Week That Was July 12 : Meal for Rs 12, Rs 5 and Rs 1: The poverty debate

Terror strikes Mahabodhi Temple

Terror struck one of the holiest Buddhist shrines, the Mahabodhi Temple, and other places in Bihar`s pilgrimage town of Bodh Gaya, with suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives simultaneously triggering nine low intensity bombs leaving two monks injured.

The temple`s sanctum sanctorum and the Bodhi Tree, under which Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment, did not suffer any damage in the blasts which shook the holy town frequented by lakhs Buddhist pilgrims from Sri Lanka, China, Japan and the whole of southeast Asia each year.

Sodomy case sinks Raghavji

Bharatiya Janata Party expelled former finance minster of Madhya Pradesh Raghavji, who had to resign after his servant levelled accusations of sexual exploitation against him.

The state Congress held demonstrations at various places Raghavji for his alleged involvement in sodomy scandal and demanding registration of criminal case against him.

Raj Kumar, a servant of Raghavji, submitted his complaint at the Habibganj police station.

He claimed that for a long time Raghavji was having unnatural sex with him. He also revealed that a sex CD of the same has been made. After the scandal broke out, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed Raghavji to submit his resignation.

Supreme Court’s ‘political’ cleanup act

The Supreme Court quashed a provision in the Representation of Peoples Act that protects a convicted lawmaker from disqualification on the ground of pendency of appeal in higher courts.

The bench also made it clear that MPs, MLAs and MLCs would stand disqualified on the date of conviction.

A person, who is in jail or in police custody, cannot contest election to legislative bodies, the Supreme Court held, bringing to an end an era of under-trial politicians fighting polls from behind bars.

Apex court also ruled that only an "elector" can contest the polls and he/she ceases the right to cast vote due to confinement in prison or being in custody of police.

In another landmark judgement, Allahabad High Court stayed caste-based rallies in Uttar Pradesh with immediate effect.

Asiana Airlines flight crashes at San Francisco airport

Asiana Airlines Flight 214 from South Korea crashed while landing at San Francisco International airport sending up a huge fireball, shedding its tail and spinning before screeching to a stop, according to eyewitness accounts.

Elliott Stone, a passenger on the flight, told that he thought the plane was approaching "a little high (then came) down a little sharp."

"All of a sudden, boom, the back end just hit and flies up into the air and everyone`s head goes up the ceiling," said Stone, who added that he ended up jumping out the plane without using the stairs or an evacuation slide.

A photograph posted to Twitter shows what appear to be passengers walking off the plane, some of them toting bags, as smoke rises from the other side.

Egypt: Far from peace

Egypt`s interim President unveiled a roadmap for fresh polls by early next year to end the raging political turmoil in the country, as angry Islamists staged rallies after clashes between loyalists of deposed leader Mohammed Morsi and soldiers killed 51 people.

Egypt`s interim President Adly Mansour issued a constitutional declaration late last night giving himself limited power to make laws, and outlined the timetable for Parliamentary and Presidential Elections.

Mansour issued the anticipated declaration that will remain effective until the end of the ongoing transitional period, which will last for at least six months, according to the decree.

The whole process will take no more than 210 days, according to the decree, meaning elections will be by February at the latest.

Ireland votes to allow `life-saving` abortion

Irish lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favour of a groundbreaking law that will allow abortion in limited cases in the predominantly Catholic country, following an outcry over the death of an Indian dentist after a miscarriage last year.

Prime Minister Enda Kenny and his coalition government pushed through the protection of life in pregnancy bill, which will allow for abortions only when a woman`s life is under threat if her pregnancy continues or if she is suicidal.

Ireland was forced to review its abortion law in cases where the mother`s life is at risk following the death of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar in a Galway hospital last October after she was denied an abortion.

An inquest into 31-year-old Savita`s death earlier this year was told that a timely abortion may have saved her life.

Now, house rent in Delhi linked to inflation

The way was paved for bringing a new Bill under which rent in Delhi will be linked to inflation as the Union Cabinet Thursday gave in-principle approval to withdraw the controversial legislation of 1995.

The new Bill will replace the Act of 1958. The 1958 Act was sought to be replaced by a legislation in 1995 but that was not notified even after enactment because of huge controversy with tenants being up in arms over it.

"We will start a new exercise to frame the rent law after the withdrawal of the 1995 Act. It will be ready in two/three years time after due consultation with all stake holders," a senior Urban Develpment Ministry official said.

Coalgate: SC pulls up govt for failure to respond

The Centre Wednesday faced the ire of the Supreme Court for not aiding the CBI with documents in its probe in Coalgate and was directed to file a comprehensive affidavit "justifying" allocation of 164 coal blocks.

The apex court, which perused the latest status report filed by the CBI in a sealed cover, said that the agency was "struggling" in its probe in the absence of documents not being supplied to it relating to the allocation of 204 coal blocks out of which 40 have been de-allocated.

A bench headed by Justice R M Lodha said there was "lack of transparency" in the coal blocks allocation and "there was no system in place to verify the application of the companies and working of the screening committee appears to be sketchy".

No rethink on gas price hike decision: Veerappa Moily

Government`s controversial decision to double natural gas price will remain unchanged, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily said despite Finance Ministry pushing for maintaining old rates for some of the gas of Reliance Industries.

"There is no thinking on part of the government for any review or reconsideration of the decision of the CCEA. Let me make it very clear. There is no confusion, there is no vagueness. And I don`t think there is scope for any interpretation whatsoever," Moily told a news conference here.

Ever since the government decision was announced on June 27, there has been criticism that it was made to benefit Mukesh Ambani-led RIL.

Finance Ministry on July 4 wrote to Oil Ministry asking it to take appropriate action on suggestions made in two media reports for putting a cap up to which rates can be raised, and RIL being forced to sell the quantity it had committed but failed to deliver in past three years at old rate of USD 4.2.

Infosys Q1 net up 3.7%

IT major Infosys on Friday posted a near 4 percent increase in its consolidated net profit for the April-June quarter, meeting market expectations, even as the firm maintained a "cautiously optimistic" approach keeping its US dollar revenue guidance unchanged for this fiscal.

The Bangalore-based firm, which last month saw the return of its co-founder NR Narayan Murthy in the backdrop of a below than expected performance in the past quarters, added that wage hikes announced in June would have an impact of about 300 basis points on its margins in the next quarter.

The company`s consolidated net profit rose by 3.7 percent to Rs 2,374 crore for the April-June quarter against Rs 2,289 crore in the year-ago period. Its consolidated revenues rose 17.2 percent to Rs 11,267 crore from Rs 9,616 crore in the year-ago period.

CCTV footage shows Aditya Pancholi assaulting neighbour

CCTV footage showing actor Aditya Pancholi punching and assaulting his neighbour Bhargav Patel in January has been released. The video clearly shows the actor roughing up his neighbour and also threatening him.

Here’s what happens in the video:

A very angry Aditya rings the door bell.

Bhargav opens the door.

Aditya drags him out of his house by his collar, slaps him and threatens him.

A third person intervenes to pacify Aditya but the actor refuses to budge and continues to threaten Bhargav.

Patel had lodged a written complaint, but no case was registered against his neighbour, known in the past to frequently lose his cool over trivial issues.

And the actor had landed in trouble once again last month for attacking his 55-year-old neighbour, an official of the Versova police station said.

The incident happened late June 19 when an allegedly inebriated Pancholi pounced on Patel over a minor parking brawl, at their housing society in the posh Versova area of north-west Mumbai.

Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif spotted together this week

Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif tried to keep their trip to Spain hush-hush. But their desperate attempts to keep the vacation a secret failed miserably when they were spotted attending David Guetta’s concert in Ibiza, Spain a few days back, the DNA reported.

A picture posted on Ranbir’s fan-club website, shows Katrina along with her speculated beau amidst the crowd that had gathered for the Guetta concert.

Ranbir and Katrina made millions of hearts skip a beat as the cutest couple in ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’ in 2009. And after the rom-com, they appeared as a matured couple in Prakash Jha’s critically acclaimed film ‘Rajneeti’. Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif indeed look a ‘made for each other’ couple both onscreen and off-screen alike.

Salman Khan will talk on behalf of Sooraj Pancholi

After taking aspiring actor Sooraj Pancholi completely under his wings, superstar Salman Khan has asked the lad’s parents to refrain from discussing his debut film ‘Hero’, remake of Subhash Ghai’s 1983 blockbuster.

Sooraj, who spent 21 days in jail for allegedly abetting actress Jiah Khan’s suicide, met Salman, producer of the aforementioned film, last week in Hyderabad.

The industry heavyweight met Sooraj and his father Aditya on the sets on ‘Mental’ to prepone the launch of the young boy. But Salman has reportedly asked Sooraj’s parents (Aditya and Zarina Wahab), both who are actors themselves, not to discuss anything about their son’s debut film.

Salman has taken the responsibility of dealing with questions pertaining to Sooraj’s launch-pad.

“’Hero’ was supposed to begin shooting in January 2014. It will now start in November 2013. Salman has asked the entire team to get into a work-mode immediately. The script is being re-worked to suit today’s times,” DNA quoted a source as saying.

Andy Murray ends Britain`s 77-year wait with Wimbledon triumph

Andy Murray ended Britain`s agonising 77-year wait for a Wimbledon men`s singles champion on Sunday when he destroyed world number one Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in the blistering heat of the All England Club.

The 26-year-old became the country`s first male winner since Fred Perry in 1936, the year the Spanish Civil War started, Jesse Owens defied Hitler at the Berlin Olympics and Gone With The Wind was published.

It was Murray`s second Grand Slam title to follow his breakthrough triumph at the US Open in 2012 which followed his Olympic gold medal as well as a heartbreaking, tearful loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final.

Nowhere better than Man U, Ferdinand warns Rooney against exit

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has said that Wayne Rooney should stay at Old Trafford if he wants to win trophies.

The new Manchester United manager declares his unwillingness to lose the forward but cannot confirm that he has not asked to leave As exclusively revealed by Goal, Arsenal and Chelsea are among the teams interested in offering the unhappy striker an exit route but the 34-year-old says that he has received numerous offers during his 11 years as a Red Devil but never considered leaving because he feels that there is no club who compare.

Ferdinand cites former Cristiano Ronaldo as an example of a player who left United but then failed to recreate similar success at Real Madrid.

Tri-nation series: Dhoni keeps cool to hand India another ODI trophy

Mahendra Singh Dhoni once again lived upto the `Captain Cool` tag as he held his nerve to almost singlehandedly guide India to yet another title triumph with a narrow one-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a thrilling final of the Tri-nation ODI series.

Needing 15 from the last over in their chase of 202, Dhoni smashed Shaminda Eranga for two sixes and a boundary in just four balls to finish off the game in style at the Queen`s Park Oval.

The result also meant that the Champions Trophy winners` recent run of success in the 50-over format continued.

Meal for Rs 12, Rs 5 and Rs 1: The poverty debate

New Delhi: Adding to the poverty figure debate that has enraged the common man, two Congress leaders have now claimed that they can have proper meal at unthinkable costs and that too in two metropolitan cities.

On Wednesday, Congress spokesperson Raj Babbar had said it was possible to have "full meal at Rs 12 in Mumbai" even today. "No no not vada paav. So much of rice, daal saambhar and with that some vegetables are also mixed."

Even though his "laughable" remark drew sharp reaction from the BJP, another Congress leader on Thursday claimed that Rs 5 in Delhi is sufficient for a hearty meal.

"You can eat a meal in Delhi in Rs 5, I don`t know about Mumbai. You can get a meal for Rs 5 near Jama Masjid," Rasheed Masood said.

The comments can be seen as part of the Congress` efforts to defend a report by the Planning Commission which said poverty has declined by 22 percent since the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Planning Commission figures of poverty reduction in India have triggered a furore with the BJP and the CPI-M accusing the government of ignoring reality. Congress ally NCP also expressed its reservations.

The Congress, however, said that poverty had come down in the country due to the pro-poor policies of the UPA government.

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said Planning Commission figures of poverty reduction were a conspiracy against the poor, designed to deprive them of welfare schemes.

He asked the Congress to demonstrate how one can live on an income of Rs 34 a day.

The Planning Commission on Tuesday showed that the percentage of people below poverty line declined sharply to 21.9 in the 2011-12 financial year from 37.2 recorded in 2004-05.

The national poverty line, by using the Tendulkar methodology, has been estimated at Rs 816 per capita per month in villages and Rs 1,000 per capita per month in cities.

This means that people whose daily consumption of goods and services exceed worth Rs 33.33 in cities and Rs 27.20 in villages did not fall in the poverty category.

Can have full meal for Re 1: Farooq Abdullah

Asked to comment on the raging debate on poverty, Farooq Abdullah said that one can have a full meal for Re 1, if desired.

However, in an age where even a bus ticket costs a minimum Rs 5 in Delhi, food for Re 1 or 5 or 12 appears to be no less than a joke.

Yesterday, Congress leader Rasheed Masood had said that Rs 5 is sufficient for having a hearty meal in Delhi.

PTI