daily news

Jethmalani quits as kejriwal's counsel , demands 2 crore inr as fee Not only has Ram Jethmalani quit as Arvind Kejriwal's lawyer, the senior Supreme Court lawyer has asked the Delhi Chief Minister to  settle  his legal fee of over ₹2 crore. Jethmalani was representing Kejriwal in civil and criminal defamation cases brought against him and five other leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The finance minister sued the Delhi chief minister after he accused the former of corruption during his term as head of the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA). Jethmalani quit on Tuesday after claiming that Kejriwal had instructed him to use derogatory language against Jaitley in court, and accusing the chief minister of using even worse language against the finance minister in private discussions,  The Times of India   reported  today. The reason for the fallout goes back to legal proceedings in the Delhi High Court on May 1...

Rising Hindu nationalism has hijacked India's China policy: Chinese media Rising Hindu nationalism has hijacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s China policy and could lead  the two countries to war, Chinese state media said on Thursday, adding a warning that it could put India’s own interests in “jeopardy”. The latest salvo from Chinese state media -- in the backdrop of an ongoing military impasse near the Sikkim border -- reminded New Delhi that it is “weaker” than China in “national strength” but Indian politicians have failed to grasp that reality. Sounding a warning, the commentary also reminded the Modi government about its failure to curb Hindu nationalistic violence against Muslims since this government came to power in 2014. The state media article indicated the current standoff was planned and executed to cater to Hindu nationalistic sentiments. Modi rode a wave of rising religious nationalism to power in 2014 and is now pandering to the sentiments through its...

Trump plea for unity on showdown healthcare vote US President Donald Trump has issued a challenge to Republican senators to rally behind their healthcare bill, on the eve of a crucial vote. "Now is the time for action," President Trump said in a rare healthcare speech. A procedural vote is due on Tuesday as Republicans push forward in their attempt to repeal President Barack Obama's signature law. But among Republicans there is confusion about the bill and it is unclear whether it will pass. Senator Ron Johnson told reporters: "I don't have a clue what we're going to be voting on." What is the vote on Tuesday about? Senators will vote on a procedural motion to start debate on a health care bill. Republicans have a majority in the Senate but there are deep divisions in their party on the issue. "Many of us have waited literally years for this moment to arrive and, at long last, it finally has," said Republican Sena...

Mercedes-Benz can drive in BS-VI models to India by 2018 New Delhi: German luxury carmaker Mercedes- Benz can bring in BS VI emission compliant models as early as 2018 to India for which it can also forge partnership with oil firms for higher grade oil. The car maker has already sought help from various ministries, including Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which has asked them to get in touch with oil and gas firms. "We would be ready as early as 2018. We could bring the first set of vehicles in 2018 into the country," Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and CEO Roland Folger told PTI when asked about the company's plans regarding launch of vehicles compliant with Bharat Stage (BS) VI emission norms. The move would, however, depend on issues like availability of BS VI grade fuel by 2018, he added. "We are already talking to some of the oil and gas companies or it is going to be something which nobody expects us to do," Folger said. When ask...

HI-TECH WORLD Our bodies weren’t meant for this world we’ve built. That’s why your back hurts. The things you think are normal are not. The world around you is an alien landscape, a science fiction movie set. This is not the matrix. This is our everyday, modern life. But if you’ll take a step back with me, you might find that there is hardly anything ordinary about the world we’ve built. The very built-ness of our world is precisely what makes it so foreign to our bodies. In some ways the banal conveniences we seek out and enjoy are actually killing us by a thousand tiny cuts over decades and decades. Of course, a thousand cuts over the course of a lifetime is a much better way to go than say, one big wound from a saber-toothed tiger taking a bite out of your head. Or finding yourself exposed with no shelter on a freezing tundra. We have eliminated some of the worst things that humans have experienced for most of our history on this planet. That’s quite the accomplishment. But...

Nepotism rocks? Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut disagree but at least have a civil debate The couch on Koffee with Karan has the gift of creating controversy. So when the Queen and the Nawab sat their svelte selves on it, it was a foregone conclusion that sparks would fly. What was a surprise was the direction in which they flew – towards the show’s host. With a killer smile on her face Kangana Ranaut lay into Karan Johar for being the stereotypical Bollywood biggie, intolerant to outsiders, flag bearer of nepotism. Months on, the fire got restoked at an awards show where Saif Ali Khan, Varun Dhawan and Karan joked – perhaps a tad uneasily – about being there because of their mummy or papa. Now both the Queen and the Nawab have written on nepotism – in more than 140 characters. Their essays are a well-lettered reminder of the art of debate, where differences of opinion are addressed by presenting one’s case rationally, not trolling or flaming or cyberbullying. Saif makes the ...

No pardons please: Disposing mercy petitions has been President Mukherjee’s foremost legacy In a recent interview, when asked what his legacy would be, President Pranab Mukherjee quoted Prospero from The Tempest and said that he would “leave not a rack behind”. His record in dealing with mercy petitions from convicts makes good his claim. Contrary to many of his predecessors Mukherjee disposed of 34 petitions, rejecting 30 of them and leaving none pending for his successor. Ironically, by literally leaving nothing behind, he leaves a clear legacy for future presidents to follow – reject mercy petitions in principle as an anachronism that has no place in the Constitution of a democratic republic. The power of pardon, a prerogative power exercised by the sovereign of England, has been described as “the brightest jewel in the British crown, and the most precious of the rights of the people”. Representing the fiction that the sovereign was the embodiment of divinity, the power ext...