Mumbai, April 05: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has opposed the plea-bargaining application of a former bank manager accused of siphoning off large sums of money of NRI depositors. The CBI contended that refunding part of the defrauded amount does not absolve the accused of criminal liability.
Hyderabad, April 05: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah on Sunday said that development at a fast pace was possible in the State only when a peaceful atmosphere was ensured.
Islamabad, April 05: Alleges Zardari also involved in the killing of Murtaza Bhutto
Fatima Bhutto, niece of slain Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and the former Pakistan Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, has said her aunt had covered up the 1996 killing of her (Ms. Fatima’s) father Murtaza.
Ms. Fatima alleged that Benazir’s husband Asif Ali Zardari, now Pakistan President, was also involved in the killing of Murtaza on September 20, 1996.
Chennai, April 05: The 14-day rally will give the participants an opportunity to see the entirely unknown parts of India
What will be the ideal mode of transport when you head out to see the world? A rickety autoriskshaw? That’s what a team of adventurers who will be making an epic 2,000-km autorickshaw rally through Tamil Nadu and Kerala believe.
New Delhi, April 05: Laws abused to intimidate activists, scribes in conflict zones
When does downloading a document from the Internet land you in jail? In the strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir, the Official Secrets Act (OSA) can do the trick. Like it did for journalist Iftikhar Gilani back in 2003.
When does calling upon “Dalits, women, minorities, farmers and adivasis to build organisations in order to fight for their rights” (among other things) qualify as sedition? In the police notice to Dr. Rati Rao, vice president of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, it does.
Geneva, April 05: SPACE is about to have a female population explosion, with four women set to be in orbit at the same time.
This week NASA will attempt to launch three women to the International Space Station, where they will join another woman who is already circling earth in a Russian capsule.
It will be the most women in space at the one time.
The astronauts are a former schoolteacher, a chemist who once worked as an electrician and two aerospace engineers.
New Delhi, April 05: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will attend a global meeting in Washington convened by U.S. President Barack Obama next week aimed at strengthening national measures on protecting nuclear material and combating their trafficking.
The initiative, while adhering to multilateral instruments and norms, would help in the expanded use of civil nuclear energy, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told newspersons here on Sunday.
New Delhi, April 05: After the recent ruckus in Rajya Sabha, the government wants to play it safe
Finance Minister and Leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee has convened a meeting of all-party floor leaders in the Lok Sabha on Monday to discuss the Women’s Reservation Bill, which was passed by the Rajya Sabha on March 9.
The government intends to table the Bill for consideration and approval of the Lok Sabha. If ratified by at least half of the State Legislative Assemblies, the Bill will become effective, and thus the 108th Amendment to the Constitution will be made.
Kolkata, April 05: Maoists have changed strategy and shifted to low-intensity conflict, Union home minister P Chidambaram said during a visit to Naxalite heartland Lalgarh in West Bengal on Sunday.
Calling Maoists cowards, he said they are realising their gradually weakening grip over traditional strongholds in the face of heavy offensive by security personnel.
New Delhi, April 05: India today virtually ruled out handing over Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist caught during the 26/11 strikes, or his associate Fahim Ansari to Pakistan as it emphasised that “justice” was taking its course in this country in the Mumbai attacks case.
“We are trying Kasab and others here in India following the Mumbai terrorist attacks,” foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said when asked to comment on Pakistan approaching Interpol for arresting Kasab and Ansari for trial in that country.
Baghdad, April 05: Two people were killed and 35 injured in a car bomb explosion near a police patrol in Iraq’s northern city of Mosul, police said.
A booby-trapped car parked near a marketplace in the Wadi Hajar neighborhood in southern Mosul exploded Sunday evening near a passing police patrol, Xinhua reported quoting the police.
The blast also destroyed a nearby old building and damaged several others.
Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, has been a stronghold of insurgent groups and Al Qaeda fighters in the war-torn country.
Islamabad, April 05: Shoib Malik may cry hoarse saying he was cheated and deceived by Ayesha Siddiqui, but in his homeland Pakistan, public sympathy is with his alleged first wife. This interesting fact was revealed in an opinion poll conducted by a television channel there.
A Geo TV show on Shoaib’s much- anticipated wedding with Sania Mirza put a question to the viewers, asking who they thought was wrong in the controversy.
Ayesha won with an overwhelming majority, with 68 per cent of the viewers believing she was wronged. Only 38 per cent sympathised with Shoaib.
Mumbai, April 05: Men are from Mars and women are from Venus – quite literally in “Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai”, releasing Friday. It teams up Riteish Deshmukh and Jacqueline Fernandez, with the Sri Lankan beauty playing a woman who descends on Earth from Venus in search of love.
The directorial debut of Milap Zaveri – who wrote rib-tickling comedies like “Masti” and “Heyy Babyy” – is a small-budget movie co-produced by Mukesh Talreja and Nikhil Advani.
Mumbai, April 05:L After Brazilian Giselle Monteiro and Mexican Barbara Mori, it’s Egyptian Aida Elkashef’s turn to make her debut in an Indian movie as an actress. Director Anand Gandhi says initially he didn’t plan to cast her in “Theseus’ Ship”.
“I met Aida at the Berlin Film Festival where she had come to showcase one of her movies,” Gandhi told IANS on phone from Mumbai, where he is currently shooting the first leg of the movie, his first feature film.
New Delhi, April 05: Paul Collingwood struck a brilliant knock on a slow Ferozeshah Kotla track as Delhi Daredevils continued their rampaging form to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 37 runs in the Indian Premier League here Sunday.
Collingwood smashed an unbeaten 75 off 46 balls, peppering the mid wicket boundary with six of his seven sixes that enthralled the packed crowd here, and carried Delhi Daredevils to 184 for five.
The bowlers then backed it with a fine performance to restrict Royal Challengers Bangalore to 147 for nine.
Hyderabad, April 05: Former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik, against whom ‘first wife’ Ayesha Siddiqui filed a complaint on Sunday, may not be allowed to leave India.
Hours after the complaint was registered at the Banjara Hills police station, charging the cricketer with harassment and cheating, Hyderabad police chief AK Khan said all international airports in the country have been alerted about the criminal plaint. This could block Malik’s exit from India.
New Delhi, April 04: A day ahead of the empowered group of ministers meeting to re-look the national food security bill, the Congress Sunday said that the proposed legislation should provide maximum benefits to the needy sections of society.
“The needy sections of society should get maximum benefits,” Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told IANS.
He said that present entitlement of below poverty line (BPL) families should be protected under the proposed legislation.
New Delhi, April 04: Being a movie star is not all about living in luxury or basking in the love of your fans, as life in the limelight makes actors extremely vulnerable as well.
“A star’s life is not all about riding a fancy car and being popular among people. People don’t realise that they are also very vulnerable and emotional. They live their lives in the limelight which is not all about adulation and screaming fans,” said Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi.
Kathmandu, April 04: Three Indian nationals have been arrested in western Nepal for their alleged invovelment in a series of robberies and looting incidents, police said.
The arrested — Vivek Das, 42, Santosh Das, 20, and Sumit Das, 19 — all from Gorakhpur town in Uttar Pradesh, the state bordering Nepal, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) at Butawal Police Station Dan Bahadur Karki said.
The arrest came after the police stepped vigilance at banks in Butwal Municipality of west Nepal, after a man was robbed of Rs 53,000 from a branch of the Everest Bank there last week.
Kolkata, April 04: Tata Motors has paid the lease rent of Rs 1 crore till March next year for its land at Singur, where the company’s small car ‘Nano’ was initially scheduled to roll out from.
Officials of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) told PTI today that the company paid the advance annual lease rent of Rs 1 crore last month for the year 2010-11.
Tata Motors had withdrawn the ‘Nano’ project from Singur in West Bengal in October 2008 and shifted it to Sanand in Gujarat as it faced opposition from displaced farmers.
Srinagar, April 04: Armed militants barged into the house of a senior Congress leader in Pulwama district of south Kashmir this evening and opened fire at him but he escaped unhurt as his personal security officer shot back killing one of the ultras and leaving another injured.
A group of about four heavily armed militants intruded into the house of district Congress President Pulwama Abdul Gani Dar at Rohama, 40 kms from here around 8.10 PM, police said.
Peshawar, April 04: At least 33 Taliban militants were killed and eight arrested today during fresh clashes in the volatile Orakzai tribal region in northwest Pakistan, official sources said.
Twenty-one militants were killed and 16 others injured in a gun battle with the security forces in the Syed Khalil Kalay area of Orakzai Agency.
Eight militants were arrested during the skirmish.
Following the clash, authorities imposed curfew in the area from Kalaya to Anjani.
Jammu, April 04: The BJP today charged the National Conference-led government in Jammu and Kashmir with failing on the front of development and acting on a separatist agenda.
Contrary to claims of progress made by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s government, the ground realities were that even basic needs including drinking water power were not being met, BJP’s Legislature Party leader Chaman Lal Gupta told reporters here today.
He alleged the NC was pursuing a separatist agenda.
New Delhi, April 04: Paul Collingwood blasted an unbeaten 46-ball 75 to guide Delhi Daredevils to a competitive 184 for five against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League match here today.
Collingwood slammed three fours and seven sixes to anchor the Delhi innings after skipper Gautam Gambhir won the toss and elected to bat first at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium.
Virender Sehwag (35) and David Warner (33) set the tone for Delhi, but the hosts once again lost too many wickets in the middle overs in the form of Gambhir (1), Dinesh Karthik (6) and Kedar Jadhav (7).
Jammu, April 04: Security forces have busted three hideouts in the region and recovered arms, ammunition and explosive material, official sources said today.
Acting on a tip-off, teams of the army, police and 151 battalion of the CRPF busted a militant hideout at Bhaderwah in Doda district today, they said.
They recovered 40 rounds of AK rifle, five rounds of INSAS rifle, one 303 rifle, five electronic detonators, one IED remote control, three detonators, one blanket, five kg pressure cooker, 4 kg gas cylinder, 10 kg ration and prepared food and vegetables.
–Agencies