A special meeting of the United Nations General Assembly will mark Nelson Mandela International Day on July 18, honouring the South African anti-apartheid leader's contributions to democracy, racial justice and reconciliation.

Speakers at the meeting on Mandela's 95th birthday are expected to include former US President Bill Clinton, Reverend Jesse Jackson, singer, actor and social activist Harry Belafonte, and Andrew Mlangeni, who was imprisoned with Mandela and remains a close friend.

The General Assembly meeting starting at 10 am on July 18 is part of a series of events to take place here and around the world to celebrate Mandela's 95th birthday.

BBC reports: Fugitive United States intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia, officials say.

The Federal Migration Service confirmed he had completed the relevant paperwork at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where he has been for the past three weeks.

Snowden is wanted by the US for leaking details of government surveillance programmes.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi  held a closed-door meeting with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat and General Secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi, his first interaction with the top Sangh leadership after his elevation in the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Modi is believed to have discussed the political situation in the country and BJP's strategy in coming Lok Sabha and assembly elections. He had recently courted controversy over his `puppy' and `veil secularism' remarks.

As the government today increased FDI in areas like telecom and insurance, a key decision on raising foreign investment in the sensitive media sector remains pending as the Information & Broadcasting Ministry has sought advice from TRAI and Press Council on the matter.

The ministry which had initiated a consultation process on the proposal by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, decided to forward the issue related to permitting more FDI in broadcasting sector to TRAI and in print sector to the Press Council of India. "We have not taken any view on media," Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma told reporters.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said it had not been a correct decision to align with Congress in the 2011 assembly elections and accused the Congress of holding out the threat of CBI "whenever there is a protest against the UPA government".       

 

"It was not a correct decision to ally with Congress in the assembly election. There is always good result in fighting alone. If the Trinamool Congress had contested alone, it could have done better and got 293 out of 294 seats," Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress supremo told a panchayat election rally in Amtala in South 24 Parganas district.

Congress today alleged that the mindset of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has become "criticism-centric" toward every development initiative taken by the UPA government.       

 

"We don't expect any constructive comments from Narendra Modi as his mindset has become such that he criticise all development initiatives taken by the Central government," AICC spokesman Prem Chand Singh told reporters here.         

 

Briefing the media about National Food Security Ordinance, Singh was recalling Modi's criticism of the UPA government's food security programme.          Modi had on Sunday said the Centre was under the impression that merely bringing in the bill would lead to food reaching the needy.

Gujarat CM Narendra Modi has reached Nagpur where he will meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. 

Just in: Two school students die, 50 admitted to hospital after they consume mid day meal in Chhapra in Bihar. Details awaited. 

On paper, there was a ban on dance bars in Maharashtra since 2005. In reality, there never was a dearth of dance bars and bar girls for those with money and power in the state. The Maharashtra government, which came up with the ban orders through an amendment in the Bill, did not back it up before the judiciary. Read

Now Kolkata falls victim to piracy in global waters. Captain Sishir Wahi of Alipore is among the 24 Indians aboard M T Cotton a cargo ship, which has been hijacked by pirates near Port Gentil off the coast of Gabon in central Africa. The shocked family, which has lost all contact with the Captain is now running from pillar to post to get back their dear one home. There are about six from West Bengal and neighbouring states on board the ship. More

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who was given a rousing welcome on his first visit to Odisha today since taking over as BJP National Election Campaign Committee Chairman, said there was a 'strong bond' between the Gujarat and Orissa.

"Wonderful being in the beautiful state of Odisha. Blessed to offer prayers at Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri. I thank the people of Odisha for their warm welcome," Modi said in a post on social networking site Facebook.

Modi said he had discussed the strong bond between Gujarat and Odisha with friends in the state. "Dwarka and Puri are related to two incarnations of Lord Vishnu, who appeared in Dwarka as Lord Krishna and as Mahaprabhu Jagannath in Puri ... Both Dwarka Peeth in the west coast and Govardhan Peeth of Puri in the east coast were set up by Adi Shankaracharya," he said. 

After a long lull, social activist Anna Hazare today said there is hardly any democracy left in the country because of rampant corruption.

"People are supreme in a democracy but due to rampant corruption in which governments have done a doctorate, no democracy was left in the country," Hazare, who arrived in Guna as part of his 'Jantantra Yatra' along with the former Army chief General V K Singh and ex-MLA Sunilam, said.

Despite giving in writing, the central government had not brought the Lokpal Bill as promised and thus cheated people of the country, the Gandhian alleged.

Senior IPS officer Bhim Sain Bassi was today appointed as the next Delhi Police Commissioner and will take charge of the over 80,000 strong force on August 1. 57-year-old Bassi, a 1977 IPS batch officer and currently serving as Special Commissioner (Administration), will succeed incumbent Neeraj Kumar who will retire on July 31 after a tumultuous two-year tenure.

The Delhi gang rape of December 16, 2012, took place on the watch of Kumar.

Italian accountant Ottavio Quattrocchi who was paid a bribe of $7.2 million in the 1986 Bofors-India gun deal passed away last weekend. He was no ordinary commission agent operating in India. He was a gravy train close to the Gandhi family. Read Chitra Subramaniam Duella's piece -- the journalist who broke the Bofors story and doggedly followed the case.  

The Maharashtra government has announced the formation of a legal panel to study the Supreme Court ruling striking down its decision to ban dance bars.

"We have not yet received a copy of the Supreme Court ruling. A panel comprising lawyers, legal consultants and legislators will study it and submit a report to the state government," Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil said, reacting to the apex court ruling.

Making a statement in the Legislative Council, the minister said the panel would suggest whether to approach a full bench, file a review petition or change existing laws in the state against dance bars.

Two pen drives with conversations between BJP leader Amit Shah and senior police officers - in which they allegedly discuss the investigations into the fake encounter killing of college student Ishrat Jahan - have been submitted by the CBI to the Gujarat High Court. Read the full report here

IAF officer Wing Commander AK Thakur dismissed from service for demanding bribe at Aero India 2011 from foreign aircraft firms. Here's the background. Read

A 44-year-old politician pulling a female member of Parliament directly onto his lap in the Irish Parliament has drawn criticism from all quarters. Tom Barry, a representative of Ireland''s center-right Fine Gael political party, during a debate over an abortion bill in the Irish Parliament had vigorously pulled ine Collins, holding her awkwardly for a few moments.

Barry has admitted that he had been drinking before the session, the report added. Barry also apologized to Collins and clarified that the act was absolutely a big mistake. Watch

Eight persons, accused in the brutal gang rape of four school girls in Pakur district in Jharkhand, have been arrested.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who has often been accused of playing to the gallery on minority issues, today accused Narendra Modi, RSS and BJP of spreading "blatant lies" and painting him as "anti Hindu".

Read the blog.

Former bar dancers tell CNN IBN that they are very happy that the Supreme Court has lifted the ban on dance bars. One of the women say the government promised them jobs after the bars shut down in 2005, but reneged. Most of them were forced to "do things we did not want to support our families. We are glad we can live a dignified life now," she says.

So, what do you think? Should the ban be lifted on dance bars? Tell us

India's deadliest poacher, Sansar Chand, the man said to be single-handedly responsible for the missing tigers of the Sariska wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan, is all set to walk out of jail.

A Delhi court today refused to slap a stringent anti-organized crime law against Sansar Chand, which would have been the only hurdle towards his bail. The 55-year-old, who has been in jail since 2005, could be out as early as this weekend.-- NDTV

New documents show that the union government has suppressed testimony that slain Mumbai resident Ishrat Jehan Raza may have been an Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist. Read the report on Firstpost. 

Pakistan-based militant groups have intensified their infiltration attempts along the border and around 300 militants continue to be active on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC), just along the Jammu region, the Army today said. Read

Miscreants have fired five blank shots at Congress leader and union minister Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury. The men also reportedly hurled bombs at the minister's car. The incident happened at West Bengal's Malda district, which is also Ghani Khan's constituency. Khan has escaped unhurt.

He is the younger brother of the late Union minister A B A Ghani Khan Choudhury, and became an MP following Ghani Khan's death in 2006. Ghani Khan won the Malda seat six times in a row, from 1980 to 2004.

After two years of what appeared to be a healthy association, the Indian Air Force has dropped the legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador.

Tendulkar has been replaced with the basic trainer aircraft Pilatus after their association failed to yield the desired results.

The IAF is using Pilatus' images to galvanise more personnel.The IAF has entered into a deal for 75 Pilatus with Switzerland, wherein 14 Pilatus aircrafts have already reached India, and the pilots are being trained on them in Hyderabad. Read more

The National Investigations Agency (NIA) has finally released a sketch of a suspect in the serial bomb explosions at Bodh Gaya's Mahabodhi temple in Bihar.

Terror struck the temple town of Bodh Gaya when nine serial explosions rocked the Mahabodhi Temple complex on July 7. Two tourists, including a monk from Myanmar, were injured in the blasts.

Both the Prime Minister's Office and the Finance Ministry have zeroed in on Raghuram Rajan, chief economic advisor to the Dr Manmohan Singh, to succeed Dr D Subbarao as the RBI governor.

While zeroing in on the Foreign Secretary, the PMO's writ could not prevail and the UPA2 went by the dictum of the Sonia Gandhi to get Sujata Singh in the chair.

Many in the North Block are waiting with bated breath for the big fight between Raghuram Rajan and Dr Narendra Jhadav. 

Ruling out complete ban on gold import, Finance Minister P Chidambaram appealed to people to moderate their demand for it which is costing the nation USD 50 billion in foreign exchange.

"We cannot completely ban import of gold. There is a long time attachment to gold in this country. I am requesting... can we for sometime moderate the demand for gold? "Can we reduce our appetite for gold? If you are buying, say 20 grams, can you buy 10 grams," he said.

Delhi Police officials have taken the help of Rajasthan Royals' skipper Rahul Dravid to analyse every delivery bowled by S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan - IPL players accused of spot-fixing in this year's edition of the tournament. Their skipper may now be made a prosecution witness. Read

Try as hard as the BJP might to whitewash or sugar-coat its Muslim-centric gestures, one cannot deny that they smack of appeasement. There is a real danger in this misguided approach. The BJP may end up looking like a poor B team of the Congress with disastrous results. In the real world people prefer originals not imitations, says Vivek Gumaste. Read the column on Rediff.com

the CBI has asked a Delhi court to summon Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group chairman Anil Ambani and his wife Tina Ambani as prosecution witnesses to "arrive at the truth' and for a "just decision' in the case.

The CBI moved an application in the court saying Ambani, his wife and 15 others are required to be examined as witnesses in the case, as "some new facts,' including some bank documents pertaining to money transaction of Rs. 997 crore in October 2007 between the DB Group Company and Reliance ADA Group companies, have surfaced.

Dr Narendra Jhadav is likely to be appointed as the next Governor of Reserve Bank of India from September 6. Dr Jhadav is a member of the Planning Commission and is also the key person in the National Advisory Council. Many of his theories have attracted Sonia Gandhi and in a couple of personal interactions, Sonia has sought to have his position elevated. It seems Dr Jhadav understands what Sonia wants, better than most. 

How the devastating news of multiple positive drug tests is being received by media and officials on the Caribbean island. Read

Janata Dal (U) leader Ali Anwar has accused Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and other political leaders of indulging in votebank politics in the run-up to the 2014 general elections.

Reacting to Yadav's statement that he had no choice but to order security personnel to open fire on Kar Sevaks as they pulled down the Babri Mosque structure in Ayodhya, Anwar said politicians "keep changing colours', especially when elections are around the corner.

"Right now, everybody is concerned about gathering votes. I haven't looked into the specifics of what he (Mulayam Singh Yadav) has said," said Anwar.

Anwar's reaction came after Yadav said the decision to fire at the 'kar sevaks' in Ayodhya in 1990, "was painful' but he had no other option.

Commenting on the Mayawati-Mulayam Singh rivalry, he said: "There is so much competition between Mayawati and Mulayam Singh, that if one cuts their ears off, the other will do exactly the same'.

Just in: A crude bomb explodes inside the court in Vaishali in Ghaziabad injuring a woman constable. Four more live bombs recovered from the court premises were defused.

The Congress today said that the entry fee of Rs. 5 for a Narendra Modi rally in Hyderabad next month reflects his market value.Union Minister Manish Tewari tweeted that tickets for even flop films sell for Rs 200-250. Later, he said, "It's now become very evident that the BJP has decided to impose a listening tax... When will they impose a speaking tax?" Read

On Rediff.com: A day after the telegram died. See our slideshow

Chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council Dr C Rangarajan says India could explore an NRI bond issue of the kind done in 1998 after the Asian financial crisis, to meet the potential shortfall in capital flows in the short run. However, the high current account deficit will have to be addressed in the medium to long term. Read

The growing convergence of views on many issues is not enough to iron out the divergence arising from different priorities, as Secretary Kerry's recent visit proved. Read

The recent deadly floods and landslides in northern India have sparked a debate about hydroelectric power projects in the ecologically fragile Himalayas. Read

One of the women killed in flash floods and landslides in the Indian Himalayas last month was found clutching a thin rubber band with a few safety pins.Police are using these items to help identify the woman, aged 55-60. Read

Yesterday, the Uttarakhand government declared that those missing, would be presumed dead.

Mumtaz Mahal was still alive. The Taj Mahal wasn't even in the picture. And Rabindranath Tagore stayed here as a teenager. For a 391-year-old, steeped in history, Moti Shahi Palace, perhaps, deserved a little more respect. Read

Sucheta Dalal's 2005 piece on the "Real economics of dance bars". Read

Banking stocks today witnessed heavy selling, falling sharply by as much as 8.6 per cent in morning trade, after the RBI raised lending rates in order to stem the volatility in rupee.

Among the major losers were YES Bank that slumped 8.59 per cent, while Canara Bank plunged 7.21 per cent on the BSE. From the front-line banking pack, ICICI Bank was down 5.53 per cent, PNB (5.71 per cent), State Bank of India (4.92 per cent) and HDFC Bank (2.75 per cent). SBI also hit its 52-week low of Rs 1,798.10.

Around 20 armed and inebriated men forced their way into a girls' hostel in Maoist-hit Pakur district in Jharkhand and gang-raped four minor girls on Sunday night. The girls -- aged between 12 and 14 years and belonging to the endangered Paharia tribe -- were students of a vocational course. Read more

This is what home minsiter RR Patil, who was also deputy chief minister, had said in 2005 on the ban on dance bars.

"People are using bar girls as a shield to protect their own interests. However, while enforcing the ban, the government will not adopt a cruel attitude. It will provide employment to these bar girls on the Employment Guarantee Scheme projects and help them start self-help groups, and also provide loans for setting up their own industry," he said.

The number of bar girls in the 307 official dance bars in Mumbai could not be more than 7,500 and not 75,000 as claimed by some organisations, Patil clarified. 

"The life of people living in the same building where the dance bars are located, had become miserable," Patil said adding, "these people shut their houses early and lock themselves up fearing the antics of visitors to the dance
bars."

"They could not even complain to the police as the nearest police station would be 'managed' by the bar owners," he said.

Patil also made some unsavoury remarks about police officials. "I had noticed that officials of my department sought transfers in areas where these bars were located," he said, adding, "those who were already there, used many a tricks to stay put there."

"I have decided to be very strict as far as patronage to all such illegal activities is concerned. Henceforth, the concerned policeman, from the constable to the police inspector, will be suspended if such activities are noticed in his area," the deputy chief minister said."

Bitter pill for for Maharashtra home minister RR Patil to swallow, the man instrumental for the shutdown of dance bars in 2005. In March, Patil had said that action would be taken against police officials if they were found supporting the operation of dance bars in Mumbai and the state.

Mumbai has seen an alarming 61 per cent rise in the number of abortion cases over the past three years, according to the BMC statistics received by the public health department. More

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has dismissed Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's plea challenging framing of murder and rioting charges against him in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case relating to the killing of six people in Sultanpuri area in Delhi.

In a verdict that could restore the livelihoods of bar dancers all over Maharashtra, the Bombay High Court has lifted the controversial ban on dance bars that was implemented by the state government on August 15, 2005, saying it was an act of discrimination on the part of the state as it violated Article 14 of the Constitution of India that guarantees the right to equality.

The court slammed the Maharashtra government for its double standards in allowing bar girls to dance in high-end establishments and at independent performances, while banning it elsewhere, suggesting that the state had lost its battle on technical rather than human rights grounds.

The high court has given the government eight weeks to challenge the verdict that set aside the Bombay Police (Amendment) Act 2005, a legislation banning dance performances at eating outlets and bars. Alternatively, the state has eight weeks in which to re-issue cancelled licences. More

The BSE benchmark Sensex today plunged over 368 points in early trade, snapping its three-session rising streak, pulled down by financial sector stocks, including ICICI Bank and HDFC, after the RBI raised lending rates for banks. 

Chidambaram further added, "We hope to get bills on real estate, land acquisition and street vendors passed in the monsoon session of Parliament".

In more bad news for India's economy, the Asian Development Bank has lowered the country's growth projection to 5.8 per cent from 6 per cent for 2013.

All LPG consumers will get subsidy in banks accounts through DBT by the end of year, Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said.

A top American lawmaker has launched a fresh effort to enlist Sikhs in the US Army so that they can serve the force while abiding by their faith.        

United States is a 'kinder and gentler nation' because of former President George H W Bush, the current occupant to the post Barack Obama has said.        

Scientists have discovered a new moon orbiting planet Neptune using the Hubble Space Telescope,said US space agency NASA.       

A group of Indian American youths including students and young professionals are marking the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda by visiting places in the US that are associated with the spiritual leader. 

Scientists have discovered a new moon orbiting planet Neptune using the Hubble Space Telescope, said US space agency NASA. 

A Sikh rights body in the US has said that it will use provisions of the Hague Service Treaty to serve the summons of a US court to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, in a case accusing him of human rights violation. 

A top American diplomat today assured American support to democratic process in Egypt, saying Washington wants the Arab country to be strong, democratic and tolerant.

Assistant Secretary of State William Burns, the highest US official to visit Egypt following ouster of the country's first democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi, urged Egyptian leaders to engage in dialogue and end violence.

Speaking at a press conference here, he said the US wants Egypt to be strong, democratic and tolerant and to deal with the needs of its people and respect their rights. Burns earlier held talks with Egypt's interim president and prime minister-designate.

He also met members of armed forces, representatives of political parties, NGOs, activists, religious figures and businessmen. Pointing out that President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry had asked him to visit Egypt, Burns said the message was clear that the US will continue to support democratic success and prosperity in Egypt.

"Only Egyptians can determine their future," he said, underlining that he has not come to Egypt with a US solution or to give lectures.

"The US does not seek to impose a certain model in Egypt but will support certain main principles," he said.

Modi CHALLENGES Congress: Let's have a debate on development

The new politics playing out on Telangana

The tragicomedy of Mumbai's LAST telegram

No decision yet on Rahul as PM candidate: Cong

Bahuguna refuses to declare dead those missing in U'khand

Modi's language has vindicated our stand: Nitish Kumar

The three-member team of doctors from AIIMS, who performed a second autopsy on the body of Dalit youth E Ilavarasan on a directive from the Madras high court, today submitted the report in a sealed cover.

The report was submitted to the high court Registrar General Kalaiarasan, a day after the Dalit youth, found dead last week after his marriage with a upper caste girl last year triggered anti-Dalit violence, was laid to rest at his native village in Dharmapuri district.

Ilavarasan's marriage with the upper caste girl Divya in October last year and eventual suicide of her father over it had led to large-scale violence targeting three Dalit villages including Natham colony in the district on November 7 last year.