Live! Mizoram churches asked not to take part on Yoga Day

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Wed, 17 June 2015

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23:22 2 Indian-Americans given key Republican party posts

Two Indian-Americans were today appointed to key positions in the Republican party with the mandate of involving community leaders within the party fold.

Niraj Atani, a Ohio State legislature, and Janak Joshi, a Colorado State legislature, have been appointed to the board of the 2015 '"2016 Future Majority Project of the Republican Party. The Board is chaired by T W Shannon, Chair, former Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

The Future Majority Project seeks to recruit, train, and elect Republican candidates from diverse communities on the state level who better represent the full diversity of America, a statement said. In 2013-2014, FMP recruited hundreds of new candidates and elected 43 new leaders to office.

23:01 Shivshankar Menon joins Brookings Institute

Former foreign secretary and national security advisor Shivshankar Menon has joined the prestigious American think-tank Brookings Institute. Menon will serve within the Foreign Policy programme at Brookings, a statement said today.

"We are honoured that Ambassador Menon will join Brookings as a Distinguished Fellow," Brookings president Strobe Talbott said.

"He has served his nation in many ways, earning the respect and admiration of those who have had the pleasure of working with him on many of the major international issues of our era," he said.

Menon currently serves as chairman of the Advisory Board of the Institute of Chinese Studies in New Delhi. He has been a Richard Wilhelm Fellow at MIT and Fisher Family Fellow at Harvard University.

He served as national security advisor to the Prime Minister of India from January 2010 to May 2014, and previously as foreign secretary of India from October 2006 to August 2009.

Expelled RJD MP Pappu Yadav, who allegedly misbehaved with an airhostess onboard a Jet Airways flight from Patna, today blamed his political rivals for "weaving the story" saying he is ready to apologise if his co-passengers say that he did so.

Sticking to his earlier stand of doing nothing "wrong" during his air travel to Delhi yesterday, Yadav said, "It is a conspiracy by my political rivals. They have weaved the entire story to defame me. How come the incident was doing rounds on the social media even before the flight could have landed in Delhi."

He had allegedly misbehaved with the airhostess after she asked him not to throw the leftover food in the aisle of the plane. Yadav refuted the allegations saying that if some food item spills over the seat or on a passenger's clothes, it is the cabin crew's responsibility to clean that up.

In rare comments on Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya Muslims, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi urged caution on granting citizenship to minorities, saying the sensitive issue must be addressed "very, very carefully".

The Myanmar government is reviewing citizenship status and "should go about it very quickly and very transparently and then decide what the next steps in the process should be," she told The Washington Post.

But in an interview published online late Tuesday, Suu Kyi dodged a direct question on whether the Rohingya - who have triggered international outcry as they flee the country on rickety boats in their thousands - should be given citizenship.

"The protection of rights of minorities is an issue which should be addressed very, very carefully and as quickly and effectively as possible, and I'm not sure the government is doing enough about it," she said.

22:06 Military 'fun park' opens in Russia

CNN's Matthew Chance visits a park outside Moscow where families get the chance to play around with tanks, missile launchers and other assorted Russian military hardware.

See the park HERE.

The Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee, a conglomerate of major churches of the state, today appealed to all the church members not to

participate in the International Yoga Day on June 21.

The move was taken in protest against the observation of the day on Sunday, the sacred day for the Christians, MKHC Secretary Rev. R. Lalrinsanga in a release said.

Majority of the population in Mizoram is Christian.

Meanwhile, MKHC leaders today called on Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla and urged him to conduct a thorough study before introducing yoga in educational institutions, an official statement said.

MKHC, representing 14 major churches, also expressed displeasure over the intention to observe the International Day of Yoga on Sunday.

Many church leaders believed that yoga is linked to Hinduism and Christians should not be involved with it.

One of three British sisters of Pakistani-origin feared to have travelled to Syria with their nine children to join the dreaded Islamic State militant group, has "made contact" with her family in UK, indicating she may already be in Syria.

West Yorkshire Police said it was "extremely concerned" for the group's safety after receiving information that the woman may have crossed the border.

Khadija, Sugra and Zohra Dawood all in their early 30s

and their nine children aged three to 15 from the city of Bradford went missing over a week ago.

Their brother is understood to be fighting with IS extremists in Syria. The group went missing after making a religious pilgrimage to Medina, Saudi Arabia, and have triggered a worldwide hunt.

It has also emerged that the mothers had no authorisation from education authorities to take their children out of school prior to the trip.

At least 13 people were killed and 53 others injured in north-east Nigeria when an explosive device detonated, a health official and vigilantes helping the military against Boko Haram said Wednesday.

The device was picked up by one of the vigilantes as they travelled back to the town of Monguno, in Borno state, from a military operation against the Islamists in Marte, 40km away.

Salisu Kwaya Bura, chief medical director at the Maiduguri Specialist Hospital in Borno's state capital where the dead and injured were taken, said 13 people lost their lives.

A total of 53 people were injured, of whom 37 were later discharged, he told Borno state governor Kashim Shettima.

Read full story HERE.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar was elected president of the Mumbai Cricket Association's biennial elections in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Contesting on behalf of the BJP-backed Pawar-Bal Mahaddalkar group, he beat the Shiv Sena-backed 'Cricket First' group's candidate Vijay Patil by 172-145 votes.

BJPs Mumbai chief, Ashish Shelar, and former India batsman Deli Vengsarkar, of the Pawar group, were elected vice-presidents.

Chief Minister Raman Singh and BJP MLAs practice yoga in the Chattisgarh assembly.

The state is set to take part in the upcoming International Yoga Day celebrations on June 21.

20:22

JUST IN: BJP asks its leaders not to defend or speak on Vasundhara Raje's alleged involvement till facts ascertained, say TV reports.

20:20 Possible Modi-Sharif meeting in Russia next month?

There is a possibility of ameeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the annual summitof Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Russian city of Ufa next month with an aim to move forward and normalise ties.

There is a view that yesterday's telephonic call by the PM to Sharif has lowered the temperatures between India and Pakistan which have been involved in a war of words over Modi's critical remarks about Pakistan during his Dhaka visit recently and in the wake of India's military action in Myanmar. However, no official request for a meeting has been initiated from either side so far.

20:04 South Korea reports 20th MERS death

South Korea announced its 20th death from the MERS virus as criticism grew of efforts to contain the outbreak, with alarming reports of new cases slipping through a quarantine that already affects thousands. A 54-year-old woman died of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome after being diagnosed on June 5, the health ministry said. It also reported eight new patients including four who had been infected at Samsung Medical Centre in Seoul, considered the epicentre of the outbreak.

The Telangana anti-corruption bureau quizzed Telugu Desam Party leader Vem Narendar Reddy for around six hours in connection with cash-for-vote case and served a fresh notice to the party legislator Sandra Venkata Veeraiah. Narendar Reddy appeared at the ACB office in Banjara Hills after being served a notice by the probe agency and was questioned for around six hours. "Yes, he was questioned...he is let off," additional superintendent of police (ACB) M Malla Reddy said.

19:36 AAP steps up pressure on Sushma and Vasundhara

The Aam Aadmi Party stepped up its attack on the Centre and the Rajasthan government and demanded the resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in the controversy pertaining to former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi. The party also rubbished the claims made by Swaraj and senior ministers of the Narendra Modi government who said the help offered to Lalit Modi was on humanitarian grounds and accused the BJP of helping a "deserter" and a law breaker.

After documents released by former Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi's legal team claimed Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje allegedly backed Modi's immigration application to the United Kingdom, the Congress has demanded her resignation. Congress leader Sachin Pilot said, "We will hold protests across the state against the Vasundhara Raje government. She has no moral right to be the chief minister of Rajasthan. Sushma Swaraj and Raje should resign from their posts. The BJP is supporting a criminal who is absconding."

Soon international and domestic tourists thronging Qutub Minar, Red Fort and Humayun's tomb will be able to avail free Wi-Fi service. The Wi-Fi facility will be free for first 30 minutes and post that usage, any browsing will be chargeable and the tourists will have to buy vouchers.

19:02

JUST IN: Sources say that Vasundhara Raje has spoke to BJP president Amit Shah about the Lalit Modi controversy and explained her family links with the IPL chief and also added that there was no wrongdoing on her part.

18:40 Ahead of Yoga Day, defence ministry officials practise

The corridors of the defence ministry turned into a Yoga camp with several officials practicing ahead of the International Yoga Day on June 21. A Yoga trainer could be seen giving the staff lesson in various asanas.

All India Hindu Convention, organised by the right-wing organisation Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, demanded a ban on convent schools, claiming that these schools do not allow Hindu students to follow religious traditions.

The convention also demanded a ban on cow slaughter in the entire country. "Hindu students studying in convent schools are barred from following their customs like putting mehndi, wearing flowers, dupatta, bindi or kumkum. It needs to be stopped. There is a total discrimination," a resolution passed at the convention said.

Shashi Tharoor has written a detailed note to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi about Lalit Modi's statement that he (Tharoor) lost his job because he lied. 'He lied that he had nothing to do with the Kochi (IPL) team,' Lalit Modi had said.

Tharoor is expected to hold a media interaction on Friday -- once the dust settles in the controversy -- to present his side of the story, sources said.

A senior Congress leader who is privy to his party's internal issues is of the view that the Congress should not provoke Lalit Modi at this juncture. Reason: the former IPL commissioner could then reveal more facts which could reach the higher echelons of the party.

18:25 BJP's counter-strategy on Modigate

How does the BJP plan to turn the tables against Congress on the IPL controversy?

Sources suggest that it may do so by accepting the demand to set up a Special Investigation Team to probe into all allegations about the high-profile tournament.

The probe's terms and reference, if accepted by all political parties, will also cover eight top Congress leaders who have either been Union ministers or chief ministers.

Former IPL chief Lalit Modi responded to P Chidambaram's press conference. In a tweet, the scandal tainted Modi said, "You illegally cancelled my passport. The Honorable high court gave it back to me and said to your govt -- no ball."

The response comes in wake of Chidambaram's press conference in which he said that Modi was living in UK without a valid passport. The former finance minister added, "In 2011, Lalit Modi's passport was cancelled at the request of the Enforcement Directorate. Why did Sushma feel Lalit Modi should have a UK travel doc and not an Indian travel document?"

The government today launched its 'Housing for All by 2022' mission and approved a substantial increase in interest relief on loan for the urban poor to promote affordable homes.

The Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted the recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee to increase interest subvention to 6.50 per cent on housing loans to beneficiaries belonging to economic weaker section including slum- dwellers and low income groups.

The cabinet's decision benefits urban poor by an amount of Rs 2.30 lakh each and as a result this the monthly EMI would come down to Rs 2,852 per month. According to a senior housing and urban poverty department alleviation official, at present, with the interest rate of 10.50 per cent, current EMI on admissible loan component of Rs 6 lakh, over 15-year loan duration works out to be Rs 6,632 per month.

With the cabinet deciding on credit-linked subsidy to 6.50 per cent, EMI comes down to Rs 4,050 per month, benefiting the urban poor by Rs 2,582 per month, he said. On the whole, central assistance in the range of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.30 lakh per beneficiary would be provided under different components of the national urban housing mission in urban areas to build 2 crore new houses to meet the housing shortage, over the next seven years.

17:46 PM launches 'Narendra Modi Mobile App'

Stepping up his digital presence, the Prime Minister today launched 'Narendra Modi Mobile App' to provide instant updates and an opportunity to receive messages and emails directly from him.

The Android-based application is also aimed at giving a chance to people to interact with him and share ideas and suggestions.

"Launched 'Narendra Modi Mobile App'. Come, lets stay connected on the mobile! The Mobile App has several innovative features. You can download it from Play Store. Feedback is welcome," Modi tweeted.

The application description said, "download the app and get the latest updates anywhere, anytime! Highlights of the Narendra Modi app include receiving the latest news and updates, exclusive opportunity to receive E-Mails & Messages directly from the PM and 'Mann Ki Baat' with the PM."

It further said, "small Tasks, big satisfaction: contribute & earn Badges through to-do tasks."

Modi's yoga wave is spreading and how.

The armed forces have planned yoga sessions on board warships and even at Siachen, the world's highest battlefield, to celebrate the first International Yoga Day on June 21. And they have already begun some practise.

Photograph: S‏pokespersonMoD/Twitter

Congress leader P Chidambaram said, "He was told by the Enforcement Directorate that Lalit Modi was living in UK without a valid passport."

"If UPA was hounding Lalit Modi why does Arun Jaitley say that in 15 showcause notices have been issued? Is NDA hounding him too," he asked.

"Facts that have been disclosed so far point to nepotism, abuse of authority and flouting rules," he added. "Lalit Modis charge that he is a political victim is laughable."

At a press conference, P Chidambaram questioned to the National Democratic Alliance government regarding the Lalit Modi-Sushma Swaraj controversy.

"Who took the decision not to challenge Lalit Modi's appeal to get his passport back? That's a million dollar question," he asked.

"How was Lalit Modi staying in UK when his passport was cancelled, why wasnt he being sent back to India," he asked. "Why is the government despite repeated demands not releasing letters exchanged with the UK Chancellor of Exchequer?"

Why has NDA not appealed against Lalit Modi's passport order, he asked.

Former finance minister P Chidamabaram speaks out on the allegations made by former IPL chairman Lalit Modi against UPA ministers.

"Charges made by Lalit Modi at the UPA government are laughable, do not deserve a reply," said Chidamabaram at a presser today.

Lalit Modi alleged that he was also helped by National Congress Party leaders Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel and Congress leader Rajiv Shukla.

On the passport issue, Chidambaram said, "In 2011, Lalit Modi's passport was cancelled at the request of the Enforcement Directorate. Why did Sushma feel Lalit Modi should have a UK travel doc and not an Indian travel document?"

"How was Lalit Modi staying in UK when passport was cancelled and why is he not being sent back to India," he asked.

"The ED had issued showcause notices and summons to appear to Lalit Modi but he did not respond. He was being investigated under laws of India with no right to travel outside India or to live in UK," he added.

Just in: The Ministry of External Affairs is ready to revoke former IPL boss Lalit Modi's passport. They are also expected the move the Supreme Court against him, Times Now reports.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is facing accusations of having helped Lalit Modi procure documents to travel to Portugal last year. Modi, who is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate for alleged financial impropriety in multi-billion dollar IPL, stays in London.

16:47 Frankfurt, Vancouver cheaper than Mumbai

Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, held its position as the most expensive city in India and is ranked above Dallas, Frankfurt and Vancouver, according to a recent survey.

Luanda, the capital of Angola, has been rated the world's costliest city to live in, for third consecutive year, as per Mercer's 'Cost of Living Survey 2015'.

"India's most expensive city, Mumbai (at 74th place), climbed 66 places in the ranking due to its rapid economic growth, inflation and services basket and a stable currency against the US dollar," the survey has revealed.

"It (Mumbai) has witnessed higher inflation over the last one year compared to other metro cities, higher cost of fuel, transportation, increased prices of food items, home services and rentals, impacting the cost of living," it said.

The survey further said that Mumbai is ranked higher and more expensive than cities like Dallas (77), Munich (87), Luxembourg (94), Frankfurt (98) and Vancouver (119).

Mumbai, the most populous city in the country, is followed by New Delhi (132nd place) and Chennai (157), which rose in the ranking by 25 and 28 spots, respectively. Besides, Bengaluru (183) and Kolkata (193), the least expensive Indian cities, climbed in the ranking as well, it said.

Go daddy! Actor Abhishek Bachchan slammed a troll who tweeted a meme of his daughter Aaradhya.

The meme poked fun at how Aaradhya would not like watching her fathers films like Drona and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and questioned why Aishwariya Rai married him.

Twitter user Mayank Tiwari of course did not expect Jr Bachchan to respond. But here's what the actor had to say.

@juniorbachchan tweets: @Mayankaryan084 dont like my movies? Thats cool. Will work harder to make movies you like. Bringing my daughter into it is NOT cool.

16:02 Angry Sushma responds to tweet on daughter

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, battling allegations of helping controversial former IPL chief Lalit Modi obtain travel documents in UK, today reacted angrily to a tweet suggesting she took favours to get her daughter a seat in a medical college.

Swaraj was responding to a tweet from the handle @pakoed, which said, "Sushma is no stranger to taking and giving favours! Her daughter studied through NorthEast quota in medical college."

In response, Swaraj tweeted: "My daughter is a Barrister and Oxford graduate. What you say is absolutely false. @pakaoed"

The handle @pakaoed was deleted, though its tweet was retweeted by others.

Micro-finance institution Bandhan on Wednesday received final approval from the Reserve Bank of India to commence operations as a full-fledged bank, three months ahead of schedule, reports Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com.

India's central bank had, on April 2, 2014, granted an in-principle approval to Bandhan for setting up a bank; this was valid till October this year.

Chairman and Managing Director Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, in picture, told the media in Mumbai on Wednesday that Bandhan Bank will be inaugurated on August 23, 2015 in Kolkata. It will begin operations from day one with 250 branches and 12,000 human teller machines.

The bank has already beefed up its total staff strength to 16,000. The bank has also seen capital infusion from the World Bank's International Finance Corporation, and Singapore government's GIC. With commitments to raise its core capital by Rs 16,000 crore, Bandhan's capital base is expected to touch Rs 3200 crore.

Among the bank's heavy-duty appointments are Madison Media for advertising campaign, Ogilvy & Mather for brand-building, FIS for I-T platform, Aon Hewitt for personnel, and Deloitte as consultant.

Bandhan, which has an existing retain base in the countryside, will now move aggressively to expand its footprint in urban and semi-urban areas.

Businessman Gautam Adani is all set to build the Rs 6,500 crore International Seaport at Vizhinjam, a natural port located 16 km from Thiruvananthapuram.

As is the case with most developmental projects in Kerala, Vizhinjam port project too was dogged by controvery before and after the finalisation of the lone bid submitted by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd.

Click HERE to read 10 things you should know about the project

A source who is privy to the unfolding Modigate scandal says that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was not the original target of the people who passed on all the documents to Sunday Times, London, and Times Now TV channel, reports a correspondent.

"Wait for a couple of days for the match-fixing angle to emerge. The story will then take a turn and match-fixing will dominate the public space," the source said. He implied that the scam-tainted former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has agreed to give interviews to Indian TV channels to prepare the ground for the expected brouhaha.

However, a BJP leader says confidently, in an off-the-record conversation, that even if the concerned TV channel comes out with "expose number 250' Sushma Swaraj will not resign because she has done nothing illegal or anything that violates Indian law. Her act does not need her to quit her post.

However, this "legal versus moral" dilemma has divided people vertically. When Rediff.com asked many scholars and editors "what was the exact help Sushma rendered to Lalit Modi that can be dubbed as a crime and a violation of Indian law and if so, which law?" they all essentially said that "conflict of interest" is a deeply moral issue, not a legal one.

A senior editor, who was once close to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, said, "There is no legal issue here for Sushma. But, there is a difference between "law" and "propriety" -- but then, in India, who cares for propriety! Even Dr Singh sometimes did not bother about it."

Most analysts quoted in off the record conversations the case of Sonia Gandhi during UPA's rule when her government ensured that Ottavio Quattrochi was allowed to escape the long arm of Indian law, with no one able to directly link her to him.

A senior journalist, who has seen the working of the previous government from up close, said, "The real issue is incompetence in handling the situation. The Modi government does not seem to have any control over the media and the message -- contrary to the image that they control everything! The government's media management has been a disaster."

Another scholar, who runs a think-tank, said, "Sushma's case is not about a legal issue; it is a moral call whether you help someone who is wanted in India get travel documents; her mistake was to not disclose that. I don't think this requires her resignation, but the BJP is reaping what it sowed. And the real question is, the relationship of ALL politicians on cricketing boards, with corruption. Sushmaji is way innocent by comparison."

Many editors claim the Modi government is failing to understand "that propriety cannot be bound by legal boundaries. Lalit Modi is a fugitive from Indian law and the Indian government is fighting cases against him and he is running away to another country to save himself. We do not have a law defining conflict of interest, but that does not mean it is not to be considered."

A TV anchor who is always hard on the National Democratic Alliance says, "Is it anybody's case that she broke the law? There are dozens of cases of ministers having to resign for impropriety, not for breaking a law. Madhavsinh Solanki, for instance, Shashi Tharoor, even K Natwar Singh was found to have not broken any law! And dozens more, about which the BJP had made a hue and cry over, and in most cases rightly so."

Poonam Chand Bhandari, an advocate, has claimed that former IPL chief Lalit Modi transferred crores of rupees to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's son Dushyant Singh using a fictitious company.

"Vasundhara Raje's son Dushyant Singh and his wife Nihalika created a firm by the name Nihant Heritage Hotel Ltd. Rs 10 lakh was the official capital and they invested Rs 1 lakh, the price of the share was Rs 10 (per share). Lalit Modi opened a company called Ananda Hotel Private Limited, he gave Rs 3 crore 80 lakhs unsecured loan to Nihant Hotel," Bhandari told ANI.

"After that, he bought shares costing Rs 10 at Rs 96,190 (per share). It means that he diverted almost nine crore rupees plus three crore eighty lakh rupees of black money. These companies are fictitious, you won't find them at the registered addresses," he added.

Bhandari further said that buying the shares at such inflated prices clearly indicate that black money is being transferred from one company to the other.

The CBI has registered an FIR against former Union Textile Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela and six others including the then Chairman-cum-Managing Director of National Textile Corporation for sale of prime property in Mumbai allegedly at "throwaway prices" to a private company.

CBI sources said FIR has been registered against Vaghela, former NTC CMD Ramachandran Pillai, and others for allegedly causing a Rs 1700 crore loss to the exchequer through the sale of NTC land in Parel.

Soon after registering the FIR, CBI today started searches at nine locations in four cities--New Delhi, Gandhinagar, Mumbai and Kolkata--including the residence of Vaghela and others which are still going on.

The sources refused to give further details about search operation as it is still going on.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today increased the minimum support price of paddy by Rs 50 to Rs 1,410 per quintal for this year.

Sources said, "CCEA has approved increase in the MSP of paddy for the 2015-16 kharif season."

The decision on paddy is in line with the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), a government advisory body.

For 2014-15 kharif season, the government had fixed the MSP of common variety paddy at Rs 1,360 and grade A variety grain at Rs 1,400 per quintal.

MSP is the rate at which government buys the grain from farmers.

Paddy is the main crop grown in the kharif (summer) season. Sowing of kharif crops has already started with the onset of the South-West monsoon from June.

An ordinance that will allow filing of cheque bounce case at the place where the cheque was presented for clearance has been promulgated by President Pranab Mukherjee.

The President has promulgated the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015, on Monday that will help lakhs of persons battling cheque bounce cases far away from their places, official sources said.

It is the 14th ordinance by the Modi government in a little over a year time.

The ordinance will enable filing of cheque bounce cases in the place where the cheque was presented for clearance or payment and not the place of issue.

There are an estimated 18 lakh people facing cheque bounce cases across the country.

The Union Cabinet had on June 10 approved the ordinance.

The land ordinance, which was issued for the third time last month, was the 13th executive order of the NDA government since it came to power in May last year.

The ordinance was necessitated as a bill to help the litigants in the cheque bounce case was passed by Lok Sabha in earlier this year but it could not go through Rajya Sabha.

14:51 ED registers two cases against Chhagan Bhujbal

In mounting trouble for former Maharashtra PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal, the Enforcement Directorate today registered two Economic Case Information Reports against him and others under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

"We have registered two ECIRs against Bhujbal and others under the provisions of PMLA," an ED source said.

The first ECIR pertains to the Maharashtra Sadan scam and Kalina land allotment case while the second ECIR is in connection with an FIR against the senior NCP leader involving a housing project at Navi Mumbai wherein its developer had collected 10 per cent of the flat's total cost as booking amount in 2010 but started no work, the source said.

The Navi Mumbai police, on Saturday, had booked Bhujbal in the case involving an amount of Rs 44 crore. It concerns 2,300 people who had booked houses in the project 'Hex World' promoted by a realty company owned by the Bhujbal family at Kharghar, Navi Mumbai.

A group of 25-30 people, waiting for the housing project to take off for four years, had approached the court over the delay in its construction.

Mother Dairy today denied allegations that detergent was found in one of the samples of milk picked up from its collection centres, saying it has sent it for retesting in a lab in Kolkata.

A day after the UP Food and Drug Administration said it had found detergent in one of the milk samples of Mother Dairy, the co-operative said the tested was done on "loose milk samples collected at village level" which were yet to be accepted by it.

"The first test was conducted in Meerut by UP FDA and it found solid not fat (SNF) and there was no adulteration. We questioned SNF and sent the same samples for retesting to a lab in Kolkata, we are still awaiting the results," Mother Dairy Managing Director S Nagarajan told reporters in New Delhi.

Mother Dairy said the milk sample, which the UP FDA claimed to find presence of detergent, was drawn even before reaching the chilling centre where the first level of testing happens to ascertain the quality of milk for further processing.

"It is unfortunate that loose milk samples collected at village level which are yet to be accepted for processing at our factory has been attributed to Mother Dairy brand," he said, adding its milk was "safe for consumption".

The UP Food and Drug Administration yesterday said it had found detergent in one of the samples of milk picked from Mother Dairy's collection centres.

"Results showed that the samples were sub-standard and one of the two contained detergent," UP FDA official in Agra, Ram Naresh Yadav had said.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying change cannot be brought by merely making promises and alleged that poor were being deprived of their rights in the name of development.

Putting his weight behind sanitation workers from civic bodies agitating for payment of salary dues at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Rahul sought to link their demands with the "honour" of the poor and said he would stand by them for any cause to put up a united fight.

"This is not a fight for Delhi's cleanliness, a fight for the country's cleanliness. This is a fight for your honour. I wanted to bring some of my strength amongst you.... Together we will show what your strength is," he said, offering his unstinted support for the oppressed sections of society.

Attacking the prime minister and Delhi CM, he said, "Modiji and Kejriwal think that after merely making promises they can bring about a change. No change can be brought by making promises. A change can be brought only after standing here and exerting pressure."

Addressing the safai karamcharis for the second time in six days, he said, "You may think I have come to speak for safai karamcharis. These speeches are for the poor farmers, labourers, safai karamcharis and all those weak and oppressed of the entire country."

Vowing to fight for the rights of weaker sections, which the party is keen to woo back, Rahul said, "I am standing with you, whereever you want. For one day, 10 days, 50 days or 100 days."

He said whereever they wanted, he was available for the smallest of issues -- be it their salary, contract labour or their honour.

The Editors Guild has issued the following statement concerning External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj:

'The Editors Guild deplores the attempt to intimidate the media by Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj.

'The minister, by personally naming a woman journalist and casting aspersions on her in a tweet, has set an unfortunate precedent.

'While the media should be open to criticism, such statements by persons in power can be viewed as a threat meant to silence journalists and discourage them from carrying out their legitimate professional duties.'

13:32 TV channels scoops Rahul Gandh's holiday

Delhi media circles are agog with speculation that a television channel has scooped the details, along with visuals, of Rahul Gandhi's 56-day sojourn from India, when he famously chose to do 'introspection' and cane back with an improved version of himself.

The TV station is expected to telecast its scoop just before the monsoon session of Parliament begins.

13:19 Vasundhara will respond at the right time

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, who finds herself in the midst of Modigate, does not want to react to allegations that she supported Lalit Modi's UK immigration plea in 2011, when she was the state opposition leader.

Sources say she will do so "at the right time', which is when the state assembly meets next.

Since Vasundhara does not need the BJP to win Rajasthan but can do so on her own, the party's central leadership too does not plan to provoke her at this juncture, said a source.

Speculation is rife in 24 Akbar Road, the Congress party's headquarters, that Priyanka Gandhi will contest a Lok Sabha by-election from Rae Bareli in 2016.

That will come on the heels of Rahul Gandhi's elevation as party president, expected to take place in September this year.

Buzz in Congress circles is that Sonia Gandhi will resign her Lok Sabha citing poor health, thus paving the way for her daughter to take on the mantle of MP.

There is also talk that Sonia plans to go undergo another medical check-up in the US of A at the end of this month.

NDTV reports: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj did meet former IPL chief Lalit Modi in London in October last year but sources close to her say the meeting was at a small, private dinner hosted by hotelier Joginder Sanger, the owner of the Kensington hotel where Swaraj was staying during an official trip for Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas.

"There was a small group of 15 people at this late night dinner organized by Sanger. Lalit was invited as a guest by Sanger. There was no other separate or individual meeting with Lalit Modi," sources in Sushma Swaraj's office told NDTV on reports that she had met Lalit Modi at London's Bentley hotel on October 17, 2014.

Sources have confirmed that since this was a late night private dinner that began close to midnight when the Foreign Minister landed in London, the High Commissioner, Ranjan Mathai, was not present or invited.

Read more HERE

12:33 NSA Ajit Doval to visit Myanmar today

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will visit Myanmar on June 17 where he will meet their top leaders which could include President U Thein Sein, days after Indian Army carried out a counter-insurgency operation along the India-Myanmar border.

Asserting that the two governments have been in "constant touch", top government sources said Doval will undertake the visit with a view to discuss with the authorities there "further joint action" against Northeast insurgents.

Doval, who is said to have been closely involved in planning June 9 operation along the India-Myanmar border, will also meet senior security and defence officials during his visit. An appointment with the President has also been sought.

Noting that the armies of the two countries have "excellent" working relations, sources rejected reports that Myanmar has expressed displeasure or protest against Indian Army's operation against insurgents.

The sources have maintained that India invoked May 2014 Border Agreement with Myanmar on border cooperation which provides for a framework for security cooperation and exchange of information between security agencies of the two countries.

Haryana's Health and Sports Minister Anil Vij on Tuesday said all those opposing yoga were "traitors", and the mouths of such traitors should be "kept shut".

"Yoga is an ancient wisdom through which India has been recognised throughout the world. Those opposing it are traitors. Their mouths should be kept shut," Vij, a senior BJP leader, tweeted.

"Yoga means to unite. Those who want to split, they will never accept it," he said.

The tweets came in the wake of the latest controversy over some religious and political leaders accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of using yoga to promote Hinduism.

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said letters written to British authorities on Lalit Modi case during UPA rule should be released as they will answer the former IPL Commissioner's accusations against him and Congress.

"The complete answer to Mr Lalit Modi's accusations against UPA can be found in the letters to the UK Chancellor. Release them," Chidambaram, a senior Congress leader, tweeted.

His reaction came a day after Lalit Modi accused Congress and Chidambaram of making him a target of "political vendetta" in the aftermath of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor losing his ministerial job following the IPL scam.

Lalit had attacked the Congress after it demanded resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for helping him get travel documents from the UK.

More than two years ago as Finance Minister, Chidambaram had asked the British government why it was not taking action against Modi, former IPL chief who had taken refuge in London after he was accused of a wide range of financial impropriety, including money laundering.

Chidambaram had taken up the issue during his meeting with the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne in 2013. He had wanted Britain to deport him as Modi's passport was impounded in India and his UK visa had run out.

Bihar MP Pappu Yadav on Wednesday dismissed allegations of harassment levelled at him by an airhostess, claiming that there was a conspiracy against him.

"I have been travelling by flight for the past 35 years and there has never been a single allegation against me. I am going to file a complaint against this allegation to the CEO of the airlines because I feel that the airhostess and the crew is doing this just to get into the public eye. I think that this is a conspiracy against me," Yadav told ANI.

On Tuesday, Yadav, who was recently expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), reportedly misbehaved with an airhostess on a Patna-Delhi flight, forcing the captain to seek priority landing and call for security on arrival.

After taking him to universities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar over the alleged fake degree probe, the Delhi Police is slated to take Aam Aadmi Party leader Jitender Singh Tomar to colleges in Delhi University on Wednesday.

This comes a day after the former Delhi law minister withdrew his bail plea from a sessions court in the national capital after his police custody was extended by four days.

The police have claimed that every time they visit a new place, "new documents" surface so they need to tally specimen as well as admitted signatures of Tomar and the university officials on the educational certificates.

The investigators are also expected to take Tomar to Bundelkhand University. Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava said, "We have to take him (Tomar) to Bundelkhand University, the place which we have not visited yet, as the fabricated migration certificate of BSc was issued from that university and it was submitted to Tilka Manjhi University, Bhagalpur, from where Tomar had alleged pursued his LLB degree."

Tomar, an MLA from Trinagar, was arrested in the morning of June 9 following an investigation into the complaint by Bar Council of Delhi that he had obtained a fake law degree from the Bihar college.

NDTV reports: A Jaguar fighter -- a twin-engine, single seater strike aircraft of Anglo-French origin -- of the Indian Air Force crashed on Tuesday morning near Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh was the 86th crash since 2007 -- on an average, the Indian Air Force has lost about one aircraft every month for the past eight years.

The Parliamentary Committee of Defence which looked into the high rate of crashes, has found that as many as 34 crashes happened due to technical defects. Another 30 were because of the pilot error. Some were a combination of both.

Errors in services led to four crashes and the Bangalore-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited -- the unit that manufactures aircraft in India -- was found to be responsible for at least two crashes.

Regarding human error by the crew, the Committee said some of the crashes were because units weren't using "latest updated maps" but "using old vintage maps".

Also, it observed that there was a "requirement of enroute weather and destination to all aircrew".

Read more HERE

Two coaches of the Chennai-bound Bangalore Mail derailed on Wednesday, but there were no casualties.

The incident occurred at Basin Bridge near Central Railway Station in Chennai on Wednesday morning, a Southern Railway official said.

There were no casualties. Some trains were delayed as a result but operations were restored later, they added.

Charles Correa, the face of modern architecture in India, passed away on Tuesday night after a brief illness. He was 84.

The last rites will be performed in Mumbai on Thursday, family sources said.

Correa played a defining role in developing architecture of post-Independence India and has designed some of the most outstanding structures. He was the man behind the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial in Ahmedabad and Madhya Pradesh assembly building.

In the 1970s, he was the chief architect of Navi Mumbai, the new city that came up across the harbour from Mumbai, and was later appointed the first chairman of the National Commission on Urbanisation. Correa is also known for pioneering work on low-income housing.

He won several national and international awards and was an expert in urban planning and affordable housing. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1972 and Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour, in 2006.

More than a million people in Mumbai's suburbs, Thane and Navi Mumbai will be inconvenienced today as autorickshaws won't ply.

The strike will especially affect feeder and share routes near railway stations. It will affect officegoers and long-distance passengers arriving at LTT, Bandra Terminus and Borivli stations.

To mitigate its effects, the government has allowed private cabs to operate as public transport vehicles. Also, 100 additional State Transport buses will be deployed in Mumbai.

The strike, which follows Nitesh Rane's taxi strike on Monday, has been called by the Mumbai Autorickshawmen's Union, which is led by Shashank Rao, to press demands for a ban on aggregator cab services like Ola and Uber within Mumbai and for the Hakim committee fare hike formula to be continued.

The strike has been opposed by rival unions like those of Thampy Kurien and the Shiv Sena, who have asked affiliated drivers to ply. Also, as an anti-strike measure, Uber will disable its dynamic pricing and implement a flat rate for today, which it said could increase demand and affect the availability of cabs.

Mail Today reports: Who were they? No one seems to really know. But on flight UA-83 of United Airlines, passengers were curious.

The two mysterious men were embarked, at the cost of a 46-minute delay even after the Delhi-Newark flight had begun taxiing, after the plane returned to the boarding area of the international terminal of IGI Airport on June 13 night.

It was 11.35 pm when the passengers of flight UA-83 were all aboard the aircraft, waiting to take off for the American destination.

The aircraft had begun taxiing -- moments away from the sky.

Then came a phone call. The pilots had to abort the take-off. The airline was allegedly called up by an Indian government agency demanding that the aircraft return to the boarding area for these two men.

Read more HERE

Kerala Police has asked CISF to hand over to them nine of their personnel allegedly involved in the June 10 clashes between the central armed personnel and AAI employees at Karipur international airport, which led to death of a jawan, by 10 AM today.

The list of nine CISF personnel was handed over to the force today afer viewing CCTV footage of the incident, Kondotty Circle Inspector B Santosh, the Investigating Officer in the cases, said.

Four CISF jawans and 10 AAI employees have so far been arrested in connection with the violence on June 10.

The dispute over a CISF man insisting that an official of AAI's Fire Force department undergo security clearance had led to a verbal duel between the two, following which clashes erupted between the two sides.

A bullet from CISF Sub-Inspector S S Choudhary's firearm had accidentally hit the jawan, killing him. The SI had suffered injuries in his left palm during the incident and is being treated.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs is likely to approve a proposal today to raise the minimum support price of paddy by Rs 50 to Rs 1,410 per quintal for this year.

"The proposal on MSP of kharif (summer) crops is listed on the agenda for discussion for today's meeting," Agriculture Secretary Siraj Hussain said.

The Agriculture Ministry has moved a CCEA note on MSP of various crops for the 2015-16 kharif season taking into account the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), a government advisory body.

According to sources, CACP has recommended a modest increase of Rs 50 per quintal to Rs 1,410 in the MSP for paddy farmers for the 2015-16 kharif season.

It has also suggested a hike of Rs 100 per quintal in the support price of ragi to Rs 1,650 and Rs 30 per quintal for groundnut MSP to Rs 4,030.

CACP has also recommended a higher MSP for pulses to boost domestic production and reduce country's dependence on imports.

Sources said it is to be seen whether CCEA will approve the CACP's suggestions or take the political route to fulfill the BJP's 2014 poll promise of fixing MSP at 50 per cent profit margin over the cost of production.

08:31 Rupert Murdoch hands Fox CEO job to son James

Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox said its board approved a shakeup that puts the 84-year-old tycoon's son James in the chief executive job effective July 1.

The media-entertainment conglomerate's board approved the plan in which the Australian-born magnate would step down as CEO and become co-executive chairman with his other son, Lachlan.

The succession plan, which was leaked last week by sources close to the company, allows Rupert Murdoch to ease out of the day-to-day management of the group, with his sons sharing many of those tasks.

The statement said the company's corporate functions and its global television and film operations "will now jointly report to Lachlan and James Murdoch."

"It has always been our priority to ensure stable, long-term leadership for the company and these appointments achieve that goal," Rupert Murdoch said in the statement released yesterday.

"Lachlan and James are each talented and accomplished executives and together, we, as shareholders and partners, will strive to take our company to new levels of growth and opportunity at a time of dynamic change in our industry."

The company has a range of film, broadcast and cable operations around the world and reaches some 1.8 billion people. It also has a 39 percent stake in the European satellite group Sky.

Kirk Kerkorian, the media-shy investor who became one of the richest Americans by betting his money on ventures like casinos and film studios, died Monday night at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif.

He was 98. Richard E. Sobelle, general counsel of Mr. Kerkorian's company, the Tracinda Corporation, confirmed the death.

Read this story HERE

02:51 How children are trafficked into Europe

The 13-year-old boy looks off into the distance. He is slight of build with pale, almost yellowy eyes. When you see him you feel as if he has seen far too much already.

He is carrying a burden far too heavy for his age -- but despite his ordeal so far, smuggled across continents from Africa to Europe, and now living in a care home, his future could be far worse depending which route he takes next.

Read this story HERE

Reiterating its commitment towards the establishment of AIIMS in Jammu, BJP today termed the three-day bandh call from June 19 as an attempt by some "vested elements" to mislead the public and disturb the situation ahead of the upcoming Amarnath yatra in the state.

We express surprise over the 72-hour bandh call given by AIIMS Coordination Committee. There is no logic in it as Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh have announced that AIIMS will be set up in Jammu before it is established in any other part of the state," BJP state chief and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma said in a statement tonight.

Claiming that some vested elements were trying to mislead people on the AIIMS issue, he said, "Those spreading canards about BJP are trying to mislead the public at the behest of those politicians who were rejected by the masses in both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections."

01:21 Putin says Russia beefing up nuclear arsenal

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia would have to defend itself if threatened, adding that NATO is "coming to its borders".

"If someone puts some of our territories under threat, that means we will have to direct our armed forces and modern strike power at those territories, from where the threat emanates," Putin said at a meeting outside Moscow with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto.

"As soon as some threat comes from an adjoining state, Russia must react appropriately and carry out its defence policy in such a way as to neutralise a threat against it," Putin added.

Read this story HERE

Just over 18 months ago, the UK's Crown Prosecution Service nailed its colours to the mast over Syria, making clear that fighting in Syria would almost certainly lead to the criminal dock back home.

The language and responses of police, politicians and prosecutors hardened. Arrests under terrorism legislation went up.

Read this article HERE

France today said it expects to conclude its sale of 36 Rafale fighter jets to India within the next 2-3 months and French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will soon travel to New Delhi in this regard.

The deal was announced in April under which French manufacturer Dassault Aviation will sell 35 of these jets to India in a deal estimated at over $5.5 billion.

"I'll be going to India very soon to see how things are coming along, but I have no concerns it will happen," Le Drian said at the Paris International Air Show. "The discussions with the Indian authorities are progressing very well," he said.

00:23 Top headlines of the last 24 hours

Sharif calls for peace during talks with Modi
Donald Trump to run for US president, vows to be 'greatest jobs president'
ACB conducts searches at properties of Chhagan Bhujbal
PM Modi calls up Sharif, says India will free Pak fishermen
Vasundhara Raje supported Lalit Modi's immigration plea in 2011
Fresh trouble for Nestle: Live beetles found in baby food
Did Pappu Yadav behave rudely with an airhostess?

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