Young Mumbai, seduced by the malls and Bollywoodian placebos, may not know about it but once upon a time Mumbai was known by and for its textile mills. The region that is now swishingly called Upper Worli, is Parel and its neighbourhood, home once to large textile mills, the skyline dotted with chimneys.

Thirty years to the day began the textile mill strike, ushering in a time of lockouts, unemployment, poverty, land sharks, all leading to something akin to a reconstruction surgery on Mumbai's visage. Today, no one remembers the textile mills, not least the occupants of the glitzy high-rises that have come up in what was once textile land.

But for those who suffered, the memories won't go away. Here's a pic of a meeting organised today in Maharasthra High School maidan, Currey Road, courtesy Shekhar Krishnan on Facebook. And here's a link to an article carried on rediff.com five years, on the 25th anniversary of the textile mills strike.

The acting vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, Prof Mehdi Abbas Rizvi, will not take any policy decisions during his tenure till the time a permanent VC is appointed.

Regular administrative work like ad-hoc appointments, purchase of equipment and allotment of contracts for various services will not be taken up during his stay in office, a university release said, adding that the acting VC will strictly enforce guidelines laid down by the HRD ministry.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of top university officials late last night.

Rizvi will also not be availing the emergency powers vested in the VC under section 19 (c) of the University Act, the release said.

Rizvi, the senior-most dean among members of the executive council, took over yesterday after the tenure of former vice chancellor PK Abdul Azis ended.

Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor has filed a defamation case against the Sunday Indian magazine, owned by Arindam Chowdhury, demanding a compensation of Rs 10 crore.

The magazine, Tharoor said, had not responded to a legal notice seeking an apology for a news report carried by it which alleged that the MP had deposited money in Swiss bank accounts.

Tharoor, in his notice, demanded the magazine withdraw the report and tender an unconditional apology.

The Andhra Pradesh unit of the BJP today appealed to people to make a success of the 22-long yatra being launched by the party in support of a separate statehood for Telangana, from tomorrow.

BJP National President Nitin Gadkari would launch the "Telangana Poru Yatra" (struggle for Telangana) at Maktal inMahabubnagar district tomorrow.    

Alleging that the Congress has been deceiving the people of Telangana region by not fulfilling its promise of carving out a separate state for the region, former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya said the issue should be resolved before the next elections due in 2014.

Premier Australian fast-food chain 'Country Chicken' launched its first outlet in India in Coimbatore today and it is expected to become fully operational in the middle of next month.

With 300 such outlets planned across India by 2015 -- 80 per cent in tier II and III cities -- including franchisees, the company would invest nearly Rs 200 crore for expansion over three years, Country Chicken (India) CEO Ramakrishna told reporters.

Bitterly opposing the Dalai Lama's proposed visit to Britain later this year, China today lashed at the Tibetan spiritual leader accusing him of carrying out separatist activities under the "cloak" of religion.

"Dalai has never been a simple religious figures. He is head of an organised political block under the cloak of religion. He is a political exile who has now been engaged in anti-China separatist activities", Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said.

Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha kept his date with Zain Zia, daughter of former Pakistan president General Mohammad Ziaul Haq, with whom he had an emotional meeting in Islamabad today.

The special brother-sister relationship, which the two have nurtured for the past over 25 years, was rekindled with a warm get-together at the latter's residence in Islamabad. The bond which developed when General Zia was alive continues till date, the ups and downs in Indo-Pak ties notwithstanding.

Taking time out from the visit of Indian parliamentarians to Pakistan, Sinha, accompanied with his BJP colleagues Yashwant Sinha and Syed Shahnawaz Hussain and NCP leader Supriya Sule, went to General Zia's residence yesterday to meet his daughter, who regards him as an elder brother.

"She was very happy after seeing me... she is my darling sister and I love her very much," the Bollywood actor-turned- BJP leader told PTI.

Eight inmates have escaped from the district jail in Sonepat following which the prison staff has been suspended and a case registered against them, authorities said today.

The matter came to light this morning when there was a change in ward duty. The inmates escaped from the prison last night after cutting the grille of the barrack with the help of an iron saw and later jumped over the 20-feet boundary wall through a rope, DSP Randhir Singh Saini said.

A device that can detect whether a suspect is carrying a weapon without needing to frisk him is being developed by police. Infrared rays will be used to scan a form of natural energy - like radiation - emitted from the body of someone concealing a gun on the street.

Read more on that story.

The captain of the cruise liner Costa Concordia, now dubbed, Captain Coward, claims he 'just fell into lifeboat and could not get back on to sinking ship'.

Read

Congress' star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi today winded up her three-day tour of the twin parliamentary constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi
exhorting party workers to strengthen the hands of her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul Gandhi in the coming elections. 

Gandhi, who this morning met party office bearers and workers upto the booth level of Bachrawan and Harchandpur, directed them to work hard towards ensuring the victory of party nominees in the assembly polls and strengthening the party in Uttar Pradesh, Congress sources said. 

She directed party workers to ensure that voters reached the booths on the polling day and said that complaints, if any, should be kept aside at this point of time.

Talking tough, Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi today said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati should think before criticising the EC order
to cover her statues and BSP's poll symbols in government parks. 

"She is a senior leader. What can I say? She should think before making such comments," Quraishi told reporters here when asked about Mayawati's criticism on the Election Commission order to cover statues of BSP's poll symbol
'elephant' and those of her own. 

Quraishi said such comments should not be made because other political parties may also demand raising pedestals in government parks for displaying their poll symbols. 

"What reply can we give then," he asked. The CEC said the poll authority creates a level playing field for all political parties when elections are declared.

On espncricinfo: Far from being the downfall of Test match technique, T20 may actually help batsmen get into good habits for the long form, writes Ed Smith, a former England, Kent and Middlesex batsman. Read

ESPN Cricinfo on Twitter: RT @ZaltzCricket: Specialist spinners v England: Aus in last Ashes: 4-418. SL in 2011: 7-365. India in 2011: 5-607. Ajmal yesterday: 7-55

More on the Costa Concordia story.

Radio messages indicate captain defied orders: Get back on the ship... That is an order!

Coastguard's furious call to 'Captain Coward' as cruise passengers drowned.

Read the story on the Daily Mail

The captain of the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia was released from prison during the night and put under house arrest at his home in Meta di
Sorrento. 

Francesco Schettino, who faces charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship, arrived at his home around 2 am, accompanied by police and carabinieri, as the toll in the disaster rose to 11 with another 20 people missing.

The Gujarat government today said the state High Court verdict upholding appointment of Lokayukta by Governor would be challenged in the Supreme Court following consultations with legal experts. 

The Gujarat High Court, in a majority decision upheld the appointment of Lokayukta by the Governor, while dismissing the plea of the state challenging it. "We accept the verdict of the high court. But our points remain and we will challenge this decision in the Supreme Court after consultations with legal experts," Gujarat government spokesperson and Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas said.

In other news:

Yahoo Inc co-founder Jerry Yang has quit the company he started in 1995, appeasing shareholders who had blasted the Internet pioneer for pursuing an ineffective personal vision and impeding investment deals that could have transformed the struggling company.

More on reuters

Readers of Monday's Economic Times, India's largest-circulation business newspaper, may find that the difference isn't always clear-cut. A front-page article in the paper's Delhi edition, which at first glance looked like a regular news story, read a lot more like an advertisement.

Read the story on the Wall Street Journal

A Pakistani court today sought responses from the President and Prime Minister to a petition filed by former Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retired) Khalid
Naeem Lodhi challenging his sacking by the government. Justice Riaz Khan of the Islamabad High Court asked the President, Prime Minister, Establishment Secretary and the current Defence Secretary to submit their responses to Lodhi's petition and adjourned the case till the second week of February.

See our 12:29 pm update: Pak PM Gilani NOT guilty of contempt, says his lawyer

A blog on the army chief age row on the Hindustan Times: Before Army chief General Vijay Kumar Singh's doughty daughter landed up at the Supreme Court registry to file a writ petition on behalf of her father on Monday evening, the officer wrote to Defence Minister A K Antony that he was taking legal recourse in the age issue.

More of that

MoS Defence M M Pallam Raju reacts to the Army Chief VK Singh going to court over the age issue, as unfortunate. He said it was a very sensitive issue and not a healthy precedent for both the ministry and the forces.

If you haven't the faintest about what all this about, read this story.

The US has said it will wait for the outcome of the Pakistani parliamentary committee review of the nature of bilateral ties, insisting that it is unlikely to
go beyond the deep regret which it expressed for the deadly November 26 NATO air strikes. 

"I believe that the Parliamentary review is still ongoing, so we'll wait and see the outcome of that," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. Toner said that he is unaware of fresh conditions being imposed by Pakistan on the US.

Update on the crisis in Pakistan from the Dawn...

Embattled Pakistan prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani is not guilty of contempt of court but should bow to pressure and ask Switzerland to reopen graft cases against the president, his lawyer said Wednesday.

The comments from Aitzaz Ahsan are the clearest indication yet that Yousuf Raza Gilani may step back from the brink of further confrontation with the judiciary when he is summoned before Pakistan's top court on Thursday.

The Supreme Court has initiated contempt of court proceedings against Gilani, exasperated by the government's refusal to write to the Swiss asking them to re-open graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari since an amnesty expired in 2009.

Update on the Australian Open

The Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna have won their first round match at the Australian Open. They rallied to beat the Austalian duo of Matthew Ebden and Chris Guccione 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the 2nd round.

In another match, Leander Paes and partner Radek Stepanek have taken a 4-2 lead in the first set of their first round doubles tie against Australians Greg Jones and John-Patrick Smith.

Quick takes:

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, who views Indo-US ties as one of the most important bilateral relationships, is looking forward to travel to Indiain not too distant future, a top Pentagon official said today.   

The BBC has refused to apologise for broadcasting a Top Gear special in December, which was widely criticised for offending India, and resulted in a complaint from the Indian High Commission over its cultural insensitivity.  

Also from our Delhi correspondent.

• The Republic Day parade in Delhi should not attract the EC's model code of conduct as no polls are taking place in the capital. Yet, the Railway Ministry's tableau has drawn the Election Commission's ire.
• The BJP in Uttarakhand plans to complain to the Election Commission about Congress leaders staying at the Raj Bhavan.
• Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O Paneerselvam is in New Delhi to attend the Finance Ministers meet in Vigyan Bhavan an annual routine affair before Union Budget is presented. The Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee meets the State Finance Ministers for formulations on the budget.

From our Delhi correspondent.

Security for Nirvachan Sadan, the headquarters of  the Election Commission  has been beefed in the run-up to the five-state polls. The three Election Commissioners SY Quraishi, VS Sampath, HS Brahma have been provided escort cars with Z category security.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Reddy is in Delhi along with the APCC Chief Bosta Satyanarayana to discuss the induction of Prajarajyam MLAs as ministers in the state cabinet. Senior Congress leaders who are MLAs are vehementally opposed to the induction of PRP leaders who are particular about caste and faction.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) stalwart VS Achuthanandan has assailed Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for allegedly spying on some members of the Muslim community in the state. 

Achuthanandan said: "On its part, the Kerala government going out if its way to identify a particular party or community in a secret manner is very unfair." 

He even compared Oommen Chandy with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who has been accused in the past of having anti-minority sentiments. 

"Well, it is similar to Narendra Modi's ploy," added Achuthanandan.

In a setback for Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, the high court has held the appointment of the Lokayukta as valid. This means Justice (retd) RA Mehta will stay on as the Lokayukta. Modi had challenged the appointment in the HC and filed a plea. 

In August last year, Governor Kamla Beniwal had appointed retired High court judge RA Mehta as the state Lokayukta, a post lying vacant since November 2003. The Modi government had challenged the appointment before the High Court on the same day, contending that the governor's action was unconstitutional and unilateral.

On October 11, the division bench delivered a split verdict. While Justice Kureshi, who headed the bench, upheld the governor's action, Justice Gokani held the appointment as unconstitutional.

Wikipedia has taken its English-language site offline as part of protests against proposed anti-piracy laws in the US.

Users attemping to access the site see a black screen and a political statement: "Imagine a world without free knowledge." The user-generated news site Reddit and the blog Boing Boing are also taking part in the "blackout". However, Twitter has declined to take part in the shutdown.

There seems to be more trouble for Pak PM Yousaf Gilani. The National Accountability Bureau will file case against Gilani in a graft case. If convicted, he faces 14 years in prison.

Meanwhile, memogate courier, Mansoor Ijaz has got his visa for Pakistan. He may appear before judicial panel on or before January 24.  

A blanket of fog enveloped the city this morning disrupting rail and air traffic even as the mercury plummeted sharply leaving Delhiites shivering. The minimum was recored at 5.6 degree Celsius as compared to yesterday's minimum of 9.3 degree Celsius. Fog cover in the city disrupted air, rail and road
traffic. Over 35 trains were delayed in the morning due to dense fog in Delhi and parts of North India.

Also read on rediff.com: 3 flights canceled, 30 delayed due to fog at Delhi airport

A US Secret Service spokesman said that the White House has been locked down after a smoke bomb was thrown over its fence as hundreds of Occupy protesters massed outside the gates.

He said that the authorities were investigating the smoke bomb tossed over fence. The crowds were dispersed on Tuesday night and US Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie said there were no arrests in the incident. However, people inside the White House were being prevented from exiting on the Pennsylvania Avenue side of the building as the situation was being resolved.

Ogilvie says there were 1,000 to 1,500 protesters at one point. He said something appearing to be a smoke bomb was thrown over the fence and that the device was being removed. US President Barack Obama had taken his wife Michelle to a restaurant for a dinner on the occasion of her 48th birthday.

Moreon cnnibn

South shivers: 7 die in AP; Karnataka coldest in 100 yrs (The Times of India)
The harsh weather has broken records in Karnataka. Madikeri registered its lowest temperature in 132 years, with the minimum dropping to 4.8 degrees Celsius. Read

Age row: Furious govt plans tough counter to Army chief (The Times of India)
A day after General VK Singh dragged Centre to the Supreme Court, an angry government decided to take on the Army chief frontally in the apex court. Read

Govt closes ranks, readies to battle army chief in court (Hindustan Times)
A day after army chief General VK Singh dragged the Centre to the Supreme Court over his age row, the government on Tuesday closed ranks to plan a counter-strategy, indicating a further hardening of its stand. Read

PM handling army age row (Telegraph)
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken over management of the row with army chief Gen. V.K. Singh, who took the government to court yesterday over the dispute on his age. Read

Rushdie to attend Jaipur Lit Fest (Hindustan Times)
The news of Salman Rushdie being "persuaded" to "stay away" from the five-day Jaipur Literature Festival is, according to its organisers, "fiction". Read

Smoke bomb hurled at White House during Occupy protests (The Hindu)
According to a U.S. Secret Service spokesman there were 1,000 to 1,500 protesters at one point and something appearing to be a smoke bomb was thrown over the fence. Read