Nirmal Om newsline

"We desperately need tips from citizens," said Rainer Wendt, the head of Germany's police union.Forty cars have been set on fire in Berlin over the past three days and police are offering a euro5,000 reward to anyone who helps them find the perpetrators."There seems to be an individual, or a small group, setting a lot of fires, and a political intention really can't be seen," police spokesman Thomas Neuendorf told n-tv television.More than 100 officers are involved in trying to track down the vandal, or vandals, he said.Merkel, speaking across the country in Wiesbaden, condemned the attacks and pledged her government's support for police.

Government plans to use solid waste for generating power in the country. Five projects are proposed to be set up in the initial phase. In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Dr Farooq Abdullah stated that two projects are already under installation in Delhi and Bangalore.The projects are being constructed under the Build, Own, Operate and Transfer, BOOT basis.

Lokpal Bill will be looked into: Congress Congress on Thursday said that all the shortcomings of the Lokpal Bill will be looked into by the Standing Committee of Parliament. Briefing reporters in New Delhi, party Spokesperson Renuka Chowdhary said that the Government has already considered various demands of the civil society and the bill will be debated upon in detail after the Standing Committee submits its recommendations.

Statement by Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha-Following is the text of the statement made by the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh in the Lok Sabha today: "Hon’ble Speaker, 2. It is my painful duty to report to this House certain events that took place yesterday in New Delhi. 3. Hon’ble Members are aware that after extensive consultations and discussions, including deliberations in a Joint Drafting Committee and a meeting of all political parties represented in Parliament, the Government has introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha on the setting up of Lok Pal. The Bill has been referred to the Standing Committee concerned. 4. Notwithstanding the introduction of the Bill, Shri Anna Hazare and his supporters have persisted with their demand that the Jan Lok Pal Bill drafted by Shri Anna Hazare should be introduced in Parliament and that the Jan Lok Pal Bill should be the Bill that must be passed by Parliament. In support of this demand, Shri Anna Hazare had announced some time ago th...

NHRC issues notice to Home Secy, DP on Anna Hazare’s issue-National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday issued notices to Union Home Secretary and Delhi Police Commissioner seeking a report within two weeks on the episode. A spokesman of the commission said that the notice was sent this evening after it received a complaint from a human rights activist Anirudhasudhan Chakraborty. He alleged that provisions of Constitution and international human rights conventions were violated in the police action against Hazare and his supporters.

Three Army doctors have been honoured with the Sena Medal for gallantry for taking on terrorists and saving the lives of their colleagues during an attack on Indians in Kabul last year. A total of 114 Army personnel have been awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry on Independence Day for their acts of valour in different operations across the country. Lieutenant Colonel Sanjiv Kumar Kakkar, Major Sumit Arora and Major Sibashish Metia of the Army Medical Corps were part of the Indian medical mission in Kabul when the terrorists carried out a suicide attack on the hotel where the Indian team was staying. An Army press release stated that after the heavy suicide attack, these officers displayed exceptional bravery, rushed into a hail of bullets to take on the terrorist and herded their colleagues to safety.

Parliamentary panel strongly supports better remunerative prices for farmers A Parliamentary panel has strongly advocated for taking up export of food grains to give farmers better remunerative prices for their produce. Expressing serious concern over continued wastage of huge quantities of food grains, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce said that rice and wheat are still lying in godowns for more than three years. The Panel has recommended that such grains should be distributed at a nominal price, or even free of cost, to needy Below Poverty Line families, instead of being wasted. It has suggested that the government might also consider a proposal to issue food coupons, in addition to the Public Distribution System, PDS. The Panel headed by Mr. Shanta Kumar, MP, is also of the view that under favourable global market conditions, the question of permitting export of food grains should be considered as an option to save the farmers from this crisis. It will also help i...

No more Tax-Free zones: Finance Minister-Finance Minister says, there will be no more Tax-Free zones in the country. Talking to news persons in Siliguri today Pranab Mukherjee said that instead of tax free zone, the Centre is considering creating special economic zones in backward districts. He said Tax-free zone status in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand is being withdrawn gradually following opposition by different states. However, renewal of tax free zone status of Sikkim, which will expire in 2017, will be reviewed on the basis of the Socio-Economic conditions of the state at that time.