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Mon, 30 January 2012
Punjab, Uttarakhand register around 70 pc polling
Timeline Refresh
18:41
Following the "slap" from Shah Rukh Khan, Shirish Kunder has tweeted this: Thanks for all your concern & wishes. We are very grateful. Contrary to rumours, we have no intention of filing a FIR or police complaint.
18:09 After dull start, polling picks up in Punjab and Uttarakhand
Brisk polling was today witnessed in the elections to the assemblies of Punjab and Uttarakhand that were by and large peaceful.
While Punjab registered voting at around 65 per cent, polling in Uttarakhand was put at nearly 70 per cent, officials quoting initial reports from various constituencies in the two states said.
The key elections in Punjab and Uttarakhand, which were being ruled by NDA governments, will decide the fate of 1866 candidates including chief ministerial aspirants Prakash Badal, Amarinder Singh and B C Khanduri.
17:52 Pepsi may anoint potential successors to Indra on Feb 9
'PepsiCo will take the first step toward finding an eventual successor to Chief Executive Indra Nooyi next month when it plans to ask several top executives to step up their duties,' reports Josh Kosman in the New York Post.
His exclusive report says the 'beverage and snack giant, which is set to release the results of a months-long review on February 9, will give at least two executives additional responsibilities, anointing them as possible replacements,' quoting a source close to the company as having said so.
Kosman says 'among those who could get the nod: John Compton, the global head of the snacks business and Saad Abdul-Latif, the chief of Pepsi's Asia, Middle East and Africa division. Pepsi's Europe chief, Zein Abdalla, is also seen as a possibility.'
Read more here.
17:47 Madhavan Nair appeals to PM against ban order
Former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for quashing an official order barring him and three fellow space scientists from holding government posts and to also probe this issue.
"I have represented to the prime minister and asked him to quash the order as well as conduct an inquiry into the matter," Nair said today, adding the government should restore his honour.
"I am not interested in any government favours. What I am interested is restoring the honour of myself and my colleagues," said the ex-Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation.
17:43 SC notice to UP govt on plea against CabSecy
The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on a plea for transfer of a petition questioning the validity of Shashank Shekhar Singh's appointment as the state's cabinet secretary, to itself from the Allahabad high court.
A bench of justices HL Dattu and CK Prasad also sought replies of the Centre and Singh on an application which pleaded to the court to examine the validity of Singh's appointment after transferring the plea from the high court.
17:41
Another link from the Guardian, UK, on a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute study that reveals how arms dealers target Western-owned maritime companies, here.
17:39 For the children of Afghanistan, a long walk across Europe
Caroline Brothers reports in the Guardian, UK, of incredible stories of the boys of Afghanistan who walked to Euruope. 'Scores of Afghan teenagers are in transit across Europe, in flight from violence or the aftershocks of violence that affect children in particularly harsh ways. Those who turn up in Paris have spent up to a year on the road, on the same clandestine routes as adults, but at far greater risk.
'No one knows how many unaccompanied Afghan children have made it to Europe. Paris took in just over 300 in 2011 -- the biggest nationality among the 1,700 lone foreign minors in its care.
'Sarah Di Giglio, a child-protection expert with Save the Children in Italy, says that last year the number of Afghan boys -- there are almost never girls -- passing through a day centre in Rome had doubled from the year before, to 635.'
Read the article here.
17:32 US coffee chain Starbucks in JV with Tatas
The United States-based coffee chain Starbucks will set up cafes in India through an equal joint venture with Tata Global Beverages.
In a filing to the BSE, Tata Global Beverages said it has signed a joint venture agreement with Starbucks, which sets forth the vision of developing the business in India. Each party will hold 50 per cent of the JV.
"The company has entered into a joint venture with Starbucks group whereby the newly formed joint venture company Tata Starbucks Ltd shall engage in the operation of Starbucks Cafes," it said. The filing did not provide more details.
17:16 Mulayam does a U-turn, says meant justice for rape victims
Facing flak over his comments on rape victims, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today did a U-turn saying he had only spoken about justice to the rape victims and not about providing government jobs to them.
"We have said about justice to the rape victims, this (providing jobs to them) has been added to it," he told reporters when asked about his Sunday statement of providing government jobs to the rape victims or one of their family members.
Addressing a poll rally in Siddharth Nagar yesterday, Mulayam had announced that rape victims would be given government jobs if his party was voted to power in Uttar Pradesh.
17:14 The Hindu converts of Pakistan
Saba Imtiaz and Sameer Mandhro report in The Express Tribune newspaper on Hindus converting to Islam in Matli, Pakistan: Money, jobs and a debt-free life: It sounds like a sweet deal for many of the Hindu labourers in Matli, but it comes with strings attached -- convert to Islam.
'Switching religions comes with an upgrade in social status and material benefits -- Hindu converts said they could easily get Watan cards and National Identification Cards, aid, and were given land and assistance by the organisation helpfully walking them over to the other side,' they write. But 'these material benefits aren't available for everyone. For Hindus of the Bheel caste, who were converted by the Barelvi group Tanzeem Ulema-e-Islam, life is still restricted to the land that they are squatting on in Tando Mohammad Khan.'
Read the article here.
17:06 Ashok Chavan 3rd ex-CM to be questioned in Adarsh scam
After quizzing two Union ministers in connection with the multi-crore Adarsh scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation has examined former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, as the agency prepares to wrap up its probe in the housing society case.
According to sources in the probe agency in New Delhi today, Chavan was questioned by CBI sleuths in Mumbai early this month about his role in connection with Adarsh Housing Society during his tenure as state revenue minister and as the chief minister.
Chavan, who is an accused in the case, was the third politician to be examined by the CBI after Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Science and Technology Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.
When contacted, Chavan refused to comment saying the matter was sub-judice.
17:04 Osian auction sees total sale of over Rs 14 crore
An untitled oil on canvas by modern master Tyeb Mehta fetched over Rs 2 crore in the highest bid at the recent Osian's auction that featured contemporary and modern Indian art as well as rare Pahari miniatures and registered total sales over Rs 14 crores in New Delhi.
In the Osian's Connoisseurs of Art auction that concluded on January 27, out of the 123 lots put up for auction, 82 (65.6 per cent) were sold with net sales of Rs 14,14,02,200 and an average lot price of Rs 17,24,415, according to information released by the auction house today.
17:01 Madhuri Dixit now gets her own web site
Actress Madhuri Dixit is the latest B-town celebrity to launch her official website. The Bollywood diva has now joined the bandwagon with stars like Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Gul Panag and others, who own their official websites.
Madhuri's website, madhuridixit-nene.com, has a picture of her in a black outfit. "Here is the first reward... Official Madhuri Dixit website teaser! You can connect now. Looking forward to hearing from you!," she wrote on Twitter. "Official teaser site is madhuridixit-nene.com! Planning a media rich experience w exclusive content for you! Thank you for your support!," Madhuri said.
After her marriage, Madhuri had relocated to Denver, US, for almost a decade. Last year, she shifted base back to Mumbai along with her family and is looking to make her comeback on big screen.
16:59 Reforming Pakistan's schools
Can a small group of reformers modernise Pakistan's schools, asks writer Kamila Shamsie in guernicamag.com, in her article on the battle over Pakistan's schools. Here.
16:37 What Twitter's country-by-country takedown means
Eva Galperin explores in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's eff.org what Twitter's country-by-country takedown system mean for freedom of expression. For now, she says, 'the overall effect is less censorship rather than more censorship, since they used to take things down for all users.'
'Twitter has not yet blocked a tweet using this new system, but when it
does, that tweet will not simply disappear -- there will be a message
informing you that content has been blocked due to your geographical
location. Fortunately, your geographical location is easy to change on
the Internet,' she writes. Read her article here.
16:24 India's bloated bureaucracy myth
Praveen Swami writes in The Hindu: 'Data compiled from multiple sources, including a 2008 official survey, Right to Information applications, media reports and the 2011 census show, India has 1,622.8 government servants for every 100,000 residents. In stark contrast, the United States has 7,681. The central government, with 3.1 million employees, thus has 257 serving every 100,000 population, against the US federal government's 840.'
Swami then goes on to say: 'The figures raise doubts, ahead of a Union budget that is likely to slash social-sector spending, on whether the country has the personnel it needs to improve governance and ensure universal access to services like education and health.' Read the article here.
16:21 Andhra principal secy arrested in Emaar properties case
The Central Bureau of Investigation today arrested senior IAS officer and Andhra Pradesh principal home secretary BP Acharya in a case relating to alleged irregularities in land transfer and sale of villas and apartments in a township in the state.
The township has been jointly developed by state-run Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation and the Dubai-based infrastructure firm Emaar.
A 1983 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, Acharya, who was the then managing director of APIIC, has been named by the agency in its FIR and his residences were searched in August last year. He was called for questioning at the CBI office in Hyderabad and was later taken into custody.
Recently, the CBI arrested Sunil Reddy, said to be a close aide of Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, in the case as well.
16:19 Pak SC allows Haqqani to travel; more time for memogate probe
Pakistan's Supreme Court today lifted a travel ban on the country's former ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, as it gave the judicial commission two more months to complete its probe in the memo scandal that rocked ties between the civilian government and the military.
The top court also said that the panel would decide on controversial Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz's request to record his statement outside the country.
16:17 Satanic Verses hurt Muslim sensibilities: Katju
Attacking Salman Rushdie, Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju today said the "sensationalism" depicted by his book Satanic Verses has deeply hurt Muslim sensitivities and that an individual's freedom of speech has to harmonise with the public interest.
Justice Katju, who had last week termed Rushdie as a "sub-standard and poor writer", also questioned the Booker Prize awarded to the author saying it was a "mystery" why he got it.
"Some people describe Rushdie as a great writer because he has won the Booker Prize. In this connection, I wish to say that literature prizes are often a mystery. Out of the approximately 100 Nobel Prizes given for literature till today, nobody even remembers the names of 80 or more winners," he said in a statement.
16:04 Do nuclear States turn more macho?
What happens to nation-States that acquire nuclear weapons, do they start walking with a swagger? Do they become more aggressive? Do their neighbours turn envious and therefore aggressive?
James Fearon's study in the themonkeycage.org offers insights into these questions.
'Using Zeev Maoz's version of the Correlates of War's militarized interstate dispute data,' Fearon has prepared a graph which shows, 'for each of the nine states that acquired nuclear capability at some time between 1945 and 2001, their yearly rate of militarized disputes in years when they didn't have nukes, and the rate for years when they did.
'Fearon says China, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, and the UK 'all saw declines in their total militarized dispute involvement in the years after they got nuclear weapons.'
Read his full article here.
15:56 MP teacher suspended for making girl students dance
In a shocking incident, a government primary school teacher under the influence of liquor, forced little school girls to dance and also sent a boy to fetch alcohol for him at Devchowki village in Betul, Madhya Pradesh.
The incident came to light on January 23 when the girls complained to Betul collector, Chandra Shekhar Borkar, that the drunk teacher -- identified as Mahesh Malviya -- not only forced them to dance but also caned them when they were unable to perform properly in a closed room.
The collector, after conducting a probe, suspended the teacher the next day for indulging in the indecent act, official sources said today.
15:43 Hazare in Gurgaon hospital, condition stable say docs
The condition of Anna Hazare, who was admitted to a hospital in Gurgaon with complaints of breathlessness and high blood pressure, is "fairly stable", doctors said today.
"We conducted a good number of investigations on him and as per the reports there are no surprises yet. His condition is fairly stable," Dr AK Dubey, medical superintendent at Medanta Medcity hospital, said.
Dubey said a team of doctors led by cardiologist Dr Naresh Trehan and Dr R R Kasliwal, head of internal medicine, are attending on the 74-year-old Hazare. The activist was admitted to the hospital yesterday.
15:12 Symbiosis drops docu on Kashmir over ABVP ire
Pune's Symbiosis University has cancelled a scheduled screening of director Sanjay Kak's documentary Jashn-e-Azadi after the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad protested against it, reports The Hindu newspaper.
The film was supposed to be screened at the college's three-day national seminar, Voices of Kashmir', organised in association with the University Grants Commission from February 3-5. But with the ABVP objecting to the seminar itself, its fate too seems uncertain.
The parishad's Pune unit secretary Shailendra Dalvi told The Hindu: The content of the seminar, like the film, is
anti-India, and against the Indian Army. We will not stand for anything
that divides the country. Symbiosis has agreed to cancel the film
screening, and we are giving them three days' time to think about the
event, too.
The seminar is to be attended by, among others, Jammu and Kashmir interlocutor Dileep Padgaonkar and Kak himself.
Read the full story here.
14:59 Why the Hindu community may never return to Kashmir
Twenty-two years after the Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of the Kashmir valley by Islamic zealots, Shivam Vij writes on kafila.org why the Hindu community may never to what was once their homeland.
'The exodus has brought salient transformation in the demographic and economic status of the Kashmiri Pandit community. These changes could well mean that Kashmiri Pandits may never return to Kashmir, whether or not the situation in the Valley is conducive to their return. These key issues should also be taken into consideration by Panun Kashmir while they figure out whether and how a separate homeland for Pandits is possible,' he writes.
Read the full article here.
14:36 Prime accused in Bengal's hooch tragedy in 14-day custody
Khonra Badshah alias Nur Islam Fakir, prime accused in one of the worst illicit liquor tragedies in West Bengal, was today produced in a local court in Canning which remanded him to 14 days' judicial custody.
Badshah was produced in the court of subdivisional judicial magistrate, Diamond Harbour, Mou Chatterjee who remanded him to judicial custody.
Badshah had surrendered in the court of the SDJM on January 16 and had been remanded to CID custody.
14:35 Elephant tramples two women in three days in Orissa
Another woman was trampled to death by an elephant in Nilagiri area of Balasore district today, two days after a similar incident in the area, prompting villagers to stage a road blockade demanding Rs 10 lakh compensation to victim's family.
According to the police, Gauri Sing (50) was sleeping in her hut at Chaindhar village when the elephant from the nearby Kuldiha forest ransacked the hut and trampled the woman to death.
A similar incident had taken place on January 28 in which an elderly woman was killed in Patna village, also under Nilagiri sub-division.
14:33 Railway men's orgn calls for all-India strike tomorrow
The National Federation of Indian Railwaymen has announced a nation-wide protest on Tuesday, demanding to fill several posts in railways.
"There are 2.40 lakh posts lying vacant in various cadres in railways, out of which1.20 lakh vacancies are in safety cadres like drivers and guards," NFIR general secretary M Raghavaih told reporters today. "Due to the unfilled posts, the existing staff is overburdened with work and is under stress, which has resulted in health problems for many of them."
14:32 Delhi Cops say almost cracked the battered baby case
The Delhi police today claimed that it was close to cracking the case of a two-year-old battered baby admitted in AIIMS as it questioned a woman who got the child from her biological mother.
Investigators said they have identified a crucial link and a woman named Lakshmi is being questioned.
The baby, Falak, was admitted to AIIMS with severe injuries and is battling for life after a teenaged girl, who was looking after the former when her boyfriend left Falak with her, got the baby admitted.
14:19 Extension for ISI chief at appropriate time: Pak PM
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has dismissed reports that he was considering a proposal to grant another extension to ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha and said a decision on this issue would be made at the "appropriate time".
Media reports said his government giving another extension to Pasha, whose current term ends in March, in an attempt to heal a rift with the security establishment.
"Any decision about an extension for the (director general of the) ISI will be taken at an appropriate time," Gilani said during an interaction with Pakistani journalists last night following his return from Davos, Switzerland, where he attended the World Economic Forum.
14:10 SIT submits report in Kerala ice-cream parlour case
The Special Investigation Team, set up by the Kerala government to probe fresh allegations against Industries Minister PK Kunhalikutty in the ice-cream parlour scandal case, today filed its final report in the high court. The report was submitted in a sealed cover before a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Manjulla Chellur and Justice P R Ramachandran Menon. SIT chief Vinson M Paul, Additional DGP (Crime) was also present in the court.
14:08 Global Times blamed Dalai Lama for violence in Tibet
The State-owned Global Times, has denounced the Dalai Lama and blamed him for the outburst of violence last week in Tibet in which some Tibetans had been killed in police firing.
'Amid China's globalization, dissident groups which are active in exile take conflict as an opportunity to enlarge their political impact. Through modern communication technologies, they have imposed some influence on a small number of people in Tibet. Interest coalitions have appeared between Tibetans and those dissidents,' said the report. 'Reporters from the Global Times have conducted many in-depth reports in the Tibetan areas. They find that seeking prosperity and development is the most common hope of Tibetan people. Extreme political advocacies such as "independence of Tibet" and "high-degree autonomy" don't make sense. What folks care about is living happily. The demands of those self-immolating political extremists do not reflect reality.'
Read the report here.
14:00 Bombay court acquits all 4 accused in Patrawala murder
Just In: Toral Varia reports that all the four accused in the Adnan Patrawala murder case have been acquitted by a Mumbai court today.
Adnan was found murdered in August 2007, he was 16 at the time. His body was found in the bushes of Navi Mumbai, and he was found to have been strangled to death.
According to his family, Adnan had left home the previous day to meet his friends, and the police found his father's car on Palm Beach Road, Vashi. The murder created outrage in Mumbai and the police quickly arrested five of his friends, including two teenagers, one of them a minor who was tried by the juvenile board. The four adults, who were acquitted, today. are Sujit Nair, Ayush Bhat, Rajeev Dharaiya and Amit Kausha.
The police claimed that the friends met Adnan in Mumbai's InOrbit mall, where they spiked his drink, and kidnapped him. The next day his father received a ransom call for Rs 2 crore. As the news broke, the police said, the kidnappers panicked and strangled him to death.
13:45 Legends pay tribute to blues singer Etta James
Singer Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera paid their respects to Etta James at the blues legend's funeral in Los Angeles.
Wonder performed three songs, including Shelter in the Rain, for the hundreds of mourners who gathered at Greater Bethany Community Church to remember James, who died from complications of leukemia on January 20 at the age of 73, reported Aceshowbiz.
Aguilera performed At Last and introduced her tribute by saying, "Out of all the singers that I've ever heard, she was the one that cut right to my soul and spoke to me. So tonight, Etta, this song is for you."
Civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy, detailing James's rise from poverty and hailing the singer as a "bridge of American culture that changed the culture of the world". Sharpton also read aloud a statement from US President Barack Obama, who said, "Etta will be remembered for her legendary voice and her contributions to our nation's musical heritage."
13:24 Low voter turnout in 2 states till noon
Around 30 per cent of around 1.76 crore voters exercised their franchise till noon in the elections to 117-seat Punjab assembly today which would seal the fate of 1078 candidates including chief ministerial aspirants Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh.
"The polling percentage is between 26 to 30 per cent till 12 noon," Punjab's additional chief electoral officer Raj Kamal Chaudhri said in Chandigarh. The polling so far has been peaceful with no untoward incident reported in the initial four hours of polling, he said.
Polling picked up around noon with a number of people, including women, queueing up before polling stations. Polling is taking place at 19,841 stations across 22 districts of Punjab.
In Uttarakhand, about 20-25 per cent polling was recorded in the initial hours, officials said, adding that it has been peaceful so far. 788 candidates are vying for 70 seats in the assembly.
13:08 Opinion polls put Romney ahead of Gingrich
Ahead of the make or break Florida Republican primary tomorrow, Mitt Romney appears to be surging ahead in opinion polls against his nearest rival Newt Gingrich, as the two top presidential hopefuls intensified their war of words.
A win at Florida would all but lock up the Republican presidential nomination in Romney's favour and still, former House of Representatives Speaker Gingrich has threatened to make it a fight all the way to the Republican final convention in August.
13:05 Ranbir, Vidya Balan bag Filmfare awards
Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara -- whose team did not accept the recent Screen awards -- bagged the top honors, including the best film, best director, best supporting actor, at the 57th Filmfare awards held in Mumbai last night.
The film bagged seven awards and Zoya walked away with the best film, best director and best movie (critics) awards. Her brother, actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, bagged an award for best supporting actor and best dialogue award. Carlos Catalan got tghe best cinematography award and Bosco-Caesar got the best choreography award for the popular Senorita number from the film.
Actors Ranbir Kapoor and Vidya Balan also continued their winning spree in the best actor category award for Rockstar and The Dirty Picture respectively.
13:02 2012 will be worse, says Nobel laureate
If you thought 2011 was bad for the global economy, and especially for the developed economies of America and Europe, Nobel laureate Joseph E Stiglitz writes that 2012 will only be worse.
'This year is set to be even worse. It is possible, of course, that the United States will solve its political problems and finally adopt the stimulus measures that it needs to bring down unemployment to 6% or 7% (the pre-crisis level of 4% or 5% is too much to hope for). But this is as unlikely as it is that Europe will figure out that austerity alone will not solve its problems. On the contrary, austerity will only exacerbate the economic slowdown. Without growth, the debt crisis -- and the euro crisis -- will only worsen. And the long crisis that began with the collapse of the housing bubble in 2007 and the subsequent recession will continue,' he writes in an article published in project-syndicate.org, Kolkata. Read it here.
12:52
Economist Bibek Debroy tweets: Don't bother to follow PMO on twitter. You will learn nothing. And PMO won't learn anything either.
12:49 Rediff.com columnist MP Anil Kumar honoured on R-Day
Rediff.com columnist MP Anil Kumar was a dashing MiG-21 pilot in the Indian Air Force when a road accident left him paralysed below the neck. He was just 24.
For the past 19 years he has lived in the military's Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre in Pune and has become an inspiration to many in the manner in which he has picked up the threads of his life. Today Anil Kumar uses a keyboard with his mouth and is a gifted writer whose byline rediff.com readers will instantly recognise. An article he wrote about his disability was so inspirational that it found its way in school textbooks in Maharashtra. You can read more about him here.
12:48 Tributes paid to Mahatma on his 64th death anniversay
The nation today fondly remembered Mahatma Gandhi on his 64th death anniversary, with President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leading the country in paying homage to the Father of the Nation.
Patil, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Singh paid floral tributes at Gandhi's memorial in Rajghat at a function. A two-minutes silence in memory of the Father of the Nation was also observed. A gun salute was also given to the late Mahatma to honour his contributions to the country.
12:45 Subramanian Swamy gets anticipatory bail
Just In: The Delhi high court has granted anticipatory bail to Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy, accused of writing inflammatory article in the DNA newspaper. Details soon.
12:17 Believe it or not: Women better at parking, finds study
And here's one for the believe it or not section, from a research which is likely to reignite the cliched battle of the sexes -- women are much better at parking a car than men.
The research, which clearly contradicts the notion that women cannot park a car, has found female drivers are better at finding spaces and also more adept than men at manoeuvring a vehicle into a space -- though they may take longer to park.
Women were ranked first with a total score of 13.4 out of 20, compared to 12.3 points achieved by men in the study based on an experiment which took into account seven key components of parking styles, the Daily Telegraph has reported.
11:49 Chargesheet against Jharkhand MLA for assets worth Rs 16.8 cr
A chargesheet has been filed in a disproportionate assets case against a Jharkhand legislator who was formerly a state minister. Six other persons -- his wife, brother-in-law, two brothers, a nephew and an associate -- have also been charged with having abetted the offence.
A probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation has revealed that the MLA allegedly possessed disproportionate assets to the extent of Rs.16.82 core over and above his income.
The case was earlier investigated by the Jharkhand State Vigilance, but the Jharkhand high court, which was hearing a PIL into the case, transferred the investigation to the CBI which has now filed a chargesheet.
11:40 Sensex down by 152 pts in opening trade, Nifty down too
The BSE benchmark Sensex was down by 152 points in early trade today, its six-session winning streak snapped by fresh selling in capital goods, power and banking stocks amid a weakening trend in Asia.
The 30-share Sensex resumed lower at 17,138.04 and declined further to 17,054.99 before quoting at 17,082.39 at 1015 hours, a net loss of 151.59 points, or 0.88 per cent, from last weekend's close.
The NSE's 50-share Nifty also fell by 48.40 points, or 0.93 per cent, to 5,156.30 at 1015 hours.
11:29 Hindu terror cases at dead end, says newspaper
The Pioneer newspaper reports that investigations into the much-hyped Hindu terror cases are likely to hit a dead end. 'The cases, including blasts at Modasa, Malegaon I and II, Ajmer, Samjhauta Express and Mecca Masjid, in which Swami Aseemanand has been made the main conspirator, lack corroborative evidence. The investigators feel the cases may fall flat during trial,' reports Rakesh K Singh in the newspaper. Read the full article here.
11:27 TN assembly session begins, govt blames Centre
Making it clear that it would not compromise on its rights on the Mullaperiyar dam issue, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government in Tamil Nadu today alleged it was a victim of the Centre's "persistent indifference" and accused Kerala of whipping up "mass fear and insecurity" over the row.
Governor K Rosaiah, in his customary address to the first session of the Tamil Nadu assembly this year, today said the state government was committed to maintaining cordial relations with all neighbouring states but Tamil Nadu was a victim of the "persistent indifference" of the Union government besides "false and parochial" campaigns launched with "short-sighted political interests."
11:24 3 pilgrims killed, 4 critical as jeep rams tree in Bihar
Three pilgrims were killed and four others critically wounded when a speeding jeep rammed into a roadside tree at Navinagar in Bihar's Jamui district early today. The pilgrims were returning to Janakpur in Nepal after offering prayers at the temple of Lord Shiva at Deoghar in Jharkhand when the mishap took place, the police said.
11:22 Ahead of T20 on Wed, Raina holds out hope
Unfazed by the Test debacle as he was not a part of the team, Indian middle-order batsman Suresh Raina today said his side will play some "different cricket" to give a better account of itself in the shorter formats starting with a Twenty20 match against Australia in Sydney on Wednesday. "We won the ODI series in Adelaide last time. We have also won the World Cup. We won other series too. It's the same set of players largely. You would see different cricket from India," said Raina.
11:17 'Deoband fatwa binding if you want to be bound by it'
It's very likely that l'affaire Salman Rushdie will continue to play itself out in the media for some time to come. While reading up various points and counter-points on the issue, we came across this interview with historian Mushurul Hasan in the Indian Express. Hasan, currently director of the National Archives of India, says of the Deoband fatwa that set the ball rolling this time round:
'One should also accept the fact that, just like with the Pope, whose
diktat is not accepted by the entire Roman Catholic world, similarly,
the fatwa of Deoband is not binding on everybody. It is binding on those
who want to be bound by it. So, how does the fatwa of Deoband reflect
the Indian Muslim communitys opinion on these matters? We are creating
in our imaginations, centres of bigotry and imagination, which are
actually not there.'
Read the full interview here.
11:07 10 pc polling till 10 am in Uttarakhand
Polling for the assembly elections in Uttarakhand to elect 70 legislators began a dull note this morning despite a clear sky. Till 10 am, only 10 per cent of the polling was recorded, said state chief electoral officer Radha Raturi. However, the polling was peaceful, she said.
11:04 Hafiz Saeed back at what he does best: Slamming India!
In yet another anti-India speech during a rally in Pakistan, Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed on Sunday sought 'independence' for Kashmir.
"We have to defend Pakistan, we have to liberate Kashmir. And we have to take revenge on India," said Saeed.
He also blamed India for the 1971 Bangladesh War and the terror attack on the Samjhauta Express.
10:53 India stands up to US: Won't stop import from Iran
India stands up to US, EU: Won't stop oil import from Iran India will not scale down its petroleum imports from Tehran despite United States' and European Union's sanctions against the Islamic republic, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said.
India, the world's fourth-largest oil consumer, is Iran's second-biggest oil client after China. The US and other Western sanctions have been imposed on Iran's economy over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
US President Barack Obama added to those measures on December 31 when he signed into law additional sanctions targeting Iran's central bank and financial sector.
10:47 Punjab polls: 10 pc voter turnout so far
An estimated 10 per cent of around 1.76 crore voters exercised their franchise till 10 am in Punjab assembly elections today. The fate of 1078 candidates, including two chief ministerial aspirants Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh, will be sealed today.
10:45 Uttarakhand polls: Close fight between BJP, Cong
Good morning!
Polling for assembly elections started in Punjab and Uttarakhand on Monday morning.
Polling commenced in 70 assembly constituencies in Uttarakhand amid tight security with over 60 lakh voters expected to exercise their franchise in the single-phased elections.
Over 63 lakh electorates will decide the fate of 788 candidates with the top contenders from the ruling BJP and the Congress contesting all 70 seats
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