Two-wheeler ban likely at Ganesh immersion sites

Mumbai:  The Maharashtra government may ban the plying of two-wheelers during the Ganesh immersion ceremonies next Sunday at major sites in Mumbai and the rest of the state, Home Minister R.R. Patil indicated on Thursday.

Fake CBI officer who cheated Bollywood celebs arrested

Ashwini Kumar (left) and Rajesh Ranjan (right)

Mumbai:  Around 25 kg of gold jewellery was seized from a locker owned by one of the two people who were arrested last month for cheating several businessmen and Bollywood personalities by posing as CBI officers, an officer said on Friday.

Rs 2-crore flower sent anonymously for Dagdushet Ganesh

Pune:  The 118-year-old Shrimant Dagdushet Halwai Ganapati Mandal is richer by Rs. 2 crore. An anonymous devotee has gifted a platinum sunflower to its idol this year.

"We have received a unique platinum sunflower with gold plating and a crust of diamonds in the middle. It probably weighs over a kg," said Ashok Godse, president of the mandal.

Rs 2-crore flower sent anonymously for Dagdushet Ganesh

Pune:  The 118-year-old Shrimant Dagdushet Halwai Ganapati Mandal is richer by Rs. 2 crore. An anonymous devotee has gifted a platinum sunflower to its idol this year.

"We have received a unique platinum sunflower with gold plating and a crust of diamonds in the middle. It probably weighs over a kg," said Ashok Godse, president of the mandal.

Freaky Friday; rain grounds Delhi; massive jams

New Delhi:  It was a Freaky Friday for Delhi as the city woke up to non-stop rain.  By noon, Delhi had recorded 91 mm of rainfall. The city usually gets 128 mm of rain in the entire month of September. In real-life terms, the city was stuck in knee-deep water or worse in several parts. Cars stranded were a common sight; at many places like GK1, those who lived in houses came out onto the streets, holding umbrellas to guide hapless drivers. 

20-year-old kills to pay for his education

New Delhi:  A 20-year-old undergraduate was arrested for allegedly committing a murder to fund his education, police said on Friday.

Mohammad Asif, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Meerut and pursuing graduation in science in Delhi, was arrested on September 6 from Anand Vihar bus terminal for the murder of an insurance agent.

Missing govt employee found hanging from tree

Lucknow:  A missing Uttar Pradesh government employee was found hanging from a tree in Khurramnagar area here, police said on Tuesday.

15-year-old set on fire for rejecting marriage proposal

Lucknow:  A 15-year-old girl was set on fire by two men in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday night.

The teenager's parents had called off her wedding to one of the men, identified as Satish, after she refused to marry him. 

Three class 9 students arrested for murdering junior

Lucknow:  Three Class 9 students in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur district have been arrested for killing a Class 7 schoolmate after a verbal duel, police said Friday.

Atul, 13, was allegedly strangled to death by the three, who were arrested on Thursday. After the killing on August 27, the three dumped Atul in a pond in Sariya village from which his body was recovered two days later.

UP gangster gunned down in Allahabad

Lucknow:  A gangster carrying a reward of Rs. 50,000 for his capture was gunned down in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad district on Wednesday, police said.

Sanjay Yadav, wanted in 14 criminal cases, including murder and abduction, was shot dead during a gun battle with the Special Task Force (STF) and the district police in Naini area. However, his accomplice managed to escape.

Criminal lynched in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow:  A criminal was lynched by a mob in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district after being caught sneaking into a house, police said on Friday.

Metro to keep its date with Bangalore?

Bangalore:  Under fire for their flip-flops over the inauguration date of the much-awaited Bangalore Metro service, the wary BMRCL authorities have now got a reason to smile. The Prime Minister's office claimed that the Bangalore Metro inauguration might happen much sooner than the set deadline.

Bangalore Metro gets poor reviews from senior citizens

Bangalore:  The Metro has been literally engineered to be 'inhospitable' and 'unfriendly' to its commuters, alleged senior citizens' forums, underlining that the upcoming mass transit system has neither built-in any seating arrangements nor any medical facility on the station premises.

Man brutally murdered after tiff with colleague

The accused in police custody on Tuesday

Bangalore:  A 21-year-old man was abducted and brutally murdered on the outskirts of the city after a row with a fellow cab driver went to extremes. Main accused Jayaram, along with cousins Pradeep (24) and Venkatesh (19), abducted Anand, took him to the outskirts in a cab and killed him on August 28.

Devotees unhappy with crown donated by Reddy

Bangalore:  While former Karnataka tourism and infrastructure minister G Janardhana Reddy is cooling his heels in jail, the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams is facing a different problem. Irked after Janardhana was arrested by the CBI on charges of illegal mining yesterday, devotees are urging the trust to return 30 kg diamond-studded crown worth Rs 45 crore donated by him in 2009.

Firecracker blast causes panic in Bangalore

Bangalore:  A loud explosion from a dustbin containing firecrackers late Friday caused panic in the Mavalli area in the southern suburbs of Bangalore, forcing the police to rush to the spot with a bomb detection squad, a senior police officer said.

Pakistan bans bin Laden home visits ahead of 9/11

Islamabad:  Pakistan is preventing foreign journalists and other visitors from getting close to the house of slain Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden ahead of the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Somalis slowly return to ruined homes in capital

Mogadishu:  Abdinur Isse stepped gingerly over the bat droppings, pushed aside the thorn bushes and walked into his roofless, burned-out home.

"We are starting from zero," 51-year-old Isse said, staring at the smashed concrete, cinder blocks, corrugated iron and other rubble in the long-abandoned dwelling where his family once lived.

Interpol issues arrest notice for Gaddafi, son

Lyon:  World police body Interpol has called for the arrest of fugitive former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for his alleged crimes against humanity, following a request by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Interpol said it had issued a "red notice" for the arrest of Gaddafi, his son Seif al-Islam and his intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, one day after ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked for the agency's help.

Captured giant crocodile not eating, checked for stress

Manila, Philippines:  A 20-foot (6.1-meter) saltwater crocodile that may be the world's largest in captivity has not eaten for six days since its capture in a southern Philippine creek drew worldwide attention.

Russian air crash probe: Engines running til the end

Moscow:  All three engines on a Russian jet that slammed into a riverbank were operating up until the moment of the crash and the plane's stabilizer and flaps were in a proper position for takeoff, Russian experts said on Friday.

Oil workers missing off stormy Mexico coast

Villahermosa, Mexico:  Mexico's state oil company and a Texas-based company searched for 10 missing oil workers on Friday, including four Americans, who were evacuated from a research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Tropical Storm Nate.

Twitter to launch Hindi services

New York:  There is good news for Twitter fans in India, as the popular micro-blogging site is all set to launch services in Hindi in the coming weeks.

Twitter, which came into existence five years ago, now boasts of 100 million active users worldwide.

Jharkhand govt recommends CBI probe into land scam

Jamshedpur:  Jharkhand government has recommended CBI probe into the recently unearthed Rs 1000 crore land scam in Deogarh district.

"We have forwarded the recommendation to the Union government for necessary action," Jharkhand Home Secretary J B Tubid said.

Air India plane forced to land under emergency conditions

Kolk:  An Air India plane from Guwahati, landed under emergency conditions at Kolkata's NSCB International airport here on Friday due to a technical snag. The plane had 105 people on board, 

Airport sources said while preparing for routine landing, the pilot of AI 730 found there was a snag in the front wheel and immediately alerted the air traffic control.

Ishrat case: Investigators get more time to submit report

Ahmedabad:  Gujarat High Court has given the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Ishrat Jahan case about a month's time to submit the final report.

At the last hearing, High Court had asked the SIT to try and complete the investigation and submit the final report by September 8, giving a finding whether the encounter was fake or not.