Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare Friday concluded the second phase of his Jantantra Yatra in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur, asking people to "wake up" to change a system where power has gone into the hands of "tainted" people.        

 

"As many as 163 of our MPs are tainted. This means that the system is corrupt and needs to be changes," Hazare said, adding, he will launch a major campaign from Delhi's Ramlila Maidan very soon.        

 

He asked people to realise that they hold the key in a democratic setup, and they should bring about amendments to it by voting judiciously for "right individuals".        

 

Hazare was addressing the last public meeting of the second phase of his campaign, ahead of next year's Lok Sabha polls. He asked the youths to come forward and associated themselves with his campaign.

RBI Governor D Subbarao today briefed a Parliamentary panel on regulatory issues concerning the recent chit-fund scam in West Bengal and discussed steps that could be taken to prevent recurrence of such frauds.     

A Naval Board of Inquiry today started a probe into the charges made by the wife of a senior Navy officer -- that she was being forced by her husband into getting 'sexually involved' with his colleagues.      

Calling for the resignation of N Srinivasan, former IPL chairman Lalit Modi's lawyer today demanded that the BCCI president should be suspended, as the police is probing his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan's alleged proximity to actor Vindoo Dara Singh.

Alleging that cricket fans have been betrayed due to IPL spot-fixing, opposition BJP today said the Board of Control for Cricket in India should own up responsibility for the scandal and take stern action against those involved.        

With the Centre convening the first meeting of the Supervisory Committee over the implementation of the final award of the Cauvery Disputes Tribunal, the Tamil Nadu government today said it will press for its due share of water from the river as stipulated in the Final Order    

The Direct Taxes Code Bill, which aims to overhaul the over 50-year-old I-T Act, is almost ready and will be taken up in the monsoon session of Parliament, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said today.     

JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik today began a 48-hour long hunger strike to press for return of the mortal remains of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru and party founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat.        

In a bid to resolve the rift between Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and KPCC chief Ramesh Chennithala in the Kerala unit of Congress, CWC member and Defence Minister A K Antony held talks with supporters of Chandy and Chennithala at Kannur today.        

Committing to strengthen Sebi, Prime Minister Manamohan Singh today asked the capital market regulator to eliminate insider trading and take steps to encourage small investors to invest in equities. 

Reliance Industries has made a huge gas discovery in KG-D6 basin in Andhra Pradesh.

Abiding by the Jharkhand high court's directive, former chief minister Madhu Koda today surrendered to a lower court after the completion of his week-long provisional bail granted to attend his ailing mother.        

Chennai Super Kings CEO Gurunath Meiyappan has reached Mumbai airport in a private plane from Kodaikanal via Madurai.

Just in: RAF jets escort a PIA passenger plane after a security alert in the UK. The flight was diverted from Manchester to Stanstead. All is well. PIA is the official carrier of Pakistan.   

Gurunath Meiyappan is expected to reach Mumbai at 7 pm. Cops from the Mumbai Crime branch is at the airport. Meiyappan who was unceremoniously shorn of his post as CEO or Team Principal CSK will be taken directly to the Crime Branch HQ in the city in a police vehicle. There is still no clarity if he will be arrested.

If he is arrested, there is likely to be two immediate fallouts:
BCCI boss N Srinivasan, who is his father-in-law may quit his post and,

CSK may be axed from the IPL, according to the rulebook.

Gurunath, however, may only be detained for questioning. The police will interrogate him based on tape transcripts between him and Vindoo Dara Singh. 

Gurunath Meiyappan, the dented and tainted son-in-law of BCCI chief N Srinivasan has changed his Twitter profile, presumably while flying in to Mumbai to meet the crime branch cops of the Mumbai police. Drops Team Principal Chennai Superkings from the profile after Indian Cements, which owns CSK disowned him.

See

This is what Twitter says: Pawan Durani tweets that gunfire followed the blast. Sources say target is Headquarters of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

The BBC reports that there has been a large explosion in the centre of the Afghan capital, Kabul, followed by heavy gunfire. The blast was near the hospital of Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security intelligence agency, police told the BBC. Reports say smoke was seen over the centre of the city and the blast was felt several kilometres away. The number of casualties is not yet known and part of the city was cordoned off.

Earlier reports that the blasts were near the Indian embassy may not be true. 

Three blasts have been heard near the Indian embassy in Kabul. Details
awaited.

Smita Prakash @smitaprakash: Near Indian embassy RT @ANI_news: Serial blasts in Kabul: All Indians are safe (Sources)


Pic: Stock picture of Afghan police stand near the wreckage of a vehicle which was used by a suicide bomber near Kabul in September.

Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy attacks the down and almost out BCCI chief N Srinivasan. Roy tells Times Now that Sahara will not sponsor Team India if Srinivasan remains BCCI chief.

Demanding the termination of Srinivasan's contract with BCCI, Roy says the sports body was never interested in talking to Sahara. The Sahara Group pulled out its team Pune Warriors from IPL, after BCCI's decision to encash its bank guarantee following a prolonged financial dispute. "We had no choice but to quit IPL. The BCCI chief did not even bother to reply to our letter. His behaviour was arrogant and a person like Srinivasan does not deserve to run BCCI," says Roy, after the nation demanded answers.  

Vindoo Dara Singh's custody has been extended. He will remain in police custody till May 28.

And Gurunath Meiyappan's life as he knows it begins to unravel. India Cements which owns the franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) says Gurunath is not associated with CSK. He is neither the owner nor the CEO. "Meiyappan is only one of the honorary members of the management team," says CSK. BCCI chief N Srinivasan is the owner of India Cements.

Indian Cements also assures its full cooperation in the probe to the BCCI and the law enforcement authorities.

A certain Mr Ashwin Srinvasan must be raising a toast.

CNN IBN reports that Chennai Super Kings faces termination if its CEO Gurunath Meiyappan is arrested by the Mumbai police. The rulebook states that a franchise faces termination if an owner acts in any way that has an adverse effect on IPL. The BCCI is consulting the rule book on that. The rule book also states that a franchise can be terminated if it fails to meet pre-defined criteria.   

Former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar's NCP says if N Srinivasan has an iota of honesty, he would step down. The NCP has been demanding Srinivasan's scalp the moment his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan's name was linked to the betting scandal. This is the first time the NCP has spoken up since the scandal broke last week and it is unlikely the party would have done so without Pawar's backing.

If things were proceeding at their own momentum, BJP leader Arun Jaitley would be chosen as BCCI president-elect in September this year, paving the way for his final takeover from incumbent N Srinivasan a year later.

But with the spot-fixing brouhaha and the resultant glare of focus on Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, the heat is on the incumbent to make way for Jaitley to take over earlier.

The talk in Delhi is that the BCCI chief's exit is imminent, and Jaitley will take over by June this year.

To recall, last year the BCCI had amended its constitution doing away with the zonal rotational policy for electing its president. It also meant that East Zone, whose turn it was to nominate the president after Srinivasan finishes his tenure, can nominate a suitable candidate from any other zone if two state units from the east propose his name.

This had paved the way for Jaitley's ascension to a much-coveted post -- but, then, no one could have foreseen last year that it may have to be advanced in such circumstances.

Gurunath is expected to take a flight to Mumbai at 5 pm, which rules out appearing before the Mumbai police crime branch by the deadline of 5 pm.

This is what the Hindu writes on the 'friendship' between Gurunath and Vindoo. "The fortunes of Vindoo Dara Singh, a habitual but unsuccessful bettor, changed after he became friends with Gurunath Meiyappan, Team Principal of Chennai Super Kings. "He became friends with Gurunath two years ago and, according to his confession, he had earned more than Rs.17 lakh in this IPL for the first time,' said a police officer investigating the case. Singh, also known in betting circles as Jack, had placed bets on matches all through the last five editions of the tournament and suffered heavy losses. "We have not drawn any conclusions. But we are investigating the reasons behind his sudden success,' an officer said."

Actor (sic) Vindoo Dara Singh in court. The Mumbai police will seek further extension of his custody.  Vindoo, who was arrested on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in the IPL fixing scandal, has told the crime branch of the Mumbai police that an IPL team boss, Gurunath Meiyappan, lost Rs 1 crore in bets placed through him on IPL games this season.  He has also named a Bollywood actor, actress and a cricketer-turned-commentator to be involved in spot-fixing.
TV reports say the police want Vindoo's custody to be extended by four more days. 

Police and autorickshaw drivers in Kerala's Wayanad are caught in a 'mundu' row, which now threatens to spill over to the streets. Drivers' unions maintain that a move to enforce a dress code and prevent them from wearing the traditional mundu (dhotis) to work from June 1 is an infringement on their rights and an affront to Kerala culture. Read the full story on the TOI

Gurunath Meiyappan yet to leave for Mumbai. He will be flying out of Maduria aboard a private plane, but seems highly unlikely he will make it in time for the 5 pm deadline to appear before the Mumbai crime branch. He is being accompanied by his legal team. 

Former cop YP Singh tweets that: police has no powers to summon witness from outstation.Can only ask witness remain present in his house summons to owner CSK Gurunath illegal.

All over West Bengal, signs bearing the face of Mamata Banerjee, the state's chief minister, are accompanied by the phraseshotota-r pratik -- "a symbol of honesty." Her unkempt hair is tied up in a loose bun while she wears a simple white cotton sari and inexpensive rubber sandals, signaling that the Trinamool Congress Party leader is a champion of the common people. Read

Indian-born steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal has become the target of a video game created by an independent French developer.

Kill Mittal, available for free online, was inspired after ArcelorMittal, the company owned by the Indian billionaire, said it was closing two steel blast furnaces at its plant in the northeastern French town of Florange. Read

Sir Sri Jhunjhunwala: Interesting career Vindoo has had.From body-builder to Reality shows to acting to fixing and now he's a singer... in front of the cops

Indian Premier League Governing Council Chairman Rajiv Shukla and BCCI vice-President Arun Jaitley met Law and Justice Minister Kapil Sibal on Friday, and demanded the enactment of a strong anti-fixing legislation at the earliest. 

"Today, Arun Jailtely and I met Kapil Sibal and asked him to come up with the strongest possible law to curb fixing," Shukla said after the meeting.

"We want a law to be enacted as quickly as possible because in the absence of a law, these people are taking advantage," he added.

Indian cricket has been thrown into disarray because of the IPL spot-fixing scandal, which led to the arrest of three players, including former Test player S Sreesanth, and several bookies with underworld connections.

The scandal has reached the doorstep of BCCI President N Srinivasan, with Mumbai Police summoning his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings owner Gurunath Meiyappan for questioning after his name cropped up during the interrogation of betting suspect and Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh.

The venerable Rakesh Jhunjhunwala scripts a new story. See

ABP News says the BCCI chief N Srinivasan may quit his post if his son-in-law Gurunath Mayappan is arrested. 

The fortunes of Vindoo Dara Singh, a habitual but unsuccessful bettor, changed after he became friends with Gurunath Meiyappan, Team Principal of Chennai Super Kings.  Read the report on the Hindu.

Two deadlines expire today: Vindoo Dara Singh's custody expires today. He will be taken to court at 2.45 pm.

Guru Meiyappan has to appear before the Mumbai police by 5 pm today.

Both runways have been closed at Heathrow Airport to enable a British Airways plane to make emergency landing, the airport says. All passengers and crew were "safely evacuated" from the plane following the incident this morning. -- BBC

Times Now reports that Gurunath Meiyappan who has been spotted in Kodaikanal with BCCI chief N Srinivasan, who also happens to be his father-in-law, is expected to take a flight to Mumbai from Madurai shortly. The deadline to appear for interrogation before the Mumbai police ends at 5 pm today. It is believed he will take a private flight out of Madurai for Mumbai.

Times Now reports that CSK CEO Gurunath Meiyappan was spotted in Kodaikanal along with his father-in-law and BCCI chief N Srinivasan. The Mumbai police have issued summons to Gurunath to appear for interrogation by 5 pm today.  

An alleged cricket bookie was nabbed from the international airport here by a Delhi Police team in the early hours today.

"One person identified as Yahya Mohammad has been picked up from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in connection with the cricket betting racket by the Delhi Police team in the wee hours," a senior police official said.

Mohammad was picked up by police while he was trying to board a flight to Dubai, the official said. At least 18 people -- three IPL players, four former players and 11 bookies and their assistants -- have been arrested in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal that has rocked the cricketing world.

Chandila, Sreesanth and Ankit Chavan are the three IPL players who were arrested.

BCCI vice president Arun Jaitley meets IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla to discuss whether the Mumbai police were right in sending summons to interrogate Chennai Super Kings CEO Gurunath Meiyappan. Shukla says they will also meet the sports minister over the spot-fixing scandal and has asked Law minister Kapil Sibal to enact the strongest possible laws in the matter.

A local court has remanded five bookies, arrested in connection with alleged betting on IPL matches, in police custody till May 25.

The five bookies - Rajendra Savna, resident of Nashik Road, Sameer Mahindra Mantri, Praveen Bhutada, Ravindra Dhage and Pankaj Somani (all from Buldhana, Maharashtra) - were arrested from Nashik road on Wednesday night while they were allegedly betting on the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

All the five were produced in the court yesterday which remanded them in police custody till May 25.

Twenty mobile sets, three laptops, a television set, pen drive and other material were seized from the possession of bookies after a raid at a bungalow where they indulged in betting, police had earlier said.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar shot down a bilateral meet at Kiev after Ukraine refused to exempt her and accompanying six MPs from frisking.

Although India enjoys close ties with Ukraine, Kiev could not give any written assurance to New Delhi that Kumar and other MPs would not be subject to security checking.

The tour was finalized almost two months ago but as Ukraine dithered till the last moment over the touchy issue of security checking, Kumar decided at the last moment not to go to Ukraine.Her husband, Manjul Kumar was also accompanying her for the tour. Read

Indian Premier League chairman and union minister Rajeev Shukla yesterday came out in defence of Board of Control for Cricket in India. Read

His family is turning out to be his biggest enemy. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief N Srinivasan, who is already facing the heat with his son-in law Gurunath Meiyappan being sought by the police in connection with the probe into the spot-fixing scandal in the IPL, now has to contend with his disgruntled son, who has opened a can of worms about the family's "dubious connections'.

Ashwin, 44, minces no words while disclosing his brother-in-law's alleged involvement in betting and spot-fixing. "Guru (he addresses Meiyappan that way) had several connections with known bookies from Chennai and Dubai and was regularly in touch with them even before the IPL started.' he said. "What began as a relatively smaller side-business became a full-fledged one over the years.'

Read the report on DNA.

A magnitude 8.2 earthquake hits off the east coast of Russia, felt in Japan; no tsunami expected, says USGS

According to a source in the Mumbai police who is investigating the IPL spot-fixing scandal, the interrogation of Chennai Super Kings' team principal Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of BCCI chief N Srinivasan, is necessary as his responses will take them to the next stage of their investigation.

Meaning, who else should be called for questioning in the next round will be decided after rechecking what all Vindoo Dara Singh has revealed.

Some kind of prima facie evidence is likely to emerge out of Gurunath's proposed interrogation, claims a member of the investigating team, and that the line of inquiry may lead them to Arun Pandey, Indian skipper M S Dhoni's confidant and agent.

However, this is possible only after Guru's interrogation to ascertain his involvement and rechecking the charges against him. But, even the possibility of this happening has created a sensation behind closed doors in the cricket world.

The Mumbai police also clarifies that so far they have nothing incriminating against Dhoni.

Nevertheless, assuming that Pandey is called by the Mumbai police to see if any dubious link exists between Gurunath, Vindoo and other CSK players, it will create an acute embarrassment for Dhoni.

The Mumbai police claims that in view of the nature of the networking among match-fixers, it is essential they interrogate Guru.

Toll so far: At least 18 people -- three IPL players, four former players and 11 bookies and their assistants -- have been arrested in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal that has rocked the cricketing world.

Do we sniff a Twitter battle?
Harsha Bhogle ‏tweets: Dear mukul kesavan,you suggest that i, among others,"use womens bodies as cues for double entendre & innuendo?"believe an apology in order.

This is Mukul Kesavan's report in the Telegraph, Calcutta, Bhogle is upset about.  Read

The spot-fixing controversy teaches us about the pitfalls of insecurity and of the desire to keep up with the Joneses, writes Harsha Bhogle for Espncricinfo. Read

Just in: CNN reports that CSK CEO Gurunath Meiyappan has asked for time till Monday to appear for interrogation. The IPL ends on Sunday. The Mumbai police is unlikely to entertain the plea. They have given him a 5 pm deadline today to turn himself in. If he doesn't he will be declared absconding.  Vindoo Dara Singh, arrested on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in the IPL fixing scandal, has told the crime branch of the Mumbai police that an IPL team boss, who's been in the news lately, lost a 'khoka' (Rs 1 crore) in bets placed through him on IPL games this season.

Vindoo Dara Singh, arrested on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in the IPL fixing scandal, has told the crime branch of the Mumbai police that an IPL team boss, who's been in the news lately, lost a 'khoka' (Rs 1 crore) in bets placed through him on IPL games this season.

The veracity of Vindu's claim is yet to be established.If this is indeed a fact, the team boss cannot claim that his connections with Vindu are purely friendly and have nothing to do with betting or fixing. Read the story on the TOI

Rajesh and Nupur Talwar have filed a plea in the Supreme Court to record the statement of 14 witnesses in the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder.  These witnesses had been dropped by the CBI investigating the case. 

he recording of the statement of Rajesh Talwar, who is being tried for the murder of his daughter Aarushi Talwar and domestic help Hemraj, ended yesterday, with 101 questions being put to him on the day.

The special CBI court on Thursday has also started recording the statements of Nupur Talwar, the co-accused in the case.Nupur was asked 177 questions by the additional session judge Shyam Lal.

The questions were based on the testimonies of Dr Sunil Dohre, Puneesh Raj Tandon (neighbour of Talwars), Sanjay Chouhan and Data Ram Nanoria, among others.The court has fixed as May 27 as the next date for recording the statements of Nupur.

Three security personnel killed in an encounter with militants in Pulwama district of Kashmir, says the Army. The gun battle is still on. Details awaited.

Mamata Banerjee today announced that her government would run Saradha-owned channels Tara Music and Tara Newz till an investor offered to take them over, raising questions of administrative propriety and stepping into tricky legal terrain.Saradha chief Sudipta Sen had served closure notices on the two channels on April 15. Read

Rediff.com's Mukhtar Ahmad reports: Three army soldiers were killed in a militant ambush in south Kashmir's Tral in Pulwama district this morning.

A senior police officer told rediff.com that the militants fired indiscriminately at a patrol party of the counter-insurgency Rashtriya Rifles. "Three troopers died on the spot. The area has been surrounded and searches are being conducted," he added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes a day after security forces gunned down a Lashkar-e-Tayiba militant in Srinagar.       

NDTV reports: More players are involved in the Indian Premier League spot-fixing scandal.

S N Srivastava, special commissioner, special cell of the Delhi police, said that the on-field performance of the arrested players is direct evidence of their involvement in spot-fixing. He also added there is enough evidence against Rajasthan Royals player S Sreesanth, who was arrested last week along with two of his team-mates, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila.

Business Standard reports: With the Indian Premier League cricket tourney scandal getting murkier by the day, tarnishing the game, the impact is visible on the ratings.

While viewers are still watching the matches in stadia, there is a sharp 14 per cent drop in the television ratings in the evening matches before and after the scam broke.

Read the full report here 

CNN-IBN reports: Chennai Super Kings CEO and BCCI chief N Srinavasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan has been betting in IPL since 2011. He started with bets of Rs 10 lakh that went up to Rs 1 crore, according to sources in the Mumbai police,.

He bet 3 CSK matches this season, reports CNN-IBN.

The Delhi high court will hear the appeal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to quash charges of murder and rioting framed against him in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He is accused in the murders of six people in the Sultanpuri area of New Delhi.

Earlier in May, Sajjan was acquitted of all charges in another case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

A former Lok Sabha MP from Outer Delhi, he still faces trial in another 1984 rioting case. In a third case, the Delhi police has filed a closure report, saying there was no evidence against Kumar to implicate him.

CNN-IBN reports: Actor Vindoo Dara Singh's interrogation brought focus on Chennai Super Kings CEO and BCCI chief N Srinavasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan.

Meiyappan was served summons by the Mumbai police on Thursday to appear before investigators in Mumbai. Meiyappan though has asked for time till Monday. He is alleged to have been involved in cricket betting. Sources have told CNN-IBN that he is unlikely to be questioned till the IPL is over.

Read the full report here

The only thing more horrifying than the murder of a British soldier in a London street is the fear that there is little police can do in the age of "open-source jihad" to prevent these types of terror attacks.

 

"It's always the one we feared, the lone wolf that can come from nowhere and not be on our radar," said ex-London police chief John Yates. On Wednesday two men hacked the soldier to death near his military barracks in Woolwich, southeast London before delivering a message to a witness's camera: "We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone ... this British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth."

 

Read more on CNN

 

Image: A man contemplates at a scene where a British soldier was killed Wednesday outside Woolwich Barracks in London   Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Reuters

Labourers at construction giant Arabtec in the UAE complain of low pay, poor conditions and lack of annual leave.

 

Read the in depth report on Al Jazeera

Uefa will retrospectively study 900 doping samples given since 2008 as it attempts to combat use of performance-enhancing drugs in European football. Though it will not lead to future punishments, the governing body intends to identify the scale of steroid use.

 

Uefa will also carry out blood testing in more competitions from 2013-14, and consider using biological passports. A proposal for 10-match European bans for players and officials found guilty of racism has also been ratified.

 

Read the full report on BBC

Obama said the US is committed to "capturing terrorist suspects" and prosecuting them, but that "The glaring exception to this time-tested approach is the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay".  

 

"When I ran for president the first time, John McCain supported closing Gitmo. No person has ever escaped from one of our super-max or military prisons in the United States," said Obama.

 

"Our courts have convicted hundreds of people for terrorism-related offences, including some who are more dangerous than most Gitmo detainees....there is no justification beyond politics for Congress to prevent us from closing a facility that should never have been opened," said the president, who was heckled by a person in the audience on the issue of forcefeeding hunger-striking detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

 

Read the full report on Al Jazeera

 

Image: Anti-Guantanamo protestors appeal in Washington, DC

 

Photograph: Getty Images

Keep your eye on Srikanth "Sri' Srinivasan, the principal deputy solicitor general of the United States. This morning the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved his nomination to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The nomination will now move to the full Senate.

 

"If confirmed, Srinivasan would be the first ever South Asian American to serve on any federal appellate court,' says John Yang of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

 

"We are extremely excited and look forward to his confirmation given his stellar reputation and credentials.' Many believe that Srinivasan, considered one of the best appellate advocates in the country, would top the list of potential Supreme Court nominees if a seat became available during the Obama administration.

 

Read the full analysis on ABC News

The Senate has unanimously confirmed Chandigarh-born Srikanth "Sri" Srinivasan as the first new judge since 2006 on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The vote was 97-0.  

 

For US President Barack Obama, it was no small feat. His judicial nominees have languished longer in the Senate than those of his predecessors, and his first choice for the D.C. Circuit court was blocked by Republicans.

 

Read the full report on USA TODAY

Deceased Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev participated in a 2011 gruesome triple homicide outside Boston along with a Chechen killed early Wednesday during a confrontation with the FBI and Massachusetts State Police in Orlando, Florida, a federal law enforcement official told CNN.

 

Ibragim Todashev, who died during the interview with authorities, not only confessed to his direct role in slashing the throats of three people in Waltham, Massachusetts, but also fingered Tsarnaev in the deaths, the official said Wednesday.

Todashev was being questioned about the slayings and his acquaintance with Tsarnaev. Todashev attacked an FBI agent, who shot him dead, a federal law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the case told CNN.

 

Read the full report on CNN

President Barack Obama has defended the use of drones as a "just war" of self-defence against deadly militants, and a campaign that had made America safer. In a wide-ranging speech on a programme hitherto shrouded in secrecy, he said there must be "near certainty" that no civilians will die in such strikes.

 

In a renewed push to shut Guantanamo Bay, he also lifted a moratorium on prisoner transfers to Yemen. Mr Obama also defended the use of drones to kill four US citizens.

 

Read more on BBC

Top ministers not keen on autonomy for CBI

Chautala shifted to Gurgaon hospital for heart surgery

The 3 idiots of Indian cricket or the 3 scapegoats?

Pakistan: Militants target security personnel, 13 killed

Bengal will pay back duped chit fund investors: Mamata

UPA not keen on passing food, land bills: BJP

Why won't the Gandhis do it?

IMPRESSIONS: When Sonia Gandhi chided Dilliwalas

Will give Pak every support and assistance: Chinese premier

Sizzling heat continues, Delhi sees record-breaking 45.7

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