LIVE
Tue, 23 October 2012
US teen in Craigslist trial: I feared for my life
Timeline Refresh
23:18 US teen in Craigslist trial: I feared for my life
AP reports: The teenage suspect in the killings of three US men lured by phony Craigslist job offers testified at his murder trial today that he went along only because he feared the gunman would kill him, too.
Brogan Rafferty, 17, said he feared his co-defendant might kill him and family members if he objected. Rafferty's co-defendant, Richard Beasley, will be tried separately. He has pleaded not guilty.
Authorities say the victims answered Craigslist ads for work on a nonexistent cattle farm in Ohio. The scheme targeted older, single, out-of-work men with backgrounds that made it unlikely their disappearances would be noticed right away, according to authorities.
22:13 Malaysian TV tycoon wins $250 million in dispute
AFP reports: Singapore's high court has awarded Malaysian tycoon of Indian-origin Ananda Krishnan's Astro group $250 million in compensation for a failed joint venture with his Indonesian former business partner James Riady.
The high court, in a decision dated Moday, upheld an arbitration court's earlier ruling in favour of the Malaysian group.
21:37 BKU training 1,400 volunteers to 'protect' Kejriwal
As many as 1,400 volunteers of Bhartiya Kisan Union, armed with batons, will be giving protection to activist Arvind Kejariwal during his visit here on November 1.
The BKU had criticised Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid for allegedly daring Kejriwal to stage a protest in Farrukhabad, and vowed to thwart any attempt to harm the social activist.
As part of the announcement BKU has started training volunteers for its force.
21:20 Karzai condemns Afghan civilian deaths in NATO raid
At least three civilians were killed in a weekend NATO raid on insurgents in Afghanistan, officials said today, as President Hamid Karzai condemned the operation "in the strongest possible terms".
NATO's US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said it "may be responsible" for the deaths of the three civilians during a raid in Baraki Barak district of restive Logar province, close to Kabul, on Saturday.
ISAF commander General John Allen offered his condolences to the victims' families in a statement issued by the coalition and said he would meet them personally to offer "condolence payments".
21:08 Pak's EC decides not to disqualify Rehman Malik
In a major relief for Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Election Commission today decided not to disqualify him as a legislator, weeks after the Supreme Court had said that he may lose membership of the Senate for making a false declaration about his citizenship.
Secretary Election Commission Afzal Khan said that no further proceedings will be conducted against Malik, Dawn News reported. Khan said the decision was taken during a meeting of the Election Commission of Pakistan, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, following a reference sent by Deputy Chairman Senate Sabir Baloch regarding Malik's disqualification.
21:03 Iran to halt oil exports if hit with more sanctions
Iran will stop exporting oil if Western powers slap any more economic sanctions against the Islamic republic over its disputed nuclear programme, Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said on today.
"If you continue to add to the sanctions, we will stop our oil exports to the world," Qasemi said on the sidelines of an energy conference in Dubai, warning the "lack of Iranian oil in the market would drastically add to the price."
Western states have imposed since the beginning of the year an oil embargo on Iran, ending European purchases of Iranian crude oil while exports to Tehran's Asian customers fell significantly, between 10 to 30 per cent.
21:01 Ahmadinejad puts Iran infighting in spotlight
Dissent within Iran's regime was back in the spotlight today after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hit back at the judiciary chief for denying him access to Tehran's notorious Evin prison.
The government website yesterday published Ahmadinejad's harshly-worded letter to Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani which criticised the judiciary for not allowing the president to visit Evin, where his press adviser has been held for nearly a month.
Ali Akbar Javanfekr, who heads the official IRNA news agency and state media group, was arrested in September as the president was out of the country delivering a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York.
20:46 Prez, PM greet people on Dussehra, Eid-ul-Zuha
President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi today greeted people on the occasion of Dussehra and Eid-ul-Zuha.
In his message, the President said that he has great pleasure in extending warm greetings and good wishes to the countrymen on the joyous occasion of Dussehra. "This auspicious season is a time when the people of India re-enact our great epic '" Ramayana - and celebrate the triumph of truth and righteousness over evil forces.
"May this festival stimulate in all of us the determination to emulate the righteousness of the Maryada Purush, the loyalty of his brothers Bharath and Lakshmana, the virtues of Sita and the valour as well as humility of Hanuman," Mukherjee said.
20:33 Karuna decries war memorial in Sri Lanka
Slamming the building of a victory memorial in northern Sri Lanka as an "uncivilised act" by the island government to "deliberately hurt" sentiments of Tamils, DMK chief M Karunanidhi today said such memorials would not help the peace efforts claimed to have been taken up by Colombo.
"The memorial and war museum are uncivilised act of the Sri Lankan Government. These are not helpful to the peace efforts said to have been undertaken by the island government," he said in a statement here.
20:24 Crisis in K'fisher likely to prolong
The crisis in Kingfisher Airlines following a 23-day lockout is likely to prolong with a large section of employees today sticking to its refusal of the management's offer on payment of salary dues even as its owner Vijay Mallya said he was not an "absconder".
Under fire over the crisis and with agitated employees asking where he is, Mallya broke his silence, slamming sections of the media for calling him an "absconder". "I travel 24x7 where my multiple work responsibilities take me. Sections of media call me an absconder because I don't talk to them," Mallya said in a tweet.
20:02 Rajat Gupta's fate to be decided on Wednesday
Former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta will be sentenced on Wednesday by a US judge on insider trading charges, a year after the Indian-American Wall Street executive was charged with passing boardroom secrets to the now imprisoned hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam.
The prosecution has sought a prison term of 8-10 years for the 63-year-old Gupta, who was convicted by a jury in June this year in a closely followed trial on three counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy.
His sentencing by US District Judge Jed Rakoff comes exactly a year after Manhattan's top federal attorney India-born Preet Bharara filed insider trading charges against the former McKinsey head.
20:00 Bangladesh leader Khaleda Zia to visit India
Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief and former prime minister Khaleda Zia will visit India on a week-long tour on an invitation from the Indian government.
"She (Zia) was invited previously by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and later by the then finance minister and now President Pranab Mukherjee. Indian Foreign Minister S M Krishna had recently sent her a letter formally inviting her to visit New Delhi," Zia's press secretary Maruf Kamal Sohel said.
Sohel said Zia will reach New Delhi on November 28 and will call on Mukherjee on the same day. She is also scheduled to hold talks with Dr Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and opposition leader in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.
19:22 Spanish King to visit India
Spain's King Juan Carlos I will arrive in India on Wednesday on a four-day state visit and will be accompanied by high-level ministerial and business delegations.
He will be in Mumbai and Delhi during the course of his visit.
While in Delhi, Carlos I will be accorded a ceremonial welcome on October 26. He will call on President Pranab Mukherjee, who will host a state banquet in his honour.
Delegation-level talks are expected to take place between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Spanish King.
18:55 Can Malala Yousafzai change Pakistan?
Shehrbano Taseer, whose father and Pakistan People's Party leader Salman Taseer was killed by a fundamentalist for speaking out against outdated blasphemy laws, writes about the attack on Malala Yousafzai and how that incident has impacted Pakistan.
18:51 Yatra for Sarabjit's release reaches Shirdi
Savitakant Laxmi, 56, from Agra, has begun his Sadbhavana Yatra from Mumbai to the Vaishno Devi shrine for the release of Indian civilian Sarbajit Singh from a Pakistani jail.
His journey by cycle rickshaw from Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan's Mumbai residence today reached Shirdi, in which his wife Vandana also participated.
He will try to get signatures of 51 lakh people for Sarbajit's release from a Pakistani jail, he said.
18:05 Publicise CCTV footage of Jagan's activities in jail: TDP
The Telugu Desam Party demanded today, that the Andhra Pradesh government immediately publicise Chanchalguda prison's closed circuit TV footage to establish who met whom and how many times.
"We have written a letter to the Director General of Police three days ago requesting him to prevent use of cellular phones in the prison by Jagan Mohan Reddy. But there was no response. The person who looted the state has been sent to jail, but he has turned it into his den for political activities. We are left to suspect that the state government is hand-in-glove with him since it failed to take any action against him," TDP politburo member Yanamala Ramakrishnudu alleged at a press conference in Hyderabad.
The former minister said every activity within the prison has to be recorded using CCTV cameras.
17:57 Security in Mumbai beefed up ahead of Dussehra
Elaborate security arrangements are set in place in the metropolis for Dussehra celebrations in wake of intelligence inputs that terrorists might strike to disrupt the festive season in the country, police said today.
Mumbai police are trying to ensure peaceful celebrations during the festival and have beefed up security, particularly in and around vital installations. Joint Police Commissioner (Law and order) Sadanand Date said about 14,500 police personnel have been deployed to ensure peaceful procession of Goddess Durga idols.
The immersion of thousands of Durga idols would be done in the city on Wednesday and on Thursday. As many as 2,000 home guards, two companies of Rapid Action Force and seven companies of State Reserve Police Force would also assist the city police in maintaining law and order, police said.
Central Home Ministry has directed all state governments to deploy additional security forces in crowded and sensitive places, including markets, religious places, railway stations and bus terminals, which could be targets of militants, police said. There have been intelligence reports that some HuJI militants had sneaked into India through India-Bangladesh border recently to create disturbance during the festival season, sources said.
17:53 A conversation with Accidental India author Shankkar Aiyar
The author recently spoke with India Ink about the book, the current crisis in India and the problems with India's model of governance.
17:48 Good news for LPG consumers in Maha soon: Chavan
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today hinted at a relief for LPG consumers in the state.
Addressing a programme in Dombivili town of Thane district, Chavan said the people of the state would soon get a "good news" regarding the LPG cylinders. However, he did not elaborate further on it.
Earlier, the Centre had asked the Congress-led state governments in the country to raise the subsidised gas cylinders from six to nine for the people.
17:21 Yogita Thakre case: Court rejects closure report
A Nagpur court on Wednesday rejected the CID closure report in Yogita Thakre case and directed the agency to carry out further investigation into the death mystry of the 7-year-old girl.
On May 19, 2009, Yogita was found dead in the boot of a car in the compound of Gadkari's home in Nagpur.
17:18 Bad smell, shoddy construction plague Goldman's B'lore office
Construction is due to start soon on a Bangalore campus for some 4,000 back-office Goldman Sachs staff, but a report by Toronto-based architect Adamson Associates seen by Reuters said the project faces a string of obstacles including shoddy construction, corruption, poor sanitation and an on-site tomb.
17:15 FIFA authorises two goal-line technologies
Two goal-line technology systems have been licensed for worldwide use by Fifa, football's world governing body.
The approval means that Hawkeye and GoalRef can now provide their products to leagues and competitions.
17:07 Home ministry REJECTS Kasab's mercy plea
The Union ministry of home affairs has rejected Pakistani 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab's mercy plea, and has forwarded the same to President Pranab Mukherjee.
Earlier, the Maharashtra home ministry has also rejected the LeT gunman's mercy plea.
16:30 Give final view on Lokpal Bill: Parl panel to Law min
A Parliamentary committee has asked the Law Ministry, which has taken differing stands, to give its final view on whether Parliament has the power to pass the Lokpal Bill making it mandatory for states to set up Lokayuktas.
The Rajya Sabha Select Committee on Lokpal has sought the final view of the Law Ministry on whether Parliament has the legislative competence to pass a law which will be mandatory for states to follow.
"...It is expedient to enact a law for more effective implementation of the UN Convention and to provide for prompt and fair probe and prosecution in cases of corruption," said the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill passed by the Lok Sabha, and vetted by the Law Ministry.
The government had cited provisions under Article 253 of the Constitution to state that Parliament can make laws which are mandatory for the state governments to implement.
16:18 Digvijay writes to PM, wants probe against Gadkari
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh has 'submitted proofs' against BJP president Nitin Gadkari to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and has demanded a probe against him.
16:07 New science policy next year: Vayalar Ravi
India is likely to unveil a new science policy next year which will give primacy to global competitiveness on scientific discoveries and evolving affordable solutions through science.
"The government plans to bring in a new science, technology and innovation policy in 2013," Science and Technology Minister Vayalar Ravi said addressing participants of the Second National Level Exhibition and Project Competition (NLEPC) in New Delhi.
The new Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy is expected to help in achieving faster, sustainable and inclusive growth and proposes to introduce sound measurement systems based on global experience.
The emphasis of Policy will be to provide a renewed impetus for the science and technology sector while creating a vibrant innovation ecosystem that is intertwined with the overall S&T strategy.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to unveil the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy on January 3 next year at the Centenary session of the Indian Science Congress in Kolkata.
15:56 ISI political cell was disbanded 5 years ago
Pakistan Defence Secretary Lt-General (ret) Asif Yasin Malik has claimed that the political cell of the Inter-Services Intelligence was disbanded five years ago and categorically denied any cell operating since.
Malik, while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production, dispelled all rumours of any political cell operating within the intelligence agency since the past five years, reports The Express Tribune.
According to the paper, Malik reportedly claimed that the U.S. had conducted drone attacks from the Shamsi airbase while it was still operational, and the attacks, he added, were carried out under the government's approval.
The defence ministry, however, later denied Malik made any comment regarding the use of Shamsi airbase by the U.S. for its drone strikes.
15:37 China to Obama, Romney: Tone down your rhetoric
Beijing urged the US presidential candidates on Tuesday to refrain from inflaming tensions with China after President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney vowed to get tough with the Asian giant.
Both men vowed to be firm on China at their final presidential debate in Florida on Monday with Romney reeling off a list of alleged Chinese trade violations.
"US politicians no matter from what party should view China's development in an objective and rational light and should do more for China-US mutual trust and cooperation," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said following the debate.
"The sound and steady development of China-US relations serve the fundamental interests of both countries and both peoples, it is also conducive to regional and world peace, stability and prosperity."
China's state press lashed out at the anti-China tone of the discussions.
"Willing or not, Democratic or Republican, the next US president shall have to tone down his get-tough-on-China rhetoric made along the campaign trail," Xinhua news agency said in a commentary.
It added: "Both US presidential candidates vowed at their third and last debate... that they would press Beijing to 'play by the rules' in shaping their bilateral ties.
"However, their definition of 'rules of the road' is primarily pro-American."
15:37 Meet Obama's inter-faith guru Eboo Patel
Eboo Patel, president of the Inter Faith Youth Coalition, an interfaith network of college students at around 200 universities worldwide. Importantly, he and IFYC have worked closely with US President Barack Obama's administration on a programme called the President's Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge, writes Visi R Tilak on the WSJ blog, IndiaRealTime. Patel, Tilak says, hopes to continue the program beyond November, regardless who wins the US election, here.
15:19 IMG to decide fate of 13 coal mines next week
The Inter-Ministerial Group will decide the fate of 13 coal mines allocated to public sector firms on the first day of the two-day meeting likely to be held next week.
This could include firms like Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corp and Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corp.
"The IMG will make recommendations with regard to 13 coal mines alloted to public sector firms on October 30. On October 31 the panel will make recommendations for 20 mines," an official in the Coal Ministry said.
On the second day, the IMG will make recommendations with regards to PSUs like Nalco and MMTC among others, the official said.
Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal had recently said IMG has already reviewed coal blocks given to the private companies.
"For government companies IMG has completed the hearings and will further examine the matter on October 30 and 31," the minister had said.
The IMG has concluded the scrutiny of 31 coal blocks allotted to 51 private firms.
15:03 China's Communist Party drops 'Mao thoughts' from key document
Wary of disgraced Chinese Communist Party leader Bo Xilai staging a comeback with pro-Maoist rhetoric at a later stage, the Party, which is holding its Congress next month to select once in a decade leadership, dropped "Mao thoughts" from a key document, according to a media report.
The 24-member-strong Politburo which met under the leadership of President Hu Jintao in Beijing on Monday to finalise crucial documents to be adopted by the forthcoming 18th Congress party dropped references to founder leader Mao's thoughts.
While highlighting several guiding tenets of party doctrines by President Hu Jintao, his predecessors Jiang Zemin and Deng Xiaoping, "Mao Zedong thought", one key term missing was missing from the document.
This absence has led some China watchers to wonder whether Party might be moving to play down the philosophy of its late patriarch in the 18th national party congress, Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reported.
14:46 Marathi daily editor arrested in murder case
The Editor-in-Chief of Marathi daily Deshonnati, Prakash Pohare, was today arrested in connection with the killing of an employee in the newspaper's printing press at Gondkhairi near Nagpur, police said.
Pohare was arrested in Akola by a police team from Nagpur, Superintendent of Police, Nagpur Rural, Manoj Sharma said.
Rajendra Dupare (50), a security supervisor at the printing press, was shot dead on October 13 when Pohare along with a security guard, Ganesh D Fungud, had gone to the press where some employees of the paper were holding an agitation.
The security guard, accompanying Pohare, allegedly fired at Dupare from his rifle after they had a scuffle. Dupare was taken to Government Medical College Hospital where he was declared brought dead.
However, the newspaper, in its October 14 edition, published Pohare's statement, who said he was attacked when he arrived at the press, and the security guard Fungud fired in defence.
14:44 Mitt Romney, the best profiles from the web
If the leadership profiles of Barack Obama tend to be organized around the characteristics for which the president is most known -- his pragmatism, his penchant for compromise, his coolness -- the ones about Mitt Romney tend to follow the chapters of his life, writes Jena McGregor in the Washington Post and presents the best profiles on the challenger to the American president. You can read it here.
14:26 Charges against Gadkari will be probed: Moily
With media reports alleging dubious funding for companies run by BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, the government on Tuesday said it will inquire into the issue, a stand BJP attacked as being "selective".
Corporate Affairs Minister M Veerappa Moily said after the information on alleged funding of companies with which Gadkari is associated has come to public domain, the Registrars of Companies will "definitely inquire into it".
Moily said, "We have not ordered anything. It is all coming in the newspapers. Since it has come in public domain, we told our ministry to make some discreet inquiry to find out what exactly is the matter. Are there any violations of Companies Act."
When asked by reporters whether the business dealings of Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will also be scrutinised, he said the two issues were separate and there was no link between them.
Media reports have raised questions over the source of funds for Purti Power and Sugar Ltd controlled by Gadkari. Media investigations claim that major investments and large loans to Purti were made by a construction firm Ideal Road Builders (IRB) group, which had won contracts between 1995 and 1999, when Gadkari was PWD minister in Maharashtra.
14:23 Arvind Kejriwal apologises to Annie Kohli
Former India Against Corruption activist Annie Kohli received an apology from civil rights activist Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday, hours after she claimed that she was not allowed to meet the latter over the issue of being branded a political agent.
Kohli had earlier said that she wasn't a political agent as claimed by IAC activists.
She said that she later met Kejriwal and discussed her problems with him.
"Kejriwal heard my problem, he assured me that he will talk to Mayank Gandhi. I respect Kejriwalji," Kohli said.
Annie said that while she supported Kejriwal on the issue of combatting the menace of corruption, she did not support his political campaign. She said there were no differences between her and Kejriwal.
14:21 San Diego parents threaten to sue over free yoga classes
Is yoga spiritual or religious? The debate has been reignited with a group of parents in San Diego, on the US west coast, threatening to bring legal action over free yoga classes at schools in the beachside community, fearing they are indoctrinating youngsters in eastern religion, reports the San Francisco Chronicle, here.
14:17 Abducted Sukma collector's negotiator writes about it
G Haragopal, one of the mediators who negotiated with the Chhattisgarh government as well at the Maoists who had abducted the Sukma collector Alex Paul Menon, writes in the Economic and Political Weekly that the 'kidnapping of the Sukma district collector in April 2012 and the issues that came up in the CPI -Maoist party's statements had much to do with a model of development that is surrendering rich natural resources to corporates and multinationals for a pittance in the name of growth.' Read the cerebral article here.
14:12 I love floating around in space: Sunita
Record-setting Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams has completed 100 days in space and is not missing gravity as she loves floating around, an experience she calls "priceless".
"I love being up here and I love floating around," 47-year-old Williams, who is currently commanding the International Space Station's Expedition 33 crew, said.
"I think the mindset really is you know it is not going to last forever, so I think you take an advantage of flying around as much as possible," said Williams, who is in space along with Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchekno of Russia and Akihiko Hoshide of Japan.
Sometimes her mindset reverts, however, to how she'd do things on Earth. "It took a little while to get used to falling asleep without laying down on a bed or having a pillow," Williams shared last evening.
14:12 Amul's utterly-butterly tribute to Yash Chopra
The genius at Amul never dissipates. And if any proof were needed of what we all know to be a fact, take a look at its tribute to Bollywood's King of Romance, Yash Chopra, here.
14:09 Andrew Strauss on KP, and other things..
A lot has been written about Andrew Strauss, former English captain who relinquished his post after the rout against South Africa, and the fallout with Kevin Pietersen, the latter's fall from grace and subsequent reinstatement, now for the first time the Guardian newspaper has him clear the air about many things. A great read if you are a cricket buff (who isn't??).
13:53 Kingfisher airline shuts down, but bikini calendar still on track
Billboards across Mumbai city proudly proclaim that the 'Hunt for the Kingfisher Calendar Girl 2013' is on. The reality show, which will see bikini beauties fight it out to feature in Kingfisher's much-awaited annual swimsuit calendar alongside seasoned models, is slated to start airing on October 29 -- and one of the '2 cool judges' of the series is none other than Sidhartha Mallya himself.
At a time when Kingfisher Airlines' licence has been suspended and its employees left in the lurch without salaries for six months straight, the proud announcement of the calendar seems in particularly bad taste. Several KFA employees have stated in the press that they are in dire financial straits and a staffer's wife even committed suicide in Delhi over the non-payment of wages.
In the meantime, Mallya Jr continues to tweet about the bikini calendar: 'Just spent the morning playing volleyball with 12 bikini clad models on the beach...now I understand why people hate me. HA!'Dr Mallya, on the other hand, left the country aboard his private aircraft over two weeks ago, which many speculate is a bid to escape the ongoing airline crisis.
Whether he attends the Greater Noida Grand Prix in Delhi next weekend remains to be seen.
13:35 Nitin Gadkari must quit: Jethmalani
Stirring the hornet's nest in BJP, MP Ram Jethmalani on Tuesday renewed his attack on party chief Nitin Gadkari and demanded his resignation, saying the fresh allegations against him in the Maharashtra land scam will compromise the BJP's campaign against corruption.
Speaking to CNN-IBN, he said that Gadkari should not be given the second term as the BJP president as there are serious allegations of corruption against him.
However, BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi defended Gadkari, saying "Whatever allegations are there, we've given clarification several times. We can give it again if needed. There is no embarrassment of any sorts to the party."
13:18 Yeddyurappa to float new party on December 10
Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has made it even more clear that he is no longer part of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
While announcing that he would float his new party on the December 10, he also said that he was no longer a part of the BJP.
He was speaking to reporters outside his office in Bangalore after conducting prayers. When asked about the developments in the BJP, he bluntly said, "I am not going to speak about the BJP because I am not a part of the party anymore. I am not in the party and hence I wont speak about anything relating to the party. I will float my new party on December 10."
Yeddyurappa who has been sulking ever since he was forced to step down as chief minister, has not only staged many coups in the party, but has also indicated that he would be quitting the party.
13:05 DIAL gets ISO 20000 certification
IGI Airport operator, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), has got ISO 20000 certification for eliminating and controlling IT related threats on its IT service management system.
With this, Delhi has become the sixth airport in the world after Dubai, Munich, Abu Dhabi, Incheon and Hyderabad to get this certification, a statement from the DIAL said.
The ISO 20000-1:2011 is a service management system (SMS) standard that specifies requirements for an IT service provider to plan, establish, implement, operate, monitor, review, maintain and improve an SMS.
"This confirms our strength on IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes and procedures. It also establishes DIAL's robust ITIL system adhering to world's most respected framework for IT projects, delivery and applications. Our customers' data, travel information and transactions are more secured all through this structured ISO approach. Thus, eliminating and controlling all IT related threats," DIAL CEO, I Prabhakara Rao said.
12:49 Passengers threatened to kill me: AI pilot
The Air India pilot, who pressed the flight hijack alarm in panic at the Thiruvananthapuram airport last week amid protests by passengers, has said in her complaint to police that she was threatened with dire consequences by some of them after they barged into the cockpit.
According to the FIR lodged with city police, Commander Rupali Wagmore complained that a passenger even told her he would not hesitate to kill her if anything happened to his six month old child.
Around 200 passengers of AI Kochi bound flight from Abu Dhabi had on October 19 protested and some allegedly tried entering the cockpit after it was diverted to the state capital due to poor visibility. Having boarded the previous night, they alleged it took several hours even to take off from Abu Dhabi.
12:46 BJP collecting evidence against Congress leaders
State units of BJP have accumulated documentary evidences against Congress leaders in their states and keep them handy to hit whenever Lok Sabha polls are held be it in 2013 or 2014.
The BJP ruled states have much more 'stories' about Congress leaders, which include MPs and Union ministers.
The Congress discussed this aspect and planned a counter attack on the BJP at their New Delhi Congress War room recently.
12:43 PAC chairman Joshi asks CAG for 2G pricing policy note
Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, chairman of Public Accounts Committee, has asked the Comptroller and Auditor General to produce the note by KM Chandrasekhar, then cabinet secretary to the Prime Minister, on 2G pricing policy for the PAC to analyse the points raised in it.
The BJP wants to make a political issue out of this.
The BJP will seek to embarrass Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with a privilege motion during the Winter session of Parliament.
12:24 Bengaluru bar girls gangrape: Police arrest 9
Bengaluru police have arrested nine persons for their alleged involvement in the alleged gang rape of three bar girls in Jnanajyothi Nagar near Mariyappana Palya in Bengaluru.
Last Thursday night, three bar girls are allegedly said to have been gang-raped by a gang numbering more than 10 people, who barged into their house near Kengeri.
The eight girls, all hailing from various cities of north India, including Punjab, Delhi and Maharashtra, were staying in a rented house for the past two months. All of them worked in a bar in the Majestic area. The girls stayed on the ground-floor, while two security personnel stayed on the first floor of the building.
A gang of more than 10 people came to their house after the girls returned home after work around midnight. On opening the door, the gang, armed with lethal weapons, barged into the house. The two security guards rushed to rescue the girls but the gang locked them up.
Police said the gang first asked for valuables. They took five gold rings, one gold chain, five cellphones, one LCD TV and 15,000 in cash. Then they allegedly sexually assaulted some of the girls. The gang allegedly bundled three girls into their Maruti Omni van and drove off.
12:19 3 Hizbul terrorists nabbed for threatening village heads
Three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists have been arrested from Kulgam in Kashmir for allegedly threatening village sarpanchs. They were being questioned for further role in spreading panic among sarpanchs in south Kashmir.
Kashmir saw a flurry of protests by sarpanchs in September 2012. The sarpanchs demanded gun licenses to protect themselves in the wake of murders of two local body leaders in two weeks.
Nearly 140 sarpanchs had resigned and almost an equal number demanded that they be issued gun licenses till the time the state government does not take concrete steps to deal with the menace.
12:15 Rupee slips; trades at 53.52 for a dollar
The rupee failed to maintain its early gains and slipped by five paise to trade at 53.52 against the US currency on fresh dollar demand from banks and importers amidst weak local equity markets.
The rupee resumed higher at 53.40 per dollar against the last closing level of 53.47 per dollar and improved further to 53.36 per dollar at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) Market on selling of dollars by some banks and exporters.
However, it failed to maintain early gains on fresh dollar demand from banks and moved down to 53.56 per dollar, before quoting at 53.52 per dollar at 1050 hrs.
11:45 Kingfisher Airlines crashes on Dalal Street
Shares of Kingfisher Airlines tumbled by 4.6 per cent on the bourses in the morning trade after the employees rejected the airline's offer of payment of three months' salary.
The scrip of the debt-laden carrier fell by 4.59 to hit the lower circuit limit of Rs 10.40 in the opening trade on the BSE.
Similar movement was seen on the National Stock Exchange, where stock dropped by 4.61 per cent to touch its lowest permissible limit for the day of Rs 10.35.
Kingfisher had on Monday offered its striking employees staggered payment of three months' salary dues before Diwali in mid-November in a bid to get them back to work but a section of employees rejected the offer prolonging the 23-day impasse.
Under the deal offered by the management, the salary dues of one month would be paid in 24 hours, another month's installment in seven days and the third installment before Diwali on November 13, sources had said, adding that efforts would be made to clear fourth installment by December.
11:40 We are not evading graft charges, Congress is: BJP
The BJP on Tuesday defended party president Nitin Gadkari who facing serious allegations of corporate fraud, with questions now being raised on the source of funding for the firm Purti Power and Sugar Ltd-controlled by him.
Addressing media persons, BJP spokesman Nirmala Sithraman said the party stood by Gadkari stand that he was ready to have the matter probed by any competent authority.
BJP is not evading graft charges, Congress is, she said
11:01 Sensex down; Tata Power, Infy, Reliance big losers
The BSE benchmark Sensex erased initial gains, and fell by six points due to fresh selling in consumer durables, IT, oil&gas and auto sectors amidst mixed Asian cues.
The Sensex had resumed higher at 18,803.62 and moved between 18,812.93 and 18,758.42. It was quoted at 18,787.54 at 1025 hrs, down 5.90 points, or 0.03 per cent, from Monday's close.
The NSE 50-share Nifty also eased by 3.60 points, or 0.06 per cent, to 5,713.55 at 1025 hrs.
The market may remain volatile this week as traders roll over positions in the futures & options (F&O) segment from the near month October 2012 series to November 2012 series. The near-month October 2012 derivatives expire on October 25.
The stock market will remain closed on Wednesday on account of Dussera.
Major losers were Hero Motocorp (1.54 per cent), Infosys (0.83 per cent), Jindal Steel (0.81 per cent), Reliance Ind (0.75 per cent) and Tata Power (0.56 per cent).
10:49 CNN poll puts Obama ahead of Romney
In the last of the three high-stake 90-minute debates ahead of November 6 elections, President Obama was the aggressor from the start of the encounter which provided both the candidates a last chance to appeal to millions of voters in what appears to be a neck-and-neck race to the White House.
According to a CNN snap poll, Obama won the final presidential debate; and same was the case for other opinion polls including that of CBS news. While 48 per cent voted for Obama and 40 per cent supported Romney in the CNN poll.
10:20 Buses, taxis may go off WB roads after Durga Puja
Private buses and taxis in West Bengal may go off the roads after the Durga Pujas if fares are not increased, even as operators are pinning their hopes on an assurance by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to look into the issue after Lakshmi Puja.
An indefinite strike called by operators of 60,000 private buses, the mainstay of public transport in the state, in early October was postponed till Lakshmi Puja, which falls on October 29, following a meeting with the chief minister.
"When the chief minister has given an assurance, we are hopeful that a solution will be reached," Secretary of Joint Council of Bus Syndicates, Sadhan Das, told PTI.
Asked whether his organisation would go on strike if fares are not hiked, a consistent demand following the steep increase in diesel prices in September, a cautious Das said "We don't want to say anything on that. We are hopeful that the chief minister will provide us relief."
09:52 25 CEOs of state-run firms to meet PM today
25 CEOs from Central Public Sector Enterprises or CPSEs will be calling on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today to discuss the state of public sector units in the country.
"The meeting will give the opportunity to the Captains of Public Sector Enterprises to convey their views to the Prime Minister on several key issues like autonomy and empowerment of the Public Sector Enterprises, plans on their disinvestments, improvement in their MoU system, flexibility to the boards of CPSEs, professionalisation of boards of CPSEs, future investment plans and capital expenditure as well as their plan to go international etc,"says an official in the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
The delegation will be led by Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel. The meeting, sources say, is Mr Patel's brainchild after complaints from senior PSU officials who say they are rarely consulted before taking major decisions such as disinvestment.
09:51 Sensex opens on a positive note
The BSE benchmark Sensex rose marginally by 10 points in the opening trade in on selective buying by funds and retailers.
The 30-share barometer, which had gained 111.13 points in the previous session, rose by 10.41 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 18,803.85.
Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved up by 1.25 points, or 0.02 per cent, to 5,718.40.
Brokers said continued buying, though selective, by funds and retail investors, helped Sensex to trade in the positive territory.
They, however, said participants preferred to adopt a cautious approach on a weak trend in Asian markets and Wednesday's holiday at the domestic bourses.
Meanwhile, in the Asia, Japan's Nikkei fell by 0.35 per cent, while Hong Kong's financial markets are closed.
09:40 Obama emerges stronger after crucial last debate
A forceful President Barack Obama put Republican challenger Mitt Romney on the defensive on foreign policy on Monday night, with analysts and an immediate poll giving him the victory in the third and final debate just 15 days before the November 6 vote.
A CNN/ORC International poll of people who watched the debate showed 48% favored Obama compared to 40% for Obama, a result considered statistically even under the margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.5%. Another poll by CBS scored it a clear victory for Obama.
However, the CNN/ORC poll showed viewers thought Romney established credibility as a leader, which former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, a Republican strategist and CNN contributor, said was very important.
The third and final face-to-face showdown occurred with the candidates running even in national polls and the race hinging on a handful of battleground states -- particularly Ohio, Florida and Virginia.
According to the latest polls, Obama has a slight lead in Ohio. Romney is ahead in Florida, and Virginia is a dead heat.
08:47 Eminent writer Sunil Gangopadhyay dead
Just in: Eminent writer Sunil Gangopadhyay passed away in Kolkata on Tuesday. He was 78.
His magnum opus and winner of the 1985 Sahitya Akademi Award Sei samaya was the result of in-depth research work into the cross-currents of socio-intellectual life during the 19th century Bengal renaissance. But it is poetry that had remained his first love, and time and again he raised his voice in distinctive verses to protest against social evils.
His sensitivity, vigorous expression, and master craftsmanship earned him many awards including Bankim Puraskar, 1982; Sahitya Akademi Award, 1985; and Ananda Puraskar (twice).
02:06 UN planning peacekeeping force for Syria
AP reports: The United Nations is already planning for a peacekeeping force in Syria should a cease-fire in that country take hold and pending a Security Council mandate.
UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said today that it was too early to say how many peacekeepers might be deployed in such an eventual force.
01:08 US philosopher, secular humanist Kurtz dies at 86
AP reports: Paul Kurtz, a well-known voice forthe idea that behaviour should be guided by science and reason over religion, has died. He was 86.
The secular humanist philosopher died Saturday at his home in New York state. His death was announced today by the Center for Inquiry, which he founded. His family isn't releasing the cause.
Kurtz also took on psychics, astrologers and anything related to the paranormal through the Committee for Sceptical Inquiry and The Sceptical Inquirer magazine, both of which he founded.
00:58 Egypt TV host gets jail term for defaming Mursi
An Egyptian court today sentenced controversial television presenter Tawfiq Okasha to four months in prison for defaming Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, state media reported.
The court in the southern province of Luxor sentenced Okasha -- who was not present at the trial -- to four months in jail and ordered him to pay a fine of 100 Egyptian pounds (around $16) following a lawsuit by a former MP Nasreddine Moghazi. Okasha, who heads his own TV channel Al-Faraeen and is known for his lengthy anti-Islamist rants on a talk show, faces several lawsuits including a case for alleged incitement to kill Mursi, judicial sources said.
TOP STORIES
© 2024 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances