Month: April 2011

Adi Godrej succeeds Rajat Gupta as ISB chairman

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Hyderabad, April 02: Godrej Group chairman Adi Godrej was Saturday elected the chairman of the city-based Indian School of Business (ISB). He succeeded Rajat Gupta, who resigned March 21 after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) slapped insider trading charges on him.

Adi was unanimously elected the chairman by the executive board at its meeting, attended by 14 of its 30 members.

The board accepted the resignation of Indian-American businessman Rajat Gupta, who founded ISB a decade ago.

Woman, granddaughter found strangled in Delhi

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New Delhi, April 02: A 65-year-old woman and her 15-year-old granddaughter were found strangled inside their house in West Delhi, police said Saturday. Their two suspected attackers, a distant relative and his friend, are absconding.

Krishna Devi’s son Satyapal and his wife had gone to Kurukshetra Friday and the elderly lady was staying with her grandchildren — Nancy, Reshav, Easha and Ajay.

Maoists kill former CPI-M supporter in Bengal

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Kolkata, April 02: A teacher and former supporter of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was shot dead by Maoists in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district Saturday, police said.

Prabodh Mahato, a resident of Ghritakham village in Jhargram sub-division, was gunned down by a gang of Maoists when he was returning home after bathing at a nearby canal near Gerulia village, West Midnapore Additional Police superintendent (Operation) Mukesh Kumar said.

Cricket fan Hrithik prefers shoot to World Cup final

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Mumbai, April 02: Though an ardent cricket lover, Bollywood hunk Hrithik Roshan decided against cancelling Saturday’s shooting for a Karan Johar film to catch the India-Sri Lanka World Cup final in Wankhede.

The actor is shooting for the adapted version of the 1990 hit “Agneepath”, produced and directed by Karan Johar.

“Knowing Hrithik’s love for the game, Karan Johar asked Hrithik if he would like to take a day off to watch the final, but the professional actor said a firm ‘NO’,” a source said.

Heavy fighting rages in Ivory Coast

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Abijan, April 02: Heavy fighting is taking place in Ivory Coast’s main city Abidjan as fighters supporting president-elect Alassane Ouattara battle for control of the presidential palace.

Pro-Ouattara fighters met with fierce resistance from incumbent Laurent Gbagbo’s forces around the presidential palace and other strategic locations on Saturday.

Residents say they heard loud explosions near the Cocody neighborhood where Gbagbo’s official residence is located.

BJP rulers in illegal property deals in Himachal: Virabhadra

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Shimla, April 02: Top political functionaries of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Himachal Pradesh are involved in illegal property transactions and promoting realtors in the state, union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Virbhadra Singh said here Saturday.

“The entire Himachal Pradesh is up for sale,” Singh, a five-time former chief minister and Congress leader who is currently touring the state, told reporters.

Without naming anybody, he said Bantony Estate, a prime British-era property near Scandal Point in Shimla, has been purchased by a private party.

10 radioactive contamination cases found in China

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Beijing, April 02: At least 10 cases of radioactive contamination have been detected in China since Japan’s nuclear power plant disaster, China’s quarantine watchdog said Saturday.

High levels of radiation have been found on people, planes, vessels and containers entering China from Japan, said Li Yuanping, spokesman for the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

NATO airstrikes kill Libyan civilians

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Tripoli, April 02: The warplanes belonging to the Western-led military coalition have killed several Libyan civilians as they dropped bombs on opposition-held town of Brega.

The opposition says at least 13 of its fighters and several civilians were killed in a NATO airstrike on the outskirts of Brega on Saturday.

The Libyan regime also says at least seven civilians were killed when foreign jets pounded a village near the oil city of Brega.

The developments come a day after a top Vatican official said NATO airstrikes on Libya have killed dozens of civilians.

Hundreds of sadhus march to Delhi for clean Yamuna

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Agra, April 02: Hundreds of sadhus, on a march to demand release of water into the drying and polluted Yamuna and cleaning of the river, left for the national capital Saturday after camping overnight in Agra.

The mendicants camped in the Taj city for a day Friday and held a Mahapanchayat to unanimously demand release of water into the Yamuna from various barrages upstream. They began their foot march March 2 from the Sangam – the confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna – in Allahabad.

Three arrested for kidnapping minor boy

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Lucknow, April 02: Three persons were arrested for allegedly kidnapping a minor boy from Unjhani area in Badaun district, police said here today.

Shaan Sapra (7) was kidnapped by some persons from Unjhani town on March 27, they said, adding, a case was lodged in this connection.

On March 31, Sapra’s family member paid Rs two lakh as ransom after which the boy was released, they said, adding during investigation names of five persons, including a domestic help at boy’s residence, cropped up and they were arrested yesterday.

Sack Goa Education Minister: BJP

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Panaji, April 02: BJP demanded Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat to sack Education Minister Monserrate, who was detained at the Mumbai airport today for allegedly carrying unaccounted Indian and foreign currency, and said the party will not allow the Assembly to function till he is dropped.

Kamat should make a statement on the issue, explaining why his minister was going to Dubai with such a huge amount of cash, Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar told reporters here.

Host of celebrities witness summit clash of World Cup

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Mumbai, April 02: President Pratibha Patil and her Sri Lankan counter-part Mahinda Rajapaksha were among the host of high-profile personalities who attended the India-Sri Lanka World Cup final match at a fully packed Wankhede stadium here today.

Union Minister Kapil Sibal, former Union Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor and his wife Sunanda Pushkar were also present to watch Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men clash with Kumara Sangakkara’s boys in the first All-Asian summit contest in the history of the tournament.

Sri Lanka set India 275-run target in World Cup final

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Mumbai, April 02:Mahela Jayawardene scored an unbeaten 103 as Sri Lanka set India a 275-run target in the World Cup final at the Wankhede Stadium here Saturday.

Jayawardene hit 13 fours in his 87-ball knock while Kumar Sangakkara made 48.

Nuwan Kulasekara chipped in with 32 and Thisara Perrera smashed 22 off nine balls towards the end. Sri Lanka ended with 274 for the loss of six wickets.

Zaheer Khan (2-60), whose first three overs were maidens, was at the receiving end of Perrera’s onslaught and conceded 18 runs in the last over.

Yuvraj Singh took two wickets for 49 runs.

Bank manager sent to judicial custody

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Ghaziabad, April 02: A branch manager of Union Bank of India, who was arrested in Muzaffarnagar for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a farmer, has been sent to 14 days judicial custody by a special CBI court here.

UBI branch manager J P Gupta was produced last evening in the court which sent him to judicial custody.

Economic Jihad leads Iran to prosperity

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Tehran, April 02: The Iranian envoy to Malaysia says naming the year 1390 (2011-20112) as “The Year of Economic Jihad” by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution will stimulate Iran’s economy.

“Over the past decades the Leader [of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei], with his complete awareness of domestic and international issues, has chosen a name for every new year that has motivated society,” media quoted Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi as saying on Saturday.

Kidnapped boy rescued, two arrested

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Mumbai, April 02: An Indian-origin American toddler, kidnapped for ransom two days ago here, was today recovered from Manmad and a house-maid and her husband were arrested, the police said.

The one-and-a-half-year-old Vihaan was rescued at 12.30 am at the Manmad railway station (in Nashik district) and two abductors, Sangeeta Singh (32) and her husband Hari Singh (40), were arrested, said Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Himanshu Roy here.

The couple had planned to take the boy to Delhi and make a ransom call for Rs five lakh from there.

Sibal stresses on spreading distance education

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New Delhi, April 02: Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Saturday said the government was aiming to get at least seven million students, largely from the underprivileged sections, enrolled in distance education programme to make education inclusive.

In a message at the convocation function of the Indira Gandhi National Open University, Sibal said that distant education can help in achieving the gross enrollment ratio of 30 percent by 2020.

Fresh violence erupts in Karimnagar

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Karimnagar, April 02: Karimnagar continued to remain tense on Friday as an angry mob went on the rampage at Rajiv Chowk even as additional forces were deployed and Section 144 was promulgated in the town.

Trouble brewed during the celebrations after India’s victory in the World Cup semifinal over Pakistan on Wednesday night and led to clashes between two groups.

Many persons, including policemen, suffered head injuries in stoning and shops and vehicles were attacked.

Yesterday the national flag was pulled down from the Clock Tower and a religious flag was hoisted in its place.

Gaddafi now a nervous wreck, says former aide

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London, April 02: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has become a “psychological wreck” and was hiding in a “bomb-battered bunker” surrounded by his henchmen, according to a former aide.

Musa Kusa, Gaddafi’s foreign minister who defected to Britain, has told officials the “shaken” leader was “cowering” in the rubble of his bunker, The Sun reported.

Kusa has given officials an “extraordinary account” of the conditions in the protest-hit North African nation.

Zaheer Khan celebrates

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Zaheer Khan celebrates the dismissal of Sri Lanka’s Upul Tharanga, during the Cricket World Cup final match between India and Sri Lanka in Mumbai.

Number of girls dipped to the lowest

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Hyderabad, April 2: The notion of considering girl as a burden instead of considering dowry as an evil has resulted in female foeticide. The number of girls compared to boys is dropping down as we believe that son brings prosperity and the girl takes away joy.

In the age of darkness in Arabia people used to bury their daughters alive as they thought them to be the cause of disgrace the reason was that at that time sex of the foetus could not be determined before birth.

Frenzied Kolkata seek repeat of 1983

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Kolkata, April 02: For the second time in the week, Kolkata today witnessed near-empty roads with people glued to TV sets while die-hard fans offered prayers for India’s World Cup final victory over Sri Lanka in Mumbai.

The now-or-never feeling caught up with everyone as they believed this was India’s best chance to repeat the feat of ‘Kapil’s Devils’ 28 years ago.

Chirag United coach Subrata Bhattacharya has a crucial I-League match tomorrow but the former India footballer was also seen caught up with cricket fever.

Argentines mark Falklands War anniv.

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Argentina, April 02: The 29th anniversary of the Falklands or Malvinas War was marked in Argentina, as the people gathered to remember the lives of those lost during the conflict.

“It’s an honor to pay tribute to those who gave their lives during the war. Under the constitution we have sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, and the government must take all possible diplomatic measures to make our case heard,” BA Secretary for Human Rights Daniel Lipovetzky told to media.

Wanted criminal killed in police encounter

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Pratapgarh (UP), April 02: A wanted criminal was today killed and his two accomplices were arrested in an encounter with security personnel in Lalganj area here, officials said.

38-year-old Vimal Upadhyaya, carrying a cash award of Rs 5,000 and had 27 cases against him, was killed in an encounter with the joint team of special task force of police and special operations group, DSP Shashikant Tiwari said.

A PAC jawan was also injured in the encounter, he said, adding that two of Vimal aides were arrested during the joint operation.

—-PTI

UPA doing best job of unearthing black money: Raj Babbar

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Raigarh, April 02: Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar today said that the credit for initiating a campaign against black money should be given to the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and not to yoga guru Baba Ramdev.

Babbar, a Congress MP, was here to release a book on the life of former legislator Ramkumar Agrawal.

Talking to PTI, Babbar said UPA government unearthed more black money than any non-Congress government.

Babbar, a former Samajwadi Party member, also claimed that Congress would come to power in Uttar Pradesh in the next elections.