Just in: Former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh's bail has been extended till tomorrow. The court has refused to allow him to be leave the country for treatment in Singapore.

The BJP says it's a sad day for democracy that all those who exposed the cash-for-votes scam are in jail, while those who benefitted are free. This comes in the wake of Sudheendra Kulkarni's judicial custody today. Kulkarni, a former aide of LK Advani will remain in jail till October 1 after the court turned down his bail plea.

Up next is Amar Singh's bail plea. The former Samajwadi Party leader's interim bail expires today and his lawyer has asked the court to allow him to go to Singapore for treatment for kidney-related ailments. He is under observation at AIIMS, New Delhi.

Incidentally, Sudheendra Kulkarni is in judicial custody till October 1.

In March, Kulkarni, in an interview to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt had said he feels vindicated after the Wikileaks expose on the alleged 'buying' of MPs during the 2008 confidence vote of the United Progressive Alliance government.

"They thought the cash-for-votes scam is buried and over. But, the truth would continue to surface," said Kulkarni, who was the whistle-blower of the scandal that manufactured a majority for the UPA government in the July 2008 in the Lok Sabha.  Read

Kulkarni had been summoned by a Delhi court for his alleged role in the 2008 cash-for-votes scam on September 19, but  failed to appear before it and pleaded that he be exempted from personal appearance for the day.

Submitting an application for exemption from personal appearance to the court of Special Judge Sangeeta Dhingra Sehgal, Kulkarni's counsel told her that his client was yet to return from the United States.

Just in: Sudheendra Kulkarni, accused in the cash-for-votes scam, and former aide of BJP senior leader LK Advani, has been sent to judicial custody in Tihar. The BJP ideologue is believed to be the kingpin in the scam. The police say that Kulkarni was used to set up a trap for the UPA during the 2006 trust vote. Though Kulkarni had filed for interim bail in the morning, the court has rejected his bail plea.

Another accused, Suhail Hindustani's custody, has been extended till October 14.

Petitioner Subramaniam Swamy on the subject...  

Subramanian Swamy:  Hurray. Opponents quarreling with each other. MMS govt says that CBI will probe and CBI says to hell with govt.

It's basically a clash between the Centre and the CBI in the Apex court today. The CBI also slammed the centre saying it cannot make a statement on their behalf. The Centre had told CBI to look at the fresh papers (the Pranab ministry note) against the home minister. Earlier A Raja's lawyer had said that investigating Chidambaram would delay the trial of accused in the 2G scam. The CBI also told the SC that there was nothing new in the note against the home minister.

On Firstpost.com, the column by R Jagannathan: Gujarat's hyperactive Governor Kamla Beniwal wants to know how much was spent on Narendra Modi's three-day Sadbhavna fast.

She obviously lends an attentive ear to Modi's political enemies who allege an expenditure of Rs 50 crore or more -- though nothing in the fast looked particularly ostentatious, at least in comparison to functions normally organised by well-to-do Gujjus in the state. Read

Sadly, this is everyday news for Afghanistan... A suicide car bombing killed five people and wounded two dozen others near a police headquarters in southern Afghanistan today

Pakistan has been secretly lobbying in recent months for a bilateral defence pact with China, tough there is little hope for an immediate breakthrough, Pakistani officials have said.  

The Express Tribune quoted diplomatic and military officials as saying that Pakistan had made such attempts to win China's heart early this year when its relationship with the US weakened over several controversies.  

Islamabad used backdoor and regular diplomatic channels in an attempt to convince the Chinese leadership that the agreement was mutually beneficial.

 Coffee is good for you, as its mood-boosting effect could well be lasting far longer than we realise, says a new Harvard University study.

The study, which compared the coffee intake and risk of depression amongst nearly 51,000 women over 10 years, found that those who drink four or more cups a day are a fifth less likely to become depressed.

And those who drink between two or three cups a day cut their risk by 15 per cent, found the study, published in the Journal of American Medicine Association. Though the study did not look at men, other studies have already found that it has a similar effect.

Just in: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah says that DNA testing will be conducted for investigating cases of unmarked graves. More than 2,000 corpses, believed to be victims of Kashmir's long-running insurgency, have been found buried in dozens of unmarked graves in the divided region, a human rights commission report has said.

The graves were found in dozens of villages on the Indian side of the line of control, the de facto border that has split the former kingdom between India and Pakistan for nearly 40 years. "At 38 places visited in north Kashmir, there were 2,156 unidentified dead bodies buried in unmarked graves," the inquiry found.

Cuba's ex-leader Fidel Castro says US President Barack Obama's recent address to the UN was "gibberish" and an attempt to justify the "unjustifiable". In his first published article since July, Castro also condemned the air raids by the US and its Nato allies on Libya as "a monstrous crime".

Fidel, 85, who handed over the presidency to his brother Raul in 2006, has had a low profile in recent months. More on cnn.com

Opposition members during the Joint Parliamentary Committee today termed as a "serious lapse" the non-submission of a Finance Ministry note on the 2G spectrum issue before the committee and demanded that the Finance Secretary be called before it to give clarifications.

As the JPC on the 2G issue met, CPI(M) member Sitaram Yechury raised the issue of the Finance Ministry note that suggested that the then finance
minister P Chidambaram could have insisted on auction of the radiowaves.

Yechury said the note in question was not among the documents submitted by the finance ministry to the JPC. He is understood to have contended that if the
non-submission of the 2G note was a deliberate act, it amounted to breach of privilege and if it was a lapse, it was a serious one.

The Taliban took the unusual step today of insisting that it, not Pakistan, controls the Haqqani network, with Islamabad under growing US pressure to cut alleged ties with the group.

The militia advised Pakistan to prioritise 'Islamic and national' interests and stand firm in the face of 'America's two-faced and implacable politics'.

"Neither are our bases in Pakistan nor do we need residence outside of our country,' said the English-language statement in the name of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan -- the Taliban's name for itself -- on its Voice of Jihad website.

Read the story in the Dawn

If you've been following this story, here's the update...  

Mike Tindall has confessed to Zara Phillips that the mystery blonde he groped in a nightclub was an ex-girlfriend. The England rugby star, 32, made the admission to explain to his royal wife why he was filmed kissing and groping the woman in New Zealand. Read the story in the sun.co.uk. 

Mumbai will be hosting the 1st International Beer Festival, which will celebrate the best craft beers from Germany, Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Holland, England, China, Portugal and India. Beer at unbeatable prices from breweries such as the iconic Chimay, Brooklyn, Schneider Weisse, Saison Dupont, Liefman's, Murphy's and Tsingtao. 

When: Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 October, 2011

Timings: Sat 5 pm to 10 om and Sunday 12 noon to 10 pm

Venue: D' Monte Park Recreation Club, Perry Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai 400 050

Here's why India is a democracy...  

The Chinese government plans to relocate tens of thousands of downtown residents, mostly migrant labour, to city's suburban districts to ease congestion in the area.

At least 50,000 to 100,000 people in Xicheng District are expected to be relocated. The residents will be relocated to the city's suburban districts over the next five years to ease the overcrowded situation. There are 1.34 million people with registered permanent residence in Xicheng District.

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said that he would not comment on the finance ministry's note on 2G  which sparked off a controversy before consulting Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.  

Mukherjee said: "I told you yesterday after I landed at airport from USA that the Prime Minister is outside India. So, I would not like to make any comment on the finance ministry note, which has been placed before court obtained through an RTI applicant.  

"Prime Minister is coming back this evening and I am going back to Delhi tomorrow evening. I will comment only if necessary after consulting Prime Minister and my other colleagues,' he added.

A key American lawmaker from Texas has introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to freeze all US aid to "disloyal" Pakistan. The House Resolution (No HR 3013) if passed will freeze all US aid to Pakistan with the exception of funds that are designated to help secure nuclear weapons.

"Since the discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan has proven to be disloyal, deceptive and a danger to the United States," Congressman Ted Poe said in a statement after tabling the resolution in the House on Friday.

"This so-called ally continues to take billions in US aid, while at the same time supports the militants who attack us. "The United States must immediately freeze all aid to Pakistan," said Poe, who is a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

It's filmmaker Yash Chopra's birthday today. He turns 79.

On Twitter, wishes pour in. Jitesh Pillaai: Happy birthday to the fabulous yash chopra. The grand old man of the movies turns 79. Epic movie-maker, taught us love, romance and anger :)

Asserting that there cannot be a "selective approach" in the fight against terrorism, India today hoped that Pakistan will be "serious" in dismantling
terror camps on its soil and live up to its pronouncements. 

"I am sure they (Pakistan) will realise and they have, by now they should have (realised) that terrorism cannot be fought selectively," External Affairs Minister SM  Krishna said after meeting his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar at a reception hosted by her in Washinton. 

"It has to be fought across the board" as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stressed repeatedly, Krishna told reporters here. Krishna recalled that Khar had mentioned during her visit to New Delhi in July this year that her country too was a victim of terrorism.

Opposition PDP today staged a walkout from the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly after the Speaker rejected their adjournment motion for discussing the issue of unmarked graves and delay in probing the killings
during last year's summer unrest.

As soon as the Assembly began the day's proceedings, the PDP members led by party president Mehbooba Mufti were on their feet demanding that Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone allow the adjournment motion.

"Let us send a message that we are serious about these issues by putting other issues like water, electricity and roads aside today," Mehbooba told the Speaker.

Smith said that 93 per cent of Australian Defence Force positions were now open to women.

Will you park your money in Reliance Bank? Industrialist Anil Ambani today said that his group's financial services arm Reliance Capital will explore all possible opportunities to enter the banking sector and plans to unlock value in all its major businesses.

The banking entity of the group could be called Reliance Bank, Ambani told the shareholders of Reliance Capital.

On Firstpost.com: A big day coming up for Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.

First up is the ruling by the Supreme Court on Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy's petition seeking a CBI investigation into Chidambaram's alleged role in the 2G scam. If the court orders a CBI investigation, Chidambaram will perforce have to resign. For the second, go to Firstpost.com.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd was today caught in a gaffe when he referred to himself as prime minister in a radio interview. It follows opinion polls showing support for Prime Minister Julia Gillard at record lows. When asked about recent polls,  Rudd said: "You know what? I'm a happy little vegemite being prime minister."

However, he then corrected his title to Foreign mnister and blamed jet lag for the gaffe. "Your question was about being prime minister - there, you've caught me getting off a plane being jet-lagged," Rudd said.

The bodies of eight city-based builders, who were among 19 killed in a plane crash in Nepal on Sunday, were likely to be brought here tomorrow with the relatives of the victims identifying them at a hospital in Kathmandu.

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has asked a New York court to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed by the hotel maid, who accused him of sexual assault, claiming he has diplomatic immunity.  

Strauss-Kahn's lawyers said that he kept his right to immunity as an international official between his May resignation and his return to France, the BBC reports. 

The 62-year-old Strauss-Kahn was initially charged with attempted rape and held under house arrest after the maid, Nafissatou Diallo, said he attacked her in his hotel suite on May 14, 2011.

I would like to point out the title of the Dalai Lama is conferred by the central government and is otherwise illegal. The 14th Dalai Lama was approved by the then republican government.

There has never been a practice of the Dalai Lama identifying his own successor, he added.

China has said that religious law requires that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama be born in a Tibetan area under Chinese control. 

On Twitter -- Ramesh Srivats:  Yay. No more spam SMS. But spare a thought for those 99 people who'll still get Dr. Batra's message today.

Irritating calls from telemarketers will be a thing of past from today as telecom operators are going to block pesky calls and messages as per regulator Trai's recommendations. On September 5, after much delay, Trai came out with recommendations to stop pesky calls and text messages from September 27. The regulator has ordered that no access provider (operator) shall permit transmission of more than 100 SMSes per day per SIM.

The website of Pakistan's Supreme Court was today defaced by a hacker who asked the Chief Justice to ban all pornographic websites and  do more to help
the poor. A message posted on the apex court's website by the hacker using the name Zombie_Ksa mocked security measures, saying the site was in "wrong, untalented hands". 

The hacker, who appeared to be a Pakistani, said the Supreme Court's website was chosen for hacking to "convey a message" to Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

Sonia steps in to quell war, meets Pranab, Chidambaram (The Times of India)
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi stepped in to quell factional fires, and had meetings with P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee on Monday over 2G note controversy. Read

Gujarat governor right in asking Modi for expense details: Congress (DNA)
With Congress backing the Gujarat governor on her decision to seeks details of expenses during Chief Minister Narendra Modi's recent fast, its confrontation with the BJP is likely to intensify after demand for recall of Kamla Beniwal on the issue of Lokayukta appointment. Read

Growing clamor in US to punish Pakistan for 'act of war' (The Times of India)

A leading US Senator has indicated Congress would support American military action against Pakistan amid growing clamor in Washington for a punitive response against a two-timing ally even as ties between the two countries grow more toxic by the hour. Read

Pakistan ups ante with US (The Hindu)

Reinforcing her reputation for issuing sharp rebukes, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar struck a defiant note in a war of words against the United States, describing the dangerous Haqqani network terror group as the blue-eyed boy of the Central Intelligence Agency. Read

Cant have selective approach in fighting terror: India to US (The Hindu)

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna discussed the issue of terror with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; talks featured concerns over the Haqqani network with Mr. Krishna pointing out that "the Haqqani group is certainly a factor which is woven into terrorism. Read

Ailing Sonia puts Gandhi dynasty at crossroads (Indian Express)
Rahul Gandhi, heir to the family dynasty that has dominated politics in the world's biggest democracy for generations, was trying to make himself heard in the uproar of India's parliament. Read

Court to decide on Amar Singh's plea to go abroad for treatment (Hindustan Times)

A Delhi court will today take decision on former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh's plea to go abroad for treatment. Singh's interim bail in the cash-for-votes scam case ends today. Read

Gold rush: Sale picks up after price plummets (DNA)
Gold prices falling to a new low could not have come at a more appropriate time for Shiney Nazareth, a banking professional who is getting married in November. Read