Union Cabinet finalises spectrum usage charges in 1800 MHz and 900 MHz bands

The Union Cabinet has approved the following rates of Spectrum Usage Charges (SUC) for spectrum in 1800 MHz and 900 MHz bands: 1. The spectrum acquired in the current auction will be charged at 5% of the AGR. In cases of combination of existing spectrum in this band and spectrum acquired through the auction, the weighted average will apply to all the spectrum held by the operator in 900 MHz and 1800 MHz band. 2. The licensees who do not acquire spectrum in this auction shall continue to pay SUC according to the existing slab rate. 3.

Mukherjee to launch National Mission on Libraries

President Pranab Mukherjee will launch the National Mission on Libraries (NML), an initiative of the Ministry of Culture, to modernise and digitally link public libraries across the country, at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on February 3. On the occasion, Mukherjee will formally inaugurate the NML’s guidelines, logo and website in the presence of Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch and senior ministry officials.

Indian Coast Guard will focus on ‘Safer Lives, Safer Coast And Safer Seas’ in 2014

Vice Admiral A G Thapliyal,Director-General of the Indian Coast Guard, said Friday that the coast guard would focus on ‘Safer Lives, Safer Coast And Safer Seas’ in 2014. Addressing a press conference on the eve of the 37th anniversary of the founding of the force, Vice-Admiral Thapliyal said that since its inception, the service has grown into a multi-faceted, vibrant and credible force, maintaining round the clock vigil in the vast maritime zones of India. “In the last few years, the coastal security infrastructure has been made robust and strengthened.

Arunachal student murder: ACHR calls for invoking of the Prevention of Atrocities Act

The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) has urged Delhi Police to invoke the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 against the murderers of Nido Taniam, a student from Arunachal Pradesh, who was murdered at Lajpat Nagar market in New Delhi on Wednesday. A fight erupted between students and local shopkeepers over some comments made about Taniam with respect to his hair style. Taniam was allegedly beaten with sticks and rods by a group of seven to eight men and the Delhi Police failed to protect him despite being present on the spot.

New Zealand beat India by 87 runs in 5th ODI

New Zealand beat India by 87 runs in the fifth and final one-dayer to complete a 4-0 drubbing of the visitors in the five-match ODI series at the Westpac Stadium here today.

Brief Score:

New Zealand: 303 for 5 in 50 overs (Ross Taylor 102; Varun Aaron 2/60).

India: 216 all out in 49.4 overs (Virat Kohli 82; Matt Henry 4/38).

Lokpal law: CBI finds working constrains

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has observed some working constrains under the new Lokpal law and has written to the central government about it, CBI director Ranjit Sinha said here Friday.

He was speaking after delivering a keynote address during the valedictory ceremony at the CBI Academy here.

The director said, “Since the new law has been enforced and it is too early to comment on the ground realities, but whatever constrains we felt prima facie, we wrote to the government. We are awaiting the reply from the government.”

Reports of Modi meeting Pawar false and baseless: Captain Abhimanyu

Reacting to the report of a Marathi newspaper according to which, there was a meeting between Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar with Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial (BJP) candidate Narendra Modi, BJP leader Captain Abhimanyu on Friday said that these reports were absolutely baseless as no such meeting had taken place. “The person of the stature of Mr. Pawar in politics has himself denied any such meeting. These reports are completely baseless,” said Abhimanyu.

Government will make sure there is no power cut in Delhi: Sanjay Singh

Reacting to the threats given by Discom to cut power in the capital for ten hours, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh on Friday said that the government will make sure that there are no power cuts in the capital and that they are not going to let the people of Delhi suffer at any cost. “This is not going to happen no matter what, they have to provide electricity to the people. We will not let the people of Delhi suffer at any cost,” said Singh.

NCP”s stand on alliance with Congress clear, rumors about talks with BJP baseless: Praful Patel

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel on Friday said that their party”s stand that they are in alliance with the Congress is very clear and all the rumors about having a talk with the BJP are completely baseless. “I believe and I say this again that the NCP”s stand on this is very clear. We are in alliance with the Congress, and will continue to do so. All these rumors of our talk with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are completely baseless,” said Patel. “Neither Mr. Sharad Pawar nor myself have met Mr. Narendra modi as it has been claimed in some sections of media.

If not for 2014, is Rahul rebuilding Congress for 2019 or 2024?

In his interview with Arnab Goswami, Rahul Gandhi came across like Hamlet in the TV age, wanting his soliloquies to be discussed, to become part of the nation’s mainstream discourse. Arnab, on his part, was stuck in a groove: “You are avoiding a direct face-off with Narendra Modi …… with Modi…… Modi”

Can’t rule out another Mumbai-like attack: Coast Guard chief

Coast Guard chief A.G. Thapliyal Friday asserted that coastal security has improved significantly since the 2008 Mumbai terror attack but did not rule out the possibility of another attack from the sea route.

“Fair amount of work has been done (after Mumbai terror attack)… the efforts are ongoing but one cannot rule out the possibility (of terror attack)… as terrorist try out-of-the-box ways,” said Vice Admiral Thapliyal, director general Coast Guard.

He was addressing a press conference on the eve of the 37th anniversary of Indian Coast Guard Feb 1.

Kejriwal names ‘corrupt’ leaders, says Rahul, Modi spending crores

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday named over 20 top politicians including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as “corrupt”, and attacked him and BJP’s Narendra Modi for spending crores on creating a “brand”.

Addressing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national executive here, Kejriwal outlined the party’s objective vis-a-vis the Lok Sabha polls: “We have to ensure that no corrupt person is elected to the parliament.”

Reading out what seemed to be a prepared list at a packed auditorium at the Constitution Club, Kejriwal said he had a list of “corrupt people” in politics.

Reliance Group to invest over Rs.50,000 cr. in MP

(Pervez Bari): Reliance industrial group shall invest over Rs.50,000 cr. in Madhya Pradesh in next 6 months. This was revealed by Reliance industrial group’s Chairman Anil Ambani while holding discussions with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Friday.

Indian worker convicted of murder beheaded in Saudi Arabia

An Indian worker has been beheaded by a sword in Riyadh after being convicted of murdering a Saudi, the interior ministry said.

Mohammed Latif was found guilty of beating his sponsor, Dhafer bin Mohammed al-Dussari, to death and then dumping his body in a well, News24 reports.

A system called “kafala” in Arabic gives local sponsors control over foreign workers in the oil-rich Gulf, the report added. (ANI)

IIM Ahmedabad ‘most searched ‘ B-school on Google in India

The Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad is reportedly the most searched business school on Google in India.

Unsurprisingly, the IIM-A takes the cake of most searches being the best B-school in India for MBA aspirants, followed closely by Faculty of Management Studies ( FMS), in Delhi.

As the CAT 2013 results approach, related searches have spiked up the most from West Bengal followed by Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Delhi and Maharashtra feature last on the list.

Snowden documents reveal NSA targeted Al Qaeda with leaky apps

Latest claims to come out of the secret NSA documents reportedly state that the US spy agency’s alleged programmes targeted Al Qaeda through their mobile phones.

It was recently revealed that the NSA and its UK counterpart, the GCHQ, snooped on ‘leaky mobile apps’ like Angry Birds, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to pull out user data from virtual profiles.

However, the latest claims have pointed that the alleged programme has been used to snoop-on terrorists belonging to Al Qaeda in Iraq, for details like user location, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

Now, “crack-smoking” Toronto Mayor sued for ordering jailhouse beating of sister’s ex

Scott MacIntyre, the drug addict ex-boyfriend of controversial Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s sister has reportedly filed a law-suit against the cocaine-smoking leader for ordering jailhouse beatdown on him.

MacIntyre has alleged in the lawsuit that the notorious Mayor had ordered a beatdown on him in March 2012, which happened when the 46-year-old was awaiting sentencing for breaking into Ford’s home and threatening to kill him.

AIDS Control Society in Imphal stages sit-in protest

Workers of Manipur State AIDS Control Society Employees’ Association staged a protest in Imphal, supporting a call given by the All India AIDS Control Employees Association.

The strike severely affected 24,000 patients due to the closure of the office. Employees demanded regularisation, enhanced salaries and streamlining supply of medicine for AIDS victims.

Irate Steering Committee Member and an employee of Manipur State Aids Control Society (MACS), Phillips, said there is a limit to everything.

Wife gets husband arrested for peeping

A woman had her husband arrested for spying on her through a peephole he made in a bathroom mirror.

The woman noticed a scratch in the bathroom mirror and examined the adjacent room, where she found a peephole hidden behind a painting and informed the police, News.com.au reported.

The police seized his computers and some related items and the 57-year-old man admitted to watching his wife while she was in the bathroom for his own gratification and had recorded video footage of her but had discarded it.

Kim Kardashian wants North West to appear on family reality show

Kim Kardashian has revealed that she wants her daughter North West to appear on ‘ Keeping Up with the Kardashians’.

The 33-year-old fiance of Kanye West is keen that her seven-month-old daughter joins the series, but the rapper has “shut down” the topic of conversation whenever it’s brought up and refuses to compromise, Contactmusic reported.

Sources revealed that Ryan Seacrest, who executive produces the show had reached out to Kardashian and asked her to consider allowing North on the show as her fans want to see her interact with her daughter, and how she is as a mother.

NCP’s stand on alliance with Congress clear, rumors about talks with BJP baseless: Praful Patel

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel on Friday said that their party’s stand that they are in alliance with the Congress is very clear and all the rumors about having a talk with the BJP are completely baseless.

“I believe and I say this again that the NCP’s stand on this is very clear. We are in alliance with the Congress, and will continue to do so. All these rumors of our talk with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are completely baseless,” said Patel.

Delhi Govt. has no right to function if it cannot provide 24x 7 power: BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) leader Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Friday criticized Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for failing to provide uninterrupted power supply, and said the state government has no right to function if it is unable to provide electricity to the people.

“It is the responsibility of the Delhi Government and the chief minister to provide 24 hours uninterrupted power supply to the people. He had promised people 50 percent reduction in power tariffs,” he said.

Experience does not matter to become PM: Digvijay Singh

Reacting to Nationalist Congress party (NCP) leader Praful Patel’s statement that Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi was less experienced that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Friday said that experience did not matter in the current situation, and that there was a difference between governing a state and governing a nation.

US says only 4pc of Syria’s chemical weapons transported for destruction

The United States has shown concern over the continued delay in the destruction of Syria’s chemical arsenal, which is falling behind schedule set by the United Nations.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said only around 4 percent of the chemical weapons declared by the Syrian government has been removed till now, the BBC reports.

Syria has said it possesses about 700 tonnes of deadly chemicals and 500 tonnes of precursor chemicals, which becomes toxic when combined with other compounds.