Monogamy is failing men. Not only is it failing them, but it's a "socially compelled sexual incarceration" that can lead to a life of anger and contempt, or so says Eric Anderson, an American sociologist at England's University of Winchester and author of the provocative new book, The Monogamy Gap: Men, Love, and the Reality of Cheating (Oxford University Press, $49.99).

Read more on the Huffington Post.

Just an aside, but we were asked to post this story by a male colleague. Ahem.

Yesterday, Chinese ambassador to India Zhang Yan in a meeting with BJP MP Tarun Vijay (both pictured), who is also the party's national spokesperson, said that incidents like Yiwu will not be allowed to influence age old friendly ties between China and India and he would try his best to send the traders home soon.

Continuing its verbal war with Congress, Trinamool Congress today claimed that its ally has joined hands with opposition CPI(M) to conspire against it to
scuttle development of West Bengal. 

"When we are working for the development of the state, CPI(M) and Congress are jointly trying to scuttle that and opposing such efforts in the same language," Trinamool Congress secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said today. 

"When Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is trying to steer the state out of the financial crisis created by the previous Left Front government, they are trying to rake up non-issues," Chatterjee, also the state industries minister, said.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today expressed strong resentment to the proposal of giving underprivileged Muslims reservation under the Other Backward Classes category.

"The proposal is aimed at hoodwinking and cheating the people", Kumar told reporters before resuming his Seva Yatra to Purnia district. "Whenever Congress comes to power it brings a policy of division as it has the tendency to follow the path of divide and rule," he said.

The chief minister said he would honour any move to bring an amendment to the Constitution for raising the limit of quota to accommodate the backward Muslim community. Even the Sachchar Commission and Ranganath Mishra Commission had in their reports spoke at length about backwardness of Muslims, he said.

To another question on ensuing Uttar Pradesh assembly poll, Kumar said there was no no alliance between JD(U) and BJP in that state. It was not necessary that an alliance was firmed up in every state, he said.

More on the Bidve murder.

Anuj Bidve's parents and his brother-in-law will say prayers at the spot where he was shot. Anuj Bidve, 23, was fatally injured as he walked down Ordsall Lane in Manchester.

The student's grieving father Subhash Bidve, mother Yogini Bidve and brother-in-law Rakesh Sonawane landed at Heathrow Airport last night.

They viewed the postgraduate student's body at a funeral parlour in London.

His parents then visited the Houses of Parliament at the invitation of MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, who also heard their concerns about the police investigation.

The family will then travel to Lancaster University, where Anuj was studying for a micro-electronics postgraduate qualification. They will go to Manchester later today and stay overnight at an undisclosed location.

Anuj's parents and brother-in-law are expected to visit the scene of the shooting on Friday to say prayers. From Manchester they will return to London for a flight on Friday afternoon.

Anuj's body is expected to be repatriated to India then. The family are due to be accompanied by specialist Greater Manchester Police officers throughout, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Former Union Minister Sukh Ram today did not surrender before a Delhi court to serve his three-year jail term in a 1993 graft case citing medical grounds, even as his co-accused Runu Ghosh and P Rama Rao submitted themselves to the law to serve their sentences. 

Sukh Ram, 86, cited medical reasons for not surrendering as his counsel told Special CBI Judge that the veteran politician has undergone angiography owing to his cardiac ailments and is hospitalised. 

The judge said Sukh Ram's plea that he be taken into judicial custody at the hospital itself will be heard tomorrow by concerned Special CBI Judge Sanjiv Jain, who was on leave today.

A composed a father thanks the police and the press for the support they have received since their son's death. Anuj Bidve was killed on December 26. The family will bring the body back tomorrow.

Subhash Bidve says, Anuj was wonderful son. I only wanted to give him the best and that is why we sent him to the UK.

Leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband has issued a fatwa against manufacturing and selling of firecrackers, saying it was against Sharia law.
"Manufacturing and selling of firecrackers is against Sharia law, and bursting of crackers is misuse of money, the fatwa said, adding that men who misuse money are the "brothers of devil."

The fatwa was issued on a query from a man involved in the business of manufacturing firecrackers. A large number of Muslims are involved in manufacturing firecrackers in the country.

Meanwhile, an update on the Anuj Bidve murder.

A bbc report says that the parents of the Indian student shot dead in Salford on December26, are expected to visit Parliament later to discuss his murder investigation.

Bidve, 23, was shot in the head at close range as he walked along Ordsall Lane with friends.

Kiaran Stapleton, 20, of Ordsall, has been charged with his murder. Bidve's family contacted Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, asking to meet over concerns they have about the investigation.

On rediff.com: Bidve murder: 'Psycho' Briton remanded to custody

Mumbai, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu joined Haryana in the semi-finals of the Elite Division of the Ranji Trophy cricket tournment. All three teams entered the last fours stage by virtue of the first innings lead.

Mumbai beat Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu beat Maharashtra and Rajasthan, last year's surprise champions, beat Hyderabad. Haryana has beaten the favoured Karnataka by four wickets on Wednesday. The semi-finals start on January 10.

Sports round up (used to be a programme on DD in those days that people of a certain age would remember).

Australian skipper Michael Clarke rewrote the record books at the Sydney Cricket Ground with his unbeaten triple hundred against India but his bat went without any sponsor's logo for the first time. The skipper en route to his maiden triple ton surpassed British Reginald Erskine Foster's century old 287 to register the highest score at the venue.

His astonishing knock came four days after Dunlop Slazenger pulled out of its long-term sponsorship deal with batsman. The only visible markings featured promotional stickers for McGrath Foundation Day at the SCG in aid of breast cancer research. Clarke's new manager James Erskine revealed that the sponsors had declined to renew the contract when it expired on December 31.

Just in: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh sacks spokesperson Mohan Singh after he bats for DP Yadav to be included in the party. he BJP, the Samajwadi Party, too, is facing internal issues.

Much like the BJP, the SP also found itself divided over issuing a ticket to former BSP MLA and history sheeter DP Yadav.

Yadav, an accused in the Nitish Katara murder case has sparked off a feud within the Samajwadi Party. MP and party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's son Akhilesh has dismissed any talk of DP Yadav joining the Samajwadi camp, saying there is no place for criminals in the party.

But the spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Mohan Singh has questioned Akhilesh's authority in taking that decision.

News from the Auto Expo in New Delhi.

Tata will display their city car concept, Pixel, for the first time in India at the Expo. Pixel was showcased for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in February 2011 and attracted a large number of audiences thanks to its scissor doors and a large panoramic roof. Pixel is based on the Tata Nano and will be powered by three-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. Another unique feature of this ultra small car is the rear-wheel counter steering system that gives it turning radius of 2.6 meters.

More on rediff.com

The always erudite, sometimes reticent chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on the completion of three years in office today dipped into Charles Dickens to express his feelings.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," Omar Abdullah summed up his tenure so far on completion of three years in office today citing a famous
quote from A Tale of Two Cities. "I remember Charles Dickens novel 'A Tale of Two Cities' in which it was written  it was the best of the times, it was the worst of the times. "And really these words have come true for us and we saw best of the days and we saw the worst of the days," 41-year-old Omar said at a function to mark the completion of his three years as head of the National Conference-Congress government. The coalition government has a six-year term. 

Indian Army chief General VK Singh has denied that he was at loggerheads with the defence ministry over his age and said it was a personal issue. 

"I think the issue is being played around too much. There is no controversy between the ministry of defence and me. There is no fight between the ministry of defence and me," Singh told NDTV in an interview, days after media reports that the army chief may take the matter to the Supreme Court. 

He said the differences between him and the ministry over his age were "perceptional" only. The army chief's age row escalated after the defence ministry Dec 30 rejected his statutory complaint that would have given him 10 more months of active service.

A Chinese state-run daily today alleged that the Indian diplomat, who had collapsed in a court last Saturday, had tried to "secretly" take away two detained Indian nationals under the "pretence of going to the toilet". 

Reports that Indian diplomat, S Balachandran from Consulate in Shanghai fainted after being denied food and medicines and manhandled were "wrong", a report in the Global Times website said.

"The reports distorted the facts, and no injuries actually happened", it quoted an official with the local Yiwu government as saying. 

The two Indians Shaymsunder Agrawal and Deepak Raheja refused to pay more than 10 million yuan (USD 1.59 million) for goods they had received, the official said. They were kidnapped on December 15 by Chinese traders at Yiwu. "During the interval at the hearing, the diplomat planned to take away the two Indians secretly under the pretence of going to the toilet. "But they were stopped by suppliers at the court's exit," the report said.

When the officials arrived, they found the diplomat sitting on the ground and claiming that he had been beaten. But physical checks afterwards showed no signs of a beating, the Times report said quoting sources.

Yesterday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Hong Lei had refuted reports that the diplomat was denied access to food and water in the court. "The reports did not tally with the facts," he had told a media briefing.

Both Agrawal and Raheja are now in a hotel in Shanghai.

While on Kalmadi, you should know that both he and A Raja welcomed 2012 in Tihar Jail with a special lunch: paneer, kheer, halwa and more.

The two VIP prisoners spoke to their families over telephone briefly, greeted fellow prisoners and accepted sweets from officials. Only well behaved prisoners are allowed to use the phone. The special included to mark New Year included: vegetable curry with paneer, kheer, halwa, puri, parathas and pulao.

And of course, you paid for it.

Did Suresh Kalmadi think that his jail time for alleged role in the multi-crore Commonwealth Games scam would be just about three months? Kalmadi has been in Tihar since May 4, 2011.

The former Indian Olympic Association and CWG Organising Committee chief has been in jail since April 25, when he was arrested for allegedly misappropriating funds meant for the 2010 Games in the national capital.

A day before he was to be arrested by the CBI, Kalmadi had written a letter to now acting-President V K Malhotra authorising him to take charge of the IOA for a period of three months.

In a brief hand-written letter to Malhotra, Kalmadi said, "I am away. I hereby appoint you to discharge the duties of acting President for a period of three months and request you to carry out the day-today activities of the Indian Olympic Association."

However, more than three months have lapsed since the letter was sent but Malhotra continues to head to the apex sporting body in the country. But a top IOA official said that it was not an issue at all and there was no discrepancy in Malhotra continuing in the job under the circumstances.

Tata Group chief Ratan Tata today said that Tata Motors' Nano has 'wasted an early opportunity' due to teething problems, but the company will do everything to undo the tag of 'poor man's car'.

Tata, who is also the Chairman of Tata Motors, said: "Many efforts were made to discredit the product. We never pushed it (Nano) as a poor man's car, but as an affordable family car. Whatever stigma is there in the market, we will undo it."

Asserting that the very concept of Nano is a robust one, he said: "The launches of similar small cars by others vindicate our belief that this segment was missing in the product line."

He further added that Tata Motors was "not much in competition with others as far as pricing of it is concerned".

Just in: The Supreme Court seeks response from the CBI for not booking Telecom companies Essar, Loop and their promoters under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the 2G case. The Apex court also issues notices to CBI and ED on allegations that Law Ministry is influencing the probe in favour of Telecom companies.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court deferred till January 10 hearing on the pleas of Essar Teleholdings Ltd and Loop Telecom Ltd, facing charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy in 2G spectrum case, against their trial by the CBI court.

The Supreme Court today directed the Centre to place before it the report of Prime Minister-appointed expert panel on the feasibility of building an alternative shipping channel through Dhanuskodi instead of Ram Sethu around the country's southern tip.

This is what Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy tweets: @Swamy39 Court also agreed to hear me on 27/3 on making Setu a heritage place.That is wonderful. The Court rebuked the govt for taking so long to file the report on alternative channel- i.e. without touching Setu. Fixed March 27th.

Here's the draft of the memorandum submitted by the BJP to President Patil today on the Lokpal Bill. Read

If it escaped you, the translation for Her Excellency, the President, is 'Mahamahim Rashtrapati ji'.

In a huge setback to former Union Minister Sukh Ram, convicted in a 1993 graft case, the Supreme Court today asked him to surrender before a trial court to serve his three year jail term. 

Refusing to interfere with the Delhi High Court order which had upheld Sukh Ram's conviction and his jail term, the apex court also refused to give any relief to his accomplices, former bureaucrat Runu Ghosh and private telecom firm Managing Director P Rama Rao and asked them to surrender to serve their sentences.

Quick reads:

The Delhi High Court today deferred till January 10 hearing on the pleas of Essar Teleholdings Ltd and Loop Telecom Ltd, facing charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy in 2G spectrum case, against their trial by the CBI court.

Just in: At the meeting with President Pratibha Patil this morning, the BJP submitted a memorandum demanding reconvening of the Parliament session so that voting is conducted on the Lokpal Bill.

Senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, along with a delegation of MPs are briefing the press after meeting President Pratibha Patil over what call the Lokpal fiasco.

Jaitley says the Lokpal fiasco is a subversion of the political system. Says the delegation told the president that they protested the no vote in the Rajya Sabha and asked the president to intervene and order a probe. The BJP says it will observe a protest week.

News of, what else, but death and destruction from around the world.

25 dead, about 100 missing in Philippine landslide

A landslide struck a community of gold prospectors in Philippines. The landslip hit a remote mountain community on Mindanao island that was declared off-limits last year due to the ever-present danger of landslides, but migrants in search of instant riches had ignored the warning, they added.

Explosions in Shiite areas of Baghdad kill 22

A wave of explosions today struck two Shiite neighbourhoods in Baghdad, killing at least 22 people and intensifying fears that insurgents are stepping up attacks after the US troop withdrawal that was completed last month.

When Australia great Glenn McGrath predicted that India would lose 0-4 to Australia in the ongoing four Test match series, not a ball had been bowled in the second match at Sydney Cricket Ground, considered India's favourite hunting ground.

Ha, India have always been late starters overseas, how can this vaunted batting lineup lose so, was the consensus among Indian cricket lovers.

Now with three days of play over and India all set to go down 0-2 in the series on Friday, the fourth day of play, Pigeon's words seem prophetic.

Just like then BCCI secretary Jayant Lele's words did when he told rediff.com's Faisal Shariff in 1999 that India, under Sachin Tendulkar's captaincy, will be blanked out 0-3 in the forthcoming tour Down Under.

Lele, of course, went on to deny that interview and even sued us for Rs 5 crore (to no avail, let us add).

Those interested, can read Faisal's interview with Lele here.With the help of hindsight we know that Lele got it right. With two more Test matches to go, will Dhoni and Co belie McGrath's forecast?

Don't hold your breath.

Battle of the bikes begins. 

US cult bike maker Harley Davidson today launched two locally-assembled models at a price starting from Rs 9.95 lakh, which is much lower than that of
imported motorcycles. FXDB Street Bob and FXDC Super Glide Custom, previously offered as Completely Built-up imports, will now be available at all the seven dealership of Harley-Davidson.

And then, Royal Enfield today unveiled its 500cc bike Thunderbird 500, which will hit the Indian roads later in the year. The company, however, did not disclose the price of the new model.

Pakistan is expected to link its future relationship with the US to the transfer of civil nuclear technology by America to help it overcome a crippling energy shortfall. 

The Parliamentary Committee on National Security, which has been tasked by the Prime Minister to recommend new "terms of engagement" with the US, has "declared that the basis of the new relationship should be conditional on the agreement to transfer civil nuclear technology to Pakistan," The News daily quoted its sources as saying.

A New York private detective has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for raping his Indian-origin girlfriend and then implicating her in a series of false armed robberies for which she was wrongly jailed for seven months.

Jerry Ramrattan, 39, of Queens was convicted in November after a four-week jury trial of first-degree rape, perjury, conspiracy, tampering with a witness and falsely reporting incidents in his plot to frame his former girlfriend Seemona Sumasar, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. 

Sumasar, 36, is the daughter of an Indian taxi firm owner from Guyana and had previously worked as a Morgan Stanley analyst.

For more on this fascinating story read the NYT

The BJP, as we told you yesterday, is facing protest from within the party over the induction of tainted BSP leaders. While LK Advani has expressed his ire over the induction of Babu Singh Kushwaha, a state executive member I P Singh who did likewise, was suspended.

"Singh has been suspended with immediate effect by state president Surya Pratap Shahi and has been asked to submit his reply within 15 days," party General Secretary Narendra Singh said. Singh had yesterday demanded removal of Babu Singh Kushwaha and action against state party president Shahi for inducting the former family welfare minister in the Mayawati government into the party fold.

The BJP was yesterday left with a huge embarrasment after inducting Kushwaha, whose house was raided by the CBI in the multi-crore NRHM scam, as friends and foes attacked the decision forcing the party to decline him a ticket in Assembly elections.

We carried a story yesterday of how ultra orthodox Israeli parents dressed their children to look like Holocaust inmates for a street protest. This is the Daily Beast's take on the incident: Even for the ultra-Orthodox, the Holocaust and Nazism are tossed blithely into political discourse. Is nothing sacred?

Read

By the way, if you're heading to Bodh Gaya, you must know that The Dalai Lama is there for the Kalchakra festival, held once in a decade. Trust you have hotel bookings for the numbers can be fearsome.

Bodh Gaya, incidentally, is the place where the Buddha gained enlightenment under a Bodh tree.  

The only other time you've probably heard of Trinidad and Tobago is during the Commonwealth Games last year. 

Well, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, an archipelago in the Carribean,  Kamla Persad-Bissessar, arrived in New Delhi today on a nine-day state visit to India aimed at boosting bilateral economic and diplomatic ties. Indias Telecom Minister for State Sachin Pilot welcomed Bissessar at the airport upon her arrival.

A high-level delegation of business leaders, entrepreneurs and ministers is accompanying Bissessar in her landmark visit. This is the first visit by a Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago in nearly 15 years.

The toll in Monday's accident in which a school bus collided with a truck due to
fog reached 14 today with one more child succumbing to injuries. With this the total number of children killed has reached 13. The one other person to die was the dirver of the van. Twenty other children, in the age group 5-8, had been injured.

A good read, as always from MK Bhadrakumar's blog:

"The opening of the Taliban office is big news in the western and Arab media but is being downplayed in Pakistan and Iran. Of course, it stands to reason that Pakistan has been in the loop at some point, and, equally, that the Americans did their utmost to ensure Iran was kept out (although, Iran is irrepressible and nothing in the Hindu Kush escapes its attention)."

More

Our Delhi correspondent, as always, is the first to tell you that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa on Saturday, January 14.

Modi will be in Chennai to attend the 42nd Annual celebrations of the Tamil weekly Tughlaq, edited by Cho Ramaswamy, where he has been invited as the chief guest

Interestingly, sharing the dias with him, will be LK Advani, both contenders for the top job. Advani will deliver a special lecture on blackmoney stashed in foreign banks

Anyway, during the stay in Chennai, Modi will pay a courtesy call on Jayalalithaa at her Poes Garden residence, though details the time of the meeting is yet to be announced. The meeting is expected to extend to lunch.

Senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, along with a delegation of MPs are briefing the press after meeting President Pratibha Patil over what call the Lokpal fiasco.

Jaitley says the Lokpal fiasco is a subversion of the political system. Says the delegation told the president that they protested the no vote in the Rajya Sabha and asked the president to intervene and order a probe. The BJP says it will observe a protest week.

Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International, writes writes on how Iran is weak, and is only getting weaker.

Excerpts: The discussion everywhere these days is about Iran's strength. Mitt Romney, the Republican front-runner, describes Iran as "the greatest threat that the world faces over the next decade.'

He and others are impressed by Iran's recent declarations about its nuclear capacities and its missile tests. Newt Gingrich has compared the Iranian challenge to the rise of Hitler's Germany. More measured commentators also see Iran's rising influence and power across the Middle East.

More

Don't read this if you are, well, fat.

Actress Sonam Kapoor, who will be seen playing a computer hacker in upcoming 'Players', feels that she is yet to achieve the body to don a bikini onscreen. 

Her co-star Bipasha Basu has generated a lot of buzz by wearing a red two-piece but Sonam decided to keep her clothes on despite playing an edgy character. 

"Bipasha is already wearing a bikini in the film so I don't think it was necessary for me to do the same. I don't have the body for it. I don't look like Bipasha or Deepika Padukone or Anushka Sharma. I am not thin. I have a big bum, big arms, I have cellulite," Sonam said.

More on Madhuri Dixit's wax image at Madam Tussuads...

Tussuads said today that they were thrilled to honour the "dazzling dancing star". The actress will be closely associated with the creation of her statue, which will be draped in a Manish Malhotra sari. Madhuri joins the likes of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor who have been
waxed at Tussauds.
"I am really thrilled I am going to be included at Madame Tussauds. It's a real mark of achievement and to be recognised for ones art and work. It's also wonderful to be following in the footsteps of other Bollywood stars and some of my personal heroes! (sic)," Madhuri said in a statement.

For generations, the women of the Meena tribe in India's Rajasthan state have been decorating the walls and floors of their homes with a stunning form of public art both graphic and decorative known as Mandana painting, using a white paste made of rice and milk to paint intricate motifs on these brown mud surfaces.

This remarkable craft is passed down from mother to daughter, and the drawings themselves often depict maternal motifs of birds and animals with their young.

More

If you've been feeling particularly regressive and have been watching Balika Badhu on Colors, you've inadvertently contributed to the channel's rankings.

Viacom18's flagship, the Hindi general entertainment channel Colors, has made it to the second position again after a hiatus of four weeks. And helping the channel regain its ranking is the first Golden Petal Awards, says Indiantelevision.com. More

On Twitter:

Madhuri Dixit-Nene: Madame Tussaud's made the announcement and I am confirming it. Will be in London in March to introduce my likeness! Thanks for all ur support.

Details on that story on food inflation hitting negative figures.

Prices of essential items like vegetables, onion, potato and wheat declined as food inflation turned negative for the first time in recent memory," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today. This is the first time in almost six years, for which data with base year 2004-05 is available, that food inflation has shown a decline on an annual basis.

Overall, vegetables became 50.22 per cent cheaper during the week ended December 24. The fall in the rate of price rise of food items has been
substantial since the first week of November, when it stood at double-digit.

Experts feel that the decline in food inflation will be a major incentive for the Reserve Bank to look at the option of key interest rate cuts at its next quarterly monetary policy review later this month

Just in: Kiran Bedi, a key aide in Team Anna has just announced that the Gandhian may not campaign as he continues to remain unwell. Anna Hazare is being treated at Sancheti Hospital in Pune. A core committee meeting is to be held in Delhi on Saturday to plan the way forward.

During his aborted fast at the MMRDA grounds in Mumbai, Hazare had announced that he would campaign against the government in the five states going to the polls. This announcement will therefore come as a relief to the Congress.

Digest this slowly....

Over 2,000 people were killed in road accidents in New Delhi last year, but the police today claimed that it's the lowest number of fatal accidents in the past seven years. 

According to Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg, the year 2011 registered the lowest number of fatal accident and number of those killed in such incidents since 2005. "The capital has witnessed creditable decline in fatal accidents for second consecutive year. Accidents came down from 2,104 in 2010 to 2,007 last year. This is over the decline registered in 2010 when accidents came down compared to 2272 in 2009," Garg said. 

Number of persons killed came down to 2066 in 2011 compared to 2153 in 2010, he said.

News flash: Food inflation enters negative zone; at minus (-) 3.36 per cent for week ended December 24. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee says it's a first in recent memory. Details awaited.

The Supreme Court today admitted the appeal filed by the CBI and the Gujarat government challenging the High Court's acquittal of 12 convicts in the sensational murder of former state Home Minister Haren Pandya. 

The appeal was filed by the investigating agency and the state police questioning the August 29, 2010, acquittal by the Gujarat High Court as being erroneous. 

The high court had, while acquitting the 12 convicts of the charges of murder, upheld the trial court's decision to convict them for criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder and offences under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Pandya, a former minister of state for home in the BJP government and once close to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, was shot dead on March 26, 2003, in Ahmedabad when he was out for a morning walk.

According to CBI, Pandya was murdered to avenge the 2002 communal riots in the state.

After a rush of full page advertisements, motorcycle maker Royal Enfield today unveiled its 500cc bike Thunderbird 500, which will hit the Indian roads later in the year. 

The company, however, did not disclose the price of the new model.
"After 10 years of launching the Thunderbird, we have completely redesigned the model, especially for the urban and the long distance travellers," Eicher Motors MD and CEO Siddhartha Lal said. The company plans to launch it by the end of first half of the year, he added.

An Indian-origin police constable in Britain is in the news for all the wrong reasons.

Jasbir Singh Dhanda, 52, has been accused of misusing his force's database to target vulnerable women for sex while on duty. He allegedly had sex with two women, while he was working with the Derbyshire Police over a seven-year period, after tracking them down on the police systems.  

The constable targeted three women in total because they were ''vulnerable'' and he did not believe they would report him.  

Even if they did, Dhanda, from Derby, thought their complaints would not be taken seriously due to their circumstances.

Taliban militants in Pakistan today said they had killed 15 security personnel who were taken hostage last month when rebels stormed a fort near the South
Waziristan tribal region. 

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said that the bodies
of the slain Frontier Constabulary personnel had been dumped at Spin Tul, an area near North Waziristan Agency.

Good morning.

The ruckus over the Lokpal bill has not died down yet. A BJP delegation will meet Prez Pratibha Patil over what they call the 'midnight ruckus' or as Arun Jaitley put it, Flee-dom at Midnight. A delegation of BJP MPs, including senior leader LK Advani is set to meet the Prez.

The main Opposition party alleged that the government, given its minority in the Rajya Sabha, manipulated proceedings in the House during the debate on the lokpal bill inorder to avoid a vote.

BJP delegation to meet Prez over lokpal 'midnight ruckus' (Hindustan Times)
A delegation of BJP MPs, including senior leader LK Advani will meet President Pratibha Patil, today, over the lokpal bill 'midnight ruckus' in the Rajya Sabha. Read

Major fire at IGI airport, property worth crores gutted (Hindustan Times)
A major fire broke out in the cargo section of Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi early this morning causing damage to property worth crores but no one was injured. Read

Dense fog envelopes Delhi, flight operations hit (The Times of India)
The dense fog had some effect on the operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport where around 15 flights were delayed. Read

Indian traders released after days of detention (The Hindu)
Officials from the Indian Consulate in Shanghai escorted the two Indians, Deepak Raheja and Shyamsunder Agrewal, away from the Yiwu hotel amid heavy police security, taking them to Shanghai. Read

Narendra Modis Sadbhavana will now go to Godhra (Indian Express)
Gujarat CM to hold fast there in mid or end Feb, close to 10th anniversary of Godhra train burning. Read