Baby gets dad arrested

Ottawa, Jan 22: A baby playing with a telephone inadvertently called the police to his house in westernmost Canada, and to his "very surprised" father's marijuana growing operation inside, the police said on Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police responded to an emergency 911 call in which the caller hung up without saying a word, Constable Janelle Canning said.

The officers entered the White Rock residence, after knocks at the door went unanswered, she said.

"The father was very surprised to see us and insisted he hadn't called police," she said. "The officers then observed his 11-month old child playing with a cordless phone, pressing buttons randomly."

The mystery caller was identified, she said. "It appears the baby called us."

During a routine search of the house, the officers also uncovered 500 marijuana plants in two locked rooms on the main floor.

The 29-year-old father was arrested and faces charges of production of a controlled substance and mischief. He is to appear in court in April.

The baby boy was removed from the home by the Ministry of Children and Family, and was later released into his mother's custody.

Bureau Report

Chandni Chowk to China loses way to Box Office

New Delhi: He was the man with the Midas touch. But it seems even Akshay Kumar couldn't save his first big release of the year Chandni Chowk To China. Somen Mishra finds out what went wrong with this big one from Warner Brothers.

Chandni Chowk To China had everything going for it to make a big splash at the box-office. With Hollywood giant Warner Brothers' backing, Akshay Kumar at his career's best phase pulling off both action plus comedy and a double dose of gorgeous Deepika Padukone - it was a recipe complete with the makings of a hit Bollywood masala flick.

But the film proved everyone wrong. Not only did it fail to register a decent opening, it also disappointed die-hard Akshay fans.

Was Chandni Chowk To China carrying the burden of over hype and great expectations or was it just a bad film?

Neeraj Goswami, the Director of sales & marketing of the studios Warner Brothers said, "All this put together, Akshay alongwith Deepika and with the music doing well, there definitely was a lot of expectations from Chandni Chowk To China. Lately, the film that came before us did extremely well at the Box Office. So expectations were that we would definitely do well. To a certain extent there was too much that was expected."

Warner Brothers has currently put the film's worldwide collections at 45 crores. But trade analysts believe that the film no longer has a chance at the box-office as the second week's collections have been disastrous.

Chandni Chowk To China was marketed worldwide with four city premiere and had the widest release for a Bollywood film with 1400 prints released globally.

Amod Mehra, Trade Analyst said, "We were expecting that it would do better that Singh is Kinng or at least that it will open at par. But it opened at 50-55 per cent, which is very bad and ofcourse there was no appreciation. It fell to 45 per cent during weekend. On Monday it was 10 per cent and that's very less. And today its less than 10 per cent, it's so bad."

Akshay Kumar's last big hit Singh is King was also panned by critics but it went on to become a big hit. So, has the critic-proof Akshay lost his magical touch?

Joydeep Ghosh Roy, the GM of Marketing & Sales at PVR Cinemas put it in prespective when he said, "A fraction of people strongly belived that the film was not good, though everyone liked Akshay. First negative reviews and then mixed response from audience, there was not a negative word of mouth like say Ghajini and others."

Though the debacle of Chandni Chowk To China may not harm Akshay's career immediately, the budget of Khiladi Kumar's under production films and his astronomical fees have reportedly taken a hit.

By:

Somen

Guess Who’s Shopping: Royal Edition

These days, going shopping doesn’t feel particularly glamorous, what with the all the markdown mayhem. But Bergdorf Goodman reportedly got an injection of elegance earlier today in the form of H.R.H. Queen Rania, who was spotted entering the 57th Street store. We somehow have a hard time envisioning the royal Jordanian beauty rifling through jumbled sale racks, so we’re going to assume she’s buying full-price. At least someone should be

By Rishi

Shivraj Patil quits, Vilasrao Deshmukh next

New Delhi: In the wake of Mumbai terror strikes, Union Home Shivraj Patil accepted 'moral responsibility' and sent his resignation to Prime Minister of Manmohan Singh on Sunday.

Party sources have confirmed that his resignation has been accepted and added that Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh could be next to be asked to step down.

There have been several terror attacks in the past, but due to the nature of Mumbai attacks and the fact that it is an election season, someone needed to take responsibility, party sources said.

There is speculation that Finance Minister P Chidambaram and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee are the top contenders for Patil’s post.

Patil offered to quit after Congress Working Committee (CWC) members expressed their dissatisfaction with the Home Ministry in the wake of Mumbai terror strikes, at a meeting held late on Saturday.

Patil told the meeting that as the Home minister he "takes the responsibility and whatever the CWC decides, I am ready to do", party sources said.

Patil's remarks suggested that he was ready to step down came in the wake of criticism by several leaders including union ministers over the way the internal security situation was being handled at the Central level, the sources added.

Sources say that CWC members came down heavily on Patil and Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh for their failure.

UPA chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are believed to have pulled up Patil for the monumental intelligence failure in Mumbai terror strike case.

It is said that Patil's ministry failed to take cognisance of a serious input from intelligence about the impending attack long before terrorists struck Mumbai on Wednesday night, November 26.

HEADS WILL ROLL

Besides Patil, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was also present at the meeting, came under attack on the terror strikes issue, CWC sources said.

The leaders who voiced criticism on the issue included union ministers P Chidambaram, Kamal Nath, Kapil Sibal and H R Bhardwaj, they said.

The refrain of these leaders at the meeting was that strong action is needed in the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes and accountability has to be ensured at the higher as well as lower levels.

This prompted Pranab Mukherjee to remark that since it was collective responsibility of the Cabinet, he would also like to take responsibility as the External Affairs Minister.

Maharashtra Chief Minister, however, chose to ignore the criticism and instead apprised the meeting of the steps taken by his government in the wake of terror strikes, they said.

The Home Minister as also National Security Adviser M K Narayanan came under attack at the CWC meeting called hours after the security operations against the terrorists was indication enough that the leadership was planning some strong steps.

(With inputs from PTI)

Chandrayaan mission: Big leap for India

New Delhi: After nine years of hard work, the countdown for Chandrayaan-1 – India's first unmanned moon mission – has begun at the Sriharikota space station. The launch is scheduled for early Wednesday morning.

Chandrayaan-1 will orbit the moon for about two years, mapping the topography and mineral content of the lunar soil. It will take off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 80 km from Chennai, and off the Bay of Bengal.

The Chandrayaan-1 launch would be around 0620 hrs IST on October 22, weather conditions permitting.

Ninety-nine per cent of the integration and testing is complete and the countdown has begun for India's historic tryst with the moon.

The success of Chandrayaan-1 will catapult India among the top five space exploring countries of the world.

Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Dr G Madhavan Nair said, “It has been a dream of Indian scientists to send satellites around the moon and collect data about its surface features, minerals and so on.”

Experts said that just getting the satellite right isn't enough. A huge ground network is needed to monitor and control it. So 30 kilometres outside Bangalore, ISRO built this tracking station.

Director of ISRO Satellite Centre, TK Alex said, “We have to make sure that the trajectory is correct. Moon must be exactly where we decided it should be when we designed the satellite.”

While Indians designed and built everything on this mission – they weren't averse to letting others hitch a ride. There are 11 different machines on board this mission – five from India, four from Europe and two from NASA.

On Wednesday morning, nine years of hard work will be put to the test. If successful, the Chandrayaan-1 mission will be a clear statement that sky is not the limit for India anymore.

MNS workers allegedly attack Railway exam centres

FRESH NEWS

New Delhi: A group of alleged MNS (Marashtra Navnirman Sena) activists beat up candidates of the Railway recruitment exam in ICL school at Vashi. Several centres at Vashi including Bhandup, Thane are being targeted.

However, as soon as the police reached the spot, the mob fled. There have reports of three candidates being injured at the Kalyan centre

Reportedly, the Raj Thackeray-led party is targetting non-Maharashtrians candidates vying for the railway jobs. Non-Maharashtrian candidates at Dombivali's Tilak college attacked

Eight activists have been detained and the exam has been cancelled as preventive action at the Kasturba Marg police station, Borivali.

MNS' agenda for the violence is to give priority to Maharahstrians in government railway jobs.

Meanwhile, political parties across the board are demanding stronger action against the MNS.

"The attack on Indians by MNS has over the past months. It is unfortunate that the state government is not acting against the miscreants, led by Raj," RJD's Ram Kripal Yadav.

Tendulkar breaks Lara's records of most Test runs

BREAKING NEWS

New Delhi: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is now the highest run-getter in the history of Test cricket.

The Little Master broke retired West Indies batsman Brian Charles Lara's record of 11,953 runs in the second Test against Australia at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali on Friday when he went past the 15-run mark in the first innings.

When the match began, Tendulkar needed 15 runs to surpass Lara's record and overtook the West Indian legend it when he took three runs after gliding the first ball after the tea break towards third man off rookie pacer Peter Siddle.

He walked in to bat after India lost the wicket of former skipper Rahul Dravid with the scorecard reading 146/2and reached the landmark in the company of another former India skipper Sourav Ganguly.

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting was among the first players to shake hands with Tendulkar after he claimed the record.

However, Siddle had the last laugh he got Tendulkar to edge a ball outside the off stump into the safe hands of Matthew Hayden in the slips to end the Little Masters vigil in the middle for 88 runs.

While Tendulkar took 152 matches and 247 innings to reach the landmark, Lara accumulated the runs in 131 matches and 232 innings.

His highest score of 248 came in 2004 against Bangladesh and he has four double centuries, including 241 against Australia in 2004.

Lara retired from international cricket after the 2007 World Cup and had scored 34 centuries and 48 half-centuries and had been Test's leading scorer since 2005. He scored made his 11,953 Test runs at an average of 52.88.

However, Lara holds an edge over Tendulkar when it comes to the most runs in a Test innings. The West Indies legend scored world-record 400 against England in 2004 and reclaimed the record from Hayden, whose best is 380.

Lara had scored 375 against the same team almost 10 years earlier. He erased former Australia skipper Allan Border's (11,174 runs) name as the batsman with most Test runs in Adelaide in November 2005.

Tendulkar already holds the world record of most Test centuries with 39 tons under his belt. He has also 42 One-Day Internationals centuries for a total of 81 international hundreds, which again is a world record.

The 35-year-old batsman also has 49 half-centuries in Tests and 89 in ODIs.

He also hold the record scoring maximum ODIs runs and is the only batsman to have accumulated more than 15,000 runs in the 50-over format. Currently Tendulkar has ODIs 16,361 runs against his name from 417 matches.

Tendulkar made his India debut in 1989 against Pakistan at Karachi and since then has scored at an average of 54.02.

LIVE NEWS BULLETIN : 16 OCTOBER FROM INDIA NDTV

Patel refutes Goyal claim, says he asked Jet to act

BREAKING NEWS

New Delhi: Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has said that he called up Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal on Thursday and told him to find a resolution to the lay-off issue.

"I called the Chairman of Jet Airways Naresh Goyal yesterday morning to meet me in Hyderabad. After meeting me yesterday morning he had assured me and I had also told him that in 24 hours we must find a resolution to this problem, otherwise we in the ministry would certainly not be very happy with the approach of Jet Airways. I am sure wisdom prevailed and he has taken the right decision," Parful Patel said.

Patel’s statement clearly refutes Goyal’s claims that there was no political pressure on him to take back the retrenched employees.

"I am not doing it under any pressure from anybody, neither from within the management nor from the outside," Goyal had said on Thursday night while announcing that the airline was taking back all the retrenched employees.

Jet Airways had earlier announced that it would lay-off 1,900 employees out of which 850 had already been given their termination letters.

The Civil Aviation Minister said though there was a crisis in the aviation industry but the government would not come up with a bailout package.

"There is no bailout package as everybody is making it out that government is going to write a cheque of taxpayers’ money to the airlines. That has never been the case and I have never said it," he said.

Patel also clarified that no Air India employee would be laid-off.

"I want to make it clear that no Air India employee will be laid-off," he said.

Air India Director of Corporate Communications Jitendra Bhargava had on Thursday said that the airline would offer its employees leave without pay option on voluntary basis.

"Air India is initiating several measures for cost cutting one of which is introducing a scheme whereby employees of the company if they choose to do so on a purely voluntary basis, can avail of three to five years of leave," Bhargava had said

CJ Awards: Honouring you in your right to fight

India sends fighter ship to stave off pirates

MNS takes up cudgel on behalf of jobless Jet staff

BREAKING NEWS

New Delhi: The financial crisis is taking its toll and the first to be hit in India is the aviation industry.

Jet Airways on Wednesday announced that 1,900 employees in all, including engineers, cabin crew and groundstaff would lose their jobs.

The Jet employees who lost their jobs will stage a dharna in Mumbai on Thursday.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and the Shiv Sena are supporting the agitation by employees

MNS chief Raj Thackarey has decided to intervene on behalf of the employees of Jet Airways who were shown the door on Wednesday.

Raj said that MNS will fight for the employees who were served termination notice by Jet Airways.

"We will block all Jet Airways flights and activities of Jet if these people are not taken back. We will hold a meeting with Jet Airways personnel on Thursday and request them to reconsider their decision to lay off the employees,” Raj said after some retrenched employees met him at his residence on Wednesday.

Jet Airways laid off 850 employees most of whom were on probation and 60 employees met Raj Thackeray at his residence in Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon and sought his help.

Shiv Sena activists also assembled outside Jet House in Mumbai and shouted slogans against the domestic carrier.

However, Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal insisted that job cuts are not the major issue before the airlines industry.

"We are here to protect the interest of our employees. Whatever we are is because of them. The idea is not to get rid of the people or staff but there are bigger issues to be dealt with," Goyal said and added that airlines need to be efficient.

The Jet employees claimed they got their termination letters on Tuesday and add that the letter does not mention any compensation.

Some said they were not even sent any letters, but were verbally told that their services had been terminated.

"It will hamper our career and it will hamper our future. If they (Jet) were planning to terminate us then why did they recruit us," said a female employee who lost her job.

"We don't know anything right now. We came here just for this (termination letter). They are saying that we have been terminated but why we don't know," another employee added.

Anger at the sudden dismissal was evident amongst the employees. "No one can understand how we are feeling. They destroyed everything in just a day. What do they think of themselves?" an executive said.

Her colleague echoed the sentiment. "Without any notice they have just did this. My friend messaged and she told me that we have all been terminated."

Another airline that could see job cuts is Kingfisher.

"I have laid off staff. They (Jet Airways) have also laid off staff. We need to be efficient and cut the costs and will do whatever it takes," Kingfisher Chairman Vijay Mallya said.

AI to offer leave without pay option to 15,000 staff

BREAKING NEWS

New Delhi: The global financial crisis may force state-owned Air India to downsize.

Air India Chairman Raghu Menon said the airline is considering three-five years of leave without pay for up to 15,000 employees.

"We are planning to offer leave without pay for three to five years. We can consider it for about 15,000 employees," Menon was quoted as saying by PTI.

Menon added that those who take up the offer would be taken back, if they so desire, at the same seniority and last drawn pay.

Air India Director of Corporate Communications Jeetendra Bhargava said the leave without pay option will be given on a purely voluntary basis.

"Air India is initiating several measures for cost cutting one of which is introducing a scheme whereby employees of the company if they choose to do so on a purely voluntary basis can avail of three to five years of leave," Bhargava said.

Air India management has said that the leave without pay scheme for employees has been in discussion for the past few months, the sources added.

An official of National Aviation Company of India Ltd, the holding company of Air India, clarified that this was not tantamount to retrenchment as was being done by Jet Airways.

But Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Wednesday had categorically ruled out any lay-offs in Air India.

"No...Air India is not going to have any job cuts. Certainly it (the aviation crisis) will affect the growth plans, it will affect the future employment opportunities which would have come the way of Air India in case the aviation industry was in a much better financial health," Patel said.

"But as of now I do not have the luxury to say beyond the fact that those who are working for the Air India shall continue to do so and we shall not have any issue of people being laid off," he added.

An official of Air India, who did not want to be named, said that a proposal for leave without pay could be brought before the company's Board soon.

TV actor kills co-star on Ramayan sets

Vadodara: An artiste identified as Manu Shindha killed a person during the shooting of Ramayan TV serial in the film studio located on the outskirts of the city late on Wednesday night.

Sindha, who was playing a role of soldier in the army of Ravana in the serial, hit the victim Sajid with a 'bhala' (a sharp arrow-like weapon) when he refused to move his car from the area.

Sajid had gone there to take back artistes working in the serial. Sindha who was riding a horse during the shooting got upset and hit Sajid with the arrow. Sajid died on the spot.

Talking to PTI on phone, the City Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana said that a case of murder has been registered against Sindha.

EVENING NEWS :15 OCTOBER

EVENING NEWS : 15 OCTOBER IN ENGLISH .
COURTESY : NDTV