Qayam Ali

The benchmark BSE Sensex rebounded sharply by over 156 points and the broader Nifty traded above the crucial 8,000-level on solid buying in capital goods, healthcare, auto, IT, oil & gas, consumer durables, realty and
technology sectors.

Banking, power and metal counters saw some selling pressure though.

Investor sentiment got a lift from strong IIP and steady inflation (CPI) numbers released on Friday despite weak Asian cues. The 2-day US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is slated to meet tomorrow.

The benchmark BSE Sensex fell over 117 points in early trade on continued capital outflows by foreign funds and selling by investors despite improved IIP numbers and steady inflation data.

A weak trend at other Asian markets after negotiations between Greece and its creditors broke down dampened sentiment.

The 30-share barometer, which had gained 54.32 points in the previous session on Friday, was trading down 117.46 points, or 0.44%, at 26,307.84 with IT, technology, consumer durables, power, banking, PSU and metal sectors leading the losses.

Alarmed by a recent spate of threats and counter-threats exchanged between India and Pakistan, the United States has reportedly urged the two countries to ease tension and resume talks.

US State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke told the two neighbours that the relationship between them was ‘critical’ to maintaining peace and stability in the South Asian region and added that Washington welcomed any measure that could reduce tension between India and Pakistan, reported the Dawn.

A party constituted as part of the Swachh Hyderabad campaign to identify civic issues, has recommended replacement of age-old water and sewer pipelines (Nizam-era pipelines) in the city.

The committee comprising of ministers, MLAs, GHMC commissioner and HMWS&SB managing director which had received many complaints regarding water pollution, has suggested constitution of an expert committee to study pollution and leakages.

The committee, which, visited several areas in the city also recommended waiver of nearly Rs 75 crore water dues from slum-dwellers pending for several years.

While the Maggi row is still raging, a woman in the UP capital found hundreds of dead worms in a pack of the Complan energy drink, prompting authorities to order a test just days after food giant Nestle withdrew its popular Maggi noodles across the country following food safety concerns.

The food supplement or the ‘complete planned food’ as the makers say, seems to have landed in trouble after this discovery.

A Catholic bishop in Kerala on Saturday kicked up a controversy saying that Christian girls were being “abducted by love jihad” which, he claimed, was being carried out secretly by motives of Hindu outfit Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam.

The SNDP Yogam is a prominent community of outfit of Ezhava, a backward Hindu community in Kerala.

After the BJP-led govt in Maharashtra banned the slaughter of bulls and bullocks in addition to cows, since then worries started for Dharavi’s traders. One of the world’s largest slums ‘Dharvi’ which boasts a thriving leather industry of small-scale units hits hardly by Maha govt decision.

According to reports the leather business is one of the biggest contributors to the Mumbai slum’s informal economy, estimated to have an annual turnover of more than $500 million.

In an effort to enhance security in city buses, particularly for women commuters, Aam Aadmi Party government has decided to install close circuit television (CCTV) cameras in 5,000 buses in the first phase, besides deploying trained marshals.

The government will make a provision of around Rs 100 crore in the upcoming Budget to execute the flagship project for CCTV installation that will cover DTC and Orange-colour cluster buses

At present, there are around 4,700 DTC buses out of which 924 standard-floor buses (yellow) are all set to be scrapped as they have completed their age.

India is set to acquire a prime property here for an estimated 4 million pounds where BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution and dalit rights activist, lived during his student days in the 1920s.

An “under offer” sign outside the 10 King Henry’s Road townhouse on a leafy street in Chalk Farm area of north London indicates that the sale process is nearly complete.

A blue plaque commemorates the fact that Ambedkar lived there in 1921-22 when he was studying at London School of Economics (LSE).

Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi and two leaders of Majlis Bachao Tahreek (MBT) were booked on Saturday for allegedly giving provocative speeches and promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, police said.

Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan today accused BJP of giving a religious hue to yoga which, he said, is “secular” and belongs to everyone.

“Yoga is secular. People from all the religion practice yoga as it is a form of physical exercise, but BJP in the last 2-3 days made yoga a Hindu practice. Yoga has no religion, it belongs to everyone. It is sad that BJP is associating it with one religion,” Khan said here.

He mocked at the Centre, saying that yoga helps increasing appetite but due to rampant inflation under the NDA rule, people can’t even afford to eat.

Hindus in Mahoba district have decided to fast during the Islamic month of Ramzan to take the campaign forward led by Muslims. Muslims have written to Narendra Modi in ‘mann ki baat’ (Sanskrit) to press for an AIIMS-like institute in Mahoba in UP.

“We want to attract the attention of government towards our problem. We have opted for an exceptional route to show that lack of health services in the region is an important issue that cannot be ignored,” said a social activist Tara Patkar, who is going to lead the group of the 25-odd Hindu rozedars.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, who launched a vociferous protest against the PDP-BJP coalition government on Saturday, said all decisions regarding the state are first taken in Nagpur, where the RSS headquarters is located.

“We want to remind Mufti sahab of the promises he made. All decisions regarding Jammu and Kashmir happen first in Nagpur, then with Modi ji and then here,” said Omar.

Describing the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led regime as a non-starter, the agitating National Conference (NC) activists vociferously demanded a change.

The FTII students on Saturday vowed to continue their protest against the appointment of television actor Gajendra Chauhan as the new chairman of its governing council by boycotting classes and shutting down administrative offices on the campus.

About 150 students pursuing various courses at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) went on a flash strike on Friday.

Asserting that they would continue their protest till the demand is met, the students body alleged that it was purely out of consideration of his affiliation with BJP that Chauhan was chosen for the key post.

In a veiled attack on India, Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif on Saturday accused it of “creating instability” through ceasefire violations and supporting militancy in different areas of the country.

“The entire world endorses our security concerns. Ceasefire violation, blood-letting in Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Karachi manifest enemy’s hostile intent,” he said, without naming India.

A total of 687 cadets were inducted into the Indian army as officers on Saturday after a passing-out parade at the prestigious Indian Military Academy here.

The chief of Naval staff admiral R K Dhowan reviewed the parade which was held on Drill Square in front of the historic Chetwood building amidst tight security.

71 foreign gentleman cadets also graduated from the academy, with 44 cadets from Afghanistan, 12 cadets from Tajikistan and 4 from Bhutan.

Fifteen passengers were killed and around 30 others injured when a speeding truck allegedly collided with two tractor-trolleys in Malawan area, police said on Saturday.

The two vehicles were on their way to a canal for a ceremony related to Bhagawat puja which was being organized in Pura village, additional superintendent of police RP Gupta said

The speeding truck rammed into one of the tractor-trolley on Mainpuri road. The damaged trolley later climbed on the second trolley which was moving in front due to high impact of the collision, he said.

Two days after the Delhi Commission for Women summoned him on charges of harassing his wife, AAP leader Somnath Bharti on Saturday said they were untrue and lacked substance.

Bharti said he will appear before the commission wherever he had to and “when a legitimate” need arose.

Bharti claimed that he had been living separately from his wife for the past five years and therefore there was “no question of any domestic violence”.

Among his wife’s demands were to “choose between her and my mother,” and quit AAP and politics, Bharti told reporters.

In order to overcome the traffic chaos in city, the GHMC has come up with a new proposal which aim at decongesting traffic in twin cities. This time GHMC plans of a sky-way along the Musi River.

GHMC in consultation with experts, has identified nearly 40 road junctions in the city that are constantly plagued by traffic jams, leading to long waiting times and increasing pollution from idling vehicles.

Across-the-board selling triggered by a host of negative factors including announcement of macro economic data and concerns over the progress of monsoon kept the market under pressure for the third straight week as the BSE Sensex tumbled by 343 points in the week.

However, the market might get a push next week as the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data surprisingly grew in April at an annual rate of 4.1% to a two-month high, but the consumer price index (CPI) inflation rose to 5.1% in May from 4.87 per cent in April.

Actress-filmmaker Angelina Jolie, addressing the African Union summit, has called for more global support to end violence against women around the world.

Jolie, 40, who is the special envoy to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, sat on a panel of foreign leaders to deliver a speech at the biannual event, held here and Pretoria, South Africa, this year. She lamented that crimes against women, both in conflict zones and “within societies at peace”, are given lesser attention than needed, reported People magazine.

The PCB has decided to give seniority the priority in finalizing the new central contracts for 2015 with the captains of all three formats of the game being placed in the top category.

According to a well-placed source in the board the PCB will announce the list of players being given the central contracts after the board of governors meeting on Saturday. “A total of 31 players are being given central contracts and the board has decided after consulting with the national selectors and the present captains to place seniors in the top category,” the source said.

Geoffrey Boycott has hailed BCCI’s decision to persist with Ravi Shastri as Team India Director and said that at the highest level an international side needs a manager and not a coach.

“I am glad Ravi is there and they do not have a coach. Because personally I like Ravi Shastri a lot as he has lot to offer. Personally the use of a coach is over emphasised, manager is a better word. At the top, people shouldn’t be coaching,” Boycott said. “If anything they need for managing and organising, for me the captain leads the team, sets the tone on the field,” he added.

There has been a worldwide delay in issuing US passports and visas due to technical problems for some time. It is not specific to any particular country, the US embassy clarified on today, while apologising for the delay.

“The department of state’s bureau of consular affairs is currently experiencing technical problems with our overseas passport and visa systems,” the embassy said in a statement here.

Apologising for the inconvenience caused, the embassy said: “This issue is not specific to any particular country, citizenship document, or visa category.”

Union Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said the people of Nagaland were weary of insurgency and their resolve for peace remains unshaken.
Mr Singh, who was in Nagaland on a day-long visit, met Chief Minister TR Zeliang. The two later attended a joint meeting of the state cabinet and senior officers, according to an official statement.