After birthday bash, boys rape class X girl in car

NOIDA: In yet another brutal assault on a girl in a moving car, a 17-year-old class X student of a city public school was allegedly gangrapedby five of her neighbours as they drove around Noida in their i10, police said.

As shocking as the rape, which took place on Friday night, was the appalling behaviour of the city police. They not only let out personal details about the minor victim at a press conference on Sunday, but also made tactless remarks about her character, declaring that she had been "willingly drinking vodka" with the boys to celebrate a birthday.

Four of the accused, identified as Himanshu Sharma, Rahul Arya, Sunil Singh, and Saurabh Chauhan, have been arrested while a fifth, Neeraj Singh, is absconding. All accused are 20 years old.

The incident took place around 8pm on February 24 when the five met the victim nearPriyadarshini Park in sector 12 and requested her to join them for the birthday celebrations of Rahul.

"They all went to a lodge in sector 53 for drinks after which the accused forced the girl into the car belonging to Chauhan. Inside, she was repeatedly raped by the five men while the car was being driven around the city," said Anant Dev Tiwari, SP City, Noida Police.

According to the police, the girl was then dumped outside Priyadarshini Park at around 9pm. The victim told TOI the accused threatened her not to report the crime. She said she went to a friend's house in the vicinity. The friend's mother, on seeing the girl's condition, called up her family.

The shocked parents then approached the police, who took her to the district hospital for a medical examination, which confirmed rape, police said.

"A case under relevant sections of IPC was registered and investigations initiated. We were able to arrest four of the accused, while the fifth will be caught soon," said Tiwari.

Police said the victim had known the accused for the past few months. In another shocking revelation, the victim told TOI that the same men had raped her on May 24 last year. There was no independent corroboration of this charge.

The victim lives with her parents and infant brother in Noida. Among the accused, Rahul Arya is an employee of a private city mall and Himanshu Sharma a student of ICWA in Delhi. Saurabh Chauhan owns an auto-parts dealership in the city, Sunil Singh is a mass-communication student while Neeraj Singh is studying management in Greater Noida.

When Manmohan Singh tried to heal Pakistan ties with Ayurveda

In the winter of 2005, when a chill had set in Indo-Pak relations following the Delhi blasts that killed 62 people, an unlikely avenue was explored as a form of Track-II diplomacy. A renowned Ayurveda physician from Kerala was dispatched across the border to treat various Pakistani luminaries, including then prime minister Shujaat Hussain.

In a top secret operation, the Indian government took Dr Ravindran, medical director of Coimbatore Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, who also served as physician to former President K R Narayanan, to Islamabad. It was an idea mooted by PM Manmohan Singh, implemented by Hormis Tharakan, then chief of R&AW, and facilitated by Shiv Shankar Menon, at that time the high commissioner to Pakistan.

During his stay at Punjab House, Dr Ravindran's initial list of "patients" included Gen Pervez Musharraf. Some contingency forced Musharraf to change his plan, but his secretary and a woman relative did brief Dr Ravindran about his health condition, especially a nagging spondylitis problem.

The idea of sending an Ayurveda expert stemmed from a meeting between Shujaat Hussain and Manmohan Singh. "The PM advised his counterpart to try Ayurveda. Later, Singh directed the R&AW chief to facilitate treatment," a person who was actively involved in the whole operation said. "It was a wonderful human gesture. And, of course, it is all the more special when the bonding is with Pakistan," Hormis Tharakan said.

Dr Ravindran arrived in Islamabad in the last week of December 2005 and stayed on till January 2006. During examination, it was found that Hussain was suffering from many ailments, including neurological problems. "An elaborate treatment regimen was prescribed. As a first step, Ayurvedic preparations needed for the first phase of the treatment was brought from Delhi by Menon," the source said. There was considerable improvement in Husain's health during the first phase itself.

"But something went wrong and India cancelled the programme. The team was told to stand down twice. We believe it was some border skirmish that forced India to cancel the initiative," the source said.

Dr Ravindran confirmed that he had gone to Islamabad. "For me it is karma to treat a patient, whoever he is. I am not bothered about anything beyond that."

Huge relief for Narendra Modi

Ahmedabad:  It's a case that has repeatedly threatened to confront Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi with whopping consequences for the riots in his state in 2002, in which 1200 people were killed, most of them Muslims. But a team that was studying Mr Modi's alleged role in the riots has allegedly concluded that he cannot be tried for complicity in those riots, the worst in independent India. Here are 10 big facts about the case:

1. Huge relief for Narendra Modi - a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has reportedly said there's no evidence to provoke his prosecution in a case that accuses him and other senior politicians of restraining the police from helping those being attacked during the 2002 riots. The SIT's report has been handed last night to a court in Gujarat.
   
2. The SIT was appointed by the Supreme Court in 2009. It is headed by RK Raghavan, who retired as the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. The team questioned Mr Modi twice on March 25, 2010. He tweeted today, "The history of the world is the history of a few men who had faith in themselves."
   
3. The case against Mr Modi was moved by the Supreme Court in September last year to a trial court in Gujarat. This court will first give a copy of the SIT's report to the petitioner Zakiya Jafri, before passing its order. She said today that this is not the end of her legal battle against Mr Modi. Ms Jafri now seeks a copy of the Gujarat riots case report and has filed a fresh plea. 
   
4. The case was filed in 2008 in the Supreme Court by Mrs Jafri, whose husband and former Congress MP Ehsaan Jafri was set on fire during the 2002 riots near his home in Ahmedabad's Gulbarg Society. Nearly 69 people were killed here in 24 hours. Mr Jafri was trying to protect his neighbours from a mob of people.
   
5. The riots in Gujarat began when one coach of a train filled with karsevaks returning from Ayodhya was set on fire near the Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002. 59 people were killed. 
   
6. Mrs Jafri first took her case to the Gujarat High Court in 2007. Her petition said that Mr Modi and nearly 60 other politicians and police officers conspired to ignore calls from help, and decided not to interrupt the rioting mobs. She says her husband made several calls to the Chief Minister's Office and others, but was denied assistance. The High Court refused to accept her case, so she then appealed to the Supreme Court, which set up the SIT.
   
7. The SIT told the Supreme Court last year that it had not found evidence against Mr Modi. The court also asked senior advocate Raju Ramachandran to serve as an amicus curiae and interview key witnesses. Mr Ramachandran's report was allegedly different from the SIT's on several key points. So the Supreme Court sent both reports to the trial court in Gujarat and asked it to decide on whether Mr Modi should be tried.
   
8. The SIT has also not found evidence to support the claim of senior police officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who was suspended last year. Mr Bhatt had alleged that on February 27, 2002, the Chief Minister called a meeting of senior police officers where he said that it was imperative for Hindus to be allowed to "vent out their anger." The other policemen who attended that meeting say Mr Bhatt was not present. He was suspended in August last year for skipping work and using an official car when he was not on duty.
   
9. This is an election year for Gujarat and a verdict that absolves Mr Modi of any complicity in the riots will help his campaign, as well as the BJP, which has long argued that its leader has been made a target of political vendetta mainly by the opposition Congress.
   
10. Ahead of the elections, Mr Modi has been holding fasts in different parts of the state - part of what he calls his sadbhavana mission to promote communal harmony. Mr Modi has been trying to establish his secular credentials because the taint of the riots in his home state have kept him from entering the national political landscape.  

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/10-facts-on-todays-big-relief-for-narendra-modi-174672&cp

SMS will now be treated as train ticket

Booking an outstation train ticket is much easier now. All it requires is a few keystrokes on your cellphone. The ticket comes in th
e form of an SMS, which can be shown to the ticket checker instead of a paper ticket. 

Railway officials said there was good response to the Mobile Rail Ticket Booking Service, which has been introduced by the IRCTC. Tickets can be booked on the mobile website: www.irctc.co.in/mobile. 

The IRCTC mobile website is convenient and easy to use, and can be accessed from any browser enabled mobile having basic GPRSactivated on the phone. 

After initial registration and downloading the genuine IRCTC software on the mobile handsetwith internet facility, passengers can book a ticket through the mobile. 

After booking, the passenger will receive a reservation message with complete details of the ticket including PNR, Train No, date of journey, class, etc. This virtual message will be treated at par with the print-out of the e-ticket 

The simple authorised SMS will have all the vital details, and when displayed through laptops/palmtops/mobile phones combined with valid photo-id in original shall be treated as a valid ticket, an official said. This will take paperless ticketing to the next level, he stated. 

Apart from booking a ticket, users can also make an inquiry through a mobile phone about a reservation, check the booked ticket's history (tickets whose date of journey is due will be visible) or just cancel a ticket.

2G verdict: Chidambaram off the hook, government exhales

New Delhi:  A trial court in Delhi has ruled that Home Minister P Chidambaram will not be held criminally liable for the telecom scam that unfolded in India in 2008 when he was Finance Minister. Judge OP Saini rejected a petition by Subramanian Swamy to make the minister co-accused in the case. "Anybody and everybody associated with a decision in any degree cannot be roped as an accused," the verdict declared. Mr Chidambaram was at home when the judgement was delivered; he then left for a scheduled trip to Madurai. The government exhaled loudly after the verdict. (10 big facts about today's verdict)

"Of course this is a good judgement and it is a relief because unnecessarily somebody was prosecuted. Even in the judgement of the Supreme Court, on the main cases, clearly it was mentioned that the advice of the Finance Minister was not listened to...I welcome the judgement," Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.

Judge Saini's verdict helps bandage the government's credibility, which has been in free-fall in the last year courtesy a series of financial scandals, led by the telecom scam. The government's moral authority was also dented by the Supreme Court this week, when it cancelled 122 mobile network licenses issued in 2008. The Supreme Court blamed former telecom minister A Raja for the "arbitrary and unlawful" allocation of those licenses. (Chidambaram verdict: What happens next)

Mr Swamy has said that Mr Chidambaram's failure to curb Mr Raja amounts to dereliction of his duty as Finance Minister. "I am not disappointed, it is all part of the game," he said, adding that he will appeal to the Delhi High Court against today's decision. Perhaps he can eventually appeal to God, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said in response. (Am glad Kapil Sibal has started thinking about God: Subramanian Swamy)

Judge Saini has said, "A decision taken by a public servant does not become criminal for simple reason that it has caused loss to the public exchequer or resulted in pecuniary advantage to others. Merely attending meetings and taking decisions therein is not a criminal act...there is no material on record to suggest that Mr. Chidambaram was acting with corrupt or illegal motives or was in abuse of his official position." (Read court order here)

For the BJP, which has led a high-volume campaign for Mr Chidambaram's resignation, the verdict suggests the need for a new strategy. The party's Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the government cannot abandon accountability for the telecom scam, and that the BJP will continue to "boycott" Mr Chidambaram in Parliament. (Watch) In the winter session, the BJP refused to let the Home Minister speak in the House, forcing many adjournments. Arun Shourie, who has served as minister in the BJP-led NDA, said that decision is incorrect. Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh agreed. "Parliament is not a forum to display your ability for non-speak." Both men said the BJP must use debates in Parliament to challenge the government.

The verdict comes at a crucial time for the Congress. Five states, including Uttar Pradesh, are voting for their next government. Rahul Gandhi's direction of the party's campaign in UP has doubled the stakes for the Congress, adding many points for prestige. The Congress has been attacking Chief Minister Mayawati over corruption. A verdict against Mr Chidambaram would have enervated the party's position.

Mr Raja is in prison for enabling companies who were ineligible to get mobile network licenses at clearance prices. Second-generation or 2G spectrum was thrown in for free. Mr Swamy says that Mr Chidambaram was privy to the decisions that Mr Raja took on issues like the pricing of spectrum. He also says that Mr Chidambaram wrongly allowed two companies who allegedly conspired with Mr Raja - Swan Telecom and Unitech Wireless - to dilute their equity for foreign investors. Norway-based Telenor bought 67% stake in Unitech Wireless; Etisalat from Dubai acquired 45 % stake in Swan. Both companies earned huge profits at the government's expense, according to Mr Swamy. "There is no material on record to show that Mr. P Chidambaram was acting malafide in fixing the price of spectrum at the 2001 level or in permitting dilution of equity by the two companies. These two acts are not per se illegal and there is no further material on record to show any other incriminating act on the part of Mr. P. Chidambaram," today's verdict countered.

Critics of Mr Chidambaram found their case vastly strengthened late last year when a note sent by the Finance Ministry to the Prime Minister's Office was exhumed by a Right to Information application. Written in March last year, the note post-mortemed the events of 2008, and was meant to serve as an inter-department backgrounder. But it made the point that the Finance Ministry should have done more to enforce an auction upon Mr Raja. The Prime Minister was forced to respond that Mr Chidambaram enjoyed his confidence as Finance Minister in 2008, and continues to do so now. But the damage was done.

Mr Chidambaram has in his defence said that he tried at various points to insist that Mr Raja hold an auction to ensure that this scarce resource was sold at market prices.


SOurce:NDTV

India a key source for future growth: Facebook

Washington: Social networking giant Facebook, which plans to raise USD five billion through an IPO, has said India is a key source for its future growth and its user base in the country has more than doubled in the past one year.
   
The growth of 132 percent in India has been higher than many other countries, including the home market of the US.
   
It has also acknowledges that Facebook platform faces competition from internet giant Google's social media platform Orkut in India, among other rivals in different countries.
   
The company plans to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange after its Initial Public Offer (IPO), which could value the company as high as USD 100 billion.
   
Facebook monitors its user base through the number of Monthly Active Users (MAUs), among other metrics. An MAU is a registered Facebook user who logs in and visits Facebook, shares content or indulges in other activities in the last 30 days as of the date of measurement.
  
"As of December 31, 2011, we had 845 million MAUs, an increase of 39 per cent from December 31, 2010," Facebook said in the regulatory documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its IPO.
   
"We experienced growth across different geographies, with users in Brazil and India representing a key source of growth," it said.
  
"... we had 46 million MAUs in India as of December 31, 2011, an increase of 132 per cent from the prior year," Facebook said, while adding that the growth in the US was 16 per cent and 268 per cent in Brazil for the same period.
   
It had 161 million MAUs in the US and 37 million in Brazil as of December 31, 2011.
  
Listing out its strategy, Facebook said it would "continue to focus on growing our user base across all geographies, including relatively less-penetrated, large markets such as Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, and South Korea."
   
"We compete broadly with Google?s social networking offerings, including Google+, and also with other, largely regional, social networks that have strong positions in particular countries, including Cyworld in Korea, Mixi in Japan, Orkut (owned by Google) in Brazil and India..."
  
It said there are estimated to be over two billion global Internet users and Facebook aimed to connect all of them.
   
"We have achieved varying levels of penetration within the population of Internet users in different countries," it said, while noting that its penetration rate in India was estimated to be 20-30 per cent.
   
"... in China, where Facebook access is restricted, we have near zero penetration. We continue to invest in growing our user base, particularly in markets where we are relatively less penetrated," it added.
  
Facebook said it has operations teams to provide support for users, developers, and advertisers in four regional centers, including one at Hyderabad in India.

Source:Znews

2G scam: Supreme Court details how Raja ignored all to help cronies

NEW DELHI: The SC order said quite clearly that then telecom minister A Raja "wanted to favour some companies at the cost of the public exchequer" and lists seven steps he took to ensure this happened. Here are the steps as the SC saw them:

1. After taking over as telecom minister, Raja directed that all applications received for UAS licences should be kept pending till receipt of the Trai's recommendations

2. The recommendations made by Trai on August 28, 2007, were not placed before the full Telecom Commission which would have included the finance secretary. The notice of the meeting of the Telecom Commission was not given to any of the non-permanent members though Trai's recommendations for allocation of 2G spectrum had serious financial implications and it was therefore necessary for DoT to take the finance ministry's opinion under the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961.

3. The DoT officers who attended the Telecom Commission meeting held on October 10, 2007, had no choice but to approve Trai's recommendations, since they would otherwise have "incurred" Raja's "wrath".

4. Since Cabinet had approved recommendations made by the Group of Ministers, the DoT had to discuss the issue of spectrum pricing with the finance ministry. But, since Raja knew that the finance secretary had objected to the allocation of 2G spectrum at rates fixed in 2001, he did not consult the finance minister or other officials.

5. Raja brushed aside the law minister's suggestion that the matter should be placed before the empowered group of ministers. Also, within hours of the receipt of the suggestion made by the PM in his letter dated November 2, 2007, that keeping in view the inadequacy of spectrum, transparency and fairness should be maintained in allocation of the spectrum, Raja rejected it saying that it would be unfair, discriminatory, arbitrary and capricious to auction spectrum to new applicants because it would not give them a level-playing field. He also introduced a cut-off date of September 25, 2007, for considering applications though only the previous day a DoT press release had said October 1, 2007, would be the last date. This arbitrary action of Raja "though appears to be innocuous was actually intended to benefit some of the real estate firms who did not have any experience in dealing with telecom services and who had made applications only on 24.9.2007, i.e. one day before the cut-off date fixed by the C&IT minister on his own".

6. The cut-off date of September 25, 2007, decided by Raja on November 2, 2007, was not made public till January 10, 2008, and the first-come-first-served principle followed since 2003 was changed by him at the last moment through a press release dated January 10, 2008. "This enabled some of the applicants, who had access either to the minister or DoT officers, get bank drafts prepared towards performance guarantee of about Rs 1,600 crore".

7. "The manner in which the exercise for grant of LoIs to the applicants was conducted on 10.1.2008 leaves no room for doubt that everything was stage managed to favour those who were able to know in advance change in the implementation of the first-come-first-served polcy." As a result, some firms which had submitted applications in 2004 or 2006 were pushed down in the priority and those who had applied between August and September 2007 succeeded. 

 

SOurce:TOI

India’s unwanted girls: Baby abandoned on train

Even as the nation remains shocked over the condition of Falak, the battered two-year-old girl battling for life in a Delhi hospital, a six-month-old baby girl was found abandoned on a Kolkata-bound train. 

As per reports Wednesday, the innocent angel was found lying unattended in a coach of the Udyan Abha Toofan Express when the train reached Chittaranjan station in West Bengal. 

She was handed over to the railway police at Asansol, which in turn took the baby to a local NGO. 

The baby would be produced in a local court today.


Source: Znews

Andhra Pradesh's Home Secretary arrested in Emaar scandal; CBI gets custody till Feb 1

One of Andhra Pradesh's most senior bureaucrats, IAS officer BP Acharya, has been arrested in Hyderabad on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption. Mr Acharya is the Principal Home Secretary.

The case involves Emaar Properties, a real estate giant headquartered in Dubai, which was planning to build a high-end hotel, golf course and luxury villas on 535 acres in Gachibawli.

The township was to be built as a joint venture with the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) which was forged when Mr Acharya was the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the APIIC. The agreement was later revised, reducing the share of the APIIC, and the decision was approved by its board instead of the cabinet. Emaar-MGF is said to have benefitted by upto 2500 crore rupees. APIIC says the developer has cheated it of crores of profit by siphoning money to Dubai.

The villas, which were bought by politicians, film stars and A-list entrepreneurs were reportedly under-valued in documents, costing the government thousands of crores. Land was reportedly sold at Rs. 6,000 per square yard when the market rate was at least Rs. 60, 000 per square yard.

Mr Acharya is the fourth person arrested so far for this case; he will remain in the CBI's custody till February 1. In recent days, an industrialist named Koneru Prasad and Sunil Reddy, who is a close aide of politician Jagan Mohan Reddy, have also been jailed. Also arrested on Saturday was Vijay Raghavan, south India finance head of Emaar-MGF.

Jagan's father, YSR, was Chief Minister when the state's controversial partnership with Emaar was forged. YSR died in 2009 in a helicopter crash. It is alleged that people who benefitted from the land deal had invested in Sakshi publications, which is Jagan's newspaper. Those close to Jagan claim the case exemplifies political vendetta. They believe the Congress government is using it to undermine the popularity that Jagan enjoys among voters who swear allegiance to his father even today.  Jagan's mother, YS Vijayamma, has written today to the Prime Minister formally complaining that the CBI is being misused against her son.
The CBI's investigation has focused heavily on the role of Congress MP KVP Ramachandra Rao, who was known to be close to YSR.  Mr Rao's wife bought one of the plots in the controversial township; his brother-in-law, Parthasarathi, was a director of APIIC and has also been named in the FIR filed by the CBI.

The CBI probe in to the case was ordered on August 10 last year by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Source:NDTV

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/andhra-pradeshs-home-secretary-arrested-in-emaar-scandal-cbi-gets-custody-till-feb-1-171664&cp

MS Dhoni might lose Test captaincy, Sehwag likely to replace him

India's whitewash in Australia - the second in a row overseas for the cricket team - has triggered a big debate in the cricket establishment, throwing up several ideas, some radical, many cosmetic.

An idea finding favour with the BCCI bosses is that MS Dhoni should be stripped of Test captaincy. The current front runner for the captain's position is Virender Sehwag.

This doesn't mean Dhoni would be stripped of all captaincy - he's expected to remain captain for the limited-overs versions of the game, ODI and T20.

For Test matches, though, his captaincy has been found wanting. Meanwhile, Sehwag has made plain that he hasn't got his due (and has begun to view Dhoni as the reason for that) and the cricket bosses think that perhaps he should be given a chance. It's another matter that Sehwag's record as captain, either of India or of Delhi Daredevils, hasn't been great.

While all the senior players, including VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, have clarified that they won't be retiring from cricket as yet, it doesn't mean that both or either will be selected to play Tests.

Did 'ego clash' with Sehwag affect MSD?

However, what is really disturbing is the talk of "an ego clash" between Dhoni and Sehwag. It's said that this affected Dhoni's captaincy and he couldn't quite assert his authority with Sehwag and a few others.

Dhoni also feels that Sehwag could have done better in Australia if had shown greater discipline while batting. The authorities are examining to what extent this dissension within the team contributed to its debacle in Australia.

Senior players like Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid or Laxman don't have had a problem playing under Dhoni (or under Sehwag, for that matter), but Sehwag has apparently made his opinions clear: he doesn't like Dhoni's way of handling things, be it in selecting the playing XI, field placements during Test matches or the issue of bringing in younger players. He feels that his views have not been heard.

Dhoni's emotional outburst that he was contemplating quitting Tests after 2013 has also not gone down well with BCCI bosses. "There is no point talking about 2013 in the middle of a Test series," an official said.

Incidentally, two senior pros who are under pressure to quit, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, may have decide not to call it a day yet but BCCI officials say that it's apparent that both are past their prime, and it would be wise to blood some youngsters in their place.

The names of Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Cheteshwar Pujara were mentioned in this context. It was also said that once Yuvraj Singh gets fit to play, he will be an "automatic choice".

Times View

Changing the Test captain or dropping a couple of seniors may be part of the solution to the crisis facing Indian cricket. But this isn't enough.

The rot is much more systemic and cannot be dealt with by mere changes in personnel in the playing XI. What is needed is a thorough, uncompromising review of a whole range of issues including the structure of domestic cricket, the cricket board and the selection panel.

Such an honest examination, conducted by professionals, can throw up more meaningful solutions. The board must then have the courage to act on those.

Else, we could see couple of seasons of success at home followed by another round of breast beating after a mauling on foreign soil.

Source:TOI

It's enough': Sharad Pawar mulls quitting politics

Having lost not even one election in the 45 years of his political career so far, union minister and veteran politician Sharad Pawar has said he wants to bid adieu to politics now to make way for the younger generation. 

"It's enough... It is the responsibility of people like me to encourage younger people and younger leadership to continue to work in (his) political party," Pawar, the union agriculture minister, said in a TV interview. 

Having won the Lok Sabha elections eight times since he first entered the Indian parliament in March 1985, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief said he won't be contesting in the next general polls scheduled in 2014. 

"I don't want to contest (the) next Lok Sabha elections because this year I will complete 45 years. I entered politics in 1967 since then continuously I am getting elected... Fortunately I never lost the elections," he told CNN-IBN. 

Pawar founded the NCP in 1999 after breaking away from the Congress. He has held the posts of defence minister and has been chief minister of Maharashtra thrice. 

His daughter Supriya Sule is already in active politics and is Lok Sabha MP from Maharashtra. 

His nephew Ajit Pawar is also a prominent politician in the state and is the deputy chief minister of the state. 

But the 72-year-old politician said it was unlikely that some one from his family will succeed him as the head of the NCP. 

"I don't believe in projecting anybody. The NCP does not believe in dynastic politics. We have a good team in the NCP. We'd like to encourage good team and ultimately they have to prove (themselves)," he said.


Source:TOI

Tennis fraternity hails 'veteran' Leander Paes for his superb show

The Indian tennis fraternity on Saturday lauded Leander Paes for winning a Grand Slam title at the age of 38 and describing him as a "born doubles player".

Paes on Saturday completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open men's doubles title with first-time partner Radek Stepanek as they outplayed world's top pair of Mike and Bob Bryan.

Former Davis Cup skipper Jaideep Mukherjea said the way Paes and Stepanek played, it won't be surprise if they win another Slam in the 2012 season.

"It's fantatstic for Indian tennis. We are all excited. All credit goes to Paes for winning a Grand Slam at the age of 38. To win with a new partner is even more amazing," Mukherjea said.

Mukherjea said Paes and Stepanek took their game few notches above their opponents in the title round.

"Their service return was fantastic. Even in the tie-breaker, they were so dominating. If they play like this, they could win another Grand Slam together. Doubles is all about reflexes and they were very agile," he said.

India's current Davis Cup captain SP Misra said Paes is a superb deuce court player and that's why he is so succesful with advantage court specialists.

"He can disturb the rhythm of any player in the world. Such is his repertiore of shots. This is a remarkable achievement. He is born doubles player," Misra said.

AP: Statue row to escalate Mala drift from Cong?

New Vande Mataram to mark 63rd Republic Day

To mark India's 63rd Republic day, 21 eminent singers and musicians have lent their voice to a new rendition of India's national song Vande Mataram composed by percussionist Bickram Ghosh.

The new version of the song, originally penned by Bankimchandra Chatterji in 1882, features vocals by Sonu Niigaam, Shankar Mahadevan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shubha Mudgal, Roop Kumar Rathod, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Indian Ocean and Palash Sen jamming together in a video.

"My version of Vande Mataram is introspective. It is the national song woven into a new melody after 64 years of Independence. It's a sojourn of all these years. I have created a fusion of contemporary and ethnic India through this song," Ghosh said at the launch of the album Vande Mataram here.

The six-minute-long video begins with a classical note by Niigaam and after capturing various folk notes it finally enters into the rock mode performed by the band Indian Ocean.

"The song is basically divided into three sections - Bollywood, classical and rock. The number tried to cover the whole spectrum of music in our country," said Niigam, who has sang many patriotic numbers in the past.

The video will be played across all the 60 airports of the country on Republic Day and will also be telecast on various news channels.

Shot by Girish Malik, the video beautifully juxtaposes the age-old traditions with modern thoughts.

"I have intentionally captured the quotation 'India is hot' written near a spice factory of Rajasthan to bring the original India to the viewers. These punch lines such as 'Bharat cool hai' and many more have become a part of our life," said Malik.

iPhone thieves find Apple support helpful to them, too

 When Apple Inc set up its customer service plan for the iPhone, it seems to have had the best intentions of humanity in mind - any phone under warranty can get serviced because it's the phone that's tied to the warranty, not the owner.
So you don't have to show up in person at an Apple store to get your phone fixed, which allows the common scenario of the boss sending his or her assistant to get repairs. Similarly, someone who bought their phone from someone else can get a repair without a hassle.
This approach thrills many Apple owners, who have boasted on message boards of how generous some stores have been in replacing broken iPhones. But that same approach has apparently rewarded a lot of thieves. The ease of trading in stolen iPhones and selling their replacements makes them nearly as tempting as grabbing cash.

In US cities from coast-to-coast, reports of iPhone thefts are common. While some thieves sell the phones through the traditional channels of fencing stolen goods, examples abound of stolen iPhones being brought back to Apple, as if broken, for either replacement or a discount on a new unit.
"Apple seems to have not considered stolen devices and instead is relying on the honour system," says Robert Siciliano, a consultant for Intel Corp's technology security unit McAfee and an identity theft expert. "The honour system is devised with the mindset that we are all sheep and there are no wolves."
Siciliano says he has known of this problem for a while, but doesn't see any immediate solution. "Until consumers scream loud enough about this issue, Apple probably won't do anything about it."
MIT graduate student Kayla Menard is among those who wants her voice to be heard screaming. She was sending a text from her 3-month-old iPhone while waiting for a train at Boston's Park Street Station last month when someone snatched it from her hand and ran.
Days later she received an automated email that her damaged phone was repaired at an Apple Store. She went to the store to try to get back her phone, but they wouldn't hand it over to her, and she was told there was nothing they could do. "Because I don't have possession of the phone, they won't help me at all," she says.
Menard says she was astonished to find out that Apple wouldn't help, even though they had her phone. Because someone else had brought in the phone, she was told, the store could not return it to her. She says she believes the thief was sold a new phone at a discount.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the issue of stolen iPhones being turned in at Apple stores, where they are either replaced or turned in for discounted replacement phones. The cost of an iPhone 4s starts at $199 and goes to $399, depending on how much memory it has, when a purchaser also gets a two-year contract with a carrier. The cost is considerably higher without a contract.
Just how popular are iPhones for thieves? An internal New York City Police report found that cell phones and other gadgets were the target of half of the 16,000 robberies reported in New York between January and October 2011 and that 70 per cent of all phones taken from subway and bus passengers were iPhones, according to the New York Daily News, which obtained the never-released document.
That's not a surprise to Michele Bosler, claims supervisor for gadget insurer Worth Ave. Group, who explains that it has always been the case. "They are the most commonly stolen phone, but that has not increased in volume since they first came out onto the market."
Frustrated with Apple's role after the theft of her phone, Menard says she found her carrier, Verizon Wireless, to be sympathetic. She had already reported the device stolen and had it disabled. Employees of Verizon Wireless - a venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc - expressed their frustration, she says, that the Apple store never checked to see whose phone they had.
Verizon Wireless spokesman Paul Macchia declined to comment, saying the questions should be directed to Apple. Mark Siegel, spokesman for AT&T Inc, which until last year was the only carrier supporting iPhones, responded similarly and would not discuss the problem or what the company tells customers who have their phones stolen.
Meanwhile, the continuing problem of iPhone thefts has spurred the growth of applications intended to help users protect their data and catch thieves. Perhaps the most notable one is called iGotYa, which takes a photo of anyone who incorrectly types in the password on a locked phone. The photo is then emailed to the owner's email address along with the location where the photo was taken. It's probably not the solution, but it is an amusing idea.
Source:IBN

Roadtest: 2012 Tata Nano is cheap and cheerful

The world's cheapest car has had an upgrade. Inflammatory jokes apart, the 2012 Tata Nano is Tata Motors' first refresh of the iconic car since its launch in 2009. It looks identical, but has had some changes made under the hood, or the rear seat, in this case. Tata has bumped up the power to 38PS, up from the original 35PS, putting it on an equal footing with the Maruti 800. Even with the aircon on, it's evidently enough for the featherweight four-wheeler.

The car doesn't feel short on power around the city, and I was often surprised to see the speedo needle planted at 100kmph with no preceding drama. The engine has the feel of a heavy flywheel – a bit like an old Yezdi, for those of you old enough to remember.

The car tends to lurch a little in the lower gears, but getting away from lights is never a problem. Third gear is nice when you're in the meat of the powerband, and fourth is quite tall, explaining my surprise at the speedo.

Tata claims that the 2012 Nano has a best-in-class aircon. Considering that this is a class of one, it's hard to disagree. However, in our testing around Mumbai, I must admit that there were times when I actually turned the aircon down. We drove the LX version, which comes with power windows in front, air conditioning and central locking.

All very convenient features, making this little car quite comfortable in daily use. However, quality niggles remain – our test car had a jammed passenger side front door, relegating all passengers to the rear seat. On that front, however, the Nano delivers in spades – the rear accommodations are most satisfactory, particularly for the portly or long in tooth.

For the driver, the experience can be best described as cheap and cheerful. While there were no ergonomic issues for this tester, Bert took issue with the intrusive wheel well and close-together pedals. I suspect this will be a common complaint for anyone in the welterweight category or beyond. The genetically gifted will have no problems. The steering is still quite heavy, which was a complaint with the original Nano.

In motion, it isn't much of an issue, and rickshaw-style misbehaviour is almost encouraged in a car this size. However, at parking speeds, it can be a pain. The assisted brakes are only just, needing a deliberate stamp to slow down rapidly. NVH is controlled, and Tata claims to have added a “racier” note to the exhaust.

At the end of a week's commuting with the 2012 Tata Nano, I have to say that it did not feel like a big step down from my personal Polo. If anything the ride quality was good, with the tiny wheels and generous springs never crashing through Mumbai's usual craters. The revised suspension setup - now with an anti-roll bar in front which improves on the handling, relatively speaking of course.

Tata claims to have improved the efficiency of the Nano to 25kmpl, and we got an overall efficiency of 22.11kmpl (20.35kmpl in the city and 27.39kmpl on the highway). Which means you can get away with motorcycle-sized refills in the Nano, all while having nothing strapped to your back and air conditioning to boot

Source:IBN

India observes 63rd Republic Day, to display military might

 A strong and resurgent India is celebrating its 63rd Republic Day on Thursday. This year's parade will highlight the nation's achievements in various fields alongwith the military prowess, scintillating display of air power as also country's rich and diverse cultural heritage.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday paid a solemn tribute to soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the nation by laying a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate.

Prior to the start of the 63rd Republic Day parade showcasing India's military might and cultural diversity, Manmohan Singh drove to the tomb of the unknown soldier -- marked by a reversed rifle, standing on its barrel and crested by a soldier's helmet.

After the prime minister laid the floral wreath, the guard commander gave salute and buglers played the "Last Post" -- rendered at military funerals and ceremonies commemorating those who have died in war.

Along with everyone, Manmohan Singh observed a two-minute silence.

The highlight of this year's Parade will be the 3,000 kms range Agni-IV missile. The intermediate range surface-to-surface ballistic missile mounted on a road mobile launcher is being paraded by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

The weaponry put on display by the Indian Army includes the T-72 tank, Carrier Mortar Tracked, SMERCH Multiple Launch Rocket System, Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocket System, Full Width Mine Plough, NBC Water Purification Systems and Jammer Station VHF/UHF. The Army's Mechanized Columns will conclude with a flypast by the Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv of the Army Aviation Corps.

The Indian Air Force will display its latest acquisition, the C-130-J Super Hercules tactical aircaft, which makes its debut at the Republic Day Parade, with three of the six aircraft acquired from the US participating in the flypast. The Indian Navy's tableau also glosses over its newly acquired capabilities.

The parade will be commanded by Lt. General Vijay Kumar Pillai, General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area. Major General Rajbir Singh, Chief of Staff, Delhi Area will be the parade Second-in-Command.

The marching contingents of Army will include the horse-mounted columns of the 61st Cavalry, Parachute Regiment, Bengal Engineer Group and Centre, Brigade of the Guards, Kumaon Regiment, Assam Regiment to name a few, along with contigents of paramilitary and other auxiliary civil forces of the Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, Coast Guard, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force and National Cadet Corps.

The marching contingents of Navy comprising 144 men will be led by Lt. Commander Manikandan K. and the Air Force contingent comprising 144 men will be led by Flight Lieutenant Sneha Shekhawatthe first woman ever to lead an IAF contingent at the Parade.

Tableaux from 23 states and Central Ministries and Departments will present the varied historical, architectural and cultural heritage of the country. They will also showcase country's progress in different fields. Nineteen of the 24 children selected for the National Bravery Award - 2009 will also participate in the parade. Five children have got the award posthumously.

In the children's pageant section, 1,200 boys and girls drawn from Delhi's two schools, - KendriyaVidyalaya, Sector-2, RK Puram and Government Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Hastsal, Delhi, besides regional cultural zones, - South Zone Cultural Centre, Thajavur, East Zone Cultural Centre, Kolkata and North Central Zone Cultural Centre, Madhya Pradesh will present dances and other programmes.

Janbaz, the motorcycle display by the Border Security Force will be a major attraction of the parade consisting of 154 riders on 30 motorcycles under the leadership of Inspector Amit Kumar. They will perform breathtaking stunts in a synchronised and synergetic display of mind, body and machine coordination.

The grand finale of the parade will be a spectacular flypast by the IAF. The flypast will be led by a Vic formation of three Mi-35 helicopters, followed by the three Super Hercules again in a Vic formation. Trailing them will be one IL-78, flanked by two AN-32 and two Dornier, in a Big Boy formation.

The breathtaking Trishul formation comprising three Su-30 MKI would fly over the Rajpath.

The ceremony will culminate with the National Anthem and release of balloons.

sOURCE:toi with inputs from Agencies)

Top 5 facts about ISRO controversy

India's community of scientists is engulfed in controversy. The former chief of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), G Madhavan Nair, has threatened to take the government to court if it bans him from holding government jobs. Here's why.

Mr Nair is reacting to reports that a three-member committee, appointed by the Prime Minister, has recommended punitive action against him and three others for their alleged role in a deal that would have seen ISRO building satellites and giving precious s-band spectrum at a throwaway price to a company named Devas.

The contract with Devas was signed in 2005 by ISRO's commercial arm, Antrix. Two satellites and a whopping 70 MHz of S-Band spectrum, to be used by Devas for broadband services, were priced at Rs. 1,000 crore. The contract was cancelled in February, 2011, after media reports that pointed out the deal was loaded in Devas' favour. The government was embarrassed because ISRO reports directly to the Prime Minister's office.

The PM set up a three-member committee to determine whether ISRO had misled the cabinet when presenting the facts of the deal. The committee has submitted its report to the government. A statement is expected later today from the Department of Space.

Mr Nair, whose tenure at ISRO head also saw the launch of India's maiden moon mission, Chandrayaan-1, blames his successor, K Radhakrishnan, of misleading the government and misrepresenting the facts to implicate him. "Am I worse than a terrorist?" he asked, pointing out that if he has indeed been banned from government jobs, his version of events has not been heard, and that no chargesheet officially declaring his alleged crimes has been shared with him.

Why S-band is crucial: Spectrum in the S-band, also known as 2.5 Ghz band, is scarce and is extremely valuable for mobile broadband services. It is also considered to be of strategic interest and government agencies have argued in the past that it is needed for radio networking, satellite mobile television transmission, disaster warning systems and dissemination of meteorological data. Mobile phone service providers have, on the other hand, been pressing for this spectrum to be set aside for extension of 3G services.
Source:NDTV

Kamal Haasan wants Shah Rukh Khan for Menon`s remake

If Kamal Haasan had his way, superstar Shah Rukh Khan will be the only actor to step into his shoes for the Hindi remake of Gautham Menon`s Tamil film ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu’.

Shah Rukh is currently in a dilemma as he has to choose between the remakes of two Tamil films – ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu’ and A.R. Murugadoss`s ‘Ramanna’. Both offer the picky King Khan a chance to do something he hasn`t done before - a south Indian remake with parts that he hasn`t tried before.

"While Murugadoss`s film casts SRK as a social crusader, Menon`s film casts him as a cop, a role he has played just once in Shashilal Nair`s ‘One 2 Ka 4’ and that too, a plain-clothed cop. SRK has never got a chance to get into khaki uniform.

This, ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu’ will let him do," said a source.

Haasan, who played the role of the cop on the lookout for a serial killer in the original movie ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu’, has expressed keen interest in Shah Rukh reprising the role in the film`s Hindi version.

"Kamalji is extremely fond of Shah Rukh. They go back a long way to the time when 12 years ago Shah Rukh agreed to do Kamalji`s ‘Hey Ram’ free of cost. When director Gautham Menon, who understandably respects Kamalji`s opinion, asked the thespian who should play his role in the Hindi remake, Kamalji promptly gave Shah Rukh`s name," said a source close to the project.

Menon confirmed his eagerness to cast Shah Rukh and said: "I don`t know where these reports of Salman Khan being an option for ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu’ are coming from. It`s Shah Rukh Khan, who is the first and only choice. Kamalji played the part in the Tamil original. So Shah Rukh seems the right candidate for the part."

There is another reason why Salman was eliminated early from the race to play the cop in Menon`s film. Salman has already done the khaki bit several times over.

"Shah Rukh in khaki is a novelty. Salman has been there and done it many times. Shah Rukh is our man for the part," said the source. Apparently, ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu’ will explore the same dark noire cop-killer space as Aamir Khan`s ‘Talaash’.
A source close to the project says that the only reason Shah Rukh has not given a final nod to Menon`s remake is because he wants to see how ‘Talaash’ is received by the audiences.

Source:Znews

Strongest solar storm since 2005 hitting Earth

The sun is bombarding Earth with radiation from the biggest solar storm in more than six years with more to come from the fast-moving eruption.

The solar flare occurred at about 11pm EST (0400 GMT) on Sunday and will hit Earth with three different effects at three different times. The biggest issue is radiation, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado.

The radiation is mostly a concern for satellite disruptions and astronauts in space. It can cause communication problems for polar-traveling airplanes, said space weather center physicist Doug Biesecker.

Radiation from Sunday's flare arrived at Earth an hour later and will likely continue through Wednesday. Levels are considered strong but other storms have been more severe. There are two higher levels of radiation on NOAA's storm scale -- severe and extreme -- Biesecker said. Still, this storm is the strongest for radiation since May 2005.

The radiation -- in the form of protons -- came flying out of the sun at 93 million miles per hour (150 million kph).

"The whole volume of space between here and Jupiter is just filled with protons and you just don't get rid of them like that" Biesecker said. That's why the effects will stick around for a couple days.

NASA's flight surgeons and solar experts examined the solar flare's expected effects and decided that the six astronauts on the International Space Station do not have to do anything to protect themselves from the radiation, spokesman Rob Navias said.

A solar eruption is followed by a one-two-three punch, said Antti Pulkkinen, a physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and Catholic University.

First comes electromagnetic radiation, followed by radiation in the form of protons.

Then, finally the coronal mass ejection -- that's the plasma from the sun itself -- hits. Usually that travels at about 1 or 2 million miles per hour, (1.6 or 3.2 million kph) but this storm is particularly speedy and is shooting out at 4 million miles per hour, Biesecker said.

It's the plasma that causes much of the noticeable problems on Earth, such as electrical grid outages. In 1989, a solar storm caused a massive blackout in Quebec. It can also pull the northern lights farther south.

But this coronal mass ejection seems likely to be only moderate, with a chance for becoming strong, Biesecker said. The worst of the storm is likely to go north of Earth.

And unlike last October, when a freak solar storm caused auroras to be seen as far south as could see an aurora but not until Tuesday evening, he said.

For the past several years the sun had been quiet, almost too quiet. Part of that was the normal calm part of the sun's 11-year cycle of activity. Last year, scientists started to speculate that the sun was going into an unusually quiet cycle that seems to happen maybe once a century or so.

Now that super-quiet cycle does not seem as likely, Biesecker said.

Scientists watching the sun with a new NASA satellite launched in 2010 -- during the sun's quiet period -- are excited.

"We haven't had anything like this for a number of years," Pulkkinen said. "It's kind of special."

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/
source:TOI