West Bengal To Act Against Illegal Hotels On The Beach
The West Bengal government is moving court against the unauthorised hotels and resorts that have come up on the sea beach at Mandarmani in violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms. 'We are going to file an affidavit in the Calcutta High Court. We have already informed the court about the gross violation of CRZ by the hotel owners and the environmental damages in the coastal belt,' a senior environmental department official told IANS. Mandarmani, located about 180 km from here in East Midnapore district, is a virgin sea resort to which the tourists are flocking in large n..
MNS Violence Is Part Of NCP Conspiracy: BSP
In its first reaction since the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) launched a tirade against north Indians in Mumbai, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Thursday said the campaign was a conspiracy by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to divide the votes of 'communal forces'. In a statement issued 12 days after north Indians were first targeted in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, BSP state convenor Sudhir Sawant said the whole incident was pre-planned. 'It is part of the conspiracy engineered by the NCP to cause division in votes of communal forces,' Sawant added. ..
Mobiles, CDs Seized From Meerut Jail Inmates
The police recovered mobile phones, CDs and pornographic material from Meerut jail when they were called to intervene between two groups of clashing inmates, a police official said here Thursday. During the raid Wednesday night, the police recovered eight mobile phones, SIM cards, CDs and pornographic material from the prison cells. The seizures were made when policemen moved in to control the violence. Proceedings under the Gangsters Act have been launched against 17 inmates under trials. Those involved in the violence are to be shifted to other jails in the state, an official sai..
Youth Breaks Beer Bottles On Own Head For A Record
A youth in Orissa has broken at least 185 beer bottles on his head and about 100 tube lights on his body in an attempt to create a new world record. Ramiya Ranjan Parida, a 20-year-old from Malkangiri, some 700 km from here, demonstrated his feat to hundreds of people in his hometown Wednesday, eyewitnesses said. At the beginning of his stunt, two of Parida's aides beat him up with old tube lights one by one and smashed at least 100 tube lights in the process, Binash Kumar Mishra, a local martial art trainer, told IANS. After that Parida himself picked up empty beer bottles kept ..
Police File Case Against Madhya Pradesh Opposition Leader
A police case has been registered against Leader of the Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh assembly Jamuna Devi for allegedly using fraud to get her daughter admitted to a medical course and getting her a lecturer's job at a medical college. The case was registered Wednesday on a complaint filed by Ram Singh Marawi of Harsud in Khandwa district six months ago. In his complaint, he had alleged that Jamuna Devi, a former MP, got her daughter Hemlata admission in the MBBS course at the Indore Medical College under the Scheduled Tribe quota on the basis of a forged certificate in 1968. He..
Petrol Up By Rs.2, Diesel By Re.1
Petrol prices will go up by Rs.2 and diesel by Re.1 from midnight Thursday. Petroleum Minister Murli Deora told journalists that the government had decided to allow oil marketing companies to effect the price hike. He was briefing the press after a cabinet meeting. ..
Separate Telangana Might Help Maoists: CM
Intelligence agencies have warned that separate statehood for the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh could strengthen Maoists, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy told the state assembly Thursday. He said that intelligence agencies of the state and the central government had warned that Maoists want a separate Telangana as this would strengthen them. The Maoists had been considerably weakened in Andhra Pradesh during the last couple of years, he said, adding: 'In this situation, there is a view that a separate Telangana state might help them.' According to Reddy, the intel..
On Valentine's Day, It's Roses All The Way!
What's the ideal gift for your valentine? 'Flowers!' youngsters shout in unison. No matter what the latest trend magazine says about the other more interesting gift options for your beloved, it's flowers, and especially roses, for the old and young alike on Valentine's Day in the capital. The Delhi University (DU) area in north Delhi was throbbing with life early Thursday morning as students thronged the flower vendors in every nook and corner of the campus. Askok Tiwari, a flower vendor in Roopnagar, close to DU, said that Valentine's Day was special for him..
Taslima To Get Visa Extension, But Not Freedom (RE-ISSUE)
India's foreign ministry has informed Taslima Nasreen that her visa will be extended but restrictions on her movements would continue, says the Bangladeshi author who has been confined to a 'safe house' in New Delhi. Nasreen's visa - or residential permit - would be extended further when it expires on Feb 17, the writer said Thursday. 'An external affairs ministry official told me that my permit would be extended. But I would not be allowed to move out of this place, meet friends, accept guests or return to Kolkata,' Nasreen told IANS on telephone from the sa..
A Day Later, Raj Thackeray Does Not Stand Very Tall (Profile)
Raj Thackeray's dramatic arrest and hurried release may have catapulted him into political stardom but it is not clear if the attacks on north Indians his men commandeered has really enhanced his stature. As India's financial and movie capital calculated the profits and losses of 10 days of unrest in Maharashtra, one thing seemed clear: Thackeray has a long way to go in a state where the dominant players continue to be the alliances led by the Shiv Sena and the Congress. As Mumbai University official S. Vivek made a telling remark, the so-called street protests that followed..
Protests In Arunachal As Naga Rebels Demand Recruits
People in the northeastern state of Andhra Pradesh held protests Thursday after a frontline Naga separatist group, accused of abducting between 39 to 51 boys last month, demanded more recruits from villages along the border with Myanmar, officials said. 'The Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) has sent notices to 13 villages in Tirap district asking for 227 more boys to join the outfit, leading to protests in the area,' a police spokesman said from Itanagar, the state capital. Officials said about 100 youths have already been recruited by the ..
Police File Case Against Madhya Pradesh Opposition Leader
A police case has been registered against Leader of the Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh assembly Jamuna Devi for allegedly using fraud to get her daughter admitted to a medical course and getting her a lecturer's job at a medical college. The case was registered Wednesday on a complaint filed by Ram Singh Marawi of Harsud in Khandwa district six months ago. In his complaint, he had alleged that Jamuna Devi, a former MP, got her daughter Hemlata admission in the MBBS course at the Indore Medical College under the Scheduled Tribe quota on the basis of a forged certificate in 1968. He..
Mumbai Gets Back To Business After Thackeray Arrest Drama (Lead)
India's financial capital was quiet Thursday with people going about their business as usual, a day after tension spiralled following the arrest of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray. Kindergartens, schools and colleges opened as usual, the omnipresent Mumbai dabbawallahs were visible at various railway stations going about their usual chores. Office-goers hurried to their places of work as the city returned to normalcy. Trains and public buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws created the usual traffic snarls on the highways and the four arterial roads as well the link roa..
Kerala Farmers Call For A National Body Under Congress
A Kerala farmers' organisation owing allegiance to Congress has called on the party to set up a similar body at the national level saying that its absence is leading to emergence of regional farmers' movements. 'The absence of a strong farmer's organisation under the Congress flag has led to emergence of regional movements like those led by Sharad Joshi (Maharastra), Mahendra Singh Tikayat (UP), Nanjunda Swamy (Karnataka) and INFARM (Kerala Catholic Church),' Lal Varughese Kalpakavadi, president of Kerala Karshaka (farmers) Congress, told IANS Thursday. 'Curr..
Love Messages To Pakistan On Valentine's Day
A rubber tube decorated with flowers and messages of love was set afloat on river Chenab for people in Pakistan on Valentine's Day by members of a political party in a Jammu and Kashmir town Thursday morning. As the tubes with sweets, flowers and cards reached midstream, there was enthusiastic clapping by volunteers of the Democratic Socialist Party - a Kashmir based party headed by a Kashmiri Muslim girl, Darkshana Andrabi. 'We need to love our neighbours. This is the message that we are conveying to the people across the border,' Andrabi told reporters at Akhnoor, a garr..
Pappu Yadav Gets Life Term For Murder Of Left Leader
A court here Thursday sentenced Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Pappu Yadav and two other politicians to life imprisonment for the 1998 murder of Left leader Ajit Sarkar. Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge Birendra Mohan Srivastava sentenced Pappu Yadav and Rajan Tiwari, former legislator and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader, as well as Anil Yadav, after finding them guilty. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Ajit Sarkar, a legislator from Purnea, was shot dead June 14, 1998, by men allegedly acting on Pappu Yadav's orders. Pappu Yadav, alias Rajesh Ran..
Delhi To Get More Money For Infrastructure In 2008-09
With elections for the Delhi legislative assembly round the corner, budget allocations for urban development, health, education, tourism and senior citizens will get a boost in 2008-09. The state government has sought Rs.90 billion ($2.27 billion) from the Planning Commission as the annual plan outlay for fiscal 2008-09. The total plan outlay for Delhi during the 11th five-year plan (2007-12) has been pegged at Rs.450 billion against Rs.226 billion in the 10th Plan. The city government intends to spend Rs.13 billion on urban development. In view of the coming Commonwealth Games 2010, ..
TRS Members Suspended From Andhra Pradesh Assembly
All members of the opposition Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly were suspended Thursday from the house till Feb 18 for stalling the proceedings to demand adoption of a resolution seeking separate statehood to Telangana region. Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy announced suspension of all 13 members present in the house after Minister for Legislative Affairs K. Rosaiah moved a resolution in this regard. As the members continued to stand near the speaker's podium shouting slogans of 'Jai Telangana', the speaker called in marshals to physically ..
Greater Ties Must Among Indian Ocean Littoral States
The navies and maritime security organisations in the littoral states of the Indian Ocean must forge greater ties to combat terror and crime and conserve the ecosystem, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday. 'We need greater connectivity among us not just in trade and commerce but in the realm of ideas, people and cultures,' the prime minister told the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, which opened here. 'Recent years have seen a rise in crimes like terrorism, smuggling of narcotics, arms and weapons, piracy and robbery. These activities not only pose a threat to our grow..
Five Maoist Rebels Killed In Jharkhand
At least five Maoist guerrillas were Thursday killed by a village security team and the police in Jamshedpur district of Jharkhand, police officials said. Around 10 to 15 rebels of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) surrounded Karuunum village, about 170 km from here, early Thursday. The Nagrik Suraksha Samiti (NSS), a village defence group formed by the police to fight Maoist insurgency, countered the Maoist attack and killed two of the guerrillas. The NSS members later informed the police and additional security forces were sent to assist them. Three Maois..
'The Secret', 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' This Week's Bestsellers
This week's bestseller list has 'The Secret' by Australian author Rhonda Byrne right on top in non-fiction, while Khaled Hosseini's 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' occupies the top slot in the fiction category. Non-Fiction 1. 'The Secret' Author: Rhonda Byrne Publisher: Simon & Schuster Price: Rs.550.00 2. 'In Spite of The Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India' Author: Edward Luce Publisher: ABACUS Price: Rs.395.00 3. 'Eating India: Exploring a Nation's Cuisine' ..
Study Predicts One Million Deaths From Smoking In India
One in five of all male deaths and one in 20 of all female deaths in India in the 30-69 age group will be caused by smoking in the 2010s, says a new study underlining that the country is in the midst of a 'catastrophic epidemic'. The findings, which will be published online in the Feb 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, said on an average, male beedi (leaf-rolled cigarettes) smokers lose about six years of life, while women smoking them lose about eight years. Men who smoke cigarettes lose about 10 years, said the study, which claims to be the first nationally repre..
Five Maoist Rebels Killed In Jharkhand
At least five Maoist guerrillas were Thursday killed by a village security team and the police in Jamshedpur district of Jharkhand, police officials said. Around 10 to 15 rebels of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) surrounded Karuunum village, about 170 km from here, early Thursday. The Nagrik Suraksha Samiti (NSS), a village defence group formed by the police to fight Maoist insurgency, countered the Maoist attack and killed two of the guerrillas. The NSS members later informed the police and additional security forces were sent to assist them. Three Maois..
All Quiet In Mumbai Day After Thackeray Arrest
Police were on alert but it was business as usual here Thursday with relieved Mumbaikars going about their daily activities and taxis plying normally, a day after tension spiralled following the arrest of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray. The violence that sparked in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra with the arrest of the MNS chief Wednesday afternoon simmered down with the same speed when Thackeray was released on bail within two hours. 'The situation was tense only when Thackeray was arrested but now that he has been released the city is back to normal,'..
Study Predicts One Million Deaths From Smoking In India
One in five of all male deaths and one in 20 of all female deaths in India in the 30-69 age group will be caused by smoking in the 2010s, says a new study underlining that the country is in the midst of a 'catastrophic epidemic'. The findings, which will be published online in the Feb 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, said on an average, male beedi (leaf-rolled cigarettes) smokers lose about six years of life, while women smoking them lose about eight years. Men who smoke cigarettes lose about 10 years, said the study, which claims to be the first nationally repre..
Combining Spirituality With Service At Magh Mela (Feature)
They are well-heeled, hip and are essentially city slickers who like to call themselves 'selfless servants of god'. Meet the new breed of socially conscious spiritualists at Sangam - said to be the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati - where more than 500,000 devotees have gathered for the annual Magh Mela religious fair and its Kalpvasi ritual. Madhav Bhan, the owner of an Art House in south Delhi, has been camping here for a month with nearly 150 members of his congregation, including the likes of artists Arpana Caur and Gagan Gill. 'After..
Maharishi's Movement Will Only Grow Stronger, Say Devotees
Setting aside speculation that Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's spiritual movement may lose steam after his death, his followers say that it will only grow stronger and has in place a well-knit system of kingship. The Maharishi, who introduced transcendental meditation to the West as a mechanism to relieve stress and to hone the power of the mind in 1959, died in his retreat at Vlodrop, the Netherlands, Feb 5. He was cremated in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh Monday. The seer, who gained fame in the 1960s as the guru of the Beatles and has over five million disciples worldwide, was an all-pervasi..
China, Canada Have Lessons For India's Anti-smoking Campaign
When it comes to making smokers kick the habit, India has a lot to learn from countries like Canada, New Zealand and even neighbouring China. These countries are shining examples of how the government and civil society can make individuals quit smoking - a sure way of reducing the risk of tuberculosis, cancer and respiratory and heart diseases. In India, very few people have been able to give up the addiction. For instance, in 2004, only two percent of adults stopped smoking and that too when they fell seriously ill, says a new WHO supported study published online in The New England Journ..
Rajasthan May Ban Free Entry To Sariska Tiger Reserve
The forest department in Rajasthan has finally woken up from its slumber and plans to ban the free entry of visitors to the Sariska tiger reserve that was posing a threat to wildlife. The state government, considering the presence of several religious places inside the tiger reserve, had made entry free on Tuesdays and Saturdays for the benefit of devotees. But the measure led to increased vehicular movement, disturbing the free movement of wild animals. Wild animals were also exposed to threats of poaching and accidents. The noise and air pollution due to the movement of vehicles also th..
All Quiet In Mumbai Day After Thackeray Arrest
Police were on alert but it was business as usual here Thursday with relieved Mumbaikars going about their daily activities and taxis plying normally, a day after tension spiralled following the arrest of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray. The violence that sparked in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra with the arrest of the MNS chief Wednesday afternoon simmered down with the same speed when Thackeray was released on bail within two hours. 'The situation was tense only when Thackeray was arrested but now that he has been released the city is back to normal,'..
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