| Monsoon
arrives in central, eastern India Kolkata:
After enduring a long spell of scorching heat and apprehensions over the delayed
monsoon, people in central and eastern parts of the country are hailing the first
showers of monsoon. In Patna, people were seen dancing to the tunes of raindrops
while street children enjoyed splashing in the waterlogged streets. People termed
it as a great blessing of Rain Gods since the soaring temperature over the past
couple of weeks had been unbearable. All heaved a sigh of relief after the arrival
of showers, which lowered the temperature considerably. "I am enjoying a lot.
Although initially we were not in a mood to get wet but once it started, we couldn't
control ourselves because the temperature had been very high. Now after the rains,
water would be logged everywhere but still we manage to have fun," said Shilpa,
a resident girl in Patna . In Maharashtra’s Nagpur city’s drought-prone Vidarbha
region people came on streets to enjoy the pre-monsoon showers that lashed various
parts of the city. No wonder, Nagpurians of all age groups enjoyed the rain beaming
smiles. "We have been praying for a long time for the early arrival of rains so
that we can be relieved from the hot weather. It has been too late and we are
receiving rains in the end of June. But today, finally after receiving rains it
feels good," noted Sharon Kerkar, a resident of Nagpur . Although the monsoon
hit the southern coast on May 23, ahead of the normal date of June 1, it did not
progress as per expectations. The June-September monsoon rains are a major influence
on the economy, as two-thirds of Indians depend on agriculture. Good rains also
boost rural demand for a range of products and are a key factor in determining
expansion in the larger economy. The Meteorological Department has said that the
total rainfall from the crucial June-September monsoon would be 93 percent of
the long-term average, coming in below normal for the first time in four years.
Centre asks
Bengal to ban Maoists under 1908 Act Top New
Delhi: The UPA Government has reportedly asked the Left Front government in
West Bengal to declare the CPI (Maoist) an "unlawful association" and ban it under
a 1908 Act. Home Ministry officials have advised the West Bengal government to
outlaw the CPI (Maoist) because the UAP Act, under which it declared the outfit
as banned on June 22, is essentially directed against unlawful associations that
support secession. "The Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908 (CLAA) has a very different
objective. It is directed against associations, which encourage or aid person
to commit acts of violence or intimidation. The power is vested in the state government
to declare an association as unlawful," a Home Ministry official said. Union Home
Minister P Chidambaram had said last week that the state government should ban
the Maoists. West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said the state
government would enforce the Central ban, which reluctant Left Front partners
also accepted after some persuasion by Bhattacharjee. The Central Government advisory
comes a day after security forces captured Ramgarh, an area under Maoists in a
two-sided attack to reclaim areas in West Midnapore district. Security forces
had to face stiff resistance as Maoists had detonated landmines and opened gunfire.
Security forces headed from Lalgarh in the south and Kadasole in north on Friday,
towards Ramgarh. Ten companies consisting of 1000 men of the CRPF, the India Reserve
Battalion and Rapid Action Force set out from Kadasole. They had to counter firing
and three landmine explosions Maoists. In response to the Maoist attacks, the
security forces struck back with AK-47s, mortars and rocket propelled grenade
launchers, the officer said. A mine detection unit and a team from the District
Intelligence Bureau preceded the security forces, which also comprised jungle
warfare experts of the CRPF. Maoists also burnt down an office of the All India
Trade Union Congress, when they were not allowed to take refuge in the building
shortly before the security forces entered Ramgarh. Tata
Motors launches Jaguar, Land Rover in India Top Mumbai:
Tata Motors, one of India ’s top automobile manufacturers, launched its Jaguar,
Land Rover brands in India on Sunday. Addressing a press conference here on the
occasion, Ratan Tata, the chairman of the Tata Group, said: "It's quite a memorable
day in the history and heritage of Tata Motors...JLR has been well received and
well established in India (in the past), but over the years this brand has been
disconnected from India." "I think, the cars will exhibit the levels of technology
and levels of performance here. Now, we have decided to extend the penetration
of the two brands in India ," he added. Tata Motors completed the acquisition
of the two British marquee car brands last year for 2.3 billion dollars. Article
377 will be repealed soon: Moily Top Thiruvananthapuram
(Kerala): Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily on Sunday said that the Central
Government would take a decision soon on when to repeal Section 377 of the Indian
Penal Code (IPC) that criminalizes homosexuality. Addressing a Meet The Press
program at the headquarters of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists here, Moily
said he would be meeting Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Health Minister Ghulam
Nabi Azad soon to decide the fate of Section 377. Moily pointed out that many
sections of the IPC are outdated and government is exploring possibilities of
amending such laws and updating legal provisions so that they were in tune with
the times. He revealed that the Central Government would hold discussions with
all sections of society before taking the final decision on repealing Section
377 of the IPC. Many Christian organizations have raised protests against the
government's move to repeal the controversial section of the IPC. The Home Ministry
had earlier argued before the High Court that homosexuality is not accepted by
Indian society and repealing Section 377 from the IPC would encourage more anti-social
activities. The Health Ministry has to clear its stand on this issue. Moily is
believed to be in favour of repealing Section 377 from the IPC. Section 377 of
the IPC criminalizes "carnal intercourse" saying it is against the order of nature.
Both Indian civil society and the government generally consider homosexuality
a taboo subject. Sexuality in any form is rarely discussed openly, but in recent
years, attitudes towards homosexuality have undergone a shift. The government
no longer seeks to prosecute adults engaging in private consensual homosexual
acts. The campaign to decriminalise homosexuality has strengthened thanks to the
efforts of organisations such as NAZ Foundation, the National AIDS Control Organisation
(NACO), the Law Commission of India, the Union Health Ministry, the National Human
Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Planning Commission of India. The United Nations
too has urged India to decriminalise homosexuality, saying it would help to fight
the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. UK
varsity to honour King Khan on July 10 Top London:
The University of Bedfordshire will honour Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan with
an honorary doctorate in the field of arts and culture on July 10. The actor was
nominated by NGO Routes to Roots which has people like Anuradha Mahindra, Juhi
Chawla and Mahesh Bhatt among its patrons. "Shah Rukh Khan was selected by us
after careful study since he has his head and heart at the right place in spite
of being crowned the king of the Bollywood. The superstar has done immense work
for the under privileged and downtrodden and has always come forward for charities
in case of natural disasters," said Tina Vachani, one of the founders of routes
to roots. "I am delighted that Routes to Roots nominated me for the honorary doctorate
in arts and culture from the Bedfordshire University UK and it will be my pleasure
to receive it personally on 10th July in London," Khan said in a statement. June
28, 2009 Saina
Nehwal makes a triumphant return home Top Hyderabad:
After winning her first ever super series badminton title in Indonesia , Saina
Nehwal arrived in Hyderabad , her home city on Saturday. Ranked number eight in
the world, Nehwal won her first super series event in Indonesia on June 21, raising
India 's hopes of a strong performance at the World Championships to be staged
here in August. Nehwal who is the world junior champion beat China 's Lin Wang
12-21 21-18 21-9, having lost to world number three at the Singapore Super Series
the previous week. However, her dream of pocketing back-to-back titles went up
in smoke as Chinese qualifier Xin Wang stunned the second-seeded Indian in the
quarterfinals of the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament at Johor
Bahru on Friday (June 26). "I don't want to compare myself with players who have
already won that. So I tried to compare with the Chinese but it is really great,
fantastic. Now I think I will be able to win more super series event and I look
forward to win some bigger events like All England Championship. (Q. What happened
in Malaysia ?) I was little bit tired because it was really tough tournament.
I played all the top 20 players in the tournament from day one, it was really
hectic," said Nehwal. Nehwal, 19, became the first Indian woman to reach the Olympic
singles quarter-finals in Beijing last year. Jacko’s
family started hunting for his hidden cash within Top
hours
of his death, reveals nanny London:
Late King of Pop Michael Jackson’s nanny, Grace Rwaramba , has revealed that
she was shocked to see how the ‘Thriller’ star’s family started hunting for cash
hours after his death. The 42-year-old woman, considered to be closest to Jackson
and his three children, was in London when she heard the news that the singer
had died at a rented Los Angeles home on Thursday. She says that while preparing
to board a plane to fly home and comfort the orphaned kids, she got received a
shocking call from one of the Jackson family. "The relative said, 'Grace, you
remember Michael used to hide cash at the house? I'm here. Where can it be?'”
the News of the World quoted her as saying. "I told them to look in the garbage
bags and under the carpets. But can you believe that? They just lost Michael a
few hours ago and already one of them is calling me to know where the money is!
They also told me the children were crying and asking about me. They can't believe
their father died," she added. Uganda-born Grace—who has spent five years working
as Jackson’s secretary, and 12 as nanny—also spelled out her fears over the orphaned
kids Prince, 12, Paris, 11 and seven-year-old Prince Michael II, known to the
family as Blanket. She admitted: "I'm really distraught for them. Michael hadn't
been eating and the kids have been so scared for him. Now the youngest has been
saying, 'Why Daddy? God should have taken me, not him.'" Grace revealed that she
fled America to join TV interviewer Barak at her Swiss holiday home after being
abruptly sacked by ailing Jackson just two months ago. She now finds herself at
the centre of the billion-pound custody battle for the children, currently being
looked after by Jacko's mum Katherine, 79. |
