LIVE
Tue, 31 January 2012
For KBC jackpot winner, family comes first
Timeline Refresh
18:16 Winner of Rs 5 cr on KBC swears by family
Kaun Banega Crorepati's jackpot winner Sushil Kumar, who won Rs5 crore in prize money at the popular game show last year, admits to being an ignoramus when it comes to money matters, says the Daily Mail, UK. 'The jackpot winner, who still rides a bicycle despite his celebrity status in town, said he would not even buy a motorcycle simply because he did not know how to ride one,' the website says.
'In an era of nuclear families, Sushil still swears by his joint family and wants to build a house big enough to accommodate all 16 family members -- grandmother, parents, wife, four brothers, two sisters-in-law, five nephews and nieces. To fulfil his ambition, he has purchased a plot for Rs22.5 lakh in his hometown Motihari. 'The construction of our new house will commence soon,' he added, says Daily Mail, here.
18:08 San Francisco airport now has a yoga lounge
You may not find one in any of the Indian airports, never mind that yoga originated in India. But since there are more Americans practising the discipline in the USA than in India, it's only right that the San Francisco airport introduce a yoga lounge for the weary traveller. Read the details from Daily Mail, UK, here.
18:00 It took elephants 24 million generations to become this big
A mouse-sized mammal could turn into a giant beast as big as an elephant in about 24 million generations in the process of evolution, says a new study.
A team of 20 biologists and palaeontologists who for the first time calculated the rate of evolutionary change in mammals discovered that rates of size decrease are much faster than growth rates.
For their study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team looked at fossils, literature and historical documents to get information about 28 different groups of mammals from various continents and ocean basins over the past 70 million years.
It was found that a small mouse-like mammal may evolve into an elephant-like animal in about 24 million generations, but it takes only 100,000 generations for very large decreases, leading to dwarfism, to occur.
Lead author Dr Alistair Evans, an evolutionary biologist at Monash University's School of Biological Sciences, said the study was unique because most previous work had focused on microevolution, the small changes that occur within a species.
17:50 Third person arrested in 13/7 Mumbai blasts case
Just In: One more held in 13/7 Mumbai blasts case, taking the total number of arrests in the case to three.
17:49 Custody of Delhi HC blast accused extended
The judicial custody of Wasim Akram Malik, arrested for his alleged role in the blast outside the Delhi high court premises in September last year, was today extended by two weeks by a court in Delhi.
District judge H S Sharma extended Malik's judicial custody till February 14 in an in-camera proceeding after the National Investigation Agency said the probe in the case was going on, court sources said. Handwriting specimens of Malik was again taken by a magistrate today.
17:45
One in three people over the age of 40 experiences knee pain at some stage, and if you are covered under that demographic, here are some tips on what to do, courtesy the Daily Mail, UK.
17:40 PMO responds to Supreme Court's directive
Responding to the morning's Supreme Court ruling on Subramanian Swamy, the Prime Minister's Office has tweeted: "We welcome the fact that both the learned judges have completely vindicated the Prime Minister whilst appreciating the onerous duties of his office. Government is examining their directions regarding the manner in which applications for sanctions are to be dealt with.'
17:32
Just In: The Justice D M Dharmadhikari Committee submits report onpost-merger integration of staff of Air India to Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh.
17:23 France's Rafale bags IAF's $10bn jet fighter deal
Just Breaking: French company Dassault Rafale gets contract for India's 126 multi-role combat aircraft, reports PTI quoting sources, and that Dassault declared the lowest bidder for the multi-billion dollar deal.
17:16 Thousands join Meghalaya's protest march
The Hynniewtrep Welfare Association today demanded adequate security to all citizens in militant-hit Garo Hills as thousands joined a peace march demanding the release of two power officials kidnapped last Tuesday still remaining untraced.
"The state government should provide adequate security to all citizens so that peaceful co-existence among all communities is not disturbed in Garo Hills," HTWA President J Lyngdoh said in a memo to Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.
The rally took place against the backdrop of two power engineers A Pothmi and B Majaw being kidnapped, allegedly by the GNLA, to protest against "poor power connectivity" in the three 'impoverished' districts of Garo Hills.
17:11
Shah Rukh Khan, so much in the news yesterday over a fracas with former friend Farah Khan's husband Shirish Kunder, tweets today: Reading stuff and watching tv...Feel like I am the source & author of a Shakespearean farce...without the poetry or the prose of course!!!
17:05
The Prime Minister's Office has tweeted: Please standby for a statement from the PMO on today's judgement by the Honourable Supreme Court.
17:01 Sikhs imprisoned in Afghan jails on flase charges
'Among the throngs of inmates in downtown Kabul's prison trying to prove they are not thieves or insurgents is a soft-spoken Sikh man with piercing black eyes. He is being held on a highly unusual charge: falsely claiming Afghan citizenship,' writes Ernesto Londono in the Washington Post. Read her here.
16:57 Muslim cleric sentenced to death in Pak for blasphemy
A cleric accused of blasphemy has been sentenced to death and given a 10-year prison term in Pakistan's Punjab province, the latest in a string of convictions under a controversial law.
Soofi Mohammad Ishaq of Talagang town had been facing a charge of blasphemy since 2009. An additional sessions judge of Jhelum district sentenced Ishaq to death and 10 years' imprisonment yesterday. He was also fined Rs 2 lakh.
Soofi Mohammad Ishaq was settled in the US, where he worked as a cleric. When he visited Talagang in 2009, he was given a warm welcome by hundreds of his disciples, some of whom kissed his feet. Some people objected to the act of "bowing down before Ishaq" and accused his followers of branding him a prophet.
16:42 Paswan's LJP to contest from all seats in UP
Releasing his party manifesto for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan today said his party would contest from all the 403 seats in the state. "The party has decided to contest all 403 seats in the state, but LJP will not field candidates on those seats from where prominent candidates of the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Peace Party are in the fray," Paswan told reporters in Lucknow.
16:39 Accused in UK twin-murders found hanging in cell
A Lithuanian national arrested for the twin murders of Indian-origin Avtar Singh Kolar and his English wife in Birmingham, England, has been found hanging in his prison cell, where he was lodged since early this month.
Rimvydas Liorancas, 37, was charged with murdering Avtar and Carole Kolar, whose bodies were found at their Handsworth Wood home by their son, an officer with the West Midlands police.
Liorancas was found hanging in his cell in Wood Hill jail in Milton Keynes on Saturday, official sources said today.
16:36 Good news, India's per capita crosses Rs 50,000
Reflecting growing prosperity, India's per capita income grew by 15.6 per cent to Rs 53,331 per annum in 2010-11, crossing the half-a-lakh rupees mark for the first time, according to government data.
"The per capita income at current prices is estimated at Rs 53,331 in 2010-11, as against Rs 46,117 for the previous year, depicting a growth of 15.6 per cent," said the quick estimates of national income released by the Central Statistical Office.
The growth in per capita income comes on the back of 8.4 per cent expansion of the Indian economy during the last fiscal.
16:20 ISRO may release Antrix deal probe report
Seeking to fend off attacks on his credentials in the ISRO row, the space body's chief K Radhakrishnan today said probe reports into the Antrix-Devas deal that led to punitive action against his predecessor G Madhavan Nair and three fellow space scientists will be released after getting due clearance.
Breaking his silence on the controversy, Radhakrishnan in a brief statement said the department of space was in the process of getting necessary clearances for releasing reports of the high powered review committee and the high level team formed to examine various aspects of the Antrix-Devas agreement of January 2005.
16:15 Pak's Kurram military post attacked by Taliban
At least eight soldiers and 25 militants were killed today in a skirmish that began after scores of Taliban fighters attacked a military post in the restive Kurram tribal region of northwest Pakistan, which has witnessed fierce clashes in recent days. Twenty-five soldiers were injured in the fighting in Jogi area of Kurram Agency, officials were quoted as saying by the Pakistani media. Over 100 militants attacked the post at around midnight.
15:48
Ian Parker writes in the New Yorker of the story of a suicide in Rutgers University, at the centre of which is Dharun Ravi. Read the gripping narrative here.
15:45 Larger Pak SC bench to hear plea on Benazir murder
Pakistan's supreme court today ordered the formation of a larger bench to hear an application seeking the registration of a fresh FIR against 12 people, including former president Pervez Musharraf and interior minister Rehman Malik, for alleged involvement in the conspiracy to assassinate Benazir Bhutto.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry issued the order after hearing arguments on the application filed by Mohammad Aslam Chaudhry, who served as Bhutto's protocol officer for about two decades.
15:43 Make inquiry reports into Antix deal public: Dr Nair
Former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair today favoured making public reports of two committees and a high-level team on the controversial Antrix-Devas deal.
"There is nothing related to defence or anything. So, better to put the whole document into public domain", Nair, who along with three other scientists has been barred from holding any government posts on the basis of the two reports, told PTI.
15:42 MP govt to seek Rs 10 lakh for Bhopal gas victims' kin
The Madhya Pradesh government has demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each from the Centre's Group of Ministers to the kin of 15,342 deceased in the Bhopal gas tragedy as per the revised death figures in the ICMR report.
A decision in this regard was taken in the quarterly review meeting of the gas relief and rehabilitation department yesterday chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, official sources said today. For this purpose, representatives of the gas victims will be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi soon.
15:35 Navy too get unmanned vehicle for deep-sea ops
LiveFist reports that the DRDO Naval Science & Technology Laboratory's autonomous unmanned vehicle is to undergo user trials with the Navy shortly. The craft is capable of extended operations from shore/ship at a depth of 100m. For pix and more, read here.
15:23 Medical treatment not to blame for poor health: Hazare
As a controversy broke out over allegations that he was deliberately given wrong medical treatment in Pune, activist Anna Hazare today said he did not think he was given medicines with "mala fide intentions" by the doctors at Sancheti hospital.
His remarks came as yoga guru Ramdev levelled allegations that Hazare's condition was not improving because of the wrong medicines administered to him.
Defending Dr Kanti Lal Sancheti, who treated him after his fast in December 2011, Hazare said he knew the physician for the past 25 years and he did not subscribe to the allegations. "It is being said that I was given overdose of medicines and some (medicines) were not needed. I don't think that I was given medicines with malafide intentions. May be, my body cannot accept these medicines," he said in a statement.
Noting that Dr Sancheti was a Padma Vibhushan awardee, he said it was wrong to link it with his health. "He was awarded for his services over 40 years. I congratulate him," Hazare said.
Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal also refuted adverse reports regarding Dr Sancheti.
15:19 64 convicted in 40th fodder scam case
A special CBI court today convicted 64 accused, including 32 officials, in a multi-crore fodder scam pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 12.98 crore from Doranda treasury within three months in 1995.
The special CBI court of NN Singh convicted the 64 accused and sentenced between two and six years in prison and imposed varying penalty upto Rs 5 lakh.
Among those convicted are the former regional director of of animal husbandry department Junul Bhengraj and ex-assistant regional director KM Prasad. This was the 40th of the total 53 fodder cases which ended in conviction. The total scam was assessed at about Rs 950 crore.
15:17 Acquitted youth in Adnan Patrawala murder case freed
The four accused youth, acquitted by a local court in the case of kidnap and murder of Mumbai teenager Adnan Patrawala, were today released from the Arthur Road jail in South Mumbai after they had spent over four years behind bars.
"The four were allowed to go home this afternoon after they completed all the legal procedures," a jail official said.
15:16 Did Airtel leak the Radia tapes?
Sheela Bhatt reports from New Delhi: The Union government indirectly hinted in the Supreme Court in the hearing on Tuesday that the service provider being used by corporate lobbyist Nira Radia, in the current case an Airtel connection, was responsible for leaking the controversial and sensational tapes of her conversation that were published by many publications.
Placing a confidential report in a sealed envelope before a bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi, the government said there were eight to 10 agencies, including service providers, involved in the tapping of Radia's telephonic conversations.
The government also claimed that the tapes broadcast by media organisations were tampered with and that the government agencies were not responsible for its leakage.
The government claimed that the tapes with Outlook magazine and those with the income tax department have different UID numbers and also that the timing of the cassettes with Outlook and the IT department differ.
Implicating Airtel, even if indirectly, has huge implications since the company is a competitor of the Tata group in the telecom sector and would also indicate that the leaks were more as a result of corporate wars than any political motivations.
14:55 The Hollywood insider spills his stories
'His story has floated through moviedom's clubby senior ranks for years: Back in a more golden age of Hollywood, a guy named Scotty, a former Marine, was said to have run a type of prostitution ring for gay and bisexual men in the film industry, including A-listers like Cary Grant, George Cukor and Rock Hudson, and even arranged sexual liaisons for actresses like Vivien Leigh and Katharine Hepburn,' reports the New York Times.
'Now, he's talking. Mr. Bowers, 88, recalls his highly unorthodox life in a ribald memoir scheduled to be published by Grove Press on Feb 14, Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars. Written with Lionel Friedberg, an award-winning producer of documentaries, it is a lurid, no-detail-too-excruciating account of a sexual Zelig who (if you believe him) trawled an X-rated underworld for over three decades without getting caught.' Read the fascinating account here and here.
14:45 Chappell says Brian Lara is superior batsman
West Indian batting legend Brian Lara's knowledge of how to amass big scores at rapid rate without putting his wicket at risk makes him a "superior" batsman of his era than Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, writes former Australian captain Ian Chappell.
Chappell said Lara's remarkable feat of scoring the only 400 in Test cricket, a triple century and seven double centuries, probably highlights an area where Lara was better than the senior India batsman Tendulkar and former Aussie skipper Ponting.
14:41 Calling all bibliophiles!
Maria Popova offers in brainpickings.org the greatest books of all time, as voted by 125 famous authors. Read on.
14:36 Priyanka to campaign in UP from Feb 3
With polling in three states over, Congress star campaigners would now be concentrating on Uttar Pradesh, with Priyanka Gandhi camping in the twin constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi from February 3 to campaign for party candidates for coming assembly elections.
According to KL Sharma, a representative of her brother Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka would address "nukkar sabhas" (roadside meetings) and take part in road shows during her stay in Rae Bareli and Amethi.
14:35 Karnataka high court dismisses Yeddy's plea
In a setback to former Karnataka chief minister S Yeddyurappa, the high court today dismissed his two petitions praying for quashing of summons issued to him by a lower court in connection with alleged land scams.
Justice Anand Byrareddy dismissed the petitions after hearing the arguments of petitioner and advocate Sirajin Basha on whose private complaints the lokayukta court had issued summons against Yeddyurappa and 14 other accused.
The court also dismissed a similar petition filed by MLA Hemachandra Sagar, named in the complaint.
14:34 Lashkar-e-Islam claims responsibility for Peshawar raid
The banned Lashkar-e-Islam has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on the outskirts of the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar that killed four persons, including a leader of a rival militant group.
Lashkar-e-Islam commander Khan Muhammad told reporters in Peshawar over the phone that his group had sent a suicide bomber to target Ansar-ul-Islam leader Haji Akhunzada at his home in Pakha Ghulam area yesterday. Akhunzada and his son-in-law were among the four persons killed in the attack. Eight others were injured, the police said.
14:31 'SC ruling in Swamy case has long-term implications'
Sheela Bhatt reports from New Delhi on the morning's Supreme Court ruling in the Subramanian Swamy case. Commenting on the Supreme Court judgment which held that the filing of a complaint under the Prevention of Corruption Act is a constitutional right of a citizen and the competent authority should take a decision on giving the sanction within a time frame, a senior law officer of the Union government told rediff.com, "This is a historical judgment. (The petitioner) Subramanian Swamy, no doubt, has won the case. The judgment has long-term implications on governance, the issue of corruption and Indian politics.
"After this judgment, the Prime Minister's Office cannot refuse to answer anyone's petition to charge any minister or bureaucrat. The entire bureaucracy has come under the ambit of the judgment. It will open the floodgates for litigation," the officer said.
In a nutshell, any member of the public can petition the authorities to charge any minister or bureaucrat for corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
14:26 India test-flies pilotless aircraft Lakshya-I
The indigenously developed micro-light and pilot-less target aircraft Lakshya-1was successfully test flown from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near Balasore in Orissa today.
Lakshya-1, fitted with an advanced digitally controlled engine was successfully test-flown at about 11.40 am to check the validity of its engine and duration enhancement, defence sources said. "It is a routine trial by the users," defence sources said.
14:24 Kasab's lawyer tells SC he did not get a fair trial
Just In: Main accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks Ajmal Kasab has not been given a fair trial in the case, his lawyer and amicus curiae tells the Supreme Court. The court later adjourned the hearing.
14:20 One year jail for bank fraud, after 20 years of trial
A special CBI court in Chennai has convicted the branch manager of Indian Bank in a fraud case and sentenced her to undergo one year imprisonment after more than two decades of investigation and trial.
"The Special Judge for CBI Cases, Chennai, has convicted Nirmala Sundaraman, the then branch manager of Indian Bank, Triplicane branch, Chennai, in a bank fraud case and sentenced her to undergo one year simple imprisonment with a fine of Rs.5,000," a CBI spokesperson said today.
14:11 Tirupati Balaji temple goes green
Tirupati's Balaji temple, India's richest shrine, has adopted a range of green technologies -- and the shrine is now trading carbon credits, writes Shilpa Kannan on bbc.co.uk. Read here.
13:56 No meals on AI flights less than 90 minutes
Cash-starved Air India today said it will be following the industry practice on in-flight catering services on all short-haul economy class flights from tomorrow, which will see the national carrier offering only pre-packed snacks and not full meals as done earlier. "In line with the industry practice, AI has decided to revise the on-board catering services in the economy class for short duration domestic flights with effect from February 1," the airline said in a statement.
For flights up to one-hour duration, the service will be of pre-packed dry snacks, water and juice in tetra packs. Coffee/tea will be served on request, it said. For flights up to 90 minutes duration, the service will be of snack boxes containing of sandwiches, brownie and water in addition to coffee/tea, the statement said.
13:48 Anti-Emergency veteran passes away
Veteran socialist Mani Ram Bagri, a close associate of Raj Narayan, who had played a leading role in the heady days before the fall of the Janata Party government headed by Morarji Desai in the late '70s, died in Hisar today. He was 93. A general secretary of the Samyukta Socialist Party from 1972 to 1974 and later of Janata Party-S, Bagri was detained during emergency under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act.
13:46 Police believes Pak capital faces terror threat
A terrorist group has plans to carry out a rocket attack on the Pakistani capital similar to the one against an elite military academy in the garrison town of Abbottabad, a top police official has said.
Islamabad police chief Bin Yamin Khan said the city was facing the threat of an attack like the one on the Pakistan Military Academy on January 27 but comprehensive security measures had been put in place to counter such an assault.
The terrorist group could carry out the rocket attack from the Margalla Hills that overlook Islamabad, The News daily quoted its sources in security agencies as saying.
13:44
Just In: ICICI Bank's Q3 net profit jumps over 20 per cent, to Rs1,728 crore year-on-year.
13:19 Govt denies its agencies released Radia tapes to media
Just In: The government today told the Supreme Court that the Nira Radia tapes released by the media had been tampered with, and that the tapes were not leaked by government agencies.
13:11 CBI tells Mumbai court that Salem's trial should go on
Just In: The CBI tells a special Mumbai court that the trial of extradited gangster Abu Salem in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case should go on. The CBI tells the court that it has moved Portugal's constitutional court challenging the termination of Salem's extradition to India.
13:01 Meet boxer Amir Khan's fiancee in a sari!
Here's some exclusive photographs from British boxer Amir Khan's engagement party with fiancee, 2o-year-old New Yorker Faryal Makhdoom, at which he presented her with a 100,000 pound platinum ring in the presence of 1000 of their relatives and friends. Faryal was dressed in a sari, no less. See the pix here.
12:48 Dhoni says captaincy doesn't belong to anyone
Facing severe criticism for his unimpressive captaincy and performances in Test cricket, under-fire Mahendra Singh Dhoni has offered to quit the leadership role in the longer format of the game if the Board of Control for Cricket in India feels there is a better replacement waiting in the wings.
Dhoni said if somebody could do a better job than him in Tests, then he will be more than happy to step down as captain for the sake of the team. "It (captaincy) doesn't belong to anyone. It's a position I hold, and it's an added responsibility. I always like to do well till I am in job but it's not something I want to stick to. If there is a better replacement, he can come in," Dhoni said today ahead of tomorrow's first Twenty20 game Australia.
12:46
After the Supreme Court held up his right to seek sanction to prosecute former telecom minister A Raja, Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy tweeted this: many thanks to all patriotic tweeples who kept faith and to God for the decision tday. Now I may bypass Vadra and go straight to Sonia.
12:44
Matt Horween writes an open letter to Warren Buffet suggesting a plan for him concerning America's massive oversupply of natural gas, and what Buffet, as owner of Burlington Northern railroad, can do to change things. Read here.
12:27 Trainer aircraft crashes in TN, 2 man-crew ejects
A Kiran-trainer aircraft today crashed near Iyancherry village in Kancheepuram district in Tamil Nadu, but both crew members ejected safely. The two-seater aircraft crashed around 11 am, Manoharan, district superintendent of police, Kancheepuram, said.
12:25
Devesh Agarwal posts on bangaloreaviation.com some "depressing pix" of Kingfisher Airline's "Airbus aircraft VT-KFR, VT-KFW, and VT-VJO lying grounded, getting stripped of parts and engines, and slowly decaying at Indian airports." See the pix here.
12:20 Defence minister speaks on row over Army chief's age
Just In: Defence Minister AK Antony blames the Army for Gen VK Singh's age row, and says it is not due to the government.
12:17 10 Hindu Munnani workers arrested for clashes
A Ganesh Nadar reports from the Thirunelveli collectorate that that the Koodankulam nuclear plant protestors have clashed with Hindu Munnani workers who turned up to show their support to the project. Following this, Udaykumar, who leads the protestors, called off the talks citing the clashes and blasted the Hindu Munnani saying that minorities were not safe anymore as his car was damaged in the melee and two women activists were mauled. Click here to read Udaykumar's earlier interview to rediff.com. The police have arrested 10 Hindu Munnani workers for the clashes.
The fourth round of talks between the central government-nominated experts and the protestors was slated for today in the Thirunelveli collectorate.
12:11 US gave $2.2 bn in civilian aid to Pakistan in two years
Amid strained ties with Pakistan, the United States has disbursed $ 2.2 billion civilian aid to Islamabad in the past two years under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill, the State Department has said.
"Since October 2009 the US government has dispersed some $ 2.2 billion in civilian assistance to Pakistan under the Kerry-Lugar legislation, including about $ 500 million in emergency humanitarian relief," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.
This money, she said, allows the US to support programmes that help Pakistan improve its economy in vital sectors, for example, in energy, in economic growth, in the stabilisation of the border regions, in education, and in health.
12:03 Tokyo is NOT the world's largest city
So which is the largest city in the world? Tokyo, as is widely believed?
'Most experts will tell you that Tokyo is the world's largest metropolis, with a population of about 36 million people. But the core of the city has only eight million people living in it,' points out Ruth Alexander on BBC.co.uk, quoting Richard Greene, associate professor of geography at Northern Illinois University in the United States, as saying that even the most authoritative list, from the UN, "compares apples with pears".
So how do you measure the largest city? Read here to find out.
11:57 CBI plea for more custody of Ramadoss's brother rejected
A local court in Kancheepuram has turned down a petition by the Central Bureau of Investigation to extend for further fiver days its custody of Pattali Makkal Katchi founder Ramadoss's brother arrested in connection with a case relating to the murder of a relative of commercial taxes minister C V Shanmugam in 2006.
Srinivasan, a PMK functionary, and another functionary were arrested by the CBI on January 25 at Tindivanam in Villupuram district in connection with the murder of Muruganandam on May 8, 2006.
11:54 Starbucks gives a coffee boost to Tata Global shares
Shares of Tata Global Beverages jumped over 6 per cent in morning trade today after the company signed a deal with US-based coffee chain Starbucks to open cafes in India.
Investors gave a thumbs up to the joint venture and Tata Global scrip climbed 6.17 per cent to touch an early high of Rs 104 on the BSE. Similar trend was seen at the NSE, where the stock rallied 6.17 per cent to Rs 103.95.
11:53 Services sector grew at 9.3, agriculture at 7 pc in 2010-11
Here's a little more details on the 2010-11 GDP growth.
The government today revised the economic growth rate for the 2010-11 financial year slightly down to 8.4 per cent from the earlier estimate of 8.5 per cent. 'The Gross Domestic Product at factor cost at constant prices in 2010-11 has registered a growth of 8.4 per cent over the previous year,' the quick estimates of economic growth released by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation said. 'The major source of growth in the GDP has been from the services sector which has grown at the rate of 9.3 per cent. The agriculture sector growth has also been impressive at 7 pc during the year 2010-11,' it said.
11:49 Former Pak envoy Haqqani leaves for US
Pakistan's former envoy to the United States, Husain Haqqani, today left for the US after the country's supreme court eased the travel restrictions that were imposed on him after he was implicated in the memo scandal.
Haqqani travelled from the prime minister's house, where he was living for the past few weeks, to the international airport in Rawalpindi along with a large security detail early this morning. He did not talk to media waiting at the airport.
11:48 In defence of Arun Ferreira
'Arun Ferreira and most others have denied being Maoists. But even if they are so, that does not make them criminals. It is not the issue of Maoists being right or wrong, and even less so of justifying or condemning their actions. After all, they are people, who are responding to the deceit and violence of the state in their chosen way. One may disagree with their ideology or methods but one has to admit the horrific conditions, which propel them to take a radical path,' writes Anand Teltumbe, writer and civil rights activist with the Committee for the Protection of Democratic Rights, Mumbai, in the Economic and Political Weekly. Click here to read the article.
11:40 Pune's Symbiosis gives into to ABVP, cancels seminar
Following opposition from the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Symbiosis University in Pune has cancelled its three-day national seminar, Voices of Kashmir, organised in association with the University Grants Commission and scheduled from February 3-5.
Earlier, the university had to bow to the ABVP's demand and cancel the screening of docu filmmaker Sanjay Kak's film Jashn-e-Azadi.
11:34 On eve of polls MGP pulls out of Congress govt in Goa
The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party has decided to withdraw from the Congress-led government in Goa ahead of the assembly polls on March 3. Narayan Sawant, working president of the state's oldest regional outfit, told reporters today that the party will no longer be part of the ruling alliance that also includes the Nationalist Congress Party. The MGP will either go alone or forge a pre-poll alliance with main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, he said.
11:14 2010-11 economic growth rate revised to 8.4 pc
Just In: Economic growth rate for 2010-11 has been revised downward to 8.4 per cent from the earlier estimate of 8.5 per cent.
11:11 No music please, court tells Bengaluru fashion week
In a setback to the organisers of the upcoming Bangalore Fashion Week, the Delhi high court has restrained them from playing music or videos in which the copyright rests with Phonographic Performance Ltd, a society of music firms.
Justice Manmohan Singh has directed the Intercontinental Hotel Group and the other organisers of the BFW not to play any sound recording during the four-day event for which they need a license from Phonographic Performance LTD.
11:09 Koodankulam talks scheduled for today
The fourth round of talks between the central government nominated experts and the protestors over the Koodankulam nuclear power plant is slated to take place to at the Thirunelveli collector's ofice.
11:08 Competent authority should sanction probe in 4 months: SC
Just In: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy had the locus to seek sanction from the prime minister for the prosecution of former telecom minister A Raja in the 2G scam.
The sanction by the competent authority for the prosecution of a public servant has to be granted within a time-frame, says the apex court. Justice AK Ganguly said the sanction would be deemed to be granted if the competent authority fails to take a decision within four months.
The Supreme Court also set aside the Delhi high court judgment refusing to direct the prime minister to take a decision on the grant of sanction against Raja. Right to file a complaint against a public servant under the Prevention of Corruption Act is a constitutional right, the Supreme Court said.
10:54 News As It Happens
Good morning, and welcome to this morning's edition of Live! News As It Happens.
Naturally, the morningers are all full of the slap that has sent reverberations through Bollywood. The Times of India has played the story on its front page, with some interesting details, read it here.
The Indian Express reports that the IIT-JEE, the entrance exam to get into the renowned IITs, is all set to go. A common aptitude-cum-advanced knowledge test will replace the IIT Joint Entrance Examination and the All India Engineering Entrance Examination in 2013. Read here.
The Hindustan Times reports that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for not caring about her. Read here.
Mumbai Mirror reports how borrowed kidneys have brought love to four persons in Mumbai's KEM hospital. Two couples who fell in love after a series of chance meetings while undergoing kidney transplants at the hospital, tied the knot in December and January. Here.
DNA reports that the Ranes, hurt and with their Swabhiman Sanghatana, have targeted the NCP. Swabhiman will be contesting the polls in the wards given to the NCP by fielding independent candidates. The task assigned to these candidates is simple: defeat the NCP candidate. Read here.
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