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Ronaldo’s move to Real completed

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Washington, July 01: Cristiano Ronaldo’s world-record transfer to Real Madrid from Manchester United has been completed, the Barclays Premier League champions have confirmed.

An “unconditional £80m” fee was agreed between the clubs last month and then came an announcement last Friday that the deal had been finalised and the world player of the year would become a Real Madrid player today.

A statement on www.manutd.com this morning stated the transfer fee has been paid, prompting manager Sir Alex Ferguson to pay tribute to the Portugal winger.
–Agencies

Mother and daughter missing on mountain

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London, July 01: An elderly woman and her daughter have gone missing after setting out to climb England’s highest mountain, police said today.

The women set out for Scafell Pike yesterday morning but had not returned to their campsite by midnight.

A search and rescue team and an RAF helicopter search failed to find them last night.

The pair, who are in their 80s and 50s and from the York area, were accompanied by three black and white collie dogs.

Both women are described as being of slight build and around 5ft.

Sensex slips on weak Asian cues, profit booking

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Mumbai, July 01: Weak markets elsewhere in Asia and profit booking prompted a fall in a key index of the Indian equity markets, which dipped more than 35 points today from its last closing figure, after having risen in early morning trade.

Investors chose to book profits, resulting in the benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Sensex, to fall sharply after opening higher at 14,506.43 points. It was at 14,426.8 points around noon – 35.51 points or 0.25 percent below Tuesday’s closing figure.

‘Most private colleges are money-spinning factories’

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Bangalore, July 01: The proposed oversight body for higher education is a “welcome development”, says Pushpa Bhargava, former vice-chairman of the Knowledge Commission. According to him, the present regulatory system is so inept that it is easy for anybody to set up a private professional college in India and fool regulators by hiring professors for three days.

Congress also responsible for Babri demolition: Mayawati

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Lucknow, July 01: Asking the central government to make public the Liberhan Commission report, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Tuesday alleged that the Congress was as much responsible as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. “Timely intervention by the Congress, which was ruling at the centre at that time, could have prevented the demolition of the Babri Masjid,” Mayawati told reporters here.

First conviction in India’s anti-Christian riots case

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New Delhi, July 01: An Indian court sentenced a man to two years in jail for the first conviction in the anti-Christian violence in the eastern state of Orissa, media reports said Wednesday.

A special court at Phulbani, seat of the communally sensitive Kandhamal district, sentenced a 58-year-old man for setting fire to a house and threatening to murder a man from the minority Christian community, the reporters reported.

Sarkozy urges Israel to sack Foreign Minister

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Jerusalem, July 01: The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has advised the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to fire his Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, according to two senior Israeli government officials.

M. Sarkozy said “you must get rid of that man” and replace him with the more moderate former foreign minister Tzipi Livni.

Mr Netanyahu replied that in private meetings Mr Lieberman “sounds differently” but M. Sarkozy retorted that in private talks, Jean-Marie Le Pen – the far-right French politician – is “a very nice man”.
–Agencies

LeT leader Madni grilled by Special Task Force

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Kolkata, July 01: Mohd. Omar Madni, an alleged aide of Pakistan-based LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, who was brought to the city from Delhi, has been interrogated by the Special Task Force of the Kolkata police.

Madni, brought on a transit remand to Kolkata yesterday in connection with a case relating to seizure of fake currency notes with a face value of Rs 60,000, would be produced before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Bankshal Court here later today.

Murray feeling pumped up for shot at glory

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England, July 01: Andy Murray was in recovery mode yesterday after his heroics of the night before, but the 22-year-old Scot was far from satisfied. As he prepared to face Juan Carlos Ferrero here this afternoon, with a place in his first Wimbledon semi-final at stake, Murray made it clear that he regarded his five-set victory over Stanislas Wawrinka on Monday as a mere stepping stone on the route to greater glory.

Jaya slams Sibal’s proposals

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Chennai, July 01: Reacting to HRD Minister Kapil Sibal’s proposal to scrap the 10th class examinations and conduct 12th standard exams under one board, AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa today said the plan appeared to have been made “unilaterally” and without “proper application of mind”.

“His (Sibal’s) announcement that the system of Board Examinations at the 10th standard level would be withdrawn and the 12th standard examinations would be a common examination for the whole country appears to have been made unilaterally and without proper application of mind,” she said in a statement here.

Bidding war for Iraq’s huge oil contracts sputters into life

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Baghdad, July 01: Iraq is locked in a struggle with the world’s largest oil companies over contracts that would see “Big Oil” return to the Iraqi oilfields for the first time in almost 40 years.

The award of contracts began in Baghdad yesterday and was broadcast live on television to show there were no secret corrupt deals.

But the process was immediately in trouble as some of the 32 international oil companies involved baulked at the low level of fees they would be paid by Iraq.

Liberhan report: BJP adopts wait and watch attitude

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New Delhi, June 30: The BJP has adopted a “wait-and-watch posture in the wake of the Liberhan Commission submitting its report on Babri Mosque demolition and is waiting for the government’s next move on it before firming up its own strategy.

“As of now, we don’t know how the Congress-led UPA government will handle the Commission’s report. Once the picture becomes clear, we will plan our response to it,” a senior BJP leader said.

BJP veterans L K Advani and M M Joshi, along with former party leaders Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh, are accused in the Babri mosque demolition case.

With Liberhan report in, the focus will be on court now

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New Delhi, June 30: With the Liberhan Commission submitting its report today after seventeen years, the focus will now be on the final outcome of the CBI investigations into the the Babri Masjid demolition episode.

The CBI, which in 1992 had taken up the investigations into the demolition as well as raising of provocative slogans, has registered 49 FIRs in various capacities.

Some of the accused include senior BJP leader and former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and others like former HRD minister Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti among others.

Nirupama Rao to be next Foreign Secretary

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New Delhi, June 30: Nirupama Rao, India’s Ambassador to China, will be the next Foreign Secretary becoming the second woman to hold the post of the top diplomat at a time when India’s relations with Pakistan are going through tough times in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack.

The 1973-batch IFS officer will succeed Shivshankar Menon who will be retiring on July 31 after an eventful three-year stint as Foreign Secretary.

The decision to appoint Rao as the Foreign Secretary was taken by the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet today.

BJP leader K Naresh resigns from party

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Hyderabad, June 30: Telugu film actor and BJP leader K Naresh today resigned from the primary membership of the party in Andhra Pradesh.

Naresh, who unsuccessfully contested from Hindupur Lok Sabha constituency in Anantapur district on party ticket,today sent his resignation letter to the state unit chief Bandaru Dattatreya, party sources said.

Naresh, who was state party’s vice-president, had recently resigned from the post which was accepted by the party.

Lalu asks PM to table Liberhan Commission report in LS

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Patna, June 30: RJD supremo Lalu Prasad today asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to table the report of the Liberhan Commission, that probed the 1992 demolition of Barbri Masjid in Ayodhya, in the coming session of Lok Sabha.

“I urge PM to submit the report of the Commission in the Lok Sabha,” Prasad told reporters here.

Though the entire country and the world knew about the real culprits, the people would still like to know what were the Commission’s findings, he said.

‘Jizya’ an internal matter of Pakistan: Preneet

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Ghanour (Patiala), June 30: The Minister of state for External Affairs Preneet Kaur today said that levying of ‘Jizya’ on Hindus and Sikhs by Taliban in Swat region was an internal matter of Pakistan though the government was concerned about it.

“We have taken up the matter with them and in future also we will raise it at an appropriate level and time,” she said while addressing a ‘thanksgiving’ rally here after scoring a hatrick of victories from the Patiala Lok Sabha seat.

She also expressed concern over racial attacks involving Indian students in Australia.

Venus crushes Polish challenge to set up date with Safina – Update

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London, June 30: Five-time winner Venus Williams marched into the semi-finals of the Wimbledon Championships Tuesday without the loss of a set so far, pounding out a 6-1 6-2 defeat of 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska. The American winner will face top-seeded world number one Dinara Safina, who overcame 15 double-faults to finally beat upcoming German challenger Sabine Lisicki 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-1.

Fourth seed Eena Dementieva joined her fellow Russian in the last four as she put out Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-2.

No reference from Petroleum Ministry: Law Ministry

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New Delhi, June 30: The Law Ministry today said it has not so far received any reference from the Petroleum Ministry on K G Basin gas settlement dispute between the Ambani brothers.

The Ministry in a statement said it has also “not expressed any view in the matter after the Bombay High Court judgement on the issue.”

The Law Ministry was responding to reports that the government will intervene in KG Basin gas settlement between Anil Ambani-led Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL) and Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries (RIL).

IARI suggests farmers to adopt drought tolerant crops

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New Delhi, June 30: Warning that absence of pre- monsoon showers are already having impact on growth of Kharif crops, Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) today suggested farmers to go for drought tolerant crops.

“If farmers do not have assured irrigation facility, they should opt for low water requiring or drought tolerant crops and varieties,” IARI said in a statement.

Dutch abortion medics protest violence against clinics, women

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Amsterdam, June 30: Employees of abortion clinics in the Netherlands will hold a minute of silence on July 1 to raise awareness about violence against women seeking abortions and against the doctors and clinics conducting them.

“This is a silent protest against those who are violent against women who want to undergo an abortion and their physicians,” Thea Schipper, director of the Bea Huis en Bloemenkliniek which performs abortions, told the Agencies.

–Agencies

Thai wildlife trafficker gets two years in the pen

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Bangkok, June 30: One of Thailand’s major wildlife traffickers has been sentenced to two years in jail for trying to smuggle 245 Malayan Pangolins and 63 Black Marsh Turtles into Bangkok three years ago, police sources said Tuesday. The Pangolins, an endangered scaly ant-eater indigenous to South-East Asia, were believed to be destined for China where they are deemed a culinary treat.

Buchanan meets Flower to reveal Australian secrets

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Birmingham, June 30: Unthinkable to an ordinary Australian, John Buchanan has revealed that he has shared with England coach Andy Flower some of the secrets of his long association with Ricky Ponting’s men which could be used in the home team’s advantage in the Ashes beginning July 8.

Buchanan, who guided Australia to a whitewash in the last Ashes has arrived here after agreeing to an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) deal to work as a coaching consultant.

Why didn’t BJP scrap Liberhan Commission: Cong

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New Delhi, June 30: Congress today launched a sharp attack on BJP over the Liberhan Commission report on Babri Masjid demolition asking it why it did not scrap the panel during its six-year rule if it felt that the move was a political vendetta.

It also said “excessive protests” by BJP even before contents of the Liberhan Commission report are out reflected a “guilty mind”.

AICC General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters that if BJP was now crying vendetta, then why it did not wound up the Commission when it was in power and on the other hand gave it extensions after extensions.

BCI for contempt action against Minister

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New Delhi, June 30: Bar Council of India, the apex regulatory body in legal profession, today said the Madras High Court judge should initiate contempt proceeding against a union minister who allegedly tried to influence him in a criminal case.

“The Judge should have started the contempt proceeding straight away against the minister concerned and seeking unqualified apology is a lenient approach,” BCI Chairman S N P Sinha told PTI.