Lokpal: Govt may offer to include PM, Group C

A day after Anna Hazare's fast, the government as part of its counter Anna strategy on the Lokpal Bill is expected to offer to include the Prime Minister and Group C employees in its ambit at the all-party meet on Wednesday.

According to sources, the bill will be tabled in Parliament next week.

This indication has come after the Congress, isolated by the Opposition, received support from its allies.

On Tuesday, the Cabinet is also slated to take up judicial accountability bill, whistle blowers protection bill and citizens grievance redressal bill.

The Cabinet will also take up the feel-good Foods Security Bill, hoping to woo voters just as farm loan waiver did.

This will be followed by a meeting between the UPA and its allies. Unlike the Lokpal draft committee, this time the Congress wants to keep allies on board.

And on Wednesday there will be an all-party meet. Sources say that the final Lokpal will include Prime Minister and Group C.

The government is likely to propose that the Prime Minister could be brought under the ambit of Lokpal, however, with certain safeguards.

Further, on the issue of bringing CBI investigations under the ambit of Lokpal, the government may propose that though it could not be done, the Lokpal may however be kept in the know of the probe into corruption-related cases.

Though the Congress is upset with the Team Anna over their attack on party general secretary Rahul Gandhi, it is also aware that a strong opposition could nix the chance of easy passage of Lokpal Bill. And in that case, it may be difficult to stop the agitation by Anna Hazare on December 27.

Sehwag becomes 2nd batsman to slam 200 in ODIs

Indore: Virender Sehwag, captaining India in the absence of the rested MS Dhoni, has become only the second batsman in the world to breach the 200-mark in one-day cricket. The first was the inimitable Sachin Tendulkar, who scored a double ton last year.

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Sehwag slammed his 200 in the fourth ODI against the West Indies at Indore. He got to the 200 in 140 balls; the first 100 came in only 69 balls. He also crossed 8,000 ODI runs during the knock.

This is Sehwag's 15th ODI century and answers all the critics that have been blaming the top-order's indifferent form and Sehwag's bad captaincy for India's 16-run loss to the Windies in the 3rd ODI at Ahmedabad.

Sachin Tendulkar got his 200 against South Africa at Gwalior in February 2010. Tendulkar had scored 200 not out off 147 balls to take India to 401/3 in that game.

Sehwag's feat, however, would not have been possible without a little help from West Indies skipper Darren Sammy, who dropped the Delhi batsman off a Ravi Rampaul delivery in the 38th over when Sehwag was batting on 170. But then what is a great Sehwag innings without the adventure?

Sehwag blitz against West Indies

4th ODI: Congratulate Sehwag for his blitz against West Indies

India gold futures hit 2-wk high; silver down

India gold futures rose by more than half a percent on Wednesday to hit their highest level in two weeks on firm global leads fanned by a weaker rupee at home.

* Silver traded down following sharp declines in copper, the other industrial metal.

* The most-traded gold for December delivery on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) was 0.56 percent higher at 28,824 rupees per 10 grams, after hitting a high of 28,905 rupees, a level last seen on Nov. 17.

* The rupee plays an important role in determining the landed cost of the yellow metal, which is quoted in dollars.

* Silver for December delivery was down 0.17 percent at 54,874 rupees per kg.

* Rising prices of the yellow metal by as much as 0.8 percent pushed physical traders to the sidelines, who sought to stock for the wedding season in India, the world's biggest consumer of bullion. Weddings will last through December.

* "The rupee weakness has increased gold costs... If prices fall to 28,500 (rupees) there could be good buying," said Harshad Ajmera, proprietor of JJ Gold House in Kolkata.

* Silver imports to India would be marginally lower in 2011 from last year's 3,030 tonnes as traders are uncomfortable with prices ruling above 50,000 rupees per kg, a senior official at ScotiaMocatta said.

6 arrested for Pune blast, Jama Masjid attack

The Delhi Police has arrested six suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives in connection with crucial terror cases in the country, according to sources. The Delhi Police sources claim to have solved the Jama Masjid blast case, the Pune German Bakery blast case and Chinnaswamy stadium terror attack case.

Sources say a Pakistani national is also among the six arrested Indian Mujahideen operatives.

This came days after two Indian Mujahideen operatives were arrested in Chennai and brought to Delhi for questioning.

Police sources said the 'main man' Imran, who was allegedly providing finance and other logistics besides coordinating various modules, is on the run.

Imran had allegedly planted the bomb in a car outside Delhi's Jama Masjid on September 19, 2010, the sources said.

Sources said they also looking for one Tauqeer, a top IM leader who is wanted in 2008 Delhi serial blasts and is suspected to be involved in the September 7 High Court blast.

Those arrested are Mohd Afzal, Mohd Ajmal, Mohd Siddique, Zafar, Abdul Rehman and Irshad Khan, a senior police official said.

Afzal and Ajmal were arrested from Madhubani in a fake passport case while Rehman and an engineering student Irshad Khan were apprehended from Chennai. Siddique and Zafar were arrested from Delhi, the official said.

"All the arrests were made in the past few days. We have also seized some arms and ammunition from Delhi and nearby areas," the official said, adding all these were two-member modules.

The police have been conducting raids at other places including Bihar to find clues in terror cases like the Jama Masjid blast, the Delhi High Court blast and even the German Bakery blast.

Four people were also detained three days ago as the police questioned some people in connection with these terror cases.

17 people were killed and over 50 were injured in the German Bakery blast in Pune's posh Koregaon Park area in February 2010. 15 people were injured in two low intensity blasts near a packed Chinnaswamy cricket stadium in April the same year. The blasts took place less than an hour before an IPL match.

On September 19, 2010, two foreign tourists were injured when two men on a motorcycle opened fire outside Gate 3 of Delhi's Jama Masjid.