A 100 year old drain discovered at Mumbai

The civic agencies in Mumbai has discovered a drain Tulsi Pipe road which is over a 100-years old and was possibly built by the British to deal with deluge problem during monsoons. The drain leads straight to the sea and is linked to a whole network of manholes around the city. BMC hopes that the historic drain will help them solve the water logging problems of the area, ahead of monsoons.

Chennai is rated as the cleanest city of India

The Lifebuoy Swastha Chetna City Meter has rated Chennai the best in terms of the overall cleanliness perception ranking among the top six metros in the country. Bangalore and Kolkata have finished a close second and third respectively.

The inside story of Indian economy

In today's scenario when Indian economy is booming and when Indian entrepreneurs are counted among the richest people of the world, a meritorius student committ sucide, not because he was bad at studies, but he is unable to afford his higher education. Prince Thomas of Kerala took his life a day after his class XII results were announced despite scoring 91per cent in higher secondary exams. The brilliant boy was worried that his family may not be able to afford his higher education expenses as his father had already sold off family property after suffering huge losses in business.

“He was very brilliant in studies and we were all happy about his result. His interest was to join BSc nursing and he collected and filled the admission form from the nursing college. Around 1 am. I woke up and I saw the light in his room. I thought that he was on his studies or forgot to switch off the light. So I knocked on the door. But when it was not opened, then I broke it open saw him hanging,” says Prince’s father M C Thomas.

HC raises Mulayam's concern

The Allahabad High Court has issued notices the UP government and the Noida Development Authority on the basis of a petition which alleges that the previous Mulayam Singh administration illegally allotted land for hotels in the state at throughaway prices.

Doctors successfully separated Conjoined twins

Doctors conducted a rare surgical operation to separate ten-month-old conjoined twins Ram, Laxman on Tuesday at a hospital in Raipur. The infants were joined at the stomach and shared one liver. They had Hernia since birth, which made the surgery even more complicated.

India crush B'desh

India crushes Bangladesh convincingly by an innings and 239 runs in Dhaka on Sunday with more than two days to spare, also wrapping up the Grameen Bank Series 1-0. This is India's biggest win in terms of the margin of defeat.

India's pace bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan wrecked the Bangladeshi top order in the second innings after India enforced a follow-on before the spinners wrapped up the game in their favour. Bangladesh were skittled out in the first innings for 118 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium at Mirpur.

Dera directs an apology

In the latest development in the ongoing Punjab sectarian clashes, the Dera Sacha Sauda directly apologises to the 10th Sikh Guru. In a press release issued by Dera on Sunday evening said: “Dera Sacha Sauda apologises to Sri Gobind Guruji for the sake of humanity. We can’t even think of copying him.” However, the Sikh clergy is unlikely to accept the apology.

Indian corporate denied PM's advise

The Indian Inc defends the pay packages of the top officials of the corporate sector. The industry leaders felt that the Prime Minister’s advice on salaries was sound, but they expressed their inability to follow it because of a demand-supply mismatch. New CII president Sunil Mittal today said that it was not possible to regulate the salaries of top executives.

China denied visa to Arunachal cadre IAS

China has denied visa to Gonesh Koyu, an IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh cadre who was travelling as a part of a 107-strong delegation of IAS officers. These officers were travelling to China as part of the training of officials of the level of joint secretary. This is the sixth official delegation during the tenure of the UPA government which has suffered such embarrassment, well placed sources said.

Bush signs Iraq spending bill

George W. Bush has signed a bill on Friday to pay for military operations in Iraq after a bitter struggle with Democrats in Congress who sought unsuccessfully to tie the money to U.S. troop withdrawals.

Bush had rejected an earlier bill because it contained a timetable for withdrawing troops. However, The New York Times reported Friday night that the Bush administration is working on ideas for cutting U.S. forces in Iraq by as much as half, to roughly 100,000, by mid-2008.

Mayawati's overrider on Anil's SEZ

In a major decision since assuming power, the Mayawati government in UP has announced its intention to refer the allotment of 1,200 acres of land to Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group for setting up an SEZ, to the Union government for review.

Whatmore set to be India coach

Former Australian batsman Dav Whatmore is all set to be appointed India's next cricket coach, top sources in the Board of Control for Cricket in India said. The board's coach selection panel, which will meet on June 4 in Bangalore, is expected to formalise the decision.

AP Recommends CBI Probe into Hyderabad Blast

The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday night recommended to the Central Government to order a CBI enquiry into the May 18 bomb blast at the historic Mecca Masjid here and announced a judicial probe into the subsequent police firing.

Chief Minister Y S Rajasekahara Reddy's decision comes after the Muslim community mounted pressure to order a probe into both the blast and the police firing.

Bail to Maninder Singh

Former cricketer Maninder Singh, who was arrested on Tuesday on the charge of possessing cocaine, was released on bail by a Delhi court on Wednesday.

Judge H T Malik, additional district and sessions court, released the cricketer after asking him to furnish a bail bond of Rs 50,000 and surety of the like amount. Kirti Azad, Delhi and India teammate, stood surety for Singh.

Police detained 15 persons in connection with Gorakhpur Blasts

Police have got important clues about the serial blasts that shook the busy Golghar area on Tuesday and fifteen people have been rounded up for interrogation.

DGP Girdhari Lal Sharma, who visited the site of the blasts said investigations were underway to find out the motive behind the blasts. He, however, did not give details about the clues.

Cricketer held with Drugs

Former left-arm spinner and cricket commentator Maninder Singh has been arrested for possessing cocaine at his residence in the Capital on Tuesday.

The narcotics department of the Delhi Police arrested Maninder with 1.5 grams of cocaine from his Preet Vihar residence on Tuesday night after the police got a tip-off. He was being questioned by police.

'Land' may bring trouble for Big B and Jaya

The star compaigner for the Samajwadi Party, Amitabh Bacchan and Jaya Bacchan who are compaigning for the crime free state, are again in trouble for a piece of land. A television news channel learnt that Amitabh Bachchan's wife, actor Jaya Bachchan, has been found guilty of not revealing details of land which she and her family owned in UP at the time of becoming a Rajya Sabha MP.

Study reveals that Estrogen may help in fighting Disease

Estrogen may give women an edge in resisting heart disease that can be caused in part by air pollution, a new West Virginia University study found.

Researchers determined that males and post-menopausal females are more likely to suffer damaged arteries linked to diesel exhaust than women of childbearing age. That coincides with a major national study released earlier this year showing older women are at significantly higher risk for heart problems caused by air pollution than other people.

The research also found that when the estrogen-producing ovaries of the female lab animals were removed, their risk for damaged arteries increased.

Disney to make its first Chinese movie

Movie giant Disney is set to make its first Chinese-language movie - about an enchanted vegetable. The studio is teaming up with the China Film Group (CFG) to bring The Magic Gourd to the big screen. The movie - a mix of live action and animation - is based on the book by late author Zhang Tianyi, and tells the story of a young boy who discovers a gourd (Chinese vegetable) that grants him wishes.

Scientists discovers rare turtles in Cambodia

A rare soft-shell turtle thought to be on the brink of extinction has been discovered in Cambodia in a former stronghold of the Khmer Rouge, conservationists said Wednesday.

A 24-pound female Cantor's giant turtle — known for its rubbery skin and jaws powerful enough to crush bone — was captured and released by researchers in March, U.S.-based Conservation International and World Wildlife Fund said in a statement.

Scientists from the two groups and Cambodian wildlife officials discovered the animal and a nesting ground during a survey in Cambodia's Mekong River region.

''We thought it might be almost gone, but found it in abundance in this one pristine stretch of the Mekong, making the area the world's most important site for saving this particular species,'' David Emmett, a CI wildlife biologist, said in the statement.

Cannes Film Festival enters in its 60's

The Cannes Film Festival celebrated its 60th anniversary Wednesday with an opening movie that blends an indie sensibility and a glittering cast: Wong Kar-wai's road trip tale starring Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz and Norah Jones, in her acting debut.

The 11-day Riviera festival strives for just the right mix of arthouse films and star power, and ''My Blueberry Nights'' has both. Hong Kong director Wong (''In the Mood for Love'') is a Cannes favorite, as are many of the other filmmakers showing movies for the anniversary edition, including Michael Moore, Quentin Tarantino and the Coen brothers.

Witness recognises Nanda

Sunil Kulkarni is the main witness in the1999 BMW hit and run case has said that he saw a black car hit some people and that he heard the sound of the impact and the car was driven by Sanjeev Nanda.

The BMW driven by Sanjeev Nanda crashed into a police checkpoint in New Delhi on 10th January 1999.

ULFA again targets Hindi speaking people

After the relative calm for a few month, ULFA violence against Hindi-speaking people in Assam saw a sudden upsurge again on Tuesday.

Nine people have been killed in the last two days.

Three Hindi-speaking persons were gunned down by the ULFA in Golaghat district on Wednesday and six people were killed in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts on Tuesday night.

SC grants bail to Monica Bedi

The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to Monica Bedi, who was involved in a passport forgery case in Andhra Pradesh.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, however, said that Bedi shall not leave her native Hoshiarpur district in Punjab and should be available to the investigating agency whenever required.

SC rejects CBI probe for Gujarat encounter

In a relief of sorts for the Gujarat government, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the plea for a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the fake encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kausar Bi by the state police.

After Kalyan Singh, now it is the turn of Salman Khursheed to quit his job

Embarrassed by the drubbing received in the just-concluded Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the All India Congress Committee has made up its mind to replace Salman Khursheed as the state Congress chief.

If sources in the state Congress are to be believed, the All India Congress Committee in fact is awaiting a resignation letter from the high profile Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president owning up moral responsibility for the worst ever performance since 1985.

Sectarian clashes leave several injured in Punjab

Followers of one of the biggest religious sects in North India – the Dera Sacha Sauda headquartered in Sirsa, Haryana clashed with Akalis in Punjab.

The clash erupted after advertisements appeared in a section of the media portraying Baba Ram Raheem, head of the Dera Sacha Sauda as Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru.

34 more IAS officers are transfered in UP

UP Chief Minister Mayawati continued with the shuffling of her administration for a third on Tuesday, when she transferred 34 Indian Administrative Service officers, including 25 District Magistrates.

24 killed in Pakistan hotel blast

At least 24 people, including two women and a child, were killed and scores injured on Tuesday in a powerful blast suspected to have been triggered by a suicide bomber in a hotel popular among tribals and situated close to a historic mosque in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar.

BBC's Johnston wins press award

BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, who was abducted in Gaza nearly two months ago, has won a major journalism prize at a London awards ceremony.

He was named broadcast journalist of the year by the London Press Club for his work reporting from the Gaza Strip.

Mr Johnston has not been seen since he was seized at gunpoint on 12 March.

Gujarat police to seek more time in Sohrabuddin encounter case

The Gujarat police is going to seek more time to complete investigations in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case from the Supreme Court.

The Gujarat police was directed by the Supreme Court to complete investigations into the alleged murder of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kausar Bi in a fake encounter in November 2005 when the couple was in a bus going from Hyderabad to Sangli, and to file the final report within two weeks.

UPSC declares civil services results

UPSC has declared civil services results. A total of 474 candidates- 214 in the general category, 144 Other Backward Classes, 80 Scheduled Castes and 33 Scheduled Tribes--have been recommended for appointment for IAS, IFS, IPS and Central Services Group 'A' and 'B'. As many as 18 physically challenged candidates also made it to the various services.

Out of the 474 selected candidates, 373 are males and 101 females.

Thus females constituted 21 per cent of the winning candidates.

Village boy tops civil services examination

Mutyalaraju Revu, an Other Backward Class (OBC) candidate from a small village, has topped the highly competitive civil services examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) at a time when the country debates the issue of reservation for OBCs in higher education. He is a product of the Indian Institute of Science and had cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam, but he had been awarded the Indian Police Service (IPS) because his rank was low.

Revu, 27-year-old son of a farmer in small village in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, has surpassed 473 successful candidates including 214 general category qualifiers to top the merit list.

UP Assembly results 2K7

BSP 206
SP 97
BJP 50
JD(U) 01
Cong 22
RLD 10
RPD 02
Bhartiya Jan Shakti 01
Jan Morcha 01
UPUDF 01
Independents 11

Family crisis costs Maran's job

Communication and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran resigned from the Union Cabinet tonight after the DMK decided to get him removed from the UPA government as his “behaviour and actions of late amounted to indiscipline, marring the party image”.

Maya targets SP well wishers

Immediately on assuming charge as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, Mayawati swung into action and went on an appointment, suspension and transfer spree. The officers punished and transferred held key postings under the Samajwadi Party regime.

Around 79 IAS, PPS and Provincial Civil Service officers have been transferred with the officers considered close to the former Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh, shunted to insignificant posts.

High caste ministers avoid touching Maya's feet

Newly appointed Brahmin and Muslim ministers in Uttar Pradesh Sunday discreetly avoided touching Chief Minister Mayawati's feet even as most of the other ministers did so to seek her blessings.

Ms. Mayawati was sworn in at a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhavan. A 49-member Ministry, including 19 Ministers of Cabinet rank, also assumed office. The caste composition of the Cabinet is: three Brahmins, one Muslim, one Thakur, one Bhumihar, one Vaishya, four Scheduled Castes and eight OBCs.

India finishes third in Azlan Shah Cup

A 56TH-minute goal by Sardara Singh guided India to a 1-0 victory over Asian Games champions South Korea to finish third in the 16th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup eight-nation hockey tournament here today.

Karunanidhi's son sues Sun TV

DMK leader M K Azhagiri, elder son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, on Thursday filed a defamation case against the Sun TV network for claiming that he was responsible for the attack on a newspaper office in which three persons died.

60-yr-old man dies in police custody

A 60-year-old man died while he was in custody at the Mahim police station near Central Mumbai on Wednesday. The deceased Usman Sheikh is a textile merchant, was arrested by the police after he got into a fight with his neighbour. While a post mortem examination has not been conducted yet, a preliminary checkup after death mentions head injury.

While in custody Usman had reportedly complained of nausea and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

Investigators blamed US pilots for Brazil crash

Brazilian investigators have blamed the two US pilots of a private jet for a mid-air collision with a Brazilian airliner, according to media reports. The disastrous incident take the life of all 154 people on board .

Life term for Mohammad Shahabuddin

RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin was today sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping a rival politician who is still missing. A local court in north Bihar found him the guilty of the 1999 kidnapping of CPI (M-L) worker Mr. Chote Lal Gupta. Mr Gupta has never been found and police suspect he was murdered.

Shahabuddin is already serving a two-year sentence after being found guilty on 2 March of vandalising a CPI (M-L) office near Siwan and attempting to kidnap party worker Keshav Baitha in 1998. The contoversial MP who represents Siwan in the Lok Sabha, has more than 50 criminal cases against him. He has been in prison in his hometown jail for the past 18 months since his arrest in New Delhi in November 2005.

The security of the Special trial court judge Mr Gyaneshwar Prasad Srivastava has been stepped up following the trial, gave his verdict in a court set up in the Siwan jail where Shahabuddin is lodged.

Castro blamed USA for Plane Hijack Bid

Ailing Cuban president Fidel Castro blamed the US for a fatal attempted hijacking of a plane by two deserting soldiers in Havana last week, in the Communist Party newspaper Granma.

His fifth newspaper editorial in about six weeks was apparently published late Monday to underscore that the 80-year-old communist leader is at work if not fully recovered from the major intestinal surgery he underwent nine months ago.

India hits back at Gohar Ayub Khan

Gohar Ayub Khan, son of former Pakistani President Ayub Khan, has claimed the impossible - that India's highest decorated soldier, the man credited for the victory in the 1971 war, Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw, is actually a Pakistani spy.

Sasy Lt Gen (Retd) JFR Jacob, Former Army Commander 37 b, "Sam Manekshaw is an honourable soldier loyal to the country. I can't understand why Gohar Ayub has made these malicious remarks. He should withdraw them immediately."

Says former chief of Army staff, General Shankar Roy Choudhary, ""This is not a revelation, but an accusation and that too a baseless one. Unless this is proved, it should be dismissed by highest order of contempt."

Earliar Gohar Khan had made this claim in an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN's Karan Thapar and though he did not name Manekshaw, there was no doubt who he was talking about.

Six dead in Nashik factory blast

At least six people have died and four injured in a blast in an explosive factory in Nashik.

The blast happened at Harasur village in Nashik. The impact of the blast was big enough to cause the entire building of three floors to collapse.

An estimated ten to 15 people are believed to be trapped inside. The building, which housed an explosive company, collapsed after an internal blast.

Iran criticises US policy in Iraq

Iran has strongly criticised US policy in Iraq, blaming the American presence there for sectarian violence.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was speaking in Egypt on the second day of a summit of world and regional powers, called to discuss Iraq's security

45 days jail term for Paris Hilton

Celebrity heiress Paris Hilton has been jailed for 45 days after being found guilty of violating her probation for a drink-driving conviction.

A Los Angeles judge ruled she must start her sentence on 5 June and has no prospect of an early release.

Ms Hilton told the judge she was very sorry and that she would "pay complete attention to everything" from now on.

SC gives Gujarat two weeks to file a final report

Seeming to be satisfied with the progress of investigation by the Gujarat police CID’s special investigating team (SIT) in the Sohrabuddin’s fake encounter two years ago, the Supreme Court today directed the state government to submit the final status report in the case within two weeks.

The court also directed the Gujarat government to file a separate report why IG Geetha Johri, heading the CID earlier, was shifted.

Britney's comeback

Troubled pop princess Britney Spears has reportedly stepped back from the brink of her first comeback gig.

The 25-year-old has had a tough time recently, shaving off her lovely locks and dipping in and out of rehab after splitting from husband Kevin Federline.

Tabbu an Big B together in Rituparno Ghosh's next project

Big B and Tabu would have come together in a dark drama about a father-in-law-daughter-in-law relationship that Rituparno Ghosh had planned. Big B is all for working with his new favourite. "Yes! There was some talk," he admits.

Hezbollah chief praises Israel for war commission

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gave rare praise on Wednesday to long-time foe Israel for having investigated its 2006 war in Lebanon. A government-appointed commission has strongly rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for his handling of the July-August war against Hezbollah guerrillas, intensifying pressure on him to quit.

House Democrats fail to override Bush veto

The House today tried – and failed – to override President Bush's veto of a $124-billion war spending bill that would have forced him to withdraw troops from Iraq.

Even as congressional leaders went to the White House to discuss a compromise bill, the House voted 222-203 to override the veto, far short of the two-thirds necessary for passage.

HC asks govt to file report on Nandigram

The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal government to place before it a status report on Nandigram by Thursday.

On Wednesday, the HC opened a CBI report on the police action in Nandigram in which 14 people were killed.

Blair endorses Gordon Brown as Britain's next leader

Tony Blair endorsed long standing finance minister Gordon Brown as Britain's next leader on Tuesday and said he would announce next week when he was stepping aside as prime minister. "In all probability a Scot will become prime minister of this country and that's someone who built one of the strongest economies in the world and who I've always said would make a great prime minister."

Survey shows positive trend in favour of Mayawati in UP elections

Ex. CM Mayawati is likely to emerge as the major political power in state assembly. In a survey jointly conducted by CNN IBM and Indian Express the BSP is going to have the maximum share in the assembly while the ruling SP and BJP are fighting for the second opsition. However, the Congress has marginally improved his position. One more time no political party is capable of getting absolute majority. The survey projected that BSP will win around 145 to 155 seats, while SP is likely to win 100-110 and BJP between 90-100.