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Poonam Pandey to leave Twitter

So, here is the heart breaking news for all you Poonam Pandey fans. Miss Pandey will not upload any of her pictures, videos over Twitter anymore. Her heart thumping statement is a warning to the micro-blogging website as the Mumbai girl now wants a verified account.   The Twitter queen, who claimed to go sans cloth if Indian cricket team won World Cup, reveals that there are over 700 fake accounts that keep on posting her pictures and pretend to be Poonam Pandey. Poonam Pandey tweeted, "More than 700 FAKE Twitter profiles with my Name and Pix.. unless my account is VERIFIED wont Post any PIX, Videos(sic)."  

Aseem debate on sedition charge

Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi thanked the media for supporting him. To a question on his cartoons, he said that he was surprised when they are referred to as this type of cartoons. Even a child can understand that it resulted from a sense of patriotism. They were made to make people understand what is happening in the country. Trivedi batted for a greater role for art which, he said, mirrored society. Later, at a meet organised by the Press Club, Mumbai, the cartoonist advocated more freedom in art and literature.  The cartoonist denied insulting the national honour. He said he had decided to accept the bail after assurances from the Home Department and the High Court order on his release. Dr. Sen refused to give his opinion on Trivedi’s cartoons. The rights activist appealed to everyone to join the cause of sending a petition to Parliament with one million signatures seeking the abolition of the Act. India Against Corruption coordinator Mayank Gandhi termed Trivedi’s release his personal victory and the victory of the media and democracy. But he was apprehensive of Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil’s promise of withdrawing the sedition charge against the cartoonist.

Centre will back Metro rail projects

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government has decided to support preparation of Detailed Project Reports for Metro rail in all 19 cities with a population of over two million. Laying the foundation for the Rs 5,181 crore Kochi Metro project here, Dr. Singh said DPRs had already been prepared for 12 cities and Metro rail projects were being implemented in seven cities, covering a total network of length 476 km at a cost of over Rs 1.15 lakh crore. The Delhi Metro is carrying about 22 lakh people daily, he said. Pointing out that an efficient transport system was a service that was ‘critical’ to the orderly growth and development of cities, Dr. Singh said Metro rail was just one component of such a transport system. These include support to Metro rail projects, Bus Rapid Transit Systems and sanction of city buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

Kandahar hijack suspect held in J&K

Jammu and Kashmir Police has arrested a top militant who is suspected to have provided logistical support to hijackers of IC-814 in 1999 and was operating for the last 25 years in the state. Mehrajuddin alias Javed, a close associate of United Jihad Council (UJC) chief Syed Salahuddin and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested during an operation in Kishtwar forest belt. His name had figured in the IC-814 hijack case as he had provided logistic support for hijacking of the Indian aircraft to Kandahar from Nepal, the officer said. The Indian Airlines plane, with mainly Indians passengers, had taken off from Nepal on December 24, 1999 and just as it entered Indian airspace, the militants hijacked it to Kandahar in Afghanistan. The hijackers also killed one passenger. The hijacking ended when the Indian government released three terrorists including Maulana Masood Azhar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh for the safe return of the passengers. Mehrajuddin was one of the first five militants including Salahuddin who crossed over into PoK in 1987 to get arms training. He belongs to militancy affected Sopore town of north Kashmir and was a member of UJC, an umbrella group of several militant outfits.

Protesters take to sea at Kudankulam

Stepping up their protest against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, anti-nuclear activists on Thursday stood in sea waters forming a human chain off nearby Indinthakarai coast. Taking a leaf from ‘Jal Satyagraha’ activists in Madhya Pradesh, the activists of People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy stood in the waters close to the shores in a new turn to their year-long protests. Police, whose presence has been strengthened in and around the sea shores with additional forces, have beefed up security along the coast to prevent any untoward incident during the day-long protest. The agitators have put forward four demands — stoppage of the process of fuel loading in Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, drop the plan to arrest anti-nuclear movement leaders, adequate compensation for those who suffered losses and release of those already taken into custody. The new form of protest came even as the whereabouts of PMANE leader S P Udayakumar remained unknown after he did somersault on his offer to surrender before police after the protest turned violent that led to police firing claiming the life of one fisherman in Tuticorin district on Monday.

Lokesh to take Charge

TDP Chief Chandrababu is planning to go ahead with his proposed Paada Yatra next month and the buzz is that Lokesh will be handling the steering of the party then. But the young scion has said that he is not interested in any posts or ticket for now. 'I want to continue as a normal cadre for the party and will do it irrespective of the stuff I get offered', replied Lokesh, when media asked him if he is ready to contest in 2014 polls.     'For Congress, only TDP is the right opponent and only we have the power to collide with them. All others are same and no sooner they will merge their parties with Congress like PRP. 2014 belongs to TDP, we'll come back to power and our leader's paada yaatra will do the needful', the young leader said. He ruled out to talk about any other party in the state though he is in politics from long time.

Suspended Cop Kidnaps SP

A Superintendent of Police attached to the Police Transport Organisation (PTO) who was held captive by a suspended head-constable in Saifabad area of Hyderabad was freed after a five hours. The SP, Lakshmi Narayana was taken hostage by head-constable, identified as Giriprasad Sarma, who threatened to set fire to the room, if any attempts were made to free him. Seeking disciplinary action against Lakshminarayana, Sarma blamed the SP and other senior police officials of PTO of harassing him and suspending him. The head constable was suspended six months ago for irregularities and he even went to the Lokayukta for his reinstatement, but his plea was rejected.  

Death toll in Pak factory fire rises

At least 60 people have been killed in a fire that raged in a garment factory in the southern city of Karachi, bringing the death toll in two deadly fires in the country to 85. 60 bodies had been taken to the hospital. He said many were so badly burned that it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female. The fire in Karachi, Pakistan’s economic heart, was one of two deadly blazes to erupt in Pakistan late Tuesday. The other at a shoe factory in the eastern city of Lahore killed 25 people.

10 killed in Russian plane crash

Ten people died and four were seriously injured when a plane crashed on Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia. A 4-year-old girl was among the dead, the Interfax news agency reported, citing the ministry of civil defence. The Antonov An-28 went down near the village of Palanka. The propeller plane had 12 passengers and two crew on board. It took off from the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Situation under control in Kudankulam

Situation in Tamil Nadu’s Idinthakarai village, the movement against the Kudankulam nuclear project, was under control after three days of protests. The fast at Idinthakarai village in Tirunelveli, against the Kudankulam nuclear power project, is still on, he said. On Tuesday night, protest leaders went missing after their abduction by local fishermen. Leaders of People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy were abducted by fishermen to prevent them from surrendering to police.  However, in a dramatic turn of events, fishermen took away  Udayakumar and Pushparayan in a boat. Their current whereabouts were not known. 65 people have been arrested over the last two days, following the violence and over the Kundankulam project. Long movement against the Kudankulam nuclear power project had turned violent Monday, leaving one agitator dead in police firing in Tuticorin district and several injured. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister  Jayalalithaa had justified the police action. She also announced compensation of Rs.5 lakh to the kin of the protester killed.

His hand was removed with axe when he asked for salary

In a shocking case, a labourer's hand was chopped in Garhwa district of Jharkhand allegedly after he asked his employers for his salary. The incident happened on Sunday. The proprietors who run an illegal alcohol making unit, punished labourer Aliyaar when he demanded his three month's pending wages to feed his family. He is being treated at Ranchi's Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences and may not be able to work for life. The state government's indifference came to light when Chief Minister Arjun Munda said his state has the lowest crime rate as he was asked about this incident.

Narendra Modi's election campaign kicks off on Advani's rath today

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will begin his month-long yatra from the religious town of Becharaji in north Gujarat today, which will cover major parts of the state. Interestingly, the name of Modi's yatra is Vivekananda Yuva Vikas Yatra, which will begin on the day when spiritual leader Swami Vivekanada made his historic speech at the Chicago Conference of World Religions, 150 years ago. Billed as a beginning of his electoral campaign, the rath yatra will cover all the districts of the state. Interestingly, Modi will move in the same rath which was used by senior party leader LK Advani during last year's jan chetna yatra. Modi is seen as a favourite to win yet another election, but this time around he faces numerous issues including the emergence of Gujarat Parivartan Party, led by former chief minister Keshubhai Patel, and also the huge response to Congresses free housing scheme for women which seem to have rattled the chief minister. Last time Modi undertook a similar exercise was in 2002 when he took out his Gaurav Rath Yatra, ahead of the Assembly polls and after his resounding victory in the post-Godhra riots case. He returned to power with a thumping majority.

Hindu migrants seek refugee status

Representatives of Hindu migrants from Pakistan, who arrived by the Thar Express on Sunday, met Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday in Jodhpur and sought refugee status for them. The group of 171, comprising 35 women and around 70 children and youth, appeared determined as they told Mr. Gehlot that they did not want to go back. The migrants were led by Hindu Singh Sodha, Jodhpur-based social activist. He has been working for the rehabilitation and citizenship of the “displaced” Hindus from Pakistan. Mr. Gehlot promised “all possible” help and instructed the District Collector to provide all help to the migrants. In the meantime, he would talk to the Centre on the issue, Mr. Gehlot told Mr. Sodha at the Jodhpur airport where they had the meeting. This has been the biggest ever group to migrate to west Rajasthan from the adjoining districts on the other side of the border in Pakistan and it appears to be only the beginning if the border watchers are to be believed. Having crossed the border by train, they escaped near-bonded situations from the districts of Sanghar, Hyderababad and the newly formed district of Matiari in Sindh province. The migrants have come on religious visa for 30 days. Prior to this, the largest number of Hindus seeking asylum or refugee status in India arrived in 1965 after the India-Pakistan war. There is an estimated 1.20 lakh persons from Pakistan living in India as migrants.

Bus falls into gorge, 35 killed

Thirty-five persons were feared dead as a State-run bus skidded off the road and fell into a 1,000-metre deep gorge near Mallu area in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh on Monday evening. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation bus, carrying about 40 persons, was on its way from Palampur to Ashapuri temple when it fell down from a hilltop on Palampur - Ashapuri road, 40-km from the spot. The number of casualties was likely to be high, they said. Darkness and soil, which has become slippery due to heavy rain in the area, is hampering the rescue operation as trudging on steep and slippery slopes was risky. So far only one body has been recovered but the chances of survival of passengers were very remote, officials said.

Shinde sees foreign NGOs’ hand in Kudankulam

The Centre on Monday blamed foreign non-governmental organisations for aiding protests against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu and reiterated that the government was committed to producing clean and cheap nuclear energy in the country. Pushing the case for nuclear energy, Shinde said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made it clear that India needed nuclear energy, which was clean and a cheap source of energy. Shinde says that Initially, the costs are high for setting up the nuclear power plant, but in 4-5 years it becomes a cheap source of energy. The cost of nuclear power is very low and the country must have such energy. Following protests against the project earlier this year, the government blamed some U.S.-based NGOs for trying to sabotage the plant.

Murray beats Djokovic to win First Grand Slam Title

Murray became Britain's first major champion since Fred Perry claimed his third American title in 1936, the year the Spanish Civil War started and Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected US president. History making Andy Murray ended Britain's 76-year wait for a men's Grand Slam champion when he beat 2011 winner Novak Djokovic 7-6 (12/10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 in an epic US Open final on Monday. In a roller-coaster final, which witnessed a 54-shot rally, numerous 30-stroke exchanges, as well as a record-setting tie-breaker, the 25-year-old Murray held his nerve in a knife-edge final set. The Olympic champion led 3-0 in the decider, dropped serve but broke again for 5-2 when Djokovic called a medical time-out. But Murray wasn't to be denied, taking the historic crown when Djokovic went long with a forehand on a second match point in what was, at four hours and 54 minutes, the equal-longest US Open final of all time. Murray had lost all of his four previous Grand Slam finals -- to Roger Federer at the US Open in 2008, the 2010 Australian Open and this year's Wimbledon, as well as to Djokovic in Australia in 2011.  

Kudankulam protests: One killed in police firing

One person was killed in police firing when a crowd of anti-Kudankulam protestors attacked a police check post in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin district Monday, police said. Three police officials were injured in the attack, A mob of around 400 people protesting against the baton charging of fishermen protesting against the nuclear power plant in Kudankulam attacked a check post at Manapaddu village. There were four police personnel at the check post, including one women constable. Three of the police officials, including the policewomen, were injured and the one remaining policemen opened fire in self-defence, resulting in one death," said the police official, who did no want to be named. The incident happened at around 4.45 p.m. he said. Meanwhile, an around 500-strong mob was holding a protest at the Tuticorin railway station, thereby delaying the departure of two trains. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has announced compensation of Rs.5 lakh to the kin of the dead protestor.

Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi Sent to Jail

Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi: Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was sent to judicial custody till September 24 by a local court here on Monday. The Mumbai Police had arrested the India Against Corruption (IAC) member on charges of sedition. Kanpur-based Trivedi was arrested after a court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.   The Mumbai police told the court that the cartoonist’s custody was no longer required. Their decision comes after Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil this morning said that police had no grounds to arrest Trivedi. While on his way to court, undeterred Assem said, “Whatever I have done I am proud of that. This is second freedom of struggle.” Aseem said he wants sedition charges to be dropped first, then only he will apply for bail.

Infosys to buy Lodestone for $349 Million

Infosys Lodestone, Lodestone Infosys: Infosys has agreed to buy Zurich-based Lodestone Holding AG in a deal valued at 330 million Swiss francs. The acquisition may take Infosys a step closer to its goal of becoming a software-and-services giant providing clients with higher value services and consulting. The company has recently completed implementing Infosys 3.0, a strategy that it expects will take it towards this goal.   "This acquisition fits perfectly into that strategy," chief executive SD Shibulal said in a statement.  Infosys, which symbolises India's rise as an outsourcing powerhouse, has struggled this year. It has missed sales targets, lost market share, put off an annual pay rise and seen its stock battered. India's No 2 software services provider, expects to conclude the all-cash deal by October, the Bangalore-based company said. Lodestone will add 850 employees to Infosys' 150,000, including 750 consultants experienced in advising clients on the use business management software from SAP AG. It will also increase Infosys' clients to more than 900 from its current 700. "The acquisition fits well with Infosys' business profile and the endeavour of the management to maintain strength in consulting and high-value added services," ICICI Securities analyst Kuldeep Koul said in a note to clients. Koul has a "buy" rating on the stock.