exiting a restaurant with girlfriend, Disney star Selena Gomez, after a dinner to celebrate his 17th birthday.

Beiber has now taken to social networking website Twitter to apologise. "Had a great bday and at the end of the night we got surrounded by paps and I reacted in a way I know better. I'm sorry. It's not always easy but I know better than to react in anger. "Life has it's ups and downs but u guys r always there 4 me. I will make my mistakes but I promise 2 continue 2 grow with u and try 2 do rt (sic)," he tweeted.

Fingers crossed Apple CEO Steve Jobs battling pancreatic cancer since 2003 willprove doctors wrong.Docshad said he has just six weeks to survive, last week, after Jobs appeared at an Apple apps launch.

Now, six weeks after announcing that he was indefinite medical leave, Jobs has surprised a lot of people when he took the stage yesterday to unveil his company's next-generation iPad.

Cnn.com says the audience at Apple's event gave him a standing ovation and tech bloggers immediately and breathlessly tweeted out the news. "That he came out on stage will go down in history as a big deal. It's a significant gesture," said an observer.

A day after Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus (the man who conceptualised Grameen Bank) was sackedas thehead of the bank, Yunus has filed a counter casein Bangladesh's High Court challenging his dismissal.

The bank sacked him saying he was past retirement age and had been improperly installed in his post, reports bbc.co.uk

The telegraph.co.uk reports that the wait to see reigning Wimbledon champion Serena Williams in action on the tennis court will get longer, with confirmed reports that one half of the Williams sisters was in a Los Angeles hospital last month for pulmonary embolism and that this week she required emergency treatment for a hematoma.

Read more

Sad commentary on the state of affairs, when one man's hair is sold for a whopper, but poor, innocentAfghan boys are being gunned downby Nato.

Nato's top commander in Afghanistan has apologised for the accidental killing of nine Afghan boys and ordered attack helicopter crews to be briefed again on his directive for preventing civilian deaths.

Civilian casualties have long been a source of friction between the US-led international force and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The president condemned the deaths, saying the victims were "innocent children who were collecting firewood for their families during this cold winter."

Life will never be the same again for their parents, apology be damned.

Away from scams, terror and suchlike...

Choreographer Sandip Soparrkar will be performing at the London wedding reception of UK's Prince William and fiance Kate Middleton. It will apparently be a Bollywood will meet English Waltz at the 'wedding of the decade', with Soparrkar and wife, model Jesse Randhawa, performing at the reception which will be attended by 600 of the world's most high profile leaders and celebrities.

Not surprising, yet terrible news from India that happened last night.

An activist working for the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme was killed after being mercilessly beaten by a group of 12 Maoists at Jerua village in Latehar district.

The activist, Niyamat Ansari, who was stated to be a close aide of noted economist Jean Dreze, died last night after the Maoists beat him up with lathis.

The rebels dragged him out of his residence at 7 pm and started beating him up mercilessly. He was admitted to a local hospital where he died at 10 pm.

The Maoists had on July 7, 2010 pasted posters warning Ansari not to 'exploit forest land or face consequences'.

Three years ago, another NREGA activist, who worked with Dreze, had been killed by unidentified persons in neighbouring Palamau district which triggered widespread protests by several people, including Dreze.

The flagship scheme of the government is for the poor and aims at enhancing livelihood security of people in rural belts by guaranteeing 100 days of wage-employment in a financial year to a rural household.

Details of the Pak bomb blast have just come in.

Four persons were killed and 33 injured when militants targeted a police van with a bomb at Hangu city in northwest Pakistan today.

The blast targeted the van while it was on a routine patrol. The explosion also hit several nearby vehicles and houses.

Four policemen and several women and children were among the injured, police said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack

While on Pakistan, a report says that between 25 and 30 bullets wounds were found on the body of assassinated Pakistan Minister for Minorities Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti.

Professor Jamal said it would take about 24 to 72 hours to complete the final postmortem report of Bhatti, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Islamabad on Wednesday morning.

Geo TV says that a five-doctor board had done the post mortem of Bhatti, which revealed that most of the bullet wounds were on the torso- chest and shoulders.

Bhatti, a Catholic, had received several threats against his life after criticizing the country''s anti-blasphemy laws, which have been used to persecute Christians and other religious minorities.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, believed to be behind a string of terrorist attacks in the country, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

On the CVC issue Union Law minister Veerappa Moily says: PM followed a set process, the process needs to be reviewed. The prime minister committed no illegality. The prime minister is in the clear.

By the way, the Lok Sabha has been adjourned over the CVC issue.

News Pakistani court rules CIA contractor Raymond Davis does not have diplomatic immunity.

Here's a backgrounder from our report on February 24.

Notwithstanding Pakistan's stand that courts will decide the fate of an American arrested for double murder, the US has insisted that he enjoys diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention and asked Islamabad to honour the international treaty and release him immediately.

Read more

Just when Mr Clean almost redeemed himself (his silence on the issue) by speaking on the 2G scam, here's another one he has to tackle. The PM has now calleda cabinet meeting at 12:30 pm.

Taciturn comment from Veerappa Moily: If SC says appointment (CVC's) is illegal, it is.

The law minister is now closeted in a meeting with the PM.

JD(U): Home minister P Chidambaram should take personal responsibility and resign.

Left: Govt can't keep mum. Must explain in Parliament. (Remember Parl is in session)

BJP (Sushma Swaraj): Credibility of CVC office restored.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy: The responsibility squarely rests with the PM. The PM has chosen to appoint a person who is solely responsible for investigating cases of corruption.

Speak up, PM, Chidambaram.

Our man in Delhi says P J Thomas has sent in his resignation from the post of CVC following the Supreme court judgement.

Prior to this law minister Veerappa Moily met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and told him that after the court's judgement it is expected that Thomas sends in his resignation or face dismissal.

Incidentally, the PJ Thomas issue will be the main talking point in the Kerala and Tamil Nadu elections and obviously a setback for the Congress

The BJP says PM is personally culpable and the SC verdict is a blow to UPA and the PM's credibility. Murali Manohar Joshi of the BJP and Sharad Yadav of JDU have asked Home Minister P Chidambram to step down.

Why Chidu, you ask?

Here's why: P Chidambaram had accused Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj of making thoughtless allegations and "tying herself in knots" by levelling the charge that he had misled the panel which selected P V Thomas as the Central Vigilance Commissioner. Read more

Our insider from Delhi says the PM will discuss and strategise on the CVC case with senior ministers at room 9 in the Parliament House.

An unconfirmed report says PJ Thomas has resigned (the man hasno choice, after the SC slap).

And here's the scene at the CVC office: Thomas is not there.

Incidentally, Sushma Swaraj's celebratory tweet is not because, or not just because she isin theoppostion, but becasue she has a special connect to the CVC case.

It's a very interesting read, so do have a go.

Very quickly, this is what the Supreme Court said in its verdict that PJ Thomas should step down as CVC.

-- The SC rejectedthegovernment's contention that vigilance clearance given by the CVC in 2008 was the basis for empanelment of Thomas as a candidate for the post of CVC.

-- It said the committee, for whatsoever reason, failed to consider relevant material recommending action against Thomas.

-- The SC said that the "high-powered committee's recommendation on appointment of Thomas "does not exist in law" and that any future appointment should not be restricted to civil servants alone, but people of impeccable integrity from other fields should also be considered.

-- That the touchstone for the appointment of the CVC is the institutional integrity as well as the personal integrity of the candidate.

-- Apex court rejects the contention of Thomas and the government that the appointment of the CVC cannot be brought under judicial review. It said the legality of the recommendation can be brought under judicial review.

Thomas has been possibly even more defiant than our very own Suresh Kalmadi about refusing to quit.

Read this report December 2010 report on the man to understand what a jolt the SC verdict will be.

The Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas said his conscience is clear and dismissed as 'speculative' questions on his possible resignation in the wake of stinging observations against him by the Supreme Court.

"I am morally clear. My conscience is very clear. I am continuing as CVC," Thomas said. Asked about his possible resignation, Thomas said, "That is a speculative question. I do not have to answer it."

Thomas said he was an impartial person and distanced himself from the 2G spectrum scam as well as the Palmolein import case, over which there are demands for his resignation. "The Palmolein import case is a very old case. It did not happen in my tenure. I am not really aware of its status. The state government has a very funny stand on it," he said. He said that the case related to the Council of Ministers in Kerala taking a decision to import Palmolein and as food secretary he had implemented it.

You have to hand it to her. Minutes after the SC verdict saying CVC Thomas has to go, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj tweets.

Sushma Swaraj The dignity of the office of CVC has been restored.

Here it is

The Supreme Court has struck down the appointment of PJ Thomas as the CVC. The SC has called his appointment illegal and has said he must go. Thecourt also said the government ignored the corruption taint on Thomas. However, the Palmolein case was not mentioned in the case papers; Thomas is an accused in the case.

The Supreme Court pronouncedthe verdict right now on the basis of petitions challenging the appointment of former bureaucrat P J Thomas, who is facing a corruption case in Kerala.

A bench of Chief Justice S H Kapadia and Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar had reserved its judgment on February 10. The public interest litigation filed by an NGO, Center for Public Interest Litigation, and retired bureaucrats and police officials, including former Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh, had challenged Thomas' appointment to the post in view of a pending criminal case against him in a Kerala court. Thomas was appointed CVC on September 7 last year.

More of the world news.

Christian Dior's chief designer John Galliano, who was sacked from his job for his anti-Jewish comments, could now face prison despite an apology letter.

The 50-yr-old would stand trial over two anti-Jewish rants in a Paris bar, said prosecutors.

Although he issued an apology, following an investigation, prosecutors in France said that he would face a judge on charges of assault and anti-Semitism. In France, making anti-Semitic remarks is punishable by up to six months in prison.

And an FYI: The Israel government has gone on record earlier saying India is the only country in the world where Jews do not face discrimination, humiliation.

This should make Indians feel a little better that Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab is still alive, and possibly will be for many more years, till the President finally gets to his case.

Here's why.

In the US, the man who assassinated US Democratic senator and presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy has been denied parole. A bbc.co.uk reports says that Sirhan Sirhan does not remember shooting Kennedy at a Los Angeles hotel in 1968 on the day he won the California Democratic presidential primary.

Sirhan, a Palestinian Christian, was convicted in 1969 of murder. The California parole boardsaidit was his 13th effort to win release; he will be considered again in five years.

Sirhan was sentenced to death in April 1969 but that sentence was commuted in 1972 when the US Supreme Court temporarily banned capital punishment.

News from around the world as we wait the Supreme Court's decision on CVC Thomas.

The New Zealand government has said there are no more survivors of the earthquake in Christchurch. The bbc.co.uk says that key buildings in the city, struck by a shallow quake of magnitude 6.3 last Tuesday, are being scoured for bodies

The official toll is now 161. Power, transport and sewage systems are gradually being restored but rebuilding the city is a daunting task.

FYI details of the CVC case. Read

Good morning. A particularly great week for those those who have been blessed with the mid-week holiday yesterday. Great to have you back.

Apossibly bad weekfor PJ Thomas as the verdict on his appointment as the CVC will be examined by the Supreme Court and the verdict will be pronounced today.

Verdict should be out any time now, so stay with us.