Chakkittappara: Govt not taking a soft approach, says CM
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the government is not taking a soft approach on the iron ore mining issue at Chakkittappara. Chandy said that the guilty will be punished. Following the directive by the industries department, the permits have been cancelled. The Industries Dept is examining if a probe is needed or not. After that, a discussion in the UDF will decide what kind of action is needed, the chief minister said. Chandy was speaking to mediapersons in New Delhi where he had...

Paul Walker, star of Fast & Furious, killed in car accident in Los Angeles
Paul Walker, the star of the "Fast & Furious" movie series, died Saturday in a car crash that killed one other person north of Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 40. Walker died Saturday afternoon, Ame Van Iden told The Associated Press. A statement on the actor's Facebook page said he was a passenger in a friend's car, and that Walker was in the area to attend a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide. "We ... are stunned and...

Tarun Tejpal remanded in six-day police custody
Tehelka magazine editor Tarun Tejpal was on Sunday remanded in police custody for six days, a day after being arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman colleague. Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Shama Joshi passed the order for Tejpal’s remand on a plea by the police. Mr. Tejpal, who was arrested at 9 p.m. on Saturday after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected, was brought to court by Goa police crime branch before noon on Sunday. He spent the night in a...

Mullapally: No need to fear about Maoist presence
Minister of State for Home, Mullapally Ramachandran has said that there was no need to fear about the reported presence of Maoists in Kerala. Saying that Kerala does not offer a chance for Maoists to grow, the minister said that the state government had to take a call on whether to order joint-combing operations in the area. He also acknowledged the presence of one such group in the state. He also said that a top official from the centre would soon come to Kerala to discuss the...

If you are on the right path, nothing can stop you - Sachin Tendulkar
Recently-retired Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar said he was not too comfortable with the idea of having a computer in the dressing room but came to accept the device after realising how important an aid it was to plan and strategise better. "I had already played for India for 12-13 years. This was in 2002-03, when computer was brought to our dressing room. We were told that computer is going to store all the data and you will have access to whatever you want to see. I asked...

Dinesh Karthik is engaged to Dipika Pallikal
Squash ace Dipika Pallikal has found a new doubles partner — India cricketer Dinesh Karthik. The couple who first met nearly a year ago while training with Shanker Basu in Chennai's Maverick Gym, were engaged in a ceremony at the ITC Grand Chola Hotel in that city on November 15. The low-key ceremony was attended only by the two families and their close friends. There was a Christian and a traditional Hindu part to the ceremony, and Dipika changed from a Ritu Kumar creation to...

CPI(M) plays down row over advertisment in party daily
The CPI(M) in Kerala Saturday played down the issue of the party's official daily carrying an advertisement issued by a controversial businessman, during the party plenum in Palakkad. While senior leader V S Achuthanandan sized on the issue to take a dig at the state leadership, CPI(M) state Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan accused the party's enemies and "rightist media" of blowing up things during the plenum that concluded yesterday. "There were attempts by the...

Tarun Tejpal's anticipatory bail plea rejected, faces arrest
Way was tonight paved for the arrest of Tarun Tejpal, accused of sexual assaulting a woman colleague, with a local court rejecting his anticipatory bail plea. District and Sessions Judge Anuja Prabhudesai passed the order dismissing Tejpal's plea for relief after hearing the arguments of the prosecution and the defence. The prosecution strongly opposed the bail plea saying custodial interrogation of Tejpal was required because prima facie a case of rape has been made out...

Diesel price hiked by 50 paise; petrol rates unchanged
Diesel prices were on Saturday hiked by 50 paise per litre but there will be no revision in rates of petrol this fortnight. The price increase, the 11th since January, excludes local sales tax or VAT and will be effective from Saturday midnight, oil companies announced. The price of diesel in Delhi will be hiked by 57 paise, including tax, to Rs. 53.67 per litre, while it will cost Rs. 60.70 a litre in Mumbai as against 60.08 currently. There will be no change in petrol prices as...

Moolamattam powerhouse to be shut down for two days
Power generation at the Moolamattam Power House in Idukki will be shut down for two days for repair works of air conditioning system there. supply has been regulated in the state on Sunday and Monday as electricity production will remain stalled from 11 pm Saturday to 5 pm Monday as Power . The regulation will result in a shortage of 400 megawatt of power during the day and of 700 megawatt during the peak load hours in the evening. Though 150 megawatt power will be purchased at a higher...

CM assures to strengthen Grama Sabhas
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said  that the government will enhance Grama Sabhas to find beneficiaries of different projects being rendered by the State and Central Governments. He was inaugurating the mass contact programme here on Friday. Among the total 6,908 applications received so far, the CM will consider 301 petitions directly. Complainants are provided with three shifts of two hours to meet Chandy.   Meanwhile, police blocked the CPM members...

The Rise and Rise of Deepika Padukone
After a season of success, Deepika Padukone gets back to doing what she enjoys best — movies and more movies. Between her countless assignments, she speaks her mind on work commitments,monetary matters and more. That actress Deepika Padukone within a short span of seven years has slipped easily into the numero uno slot among actresses is impressive, but her journey is even more impressive for the fact that such an arc was unexpected. By her own admission, director Farah Khan who...

CPM publication features ad from murder-accused
As the CPM's three-day plenum draws to an end at Palakkad after discussions focussed on matters lofty and moral, the party organ, Deshabhimani,  featured an advertisment from a murder-accused businessman on Friday. The front page of the publication features an advertisement of the Surya Group of Companies, featuring also a picture of V.M. Radhakrishnan, who heads the company, wishing the party all success at the plenum. Radhakrishnan, charged by the Central Bureau of...

Tejpal files anticipatory bail plea, gets interim relief
Summoned by Goa police, Tarun Tejpal will fly to Goa by an afternoon flight to face questioning and possible arrest in the case of alleged sexual assault by him of a woman colleague. Accompanied by his wife Geetam Batra and one of his daughters and brother, the founding editor of Tehelka magazine arrived at the airport to take a 2:30 p.m. flight to Panaji. “I got summons. So I am heading to Goa,” Mr. Tejpal, who put up a faint smile, told reporters in a terse reply to...

Justice Ganguly named by law intern in sexual harassment case
Justice A K Ganguly, former judge of theSupreme Court , believed to have been accused by a law intern of sexual harassment, has recorded a statement before the three-judge committee, which has submitted its report. The Committee headed by Justice R M Lodha submitted the report yesterday after recording the statement of Justice Ganguly, who is now heading the West Bengal Human Rights Commission, an apex court official said today. Ganguly demitted office as Supreme Court...

Tehelka case: Another journalist quits, 'disappointed' with magazine's response to sexual assault case
A senior Tehelka journalist today quit the magazine engulfed in a scandal following sexual assault allegations against its founder Tarun Tejpal. Senior editor Rana Ayyub tweeted, "In view of the present controversy I thought it necessary to discontinue my association with Tehelka." This comes a day after the journalist who accused Mr Tejpal of sexually assaulting her at a Goa hotel resigned from the news magazine saying she is "deeply traumatised by the lack of...

Bangalore teen gang-raped after trip to the cinema
A 16-year-old in Bangalore is in hospital after being gang-raped by five men.  Three suspects have been arrested, the police said.   On Saturday, the teen watched a movie with one of the suspects, a 25-year-old. The police say from the theatre, he took her to a secluded area in Central Bangalore, where he was joined by four friends. After she was assaulted and abandoned, the teen returned home and confided in her family, which then rushed her to hospital. Her...

Narendra Modi shortlisted by Time for 'Person of the Year' title, leads in online poll
Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is among Time magazine's shortlisted candidates for its 'Person of the Year' title and has emerged as an early favourite among the readers in an online poll. Time has shortlisted 42 global leaders, entrepreneurs and celebrities for its 'Person of the Year 2013' and will announce the winner next month. Other candidates in fray are Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, US President...

Nupur Talwar complains of high BP, anxiety in jail
Nupur Talwar, convicted for the murder of her daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj, suffered high blood pressure and anxiety after she and her husband Rajesh were brought to the Dasna jail here on Monday evening.   "She complained at 9:30 PM on Monday that she was feeling uneasy. Immediately, a doctor was sent for a check-up and she was found to be suffering from high BP, acidity and anxiety.   She has been given medicines.   "Nupur has...

HC refuses to grant Tarun Tejpal interim protection from arrest
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant interim protection against arrest to Tehelka Editor Tarun Tejpal, who has been accused of sexually assaulting his junior colleague on November 7 and 8 at a hotel in Goa. Justice Sunita Gupta also asked the counsel for the Goa police to file its reply, if any, and fixed the hearing of Tejpal's anticipatory bail plea for hearing tomorrow.     Meanwhile, the Delhi police also...

Aarushi case: CBI seeks death sentence for Talwars with Rolex Submariner Réplique
A day after convicting dentist couple Rajesh Talwar and Nupur Talwar for killing their daughter Aarushi and servant Hemraj, a special CBI court will on Tuesday pronounce the quantum of sentence in the case. The CBI has sought the maximum punishment for the couple, calling the case 'rarest of rare'. The quality Rolex Submariner Réplique for men. "There have been two murders and hence the case should be treated as rarest of rare," CBI counsel told reporters...

Kohli misses ton, powers India to 288
Virat Kohli missed out on a hundred by just one run before skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's fiery knock propelled India to a challenging 288 for seven against the West Indies in the second One-Day International here on Sunday. Electing to bowl, unsure of how the wicket would behave after two days of incessant rains, the West Indies kept India under pressure for most of the time but the hosts scored 62 runs off the last five overs to steal the thunder from the Caribbeans. Kohli...

Terrorists may attempt to disrupt Lok Sabha, assembly polls: PM Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday warned that terrorist groups may try to disrupt the forthcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls and asked security forces to remain alert. Voicing concern over a "substantial increase" in the number of communal incidents in some states, he said they must be tackled with utmost firmness, without prejudice, fear or favour.   "There is a likelihood of attempts (by terror groups) to disrupt the forthcoming Lok Sabha...

EC proposal to SC seeks poll ban on those facing serious charges
Election Commission has proposed before Supreme Court that any person against whom a court has framed charges for offences punishable with a jail term of five years or more should be barred from contesting polls. In an affidavit filed in the apex court, EC said that after being named in a case, a person ceases to have the integrity which is a must for any candidate seeking high public office.     "(After the framing of...

Kerala gets Unesco backing for Spice Route Project
Kerala's plan to tap the potential in the tourism sector of the ancient spice route treaded by merchants and explorers in search of spices and herbs has received support from the Unesco. The Spice Route Project is aimed at sharing the heritage among the 31 countries along the ancient route. The initiative is expected to bring in a substantial number of foreign tourists to Kerala to trace the historic journey. The UN cultural agency's backing for the Spice Route Project of...

Tehelka: Goa police records statements of witnesses
 The Goa police today started recording statements of three witnesses with whom the Tehelka woman journalist had reportedly spoken to after the alleged sexual assault on her by the magazine editor Tarun Tejpal These are three colleagues of the victim with whom she had interacted soon after the alleged assault happened at a Goa hotel around a fortnight ago. She had also reportedly sent them e-mailed copies of her complaint to Tehelka Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhary. The statements...

SC notice to Kerala govt, CBI in ice cream parlour sex case
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to Kerala government and others on a plea of former chief minister V S Achuthanandan seeking a CBI probe into the Kozhikode ice cream parlour sex scandal. A bench headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai sought responses from the state government and others including CBI on a plea of former chief minister that criminal justice has been subverted in a systematic manner in this case that can be rectified by only ordering an independent...

Mother moves Kerala HC after minor forcibly married to UAE national
The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the state government to file its reply on a petition filed by the mother of a minor who was forcibly married to a UAE national and later abandoned, seeking proper investigation and prosecution of real culprits. Giving the directive, Justice P Bhavadasan posted the case after ten days for hearing. The petitioner submitted that her 17-year-old daughter belonging to Malappuram District was forced to marry a foreign citizen from UAE against the...

Solar scam accused to take Achuthanandan to court
Saritha Nair, main accused in what has come to be called the "solar scam" in Kerala, has filed a complaint against V.S. Achuthanandan, leader of the opposition in the Kerala assembly, and three others, her counsel said Saturday. The woman's counsel Feny Balakrishnan said her client had filed the complaint against the four for speaking ill of her. Allegations have been made that Saritha Nair has been caught on camera in "compromising positions" with a number...

Tarun Tejpal case: no CCTV footage from hotel elevator
In a possible setback for the sexual assault probe against Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal, police said on Saturday that CCTV cameras were not installed in the hotel elevator where Tejpal is alleged to have sexually assaulted his junior colleague twice. A special investigation team of Goa Police on Saturday reached Delhi to question him in the case. “There are no CCTVs in the elevator,” deputy inspector general of police OP Mishra told reporters at a press...