Month: February 2015

Gujarat riots: Verdict likely today in killing of three British nationals

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A special trial court is expected to pronounce judgement on Friday in a 2002 Gujarat riots case in which three British nationals were killed.

Principal district judge IC Shah of Himmatnagar court will likely deliver the verdict in the case related to killing of four persons, including three Indian-origin British nationals, at Prantij town in Himmatnagar district during the 2002 riots.

The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team had charged six persons with the killing of the four persons.

IAF chief inaugurates Station Commanders’ Conference

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The two-day Station Commanders’ Conference was today inaugurated by Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha at the headquarters of Central Air Command of Indian Air Force in Bamrali on the outskirts of the city.

The Air Chief Marshal, who was accompanied by his wife and President of Air Force Wives’ Welfare Association Lily Raha, addressed air warriors and other officials present on the occasion.

He apprised them of “current geo-political situation and the role of the IAF in dealing with various contingencies and threats”.

Haryana to transfer social security benefits to beneficiaries’

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The Haryana government will transfer pensions under various social security schemes directly to the bank accounts of beneficiaries.

State Chief Secretary Sunil Gulati informed all Deputy Commissioners, sub-divisional magistrates, bank managers and district social welfare officers of the decision during a meeting through video-conferencing.

Deputy Commissioner of Faridabad Amit Kumar Agrawal said the Chief Secretary has instructed to transfer pension under all the schemes prevailing at the time directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

Black money: RBI closely watching probe against HSBC

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The Reserve Bank Thursday said it is keeping a close watch on global banking major HSBC, which is facing multi-nation probe including by Indian tax authorities for alleged tax evasion and money laundering at its Swiss units.

“As a regulator, these developments are in our notice and we would keep a close watch on all these,” Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor S S Mundra told reporters on the sidelines of a global investor summit organised by IIFL Group. He, however, refused to divulge anything more.

DLF IPO disclosure case: SEBI imposes Rs 86-cr penalties

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In the biggest-ever penalty in a single case, SEBI Thursday slapped fines totalling Rs 86 crore on realty giant DLF, its top executives, their family members and various other related entities for entering into “sham transactions” to mislead IPO investors about eight years ago.

Those penalised include Chairman K P Singh, his son and Vice Chairman Rajiv Singh, daughter Pia Singh, as also three “housewives” married to ‘key management personnel’ of the DLF group for “fraudulent and unfair trade practices”.

Subsidy on household solar appliances

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To promote the use of alternative sources of energy, Haryana government is providing a subsidy on the purchase of solar equipments.

Issuing a release to the effect, Deputy Commissioner Faridabad Amit Kumar Agrawal said a solar light which costs Rs 9,500 is being offered at Rs 5,700.

The light would be a complete set, including a solar panel of 37 watt, a battery of 40 ampere, two lights and a fan.

Agrawal said the solar cooker, available in market at Rs 3,200 will be given at Rs 1,350.

Jaitley to present Economic Survey 2014-15 in Parliament today

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Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is likely to present the Economic Survey 2014-2015 in the Parliament this afternoon.

The survey reviews the developments in the Indian economy over the past year.

It highlights the performance on major development programmes and policy initiatives of the government, say reports.

The survey also points out the prospects of the economy in the short to medium term and is presented to both Houses of Parliament . (ANI)

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed likely to meet PM Modi today

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People’s Democratic Party chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir.

During the meeting, Sayeed and Prime Minister Modi are likely to finalize the modalities of government formation in the state and give final touches to the Common Minimum Programme.

Sayeed, during the meeting, is also expected to formally invite Prime Minister Modi for his oath-taking ceremony as the next Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

The PDP chief will reportedly take charge as the Chief Minister on March 1.

Nepal court says no amnesty for war crimes

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Nepal’s top court today said two bodies set up to investigate war crimes committed during the country’s decade-long civil conflict would not be able to grant amnesty for serious rights abuses.

Former Maoist rebels and security forces have both been accused of carrying out torture, killings, rape and “forced disappearances” during the civil war, which ended with a peace agreement in 2006.

Two commissions for transitional justice set up last week were given the power to grant them amnesty, but Nepal’s Supreme Court revoked that power after a mass petition filed by 234 victims.

Faridabad girl tops the Company Secretary exam

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A girl from Faridabad has scored the first rank in the examination of Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

Simran Khatar, a student of B Com (II) in the Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad has scored the highest marks in the CS Executive exam.

The second rank was scored by Akshay Hemant Paranjape and third rank was scored by Shilpa K Murthy.

Indian college student gives birth in toilet, kills infant

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A final year undergraduate student, who had been concealing her pregnancy, gave birth to a baby in a toilet of a petrol bunk and allegedly strangulated the newborn in the early hours today, police said.

The woman pursuing Bsc at a private college in Athur in Salem district was returning along with her collegemates in a bus from Kerala, where they had gone for a tour, when she developed acute stomach pain.

When the bus stopped at a petrol bunk near Navakkarai on the city outskirts, she ran to the toilet and delivered the baby and reportedly strangulated it to death, police said.

Four posing as press and right activists arrested

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Posing as reporters and human rights activists landed four inebirated persons in trouble as they were arrested for trying to assault police when questioned.

The four were stopped by police late last night and on questioning claimed they were reporters and members of a human rights organisation. However police grew suspicious and again put questions to them, resulting in them hurling abuses and trying to assault a police official. They also threatened to call the District Collector and Superintendent of police.

Gurgaon flat-buyers meet minister over project delay

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More than 30 persons, who have booked flats at a private residential project here, today approached the District Grievance Committee, presided by Haryana Cabinet Minister O P Dhankhar, and expressed their grievances against the developer.

Vikram Bishnoi, President of Residences Apartments Buyers Association (RABA), and others complained to the committee that the private developer had launched the project in May 2009 and was to deliver 1,320 homes by December 2011 as per the agreement with buyers. But till date only 90 flats have been delivered, they claimed.

Gold bars worth Rs 85 lakh seized from aircraft toilet

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Gold bars weighing 2.5 kg, worth Rs 85 lakh were seized by customs officials from the toilet of a Jet Airways flight which landed here from Singapore tonight.

Customs officials said the gold was found by staff who were cleaning the aircraft.

A passenger is suspected to have put the bars there and customs officials are on a lookout for him, they said.

The aircraft had landed here at around 7.30 PM.

Suspicious of husband’s fidelity, woman gets him killed

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A woman who suspected her husband’s fidelity allegedly got him killed by contract killers but all of them were caught when they were out to dispose the body at Gang Nahar in Ghaziabad last night.

Their ‘foolproof’ plan was busted when a police team which had stopped them for random checking spotted beard on a person draped in burqa.

Trade unions hold protest in Faridabad

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Several trade unions today held a protest here against the government’s plan to amend the existing labour laws alleging that it would lead to the infringement of rights of workers.

Subhash Lamba, General Secretary of one of the trade unions, said if the acts are adopted, the basic rights of the workforce, including minimum wages, permanency of job, retirement benefits would be infringed.

Terming the ‘jail bharo’ protest held yesterday a success, Lamba said 1800 protestors were arrested in the city.

AAP nat’l executive meet discusses strategy, expansion plans

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AAP today held its first national executive meeting following its landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly polls in which party leaders discussed its future course of action and expansion plans.

However, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is AAP national convener, and his deputy Manish Sisodia did not attend the meeting as they were busy with government work, AAP sources said.

Shell group teams with world cities on urban planning

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Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell has teamed up with three major cities of the world, including Surat in Gujarat, for effective city planning and development.

“Urbanisation will be one of the most significant dynamics affecting the future, presenting both opportunities and risks,” Dr Glynn Ellis, Strategic Energy Advisor, Royal Dutch Shell said.

Saudi Arabia beheads Indian axe murderer, Pakistani

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Saudi Arabia today beheaded an Indian axe murderer and a Pakistani heroin trafficker, bringing to 34 the number of death sentences carried out this year.

Vijay Kumar Saleem, of India, was convicted of killing a Yemeni by striking him in the head with the axe, an interior ministry statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency said.

The attack took place after a dispute at the farm where they worked, it said, adding that Saleem was executed in Riyadh.

Authorities also carried out a death sentence against the Pakistani, Hafiz Wifaq Rasoul Shah, in the holy city of Medina.

Man guilty of setting up Pakistan-born wife’s death

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A US man was convicted today of setting up the fatal shooting of his Pakistan-born wife while the couple was on a walk with one of their young sons.

A jury deliberated for less than four hours before convicting Kashif Parvaiz of scheming with his girlfriend to kill his wife and make it look like a random attack.

The August 2011 shooting occurred while Parvaiz and his wife, 27-year-old Nazish Noorani, walked with their son near her family’s home in a New Jersey suburb about 50 kilometres from New York that is home to a large Pakistani-American population.

US regulator adopts rules banning two-speed Internet

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US regulators today approved landmark Internet rules that would prevent broadband providers from separating online traffic into slow and fast lanes.

The Federal Communications Commission’s 3-2 vote in favor of so-called “net neutrality” followed an intense debate in Washington pitting backers of online services like Netflix, Twitter and Yelp against big Internet service providers like AT&T and Verizon.

FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said the plan would foster a free and open Internet where broadband services cannot be “gatekeepers” for what is available online.

US blogger of Bangladeshi origin hacked to death

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A US blogger of Bangladeshi origin was today hacked to death in Dhaka by unidentified assailants, police said, with his family saying the writer had received numerous threats from Islamist militants.

Avijit Roy, founder of Mukto-Mona (Free-mind) blog site which champions liberal secular writing in the Muslim majority nation, suffered machete blows to the head.

Jordan, Israel sign deal to help save Dead Sea

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Jordan and Israel signed a deal today to build a pipeline to link the Red Sea with the shrinking Dead Sea and combat regional water shortages.

The official Petra news agency said that the agreement signed in the Jordanian capital, Amman, would set in motion the implementation of the first phase of a long-awaited project.

It follows a letter of intent signed in Washington in December 2013 by representatives from Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority that capped more than a decade of negotiations.

US Senate panel endorses Obama’s attorney general pick

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The US Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-8 today to advance Loretta Lynch’s nomination to be President Barack Obama’s new attorney general.

All Democrats on the panel backed Lynch, a veteran prosecutor who would be the first African-American woman ever to hold the post. She also earned support from three Senate Republicans.

Her nomination now heads to the full Senate for confirmation.

Lynch, 55, would succeed Attorney General Eric Holder, who remains a polarizing figure for Republicans who accuse him of being a rubber stamp for Obama policies.

Minnesota teen pleads guilty to trying to support terrorism

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A teenager who had been stopped at the airport as he was trying to travel to Syria has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation.

Abdullahi Mohamud Yusuf, 18, admitted in US District Court yesterday that he had intended to go to Syria last May to join the Islamic State group. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. No sentencing date has been set.

Authorities say a handful of Minnesota residents have travelled to Syria to fight with militants in the last year. At