Live! Protests 'no Turkish Spring', says PM Erdogan

LIVE

Mon, 03 June 2013

Timeline Refresh

23:21 Pak diplomat 'roughed up' after accident in Delhi

A Pakistani diplomat and his driver were allegedly roughed up today after his vehicle hit a motorcycle in south Delhi, police said.

The incident took place at Ber Sarai at around 7.25 pm when Zirgham Raza, First Secretary (Trade) in the Pakistan High Commission, was returning to his home in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area.

23:17 Bomb kills 9 Afghan children, 2 NATO troops

A suicide bomber targeting an American military delegation outside a government office in eastern Afghanistan killed 12 people today, including nine schoolchildren who were walking nearby and two international service members, officials said.

The attack comes as the Taliban and other militants step up bombings and raids on police posts nationwide in a major test of the ability of Afghan soldiers and police to hold their ground without international military forces, who are withdrawing.

23:13 Indian Navy inducts auxiliary craft

The Navy on Monday inducted an auxiliary craft, 'Pradayak', capable of carrying 400 tonnes of fuel and 100 tonnes of aviation fuel. 'Pradayak', part of the fleet of auxiliaries of the Naval ship repair yard, can also carry 50 tonnes each of provisions and fresh water.

The vessel is named after a ship which was decommissioned in 2007.

23:12 More than 60 countries sign arms trade treaty

More than 60 countries today signed a landmark arms trade treaty, but the United States held back from joining the first wave of backers while Russia and China are not expected to sign on.

The UN-brokered treaty is the first covering weaponry of any kind for more than a decade and aims to bring transparency and protection of human rights into the often dubious USD 85 billion a year global conventional arms trade.

23:10 Protests 'no Turkish Spring', says PM Erdogan

PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan says four days of anti-government protests do not constitute a Turkish Spring.

At a news conference before a trip to Morocco, he said the protests were organised by extremists and accused the opposition of provoking "his citizens".

The protests initially targeted plans to build on a treasured Istanbul park but have spread into nationwide unrest.

The first death in the unrest has been reported, with doctors saying a man was killed after being hit by a taxi.

22:41 Indian parliamentary delegation in US

A multi-party delegation of Indian parliamentarians has arrived in the US to hold series of meetings with top American government officials, lawmakers and think-tank to exchange views on bilateral and regional issues.

Led by BJD leader Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, the seven-member delegation today met US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns at the State Department.

The BCCI meet at Chennai was "more perfectly fixed" than any IPL match because it was done "not by the bookies, but by the bosses", Congress spokesman Shakil Ahmed said today, amid criticism of the cricket body's functioning.

"People say the BCCI meet in Chennai was more perfectly fixed than any IPL match because it was done not by the bookies but by the bosses," the Congress leader wrote on the micro-blogging site Twitter, even though he maintained that the party would not comment on the issue.

As a controversy broke out over the alleged conflict of interest of Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, sports management firm Rhiti Sports today said he holds no stake in the company.

It was reported in the media that Dhoni has a 15 per cent stake in Rhiti Sports, which also manages Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Pragyan Ojha, besides the Indian captain.

However, the firm said that Dhoni was a shareholder only for a brief period, and currently has no stake.

22:07 Pakistani diplomat alleges assault

A Pakistani diplomat and his driver were allegedly assaulted by some unidentified people in south Delhi today evening, according to the Pakistan High Commission, which has demanded an immediate probe and security for its staff.

The Pakistan High Commission has lodged a strong protest with the ministry of external affairs over the issue, its spokesman Manzoor Ali Memon said tonight.

21:51 DoT slaps Rs 1,263 crore fine on Vodafone!

The penalty woes for Vodafone have refused to go, with the department of telecom imposing a fresh penalty of Rs 1,263 crore, for allegedly underreporting revenues during financial years 2007-08 to 2010-11.

Official sources said, "The notice has been given today. It (Vodafone) has been asked to pay within 15 days."

India's share in global investments is expected to almost double by 2030, a World Bank report said today.

"In less than a generation, global saving and investment will be dominated by the developing world, with India's share in global investments expected to almost double by 2030. No other country except China will be investing more than India globally," says the latest edition of World Bank's Global Development Horizons report.

Key UPA ally Samajwadi Party today joined Left parties in expressing reservation over the Food Security Bill, saying it is 'anti-farmer' and will deprive them from getting their proper dues.

"The day the bill is implemented, farmers will not get proper dues for their produce," SP leader Naresh Agarwal said.

He apprehended that the government was looking towards mid-term elections by bringing this legislation.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram today discussed with his Cabinet colleagues Salman Khurshid and Anand Sharma ways to attract investments from the UAE in the infrastructure sector.

"Finance minister, myself and commerce minister have all gone to the UAE. We were just following up on the important decisions that have to be taken. He (Chidamabaram) has been travelling, looking up for investments in infrastructure sector," External Affairs Minister Khurshid said.

21:15 Ayaz Sadiq elected Speaker of Pak Parliament

Veteran PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq was today elected Speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly with a thumping majority.

Sadiq, 59, a parliamentarian from Lahore, bagged 258 of the 313 votes cast in the election of the Speaker in the lower house of Parliament. One vote was declared invalid.

His rivals secured far fewer votes- - Shaheryar Afridi of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf got only 31 votes while S A Iqbal Qadri of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement secured 23 votes.

21:14 'Vindoo had tried to elicit tips from KKR CEO'

Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh had tried to get 'inside' information from the CEO of IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, according to Mumbai police's crime branch.

The probe has also revealed that Rajasthan Royals player Ajit Chandila had allegedly told bookies that he would not facilitate fixing for the first few IPL matches, because he was hoping to be picked for the national squad.

The central government is going to call an all-party meet to discuss the problem of Naxalism in the wake of the dastardly Chhattisgarh attack.

19:53 Live! US soldier set to go on trial over leaks

An American soldier faces his first day on trial accused of the biggest leak of classified information in US history, with prosecutors saying his actions aided the enemy. Private Bradley Manning, 25, is charged with providing more than 700,000 documents to WikiLeaks, an anti-secrecy website, including a video showing an Apache helicopter kill a group of civilians and two Reuters journalists in Iraq.

He said the move was intended to spark renewed debate on US military action. But the government says the leaks damaged national security and endangered American lives. He faces a possible life sentence if convicted.

The military trial at Fort Meade, Maryland, is expected to run until at least late August. Prosecutors have said they expect to call more than 100 witnesses. Civil liberties groups say the court-martial has been shrouded in secrecy and threatens to stifle whistleblowers.

Read the full report on Al Jazeera

Photograph: Reuters

I will leave no stone unturned to clean up cricket, said BCCI Working Group chief Jagmohan Dalmiya. Sanjay Jagdale has no intention to withdraw resignation, Dalmiya also said. We have not received any communication from Ajay Shirke, we will wait for some time, Dalmiya added.

If there is a vacancy in the BCCI, it will be filled up, says Dalmiya said, adding he may or may not represent BCCI in ICC meetings.

Veteran PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq was today elected Speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly with a thumping majority. The parliamentarian from Lahore bagged 258 of the 313 votes that were cast in the election of the Speaker in the lower house of parliament. One vote was declared invalid.

Sadiq's rivals secured far fewer votes -- Shaheryar Afridi of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf got only 31 votes while S A Iqbal Qadri of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement got 23 votes.

"Ayaz Sadiq, who has obtained more votes than the aggregate votes secured by other candidates, is declared to have been elected as Speaker of the National Assembly," said outgoing Speaker Fehmida Mirza, who was the first woman to hold the post.

18:20 Live! CBI to question Pawan Bansal this week

The Central Bureau of Investigation will question former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal this week in connection with bribery case involving his nephew.

The probe agency has already prepared a questionnaire for Bansal, sources told Times Now.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is in favour of the Food Security Bill proposed by the UPA II government 'in principle' but has said the Centre should bear the additional financial burden on account of it when it is implemented.

Kumar, who was speaking to reporters after emerging from his weekly 'Janata Ke Darbar mein Mukhya Mantri' programme, said he favoured the bill as it would provide legal food security for the poor but should have the provision that the additional cost for its implementation would be borne by the Centre instead of being transferred to resource-hit states like Bihar.

He dismissed speculations that the Food Security Bill would earn votes for Congress in the 2014 general elections as MNREGA did for the party in the 2009 polls.

"The legislation is being brought by the Congress in the last year of UPA II ... It will not pay any political dividend to them (UPA) in the 2014 elections," he said.

18:00 Political parties are covered under RTI

Setting a new bench mark in transparency in politics, the Central Information Commission today held political parties are answerable under the Right to Information Act.

A full bench of the commission comprising Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra and Information Commissioner M L Sharma and Annapurna Dixit held six parties -- the Congress, BJP, CPI-M, CPI, NCP and BSP -- to whom RTI queries were directed, fulfill the criteria of being public authorities under the Right to Information Act.

A Mumbai court today reserved till Tuesday its order on the bail applications filed by CSK team principal Gurunath Meiyappan and actor Vindoo Randhawa arrested in the IPL betting scandal, after they were sent in judicial custody till June 14.

Meiyappan and Vindoo filed bail pleas soon after the metropolitan magistrate remanded them in judicial custody.

Urging the court to grant them bail, the duo's lawyers argued that their custodial interrogation was not required.

Meiyappan's lawyer Aabad Ponda argued that the CSK team honcho was not involved in match-fixing or spot-fixing.

"The one case is that of placing bets with Vindoo. Placing bets is a bailable offence. All the sections levelled against him are bailable except three - 420, 466 and 468 of the IPC. It is not the case that Meiyappan forged documents hence 466 and 468 are not applicable," he argued.

As many as 15 children and an assistant working at a village Anganwadi centre in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh on Monday fell ill after consuming mid-day meal in which a lizard was found, official sources said.

After the children consumed food at the Aanganwadi of Lalpur village under Barghat tehsil here, they and the assistant complained of uneasiness.

Later, a lizard was found in one of the containers from which the meal was served, the sources said.

The food was served to them by a self-help group (NGO).

The children were admitted in the Community Health Centre at Barghat where their condition is reported to be stable.

Confirming the incident, Barghat tehsildar Ajay Pathak said the contract of the NGO has been terminated with immediate effect.

17:19 10 kids among 20 killed in Afghan violence

A suicide bomber targeting an American patrol outside a busy market in eastern Afghanistan killed 13 people today, including 10 schoolchildren who were walking nearby and two international service members, officials said.

Gen Zelmia Oryakhail, provincial police chief of Paktia province, said the bomber was on a motorcycle and detonated his explosives at midday outside the market in Samkani district as American forces passed.

He said a local school had just let pupils out for lunch. The US military coalition in Afghanistan confirmed that two of its service members died in the explosion. It did not confirm their nationalities.

Ten schoolchildren and one Afghan police officer were killed, the Afghan Ministry of Interior said. It did not say the ages of the children.

In recent weeks, Taliban insurgents have unleashed a wave of suicide bombers to hit government targets and international agencies in the country, and militants have been attacking police checkpoints in several provinces in a major test for the security forces of President Hamid Karzai's government.

17:10 Two ex-MLAs sentenced to jail in fodder scam

Two former legislators -- R K Rana and Dhruv Bhagat -- were sentenced to five years imprisonment today in a fodder scam case by a special CBI court in Ranchi.

Two former officials -- Om Prakash Diwakar and Ajit Kumar Sinha -- of Animal Husbandry department were also sentenced to six years imprisonment in the same case.

Six other treasury department officials and one fodder supplier were also sentenced to jail terms by the special CBI court in this case.

The court of special CBI judge Sitaram Prasad had convicted them on May 31. It imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on each of Rana, Bhagat, Diwakar and Sinha and on default they should undergo a further three months imprisonment.

Bhagat was a BJP MLA and the then chairman of Public Accounts Committee of undivided Bihar during RJD regime and Rana was an MLA of RJD and went on to become an RJD MP from Bihar.

Days after L K Advani appeared to have preferred Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over Narendra Modi in the race for BJP's prime ministerial candidate, party president Rajnath Singh today said the Gujarat heavyweight was the "most popular leader" in the country.

True to his reputation for humility, Chouhan himself described Modi as his "senior and elder brother" and sought to rule himself out of race for being projected as BJP's prime ministerial face.

"I think Advani's statement has been wrongly interpreted. There cannot be two opinions that Narendra Modi is the most popular leader in the country," Singh told a press conference in Hyderabad.

He was asked whether Advani had pitched Chouhan against Modi by lavishing praise on the Madhya Pradesh chief minister.

He, however, clarified that who would be the BJP's candidate for prime ministership would be decided by the party's Parliamentary Board.

NDTV reports: Jagmohan Dalmiya, as the interim president of the BCCI, will have financial powers, sources in cricket board have said.

As he replaces N Srinivasan who has "stepped aside" for a month, Dalmiya is also vested with the power to handle the portfolios of board secretary and treasurer.

Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke, who had resigned from these two posts on Friday, are not expected to reconsider their decision to quit, the sources said.

Legal eagle Prashant Bhushan today filed a PIL against the appointment of SK Sharma as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

Apart from Bhushan other signatories to the PIL include former chief election commissioner N Gopalswami, former navy chiefs Admiral (retired) RH Tahiliani and Admiral (retired) Ramdas, and six others.

The petition states, among other things, that Sharma's appointment was questionable as he was defence secretary earlier but now would decide the acquisition cases in which he may have played a role.

However, Bhushan's is not the first PIL to be filed against the CAG appointment. On the very day that Sharma took over as CAG, lawyer ML Sharma had filed a petition challenging his appointment.

Because of the court's vacation the two PILs are expected to come up for hearing next week.

Sanjay Jagdale, who quit his post as secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, met the Delhi police. The chief executive officer of the Indian Premier League Sundar Raman accompanied Jagdale.

The police say it hopes to get clarity from him on the agreement for revenue sharing between the Rajasthan Royals, the BCCI and the cricketers.

Jagdale resigned following the betting scandal in the sixth edition of the IPL.

15:21 Maha govt to hand over acid attack case to CBI

CNN-IBN reports: The Maharashtra government will hand over the acid attack case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The decision came after the girl's family threatened to block roads at the Delhi-Haryana border in protest.

The girl had succumbed to her injuries on Sunday. The girl's family met the Maharashtra Home Minister and demanded a CBI probe into it. The family members said they won't cremate the body until their demands for a CBI probe, a government job and cremation with full state honours weren't met.

Read the full story here

Atul Chitnis, one of the best known Indian-origin technologists and an advocate of open source software, died this morning of cancer. He was 51 years old.

Chitnis was the founder of FOSS.in, one of the largest conferences on free and open software.

After being diagnosed with intestinal cancer in August 2012, he recently blogged about it thus: "Ever since I got diagnosed with cancer in August 2012, I have been acutely aware of the fact that professionally, things were going to change dramatically for me. While I intend to beat this thing, I also need to consider that a lot of things will change for me -- things that I can do things that I won't be able to.'

The German-born consulting technologist is described on his Twitter page thus: 'Irrationally committed product guy, FOSS.IN founder, former PCQuest columnist, writer, RadioVeRVe, amateur musician & cook, beating stage 4 cancer.'

His last tweet was yesterday: 'Morning prayer: Pink Floyd's Shine on You Crazy Diamond :) Complete with my cousin's cat in Berlin'.

RIP Atul Chitnis.

A day after BJP patriarch LK Advani lauded and pitted him against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that not much should be read into it.

Advani ji praised all Chief Ministers. It should not be taken otherwise, he said.

I stand at number 3. Narendra Modi at number 1 and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh at number 2, he added, hinting that he is not in the race for prime ministership.

Tainted India and Rajasthan Royals pacer S Sreesanth has been following the controversy surrounding N Srinivasan with great interest, reports MiD DAY.

Sreesanth and teammate Ajit Chandila was glued to the television following the happenings of the emergency working committee meeting in Chennai yesterday.

Read the full story here

14:30

Just In: Union Minister Charan Das Mahant made acting president of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee.

14:10 Acid attack victim's kin threaten to block Delhi-Haryana road

CNN-IBN reports: The family of the Delhi girl, who succumbed to acid attack injuries at a Mumbai hospital on Sunday, threatened to block roads at the Delhi-Haryana border if their demands for a CBI probe wasn't met.

The family has already left the home with the girl's body. They plan to block traffic as part of their protest at the Singhu border, near Narela, north Delhi.

14:02 Angelina Jolie is heroic, says hubby Brad Pitt

Hollywood star Brad Pitt feels his partner Angelina Jolie is an "incredibly strong" women for undergoing double mastectomy. The 49-year-old is least surprised that Jolie took the decision to go public about her surgery, reported E! Online.

"That's who I fell in love with from the very beginning. The person that you see now is the person that I've always known and she's heroic and incredibly strong and will attack any problem head-on and make it work," Pitt said.

Jolie made her first public appearance after the operation at the premiere of Pitt's film 'World War Z'

An Air India cabin crew was detained by the London police for allegedly smuggling 50 cigarette crates. Though some members of the crew were released later Bhavik Shah, who admitted to his crime, was detained for eight hours.

Later, Air India bailed him out by paying 5,000 pounds. Confirming the incident, a senior Air India official said the cabin crew member has been suspended.

Former India skipper Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who is one among the 13 contestants on the sixth season of TV dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa', is deeply saddened by the IPL spot fixing scandal and hopes that the mess will be sorted out soon.

"I am sad, hurt and shocked. Everybody loves and is passionate about cricket. It is very unfortunate that because of a few cricketers who did this stupid mistake, the whole thing turned out to be so sad," Srikkanth told PTI.

The special cell of the Delhi police had arrested Sreesanth, his Rajasthan Royals teammates Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan on May 15 for allegedly indulging in spot-fixing in at least three IPL matches held this season.

The BJP reiterated that a recent assessment of Gujarat Chief Minister Narenda Modi offered by senior leader LK Advani were not a thinly-veiled attack

"Advani-ji's remarks have been misinterpreted. He did not praise Shivraj Singh Chouhan to put Modi down," BJP President Rajnath Singh said at a press conference in Hyderabad today.

Advani praised the Madhya Pradesh chief minister for the state's economic development. Modi, he said, had done well in Gujarat, but Madhya Pradesh was seeped in poverty when Chouhan took over in 2005.

Bharatiya Janata Party chief Rajnath Singh hit out at the Congress-lead UPA government at the Centre saying there's little to celebrate in the nine-year rule of the government. "I wonder for what reasons is the Congress celebrating its nine-year term. Are they celebrating for the increase in price rises? Or is it celebrating for its involvement in corruption?"

At a press conference in Hyderabad, he said the government should bring the monsoon session forward. "The government is trying to pass the food bill and land bill without any discussion. Ordinance on the food bill would be a cruel joke on the people.

On the Telnagana issue, the BJP chief said, "The party will create Telangana when it wants to come to power."

He also slammed the government for trying to politicise the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh. "The Naxal problem is on the rise. What happened in Chhattisgarh was unfortunate, but even that is being politicised. To control Naxal attack they do not have any action plan and they are still not taking this issue with seriousness," Singh added.

12:58 DMK chief M Karunanidhi turns 90

DMK President M Karunanidhi today turned 90 with scores of party cadres celebrating the occasion by bursting crackers and distributing sweets across the state.

Karunanidhi began the day by paying homage at the memorials of his mentors, DMK founder C N Annadurai and Dravidar Kazhagam founder E V Ramasamy in Chennai.

Senior DMK leaders, party functionaries, religious leaders and people from different walks of life lined up at his residence to greet him on the occasion.

Later, at the party headquarters -- Anna Arivalayam -- hundreds of party cadre queued up to wish him.

12:54

Just In: Fujifilm and Dr Reddy's Laboratories call off joint venture proposal for generic drugs in Japan.

12:53 Angelina Jolie makes first public appearance since breast removal

Angelina Jolie made her first public appearance, after revealing the news about her undergoing double mastectomy last month, at her fiance Brad Pitt's zombie thriller World War Z.

Jolie even thanked the world for her support, saying that it meant the world for her, the Mirror has reported.

The 37-year-old actress was accompanied by Pitt but had to miss her aunt's funeral, as it was on the same day.

Those of you keen on seeing the picture of the pretty woman, click here.

12:41 Delhi cops to meet BCCI ex-secy Jagdale

Former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale has been called by the Delhi police to understand the revenue model of Indian Premier League in connection with the spot-fixing scandal.

Jagdale has been called to get an idea about the BCCI's role in the agreement between team Rajasthan Royals and cricketers as the agreement is a tripartite one, sources said.

Rajasthan Royals had filed a complaint against the three arrested players -- Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan -- for breach of contract.

"Jagdale is not called for questioning. We want to understand certain things," a senior police official said.

12:22

Just In: Special package being readied for North East and hill states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, says Sonia Gandhi

12:21 Infosys shares surge 9 pc as Murthy returns as chairman

Infosys's scrip today soared by 9 per cent in morning trade as the IT major recalled its founder N R Narayana Murthy and returned control of the company.

After making a strong opening, shares of Infosys further jumped 9 per cent to Rs 2,624.90 on the BSE.

At the NSE, the stock shot up by 8.84 per cent to Rs 2,625.

The bellwether scrip was the top gainer on both Sensex and Nifty during the morning trade. Later, the scrip pared some of the gains and was trading at Rs 2,508.40, up 4.19 per cent in late morning trade.

Pacer Rudra Pratap Singh today denied being managed by Rhiti Sports, the firm in which Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has a 15 per cent stake, raising questions of a possible conflict of interest.

The Economic Times today reported that Dhoni has a 15 per cent stake in the company, which, the report claimed, manages R P Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Pragyan Ojha.

Interestingly, all these four players are part of the same IPL franchise, the Chennai Super Kings, which is also captained by Dhoni.

"Don't know what exactly is running in the news but just to clarify I am not with Rhiti Sports," tweeted R P Singh after the report came out.

The Economic Times reports: Indian captain M S Dhoni has a 15 per cent stake in a sports marketing firm -- Rhiti Sports -- that manages him and four other cricketers -- Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha and RP Singh.

This puts Dhoni in the conflicting position during team selection meetings, where he is expected to share opinions of performances and strategy. Another conflict of interest rising on his captaincy of the IPL team Chennai Super Kings is that Rhiti Sports markets CSK.

Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of BCCI chief N Srinivasan, and small-time actor Vindoo Dara Singh have been sent to judicial custody till May 14. The Mumbai police has been interrogating them on allegations of betting in cricket matches.

The police custody of the duo ended today.

The Mumbai police today detained one more bookie at the international airport here in connection with the IPL betting racket.

"We have detained Kishore Badlani alias Kishore Pune at the Mumbai international airport," said police sources.

Badlani, who had reportedly gone to Europe after his name cropped up in the betting racket, was taken into custody on his return, they said. Police are now questioning Badlani as he could be a major link between the bookies in India and Pakistan.

CNN-IBN reports: A report by the National Investigation Agency said that four Congress leaders were in touch with Naxals on May 25, the day of the attack on the party convoy in Bastar, Chhattisgarh. The report confirms insider hand in the massacre that claimed 28 lives including that of senior party leaders.

Home ministry sources, however, deny the involvement of the Congress in the attack.

The Delhi police will speak to former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale in connection with the IPL betting scandal. The police want to see if the BCCI wants to become a complainant in the case.

The police are not to question Jagdale, but to understand BCCI's role in the agreement between Rajashtan Royals and the cricketers.

Jagdale quit from the post of the secretary in wake of the betting controversy and has ruled out his return to the Board.

10:47 Two militants surrender in Manipur

Two militants of different organisations have surrendered before the army with two small arms in Manipur.

Officials said that Kh Tombi of Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and self-styled sergeant of Kanglei Yawol Kann Lup S Rakesh laid down two revolvers and surrendered to the army on Saturday.

10:37 Key UPA meet on food bill today

The Congress-led UPA government has called for a meeting of its coordination committee today to consider options to pass the food security bill.

The government is keen to forge a consensus with allies and the Opposition. A meeting of the Congress core group was convened on Saturday to discuss whether a special session of Parliament should be called or the government should pass an ordinance to implement the food bill. The government's strategy will be finalised today.

10:20 55 killed in major fire accident in China

At least 55 people were killed today in a major fire accident at a poultry processing plant in northeast China, charring the entire facility.

The fire broke out at around 6:06 am (local time) at a slaughterhouse owned by the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company in Mishazi Township of Dehui City, Jilin Province, according to firefighters. At least 55 people were killed in the fire, rescue headquarters confirmed.

10:06 Sanjay Jagdale won't return to BCCI

Sanjay Jagdale, who stepped down as BCCI chief, in wake of the IPL betting controversy said he will not return to the Board.

"I have conveyed by decision to the BCCI. Even if they ask me to join today, I won't change my decision to quit," he told CNN-IBN.

This leaves BCCI's caretaker chief Jagmohan Damliya with a though task -- to appoint a new secretary.

CNN-IBN reports: The Congress said it will take a decision on the Telangana issue in June 2013. Congress general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters that the party would hold some more consultations before taking the decision.

Azad, who is incharge of the party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, advised party leaders from Telangana to wait for the decision.

Infosys shares jumped over 8 per cent on Monday after leading brokerages said the return of former chairman N.R. Narayana Murthy as executive chairman is a big positive for India's second largest outsourcer.

Infosys shares were up 8.65 per cent at Rs. 2,616 as of 9.18 am outperforming the broader indices.

Read the full story on NTDV

09:20 3 tigers found dead in Jim Corbett in 6 days

NDTV reports: Three tiger deaths reported in past six days in the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, taking the toll of this year to nine.

In the latest incident, the body of a two-and-half-year-old male tiger was found in a decomposed state in the western part of the reserve, close to a water body, on Saturday.

Corbett Field Director Samir Sinha said that poaching cannot be ruled out.

The forest department has taken four Gujjars into custody for further interrogation.

BBC reports: Turkish protesters have clashed with police in Istanbul's Besiktas district, in some of the worst violence since unrest erupted three days ago.

Mosques, shops and a university have been turned into makeshift hospitals to deal with the injured. Protests were sparked by plans to build on an Istanbul park but have broadened into nationwide anti-government unrest.

Officials say more than 1,700 people had been arrested during protests in 67 towns and cities, though many have since been released.

The police custody of Gurunath Meiyappan and Vindoo Dara Singh, both suspects in the IPL betting scandal, ends today. They will be produced in court later in the day.

08:33 Top headlines in the last 24 hours

Srinivasan steps aside, Dalmiya named interim-president

'It was too fast to demand Srinivasan's resignation'

'Srinivasan is behaving like a banana republic dictator'

Life comes full circle for Jagmohan Dalmiya

Kejriwal to contest against Sheila Dikshit in Delhi polls

Hand over Headley for a year, India tells US

Chhattisgarh: Congress to re-launch rally near Naxal ambush site

Yesterday's live commentary link

Timeline Refresh

TOP STORIES