Ali Khan

Central food safety regulator FSSAI has asked state food commissioners to inspect and evaluate all packaged products available in markets across the country in the wake of Maggi controversy.

“There are hundreds of packaged food products which are being sold in the country without registration, they need to be inspected and evaluated,” a source said.
The directions were given by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to the state food safety commissioners in a meeting earlier this month.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s name has been dragged into the controversy surrounding grant of visa to former IPL chief Lalit Modi by the UK where the matter is before a parliamentary panel.

Modi, who has made London his base and avoided coming to India where there is a look-out notice for him for alleged misappropriation of funds in the T20 cricket tournament, was given a visa after Indian-origin British MP Keith Vaz had recommended his name for the same.

As the government prepares a new set of norms for IIMs, over 400 alumni members and students of these prestigious business schools have petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make changes in the criteria for awarding of MBA degrees in the country.

To ensure that the degrees awarded to IIM students are at par with the global standards, they have said that Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree should be given only for one-year programmes and the two-year courses should be for the Masters in Business Management (MBM).

“Why did they set me on fire? They could have thrashed me, if they wanted to take out their grudge on me.” These were the last lines of the journalist who was burnt to death for his Facebook posts against SP MLA Ram Murti Verma.

Whining in pain, the Shahjahanpur-based journalist Jagendra Singh, got his final statement recorded in front of the magistrate before succumbing to the burn injuries.

Hardline Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani today expressed displeasure over the hoisting of ISIS flags in the Valley, saying “such instances provide a handle to defame the ongoing struggle in Kashmir”.

“Waving of ISIS flags during peaceful demonstrations is against the discipline and also negates our strategy. Such things provide a handle to India to defame our legitimate freedom struggle,” Geelani said in a statement here.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh today dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal as “masters of nautanki (drama)” as leaders of AAP and BJP came out on the streets here to clear the garbage in Delhi.

In a post on Twitter, Singh said “AAP starts cleanliness drive after sanitation workers strike has been called off. Photo ops for AAP. Modi and Kejriwal are masters of (nautanki).”
In a separate post, Singh claimed Modi and Kejriwal were engaged in a “noora kushti” (got-up fight) to hide the reality.”

The police custody of ex-Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar was today extended by two days by a court here after the Delhi Police claimed that documents produced by him were “fabricated” and charges under Prevention of Corruption Act might also be invoked in the case.

49-year-old Tomar, who was arrested in the case on June 9, was prodcued before Metropolitan Magistrate Pooja Aggarwal on expiry of his four-day police remand and the investigators sought extension of his remand by 11 days saying the earlier time period was “not sufficient”.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today sought to link the spate of terror attacks in Sopore area with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s alleged remark about revival of ‘Ikhwanis’, an outfit of reformed militants in the state.

Paper notes, diaries, laptops and desktop computers recovered from the ‘horor’ house in the city where a man was found living with three skeletons have revealed a complicated relationship between the family members.

A senior police officer investing into the case said “Going by the content of the notes and those of the diaries recovered from the apartment, it seems that the members of the De family had a very complex set of understanding between them.”

Bollywood iconic onscreen couple Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol have started filming director Rohit Shetty’s “Dilwale” in Bulgaria. The comedy-drama marks the reunion of the hit pair, who was last seen in Karan Johar’s 2010 drama film “My Name Is Khan”.

The 49-year-old star took to Twitter to share a picture of himself, Kajol and Rohit and called their team “ageless.” ‘Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears’- Lennon. By that maxim this team is ageless,” the star captioned the photo, quoting John Lennon.

Muslims have no problem with yoga provided certain modifications are made to it, prominent Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind leader Maulana Mahmood Madani has said.

He, however, alleged that a concerted effort is being made to give a particular colour to yoga and “that is what is creating problems”.

READ ALSO: Muslim bodies see ‘political agenda’ behind yoga move

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today advised BJP president Amit Shah to silently practise yoga regularly at home to stay fit.

He said he read in newspapers that Shah would do yoga in Patna on the occasion of International Yoga day on June 21.

“Has he seen his body whether it is suitable to do yoga?” Kumar asked, and advised him to “practise yoga silently at home everyday to stay fit. This will bring internal change in him too.”

Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot today said that building Ram temple is still on BJP’s agenda and the party has not left it.

“Ram temple is still BJP’s issue and the party has not left it. When there is blessing of Lord Ram then his temple will also get constructed,” Gehlot said while denying that BJP has taken U-turn on the issue.

“As of now we are waiting for the verdict of the Supreme Court on the issue,” the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment added.

Claiming to be a much-improved batsman, India’s Shikhar Dhawan, who returned to form with a blazing 173 in the ongoing one-off Test against Bangladesh, today said that many more big stands are in store with his opening partner Murali Vijay.

Dhawan added 283 runs for the first wicket with Vijay (150), laying the foundation for India’s formidable first-innings score of 462 for six declared in the rain-interrupted Test match that is headed for a tame draw with Bangladesh placed at 111 for three at stumps on the fourth and penultimate day.

Latching on to the salary issue of sanitation workers, Rahul Gandhi today made a strong pro-poor pitch assuring them that he will give his “whole life to fight” for the rights of the under-privileged wherever they are being suppressed.

“I am not talking about sanitation staff alone but wherever the poor people are being suppressed. Wherever people in suit-boot or whether they are from Aam Aadmi (Party) are not doing their work, I will stand by them,” Gandhi said after meeting the sanitation workers of East Delhi MCD office.

Singer Mariah Carey has reportedly agreed a seven-figure deal to be the new face of mobile game “Game of War: Fire Age”.

The 45-year-old singer has replaced Kate Upton to promote the mobile app, reported Contactmusic.

The “Hero” hitmaker will apparently film a 30-second commercial and also undertake other promotional shoots for the game.

The commercial will be directed by “Terminator Genisys” helmer Alan Taylor.

The advertisement is also expected to include music by Carey.

A local court has sentenced a man and his parents to life imprisonment for killing his wife for dowry in 2013.

The court has also imposed a penalty of Rs 20,000 each on Vikram Gond, father-in-law Subhnarain and mother-in-law Prema Devi, who had immolated the victim Arti in May 2013 over dowry.

The victim’s family had lodged an FIR against Arti’s husband and in-laws, the prosecution said.

After hearing both the sides district judge Chandrahas Ram held the trio guilty yesterday.

Actress Emma Roberts has reportedly called off her engagement with actor Evan Peters.

The 24-year-old actress, who got engaged to her “Adult World” co-star, 28, in December 2013, split with him after their relationship “ran its course,” reported Female First.

“Their three years together just ran its course. They have so many great memories together but couldn’t make it work in the end,” said a source.

The source, however, insists that the former couple have split amicably and will remain good friends.

An Afghan official says at least 20 police officers have been killed after militants ambushed checkpoints in the country’s volatile southern Helmand province.

Mohammad Ismail Hotak, the head of the province’s joint coordination of police and military operations, said today the ambushes late last night hit checkpoints in the Musa Qala district, long a Taliban stronghold.

He says the attack wounded 10 police officers and that the Taliban also seemed to have suffered high casualties. He says the battle is ongoing and reinforcements have been sent from other districts.

A day after sanitation workers called off their strike over non-payment of salaries, BJP and AAP leaders took to the streets as part of cleanliness drive carried out in different parts of the national capital.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh and Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay, led respective party workers in wielding brooms in different parts of the city.

While Sisodia took part in cleanliness drive in east Delhi’s Patparganj area which is his constituency, Upadhyay wielded the broom in Akshardham area, also in east Delhi.

An Egyptian court today cancelled death sentences of seven Islamist militants and ordered their retrial in a case related to the killing of 25 policemen in the country’s troubled North Sinai region.

Islamist militant Adel Habara and six others were sentenced to death in December last year by a Criminal Court over charges of killing the policemen in North Sinai city of Rafah in 2013.

Three other defendants were sentenced to life in prison and 22 others were sentenced to 15 years in jail. Three defendants were acquitted in the case.

Indian spinners made early inroads into the Bangladesh batting after an overnight declaration, leaving the hosts at 111 for three when early lunch was taken owing to bad light on Day 4 of the rain-hit one-off cricket Test here today.

After declaring their first innings on the overnight score 462 for six, India came all guns blazing and picked up the first opposition wicket soon only to see a bit of a resistance from the second-wicket batting pair.

A 4.6-magnitude earthquake today struck Nepal, taking the total number

of aftershocks in the country to 314 after two devastating tremors killed nearly 9,000 people.

The epicenter of the aftershock that shook Kathmandu at 7:02 am was located at Dolakha district.

Nepal is still recovering from two major quakes and several aftershocks that have killed 8,800 people and left a trail of destruction.

A farmer was shot dead allegedly by four persons over old enmity in Rajpura area here following which three of them have been arrested, police said today.

The victim Pappu (20) was shot dead by Bharat, Raghav, Bhudeo and Ram Autar at Basantpur Tanda village last night, they said.

An FIR has been lodged against the accused of which three have been arrested, police said.

The body has been sent for post mortem, it said.

The Tata-owned Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) has got another three-month extension for operating the Taj Mansingh Hotel with NDMC planning to complete the auction of the property by September.

The last extension was given on March 25 and the current lease agreement, which expires on June 30, has now been extended till September 30.

The matter was placed before the civic body’s council yesterday during a special meeting where new chairman Naresh Kumar took oath of office.