Mathrubhumi English Edition

Sensex up 139 points in early trade on Asian cues

Mumbai : Snapping its four-day long losing streak, the BSE benchmark Sensex today recovered by over 139 points in early trade on emergence of buying by funds, tracking a firming trend in the Asian region. The 30-share index, which had lost 612 points in the previous four sessions, rose by 139.39 points, or 0.71 per cent, to 19,813.72, with all the sectoral indices, led by metals and realty, trading in the positive zone with gains of up to 1.56 per cent. Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty regained psychological 6,000 points mark by rising 43.65 points, or 0.73 per cent, to 6,010.70. Brokers said emergence of buying by funds after four sessions of losses, driven by a firming trend on the Asian bourses largely in line with late recovery in US stocks in yesterday's trade, helped trading sentiments to improve. Stocks of Tata Steel rose over 5.38 per cent to Rs 315.60 even as it posted higher-than-expected net loss for the quarter ended March, 2013. Meanwhile, in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose by 0.35 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei recovered by 2.65 per cent in early trade after falling over 7 per cent the previous session. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended a shade lower in yesterday's trade. PTI

Noose tightens around Gurunath, umpire Rauf removed

Mumbai/Chennai/New Delhi : The mess in the Indian Premier League (IPL) just got bigger as Mumbai police Thursday ordered Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of Indian cricket board chief N. Srinivasan, to get in touch with them by Friday evening, while top Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf, who has been officiating in IPL matches, was removed from next month's ICC Champions Trophy. A team of Mumbai police led by Investigating Officer Nandkumar Gopale served the orders at the Chennai residence of Meiyappan, chief executive of Chennai Super Kings team of the IPL, in the evening, a Mumbai police official said. There mess got deeper by the evening as the International Cricket Council (ICC) removed Rauf from next month's Champions Trophy in England and Wales after his name cropped up in the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing scandal. His removal from the Champions trophy was surprising as his name hasn't been linked directly with the scandal. In Chennai, a team of four Mumbai police personnel turned up at Meiyappan's residence without much hope. Meiyappan was not available at his house and his current whereabouts were not known. 'We have served the summons to Meiyappan, one was stuck on the main door of his home on Cenotaph Road in Alwarpeth, Chennai, and another was accepted by a manager in the Chennai Super Kings office at Coromandel Towers today,' Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Himanshu Roy, who is directing the probe in the scam told media-persons told reporters in Mumbai. He added that the developments took place after intensive interrogation of arrested Bollywood actor Vindu Dara Singh and inspection of records of his phone calls with Meiyappan and some bookies. 'We are hopeful that Meiyappan will cooperate with police. In case he fails to show up within the allotted time, there are procedures in law to ensure his availability, but it would not augur well,' Roy added, hinting at the possibility of arrest. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Srinivasan, who is based in Chennai, was not available for comments. The crime branch of Mumbai police has constituted a special eight-member team to probe the scam and conduct operations at various locations revealed by bookies and others arrested accused, Roy said. In a related development, Nashik police nabbed five punters who were allegedly betting in the ongoing IPL tournament following a raid in the city late Wednesday. The police have recovered around a dozen cell-phones,....

Delhi Police seek details of Sreesanth seizures

New Delhi : Delhi Police Thursday contacted their counterparts in Mumbai seeking details about the articles seized from the hotel where tainted cricketer S. Sreesanth stayed, said a police official. The official said they have asked Mumbai police's Crime Branch to provide them details about the CCTV footage of the hotel where Sreesanth stayed, which was different from where the rest of his Rajasthan Royals inmates were staying. In a written letter to their Mumbai counterparts, Delhi Police also sought to be provided some other articles of Sreesanth like his laptop and mobile phone which were recovered from the hotel. According to the official, Sreesanth was residing in Hotel Sofitel after being suspended from team for fighting with coach Paddy Upton for dropping him from the team after May 9 Indian Premier League (IPL) match. Police claim that this was one in which he indulged in spot-fixing. 'He consumed alcohol and fought with the coach after he was dropped from the team after the May 9 match. For this, he was suspended from the team. That was why he was not staying in Hotel Trident where other players were staying. He separately booked into Hotel Sofitel,' the official said.

DMRC, KMRL sign MoU for Kochi Metro

New Delhi : The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi on Thursday regarding the execution of the first phase of the Kochi Metro Rail Project from Aluva to Pettah. This agreement attempts to balance the roles and responsibilities of KMRL as the project owner and the client, as well as of DMRC, the executing agency, and the leading metro organization in the country. This agreement is also in line with the conditions of sanction of the project by the Government of India. The objective of the project is to build a world class, state-of-the-art urban transport system for the city of Kochi that will not only facilitate rapid and easy passenger movement, but also will act as a catalyst for the urban renewal of the city of Kochi and its balanced development. DMRC shall be responsible to execute the Works of Kochi Metro Rail Project as the executing agency. In accordance with its responsibilities, as delineated in the Government of India's Project Sanction Order, KMRL shall exercise appropriate financial and technical oversight over Project execution. Independent safety and quality auditors will be appointed by KMRL for ensuring quality and safety in project execution. DMRC shall invite tenders on behalf of KMRL and tender documents for works costing more than Rs.10 crore will be finalized by DMRC in consultation with KMRL. Tender acceptance will be done by a Tender Committee comprising DMRC's and KMRL's nominees. KMRL will recruit and depute up to 30% of the required project execution staff to the DMRC Project execution team and this staff would work under the administrative and technical control of DMRC during the execution of the Project. KMRL will pay DMRC a remuneration of 6% of the estimated project cost and all the expenses incurred by DMRC relating to Project execution will be subsumed in this figure. The cost of the work will be deposited by KMRL with DMRC in installments. A system would also be evolved for DMRC and KMRL to undertake real-time monitoring of the progress of the work. --IBNS

'Invisible forces' trying to stall Kerala's progress: Minister

Thiruvananthapuram : Industries and Information Technology Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty Thursday said some invisible forces were trying to stall the state's progress on all fronts but refused to identify them. 'Whenever any project, including even widening of roads, is announced, there is stiff resistance from certain quarters... The opposition in our state is by and large supportive of most projects,' said Kunhalikutty. 'I do not want to spark a controversy by naming these forces. What we can do is to launch an awareness campaign to see that Kerala's progress in not stalled,' said the minister. Speaking to reporters, he said projects that faced opposition from the so-called invisible forces included the seaplane service which was ready for commissioning May 27. By using small aircraft that land on water bodies, the project aims to provide an additional layer of transportation by offering last-mile connectivity to tourist destinations. 'Contrary to the fears raised by those who opposed the project, neither the environment nor any activity that is currently on (fishing) will have any problems,' the minister said. 'We assure that development will take place by protecting the environment,' added Kunhalikutty.

Kerala district Congress condemns Hindu leaders

Alappuzha : The Alappuzha District Congress Committee Thursday passed a resolution condemning the frequent outbursts of Hindu group leaders against top party leaders in Kerala. The Congress party is upset over the manner in which leaders of groups like SNDP (Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana) general secretary Velapally Natesan and NSS (Nair Service Society) general secretary Sukumaran Nair recently slammed Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and state Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala. Speaking to IANS, Alappuzha District Congress president and former legislator A.A. Shukoor said the resolution came as a spontaneous reaction from the party office bearers at a meeting Thursday. 'These two leaders (Natesan and Nair) extract everything they want from our leaders and then they condemn them. They have separate yardsticks for the CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) leaders and the Congress leaders. They openly attack our leaders and prefer to keep mum on the CPI-M leaders,' Shukoor said. 'Natesan's son is the director and board member of the famed Guruvayoor Devasom. They should look back at themselves as to who they were before becoming leaders of their communities,' he said. Natesan had recently stated in public that during the 2011 assembly polls Chennithala had requested for his help as Chandy was trying to ensure that he was defeated in the polls. Nair had said that Chandy would use anyone and then walk away. With the Congress district adopting a resolution condemning them, Natesan complained that he received a threatening phone call from abroad from a person who claimed he was a relative of Chennithala. 'I checked with police and came to know that the call was from Dubai,' Natesan told reporters. Nair has claimed that his phone is being tapped under instructions from the state home department. The allegations were quickly denied by Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan. But an inquiry was ordered in this connection. 'No such thing has happened. I am saddened by his (Nair's) allegations,' Radhakrishnan said.

Berlusconi at centre of massive tax fraud, says court

Milan : Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi played a key role in a 'massive' fraud by his media group, appeals judges in Milan have said. The 76-year-old Berlusconi had appealed against his four-year conviction and a five-year ban from politics for tax fraud in a film-rights case involving his Mediaset television company. Explaining why the court upheld his four-year prison term, the judges said Berlusconi was involved 'for many years' in a fraudulent system, even while he was premier. 'He continued despite the public roles assumed. He conducted it in the highest possible positions,' the judges said. Oral and written evidence showed that Berlusconi 'directly managed' the first stages of an 'enormous tax evasion' scam using offshore companies, the judges stated. Three-time premier Berlusconi intends to challenge the Milan appeals court ruling at Italy's supreme court and denies wrongdoing, claiming he was not involved in the Mediaset film-rights trades as he was busy running the country. But Thursday's reasoning upheld the conclusions of the original trial in October 2012, that Berlusconi 'remained at the top of the management' and 'there was no other person' capable of managing the fraudulent deals. Berlusconi will not face imprisonment unless the conviction is upheld by the supreme court, and thanks to a 2006 amnesty will not have to serve three of the four years of his jail sentence if he loses his second and final appeal. The court also said the media magnate had 'defamed' judges in his failed bid to move his current sex trial and his tax fraud appeal away from Milan, claiming its magistrates were biased against him. Moreover, an eye inflammation problem invoked repeatedly by Berlusconi's lawyers 'cannot justify the postponement of court hearings,' the court said. Hearings in his tax fraud appeal and his trial for paying an underage prostitute for sex and abuse of office were postponed several times in recent months, during the election campaign and ensuing government crisis after the inconclusive poll produced a hung parliament.

Kerala welcomes classical language status for Malayalam

Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala Thursday welcomed the central cabinet's decision to approve classical language status for Malayalam, subject to the outcome of a case in the Madras High Court, even as the government and opposition sough to take credit for the measure. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in a statement issued here Thursday night thanked the central government for taking language to greater heights. 'Through this, it has been proved that Malayalam language and culture is not behind any other language or culture. This is going to give a greater impetus to Malayalam and further its progress,' he said. His predecessor and Leader of Opposition V.S.Achuthanandan also took credit for the decision, saying it was the Left government (under him) that took the fundamental steps. 'Now the state government here should take steps to see that Malayalam is made as the first language in schools and also a compulsory subject,' he said in a statement. Both Telugu and Kannada have been notified as classical languages earlier. According to an official statement, the union cabinet approved a proposal to classify Malayalam as a classical language subject to the outcome of the hearing on a writ petition in the Madras High Court.

3 more players, 1 more IPL team under scanner, says Delhi police

NEW DELHI: At least three more players and one more IPL team is under the scanner for spot-fixing in the tournament, Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar disclosed on Thursday. This is in addition to S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila of Rajasthan Royals who have been arrested by the police for alleged spot-fixing in three different matches. 'We are investigating role of another team and three more players. However, I cannot disclose the names as we are in the process of gathering evidence,' Kumar told PTI here. Asked whether police hoped to gather evidence against the players under its scanner as they would be extra cautious, the Commissioner said with a smile 'may be, they have already committed the crime.' Asked what amount of money could be involved in the betting racket, Kumar said it was not possible to have any firm figure but it must be running into hundreds of crores of rupees. 'Look we are investigating and the chain of bookies and number of people involved in betting in a long chain. It is extremely difficult to ascertain this,' he said. The Commissioner said that the focus of the police was in completing the investigation into the present case as soon as possible and submit a charge sheet in 60 days. 'We will try to charge sheet the accused in 60 days so that they are not released on bail,' he said. PTI

Hashish from India seized in Germany

Milan : A parcel containing two kg of hashish reportedly sent from India has been seized in Germany. The substance was found hidden inside beach tennis rackets mailed to an address in Italy, police said. Police sniffer dogs detected the haul of so-called 'black bombay' hashish, estimated at 20,000 euros, during a routine check at Germany's Frankfurt airport. The parcel arrived onboard a flight from New Delhi. German authorities alerted Italian tax police at Malpensa airport, who raided an address in Mariano Comense town near Como, which was written on the parcel. The parcel addressee was a previous tenant at the apartment in Mariano Comense, who was evicted by the landlord for rent arrears, police said.

Long wait for a green card could be ending

San Francisco: Sanket Sant, a citizen of India, came to the United States at age 21, earning a master's degree in engineering, followed by a doctorate and then landing a well-paying job at a firm making semiconductor equipment. Then, he waited for the US government to decide if he could stay. 'I know this country better than my own country, and I still feel like an outsider,' said Sant, 35, who received his PhD from the University of Texas in 2006, and has been waiting for federal officials to approve his green card application for six years. 'That's the thing that bothers me.' That is also the predicament of tens of thousands of workers here in the heart of the tech industry who were born overseas and educated in the United States. Though not living in poverty or in the shadows, as are migrant workers who are here illegally, they are nevertheless in a bureaucratic limbo while they wait in a long line for a green card. Now, though, Congress is poised to end their uncertainty. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved a broad overhaul of the nation's immigration laws on a bipartisan vote, and sent the measure to the full Senate. The bill would make it much easier for science, math and engineering graduates of US universities to become permanent residents. Crucially, it would also lift the limits on how many immigrants are allowed in from each country, which has meant that citizens of populous countries like India end up waiting far longer than others. The provisions to ease the green card process enjoy bipartisan support, reflecting a stark reality: Nearly half of all engineering graduate students at U.S. universities are from abroad. Technology companies, like Facebook and Microsoft, want to hire many more of them, which is why they have lobbied to make it quicker for them to get permanent residency. So has the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a group that advocates for US workers. Still, not everyone is a fan. Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based research and advocacy group, who has testified against the legislation, said easy, unlimited access to green cards for math and science graduates could encourage the emergence of 'visa mills,' or schools established just to sell access to the United States. Also, he said: 'American young people with bachelor's degrees see these occupations distorted by large-scale admissions of foreign workers. That then....

Bookies lose Rs.35,000 crore after police crackdown

New Delhi: With a pan-India crackdown on betting rackets, Delhi bookies have suffered a whopping loss of Rs.35,000 crore as most of them have either wind up their business or have gone underground after the spot fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The business was worth Rs.50,000 crore at the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but within a week, with the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals cricketers, it has been reduced to Rs.15,000 crore, Delhi Police sources told IANS. According to police officials, with the authorities cracking down on the betting racked in major cities, including Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Chennai, betting syndicates have stopped taking wagers. Even the hawala operators have gone missing. Following the crackdown on spot fixing scandal, Delhi bookies are facing a huge loss of Rs.35,000 crore as they have stopped spot fixing and gone underground, sources said Thursday. 'Spot fixing has been stopped but the money is used in match fixing in the IPL match,' a Delhi Police official told IANS. Around 1,500 bookies are still operating in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) areas, including Gurgaon. Delhi's north and central areas like Model Town, Malkaganj, Rohini, Karol Bagh, Lahori Gate, Chandani Chowk, and east and west areas like Tilak Nagar, Rajauri Garden and Preet Vihar are famous for betting rackets. Delhi Police have put some of the well known bookies under surveillance. Delhi Police were the first to expose the spot fixing scandal by arresting S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan and 11 bookies in a post-midnight operation in Delhi, Mumbai and Ahemdabad May 16.

India can be net provider of security in region: PM

Gurgaon: There is need for reorienting the country's strategic thinking and reappraising its higher defence organisations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday, noting that India was well positioned to become a net provider of security in its immediate region and beyond. The prime minister, who laid the foundation stone of Indian National Defence University (INDU) at Binola village in Gurgaon district, said India faces the entire spectrum of security challenges as it lies in a difficult neighbourhood. Binola is located on the national highway to Jaipur. About 200 acres of land for the university was acquired by the Haryana government in Binola, Bilaspur villages and handed over to the Defence Ministry in April. The prime minister said India had today unprecedented access to high technology, capital and partnerships and had also sought to assume responsibility for stability in the Indian Ocean region. 'We are well positioned, therefore, to become a net provider of security in our immediate region and beyond,' he said. The prime minister said challenges and opportunities for the country should prompt 'reorientation of our strategic thinking and a reappraisal of our highest defence organisation.' 'It is imperative that the country's defence professionals remain abreast of the complex environment we face and the avenues that are available as a result of the enormous transition taking place in India. That is where this university comes in,' he said. Noting that India's neighbourhood provides a full range of conventional, strategic and non-traditional challenges, the prime minister said world was witnessing change on a scale and speed rarely seen before. 'Nowhere is this change more pronounced than in Asia, where we are witnessing multiple security challenges on account of the intersection of fragile states, internal conflicts, proliferation of arms and terrorist groups,' he said. He said explosive development of technology was also transforming defence capabilities and new challenges will emerge as dependence on cyber and outer space grows. The prime minister said the university was meant to ensure that the country, the government and the armed forces benefit from the best military advise that is available. 'It is meant to provide an avenue for our thinkers and policymakers to understand the complexities of war. It is also meant to provide our defence professionals with a deep understanding of the interplay between all attributes....

SBI Q4 net falls 18.5 pc to Rs 3,299 cr; shares tank 7 pc

New Delhi : Country's largest bank SBI today reported a 18.54 per cent decline in net profit at Rs 3,299 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2013 on account of lower interest income, causing its shares to plummet over 7 per cent on the bourses. State Bank of India (SBI) had a net profit of Rs 4,050.27 crore in the January-March quarter of 2012-13 fiscal. The standalone total income of the bank rose to Rs 36,331 crore during the quarter, from Rs 33,959 crore in the corresponding period a year ago, SBI said in a statement. The net interest income of the bank declined 4.42 per cent to Rs 11,591 crore during the fourth quarter. The gross Non-performing Assets (NPAs), which represents portion of bad loans, stood at Rs 51,189 crore at the end of March, up from Rs 39,676 crore in the year ago period. The gross NPA as a percentage of total loan rose to 4.75 per cent during the quarter, from 4.44 per cent in the year ago period. The net NPA was at 2.10 per cent of loans in the March quarter. For full fiscal (2012-13), the bank reported a 20 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 14,105 crore. It was higher than Rs 11,707 crore in the 2011-12 fiscal. Shares of SBI fell 7.24 per cent in the afternoon trade to Rs 2,193.20 apiece on the BSE. PTI

Central intervention likely as feud in Kerala Cong flares up

Thiruvananthapuram : As the rift between Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and KPCC chief Ramesh Chennithala snowballed into a crisis in Congress, the high command's intervention appears inevitable to settle the discord arising from the confusion over inducting the party state unit chief in the cabinet. Mid-rung leaders from factions loyal to the two leaders continued their slanging match today blaming each side for being responsible for the sudden flare-up in factionalism after the party-led government came to power in 2011. Sources close to Chennithala said his supporters, known in party circles as 'I' group, would meet in Kochi later today to work out strategies and take up their case with the central leadership. State-level party functionaries backing Chennithala came out openly maintaining that not only did the KPCC chief deserve to be inducted in the cabinet with a key portfolio but he was even competent to replace Chandy as Chief Minister. They feel Chandy 'humiliated' Chennithala by denying him a suitable portfolio after wooing him to join the ministry. Senior leader and KPCC spokesperson M M Hassan, seen as a Chandy camper, told reporters that party issues had not yet become complex as projected by the media. 'It is wrong to say Congress in the state has split in the middle along group lines. There is no issue which cannot be settled through talks,' he said. He also suggested that both leaders should hold talks to resolve the issues as the situation had not yet slipped out of hand. Groupism, a bane of the Congress in Kerala for decades, resurfaced recently after Chennithala's possibility of joining the UDF Ministry dimmed. What added a serious dimension to the rumblings in the last few days was a newspaper interview in which Chennithala purportedly said it would be difficult for him to maintain the same smooth equation with Chandy since he felt he had been insulted over the ministerial issue. Chennithala, however, had said he had not given any such interview though he did not altogether refuted its contents. On his part, Chandy had made it clear he is not prepared for an open debate on internal issues and did not think that Chennithala would have said it would be difficult for him to continue the smooth relationship with the Chief Minister. Significantly, Chennithala has been keeping silent since yesterday despite wrangling in the state unit dominating media debates for the last few days. PTI

Sensex down 364 pts at mid-session on US stimulus, China worries

The BSE benchmark Sensex today slumped below the 20,000-mark during mid-session by losing a whopping 364 points, on sustained selling triggered by weakness in other Asian bourses after US Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke hinted at scaling down monetary stimulus. The 30-share index started the day on a bearish note at 19,971.37 and nosedived by 364.80 points to 19,697.40 at 1230hrs, with all the sectoral indices, led by realty and capital goods trading in negative territory with losses up to 5.92%. It had lost nearly 224 points in the previous three sessions. Similarly, the broad-based National Stock Exchange index, Nifty, dropped by 100.60 points to 5,993.90, after touching a low of 5,972.40 intra-day. Asian stocks slid and the dollar rose to a 8-1/2 year high after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's remarks sparked worries of a reduction in US monetary stimulus and after data showed China's factory activity shrank for the first time in seven months in May. Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke signalling yesterday that monetary stimulus may be scaled back if the US economy improves further, triggered selling activity in the entire Asian region, traders said. In a bid to give assurance to the market following Bernanke's comments, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said: 'There is no need for any kind of nervousness.' Finance minister P Chidambaram on Thursday said, 'Indian markets should read the situation correctly rather than being influenced by something happening elsewhere.' 'There is no need for any kind of nervousness,' said P Chidambaram on the market crash, following US Fed Chief Ben Bernanke's comments. Also, reports of manufacturing activity in China contracting in May for the first time in seven months dampened the trading sentiment further, traders added. Major losers were ICICI Bank, Maruti Suzuki, State Bank of India, Reliance Industries, Infosys, Bajaj Auto, Bharti Airtel, BHEL, Larsen and Toubro, Mahindra and Mahindra , Jindal Steel, Ranbaxy Laboratories and Sterite Industries. The rupee fell below the key psychological level of 56 to the dollar on Thursday, its lowest level in over 8-1/2 months, as the dollar rallied on worries about a potentially early end to US monetary stimulus. The rupee fell to as low as 56.01, its lowest since September 6, 2012. At 11.49 am, it was at 55.98/00 to the dollar versus its previous close of 55.46/47.

Mumbai Police in Chennai to question CSK CEO Meiyappan

Chennai/Mumbai : Mumbai Police will today question BCCI president N Srinivasan's son-in-law and CEO of Chennai Super Kings Gurunath Meiyappan in connection with the IPL betting scandal. A two-member team from Mumbai arrived here this morning to question Meiyappan with whom arrested actor Vindoo Randhawa was in touch, and CSK's top executives, police said. According to police, the call records of Randhawa, son of late wrestler-actor Dara Singh, who was arrested in the IPL betting case on Tuesday, indicated that the actor had made several calls to Chennai and some of them to Meiyappan. 'Vindoo made several calls to Meiyappan of the Chennai IPL. We may call the person in question to ascertain the reasons why these frequent calls were made,' an officer involved in the probe had said. The 49-year-old actor was arrested for his alleged association with bookies. Vindoo, winner of reality TV show Bigg Boss season 3, was allegedly in touch with some bookies arrested in the scandal. The actor also reportedly admitted to having facilitated the escape of two bookies -- Pawan Jaipur and Sanjay Jaipur-- to Dubai from Mumbai on May 17. The duo had gone underground to evade arrest after Mumbai police busted the international betting racket with the arrest of key bookie Ramesh Vyas and three others on May 14. The ongoing IPL found itself in a mess after speedster S Sreesanth and two of his Rajasthan Royals team mates were arrested last week by police, which claimed they received upto Rs 60 lakh from bookies for bowling one manipulated over. A special cell of Delhi police arrested Sreesanth and his teammates -- Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan -- in Mumbai on Thursday last for indulging in spot-fixing in at least three IPL matches as per arrangements with bookies, who have underworld connections abroad. PTI

We want to start a war in London, suspect tells eyewitness

LONDON: British counter-terrorism police were on Thursday investigating the murder of a man thought to be a soldier, who was butchered and beheaded on a busy London street by two men shouting Islamist slogans. The attackers, wielding knives including a meat cleaver, carried out the attack a few hundred metres (yards) from the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London, then delivered an Islamist tirade to passers-by. Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the 'appalling crime', adding: 'There are strong indications that it is a terrorist incident.' He cut short a visit to Paris to fly back for a meeting of the government's emergency response committee, COBRA, which had already met in the hours following the attack. Media reports citing witnesses said the men first ran over their victim in a car before finishing him off with the knives. Eyewitnesses described how after the two men carried out their attack, they stayed at the scene, asking passers-by to photograph and film them. Armed police shot and wounded the two attackers after they ran at officers, said witnesses. Both were being treated in hospital, said police. Amateur footage of one of the men carrying a blood-stained knife and meat cleaver shows him saying: 'We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you.' The man, a black man dressed in a hooded jacket and black woolly hat, speaks in a London accent. 'We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,' he says. 'I apologise that women have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don't care about you.' Reports said the man attacked was wearing a t-shirt bearing the logo of the British military charity Help for Heroes. Several eyewitnesses said he had been decapitated. Rapper Boya Dee, who witnessed the incident, wrote on his Twitter account: 'Ohhhhh myyyy God!!!! I just see a man with his head chopped off right in front of my eyes!' 'We want to start a war in London' Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, 48, told the Daily Telegraph that when she asked the assailants why they had carried out the attack, one of them told her: 'We want to start a war in London tonight'. Around 250 members of the anti-Islamist English Defence League were involved in minor scuffles with police at Woolwich Arsenal train station, near the scene of the attack, before dispersing. Police later arrested....

Kalabhavan Mani gets conditional anticipatory bail

Kochi: Ace Malayalam comedian and character artiste Kalabhavan Mani, who has been on the run to escape arrest for roughing up three forest officials, Thursday got anticipatory bail from the high court, but with strict conditions. Justice S.S. Satish Chandran, however, asked the actor to appear before the investigating officials for questioning. He also asked police to present Mani before a magistrate after questioning and directed that court to grant him bail. For bail, the court has directed him to furnish a security of Rs.50,000 and two other sureties. The incident occurred on May 14 when Mani and a woman friend, driving through the famed tourist destination at Athirapally in Thrissur district, were stopped by forest officials on routine patrol duty. When the officials asked him to open the boot of the vehicle, Mani got angry and drove away. Mani later returned and according to the forest officials, threatened them with dire consequences and also roughed them up. Since that day, the actor was on the run. --IANS

PM calls for reorientation of country's strategic thinking

Gurgaon : India faces an entire spectrum of security challenges and there is need for reorientation of the country's strategic thinking and reappraisal of its higher defence organisations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday. Stating that India was situated at the strategic crossroads of Asia and astride one of busiest sea lanes of the world, the prime minister said: 'It is imperative that the country's defence professionals remain abreast of the complex environment we face and the avenues that are available as a result of the enormous transition taking place in India.' He was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for the Indian National Defence University (INDU) in Binola, Gurgaon, near the Indian capital. The prime minister said India's security had never been stronger than it was today. 'India faces entire spectrum of security challenges and this is inevitable as we live in a difficult neighbourhood which holds the full range of conventional, strategic and non-traditional challenges,' he said. 'Taken together these challenges and opportunities should prompt reorientation of our strategic thinking and a reappraisal of our highest defence organisation,' he said. He said the government was making defence acquisition less vulnerable to unethical practices. 'We have been guided by the objective of making defence acquisition transparent, smooth, efficient and less vulnerable to unethical practices. We will continue to seek the highest standards of the probity in defence acquisition,' he said. The defence university, Manmohan Singh said, would be a unique autonomous institution of national importance. 'It is meant to ensure that the country, government armed forces benefit from the best military advise that is available. It is also meant to provide our defence professionals with a deep understanding of the inter play between all attributes of national power,' he added.

12, including 10 security personnel, killed in Pak blast

Islamabad : A bomb blast ripped through a bus carrying security personnel in Quetta city of southwest Pakistan today, killing 12 people and injuring more than 20, police officials said. The bomb, planted in an auto-rickshaw, went off as the bus carrying Balochistan Constabulary personnel was passing through Bhosa Mandi area on the outskirts of the city this morning. Deputy Inspector General of Police Fayyaz Ahmed Sumbal said 10 security personnel and two civilians were killed. The injured were taken to the nearby Civil Hospital. Those with serious injuries were later shifted to a military hospital. Officials said five of the wounded were in a critical condition. Police officials said the bomb was detonated by remote control while the bus was passing through the area. Members of the bomb disposal squad said an estimated 100 kg of explosives were used in the attack. Footage on television showed that the bus was destroyed by the blast. Debris lay scattered over a wide area. Local residents and rescue teams rushed the dead and injured to hospital. Law enforcement agencies, including the Frontier Corps and police, cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. PTI

Don't think I've to quit Home: Thiruvanchoor

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan in an interview to Mathrubhumi news channel said that Oommen Chandy would not be ready to resolve the Cabinet reshuffle issue at the cost of the Home portfolio. The minister said that Chandy would not do anything to humiliate me. Thiruvanchoor said he became Home minister as per a political decision with the acceptance of the High Command. Only the chief minister has the sole authority to decide on the Cabinet. If those who have entrusted the onus on me tell me to resign, I will not oppose it. But I have complete faith on the CM and know him for a very long time. The CM is a very optimistic man. As a home minister I'm loyal to my work and have fulfilled my responsibilities. This has been recognised by the people too. I have talked to A K Antony about this, the minister said.

It was like bereavement: Dravid on spot-fixing

New Delhi : Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid says dealing with the turmoil caused by the spot-fixing scandal, which has left his team's reputation in tatters, has turned out to be as tough as handling 'bereavement in some ways'. 'I would not lie it was a very tough phase for us. It was a blow to the team. It's something I have never experienced anything like it. It's like bereavement in some ways,' Dravid told reporters after his team beat Sunrisers Hyderabad to enter the second qualifier of the IPL, here last night. Rajasthan Royals secured a four-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a thrilling low scoring 'Eliminator' to book their place in the second Qualifier where they will be meeting the mighty Mumbai Indians in Kolkata. Dravid, for the first time, seemed like opening up to the fixing chapter as he talked about the subject and allowed his emotions to flow. RR were a team gone haywire after three of its players, including India pacer S Sreesanth, were arrested by the Delhi Police for indulging in spot-fixing. 'You feel real sadness, disappointment and anger. There are so many emotions. We had a day (after the Mumbai Indians match) and the next day, we were playing Sunrisers in Hyderabad and everyone was in a daze. It was a difficult week for all of us,' he said. Dravid informed that two days they spent in Jaipur after their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad helped them unwind and engage in 'honest' discussion with each other. 'I think the two days we had in Jaipur after that game was fantastic. We spent two-three days in Jaipur and there were some really open, honest conversations among the players, among the coaching staff. 'A lot of emotions were shared. In some ways, it was amazing for me to see the way they came out and expressed their feelings. There was range of emotions that we had experienced over the last few days,' he said. The former India skipper thanked Royals coach Paddy Upton and the support staff for reuniting the group just ahead of the crucial play-off stage. PTI

Royals down Sunrisers for Qualifier spot

New Delhi : Scandal-hit Rajasthan Royals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Eliminator here at the Ferozeshah Kotla Wednesday to enter Qualifier 2. With a small target of 133, Rajasthan Royals had a jittery chase losing wickets at regular intervals but Australian middle-order batsman Brad Hodge (54 not out) made sure that the 2008 champions reached home with four balls to spare. Sunrisers had scored 132/7 in their 20 overs and in reply the Royals made 135/6 in 19.2 overs. Rajasthan took off brilliantly with skipper Rahul Dravid (12) hitting three exquisite boundaries to start their chase. However, he edged an Ishant Sharma delivery to backward point in the second over. Opener Ajinkya Rahane (18) and dependable batsman Shane Watson (24) carried on little by little. However, a caught and bowled by spinner Amit Mishra and a superb catch on the boundary by Darren Sammy brought an end to Rahane and Watson, respectively. Royals were put in more than a spot of bother when they lost four wickets in a span of seven runs, putting the brakes on their scoring rate. They went down from 53/1 to 57/5 in four overs. Nevertheless, Sanju Samson (10) and Hodge, who hit five huge sixes and two boundaries, steadied the ship with a 45-run sixth wicket partnership. Samson provided good support to Hodge but got out (102/6) bringing in Hodge's compatriot James Faulkner (11 not out). The duo scored 33 more runs in 4.1 overs to bring Rajasthan home. Hodge hit two magnificent sixes, one towards square leg and the next at long on, off the last two balls to win the match for the Royals. Darren Sammy was the pick of the bowlers clinching two wickets while Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma, Karan Sharma and Amit Mishra took one each. Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad started off poorly losing Parthiv Patel (1) and Hanuma Vihari (1) by the third over. Opener Shikhar Dhawan (33) and skipper Cameron White (31) tried to stabilise the innings with a 52-run third wicket partnership. However, in the process they slowed down and the Royals' bowlers made sure that their run-rate never went above six. Delhi boy Dhawan tried to stay at the crease without taking too many risks so that he could play the anchor's innings and play the big shots later. However, he perished in the 16th over (83/4). So slow were the Sunrisers that their first boundary came in the fourth over and their first six in the 15th. Sammy played a 21-ball 29-run....

Chandy bags UN award for mass contact programme

Thiruvananthapuram : Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has won the prestigious United Nations Public Service Award for his mass contact programme initiative, an official release said Wednesday. The Kerala chief minister bagged the first place in the category 'Preventing and Combating Corruption in the Public Service' from the Asia and Pacific region. The second place was bagged by South Korea's Seoul Metropolitan Infrastructure Headquarters. Chandy first launched the mass contact programme when he became the chief minister of Kerala in 2004. Under the programme, he travelled to all the 14 districts in the state to listen to the complaints of people relating to governance issues. At several places, he was seen listening to people's complaints for more than 18 hours at a stretch. Chandy received the UN award for the mass contact programme which he conducted in 2011 after becoming the chief minister for the second time. The highlight of this programme was that the problems of the people could be directly communicated to the chief minister without any intermediary. A total of 5.5 lakh petitions were received in 2011, of which three lakh were resolved. Financial assistance worth Rs.22.68 crore was provided to the people during the programme. After the programme got over, The chief minister returned to each district to conduct review meetings with officials. The UN Public Service Awards are given in five categories -- Preventing and Combating Corruption in the Public Service; Improving the Delivery of Public Services; Fostering participation in public policy decision making through innovative mechanisms; Promoting Whole-of-Government Approaches in the Information Age; and Promoting Gender-Responsive Delivery of Public Services. The award is usually given to institutions or countries for the services they render in various categories. This year's awards ceremony will be held in Bahrain during the United Nations Public Service Forum meeting June 24-27. Chandy will receive the award from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at a ceremony June 27.

Tendulkar out of IPL with hand injury

New Delhi : Sachin Tendulkar will not take further part in the Indian Premier League owing to an injury on his left hand, his team Mumbai Indians said Wednesday. Tendulkar, who did not play the Qualifier I against Chennai Super Kings here Tuesday, has been ruled out of action for three weeks, according to a Mumbai Indians statement. 'Sachin Tendulkar has injured his left wrist and hand while batting in the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 13th May. On investigation, we have found that there is some swelling in the wrist and around one of the tendons of his left hand,' said the statement. 'He is currently under rehab and is progressing well. The normal recovery time for this injury is around three weeks, however rehab results in the past nine days have shown reasonable improvements and we are hopeful to get him back in action as soon as possible.' Mumbai Indians lost to Super Kings and now take on the winner of the Eliminator at the Eden Gardens Friday for a spot in the final. Mumbai Indians pacer Dhawal Kulkarni also played his last match of IPL6. 'Dhawal has sustained a side-strain during the game against Kings XI Punjab in Dharamshala on 18th May. He will take about six weeks to recover completely and has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament,' the statement added.

Four killed as car falls into rivulet at Vattapara

Thiruvananthapuram: In an early morning mishap near Vattapara in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday four persons were killed when their car plunged into a rivulet. The deceased are Vivekanandan (55), wife Padmaja (43), son Vishnu (20) and their relative Sindhu Dev (24), all hailing from Dhanvachapuram. Four persons, who were injured, were rushed to the Thiruvananthapuram medical College hospital in a serious condition. The car which was going to Thiruvananthapuram from Guruvayur met with the mishap on Thursday midnight at about 1 am. The injured Vijayakumar, Sunil Kumar, Vishal, Rajiv are under treatment at the hospital. As the accident happened during night, rescue efforts were delayed. Police took the victims to the hospital.

Spot-fixing: CSK owner's relative under Mumbai Police scanner

A relative of the owner of IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings with whom actor Vindoo Randhawa, arrested in connection with the spot-fixing scandal, was in frequent touch, is under the scanner of Mumbai Police, Crime Branch sources said today. 'Vindoo made several calls to this relative of the Chennai IPL owner. We may call the person in question to ascertain the reasons why these frequent calls were made,' an officer involved in the investigation told PTI. He, however, said it was 'too premature' to conclude that the relative of the high-profile owner of the Chennai franchise had links with the betting syndicate. Asked if Vindoo had named any Bollywood celebrity who was involved in the betting racket, the officer said, 'Vindoo is himself from the film industry and it is natural that his phone contains numbers of several people from the industry. We have not yet got evidence of involvement of anyone of them in betting or spot-fixing.' On whether Vindoo was involved in betting or fixing in earlier seasons of the Indian Premier League, the officer said, 'everything is under investigation.' The 49-year-old actor was arrested yesterday for his alleged association with bookies. Vindoo, winner of reality tv show Bigg Boss season 3, was allegedly in touch with some bookies arrested in the scandal. He was on many occasions spotted watching IPL matches and attending post-match parties.

LeT militant killed in Srinagar, three policemen injured

Srinagar: Security forces killed a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant in a gunfight in the heart of Jammu and Kashmir capital Srinagar Thursday morning, police said. 'Hilal Molvi of LeT was killed in an encounter with police in Narparistan (Fatah Kadal) area of old Srinagar city,' Syed Ashiq Bukhari, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Srinagar, told IANS. Three police officials -- one sub inspector and two constables were injured in the gunfight, he said. The shootout started in the early hours of Thursday after police surrounded a residential house in the densely populated area on receiving specific information about the militant's presence there. 'The militant started firing from his automatic weapon on our boys after he was asked to surrender.' 'The fire was returned, in which Hilal Molvi was killed. He belonged to Palhalan (Pattan) town of Baramulla district and had been active since last four to five years,' the SSP said. The Srinagar district police chief confirmed there was no collateral damage to civilian life or property during the gunfight. The presence of an LeT militant in Srinagar comes at a time when the state government has again raised its demand for partial revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Srinagar city and some other places. AFSPA gives sweeping powers to the army and the paramilitary forces operating in militancy-affected areas, but the local police does not enjoy any immunity under the act. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been advocating the partial revocation of the act, maintaining that security responsibilities in cities and towns can now be taken over by the local police with the assistance of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Soldier beheaded in suspected terror attack in London

London: In an attack that raised new fears of terrorism in Britain, a man walking Wednesday near a military barracks in south London was rammed by a car on a sidewalk and was then hacked to death by two assailants wielding a cleaver and a kitchen knife, according to accounts of witnesses and video taken after the attack. Some accounts said the victim had been beheaded. British officials did not identify him by name, but the French president, Francois Hollande, referred to the victim as 'a soldier' in expressing France's sympathy to the visiting British prime minister, David Cameron, who was in Paris when the attack took place. The two suspects were shot and wounded by armed police, officials said, and were in the hospital under police guard. One suspect was described as being in serious condition. One of the men shouted 'Allahu akbar,' or 'God is great,' as the attack proceeded, government officials said. Cameron, who interrupted a European tour to return to London on Wednesday night, said at a news conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris that the killing was 'an appalling murder' and 'absolutely sickening.' 'There are strong indications that it is a terrorist incident,' Cameron said. ITV News showed a video clip taken with a cellphone in which a man who appeared to be in his 20s or early 30s, holding a cleaver and knife with bloodied hands, offered what appeared to be a political message before the police arrived. 'I am sorry that women and children should have to see this,' the man said. He then referred to what appeared to be a motive for the attack, saying that it had been carried out 'because of what's going on in our own countries.' That phrase has been used by militants to refer to conflicts in countries including Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. The assault took place on a busy suburban street in Woolwich, the site of one of the main military barracks in London. A neighborhood primary school is nearby, and witnesses said that some of those who saw the attack were parents and children returning home from the school. (Read: Woman confronted attackers to deflect danger) A small blue car involved in the ramming of the victim appeared to have collided with a telephone pole afterward. It was visible in photographs and television coverage of the scene, with extensive damage to its hood and front window. Witnesses said they saw two men standing with blades over a man lying prone on the sidewalk, beside a wall. Shortly after the....