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Showing posts from March, 2019

Trial begins in Jiah Khan suicide case

In the proceedings, which were conducted in-camera, the CBI prosecutor examined the first witness, a man who had participated in the recovery of the panchnama by the Juhu Police after Pancholi’s arrest in June 2013. NEARLY SIX years after the alleged suicide of model-actor Jiah Khan, the trial against her then boyfriend and actor Suraj Pancholi on charges of abetment of suicide began on Friday. In the proceedings, which were conducted in-camera, the CBI prosecutor examined the first witness, a man who had participated in the recovery of the panchnama by the Juhu Police after Pancholi’s arrest in June 2013. The witness pertained to recovery of letters written by Jiah to Pancholi during their relationship, which were found at Pancholi’s home on June 10, 2013. The prosecution claimed that the witness had accompanied policemen to Pancholi’s home where the letters were seized. During cross-examination, defence advocate Prashant Patil claimed that the panchnama was not done in a

Pollachi: At least 50 women were allegedly trapped and sexually harassed by four-member gang

A senior police officer monitoring the investigation said the four youth, all in their 20s, were arrested in the last week of February for allegedly blackmailing and sexually harassing a 19-year-old-girl in Pollachi. About 50 female Facebook users across Tamil Nadu have been allegedly lured and sexually harassed by a four-member gang from Pollachi, near Coimbatore, according to police. While the case emerged three weeks back after a complaint was filed by one of the victims and this had led to the arrest of a total of eight people in two separate cases registered, the issue took a political turn on Monday with opposition alleging role of senior AIADMK leaders in the case as the Lok Sabha election is round the corner. A senior police officer monitoring the investigation said the four youth, all in their 20s, were arrested in the last week of February for allegedly blackmailing and sexually harassing a 19-year-old-girl in Pollachi. “Victim’s complaint said that one of the four

New Zealand edge ahead on see-saw day

On Day 3 of their second Test versus Bangladesh in Hamilton, when fortunes swung back and forth, New Zealand edged ahead at close of play. The hosts were 38 for 2, still trailing by 173. After cleaning up the visiting side for just 211, the New Zealand camp would have hoped for a steady start. However, the pace duo of Abu Jayed and Ebadat Hossain combined to trouble New Zealand's openers. The pair extracted movement off the pitch with Jayed also generating a hint of swing to beat the bat of both Jeet Raval and Tom Latham on a few occasions. Eventually, Jayed was rewarded for his perseverance as from round the wicket he got one to curve away to dismiss Latham. Raval followed his partner back to the hut by lofting a sucker ball from Jayed to covers. Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson then survived a few anxious moments before a spell of rain forced the umpires to call off the rest of the final session. Among the two mainstays of New Zealand's batting order, Taylor took th

Bear Grylls in India: When a TV star came to Corbett around Feb 14

Grylls’ office in the United Kingdom did not respond to queries from The Sunday Express on his assignments in India. Top Uttarakhand Forest Department officials declined to confirm whether a film crew was allowed inside the Corbett tiger reserve on February 14. This Republic Day, British reality TV star Bear Grylls posted a Tricolour on one of his social media handles and wrote to his followers: “And it is a GREAT day in India! Am coming there soon to shoot something very special…”, followed by a ‘Shh’ emoji. The post was later deleted, and the presenter has since been unusually coy about his Indian assignment. Around February 14, the day of the terrorist attack in Pulwama, Grylls was in Dhikala in the Jim Corbett tiger reserve in Uttarakhand, his social media trail shows. That day, the Uttarakhand Forest Department had cancelled all tourist bookings for the Dhikala forest rest house because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state. Grylls’ office in the United Ki

Army asks mothers to stop their sons from joining militancy

General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Army's Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lt Gen K J S Dhillon also appealed the parents to stop their children from joining militant ranks. A top Army officer Saturday appealed mothers in Kashmir to help the force bring back their sons who have joined militancy, assuring them of safety and security. General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lt Gen K J S Dhillon also appealed the parents to stop their children from joining militant ranks. “From the core of my heart, I personally request all the mothers in Kashmir to please stop your children from joining militancy or terrorism and bring back those who have gone astray. I guarantee you their safety, security and 100 per cent absorption in the mainstream,” he said. The Army officer was addressing a passing out parade of the newly-recruited cadets at Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) regiment at Rangreth in the outskirts of the city here. The Corps Comma

Rs 2000 released to about 5 lakh Telangana farmers under PM-Kisan scheme: Union Minister

Claiming that the Centre had successfully managed to turnaround the "slowing economy" and put it on the fast track growth, he said the journey of the last 5 years has been exhilarating as well as encouraging for the country. The Centre has released Rs 2000 each to about five lakh farmers in Telangana so far under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, said Union Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat here Saturday. “The Telangana government has provided the data of about 13 lakh farmers (to the Centre).. It is 12,91,000… We already transferred Rs 2000 (towards) first installment to more than 5 lakh farmers till now in Telangana,” he told reporters. Claiming that the Centre had successfully managed to turnaround the “slowing economy” and put it on the fast track growth, he said the journey of the last 5 years has been exhilarating as well as encouraging for the country. Shekhawat also said the NDA government had effectively reduced the corru

Watch: Fugitive Nirav Modi spotted in London, reportedly conducts business as usual

Nirav Modi fled India in January 2018, a few weeks before the scam came to light. Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, who is wanted in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank fraud in India, is living in a luxurious apartment situated in London’s West End and running a diamond business, according to a report published in The Telegraph. A video released by a UK-based newspaper on Saturday shows Modi, apparently sporting a jacket made from “Ostrich hide” which costs “at least £10,000” (over Rs 9 lakh), repeatedly answering “no comment” to every question posed by the reporter. Modi is living in a “three-bedroom flat occupying half of a floor of the landmark Centre Point tower block, with views across London”, likely to be rented at around £17,000 (Rs 15 lakh), the report stated. Citing highly placed sources in UK government, The Telegraph reported that Modi was provided with a ‘National Insurance Number’ by the Department for Work and Pension which allows him to operate online bank

Balakot strike: Each warhead had 70-80 kg net explosive quantity

This explains nature of commercially available satellite images, extent of visible damage, says top military officer. Each warhead used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to target buildings on the campus of the Jaish-e-Mohammad madrasa at Balakot in Pakistan on February 26 had a net explosive quantity (NEQ) of only 70-80 kg of TNT, The Indian Express has learnt. This could explain the nature and extent of damage to the buildings, as revealed by commercially available satellite images. “There has been a lot of speculation on the quantity of explosive used to hit each of the buildings. What really matters is the NEQ or net explosive quantity of the warhead used. The warheads which we used have a NEQ of — I can’t share the exact figure — only 70-80 kg of TNT,” a top military officer told The Indian Express. NEQ is defined as the total mass of the contained explosive substances in a warhead, without the packaging, casings and bullets. According to the US Department of Defense, NEQ i

Number of women borrowers grows faster than men: Credit data

A good credit score can help consumers gain access to better credit offers faster, and lenders typically consider a credit score above 750 ideal. SUCCESSFUL credit applications of women borrowers grew 48 per cent between 2015 and 2018, much faster than men’s at 35 per cent, though men accounted for a much larger consumer base, says a report by Transunion Cibil, a credit information company. According to Cibil data, 8.6 million new-to-credit women borrowers are opening new loan accounts per year. Two-third of these women are from Maharashtra and four southern states Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. “We expect further growth in credit demand by women borrowers in future based on multiple factors such as rise in education of women, increasing consumption of consumer durables in tier I and tier II markets and an increase in the number of working women,” said Harshala Chandorkar, COO, TransUnion CIBIL. EXPLAINED Education, more working women One out of ever

Death toll in Jammu bus stand grenade attack rises to two

Jammu IGP M K Sinha said that Yasir Javed Bhat, a resident of Khanpora-Dassein village in Kulgam, was tasked by Hizbul Mujahideen Kulgam district commander Farooq Ahmad Bhat alias Umar to carry out the attack. The death toll in the grenade attack at Jammu bus stand Thursday has risen to two as one more person succumbed to injuries at the hospital Friday morning, ANI reported. On Thursday, the explosion left a teenager dead and at least 32 injured at the crowded general bus stand in the heart of the city. Most of the injured were from Kashmir. Within hours, police arrested a man who they said had been tasked by the Hizbul Mujahideen to carry out the attack. The 17-year-old boy who died in the attack around noon was identified as Mohammad Sharik, son of Intijar Ahmed of Haridwar. He worked in Jammu as a labour hand, according to officials. Since May 2018, this was the third grenade attack at the Jammu bus stand. Jammu IGP M K Sinha said that Yasir Javed Bhat, a resident of K

ACT Fibernet announces strategic partnership with Netflix

Internet service provider Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) Fibernet on Wednesday announced a strategic partnership with online content streaming platform Netflix to expand payment and cashback offers for users across Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Bengaluru: Internet service provider Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) Fibernet on Wednesday announced a strategic partnership with online content streaming platform Netflix to expand payment and cashback offers for users across Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. As part of this partnership, "Entertainment" plan users of ACT Fibernet would be able to pay for their monthly Netflix subscription through their ACT Fibernet bill itself with an assured cashback of up to Rs 350 per month, the company said in a statement. "We are excited to partner with Netflix and to provide exceptional benefits and convenience to our users," said Ravi Karthik, Marketing Head, ACT. Priced at Rs 1,159, the start

Bharti Airtel's board approves Rs 32,000 crore fundraise

“The Bharti Airtel board has considered the recommendations of the special committee of directors, and thereby approved the fund raising of upto Rs 32,000 crore through a rights issuance of upto Rs 25,000 crore and perpetual bond with equity credit upto Rs 7,000 crore,” the company told the exchanges Thursday. Bharti Airtel’s board approved plans to raise as much as Rs 32,000 crore ($4.5 billion) through equity and bond sales in one of the largest such exercises by an Indian company. Of this, Rs 25,000 crore will be raised by way of a right issue and another Rs 7,000 crore will be mobilised through foreign currency perpetual bonds. The record fundraising plan, unveiled after the board meeting on Thursday, comes as India’s second largest phone company seeks to reduce debt and financing costs, bolster cash flows and meet capital expenditure to fight the price war unleashed by Reliance Jio Infocomm. The planned rights issue is aggressively priced at Rs 220 per share, or a disco

Vodafone Idea completes radio network consolidation in rest of West Bengal

Vodafone Idea on Tuesday said that it has successfully consolidated its radio network integration in Rest of West Bengal (ROWB) within a span of two months, making it one of the first eight circles to complete integration. NEW DELHI: Vodafone Idea on Tuesday said that it has successfully consolidated its radio network integration in Rest of West Bengal (ROWB) within a span of two months, making it one of the first eight circles to complete integration. The ROWB circle integration started in November 2018 and was completed by December 2018. Vodafone Idea coverage is now available across 878 towns and 37585 villages in ROWB covering 97% area. 4G coverage has expanded to over 78% population in the region covering 27 districts including 838 towns in the region, for customers of both brands, the company said. “The successful consolidation of network in ROWB will enable over 2.18 crore customers of Vodafone and Idea to enjoy a unified network experience on 2G, 3G and 4G. This wi

Jammu grenade blast: One killed, 32 injured; Hizbul man arrested

Yasir Javed Bhat, a resident of Khanpura, was arrested by Jammu and Kashmir Police from Ban Toll Plaza near Nagrita when he was trying to escape to Kashmir, police said. A Hizbul Mujahideen member was arrested after one person was killed and 32 others were were injured in a grenade blast inside Jammu’s General Bus Stand on Thursday afternoon. Yasir Javed Bhat, a resident of Khanpura, was arrested by Jammu and Kashmir Police from Ban Toll Plaza near Nagrita when he was trying to escape to Kashmir, Inspector General of Police M K Sinha said. Police added that Yasir Javed, son of Javed Ahmed Bhat, admitted that he hurled the grenade following instructions from Kulgam Hizbul Mujahideen district commander Farooq Ahmad alias Umar. Confirming that a grenade was lobbed towards the bus stand, Sinha had earlier said that there were no specific alerts from intelligence agencies prior to the attack. “Whenever there is a heightened state of alert we step up checking. There is always a po

Pakistan flip-flop: Its Army says Jaish does not exist in the country

Ghafoor also claimed that the JeM’s claim of responsibility for the Pulwama attack had not been made from inside Pakistan. Asked about India’s air strike in Balakot, he said “their claims are false”. Amid global scrutiny on the activities of Jaish-e-Mohammad after it claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack, and with China announcing its Vice Foreign Minister’s arrival in Islamabad to discuss India-Pak tensions, the Pakistan Army spokesperson Wednesday claimed that the JeM “does not exist” in the country. In an interview to CNN, Major General Asif Ghafoor said, “Jaish-e-Mohammad does not exist in Pakistan. It has been proscribed by the United Nations and Pakistan also. Secondly, we are not doing anything under anybody’s pressure.” Ghafoor also claimed that the JeM’s claim of responsibility for the Pulwama attack had not been made from inside Pakistan. Asked about India’s air strike in Balakot, he said “their claims are false”. The remarks came just a day after

Video: Standoff between Uttar Pradesh BJP lawmakers at DM office ends in police lathicharge

Baghel’s supporters were still protesting outside the collectorate late Wednesday, many demanding “revenge”, even as police managed to escort Tripathi out. The Uttar Pradesh police had to resort to lathicharge after supporters of Menhdawal BJP MLA Rakesh Singh Baghel barged into the local DM office Wednesday evening following an ugly spat between the lawmaker and BJP MP from Sant Kabir Nagar, Sharad Tripathi, at a meeting in the district collectorate. Minutes after an argument between the two elected representatives over names on foundation stones for projects turned ugly, with Tripathi beating Baghel with his shoes, Baghel’s supporters gathered outside the collectorate demanding action against the MP. Police even had to lock Tripathi in a room after Baghel’s supported tried to force their way into the district office and were eventually pushed out by police using batons. Baghel’s supporters were still protesting outside the collectorate late Wednesday, many demanding “reven

Suspected Maoist killed in gunfight with police in Kerala’s Wayanad

The Maoist gang had reportedly arrived near Vythiri in Wayanad district to extort money and provisions from the owner of the private resort. A suspected member of a Maoist outfit has been killed in a gunfight with Kerala Police’ Thunderbolt force Thursday near Upavan Resort at Lakkidi in Wayanad district of the state. The Maoist gang had reportedly arrived near Vythiri in Wayanad district to extort money and provisions from the owner of the private resort. A Thunderbolt team, that had camped nearby after reports of Maoist movement in the area, engaged them in a gunfight late Wednesday night which is reported to have continued into the early hours of Thursday. The gunfight took place in the premises of the large resort which is located adjacent to the national highway leading to Bengaluru. ”We have recovered the body of a Maoist near the site of the encounter. Another man has been seriously injured. We are still confirming his identity. Inquest proceedings are going on. Aro

Swachh Survekshan ranking 2019: Rajkot back in top 10 after four years, ranks 9 out of 100 cities

Rajkot secured 4000 marks out of 5000 and was ranked ninth out of 100 cities in the country. Madhya Pradesh's Indore was declared the cleanest city of India for the third consecutive year. After a slide in cleanliness ranking for two consecutive years, Rajkot staged a comeback as the city broke back into top 10 after four years on Wednesday. In the latest Swachh Survekshan list, Rajkot was ranked the ninth cleanest city in the country, an improvement of 26 places as compared to last year. Ahmedabad, which also broke into the top 10, and Gandhinagar also improved their rankings but others dropped in the chart. In the survey conducted by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in New Delhi, Rajkot secured 4000 marks out of 5000 and was ranked ninth out of 100 cities in the country. Madhya Pradesh’s Indore was declared the cleanest city of India for the third consecutive year. Ambikapur of Chhatisgarh came second in the ranking, followed by Mysuru, Ujjain and New Delh