"Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64', sang the Beatles when they burst into the international music scene. I was in my late teens  when I first heard this beautiful refrain. To me, like for all teen agers, asking your girlfriend whether she will care for you at sixty four appeared tantamount to asking her whether she would care for you forever; sixty four seemed so impossibly far away. Then, I woke up one day last year and realized that I had just crossed that milepost.

Read the full post here

Maharashtra police today denied entry to the controversial Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi to Thane, a day ahead of his scheduled visit there, by serving him a notice in which they cited alleged hate speeches delivered by him in the past.

However, Owaisi, who represents Chandrayangutta Assembly constituency here, said he would fight out the notice legally.

"The Thane police commissioner Vijay Kamble informed me not to enter the commissionerate limits. I am really surprised to see the notice and the order which has been served to me. The notice says that I am attending a public gathering and also delivering a speech. But my real programme in Mumbra is not for addressing any public meeting or giving a public speech, but only for attending an 'Iftaar' party and to meet local people and return," Owaisi told media persons here tonight.

The MIM leader said that he had taken a strong objection to the notice and given a written reply to the Thane police commissioner. "They (police) have mentioned in the notice (denying me the entry) that my provocative speeches in the past had created law and order problems between two communities.

"As a citizen of this country I hold the right to move freely in any part of India and I cannot be stopped from moving freely," he said.

The Palestinian death toll in an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip jumped to more than 500 on Monday, as the United States, alarmed by escalating civilian bloodshed, took a direct role in efforts to secure a ceasefire.

Dutch forensic experts today began examining bodies from the MH17 plane disaster that have been held up at an east Ukraine train station as Kiev and insurgents wrangle over the fate of the remains. 

The UN Human Rights Council said it will hold an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday to discuss Israel's ongoing military offensive in Gaza. Today's announcement followed the deadliest day of fighting between Israel and Hamas in six years, with more than 150 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers killed yesterday. 

AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal is likely to move back to Kaushambi, his place of residence prior to him moving to official accomodation as Delhi Chief Minister at Tilak Lane, sources said. 

Bangalore police commissioner Auradkar has been transferred with immediate effect and posted as Additional Director General of Police of Karnataka State Reserve Police, a government notification said. 

The BJP has submitted four names from the Anglo-Indian community to the PMO for nomination as Lok Sabha members. There is a reservation for two Anglo-Indian MPs, who are nominated by the President. This list is likely to be submitted to the Rashtrapati Bhavan by the PMO by this weekend.

Hina Bhat, daughter of former National Conference legislator Muhammad Bhat joins BJP.

Dr Dinesh Trivedi, a former rail minister in the UPA government has a special guest at his New Delhi bungalow -- Sam Pitroda.

Pitroda, the man who ushered in the telecom revolution in India, arrived from Chicago to Delhi on the summons of the Delhi High Court to despose in the National Herald case filed by Dr Subramanian Swamy.

With the Congress cozying up to the Trinamool for a possible floor coordination in Parliament to embarrass the NDA government, Pitroda's stay with Trivedi could put the Congress in an awkward situation.

Dr Dinesh Trivedi has a special guest at his New Delhi bungalow.

And a head rolls. Bangalore police commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar who was appointed in April last year, has been transferred over the breakdown in law and order in the city, specially the rape of six-year-old in a school.

Indian Mujahideen (IM) co-founder Yasin Bhatkal, arrested for his alleged involvement in various terror strikes across India, today claimed before a court in New Delhi  that he is being treated "worse than an animal" in Tihar Jail and not provided proper food in the holy month of Ramzan.

Bhatkal, who was produced before the court today, claimed this before Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kapoor who directed Tihar Jail authorities to file a report on it on July 23.

In his application, Bhatkal alleged that he is presently lodged in Jail No.2 of the high security prison.

He claimed that he "has been kept in solitary confinement and is not allowed to move out from his cell and has not seen the sunlight except during his transportation for the purpose of production before the court."

"The applicant (Bhatkal) is observing fast as this is the holy month of Ramzan and he is not provided timely and proper food," the application, filed through advocate M S Khan, said.

Bhatkal also claimed that he was being "treated even worse than an animal" and he was not having access to fresh air.

The sizeable Indian contingent at the Commonwealth Games Village in Glasgow, Scotland, has taken a liking to the residential facility in the East End area of the city -- the exception being having to put up with common bathrooms.

The concerns arising over the outbreak of norovirus (stomach bug) outbreak at the Athletes' Village notwithstanding, the Indians have given a thumbs up to the hospitality offered by the Games' Organisers.

However, they would have preferred attached bathrooms like the ones built in Delhi four years ago. "I think the Delhi Village was better planned and had more open space. But the overall quality of the Village is better here and the food is good. Here we also share the toilets but that has not been much of a problem so far," paddler A Sharath Kamal, a three-time gold winner in CWG, said.

The roller skating instructor arrested for the alleged rape of a six-year-old in an elite school in Bangalore had been sacked from his previous school, the police today said.Mustafa or Munna, 30, was arrested on Sunday.

The police found videos of children being raped on his laptop and mobile.

He was dismissed from Deen's school, but they have not shared the reason they dismissed him, said Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar. Read more

AIADMK MPs on Monday silenced the Congress in both houses of Parliament over Justice Markandey Katju's remarks against the DMK. Dr Maitreyan raised the pitch asking why the Congress or the UPA had refrained from condemning the Tamil genocides in Sri Lanka. He said when Gulam Nabi Azad moved a resolution on the Israel attack on Gaza, he should have  added Sri Lankan attrocities on Tamils. Congress MPs kept their heads down. 

ISI has been effective in fighting terror, says China's new Afghan envoy. Read

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parikkar is upset with the Centre for appointing Margaret Alva as the governor of Goa. Reason is that as leader of Opposition Parrikar had made various corruption allegations against Alva in the State Assembly.

But now he has been compelled to be present at her swearing-in ceremony. Parrikar was also expecting an invitation from Modi to join the Union Cabinet as Defence or Home Minister.

It is Parrikar who commented that LK Advani was like a rancid pickle and thereby had clearly stated where his loyalties lay. So, will the Goa CM be adjusted in the ensuing reshuffle of the Union Cabinet in October 2014? Wait and watch.

45 yrs ago today: That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind: Neil Armstrong on the moon landing.  

A senior journalist, two BJP leaders, one Akali leader and one RSS leader are in the PMO's list for probable postings as Indian ambassadors in Canada, UK, Norway, Australia and Singapore. The postings are likely to take place by the end of the year, as there are accreditation protocols involved. Administrative drills take place in two or three months.

But insiders in the Foreign office confirm that these postings are blocked. The Indian Foreign Service is upset about these five very critical postings which are crucial from the foreign policy point of view, but has been silent about their disquiet

Since the BJP has a clear majority, it is believed that the the IFS lobby will give in without a fight. 

Congress leader and former Maharashtra Industries minister on his resignation from the post: I am unhappy with the party, the Congress told me they would make me chief minister. I am tired of waiting for nine years.

There were mixed reactions from parties to Markandey Katju's charge that three ex-Chief Justices of India had compromised in giving extension and elevation to an additional judge of Madras High Court at UPA government's instance, with some including AIADMK demanding a probe while others questioned the timing of his disclosure.

AIADMK members in Lok Sabha sought an enquiry into the allegations by former Supreme Court judge Katju, who is now Press Council of India chairperson, charging DMK and the erstwhile UPA government with "interfering" in the appointment of judge.

"It is a serious matter ... the previous government and the DMK interfered in the appointment of a corrupt judge," AIADMK leader M Thambidurai said during Zero Hour today, demanding a probe by the government into the allegations. BSP chief Mayawati termed the charges as serious and demanded a probe into them.

Katju, on his part said about the late disclosure, "Better late, than never."

Justice Markandey Katju has always been a colourful character, never one to mince his words, often raising valid issues for debate but at other times making highly controversial statements. Which is why his sensational allegation today that three former Chief Justices of India had made 'improper compromises' in allowing an allegedly corrupt judge to continue in office has created a major storm. Read

In the backdrop of NCP leader Narayan Rane quitting the Maharashtra cabinet, as well as Assam State's Education and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma quitting the Congress, party MPs in Central Hall faced difficulties in answering questions about the sudden exodus.

The humiliation was written large on the faces of Congress MPs in Central Hall and they barely acknowledged anyone. Immediately after lunch break most of them left the Parliament for fear that they would be made to answer uncomfortable questions.

Anurag Kashyap, our special correspondent in Guwahati tells us that Assam State's Education and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, is the only one to quit from the Congress party. Earlier reports had indicated that 31 MLAs had quit along with him.  

Reactions to Narayan Rane resigning from the Cabinet: Nawab Malik from the NCP says, "For the last few days Narayan Rane was hinting at quitting from the cabinet, reasons as to why he quit can only be stated by him."

Sarma says he will not return in the ministry under CM Tarun Gogoi. 

The political crisis in Assam further deepened when 32 Congress MLAs led by State's Education and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma quit on Monday demanding the immediate ouster of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

According to reports, the rebel Congress MLAs tendered their resignation letter to the Governor after briefing him that they had no confidence in the Tarun Gogoi's leadership.

The development is also a major blow for Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who has been openly backing Gogoi and scuttled hopes of the state's rebel leaders to effect a change of guard in Assam.

Rahul Gandhi had reiterated his support to the beleaguered Assam Chief Minister this morning and asked him to keep the rebel MLAs, who want him to be removed, under control.

Gogoi has been facing severe opposition from Congress MLAs of his cabinet after the party's drubbing in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Read

Rane had announced last week that he would quit as minister today but will remain in the Congress party. However, CM Prithviraj Chavan is yet to accept his resignation. Rane will hold a press conference at 3 pm.

Rane, who had joined the Congress after he quit the Shiv Sena in 2005, had been at loggerheads with the state Congress leadership for a while now and has repeatedly criticized its style of functioning.

The matter turned for the worse after his son Nilesh lost from Ratnagiri- Sindhudurg Lok Sabha seat to Shiv Sena. Rane feels that Congress' alliance partner Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) conspired to ensure his son's defeat. -- Zee News.

Narayan Rane to resign as Maharashtra's Industry minister.

Just in: Assam's health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma quits along with 31 other MLAs.

... and Narayan Rane to resign as Maharashtra's Industry minister.

Whatever he has said is true but I hope he would have spoken at the right time, says Ram Jethmalani on Markandey Katju. 

The honeymoon has ended, what's there to comment? Gurudas Dasgupta on Congress-NC split.

Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju, currently Chairman of Press Council of India, today stirred a controversy by alleging that three ex-Chief Justices of India had compromised in giving extension to an additional judge of Madras High court at the instance of UPA government in the wake of pressure from one of its allies, apparently DMK.

Katju made the charge while alleging how the three former CJIs--Justices R C Lahoti, Y K Sabharwal and K G Balakrishnan--had made "improper compromises" and "succumbed" to political pressure in allowing the judge, against whom there were several allegations of corruption, to continue in office.

The Rajya Sabha was disrupted Monday as AIADMK members raised the issue of corruption in judiciary.

As soon as the upper house met, the AIADMK members were on their feet raising the issue.

Chairman M Hamid Ansari first adjourned the house for 10 minutes and then till noon.

An angry chairman said the house was being adjourned because of "some members disrupting the house against the rules'.

Press Council of India chairman and former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju made serious allegations of corruption in judiciary on Sunday, highlighting the direct appointment of a district judge in Tamil Nadu.

Katju wrote in his blog that the judge had "solid support' from an influential politician in Tamil Nadu, adding the judge had once granted bail to the leader.

A Queensland man who died in the Malaysia Airlines tragedy joked about not returning from his European holiday.Before leaving Brisbane, retiree Howard Horder, 63, quipped that he was flying with Malaysia Airlines and only needed a one-way ticket, his brother says. It was a reference to the baffling disappearance of MH370 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March. Read

A 'train of the dead' sits in a dilapidated eastern Ukraine station, which is said to contain more than 150 bodies from the MH17 crash site.

A delegation from the International monitoring body the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe arrived around midday local time to inspect the wagons, accompanied by a convoy of heavily armed and nervous rebels. Read

A paedophile skating instructor arrested on Sunday for the rape of a six-year-old girl in an east Bangalore school allegedly tried to abuse at least four other children in the past three years. There are also doubts if he was using photos of his victims for pornography.

"We have reliable information that he used to click photographs of children and would also show them obscene videos of children in the Whitefield school (where he worked before 2011)," police commissioner Raghavendra H Auradkar said after announcing the arrest of Mustafa alias Munna, 30.  Read

Pic: ABVP protestors outside the Bangalore school

A transparent and objective investigation must take place into shooting down of MH17. Russia is hitting back against allegations that it was involved in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that crashed in Ukraine on Thursday.  Read more

The western media has been dismissive of the BRICS move to set up a bank, but such cynicism misses the larger picture '" the end of western hegemony and the rise of the multiplex world. Read

Amit Shah will start working for a "big breakthrough' in Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Tamil Nadu once the next lot of Assembly elections ends, a source close to the new BJP president has told The Telegraph.

Shah, architect of the BJP sweep in Uttar Pradesh in this year's general election, will be eyeing a "substantial' number of seats from these four states in the next Lok Sabha polls, the source added. Read more

The media were agog when a "secret' report of the Intelligence Bureau was leaked a few days after the swearing-in of the Narendra Modi-led government.

It, particularly, pointed to Greenpeace, to the agitation against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (picture) and coal-based thermal power projects as having been funded by foreign agencies to hold back India's development.

The report, obviously, suits the suspicions about foreign funding in both the Congress, which initiated the report, and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which received it. Read more

Since the last couple of days there has been some amount of panic among the team handling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forthcoming visit to New York and Washington, DC, reports an India Abroad correspondent. 

Even though independent media has not reported from Brazil on the first meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, Rediff.com has been informed by a high level source that Modi found Xi a "very sharp" leader across the table.

After the meeting Modi feels confident that he will be able "to deal with China'.

In the meeting in Brazil, according to the reliable source, Modi opened up and emphasised that India was as much interested in solving the border issue as it was interested in boosting trade relations.

Modi clearly doesn't want to push the border issue under the carpet just to make extra bucks from registering growth in bilateral trade. It seems India's new China policy is underway and will emerge soon.

The Congress is witnessing its first open rebellion since a debacle in the Lok Sabha polls.

While the party central leadership has ruled out any change of guard in Assam under pressure, as many as 30 dissident party MLAs will meet the state's Governor to express no confidence in the Tarun Gogoi government.

The rebels MLAs are in a huddle at MLA Himant Biswas residence, who is leading the faction against CM Gogoi.

Congress-in-charge of Assam CP Joshi will brief party President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi about the situation. The CM had even put in his papers after the polls but the party leadership in Delhi has not yet taken a stand on him.    

The home ministry will initiate a probe into the death of 30-year-old Manipuri man. "The attack seems pre-planned," says MoS Home Kiren Rijiju.

Shaloni picked up an argument with four men who allegedly assaulted him. He was rushed to AIIMS Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal reaches Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung's residence to meet him.

The former Delhi CM will once again try to convince Jung to dissolve the assembly immediately and order fresh elections.

Senior party member and Patparganj MLA Manish Sisodia told the Times of India that AAP would also ask the LG to call MLAs of all parties and ask how it will be possible for any of the parties to form a government.

The Bangalore police yesterday arrested a school's skating instructor in connection with a six-year-old girl's rape case.

Police said that a laptop seized from the accused also contained child pornography and videos of school children being raped.

Mustafa or Munna, 30, had been training children at the Vibgyor High School since 2011. The police say they are investigating whether he abused other children in this school and the one where he worked previously, according to NDTV report.

United States President Barack Obama has dispatched his Secretary of State John Kerry to Cairo to meet with Egyptian and other officials on the volatile situation in the Gaza Strip and seek an immediate cessation of hostilities.   

The announcement was made by Obama when he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, their second call in three days to discuss the situation in Gaza.   

"The President discussed Israel's ongoing military operation, reiterated the US' condemnation of attacks by Hamas against Israel and reaffirmed Israel's right to defend itself. The President also raised serious concern about the growing number of casualties, including increasing Palestinian civilian deaths in Gaza and the loss of Israeli soldiers," the White House said in a statement.   

Obama informed Netanyahu that Kerry will soon travel to Egypt to seek an immediate cessation of hostilities based on are turn to the November 2012 ceasefire agreement, it said.

An expenditure of at least Rs. 17.60 lakh was incurred on the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan, an Right To Information reply has found.

The reply provided by the President's secretariat said approximate cost incurred on the arrangements of the oath-taking ceremony, attended by 4017 guests, related to tents, stage, furniture and other allied items is Rs. 17.6 lakh. In its response to activist Ramesh Verma, the secretariat said that it does not maintain the records of expenditure function-wise.

"Hence the information sought for cannot be provided. It is informed that the expenditure on functions in incurred by the spending units from the annual budget allotted to respective head of accounts," a reply from CPIO Saurabh Vijay said.

Hamas claimed it captured an Israeli soldier yesterday on the deadliest day yet in the battle between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza, reports CNN.

Ron Prosor, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, denied the report. "There's no kidnapped Israeli soldier, and those rumors are untrue," he said.

According to Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas' military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, the soldier was taken during an early morning operation. He provided the supposed soldier's name and ID.

Read the full report here

Northeast students allege that Manipuri youth, identified as Shaloni, was returning from work when he picked up an argument with four men who allegedly assaulted him, reports CNN-IBN. The incident occurred in the Kotla Mubarakpur area.

He was taken to AIIMS where he succumbed to injuries. The police are in the process of registering an FIR for murder. The body has been kept at AIIMS for the post-mortem.

Four Indian tailors working in Gaza for the last two years have been evacuated unharmed with the help of the Representative Office of India in Ramallah, a top UN official said.   

The four, Abdur Rehman from Lucknow, Anwar Hussein belonging to Mumbai, Kamil hailing from Badam Ganj and Rashid Ahmed of Bareli were working for a Palestinian businessman. They left the strip yesterday, one of the bloodiest day in the 13 days of conflict that saw 97 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers dead in one of the fiercest attack launched by the Israel Defence Forces in recent years.   

They had moved to Gaza two years ago from Qatar. The ROI was in constant touch with them since the beginning of Israeli offensive and coordinated their evacuation efforts with UN access coordination office in Gaza. They were received at the Erez crossing by the staff of the ROI, who helped them escape to Jordan through the Allen by crossing.   

The tailors would be leaving for India from Amman today.

A 30-year-old man from Manipur was allegedly beaten to death in Delhi last night.

The incident took place in South Delhi's Kotla area.

More details are awaited.

Image: A protest by students from the northeast

219 bodies retrieved from MH17 crash site

'Russia gave rebels missile to shoot down plane'

Bangalore rape: School's skating instructor arrested

PHOTOS: Inside the sunken Costa Concordia

Confusion prevails as Congress-NC alliance ends

Badaun rape: Exhumation not likely, as river submerges graves

I only bought a one-way ticket: Tragic joke of MH17 flier

Yesterday's live commentary