Mayawati vs Assange: The story so far

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati lashed out at WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying he is either insane or being used as a tool of her opponents for releasing US Embassy cables that describe her as megalomaniac and corrupt.

Janardhana Reddy, Bellary’s ‘robber baron’

Gaali Janardhana Reddy, the fabulously rich mining baron arrested by the CBI in Bellary today, began life as the son of a police constable. Now in custody, he is considered the face of the mining mafia in Karnataka.

Infosys poaches Wipro’s visa expert: Report

IT bellwether Infosys Technologies appears to be quietly setting its house in order to tackle the visa row. According to an Economics Times report, the IT major has hired Vasudev Nayak, the former head of the overseas operations cell at Wipro, in place of Eshan Joshi, an associate vice-president at Infosys' human resources division and head of its immigration department.

Make Your Home A Vibrant Space

IN AN ideal world, a home should be a labour of love, a sanctuary you come back to after a hectic day of  facing the world. Unfortunately, most of us live in structures of brick and mortar that really cannot be called homes. The love, warmth and joy that characterises a home has gone missing in our fast-paced life.

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Blast outside Delhi High Court

10: 53 am: Blast happened at 10:17 am: Police

The blast happened in the area where people wait for passes to enter the court premises.

10: 46: Bomb could have been placed in a briefcase: Police

A police officer at the blast area say there is a possibility that the bomb could have been placed in a briefcase. Delhi police have asked people to clear the High Court area. The injured have been taken to Safdurjung hospital and RML hospital.

Sushma vs Digvijaya on those troublesome Reddy bros

New Delhi:  The arrest of Janardhana Reddy - one among the trio of powerful Reddy brothers of Bellary - has sparked off a political war of words between the two major parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). (Read: Who is Janardhana Reddy?)

Mamata in a sulk, government reconsiders Teesta water treaty

New Delhi:  With a sulking West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee deciding to opt out of the Bangladesh trip with the Prime Minister, the government has got into damage control mode.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on late Monday night called West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and assured her that nothing will be done on the contentious Teesta river treaty that was to be inked during the PM's visit to Dhaka from September 6-7.

From Sept 27, stop telemarketing calls, texts. Here's how.

New Delhi:  Millions of telecom subscribers (mobile and landline) will finally get relief from unwanted calls and SMSes from September 27. All those subscribers who have registered with the National Customer Preference Registry (earlier known as 'Do Not Call Registry') will be protected from all commercial communications, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said. 

Who is Janardhana Reddy?

Bangalore:  He is the middle brother of the three Reddys - the billionaire barons whose influence and clout in Karnataka's Bellary is legend. It is Gali Janardhana Reddy's enterprise and ambition that is said to have propelled the trio, and their constant aide Sriramulu, to dizzying heights of wealth and power.  

Anna effect: Agra Police say no to bribe

Agra:  Inspired by Anna Hazare's iconic campaign against corruption Agra Police have launched an honesty drive - a collective vow against bribery. The police organised a function at police parade ground a week ago led by DIG Asim Arun.

Veg curry for dinner for Janardhana in jail

Hyderabad:  Mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy, one of India's richest politicians, spent his first night at the Chanchalguda Central Jail like an ordinary prisoner, sleeping on the floor with other under trials, an official said on Tuesday.

Prime Minister assures Mamata before Dhaka trip

New Delhi:  Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh arrived in Dhaka today. But the run up to his high-profile Bangladesh trip has been jittery with Mamata Banerjee pulling out.

And hours before leaving for Bangladesh, the Prime Minister assured Mamata Banerjee that "nothing will be done that will harm Bengal's interests".

Obama, Sonia, Rahul photos found at Maoist camp

Raipur:  US President Barack Obama, President Pratibha Patil, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul are amongst the several leaders whose photographs were found in a deserted Maoist camp in Chhattisgarh, police officials said on Tuesday.

Janardhana Reddy in jail, Gadkari meets Karnataka Chief Minister

Hyderabad:  The BJP's last Karnataka crisis had only just settled and party chief Nitin Gadkari has had to summon new Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda to Nagpur to discuss the fallout of the arrest of G Janardhana Reddy, one of the three powerful Reddy brothers of Bellary, all prominent BJP leaders in the state.

Gujarat Lokayukta row: Advani meets Pranab

New Delhi:  In an attempt to resolve the ongoing war between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal over the appointment of the state Lokayukta, a BJP delegation led by L K Advani met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today.

Cash-for-votes scam: Amar Singh shows up in court after all

New Delhi:  After a judge seemed unconvinced that Amar Singh was too sick to make it to court, the politician obeyed a court summons. Mr Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP, was seen briefly at a Delhi court this afternoon. Later today, he will find out if he has been granted bail.

Essar rejects WikiLeaks' allegations of paying Maoists protection money

Washington:  The Ruias-led Essar Group has rejected the allegations made by WikiLeaks that it paid protection money to Maoists in Chhattisgarh, saying it is a law abiding corporate.

"Essar is a law abiding corporate. We don't think it is appropriate or necessary to react to baseless and unfounded allegations," an Essar spokesperson said in a statement.

Not possible to quantify 2G losses, says TRAI

New Delhi:  More heartburn for the CBI in the 2G scam case. The country's main regulatory body for Telecom is standing by a letter it sent to the investigating agency saying that it's not possible to quantify the losses caused by the controversial allotment of licenses in 2008 by former Telecom Minister and jailed DMK leader A Raja. 

Want assurance from India on Teesta treaty: Bangladesh

Dhaka:  Bangladesh has said that it wants an assurance from India on the Teesta water treaty. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is in Dhaka and several agreements are on the cards.

Dark clouds started appearing on the Teesta treaty when, ahead of Dr Singh's visit, Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee raised her objection over the water sharing pact. Sulking, she even cancelled her trip with the Prime Minister to Bangladesh.

MiG-21 crashes, pilot ejects safely

Chandigarh:  A MiG-21 'Bison' fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force today crashed near Shambu in Punjab's Patiala district even as the pilot bailed out safely.

The plane had taken off from Ambala on a routine training sortie and crashed at 1047 hrs, an IAF spokesman said in Delhi.

Sonia Gandhi likely to return today from US

New Delhi:  Sources in the Congress party say Sonia Gandhi is expected to return to Delhi today. However, it is not clear when she will return to work, or be seen at Parliament - the current session ends on September 8.

Assange belongs in mental asylum, says angry Mayawati

Lucknow:  The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has said that either Julian Assange is mentally ill, or he is being used by Opposition parties to target her via WikiLeaks.

"We can make room for him in the Agra mental asylum," said Ms Mayawati, at a press conference today.

Assange belongs in mental asylum, says angry Mayawati

Lucknow:  The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has said that either Julian Assange is mentally ill, or he is being used by Opposition parties to target her via WikiLeaks.

"We can make room for him in the Agra mental asylum," said Ms Mayawati, at a press conference today.