Top court allows ban on smoking

The nationwide ban on smoking in all public places from October 2 will go ahead, with the Supreme Court on Monday refusing to stay the Centre’s notification in this regard.

A bench headed by Justice B.N. Agarwal, refusing to stay the May 30, 2008 notification, also transferred four petitions, including one each filed by ITC and Indian Hotels Association, against it in the Delhi high court.

“We are of the view that it is not a fit case for grant of interim relief. The prayer staying implementation of prohibition of smoking in public places is rejected... Let transfer cases be heard on November 18,” the bench said.

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Police hunts in Bengal, Uttar Pradesh for Delhi suspects

Half a dozen Delhi police teams fanned out to eastern Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to hunt for the two motorcycle-borne men suspected to be behind Saturday afternoon’s blast at Mehrauli.

Investigators are, meanwhile, keeping close watch on a youth being treated at AIIMS’ trauma centre on the suspicion that he could be one of those who had planted the bomb. No evidence on this has, however, been found.

The injured person, Allauddin, from Gaya in Bihar, had two driving licenses. His brother Shabuddin told the police he was working for a Gurgaon call centre, and his boss there had got him a second driving licence from Nagaland. The reason he was carrying a lot of money was because he had gone to open an account at the State Bank of India on the day of the blast, his family explained.

Five Bangladeshi nationals are among those being questioned, and the police has not ruled out the possible involvement of illegal Bangladeshi migrants.

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European Union summit to take up tiger population

European Union and India will not just be deliberating on free trade and world food situation at the EU-India Summit next week at Marseille. Issue of India’s dwindling tiger population is also scheduled to be discussed during the summit.

The European Parliament on Wednesday passed a resolution asking both EU and India to renew their efforts in saving wild tigers, whose global population is now limited to mere 2,500. The resolution calls on both Europe and India to strengthen their efforts in dealing with organised wildlife crime networks and issue of protecting forest habitats. Conservationists fear that if present trend in tiger poaching continues, tigers will become extinct by 2025.

India, which used to boast of around 40,000 tigers till beginning of the last century, is now left with a little more than 1,400 tigers in the wild. The latest census on tiger population, which was made public earlier this year shocked not only tiger lovers in the country but animals groups worldwide. According to the report, India is left with only 1,411 tigers in the wild.

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Mother of tragedies: Kids sold for Rs 200

Desperate mothers in the flood-hit districts of Bihar are selling their children en masse to traffickers. Ram Dev Prasad, heading Bihar’s Child Labour Commission, pointed out that children in the districts of Supaul, Araria, Saharsa and Purnea were being sold for Rs 200 per child.

At present, nearly two lakh women and children are living cheek-by-jowl in 3,000 relief camps being run by the state government and NGOs. Most of the able-bodied men have migrated in search of jobs, leaving these women vulnerable to smooth-talking traffickers who promise their children will be provided a better life in the larger cities.

Just last week, 1,500 children being smuggled out of Bihar by human traffickers were caught at the railway stations of Patna, Hajipur and Khagaria. “While the older children were taken back to the relief camps, there were some kids who were so young that they could not recall the names of their parents or the village to which they belonged,” Mr Prasad pointed out.

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Rahul is the future of country: Congress

“Rahul Gandhi is absolutely the future of the country,” said the Congress at a time when speculation about a prime ministerial candidate is gaining ground once again in party circles.

“Rahul Gandhi is a practical person, he is not greedy for power. He is honest, loyal to the country, we are proud of him,” said AICC media department chairperson M. Veerappa Moily here on Tuesday.

Replying to questions about whether the party sees him as a potential candidate for the top post, Mr Moily said, “He is definitely the future of the country, working on the ground, hundred per cent he fills the bill.” Though the party does not want to project him as its prime ministerial candidate “at this juncture”, perhaps due to the coalition compulsions, the rank and file is clear that he will lead the party and the government.

Asked who would be the party’s prime ministerial candidate if it retains power after the general election next year, Mr Moily said: “This is a decision to be taken by the Congress president and MPs.”

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India, Pakistan inch closer to starting Line of Control trade

India and Pakistan have made good progress towards starting trade across the Line of Control, but the euphoria was tempered by Islamabad’s reluctance to open a third trade route between Kargil and Skardu and its dilly-dallying over dispatching a business delegation from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to Srinagar.

The Indo-Pak joint working group on cross-LoC confidence-building measures, which met here on Monday, firmed up lists of items to be traded on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalkot routes. Both countries will trade in export surplus commodities. Customs and security matters were also discussed.

India was keen to launch cross-LoC trade in the first week of October, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti and Id-ul-Fitr, but the Pakistani delegation led by additional secretary (South Asia) Aizaz Ahmed Choudhary is understood to have told the Indian team, headed by external affairs ministry joint secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran) T.C.A. Raghavan, that it wanted more time.

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Mayor wants to shut Heathrow

London’s mayor Boris Johnson has proposed shutting down Heathrow airport in the northwest of the city, said to be the busiest in the world, and building a new 24-hour airport on an artificial island in the Thames estuary off the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.

The new airport could be the solution to the overcrowding at Heathrow, and end conflict between the government and environmentalists over the proposed third runway for Heathrow, the mayor has said.

The proposed airport would have four runways, and this capacity could be expanded to six if required, a report in the Sunday Times said. Passengers would be transported to and from central London on high-speed trains in about 35 minutes, and luggage could be checked in at the railway station.

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‘Britneys’, 'phwoar’ in new Oxford English Dictionary

Modern slang have been officially added to the latest edition of Oxford English Dictionary, including “Britneys” for beers to rhyme with the name of the singer Britney Spears.

Language has always been a form of expression, with some words even describing an emotion. The words that have gained an official entry to the English language, and that sticks out a mile are words like “phwoar” — meaning an “expression of enthusiastic or lubricious approval”

Included in the new book are words describing the physical attributes of a person or appreciation like “stud muffin” — an attractive man — and “arm candy” — a good-looking date. These words could be deemed as “fit”, and has been used as common shorthand for “sexually attractive”, according to the book.

What has led to the spreading of such words globally is, according to the authors, the growth of the Internet. With young people on both sides of the Atlantic regularly exchanging phrases, new American slang terms now lodge themselves in British culture quicker than ever before.

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Bangladesh Cricket Board hands 10 year ban to Indian Cricket League rebels

Bangladesh cricket chiefs said on Wednesday that 13 players who opted to compete in the unauthorised Indian Twenty20 league will be banned for 10 years.

The Indian Cricket League unveiled late on Tuesday its new Dhaka Warriors team in New Delhi, which comprises 11 Bangladesh internationals reportedly earning $200,000 each over a three year period.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board held an emergency meeting on Wednesday and decided to ban the players for joining the unapproved league for 10 years, BCB spokesman Rabeed Imam said.

“We don’t have full reports of who have joined the ICL. But today, the board has decided that whoever has joined the unapproved league would be automatically banned for 10 years,” he said.

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Patil tired of dressing down

Speculation over the continuance in office of beleaguered Union home minister Shivraj Patil is gaining ground in political circles with the Congress leadership assessing whether a change is required at this juncture. Sources said this was because competence was not the only criteria for the post and that the “confidence” of the leadership was equally important.

A special meeting of the Union Cabinet has been called on Wednesday to discuss the terror attacks.

“There is no forward movement on this issue (continuance of Mr Patil in his post) at this juncture,” well placed sources said here on Tuesday, adding that “he may go or may not go”. The leadership does not want to take a decision under pressure either from the BJP or from RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav.

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Pakistani troops fire on United States copters

Pakistani troops on Monday fired at US military helicopters, forcing them to return to Afghanistan, military officials said.

“A couple of US helicopters tried to violate Pakistani airspace but were forced to return (when) Pakistani forces opened fire,” an official said.

The incident took place near Angor Adda, a village in the tribal region of South Waziristan where US commandos had carried out a helicopter-borne raid earlier this month, in which 20 people, including women and children, were killed. This led to outrage in Pakistan, prompting a diplomatic protest.

Pakistan’s Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said last week Pakistan would not allow foreign troops on its territory and would defend its sovereignty at all costs.

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Phelps hosts Palin parody for SNL viewers

Live from New York... it’s Tina Fey as governor Sarah Palin.

After wild conjecture over who would play senator John McCain’s running mate on Saturday Night Live, Fey returned to her old show for an opening sketch featuring her and Fey’s former Weekend Update co-host Amy Poehler as senator Hillary Clinton.

The NBC comedy show’s season premiere opened on Saturday with a “nonparti san message” where the two pleaded for an end to sexism in the Presidential campaigns — which have seen Palin enjoy sudden popularity after Clinton’s loss to senator Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination. “I didn’t want a woman to be President, I wanted to be President,” said Poehler, reprising her caricature of Clinton.

Many have said Fey bears a resemblance to Palin, a comparison alluded to in the sketch. A frustrated Clinton eventually broke down, complaining about Palin’s ease of ascendance and her “Tina Fey glasses.”

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Big B apologises for Jaya remarks

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan on Wednesday apologised and sought forgiveness for his wife Jaya’s alleged anti-Marathi remarks.

Mr Bachchan spoke to the media at JW Marriott, Juhu, during a press conference organised for the promotion of his latest film, The Last Lear. He said, “If Jaya’s statement has hurt anyone’s sentiments, I apologise for it. The home minister of Maharashtra has ordered investigation into her statement. The government will take appropriate action. If we are guilty of anything, we should be punished. We will accept it.”

“I have already apologised and expressed regret. If after our apology the matter still persists it becomes a problem of law and order, it is for the administration to take care,” he added.

However, Mr Bachchan also said that Jaya’s statement did not sound like anti Marathi. Regarding Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, the superstar said, “Raj is my friend and I respect him. Whatever I say beyond that, it is a law and order problem.”

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In 3 weeks: Smoke, pay Rs 200

In just over three weeks, school principals, police personnel and railway ticket checkers will have extra work: enforcing the nationwide ban on smoking in public places, in effect from Gandhi Jayanti.

Violators will be fined Rs 200 each time. The Union health ministry is working on the modalities of giving NGOs and non-official bodies powers to enforce the ban.

If health minister Anbumani Ramadoss has his way, the fine may go up to Rs 1,000 for individuals and Rs 5,000 for institutions for violations of the smoking ban.

From October 2, all offices — government as well as private sector, hospitals, banks, courts, hotels, restaurants, bars, discos, shops, railway waiting rooms will turn into no smoking zones.

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Simi has 50 front outfits

Over two dozen “cover” organisations of the banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India are now operating in South India, and government documents reveal there are 50 such front outfits across the country.

Simi activist Shibli’s confession statement, a copy of which is available with this newspaper, said the jihadi outfit was “looking for ways to establish links with the Taliban.” It is using these “cover” organisations to recruit educated young people to carry out tasks such as acquiring arms and ammunition, collection of funds, training Simi cadres and circulating literature, particularly in the southern states.

Intelligence inputs show that some of these outfits are state-specific, while others operate on a national or regional level. At the national level, Simi is using Tahrik Tahaffuj-e-sha’aire Islam (TTSI), Wahadat-eIslami, Tahrik-e-Ehyaa-eUmmat and Tehrik-TalabaeArabia as front organisations.

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Fresh fruit, veggies grown in Siachen

Eight new green houses are being set up at the base of the Siachen Glacier and eastern Ladakh to grow fresh fruits and vegetables for troops stationed there, the GOC of the Army’s Leh-based 14 Corps, Lt. Gen. V.K. Ahluwalia, said on Sunday. The greenhouses are being set up in consultation with the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

The greenhouses are being set up to grow fresh food for troops in a climate where temperatures dip to minus 30 to 50 degrees at the peak of winter. The greenhouses are being established as a result of the efforts of the DRDO’s Defence Institute of High Altitude Research. The Siachen Glacier is the world’s highest battlefield.

Lt. Gen. Ahluwalia said the greening of Ladakh was made possible due to the institute’s initiative in involving local farmers in projects aimed at growing at least 60 varieties of vegetables and fruits for troops stationed in the area.

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Singur talks positive

Friday’s much awaited meeting between the West Bengal government and the Trinamul Congress-led Krishi Jomi Raksha Committee (Save Farmland Committee) on the Singur imbroglio ended on a positive note. “We are heading towards a solution. Discussions are on and will resume tomorrow,” Trinamul delegation leader Partha Chatterjee said after the talks, chaired by West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

The meeting at Raj Bhavan began at 4.10 pm and lasted three hours. State industry minister Nirupam Sen, who led the government side, said later he was hopeful of a positive outcome. “We discussed all issues, including land. We had a free and frank discussion, and we are hopeful that tomorrow, when the talks resume, we will arrive at a solution,” he added. Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is under considerable pressure from her own party to withdraw her agitation soon.

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Sarah targets Obama, leaves United States electrified

US Republican presidential nominee John McCain has a new attack dog. Her name is Sarah Palin, and she bites hard.

The Alaska governor’s mocking critique of Democrat Barack Obama and the Washington elite charged up Republicans looking for signs of hope that she and Mr John McCain can win the White House on November 4.

Now it is Mr McCain’s turn. The Arizona senator, nominated for President after Ms Palin spoke, will deliver a tele vised address on Thursday night accepting that nomination.

Ms Palin, 44, Mr McCain’s vice-presidential running mate, drew shouts of “Sarah, Sarah” on Wednesday in her national political debut, unleashing red-meat rhetoric against Mr Obama that had been largely lacking from this four-day event.

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Mukesh, Anil in Vanity Fair Influential 100

Billionaire brothers Mukesh and Anil Ambani are the only Indians who figure on American magazine Vanity Fair’s annual listing of the world’s 100 most powerful and influential people.

The brothers are a joint new entry on the list, at number 67 spot. Described as the “bickering brothers”, with a combined net worth of $85 billion, the entry on Mukesh, 51, and Anil, 49, mentions the fact that the elder Ambani is building a new, 27-floor, 550-foot tower in Mumbai as his residence, which is likely to be the world’s costliest home.

Anil, according to the article, is on the verge of buying into Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks with a $500million-plus capital investment. “He also plans to finance films for the production companies of George Clooney, Tom Hanks, and Brad Pitt.”

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Test

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New Orleans a ghost town

Hurricane Gustav barged ashore on the US Gulf Coast west of New Orleans on Monday, hammering the city devastated by Katrina in 2005 with surging floodwaters that threatened its rebuilt levees.

The storm was weaker than feared. But waves splashed over flood walls containing the New Orleans industrial canal, triggering a tense watch over the barrier system that failed three years ago. Water rose in the Fifth District, west of the canal, and the US Army prepared to evacuate residents who stayed behind.

Nearly two million people fled the Gulf Coast, and over 11 million residents in five US states were threatened.

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Mamata is losing support in Singur

Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, spearheading the Singur agitation, might forcibly enter the Nano factory the moment the Tatas decide to withdraw from West Bengal.

Trinamul sources said this was what “Didi (Mamata) has been contemplating for long.” He told this newspaper: “This could be risky... if we decide to enter the factory by breaking the boundary walls and sit on a dharna.” While Ms Banerjee appeared set for a head-on collision with West Bengal’s Left Front government, she also sent a delegation to hold talks with governor Gopal krishna Gandhi on Sunday. The governor had sent a letter Saturday asking her to agree to negotiations.

Ms Banerjee, despite her “pro-people” stir, also appears to be losing considerable local support in Singur. A breach is also becoming evident within her party on the issue. Some leaders fear that if the Tatas were forced to leave Bengal, the CPI(M) could regain the political advantage as it would hold them (Trinamul) for the loss of a major project.

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