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Fri, 10 May 2013
Candidate shot dead in Karachi on eve of Pak polls

Timeline  Refresh

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23:42   Uncle: Marathon bombing suspect buried in Virginia
Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was buried in a cemetery in Virginia with the help of a faith coalition, his uncle said today. 

The secret burial this week ended a frustrating search for a community willing to take the body, which had been kept at a funeral parlor in Worcester, Massachusetts, as cemeteries in Massachusetts and several other states refused to accept the remains. 

Tsarnaev was killed April 19 in a getaway attempt after a gunbattle with police. His younger brother, Dzhokhar, was captured later and remains in custody.
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23:33   Candidate shot dead in Karachi on the eve of Pak polls
An independent candidate was today shot dead, while a Pakistan People's Party nominee went missing in the port city of Karachi. Three people, including MQM-(Haqiqi)-backed independent candidate Shakeel Ahmed, were killed in the shootout between two rival groups, police said. 

Shakeel had earlier filed nomination papers as a MQM (Haqiqi) candidate, but his papers were rejected by the Election Commission. He filed an appeal and was allowed to contest as an independent candidate.
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23:02   Sonia forces PM to sack Bansal, Ashwani
CNN-IBN reports: Law Minister Ashwani Kumar has also been sacked. Earlier, in the day Pawan Kumar stepped down as the railway minister.

The two submitted their resignations to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Sources say that the two ministers resigned after Congress President Sonia met Dr Singh and asked him to force the two to put in their papers.

The law minister is under fire for asking to vet a Central Bureau of Investigation report on its coal investigation before it was submitted to the Supreme Court, while the railway minister is caught in a controversy involving his nephew, who is under arrest for allegedly accepting bribe to organise a plum posting in the Railways.  
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22:33   Mamata dares Centre to touch her
Alleging that the UPA government was using central agencies to disturb her government and her party while Congress was conspiring in league with CPI(M), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today dared the Centre to 'touch' her. 

"All sorts central agencies have been deployed to disturb the Trinamool Congress and the government ... the heroes of the Coalgate scam are conspiring against us," Banerjee told a party rally here.
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21:45   Modi to address NRIs in 18 US cities through video link
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who has been refused the United States visa since 2005, will address Indian diaspora in 18 cities in that country through a video conference on June 13 as a part of Gujarat Day celebrations.

"The event has been organised by NRIs and particularly the people of Gujarat-origin living in USA as part of Gujarat Day celebrations," an official statement here said.
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21:43   Bansal resigns, Ashwani to go soon too?
According to sources in the government, the Congress is taking law Minister Ashwani Kumar's issue  more seriously than former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's rail scam, reports Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.

It is more likely that the Congress, will also sack the law minister. There is no way the government can afford a confrontation with the judiciary or even the CBI, which has strangely become stronger in spite of it being under the Supreme Court's scanner.

The law minister is under fire for asking to vet a Central Bureau of Investigation report on its coal investigation before it was submitted to the Supreme Court.
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21:15  
PTI reports: Railway Minister P K Bansal has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He confirmed that he has quit.

Earlier in the evening, as television channels reported that he was sacked, Bansal was non-committal on the issue.
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21:06   Gilani seeks ISI's help to trace his kidnapped son
Pakistani police yet to make any breakthrough in their efforts, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today sought the help of the Inter-Services Intelligence to locate his son Ali Haider, who was kidnapped by heavily-armed men in Multan.

"We have not yet received any call from the kidnappers. I ask the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) to help the police trace my son," Gilani told reporters.
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21:04   Bansal, Ashwani reach PM's residence
Law Minister Ashwani Kumar also reaches 7 Racecourse.
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20:54   Bansal reaches PM's residence
P K Bansal reaches residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh amid reports that he has quit as railway minister.
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20:25   Sajjan Kumar's acquittal: Protesters demand SC intervention
Protesting acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, around 150 riot victims today staged a march from Rajghat to the Supreme Court but was prevented mid-way.   

The march was stopped near Shaheed Park and four members were allowed to go to Supreme Court to submit their petition seeking action against officials and political leaders whom they claimed were involved in the riots.

"It has been long 29 years but we didn't get justice. The government should answer how and where the last rites of 5,000riot victims were done. Whether postmortem was conducted or not?" All India Sikh Conference president Gurcharan Singh Babbar said.
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20:16   Girl gang raped in moving auto in Ghaziabad
A 23-year-old girl was allegedly gang raped in a moving auto by fellow passengers near Indirapuram, police said today.

According to an FIR filed by the victim, the incident occurred last night when she was returning home in an rickshaw which already had a few passengers.

A case has been registered against unidentified persons, police said, adding, that the total number of accused involved in the crime could not be ascertained as the she fell unconscious and could not recall.

Investigations are on to nab the culprits, the police said. The victim has been sent for medical examination.
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19:55   Explosion inside state transport bus in Latur, 15 injured
CNN-IBN reports: A explosion occured inside a state transport bus, injuring 10-15 people. A bomb squad has been rushed to the sport.

More details are awaited.
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18:54   Railway Minister Bansal resigns; Kharge may replace him

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has resigned, TV reports state.   The decision came after Congress President Sonia Gandhi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and reportedly asked him to ensure Bansal resigns with immediate affect, following which the minister rushed to his office to clear pending files.

 

Union Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge is likely to replace Bansal as the railways minister, sources say.

 

Sonia Gandhi reportedly told Dr Singh that action against Bansal should have been taken long bavk, sources add.

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18:53   Crews to finish installing World Trade Center spire
CNN reports: Construction workers bolted a 408-foot spire into place atop One World Trade Center, symbolically capping New York's comeback from the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The spire brings the iconic building to a height of 1,776 feet -- an allusion to the year the United States declared its independence. It also makes the building the tallest in the Western Hemisphere.

Read the full story here
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18:51   Woman found alive in rubble of Bangladesh factory
BBC reports: A woman has been pulled alive from the ruins of an eight-storey building that collapsed in a suburb of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, 17 days ago.

Rescuers said the woman, named Reshma, was found in the remains of the second floor of the Rana Plaza after they heard her crying: "Please save me."

Read the full story here
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17:55   Is Bansal on his way out? Min clearing files in office

Railway Minister Pawan Bansal has reached Rail Bhavan after two days and is reportedly clearing files. Speculation is rife that the minister may be on his way out, TV channels report.  

 

Bansal is under fire over a bribery scandal involving his nephew, who received payments from a Railway Board officer in return for a promotion.

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17:26   Rail bribery scam: CBI shortlists 500 phone calls for scrutiny
CBI has identified for closer scrutiny 500 phone calls from out of the 1,000 intercepted calls mainly among the four arrested accused in the alleged Rs 10 crore Railway bribery scandal.

As the scandal put a big question mark on the future of Railway Minister P K Bansal, CBI sources said today that over 1,000 phone calls were intercepted during the two-month long surveillance on arrested member of Railway Board Mahesh Kumar and Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla.

The sources said these calls were among four key players in the scandal--Kumar, Singla and middlemen Manjunath and Sandeep Goyal.
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17:12  
The Karnataka Cabinet will be sworn in on Monday. 
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16:57   NOBODY will be spared: Cong; Bansal feeds goat seeking help
The Congress, meanwhile, says the party will not spare anybody mired in corruption. That's party spokesman Bhakt Charan Das response to questions over the removal of P K Bansal. Meanwhile, CNN IBN reports that Bansal has been feeding a goat to seek divine intervention over the rail bribe scandal. Congress  says it is examining this issue very seriously. 
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16:44   Wannabe CM, Mallikarjuna Kharge, may replace Bansal
While it may come as little or no surprise for most that Siddaramaiah is the new Karnataka chief minister, it was quite an effort to convince Congress leaders to remain united over the candidature.

Sources in Congress tell Rediff.com that Mallikarjuna Kharge another aspirant to the post would be given the railway portfolio at the centre. G Parameshwara who was also opposing Siddaramaiah has been assured of a cabinet portfolio, as well.

The Congress has also decided to make a Lingayat leader as the Deputy Chief Minister. The name of the Deputy CM came up after some leaders from the Lingayat community demanded good representation in the wake of the community voting in large numbers for the Congress.

-- Vicky Nanjappa
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16:33   Siddaramaiah is Karnataka's new chief minister
Finally, here it is.
Siddarmaiah will be the next chief minister of Karnataka after a majority of Congress legislators selected him to be their leader. In fact, it was almost a no-brainer despite there being many aspirants to the post.

The meeting commenced at around 12.30 pm and although the Congress claims that it was a unanimous decision there were at least 30 MLAs who were not in favour of Siddarmaiah.

However, the majority view was taken into consideration and a decision made, which will be announced in New Delhi. The AICC observers would submit the report and minutes of the meeting to the high command who would make this decision public in a day or two.

-- Vicky Nanjappa
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16:18   Blood nations
We live in blood-nations. Blood, irrespective of whether its thicker or thinner than water, binds and blinds us into collectives. Countries, like human bodies, drip blood mostly from their margins, the edges of where they cease to be. Read more
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15:59   Verdict on Twitter: Sanjay Dutt deserves to go to jail
Almost no sympathy for actor Sanjay Dutt who faces 42 months in jail after the  Supreme Court rejected his review plea today. Some of the tweets that are fit to print...

Subhodeep: The petition by #SanjayDutt was frivolous in the first place. Give me more time to earn money before I go to jail for acquiring arms.

Rohan Saraf: SanjayDutt stop crying & making pleas, it is time u accepted ur crime, serve ur jail sentence with honor, try and come back a better man

Subhodeep: Good decision by Supreme Court to reject #SanjayDutt's petition. It would have set a wrong precedent in the country.

Gautam Trivedi: It's amusingly ironical that Bollywood Star Sanjay Dutt & Star Trek Into Darkness are trending next to each other.

Rohan: Sanjay Dutt & Pawan Bansal waiting for the same train. Sanjay Dutt has a confirmed ticket. Bansal trying desperately to cancel reservation.

Kiran Naik:‏ How did U feel with AK 47 in UR hand . did U feel like a man. Now U weep like a WOman. Why. & why evade arrest. WHY?Sanjay Dutt
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15:48   Abetment of suicide charges for Geetika's mother's death
The Delhi Police have already slapped charges of abetment of suicide against former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda and his aide Aruna Chhadha after their names figured in the suicide note of Anuradha Sharma, the mother of former airhostess Geetika Sharma who ended her life blaming Kanda.

Geetika's mother was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her house in Ashok Vihar area on February 15, 2013. Police registered a case and booked Kanda and Chhadha, already in judicial custody in the Geetika Sharma murder case, under Section 306 (abetment of suicide).

In her suicide note, Anuradha said she was under depression ever since her daughter's death and blamed Kanda and his aide Aruna Chaddha for Geetika's death.
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15:39   Geetika suicide: Kanda charged with rape, unnatural sex
A charge sheet has been filed against former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda and his aide Aruna Chadha in the Geetika Sharma suicide case. Kanda has been charged with rape, unnatural sex and abetment to suicide. Geetika, 23, a former flight attendant of the Gopal Kanda owned MDLR Airlines, had in her suicide note accused Kanda and his employee Aruna Chaddha of harassing and forcing her to take the extreme step. She died on the night of August 4-5, 2012 at her house in Delhi's Ashok Vihar area. 
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15:17   Public prosecutor: Sanjay Dutt has NO legal option now
Senior lawyer Majid Memon, says that prison holidays and good behaviour means Sanjay Dutt could actually spend a shorter time in jail. Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam says there is no merit in the pleas filed by any of the six convicts. "Legally Dutt has no option now," says Nikam.
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15:00   Sanjay Dutt will go to jail, SC rejects review petition
Sanjay Dutt can file a curative petition, but such petitions are only entertained when there is a serious lapse in judgment. Dutt will now go to jail on May 15 for a period of 42 months. The actor was convicted by the TADA court for illegal possession a 9 mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle which was part of the consignment of weapons and explosives brought to India for coordinated serial blasts that killed 257 people and injured over 700.

The 53-year-old film star has already spent about 18 months in jail and has to serve three and a half years more. He has to surrender by May 15.
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14:51   Sanjay Dutt has to go to jail, SC rejects review petition
The Supreme Court has rejected the review petition filed by actor Sanjay Dutt and all other convicts who had filed similar petitions. The court says it had found no merit in the petitions.

Dutt had sought a review of the March 21 judgement upholding his conviction under the Arms Act and sentencing him to five years in jail in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

A bench of P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan, which had delivered March 21 verdict, took up the review plea in chamber. Other six convicts, whose review petitions were rejected include Yusuf Mohsin Nulwalla, Khalil Ahmed Sayed Ali Nazir,  Mohamed Dawood Yusuf Khan, Shaikh Asif Yusuf, Muzammil Umar Kadri and Mohd Ahmed Shaikh. 

A day before the deadline for his surrender ended, the Supreme Court had on April 17 granted Dutt, 53, four weeks time to surrender before jail authorities to undergo 42 months remaining sentence in the case. 

The Apex court had on March 21 upheld his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case which it said was organised by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and others with the involvement of Pakistan's ISI.

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14:43  
A police officer has been shot dead by militants in Pulwama district of Kashmir, says police.Details awaited.
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14:28   Rahul Gandhi loves Moily's daughter's idilis, upma
Our sources tell us that finance minister PChidambaram's  mother is unwell and in the past one week, there were two instances where Chidambaram had to go to Chennai to look her up. The Prime Minister has called Chidambaram to asking after his mother.


And while on family, Veerappa Moily's daughter is a youth Congress leader considered to be close to Rahul Gandhi. She has been cooking the best Karnataka cuisine -- all vegetarian. Rahul Gandhi has been gorging on her hot, fresh, idlis and


Away from culinary matters, junior ministers Sachin Pilot, RPN Singh, Jatin Prasada have been meeting regularly and analysing the future of the UPA. They want to avoid the cameras and debates in TV studios till such time that the Bansal-Ashwani issues are sorted out.
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14:21   Union ministers want both Ashwani, Bansal sacked
Four union ministers considered to be close to Rahul Gandhi had a meeting this morning and conveyed their perception that there should be a comprehensive policy on Ashwani Kumar and Pawan Kumar Bansal. They believe that if one is sacked, the other should be sacked as well.
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14:09  
On the WSJ: Miss India vs. Hindu Fundamentalists. Read
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14:05   Taliban warns of attacks to 'infidels who believe in democracy'
The Pakistani Taliban has threatened widespread attacks, including suicide bombings, during the landmark general election tomorrow, saying it is opposed to the "infidel system" of democracy.

In a letter addressed to militant commanders, the Tehrik-e-Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud issued a directive to carry out widespread attacks across the country on May 11.

In the letter dated May 1, Mehsud told the commanders: "I will keep control of the attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan while you should cover Sindh and Punjab." "

We don't accept the system of infidels which is called democracy," Mehsud wrote. He urged the commanders to target election candidates, describing them as agents of an "infidel system."

"I am sending a list of attacks and the modus operandi, along with a separate list of fidayeen (suicide bombers)," wrote Mehsud. The letter listed targets in Punjab and Sindh, The Express Tribune reported. In an earlier letter sent to the media, Mehsud had said that his group was focused on wiping out democracy by hindering the polls.
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14:00   The Great Gatsby is a relentless assault on senses
Baz Luhrmann's glitzy take on 'The Great Gatsby,' starring a brooding Leonardo DiCaprio, is a bizarre mlange of rap, Prada, and CGI, that is all pomp and precious little circumstance. Read
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13:56   What the three abducted women endured in horror house
Forced abortions, chains in the basement, and cruel mind games. What the three captured Cleveland women told police after they were rescued. Read
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13:45   Pran's children happy, honoured for veteran actor
Pran's children expressed happiness over the honour. "He (Pran) is also happy. We all are happy that they (Minister Manish Tiwari) came here to give the award. It feels good. We had a party and enjoyed ourselves," Pinky said.

The veteran actor was not keeping well since sometime. "He is better than before. He is fine," Sunil said. When asked if the award came late, he said, "We don't want to get into all this."

Pran has acted in more than 350 films in a career spanning six-decades, giving memorable performances in movies like 'Milan', 'Madhumati', 'Kashmir Ki Kali' and 'Upkaar'. Such was the magic of his unique on-screen villainy that people stopped naming their children 'Pran' at the height of his fame. He ruled the industry from 1969 to 1982.
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13:23  
CBI to carry out internal inquiry into alleged tip-off to Mahesh Kumar's wife after his arrest in railway bribery case.
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13:00   Antony prepares ground for Karnataka CM selection
Defence Minister AK Antony left Delhi for Bangalore to meet the newly elected Karnataka MLAs individually. The other thig on this agenda is to ensure the MLAs pass a resolution authorising AICC chief Sonia Gandhi to identify the new chief minister. The new Karnataka chief minister will be sworn in on Monday afternoon or Thursday morning.

The stage is also set for Veerappa Moily as the frontrunner for the chief minister's position, while another CM hopeful, Siddaramaiah may be made Speaker of the Assembly. There may also be three deputy chief ministers.
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12:50   Bangladesh factory collapse toll passes 1,000
The death toll from Bangladesh's worst industrial accident has passed 1,000 as recovery teams continue to find more bodies in the wreckage.The eight-storey Rana Plaza factory building near Dhaka collapsed on 24 April with an unknown number inside.The authorities say about 2,500 people were injured in the accident and 2,437 people were rescued. More
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12:48   Prosecutors may seek death sentence for Ohio kidnapper
In other news: Ohio prosecutors have said they plan to seek aggravated murder charges that could carry the death penalty, against the man suspected of imprisoning three women for about a decade.The charges relate to alleged forced miscarriages suffered by one victim.
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12:45   Pran given Dada Saheb Phalke award at Mumbai residence
Veteran Bollywood actor Pran Sikand, a Hindi cinema villain loved and feared in equal measure by moviegoers, was given the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award, the highest official recognition for film personalities in India, at his residence in Mumbai. The award was bestowed by I&B minister Manish Tiwari  this afternoon. The 93-year-old actor was unable to receive the award in person at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in Delhi due to his ill health. Pran who has acted in over 400 films in his six-decade-long career, retired from acting in 1998.
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12:41   SC sets aside Orissa HC order on iron ore licence to Posco
The Supreme Court today set aside the Orissa High Court order which had quashed state government's petition to allot iron ore licence to South Korean steel major Posco in Khandadhar hills in Sundergarh district for a multi-crore steel plant.

A bench headed by Justice R M Lodha asked the Centre to consider all the objections raised by various parties pertaining to the mega steel plant and take a decision. The court was hearing cross appeals filed by the state government and a mine and mineral company challenging the Orissa High Court's order on the issue of iron ore mines.
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12:32  
Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde cancels his monthly briefing scheduled for today amid rumours of a cabinet reshuffle. 
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12:28   Too early to die
It cannot get any worse than this. Over three lakh newborns in India die on the very first day of their birth. With this the country ranks as number one in terms of first day of birth mortality; its share in global first-day deaths stands at 29 per cent.
More of that on the Hindu.
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12:24   Paid news pandemic undermines democracy
Top civil society bodies are challenging the government's 'counter-affidavit' in the Paid News case which seeks to gut the Election Commission's powers. Read
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12:21   MP polls: Scindia's name doing rounds for CM post if Cong wins
With Madhya Pradesh slated to go for Assembly elections later this year, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia appears to be the front-runner for the post of Chief Minister, if Congress emerges victorious.

Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh, considered close to the party high command, gave fresh thrust to Scindia's potential candidacy last week.

"I have no doubt in my mind that Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is the front-runner for the post of the Chief Minister in Madhya Pradesh if the party wins this year's Assembly elections," Singh said recently while talking to reporters in Gwalior.

However, Singh, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, said that Scindia cannot be declared as the chief ministerial candidate as the Congress did not have a tradition of doing so. Later, Scindia had said at Ashoknagar that he was not in the race for the post. "I am an ordinary worker of the Congress and I do not think that I am in the race for the Chief Ministership," Scindia had said.
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12:15   Bansal gets set to go? Skips office, Cabinet meeting
Meanwhile, rail minister PK Bansal has stopped attending office. A precursor to what is to come? Incidentally, he also skipped the cabinet meeting yesterday. 
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12:10   Five ways to handle border disputes between China, India
Strengthening good-neighbourly relations and friendly cooperation with India is China's strategic choice and established policy. This will not change. Read the Chinese Ambassador to India's column on the Hindu. 
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12:01   Boy who lost both kidneys tops Boards
At the age of 14, Prakhar Deroliya lost both his kidneys and was put on dialysis, which he undergoes twice a week. His father, an LIC agent, left his job to attend to his ailing son who needs 24X7 care. On Thursday, Prakhar (now, 17) returned the favour in a measure that has overwhelmed his father. Here's how.
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11:58   India, China review Ladakh border stand-off
India and China have reviewed the fallout of their recent army-related stand-off in the Depsang Valley iof the Ladakh region during talks between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing.

During the meeting, Khurshid sought to make existing mechanisms more effective to respond with greater urgency in dealing with border violations. Khurshid told Indian media in Beijing after his talks on Thursday that China has not yet given any reason for the recent intrusion in Ladakh, an episode that had cast a shadow over bilateral ties.
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11:52   I'm becoming more humble: Saif Ali Khan
Actor and producer Saif Ali Khan, talks about his new role in Go Goa Gone and married life with Kareena Kapoor. Read

Also read the Rediff.com review of Go Goa Gone:  Go Goa Gone could have used more fun-gore
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11:45   India Has Most Cervical Cancer Deaths
More women in India die from cervical cancer than in any other country, according to a new report that warns deaths from this preventable disease will rise unless attitudes to women change. Read
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11:37   CBI won't question Bansal now, but sacking imminent
CNN IBN:  Rail minister PK Bansal is likely to be shunted from the cabinet today after an increasing number of reports about the business links of his families and aides. The CBI says it will not question Bansal since graft charges cannot be linked to him. They will dig more evidence before they question him.

Despite Union railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's claim that he had no financial links with the companies owned by his kin, documents show that he had taken a Rs 15-lakh loan in 2011 from Theon Pharmaceuticals -- a firm owned by his wife Madhu and sons Amit and Manish - for a modest interest rate of 3%. Bansal had paid the interest amount of Rs 46,357 incurred in financial year 2011-12, documents submitted by Theon to the registrar of companies revealed. Read the full story here.
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11:20   In tell-all letter Debjani talks of relationship with Sudipta
For the first time since the Saradha chit fund scam rocked West Bengal, Debjani Mukherjee, one of the directors of the company now in custody, has explained what led to the collapse of the firm in a two-page letter that she has handed over to her lawyers. Debjani has also defined her relationship with the company's CMD Sudipta Sen in the letter. Read the full story here
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11:15   Congress will take a call on Ashwani TODAY
While the Congress is yet to take a decision on Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, under fire for vetting the CBI's status report on the coal block allocations row, the party's strategists are interpreting Wednesday's Supreme Court order as a signal to the government to consider executive action before the next hearing on July 10.  Read the full report here.

Read the IE editorial: UPA must acknowledge responsibility
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10:49   Double Olympic medallist Andrew Simpson killed in training
Double Olympic medallist Andrew 'Bart' Simpson has been killed in a training accident on the Swedish America's Cup challenger Artemis on San Francisco Bay. Simpson, who won gold in China in 2008 and silver in London 2012 with Iain Percy in the Star keelboat, was trapped under the 72-foot catamaran when it capsized. Read
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10:46   Aarushi murder: Talwars to record statement in CBI court
Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, accused of murdering their daughter Aarushi Talwar and domestic help Hemraj, are likely to record their statements in a special CBI court here today.

In their plea, the dentist couple had sought the adjournment on the ground that they had to approach the Supreme Court with a Special Leave Petition seeking deposition of 14 persons as court witnesses, including Arun Kumar, who was Joint Director of the CBI in 2008 and led the initial probe in the sensational double murder.

Special CBI judge Shyam Lal had, however, rejected the defence counsel's plea and ordered to record the statements of the Talwar couple, who are the main accused.
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10:24   Delhi: School bus driver arrested for showing porn clips to kids
A school bus driver and his helper were arrested from south Delhi's Hauz Khas area on Thursday for allegedly showing children pornographic clips, police said.

The duo, identified as Asgar Ali and Mohd Shamim, were arrested after a complaint was filed by the father of one of the victims with police that they had forced children to watch porn clips on their mobile phones.

A case under Sections 10 and 12 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act has been registered against them. Investigations have so far revealed that the duo hadn't sexually assaulted anyone, said the police.
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09:56   Sensex up 28 points ahead of IIP data
The BSE benchmark Sensex today gained almost 28 points in early trade on fresh buying by funds and retailers ahead of industrial output data, amid a firming trend on other Asian bourses. 

The 30-share barometer up by 27.97 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 19,967.01, led consumer durables, auto and realty sector stocks. The index had lost 51.14 points yesterday on profit-booking.

Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved up by 6.00 points, or 0.10 per cent, to 6,056.15.
Brokers said expectations of better industrial production (IIP) data for March to be released later today and a firming trend on the Asian markets, mainly triggered selective buying by funds and retail investors.

In the Asian region, Japan's Nikkei was sharply up by 2.75 per cent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose by 0.26 per cent in early trade. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.15 per cent lower yesterday.
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09:55   Rupee down 32 paise against dollar
The rupee today lost 32 paise to 54.57 against the dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange market due to appreciation of the US currency against other currencies overseas. 

Increased demand for the dollar from banks and importers also put pressure on the rupee but a higher opening in the domestic equity market, capped the fall, forex dealers said. 

The rupee had lost nine paise to close at one-week low level of 54.25 against the dollar due to sustained demand for
the US currency for oil and gold related payments.

Meanwhile, the BSE benchmark Sensex recovered by 27.97 points, or 0.14 per cent, at 19,967.01 in early trade today. 
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09:09   Punjabi film 'Sadda Haq' hits theatres
Controversy surrounding the Punjabi film 'Sadda Haq' seems to have worked in its favour as the makers have increased the prints ahead of its release on Friday. 

'Sadda Haq' was banned in Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Chandigarh a day ahead of its earlier scheduled release April 5. 
The ban was lifted following the Supreme Court's order.

"We are happy that the film is finally releasing even with an A-certificate. The ban and the controversy have actually worked in our favour inspite of the harassment that we faced. We could not have fought more," Siddhu said at a press conference in New Delhi.

"Had the ban continued, we would have incurred losses in India but now we have doubled the print. Earlier, we were releasing the film with 48 prints but now we are screening it with 80 prints."
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09:08   Cong MLAs meeting today to pick K'taka CM
Congress has set the ball rolling for picking its Chief Minister in Karnataka by convening a meeting of its newly-elected MLAs in Bengaluru on Friday with senior leaders Mallikarjuna Kharge and Siddharamaih being considered front runners in the race for the top post. 

The observers are slated to elicit the MLAs' views on the leadership issue in Karnataka where the party was swept to power with comfortable majority of 121 seats in the 224-member Assembly.

"Senior minister A K Antony, AICC general secretary in-charge of the state Madhusudan Mistri, Luizinho Faleiro, who was Karnatataka's screening committee chairman, and Union Minister Jitender Singh are going as AICC observers to Karnataka on Friday," party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told PTI in New Delhi.

The main fight for the top post is seen between veteran leader and Union Labour and Employment Minister M Mallikarjuna Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the outgoing assembly, Siddaramaiah.
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09:06   SC to consider Sanjay Dutt's review plea today
The Supreme Court will take up on Friday Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt's plea seeking review of its March 21 judgement upholding his conviction under the Arms Act and sentencing him to five years in jail in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

A bench of P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan, which had delivered March 21 verdict, will take up the review plea in chamber. It will also consider similar pleas made by other six convicts in the case. 

Other six convicts, who filed review petitions are Yusuf Mohsin Nulwalla, Khalil Ahmed Sayed Ali Nazir,  Mohamed Dawood Yusuf Khan, Shaikh Asif Yusuf, Muzammil Umar Kadri and Mohd Ahmed Shaikh. 

A day before the deadline for his surrender ended, the Supreme Court had on April 17 granted Dutt, 53, four weeks time to surrender before jail authorities to undergo 42 months remaining sentence in the case. 

The Apex court had on March 21 upheld his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case which it said was organised by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and others with the involvement of Pakistan's ISI.

However, the apex court had reduced to five years the six-year jail-term awarded to him by a designated TADA court in 2006, ruling out his release on probation saying the "nature" of his offence was "serious".
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03:30   Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev buried
Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried at an undisclosed location, Massachusetts police say.

Tsarnaev's body "is no longer in the City of Worcester and is now entombed", a police statement said.

Authorities had been struggling to find a community willing to accept Tsarnaev's body.
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02:41   Cruise passengers fall overboard off Australia
A search is continuing off the south-eastern coast of Australia for a man and a woman who appear to have fallen from a cruise ship on Wednesday night.

A surveillance camera on the Carnival Spirit showed the pair plunging from the mid deck, about 120km (75 miles) off the coastal city of Forster.

They were only discovered missing after the vessel docked in Sydney, some 300km south of Forster, on Thursday morning.
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01:54   US slaps sanctions against Iranian nuclear supply companies
The United States today slapped sanctions against four Iranian nuclear supply companies and one individual for procuring and attempting to procure goods for Iran's nuclear programme. 

These companies are Aluminat, Pars Amayesh Sanaat Kish, Pishro Systems Research Company, and Taghtiran Kashan Company. The Iranian citizen is Parviz Khaki, who is alleged to have procured and attempted to procure goods for Iran's nuclear programme that can be used to construct, operate, and maintain gas centrifuges to enrich uranium.
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01:53   Hackers stole USD 45 million in ATM card breach
A gang of cyber-criminals operating in 26 countries stole USD 45 million by hacking their way into a database of prepaid debit cards, federal prosecutors in New York said today. 

The US attorney in Brooklyn, Loretta Lynch, called it "a massive 21st-century bank heist" and said the fraudsters had moved with astounding speed to loot financial institutions around the world.
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01:15   Wont die before making Quaids Pakistan: Imran
The injured Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Thursday said Allah Almighty will not let him die until he accomplishes the goal of making Quaid's Pakistan and called upon the nation to reject the status quo on May 11. 

Khan was addressing the PTI's rally here at D-Chowk via video link lying on the bed of his room at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital (SKMH) where he is under treatment for back and head wounds sustained after a fall from a makeshift lift during PTI's Lahore rally on May 7. 

Imran Khan called upon the nation to give his party a chance to transform Pakistan into a state as envisioned by the founder of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
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00:34   Hezbollah: Syria to supply weapons to militia
Syria will supply "game-changing" weapons to Hezbollah, the chief of the Lebanese militia said Thursday, just days after Israeli airstrikes on Damascus targeted what Israel said were shipments of advanced Iranian weapons possibly bound for the group.

Any attempts to ship advanced Iranian missiles across Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon would likely draw a new Israeli response, and Thursday's warning by Hezbollah chief Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, if more than rhetoric, could signal a further escalation.

Israel has largely tried to stay out of Syria's 26-month-old conflict. It never acknowledged the airstrikes, but Israeli officials have signaled Israel's air force would strike against any shipments of strategic missiles that might be bound for Hezbollah.

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00:26   Karzai says US could have nine Afghan bases
The Afghan government could allow US troops to keep nine bases after most Nato forces withdraw next year, President Hamid Karzai has said.

"We agree to give them the bases," he said, but added that he had demanded security and economic guarantees.Details of the security pact have not been revealed before now. 

The US would not confirm "specifics", but said it does not seek permanent Afghan bases.
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00:25   Despite stumbling blocks, Sharif roars the loudest
The tigress mascot of the Nawaz Sharif's PML-N party, Moti, died earlier this week from heat, giving the party's office-bearers last-minute jitters ahead of Saturday's elections. 

The tigress is Sharif's party symbol. "The tigress' death may be a bad omen for Nawaz Sharif,' commented TV show host Mubashir Luqman, who predicts that this time round the PML-N party may not repeat its good showing in Punjab province as it had done in 2008.

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