http://mangalam.com/The best RSS feed you will ever encounterCopyright 2009 http://mangalam.comajith@mangalam.com (AJITH)http://mangalam.com/images/maillogo.gifhttp://mangalam.com/8829 New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) In a huge relief to Home Minister P Chidambaram and to the UPA Government, a Delhi court today threw out a plea to make him an accused in the 2G case holding that he did not indulge in any criminal conspiracy or derived any pecuniary advantage in the decisions taken with former Telecom Minister A Raja. Giving a clean chit to the finance minister at

]]> Pune, Feb 4 (PTI) Notwithstanding the criminal charges and his suspension from Congress, supporters of city MP Suresh Kalmadi gave him an enthusiastic welcome when he arrived here this evening for the first time after being released on bail in the Commonwealth Games scam. His arrival coincided with the last day of withdrawal of nominations for the civic elections, in which he could have played a major role for Congress

]]> New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) A Delhi court today reserved its order for February 18 for taking cognisance of the NIA's chargesheet filed against Pakistani-American David Headley Coleman and eight others for allegedly carrying out several terror attacks in India. Special NIA Judge H S Sharma, in an in-camera hearing, reserved its order for February 18 on taking cognizance of the chargesheet after hearing arguments from the National Investigation Agency

]]> New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) Yoga guru Ramdev today said the UPA has lost its "moral authority" to continue in power after the Supreme Court cancelled 122 spectrum licences given to telecom operators and alleged that the Congress was after him since he started his campaign on black money issue. Ramdev along with Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy launched the Action Committee Against Corruption in India that has members from

]]> New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) Notwithstanding the trial court's dismissal of the case against Home Minister P Chidambaram on the 2G spectrum issue, BJP today said it would continue to target him and the Government on the issue and await the decision of the higher courts in the matter. "This judgement has come from the lower court. There is a heirarchy of courts and there are two higher courts. There

]]> Thiruvananthapuram,Feb 1 (PTI): Seeking to break the seven-week deadlock garbage crisis in the Kerala capital, the District administration today broke the gates of a treatment plant at a nearby village, locked by the Panchayat as per a High Court order. Officials led by Additional District Magistrate P K Girija broke open the lock of the waste plant at Vilappilsala, about 20 km from here, with the help of police, despite

]]> Kochi, Feb 4 (PTI) Kerala Labour Minister Shinbu Baby John today ruled out invoking ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) against striking nurses of two hospitals here. The decision in this regard was taken after the Minister held talks with the representative of striking nurses and the management of Lakeshore and Kolencherry Medical Mission Hospitals, where the nurses are on strike for the past few days demanding higher wages and working

]]> Kozhikode (Ker), Feb 4 (PTI) Noting that the government alone cannot bring in comprehensive development in the country, Union minister A K Antony today said non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have a big role to play in this regard. "Government alone will not be able to bring in comprehensive development in the country. Non-governmental organisations like Janasree and other such organisations have to play a big role in this connection," he said

]]> Kozhikode (Ker) Feb 4 (PTI) Defence Minister A K Antony today expressed happiness over a Delhi court rejecting a plea to make Home Minister P Chidambaram an accused in the 2G case, and said the government had earlier also maintained he is innocent. "I am happy. The government had earlier itself maintained that Chidambaram is innocent," he told reporters here. Special CBI judge O P Saini today rejected a complaint

]]> Indore, Feb 4 (PTI) Two persons were today found murdered at separate places in the city, the police said. Dead body of an unidentified labourer, in his early twenties, was found in a field at Grambhangiya under Banganga police area, the police said. The deceased's throat had been slit. Body of a deranged beggar was found in Itwaria Bazar. The beggar, identified as Bhaskar (48), had injuries to his head,

]]> Sant Kabirnagar(UP), Feb 4 (PTI) Putting an end to the speculation of a post-poll alliance with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today said his party will have "no truck" with any party. "The chief minister in Uttar Pradesh is going to be from the Congress (after the Assembly polls).... we are not going to have truck with any other party," Rahul said at an election meeting

]]> Chennai, Feb 4 (PTI): The Opposition DMK was evicted from the the Tamil nadu Assembly today for disrupting proceedings even as it alleged a ruling AIADMK legislator had thrown a book at them and demanded security. Trouble started after DMK leader Duraimurugan wanted to make a point when Chief Minister Jayalalithaa made some remarks about a senior DMK leader without mentioning his name. Speaker D Jayakumar said the Chief Minister

]]> Nagaon, Feb 4 (PTI) At least five Youth Congress activists were killed and 21 others injured, five of them seriously, in a road accident at Chakarigaon in Central Assam's Nagaon district today, police said. The mishap took place when the mini bus in which they were travelling skid off the road at Chakarigaon, the sources said. The Youth Congress activists were returning from Barhampur after casting their vote in the

]]> Kota (Raj), Feb 4 (PTI) The Anti Corruption Bureau, investigating an alleged land scam, has filed a charge sheet against a former Rajasthan minister and 29 others in a special court here. Madan Dilawar, who was a minister in the Vasundhara Raje government, and 29 others have been alleged of fabricating documents for an auction of government land under Atru Panchayat Samiti of Baran district in 1998, Baran ACB in-

]]> Panaji, Feb 4 (PTI) Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and all Congress members in his cabinet figure in the party's first list of 22 candidates for the March 3 Assembly polls announced here today. The list contains two new faces but the party has sprung a surprise by denying ticket to Victoria Fernandes, the Congress' lone woman MLA. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Subhash Shirodkar said the second and final

]]> Mumbai, Feb 4 (PTI) Sahara Group today defended its decision to snap sponsorship ties with the Cricket Board and withdraw from the IPL, saying the relationship between the two has become so strained that it could not be possible to continue any longer. "The decision we took to end ties was not a bad one at all. We had enough of it. Any relationship does not break on one single

]]> Bangalore, Feb 4 (PTI) All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was the biggest draw for the franchises with Chennai Super Kings buying him for a whopping Rs 9.72 crore but struggling veteran VVS Laxman found no takers in the players' auction for the fifth edition IPL here today. The 23-year-old, whose base price was USD 100,000, went to Chennai after the tie-breaker clause was invoked when two teams -- CSK and Deccan Chargers

]]> Kolkata, Feb 4 (PTI) A sloppy East Bengal failed to get past Mohun Bagan who bounced back in style with a brilliant Odafa Okolie strike to settle for a 1-1 draw in their return leg I-League fixture at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan here today. In a must win match to be in the title race, East Bengal went ahead in a dubious fashion when Robin Singh scored from an apparent

]]> Bangalore, Feb 4 (PTI) All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was the biggest draw for the franchises with Chennai Super Kings buying him for a whopping Rs 9.72 crore but struggling veteran VVS Laxman found no takers in the players' auction for the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League here. The 23-year-old, whose base price was USD 100,000, went to Chennai after the tie-breaker clause was invoked when two teams -- CSK

]]> Mumbai, Feb 4 (PTI) Reserve Bank deputy governor K C Chakrabarti today said that efforts were on to redefine what makes an industrial unit sick, which will help bring down delinquencies. "We need to redefine a sick unit...our definition of sick unit needs a change," the senior-most deputy governor of RBI said, speaking at a summit organized by SME Chamber of India here. A committee is looking into redefining what

]]> New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) Prices of gold tumbled by Rs 600 while silver fell sharply by Rs 1,590 a kg on the bullion market here today due to heavy selling by stockists which took cues from weak global markets. Gold plunged by Rs 600 to trade at Rs 28,040 per ten grams. Silver dropped by Rs 1,590 to Rs 55,650 per kg triggered by a steep fall in overseas

]]> Mumbai, Feb 4 (PTI) Groundnutoil prices gained in a fairly active oils and oilseeds market here today due to fresh stockists buying amidst good retail offtake. While, refined palmolein held steady owing to lack of any worthwhile buying activity. Castorseeds bold and castoroil commercial rose following renewed enquiries from shippers and soap industries. In the futures market, castorseed prices advanced on good speculative buying amidst increased export orders. In the

]]> Mumbai, Feb 4 (PTI) Gold continued its downward journey in the bullion market here today on sustained selling by stockists and investors amid bearish global sentiment. Silver also fell amid fresh selling by retail speculators. Standard gold of 99.5 per cent purity plunged by Rs 435 to end at Rs 27,665 per 10 grams today, as against Friday's close of Rs 28,100. Pure gold of 99.9 per cent purity also

]]> London, Feb 4 (PTI) Anuj Bidve's alma mater, Lancaster University is setting up a scholarship in memory of the Indian student whose killing in an unprovoked attack in the UK evoked widespread sympathy and outrage. "The scholarship is a fitting and lasting way of remembering Anuj, who was an outstanding student," said Lancaster University's vice-chancellor Professor Mark E Smith. Bidve, 23, was studying engineering at Lancaster when he was killed

]]> Mumbai, Feb 4 (PTI) 'Kolaveri Di'-fame Tamil actor-singer, Dhanush, has now come up with another version of the song which salutes cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar. It's a music video for an energy drink. "I have always been a cricket fanatic and a Sachin fan. I have always looked up to him for his dedication to the game and it is amazing to see how it has kept him going," Dhanush

]]> Mumbai, Feb 4 (PTI) Actress Puja Gupta, who made her acting debut with 'Faltu', will be seen opposite Saif Ali Khan in the forthcoming 'Go Goa Gone'. Puja, the winner of the Miss India Universe title in 2007, was first seen in Vashu Bhagnani's comic caper 'Faltu' alongside Jackky Bhagnani, Ritesh Deshmukh and Arshad Warsi. "It is exciting to work with a star like Saif Ali Khan. I feel I

]]> Mumbai, Feb 4 (PTI) Producer Fox Star Studio today termed the opposition to A R Rahman-composed song 'Hosanna' from the forthcoming film 'Ek Deewana Tha' as "disproportionate". The use of the word hosanna, which has a religious association, in the Prateik Babbar/ Amy Jackson-starrer has not gone down well with Christian Secular Forum (CSF). The religious group has reportedly said that Hosanna is a prayer in the Bible, and the

]]> Islamabad, Feb 4 (PTI) Two Hindus were injured when traders opened fire at them following a dispute over the land of a temple in Pakistan's southern Sindh province, according to a media report today. The dispute began after two traders encroached on the land of Aakharo Temple at Umerkot in Sindh while expanding their shop. The temple is located in the middle of Umerkot town and is believed to be

]]> Cairo, Feb 4 (PTI) Egypt's streets continued to simmer with anger with 10 lives lost over three days, as fuming protesters clashed with police over its failure to prevent Port Said's unprecedented football violence. Police in Cairo fired teargas and birdshots at protesters who tried to march on to the interior ministry and threw stones at security forces guarding the building today even as anti-government activists smelled conspiracy in the

]]> Colombo, Feb 4 (PTI) With differences over a political solution hampering Sri Lanka's efforts to resolve the Tamil issue, President Mahinda Rajapaksa today said participation in a parliamentary panel and not an "imported solution" was the way to heal the ethnic woes. In a reference aimed at the stalled talks with the TNA over the India-supported devolution of power to Tamil-majority areas, the President asked the Tamil party to join

]]> Islamabad, Feb 4 (PTI) The Pakistani anti-terrorism court conducting the trial of seven suspects charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks has issued notice to defence lawyers to appear on February 7 to hear an application seeking early hearing of the case. Anti-terrorism court Judge Shahid Rafique issued the notice yesterday after prosecution lawyers filed an application for early hearing of the case to decide on the issue of sending

]]> Beirut, Feb 4 (AP) Syrian forces unleashed a barrage of mortars and artillery on the battered city of Homs on Saturday, killing more than 200 people in what appears to be the bloodiest episode in the nearly 11-month-old uprising, activists said. The government denied the assault, saying the reports are part of a "hysterical campaign" of incitement by armed groups against Syria, meant to be exploited at the Security Council

]]> Bhubaneswar, Feb 4 (PTI) Odisha government today decided to go for culling of fowls in the state capital from tomorrow in the wake of detection of avian influenza in a farm of the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO) here. "We have received advisory from the Central government to start culling," Satyabrata Sahu, secretary, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development department, said. About 30,000 fowls at the CPDO farm were likely to

]]> Ramanathapuram (TN), Feb 4 (PTI) A 57-year old man and his wife allegedly committed suicide here today unable to meet the expenses for a surgery required for him. Unwilling to cast any burden on his two sons, who were not economically well off, G Murugesan, a local beverage unit owner, and his wife Jothilakshmi (54) took the extreme step by consuming poison in their house, police said. The man had

]]> Hooghly (WB) Feb 04 (PTI) A police constable and resident security personnel of state Power Minister Manish Gupta today killed himself after firing at and injuring his brother and mother following an altercation, police said. The constable Anup Roy (42), resident of Janai in Hooghly district, returned home at around 3.30 a.m. today and engaged in an altercation with his brother Vivek Roy (36), Superintendent of Police, Hooghly, Tanmoy Roy

]]> Bhubaneswar, Feb 4 (PTI) With the 19-year-old dalit rape victim of Pipili struggling for survival at the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack, the Odisha State Commission for Women (SCW) has held doctors responsible for the teenager's deteriorated health condition. "Had the proper steps been taken in due time by the physicians of different hospitals, the health condition of the victim would not have deteriorated," SCW chairperson Jyoti Panigrahi said

]]> Seoni (MP), Feb 4 (PTI) An 11-year old girl was raped by her own father at their residence here, police said today. The incident took place on Thursday, when the accused, identified as Laxmi Prasad, allegedly raped his daughter, when his wife had gone to a relative's place to attend a marriage function, police said. After her mother's return, the girl narrated the incident to her as well as to

]]> New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) A court here today extended by a fortnight the police custody of six of the seven alleged Indian Mujahedin operatives arrested from across the country late last year for their alleged involvement in firing and triggering a bomb explosion near Jama Masjid in September 2010. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav extended till February 19 the custody till of Mohammed Qatil Siddiqui, Gohar Aziz Khumani, Mohammed

]]> Betul (MP), Feb 4 (PTI) A woman was beaten up in full public view allegedly by her husband, in-laws and other relatives, who also tried to set her ablaze over dowry demand in a village near here, police said today. The incident occurred on February 2 in Sendurjana village under Saikheda Police Station of the district. The victim's brother and other relatives brought her to Betul yesterday and admitted in

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