The Delhi High Court today rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd Director Karim Morani, an accused in 2G spectrum allocation scam, and said "coercive process" would be applied if he fails to appear before it tommorrow.

"He (Morani) is directed to appear in the court tomorrow at 10 am, failing which coercive process shall be issued," Special CBI Judge O P Saini said. The court dismissed Morani's bail plea on medical ground, saying that as per May 19 reports received from the department of Cardiology and Neurosurgery of Mumbai's J J Hospital, his condition is "stable and normal".

The court also said proper medical facilities are available in Tihar jail. "I may also add that in case of need, proper medical facilities are available in Tihar Jail itself and if an undertrial/prisoner requires any further treatment, he is immediately taken to RML Hospital or AIIMS, as per the requirement of the situation," it said.

However hardnosed you may be, it is a sad moment for a father to meet her daughter in jail. That's exactly what former TN CM M Karunanidhi is doing right now at Tihar, where DMK MP accused in the 2G scam is lodged. Her mother Rajathiammal and husband also visited her in jail.

No reports yet whether Karunanidhi wept behind his dark glasses.

At least 89 people have died after a massive tornado swept through the Missouri town of Joplin in US.

"The death toll is expected to rise. It's total devastation," Jay Nixon, Governor of Missouri said. A state of emergency has been declared in Kansas.

"We are responding aggressively, quickly. We want to make sure as the night goes on that we're saving lives between now and dawn". There are a number of injuries".

The deadly tornado struck the town of Joplin near the border with Oklahoma and Kansas yesterday, less than a month after a horrific tornado outbreak left 354 dead across seven US states.

Echoing her statement on Friday when she took oath as West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee today expressed annoyance at the lack of infrastructure in the state secretariat, saying the situation is so bad that she was finding it difficult to work.

"There is no infrastructure here. I wonder how the previous governments functioned for 35 years. Even my office is not ready. Everything is so unorganised. How will I work? There is not even a telephone," a visibly annoyed Banerjee said.

Banerjee said she had only two chairs in her office and her personal staff were operating from the Chief Minister's conference room in Writers' Buildings.

"Governments come and go, but every place should have its proper infrastructure in place permanently. This situation cannot go on. We will change it," she said.

The PWD yesterday began work of overhauling the Chief Minister's chamber, including fixing a new ceiling, compact fluorescent lights and wooden chairs.

A naked picture of a gorgeous woman that will make you ill.

Take this with a mound of salt.

India today expressed sadness over the loss of lives in the terror attack in Karachi and said vigil has to be stepped up in this country for which an advisory has been issued to all states.

Home Minister P Chidambaram said the attack on Pakistan Navy's air base has again highlighted the fact that India lives in a troubled neighbourhood.

(See our 15:38 pm post for the brief).

The Home Minister said India was "not happy" about the incident that took place in Karachi. "In fact, we are sad that lives are lost. But that is today a troubled State. Ten Navy personnel were killed in the attack and at least 14 injured.

Noting that any incident of terrorism in the region certainly must be viewed gravely, he said, "We must increase our vigil. Therefore we remain alert and we have alerted the states based on whatever intelligence we have".

The sun.co.uk reports that Arnold Schwarzenegger has at least two more secret love children.

British actressJane Seymour claimed it was common knowledge. She said: "I heard about two more children. I met someone who knows him well. "I was not remotely surprised by their separation.

He was obviously jumping the gun before everyone else told the world the news. "And from what I gather there will be lots of information coming people's way."

Even if you may not have a mammoth desire to read this, click on the link, for the maginificent pictures.

The story is about Rajan, the world's last and only ocean swimming elephant, whois edging a step closer to a well-earned retirement.

The dailymail.co.uk reports that the the three-ton bull elephant has almost reached the £37,000 target his owners need to pay back the loan they took out to buy his freedom. That was three years ago, and in the years since, Rajan, 61, has entertained and stunned photographers all willing to pay for the privilege of spending time with the world's last swimming elephant.

See the pictures

Ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland could begin to drift across the UK towards the end of the week, forecasters have said. (Read our 12:04 pm post).

Aviation officials said there was no effect on UK airspace at present, but they were "monitoring the situation closely".

The Grimsvotn volcano is experiencing its largest eruption in 100 years. It comes a year after ash from the Eyjafjallajokull eruption reached Europe, closing much of its airspace, reports bbc.co.uk.

Apart from air traffic disruption, the other thing these volcanoes do is ensure we get tongue tied trying to pronounce the names.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who has firmly remained out of the news, has decided to run for the presidency next year, raising the possibility of a power struggle with his protege Dmitry Medvedev, the incumbent Kremlin leader.

The Australian reports once-close relationship between Putin, the tough-talking former KGB officer who has inspired a personality cult, and Medvedev, a softly spoken Twitter enthusiast, has become increasingly fractious amid speculation in Moscow that the younger man wishes to stand again.

Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik addressing a press conference in Karachi after the 16-hour siege on the naval airbase ended says, (basically), all's well that ends well. All navy assets are secure,no hostages were taken, but 10 navy personnel were killed (down from the earlier reported figure of 12), 15 injured. He says there are some people who want to destabilise Pakistan. Several terrorists have been captured. But complete silence on the alleged killing of Taliban boss Mullah Omar.

Malik was the same man who had infamously warned the Pak cricket team that they would be watched closely for match fixing during the World Cup.

With tears (crocodile? There's no love lost between Alagiri and Kanimozhi) rolling down her eyes, Union Minister M K Alagiri's wife Kanthi today met her jailed sister-in-law Kanimozhi at a trial court in New Delhi and consoled her.

Kanthi, who arrived in New Delhi this morning, went to the court along with her son Durai Dayanithi and others to the special CBI court at the Patiala House court complex and they spoke to her for a few minutes.

As soon as Kanimozhi saw Kanthi sitting in the court room, Kanimozhi went straight to her and exchanged pleasantries.

But, soon Kanthi broke down in the courtroom. However, Kanimozhi was looking composed and was talking to Kanthi.

Then, both Kanimozhi and Kanthi went to the gallery where the DMK MP's mother Rajathi was sitting along with her grandson Aditya.

Kanthi sat between Kanimozhi and her mother Rajathi and was seen talking to them for sometime. This is for the first time that members of Karunanidhi's family have met Kanimozhi ever since she was lodged in jail on Friday

Fascinating read from the Christian Science Monitor which will tell you why the civilised world is keeping its fingers crossed that Taliban boss Mullah Omar has in fact been killed.

Here's an excerpt...

A Pakistani official arrived in Kandahar, Afghanistan, this spring, on a mission to save two towering 1,700-year-old mountain carvings of Buddha. He tried to dissuade the Taliban Supreme Leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, from blowing up the statues.

Mullah Omar replied by describing a dream he'd had about "a mountain falling down on him." Before it hit him, Allah appeared, asking Omar why he did nothing to get rid of the false idols.

"I closed my attach case," the Pakistani recalls, shoulders sagging. "There was nothing left to say."

Such private visions are part of the decisionmaking process that has guided the life of the man who rose from village mullah to Taliban leader to partner of Osama bin Laden.

Read more

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has hit the deck running.

Today, she asked authorities to prepare a file on Singur, the next working day after she took oath on Friday when she said the 400 acre land acquired from the farmers for the abandoned Tata Motors' project would be returned.

Commerce and Industry minister Partha Chatterjee asked the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation to prepare the file on Singur.

She had said the Tatas were welcome to set up a project on the remaining 600 acre of 1000 acre taken by the company for the Nano project, now shifted to Sanand in Gujarat.

Just in: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram addressing the media in New Delhi today says Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj performed his duty and there was no question of recalling him.

On Pakistan: We had some intelligence on the movements of Mullah Omar, but will have to wait and see whether reports that he is dead, are true. We have to remain on vigil constantly since we have a troubled neighbourhood.

On infiltration: We are keeping a close watch on the border.

Chidambaram has also alerted states in the wake of the terror attack in
Pakistan.

A suspect from outside the PNS Mehran (where the seige at the Naval airbase ended today) was taken into custody by Pakistani authorities in Karachi, Geo News reported.

Sources said that one person named Majid was held for viewing the 15-hour operation through a telescope.

Still no confirmation on Taliban chief Mullah Omar's death. Both the Taliban and Afghanistan denies the US claims. But who was or is the Omar, also called the One-eyed Mullah, which is self-explanatory. This is the man, who dragged Afghanistan president Najibullah out of the UN compound in Kabul, mutilated, his body, shot him, and then hung in the street.

Read more

Chile is now preparing to exhume ex-President Salvador Allende's body to look into how he died.

The remains of Chile's former president are due to be exhumed in a bid to determine whether the former leader killed himself or was murdered, reports bbc.co.uk.

The official version is that Allende shot himself in the presidential palace as General Augusto Pinochet's forces closed in on him during the 1973 coup.

But as his death was never formally investigated, some believe the military killed him and covered up the crime.

The CPI(M) today admitted that some element of "alienation" and "anger" worked behind its drubbing in West Bengal polls and did not rule out a change of Central leadership, saying the process of introspection is on.

In an interview with Karan Thapar in the 'India Tonight' programme of CNBC-TV18, senior party Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said the exercise of introspection is underway but whether that will lead to a leadership change will be decided by the party Central Committee (CC) which is meeting in June.

He also acknowledged that the withdrawal of Left support to UPA-I had a "collateral damage" as it created a strong opposition alliance in Bengal but insisted "we had no option".

Terming the Taliban attack on the Mehran naval air base as a "big security lapse", Pakistani defense and political analysts today said that "insiders" were facilitating the militants in their deadly agenda and asked the government and military to wake up to this.

The daring attack by the armed militants, who used rockets, grenades and heavy ammunition, has raised serious doubt over the military's ability to protect its key installations.

"It is a worrying thing this attack and is nothing but a serious security lapse on part of the navy," Air Vice Marshal (retd) Shahzad Chaudhary, a defence analyst said.

He pointed out that the PNS Mehran was one of Pakistan's most important naval airbases with the latest equipment and aircrafts and for militants to attack it so easily and brazenly showed big loops in the security.

At least 12 Navy personnel have been killed in the attacks, while 14 have been injured.

In Tamil Nadu, the newly-elected members today took the oath at the first session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly after the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK came to power at Fort St George.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was the first to be administered the oath by Pro-Tem speaker C K Thamizharasan, followed by members of her cabinet and others.

Former Chief Minister and DMK chief M Karunanidhi, whose party suffered a defeat, was not present as he flew to Delhi this morning to meet his daughter Kanimozhi, who is in the Tihar jail after being denied bail in the 2G Spectrum scam case.

Ailing actress Zsa Zsa Gabor (yup, she battles on), who slipped into coma last week, has emerged from her comatose state, her husband Prince Frederic Von Anhalt has said.

The 94-year-old screen icon was earlier rushed to a Los Angeles hospital on May 17 for an emergency stomach operation.

Anhalt announced that there was progress in her health, although she remains under the intensive care of doctors.

He also hoped that his 'frail' wife, who now communicates by saying yes and no, is discharged soon. "She's the only thing I have. If she dies I don't have anybody else to live for. She does not want to be left alone. We made promises that we would take care of each other until the end. I know she would do the same for me," said Anhalt.

Gabor, who has had serious health scares in recent years, has been unable to walk since a 2002 car accident.

Pakistani troops have ended a siege by militants who attacked a naval base in the city of Karachi. The bbc.co.uk reports that troops are now said to be "mopping up" after the raid, which has left at least 14 soldiers dead.

The attackers were said to have taken hostages after storming the Mehran naval aviation base overnight.

Some militants may still be in the compound. The Pakistan Taliban says the raid was to avenge Osama Bin Laden's killing by US special forces on 2 May.

"It was the revenge of martyrdom of Osama Bin Laden. It was the proof that we are still united and powerful," Ehsanullah Ehsan, a Taliban spokesperson said.

R Rajagopalan tweets: No senior TNCC leader went to airport to receive Karunanidhi. Tit for tat as DMK not attended PM Dinner

Karunanidhi is staying at Taj Mansingh Hotel in Delhi. At 430 pm he and his family members including Alagiri's wife, will meet Kani in Tihar Jail.

Dirty old man, and former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who made news lastweek for being indicted on seven charges including forcing a hotel maid to perform oral sex on him, and attempted rape, has more dirt on offer. If he is convicted, Strauss-Kahn faces up to 25 years in prison.

The man apparently sought the company of two female hotel staffers after he checked into Manhattan's Sofitel Hotel one day before his alleged sexual assault on a maid May 14, reports CNN.com.

As a receptionist was personally escorting Strauss-Khan to his suite following check-in, he asked her to stay for some champagne, but the receptionist told investigators she turned him down.

Later,Strauss-Kahn called a different receptionist from his suite to ask if she would join him for a drink in his room after she got off duty. Like the first receptionist, she also declined the former IMF chief's invitation.

Read more

This piece of information should interest Gaga fans (though how she has any is a miracle).

Poker Face singer Lady Gaga, who is known for her outrageous performances, recently staged a mock birth during a show on US Saturday Night Live.

Gaga, 25, began her routine by emerging from a pod, emblazoned with the name Beluga Gagaviar No1, a reference to the famous, and very expensive, brand of caviar.

After a very energetic performance and just as her song was ending, her dancers surrounded her, and after she emerged, she had a huge bump around her midriff.

She immediately headed from a mock hospital bed to the side of the stage where her dancers helped into a pair of stirrups, and she subsequently "gave birth' to a gold liquid.

Another obituary (and we don't mean Mullah Omar -- that's a celebration. Read our 12:52 pm post.)

Chidananda Dasgupta, noted film critic and father of renowned actor-director Aparna Sen, died here last night following brief illness.

He was 89 and waspredeceased by his wife two years ago. He was suffering from acute broncho pneumonia and Parkinson's disease, doctors attending on him said.

Aparna, who was away in the United States, will perform the last rites in Kolkata tomorrow.

Born in 1922, Chidananda, along with Satyajit Ray and Hari Sadhan Dasgupta, founded the Calcutta Film Society. He also directed a few films including Amodini and Bilet Pherot.

Time for Pakistan and US to play Truth or Dare.

US President Barack Obama, in the immediate aftermath of Osama bin Laden's assassination said that his government would repeat the 'Osama raid' if a 'high value target' was found in Pakistan.

However, the Pakistan Foreign Office said it had been assured by Washington that there would be no unilateral action in the future.

The Pakistani paper, Express Tribune, quoted the foreign office as saying that Pakistan and the US have already announced that they would work together for any further action against such terrorists in the country.

The gun battle between security forces and Taliban militants rages on inside the Mehran naval base in Pakistan -- more than 15 hours after attackers with guns and grenades stormed the compound in Karachi. A report on cnn.com says that at least 13 naval officials were killed and 14 others wounded in the fighting.

The Pakistani Taliban said the attack at the naval air station was to avenge the killing of innocent civilians. The group's spokesman, Ihsan Ullah, said Pakistani security forces are carrying out the killings on the instruction of the United States in the name of a "war on terror."

About 10 to 15 militants attacked the base about 11 pm Sunday.

While we wait it out for the truth, and presumably, pictures of Mullah Omar's dead body, here's news from India.

Mala Sen, writer of the critically acclaimed film Bandit Queen, died of cancer at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. She was 64. Sen had been diagnosed with cancer some months ago. She had come to India from London for treatment and died last morning.

Sen was mostly known for her collaboration with director Shekhar Kapur for Bandit Queen (1994), the film based on the life of Phoolan Devi, a dacoit-turned-politician.

"RIP Mala Sen, a life spent in search of creative self expression, writer tht led me 2 Bandit Queen," Shekhar Kapur said on twitter.

Unlike the immedeate aftermath of Osama bin Laden's death, when both Pakistan first, and the Taliban later, accepted that Osama was indeed shot dead in his rabbit hole in Abbottabad, this time around it's different.

A senior Pakistani security official said he could not confirm media reports that Taliban leader Mullah Omar had been killed, reports Dawn.com

"I am making queries,' the official said, requesting anonymity. "I can't confirm it.'

Moreover, the Taliban in Afghanistan rejected reports that Omar had been killed in Pakistan, saying he is alive and in Afghanistan.

"He is in Afghanistan safe and sound,' Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location. "We reject these baseless reports that Mullah Mohammad Omar has been killed.'

A week after the steep hike in petrol prices by Rs 5 a litre, the government today said a ministerial panel is likely to meet in the next few days to take a decision on raising diesel, LPG and kerosene rates.

"I think the EGoM meeting on diesel pricing will be called this week," Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who is also a member of the ministerial panel, told reporters on the sidelines of an ICAR-CII event in New Delhi.

More details on rediff.com soon!

Two powerful bombs exploded at a high-security area and at a minister's residence in Manipur but no casualty was reported, official sources said today.

No individual or group has so far claimed responsibility for both the incidents.

More details soon on rediff.com!

How many of you remember Eyjafjallajkull?

To jog your memory, the Iceland volcano had erupted in April last year, leading to 34 countries shutting their airspace for fear that fine ash particles could cause jet engines to stop, affecting millions of passengers. It was the largest such closure since World War II.

Iceland is on the verge of a similar crisis as Grimsvoetn, its most active volcano located at the heart of its biggest glacier, began emitting plumes of smoke and ash 12 miles high on Saturday, blocking out the sun in nearby villages.

Following the eruption, Iceland shut down its main airport, and a question mark hangs over air routes over it, an important segment in trans-Atlantic routes.

Aviation authorities and other experts have said that Grimsvoetn's eruption should not have as severe an effect as Eyjafjallajkull, and the impact should be localised to Iceland.

As her father, former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi was flying into Delhi to meet her, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi on Monday approached the Delhi high court seeking bail in the 2G spectrum scam case.

Kanimozhi and the MD of Kalaignar TV, Sharad Kumar, were on Friday sent to Tihar jail after the court refused to show any leniency to her on the basis of her gender, as argued by her counsel Ram Jethmalani.

Xinhua, the Chinese media, has quoted Afghan news outlet TOLOnews that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar has been killed in Pakistan.

There has been no official confirmation of the news yet, and the Taliban has denied the report.

However, reports claim that Omar was shot dead as he was in transit from Quetta to North Waziristan over the weekend.

Omar, the one-eyed spiritual leader of the Taliban presided over the Taliban regime in Kabul from 1996 to 2001, which was toppled by the United States after the 9/11 terror strikes.

The joint drafting committee comprising five Union ministers and social activist Anna Hazare's representatives will meet in New Delhi on Monday to take forward the latest version of the Jan Lokpal bill to combat corruption.

The fourth meeting of the team led by Hazare is expected to ask the ministerial to call at least three meetings every week to complete the drafting process by the June 30, deadline set in the gazette notification issued by the government.

At the third meeting of the joint drafting committee, there was a general agreement on seven of the 34 points submitted by the civil society members.

There was agreement on empowering the Lokpal to initiate a suo motu probe into the allegations of corruption against ministers, MPs and senior bureaucrats.

Currently, a minister can be prosecuted only after sanction from the Prime Minister. Lok Sabha Speaker or Rajya Sabha Chairman has to give the nod in case of action against MPs.

Former Union minister Shanti Bhushan, a member of Hazare's team and co-chair of the Committee, in a letter to Mukherjee last week had suggested that government first present its views on all the remaining points and possible solutions on issues on which there were divergent views.

81.71 per cent of the students who apperaed for their CBSE (std XII) exams have cleared it, an increase of 1.84 per cent over last year, the board has announced.

This year, 7,69,929 candidates registered for the exams conducted for three streams.

The CBSE results for students will be sent to their email addresses from the sites: www.results.nic.in, www.cbseresults.nic.in, www.cbse.nic.in. Students should register at these sites to avail of this facility, a release stated.

Schools can also get their entire results by giving their school code and email id and registering themselves. The results will also be available through interactive voice response system at 30 paise per minute. Students can call 011-24357270/011-28127030.

Mobile users will have to dial the numbers depending on their service providers. For Idea subscribers it is 55456068, for BSNL 1255536, for Aircel 5550099, for Tata Docomo 54321223, for Airtel 54321202, and for Vodafone 56735.

Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata has congratulated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on her resounding success in the recently concluded state assembly polls.

In a congratulatory message addressed to the chief minister, Tata expressed hope that West Bengal would make rapid strides in all spheres of development under her leadership, sources close to the Tata Group said.

Tata's letter comes a couple of days after the chief minister's announcement of the return of 400 acres of Tatas' land at Singur to unwilling farmers whose land was acquired.

Banerjee also said that her government had no objection to the Tatas building a factory on the remaining 600 acres of land at the project site.

Good morning, and welcome to another Monday of News As It Happens, on a day when rumours (at least as yet) abound of wanted terrorist Mullah Omar having been taking out in a US operation (If true, it begs the question: what's with American liquidations and Sunday nights!).

Today is also the day when DMK leader MKarunanidhi is scheduled to meet his daughter Kanimozhi in Tihar jail.

And from Tamil Nadu again, newly inducted AIADMK minister N Mariam Pitchai, who held the environment portfolio, was killed in a road accident when he was rushing to Chennai to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of the 14th legislative assembly representatives, scheduled for this afternoon. The mishap occurred near Padalur in Perambalur district on the Tiruchi-Chennai NH