Britain's Peter Higgs and Belgium's Francois Englert win 2013 physics Nobel prize
Britain's Peter Higgs and Francois Englert of Belgium won the Nobel Prize for physics on Tuesday for predicting the existence of the Higgs boson particle that explains how elementary matter attained the mass to form stars and planets. On Monday, James  Rothman, Randy Schekman and Thomas Sudhof won 2013 Nobel prize for medicine. Half a century after the original work done by Higgs and Englert, the new building block of nature was finally detected in 2012 at the CERN...

Supreme Court forms probe panel, lets N Srinivasan work as BCCI chief
The Supreme Court on Tuesday appointed a three-member committee to investigate the allegations of spot-fixing and betting in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but lifted restraints it put on Narayanaswami Srinivasan from assuming charge as the elected chief of the Indian cricket board. The apex court bench of Justice AK Patnaik and Justice JS Kehar said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and its president Srinivasan would completely keep off the probe panel, headed by...

Shalu’s censor board membership revoked
Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Monday revoked Solar scam accused cine and serial actress Shalu Menon's membership in the Central Board of Film Certification. The notification has been issued at the centre of censor board here Monday. Meanwhile, Chief Judicial Magistrate has ordered to release Shalu's luxury car to her on a Surety Bond of Rs15 lakhs or a security of equal value. The car had been confiscated by police in connection with the Solar scam case

KSEB sinks in Rs 3493 crore loss
Kerala State Electricity Board's (KSEB) annual expenditure data, reviewed here Monday in a board meeting, showed that the board has incurred a huge loss for the year 2012-13. The figures showed that KSEB was reeling under a Rs 3493 crore loss in the last financial year. Compared to the previous year, Rs 1375 crore loss increased. In the last financial year KSEB had spent Rupees 7765 crore for buying electricity from the other sources. The total income amounted to Rs 7651 crore...

Consumerfed denies corruption charges
State Co-operative Consumer's Federation Ltd (Consumerfed) officials today denied charges of corruption in functioning of its outlets and said they are ready to face any type of probe. Recent raids conducted on its outlets and charges of corruption was a well-organised plan with a view to destroying the Federation, which had effectively intervened in the open market to check prices of essential goods particularly during festival seasons, Consumerfed president Joy Thomas and vice...

Sushilkumar Shinde assures protection of interests of all Andhra Pradesh regions
Expressing concern over protests in Seemandhra against Andhra Pradesh's bifurcation, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday assured all regions of the state of an amicable solution that safeguards the interests of all. "We are confident of achieving an amicable solution that gives safeguards to people of all regions in the state," he told PTI here after a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh whom he briefed about the situation in Seemandhra witnessing...

India, Sri Lanka sign pacts for 500-MW power project
India and Sri Lanka on Monday signed agreements for a 500-MW thermal power project to be jointly developed by state-owned NTPC with a local partner here. A total of eight accords were signed for the Sampur power project in the presence of visiting External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Lankan counterpart G L Peiris. The power project, to be fired with imported coal, would be developed by Trincomalee Power Company - an equal joint venture between NTPC and Ceylon Electricity Board...

Jaganmohan Reddy begins fast for united Andhra, blames Sonia Gandhi for 'crisis'
YSR Congress party chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy today launched an indefinite hunger strike against bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, holding Sonia Gandhi responsible for the "crisis" in the state and accusing her of exploiting sentiments of people to pave way for Rahul Gandhi to become prime minister. Jagan also announced his party would challenge the Union Cabinet's decision to grant Telangana in Supreme Court. "Sonia Gandhi is responsible for the crisis in the state...

Data centre case: Ready to face any probe, says VS
Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan Sunday said that he is ready to face any probe in connection with the data centre transfer case. Achuthanandan will inform Supreme Court his stand on Monday. While talking to the media he said he will not say no to any kind of probe like Chief Minister Oommen Chandy did. Achuthanandan said the government must explain the situation which lead the cabinet decide to conduct a CBI probe in this case. Meanwhile, T G Nandakumar, an accused in the case,...

Seemandhra: Curfew in Vizianagaram but agitators not deterred
Defying shoot at sight orders and a curfew, anti-bifurcation agitators on Sunday hit the streets in Vizianagaram town and other parts of the district and clashed with police. Police fired rubber bullets at Kothapeta area on the outskirts of the town to disperse stone-pelting protesters, and used batons against a mob in Palliveedhi area. Satyna Engineering College, run by family members of the Andhra Pradesh Congress chief B. Satyanarayana, at Gajularega on the outskirts of Vizianagaram,...

Yusuffali MA still most powerful Indian in Gulf
Abu Dhabi-based businessman Yusuffali MA emerged as the most powerful Indian businessman in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries for the fourth time in a row in a '100 most powerful Indians' list announced by Arabian Business magazine. Yusuffali, who owns the Lulu Hypermarkets chain of stores, took the top slot ahead of food giant Feroz Allana. The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Standard Chartered...

Telangana protests: AP CM reviews situation
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday night reviewed law and order situation in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions even as curfew was clamped in north coastal town of Vizianagaram where maximum violence was reported.     With properties of Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana and his relatives becoming the target of united state protagonists in Vizianagaram district, the chief minister...

13 terror convicts in Poojappura prison
Thadiyantavide Nazeer and 12 others, who have been sentenced to life by the NIA special court in the Kashmir terror recruitment case, were shifted to Poojappura Central Prison on Saturday. The NIA special court in Kochi had pronounced the verdict on Friday. The convicts were brought to the jail in the afternoon, and have been lodged at the high security blocks in the jail. According to jail sources, each convict has been housed in separate cells with other inmates. The blocks will...

Shalu to focus only on dance for now
Ever since Shalu Menon's name cropped up in the solar scam case, speculations were rife as to whether the controversy will spell the end of her career and land her behind bars. Shalu, out on bail, revealed her immediate future plans in an exclusive interview to Manorama Online. "I have decided to become active in classical dance. I am conducting classes on weekends in all the eight schools that I am running. No classes were abandoned even during my absence. After getting bail...

Ratan Tata to be inducted into National Academy of Engineering
India's leading industrialist Ratan Tata will be formally inducted into the prestigious National Academy of Engineering in the US tomorrow for his "outstanding contributions" to industrial development in India and the world over. Tata, chairman emeritus of the Tata Group, one of India's largest and oldest conglomerate, will be inducted as a Foreign Associate, the National Academy of Engineering said in a statement. Founded in 1964, the National Academy of...

Two cops injured gunbattle with terror suspects in Andhra Pradesh
Two policemen from Tamil Nadu were injured on Friday in firing by suspected terrorists, believed to be involved in the recent murders of BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders, in Puthur town of Chittoor district. A constable and an inspector were injured in the firing on the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border, police said. The terror suspects, believed to have been involved in recent murders of BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders in Tamil Nadu, fired at the policemen from a house where they are...

Jagan Reddy begins indefinite fast
YSR Congress party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday launched an indefinite hunger strike at his residence in Hyderabad protesting the Centre's "arbitrary" decision to divide Andhra Pradesh and said his party would challenge the Union Cabinet's decision in the Supreme Court. "We will challenge the Centre's decision (to divide AP) in the Supreme Court," Jagan said at the 'deeksha' camp. Noting that there were "legal problems"...

Prabhavarma bags Vayalar award
Noted poet, lyricist, journalist and television presenter Prabhavarma bagged this year's Vayalar award for his work `Shyamamadhavam'. The award carries a sum of Rs.25,000, a silver plate and certificate and will be presented to him on October 27. The Vayalar Award is given for the best literary work in Malayalam. The award was instituted in 1977 by the Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust in memory of the poet and lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma. Prabhavarma's poetry collection...

For Lalu Prasad, jail not a new experience louboutin dames sneakers
Jail will not be new for former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, who has spent time, held court, cooked food and virtually run the party and the state government from behind bars in his over four decade-long political career, leaders close to him said here. "People may not be aware that he had spent more than two years in jail as a student leader in the early 1970s," said political activist Satya Narain Madan, who has known Lalu Prasad since the popular JP (Jaya Prakash...

Wipro rejigs top level executives; Senior VP Sankaran quits
In a top level reshuffle, software services major Wipro today appointed Soumitro Ghosh as head of Wipro Infotech replacing Senior VP and Business Head of Global Infrastructure Services Anand Sankaran, who quit the company hours before the rejig was announced. The city-headquartered firm also appointed Senior VP Shaji Farooq as global head of its BFSI strategic business unit, while, G K Prasanna will take charge as Senior VP and Global Head of Global Infrastructure Services (GIS), which...

Jet shares rise Etihad deal gets cabinet nod
Shares of Jet Airways rose Friday, a day after the cabinet approved a proposal for 24 percent stake sale in the Indian passenger carrier to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways. The company's scrip at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) rose to 3.50 percent or 13.55 points around 10.30 a.m. at Rs.400.15 from its previous close of Rs.386.60 Thursday. On Oct 3, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave nod to the deal between the two airlines, paving the way for the first foreign...

Hurt by Andhra break-up: Pallam Raju
Human Resource Development Minister M.M. Pallam Raju Friday said he decided to quit the cabinet because he was "deeply offended" by the decision to split Andhra Pradesh. "It is going to be harmful and detrimental to the long-term interests of the state," Pallam Raju told reporters here. "I am deeply offended and aggrieved that we have not been able to articulate the concerns of the people well enough for the cabinet to take note of our hurt and anguish,"...

Crime Branch to probe land grab case against Salim Raj
In a major development the Crime Branch of police has been entrusted with the probe into the land fraud case against Salim Raj, the former gunman of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The DGP has ordered the probe, to be led by an official not below the rank of SP, into the case of illegal land accession by Salim Raj in Kochi. Complaints of alleged efforts by DCP to undermine the investigation was also raised form some quarters. The latest order of the DGP comes in the wake of ADGP...

Countdown begins for Delhi elections to be held Dec 4
The fledgling Aam Adami Party of Arvind Kejriwal is expected to set the poll calculations of the traditional arch rivals awry. This will be the fifth assembly elections in Delhi. The election dates were announced by Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath Friday at a press conference here. With this, the model code of conduct has kicked in and the gazette notification would be issued Nov 9. The balloting this time will see over 300,000 first time voters aged between 18 and 19,...

Probe team claims evidence against MM Mani
The investigation team that is probing the Ancheri Baby murder case, in which former Idukki CPM district secretary, MM Mani, is allegedly involved, has said that it have received clinching evidence against Mani and six others. The investigating team also said that it was planning to include CPM district secretary K K Jayachandran to the list of the accused. It added that it had strong evidence to prove that K K Jayachandran had been part of the conspiracy to kill Baby.  While...

SNC Lavalin accord was partially approved by Pinarayi
The CBI has said that the SNC Lavalin accord was partially approved in the chamber of CPM State Secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan. The CBI said that the accord was signed following a conspiracy and signing a partial agreement before signing the full agreement was illegal. Financial aid for the Malabar cancer centre is part of this agreement, the CBI alleged. The CBI said that Pinarayi had signed the accord while he was Minister for Electricity. The CBI also said that Pinarayi's claim...

BJP demands Antony's statement on Kashmir infiltration bid
 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday demanded a statement from Defence Minister AK Antony on the gunfight between the army and infiltrators in Jammu and Kashmir's Keran sector. The BJP said the operation was underway though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharif Sep 29 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting. BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said that talks cannot be held with Pakistan alongside terror strikes...

India seeks Belgium's support to enter arms control regimes
Acknowledging Belgium's "upfront support" for making an exception for India in Nuclear Suppliers Group, President Pranab Mukherjee today said a clear public stand by the country favouring India's bid to become a full member of four major arms control regimes would be in line with excellent bilateral cooperation. President Mukherjee, in his opening remarks at the talks with Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupa, said India attaches great importance to its relations with...

Lalu Prasad jailed for five years
 Former Bihar chief minister and RJD president Lalu Prasad was finally sentenced for five years with fine of Rs 25 lakh in case no. RC20A/96 of the Rs 950 crore fodder scam by CBI special Judge PK Singh on Thursday. He is one among the 37 people accused in the same case. Another former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra has been sentenced for four years with fine of Rs 2 lakh whereas JD (U) sitting MP Jagdish Prasad has been sentenced for four years with fine of Rs 5 lakh....

Ramesh issues gag orders for ministers
KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala has instructed leaders of the party to not to come out with controversial public statements. Chennithala said that strict action would be taken against those who violate the new rule. The party issued the rule after public remarks by feuding ministers embarrassed the party and the government. Chennithala said that aggrieved ministers could vent their opinion at the right forum.