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Fri, 03 February 2012
Cop with ISI, Lashkar links arrested in Kashmir
Timeline Refresh
18:48 India's very lucrative defence modernisation programme
'India plans to spend about $100 billion over the next 10 years to upgrade its largely Soviet-era military equipment, as Asia's third largest economy looks to match its military power with its economic clout,' reports Arup Roychoudhury in Reuters, and details some of the major modernisation programmes underway at India's three forces. Read about it here.
18:44 How Mark Zuckerberg retains control of Facebook
'Mark Zuckerberg has arranged the ownership of Facebook so as to give himself
extraordinary power to steer the company. By the time Facebook filed for
a $5 billion public offering on Wednesday, had managed
to hold on to more than one-fourth of the shares in the company, and his
agreements with other investors enhanced his voting power to almost 60
percent of total shares,' writes Somini Sengupta in the New York Times, which is a 'greater measure of control than Bill Gates had at Microsoft
when it went public in 1986 (49 percent), and far greater than what the
co-founders of Google had in 2004 (16 percent each).' To read more, click here.
18:40 How to ensure you get flooded with snail mail
If you miss the days of pen pals and rue the fact that you never get any letters any more, there's a simple solution: File a Right-to-Information request with the Delhi Development Authority, or another municipal agency in the capital that has anything to do with land. The volume of return mail you'll get will make it worth your while to invest in a good, old-fashioned letter-opener, says Tripthi Lahiri on the Wall Street Journal's IndiaRealTime blog, here, and we agree.
18:38 Air India pilot grounded for failing breathalyser test
An Air India pilot, who is also a flight operations inspector with civil aviation regulator DGCA, has been suspended from active duty after he tested positive for alcohol.
"Captain Sebastian, who was to fly between Chennai and Madurai, has been grounded for three months after he tested positive for the alcohol during a pre-flight breathalyser test, a mandatory exercise to ensure flight safety," a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation official said.
18:34 SPO with links to ISI, Lashkar arrested in Poonch
A special police officer allegedly having contacts with ISI and Lashker-e-Tayiba and carrying a Pakistani SIM card was arrested near the Line of Control in Poonch district, officials said today. Acting on intelligence inputs and after monitoring alleged links of the SPO, Mohammad Rafiq, with militants and Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, the police arrested him at Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point along the LoC, they said.
18:00
@vilakudy tweets: Kannada actor Karibasavaiah passes away in Bangalore
17:55 7 school students arrested in Mumbai for beating up family
A movie outing for a family turned ugly when they had a heated argument with a group of school students, who allegedly thrashed them outside the theatre to avenge their ouster from the hall, resulting in eight arrests, the police said today.
A 30-year-old unemployed man and seven SSC students were arrested on charges of assault and rioting after they trapped and assaulted Sunny Vaiti (23), his brother Amol and father Lewis Vaiti before smashing the window panes of their vehicle near Lotus hotel in Dahisar last night, the police said.
17:50 Who killed Sister Valsa?
The Wall Street Journal's IndiaRealTime blog has compiled a five-part account of the murder of Sister Valsa in Jharkhand on the night of November 15, 2011, 'based on dozens of interviews, witness statements, court documents, and police files, and ran it as a serialised story every day this week'. Read the first, second, third, fourth and the concluding part here.
17:45 Startling portrait of residents of a California ghost town
Bombay Beach, a haunting documentary is not, contrary to its title, about Chowpatty beach, but about the lost souls who found a California ghost town and made it their home, says the Guardian newspaper while waxing lyrical on the film, and its back story.
'History records that the film's backdrop enjoyed a brief heyday as a 1950s resort, playing host to Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and Frank Sinatra. It is now parched, peeling and largely abandoned; a collection of derelict houses strung out under the telegraph wires,' it says of the film, which is a startling portrait of the residents of a California ghost town.
Read Xan Brooks asking, just what is the attraction of these broken-down, deserted places, here.
17:30 After Twitter, Google too goes in for country-specific filtering
Less than a week after a similar move by micro-blogging site Twitter, Internet major Google has unveiled plans to make content on its blogger platform selectively available, depending on the local rules of each country.
Google is the latest entity to come out with the option to restrict online content amid a raging debate over moves by many countries, including India, to enforce regulations on the internet.
17:25 British minister resigns over 2003 speeding offence
Chris Huhne, one of the senior-most ministers in Britain's ruling coalition, today resigned as the United Kingdom's energy secretary after he was charged with perverting the course of justice relating to a speeding offence committed in 2003. The speeding offence was committed on March 12, 2003, when Huhne was driving back from Stansted airport to his home in Essex.
17:23 Odisha Maoist's bodyguard surrenders to police
Top Maoist Sabyasachi Panda's bodyguard today surrendered to the police in Odisha's Ganjam district, bringing to the fore the fissure in the cadres' ranks.
"Rajendra Kumar Raita alias Suraj alias Sangram surrendered before the police today... He provided many vital information," Ganjam SP Rajesh Patil said.
17:22 Sensex closes higher by 173 points
Late buying helped the BSE Sensex log gains for the fourth session in a row today, up 173 points to 14-week high of 17,605 on sustained FII buying in bluechips amid firm trends in the global markets.
Overall, 12 of the 13 sectoral indices made gains, with realty, pharma, power, FMCG, banking and oil& gas stocks attracting good investor support. RIL, HDFC Bank, HDFC, ICICI Bank, Infosys, TCS, HUL, ITC, ONGC and SBI added almost 150 points to the gains.
17:21 Karnataka high court dismisses Jaya aide's plea
The Karnataka high court today dismissed the petition concerning the translation process filed by Sasikala Natarajan, estranged aide and an accused in the disproportionate assets case filed against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
Upholding the trial court order on the petition, Justice N Ananda held that there need not be any "interference" with the lower court order and dismissed it.
17:19 Pak PM says does not want confrontation with judiciary
Insisting that his government does not want a confrontation with the judiciary, Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani today said he will respect decisions made by the supreme court, which is set to charge him with contempt for failing to act on its order to reopen graft cases against the president.
The Pakistan prime minister's remarks came amid reports that the ruling Pakistan People's Party's top leadership has decided to contest the apex court's move to frame contempt charges against him when he appears before it on February 13.
16:58 Team Anna joins Gujarat Lokayukta battle against Modi
Sheela Bhatt reports from New Delhi that Team Anna has joined the Gujarat Lokayukta battle as a party in the Supreme Court. Prashant Bhushan appeared and supported the appointment of Justice RA Mehta as Lokayukta.
16:54 Director Raj Kanwar is dead
Just In: Word is in that director Raj Kanwar (of films like Deewana, Andaaz, Daag The Fire, Judaai, Laadla and Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega) is dead.
Shah Rukh Khan, who starred in Deewana, tweets: My friend raj kanwarji passed away.The impermanence of life,makes one feel so helpless. May his soul rest in peace.Aisi Deewangi..miss u sir
16:45 Malaria kills twice as much as previously thought
Research by the highly respected Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, based in Seattle, and published in the Lancet medical journal, posits that malaria kills twice as many people are previously thought, says the Guardian newspaper.
The paper says that Dr Christopher Murray and colleagues systematically collected data on deaths from all over the world over a 30-year period, from 1980 to 2010, using new methodologies and inventive ways of measuring mortality in countries where deaths are not conventionally recorded.
Among other myths, the paper says the study demolishes conventional thinking on malaria '" that almost all the deaths are in babies and small children under the age of five. The study found that 42 per cent were in older children and adults.
For the full report, read here.
16:33 Practice debasing lower castes may be banned in K'taka
The Karnataka government is moving in the direction of banning the made snana, a ritual of rolling by lower caste people on plantain leaves left by Brahmins after partaking lunch in some temples, Minister for Religious Endowments VS Acharya told the state assembly.
"The issues pertain to a belief of people. It is being practised for more than 500 years. It cannot be banned forcibly. We have to educate people. The government is moving in this direction to ban the practice," Acharya said when the opposition Congress sought a ban on the practice.
16:24 Brad Pitt on his art
'When I started in film I was taught that you had to have a character arc and there had to be an epiphany. As years go by I have found that to be utter bullshit. We don't really change; we evolve in degrees and what I love about these characters from the '70s like Popeye Doyle is they were the same beast at the end of the film as they were at the beginning. I do love obsessive characters. I get off on watching that.'
Ladies and gentlemen, that's the most desirable man on the planet, as well as among the most accomplished actors, Brad Pitt, talking about his art in the wake of Moneyball.
The Guardian newspaper says nominated for two Academy Awards, Brad Pitt's eccentric career is finally getting serious recognition. He talks about his love of obsessive characters, his acting highs and lows -- and how he smoked himself into a doughnut. Read here.
16:20
Pakistani authorities must do more to protect the Ahmaddiya community, Amnesty International said today amid threats from religious groups to block Ahmadis from entering their place of worship in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Friday. Read about it here.
16:19
Just In: SC grants bail to former West Bengal minister and CPI-M MLA Susanta Ghosh in connection with a skeleton recovery case.
16:18 Jungle Mahal sees first encounter since Kishenji's killing
For the first time since the death of top ultra leader Kishenji in November in Jungle Mahal, an armed encounter took place between the Maoists and joint security forces in West Midnapore district of West Bengal today, but there was no casualty.
The forces, on a tip-off that Maoist squad leader Robin Mandi was holding a meeting of cadres in at Jhauri forest under Gopiballabhpur police station, surrounded the area, police sources said.
16:15 Priyanka to restrict campaign to Amethi, Rae Bareli
Congress's star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi today termed corruption, anarchy and politics of opportunism as the biggest enemies of people of Uttar Pradesh even as she said she would limit campaigning to the family pocket boroughs of Amethi and Rae Bareli.
"I have been asked to look after 10 constituencies, five in Amethi and five in Rae Bareli and I am going to do that...I have not been told what I should do but would probably stay here," she told reporters in an informal chat on the first day of her five-day election tour of the area.
15:54
We are unable to verify the authenticity of this, and are merely passing on the information that Justice Markandey Katju, chairman of the Press Council of India who has riled many with his forthright views on the media, appears to have joined the Twitter bandwagon. A Twitter account claiming to be that of of Katju is doing the rounds of timelines, and this is the id: It is yet to be authenticated, so be warned it could be a fake account too.
15:48 Riteish-Genelia wed in style
Bollywood actors Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza tied the knot today in traditional Marathi style at a five-star hotel in Mumbai in the presence of leading figures from Bollywood and the world of politics.
Riteish, wearing a white sherwani and red feta (turban), entered the hotel on a ghodi. The baaraat started from the grounds near Grand Hyatt hotel and reached the hotel. The actor's politician father, Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, was dressed in a brown sherwani. Soon after, Riteish tweeted a picof the new couple tother.
15:47 Digvijay says review petition likely against 2G ruling
The Supreme Court judgment cancelling the licences of telecom companies in 2G spectrum allocation case is likely to be challenged by way of a review petition, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said in Hyderabad today.
"If there is something wrong with the allotment of licence, the Central Bureau of Investigation is already inquiring into it. At the same time, by cancelling the licence, some of the companies which have already gone ahead and built up infrastructure, got large clientele, what will happen to them? So it is an order which has to be challenged. It will be challenged," he told reporters, adding, "Probably, a review petition may be filed against this."
15:46 Bhojpuri actor Raja Chaudhary at it again
Bhojpuri actor Raja Chaudhary was arrested today for creating ruckus outside a hospital at Jawahar Lal Nehru road Jaipur, the police said.
"Chaudhary was under the influence of alcohol when he created nuisance outside the hopsital at around 1.30 am. When guards of the hospital tried to stop him, he had a scuffle with them," assistant commissioner of police of Malvia Nagar, Rajendra Singh, said. He said Chaudhary was roaming with a local girl identified as Praveena Chaudhary.
15:43 UP mafia don turned politician Atiq Ahmed gets bail
In a respite to mafia don-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, the Allahabad high court today granted bail to the former member of Parliament who has been in jail in connection with a case registered against him under the stringent Gangsters' Act.
Justice DP Singh passed the order while making it clear that Ahmed will have to appear before the trial court whenever summons were issued.
Ahmed, who is seeking revival of his sagging political career by contesting the assembly elections from Allahabad (West) seat, has been behind bars ever since he was arrested from Delhi in January, 2008. At present he is lodged in a jail in Basti district.
15:39 President to meet governors on Valentine's Day
Our correspondent in Delhi reports: President Pratibha Patil has convened a conference of governors on February 14 in Rashtrapati Bhavan to discuss the state of affairs in the fields of agriculture, rural development and drinking water supply.
The President will also use the opportunity to bid farewell to the governors -- she is scheduled to demit office on July 24. Union Ministers Sharad Pawar, Jairam Ramesh, Kamal Nath and CP Joshi will also address the conference.
15:08 FIFA seeks 'full report' after Egypt football riot
The Football International Federation Association has demanded a full report into Wednesday's violence in Egypt during a football match, which had killed more than 70 people.
FIFA has asked the Egyptian authorities to give exact details about what happened following the match between Al-Ahly and Al Masry in Port Said.
15:06 Egyptian football riots 'sheer butchery', FIFA seeks report
Former Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder Hossam Ghaly, who fled from Wednesday night's nightmarish Egyptian football riot, termed the scenes during the riots as 'sheer butchery'.
Ghaly is the captain of Al-Ahly, which was defeated during the match against Al-Masry. He accused rival team's supporters of provoking the supporters of his team.
"It was all-out aggression, a real fight. It was a nightmare. It was war. I have never known anything like it," he added.
14:47
Director Shekhar Kapur tweets: Can CEO of Union Carbide b absolved of massacre of #Bhopal by claiming ignorance of actions of his executives? Y nt apply same 2 PM?
14:42 Egyptian comedian gets jail for defaming Islam
The reports that Egyptian comedian Adel Imam has been sentenced to three months in jail for 'defaming Islam' in several roles he has played, both on screen and on stage. Read the report here.
14:30
Sujata Anandan tweets: Election season in M'rashtra:best freebie I've heard of:candidate dstributed pressurecookers sans lids.Lids will b given out only if he wins
14:28 Pak cricket board moots India-Pak-England tri-series
Pakistan Cricket Board chief Zaka Ashraf has proposed that the England and Wales Cricket Board hosts a one-day tri-series involving Pakistan and India next year, during the recent ICC executive board meeting held in Dubai.
A board official said during the ICC meeting, Ashraf had held informal talks with heads of the other boards, including England and India and proposed that England can host a tri-series next year involving Pakistan and India.
14:26 Jawan shoots dead JCO in Kashmir
An army jawan allegedly shot dead a junior commissioned officer in his unit in Rajouri border district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Naik Gopal Singh shot dead JCO Subedar Dilbagh Singh, a member of the Sikh regiment, in Noushera border belt of Rajouri district late night from his service rifle, a senior army office has said.
14:24 Art world agog as Mona Lisa's earliest copy found
'A copy of the Mona Lisa has been discovered in the Prado which was painted in Leonardo's studio'"created side by side with the original that now hangs in the Louvre. This sensational find will transform our understanding of the world's most famous picture,' writes Martin Bailey in the Art Newspaper. Read about the sensational discovery here.
14:20
Following rumours of her ill-health, singer Lata Mangeshkar has tweeted: Namaskar. Pls don't believe any rumors which are doing the rounds about my health & well-being. All is well, by the Grace of God.
14:16 Google in talks with China over its Maps
Google is in discussions with the Chinese government as it seeks the grant of a licence to continue to operate its Google Maps service in the country, reports thenextweb.com.
According to the report, a google spokesperson has confirmed that they are in discussions with the Chinese government about offering a map product in that country.
The web site also put out an update quoting Penn Olson that the Chinese media has reported that google can offer its maps product in China while its application is under process.
Read the report here.
14:07 Thackeray questions Sonia's silence on 2G scam
Criticising Congress president Sonia Gandhi for being "quiet" on the 2G spectrum scam, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray today hit out at Home Minister P Chidambaram, saying he should resign immediately.
'The yuvraj of Congress (Rahul Gandhi) is very vocal on the corruption by Mayawati. However, he is not saying anything on the corruption by his own government,' Thackeray said in an editorial party mouthpiece Saamna. ""His mummy (Sonia Gandhi) is also quiet on the issue. The prime minister is also not opening his mouth. The truth is hidden in the silence,' the Sena chief added.
14:05 2 Infosys top bosses to interchange jobs
Infosys today announced that two of the company's top leaders -- BG Srinivas and Ashok Vemuri -- would interchange their positions.
Srinivas, global head of manufacturing & engineering business, would take over as the new leader of the company's financial services & insurance business. Vemuri, present global head of its financial services & insurance business, would now lead the company's manufacturing & engineering business.
The changes are effective from April 1, the Nasdaq-listed IT major said in a statement.
14:03 Arnie no-show at Jr Bachchan's award show
Hollywood superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger, who failed to turn up at an event to present actor Abhishek Bachchan with a Green Globe award, has congratulated the Bollywood actor for getting the honour via Twitter.
"Congrats on the Green Globe, @juniorbachchan. More celebrities should be pumping up green progress. I'll be back, & we should get together," Schwarzenegger tweeted, rephrasing one of his famous lines from Terminator franchise.
The Hollywood star, who was in Delhi to attend the 12th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, had to attend the Green Globe Foundation Awards ceremony to present Abhishek with the Green Globe for Outstanding Efforts by a Celebrity award, but did not turn up.
14:01 Read K Subrahmanyam's hither-to unpublished article
The Indian Express today carried a column by strategic thinker K Subrahmanyam, India's Grand Strategy, which says knowledge, not weapons, will be the currency of this century. Subrahmanyam passed away on February 2, 2011, and the Express says this article was the first of two from four of Subrahmanyam's unpublished essays on grand strategy, Indian foreign relations, defence policy and nuclear deterrence. You can read the cerebral article here.
13:52 Panetta thinks Israel may his Iran by June
United States Defence Secretary Leon Panetta is expressing new concerns about Iran's underground nuclear programme, this time telling Washington Post columnist David Ignatius he's worried that Israel may decide to attack it as early as this spring, reports Justin Fishel in foxnews.com.
Travelling with the defense secretary in Brussels to cover his meeting with NATO defense ministers, Ignatius, who is travelling with Panetta to Brussels to cover his meeting with defence ministers of Nato nations, writes, 'Panetta believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June', says the web site.
Read it here.
13:30 UP politics has become religion- and caste-based: Priyanka
Hitting the campaign trail in Uttar Pradesh, Congress's star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi today asked the electorate to realise the strength of their vote and exercise their franchise for a change in the state where "politics over the last 22 years" has become totally "religion- and caste-based".
"Election is the time when leaders come for electioneering of all kinds...I also come in your midst but who has the wisdom to recognise the reality of their candidates and the political parties...you...and take this into account when you go out to vote," Priyanka said at a public meeting in Balbhadrapur area of her brother Rahul Gandhi's parliamentary constituency Amethi.
13:28 Cloud over Orissa Sahitya Akademy award
The Orissa high court has directed the state Sahitya Akademy not to present the award recently announced to Kalpana Kumari Devi for her novel Achinha Basabhumi. The HC, after admitting a PIL on the matter, issued notices yesterday asking the Akademy not present the award to the author without the leave of the court. The award was scheduled to be presented to the author on February 14.
13:25 AMU students demand Sachar report be implemented
Students of Aligarh Muslim University have demanded from the Centre immediate implementation of recommendations of the Sachar Committee on the backwardness of Muslim community.
At a convention of Muslim organisations here in the campus yesterday, the AMU Students' Union announced that they will take up the issue of reservation of Muslims "proportionate to their population in the country."
13:13 Kerala CPM places Christ's pix among Marxist icons
Display of a painting of Jesus Christ along with icons of Communism like Karl Marx, Lenin and Che Guevara at a CPI-M organised exhibition in Thiruvananthapuram has sparked off a debate, with sections of the Catholic church seeing it as an attempt to win over the support of the believers.
The show that opened earlier this week, titled 'Marx is correct', has a wide range of pictures, paintings, clippings and copies of historical documents throwing light into the history of struggles for social and political emancipation through the centuries.
In it the picture of a crucified Christ has a snapshot below it, which, after briefly tracing his life and death, describes him 'as a social reformer who emancipated Jews from slavery'.
13:08 Blast outside Pak's Federal Investigation Agency office
A bomb went off outside the home of an officer of the Federal Investigation Agency in Quetta city of southwest Pakistan today, though there were no reports of casualties, the police said.
The blast occurred outside the residence of FIA deputy director Akbar Baloch's house at Mano Jan Road.
The explosion damaged the outer wall of the house. There were no reports of casualties or any other damage to property, police officials said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
12:54 Gaddafis bloodied shirt to be auctioned for $2mn
Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's shirt, which he had been wearing when he was killed, has reportedly been put up for sale along with his wedding ring.
The disgraced dictator was wearing the silver ring and bloodied beige shirt when he was dragged from a drainpipe near his hometown of Sirte before being beaten and shot.
Libyan national Ahmed Warfali is apparently asking for 2 million dollars for the items after somehow coming into their possession. Warfali believes he could have attracted a higher value if he had been selling them in Europe.
12:51 Beer with half-naked woman label banned in UK Parliament
The House of Commons has ordered the removal of a beer called Top Totty from its bar because the beverage's pump plate, which features a half-naked woman, offended female MPs.
Shadow Equalities Minister Kate Green was left "disturbed' after seeing the 4 per cent ale's advertising and demanded bar staff remove it from sale.
Within 90 minutes, House authorities ordered the beer to be withdrawn after Commons' Leader Sir George Young told MPs that 'action will be taken'.
12:46 Digvijay also involved in 2G scam, claims Prashant Bhushan
Commenting on the Supreme Court's judgement of quashing 122 spectrum licences, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan has said that Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh was also involved in the 2G scam among other top functionaries.
"In this case, Digvijay Singh is definitely involved. There are other senior powerful functionaries who are involved. It is matter which needs to be deeply investigated," Bhushan told the media.
12:14 Crusade against Wall St lands Indian-American on Time cover
Eminent Indian-American attorney Preet Bharara has made it to the cover of the prestigious Time magazine for his crusade against Wall Street corruption and irregularities, including insider trading.
With the caption This man is busting Wall Street, Bharar's picture appeared in the latest edition of Time on Thursday, the day on which he announced to have taken action against one of the oldest Swiss banks for having evaded American taxes and helping in the flight of United States' money.
Currently US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Firozpur-born Bharara has been engaged in a number of high-profile corruption cases including the one of insider trading against that of Rajat Gupta, former McKinsey head and a former Goldman Sachs director.
12:11 Papua New Guinea tragedy: Over 120 still missing
More than 120 people remain missing after a ship with over 350 on board sank off Papua New Guinea's north coast, officials said on Friday. Nearly 350 Papua New Guineans were on board the Rabaul Queen when it went down in the Solomon Sea on Thursday morning.
Australian rescuers saved 238 passengers, most of them students and trainee teachers, from drowning after the ferry sank. The search for the missing passengers -- mostly university students -- resumed at daylight.
12:07 After Twitter, Google bows to censorship laws
Google will now block posts or blogs from being available to users based on a country's local laws, in a move similar to Twitter's country-specific censorship that had sparked off an outrage among critics across the globe.
Google claimed that the move would actually allow more freedom of speech. The search giant said the blogs would be visible from everywhere else in the world, but invisible in one country.
Both Google and Twitter claimed that their move would simply allow their services to co-exist with other regimes, rather than being banned outright.
12:04 Egyptian comedian jailed for 'insulting Islam'
One of the Arab world's most famous comedians, Adel Imam, has been jailed for three-months by an Egyptian court for offending Islam.
A judge confirmed that veteran actor Imam was convicted in absentia for insulting the religion. Imam was found guilty for 'defaming Islam' in a 2007 movie in which he played a corrupt businessman who tries to buy a university diploma.
Imam's jail sentence has again raised concerns about freedom of expression in Egypt.
11:50 Army chief age row: SC defers hearing till Feb 10
The SC also asked the Attorney General to seek instruction from the government on withdrawing its order rejecting the statutory complaint of the army chief on the age issue.
The apex court also questioned the procedure adopted by the government in passing the December 30 order in not allowing the complaint of Army Chief General V K Singh.
11:47 Army chief age row: SC defers hearing till Feb 10
The Supreme Court on Friday deferred to February 10 the hearing on a plea by Army chief General V K Singh in the controversial age row. General Singh had sought for a direction to the government to declare May 10, 1951, as his date of birth in place of May 10, 1950.
Instead of taking up the plea, the apex court decided to grant time to the government and the army chief to sort out the issue.
General Singh had undertaken the unprecedented step of dragging the government to the apex court after the defence ministry had insisted upon treating May 10, 1950, as his official date of birth, necessitating his retirement on May 31 this year.
11:43 IPL auction kicks off on Saturday
It is time for the IPL auction! Catch the auction live on Set Max from 10.45 am and on IPL.indiatimes.com on Saturday
11:25 Is India wary about importing oil from Iran?
Despite India's assertion that it will not scale down its petroleum imports from Iran, American lawmakers were told by a Congressional report that India is "cautious" on any expansion of energy relations with Iran.
"Since late 2010, India suggested that it was cautious about any expansion of energy relations with Iran," the independent Congressional Research Service said in its latest report on Iran.
Earlier this week, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said in Chicago that New Delhi will not curtail its petroleum imports from Tehran despite US and European sanctions against the Islamic republic.
11:24 Some good news for Romney: He gets Donald Trump's endorsement
Celebrated real-estate magnet Donald Trump has endorsed frontrunner Mitt Romney for the Republican Party's presidential nomination. The billionaire businessman said it is only the former Massachusetts governor who can defeat incumbent Barack Obama in the November presidential elections.
"Mitt is tough, he is smart, he is sharp, he is not going to allow bad things to continue to happen to this country that we all love. So Governor Romney, go out and get them, you can do it," he said.
11:20 AGAIN, US issues travel alert for Pakistan
US authorities have issued a travel alert, warning its citizens about the risks in travelling to Pakistan, in view of the tension in its ties with Pakistan, following the NATO raid that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Replacing its previous travel warning dated April 8, 2011, the State Department has asked its citizens to avoid protests and large gatherings which are happening in Pakistan after the November 26 cross-border fire.
"There have been widespread demonstrations and large political rallies condemning drone strikes and Pakistan's ongoing energy crisis. These protests are likely to continue. US citizens in Pakistan are strongly urged to avoid protests and large gatherings," said the alert.
11:17 Falak doing better, taken off ventilator
Two-year-old Falak, who has been battling for life at the AIIMS in Delhi, has shown signs of improvement. She was taken off the ventilator on Friday. She was brought to the hospital on January 18 with severe head injury, both her arms broken, bite marks all over her body and her cheeks branded with hot iron.
The teenage girl, who brought her there claiming to be her mother, had cited a fall from the bed as the reason for the child's state. Falak has already undergone two life saving surgeries till now.
Doctors are waiting for her condition to improve before conducting the third one.
11:16 3 killed, 50 injured as train derails in Assam
Three passengers were killed and at least 50 injured when the engine and five compartments of a train derailed after hitting an earth-cutting vehicle on its track in Kamrup (Rural) district of Assam on Friday.
The Bongaigaon-Guwahati Chilarai Passenger train rammed into the vehicle stuck on the track at Gossainghati between Azara and Mirza railway stations. Railway officials, along with rescue vans, have rushed to the spot.
11:00 Mitt Romney IS concerned about the 'very poor'
Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney has conceded that he misspoke when he said he does not care about "the very poor' Americans.
"You know when you do I don't know how many thousands of interviews now and then you may get it wrong. And I misspoke. Plain and simple," Romney said.
Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, received widespread condemnation after he said in an interview that he does not care for the very poor.
"I am not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I will fix it," Romney said.
10:56 AI bribery row: Praful writes to PM, denies allegations
Heavy Industries Minister and former civil aviation minister Praful Patel has been accused of receiving a bribe from one Nazir Karigar, for a $100-million Air India contract, according to a report in a Canadian daily.
Karigar, an Ottawa-based Indo-Canadian, allegedly also bribed Air India officials, including former Mumbai police chief Hasan Gafoor, who was at that time the chief of Air India security. Karigar allegedly paid the bribe in 2005 to secure a $100-million contract for a facial-recognition system for his employer CryptoMetric.
Patel has denied the allegations and shot off a letter to the prime minister, urging him to get the documents related to the alleged contract examined.
10:47 US indicts oldest Swiss bank on tax charges
The United States has indicted the oldest bank of Switzerland on charges of conspiracy to hide more than $1.2 billion. Significantly, this is the first time an overseas bank has been charged by the US for allegedly facilitating tax fraud by US taxpayers.
This comes at a time when a country like India is struggling to address the issue of billions of Indian rupees stashed in various Swiss banks.
The Justice Department has announced that it has also seized more than $16 million from Wegelin & Co's correspondent bank account in the US. Wegelin, founded in 1741, is Switzerland's oldest bank.
10:44 Jaya's aide Sasikala Natarajan's brother arrested
V Divaharan, brother of Sasikala Natarajan, former aide of Tamil Nadu Chief MinisterJayalalithaa, was arrested late on Thursday night in connection with a house-demolition case, said the police.
Divaharan was arrested by a police team engaged in vehicle-checking at Ariyamangalam in the city. Later, he was remanded to 15 days custody by a Judicial Magistrate in Needamangalam in Tiruvarur district, police said.
Incidentally, till a few days ago, Sasikala was considered to be one of the most powerful AIADMK leaders in Tamil Nadu, till she was unceremoniously expelled by Jayalalithaa
10:43 Train derails in Assam, 3 killed
Good morning! Let's take a look at the top headline this hour.
Three people were reportedly killed after a train derailed in Assam on Friday morning. Further reports are awaited.
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