Assam government today banned the chicken flavoured Maggi for 30 days after finding presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in the noodle. 

Four years after his first presidential campaign was crushed by the weight of his debate gaffe and stump speech mishaps, the governor who spent 14 years presiding over Texas launched his second bid for the Republican nomination on Thursday.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today flagged off the new Kolkata-Agartala bus service via Dhaka, hoping this would bring both India and Bangladesh closer.

After inaugurating the bus service from the state secretariat, Banerjee said, "The launch of the service makes this day forever memorable and historically significant for us".

"This will bring both India and Bangladesh closer and will strengthen the friendship that we have," she said adding that they want to introduce bus services from Malda and Siliguri to Bangladesh.

"Our relations are not of one day and it has been there for a long time," Banerjee said. "Waterways, land and roads all will be linked if our hearts are closer. The Land Boundary Agreement which is going to be signed in Bangladesh is historic," the chief minister said.

Tamil Nadu has joined the list of states to ban Maggi noodles. Earlier in the day, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand banned the sale of Nestle's instant noodles.

Maggi noodles is under countrywide scrutiny for high content of lead and mono-sodium glutamate or MSG, a taste enhancer. Yesterday, Delhi imposed a temporary ban on Maggi. 

Union Minister for Social Justiceand Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot today said that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had "no moral right" to visit the birthplace of Dr B R Ambedkar at Mhow, because the Congress never respected the Dalit icon in his lifetime.   

"Rahul has no moral right to visit Ambedkar's birthplace because it was the Congress which hadn't allowed Ambedkar to go to the Parliament. Now, by suddenly remembering him, the Congress is trying to lure Dalits, while it is a fact that it never respected him when it was in power," Gehlot said, speaking to reporters in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh.   

Rahul recently visited Mhow to launch the Congress's celebration of Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary.

Delhi Metro today received its first driver-less train, equipped with several advanced features, from a Korea-based manufacturer, which will ply on sections of Phase-III of the network, set to be operational by next year end.

The six-coach train that was ferried to India by sea, arrived at Gujarat's Mundhra port and was brought by road to Delhi on specially-made trailers. A total of 20 such train sets of Hyundai Rotem will be manufactured in South Korea's Changwan by the end of this year while the remaining 61 are being manufactured at the Bharat Earth Movers Limited plant in Bengaluru, the DMRC said.

They would run on the over 58 km-long Majlish Park-Shiv Vihar (Line 7) and the over 38 km-long Janakpuri (West)- Botanical Garden (Line 8) corridors of the Phase-III, and both these sections are expected to be operational by the end of 2016.

These new trains of Delhi Metro have undergone significant technological as well as eco-friendly upgrades and many additional features have been added to increase passenger comfort. They are designed for a maximum speed of 95 kmph and operational speed of 85 kmph, Delhi Metro said.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has condemned the militant attack in Manipur that killed 20 army men today.

"Extremely sad to hear about the attack on the army convoy in Manipur where several of our young jawans lost their lives. My deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs, we stand with each of them in this hour of tragedy," @OfficeofRG, the official Twitter account of the Congress leader, tweeted.   

In the nine months since he has stepped into office, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R Vala has spent a hefty Rs 3.5 crore, an application filed under the Right To Information Act has found, reports NDTV

Of this, more than Rs. 2.4 crore was spent on upgrading the Raj Bhavan in the heart of Bengaluru. The rest has been spent on chartered flights for the Governor to travel around, says the reply to the RTI application filed by Kannada news channel Public TV.

The information, supplied by the state's public works department, is expected to create a controversy.

"Today's mindless attack in Manipur is very distressing. I bow to each and every soldier who has sacrificed his life for the nation," PM tweets on Manipur ambush.

Using rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, a group of insurgents on Thursday ambushed a military convoy killing at least 20 army personnel in the worst such attack in recent years.

Eleven army men were also injured in the ambush, an army spokesman said.

A team of 6 Dogra Regiment was on a road opening patrol as part of its daily routine along Tengnoupal-New Samtal road, about 80 kilometre from Imphal, when it was attacked by an unidentified insurgent outfit first with a powerful Improvised e Device, a police official said in Imphal.

After the IED blast, the insurgents resorted to heavy firing at the convoy of four army vehicles with RPGs and automatic weapons, army sources said in Delhi.

CBI probing into the alleged gangrape and murder of two teenaged cousins here, today handed over all related documents to the court and completed its arguments.


CBI counsel Kumar Rajat said the investigating agency completed the arguments relating to all aspects of the case in the Additional District Judge, POCSO court this afternoon. Since the counsel of the petitioner was not ready for the debate today, judge Pramod Kumar fixed June 11 as the next date of hearing. Last year on May 27, two cousins were allegedly gangraped and murdered in Katra village. After a massive hue and cry, the case was handed over to CBI on June 12 which, after extensive investigation, concluded on November 27, 2014 that the cousins were not sexually assaulted and murdered as police initially said but they took their own lives. The five accused arrested in the case were subsequently released. The family of the two girls had filed a protest against it on which arguments was held today.

The Reserve Bank is likely to further cut the key lending rate by 75 basis points in the current fiscal despite its hawkish stance, although it may hold the pause button in the next monetary policy review, a UBS report said today. The global financial services major said RBI has to bring down inflation expectations and it is still too early in the rate easing cycle for it to turn dovish.

High-level meeting on regarding the Manipur ambush. A meeting between Defence minister Manohar Parrikar, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval underway. Army Chief Dalbir Singh also reaches the Home Ministry for the meeting.


Using rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, a group of insurgents today ambushed a military convoy in Manipur killing at least 20 army personnel in the worst such attack in recent years.


Eleven army men were also injured in the ambush, an army spokesman said.


A team of 6 Dogra Regiment was on a road opening patrol as part of its daily routine along Tengnoupal-New Samtal road, about 80 km from Imphal, when it was attacked by an unidentified insurgent outfit first with a powerful Improvised Explosive Device, a police official said here.


After the IED blast, the insurgents resorted to heavy firing at the convoy of four Army vehicles with RPGs and automatic weapons, Army sources said. "20 army men were killed and 11 injured in the attack," army spokesman Col Rohan Anand said in Delhi.

The illusion of a borderless Internet. Read

Walmart and Metro AG have withdrawn Nestle's Maggi noodles from their wholesale stores in India in the wake of food safety issues pertaining to the brand.


The move follows country-wide probe against the 'two-minute' instant food brand for alleged presence of lead and taste enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) beyond permissible limits.


"Given our utmost focus on 'food safety' and ongoing concerns around this product, we have withdrawn the Maggi 2-minute noodles from our shelves across all 20 Best Price Modern Wholesale stores till further clarity from FSSAI and State Food safety authorities," a Walmart spokesperson said.


Modern retail outlets like Big Bazaar run by the Future Group contribute a large chunk of sales for FMCG firms, including Nestle. The Future Group has 570 stores in 243 cities across different formats under brands such as Big Bazaar, Easy day, KB's and Nilgiris. Likewise, consumer cooperative society Kendriya Bhandar also withdrew Maggi noodles from its 130 stores in and outside Delhi.

And now, Jammu and Kashmir bans Maggi noodles. J-K became the fourth state to ban Maggi after Gujarat, Delhi and Kerala. 

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley's message of hope ahead of predictions of a deficient monsoon. The Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers met in New Delhi today to deliberate on the revenue neutral rate, besides other issues, for smooth roll out of Goods and Services Tax. Jaitley, who chaired the meeting, addressed a presser later.
Excerpts:

-- Yes, monsoon has a significant impact on economy and the slight inadequacy, is in the north west. But a large part of north-west India has good irrigation facilities.

-- Even if the deficient monsoon prediction is correct, the impact on foodgrain production will not be significant. Foodgrain production will not to be impacted by poor monsoon; adequate stocks are available.

-- I don't anticipate any distress situation even with the kind of predictions that have been made.

-- IMD's new predictions suggest monsoon will be close to normal

-- The monsoon fear is far-fetched, don't see any such impact.

22-year-old Goldman Sachs executive dies, father pens 'A Son Never Dies', rakes up debate over stress at work. Read

The death toll in ambush on army jawans in Manipur has doubled to 20. At least 11 people have been injured in the ambush by unidentified militant outfit in Manipur's Chandel.

Taking a jibe at his predecessor and Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi over his allegations that the state government had deployed policemen around trees at his official 1, Anne Road, residence in the city to stop him from plucking fruits, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said that he would buy mangoes for those least interested about serving the people.


"I don't have knowledge about all this. I am not aware of such a frivolous issue. Some people develop affection for a few things within a short span of time. We are more concerned about the people, and those concerned about the mangoes should be given the fruit in ample numbers. What's the problem in that?" he asked.


According to reports, 24 policemen are currently safeguarding 100 litchi, mango and jackfruit trees on the property, which Manjhi continues to occupy despite not being the chief minister.


Manjhi had refused to vacate the official chief minister's residence after demitting office in February, claiming that he had not been granted an alternative accommodation.


As a result of which, incumbent Nitish Kumar works from 7, Circular House, which was allotted to him in his capacity as former chief minister.


Manjhi had after being ousted from the JD (U) floated the 'Hindustani Awam Morcha'. The Hindustani Awam Morcha has been formed to counter the JD (U) ahead of Bihar Assembly polls to be held later this year.

With the arrest of three more persons today in connection with the firing incident at Film City in Mumbai last month in which a man was critically injured, the police claimed to have solved the case.


Police said the three persons, who opened fire in Film City near actor Amitabh Bachchan's shooting site on May 22, critically injuring one person, have been held.


"Yes, we have nabbed all the three shooters wanted in the case this morning," Assistance Commissioner of Police, Dindoshi Division, Rajendra Ghule said.


The three accused were identified as - Suresh Gaikwad, Sandip Khairnar and Jitendra - who were at large since the incident. Police had arrested three persons - Sumit Talekar (22), Jugal Dodiya (26) and Yogesh Kokane (31) on May 24 for their alleged involvement in the case. Earlier, senior police inspector of Aarey Colony police station Vilas Chavan had said that the shooters would nabbed soon.


In the incident, Raju Shinde, an office bearer of Shiv Sena's film wing 'Chitrapat Sena' was shot at and later admitted to Nanavati hospital in suburban Mumbai.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today promised to make Delhi a world class city in "just four years" and stressed the need for adopting technology, but without any loss of jobs, to ensure cleanliness in the national capital.


"As I had said during the elections, we will make Delhi one of the best cities in the world," he said inaugurating mechanical Road Sweepers on Kalibari Road in Central Delhi.


"If we continue to receive the love and support of the public and the workers, then not in five years, we will make Delhi a world class city in just four years," he added.


The Chief Minister said that use of Mechanical Road Sweepers by NDMC is on trial basis and if it proves successfully, then all PWD roads, stretching to about 1260 kms, in the national capital will be cleaned with this technique.


The sweepers will also help tackle particulate pollution which was a cause of serious concern for Delhi Government, officials said. "We will see how successful it is. If it proves successful then we will use mechanical sweeping for 1260 km-long PWD roads in Delhi in next phase," he said.


However, Kejriwal stressed that with introduction of mechanical sweeping, no sanitary worker should lose job.


"There is one condition though no one should lose his job because of this. There is already too much unemployment in the country. But till I am here, rest assured no one will lose his job," he said and at the same time stressed on use of technology for keeping Delhi clean. 

After Kerala, Delhi, and now, Gujarat, has banned Maggi noodles. The Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration had collected 39 samples of Maggi noodles and sent them for laboratory testing. 27 samples showed lead content more than the acceptable limit, while MSG was found to be above the acceptable limit in 14 samples. The Gujarat government has asked shops to stop stocking Maggi and has banned the noodles for a month.

Embassy of India in Kathmandu @IndiaInNepal tweets: Many thanks to all the Indian military personnel who took part in #OperationMaitri.


MoD spokesperson Sitanshu Kar this morning, tweeted a picture of the IAF contingent, a part of Operation Maitri, in Kathmandu posing for one last picture before de-induction.

Operation Maitri was a rescue and relief operation in Nepal by the government of India and Indian armed forces in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquake. India's response was started within 15 minutes of April 26 the quake.

This June 21, a 35-minute mass demonstration of 15 yoga asanas by 45,000 school children, government officials, diplomats, army personnel and NCC cadets, led by PM Narendra Modi himself, at Rajpath will possibly lead to a record of sorts.


The event has already been registered as an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records, under "largest yoga demonstration/class at single venue" and if government sources are to be believed, every inch preparation to make the event a grand spectacle.  Read

The break-up of the 10 army personnel killed in the ambush in Manipur: (1 Junior Commissioned Officer, 7 other ranks, 1 Signal constable, 1 Army Service Corps Driver and 12 injured). Sixteen jawans are believed to have survived. Massive combing operations are on.

The adulation showered on Pranab Mukherjee during his just concluded visit to Sweden is a comforting reminder that old-world diplomacy is still very much alive, ever more so under a monarchy than in any republic. Read

In the ministry of defence in the South Block, there are titters at the mention of "Mirchi Manohar". Manohar Parrikar, the defence minister, today gesticulated to show how his statement on using "terrorists to take out terrorists" (kaante se kanta nikalna) had rubbed Pakistan the wrong way when asked if the neighbour had felt the spiciness of chilli in his words. Read

Just in: Ten army men killed in a militant attack on Manipur's Chandel district. The 6 Dogra army convoy came under attack while it was travelling from Motul towards Imphal. At least 12 people have been injured by the unidentified militant outfit. The Joint Commanding Officer is also believed to have been killed in the ambush. Details awaited.


In January this year, two militants were killed in an encounter with police personnel in Bishenpur district and another militant of ZUF arrested in Tamenglong district of Manipur.


Representational picture.

Water has become the latest weapon in Isis' arsenal, after militants closed the gates of a dam in western Iraq - allowing them easier access to government forces.In a move that could expose residents in southern provinces to drought, Isis fighters have redirected the flow of the Euphrates River, to give them better access to government fighters on the southern bank, according to local officials. Read more

Nearly nine days after it was spotted, caught and handed over to the local police, the pigeon which was suspected to have flown from across the border from Pakistan, was handed over to a bird lover in Pathankot.


Ramanjit Singh is owner of a facility which takes care of birds and pets said SSP Pathankot, Rakesh Kaushal. The white female pigeon has been kept in the company of a male pigeon, Singh said.


Police had earlier guarded the fidgety 'intruder' from Pakistan who had created a flutter in Pathankot. The white pigeon, with a Pakistani seal and Tehsil Shakargarh, district Narowal stamped on it in Urdu, was spotted and caught by one Ramesh Kumar from his house at Manwal village on the Indo-Pak border.


As the bird looked 'suspect' due to the Pakistani marking, Ramesh took it to the Bamial police station where it remained in custody for the past few days.


The pigeon has refused to answer any questions or disclose the names of its handlers in Pakistan. In fact, the only word to have come out of its mouth so far is "coo", Quartz has said.


Pigeon fanciers in the sensitive border area had earlier told the police that Pakistani doves were easily distinguishable from their Indian brethren.

A TV show host made a brilliant point about Caitlyn Jenner that you should read about. 

Food minister Ram Vilas Paswan on the Maggi mess: Authorities will investigate and submit a report to the National Commission. It is the first time after independence that suo moto control in such matter is taken and case is referred to the Commission.

How a curmudgeonly old reporter exposed the FIFA scandal that toppled Sepp Blatter. Read

Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Olympics winner Bruce Jenner, will reportedly become the face of the popular cosmetic brand, MAC.


MAC Cosmetics, which is owned by Estee Lauder, has already had "several high-level meetings over the past few months" with Jenner to discuss becoming a face of the colorful cosmetics line, reported the New York Post.


Months before the cover was unveiled, MAC executives were already discussing the possibility of having Jenner as a spokeswoman.


Jenner, 65, would follow in the footsteps of LGBT-friendly MAC representatives including RuPaul, Ricky Martin, Elton John and kd lang Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj. Demsey last year signed Kendall Jenner as the face of Estee Lauder.

Indian Test captain Virat Kohli today said it would have been "amazing" to have former captain Rahul Dravid in the BCCI's newly-constituted cricket advisory committee, which will be guiding the national team.


"It would have been amazing if all four would have been on board. (But) he (Dravid) must have had some obligation or commitment," Kohli said on the sidelines of a promotional event in New Delhi.


The BCCI advisory committee comprises retired batting greats Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. Dravid's absence from the panel raised a few eyebrows but BCCI made it clear that it was looking to get the former captain's services in some other capacity, which has not yet been announced.


The advisory committee has been mandated to guide the Board and the national team on various "progressive steps" needed for future challenges. The BCCI said the three legends' guidance will be sought in preparing the national team for gruelling overseas assignments besides strengthening the domestic structure.

"If an actor gives a flop, then the standing of that person changes within the industry, but the audience always welcomes them with open arms."
Vidya Balan "really" wants her new film Hamari Adhuri Kahani to do well. Read her interview to Rediff.com.

Sheryl Sandberg is marking the end of a 30-day period of mourning following the death of her husband by saying "I want to choose life and meaning."


Sandberg, Facebook's No. 2 executive, lost her husband Dave Goldberg after he died in a treadmill accident while on vacation in Mexico a month ago. Read

One for the album before returning home. Operation Maitri IAF contingent in Kathmandu before de-induction.

The picture was tweeted by MoD spokesperson Sitanshu Kar.


Op Maitri was a rescue and relief operation in Nepal by the government of India and Indian armed forces in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquake. India's response was started within 15 minutes of April 26 the quake.

The IAS officers association does not want to host the customary farewell dinner for Ajit Seth, the outgoing cabinet secretary. Reason: he is sid to antagonised many officials not only during the UPA regime, whose appointee he was, but also in the NDA. 

On June 21, International Yoga day, three helicopters will fly around Rajpath, take aerial pictures of Modi teaching yoga to around 35,000 people. This will be a grand show, all right, but the SPG wants to be up there in the three helicopters as a security measure.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has so far organised six rounds of dinner meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for media-persons in May. In each round, some 20-22 scribes had been invited. In all, Modi spent around 14 hours interacting with the newsmen.

Karnataka Congress leaders and state ministers are opposed to filing an appeal in the Supreme Court against Jayalalitha's acquittal, since the state government is in no way involved  in police investigation into the case, they feel.   

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's style of getting feedback is somewhat unique. 

Two of Pluto's moons, Nix and Hydra, wobble unpredictably, according to a comprehensive analysis of data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.


The moons wobble because they are embedded in a gravitational field that shifts constantly, researchers said. This shift is created by the double planet system of Pluto and Charon as they whirl about each other.


Pluto and Charon are called a double planet because they share a common centre of gravity located in the space between the bodies.


Their variable gravitational field sends the smaller moons tumbling erratically. The effect is strengthened by the football-like, rather than spherical, shape of the moons. Scientists believe it's likely Pluto's other two moons, Kerberos and Styx, are in a similar situation.


"Prior to the Hubble observations, nobody appreciated the intricate dynamics of the Pluto system," said Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, who conducted the study with Doug Hamilton of the University of Maryland at College Park.


"Our research provides important new constraints on the sequence of events that led to the formation of the system," Showalter said.

China prefers a pact with India on a Code of Conduct to maintain peace along the border rather than clarification of Line of Actual Control proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Beijing last month.


Outlining China's first public reaction to Prime Minister Modi's proposal, Deputy Director General of the Asian Affairs at the Foreign Ministry Huang Xilian said both sides should try to reach an agreement on Code of Conduct as attempts to clarify mutual positions on the LAC had "encountered difficulties" in the past.


"Whatever we do in the border area it should be constructive. That means it should be a building block for the process of negotiations not stumbling block," he said, replying to a question.


"If we find that clarification of the LAC is building block then we should go ahead. But if we find that it is a stumbling block it could complicate the situation further. We have to be careful," Huang, the Ministry's point man for India, told an Indian media delegation here on the outcome of Modi's three-day visit here last month.


"Our position is that we have to seek some kind of comprehensive measures, not only one measure to control and manage the border to ensure peace and tranquillity along the border. We can try and reach an agreement on the Code of Conduct," Huang said.


He said both countries still have some time to explore together. "There is no need to do only one thing. We have to do many things. We have to seek comprehensive approach to this," he said.


Pressed further on why China has reservations on the LAC clarification, which Modi stated will help both sides to know their positions, Huang said it was tried few years ago but ran into difficulties.


"We tried to clarify some years ago but it encountered some difficulties, which led to even complex situation. That is why whatever we do we should make it more conducive to peace and tranquillity for making things easier and not to make them complicated," he said.


China says the border dispute is confined only to 2,000 km mostly in Arunachal Pradesh, but India asserts that the dispute covered the western side of the border spanning to about 4,000 kms, especially the Aksai Chin area annexed by China in 1962 war. The two sides have held 18 rounds of Special Representative talks to resolve the issue.

Fourteen people, including an MLA and two former MPs, were today sentenced to 10 years in jail by a fast track court in a case related to an attack on Sitamarhi collectorate and subsequent police firing in which five persons were killed in 1998. Another convict was sentenced to five years in prison.


Those awarded 10-year imprisonment include BJP MLA from Parihar Assembly constituency Ram Naresh Yadav, former JD(U) MP from Sitamarhi Nawal Kishore Rai, former Sheohar MP and RJD leader Anwarul Haq, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) district president Ram Lashan Singh Kushwaha and general secretary Mohan Kumar Singh. Fast Track Court-I judge Mohammad Irshad Ali had convicted 15 persons on Tuesday under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder), 322 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 147 (punishment for rioting) and 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon).


One convict Suryadeo Rai, who was a police bodyguard of former MP Nawal Kishore Rai was handed over a 5-year prison term. All the 15 people, who were already in jail after the conviction, were bought to the court for sentencing. They were taken back to prison in police custody after the extent of punishment was pronounced.

Shiv Sena today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plain-talk on zero tolerance against religious discrimination was not aimed at "pro-Hindutva" forces and suggested that he might have on his mind those "bigots" who convert Hindus to their respective faiths by "deception".


"Prime Minister has taken a strong view against extremists by saying that communal intolerance will not be accepted. But the question is for whom these comments were meant for. Modi's statement is projected as it is meant for 'anti-Hindutvavadis' (pro-Hindutva forces) in certain sections.


"But, we don't think that Modi had only Hindutvavadis in mind when he made those comments," Sena said in its party mouthpiece 'Saamana' today.


Modi had recently asserted that he won't tolerate any discrimination or violence against any community and termed anti-minority comments by some Sangh Parivar leaders as "unfortunate" and "uncalled for," which is viewed as his strongest response so far on growing incidents of hate speeches.


"Hindutva is a culture and it should not be overzealous. But at the same time to convert tribal and poor Hindus to Islam or Christianity by allurement is also terrorism. Modi's plain-talk is for such bigots," the editorial said. It said the Hindutva forces were very much active under the previous Congress regimes as well.


"Had it not been so the Babri mosque could not have been demolished. Because of this Hindutva wave only the BJP could achieve its current position of power," the editorial said.

Pakistan's spy agency ISI tapped nearly 7,000 phones in the month of May, a little higher than the number of calls it recorded in April.


The information was disclosed in the Supreme Court yesterday during the hearing of an old case regarding the power of spy agencies to tap telephones.


Dawn reported that Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Sajid Ilyas Bhatti submitted a sealed envelope in court.


After examining the document, the court stated in its order that the spy agency had tapped 6,523 phone numbers in Feb, 6,819 in March, 6,742 in April and 6,856 in May. It was not revealed that whose numbers have been tapped and what sort of information was revealed.


The classified report was furnished on behalf of the ISI by the DAG in compliance with a May 22 direction, when the law officer had presented another report prepared by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) suggesting that it had tapped 5,594 phone numbers across the country.


A three-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, heard a 19-year-old suo motu case, initiated by former Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah in 1996.


Shah had taken notice of a device found attached with his telephone by certain spy agencies. Justice Saqib observed that the matter had been pending since 1996 and that even judges and chief justices' phones were recorded during that period. The judge also recalled that the court, while taking notice of the matter, had asked to submit data on the total number of phones tapped and to inform it under which law these were being recorded.

Volatility ruled as key benchmark indices struggled to recover from the day's low in morning trade.


The Sensex failed to maintain initial gains and was trading lower by 8 points in late morning trade as it came marginally under pressure due to selling at FMCG, healthcare, auto and consumer durable counters.


However, renewed buying was seen in realty, capital goods, IT, banking, technology and power stocks. The market breadth indicating the overall health of the market remained strong.


The 30-share index Sensex resumed higher at 26,940.64 and hovered in a range of 26,948.84 and 26,742.15 before quoting at 26,829.42 at 1100 hours, a marginal fall of 7.77 points, or 0.03 per cent, from its last close.

The death toll from a Chinese cruise ship that capsized in the mighty Yangtze river rose to 65 as divers pulled out 39 bodies today after cutting the hull of the overturned vessel, even as grieving families of over 370 unaccounted passengers became restive over the delay. Rescuers have cut a 55 cm by 60 cm rectangular hole on the bottom of the overturned ship, Eastern Star, in a desperate measure to give divers easier access to the hull.

Misal Pav, that ubiquitous Maharashtrian snack served at Mumbai's Aaswad restaurant won the prize at the global Foodie Hub Awards in London. Read

A circular issued by the Bala Vidya Mandir school management in Chennai essentially told parents -- a government fixed fee will get your child just four hours of school and bare minimum facilities, but if you are willing to double that amount expect a lot more goodies such as canteen food, bus/van services, a chance to be on the school team etc.


In other words, parents have a choice of  either paying the state-determined fee that will permanently give you a place among the 'cattle class' of students or accepting a higher fee and allowing their children a "holistic learning experience."  Read more

Some would argue that India, a country with such a huge number of the poor, should be spending more on development than on defence. But development cannot exclude security imperatives because India is in one of the most hostile nuclear weapon regions of the world. Read

The much-awaited southwest monsoon is likely to set over Kerala in the next 24 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.


The IMD had earlier predicted the monsoon's onset over the state on May 30, with an error margin of four days.


"The conditions are favourable for the onset of the southwest monsoon in Kerala within the next 24 hours. It will be declared on the basis of the data recorded at 14 weather stations, the amount of rains received, wind pattern and cloud formation," K Santosh, director of IMD told the Times of India.


A section of climatologists, however, felt the monsoon could be further delayed due to the El Nino effect. They predicted that the state would receive the first shower of the season on June 8.


In its latest forecast, IMD indicated that there was 33% probability of deficient rains during the monsoon season from June to September.


It also indicated 90% probability of El Nino conditions to continue during the southwest monsoon season.

The benchmark BSE Sensex recovered by over 111 points in early trade today after two sessions of sharp losses, on value-buying by investors amid a firming trend at other Asian markets. The 30-share index rebounded by 111.64 points, or 0.41 per cent, to 26,948.84, with stocks of oil & gas, capital goods, IT, realty and infrastructure sectors leading the recovery.

Uttarakhand has joined the list of states to ban the sale of Maggi with samples of the popular food product failing laboratory tests. "A decision to ban the sale of Maggi was taken late last night in public interest by the Food Security Department as 2 of a 300 odd samples of the food product failed laboratory tests," Principal Secretary Health Om Prakash said.


The decision was prompted by the presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in the samples sent for laboratory tests. An order pronouncing the ban and seeking immediate withdrawal of the product from market places is being formally issued today.


However, no lead content was found in the samples tested, and out of the 300 samples sent to Rudrapur laboratory, test results of a majority of them are still awaited.

A rogue tweet by a BBC reporter after an obituary rehearsal led several major international news organisations to wrongly report that Queen Elizabeth had been admitted to hospital.

Apple has announced it is recalling Beats Pill XL wireless speakers because of danger batteries might get so hot they ignite in flames. 

Man arrested in Boston after terror suspect shot deadA man was arrested in Boston in connection to an alleged terror plot, one day after a knife-wielding suspect was shot dead, officials and media reports said today.

A US official said Wednesday that more than 10,000 Islamic State fighters have been killed by American-led airstrikes in Iraq and Syria in nine months, offering a body count for a campaign that has yet to blunt their advance.

Usaamah Rahim, who was fatally shot after waving a knife at police on Tuesday, plotted with others to "randomly kill police officers in Massachussetts" this week and separately planned to behead a person in another state, according to court documents filed Wednesday. 

A Pakistani high court today ordered authorities to allow family visits for a doctor jailed after helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden. 

The UN chief today ordered an external investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse by French soldiers in Central African Republic, saying the world body hopes to ensure it "does not fail the victims of sexual abuse, especially when committed by those who are meant to protect them." 

More than 8,000 people have died while being detained by Nigeria's armed forces during the campaign against militant Islamist group Boko Haram, Amnesty International said on Wednesday, allegations the military denied.

South Korea on Wednesday test-launched a new ballistic missile that can hit all of North Korea, marking a new low in relations between the warring neighbours.

At least 33 people, including 10 children, were killed in government barrel bomb attacks in northern Syria today, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deaths came in three incidents, in Aleppo province in the north of the country and Idlib province in the northwest. 

Five men gang rape two women in Goa, arrested
Delhi rejects application for licence by Uber and 2 others
Maulanas to Modi: We are not outsiders in Hindustan
VOTE: No entry for non-Hindus at Somnath temple sans permit. Do you agree?
China ship capsize: 26 dead as rescuers race to find survivors
Air Force aircraft crashes in Odisha; pilots injured
Death threats drive author Taslima Nasreen to US