LIVE
Mon, 01 October 2012
Lockout at Kingfisher till October 4
Timeline Refresh
23:35 Modi has lost control over his mind: Guj Congress
Castigating Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his allegation that Sonia Gandhi's foreign trips were funded from public exchequer, the state Congress unit today said the BJP stalwart has "lost control over his mind and is suffering from "inferiority complex".
Modi today targeted the Congress President claiming that Rs 1880 crore has been spent from the public exchequer on Sonia's foreign trips in the past three years.
23:09 Lockout at Kingfisher till October 4
The meeting between the striking engineers of Kingfisher and the airline's CEO Sanjay Agarwal ended in a stalemate late on Monday, with the CEO telling the employees that the company cannot pay even a month's salary to them.
Meanwhile, an airline official was quoted as saying by a news agency that the airline will be temporarily shut down till Thursday,At the meeting with the striking engineers, Mr Agarwal urged the striking employees to return to work, at the same time threatening to stop operations if the employees do not join back work.
21:34 Make Sonia's health expenditure public: BJP
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's comments -- that the Congress had spent Rs 1880 crore of public funds on party chief Sonia Gandhi's foreign trips and treatment -- has triggered a political storm.
While a furious Congress has demanded that Modi apologise to Gandhi for his comments, BJP has demanded that the party should make its records of the expenditure on Gandhi's health public.
20:37 No forward movement on Telangana: Home Minister
With the protests intensifying over the demand for Telangana, the Centre today said there was no forward movement on the issue.
"There is no forward movement," Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters in New Delhi when asked about the Central government steps for resolution of the sensitive issue.
Asked about the claim by a senior Andhra Pradesh Police officer that the Left Wing Extremists were supporting the separate state movement, Shinde said, "That was his information. I can't say anything on it here".
Meanwhile, a top government functionary said Telangana was a political issue and a decision on the separate state has to come from the political leadership.
Last month Shinde had said the Central government was yet to take any decision on convening an all party meeting to discuss the Telangana issue.
20:18 Lt Gen who led Op Blue Star stabbed in London
Lt General (Retd) K S Brar, who led the Operation Blue Star against Sikh terrorists in 1984, was attacked and injured in London.
78-year-old Lt Gen Brar, a Z-category protectee, was stabbed by four men outside a hotel in London, sources said, adding the former army man received minor injuries and was taken to hospital.
Later, he was discharged. It was not immediately confirmed who the attackers were.
20:09 Pro-Khalistan terror financier arrested in Jalandhar
Punjab Police today claimed to have arrested a terrorist linked with several pro-Khalistan militant groups.
British national Jaswant Singh Ajad, actively working for banned terrorist organisations Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Zindabad Force and Khalistan Tiger Force was arrested last night from Focal Point area of Jalandhar, said Police Commissioner Gaurav Yadav today.
"City Police have arrested Ajad, a resident of Jalandhar and now a British national yesterday, from Focal Point area of the city with an Italy make 9 mm pistol and two magazine having 15 rounds," Yadav said.
"He has a strong and deep relation with the banned terrorist organisation Babbar Khalsa International led by Wadhawa Singh Babbar, Khalistan Zindabad Force led by Ranjit Singh Neeta, Khalistan Tiger Force led by Jagtar Singh and Parpinder Singh of Scotland and others," the commissioner said.
20:02 Will do more research on Gadkari's business deals: Digvijay
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh today appeared unfazed over the criminal defamation case filed against him by Nitin Gadkari and said he will now do more "research" on business deals of the BJP president.
"I will see when the summons come...I will have to do some more research now on his (Gadkari's) business deals and those of his friends," Singh told PTI over phone when asked about the case.
Gadkari today filed the criminal defamation case against the AICC general secretary, saying Singh has "maligned" his reputation by levelling allegations that one of his alleged business partners has earned profit of around Rs 500 crore in the coal block allocations.
Earlier in the day, senior advocate Pinky Anand told a magistrate that Singh had recently made statement that Ajay Sancheti, an alleged business partner of her client (Gadkari), had earned a huge profit of around Rs 500 crore in the coal block allocations.
18:55 Indefinite bus strike in West Bengal from Oct 9
Joint Council of Bus Syndicate, a leading bus operators association, has called an indefinite strike in the state from October 9 demanding hike in fares.
General secretary of the syndicate Sadhan Das told PTI that buses would be off the roads both in Kolkata and state from that day. He said that after the recent diesel price hike, it was becoming completely unviable to ply the buses at old fares for which the syndicate had approached the West Bengal government for a hike in ticket prices.
With the government still undecided over fare hike, Das said that there was no other option but to go for an indefinite strike.
18:35 7 dead after drinking illicit liquor in Muzaffarpur
Seven persons died and two others were taken ill after drinking illicit liqour at Neknampur village in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar, an official said today. Sub-Divisional Officer, West, Kundan Kumar said that seven persons have died and two others were taken ill after drinking spurious liqour in the past 24 hours.
The victims have been identified as Mistri Sahni, Gunaur Sahni, Shivmangal Ram, Balendra Ram, Baleshwar Ram, Ramlal Sahni and Bilkeshwar Ram, he said.
The officer also denied claims by the villagers about death of four more persons -- Bindeshwar Ram, Sanjeev Kumar, Devilal Bhagal and Rambha Devi and said that they died of other reasons.
Of the two taken ill, one person was admitted to a private hospital for treatment, while another was undergoing treatment at the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, Kumar said.
Meanwhile, irate people set on fire two liqour shops and blocked Deoria-Muzaffarpur road to protest sale of illicit liqour and police inaction to deal with those running illicit liqour manufacturing units.
18:30 144 indigenous howitzers approved for army
The defence ministry has cleared a proposal to induct 144 indigenously-developed 155mm howitzers into the army for which trials will be held later this year.
The 155mm artillery guns are being developed indigenously by the Ordnance Factory Board in Jabalpur on the basis of Transfer of Technology of the controversial Swiss Bofors guns, which were inducted into the army in late 1980s.
"The Defence Acquisition Council has cleared a proposal for production of 144 155mm guns (in the army). Winter trials will take place in December and summer trials in June," Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters in New Delhi. He expressed hope that these trials would be successful "so that after 30 years, India can have upgraded 155mm guns."
The defence minister had recently visited Jabalpur to review the progress in the development of these guns.
The army has not been able to induct even a single new piece of artillery gun in the last 25 years despite several attempts.
18:28 Woman strangulated for giving birth to girl child
A 27-year-old woman from Maharashtra's Beed district, infamous for its high incidence of female foeticide, was allegedly strangulated to death by her in-laws for giving birth to a girl for the third time, the police said today.
The incident took place last night around 11 pm in Malikpura area of Parli tehsil following a quarrel among them, they said.
The victim, Shaikh Taslima, mother of two girls and a boy delivered the baby last month after which she was allegedly tortured by her husband Shaikh Navab and family, according to a police complaint filed by her brother Shaikh Shaukat.
18:09 33 Indian fishermen arrested in Pakistan
Pakistani authorities today arrested 33 Indian fishermen and seized their five boats for allegedly fishing in the country's exclusive economic zone.
The Maritime Security Agency arrested the fishermen for allegedly entering Pakistan's territorial waters, officials said. The fishermen were sent to a police station in the southern port city of Karachi.
While on the subject, don't miss reading Shivam Vij's special on the subject, from rediff.com, here.
18:08 Naga women rally for 33 pc reservation in assembly
Despite opposition from certain tribal councils, Naga women today staged protest rallies in Kohima and district headquarter towns against the state assembly's recent resolution rejecting 33 per cent reservation of seats for women in municipal bodies.
The women, under the aegis of the Joint Action Committee on Women Reservation, demanded intervention of the governor by summoning a special session of the assembly to discuss the women's reservation issue taking into consideration the views and opinions of all stakeholders.
They then went to Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum to the governor in this regard, JACWR sources said.
17:45 SC reserves verdict on former MLA's plea in Rahul case
The Supreme Court today reserved its verdict on a plea by a former Samajwadi Party MLA seeking to set aside the directions issued against him by the Allahabad high court in a case of alleged illegal confinement of a girl in which Rahul Gandhi's name was dragged.
Kishore Samrite, a former MLA from Madhya Pradesh, has challenged Rs 50 lakh fine imposed on him by the high court for approaching it with these allegations.
The high court on March 7, 2011 had also directed the CBI to register a case against Samrite and to find out as to under what circumstances the PIL was filed.
17:42 5 of a family held guilty of honour killing of couple
Five members of a family were today convicted in the 2010 honour killing of a teenaged couple who were beaten up mercilessly, tortured and then electrocuted by the convicts who objected to the marriage with the boy from a different caste.
"It can be safely concluded that the prosecution has been able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused persons had caused the death of the victims with the common intention after giving them merciless beatings by tying them with rope and thereafter electrocuting them on various parts of their body," additional sessions judge Ramesh Kumar said.
The case pertains to honour killing of Yogesh and Asha who hailed from hte Scheduled Caste and upper caste respectively. The duo were in love and had disclosed to their parents that they intended to get married.
17:30 My focus only on 2012 Gujarat polls: Modi
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has said in no uncertain terms that his focus is only 2012 assembly elections, and not 2014 general elections.
In an interview to CNN-IBN, he also stated that 'when Mr Obama is against people going to malls and shopping (and whereby impacting the small traders), how is it wrong for me to oppose FDI in retail?'
17:26 President drops 'Your Excellency' etc...
The new President prefers to be addressed simply as Sri Pranab Mukherjee, sans 'your excellency', says this report.
17:19 Chandrababu Naidu to launch padyatra tomorrow
Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu will launch a padyatra (foot march) from Hindupur in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh tomorrow, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.
The Andhra Pradesh Leader of Opposition is expected to cover over 2000 km in 117 days covering about 13 out of 23 districts of the state in the first round of "Vastunna...mee kosam" (I am coming....for you) yatra.
Hindupur is a stronghold of the TDP from where party founder-president N T Rama Rao was previously elected to the state assembly. Hence, Naidu chose Hindupur as the starting point of his yatra that will culminate on Republic Day.
17:18 Assam minister's visit leads to tension along Mizoram border
There was tension in some areas along the Mizoram-Assam border when Assam minister Siddique Ahmed Majumdar visited the police checkgate in the border town of Vairengte with a large number of villagers.
Mizoram police officials said around 50 villagers from Lailapur in Assam preceded Majumdar's entourage on two-wheelers in an alleged attempt to enter the Mizoram police's check gate at Vairengte last evening. While the minister's car turned back before reaching the police checkgate, some Lailapur villagers reached it and were stopped by Mizoram police and local residents.
17:15 British historian Eric Hobsbawm dies at 95
Eric Hobsbawm, one of the leading historians of the 20th century, has died, theGuardian newspaper reporting quoting his family.
The newspaper said Hobsbawm, 'a lifelong Marxist whose work influenced generations of historians and politicians,' died early on Monday morning. Hobsbawm, 95, breathed his last at London's Royal Free Hospital after a prolonged illness.
The Guardian said, 'Hobsbawm's four-volume history of the 19th and 20th centuries, spanning European history from the French revolution to the fall of the USSR, is acknowledged as among the defining works on the period.'
17:10 Will support Kejriwal if he runs for office: Anna
NDTV reports: Activist Arvind Kejriwal's courtesy call to his mentor, Anna Hazare, hasn't taken long to show dividends.
Seventy-five-year-Anna said this evening that if Mr Kejriwal runs for office, he will support him. "And if he stands against (minister) Kapil Sibal from Chandni Chowk, I will personally campaign for him," he quipped.
Read the full story here
16:45 God help you and this country: SC to government
NDTV reports: The Supreme Court today took offense to the fact that retired judges, who are currently members of a tribunal, have not been given government accommodation in Delhi.
The judges told the government's lawyer, "You slip into deep slumber and you want court to wake you up? Why do you compel us to do something which we refrain from doing? God help you and God help this country."
Read the full story here
16:44 Union Bank, OBC revise deposit rates on FCNR accounts
Public sector lenders Union Bank of India and Oriental Bank of Commerce revised their deposit rates on FCNR accounts (foreign currency non-deposit accounts) with maturity of one-five years from today.
As per the revised rates announced by Union Bank, the deposit rates have been revised downwards by 4-12 basis points on 1-5 year maturity in dollar-denominated accounts.
Similarly, rates have also been revised for FCNR accounts in the euro, pound, Australian and Canadian dollars among others.
16:04 Yasser Arafats body to be dug up to study cause of death
Nearly eight years after his death, the body of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will be exhumed from a tomb to determine the cause of his death.
Three French judges, expected to arrive in Ramallah in the next few weeks, will investigate allegations that the former Palestinian president did not die a natural death, but was poisoned by Israeli agents.
Rumours that the 75-year-old leader had AIDS, or cirrhosis of the liver were swiftly discounted, but suggestions that he was poisoned to death by polonium have proved more durable.
According to The Guardian, now, scientists are attempting to prove or quash such theory.
The exhumation of Arafat's body will be a delicate and emotive task because of the deep affection and respect he continues to hold among Palestinians.
The corpse will be removed from the tomb and transferred to a hospital in Ramallah for samples to be taken and tested for the presence of toxins.
16:00 Anna Hazare meets ex-bureaucrats on 2nd day of Delhi visit
On the second day of his Delhi visit, Anna Hazare, whose differences with Arvind Kejriwal have become a matter of record, met a host of personalities. Addressing the media on his future road map, Hazare said a lot of former bureaucrats and Army officers were keen on joining his movement for a strong Lokpal.
More power to him, we say!
15:59 Congress ko itna gussa kyun aata hai: Mamata
Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she might bring no-confidence motion against govt during next Parliament session.
Addressing a Trinamool Congress rally at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Banerjee on Monday criticised the UPA government for allowing the FDI in multi-brand retail and announced plans for protests across India.
Mamata Banerjee said that the UPA govt has crossed the Laxman rekha over the FDI issue.
"FDI in retail will take away jobs, hit our small industries," Mamata Banerjee said.
Trinamool Congress might bring no-confidence motion against the UPA government during next session of Parliament, Mamata Banerjee said.
"It is not a dharna, it is a protest rally. All our MPs will protest, but I have not brought anyone from Bengal," Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool supremo and West Bengal chief minister, said.
JD(U) chief Sharad yadav was also present at the rally.
"It is being asked why Mamata has come to Delhi? Why, is Delhi not part of India? Congress ko itna gussa kyun aata hai (why is the Congress so angry)?" she said. "If the Congress is getting angry, next time I will get ice (to cool it down)," Ms Banerjee taunted.
15:58 JVM-P to withdraw support to UPA, says Shibu Soren
Just In: Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (P), which has two MPs, has decided to withdraw support to UPA. More details soon.
15:41 Agartala-Dhaka bus service resumes
The Agartala-Dhaka bus service, which was temporarily suspended in the wake of torching of the 'Moitree' bus of Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) by a mob at Narsingdi in Bangladesh on September 21 last resumed on Monday, official sources said.
Another bus left for Dhaka from Agartala international bus terminus today, the sources said.
The 'Moitree' bus had faced mob wrath during a political clash in the area.
A two-member team of TRTC visited Narsingdi, 70 km from Agartala, on September 25 to lodge a formal complaint with the police there and to conduct an inquiry into the incident, sources said.
'Moitree' is insured and an inquiry was necessary to make a claim for the insurance.
The team brought back the damaged bus.
'Moitree' plies from Agartala to Dhaka on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while 'Shyamoli' from Bangladesh side, shuttles during rest of the week, excepting Sundays.
15:24 Moscow court postpones Pussy Riot appeal
A Russian court on Monday postponed the appeal of three members of jailed rock band Pussy Riot until October 10 after one group member fired her lawyers.
The three performers were sentenced in August to two years in prison for hooliganism for performing a "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin at Moscow's main cathedral.
Band member Yekaterina Samutsevich announced at the opening of the hearing that she has fired her three lawyers over an unspecified disagreement. Samutsevich said she found another lawyer but had failed to sign a contract.
Prosecutors condemned the move as a delaying tactic. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alekhina, 24, and 30-year-old Samutsevich were arrested in March after dancing and high-kicking at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral as they pleaded with the Virgin Mary to save Russia from Putin, who was elected to a third presidential term two weeks later.
They said during their trial in August that they were protesting the Russian Orthodox Church's support for Putin and didn't intend to offend religious believers.
The Russian Orthodox Church had on Sunday said that the rockers would deserve mercy if they repent for their February stunt in February. The move followed a statement by the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who said that keeping them in prison any longer would be "unproductive."
15:11 NDA govt set the wheel rolling on retail FDI: Cong
Seeking to punch holes in BJP's opposition to allowing Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail, Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma on Monday said that the NDA government had readied a Cabinet note favouring 100 per cent FDI in the sector.
Addressing a gathering of Congress supporters in New Delhi, Sharma lambasted the BJP for trying to "mislead" the country on the issue and asserted that UPA government had taken the decision with "conviction" and "clarity" and there will not be
any rethink on it.
"When it (BJP) was in power, a cabinet note was prepared. I had urged repeatedly that let the Parliament function. I would have tabled the Cabinet note seeking to allow 100 per cent FDI in retail," Sharma said, attacking the BJP on the issue.
To counter the opposition parties, the Congress will organise a "big rally" at Ramlila Maidan here on October 28 which will be addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party president Sonia Gandhi besides other senior leaders.
15:09 Milk to be costlier by Re 1-2 in Gujarat
Milk prices will go up by Re 1 to 2 per litre in Gujarat from October 3, GCMMF that markets the dairy brand 'Amul' said on Monday.
"Prices of 'Amul Gold' will increase by Rs 2 per litre, while Re 1 per litre hike will be there in other five brands - 'Shakti', 'Taaza', 'Slim & Trim', 'Cow', and 'Tea Special' - in Saurashtra and Ahmedabad, where the federation does marketing," Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) managing director R S Sodhi said.
The dairies and members of federation in other parts of Gujarat will take an independent call on price hike, he said.
The hike comes into effect from October 3, Sodhi said, adding that the decision was taken during the federation's board meeting held in Anand.
The new milk prices in Saurashtra region and Ahmedabad from October 3 will be 'Gold' Rs 40 per litre, 'Shakti' (Rs 36), 'Taaza' (Rs 29), Cow (Rs 33), 'Slim & Trim' (Rs 27), 'Tea Special' (Rs 36), a federation official said.
15:07 Typhoon Jelawat kills 2, injures 181 in Japan
Powerful Typhoon Jelawat left at least two people dead and more than 180 injured in Japan over the weekend before passing out into the Pacific on Monday, the weather agency and local media said.
The typhoon, packing winds of up to 126 kilometres per hour, was northeast of Nemuro in eastern Hokkaido over the Pacific at 0730 IST, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
A 56-year-old man was confirmed to have drowned in Mie, central Japan, after going missing yesterday, local officials said.
A 29-year-old man was swept to his death by high waves when Jelawat hit the southern island of Okinawa on Sunday, public broadcaster NHK reported.
NHK also reported that at least 181 people were injured in typhoon-related incidents across the nation.
14:54 Border dialogue with China in final stages: Antony
Negotiations over the border row with China are in the final stages, Defence Minister A K Antony said in New Delhi on Monday.
"Everybody knows that border dispute is still unresolved, inspite of the fact that many rounds of negotiations took place. Of course it (the negotiations) is in the final stage," he said on sidelines of a function on the annual day of Defence Accounts Department (DAD).
However, he did not elaborate over the progress in these talks. The Special Representatives of the two countries have held 15 rounds of talks so far alternatively in New Delhi and Beijing.
He was responding to queries of reporters on the occasion of 50th anniversary of India-China war.
Underlining involvement of stakeholders in the process of finding a solution to the border dispute, he said, "The pending resolution of the border dispute (is important) to avoid major tensions in the border. It should be done through governmental set up and mechanism for border management involving Services, MEA and other stake holders".
14:39 Advani blogs to compete with Modi: Congress
The Congress party on Monday alleged that the fear of being overtaken by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had compelled Bharatiya Janata Party veteran Lal Krishna Advani to increase writing blogs.
Congress leader Jagdambika Pal, who was asked to comment on Advani's latest blog where he mentions that 'Dr Manmohan Singh had in 2002 said FDI in retail will destroy employment', said there is no need to make a comment on his blog.
"It has become a practice for Advaniji, everyday Advaniji is writing a blog and these blogs are creating confusion. Now, he is propagating secularism in his own party. He was known as a fundamentalist once, but he is changing his stand only to attack Narendra Modi," said Pal.
"Advaniji has taken out Rath Yatra in this country and he himself used to play communal politics. And today he thinks that he can''t compete on communal politics with Narendra Modi. So, in an effort to fulfill his aspiration of becoming Prime Minister, he has chosen the middle path, hoping that the allies would select him as an alternative. His blogs have created a lot of confusion and opposition even in his own party," he added.
14:35 Gadkari in Delhi court over suit against Digvijaya
Just in: BJP chief Nitin Gadkari on Monday appeared in Delhi court after filing a defamation case against Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.
Gadkari sued Digvijaya after the latter attempted to link Gadkari and his close aide Ajay Sancheti to the coal blocks allocations controversy.
Attacking the BJP over the coal controversy, Digvijaya Singh had claimed, "Ajay Sancheti, BJP MP and close aide and business partner of Nitin Gadkari, has been given coal block in single bidding while no allocations are done in single-bidding leading to losses in crores. Ask BJP how this was allocated in single bidding?"
Sancheti said that his firm SMS Infrastructure Limited was being dragged into the coal block allocation controversy. Sources said that he was unlikely to surrender his stakes in a Chhatisgarh-based PSU, which would undoubtedly upset a section of the BJP. Sources added that such a move could be seen as an admission of guilt.
14:06 Pro-Telangana students, police clash at Osmania Univ
Pro-Telangana students on Monday clashed with police which used teargas shell to quell the protestors at Osmania University campus here even as the bandh called by different groups favouring separate statehood had little impact in Hyderabad and Telangana districts.
A group of activists under the banner of Telangana students and OU-JAC held protests in front of the OU Police Station located on the varsity campus and later pelted stones on the police station and cops, a senior police officer told PTI.
Police retaliated by firing teargas shells to disperse the protesting students, he said.
Telangana student unions including Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee gave a bandh call on Monday, protesting the alleged high-handedness of police during the 'Telangana March' in support of the separate statehood demand on Sunday.
The bandh evoked a very little response in Hyderabad as business establishments and offices functioned normally, though some schools and colleges run by private educational institutions remained closed. However, no holiday was declared for state-run educational institutions, officials said.
RTC buses were plying as usual while private vehicles also moved normally.
13:52 15,000 families displaced in Meghalaya after floods
The severe back flow of Brahmaputra river in the past three days has created havoc in the western plain belts of Meghalaya displacing more than 15,000 families and affecting more than a lakh, officials said on Monday.
The current wave of floods inundating the plain belt areas from Hallidayganj upto Nidanpur area was because the swelling of the Brahmaputra in Dhubri area caused a sudden back flow and stagnation of water in the entire plain belt area next to the Jingiram river since September 27, they said.
Several hundred acres of standing 'Sali' paddy cultivation, the crucial food crop of the people of the area, was completely destroyed eroding all hopes of economic recovery, West Garo Hills district deputy commissioner Pravin Bakshi said.
He said over one lakh people were affected by the second wave of floods hitting the low lying areas and an official initial assessment showed that destruction to households and crops was more severe this time though fewer numbers of houses are completely deluged or inundated.
13:50 300 arrested over Cauvery issue in Bengaluru
Vicky Nanjappa reports: The Bengaluru police has taken into custody nearly 300 persons who were protesting the release of water to Tamil Nadu. Several persons, who were protesting since morning, tried to barge into the Raj Bhavan when they were arrested
13:14 Trouble for UPA as DMK wants rethink on FDI in retail
Just In: The UPA's key ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, asks the Centre to reconsider the decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail sector. More details awaited.
13:05 15 Kingfisher flights out of Delhi cancelled
A large number of Kingfisher flights were cancelled on Monday as a section of the airline employees, including engineers and pilots, struck work to demand payment of salaries, pending since March.
Over 15 flights out of Delhi to places like Mumbai, Pune, Srinagar, Jammu, Imphal, Dehradun and Dharamsala were cancelled, airport sources said, adding several flights out of Mumbai and Bengaluru were also cancelled.
In the wake of mass cancellations, aviation regulator DGCA said it would review Kingfisher's operations and discuss the matter with officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry.
"We will review the situation of Kingfisher Airline," Director General of Civil Aviation Arun Mishra told PTI, adding that the situation facing the airline's operations would be reported to and discussed with the ministry.
Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had recently said that Kingfisher's flying license would be cancelled if it did not operate at least five aircraft out of its drastically slashed fleet of 14.
The engineers of Kingfisher went on a strike on Friday to protest non-payment of salaries since March, with a section of pilots and some other employees joining the agitation on Monday
12:59 CAG not just 'munim', can comment on govt expenditure: SC
Just In: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the petition challenging CAG's power to examine coal block allocations.
The Apex court said that "the office of CAG is not a munim's office ..it's a constitutional body." The judges said that if the CAG has exceeded his brief, it's upto Parliament to debate and resolve the problem.
The plea challenged the CAG's report on coal, which said that by allocating coal fields without transparency the government allowed private firms to benefit by upto 1.86 lakh crore. The man who filed the case described himself as an economist and said the CAG's findings were faulty and the report should be declared invalid.
12:54 Brajesh Mishra cremated
The mortal remains of Brajesh Mishra, the country's first National Security Adviser who died in New Delhi on Friday, were consigned to flames on Monday in the presence of prominent leaders and bureaucrats.
The last rites were performed by his son Rakesh Mishra at the Lodhi Road electric crematorium.
84-year-old Mishra was suffering from coronary artery problem for some time. The cremation was done today as his son and daughter were in the United States at the time of his death.
Vice President Hamid Ansari, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad were among the prominent personalities who attended the cremation.
Mishra's wife Pushpa, daughter Jyotsna and senior bureaucrats as well as his friends and relatives were present at the crematorium.
12:31 Microsoft moots Rs 5 lakh fee for new H1B visa category
In a proposal that will hit Indian IT companies the most, US software giant Microsoft Corporation has suggested a whopping fee of $10,000 (over Rs 5 lakh) for a new category of H-1B visas and USD 15,000 (more than Rs 7.5 lakh) for permanent residency or Green Card.
This could raise a huge $5 billion over a decade, it said.
Both the new categories of H-1B and Green Cards, according to the Microsoft plan, would have an annual capacity of 20,000 and would be restricted to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
The money thus raised, according to the US company, would be used for the STEM education programmes.
Given that Indian techies grab the maximum number of H-1B visas, such a proposal if accepted by the Congress would hit the Indian IT companies the most.
Such a proposal from Microsoft comes at a time when the visiting External Affairs Minister, S M Krishna, is expected to raise the issue of increase in H-1B visas last year in his meeting with the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in New York early this week.
The proposal was revealed at a Washington-based think-tank gathering last week by Brad Smith, general counsel & executive vice president, legal & corporate Affairs, of Microsoft.
12:06 Rajdhani contract may land ex-Trinamool ministers in soup
Our Delhi correspondent reports that if the buzz in power circles is to be believed huge controversies about the Trinamool Congress's tenure in Rail Bhavan, especially in awarding contracts for catering and keeping security of the Rajdhani Express trains under Northern Railways
The skeletons are expected to tumble out just before the Winter session of Parliament.
According to sources, the new Railways Minister has sought details from the Vigilance team. If the case becomes serious, it may be referred to the Central Vigilance Commission and then to the Central Bureau of Investigation
12:03 Protests continue over release of Cauvery water
Protests rocked the Cauvery river basin district of Karnataka for the second day on Monday over release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu with police taking about 100 people into custody after they squatted on tracks and detained the Mysore-Shirdi express at Gejjalagere village.
People in Mandya, Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts also protested against the release of water in line with a Supreme Court directive.
The government began releasing water from Krishna Raja Sagar and Kabini dams early yesterday to ensure flow of 9,000 cusecs of water to the neighbouring state.
Police said about 100 people were taken into custody when they squatted on the tracks and detained the Mysore-Shiradi express at Gejjalagere village.
Vehicular movement on the Bangalore-Mysore road continued to remain disrupted for the third consecutive day, they said.
11:51 Kejriwal meets Anna Hazare 'to seek blessings'
With a deep rift apparent, Arvind Kejriwal met his mentor Anna Hazare in Delhi on Monday morning.
Kejriwal, who launches his political party on Tuesday on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, said that he sought 75-year-old Anna's blessings.
"Our ways are different but our destination is the same," he said.
Kejriwal was Anna's preferred aide in the India Against Corruption movement that they frontlined. The divide was caused by Kejriwal's decision to enter politics.
Anna initially suggested that though he would not join the party, it would have its support.
But in recent days, Anna has denunciated the plans that led to the disbanding of India Against Corruption.
Among the contentious issues facing the group of activists now is who will keep that name.
11:35 2 Trinamool MPs under scanner for economic fraud?
Our Delhi correspondent reports that the buzz in the corridors of power is that two Trinamool Congress MPs and three companies owned by them are under scanner of Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Serious Fraud Investigation Office.
The probe comes on the basis of a communication from a West Bengal Congress MP, who submitted details contained in 25 pages
11:13 Rampage in Bangladesh over Facebook Quran image
Hundreds of Muslim mobs went on the rampage in a Buddhist-majority village in southeastern Bangladesh following an alleged desecration of Muslim holy book of Quran on social network Facebook.
"About one thousand angry mobs vandalized and set ablaze at least 13 Buddhist houses and five temples in Merunloa village in Cox''s Bazar district," Faruk Ahmed, a senior police officer, told Xinhua from Cox's Bazar district, some 391 km southeast of capital Dhaka.
"The Facebook account holder, Uttom Kumar Barua, in the village in Cox's Bazar's Ramu subdistrict has taken a photo of trampling on the holy Quran and uploaded it from his Facebook account," he said.
Ahmed said after the news about the defaming picture spread, hundreds of Muslims, who were already angry over a US-made anti- Islam film, took to the street on Saturday night.
Protesters launched attacks on the houses and the temples before the law enforcers reached the scene to bring situation under control in the wee hours of Sunday, he said.
According to the police official, Barua and his family have gone into hiding.
Ahmed claimed that no one was injured in the violence which lasted for several hours.
"The situation is now completely under control," said Selim Md Jahangir, the district's police chief.
11:11 US casualties in Afghanistan war touch 2000
US military deaths in the Afghan war have reached the 2,000 mark, according to a report.
The toll has climbed steadily in recent months with a spate of 'insider attacks' by Afghan army and police against American and NATO troops.
The recent attack took place at an Afghan army checkpoint just outside a joint US-Afghan base in Wardak province, in which an Afghan soldier opened fire on American troops.
At least two Afghan soldiers and an American civilian contractor also died in the shooting on Sunday, the Daily Mirror reports.
According to the report, Afghan soldiers and policemen, or militants in their uniforms, have killed over 50 foreign troops in 'green on blue' killings so far in 2012.
In addition to the 2,000 Americans killed since the Afghan war began on October 7, 2001, at least 1,190 coalition troops from other countries have also died, 433 of them British, the report said.
10:59 Defence Colony heist: Four more persons held
Four more persons have been arrested in connection with Friday's sensational Rs 5.25 crore heist in south Delhi, police said on Monday.
They were arrested from different areas of the national capital, police said. With this, a total of seven persons, including a robber, have been arrested and Rs 2.36 crore recovered.
Police had yesterday recovered over Rs 2.36 crore out of the money looted from a cash van of a cash replenishment agency in upscale Defence Colony on Friday afternoon, after a security guard who resisted the five robbers was shot. The guard succumbed to the bullet wound.
The breakthrough in the case came after police managed to fish out dossiers from its records as victims, eye-witnesses and informers providing detailed description of suspects who were spotted in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar and Khirki areas.
The gang had waylaid the cash van, pinned down a security guard and shot him after he tried to snatch their weapons. They fled the spot in the cash van leaving behind the car in which they were following the vehicle.
They abandoned the car in Hauz Rani and later empty cash boxes were found in Khirki village where police deployed personnel in plain clothes on surveillance.
10:22 Mamata set to lead FDI war at Jantar Mantar today
Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee will lead a protest rally in New Delhi against FDI in retail on Monday.
This will be her first rally in the capital since exiting the UPA-II. FDI was one of the reasons for Mamata parting ways with the Congress.
All 19 TMC MPs are expected to be present at Jantar Mantar.
"There is a protest rally on Monday. Only MPs are here, none from Bengal has been called in. The protest will start from around noon," Mamata said on Sunday.
The Trinamool Congress is also looking at expanding its reach beyond West Bengal.
"People are coming from all parts of North India to Jantar Mantar to listen to Mamata Banerjee's speech. Even while being a part of the government, we did oppose FDI in retail sector. When fuel prices were hiked we expressed our disagreement. The TMC has MLAs in Assam, Manipur and UP. It will spread its wings in other states too, very soon. It's Mamata Banerjee who has raised people's issues so powerfully," TMC leader Sultan Ahmed said.
10:09 Sensex up 53 points on sustained funds buying
The BSE benchmark Sensex rose by almost 53 points in early trade on Monday, extending its previous session's rally on sustained buying by funds and retailers largely on expectations of further economic reforms by the government.
The 30-share barometer, which had gained 183.24 points on Friday, rose further by 52.65 points, or 0.28 per cent, to 18,815.39.
Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved up by 9.75 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 5,713.05.
The trading sentiment remained firm on continued buying by funds and retail investors mostly on hopes that the government will bring in more economic reforms to boost the economy, market experts said.
They said, however, profit-booking in some counters by speculators and absence of cues from the Asian region as most of the markets are closed for a public holiday, capped the gains.
Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei was down by 0.62 per cent in early trade on Monday
09:50 Strike-hit Kingfisher ops under DGCA scanner
Aviation regulator DGCA will on Monday review Kingfisher Airlines' operations in the wake of mass cancellation of its flights, even as a section of the airlines Mumbai-based pilots joined in the strike by its engineers.
"We will review the situation of Kingfisher Airline," Director General of Civil Aviation Arun Mishra told PTI.
Mishra also said that airline's situation will also be discussed with the Civil Aviation Ministry.
The engineers of Kingfisher went on a strike yesterday to protest the non-payment of salaries since March.
"Almost all Kingfisher aircraft are grounded due to the engineer's strike....some Mumbai-based pilots have also joined in the strike today," sources told PTI.
The airline, saddled with huge debt, is currently operating less than 50 flights with seven aircraft.
Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh recently said that government will revoke KF's license if it's fleet size goes down below five.
09:44 Maoists shoot 2 CRPF jawans in West Bengal
Two Central Reserve Police Force jawans were on Monday seriously injured after being shot at by Maoists during a combing operation in the forests of West Midnapore district in West Bengal.
District SP Sunil Chowdhury told PTI that joint security forces were involved in a fierce gunbattle with the Maoists in Goaltore area's Metla forest since last night during which R L Reddy and Bijoy Mahalakshmi were shot at in the morning.
The two jawans have been rushed to the district hospital in a critical condition, he said.
Police suspect that some Maoists have also been injured in the exchange of gun fire.
09:17 Krishna, Hillary to discuss visa fee hike today
The issue of US visa fee hike, which has hurt several Indian IT firms, is expected to come up for discussion when External Affairs Minister SM Krishna meets US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in New york on Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
India has "consistently" taken up the issue of the visa fee hike with the US and the issue will figure in talks between Krishna and Clinton, official sources said.
The US had raised visa fee in 2010 to fund its enhanced costs on securing border with Mexico under the Border Security Act.
Some of the top Indian companies TCS, Infosys, Wipro and Mahindra Satyam were affected by the US action and India is expected to soon seek consultations with the US at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the issue.
The sources said that young Indian professionals working in the US have been the "cornerstone" of India-US relations and are a pillar in the improved bilateral relations that has brought the two countries closer.
09:11 Striking unpaid engineers ground Kingfisher jets
A section of engineers of the Kingfisher Airlines went on strike Sunday evening over non-payment of salaries, affecting the flight operations.
"A section of employees of Kingfisher Airlines has not been reporting to work over the last fortnight and over the past 2 days; they have been threatening and even manhandling the other employees who are reporting to work as usual," Kingfisher said in a statement, adding that disruptions are expected in the flight schedule on 1 October.
"With a view to mitigating the impact of these anticipated disruptions, we are proactively cancelling several flights across our network for October 1, 2012," the airline said.
According to sources, engineers from New Delhi and Mumbai bases are demanding immediate payment of salaries which remain unpaid for the past seven months.
Sources said that some flights were delayed due to the strike, adding that services of manager-rank engineers were being used instead.
As per the aviation watchdog DGCA norms, an aircraft can't take off unless its air worthiness is certified by the airline's engineers.
08:41 Safety of Sarpanches: JK CM to chair key meet today
Against the backdrop of recent attacks on panchayat members, a crucial meeting of Unified Headquarters chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will be held on Monday during which comprehensive steps to provide security to panches and sarpanches will be discussed.
The meeting, which will be attended by top Police, Army, para military personnel and officials from central security agencies, comes close on the heels of Omar Abdullah's assurance that his government will make every effort to ensure the security of panches and sarpanches.
Several panches and sarpanches have sent in their resignations apprehending threats to their lives in the wake of the killing of panchayat member Mohammed Shafi Teli at Kreeri in Pattan area of North Kashmir on September 23.
08:33 Crucial DMK meeting in Chennai today
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is scheduled to hold an emergency executive meeting in Chennai on Monday to discuss the arrest of some of its leaders and other alliance issues.
The meet takes place against the backdrop of the lookout notice against Karunanidhi's grandson DMK leader and union Minister Alagiri's son Durai Dayanidhi in an illegal granite mining case.
The meeting is to counter what it calls the AIADMK's political vendetta against its leaders ahead of the parliamentary polls. A number of DMK leaders have been booked in land grabbing cases after the AIADMK came to power last year in Tamil Nadu.
Union Minister Alagiri's son Durai Dayanidhi is wanted in an illegal granite mining case in Madurai. Earlier, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court bench dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Union Minister MK Alagiri's son Durai Dayanidhi on Tuesday in connection with the illegal granite quarrying case.
08:28 Romney remark that 47% Americans feel entitled was 'misstep'
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made a misstep when he described 47 percent of Americans as feeling entitled to government aid, his vice presidential running mate, Paul Ryan, said.
"We have had some missteps," Ryan said on Fox News Sunday, adding that one of them was the comment Romney made at a private session with donors about the attitude of almost half of Americans.
Romney "acknowledges himself that was an inarticulate way of describing how we are worried that, in a stagnant Obama economy, more people have become dependent on government because they have no economic opportunity," said Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee.
Romney's comment, made in May, surfaced in a secretly recorded video first publicized September 17 by Mother Jones magazine.
08:23 Telangana protestors call for bandh today
Violent clashes broke out between pro-Telangana supporters and the police in several parts of Hyderabad on Sunday, with the activists torching police vehicles, pelting stones and damaging rail and private property.
Thousands of protesters defied prohibitory orders and joined the 'Telangana march' to press their demand for a separate state. A bandh has been called for Monday (1 October) by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), spearheading the agitation. The Osmania University has postponed examinations scheduled for Monday.
Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma said late on Sunday that 'left-wing extremist groups' have infiltrated the movement and were suspected to be behind the violence. He said that SP (Intelligence) Rajashekhar was seriously injured in the clashes, which also left an inspector and 17 constables with injuries. Five protesters were injured, he added.
08:20 Top headlines this hour
Good Morning!
Let's take a look at some of the headlines:
Telangana Cong MPs, ministers planning to quit en masse
High-level meet in Delhi to lay out Telangana road map
Kohli leads India to easy win over Pakistan
Gurmeet Choudhary wins Jhalak Dikhhla Ja 5
Let's take a look at some of the headlines:
Telangana Cong MPs, ministers planning to quit en masse
High-level meet in Delhi to lay out Telangana road map
Kohli leads India to easy win over Pakistan
Gurmeet Choudhary wins Jhalak Dikhhla Ja 5
TOP STORIES
© 2024 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances