Lok Janshakti Party supremo Ram Bilas Paswan today said NDA has no moral right in calling for a countrywide against petrol price hike.

"The NDA has no moral right to call a Bharat bandh. If NDA was so concerned over the issue, it's government in Bihar should have withdrawn tax on petrol. It would have enabled people to buy petrol at Rs 52 per litre," he told reporters in Patna.

Paswan asked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should to "set aside the drama" and withdraw the state tax on petrol.

Former Karnataka DGP S M Bidari today moved the Supreme Court seeking his reinstatement as state police chief, the appointment for which had been quashed by the Central Administrative Tribunal.

A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar, however, recused themselves from hearing the plea and ordered its listing before a different bench.

Bidari approached the apex court challenging Karnataka High Court's order which had held that Bidari's empanelment for the post of state police chief was vitiated as the state government had not placed before the empanelling authority the report of the NHRC's panel on atrocities committed by the Special Task Force, headed by Bidari during the operation to arrest elusive forest brigand Veerappan.

England batsman Kevin Pietersen announces retirement from all forms of international limited overs cricket.

Full report in a bit

Railway minister Mukul Roy also says he's on his way to the accident site near Jaunpur. He promised jobs for the families of the deceased and remarked that "Precius (sic) life has been lost and serious steps to prevent accidents will be taken within a month."

He ended the interview to TV channels saying: Death cannot be compromised with anybody else. 

Whatever that means.

In the backdrop of US pressure to reduce oil imports from Iran, India today said unilateral sanctions should not impact upon its "legitimate trade interests" with Iran. 

After talks with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna made it clear that Iran remained India's important source for oil given the growing domestic demand for crude. Asked about the US sanctions on Iran and its affect on trade, Krishna said India has always abided by the United Nations Security Council resolutions on the Iran issue. 

"As far as other sanctions, those decided unilaterally or regionally, we are aware of such measures. In a globalised world, these actions can have an impact on the markets," he said.

"Our commercial entities take these into account. Such measures should not impact on legitimate trade interests," Krishna said. Salehi underlined that Iran has been a reliable partner for India on matters of energy security and will  continue to be so. He also urged India to look at energy resources that were
reliable.

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee plays it right, demands an explanation into the Doon Express accident. Remember, she made Mukul Roy the rail minister by dethroning Dinesh Trivedi after he presented a budget that didn't get her nod.

At the KKR carnival in Kolkata on Tuesday, Roy was at her side during the felicitation ceremony.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who returned here today from London, said he will look into "certain developments" when he reaches Bhubaneswar,
in an apparent reference to a meeting of MLAs with powerful BJD MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra fuelling rumours of cracks within the party. 

"I understand that in my absence, certain events took place...I will look into them when I reach Bhubaneswar," Patnaik said. Shortly after reaching here, he held deliberations with party MPs Baijayant Panda and Pinaki Mishra and said he would also consult his party members after reaching Bhubaneswar this
evening. 

"There is absolutely no threat to Naveen Patnaik from me. He is completely safe as chief minister as he is the leader of the BJD," Mohapatra had said. At least 21 BJD legislators, including three ministers, had met at the residence of Mohapatra with some leaders terming the exercise as "pressure tactics" by one group close to the Rajya Sabha member at a time when Patnaik was away.

The Jaunpur District magistrate puts the figures as three dead and 11 injured. He says no passengers are stuck inside the bogies that have derailed and capsized. Helpline numbers: 033-26413660 2640224/3/2

Railway minister Mukul Roy (this is the second accident on his beat) says the "situation is being closely monitored."

Conflicting reports: A Press Trust of India report, quoting police sources, says that five people have been killed and 50 injured in the Howrah-Dehradun Doon Express derailment.

Mewaram, an eyewitness, a vendor on the Doon Express tells CNN IBN that medical teams have reached the spot. Railways coach number S9 and two general bogies have derailed, while S6, S7, S8 and SE (extra coach) have turned turtle.

The district magistrate says the accident occured at 12:30 pm.  

Sanjay Saxena CPRO, Railways, tells CNN IBN that rescue operations have begun. Injured are being taken to hospital. Three dead, he confirms.

If you've just joined us, the 18-coach 13009  Howrah-Dehradun Doon Express Coaches 11, 12, 13, 14 have capsized say railway officials, while 15 and 16 derailed. The train leaves Howrah at 8.35 pm and reaches Dehradun at 7.10 am. Given that it is still summer vacation, seats would be completely booked.

It is still not know whether the coaches are general or AC. District officials are at the spot. Casualties veer between three and four.

Fresh reports say six coaches and not five, have derailed. The accident happened 35 km from Jaunpur which is the district headquarters. Of the six which have derailed, four bogies have capsized, say early reports.

The accident relief team is yet to reach the spot.

Early reports say three people have died. Local police say the train was moving at a very high speed.  

Just in: Five coaches of the Doon Express has derailed at Jaunpur in UP. The train was plying between Dehradun and Howrah. Early reports say some people were injured. Details awaited.

BJP president Nitin Gadkari said the Bharat bandh was the common man's reaction to wrong economic policies and corrupt governance of the Congress Party.

Gadkari refused to comment on the party's Sanjay Joshi, who is steering the protest against last week's hike in petrol prices near the Akshardham Temple in New Delhi. Joshi has been asked to lead the procession and demonstration.

Joshi, considered to be close to Gadkari, had earlier resigned from the party's National Executive. A strong critic of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, he had earlier this month sent a letter to Gadkari and said that he is relinquishing his post in the larger interest of the party.

The bandh called by NDA, Left and Samajwadi Party to protest the petrol price hike by the Centre today evoked a good response in initial hours in Uttar Pradesh with business establishments remaining closed in most parts of the state.

BJP workers rode a bullock-cart in front of the party office to mark their protest against the petrol price hike. The SP workers raising  slogans against the UPA government took out a rally and urged traders not to open shops to make
the bandh successful.

BJP leader L K Advani today admitted that people were "disappointed" with the party and appeared to be hitting out at party chief Nitin Gadkari as he
said the campaign against corruption had been hurt due to induction of an ousted BSP leader facing graft charges. He said the BJP had not risen to the occasion at a time when there was anger against the UPA government over various scams.

"If people are today angry with the UPA government, they are also disappointed with us.  The situation ...calls for introspection," the BJP veteran wrote in his blog, the first on organisational affairs after the party's National Executive where the differences between leaders was in focus. "... when these days media-persons attack the UPA government for its string of scams, but at the same time regret that the BJP led NDA is not rising to the occasion, I as a former pressman myself, feel they are reflecting public opinion correctly," he said. 

Observing that the mood within the party "these days is not upbeat", he said,  "The results in Uttar Pradesh (assembly polls), the manner in which the party welcomed BSP Ministers who were removed by Mayawati ji on charges of corruption, the partys handling of Jharkhand and Karnataka all these events have undermined the partys campaign against corruption." 

The Cabinet today approved a new telecom policy that proposes to abolish roaming charges on mobile phones and allow users to retain the same number across the country. The Cabinet approved the National Telecom Policy (NTP)2012, a senior minister told reporters after the meeting of the Cabinet.

The NTP 2012 aims to provide free roaming to telecom users and allow them to retain the mobile number even outside their circles without having to pay any extra charge. At present, users have to pay extra when they receive or make a call in a circle outside their home network, called roaming charges.

"I don't want to name people here but when these so called pallbearers of society give lectures and talk about how one should conduct himself or herself, it's irritating. I want to tell that person "You stupid red-wine drinking, uncool, good for nothing socialite... what right do you have to glorify yourself in tabloids or on TV like that? What life have you seen? How dare you go on some television channel and call me an overgrown schoolboy? What life have you lived?"

Shah Rukh Khan in an interview to the TOI. Read

Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who is on a brief visit to India, met Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh here. Ramesh has invited Gates to launch partnerships for developing inexpensive sanitation solutions in the country.

Reportedly, Ramesh also asked for support in creating behavioural change and communication pilot models like the pulse polio campaign for toilet use in India. Earlier, Gates met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and discussed the state of healthcare programmes in the state, which his charitable foundation intends to sponsor.

Gates met Yadav at his official residence in Lucknow along with members of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable organisation that he runs along with his wife.

Goa remained completely shut except for few buses of state-owned Kadamba Transport Corporation plying on roads along with emergency services, in response to NDA's bandh call against the petrol price hike. Several tourists were seen stranded in the coastal belt as tourist taxis, private buses and even autorickshaws were off roads fearing attack by protestors.

In Arunachal Pradesh: All business establishments, educational institutions,
central government offices and banking institutions remained closed while attendances in state government offices remained thin, official sources said.
 Streets of Itanagar wore a deserted look with all sorts of commercial, public and private vehicles remaining off the road.

Advani said the mood within the party is not upbeat and the BJP-led NDA has not risen to the occasion. The handling of elections in Jharkhand and Karnataka has undermined the BJP's campaign against graft. The induction of corrupt ministers has hurt the party and it is now time to introspect.  

Another one of those 'studies', where men and money have been squandered.

Offices inhabited by men have significantly more bacteria than women''s, according to a new study. The team, led by Scott Kelley of University of California, San Diego, identified more than 500 bacterial genera in offices in the three cities, the most abundant of which tended to come from human skin or the nasal, oral, or intestinal cavities.

"Humans are spending an increasing amount of time indoors, yet we know little about the diversity of bacteria and viruses where we live, work and play,' said Dr Kelley.

"This study provides detailed baseline information about the rich bacterial communities in typical office settings and insight into the sources of these organisms,' he said.

The researchers also found that chairs and phones had a high abundance of bacteria, while the abundance on the desktop, keyboard, and mouse were somewhat lower.

Just in: Left leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury, AB Bardhan and B Raja have been detained in Delhi today over protests on the fuel price hike. They have detained at the Daryaganj police station.   

That's Gen Bikram Singh, who takes over as army chief today -- a lover-boy of a general and an articulate poetry-spouting soldier, is the first officer who has risen to the top post after joining service following India's last war. Bikram Singh or Bikki and wife Bubbles (Surjeet Kaur) openly acknowledge their love story.

Read more on the Telegraph, Calcuta.

The BSE benchmark Sensex tumbled by 193 points to 16,119.55 at 1100 hrs due to persistent selling pressure mainly from auto, refinery, banking, consumer
durables and IT sectors, triggered by fall in rupee value against the dollar.
The rupee fell to a record low in opening trade which was also another factor behind fall in share values. 

The BSE benchmark Sensex resumed lower at 16,224.86 and dropped further to a low of 16,115.63 before quoting at 16,119.55 at 1100 hrs, showing a net loss of 192.60 points or 1.18 per cent from its last close. The NSE 50-share Nifty also declined by 53.95 points, or 1.09 per cent, to 4,896.80 at 1100 hrs.

Rediff.com's Vrushali Lad on the bandh in Mumbai.

BEST buses are plying normally, autorickshaws in certain parts of the city, such as Andheri, Goregaon and Kandivli are off the roads.

Incidents of stone-pelting on BEST buses at a few spots in Mumbai. Three BEST buses were pelted with stones and their windshields damaged at Worli, by suspected RPI activists. At other places, tyres of BEST buses were deflated. All over Maharashtra, about 22 state transport buses have been pelted with stones.

Offices and restaurants in south Mumbai will remain shut till 4 pm today. Madhulika Dash, a freelance writer and Colaba resident who heads out every morning for breakfast said, "The restaurant I go to every morning is closed. The owner told me that they will open only after 4 pm today." Offices in the Fort area of Mumbai, the commercial district of the city, were closed.

The city is quieter today, especially in usually crowded places like Dadar station with taxi stands also empty. At Borivli station, the absence of autorickshaws has opened up the roads for commuters to walk without having to brave traffic snarls.

A shopkeeper in the Kandivli suburb said on condition of anonymity, "My son opened our grocery shop at 9 am time today, but within minutes, two men came and quietly told him to down shutters. We closed the shop because we don't want any trouble."

Police bandobast is heavy in areas where there are railway stations, bus depots, taxi stands, and in places where Shiv Sena and BJP activists staged 'rasta rokos. Attendance is low in several places. Banks and petrol pumps are working normally, but the city's famed dabbawallahs are taking the day off.

General V K Singh, who took over the reins of the Indian Army 26 months ago with the image of an anti-corruption crusader, retired as the army chief on Thursday, bringing to an end a controversial tenure that was marred by rows over his age and fissures among the military brass.

General Singh, who gave his last salute at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate in New Delhi on Thursday morning after 42 years of service, will be succeeded by Eastern Army Commander General Bikram Singh.General Bikram Singh will have a tenure of two years and three months. Singh, who took over as the army chief on March 31, 2010, will leave behind a legacy of controversies starting from a row regarding his age. Opinions were divided on his tenure among former top officials of armed forces, with some hailing him and others criticising him.

More on rediff.com

The Delhi police also made a token arrest of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, senior BJP vice president, Sanjay Joshi, general secretary, and O P Kohli, former chief of Delhi BJP, but were let off immediately after.

BJP workers had blocked the Delhi Gaziabad NOIDA route at Akshardham temple.

NDA Convener and JD-U national president Sharad Yadav and BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain were among 800 activists taken into custody while enforcing the NDA sponsored "Bharat bandh" in Bihar to protest the petrol price hike. Yadav along with 700 odd supporters took out processions in Saharsa town to enforce the call.

Yadav along with NDA supporters were soon taken into custody in Sahars sadar police station, sources said. Hussain, the BJP National Spokesman, and others were detained in Bhagalpur town while trying to enforce the bandh, they said.

Yadav demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh resign immediately for "failure" of his government to control the spiralling prices of petroleum products and essential commodities. Yadav claimed the bandh was total.

More French people live in London than in Bordeaux, Nantes or Strasbourg and it is now thought to be France's sixth biggest city in terms of population. What is attracting a new generation of young French professionals to the city?

Read

Worldwide, every three seconds a girl under the age of 18 is married. In India, 90% of these marriages are arranged between families. And with a divorce rate of just above 1% proponents argue arranged marriage is an effective way for young people to find a partner. But what happens when a proposed marriage goes awry?

Read more on cnn.com

We'll keep you updated on all the news of the bandh as it happens.

Meanwhile, in other news: A Tibetan mother of three has died after setting herself on fire in Sichuan province, two reports say. The woman, in her 30s, set herself on fire outside a monastery in Aba county, Radio Free Asia and Free Tibet said. Aba county has been at the heart of a series of self-immolations involving Tibetans in apparent protest against Chinese rule.  Read

In Mumbai, Raj Thackeray's MNS has not supported the bandh saying it will not have any effect on fuel prices.

Roads in Dadar, the Shiv Sena stronghold are entirely empty. Two buses were stoned in Andheri despite a 48,000-strong police contingent on the roads. Major police deployment in sensitive areas like Chembur, Dadar, Jogeshwari, Govandi and Byculla.

Three units of the Rapid Action Force on standby. The police are also monitoring the situation on CCTV cameras.

In Mumbai: BEST buses were pelted with stones in suburban Mulund and Dadar, Worli and Currey Road. 

BJP activists staged noisy protests outside Borivali station, at S V Road in Kandivali and also in suburban Chembur. 

Local trains and buses were plying as usual in most parts of the city. The Eastern Expressway, the arterial road which connects suburbs to Mumbai saw less traffic than usual as some of the officegoers preferred to stay home in view of the bandh. Taxis and autorickaws were plying normally.

However, leaders of taxi and rickshaw unions have announced that they will take vehicles off the roads in case of any untoward incident.

The dabbawalaas, who supply tiffin to office goers have also taken a day off.
In Pune, protestors damaged 13 Pune Municipal transport buses while stone pelting was reported on 10 buses in Nagpur and one bus in neighbouring Thane district. In Satara, in western Maharashtra, activists stopped some buses by blocking roads as part of the bandh. 

Meanwhile, the Mumbai University has announced that there will no change in its exam schedule for today irrespective of the nationwide bandh.

Home Minister R R Patil said the government will take stringent action against those creating nuisance during the bandh and has also asked police officials to deal sternly with incidents of violence during the bandh.

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javdekar tells NDTV that people have given their verdict by participating voluntarily in the bandh. He says the bandh is gaining momentum.

CPI's  D Raja says the party has asked all its functionaries to make the bandh a success.

In other news.

General V K Singh, who took over the reins of the army 26 months ago with an image of an anti-corruption crusader, will retire as Army Chief today bringing to an end a controversial tenure that was marred by rows over his age and fissures among the military brass.

Singh (62), who will hang up his boots after 42 years of service, will be succeeded by Eastern Army Commander General Bikram Singh, who will have a tenure of two years and three months.

General V K Singh, who took over as the Army Chief on March 31, 2010 with an image of honest, firm and upright officer, will leave behind a legacy of controversies starting from a row regarding his age.

In other news: The rupee today tumbled by 26 paise to trade at a new all-time low of Rs 56.50 against the US dollar in early trade on increased capital outflows and strong demand from importers for the American currency. 

Traders said apart from capital outflows by foreign funds, strengthening of dollar against the euro, which plunged to a two-year low on continued euro-zone worries and strong month-end demand from importers, particularly oil refiners, mainly put pressure on the rupee. Yesterday, the rupee had lost 57 paise to close at record low of 56.24 despite RBI's efforts to prop it up.

Shops are shut across Mumbai, but with 48,000 police on the roads, there have been no reports of any untoward incidents so far. There have been preventive detentions last night. Local trains, buses are plying, but have been going relatively empty with most people opting to stay home.

The BJP has demanded a rollback in petrol prices by this evening. In Mumbai, at this hour, train services are running as usual, as is BEST. In fact, BEST has promised additional services if required.

Fewer autorickshaws on the roads since the Sena-led unions are probably enforcing the strike. Early hours yet, more on this when we get it.

The bigger unions led by Sharad Rao and A L Quadros said their autos and taxis will ply.

Yesterday, Maharashtra home minister R R Patil held a marathon meeting with top police officials to chart out the strategy for the bandh today.

In Mumbai, most shops have not opened at this hour. In fact, the famous dabbawalas of the city have joined the strike.

The Delhi-Howrah rail route has been blocked near Delhi.

UP (Varanasi and Allahabad), Bihar and Delhi seem to be the worst affected right now.

In Delhi, DTC buses have stopped plying on most routes. Tyres have deflated in some buses. 

In Kolkata which is used to decades of bandhs thanks to Mamata Banerjee when she was in the Opposition, long-distance trains have been affected and local trains along the Sealdah route have been stopped.  

In Nagpur: Five buses have been pelted with stones.

The BJP blocks the Akshardham road in Delhi. At least 55,000 autos are off the roads.

In Mumbai: Train services are unaffected at this hour, but very few auto rickshaws, taxis or buses on the roads. The Shiv Sena-BJP had promised that no autos, taxis, buses would ply the roads today. Read

Also see on rediff.com: Right and Left unite for Bharat Bandh today

The Opposition led by the BJP and the Left parties is observing a nationwide bandh today in protest against the recent hike in petrol price - the steepest ever in recent times. The unprecedented increase - of nearly Rs. 7.50 including taxes - met with major political uproar and public anger. 

In Kolkata: Trains along the Sealdah route have been blocked. The East-West bypass is blocked.

In Karnataka: Protestors damage 11 buses in Bangalore. Bus services have been stopped.

In Delhi: Autorickshaws stay off the road.

In UP: Samajwadi Party workers block roads

In Pune: 13 ST buses have been damaged.

In Patna: JD(U) workers stage a rail roko.

In Mumbai: Heavy deployment of police across the city.

BJP workers have 'promised' to block traffic and stage demonstrations at several places. This is expected to result in major traffic jams in the Delhi.