The unfolding saga of a service chief going to court to protect his honour, as he puts it, has the entire nation riveted. All kinds of opinions are being expressed by everyone. Some strongly feel that a serving army chief should not have gone to court while others feel that as a citizen he has the right to do so when he is being denied justice by the establishment. The issues that stand out in this episode are by now well known.

With little hope of her complete recovery, doctors of SCB Medical College, Cuttack, on Saturday started providing music therapy to a Pipili gangrape victim.
Doctors hope the 19-year-old girl, who is an avid music lover and emerging singer, will respond to the therapy and recover.

Launching its campaign in five poll-bound states, the Team Anna sought to be even-handed by targeting the Centre, BJP, BSP for bringing a “toothless” Lokpal bill which is like a “dead body strewn with flowers”.

Union home minister P. Chidambaram handed over to villagers of Prothrapur in Andaman and Nicobar Islands the first lot of resident identity cards having their details in microchips, an initiative aimed at boosting maritime security. The first card was given to a woman named Bhoolaxmi.

The Samajwadi Party has promised to set up a commission to probe the corruption in the five years of Mayawati regime in Uttar Pradesh. The commission would be asked to submit its report within a specified time frame. The party also said that the office of the lokayukta would be strengthened by making it a multi-member body.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned Friday he may accelerate the French withdrawal from Afghanistan after an Afghan soldier shot dead four unarmed French troops during a sports session inside a base.

Salman Rushdie ended weeks of speculation about his participation in the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) by announcing on Friday that he would not be traveling to India. Rushdie issued a press statement in which he blamed political indifference, specifically of the Rajasthan government, and lack of adequate security.

The history of cricket in Malaysia and the Royal Selangor Club (RSC) are intimately connected. In the mid-19th century, British planters founded the club with a full-sized ground (locally called a padang) for their entertainment, which in course of time became the seat of cricket in then Malaya.

The Congress high command on Friday gave permission to controversial Congress state minister Manoj Chakraborty who had raised the banner of revolt against chief minister Mamata Banerjee, to resign. The Congress party may or may not choose another party MLA to be given a ministerial berth in place of Mr Chakraborty.

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Friday took his “Sadbhavna” mission fast to Godhra, the epicentre of 2002 communal discord in the state, just a month before the 10th anniversary of the Sabarmati train carnage.
Incidentally, the turnout of people from minority community at Modi’s fast venue at the SRP ground here was low, contrary to the estimation by local BJP leaders.