Bharat Bandh: Samajwadi Party workers stop trains in Allahabad

Heat and sweat: Story of powerless India

The whole country is reeling under scorching heat and the temperatures have shot well past 40 degree Celsius. And long hours of power cuts are adding to the misery.

SRK faces life ban at Wankhede

SRK has been banned for life from entering the Wankhede Stadium after an altercation with security guards at the stadium. The King says he was provoked and that he won't apologise.

Petrol pricier by Rs. 6.28 plus taxes, Mamata upset but won't quit UPA

Starting at 24 May 2012, petrol will cost Rs. 6.28 more per litre, exclusive of taxes, effective midnight. This is the steepest hike ever for petrol in India, and prompted calls for a rollback from leaders who are key to the government's survival - Mamata Banerjee, M Karunanidhi and Mulayam Singh Yadav.

I was angry but not drunk: Shah Rukh on Wankhede Stadium brawl

Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood actor and Kolkata Knight Riders team owner, speaks on his last night's scuffle with the security personnel at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Water wars in Maharashtra

Now divisions in Maharashtra over water sharing between two regions that are both reeling under scarcity of water. The issue has become political as the NCP is opposing the Congress' decision to release water to Western Maharashtra which is considered the stronghold of the Congress.

Mumbai's Monorail: Answer to commuters' problems?

It is Mumbai's brand new infrastructure project to improve and refurbish the city's mass rapid transport systems. The Mumbai Monorail will augment local railway services and is expected to offer faster connectivity and link up the existing Central, Western and Harbour lines. The project will connect Jacob's Circle in town to suburban Chembur, a distance of over 20 kilometres.

Karnataka college bans burqa from classrooms

Taliban at India's doorstep: Alarmist or wake-up call?

India to build its own stealth fighter jet

Woman beaten by cops after trying to disrupt Sonia's rally in Karnataka

A woman was beaten up by police today for showing black flag to the Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Tumkur, during the birthday celebration of Siddaganga Math head. A young woman tried to disrupt Mrs Gandhi's speech during the ceremony. As she began her speech, the woman, seated among the audience, suddenly rose and waved a black flag demanding Scheduled Caste (SC) status for her community Madiga Dandora. The police immediately swung into action and beat her up. She was then take away from the venue even as some of her supporters shouted slogans.

Growing awareness increases demand for organic foods

Growing awareness over pesticides and their ill effects is pushing consumers to slightly costly yet healthy organic foods.

Alarmed that names can be planted: Amitabh Bachchan to NDTV on clean-chi...

India is planning to develop its own 90-Seater Civilian Aircraft

India is working on developing its own 90-seater civilian aircraft with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) saying “the strategy for its production has already been evolved” with the design “planned to have unique features like enhanced fuel efficiency, use of bio fuel with low carbon footprint, short to long range haul, shorter air strip requirement and ultra modern avionics”. A design bureau has been set up to undertake indigenous design and development of the plane, called the National Civil Aircraft (NCA-90). A total of seven prototypes are proposed to be developed by CSIR along with the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) “to prove the design and demonstrate compliance with respect to airworthiness requirements and certification”. The Planning Commission says the aircraft will be tailored to suit market requirements and will have attractive operating economics. It estimates that “The design and development of the aircraft would cost Rs 4,355 Crore. The estimated series production cost would be another Rs 3,200 crore”. Confirming this, Dr Sudeep Kumar, head of CSIR’s planning and performance division, said, “We have set up two separate committees - one for joint venture development that is looking for a corporate group or groups who will join us in developing the aircraft from scratch and then will commercially produce it. The second committee is a technical one which is overlooking the entire project of developing the aircraft.” Dr Kumar added, “The council has already had talks with the Tata group and will soon meet with Mahindra Aerospace to look for partnership.” Bangalore-based NAL had earlier developed India’s first multi purpose 14-seater civilian aircraft Saras. But on March 6, 2009, two IAF test pilots along with a flight test engineer were killed when the second prototype crashed 30 km from Bangalore. “Saras was 14-seater while NCA is 90-seater. NCA will also be a state-of-the-art machine. We have been asked by the Planning Commission to move a Cabinet note,” Dr Kumar said. According to the CSIR, most developed countries have their own national aircraft. “It is a niche technology. No country wants to share it with others. India has its desired expertise through NAL to develop its very own national civilian aircraft,” Dr Kumar said. Developing the NCA-90, officials say, will not only put India as part of this elite group but will also develop the ancillary industry.

SRK detained at US airport, jokes about it in Yale speech

Shah Rukh Khan, who was in the US to speak at Yale University, was stopped and questioned at a New York airport for two hours. When he finally made it to Yale, he joked about the detention in his speech saying that whenever he starts feeling "too arrogant about (myself) I take a trip to America."

Cartoon row: I was held for hours, attackers freed quickly, says professor

Chennai set to get a second airport

Ra.One animator hit by drunk driver, battles for life

A night out on the weekend ended in disaster for two siblings, with one of them in critical condition, as a speeding car rammed the auto rickshaw they were travelling in at Oshiwara at around 1 am on Sunday. Charu Khandal, who works as an animator in a production house, was on her way home after having dinner at Juhu with her sister Ritu Khandal, and friend Vikrant Goel, when the mishap occurred at an intersection in Oshiwara.

Tibetan protester sets himself on fire ahead of China President's visit ...

Verdict 2012 Deciphered (5 Indian States Election 2012)

Verdict 2012 Deciphered (5 Indian States Election 2012)

How the Mandate can Change Equations (5 Indian States Election 2012)

How the Mandate can Change Equations (5 Indian States Election 2012)

Supreme Court directed Indian Government to implement Interlinking of Rivers Project

The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to implement the ambitious interlinking of rivers project in a time-bound manner and appointed a high-powered committee for its planning and implementation. Observing that the project has already been delayed resulting in an increase in its cost, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia said the Centre and the state governments concerned should participate for its “effective” implementation “in a time bound manner”. The bench appointed a high-powered committee comprising of representatives of various government departments, ministries, experts and social activists to chart out and execute the project. The committee will comprise Union minister of water resources, the ministry secretary, secretary of ministry of environment and forest and four expert members appointed by the water resources ministry, finance ministry, planning commission and MoEF. Representatives from state governments, two social activists and senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, who has been assisting the court in the case, will also be its members. “We direct the Union of India to forthwith constitute a committee for interlinking of rivers,” the bench said, adding “we direct the committee to implement the project”. The river interlinking project was the brainchild of the NDA government and in October, 2002, the then PM AB Vajpayee had formed a task force to get the project going against the backdrop of the acute drought that year.

What is Anti-Terror Hub?

What is Anti-Terror Hub?

NCTC would not Operational before Consulting States : P Chidambaram

Union home minister P Chidambaram reached out to 10 chief ministers, saying the government would not operationalize the National Counter-Terrorism Centre before consulting the directors general of police and heads of anti-terror wings in the states. Chidambaram argued that the NCTC would have “bare minimum powers” essential for any counter-terror body to have “operational capability” in “certain circumstances”. The states, however, appeared unmoved. There are also indications that chief ministers are not impressed by the idea of being kept out of consultations on an issue which concerned the division of responsibilities between the Centre and states as laid down in the Constitution. Chidambaram also enclosed a three-page note with his letter to the non-Congress chief ministers, explaining finer points of the existing law-Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act - from which the NCTC draws its power to make arrest and conduct search and seizure. Requesting the chief ministers “to carefully consider the note”, he said, “Before we take the next steps, I have asked the home secretary to call a meeting of directors general of police and the heads of anti-terror organizations/forces of the state governments and discuss in detail the scope and functions of the NCTC.” The home minister, at the same time, reminded the chief ministers that the matter (countering terror) was of national importance and should be kept above “parties and politics”. “All of us are agreed that terrorism is a grave threat to our country and our way to life. Countering terrorism is, therefore, a shared responsibility,” he said in his letters to the chief ministers including West Bengal (Mamata Banerjee), Gujarat (Narendra Modi) and Tamil Nadu (J Jayalalitha). Though he has not specified any date for this meeting, indications are that the ministry will try to do the consultation before March 1-the day when NCTC is scheduled to get operational.

PM shown black flags by Anna supporters in Amritsar

The New Year does not have seem to begun on a very good note for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as he faced black flag demonstrations on 1 January 2012 at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The incident occurred early this morning when the PM, along with his wife Gursharan Kaur, was coming out of the temple after offering prayers. Around 30-40 pro-Anna Hazare demonstrators gathered outside the temple began shouting slogans and waved black flags.