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Nine killed in Bihar caste violence

       Nalanda (Bihar): Nine people of the Kurmi agrarian backward caste were killed by armed gunmen led by an upper caste gangster. "We were enjoying our glass of cold drink when suddenly a group of armed men barged into the village and killed those innocent people before running away," said Ganguram, a villager. Police said the victims were killed in Gowachak village, situated near the border of Sheikhpura and Nalanda districts. "There was an election in progress in the Darbangha block, and there was a clash between two groups. One of the group while running away after killing few of their opponents barged into this village and killed nine innocent people before running off", said Amit Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Nalanda. Tension gripped the village after the incident, with police suspecting it to be revenge killing related to caste equations to influence the panchayat poll. The victims are suspected to be supporters of wanted criminal Ashok Mahto, and police believe that the killings must have been carried out by a gang led by Akhilesh Singh, an upper caste Bhumihar. Akhilesh Singh is absconding after having fled from jail last year.

Unseasonal rain brings relief to Delhi (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: People in Delhi heaved a sigh of relief as unseasonal rain brought temperatures down to 23.6 degree Celsius today. Rainfall with 1.2 mm and cool wind blowing at a speed of 25 kmph brought a welcome respite for the people. "I am going to office. Its raining and I am feeling very nice. The weather has become so pleasant," said Shailendra, a resident. Though the meteorological department said the rain caused by change in the local upper air circulation will not last longer, people are expecting the same weather to enjoy the weekend. "It seems that Monsoon has come. Today I have to go to office but we hope the weather will remain the same tomorrow also so that I can make some plan for the weekends," said R. S. Sodhi, a local. Earlier, on Sunday, the city experienced heavy showers accompanied by strong winds that uprooted a number of trees and electric polls and threw the city into hours of blackout. Maximum temperature in the capital touched 44.5 degree Celsius on May 7 which was the highest for the month of May during the last five years.

Da Vinci Code release delayed (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Confusion abounded across cinema halls in New Delhi on Friday, as eager fans thronged to get their first glimpse of the controversial film "The Da Vinci Code", but had to return home disappointed as the censors had not cleared screening of the film in the country. On Thursday, the government allowed the screening of the film with a mandatory directive that the film should have a disclaimer that it is a work of fiction and can be viewed only by adults over the age of 18. The government took the final call to screen the film before its scheduled release, giving in to weeks of outrage by Catholic groups who said the movie was causing confusion among rural Christians, most of whom are poorly educated and would see their faith being challenged. Though the information Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi did say there could be a delay of a day or two before the film hits Indian screens, all national newspapers ran pre-booked advertisements about the film being released. The cinema owners said the final decision came too late leaving them with little time to cancel the advertisements. Most had a tough time dealing with the angry and disappointed moviegoers.

     The Da Vinci Code is now set to hit Indian theaters on May 26. The film, based on Dan Brown's bestseller which claims Jesus married his female disciple Mary Magdalene and had a child with her, stirred passions among India's minority Christians. Copies of the book were burned and protest marches taken out by some fringe Christian groups while apex bodies representing the community lobbied for the film to be banned in India. Christians form about 2.7 percent of officially secular but predominantly Hindu India's population of more than one billion.

Court rejects plea to ban Da Vinci Code (Go To Top)

       Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday rejected a petition seeking a ban on the release of controversial Hollywood film "The Da Vinci Code". The High Court, while disposing off a petition filed by Catholic Secular Forum, said it was still premature to ban "The Da Vinci Code" film without certification of the censor board. "The court did not grant us relief to ban the film or stop its release, stating the prayer of the petitioner is very premature in the absence of granting any certification by the board and this prayer cannot be granted," said P.M. Havnur, counsel for Catholic Secular Forum said. The Centre had on Thursday decided to allow the screening of the film but with a disclaimer saying it was a work of fiction. The Catholic Secular Forum had filed a petition last week in a move to ban the film based on Dan Brown's novel by the same name. Copies of the book were burnt and protest marches taken out by some fringe Christian groups while apex bodies representing the community lobbied for the film to be banned in India. The Vatican condemns the book and the film, and has asked Christians worldwide to boycott it. Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code' has been translated to only one Indian language-Malayalam spoken in Kerala, which has a sizeable Christian population.

Tarun Gogoi Ministry sworn in (Go To Top)

      Guwahati: The Council of Ministers of the Tarun Gogoi-led coalition Government in Assam was sworn in here on Friday. The 18 ministers, including 17 of cabinet rank, were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Ajai Singh at the Pragjoti-ITA centre. Three of the ministers are from alliance partner Bodoland People's Progressive Front-Hagrama (BPPF-H) while the rest are from the Congress. The swearing-in function was earlier scheduled for Thursday but was postponed by a day reportedly due to some internal bickering over the berths. Earlier, Gogoi had got the list of ministers approved by All India Congress Committee (AICC) Chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi. Gogoi had said that the new ministry would be a "balanced" one with representation from all castes, communities, religions and of the State. Senior Congress leader Gogoi was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Assam for the second consecutive time on May 14 but this time leading a coalition government led by Congress instead of a single party Government. In the 126-member House, Congress led coalition has 53 MLAs with alliance partner BPPF-H 12, besides seven independents.

US plan if jihadis take over Pak nukes (Go To Top)

      Washington: For long it was thought that the US might get directly involved in the safekeeping of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and if the need arose, send in special forces to take them into custody, lest they fell into the hands of Islamic radicals. A recent analysis of the American Enterprise Institute has revealed just that. The US, it seems has contingency plans in case any of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falls into the hands of jihadis. The analysis published in the institute's National Security Outlook has revealed that prior to the US invasion of Afghanistan to oust the Taliban from power, former CIA director George Tenet and former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage went to Islamabad to discuss the safety of Pakistan's nuclear programme. The study said that such an action would obviously have the tacit understanding of the Pakistan Army, if not the federal government in Islamabad. The operations are also to be precision oriented so that the takeover does not seem like a broad-based rebellion or insurgency against the Pakistan Army or against the Musharraf government. "Fighting for access in the face of a popular uprising across Pakistan, or even across the Punjab, is too large an operation to contemplate," the Daily Times quoted the report as saying. Another aspect of the plan is to allow US forces to operate across some airfields in Pakistan. The threat is however, that in case the Pakistanis appeal to the UN or the international community in the event of such a crisis, it would be difficult to keep the Chinese out, more so, if the operation continues for a long period. Any Indian role is however, to be to ruled out as Pakistan would not accept New Delhi's intervention in its internal matters.

Tendulkar mum over going to Windies (Go To Top)

      Chennai: Batting star Sachin Tendulkar said on Friday that any decision about him playing for India in the forthcoming four-Test match series against the West Indies would be taken after he undergoes final match fitness tests in Mumbai next week. Addressing a press conference at the MRF Pace Academy here on the sidelines of his ongoing fitness assessment regimen, the master blaster said: "I am preparing to the best of my ability, and both my trainer and my physio are here with me and we are working two sessions a day. We are working very hard and I am trying my level best." Tendulkar underwent a shoulder surgery in London in late March. He will undergo a fitness test in Mumbai on May 23. The test will take place in the presence of Andrew Leipus, the former physio of Indian cricket team who is overseeing his rehabilitation, and selection committee chairman Kiran More. "My going to West Indies is not decided yet. I still have to undergo a fitness test. After that I will be able to let you know whether it is happening or not. Giving a judgment before that is not the right thing to do," Tendulkar told reporters. Tendulkar's fitness test will be held a day before the national selection committee meets in Mumbai to name the squad for the four-Test series that commences from June 2. Whether selected or not, Tendulkar will leave for London the same night the Test team is chosen to consult Dr Andrew Wallace who performed the surgery. When asked if would use a lighter bat owing to his shoulder injury, he said, "It has nothing to do with the weight of my bat and my trainer would have told me if the case was so." "Dr Andrew Wallace is the one who knows exactly what has been done on my body. The trainers and the physio only make things better for me and see that I am going in the right direction, but eventually it is Andrew Wallace to figure out how it is progressing," Tendulkar said.