Congress President Sonia Gandhi today condemned as "despicable" the attack on her party colleagues in Chhattisgarh's Jagdalpur district and held a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the "shocking" incident.

Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today attacked Mamata Banerjee-led government alleging the two-year rule of Trinamool Congress has been marked by 'mushroom growth' of chit funds and prevalence of lawlessness, with economic development taking a backseat.

A local court has rejected the final report filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police in a case of sedition against state minister Azam Khan and ordered further probe into the matter.

CWC member and Defence Minister A K Antony today maintained that there were no issues in the Kerala unit of Congress that could not be resolved, but said he was sad over rumblings in the state party unit.

Law Minister Kapil Sibal spells out a plan to deal with fixing laws. Here's what he said:

"We have come across dishonest practices in many sports, especially cricket. The Union government has the power to make the law deal with unfair practices. Fixing is not covered by laws against gambling and betting." 

Sibal said he was waiting for the attorney general's opinion. "We will bring a new standalone law at the earliest; it will be broad based and deal with corporates, bookies and players."

"A law has been planned against dishonest practices in any sport. This law will not be restricted to cricket alone. The government is committed to introduce this law as soon as possible," he said.

Sibail said that the law under fixing does not come under states. "You can do so much even with gestures on the field etc, so law must be wide enough to include all of this in its ambit. I expect the BCCI to do whatever it can to restrict unfair practices," he said.

"I have met (IPL chairman) Rajeev Shukla and (Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha) Arun Jaitley yesterday. All agreed that to control dishonest practices is to have a stand alone legislation. Jaitley added that states cannot make this due to the cross territories nature."  

Elaborating on the anti-fixing law Kapil Sibal said: The new law will have definition of dishonest practices which will include any gesture or act which changes the course of amatch. The draft of the new law will be ready in three to four days.  

Reports our correspondent from New Delhi: Chairmen of many standing committees want to hold meetings in Ooty, Shimla and Kashmir, owing to the scorching summer in Delhi, and are questioning the government's wish to convene a special session of Parliament.

Many political parties opposed the special session of Parliament, when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath informally asked them to pass the Land Reforms and Food Security Bills.

"You keep this Bill for the Monsoon session. Why is there any need of a special session? Why should the opposition parties give the government a political mileage," asked  a senior Samajwadi Party leader.

Reports our correspondent from New Delhi: Anil Goswami's appointment as Union home secretary was all due to the timely intervention of Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Gulam Nabi Azad.

Many top bureaucrats hailed Azad's gesture, which they termed was at the right time. Insiders say that Goswami's clearance by the Prime Minister's Office was after the intervention of Azad .

Goswami will superannuate in 2015, as he is now 58 years of age -- this is not an extended tenure; the government also overlooked several seniors of 1977 Indian Administrative Service batch for the same position.

BCCI chief N Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan has been sent to police custody till May 29.

Meiyappan has told court that it is not justified on part of the Mumbai police to seek his custody only to recover his mobile phones. He was arrested last night for alleged betting in the ongoing IPL. 

Claiming that he has no knowledge of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan's involvement in betting, BCCI chief N Srinivasan today said there will be no discrimination and action will be taken against him with the "same alacrity" with which steps were taken against players.

"You can be sure BCCI will act with the same alacrity. As far as Mr Gurunath is concerned, whatever steps of action which have been taken in case of anybody else, same will apply to him. There will be no discrimination," Srinivasan said.

Reports our correspondent from New Delhi: The BCCI on Monday is likely to approach the Supreme Court to get a direction on investigation reports on betting and fixing, which have so far been filed by the Delhi and Mumbai police teams.

Did Gurunath Meiyappan fix matches by interaacting with players and did the Mumbai police find any such details, if so they should be made public, the BCCI feels.

On Saturday, the BCCI officially wrote to Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar and Mumbai joint commissioner seeking reports, which were to be submitted to the local court to be made available to them. 

CNN-IBN reports: BCCI members have started discussions on options for a leadership change. Sources say the BCCI members are likely to confront Srinivasan on issue this evening in Kolkata.

Tthe BCCI working committee is likely to consider impeachment of the president if Srinivasan doesn't step down. The BCCI top brass is also in talks with Sharad Pawar and Jagmohan Dalmiya, sources add.

Talking to mediapersons on his arrival in Mumbai, BCCI chief N Srinivasan said, "I have done nothing wrong. I have no intention to resign; I won't be bulldozed. The BCCI will abide by all the rules. The law will follow it's course."   

BCCI chief N Srinivasan arrives in Mumbai to meet his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan arrested in connection to the IPL betting controversy.

Meanwhile, Meiyappan was produced in a magistrate court in the city today. The Mumbai police is likely to tell court that it has evidence against Meiyappan and that it needs his custody to verify the evidence, reports CNN-IBN.     

According to sources, support for BBCI chief N Srinivasan has dwindled within the organisation with pressure mounting on him to step down. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley may be asked to take over the leadership role, TV channels report. The BCCI top brass are pushing for him.

However, a decision is expected only after Sunday's IPL finals. The BCCI board likely to meet informally ahead of the IPL 6 final in Kolkata on Sunday

NDTV reports: BCCI chief N Srinivasan leaves from Madurai for Mumbai to meet his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, who was arrested last night by the Mumbai for his involvement in the alleged betting in the IPL. 

BCCI sources tell CNN-IBN  that Chennai Super Kings will play in the finals. The team is not going to be suspended at the moment. Also no BCCI meet on the fate of its chief N Srinivasan before Sunday's IPL finals.

CSK, whose owner Gurunath Meiyappan, who was arrested late last night for alleged betting in the ongoing IPL, will be produced in court at 12 noon.             

CNN-IBN reports: BCCI chief N Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan is again being questioned with Vindoo Dara Singh by the Mumbai police at the crime branch office in connection with the IPL betting scandal.

Sources say their tapped conversation are being used as leads.

The Ahmedabad crime branch today arrested one more bookie Vinod Mulchandani in connection to the Indian Premier League betting scandal.  

Business Standard reports: CSK owner Gurunath Meiyappan, who was arrested last night for alleged betting in the IPL, will be produced in court today.

"We have interrogated Gurunath after he arrived here (Mumbai) at the crime branch headquarters," Himanshu Roy, the joint commissioner of Mumbai Police, said.

"We have interrogated Mr Gurunath after he arrived here (Mumbai) at the crime branch headquarters," Himanshu Roy, the joint commissioner of Mumbai Police, said.

Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi demanded that Chennai Super Kings be terminated from the tournament after the arrest of the team's owner Gurunath Meiyappan.

Asked to react on the course of action after the arrest of Gurunath, Modi said, "CSK should be terminated" immediately and fresh auction be held. "If a owner of an IPL team is engaged in betting, the contract clearly states that there is a suo motu right to cancel the agreement of the team and that should be done right away," he said.

"They (Chennai Super Kings) should not exist. There contract should be cancelled and a new auction should be held for the franchise," Modi told television channels. 

NDTV reports: Pressure continues to mount on BCCI chief N Srinivasan to step down following the arrest of his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings owner Gurunath Meiyappan late last night by the Mumbai police for alleged betting in the IPL.

However, Srinivasan continues to be defiant. Srinivasan said this is an attempt to target him through his son-in-law. "I have done nothing wrong. There is no question of my resigning. My conscience is clear," he said.

Read the full story here  

"This shouldn't be happening" -- these were the words of a visibly nervous and frustrated sheriff of the court as he rang the outside bell and knocked at the gate belonging to a woman still considered by many in South Africa as the "mother of the nation." Joe Maluleke and two other officials arrived at Winnie Mandela's house in Soweto on Tuesday to execute a court order granting a Johannesburg school permission to auction her belongings and pay an old debt.

 

Among the goods meant to go under the hammer were 50 paintings, a round table, chairs and a silver tea set. The problems started when the ex-wife of Nelson Mandela, the country's first black president and an international icon, registered her great niece, Nobantu Vutela, as a boarding student at Abbotts College in Northcliff, Johannesburg, according to court papers filed in 2008.

 

The accommodation fees for the year were 40,000 South African rand -- the equivalent of about $4,000 today. Winnie Mandela, 76, who earns an annual salary of around $90,000, as a member of parliament, was given six months to pay the full amount. It's unclear why she and not the girl's own parents enrolled her into the private school.

 

Read the full report on CNN

A dancer alleged to have had paid sex as a minor with Italy's ex-leader Silvio Berlusconi told a court that she had lied to investigators in 2010. Karima El-Mahroug said she had "made up" details about erotic parties held at his villa while he was still PM. She was testifying at the trial of three former Berlusconi aides accused of soliciting prostitutes for him.

 

Mr Berlusconi is being tried separately on charges of paying for underage sex with Ms El-Mahroug. Both the dancer and Mr Berlusconi have denied the allegations. Ms El-Mahroug is not charged with any crime in either case and is formally recognised in both as an injured party.

 

Read the full report on BBC

Russia says the Syrian government has agreed, "in principle", to attend an international peace conference proposed by Russia and the US, and criticised what it called attempts to undermine peace efforts.

 

The summit has been suggested by the US and Russia and could take place in the Swiss city of Geneva. "We note with satisfaction that we have received an agreement in principle from Damascus to attend the international conference, in the interest of Syrians themselves finding a political path to resolve the conflict, which is ruinous for the nation and region," Alexander Lukashevich, Russian foreign ministry spokesman, said on Friday.

 

The statement was followed by an announcement of a meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Paris on Monday, where they will continue discussions about the peace conference.

 

Read the full report on Al Jazeera

 

Image: A Free Syrian Army soldier fights in Homs Photograph: Reuters

Reinforcements of specially trained police are being sent to Stockholm after five nights of unprecedented rioting in the capital's suburbs. Police officers are being sent from the cities of Gothenburg and Malmo, both of which saw rioting in recent years, a spokesman told BBC News.

 

"They are trained and educated for the police tasks going on in Stockholm," Kjell Lindgren said. Several schools and scores of cars have been burnt in Stockholm this week. The nightly riots began on Sunday in the north-western suburb of Husby, a deprived, largely immigrant area. It is believed they were sparked by the death of a man nearly a week before, who was shot by police after he allegedly threatened to kill them with a machete.

 

Read more on BBC

 

Image: Firemen extinguish a burning car in the suburb of Rinkeby after youths rioted in several different suburbs around Stockholm May 23, 2013 Photograph: Reuters

In the meanwhile, former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has lashed out against Meiyappan's father-in-law and BCCI president N Srinivsan, demanding he must right away.  

 

It's a sad day for IPL, Modi added.

During the police interrogation, Gurunath Meiyappan was made to face Vindoo Dara Singh, previously arrested in the same case.

Chennai Super Kings CEO Gurunath Meiyappan has been arrested by the Mumbai Police in the IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal after three hours of questioning.  

 

Joint Commissioner Himanshu Roy has said that they have found Meiyappan's involvement in the offence.  

Meiyappan will be produced in court within 24 hours.