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Wed, 21 March 2012
Ahluwalia to be BJP's chief spokesman?

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18:42   Ahluwalia to be BJP's chief spokesman?
Meanwhile, speculation is rife about Ravi Shankar Prasad's name being proposed as deputy leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

S S Ahluwalia, whose was ignored for re-election to the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand, could be appointed as the BJP's chief spokesman
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18:40   Karnataka political storm heads to Delhi
Karnataka political turmoil will shift course to New Delhi when BS Yeddyurappa landing in the city at 8:30pm.

Later in the night, he will be meeting BJP chief Nitin Gadkari. During this crucial meet, he is expected to propose for holding of elections in the state in October.
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18:11  
Stay with Rediff.com for all that happens through the night...
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18:09   Reparing the damage at India's National Archives

On the back of that tweet from the PMO, comes this: When he took charge of the National Archives of India in May 2010, Mushirul Hasan inherited a rudderless institution. The job of director general had been vacant for several years, and past directors had been bureaucrats. Hasan became the first scholar in 30 years to oversee an institution that contained a dazzling array of material from the Mughal, British and post-independence periods of Indian history.

 

Read

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18:06  

Dr Manmohan Singh @PMOIndia  PM: We have launched a National Mission for Libraries which hopes to cover 9000 libraries in three years.

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17:59  

Hamid Ansari said, "Membership of Rajya Sabha is, in itself, a great honour and an abiding political experience. I do hope, the retiring members would cherish their association with this august House and leave with a sense of fulfilment in having played a stellar role in strengthening the democratic system of the country."

 

Arun Jaitley said there is no last day in a parliamentary calendar. "Both Houses of Parliament are the lifeline of the Indian democracy. Indian democracy is permanent and this House is permanent, our membership is transient," he said.
He said, "Ahulwalia's colourful personality was almost synonymous to the culture of the House," and compared him with Pranab Mukherjee when it came to his understanding of parliamentary procedure.

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17:57   Fond farewells as 58 members retire from RS

Here's what happened in the Rajya Sabha today. In a departure from the usual political skirmishes, the Upper Houser today witnessed bonhomie as 58 retiring members were bid farewell with colleagues recalling their cherished memories.

 


Chairman Hamid Ansari led the House in paying tributes to the retiring members and his sentiments were echoed by Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley along with several others. 

 

The Prime Minister, himself a member of the Upper House, said tensions often generated during debates in Parliament should have no impact on the country's unity and integrity. "When we debate various issues, often there is tension. There are tensions on the surface, but underlying sentiments of all members of this House must be to maintain the unity and integrity of this country," he said. 

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17:45   Will Kalmadi finally be sacked as IOA chief?
Just in: The Delhi High court has issued showcause notices to Suresh Kalmadi asking for an explanation on why he has not been sacked as president of the Indian Olympic Association. Court also issues notices to his cronies Lalit Bhanot and VK Verma.
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17:41   Will KF shut down? Battle-weary Mallya meets govt

Right now, Kingfisher Airline chief Vijay Mallya is meeting civil aviation minister Ajit Singh at his residence. He has been summoned by the  government to explain the position of the airline. Sources have also said that the move has come as the 15-day notice period to Kingfisher Airlines has expired, leaving the government concerned by the scaling down of services. The summer schedule of the airline has been reduced to only 16 of its 64 aircraft and Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has said that the airline cannot function like this.

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17:17   The menace that is the LeT

Interesting column by Ashley J Tellis.

Though the international community first began taking notice of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) after its spectacular coordinated bombing and shooting attacks in Mumbai, India, in November 2008, the group was established in 1987 at a time when Pakistan was in the throes of Islamic ferment.

Then, LeT had access to a steady supply of volunteers, funding, and'"most important of all'"concerted state support. Long bolstered by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, this Wahhabi group promotes the vision of a universal Islamic caliphate through tableegh and jihad'"preaching and armed struggle. Though India and Kashmir have been LeT's primary area of operations so far, the group has an unsettling presence internationally.

Read

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16:47   BJP won't vote for RS candidate over Advani remarks

Just in: BJP MLAs have decided not to vote for Anshuman Mishra for the Rajya Sabha fillowing his statements against LK Advani and Yashwant Sinha. The party-backed Independent candidate had hit out at Advani without naming him: "BJP leaders who are 85 years old and are admirers of Jinnah should think of their retirement now."    

Mishra also faced strong resistance from within the BJP with former finance minister Yashwant Sinha alleging that the party has put a price tag on its MLAs, which forced the BJP leadership to re-consider its decision to support NRI's aspirations for a Rajya Sabha seat from Jharkhand.

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16:38   3 arrested in Adarsh scam in CBI custody
Just in: The three accused held in the Adarsh Housing Society scam have been remanded to CBI custody. R C Thakur, a retired defence estates officer, Brigadier (retired) M M Wanchoo and PV Deshmukh were arrested yesterday.
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16:25   Tibet protest monk dies in detention
A 20-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk has died in detention after he set himself on fire in a town in southwest China that has become a flashpoint for such protests, a US-based rights group said today. Lobsang Tsultrim, a monk from the Kirti monastery in Aba town, died on Monday after setting himself alight last week, the International Campaign for Tibet said, citing Tibetan monks now living in exile in India.
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16:20   Martina Navratilova's incredible new look for Dancing...

The Prague-born glamorous blonde is more famous for her deadly serves and is used to being pictured in tennis shorts, not a shimmering dancefloor gown.

 

See

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16:14   In India, history literally rots away

Nations such as Russia and China destroyed historical documents and artifacts in fits of revolutionary zeal. India has taken a much easier route: it has allowed many priceless papers and other items to slowly disintegrate in, or be stolen from, institutions starved of funding, bereft of proper facilities and trained staff, and lacking proper security.

 

Read the report on the NYT

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16:11   Has poverty really dropped in India?

Remember when the public was outraged at the idea that the poverty line should be Rs 32 a day in urban areas? We've now learned it should really be Rs 29. And believe it or not, this is no sleight of hand to show a drop in poverty.

 

Read the India blogs on the New York Times.

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16:10   The burden of power

The Tamil Nadu Cabinet's decision to allow the resumption of work on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project has created understandable euphoria in the nuclear establishment, consternation among traditional opponents of nuclear power and a sense of relief to industry, which has been hit hard by chronic power shortages.

 

Read the opinion piece on the Hindu.

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16:03   Bachchan to learn sitar, sarod

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is planning to learn to play the musical instruments sitar and sarod. The 69-year-old actor, who is recovering at home from his
abdominal surgery which happened last month, is set to buy the classical instruments so that he can learn how to play them.

 

"So am getting into the business of acquiring a sitar and a sarod soon enough so I may have the pleasure to be pulling a few strings!! These are times I shall look forward to... my sitar, my sarod, my piano and me... sounds like the title of a really bad book or movie! ha! But... even though I may be able to learn the instruments now, just the fact that I shall be holding them and pretending to be some great master, shall indeed be of great interest and value to me," Bachchan wrote on his blog.

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15:57   Bypoll loss unexpected: Karnataka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda today termed as "unexpected" the BJP candidate's defeat by a huge margin in Udupi-Chikamagalur Lok Sabha bypoll and said the party needs to view the setback
"very seriously". 

 

"Unexpected result has come", said Gowda, who had vacated the seat after becoming the Chief Minister, necessitating the bypoll.

 

"Of course, we thought that there will be a close fight (between the BJP and Congress candidates)", Gowda told reporters, adding, the huge margin was unexpected and needed to be viewed "very seriously" by the party. Asked about the reason for the defeat, the Chief Minister said it had to be analysed.

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15:52  
Shobhaa De @DeShobhaa  This is really silly.It is sounding like BJP is being branded a Party of Porn Watchers!They can't all be porn addicts, surely?
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15:50   Why superpower China has NO friends

The rare foreign visitor to China during the Cultural Revolution often saw a huge placard at the airport boasting the farcical claim, "We have friends all over the world."

In truth, Maoist China -- a rogue state exporting revolution and armed struggle around the world, and a bitter foe of the West and the former Soviet bloc -- was extremely isolated. It had a few friendships with countries like Ceausescu's Romania and Pol Pot's Cambodia; for a few bleak years, China's only true ally was tiny Albania.

Read the Foreign Policy story.

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15:44  

Here's where you want to be listening in... AR Rahman with Mani Ratnam and the deep blue sea. See

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15:40   I'm still a sex symbol at 75: Engelbert Humperdinck

Eurovision star Engelbert Humperdinck says he still gets knickers thrown at him during performances -- despite being 75 years old.

Read

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15:33   BSY may be reinstated as CM
Incidentally, TV reports suggest that BSYeddyurappa may in fact be reinstated as Karnataka chief minister following the BJP's bypoll loss. The party lost the Udupi-Chikmagalur bypolls to the Congress today.  
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15:28   On Twitter
Ajith @ajith27 Gowda can't get thru to anyone. He keeps hearing "All lines in this route are BSY"
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15:28   Exclusive: Salute the solider at the LoC

Rediff.com's Archana L Masih travels to the Line of Control, where young Indian soldiers -- in their 20s and 30s -- defend one of the world's most volatile borders. Battling harsh weather, tough terrain and a hostile enemy -- as old as the Indian nation itself -- these soldiers face a war every day to hold the peace.

The first in a series.

Read

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14:57   Gujarat 'porn' MLA's iPad sent for forensic probe

The iPad used by the BJP MLAs in the Gujarat Assembly to allegedly watch pornographic pictures has been sent for a forensic probe. Gujarat Speaker Ganpat Vasava has said that action would be taken if the two MLAs -- Shankar Choudhury and Jetha Dharwad -- were indeed found guilty of watching porn when the Assembly proceedings were on.

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14:52   Mukul Roy gets ragged in Parliament

Interesting read on the Telegraph, Calcutta.

 

Yesterday, railway minister Mukul Roy drove to Parliament after the swearing-in at Rashtrapati Bhavan yeterday, but was not present in the Lok Sabha when the discussion on the railway budget started, prompting the Opposition to ask, "Where is the minister?'

BJP members continued with the uproar despite junior minister K.H. Muniyappa's plea that Mukul was in the Rajya Sabha being introduced to the House by the Prime Minister and would reach the lower House soon.

Trinamul's leader in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay joined him to make a similar submission.

Even as Sudip was speaking, Mukul entered the House and said he was with the Prime Minister in the Rajya Sabha.

The Opposition calmed down but tried to rib Mukul a little later when he was seen leaving the House. "Mantriji, kahan jaa rahe hain? (Honourable minister, where are you going?),' called out a BJP member.

The startled minister turned and said: "I am going to the Rajya Sabha.' Sudip then said: "He is going to the Rajya Sabha. There is voting in the Rajya Sabha.'

BJP member Sumitra Mahajan, who was speaking on the budget, used the opportunity to make a sarcastic comment. "Mujhe koi problem nahi hai' jaiye mantriji.. aana jaana laga rahega (I have no problem' carry on minister' coming and going will continue),' Sumitra said, sparking a round of laughter.

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14:48   'Cops can share Israel car blast accused probe'

A Delhi court today said there was no bar on the Delhi Police sharing information of journalist and Israeli car blast accused Syed Mohd Ahmad Kazmi's interrogation details with probe agencies of other countries, particularly of Israel and Iran.

However, the special cell is expected not to permit other probe agencies to question accused.

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14:42   AIIMS study shows Indian teens 2 inches taller than in 1992

If you have noticed your young one to be a few inches taller and a few kilos heavier than what you were at his or her age, don't be surprised. Indian kids today are taller and heavier than what they were 20 years ago.

Read the Daily Mail report.

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14:40   Should poor nations face same doping bar in sports?

Should the world's tough anti-doping laws for sports be as strictly applied in poor nations as rich ones? An Indian appeals panel, handling the case of some of India's few star athletes, suggested in a ruling Tuesday that doing so would be extremely unfair.

 

Read the WSJ report.

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14:39   LeT reviving its women's cadre in J-K: Govt

The government today said there have been some unconfirmed reports that the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba is reviving its women's cadre and planning to use it in
Jammu and Kashmir. 

"There have been some unconfirmed reports in this regard. However, there are no reports of successful infiltration or terrorist activity by LeT women cadre in Jammu and Kashmir," Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha. He said security forces were keeping a strict vigil on the activities of the LeT.

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14:24   Thumping win for AIADMK in Sankarankoil bypoll

Bypoll news:

The Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK today retained the Sankarankoil (SC) Assembly constituency, with party nominee S Muthuselvi defeating DMK candidate Jawahar Suryakumar by a massive margin of 68,744 votes. Muthuslevi polled 94,964 votes against Suryakumar's 26,220. 

 

Vaiko-led MDMK's Sadan Thirumalai Kumar polled just 20,675 votes while DMDK's Muthukumar was pushed to the fourth spot with a meagre 12,144 votes.

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14:23   Dalai Lama wants probe into Tibetan self immolations

Nearly 30 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 to protest Chinese rule in Tibetan areas, and in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, the Dalai Lama said he would welcome an investigation of the matter.

Read

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14:22   Has Agent Vinod fanned Indo-Pak tensions?

Showing a Pakistani army general watching a courtesan dancing? Using shots of Karachi airport without permission? Or generally portraying Pakistan in a bad light? Whatever the reasons for Pakistan's decision to ban Agent Vinod, the latest Khan-Kapoor offering, most of us will have to wait for Friday to see what the fuss is about.

 

Read the report on the Wall Street Journal

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14:19   Guj speaker orders probe into BJP MLA porn scandal

Gujarat Speaker Ganpat Vasava orders probe into allegations against two BJP MLAs of watching obscene pictures during Assembly proceedings.

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14:13   Diana's life in wallpaper: Iconic photos turned into sketches

She was the most photographed woman of her time '" but this is a rather more  off-the-wall way of remembering her life. Sketches based on iconic images of the late Diana,  Princess of Wales, have been turned into wallpaper inside the royal residence that was once her home.  The display is part of a 12million restoration of Kensington Palace in London.

Read the story on the Daily Mail.

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14:08   Don't watch Agent Vinod for voyeuristic pleasures

Saif Ali Khan's latest offering 'Agent Vinod' has been getting more attention due to his real-life equation with Kareena Kapoor than their onscreen pairing, which the actor feels should not be the case. 

"People should never come to see an off-screen couple in the film, they should come to see two actors on screen. They should come to see a director's film or simply to watch a movie.

"The problem is what happens behind the scene between two people becomes more important than anything else. Then people's expectations change and that overshadows everything," Saif said at an event here last evening. The film releases on March 23.

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13:59  

The other surprise results was the victory of the BJP and an Independent candidate from the Nagarkurnool Constituency and the Mahabubnagar constituency, adds Vicky Nanjappa..

 

The Congress was leading in Mahabubnagar initially, but it was the BJP candidate Srinivas Reddy who won that seat ultimately. N Janardhana Reddy, former minister who constested as an Independent managed to win the Nagarkurnool constituency defeating the Congress.

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13:57   Cong, TDP lose face in Andhra bypolls

Update on the Andhra Pradesh bypolls.

 

It was a loss of face for both the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party in the by-elections in Andhra Pradesh with the both losing all the seven seats. While the result in Telangana was an expected one, the Kovooru assembly seat which was the most watched was picked up by the YSR Congress party Jagan's candidate.

 

Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa reports that N Prasanna Kumar Reddy won the Koovuru seat by 23,000 votes. Reddy was originally with the TDP when he contested the same seat in 2009 in which he won by a margin of just 7000 votes against the Congress. However, this time he managed to increase his lead and won with a comfortable majority. 

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13:49   Daniel Craig reports intimate film scenes to wife

Daniel Craig reported every detail of his steamy intimate scenes in the latest Bond flick to his wife Rachel Weisz. The 44-year-old actor, who married Weisz last year in a private New York City ceremony, with only four guests in
attendance, has filmed some steamy scenes with French actress Berenice Marlohe for Skyfall.

 

"There is an incredible chemistry between Daniel and Berenice Marlohe. In most of the hot bed scenes she is naked except for a tiny thong. It is no wonder he has been telling everyone on set he has to tell the missus every time they do
'one of those close-ups', a source said. "He reckons that he has been reporting faithfully on it to her," the source added.

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13:48   Julia Roberts CRAZY about Tarsem Singh

Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts says she is a big fan of Indian-origin film director Tarsem Singh. The 44-year-old star said that the chance to work with
Singh was one of the big draws of "Mirror Mirror".


"It was just Tarsem. I'm so crazy about that guy, there's no two ways about it. He's so remarkable and his point of view is so original and massive. I really just wanted to have lunch with him," Roberts said. "I didn't really care what we were going to talk about, you know, and then he spins his web and there's no getting out of it," she added.

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13:46   India hails dismissal Gita ban in Russia

India today welcomed the dismissal of a petition seeking a ban on a translated version of Bhagavad Gita, saying it appreciated the efforts of all friends in Russia who made this outcome possible. 

 

"We are happy to learn that the Hon'ble District Court in Tomsk, Siberia in the Russian Federation has dismissed the appeal made by the local Procurator while upholding the verdict of the lower court in the legal case concerning the publication Bhagvad Gita as It Is. 

 

"We welcome the decision of the Honble District court and appreciate the efforts of all friends in Russia who made this outcome possible," official spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said. 

 

A Russian court has dismissed a petition seeking a ban on a translated version of Bhagavad Gita for being "extremist", an issue which threatened to strain Indo-Russia ties.

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13:44  
More bypoll results: The ruling AIADMK retains the Sankarankoil (SC) Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu by over 68,000 votes.
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13:44   Why Mamata defends her broken English

In a televised interview on Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee defended India's "federal structure spirit." While she was careful not to go overboard in her criticism of the Congress party -- "They are our number one ally party so it doesn't look nice to say anything" -- she argued that regional parties like hers must be given the respect and political weight they deserve. She explained this in broken English.

Read more on the WSJ

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13:34  
Congress wrests Mansa assembly constituency from BJP in Gujarat by-polls.
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13:33   The price of political dynasties

On the Wall Street Journal: The recently concluded state assembly elections reveal that dynastic politics is alive and well in India. The new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, is the son of a former chief minister, as is the new chief minister of Uttarakhand, Vijay Bahuguna. In Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal, the deputy chief minister, is by all accounts waiting in the wings to succeed his elderly father, the current chief minister.

 

Read

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13:29   BJP bickering ensures Cong win in K'taka bypoll

The infighting within the BJP did them in and the party's prestigious constituency -- Udupi-Chikmagalur -- where the Congress won the bypolls, reports rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa.

 

The by-election to this Parliamentary constituency which was held by D Sadananda Gowda was won by the Congress by over 40,000 votes.

 

The seat had fallen vacant after Gowda resigned as MP after he was made the Chief Minister of Karnataka.

 

Congress candidate, K Jayaprakash Hegde won the seat by defeating the BJP's Sunil Kumar in the bypoll that was held on March 18.

 

The poll had attracted a lot of interest as it was considered to be a prestigious seat for the BJP. When elections to this seat was held in the year 2009, the Congress candidate, Hegde was defeated by a large margin by Gowda.

 

However, when it came to canvassing, there was a palpable lacklustre effort from the BJP. In fact, party president Nitin Gadkari who had come down to discuss this election, but had to return halfway as he had to deal with the problems of infighting within the party.

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13:19  
Just in: BJD wins the Orissa bypolls  
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13:12   Police surround France shooting suspect who killed 7

Police hunting a gunman suspected of killing seven people in southern France have surrounded a house in Toulouse. The 24-year-old Frenchman from Toulouse has said he belongs to al-Qaeda, Interior Minister Claude Gueant said. Police are now negotiating with the man, who said he acted in "revenge for Palestinian children" and French military operations abroad.

 

Read

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13:04   Guj porn scandal trending on Twitter

Kanchan Gupta @KanchanGupta  Alleged 'journo' must also be asked to explain how MLAs went online inside Assembly where jammers jam all signals.

 

Ramesh Srivats @rameshsrivats  RT @diogeneb Overheard in Guj Assembly: "Came cho? | Majama | Su phone che? | Semens"

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12:58   London Book Fair: Row over China delegates

A leading Chinese dissident has criticised the London Book Fair (LBF) for inviting only writers approved by Chinese communist authorities. This year's LBF has a special focus on China, saying it aims "to showcase the very best of Chinese literature today".

Read the bbc report.

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12:49   New hunt for Amelia Earhart's plane

More world news: Explorers are to begin a new push to find the remains of famed aviator Amelia Earhart's long-lost plane. Analysts say an old photo shows part of her doomed Lockheed Electra, and a July search is set for Nikumaroro island, part of Kiribati in the Pacific.

Read the bbc report

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12:46   Romney wins Illinois primary

In world news...

Mitt Romney has won the Republican primary in Illinois, his latest win on the road to decide who will contest November's poll against Barack Obama. Read

 

 

The lawyer representing a US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in their homes has said there is little proof of his client's guilt. John Henry Browne said there was "no forensic evidence" against Staff Sgt Robert Bales and "no confession". Read

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12:38   Media lies, NO plans to separate: Norway custody dad

Anurup Bhattacharya now says there is NO misunderstanding between me and my wife. And that any problems between them are created by the media. No plans to separate either.  

This comes after the government today put on hold the visit of a senior External Affairs Ministry official to Norway in connection with the child custody case amid reports that there were differences between the parents. 

"The government has tried its best to bring the children home so that they have a future in the country. But a new situation has developed.... we cannot interfere. The visit of a Joint Secretary (to Norway) has been postponed," Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur told reporters outside Parliament House. She said the government will look into the situation before taking the next step.

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12:30  

Our Delhi correspondent says that there is one upmanship between the AIADMK and the DMK over the Lanka war crimes issue. The AIADMK leadership has pulled up Lok Sabha MPs of ADMK for thumping the desk when PM had not even completed his reply on war crimes.

While the AIADMK MPs in the Rajya Sabha did extremely well in putting the UPA2 in a tight spot, especially Tamil Nadu Congress MPs including GK Vasan and Jayanthi Natarajan.

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12:17   PC on hostage crisis: Orissa CM did not ask for help

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram took on Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnaik on the Italian hostages issue. Chidambaram said Patnaik did not ask the home ministry for help, but despite this the Union Home Secretary was in touch with the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police. The Centre is ready to rush an officer conversant in English-Italian-Hindi to liaise with the abductors.

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12:08   Uproar in LS over Plan panel's poverty estimates

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha was adjourned today following uproar over the fresh poverty estimates released by the Planning Commission which pegged the poverty line at Rs 28.65 per capita daily consumption in cities.

 

As soon as the House met, NDA Convenor Sharad Yadav and Prabodh Panda (CPI) were on their feet demanding suspension of the Question Hour for a discussion on latest poverty estimates of the Planning Commission.Speaker Meira Kumar said she had disallowed the notices given by Yadav and Panda and called for the Question Hour. BJP, JD(U) and Shiv Sena members then trooped into the Well raising slogans against the Planning Commission. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is also Chairman of the Planning. Commission, was present in the House.   

 

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said thediscussion on the General Budget was yet to start andagitating members can raise the issue during the debate.

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12:02   Cong slays BJP, wins Karnataka bypoll

Congress wins Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka in the bypoll.

 

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11:59   Long weekend for Parliamentarians
It will be long weekend for MPs as Parliament will remain closed on Friday. The Business Advisory Committee is yet to decide as Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra MPs want to celebrate religious festival of Gudi Padwa. Huge relief for floor managers of UPA2 after shocks from UPA allies. 
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11:53   Tech Mahindra, Mahindra Satyam merge
The boards of Mahindra Satyam and Tech Mahindra today approved the merger of the two companies. "The board of directors of the company today approved the amalgamation of Mahindra Satyam with Tech Mahindra," both thecompanies said in separate filings to the BSE. The exchange ratio for the merger was pegged at 2:17 ratio, that is two shares of Tech Mahindra to be given for 17 shares of Mahindra Satyam, it said.Shareholders will get one share of Tech Mahindra for 8.5 shares of Satyam.
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11:51   One more arrest in Adarsh scam

Major General (retd) A R Kumar arrested in Hyderabad in connection with Adarsh society scam. This takes the total number of arrests to five.

 

Yesterday, CBI officials swooped down at the residence of R C Thakur, a retired defence estates officer, and Brigadier (retired) M M Wanchoo and took them to its office. Later, the duo, along with P V Deshmukh, a former deputy secretary in the urban department, were taken to a hospital for medical check up, a formality before effecting an arrest.

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11:48   AP bypoll: TRS leading in four seats; YSR Cong ahead in one

TRS candidates were leading in four seats, while YSR Congress nominee was leading in one seat in the bypoll to seven assembly constituencies in Andhra
Pradesh, counting for which is underway today. 

 

According to initial trends, TRS candidates were leading in Station Ghanpur, Kamareddy, Adilabad and Kollapur seats, while Independent candidate and former TDP leader Nagam Janardhan Reddy was ahead of his rival in Nagarkurnool. In Kovur, the YSR Congress candidate N Prasanna Kumar Reddy was leading over his nearest TDP rival S Chandra Mohan Reddy.


In Adilabad, TRS candidate Jogu Ramanna was leading over his nearest TDP rival B Shankar by a margin of over 7,800 votes after the completion of fourth round.

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11:34   India may back off from Norway custody row
Just in: MoS External Affairs joint secretary cancels his visit to Norway in the wake of an alleged dispute between the Bhattacharyas. While the Indian ambassador will still speak to the couple, India has indicated that it may back off if it is established that there is in fact a dispute between the parents.
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11:29   2 BJP Guj MLAs caught watching porn in Assembly

Just in: A CNN IBN report says that two BJP MLAs in Gujarat were allegedy caught watching porn clips on their tablets inside the Assembly, while proceedings were on.

The two MLAs are believed to be Shankar Choudhury and Jetha Dharwad. According to reports a local journalist recorded the two watching porn.

 

It may be recollected that two Karnataka Assembly ministers -- CC Patil and Lakshman Savadi -- were caught in a porngate scandal. The two ministers were caught last week watching an obscene video on former Mangalore in-charge Minister J Krishna Palemar's mobile phone, while the Assembly was in session.

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11:19   Norway custody row: India may back off over couples' rift

Update on the Norway custody battle. India may now back off from the case if it is established that there is a family dispute. 

 

The feud between the parents Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya, which had remained largely under wraps until yesterday, worsened, with Bhattacharya saying he would be applying for a legal separation.

 

Two Indian diplomats who left New Delhi for Norway to try and resolve the issue of transfer of custody of the children from the Norwegian Child Welfare Service that is due to come up before a court on March 23, say the Indian ambassador may speak to the couple.

 

Sagarika, however denied the allegations, vowing to fight for the kids' custody. Her mother, yesterday, said talks of a separation between the couple were false and they were very much together.

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11:14   UDF candidate Anoop Jacob wins by over 12,000 votes

In a boost to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the ruling Congress-led UDF in Kerala today retained the Piravom assembly seat with its candidate Anoop Jacob winning by a margin of 12,070 votes. 

 

While Anoop Jacob (Kerala Congress-Jacob), a constituent of the UDF, garnered 82,756 votes, LDF'S M J Jacob got 70,686 votes. BJP's K R Rajagopal polled 3241 votes. 

 

There were nine canidates in the fray in the March 17 bypoll, whose outcome today has given a boost to Chandy, who is running the government with a wafer thin margin. Both the UDF and the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF)
had launched a stiff fight in the constituency, represented by Anoop's father and former minister T M Jacob. His death necessiated the bypoll.

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11:01   Maoists offer to release 1 Italian for 1 demand met

Update on the five-day old Italian hostage crisis. The Maoists have sent feelers to the Odisha government that they will release one of the two Italians if one their demands are agreed upon. The Maoists have been insisting on the acceptance of their 13-point charter of demands including withdrawal of cases against the ultras. The Maoists made the offer on an audio tape.

 

Paolo Boscusco and Claudio Colangelo, who were abducted by the left-wing extremists on March 14 while they were visiting some areas in the tribal-dominated Daringbadi Tehsil of Kandhamal district.

 

Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi spoke to his Indian counterpart S M Krishna who assured him that the Odisha government was taking all steps to secure their early release.

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10:53   Centre: NO error in decriminalisation of gay sex

The Centre clarifies in the Supreme Court its stand on homosexuality, saying there is no error in decriminalisation of gay sex.

Yesterday, pulling up the Centre for its "casual" approach on the important issue of decriminalisation of homosexuality, the Supreme Court said it needs to be condemned.

After going through various affidavits of the government, a bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhyay said the Centre has taken this case very casually.

"They have taken this case very casually. This practice needs to be condemned and we are going to say so in our judgment," the bench observed.

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10:44   7.4 quake shakes Mexico, 100s of homes damaged

A strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit southern Mexico, damaging some 800 homes near the epicentre and swaying tall buildings and spreading fear
and panic hundreds of miles away in the capital of Mexico City.

 


One of the strongest to shake Mexico since the deadly 1985 temblor that killed thousands in Mexico City, yesterday's earthquake hit hardest in border area of southern Oaxaca and Guerrero states.

 


In Guerrero, officials confirmed that some 800 homes had been damaged, with another 60 having collapsed. Hours after the shaking at noon local time, there were still no reports of death or serious injury, even after a less powerful, magnitude-5.1 aftershock was felt in the capital and several other aftershocks near the epicentre in a mountainous rural region.

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10:36   Headlines this morning

Yeddyurappa climbs down, says will abide by leadership (Hindustan Times)
Former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa today said that he will meet the BJP central leadership in New Delhi a day after he refused to heed to party summons. Read

 

 

Government schools breed Naxals, says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Hindustan Times)
While Odisha officials struggle with the Italian hostage crisis, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has come out and accused government schools of being breeding grounds for Naxalism. Read

 

 

Norway custody case: Father files for separation (The Times of India)
In a dramatic unravelling of the case, the children's father, Anurup Bhattacharya, has filed for legal separation from his wife, Sagarika. Read

 

 

Decision on Bhattacharya children may be delayed (The Hindu)

Paperwork on custody transfer yet to be submitted to court that is set to hear case on Friday Read

 

 

Setback to Centre as court rejects review plea in Vodafone case (The Hindu)
The outcome is likely to have a bearing on the retrospective amendment to the Income Tax Act proposed in the Union budget. Read

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