It's been confirmed now. Top Maoist leader Koteswar Rao alias Kishenji has been killed in a gunbattle by security forces in the Kushboni forest in the Junglemahal area of West Bengal.

Local TV channels say a body with a AK-47 has been found in the forest.

Three other Maoist leaders have also been killed. Local channels also say that the police are looking for his close aide, Suchitra Mahato, with massive joint operations underway right now in the area.

Yesterday, it was believed that Kishenji had in fact escaped. A top Counter Insurgency Force officer had told PTI on condition of anonymity yesterday, "We had strong information that Kishenji and Suchitra, the wife of a slain state committee member were hiding in the jungles of Nalbani, Lalbani and Khusbani in Jhargram area of West Midnapore district."

The joint forces were alerted by the arrest of five Maoist 'village defence squad' members, who comprised the outermost ring of four rings usually assigned to protect a top leader such as Kishenji.

Days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, the state-run media here today said India was "jealous" of China's growing influence in Asia and charged it with instigating
"small" neighbours for a "gang fight" against this country. 

"India jitters at the sight of China gaining prestige in Asia, in particular, in South Asia and Southeast Asia, and takes China's ever-growing regional influence in recent years as a strategic encirclement to target and contain India," Xinhua news agency said in a commentary on its website.

On the Weekly Standard: As a reader who has compulsively consumed the ever-expanding body of Beatles literature for 40 years, I have trouble picking out a favorite anecdote or most memorable quote.

Is it John's "If there is such a thing as a genius, I am one'? Or the note Paul sent John one day in the waning days of the group: "You and your Jap tart think you're hots"?

Or maybe it's the time an airline stewardess offered George a glass of wine, not knowing he was deep in meditation. "F'" off,' the spiritual Beatle replied.

More

Published on November 21, the comprehensive report on torture in India spanning torture in police custody, custodial deaths by army, torture of women and children, UN reports and scrutiny...

Read it if you can stomach it.

Anna Hazare today tied himself in knots with his reaction to the attack on
Sharad Pawar first appearing to respond with contempt and later condemning it.
"He got slapped! Only one slap?" he said to a group of journalists who broke out in laughter at his reaction. 

But later coming out of the room, he condemned the incident saying such acts of violence were not good. "He (the attacker) may be very angry. This is not good.
Anger is not good. Our Constitution does not tell us to be violent with anyone," Hazare told reporters in Ralegan Siddhi. 

As word about his remarks created ripples, Hazare said he was talking to 200-300 visitors and someone sent a note that Pawar was attacked. 

"I was asking them, was he only slapped and anything else happened to him," he said. After that he spoke to the media and told them it was not a slap on the face of Pawar but a slap on democracy.

Interestingly, one of the sections Harvinder Singh was charged with is: 309 of the IPC, which is attempt to commit suicide.

Anna Hazare's reaction when Sharad Pawar was slapped.

A TV journalist asked him: Sharad Pawar was slapped today in Delhi. Your reaction.

Anna Hazare: Sharad Pawar slapped? Only once?

More condemnation for the attack on Sharad Pawar.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan: Such incidents expose "lapses" in security of senior leaders and Ministers. "It has come to light that the same person had attacked former Union Minister Sukhram a few days ago. The fact that such people can come close to senior political leaders and ministers is a cause of concern and indicates lapses in security.

Anna Hazare: There was no place for violence in a democracy. However, the government should take appropriate measures to keep public anger under check.

Also watch on rediff.com: Why I slapped Sharad Pawar

A slew of stories from basically, here, there and everywhere...    

How one Thai budget carrier keeps its flight attendants young and hot. A cnn.com read

Acclaimed cartoonists, RK Laxman and Bal Thackeray, to meet in Pune. A DNA read

A charismatic envoy's sudden downfall is the chance for Washington to move from engagement with Islamabad to containment. Saying goodbye to Husain Haqqani. A WSJ read

Here is the a twitpic of alleged riots in Baner, Pune.

All that while the NCP appeals for calm.

Early reports say NCP workers have been shutting down shops, blocking roads in Mumbai in protest over the assault on Sharad Pawar.

Ashish Shakya: At Lucky signal in Bandra. Traffucked due to NCP ***** ** blocking the road on account of having small *****.  

Sucheta Dalal:  In Mumbai NCP workers are closing down shops to protest. High time NCP leaders, including Sharad Pawar tell their workers to chill.

Sushil Kumar, the only contestant to win the Rs 5 crore jackpot on Kaun Banega Crorepati, this season, has turned down an offer to appear in Bigg Boss 5.

Rediff.com's MI Khan reports.

"I was approached by a top executive, involved in producing Bigg Boss and he offered me a place in the reality show. I simply said, no, I don't want to sign up'," Sushil told rediff.com over the phone.

He added, "I don't want to lose my image by accepting the offer. People are looking at me as a role model and if I enter the House, I may do something that would hurt them or my image."

Sushil added he had become the brand ambassador for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). The 28-year-old computer operator also admitted that he was getting endorsements by the dozen.

Guess who met the PM today? None other than Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited, Mukesh Ambani.

Ambani's meeting comes in the backdrop of the oil ministry's likely decision to disallow some of the expenditure made on its flagging KG-D6 gas fields. It was not immediately known if he had indeed raised the issue which his company says is contrary to signed contract during the meeting which took place in the Parliament House.

Moving on from Mr Pawar, on the bbc.co.uk:

An Indian chief minister has called for a boycott of the London 2012 Olympics if the sponsorship of the Dow Chemical company continues. Shivraj Singh Chauhan made the call in a letter to Sports Minister Ajay Maken. More

V Narayanaswamy, MoS, PMO says the attack on Sharad Pawar is to be condemned and anyone who takes the law in their own hands is to be punished.

Supriya Sule, MP, NCP, and Sharad Pawar's daughter says: I condemn the act, but urge party memebers not to react to the incident, forgive and move on. I was worried because he was hit on the side he had surgery. Violence is not permissible.

CBI today filed its second status report in the nurse Bhanwari Devi disappearance case, claiming it had made some significant developments in the case in which sacked Rajasthan Minister Mahipal Maderna is a key suspect.

During the hearing on the habeas corpus petition filed by the husband of Bhanwari Devi in the chamber, the CBI submitted the status report in sealed envelope. The court decided the next date of next hearing as December 15.
CBI had filed the first status report in the case on November 11.

Bhanwari Devi (36), an auxiliary nurse midwife at a sub-centre in Jaliwada village, is missing since September 1 and her husband Amar Chand has alleged that she was kidnapped at the behest of Maderna, who has been quizzed two times by the CBI. 

A CD allegedly showing Maderna in compromising position with Bhanwari had come to light after she went missing from Jodhpur's Bilara area. 

The CBI has so far grilled several people including ruling party MLA Malkhan Singh, his brother and sister, Mahipal Maderna's wife Leela Maderna and others.

On our 12:36 pm post, we told you that Jimi Hendrix was voted greatest guitar player of all time.

Here's a related story:

Freddie Mercury died 20 years ago this day, but his star has only burned brighter in the two decades since, with Queen and their larger-than-life frontman as popular as ever. The British rockers, marking their 40th anniversary this year, are among the world's biggest-selling artists ever -- with most of their sales coming in the 20 years since Mercury died.

Read  the report on, where else, but Queenonline.com.

Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt in Delhi, adds that soon after Sharad Pawar was slapped, the Prime Minister called him up and condemned the incident.

Back to news:

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today briefed his council of ministers on the issue of revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act. "Cabinet meeting (has taken place) just now.. Briefed my colleagues about my discussions in Delhi # (on) AFSPA," he tweeted.

According to officials present in the meeting, Omar has briefed his cabinet colleagues about his discussion with the central leadership on AFSPA in New Delhi and his perception on the issue.

In the meeting, Omar also approved transfers and posting of some senior police officers, including two additional DGPs and three IGPs, they said.

And more tweets:  

Kiran Kumar S: Bangarappa would be anxious now. I too have twisted jaw likeSharad Pawar. Does Harvinder have a brother? :)  

Vasu Jain  One slap can make Sharad Pawar trending.... a feat for him he would not have achieved otherwise !!

And, yes, Sharad Pawar is trending on Twitter. Samplers...

• Shubhashish:  Harwinder Singh slaps Sharad Pawar. The minister takes out Rajnigandha, puts it in his mouth and says, "Ek se mera kya hoga?  

• Shirish Kunder: SlapMan reveals he slapped Sharad Pawar on his cheek only to make him symmetrical.  

• Sidhuisms:  Sharad Pawar got slapped by Harvinder Singh... Goodness gracious me!  

• Tanmay Bhat: Ouch, somebody slapped Sharad Pawar so hard that it looks like one half of his face totally got......oh wait.

BJP leader Yashwant Sinha's warning rings true. On Tuesday, Sinha warned that high prices of food could even lead to violence, and he would "not be surprised" if this were to happen.  

Ravi Shankar Prasad, spokesperson BJP, says the party condemns the incident, but the UPA should take note of price rise. He says the UPA is not even willing to allow a debate in Pariliament. "That is incorrect," he says.

Sharad Pawar reacts to that assault saying it is not a security breach. He says he thought person who slapped him was a journalist.

Harvinder Singh, the man who slapped him, says it is an answer to corrupt politicians, inflation.

Former UP CM Mulayam Singh says he condemns the act and the attacker should be punished.

Pawar joins an eminent list of victims of assault-- slaps, shoe-throwing, attacks.

These include: Former US president George W Bush, President Obama, P Chidambaram, Prashant Bhushan, Suresh Kalmadi etc...

Harvinder Singh is apparently the same person who slapped former telecom minister Sukhram in court on November 19. '

Here's what the NDTV report says: Former Telecom Minister Sukhram was today slapped and kicked by a man inside the premises of a Delhi court just moments after he was sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment in connection with a corruption case dating back to 1996.

The assailant, identified as Harvinder Singh, was immediately nabbed and whisked away by the police.

Facebook is steamrolling forward. It now boasts 800 million active users. The company is reportedly preparting for an initial public offering. It's laying plans to sell a Facebook phone, strengthening its presence on the mobile web.

But Facebook's plans may be hampered by a new backlash against the company's efforts to get its users to share more of their lives online. Read the Reuters blog.

Somewhere underneath the bizarre revelations and the controversy surrounding Michael Jackson's death, the human tragedy at the heart of this international news story has been all but lost. 

But that changes the instant you set eyes on some of the items set to go under the hammer next month as part of a sale of the contents from the Bel Air home that Michael was renting. Read the story on the Daily Mail.

Efforts are on to convince West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to support the FDI in multi-brand retail which is comingup for consideration of the Union Cabinet this evening. 

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has spoken to Banerjee and "if needed, would meet her again," to remove her apprehensions on the issue, sources said. Trinamool Congress is a key ally of the UPA government. Banerjee, who is in Delhi since Tuesday night, had reportedly said her party would oppose the proposal for allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail in theCabinet. 

"Sharma will explain to her how the FDI would be beneficial for small farmers and try to remove whatever inhibitions she has on the issue," sources said. 

The Cabinet is scheduled to consider allowing 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail, a move which will pave the way for opening of global retail stores like Wal-Mart,Carrefour and Tesco in major Indian cities. 

The FDI cap in the single brand is also likely to be raised to 100 per cent.

This is what Tata Steel MD JJ Irani says on Cyrus Mistry: "He is very open, he is correct, he is not biased. He is also fair and objective in his decisions. The plus point is he keeps corporate interests first."

Read more on CNN IBN

And some more info on Cyrus Mistry:

He will be the first Tata Sons Chairman in 74 years with children (he has two sons who will be 14 and 16 next December)

Neither Jeh, who took over in 1938, and Ratan, who took over in 1991, had children.

This is a story carried in the Outlook magazine in 2000: Interior designer Rohiqa Mistry and her builder husband, Cyrus, make the perfect foodie couple. In her words, "I love to eat out and he loves to eat." For the Mumbai-based food-loving duo, a dull week means eating out once. By that standard, last week was pretty exciting; they dined out all seven days. Read

And here's why we gave you that: Rohiqa is married to Cyrus Mistry, who will soon become the new Tata boss. She is also the grand-daughter of the incredible jurist, cabinet minister and diplomat, MC Chagla.

Since ProPublica released it's article titled, FBI Was Warned Years in Advance of Mumbai Attacker's Terror Ties, by Sebastian Rotella, written about Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley an accused terrorist, just two days ago, there has been a world-wide media frenzy. Read the blog

Also read: Vicky Nanjappa's story on rediff.com: Headley moved towards ISI after CIA dumped him

On Twitter: Tavleen Singh: The Supreme Court has reminded judges that they cannot behave like a lynch mob and deny people bail because the mob wants it.

Yesterday, the SC granted bail to all five corporates accused in the 2G scam, even as Kanimozhi, Sharad Kumar and Karim Morani have applied for an early hearing to their bail plea. Kani's bail hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.  

Lakshmi Mittal, the NRI steel tycoon with a fortune estimated at 15.5 billion pounds, is the most powerful Asian in Britain, according to a new list of eminent
Asians in the country. 

Mittal, 61, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of ArcelorMittal, the world's leading integrated steel and mining company, heads the Power list of 101 in the category of Industry published by Eastern Eye, a weekly newspaper in London.

Yesterday, the government named member of parliament and rights activist Shehrbano (Sherry) Rehman as ambassador to the US, a day after Husain Haqqani had been asked to resign over allegations that he had sought Washington's help against a possible military takeover.

On the Dawn, an opinion piece on memogate and thereafter... Read

Both houses of Parliament have resumed after an hour of adjournment, but uproar continues.

Much has been said about Ratan Tata's successor Cyrus Mistry, but little about his father, Pallonji Mistry. Here are five things about the world's richest Irish person. Read

At 1 pm, the court will hear the Bhanwari Devi case.

Tension over the planned release of the Tamil version of an English film, Dam 999 from November 25, allegedly based on the 'Mullaperiyar dam issue' between Tamil Nadu and Kerala and portraying the dam as ''collapsing'', eased Wednesday evening with the Tamil Nadu Film Exhibitors Association deciding not to screen the film in theatres, says the Deccan Herald.

The film Dam 999, made by a Kerala production house and directed by Sohan Roy, is believed by leaders of most political parties in Tamil Nadu to subtly justify and prepare the ground for the Kerala Government's planned move to "demolish the Mullaperiyar dam".

This is from M K Bhadrakumar's blog

In these times of pedestrian thinking, any flash of originality immediately catches the mind's eye.

Amidst the recantation of India's China policy by Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai in his Wednesday's address at the National Defence College, I found a nugget of incredible originality.

'Eureka!' I am tempted to call it the 'Mathai Doctrine'. No matter whether it has been his ingenuity or the result of collective brain power in the PMO, Mathai did articulate the doctrine and so it rightfully belongs to him. 

Read 

China's navy will carry out exercises in the Pacific Ocean in the coming days, amid continuing tension over maritime disputes in the region, says a bbc report. The defence ministry said the drills were routine and were not targeting any specific country.

China is locked in territorial rows with several nations, and the US has recently made a series of announcements bolstering its presence in the region. A Pentagon spokesman said the US had no problem with the naval exercises.

In world news:

Unrest continues in Cairo as protesters step up their demand for Egypt's military rulers to resign. Street battles with riot police have been heaviest around the fortified interior ministry located on a side street off Tahrir Square. More on bbc.co.uk

As the third anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks approach, a report says that Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is grappling with a severe manpower crunch with 283 posts of the total 732 lying vacant, two-and-a-half years after a panel set up to probe state police's response to the Mumbai attacks recommended streamlining the force. 

Of the sanctioned strength of 732 personnel for the ATS, which was formed in 2004 to counter terrorism and probe terror cases, 283 posts or 38. 66 per cent of the required manpower are lying vacant as on September 1, 2011, ATS sources said.

Day 3 of Parliament's winter session begins with an uproar over price rise in both houses. The now familiar baith jaiye rings out at predictible intervals.

Astro enthusiasts in the country will miss an opportunity to watch the largest partial solar eclipse of the year as it will be visible only from the deep
Southern Hemisphere. 

A partial solar eclipse will take place tomorrow which will only be seen from southern South Africa, Antarctica, Tasmania and most  of New Zealand, except for the far north of the North Island.

At the instant of greatest eclipse, the eclipse magnitude will be 09:05, making it the largest partial eclipse of the year. At that time, the lunar shadow axis will pass just 330 km above Earth's surface near the coast of Antarctica.

Good morning. The third day of the winter session of Parliament will begin shortly after two days of disruptions and adjournments.

Ahead in the day, the Central Bureau of Investigation will finally submit its report to a Jodhpur High Court in the Bhanwari Devi case on Thursday.

The court had given the CBI time till November 24 to investigate the matter of the missing dalit nurse.

The CBI on November 14 approached the court for four weeks time to complete investigations in the case of the missing dalit nurse. While the court granted the extension to the CBI, it made it clear that the intelligence agency should expedite its investigations.

How Cyrus Mistry won the race to succeed Ratan Tata? (The Times of India)
Ratan Tata is said to have favoured Cyrus Mistry who is credited with scaling up & diversifying Pallonji Group, one of Indias most valuable private enterprise. Read

Public sentiments no basis to deny bail (The Hindu)
Supreme Court lets five corporate executives out of jail in 2G case. Read

Kanimozhi, 5 others seek early hearing of bail plea (The Hindu)

Encouraged by the Supreme Court order granting bail to five corporate executives in the 2G case on Wednesday, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi and five other accused, moved the Delhi High Court for an early hearing of their bail pleas. Read

End to Parliament logjam in sight (The Hindu)

Opposition inclined to spare the ruling UPA of indictment. Read

Petrol prices spell windfall, government rakes in Rs 1 lakh crore from oil taxes (The Times of India)

Indirect taxes on petroleum fetched the exchequer Rs 1 lakh crore in 2010-11, a jump of 43% or over Rs 30,000 crore from the previous year. Read