Pesky calls, texts end tomorrow, promises Khurshid

2G note: PC meets Sonia ahead of Pranab

UN to debate Palestinian statehood today

IMF, World Bank refuse to meet Pakistan delegation

Modi misappropriated funds during fast: Gov, CM clash

Ex K'taka Lokayukta doesn't want Goa job

Raja: 2G spectrum was Cabinet decision in 2003

Saudi woman can vote in 2015, can't drive yet

2G: Fresh charges against Raja, others

2G: DMK upset over CBI's inclusion of lifer clause

Pakistan is terrorism itself, weigh options: US

Ramdev supporter dies in Ramlila crackdown

Just in: Home minister P Chidambaram offers to quit after meeting with Sonia Gandhi on the 2G note. At the meeting, he explained his stand on the issue and said he did not want to embarass the party. In fact, the moment the issue was outed, Chidambaram had also offered his resignation to the PM, when he called from New York. The PM, who was at the UNGA told him to have patience and wait till he was back in India. Dr Singh will be in India on Wednesday morning.

Take this break from scams and political intrigue...

Must read: Mom saves lion cub as he clings on to cliff. Amazing pictures in the Daily Mail.

Pranab Mukherjee will primarily brief Sonia on his meeting with PM Manmohan Singh in New York. Pranab apparently told the PM that the 2G note may have come from the Prime Minister's Office, since it was not released from his office. Pranab returned to Delhi today after his IMF, World Bank meet in Washington.

Earlier in the day, the finance minister said he would only speak on the issue once the PM was back in India. The PM will return on Wednesday morning. The PM in his statement from New York said he would stand by his ministers and catergorically denied there was any rift between Pranab Mukherjee and P Chidambaram.

P Chidambaram's meeting with Sonia Gandhi on the 2G note issue has ended. Pranab Mukherjee awaits his turn now.

And in today's story of mayhem and murder, Ashwani Kumar Gupta, 38, a truck driver died in Chandauli this Monday morning after being brutally assaulted by an official of the regional transport office (RTO). The reason? The truck driver refused to pay a bribe. Read

Fingers crossed, that from tomorrow, pesky commercial calls and message will end. At least that's what Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid promised at pres conference today, jokingly saying for him relief many not be complete for him since he gets calls from the media every hour.

Khurshid however did not equate media calls to pesky calls, saying they are important. Khurshid recalled instances of getting calls to avail home loans during important meetings of Group of Ministers. "At that point, we all used to tell Kapil Sibal (Telecom Minister), at least put an end to it now," he said.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has issued a regulation to curb unsolicited calls and messages from tomorrow on all phone customers who have availed of the facility of "Do Not Disturb" provided by the operators. Under this regulation, tele-marketers violating the norms will have to pay fine up to Rs 2.5 lakh.

Mukherjee, who was in Washington for IMF and World Bank meetings, had to advance his departure from there for New York for the unscheduled meeting with Singh.

The controversial note, prepared by a Finance Ministry official, had suggested that the 2G scam could have been averted had the Finance Ministry then headed by Chidambaram insisted on the auction route instead of the 2001 price for allotment of spectrum.

Pakistan was snubbed at the International Monetary Fund meet in Washington when managing director and the World Bank's President refused to meet a delegation led by Pakistan Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh.  

IMF's senior Deputy Managing Director David Lipton, however, is scheduled to meet the Pakistani delegation today, the Express Tribune reports.   

Paris Hilton on Twitter: India is beautiful, but some parts are very poverty stricken. Broke my heart to see babies sleeping on the streets :(  

The Hilton heiress arrived in Mumbai on Saturday on her maiden visit to India to launch her line of handbags and accessories in the country. She will be in Mumbai till September 27.

Mid Day cartoonist Satish Acharya's take on Sharad Pawar disclosing his assets has the Mumbai Crime branch (Cyber cell) in a tizzy. They have asked him to remove the cartoon from his blog after complaints. See and respond

Read the rediff.com story: Crorepati Pawar has no car  

And the DNA story on the Pawar's declaration of assets

Just in: Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee is back in Delhi. Says he will speak after PM Manmohan Singh is back. Mukherjee has sought an appointment with Sonia Gandhi and could be meeting her anytime after 6 pm.

Mukherjee, who was in Washington for IMF and World Bank meetings, had to advance his departure from there for New York for the unscheduled meeting with Singh. The controversial note, prepared by a Finance Ministry official, had suggested that the 2G scam could have been averted had the Finance Ministry then headed by Chidambaram insisted on the auction route instead of the 2001 price for allotment of spectrum.

The Zindagi na milegi dubara hit, Senorita in Marathi. Watch, listen, sing along

Details on the fresh row between Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and governor Kamla Beniwal.

The governor today sought from the state government details of expenditure
incurred on Narendra Modi's 'Sadbhavna' fast, intensifying the faceoff with the Chief Minister who has demanded her recall.

Beniwal, who has been locked in a row with the state government over the appointment of Lokayukta, dashed off a letter based on a representation received from Mahagujarat Janta Party chief Gordhan Zadafia. Details of the expenses and procedures followed for its sanction were sought from the state government by the Governor.

Zadafia, a former state minister in the Modi government who parted ways with the BJP and floated his own party MJP, alleged there was misappropriation of public funds by the government to meet the expenditure for the three-day fast.

Law Minister Salman Khurshid today downplayed the issue of the Finance Ministry note on 2G allocation which has prompted the opposition to demand the resignation of P Chidambaram, saying the document does not contain anything worrisome. 

 "I have seen the note. I don't think the note has anything on which we should express worry," Khurshid said today. He said the note was actually a "summary" prepared by a official at the lower  level. 

Former Karnataka Lokayukta and a former member of the Lokpal Bill drafting committee Justice Santosh Hegde today said he was not willing to be Goa
Lokayukta, even if its office was offered to him. 

Hegde replied in negative at a private function here when asked whether he would like to take up the job. "No," he said, without elaborating. Yesterday, Hegde had talked about loopholes in the draft Goa Lokayukta Bill, 2011, prepared by the Goa Law Commission.

With one more person succumbing to injuries today, the toll in last week's violence in Bharatpur has risen to 10, police said.

"40-year-old Shabbir, a resident of Pathravli village of Gopalgarh, was admitted to Sawai Man Singh government hospital in Jaipur and died at around 1 am today," the police said. 

He was injured during the violent clashes between Mev
Muslims and Gujjars following a land-related dispute on September 14 in Gopalgarh area of the district, they said, adding that out of the 10 deceased, families of five have refused to take their bodies.

Former Telecom Minister A Raja, defending himself in court, said that former Finance Minister and now Home Minister P Chidambaram, should be summoned and examined as a witness in the 2G spectrum allocation case.

Raja's counsel submitted that Chidambaram should be asked whether he gave the advice on the issue of dilution of shares in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 

"Call Chidambaram here (in the court) and ask him whether this meeting took place or not in the presence of the Prime Minister and you (Chidambaram) gave this advice or not. Call him and confront him with the minutes of the meeting," he said. Raja told the court that the entire cabinet had decided on 2G spectrum.

Meanwhile, the Subramaniam Swamy's plea has been deferred to October 12.

The DMK has alleged human rights violations agaisnt its jailed leaders, primarily A Raja and Kanimozhi and has sent complaints to the President, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), the governor and the home secretary. The party alleges that their leaders were assaulted.

The Daily Beast on the Saudi Arabia allowing woman to vote...  

David Keyes writes: Let's not praise King Abdullah as a freedom-loving democrat just yet'"he's finally giving Saudi women the right to vote, but not until 2015, and he's still not letting women drive. Read

Shane Warne is reportedly set to pop the question to girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley before this Christmas -- just 10 months after they started dating, friends close to Australian spin king have revealed.  

The old romantic is likely to go down on one knee to ask the 45-year-old mum-of-one for her hand in marriage, according to sources. Spin bowling legend Shane, 42, has told pals of his plans and it is understood he has already discussed marriage with model Hurley, who recently divorced textiles heir Arun Nayar after four years of marriage.  

Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan wants Britain to stop giving millions of pounds in aid to his country, alleging that such aid encouraged corruption while being of no help to the people.

He said his country was more poor than ever because the millions of pounds of aid never reached the target. Britain plans to increase its annual aid to Pakistan from 140 million pounds to 350 million pounds over the next few years.

And, he's done so for years during his annual trips to New York to address the United Nations. "He pays you to come," said an Iranian woman who was among a group of protesters outside the hotel and declined to be identified.

The guests, a selection of prominent expatriates, attended the low-key affair at the Warwick's Murals on 54 restaurant, which was closed the entire week for Ahmadinejad's use.

It's Dev Anand's birthday today and wishes are pouring in on Twitter. The actor/director/producer turns 88. Here's his response to Suhel Seth.  

itsmedevanand Dev Anand: Thanks suhel you are too young & eternal I miss u physically but u are always there in my heart & mind, your tweets are great :-)

Our New Delhi correspondent says that DMK leaders are believed to be upset and unhappy with the CBI filing an additional chargesheet with clauses of life imprisonment.

DMK is also upset with the CBI handling the 2G case and its filing a fresh chargesheet today seeking in the inclusion of life imprisionment of Kanimozhi and A Raja.

Meanwhile, The Times of India reports that Foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, asked by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza to cut short her visit to the US amid growing tensions between the two countries, will return toPakistan after addressing the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. 

Gilani asked Khar to lead Pakistan's delegation to the UN General Assembly after calling off his visit to the US. Though Gilani said he cancelled the trip to oversee flood relief operations, reports said he made the decision after the US President refused to meet him on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. 

The premier on Sunday asked Khar to cut short her visit to the US and return to Pakistan to brief a meeting of the top political leadership that he intends to convene this week. 

Here's Pakistan's final word (so far) on la affair Haqqani.

Pakistan will NOT launch an offensive against Haqqani militants despite Washington ramping up the pressure after a series of attacks on US targets in Afghanistan, an official said today.

The report in the Dawn.com says Pakistan's army chief of staff gathered together his top generals in an extraordinary meeting at the weekend after a series of stinging rebukes from the Americans blaming the Haqqanis and Pakistani intelligence over attacks.

Two US hikers held by Iran for over two years on spying charges, described their stay in Tehran prison as 'the worst experience of their lives'.   

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal finally arrived in New York on Sunday, and insisted that they had been through hell.  

"Solitary confinement was the worst experience of all of our lives. We lived in a world of lies and false hope,' Fattal said. "We had to go on hunger strike repeatedly just to receive letters from our loved ones. Many times, too many times, we heard the screams of other prisoners being beaten, and there was nothing we could do to help them," he added. 

In other news, bullfighting fans in Catalonia have seen the last fights before a ban on the age-old tradition comes into effect in Spain's north-eastern region. About 20,000 spectators filled Barcelona's famous Monumental arena, where top matadors performed.

Lawmakers voted for the ban last year - the first in mainland Spain - after 180,000 people signed a petition. They say the bullfighting is barbaric, but opponents say they will challenge the ban in Spain's top court.

Read more on bbc.co.uk.

The CBI today moved a designated special court for slapping the fresh charge of breach of trust by public servants against former Telecom Minister A Raja and two others in the 2G spectrum allocation case.

Special Public Prosecutor U U Lalit filed an application before Special CBI Judge O P Saini, saying a case of criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Indian Penal Code is "certainly made out" against Raja, his former private
secretary R K Chandolia and former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura.

The CBI plea said besides Raja and two former officials, all others, including DMK MP Kanimozhi and three telecom firms should be charged under section 409 (criminal breach) read with 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

There is now enough documentation available to show that both the PM and Chidambaram knew what Raja was up to and acquiesced in his acts.

Read R Jagannathan's piece in Firstpost.com

Just in: Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal has sought details of expenses incurred by chief minister Narendra Modi during his three-day 'Sadbhavana' fast last week. An NGO, Vikalp trust, had also filed a PIL asking Modi to make public the expenses incurred on his three-day fast and that he or his party pay for the expenses.

The PIL is likely to come up for hearing before a high court bench headed by the acting chief justice later in the week. The trust has made the chief minister himself party respondent in the case, apart from the state government, secretary of the finance department, the DGP and the municipal commissioner.

On MK Bhadrakumar's blog in rediff.com...

The Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is giving a tough time to the right-wing Indian pundits who burn midnight oil to demonise China. He is planning a third visit to China , underscoring his insatiable thirst to know the secret of China's 'harmonious rise' so that Gujarat can have its own 'peaceful rise'. 

Read

More on the volleyball game between Pakistan and US over the Haqqani accusations...

Amid a diplomatic row over alleged links between ISI and terror groups, a top American Senator has said that US needs to have "all options" on the table if Pakistan does not abandon the policy of embracing terrorism as part of its national strategy. 

"If they continue to embrace terrorism as a part of their national strategy, we're going to have to put all options on the table including defending our troops," Senator Lindsay Graham said yesterday. Graham said it is a time of choosing for Pakistan, which so far the US has been identifying as a key ally in the war against terrorism. 

"I am saying that we know the Haqqani Network operates with impunity inside of Pakistan in a town called Miranshah," he said, alleging that Pakistan is terrorism itself. 

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi today in the backdrop of controversy over a note by his ministry on 2G scam that has kicked up a political storm here with the opposition demanding Home Minister P Chidambaram's resignation. 

Sources said Mukherjee has sought an appointment with Gandhi and could be meeting her any time after 6 pm. Mukherjee, who was in Washington for IMF and World Bank meetings, had to advance his departure from there for New York for the unscheduled meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The controversial note, prepared by a Finance Ministry official, had suggested that the 2G scam could have been averted had the Finance Ministry then headed by Chidambaram insisted on the auction route instead of the 2001 price for allotment of spectrum.

Three days after a young toll plaza attendant was shot dead over payment of toll fee, police have arrested two persons in connection with the murder.

Gurgaon police Commissioner SS Deswal said Vijay Veer, a resident of village Kho near the toll plaza had fired at 22-year-old Umesh Kumar Pandey from point-blank range after an argument over paying Rs 27 as toll fee.

Vijay Veer was drunk at the time of committing the crime, Deswal said. The second arrested person has been identified as Vijay's friend Manjeet.

More on the Haqqani accusations...

Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik has contended that the US should share the blame for the rise of the Haqqani network as the CIA created the
Taliban faction during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and trained its members.
"The Haqqani network was trained and produced by the CIA," he said. The group did not originate in Pakistan and the US should not now speak about "things which happened 20 years ago", he said yesterday.

Pakistan will not take military action against the Haqqani network despite growing US pressure, even as the country's top military commanders have
agreed on the need to de-escalate the situation.

These decisions were made at a special meeting of the Corps Commanders chaired by Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani yesterday. 

The commanders vowed to resist US demands for an offensive against the Haqqanis in North Waziristan but also discussed possible implications of unilateral action by the US on Pakistani territory.

Just in: Baba Ramdev's supporter Rajbala, who sustained severe injuries in the police crackdown at Ramlila Maidan succumbs to her injuries. It may be remembered that Rajbala, 51, suffered a savage blow from the cops, and was battling for life in the GB Pant hospital since June 4. 

The Delhi police have claimed there was no brutality during its midnight swoop. Rajbala was put on ventilator and doctors had said that even is she survives, she won't be able to walk again. She was put on life supporter for nearly three months.

The Supreme Court in July had issued a notice to the Bharat Swabhiman Trust run by Baba Ramdev, saying it wants to hear its version over the eviction of the yoga guru and his supporters from Ramlila Maidan.

The Delhi police had told the court that no force was used against the protesters but only eight teargas shells had been lobbed to disperse Ramdev's supporters after they turned violent and started pelting stones.

Justifying its action, the police had said the authorities had given permission to Baba Ramdev to use the ground only to hold a yoga camp. Instead of holding a yoga camp, said the police, Ramdev was "instigating" the crowd during his fast on the issue of corruption and black money at the ground where more than 20,000 people had gathered.

Census findings point to decade of rural distress. (The Hindu)
For first time since 1921, India's urban population goes up by more than its rural. Read

Pranab Mukherjee blames PMO for controversial 2G note (DNA)
Sources said that Mukherjee told the Prime Minister that the 2G note was released by the PMO and not his office. Read

Pranab meets PM, says PC is a valued colleague (Indian Express)
The minister clarifies that he had not 'cut short' his stay in Washington as reported. Read

19 killed in Nepal plane crash (The Hindu)

The Indian nationals killed in the crash were identified as a couple, and eight men from Tiruchirapalli. The plane with a three-member crew had taken the tourists to view Mount Everest and other high peaks. Read

Rs 3 lakh crore plan to boost country's naval might (The Times of India)

A powerful three-dimensional Navy, which can protect country's geo-strategic interests from Hormuz Strait to Malacca Strait, will not come cheap. Read

Nitin Gadkari mulls Parliament debut; PM ambition taking shape? (DNA)
Groundwork for winning the Nagpur constituency began a year ago, with Gadkari inviting lakhs of citizens for his sons wedding feast in the city. Read