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Sat, 15 June 2013
Live! NDA in trouble? Sharad, Nitish meet in Patna
Timeline Refresh
23:20 CPI remembers its fearless leader
Veteran communist leader Satypal Dang, who was at the forefront of the battle against terrorism and secessionism in Punjab, passed away on Saturday after a prolonged illness.
In a statement, CPI paid tribute to the late leader.
"Com. Satpal Dang, a freedom fighter, a firebrand Communist leader and great fighter of human rights, breathed his last today at the age of 93 years, in Amritsar, which was the area of his activities for most part of his life.
"He stood like a rock against Khalistani terrorists and fought them ideologically, along with his comrades ignoring all threat to his life.
"A fearless fighter for genuine causes, he lived a very simple life along with his life partner Comrade Vimla Dang, another legend in her own right.
"Com Satpal Dang remained as a proud member of the Communist Party of India till his last breath.
"The national council of the Communist Party of India pays its homage to this great son of India".
23:13 NDA in trouble? Sharad, Nitish meet in Patna
As the proposed separation between the BJP and the JD-U is set to enter its decisive phase, JD-U President Sharad Yadav arrived in Patna to hold discussions with his party colleague and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
On arrival, Yadav told reporters, "The situation will be clear by tomorrow."
"I have come here for holding discussions with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other JD-U legislators and leaders over the developments taking place in the past few days -- to take a decision on whether to continue in the NDA," said the JD-U president, accompanied by General Secretary K C Tyagi.
23:10 Farooq wants 'soft border' between India, Pakistan
Union Minister Farooq Abdullah today batted for 'softening' of the border between India and Pakistan to improve the relations between the two nations and enable people of either side to meet.
Pointing out the 'soft border' system prevalent in Europe, the Union minister for new and renewable energy said, "This has transformed the socio-economic landscape of entire Europe and I don't see any reason why the Indo-Pak region will not progress and prosper once there is mutual trust and strong bonding between the two nations."
23:07 Eight fishermen arrested by Lankan navy
Sri Lankan Navy personnel today arrested eight fishermen, who had sailed from Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, when they were fishing off Katchatheevu, officials said.
The fishermen have been taken to taken to Talaimannar district of Sri Lanka, officials said.
23:06 There seems to be no rule of law in Bengal: Buddhadeb
The West Bengal government was compensating crime against women with money and there seemed to be no rule of law in the state, former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee alleged today.
"The government wants to compensate any type of crime-- whether against women or youth -- with money. If there is a crime, the government proclaims 'we will give them money'. This policy is actually encouraging the criminals as the ruling regime is trying to shield the accused," Bhattacharjee said.
21:50 Ajay Maken resigns days before Cabinet reshuffle
Union minister Ajay Maken has resigned ahead of a Cabinet reshuffle.
Maken reportedly stepped down today evening and expressed his intention to "work for the party".
21:48 Solar scam: Oppn demands Chandy's resignation
An unrelenting LDF opposition in Kerala today stepped up the demand for Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's resignation in view of 'new revelations' in the 'solar scam', a day after he sacked two of his staff members for alleged links with a woman accused in the financial fraud.
Causing further embarrassment to Chandy, the absconding husband of Saritha Nair, arrested for financially cheating many people by offering to arrange solar panel agencies for them, today told a Malayalam television channel that he had once met the chief minister to talk about his business.
21:46 India's trade practices harming US trade, jobs: Senators
Two influential Senators today asked Secretary of State John Kerry to raise serious concerns of the US over "unfair" trade practices of India that are "directly harming" American businesses and threatening "millions of US jobs", during his visit to New Delhi next week.
The Senators made it clear that the US cannot afford to sit back and watch as India adopts policies that adversely impact its innovative and creative industries, threatening the greater stability of the international trading system.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch urged India to end unfair practices.
21:45 Gujarat Congress demands Bokhiria's resignation
The Gujarat Congress today demanded the resignation of state Cabinet Minister Babu Bokhiria after a court in Porbandar sentenced him to three years imprisonment in the Rs 54 crore illegal limestone mining case of 2006.
"We demand the immediate resignation of the Gujarat water resources minister who has been convicted by a court in Porbandar for three years in an illegal limestone mining case," said Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Shankarsinh Vaghela.
21:40 India will be back to 8 per cent growth: Pitroda
Sam Pitroda, adviser to prime minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations, today expressed confidence that the country will regain the growth rate of 8 per cent soon.
"The Union government is doing its job. For the last ten years, we have been continuously clocking 8 per cent growth. Though it has gone down this year, we'll be able to catch up as soon as possible and achieve same growth rate," Pitroda said on the sidelines of a function.
21:39 Will act according to law: Hong Kong on US whistleblower
The Hong Kong government today said it will handle the case of the defection of US whistleblower and former CIA contractor Edward Snowden in accordance with the law while taking a decision over his stay.
Breaking his silence on the Snowden affair, Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said, "When the relevant mechanism is activated, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will handle the case of Snowden in accordance with the laws and established procedures of Hong Kong".
20:43 Modi's elevation is NOT my concern: Rahul
In his first comments on the developments in BJP, Rahul Gandhi today said neither was he not concerned about the elevation of Narendra Modi nor was he going to invite its ally JD-U to the UPA fold.
"It (elevation of Modi) is their (BJP's) internal matter. It is really not my concern. My concern is how the Congress party is doing and how we are doing in different states, what are the different types of action we are taking to benefit the people," he told reporters.
20:18 We welcome JD-U into the secular fold: NCP
The NCP today said it welcomed the JD-U's imminent separation from the BJP.
"We welcome the JD-U to separate from the BJP and join secular forces," NCP leader D P Tripathi said, talking to reporters after a meeting of the state NCP, at which party supremo Sharad Pawar was present.
Asked whether he meant UPA or the Federal Front by secular forces, Tripathi said, "Yes, the UPA coalition. We are part of the UPA. We are not with any front. We are with the UPA."
20:15 Communist leader Satypal Dang dead
Veteran communist leader Satyapal Dang, who had been in the forefront of the fight against terrorism and secessionism in Punjab, died today after a brief illness, CPI sources said.
Dang was 86. His wife Vimla, who was also a CPI women's wing leader, pre-deceased him about five years ago.
18:52 Petrol price hiked by Rs 2 per litre
The price of petrol has been hiked by Rs 2 a litre, excluding VAT, with effect from midnight tonight.
18:36 Modi's leadership has always failed: SP
Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP leader Narendra Modi's leadership came in for flak today from the Samajwadi Party, which alleged that the controversial leader has always failed in that front and would continue to be so in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
"Narendra Modi campaigned in Karnataka. Did you see what happened? He campaigned in Himachal Pradesh. Did you see the Congress coming to power there? His leadership has always failed," said SP National General Secretary Kiranmay Nanda.
17:23 Infosys performance below expectations: CEO
Infosys Chief Executive Officer S D Shibulal today stated that the IT giant's "performance has been below expectations".
"While the operating environment was volatile, several of our challenges were Infosys-specific," said Shibulal.
17:22 AFSPA revocation being discussed by PM, Omar: Rahul
The Jammu and Kashmir government's demand for the revocation of the controversial AFSPA is being discussed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi said today.
"It is a discussion between the chief minister and the prime minister. It is not appropriate for me to make a statement," Gandhi told reporters.
17:21 Live! Blasts hit women students, hospital in Pak; 11 dead
Eleven people have been killed in Pakistan's Quetta after twin blasts hit the restive region.
The first blast hit a bus carrying students of the Women's University and killed six people.
The second blast rocked the Quetta hospital where students who had been injured in the earlier attack were being treated.
According to media reports, armed militants have also stormed the Bolan Medical Complex in Quetta.
16:30 Kanimozhi files nomination for RS polls
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam today renominated sitting MP M Kanimozhi, daughter of party president M Karunanidhi as its candidate for the June 27 Rajya Sabha elections for six seats, hoping to drum up support from other parties to ensure a second term for her.
Kanimozhi, one of the accused in the 2G spectrum scam, that surfaced during her maiden term as a Rajya Sabha member, submitted her nomination papers today.
The term of six Rajya Sabha MPs from Tamil Nadu, including Kanimozhi, ends next month.
Party sources said Kanimozhi, accompanied by her brother and former Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin and senior political leaders, filed her nomination papers today after seeking the blessings of her father.
DMK patriarch Karunanidhi had stated on June 13 that the party would consult other political parties on fielding a candidate for the RS polls.
15:50 Cleric Rouhani on course to win Iran presidential polls
Moderate Iranian cleric Hassan Rouhani looked to be heading towards an outright victory over his conservative rivals in the presidential election, initial results showed on Saturday.
The vote is unlikely to radically alter ties between Tehran and the West, but if Rouhani wins he has indicated he would pursue a less confrontational foreign policy than current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and enact a "civil rights charter" at home.
With more than 5.2 million votes counted from the 50 million electorate, Rouhani had 52.30 percent of votes cast, Iran's interior ministry said. That takes Rouhani above the 50 percent of the vote he needs to avoid a second round run-off on June 21.
Rouhanii's nearest rival was conservative Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a long way behind with 17.33 percent. Other hardline candidates scored even lower.
15:36 17 minor girls rescued from train in Kanpur
Seventeen minor girls were rescued from the Central Railways station in Kanpur with railway police saying that they were being taken to Delhi to work as labourers.
"Upon receiving a tipoff that girls from Ranchi were being taken to Delhi to work as labourers, a GRP team began searching the Ranchi Sampark Kranti Express the moment it entered the station yesterday and found them," GRP DSP Surendra Tiwari said.
Five youths and one woman have been arrested in connection with the case, Tiwari said.
The arrested persons said that other girls were on the train who, too, were being taken to Delhi for the same purpose as the ones rescued.
However, police could not rescue the rest of them as the train had already left the station by the time they learnt of the other girls, Tiwari said, adding that Delhi police has been informed about the matter.
The girls have been handed over to NGO Child Line and their parents are being contacted, police said.
15:18 Haryana roadways buses shun Delhi in protest
Haryana state transport buses refused to enter Delhi on Saturday in protest against the alleged 'high handedness' and 'improper issuance of challans' by Delhi Police.
"Around 1,000 buses, including 40 luxury Volvo buses, refused to enter Delhi through the Badarpur, Kundli, IFFCO Chowk and Bahadurgarh borders," said Haryana Roadways Workers' Union leader Sarbat Punia.
"A large number of Delhi Police staff, many of whom belong to Haryana, insist on free travel when they commute by Haryana Roadways buses.
"When bus conductors ask for tickets, our buses are challaned," he alleged.
He added that Delhi police challans about 100 Haryana Roadways buses daily in the national capital area.
The stir put commuters through significant amounts of trouble which also entailed them having to spend extra on travel.
15:14 IPL fixing: Bail plea of Chandila, others deferred
A Delhi court today deferred till June 17 the hearing on the bail pleas of suspended Rajasthan Royal's player Ajit Chandila and five others in the IPL spot-fixing scandal case.
Besides Chandila, Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Kumar Jain also adjourned the hearing on the bail applications of accused bookies Ramesh Vyas, Ashwani Aggarwal, Deepak Kumar, Sunil Bhatia and an ex-Ranji player Baburao Yadav.
"The present bail applications are adjourned for June 17," the court said, while asking the Senior Public Prosecutor (SPP) to remain present on the day.
The court deferred hearing on the applications, after it was informed that the prosecutor was not present today.
The Delhi Police's Special Cell informed the judge that the SPP appointed for this case will be returning by next week, as he was out of town.
Meanwhile, the police has filed its reply to bail plea of Vyas, saying the accused should not be granted relief as he was in direct contact with the underworld and was running the syndicate on their behest in south India.
14:20 Sreesanth @ Sabarimala: 'I will come out clean'
Out-on-bail Indian pacer S Sreesanth sought divine intervention in his efforts to emerge clean from the IPL spot-fixing scandal as he paid obeisance at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, insisting that he has not done anything wrong.
"I haven't done anything wrong to get accused in the spot fixing case. Some minor lapses might have happened on my side in the past. But I am totally innocent in the present case. I am confident of proving that," he told reporters after offering prayers at the hill shrine.
"With the blessings of Lord Ayyappa, I will come out clean and that will be a new Sreesanth," he added.
Accompanied by his father Santhakumaran Nair and other close family members, Sreesanth arrived at the temple last evening, trekking the five km path from the base camp to the shrine located atop the Sabari hill.
13:43 2 dead in Louisiana chemical plant explosion
Two workers of a petrochemical plant have been killed following an explosion and a subsequent fire that ripped through the site in central Louisiana in the US.
One of the deceased, 47-year-old Scott Thrower, had suffered burns on Thursday after the explosion at the Williams Olefins plant in the industrial area of Geismar.
He died on Friday at the Baton Rouge General Medical Centre, Louisiana police said.
The explosion also claimed the life of 29-year-old Zachary Green who succumbed to his injuries yesterday.
Indian-American Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal condoled the death of workers.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the workers and families at the Olefins plant," Jindal said. "We are going to provide every assistance we can to help them get back on their feet."
The plant was in the process of expanding and the explosion occurred in a propylene fractionation area, which makes propane and propylene, a highly-flammable chemical, the plant manager, Larry Bayer, said.
13:25 Tamil actor/director Manivannan dies of cardiac arrest
Veteran Tamil actor/director Manivannan passed away today morning.
He was 58.
He is said to have succumbed to heart attack.
Manivannan was last seen last in his 50th directorial venture, Nagaraja Cholan MA MLA.
Known for his satire, he has delivered a number of hits as a director and an actor.
Be it comedy roles, supporting characters or villain roles, he has excelled in every region he has ventured into.
12:57 Kerala ends power cuts after good monsoon
With the southwest monsoon bringing surplus rainfall since its onset on June 1, Kerala has decided to lift the 30-minute load shedding during night from Sunday as storage position in reservoirs of hydroelectric projects has improved significantly.
The load-shedding has been in force for the last several months as the water level in reservoirs depleted drastically due to deficient rainfall last year.
According to Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), the decision followed an instruction from the government to review the situation and lift the curbs in view the state getting over 40 per cent excess rainfall so far this season.
The KSEB had earlier this week stopped the one-hour day-time power cut.
The energy outlook for the state, which relies heavily on hydro-electrical projects, has brightened after passing through a searing summer of grim power crunch.
12:55 Can't believe Jiah took her life: Mother
Jiah Khan was a fighter and it is difficult to believe she took her own life, says her mother even as she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her daughter.
The 25-year-old US-born actress was found hanging at her residence here on June 3. It is speculated that a failed relationship with boyfriend Suraj, son of actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, led her to commit suicide.
"It is heartbreaking... unbelievable... why she did this? When someone is behaal (in bad shape), disturbed mentally and emotionally then they don't know what they are doing, what step they are taking. She was a fighter, soldier," Rabiya Khan said.
"She was very spiritual. She used to advice and counsel her sisters. Being elder, she was protective about them. It is surprising to know how 'kamjor' (weak) she was from within... we couldn't believe she did this."
11:59 Case against Dhoni, Sachin for misleading ad
Zee News reports: A case has been registered against eight Indian cricketers and Sahara-Q shop owner Subrata Roy by the Department of Food Safety, Uttarakhand for misleading advertisement.
The eight Indian cricketers who have been booked in the case are Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Virendra Sehwag, and Zaheer Khan.
Besides them, two Bollywood actors, Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra, have also been named in the case.
According to a report, all of them have been charged for promoting 'adulterated' products after samples of mustard oil, jam and gram flour collected from a Sahara Q-shop in Bahadrabad were tested.
The report revealed that the products were indeed contaminated.
11:59 Petrol prices may go up by Rs 2 per litre
Oil marketing companies may declide to increase petrol prices by Rs 2 per litre in their scheduled meeting on Saturday.
Oil companies are under tremendous pressure due to weakening rupee.
Petrol price was last hiked by 75 paisa per litre and diesel by 50 paisa a litre on May 31.
State-owned oil firms had been in January authorised to raise diesel prices by up to 50 paisa per litre every month till entire losses on the fuel are wiped out.
The Indian rupee ended a tough week Friday that saw the currency slump to a record low as part of a broader regional market sell-off.
The rupee fell 0.8 percent for the week, its sixth consecutive weekly loss, having hit a record low of 58.98 on Tuesday.
11:33 Pak in talks with India over gas supply
India is willing to export 400 million cubic feet of gas per day to Pakistan but the matter hinges on finalising a tariff that is on the lower side, Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said.
Abbasi said a delegation from state-run GAIL, India's largest gas transmission and marketing company, had met him to assess Pakistan's willingness to import gas from India.
Gas would be imported from India only if the tariff is finalised on "the lower side", he said.
"Since the country is energy deficient, we showed our willingness and our experts would soon visit India to sort out the technical issues involved in it. After the report of the technical team, both the countries will initiate talks on the gas tariff issue," he was quoted as saying by The News daily.
11:17 BJP leaders in Bihar refuse to meet Nitish
With the ruling coalition in Bihar appearing headed for a split, BJP leaders in the state today refused to meet Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
"We were called by Nitish Kumar, but this morning we read in a newspaper that he has raised the issue of prime ministership. Our national leaders can only speak on this issue and we are not authorised to discuss it. So, there was no point in meeting the Chief Minister," BJP leader and NDA convenor in Bihar Nand Kishore Yadav said.
His remarks came against the backdrop of a media report that quoted Nitish Kumar as saying that BJP should publicly declare that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will not be its prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 polls.
JD(U) had yesterday said that "problems" and "difficulties" have arisen in the coalition in the wake of Narendra Modi's elevation in BJP.
Top JD(U) leaders, including the Bihar Chief Minister and party chief Sharad Yadav, are expected to meet here tomorrow to take a call on the future of its alliance with BJP.
10:17 NSA leak: How the news caught up with Alex Gibney
Filmmaker Alex Gibney is an unexpected player in the Edward Snowden's government surveillance leak saga.
She finds herself amid the hustle and bustle of a global breaking news event, but still has her camera out and a personal vision of the story she wants to tell -- and, she says, it will be very different from the way a newspaper would tell it.
10:11 Rain will be copious, says IMD
In what should come as a big relief to policymakers who are grappling with a slowdown of the economy, monsoon forecast models of the India Meteorological Department have indicated that rainfall during the current monsoon would continue to be copious in the coming months, with a fairly uniform distribution across the country.
Releasing an update of the long range forecast, IMD Director-General L S Rathore said the re-run of the models with fresh data obtained since the last forecast of April had reconfirmed the prediction that the country could get 98 per cent of the long period average for the season as a whole.
In addition, they have shown that rainfall in July would be 101 per cent of the normal and that for August 96 per cent of the normal.
10:07 JD-U may take a final call on ties with BJP today
As the ruling coalition in Bihar appeared headed for a split, top JD(U) leaders, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and party chief Sharad Yadav, are expected to meet in Patna on Saturday to take a call on the future of its alliance with BJP.
However, reports today suggested that Nitish Kumar has made the final decision to end the 18-year long ties with the BJP and will formally call it quits on Sunday.
The meeting comes after Nitish Kumar on Friday said the situation in the alliance was now "difficult", while the BJP accused his party of trying to split it.
"The situation is difficult now," Nitish Kumar told the media when he was asked about relations between the two parties.
10:07 Facebook reveals US data request details
Facebook revealed Friday it received between 9,000 and 10,000 requests for user data from US authorities in the second half of last year, as it seeks to shield itself from a growing scandal.
The requests covered issues from child disappearances to petty crimes and terror threats and targeted between 18,000 and 19,000 accounts, the social networking site said, without revealing how often it complied with the requests.
Facebook "aggressively" protects its users' data, the company`s general counsel Ted Ullyot said in a statement.
"We frequently reject such requests outright, or require the government to substantially scale down its requests, or simply give the government much less data than it has requested. And we respond only as required by law," he added.
Facebook is fighting an expanding public backlash after a government contractor revealed it was among nine Internet giants that turned over user data to the secret National Security Agency surveillance program PRISM.
10:04 TRS calls for Telangana bandh today
The Telangana region is observing a total shutdown on Saturday following TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao call on Friday over alleged repressive measures adopted by the Andhra Pradesh government to put down the Telangana agitation.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee(JAC), which comprises TRS, BJP and organisations like pro-Telangana employees of Andhra Pradesh government, has said the bandh would be observed in the entire Telangana region.
00:44 Live! Late heavy turnout reported in Iran vote
NYTimes reports: Iran's electoral authorities reported heavy turnout in presidential voting on Friday, extending polling hours three times to accommodate what appeared to be a late surge of interest.
Anecdotal evidence suggested that Tehran's mayor and a moderate cleric were garnering the strongest support compared with showings by their four conservative rivals.
Read the full story here
Anecdotal evidence suggested that Tehran's mayor and a moderate cleric were garnering the strongest support compared with showings by their four conservative rivals.
Read the full story here
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