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Govt plan for channel like BBC, CNN

      New Delhi: The Government is planning to launch a competitive television channel like the BBC and CNN and the proposal for this is under consideration. ''We want to launch a competitive channel like the BBC and CNN. This is under consideration,'' Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi informed Lok Sabha. Dasmunsi further said that the government-owned Doordarshan India is at present being telecast in 146 countries. "Doordarshan India is available in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America," he said.

Tell me who has not written reference letters, Natwar asks parliamentarians (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Asserting that much has been made out of the three letters written by him to the Iraq Oil Minister, suspended Congress leader K.Natwar Singh on Monday countered on the issue, saying parliamentarians often write reference letters. The former External Affairs Minister, indicted by the Pathak committee in the UN oil-for-food scam, said that he had committed no impropriety by writing the letters recommending companies for the programme. "I would normally not have bothered to discuss this. However, since they seem to have been given such immense importance to Justice Pathak and my party, I would like to say, which one of us in this august House has not written letters of introduction, of recommendation, to constituents, families and acquaintances," he said in the Rajya Sabha. Singh further accused the probe authority headed Justice R.S. Pathak of being biased and flawed and said no country has taken any notice of the Volcker Report.

TN ordinance on priests stayed (Go To Top)

       New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Tamil Nadu Government ordinance allowing qualified persons from any caste to be appointed as priests. An apex court Bench headed by Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal also issued notice to the Tamil Nadu Government on the petition. In a petition, an association of priests from Madurai and Trichy - Adi Saiva Sivachariyargal Nala Sangam - had challenged the clause 8 of the Tamil Nadu Ordinance 2006. The clause was to bring amendment in the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959.

Floods havoc in western, central regions (Go To Top)

      Bhopal/Vidarbha/Rajkot: Floods once again wreaked havoc in western and central states on Monday as incessant rains continued to lash the regions. In Bhopal, ceaseless rain for over 8 hours since Sunday night brought normal life to a grinding halt, causing widespread damage to property and belongings of the residents. Several residential colonies were submerged in waist-high floodwaters.Officials said army assistance was being roped in and relief camps had been set up with 75 percent of Bhopal being submerged by the floodwaters.

      In Maharashtra, several districts continued to endure the brunt of floods though in some places the situation improved with the easing of rains. Bhandara and Gondia districts in Vidarbha in the northeastern part of the state remained submerged in floodwaters as heavy rains continued to lash the region overflowing rivers and dams. With dams filling at an alarming rate nearing their danger level marks, authorities have had to release water to control the flood situation.

     Meanwhile in Rajkot, school children joined hands to gather monetary donations to help the flood victims in the city. Even as water levels receded in Surat, the worst affected in Gujarat, which was almost completely submerged, garbage and carcasses of animals lay strewn on streets and a threat of disease loomed over the city of three million people. Nearly 400 people have been killed and millions more made homeless after monsoon rains triggered rivers to overflow and forced authorities to release vast amounts of water from brimming dams in several parts of the country.

Notice to Centre on farmers' suicide (Go To Top)

       New Delhi: With the number of farmers committing suicide showing no signs of abating, the Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Central Government on a petition filed by an advocate seeking re-examination of the Government's existing agriculture policy. Reacting to Sanjeev Bhatnagar's petition, a Bench chaired by Supreme Court Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal also issued notices to the Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala Governments to give reasons as to why adequate preventive measures were not being put in place to end these tragic suicides. According to Bhatnagar, in the last five years, 5,910 farmers in Karnataka, 1,835 in Andhra Pradesh, 981 in Maharashtra and 201 in Kerala have committed suicide over their inability to repay loans taken from private moneylenders and financial institutions.

Dalai Lama sermons on Buddhist teachings (Go To Top)

       Dharamshala: Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Monday began special five-day teachings on the "perfection of wisdom in Buddhism" in Dharamshala. Hundreds of Buddhists from across the globe have descended the small hilly town of Himachal Pradesh, which is home to the Tibetan's spiritual leaders headquarters since he fled into exile to India in 1959. The teachings have been specially organized at the request of Buddhist's from South Korea. The preaching of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibetans -- who revere him as the reincarnation of a long line of Buddhist kings, are considered divine by the devotees. The special teachings would cover the Bodhisattva way of living. The 71-year-old Dalai Lama was born on July 6, 1935 at the hamlet of Takster in Tibet and is considered as the incarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thupten Gyaptso. The Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his non- violent campaign to gain autonomy from Chinese rule for his homeland.

Uproar over Gavit-mafia nexus issue (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Parliament proceedings were in a flux on Monday when the Bharatiya Janata Party raised the issue of an alleged nexus between Minister of State for Home Manik Rao Gavit and UP mafia don Sundar Singh Bhati. Demanding a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the whole episode, senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra said that it was "a very serious issue". A private news channel, Zee News, on Saturday had aired a tape that showed the alleged conversation between Gavit and Sundar Singh Bhati about deals and money. Gavit has denied the allegation, saying that the voice recorded on the tape, was not his. "I can say with 101 percent certainty that the voice is not that of mine," Gavit said.

US warns against move to ban cola (Go To Top)

      New York: As the controversy surrounding the presence of pesticides in soft drinks continues to haunt the business of the US-based companies, the United States has warned that the move to ban these products could affect India's hopes of attracting American investment. Frank Lavin, Under Secretary for International Trade, has described the row as a "setback for Indian economy", a BBC report said. Though five state governments in the country have banned the sale of the drinks manufactured by Coca Cola and PepsiCo at or near schools, colleges and hospitals after Centre for Science Environment (CSE) said it had found pesticide residues in 57 samples of the two firms' products, the Central Government is yet to take a stand on the issue.

Pak envoy to Lanka escapes attack (Go To Top)

      Colombo: Pakistan's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Bashir Wali, narrowly escaped Monday's mine attack in the heart of Colombo, which claimed seven lives and injured 17, including three bodyguards of the diplomat, police and diplomats told a foreign news agency. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said: "The attack was on our high commissioner who is safe, but his car is slightly damaged. Three members of his security team were injured." Aslam said that Wali was returning from a flag-raising ceremony for Pakistan's Independence Day when he was attacked. Wali was driving through the area when the blast occurred near the official residence of President Mahinda Rajapakse. The blast shook the windows of neighbouring buildings and damaged an embassy vehicle, reports said.

     The blast came after the LTTE had accused government forces of bombing an orphanage, killing 43 school girls and injuring 60 in the rebel-controlled northern district of Mullaituvu.

43 orphans killed in Lankan aerial strike (Go To Top)

      Colombo: At least 43 schoolgirls were killed in Sri Lanka's rebel-held Mullaitivu district on Monday and dozens more hurt when air force jets bombed an orphanage. According to a LTTE website, the planes hit the orphanage run by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), where at least 60 girls were also wounded. "Kfir jet bombers of the Sri Lanka Air Force dropped several bombs on the premises of the Chencholai Children's Home in Vallipunam, killing at least 43 schoolgirls," the report said. According to the ltteps.org webiste, the aerial attack took place at 7.20 a.m. It claimed that the school children were participating in a first aid seminar organized by Senchcholai, a well-known girl's home that cares for children who lost parents in the war. Senchcholai has been caring for children in the Northeast for the past fifteen years.

India can't dare cross LoC: Musharraf (Go To Top)

     Islamabad: Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has said India can never dare to cross the Line of Control (LoC) and attack interests in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). He said no country could dare think of attacking Pakistan. Pakistan was a peaceful, proud and sovereign nation and no country could threaten it. "No country can dare to think of attacking Pakistan. No one will dare to cross the Line of Control. We are a peaceful, proud and sovereign nation and no one can threaten us," The Nation quoted Musharraf as saying. "We do not threaten anyone nor do we accept threats from anybody," he added.

Pak to inquire into shooting of Pearl film (Go To Top)

      Washington: Pakistan has said that it would inquire into the "illegal" shooting of the film - "The Journalist and the Jihadi: the murder of Daniel Pearl" - in Karachi and Islamabad, as well as the countryside, without the permission of the federal government. Akram Shaheedi, the press minister at the Pakistan embassy in Washington, reportedly said that no request by the film unit had been made to the embassy to shoot in Pakistan, and that the shooting of the film was "illegal and regrettable".

Al Qaeda's 'mother-child' suicide bombers (Go To Top)

      London: Authorities in Britain are now searching for mother and babies in their war against terror. Officials said baby boomers were among those arrested over the plot to massacre thousands of passengers mid-air on board transatlantic flights originating from Heathrow, late last week. Among the persons under the scanner were a husband and wife with six-month-old infant. Officials said they now feared that fanatical mothers ready to sacrifice themselves along with their infants had joined secret al Qaeda cells in Britain. This was the reason why authorities made it mandatory for mothers to drink from their babies' bottles before being allowed to board flight during last week's massive alert, they said. Officials said they now feared that there might be up to two dozen terror cells active in Britain. "Al-Qaeda specialises in attempting the unexpected. What could be more unexpected in Western eyes than women willing to die with their babies?" another official added.

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