Court questions CBI clean chit to Tytler in 1984 riots case
By IANS
New Delhi : A special court Thursday questioned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for giving a clean chit to former union minister and Congress MP Jagdish Tytler in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in which nearly 3,000 Sikhs were killed.
It directed the agency to continue the probe and asked it to file its reply by Nov 29.
Pay Commission report may reverse credit rating: S&P
By IANS
Chennai : Global credit rating agency Standard and Poor's Ratings Services (S&P) warned Saturday that India's credit rating, currently at BBB-/Stable/A-3, may be revised lower after the Sixth Pay Commission's report.
"The primary threat to India's fiscal consolidation efforts stems from the Sixth Pay Commission, which will make its recommendations by April 2008," S&P's credit analyst Sani Hamid said, while analysing the budget for 2008-09 Finance Minister P. Chidambaram presented Friday.
UNICEF offers more help to Madhya Pradesh
By IANS
Bhopal : UNICEF has offered to extend more help to Madhya Pradesh to implement schemes aimed at women and children development, official sources here said.
UNICEF's South Asia Regional Director Daniel Toole made this offer at a meeting with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here Friday.
He was accompanied by Ginni Murzi, director UNICEF (India), Hamid Al Baseer, state representative and communication officer Anil Gulati.
Ashok Prasad takes over as new Kashmir police chief
By IANS,
Srinagar : Ashok Prasad, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of 1979 batch, Monday took over as the new director general of Jammu and Kashmir Police, ahead of schedule.
Orissa gearing up for joint anti-Maoist operation
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Orissa is gearing up for a joint operation with central forces against the Maoists who are active in more than half of the state's 30 districts, a senior official said Friday.
"We are gearing up for the operation. It has been delayed a bit but we will take up the matter with union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai who will come here on Nov 20. We will have a detailed discussion with him before launching the operation," the official said, declining to be named.
Two arrested for supplying arms to northeast insurgents
By IANS,
Kolkata: Two people, including a woman, have been arrested here for their alleged involvement in a racket for supplying arms to insurgents in the country's northeast.
The arrest of Malswan Kimi and George Lam Thang under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act followed a tip-off from the newly set-up National Investigation Agency (NIA) which had been keeping a close watch on them.
The two were picked up by the Special Task Force of the state police from a hotel in the city hub of Esplanade.
Apex court admits one more petition against quota law
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Monday admitted one more petition challenging the constitutional validity of the central law seeking to provide 27 percent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) students in centrally-funded higher education institutions.
Admitting the petition filed by a group of Jawaharlal Nehru University professors under the banner of Citizens for Equality, a bench headed by Justice B.N. Agrawal posted it for hearing May 8 along with a bunch of similar petitions.
Chennai institute to offer India’s first PhD in regenerative medicine
By IANS,
Chennai : The Nichi-in Centre for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM), a Chennai-based research centre, Monday announced the country's first doctorate (PhD) programme in stem cell research in collaboration with the Acharya Nagarjuna University.
The NCRM is part of Nichi-In Biosciences group, an Indo-Japanese healthcare joint venture that has three joint research projects in India. Its Chennai centre makes available to hospitals cell therapy-based treatment after research.
Climate change mitigation efforts need to be pursued: Pachauri
Chennai : Humanity will face immense difficulty in coping with the climate change after a point. But options are available to adapt to climate...
Bihar flood aid from Oman entrusted to Prakash Jha’s NGO
By IANS,
Dubai : Around Rs.2.1 million funds raised in Oman through a charity drive for Bihar flood victims will be channelised to the Indian state through Punarwaas, an NGO set up by film director Prakash Jha.
The Indian embassy, under whose aegis the fund raising drive was conducted by the Indian Social Club, has chosen Punarwaas, which has set up several relief camps in Bihar in the wake of last month’s devastating floods, for channelising the funds.
India’s Ambassador to Oman Anil Wadhwa handed over the cheque of Rs.2.1 million at a charity dinner in Muscat last weekend.
High-level panel to probe chit fund scam
By IANS,
Kolkata : A high-level commission formed by the West Bengal government to probe the chit fund scam will start work soon, a senior minister said here Tuesday.
Orissa tightens security in port, along coastline
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Orissa has tightened security in one of its major ports and along its Bay of Bengal coast in view of the attacks on Mumbai by terrorists who sneaked in from the sea, officials said Wednesday.
Authorities this week have installed at least 20 close circuit television cameras (CCTV) in the Paradip port area in Jagatsinghpur district, some 100 km from here, at a cost of Rs.40 million.
US pleased Pune attack did not derail India-Pakistan talks
By IANS,
Washington : The United States has said it is "encouraged" and "pleased" that the Pune terror attack did not derail the upcoming dialogue between India and Pakistan that has a "vitally important" relationship to stability in the region.
"... we are encouraged that notwithstanding the tragic attack in India, that this is not derailing important dialogue between Pakistan and India," State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley told reporters Thursday.
Focus on industrialisation of southern Tamil Nadu: Alagiri
By IANS,
Chennai : The Tamil Nadu government should take steps to promote industrialisation in the southern districts of the state instead of staying focused only on Chennai and its surroundings, union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers M.K. Alagiri said here Monday.
"The chief minister should show the way for industrial development in the southern districts," Alagiri said after laying the foundation stone for a high learning centre at the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology.
Court allows government to open Union Carbide factory to public
By IANS,
Bhopal : The Madhya Pradesh High Court Wednesday permitted the state government to open the defunct Union Carbide factory here to the public, 25 years after the lethal gas release from it killed and maimed for life thousands of people on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984.
The government had moved the state high court seeking permission for opening the factory while some NGOs opposed the move.
Delhi’s unsafe potable water under human rights panel scanner
By IANS,
New Delhi : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Thursday said it has issued notices to the Delhi government and the Delhi Jal Board over supply of unsafe potable water in the city.
An NHRC official said: "The commission took suo motu cognizance of media reports about an NGO's study that alleged that out of 53 samples of drinking water taken from various areas in Delhi, only two were found to be potable."
Indo-Pak cross-border trade in three months: minister
By IANS
Srinagar : Union Minister of State for Industries Jairam Ramesh said here Monday that the trans-Line of control (LOC) trade would only start after an agreement was reached with the new government in Pakistan.
"It is expected that an agreement would be signed with the new government in Pakistan within the next three months that would open the way for trans-LOC trade between the two countries," Ramesh said.
The minister laid the foundation stone of the Rs.480 million international trade centre in Pampore town - a first of its kind in Jammu and Kashmir.
Kumaraswamy promises committee to end farmer suicides
By IANS
Bangalore : Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has promised to set up a committee to decide on steps to be taken to prevent farmers from committing suicide due to debt burdens and crop failure.
World Hindu Congress Founder: Carrying Trishul Prepares Mind to Kill
From the minorities of India organisation site:
“Trishul sends a message that we should stand and fight,” says Swami Vigyananand
CHICAGO, IL: September 3, 2018 —...
Manipur BJP leader escapes bomb blast
Imphal : Thokchom Satyabrata, a BJP leader in Manipur, had a narrow escape on Saturday night in a bomb blast at his home in...
Serial blasts in Assam kill one, injure 22
By IANS
Guwahati : At least one person was killed and 22 injured, four of them critically, in a string of explosions Saturday in Assam, officials said.
A police spokesman said militants lobbed a grenade near a crowded marketplace in Dibrugarh city, 480 km east of Assam's main city of Guwahati. "The grenade exploded close to a roadside tea stall where a large group of people were present," spokesman B. Baruah told IANS by phone.
One person died on the spot and six more were wounded, two of them critically. The victims were all evening shoppers and vendors.
Karnataka seeks Rs.2,000 crore central aid for drought relief
By IANS,
New Delhi : Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar Tuesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here and sought Rs. 2,000 crore to tackle severe drought in the state.
No reunion, but union possible in subcontinent: Pakistani writer
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Sonia to lay foundation for research institute in Kerala
By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Congress president and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi is to lay the foundation stone for the Rs.60 million Santhigiri Research Foundation Friday here.
The research institute is being built by the Santhigiri Ashram, which was founded by Sri Karunakara Guru in the late 1970s.
Guru passed away in 1999, but by then the ashram was recognized by the central government's Department of Science and Technology as a social and scientific research organization.
Don’t usurp our rights; revisit mineral policy: CMs to PM
By NNN-PTI
New Delhi : Warning that their rights should not be 'usurped' by the Centre, five mineral rich states today charged that the New Mineral Policy favoured multi-nationals and sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention to safeguard their interests.
"The states' right to select the best applicant (for mining rights) should not be compromised in the name of seamless transition or security of tenure and should not be usurped by the Central government under any pretext," CMs said in a memorandum to Singh.
One of India’s greatest spiritual classics gets a new print (Book Review)
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
Title: Autobiography of a Yogi; Author: Paramhansa Yogananda; Publisher: Penguin-Ananda; Pages: 511; Prices: Rs.225
This is not a new book. Indeed,...
Maoists blow up school in Bihar
By IANS,
Patna : Suspected Maoist guerrillas blew up a government school in Bihar's Rohtas district, police said Friday.
Armed Maoists used dynamite to blow up a government school building in Yadunathpur in Rohtas, 150 km from here Thursday, police officers said.
According to police, three rooms of the school were badly damaged in the incident.
Just three days ago Maoists had blasted another school building in Rohtas.
Superintendent of Police Vikas Vaibhav said they have launched a combing operation against the guerrillas.
HC asks Centre on appointment of information commissioners
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the central government to inform it on the status of appointment of the chief...
Queer and happily so: Bangalore readies for special fest
By Maitreyee Boruah, IANS,
Bangalore : In a country where same sex activities are considered a crime comes a colourful, weeklong event to assert the rights of sexual minorities - the Karnataka Queer Habba beginning Sunday.
The festival, which will include a parade, will not only try to create awareness about sexual minorities in society but also up the visibility of various groups that lead their lives under the shadow of fear and discrimination, be they lesbians, gays, transgenders or bisexuals.
Lokpal Bill draft panel to meet in capital
By IANS,
New Delhi : Civil society and government members of the Lokpal Bill joint committee are to hold their third meeting here Saturday evening to draft a stringent anti-graft law.
KKR beat CSK in CLT20 opener
Hyderabad: Reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders romped home to a comfortable three-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in the opening...
Haryana Sikh leaders held guilty of misconduct by Sikh clergy
By IANS,
Amritsar: A senior Sikh religious leader from Haryana was Tuesday held guilty by top Sikh clergy at their meeting at the Akal Takht - the highest temporal seat of the Sikh religion located inside the Golden Temple complex here - and directed to do penance.
Jagdish Singh Jhinda, president of the ad hoc Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) who is also a senior Sikh leader from Haryana, and four other Sikh leaders from Haryana were Tuesday declared 'Tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) and asked to undergo penance.
India becomes R&D hot spot
Agence India Press Bureau,
Bangalore:At Microsoft's research centre in a leafy lane in India's tech capital, a new generation of researchers are being groomed half a world away from the software giant's sprawling headquarters in Seattle.
Complete with beanbags and coffee served in steel tumblers, the centre is helping change the perception that India is no place for top-end research and development.
Over 2,000 critical care specialists meet in Agra
By IANS,
Agra : Aiming to provide effective and affordable hospital services to the common man, more than 2,000 critical care specialists Tuesday began a five-day conference in Agra.
The specialists from the sub-continent, Europe and America began discussing the latest technological advances and ways to optimise ICU resources at hotel Jaypee Palace here. They will cover 70 subjects and exchange useful insights and information to eventually help patients.
Don’t regulate diesel prices: Montek Singh Ahluwalia
By IANS,
Chandigarh: Diesel prices should not be regulated so that they can be aligned with international levels, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said here Wednesday.
CBI reopens case of Australian wheat import fraud
By IANS,
New Delhi : Reopening a case of alleged irregularities in wheat imports from Australia by the State Trading Corporation (STC) in 1998, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Tuesday conducted searches at six places in Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon.
“The searches were carried out at the residential premises of the suspected agent involved in the deal, offices of three of his companies besides residential and office premises of the then chief managing director of STC,” a CBI official said.
Nokia India strike enters third day
By IANS,
Chennai : Nokia India workers, on strike after 55 employees were suspended earlier this week, refused to end their agitation Thursday despite being asked by the labour commissioner's office to resume duty.
"The strike started Tuesday after the management suspended 35 employees. On Wednesday, another 20 employees were suspended," an official of the Nokia India Employees Progressive Union told IANS.
Workers were expected to resume work Thursday following a conciliatory meeting at the labour commissioner's office the previous day.
Pakistan makes U-turn, symbolic Retreat ceremony at Attari-Wagah
Attari (Punjab) : Making a U-turn on its earlier request to the BSF not to hold the full-fledged Retreat ceremony for three days following...
East Coast Railway to run 24 summer special trains
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : The East Coast Railway Wednesday said it will run 12 pairs of weekly special trains till July to cater to the summer rush.
We will play more than four Tests next year: Dhoni
By IANS,
New Delhi: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni Sunday said that in the forthcoming year the team will play more than four proposed Test matches that may help them to retain their No.1 rankings.
Next year, India are scheduled to play two Tests in Bangladesh and talks are on to host South Africa for two Tests in February. With four Tests in the calendar year, it is going to be tough for India to stay at the No.1 spot.
Andhra CM makes aerial survey of cyclone-hit areas
Visakhapatnam : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu Monday made an aerial survey of cyclone-hit areas of north coastal Andhra.
Naidu took off in...
Maoists beat man to death in Jharkhand
By IANS,
Ranchi : An elderly man was beaten to death by Maoist rebels on the outskirts of Ranchi early Sunday on suspicion that he was a police informer, police said.
According to police, activists of the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) dragged Sahu Mahto, who was in his 60s, from his home, situated under Kehlari police station around 70 km from Ranchi. The Maoist rebels started beating him with sticks and iron rods. Mahto died on the spot.
BJP leader Sahib Singh Verma cremated
By IANS
New Delhi : Former Delhi chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice president Sahib Singh Verma was cremated Sunday amid chanting of Vedic hymns near his ancestral village Mundka in west Delhi.
Schoolgirl gangraped in Uttar Pradesh
By IANS,
Lucknow : A schoolgirl was gangraped by three youths in an Uttar Pradesh village, the police said Friday.
"A resident of Mehmoodpur village in Sultanpur district, the 14-year old victim on Thursday evening registered the complaint that she was gangraped," police inspector D.R. Verma told IANS by phone.
According to the victim, the three youths of her locality kidnapped her while she was returning from school and raped her at a secluded place, the police said.
A case has been registered against the three youths, who are absconding, Verma said.
British kids taken to India, Pakistan don’t come back
By IANS,
London : A huge number of British children are taken by one of their parents to an overseas country, including India and Pakistan, and never returned, officials said Thursday.
The number of British children "abducted" by a parent and taken overseas has risen by 39 percent in 2009, the child abduction department of Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said.
The department handled 146 cases of children taken to countries not covered by the 1980 Hague Convention on international child abduction, compared to 105 in 2008, The Independent reported.
R-Com net up 9.5 percent
By IANS,
Mumbai : Leading telecom service provider Reliance Communications (R-Com) has reported a 9.5 percent increase in its profits for 2008-09 to Rs.5,907.55 crore after accounting for minority interest, as compared to Rs.5,792.67 crore the previous fiscal.
However, without accounting for minority interest and associates, the net profit for the year slumped 9.5 percent from Rs.6,792.67 crore in 2007-08 to Rs.6,147.48 last fiscal.
The profit in the fourth quarter fell 3.3 percent from Rs.1,503.26 crore in January-March 2008 to Rs.1,454.31 in the corresponding period this year.
Bodies of all 38 securitymen killed in Maoist attack found
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Rescue teams fished out the body of one more personnel of the elite police force Greyhounds killed in an ambush by Maoists in Orissa on June 29, police said Saturday.
With this, all the bodies of the 38 personnel killed in the attack have been taken out of the Balimela reservoir in Malkangiri district near the Andhra Pradesh border.
"Till yesterday (Friday), we had recovered 37 dead bodies. Today, the search team found another body," District Superintendent of Police Satish Gajbhiye told IANS.
Orissa girls create record in Class 12 exams
By IANS
Bhubaneswar : Girls in Orissa have created a record by occupying all but one position among the 20 highest scorers in the Class 12 state board exams, the results for which were declared Friday.
RIL, Cairn get approval for exploring in producing fields
By IANS,
New Delhi : The government has allowed explorers to increase output from within their operational oil and gas fields, Petroleum Minister M. Veerappa Moily said Friday.
कश्मीर पर पक्षपाती हिंदी पत्रकारिता को चुनौती देती एक छोटी सामूहिक पहल ‘कश्मीर खबर’
अंग्रेजी मीडिया पर एक सरसरी नज़र से ही पता चल जाता है कि जहां कश्मीर को लेकर कुछ मीडिया घराने सत्ता-परस्त है , वहीं...
6 children drown in ditch while playing
By IANS,
Bhopal : Six children of a family including two girls - all under 10 years - drowned after falling into a ditch full of water in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district, police said Tuesday.
The incident occurred late Monday in Khandwa district's Dabia village, 400 km from here, when a forest employee Champalal went on duty leaving his four grandsons and two granddaughters alone at home.
Speculative derivative trade impacting oil prices: ONGC
By IANS,
New Delhi : International oil prices may not stabilise due to a hyperactive derivatives market, which was indulging in speculation to make profits rather than hedging against risk, said the top official of state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) here Monday.
"I don't see oil prices stabilising because the way derivatives market is so heated. I don't think stability at least in forseeable future," ONGC chairman and managing director R.S. Sharma said.
Left should have the figures before bargaining: Congress
By IANS,
Lucknow : Taking a swipe at the Left for saying it may seek outside support from the Congress if the Third Front forms the government, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi Saturday said that the Communists should "first have the figures" before seeking a bargain.
"It is the dog that wags the tail, not the tail that wags the dog. The Left should have ample figures so that someone should ask for their support," Singhvi said caustically, while addressing a press conference at the party's state headquarters here.
India, Australia to work on environment issues
By IANS,
New Delhi : India and Australia Wednesday signed a partnership agreement for working together on environmental sustainability issues.
The agreement, which was signed in the presence of Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, is between Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and India's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which is said to be the world's largest publicly funded civilian laboratory.
US hopes China will back India n-deal in NSG
By IANS,
New Delhi : The US Wednesday said it has spoken to China about support for its nuclear deal with India and expressed hope that Beijing will take a positive view of global nuclear cooperation with New Delhi.
“Yes, we have had conversations with China. China has agreed to review carefully the necessary documentation before taking a decision,” US Ambassador David Mulford told reporters here in a conference call from Cleveland.
123 is the India-US nuclear deal: Boucher
By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : The 123 agreement for civil nuclear cooperation "is the deal" between India and the United States, a senior US official has clarified, suggesting it overtakes the Hyde Act whose legal implications have led to a political crisis in India.
"The deal between India and the United States is the 123 agreement. All the operative paras are in 123. So that's the operative part," Assistant Secretary of State Richard A. Boucher said Tuesday when asked to comment on New Delhi's assertion that the implementing accord supersedes the enabling US law.
Consumers to pay more for power in Bihar
By IANS,
Patna : The Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (BERC) has approved the proposed hike in power tariff in the state, officials Wednesday said.
Sibal plans independent panel to rate schools
By IANS,
New Delhi : The government plans to establish an independent accreditation authority to rate schools, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said here Thursday.
"At present there is no accreditation policy on schools. If any child goes to a school, he has no information how the school is. There is no agency in India to accredit them or give the school a rating," Sibal said at a press conference while outlining his 100-day plan for the education sector.
Sadhvi’s comment on SRK: Aparna Sen calls for legal action
Kolkata: Filmmaker Aparna Sen on Tuesday lashed out against Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Sadhvi Prachi's "Pakistani agent" comments on superstar Shah Rukh Khan, calling...
G. Mohan Kumar appointed new defence secretary
New Delhi : Defence production secretary G. Mohan Kumar was on Friday appointed the new defence secretary for two years, an official statement said.
Mohan...
Blueline kills one more in Delhi
By IANS
New Delhi : A speeding Blueline bus Sunday morning crushed an unidentified man in central Delhi, making him the 108th victim of the capital's notorious 'killer' buses this year.
The bus, plying on route no.300 between Central Secretariat and Noida, knocked down the man in his forties while he was crossing the Barakhamba road.
"The driver fled from the spot and a team has been formed to arrest him," said a police officer at the Connaught Place police station.
Raja conspired with others to favour ineligible telecom firms: ED
New Delhi : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday told a special court hearing a money laundering case related to allocation of 2G spectrum...
Karnataka seeks more coal, power to stave off crisis
By IANS,
Bangalore : Karnataka Saturday appealed to the central government for immediate daily supply of 500MW of power and increased coal flow as the power crisis worsened in the state.
Weather forces Punjab to shift agriculture summit’s events
By IANS,
Chandigarh: Inclement weather and cold wave conditions have forced the shift of some events of the four-day Progressive Punjab Agriculture Summit from the...
Liver transplant donors, recipients feted in Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : Children and adults, who were donors and recipients of liver transplants during the past 10 years, were treated like stars at a function Thursday to mark a decade of liver transplantation in India.
Anupam Sibal, group medical director of Apollo hospitals, said: “Since 1998 more than 200 liver transplants have been done. In the last two years, 128 liver transplants have been carried out with 90 percent success rate and 100 percent in paediatric cases.”
Earth hour 2012: Set to go dark for an hour?
By IANS,
New Delhi : An hour of darkness is due to set in, quite literally, when Delhi along with 5,500 cities across the globe turn off lights as part of a global effort to save power Saturday.
Nine separatists surrender in Tripura
By IANS
Agartala : Nine tribal separatists Friday surrendered before authorities in Tripura after fleeing their camps in neighbouring Bangladesh.
Indian President, British Queen launch Commonwealth baton relay
By Dipankar De Sarkar,IANS,
London : President Pratibha Patil joined Britain's Queen Elizabeth II Thursday to launch 2010 Commonwealth Games baton relay - described as the longest and most inclusive in history - at a gala Indian ceremony in Buckingham Palace.
The 51-year-old tradition - a curtain-raiser to the Commonwealth Games that are held every four years - took place on the last day of Patil's three-day state visit to Britain, with the Queen formally bidding farewell to Patil at the Palace's Grand Entrance.
Inflation further dips to 12.1 percent
By IANS,
New Delhi : Maintaining a downward trend for the third week in a row, India's inflation moderated to 12.1 percent for the week ended Aug 30, as compared to 12.34 percent for the week before.
The moderation in inflation comes as a big solace to the government and policy makers, who had predicted softening in inflationary trends in view of a good monsoon and monetary measures taken by the Reserve Bank of India to control price rise.
Maharashtra to sell tur dal, sugar, palm oil cheaply
By IANS,
Mumbai : The new Democratic Front government Sunday decided to sell tur dal, sugar and palm oil at concessional rates through the public distribution network till December-end.
The decision was taken at the maiden meeting of the new cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Ashok Chavan here, according to an official spokesperson.
Tur dal will be sold at Rs.55 per kg, palm oil at Rs.30 per litre, and sugar at Rs.32 a kg.
The current market rates of these commodities are more than double these rates.
Kerala panel defines OBC creamy layer with Rs.450,000 a year tag
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : The Justice Rajendra Babu Commission has recommended Rs.450,000 a year as the income limit defining the creamy layer among other backward castes (OBC), Kerala Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan said here Sunday.
After receiving the report Sunday from Justice Babu, Achuthanandan told reporters that the commission's report has been accepted and it would be placed before the state cabinet for its final decision.
Advani’s no to Holi due to Mumbai attack
BY IANS,
New Delhi : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani did not play Holi Tuesday to express solidarity with victims of the Mumbai terror attack and their families.
A notice pasted at the gate of Advani's residence said: "Due to 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, Shri Advani and family are not celebrating Holi this year."
More than 170 people, including 26 foreigners, were killed when terrorists who India said were Pakistanis went on a killing spree in Mumbai in November last year.
Assam celebrates Bihu festival with bonfires, feasting
By IANS,
Guwahati: Bonfires and community feasts were held across Assam as the state celebrated the harvest festival of Magh Bihu Saturday.
Taxi strike enters second day in Himachal
By IANS
Shimla : Taxis stayed off the roads in Himachal Pradesh for the second day Friday as operators continued their protest against an order making it mandatory to install meters in Shimla and Dharamsala.
Delhi government to provide free MRI scan
New Delhi : The Delhi government on Tuesday said it will provide free MRI scan in private labs to bonafide residents of the capital...
Australia acts tough on education agents
By IANS,
New Delhi/Melbourne : Strengthening of student visa checks to stamp out fraud, upgrading interviews and restricting online access to Australia's eVisa system to fewer agents are some of the measures introduced by the Australian government to reinforce the country's standing as a high quality education destination.
CRPF trooper, three Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh
By IANS,
Raipur : In two separate incidents a para-military trooper of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was killed in a landmine blast while three Maoist guerrillas were gunned down in an encounter with police Sunday in Chhattisgarh's restive Bastar region, officials said.
Pawan Deo, deputy inspector general at the police headquarters here said that a CRPF trooper was killed and another District Force (DF) personnel injured in a landmine blast in a forested stretch of Bijapur district between Bhopalpattanam-Mander, some 500 km south of capital Raipur.
Probe ordered into Punjab border area fund controversy
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has ordered a probe into the alleged embezzlement in border area grant in Punjab, a senior Congress leader said here Friday.
Rail budget disappointing: Himachal CM
Shimla : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Tuesday termed the railway budget a "disappointment" for the state.
"The railway budget neither contains the proposal...
Bicycle buyers under police scanner in Hyderabad
By IANS,
Hyderabad : With terrorists using bicycles to place bombs or to pack timer-triggered explosives in, the buyers of the common man's vehicle have come under the police scanner.
The Hyderabad police have made it compulsory for traders to establish the identity of the buyers before selling the bicycles.
"We have asked them to see who is buying the bicycles. They have been told to sell the product only after establishing the identity of the buyers," said Hyderabad Police Commissioner B. Prasad Rao.
Jet fuel rates raised by 8 percent, non-subsidised LPG by Rs.5
New Delhi : Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the nation's largest oil company, on Sunday increased Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) -- or jet fuel --...
Five people arrested in Delhi with Rs.8 crore-worth heroin
By IANS,
New Delhi : Five people, belonging to an interstate syndicate, were arrested in the capital with 4 kg of heroin worth Rs.8 crore, police said Friday.
Revamped Nehru Planetarium gears up for Games visitors
By IANS,
New Delhi : After a major overhaul, the Nehru Planetarium in the capital was reopened Friday for visitors.
Maoist threatens to blow up Madhya Pradesh minister
By IANS,
Bhopal : An anonymous caller claiming to be a Maoist guerrilla has threatened to blow up Madhya Pradesh Minister for Housing and Environment Jayant Malaiya on Diwali, police said Thursday.
The call on the minister's phone Tuesday was attended by his personal assistant J.P. Namdev.
The caller insisted on talking to the minister. "Later he said that he would blow up the minister; when I asked him about his identity, he said he was a Naxalite," Namdev told police.
Railways ‘below par’ during Lalu era: Banerjee
By IANS,
New Delhi : The performance of Indian Railways was "below par" when Lalu Prasad was at the helm and its actual financial position does not reflect the dramatic turnaround claimed during his tenure, says an official report released Friday.
The white paper, tabled in parliament by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, says changes were made in the accounting procedures during her predecessor's tenure to show some questionable cash surpluses, which were also not stacked away but spent.
The new face of the NSG
By IANS,
New Delhi : One year after the 26/11 terror attack, the NSG is acquiring a new, edgier face. Amongst the sophisticated gadgets that it will soon be equipped with are:
* Corner shot weapons to allow commandos to shoot around corners
* Wall surveillance radars to help monitor events inside a room without entering it
* Ghille suits (camouflage clothing)
* Hostage rescue bullet-proof cover
* Protective goggles
* Hand-held thermal imagers
* Mini remotely operated vehicles
* ECG monitors for dogs and climbing devices.
Senior official booked for driving employee to suicide
By IANS,
Lucknow : An Uttar Pradesh official has been booked for provoking her subordinate to commit suicide, police said Tuesday.
Gandhi’s bust unveiled in Canadian city
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : The Canadian city of Brossard honoured Mahatma Gandhi on his martyrdom day Friday by installing his bust at the city centre. The city, in southwestern Quebec province, also plans to name the City Hall area as Mahatma Gandhi Court.
Indian High Commissioner Shashishekhar Gavai joined Mayor Jean-Marc Pelletier in unveiling the bust at the main entrance of Brossard City Hall and City Library.
The mayor said the unveiling of the bust was a momentous occasion for the city and its 1,500-strong Indian community.
Armed forces short of 14,299 officers: Antony
By IANS,
New Delhi : The armed forces are short of a staggering 14,299 officers, parliament was informed Wednesday.
Of this, the Indian Army is short of 11,387 officers, the Indian Air Force of 1,512 officers and the Indian Navy of 1,400 officers, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
This apart, during the last five years, 4,300 army officers, 1,177 air force officers and 1,096 naval officers have sought premature retirement or have resigned.
Even cops in each home can’t prevent rapes: Maharashtra minister
Mumbai : Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil said Wednesday many crimes against women take place in their homes and even deploying a policeman in...
Gujarat conman’s relative detained for questioning
By IANS,
Ahmedabad : Police Sunday detained for questioning a close relative of arrested conman Ashok Jadeja, who is accused of duping thousands of people across India of millions of rupees by posing as a godman, officials said.
"We have detained for questioning a close relative of Jadeja, who is suspected to have been the mastermind behind his long cheating record across Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat," a senior crime branch official said.
Students allege ragging in law college in Ghaziabad
By IANS,
Ghaziabad : Two 1st year students of a private law college here alleged Friday that they had been thrashed by their seniors after they did not cooperate during a ragging session.
The incident occurred in the Mewar Law College in Ghaziabad Friday afternoon.
"Some of us (1st year students), including three girls, were called by our seniors and asked to give our introductions. Soon however, the questions became personal and we objected. Some other seniors, however, intervened and they let us go," Keshav, one of the victims, told IANS.
Northern plains continue to be warm
By IANS
New Delhi : People in the north India had another warm day Thursday as the temperatures continued to be 6-8 degrees Celsius above the normal, but the Met Office has forecast some respite from the hot afternoons in the coming days.
The maximum temperature in the national capital was around 34 degrees Celsius, which was nearly six degrees above normal for this time of the year. The maximum temperature was around 30 degrees Celsius for the past week.
Obama lauds Indian woman who came to build her dreams
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : US President Barack Obama has lauded an Indian woman entrepreneur who came to America "to build your own dreams and be your own boss" and set up a successful technology services company.
This "promise of being able to build your own dreams and be your own boss led Prachee - Prachee Devadas to come to this country, become a citizen, and open up what's become a successful technology services company," he said at a White House event Friday.
Noted painter Prokash Karmakar dead
By IANS,
Kolkata: Noted painter Prokash Karmakar, best known for his landscapes and nudes, died Monday evening following age-related illness, family sources said. He was...
New rules anger eateries on Panjab University campus
By IANS,
Chandigarh : With its eateries that offer snacks at subsidised rates, the Student's Centre in the Panjab University campus is a popular hangout joint. But now shopkeepers there are at loggerheads with the varsity administration over the presence of outsiders.
A few weeks ago, the university here had issued a circular saying shopkeepers should check the identity cards of customers before selling anything. It cited increasing violence on the campus as the reason behind the move.
Women’s groups continue protests against Andhra governor
By IANS,
Hyderabad: Women's groups staged protests near the Raj Bhavan here Saturday demanding that Andhra Pradesh Governor N.D. Tiwari resign over his alleged involvement in a "sex scandal", an allegation he has denied and termed "malicious".
Holding placards and raising slogans against the governor, activists of various groups tried to march towards Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the governor, but were prevented by the police.
Protesters were arrested as they squatted on the busy Khairatabad crossroads.
Reprocessing deal well before August 2010 deadline: US
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asserted that some "minor" problems relating to the India-US nuclear deal could be resolved in a couple of weeks, the US has expressed confidence the deal would be done well before the August 2010 deadline.
Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama had "discussed their mutual commitment to implementing the US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative", a State Department spokesman stated Wednesday when asked about the status of an agreement on reprocessing spent nuclear fuel.
SRCC cut-off: Economics at 98.25 percent, B.Com at 97.37 percent
New Delhi : Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) on Wednesday declared its first cut-off list for the 2015-16 academic session...
Former DU professor Geelani’s bail rejected
New Delhi: A court here on Friday rejected the bail application of Delhi University's former professor S.A.R. Geelani, arrested on charges of sedition for...
Apex court demands apology from Zee TV
By IANS
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Thursday ordered a private television news channel and its reporter to tender an "unconditional apology" for carrying out a sting operation purportedly aimed at exposing corruption in the judiciary.
A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice J.M. Panchal sought the apology, rejecting an affidavit filed by Zee TV and its reporter Vijay Shekhar explaining that their intention was to expose corruption in the lower judiciary and they never intended to hurt the image of the judiciary.
Live web telecast of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
By IANS
New Delhi : The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2008 to be held here Jan 8-9 will be telecast live on web by PIOTV.com, the company's chairman and CEO Munish Gupta said here Thursday.
"The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs accepted the proposal from www.PIOTV.com to make the PBD 2008 widely available to the entire Indian diaspora free and live through broadband to anywhere in the world," he said.
Former health minister Ramadoss granted bail in graft case
New Delhi : A court here Tuesday granted bail to former union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss and four others, allegedly involved in favouring an...
JNU and BHU keen to open centres in Bihar, says minister
By IANS,
Patna : Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) are keen to open their centres in Bihar, state Education Minister...
Azad demands two central universities for Jammu Kashmir
By News Agency of Kashmir
New Delhi : Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad met Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Arjun Singh here today and urged him to declare one university each in Kashmir and Jammu as Central University.
Citing the announcement of Prime Minister during his recent visit to Jammu where he said that one university in Jammu & Kashmir would be declared as Central University, the Chief Minister underscored the need to accord this status to two universities in the State.
India should reciprocate Pakistan’s positive gesture, says Pakistani FM
By NNN-Bernama,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia : India should reciprocate Pakistan's positive gesture with a view to fighting terrorism effectively, said Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
He said that as far as India was concerned, the dialogue process between the two neighbouring countries was put on hold following the Mumbai attacks on Nov 26 last year.
Kerala launches prohibition policy on Gandhi Jayanti
Thiruvananthapuram : A policy to achieve total prohibition and several environment friendly programmes were launched in Kerala Thursday to mark the 146th birth anniversary...
By crushing Tamil Tigers, I fought India’s war: Rajapaksa
By IANS,
New Delhi : Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa says that he fought India's war by crushing the Tamil Tigers.
"By eliminating the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) militarily, I have fought India's war," Rajapaksa told The Week magazine in an interview at his official residence here.
"There was no guarantee of security all these years. People could not celebrate freely, they were always afraid to speak freely. It was a war to end the rule of fear.
Healing with a smile, sacrificing their comfort, personal life
By IANS,
New Delhi : They carry on the legacy of Florence Nightingale serving with a smile in the battle against disease and death. Tending to the ailing and the maimed is the aim, and delivering to young mothers the bundles of their joy the means of satisfaction to these nurses. They take health care door to door, often sacrificing their own personal life.
Cabinet to discuss nuclear bill changes Friday
By IANS,
New Delhi : A crucial cabinet meeting Thursday that was to discuss, among other issues, the amendments suggested by a parliamentary panel on the contentious civil nuclear liability bill has been postponed to Friday.
The meeting has been deferred to Friday, said the Prime Minister's Office.
The cabinet meeting, to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is expected to approve recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee science and technology on the nuclear liability bill.
Tamil Nadu bank employees on strike for second day
By IANS,
Chennai : Around 60,000 bank employees in Tamil Nadu went on strike for the second day Thursday as part of the nationwide shutdown called by bank unions to press for their six-point charter of demands, including stopping of privatisation and merger and acquisition of public sector banks.
Conciliatory talks between the United Forum of Bank Union (UFBU) leaders and S.K. Mukhopadhyay, chief labour commissioner, in New Delhi Tuesday failed to break the stalemate over the issue.
Jharkhand invites tenders to build hanging platform in jail
By IANS,
Ranchi : The Jharkhand government is looking for a contractor yet again to construct a hanging platform at Birsa Munda central jail here, after its last tender failed to elicit any response.
The Public Works Department (PWD) first time invited a tender in August for building a hanging platform in the new building where the jail was shifted. The new building on the outskirts of Ranchi can accomodate up to 3,500 prisoners against the previous jail building with a capacity of only 620.
Owaisi Appeals Muslims to Oppose Waqf Amendment Bill: What Makes Proposed Law Contentious
Iqra Fatma, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: On September 11, a sense of urgency gripped Hyderabad as MP Asaduddin Owaisi who made a fervent appeal, urging people...
The Minority Minister: Dr Najma Heptulla
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
I have never met Dr Najma Heptulla, not even for this interview. So I couldn’t read her body language and facial expressions...
Air Arabia to fly on Bangalore-Sharjah route
By IANS
Bangalore : Air Arabia, the UAE-based low-cost international airline, will operate four flights a week on the Sharjah-Bangalore route, linking the Gulf city with India's silicon hub from Oct 15.
According to the airline's statement here Wednesday, an Airbus (A320-200) will depart Sharjah at 22:50 local time and arrive in Bangalore at 04:20 Indian Standard Time (IST). The return flight will leave Bangalore at 05:05 IST and reach Sharjah at 07:50 local time.
The flights will be operated on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Yasin Malik detained under PSA, shifted to Jammu jail
By Sheikh Qayoom
Srinagar, (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik was detained under the harsh Public Safety Act (PSA) on...