5 Facts About Gopinath Munde's death

No body knows what will happen tomorrow, Union minister Gopinath Munde died in car accident today. It is very sad news for all india. I strongly believe that he was an aspiring leader. Prime minister Narendra extended his condolences and homage. I extend my deeply condolences to family of late union minister Gopinath Munde.

Rural development minister Gopinath Munde died on Tuesday morning in a road accident in Delhi when he was going towards the IGI airport.


Here are five facts about Gopinath Munde's accident and death:


(1) Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde died today after a head-on road collision in New Delhi.


(2) Munde was injured while driving to the Delhi airport and died later in hospital.


(3) He was taken to the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. Doctors declared him dead at about 8am.


(4) Munde, 64, was conscious and able to talk to his bodyguard after the accident.


(5) He died in hospital from cardiac arrest.

Pawar slapgate: Anna says violence is justified

Ralegan Siddhi: Anna Hazare, while admitting on Tuesday that he ‘committed violence’ when he asked if Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s attacker slapped him only once, hit out at the minister, saying the reasons behind the anger should also be considered.

“But for the betterment of society, I do not consider this violence as wrong. Many politicians felt very bad about the slapping incident, many of them got very angry also,” Hazare said in a post on his blog.

He said people held the person who asked the question (Hazare) more guilty than the man, Harvinder Singh, who had actually slapped Pawar. The social activist said he had always maintained that he should not be compared with Mahatma Gandhi.

“I am not even eligible to sit at the feet of Mahatma Gandhi but his thoughts have influenced my life in a very small way, because of which I have been able to do some work in the field of rural development and non-violent struggle for the development of the country,” he added.

Hazare, recounting several instances, said poor farmers were committing suicide in Maharashtra and elsewhere, and they have been caned and shot in the recent past for demanding their rights.

“But this does not cause any anger in our agriculture-based country. This is unfortunate. Many farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra. But this did not make any politician angry? This is unfortunate,” he pointed out.
SourceAhmedabad Mirror

Sibal’s moral policing: ‘Offensive’ tweets, FB posts will be removed

New Delhi: The Indian government will not allow social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to host “objectionable” content and will take steps to screen and remove these, Communications Minister Kapil Sibal said on Tuesday.

Sibal said this a day after representatives from Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Microsoft declined to remove offensive content.

Sibal said some of the content available on these sites could hurt the religious sentiments of a large section of communities in India. “Religious sentiments of many communities and of any reasonable person is being hurt because of content which is on the sites,” he told reporters here.

The minister said he had first met with officials of Facebook, Twitter and Orkut on September 5 to discuss the concerns of the government over objectionable pictures being posted on their sites by users.

The pictures, which were shown off the record, depicted Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a bad light, while some others were insulting to various religions.

“Nobody minds satirical image of any public personality but if you show a certain form of me... this is not acceptable. Even individuals should be protected,” said Sibal. The minister said these firms were hesitant to even share information relating to terrorist activities.

“They will have to give us data, then there will be actions taken. We will ask them to give information. Allow us time to deal with it. But one thing is sure we will not allow this kind of content,” Sibal said.

The minister said he did not want to speak to the press on this issue but was forced to do so after the New York Times reported that the government was trying to censor these sites, which was not true. “This is far from the truth. If someone does not wants to remove this kind of incendiary material then the government has to do something about it,” said Sibal.
SourceAhmedabad Mirror

Civil Hospital Ahmedabadf lies under RTI, again

Govt has fixed Rs 26 per sq m for mechanised cleaning, while RTI reply states that it is Rs 36 per sq m; the authority states that no office space has been provided to cleaning company BVG, our picture below speaks for itself


The Civil Hospital administration has perfected the art of dodging questions and providing wrong information under RTI when it concerns mechanised cleaning on the campus. The mechanised cleaning project worth lakhs has been granted to Bharat Vikas Group India Limited.

Two more falsehoods perpetrated by the hospital authority has come to light after Mirror sought information on particulars about the deal with BVG for mechanised cleaning under the Right to Information Act.

Mirror had reported on October 22, ‘Civil Hospital gives wrong info under RTI’, about the hospital having dismantled one X-ray machine following adverse reports by AERB and CAG, yet in its RTI reply, it denied being pulled up for using old and unsafe devices.

Cost of cleaning

In an RTI application filed on August 25 to the hospital’s information officer, we posed certain questions: What is the rate fixed for mechanised cleaning? How much area will it cover? Are the loo, bathroom and walls of the wards been included in the carpet area? Who will pay for the electricity? If any office has been allotted to the company and if any rent has been fixed? If yes, give the details. If not, what steps have been taken to recover it?

According to the hospital authority’s reply on September 12, “The carpet area allotted for cleaning is 58,400.85 square metre and the rate fixed is Rs 36 per sq metre. Roads have not been included in the mechanised cleaning.”

This is in clear violation of the order issued by the Directorate of Medical Education and Research for mechanised cleaning on June 22. The DMER has fixed Rs 26 per square metre for mechanised cleaning at civil hospitals in Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Vadodara, Jamnagar and Surat.

Only an independent investigation can bring out the truth: if the hospital has paid an additional Rs 10 per square metre, amounting to Rs 5.84 lakh on the total carpet area, to the contractor or the amount has been siphoned off by vested interests.

When we asked Civil Medical Superintendent Dr M M Prabhakar why there was a difference of Rs 10 per square metre between the government order and the figure provided by Civil in the RTI reply, Dr Prabhakar said, “If this information is provided to you then it is false. It is possible that it is a printing mistake. I will have to check.”

No office provided

Regarding allotment of office space to BVG, the RTI reply states, “At present no order has been passed to allot an office to Messrs BVG India Ltd.”

A visit to Civil Hospital revealed that BVG personnel carry out their activities from a huge room allotted to them on the third floor of D9 block of main building. A manager who has been provided with a phone and desk space along with his administrative staff sit in the room surrounded by cleaning equipment.

Dr Prabhakar’s statement also nails the falsehood in the RTI reply. When we asked the Civil chief if office space has been provided to BVG, he said, “We’ve provided space to store the company’s equipment. But no rent has been taken. It is included in the contract.”

When asked, why was false information provided under RTI, Dr Prabhakar said, “If you want a reply, then you file another RTI!”

How BVG came into the picture

Mirror had reported on January 26, ‘Civil’s Rs 1 cr clean-up act’ about Maharashtra-based Bharat Vikas Group being roped in by the hospital to carry out mechanised cleaning on its premises from February 1. The spending on cleanliness was hiked from Rs 14 lakh to Rs 1 crore.

Subsequently, five government hospitals — Sir T General Hospital (Bhavnagar), GGS Hospital (Jamnagar), Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Civil Hospital (Rajkot), New Civil Hospital (Surat) and SSG Hospital (Vadodara) had decided to go for the expensive clean–up act for an annual expenditure of a whopping Rs 28 crore. from the same date.

Following this report in Mirror, ‘Five more govt hospitals go for costly clean-up’ on January 28, the costly cleaning pact was stayed. An investigation into the irregularities was ordered by Health Secretary Rajesh Kishore, after which the carpet area and the rate per square metre was revised.
Source Ahmedabad Mirror

FDI mess: OK, you won, govt to Oppn

New Delhi: Desperate to break the deadlock in Parliament, the government on Monday informed the opposition parties that it was willing to hold back the decision on FDI in retail sector.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that a final decision on the FDI issue would be taken only after consulting stakeholders and the Opposition, which insisted on a complete rollback and not just holdback.

Despite the victory, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury suggested the government convene an all-party meeting to convey its decision and then inform Parliament.

"I told Pranabda that he should pick up the threads where they were left the last time. Since he had promised to get back to the Opposition in the last all-party meeting, a similar meeting should be convened on Wednesday (December 7) in the morning where the government can clarify its stand," Swaraj told.

Asserting his party's demand for a complete rollback, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "The BJP has clearly stated in the all-party meeting that it wants a rollback. Let the government come out with a formal response."

Yechury too expressed similar views. “We continue to stick to our demand of unconditional reversal of the decision on FDI. Mukherjee told us that Government has decided to put the decision of FDI in suspension and wanted the Parliament session to continue," Yechury later said.

Sources in both the BJP and the Left parties insisted that since there are differences within the Union Cabinet as well as in Congress on the FDI issue, such informal communication may not be the last word.

UPA allies TMC and DMK have openly opposed the decision while NCP has suggested that it should go by the sense of the House.

On its part, Congress put a brave face on the issue. "The decision to allow FDI in retail is right. In democracy, sometimes you have to rework your steps....You have to take everyone along...", said party spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury.
Source Ahmedabad Mirror

Presidential ‘race’: Republicans call Obama tar baby, boy

Washington: Republican Doug Lamborn of Colorado and commentator Pat Buchanan, a former candidate for the president, have both apologised for using racially charged terms to describe President Barack Obama.

Both Lamborn and Buchanan had called Obama, the first African-American president, alternately a “tar baby” and “boy”, giving new fuel to speculation that underneath much of the criticism of the president and his policies, lurks the shadow of racism.

Lamborn had made his comment on a Denver talk radio show on Tuesday. Referring to Obama, he said that it was like touching “a tar baby and you get it, you’re stuck, and you're a part of the problem now and you can’t get away”.

The term tar baby comes from the 19th century Uncle Remus stories, where B'rer Fox uses a doll made of a lump of tar to trap B'rer Rabbit, who gets more stuck the more he pummels and kicks the tar baby. In more recent parlance, tar baby is widely considered racial slur.

Former GOP presidential candidate and MSNBC contributor Pat Buchanan, in a tête-à-tête with the Rev Al Sharpton, referred to Obama as “your boy”. “My what?” Sharpton shot back. “My president, Barack Obama? What did you say?”

Buchanan hinted that he was using a boxing analogy, replying that the president was “your boy in the ring”. Lamborn, who apologised to Obama in a letter, said in a separate statement on Wednesday that he shouldn’t have used a term “that some find insensitive”.

“Some folks took what I said as some kind of a slur,” Buchanan said on Wednesday. He added: “None was meant, none was intended, none was delivered.”

Police thrash tribals in Satellite Ahmedabad

Police claim injuries were fallout of clash between two groups residing in area. Agitated tribals seek action against inspector; commissioner institutes inquiry



Ramaben Medasar who was badly injured could not walk and had to be carried

While police claimed the injuries inflicted on women and others were a fallout of a clash between two groups residing in the area, the agitated tribals met city police commission Sudhir Sinha on Thursday and demanded action against Senior Inspector J M Bharwad who led the charge.

“We were surprised to see the police team in the midnight. Without any provocation, they charged at us and started beating up us indiscriminately,’’ said Ramaben Medasar who along with others received injuries.

The tribal members alleged that the they were beaten up, at the stance of Bharward, who was annoyed with some members. “We have demanded action and sought suspension of Bharwad, who not only misused his position but also committed a misconduct by beating up elderly women and men,’’ said a member of the delegation.

Meanwhile, after meeting the delegation police commissioner Sudhir Sinha, has ordered an inquiry into the incident. The probe to be conducted by ACP division A, will also look into the allegations against Bharward.


Medasar shows her injury, while another tribal showshis fractured hand
Sinha also assured the delegation members, who were led by Alka Brahmbhat, member Gujarat state social welfare board, that a suitable action would be taken against Bharwad and other cops responsible.

Meanwhile Barwad denied the allegations and claimed that he was being falsely implicated.

“The area has been a shelter to a number of history sheeters, many of whom have jumped parole and escaped from the law. I had gone to the area following after my team received information about the history sheeters. We found that the members had clashed amongst themselves.

Bharwad also claimed that recently he got removed some illegal vendors from the area, which had led to resentment against him. The tribal members meanwhile maintained that they had been residing in the area for past several years and the inspector concerned had grudge against them. According to them, the habitants including old men and women were being harassed and beaten up by the local police, without any reason.

Is Crorepati ko lock kiya jaaye?

In the hot seat of Bhojpuri game show Ke Bani Crorepati, Rajesh Singh, a finance manager from the city, is vying for the grand prize. Psst... the 35-yr-old has already won Rs 50 lakh

The city might be home to a brand-new crorepati tomorrow. Rajesh Singh, an IIM Ahmedabad graduate, is set to win the grand prize in Ke Bani Crorepati, the Bhojpuri version of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati.




Hosted by former Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha, the episode featuring Rajesh Singh will be aired in two parts — on Tuesday and Wednesday — at 9 pm on Mahuaa channel
Hosted by Shatrughan Sinha, the episode will be aired in two parts — on Tuesday and Wednesday — at 9 pm on Mahuaa channel. We will let you in on one secret: He has already crossed the halfway mark.

Urmika Rai, senior executive of Ke Bani Crorepati, confirmed, “Rajesh has definitely won Rs 50 lakh. He will attempt the Rs 1-crore question. He is the first to reach this point in the show.”

Selection process

The 34-year-old, who works as a manager at a micro-finance bank in the city, hails from Kushinagar, a small town in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. He called up the show and was selected for the primary round following a lucky draw. “I went to Varanasi for auditions on June 17. Then, I was called for the shoot on July 17 and 18 in Kolkata,” said Singh, who lives in Jodhpur with his wife Manisha and children Aditi (5) and Arnav (2).

Interestingly, Singh had earlier participated in KBC. “In KBC, I reached the Rs 25-lakh question but had exhausted my lifelines. I gave the wrong answer and won Rs 3.2 lakh only.”

His KBC experience helped Singh fix his nervousness. “I had decided that I would not use the lifelines in panic. As a result, in the second show, I had two lifelines — audience poll and phone-a-friend — till the end,” he said.

Interestingly, Singh was also the fastest contestant in the fastest finger round. He set a record of 3.2 seconds — the highest among participants of all shows in the crorepati format, Singh claimed.

Pucca Amdavadi

Singh comes from a humble background. He tilled a farm for almost 20 years before moving to Gorakhpur. “I realised I had to leave my village if I wanted to achieve something in life. After completing my BSc, I got a job in State Bank of India and was posted to Gujarat. I lived in Godhra, Surat and Vadodara for eight years before settling in Ahmedabad.” He did a one-year course in post-graduate programme for executives in Public Management and Policy from IIMA in 2009.

“When I came to Ahmedabad three years ago, I was not sure what the city would be like. But my attachment to the city grew so strong in a year that I turned down a job in Hyderabad and settled for a less-paying one here. This is an interesting city where life is not as fast as it would be in Mumbai and yet, does not lack in luxuries,” he said, pointing out that his bond with his friends also made it tough for him to shift to another city.

“During the show, I spoke a lot about Gujarat and Ahmedabad. I hope they haven’t edited it,” he said.

Friends in deed

Manish Tanwar, who had worked with Singh for eight years, said, “If Singh believes in something, he goes for it. Be it a book or a cricket match. Once he made an overnight train journey and still made it to the ground to play a match. No excuses.”

Sherin Joseph, who worked with him for two years, said, “Rajesh has been an inspiration for me. He is persistent and has great endurance. Be it constructive criticism, social debate or casual talk, Rajesh has a unique style of making his point. His wit supplemented by his exceptional flair for ‘shayiri’ ensures that his presence never goes unnoticed.”

Fulfilling dreams

What will Singh do if he wins Rs 1 crore? Singh plans to begin at home and then cast the net wide. He said, “I want my kids to do what they are passionate about without having to worry for money. Then, there are relatives and friends who need financial support. I also want to start career counselling for kids from weak backgrounds. Their parents tell them to get admission to engineering or medical courses without thinking of the pros and cons. I want to help such confused kids.”

SGVP fans attacks DPS players after team loses match

The unidentified fan hurled a stone at the player after SGVP team lost to DPS in the under-16 basketball match held on home ground; matches for district-level selection for school games postponed after incident.

Unable to digest a third consecutive defeat on home ground, an irate fan of SGVP International school’s basketball team hurled a stone at a Delhi Public School, Bopal player shortly after an under-16 match on Thursday.




The player, identified as Aatish Shah, suffered a head injury and had to take three stitches to close the wound, sources told Mirror.

The incident took place at SGVP International (Chharodi), which was hosting the tournament being held for district level selection for school games. All further matches have been rescheduled and will be held at a different venue now, sources said.

DPS Bopal had defeated SGVP in the first round of under-19 tournament and even won the under-14 final. On Thursday, the team again defeated SGVP (12-10) in the first round of under-16 tournament, much to the chagrin of SGVP students.

Witnesses said the DPS players were being booed constantly by SGVP fans during Thursday’s match. Despite all the hooting, the DPS boys maintained their composure and won the match, they said.

“The attacker has to be an SGVP student since only students and officials conducting the matches were present at the venue,” said a witness on condition of anonymity.

“SGVP fans created a furore after losing the match. Just when DPS players were leaving the court, somebody from crowd hurled a stone at them. One player was injured and immediately taken for emergency medical treatment to SGVP’s clinic. The victim has been identified as Atish Shah, a student of Class X. He had to take three stitches,” said another witness.

He added, “The DPS sports coach had spoken to the SGVP coach about the lack of discipline among SGVP students before the match. However, no warning was issued to the fans or the players.”

‘THEY THREW LEMONS EARLIER’

A DPS student who had witnessed all the basketball matches of his school team, said, “In the under-19 match held on Tuesday, SGVP fans threw lemons at our players. In another match, held the next day, they displayed rowdy behaviour by hooting and abusing our players. But what happened on Thursday, just cannot be tolerated.”

“Our boys never reacted to their abuses and name-calling. They simply played well and won matches. A school that doesn’t know how to inculcate sportsmanship spirit in its students should never participate in sports,” said another eyewitness.

Sources told Mirror that a police complaint in the case is ruled out since SGVP principal spoke to teachers, principal and players of DPS school, assuring them such incidents will not take place in future.

MATCHES RESCHEDULED


Sources said no police complaint will be filed since both DPS Bopal and SGVP have sorted out the matter District Sports Officer Baldev Desai, however, tried to downplay the incident. “Someone from the crowd threw a stone at DPS players in a fit of rage. We still do not know who did it. But the injured boy is out of danger. There is no enmity between the players of DPS and SGVP. Further matches have been put on hold. These will be rescheduled and held at a different venue.”

SGVP Principal Caesar D’Silva said, “Both DPS and SGVP students were present in the audience when the attack took place. But we don’t know who threw the stone at the student. We took the injured boy to the doctor as soon as we learnt about the incident. It is not a serious injury. I have already spoken to DPS school authorities, assuring them such an incident will not take place in future.”

DPS authorities informed Mirror that they made it very clear to SGVP principal that what happened was not right. “Our student’s condition is stable now. We have no idea who threw the stone at him. But we have made our displeasure about the incident very clear to SGVP principal. Further matches will now be held at another venue,” said Pradeep Chudasama, assistant manager, media and advocacy DPS (Bopal).

Court slams cops for cover-up in custodial death

Metropolitan magistrate trashes police version which states the 48-yr-old prisoner succumbed to injuries sustained after ‘collapsing several times’ on jail premises. Court to conduct its own inquiry based on post-mortem report



Anwar Rangrez suffered 33 injuries (L), On the day Rangrez was to be freed, his family received news of his death (R)
Metropolitan court blasted Sabarmati police after they allegedly tried to cover up a custodial death by submitting a C summary report, winding up the probe. Magistrate U K Trivedi, while dismissing the report which brazenly contradicted post-mortem and FSL reports, stated the court will now conduct its own inquiry into the 2008 case.

A 48-year-old rickshaw driver, Anwar Rangrez, died after he was allegedly beaten up inside Sabarmati Central Jail in December 2008. The post-mortem and FSL reports state that Rangrez suffered cardiac and respiratory failure due to 33 injuries inflicted on his body. It also said the injuries were caused because the victim was hit by a rod or some such hard object.

However, the C summary report filed by ACP K M Vaghela, states that Rangrez, a drug addict, sustained injuries after “he fell down” a couple of times on jail premises. It says he suffered a seizure on December 11 and collapsed, injuring himself. It also says he fell from the bed of the jail clinic on December 15 and near the compound wall again, the next day.




Rangrez’s mother with his photograph BAIL GRANTED, RELEASE NOT ALLOWED

Interestingly, Rangrez had been granted bail from the court on December 17, a day before the news of his death was conveyed to his family. He, however, was not allowed to leave the jail despite his son Mehboob submitting the bail order to the tantri before 6 pm. This, because the tantri allegedly demanded Rs 500 from Mehboob who did not have the money at that time.

The next day, he went to the jail at 7 am to bring his father home. Mehboob waited till 10 am, but jail authorities did not tell him anything about his father. He then received a call from his mother asking him to come back home. When Mehboob reached home, he learnt that the prison officials had called up the mother to inform her about Rangrez’s death.

FIR REGISTERED AFTER 4 MONTHS

Mehboob remembered that on one particular visit to the jail to meet his father, the latter had told him that a bearded jailer used to beat him up. Suspecting foul play in Rangrez’s death, he went to Sabarmati police station to lodge an FIR against jail authorities and unidentified persons. However, the cops registered the FIR four months after the post-mortem report.

‘MISLED INTO FILING FIR’

On Friday, ACP Vaghela told the court that Sabarmati police were “misled” into filing an FIR under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the IPC. But Rangrez’s lawyer Amit Balsari strongly opposed Vaghela’s claims by producing the post-mortem and FSL reports. Metropolitan magistrate U K Trivedi then dismissed the C summary report, stating the court would conduct an independent inquiry into the case.

Raj Thackeray Choose Hindi to Make Communication in Gujarat Tour

MNS chief Raj Thackeray, known for imposing the use of Marathi in Maharashtra, began his nine-day visit of Gujarat and spoke in Hindi the entire day. That is, until media pointed out his blooper

Was he being opportunistic or plain street smart? All those who met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday, the first day of his nine-day-long “state visit” of Gujarat, were left wondering at the language in which he chose to interact with them.



I speak Marathi in Maharashtra. I do not speak Gujarati. So I chose to speak in Hindi here
- Raj Thackeray,
MNS chief The Thackeray scion, known for his acerbic tongue and roughish ways against Hindi and Hindi-speaking people on his home turf, looked pleased and at ease speaking in Hindi everywhere and with everyone he met in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. He realised he had fallen into a trap of his own creation in the evening when someone from the media drew his attention to his opposition to Hindi in Maharashtra.

Thackeray blamed media for creating controversies and promptly switched over to Marathi.

But by that time, the word had spread far and wide. “This won’t do. Violently opposing Hindi in Maharashtra and speaking in Hindi outside the state is rank opportunism. In this era of globalisation, this is not done,” said translator Kishor Gaud. “If he has so much love for his mother tongue, I could have offered my services as an interpreter. I know Marathi and Gujarati languages and cultures well to help him speak in his mother tongue even in Gujarat,” said Gaud who has translated as many as 25 Marathi books in Gujarati.

Thackeray, the estranged nephew of Shiv Sena patriarch Balasaheb Thackeray, began his Gujarat “study tour” with a visit to Sardar Patel Memorial in Shahibaug in the morning. He spoke to memorial officials, and sources said he evinced keen interest in knowing about the life and work of the Iron Man of India.

“All in Hindi,” said a memorial official.

The next stop was Sabarmati Ashram. He paid tribute to the Father of the Nation and was presented with a copy of his autobiography in Marathi — Satyache Prayog — by ashram director Amrut Modi. Thackeray and his wife Sharmila interacted with trustees and members of the ashram. Those present there were quite impressed with their eagerness to know about Gandhi. “Questions were few but sharp,” said Modi.

“All in Hindi,” Modi added.

Ashram officials offered him the VIP visitors’ book in which he could have entered his tribute or
comment.




Thackeray opted not to give either. An opportunity to do so in Marathi was lost. The state guest was offered a chance to spin Gandhi’s wheel (charkha). While most of the visiting dignitaries latched on to the opportunity and tried their hands at it, Thackeray was quite frank.

“It is beyond me to spin the wheel and draw a thread,” Thackeray said. In Hindi.

Gandhi Sena, an assembly of some members of the ashram’s residential quarters, presented him with a small replica of the charkha. “Bahut achha (very good) ... thank you,” Thackeray exhaled.

Part English, part Hindi.

“We were not surprised,” said Dhimant Badhia, Gandhi Sena secretary. “He seems to have broadened his world view.”

Later in the day, the MNS chief called on Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Thackeray was visibly overwhelmed by his host and lavished praise on his development work.

Thackeray watched audio-visual presentations on Gujarat’s development, something that he has come to study and draw lessons from. Modi presented him with a shawl and a figurine of Maratha ruler Shivaji. Thackeray had quite a few queries and Modi patiently answered all of them. Thackeray expressed his gratitude. The interaction lasted for three hours.

“Mostly in Hindi,” said an official.

Mediapersons caught up with the visiting leader at Circuit House in Gandhinagar where he is staying. Someone was prompt to ask, “You have spoken in Hindi all day long. Why then do you insist on speaking in Marathi in Mumbai?”

A visibly disturbed Thackeray retorted, “You (media) create such controversies.” This was in Hindi.

Having realised he had fallen into a trap, Thackeray switched over to Marathi: “I speak Marathi in Maharashtra. I do not speak Gujarati. So I chose to speak in Hindi here. Had I spoken in Marathi, would you’ve understood?”

To which the media persons said there are professionals called interpreters.

CHIDED BACK HOME

Incidentally, Thackeray was chided back home as he embarked on the tour. Members of the Congress-NCP took a pot-shot at him. On Monday, Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh had taunted him: “Which language is he going to converse in during his Gujarat visit? Is he going to hire an interpreter?”

Newspapers reported NCP member Nawab Malik as saying, “Even though I’m from north India, I make it a point to use the state language, Marathi, while addressing the house, and communicating with the natives. But will the leaders who further their political agenda using the Marathi language as leverage ever deliver a speech in Hindi? Hindi is the national language, and we must honour it. Maharashtra is an integral part of the nation.” Malik’s remarks created quite a stir among MNS members present.

CONGRESS DEMANDS APOLOGY

Meanwhile, state leader of opposition Shaktisinh Gohil on Wednesday protested Thackeray’s Mukesh Ambani-related statement in strong words and demanded an apology from him for his anti-Gujarat expressions.

“Raj Thackeray has criticised industrialist Mukesh Ambani in his statement for investing in Gujarat. This is highly objectionable and Thackeray should apologise for his statement. Any person in India is free to invest in Gujarat. We would not tolerate such anti-Gujarat statements at any cost,” said Gohil.

Harry Potter series to be sold as e-book

JK Rowling on Potter and the future of print and digital books
Continue reading the main story
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Rowling launches 'mystery' site
The seven Harry Potter novels are to be sold as e-books for the first time in October.

Author JK Rowling announced the series will also be available as audiobooks through a new website, Pottermore.

The interactive website will also feature new material which Rowling says she has been "hoarding for years".

"This is such a great way to give something back to the fans who made Harry Potter such a huge success," the author said.

The Harry Potter novels have sold more than 450 million copies through Bloomsbury in Britain, and Scholastic in the United States.

However the e-books - which will be available in several languages - will be published through Rowling's Pottermore Publishing, rather than her print publishers which do not own the digital rights.

'New stuff'

Pottermore will go live on 31 July - Harry Potter's birthday.

Rowling told the BBC that the new material was being released online, rather than in a new book, because she did not have "a new story".

"Most of this writing is material I generated while I was writing the books initially," she said.

"It's background, and lots of details that didn't make it into the book.

"Some of it is new stuff in response to things fans have asked me over the years."

The site, which Rowling said she had been working on for two years, promises to immerse users in the boy wizard's world, offering opportunities for computer gaming, social networking and an online store.

Sections let users shop for wands in Diagon Alley, travel to Hogwarts from the imaginary platform at London's King's Cross train station and be sorted into Hogwarts' school houses using the Sorting Hat.

One million users will initially be chosen to help develop the online world, before it is open to all users from October.

Rowling told reporters at the London Pottermore launch she had no intention of writing an eighth Harry Potter book.

"I do have closure with Harry. I'm pretty sure I'm done on the novel front, but it was fun while it lasted," she said.

Afghanistan drawdown risky, US joint chiefs head says

The top US military officer has said President Barack Obama's plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is "more aggressive" than he had advised.

Adm Mike Mullen said leaving troops in place was "the safer course", but added he supported the president's decision.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Mr Obama had kept a pledge to begin withdrawals by July 2011.

On Wednesday Mr Obama announced the withdrawal of 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by September 2012.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai welcomed the move, but the Taliban dismissed it as "symbolic" and vowed to continue fighting until all foreign forces left.

In a series of interviews and congressional hearings on Thursday, senior US officials lent their support to Mr Obama's decision to remove about one-third of the US troops from Afghanistan by the end of next summer.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged that the president had taken account of waning domestic political support when making the decision, AFP news agency reported.

Meanwhile, President Obama visited Fort Drum military base in New York state on Thursday, where he reiterated the messages conveyed in his speech on Wednesday evening.

'Broken momentum'
The newly announced US reductions are larger and faster than military commanders had advised.

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“
Start Quote

Few love the plan, but I suspect a lot of this is beltway chatter, and I suspect many Americans will welcome the President refocusing on what he called 'nation building at home'”


Mark Mardell
BBC North America editor
Military grumbles over Afghan plan
At a House of Representatives committee hearing, Adm Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said Mr Obama's decisions were "more aggressive and incur more risk than I was originally prepared to accept".

"More force for more time is, without doubt, the safer course. But that does not necessarily make it the best course," he said.

"Only the president, in the end, can really determine the acceptable level of risk we must take."

Mr Mullen told lawmakers Mr Obama considered the views of senior military officials, and said the drawdown would not jeopardise the effort to quash the insurgency.

President Obama's nominee to head the Central Intelligence Agency, General David Petraeus, echoed Mr Mullen's remarks on Thursday, while testifying on his nomination before members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

"The ultimate decision was a more aggressive formulation in terms of the timeline than what we had recommended," Mr Petraeus said, adding that he would stand by the president while he remained commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Separately, in a Senate committee hearing, Mrs Clinton said the 10-year-old US military effort in Afghanistan had "broken the Taliban's momentum".

"We do begin this drawdown from a position of strength," she said.

'Unnecessary risk'
At least 68,000 US troops will remain in the country after the 33,000 have been withdrawn, but they are scheduled to leave by 2013, provided that Afghan forces are ready to take over security.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator John McCain, who lost the 2008 presidential election to Mr Obama, vigorously opposed the troop withdrawal in a speech on the Senate floor.

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US troops in Afghanistan

Dec 2004: 19,200
Dec 2005: 22,400
Dec 2006: 22,200
Dec 2007: 25,700
Dec 2008: 31,400
Dec 2009: 71,000
Dec 2010: 103,700
March 2011: 111,000
Source: US defence department

Q&A: Foreign forces in Afghanistan
He said Mr Obama had opted to deny military commanders in Afghanistan the capability finally to defeat "a battered and broken enemy".

"I'm very concerned that the president's decision poses an unnecessary risk to the progress we've made thus far, to our mission, and to our men and women in uniform," he said. "Our troops are not exhausted, they are excited that after 10 years" they are finally approaching victory.


Correspondents say the enormous cost of the deployment - currently more than $2bn (£1.25bn) a week - has attracted criticism from congressional leaders, while the public is weary of a war that seems to have no end and has left at least 1,500 personnel dead and 12,000 wounded.

There have also been changes on the ground, notably the killing in May of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden by US forces in Pakistan.

On Thursday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy followed Mr Obama's lead by announcing the phased withdrawal of 4,000 French soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

Sachin Tendulkar sells his Ferrari to Surat businessman

SURAT: The '360 Modena Ferrari', which once occupied pride of place in batting icon Sachin Tendulkar's fleet of premium cars, is now a prized possession of a city businessman.

Jayesh Desai, Chairman of Raj Hans group, said he purchased the car a fortnight ago.

"I have bought the 360 Modena Ferrari car directly from Sachin Tendulkar with all legal documents," Desai said, but declined to reveal the price.

"It was my dream to drive a Ferrari and now my dream has come true," Desai, who has a passion for driving luxury cars, said.

The Ferrari, which was presented to Tendulkar by racing legend Michael Schumacher, will be the first racing car in his fleet of luxury vehicles, Desai said, adding that his latest acquisition was a prized possession as it was owned by the batting great.

"Kindly ask me only about the car and nothing about Sachin," he said when asked if he and Tendulkar were friends or had known each other.

The Ferrari had got mired in a controversy in 2003 after it was reported that Tendulkar had requested for a customs duty waiver despite getting it as a gift and not winning it as a prize in a tournament.

In August 2003, the finance ministry had exempted Tendulkar from paying around Rs 1.13 crore (approximately $245,000) towards import duty for the vehicle, valued at Rs 75 lakh (approximately $162,600).

The car was gifted to him by FIAT, which manufactures the premium Ferrari cars and endorsed by Tendulkar, after the Indian batting legend equalled Don Bradman's tally of 29 Test centuries.

Ferrari's Formula One driver Schumacher presented the car on behalf of the company to Tendulkar when the two met in 2002 at Silverstone, England.

Tendulkar has taken a break from cricket after playing in IPL and is away on a vacation in England with family.

'Confident & optimistic’ India, Pak hold talks; Advani issues threat

ISLAMABAD: Voicing "a great sense of confidence, optimism and determination," India and Pakistan on Thursday opened their two-day foreign secretary-level talks here and discussed the issue of peace and security, including confidence-building measures on Kashmir.

Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, who arrived here on Thursday morning, and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir began the first round of their talks, which have been divided in three segments.

The first round of parleys is dealing with the issue of peace and security, including confidence-building measures on Kashmir. On Friday, two more rounds will take place on the issues of Jammu and Kashmir and promotion of friendly exchanges.

BJP, upped the ante on the Kashmir issue and warned the government against making any compromise on it. BJP leader LK Advani threatened to launch a mass demonstration if the government went in for a settlement of the Kashmir issue with Pakistan.



Advani warning of protests said, "Sometimes we realise that under pressure from some foreign nation, the Indian government thinks of compromising on Kashmir. In fact in the middle, we got information that informal compromises have already been made. I want to tell them that in the early days, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh had carried out a historical agitation, in that, our respected leader, Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee had sacrificed his life for the cause. So you should wish us well, the BJP is in great numbers across the country. If there is a compromise on Kashmir, if they talk of turning back time, we will organise a protest on a massive scale in India, a protest that no one has ever seen before."

BJP spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman said there is no point of a dialogue till terror is discussed.

She said, "Decision to initiate composite dialogue makes us uncomfortable since it's happening after Abottabad. No confidence in our mind. We have not poushed Pakistan to do the needful. Therefore talks only for the sake of talks."

At the beginning of the talks, Bashir said they were approaching the parleys with a "great sense of confidence, optimism and determination." Agreeing with him, Rao said this was an "apt" statement.

Bashir said this is an important point in the relationship and will also help the two sides to prepare the agenda for the ministerial meeting in the near future.

Rao said "we have a clear agenda in front of us for discussions" and noted that there have been good meetings in the past few months.

"We are approaching these talks with an open and constructive mind," she said.

The two sides first held restricted talks, which were followed by the delegation-level meeting in which Rao was accompanied by joint secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) Yash Sinha, joint secretary (nuclear disarmament) Venkatesh Verma, Indian high commissioner Sharat Sabharwal and other senior officials.

Warmly welcoming the Indian side, Bashir said "We wish to engage with you in not only walking the trajectory but also exploring new avenues further."

"This series of meetings is of great importance," he said.

Soon after her arrival in Islamabad, Rao had said she had come to Pakistan with "an open mind and a constructive spirit" in order to work towards building trust and confidence in bilateral relationship and thereby leading to an eventual normalisation of ties for the well being and prosperity of the people of the two countries.

She said "this is an important visit as it marks the penultimate leg of the resumed dialogue process before the visit of the foreign minister of Pakistan to India by July 2011" and added that they would discuss the issues that have been mandated to them by their leadership.

During the two-day talks, nuclear and conventional confidence-building measures would also be discussed.

Earlier this year, the two countries decided to resume talks on all bilateral issues under the Composite Dialogue, two years after the parleys were suspended in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.

Following the resumption of talks in February, the defence, interior and commerce secretaries have met in the last few months while Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani visited India in March to watch the India-Pakistan cricket World Cup semi-final at the invitation of his counterpart Manmohan Singh.

The foreign secretaries will also take stock of the progress made in the meetings between the interior, commerce and defence secretaries.

Ind vs WI: India beat West Indies by 63 runs to win first Test, lead series 1-0 PTI | Jun 23, 2011, 11.43pm IST

KINGSTON: India allowed the West Indies tail-enders to delay the inevitable before wrapping up the first cricket Test with a comfortable 63-run victory inside four days and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series on Thursday.

Scorecard

Chasing a victory target of 326, West Indies never recovered from the twin-blow dealt by debutant Praveen Kumar dismissing Darren Bravo (41) and Shivanarine Chanderpaul (30) as they were all out for 262 in 68.2 overs.

The final pair of Devendra Bishoo (26, 33 balls, 2x4, 1x6) and Fidel Edwards (15 not out, 54 balls, 1x4) frustrated the Indian bowlers for around 10 overs after lunch. It was Suresh Raina who effected a freak dismissal with the ball rolling onto the stumps after hitting Bishoo's thigh-pads to bring an end to the proceedings.

It was a clinical performance by the Indian bowlers with Praveen being the pick snaring three for 42 and ending with a six-wicket haul in his very first Test match.

Ishant Sharma (3/81) bowled some poor deliveries but got crucial breakthroughs. The Indians blew away the middle and lower-middle order in the morning session where the home team needing a further 195 for a victory lose six wickets with an addition of 95 runs.

This was India's second victory at the Sabina Park having clinched the series with a win during their tour of 2006. This is also their fifth overall win on Caribbean soil.

The two teams now travel to Barbados where the second Test match will be held at Kensington Oval from June 28.

Anna team laughs at Govt’s ‘Jokepal Bill’

Says the government has no intention of passing a strong anti-corruption legislation; Hazare to go on indefinite fast from Aug 16, ready to face lathis and bullets for country



New Delhi: Upset with the Government for dilly-dallying the process of drafting and passing the Lokpal Bill, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on Thursday said the Centre had no intentions of enacting a strict anti-corruption law.

Hazare said that he will go on an indefinite fast from August 16 if a diluted law is brought. RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal said the government had frittered away a huge opportunity to frame a strong bill and take credit for it. “What the Government is now bringing is not a Lokpal Bill but a Jokepal Bill,” he said.

Centre wasting time: Activists
Hazare alleged that the government had "backtracked" on its promise to accept all the suggestions forwarded by the civil society members.

The septuagenarian said that he was "surprised" that the Government wants the civil society members to submit a separate draft of the bill, while the Government drafted its own bill and brought it before the Cabinet. "If they want two drafts then why was this joint committee formed? They could have told us earlier. Our draft was known to them. Why waste so much of time? It is clear that the government has no intention to bring an effective bill,” Hazare said.

Alleging that the government had gone back on assurances given to him to persuade him to withdraw his hunger strike in April, he said, "I will resume my fast on August 16....if the government tries to suppress us like in the case of Ramdev, we are prepared for that," he said.

"We are ready to face lathis and bullets. I am ready to sacrifice my life for the sake of the country," he said. However, the Hazare camp made it clear that they will attend the meetings of June 20-21 to see what the government has to say on the issue.

Even as the civil society members of the Lokpal Bill joint drafting committee called the meetings a "drama", Home Minister P Chidambaram said the proposed legislation will be drafted by June 30.

Bill will be ready by June 30: Govt
“On behalf of the Government we want to reiterate what we have been saying. Our intention is to draft a strong and sound Lokpal Bill. We will complete it by June 30," Chidambaram said.

Differences emerged between the two sides in the seventh meeting of the committee on Wednesday with the civil society members alleging that the government was attempting to “bulldoze” its version of the bill.

Inclusion of the prime minister and judiciary within the ambit of the proposed Lokpal are among the points of main differences between the two sides.

100 crore real estate fraud in Kerala, NRIs seek Chief Minister's help

Thiruvananthapuram: Non-resident Keralites are seeking the help of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy after they fell prey to one of the biggest real estate frauds in the state.

A Kochi-based company 'Apple-A-Day Properties' reportedly collected over Rs. 100 crore from buyers which included 125 Indian expatriates in the Middle East. The company offered villas and apartments in the heart of the city at attractive rates. It used the goodwill of a couple of its completed projects to rope in buyers, but after it missed many deadlines for its 11 new projects, customers cried foul.

"It's for realising the dream of owning a house in one's native place that NRIs like me invested over Rs. 45 lakh each in the project. But even after 5 years, nothing has been completed," said R P Abdul Hameed, a victim.

The firm's Director and Managing Director went underground after the company allegedly went bust a few weeks ago. Soon, complaints started pouring in and over 160 FIRs have now been registered against the company.


Police say the duo, who led a lavish lifestyle, have withdrawn money from all their accounts. A look out notice has also been issued against them.

"We have received many such complaints. We are seriously exploring ways to check these fraudulent practices," said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

Police sources say 'Apple-A-Day' fraud is just a tip of the iceberg and that many companies are also under the scanner. Now with the government promising stern action against such fly-by-night real estate firms, the victims are hopeful of finally getting justice.

Maoists kill five policemen in Chhattisgarh

The rebels fired indiscriminately at the cops and escaped with weapons of those killed

Raipur: Maoists gunned down five policemen in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh on Thursday morning and made away with their weapons, police said.

The Maoists opened indiscriminate gun fire at a contingent of the 16th battalion of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) in the Jharaghati forested pocket in Narayanpur district, killing one head constable and four other constables, Additional Director General of Police Ram Niwas told IANS.

He said the CAF has a base camp near the attack site, which is about 270 km south of state capital Raipur. Policemen from the camp immediately reached the site and retaliated, but the rebels managed to disperse in the nearby forests.

A local police official, who put the number of attackers in dozens, informed that the Maoists escaped with the weapons of the killed policemen. He said police had prior information about a possible Maoist attack in and around the CAF camp which was set up recently to step up operations against the rebels.

Extra forces from various police stations have been dispatched to the site, some 30 km from the district headquarters of Narayanpur town, to cordon off the Jharaghati forested area where the rebels are believed to be holed up.