Shiv Sena to RSS: Look East, Look South

The rift between the saffron camp and the Shiv Sena deepened in the conflict over the Sena's tirades against north Indians in Maharashtra with Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray asking the RSS to mind its own business.

"We do not need lessons from the RSS. It will be in their interest not to rake up the issue. Our stand on this is not new. Mumbai belongs to the Marathi manoos," Mr Uddhav Thackeray said on Monday. He asked the Sangh Parivar to instead look south and teach Hindi in the southern states. Mr Uddhav Thackeray also sought to know why the RSS was "silent over discrimination against Hindi-speaking people in Assam."

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Skipper Afridi bites ball, Pakistan dust

A wacky moment from Pakistan stand-in captain Shahid Afridi will cost him a spell on the sidelines as Australia completed a 5-0 series whitewash with an incident filled two-wicket victory at the WACA here on Sunday.

Afridi, named captain for the day after Mohammad Yousuf withdrew due to a knee injury, was caught on camera biting the ball with Australia precariously placed at 178/7 and needing 35 more runs for victory off 30 balls to chase down Pakistan's 212.

Umpires replaced the ball straight away and the game was further spoiled when a ground invader tackled Pakistan opener Khalid Latif to the ground in the 47th over.

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Karzai: I need support for 15 years

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday that his country would need foreign support for its forces for the next 15 years.

"With regard to training and equipping the Afghan security forces, five to 10 years will be enough. With regard to sustaining them till Afghanistan is financially able to provide for our forces, the time may be extended to 10 to 15 years," Mr Karzai told BBC Radio 4's Today programme in a joint interview with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Thursday morning.

In his opening remarks to the Afghanistan conference here, Mr Karzai invited Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to play a prominent role in the peace process.

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Zardari sacrifices a goat daily to ward off evil eye

Pakistan's beleaguered President Asif Ali Zardari, who is facing fresh challenge since the Supreme Court scrapped a graft amnesty that benefited him, has sacrificed hundreds of black goats to ward off the "evil eye" since he moved into the presidency in 2008.

A black goat is slaughtered almost daily to ward off the "evil eye" and protect M Zardari from "black magic" the Dawn reported. The President also reportedly s uses only camel and goat s milk due to superstitions, the report said.

However, presidential - spokesman Farhatullah Babar brushed aside suggesltions that Mr Zardari is a superstitious man.

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Don't give Padmas to tainted, says Congress

The Congress on Tuesday said awards like the Padma Bhushan should be given to people who add to its prestige, and not to those with a taint, even as the latest recipient, USbased hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, remained unfazed in the face of the controversy over his award.

"We are not talking of any specific case. But these awards should be given to people who enhance its prestige and not to those with a taint," Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said Tuesday.

The controversy erupted after BJP deputy leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde wrote to President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday

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YS Rajasekhar Reddypilot had dangerous past

Group Captain tia, the pilot in command (PIC) of the ill ated Bell 430 helicopter hat crashed, killing Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and everybody else on board on September 2, 2009, had on an earlier occasion refused o undergo a pre-flight medical examination for consumption of alcohol in vioation of rules and had also earlier failed to take appropriate action to rectify the fluctuation of the hydraulic system on a flight that had the Dalai Lama on board, an inquiry committee's report has revealed.

Gp. Capt. Bhatia, also killed in the crash, was a senior serving officer in the Indian Air Force and had been on deputation to the Andhra Pradesh government since December 4, 2006.

The report of the fourmember inquiry committee headed by Pawan Hans Helicopters CMD R.K.Tyagi says Gp. Capt. Bhatia "was not previously involved in any accident or serious incident" but that he was involved in "reportable incidents".

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Ignored PAN? Pay higher TDS

People who don't have permanent account number (PAN) will have to pay high tax deduction at source (TDS) from April 1.

According to Centre Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) transactions where the TDS rates are prescribed, a high tax of 20 per cent will be applicable in case the PAN is not quoted. There are usually three slabs of TDS five per cent, 10 per cent and 15 per cent.

According to a CBDT official bank and corporate deposits will come under the changed rule.

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