IBLOG SPACE

Dharmendra can now breathe easily. He's at least halfway to a sense of complete relaxation. His family film Yamla Pagla Deewana with his two sons have sailed through. Now his other family-film Tell Me Oh Khuda featuring his daughter Esha and produced by his wife Hema Malini and also featuring Dharmendra as his own daughter's father is on release. Poised between success for his sons and expectation of the same for his daughter, Dharmendra wanted nothing better at the moment than to visit his favourite place of prayers. However as they say, man proposes God disposes. Apparently, the collective Deol men Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby Deol at the Golden Temple amounted to a security hazard. So for now the director of Yamla Pagla Deewana (YPD) Samir Karnik had to trudge alone to Amritsar. When contacted Samir confirmed the Deols' inability to visit the Golden temple. "Do you know what Dharamji and his two sons mean to Punjab? It's not just a

If you are one of those lob-headed people who love intelligence behind virtually and love to develop and grow the same then this one is especially for you. Wolfram Alpha is one of the most intelligent websites that the Internet world is seeing right now. For those of you who are new to it Wolfram Alpha is an answer engine that is made by Wolfram Research , a team that is devoted to excellence in research. The site is currently ranked at around 3500 thousands on the Alexa ranking scale and is fast gaining popularity. Most of you will be astonished to know that the site has opened to public only about an year ago in 2009. However the truth that we have in front of us is that the site is not being used to the fullest of its potential by the masses around the world mainly because of the lack of knowledge among the people. Here is a set of tips and tricks that can be used to play more with the Wolfram. 1. Pick a topic suitable for Wolfram: The wolfram answer engine is not the

President Barack Obama remains focused on creating jobs and preparing American children for competing against the Chinese and the Indians and a whole host of different countries, says a top aide. Obama is going to Schenectady, New York Friday to 'visit the birthplace of General Electric, talk about the economy,' Obama's press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Thursday. 'It will be the future home of their advanced battery manufacturing,' he said explaining why Obama was going there. 'This is a company that has brought jobs from overseas back into the United States, obviously that's important.' 'And a company that as a result of some of the work that the President did on commercial diplomacy before and, while in India , saw an expansion of the business that they do all over the world that supports jobs here in America,' Gibbs noted. In response to another question about a tension between Obama's short and long term goals, he

 Indian-origin hotelier Sant Chatwal has signed an agreement with the Wyndham Hotel Group, giving it exclusive global rights to franchise and manage his Dream and Night" boutique hotels and brand worldwide. "The relationship with Wyndham will unlock the true potential of our Dream and Night brands, which have proven its success in key markets like New York and Bangkok during the last six years and are prime to further expand globally,said Chatwal, Chairman and CEO of Chatwal Hotels & Resorts and its management arm, Hampshire Hotels & Resorts, in a statement. An agreement in this regard was signed in Parsippany, New Jersey , on Thursday. Dream and Night hotels currently are open in New York; Bangkok and Cochin . In addition, the 108-room, Art-Deco-inspired Dream South Beach is scheduled to open early this year in Miami Beach, Florida . The company has also announced plans to open a Dream hotel in New York''s Meatpacking District during the secon

Larry Page once built an inkjet printer entirely out of Lego bricks. And now that Google is all grown up, it just might need that youthful ingenuity again. Page's return as chief executive of the company he co-founded 13 years ago is a sign that the maturing Internet giant is looking to recapture its original feel and edge. The 38-year-old, whose postgraduate research on how Internet pages link to each other laid the foundations for Google in the mid-1990s, is regarded as the impatient, idea-driven force at the heart of the company. Now, some hope he will jumpstart a company that in recent years has stumbled awkwardly on emerging Web trends such as social networking. "A return to its roots is just what the company needs to catalyze creativity, get employees energized and start taking over markets again," said Tricia Salinero at Silicon Valley M&A advisory firm Newforth Partners. "As spending was curbed over the last few years, some of that G

 Oil was on track for a weekly drop of more than 2 percent on Friday, trading near its lowest in ten days, after U.S. inventories rose across all categories and on speculation monetary tightening by China would restrain demand. Brent crude for March inched 4 cents higher to $96.62 a barrel after touching $95.43 on Thursday, the lowest intraday price since Jan. 11. A week ago the front month contract touched $99.20, the highest level since 2008. Consumers represented by the International Energy Agency (IEA) have voiced concern about the potential effect of rising crude prices on the global economic recovery, stepping up pressure on the Organization of the Petroleum Countries (OPEC) to raise production. "We acknowledge the perception of a rapid move to a triple-digit price level does negatively impact sentiment and does generate more cautious inventory procurement and management, which could add to the softer tone we now expect in the near term," JP Morgan anal

Stocks fell on Thursday as lackluster tech and materials earnings failed to live up to heightened expectations, threatening to short-circuit a seven-week run. Declines were milder than on Wednesday, when a sharp drop pulled the market off two-year highs. Morgan Stanley posted stronger-than-expected revenue to help the banking sector rise modestly. Morgan Stanley rose 4.6 percent to $29.02. But F5 Networks plunged 21.4 percent to $109.15 and pulled the Nasdaq lower after the network equipment maker forecast weak second-quarter revenue. "The tug of war continued during the course of the day with techs and financials -- the two big behemoths in terms of bellwethers for the market -- slugging it out all day," said Joseph Benanti, managing director of Rosenblatt Securities in New York. "We had a lot of movement on hot news that will subside. Cloud stocks are important, but they are not going to drive all technology. And the financials are a bigger sector to f

Options investors are pricing in a potential move of about 5 percent for Google's stock after the company reports earnings after the bell on Thursday. Google Inc, the world's No.1 Internet search engine and one of the most closely watched stocks in the options market due to its volatile earnings play, is expected to report a 22 percent jump in fourth-quarter revenue, thanks to a strong holiday season. The stock was down 0.5 percent at $628.48 in late afternoon trading, with less than a hour to go before the closing bell. "Compared to the 11.2 percent move in the stock after earnings in the previous session and a 7 percent move prior to that, the expected move this time is a bit subdued," said Steve Claussen, chief investment strategist at online brokerage OptionHouse.com in Chicago . Overall Google options volume was 2.3 times greater than average daily turnover with about 51,000 puts and 75,000 calls traded by 2:46 p.m. EST, according to options analyt

Global growth momentum will help extend a nearly two-year rally in world equity markets by as much as 20 percent, Jim O'Neill, chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, said on Thursday. Stocks, which still have a high "risk premia" after the financial crisis, are the favored asset class in 2011 for Goldman Sachs Asset Management, which has $677 billion in assets under management, O'Neill told a press briefing. "Overall, it's a very supportive environment for investors to be thinking about equities," he said, later adding that the run could be another 15 percent to 20 percent. O'Neill said businesses will benefit as growth in China and the United States outpaces consensus predictions. China on Thursday reported its economic growth quickened in the fourth quarter of 2010 to 9.8 percent, more than expected and sparking concerns of tighter monetary policy. His confidence is reflected in forecasts by Goldman Sachs Research, which has

The discovery of widespread theft in European Union emissions trading this week may push the distant dream of a global carbon market to fight climate change even further from reality. The EU on Wednesday halted spot trade for one week after the theft of emissions permits worth up to 30 million euros ($40.2 million) and said on Thursday that the new problem could be resolved cheaply and swiftly. But the theft, possibly a concerted hacker attack, added to clouds gathering around the global future of carbon markets. The latest in a string of scandals, it added to factors discouraging other countries from adopting similar cap and trade systems. "I'm so upset this market is really suffering, and once again we are revisited by the same issues of fraud," said one carbon trader on Thursday. "I'm managing to trade options, but no one really cares." The halt in spot trade did not prevent trading in the larger market in derivatives including futures, b

Morgan Stanley posted stronger-than-expected quarterly revenue and retail brokerage profit jumped, validating the bank's strategy of bolstering businesses that are less threatened by tougher regulation after the financial crisis. While fourth-quarter profit fell short of forecasts, investors focused on the bank's stronger results in areas like asset management. Morgan Stanley shares rose 3.6 percent. In 2009, after the financial crisis brought the bank to the brink of failure, Morgan Stanley began reducing its reliance on trading and risk-taking for profit. It began concentrating instead on areas like wealth management, where revenue is more stable. As part of that move, it bought a controlling stake in Citigroup's retail brokerage business, now a joint venture known as Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Those moves seem to be paying off for Chief Executive James Gorman, who was originally hired by Morgan Stanley to oversee the bank's retail brokerage busines

Wall Street fell for a second day on Thursday as earnings failed to live up to lofty expectations and investors booked profits in a market extended by weeks of gains. Sectors that led the recent rally such as materials and technology were among the worst hit. The S&P materials index slid 1.7 percent and the Philadelphia semiconductor index lost 1.5 percent. Shares of Freeport McMoran Copper and Gold fell more than 4 percent after it cut its sales forecast and said costs would rise, while F5 Networks tumbled 22 percent after it forecast weak second quarter revenue. On Wednesday, U.S. stocks suffered their worst decline in two months as analysts said the market is entering a corrective phase that could drag equities lower in the weeks ahead. "Earnings expectations have been very high and the market has not been able to see enough positive news to keep prices at these high levels," said Nick Kalivas, an analyst at MF Global in Chicago. Underscoring how o

India's software major Wipro Ltd Friday announced the appointment of T.K. Kurien as the chief executive officer (CEO) of its global IT business and executive director of the company. In a regulatory filing, the IT bellwether said its joint chief executives Girish Paranjpe and Suresh Vaswani would step down Feb 1. Kurien is currently chief executive of the company's eco-energy division, a new initiative launched early this fiscal. 'The joint chief executive structure was one of the key factors that successfully helped us navigate the worst economic crisis of our times,' Wipro chairman Azim Premji said in a statement here. Paranjpe and Vaswani have been associated with the company over the last two decades and have been an integral part of the leadership team. 'There is a change in environment, there is a need for a simpler organisation structure. Kurien's track record with customers, passion for excellence, coupled with strategic thinking and rigor

India's Jindal Steel & Power plans this year to export 1 million tonnes of iron ore concentrate from Bolivia's El Mutun mine, the firm said. Exports will begin in March now that some problems that had slowed development of the mine near Puerto Suarez - a town close to the Brazilian border - have been overcome, Jindal Bolivia's communications manager, Eduardo Prudencio, told EFE. 'Exports will begin in March. They'll be the first iron-ore exports from Bolivia . One million tonnes will be exported during the year,' Prudencio said. The information was confirmed by Jindal's managing director, Naveen Jindal, who arrived in the eastern Bolivian province of Santa Cruz a few days ago to inaugurate construction of the firm's offices in Puerto Suarez, Prudencio added. Among the projects scheduled for this year, Jindal will continue repairing a 100-km road to connect El Mutun with a canal linking the Paraguay and Parana rivers, as well as with a

 Wipro Ltd surprised markets with the resignations of the joint-CEOs of its information technology business, after reporting profit growth rates which lagged rivals Infosys Technologies LTd and Tata Consultancy Services. India's third-ranked software services exporter said company veteran T.K. Kurien was taking over as the new chief executive of the unit. "The joint CEO structure was one of the key factors that successfully helped us navigate the worst economic crisis of our times. With the change in environment, there is a need for a simpler organization structure," Wipro Chairman Azim Premji, said in a statement. Wipro, which counts Citi, Cisco and Credit Suisse among its clients, forecast IT services revenue of $1.38 billion to $1.41 billion for the fiscal fourth quarter, up three to five percent from the quarter ended in December. IT services constitute about three-fourths of Wipro's revenue. "We are positive on all the large cap IT firms. W

Indian energy firms Reliance Industries and Oil and Natural Gas Corp are set to post robust quarterly profits on the back of rising oil prices, which are also seen keeping their medium-term outlooks rosy. A 14 percent rise in crude oil prices during October-December should expand margins for Reliance, helping India's largest listed company likely post a record quarterly profit and state-run ONGC its biggest quarterly percentage profit jump in nearly six years. (see table at end for detailed forecasts) "The outlooks for both firms look positive as we do not expect crude prices to cool off substantially from current levels anytime soon," said K.K. Mital, CEO of portfolio management services with Globe Capital. "Realisations for both firms are going to remain good." GAS OUTPUT, OVERSEAS FORAY Reliance, controlled by Mukesh Ambani who is the world's fourth-richest man with a fortune of $29 billion according to Forbes magazine, is set to rep

The BSE Sensex is expected to open lower on Friday tracking weak Asian peers, and outsourcer Wipro will be in focus after it reported earnings that were in line with expectations. Cigarette-to-hotel business ITC and capital goods firm Bharat Heavy Electricals will also be on the radar ahead of their quarter results. Wipro met estimates with a 10 percent rise in third-quarter profit, driven by improving demand for offshoring services, but still underperformed rivals. The MSCI's measure of Asian markets other than Japan was down 0.5 percent by 0301 GMT, while Japan's Nikkei was trading 0.9 percent lower. The Nifty India stock futures in Singapore were down 0.5 percent, indicating a lower open in the domestic market. On Thursday, the 30-share BSE index rose 0.4 percent to 19,046.54 points. STOCKS TO WATCH * HCL Infosystems after the company said it had bagged a large order from the government of Assam to provide 7,200 laptops. * McNally Bharat Engg Co Ltd after th

The rupee was on course for a third consecutive session of losses on Friday, weighed down by lower stocks and weaker regional peers. Foreign funds have sold shares worth a net $717 million this month, as accelerating inflation, slowing factory output and rising borrowing costs dampened the outlook for equities. At 10:48 a.m. (0518 GMT), the partially convertible rupee was at 45.71/72 per dollar, 0.4 percent weaker than 45.53/54 at close on Thursday when it had touched 45.71 during trade -- its lowest since Dec. 1. The rupee is down 2.2 percent this month. In 2010, it had strengthened 4.1 percent, helped by foreign portfolio flows of a record $29.3 billion into equities. "Despite euro/dollar rally over 1.3350, it is important for the stock markets to hold above 18,700/5,600 to arrest rupee weakness beyond 45.85," said J. Moses Harding, head of global markets at IndusInd Bank. The 30-share BSE index and the 50-share NSE index were both trading down 0.4 percent

 Asian stocks were set to post their worst weekly performance in nearly two months as rising inflation within the region increased the risks of aggressive policy action and hurt growth in the world's engines such as China and India. Investors have been reluctant to add positions in emerging market stocks and bonds so far this year after record inflows in 2010 due to concerns that policy inertia may put growth-focused authorities behind the curve in fighting price pressures. Foreigners have rotated funds out of high inflation risk economies such as Indonesia and into developed markets such as Japan this year and inflows into emerging market local currency bond funds, a favorite last year, have slowed considerably. The MSCI index of Asia and Pacific shares excluding Japan extended its drop to 0.8 percent, after falling more than 1.8 percent on Wednesday, weighed down by selling in sectors such as materials and energy which in turn have buckled due to a selloff in co

Karnataka stares at a political storm in the coming days as Governor H.R. Bhardwaj sits in his sprawling 170-year-old bungalow mulling prosecution of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa over allegations of nepotism in land allotment. Bhardwaj, who will turn 74 in May, has been poring over a 1,700-page document containing alleged irregularities in land allotment by the Bharatiya Janata Party's first chief minister in south India. He has sought 93 files from the state government to help decide whether to sanction Yeddyurappa's prosecution as sought by two Bangalore lawyers or send to the beleaguered chief minister the 'all is well' message. Yeddyurappa and his cabinet have claimed that Bhardwaj had made up his mind as far back as Dec 31 to sanction prosecution. They even gave the time-frame of when to expect the governor's decision - any day after Jan 26. Bhardwaj has vehemently disagreed. He insisted Thursday he was yet to make up his mind and has not

Peeved over an innuendo hurled at it by Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj, the ruling BJP is holding a meeting of its Core Committee and State level executive today to chart out its future course of plans to take on him in a snowballing confrontation. The sparring between the Governor and the Government took to an ugly turn yesterday after Bhardwaj courted a controversy likening the cabinet resolution asking him to drop proceedings for prosecution of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to a thief taking police to task. The BJP Central Leadership rushed its General Secretary Dharmendra Pradhan, who is also in-charge of party affairs in Karnataka, to the city today. Pradhan held brief consultations with state unit leaders and took stock of the situation. Sources in BJP said the Core Committee and the Executive would be finalising the strategies to be adopted in the campaign against the Governor. Facing fresh attacks from Bhardwaj, an upset Yeddyurappa last night dashed off a l

Activists of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJMM) organised a peace march urging locals to maintain peace and harmony in Siliguri. The objective of the peace march was the establishment of a separate Gorkha land state in a peaceful manner. Talking to mediapersons, Shankar Adhikari, Convener of Terai region GJMM said that the state government as well as some of its officials is trying to disrupt harmony in Doars region. "Our Gorkhaland demand is already there but now the state government and the other officials are together trying to disrupt the communal harmony in Doars region. And this is being undertaken with the support of West Bengal government . So we stand united and pray for the country's unity. We do not demand a Gorkhaland to disrupt communal harmony. We are demanding it because it is a matter of identity of the Gorkhas," said Adhikari. He said that the movement is about recognising the identity of the Gorkhas. A renewed demand for a separate Gorkhaland re

Kerala Home Secretary Jaya Kumar will today file before the High Court a report on Sabarimala stampede, where 102 pilgrims lost their lives at Pullmedu in Idukki district last Friday. This comes a day after the High Court came down heavily on the government for lack of co-ordination among various agencies invovled in Sabarimala pilgrimage. The Home Secretary's report will contain the government's version of the causes of the tragedy. Earlier, reacting to the reports, the court said it wants an explanation for why more than thousand vehicles were allowed on the precariously narrow path used by pilgrims on the day the tragedy took place. The court has also sought an answer from the government with regard to the shops clutter in the same area, and wants to know whether they have been set up with permission. Earlier on Monday, the court had expressed displeasure over neglect of warnings on the safety of Sabarimala pilgrims and directed the police, forest depar

Chinese Ambassador to India, Zhang Yan has announced one billion US dollar aid for the reconstruction of Nalanda University . Yan made the announcement after meeting Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar here on Thursday. "Nalanda University is under the reconstruction. Chinese government has donated one billion US dollars, to support the reconstruction of the Nalanda University," Yan told reporters. "I will visit the University and discuss with the chancellor or vice-chancellor, how two sides can cooperate with each other to make this project very successful work," he added. Yan encouraged cultural exchange between Bihar and China other than showing keen interest in the development of the state's agriculture and industry. "Chinese side is very interested to develop co-operations with the state in many areas, especially in the agricultural industry as well as in infrastructure. Furthermore, we want to develop country exchanges with the state of B

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani has voiced support for the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha's (BJYM) plans to hoist the national Tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Republic Day, despite demands from various quarters to drop the plan. Speaking at a reception accorded to the Yatra personnel here, Advani said: "I don't understand when our young party members want to hoist national flag at Lal Chowk why are they opposed. They are not challenging any one especially not the government and not event the nationalists of the country. If they are challenging any one then that is the separatists." Attacking Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his opposition to the yatra, Advani said: "What provocation is he talking about? Hoisting the tricolour should be provocation only for enemies of the nation." He further said that it becomes the duty of the State government to ensure that the national flag is being hoisted in the Sta

 The Supreme Court will hear Vedanta University's appeal against the Orissa High Court order quashing land acquisition for its university project in Puri. The Orissa government and the University have challenged the High Court decision saying land acquisition procedures for the proposed Vedanta University project were illegal. The petition against the university said the proposed university project would cause extreme debilitating impact on the eco system and the local bio-diversity. The High Court had directed Vedanta to return the land awarded to them to their owners. At least two PILs and six individual petitions were filed in the High Court since 2007 challenging the state government's notification on the land acquisition. The petitioners had contended that the proposed multi-disciplinary university project would have caused extreme debilitating impact on the eco system as well as the local bio-diversity. Congress leader Umaballav Rath had filed the first pl

Ahead of Uttar Pradesh Board Examinations, the state government has banned strikes in secondary schools for a period of six months, officials said here today. "The order to ban the strike has been issued in public interest as state board examinations are going to start from March 17," a secondary education official said. The strikes, if any, can hinder process of board exams and evaluation of answer sheets. The order has been implemented with immediate effect.

A newborn baby girl, who was found abandoned in Rajasthan''s Ganganagar district, died in a hospital, police said today. The unidentified baby, who was born prematurely, was found abandoned by police on January 19. The baby was found abandoned in some bushes by a woman working in a nearby area, Nisha Chauhan, who is working with an NGO in the district, said. The baby was taken to hospital by the police, she said. The baby could not survive as she was born prematurely and was suffering from the resultant complications, Dr Avinash Sardana, who looked after the infant at the Sriganganagar Government Hospital, said.

Even as a debate is raging on the management of Sabarimala pilgrimage in the wake of the deadly stampede, a pictorial report prepared by eminent architect late Laurie Baker on creating essential amenities for devotees without harming nature has been gathering dust for the past 15 years. The British-born humanist and advocate of low-cost buildings, who spent much of his later life in Kerala and acquired Indian citizenship, took a trip to Sabarimala in 1995 on request from the state government to provide inputs for plans to improve facilities for pilgrims without causing stress to the delicate environment. Baker was 79 when he undertook the arduous trek from Pampa to Sabarimala, enjoying the natural settings of the area but feeling deeply concerned over the ecologically hostile constructions that had come up over the years. The 36-page hand-written report, full of Bakers own drawings and illustrations, has proved prophetic now as it had sufficiently warned that unless t

TRS today alleged that the ''Rachabanda'' mass-contact programme of the Andhra Pradesh government is an attempt to divert public attention from the Telangana issue. "The government does not have sincerity in public welfare. Telangana people are not allowing the ruling party leaders to enter villages over the statehood issue. The government and leaders want to enter villages through this programme," TRS leader in the Assembly E Rajender claimed. Dismissing the allegation, Government Chief Whip M Bhatti Vikramarka said TRS is politicising the issue for its own advantage. Meanwhile, CPI state secretary K Narayana said in a letter to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy that land distribution and related issues should be included in the subjects covered by the ''Rachabanda'' programme. The mass-contact programme, in which Chief Minister N Kiran KUmar Reddy and the ministers would participate, aims at verifying whether the benefits of th

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of government employees in Andhra Pradesh today threatened to intensify their ongoing stir if the state government failed to invite them for talks by tomorrow evening. "This government does not care a bit even if the employees are on strike. More than what we get, we want to protect the system of government employees. If the government does not invite us for talks by tomorrow, we will go on an indefinite hunger strike," JAC leader K Swamy Goud told reporters. The government employees in the state are on a strike since yesterday for various demands including hike in House Rent Allowance, provision of health cards without the involvement of insurance companies and speedy promotions among others.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is being unfair in offering jobs to the people whose land was acquired for railway projects only during her tenure, West Bengal Industry Minister Nirupam Sen said today. "The Railway Minister is saying that she will not take responsibility for what was done during the previous railway minister''s tenure. This is most unfair, because government is a continuing process and such a decision should be applicable for all," Sen told reporters. "If this policy is followed, no railway project will materialise. She is instigating people with promise of jobs," Sen told reporters to a question. Pointing that those who offered land earlier should also be offered jobs, he said, "If the Railway Minister cannot offer benefit to all, she should return all land acquired so far and directly purchase it for railway projects." PTI AKB PC

Breaking the ice, the Centre''s interlocutors on Kashmir today talked to Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq over phone discussing the situation in the state and seeking time for a meeting. The conversation, which lasted for over 10 minutes, dealt with the issues including the present situation in the state and the economic loss to common Kashmiris because of the frequent strikes in the state, sources privy to the developments said. The Mirwaiz, a moderate separatist leader, assured the interlocutors of a positive approach once the situation gets a bit normal, the sources said. The Mirwaiz later told PTI that eminent journalist Dileep Padgaonkar had called him and wanted to meet "but we refused." He said Hurriyat Conference was not against a dialogue but the process has to be "Kashmir-centric and result- oriented". The Mirwaiz spoke of the need for specific steps like withdrawal of troops from civilian areas and release of politi

The Allahabad High Court has expressed "utter dissatisfaction" over large number of prisoners lodged in over-crowded UP jails for more than 14 years. "We do not see what benefit the state gains in rejecting the applications for release in a routine manner when prisons all over the state are keeping prisoners double their capacities, giving rise to law and order problems due to over-crowding," a division Bench comprising Justices Amar Saran and N A Moonis said in a judgement on January 12. "It is also irrational to cast an undue burden on the state exchequer by detaining such persons in jail who may, after their long incarceration, have lost any further potential to commit a crime," the court said. "We must express our utter dissatisfaction with the cursory nature of the reply furnished by the state government in respect of the 583 lifer prisoners who have undergone the sentence for more than 14 years," it said. "We think tha

In view of the stepped up security arrangements ahead of Republic Day celebrations, Jammu and Kashmir government has asked security forces to work together with the tourism department to avoid inconvenience to tourists at the airport here. "There is a need for maintaining coordination between police, CRPF and tourism department to avoid any inconvenience to the outgoing and incoming tourists, both domestic and international, on the Srinagar Airport," Divisional Commissioner (Kashmir), Asgar Samoon said. Samoon, who chaired a meeting to discuss various issues regarding promotion of tourism, asked the tour and travel operators to extend their cooperation to the Airport Authority in this regard. Samoon instructed the SP Airport and Director Tourism to initiate strict action against the tourist touts at the airport as it harmful to the tourism industry. He said the development of a tourist village near the airport is in the pipeline for which state land would be p

Optimistic about the return of 59 Afghan students to Ravenshaw University in Cuttack, the Orissa government today said it has left the decision on the Afghan embassy and the students, officials said. "We have already appealed to the Afghan students to return to the university campus. We have assured them fullproof security. Now it is upto the students and the embassy to take a decision," state Higher Education minister Debi Prasad Mishra told PTI over phone from New Delhi . The Afghan students left Cuttack two days back after two of them were injured in a clash at the varsity campus on January 13. Mishra who had been camping at New Delhi and holding talks with students, embassy and others said the state government is committed to the safety of foreign students in Cuttack and elsewhere in Orissa . University Vice-Chancellor Devdas Chhotray submitted a report to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik giving details about the entire event, from the attack on the two Afghan

With the death of two more persons, the toll in the hooch tragedy here shot up to nine today. According to hospital officials, while two more people died, 18 are admitted in the MDM hospital and three of them are in the ICU. The district authority has initiated a probe into the incident, officials said. "The police and excise department are trying to find out the source of the liquor," DM Sidhharth Mahajan said. "Three people have been arrested so far in the case. A huge quantity of liquor and equipment used to store and brew the hooch were seized during raids in Khejadli, Fitkasni, Aranadi, Basni and Mandore areas," he said. Meanwhile, BJP Rajasthan president Arun Chaturvedi visited the patients in MDM Hospital. "We will give a memorandum to the district collector demanding stern action against those engaged in illegal trade of liquor within 72 hours. If nothing concrete is done in this period, the party will sit on a dharna in front of the coll

A high-level team of Election Commission observers Thursday assessed the law and order situation in various politically troubled areas in poll-bound West Bengal , including Maoist-affected Lalgarh area which saw a flare up in violence earlier this month. On the fourth day of their trip to the state, the six observers divided themselves into groups and visited Jhargram and Lalgarh in West Midnapore district, Tarakeshwar, Purshura and Goghat in Hoogly district and Basanti and Netra in South 24 Parganas district. The group comprising National Crime Record Bureau's (NCRB) Joint Director P.R.K. Naidu and Andhra Pradesh's Deputy Inspector General of Police (Intelligence Bureau) B. Shivadhar Reddy, after spending Wednesday night at West Midnapore district, met the district magistrate and senior police officers early Thursday morning before going to Jhargram. In Jhargram, known to be a Maoist hotbed, the duo held a meeting with the sub-divisional officer and top police

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani Thursday attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the government's response in Supreme Court on unearthing money illegally stashed by Indians in foreign banks, saying that it should tell the names of those who had sent money abroad. 'The Supreme Court Wednesday observed that the stashing away of the money to foreign banks was plunder of the country,' Advani said at a function organised by the youth wing of his party here. He said the government did not reveal the names of those who had stashed money abroad. 'How will it not (reveal the names). And today, at the first meeting of the reshuffled cabinet of the UPA-II, the government was forced to discuss the issue of black money stashed on foreign soil,' he added. When the BJP raised the issue during 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the Prime Minister had remarked that 'it was an election stunt', Advani said, terming it 'an irresponsible statement