NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES

72 year old veteran Gandhian and anti graft crusader Anna Hazare's decision to begin a fast unto death to press for a comprehensive anti corruption watchdog law is the lead story across papers today. "Hazare fast feeds nation's demand to fight corruption", says the Hindustan Times. The Mail Today writes - "Activist gets huge support for a powerful anti corruption watchdog - Jittery Congress's saffron smear on Anna Hazare".
"PAC quizzes Anil Ambani, Telecom CEOs on 2G scam'' is the Hindu lead story. The Times of India and Statesman have also carried this  story. The Mail Today writes ''Tough talking PAC boss Joshi makes Congress run for cover."
Having helped India scale the Pinnacle of world Cricket, coach Gary Kirsten bidding farewell to a job he held for 4 years, is also reported by  papers on their front page. "Kirsten bids farewell; thanks Dhoni, Sachin" writes the Asian Age, while the Pioneer says "Gary gets us cup, takes away bagful of memories".
Plastic bag manufacturing factories in Delhi may have to shut shop, following the government's decision to ban the manufacture of plastic bags. "Full stop for over 100 plastic bag factories", writes the Hindustan Times.
The Tribune writes that the Election Commission is fighting a losing battle against "Cash for votes". "Money power at play in Tamil Nadu poll" says the paper. In related news, the Times of India writes that as per the Election Commission, 43 crore rupees have been seized in 3 poll bound states.
The Times of India writes that a life size portrait of Emperor Jahangir, dating back to the 17th century has sold for around 10 crore rupees becoming the most expensive Mughal Painting sold at an auction.
And finally, its official - long work hours can kill. The Times of India writes that research indicates, over 11hrs a day in office ups heart disease risk by 67%.
 
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The 34th National Games begin in Ranchi today. More than 8,000 athletes, including a host of Commonwealth and Asian Games medalists, will be vying for top honours in the 16-day event which will conclude on the 27th of this month. Dhanbad and Jamshedpur are the two other centers which will host the multi-discipline competition. 

Jharkhand Governor M O H Farook will declare the National Games open. It will be followed by an opening ceremony that will showcase the cultural and sporting heritage of the state at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium. 

The opening ceremony will also have Bollywood flavour with performances by Ameesha Patel and Vivek Oberoi. The three-hour show will begin at 5 pm with a tribute to Jharkhand's warrior Birsa Munda followed by performance by the folk artists and a laser show on the eminent sportspersons from the state. 
 
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Politicians in Brazil are considering a constitutional amendment to help ensure what becomes a social right of all citizens?

It's happiness. A bill to amend Brazil's constitution to make the search for happiness an inalienable right is widely expected to be approved soon by the Senate.

Thousands of police cleared the biggest squat in a European city. The building, known as No 14, had been occupied for two decades and was inhabited by a mix of people, including punks and militants in their 50s. Where is it?

It's Berlin. More than 2,000 police were deployed to clear the squatters out of the apartment building, Liebig 14, in the eastern Berlin district of Friedrichshain, a former working class area that has become fashionable since the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.

It was revealed this week that Chinese state television had broadcast a news report, which appeared to include footage taken from a Hollywood film. Which one?

It was Top Gun. The footage showcasing China's new J-10 fighter and including an air-to-air missile destroying another jet, was published by The Wall Street Journal, alongside film sequences from the 1986 movie. It noted many similarities.

City councillors in New York have approved some of the toughest measures to be adopted in a major metropolis. Against what?

It's smoking. A smoking ban has been extended to municipal parks, beaches and other pedestrian zones. The ban, which will take effect three months after it has been signed by mayor Michael Bloomberg, will make it an offence to smoke in any of the city's 1,700 parks and more than 20km of coastline.

Protests in Egypt against the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak have focused on Cairo's Tahrir Square, or Midan Tahrir. Translated, it is known as...

It's Liberation Square. The square was originally called Midan Ismailia after a 19th Century ruler. It was renamed after the Egyption revolution in 1952, which established the country as a republic.

 
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"Delhi Airport fails hijack test", reports the Hindustan Times.  A mock drill conducted by the Central Committee Control Room at the Delhi Airport and the resultant confusion of various involved agencies made it clear that very few lessons had been learnt from the CI 814 hijack to Kandahar in 1999.
The Statesman tells us that in a first, ten top private firms and banks will conduct a recruitment drive at Tihar Jail to pick suitable persons from the shortlisted 50 inmates who figure in the placement for jobs.
 
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The Non-resident Indians (NRIs) can now cast votes in their home constituencies. Centre has notified rules in this regard. The rules make it clear that the NRIs would have to register as voters and be physically present with their passport on the polling day to exercise their franchise.

There is, however, no provision for postal balloting. The notification prepared in consultation with the Election Commission clarifies that NRI voters now can submit the application directly to the electoral registration officer of the constituency within which the place of residence is mentioned in the passport. 

AIR correspondent reports, the application can either be submitted directly or sent by post.

AIR Correspondent reports, this meets the longstanding demands of the NRIs and fulfills the promise made by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at last year's Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held in New Delhi. 

According to the Representation of the People Act, once a person is registered as a voter, he automatically gets a right to contest polls also. Now, if any NRI has a political ambition to be elected as peoples's representative, he or she can fulfill that aspiration also. 

As per the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2010, so far a person who has gone out of the country for business or employment should be treated as having moved out of that place. 

Mere ownership or possession of a building or other immovable property did not bestow on the owner, the residential qualification.

The Amendment Act says, there are a large number of citizens of India residing outside India due to various reasons. They have been persistently demanding for conferring them voting rights.

Though the issue had been receiving the attention of the Government for quite some time, the demand could not be acceded to owing to certain practical difficulties in enrolling them in the electoral rolls of the concerned constituency.

The Act says the right to vote as demanded by the citizens of India living abroad is their legitimate right. Conferring such right will enable them to participate in the democratic process of elections in their motherland and will also boost their involvement in the nation building. 
 
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Infant Mortality Rate has come down in the country. According to Sample Registration System infant deaths have dropped to Fifty deaths per one thousand live births at national level in 2009. Registrar General of India (today noted that Infant Mortality Rate was fifty three per one thousand in 2008. In rural areas also it declined from 58 to 55 infant deaths per one thousand live births. 
 
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It is a great honour for our country to have Bappi Lahiri as the first Indian in a Grammy jury
 
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Government appoints U.K Sinha as new chairman of SEBI