Tweet
India is a country on the go; at any given moment in time, there is much happening in the fields of politics and governance, of finance, of development; there is constant churning in society, considerable activity in sports and in the arts... It's almost too much to keep track of. And hence, this effort: a real-time, constantly updated look at the events that matter. Refresh this page for live updates
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) demolished 400 huts located in the Sabarmati riverbed Wednesday.
CALLING READERS: So hey, on this live blog, we curate in real time the goings on in the world around us. Come be a part of the project: If you see an interesting story, send us the link to indiaeditors@yahoo.in and we'll publish it in this space. Got an interesting photo to share? Same email link applies. Got suggestions on how we can improve this further? Ditto.2:00 pm: Update on Dorjee Khandu
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today paid their last respects to former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, who was killed in a chopper crash in Luguthang near Tawang District.
The last rites of Khandu will be performed at his native place Tawang with full state honours today.
1:30 pm: Don’t play doctor: Buddhadeb to PC
Hitting back at the Centre, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today asked Home Minister P Chidambaram not to "play doctor" as he did not need his advice in administering West Bengal.
"What is happening in Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh? Instead of playing doctor here, he should get his act together in those places. I don''t need his advice. I ask Chidambaram to concentrate on his own job. I know my job"
1:00 pm: Warne to call it quits after IPLShane Warne will quit professional cricket after the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the Australian spinner said. The spin great, who took 708 test wickets before retiring from international cricket at the end of the 2006-07 Ashes series, has been Rajasthan Royals' captain-cum-coach in the four editions of the cash-rich tournament. Read more
12:30 pm: Bada star, chhota frame: the Amitabh cameosMany of us have fond memories of the so-called "Middle Cinema" of the 1970s and 80s — the relatively low-budget films made by such directors as Basu Chatterji, Sai Paranjpye and Gulzar. But many of those simple, grounded narratives also contain their own inside jokes about the different worlds that coexisted under the umbrella marked "Hindi Cinema". And this was often achieved through cameo appearances by big stars - the biggest of whom, needless to say, was Amitabh Bachchan. In today's column, Jai Arjun Singh lists out the tongue-in-cheek guest roles that made light digs at Bachchan’s screen image.
12:15 pm: Life sentence for Shekhar Tiwari
BSP legislator Shekhar Tiwari has just been given a life sentence for killing PWD engineer Manoj Gupta. Tiwari was angry with Gupta because he refused to award Uttar Pradesh public works projects to contractors close to him.* With help from eight supporters, the ruling party MLA lynched Gupta in 2008. Details here
12:10 pm: Marandi’s fast enters sixth day
Rejecting Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda’s request to call off his hunger strike, JVM-P chief Babulal Marandi continued his indefinite fast which entered the sixth day today.Details on The Hindu
12:05 pm: Will this God town turn into ghostville?
At stake are cash-rich trusts and properties spread across continents, as is the fate of Puttaparthi itself. Tehelka on life after Sai Baba’s death
11:50 am: While DMK MP Kanimozhi's appearance before the 2G Special Court is the headline-maker of the day, here's another development: The Enforcement Directorate has moved the Supreme Court seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against Sahara group CMD Subrato Roy for allegedly interfering in the 2G scam probe. ED investigating officer Rajeshwar Singh has said in his petition that when notice was served to Roy to appear before it relating to a Rs 150 crore transaction suspected to be linked to the 2G spectrum scam, Roy attempted to blackmail the investigating officer. Supreme Court Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly will hear the petition.
11:30 am: The Enforcement Directorate has just suspended its investigating officer Amarinder Kumar for going slow on the Hasan Ali case. The Supreme Court has been asking difficult questions about how Ali, described as India’s top tax evader, has remained unpunished for so long.
11:15 am: Is it a crime to be a shareholder in Kalaignar TV? That’s what Ram Jethmalani, counsel for Kanimozhi, asked when she appeared before a CBI court just minutes ago. Kanimozhi, Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi’s daughter and DMK member of parliament, is in court this very moment, seeking anticipatory bail. She is charged with collecting a bribe of Rs 200 crore in exchange for cheap allocation of spectrum. The money allegedly went into the setting up of a new Tamil TV channel named after Karunanidhi.
11:00 am: The Indian Navy ad Coast Guard today thwarted an attack by Somalian pirates on a foreign merchant vessel with Chinese crew members in the Arabian sea, according to a statement
10:40 am: Airtel Delhi network disrupted for several hours
Bharti Airtel confirms that a technical snag caused a major issue with its phone services across Delhi for several hours Thursday evening/night. “An unforseen technical outage had affected services on some of our circuits," an official statement says. "As a result, some of Airtel Delhi mobile subscribers have experienced connectivity issues. The network is up now. We deeply regret the inconvenience." So, Delhi, how did it feel to lose your voice? Seriously -- in an age where a cellphone is as indispensable as an arm, a leg or a ear, how did you cope with the outage? Tell us.
10:35 am: India is high in the priority list of global CEOs
A Pricewaterhouse Coopers Annual Global CEO Survey, the 14th in the series, ranks India high in the priority list of global CEOs. The survey, which covered 1201 chief executives across 69 nations, found that 15 per cent of those surveyed said they plan to shift their sourcing to India, with cost being the biggest factor (55 per cent) followed by quality (6 per cent) and innovation (7 per cent). China tops, with 37 per cent of the surveyed CEOs saying they plan to shift their sourcing operations to that country; 63 per cent of these spoke of cost as the biggest factor while quality (6 per cent) and innovation (3 per cent) received mere honorable mentions. The full survey, in case you want to dig down for details, is here
10:30 am: Kanimozhi appears before court
DMK MP and Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi has appeared before a special CBI court in Delhi. Three DMK MPs accompanied Kanimozhi to the Patiala House court. Napoleon, M Gunasekaran and Palainickam are present at the court as a show of solidarity.
10:25 am: Dorjee Khandu: Man Of The Masses
A military intelligence man who participated in the 1971 Bangladesh war, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu had worked his way up as a local politician helping set up schools and organising drinking water supplies in far-flung areas of the mountainous State.Here's the story of Khandu, from grassroots activist to Chief Minister
<span class="yui-editorial-embed"/>10:15 am: Who after Dorjee Khandu?
As ever, when a top political post falls vacant, candidates fall over themselves in their rush to grab it. The Arunachal Pradesh chief ministership, which fell vacant following the tragic death in a helicopter crash of Dorjee Khandu, was no exception; the buzz late yesterday spoke of as many as five different candidates who had thrown their hats in the ring. Again as usual, a "high powered" Congress committee comprising among others Union ministers Mukul Wasnik and Salman Khurshid could find no compromise. As usual, they "authorized" the "party high command" -- a euphemism for Congress president Sonia Gandhi -- to solve the tangle and pick the candidate. Sonia picked Jarbom Gamlin, Minister for Power in the erstwhile Khandu cabinet, for the top post. Gamlin was administered the oath of office at a late Thursday night ceremony at the Raj Bhavan.
10:00 am: What Is Akshaya Tritiya?
They say the first thing the Lord said when he decided to create this world is 'Akshaya'. They say that on this day was born Annapurna, goddess of food (and how appropriate is that, since today is also, per our earlier update, the International No Diet Day?) Ergo, the festival of Akshaya Tritiya -- though how the above legend somehow translates into the practice of buying gold is anybody's guess. Or maybe not: the Wall Street Journal in its round up has the answer. Sample quote:
<span class="yui-editorial-embed"/>“It’s part of a strategy to deseasonalize the demand for gold,” said Vasudha Jha, India spokeswoman for the gold mining industry body, the World Gold Council, which works with sellers to encourage gold demand. “It’s a huge marketing opportunity to really support our partners…the belief is that if you buy, what you buy on Akshaya Tritiya can never get destroyed.”
The council already describes India as the “heart of the gold market.” In 2010 it bought almost 440 metric tons of the stuff, nearly half the world demand.
But the idea is to find ways to keep the demand for gold, which spikes during Diwali, a Hindu festival that usually falls around October or November, and around weddings, from leveling off at other times of the year.
“It’ll take us time to really create a yearly calendar for people,” said Ms. Jha. “We’ve started with Akshaya Tritiya.”
9:45 am: 119 runs. 56 balls. 13 fours. 6 sixes. And what does Viru Sehwag, whose powerhouse performance single-handedly floored the Deccan Chargers attack led by Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma yesterday, have to say about it all? This, which we spotted just now on his Twitter stream: "Hope you guys enjoyed the innings. Thank you for your wishes." Wow -- gives a whole new meaning to "under-statement", this guy. Consider that he had lost his opening partner off the second ball of a stiff chase; consider that by the end of the 6 overs of fielding restrictions the Daredevils were well behind the pace, having lost 29 for 3, with Sehwag himself on an uncharacteristic 12 off 14 balls thanks to an incisive opening spell by Steyn and Ishant... and then consider Sehwag's phlegmatic response at the end of the mayhem that began in the 18th over, which began with his team needing 144 from just 13 overs: "Batsmen like Warner, or me, or Gilchrist or Tendulkar, can do anything if we play for so many overs," Sehwag said. Before the game, he told his team to play fearless cricket; they went out there and bowled no balls, dropped catches, converted singles into fours -- so he just decided the hell with this, I'll do it all myself. How many players do we know who can walk their talk that way?
<span class="yui-editorial-embed"/>9:30 am: Last respects to Khandu
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi are arriving in Itanagar Friday to pay their last respects to Dorjee Khandu, the Arunachal Pradesh chief minister who died in a helicopter crash over the weekend. Khandu's body would be flown to Tawang, his home district, Friday afternoon for the funeral rites as per Buddhist rituals.
9:00 am: May 6, 1886 is known, among other things, for the fact that the first bottle of Coca Cola was sold this day (regular commercial sales began at Jacob's Pharmacy, Atlanta, Georgia, two days later, on May 8). We've come a long way, from John Pemberton's original recipe which was for a form of coca wine, and which he had to change into a cola when Atlanta passed a prohibition law the same year. And if the anniversary -- and the heat -- tempts you to indulge more than ordinarily in carbonated beverages, go right ahead: today is also International No Diet Day, of all things -- a day to "celebrate diverse body types" or, to be a bit less politically correct, a day to eat, drink and be merry, unmindful of the many diets being foisted on us. Oh, by the way -- the day even has its own website, and very usefully, a list of ways you can observe INDD -- including, would you believe, no diet dances, candlelight vigils, movie screenings, et al. Enjoy.
8:45 am: 2G: will Kanimozhi be arrested today?
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's daughter and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi, charge-sheeted for alleged criminal conspiracy and accepting illegal gratification in the 2G spectrum scam case, is slated to appear before the 2G special court here on Friday. If Kanimozhi is arrested, the 2G scam could see the first member from the DMK family behind bars. Full story<span class="yui-media yui-editorial-embed"/>
8:30 am: Is 'the Maharaja' is in deep financial mess?
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) believes Air India incurred Rs 10,000 crore loss because it was forced into buying 111 aircraft it did not need. A CAG report on aircraft acquisition says the mega acquisition is the main reason why the Maharaja is in deep financial mess.CNN IBN has the full story
8:15 am: Two states, two lessons
This week, two states, separated at birth, completed their 50th birthday celebrations. While comparing siblings is often best avoided, the journey of Maharashtra and Gujarat offer many lessons for the future. IBN's Rajdeep Sardesai canvasses what explains the divergent paths taken by two states that have been tied by history and geography.
India, in real time: May 6th, Thursday
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Hud Settlement Statement
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) demolished 400 huts located in the Sabarmati riverbed Wednesday.CALLING READERS: So hey, on this live blog, we curate in real time the goings on in the world around us. Come be a part of the project: If you see an interesting story, send us the link to indiaeditors@yahoo.in and we'll publish it in this space. Got an interesting photo to share? Same email link applies. Got suggestions on how we can improve this further? Ditto.2:00 pm: Update on Dorjee Khandu
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today paid their last respects to former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, who was killed in a chopper crash in Luguthang near Tawang District.
The last rites of Khandu will be performed at his native place Tawang with full state honours today.
1:30 pm: Don’t play doctor: Buddhadeb to PC
Hitting back at the Centre, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today asked Home Minister P Chidambaram not to "play doctor" as he did not need his advice in administering West Bengal.
"What is happening in Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh? Instead of playing doctor here, he should get his act together in those places. I don''t need his advice. I ask Chidambaram to concentrate on his own job. I know my job"
1:00 pm: Warne to call it quits after IPLShane Warne will quit professional cricket after the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the Australian spinner said. The spin great, who took 708 test wickets before retiring from international cricket at the end of the 2006-07 Ashes series, has been Rajasthan Royals' captain-cum-coach in the four editions of the cash-rich tournament. Read more
12:30 pm: Bada star, chhota frame: the Amitabh cameosMany of us have fond memories of the so-called "Middle Cinema" of the 1970s and 80s — the relatively low-budget films made by such directors as Basu Chatterji, Sai Paranjpye and Gulzar. But many of those simple, grounded narratives also contain their own inside jokes about the different worlds that coexisted under the umbrella marked "Hindi Cinema". And this was often achieved through cameo appearances by big stars - the biggest of whom, needless to say, was Amitabh Bachchan. In today's column, Jai Arjun Singh lists out the tongue-in-cheek guest roles that made light digs at Bachchan’s screen image.
12:15 pm: Life sentence for Shekhar Tiwari
BSP legislator Shekhar Tiwari has just been given a life sentence for killing PWD engineer Manoj Gupta. Tiwari was angry with Gupta because he refused to award Uttar Pradesh public works projects to contractors close to him.* With help from eight supporters, the ruling party MLA lynched Gupta in 2008. Details here
12:10 pm: Marandi’s fast enters sixth day
Rejecting Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda’s request to call off his hunger strike, JVM-P chief Babulal Marandi continued his indefinite fast which entered the sixth day today.Details on The Hindu
12:05 pm: Will this God town turn into ghostville?
At stake are cash-rich trusts and properties spread across continents, as is the fate of Puttaparthi itself. Tehelka on life after Sai Baba’s death
11:50 am: While DMK MP Kanimozhi's appearance before the 2G Special Court is the headline-maker of the day, here's another development: The Enforcement Directorate has moved the Supreme Court seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against Sahara group CMD Subrato Roy for allegedly interfering in the 2G scam probe. ED investigating officer Rajeshwar Singh has said in his petition that when notice was served to Roy to appear before it relating to a Rs 150 crore transaction suspected to be linked to the 2G spectrum scam, Roy attempted to blackmail the investigating officer. Supreme Court Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly will hear the petition.
11:30 am: The Enforcement Directorate has just suspended its investigating officer Amarinder Kumar for going slow on the Hasan Ali case. The Supreme Court has been asking difficult questions about how Ali, described as India’s top tax evader, has remained unpunished for so long.
11:15 am: Is it a crime to be a shareholder in Kalaignar TV? That’s what Ram Jethmalani, counsel for Kanimozhi, asked when she appeared before a CBI court just minutes ago. Kanimozhi, Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi’s daughter and DMK member of parliament, is in court this very moment, seeking anticipatory bail. She is charged with collecting a bribe of Rs 200 crore in exchange for cheap allocation of spectrum. The money allegedly went into the setting up of a new Tamil TV channel named after Karunanidhi.
11:00 am: The Indian Navy ad Coast Guard today thwarted an attack by Somalian pirates on a foreign merchant vessel with Chinese crew members in the Arabian sea, according to a statement
10:40 am: Airtel Delhi network disrupted for several hours
Bharti Airtel confirms that a technical snag caused a major issue with its phone services across Delhi for several hours Thursday evening/night. “An unforseen technical outage had affected services on some of our circuits," an official statement says. "As a result, some of Airtel Delhi mobile subscribers have experienced connectivity issues. The network is up now. We deeply regret the inconvenience." So, Delhi, how did it feel to lose your voice? Seriously -- in an age where a cellphone is as indispensable as an arm, a leg or a ear, how did you cope with the outage? Tell us.
10:35 am: India is high in the priority list of global CEOs
A Pricewaterhouse Coopers Annual Global CEO Survey, the 14th in the series, ranks India high in the priority list of global CEOs. The survey, which covered 1201 chief executives across 69 nations, found that 15 per cent of those surveyed said they plan to shift their sourcing to India, with cost being the biggest factor (55 per cent) followed by quality (6 per cent) and innovation (7 per cent). China tops, with 37 per cent of the surveyed CEOs saying they plan to shift their sourcing operations to that country; 63 per cent of these spoke of cost as the biggest factor while quality (6 per cent) and innovation (3 per cent) received mere honorable mentions. The full survey, in case you want to dig down for details, is here
10:30 am: Kanimozhi appears before court
DMK MP and Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi has appeared before a special CBI court in Delhi. Three DMK MPs accompanied Kanimozhi to the Patiala House court. Napoleon, M Gunasekaran and Palainickam are present at the court as a show of solidarity.
10:25 am: Dorjee Khandu: Man Of The Masses
A military intelligence man who participated in the 1971 Bangladesh war, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu had worked his way up as a local politician helping set up schools and organising drinking water supplies in far-flung areas of the mountainous State.Here's the story of Khandu, from grassroots activist to Chief Minister
<span class="yui-editorial-embed"/>10:15 am: Who after Dorjee Khandu?
As ever, when a top political post falls vacant, candidates fall over themselves in their rush to grab it. The Arunachal Pradesh chief ministership, which fell vacant following the tragic death in a helicopter crash of Dorjee Khandu, was no exception; the buzz late yesterday spoke of as many as five different candidates who had thrown their hats in the ring. Again as usual, a "high powered" Congress committee comprising among others Union ministers Mukul Wasnik and Salman Khurshid could find no compromise. As usual, they "authorized" the "party high command" -- a euphemism for Congress president Sonia Gandhi -- to solve the tangle and pick the candidate. Sonia picked Jarbom Gamlin, Minister for Power in the erstwhile Khandu cabinet, for the top post. Gamlin was administered the oath of office at a late Thursday night ceremony at the Raj Bhavan.
10:00 am: What Is Akshaya Tritiya?
They say the first thing the Lord said when he decided to create this world is 'Akshaya'. They say that on this day was born Annapurna, goddess of food (and how appropriate is that, since today is also, per our earlier update, the International No Diet Day?) Ergo, the festival of Akshaya Tritiya -- though how the above legend somehow translates into the practice of buying gold is anybody's guess. Or maybe not: the Wall Street Journal in its round up has the answer. Sample quote:
<span class="yui-editorial-embed"/>“It’s part of a strategy to deseasonalize the demand for gold,” said Vasudha Jha, India spokeswoman for the gold mining industry body, the World Gold Council, which works with sellers to encourage gold demand. “It’s a huge marketing opportunity to really support our partners…the belief is that if you buy, what you buy on Akshaya Tritiya can never get destroyed.”
The council already describes India as the “heart of the gold market.” In 2010 it bought almost 440 metric tons of the stuff, nearly half the world demand.
But the idea is to find ways to keep the demand for gold, which spikes during Diwali, a Hindu festival that usually falls around October or November, and around weddings, from leveling off at other times of the year.
“It’ll take us time to really create a yearly calendar for people,” said Ms. Jha. “We’ve started with Akshaya Tritiya.”
9:45 am: 119 runs. 56 balls. 13 fours. 6 sixes. And what does Viru Sehwag, whose powerhouse performance single-handedly floored the Deccan Chargers attack led by Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma yesterday, have to say about it all? This, which we spotted just now on his Twitter stream: "Hope you guys enjoyed the innings. Thank you for your wishes." Wow -- gives a whole new meaning to "under-statement", this guy. Consider that he had lost his opening partner off the second ball of a stiff chase; consider that by the end of the 6 overs of fielding restrictions the Daredevils were well behind the pace, having lost 29 for 3, with Sehwag himself on an uncharacteristic 12 off 14 balls thanks to an incisive opening spell by Steyn and Ishant... and then consider Sehwag's phlegmatic response at the end of the mayhem that began in the 18th over, which began with his team needing 144 from just 13 overs: "Batsmen like Warner, or me, or Gilchrist or Tendulkar, can do anything if we play for so many overs," Sehwag said. Before the game, he told his team to play fearless cricket; they went out there and bowled no balls, dropped catches, converted singles into fours -- so he just decided the hell with this, I'll do it all myself. How many players do we know who can walk their talk that way?
<span class="yui-editorial-embed"/>9:30 am: Last respects to Khandu
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi are arriving in Itanagar Friday to pay their last respects to Dorjee Khandu, the Arunachal Pradesh chief minister who died in a helicopter crash over the weekend. Khandu's body would be flown to Tawang, his home district, Friday afternoon for the funeral rites as per Buddhist rituals.
9:00 am: May 6, 1886 is known, among other things, for the fact that the first bottle of Coca Cola was sold this day (regular commercial sales began at Jacob's Pharmacy, Atlanta, Georgia, two days later, on May 8). We've come a long way, from John Pemberton's original recipe which was for a form of coca wine, and which he had to change into a cola when Atlanta passed a prohibition law the same year. And if the anniversary -- and the heat -- tempts you to indulge more than ordinarily in carbonated beverages, go right ahead: today is also International No Diet Day, of all things -- a day to "celebrate diverse body types" or, to be a bit less politically correct, a day to eat, drink and be merry, unmindful of the many diets being foisted on us. Oh, by the way -- the day even has its own website, and very usefully, a list of ways you can observe INDD -- including, would you believe, no diet dances, candlelight vigils, movie screenings, et al. Enjoy.
8:45 am: 2G: will Kanimozhi be arrested today?
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's daughter and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi, charge-sheeted for alleged criminal conspiracy and accepting illegal gratification in the 2G spectrum scam case, is slated to appear before the 2G special court here on Friday. If Kanimozhi is arrested, the 2G scam could see the first member from the DMK family behind bars. Full story<span class="yui-media yui-editorial-embed"/>
8:30 am: Is 'the Maharaja' is in deep financial mess?
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) believes Air India incurred Rs 10,000 crore loss because it was forced into buying 111 aircraft it did not need. A CAG report on aircraft acquisition says the mega acquisition is the main reason why the Maharaja is in deep financial mess.CNN IBN has the full story
8:15 am: Two states, two lessons
This week, two states, separated at birth, completed their 50th birthday celebrations. While comparing siblings is often best avoided, the journey of Maharashtra and Gujarat offer many lessons for the future. IBN's Rajdeep Sardesai canvasses what explains the divergent paths taken by two states that have been tied by history and geography.
India, in real time: May 6th, Thursday
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Hud Settlement Statement
