Formation of Telangana likely to change fortunes of major political parties

Division of Andhra Pradesh will see not just a change in the geographical profile of the state but will also totally alter the political landscape across the regions and rewrite the fortunes of all major parties.

Related: Sonia Gandhi warns united Andhra leaders

What gains it accrues in Telangana region by agreeing to divide Andhra Pradesh is a matter of conjecture but the ruling Congress is expected to find the going tough in the Andhra-Rayalaseema regions.

The Congress hopes the decision in favour of Telangana will pay rich political dividends to it but is wary of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti that remained the torchbearer of the separate statehood movement.

Related: Anger erupts over Telangana, others knock on Delhi door

The TRS is yet non-committal on the prospective merger with the Congress and will keep the latter guessing for more time.

But if the TRS seeks to establish its own political identity in the new state rather than embrace the Congress, the latter could face problems.

Such an eventuality will upset the Congress' larger political game plan.

The Telugu Desam Party hopes to re-establish its hold in Telangana, having inclined in favour of bifurcation.

But, the same factor may dent its prospects in Andhra-Rayalaseema regions though it still remains the major force.

By standing for a unified state in the last minute, the

Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress has been reduced to a naught in Telangana and its influence, if any, should now be confined to Andhra-Rayalaseema regions.

In the emerging scenario, TDP and YSRC will be the main contenders for power in Andhra-Rayalaseema.

YSRC's fortunes, however, hinge on its chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and if he doesn't come out of jail ahead of the general elections, the party could face hurdles.

Changing work habits push software makers to innovate

Every day, millions of office workers prepare memos and reports using scissors and paste, and store data on floppy disks, though they have plenty of digital memory in their computers and the cloud. Smartphone-toting executives have their mail dumped into in-boxes, one corporate message atop another.

They are not using these objects, of course, but clicking on the pictures of them in popular word-processing programs like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. The icons linger like vestigial organs of an old-style office, 31 years after IBM's personal computer brought work into the software age. They symbolise an old style of office software, built for the time when the desktop computer was new and unfamiliar.

But no longer are workers tethered to a desk, or even to an office; we are all toting around laptops, tablets and smartphones to make every place a workplace. And so office software is changing. These days, what is important is collaboration, small screens, fast turnarounds, social media and, most of all, mobility. "The way people use things is fundamentally changing," said Bret Taylor, chief executive of Quip, a start-up offering document-writing software that focuses more on mobile than desktop work.

Last month Box, an online service for storing documents, pictures and other data, bought Crocdoc, a company that makes it possible to view Microsoft Word documents and other popular file formats across a variety of devices at the right size for whatever screen is being used at the time. Evernote, another online storage outfit, allows people to write, edit and share notes together, instead of emailing multiple versions of a Word document to one another.

Both Microsoft and Google are scrambling to make their products reflect a work environment where PCs exist alongside other devices. There is a mobile version of Microsoft Office, which includes Microsoft Word, but it can only be used to edit certain kinds of documents and collaboration is limited. One reason for this, the company says, is that it does not want to force its user base to relearn too much, too quickly.

Sensex snaps 6-day losing streak, up 179 pts in early trade

Snapping a six-day losing streak, the BSE benchmark Sensex recovered by 179 points in early trade today on emergence of buying by funds and retail investors after the government announced plans for further liberalisation amid a firming trend in the Asian region.

The 30-share barometer rose by 179.37 points, or 0.93 per cent, to 19,525.07, led by the gains in oil and gas, metal, realty, power and capital goods stocks. The index had plunged 957 points in the previous six sessions.

Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty, gained 54.55 points, or 0.95 per cent, to 5,796.55.

Brokers said fresh round of buying by participants triggered by the government announcing plans for further liberalisation and a firming trend on the other Asian bourses, following the US Federal Reserve's decision to keep its stimulus scheme in place, mainly influenced the sentiment.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei was trading 1.14 per cent higher, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index up 0.622 per cent in early trade today.

Gold futures down as speculators book profits, global cues

Gold prices fell 0.21 per cent to Rs 28,149 per 10 gm in futures trade today due to profit- booking by speculators amid a weak trend overseas.

At the Multi Commodity Exchange, gold for delivery in August eased by Rs 58, or 0.21 per cent, to Rs 28,149 per 10 gm in business turnover of 148 lots.

Likewise, the metal for delivery in far-month October shed Rs 55, or 0.20 per cent, to Rs 28,001 per 10 gm in 770 lots. Analysts said apart from profit-booking by speculators, a weak trend in the overseas markets, put pressure on the gold prices at futures trade here. Globally, gold fell 0.20 per cent to USD 1,322.06 an ounce in Singapore today.

Tabu turns Draupadi on ramp at Couture Week

Bollywood actress Tabu scorched the ramp as modern day Draupadi for designer Anju Modi as she displayed her Mahabharata-inspired collection on day one of the PCJ Delhi Couture Week.

Dressed in a red and gold lehenga teamed with a full-sleeved velvet blouse, the 41-year-old actress looked every bit regal as she sauntered down the ramp elegantly.

"I love walking at a fashion week as it gives me an opportunity to glam up. When Anju told me that her theme was Indian mythology, I was very excited.

"I loved the fact that there was an interesting story woven around the collection. It was almost like acting because I had to feel the character. I enjoyed myself," Tabu said.

Anju was also all praise for her muse.

"When I decided on the theme of Draupadi, I could only think of Tabu as she is a strong woman. She is passionate, beautiful and intelligent just as Draupadi was," she said.

When asked why she chose to depict Draupadi through her collection, Anju said, "Draupadi is an embodiment of the empowered Indian woman. Her portrayal through the pages of the Mahabharata epitomises the multi-faceted nature of a woman."

The beauty and charm possessed by Draupadi was unveiled act-by-act. The show also had a dance performance by a Bangalore-based group, who enacted various important scenes from the Mahabharata.

The first part celebrated the opulent "Marriage to Pandavas" with celebratory colours like crimsons, caramels, tamarinds and golds, which accentuated the romanticism and the magnificence.

Transitioning to the "Game of Dice", shades of ash grey, indigo blue, maroon reflected the dilemma and chaos echoing within Draupadi.

The show culminated with Draupadi's "Devotion" towards Lord Krishna, and subtle, delicate shades of faune, blush and ivory resonated the ethereal bond.

Models sashayed down the ramp in anrakalis, lehengas, long jackets, skirts, achkans, jodpuri breeches, churidaars temed with brown leather shoes.

Indian 'cigarette snatcher' dies in Dubai

An Indian cancer patient, who campaigned against smoking in unusual ways such as confronting strangers in public places and pleading with them to quit smoking, succumbed to lung cancer in a Dubai hospital.

Abraham Samuel, 53, popularly known as 'cigarette snatcher' died on Sunday evening. Samuel is survived by his wife and two daughters aged 22 and 20.

He smoked two packets a day for 35 years and was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010. It was then that he turned to approaching strangers in public places and pleading with them to quit smoking earning the title of "cigarette snatcher", the Gulf News report said.

Samuel's method of taking upon himself to "convert" smokers around him instead of indulging in self-pity had its effect on a lot of people who chose to stop smoking.

"When I see someone smoking, I simply walk up to them and ask them to give it up. People don't always like it, but I don't stop myself. Sometime I even open my shirt and show them my radiation marks so they understand the severity of my condition.

"I don't know how much time I have left in this world, but I will do as much as I can to tell people to give up smoking," Samuel had told a newspaper few months back.

Several people apparently quit the smoking after listening about his woes, the report said. "After reading about Abraham, I've decided to throw my cigarette packet away. God gave us a healthy body, why should we damage it?," an erstwhile smoker was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Two weeks back Abraham was admitted to the hospital as he had refused to go to India for treatment. He worked in a stationery company, earning Rs 57,700 (3,500 dirhams) a month. His sponsor did not cancel his visa even though he was unable to work for months.

Police raid illegal party, arrest 12 dancers, 35 youths

Pune rural police raided an illegal party at a bungalow in Aapti Gewande village in the early hours of Wednesday and arrested 12 dancers and 35 youths. The party organiser, the DJ and two persons, who supplied liquor for the party, have been remanded in police custody.

Based on a tip-off from informants, a team led by inspector Santosh Patil of Lonavala rural police station raided the bungalow in Aapti Gewande village around 4 am.

"We got information that a party was on at the bungalow where liquor was being served without permit. The women dancers were also present at the party," said Patil

"These girls are from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The youths are aged between 20 and 30 years and all are from Mumbai. We have collected their blood samples for tests. Four persons have been remanded in police custody while the rest have been released on bail," he added.

Chick-list for economic growth

Corporate mentorship programmes and earn-and-learn vocational schemes can encourage more Indian women to enter the workforce.

Since last December, Indians of all stripes have begun a national conversation on issues relating to women - in the workforce, as victims of violence, in education and perhaps most importantly, as agents of change in rapidly modernising Indian cities. There are many dimensions to women taking on leadership roles at home, at school, in the workplace, and as participants in the rapidly expanding economy. But while Indian society has done well in encouraging women into the political sphere, it still finds ways to ensure that they do not participate in the economic sphere - a sad fact that will continue to weigh down its economic growth prospects. 

This idea was recently articulated in an annual report message from one of India's most important business leaders.

Water project for villages: Oppn shuns fund handover event

Opposition parties in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Wednesday boycotted the civic function to hand over a financial assistance of Rs 5 crore to Pune zila parishad to construct water purification plants for the 126 villages along Mutha river. They alleged the ruling NCP hijacked the function by organising it in the party district office at Nisarg Mangal Karyalaya.

Earlier this month, the PMC standing committee had approved the civic administration's proposal to provide financial assistance to the villages for the project. The project was taken up to address the issue of serious health concerns among villagers who used polluted water from the river to meet their demands.

To handover the money, the ruling NCP organised a function, the chief guest for which was NCP MP Supriya Sule. NCP leader Subhash Jagtap invited the elected representatives in the PMC for the function on a short notice.

"The money was handed over at a function that was organised at the district office of NCP. It was inappropriate to organise a civic function at the NCP office," said opposition leaders MNS leader Vasant More, Shiv Sena leader Ashok Harnaval and BJP leader Ashok Yenpure at a joint press conference.

The opposition parties condemns the act and would take up the issue with the municipal commissioner, they said.

Student attacks classmate with axe in JNU, later kills self

A classroom in Jawaharlal Nehru University turned a scene of crime on Wednesday when a 23-year-old final-year student grievously assaulted his woman classmate with an axe and later committed suicide by consuming poison and slitting his throat.

Eyewitnesses told police that Akash, a student of Korean Studies at the School of Languages, came to the class armed with an axe, a country-made pistol and a knife. Police said he assaulted Roshni Kumari Gupta (22) after she spurned his advances.

While Akash succumbed to injuries, Roshni is battling for life — she has at least 10 injuries on her head and neck — in Safdarjung hospital. Police said they have recovered a two-page suicide note (written both in English and Hindi) in which Akash has expressed his love for Roshni and said "his ego has been hurt and that he would end this chapter".

Police said Akash, who hails from Gaya in Bihar, and Roshni, who belongs to Muzaffarpur in Bihar, met during their first year in JNU. According to police, the assault took place around 11 am in classroom number 213. The first class for the day had gotten over and the students were taking a recess, when Akash, who was seated a few rows behind Roshni, walked up to her and began speaking to her. According to students present there, Akash asked all of them to clear out of the classroom.

Speaking to Newsline, an eyewitness said, "We thought he was joking. Suddenly, we heard her (Roshni) screaming and by the time we could react, Akash pulled out a pistol and began threatening us with it. He asked us to stay away and not intervene. He attacked Roshni who fell to the ground. He continued to hack Roshni with an axe on her head and hands. He then slit his throat with the axe. Simultaneously, he took out some tablets and consumed them. He also consumed a poisonous liquid. Later, he put the pistol to his head and fired, but the bullet got jammed. He began vomiting and fell unconscious."

Galli grit at Tate

Anand Patwardhan's controversial films being screened at Tate Modern, London show that the politics of protest transcend national borders, time and space.

India's smug politicians, lathi-wielding policemen, gritty slum-dwellers and self-absorbed elite have made their way into the Mecca of art. London's Tate Modern is screening the radical political documentaries of noted Indian filmmaker Anand Patwardhan. 

Patwardhan's cinema, grounded in the reality of contemporary India, is in stark contrast to the abstract forms of art displayed at Tate Modern. He does not believe in art for art's sake. His art, activism and films are indistinguishable. 

He propels his audience into the rough and tumble of contemporary India with such dexterity that one can be forgiven for forgetting entirely about the man behind the camera and focusing, instead, on the politics of everyday life unfurling on screen. While politics takes centre-stage in Patwardhan's cinema, his form and technique often go unnoticed, and his aesthetic architecture is virtually invisible, points out writer-filmmaker Kodwo Eshun of the Ottolith Collective, co-curating Patwardhan's retrospective at the Tate Modern. 

Patwardhan's cinema, which lays much emphasis on the politics of protest in India, is being screened in London at a time when Britain's culture of protest is on the wane. As political activity recedes from the streets, it is being revived in public art galleries such as Tate, says Anjalika Sagar of Ottolith Collective. The changing nature of protest in Britain is mirrored by a similar process in India that Patwardhan has captured on screen. While street protests form a part of Patwardhan's cinema in the India of the 1970s and early '80s, he talks of how the country now aims at prettifying its metros and silencing voices of protest. Both Mumbai and Delhi have outlawed street protests and confined protesters to a tiny area. 

In his film, Bombay: Our City, on the brutality of slum-demolitions, a woman slumdweller glares into camera and asks Patwardhan to stop filming the poor as he can do nothing to help them. Patwardhan retains the moment because "it reminds both filmmaker and audience of the voyeurism inherent in films that focus on the misery of others. It forces us to introspect. " That the same woman loved the finished film after seeing it at one of the many screenings held across Mumbai's shantytowns was a bonus, but it never reduced the original chastisement. 

The life and death of dalit poet and singer, Vilas Ghogre, forms the thread that binds Bombay: Our City (1985) with Jai Bhim Comrade made 27 years later. Patwardhan's 14 year opus on the oppression of dalits opens with Vilas's song from Bombay: Our City. Then the film abruptly freezes to tell us that Vilas committed suicide in 1997 after 10 dalits were killed in a police firing. They were protesting because their statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar had been garlanded with footwear. 

Patwardhan has maintained political and financial independence as a filmmaker by not seeking co-production or corporate and NGO grants. Costs are kept to a minimum and the distribution earnings of each film are recycled into the next one. 

Patwardhan's films show 40 years of history largely through the eyes of India's poor and marginalised. They explore the complexity of the Emergency years, militancy in Punjab, communal violence and India's nuclear tests. He records the parallel and almost simultaneous rise of neoliberalism and the rise of the religious right, both of which grew in the 1980s and came into their own in the early 1990s. 

Art, for Patwardhan, is that which transcends time and space. His films have done both. A young woman from Argentina was initially daunted at the thought of watching a film on India, a country she knew so little about. On watching Patwardhan's films, she realised how similar his narrative was to the situation in her own country. 

While the events recorded by Patwardhan are local, and specific to India, the concerns they raise transcend national borders. "You cannot fight for human rights or the protection of the environment in only one part of the world, " he says. "Globalisation has come to mean the global exploitation of resources and labour by multinationals. It must be fought by citizens who share the idea and the fact of a resistance that is equally global. "

India in Zimbabwe 2013

The end of India's routine warm-up football game, on the eve of the 4th ODI game, saw Cheteshwar Pujara making a dash to his kitbag. The urgency in his stride reminded one of the trademark haste that opening batsmen of fielding sides show while rushing to the dressing room after the fall of the opposition's final wicket. Maybe, this was how India's Test No.3 was preparing himself for his new innings and a possible new role. Also read: A case for rotation

With the series already in Virat Kohli's back pocket, India are expected to take the field without those who have played a big role in helping the side take a 3-0 winning lead. Now, it's time to test their bench. This means Pujara, in all likelihood, will replace in-form opener Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order and thus make his ODI debut. So Pujara walking out with Rohit Sharma at the start of the innings is a likely scenario at Bulawayo on Thursday. Also read: Highway stars

The Pujara-Rohit pair may be new for India's ODI side but the two go back a long way, having spent several hours on the pitch together pulverising bowlers. Having played most of their junior cricket together, the two were room partners during the 2006 Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. After dominating the tournament on the strength of their batting, India lost the final to Pakistan.

Pujara finished as the highest run-getter of the tournament, Rohit was a few rungs down that ladder. All through the Cup, Pujara was the opener and Rohit followed him at No.3. Their spectacular show was to catch the eyes of the selectors but the two promising juniors took different paths at the senior level. Rohit was the first to get the India break as he made the ODI side. After a stunning debut, he faltered.

The best way to work out your forearm?

There are several exercises that can focus on your forearms, including wrist curls, inverted wrist curls, and grip exercises. However, it is noteworthy that most upper body exercises will also provide a benefit to your forearms, because of the need to grip the bars, cables, or weights. 

Another great thing is to work with a heavy punching bag. Don't focus on hitting hard, but instead focus on your form by keeping your wrist solid and straight. As your form becomes easier to maintain, increase the power of your punches, and your forearms will get their workout be stabilizing your wrists even more.

Award in Yash Chopra's memory, Lata Mangeshkar to be 1st recipient

T Subbarami Reddy Foundation has instituted an award in the memory of the late Yash Chopra, the reputed Bollywood film maker.

T Subbarami Reddy, an Congress MP, told reporters here that the award, which carries Rs 10 lakh cash prize and a citation, would be presented to legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar in Mumbai on October 19.

The jury, headed by Reddy and comprising Bollywood personalities Hema Malini, Anil Kapoor and Simi Garewal, decided to present the 'National Yash Chopra Memorial Award' to Lata Mangeshkar, he added.

QR code security vulnerability found with Google Glass

Engineers at Lookout Mobile Security have discovered a previously unknown security vulnerability with Google's project Glass wearable headset. Marc Rogers reports on the company's web site that engineers found that when pictures were taken of printed QR codes, the device could be routed to a hostile Wi-Fi access point, which in turn allowed for monitoring and capture of data flow to and from the device. They also found they were able to divert the device to a web page that allowed for taking advantage of a previously known Android vulnerability.

Google Glass, Google's augmented reality headset runs Android, and because of that is able to run many of the same apps as smartphones, one of which allows for reading, recognizing and responding to QR codes. Such codes have been designed for that very purpose. In testing the feature with a Glass device, the engineers at Lookout Mobile Security found that they could cause the device to connect to the Internet using a previously rigged Wi-Fi hotspot. In so doing, they found they were able to monitor traffic between the device and the Internet, picking up message content and images that were transferred. They also found that they could cause the device to be routed to a web page they'd set up that allowed them to take control of the device using a previously known Android vulnerability. That allowed them to read messages stored on the device, control the camera and perform any other phone function.

Rogers told the press that Google was notified of the vulnerability on May 16th and that the company has taken steps to head off the problem. A subsequent software update by Google shows that code has been amended to prevent the automatic relocation of a Wi-Fi hotspot when reading a QR code. Users are now asked if they wish to switch over.

How many carbohydrates can a person have per day?

Here are two options. It depends on whether or not you want to lose weight. Therefore, this question is answered in two ways. 

THOSE WHO ARE NOT TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT

If you are NOT trying to lose weight, 130 - 230 grams are sometimes recommended. However, please note that unlike protein and fats there is no minimum daily requirement of carbohydrate for good health or to sustain life. 

Someone consuming 2000 calories a day might be eating even 300 grams of carbohydrates (which is a lot). If you are asking the question in relation to weight loss and low carbohydrate diets, however, the recommended intake of carbs per day is far less. 

THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT

If you ARE trying to lose weight, 20-60 grams are recommended. For weight loss, get your carbohydrates from natural sources such as (preferably organic) fresh non-starchy vegetables and low-carb fruits such as berries and avoid or cut right down on refined processed carbohydrates. 

FOR BOTH GROUPS FOR GOOD HEALTH:

Refined processed carbohydrates are a major cause of heart disease, hypertension, weight gain, obesity, and many other diet related diseases. Therefore, strictly limit (apart from the occasional treat) refined processed carbohydrates. Replace those foods with 'fat burning' foods and take advantage of the thermic effect of those foods to lose more body fat. If you are unsure what these foods are, you will find a list of refined carbohydrates and a list of fat burning foods, and for about the thermic effect of foods, further down this page under Sources and Related Links. 

Story about brahma according to Hindu mythology?

Brahma is one of the three children of Brahm (Kaal). The other two being Vishnu and Shiv. 

Brahm keeps the three sons unconscious through Durga until they grow up. When they grow up, Brahm brings Shri Brahma Ji into consciousness on a lotus flower, Shri Vishnu Ji on a snake bed (Shesh Shaiya) and Shri Shiv Ji on a Kailash mountain. He then makes them assemble, gets the trio married via Prakriti (Durga), and appoints them (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv) as ministers of one department each, in three loks [Heaven (Swarglok), Earth (Prithvilok) and Nether world (Patal lok)] in one brahmand; for instance, Shri Brahma Ji of Rajogun department, Shri Vishnu Ji of Satogun department and Shri Shiv Shankar Ji of Tamogun department.

When the three children became young, then mother Bhavani (Durga/Prakriti/ Ashtangi) said, "You may churn the ocean". When churned the ocean for the first time, four Vedas came out (Jyoti Niranjan created four Vedas with his breaths and ordered them by secret speech to reside in the ocean) and Brahma took them all. When the three children brought the Vedas to mother, she said that Brahma may keep the four Vedas and read them. 

On churning the ocean the second time, got three girls. Mother distributed all the three. Prakriti (Durga) acquired her own three other forms (Savitri, Lakshmi and Parvati) and hid in the ocean. Then came out during churning of the ocean. That same Prakriti

acquired three forms and was given in the form of 'Savitri' to god Brahma, 'Lakshmi' to god Vishnu and 'Parvati' to god Shankar, as wives.

{When the ocean was churned the third time, Brahma got fourteen gems; Vishnu and other gods got 'nectar'. Demons got alcohol and the righteous Shiva stored the 'venom' in his throat. All this happened a lot afterwards.}

When Brahma started reading the Vedas, he found that someone else is the Master-Purush (God) of the lineage, the Creator of all the brahmands. Brahma Ji told Vishnu Ji and Shiv Ji that Vedas describe some other God as the Creator, but Vedas also say that even they do not know the mystery. It has been indicated in the Vedas to ask some Tattavdarshi Saint2. Brahma came to mother and narrated everything to her. Mother used to say that there is no one else other than me. I am the sole doer. I am the

Almighty, but Brahma said that Vedas have been created by God so, they cannot be untrue. Then Durga said that your father has sworn that he will never appear before you. Brahma said, "Mother, you have become untrustworthy now. I will surely find out that Purush (God)." Durga said, "What will you do if he would not appear before you?" Brahma said that I will not show you my face. On the other hand, Jyoti Niranjan has pledged that he would never appear before anyone i.e. would never appear in form in his actual 'Kaal' form in the 20 brahmands. He only appears in the twenty-first brahmand where no one else is there.

Tihar Jail gets its own radio station 'TJ FM Radio'

In yet another first, the country's largest prison Tihar Jail has now got its very own FM radio station.

Director General of Prisons Vimla Mehra today launched the 'TJ FM Radio' at Central Jail No 4 in the Tihar complex.

"The FM Radio has been established to meet the twin objectives of entertainment and training of prisoners as Radio Jockey (RJ). The prisoners can engage themselves in creative activities and also get trained as Radio Jockey (RJ)," Tihar Jail spokesperson Sunil Gupta said.

He said that if prisoners want to listen to their favourite songs, they would have to send their request in advance to the RJs so that these may be aired. Apart from FM Radio, Tihar Jail administration, in association with an NGO "Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Sansthan", also started a Khadi unit or 'Charkha Khand' (spinning wheel unit) in the Central Jail.

"This has been done to spread the teaching of non-violence and communal harmony propounded by Gandhiji," the Jail spokesperson said. Mehra inaugurated the 'Charka Khand' today. Ten Nigerian inmates and other foreign prisoners have also actively participated in Khadi making activities. The model jail has the country's first drug de-addiction and Vipassana meditation centres. The prison houses around 12,000 inmates against the sanctioned strength of 6,250.

2 killed, over 40 feared drowned as bus falls into canal

Two passengers were killed and at least 42 feared drowned after a Punjab roadways bus fell into a canal near Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab in the wee hours today, police said. The ill-fated bus was on its way from Delhi to Amritsar when the mishap took place around 2 am, police said.

The bus was swept in the gushing canal water about three kms downstream before getting stuck at Saundh headworks from where Bhakra Main Line Canal and Narwana Canal get separated, officials said. Before plunging into the canal, the bus broke the railing along the national highway close to the floating restaurant near Sirhind.

Official sources said at least 45 passengers had boarded the bus from Delhi late last night. Two bodies have been fished out from the canal waters, Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Gurmeet Singh Chauhan said. The bus had been pulled out of the canal with the help of cranes, police said. Meanwhile, authorities have sounded an alert along Bhakra Main Line canal, Narwana canal and Sirhind feeder so that the bodies of other passengers could be fished out after being located.

Police and civil administration, along with divers, including from Army, are involved in search operations as it is expected that the bodies could have been swept up to some 30 kms in the canal, officials said. Unconfirmed sources said between 40 to 45 passengers were feared drowned. However, the SSP said it was too early to confirm the death toll in the mishap.

Rain fury claims 51 lives in Madhya Pradesh

Excessive rains and flash floods have claimed as many as 51 lives in Madhya Pradesh in this monsoon season, besides damaging 7,824 houses and rendering scores of people homeless.

According to an official release today, heavy rains killed 51 people and 215 cattle across the state.

About 10 people were killed in Sagar district, four each in Vidisha and Khargone, one each in Dindori, Bhind, Ujjain, Katni and Balaghat, five in Indore, three in Seoni, two each in Damoh and Ratlam, six in Dewas and seven in Rajgarh district, this monsoon.

Meanwhile, 88 cattle perished in Jabalpur, 45 in Sagar, 51 in Ratlam, nine in Vidisha, seven in Rajgarh, six in Ujjain, two in Khargone and one each in Katni and Seoni districts, it said.

A maximum of 5,468 houses were damaged in Sagar district, 1096 in Hoshangabad, 782 in Vidisha, 556 in Ratlam, 350 in Khargone, 209 in Jabalpur, 145 in Seoni, 132 in Balaghat, 95 in Rajgarh, 86 in Ujjain and one house was damaged in Katni district.

So far, a maximum of 1184.2 mm rains have been registered in Sagar district against a normal of 721 mm. Similarly, 539 mm above normal rain was recorded in Narsinghpur, 520 mm in Vidisha, 500 mm in Jabalpur, 475 mm in Indore, 468 mm in Rajgarh, 476 mm in Harda, 459 mm in Hoshangabad, 417 mm in Ashok Nagar and 414 mm excess rain in Bhopal district.

To serve with love

A film that bagged an award at Cannes this year tells of a love story aided unwittingly by the noted 'dabbawallas' of Mumbai Most people sniff out aromas of food from a lunchbox, but Ritesh Batra got the whiff of home-cooked stories from the 'dabbas', or tiffins of Mumbai. In 2007, Batra, a filmmaker, was researching for a documentary on Mumbai's famed 'dabba' system - a globally recognised, precisely managed food delivery operation - when he found little "germs of stories" in the casual conversations of the 'dabbawalas', or tiffin carriers. "I realised that the dabbawalas' points of reference for the several houses they serviced were these little boxes. They would say things like, 'This wife takes too long to cook';'This woman makes the same dishes everyday';'In this house, the mother-in-law decides everything' - little nuggets from each house, " says Batra. 

Beyond the red curtain

A Chinese film festival in Delhi marks a new level of bilateral exchange between the two countries If you want to do business with the Chinese, learn about their culture. That's the advice Irfan Alam, member-secretary of the Indo-China Economic and Cultural Council (ICEC) in New Delhi, proffers when asked about his council's role in organising a Chinese film festival in the national capital. 

A six day-long film festival kicks off in the city this week with Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan headlining a delegation of film personalities to India. This also appears to be a direct outcome of Chinese premier Li Keqiang's visit last month, where both countries agreed to enhance bilateral cultural ties. "This year has been declared as the year of cultural exchange. The film festival is the first step towards putting into action whatever was discussed between the two leaders, " says Alam.

When real is unreal

Reality is a still a fantasy in Bollywood. Little wonder that Farhan Akhtar plays Milkha Singh, all gym-contoured abs and biceps.

The promotional ads for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag show a rather muscular and excessively gym-conscious Milkha Singh, racing across the track in slow motion, a figure of rippling biceps and contoured abs. Had this been the real Milkha, India would doubtless have secured a silver or bronze medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics. But as far as I remember the real athlete was lean and skeletal, closer in physique to African runners rather than the brawn depicted in the film by Farhan Akhtar. 

In Martin Scorsese's 1980 film, Raging Bull, Robert de Niro's depiction of the self-destructive life of boxer Jake Lomotta, required him to gain weight and fatten his body, while Ashton Kutcher thinned out suitably to become Steve Jobs in the yet to be released Jobs.

Narendra Modi's dose on social harmony for Westerners

The Overseas Friends Of the BJP, a party body that looks after its foreign affairs, launched its Canada chapter Tuesday at Toronto. The new conveners were given a special gift. This was a book titled, Social Harmony, which interestingly has a collection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's thoughts on the subject. This book's original Gujarati version called Samajik Samrasta was launched in 2010 by Modi where his comment on Dalits raked up a controversy.

'Call yourself Viewspaper'

Criticising the increasing quantum of opinion being published in newspapers, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram said he has been reading newspapers for the last 50 years and knew exactly which pages carried news and which were meant for opinions. "Now I am confused. While opinion comes on the front page, I find the news buried somewhere on the inside pages. Increasingly, the lines between opinion and news gathering is getting blurred," he said, suggesting that newspapers should call themselves "views-paper" if they continue to obliterate the distinction between news and views. "The editor presumes that he alone can interpret news. This is an insult to the reader," he added. Interestingly, Chidambaram was speaking at a function organised by a newspaper group in Ahmedabad on Monday.

Pigs smart as dogs? Activists pose the question

There's extensive evidence that pigs are as smart and sociable as dogs. Yet one species is afforded affection and respect; the other faces mass slaughter en route to becoming bacon, ham and pork chops.

Seeking to capitalize on that discrepancy, animal-welfare advocates are launching a campaign called The Someone Project that aims to highlight research depicting pigs, chickens, cows and other farm animals as more intelligent and emotionally complex than commonly believed. The hope is that more people might view these animals with the same empathy that they view dogs, cats, elephants, great apes and dolphins.

"When you ask people why they eat chickens but not cats, the only thing they can come up with is that they sense cats and dogs are more cognitively sophisticated that then species we eat - and we know this isn't true," said Bruce Friedrich of Farm Sanctuary, the animal-protection and vegan-advocacy organization that is coordinating the new project.

"What it boils down to is people don't know farm animals the way they know dogs or cats," Friedrich said. "We're a nation of animal lovers, and yet the animals we encounter most frequently are the animals we pay people to kill so we can eat them."

The lead scientist for the project is Lori Marino, a lecturer in psychology at Emory University who has conducted extensive research on the intelligence of whales, dolphins and primates. She plans to review existing scientific literature on farm animals' intelligence, identify areas warranting new research, and prepare reports on her findings that would be circulated worldwide via social media, videos and her personal attendance at scientific conferences.

"I want to make sure this is all taken seriously," Marino said in an interview. "The point is not to rank these animals but to re-educate people about who they are. They are very sophisticated animals."

Apps that know what you want, before you do

In Hollywood, there are umbrella holders. Outside corner offices, there are people who know exactly how much cream to pour in the boss's coffee. And then there is Silicon Valley, where mind-reading personal assistants come in the form of a cellphone app.

A range of start-ups and big companies like Google are working on what is known as predictive search — new tools that act as robotic personal assistants, anticipating what you need before you ask for it. Glance at your phone in the morning, for instance, and see an alert that you need to leave early for your next meeting because of traffic, even though you never told your phone you had a meeting, or where it was.

The technology is the latest development in web search, and one of the first that is tailored to mobile devices. It does not even require people to enter a search query. Your context — location, time of day and digital activity — is the query, say the engineers who build these services.

Many software programmers have dreamed of building a tool like this for years. The technology is emerging now because people are desperate for ways to deal with the inundation of digital information, and because much of it is stored in the cloud where apps can easily access it.

The goal is to move beyond logistical help to sending you anything you might need to know.

Israel, Palestinians strive for peace deal within nine months

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on Tuesday gave themselves about nine months to try to reach an agreement on ending their conflict of more than six decades in US-brokered peace talks.

The two sides held their first peace negotiations in nearly three years in Washington on Monday and Tuesday, a diplomatic victory for Secretary of State John Kerry, but one that foreign policy analysts believe has low chances of success.

Flanked by the chief negotiators for both sides, Kerry said he was well aware of the doubts but described the initial talks, which focused on process rather than substance, as "constructive and positive."

Speaking after the meetings, which included a closed-door session with President Barack Obama at the White House as well as talks between the two sides without US officials present, Kerry said peace was possible despite the obstacles.

"While I understand the skepticism, I don't share it," Kerry said with Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat at his side, adding all so-called final-status issues to end the conflict were on the table.

"We cannot pass along to another generation the responsibility of ending a conflict that is in our power to resolve in our time," he added. "They should not be expected to bear that burden, and we should not leave it to them."

The talks will go to a second round by the middle of August, Kerry said, adding that "our objective will be to achieve a final status agreement over the course of the next nine months."

Kerry said Israel had agreed to take unspecified steps to ease the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank, which is ruled by a Palestinian Authority dominated by Abbas' Fatah faction, and the Gaza Strip, where the Islamist Hamas group holds sway.

Speaking to reporters later, a senior US official declined to identify these but said they aimed to improve economic growth and added "it's more than just removing roadblocks."

Why Women Go to the Toilet in Groups

This question has engaged the attention of “Man”-kind for ages but the endless speculation hasn’t provided a constructive conclusion, yet.

Rather than merely conjecturing like most members of my genus, I am taking a step forward. Rather than merely putting-up lame, one-liner jokes as to why women visit the restroom in groups; I will systematically dissect and reason-out every possible theory. The attempt here is to provide some degree of closure to this question that continues to baffle logic and scientific reasoning. If I am successful, I believe that despite my humble qualifications, I would have promoted myself to the league of top-notch Human Behavior Experts and Evolutionary Biologists. If not, I really don’t have much to lose, so here I go with my analysis:

Blame it on Evolution—Just Want to Show Guys They Are Different

This point establishes my highly developed scientific mind—just ponder for a second and think, how come men and women seem to do everything different? This is something that has been established over a long period of evolutionary changes. I believe that during the development of Early Man (and Women), millions of years ago, the Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon or some form of the Early Man had women doing things opposite to men, intentionally. You see, at that time, the human brain wasn’t very

developed. Thus, the thinking patterns and actions of men and women at that time weren’t the most impressive. With their semi-developed brain during the Iron Age, or a bit before that, women started going to their forested bathrooms in groups just because they noticed that men would go alone!

They Need Help—It is Group Therapy Time

The toilet-centric groupie habit of women can be best interpreted as something akin to Group Therapy. For those who don’t know this psychiatric tool, Group Therapy is when a few individuals are called upon to talk about their problems, confess to each

other and vent their anger. This is among the most potent of Behavior Management Methods. It is a scientifically-established fact that women tend to think too much, worry excessively and have a relentless urge to know about problems of others. I believe, with the amount of unnecessary clutter that occupies the female mind, they need a constant form of psychological fine-tuning. Thus, visiting the toilet stalls in groups and blurting-out everything and anything is their form of Group Therapy, helping them to be a bit saner.

Don’t Blame It on Them—It is Hormonal

Among the most widely-acknowledged facts about women, one tends to surface as the absolute unchallenged reality—actions of women are ruled by their Hormones and not their brains. We have all suffered the mood swings of our mothers, sisters, girlfriends, wives, female colleagues and many other forms in which the female kind forms a part of our lives. If you ask Gynecologists, the Menstrual Cycle isn't the easiest puzzle to solve. For starters, it tends to vary across nearly every woman. The repercussions of the slightest delay, change in frequency or any related symptoms, can mean a whole lot in terms of diagnostic information. Considering that women need to overcome this menstrual challenge so often, is it really surprising that they need to seek each other’s expertise when visiting the loo?

They Suffer From Biological Bias—Just Too Much Going On There!

This point will be easily understood and will get a lot of nodding heads—God has been slightly unkind and biased when configuring the female anatomy. Just look at what guys need to do when they need to empty their bladders—it is basically Stand

& Deliver. Yes, there is the customary shake-down to ensure that any liquid traces don’t make it back to the confines of the jocks but overall, it is rather simple. At the most, a couple of guys might talk about some sort of rash or having pulled back their foreskin during their latest bedroom adventure. Compare this to the kind of things a woman has to deal with. I am not talking just about tampons here but the entire range of pads, birth control stuff, thongs, pantiliners and God knows what other inventions and contraptions. The point is that women just need more time, space and group advice to handle such complicated stuff.

Need To Steal Some Babbling Time

This point is probably going to get some arguments but I think every lady will have to admit that by nature, they are gossip-mongers. Leave apart the minority that actually talks less, the rest are born with a system that needs a fuel of constant conversation, no matter how meaningless it might be. So at workplaces, the washroom serves as the perfect place to steal some gossiping time. No boss can object to it. No Human Resources Management Tool can find out whether the bathroom time is being used “sincerely”.

Some are Psychotic, Like Monica from “FRIENDS”

Those who have watched Monica (played by Courtney Cox), would instantly realize what I am referring to—Monica’s character is essentially suffering from a kind of OCD. This refers to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. What is the most common symptom of OCD? It is a tendency to repeatedly clean something. Most OCD patients will try to find spaces that tend to remain filthy and clean them repeatedly and most OCD patients are women! So, there is every chance that many of them are huddled together in the bathroom, cleaning every nook and crevice to vent-out their negative, sorry, psychotic tendencies.

Are Afraid of Being Attacked by the Toilet Demon

This might sound childish but none of the reasons listed above make universal sense. Yes, the points listed above are based upon decades of my scientific research, but they are not applicable to every group of women that visits the bathroom in flocks. Thus, there could be just one other reason that answers this mysterious question—there is a Toilet Demon, so horrific and sadistic that it can only be defeated by groups of women! My decade-long research has established that the Toilet Demon has two, major weaknesses—apart from these, it is pretty much undefeatable. Firstly, it cannot withstand human beings obsessed with putting things on their face and secondly, it is highly susceptible to idle talk. Thus, only groups of women, armed with their cosmetics, gossip-ridden brains and incessant chatter can defeat it!

Please acknowledge my effort here as sincere, methodical, scientific and logical. Any pun that may have arisen was purely coincidental and doesn’t undermine the seriousness of my endeavor.

Eyes on Delhi, GJM begins strike in hills

Keeping a close watch on the developments in New Delhi, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) Monday observed the first day of the 72-hour strike called in the hills in support of Gorkhaland statehood.

GJM supporters and workers reportedly set two vehicles on fire on NH-31A, the highway that connects Sikkim with the rest of the country.

Ten GJM men, who were trying to block the NH-31A at Rambi, were arrested, said Superintendent of Police, Darjeeling, Kunal Agarwal.

Thousands of Morcha supporters, including the members of Nari Morcha, were deployed at the pickets set up by the GJM on the national highway. Schools, markets and tea gardens remained closed while government offices, including the office of the district magistrate and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), recorded around 55 per cent attendance.

Meanwhile, the GJM reiterated that it will officially scrap the GTA as soon as the Centre declares creation of the Telangana state, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said: "Our party is closely monitoring the development over Telangana in Delhi. The moment the Telangana state would be declared, we would reject the GTA officially. Our president (Bimal Gurung) has already said he would soon resign from the post of chief executive of the GTA. It is an encouragement that people spontaneously responded to today's strike, which means they are with us and with the Gorkhaland movement."

Sources in the GJM ranks that Gurung has also told the three GJM MLAs to be prepared to resign in Bengal Legislative Assembly.

GJM MLA Harkabahadur Chhetri said, "All three of us are ready to resign. Whenever our party president would ask us to resign, we will not take a second to send our resignation letter to the Assembly Speaker."

Tourists, who were not in large numbers given that its not peak season, left Darjeeling Sunday after GMM leaders' 'advice' to do so.

5 Games That Changed Gaming

Most of the games we see today try to ape the games of the past. By the looks of it, everyone can point at Final Fantasy and gleefully say every other role-playing game is based on it, or rather, Final Fantasy is a game that started off a new genre in gaming altogether.

Keeping that in mind, there are few games that have revolutionized the gaming industry in totality. MensXP puts on its best gaming face and presents games that changed the way you gamed!

1. Grand Theft Auto Series

Games That Changed Gaming - Grand Theft Auto Series

Games prior to the GTA series had a set road that you could take without giving you the slightest possibility to deviate from your mission. A racing game did not allow you to step out of the car, or a First-Person Shooter restricted you to get out of a building. The GTA series changed all that by bringing in the concept of open free world. The ability to do anything and everything you desire in a city completely at your disposal was unheard of, and GTA achieved just that. Right from driving around everywhere to shooting pedestrians to breaking into any house, you could do it all. Today, every game has incorporated this strategy and the impact clearly shows.

2. The Sims Series

Games That Changed Gaming - The Sims Series

Games in the ‘90s were strictly based on the point-and-shoot module where you were given a preset character and you had to aimlessly guide it like a hapless zombie. The Sims series changed that. Giving you the ability to create a character all by yourself from scratch was something unheard of. Right from choosing the apparel to the appearance that included the hairstyle, the skin color and practically everything else, Sims gave you the ability to create and nurture a human all by yourself. And nurture you did. You had to keep a tab on the diet, the bowel movements, moods, emotions, and practically everything else. These traits stood out, and as of today, they are seen in practically every game out there, right from Role-Playing Games to First-Person Shooters.

3. Mario

Games That Changed Gaming - Mario

A game adored by millions and one that has survived the test of time, dishing out one franchise after another, Mario is loved by one and all, and it definitely flipped the world of gaming. Set in a simple 2D world, the story was simple; the princess is kidnapped and you are supposed to save her. The task was daunting and expected you to jump over obstacles, kill evil turtles and eat magic mushrooms that made you grow. The game, a classic, was simple to play and completely addictive, and had the whole family hooked. Prior to Mario, games lacked a storyline, or a backbone; Mario filled that void by adding the right amount of mesmerizing element, and the rest is history.

4. Wii Sports

Games That Changed Gaming - Wii Sports

Nintendo Wii, although equipped with sub-par graphics was a groundbreaking innovation lauded by all. Gesture controls polished, Wii allowed people to physically do a particular motion in order to execute it on-screen, and the gamers gladly complied. Wii went a step further and added Wii Sports, a set of games that allowed gamers to play any outdoor sport right in the confines and comfort of their hope. Something revolutionary and unheard of, Wii Sports soon became the rage and what followed was a new path paved for gamers and game developers all over the world!

5. Guitar Hero

Games That Changed Gaming - Guitar Hero

There are many among us who have always wanted to play a guitar, or learn a new musical instrument but have failed to do so. Either the urge to learn has dwindled, or you find it downright daunting. Guitar Hero was the solution to just that. A game that came with a dummy guitar, it allowed a gamer to emulate a song of their choice while the game guided them through a crash-course in playing the dummy guitar. Revolutionary, Guitar Hero turned you into a bedroom Rock-star, giving you the ability to rock out in their own comfort zone, allowing you to live a childhood-fantasy of playing the guitar for a band. Simply put, Guitar Hero was the next level of air guitar-playing, and what followed was an array of games for drummers, vocalists and many other!

Eyes on Delhi, GJM begins strike in hills

Keeping a close watch on the developments in New Delhi, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) Monday observed the first day of the 72-hour strike called in the hills in support of Gorkhaland statehood.

GJM supporters and workers reportedly set two vehicles on fire on NH-31A, the highway that connects Sikkim with the rest of the country.

Ten GJM men, who were trying to block the NH-31A at Rambi, were arrested, said Superintendent of Police, Darjeeling, Kunal Agarwal.

Thousands of Morcha supporters, including the members of Nari Morcha, were deployed at the pickets set up by the GJM on the national highway. Schools, markets and tea gardens remained closed while government offices, including the office of the district magistrate and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), recorded around 55 per cent attendance.

Meanwhile, the GJM reiterated that it will officially scrap the GTA as soon as the Centre declares creation of the Telangana state, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said: "Our party is closely monitoring the development over Telangana in Delhi. The moment the Telangana state would be declared, we would reject the GTA officially. Our president (Bimal Gurung) has already said he would soon resign from the post of chief executive of the GTA. It is an encouragement that people spontaneously responded to today's strike, which means they are with us and with the Gorkhaland movement."

Sources in the GJM ranks that Gurung has also told the three GJM MLAs to be prepared to resign in Bengal Legislative Assembly.

GJM MLA Harkabahadur Chhetri said, "All three of us are ready to resign. Whenever our party president would ask us to resign, we will not take a second to send our resignation letter to the Assembly Speaker."

Tourists, who were not in large numbers given that its not peak season, left Darjeeling Sunday after GMM leaders' 'advice' to do so.

More clashes, bloodshed

Alipurduar in Jalpaiguri

A clash between Congress and Trinamool Congress supporters left one dead and three injured at Patlakhawa in Alipurduar block I Tuesday. One of the injured is critical. "Ganesh Sarkar had recently joined the Trinamool from the Congress. He was taunted by a group of jubilant Congress workers, who won the local seat. Enraged, Sarkar hit the Congress workers with a sharp object and killed one and injured three," said SP, Jalpaiguri, Amit P Javalgi. Sarkar has been arrested.

Kanksa in Burdwan

Counting agents of the Trinamool and CPM clashed leaving six injured Monday night. Both the Trinamool and CPM filed a complaint with the police.

Malda

At Shahbazpur in Kaliachowk, 42-year-old Noor Sheikh, a Congress supporter, was found dead with his throat slit late Monday night outside his home. The Congress MLA of Baishnabnagar, Isha Khan Chowdhury, visited Noor's house Monday morning. "The family has no idea about who could have done this," he said.

At Harishchandrapur, 32-year-old Motiur Rehman was beaten up by Congress supporters with bricks and rod. He later succumbed to his injuries. An FIR has been lodged against 20 Congress supporters.

Barrackpore

A CPM office was ransacked allegedly by Trinamool supporters at Kowgachi in Barrackpore on Monday night. Two locals were injured after they came out of their house after hearing the commotion. At Habra I, a shop run by CPM's victorious gram panchayat candidate Nanda Khan was vandalised. No one has been arrested so far in both cases.

North Dinajpur

Trinamool supporters allegedly attacked victorious CPM candidate Tarini Sinha Ray early on Tuesday at Islampur. Family members said a dozen armed people attacked their house and ransacked it. At least 20 supporters of the Trinamool, CPM and the Congress were hurt in clashes at Chopra block since Tuesday morning after the counting process ended.

Toothless VMC fails to check illegal abortions

The Vadodara Municipal Corporation seems helpless in checking the mushrooming of abortion clinics across the city. In absence of a provision that can regulate medical establishments, all hospitals, including abortion clinics and dispensaries, are bracketed as shops by the corporation. Effectively that mean the VMC cannot scrutinise or check records of abortion clinics. In fact, no authority in the city, including the District Public Health Department, has any data on abortions conducted in the city.

Activists working against female foeticide say that Vadodara, along with Surat, is increasingly becoming the hub of illegal abortions due to lack of regulations. The clinics conducting sex-selective abortions are not only thriving but also attracting couples from outside the city.

The child sex ratio of Vadodara stands at 886 to every 1000 males born (as per the 2011 census), out of which the urban child sex ratio is at an appalling 852, way below the national average. It was this declining child sex ratio that led Chief Minister Narendra Modi to kickstart the Beti Bachao campaign. However, city and district administrations throw up their hands when asked for official record on MTPs.

According to VMC's health department, it does not have the power to call for data from hospitals. "Even if we want to call for data from clinics conducting abortions, we are unable to do so as there is no provision in the corporation that empowers us," said VMC Health Officer Dr Devesh Patel. The department says it is on its way to implement the Bombay Nursing Home Act, which will give it the power to regulate records of hospitals and abortion clinics. The proposal, which has been cleared by VMC's standing committee almost a year ago, has not generated as much interest as to merit a discussion in the corporation's general body meetings.

Relief for Pandey, HC restrains CBI from arresting him till Aug 6

Additional DGP P P Pandey, accused in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case, got a relief on Tuesday with the Gujarat High Court restraining the CBI from arresting him till August 6. The HC sent back his anticipatory bail petition to the special CBI sessions court for a decision on merits by then.

The HC also directed Pandey to appear before a magisterial CBI court on Wednesday. The CBI court has issued a non-bailable warrant against Pandey while declaring him a proclaimed absconder..

A single judge bench of Justice A J Desai passed an order in this regard on Tuesday during a hearing on a petition by Pandey that challenged the special CBI sessions court's order of granting him relief from arrest for two days.

On Monday, Pandey had appeared before the special CBI sessions court and moved an anticipatory bail petition. Special CBI judge Gita Gopi had passed an order while granting him bail for two days, till July 31. The sessions court had directed Pandey to appear before the CBI magisterial court on July 31, as the latter had issued a NBW against him.Challenging this order, Pandey moved the HC while seeking urgent hearing on the same. Arguing on behalf of Pandey, senior counsel Nirupam Nanavaty indicated that the trial court had passed a flawed order to grant him bail for two days. "Either the anticipatory bail can be granted or rejected. The order (of bail for two days) is meaningless," Nanavaty argued. He stated that Pandey had a case of getting anticipatory bail and demanded that the order of the sessions court be substituted and he be granted regular anticipatory bail.Pandey's petition was opposed by the CBI and Gopinath Pillai, father of Javed Shaikh, one of the four persons killed in the encounter.CBI counsel Ejaz Khan argued that the Supreme Court had not allowed Pandey's quashing petition and on July 26, the apex court had ordered him to appear before the CBI court in Ahmedabad on Monday. Khan added that since Pandey was a proclaimed absconder, he could not be granted any relief, and should be asked to appear before the CBI magisterial court on Wednesday and taken in custody.

Home can be the place you want to leave

Amitava Kumar, 50, believes that his home town of Patna actually has three avatars - the elsewhere city that lives in the imagination of those who, like him, left it behind;the nowhere city, filthy and frantic, that is inhabited by those who cannot leave it;and the city of hope for those who come from poor districts. He attempts to capture the essence of the city in a short biography, quite unattractively titled 'A Matter of Rats'. But Kumar, who teaches English at Vassar College in the US, says he wanted to write not about rulers but about rats, both the four-legged as well as the two-legged variety.

From Megasthenes' eulogies to its magnificence to Shiva Naipaul's description of it as the 'heart of darkness', how difficult was it to chronicle the history of Patna's fall? 

We learn history and everything else through textbooks. The approach is serious and dull. It lacks imagination.

Bradley Manning faces espionage charges in WikiLeaks case

Former US Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has been acquitted of providing aid to the enemy, but was convicted of several counts of espionage.

Army Judge Col Denise Lind found the 25-year-old Army private guilty of espionage charges, which could result in a sentencing of 136 years behind prison.

Manning's attorney, David Coombs said he was pleased by the verdict, but signaled that the decisive moment will come during the sentencing phase of the court-martial, which opens Wednesday and could last several weeks.

Bradley Manning had previously accepted responsibility for providing classified information to WikiLeaks, actions covered by ten of the 22 charges.

Military judge Colonel Denise Lind found him guilty of 20 of those 22 charges.

"We won the battle, now we need to go win the war," Coombs said following today's verdict.

"Today is a good day, but Bradley Bradley is by no means out of the fire," he said to dozens of emotional supporters outside of the Fort Meade, Maryland military courtroom.

Coombs expressed subdued optimism going into the expected month-long sentencing phase of the court martial that will determine how long Bradley Manning will remain in confinement The New York based Committee to Protect Journalists said the case has become emblematic of US authorities' aggressive crackdown on leaks of secret information.

"While Manning was not convicted of the most serious charge, we're still concerned about the chilling effect on the press, especially on reporters covering national security issues," said Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

"This aggressive prosecution has sent a clear message to would-be leakers," he added.

However, Congressman Howard P "Buck" McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said justice has been served.

"Bradley Manning endangered the security of the United States and the lives of his own comrades in uniform when he intentionally disclosed vast amounts of classified data.

Story without words

Virender Singh, the deaf and mute wrestler with an impressive list of wins, is the hero of a documentary, 'Goonga Pehelwan'.

It is a busy evening at Delhi's Chhatrasaal Stadium. A football game is on and athletes are practising on the synthetic tracks along the pitch. In one corner, a group of wrestlers are doing push-ups and squats. Among them is Virender Singh, a 27-year-old hearing-and-speech-impaired wrestler with an impressive list of wins, both within the country and overseas. 

Known as Goonga Pehelwan (mute wrestler), Virender is now the subject of a forthcoming documentary film of the same name. The 40-minute biopic will be released in early August and is directed by Vivek Chaudhary, Mit Jani and Prateek Gupta of the production house Videowala. "We came across Virender's story in a newspaper in September last year, " says Chaudhary, one of the directors. "I went over to see him at the Chhatrasaal Stadium, and he seemed keen on the idea of a film."

Virender is the only deaf and mute grappler among the 150 wrestlers at Mahabali Satpal Akhara, which is housed within the stadium. Run by the 1982 Asian Games gold medallist-turned-coach Satpal Singh, it is arguably the country's most illustrious akhara, having spawned Olympic champions like Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt. 

Virender joined the akhara at the age of 10 when an uncle, employed with the CRPF, spotted his talent. In the years since, he has gone on to become one of the akhara's most distinguished students with a proud list of achievements: a gold medal at the 2005 Deaflympics in Melbourne in the 74-84 kg freestyle wrestling category, a silver at the World Deaf Wrestling Championships in 2008 in Yerevan in Armenia, a bronze at the 2009 Deaflympics in Taipei, and a bronze at the 2012 World Deaf Wrestling Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. 

The film on Virender got off the ground in February this year, with the money coming from a non-governmental organisation, Drishti, which works to promote human rights through art and media. Shooting happened in three stretches between February and June. The first stretch of shooting was done at Chhatrasaal with Virender;the team then travelled to his village, Sasroli in Haryana. Although he has a job under the sports quota with the state-owned electricity transmission company, Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited and earns a monthly stipend of Rs 17, 000, most of Virender's earnings come from dangals, or mud-wrestling tournaments. He fights wrestlers without disabilities and often wins prize money up to Rs 1 lakh. 

The filmmakers followed him as he fought these dangals through several villages in north India such as Kadma, Karuwara, Bir Chhuchhakwas, Godhri, Chandpur and Dholipalli in Haryana, and Kathumar near Bharatpur in Rajasthan. The rules are tweaked slightly when Virender is wrestling: instead of blowing the whistle, the referees usually touch Virender to point out a foul or inform him of the score. 

Virender's cousin, also a wrestler, helps him by playing the interpreter. As the filmmakers got more familiar with their subject, the wrestler began opening up, even talking about his relationships. "We got to know that the wrestlers from the akhara aren't allowed to meet or talk to girls, so we asked him about it, " says Chaudhary. Virender, he says, provided honest and fascinating insights into his life. 

The film's release in August is expected to not only highlight Virender's achievements but also push for his representation as a participant at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. That may be difficult given the stiff competition for the India berth at the Games, and the fact that wrestling now faces an uncertain future at the Olympics itself. But Chaudhary is hopeful. "There is a precedent where a deaf wrestler - Portugal's Hugo Passos - has participated in the Olympics. This was in the Athens Olympics in 2004, " he says. 

Virender, on his part, maintains a sense of equanimity about both the film and his shot at the Rio Games. He has something more pressing to deal with: the 2013 Summer Deafalympic Games to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria later this month - between July 26 and August 4. In his dormitory at the Chhatrasaal Stadium, a dingy, unkempt room where wrestlers sleep on the ground and live out of their suitcases, his interpreter says that he has lost 10kg and that this time he will be fighting in the 76kg category instead of his usual 84kg category. 

Virender fishes out a photograph of Turkish, Iranian and Bulgarian flags from an earlier championship taken on his cellphone, indicating they will be his main competitors this time too. He's working hard to get another gold, he indicates, holding his index finger up.