Paying for her crime by teaching behind bars
By Asit Srivastava

Naugarh (Uttar Pradesh), Sep 2 (IANS) Call it an act of atonement. A woman who is in jail in Uttar Pradesh for torturing her daughter-in-law has donned the role of a teacher for fellow prisoners and their children.

Famous as 'masterni', 45-year-old Urmila Devi is in a prison here in Siddharthnagar district, some 300 km from Lucknow, serving a sentence of three years. But she is spreading literacy behind the bars.

"Urmila is a ... Read More

Worried families of abducted policemen pray for release
Patna, Sep 2 (IANS) The families of four Bihar policemen abducted by Maoists are worried and helpless as the deadline for releasing eight jailed commanders expires 10 a.m Thursday, failing which they have threatened to kill those in captivity.

Maoists abducted the policemen during a six-hour-long gunfight in Lakhisarai district Sunday. The gun battle left seven policemen killed and 10 injured.

Maoists claimed that the gunfight was in retaliation to the staged shootout in which ... Read More

Now Haryana judge decides 148 cases on single day
Kaithal (Haryana), Sep 2 (IANS) A judge in this Haryana town created a record of sorts when he settled 148 cases in a single day, close on the heels of a peer in Andhra Pradesh hogging the headlines for deciding 111 cases in one day.

This time it was Additional District and Sessions Judge A.K. Shori's turn, who is known for speedy trials. He set the benchmark Wednesday in a development that comes in the backdrop ... Read More

Communal clash during Janmashtami function, eight injured
Ranchi, Sep 2 (IANS) Eight people, including two policemen, were injured in a communal clash at a function organised for Janmashtami here, police said Thursday.

The clash took place at Hindpiri colony late Wednesday over loudspeakers being used on the occasion of Janmashtami - the birth of the Hindu god Krishna. Some Muslims opposed the loudspeaker being used at Tarabi, the prayer offered during Ramadan in the evening.

Members of both the communities accused each other ... Read More

Vitamin A controversy: Seven Haryana students hospitalised again
Sirsa (Haryana), Sep 2 (IANS) The controversy over nearly 100 girls taking ill in a Haryana town after being administered a Vitamin A dose in school raised its head again when seven of them had to be re-admitted to hospital.

The girls of Government Middle School, Kalanwali town here, were hospitalised for a second time Wednesday.

They were among nearly 100 girls who complained of stomach ache, vomiting and uneasiness Aug 27 after being given ... Read More

Delhiites throng temples on Janmashtami
New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Men, women and children of all ages Thursday thronged temples that were decked up in bright coloured lights, decorations and flowers across Delhi for Janmashtami which celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. Despite the hot and humid weather, crowds were large.

The main Janmashtami celebrations in the city take place at the Lakshmi Narayan temple, better known as Birla Mandir, in central Delhi, the ISKCON temple in East of ... Read More

No government plans to revive vaccine units, says MPs panel
Shimla, Sep 2 (IANS) The central government has no roadmap to revive the three state-run vaccine producing plants in the country, shut in January 2008, a parliamentary panel has concluded.

In its report tabled in the Lok Sabha during its monsoon session last month, the panel said the sequence of events since the licences of the three units were revoked in January 2008 "clearly shows that their revival is not envisaged by the government in future". ... Read More

Drum beats wake up Mumbai, Govindas seek pot of luck
Mumbai, Sep 2 (IANS) Mumbaikars woke up to beating of drums on Janmashtami Thursday as Govindas got together at their venues to strategise and form human pyramids to reach 'dahi handis' -- or pots of curd and luck -- suspended high.

With huge prize money at stake, Govindas in Panchpakhadi area of Thane aimed to break the Spanish team's world record of a nine-layer pyramid, and planned to make a 10-tier pyramid for the dahi handi ... Read More

Joyous mood sweeps Braj bhoomi on Janmashtami
Mathura, Sep 2 (IANS) Temples across Braj Mandal, a large swathe of area around Mathura, are bustling with joy and fervour, celebrating Janmashtami -- the birthday of Lord Krishna. -- who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

The confusion created by two Janamashtmi dates notwithstanding, the festivities in Vrindavan and Mathura reached dizzy heights with more than a lakh pilgrims doing rounds of the temples.

"More are likely to come by this (Thursday) evening ... Read More

Famous Hyderabadi Haleem set to get GI tag
By Mohammed Shafeeq

Hyderabad, Sep 2 (IANS) Hyderabad is famous for the Charminar, Salarjung Museum, Biryani and IT companies -- and the Hyderabadi Haleem is now all set to join the vaunted list.

The famous and nutritious dish available here during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan will soon get the Hyderabadi tag akin to Darjeeling Tea, Banarasi Silk and Tirupati Laddu.

Once the Geographical Indicator (GI) tag is granted, Haleem makers outside Hyderabad will not be ... Read More

UN to support Mizoram in dealing with HIV/AIDS
Aizawl, Sep 2 (IANS) The United Nations (UN) will support Mizoram in prevention of HIV/AIDS and in management of prisons in the northeastern state, an official said here Thursday.

Cristina Albertin, representative of the New Delhi-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - Regional Office for South Asia (UNODC-ROSA), made the announcement while addressing a week-long training-cum-brain storming session which began Thursday.

The session, inaugurated by Mizoram Home Minister R. Lalzirliana, is aimed at improving ... Read More

Kerala to get fifth airport
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 2 (IANS) The Kerala government Thursday gave the nod to a proposed airport to be built at Aranmula in the state's Pathanamthitta district in which the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG) would have a 15 per cent holding.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said the promoters of the airport can now acquire the land.

"They have to make arrangements for the land on their own and it should be in compliance with the rules," ... Read More

Three arrested in Haryana for honour killing
Rohtak (Haryana), Sep 2 (IANS) The Haryana police Thursday arrested the brother and grand-mother and a cousin of a teenaged girl from Rohtak after she was killed for her love affair with a boy.

Rajni, 17, was a student of the Class 12 at the Vaish Girls' Senior Secondary School in Rohtak, the home-town of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and a resident of Janata Colony here.

District police chief B. Sateesh Balan told reporters ... Read More

Delhi Metro's Central Secretariat-Qutub Minar line opens Friday
New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Come Friday and commuters from Delhi will travel to the capital's satellite town of Gurgaon more easily as Delhi Metro opens its Central Secretariat-Qutub Minar section for public.

According to a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson, the entire stretch from Jahangirpuri to Gurgaon will have 25 km underground tunnels and stations apart from 20 km of elevated Metro section, with the trains covering the total 45 km distance in 80 ... Read More

'8 percent households become poor due to medical expenses'
New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) About eight percent of households in India are pushed to below the poverty line due to heavy medical expenses, said a new report on the Indian health sector Thursday.

"India Health Report 2010" by the Confederation of Indian Industry and a think tank, Indicus Analytics was released by Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi.

The report notes that there are "critical gaps" in infrastructure in the health sector, especially for ... Read More

Amit Shah challenges apex court's handing over of Sohrabbudin case to CBI
New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Gujarat's former minister of state for home Amit Shah has moved the Supreme Court questioning its Jan 12, 2010, judgment handing over the investigations into the Sohrabuddin Sheikh-Kausar Bi abduction and killing case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Shah, now in judicial custody, has questioned the propriety of the apex court bench of Justice Tarun Chatterjee and Justice Aftab Alam hearing the matter and handing over the investigation to ... Read More

Janmashtami celebrations: 170 'govindas' injured across Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 2 (IANS) Several "Govindas" were injured Thursday, some critically, across Mumbai while they formed human pyramids to reach 'dahi handis' - pots of curd - suspended high above the ground on the occasion of Janmasthami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, officials said.

Breaking the dahi handi evokes the spirit of Krishna who loved eating curd and butter and broke earthen pots to eat them.

"So far we have sent 170 Govindas to government ... Read More