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Cabinet clears OBC quota Bill

     New Delhi: The Union Cabinet late on Monday evening cleared the Other Backward Class (OBC) reservation Bill that seeks to provide 27 percent reservation for OBC students in the Government aided higher educational institutes. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Priyaranjan Das Munshi told reporters outside South block, the meeting venue of the Cabinet that the decision to pass the Bill was taken after deliberations lasting two and half hours. He said, "Union Cabinet today cleared the Bill that would provide reservation to Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribes and Other Backward Class students in the Central Educational Institutes and Universities deemed as Central and Government aided one". The Bill cleared by the Cabinet provides scope for a staggered implementation of the reservation and have limited it to only Government aided institutions like Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) for the time being, apart from all central universities.

    However, the Bill is silent on the "creamy layer", the privileged section among the OBC, but there are television reports that the creamy layer may be kept out of the reservation scope. The Bill would be tabled in the present session of the Parliament, which ends on August 25. The decision to go for a staggered approach is in sync to the Veerappa Moily Oversight committee's interim report that also called for applying the reservation in a phase-wise manner. The committee had sighted academic, financial and physical limitations to introduce the quota in one go. Meanwhile, the final report of the Oversight Committee is expected to be submitted by August 31, enabling the Government to implement reservations in higher education institutions in a phased manner. The Bill would make the implementation of the said reservation to begin from the next academic session 2007-08. The Oversight Committee has stated that Rs 16000 crore would be required immediately to enable Government-aided institutions to upgrade their infrastructure to implement the quota. The up-gradation will be done as the number of seats has to be increased in these institutions so as it does not affect the general category seats. The Bill has been revised and split into two parts segregating aided and unaided institutions and excludes specialized courses or programmes at the post-doctoral level from the ambit of the quota. The Bill also makes a case for exemption of two categories of institutions: minority institutions and institutions in tribal regions.

Ten pilgrims killed in Andhra bus mishap (Go To Top)

     Puttur (Hyderabad): At least ten pilgrims were killed when the bus in which they were travelling collided with a truck here on Sunday. The bus carrying 55 passengers was on its way to Tirupati. The bus rammed headlong into the truck carrying iron ore, killing ten people on the spot and injuring 14 others. "The Tamil Nadu tourism bus was on its way to Tirupati when it was hit by a lorry. Ten pilgrims are dead and 14 have been injured. The injured have been shifted to the Puttor Government hospital. It seems that it was due to the bus driver negligence that the accident took place," J. Subbanna, sub-Inspector of Puttur police said. The injured have been admitted to the nearby hospital. All the passengers were from Tamil Nadu.

Milk drinking idols resurface again (Go To Top)

      Bareilly (UP)/ Indore (MP): Deities are reported to be sipping traditional milk offerings again, convincing Hindu faithful to flock to temples with cups, bowls and sachets of milk. Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh was the first to report the phenomenon, when a Hindu devout was seen offering milk to the Goddess Durga. Reports of the event spread like wildfire, and in no time, devotees made a beeline for temples in various towns to give their offerings. In Kanpur devotees offered milk to the statues of Lord Ganesha and also Lord Shiva. "I felt very nice. I offered milk to Lord Ganesha and Lord Shiva and other idols. I am really excited," Rajani, a devotee, said. In Agra city scores of devout gathered in temples to offer milk to the idols of gods and goddess. "I came with my family to offer milk...Yes, the idols drank milk it's a miracle," said Sunil Gupta a local. The phenomenon was also reported in Indore. In a similar occurrence in 1995, idols of Lord Ganesha reportedly sucked milk through its trunk or snout. Several temples have reported unending queues of barefoot worshippers coming to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha - the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Scientists have, however, brushed aside the claims of the devotees saying it was people's belief and that the incident had no scientific background. "Few years ago, a similar incident took place. When scientist analysed the incident, it was found that it was more of people's belief. There was no scientific background. In most temples, where the idols were of marble or metal people thought the idols were drinking milk. But, in actual, the marble idols being white in colour people did not notice the milk ran down the idol. The milk also ran down due to the position of the idol. Later it was found that the milk accumulated behind the idols," said Indra Mehrotra, a Professor of Physics in Allahabad University. In 1995 many government and private offices reported thin attendance in New Delhi as most of the employees went out to offer milk to the gods after being informed of the miracle. There was acute shortage of milk and as a result prices of milk touched the roof.

Seven Dalit women gangraped in Bihar (Go To Top)

      Ramnagar (Bihar): At least seven women belonging to the underprivileged Dalit class were beaten and gangraped in Ramnagar village in Bihar's Lakhisarai District, and what is most bizarre, is the refusal of the district police to file a case in connection with the crime. Delayed information from the remote village said that the gangrape took place on the night of August 6, when the women were sleeping in their respective homes. Bihar State Women's Commission sources claimed that the women were raped by fellow villagers because they had refused to cast their votes in favour of a particular candidate. According to the women and the State Women's Commission, the police showed the least interest in registering a complaint or a desire to nab the culprits. It was only then that the State Women's Commission was approached.

     On an average, one woman is raped every six hours in Bihar, according to crime statistics. Like most offences, CAW is steadily on the rise in India. Of the total crimes reported in the country seven per cent constitute CAW. The all-India rate, number of crimes per 100, 000 population reported to the police, was 13.8 during 1999. This may not be alarming at first sight but the point is many crimes are not reported.

SC refuses to cancel Lalu, Rabri bail (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to cancel the bails of RJD Chief and Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi in disproportionate assets case and fodder scam. The Bench observed that no ground was made out by the petitioners for the cancellation of their bail. The three judge Bench comprising of Justices K.G. Balakrishnan, A.R. Lakshmanan and S.H. Kapadia also dismissed the two public interest litigations (PILs) filed by senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi and JD (U) leader Rajeev Ranjan Singh 'Lallan'. The petitioners have also challenged the quashing of income tax cases against Lalu and Rabri Devi and have sought the change of the Special Judge in Patna trying the case. The majority judgement delivered by Justice K G Balakrishnan and A R Lakshmanan said that the PIL was not maintainable, while, Justice S H Kapadia, in a dissenting judgement said that the PIL was maintainable.

SC notice to centre on docs' salaries (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday asked the Central Government to provide an explanation over the delay in the release of salaries of doctors who had participated in a recent anti-quota stir in Delhi. The apex court said the explanation should be provided to it within two weeks. A bench comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice L.S.Panta had passed an order that the protesting doctors should be given their salaries from May 14-30, 2006 as per the Supreme Court's directive to the government. The apex court had taken a strong exception to the Government's decision not to release the salaries of the protesting doctors and condemned the Centre's action. It had also assured the medicos that no punitive action would be taken against them by the Government.

Kerosene stink in Rajya Sabha  (Go To Top)
by Pankaj Yadav

      New Delhi: Though the countrymen witnesses frequent adjournments in the Parliament due to pandemonium caused by the members, today the Upper House had to be adjourned for a different reason - kerosene-like smell emanating in the House. Perhaps this was the first occasion in the history of Parliament of India that either of the two Houses had to be adjourned due to a funny reason like this. According to sources at the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, one of the employees manning the airconditioning system of the Upper House had by mistake poured kerosene instead of room-freshener inside the AC system. As a result, the foul smell soon reached the House through the AC ducts. After the members complained of the foul smell and burning feeling in their eyes, RS Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat first adjourned the House for 10 minutes till noon, then again for half-an-hour, and finally till 2.00 p.m. "There is a smell of kerosene," said Union Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Choudhury while replying to a question on anganwadi workers. Shekhawat tried to calm down the members saying "it (the smell) has become less and now I think it is alright". But, when the members complained again, Shekhawat asked the marshals to find out reasons for the smell, and adjourned the House first for ten minutes. Soon after, the parliament staff was seen spraying perfume in the House to offset the smell. It was not known if the stink posed the question of security threat on the members minds!

Two Asians offloaded from plane (Go To Top)

      London: Following yesterday's incident whereby two Asians were kicked off a jet because other passengers (mis)took them as terrorists, a Muslim MP here has pleaded for people to calm down and stop engaging in hysteria. Khalid Mahmood, an MP from Birmingham's Perry Barr, dismissed the incident as 'hugely irrational'. "People need to get their senses back into order. You can't just treat anybody of Asian appearance like a terrorist. I understand there is a huge tension and anxiety but people just need to calm down. Hysteria doesn't do anybody any good," The Sun quoted Mahmood as saying. The two men were ordered off a Monarch Airlines Airbus A320 by armed police after other passengers told the cabin crew that they feared for their safety. The pilot refused to take off until they were escorted from the plane, and the men were put up in a hotel and left on a later plane. The duo wore leather jackets and jumpers despite the heat and repeatedly checked their watches.

Rauf confesses to having Qaeda links (Go To Top)

      Islamabad: Rashid Rauf, a key mastermind behind the alleged plot to blow as many as ten US-bound passenger flights taking off from Britain, is said to have confessed to having links with al Qaeda. Pakistan Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao told this to journalists last evening in Islamabad, and added that investigators were further questioning the terror suspect to extract more information from him. Rauf, a British national of Pakistani origin, was arrested a few days before the plot was foiled by the UK intelligence agencies. Arrested in Bahawalpur, Rauf has been described by Islamabad as a "key person" in the alleged conspiracy. Sherpao said that the British investigating team had arrived in Pakistan to look at the "legal side" of Rauf's capture. "They are not involved in the investigation," he said without elaborating.

Laden's lust for Whitney Houston (Go To Top)

       New York: Al Qaeda chief and the world's most dreaded terrorist, Osama bin Laden had a crush on singer-cum- actress Whitney Houston and wanted to make her his wife after killing her husband Bobby Brown. Sudanese poet and novelist Kola Boof (37), who claims to have once been bin Laden's sex slave, writes this in her autobiography - "Diary of a Lost Girl". "He told me Whitney Houston was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He would say how beautiful she is..........what a nice smile she has, how truly Islamic she is but is just brainwashed by American culture and by her husband - Bobby Brown," Page Six quoted her as saying.

Inzi and Hair's dressing room spat (Go To Top)

     London: Last evening, before the fourth Test between Pakistan and England was called off at The Oval, Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq had a spat with Aussie umpire Darrell Hair inside the Pakistani dress room, where the umpires had come to inquire whether the visiting team agree to continue the game. "The umpires came into our dressing room and Hair asked Inzamam - 'Are you going out?'....... Inzy replied - 'Why did you change the ball?'........Hair said 'I'm not here to answer that question'," The Sun quoted Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer as saying. Woolmer was present in the dressing room when the war of words took place between the duo. According to the paper, Hair and his fellow umpire Billy Doctrove accused Inzamam-ul-Haq's team of ball-tampering, leading to Pakistan forfeiting the Test and England winning the series 3-0. The umpires sparked fury when they refused to resume the match despite both teams, governing bodies and match referee Mike Procter wanting to continue on today's scheduled final day. The row started before tea when Hair awarded five penalty runs to England after accusing the tourists of interfering with the ball - which was then changed. Later, Pakistan twice refused to take to the field after a break, so Hair and Doctrove removed the bails and awarded the match to England. After 30 minutes of frantic negotiations, Pakistan did go back - but the umpires refused to continue, ending in the final session being lost.

'Awarded' Test creates cricket history (Go To Top)

       London: After lengthy discussions, world cricket governing body the ECB, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and the ICC, jointly announced today that the fourth Test between Pakistan and England which was called off yesterday, has been awarded to the hosts as per the cricket rule book. The decision is said to be unprecedented in the 129-year-history of Test cricket. "It was concluded with regret that there will be no play on the fifth day of the fourth Test on Monday. After lengthy negotiations which resulted in agreement between the teams the ICC match referee (Mike Procter) and both ECB and PCB to seek to resume the fourth Test match on Monday it was concluded with regret there will be no play. The fourth Test match has therefore been forfeited with the match being awarded to England. In accordance with the Laws of Cricket it was noted that the umpires had acted correctly, deemed that Pakistan had forfeited the match and awarded the Test to England," said the joint statement issued by the three authorities. The joint statement said that while both the teams and their cricket boards were happy for the match to progress, the umpires - Australia's Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove of the West Indies - were not. "The Pakistan team was aggrieved by the award of five penalty runs to England. The award of those penalty runs for alleged interference with the ball is under review by the ICC match referee Mike Procter, whose report will be considered in due course," the statement said adding: "ICC will be issuing a separate report concerning action which may be taken in relation to the forfeiture of the match by Pakistan." The statement further said: "At a meeting between the captains, ECB, PCB and ICC match referee, the players, ICC match referee and boards indicated that they would offer to resume play if at all possible on day five. The umpires having awarded the match to England and having consulted with the Pakistan captain (Inzamam- ul-Haq) reconfirmed their decision to award the match to England." Already 2-0 up in the four-match series, England have now won it 3-0.

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