NAK Browne to take over as Air Force chief today

Air Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, an ace fighter pilot, will on Sunday take over as the new chief of Indian Air Force from Air Chief Marshal PV Naik.

A fighter pilot with a varied operational experience on all kinds of aircraft including Hunters, all variants of the MiG 21s, Jaguars and Sukhoi-30, Browne has logged about 3,100 hours of flying.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he has served as an instructor at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment and the tri-services Defence Services Staff College in Wellington.
A graduate of the Air Command and Staff College at Albama in the United States, the officer nick-named 'Charlie Browne' in Air Force circles, trained with the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom on Jaguar aircraft and later commanded a Jaguar squadron.
During his 39 years with the IAF, he has held various operational and staff appointments that include Joint Director at the Air War Strategy Cell at the Air Headquarters, Chief Operations Officer and Air Officer Commanding of a SU-30 base, Air-I at the Western Air Command (WAC) and Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Intelligence) at the Air Headquarters.

In April 1997, he established the Indian Defence Wing in Tel Aviv and served as the Defence Attache till July 2000. Between 2007 and 2009, as the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff at the Air Headquarters, he oversaw lAF's major modernisation programmes.

Before moving in as Vice-Chief of the Air Staff in the Air Headquarters, he headed the WAC.
He is married to Kiran Browne. They have a son, Omar, who is a fighter pilot in the IAF, and daughter Alisha, who works for a multinational company.

Policemen including IGP, DIG injured in accident

Inspector General of Police (Patna) zone B Srinivasan and DIG (Sahabad) range Sushil Khopade were among six policemen injured when their vehicle met with an accident at Bhusouli in Bihar's Kaiur district early today, police said.

 The accident occurred at around 2.30 am when the IGP and DIG with a posse of policemen were going to Nauhatta in Rohtas district were Maoists had killed five Kharwar tribals last night, police said. The vehicle in which Srinivasan and Khopade were travelling turned turtle after the driver lost control over it, they said.

 Both the IGP and DIG were first rushed to a hospital at Mohania and then were referred to Patna Medical College Hospital. Srinivasan and Khopade were going to Nauhattta village to oversee the combing operation against the Maoists following directive of Director General of Police, NeelMani.

9 trucks carrying iron ore seized in Bellary

Hours before Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa steps down on Sunday, raids were conducted on one of their family-owned mining companies in Bellary from which 49 trucks carrying iron ore for BMS were seized by the district collector late Saturday night.

District Collector A Biswas said, "We have seized 49 trucks illegally transporting iron ore at Alighar after Supreme Court ban on mining. Vehicles apparently belong to Bellary Mining Corporation and drivers claimed to have obtained the permit for taking out the iron ore on July 30, which is against the Supreme Court order which came yesterday and so no permit can be issued today."

The firm is owned by Srinivas Reddy who is associated with Obalapuram Mining Company which belongs to his brother-in-law State Tourism Minister Janardhan Reddy.

The Reddy's have been continuing their mining operations in Bellary, defying a Supreme Court ban that was ordered two days ago.

The apex court on Friday had ordered immediate suspension of mining and transportation of iron ore from Bellary district, saying 'over-exploitation' of the area has caused large-scale environmental degradation.

The court passed the order by taking note of the report of its expert panel, Central Empowered Committee, which said most miners in the region were indulging in illegal mining, causing considerable environmental damage.

Gold ornaments worth Rs. 50 lakh snatched

In daring act of loot, an unidentified motorcycle borne snatched bag containing  Gold ornaments having worth Rs. 50 lakhs here today in the night around 10. 00 p.m.

Confirming the incident ADC Punjab Police, Satpal Joshi said that incident occurred when Gold merchant Naresh Kumar Mehta after closing his showroom at plush area Lawrence road, walking toward his house, which was just few yards away from his showroom, his bag of Gold ornaments  was snatched.

Police said that all of sudden an unidentified motorcycle borne youth who came and snatched away his bag then sped up his bike. So far police has no clue abut the accused.

WB: Bill on reservation for Muslims in 3 months

The West Bengal government will within three months bring a Bill in the Assembly for increasing the reservation for Muslims and for the community's development in the state.
The government will take a fresh look at a move in this direction by the erstwhile Left Front government, which failed to receive the consent of the Governor, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said here today.
"The previous government moved in a hurry and failed to place it (Bill) in a proper manner. It failed to receive the consent of the Governor. We shall give it a fresh look and place a Bill in the Assembly within three months," Banerjee said, after a discussion with Justice Sachchar.


Former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had announced 10 per cent reservation in government jobs for Muslims in the OBC quota in February last year.
"There are some legal complications. Since minority and OBCs are two separate departments, consent of both are required to make the Bill comprehensive," Banerjee said.
She was speaking after giving away loans and scholarships to beneficiaries of the West Bengal Development and Finance Corporation.
She said steps were being taken to set up an expert committee to prepare the Bill rectifying the earlier mistakes and incorporating more provisions.
The LF government had issued a notification announcing increase of reservation for other backward classes (OBC) by 10 per cent, raising the quota to 17 per cent in the state to benefit economically backward Muslims based on recommendations by the Ranganath Mishra Commission.

Slut walk starts in capital

The much awaited and discussed the slutwalk of the capital evoked tremendous amount of interest among girls. It is also joined by some men. Girls are on the streets to press for their rights to do what they like which is going to grab eyeballs.

Four months after women in Toronto staged such a protest agitated by a constable`s remark that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised", some of Delhi`s women and supporting activists will come out on the streets of the capital.

The event, that has been much talked about ever since it was announced, will see women start their walk from the capital`s protest hot bed Jantar Mantar before travelling some distance.

"We have students and a number of groups supporting us for the event. We will hold talks, stage street plays on the way to highlight the fact that what women do and what they wear should have no bearing on the way they are treated," said Ritesh Sharma, a student filmmaker, who is one of the organisers of the event.

Labelled `Slutwalk Arthaat Besharmi Morcha`, the campaign has been active for a few weeks now, with a number of debates and discussions held on issues of gender discrimination and cases of sexual assault and violence against women.

While the event will not change stereotypes andmindsets, organisers said the message of the campaign is that women have to wear what they like and decide the course of their own lives.

The Slutwalk in Toronto where women walked the streets wearing striking lingerie garnered much attention. It is to be seen what response the Delhi event elicits.

Delhi Police No to Anna to hold fast

In a blow to anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare , Delhi Police on Friday denied permission to veteran social activist to hold an indefinite hunger strike at the Jantar Mantar in the capital on August 16.

The Delhi Police referred to the Supreme Court's 2009 order to deny team Anna permission for the indefinite strike anywhere in Delhi, the Times Now channel reports.

The police, in its letter to Hazare, said that as Parliament would be in session, no group could be allowed to capture the entire space at Jantar Mantar, as many groups come out for protests during that period.

The letter further states that if team Anna wished they could hold their strikes in Delhi's outskirts, or give a definite time limit during which they would be allowed a sit-in protest.

Charging the government of bringing a fractured Lokpal Bill, Hazare had said on Thursday in Maharashtra's Ralegaon Siddi town that he would protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on August 16.

 The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the official draft of the Lokpal Bill and trashed the key proposals moved by Anna's team.

The bill provides for the establishment of the institution of Lokpal to inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

The bill envisages setting up the institution of Lokpal consisting of a chairperson and eight members with the stipulation that half of the members shall be judicial members.

It will have its own Investigation Wing and Prosecution Wing with such officers and staff as are necessary to carry out its functions.

No loo breaks at engg college

Students of a Vasantdada Patil Engineering College in Andhra Pradesh revolt against principal who set bizarre rules The principal, K T V Reddy, runs the institute with iron fists, imposing restrictions, ensuring 100 per cent attendance, not even allowing students washroom breaks between lectures.

conversation strictly in English, students forced to remain in classrooms even when lectures are cancelled, and singing of the national anthem every day, with background music on.
   These rules were implemented in June this year, when Reddy took over as principal. Now, the lectures begin at 8 am, and continue till 5 pm, with just one break of about 15 minutes in the afternoon.
 

'Allow Pak singer Adnan Sami stay in India'

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sought his intervention to enable Pakistani singer Adnan Sami to stay longer in the country. "I met the Prime Minister on the issue. I support Adnan Sami and have requested the Prime Minister to allow him an extension for staying further in India. He is a good singer and has a lot of fan following in this country. He wants to stay in this country, He should be allowed to stay here", Digvijay Singh said.

He said the Prime Minister and the Home Minister have assured him of their support in the case of Sami. Pakistani-origin singer Sami, was born, brought up and educated in London. Sami began taking lessons from Pandit Shivkumar Sharma while visiting India during his school vacations and Indian singing legend Asha Bhosle spotted the talent in a ten-year-old Sami at an R D Burman concert in London and encouraged him to take up music as a career.

In December 2010, the Enforcement Directorate confiscated properties of Adnan Sami for acquiring assets allegedly without the permission of Reserve Bank of India as he was a Pakistani national. The properties acquired by him were in violation of Foreign Exchange Management (acquisition and transfer of immovable property in India) Regulations, 2000, ED had charged. Sami also fought a legal battle with his wife Sabah.

Ex-DMK minister arrested in land grabbing case

Former Tamil Nadu Minister and senior DMK leader Veerapandi S Arumugam was today arrested by the city police in connection with a fresh land grabbing case. Arumugam, granted conditional anticipatory bail by the Madras High Court in two land grabbing cases, was arrested by the City Crime Branch (CCB) police when he appeared before it this morning as per the bail conditions, police said.

A strongman of the DMK in the Salem region, Arumugam was produced before a magistrate court here which remanded him to 15 days judicial custody. He is being lodged in the Coimbatore central prison.

The latest cases pertains to a complaint alleging land grabbing in Naraswathipatti locality in the city, police said. The Salem Judicial Magistrate court had enlarged Arumugam on bail on July 27 at the end of his three-day custodial interrogation by the CCB police in connection with
the earlier cases relating to land grabbing in Angammal Colony and Premier Flour mills.

Earlier, the high court had directed Arumugam to surrender before the CCB police for custodial interrogation. The magistrate court had then released him on bail on the condition that he should appear before the CCB police at 8 am every day until further orders. DMK President M Karunanidhi had yesterday slammed the Jayalalithaa Government of taking vengeance on party leaders
by foisting "false" cases.

He had specifically mentioned Arumugam, saying police interrogated him for three days even though the leader was recuperating after some medical treatment. Karunanidhi`s son and Union Minister M K Alagiri had called on Arumugam on Thursday and enquired about his health.

30 fishermen injured in attack by Lankan Navy

Thirty fishermen were injured when they were assaulted allegedly by Sri Lankan Naval personnel in the high seas off the coast here on Thursday, police said.

The fishermen alleged that the Lankan Naval men, who came in seven boats, whipped them with a rope, and took away their catch and GPS equipment, among others, early Thursday morning.
Two of the boats were fitted with machine guns, while the Naval personnel in five other boats were heavily armed, they told officials.
Tension prevailed in this island town as the fishermen gathered at the fisheries office to complain about the assault.
A case has been registered in this regard, police said.
Recurring attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen, allegedly by Sri Lankan Navy, had been an issue for a long time. Sri Lanka accused the fishermen of crossing the IMBL and fishing in the island waters, offering rich fish wealth.

Two Portuguese nationals arrested in Agra

Two Portuguese nationals were arrested here for allegedly indulging in "indecent acts", police said today. The nationals, identified as More Pereira and Dorio Fildelo, were arrested yesterday along with a local young woman from Panchwati Colony after some residents staged a demonstration outside the apartment alleging that two girls were seen spending nights at the flat regularly, they said.

The foreigners and one girl were taken into custody while the second woman managed to escape, they said, adding the Portuguese nationals were agents of a shoe company in Portugal and visited Agra regularly.

Jewellery worth Rs 20 lakh stolen from temple

Gold and silver jewellery, valued at Rs 20 lakh, were allegedly stolen by some unidentified men from the ancient Hateshwari temple, 10 km from Sundernagar, police said today.

 The incident took place last night when the thieves barged into the temple by breaking the main entrance and decamped with the ornaments, they said. The theft was detected this morning when the temple priest Khem Chand found the entrance to the temple bolted from outside, police said.

The stolen jewellery included one gold 'Chhatra' weighing 500 gm, a silver 'Chhatra' weighing 750 gm and other jewellery, including two golden chains, they said.

Meanwhile, the residents of the area have created a ruckus demanding the arrest of those involved in the theft. Mandi SP P D Prasad and DSP Ashish Sharma visited the spot immediately and assured the locals that an investigation is on to trace the accused.

Cabinet approves Lokpal bill draft

Union cabinet on Thursday clear Lokpal bill draft. Now, it will be presented in forthcoming monsoon session of the parliament for debate. In the new bill draft, Prime Minister will not under the ambit of Lokpal. Talking to reporters, union information minister, Ambika Soni said that there were norms to make chairperson on Lokpal from Judiciary.


It goes without saying that the parliament would hot debate on the draft of the bill. The draft of the bill prepared by the Department of Personnel and Training incorporates the provisions agreed to by the civil society group on the joint-drafting committee, chaired by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, as also some other suggestions.

 Sources say that contrary to what the Anna Hazare-led group demanded, the differences with civil society will neither be ‘highlighted` nor ‘incorporated` in the draft. These would be annexed to the Bill just as several other views are. The bill, which has included some of the provisions of the Jan Lokpal Bill proposed by Team Anna Hazare, gives permission to Lokpal to probe any Union Minister or officials of Group A and above without any sanction.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh insisted that his office be included in the legislation, but the Cabinet decided otherwise, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after the meeting.

She said the Prime Minister was heard with "great respect" but the ministers discussed the "pitfalls" of such a proposal including its possible adverse effect on the stability of a government and creation of uncertainty. The bill will be introduced in Parliament in the first two days of the Monsoon session beginning August one.

Panel to curb blackmoney to meet today

The committee that was set up to strengthen ways to curb blackmoney in the country and is headed by CBDT chairman will hold its second meeting on Friday.
According to official sources, the committee will review the mandate and discuss several issues, including the responses that the government has received from the general public to tackle the black money menace.


The meeting is being held ahead of CBDT chief Prakash Chandra's retirement on July 31.
The Committee had first met on June 9 but further meetings could not be held as the government moved the Supreme Court seeking "recall" and "modification" of its order for setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising retired judges to take over the probe into all blackmoney cases.
The government application to the apex court on July 15 had contended that it (Supreme Court) has ventured into the domain of the executive.
The committee, consisting senior officials from CBDT, Enforcement Directorate, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Currency unit and financial intelligence department, would submit its report in six months.
The legislations enforced by these wings of the Finance Ministry, including Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Income Tax Act and laws related to customs and excise are expected to be reviewed during the meeting.

Gurgaon court recognizes lesbian marriage

Even though same-sex marriages are not legal in India,but that did not stop a Gurgaon court from effectively recognizing a marriage between two lesbians.

According reports reaching here while granting police protection to a runaway lesbian couple from Khekada village in Baghpat, additional sessions judge Vimal Kumar recorded matter-of-factly that Beena and Savita claimed to be married to each other.


Their statements were recorded in the order without any indication that such a marriage had no legal status. It stated, "We have married to each other on July 22, 2011 of our own free will without coercion, duress, fraud, misrepresentation etc."

Rajdhani to have Super AC coaches

Spacious and technologically advanced 'Super AC' coaches for Rajdhani trains are on the
anvil with the Rai Bareli coach factory being asked to undertake the new project.
"The conceptual design for the Super AC coach with just 44 berths is being finalised and instructions have been issued to the Rae Bareli coach factory for manufacturing a prototype," a senior Railway Ministry official involved with the project said.
At present, the second AC coaches in Rajdhani trains have 55 berths, while there are 72 in third AC coaches. Though the fare structure for the Super AC coaches is yet to be finalised, it is expected to be higher than the current second AC rates but less than first AC.
The railway coach factory in Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh has been demmed the task of manufacturing 25 Super AC coaches for Rajdhani trains in the first phase.
"The unique feature of the new coach being designed in Rae Bareli is that it will be more spacious than the existing ones in Rajdhani trains. Later, we may consider it for other mail and express trains," the official said.
Proposed in the Rail Budget, the new Super AC coach with 44 berths will have wider windows and more leg space, particularly for side berth passengers.
"It is aimed at providing high-end service to passengers with better ambiance, more amenities and will also be equipped with a small pantry car," he said.
The lightweight Super AC coaches will be made of stainless steel and will have all safety features.
Besides the proposed Super AC coach, Rae Bareli factory is currently manufacturing new-generation Linke Holfmann Bush (LHB) coaches.
"Six LHB coaches are ready to roll out from the factory," the official said.

Monster Kasab seeks mercy

Ajmal Kasab,whose hands are soaked in the blood of so many innocent people, has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court judgment confirming the death sentence slapped on him by a trial court for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

Kasab filed the appeal directly through jail authorities. Once the appeal against the February 21 judgment is processed and numbered by the Registry, the Supreme Court will list it for hearing.
Kasab is the only Pakistani terrorist who was caught alive, while nine accomplices were killed. The terror attack claimed 166 lives and left 238 injured.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has filed appeals against the acquittal of co-accused Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed, both Indian nationals, by the trial court. The High Court said, “The prosecution has not been able to establish beyond reasonable doubt evidence of the two being part of the conspiracy.”

Ticketless travel on a rise in train

Despite ongoing drive against ticketless travel in trains, the number of such passengers is on a rise, a senior railway official said. Railways have apprehended more than 14 lakh people in June this year for traveling without tickets. Over 1,485,898 persons have been found to be traveling without tickets in trains in June as against 1,376,964 persons in the corresponding period last year.

"Various steps, including surprise checks are regularly undertaken in trains and railway premises to prevent ticketless travel," the official said, adding, "penalty is being imposed on those found without valid tickets." Railways have realized Rs 57.81 crore as penalty from ticketless travelers in June as against Rs 52.99 crore in June last year.

While a total number of ticketless travelers was 3,648,375 during April-June last year, it increased to 4,067,350 for the same period this year. Railways realized about Rs 156 crore as penalty from ticketless passengers during April-June this year as against
about Rs 137 crores in the same period last year.

Ban on 'Samosas' in Somali

Somalia`s al-Shabaab group has banned samosas after ruling the popular snacks are `offensive` and too Christian. Militant Islamist fighters last week used vehicles mounted with loudspeakers to announce the bizarre ruling across the regions of the war-torn country it controls.

The extremist group has offered no official explanation for the ban on the triangular snacks, which are commonly cooked up and served across the Horn of Africa. The bizarre ban comes just days after militants linked to Al-Qaida in Somalia refused to let some aid workers into the country as tens of thousands suffered in the nation`s massive famine.

Aid groups including the UN Food Programme say they were not given permission by militants to provide aid in the country, where it has been warned that 800,000 children could die from starvation. It is now thought islamist militants have taken offence at the three-sided samosa`s supposed resemblance to symbol of the Christian Holy Trinity. Kenya`s Daily Nation newspaper today reported that residents of the Somali town of Afgoye, 20 miles south of the capital Mogadishu, had confirmed the samosa ban had been imposed.

The fried snacks, usually filled with spicy meat or vegetables, have been served for centuries in the East African country. But the newspaper said locals believed al-Shabaab leaders had decided the triangular shape was not compatible with their strict version of Islam.  (Courtesy: Daily Mail)

Tatas most trustworthy group; Ambanis way behind

Salt-to-software conglomerate Tata group has emerged as the country`s most trustworthy corporate house, while the two Ambani groups are lagging way behind, a new survey said today.

In the survey conducted by Equitymaster, more than 61% participants voted Tatas as the most trustworthy and transparent group in terms of their financial reporting, while Infosys came a distant second with about 17% votes.

In comparison, the groups led by Mukesh and Anil Ambani could garner less than 2% votes each in the survey, which ranked them at 6th and 8th positions, respectively. The survey ranked HDFC group as third most trustworthy after Tatas and Infosys, while L&T and TVS groups followed at 4th and 5th positions, respectively.

Others in the top-10 included Mukesh Ambani-led RIL group (6th), Aditya Birla group (7th), Anil Ambani group (8th), ICICI Bank (9th) and Bharti Airtel (10th). HDFC had 9.1% votes, L&T 4.3%, TVS Group had 2.3%, Mukesh Ambani group 1.6%, Aditya Birla group 1.3 per cent, Anil Ambani group 1.2%, ICICI Bank 1.1% and Bharti Airtel 0.9%.

The survey was conducted by Equitymaster Agora Research, an independent equity research firm which also runs one of the country`s oldest stock market website EquityMaster.Com. Equitymaster said in a press release that a total of 2,671 persons participated in the survey, whose objective was to find out "which corporate entity does the Indian investor trust the most in these days of scams and scandals."

"Surprisingly, despite the 2G scam, the popularity of the Tatas seemed unaffected. However, the same could not be said for Infosys whose popularity seems to have taken a hit. "It makes one wonder if one can attribute it to the change in its leadership (K V Kamath replacing Narayana Murthy as the Chairman)," it added.

It said that some survey participants also suggested, including a `None of the above` option, showing "the utter distrust that is present in the minds of the investors today." Equitymaster said that the latest poll highlighted an important change in the investor`s mindset.

"In the days before the financial meltdown, returns from stocks were probably the only criterion for investing. However, all that has changed due to global financial crisis and the recent spate of scams. Sound financial reporting and trustworthy managements are now just as important," it added. Since the last survey in 2009, the two Ambani groups have moved up from their 9th and 10th ranks, respectively.

The top-four positions -- Tatas, Infosys, HDFC and L&T -- have remained unchanged since 2009, while Bharti has moved down from its 6th rank and TVS has moved up from 7th position at that time. The Aditya Birla group and ICICI Bank have also moved down from 5th and 8th ranks, respectively in 2009.

Wife of militant begs on Mumbai’s streets

Qasim Khan is living in a Bandra slum along with her daughters, says there are many helpless families like her in cities.

woman, named Qasim Khan, along with her two daughters and many others from J&K came to Mumbai last week. While they were interrogated by the police, they were let off after verification. The sources said she hails from village Kupada near the Indo-Pak border in Kashmir.

Qasim says her husband Basheer Khan was a close aide of LeT commander Abdul Rehman, who was killed in November 2010 by the Indian Army in J&K. She has revealed how LeT brainwashed Khan and other young men from her village to join the terror outfit

'India most depressed country'

A study based on the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Survey Initiative has said that India has the highest rate of major depression in the world. The study, ‘Cross-national epidemiology of DSM-IV major depressive episode,’ based on interviews of nearly 90,000 subjects across 18 countries with different income levels, was published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Medicine by Biomed Central

Railways to procure Rs 500 cr hi-tech equipment

To speed up rescue and relief operations in the aftermath of accidents, Railways have decided to procure hi-tech equipment worth Rs 500 crore, including high-speed self-propelled accident relief trains, plasma cutters and 175-ton capacity cranes.

Hydraulic cold and hot cutters and tunnel rescue equipment will also be procured to make rescue operations faster and effective. Estimated to cost about Rs 500 crores, Railways will float global tenders for procuring the high capacity equipment shortly.

"We will go for procurement of latest machineries required for faster rescue and relief operation during train mishaps," said a senior Railway Ministry official, adding "the procurement will be carried out in phases." Currently, Railways have 140-ton capacity cranes. "There is a requirement for 175-ton capacity cranes to take care of higher axle loads," he said.

Plasma cutters are required to cut coaches and wagons made of stainless steel. "Since Railways are replacing conventional coaches with stainless coaches and wagons are also now made of steel, we need plasma cutters." Asked about difficulties faced during rescue operations in recent train accidents and lessons learnt from them, the official said, "It is a continuous process to upgrade skills and machineries involved in rescue and relief operations."

Lokpal: Draft of Govt will go before Cabinet

The government will present its draft anti-corruption Lokpal Bill to the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, for approval this week.

There is only one draft that will go to the Cabinet. The draft prepared by the Department of Personnel and Training incorporates the provisions agreed to by the civil society group on the joint-drafting committee, chaired by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, as also some other suggestions.

Contrary to what the Anna Hazare-led group demanded, the differences with civil society will neither be ‘highlighted` nor ‘incorporated` in the draft. These would be annexed to the Bill just as several other views are.

Two kanwarias die of snake bite

Two kanwarias (devotees of Lord Shiva) from Haryana today died of snake bite at Bhagwanpur area of Haridwar district, police said. Chetan (30) and Baljinder (35), both residents of Baghela village of Ambala district, were on way to Haridwar for taking Gangajal when the snake bit them, they said. On being informed, police reached the spot and admitted them in an unconscious state to a nearby hospital where they died.
Police said the snake was being carried in a bag and as soon as the bag was opened, the snake bit both of them. Kanwarias from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi visit Haridwar and other holy places in Uttarakhand every year to take Gangajal (water of river Ganga) back to their homes to offer it to Lord Shiva.

Riteish, Genelia to act together

Real life couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D`Souza will be seen together on screen almost after seven years. Their untitled romantic comedy film goes  on the floors. According to TOI, both the actors will shoot on the first day of the shoot which will be directed by debutante Mandeep Kumar.

The couple is excited about working  together once again after Masti . Speaking about it Genelia D`Souza said,  "My new film starting. Working with Riteish after 7 years is a long time   and I am excited for sure."

The film will be  produced by Kumar Taurani under his banner Tips. It can be recalled that Ritesh and Genelia made their Bollywood debut with Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003. The buzz about their relationship and marriage is doing  rounds of B`town ever since.  Meanwhile, they don`t deny the fact that they like and admire each other but are yet to admit their relationship.

'Do not issue passport to Monica Bedi '

Police have told Madhya Pradesh High Court that underworld don Abu Salem's alleged companion, film actor Monica Bedi, should not be issued a new passport. Bhopal Superintendent of Police (SP) has made this recommendation in a report submitted before a single judge bench of Justice NK Gupta here.

 The Bench directed that the report be taken on record and posted the matter for hearing on July 29. Bhopal Police had registered a case of forgery and obtaining fake passports against Salem, Monica and others. Monica was acquitted in the fake passport case by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court in 2007.

 The MP Government appealed against the judgement in the Sessions Court which upheld Monica's acquittal. After that the state had challenged the ruling in the High Court. During the last hearing in the case, Monica's lawyer submitted an application before the Bench, saying since the actress has to go on a foreign tour for various programmes, she be issued a new passport.

 The HC asked the Bhopal SP to send his recommendation on the issue. Government Advocate Gitesh Singh Thakur said the SP has recommended that Monica should not be issued a new passport.

Home and Auto loans pinch you more

The RBI today hiked short-term lending and borrowing rates sharply by 50 basis points for the third time in three months to tame high inflation, a move that would make all personal and corporate loans more expensive. The RBI has also revised its fiscal-end inflation projection to 7 per cent from 6 per cent earlier.

 With today's increase of 0.50 per cent, the short-term lending (repo) rate has been hiked to 8 per cent and the short-term borrowing (reverse repo) rate has also been increased by a similar margin to 7 per cent. It, however, has retained the cash reserve ratio (CRR) at 6 per cent.

 "Notwithstanding signs of moderation, inflationary pressures are clearly very strong... inflation continues to be the dominant macroeconomic concern. On the basis of this assessment, it has been decided to increase policy repo rate by 50 basis points from 7.5 to 8 per cent with immediate effect," RBI Governor D Subbarao said while announcing the quarterly review of the monetary policy.

 This is the 11th time since March, 2010, that the RBI has raised the interest rate to check inflation, which is currently ruling at over 9 per cent. The RBI's unexpected decision led to a sharp decline of over 300 points in the BSE Sensex. The 30-share Sensex fell to 18,570 after announcement of the policy, although it had opened in positive terrain.

Cops rescued girl from abductors in Delhi

It was a difficult situation for the Delhi police but they successfully managed to chase down a Scorpio and rescued a 24-year-old girl from five assailants who abducted her at a nightclub employee of Gurgaon in the wee hours of Sunday.

The police nabbed the two assailants of five but three were got away from the location. The police told that all five were under the influence and abducted the girl. The police rescued her at  jungle road near Aya Nagar in south Delhi, around 4.10am.

The youths were following the woman, who took a radio taxi along with three , around 2.30am from Gurgaon's Sahara Mall to return to their residence in Badarpur.  At the Ghitorni Metro Station, the assailants forced the cab to stop and tried to pull out the women and dragged her into Scorpio.

Nandan Nilekani meets Modi

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) chairman Nandan Nilekani  discussed
measures for smooth implementation of the project in a meeting with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Nilekani was made aware of the preparation of Gujarat government on the project implementation in the meeting, an official statement said.

During the one-and-a-half hour long meeting, Modi told the UIDAI chief that his government was committed to develop a UID model that could help bring in transparency in all kinds of services, programmes and projects launched by the government. Modi suggested to Nilekani that joint workshops could be held with UIDAI and the state officials to ensure that the 'Aadhar' project brings all the people in the state in its fold, the statement said.

The BJP leader laid emphasis on holding trial runs on right kind of technology platforms and with trained workforce for smooth roll out of the UID project. "Gujarat is keen to implement the UID project provided the national interest is not harmed in any way and at the same time people are benefited by being able to avail rights," the statement quoted Modi as saying. Nilekani in detail apprised Modi about the benefits of the project.

"Gujarat should emerge as a role model for others states in the Aadhar project, which shall benefit the common man," Nilekani told Gujarat Chief Minister.

Maha govt to build 1.86 lakh houses

Under the Centre's Indira Aawas Yojana, the Maharashtra Government will construct 1.86 lakh houses for the backward class in the state. The scheme, which was introduced in 2009-10, plans to provide a total of 10 lakh houses for the poor and the below poverty line (BPL) of the state. However, only those, who have registered their names by the year 2008, are entitled to get the houses.

According to officials, the Social Justice Department has so far received around 3.50 lakh applications, including around one lakh in the Scheduled Castes category alone. About 60 per cent of houses are reserved for Scheduled Caste, while 15 per cent for minorities and other communities. "As per the norms, people who have a plot of land are eligible to get a house. Under this scheme, houses are built both within the municipal limits and outside them. There are fixed quotas for the houses," Maharashtra Minister for Social Justice, Shivajirao Moghe said.

"The Gharkul Yojana has received tremendous response in nine districts of Maharashtra, mostly from Konkan and western Maharashtra. Priority would be given to the people from the below poverty line (BPL) and those who are just above poverty line (APL)," Moghe said. He said that Zilla Parishads are also involved in the scheme.

Divisional Social Welfare officer Sanjiv Gade said, "There is a scarcity of landowners for the construction of houses. The design the houses under the scheme is provided by the Government of India. There are no irregularities, no middlemen involved and no political pressure from any quarter." He said that 1,363 housing units are ready and there is a target of 4,965 houses for the year 2010-11.

Greater Noida on 'ventilator'

The long awaited verdict on the status of various projects of Greater Noida is defferred. Thousands of people invested their hard-earned money were waiting for the verdict. The court has to pronounce the verdict on all the petitions as they have clubbed together. Earlier, it was expected that the Allahabad High Court would pronounce the verdict on the acquisition of land of two villages of Greater Noida by the Noida authority.

  

As and when Court would pronounce the verdict,it would have bearing on the future of 11 huge residential projects of Greater Nopida. According to one estimate,more than 20 thousand people have invested their hard-earned money in these projects in order to have their own roof.

  

It may be recalled that on Tuesday, Allahabad High Court quashed the acquisition of two villages-Patwari and Dewla. The 589 acre land of both these villages was acquired by the state government. The latest verdict of the court will put question mark on the residential projects of Realtors like Amrapali, Ajnara, Panchsheel, Supertech and others. Earlier, the court quashed acquisition of Shebheri village.

  

The villagers welcomed the verdict with great joy, while all those who have booked flats in various projects are feeling cheated. The work on all the residential projects were going on in a very fast pace. Some builders have even constructed four-five floors. The Villagers argue that while the government agencies purchased their land at very dismal rates and later sold to private builders at very high rates.

Indo-Pak talks begin

Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary level talks begin here on Tuesday. Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir Bashir and Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao are leading their teams in this talks. Striking a positive note ahead of the Indo-Pak talks, Bashir said Islamabad would extend all required cooperation to India on the terror issue and share related information.

The two Foreign Secretaries are expected to discuss Confidence Building Measures, concerns on terror and steps to enhance people-to-people contacts and prepare the agenda for the meeting of External Affairs Minister S M Krishna with his Pakistan counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar on Wednesday.

"It is good to be here back in Delhi for me personally and for my team. We are here a day ahead to prepare for the foreign ministers meeting. The Foreign Secretary of India was in Islamabad and we have covered some ground. We hope to give the preparations a final touch (at our) meeting on Tuesday," Bashir said on arrival at the Delhi airport from Amritsar.

"We had good engagement process for the last five six months and we hope that this will be productive and lead to a good meeting of the two foreign ministers," he said. Bashir referred to the meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan Premier Yusuf Raza Gilani at Thimphu and Mohali where they decided to take forward the dialogue process.

"Yes, Thimphu and Mohali spirit will certainly help. I think there is no trust deficit so far as the leadership level is concerned. What we call the trust deficit has to be more clearly understood. I think, basically, the effort is to actually build greater understanding. Instead of saying trust deficit, I would say deepening of understanding," he said.

Bashir said Pakistan was committed to implement its anti-terrorism polices with utmost sincerity. Asked about the recent serial blasts in Mumbai, he said Pakistan desired to find out the real accused and their faces should be unmasked.

Pakistan, he said, would extend all cooperation to India in its fight against terror. On the agenda for the talks, Bashir said Kashmir would figure in the deliberations. Insisting that Kashmir was the core issue for Pakistan, Bashir said it would be conveyed to New Delhi that Islamabad had no role in the violence in Jammu and Kashmir. 34-year-old Khar, Pakistan's youngest and first women Foreign Minister would arrive in India on Tuesday for the ministerial parleys.

Phone-tapping an "unpardonable crime": Yeddi

Terming as "an unpardonable crime" the phone-tapping of Karnataka Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today sought an inquiry into the issue by a Central team and denied his hand and that of the ruling BJP in it.

Returning home after a six-day family vacation in Mauritius, Yeddyurappa told reporters at the Bangalore Airport that he was "very much hurt" about the phone-tapping issue. He said had the Lokayukta reported the matter to the Central government, an inquiry would have taken place by now.

"Even now, it`s not too late. I am going to request the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) to send one important team to inquire into the phone-tapping", he said. "Our party and me do not have such a character to do this unpardonable crime (phone-tapping)".

The Lokayukta, who has indicted Yeddyurappa, his four ministers and others in the mining scam in the leaked report that has raised a political storm, had claimed last week that his phone had been tapped.
Karnataka government has asserted it had not ordered tapping of telephone of the Lokayukta, who on Saturday hinted at the possible involvement of a political party behind it.

Sex racked busted, 6 Uzbek women held

Six women from Uzbekistan were arrested in south Delhi for allegedly indulging in flesh trade, police said today as it smashed a second gang of foreigners involved in such activities in the past one week. A senior police official said the gang was smashed in Greater Kailash-II last evening by Delhi Police's Crime Branch following a tip off.

"We have arrested six women from Uzbekistan who were indulging in flesh trade," he said. The arrested women were in the age group of 23 to 28 years, the official said, adding they used to charge between Rs 20,000-35,000. "They arrived in India on a tourist visa," he said.

A case has been registered against them. The Crime Branch had on July 18 cracked another group of women from abroad involved in a call-girl racket in South Ex Part-I with the arrest of seven women. One of them is from Kazakstan while three are from Uzbekistan and two from Nepal. The woman from Kazhakistan was the ring leader and she allegedly with one Abilash, who is absconding, ran the racket. Abilash's associate Deepak Verma was also arrested in this case.

Another high-profile sex racket was smashed on July 12 in south Delhi's Chattarpur with the arrest of five women and two cousins of a notorious woman pimp besides recovering a high-end Audi car from them. The gang was led allegedly by Najma Khan (27), a proclaimed offender as she was avoiding court hearings in two cases of prostitution. "Najma alias Abiba, whose parents are settled in Saudi Arabia, has a network of call girls and operates the network as a pimp. She used to ferry her clients in an Audi A-4 series luxury car, the official said.

I have done nothing wrong: A Raja

Former Telecom Minister A Raja on Monday defended himself against corruption charges in the 2G scam, saying he had not done anything wrong and was merely following the policies pursued by his predecessors and the NDA government.  The 47-year-old DMK MP pleaded before Special CBI Judge O P Saini that there was nothing wrong in his decision of not auctioning 2G spectrum as he had "implemented only what I have inherited."

Senior Advocate Sushil Kumar, appearing for Raja, said if Raja is being prosecuted for following a certain policy then all Telecom ministers since 1993 are liable to be prosecuted as they too followed the same policy. "If policy pursued by me was wrong, then all former Telecom ministers since 1993 should also be in jail with me (Raja)," the counsel said while opposing framing of charges against Raja.

He said, "As Telecom Minster Arun Shourie distributed 26 licences while Dayanidhi Maran distributed 25 and I (Raja) distributed 122 licences. Numbers make no difference, however, it is to be noted that none of them auctioned the spectrum. "If they had done no wrong, why am I being questioned? Let them deny that they have not done what I did. I was just following the 2003 Cabinet decision that is not to auction 2G spectrum. If I am following the law, I am not liable to be prosecuted. Infact, I should be rewarded," Raja said.

Kargil war victory celebrations

Army will celebrate the 12^th anniversary of the 1999 Kargil war victory today with a host of events at the War Memorial in Drass sub-sector of Kargil division in Jammu and Kashmir. The two-day commemoration will include a wreath laying ceremony at the war memorial, sainik samelam (soldiers meet), memorial service, band display and `Beating the Retreat`.

Kargil War, which began in May 1999, lasted more than two months before Pakistan soldiers, a bulk of them drawn from its Northern Light Infantry, and irregulars withdrew from the mountain tops it had occupied overlooking the Srinagar-Leh highway. In the battles, Indian Army lost 490 officers and soldiers, many of whom were posthumously honoured with gallantry awards.

Drass War Memorial, which has been built in the foothills of the Tololing Hill, will host the ceremonies for two days. The Drass town, 150 kms from summer capital Srinagar, was a major battle zone in the summer of 1999 and rose to prominence in the aftermath of the war for being associated with the Tiger Hill and Tololing Hill, which also were the stages for many Bollywood films.

The chief guest of the two day event will be General Officer Commanding of Army`s Northern Command Lt Gen KT Parnaik. Widows and relatives of the soldiers who lost their lives in more than two months of intense battles in Kargil, Mushkok, Batalik, Drass will also be present on the memorial events to mark the anniversary.

Sonia Gandhi reaching Dhaka

Security has been beefed up here ahead of a key visit of Congress party president Sonia Gandhi will today receive Bangladesh`s highest state award on behalf of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for her outstanding contribution to the country`s 1971 `Liberation War`. Bangladesh has taken steps to ensure maximum security for the visit, officials said.

  

The elite Special Security Force (SSF) alongside the anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel and the regular police force would enforce the security while a special squad of India’s Special Protection Group (SPG) was already in the capital to ensure foolproof security system, a senior police officer said. Security forces will leave "no stone unturned" to ensure her protection, he said.

  

Sonia, who will arrive in Dhaka on Monday on a two-day visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, will also be the chief guest at the inaugural function of a five-day conference on `Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities in Bangladesh and South Asia` beginning from today.

  

Analysts here believe that the tour will boost Indo-Bangla ties ahead of the scheduled visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September. Earlier, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni told reporters that Bangladesh was "looking forward to the visit of Sonia Gandhi". "She is a family member of Indira Gandhi who was our great friend during our war for freedom, the President of Congress and the chairperson of UPA," Moni said.

Earlier this week, the cabinet decided to confer the country`s highest state honour, `Bangladesh Swadhinata Sanmanona` on the assassinated Indian Prime Minister for her outstanding contribution to the country`s independence. The Congress president will today receive the award from President Zillur Rahman at a special ceremony in the presidential palace.

  

The late Indian premier traveled across the world to mobilise support for the people of East Pakistan, which later became Bangladesh, amid a massive crackdown on civilians by the Pakistan Army.

  

On March 26, 1971, Bangladesh - then East Pakistan - declared its independence from West Pakistan. The Pakistan Army surrendered to the allied forces of the Indian army and the Mukti Bahini on 16 December 1971, which resulted in Bangladesh becoming an independent nation.

  

The government also plans to rechristen an important road in the memory of the former Indian Prime Minister. A separate monument would also be built to honour Indian defence personnel martyred in the 1971 war. The government has shortlisted 47 "foreign friends" and five organisations to be honoured in December for their contribution to Bangladesh`s freedom struggle.

Krishna felicitates new Pak Foreign Minister

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today felicitated Hina Rabbani Khar on her appointment as Pakistan Foreign Minister and said he was looking forward to meeting her here next week.

Earlier in the day, 34-year-old Khar took oath as Pakistan's new Foreign Minister, becoming the youngest person and the first woman to be elevated to the key post ahead of crucial peace talks with India.

Khar travels to New Delhi on July 26 for talks with Krishna as part of the peace process between India and Pakistan.

Aaction against officers for fake seeds in Maha

Maharashtra government has decided to take action against the negligent officers involved in supplying fake seeds to farmers, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters here today. "Complaints were received about the bogus seeds which came from some other states. Some officers were found to be negligent in the matter and directions have been given to take action against them," Chavan said.

 The chief minister made the statement in the context of reports that farmers who had planted soybean seeds suffered huge damage as the seeds did not sprout. Chavan also admitted that in the rainfed areas, farmers were going through stress and said the government was providing adequate credit and this year farm credit would be an unprecedented, to the tune of Rs 23,000 crore. Addressing a press conference on the eve of monsoon session, Chavan said that extensive discussion would be carried out on the law and order situation in the state including the July 13 bomb blasts in the legislature session, starting Monday.

 On the proposed 'Prevention of Attacks on Journalists Bill' Chavan said, "a sub-committee of ministers is looking into it and we will see if the bill can be tabled in the session." About the houses for textile mill workers he said 1.07 lakh applications have been received and 6,900 houses have been built for the mill workers. As and when land is alloted, more houses would be constructed. Meanwhile, a customary tea party hosted by Chavan on the eve of the session was boycotted by Shiv Sena-BJP and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

Himachal poised to become a ''Nirmal State''

After successfully implementing the sanitation programme, Himachal Pradesh by next month will be a 'Nirmal State', with 100 percent 'Open Defecation Free' environment."In 2000, the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) was launched in the Sirmaur district and has now reached every corner of the state. It would be completely free of open defecation by next month," an official spokesman said.


There are as many as 3202 panchayats of the state which are completely Open Defecation Free (ODF) and the remaining 41 panchayats would be ODF by August, thus achieving 100 per cent success, he added.The state is poised to become the 'Nirmal Himachal' and 'Nirmal State' of the country.Sanitation facilities were provided through public toilet complexes to those who could not afford individual toilets.All government schools were provided toilet facilities and during the last three years 21871 toilets were constructed in Government schools.

planing 300 CCTV cameras in Ahmedabad

In the wake of the terror attacks in Mumbai, the Ahmedabad Police has decided to install 300 CCTV cameras at over 100 important locations across the city.

In order to roll out the project, there is a plan to form a citizen’s security trust, which will raise the funds.

“With the recent terror attacks in Mumbai, we feel there is an urgent need to have a network of CCTV cameras in a city like Ahmedabad, which has always been on the terror target,” Police Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sinha, told PTI.

“The Government procedure takes time, but we require the CCTV network to be installed at the earliest. Therefore, we plan to form ‘Ahmedabad Citizen Security Trust (ACST)’, which would fund the project for the initial three years, after which, it would be merged into the Government programme,” Mr Sinha said.

“The funds raised through donations would be used only for the purpose of installing CCTV cameras across the city at over 100 locations,” he said.

Under the project, the ACST would hire the services of BSNL, which will install 300 CCTV cameras at over 100 important locations across the city, including the entry-exit points, malls, sensitive areas, railway stations, bus stops and airports.

“Images from the CCTV cameras would be transmitted through 3G broadband network to the police control room, from where, monitoring would be done,” the Police Commissioner said.

He said the cameras would not only help in the case of terror attacks, but also in the detection of local crime and traffic-related offences.

The police commissioner said that such systems need to be installed immediately, considering the terror threat.

According to Mr Sinha, BSNL has agreed to be part of the project.

“The ownership of the CCTV cameras and broadband network will remain with the BSNL. It will be hired by the ACST for an initial period of three years, which is likely to cost approximately Rs one crore,” he said, adding that BSNL is likely to give its final proposal within a week.

He said that BSNL has begun conducting a test drive for such a system at 42 locations in the city since Saturday which will continue till July 26.

“We also plan to hold a meeting with potential donors in the city. We plan to collect Rs 3 crore initially, which will be sufficient for the first three years,” Mr Sinha said.

He said if more funds are collected after deducting the cost of CCTV camera network, the ACST could also take up awareness activities on security issues in the city.

The State Government has already decided to install CCTV-based City Surveillance and Intelligent Traffic Management System in major cities of Gujarat to monitor the traffic in sensitive areas, for which tenders have been floated. Initially the system would be installed in the cities of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Gandhinagar and Somnath.

Tough task for India at Lord's

 India were bowled out for 286 in reply to England's first innings 474 for eight declared, a deficit of 188 runs, on the third day of the first Test at Lord's on Saturday. Rahul Dravid was 103 not out after seamer Stuart Broad led England's attack with four wickets for 37 runs in 22 overs. In second inning, England has scored five runs.

This is the first of a four-Test series. Rahul Dravid scored his first Test ton at Lord's, 33rd overall, to steer India past follow-on mark of 274 against England on the third day of the first Test on Saturday.
Dravid achieved the landmark when he scored two off Tremlett in 89.5 overs. He took 202 balls to score his fourth ton in England with 15 hits to the fence.

Chris Tremlett removed MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh moments after second new ball was taken to jolt the Indian innings in the final session of the third day. India were 193/5 at tea and were in trouble after they lost VVS Laxman and Suresh Raina in quick succession. Laxman was struggling against the quick bowlers and played a flick off his hip in the air which landed safely in the hands of square-leg fielder.

After that Suresh Raina playing for the first time in Lord's was all nerves for the youngster and was trapped in front of the wickets. India's most dependable, Rahul Dravid scored a stylish half century looking to be in supreme touch.

Dravid surpassed Australia's Ricky Ponting to become the second highest run-getter in Test cricket after Sachin Tendulkar. Stuart Broad was pick of the bowlers for England, as he got the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, who again failed to impress at Lord's.

Sachin while going for the drive got a thick edge that went straight to the hands of Graeme Swann standing at third slip. Sachin and Dravid steadied India's innings after the fall of the openers and looked set for a huge score.

Resuming the innings after lunch on Day 3, Dravid and Sachin were in no hurry to score quickly rather handled the English bowlers with care. India lost the openers with Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar batting at lunch on the third day of first Test against England at Lord's.

Tendulkar and Dravid looked good for a big score at Lord's after both the openers were back in the pavilion. Stuart Broad was threatening and got rid of opener Abhinav Mukund, who fell one short of a half century. Broad got both the wickets this morning in the form of new opening pair for India - Gautam Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund. It was unlucky for Mukund to miss out on a well deserved half century.

After giving a steady start, Gautam Gambhir was clean bowled by Stuart Broad. It was cracker of a ball from Broad and Gambhir was in no position to play the delivery. At the start of India's innings on day three, Gautam Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund got off to a watchful start at Lord's. Both the openers seemed relaxed in their approach, especially Mukund and quite comfortably handled the new ball.  At the end of second day India were 17-0 at stumps after England declared on 474-8. India's openers Abhinav Mukund (8 not out) and Gautam Gambhir (9 not out) survived to the close.

Vastanvi sacked as VC, Darul Uloom

The controversial Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi is sacked as Vice-Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband here on Sunday. This decision was taken by a three-member Majlis-e Shura.

  

It may be recalled that The majlis-e-shoora or the governing council of the seminary on Saturday met and discussed various issues, but the subject of Vastanvi did not come up during the discourse, Nomani said. The report of the inquiry committee would be submitted at the meeting of the Council on Sunday, he said.

  

According to the sources, there is no unanimity in the three-member committee regarding the fate of Vastanvi. Vastanvi, who is also an MBA, was elected VC on January 10 following the death of his predecessor Maulana Marghoobur Rahman. He sparked a controversy, saying Muslims too benefited from the development initiative of the Gujarat chief minister.

  

The governing council constituted a three-member committee, comprising of Mufti Mazoor Ahmad from Kanpur, Mufti Mohammad Ismail from Malegaon and Maulana Mohammad Ibrahim from Chennai, to look into the allegations against Vastanvi.

Ministry promises Rs 300 cr for Shirdi temple

Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay today said his ministry would provide Rs 300 crore for the development of Saibaba temple premises and the town.

Talking to reporters after visiting the temple here, Sahay said the development of Shirdi had been rather slow, considering that nearly 30,000 devotees come to the town every day.

He said that the town must have better road-links and assured that he would discuss the issue with Maharashtra Chief Minister, Prithviraj Chavan.

Talking about the tourism sector in the country, he said if we could double the sector''s contribution to GDP, lakhs of new jobs would be created.

As to the Saibaba Temple Trust giving money to Maharashtra government for proposed airport at Shirdi, he said it was not right for the government to turn to the Trust for this purpose.

Two Killed in Naxal Attack in Bastar

In two separate incidents, Naxalites killed two persons including a Special Police Officer (SPO) in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, police said.

Senior police officers in the state said that in Dantewada, Laxman Markam, brother of Nakulnar Janpad Panchayat, was shot dead, while the SPO was axed to death in Bijapur district.

Dantewada Superintendent of Police Ankit Garg said that some armed Naxalites reached Munna Markam's residence, located in Ganjinar village under the jurisdiction of Bhansi police station, today morning. They started questioning Markam's younger brother Laxman, whom they killed with a gun.

The elder brother of the deceased, Munna ran away from the spot after seeing and immediately informed the police about the incident. Police have sent squads to the nab the Naxalites.

According to police, Munna was first associated with the Communist Party of India, and had recently joined the BJP. His deceased brother was also associated with the BJP.

Meanwhile, Bijapur Additional Police Superintendent BPS rajbhanu said that the Naxalites killed SPO Subba Satyam in Madded village in a broad daylight.

Subba had gone out to buy things from the market, where a group of five Naxalites reached and attacked him with an axe. They ran away after the killing, police said.

Court rejects bail application of accused

Indicting the state government and police of patronising the accused, a local court today rejected the bail application of a former Lucknow CMO, arrested over alleged irregularities in the family welfare office here.

Rejecting the bail, Special Additional District and Sessions judge Rajendra Kumar said that despite an FIR being lodged against AK Shukla in the case on April 7, he was arrested only on July 12 while the other accused, deputy CMO YS Sachan was held soon after and this delay was not possible without the patronage of the state government and police.

The court observed that looking at the facts and circumstances of the case, accused Shukla is not liable to be released on bail.

The case was lodged on April 7 in the local Wazirganj police station after the murder of CMO BP Singh on April 2.

25th batch with 1,504 pilgrims leaves for Amarnath

Amid tight security, 25th batch of pilgrims comprising 1,504 people today left for the Amarnath yatra from here, police said.

As many as 895 men, 297 women, 35 children and 277 'sadhus' left from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here this morning in a cavalcade of 50 vehicles for the 13,500-feet high cave shrine situated in south Kashmir Himalayas.

With today's batch, as many as 68,771 pilgrims have left Jammu in 25 batches for their journey to the cave shrine.

Railways firming up Rs 70,000 cr safety plan

Hit by a series of major train accidents, Railways is now firming up a Rs 70,000-crore safety plan for speedy installation of anti-collision devices, including upgrading of signal and telecommunication and mechanised maintenance of tracks.

Besides, the ambitious plan also envisages induction of crash-worthy LHB coaches and locomotives as a long-term measure and entails speedy installation of train protection warning system (TPWS) and elimination of unmanned level crossings to do away with mishaps on the tracks.

"The safety plan will be submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking a generous grant from the general exchequer outside the Rail Budget," said a senior Railway Ministry official.
The last few years have seen minimal investment in the safety infrastructure due to poor financial health of the Railways.
Currently, the Railways has vacancies for 1,26,044 posts in the safety category and 14,896 for unmanned level crossings across the country.
As per the safety plan, all electric locomotives are to be equipped with Vigilance Control Device (VCD) to prevent accidents in case the driver is incapacitated during the run.
So far only 749 locomotives out of 4,147 electric ones have been equipped with VCDs.

Ministry asks Army to change Chief's date in all records

  After declaring Army Chief Gen V K Singh's date of birth as May 10,1950, the Defence Ministry has asked the Army's official record-keeper Adjutant General's Branch to make the change in its records which had May 10, 1951.
The AG's branch has been taking 1951 as the birth year on the basis of Gen Singh's Matriculation certificate whereas the Military Secretary (MS) Branch shows 1950.
The Defence Ministry has sent the communication to the Army amid questions as to whether Gen Singh will take legal recourse as part of his push to ensure that 1951 is treated as his birth year, which will enable him an extension of about nine months.
In its communication which runs into several pages, the Defence Ministry has cited reasons for maintaining 1950 as the birth year, with regard to which the Attorney General had also given his opinion.
The change in service records is essential as only after the AG Branch notifies the MS Branch about the date of Army chief's retirement, it would issue a letter to it about his superannuation that would be May 2012, the sources said.
Meanwhile, sources said the Ministry has done "due diligence" to see that the natural succession plan of the Army is not disturbed in case Gen Singh takes any step like approaching the Armed Forces Tribunal or civil court for redressal.

Haryana minister's aides assault former cricketer Atul Wassan

In an incident of road rage and public display of power, former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan was allegedly assaulted by the aides of Haryana Home Minister Gopal Kanda at a toll plaza on Gurgaon-Delhi Expressway on Wednesday night.

The former cricketer, a Gurgaon resident, was beaten up because he tried to overtake the car of the accused, the police said. He was taken to Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi for a medical examination.

Wassan later lodged a complaint with the Gurgaon Police.

J&K: Violence in Kashmir Valley as woman alleges rape by armymen

Violent protests erupted in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday after a 30-year-old woman alleged that she was raped by two unidentified army personnel.

The woman alleged that she was abducted on July 19 and raped for two days before being dumped in the forest area by the alleged rapists. The rape allegation sparked unrest in the valley as angry people came on the streets in protest in Damhal Hanjipora area of Kulgam.

The army however denied charges and pointed out discrepancies in the victim's statement. An army statement said that the woman had initially blamed a civilian. It pointed out that even terrorists use combat fatigue to mislead the people.

Meanwhile, the police have registered an FIR against two unknown army personnel. The police said they were looking into the matter and would get the woman's medical examination done. 

Kulgam SP Mubassir Hussain said, "This woman came to us and registered a complaint of rape. We have registered an FIR and are looking into the matter under various sections of the law."

Separatists, on the other side, have called for protests. Hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani's Hurriyat Conference called for an agitation.

यूपी में लूटा जा रहा है जनता का धन: राहुल

मायावती सरकार पर ‘कुशासन’ का आरोप लगाते हुए कांग्रेस महासचिव राहुल गांधी ने कहा कि गरीबों, किसानों और ग्रामीणों के हक की खुले तौर पर प्रदेश सरकार द्वारा अनदेखी की जा रही है और दिनदहाडे जनता के धन को लूटा जा रहा है.
कांग्रेस महासचिव और सांसद राहुल गांधी ने ‘पोटेंशियल यूथ कैडिंडेट मीट’ को सम्बोधित करते हुए प्रदेश पर आरोप लगाया कि ग्रामीणों के स्वास्थ्य के लिए केन्द्र सरकार द्वारा चलाये जा रहे राष्ट्रीय ग्रामीण स्वास्थ्य मिशन के तहत के दिये गये हजारों करोड रूपये का प्रदेश सरकार ने घोटाला किया है.
राहुल ने आरोप लगाया कि प्रदेश सरकार ने किसानों की जमीनों को जबरदस्ती उनसे छीनकर उन्हें बेदखल कर दिया. यही नहीं केन्द्र सरकार द्वारा दिये जा रहे धन का भी खुले तौर पर दुरूपयोग किये जाने की लगातार शिकायतें मिल रही हैं. उन्होंने दावा किया कि प्रदेश सरकार अब तक की सबसे भ्रष्ट सरकार साबित हुई है, जहां लूट-खसोट की राजनीति जारी है.
उन्होंने कहा कि यदि राष्ट्रीय ग्रामीण स्वास्थ्य मिशन अथवा किसी अन्य कार्यक्रम में इतना बड़ा घोटाला किसी अन्य राज्य में हुआ होता तो अब तक वहां की सरकार गिर जाती. पूर्वांचल के दो दिवसीय प्रवास के पहले दिन गोरखपुर पहुंचकर राहुल ने युवा इकाई के सदस्यता अभियान की शुरूआत करते हुए कहा कि कांग्रेस एक ऐसी पार्टी है, जिसमें जमीनी कार्यकर्ताओं को अग्रिम पंक्ति में पहुंचने का लोकतांत्रिक अधिकार प्राप्त है.
उन्होंने कहा कि अन्य राजनीति पार्टियों में तो इतना अधिक भ्रष्टाचार है कि पदाधिकारी ही उपर से थोपे जाते हैं. इसीलिए उनकी पार्टी अविरल नदी की भांति शीतलता और पवित्रता के साथ पूरे देश में बह रही है. राहुल ने युवाओं का आह्वान करते हुए कहा कि अब समय आ गया है कि भ्रष्ट और निकम्मी सरकारों को उखाड फेंका जाये. उन्होंने कहा कि युवाओं को कांग्रेस पार्टी की नीतियों और कार्यक्रमों के साथ एकजुट होकर एक बडे और मजबूत विकल्प के रूप में उभर कर सामने आना होगा.

राष्ट्रमंडल घोटाला: तीन आरोपियों की संपत्ति कुर्क करने का निर्देश

दिल्ली की एक अदालत ने सीबीआई को राष्ट्रमंडल खेलों के दौरान टीएसआर घोटाले के उन तीन आरोपियों की संपत्ति कुर्क करने का निर्देश दिया जो अपने खिलाफ मामला दर्ज होने के बाद से फरार हैं.

 

अदालत ने दो निर्माण कंपनियों के कर्ताधर्ता पुरुषोत्तम देव आर्य, अनिल मदान और एके रेड्डी की संपत्तियों को कुर्क करने का निर्देश दिया, जिनकी अग्रिम जमानत अर्जियां दिल्ली उच्च न्यायालय के समक्ष लंबित हैं.
अदालत ने उन्हें 23 मई को भगोड़ा अपराधी घोषित किया था.
विशेष सीबीआई न्यायाधीश तलवंत सिंह ने कहा, ‘मेरे विचार से आपराधिक प्रक्रिया संहिता (सीआरपीसी) की धारा 82 (भगोड़ा अपराधी घोषित करना) के तहत सभी कानूनी जरूरतों का पालन किया गया. सीआरपीसी में उन्हें अदालत में नहीं आने की अनुमति देने के लिए कोई प्रावधान नहीं है. सीआरपीसी की धारा 83 (संपत्ति की कुर्की) के तहत प्रक्रिया शुरू की जाए.’
अदालत ने सीबीआई को आर्य, मदान तथा रेड्डी की चल और अचल संपत्तियों की ब्योरेवार सूची शुक्रवार तक जमा करने का निर्देश दिया. देव और आर्य फरीदाबाद की जेम इंटरनेशनल के कर्ताधर्ता हैं, जो स्विस टाइमिंग के ठेके में शामिल थी. दोनों ने बाद में टीएसआर के ठेके में हैदराबाद के एके रेड्डी की एकेआर कंस्ट्रक्शन को शामिल कर लिया.
उच्च न्यायालय की ओर से किसी भी विपरीत फैसले की स्थिति में अदालत के सामने समर्पण और निजी तौर पर पेश होने से छूट के उनके शपथपत्र को भी खारिज कर दिया गया.

अदालत ने कहा, ‘आरोपियों को उन्हें भगोड़ा अपराधी घोषित करने के आदेश के जारी होने की तारीख के बाद से 14 जुलाई को अदालत के समक्ष पेश होने के लिए 30 दिन का स्पष्ट नोटिस था और वे जानबूझकर नहीं आये.’ इस संबंध में सीबीआई निरीक्षक और जांचकर्ता अधिकारी के बयान भी दर्ज किये गये.

ओबीसी छात्रों को ‘पूरे’ 27 फीसदी आरक्षण दिए जाने चाहिएः सुप्रीम कोर्ट

उच्चतम न्यायालय ने कहा कि केंद्रीय शिक्षण संस्थानों में अन्य पिछड़ा वर्ग के छात्रों को आरक्षण देने का उद्देश्य इस बात को सुनिश्चित करना था कि उन्हें ‘पूरे’ 27 फीसदी आरक्षण मिलें ताकि आने वाले समय में वे सामान्य श्रेणी के उम्मीदवारों की बराबरी कर सकें.
न्यायमूर्ति आर वी रवींद्रन और न्यायमूर्ति ए के पटनायक की पीठ ने कहा, ‘कानून में जो प्रावधान है, वह पूरे 27 फीसदी हैं.’ ओबीसी उम्मीदवारों को आरक्षण देने के मुद्दे पर बनाए गए कानून को शीर्ष अदालत की संविधान पीठ ने बरकरार रखा था.

 

यह टिप्पणी पीठ ने की जिसने आरक्षण कानून के विभिन्न पहलुओं पर सवाल खड़े किए और इसे चुनौती दे रहे पक्षों से पूछा कि ‘क्या हम कह सकते हैं कि सामान्य श्रेणी में अर्हता रखने वाले ओबीसी भी 27 फीसदी में शामिल हैं.’
इन सभी पहलुओं से निपटा जाना चाहिए क्योंकि ‘इस कानून का उद्देश्य है कि उनमें (ओबीसी) से पर्याप्त संख्या में लोगों को लाभ मिले.’ अदालत ने कहा, ‘हम जिस बात को लेकर चिंतित हैं वह यह है कि कट ऑफ का बहुत ही ढीले ढाले तरीके से इस्तेमाल किया गया है.’

आआईटी, चेन्नई के पूर्व निदेशक पी वी इंद्रेसन की तरफ से पेश होते हुए वरिष्ठ अधिवक्ता के के वेणुगोपाल ने कहा कि ओबीसी उम्मीदवारों के लिए कट ऑफ अंक उस अंक से 10 फीसदी से कम नहीं हो सकता, जिसपर सामान्य श्रेणी के छात्रों का दाखिला लिया गया हो.

कैश फॉर वोट मामले में अमर सिंह से पूछे गए 12 सवाल

नोट के बदले वोट कांड में समाजवादी पार्टी के पूर्व नेता अमर सिंह से दिल्ली पुलिस के क्राइम ब्रांच दफ्तर में पूछताछ चल रही है. अमर सिंह से 12 सवाल दागे गए हैं. अमर सिंह से पूछा गया है कि किन खातों से पैसे निकाले गए और उन खातों में रकम कहां से आई.

सुहैब, सक्‍सेना का दावा, पैसा अमर सिंह के घर से आया

साथ ही अमर सिंह से ये भी पूछा गया है कि आखिर संजीव सक्सेना कौन है? क्या आपने संजीव सक्सेना को बीजेपी के उन तीन सांसदों से मिलवाया था?
अमर सिंह से ये भी पूछा गया कि ड्राइवर संजय कहां है और उसका मोबाइल नंबर क्या है?
अमर सिंह से गुरुजी और मिस्टर गुप्ता की भूमिका को लेकर भी सवाल दागे गए. अमर सिंह से क्राइम ब्रांच ने ये भी पूछा कि जिस दिन नोट के बदले वोट कांड हुआ उस दिन आप कहां थे.

 

आज से ठीक तीन साल पहले यानी 22 जुलाई 2008 को संसद में बीजेपी के कुछ सांसदों ने नोट लहराए थे और ये आरोप लगाया था कि उन्हें खरीदने की कोशिश की गई.

 

आरोप अमर सिंह पर लगे कि उन्होंने सांसदों को पैसे पहुंचाए. करीब तीन साल तक ये मामला ठंडे बस्ते में पड़ा रहा. लेकिन कुछ दिनों पहले सुप्रीम कोर्ट की फटकार के बाद दिल्ली पुलिस हरकत में आई मामले की जांच शुरू हो गई.

सही दिशा में जा रही मुंबई सीरियल ब्लास्ट की जांचः शरद पवार

राकांपा प्रमुख शरद पावर ने श्रृंखलाबद्ध विस्फोट की जांच में जुटी मुंबई पुलिस का बचाव करते हुए कहा कि जांच बिल्कुल सही दिशा में जा रही है.
पवार का यह बयान महाराष्ट्र के मुख्यमंत्री पृथ्वीराज चव्हाण के उस बयान के कई दिनों बाद आया है जिसमें उन्होंने कहा था कि गृहमंत्रालय जैसा महत्वपूर्ण मंत्रालय राकांपा को देकर कांग्रेस पार्टी ने गलती की.
अपने निवास स्थान पर महाराष्ट्र के उप मुख्यमंत्री अजीत पवार और गृहमंत्री आर. आर. पाटिल के साथ लंबी बैठक के बाद केन्द्रीय कृषि मंत्री ने कहा कि वह इस बात से सहमत हैं कि मुंबई पुलिस जांच में बिल्कुल सही दिशा में है.
उन्होंने कहा, ‘अगर हम मुंबई में हुई पिछली ऐसे घटनाओं को देखें तो पुलिस ने ही उनकी जांच की है और उन्हें अंजाम तक पहुंचाया है. यहां भी मैं आश्वस्त हूं कि मुंबई पुलिस बिल्कुल सही राह पर है. वह इस मामले को जरूर सुलझा लेंगे और इसके लिए जिम्मेदार लोगों को सजा मिलेगी.’

हिलेरी से बातचीत में आतंक का मसला होगा अहम

अमेरिकी विदेश मंत्री हिलेरी क्लिंटन भारत में हैं और माना जा रहा है कि दोनों देशों के विदेश मंत्रियों के बीच बातचीत में आतंक का मसला ही छाया रहेगा.
18 जुलाई 2009 को अमेरिकी विदेश मंत्री हिलेरी क्लिंटन का पहली बार भारत दौरे पर आई थीं. हिलेरी का ये दौरा 26/11 के आतंकी हमलों के साए में था. शायद, इसीलिए वो मुंबई के होटल ताज में ठहरीं और कूटनीति से पहले आंतक के शिकार बने लोगों के घावों पर मरहम लगाने की कोशिश की.
अब 18 जुलाई 2011 को हिलेरी एक बार फिर हिंदुस्तान आई हैं.
दो साल बाद भी हिलेरी का सामना उन्हीं जख्मों से होगा जो भरने के बजाय और गहरे हो गए हैं. हिलेरी का ये दौरा पहले से तय था और एजेंडा भी, लेकिन माना जा रहा है कि 13/7 के धमाकों की गूंज भारत-अमेरिका सामरिक बातचीत के दूसरे चरण में साफ सुनाई देगी.
आंतक से लड़ाई इस स्ट्रैटेजिक डायलॉग का हिस्सा वैसे भी है लेकिन मुबई बम धमाकों के बाद भारत एक बार फिर सीमा पार से आ रहे आतंक पर अपनी चिंतायें अमेरिका के सामने रखेगा.
विदेश मामलों के जानकार उदय भास्कर कहते हैं, ‘आतंकवाद संसद हमले के बाद से ही भारत और अमेरिका के बीच बड़ा मुद्दा है लेकिन कुछ मतभेद भी हैं.
वैसे मतभेद दोनों देशों के बीच अफगानिस्तान को लेकर भी हैं, खासतौर पर तालिबान से बातचीत को लेकर. जानकार मानते हैं कि पूरे इलाके की शांति और स्थिरता भारत की अपनी सुरक्षा के लिए अहम है.
पूर्व विदेश सचिव सलमान हैदर कहते हैं, ‘यह भारत के लिए सबसे अहम है. अमेरिका अफगानिस्तान से हट रहा है लेकिन भारत नहीं. हम उनके पड़ोसी हैं और हमें वहां की स्थिति का लगातार सामना करते रहना होगा. भारत ने पहले ही यह साफ कर रखा है कि हमें अफगानिस्तान में लंबे समय तक रहना होगा.’
सामरिक बातचीत के इस दूसरे दौर में दोनों देश असैन्य परमाणु सहयोग भी बातचीत करेंगे. न्यूक्लियर डील साइन होने के बावजूद दोनों देशों के बीच परमाणु सहयोग को लेकर कई मुद्दे अटके पड़े हैं.
भारतीय बाजार में अभी भी अमेरिकी कंपनियों की एंट्री का रास्ता साफ नहीं हो पाया है. भारत और अमेरिका के विदेश मंत्री रक्षा और व्यापार मामलों पर भी चर्चा करेंगे.