Quicktakes

Pro-tem Speaker

PUNE: B T Deshmukh, a senior independent member of the State Legislative Council, was sworn in as Pro-tem Speaker of the upper house here today. He was administered the oath of secrecy by Governor P C Alexander who is camping in the city.

Lotteries taxable

NEW DELHI: Terming lottery tickets as goods8217; liable for taxing, Delhi H C has allowed the State Government to impose a 20 per cent tax on the sale of tickets in the Capital. A division bench earlier this week rejected the lottery operators8217; petitionsagainst the tax.

Urea scam case

NEW DELHI: Arguments on charge against all the nine accused in the Rs 133 crore urea scam case will begin in a city court tomorrow, six months after the CBI filed a charge-sheet against them.

Snag in Insat-2C

BANGALORE: INSAT 2-C satellite suffered disorientation8217; 8212; loss of earth lock for a brief period today, affecting some services. But it was put back to normal, ISRO sources said.

Kanpur plant blast

NEW DELHI: National Human Rights Commission has asked the UP government to order an inquiry into lapses by authorities that lead to a major explosion in a Kanpur factory.