Chinese media see international bank as diplomatic coup

The creation of the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is a bigger coup for Beijing than its hosting of the 2008 Olympics, state-run media said today after 50 countries signed its legal framework.

China was spurred to create the AIIB after “unfair treatment” by Washington-led institutions, the Global Times said in an editorial, apparently referring to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Iran’s new 5-year plan focuses on defence, economy

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today unveiled the main points of the Islamic republic’s next five-year plan, with the focus on the military and economic growth.

According to extracts published by the official IRNA news agency, the 2016-2021 plan allocates at least five percent of the budget to defence “as part of the regional balance of power” and to protect national interests.

The plan includes developing ballistic missile capabilities, arms production and modern weaponry, the agency said.

CBSE announces JEE (main) ranks

Ending the anxiety of students, CBSE late tonight announced the JEE (main) ranks for paper-1 and paper-2, thus initiating the process of admissions to IITs, NITs and IIITs.

The delay in the announcement has led to the postponement of admission to IITs and NITs, raising anxiety among students.

“The all India ranks of JEE main 2015 have been declared by CBSE and the data CD has been handed over to the central seat allocation board 2015 (NIT Patna) for counselling purpose.”

Bids opened for procurement of 200 electric locomotives

Going ahead with the bidding process for procurement of 200 high-power electric locomotives, railways on Tuesday opened the technical bids, submitted by a Japanese consortium.

Railways is procuring 9,000-horse power (hp) electric locomotives for the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC).

First Freight Joint Venture comprising Kawasaki, Toshiba, Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Corporate had submitted their bids for procurement of the 9,000-HP locomotives for the Western DFC.

AAP admits giving perks to party members

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi today admitted that a few party members were getting benefits like official house and cars.

In a reply to BJP MLA O P Sharma’s question, government said that these members have been appointed as co-terminus staff with it.

Government in its reply said that Bibhav Kumar, private secretary to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aswathi Muralidharan, joint secretary to Chief minister, have been allotted houses.

The government also said the salary of these staff, who are in the grade pay of Rs 8,700 equivalent to senior IAS officers.

Sona Group founder Surinder Kapur passes away

Auto component maker Sona Group founder and chairman Surinder Kapur today passed away after a brief illness.

Kapur (71), a noted industrialist and a pioneer in the Indian auto industry, today passed away at 8 PM in Munich, Germany, Sona Group said in a statement here.

He is survived by wife Rani Kapur and children Sunjay Kapur, Suparna Motwane and Mandira Koirala.

Kapur held various positions of responsibility in key industry bodies.

Tunisia beach killer trained with museum gunmen

The young college student that murdered 38 tourists in a Tunisian seaside resort was in a jihadi training camp in western Libya at the same time as the two attackers who hit the National Bardo Museum in March, a top security official said today.

The revelation confirms repeated fears that the strong presence of the Islamic State group in Tunisia’s chaotic neighbor has become a direct threat to the country, the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings.

Rule added in Haryana Civil Services

Haryana Cabinet which today decided to increase the pension of pre-2006 pensioners by adding rule 6A in Haryana Civil Services (Revised Pension) Part-I Rules, 2009.

“Under rule 6A, the pension of pre-2006 pensioners shall be stepped up with effect from February 6, 2015 to 50 per cent of the sum of minimum of pay in the pay band and the grade pay corresponding to the pre-revised pay scale (including Higher Administrative Grade Scale) from which the pensioner had retired,” said official release.

Germanwings crash panel recommends pilot support centres

An aviation safety panel looking into the Germanwings crash that is blamed on a suicidal pilot recommended today that airlines set up mandatory support centres for staff with psychological problems.

The German taskforce also said it was open to proposals for randomised testing for alcohol, drugs and medications for pilots, following the crash that killed 150 people in the French Alps in March.

I will walk away from bad nuclear deal with Iran: Obama

US President Barack Obama today warned that he will “walk away” from a bad nuclear deal with Iran, emphasising that the goal of the agreement is to ensure that Tehran does not get a nuclear weapon and that the pact has a strong verifiable mechanism.

“There are deep-seated disagreements and divisions between the United States and Iran. And those aren’t going to go away overnight.

Bomb blast near police station kills 3 in Egypt

An Egyptian security official says a bomb blast near a police station killed three people, a day after the assassination of the country’s prosecutor general.

The blast took place today in the Six of October district.

The official says it is not immediately clear whether the three killed were assailants traveling in a car or civilians.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press.

Pictures posted on the Seventh Day news website showed torn body parts and wrecked vehicles at the site of the blast.

Raj Govt approves to fill up 33,679 Vidhyarti Sahayak posts

Rajasthan Cabinet today gave its nod to fill up 33,679 posts of school assistant, ‘Vidhyarti Sahayak’, fulfilling the long pending demand of re-employment of ‘Vidhyarti Mitras’.

These posts will be only for non-teaching purposes and bonus marks would be given to those ‘Vidhyarti Mitras’ who worked for the state government from one year to three years, Parliamentary Minister R S Rathor said.

Also there would no age bar for them, he said while briefing media about the minutes of the Cabinet meeting chaired by Vasundhara Raje here today.

Second Tihar escapee nabbed in UP

Two days after escaping from the high-security Tihar prisons, the second undertrial was today arrested from Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh by Delhi Police.

Jawed, who had escaped from Tihar prisons along with another prisoner, Faizan, on Saturday was arrested by a joint team of Delhi Police and jail authorities this evening.

“Jawed was arrested by a joint team of Delhi Police and prisons,” said DIG prisons and Tihar spokesperosn Mulseh Pratap.

Reports of death of 41 Vyapam accused baseless: MP govt

Madhya Pradesh government today termed the media reports of death of 41 accused in VYAPAM scam as totally baseless, and said that since it was exposed on July 7, 2013, only 14 persons involved in the scam had died while 11 others had died prior to that.

Health Minister and government spokesman Narottam Mishra also clarified that of the 14 who died after the scam was exposed, four died outside Madhya Pradesh, and the police of concerned states hadn’t found any conspiracy behind the deaths.

Diesel to cost more in Himachal

Diesel would be costlier by Rs 2.50 per litre in Himachal Pradesh as cabinet today decided to increase VAT on diesel from 11.5 per cent to 16 per cent.

The VAT on diesel is higher in neighbouring states and Himachal was under pressure to hike VAT to bring parity but diesel would be still cheaper in the state as compared to adjoining states, Excise and Taxation minister Prakash Chowdhary said.

The notification to this effect would be issued after ten days after giving due notice.

Injured woman who attempted suicide, dies

A woman who was allegedly molested by a youth in Mongol village near Harishchandrapur and who had tried to commit suicide by hanging herself, died today at Malda Medical College and Hospital, the police said.

The woman was alone at her mother’s place on June 24 last, when a local youth of village identified as Goutam Halder, allegedly molested her.

The woman narrated the incident to her mother when she returned and the family then approached the local panchayat member for justice, the following day.

Greece crisis unlikely to have major impact on US: Obama

US President Barack Obama today said the economic crisis in Greece is an issue of substantial concern, but is unlikely to have a major impact on the American system.

“In layman’s terms, for the American people, this is not something that we believe will have a major shock to the system, but obviously it’s very painful for the Greek people and it can have a significant effect on growth rates in Europe,” Obama told reporters at a White House news conference.

Indian eves swept aside by world champions Netherlands in HWL

Indian eves crashed out in the quarterfinals of the Hockey World League Semifinals after they were drubbed 0-7 by world champions The Netherlands at the KHC Dragons Stadium, here today.

Swept away by the early onslaught in the quarterfinal contest, the Indian women’s hockey team’s defence wilted under the pace set by the Dutch girls, for whom Caia van Maasakker converted three penalty corners and Lidewij Walten scored twice.

Pic of BJP minister touching woman doctor’s collar goes viral

A photograph of Jammu and Kashmir Minister Chaudhary Lal Singh purportedly touching the collar of a woman doctor has gone viral on social media.

The BJP leader, who is Minister for Health, had gone to the government hospital in Lakhanpur to check preparedness ahead of the start of Amarnath yatra.

In the hospital, he found that the collar of the doctor was not in proper place and corrected its posture.

Clinton breached national security by hiding e-mails: Jindal

Bobby Jindal, the first ever Indian-American to run for White House, today attacked Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, alleging that as the top American diplomat in the first term of the Obama Administration she “breached national security”.

The Louisiana Governor, who last week announced his bid for the 2016 presidential elections, said Clinton as the Secretary of State, created a major breach of national security by hiding her e-mails on a personal server and that the US may be the only superpower in the world who has not seen the Secretary’s e-mails.

Iran nuclear talks deadline extended to July 7

Iran and six major powers today gave themselves until July 7 to clinch a historic nuclear deal as a midnight deadline approached in marathon talks with no breakthrough in sight.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who joined the talks in Vienna earlier today, said however he believes that, after almost two years of trying, a deal ending the 13-year standoff is “within reach”.

Mexico won’t send contestant to Miss Universe

Mexico’s national beauty pageant director confirms the country won’t send a contestant to the Miss Universe contest because of insulting remarks by Donald Trump, an owner of the pageant.

Lupita Jones says via her official Twitter account that she was offended and angry “like everyone else” with Trump over his comments referring to Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists.

KMC announces fresh waiver scheme for property tax defaulters

Facing a huge burden of more than Rs 2,000 crore as outstanding property tax, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) today offered a fresh waiver on the interest and penalty on the outstanding amount.

Mayor Sovan Chatterjee told reporters after a Mayor-in-Council meeting that the civic body has decided to waive 50 per cent of the accumulated interest amount and 99 per cent of the penalty amount levied on outstanding property tax.

CAG points to Rs 70 crore lacuna in fund released by DoE

The Government auditor CAG today pointed an irregular release of Rs 70 crore to Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) by the Directoratre of Education (DoE) for infrastructure improvement of government schools.

The DoE released Rs 343.13 crore to DSIIDC although the Cabinet had approved only Rs 272.94 crore for the project, it revealed.

The project was assigned by DoE to DSIIDC without any formal Agreement and detailed scope of work in the absence of which it could not ensure that DSIIDC carried out all the work envisaged under the project.

Mahila Bank to merge with SBI? Bhattacharya says ‘no-brainer’

Amid speculation about newly created Bharatiya Mahila Bank being merged with SBI, the state-run behemoth today said it can easily absorb the youngest state-run lender.

Following reports that BMB could be merged with SBI, the State Bank of India’s Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya said she has not been approached with any such proposal but “if it happens, it is a no-brainer”.