LIVE
Wed, 25 January 2012
Norway to hand over Indian child to uncle in Kolkata
Timeline Refresh
17:44
How did the two branches of the Army, Military Secretary and Adjutant General, end up with varying dates on their records, asks Raj Chengappa in the Tribune, Chandigarh, here.
17:41
Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa asks some uncomfortable questions about the Maharashtra ATS's claim that the 13/7 blasts have been cracked, here
17:41
Meet the 93-year-old yoga teacher who is more flexible than most of her students, here
17:27 20 Afghan children in Delhi to witness R-Day parade
Aiming at providing them exposure to democracy and its benefits, the Indian embassy in Kabul has sent a group of 20 children from Afghanistan who will also witness the Republic Day parade in New Delhi tomorrow.
The embassy there has sent these 20 children to see India. They will see both ancient and modern structures such as the metro rail to get a feel of how democracy helps in development of a country, Army officials said in New Delhi.
17:24 Daniel Radcliffe spills beans on his friendships
Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint may have been best of friends in the Harry Potter films but their relationship in real-life is not as chummy. In fact, not chummy at all..In an interview to Sunday Mirror, Radcliffe has said he barely speaks to the red head but is good friends with his female co-star Emma Watson. Read here.
17:10 Norway to hand over Indian child to father's brother
The two children of an NRI couple who were taken away by the Norwegian Childcare Services on grounds of "emotional disconnect" will be handed over to their uncle in Kolkata following finalisation of an agreement between India and Norway today.
The agreement between Indian government through its mission in Norway, municipality of Norway, Norwegian Childcare Services, the parents (Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya) and their lawyer named Anurup's brother as the primary caretaker of the two children, official sources said in New Delhi.
The agreement said the uncle, Arunabhash, has agreed to the parents' wish and is aware of the responsibility and he will be the children's primary caretaker, the sources said.
17:07 49 first-timers' seats in UP to be micromanaged
Rahul Gandhi has deputed 49 Congress MLAs from across the country to camp in select constituencies of Uttar Pradesh to "micro-manage" the campaign and ensure the party's victory in Assembly elections.
The 49 constituencies, which go to polls in the first and second phases, have been personally chosen by Gandhi as Congress nominees in these segments are testing their fortunes in electoral arena for the first time.
16:56 Yuvraj in US for tumour treatment, to miss IPL5
Star batsman Yuvraj Singh is unlikely to play in the fifth edition of Indian Premier League due to treatment of his non-malignant lung tumour and might be out of competitive cricket for about six months.
According to sources close to the cricketer, Yuvraj is currently in the United States for treatment of his tumour and once it is removed, the recuperation process will start.
16:54 Beckham says he only wanted to play become, not become famous
He is known off the field as much as he is on it, but David Beckham insists in an interview to a forthcoming edition of the UK edition of Men's Health magazine: 'I never wanted to be famous. I was never interested in anything else apart from becoming a footballer.'
'I know what my limits are, what I can achieve and which passes I can play. So that's been my game over the last few years: I have adapted to my age, different situations and the position that I'm playing in.'I still love playing; I still love being part of a team. Right now I'm not even thinking about retiring.'
To read more on Beckham, click here.
16:48 Court rejects Delhi police's closure report in CD case
Just In: Delhi court rejects police report to close the case on Shanti Bhushan's complaint that a CD with his purported talk with Amar Singh and Mulayam Singh was fake. The court has directed Delhi police to probe further the controversial CD case.
16:42 Never-seen-before pix of Hitler at home emerge
Nearly 67 years after his death, some never-seen-before wartime pictures of Adolf Hitler at his home has emerged.
The pictures, taken between 1936 and 1945 by Hugo Jaeger, one of the personal photographers of Hitler, gives for the first time a rare insight into the rooms where the Fuhrer used to spend his quiet time.
The rooms were decorated with fine furnishings, delicate drapes, paintings and sculptures from around the world, the Daily Mail reported.
16:28 Yoga guru Ramdev tells voters to go with BJP, CPI
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev today asked people to vote for the BJP and the CPI in the coming assembly elections in five states and "reject" other parties which have failed to accept "genuine" issues of bringing back black money and corruption.
"Those parties, which are not supporting and accepting the genuine issues of bringing back black money and corruption, must be rejected in the elections as their intentions are bad," Ramdev told reporters in Dehradun.
16:23
And Ramesh Srivats tweets: I recommend Prashant Bhushan for the Padma Bhushan, and Sri Sri for the Padma Shri. Why? Just like that. Will be fun referring to them.
16:21
Suhel Seth tweets: Salman Rushdie rejects the Padma Bhushan. Says he respects the Bhushans but doesn't want them in his life!
16:19 Premlata to scale 5 summits this year
The first woman mountaineer of Jharkhand and the oldest Indian to conquer Mt Everest, Premlata Agrawal, has now set her sights on five summits of the world. The 45-year-old mother of two has already scaled two peaks, reports the Times of India.
"This year I have planned to scale three peaks, Mt Aconcagua, Mt Denali (Mckinley, 22,000 ft) in Alaska (North America) and Mt Vinson (5,000 mt) in Antartica. The other two peaks, Mt Elbrus (5,642 mt) in Europe and Mt Carstenze Pyramid (5,000 mt) in Australia will be attempted next year," said Agrawal, who is with the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation. Read here.
16:16 IPL5 players auction in Bengaluru on Feb 4
Top Indian players, including Ravindra Jadeja and VVS Laxman, will go under the hammer when the Players Auction for the fifth Indian Premier League is held in Bengaluruon February 4.
Besides Jadeja and Laxman, many other Indian and foreign cricketers will be up for grabs when the proceedings begin at 11 am in the ITC Royal Gardenia Hotel.
16:04 Foreign sources gave Rs 55 cr to N-plant protestors
A special home ministry team has found that some organisations involved in the protests against the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu had received funds to the tune of over Rs 55 crore from "foreign sources," Union Minister V Narayanasamy said today.
"The special team from the Union home ministry visited the areas around Koodankulam and checked the accounts of some organisations, which were involved in the Koodankulam protests. It found that money to the tune of Rs 54 crore for two oganisations and Rs 1.5 crore for another organisation have been received," he told PTI.
15:52 Katju goes hammer and tongs at Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie is a "poor" and "sub-standard writer" who would have remained largely unknown but for his controversial book Satanic Verses, according to Markandey Katju, till recently a judge of the Supreme Court.
Katju, who is now chairman of Press Council of India, criticised the admirers of India-born author, saying they suffered from a "colonial inferiority complex" that a writer living abroad has to be great.
"Salman Rushdie dominated the Jaipur Literature Festival. I do not wish to get into the controversy whether banning him was correct or not. I am raising a much more fundamental issue," he said in a statement.
15:46
Cricketing decisions such as those against Saeed Ajmal and Andrew Strauss can still occur, even
with the help of technology, is a sign that cricket might just have
taken a very long route to come back to the point where Mahinda
Wijesinghe entered the conversation, nearly 30 years ago, writes Osmad Samiuddin in The National. Read the full article here.
15:29 Delhi govt ticked off by HC for running school in tent
The city government was ticked off today by the Delhi high court for running a school New Delhi in tent in the midst of the current cold wave and was ordered to replace it with portable cabins.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw asked the relevant authorities to provide all infrastructures and safety measures for 390 students studying there.
"It is torturous for students and also the teachers as the construction of building will take substantial time, the government is advised to set up porta (portable) cabins immediately" the bench said. "We cannot allow the school to run like this. Even schools having nice buildings remain closed during the cold in December. What will happen to these children?" the court asked.
15:09 Pandit youth to go on fast against J&K government
Lashing out at the state government for not filling up 1,562 government posts sanctioned by the prime minister, Kashmiri Pandit youths today threatened to resort to a chain hunger strike in Jammu from January 28 if their demands were not met.
Over 300 displaced Kashmiri Pandit youths today held protests for being denied jobs under the PM's employment package. "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave us an employment policy with all financial support and the state government is denying us. We have been running from pillar to post for implementation of the cabinet order for recruitment to the remaining 1,562 posts for the past one year," Sanjay Koul told reporters today.
15:05
Ramesh Srivats quips on Twitter: Of course, Dr. Batra deserves the honour. "Padma Shri" is an anagram of "Spam'd Hair", no?
15:02 US Seals free two hostages in Somalia
Two foreign aid workers kidnapped in Somalia three months ago have been freed in a US military raid, BBC Online has reported quoting officials. The overnight raid was carried out by military helicopters and involved US Navy Seals, the web site said. A shoot-out followed but a Danish humanitarian group says the two hostages were unharmed.
The two -- a US woman and a Danish man -- were seized on 25 October 25, 2011. They had been working for the Danish Demining Group when they were abducted by gunmen near the north-central town of Galkayo, BBC reports.
15:02 Is a Priyanka wave building up in UP?
Is there a wave building in favor of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh and is his sister, Priyanka Vadra, helping generate the crest? Jyoti Malhotra, a contributor to rediff.com, writes in IndiaRealTime, Wall Street Journal's blog, that the odds are that she will definitely help him move the Congress tally upwards. Read her here.
14:43 Citi to eliminate 100 jobs in India,
Citigroup Inc will eliminate about 100 jobs in India as it restructures its local business, part of a global plan to axe roughly 4,500 jobs globally, report Romit Guha and Khushita Vasant in the Wall Street Journal. They said Citi India, which employs about 7,000 people, didn't specify where the cuts would be, saying they would come across its operations. Read the report here.
14:33 Lt who foiled infiltration on Pak border gets Ashok Chakra
Lieutenant Navdeep Singh, who died foiling an infiltration attempt by Pakistan-based terrorists along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir last year, will be awarded the highest peace-time gallantry award Ashok Chakra on Republic Day.
President Pratibha Patil will present the medal to the officer posthumously at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi tomorrow in which Prime Minister of Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra will be the Chief Guest.
The medal will be received by Lt Navdeep's father Honorary Captain (retd) Joginder Singh.
14:12 Padma awards announced, no word on Bharat Ratna
The late illusrator Mario Miranda and the late Bhupen Hazarika are among the five Padma Vibhushan awardees this year.
The other three are: KG Subramaniam (in art-painting &sculpture category), Dr Kantimal Hastimal Sancheti (medicine, orthopaedics) and TV Rajeswar (civil service).
The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian awards given in India.
The Padma Bhushan has been conferred on 27 personalities, among them Shabana Azmi, Jatin Das, Buddhadev Dasgupta, Mira Nair, MS Gopalakrishnan, Anish Kapoor, Dr SH Advani, N Vittal, and Ronen Sen.
The Padma Shri has been conferred on 77 personalities, among them Anup Jalota, Priyadarshan, Dr Swati Piramal, Dr Mukesh Batra, Jhulan Goswami, Limba Ram and Ullas Karanth.
For the complete list, see here.
14:02 Demi Moore hospitalised for 'exhaustion'
Hollywood star Demi Moore has been rushed to hospital after reportedly suffering from exhaustion. A female friend was at Moore's home Monday night when the 49-year-old actress started "shaking" and "acting like she was suffering from a seizure", reported E! Online. The friend then called 911 and about 30 minutes after paramedics arrived Moore was taken to the hospital.
14:00 Trade in Nagaland hit as 36-hour bandh begins
All trade and commercial activities in Nagaland came to a halt since this morning as NSCN (I-M) called 36-hour trade bandh in Naga inhabited areas of the region, officials said.
However, essential services, educational institutions and vehicular traffic were exempted from the purview of the bandh call which was effective from 6 am today.
13:59 Hold all by-elections once a year, says AP governor
Observing that frequent bypolls in many parts of the country hampered development, Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan today suggested holding all the bye-elections at once every year.
Conducting all by-elections in the country at one go during the year would ensure that the process of development continued unhindered, he said, addressing a function organised on the occasion of the National Voters' Day in Hyderabad.
13:52 MoS Milind Deora says govt only wants solutions
Kapil Sibal and others in the government may not like it, but Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Milind Deora has been quoted by Wall Street Journal's IndiaRealTime blog that the government has no intention of censoring any media or shutting any web site down.
"We don't want to get into the business of censoring any media '" we can't do it, and we don't want to,' Deora said in an interview to Amol Sharma. "No one is saying we're going to shut any of these companies down."
On the contrary, "We want solutions that allow the medium (of the Internet) to be free and fair but also allow people to participate in a way that conforms with the laws of the land,' he has said. "India has its own unique nuances."
Read the blog post here.
13:47 Union Budget likely around middle of March
Just In: Union Budget may be presented around middle of March, reports PTI
13:43 Mullaiperiyar effect? 2 Kerala students beaten in TN
The Hindustan Times reports that two engineering students from Kerala who are studying in Tamil Nadu were brutally assaulted by their seniors on a train. Read it here.
13:41
Pratap Bhanu Mehta, president, Centre for Policy Research, Delhi, writes in the Indian Express: Who's afraid of Aadhar? We are tempted to answer this question, but leave it to you read his article here.
13:39 Pak's Punjab assembly bans 'objectionable' concerts
Pakistan's Punjab assembly has unanimously passed a resolution seeking a ban on "objectionable music concerts" in all public and private institutions of the province that is home to 90 million people.
The resolution was moved yesterday by PML-Q's Seemal Kamran, who described all musical concerts by educational institutions as unethical and objectionable and sought a ban on them.
13:38 5 soldiers remain untraced in J&K avalanche
The five security personnel, who went missing after an avalanche struck near the LoC in Kashmir's Kupwara district, remained untraced today even as search operations continued for the second day. The joint operation in search of four Army personnel and a BSF jawan at Furkian top resumed this morning but success eluded the rescue teams so far, defence sources said. An avalanche struck the troops near a forward post yesterday morning when the Army and BSF jawans were clearing snow between their camp and an outpost.
13:25 Pak air force jet crashes on training mission
A Pakistan Air Force jet crashed during a training mission in Punjab province today, injuring a woman trainee pilot and an instructor, in the third such mishap in three months.
The FT-7 jet was on a routine training mission when it crashed near the Mianwali airbase in Punjab shortly after take-off, the officials told the media. The woman trainee pilot and the instructor were injured in the incident, they said.
13:09 Expelled BSP man is SP's candidate in UP
The Samajwadi Party today named Rajpal Tyagi, who was sacked by Bahujan Samaj Party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati from the state cabinet last month, as its candidate from the Muradnagar constituency in Ghaziabad. Tyagi was named in place of Dishant Tyagi by state President Akhilesh Yadav.
13:06 Ex-SC judge to head probe into Gujarat encounter deaths
Just in: Supreme Court asks committee headed by an ex-apex court judge to look into encounter killings from 2003 to 2006 in Gujarat.
The apex court asks the chairman of the monitoring authority, Justice (retd) M B Shah, to submit his report in three months, and to get instances of encounter killings either by appointing officers from the Special Task Force or from outside. Details soon.
12:56 Ashok V Desai on India's falling investment pattern
The share of investment in national income was 31 per cent two years ago, and 27 per cent in the last quarter; in two years it had fallen by 4 per cent. That is highly improper for an economy that the world looks towards as the saviour in the ongoing global downturn, writes economist Ashok V Desai in The Telegraph, Calcutta.
'Why has investment been doing so badly? Investment is costly; businessmen have to find money for it, out of their profits, by borrowing, or by selling shares. There are other uses for that money, so businessmen do not usually use it for investment unless they expect good profits. Maybe they looked at the state of the world, decided that it was too depressing, and cut their risks. Or maybe they would have gone on investing merrily, but could not find the money.' Read him here.
12:52 Droning on: A war that is not called a war anymore
More than seven years after the US began drone attacks, there has not even been a single vote for or against it, writes Peter W Singer in the New York Times's Sunday Review. 'This campaign is not carried out by the Air Force; it is being conducted by the CIA. This shift affects everything from the strategy that guides it to the individuals who oversee it (civilian political appointees) and the lawyers who advise them (civilians rather than military officers),' notes the director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution and author of Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century.
He writes: 'I do not condemn these strikes; I support most of them. What troubles me, though, is how a new technology is short-circuiting the decision-making process for what used to be the most important choice a democracy could make. Something that would have previously been viewed as a war is simply not being treated like a war.' Read him here.
12:46 PM holds consultations on UIDAI, cabinet committee next
Just In: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh steps in to sort out the strafing that threatens to derail his government's unique ID scheme, the Aadhar. On Wednesday Dr Singh held consultations on the Unique Identification Authority of India issue, said Montek Singh Ahulwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission. Next, the Cabinet Committeeto is scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss the issue. Hopefully, Home Minister P Chidambaram's concerns over the issue will be addressed in the meeting.
12:30 Vote for your city as the 'education capital of India'
IndiaEdu.com wants to recognise which city be crowned as the 'education capital of India' and to this end have started a poll. If you want to ensure your city is the ideal destination for education and is contributing maximum for educating people from play school to senior secondary school, from college level to post doc level etc, vote here.
12:22 A fresh set of questions for ATS chief Rakesh Maria
If Maharashtra ATS chief Rakesh Maria hoped that his presser on Monday, where he announced that Naqi and Nadeem have been arrested for the 13/7 blasts in Mumbai, answered many questions, the truth is that it has raised more questions than ever before. And here's a fresh set of questions for him courtesy the Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association, as published on kafila.org.
12:13 India to appeal Abu Salem ruling in Portugal, says CBI
Just In: India to approach the constitutional court of Portugal against the termination of the extradition of Abu Salem, the Central Bureau of Investigation tells Delhi high court.Details soon.
12:06 Point-counterpoint: Rushdie's letter; and Zakaria's reply
When then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's government banned The Satanic Verses, ahead of many Islamic countries, an anguished Salman Rushdie wrote an open letter to Gandhi in the New York Times. You can read that letter here.
More interesting, is Islamic scholar Rafiq Zakaria's letter to Rushdie from the same vintage, countering the latter's 'strongly denial' that the book is 'a direct attack on Islam' and further, that 'the section of the book in question'. deals with a prophet who is not called Muhammad'
Zakaria had some questions to ask of Rushdie on the book that has created so much of controversy worldwide. Read his questions here, courtesy bargad.org.
11:53
Adam Gopnik's searing article in the New Yorker, The caging of America, wherein he says six million people are under correctional supervision in the US -- more than in Stalin's gulags. Read more here.
11:48 Martin Scorsese's rules to success
How did Martin Scorsese risk it all and lived to risk again in Hollywood? In a conversation with Rick Tetzeli on fastcompany.com, the creative genius offers a few tips: Respect the past; Trust your confidants... but not to much; Play the corporate game, but defy them when you must; Find another outlet, or eight; Give back and learn. For the full primer, click here.
11:44
What are the nine biggest surprises from the Oscar nominations? Kyle Buchanan takes a swing, here.
11:43 VFX breakdown of Oscar favourites
Forget best dressed. The stars at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences annual VFX Bake-Off are visual effects artists who create
entire worlds, creatures, and impossible shots out of green screens and
algorithms, says Susan Karlin on fastcocreate.com. Here, they discuss the biggest challenges behind everything
from transforming human actors into chimps to making beefy actors look
wimpy. Read on.
11:39 Jeet Thayil dismisses claim on Rushie hand behind reading
The controversy over the four authors reading out passages from The Satanic Verses on January 22, on the third day of the Jaipur Literary Festival, fails to die down with Vinod Mehta, editor-in-chief of Outlook magazine, saying last night that the author of the book Salman Rushdie had orchestrated the reading.
Noted poet and writer Jeet Thayil and authors Hari Kunzru, Amitava Kumar and Ruchir Joshi were later asked to leave the festival and the city the same day.
Reacting strongly to Mehta's suggestion, Jeet Thayil had just three words to tell our correspondent Priyanka: "Of course not!" Probed further, Thayil said he had stopped talking to the press about it.
11:25 Randeep Dhillon sues Jay Leno in for Golden Temple joke
United States talk show host Jay Leno has been sued by an Indian-American in California for his "racist" comments on the Golden Temple and ridiculing the entire Sikh community by portraying the holy shrine as a vacation home.
According to court papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Randeep Dhillon claims that Leno "hurt the sentiments of all Sikh people in addition to those of the plaintiff" with his joke that the Golden Temple could be a possible summer home of Mitt Romney, a leading Republican presidential hopeful.
The celebrity website TMZ said Dhillon has filed a libel suit and is seeking unspecified damages.
11:17 Director Theo Angelopoulos killed in road accident
Huffington Post reports that Theo Angelopoulos, the 'award-winning Greek filmmaker known for his slow and dreamlike style as a director', was killed in a road accident on Tuesday while working on his latest movie The Other Sea. He was 76.
Police and hospital officials said Angelopoulos suffered serious head injuries and died at a hospital after being hit by a motorcycle while walking across a road close to a movie set near Athens' main port of Piraeus. The driver, who was also injured and hospitalised, has been identified as an off-duty police officer. Read more here.
11:10 US issues travel alert on travel to India
The United States has issued a worldwide caution on overseas travel of its citizens, which includes India where it said there is an increased threat of terrorism.
"There is an increased threat of terrorism in India. Terrorists have targeted public places in India frequented by Westerners, including luxury and other hotels, trains, train stations, markets, cinemas, mosques, and restaurants in large urban areas," the State Department said in its latest global travel alert to its citizens.
11:07 Egyptians gather at Tahrir Square to mark anniversary
Egyptians gathered in Cairo at the Tehrir square to mark the first anniversary of their revolution that begin a year ago leading to the ousted of President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year-old regime.
In an effort to preempt massive protests planned, the Egyptian government and military ruler of the country, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces has taken several measures including granting government jobs to all those who were injured during the protests.
11:05 US prez sets up new body to monitor unfair business practices
Vowing to get tough on unfair business practices by countries like China, United States President Barack Obama today announced creation of a new trade enforcement body to help domestic companies.
"I'm announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders," Obama said in his State of the Union Address.
10:55 Madhavan Nair blames ISRO chairman for action against him
ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan is behind the move to bar me and three other scientists from holding government jobs, alleges G Madhavan Nair, the former Indian Space Research Organisation chief who was barred from holding holding any government jobs along with three other top scientists.
The government action came in the wake of the controversial deal in which a private company was allotted scarce S band spectrum by ISRO allegedly in violation of rules.
No inquiry was done or charge-sheet file before the move; am I worse than terrorists, asks Nair.
Read the report on his barring here.
10:51 A quick recap of the morning's news
Good morning and welcome to today's edition of Live! News As It happens, a day before the Republic turns 60. First, a look at the morning's newspapers.
The Times of India reports that the performances of two stand-up comedians in the Mhow Cantonment Board were cancelled by alarmed army officers after they learned that they were from Pakistan. Irfan Malik and Ali Hasan, known as Pakistan's Laurel and Hardy, were denied permission to put up their show at the last minute, when the officers woke up to the kerfuffle it might create. Here.
The Indian Express reports from Darbhanga in Bihar, from where the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad claims its two suspects in the 13/7 Mumbai blasts hail. Old-time homeopathic doctors at Darbhanga have only a vague memory of "Dr Imran', the newspaper reports. What they remember are the long gaps between his visits to Darbhanga and Madhubani between 2008 and 2009. Based on the testimony of suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives, investigators believe Dr Imran may be none other than one of India's most-wanted, Yasin Bhatkal, the newspaper says. Here.
DNA reports that the Bombay high court has observed that transgender people also have the right to justice and can lodge a complaint with the police if anyone insults or humiliates them. A division bench of chief justice Mohit Shah and justice Roshan Dalvi was hearing a public interest litigation filed by city NGO Salvation of Oppressed Eunuchs seeking fundamental rights for the oppressed community. Here.
Mumbai Mirror reports that a Plan in place to counter Narendra Modi's star power Battle for the Bombay municipal corporation election due next month, with the Congress planning to bring out big guns to fight the Sena-BJP. Here.
The Telegraph, Calcutta, reports from West Bengal that the Occupy-Buddha-Space movement is on. The journey Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had started from the inauguration of the Calcutta Film Festival two months ago reached another milestone, the Calcutta Book Fair, today and the chief minister made it clear that she has usurped what used to be her predecessor's favourite space. Here.
The Asian Age reports that Kalraj Mishra has stirred the chief minsitership buzz in Uttar Pradesh BJP. Just when the controversy over the induction of Babu Singh Kushwaha and the elevation of Rajnath Singh's son was showing signs of dying down, senior leader Kalraj Misra has fuelled a new one by declaring that Uma Bharti was not its chief ministerial candidate in UP. Here.
Be careful of that charger. The Hindustan Times reports that a 32-year-old BPO employee was found dead in his Ghaziabad flat Tuesday morning with his laptop, cellphone and bed all burnt. The police, who were called in after guards saw smoke emanating from the fourth floor apartment in Indirapuram's Shipra Krishna Vista, suspect that either the laptop or the mobile -- both were found on the bed -- caught fire after a short-circuit. Pranav Sanyal, who worked with the technical department of a Noida BPO, might have died due to asphyxiation, the police said. Here.
The Hindu reports that in Amalapuram tension is palpable in heart of Konaseema, a day after the desecration of Ambedkar statues with two caste groups viewing each other with suspicion and those protesting the action of miscreants organising a 'rasta roko'. Here.
And, to recap what happened through yesterday, click here.
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