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Fri, 17 April 2015
I didn't tell anyone to give me the money I got: Yuvraj
Timeline Refresh
23:16 I didn't tell anyone to give me the money I got: Yuvraj
Making it clear that the 'Most Expensive Player' tagline doesn't create any presure on him, out-of-favour India veteran Yuvraj Singh said that he "didn't tell anyone to give him" the money that he commanded at the IPL cricket tournament's auctions earlier this year.
Asked if being paid an unbelievable Rs 16 crore is creating pressure on him, Yuvraj was dismissive.
"Not really. I was sleeping when the auction was going on. And I didn't tell anybody to give me that money. Whatever money would have given to me, I would have played IPL," Yuvraj said on the eve of Delhi daredevils' match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The 33-year-old all-rounder also didn't want to ebtertain thoughts in the line of whether this would be a launchpad for his India comeback.
"I am enjoying my cricket at the moment and I am not thinking too far ahead. Hopefully, as a team we want to get Daredevils back on track. The win in the last match was needed to boost the morale after 11 defeats. In the last game, I got a lot of overs to plan my innings as I needed some time out there in the middle," said the stylish southpaw.
He said that his relationship with Gary Kirsten is still the "same" as it used to be when the South African coached the Indian national team.
23:15 UK journalists cleared in bribery trial
Four journalists have been found not guilty of illegally paying public officials in Britain by a jury at the Old Bailey court in London today.
The verdict led to an urgent review by the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as charges against nine journalists accused of making illegal payments to public officials were also dropped.
The CPS confirmed it was scrapping the cases of nine out of 12 journalists awaiting trial.
Those who will no longer face prosecution under Operation Elveden include former 'News of the World' editor Andy Coulson.
The journalists found not guilty in court included former Daily Mirror reporter Graham Brough and the Sun tabloid's Neil Millard, Brandon Malinsky and Tom Wells were cleared of "conspiring to commit misconduct in public office".
The CPS had been given seven days to decide whether to seek a retrial on two remaining counts.
Millard, 33, Malinsky, 50, Brough, 54, and Wells, 34, had all denied charges of paying public officials for stories.
The trial is part of Scotland Yard's 'Operation Elveden' into allegations of inappropriate payments to police and public officials.
22:11 HRD ministry breather to deemed universities
HRD ministry has rejected a UGC report giving clean chit to 34 of 41 deemed universities which were blacklisted by a committee set up in 2009, in a breather to the varsities.
The ministry has stated that the report was submitted by UGC without taking cognisance to any criteria and until the statutory rules are framed, no review of the deemed-to-be universities should be carried out.
In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the ministry said that the relevant provisions under the UGC Act, Guidelines and Regulations have not been taken into cognisance for inspection and formulation of the reports.
"It it is technically and legally untenable for the ministry to take an informed decision on the basis of such flimsy reports," the report said.
The Tandon Committee set up in 2009 had blacklisted 44 deemed universities for failing to meet set of standards and parameters for being fit to enjoy the deemed university status.
The aggrieved varsities had moved the Supreme Court for relief.
UGC had subsequently set up a committee to examine the varsities, and 34 of them were given the clean chit.
22:08 47 Indian fishermen captured by Pakistan; 8 boats seized
The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (MSA) has apprehended 47 fishermen and seized eight of their boats near the International Maritime Boundary, an office-bearer of National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) said today.
"47 fishermen and their eight boats were captured late last night by the MSA," Porbandar-based General Secretary of NFF, Manish Lodhari, said.
Of the eight boats, five belonged to Porbandar, while three others had ventured into the sea from Okha harbour in Devbhumi Dwarka district, he added.
"We came to know that the Pakistani agency took them from near Jakhau port late last night to Karachi port," Lodhari said.
According to him, the fishermen on board three other boats who were part of the group, narrated the incident after they managed to escape and return to the Gujarat coast.
"The fishermen, who managed to escape, today told us that the MSA officers fired several rounds in the air to spread panic among the fishermen, so that they don't try to escape and stay on their boats," Lodhari claimed.
20:24 Pray that he connects with people again: Giriraj takes swipe at Rahul
Union minister Giriraj Singh slammed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi saying it is "unfortunate" that he went missing for so many days.
"Since he has come back, I pray to god that he (Rahul Gandhi) connects with the people once again. But it is unfortunate that a leader of his stature went missing for so many days. It is equally surprising that neither his party (Congress) nor people of this country had any clue where he was," Singh said.
Singh added, "In the entire history of Indian politics, I have never come across a leader who not only went out of the country but also went missing without a trace. No one knew where he has been. Only Congress people can throw some light on it. Now he will talk about farmers (in the rally). This is not appropriate."
20:21 Parrikar woos South Korean defence firms
Indian defence industry is likely to see $250 billion worth of business over the next decade, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said as he invited South Korean firms to make full use of 'Make-in-India' initiative.
Parrikar, who addressed an India-Korea Defence Industry Forum in Seoul, outlined the policy changes being brought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to facilitate investment in defence sector.
He said the time had come for South Korean defence firms to take advantage of the high brand value enjoyed by Korean-made products in India and to enter the defence market as partners for the long-term
20:13 Why we need net neutrality: Sachin Pilot
Globally, there is a move to offer digital access as a fundamental right. Countries like Estonia and Finland are pioneers in making broadband access legal. While they may appear small Scandinavian countries, the trend to universal digital access is gaining momentum across the world, with institutions from the United Nations to the courts.
Over the last two decades, India's telecom revolution with a rise in internet users from 60 million in 2009 to 260 million this year and poised to touch half a billion by 2018 has made neutral access to internet an important and immediate issue.
Read more HERE
19:59
JUST IN: Back from his 56-day leave, Rahul Gandhi is back to the political grind and tomorrow, the Congress vice-president will meet farmers from different states at 11 am tomorrow.
19:25 LeT founder Hafiz Saeed holds rally for Masarat Alam
Laskhar-e-Tayyiba founder Hafiz Saeed is holding a rally for separatist leader Masarat Alam. Alam was arrested earlier in the day for participating in a pro-Pakistani rally in Srinagar to welcome hardline leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
Speaking in support of Alam, Saeed said, "Alam didn't raise the flag in Delhi, he raised it in Srinagar which is in Kashmir, a disputed region according to UN Resolutions. We consider the registration of a case against Masarat Alam as a case against the entire population of Pakistan."
He added, "This is not a rebellion, it's a movement for independence."
18:48 Opposition to land bill not political: Jairam Ramesh
Former environment minister and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said his party was not opposing the land bill for the sake of being an opposition and that the issue was just not a political one. He dismissed the claims of the NDA government regarding the consent and social impact assessment clauses for defence and national security projects in the new amended land bill.
"The land bill of 2013 which was adopted by Congress-led UPA government was comprehensive while the new amendments proposed by the BJP government are in no way beneficial to the farmers and indeed it is 'anti-farmer'," Ramesh said.
He said the NDA government was lying on amendments and claimed that there was no consent clause, social impact assessment clause for defence and national security projects, which were given special status in the 2013 bill of the UPA.
18:39 India likely to buy 22 Apache, 15 Chinook choppers from US in May
US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter is likely to visit India next month when the two sides are expected to ink the nearly $2.5 billion deal for 22 Apache and 15 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. The Apache and Chinook helicopters deal is likely to be among the pacts that will be inked during the visit, the sources said.
18:19 Islamic State Pakistani wing chief killed while planting bomb
Read full story HERE.
The chief of Islamic State's Pakistani wing, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was killed on 16 April, when a bomb he was planting went off in the northwest tribal region of Kyber, reports said.
According to The Express Tribune, authorities in Pakistan's Tirah Valley said that the militants were planting or manufacturing an improvised explosive device, when it went off killing three men.
Officials identified one of the militants as the IS commander for Pakistan, but there has been no confirmation from the Islamist group as yet.
Earlier in January, IS had anointed the former Taliban leader, who is also known as Hafiz Saeed Khan, as their new overload in southern Asia.
The 42-year-old was appointed the leader of a new group called IS Khorasan, an offshoot of Abu Bakhr al-Baghdadi's militant group which spans Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, as well as some parts of Central Asia.
Read full story HERE.
18:15 Batman v Superman trailer makes early blurry debut
For those who absolutely, positively cannot wait to see the Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer set to debut at IMAX theaters on Monday, there's now a low-quality version available to watch online.
This camera recording of the teaser trailer starts to illuminate the grounds for conflict between two of the world's favorite superheroes.
Superman's boundless powers have apparently earned him the public's distrust, and Batman is playing his usual public protector role in taking on the man from Krypton.
"Tell me, do you bleed," enquires the Dark Knight, before following up with the words, "You will."
Read full story HERE.
17:53 J&K Dy CM calls Srinagar clashes 'minor incident'
"These are minor incidents, have been happening since 1947," Nirmal Singh, Jammu & Kashmir Deputy CM, said about the clashes in Srinagar.
Clashes between police and protesters broke out today in the Tral protest area in Srinagar.
After incidents of stone pelting by protesters, police has been firing tear gas shells on protesters in an effort to deter them from moving further.
Separatist leader Masarat Alam was arrested this morning in connection with the raising of Pakistani flags during a rally in Srinagar.
17:37 Cong partymen probably "much happier" during Rahul's absence: Rudy
"I think people in his party were much happier when he was not here, so possibly this I could make out in Parliament. I do not know, actually it is for them to find out where he had gone, there is nothing for us to speak on that," Rudy told reporters here in reply to a question on Rahul Gandhi's return.
Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy today said that Congress partymen were probably "much happier" during the absence of party vice-president Rahul Gandhi who has just returned to the country from his 56-day sabbatical.
"I think people in his party were much happier when he was not here, so possibly this I could make out in Parliament. I do not know, actually it is for them to find out where he had gone, there is nothing for us to speak on that," Rudy told reporters here in reply to a question on Rahul Gandhi's return.
Stating that Rahul looked relaxed after his return, he said, "He is relaxed, he has come back and that is why he is smiling."
"But I think he has been away for a long time and when you get elected to Parliament there is some commitment to it as well. So I hope he attends Parliament even after his trip which makes him happy," he said on the sidelines of a function here.
17:32 Mizoram to introduce 'Disturbed Areas' bill
Mizoram will introduce the 'Mizoram Disturbed Areas Bill, 2015' in the next Assembly session to enable the government to declare any militant-hit area in the state as 'Disturbed'.
Mizoram Home Minister R Lalzirliana, while addressing the ruling Congress workers at the 'Congress Bhavan' here, said the bill was being drafted and would be vetted by the state law department.
The next session of the Assembly is likely to be convened in July as the Vote-on-Account passed by the house in March was only for the first four months of the current fiscal commencing from April.
Meanwhile, all major opposition parties in the state including the Mizo National Front opposed the state government's proposal to declare the northeastern part of the state adjoining Manipur, commonly known as 'Demand area' of the Hmar Peoples Convention, as 'disturbed area'.
17:08 Rajendra Pachauri moves court seeking permission to travel abroad
Rajendra Pachauri, who stood down as head of the UN climate panel in February facing investigation for alleged sexual harassment, asked the court on Friday for permission to travel to Greece for a water conference.
The 74-year-old was barred from leaving the country pending a police investigation after a researcher at his New Delhi research institute accused him of sexual harassment.
"He has moved the court because he wants the court's permission to travel abroad to attend a water conference in Greece," Pachauri's lawyer Ashish Bhan said.
Read full story HERE.
16:28 Amul toasts Rahul Gandhi
Acclaimed for its humorous take on current event, dairy brand Amul released a cartoon on the comeback of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from his 58-day long sabbatical.
16:23 Former Maharashtra minister Salim Zakaria is dead
Senior Congress leader Salim Zakaria passed away in Mumbai on Friday morning following a cardiac arrest. He was 74 and is survived by three sons and a daughter.
Zakaria's son Al Naseer is a spokesperson of the Maharashtra Congress.
Salim Zakaria was a minister of state for education in 1992-93 in the Sharad Pawar-led government and represented the Bandra West assembly constituency.
16:23 Separatist protestors clash with police in Srinagar
Clashes between police and protesters intensify as police stalls Tral protest march in Srinagar.
After incidents of stone pelting by protesters, police has been firing tear gas shells on protesters in an effort to deter them from moving further.
Separatist groups staged protests in Srinagar and clashed with the police after they were stopped from congregating at Tral in South Kashmir.
Separatist leader Masarat Alam was arrested this morning in connection with the raising of Pakistani flags during a rally in Srinagar.
16:21
Writing in Asia Times, diplomat and Rediff columnist M K Bhadrakumar says: Jaitley has proved to be a past master in the ancient Indian rope trick. He has done a masterly job in stringing the public opinion and duping Obama by creating the misperception that under Modi's magical touch, Indian economy has turned the corner and is zipping ahead.
Read the full article here.
16:13 Economics and net neutrality
The raging debate on Net neutrality can be enriched with a dose of economics, says Niranjan Rajadhyaksha, in the Mint.
As in, he writes: 'What is the economics of two-sided markets? Does the zero-price principle add to social welfare? Will a move away from Net neutrality foster or strangle innovation? What impact could such a move have on future investments in network infrastructure? And is the market for Internet access competitive or will a few players have strong incentives to foster network congestion?
Read his incisive article here.
16:10 A story that needs to be told
There are long form journalism pieces and then there long form journalism pieces. But few leave a mark on you, few make you think deeply, few make you question the status quo around in which you are nestled comfortably, as the one by Moni Basu in CNN.com.
Writing in 'The Girl Whose Rape Changed A Country,' Basu says, 'She was attacked at a rural police station, and her landmark case awakened India decades ago. But did she manage to love, have children, find happiness? New headlines about rape in my homeland set me on a journey to find her.'
A brilliant photo essay, with photography by Vivek Singh, and video by Sanjiv Talreja and Brandon Ancil, you should read the piece. Here.
15:59 Pakistan missing a full-time foreign minister
Different nations, it seems, have different issues when it comes to foreign affairs, specifically with the minister in charge.
Some may have a foreign minister, who may be overshadowed by an all-powerful prime minister (nudge nudge, wink wink), and some, like our immediate neighbour to the west, has other kinds of problems.
Pakistan does not have a full-time foreign minister, with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif holding the portfolio, and the was felt most during a critical foreign policy discussion in its parliament recently. The debate, points out Zahid Hussain in Dawn, was opened by the defence minister and wound up by the ubiquitous finance minister.
'It is hard to read the mind of the prime minister, but it seems he does not trust anyone even in his party,' says former ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi. This appears plausible given Mr Sharif's style of governance. Some key cabinet and other vacancies are still waiting to be filled, writes Hussain.
He then goes on to conclude: With serious challenges confronting the country, we need a full-time foreign minister who must also be effective and proactive. The existing confusion and disarray in foreign policy is mainly caused by fickleness that has become a hallmark of the Sharif government.
Read the full article here.
15:58 AAP set to serve final notice to rebels Yadav and Bhushan
Inching closer to a final crackdown on dissidents, the Aam Aadmi Party is all set to serve show-cause notices to its rebel leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan who are facing likely expulsion. The party, which had earlier referred their cases to the National Disciplinary Committee, is in the process of preparing the list of allegations against them.
"Charge sheet is being readied. Notice will be served by this evening," party leader Ashutosh told reporters. He also decried Bhushan's comments holding the decision of Political Affairs Committee to refer their cases to the disciplinary committee as "illegal".
"It is not a good thing to question the national level disciplinary committee," he said. Bhushan, Yadav, Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha were dropped from top panels of the party at the National Council meeting last month.
15:54 Separatist groups protest in Srinagar, clash with police
Separatist groups staged protests in Srinagar and clashed with the police after they were stopped from congregating at Tral in South Kashmir.
Separatist leader Masarat Alam was arrested this morning in connection with the raising of Pakistani flags during a rally in Srinagar.
More details are awaited.
14:57 Airtel defends toll free platform; supports net neutrality
In the eye of the storm over net neutrality, Bharti Airtel today said it will always provide same treatment to every website and application irrespective of whether they are on its toll free platform or not.
Launched last week, Airtel Zero is an open-marketing platform that allows customers to access certain mobile apps for free with charges being borne by the app makers. The company has drawn flak on social media for violating the concept of net neutrality.
"Over the last few days you may have seen a lot of conversation on Airtel Zero. It has been painted as a move that violates net neutrality and we have been very concerned at the incorrect information that has been carried by some quarters in the media as well as in social media," Bharti Airtel MD and CEO (India and South Asia) Gopal Vittal said in a letter to its employees.
"I wanted to take this opportunity to clear the air and reiterate that we are completely committed to net neutrality," he added.
14:50 Two moderate intensity earthquakes in Assam
Two earthquakes of moderate intensity rocked Assam in the early hours today, according to Regional Seismological Centre, Shillong.
The first, measuring 4.8 magnitude on the Richter scale, occurred at 3.35 am with its epicentre at 26.8 degrees North and 92.7 degrees East longitude at Rangapara in Sonitpur district bordering Arunachal Pradesh.
The second quake, measuring 3.8 magnitude, occurred at 5.50 am with its epicentre at 26 degrees North latitude and 92.4 degrees East longitude at Morigan in Central Assam.
There was, however, no report of any casualty or damage so far.
14:43 Visa on arrival but apply 4 days ahead
'I've just stumbled upon a small but significant and, I would add, critical discovery. What the government proudly boasts of as visas on arrival is actually nothing of the sort,' writes journalist Karan Thapar in the Hindustan Times.
'Even worse, we used to have visa on arrival for 12 countries but that's no longer the case. What's taken its place is an email visa, which has to be applied for a minimum four days before you reach India. Yet the government still calls it visa on arrival and that's not just untrue it can also be horribly misleading,' he says.
Read the full article here.
14:39 India is destination No.17 for British tourists
Britain's Civil Aviation Authority has released the travel destination favoured by its fliers in 2014.
The good news is that India, with 27,39,969 tourists from the UK, features among the top 20 destinations.
The bad news is that it ranks as low as No. 17.
The consolation is that only three non-Continental destinations feature above India: USA at No. 2 (after Spain!), UAE (No. 8) and Canada (No. 14).
14:34 The girl whose rape changed a country
She was attacked at a rural police station, and her landmark case awakened India decades ago. But did she manage to love, have children, find happiness? New headlines about rape in my homeland set me on a journey to find her.
Read this fascinating article HERE
14:22 Australian ex-model, DJ, killed fighting for ISIS in Syria
A former model and DJ from Melbourne, described by his former agency as having a promising future, is the latest Australian believed to have been killed while fighting alongside ISIS militants in Syria.
The parents of Sharky Jama, 25, were informed of their son's death via a text message and phone call Monday, said Hussein Harakow, president of the Somali Australian Council of Victoria.
"They're very shocked and very disappointed," said Harakow, who knows the Jama family.
Read this story HERE
14:17 UP Minister Shivpal Yadav will donate his salary to farmers relief fund
Uttar Pradesh minister Shivpal Yadav today announced that he will donate his month's salary to the farmers relief fund after they suffered losses in the unseasonal rains.
He also appealed all the ministers and Samajwadi Party legislators to do the same.
"I am donating my month's salary for the relief fund of farmers. I appeal all my ministers and party legislators to do the same," Yadav told media persons.
When asked about any suggestions in regard to the bureaucrats and government officers, Yadav said they must be hearing me and would probably do some thing in this regard.
14:14 Zero tolerance towards militancy in J-K: Jitendra Singh
As separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir, Centre today said it was keeping a 'close watch' on the situation in the state and there would be 'zero tolerance' militancy and separatism.
Holding that the BJP-PDP alliance in the state was done "purely" for the sake of governance despite "quite divergent ideologies", Union Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh said there would be no compromise on its principles. The remarks by the Minister came after the arrest of Alam in connection with the raising of Pakistani flags during a rally in the state on Wednesday.
"The central government is keeping a close watch on situation in J&K. Union Home Ministry is keeping itself abreast with all the sequence of the events from time to time. They are also giving most valuable guidance to the state of J&K," he said.
14:14 BPT serves eviction notice to building housing Cafe Mondegar
Cafe Mondegar, that bohemian pub so beloved of Mumbaikars for its casual yet warm ambience, is among the properties that may be have been served an eviction notice.
Blog Mumbaiwalla reports that 'the Mumbai Port Trust has served an eviction notice to all tenants of Metro House building in Colaba including the iconic Cafe Mondegar for criminal violations of the lease agreement.'
The occupants of the building have been six months to vacate the property, and the deadline expires this Sunday, it reports.
The eviction notice, served on November 19, 2014, says that the lessee of the building, Metro House Pvt Ltd, has flouted every possible term of the lease including multiple instances of illegal subletting and alterations, unauthorised constructions of mezzanine floors, lofts, installation of mobile towers -- besides unpaid rent, service tax and interest.
Among the 23 occupants of the building are Hardcastle Restaurants (which operates a McDonalds outlet on the premises), Hotel Regal Plaza and Metro Shoes, and all of them have been served the eviction notice.
Mumbai Port Trust chairman Ravi Parmar confirmed to Mumbaiwalla: 'We have served a notice terminating the lease of Metro House. After the notice period expires on April 19, we will start eviction procedure. This is a criminal proceeding under the Law of Contract for which the police can take action.'
Read the full report here.
13:46 Pak SC orders govt to get Hindu temple restored
Pakistan's supreme court has ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to get a Hindu temple restored and reconstructed after it was 'dismantled' in 1997 and later occupied by a cleric.
Lawmaker Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, patron of the Pakistan Hindu Council, had asked the court to intervene into the frequent desecration of Hindu temples, including occupation of Shri Paramhans Ji Maharaj's Samadhi in Teri village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak district by a cleric.
Vankwani said the provincial chief secretary, the inspector general of police and the local commissioner informed him that the Hindu notable in whose name the temple was built had converted to Islam.
13:40 Indians on Time magazine's 100 most influential people
There are a few Indians on Time magazine's 100 most influential people. ICICI Bank's Chanda Kochhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Air Asia's Tony Fernandes, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella '.
The interesting part was who the magazine got to write about its choice.
US President Barack Obama writes this about Modi: Prime Minister Modi recognizes that more than 1 billion Indians living and succeeding together can be an inspiring model for the world.
On Kochhar, Anshu Jain, co'"chief executive officer of Deutsche Bank, says: I have yet to find anything Chanda can't do. She's a first-class leader, strategist and friend.
On Fernandes, Virgin group founder Richard Branson says: The end of every journey is home. With his strength, candor and compassion, Tony helps get AirAsia's passengers home every day.
On Nadella, Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, says: Satya is basically the star of one of those teen movies where the parents go out of town and the kid takes control of the place. And it's been great.
Read the full list here.
13:08
Just in: The Supreme Court has extended former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's bail until of May 12, 2015 in the disproportionate assets case.
13:03
The Supreme Court has stayed proceedings of defamation cases against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal filed by Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari in Patiala House Court and Karkardooma Court.
The SC has also ordered tagging of Kejriwal's plea with a pending casefiled earlier by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on a similar issue
12:57 RBI governor opens up on differences with government
Ever since he took over as RBI governor, Raghuram Rajan has battled perceptions that he and the NDA government are not on the same page on many issues.
In an interview granted to The Hindu in Washington, DC, the governor clarifies just where they stand. The focus of the interview, however, is not on the difference, but on hot button topics like inflation targeting, composition of Monetary Policy Committee, China vs India, etc.
This is what he has to say: 'On many issues, we are on the same page. On some issues, we are trying to persuade one another. But dialogue keeps going on. And, some of the things we are talking about aren't on your radar screen. And some of the things you think that are on our radar screen aren't. Just as an example we are not talking about the Monetary Policy Committee composition right now. That's not the front thing on our radar screen.'
'For example this afternoon we had a discussion about who's going to go in these meetings [IMF and G20 meetings in Washington] and how India thought about the quota issues [for greater voting rights for India at the IMF] and so on. There are lots of issues to be discussed, which are not controversial where we work together.'
'Lets say these conflicts...perception of these conflicts exists then may be there is some rationale to having an independent agency. But if that agency is too close to the Government also we should be careful that Government owns a number of entities in the economy today.'
You can read the full interview here.
12:49 Shashi Tharoor lauds Obama's profile on Modi
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has commented that the US President Barack Obama'sarticle on Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a remarkable gesture.
Tharoor tweeted, "A remarkable gesture by a US president. Whatever our political differences, Indians hope Narendra Modi lives up to it.'
Read this story HERE
12:45 Islamic State's Pakistan chief killed while planting bomb
Islamic State's Pakistan chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was killed when a roadside bomb he was planting went off in the country's restive northwest tribal region, according to a media report.
Saeed along with two of his accomplices were killed yesterday when the bomb they were planting exploded in Toor Dara area of Tirah Valley in the Khyber tribal region, Express Tribune reported. The security forces claimed one of the men killed in bombing was the Pakistan IS chief, the report said.
However, there was no confirmation from the Islamic State militant group. Saeed hailed from the Aurakzai Agency and was among five leading Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan commanders who announced their disassociation from the banned outfit last October.
12:33 No, Mr Prime Minister. '5-star activists' actually help
Prabhat Patnaik, Professor Emeritus, Centre for Economic Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, is outraged at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark that 'the judiciary should be cautious about delivering perception-driven verdicts, especially when the perceptions were sourced from 'five-star activists'.
Writing in the Telegraph, Kolkata, he points out: 'These so-called "five-star" activists actually play the role of keeping people's faith in the legal system intact; and here the very fact that the judiciary has not cultivated the distrust towards their perceptions that Modi would like it to, and has therefore often given verdicts in their favour, has helped. Had this not been the case, the tendency for some people to take the law into their own hands and to embark on extreme measures to counter the injustice done to them would have been far more pronounced.'
Read the full rebuttal here.
12:28 INS Vikrant likely to be undocked by May-end
India is working on two separate projects to ramp up sea-borne aircraft carriers capability.
The under construction indigenous 40,000 tonne INS Vikrant is slated to 'undock' from its building pontoon at Kochi next month, while India's biggest naval warship and aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, is under a minor 're-fit' to complete its Close-In Warfare System, a protection from incoming enemy missiles.
12:18 Julian Assange agrees to Swedish questioning in London
Julian Assange has agreed to be questioned at Ecuador's London embassy over allegations of sexual assault, his Swedish lawyer said on Thursday.
The WikiLeaks founder has been holed up inside the embassy since June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over allegations he assaulted two women in 2010. He denies the allegations.
Read this story HERE
12:17 After sabbatical, Rahul to meet farmers tomorrow
Back after his sabbatical, Rahul Gandhi will be meeting delegations of farmers from different states tomorrow and hear their views on the changes being brought in the UPA's land law by the Narendra Modi government.
Rahul's meeting with farmers will be held a day before the Congress' 'kisan-khet mazdoor' rally on Sunday to galvanise protests against THE NDA's land acquisition law.
Sources said Gandhi accompanied by some senior Congress leaders including Jairam Ramesh and Digvijay Singh will meet members of various farmer organisations from states such as UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.
12:12
Salman Khan has been asked to appear before the Jodhpur court on April 23 to record his statement in Arms Act case.
Khan was allegedly involved in poaching of two black bucks near Jodhpur in the intervening night of 1-2 October, 1998.
The case under the Arms Act was registered with the Luni police station in Jodhpur as the forest department of Rajasthan alleged that the arms used by Khan during the poaching incident had expired licences and so he used them illegally.
Salman was in Jodhpur for the shooting of Hindi movie Hum Saath Saath Hain when the incident occurred.
12:07 Three new IIT directors chosen after 10-minute interviews
According to human resources development ministry officials, panels headed by Minister Smriti Irani completed all the interviews for the post of directors of IIT Bhubaneswar, IIT Patna and IIT Ropar in six hours on a Sunday last month, reports the Telegraph, Kolkata.
In all, interviews of 36 candidates were completed in six hours -- an average of 10 minutes per candidate.
Late on Thursday night the new IIT directors were announced: Prof R V Raja Kumar of IIT Kharagpur is the new director of IIT Bhubaneswar, Prof Pushpak Bhattacharyya of IIT Bombay is director of IIT Patna, and Prof Sarit Kumar Das of IIT Madras will be the director of IIT Ropar.
The fast-paced interviews has led an IIT-Kanpur professor to wonder how the panel can decide on a candidate's suitability for the job in just 10 minutes.
"In 10 minutes, the selection panel can choose somebody if they know him from the past. If the panel members do not know a person, that person has little chance no matter how competent he is," Professor Dhiraj Sanghi told the Telegraph, before the new appointments were announced.
The newspaper also made it clear that neither Prof Sanghi nor anyone had cast any aspersions on the new appointments or questioned their competence.
The Telegraph also quoted Prof M Anandakrishnan, the IIT Kanpur chairman and a member of one of the selection panels as saying. "Now, the selection is over. I do not want to make any comment. Let us not try to make a new controversy.'
HRD Minister Smriti Irani was more forthright. "I am not giving you an interview,' she told the newspaper.
Prof Sanghi told the Telegraph that when Irani held the interviews for IIT director last month, a candidate was given five minutes to make a short presentation and another five to take questions.
Incidentally, IIT Bombay chairman Anil Kakodkar, who was on all three selection panels, skipped the March 22 interviews, throwing the IIT directors' selection into a controversy.
You can read the full report here.
11:53 How Cambodia still reels from genocide, 40 years on
On the stage of a TV studio in Phnom Penh, Cambodian-American Ly Sivhong is telling an engrossed audience a tragic, but familiar, story.
On April 17, 1975 -- 40 years ago today -- life as Ly knew it was shattered when her hometown, the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, fell to the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime of the Communist Party of Kampuchea.
Read this story HERE
11:50
Director J J Abrams and the 'Star Wars: Episode VII -- The Force Awakens' cast showed off for the audience and then capped the presentation with the trailer for the new film.
HEREis the new trailer
11:42 Modi heads home after three-nation tour
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today wrapped up his three-nation tour of France, Germany and Canada during which a number of important agreements were signed, including for the supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets by France and uranium from Canada.
"I leave Canada with immense satisfaction. This visit will further enhance India-Canada ties. A big thanks to the people of Canada," Modi tweeted before his departure.
"A special thanks to @pmharper -- a fine host, a wonderful human being and a very dear friend," Modi said in another tweet before heading home.
The prime minister's aircraft will make a brief stopover in Frankfurt for refuelling before heading for Delhi. The thrust of Modi's trip was on attracting investments and technology for development of India through the "Make in India" programme.
During his Germany visit, Modi inaugurated the Hannover Fair of which India was a partner country with a theme of 'Make in India'.
11:26 China's runway in disputed South China Sea island
China has made alarming and rapid progress in building an airstrip suitable for military use in disputed South China Sea waters.
Work is progressing on a runway on reclaimed part of Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly archipelago, Reuters reported on Friday, citing recent satellite images.The archipelago is contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
Read this story HERE
11:20 Modi leaves Vancouver for Frankfurt
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has concluded his Canada tour and has left for Frankfurt, Germany.
He had arrived in Ottawa on Tuesday, for the third and final leg of his three-nation, nine-day tour.
11:18 Is India's tax terrorism back?
Despite assuring foreign companies and investors that India would no longer engage in "tax terrorism' -- suddenly levying huge retrospective tax bills on corporations such as Vodafone, which was charged with more than $2 billion in back taxes in 2012, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has now tried to argue that foreigners cannot expect India to be a tax haven, after the tax authorities issued notices to collect $6.4 billion in taxes from a group of 100 foreign institutional investors (FIIs) for the year 2012-13.
'Modi's government is caught in its own trap,' writes Dhiraj Nayyar in BloombergView. 'It wants to stick to the letter of the law even as it acknowledges that those laws are counterproductive.
'It's possible the prospect of extra revenue is too tempting to resist for a government looking to ramp up spending; Jaitley has said that he could use the $6.4 billion from foreign investors to solve India's irrigation problems. Or possibly, the government may be concerned about being labeled pro-business and is going out of its way to prove that it's not.'
But, 'whatever the reason, the outcome threatens to torpedo investor confidence. What's needed is a dramatic overhaul of the tax code. Instead of applying bad laws indiscriminately, Jaitley and his taxmen should invest their energies in simplifying the system,' he says.
We agree. You can read the full article here.
11:05 Tribute to a fine journalist
'Ram Prakash Meel died. I learnt about it a day after it happened, from a Facebook post by a Jaipur-based journalist commenting on three of his friends dying in quick succession. We had not been in touch, and nobody thought of telling me about it.'
Rajesh Sinha, a journalist for 29 years, pays tribute to a former colleague, in The Hoot. Read the full article here.
11:02 J-K's Tral declared a no-go zone, heavy security deployed
Heavy security was deployed in theTral area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, following the arrest of separatist leader Masarat Alam on Friday.
Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani's, who is under house arrest had called for a march to Tral, where two youth were killed in an anti-militancy operation on Monday.
While the local residents allege that the youth were killed in fake encounter, the army is maintaining that they were militants and killed in a gun fight.
10:55
"My visit ends in Vancouver, place which is the first human link btw our two countries and where Swami Vivekananda started his journey to the US," Modi said.
10:53 Visit will herald a new era in India-Canada ties: Modi
Winding up his visit to Canada, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said it was a historic trip that will herald a new era of cooperation between the two countries as he promised an early conclusion of a free trade agreement and a bilateral investment protection pact.
"The importance of a visit is not measured by length but by the objectives...this was a historic visit, not because that an Indian Prime Minister is visiting here after 42 years but because after 42 years, the clouds of distance have gone away in a moment," Modi said at a reception hosted in his honour by his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper.
He said he considers this visit successful also because it helped bring back on track the ties which had strayed away. "The wall will now be converted into a bridge," Modi said.
"India and Canada will be together in thoughts, will move together and work together," Modi said.
10:45 Akbar demoted, Rana Pratap is 'Great' in Rajasthan textbooks
History is in for a radical, some are calling it 'saffron', change in Rajasthan. School text books being printed for the next academic session will see Akbar lose his traditional title of ''Great'', which will now be given to the person who fought battles against him -- Maharana Pratap.
Read this story HERE
10:29 File response on plea alleging plagiarism: Delhi HC asks makers of 'PK'
The Delhi high court on Thursday asked the makers of Aamir Khan-starrer film 'PK' to file their response on novelist Kapil Isapuri's plea that accused them of plagiarism.
The Rajkumar Hirani-directed film, which raises questions about religion and people's blind faith in godmen, was released in December 2014.
It was co-produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Hirani. Justice Najmi Waziri sought response from Hirani, Chopra and scriptwriter Abhijat Joshi by September 1.
10:10 AICC meet today to finalise 'Kisan Rally', Rahul may attend
The All India Congress Committee is scheduled to meet on Friday to devise strategy for the much-talked 'Kisan Rally' on April 19 to put pressure on the Narendra Modi government, which has recently re-promulgated the Land Acquisition Ordinance.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who returned to India yesterday after nearly two-month long sabbatical, is also expected to attend today's AICC meeting.
09:35 Massive fire breaks out at Mumbai scrap market; no casualties
A massive fire broke out at a scrap market in the Goregaon area of Mumbai today morning. However, due to the alertness of the fire brigade and the police, no casualties were reported.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained,
09:34 Heavy security deployment outside SAS Geelani's residence in Srinagar
Heavy security has been deployed outside Syed Ali Shah Geelani Geelani's residence in Srinagar for separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat's arrest.
Does he also face imminent arrest? This is the question doing the rounds.
09:29 Hinduism not a religion but a way of life: Modi
Accompanied by his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today visited a Gurdwara and a temple in Vancouver and said Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. Modi and Harper, who arrived from Toronto, went straight to the Gurdwara.
They participated in the prayer meeting and were presented 'saropas'. Addressing the gathering there, Modi said the Sikhs in Canada had won respect for India through their work.
He talked about the teachings of Guru Nanak and the role of Sikhs in India's Independence struggle, including that of Bhagat Singh.
08:58 Separatist leader Masarat Alam arrested in Srinagar
Mukhtar Ahmad/Rediff.com reports from Srinagar: Separatist leader Masarat Alam, who was under house arrest with Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has been arrested.
Senior police officers have confirmed his detention.
The police had on Wednesday filed a case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against Geelani and separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat for allegedly raising anti-national slogans during a rally in Srinagar.
According to media reports, BJP leaders threatened to skip cabinet meet if he was not arrested.
08:50
Yesterday, Masarat had denied waving Pakistani flag at the rally, but said it was a representation of the feelings, aspirations and sentiments of the people across Kashmir.
08:34 18 militants killed in Egypt army raids
At least eighteen militants were killed during army raids in Egypt's restive north Sinai province.
Four wanted militants belonging to the Sinai-based militant group, Ansar Beit el-Maqdes, which changed it's name to Sinai Province after it pledged allegiance to Islamic State, were also arrested yesterday as the army had launched ground and aerial offensives against terrorists' hideouts in Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah, a security source said.
North Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January 2011 revolution that toppled the ex-president Hosni Mubarak.
08:30 'Avatar' plagiarism suit rejected by appeals court
Director James Cameron has won the legal battle against special effect artist Gerald Morawski who claimed that the plot of his superhit film "Avatar" was stolen from an idea he pitched to the filmmaker.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Morawski's claim. The suit was initially dismissed in February 2013, reported Ace showbiz.
The decision upholds a 2013 ruling from U S District Judge Margaret Morrow, who found that although "Avatar" had some similarities to Gerald's project pitch called "Guardians of Eden", Cameron's 45-pages declaration showed that the movie was his own idea.
02:10 Twitter out to crack down on abusive tweets
Twitter said today that it is cracking down on mean, hateful or menacing tweets that cross the red line from free speech into abuse.
Twitter is overhauling its safety policy and beefing up the team responsible for enforcing it, along with investing "heavily" in ways to detect and limit the reach of abusive content, general counsel Vijaya Gadde said in an column published by the Washington Post.
"We need to do a better job combating abuse without chilling or silencing speech," Gadde said.
Twitter last month modified its rules to ban 'revenge porn' -- the tweeting of intimate or revealing pictures or video of people without their permission.
The San Francisco-based micro-blogging site is also taking steps to curtail the use of anonymously created Twitter accounts to intimidate or silence targeted people.
"We are changing our approach to this problem, in some ways that won't be readily apparent and in others that will be," Gadde said.
Twitter has tripled the size of the team responsible for protecting users of the service, resulting in a five-fold increase in the speed of response to complaints, according to the general counsel.
"We are also overhauling our safety policies to give our teams a better framework from which to protect vulnerable users," Gadde said.
02:10 Iran poses growing cyber threat to US: study
Iran poses a growing threat to America's computer networks and has launched increasingly sophisticated digital attacks and spying on US targets, according to a new report released today.
Iran's far-reaching hacking efforts indicate the regime is searching for vulnerable infrastructure that could be hit in future cyber assaults, said the study by private cyber security company Norse and the American Enterprise Institute think tank.
"Iran is emerging as a significant cyber threat to the US and its allies," the study said.
Iran's skill in the cyber realm has markedly improved in recent years and "Iran has already penetrated well-defended networks in the US and Saudi Arabia and seized and destroyed sensitive data," it said.
The hacking, including espionage and attacks, has expanded despite economic sanctions and high-stakes negotiations between Iran and world powers on Tehran's nuclear program, it said.
The study cited data from a network of millions of sensors set up by Norse. The sensors are designed to look like real websites or other computer systems -- for banks or power plants -- that might attract the interest of a hacker.
The data showed Iran was staging cyber assaults and probes from inside Iran as well as outside the country.
02:10 Girl power drives British royal baby name betting
Prince William and his wife Kate's second baby will be a girl, bookmakers predicted today, with Alice tipped as the most likely name for Britain's new royal baby.
A little sister for one-year-old Prince George is more likely than a baby brother, betting firms reckon, an outcome which would give William and Kate a child of each gender.
Most bookmakers have Alice as their favourite name, closely followed by Charlotte and Elizabeth, as Britain awaits the baby expected later this month.
Paddy Power has Alice at 6/4, meaning a 4 bet would win 6 plus the 4 stake back if the prediction proves right. Charlotte is thought the next most likely baby name at 6/1, then Elizabeth on 7/1, followed by Victoria at 14/1, Alexandra on 16/1 and Diana, the name of William's late mother, at 20/1.
Ladbrokes has the chances of a baby girl at 8/13 and a boy at 6/5.
"Nearly 90 per cent of all bets have been for a girl," Ladbrokes spokeswoman Jessica Bridge said.
They price the name Alice at 2/1. "Those odds have absolutely collapsed from 20/1 about six weeks ago. The momentum has just been building and building and we've had to cut the odds every single day," Bridge said.
02:08 Assange agrees to be questioned in London: lawyer
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has agreed to be questioned by Swedish prosecutors in London over rape allegations, his Swedish lawyer Thomas Olsson said today.
"We sent a confirmation earlier today to the prosecutors that Julian Assange agrees to be questioned in London," Olsson told AFP.
He said Assange made no specific demands about the questioning.
Swedish prosecutors offered in March to question Assange in London, dropping their previous demand that he come to Sweden to answer to the 2010 allegations, making a significant U-turn in the case that has been deadlocked for nearly five years.
Prosecutors said they had changed their stance because some of the alleged offences will reach their statute of limitations in August.
Sweden issued an arrest warrant for Assange in 2010 following allegations from two women in Sweden.
The Australian former hacker, who has always vehemently denied the allegations and insisted the sexual encounters were consensual, has been ensconced in Ecuador's embassy in London since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden.
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