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Mon, 23 January 2012
TN farmer claims house vanished in cyclone Thane
Timeline Refresh
18:18
Vodafone's win in the $2.2 billion tax battle is not only good news for the world's largest mobile phone operator, but will also calm the jittery nerves of foreign investors, analysts tell Faisal Kidwai. Read the article here.
18:16 TN police looking into plaint that house vanished in storm
An unusual complaint about a 'missing house' in the aftermath of the recent cyclone Thane has bewildered the Cuddalore district police in Tamil Nadu. Chandramohan, a government employee based in Puducherry, in his complaint with Kadampuliyur police, claimed his farm house built on five cents of land in Vegakollai village in Panruti taluk had "gone missing" and wanted the police to "find it."
The severe cyclonic storm Thane that crossed the Tamil Nadu coast near Cuddalore on December 30 had left a trail of destruction in the district and neighbouring Union territory of Puducherry, damaging hundreds of houses and uprooting electric poles and trees besides crops.
Asked about the unusual complaint, special sub-inspector Dhanasekar of Kadampuliyur police station said, "We received that complaint. We are enquiring into it. We have asked the village administrative officer whether there was a house in the said location."
Chandramohan had also claimed that his house had been provided electricity connection and claimed to have all documents including electricity bill receipts and those relating to land ownership.
18:12 Priyanka's dress sense and other weighty things
Rupa Subramanya writes on IndiaRealTime, the Wall Street Journal's blog, on Priyanka Vadra's dress code -- Western clothes in Delhi and a handloom sari while electioneering in her mother and brother's constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.
'Ms Vadra is no doubt sincere in her affection for India's rural poor, but the way she signals it through her dress creates the opposite effect. Perhaps she should take a hint from Professor Rubinstein, and always wear jeans and t-shirt,' concludes Rupa. You can read it here.
17:59
Bangdu tweets: Well according to mythology the prince that got the shoe, was the caretaker king for 14 years
17:46 Guv refutes Mamata's claim on no farmer suicides
Countering West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim that there was no suicide by farmers in the state, Governor MK Narayanan today said such incidents were"unfortunately" taking place in the state.
Narayanan also said that a way has to be found to prevent the recurrence of suicides by farmers.
"Farmers' suicide is an issue engaging the attention of both the Centre and the state government. Such incidents are unfortunately taking place ... We have to find a way to ensure that this does not happen," he told reporters on the sidelines of an event to mark the 116th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
"Many of them I suppose were deeply in debt. You have to ask Jairam Ramesh what can be done about this because he is in-charge of rural programmes," he said.
17:44
Saeed Naqvi argues in the Sunday Guardian that Salman Rushdie is not a problem for Muslims but polticians. Read his argument here.
17:33 RBI's survey pegs GDP growth at 7pc in 2011-12
Just In: The Reserve Bank of India's survey of professional forecasters pegs GDP growth at 7 per cent in 2011-12.
17:31 No conflict between Aadhar and NPR, says Chidambaram
Just In: In an about-turn, Home Minister P Chidambaram today said there was no conflict between the Aadhar UIDAI project and the National Population Register.
17:29 Shoe thrown at Rahul in Dehradun election rally
Just In: A shoe was hurled at Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi at an election rally in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, today. The person was immediately arrested by the police and taken away. Television footage showed Gandhi asking the police to not be tough on the person.
17:23 Fearing arrest, Mansoor Ijaz not visiting Pak
Fearing arrest, Pakistani- American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, the central figure in the memo scandal, today said he would not visit Islamabad to depose before a judicial panel probing the matter and wants his testimony to be recorded either in London or Zurich.
Ijaz, who triggered a confrontation between Pakistan's civilian government and the powerful military by making public a secret memo that sought US help to stave off a feared coup in Pakistan last year, said in a statement that he was willing to depose before the supreme court-appointed commission in London or Zurich.
In a statement released through his lawyer Akram Sheikh, Ijaz said he had been given "no assurance" by any person on behalf of Pakistan government to ward off his apprehensions regarding his security.
17:05 UK's 'squeezed middle' in for pressing times till 2020
Pay freeze to last until 2020 for millions, writes Randeep Ramesh, social affairs editor in the Guardian newspaper, UK, quoting a report by the Resolution Foundation that focuses on the state of the 'squeezed middle'. Click here for the full report
16:57 Left first, Mamata last, to garland Netaji statue
Nipping controversy in the bud, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today requested Left leaders belonging to the opposition to garland the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose near Raj Bhavan at the main function on the leader's 116 birth anniversary today.
As per convention the chief minister garlands the statue of Netaji first followed by the council of ministers and opposition leaders, to observe the day as 'Deshapran Diwas'.
The Kendriya Netaji Janmotsav Committee of which Ashok Ghosh, Forward Bloc veteran, is the chairman, was upset that it did not figure in the list of those who would garland the statue. The matter also came up at the Left Front meeting on Saturday. It was decided therefore that the Left leaders would go to the venue and garland Netaji's statue after the chief minister followed by her council of ministers did so.
The chief minister after reaching the venue took a seat among the audience instead of going to the dais. Ashok Ghosh followed by Left Front chairman Biman Bose, CPI leader Manju Kumar Majumdar and RSP leaders Kshiti Goswami and Manoj Bhattacharya after their arrival were first invited to garland the statue, which they did one by one. After this Trinamool Congress leaders garlanded the statue, with the chief minister doing so last.
16:52 Zardari's aide damns ISI, then retracts views
Causing a flutter in Islamabad's political and media circles, the Sunday Times has claimed that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's media adviser andwife of former envoy to the US Husain Haqqani has fled the country fearing kidnapping by the ISI, only to be refuted by her.
As per the Sunday Times report, Farahnaz Ispahani fled toWashington amid fears that the ISI might kidnap her to force her husband to sign a confession and implicate the president.
"What we're seeing is the systematic killing orsilencing of anyone who stands up to the institutionalisation of a militarised Islamist state, who advocates positive relations with the West or stands up for tolerance," she was quoted as saying.
"I'm scared. The government can't even protect itself."
To read the piece, here's the link from Sunday Times (warning: it is only accessible to subscribers).
16:42 Guj government rapped for not aiding CBI
The Gujarat high court today rapped the Gujarat government over its failure in providing proper infrastructure to the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is probing the 2003 Sadiq Jamal Mehtar encounter case.
Gujarat high court Justice M R Shah today asked the state government, why it had failed in providing proper infrastructure to the investigating agency in the last six months. "You have not done anything else, except for exchange of correspondence in this period," the court observed.
16:29
Read Jay Dubashi in the Organiser on l'affaire Salman Rushdie, here.
16:14 Rajasthan trounce TN, retain Ranji Trophy crown
Rajasthan have successfully defended their crown by winning the Ranji Trophy this year too, beating Tamil Nadu in the final at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai by virtue of the first innings lead.
Vineet Saxena was named man of the match for his knock of of 257 in the first innings.
Scores: Rajasthan 621 and 204-5 declared, Tamil Nadu 295 and 8-2.
16:07 3 arrested, 3 wanted in 13/7 blasts, says Rakesh Maria
Giving details of how the ATS went about cracking the 13/7 blasts case, Maharashtra ATS chief Rakesh Maria said on December 2, 2012, a team left for Darbhanga in Bihar, and "a chase started". He also placed on record the tremendous assistance provided to ATS teams by Rajiv Kumar, IG, Calcutta police and Garima Malik, SSP of of Darbhanga.
"We have made two arrests in the case, the first person is 22 year old Naqi Ahmed Wasim Mohammed Sheikha. A resident of Darbhaga, in September-October 2010 he came to Mumbai's Madanpura area. The second is 23 year old Nadim Mukhtar Ashfaque Sheikh, also from Darbhanga, presently staying at Antop Hill."
The two stole the two scooters used in the crime. In addition they stole two other motorcyles for future use, which the ATS has recovered as well as the duplicate keys of the two scooters used in the blasts. A helmet belonging to the original owner of the scooter has also been recovered, Maria said.
In addition, Naqi Ahmed provided SIM cards to the wanted accused, Yasin Ahmed alias Siddibapp alias Imran alias Yasin Bhatkal of the Indian Mujahidden who gave Naqi Rs 1.5 lakh to aid, abet and assist in the crime. "We have independent evidence to corroborate this. Nadim was called by Bhatkal to Delhi, was given a packet to be given to Naqi, containing the explosives and detonators used in this crime.' The explosives were brought into the city by train, Maria said.
Naqi assisted Yasin Bhatkal find accommodation, went around the city, met real estate agents. Two of the houses were rejected by Bhatkal, ultimately the house at Byculla was finalised. Maria also said Bhatkal was in Mumbai only in June-July 2011, and not longer.
It is not that Naqi did not know the antecedents of Bhatkal. Yasin used to visit Naqi at Darbhanga, they have known each other from 2008, Maria said. "We have independent witnesses to corroborate this, of the indoctrination programmes held to induct young buys by Yasin Bhatkal."
The ATS has arrested Naqi and Nadim. The wanted and main accused is Siddibappa alias Yasin Bhatkal alian Imran. The other two accused are only being identified as A and B (it was they who planted the explosives on 13/7). "For the time being, three accused are wanted in this case, investigations still on. ATS teams still out in the field, 40 officers and 113 men constitute a dedicated team of the ATS investigating the case."
A third accused, Haroon Rashid Abdul Hamid Naik had been arrested by the ATS in a counterfeit currency case last year and is seeking his transfer warrant today. "Haroun is from Mumbra near Mumbai, 33 years and we need his custody to investigate the economic trail and conspiracy in this case," Maria said.
"With this, we have three arrested accused and three wanted accused," he added.
About the rivalry between the Delhi police and the ATS over the 13/7 investigation, Maria admitted as much, and said, "There is rivalry between the Delhi police and the ATS, but why not? Rivalry is healthy.'
15:32 13/7 blasts' financial trail has been cracked: ATS
Mahatrashtra ATS chief Rakesh Maria addressing a press conference in Mumbai this afternoon said that ATS made inquiries in 18 states, many visited more than once. Examined 12,373 witnesses. Cctv footage of 118 cameras as the blast sites. Special teams formed within ATS and worked round the clock for 29 days (696 hours) going through each and every slide in the cctv. We were able to pinpoint perpetrators of the crime. Lot of stress given to tracing financial trail of these blasts -- where did the money come, who received it, who helped -- all these angles were covered, and we can now say the financial trail of 13/7 blasts has been fully covered, he said.
15:25 No Rushdie video conf without ok, says Rajasthan
In a new twist to the Salman Rushdie controversy, the Rajasthan government today said it would not allow the controversial author's proposed video link address to the Jaipur Literature Festival without prior permission.
The development came a day after the India-born author accused the Rajasthan police of lying about a plot to eliminate him to keep him away from the Festival, a charge dismissed by the state government which said the Intelligence Bureau had given the inputs and it was not concocted.
A senior Rajasthan government official told PTI that they were examining the matter and no permission has been sought by the organisers to arrange any video conferencing of Rushdie so far.
15:16 Why foreign brands love Aishwarya Rai
Her last celluloid outing was Mani Ratnam's Raavanan (in Tamil; in Hindi it was Raavan), and she opted out of Madhur Bhandarkar's Heroine when her pregnancy was confirmed.
But if you thought motherhood and the resultant absence from the spotlight would affect Aishwarya Rai's bank balance, think again.
Masala magazine, after a careful study of the actress's endorsements, has concluded that she takes home almost a billion rupees a year from this alone. Domestic brands may not appreciate her overmuch, but for international brands La Rai remains the face of India, it says.
Longines, the watch brand, for instance says of her: "People across the world love Bollywood films and they go housefull. Wherever we have travelled (with Aishwarya) the response has been overwhelming. She is a global face and we would like to continue this association as long as possible."
To read the full article, click here.
15:00 Maharashtra ATS chief Rakesh Maria to address media
Maharashtra ATS chief Rakesh Maria is about to hold a press conference on the 13/7 triple blasts case. and Toral Varia will bring in live updates from there. NDTV 24x7, quoting ATS sources, has been saying that the blasts have been cracked.
14:52 The Republic is 60: And here are some toilet facts
With India all set to celebrate the Republic turning 60, journalist Shankkar Aiyar paints a sobering picture of India as we know it. Read on.
14:44 Yemen prez allowed to go to US for medical treatment
Yemen's embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh is flying to New York by mid-week for medical treatment after the US administration allowed him entry to the country.
"Ali Abdullah Saleh's request to travel to the US for medical treatment has been approved," the US state department said in a statement, a day after he asked his people for forgiveness in a farewell speech.
14:31 Q3 nightmare: Maruti reports 63.6 pc fall in net profit
The country's largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki India today reported a 63.6 per cent fall in net profit for the quarter ended December 31, 2011, to Rs 205.6 crore.
The company had posted a net profit of Rs 565.17 crore for the corresponding period last financial year, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said in a statement.
14:21 MPLADS funds now allowed for buying NREGA materials
Members of Parliament can now use their Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds for taking care of the materials part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation Srikant Kumar Jena, who holds independent charge, has aided a para to this effect in the MPLADS guidelines for converging the two following representations from MPs, an official announcement said.
The amended guidelines say the convergence of MPLADS and MGNREGA has been allowed to create more durable assets. An MP now may use funds he gets under MPLADS to approve MGNREGA projects, but with the rider that the funds shall be used only in respect of the material component.
14:11
Pritish Nandy tweets: By the way, when I referred to Netaji, I meant Subhash Chandra Bose.Not Mulayam Singh who also calls himself Netaji.
O tempora, O mores, says us.
14:08 India takes possession of INS Chakra from Russia
Russia's Nerpa nuclear-powered attack submarine was handed over to the Indian Navy at a ceremony in the far eastern port of Primorye, making India the sixth operator of such subs in the world.
With a displacement of 8,140/12,770 tonnes and a maximum speed of 30 knots, the K-152 submarine is armed with four 533mm torpedo tubes and four 650mm torpedo tubes, RIA Novosti reported today.
The attack submarine was handed over at a ceremony attended by Indian ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra, United Shipbuilding Corporation head Roman Trotsenko, Eastern Military District commander Admiral Konstantin Sidenko and other officials.
The submarine has been re-christened INS Chakra and has been handed over to India on a lease of 10 years at a contract worth USD 900 million.
14:06 Read: The curious case of Haresh Khare's missing laptop
And while on the subject of Pulok Chatterjee, here's Madhav Nalapat arguing in the Sunday Guardian why Haresh Khare, who put in his papers as media adviser to the prime minister within hours of NDTV journalist Pankaj Pachouri joining the PMO as communication adviser. Nalapat also brings in the incident of Khare's missing laptop and other effects, a must-read.
13:59 Read: Why Pulok Chatterjee's return to the PMO is a good thing
The return of Pulok Chatterjee to the Prime Minister's Office is significant as he is expected to give gravitas and heft to the office. His return also coincides with the conviction in party circles close to Sonia Gandhi that the PMO needs to be looked upon with respect, not sidelined, so that the party's public image receives a boost. It has helped that the low-profile officer is a confidant of the Gandhi family -- and now he seems to have taken over all the important tasks of the UPA government, argues an article in the Economic Times.
13:56 Thackeray's 86th birthday muted by model code of conduct
Owing to the model code of conduct in effect in Mumbai because of the municipality elections due next month, the birthday celebrations of political leaders, including Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray who turns 86 today, is a simple affair -- without any cut-outs, hoardings and banners at public places.
13:45 Fresh US drone attacks on Pak claim 5 militants
American drones struck a house and a vehicle in Pakistan's restive North Waziristan tribal region today, killing at least five militants.
The missile strikes were carried out at Mohammad Khel and Degan in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan tribal agency that has witnessed numerous drone attacks in the past. The house was destroyed when the missiles slammed into it.
Five militants were killed in the strikes, security officials were quoted as saying by TV news channels.
13:30 Mock security drill on at Mumbai mall
A mock security drill is underway at the Infinity Mall in Malad west, in Mumbai's northern suburbs.
13:18 How Gary Sobers got his last Test hundred
Whenever cricketers perform badly on the field it is promptly blamed on their partying ways, and we in India have any number of examples of this. But does partying through the night have to affect one's game the next day?
Here's the example of the legendary Gary Sobers who was known for partying through the night and yet turning up bright as a daisy on the field the next morning.
His 26th and final Test hundred came in Lord's in 1973, an innings that John Arlott described in the Guardian newspaper had "all the panache in attack and style in defence which makes him as handsome a batsman as we have ever seen' the splendour of his innings lay in the arc between cover point and mid-off".
But what really happened the previous night? Click here to find out. Oh, and by the way, this is not to be taken an endorsement of a wild life; to each his own, we say.
13:11 Why defence forces should be under Lokpal
Barring operational and intelligence matters, being under the Lokpal would be beneficial and not detrimental for the defence services as it could well prove that the levels of corruption in the defence services are lower than in other departments, writes Maj Navdeep Singh in The Tribune, Chandigarh. Read it here.
13:05 Technical snag hits Western Railway in Mumbai
Trains on Mumbai's Western Railway, one of the city's arterial lines, have been running late, reports Toral Varia who is stuck on one of the trains for more than an hour. The delay, she says, is due to some technical issue, but she is unable to get through to the railway's PRO to find out more.
So if you have colleagues/friends who are late, you know why.
12:59 Sunil Verma, accused in NRHM scam, commits suicide
Just In: Sunil Verma, recently questioned by CBI in the National Rural Health Mission scam, allegedly commits suicide at his Lucknow residence. Reports say that Verma, project manager with NHRM, shot himself during his interrogation by the CBI. Verma was among those named in the chargesheet filed by the CBI in the case.
12:50 Heidi-Klum's dream wedding ends with Seal on the rocks
Supermodel Heidi Klum and her soul singer husband Seal have announced that they are separating after almost seven years of marriage.
In the surprise announcement, the stars, regarded one of the power couple in Hollywood, blamed the split on growing apart, People magazine reported.
"While we have enjoyed seven very loving, loyal and happy years of marriage, after much soul-searching we have decided to separate. We have had the deepest respect for one another throughout our relationship and continue to love each other very much, but we have grown apart," Klum, 38, said in a statement.
"This is an amicable process and protecting the well-being of our children remains our top priority, especially during this time of transition. We thank our family, friends, and fans for their kind words of support. And for our children's sake, we appreciate you respecting our privacy."
Klum is expected to file divorce papers at the Los Angeles' county superior court this week from Seal, who is also the father of her three children. The Victoria's Secret model also raises another daughter from her previous relationship.
Earlier, 48-year-old Seal tweeted a cryptic message, simply saying "The End", attached to a picture of the star's forearm bearing an imprint of a set of wings, a possible reference to Klum as a Victoria's Secret winged 'Angel' model.
The reason of the separation are unclear but a friend of Klum blames it on Seal's partying ways. The couple married at Seal's beachfront home in Mexico in 2005. They later renewed their marriage vows in India.
Meanwhile, the UK's Daily Mail has reported that new claims have emerged that Heidi Klum is divorcing her husband Seal because of his hard partying.
The Sunday Mirror quotes a source as saying: 'They were always the couple everybody strived to be but lately it all started to change. Seal seems to have been partying a lot more often than usual. When they had their holiday in Ibiza last summer, Seal hit it hard, was out at clubs and with his friends a lot and Heidi was left with their kids trying to enjoy herself. The cracks were appearing and everybody was talking during that trip. He seemed off the rails.'
12:30 India's Universal Music ties up with Peninsula Studios
Universal Music India has entered into a strategic partnership with the Peninsula Studios of the United States.
The initiative is aimed at providing a platform for musicians from across the peninsula that will transcend boundaries of countries, languages and genres in South Asia.
"To discover and publish the undiscovered sounds from musicians from every nook and cranny of our country that is so rich in musical heritage, and to provide them with a recording and publishing platform that is on par with the best in the world is simply a first in India and makes this association one that we are terribly proud of," said Devraj Sanyal, MD, Universal Music, India.
The new project will try and unearth the talent in different corners of South Asia and showcase their talent.
12:26 In Afghanistan, a new kind of detente
Former Taliban officials find new role in Afghanistan, writes Kevin Sieff in the Washington Post.
'Thousands of former Taliban members have put down their weapons in recent years. Most are low-level fighters whose peace deals with the government were unceremonious and of little political consequence. But a few were offered early release from prison if they agreed to work with the government rather than against it,' he writes. 'Members of this small group have been having occasional conversations with Karzai for several years. But with peace talks drawing closer, they are meeting with top Afghan officials much more often, according to the president's spokesman, Aimal Faizi.' Read the full article here.
12:21 Apex court tells high court to decide Reliance plea fast
Just In: The Supreme Court has asked the Allahabad high court to decide expeditiously on Reliance Industries' plea challenging the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to impose VAT on gas sale.
The instruction came after Reliance Industries assured the Supreme Court that will pay VAT on sale of gas in Uttar Pradesh during the pendancy of case on double taxation in the high court.
12:17 Ekaterina trashes Serena, makes it to first slam QF
Serena Williams, five-time champion, crashed out of the Australian Open after losing 2-6, 3-6 to little-known Russian, Ekaterina Makarova ranked 56 in the world, today. If Serena's first set was a struggle, and did barely better in the second. With this upset, Makarova has made it to her first grand slam quarter-final.
12:02 SL Rao writes in support of Aadhar
That India's Aadhar project, the world's largest UID project, is mired in difficulty with the home ministry raising objections, is well known.
SL Rao, former director general of National Council for Applied Economic Research, writes in The Telegraph, Calcutta, that while it is consumed in turf wars, the interests of the country, the aim of reaching social benefits to the maximum number and reducing bureaucratic theft of such benefits, demand that the UID complete its job in the time-frame it has set.
Read his argument here.
11:57 Meira Kumar leads tributes to Netaji on 115th birth anniv
Parliamentarians led by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar offered floral tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 115th birth anniversary today.
Besides the Speaker, senior BJP leader L K Advani and Congress leader Girija Vyas were among those present at a brief ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament. The dignitaries and Parliament officials offered floral tributes at a portrait of Bose in the Central Hall.
Bose was an outstanding leader of the freedom movement and a revolutionary par excellence who took the struggle for independence beyond the Indian borders.
A booklet containing the profile of the freedom fighter, brought out in Hindi and English by the Lok Sabha secretariat, was also presented to the dignitaries.
11:54 Blackberry phone maker RIM gets a new boss
Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, has appointed Thorsten Heins as president and chief executive officer of the company with immediate effect.
"Acting on the recommendation of its co-chief executive officers to implement the succession plan they previously submitted to the board, it has unanimously named Thorsten Heins as president and chief executive officer," RIM said in a statement.
Heins was also appointed to RIM's board. The board acted after conducting its own due diligence.
Heins joined RIM from Siemens Communications Group in December 2007 as senior vice president for hardware engineering and became chief operating officer for product andsales in August 2011.
11:48 Case booked against Nita Ambani's driver in Matheran
On Saturday afternoon, Nita Ambani, wife of Reliance CMD Mukesh Ambani was travelling in Matheran in a Honda CRV when the vehicle was seized by the Maharashtra police and filed a case against the driver for flouting the law in the hill resort.
Matheran has been declared an ecologically sensitive zone in 2003 to protect its rich biodiversity and vehicles are not allowed there. You either trek it out on foot or take a horse for 2.5 km after parking your car at a designated point, or take a toy train from Neral.
According to The Telegraph, Calcutta, the Honda CRV was 'flagged down by a constable as it tried to negotiate the dirt track that leads up to Matheran'. "The driver ignored him and sped past till the vehicle was stopped at a police checkpoint ahead on the road. The driver, Sudhir Narain, got into an argument with the policemen on duty and was taken to Matheran police station along with the car which was registered under RIL's name,' said Parambir Singh, inspector-general of police, Konkan region, under whose jurisdiction Matheran falls.
Singh told the Telegraph said a non-cognisable offence was lodged against the driver and the car was seized by Matheran's superintendent of police. 'Nita Ambani's driver was booked for forcibly entering the prohibited area. The driver has said in his statement that Nita Ambani was inside the car at the time of the incident. The driver has been booked under section 15 of the Environment Protection Act as per a complaint registered by forest officials and under the Motor Vehicles Act by the SP of Matheran,' Singh told the Calcutta-based newspaper which remains one of our favourite reads.
11:33 MP chief minister to campaign for BJP in UP
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan on Sunday confirmed his plan to spearhead campaigns and rallies in support of the Bharatiya Janata Partyin poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking to mediapersons after meeting President Pratibha Devisingh Patil in New Delhi, Chauhan extended his support to Uma Bharti and said he would carry out rallies for the senior BJP leader in Uttar Pradesh.
"I will go for election campaigning in Uttar Pradesh. I will also go to the Charkhari assembly constituency (from where Bharti is contesting), and will conduct rallies and campaigns in support of Uma Bharti,' said Chouhan.
11:24 RIL shares dip following adverse Q3 results
Shares of Reliance Industries tanked nearly 5 per cent in morning trade today as the company reported the first drop in quarterly profit in more than two years due to falling refining margins.
As a reaction to weak third quarter numbers announced after market hours on Friday, shares opened on a weak note and fell further to a low of Rs 756, down 4.70 per cent from its previous closing price.
On the National Stock Exchange, too, RIL opened fell by 4.72 per cent to Rs 755.20.
11:21 The largest online strike, in numbers and screen shots
OK, so everyone knows about the largest online strike ever, the January 18 blackout by Google and Wikipedia to protest against Sopa and Pipa, but if you want to know about the protest in numbers, here's a looksee.
- The protest garnered 10,000,000 signatures.
- Over 3000,000 emails were sent.
- 115,000 sites participated in the strike.
- On Twitter, the stats by Wednesday evening (east coast time, with the west coast still being active), Sopa had 2200,000 hash-tags, Pipa had 411,000, and other related hash-tags ran into thousands.
In fact, to read more stats from the online strike, and to see some unusual screen shots, please go here.
11:11 Vyalar Ravi criticises Jay Leno for Golden Temple remark
India has strongly "objected" to the remark on the Golden Temple by popular US television host Jay Leno, terming it "quite unfortunate".
Leno, host of the popular The Tonight Show on NBC, flashed a picture of the Golden Temple, the holiest Sikh shrine, in Amritsar on his programme and termed it as a possible summer home of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
NRI Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi, who is currently visiting the United Stateshas "objected" to the remark and said he has directed Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao to take up the matter with the US state department.
"It is quite unfortunate and quite objectionable that such a comment has been made after showing the...Golden temple," Ravi told a group of Indian reporters. "The Golden temple is the Sikh community's most sacred place. Even our prime minister went there for praying in the New Year. I believe that the person who has shown is not that ignorant. The American government should also look at this kind of thing," the NRI affairs minister said.
11:05 India's secular State in slow decline, says The Hindu
Praveen Swami, writing in The Hindu on Salman Rushdie and India's new theocracy, says that India's secular State is in a state of slow-motion collapse and the contours of a new theocratic dystopia are already evident. Read it here.
10:51 We need more historians, says Pak scholar Ayesha Jalal
One of Pakistan's most acclaimed historians, Ayesha Jalal, bemoans the fact that history as an academic discipline has failed to grow in her country, a deficiency that needs to be addressed to spawn a new breed of scholars in the subject.
A professor of History at the Tufts University with as many as seven books to her credit, the Pakistani-American who is an authority on South Asia has chosen to return to Pakistan as a visiting scholar to help address the gap in her own way.
In India to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival, Jalal told PTI during an interaction why she felt that the academic growth of history in India had contributed to the development of a worthy scholarship in this country.
"Of course, there are biases and political agendas too, but India has continued to teach history, as a result of which you have historical scholarship coming from India," she said. "I was bemoaning the fact that in Pakistan history has suffered as an academic discipline, and is not taught as is the way in India," she said.
Jalal's books include The Sole Spokesman and Democracy and Authoritarianism in South Asia, "works that have tried to trace the history of the subcontinent including the origins and the tortured legacy of the partition."
10:49 Sensex, Nifty down in morning trade
The BSE benchmark Sensex declined by nearly 80 points in early trade today as funds and retail investors booked profits, a day of ahead of RBI monetary policy review. The 30-share BSE index, which had gained over 287 points in the previous two sessions, declined by 79.69 points, or 0.47 per cent, to 16,659.32. In a similar fashion, the wide-based National Stock Exchange Nifty index shed 27.25 points, or 0.53 per cent, to 5,021.35
10:48 DMK bigwig arrested in TN in land scam case
Former DMK minister M P Swaminathan was today arrested at Tirupur near Coimbatore in connection with a land grabbing case, police said. The former highways minister was arrested from his residence, the police said.
Swaminathan, who is the party's Tirupur district secretary, was arrested on a complaint of land grabbing from a man from Moovanoor town near Tirupur, they said.
10:47 Hogg recalled by Aus 4 years after retirement
Almost four years after he announced international retirement, 40-year-old left-arm spinner Brad Hogg today stunningly returned to the Australian team by getting picked in the 14-member Twenty20 squad for the two matches against India next month.
George Bailey has been named the new T20 captain, replacing a struggling Cameron White.
10:45 News As It Happens
Good morning and welcome to Manic Monday's edition of News As It Happens. Here's a quick look at some important reports from some newspapers.
The Times of India reports that Kashmir's Islamic insurgents have been pushing the valley's Christians into a, well, valley of fear.
The Indian Express reports on how Maoists instigated villagers, then drew in cops, and then killed 13 of them in Jharkhand.
The DNA casts further gloom, if you are planning to sell your apartment in Mumbai, that the city's real estate is still down in the dumps and prices are expected to fall 15-25 pc after June this year.
The Hindustan Times reports that author Salman Rushdie that his reason for not attending the Jaipur LitFest, that hitmen are out to get him, given by him on Friday, was a yarn spun by the Rajasthan cops to keep him away.
The Asian Age reports that BJP president Nitin Gadkari has plugged for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to be named as the next party president and the party's PM nominee.
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