Month: May 2013

ICC warned BCCI about Meiyappan’s wrongdoings

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) is reported to have warned the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about Chennai Super King’s owner Gurunath Meiyappan’s frequent interactions with bookies during the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

According to TV reports, the transcripts of conversations between Meiyappan and small time actor Vindoo Dara Singh have revealed Meiyappan telling Vindoo that ICC had warned the BCCI about his spot-fixing trade offs.

National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan meeting held at Dehradun

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The eighteenth National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) and preparedness meeting was held here on Friday.

The Director General Indian Coast Guard and Chairman NOSDCP, Vice Admiral Anurag G Thapliyal, chaired the meeting that was attended by a total of 70 delegates from various ministries, central and state governments, ports and oil companies.

HRD Ministry to provide financial assistance to needy children

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The HRD Ministry has decided to provide financial assistance for higher education to needy children who have passed with minimum B1 grade under CBSE grading system in 10th / 12th examination.

Parents’ income of such children should not exceed Rs. 5000/- per month. The amount of grant given to such meritorious students shall not exceed Rs. 20,000/- for Class X and Rs. 40,000/ for class XII during any one financial year.

Top seeds Sania-Lindstedt out of French Open

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Top seeds Sania Mirza and Robert Lindstedt were humbled by Cara Black and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi in the mixed doubles first round at the French Open here Friday.

The Indo-Swede pair lost 2-6, 3-6 to the Zimbabwean-Pakistani combine on court six of the Roland Garros.

In women’s doubles, Sania and her American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands play the French duo of Alize Cornet and Virginie Razzano later in the tournament.

—IANS

CBI wants Anil Ambani, wife summoned in 2G case

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought permission of a Delhi Court to summon Reliance ADA Group chairman Anil Ambani and his wife Tina Ambani as prosecution witnesses in the 2G spectrum case.

A Delhi court yesterday issued notices to all the accused in the 2G spectrum case seeking their response on July 3 on a plea by the CBI seeking to call 17 more prosecution witnesses, including Anil Ambani and his wife Tina.

Aarushi-Hemraj murder case: No acquittal order for Talwars

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A Ghaziabad court on Friday decided to continue the trial in the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case after declining to give an acquittal order to main suspects, Aarushi’s parents, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar.

The next date of hearing is on June 11 when the defence is likely to examine witnesses.

The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court was expected to decide if there is enough evidence to continue trial against the Talwars.

Aarushi Talwar and the Talwars’ domestic help Hemraj were found murdered in May 2008. (ANI)

Shinde holds high-level meet, says Centre, states will launch joint action against Naxals

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Days after the brutal attack by Maoists on Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Friday said that the Centre and states would undertake joint operations to eliminate the Naxal threat.

Shinde, who was presiding over a high-level meeting to review the security situation in Chhattisgarh in the wake of the May 25 Naxal attack, said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is investigating whether their was a security lapse that led to the tragic Bastar incident.

Jitendra Singh inaugurates software defined radio system

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Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh inaugurated the Software Defined Radio (SDR) system at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Strategic Electronic Research Design Centre (SLRDC) at Hyderabad Friday.

According to an official release, the minister experienced the communication between SDRs. He welcomed HAL’s indigenous development of Softnet Radio for Airborne Communication and Net Centric Warfare and congratulated the company for manufacturing high-end tech-instruments.

Spot-fixing scandal: Mumbai Court extends police custody of Vindoo and Meiyappan

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A Mumbai Court today extended the police custody of actor Vindoo Dara Singh and BCCI President N. Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan till June 3.

Additional Metropolitan Magistrate A.A. Khan also extended the police custody of Alpesh Patel, a hawala operator, and Prem Taneja, a conduit for bookies.

All the accused are in police custody in connection with the IPL spot- fixing scam.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Crime Brach today also recorded the statement of Chennai hotelier Vikram Agarwal.

Minor girl raped in Himachal Pradesh

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A 12-year-old girl, daughter of a migrant labourer from Jharkhand, was allegedly raped by a youth at Bandla near Palampur in Kangra district Friday.

The victim was allegedly dragged by the accused Varun (24) to a semi-constructed abandoned house, where he committed the crime, police said.

Varun, working as cook with a tent house, hails from Baijnath but was residing near Bandla for past one year.

The accused has been arrested, police said.

Manmohan keeps up suspense on third term

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today kept up the suspense on whether he aspires for a third term in office if the UPA comes to power after the Lok Sabha elections slated next year.

Singh, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha for the fifth consecutive term yesterday from Assam, was asked by reporters on his way back from Japan and Thailand whether he will accept Prime Ministership, if the opportunity arises.

BPO firm driver held for dropping woman employee at lonely spot

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The driver of a Gurgaon-based global business process outsourcing firm has been arrested for allegedly violating Delhi Police’s order of dropping a woman employee, returning home at odd hours from work, at her doorsteps.

The driver, Sunil Kumar, had dropped the company’s woman employee on the main road at a deserted place, about a kilometre away from her house in B-Block Amar Colony, in the wee hours of yesterday.

She was spotted walking on the deserted road alone by two constables, who were on patrolling duty in A and B Block of Amar Colony, a senior police official said.

Pakistani troops violate ceasefire again along the line of control

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In yet another ceasefire violation, Pakistani troops fired at Indian positions along the line of control in Nawgam sector of Kashmir valley but there was no causality.

“Pakistani troops opened firing on our positions this evening, using small firearms and RPGs in Nawgam sector,” an army spokesman said here.

He said the Indian Army exercised total restraint and did not retaliate to the unprovoked firing from the other side.

Chhattisgarh Maoist assault a terror attack: Shinde

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Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Friday termed the May 25 Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh in which 30 people were killed, including some senior Congress party leaders, as a terror attack but declined to point it to intelligence failure, saying two probes are being held into the audacious attack.

Addressing a joint press conference with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh here, Shinde said the Maoist massacre in 2010 of 76 security personnel in Tadmetla and the May 25 attack on the Congress rally were “nothing other than a terror (activity)”.

UPA biased in countering Maoists, alleges Rajnath Singh

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh on Friday accused the Congress-led UPA Government of not extending enough cooperation to the Raman Singh-led Chhattisgarh Government in the fight against Maoists.

Singh, who addressed a meeting of his party workers here, lauded Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh for eliminating Maoists from many districts of the state.

BCCI secretary, treasurer resign

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The Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing scandal took a new turn Friday evening as two top Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials resigned from their posts on moral grounds.

BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke resigned saying that they were “hurt”, “disturbed” and “not comfortable” in continuing, piling on the pressure on board president N. Srinivasan’s ouster.

Manmohan Singh hints at Cabinet expansion

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Onboard Air India One, May 31 (ANI): The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on Friday said a Cabinet expansion of the Congress led UPA-II Government is under consideration.

“There are some vacancies in the Cabinet. The issue of filling them up is being considered,” Dr. Singh told mediapersons onboard his special aircraft Air India One while returning home after his successful two-nation visit to Japan and Thailand.

Girl sues airline for doing nothing to stop man as he masturbated next to her

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Washington, May 31 (ANI): United Airlines has just been accused of allowing a male passenger to masturbate next to a 17-year-old girl on board one of its flights last year.

Monica Amestoy, now 18, has filed a lawsuit against the airline, in which she has claimed that a male passenger seated across the aisle from her exposed his penis to her during the flight and masturbated, TMZ.com reported.

She was flying back to L.A, from a high school debate tournament in New York.

Amestoy told Allread that she complained to a flight attendant multiple times but they did nothing to stop the man.

Youngsters easiest prey for sexual assaults

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Washington, May 31 (ANI): Young people — both male and female — are the most likely targets of rape and other sexual assaults, a Penn State criminologist has claimed.

According to Richard Felson, professor of criminology and sociology, the most frequent victims of those assaults are 15 years old, regardless of gender, or the age of the offender.

Older people and women rarely commit the crime, but when they do, their most frequent victims are still 15 years old.

Facebook declining in popularity, Google Glass to be next big thing: Tech Guru

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Washington, May 31 (ANI): In an annual report by a Tech guru, the Saudis are over sharers on the internet with 60 percent indicating they share ”everything” or ”most things” online, while the Japanese are most secretive when it comes to sharing personal information online. Mary Meeker, the former Wall Street research analyst, analyzes the Internet trends and consumption pattern of users suggesting that on an average a person checks their smartphone 150 times a day. As reported by New York Daily News, Americans were found to be ”sharing underachievers”.

Manmohan, Sharif for resolving all outstanding Indo-Pak issues peacefully

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Onboard Air India One, May 31 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Friday said that both he and Pakistan”s incoming Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif want to take bilateral relations between the two Asian neighbours forward and resolve all outstanding issues in a peaceful manner.

Dr. Singh, who was interacting with the media onboard his special aircraft Air India One while returning home after his successful two-nation visit to Japan and Thailand, said both leaders had invited each other to visit their respective nations, but added that the dates for this have not been fixed as yet.

40pc women would consider solo parenthood

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New York, May 31 (ANI): A new survey has found that two in five unmarried women would consider having a child on their own.

The poll also found that, a third of childless single women would consider adopting without a partner, the New York Daily News reported.

The poll, which addressed a broad range of issues on America’s changing family structures, dovetails with a recent report by the US Census Bureau that single motherhood is on the rise.

6 in 10 people still lack access to flush toilets and adequate sanitation

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Washington, May 31 (ANI): The number of people who don’t have access to flush toilets or other adequate sanitation is almost twice the previous estimate, according to American Chemical Society’s (ACS’) award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast series.

According to the study, the report found that 6 out of every 10 people on Earth do not have access to flush toilets or other adequate sanitation – measures that protect the user and the surrounding community from harmful health effects.

New fitness routine `prancercise` mimics dancing like a horse

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Washington, May 31 (ANI): A new workout routine called ‘prancercise’ has taken the Internet by storm.

The creator of the workout, Johanna Rohrback, described the routine as “a springy, rhythmic way of moving forward, similar to a horse’s gait and is ideally induced by elation.”

Various videos uploaded on YouTube show Rohrback working out at different speeds – including the Prancercise walk, trot and gallop.