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T A Sekhar to conduct camp for Mumbai fast bowlers

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Mumbai, July 02: Former India and Tamil Nadu pacer T A Sekhar will conduct a ten-day camp for the fast bowlers of the city between July 3 and 12 at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s indoor academy at the Bandra-Kurla Complex here.

The camp intends to help around 45 pacers from various age groups in improving their technique and learn skills about the various aspects of fast bowling, according to the director of the MCA’s Cricket Academy, Chandrakant Pandit.

Seven arrested in connection with seizure of bombs

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Tirunelveli, July 02: Seven persons, including a policeman, have been arrested in connection with the seizure of 11 ‘tiffin box bombs’ in the city outskirts on June 15, top police officials said today.

IG (South Zone) Sanjeev Kumar, DIG Tirunelveli, Kannappan, and DIG (Madurai) P Balasubramanian, who formed a special team led by Tirunelveli SP Asra Garg to investigate the case, told newsmen here tonight that the arrested include S Venkatesh, an armed police personnel.

The gang had planned to use the bombs to avenge a triple murder in the district on January 11 last.

Bomb hoax at Jaipur cinema hall; caller arrested

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Jaipur, July 02: A youth was arrested today for allegedly making a hoax call stating that a bomb was planted at a cinema hall here, police said.

A phone call was received at the city police control-room at 1605 hrs and the caller said a bomb was planted at Rajmandir theatre, police said, adding that bomb disposal and dog squads searched the premises after evacuating it, but no explosive was recovered.

Police later traced the call to Kanota town here and arrested the caller identified as Arvind Jatav, 23, a senior police official said and added that the youth is being interrogated.

Maya says economic survey based on fake data

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Lucknow, July 02: Terming the economic survey report tabled in Parliament by the UPA government as “false” and “based on fake data”, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today appealed to the Centre not to implement its suggestions in the budget.

“The Economic survey report is based on false data. The Centre should not incorporate its suggestions in its budget so that poor people could be benefited,” Mayawati told reporters here.

Govt bans Assam militant group DHD

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New Delhi, July 02: In the wake of its involvement in recent series of violence in Assam, the Centre today banned the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD)-Black Widow militant group.

The decision was taken at a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

This comes in the wake of DHD’s involvement in several violent incidents in North Cachar Hills district where the group targeted businessmen, railway properties besides government officials.

DHD’s chief Jewel Garlosa was arrested in Bangalore last month.
–PTI

Cong, BJP circumspect to HC verdict legalizing gay sex

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New Delhi, July 02: Ruling Congress and opposition BJP today chose to be circumspect to the Delhi High Court verdict legalising homosexuality among consenting adults and refrained from welcoming or condemning it, keeping in mind the differences on the issue in their organizations as well as the society.

Congress said the High Court verdict was between the court and the government.

“It is between the court and the government and the party has nothing to do with it,” party spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told PTI.

No need to put judges assets in public domain: CJI

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New Delhi, July 02: Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan today said there was no need put the assets of judges in public domain as it would send a “wrong message” to litigants.

“Judges do declare their assets at the time of taking oath. All their details are with the registrar. There is no need for the assets to be disclosed before the public as that would send a wrong message to litigants,” Justice Balakrishnan told CNN-IBN news channel.

He was responding to a question regarding Law Minister M Veerappa Moily’s call for disclosure of judges’ assets to the public.

India to contribute USD 239.93 mn for S Asia Uni

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New Delhi, July 02: The Government today approved USD 239.93 million as India’s contribution for setting up the South Asian University — the first international university in the country.

The approval for the amount, which is about 79 per cent of the total cost, was cleared at a meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

India is ready to release the first installment of USD 9.464 million to make the university operational here from next year, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni told reporters.

Dal de-weeding opn goes on

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Srinagar, July 02: De-weeding operation in Dal and Nigeen lakes is progressing as planned and 7,000 channels have been cleared so far, a government spokesman said.

Against the target of removing weed from over 2.25 lakh square meters of the Dal lake this fiscal, a marginal 1.2 square meters have been cleared so far in the initial days.

The project is undertaken as part of measures to develop and restore the originality of these world famous water bodies.

Gavaskar advises youngsters to focus on India cap

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Mumbai, July 02: Former captain Sunil Gavaskar today advised young cricketers to aim for the India cap and said playing in the cash-rich Indian Premier League could not be their ultimate goal.

“Today, parents are encouraging their children to take up cricket as a career option because of the IPL and the amount of money it provides. But the worrying factor is far too many youngsters see IPL as the be all and end all,” Gavaskar said at the inaugural Dilip Sardesai Memorial Lecture here.

Lawyers hail Delhi HC verdict legalising homosexuality

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New Delhi, July 02: The historic judgement by the Delhi High Court legalising gay sex among consenting adults was hailed by legal experts who described it as a “progressive” verdict in keeping with the changing times.

Former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, senior advocates K K Venugopal and K T S Tulsi termed its as a “landmark judgement” which will have a bearing across the country.

“It is an absolutely correct judgement and I welcome it whole heartedly. It is a much-delayed judgement and it should have come much earlier,” Bhushan said.

Gold prices gain on firming overseas trend

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New Delhi, July 02: Gold prices gained to recover part of its previous losses in the bullion market today on emergence of stockists buying influenced by a firming global trend and jewellers buying.

The precious metal gained Rs 50 at Rs 14,730 per ten gram and silver by Rs 50 to Rs 22,000per kg after reports the bullion prices in overseas markets as weaker dollar spur demand. In previous day’s trading, the gold had lost Rs 120 per ten gram and silver by Rs 700 per kg.

Homosexual behaviour evolved over years

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New Delhi, July 02: Homosexuality, which was a taboo and considered unnatural and a criminal act attracting maximum death penalty in the medieval period, has evolved over the years.

The first registered case of MSM (men having sex with men) goes back to 1290 in Felta and 1300 in the Britton in the United Kingdom where the offenders of sodomy were burnt alive.

The Delhi High Court, which legalised gay sex, dwelt on the history of legislation on homosexuality which for the first time was codified in 1533 by England under the Buggery (unnatural sex) Act.

All women-debate in TN Assembly

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Chennai, July 02: In a novel way of expressing support for the Women’s Reservation Bill pending in Parliament, Tamil Nadu Assembly today had an all women-debate.

Designated women MLAs alone were allowed to speak on the discussion for grants for Social Welfare and Nutritious Meal Programme, headed by a woman minister, Geetha Jeevan.

Speaker R Avudaiappan said through out the country there was a demand from various quarters for the implementation of Women’s Reservation Bill.

Cong must go solo in Maharashtra: Deshmukh

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New Delhi, July 02: Notwithstanding the party’s gag order, Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh says Congress should go it alone in the assembly elections in Maharashtra.

He says the party workers are bitter about alliance with NCP, whose projection of Sharad Pawar as Prime Minister had hurt the alliance in the Lok Sabha elections.

Making it clear that it was his personal opinion that Congress should go it alone in the state elections that are due in October, he said though the final decision was with the High Command “I have every right to say (my opinion)”.

HC verdict makes India 127th country legalising gay sex

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New Delhi, July 02: With Delhi High Court legalising gay sex, India today become the 127th country in the world to decriminalise homosexuality while 80 nations still consider it as an offence.

The process of legal sanction to homosexual acts began in 1989 when Denmark became the first country to grant a status on a par with married couples to same sex partners which was soon followed by other European countries.

Seven years thereafter, Norway, Sweden and Iceland enacted similar legislation in 1996 and Finland followed suit six years later.

4 match ODI series against WI ridiculous: Manjrekar

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New Delhi, July 02: Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has questioned the logic behind Indian cricket team’s on-going four-match one-day series in the Caribbean and said with an already crammed international schedule in place, such tours only add to the players’ exhaustion.

India flew straight to the West Indies after their disappointing ouster in the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup in England.

UPA government showing ‘arrogance of power’: BJP

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New Delhi, July 02: The BJP today accused the UPA government of basking in the “arrogance of power” and asked it to shed such attitude.

To drive home its point, the party cited increase in petroleum prices, a Congress MP slapping a bank manager and a union minister’s attempt to influence a judge as examples.

“I see a common thread in the developments of the last three days where arrogance of power has been shown vehemently by the government. And it has influenced all three organs of the government,” Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj told reporters.

Clerics inflamed as gays cross legal Laxman rekha

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New Delhi, July 02: Certain religious leaders today strongly disapproved of the Delhi High Court judgement which legalised gay sex among consenting adults.

“This is absolutely wrong to legalise homosexuality. We will not accept any such law,” Jama Masjid Imam Ahmed Bukhari told PTI.

He also critcised the government for trying to amend the Indian Penal Code to scrap section 377 that criminalises homosexuality.

“If the government makes such attempt to scrap the Section 377, we will oppose it strongly,” Bukhari said.

Surinder Koli complains of threat to life

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Noida, July 01: Nithari serial killings convict Surinder Koli has complained to the authorities that he faces a threat to his life in Dasna Jail.

Koli alleged that he was being beaten up in jail and expressed a fear that he may be killed. He also claimed that he was not allowed to leave his solitary cell.

Koli raised the fears after terror suspect Shakeel, a member of the Abdul Kareem Tunda outfit, allegedly committed suicide in Dasna Jail on June 19.

DOT gets 6 weeks to implement spectrum comm report

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New Delhi, July 01: Telecom tribunal TDSAT today granted six weeks more to the Department of Telecom to implement recommendations of the committee appointed by it on allocation and pricing of 2G spectrum.

Admitting a prayer of the DoT, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal bench headed by Justice Arun Kumar, granted six weeks more time to implement the report of the spectrum review committee.

In its application filed before the tribunal, the DoT submitted that although the report was submitted to it on May 13, some procedural works are yet to be done.

PCB refuses to sign FTP unless BCCI revises draft

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Karachi, July 01: Pakistan Cricket Board has refused to sign the new Future Tours Programme which spans from 2012 to 2020 unless the Indian board revises the draft.

Sources in the PCB confirmed that officials had voiced strong objections at the International Cricket Council meetings held last week in London when they learnt that the Indian board had not scheduled a single bilateral series with Pakistan in their proposed draft of the new FTP.

Gay Rights: Don’t think, don’t listen, don’t do, Muslim leaders tell govt

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New Delhi, July 01: Amid government moves for a re-look at the law on homosexuality, several Muslim leaders have said any attempt to legally permit unnatural sex is an attack on religious and moral values.

“Legalisation of homosexuality is an attack on Indian religious and moral values,” over a dozen prominent Muslim religious leaders said in a statement.

Obama tries to have it both ways with media

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Washington, July 01: ( Press banned from photographing Sasha and Malia at the White House) A free press is all well and good, but not when it comes to the children of President Barack Obama, who has introduced unprecedented rules about which pictures we see of Sasha, eight, and Malia, 10, and which ones we don’t.

China’s internet backdown lauded by activists

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Beijing, July 01: China’s ambitions to strengthen control of the internet with filtering software became a show of the limits of its power today, as activists and industry groups welcomed an abrupt delay of the contentious plan.

The surprise climbdown was reported late yesterday by Xinhua news agency, which said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology would “delay the mandatory installation of the controversial ‘Green Dam-Youth Escort’ filtering software on new computers”.