Sibal mocks Modi, says Delhi is 'distant'

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Sun, 28 April 2013

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21:24 Boston bomb suspect in small cell with steel door

The Boston Marathon bombing suspect is being held in a small cell with a steel door at a federal medical detention center about 65 kilometres outside the city, a federal official has said.

Federal Medical Center Devens spokesman John Collauti described the conditions under which 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was being held in the Ayer facility after being moved there from a hospital Friday.

Tsarnaev was injured during a police chase Thursday in which his brother, also a suspect in the bombing, was fatally wounded.

21:23 Sibal mocks Modi, says Delhi is 'distant'

Taking potshots at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Kapil Sibal said today that internal bickering within the BJP would frustrate Modi's bid for Prime Ministership.

About Modi's aspiration to take central stage for the top job, Sibal said, addressing Congress workers, "Delhi is distant. Who will allow you to reach there? There are so many eying the post within that party, including the one who has been standing behind the chair for year," indirectly referring to senior BJP leader L K Advani.

Egypt's state news agency says a court has turned down deposed president Hosni Mubarak's request to be released from prison pending an investigation into corruption charges.

The news agency MENA says the Cairo Criminal Court on Sunday ordered Mubarak to remain in jail for 15 days while the charges are probed.

19:39 Prince William to quit Air Force base?

Prince William is to leave his Royal Air Force (RAF) base within a few months, saying it is the right time to move on, as the father-to-be wants to spend more time with wife Kate, according to a media report today.

The second-in-line to Britain's throne, William is based at Anglesey, where he is nearing the end of a three-year tour of duty as a Sea King search and rescue helicopter pilot.

Pakistani doctors today said that there has been no improvement in the condition of Sarabjit Singh, currently in coma in hospital and that his chances of survival are "slim".

More than 45 hours after Sarabjit was admitted to Jinnah Hospital with a severe head injury, there has been "no sign" of recovery or improvement in his condition, the doctors were quoted as saying by sources.

The doctors believe Sarabjit's chances of survival are "slim" as he sustained injuries over a widespread area of his head that led to unconsciousness.

China today took note of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks over PLA's incursion into the Depsang Valley and said that it is willing to work with New Delhi to deal with differences while maintaining peace at borders and forging strategic cooperative partnership.

"We have noted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement," a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

18:35 BJP disapproves Sharad Yadav's statement

BJP today strongly disagreed with JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav's allegation that the saffron party was using money power during elections in Karnataka and other states. "We disagree with him (Yadav) on this," BJP Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Ravishankar Prasad told reporters here.

He said BJP had always fought against money power in politics and recalled that party veteran L K Advani had launched campaign against black money across the country.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today came down hard on Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel for demanding her sacking over law and order situation, saying he "does not have a clue" about the administrative system as it is not her government but Union Home Ministry which is responsible for the city police.

"What surprised me is the absence of knowledge about governance system of Delhi in no lesser person than the Delhi BJP Chief. It appears that he does not have any clue about administrative structure in Delhi.... I have my sympathies with him for his absence of knowledge," Dikshit said.

18:33 BJP attacks Centre on Sarabjit issue

BJP today criticised the Centre for not taking any strong action for the brutal attack on Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan jail and said the incident was an act of revenge against hanging of Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab.

The incident showed the union government's unpreparedness in taking precautionary measures in protecting Sarabjit Singh as the attack was a revenge against hanging of Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab, party's Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Ravishankar Prasad told reporters here.

Amid talk about Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's projection as BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Acharya Dharmendra today said he wants "a true patriot" to occupy the country's top post after the next elections.

"I want to see a true patriot becomes next Prime Minister ...I don't think Modi is a traitor...However, we have to see what happens ahead (aage aage dekhiye hota hai kya)," he said when asked whether he would endorse Modi's candidature for the PM's post. Dharmendra was addressing a press conference after inaugurating a school function here.

Two policemen were wounded in a shooting outside government offices in Rome today, just as the country's new coalition cabinet was being sworn in. The incident occurred about a kilometre away from the presidential palace where Prime Minister Enrico Letta and his ministers took the oath of office.

Italian news agency ANSA said two policemen were wounded, one in a critical condition, adding that the shooter was also injured, and has been arrested.

The swearing in of the government should bring fresh hope to a country mired in recession after two months of bitter post-election deadlock watched closely by European partners.

17:15 Iraq suspends TV channels after deadly unrest

Iraq has suspended the licences of 10 satellite TV channels for promoting "sectarianism", the country's media regulator said today, after five days of violence killed more than 215 people.

The bloody unrest, which began on Tuesday with deadly clashes between security forces and Sunni Arab anti-government protesters in north Iraq, has raised fears of a return to all-out sectarian conflict that plagued the country in the past and killed tens of thousands.

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has rejected the bail application of Rajender Chaudhary alias Pehalwan, a key accused in the Samjhauta Express blast case.

The court here yesterday also extended the time for filing the chargesheet by the NIA against Chaudhary from 90 to 180 days. In his bail plea, Chaudhary had contended that there was no evidence against him and that he had completed 90 days in custody on March 16, but NIA had failed to present a report against him and he was entitled to grant of bail.

The brutal assault on Sarabjit Singh in a Pakistani jail was an un-Islamic act and such incidents could create a negative atmosphere for the minority community in India, the spiritual head of Ajmer Sharif Dargah said today.

"The attack on Sarabjit by fellow inmates is an un-Islamic act in an Islamic country...such incidents can create a negative atmosphere for the minority community in India," Dargah Diwan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan told media in Ajmer.

Two bomb blasts outside campaign offices of candidates contesting Pakistan's general election killed nine persons and injured more than 30 in northwest Pakistan today.

The first blast occurred outside an election office in Kohat district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Police said a remote-controlled explosive device was used in the attack.

Six persons were killed and 21 injured by the explosion, which caused extensive damage to the office of Syed Noor Akbar, an independent candidate contesting polls to a parliamentary seat in Orakzai tribal region.

Reports say two paramilitary police officers were shot and wounded outside the Italian premier's office as the new leader was sworn in about a kilometre away.

An AP television producer reported seeing one officer lying on the pavement, with blood pouring out of his neck.

The Italian news agency ANSA said the assailant, described in reports as a man dressed in a suit and tie, had been detained by police.

A NASA-funded sounding rocket mission will help better understand and predict the electrical storms in Earth's upper atmosphere, which can interfere with satellite communication and global positioning signals.

The mission, called Equatorial Vortex Experiment (EVEX) will launch two rockets for a twelve-minute journey through the equatorial ionosphere from an atoll in the Pacific in the next few weeks.

15:28 AAP calls off march to Delhi CM's residence

The Aam Aadmi Party today called off its protest march to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's residence after she "agreed" to receive 10.5 lakh letters of consumers stating that they would not pay "inflated" power and water bills.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party had earlier threatened to go ahead with the march if Dikshit refused to receive the letters.

The Indian chapter of Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy has condemned the brutal attack on Sarabjit Singh, an Indian death-row prisoner in the Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail, and sought a probe.

"We feel a high-level, independent inquiry need to be set up to look into the incident. The investigation, inquiry needs to go to the bottom of it and must punish responsible persons, officials however higher they may be," forum General Secretary E Deenadayalan and Joint Secretary Jatin Desai said in a statement here today.

Bahrain has rounded up 22 people suspected of attacking security forces and blocking roads during protests, including in the lead-up to its Formula One race this month, police said.

The arrests were made in Shiite villages and were related to alleged acts of violence since late February, said a police statement carried late yesterday by BNA state news agency.

In one of the arrests, police detained six people suspected of participating in a March 7 "terrorist attack" on police patrols in the village of Maqaba, west of the capital Manama, it said, adding security forces were still searching for other suspects.

India today sought "regular consular access" to death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh, who is in a coma in a Lahore hospital following a brutal assault, after Pakistani authorities imposed restrictions on meeting him.

"Indian officials were given access to Sarabjit Singh only once. Thereafter, there has been no access to Sarabjit Singh," an official of the Indian High Commission told PTI.

Attacking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the coal block issue, BJP today announced its plan for a two-day agitation in all state capitals from May 4 against the government's "abominable attempt" to "cover up the massive corruption".

"An abominable attempt is being made by the Congress government to cover up the corruption that has surfaced in the coal issue. BJP has decided to take this fight against corruption and massive cover up from Parliament to the people of the country," party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters.

12:35 Companies Bill likely in Rajya Sabha this week

The much-awaited Companies Bill, which seeks to replace the more than five-decades old regulations that govern corporates in the country, is likely to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha this week.

The Companies Bill 2012, which envisages a slew of changes to rules governing the functioning as well as social responsibilities of corporates, is awaiting Rajya Sabha nod.

In the wake of repeated adjournments, the bill is yet to be taken up by the Upper House even though it was cleared by the Lok Sabha in December, 2012.

Pakistan today stopped consular access to Indian national Sarabjit Singh, who is in "deep coma" in a Lahore hospital, official sources said.

Two officials from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad were granted access to Sarabjit yesterday. They were, however, not allowed to visit him today, the sources said.

The government plans to provide subsidy to 14 crore LPG subscribers directly in their bank accounts from October 1, using the Aadhaar payment platform. The government, official sources said, has decided to launch "Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for LPG throughout the country tentatively from October 1".

"This (transfer of LPG subsidy) would require a much larger number of beneficiaries to be covered for opening of bank accounts and linked to Aadhaar and banks have been asked to get ready for the launch," said one official.

North Korea appears to be gearing up for a major military exercise, a report said today, amid tensions over an expected missile test and South Korea's pullout from a joint industrial complex.

Preparations are under way near the North's western port of Nampo for a combined live-fire drill involving artillery units and air force jets, the South's Yonhap news agency said, citing a Seoul government source.

"It appears that the scale of the drill will be quite big," the unnamed official was quoted as saying, voicing fears of military provocations against the South or a missile test by Pyongyang during the exercise.

Sleuths of NIA are facing an unusual problem of mobility as they are "forced" to depend on taxis since the investigating agency has been unable to purchase vehicles due to an austerity drive.

The chief of National Investigation Agency (NIA) told a Parliamentary panel that it created three branches in Bhopal, Patna and Kolkata in 2012 but due to government's austerity measures, they have not been sanctioned any vehicle.

"This is forcing their officers to use taxis for movement and because of that mobility is a big a problem," the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs was told.

11:11 Slice of Bengal reborn in Jharkhand

The Bengal government has lost about 50,000 fertile acres to Jharkhand but, despite land being a sensitive issue in the state, doesn't seem to mind it.

The people living there do, though many of them now say it's better to live in Jharkhand than in a state that doesn't care about them.

Constitutional experts say the area '" chars (river islands) on the Ganga in Malda '" belongs to Bengal.

With Sarabjit Singh battling for life in a Lahore hospital, India has offered medical assistance to Pakistan in treating the prisoner and said it will use this incident as an additional ground to push hard to get him back to his homeland.

"The best we can we will. Right now there is very little we can do in terms of medical intervention, unless Pakistan seeks any assistance in medical diagnosis," External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters.

Khurshid said India will continue to push very hard to bring Singh back using this incident as an additional ground

for persuading Pakistan.

He said the decision to get Singh back to India should not be and emotional or political one. "It should be a medical decision," he said.

"We would be willing to cooperate in any way should Pakistan government need any assistance," he said.

The minister said the government had made efforts to get him back but "it is really difficult for us to go beyond a point on the issue of this nature."

00:05 Another Saradha depositor commits suicide

In the second suicide case in connection with the collapsed chit fund company Saradha, a money collection agent, who had deposited his personal savings of about Rs 4 lakh with the scam-ridden company, has committed suicide in Purulia district, police said.

Swapan Kumar Biswas, 36, was found hanging from the ceiling in house at Balrampur, 50 km from Purulia town.

Police said he had deposited Rs 4 lakh from his personal savings in the Saradha group and was under severe distress after the news about the scam spread.

Earlier 50-year-old Urmila Pramanik, a resident of Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district, who had invested Rs 30,000 in the Saradha group, set herself on fire on April 20 and succumbed to her injuries on April 21 in Chittaranjan Hospital in Kolkata after the Saradha group went bust.

In continuation with the pre-independence practice of 'Darbar Move', the offices including Civil Secretariat, Jammu and Kashmir Legislature and Raj Bhawan closed in Jammu and are scheduled to reopen in Srinagar on April 6.

The various offices including police headquarters and head-offices of Boards, Corporations and autonomous bodies closed on Friday, officials said.

The annual 'Darbar move', an age old practice, under which the state government functions six months each in Jammu and Srinagar.

It involves housing offices from May to October in Srinagar and the remaining six months in Jammu.

The tradition was started during Dogra rule in 1872 by Maharaja Ranbir Singh.

A convoy of trucks carrying important documents left for the Valley, whereas hundreds of trucks were parked in Civil Secretariat premises amid tight security for loading the records and other materials.

Buses will ferry government employees from Jammu to Srinagar during the next one week.

00:03 Top headlines at this hour

Sarabjit Singh's family to travel to Pakistan on Sunday

Sarabjit Singh put on ventilator support

Maya raises Dalit card after EC frisks her twice in Karnataka

Saradha case: Second FIR filed against TMC MP

Italian marines will not face the noose: India

President honours India's bravest soldiers

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