Sonil Dedhia reports:

Authorities have rescued five people so far from under the debris of 'Altaf'. The Mahim building collapsed a few hours ago.  Locals say that at least 20 people, mostly elderly and children are still trapped.

Photograph: Shankar Bhoir, the building watchman and one of the survivors.

Photograph: Abhishek Mande

Abhishek Mande reports: 

A vaccine against one of the main causes of Delhi belly could end the misery for millions of holiday makers who have their exotic holidays ruined.

Read the full story here

Within hours of publishing a scathing story on President Obama, the Department of Justice raided the offices of the National Report claiming the raid was lawful under the USA Patriot Act but refusing to say why the government was taking the action.

Read the full story here

Read the so-called Maoist supremo Prachand's mysterious condolence letter to Soniya Gandhi regarding Chhatishgarh incident.

BJP Vice President Uma Bharti today said she was not aware of the reasons behind senior party leader L K Advani quitting all party posts and that she would meet him in Delhi tomorrow. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentary board, which met for an emergency meeting following L K Advani's resignation at party chief Rajnath Singh's residence, has ended. 

Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ananth Kumar meet Advani to persuade him to withdraw resignation after Parliamentary Board resolution.

Actor Aditya Pancholi's son Sooraj has arrested for abetment of suicide in Jiah Khan suicide case, the police have said. 

We are considering strong action against Naxals; all parties have asked us to take strictest action, says Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde while addressing the all party meet.

Former Rajasthan Royals cricketers S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila and 15 others have been granted bail by a Delhi court in IPL spot-fixing case.

Meanwhile, the all-party meet on Naxal violence chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has passed unanimous resolution against violence and armed insurgency in left-wing extremism affected areas.

Hotelier Vikram Aggarwal has been arrested by Crime Branch-CID of Tamil Nadu Police in connection with IPL betting case.

Gujarat Narendra Modi, in the eye of a storm created by BJP patriarch LK Advani, has tweeed: Had a detailed conversation with Advaniji on phone. Urged him to change his decision. I hope he will not disappoint lakhs of Karyakartas.. Spoke to Rajnath ji. In such a short time cannot reach the Parliamentary Board Meeting but will stand by whatever decision the Board takes

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that ideology of Naxalites is well known -- adoption of violent means with a total disregard for human life.  

 

While addressing the all party meeting, PM said, "It would not be wrong to say that the Chhattisgarh attack is a frontal assault on the democratic foundations of our nation,' adding, "We must ensure that Naxalite violence is held in check and attacks like the one in Chhattisgarh do not recur'.

The BJP seems to be slowly coming out of the shock of LK Advani's sudden resignation and finally has an action plan. Senior party leaders will meet at 7 pm today to strategise on the way ahead.

CNN IBN reports that LK Advani has told Sushma Swaraj and other senior party leaders like Ananth Kumar who came to meet him that he would not back off. He said his problem was not with Narendra Modi, but he was upset at the way he had been slighted. He said he had categorically maintained that Rajnath Singh should not appoint Modi to head the 2014 poll campaign, in isolation.
Advani said he would not consider taking back his resignation and would not participate in party matters.

Air India is considering not to offer any meal on certain short-haul domestic flights and join other Indian carriers to take a fee for preferred seats. No decision has yet been arrived at on these matters but the airline is actively considering the options, Air India sources said.

The national carrier, which has already stopped serving hot meals on domestic flights of less than 90 minutes, could decide not to serve any food on its services which are less than one hour, the sources said. Currently, passengers pay for having food on no-frill carriers IndiGo, Spicejet and GoAir, while full service airlines Air India and Jet Airways provide complimentary meals on all flights.

Iceland said today that US whistleblower Edward Snowden, who is currently holed up in a Hong Kong hotel, would have to travel to the country to be able to submit an asylum application.

The 29-year-old ex-CIA worker who leaked details of a massive secret Internet surveillance programme, has expressed an interest in seeking asylum in Iceland, saying it was a country that stood up for Internet freedoms. But the head of Iceland's Directorate of Immigration said no application had been received.

Just in: RBI imposes a penalty of up to Rs 5 crore on Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank for violating KYC norms, but says there is no evidence of money laundering against the three banks as indicated by the Cobrapost exposure. RBI imposes penalty of Rs 5 crore on Axis Bank, Rs 4.5 crore on HDFC Bank and Rs 1 crore on ICICI Bank.


Last month, the Income Tax department issued notices to ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank - in connection with alleged money laundering charges levelled by online portal Cobrapost.

The department has asked these banks to produce documents for verification as part of its tax evasion probe. The notices have been issued under section 131 of the I-T Act (power regarding discovery, production of evidence) after going through two confidential reports submitted recently to the Department of Revenue by the RBI and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), official sources said on Tuesday.
What the Cobrapost exposure said

Pilgrims to the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, once took long journeys by foot to the site in Amritsar, in Punjab, northern India. Read

India's federal cabinet recently cleared a bill that allows for setting up a regulator for India's real estate sector and has provisions for increasing disclosure by India's homebuilders. Read

JD(U) today gave first indications of parting ways with the NDA, saying it is "difficult" to remain in the alliance which is on "ventillator support" in the wake of resignation of L K Advani from top BJP posts and anointment of Narendra Modi as party's campaign committee chief for next Lok Sabha polls.

Terming Advani's resignation as a "serious issue" and "not good for NDA health," Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav said his party, an NDA ally, will meet to review the latest developments.

"I am deeply saddened by the resignation of Advaniji. Because the NDA was forged with the efforts of Atalji and Advaniji. He (Advani) is also the working president and Atalji is not keeping well," Yadav said. "So his resignation in my opinion is a serious issue and we will convene our own party meeting to discuss the matter," said Yadav, who is also the convenor of the NDA.

Right now, pro-Narendra Modi leaders in the BJP are meeting at party president Rajnath Singh's residence to discuss the fallout/ way ahead after LK Advani's resignation

Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa steers clear of talking about LK Advani when asked to comment on the crisis in the BJP. She tells CNN IBN, "Narendra Modi is a good friend of mine. My good wishes are always with him. I'm happy for him, whether he wins elections in Gujarat or whether he is elevated as poll campaign head." 

Asha Bhosle, Bipasha Basu, Prabhudeva, Kunal Kohli and other members of the film fraternity Tweeted to express their condolences to Priyanka Chopra whose father passed away today.

"Deepest condolences to Priyanka Chopraji and family on the passing away of her father. He loved his music, country and family," Asha Bhosle posted on Twitter.

Bipasha, who once worked with Priyanka, posted, "Strength to you Priyanka Chopra and your family."

"RIP Dr Chopra. Condolences to Priyanka Chopra. Had a great love for music. Met him in Vancouver last, amazing zest for life," posted Kunal Kohli.

Prabhudeva tweeted, "So sorry to hear about Priyanka Chopra's father. I hope god gives strength to her and her family to cope up with this loss. My condolences."

"Oh No!!! Priyanka Chopra may God give you strength. Lots of love. May his soul rest in peace," posted Anubhav Sinha.

Nice read: Turkish basilicas, English estates, Russian republics, the Al-Qaeda and the Buckingham Palace. How Bollywood usurped everything. Have a look here

Arun Jaitley says Advani's resignation is a big blow to the party. 

Omar Abdullah @abdullah_omar26m If his opinion didn't matter to you yesterday why is his resignation a crisis for you today?

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut says the BJP is weak without LK Advani. The NDA is weak without Advani. There are big leaders in the BJP, but Advani is the biggest. The party should set aside their personal differences and work to make the BJP stronger. "If Advani is angry, he should be placated," says Raut.   

Congress general secretary Digivijay Singh recalled that Advani was a man who took the tally of BJP from two in 1984 to 182.

"If this person has demanded some more time and asked to wait for a while, or demanded setting up of two committees including one headed by former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, what was the problem in waiting for a while.

 "What was the hurry. After all they were not going to miss a plane," he said. A day after Modi's anointment, Advani today submitted his resignation letter to BJP President Rajnath Singh. 

Reactions coming in from the BJP.

Advani's protege Uma Bharti says she appeals to him to retract his resignation.

Shiv Sena MP, Sanjay Raut: Advani is party's tallest leader. If he is angry, he should be placated.

Facebook Wall: Reactions from politicians, journos to Narendra Modi's elevation as poll chief. On the Unreal Times, hilarious! Read  

Sushma Swaraj on her way to meet LK Advani. Refusing to comment on whether the Narendra Modi factor prompted Advani's decision to quit, the BJP leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, said she was confident she would be able to make him change his mind. "I am surprised Advani-ji never discussed his decision with us," she said.
Other BJP leaders like Balbir Punj, Ananth Kumar, Sudheendra Kulkarni and Venkaiah Naidu will also be meeting him.

Senior BJP leaders Venkaiah Naidu and V K Malhotra meet L K Advani in the wake of his resignation from key party posts. Advani probably hopes this will force a reconsideration on Modi.

Just yesterday, LK Advani made a reference to a wounded Bhishma Pitamah lying on a bed of arrows in a scene in Mahabharata after the sulking BJP veteran, citing ill-health, stayed away from the party executive meet that elevated Narendra Modi on Sunday. The 83-year-old party stalwart, however, made no mention of the Gujarat Chief Minister in his blog or in a video address to a religious event in Jaipur. Read

Back in Mumbai, rains seemed to have held for a bit. The Bombay Port Trust has opened their private toll road for public use. Use it for travel between Ballard Pier-Lion Gate and Mahul-Chembur. For further updates, check http://www.traffline.com 

Murli Manohar Joshi has apparently called up BJP president Rajnath Singh. He said Advani's resignation will lead to the party's downfall. Rajnath Singh has rejected Advani's resignation.

The Congress reacts to LK Advani's resignation: Narendra Modi's anointment as BJP Campaign Committee chief is the beginning of the complete degeneration of the party, says party spokesperson Janardhan Dwivedi. He said that Modi's anointment would have its own repercussions and Advani's resignation is one of the many repercussions of Narendra Modi's elevation..


BJP president Rajnath Singh rejects Advani's resignation. BJP spokesperson Ananth Kumar reaches Advani's residence. He said there was no question of accepting Advani's resignation. Sushma Swaraj is expected to reach Advani's residence any time now.

The NCP reacts to LK Advani's resignation: "The party with a difference is indeed a party with differences as is evident from Advani's resignation," Maharashtra NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said. "The fate of NDA is sealed as BJP suffers NaMonia. The UPA will bounce back to power in 2014 Lok Sabha elections," he said.

Tavleen Singh @tavleen_singh L.K Advani could have ended his political career with more grace. A shame that he ends it looking like a man on the wrong side of history.

First reactions coming in from Ram Jethmalani on LK Advani's resignation from all three posts of the BJP. Jethmalani, never one to mince his words, says Advani has lost his senses. He has become senile. It may be recalled that Jethmalani had been suspended from the party for his 'indiscipline'.
The BJP central command has meanwhile instructed all its members not to react to Advani's resignation.

Just this morning, Advani had participated in the standing committee meeting of the Home ministry. Party president Rajnath Singh met Advani at his residence for 45 minutes. It is after that meeting that Advani's resignation letter was made public. In essence, this is what Advani said:

"All my life I have found working for the Jana Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party a matter of great pride and endless satisfaction for myself. For some time I have been finding it difficult to reconcile either with the current functioning of the party, or the direction in which it is going.

I no longer have the feeling that this is the same idealistic party created by Dr. Mookerji, Pandir Deendayalji, Nanaji and Vajpayeeji, whose sole concern was the country and its people. Most leaders of ours are now concerned just with their personal agendas."

In a letter written to BJP president Rajnath Singh, LK Advani states the reasons why he is quitting from all posts in the party.

This is what the letter says. Read

BJP strongman LK Advani resigns from all positions in the party. Advani today said he had a stomach upset that forced him to skip the party's national executive meet, breaking his silence over his ill health that fuelled speculation on his perceived opposition to Narendra Modi getting a key post.

The actress' father died at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital a short while ago, Priyanka's manager told PTI. Dr Chopra, a physician in the Indian Army, was seriously ill for a longtime. He had accompanied Priyanka to Vancouver for the TOIFA Awards earlier this year. For over a fortnight, the actress had been by her father's side due his illness, keeping aside all her filmi assignments.

Priyanka Chopra's father, Dr Ashok Chopra, passed away at 12.30 pm today. Dr Chopra was diagnosed with cancer and was on life support. Priyanka and her family was with Dr Chopra at the time of his death. Her father was first diagnosed with cancer in 2005. He passed away at Kokilaben Hospital.


Pic: Dr Ashok Chopra with Priyanka's mother and brother. Credit/Abhijit Mhamunkar

And the rains continue in Mumbai. Suburban train services on Central railway, Harbour line, and the Western railway have been running behind schedule. Roads are flooded, taxis refuse to ply and Mumbaikars, who can, stay home.

Here's a tweet: ppl who supposedly love mumbai rains obviously are unemployed,try travelling by trains in peak hours !

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar says the JD(U) will discuss the BJP's decision to appoint Narendra Modi as election campaign committee head and come out with its stand, JD(U) is an ally of the NDA, but Nitish Kumar has had differences with Modi. 

BCCI suspends Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra pending inquiry. The BCCI working committee meeting arrived at this decision just now on the basis of Delhi police chief Neeraj Kumar's statement that Kundra had admitted to betting in IPL over the last two years in his own team and in other teams.

Veteran Lal Krishna Advani turned out to be as much in the limelight for resisting Mr. Modi's elevation as Narendra Modi himself for getting his coveted prize. Read

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh today cautioned BJP President Rajnath Singh against the Gujarat Chief Minister, saying Narendra Modi has always "chopped off" the hands which promoted him.

"Its clear that Modi has always chopped off the hands which promoted him. That is why we would like to caution Rajnath Singh," Singh told reporters here.

The Congress general secretary expressed his sympathies for BJP patriarch L K Advani, who had skipped the Goa conclave where Modi was anointed party's campaign committee chief.

"He (Advani) was a man who took the tally of BJP from two in 1984 to 182. If this person has demanded some more time and asked to wait for a while, or demanded setting up of two committees including one headed by former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, what was the problem in waiting for a while. What was the hurry. After all they were not going to miss a plane," Singh said on Advani skipping the conclave.

The senior Congress leader also strongly rejected the suggestion of Modi being a threat to the party. "He has never been a threat to Congress party. We do not take him seriously," Singh said.

A Mumbai sessions court has adjourned till June 24 its verdict on actor Salman Khan's appeal against a magistrate's order for his retrial in the 2002 hit-and-run case under stringent charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Sessions court judge U B Hejib had fixed June 10 for deciding the appeal after arguments concluded a month ago.

Advancing his argument against invoking the grave charge of 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder' (section 304 part II IPC), Khan's lawyer Ashok Mundargi had pleaded that the magistrate's order was "erroneous, bad in law and contrary to evidence on record." Read more

Traffic congestion on these roads. Avoid if you can.

1. Western Expressway going north from Bandra until Andheri flyover
2. Western Expressway going south from Malad until Vile Parle domestic airport flyover
3. LBS Road going south from Bhandup until Ghatkopar (west)
4. Eastern Expressway going south from Suman Nagar until Parel. Use Wadala instead
5. Eastern Expressway going north from Byculla until Sion flyover.
6. Tulsi Pipe Road going from Dadar until Mahalaxmi
7. Small patch of traffic at JVLR going west from Pizza Hut Junction in Powai until Seepz flyover.
The good news is that the Malad subway is now open. It had been temporarily closed due to waterlogging yesterday. For further traffic updates, you can call Traffline at 9223111000.

Photo: The low-lying area of Parel get flooded with even little rain. Pic credit/Sweta Bhattacharya

Heavy and incessant rains have thrown normal life out of gear in the metropolis as rail and road traffic was disrupted inconveniencing lakhs of office-goers.

Traffic snarls were reported on the busy Eastern Expressway while water-logging was reported in Bhoiwada, Mahim and Matunga areas, BMC sources said. Suburban trains on the Central and Harbour Line were running at least 30-40 minutes late since morning due to water-logging on tracks in some places.

Also, some trains were shifted from fast to slow tracks, due to inundation. However, train services on the Western line were said to be on schedule. Flights from Mumbai were also delayed by half-an-hour due to low visibility.

CNN IBN reports: The BCCI's emergeny working committee meeting will be held in Delhi today. Sources say some key decisions are on the cards.

The BCCI is considering suspending Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra pending an inquiry after the Delhi police claimed he had confessed to betting.

Read the full story here

The United States justice department has launched a criminal investigation into the leaks of classified information about secret electronic surveillance programmes to get details of phone calls of its citizens and to gather data trails left by foreigners using internet outside America.

"The department of justice is in the initial stages of an investigation into the unauthorised disclosure of classified information by an individual with authorised access," said Nanda Chitre, the justice department spokeswoman.

Rediff.com's Divya Nair, who is travelling along the central line in Mumbai,  reports that trains are running approximately 45 minutes behind schedule.

Abhishek Mande reports: Torrential rains continued to lash Mumbai and coastal Maharashtra for second day in a row, disrupting normal life in the area.   
Colaba recorded 90.4 mm and Santacruz recorded 181.1 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours according to a Met official. According to the department's website, the prediction for the last 24 hours is: Intermittent rain/showers with heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur in some areas.

The coastal bulletin predicts the following for the North Maharashtra and South Maharashtra-Goa coast:'Widespread rain or thunder showers' with visibility being 'moderate (though) becoming poor in rain or thundershowers' and the sea will be moderate to rough.

Photo credit: Abhishek Mande

The rupee on Monday morning plunged by 48 paise to hit its life-time low of Rs 57.54 in early trade on heavy dollar demand and the US currency strengthening against major rivals overseas.