June 06, 2008 23:02 IST
In search of a 'mantra' for victory after a series of electoral losses, the Congress will hold a 'Chintan Shivir' in the second week of July.
The 'introspection camp' will be timed so that it can take into account the report of the Antony committee, set up this week to suggest a winning strategy for the coming Assembly elections, as well as the Lok Sabha polls, party sources said.
The venue of the meeting has so far not been decided, but it will be held in Delhi or somewhere nearby, the sources added.
The decision to hold the 'Chintan Shivir' was taken at the Congress Working Committee held on Saturday, in which the electoral losses, including the recent poll debacle in Karnataka, were discussed in depth.
The 'Chintan Shivir' will discuss the lessons learnt from the elections gone by and will focus on preparing a road-map for the Assembly as well as Lok Sabha polls.
The last time the Congress held such an introspection session was in Shimla in 2003, just ahead of the previous Lok Sabha elections. Prior to that, the party had held such a brainstorming session in Panchmarhi in 1998.
Friday, June 6, 2008
CBI to probe Scarlett Keeling murder case
June 07, 2008 00:54 IST
Nearly four months after her body was found, investigation into the case has been taken up by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the high-profile Scarlett Keeling murder case.
The CBI registered a case into the murder of the British teenager following a request for the same by the Goa [Images] government in May only, official sources said.
"We have re-registered the initial FIR done in Goa and investigations are currently on," said a CBI official.
Scarlett's semi-naked body was found on the tourist favourite Anjuna beach on February 18. Though the police had initially termed it a case of drowning, it was later forced to register a case of murder and rape after the victim's mother Fiona MacKeown alleged foul play.
Though the initial autopsy report said the cause of death was drowning, the body had numerous bruises which led to the suspicion of her being raped.
A second autopsy performed at Fiona's insistence led to the arrest of a local bartender Samson D'Souza and an alleged drug peddler Placido Carvalho.
While Samson is charged with drugging, raping and killing the girl, Placido has been accused of drugging and conspiring with Samson in the murder.
The police probe had come in for much criticism leading to the sacking of Inspector Nerlon Albuquerque, who was heading the investigation, by the state government.
The family of Scarlett had demanded a CBI investigation into the case, alleging the local police was trying to save a 'very powerful person'. Source: http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jun/07goa.htm
Nearly four months after her body was found, investigation into the case has been taken up by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the high-profile Scarlett Keeling murder case.
The CBI registered a case into the murder of the British teenager following a request for the same by the Goa [Images] government in May only, official sources said.
"We have re-registered the initial FIR done in Goa and investigations are currently on," said a CBI official.
Scarlett's semi-naked body was found on the tourist favourite Anjuna beach on February 18. Though the police had initially termed it a case of drowning, it was later forced to register a case of murder and rape after the victim's mother Fiona MacKeown alleged foul play.
Though the initial autopsy report said the cause of death was drowning, the body had numerous bruises which led to the suspicion of her being raped.
A second autopsy performed at Fiona's insistence led to the arrest of a local bartender Samson D'Souza and an alleged drug peddler Placido Carvalho.
While Samson is charged with drugging, raping and killing the girl, Placido has been accused of drugging and conspiring with Samson in the murder.
The police probe had come in for much criticism leading to the sacking of Inspector Nerlon Albuquerque, who was heading the investigation, by the state government.
The family of Scarlett had demanded a CBI investigation into the case, alleging the local police was trying to save a 'very powerful person'. Source: http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jun/07goa.htm
Delhi-Rajasthan rail traffic restored
June 07, 2008 10:53 IST
Rail traffic between Delhi and various destinations in Rajasthan was restored on Saturday with eight trains resuming their services after being suspended for nearly two weeks due to Gujjar agitation demanding ST status for the community.
"The situation has improved. We have restored the rail services in certain areas of Rajasthan," a Northern Railway official said.
"Train services have been partially restored in Rajasthan today and eight trains that were suspended due to the agitation will run as per their schedule from today," the official said.
The trains that have been restored today are Ahmedabad-Haridwar Express, Delhi-Jodhpur Mandore Express, Delhi Sarai Rohila-Jodhpur Express, New Delhi- Ahmedabad Rajdhani Express, Ala Hazrat Express, Jaipur-Amritsar Express, Porbander-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Express and Ashram Express.
The services of Jodhpur Sampark Kranti Express would resume from tomorrow, whereas Jasalmer Express and Jammu-Delhi-Ajmer Express have been partially restored.
However, the rail traffic on Gangapur City Bayana section in Kota Division has not been restored, he said, adding it will take a few more days.
Rail traffic between Delhi and various destinations in Rajasthan was restored on Saturday with eight trains resuming their services after being suspended for nearly two weeks due to Gujjar agitation demanding ST status for the community.
"The situation has improved. We have restored the rail services in certain areas of Rajasthan," a Northern Railway official said.
"Train services have been partially restored in Rajasthan today and eight trains that were suspended due to the agitation will run as per their schedule from today," the official said.
The trains that have been restored today are Ahmedabad-Haridwar Express, Delhi-Jodhpur Mandore Express, Delhi Sarai Rohila-Jodhpur Express, New Delhi- Ahmedabad Rajdhani Express, Ala Hazrat Express, Jaipur-Amritsar Express, Porbander-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Express and Ashram Express.
The services of Jodhpur Sampark Kranti Express would resume from tomorrow, whereas Jasalmer Express and Jammu-Delhi-Ajmer Express have been partially restored.
However, the rail traffic on Gangapur City Bayana section in Kota Division has not been restored, he said, adding it will take a few more days.
Centre to add IIT label to new engineering colleges
Kalpana Pathak in Mumbai
June 06, 2008 01:43 IST
Brushing aside objections over brand dilution, the government has reportedly begun work on modifying the IIT Act, 1961, to ensure that the eight new engineering institutes it is setting up come under the premier Indian Institute of Technology umbrella.
With the government's plan to set up engineering institutes in Rajasthan, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab � besides converting the institute of technology at Banaras Hindu University into an IIT � the total number of IITs will increase to 16.
Sources said the Human Resource Development Ministry is planning to do away with the 'society' system for the new IITs to hasten the process.
To award degrees, a body must be a university that is created under the central or state legislature. IITs and the Indian Institutes of Management were created by a special Act of Parliament permitting them to award diplomas. They existed as 'societies' and were later converted into an institute of national importance by calling them IITs and IIMs.
By doing away with the requirement, the ministry can directly incorporate the new institutions into the IIT Act and declare them institutes of national importance, equivalent to universities capable of awarding degrees.
"It makes sense for the new IITs to be directly incorporated into the IIT Act as they become an institute in their own regard and are capable of awarding degrees. If they are made a society, they will have to be converted into an IIT again," said K K Raman, executive director, KPMG.
The move, though, has not gone down well with the existing IITs. This March, the directors of some IITs had written to the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, urging the government to give the proposed IITs some other name.
They believe that calling the new institutes IITs would dilute the brand image of the existing premier institutes, which figure among the world's 100 best technology universities and are compared with MIT, California University and Berkeley.
"I am surely in favour of the government's idea of creating new quality institutes like the IITs but they should be given a different name so that a different branding can be created," said Ashok Misra, director, IIT Bombay.
"We can have a different mandate for these new institutes and they can grow in a different manner. They can be as good or even better than IITs. But I do not think mixing a 50-year-old brand with a new one makes sense."
"We however, can surely mentor the new institutes," he added. IIT Bombay will be mentoring the two new IITs in Gujarat and Indore, while IIT-Kharagpur will be mentoring IIT-Orissa for three years. Source: http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/jun/06iit.htm
Brushing aside objections over brand dilution, the government has reportedly begun work on modifying the IIT Act, 1961, to ensure that the eight new engineering institutes it is setting up come under the premier Indian Institute of Technology umbrella.
With the government's plan to set up engineering institutes in Rajasthan, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab � besides converting the institute of technology at Banaras Hindu University into an IIT � the total number of IITs will increase to 16.
Sources said the Human Resource Development Ministry is planning to do away with the 'society' system for the new IITs to hasten the process.
To award degrees, a body must be a university that is created under the central or state legislature. IITs and the Indian Institutes of Management were created by a special Act of Parliament permitting them to award diplomas. They existed as 'societies' and were later converted into an institute of national importance by calling them IITs and IIMs.
By doing away with the requirement, the ministry can directly incorporate the new institutions into the IIT Act and declare them institutes of national importance, equivalent to universities capable of awarding degrees.
"It makes sense for the new IITs to be directly incorporated into the IIT Act as they become an institute in their own regard and are capable of awarding degrees. If they are made a society, they will have to be converted into an IIT again," said K K Raman, executive director, KPMG.
The move, though, has not gone down well with the existing IITs. This March, the directors of some IITs had written to the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, urging the government to give the proposed IITs some other name.
They believe that calling the new institutes IITs would dilute the brand image of the existing premier institutes, which figure among the world's 100 best technology universities and are compared with MIT, California University and Berkeley.
"I am surely in favour of the government's idea of creating new quality institutes like the IITs but they should be given a different name so that a different branding can be created," said Ashok Misra, director, IIT Bombay.
"We can have a different mandate for these new institutes and they can grow in a different manner. They can be as good or even better than IITs. But I do not think mixing a 50-year-old brand with a new one makes sense."
"We however, can surely mentor the new institutes," he added. IIT Bombay will be mentoring the two new IITs in Gujarat and Indore, while IIT-Kharagpur will be mentoring IIT-Orissa for three years. Source: http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/jun/06iit.htm
Rhino again killed in Kaziranga National Park
Yet another rhino was found killed in the Kaziranga National Park on Friday. Poachers, who killed the rhino have already taken away its horn to reach the rhino poaching tally to 24.According to information, the body of the one-horned rhino, slain about three days ago, was found on Friday in a water body at Singimari with its horn swan off. The body of the rhino bore bullet marks on both sides of its head and on the side of its right leg. In this very spot, a female rhino and its calf were killed by poachers about two months ago before the horn was taken away. This Dulamari area is being encroached upon by people from neighbouring areas helping the poachers to carry out their illegal activity..Photo: UB Photos
Another ear triggers panic at 5 stations
Friday, June 06, 2008 03:09 IST
On Wednesday evening, there was panic at five railway stations on the western, central and harbour lines after a television actor allegedly heard a female commuter claiming that explosives had been planted in these stations.
According to sources, Urmila Mishrall Amar lodged a complaint with the Bandra railway police after she overheard the female commuter claiming Mahalaxmi, Sandhurst Road, Dock Yard Road, Kanjurmarg and Panvel stations would witness explosions on Thursday.
In her complaint, Amar said that on Wednesday she had boarded the second class compartment from Dock Yard station at 5.40 pm. However, after reaching Bandra she realised she had left her bag in the train. When she boarded the train again, she found a lone woman in a burkha talking on her mobile phone. Amar claimed that she overheard the woman say “deliver Rs1 lakh or I will inform the police that I have planted bombs at five stations which will explode on Thursday at eight o’clock.”
Confirming the incident, Prakash Sawant, ACP (Bandra railway division), said, “We have informed all railway police station in Mumbai to be alert and have increased security at all stations.”
Despite several attempts Amar was not available for comment.
According to sources, Urmila Mishrall Amar lodged a complaint with the Bandra railway police after she overheard the female commuter claiming Mahalaxmi, Sandhurst Road, Dock Yard Road, Kanjurmarg and Panvel stations would witness explosions on Thursday.
In her complaint, Amar said that on Wednesday she had boarded the second class compartment from Dock Yard station at 5.40 pm. However, after reaching Bandra she realised she had left her bag in the train. When she boarded the train again, she found a lone woman in a burkha talking on her mobile phone. Amar claimed that she overheard the woman say “deliver Rs1 lakh or I will inform the police that I have planted bombs at five stations which will explode on Thursday at eight o’clock.”
Confirming the incident, Prakash Sawant, ACP (Bandra railway division), said, “We have informed all railway police station in Mumbai to be alert and have increased security at all stations.”
Despite several attempts Amar was not available for comment.
Mumbai cops check 4 rly stations for bombs
Mumbai: The police carried out checks at four suburban railway stations after receiving information from an alert woman passenger who had overheard that there would be bomb explosions at the railway stations.The woman overheard a co-passenger speaking on the phone in which the latter talked of bomb explosions at the Kanurmarg, Panvel, Dockyard Road and Mahalaxmi railway stations."The woman got down at the Bandra railway station immediately and informed the railway police about it," a senior government railway police official said.An alert was sounded at all the four railway stations and teams from the bomb detection and disposal squad were rushed following the receipt of information at 1845 hrs.The checks are still on at the railway stations and nothing suspicious has been found so far, the officer added.© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved.
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