It was an irony of sorts that Congress President Sonia Gandhi was not present in Lok Sabha when the Food Security Bill, a project she had championed ardently, was passed by the House tonight. 

Sonia Gandhi was put under observation after she complained of chest uneasiness.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi for checkup.

The voting on the food security bill has ended in Lok Sabha and the House has passed the bill. The debate on the bill lasted for more than nine hours.

Parliamentary Affairs minister requested Sushma Swaraj for a re-vote on her amendment on Food Security Bill which she accepted. The revote was won by 'Ayes'

Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj moved amendment on cash transfer provision, says direct cash subsidies can make their way to liquor stores and women will get beaten up and remain hungry.   Currently there's a pandemonium over an amendment vote.

Voting on Food Security Bill underway in Lok Sabha. TV reports state Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi left Parliament before the voting began.

Lok Sabha is all set to pass the Food Security Bill as the amendments passed by CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta and Sampath have been defeated.

Mukhtar Ahmad reports from Srinagar: One paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force trooper was killed and another wounded in a militant ambush in south Kashmir's Shopian district this evening.

 

A senior police officer said militants fired at the escort party of ruling National Conference MLC Showkat Ahmad Ganai at village Awneera in Shopian district this evening. More details soon.

Samajwadi Party has withdrawn the ammendments to food bill.

The voting on amendments to Food Security Bill has begun in Lok Sabha.   Lok Sabha will soon vote on the Food Security Bill.

Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh's brother, Laxman Singh,  threatens an IAS officer in Annupur district in Madhya Pradesh. He said he would "sort out" KK Khare, the IAS officer when the Congress returns to power. Details awaited.

The Mumbai police have identified 272 deserted places and dilapidated buildings like the Shakti Mills premises and notices would be sent to their owners or court-appointed receivers to provide for security to prevent such incidents. "Instructions in this regard would be issued soon. Failure to comply with the directions would invite action," said police commissioner Satyapal Singh.

The UN weapons team investigating the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons has been attacked by sniper fire as it set out in convoy for the area where hundreds of civilians died. Read

And if you haven't read this yet: The Splashes: England players celebrate Ashes victory by urinating on The Oval pitch. Read 

VHP leader Ashok Singhal released, says UP police. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Monday ordered the release of VHP leaders Pravin Togadia and Ashok Singhal, and former BJP MP Ram Vilas Vedanti, who were yesterday arrested during a crackdown aimed at foiling the saffron outfit's "84 kosi parikrama yatra" in Ayodhya.

The three leaders were among around 1,700 people arrested in the massive crackdown yesterday. The High Court ordered the release while hearing a petition which described the arrests as unlawful.

The Supreme Court today echoed the national outrage over the gang rape of a young photographer in the heart of Mumbai last week. "What is wrong with the system? Why are 90 percent of rape cases ending in acquittals? The situation is going from bad to worse," the judges said.  "Why is it (rape) happening again and again? That too only in metropolitan cities?"  Read

The Railway Police in Mumbai today claimed to have arrested the suspect, who allegedly attacked and robbed an American woman inside a moving suburban train at Charni Road station in South Mumbai, a week ago.

"Accused Rajkumar Tiwari was arrested in connection with the attack on Michelle Marks, a US national," a senior railway police official said. Tiwari had slashed the victim on her neck and cheek when she refused to part with her i-Phone while travelling in a first-class ladies' compartment of a Borivali-bound local train at about 5 pm on August 18.

The accused had jumped out of the train as it slowed down at Charni Road railway station.

Anita Katyal's update on the extended monsoon session of Parliament.

The UPA government today decided to extend the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament  till September 6. The session was originally scheduled to end on August 30. The session has been extended to enable the government to push through it's stalled legislative agenda. No business could be conducted till last week because of incessant disruptions in the Lok Sabha.

The Food Security Bill is to be passed by the Lok Sabha today after the debate on the legislation finally got underway this afternoon. Thus government would also like to push through the Land acquisition Bill as well as the pension and insurance bills in the coming days.

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murli Manohar Joshi today tore into the government on the Food Security Bill, calling it a half-baked measure designed to fool people for votes.

"It's not Food Security, but a Vote Securing Bill," Mr Joshi said in the Lok Sabha, leading the opposition charge as the debate on government's flagship measure began today after many delays.

He questioned the UPA, "what were you doing for four years? When you came to power, you were supposed to bring the Bill - now you are bringing the Bill, you are about to go out of power." More

Meanwhile: Here's how you reduce rupee's depreciation -- just get your calculations right. Read

"All the accused are unemployed, uneducated locals, born and brought up in Mumbai and are history sheeters. None of the accused are police informers," says the police chief.

This is a very serious offence, but it doesn't automatically mean that Mumbai has become an unsafe city, says Satyapal Singh.

Satyapal Singh says the rape was not pre-planned, premeditated. No decision yet on whether security will be increased on the streets or in such places  (the decrepit Shakti Mills compound where the rape occurred).

Mumbai commissioner of police Satyapal Singh briefing the press on the gang rape. He says the accused did not show the kind of behaviour of first-time offenders. All the accused are locals. The biggest challenge is to collect evidence and file the charge sheet, he says. "We will get maximum punishment for the accused," he says. He confirmed there were no juveniles among the five accused.

He says the accused shot only one picture of the photojournalist, which is in the custody of the accused.

The girl had feared that the accused had taken her pictures and would circulate them. 

Ujjawal Nikam is the public prosecutor in the case.

Sonia Gandhi says that leakages in PDS have to be managed to ensure the food security bill is successful. Resources have to be managed to implement it. 

We have the opportunity to transform the lives of tens of millions of people. We must convert this bill into an act and do so unanimously."

Thunderous applause for the Congress president and a smile on the PM's face.

What the bill says

Congress president Sonia Gandhi speaking in Parliament on the Food Security Bill. She says the Parliament today has the opportunity to take a historic step in ensuring that no child will go hungry or malnourished. We had promised in 2009 that we will bring in the Food Security Bill. India is taking care of its citizens and we are fulfilling that promise. The bill will also ensure an end to food wastage. 

The Mumbai police probing the gang rape of a 23-year-old photojournalist, has claimed that the culprits had forced the victim to clean up the crime scene at the desolate Shakti Mills compound here, even as the fifth accused was today remanded in police custody till September 5.

Explaining how the young scribe was brutalised, the investigators said that all the five accused took turns to sexually assault the victim and then coerced her into cleaning the crime scene after the shameful act. Police have also recovered from the site some broken beer bottles with which the accused had threatened the intern, working with an English magazine, before gang-raping her in the defunct mill premises at Lower Parel on August 22, when she went to shoot pictures for an assignment with her male colleague.

World Bank chief economist Kaushik Basu argues against compressing spending and says all efforts must be made to slash red tape to enable the economy to overcome the slowdown. In an interview to TOI, Basu urges India to shun pessimism and get growth back on track. Read

The last few weeks onions have been making headlines in India. The humble vegetable, which finds its way into most Indian dishes, has witnessed a sharp upswing in price because of a shortage across the country. Read

India will have to get used to women in journalism. Read

Is our criticism of RoseChasm's mental breakdown from her experiences of sexual harassment in India reflective of our culture that doesn't offer enough support to victims and survivors of violence? Read

Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists today clashed with police during a protest against the UP government's decision to ban their Ayodhya yatra, prompting police to use water canons to disperse them.

The protestors pelted stones at police during the demonstration at Jantar Mantar here and tried to break barricades. Police had to resort to use of water canons and mild canon charge to disperse the protestors. The protestors also burnt an effigy of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Even as 1,700 supporters including top leaders were arrested in a massive crackdown by the UP administration to foil defiant VHP's yatra, a temporary jail on UP-Uttarakhand border remained vacant, police said today.

The temporary jail on UP-Uttarakhand border falling on Delhi-Haridwar National Highway, established for lodging activists, remained vacant till yesterday, SHO Sushil Kumar Dubey said.

Sadhus and activists from neighbouring Hardiwar district were anticipated to cross over in support of the yatra but no arrests were made there as nobody crossed the border, he said.

After Naresh Agarwal, another Samajwadi Party leader, Abu Azmi has come up with a bizarre remark. Abu Azmi on Saturday equated women to gold."Women are precious like gold. If you expose them, they'll be looted," said Abu Azmi. Read more

"When I came to Bombay, 32 years ago, on a sunlit December morning, the first thing that struck me about the city was its winters looked like spring. No one wore sweaters. No one used quilts. The only way you knew it was winter was when the sun set at 6, not 8."

Pritish Nandy holds forth. Read

The Food Security Bill debate opens in the Lok Sabha. Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is expected to lead the debate. Food minister KV Thomas initiates debate on Food Bill in the Lok Sabha.

Amitabh Bachchan will introduce Vivek Oberoi's character in 'Krrish 3'. Rakesh Roshan had approached Bachchan to introduce crucial parts of the film. In the movie, Bachchan will introduce Vivek Oberoi's character and also explain the sequence of events that connect the two earlier films of the franchise 'Krrish 3'. 'Krrish 3' also stars Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut.

The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea for initiating contempt proceedings against the UP government and its Chief Minister for suspending IAS officer Durga Sakthi Nagpal, who had cracked down on the sand mafia in Gautam Budh Nagar.

The petition filed by an advocate had contended that the officer had only complied with the orders of this court in demolishing the illegal structure and the decision of state government to suspend her amounts to contempt.

The discussion on the Food Security Bill is set to begin in the Lok Sabha at 2 pm. 

BBC Radio 4 is to mark the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech, a seminal event in the US civil rights movement, with a full recital including passages read by modern-day human rights campaigners including the Dalai Lama and the mother of Stephen Lawrence. Read

If Adoor Gopalakrishnan had his way, India would celebrate the centenary of Indian cinema not this year, exactly 100 years after Raja Harishchandra, the first feature film made in India, but in 2055. Here's why

Having made amends on Maldives, there is hope that the Manmohan Singh government may yet salvage ties with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Pakistan. Read

As the police hunted down the suspects one by one -- officials announced the fourth and fifth arrests on Sunday -- a stream of journalists made their way along a green tongue of sewage winding through a slum covered in blue tarpaulins, where thousands have packed themselves in, or on top of, roughly 300 tenements. Read

With the Food Security Bill pending in Parliament, government today reached out to various political parties hoping for a smooth functioning of both the houses.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath told reporters at the sidelines of a conference in Delhi that he had spoken to representatives of various political parties on important issues.

"Let us see if Parliament functions because there are many important issues on which various parties have spoken to me in the morning," Nath said when asked whether he thought that the Food Security Bill will be passed today.

Uproar over VHP's controversial Ayodhya yatra today stalled the functioning of Rajya Sabha with SP and BJP members forcing three adjournments during pre-lunch sitting.

Soon after the House met for the day, SP members shouted slogans alleging an attack by BJP workers on their Delhi office, a charge strongly refuted by the main opposition party.

The issue forced two adjournments before Zero Hour as Chairman Hamid Ansari's repeated efforts to restore normalcy in the House did not yield any result.

When the House resumed at noon, BJP members came in aisle shouting slogans. Deputy Chairman P J Kurien, who was in the Chair, criticised this saying leaders of parties had decided that they will not raise slogans in the House. Kurien also said the slogans will not go on record.

"It (slogan) won't go on record. It is indiscipline," Kurien said. Members from BJP also shouted slogans but they did not come in the aisle.

While Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley remained seated, other BJP members were on their feet. During Question Hour, two Congress members from Seemandhra region kept shouting in the Well holding placards demanding united Andhra Pradesh.

TOI's foot-in-mouth rape coverage on the Mumbai gang rape. Read

A strident Sushma Swaraj demands the death penalty for all five accused in the Mumbai gang rape and demands a time frame for the proceedings to be expedited.

Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde assures the house that the case will be heard in a fast-track court and medical and forensic examinations are complete. He says there is no provision for death penalty for rape, but the government will push for maximum punishment -- 20 years to life term. 

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have resumed after brief adjournments.

In the LS, Sushma Swaraj calls for the death penalty for rapists. Outrage over the Mumbai gang rape continues in the House.

Earlier home minister Sushilkumar Shinde gave updates on the case to the house.

JD-U's Sharad Yadav says that while he agrees with Swaraj, he asks why she is silent over Asaram Bapu, who has molestation charges against him. "Why is there no discussion on Asaram when he is accused over similar charges," he asks.

For now, discussion on the Food Bill has been postponed till 2 pm. 

A few words that seem to be straight out of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's slang-bag have actually been around for the past couple of centuries. Read more

The Indian rupee dropped sharply to 64.20 per dollar in late morning trade today on good demand for the US currency from banks and importers due to rise in crude oil prices.

The rupee resumed lower at 63.65 per dollar as against the last weekend's level of 63.20 at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) Market and dropped further to 64.20 at 1040 hours, showing a fall of 100 paise or 1.58 per cent.

Bollywood star Salman Khan has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court after a complaint challenged his right to post court orders in cases against him on his website. Read

The Food Security Bill will be debated in Parliament at 2 pm. 

Has the Mumbai gang rape changed the city's women?

Rediff.com's Gauri Ghadi on how the incident affected her. Read

Murder exposes Bengal's coal belly. Read

Gujarat is witnessing a rise in number of women willing to work as intelligence officers (IO) with state CID (intelligence), the key factor being the 'aura' associated with the job. During the last (year) enrollment of the state police, out of 57 aspirants directly recruited as IOs, 30 per cent were women, which is the highest so far for undercover agents, officials said without giving the exact number.

Both houses of Parliament have been adjourned over the Ayodhya yatra. The LS will meet at 11.30 am, the RS at noon.

If the incident of gang rape of a photojournalist in Mumbai was not enough to dent the city's image of being safe for women, India's crime records have revealed that the country's commercial capital witnessed 647 rape and 1,877 molestation cases in the last three years. Read

The Mumbai photojournalist signals her refusal to let rape define her or hold her back in any way. Read the editorial in the Indian Express. 

Yet another day in the monsoon session of Parliament. In the Lok Sabha, Parliamentery Affairs Minister Kamal Nath asks Sushma Swaraj, the leader of the opposition in the house, to let the house function. There is uproar in the house today over the VHP's Ayodhya yatra.  

On Mother Teresa's birth anniversary today, there can be no better reply to muckrakers than her life and her work. Read

The 22-year-old gang-rape survivor was asked to clean up the scene of the crime, the Mumbai police says The police have also recovered more evidence and released details about how the crime was perpetrated. Read

A Delhi court has observed that consensual sex with a girl aged below 18 years does not constitute an offence under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.  Read

In a milestone in Indian studies, the English edition of Encyclopaedia of Hinduism, a product of 25 years of relentless academic efforts by nearly 1000 scholars, will be unveiled in the US today. Read

Even as the remaining two of five suspects in the Shakti Mills gang rape case were arrested on Sunday in Mumbai and Delhi, one of the accused, Vijay Jadhav,nabbed on Saturday allegedly told police that the five had committed similar crimes earlier too and got away with it. Read

Jodhopur police on Tuesday issued summons to controversial self-styled godman Asaram Bapu in connection with the allegation of sexual abuse levelled against him by a minor.        

Two people allegedly acting as Maoist couriers were arrested and a huge cache of explosives were recovered from them in Raipur, police said.        

Opposition Telugu Desam Party has taken a dig at YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, saying he has no moral right to fight for united Andhra Pradesh, since he is a "corrupt" leader.        

The JD-S, in its next Legislature Party meeting, has decided to formally accept the resignation of H D Kumaraswamy as the party chief in Karnataka, in the backdrop of its loss in recent by-elections to two Lok Sabha seats in the state.   

The JD-S, in its next Legislature Party meeting, has decided to formally accept the resignation of H D Kumaraswamy as the party chief in Karnataka, in the backdrop of its loss in recent by-elections to two Lok Sabha seats in the state.   

Top VHP leaders Pravin Togadia and Ashok Singhal were among nearly 1,700 people arrested in a massive crackdown by the Uttar Pradesh administration to foil the defiant saffron outfit's controversial yatra on Sunday, that was banned over fears of a communal flare-up.     

The BJP today distributed masks and T-shirts with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's picture on them to members of dahi handi festival teams in Mumbai.        

Pakistan has ordered a complete shutdown of its government offices near the LoC for an indefinite period amid continued tension in the area, a media report said today.        

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has called for a nation-wide movement to protest the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to ban its yatra on Sunday.

The UPA's flagship Food Security Bill will be introduced in Parliament today.