AFP reports:  More than 24,000 Pakistanis today formed the world's largest 'human national flag' in the eastern city of Lahore, smashing a five-year-old record set in Hong Kong, officials said.

Gujarat's ruling BJP has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission seeking to bar ousted Vice-Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband Maulana Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi from entering the state following his allegedly provocative utterances against chief minister Narendra Modi.

Three persons, including two army jawans, were injured after one army unit fired at another unit mistaking them for militants in central Kashmir's Budgam district, official sources said.

Pranab Mukherjee, who became President after a political career spanning five decades, today said being an active politician had not been his aim in life and he wanted to be a teacher.

The BBC faced growing fallout today over sexual abuse allegations against a popular children's TV entertainer, as Prime Minister David Cameron accused the broadcaster of changing its story about why it killed a news segment on the accusations. 

The Newsnight editor responsible for dropping a report into claims Sir Jimmy Savile sexually abused people is stepping aside, the BBC has said.

Unfolding claims of sexual abuse against late BBC star Jimmy Savile have plunged Britain's national broadcaster into its biggest crisis for 50 years, a senior reporter has warned.

The oldest known survivor of the Nazi German death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Antoni Dobrowolski has died at the age of 108, one of the site's official historians Adam Cyra announced today. 

Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) probing the 2006 suburban train blasts, filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court today saying that it had destroyed call data records (CDRs) of all the 13 accused. 

Bracing for a major leadership change next month, the ruling Chinese Communist Party has decided to amend its Constitution for handling "new situations" and "new tasks" while sticking to the reform process initiated by Deng Xiaoping. 

Abu Jundal, an alleged LeT operative and key handler of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, was today remanded in 14 days custody of Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad in the 2006 Karnavati Express blast case here. 

A resolution to the 23-day -long impasse in Kingfisher Airlines was in sight today with the management offering its striking staff staggered payment of three months' salary dues by mid-November and the employees saying they will discuss it among themselves and revert by Thursday. 

Libya and Iran will likely feature, as well as terrorism, a rising China and the wars in Afghanistan and Syria.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said that if the social networking website had not worked out he would have probably landed at Microsoft. "I probably would have taken an engineering job...(and) always had a lot of respect for Microsoft," he told Paul Graham, a co-founder of the tech venture capital fun Y Combinator, during a 45-minute interview before an audience of 1,700 at Stanford's Memorial Hall. 

The Congress Party on Monday taunted anti-graft crusader Arvind Kejriwal by saying that their block level spokesperson would be too much to handle if both squared off in a debate.

The taunt came a day after Kejriwal challenged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi to a public debate on corruption and  scams.

Using the medium of micro-blogging site Twitter to respond to Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's verbal and written vitriol against him, Kejriwal had mentioned that he would reply to all his questions in a public debate with Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, if the latter could convince them both to attend.

The CBI on Monday quizzed Lt. Gen. (retired) Tejinder Singh and Vectra Chairman Ravinder Rishi in connection with alleged bribe offer made by the former to former Chief of Army Staff General (retired) V K Singh to clear a tranche of substandard all terrain vehicles.

The CBI has registered a case with regard to alleged offer and carried out searches at seven locations in New Delhi, Noida and Mumbai.

CBI sources claimed a business man alleged to be having close links with Rishi was also searched in which huge cash was recovered. He was also called for questioning at the CBI headquarters today along with another businessman, they said.

The deal to procure 12 VVIP choppers for the IAF is under scanner as an American-Italian person is being investigated for allegedly paying kickbacks for securing the deal for Agusta Westland.

American-Italian citizen Guido Ralph Haschke was arrested two days back in Switzerland in connection with an Italian investigation into the allegations but was released on bail yesterday, media reports said.

India had signed a deal with Agusta Westland in 2010 for 560 million Euro to supply 12 AW 101 choppers and deliveries are scheduled to begin in the early part of 2013.

Congress today left it to the government to proceed against BJP chief Nitin Gadkari following a TV channel's finding that a company which allegedly got benefits when he was a Maharashtra minister later gave him a loan of Rs. 165 crore.

"We are not soft on BJP. Their are allegations in public space. Authorities like SEBI, Income Tax department and the Finance Ministry are more than competent....sure they will take cognisance", party spokesman Sandeep Dikshit said.

Dikshit who faced a volley of questions on the issue, rejected activist Arvind Kejriwal's charge that there was collusion between his party and BJP, maintaining "personal allegations should not be dragged in public life".

KFA CEO Sanjay Aggarwal reacts to reports that staff were unwilling to join work unless four months' salaries were paid. The CEO says they will be fair to the staff and were willing to pay three months' salaries before Diwali and says the offer is fair. Expect more back and forth.  

Workers of the world, relax. An article was published with Fidel Castro's byline in Cuba dismissing worries that the 86-year-old Communist hero is dying. Read

The airlines staff, which has been on strike since September 30 over non-payment of salaries and other dues since March this year, is holding a press conference. They say that they will not join work till they get four months salary. "The management is playing with our emotions, our lives and our children's lives. We won't join work till our dues are cleared."  The employees have not been paid for the last seven months. 

Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa reports that the bomb threat was in fact a hoax. 

Unconfirmed reports say there's been a bomb threat on a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Bangalore. Passengers have deplaned, while the CISF is still investigating the threat. The CISF is conducting search operations on the Jet flight in Mumbai. Jet offices received the bomb threat. Details awaited

For resumption of operations, the airline would now have to approach the DGCA saying they were ready to resume operations. The regulator then would have to satisfy itself that the airline was fully prepared to fly, including preparedness of its staff to operate flights, the airline's capacity to pay for the operations and all safety measures, before giving a go-ahead. 

Just in: CNN IBN reports that Kingfisher Airlines is likely to resume operations after employees agree to three months' salaries by Diwali. But a final decision yet to come.

UK envoy James Bevan says the country wants justice for the three nationals who were killed during the riots. "Re-engaging with Gujarat is in our trade intersts. We have to engage with Gujarat if we want to engage with India. But it does not mean we are taking any political stance on Gujarat and we have no intention of interfering with the polls," says Bevan. 

The United Kingdom has resumed ties with the Indian state of Gujarat a decade after the deadly religious riots of 2002, in a move analysts say is a political boost for Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Read more

Bevan said the talks signaled an engagement with Gujarat, not an endorsement of Modi.

After the riots, British officials were banned from dealing directly with Modi but the government this month changed its policy.  

Britain's top diplomat in India -- James Bevan -- held talks with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, ending a 10-year boycott after the Godhra riots of 2002. Bevan said the talks were open and positive and they discussed human rights and development in Gujarat and UK wanted more ties in science and technology with Gujarat. On a more sombre note, Bevan also said that the UK wanted justice for the riots victims.

Rediff.com's Indrani Roy was the only journalist to attend President Pranab Mukherjee's ancestral Durga Puja celebrations at Miriti village in West Bengal, and was charmed by the sight of the Head of State playing a gracious host during the festivities. Read

Will Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, considered to be among the greatest footballers ever, turn out in typical Kerala attire when he is here for a few hours Wednesday? Maradona's friend, industrialist Bobby Chemmanur, at whose invitation the renowned footballer is visiting Kerala, said: "Yes, we will tell him to dress in the traditional dhoti and shirt when he comes here." More of that story here.

In other reads: How the US and Pakistan became the dysfunctional nuclear family of international relations. See

At the Kingfisher meeting between the management and staff another important decision -- second month's salary in a week, and the third month's salary during Diwali -- just three weeks away. Kingfisher Airlines grounded by its striking employees due to non-payment of salaries for the last seven months is on partial lockout. The first month's salary will be paid in 24 hours. It's now wait and watch for KFA employees as the management has reneged on its promises earlier.  

The conviction rate for every kind of crime is in free fall, engendering a breakdown of law that no republic can survive. Read

With moist eyes and prayers on their lips, family and friends bid farewell to Indian cinema's 'King of romance' Yash Chopra at a crematorium here this afternoon.

Bedecked with flowers, Chopra's body was brought to the Pawan Hans crematorium in Juhu in an ambulance, with only family members and close friends inside, including his sons Aditya and Uday, and actors Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.

The mortal remains of the 80-year-old filmmaker were consigned to flames amid the presence of his family members, relatives and a number of Bollywood celebrities.

The body was kept at the Yash Raj Films studio since last night for people to pay their respects. Several Bollywood celebrities including Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Prasoon Joshi, Mukesh Bhatt, Raj Kundra, Suresh Oberoi, Siddharth Roy Kapoor, Kiran Rao, Rohit Shetty, Bharat Shah, Adnan Sami, Rajpal Yadav and Homi Adjania were present at the crematorium.

The controversy also has taken its toll on Armstrong's endorsement deals.On the same day he stepped away from the leadership of his foundation, Nike, which initially stood by Armstrong, dropped him with a terse statement citing what it called "seemingly insurmountable evidence" that he participated in doping.

Hours later, brewery giant Anheuser-Busch followed suit, saying it would let Armstrong's contract expire at the end of the year. Nike and Anheuser-Busch said they still planned to support Livestrong and its initiatives.

Armstrong may now lose 2000 Olympic bronze as well.

The decision follows this month's finding by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that there is "overwhelming" evidence that Armstrong was involved as a professional cyclist in "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program."Armstrong's story -- that of a cancer survivor who tamed the grueling three-week race more than any other cyclist before or since -- had made him a household name. But allegations of doping long dogged his career. Moreon CNN.

Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by the sport's governing body, reports BBC. The International Cycling Union (UCI) has accepted the findings of the United States Anti-Doping agency's (Usada) investigation into Armstrong.UCI president Pat McQuaid said: "Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling.

"On what he called a "landmark day for cycling", McQuaid added that Armstrong had been stripped of all results since 1 August, 1998 and banned for life. More

Cycling legend Lance Armstrong stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.

Kingfisher Airlines has said that one-month salary will be paid in the next 24 hours and another month salary will be paid in a week and then before Diwali, a third month salary will be paid, reports the Hindu. According to sources, this is what is believed to have emerged at the first round of talks between the Kingfisher management and employees which took place at Kingfisher House in Mumbai today. The employees and management are now believed to be having another round of meeting.

The government today termed the arrest of suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist Fasih Mohammad as a "very important catch", saying Saudi Arabia fully cooperated in his deportation to India.

Giving the first official reaction after Fasih's arrest by Delhi Police at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here, Home Secretary RK Singh said India had submitted "material evidence" against Fasih to Saudi Arabia to press its demand for deportation for his involvement in various terrorists acts in the country.

"He (Fasih) was deported after he had served a sentence there. Saudi Arabia cooperated with us," he said.

Singh said Fasih was the "key facilitator" for 13 Indian Mujahideen terrorists who were arrested from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and a few other places late last  year. These IM activists were arrested in connection with in 2010 blast in Bangalore's Chinaswamy stadium and shoot out in front of Delhi's Jama Masjid.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi today launched a fresh attack on BJP, accusing it of just putting up a "show" of fighting corruption while being "deep" into it. Kick-starting the Congress poll campaign in Himachal Pradesh, she charged the saffron party with only pretending to fight corruption and rising prices but showing little effort on the ground.

"These people (BJP) are talking big about tackling corruption when they themselves are deep into it. Their fight against corruption is just a show off. Before raising a finger against corruption they should introspect," she said.

India's system of distributing food to the poor isn't corrupt, according to Food Minister K.V. Thomas, who rejected findings by the World Bank, Supreme Court and news investigations that rampant theft is depriving as many as 160 million families of nourishment. Read

In other reads: CAG: A Necessary Evil or a Bulwark? On the Economic and Political Weekly. See

Update on the story on the molestation of a woman cop in Mumbai.
Seven people have been arrested for assaulting and molesting a woman police officer at the Virar Police station on the outskirts of Mumbai. Pritam Muthe, a lady officer who was on duty yesterday has sustained minor injuries after a group of people assaulted her while she was registering a case against a young boy for kidnapping a minor girl.

Police says that the couple claimed to have been married but since the girl was a minor, the boy was arrested in for 'kidnapping' her. This outraged the family members of the accused who got few people and barged into the police station.

More on NDTV.

Three bogies of the Chennai-Bound Kaveri Express train derailed while its engine was damaged when boulders fell on the track near Kuppam in the district early today. One person was injured in the incident, AP Government Railway Police said. The derailment occurred at around 2.30 AM near Mallunuru railway station, a GRP inspector said, adding due to rainfall in the area some boulders from the nearby hills fell on the tracks while the Mysore-Chennai (KaveriExpress) train was passing.

And this is what SRK tweeted after Yash Chopra's death: "Whenever my loved ones depart, I feel a part of me extinguishes itself with them. Will there come a day that I will no longer have a bit of myself to let go of? And then the thought follows ... that every time they have taken some of me with them onto their last journey, I have found a fragment of them left inside me too.

"I will always have some love to give and I will always be both emptied and replenished by the loved ones I lose. I keep u with me Yashji and I miss u too Yashji ... lots." 

Close friends Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif with the Pamela Chopra, Aditya and Uday Chopra along with other family members. Yash Chopra's mortal remains will be cremated any time now. 

The veteran director died of multi-organ failure on Sunday. The procession left Yash Raj Studios, where the late director's body had been kept overnight for people to pay their last respects. Chopra was admitted to Lilavati Hospital on October 13 with dengue fever. On October 17, he was reported to have improved and was expected to be discharged soon.

‏This is what Amitabh Bachchan, who owes much of his megastar status to Chopra, tweeted.  @SrBachchan: Just back from his studio where he lies still and motionless .. this was the first time I ever saw him on his back in 44 yrs !!

Just in: A woman police officer in Mumbai has been assaulted and molested by seven people for registering a kidnap case. The officer, Pritam Muthe, sustained minor injuries. Details awaited.

The who's who of the family industry troops in to the Pawan Hans crematorium -- in no particular order -- Manoj Kumar, Kajol, Tanuja, Suneil Shetty, Tabu, Chunky Pandey, Subhash Ghai...  

The funeral procession of filmmaker Yash Chopra begins its way from Yash Raj studios to Pawan Hans crematorium. The last rites are expected at 3 pm. 

As filmmaker Yash Chopra passed into ages, Raja Sen looks at the journey of the legendary director who introduced to Hindi cinema to the picturesque locales of Switzerland, the chiffon saris, the picturesque narrated some complex romantic stories. Read

Congress President Sonia Gandhi today kick-started the poll campaign in Himachal Pradesh with a scathing attack on the BJP-led government and accused it of not making any efforts to take the benefits of Central schemes to the poor and needy in the state.

Addressing a rally here, Gandhi said Central funds to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore allocated to the state had lapsed last year as the BJP government did not make adequate efforts to implement various Central schemes in the state.

"There is a difference between the promises and actual work of the BJP," she said and charged that the saffron party was only pretending to fight corruption and rising prices and did little efforts on the ground.

Yash Chopra's funeral will take place at Pawan Hans crematorium at Vile Parle, Mumbai.

In the darkness of defeat on the east, let's recall a bright, shining moment'"of courage on the western front. Read Shekhar Gupta's column on the Indo-China war. Read

Details on the legal notice against Arvind Kejriwal.

Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit today slapped a legal notice which accuses Kejriwal of using "foul and filthy language" while making "baseless allegations" against the chief minister and her associates, and asks for a public apology.

The NDTV report says that Kejriwal's new political party, founded earlier this month, is expected to fight its first election with Delhi's assembly polls.

Kejriwal has led several protests about power prices in Delhi; he says the Delhi government has conspired to over-charge consumers. The Opposition BJP has echoed those allegations.

"Yes we are defaming you... till the time you continue with  corruption, we will defame you," Mr Kejriwal said today after receiving Ms Dikshit's legal notice. Read

Amitabh Bachchan ‏@SrBachchan: Just back from his studio where he lies still and motionless .. this was the first time I ever saw him on his back in 44 yrs !!

@Riteishd The man who taught the country how to fall in love -passes away - you will always be with us thru ur work- King of Romance- RIP YASHJI

@priyankachopra Ab Mohabbat ka Bhi dil toot Gaya... RIP Yashji.. Thank u for always being so kind to me..thank u for showing us what love should be..

@kapoorkkunal Shocked and deeply saddened by the news. RIP Yashji

@PDdancing RIP Yashji... Numb and shocked. He will always live in our hearts through his films.

@ManishMalhotra1 RIP yashji:his passing away is the biggest loss to indian cinema

@rampalarjun Landed in Mumbai to shocking news. RIP Yashji, the saddest day in the industry.

@eeshatweets RIP Yashji.An era comes to an end.U were an instituition in urslf.An extraordinary film maker n human being.God bless u

@anandmahindra For the doyen of Dream Merchants, death is no obstacle to dreaming. Billions will continue to live on his dreams. RIP Yashji

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who had his career's biggest hits with Yash Chopra, says he will always carry a part of the filmmaker in his heart.

Chopra, 80, passed away last evening following multiple organ failure. "Whenever my loved ones depart I feel a part of me extinguishes itself with them. Will there come a day that I will no longer have a bit of myself to let go of? And then the thought follows... that every time they have taken some of me with them onto their last journey, I have found a fragment of them left inside me too.

"I will always have some love to give and I will always be both emptied and replenished by the loved ones I lose. I keep u with me Yashji and I miss u too Yashji lots (sic)," Shahrukh posted on his Twitter page.

Just in: Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit has sued India Against Corruption's Arvind Kejriwal for defamation. More in a bit. 

Over 15 KFA planes are found to have been stripped bare and not fit to fly. Two planes in Delhi found have be totally stripped clean and authorities have refused to take back the planes till the dues are paid. Leasing firms are now concerned about aircraft given to KFA.

And more grief for passengers... no refunds are likely for portal bookings, or bookings via travel agencies.

The suspension of Kingfisher Airline's licence means fewer seats in the market and in the coming festival and holiday season, other airlines, especially the low-cost carriers, have taken advantage of the situation. Industry sources say fares may go up by as much as 10% from November onwards.

"The coming months would see fares rise slightly as it is the holiday season. But if one is to consider the impact of KFA's withdrawal from the market, airlines like Jet and Air India will not really benefit from the situation as their fares are already in the higher bracket. The low cost carriers will then have a window to increase fares," said an aviation expert. Sources also say that southern routes are more likely to see the fare hike where Kingfisher had been more active.

"Routes like Mumbai-Bangalore, Bangalore-Chennai, Bangalore-Goa etc should see a significant fare hike as other routes are already well covered by the major airlines," said a private airline official. Read

Just in: Air fares rise by between 10 and 15 percent. Two reasons -- 1. the closure of Kingfisher Airlines and 2. the festival rush. More in a bit.  

King of romance, master of the emotion-laden weepie and lover of beautiful people and beautiful locations are some of the terms being showered on Yash Chopra, who died on Sunday. Read

Is the noise against crony capitalism and politician-corporate collusion an unnecessary din, or something that will serve us better in the long run? Read

Yash Chopra's funeral is at 3 pm today. 

Several Bollywood celebrities today reached the Yash Raj Studios at suburban Andheri to pay their last respects to iconic filmmaker Yash Chopra, who passed away here following multiple organ failure.

Chopra, 80, was admitted to Lilavati hospital in suburban Bandra on October 13 after being diagnosed with dengue. He passed away at 5.30 pm yesterday.

The filmmaker's body, covered with white flowers has been kept on stage number 3 of the studio since morning for people to come and pay homage.

A huge black and white photo of the director is also there with several candles lit around it. Son Aditya, Uday and actress Rani Mukerji were seen standing in front of the stage with moist eyes, while the family members and those from film fraternity were seen sitting behind.

A string of celebrities were seen entering the studio from both the front and back gates, guarded by policemen and security personnel owing to the large number of fans that have gathered outside.

Among biggies who turned up at the studio include Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Shahrukh Khan, Vidya Balan, Shahid with father Pankaj Kapoor and mother Supriya Pathak, Parineeti Chopra, Sridevi with husband Boney Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Kajol with mother Tanuja and sister Tannisha, Tabu, Kabir Khan with wife Mini, Prem Chopra, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Vipul Shah, Abbas Mastan, Ramesh Sippy, Gulzar, Subhash Ghai, Shyam Benegal, Saroj Khan, David Dhawan, Resul Pukkotty, Imran Khan and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, son Ranbir, Randhir Kapoor, Archana Puran Singh and husband Parmeet Sethi.

Paranormal Activity 4 debuted at number one this weekend with 30.2 million dollars, which was a big drop from the 40-and 50-million-dollar openings of the last two installments. Perpetual hit maker Tyler Perry failed to find an audience for his new persona as ace crime solver in Summit Entertainment's 'Alex Cross', which opened at number five with 11.8 million dollars. Ben Affleck's Iran hostage tale 'Argo' held up well in its second weekend, remaining at number two with 16.6 million dollars, dropping just 15 percent from its debut, the New York Post reported.

For women in particular, the prospect of making it by yourself in any city, even one as open-minded as Mumbai, is bundled with a whole set of societal perceptions. Read

He's the keeper of the keys to a vast treasure trove, but even Vattiyoorkavu Krishnan Nair Harikumar can't fully describe the riches he sees every day."It's very wonderful, I can't give it words to explain,' says the executive officer of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Trivandrum, Kerala. In July last year, perhaps the largest and most intact hoard of temple treasure in India was discovered here. Read

Pakistan's spy agency ISI is directing the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, a US lawmaker has alleged, saying his view is based on his meetings with the people and officials in the war-torn country.

"US military commanders at several levels of the chain of command indicated that they believe Pakistan and its intelligence agency specifically, the ISI, is directing the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan," California's Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter said.

Following in the footsteps of other world capitals, Seoul in South Korea too is organising its first Durga Puja this year. The Bengali diaspora in South Korea wanted the puja to be held in proper Seoul, capital of the country, but the city fathers said it would be difficult to organise four days of festivity in the busy city.

"So we are organising it at the Uijambu Shree Radha Krishna Temple in Pocheon city, just an hour's drive from Seoul," Chandan of the newly-floated South Korea Durga Puja Committee said.

Lovely picture of US President Barack Obama reading briefing material while meeting with advisors inside his cabin at Camp David this Sunday. Read

In other news... Corrupt Chinese officials still get promoted, research shows. Read

As ever, Yash Raj films knows how to keep it simple and poignant. This is what the Yash Raj website opens on to. See

After bitter separation with the Congress, the Trinamool Congress is mulling moving an adjournment motion under rule 184 that entails voting in the Winter Session of Parliament against the anti" people' policies of the UPA government. Read

Several Bollywood bigwigs, including superstars such as Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan turned up to pay their last respects to veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra, known as the country's king of celluloid romance.   Chopra died at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital. He was 80 years old.  

According to a Yash Raj Films spokesperson, the director died in the evening after a week long hospitalisation in which he received treatment for suspected dengue fever.  

Later his body was taken from the hospital to the premises of the Yash Raj Studios, which was set up by Yash Chopra. This venue became one of the biggest film production houses in Bollywood.  

"We have stayed together with each other. I was shocked by the news,' said veteran Hindi movies director Ramesh Sippy.   Movie director Madhur Bhandarkar said that his death has come as a shock.  

He was also astonished at the outbreak of dengue that had caused the demise of Yash Chopra.  

"A few days ago news had come in that he was recovering and he would be back to work. Everyone was waiting for his film to release. It has been quite shocking for all of us," said Madhur Bhandarkar.  

Born in 1932 at Lahore, now in Pakistan, Yash Chopra was favoured by leading Indian actors with his movies seen as a sure-fire way to become a hit with audiences.  

The filmmaker proved his mettle with intensely emotional and tragic movies, many of which went on to become box-office blockbusters.   His career spanned five decades, and at an event marking his 80th birthday last month, Chopra narrated how he came to Mumbai with 200 rupees in his pocket, hoping to make it as a film director.

Also read our September 2012 interview with Mr Chopra on his 80th birthday.

Kingfisher Airlines stock fell nearly 5 per cent today to touch the lower circuit limit after its flying licence was suspended by the DGCA late last week. The scrip of the financially-troubled company was down 4.8 per cent and hit the lower circuit limit of Rs 10.90 soon after the opening trade on the BSE.

Similar was the trend at the NSE, where the stock plunged 4.82 per cent to Rs 10.85. Kingfisher Airlines on Friday lost its license to fly with aviation regulator DGCA suspending it with immediate effect.

Meanwhiile, employees hope that Vijay Mallya turns up for the Grand Prix in Delhi so that they can corner him.

  Fasih Mohammed (28), accused of being involved in the bomb blasts conspiracies in Bangalore and Delhi, was arrested at Delhi airport after being deported to India from Saudi Arabia. The Delhi Police Special Cell has taken custody of Fasih.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia had rrd-flagged Fasih's deportation from there, saying it wanted to investigate his role in that country carefully before taking a call on New Delhi's request for handing him over.

An engineer and alleged member of banned outfit Indian Mujahideen, Bihar-born Fasih is alleged to have been involved in the Chinnaswamy Stadium blast in Bangalore and the shooting near Jama Masjid (Delhi) in 2010 and is wanted by both Delhi and Karnataka police.

An Interpol red corner notice against Fasih was issued earlier this year after reports of his sudden disappearance. More

A young lieutenant who led an operation in Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir in which two militants were killed less than a month ago, had his toe bitten off by rats at the Army Base Hospital in the capital on Saturday. Read

A high attrition rate inparamilitary forces forced the government to commission a study by IIM-Ahmedabad on the reasons for such high churn.What the study found comes as no surprise to those familiar with working conditions in the paramilitary forces. Read

The Haryana government has still not implemented the order of whistleblower IAS officer Ashok Khemka, cancelling the mutation of Robert Vadra-DLF land deal on October 15. And now Gurgaon deputy commissioner PC Meena has sought advice from the Hooda government on Khemka's order, which claimed the mutation was not sanctioned by a "competent" authority. Meena, in his letter, has also justified the land deal and claimed that the mutation order was also cleared by a "competent" authority.  Read

Meanwhile, read this: On girls, shame, healing what's broken, and why education is the path to creating an honorable Pakistan. Read

The UPA2 is likely to suffer a setback if the DMK does not contain the infighting between T R Baalu and S S Palanimanickam over a new railway line in Thanjavur.

Insiders in the DMK openly speak of the strategy lined up for the Winter Session. They will revolt against Baalu which will have a reflection on the floor coordination by the UPA2. Interpreting this development, an insider commented that the spat between the DMK minister and the MP will ensure a turbulent Winter Session, if the government needs the 18 votes of DMK. If that happens, there will be absentions and boycotts.

A few DMK MPs have been in constant touch with Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi as these MPs do not belong to the DMK family. These MPs are worried over the future of DMK as an organisation in the event of a post-Karunanidhi era.

Read the full story on rediff.com shortly.

From capturing the picturesque locales of Switzerland to starting the trend of multi-starrers and dealing with bold, unconventional subjects, Bollywood's king of romance, Yash Chopra's directorial journey was nothing short of legendary. 

Rediff.com reproduced an interview with the legend, published on his 80th birthday, September 28, 2012.

Read on

Veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra dead

'We will miss you terribly, Yash Chopra' 

Kingfisher CEO faces crucial test on Monday

Drama at Kejriwal's press meet, woman confronts him

Immolation by couple led to Gulbarga train fire