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Breaking News
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KIDNAPPED CHHATTISGARH CONGRESS CHIEF, SON FOUND DEAD, TOLL 27
NAXAL ATTACK IN CHATTISGARH: WE ARE WITH VICTIMS’ FAMILIES, SAYS RAHUL
MARKET SNAPS FIVE-WEEK RALLY; SENSEX, NIFTY TANK 3%
SPOT-FIXING SCANDAL: SRINIVASAN DEFIANT AS SON-IN-LAW SINGS
BAJWA DEMANDS CBI PROBE IN "BOOK SCAM"
ANTI-MUSLIM BACKLASH ON THE RISE AFTER LONDON TERROR ATTACK
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Punjab News
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Chandigarh May 26:
Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa demanded CBI probe into the alleged "book scam" in the state education department and demanded immediate resignation of Education Minister Sikandar Singh Malooka.
Bajwa in a release charged Malooka with ignoring all procedures with regard to purchase of books for government schools and alleged that funds to the tune of Rs 9.50 crore were misappropriated. Raising a question over the contract given for supply of books, he alleged that the firm which supplied books was actually engaged in the business of manufacturing pipes.
Bajwa alleged that the Punjab Education Minister was earlier also involved in scandal of supplying practical books and students were directed to buy practical books from particular dealers. Bajwa alleged that books containing derogatory remarks against national leaders were supplied. He said that a Congress delegation would meet the Union Human Resource Development minister and bring to his notice the misuse of Central government funds.
"Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was fully responsible for the corrupt practices by his ministers and every time clean chit is given to guilty ministers," he said. Bajwa also announced that he would lead a delegation of party MPs and MLAs to Manna village adjoining Badal's native village in Lambi Assembly constituency on May 27 where Punjab police had registered criminal cases against about 150 persons, who protested against booth capturing allegedly by the Akalis.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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Chandigarh May 26:
Punjab government today sanctioned Rs 50 crore for the upgradation of infrastructure in government colleges across the state. Presiding over a meeting of the principals of government colleges Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said the state government was duty bound to revitalise the higher education in the state.
The state government has already conducted a survey in the government colleges about their immediate needs, he said. According to this survey, the estimates of work have been prepared by the Higher Education Department. Badal said in the first phase Rs 50 crore would be released by the state government for the upgradation of the infrastructure in the colleges.
The Chief Minister said it was unfortunate that around 1,500 posts of teaching and non-teaching staff in the government colleges were lying vacant, adversely effecting the education in these institutions. He asked the officers of the Education department to explore all feasibilities for filling sanctioned posts at the earliest.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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Gurdaspur May 26:
As many as 24 persons, including a SAD leader and his two sons, were today booked in connection with an attack on a gathering, in which a BJP leader was seriously injured in Qadian town.
SAD leader Jarnail Singh Mahal and his two sons were among 24 booked for attacking Qadian Mandal BJP president Kamal Jyoti and vice-president of Punjab Youth Akali Dal Parmajeet Singh Sohal. Both Jyoti and Sohal, supporters of former cabinet minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan, were allegedly attacked by Mahal and his supporters yesterday when they were going to Gurudwara Chhota Ghallu Ghara to join a religious function.
Jyoti was seriously injured in the attack, while Sohal managed to escape. Police said that it was case of an old enmity. One of the accused, Montu, was arrested today from Qadian while five others surrendered, police said. Local court has sent them in two-day police custody.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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Chandigarh May 26:
For reasons best known to its chairman, the Punjab School Education Board's (PSEB) secrecy fund, which amounted to Rs 10.50 crore in 2010-11, has nosedived to Rs 1.94 crore in the fiscal 2012-13.
The information came to light after the department furnished the data under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The information had been sought by advocate H C Arora from the State Public Information Officer of the Punjab Education Department (Education-3 Branch). The letter reveals that the "secrecy fund", under the control of the PSEB chairman, had reduced by nearly Rs 8.60 crore in a year.
The "secrecy fund" was immune from audit until recently. The chairman of the board had submitted utilisation certificates to auditors at the end of the year after directions were issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on a public interest litigation. The PIL, filed by Arora, had sought directions to Punjab and the Board to evolve some satisfactory method of audit of secrecy fund. While disposing off the PIL on December 12 last year, the high court had directed the Board to constitute a Committee to complete the said task within two months. It was further directed that if the accounts are not being audited annually till now, steps shall be taken for getting the accounts of the Board audited by the qualified auditors.
"If not done so far, the state government shall specify such an agency and fix its fee within a month from today (day of the ruling) in order to enable the said agency to take up the task as per the aforesaid provisions," the Court had ruled. Acting upon the directions, the Committee constituted by the government, headed by the principal secretary (Education Department) held a meeting on March 12 and deliberated at length over the utilization and audit of the secrecy fund.
It was noted by the Committee that out of Rs 2 crore kept as secrecy fund for 2012-13, an amount of Rs 1.94 crore only has been spent by the chairperson. The Committee unanimously resolved that audit of the secrecy fund shall be conducted by the examiner, (local fund accounts) but the name of the printing press for the purpose of Secrecy, shall not be mentioned in the audit report.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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Jalandhar May 26:
On May 20 Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal in the presence of Presient Pranab Mukherjee embarrassed Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai while complaining that heroin was coming from Afghanistan but during the weekend, a former top cop of Punjab sought to put Punjab government and state police in the dock stating that there was little action against the ten prominent persons involved in drug smuggling on whom dossiers were prepared by the state intelligence department and given to the DGP and the state home department.
Former Punjab DGM prisons, Shashi Kant, who also remained ADGP intelligence in the SAD-BJP regime, said here on Saturday that the dossier was prepared by intelligence sleuths over two years back when he headed the intelligence wing and names of ten prominent politicians and social personalities figured. "They were involved in the smuggling. The details on them were given to the DGP and state home department but action was not seen against them," he said while speaking to the media here.
Asked that if he would name these persons he said that the files were with the official machinery and the names should come through the official channels only. Shashi Kant had created a political storm when during his stint as DGP prisons last year also, he raised the issue and alleged that he was receiving threats from drug mafia after he broke the backbone of drug mafia operating in state jails.
Levelling another serious allegation against Punjab police officials, he said that land mafia with active involvement of some police officers was very active I Doaba region especially in Jalndhar. "There is clear nexus of politicians, police officers and revenue officials and some other police officials are acting like property dealers as complaints of property disputes reach to them once the NRIs face problems of land grabbing by the mafia," he alleged.
"The only hope for any person who faces land or property grabbing by influential persons is to go the police but they are part of the mafia. Some police officers of Jalandhar are working more like property dealers than officers," he said without mincing words while putting the men in Khaki in dock. Former DGP Kant said that he was trying to create public movement against drugs.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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India News
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Raipur May 26:
The bullet-riddled bodies of Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh, who were kidnapped by Maoists, were today found along with those of eight others in Jiram valley in Bastar.
With the recovery of the bodies, the toll in the lethal Maoist attack on a convoy of Congress leaders yesterday has climbed to 27, police sources said. 32 people have been injured in the attack, DGP Ram Niwas said today. The bodies of Patel, his son Dinesh and eight others, mainly security personnel, have been recovered from Jiram valley in Bastar division, the sources said.
The Maoists had kidnapped Patel and his son Dinesh after attacking the convoy of Congress leaders. Heavy rains in the area is hampering the operations of the security forces. Senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma was killed and former union minister V C Shukla injured when heavily-armed Maoists ambushed a convoy of party leaders inside a dense forest in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district yesterday.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who arrived here in the wee hours today, said the party cannot be cowed down by such attacks and will continue to move forward. "It is not an attack on Congress. It is an attack on democracy. But, we'll not fear from such an attack and continue to move forward with enthusiasm," Gandhi said. Gandhi also met V C Shukla and other injured leaders at a hospital.
"I met V C Shukla and other injured leaders at a hospital. As soon as his condition becomes stable, he'll be sent to Delhi," he said. "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi will also be visiting the state," Gandhi said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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Raipur May 26:
The looming fear has turned into a reality. The body of Chhattisgarh Congress president Nand Kumar Patel was found on Sunday morning not very far from the same spot at Darbha in Jagdalpur where the Congress convoy was attacked.
Following the brutal attack the rebels took away Patel and his son Dinesh to a nearby forest. According to the party sources, two bodies were found about half-a-kilometre from the spot. The body of Patel has been identified but another body, feared to be of his son, lying nearby couldn’t be recognised as the face was disfigured owing to bullet injuries.
According to the unconfirmed reports, there were around 10 more bodies lying in and around the spot. Seventeen bodies were already brought to the Maharani hospital in Jagdalpur in the early hours of Sunday. There is heavy downpour since morning at Jagdalpur affecting the rescue operation. With more bodies found after the deadly Maoist ambush on a convoy of vehicles carrying state Congress leaders and workers, the casualty figure is likely to rise further. Several were critically injured. Some congressmen who were missing returned to Jagdalpur on Sunday.
Meanwhile the critically injured veteran Congress leader VC Shukla will be shifted to Delhi shortly by an air-ambulance. Congress president Rahul Gandhi met the injured Congressmen at a private hospital Ram Krishna Care in Raipur. He appealed his party workers to maintain calm and affirmed that such cowardly act will not deter Congress party.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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Jammu May 26:
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said talks are being held with the Centre to bestow the title of martyr on Chamel Singh, who died in a Pakistani jail, and to award a compensation to his family.
"Talks are being held with Centre", Omar told reporters while replying to the question whether Chamel would be bestowed title of Martyr and a compensation be provided to his family at par with those given to the kin of Sarabjit Singh, who died after a brutal assault in Pakistani jail. Family members of Chamel have demanded that he should also be bestowed with the title of a martyr and a compensation on the pattern of Sarabjit's family.
"We appeal to the government of India that our father be accorded the title of a martyr," Deepak Singh, son of Chamel Singh had said. Chamel, who hailed from a border hamlet of Pargwal in Akhnoor belt of Jammu, was beaten to death in Pakistan's Kot Lakhpat jail on January 15 this year and his body was brought back here on March 13. "We appeal to the government to facilitate our family in the same way as Sarabjit's family has been done. Both Centre and state government should think about us," he said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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New Delhi May 26:
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday termed the Maoist attack on his party leaders as not an attack on Congress but an attack on democracy. A day after the attack, Rahul reached Raipur and met former union minister VC Shukla and other party workers who were injured in the attack.
“It is not an attack on Congress. It is an attack on democracy. But, we'll not fear from such an attack and continue to move forward with enthusiasm," Rahul Gandhi said. Criticising the attack, Rahul Gandhi said, “The Congress party is with the workers, leaders and their families.” Rahul further said that Shukla will be sent Delhi for further treatment once his condition stabilises.
The attack took place on Saturday when around 150 Naxals ambushed a convoy of Congress party workers and leaders in Jagdalpur killing 17 people and injuring 20 others. Senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma was killed in the attack while former union minister VC Shukla was injured. Chhattisgarh Congress Committee chief Nand Kumar Patel, who was allegedly kidnapped by the Naxals, was found dead in a jungle near Darba Gati Valley near Jagdalpur on Sunday. Patel's son, who is also missing since the attack, remains untraced.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi will also be visiting on Sunday. Responding to a question on the imposition of President's Rule in the state the Gandhi family scion said "it is not time to do politics. It's a very sad incident and we all have to stand by it together," he said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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London May 26:
Muslim leaders in Britain have accused far-right extremists of trying to capitalise on the "sick and barbaric" murder of soldier Drummer Lee Rigby in London to fuel racial hatred.
Islamophobic hate crimes are running at more than 10 times their usual rate, with more than 140 reported to a government-backed hotline in the 48 hours since the killing in Woolwich, south-east London, on Wednesday. In an open letter, the heads of nearly 100 mosques across the UK wrote: "The hate-fuelled individuals behind such attacks wish to polarise and tear apart our great country for their own sick ends. They should be isolated and subject to the full force of the law."
Faith Matters, which runs the Measuring anti-Muslim Attacks (MAMA) helpline, said they had received 162 calls since the attack, up from a daily average of six. "Muslims at this moment are feeling a real and pervasive sense of fear," a spokesperson for the charity said. The far-right British National Party (BNP) leader, Nick Griffin, who visited Woolwich yesterday, provoked widespread disgust for tweeting that the alleged killers should be wrapped in "pig skin" and shot again.
The English Defence League (EDL), which has said the killing shows Britain is "at war" with Islamic extremism, staged a march today in Newcastle in protest over plans to open an Islamic school. Thousands turned out for the march planned months ago and the group is now planning a demonstration in central London on Monday. Meanwhile, a new poll for the 'Guardian' found that nearly two-thirds of people in the country believe there will be a "clash of civilisations" between British Muslims and white Britons in the wake of the London terror attacks by two Nigerian-descent Muslim suspects.
There has also been a small increase in the proportion of people who believe British Muslims pose a serious threat to democracy, up to 34 per cent on Thursday and Friday from 30 per cent in November 2012, according to the YouGov survey of 1,839 adults. Since the attack, a number of people have been charged by police after allegedly offensive messages were posted on social media websites. These include a 22-year-old man from Lincoln, a 28-year-old man from London, a 23-year-old woman from Southsea, and a 19-year-old man from Woking.
Three men two from Gateshead and one from Stockton have been arrested by Northumbria Police on suspicion of posting racist tweets. Shortly after the killing near Woolwich barracks, 28-year-old Michael Adebolajo was filmed by a passer-by saying he had carried out the attack because British soldiers killed Muslims every day. Adebolajo and a second suspect, Michael Adebowale, 22, were shot and arrested at the scene and remain in hospital.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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Sports News
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New Delhi May 25:
The International Olympic Committee issued the roadmap for India`s return to the Olympic fold under which the IOA will have to amend its constitution before July 15 and elect new office bearers by September 1, both under the watchful eyes of the world body.
The IOC said in a letter to Sports Minister Jitendra Singh and acting IOA chief V K Malhotra that it would start the process of lifting the ban on India after the guidelines in the roadmap are implemented. The IOA will have to decide on the date of Extraordinary General Body Meeting to amend its constitution and that of election of new office bearers within the time frame set by the IOC. The roadmap was issued on the basis of "agreement" after discussions on May 15 in Lausanne between Indian officials and the IOC, which the world body described as "fruitful and productive".
"IOA shall hold an extraordinary meeting of its members (no later than 15 July 2013) in order in particular to review its constitution and ensure that all standards of good governance and ethics are effectively addressed and implemented in the new constitution," the letter written by IOC Director General, Christophe De Kepper, said. "The proposals for amendments will come from membership of the suspended IOA and from the IOC. These amendment proposals (which will be submitted to this extraordinary meeting) will be closely coordinated between the IOC member in India, the IOC administration and a representative of the sports federation members of the suspended IOA.
"The whole process shall be completed as soon as possible and the extraordinary meeting of the IOA shall take place no later than 15 July 2013," said the letter which was also addressed to IOC member in India, Randhir Singh and, interestingly, to all the members of the suspended IOA. The IOC made it clear that the IOA will "elect an independent election commission comprising three members who will be in charge of conducting the whole election process (before and during the Elective General Assembly)" under the supervision of the world body. "(The IOA shall) decide upon the exact date on which the Elective General Assembly will be held to elect the new office bearers of the IOA based on the newly revised constitution and the Olympic Charter," the IOC letter said.
"IOA shall hold an Elective General Assembly (not later than 1 September 2013) to elect new office-bearers of the IOA. The election process will be conducted by the election commission in a free, fair and transparent manner based on the newly revised constitution of the IOA and the Olympic Charter, and will be placed under the supervision of IOC. "The entire process will be closely monitored by the IOC with the support of the OCA, and once the steps 2 and 3 have been successfully completed, the IOC will be in a position to consider lifting the suspension of the IOA."
The IOC said that the government has agreed to respect the autonomy of the Olympic Movement in India and the new Sports Code will be drafted in consultation with the IOA, National Sports Federations and the world body. "The IOC and the Government of India agreed that the autonomy of the Olympic Movement in India will be fully respected. At the same time, close cooperation and coordination between the Government authorities and the sports organisations shall be established for the benefit of the development of sport and the athletes in India, with mutual understanding and respect for the jurisdiction of each entity.
"To this effect, the drafting of new sports bill will be undertaken in close coordination with IOA and NSFs, and with consultation with IOC to ensure that it is fully compatible with the principles and rules of the Olympic Movement.” "We count on everyone`s cooperation in respecting and implementing this roadmap in the best interest of sport and the athletes in India. We sincerely hope that with this process, a fruitful relationship and partnership will be established between the Government of India and the sports organisations good governance, and the IOA will now meet and apply all standards of good governance and ethics which are required to belong to the Olympic Movement."
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 25,201
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Mumbai May 24:
Describing the IPL spot-fixing scandal as unfortunate, former India football captain Baichung Bhutia said betting should be legalised in the country to stop corruption in cricket.
"In Europe betting is legalised and you don`t come across such scams everyday in football like you get to see it in cricket. I think legalising would make it better," Bhutia told reporters on the sidelines of a Football Players Association of India event here on Thursday night. "It is unfortunate. Players shouldn`t be greedy. I think it was unnecessary. Just because of a few players you can`t say the entire game is bad or the sport of cricket is bad. Only few players do it. The game is bigger than any player," he added.
Three cricketers, including India pacer S Sreesanth, have been arrested along with several bookies with underworld connections in the IPL spot-fixing scandal that has severely dented cricket`s image in the country. Back on the subject of football and the All India Football Federation`s proposed franchise-based tournament in January next year, Bhutia said, "It`s very early to say. There will be little bit of hype with international football players coming and few more investors coming to the sport.
"It can only motivate youngsters to make a good career out of the sport. It`s going to be a World Cup of sorts." AIFF will conduct the tournament in collaboration with IMG-Reliance, which will be the marketing partner for the IPL-style league. Bhutia was recently named as the chairman of AIFF`s technical committee and the panel is focusing on youth development. "I have been made the technical head. We will try to focus on youth development and infrastructural development is also important. So definitely more academies would come up," he said.
The former skipper, who holds record of 42 goals from 107 appearances in the national jersey, said the Football Players Association of India (FPAI) helps players who are struggling financially. He said the association will also educate players on simulation. "This year we want to start a campaign on racial awareness and play acting, because it is one aspect that does affect the game. "We had not focused on play acting till now and that is why it`s a big challenge for FPAI to make sure we educate the players for the betterment of the game and play it in true manner," he said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 24,201
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Mumbai May 24:
In a bid to increase competition and give "better incentives" to the players, the All India Football Federation plans to add four more teams to the existing 14 in the I-League next season.
"The I-League as it stands today, we are going to add four new teams. We were thinking of two new teams but by the time the entire process goes through, we will be adding four new teams in the coming season," AIFF President Praful Patel said at a Football Players Association of India event here last night. "It is good that the players would have some competition as it gives them better incentives and reward," he added.
AIFF has already issued a tender notice inviting bids for new clubs to be a part of the I-League. Meanwhile, Patel is also confident of the country winning the bid to host the under-17 World Cup in 2017. "In the next couple of years lot of big things are going to happen in Indian football. We are bidding for the World Cup for under-17 in 2017, which I am sure we will be getting somewhere in the later part of this year," he said. Patel said the AIFF is trying to popularise the game in the country.
"The fact is that we have had an overdose of just one game in this country and I am sure we need to broadbase it. Almost 70 percent of youngsters are following some football league, which shows that the game itself is popular and we have to go on to make it even more popular," he said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 24,201
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Moscow May 24:
Sochi Olympics organisers have said 2,500 doping tests would be conducted at the Winter Games next February, surpassing the total at the Vancouver Games four years ago.
Alexei Slautin, the head of the Sochi 2014 doping control committee, told the Sports Ministry’s website Thursday that 13 doping control sites will operate during the Games, with 10 stationed at various venues and three in the Olympic village. According to the International Olympic Committee, 2,149 doping tests were performed in Vancouver.
Slautin also said 600 tests will be carried out at the Sochi Paralympics. Last month, Russia’s sports ministry said 570 trained “specialists” will collect blood and urine samples at the Sochi Games. In Vancouver, by comparison, there were 500 doping personnel. The first Winter Olympics in Russia take place Feb 7-23, 2014.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 24,201
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New Delhi May 23:
Sports Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said he has been forced to hang his head in shame due to the IPL spot-fixing scandal, which is becoming bigger and murkier with each passing day, insisting that a deterrent law could have prevented the credibility crisis that cricket is facing right now.
"It is very shameful. As a young person, as a sports fan, as the Sports Minister of the country, my head hangs in shame today," Jitendra told reporters. "There should be some mechanism so that it doesn`t happen again. And it is not only about cricket. We are talking about cricket because of this expose but there are other sports as well," he said.
The Law Ministry is mulling a new anti-fixing legislation to deal with the menace after the latest scandal in which three Rajasthan Royals cricketers were arrested. In fact, several other murky details of the betting racket are tumbling out everyday with police conducting country-wide raids to nab bookmakers, who have underworld connections.
"We are in touch with the Home Ministry and the Law Ministry to work out the law. We will consult the Attorney General before moving forward," said Jitendra. "It is necessary that there is a law or a deterrent. There is no guarantee that this is not happening in other sports. Who knows it might have started in other sports as well," he cautioned. The Minister refused to comment on the links emerging between bookies and IPL team owners such as Chennai Super Kings` Gurunath Meiyappan.
"That`s an investigation, I can`t say anything on that," he said. When asked if the government should have come up with a an anti-fixing law when the first such cricketing scandal broke out in 2000, Jitendra said, "What has happened in the past, I can`t comment on that but the government today is very proactive." "There should have been a law earlier but better late than never," he added.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 23,201
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Cricket Special
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New Delhi May 26:
Delhi Police claimed that Mohd bookie Yahya, arrested in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, told them that he had been in touch with "some more" Indian cricketers for manipulating matches even as investigators did not rule out the involvement of foreign players in the case.
Police sources said Yahya, who was arrested from Hyderabad yesterday while trying to flee to Dubai, told his interrogators about the involvement of players other than the three arrested cricketers S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan. A senior police official said Yahya named cricketers, some of whom had played even at the international level, with whom he was in touch with in connection with the scandal. However, police refused to name the players saying investigations were on and they have to collect evidences.
The official also said he will not rule out the possible involvement of foreign players. Asked whether team owners were involved in the scandal, the official said "no such thing has surfaced in our investigation." Police sources said Yahya was approached by bookie Chandresh Patel, who was also arrested, as he wanted to gain access to players. One of Patel's contacts introduced him to Yahya who "knows somebody and has contacts" in the cricketing world, sources said. "Patel wanted to contact players of teams other than Rajasthan Royals from where he already had three players," the official said.
On BCCI's letter seeking more details about the scandal, he said police will share details which can be shared with the cricketing body. A total of 19 people, including three players, have been arrested in connection with the scandal since May 16.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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Mumbai May 26:
On a day the government announced a new law to deal with “dishonest practices” in sports, the Mumbai Police said Gurunath Meiyappan had passed on team information and strategies of the Chennai Super Kings to bookies.
Meiyappan’s father-in-law and BCCI chief N Srinivasan, however, showed no such signs of cracking under mounting pressure to resign. In the city for a briefing with his legal team before flying to Kolkata for Sunday’s final, he said: “I have done nothing wrong… I cannot be bulldozed into resigning.” In Delhi, law minister Kapil Sibal said a first draft of the stand-alone law would be sent to the sports ministry in three to four days for further consultations. “Cricket is a passion for the people of our country. We cannot let them down.”
The law would be broad-based to cover all kinds of sports and follow the CrPC procedure of prosecution and punishment, but wouldn’t have retrospective effect, he said. “Dishonest practices” would include any gesture or act that can change the course or outcome of a match or tournament. The law would deal with corporates, bookies, criminals and players (foreigners included), the minister said, adding that attorney general GE Vahanvati and the opposition parties were all on board.
Meiyappan, who was arrested close to midnight on Friday, was produced before a magistrate’s court and remanded in police custody till May 29. Crime branch officers said they had call details of his four phones — some of them allegedly procured through fake documents — that showed he was in constant touch with actor-bookie Vindoo Dara Singh. He called Vindoo to pass on inside information, mostly when matches were underway, and to place bets.
Vindoo then got in touch with bookies such as Jupiter, Pawan Jaipur and Sanjay Jaipur, who in turn placed bets with bookies in Pakistan, according to the crime branch remand application. Police are trying to find out about Meiyappan’s financial arrangement with Vindoo and his alleged relationship with Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf, fast emerging as another key figure in the scandal.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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Kolkata May 26:
Out-of-favour off-spinner Harbhajan Singh credited Anil Kumble for his impressive comeback in the IPL, which has helped Mumbai Indians set up a summit clash with CSK, and said encouraging words from the former India captain helped him regain his lost mojo.
Harbhajan`s 22 wickets from 18 matches say a lot about how well he bowled. "Anil bhai keeps telling me to back myself in whatever situation I bowl and always look to take wickets, even if you go for runs. If you bowl defensively thinking, `okay, let me just get away by bowling a six-run over`, it won`t work because the batsman will make up for it in the next over," Harbhajan said.
Kumble joined Mumbai as team mentor at the start of the season. "The key is to always try and make the batsman play differently; make him play the way you want him to. That`s how Anil bhai has made a difference, by always telling us spinners to bowl with intent to pick wickets," he said. Harbhajan, who picked up three wickets for 23 runs and also hit the winning runs in Mumbai`s thrilling four-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the second Qualifier in Mumbai last night, talked about how the new leadership group comprising of John Wright (head coach), Kumble and Ricky Ponting led the team to the final.
"It brings back a lot of good, old happy memories. John Wright has been fantastic with MI, as he was with India. He remains a man who doesn`t come out in the limelight and says much, but does his job quietly and nicely. "Anil bhai has been brilliant with the team. Ricky has been really good with the youngsters and also when it comes to talking to the team and motivating the team. Add to that list guys like Sachin Tendulkar, Jonty Rhodes and John, what else do you want in a dressing room? Having such an amount of experience in the dressing room makes things easier on the field for us," he said.
Harbhajan also spoke highly of their young skipper Rohit Sharma, who was handed over the captaincy midway into the tournament following Ponting`s poor form. "He`s done well, he`s only young and still learning the trade. The great sign is that he is learning very quickly. He has taken the responsibility of captaincy on his shoulders and has started to bat really well. I want him to continue in the same vein and if he does so, we might see him lead India one day," he said.
The off-spinner said it`s a big moment for them to make the second final, having lost to the same opponent in the 2010 edition. "It`s a big stage for us. The final is just a day after the Qualifier and everything is moving so quickly. This is where we wanted to be as a team because we knew that we had the team to reach the final. Just one more good game and we will get what we have wanted for so long," he said. He said the biggest reason behind MI`s consistency this season has been scoring lot of runs and bowlers complementing the good work.
"I think the big difference is that we have scored lot of runs this year. Most of our batsmen have been in really good form. People like Rohit (Sharma) and Dinesh (Karthik) have been consistent, (Kieron) Pollard has played some brilliant innings and (Dwayne) Smith has been great for us at the top of the order. The bowlers have done alright to back the good batting line-up."
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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Mumbai May 25:
Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of BCCI chief, was produced before the magistrate's court at 1 pm on Saturday and the Mumbai crime branch asked for maximum custody to probe his links into the current T20 league spot fixing.
The hearing started around 2 pm and lasted close to an hour following which Meiyappan was remanded to police custody till May 29. Meiyappan, who has been charged under 465, 466, 468, 471, 419, 420, 120b of IPC 4 and 5 of the Gambling Act and 66a of IT Act. He also has been accused of passing team information to bookies. He was brought in a white Scorpio of the Mumbai Crime Branch to the court premises and was kept away from media persons, whose entry to the court and commissioner's office was restricted on Saturday.
Meiyappan, who was dressed in the navy blue Chennai Super Kings jersey, jeans and a pair of floaters, looked unperturbed and was curious as he kept looking at the court proceedings of other persons. He chatted around with other people and wore a smile on his face as he awaited his turn in the court. The Mumbai Crime Branch on Saturday said that they have got call details of 4 phones of Meiyappan. The call details reveal that he used to place bets with the help of wanted bookie Jupiter and arrested actor and bookie Virendra Dara Singh Randhawa alias Vindoo.
Meiyappan used to stay in touch with the bookies from these phones which allegedly were procured through fake documents, said crime branch officials. Crime branch said they were still looking for Meiyappan's phones. Meiyappan used these phones to pass on team planning and strategies to Vindoo, said crime branch officials. Meiyappan made calls to Vindoo when matches were underway, and Vindoo then called bookies with the information. Police is still investigating the financial arrangement between Meiyappan and Vindoo.
They claimed that the Vindoo's calls were intercepted with sanction and they need to match the calls with Meiyappan's voice sample. The crime branch also wants to investigate Meiyappan's relationship with Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf, who was dropped by the ICC from the Champions Trophy after allegations of match fixing cropped up against him. Meiyappan was placed under arrest at 11.55pm on Friday night, after the Mumbai crime branch questioned him for close to three hours.
Crime branch sources said, Meiyappan was questioned through the night and was also confronted with Vindoo following which he accepted his role in cricket betting. Meiyappan used to place bets through the book ‘Jack’ that Vindoo operated, said crime branch sources. A model who is being questioned has claimed that Meiyappan had told her during a phone conversation about how 'tense he was after losing Rs. 10 lakh that he had placed as a bet on CSK. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy said early Saturday that Meiyappan, who was arrested around midnight, would be produced before a court within 24 hours.
Roy initially quizzed Meiyappan for about two-and-a half hours. After his arrest, the 35-year-old was again subjected to questioning for several hours by Crime Branch team, police officials said. "He was not as cooperative as we expected him to be. He was evasive about several questions," police officials said this morning. "We have sufficient evidence to conclude his involvement in the spot fixing case," Roy told mediapersons. Meiyappan, who was summoned to appear before Mumbai police investigating spot fixing, wanted time till Monday, but the plea was rejected.
He rushed here post-haste by a chartered flight from Madurai and walked into the arms of the waiting team of crime branch sleuths at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport domestic terminal. Subsequently, he was taken to the Crime Branch headquarters near Crawford Market in south Mumbai and grilled for three hours. Among other things, he was questioned about his role and involvement in spot fixing, his betting habits and links, whether he indulged in betting and had reportedly lost around Rs. 10 million at the behest of Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh Randhawa, who is also in police custody.
He was also confronted with the evidences available with the police and the details of investigations of Vindoo and other bookies already in custody. Meiyappan's arrest marks a course-changing twist in the ongoing T20 League spot fixing case busted with the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals cricketers S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, by the Delhi police in Mumbai. Moving swiftly, the Mumbai police last week nabbed six bookies - Ramesh Vyas, Pandurang Kadam, Pravin Bera, Pankaj Shah, Ashok Vyas and Neeraj &ndash, who remain in custody.
After Vindoo's interrogation, police nabbed a bookie Prem Taneja and a hawala operator Alpesh Patel and recovered Rs.12.80 million cash from his house. Accordning to a media, a faction within the BCCI is planning to initiate suspension proceedings against board president N Srinivasan if he refuses to step down in the aftermath of the T20 spot-fixing scandal that has thrown Indian cricket into disarray. The development has left Srinivasan cornered and there is a growing clamour for his removal from the top post. But the Tamil Nadu strongman has not given any indication of stepping down on his own despite the growing crisis.
Rattled by his continued defiance, some top Board officials have started the process to oust him by getting him suspended and using the services of his predecessor Shashank Manohar, who has a clean image. According to a top BCCI official, Manohar has agreed to take up the position on an interim basis till elections are held for a new President. When contacted, no BCCI official was willing to come on record on this development. Srinivasan's term will end in September 2014 as per a new amendment in Board's Constitution, which provides for a 2+1 tenure for the President. It is learnt that four top BCCI officials have already spoken to Manohar on this proposal.
"Manohar has agreed to be the interim President till all the problems are sorted out but he doesn't want to occupy the position for long. He would take it up only in a caretaker capacity," the top official said on condition of anonymity. He was also confronted with the evidences available with the police and the details of investigations of Vindoo and other bookies already in custody. Meiyappan's arrest marks a course-changing twist in the ongoing T20 League spot fixing case busted with the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals cricketers S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, by the Delhi police in Mumbai.
Moving swiftly, the Mumbai police last week nabbed six bookies - Ramesh Vyas, Pandurang Kadam, Pravin Bera, Pankaj Shah, Ashok Vyas and Neeraj &ndash, who remain in custody. After Vindoo's interrogation, police nabbed a bookie Prem Taneja and a hawala operator Alpesh Patel and recovered Rs.12.80 million cash from his house. A faction within the BCCI is planning to initiate suspension proceedings against board president N Srinivasan if he refuses to step down in the aftermath of the T20 spot-fixing scandal that has thrown Indian cricket into disarray.
The development has left Srinivasan cornered and there is a growing clamour for his removal from the top post. But the Tamil Nadu strongman has not given any indication of stepping down on his own despite the growing crisis. Rattled by his continued defiance, some top Board officials have started the process to oust him by getting him suspended and using the services of his predecessor Shashank Manohar, who has a clean image. According to a top BCCI official, Manohar has agreed to take up the position on an interim basis till elections are held for a new President.
When contacted, no BCCI official was willing to come on record on this development. Srinivasan's term will end in September 2014 as per a new amendment in Board's Constitution, which provides for a 2+1 tenure for the President. It is learnt that four top BCCI officials have already spoken to Manohar on this proposal. "Manohar has agreed to be the interim President till all the problems are sorted out but he doesn't want to occupy the position for long. He would take it up only in a caretaker capacity," the top official said on condition of anonymity.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 25,201
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Mumbai May 25:
BCCI president N Srinivasan remained defiant on Saturday rejecting demands for his resignation but moves are said to be afoot to oust him in the wake of arrest of his son-in-law and CSK team owner Gurunath Meiyappan on betting charges even as tomorrow's IPL final involving the team may be gone ahead with.
Arriving in Mumbai on Saturday, he made it clear that he has no intention of resigning as he has done nothing wrong. "I can't be bulldozed or railroaded into resigning. Some sources are trying (to put) pressure now. There is no question of it (resigning)," Srinivasan told reporters outside the Mumbai airport. The 68-year-old cricket board chief, who has been facing mounting pressure to quit, said BCCI would follow strictly all its rules and law will take its course.
However, sources in the BCCI say that a section of the Board may be grouping up against the beleaguered chief and seek his suspension if not immediate removal following the embarrassing arrest of his son-in-law by Mumbai Police on charges of betting on IPL games. Last night's arrest and a litany of accusations of conflict of interest against Srinivasan over the years have pushed him to a corner though he is defiant despite the latest developments.
Sources said some Board officials are planning to initiate the process to oust him by at least getting him suspended. Some would prefer to replace him by former BCCI President Shashank Manohar, who has a clean image as an interim arrangement. Some other names including former Shivlal Yadav, representing Hyderabad Cricket Association, are being mentioned as possible replacement. The move may gather steam after the IPL final in Kolkata tomorrow where the BCCI officials could meet informally to discuss the situation. They may also talk to Srinivasan who is expected in Kolkata in a bid to persuade him to choose an honourable exit route.
The term of Srinivasan ends in September this year and under an amended rule he can continue till next year September. But under the present circumstances, such a scenario looks far from remote. Top BCCI sources said Srinivasan has given no indications of resigning as yet though such a possibility cannot be ruled out in the present context. Meanwhile, Gurunath's arrest has raised questions over the continuance of Chennai Super Kings but as yet there seems to be no threat to the team playing the final tomorrow.
Sources said right now there was no such proposal, including scrapping the franchise of CSK since the charges against Gurunath have been levelled by the police and are yet to be scrutinised by judiciary. Meanwhile, Gurunath has been produced in a court for remand proceedings.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 25,201
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Mumbai May 26:
A string of negative factors weighed heavily on market as both benchmark indices, S&P Sensex and CNX Nifty, came off their nearly 30-month high and tumbled 2.9 percent and 3.3 percent respectively during the week under review, snapping a five-week rally.
Profit booking at higher levels, mainly impacted by dismal earnings data from some of the frontline companies, and weak global cues also put pressure on the market. The comments from Federal Reserve Chairman on possible scale down in US monetary stimulus programme sent jitters across the global stock markets, including India, on Thursday. Weak manufacturing data from China, world's second-largest economy, also aided the fall in domestic shares.
The slump was also attributed to the drop in Q4 earnings of top corpoates like L&T and State Bank of India. The week saw across-the-board hectic selling mainly in realty, capital goods, power, refinery, PSUs, pharma and banking sectors. Selling was so strong and widespread that 12 of the 13 sectoral indices ended in the red, losing between 11.54 percent and 0.34 percent. Only BSE-IT index ended with gains.
On first day of the week, the Bombay Stock Exchange 30- share benchmark index touched a high of 20,443.62. But it later started losing ground and declined to a low of 19,568.49 before settling the week at 19,704.33, posting a net fall of 581.79, or 2.87 percent. In one of the biggest gaining string of the current calender year, the Sensex, in the last five weeks, had zoomed by a whopping 2,043.56 points, or 11.20 percent. The broad-based 50-issue CNX Nifty of the NSE tanked by 203.75 points, or 3.29 percent, to close the week at 5,983.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) remained net buyers during the week and they pumped in Rs 5,328.34 crore, including provisional data of May 24. Looking at the forthcoming expiry of derivatives contract on May 30 next week, the market will remain in volatile mode as per analysts. Twenty four scrips out of the 30-share Sensex pack ended higher, while other finished with losses.
SBI was the top loser from the sensex pack with a fall of 11.27 percent, followed by L&T 10.23 percent, Bharti Airtel 5.19 percent, BHEL 4.22 percent, Cipla 3.86 percent, Gail India 4.46 percent, HDFC Bank 2.37 percent, Hero MotoCorp 3.03 percent, Hindalco 2.76 percent, ICICI Bank 2.00 percent, ITC 1.40 percent, Maruti Suzuki 2.46 percent, M&M 1.84 percent, ONGC 4.42 percent, RIL 5.57 percent, Tata Motors 4.99 percent, Sterlite Ind 3.23 percent, Tata Power 2.66 percent and Wipro 2.13 percent.
However, Coal India, HDFC, HUL, Sun Pharma, Tata Steel and TCS closed with marked to moderate gains. Among sectoral indices, the S&P BSE-Realty tumbled by 11.54 percent, S&P BSE-CG by 8.00 percent, S&P BSE- Power by 5.28 percent, S&P BSE-Oil&Gas by 5.12 percent, S&P BSE-PSU by 4.75 percent, S&P BSE-HC by 4.74 percent and S&P BSE Bankex by 4.09 percent. Second-line counters under performed the Sensex on selling by retail investors as the S&P BSE-Midcap and S&P BSE-Smallcap indices finished down by 3.43 percent and 3.33 percent respectively.
The total turnover at BSE and NSE during the week was slightly better at Rs 11,929.53 crore and Rs 56,071.66 crore from last weekend's turnover of Rs 10,647.57 crore and Rs 55,133.94 crore, respectively.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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Mumbai May 25:
Finance Minister P Chidambaram today asked countrymen to contain their "uncontrolled passion" for gold and instead save in financial instruments. "Have faith in our financial sector. Unfortunately, we have difficulty shedding our old habits and put our money in gold," he said while speaking at an event to mark the platinum anniversary celebrations of state-run Dena Bank.
"The uncontrolled passion for gold must be contained," Chidambaram said and reeled out data to show how increasing gold imports are hurting the Current Account Deficit (CAD). People should rather switch to financial products to funnel their savings, the Minister said and added the soon to be launched inflation indexed bonds is a very lucrative option.
He also sought to demolish gold as a hedge against inflation, saying many such investors are finding the going difficult ever since the price of gold plummeted to Rs 26,000 from over Rs 33,000 per ten grams last year. He said that last year the country bought USD 50 billion worth gold and fortunately, it was able to finance the CAD of USD 90 billion on the back of higher foreign flows and could maintain the foreign exchange reserves level at around USD 290 billion. However, if the flows were to stop completely, it would have a negative impact on the forex reserves, the minister warned.
Explaining the difficulties of financing a high CAD, which hit a record high of 6.7 per cent in the Decemeber quarter of last fiscal, as against the fiscal deficit, another problematic point, he said, the government can borrow from its people for the latter but has to depend on external flows for the latter. The CAD, which is the excess of foreign exchange spent than earned, is likely to be over 5 per cent last fiscal. Chidambaram reiterated the government's commitment to rein in fiscal deficit at the targeted level of under 5.2 per cent last fiscal and 4.8 per cent this fiscal.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines, Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Takru said it will take at least seven to ten days more before any action is taken by the Reserve Bank against errant banks in the money laundering probe initiated following a series of sting operations by the newsportal Cobrapost. He said the problem is not so much with the "greed" of banks but lack of "inadequate attention to existing rules and regulations" which would be tightened. On bank recapitalization, Takru said a majority of the Rs 14,000 crore earmarked for recpaitalisation of public sector banks this fiscal will be provided in the fourth quarter while the request of a few of those which need capital early will also be considered.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 25,201
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Mumbai May 23:
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.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 23,201
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New Delhi May 23:
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday sought to assuage the stock market, after it declined by over 350 points, by asserting that there was no need for any “nervousness” and the participants should read the situation correctly rather than be influenced by external developments.
”...there is no need for any kind of nervousness. I am looking forward to June and the second quarter with much greater confidence. I think the Indian market should read the situation correctly rather than being influenced by something which is happening elsewhere”, he said.
The Minister was reacting to sudden crash in Indian stock markets in response to a statement by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in which he had talked about scaling back of stimulus with improvement in economic conditions. The BSE sensex slipped by 365 points to 19,697.44 points during the intra-day trade. The markets later recovered. “We have been looking at what is happening in the market. We think that Bernanke’s statement has been misunderstood or misinterpreted.” he said.
“If we read the statement carefully, he has clearly indicated that he will continue with quantitative easing in the foreseeable future at about USD 85 billion a month or so”, Mr. Chidambaram added. The Minister further said that quantitative easing is continuing in Japan and Europe and there have been no change whatsoever and the flows into India during May have been extremely copious.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 23,201
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New Delhi May 23:
Country’s largest bank SBI on Thursday 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.
It had reported 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, the 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. The bank reported a 20 per cent rise in net profit at Rs. 14,105 crore for the full fiscal (2013-14). It was higher than Rs 11,707 crore in the 2012-13 fiscal. Shares of SBI fell 7.24 per cent in the afternoon trade to Rs 2,193.20 apiece on the BSE.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 23,201
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Health News
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New Delhi May 26:
Weight loss tip 1: Decide how much weight you need to lose - Most people start their weight loss journey by claiming to be xyz kilos overweight. This isn't a healthy way to project or aim for weight loss. Calculate your desired weight against your height by using reliable methods like the BMI, and set a healthy weight loss target. This is often half the battle won.
Weight loss tip 2: Time management - This is quite often overlooked. Decide which part of your day will be dedicated to exercise, when in the week you will stock up on groceries, and when you will do the cooking - all within your current work and home life routine. If you don't do this now, your days will be rushed and unplanned, and you won't be able to sustain your weight loss efforts.
Weight loss tip 3: Stock your kitchen - Keep your house well-stocked with fruits, vegetables, healthy meats, grains, cereals, spices, and flavourers. Follow our tricks to healthy cooking, cooking vegetables for the week, and low-fat cooking posts to understand how best you can stock your kitchen with healthy and delicious ingredients. All of this will go into helping the next step - cooking healthy meals at home.
Weight loss tip 4: Eat healthy homecooked meals - Whether it's you who's cooking, a family member, or house help, ensure that every one practises healthy cooking methods, and ingredients. Ask any person who's lost weight the healthy way, and you will always hear about how healthy homecooked meals were a big reason behind it. Use less oil, low salt, fresh produce, and you'll start seeing results in no time.
Weight loss tip 5: Start a cardio + weights workout - A healthy weight loss programme is incomplete without a good exercise routine, and weight training mixed with cardio is the best way to lose weight. Of course, variations and forms exist, but any workout that stresses on muscle tone and increased heart rate will always help you lose weight and keep it off. You can either start a home workout today, or rely on gyms for fitness training.
Weight loss tip 6: Alter your snacking habits - At Health Me Up, we have several healthy snacking ideas for you. Set those French fries aside, skip that aerated drink, and ban those unhealthy deep fried samosas. Explore the healthy snack world and you will find several appetisers, party snacks, movie snacks and meal accompaniments that'll satisfy every craving of yours.
Weight loss tip 7: Have at least one active hobby - It isn't sufficient to rely on just 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Moving from bed to office chair, and back to bed, isn't a healthy way to live. Buy a motion sensor gaming console that lets you enjoy social games with friends and family, plan weekend trips, clean your house once a week, dance, play sports, the list is endless. Get out of the coffee shop and dining table rut, and you'll have fun along with the healthy weight loss.
Weight loss tip 8: Find a solution to combat stress - As we pointed out in our post about stress and weight loss, stress is always detrimental to healthy weight loss in the long run. Find ways to combat stress and you'll soon realise that your diet and exercise aren't sabotaged anymore, and that you truly do see results. Look at yoga, meditation, deep breathing exercises, or simple hobbies like reading to fight stress.
Weight loss tip 9: Drink plenty of water - You've known that your body relies heavily on water for all important bodily functions, and yet you skimp on drinking adequate quantities of water every day. Well, it's time to stop that. Check out some exciting ways to make water interesting and you'll be packing it away in no time. Do not forget to carry a water bottle to your workout, and take a few sips after every 2-3 minutes of exercise.
Weight loss tip 10: Plan healthy vacations - Why go all the way with healthy weight loss, when one tiny vacation will just come along and topple it all? Healthy vacations aren't impossible. Take a look at how you can eat smart on a holiday, and then at bodyweight workouts that you can carry with you wherever you go, to understand how to holiday right. Above all, remember that these are lifelong habits that'll help you stay fit forever and not short term weight loss quickfixes.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 26,201
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Washington May 25:
Frequent heartburn is associated with cancers of the throat and vocal cord among nonsmokers and nondrinkers, a new study has warned. Heartburn is an uncomfortable warm and burning sensation in the chest, usually just behind the sternum (breastbone)that typically comes in waves.
The condition is medically known as pyrosis or acid indigestion. "Previous studies examining gastric reflux and cancers of the head and neck have generated mixed results," said Scott M Langevin, postdoctoral research fellow at Brown University in US. "Most of those studies had either few numbers of cases or they were not adjusted for confounding factors "Ours is a large, population-based study with robust parameters that strongly suggests gastric reflux, which causes frequent heartburn, is an independent risk factor for cancers of the pharynx (throat) and larynx (vocal cord)," Langevin said.
Langevin and his colleagues identified 631 patients from a large group of individuals enrolled in a population-based, mcase-control study in the greater Boston area. Of the 631 participants, 468 had throat cancer and 163 had cancers of the vocal cord. An additional 1,234 individuals matched for age and gender with no prior history of cancer were recruited using town records to serve as controls for the study. All participants completed a questionnaire on their history of heartburn, smoking and drinking habits, family history of cancer and sociodemographic information.
Because some head and neck cancers are caused by infection with human papillomavirus 16 (HPV 16), the researchers tested for the presence of antigens to HPV 16 viral proteins in the blood of all participants. The team found that among participants who were neither heavy smokers nor heavy drinkers, a history of frequent heartburn was linked to a 78 per cent increased risk for cancers of the throat and vocal cord. They also found that among those who had frequent heartburn, taking antacids, but not prescription medications or home remedies, had a protective effect, with a 41 per cent reduced risk for cancers of the throat and vocal cord. The protective effect of antacids was consistent, irrespective of the participants' smoking or drinking status, HPV 16 status or tumour site.
"Additional studies are needed to validate the chemopreventive effects of antacids among patients with frequent heartburn," said Langevin. "The identification of gastric reflux as a risk factor for throat and vocal cord cancers, however, may have implications in terms of risk stratification and identification of high-risk patients," Langevin added. The study was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 25,201
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Washington May 23:
In an “unexpected” discovery, vitamin C has been found to kill drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis, which could mean existing drugs can be redesigned to combat the disease.
Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, New York, have determined vitamin C kills drug-resistant TB bacteria in lab culture. The finding suggests vitamin C added to existing TB drugs could shorten TB therapy, and it highlights a new area for drug design.
TB is caused by infection with the bacterium M tuberculosis. According to the WHO, TB sickened 8.7 million people and took 1.4 million lives in 2011, Infections that fail to respond to TB drugs are a growing problem: About 650,000 people worldwide now have multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), 9 per cent of whom have extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB).
The discovery arose during research into how TB bacteria become resistant to isoniazid, a potent first-line TB drug. William Jacobs, lead investigator and senior author of the study and his colleagues observed that soniazid-resistant TB bacteria were deficient in a molecule called mycothiol.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 23,201
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...CLICK HERE |
Washington May 21:
A new New York University study looking at sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and markers for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neuro-imaging has supported the growing body of research linking the two.
But this latest study also poses an interesting question: Could AD in its ‘preclinical stages’ also lead to SDB and explain the increased prevalence of SDB in the elderly? “It’s really a chicken and egg story,” said Ricardo S Osorio, MD, a research assistant professor at NYU School of Medicine who led the study.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 21,201
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...CLICK HERE |
New Delhi May 21:
Scientists say we don't need to work for hours at the gym to cut flab, as just three minutes of exercise a week could be enough to help you lose weight.
The secret is short bursts of intense exercise - known as high-intensity interval training. According Scientists at Birmingham and Nottingham universities, such a session once a week is far more effective at -burning fat than daily workouts, the Daily Express reported. HIT triggers the release of fat-burning hormones helping to shift those unwanted love handles. It also moves glucose from the blood into muscle tissue where it is burned as energy rather than converted to fat.
And vigorous bursts of physical activity also have the effect of killing your appetite, whereas longer workouts can leave you wanting to eat more. This means people keen to lose weight would be less likely to be tempted to snack on unhealthy treats if they ditched the gym and went for a short brisk walk. HIT sessions can include running, riding a bike or walking. "HIT is really good at improving glucose uptake into the muscles in a very, very short time," Professor James Timmons, leading the research at Birmingham, said.
"With really intense exercise, you release hormones that can help break down fat. This may help burn that fat over time, after HIT is done. Also, we think, but don't know, that HIT will subdue appetite, while traditional exercise will stimulate appetite. This last point is key and will be researched by our team," he stated.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
May 21,201
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