Nation celebrating Eid

Nation is celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr today, culminating a month of fasting. In the backdrop of last month`s serial bomb blasts in Mumbai, which left 25 people dead, security has been stepped up in the city for Eid-ul-Fitr and Ganesh Chaturthi festivals.

Apart from the 43,000-strong Mumbai Police, additional forces such as 10 teams of State Reserve Police Force, three squads of Rapid Action Force and policemen from different parts of Maharashtra have been roped in to boost security and surveillance during the widely celebrated ten-day Ganesh fest and Eid.

Special security arrangements have been made for one of the oldest and the city`s most famous Ganesh idols, Lalbaugcha Raja, where three Deputy Commissioners of Police and over 1,000 police personnel will be on duty. A separate control room has been set up at the venue, said a senior police official.

Leave of all police personnel has been cancelled till the festival, which begins on September 1, is over, Patnaik added. In the backdrop of the July 13 serial blasts in which 25 people were killed, surveillance across the metropolis has been stepped up considerably. A general alert has also been sounded, said another police official.

Govt to take action against 90 IAS officers

It could be anybody`s guess that Government is now taking action against the corrupt IAS officers due to the movement of Anna Hazare or not, but those who love to accept bribe would face the music. It has decided to take action against close to 90 IAS officers who have failed to submit their property returns despite several reminders.

According to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), 87 officers at the level of Director, Under Secretaries and Deputy Secretaries have not given Immovable Property Returns (IPR) for 2009 and 2010, deadline for which ended on January 31 this year.

 Taking a strict view, DoPT has written to concerned ministries in this regard and sought action taken report against the defaulters. Out of the 87 officers, a highest of 13 are from Defence Ministry followed by 11 from Home Ministry, six from Ministry of Minority Affairs, five from Ministry of Mines and three each from Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Staff Selection Commission.
 
There are in all 4,356 IAS officers working in different departments of central and state governments.

"Ministries/Departments are well aware that the Immovable Property returns (IPR) in respect of Central Secretariat Service Officers (Under Secretary and above level) are required to be furnished to this division by January 31 of every year.

"However, despite repeated reminders the IPR for the year 2009 which was to be received by this division by January 31, 2010 and IPR for the year 2010 which was to be received in this Division by January 31, 2011 have not yet been received in respect of large number of officers," the fifth reminder by DoPT said.

Rs 14-cr insurance cover for Lalbaugcha Raja

In view of the July 13 triple blasts, security has been beefed up at Mumbai's famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh mandal with organisers insuring it for Rs 14 crore, an increase of Rs 4 crore from last year.

 Ganesh Chaturthi beginning tomorrow is the biggest festival in Maharashtra and Lalbaugcha Raja is one of the oldest and the most popular 'mandals' in the metropolis attracting around one crore devotees including film stars and politicians following which tight arrangements have been made.

 "It has been noticed that every year before the Ganesh festival some untoward incident takes place. To ensure a safe festival we have enhanced our security this time. We have deployed 300 private guards, last year there were 200. Also, the number of CCTV cameras have been increased from 35 to around 70," Lalbaugcha Raja President Ashok Pawar said.

 Also, there will be metal detector door frames and handheld detectors. Besides police security, we will also have our around 2,500 volunteers, he said. The mandal has also secured an insurance policy worth Rs 14 crore in case of any eventuality.

 "The mandal has been insured for Rs 14 crore, an increase of Rs four crores. Devotees have been insured for Rs five crores, last year the insurance cover for them was Rs three crore. For jewellery of the deity Rs six crores have been kept aside. Last year it was Rs four crore. The insurance cover for the pandal remains same--Rs three crore," Pawar said.

 Last year, the mandal had erected an air-conditioned pavilion for devotees but this time there will be no such facility. "To enable better circulation of air we had installed AC. But the effect was not cooling and there were suffocation complaints. We have put of lot of fans this year," he said. The organisers have reduced the height of the stage from 3 ft to 1.5 ft. "We have done this for devotees so that they find it easier to touch the deity and seek his blessings," he said.

Nuclear capable Agni II likely to be tested today

India's nuclear capable Agni-II intermediate range ballistic missile, with a striking range of 2,000 km, is likely to be test fired as part of user trial by the army from the Integrated Test Range at Wheeler Island off Orissa coast tomorrow.

"The trial of the indigenously made sophisticated missile is to be conducted from the ITR in the Wheelers Island, about 70 km from Chandipur defence base sea," Defence sources said today.
Range integration work in the ITR for the proposed trial of Agni-II missile is complete and after a final check-up in the sub-systems of the missile, the mission will be taken up tomorrow, they said.
It is a user's trial by army and Strategic Forces Command (SFC) would conduct the test with logistic support provided by the ITR, the sources said.
"All necessary preparations for the trial have been completed and if everything goes well, the trial will be conducted as per schedule tomorrow," they said.
Senior officials, experts and scientists would be present during the trial, they said.

Kochi: Flight skids off runway, 7 injured

At least seven passengers were injured when a Gulf Air Flight from Bahrain with 137 passengers on board, deviated from the runway just before landing at the nearby International airport early on Monday.

The runway has been closed for bigger aircraft following the incident, airport director ACK Nair said. One passenger who was injured has been admitted to a nearby hospital and the others were discharged after first aid. It would take another 10 hours for the airport to be fully operational. However, smaller ATR aircrafts can land, he said

The Gulf Air flight GF 270 with six crew deviated from the run way at 4:10am Monday morning. Some passengers in panic, jumped down from the aircraft through the emergency door even before the ladder was brought to the flight, airport sources said.

Saithmohed (47) fromPalakkad who suffered some fractures has been hospitalized. According to sources, the mishap could have occurred due to heavy wind and rain at the time of landing of the aircraft.

Mumbai faces monsoon fury

Train services on the Central and Harbour line were disrupted in the city today following heavy rains in the metropolis last night. Traffic was affected due to water logging in the tracks in several low-lying areas in the city inconveniencing daily commuters and office goers.

  

Water logging was reported from several places including Sion and Kurla paralysing suburban services between Thane and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) on the Central line. On Harbour line traffic between Panvel and CST stations was crippled due to inundated rail tracks in Chunabhatti, Chembur and Mankhurd stations. However, trains on the Western line were running late by 15-20 minutes.

  

"Due to heavy downpour resulting in waterlogging at several stations on Central and Harbour line, train services have been stopped for sometime. We are waiting for the water to recede to resume services," AK Singh, Central Railway PRO said.

  

Vehicular traffic was also affected due to water-logging in areas like suburban Parel, Hindmata, Dadar, Milan subway Andheri, Santacruz, Kurla, Vikhroli, Ghatkopar and Vile Parle. Air services have remained unaffected as of now.

Rancho's school back to life in Leh

A year after it was hit by flash floods, Druk Padma School, popular as Rancho's school after Aamir Khan's character in 3 Idiots, has come back to life. The flash floods and mudslides had devastated a wide swath around Leh and caused huge loss to the school, 15 km from Leh and located in Shey, the ancient capital of Ladakh.

 But after support from different parts of the country and the world, the school is back in action and now is home to about 270 children, 67 of whom are from the flood-affected areas. "This school is meant to educate the deprived children of this region. We also provide hostel facilities for students. Besides, the school organises free medical camps for the people of Ladakh," said Prasad Eledath, the school Principal.

 "It is our endeavour to provide world class education to the kids. The students here study Bothi (the local language), English, and Hindi as well as science, creative arts, and sports," he said. Besides, the students also learn skills, including team work, presentation skills through formal and co-curricular activities, he said, adding that by next year he would like to upgrade the school to Class X.

 "Inspired by the vision of His Holiness the 12^th Gyalwang Drukpa, spiritual leader of Ladakh, the school aims to provide modern education for Ladakhi children – an education grounded in their own culture and which could prepare them to lead happy and productive lives," Prasad said.

Reliance overtakes ONGC as most-valued comp

Reliance Industries today reclaimed the numero-uno position in the domestic market capitalisation charts, racing past state-run ONGC to emerge as the country`s most-valued company yet again. With a market value of Rs 2,42,283 crore at 1027 hours this morning, RIL surpassed ONGC`s market cap of Rs 2,38,270 crore to reclaim the top position.

  

On Friday, ONGC had toppled billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries to claim the title of the country`s most-valued company. Shares of RIL went up by 3.49 per cent to touch an early high of Rs 744.65 on the BSE today. The surge in the bellwether stock was a significant contributor to the overall bullish trend in the market, with the benchmark Sensex trading higher by 348.39 points at 16,197.22 at 1027 hours.

  

The share price of ONGC, too, rose by 1.43 per cent to touch an early peak of Rs 282 on the BSE. At the end of Friday`s trade, RIL had a market cap of Rs 2,35,571 crore, while ONGC commanded a market value of Rs 2,37,842 crore.

  

RIL had first toppled ONGC to become the country`s most-valued firm way back in late 2006, but the state-run energy giant later reclaimed the top position, albeit only for a few brief period. In the past few days, a veritable game of musical chairs has been played out between the country`s most-valued firms on the bourses.

Earlier, on August 17, state-run Coal India Ltd (CIL) had dethroned RIL to become the country`s top-valued firm. Then, two days later on August 19, RIL briefly slipped to third position in the valuation charts, after CIL and ONGC, only to reclaim the No. 2 position by the market close. CIL`s stint at the top proved to be short-lived, with RIL reclaiming this position within six days on August 23.

  

A day later, on August 24, CIL lost further ground and slipped to third position in the valuation charts after RIL and ONGC. CIL continues to be the country`s third-most valued company, with total market capitalisation of Rs 2,31,052 crore this morning.

Anna breaks fast after 288 hours

Anna Hazare ended his fast on the 13th day by drinking cocunut water and honey. He will now spend some time an the Ramlila Maidan and then go straight to the hospital.

A Team Anna member said the 74-year-old Gandhian will go to Medanta Medicity in Haryana`s Gurgaon soon after he breaks his fast.Doctors are concerned about his health as his fast enters the 13th day today with his internal organs getting affected.

Hazare had lost at least 7.5 kg since August 16 when he sat on a hunger strike for a strong Lokpal Bill. He now weighs 64.5 kg.

A roaring crowd greeted Gandhian Anna Hazare this morning at Ramlila Maidan as he emerged on the dais to break his fast.

Clad in his trademark white dhoti-kurta and Gandhi cap, Hazare came to the stage at 9:30 am from his tent and waved to the crowds and chanted `Bharat Mata ki Jai`, `Vande Mataram` and `Inquilab Zindabad`.

A visibly weak 74-year-old Hazare had trouble walking as he walked, with the fast launched on August 16 for a strong Lokpal apparently a toll on his health.

Sitting cross-legged and with folded hands, he listened to Mahatma Gandhi`s favourite hymn `Raghupati Raghava Rajaram` even as several children joined him on the stage.

He was also seen chatting with his close associates Manish Sisodia and Kiran Bedi. The waiting people, some of whom were at Ramlila Maidan since last night, went ecstatic as the activist emerged on the dais.

People are hoisting flags and chanting slogans making the atmosphere festive and jubilant.

Demanding passing of Janlokpal Bill by the Parliament, Hazare went on fast from August 16.

19 IAS officers transfered in Haryana

In a major administrative reshuffle, Haryana Government issued transfer and posting orders of 19 IAS officers with immediate effect. Financial Commissioner (FC) and Principal Secretary (PS), of Women & Child Development Department, Shakunatala Jakhu has been transfered at the same position in Food & Supplies Department.
Navraj Sandhu, has been made FC and PS of Health Department in place of Rajan Kumar Gupta who will be new FC and PS, Transport and Civil Aviation Department, an official release said today.  SS Dhillon, FC and PS, Town & Country Planning and Urban Estates Department will also look after the Urban Local Bodies Department while Dheera Khandelwal has been appointed as FC and PS of Women & Child Development Department.

TC Gupta, Director General, and Special Secretary Town and Country Planning and Urban Estates Department will also look after the Urban Local Bodies. Project Director Swaran Jayanti Shehri Rozgar Yojna and State Urban Development Society, Haryana vice Balbir Singh Malik who has been posted as Director General, and Special Secretary, Higher Education, Haryana vice Vineet Garg who becomes State Project Director, Haryana Prathmic Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad and Project Director, Rastriya Madhyamic Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) vice Mandip Singh Brar whose posting orders will be issued later.

Arun Kumar, Managing Director, Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitaran Nigam Ltd and Additional Managing Director, Haryana Vidyut Prasarn Nigam and A K Singh, Director General and special Secretary, State Transport and Advisor and Special Secretary, Civil Aviation will swap their places of posting.
Arun Kumar will also look after the work of Director, Renewal Energy, Haryana.

Need to fight corruption: Rahul Gandhi

Lok Sabha on Friday witnessed total chaos when Congress MP,Rahul Gandhi,was speaking on Anna’s agitation. He said that he has his own doubts that only one bill can eradicate corruption. I

n his very fiery speech, he said that in order to root out the corruption, there is great need for political statesmanship.

He was of the opinion that corruption has taken very deep roots in our system. “ Our biggest system is our political system.Anna Hazare has helped articulate public sentiment, I thank him for that”, says Rahul.

He also said Lokpal alone cannot be a substitute to anti-corruption code, a set of laws is required. “ We can't wish away corruption, it will require comprehensive programme of action,” says Rahul Gandhi.

Facebook encourages alcohol abuse

How much time does your child spend on Facebook? Teenagers who regularly use social networking sites are much more likely to drink, smoke and use marijuana, a new study has claimed.

The Columbia University study of 1,000 American teenagers aged between 12 and 17 years found that those who used such sites daily were five times more likely to smoke tobacco than
those who did not.

Similarly, they are three times more likely to drink alcohol and twice as likely to use marijuana. The poll also found that 70 per cent of those interviewed said they used social networking sites on a typical day, while 30 per cent did not, the Daily Telegraph reported. One of the main reasons for going on such sits, besides actually communicating with friends, is to keep tabs on peers
by looking at their photographs.
But the study found that pictures of teenagers "drunk, passed out, or using drugs on Facebook and other sites" were "rampant". However, parents seemed unaware that browsing such sites could increase their child's likelihood of abusing drink or drugs, with almost nine in 10 believing it did not have an effect on them, the researchers said.

Joseph Califano, founder of National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at the university, called on operators of Facebook and others to instigate tighter controls to block such photographs. "The time has come for those who operate and profit from social networking sites like Facebook to deploy their expertise to curb such images and to deny use of their sites to children and teens who post pictures of themselves and their friends drunk, passed out or using drugs," he said. The survey also found that one in five teenagers claimed to have been bullied online. (PTI)

Now you can fill petrol at your own

Now, you can fill petrol in your vehicle at your own.Indian Oil Corp (IOC) has introduced the nation's first petrol pump with self service refuelling facility.

However, an attendant will be available at the bay for assistance and to educate the customer on refuelling system, nozzle handling and collection of the automation bill. He will also collect the payment.

The first self-refuelling petrol pump opened in the national capital. It was inaugurated by Amresh Kapoor, General Manager in-charge of IOC Delhi State Office. Under the concept, the customer shall be provided the option of refuelling his vehicle either through the pre loaded automation tags or the manual option by feeding the quantity to be dispensed by the dispensing unit It is said that the self dispensing system Is quite popular at the fuel stations abroad and is expected to generate lot of interest, especially among the youth.

Doctors concerned about Anna's health

Doctors today said they were concerned about the health of Anna Hazare as his fast entered
the tenth day.

“We have examined him this morning. There is stability in blood pressure and heart beat. He has taken rest. He had six litres of water and the ketone levels have come down," Dr Naresh Trehan told reporters here.
Trehan said it was a "matter of concern" that for the past 10 days, Hazare was on fast and that he has not eaten anything.
"This will have an effect on his body...Till now, he has already managed for 10 days and he is stable. We are monitoring his health round-the-clock," he said, adding that doctors were checking his condition every two hours.

Rahul concerned over logjam on Hazare issue

Rahul Gandhi today said that he was concerned over the logjam in the wake of Anna Hazare's agitation against  corruption.

"Of course I am concerned," was his brief response when asked whether he is concerned about the stand off on the Lokpal issue and Hazare's refusal to end the fast.
The AICC general secretary made the remark after coming out of the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting during which Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee briefed party leaders on the Hazare issue.
Though Gandhi did not speak in the meeting, a number of party MPs including some young leaders made their suggestions and put questions to Mukherjee.
A number of Congress MPs had earlier disagreed with the way the Hazare issue was handled. 

Anna`s fast enters tenth day today

As Anna Hazare`s fast entered tenth day today, thousands of his supporters organised mass prayers for the well being of the Gandhian leader. A large number of Anna supporters stayed at the Ramlila ground whole night singing patriotic songs and chanting anti government slogans. Meanwhile, government has invited team Anna for fourth round of talks today to break logjam. However, Team Anna is not warm about this invite.

  

Apart from them, people belonging to different region and religion continues to pour in to show their solidarity for the 73-year-old Gandhian, who has been fasting since August 16, demanding passing of Janlokpal Bill in the Parliament.

  

The huge ground, which has a mosque and temple inside, was abuzz with activities as protesters were seen making anti-graft posters and pasting them on walls. "I have been staying here for past five days, I only go to mosque to offer namaz and come back to join Anna`s movement," said Asfaq, a businessman.

  

A number of young volunteers were involved in assisting people in getting medical help and food. "It is a mini `Kumbh` for us, I have never seen such a great public support for any leader, Anna will surely help in uprooting corruption from the country," said Rakesh Singh, who had come from Allahabad to participate in the campaign.

  

During the day scores of people gather around media persons or tv cameras covering the protest round-the-clock. "I do not know why government is opposing Anna. He is asking for an anti-corruption bill for the benefit for the masses," said RK Vij, an event manager.

  

Organisers here have made sufficient arrangements for food at `anna ki rasoi` and water among other things for visitors and protesters. People also complained about inconvenience being faced by them in reaching the venue.

  

"The wrong sign boards at New Delhi metro station are confusing people. If you follow them it will take you away from Ramlila ground," said Mrityunjay, a Faridabad resident. "I had to walk at least one kilometre to reach Ramlila ground, I could not get any auto as all of them have been removed from here due to the ongoing agitation," said 65-year-old Janaki Devi.

Anna effect: Mumbai Muslims differ with Delhi Imam

Ignoring the criticism of Anna Hazare-led anti-graft movement by Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari, members of the minority community in the metropolis continued to lend their support to the Gandhian's campaign for a strong Lokpal Bill.

On August 22, Bukhari had said communalism was a bigger threat than corruption, and sought to know why Muslims were not involved in the movement.

He also pointed out that slogans of 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', that were a staple of Hazare's stir, caused disquiet among the Muslims.


The local Muslims, however, differed from the Imam and said nobody forced them to raise these slogans. As a mark of solidarity with the 73-year-old social activist who is fasting in Delhi since August 16, several Muslims are sitting on a fast at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.

Around 300 members of the community belonging to various NGOs today organised a rally from Crawford market to Azad Maidan, in support of Hazare's Jan Lokpal Bill. "I fasted from August 16 to 23.


The good thing is the movement has gathered people from all religions and sactions of society. And the Imam is not the leader of our community and no one has forced us to raise particular slogans. People are shouting slogans on their own will," Feroze Mithaiborwale, National President of Bharat Bachav Andalon, told PTI.

"But we feel Hazare should have involved people from all sections of society for a debate on his Bill," he said.

Salim Alware, who was part of the rally, said "every Indian is suffering due to corruption - be it  indus or Muslims or Christians. After the Imam made his statement, it was necessary for Muslims like us to come out and show our support to Anna."

I will not die till Lokpal Bill is passed: Hazare

"Nothing to worry, I will not die till the Lokpal Bill is passed," Anna Hazare today said as worries over his health mounted on the 10th day of his fast. Making an appearance on the dais a little before noon, the 74-year-old Gandhian raised slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' thrice and waved to the crowd to assure them that he was alright.

"Doctors have examined me. There is nothing to worry. I have lost six and half kg. By God's grace and the energy I receive from you, there is no difficulty. "Now I have faith that I will not die till the Lokpal Bill is passed," he told cheering supporters gathered at Ramlila Maidan where he is sitting on an indefinite fast demanding a strong Lokpal.

Earlier in the day, doctors said they were concerned about the health of Hazare as his fast entered the 10th day. "We have examined him this morning. There is stability in his blood pressure and heart beat. He has taken rest. He had six litres of water and the ketone levels have come down," Dr Naresh Trehan told reporters here.

Trehan said it was a "matter of concern" that for the past 10 days, Hazare was on fast and that he has not eaten anything. "This will have an effect on his body...Till now, he has already managed for 10 days and he is stable. We are monitoring his health round-the-clock," he said.

Varun Gandhi at Ramlila Maidan

BJP MP Varun Gandhi, who has given a notice in Lok Sabha for tabling Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal Bill as a private members' bill, today sat with protesters at Ramlila Maidan where the Gandhian is on a fast.

Wearing a green kurta and sporting a tricolour badge, the 31-year-old Philibit MP came to the ground around 8:30 am and sat in the protesters' enclosure. "I have come here as a common man," Gandhi said.

Security stepped up at Ramlila Maidan

Police today stepped up security arrangement at the Ramlila Maidan here to ensure safety of anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, who is fasting for the past nine days demanding a strong Lokpal.

The presence of security force was nearly doubled and over 60 Delhi police personnel were put at and around the stage where 73-year-old Gandhian is holding peaceful protest.
Besides, several policemen were strategically put at high rises around the ground and inside it to keep any untoward incident at bay. Nearly 500 security personnel, including troops of Central Reserve Police Force, have also been deployed.
Delhi police have installed CCTV cameras at the Ramlila ground.
"We have taken all measures to ensure security and safety of people here. Our men are posted here round the clock," a senior police official said, adding that the security will be further strengthened seeing the supporters turn out.

Showdown between Govt and Army

It seems that last word has still not written on the date of birth related controversy related to Indian Army chief. In the lastest development,countering the defence ministry’s instructions on considering May 10, 1950 as Army chief General V K Singh’s correct date of birth, Army headquarters has written back questioning how changing official records could be considered legally viable.

Setting the stage for a fresh confrontation with the defence ministry, which had held last month that 1950 should be considered as Singh’s correct year of birth and not one year later as many records reflect, the Adjutant General’s (AG’s) branch has written to the ministry asking for a legal explanation on changing records.

The branch has written to the ministry asking it to spell out the reasons for concluding that 1950 is the correct year of birth.

Anna's health is alright

The health of anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare, who has been fasting for the past nine days demanding a strong Lokpal, is alright, one of his close aides said today.

"He is alright at present. He is taking rest. A team of doctors is continuously monitoring him," Manish Sisodia, a close associate of Hazare told reporters.

Hazare has lost 5.6 kg since he began his fast on August 16 and traces of ketone were also found in his blood.


The social activist had disregarded doctor`s advice yesterday to be put on Intravenous (IV) drip and refused to take any medicine. He had also warned government against trying to forcibly evict him from the protest site of Ramlila Maidan here.


A team of doctors headed by Naresh Trehan had advised Hazare to get hospitalised, but the Gandhian refused to do so.

"The entire team has examined Anna Hazare. There are changes in his vital signs. We told him that he needs hospitalisation. But he refused saying I want to be here with the people," Trehan had said.

Meanwhile, another close aide of Hazare Arvind Kejriwal said they were waiting for the government`s response on yesterday`s talks on their demands over the Jan Lokpal Bill.

"We are waiting for government response. We held a detailed discussion with government representative yesterday. We have already given them our demand in writing. They had told us to revert by today..." Kejriwal said.

"We want that government should accept all our demands. We have raised certain points which need to be answered by them. Both the Jan Lokpal Bill and Judicial Accountability Bill have to be passed by Parliament together," Kejriwal said when asked about when the 73-year-old Gandhian would end his fast.

Sonia expected to return by first week of Sept

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who underwent a surgery in the US, is expected to return by this weekend or in the first week of September.

Sources said, that there has been considerable improvement in Gandhi`s medical condition and she has been informed of the Anna Hazare issue.

At the AICC briefing, party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said, "We always look forward to her guidance and also expect to have it in very near future."

Replying to questions on, whether the government is unable to handle the crisis in absence of the party president, Singhvi said, "We surely miss the Congress President`s presence but issues have to be dealt with even in her absence."
  
Top sources in the party said Gandhi, who is recuperating after having undergone a surgery in the US on August 4, has been kept in loop about the developments back home and she could come back by month end or by the first week of next month.
Rahul Gandhi, who accompanied her mother to the US, came back here over a week back and was present at the flag hoisting ceremony at the AICC headquarters on August 15.

Sonia Gandhi had constituted a four-member team of Rahul Gandhi, A K Antony, Ahmed Patel and Janardan Dwivedi to look after party affairs in the state in her absence.

Infiltration bid foiled;5 militants killed in Kashmir

Five militants and an Army officer were killed and two jawans injured as troops on Saturday foiled a major infiltration bid near the Line of Control in Gurez sector of Kashmir Valley.

A large group of heavily-armed militants was trying to sneak into the Gurez Valley from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir when they were noticed by troops.The militants were challenged by the soldiers, leading to a gunbattle.

“Five militants have been killed so far and the operation is in progress,” Defence Spokesman Lt Col J S Brar said.He said a Lieutenant was also killed while two soldiers were injured in the operation.This is one of the biggest infiltration bid by militants from PoK this year.

Attempts by militants to infiltrate from PoK into the Valley have increased as the natural passes along the LoC will be soon closed with the onset of winter.

Hindus to celebrate Janmashtami on Monday

The Hindus in Pakistan are all set to celebrate Janmashtami marking the birth of Lord Sri Krishna on August 22. Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) will also hold some celebrations on the festival and illuminate Hindu temples.

According to one estimate,more than 7 mln Hindus are currently living in the different parts of the country, but majority of Hindus live in the province of Sindh, said Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani of PHC. Special Pujas will be held in Sri Krishna Temples spread around the world and millions of people visit the shrines. Special Pujas and rituals are held at midnight the time of Krishna’s birth while staunch Krishna devotees fast on the day. It is a 24-hour fast.

Sri Krishna is considered as the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu’s, (one of three major Hindu gods) on earth. He is considered to be the Lord’s most glorious incarnations. It is said that his remembrance with true heart brings extreme joy and pleasure as Sri Krishna himself was a manifestation of joy at all levels and in all walks of life. Since Sri Krishna lived in luxury throughout his life, Sri Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated with pomp and splendor.

Plenty of sweets are made on this day. Among these are laddus, payasam (kheer), etc. In addition, plenty of milk products especially butter, which was Sri Krishna’s favorite childhood food, is given in offerings. A wide variety of fruits are also offered. The life and message of Sri Krishna is the most stirring saga of one of the greatest savior.

Gandhian Talks Tough

Anna Hazare`s fast demanding a  strong Lokpal entered the fifth day today with his Team saying they were ready to talk to the government but no such communication channels have been opened.

Hazare came to the podium at around 10 am as supporters started pouring in Ramlila Maidan where he launched his protest yesterday after coming out of Tihar Jail. The 73-year-old anti-corruption crusader alleged the funds in government treasuries were being threatened not by thieves but from those guard it and the country is being threatened by these traitors.

"Why should we fight? The funds in government treasuries are ours. The treasuries are not threatened by thieves but by those who guards it. The country is not betrayed by enemies but by these traitors," the Gandhian said.

He said he has lost three-and-half kg in the last four days. "I feel a little weak. But there is nothing to worry about it. The fight will go on till we get a strong Lokpal," Hazare said in his brief address to the gathering.

His close associate Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia said the Team was ready to talk to the government on the issue of Lokpal Bill but no one has approached them. "We are ready to talk to the government but there is no communication from their side. Where should we go to talk and whom should we talk to?" Kejriwal and Sisodia said.

Hazare had yesterday raised the political stakes by giving a deadline to the government to pass the Jan Lokpal bill by August 30 failing which he would continue his fast "till my last breath".  On the deadline, former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan said  the government can pass it within days if it has a "strong
will" to do it.

"It can happen. I have been a Union Law Minister and I know how things happen in government," he told the gathering. Asked whether the deadline was a little impractical, Kejriwal told reporters, "If the government desires, it can pass 15 bills in five minutes. But for the anti-corruption bill, they are taking more than 42 years. So we want to know how many more years will they take?" The government version encourages corruption and saves the corrupt, Kejriwal alleged and demanded that the Lokpal Bill introduced in Parliament be "rejected completely" and the Jan Lokpal Bill be replaced by it.

Reacting to the newspaper advertisements seeking suggestions from public on Lokpal Bill, Kejriwal said it appeared to be an exercise which will waste the time of people and Parliamentarians.

"We appeared before the Standing Committee earlier and told them that the present bill is actually for promotion of corruption and save the corrupt people. It ends up in targeting those who complain against corruption," he said.

Kejriwal said they had urged the Standing Committee to reject the bill and send it back to Parliament. "It is wasting precious time on a wrong and faulty bill," he said. "This seeking of feedback is basically to divert attention," he said.

Asked about some MPs, including BJP`s Varun Gandhi, planning to introducing Jan Lokpal Bill as private bills, he said private bills do not achieve much. Earlier in the morning, police conducted extensive searches in the Maidan to ensure that no suspicious objects were planted there.

Six cops killed in Karachi attack

In a bloody sectarian clashes that has already rocked the port city, at least six policemen were killed and 50 others were injured early Saturday when a police vehicle was attacked by militants in Pakistani port city of Karachi.Shootings and other violent crimes in Karachi have led to the death of at least 59 people in the past three days, media reports said.

Attack took place in the early hours when a bus carrying more than 50 policemen in plain clothes was attacked.
Two assailants were also killed, while four injured policemen were in critical condition, said Xinhua. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the police were on their way to carry out a search operation in the area when they came under attack.

Now, Anna on his way to Ramlila ground

Anna Hazare came out from jail after staying inside the high-walls of Tihar jail here on Friday. Now, he will go to Rajghat, the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi, before he launches his fortnight long protest from Ramlila Grounds.

73-year-old Hazare, who is on fast for the fourth day and had spent the last three nights in Tihar jail, will address the crowd of supporters that have been thronging outside the prison complex for the last four days.

Hazare`s associate Kiran Bedi told reporters that he will go in a procession from the jail to Mayapuri, distance of about four-five kms and then drive down to Rajghat. From there he will go to India Gate in central Delhi before moving to Ramlila Grounds, a short distance from there. She appealed to the supporters not to block roads and traffic.

Meanwhile,team Anna Hazare  said the 15-day fast for a strong Lokpal Bill may go beyond the period depending upon the government`s response to the agitation. Hazare`s associate and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal said the 73-year-old Gandhian was actually planning a longer programme for the protest fast but there was a legal problem.

Delhi Police offered 21 days and later the two sides agreed on 15 days but that can be reviewed and the protest can be prolonged depending on what the government does on the demands put forward by Hazare, he said.


Hazare, who began his fast on August 16, has been demanding acceptance by the government of the Janlokpal Bill that would bring within its ambit the Prime Minister, higher judiciary and the conduct of MPs within Parliament besides other provisions. Kejriwal said Hazare`s health was fine and was not a matter of concern.

He said Hazare will leave Tihar Jail at about 11 am for Ramlila Maidan. Hazare, who has been in Tihar since August 16, will go in a car to the Ramlila Maidan, he said."He should leave around 11 am," Kejriwal said.

Asked if statements coming out that Hazare`s fast in indefinite and not a fast unto death was a climbdown, Kejriwal said, "There is no climbdown. Anna Hazare never used the word fast unto death. It is an indefinite fast. Anna used the word indefinite because it is more spiritual. Fast unto death seems a little more in the connotation of blackmail." He blamed the media for using the word fast unto death.

Replying to a questions about the possibility of certain organisations and individuals supporting the movement becoming violent, he said, "You have seen the movement so far remaining non-violent. This shows the spirituality of the entire movement."

At last, Anna to fast at Ramlila Maidan

After two nights in Tihar Jail and hard bargaining, Anna Hazare and government reached an agreement early this morning under which Delhi Police removed all restrictions and allowed him to carry out his hunger strike for a fortnight in the spacious Ramlila Maidan here.

The breakthrough in the battle of attrition between the two sides came in the wee hours of the day after top aides of Hazare met Delhi Police Commissioner BK Gupta and reached an agreement.

The deal marks a major climbdown from government and police`s earlier insistence that the fast would be allowed at JP Park, a smaller venue, only for three days with maximum of 5,000 protesters besides a number of other conditions. The agreement came more than 40 hours after Hazare`s arrest of Tuesday and release the same night. However, the Gandhian refused to come out of the jail, continued his fast and carried out hard negotiations from Tihar through his emissaries.

Activist Kiran Bedi tweeted early morning that Hazare has accepted the Delhi Police offer of 15 days and announced that he will go to Ramlila Maidan after 3 pm. However, another close aide of the 73-year-old Gandhian said this morning that it may not be possible for Hazare to launch his protest from the Ramlila Ground today as the venue was full of muck and needs cleaning up.

"I have just spoken to Commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (KS Mehra) who has promised me that a Deputy Commissioner would supervise the cleaning up operations at the Maidan," Kejriwal said. He said Hazare going to the protest venue "looked difficult" as of now. "We can`t give a time as to whether it would start today...if it is possible, (he may do it)."

Mumbai girl Swapnali to attempt Fiji swim

Young Mumbai long distance swimmer Swapnali Yadav will take part in the 19-km Denaru Island to Beachcomer Island relay swim competition in Fiji on August 25.

Swapnali is set to leave for Fiji on August 19, a media release said today. Swimmers take to the course either as teams of five, duo or solo, with each of them accompanied by a boat and kayak for the distance.

Participants in the Pacific Ocean swim include former greats like Australian Shane Gould, who once held all world freestyle records from 100m to 1500m concurrently and remains the only swimmer to win three Olympic gold medals in world record times, and American Natalie Coughlin, a three-time Olympic gold medal winner.

Twelve-year-old Andheri school girl Swapnali won the 20km Kimberley National Lake Argyle Swim on April 30 in Australia's second-biggest crocodile-infested artificial lake. Swapnali had won the women's category and finished second overall in the open category.

Sri Sri Ravishankar met Anna at Tihar jail

The Art of Living Foundation head Sri Sri Ravishankar on Tuesday late reached the Tihar jail to meet Anna Hazare who is lodged there after his arrest. "I have come here to meet Anna Hazare", Sri Sri Ravishankar told reporters outside the main gate of the jail well past midnight.

  

Asked to comment on the government`s action against Hazare, Sri Sri Ravishankar said "will any sane person say that it was the right action?" In a veiled criticism of Congress, he criticized the "double-speak" of the party saying "it is not good that one day Hazare is accused of corruption and the next day you say this is not good".

Anna's arrest was unfortunate: PM

Prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said the arrest of Anna Hazare by Delhi police was unfortunate. Making a statement in Lok Sabha on Wednesday on the arrest of Hazare, he said that team Anna was insisting that their version of the Lokpal Bill should be tabled in the parliament. He also said that Anna was not ready to accept some of the key conditions set by the police in order to hold the fast at the JP park.

 Earlier, Congress Core Group meeting concluded over Anna issue. In the meeting, members including Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister AK Antony, Home Minister P Chidambaram and political advisor of Congress Chief Ahmed Patel discussed pros and cons of the issue.

 It was decided in the meeting that Prime Minister should make a statement in Lok Sabha on Anna. In this connection, party has also issued a whip to its MPs' and asked them to present in the house during debate. Highly placed party sources claimed that backroom dialogues between government and Anna has already been started to appease him.

Record: 20 lakh passengers travel on Metro

The Delhi Metro witnessed a record footfall on last Friday, with more than 20 lakhs passengers travelling on the network. The target was achieved a good five months before Metro chief E. Sreedharan’s prediction, who had expected the network to achieve this figure only towards the end of 2011.On Friday, Metro’s ridership was recorded at 20,66,925.

 Metro officials attribute the increased ridership, which generally peaks on Mondays, to waterlogged streets in various parts of the city, following persistent albeit intermittent rainfall throughout late Thursday night and well into early Friday morning .The maximum ridership was recorded on the Dwarka- Noida/ and Yamuna Bank/ Vaishali line at 7,98,498 passengers, with the Jahangirpuri- HUDA City Centre close on its heels at 7,14,314.

More trouble for Baba Ramdev

Even as anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare and his team is facing the wrath of police,all is not well even for Baba Ramdev.

Sources say that the stage is being set for action against yoga guru Baba Ramdev, with a multi-agency probe revealing that companies owned by his trusts have clandestinely sent large amounts of money abroad, official sources said.

These entities are among 100-odd companies owned by Baba's trusts in Kanpur, some of which were launched as late as last month.

 The Enforcement Directorate is investigating two large remittances allegedly made by Ramdev's trusts -$300,000 sent to London and $80,000 sent to Madagascar, an island off the southeastern coast of Africa.

Anna's arrest rocks parliament

It was total chaos in Parliament over Anna Hazare's arrest when it reconvened on Tuesday. Opposition members were very annoyed with the government. The BJP sought the suspension of Question Hour in Rajya Sabha to discuss the Anna issue. Party spokesperson Prakash Javdekar served a notice in Rajya Sabha and Sushma Swaraj moved the notice in Lok Sabha. And in Rajya Sabha, "The government is adamant that they will not allow the House to run," said BJP leader Arun Jaitley.

Calling Team Anna's arrest an emergency like situation, the BJP demanded that the prime minister must answer on the crackdown. "This is murder of democracy by the government within the House and outside the House," said Jaitley. Anna detention throws Parliament out of gear.

The government objected to the demand throwing the Lok Sabha into turmoil, while the Rajya Sabha witnessed ruling party members opposing permission by the Chair to Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley to raise the matter. When the Lok Sabha met for the day, Speaker Meira Kumar informed the House that suspension of Question Hour notices had been given by Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta and JD(U) member Sharad Yadav among others.

They wanted an immediate debate on the detention of Hazare and on the larger issue of corruption. The Lok Sabha Speaker disallowed the notices for adjournment motion given by Yogi Adityanath (BJP) and Shailendra Kumar (SP) on Hazare and some issues related to Uttar Pradesh.

She said there was no provision for suspension of Question Hour in Lok Sabha but asked the members making this demand to "briefly touch upon the subject". However, when Swaraj rose to speak, Parliamentary Affairs Minister P K Bansal intervened and said, "My submission is that the government is prepared for a discussion at 12 (noon). They make their point and then the House is disrupted..." He insisted that if Swaraj is allowed to speak, the Home Minister should also be allowed to make a statement.

Delhi under tight security ahead of I-Day

On the eve of Independence Day celebrations, an elaborate ground-to-air security apparatus has been put in place in the capital to pre-empt any terror strike.
Thousands of Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in and around the city, especially near the Red Fort from where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will unfurl the tricolour and address the nation.
  
The Union Home Ministry has already issued a country-wide alert asking states to tighten security at sensitive locations and installations to thwart any attempt of terror strike.
"We have deployed personnel in abundance. We are not taking any chance," a senior police official said.
Around 40 CCTVs will be installed in and around the Red Fort to ensure incident-free celebrations while sharpshooters of the NSG will be deployed on the high-rises near the 17th century Mughal monument.

Security agencies are constantly reviewing arrangements at the Red Fort and have zeroed in on the 'safe houses' where the Prime Minister and other leaders should be taken to in case of a terrorist strike.
According to a senior police official, the localities around Red Fort have been sanitised and informers have been deployed to keep a check on any movement of anti-national elements. Specialised units like Quick Reaction Teams, SWAT and Vajra are being deployed, the official said.
An intense vigil will also be maintained on key installations like Parliament complex, international airport, railway stations, inter-state bus terminals and Metro stations.

Guj govt. charge-sheets IPS officer over riots

The Gujarat government on Saturday charge-sheeted IPS officer Rahul Sharma for alleged misconduct in not submitting the original CDs containing mobile phone call records related to the 2002 communal riots.
“Rahul Sharma has been served the copy of charge sheet today,” Gujarat government spokesperson Jaynarayan Vyas told media persons here.
Mr. Sharma confirmed that he has received the copy of the charge-sheet. Mr. Sharma was served the first notice on January 27. He was served the final notice on July 28 and was asked to file reply to the notice within 15 days.
The officer has been accused of gross misconduct under Sec 3(1) of All India Service Rules 1969.
He has been accused of not submitting the CDs containing phone call records during the riots to respective investigating officers of Naroda Gam, Naroda Patia and Gulburg Society case.
The charge-sheet came a day after Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the Centre is willing to intervene in the matter.
Mr. Chidambaram said there are rules which allow the Centre to intervene.
“Rules do provide for central government to take certain decisions but this depends on officer concerned. If officer concerned raises it we can,” said Mr. Chidambaram.
According to the state government, Mr. Sharma’s conduct had become unbecoming of an IPS officer as he did not submit the CDs to his superiors when he was transferred from the post of DCP control, Ahmedabad.
The High Court on Friday rejected Mr. Sharma’s petition seeking details of the grounds on which he was served a show cause notice by the state government early this year over providing phone call records pertaining to 2002 riots.

MLA announces retirement from politics

A sitting MLA of ruling BSP from Bharthana in Etawah district Shiv Prasad Yadav hasdecided to retire from active politics. "The current political situation is not in my favour. Therefore, I have decided to retire from politics," Yadav said in a letter. Yadav, however, said that he would continue to support party supremo Mayawati.

The sitting MLA was elected in 2009 by-poll elections after defeating an SP candidate. The by-poll was held after SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav vacated the seat after being elected to Lok Sabha.

8 killed, 7 more feared dead as bus falls in gorge

Eight persons were killed and seven others feared dead as a bus carrying a troupe of folk dancers from Leh in Jammu and Kashmir plunged into a deep gorge near Gamoor, 20 km from here, police said today.

Seven other persons were injured as the 22-member troupe was on its way from Leh to Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh to participate in a three-day tribal fair beginning today when the bus met with the accident late last night, they said.

 "Seven persons were rescued while eight bodies have been recovered," Vimal Gupta, SP, Lahaul and Spiti, told PTI over phone.

The death toll could be more as seven persons were suspected to be trapped at the spot which is "too deep and dangerous", he said.

"We used long ropes to enable the rescue teams to reach the exact location. Inclement weather with piercing cold winds following snowfall in the Valley made the rescue work very difficult but teams succeeded in reaching the spot and extricate the bodies from the wreckage of the bus," the SP said.

Twenty-two members of the troupe were travelling in the bus and chances of survival of the missing persons were very remote, he said, adding, the seven rescued persons sustained injuries and were rushed to a hospital at Keylong.

Amitabh to open museum of Bachchan ji's work

Notwithstanding his busy schedules, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan hardly misses any opportunity to talk about his venerable after, Harivandh Rai Bachchan.

  

He recites his poems too very often. Recently he said,he feels the purity of written and spoken language is subsiding in these times of quick communication but hopes to restore the charm of literature by opening a musuem to store his father and noted writer Harivansh Rai Bachchan`s works.

  

In an interview, he said that he believes that the richness of our language is getting lost. We used to spend a lot of thought and lot of energy behind what was written and spoken. Perhaps, it was a lot richer in earlier times. "I don`t want to blame today`s generation. The time has changed, communication has become very rapid and very quick," he added.

Sex racket unearthed in Kurukshetra

A sex racket operational in the city was on Thursday unearthed by the Kurukshetra police with the arrest of 10 women and five men. Kurukshetra's Superintendent of Police Parul Kush Jain ordered the DSP Bhupender Singh to conduct raids at several places in the city following a tip off.

Raids were conducted on some houses in Sector 3 of HUDA, Krishna Nagar Gamadi, Salarpur road and Jhansa road from where ten women and five touts were nabbed last night. All the girls being used in the flesh trade were called from Nepal, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Mumbai and Delhi on contractual basis, the police said. The police also recovered 19 mobiles from their possession and also two vehicles which were used to ferry the
girls to their clients in the neighbouring towns.

Prez rejects mercy plea of Rajiv's killers

President Pratibha Patil has rejected the clemency petitions of three killers of Rajiv Gandhi whose death sentences were confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2000.

The apex court had sentenced members of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan and Nalini to death in 1999 for the assassination of the former Prime Minister in Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991.

A Rasthrapati Bhavan spokesperson said the clemency petitions of all three accused were turned down by the President last week. The apex court had confirmed the death sentence of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan while commuting Nalini`s sentence to life imprisonment.

The trio, charged with criminal conspiracy and execution of the suicide attack plot, had filed mercy petition before the President after confirmation of sentence by the apex court.

The Home Ministry had sent its opinion on June 21, 2005 which was called back for review on February 23, 2011 and was re-submitted to the President on March 8 this year. Earlier, in May, the President had rejected mercy petitions of Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar of Punjab and Mahendra Nath Das of Assam following the recommendations from the Union Home Ministry.Bhullar was sentenced to death by a trial court on August 25, 2001, for plotting terror attacks on Punjab SSP Sumedh Singh Saini in 1991 and the then Youth Congress  president M S Bitta in 1993. Das was found guilty of murdering one Hara Kanta Das.

Bihari adults addicted to 'khaini'

'Khaini' described by a survey as 'smokeless tobacco', which is chewed with a dash of lime, is the most popular tobacco product in Bihar with every second adult addicted to it. "Every second adult in Bihar uses smokeless tobacco and its prevalence in the state is the highest among all states in India," the survey by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS India) says.

"Altogether 63 per cent males and 35 per cent females in Bihar use smokeless tobacco," it says. Among the six geographical regions of the north, east, central, north east, west and south in the country, the prevalence of tobacco use in any form and that of smokeless tobacco is the highest in the eastern region. The survey shows that tobacco use starts among adults in the state between the ages 20 and 34, while daily tobacco use starts on an average at the age 18.8 years.

The mean age of initiation of smoking and smokeless tobacco is 20-34 is and 18.8 years respectively. Every third smoker aged between 20 and 34 had started using tobacco daily before attaining the age of 18, it says. Tobacco users, especially users of smokeless tobacco, rarely quit once they start using it.

Sensex rebounds 187 pts ahead of IIP data

The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex recovered by over 187 points in opening trade today, on fresh spell of buying ahead of industrial production data for the month of June and firming trend in the overseas markets.

 The 30-share index, which had lost 71.11 points in the previous session, rose by 187.48 points, or 1.10 per cent, to 17,246.88 in the first few minutes of trade today, with realty, banking, metal and technology sector stocks leading the recovery.

 Meanwhile, the wide-based National Stock Exchange Nifty index also moved up by 56.15 points, or 1.09 per cent, to 5,194.45. Brokers attributed the recovery in stocks to fresh round of buying by funds ahead of the release of index of industrial production (IIP) data later today, which is expected to be encouraging.

In addition, firming trend on the Asian bourses in line with overnight gains on the US and European markets also buoyed the trading sentiments here, they said. In the Asian region, Japan's Nikkei index was trading 0.10 per cent higher, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.98 per cent in early trade today. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 3.95 per cent in yesterday's trade.

BEST short of best drivers

BEST buses,which are lifeline of Mumbai since long are in crisis. While you may have always suspected that they lack good drivers, now there are stunning figures to confirm the doubt. More than 2200 drivers short, BEST recently conducted a city-wide recruitment drive for 1,200 drivers.

 Thousands of aspiring drivers lined up for the job, only 26 could pass the test. What makes matters worse is that a substantial part of the 12,000-odd men currently driving the buses consists of daily wagers, who are fast gaining a reputation of not turning up when needed.

 An official of BEST said, “We have around 4,700 buses in our fleet and each bus requires three to four drivers. We recently conducted a recruitment drive for 1,200 drivers. It was a time-consuming and disappointing exercise. Those applying for the job have a driving license for heavy vehicles, but failed during the test. They are simply not good enough to drive these big buses on city roads.”

No 'Aarakshan'

The team of film 'Aarakshan' would not have imagined even in their wildest dreams that even after getting green signal from Censor Board, their film will face huge roaad bloacks. After UP and, the Punjab government has also imposed a ban on the release of Prakash Jha's controversial Hindi film Aarakshan' (Reservation) in the state following apprehensions that some scenes and dialogues may trigger trouble.

 Meanwhile, director of the film, Prakash Jha moves the Supreme Court to lift the ban on his film. The Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government said the ban will remain in force till screening committee constituted by the state previews the movie and submits its report. The decision to ban the Amitabh Bachchan-Saif Ali Khan starrer was taken after receiving intelligence reports that 'Aarakhshan' has certain scenes/dialogues which may inflame the passion of some communities in Punjab, an official spokesman said.

 The Mayawati government had banned the film in UP for two months on the grounds that it could create law and order problem in the state. The decision to ban the film which is due to hit the screens on Friday was taken following a recommendation by a high level official committee set up by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government.

 "The main theme of the movie is about commercialisation of education followed by several objectionable Analogues against people from backward communities. There is no discussion on reservation in its second half. We have asked the Censor Board to make necessary changes in it," National Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairman PL Punia said.

Rains lash capital,NCR

The national capital received rains for the second consecutive day today even as the weatherman predicted more showers in the coming days.

The showers in the morning led to waterlogging and traffic snarls in some parts of the capital including Kashmere Gate, IP College, ITO and Vikas Marg.

After a gap, rains revisited Delhi yesterday bringing relief toDelhiites who were facing hot and humid conditions. The minimum temperature was recorded at 26.9 degree

Celsius, one degree above normal and up from yesterday's 25.8 degrees. Yesterday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 32.7 degree Celsius.

The Weatherman has predicted a generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain or thundershowers in the city tomorrow.

The temperature could oscillate between 26 and 31 deg C.

Salman donates bricks to a Gurudwara

Raiding on the success of his last couple of movies,  Salman Khan once again proved that he has a  heart of gold. He might remain in the news for all the wrong reasons but Sallu is known to have a  very generous heart.

According to sources,recently while shooting for his film Bodyguard in Patiala, one of the officials of the Gurudwara in the city, met Salman and told him that they needed funds to reconstruct its boundary wall. Salman promised to help them out and once he returned to Mumbai from the shoot, he sent a donation of 3 lakh bricks to one of the trustees of the Gurudwara.

He has very secular credentials . His father is Muslim and mother is a devout Hindu. His two sisters-in-law are also Hindu. His father married to Helan,who is a christian. Sallu's sister married to a Hindu boy.

Raj Thackery superstitious about number nine

Raj Thackeray was seen driving his SUVs with registration number 9. Out of the four vehicles in his fleet, he first chose the Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number MH-01-AQ-9.

He also drove an Audi Q7 with registration number MH-2-Z-9. Incidentally, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief's visit to the city was also scheduled on Tuesday, August 9. Of the four SUVs, two have registration numbers 9, while one has 9000.

He arrived in the city in a charter plane and drove to Circuit House. Those in his team claimed that he chose to drive the SUVs himself so as to get the feel of the infrastructure in the city.

Around 25 highly qualified and well-dressed executives are accompanying him during the visit. They were earlier employed with corporates before joining the MNS, sources informed. Though Thackeray prefers speaking in Marathi, his core team members don't mind communicating in English with people.

Abdullah Saheb, you spend lot of money on flying

In a shocking revelation, the Jammu and Kashmir government's Civil Aviation Department (CAD) has revealed that the state exchequer spent Rs 12 crore for ferrying chief minister Omar Abdullah and other ministers to various destinations within the state during the last three years.

The CAD revealed the details in response to an application filed under RTI by a Budgam resident, Bashir Ahmad Malik.

The details show the expenditure incurred on the usage of the state chopper service from 2009 up to June 2011. Bhat had sought the details from the chief minister's office in June this year but he was refused.

Interestingly, the state's civil aviation department is directly under the control of chief minister Omar Abdullah.

Beware, Govt may read your tweets

There is every possibility that government may read your tweets and Facebook messages. It goes without saying that if it decides in this direction, it will be opposed by one and all.Minister of state for communication and information technology Milind Deora said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha last week that DoT had received a letter from the MHA asking it to monitor networking websites in order to "strengthen the cyber security paraphernalia". Sources say that apart from your friends and followers may not be the only ones reading them. Chances are government sleuths would be vetting these private messages.

This follows a home ministry directive to the department of telecom, asking it to "ensure effective monitoring of Twitter and Facebook". While "effective monitoring" has not been defined, sources said the MHA's intention is complete surveillance of the sites. This means not only does the government want to keep an eye on tweets and wall posts that are in the public domain but also the content you share only with your friends.

Al-Qaeda plans to target India

The Centre said intelligence inputs have suggested that al-Qaeda and one of its dreaded terrorists Ilyas Kashmiri were planning to target India. "There are some intelligence inputs, though not specifically, regarding plan to target India by al-Qaeda and Ilyas Kashmiri, an al-Qaeda-HUJI operative and his group," Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh informed Rajya Sabha.

 The Minister said government was committed to combat terrorism and extremism in all its forms and manifestation as no cause, genuine or imaginary, can justify terrorism or violence. "Government continues to be alert to these threats and re-calibrates its measures to combat terrorism by way of reviewing threat perception and a number of important decisions and measures have been taken...," he said.

Police arrest man at ATM with Tendulkar's debit card

Even though Sachin Tendulkar is away playing against England, the Mumbai police was taken aback when they caught a man trying to withdraw money using Sachin Tendulkar's debit card.

At an ATM near Bharatmata Cinema a 21-year-old Mahim resident, Shoyeb Doodhwala, tried to withdraw money from HSBC bank ATM. The police became suspicious when he took longer than usual, and were shocked to find that the card belonged to Sachin Tendulkar.
Police are probing whether the card belongs to the batting maestro and how the accused managed to get hold of it. Investigations are on to know whether the accused has procured the data of the card belonging to the batting maestro to make a fake card.

Get discounts on your electricity bill

It is a good news for the residents of capital as they would get lot of discount on their electricity bills. Residents in north and northwest Delhi now have an unusual tool to claim huge discounts on the purchase of electrical appliances — the electricity bill.

 According to Hinduatan Times, the Tata-backed North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL) has decided to push the sales of appliances rated through the star system of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. It is a unique exchange programme that allows consumers to get their old air conditioners and refrigerators replaced for new ones at heavy discounts. All one needs is the latest electricity bill of NDPL.

 "The star rated energy efficient appliances help save energy and we are confident that our consumers will not only benefit from this scheme but also actively contribute in combating climate change,” said an NDPL spokesman. The scheme is valid till October 31, 2011, at selected outlets of LG, Voltas and Godrej in north and northwest Delhi areas. The details of the participating outlets are available on NDPL website — www.ndpl.com.

At last, Pak pilot says sorry to India

It was bloody India-Pakistan war and  a Pakistani fighter jet shot down a civilian aircraft with the then chief minister of Gujarat, Balwantrai Mehta, on board.
All eight people — Mehta and his wife, three aides, a journalist and the two pilots — were killed. According to Indian Express, the Pakistani fighter pilot who shot down the Beechcraft has written to the daughter of the chief pilot of the downed Indian plane, expressing regret over the incident.

“If an opportunity ever arises that I could meet you face to face to condole the death of your father 46 years back I would grab it with both hands,” Qais Hussain has written in an email to Farida Singh, the daughter of distinguished IAF pilot Jahangir Engineer.

Engineer’s civilian plane was mistaken for a reconnaissance aircraft by Pakistani controllers, and he was ordered to shoot it down, Hussain has written. There was no intention to kill civilians, he has said.