'Not inevitable' to call Raja as witness before JPC: Chacko

THRISSUR: JPC chairman P C Chacko on Saturday said 'it is not inevitable' to call former telecom minister A Raja, prime accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case, before the joint parliamentary committee as a witness as all the main witnesses had been called and evidence taken."It is not inevitable at this juncture to call Raja as all main witnesses have been called and evidence taken," he...

Read More..

J&K assembly adjourned after furore over Afzal issue

JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir assembly was rocked by repeated disruptions on Friday, which ultimately led to the House being adjourned for the day, as various parties demanded that Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's mortal remains be handed over to his family. Cutting across party lines, members of the House from the ruling National Conference as well as opposition PDP and CPM had moved adjournment...

Read More..

Left returns to power in Tripura for 5th consecutive time; Congress retains Meghalaya

AGARTALA: The Left Front in Tripura today retained power for the fifth consecutive time since 1993 with the coalition securing a three-fourths majority by winning 50 of the 60 Assembly seats.While CPM, which contested in 55 seats, secured win in 49 seats, coalition partner CPI won one seat of the two it had contested. However, RSP which fought in two seats and Forward Bloc in one, failed to open...

Read More..

India silent over US-backed resolution against Lanka at UN rights body

NEW DELHI: India is not ready to reveal its hand on the US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). And, the radio silence is all for a good reason. Despite the loud support by DMK and AIADMK members in the Rajya Sabha for the resolution on Wednesday, there is discomfort within the Indian government regarding the document's fine print. Sources said recommendations...

Read More..

Afzal Guru allegedly justified Parliament attack in letter written four years ago

SRINAGAR: Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru had in a letter, purportedly written by him over four years ago, said that there was no need to be ashamed of the December 13 attack on Parliament, but had stopped short of owning any responsibility for it. In the letter written to editor of a local Urdu weekly, Guru, who was hanged in Delhi's Tihar jail on February 9, asked Hizbul Mujahideen...

Read More..

Chopper scam: CBI names ex-IAF chief SP Tyagi as suspect

NEW DELHI: Former Air Force chief SP Tyagi has been named in a CBI preliminary enquiry (PE) on allegations of kickbacks in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal, becoming the second former defence services chief to figure in the agency probe. Besides the former IAF chief, 10 others including his cousins — Julie, Docsa and Sandeep Tyagi have also been named besides four companies in the PE, CBI sources...

Read More..

Congress president or VP natural choice for PM's post: Tharoor

BHOPAL: Union minister Shashi Tharoor on Sunday suggested if the party is voted to power, its president or the vice-president will be the natural choice for the post. "Everybody knows who is the president and vice president of our party and if people vote for our party, then naturally one among them would become Prime Minister of the country," he said without specifying any name. He was suggesting...

Read More..

Assembly elections 2013: Meghalaya registers 88% voting, Nagaland 83%

NEW DELHI: Meghalaya recorded 88 per cent polling and Nagaland 83.27 per cent in the assembly elections held on Saturday, which passed off peacefully barring a few minor incidents in Nagaland. The counting would be held on February 28. Meghalaya recorded a high turnout defying a bandh call by militants in some districts and came close to its last time turnout of 89.04 per cent. Defying a bandh called...

Read More..

Suriyanelli gang-rape case: Victim lodges complaint against Rajya Sabha deputy chairman PJ Kurien

KOTTAYAM: In a new twist to Suriyanelli gang-rape case, the victim on Friday lodged a police complaint insisting that Rajya Sabha deputy chairman PJ Kurien be made an accused. The complaint lodged at Chingavanam police station also sought that Dharmarajan, an absconding convict who had jumped bail in the case and was arrested recently from Karnataka, and two other people — Unnikrishnan and Jamal,...

Read More..

Chopper deal, Kurien controversy to dominate Parliament

NEW DELHI: The VVIP chopper deal and P J Kurien controversy are expected to dominate proceedings in Parliament tomorrow, practically the first working day of the budget session after the President's address today. The opposition is united in plans to flag the Italian chopper deal issue in both Houses tomorrow but disruption is unlikely with the government already making it clear that it was ready...

Read More..

Kurien writes to RS members on rape charges

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Budget session of Parliament, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien has written to members of the House, saying three police inquiries and two judicial processes have cleared him in the 17-year-old Suryanelli rape case. Kurien, who is under attack since the victim demanded recently that he be made an accused in the case, has attached an elaborate note on the sequence of...

Read More..

Dubai-based saviour of Youths suggstes information network for UAE goers

JALANDHAR: Dubai-based hotelier S P Singh Oberoi, who has returned with 17 Punjabi youths after saving them from gallows of Sharjah, has suggested to the NRI Sabha Punjab to have an "information and feedback offices" in every district of Punjab to guide youths who wanted to go to UAE for doing odd labour jobs. During his visit to office of NRI Sabha Punjab, where he was felicitated on Monday late...

Read More..

Advani best PM for NDA, Modi could be home minister: Govindacharya

BHOPAL: Former BJP ideologue and RSS thinker KN Govindacharya said on Sunday night that veteran BJP leader LK Advani and the UPA government defence minister AK Antony would be the most suitable candidates to run for Prime Ministerial post. Amidst the clamour for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi's prime ministerial candidature within the BJP and allied saffron organisations, Govindacharya thought...

Read More..

J&K legislator to move resolution seeking Guru's remains

SRINAGAR: Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid on Sunday said he would move a resolution in the coming session of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly for handing over of the mortal remains of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru to his family."I will bring a resolution in the coming session of the assembly for handing over of the mortal remains of Afzal Guru to his family," the MLA from Langate...

Read More..

Veerappan's aides move SC against execution of death sentence

NEW DELHI: Four aides of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan on Saturday moved the Supreme Court against the execution of their death penalty in connection with a landmine blast that had killed 22 policemen in Karnataka nearly 20 years ago. Veerappan's elder brother Gnanaprakash, Simon, Meesekar Madaiah and Bilavendran were awarded death sentence in 2004 in connection with a landmine blast at Palar...

Read More..

Not interfering in Maldivian affairs, India says

NEW DELHI: India denied Friday that it was interfering in the internal affairs of the Maldives, where former president Mohamed Nasheed has taken refuge in the Indian mission.An official source said the Indian statement issued after Nasheed walked into the Indian High Commission in Male Wednesday was never meant to "pass a judgement on their internal system"."We have clarified our position (on the...

Read More..

Chopper scam: Govt warns of blacklisting Italy's Finmeccanica

NEW DELHI: With the VVIP choppers deal facing charges of kickbacks, government on Thursday formally asked Italian firm Finmeccanica to state whether any money was illegally paid to any Indian entity or individual amidst its warning of legal action including blacklisting of the firm. The ministry of defence, which is under attack on the issue, came out with a factsheet detailing the sequence of the...

Read More..

Chopper scam: Govt suspends payments for Italy's Finmeccanica

NEW DELHI: India has suspended payments to Italian defence group Finmeccanica SpA for a $750 million helicopter deal and won't take delivery of more aircraft until the completion of a federal police investigation into bribery allegations, a defence ministry source told Reuters. Will blacklist Finmeccanica if bribery provenIndia will cancel a $750 million deal to buy helicopters from Finmeccanica...

Read More..

Newspapers in Kashmir to be available from Wednesday

SRINAGAR: Local newspapers in Kashmir would hit the stands Wednesday as their editors said authorities had told them to resume publication, while cable operations were again normal."We have been told to resume publications of our newspapers from tomorrow. Authorities have also said security forces have been instructed to treat identity cards of our staff members as curfew passes," the editor of a...

Read More..

Afzal Guru's last letter to wife yet to reach her in Kashmir

NEW DELHI: Hours before he was to be executed, Afzal Guru penned his last letter to his wife, Tihar Jail officials said on Monday. The letter, written in Urdu, was posted on Saturday but is yet to reach his wife in Kashmir. Speaking to IANS, officials at Tihar jail said that Afzal Guru, convicted for his role in the 2001 Parliament attack, was told on February 8 evening that he would be hanged the...

Read More..