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On his last visit to the Southern Air Command in Thiruvananthapuram, Browne also reviewed the preparations being made at Thanjavur air base in Tamil Nadu, which will host the first squadron of Su-30MKI aircraft in southern India to guard the Indian Ocean Region.
"During the visit, the Air Chief reviewed the progress of the first LCA base at Sulur and also the progress of work services at Thanjavur, which will be the next base for Su-30s," the IAF said in a release.
Talking to air force personnel, Browne said, "IAF is going through tremendous changes in terms of induction, modernisation and improvement. We had set very ambitious goals over the last two-and-a-half years and we have been able to achieve each one of them".
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today hailed anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare's determination following the passage of Lokpal Bill by the Parliament.
"Passage of Lokpal Bill is a fitting tribute to the struggle and determination of Anna Hazare. I pray for his good health," Modi tweeted this evening.
He also congratulated MPs. "Passage of Lokpal Bill in Parliament is a victory of the efforts of all Indians. I congratulate all our MPs on this momentous occasion," he said.
Modi also said that he was proud of the proactive role played by BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley. "Am very proud of the positive and proactive role played by BJP MPs under leadership of @SushmaSwarajbjp & @arunjaitley in passing Lokpal Bill," he tweeted.
"AAP is doing a tamasha (drama) over the popular mandate and asking people to tell them the future course of action. Why AAP is not forming government in Delhi when Congress has offered it unconditional support?..AAP's activities are right-wing Maoism," Gadkari, also BJP Delhi In-Charge, told reporters on the sidelines of ongoing winter session of state legislature in Delhi.
She says her son has been lying in a morgue for the past 16 days and there is still no definitive answer from the government.
Capt James has been jailed in Togo.
The protestors from different organisations, besides a group of DU students, raised anti-America slogans and demanded immediate apology from the US authorities during their protest outside the embassy in the diplomatic enclave in Chanakyapuri locality of central Delhi.
They also insisted that the government should take more stern steps to register India's protest against the mistreatment of its diplomat in the United States.
"This whole exercise is a 'nautanki' (drama). Even though Congress has agreed to support Aam Admi Party unconditionally, Kejriwal is not ready to form government in Delhi," party president Uddhav Thackeray said in an editorial in mouthpiece 'Saamna'.
Brahma Chellaney: What is the foreign minister hinting at? "It is not illegality that she [Khobragade] is accused of but the illegality she refused to oblige"
However, the complication is that she would have to apply for a fresh diplomatic card through the UN Secretariat, which would ultimately go for clearance to the US State Department.
Here is where the Indians are hoping that Washington will show some positive intent by issuing the card and, in doing so, extend full immunity to her. Read the full report on the Indian Express.
Justice Hima Kohli granted parole to Sharma from December 28 till January 5 next year after the police filed a status report informing about his examination in post-graduation in Human Rights which will commence from December 30.
Justice Kohli, however, made it clear that Sharma will appear in the examination centre in Delhi and not in Chandigarh.
The court also directed the Tihar authorities to do the needful for shifting of the examination centre.
Sharma's counsel told the court that jail authorities have given many certificates to his client acknowledging his good conduct.
He has taken care of 470 children of convicts by financing for their studies, the counsel said.
He said Sharma has not breached any condition laid down by the court earlier and added that this time also whatever condition the court will impose, he will abide by it.
Sharma, son of former Union Minister Venod Sharma, was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing Jessica Lall in 1999, and he had moved the high court seeking a month's parole to prepare for and appear in his second semester PG exams.
"The Deputy Consular General received a phone call from a lawyer who refused to identify himself and offered to settle the matter that would result in grant of permanent citizenship to her and a huge compensation. It became clear that this was a conspiracy and some people trapped her," he said.
Spelling out the series of steps initiated to scale down the privileges granted to US diplomats in India, he said there was a "conspiracy" in which Khobragade was "virtually trapped".
He said the diplomat is "innocent" and the US action was unwarranted.
"It is not illegality that she is accused of, but the illegality she refused to oblige," he said.
Maintaining that the government was not over-reacting by taking a slew of measures against the US, Khurshid said the treatment meted out to Khobragade had "not happened out of blue" and there is a "history" behind it.
He asserted that the government is determined and "will intervene effectively and specifically to ensure that dignity of the diplomat is preserved."
Khurshid made suo motu statements in both the Houses after members expressed outrage with demands that a resolution be passed to condemn the US action.
"It is my responsibility. We will bring back the diplomat (arrested in New York) and restore her dignity. If I fail to do it, I will not return to this House," he said in Rajya Sabha.
In the Lok Sabha, he said, "First and foremost, our effort is to bring her out of this situation and then we will talk to the US government."
He was arrested and taken to the lockup without handcuffs, his autograph was taken and then driven back to the Bigg Boss house in a chauffeured SUV -- so he can get on with his duties of verbally abusing female contestants in the house.
Superb satire on News Laundry. Read
"The law will be meaningless unless it is implemented and enforced properly. I will constitute watchdog bodies at all levels...in states, districts everywhere. "These bodies having retired judges, state police chiefs and others with impeccable integrity will keep vigilance on how the law is implemented. Only then the people will benefit from this law," he said.
Hazare, who thanked everybody, from MPs to political parties, Rajya Sabha's Select Committee, to policemen at his fast venue, the 'pandalwala' to the doctors who looked after him during the hunger strike, his fourth for Lokpal, chose not to make any mention of Arvind Kejriwal and others from the AAP, who played a role in building the movement.
Just so you know.
Read
The BJP's Sushma Swaraj said in Parliament today that the credit for the Lokpal Bill should go to Anna Hazare who has repeatedly gone on fast to ensure it is passed.
AAP's Prashan Bhushan playing party pooper says an ineffective Lokpal Bill has been passed. He said the parties were compelled to pass a Lokpal Bill in haste because of the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Sonia Gandhi says she is very happy that the Lokpal Bill has been passed and that the credit should go to all those in Parliament today.
Interesting read: How much time does Parliament spend on discussing bills it passes?
Responding to concerns expressed by members across party lines in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid condemned the US action and said he will not return to the House if he fails in his responsibility to bring back the arrested diplomat Devyani Khobragade.
Spelling out the series of steps initiated to scale down the privileges granted to US diplomats in India, he said there was a "conspiracy" in which Khobragade was "virtually trapped".
He said the diplomat is "innocent" and the US action was unwarranted. "It is not illegality that she is accused of, but the illegality she refused to oblige," he said.
With the passage of the historic Lokpal Bill, the Lok Sabha has been adjourned sine die.
To contextualise this, Yashwant Sinha yesterday said: Sinha suggested that India could now arrest same-sex partners of American diplomatic officials. "Companions' means that they are of the same sex. Now, after the Supreme Court ruling, it is completely illegal in our country. Just as paying less wages was illegal in the US, so, why doesn't the government of India go ahead and arrest all of them?" he said.
Kiran Bedi tweets: Watch loksabha channel. On Lokpal Bill! Sushma Swaraj and Rahul Gandhi said it all right! Wow! Jai Hind!! Impossible being made possible! A miracle!!! Post independence! Jai Hind!
Sangeeta, who is originally from Punjab, has been missing since June and sources tell Rediff.com that she is still in the United States of America. She had been declared an absconder by the US.
Indian agencies have been trying to get more information from her husband and the other family members who say she has not returned to India.
Taking into account the sensitivity of the issue, Indian officials do not want to reveal more details.
India believes that she is very important to the case and having her depose at this stage is crucial.
Indian officials want to know if the nanny had agreed to work for below minimum pay wages, did she blackmail the diplomat and why was a suit filed even after an injunction by the Delhi High Court.
The Delhi High Court in an interim order had directed the nanny not to file any case against Devyani outside India.
-- Vicky Nanjappa.
She expressed her appreciation for his committee's efforts and passed on the phone to Anna Hazare, who too praised the panel's recommendations.
It was a different Anna Hazare from the one who had attacked the government two years ago after the Parliamentary Standing Committee decision to keep the lower bureaucracy out of the Lokpal's purview.
Read more
The Lok Sabha has moved on to the issue of Capt Sunil James', still in a Togo jail.
Sushma Swaraj, Rahul Gandhi, Mulayam Singh Yadav have spoken.
Rahul said that there were six pending anti-corruption bills and if the session has to be extended to pass them, it should. He said all parties should pass the bill unanimously and make history.
In Ralegan Siddhi, Anna Hazare watches the proceedings on TV. He is on the 9th day of his fast and has said he will break the fast only when the LS passes the bill.
Mulayam Singh says the Lokpal Bill is very dangerous and asks who will investigate the PM. Remember, the SP had walked out of the RS yesterday when the bill was under discussion.
Mail circulating among the South Block officials shows Bharara has come under the scanner for targeting people of Indian origin.
Before spearheading the arrest proceedings in Devyani's case, Bharara had hit the headlines for prosecuting former McKinsey MD Rajat Gupta for insider trading charge. Read more
Also see: Preet Bharara, the man who makes Wall Street tremble
This is the Hindu's take on the issue
"We must ensure both privileges are equal and reciprocal. We don't need a village headman and America should stop pretending to be the self- appointed Lokpal of the world," he said.
Samajwadi Party member Shailendra Kumar raised the issue of India's Deputy Consul General in New York Devyani Khobragade and demanded that the House adopt a resolution condemning the incident.
Amid noisy scenes, Seemandhra members belonging to YSR Congress and TDP trooped into Well and shouted slogans against creation of Telangana.
Members of Left parties too tried to raise some issues but could not be heard in the din.
Timings of two trains leaving from Delhi this morning were rescheduled, a Northern Railway Spokesperson said.
Close to 50 Delhi-bound trains were running four to seven hours behind schedule because of poor visibility, the spokesperson said.
The official also said most of the trains running late were from eastern states, including Rajdhanis from Howrah, Sealdah, Bhubaneshwar and Ranchi.
The RBI had been widely expected to lift its repo rate by 25 basis points, but instead opted to keep the country's main lending rate at 7.75 percent.
"The policy decision is a close one. Current inflation is too high," said the RBI in its policy statement.However, the RBI also cited its reluctance to over-react given the "wide bands of uncertainty" surrounding the outlook for inflation amid signs of sharply falling vegetable prices and "the weak state of the economy." Read more
Ms Mayawati says the Dalit community is really upset because the government reacted late because Devyani Khobragade came from a lower caste. She said the method of strip-searching the diplomat was unacceptable. She said her party was outraged as Devyani Khobragade belonged to a weaker section of society.
CPI-M'S Sitaram Yechury says his boarding pass to the US comes with a four-level security. He says he always tells himself that other people have been subjected to worse, but the point remains that we allow this to happen. "We accept that the US is the world's policeman and it can get away with laws it sets for the world. You cannot violate the Panchsheel. There has to be mutual respect for each other."
While 12 other charged persons will now face trial, Chavan, who lost his job for alleged collusion with the promoters of Adarsh society, will be absolved of all charges against him.
Disappointed by the development, CBI sources said they had strong evidence against Chavan and they had made an extensive presentation to the Maharashtra governor to back up their request for sanction to prosecute the former Maharashtra CM. Read more
She says the party will go into the causes of the Assembly poll debacle, and asks partymen not to be disheartened. "We have done a lot but lost the Assembly polls because we could not propagate our achievements properly. Our opponents advocate policies of divisiveness and sectarian interests. They mock our secular ethos. We must not be afraid to speak against those who offer only a narrow and destructive alternative," she said.
Lokpal became top priority for the government after Congress lost elections in four major states and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) made a stunning political debut in the Delhi assembly polls. Read more
The Lok Sabha will debate the Lokpal Bill today.
She was not just handcuffed but subjected to strip-search, DNA swabbing and cavity searches, she wrote. On Tuesday, the IFS Officers' Association met to ramp up pressure on the government to consider further retaliatory action if Washington did not offer an unconditional apology.
In her email, Khobragade implored the government to ensure her and her children's safety and preserve the dignity of the IFS, which was "unquestionably under siege".
She said she broke down several times but tried to maintain her dignity and composure as she was representing her country. Read more
India strips US diplomats of privileges
Rajya Sabha passes Lokpal Bill, Lok Sabha to debate it on Wednesday
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