Government gets notice on plea to retrieve Kachchatheevu island
New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) The Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the government on a plea of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalitha to retrieve a 285-acre island in the Palk Strait off Rameshwaram from Sri Lanka.

A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice Markandey Katju and Justice P. Sathasivam issued the notice on the AIADMK chief's plea that the late prime minister Indira Gandhi had ceded the Kachchatheevu island to Sri Lanka ... Read More

Icon of India-US ties, US embassy building turns 50
New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) An icon of India-US friendship for five decades, the stately US embassy chancery, hailed as an inspiration by none other than the then US first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Monday celebrated its 50th anniversary in the presence of American diplomats and hundreds of Indians.

It was also a nostalgia trip for many long-time residents of Delhi like Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who recalled how one could see this magnificent landmark from ... Read More

Edible oil deficit to grow 73 percent by 2020: Assocham
New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) India's edible oil deficit is expected to widen by 73.5 percent by 2020 to more than 8.1 million tonnes a year from the current 4.71 million tonnes, said an industry lobby report, released here Monday.

According to the report by the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Assocham), the edible oil consumption in the country has increased at an annual growth rate of 4.25 percent from mere 4.95 million tonnes ... Read More

Teachers burn books to keep warm in winter, villagers irked
Patna, Jan 5 (IANS) Teachers of a school in Bihar's Gaya district burnt books meant to be distributed among students to keep themselves warm on a chilly winter day, angering villagers.

The shocking incident came to light when students of the government middle school at Pariya Bazaar in Gaya, about 100 km from here, told their parents and relatives, police officials said Monday.

Students of Class VIII said that on Saturday, the coldest day of the ... Read More

US committed to Mumbai probe, says Mulford
New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) The US Monday said it has consistently supported India over bringing the attackers of Mumbai to justice and underlined that it will pursue to its logical conclusion the investigations into the terror strike, which also killed six Americans.

“The US will pursue the matter to its logical conclusion,” US ambassador to India David Mulford told reporters here when asked about Washington's response to the evidence New Delhi has collected ... Read More

Trucks go off roads, food shortages feared
New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) Over six million trucks went off roads across India in the early hours of Monday, a day after talks with the government over their demand to reduce prices of diesel and tyres failed. Traders voiced fears of food shortages as the indefinite strike started.

The truckers started their strike following a call given by the All-India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) after last-minute talks with Road, Transport and Highways Secretary Brahm Dutt ... Read More

Vegetables, commodities' shortages feared as truckers begin strike
Chandigarh/Jalandhar, Jan 5 (IANS) With truck operators beginning their nationwide strike, shortage of vegetables and other essential commodities is expected in markets across India.

Thousands of trucks from Punjab and Haryana went off the roads midnight Sunday following a strike call given by the transporters' body, the All-India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC).

The transporters are mainly demanding that diesel prices be reduced by at least Rs.10 per litre and tyre prices be rationalised.

"Our talks with transport officials ... Read More

By-polls underway in West Bengal's Nandigram, Sujapur
Kolkata, Jan 5 (IANS) By-polls were underway Monday amid tight security in two West Bengal assembly constituencies - East Midnapore district's Nandigram and Malda's Sujapur.

"The poll process, both in Nandigram and Sujapur, is going peacefully. We have got no reports of any untoward incidents so far," West Bengal Inspector General (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia told IANS around 11 a.m. Momday.

He said "adequate" number of paramilitary forces were deployed in all polling booths in Nandigram ... Read More

Assam rebel groups slam PM's precondition for talks
Guwahati, Jan 5 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that peace talks could be held with rebel groups only if they laid down arms first has evoked angry reactions, with pro-talk militant factions in Assam terming the precondition as unacceptable.

"The prime minister's precondition of first laying down weapons and then beginning peace talks is unrealistic and hence not acceptable to us," Jiten Dutta, senior leader of the pro-talk faction of the outlawed United ... Read More

India's only magazine for slum dwellers battles for survival
Bangalore, Jan 5 (IANS) It is a unique magazine brought out by slum dwellers to address the issues of the urban poor. Now nine years after its launch, India's only such news magazine is battling for survival and the management refuses to seek government or private funds.

The Slum Jagatthu (Slum World), a monthly magazine published in the country's tech hub, failed to come out with its December 2008 and January 2009 editions for ... Read More

India plans to hoist tricolour on moon by 2020
Shillong, Jan 4 (IANS) India is planning to hoist the tricolour on the moon by 2020, a space agency official said here Sunday, adding that the country's first manned flight into space was also on cards by 2015.

K. Radhakrishnan, member of the Space Commission and director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said plans were afoot to send a two-member crew into space and orbit around 200 km ... Read More

Kalam indisposed, cancels Meghalaya visit
Shillong, Jan 4 (IANS) Former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has cancelled his scheduled visit to Meghalaya to inaugurate the Children's Science Congress for health reasons.

"Dr.Kalam will not inaugurate the Children's Science Congress due to his ill-health," Thirumalchari Ramasami, general president of the 96th Indian Science Congress, said here.

Kalam was to inaugurate the Children's Science Congress Monday. M.G.K. Menon will inaugurate the congress which is one of the major event of the Indian Science Congress.

The ... Read More

17 flights cancelled, 18 delayed in fog-bound Delhi
New Delhi, Jan 4 (IANS) Fog continued to play havoc with the air traffic in the capital Sunday, with 18 flights delayed, 17 cancelled and 10 diverted at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, officials said.

Nearly 275 flights operated in low visibility conditions, they said.

However, the morning was relatively brighter after days of dark, damp mornings and heavy fog.

The general visibility was recorded at 100 metres in the early hours of Sunday. By 9 ... Read More

Ten technology trends to look out for in 2009
The year that went by set the foundation for those technologies that are expected to take off in 2009, with focus on energy efficiency and mobility - a bit greener and a lot more faster. Here are 10 of them to watch out for this year:

Mobile Applications: With the India's mobile telecom network expected to grow from over 300 million subscribers now to over 400 million by the end of 2009, mobile applications (m-apps) will ... Read More