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Bribery allegations: BCCI gives 'clean chit' to three players

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BCCI

New Delhi: The BCCI today gave a clean chit to three international cricketers, who were accused of accepting bribes from a Mumbai-based businessman by ousted IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said “there is nothing in it” when asked about the ICC acknowledging a letter from Modi in June 2013, claiming that two cricketers from India and a West Indian were paid in cash and kind to the tune of Rs 20 crore each.

“Lalit Modi had written a letter to ICC, so they informed BCCI about the letter. The three players are international players and fall under the international jurisdiction. There is no information on these players from ICC so far, so it is in a way a clean chit for them to play,” said Thakur here today.

“The ICC has sent a press release, they had informed BCCI about the three players. When somebody plays international cricket, the ICC is responsible. Only the ICC can answer as per their investigations. It falls under ICC’s purview. They have said that they are enquiring, so only they can answer on this. If there was anything, they could have reported back to us,” he said further on the controversial issue.

The acknowledgement of Modi’s letter came only yesterday from the ICC. “The ICC confirms that Mr Modi’s confidential e-mail, which was received in June 2013, and which has recently been published on Twitter, was provided to the ACSU at that time. The ACSU handled that information in accordance with its standard operating procedures, which included sharing it with the BCCI’s anti-corruption unit,” the ICC had said.

On IPL, Thakur was asked about the identity of the player who was approached for spot-fixing ahead of the 2015 edition.

“We don’t disclose the name of the players. If a player has been approached, we report it to the anti-corruption unit. We have to look at the detailed report. Once the final report comes in then we will take action. As of now, enquiry is still not over,” Thakur added.

(PTI)

Vyapam scam: Deaths of 25 accused 'natural', says Minister Babulal Gaur

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Babulal Gaur

Bhopal: Amid fresh Opposition demands for a CBI probe into the high-profile MPPEB scam in the wake of deaths of 25 accused and witnesses, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Babulal Gaur today termed them as “natural” deaths and ruled out probe by the central agency into the scandal.

“All deaths are natural deaths,” Gaur said when asked about the deaths of so many people in the scam so far.

“The accused fell sick and died,” he said reiterating that all these are “natural” deaths. Two more accused in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) scam, also known as Vyapam scam, died in Gwalior and Indore yesterday, adding another murky dimension to the massive scandal in which 25 accused and witnesses have died so far.

Referring to the Congress’ demand of handing over the probe to CBI, Gaur said that even Supreme Court had rejected the demand and added that the inquiry into the scam is presently going on under the strict monitoring of Madhya Pradesh High Court.

“There is no need for a CBI probe,” he said.

The death of 40-year-old Dr Rajendra Arya at Birla Hospital in Gwalior yesterday was reported after his condition suddenly deteriorated, while that of Narendra Singh Tomar (29) in Indore jail was under mysterious circumstances.

Arya, who reportedly held an MBBS degree, had allegedly helped two students clear Pre-Medical Tests (PMTs) conducted by MPPEB in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Tomar, who was posted as Assistant Veterinary Officer at Raisen before being embroiled in the MPPEB scam, was an accused in the Pre-Medical Test conducted by MPPEB in 2009. Tomar was said to have arranged for impostors who had written the papers in place of genuine aspirants.

Three days back, the Special Investigating Team (SIT) probing the scandal had submitted to the MP High Court that 23 deceased in the MPPEB scam had died unnatural deaths so far. Some reports have claimed 40 such deaths.

The most high-profile death was that of Shailesh Yadav, son of Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav. Shailesh, 50, was found dead at his father’s residence in Mall Avenue area of Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow on March 25 this year.

Ram Naresh Yadav, also a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, was himself made an accused in the MPPEB scam before getting relief from the court.

Vyapam scam is a massive admission and recruitment scandal involving politicians, bureaucrats and middlemen. Several politicians, including former education minister Laxmikant Sharma, a host of officials and scores of aspirants have been arrested in the case.

Accusing the chief minister of trying to cover up, Congress leader Digvijay Singh said the party has lost faith in the SIT appointed by the court.

“More than 41 people who were accused have died mysteriously. But unfortunately the Chief minister is trying to cover up and we are fighting the battle in court.

“We have lost total faith in the SIT appointed by the honourable High Court. They themselves have conveyed the helplessness to guide the STF investigation. So we have no option but to go to Supreme Court,” he said.

BJP leader Kailash Vijayarga said, “I have got to know that Narendra Tomar has committed suicide. Police is investigating the matter and it is true that it’s an abnormal death but I cannot ascertain the exact number of deaths of the people connected in the Vyapam Scam”.

BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao said a large number of people have been arrested in the scam.

Vyapam Scam is one of the most extensive investigations that have been done in the country so far, he said.

“The Jabalpur HC had examined this matter several times and expressed complete trust in the investigation. The HC has constituted a special investigative team headed by a retired judge of High Court and there is a Special Task Force which is reporting to the SIT. It is one of the most robust investigations to get to the truth. Things like these will be certainly be taken cognisance of by the SIT,” Rao said.

Terming the way the case is being handled as very “saddening”, senior advocate Vivek Tankha said, “I haven’t seen such a scam in the whole world.

“The way in which this is being handled is very saddening. There is no confidence in the investigation and it is not going in the right direction. In a way we are witnessing the biggest cover up story of India. We are soon going to the Supreme Court. We will inform the SC about the two deaths that have taken place,” he said.

(PTI)

Seniors rested for Zimbabwe tour, Rahane to lead

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Rahane

New Delhi: India on Monday appointed batsman Ajinkya Rahane as their skipper for the 15-member side to tour Zimbabwe for the three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and rested as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and seniors like Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee headed by Sandip Patil met here and decided to rest opening batsmen Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and pacer Umesh Yadav for the tour starting with an ODI on July 10.

The BCCI said that team manager Ravi Shastri has opted out of the tour “due to prior engagement”.

India squad for Zimbabwe tour: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), M. Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, Manoj Tiwary, Kedar Jadhav, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Harbhajan Singh, Axar Patel, Karn Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni, Stuart Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.

(Agencies)

Holy Cow! Chinese inspectors may allow Indian beef exports

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Photo: KOON/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo: KOON/AFP/Getty Images)

New Delhi: Beef may be having rough days under the BJP government, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China last monthmay have cleared the way for export of the holy meat to the world’s biggest market two years after an agreement was signed. Agri-products such as pomegranate, non-basmati rice and okra could also find their way to China as India steps up efforts to reduce the imbalance in bilateral trade.

Beijing will send an inspection team next month to examine meat plants in India so that the facilities can be cleared for exports. Indian bovine meat and meat products have been denied entry into China on grounds of alleged foot-and-mouth disease.”China’s quarantine inspectors are coming to inspect bovine meat facilities in July, which is two years after the memorandum of understanding was signed. We are hopeful that it will clear the way for our agri exports,” said a government official. “This will help address the issue of trade deficit to some extent, which, if not addressed, could reach unsustainable levels.”

India’s trade deficit with China widened to $48 billion in 2014-15 from $36 billion the previous year.

Taking no chances with the bilateral process, India also questioned China’s decision to continue curbs on Indian buffalo meat imports at an agriculture committee meeting of the World Trade Organization in April. China’s demand for Indian buffalo meat is estimated at about $1.5 billion a year.

India became the world’s top beef exporter last year. Bovine meat overtook basmati rice as the country’s single largest agri export item in 2014-15, posting a 10% growth to $4.79 billion.

China is among the top beef consumers and depends on imports to meet domestic demand. India has also asked China to approve the export clearance process for agri items such as pomegranate, okra, non-basmati rice and cucumber. China recently allowed Indian mangoes, basmati rice, rape seed and oil cakes.

“Chinese are mainly non-basmati rice consumers, with their annual imports ranging between $36-40 billion. So we are asking them to certify our clearance procedures for non-basmati rice. They have said that they will look into it,” said the official.

India wants China to allow 17 farm products that it has restricted citing sanitary and phyto sanitary conditions, also considered non-tariff barriers. “Since mango they have already cleared, we are pushing for pomegranate, okra, grapes and cucumbers in the next lot,” said the official.

Indian fruit and vegetables and non-basmati rice have an export potential worth $1-2 billion annually, according to estimates. India has asked China to expedite export clearance for tobacco, bitter gourd, papaya, guava, brinjal, custard apple, cabbage, capsicum and beans, among others.

India’s exports to China fell almost 20% to $12 billion in 2014-15, while imports rose to $60 billion. According to a foreign trade policy statement issued by India’s department of commerce in April, the trade deficit with China could widen to $60 billion in the next two years if the two countries don’t address market access constraints and non-tariff barriers imposed on Indian goods. India has proposed that exports from packaging units with certification from Indian quarantine authorities be recognised by the Chinese authorities.

India has been strongly pushing for elimination of non-tariff barriers by China in various sectors including agriculture, IT, pharma and auto components.

(Agencies)

#SelfieWithDaughter: Careful, Modi has record of stalking, says activist

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#SelfieWithDaughter

New Delhi: Activist and All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) secretary Kavita Krishnan has sparked a row on Twitter after she accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having a record of stalking daughters.

During his radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, on Sunday Modi had appealed people to share a selfie with their daughters and tag it as #SelfieWithDaughter to celebrate girl child.

Following PM Modi’s appeal, Kavita Krishnan, posted on her Twitter, “Careful before sharing #SelfieWithDaughter with #LameDuckPM. He has a record of stalking daughters.” leaving Modi supporters red faced.

It may be recalled here that in 2013, two investigative news portals had jointly released audiotapes of conversations between Amit Shah and IPS officer G L Singhal, accusing Narendra Modi’s aide of misusing the official machinery to order surveillance of a young woman at the behest of “saheb” in 2009.

Named “The Stalkers,” a short film of around 50 minutes was played in a press conference held at the Press Club. The story was an outcome of efforts put in by Cobrapost’s Anirudh Bahal and Gulail.com’s Ashish Khetan and Raja Chowdhury.

(Agencies)

Kuwait to hold mass funeral for mosque attack victims

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Day of mourning declared and suspects reportedly held a day after deaths of 27 people in bombing in Shia mosque.

Shia mosque attack

by Al Jazeera

Kuwait is to hold a mass funeral for the victims of a suicide bombing of a Shia mosque that killed 27 people and wounded 227 others.

Saturday was also a day of mourning in the Gulf Arab country following the attack on the Imam Sadiq mosque in the district of Sawaber, in the eastern part of Kuwait City.

The funeral will follow the arrests of several people suspected of involvement in Friday’s bombing.

The owner of the car that drove the bomber has been arrested and a search is under way for the driver, Kuwait’s state news agency reported on Saturday.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsibility for the bombing, which was Kuwait’s worst attack in years and the first on a Shia mosque.

In a message posted on a Twitter account known to belong to the group, ISIL claimed the blast was the work of a bomber wearing an explosive vest.

The attack prompted the Kuwaiti cabinet to announce after an emergency meeting that all security agencies and police had been placed on alert to confront what it called “black terror”.

“The cabinet stresses that it will take whatever measures necessary to root out this scourge, and declares a relentless all-out confrontation with these terrorists,” it said in a statement.

Kuwait’s Emir Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah visited the mosque, located just a few buildings away from the country’s interior ministry, following the attack.

He said the bombing violated the sanctity of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as well as Islamic law forbidding the shedding of the blood of innocents.

“National unity is a protective fence for the security of the nation,” Sabah said.

ISIL targeted Shia mosques in neighbouring Saudi Arabia on two consecutive Fridays in May.

Clouds of smoke

Video footage from the scene showed several bodies on the floor of the mosque amid debris and clouds of heavy smoke.

Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah al-Mubarak al-Sabah, a Kuwaiti government spokesperson, said that despite security forces having been equipped with the latest technology, attacks such as the one that occurred on Friday were very hard to stop.

“We will be investing in metal detectors and the like but even that can be overcome with the use of different types of technologies,” he told Al Jazeera.

Shia Muslims comprise between 15 and 30 percent of the predominantly Sunni Muslim state, where members of both communities are known to live side by side with little apparent friction.

Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Kuwait City, said “the shock of yesterday’s attack will be something it will take a long time for Kuwaitis to get over”.

“This is a country where they say Sunni and Shia live harmoniously and they will continue to do so,” he said.

“In Kuwait, nobody could have anticipated this. That’s why the people are so worried.”

Shehzad, Azhar score gritty fifties as Pakistan chop deficit

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shehzad-azhar

by Dawn

Colombo: Gritty half-centuries from Ahmed Shehzad and Azhar Ali steered Pakistan to 171 for two against Sri Lanka when bad light ended the third day of the second Test on Saturday.

Shehzad fell for 69 to the first ball after tea having shared a 120-run second-wicket partnership with Ali (64) who was unbeaten after registering his 20th Test fifty.

Veteran Younis Khan was on 23 not out at the close as Pakistan trailed Sri Lanka by six runs with eight wickets in hand at the P Sara Oval.

Earlier, Pakistan had claimed the last Sri Lankan wicket in the morning session to bowl out the hosts for 315 with leg-spinner Yasir Shah (6-96) dismissing Dushmantha Chameera 15 minutes after a rain-delayed start.

Younis held a good running catch to send back Chameera as Sri Lanka, pressing for a series-levelling victory, took a 177-run first-innings lead.

Shot out for 138 in their first innings, Pakistan did not make a great start in their second either as a leaden-footed Mohammad Hafeez (eight) poked at an Angelo Mathews delivery to be caught by Kumar Sangakkara in the slips.

Shehzad and Ali proved there were no demons in the pitch and they frequently used their feet to negate the threat posed by Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.

Shehzad overcame a blow on his helmet by a Chameera bouncer to bring up his fifty in the 35th over.

The opener, however, perished straight after tea when he edged a pull shot against Dhammika Prasad through to keeper Dinesh Chandimal.

Congress leader who complained against Pankaja Munde gets death threats

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Pankaja Munde

Mumbai: Congress leader Sachin Sawant who filed a complaint of corruption against Maharashtra’s Women and Child Development Minister Pankaja Munde on Friday claimed to have received multiple death threats.

“Since Thursday evening, I have got around 40 anonymous threats, mostly threatening to kill me,” said Sawant, the spokesman of the state unit. Mumbai police have provided him security.

“Police have temporarily posted two constables from the local police station at my residence. I shall lodge the detailed written complaint tomorrow morning,” said Sawant, who had on Wednesday filed a formal complaint with the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) accusing Munde of irregularities in awarding contracts worth Rs.206 crore (Rs.2.06 billion).

The ACB has sought a report from the state government on the complaint.

The ACB complaint pertains to the minister — daughter of the late union minister Gopinath Munde who was killed in a road accident in New Delhi last year — allegedly sanctioning contracts for buying food-items, water filters, medical kits and books for children without inviting e-tenders, as is mandatory.

Besides Sawant’s complaint with the ACB, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the issue.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that there is no “prima facie evidence” of any wrongdoing by his cabinet colleague, but was open to a probe after examining the issue in detail.

Dismissing the allegations against her, Munde said she was prepared to face any probe or enquiry and accused vested political interests of attempts to dislodge her from the ministry and end her political career.

(Agencies)

Maggi will not be banned in Karnataka

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maggi-noodles

Bengaluru: Maggi will not be banned in Karnataka for now, declared minister for health and family welfare U T Khader during a press meet on June 26.

The decision follows a test by a private lab commissioned by the state government that found lead within permissible limits in the noodles.

The government is awaiting the result of a test for monosodium glutamate (MSG) content in Maggi to decide its further course of action, informed the minister.

Speaking on ban on Maggi in the state minister said the Union Government has asked the state government to ban the product. But, it will decide only after monosodium glutamate (MSG) content test in Maggi. The department has sent samples of six products including Maggi to Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), West Bengal. The reports may come in a week, he added.

However, he claimed that Food Safety and Standards Authority of India have not mentioned anything about MSG. There will be no ban on Maggi without justification, he said.

(Agencies)

CBI probe ordered against Teesta Setalvad's company

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Teesta Setalvad

New Delhi: A CBI probe has been ordered against social activist Teesta Setalvad-owned Sabrang Communications and Publishing Pvt Ltd (SCPPL) for receiving foreign funds from Ford Foundation in violation of the law, a home ministry official said on Friday.

“The CBI has been asked to complete the probe as soon as possible,” the official told IANS, adding that the bank accounts of SCPPL have also been frozen.

“The IDBI bank’s Khar west branch has been asked to freeze the company’s accounts,” he said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI( has also been asked to give status report of the probe to the ministry on monthly basis.

The SCPPL was not entitled to receive foreign funds as a private limited company which did not have Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 (FCRA) registration, he said.

(IANS)

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