That point of view has been supported by Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Director General Samir Brahmachari and Department of Biotechnology Secretary M.K. Bhan, among others. They have also said Bt Brinjal is safe for human consumption. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has said that his ministry is in favour of Bt Brinjal. Pawar said once the GEAC had given its approval the government had no role left to play. This elicited a sharp reaction from Ramesh, as the rules say the final approval has to be given by the environment ministry. Ramesh Monday completed a series of public meetings on the issue in various cities of India. At the meetings in Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad and Bangalore there was vociferous opposition. However small groups of farmers have said they are in favour of Bt Brinjal if it assures less dependence on pesticides. Ramesh has maintained that he will fully consider all aspects. Since agriculture is a state subject, even if Ramesh says yes, the state agriculture departments will have the final say.
-by Shweta Srinivasan

After having introduced many actors to politics, Amar Singh is now slowly foraying into their world. The high profile former Samajwadi Party leader has donned a character in Dev Anand's "Chargesheet". Coming up after that is a Bengali and a Malayalam films. "'Chargesheet' is complete. Now I will be doing another movie. It is a Malayalam movie, which will start some time in March," Singh told IANS in an interview here. He will feature "Sesh Sanghat", a production venture by his friend Jaya Prada who was expelled from the Samajwadi Party along with him, as an ex-minister. The film is in Bengali and Singh will be seen supporting the tribal movement by helping a police officer, played by Jackie Shroff. Jaya Prada plays the female lead in the film which has National Award winning director Ashok Vishwanathan at the helm. "My Bengali movie is against land grabbing and is sympathetic to the cause of Naxalites," Singh told IANS.
-by Arpana

Sahgal, who was the London-based director of Amnesty's gender unit, claimed Begg was "Britain's most famous supporter of the Taliban" and said she was forced to go public because Amnesty's bosses had ignored her complaints. In a widely-circulated internet posting, Sahgal said later, "I felt that Amnesty International was risking its reputation by associating itself with Begg, who heads an organisation, Cageprisoners, that actively promotes Islamic Right (wing) ideas and individuals." "Within a few hours of the article being published, Amnesty had suspended me from my job." But, in what is turning out to be a major point of controversy among human rights campaigners, Begg denied Sahgal's claims and threatened legal action against The Sunday Times, while Amnesty said it was ordering an internal inquiry. Begg, one of three Britons released from Guantanamo Bay prison in 2005, said he had written about Taliban human rights abuses in his book, adding: "I have advocated for engagement and dialogue with the Taliban well before our own government took the official position of doing the same."
-by Dipankar De Sarkar

"Good friends can be excellent life partners, but there are no such rules that come with it. It is a matter of understanding and appreciating each other and then building a relationship. Sometimes a commitment happens quickly, bringing along a lot of faulty expectations," Parikh, who is a consultant psychiatrist at Max Healthcare in New Delhi, told IANS. Psychiatrist Sanjay Chugh believes that bonding of partners at a physical, emotional and mental level is extremely important. "There needs to be a healthy sync between two people for the relationship to become strong and satisfying. If they have a conflicting personality coupled with low levels of tolerance to distress, there would be a greater number of disappointments in the relationship. "On the contrary, if partners are able to blend well and appreciate and endure each other well, there is a bigger chance of a smooth and gratifying relationship," explained Chugh. Megha Jain (name changed) got married in December to her long-time beau, but after the honeymoon period, the 27-year-old wondered whether she had taken the right decision to marry the person she dated for over nine years.

"With gloomy recession pressures steadily fading, the upwardly mobile travellers from metro hubs are looking to treat themselves to short breaks both nationally and internationally. In sync with these optimistic sentiments, hospitality chains and international destinations have embarked on tactical themes and promotions to reach potential consumer segments," he added. Twenty-nine-year-old Nishant Sood, a businessman, is all set to leave for Indonesia with wife Sughanda. "We just got married in December. This is our first V-Day after marriage and I thought it should be something special and one that we will remember for years. Though my responsibilities as a businessman don't allow me to take so many holidays, what the heck...some things are priceless," said Sood. According to Aditya Tyagi, head of travel firm Abercrombie & Kent, the popularity of Thailand, Indonesia and the Maldives not only as honeymoon destinations but also for Valentine's Day endures.
-by Shilpa Raina

"After that it has been a disappointment for bird lovers, ornithologists and tourists who used to go there for a glimpse of these royal birds," Mohammed said. He explained that the Siberian Cranes' route to India was through Afghanistan. The adult birds stand as tall as 91 inches and can weigh over 10 kg. Dodging the bombings by US fighter jets which tried to root out the erstwhile Taliban regime in October 2001 and after the 9/11 strikes in the US, the Siberian Cranes managed to reach India for the last time. According to another bird lover and breeder Nigam Pandya, the Siberian Cranes or the Great White Cranes have not been sighted in this part of the world since 2001, indicating that they have skipped India completely. "Presently, as per authoritative international estimates, there are barely 3,200 Siberian Cranes left in the world, making them among the most endangered species like the tiger or the Himalayan Pandas," Pandya told IANS.
-by Quaid Najmi

"These Soleckshaws are the greenest transport vehicles. They will also help the cause of the Green Games as promised by the Delhi government," said the scientist, who has been coordinating with the state government for this project. Over 7,000 players and delegates from over 70 countries will reach Delhi to be a part of the Commonwealth Games Oct 3-14 in the national capital. It was developed by the Durgapur-based Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, one of the 30-odd laboratories of CSIR, the apex science research body in the country. The technology has been transferred to three companies - one each in Faridabad, Hyderabad and Kolkata. "These zero carbon vehicles will ferry players inside the Games villages and help them reach sporting venues from Metro stations," Kumar explained. He said this effort would give special status to the country for its aim of reducing carbon intensity even during a mega sporting event and popularise the vehicle among the masses, who may adopt it quickly in several cities.
-by Prashant K. Nanda

Former Maoist finance minister Baburam Bhattarai and his wife and former tourism minister Hisila Yami were given a red-carpet treatment by the owners of the Gopi Krishna multiplex in Kathmandu, close to deposed king Gyanendra's former residence, when they turned up to watch "Rann" at a special screening, the Kantipur daily reported. At a time Nepal's politicians are busy drafting the new constitution, the Maoist couple expressed a desire to see the medley of news and politics, two essential ingredients of the Maoist movement. The two chose the latest Bollywood release over James Cameron's blockbuster "Avatar" and were led to a special cabin in the theatre to watch Amitabh Bachchan, Paresh Rawal and Gul Panag in action. As the film started, more Maoist leaders began to enter. They included two of the deputy commanders of the Maoists' underground People's Liberation Army, Nanda Kishor Pun Pasang and Chandra Prakash Khanal Baldev as well as Maoist MPs Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Netra Bikram Chand. The otherwise frantically busy leaders watched the film for nearly two hours, mesmerised. At the end, while leaving the theatre, Bhattarai, whose name had been doing the rounds as the next prime minister of Nepal, had a comment.
-by Sudeshna Sarkar