India is a country on the go; at any given moment in time, there is much happening in the fields of politics and governance, of finance, of development; there is constant churning in society, considerable activity in sports and in the arts... It's almost too much to keep track of. And hence, this effort: a real-time, constantly updated look at the events that matter. Refresh this page for the latest.
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CALLING READERS: On this live blog, we curate in real time the goings on in the world around us. Come be a part of the project: If you see an interesting story, send us the link to indiaeditors@yahoo.in and we'll publish it in this space. Got an interesting photo to share? Same email link applies. Got suggestions on how we can improve this further? Ditto.
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10:00 pm: US says India will get more access to Headley
US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on Friday assured India of more access to Lashkar-e-Taiba's Pakistani-American operative David Coleman Headley, who has pleaded guilty to doing some groundwork for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks that killed over 160 people.
"The case is going on in Chicago. The US has given India full access to the witness and when the case is over there will probably be more access given," Napolitano said at a joint press conference with Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram. Read more
9:30 pm: Thackeray rubbishes talk of retirement; says hurt by Raj exit
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has said he was hurt when nephew Raj Thackeray left him to found a new party and rubbished talk of his retirement.
Asked who will take his place and mantle (of leading Sena), the 83-old Sena supremo told Times Now that he failed to understand why such questions are being asked.
"Why should you think that way? I can''t understand. Thank God, you are not asking me that question, straight (away), what if I die? Then what will I do? When I die, what can I do? I can''t do anything." Full story
9:00 pm: TDP should come out with pro-Telangana resolution: JAC
Alleging that TDP had taken an ambiguous stand on the separate statehood issue, the Telangana Political Joint Action Committee asked the party to pass a pro-Telangana state resolution during its ongoing annual conclave. More
8:30 pm: G8 summit strives to keep IMF race talk in the wings
G8 leaders meeting in France for their annual summit this week kept their discussions on the IMF succession strictly in the corridors and avoided any joint endorsement of France's Christine Lagarde as a candidate. Read more
8:00 pm: Air France jet crashed nose-up after 4 min ordeal
Pilots wrestled with the controls of an Air France airliner for more than four minutes before it plunged into the Atlantic with its nose up, killing all 228 people on board, French investigators said.
The 2009 emergency began with a stall warning two and a half hours into the Rio-Paris flight and nine minutes after the captain had left the cockpit for a routine rest period. Full story
7:30 pm: NASA makes history with spacewalk, station finale
NASA astronauts made history twice on Friday, venturing on the final spacewalk of the agency's 30-year shuttle program and completing assembly of the $100 billion International Space Station. More
7:00 pm: India, US pledge to boost intelligence cooperation
India and the United States said a new homeland security dialogue will be crucial to cooperation in counterterrorism, intelligence sharing and cybersecurity.
They identified port, border and coastal security; efforts to stop illegal money to terror and criminal groups and cooperation in mega-city policing as areas of cooperation between the countries. Here is the full story
6:45 pm: Pakistan air force kills 23 militants in northwest
Pakistani fighter jets pounded militant hide-outs in the country's northwestern on Friday, killing 23 suspected insurgents, a government official said. Read more
6:30 pm: India, US coop must entail response to terror: Chidambaram
Citing the recent events in Pakistan, India today highlighted risks posed by the "epicentre of terrorism" based in that country and pushed the US for announcment of security cooperation that will entail pre-emptive steps and effective response to terror incidents.
Launching the Homeland Security Dialogue, India and the US vowed to defeat the forces of terrorism through a series of steps like intelligence sharing and pressed Pakistan to move expeditiously in prosecuting those involved in Mumbai attacks. Full story
6:00 pm: 2G: Behura's bail reserved, says PM backed policy
A Delhi court reserved its order on the bail plea of former Telecom Secretary Siddhartha Behura, an accused in 2G spectrum scam case, who countered the conspiracy charge against him by saying he was implementing a policy backed by the Prime Minister.
Behura said he was only "doing his duty" and following the orders of Raja, who was appointed for the second term as Telecom Minister by the Prime Minister in 2009, one year after Letters of Intent (LoI), were issued. More
5:30 pm: No benefit for India in Posco deal: Study
There is no benefit for India in the Posco deal and the project, if allowed, will destroy ecologically sensitive coastal and forest environments, a study has said.
"There is absolutely no benefit for India in this deal, and what Posco will leave behind, if they succeed at all, is a lot of fly ash, destroyed ecologically sensitive coastal and forest environments and thousands of people in misery," said the study on impacts of POSCO-India project. "Thousands of families will be dislocated and suffer irreparable damage to their lives and livelihoods (due to the South Korean project)," it said. Here is the full story
5:00 pm: Clinton: Pakistan needs to take "decisive steps"
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that relations between the United States and Pakistan had reached a turning point after the killing of Osama bin Laden and Islamabad must make "decisive steps" in the days ahead to fight terrorism.
Clinton made the remarks after meeting with Pakistani civilian and military leaders on a brief trip to Pakistan meant to repair relations that have been badly frayed the May 2 U.S. raid that killed the al-Qaida leader who had been hiding in a comfortable house in an army town not far from the capital, Islamabad. Read more
4:30 pm: Delaying Afzal Guru's execution is vote bank politics: BJP
A day after mercy petitions of two death row convicts were rejected by President Pratibha Patil, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded rejection of the mercy plea of parliament terror attack accused Afzal Guru, terming the delay in his execution 'vote-bank politics'.
'It is a copy book example of vote-bank politics. A few days back there was a comment from (Delhi Chief Minister) Sheila Dikshit and her officers that the then home minister Shivraj Patil had asked to delay the petition,' party spokesman Ravishankar Prasad told reporters.
'Tthe mercy petition should be rejected at the earliest and action be taken,' Prasad said. Full story
4:00 pm: Maoist attack: Who asked Chhattisgarh cops to enter Orissa?
Top police officials here say they are still unaware of who ordered a 10-member Chhattisgarh police team to cross over to Orissa for combing, four days after Maoists killed nine of them in the neighbouring state and then cut the bodies into pieces.
'This is the question we all are grappling with. No official based at the police headquarters here gave such a foolish decision, but the big question is who took the mindless decision,' a top official at the Chhattisgarh police headquarters said. Here is the full story
3:30 pm: Congress responsible for corruption, inflation: Naidu
TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu today alleged that the ruling Congress was solely responsible for rampant corruption in the country and stressed the need for a concerted struggle to root it out.
"The Congress is getting wiped out in state after state and now we have to root out corruption as well," he said. More
3:00 pm: Funds not a constraint for development of Kerala: Chandy
Stating that funds are not a constraint for the economic development of Kerala, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today said his government''s prime goal is to make it an investor-friendly state without diluting the security of the less privileged.
"The impression that Kerala suffers for want of funds is incorrect. There are sources like NRIs, foreign investors and financial institutions ready to invest in big projects. But our weakness all these years has been lack of determination to plan and achieve goals. This ministry is confident of overcoming these problems," Chandy told PTI in an interview. Full story
2:45 pm: Fake pilot scam: Former BJP minister's son among four booked
The Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered a case against the son of former BJP minister Madan Dilawar and three others for procuring commercial pilot licenses by allegedly furnishing fake documents.
The cases were registered against Pawan Dilawar, Ankur Garg, Sidharth Lochab and Rohan Saxena this week, police said. Madan Dilawar was the Minister of Social Justice in the previous BJP government. More
2:30 pm: 6 flights cancelled as AI prepares plan to meet fuel shortage
At least six Air India flights were cancelled as the airline prepared a contingency plan to meet a fuel shortage after three state-owned oil firms refused to supply jet fuel till it paid off its mounting dues.
Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, which had put the ailing carrier on notice to get its daily fuel on cash-and- carry sales model in December last, sent a notice asking it to pay the debts which have risen due to the recent spate of increase in the price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF).
At least six flights, mostly from Thiruvananthapuram, were cancelled due to fuel shortage, airline officials said. More on this story
2:00 pm: Oil cos threaten to stop jet fuel supplies to Air India
State-owned oil companies have threatened to stop jet fuel supplies to Air India after the cash-strapped national carrier repeatedly defaulted on payment of fuel bills.
Air India was put on cash-and-carry from December, but the airline has not been able to pay for even its daily fuel purchases.
Oil companies last week sent a notice for stopping aviation turbine fuel (ATF) supplies to Air India at some airports like Calicut and Jaipur, officials said here.
Air India owes Indian Oil Corp (IOC) about Rs 1,900 crore. IOC meets 63 per cent of Air India's jet fuel needs. The national carrier has run up an outstanding bill of over Rs 300 crore with Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL), while its dues to Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) are relatively small.
Officials said Air India buys jet fuel worth Rs 18.5 crore per day from the three state oil firms, but it pays only Rs 13.5 crore. Read on
1:40 pm: Pakistan to let CIA search Osama bin Laden compound
The CIA will get the opportunity to further search the compound in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden lived before he was killed by Navy SEALs, US and Pakistani officials said Thursday. The CIA will look for fingerprints and other clues. It's part of confidence-building measures to restore trust between the US and Pakistani intelligence agencies. Times of India has the story
1:20 pm: India lives in most difficult neighbourhood: Chidambaram
Home Minister P Chidambaram said that India lives in the "most difficult neighbourhood" in the world as terrorism infrastructure in Pakistan has flourished "as an instrument of state policy".
Calling for stronger Indo-US ties to combat terrorism and other threats, Chidambaram stressed on the need for a "stable, peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood" for the security of the people of India.
"It is a truism to say that India lives in perhaps the most difficult neighbourhood in the world. The global epicentre of terrorism is in our immediate western neighbourhood.
"The vast infrastructure of terrorism in Pakistan has for long flourished as an instrument of state policy," he said in his opening remarks at India-US Homeland Security Dialogue. Read on
1:00 pm: India asks its nationals to leave Yemen
India asked all its nationals living in Yemen to leave that country through whatever commercial means available in view of the increased violence in which at least 150 people have been killed so far.
"Keeping in view the evolving situation and the increase in violent incidents in Yemen, all Indian nationals living in the country are advised to exit the country through whatever commercial means available," an advisory by the Ministry of External Affairs said here.
According to official figures, there are about 11,000 Indians in Yemen.
12:41 pm: Real culprit wasn't arrested
Krittika Biswas, the daughter of an Indian diplomat hit out at the New York City administration for behaving in a highly prejudiced manner in arresting her in an alleged case of obscene emails sent to two teachers in her school.
Ms Biswas said the real culprit was not even arrested or handcuffed. Krittika who was wrongly arrested and subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing is suing New York City for $1.5 million. She said here is security camera footage proof that she was at a mall when the incident happened.
"I wasn't even at the computer when the mail was sent," said Ms Biswas.
Krittika said her claims of diplomatic immunity were ignored when she was handcuffed and locked up for more than 24 hours on February 8. NDTV has the story
12:23 pm: Lagarde promises fair representation in senior IMF posts
French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, the frontrunner to become the next International Monetary Fund chief, has said developing economies will be fairly represented at senior positions in the fund.
In an interview to the Financial Times, Lagarde acknowledged that there have been complaints from many of the fund''s emerging market members about the lack of senior management from their countries.
"I would want to remedy the situation," she told FT, adding, "We need appropriate representation of high-level staff based on merit from various nationalities and academic backgrounds." Read on
12:10 pm: Asif Balwa can't be allowed to use I Pad: Jail authorities
The city government and Tihar Jail authorities today told the Delhi High court that Asif Balwa, an accused in the 2G spectrum case, cannot be allowed to use I Pad in jail. "It is not possible to ensure that I-Pad may not be used as a communication device. Removal of some features from it does not ensure that other large number of applications available are rendered unusable," Delhi government told Justice S Muralidhar. Read on
11:50 pm: Metro delay costs Bangalore Rs 50 lakh a day
Bangalore's metro rail project, called 'Namma Metro', has already missed three deadlines. It was to be inaugurated in April this year, and after missing that deadline, the government hasn't even bothered to announce a new date. "The delays have now become so serious that it's estimated that Rs 50 lakh of tax payers' money is being wasted every day. Industry experts say the figure - calculated on the internal rate of return - shows the project cost which is around Rs 8,550 crore will be around Rs 13,000 crore when it is completed three years later," reports IBN Live.
11:35 pm: Six killed, 12 injured as tractor-trolley hit by train
Six persons of a marriage party were killed and 12 other injured when a tractor-trolley in which they were travelling was hit by a train at an unmanned crossing, police said. The incident occurred at village Nonapar, Uttar Pradesh, in Bhatni police area last evening when the marriage party was crossing the railway line.
11:20 am: Geelani, Mirwaiz put under house arrest
Chairmen of both factions of Hurriyat Conference were today put under house arrest as hard line leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani had called for a rally at Hazratbal shrine on the banks of the Dal Lake.
Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who heads the moderate faction, and several second rung leaders of the Hurriyat Conference were put under house arrest this morning, officials said.
Restrictions were imposed on the movement of the separatists as there was an apprehension of breach of peace due to the rally planned by Geelani, they said. Read on
11:00 am: Headley no longer proud of Mumbai attack
A day after saying that he was 'pleased' with the deadly 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, self-confessed Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley has said that he is no longer proud of the carnage.
During cross examination Thursday by lawyers defending his longtime friend Pakistan born Tahawwur Rana, Headley aka Daood Gilani said that he was proud of the attacks by the Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists then, but no more.
Headley, who has pleaded guilty to 12 terror charges to escape the death penalty, was asked by defence attorney Patrick Blegen: 'You were proud of it (the attacks) then?'
'Are you still proud of it today?' Blegen asked.
'No,' Headley replied without hesitation.
10:40 pm: Closely cooperating with India on Mumbai attacks: US
Self-confessed Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley has said that he may have been wrong to divulge the Mumbai attack plot to his long-time friend Pakistan-born Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana.
In doing so he violated the espionage training he received from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, blamed for the deadly 26/11 attacks, Headley aka Daood Gilani told a Chicago court.
During cross examination Thursday, lawyers defending Rana challenged Headley about what evidence he had of his ISI handler, known as Major Iqbal, who provided guidance during Headley's surveillance work in Mumbai.
'You can't even identify him, or find him?' Swift asked, to which Headley agreed. More on Yahoo! India News
10:20 am: Closely cooperating with India on Mumbai attacks: US
The US has declined comment on revelations about Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence's (ISI) role in the Mumbai terror attacks, but said it was closely cooperating with the Indians on counterterrorism 'certainly involving Mumbai'.
'We've been closely cooperating with the Indians on counterterrorism, certainly involving Mumbai and the Mumbai attacks, but more on a broader level, too,' State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
'And that counterterrorism cooperation is extremely beneficial,' he said when asked if the US was getting any phone calls from India or Pakistan about the revelations about ISI coming out in the ongoing Chicago trial of Pakistan born Tahawwur Rana. Read on
10:00 am: Rajnikanth to be taken to Singapore for further treatment
Superstar Rajnikanth, hospitalised here for respiratory problems, will be flying to Singapore tonight for further treatment. The 61-year-old actor is scheduled to fly by Singapore Airlines and will be accompanied by his family members, sources at the airport said.
Rajnikanth, who had suffered from exhaustion on April 29, the first day of the shoot of his latest venture 'Raana,' was admitted to the Isabel Hospital in the city and discharged the same day only to be readmitted there on May 4 for allergic bronchitis and viral fever. Read on
9:50 pm: Spice Jet flight makes emergency landing
A Mumbai-Hyderabad Spice Jet flight with 140 passengers on board today landed under emergency conditions at the city airport after a fire alarm in the aircraft.
The aircraft, which took off from Mumbai airport around 0530 hours returned and landed safely at 0605 hours. All the passengers were disembarked by 0630 hours, a Mumbai International Airport Limit official said.
"Full emergency was declared at 0558 hours for the Mumbai-Hyderabad flight SG 401 after a fire alarm in the aircraft," the official said. Read on
9:35 pm: No plan to kill or kidnap Rahul Bhatt: Headley
Self-confessed Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley denied that there was a plan to kill or kidnap Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul Bhatt.
But testifying before a Chicago court in the trial of his long time friend Pakistan-born Tahawwur Rana, Headley aka Daood Gilani admitted that he befriended Rahul Bhatt and even talked about taking him to Pakistan's tribal areas for sight seeing.
Rahul Bhatt, whom he met at a gymnasium, told him that he wanted to break into movies, but his father was not helping him, Headley said. 'So (I) befriended him, so that they can get to bigger picture.'
When Rana's attorney Charles Swift suggested that there was a plan to kill or kidnap him, Headley disagreed saying, 'We do not invite guests and kidnap them.' More on this story
9:20 pm: Headley challenged in US trial on Mumbai attack
David Headley, testifying about the planning of the 2008 Pakistani militant raid on Mumbai, said on Thursday he may have been wrong to divulge the plot to his friend and accused co-conspirator, a Pakistan-born Chicago businessman.
David Headley, under questioning from a lawyer for defendant Tahawwur Rana, admitted that by sharing the Mumbai attack plan with Rana he violated the espionage training he received from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence directorate (ISI) and Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group blamed in the raid that killed 160 people.
The trial is being watched closely for clues of Pakistani government involvement in the attack that could heighten U.S.-Pakistani tensions following the American killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
Defense lawyer Charles Swift, who says Rana was duped by Headley and was unaware of the Mumbai plot, challenged Headley about what evidence he had of his ISI contact, known as Major Iqbal, who provided guidance during Headley's surveillance work in Mumbai.
"You can't even identify him, or find him?" Swift asked, to which Headley agreed.
Headley testified this week that ISI and elements of Pakistan's military -- namely a retired army major he knew as "Pasha" -- coordinated Lashkar's attacks.
8:40 pm: Arnold Schwarzenegger's divorce to cost him $200 mn
Arnold Schwarzenegger's divorce from his wife Maria Shriver could cost him about $200 million.
The 63-year-old actor split from his wife of 25 years earlier this month and she is now set to begin divorce proceedings against him following the revelation he fathered a child with their former housekeeper Mildred ''Patty'' Baena.
It is thought that their assets, estimated between $200 and 400 million, could be divided evenly, reported Sun online.
While the estranged couple is believed to have a prenuptial agreement, because of the former California governor's infidelity and the length of the marriage, it could be voided.
8:20 pm: President rejects mercy plea of Khalistan terrorist on death row
As part of the process to clear the long list of convicts on death row who have made mercy pleas, President Pratibha Patil rejected the petition of Devender Singh Bhullar, a Khalistan Liberation Force terrorist sentenced to death for a 1993 car bomb attack that killed 12 people and injured 29, including former Indian Youth Congress chief M.S. Bitta.
According to top government sources, the president has rejected the mercy petition of the prisoner on the death row and the 'report has been sent to the home ministry'.
This is the second case in which President Patil has given a go-ahead for execution, the source said. Read on
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