Rajasthan Minister asked to quit for his remarks

Rajasthan Minister asked to quit for his remarks against Patil

A section of the local media quoted Khan as having told the party workers that Patil was so dedicated that "she used to make tea and cook food at Indira Gandhi's residence" and due to her honesty, devotion and loyalty, she is now the President. Khan, however, denied having said so. The Minister today clarified that "I just gave an example of loyalty and did not intend to make any comment on the President. I said that she was a committed and simple worker. "After observing resentment among the party workers over not getting organisational posts, I said that party workers should be loyal to their leader as well as the party," Khan said. "She (Patil) was loyal to Gandhi-Nehru family and the Congress party and served with dedication and commitment even in the days when Indira Gandhi was not in power," he said. PTI AM SDA VSC

Chinese: Pa. museum never OK'd for mummies

Chinese: Pa. museum never OK'd for mummies exhibit

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A diplomatic official says two mummies and other ancient artifacts from China were never approved for display at the Philadelphia museum now embroiled in a dispute over the items.A Chinese embassy spokesman in Washington says the "Secrets of the Silk Road" exhibit was approved only for museums in California and Texas.Chinese officials are not allowing the artifacts to be displayed at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.Instead, the long-planned exhibit opened Saturday with fake mummies and life-size photos of the artifacts.Spokesman Wang Baodong tells The Philadelphia Inquirer that the city "was not a planned stop." He says officials in Beijing are discussing the issue.Museum director Richard Hodges declined comment.

'Puppy Bowl' watched by 9.2 million viewers

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NEW YORK (AP) — The Super Bowl wasn't the only thing on TV last weekend to set a ratings record — so did the Puppy Bowl.Animal Planet says 9.2 million viewers watched "Puppy Bowl VII" on Sunday. That's the most to watch the annual program, which has increased in popularity as a cuddly alternative to the Super Bowl.Animal Planet counted its total viewers from the afternoon premiere and the subsequent five re-airings. The two-hour premiere drew an average of 1.7 million viewers, up from 1.1 million last year.The Puppy Bowl consists of little more than dogs running around on a small, indoor football field. They score touchdowns if they cross a goal line with a chew toy.The Super Bowl on Fox drew a record 111 million viewers.___Online:http://animal.discovery.com/tv/puppy-bowl/

FIR filed against policeman in custodial death case

Panaji, Feb 9 (PTI) The city crime branch today registered a first information report (FIR) against several police officials attached to Panaji police station in a custodial death case. Police spokesman Atmaram Deshpande said the FIR under section 302 (murder) and section 201 read with 34 (destroying evidence) has been filed against police officers, who were on duty when the deceased Cypriano Fernandes, an NRI, was in the police custody. Fernandes was arrested on January 7 for allegedly threatening his lady friend and died a day later while in police custody. Deshpande said the police department has received Sub Divisional Magistrate's (SDM) inquiry report based on which the FIR has been filed. "Police Inspector Braz Menezes will investigate the case," he said adding that no one has been named in the FIR and names would be added only after investigation. "At present, all the officers who were on duty right from the time Cypriano was brought in Panaji police custody till he died are being investigated," Deshpande said. Eye witnesses in the police station had claimed that Fernandes was assaulted in the custody. The postmortem on his body had confirmed that he died due to head injuries which he suffered while in custody. Three policemen � inspector Sandesh Chodankar, sub inspector Radhesh Ramnathkar and head constable Sandip Shirvaikar, have been suspended for procedural lapses in this case. Preliminary inquiry by sub divisional magistrate Bousette Silva had established that no proper procedures were followed during the arrest of Fernandes.

Raj cabinet approves Excise policy

Raj cabinet approves Excise policy 2011-12

Jaipur, Feb 9 (PTI) The government of Rajasthan today approved excise policy 2011-12 in a cabinet meeting here. "The policy is aimed at promoting low-alcohol liquor instead of high-alcohol, increasing revenue and stopping the manufacturing and supply of hooch," said an official spokesperson. "The excise department will also be strengthened to check supply of illegal liquor and hooch. Excise inspectors will be provided resources like vehicle, mobile, computer and laboratories will be set up at Jaipur, Kota, Ajmer and Bikaner for testing the quality of liquor," he said. The cabinet also decided to increase the number of Revenue Board Members from 15 to 20 as well as execution of E Padnabhan commission's report in reference to judiciary officials' allowances.

NIIT Technologies bullish on travel & transportation

NIIT Technologies bullish on travel & transportation segment

Mumbai, Feb 9 (PTI) IT solutions services provider NIIT Technologies today said its travel and transportation services portfolio is likely to grow further with the upsurge in demand in the sector. "The travel industry went through a difficult time during the financial downturn. Passenger traffic, which had declined, has (now) bounced back. So our portfolio in this segment will definitely expand," NIIT Technologies Chief Executive Officer Arvind Thakur told reporters here. NIIT Technologies provides IT solutions to select industry segments with travel and transportation being one such. "This sector contributes over 31 per cent revenue," Thakur said. The total client base under this segment stands at over 50, Thakur said. "We will definitely like to add more customers for these type of customised solutions," he said. Major international air carriers such as British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates and Bangalore International Airport are among those using NIIT Technologies' solutions, Thakur added.