n a fresh trouble for NRI beautician Nooriya Haveliwala, the Maharashtra government today moved the Bombay high court seeking enhancement of punishment awarded to her for drunken driving and culpable homicide.

Pakistan's former captain Javed Miandad, who has cancelled his visit to India following a controversy, did so on the advice of PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf and other officials, sources said.

A minor girl was allegedly raped by an autorickshaw driver at Nathavaram mandal in the district, police said.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator said on Friday that his country has agreed in principle to resume international talks on its nuclear program later this month, although the place and date for the negotiations have not been finalised.

Six children and one adult died Friday morning in a fire that engulfed an unregistered orphan shelter in Lankao county in central China's Henan Province, local government sources said.

A court today acquitted 48 accused in four cases of rioting and arson, related to post-Godhra riots of 2002. The cases had been tried together in the city civil and sessions court. Judge M K Dave, while acquitting the accused, held that prosecution failed to bring enough evidence, and the accused should get benefit of doubt. 

A 19-year-old girl committed self immolation after a youth tried to rape her in Alwar district of Rajasthan, the second such incident in the state this week. The victim poured kerosene and set herself afire in her house in Alwar's Laxmangarh town yesterday. 

The Odisha government in a notification today clamped a ban on the manufacture, sale and use of gutkha and panmasala containing tobacco or nicotine. "The manufacture, storage, sale and distribution of gutkha and panmasala containing tobacco or nicotine as ingredients by whatsoever name available in the market is hereby prohibited ... in the greater interest of public," the notification said. 

Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar today said the 'hate speech' by Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi could be referred to the Ethics Committee of the House.    

Nearly 1,000 ships have been left stranded in the water as a thick layer of sea ice has developed on Laizhou Bay in east China's Shandong Province due to extreme cold.        

Congress today slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat over his controversial comments that rape is mainly prevalent in urban India and does not happen in rural areas, asking the saffron outfit to get in sync with reality.       

The government today made it clear that the issuance of visa to former Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad, a relative of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, did not reflect any change in the status of the Mumbai serial bomb blasts case mastermind as far as India is concerned.        

More than two months after Superstorm Sandy swept through the Northeast, leaving behind a trail of unprecedented devastation, some New York City residents are reportedly still struggling to get back on their feet, with many of them suffering through the winter cold without heat. Read

The 30-year-old school teacher, who suffered severe burns on her face in an acid attack in Jammu and Kashmir, was today flown to Delhi and admitted to a private hospital where doctors said she will require multiple reconstructive surgical procedures.

The school teacher, who was attacked with acid in Parraypora locality of Hyderpora in Srinagar on Wednesday, was being treated at the Sri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital till this morning.

The woman was flown to the capital this afternoon and was rushed to Indraprastha Apollo Hospital for further treatment, doctors said. After conducting initial diagnosis and mandatory procedures on her, doctors said her condition was stable though her left eye has "sustained significant damage".

Also read: Sonali Mukherjee - acid attack victim who became a TV millionaire

The Indian and Pakistani cricket teams arrived here this evening amid tight security cover for the inconsequential third and final ODI to be held at the Feroze Shah Kotla ground on Sunday.

The two teams arrived here by a chartered flight from Kolkata and were taken straight to the team hotel by two separate buses under tight security arrangements. Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, however, was conspicuous by his absence as he was not in the bus along with his team-mates. Both the teams are slated to practice at the Feroze Shah Kotla tomorrow.

And of course, Javed Miandad will not be attending.

Just in: The price of CNG has been hiked by Rs 1.55 kilo in Delhi.

Stating that it would not entertain any more applications seeking permission to hold functions or rallies at Shivaji Park in central Mumbai, the Bombay High Court today directed Maharashtra government to issue a fresh notification listing the functions that can be held at the park for 30 days in a year.

Under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, the state government has the power to allow non-sports activities on a play ground only for a period of 30 days in a year. Presently, the state government allows only four functions at the park in a year, namely, Republic Day, Independence Day, Maharashtra Day and Ambedkar Jayanti.

Once bitten, twice shy it seems after the ruckus in the aftermath of a memorial for Bal Thackeray.

The two Italian marines, facing murder charges in Kerala, on Friday surrendered their passports before a trial court here within hours of returning to India after observing their Christmas holidays at home. Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone drove to Kollam after arriving in Kochi to comply with the court direction that they should surrender their passports as soon as they returned to India.

Kids and in-laws and mata-ki-chowkis by day, spouse-swappers by night. The secret lives of some married couples. Read

The government today ruled out convening a special session of Parliament to discuss stricter punishment for sexual offences saying the issue would be taken up after receipt of the Justice Verma Committee report.

"Until we get Justice Verma Committee report (we cannot hold a session). After that (the report comes) the Budget session starts," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath told reporters here.

The Budget session usually starts around third week of February. When asked whether the government will give priority to tightening rape laws, Nath said, "of course".

The committee headed by former Chief Justice of India J S Verma was set up on December 23, 2012, with a mandate to review the present statute so as to provide for speedier justice and enhanced punishment in cases of aggravated sexual assault. The committee has to submit its report in 30 days.

Our sources in Delhi tell us that a Congress core group comprising PM Dr Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, political secretary Ahmed Patel, defence minister AK Antony, finance minister P Chidambaram and home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde is meeting this evening to deliberate and decide the way ahead on security measures for women in the aftermath the gang rape case.

Shinde has already spoken earlier today saying the government would discuss whether the juvenile age should be lowered to 16 from the existing 18. It may be recollected that the sixth accused is a juvenile and is believed to have been the one who was the most brutal. While a chargesheet was filed against the five accused yesterday, a chargesheet is yet to be filed for the juvenile in the Juvenile Court.

The 11 speeches of MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi where he spews hate. Watch

To think of Narendra Modi, the four-term chief minister of Gujarat, as a potential prime minister and the man who might revive the flagging fortunes of the B.J.P., India's main opposition party, is to ignore the reality of Gujarat.

Most infamously, Modi has been accused of deliberately allowing the sectarian mob violence that killed more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, in 2002, soon after he became chief minister. This may have been an extreme episode, but it is consistent with Modi's divisive and exclusionary approach to governance and his efforts to marginalize Muslims.
Read Hartosh Singh Bal's column on the International Herald Tribune.

Renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr Naresh Trehan, who had checked the 23-year-old gangrape victim before she was taken to Singapore, today strongly defended the decision to shift her saying it was done only to stablise her condition and not for any immediate intestinal transplant.

Trehan, the Managing Director of Medanta Medicity that helped setting up an Intensive Care Unit aboard the air ambulance in which the victim was flown, said he had never seen such "brutality inflicted" on a person in his career and he still could not accept the "gravity of the crime".

Majority part of the intestine of the victim was removed during her treatment at Safdarjung Hospital and when she was airlifted to Singapore, it was speculated that she was sent there for an intestinal transplant.

"Doctors at Safdarjung treated her the best possible way they could do. She had lost her intestine and everyone was praying that one day she will be ready as a candidate for an intestinal transplant. Transplant is a long journey," he said, adding that at that juncture she was not in any condition for a transplant.

Trehan, who said the girl has to be admired for her spirit, was speaking at a press conference to give details about the country's first intestinal transplant at his hospital conducted in November-end.

Everyone, including the Government, was "shaken" over this case and all one could think then was what can be done for this girl, he said. "Doctors were doing the best they can do. Then they thought of the centres for long-term transplant. If someone asks was the girl alive when she was transported, the answer is yes," he said.

Also read: Docs question shifting gang rape victim to Singapore

Just in: The 19-year-old girl from Alwar, a victim of repeated molestation and harassment by a jilted lover, has passed away as a result of her severe burn injuries. The girl attempted suicide in Alwar yesterday and had been battling for life after trying to immolate herself at home. Cops have arrested the accused who lives in the neighbourhood after recording the girl's statement. 

The brutal sexual assault on a young woman last month in New Delhi has hurt the morale of working women in India, with many leaving work early and some even quitting their jobs, according to a new study.

Nearly 82% of the 2,500 women surveyed in several Indian cities said that  -- since the attack that left the 23-year-old woman dead -- they started leaving the office earlier, as they are reluctant to come home late after sunset, according to a survey carried out by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, an industry body.

The brother of the Delhi gang-rape victim has said that it was unfortunate that the name of one accused was left out in the chargesheet filed on the grounds that he was a minor, saying his crime cannot be taken as any lesser merely on the basis of his age. 

Shinde says he has asked states to increase motorcycle patrolling. "The time has come to be strict, and at least three states want juvenile age to be lowered to 16," says Shinde.

Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde addresses the media on security. He says women's representation in police must increase, which means -- two women sub-inspectors, 10 women constables in every police station in Delhi is on the cards. "There is also a discussion underway on lowering juvenile age to 16. Police must take responsibility in protecting women. Conviction in crimes against women very low, police must be more strict," says Shinde. 

Sagarika Ghose: Q Why did Duryodhana humiliate Draupadi in public? A: Because he was deeply westernised and urbanised.

Ramesh Srivats: Sita crossed the Laxman-Rekha to give alms to a mendicant, no? That also these guys have problem with?

A 16-year-old girl was attacked here with a blade in Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) allegedly by an unidentified youth, when she tried to resist his sexual advances, leaving her critically injured, police said today.

The incident took place yesterday when the Class XI student was returning from school. The accused allegedly stopped the girl on her way back home at an isolated place between the two villages and attempted to molest her. He attacked her with the blade when she raised an alarm and fled the spot. The girl has been admitted to a government hospital with severe injuries, he said.

A previously unseen photo of Princess Diana as a teenager on a Swiss ski holiday is to go up for auction. More

The brother of the Delhi gang-rape victim today regretted that the name of one accused was left out in the chargesheet filed on the grounds that he was a minor, saying his crime cannot be taken as any lesser merely on the basis of his age.

"The person who has been left out is just four months from being a major and is well aware of what is right and wrong and he needs to be treated as a major," the victim's brother told reporters here at his native Medawar Kala village in Ballia, UP.

He demanded that Delhi police do the needful and include his name in the chargesheet or else the family would be forced to explore legal recourse. He also asked the media to exercise restraint while reporting on the issue.

Delhi Police yesterday filed its charge sheet in a Delhi court against five men arrested in the case, slapping on them murder, rape, kidnapping and other charges. The case of the sixth accused, a juvenile, will be filed before the Juvenile Justice Board.

The Indian government has defended its decision to issue a visa to former Pakistan cricketer Javed Miandad, saying he is not on India's "negative list". "He is a well-known cricketer. His visa application papers were in order and valid and that is why the government has decided to give him visa," Minister of State for Home R P N Singh said in Delhi yesterday.

Asked if Miandad is not on India's "negative list", Singh said, "No, nothing like that. He was given visa when his visa papers were found valid." The government's decision has been criticized by the BJP and Shiv Sena, which cited Miandad's family ties with fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Miandad's son Junaid is married to Mahrukh, the daughter of Dawood, who is wanted in India in connection with the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case.

Just in: Pakistan cricketer Javed Miandad has cancelled his tour of India. Miandad has been granted an Indian visa that will allow him to watch the final one-dayer of the ongoing limited-over cricket series between the two countries in New Delhi on January 6. 

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi travelled in Indian Air Force aircraft and helicopters 49 times in the last seven years which included 23 trips with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi also travelled in IAF aircraft and helicopters eight times in the last three years, according to a reply received under the Right to Information Act.

Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are not eligible to travel by IAF aircraft and helicopters so they have to travel in the company of eligible persons which includes the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Defence Minister for official purposes.

For unofficial purposes, only the Prime Minister is eligible. Other Cabinet ministers can also travel by these aircraft after taking permission of the Prime Minister.

The vicious rape and murder of a young woman in New Delhi has highlighted the ingrained mistreatment of women in the country. Read

Rival religious extremists survive by feeding off each other. In India, Hindutva and Islamist leaders and activists have often mobilised men and materials through inflammatory hate speeches.

But by any yardstick, the recent rabble-rousing speech of Akbaruddin Owaisi, leader of the Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, plumbs new depths. In substance, his speech was a clear attempt to promote enmity between Hindus and Muslims, and disrupt the fragile peace in tension-filled Hyderabad to the political benefit of himself and his party.

Read the opinion piece on the Hindu.

Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani girl shot in the head for campaigning for girls' education, has been released from the hospital in Birmingham, England, the hospital said Friday.Malala was shot by gunmen last fall. She had blogged fearlessly about girls' education and accused the Taliban of thriving on ignorance.

Images of North Korean leader's wife at official new year event fuel speculation that communist dynasty's succession is secure. Read

The Haryana police has begun the process of putting the names of convicted rapists on an official website as also on various social networking sites, including Facebook.

The names of those convicted in cases related to crime against women, including rape, molestation and dowry deaths, will be put up on the official website of the Haryana Police Crime Record Bureau (SCRB).

The process would be completed by January 10. Haryana police has started a process to put names, addresses and crime details of at least 2,500 convicted rapists in the past about a decade on the website, a senior police official said here today.

Also read:  Be very afraid of govts naming-shaming rapists database

A 11-year-old spastic girl was allegedly gangraped by three men in Meerut. According to the Superintendent of Police, R P Pandey, the victim was playing with her friends when the three accused allegedly persuaded her to accompany them to the nearby forest area where she was raped. Meerut police has arrested two of the culprits on the basis of inputs provided by the victim's family while the search for the third is on.

Sidhharth Bhatia's column on Outlook: India is in protest mode, for tough laws and tough rulers. What if we get what we want? Read

We doff our hat to this lady...

A woman constable, who allegedly hurled a shoe at a senior police officer, who had allegedly sent her lewd messages on her cellphone, has been suspended, officials said.

The woman constable in Aurangabad threw the shoe at Assistant Commissioner of Police  Naresh Meghrajani last night while alleging that he had sent her lewd messages on her cellphone.

She had earlier filed a complaint that three police officials had sent her vulgar smses, including ACP Meghrajani and another ACP Sandeep Bhajibhakare. Later, police had conducted a probe into the allegations and had registered a case against Bhajibhakare and also transferred him to Ratnagiri.

Just in: The government rules out a special session to address and amend rape laws. TV reports quoting government sources say that rape laws will be discussed during the budget session of Parliament which is likely to held mid February.  

Priya Ramani's column on the Mint: Be yourself or be wary: what should a parent tell their child. Read

The BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad, on the defensive after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's India vs Bharat comments says there no need for a debate.
Congress, quick to attack the RSS, says the party is regressive, considering it does not allow women to be members.     

Amid the many reasonable and constructive calls on the authorities to address the need for more stringent laws against sex offenders, there is unfortunately a growing chorus of voices calling for the six alleged perpetrators to be executed, or even for mandatory death sentence in cases of sexual violence. Read more

That's Ananth Guruswamy's column for CNN.com. He is the director of Amnesty International in India.

The Union government may have been forced to make the right noises in the wake of outrage over a 23-year-old girl's gang rape in Delhi, but its stance on stalking and forcible stripping doesn't match its new-found zeal for women's safety.

For the home ministry, stalking and stripping aren't grave enough to be deemed sex crimes. Even though the acts can leave the victim a miserable mental wreck, the government has justified their exclusion from the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2012 on the grounds that these offences are difficult to prove in a court of law. Read more

The Supreme Court agrees to appoint a commission to inquire into encounter killings in Manipur. The commission will comprise former apex court judge Santosh Hegde, former CEC J M Lyngdoh and a police officer to inquire into the five encounter killings. Details awaited.

Asserting that zero tolerance level is needed to reduce any crime in the country, Minister of State for Home Affairs RPN Singh today said that the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System will create a nation-wide environment for real-time sharing of crime and criminal information.  

Speaking at the launch of pilot programme of CCTNS in Delhi, Singh said: "The project was initiated in June 2009 and the scale of the exercise undertaken during the last three years to make this a success story has been truly tremendous. The credit for this pilot launch goes to the State police forces and the relentless support and guidance provided by MHA and NCRB officials."

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat on Friday lashed out at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat for his remark that rapes are rare in ''Bharat'' (rural India) but occur frequently in ''India'', saying this reflects the mentality, which refuses to accept the reality of caste oppression or class driven exploitation of women.

"I have read that statement and it seems to me that Bhagwatji does not know either India or Bharat. And, if he had even cared to just look at the government statistics, he would know that the largest number of rapes actually occur in rural India, on Adivasi and Dalit women, on agriculture women workers, on rural women workers where there is neither any justice nor any access to justice," said Karat.

"And a statement like Mr. Bhagwat has made only gives strength to the criminals. I think this reflects the mentality, which refuses to accept the reality of caste oppression or class driven exploitation of women," she added

The Andhra Pradesh police today issued notices to Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi to appear before it for questioning, a day after registering FIRs against him for allegedly making "hate speech" against a particular community.

As part of further probe into the two cases, the MIM legislator was directed to appear before Investigation Officers of Nirmal (Rural) police in Adilabad district on January 7 and before the Nizambad II Town police on January 8.

The FIRs were registered suo moto at Adilabad and Nizamabad districts after the legislator had allegedly used inflammatory and derogatory language against a particular community during his public speeches last month.

The notices issued under section 41(A) of CrPC were pasted outside the residence of Akbaruddin in Banjara Hills here, as he is reportedly in London for treatment and asked him to appear before police as part of further probe into the cases.

The MLA from Chandrayangutta here has been booked under IPC Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs). He has also been booked under IPC Section 121 (waging or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India).

The Supreme Court today declined to hear a plea for disqualification of MPs and MLAs charge sheeted for crime against women but agreed to go into issues of fast track trial of rape cases and implementation of laws for safety of women.

The apex court, which was hearing two PILs filed after the December 16 gangrape incident, said it can only give notice to the government on limited issues as some of the prayers made in the petitions were beyond its jurisdiction.

"The issue of disqualification of MPs and MLAs is not in our jurisdiction," a bench comprising justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra said.

"What is our power on MPs and MLAs. Obviously, such a sweeping relief can't be sought," the bench said referring to the prayer made for a direction for suspension of MPs and MLAs who have been charge-sheeted for crime against women.

More ire over The RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat's rapes happen in India, not Bharat comment.

In a breathtakingly revealing statement, Bhagwat has told us that rapes happen in India, not in Bharat. What he means is that rape only occurs in urban areas where the influence of Paschatya Sanskriti (western culture) leads women astray into being raped by men unable to help or control themselves in the face of the assault of women, out and about, by day and night, defying Mohan Bhageat's Sangh-mandated Lakshman Rekha. Read

In a new initiative to instill confidence among people, Thane police have decided to call up complainants and update them about the status of their complaints. In this regard, a 'mega camp' will be held tomorrow at police stations within limits of Thane Commissionerate to look into individual complaints. Till now, the complainants had to call up the police stations to find out status of their complaints. But hence forth the police will give them a call to update them, Thane Police Commissioner Kris Pal Raghuvanshi today said.

Just in: The Delhi High Court has admitted a plea seeking the quashing of a probe into the death of constable Subhash Tomar during the anti-rape protests in Delhi last week. The plea says two of the eight accused were at a metro station when the incident occured.

A plea has also been filed in the Delhi High Court for a CBI probe into the death of Tomar owing to injuries allegedly sustained by him during the anti-rape stir here. The petition sought a probe alleging contradictions in the statements of various officials including Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar, eye witnesses and the medical expert on the reasons of Tomar's death.

Just in: The Centre pleads before the Supreme Court to put in place a mechanism to monitor crime against women by Khap panchayats.

The Supreme Court seeks the response of the government for a fast-track trial of rape cases and the implementation of existing laws for the safety of women. The SC says it can't pass a directive for the suspension of MPs and MLAs charge sheeted for crime against women.

A city in an Indonesian province that follows Sharia law has banned women from straddling on motorbikes behind male drivers.  

Suaidi Yahya, mayor of Lhokseumawe, Aceh, said that the move aims to save people's 'morals and behaviour'.  

Leaflets were sent out to government offices and residents to inform them about the regulation, the BBC reports.  

Under the new regulation, the mayor said that women passengers are only allowed to sit "side-saddle" because straddling the bike seat violates Islamic values. He added that passengers who sat side-saddle rarely fell off.

A teenaged girl jumped out of a moving autorickshaw to save herself from the clutches of three men, who allegedly tried to molest and kidnap her in Mumbra township of neighbouring Thane district, police said today. The 17-year-old girl boarded an autorickshaw on a shared basis along with two men in Mumbra yesterday morning.

However, when she realised that the autorickshaw driver was taking the vehicle on a different route, she raised an alarm, police sub-inspector Chihvad Shetty said. But, the men sitting besides her allegedly tried to molest her in the moving vehicle and assaulted her.

However, the girl managed to jump out from the moving vehicle to save herself and later went to Mumbra police station and filed a complaint against three unidentified persons, including the autorickshaw driver, Shetty said. Police have registered an offence under sections 366 (abduction), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 323 of the IPC and have launched a search for the accused.

Also see our 11:25 am post: Pregnant woman leaps from train to avoid rape

By now, most people following the story of the tragic death of the young woman in Delhi, gangraped on a bus and left to die, will be aware of India's abysmal recent track record in bringing perpetrators in such cases to justice. Read

Operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport were affected today after fog disrupted the schedule of around 30 flights.

Around 16 flights were delayed while one was cancelled and three international flight were diverted to other airports this morning, either due to operational reason or due to bad weather, airport sources said.

Also read: Delhi's coldest winter in 5 years, temp dips to 2.7 degree

A 38-year-old medical representative was beaten to death by allegedly drunk hoodlums after he prevented them from assaulting a 29-year-old mother of three in Ranchi on January 1.

The victim, Srikant Bhardwaj, made two desperate calls to the Bariatu police station and four calls to the officer-in-charge's mobile phone as his alleged killers cornered him in Swami Sahajanand Colony some time after 5 pm.

Policemen, who had allegedly lost their way, arrived at least half-an-hour after Bhardwaj and his three friends had been brutally beaten. Bhardwaj died of excessive bleeding from wounds to the head later that evening.

Defending Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat''s controversial remark that rapes hardly take place in ''Bharat'', but they occur frequently in ''India'', RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav today said, "we have great respect for women."

"The statement of RSS chief should be taken in proper perspective. He (Bhagwat) has already demanded strict punishment for rapists and even called for death penalty if required," Madhav said.

"All that he said is that in Indian tradition we have great respect for women and we should learn to uphold this tradition. If one goes away from this tradition it will result in rise of crime against women,'' he added. 

Addressing a citizens' meet on Tuesday during his four-day visit to Silchar, Bhagwat criticized ''western'' lifestyle of people in urban areas and said, without empirical evidence to back such a claim, that rape is prevalent mainly in cities where Indians are deeply influenced by western values and not by rural India.

As this tweet says: Befriended Stranger: Phoolan devi and Bhawari devi were raped in your Bharat by a mob of Bhartiya Mr.Bhagat.

A pregnant woman was found unconscious on the rail tracks in Bihar yesterday, prompting police to investigate accounts that suggested she jumped off a train after a soldier tried to rape her in the toilet of an AC coach. Read more

A first-year architecture student was allegedly ragged so severely by his seniors at a well-known professional college in the capital that he has been under treatment for four months and still cannot walk without support.

The victim, Naveen Kujur, 22, a student of B Arch at the School of Planning and Architecture(SPA), said in his complaint that he was made to do sit-ups and push-ups by his seniors at the college hostel the entire night on September 2. The seniors did not relent even though Naveen pleaded with them to stop, he alleged.  Read more

Honey Singh and Jazzy B are not the only singers drawing flak for vulgar, misogynist songs, but there are several other Punjabi singers, who have been doing the same without any subtlety for some time.

In fact, Amar Chamkila started the trend of using double entendres in the 1980s even as he had sung a number of popular religious and folk songs. He even defied militant threats warning him against singing vulgar songs till he was killed along another singer Amarjot in March 1988.  Read more

And of course, furor on Twitter over the RSS chief's remarks.

Columnist, writer Tavleen Singh: The RSS chief says rapes occur in India not Bharat. Which Bharat does he live in? And, has he ever met a Dalit woman?

Harneet Singh: Rapes occur in India, not Bharat says RSS chief Mr Bhagwat. He's right. Balatkars occur in Bharat. Right Mr. Bhagwat?

Naomi Datta: The simple people of bharat are often entangled in the vicious web of vice spun by the crooked chowmein. But otherwise all good

Samar Halarnkar: Sick. This didn't happen in Bharat, obviously: 17-year-old dies after brutal gang rape in UP village.

Sneha Menon "‏Rapes occur in India, not Bharat: Mohan Bhagwat The same man that said men who rear cows won't rape!

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat today kicked up a controversy with his remark that rapes happened in cities and not in the rural areas. "Such crimes hardly take place in Bharat, but they frequently occur in India," Bhagwat said seeming to indicate that "westernization" in Indian cities was the reason behind increasing cases of rapes.

The remark follows a similar comment by a MP BJP leader who stated that women who did not stay within their limits, paid the price for it just like Sita was abducted by Ravana after she crossed the 'Lakshman rekha'.

"Ek hi shabd hai - Maryada. Maryada ka ulanghan hota hai, toh Sita-haran ho jata hai. Laxman-rekha har vyakti ki khichi gayi hai. Us Laxman-rekha ko koi bhi par karega, toh Rawan samne baitha hai, woh Sita-haran karke le jayega. (One has to abide by certain moral limits. If you cross this limit you will be punished, just like Sita was abducted by Ravana)," Kailash Vijayvargiya had said. IBN Live

The sixth accused-- alleged to be the most brutal of the lot -- has been left out of the chargesheet. According to some reports, he will attain majority in five months. Read

A leading Muslim Brotherhood member and adviser to Islamist President Mohammed Mursi created a stir in Egypt when he called on Egyptian Jews in Israel to return home because Egypt is now a democracy and because the Jewish state won't survive.

AP reports: The Kremlin has cast Gerard Depardieu in one of the most surprising roles of his life '" as a new Russian citizen. An announcement today that President Vladimir Putin has approved Depardieu's application for citizenship is almost a real-life analogue to the French actor's 1990 comedy Green Card, in which his character enters into a sham marriage in order to work in the US.

Indian American physician from California, Ami Bera, and the young Iraq war veteran from Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard, created history today after being sworn in as new members of the US House of Representatives.

AFP reports: Two Italian marines suspected of murdering two Indian fishermen they mistook for pirates set off back for India today after a court-granted Christmas leave at home with their families.