BJP today hit out at Congress and the government on Batla House encounter, alleging that they were engaged in double speak on the issue with Home minister P Chidambaram maintaining it was genuine while party leader Digvijay Singh insisting it was fake. 

"If Chidambaram as Home Minister says the Batla House encounter was genuine then how did Digvijay Singh term it fake in the presence of Rahul Gandhi in Azamgarh yesterday?" BJP Chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad asked. He sought to know whom the people should believe on this issue in such a scenario.

Astronomers have determined exactly what colour our home galaxy the Milky Way is - and find it is aptly named. They wanted to find out how our galaxy looked from the outside - a difficult task given the Earth is inside it.

A comparison of star types in other galaxies gives perhaps an unsurprising result: white. But not just any white: specifically, like spring snow at an hour after sunrise or before sunset. The finding was announced at the 219th American Astronomical Society meeting.

More on the bbc.co.uk

On Firstpost.com: Why Team Anna needs to be more like the Christian Right.

Read

And here's Ms Kiran Bedi on Twitter: If we can groom/ inspire our youth to step out of comfort zone (those who r in) and learn empathy nation will be in safer hands.

Machdar Motorsports today announced a revised race schedule of the inaugural Supercar Series due to the polling in Uttar Pradesh.

The first race of the series will now commence in Doha, Qatar on February 10th and 11th, 2012 followed by races in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and India. The last race of the series will be held at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida, New Delhi on April 1st, 2012.

Meawhile, Afghanistan's Taliban has condemned a video that appears to show US Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters.

A spokesman told the BBC: "It is not a human action, it's a wild action that is too shameful for us to talk about." But another Taliban spokesman said the video would not derail attempts at peace talks to end the war.

More

Fatima Bhutto: I worry for a country that can only discuss politics via cricket analogies.

See our 16:36 pm post for the background: Gilani: Zardari is our pace attack bowler:

Mired in a controversy over his age, Army Chief Gen V K Singh today said the issue was that of "integrity and honour" for him, but decried the "spins" being
given in the media to the matter.

 He maintained that he had tackled the issue in the "organisational interest" and the matter was not affecting the image of the Army if considered in a straight forward manner. "The issue has always been, I am emphasising it, the issue has always been that of integrity and honour," Gen Singh said at a press conference here when asked about the row over his date of birth. Gen Singh had two sets of dates in the official records -- May 10, 1950 and May 10, 1951, leading to the controversy. 

He has been contending that May 10, 1951 should be treated as his actual date of birth as it was mentioned in his matriculation certificate but the Defence Ministry has rejected it as May 10, 1950 is the date entered in his UPSC entrance form.By the government decision, he will retire on May 31 this year.

As study in contrasts: The Indian army chief is in the news over an age controversy, the Pakistan army chief for anti-government rant and a severe rap on the knuckles.  

Update on the crisis in Pakistan:

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has described President Asif Ali Zardari as the "pace attack bowler" of his political team which is under
attack from "left, right and centre".

Gilani said this while interacting with sportspersons at the launch of state-run broadcaster PTV's new sports channel on the same day when the country's powerful military issued a terse statement criticising him for his remarks on Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja
Pasha. 

Former Test cricketer Rameez Raja, one of the hosts for the event, asked the PM if his government, which has faced "many bouncers and yorkers", would be able to hit a six off the last ball of the innings like batsman Javed Miandad.

Gilani replied: "For the last four years, our situation was worse than that of Javed Miandad. There were attacks from left, right and centre and we have been facing them". 

News flash:

Home Minister P Chidambaram says that the Batla House encounter was genuinue and there is no scope for reopening the matter.

Yesterday, Cong general secretary Digvijaya Singh used the Batla House encounter to woo the Muslims of Uttar Pradesh in an attempt to shift the blame for the encounter killings at the Centre.

The statement comes just days after Salman Khurshid stirred controversy and EC ire after promising a 9 per cent sub quota for Muslims in jobs in UP if the party came to power.

This is what the Batla House encounter is all about.

One of the lucky few who had a one-on-one with Yoko Ono, was of course NDTV's Barkha Dutt: "Im Asian.. a Woman.. They needed someone to blame for the break up of the Beatles, so they blamed me.' Yoko Ono in an intw to me.

Artist and musician Yoko Ono is showcasing in India a new special project that pays tribute to Indian women, in her first visit to the country after the death of late husband and Beatles' legend John Lennon. 

The project comprises an exhibition titled "Our Beautiful Daughters," a series of public art projects spread over 20 venues including schools and hospitals in the city and "To India with love", a performance by the Ono who is renowned for her conceptual and live art work. 

"I did not bring anything to India apart from myself. This visit will be a great learning experience... This beautiful very very grand land will teach me," said Ono in New Delhi today, a day before the unveiling of her first ever exhibition
in the country at the Vadehra Art Gallery here. 

As feminists snipe at the new Margaret Thatcher film, a leading historian argues her achievements should be celebrated. Read more on the Daily Mail.

On Swami Vivekananda's 149th birth anniversary, Shashi Shekhar reconstructs the Indian spiritual leader's nearly decade-long stay in the US from a collage of original newspaper clippings that give a first-hand account of impressions of his life and teachings while in America.

Read more on rediff.com

On rediff.com ahead of the five-state polls, our new column, Tales from Raisina Hill...

Text messages for Rahul; Uma Bharti gets cold feet; Mamata snubs Jairam; Congress find its Lokpal...

First up: Election fever is causing lots of problems for Janardhan Dwivedi, chairman of the All India Congress Committee media department. Union ministers, spokespersons, the party's self-appointed spin doctors, its crisis managers are all out in the open, issuing statements after statements.

Dwivedi's job is to defuse the crisis when two Union ministers lock horns or senior leaders from a particular election state issue statements that contradicts the party's official voice.

The list of guests visiting television studios also requires clearance. In Congress circles, Dwivedi is referred to as an in-house 'Lokpal.

Today is the birth anniverdary of Swami Vivekananda, celebrated as National Youth Day in India. Nice tweets doing the rounds...  

Abhijit Majumder: RT @quizderek "You will be nearer to heaven through a game of football, than through the Gita" - 150 years today 

lindsaypereira lindsay pereira
On National Youth Day, I propose we stop referring to Rahul Gandhi, Salman Khan as 'youth icons', and refer to them as 'middle-aged icons.'

Kiran Kumar S
"All knowledge depends upon the calmness of mind" - #SwamiVivekananda #Quote for National Youth Day.

ranganaathan Ranga
Today is National Youth Day, none of the newsprint nor visual media seem inclined even to 'mention' it #SwamiVivekananda

KiranKS Kiran Kumar S
On National Youth Day, let's accept 1 thing. Even at the age of 150, some are *REAL* youth.. with or without media hype:)

Tom Wright on the Wall Street Journal, on why a coup is unlikely in Pakistan.

Read

More on those rumours of West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra quitting his portfolio. Our correspondent in Delhi says that rumours are rife that Mitra is likely to quit the post as he is fed up with the 'no tax' policy of Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee.

Mitra has been upset for a while over the state of public finances. A Financial Express report says that West Bengal has not been able to do much to raise revenue and it has not even placed a budget this fiscal and Banerjee has resisted fresh taxation.

The government today gave its approval to set up the National Counter-Terrorism Centre which will act as the nodal agency for all anti-terror activities in the country.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, after an hour-long meeting gave its nod to set up the NCTC which will streamline all terror-related intelligence, analyse and provide them for action to concerned agencies, official sources said.

A pet project of Home Minister P Chidambaram, the NCTC will be the nodal agency for all counter-terrorism activities and coordinate with intelligence agencies such as Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) and state intelligence agencies.

More on the crisis in Pakistan.

Our neighbour is abuzz with rumours that the all-powerful military may topple the fragile government in Islamabad within the next 48 hours.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani accused army chief General Ashfaq Kayani and Inter Services Intelligence chief Lieutenant General Shuja Pasha of violating the constitution.

Then yesterday, he dismissed the defence secretary, a retired lieutenant general -- amid speculation that the prime minister's next target may be the army and ISI chiefs.

Read the report on rediff.com.

Ranji update:

Defending champions Rajasthan have entered the final of the Ranji Trophy for the second consecutive year. They beat Haryana by 65 runs at the Bansi Lal stadium in Lahli, Rohatak in Haryana. Chasing 185 for a win, Haryana we bowled out for 120 a short while ago.

Rituraj Singh took 37/5 and P S Singh took 48/4. >Scores: Rajasthan 89 and 192, Haryana 97 and 120. Meanwhile, Mumbai were in big trouble in their match against Tamil Nadu. They were bowled out 157 chasing 359. Tamil Nadu batting again are 150/3. Mumbai needs a miracle to pull this one off.

The Indian High Commission in London has shot off a letter to BBC, complaining that the channel's star presenter Jeremy Clarkson had mocked Indian culture in a Top Gear Christmas Special.  

In the strongly worded letter, the Indian High Commission has asked BBC to "make amends" for Clarkson's alleged offensive jokes.

More on rediff.com.

President Asif Ali Zardari today departed on a one-day private visit to Dubai amidst a standoff between the civilian government and the powerful military on
the memo scandal. 

News of Zardari's departure was flashed this afternoon by TV news channels. There was no immediate word on the visit from the presidency. 

Sources told PTI that Zardari was expected to attend a wedding in Dubai, where he has a private residence. 

Several senior government officials are also expected to attend the same wedding. This is Zardari's second visit to Dubai since the memo issue triggered a confrontation between the government and the military.

The point is, will he return to Pakistan, or is it an exit?

BJP MP Varun Gandhi who was at Lucknow airport today, bumped into Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. A senior SP MP told NSG commandoes to get closer and shield the two MPs from press photographers since such pictures will damage the SP's chances in the upcoming UP polls.

News updates from our Delhi correspondent.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has despatched 40,000 electric poles from Gandhinagar to the cyclone-affected areas of Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. Modi has promised to give Tamil Nadu free power for a week.

Modi is visting Chennai on Pongal and is expected to meet Jayalalithaa in Chennai, with a lunch meet thrown in. 

On the Tribune, Pakistan.  

Former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Asma Jahangir condemned the judiciary yesterday, saying it has always approved military rules in the past.

She said if judges wanted a hand in politics, they should contest elections. Talking to reporters at the Lahore High Court, she said that Parliament, not judiciary, was the supreme body in the country.  More

On October, 23, 1981 this is what an article in the New York Times said: "It is unrealistic to expect any major breakthroughs in dealing with the diets of impoverished Indians,' a correspondent wrote. While the words were written thirty years ago, they might have been written this week.

Read the NYT blogs on India.

An opinion piece on the Tribune, Pakistan.

If there is one phrase that would summarise the events of Wednesday it would be 'media frenzy' caused by the new players in Pakistani politics: The ubiquitous news channels, hyper-imaginative TV anchors and the social media. By early evening, rumours of an impending coup had gripped Pakistani imagination; and many people were led to believe that the end of the government was nigh.

More

Legendary ghazal maestro, Mehdi Hassan was admitted into the intensive care unit of Karachi's Aga Khan Hospital after he had trouble breathing, Express News reported on Wednesday.

Hassan, 84, who has been suffering from a lung condition for the past 12 years, had to be rushed to hospital after his condition worsened late on Tuesday, January 10.

Outwardly, US-Pakistan relations still look tense. But with Tuesday's US drone strike into Pakistan, ending a hiatus of nearly two months, some experts see some resumed cooperation and say Pakistan's military may have good reason.

On the CSIMonitor.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie brought Hollywood glamour to the White House as they stopped by to meet President Barack Obama at the Oval Office. Pitt-Jolie were spotted chatting with Obama by the photographers waiting outside for the President to take off for a trip to Chicago.

The White House confirmed Pitt and Jolie were in town to screen Jolie's directorial debut In The Land of Blood and Honey about Bosnian war at the Holocaust museum.

The editorial on the Guardian: Pakistan: a coup by other means.

Tensions between the army and Pakistan's civilian government have boiled over into open conflict. Read

Another fallout of the Guardian video on Jarawa tribals being forced to dance before tourists for food.

Fifteen people were arrested under provisions of the Protection of Aboriginal Tribes (PAT) Regulation, 1956 for intruding into Jarawa areas in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. 

While six persons, all residents of Junglighat, were arrested from a fishing trawler near Bamboonallah, three mechanised fishing boats were intercepted at Hiren Tikery, Badabaalu and Havabill island and nine persons arrested, the police said today. The fishing trawler and the boats were also seized. 

Meanwhile, the Andaman police registered a case against unknown people for shooting and uploading videos of Jarawa tribal women.

Jamaat-e-Islami's Jammu and Kashmir unit today criticised Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's remarks that visa for controversial author Salman Rushdie was
a non-issue for Muslims. 

Spokesman of the organisation Zahid Ali said, Omar's statement depicts his ignorance of the history of Muslims, who have sacrificed everything for safeguarding the honour of the most beloved Prophet of Allah. 

"Rushdie is a great enemy of Islam and will remain so forever and any concession in his favour means disregard to the sentiments of Muslim Ummah," the spokesman said.

"Jamaat-e-Islami strongly criticises the statement of Omar Abdullah describing the issuance of visa in favour of Salman Rushdie a non-issue for the Muslim community, thereby playing with their religious sentiments," he said.

In other news:

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today made a surprise revelation that he may retire from Test cricket if he is to play in the 2015 cricket World Cup.      "If I have to see through the 2015 (World Cup), I would have to retire from one of the formats," Dhoni said at a press conference in Perth.

Dhoni, who has played in 66 Tests so far and won 17 of the 36 matches in which he has skippered, almost casually mentioned it which took everyone by surprise at the press conference.

Imran Khan also says that PM Gilani is Zardari's puppet.

Meanwhile, amid growing tensions between the civilian government and the military leadership, an unprecedented petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court yesterday, to block any attempts by the government to sack Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha.

The petition, reports the Tribune, was filed by Advocate Maulvi Iqbal Haider, considered to be a dubious character by the Supreme Court and even banned from entering SC premises by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for filing frivolous petitions, was promptly accepted by the IHC.

Ambassador Rao: Health Secretary Kathleen Sibelius has held useful discussions with Health Minister Azad in Delhi.

That's a tweet from India's envoy to the US, Nirupama Rao.

For more on that go here.

The Pakistan army is likely to have reacted to Prime Minister Gilani's statement criticising army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and Inter Services Intelligence Director General Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha over the Memogate probe because it opposed the government's silence on the drone strikes and its lenient stance over NATO supplies' blockade.

In an interview given to "People's Daily Online of China, Gilani had earlier alleged that the responses filed by General Kayani and Pasha in connection with the Memogate probe were illegal and unconstitutional.

Sources said that the military assumes the Pakistan governments flexibility would encourage the resumption of drone strikes.

On rediff.com: An analysis of the ongoing tumult in Pakistan by B Raman: The BIG 4 behind Pak crisis: Gilani, Kayani, SC and China.

Also from the Tribune:

Shooting down any talk of a clash between civil and military forces, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that the army's strong-worded statement, in response to his earlier criticism, was released after his consent.

The PM said that he spoke to Chief of Army staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani over the phone prior to the ISPR's release of the military reaction. Prime Minister Gilani elaborated that Gen Kayani contacted him about the army's desire to issue a clarification on his recent interview with a Chinese daily.

As Pakistan simmers with rumours of an Army coup, former cricketer and now a key contender for the prime ministerial post, Imran Khan addresses a press meet in Lahore. Imran Khan says his party, Tehrik-e-Insaf will not back a military takeover, but neither will it back the PPP government.

News alert: Food inflation continues to be in the negative zone at (-)2.90% for week ended December 31, as against (-)3.36% in the previous week. Which means food prices should be down.  

This is the second time that food inflation is in the negative. On December 24, food inflation stood at -3.36 per cent, while fuel inflation accelerated to 14.6 per cent.

RBI, which has raised interest rates 13 times since March, 2010 to contain inflation, has already paused rate hike in its December mid-quarter policy review. The central bank is scheduled to announce next policy review on January 24.

North Korea has announced that the body of late leader Kim Jong-il will lie in state permanently at a palace in the capital, Pyongyang.

His body will be displayed at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace alongside his father, Kim Il-sung.

See

With Iran in the news for its decision to begin uranium enrichment at a site near Qom, read MK Bhadrakumar's blog on Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad's upcoming visit to Havana, Cuba. Read

PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has emerged as a mediator between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani after differences between Pakistan's civilian government and the powerful military seemed to reach at point of no return. 

Hussain, who served as Prime Minister during Pervez Musharraf's reign, is considered to be close to the security establishment and is known for his links with the armys top brass. The leadership of the Pakistan People's Party has requested Hussain, whose PML-Q is part of the ruling coalition, to help defuse tensions between the government and the military.

The tensions between the two institutions mounted after Gilani's interview to a Chinese daily, during which he said that affidavits submitted to the Supreme Court by Kayani and Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha on the memo issue were "unconstitutional and illegal".

If Delhiwallahs came to Mumbai now, they would probably snigger quietly (or loudly actually) at Mumbaikars bundled up mufflers, cardigans, shawls and monkey caps, sometimes all of that ...

For, at 15C, Mumbai has summer temperatures.

An icy breeze has been blowing across the capital today bringing more chill to though the night temperatures witnessed a marginal increase. 

The minimum temperature was recorded at 5.3 degree Celsius, two degrees below normal and up from yesterday's 4.6 degrees. The maximum was 18.5 degree Celsius yesterday. Though there was marginal increase in night temperatures, the wind chill factor added to the cold in the city. A shallow fog was also witnessed in the morning.

News from around the world...

Quake hits eastern Japan; nuclear plant stable
A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Japan today near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, but did not cause any further problems at the power station. The quake hit in the Pacific, 22 kilometres east of Iwaki in southern Fukushima, at 12:20 pm (0320 GMT) at a depth of nine kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.

Mossad recruiting Iranian dissidents to work against Tehran regime
Leading French newspaper Le Figaro reported on Wednesday that Israeli Mossad agents are recruiting and training Iranian dissidents from Iraqs Kurdish region to work against the regime in Tehran. Quoting a security source in Baghdad, Le Figaro reported that members of the Israeli intelligence agency are actively operating in Kurdistan and recruiting Iranian exiles in the region.

Nepal's former royals in India for two weeks
Nepals former King Gyanendra Shah accompanied by former Queen Komal left for New Delhi Dham, January 11, 2012. The Shah couple will stay in India for two weeks, it has been reported.
 

On Twitter:

Barkha Dutt: Off to meet Yoko Ono :-) Cant imagine what it must be like to be the person constantly blamed & villified for the break up of the Beatles!

Just in: The Andaman Police has registered a case against unknown people for shooting and uploading videos of Jarawa tribal women.

A controversy erupted on Wednesday over a video footage showing semi-naked Jarawa tribal women in Andaman and Nicobar Islands allegedly being ordered to dance before tourists prompting the Centre to seek a report from the Union Territory administration.

In its preliminary report, the administration said it will initiate prosecution against the videographer involved in the coverage for a British newspaper for "inciting" the tribals to dance in front of tourists.

Good morning.

First up, news that should deter drink drivers.

The Supreme Court upholds the conviction of Alister Anthony Pereira who had mowed down seven people to death in 2006. The SC cancelled Pereira's bail and directed him to undergo a three-year jail term awarded by the Bombay High Court.

The appeal of Alistair Pereira, who was convicted by the Bombay High Court in the hit-and-run case, was heard by a new bench of the Supreme Court.

Pereira had run over and killed seven pavement dwellers and injured 14 others in 2006.

In an order passed on September 6, 2007, the high court convicted Pereira for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sentenced him to three years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakh.

He then filed an appeal in the apex court against the order. In the SC, Justice Markandey Katju and Justice GS Gyan Sudha Mishra differed on the quantum of the sentence.

Pakistan government, Army on warpath (The Hindu)
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilanis criticism of Army, ISI chiefs draws fire; Defence Secretary sacked. Read

Will Gilani dare to remove Kayani or Pasha? (The Times of India)
The faceoff could end with one side backing down and risking credibility. According to sources in Pakistan, the govt's allies have advised caution and moderation. Read

Zardari made no offer to resign: spokesman (The Hindu)

Pakistans beleaguered President Asif Ali Zardari made no offer to resign during a meeting of top leaders of the countrys ruling coalition that was held after the Supreme Court warned it could take action against him, the presidential spokesman said on Wednesday. Read

No assurances against military coup in Pakistan: US (Hindustan Times)
Amid growing tension between the civilian and military leadership in Pakistan, US has said it had not sought or received any assurances from the Pakistani army that it would not stage a coup. Read

US Marines probe video of men urinating on Taliban corpses (Hindustan Times)
The US Marine Corps is probing an internet video that showed several soldiers were urinating on the bodies of Taliban fighters killed in Afghanistan. Read

Dalit woman paraded naked in Chavan's hometown (The Hindu)

An upper caste girl had eloped with the victim's son over a month ago. Upset at this, the girl's parents and relatives assaulted the woman publicly in the village in Karad taluka of Satara district, police said. Read

Bhanwari killed, her children die a thousand deaths of stigma (Indian Express)
Bhanwari allegedly possessed a video of herself with sacked Cong minister Mahipal Maderna. Read

Infosys reports 33% net profit rise (Hindustan Times)
Indian software exporter Infosys posted a 33.3 per cent rise in consolidated third quarter net profit today, as a weak rupee helped it beat forecasts. Read