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CBI raids Teesta Setalvad’s residence, office in Mumbai

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Teesta Setalvad

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation Tuesday carried out searches at premises of social activist Teesta Setalvad and her organisation in connection with a case of alleged violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act in receiving funds from abroad without taking prior permission from the home ministry.

The CBI sleuths carried out searches at four places in Mumbai at the premises of Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand, Gulam Mohammed Peshimam and office of Sabrang Communications and Publishing, a move flayed by the social activist who said that she was cooperating with the CBI.

“We are surprised and shocked at this,” Teesta said, adding, “We have been offering full cooperation.”

The CBI had registered a case on July 8 against all these under IPC section related to criminal conspiracy (120-B) along with provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 1976.

“We had written a letter to CBI offering full cooperation and telling the agency that whatever so-called offences are registered against us, we will cooperate. So we don’t understand the rationale behind this entire operation,” Setalvad, who was at fore front of campaign for 2002 Gujarat riots victims, said.

“We believe that it is a caged-parrot in operation and its a political vendetta and they are trying to humiliate and intimidate us,” she said, noting “the team here is very professional but we don’t know where it will end”.

CBI sources said in New Delhi that the case was registered after the agency completed verification of all the documents submitted by the home ministry while referring the probe to the agency.

They said it is alleged that the accused named in the FIR, in a criminal conspiracy, accepted foreign contribution without registration and prior permission from the Union home ministry as mandated under FCRA norms.

The government had earlier ordered a CBI probe into the transfer of funds by US-based Ford Foundation to Sabrang Communication and Publishing Pvt Limited (SCPPL) and even froze a bank account of the firm on June 26.

It was alleged that at SCPPL violate rules of FCRA in accepting a donation of USD 2.9 lakh from Ford Foundation without getting clearance of the Home Ministry.

According to the rules, an organisation or a private firm can accept donations from overseas only after it is registered under FCRA. The donation was, therefore, a “serious violation” of FCRA provisions which mandate funding from a foreign source to only those recipients who have FCRA registration, the Home Ministry had said while ordering a CBI case.

A bank account of the firm located in Juhu, Mumbai, had also been frozen at the instruction of the Home Ministry.

The Gujarat government had earlier asked the Home Ministry to take action against Ford Foundation, alleging that the US-based organisation was “interfering in internal affairs” of the country and also “abetting communal disharmony” through an NGO run by Setalvad.

The fund transfer from Ford Foundation has, at present, to be cleared by a nodal official in the Home Ministry. In April, the government had ordered that funds from Ford Foundation should not be released by any bank to any Indian NGO without mandatory permission from the Home Ministry.

There are several cases in which the Gujarat government and Setalvad are waging legal battles. While she has filed several cases against the state government functionaries in connection with post-Godhra riots of 2002, the state police have filed a case of alleged embezzlement of funds against her.

(Agencies)

Chad police: Anyone wearing face veils will be arrested

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Authorities vow to implement ban on veil a day after Boko Haram bomber disguised as woman attacked market in capital.

Chad

by Al Jazeera

Chadian police have said anyone wearing a full-face veil will be arrested, a day after a Boko Haram suicide bombing – carried out by an attacker disguised as a women wearing one – left 15 dead.

Saturday’s attack at a market in the capital, N’Djamena, also injured 80 others and spread panic across the city. The assailant detonated an explosives belt when he was stopped for security checks at the entrance to the city’s main market.

“This attack just confirms that a ban on the full-face veil was justified,” national police spokesman Paul Manga said, adding that “it now must be respected more than ever by the entire population”.

“Anyone who does not obey the law will be automatically arrested and brought to justice,” he warned.

Muslim-majority Chad banned the full-face veil, ramped up security measures and bombed Boko Haram positions in Nigeria last month after the first ever attack by the armed group in its capital.

Security was tightened across the capital on Sunday with police and soldiers deployed in all areas, including intersections, markets and mosques.

Nine of the dead were women traders, and fear still permeated the market on Sunday.

“What was happening elsewhere and what we heard about from media reports is now happening here,” said Zenaba, a woman trader in her forties.

“I’m really scared for me and my children,” she said.

Boko Haram claimed responsibility on Twitter for the suicide bombing, signing off as “Islamic State, West Africa province” – the fighters’ self-styled moniker since pledging allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group in March.

The conflict has killed at least 15,000 people since 2009 and left more than 1.5 million homeless.

A four-nation coalition of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon has reportedly pushed the armed group from captured towns and villages in an operation that began in February.

Iran and world powers inch towards nuclear deal

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Iran and West say historic deal could be signed by Monday as John Kerry says “major issues” remain to be resolved.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said "major issues" remain to be solved [Reuters]

US Secretary of State John Kerry said “major issues” remain to be solved [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Iran and six world powers are close to signing a historic nuclear deal that will bring sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Tehran’s atomic programme, officials say.

After more than two weeks of negotiations in Vienna, Iranian and Western officials said on Sunday that an agreement could be ready on Monday, the self-imposed deadline for clinching the deal, though that could be extended again.

“We still have got work to do tomorrow,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters on Sunday from his hotel balcony. “No deal today [Sunday].”

US Secretary of State John Kerry has cautioned that “major issues” remain to be resolved, and comments from both senior Republican and Democrat Senators on Sunday suggested that any final deal would also face tough scrutiny in the US Congress.

Alireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for the Iranian delegation, said on Twitter that the draft agreement Iran and the powers – the US, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China – were working on was “a 100-page document”.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday further measures were still needed to overcome the remaining obstacles in the Vienna negotiations, ISNA news agency reported.

“It might seem we have reached the top of the mountain. But no, there are still steps needed to be taken,” ISNA quoted him as saying. “Even if we fail … we have performed our duty.”

A senior Iranian official said 99 percent of the issues had been resolved, adding: “With political will we can finish the work late tonight and announce it tomorrow.”

Arms embargo

Among the biggest sticking points in the past week has been Iran’s insistence that a United Nations Security Council arms embargo and ban on its ballistic missile programme dating from 2006 be lifted immediately if an agreement is reached.

Russia, which sells weapons to Iran, has publicly supported Tehran on the issue.

Other problematic issues in the talks are access for inspectors to military sites in Iran, answers from Tehran over past activity and the overall speed of sanctions relief.

Kerry and Zarif have met nearly every day since Kerry arrived in Vienna more than two weeks ago for what was intended to be the final phase in a negotiation process that began with an interim nuclear deal clinched in November 2013.

Mirza-Hingis win 2015 Wimbledon women’s doubles title

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Martina-Hingis

London: Sania Mirza combined with former world number one Martina Hingis late Saturday to win a thrilling women’s doubles final in the 2015 edition of the Wimbledon championships.

They beat Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 7-5, BBC reported.

The win marked a first Wimbledon title for Mirza, who is the number one-ranked female doubles player. Hingis is ranked second.

Hingis was Wimbledon singles champion in 1997 and last appeared in a final at the All England Club in 1998, when she won the women’s doubles.

On Saturday, Mirza was making her first appearance alongside Hingis at a major doubles final and the pair combined to play their part in a match that thrilled the Centre Court crowd.

After losing the first set, Hingis and Mirza edged a closely-fought second set in the tie-break and then came back from 5-2 down in the third, winning five successive games to secure the title.

The 34-year-old Hingis also plays in the mixed doubles final on Sunday.

(IANS)

Leander Paes wins 16th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon

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Leander Paes Martina Hingis

London: A vintage Leander Paes clinched his 16th Grand Slam trophy, winning the mixed doubles event of the Wimbledon Championship with legendary Martina Hingis after a dominating win over Alexander Peya and Timea Babos, here on Sunday.

Seventh seed Indo-Swiss pair drubbed the fifth seed Austrian-Hungarian team 6-1 6-1 in the lop-sided summit clash which was over in just 40 minutes.

It was Paes’ eighth mixed doubles title and second with Hingis. They had won the Australian Open early this year.

42-year-old Paes has eight men’s doubles crowns in his Grand Slam collection.

Paes’ win capped an incredibly successful Wimbledon for India as the country took three titles this year. Sania Mirza won the women’s doubles and Saumit Nagal won the junior boys doubles trophy.

For Hingis, it was second title in as many days, having won the women’s doubles with Sania. Overall it was 18th Major title for the Swiss and third in mixed doubles.

Hingis was back on court less than 24 hours after that win with Sania but showed no sign of fatigue. She served well and was terrific at the net, complementing the Indian Pro.

Paes and Hingis literally toyed with Peya and Babos, who surprisingly failed to put any resistance.

In no time Paes and Hingis pocketed the first set as all they needed was 19 minutes to nose ahead. Two broke Babos in the fourth game and Peya in the sixth for a 5-1 cushion. Hingis served out the set when Paes smashed a volley winner.

Paes and Hingis kept the pressure on the Austrian- American combination right from the first game of the second set. Peya failed to negotiate a Paes return at deuce to hand the seventh seeds grabbed the opportunity to break them.

Babos’ could not handle a Hingis return and the Indo- Swiss pair got an early break. There was no stopping them from there as they raced to victory in less than one hour.

Babos failed to hold her serve even once and it was on her return that Paes hit a deft backhand volley winner to close the contest.

(PTI)

BCCI suspends Mumbai cricketer Hiken Shah for corruption

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Hiken Shah

Mumbai: The Board of control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended Mumbai cricketer Hiken Shah with immediate effect on Monday after finding him guilty of breaching its Anti-Corruption Code.

The BCCI said Shah made a “corrupt” approach to one of his colleagues from first-class cricket, who plays in one of the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams.

Shah is a left-hand batsman and leg-break bowler who made his debut for Mumbai in domestic cricket in 2006 but has since struggled to be a regular member of the team. He has played 37 First Class matches, scoring 2160 runs at 42.35 with six centuries.

“His involvement in any form of cricket, affiliated with the BCCI stands suspended till the time the disciplinary committee of the BCCI passes appropriate orders,” the BCCI said in a statement on Monday.

The approached player informed of the approach to his franchise team which reacted by informing the incident to BCCI’s Anti Corruption Unit (ACU). The ACU conducted an immediate enquiry into the matter and found Shah guilty.

“After a detailed inquiry into the reported incident, the inquiry commissioner found Hiken Shah guilty of committing breach of Articles 2.1.1; 2.1.2; and 2.1.4 of the BCCI Anti-Corruption Code for participants and recommended their provisions to the BCCI President,” the statement added.

BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said BCCI is committed to uphold its stance of “zero tolerance” for fixing and reacted swiftly by ordering a probe.

“BCCI has zero tolerance for corruption in the game of cricket. We have and we will take swift action against such incidents to set a precedent and control the menace of corruption in the game. While placing the player under suspension, I have referred the matter to the disciplinary committee of the BCCI to take further action against the player involved,” Damiya said in the release.

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said the governing body’s education policy was beginning to show results and the incident proves that they are on the right track.

“This particular incident demonstrates that BCCI’s education policy against corruption is showing results, as the player approached was vigilant enough to report the matter to the ACU of the BCCI.

Having said that, the fight against corruption is an ongoing battle and we will not leave any stone unturned. BCCI is committed to keep cricket corruption-free,” he said.

(IANS)

Government to pay Rs 12/litre kerosene subsidy, full for LPG

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KEROSENE

New Delhi: The government has capped the subsidy it will pay on kerosene at Rs 12 per litre while deciding to foot the entire bill on domestic cooking gas, a senior official said.

The Finance Ministry will pay Rs 12 per litre in cash to state-owned fuel retailers and any unbridged gap between the retail selling price and the cost of production will be borne by upstream companies like ONGC, he said.

Currently, oil companies sell kerosene at a loss of about Rs 18 per litre. Of this, the government will foot Rs 12 and the rest will come from upstream firms.

“At current oil prices, the upstream share for the full fiscal may be Rs 5,000-6,000 crore,” he said.

For LPG, the government has decided to fully bear the difference between the cost and the retail selling price.

The Budget for 2015-16 has provided for Rs 22,000 crore towards LPG subsidy and another Rs 8,000 crore on kerosene.

“While provisioning for kerosene is sufficient, additional funds may have to be provided in supplementary demands for LPG,” he added.

(PTI)

International Scientists issue call for climate action now: ‘Commit to Our Common Future’

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‘Window for economically feasible solutions’ is closing, statement says

Demonstrators demand an ambitious climate deal from the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in 2009. (Photo: AinhoaGoma/Oxfam International/flickr/cc)

Demonstrators demand an ambitious climate deal from the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in 2009. (Photo: AinhoaGoma/Oxfam International/flickr/cc)

by Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams

Time is running out to deal with the “defining challenge of the 21st century,” a group of leading scientists said Friday at the close of a climate conference, and added that this must be the year of bold action like taxing carbon to rein in greenhouse gases.

The call was issued in the outcome statement from the Our Common Future under Climate Change, a four-day meeting that gathered nearly 2,000 international academics five months ahead of the United Nations climate talks in Paris, COP21.

“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal,” it states. “Its effects have the potential to impact every region of the Earth, every ecosystem, and many aspects of the human endeavour. Its solutions require a bold commitment to our common future.

“The window for economically feasible solutions with a reasonable prospect of holding warming to 2°C or less is rapidly closing,” the statement reads, referring to the widely accepted warming threshold for the planet—an increase that many say will still bring disaster.

And a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions—40-70 percent below current levels by 2050—is what is necessary, they state.

Among the “ambitious” actions laid out in the statement are dumping fossil fuel subsidies and putting a price on carbon. The latter, the statement reads, “helps level the playing field among energy technologies by charging for the damage caused by climate change and rewarding other benefits of mitigation activities.”

Investments in climate change mitigation, adaptation, and clean energy can help bring about “inclusive and sustainable” growth, it adds.

The outcome statement was embraced by the UN top climate official, Christiana Figueres, who stated: “The world’s leading researchers on climate have underlined the crucial importance of nations focusing on a long term goal—call it zero emissions, net zero or climate neutrality. The overwhelming consensus is that Paris 2015 needs to send an unequivocal signal that the world will take a path towards a steep and deep decline in greenhouse gas pollution by the second half of the century.”

Among the signatories to the outcome statement is Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) director John Schellnhuber. He also spoke at a plenary session at the conference, and called for nothing short of “an induced implosion of the carbon economy over the next 20-30 years” in order to keep warming under the 2°C threshold.

“In the end it is a moral decision,” the Guardian quotes Schellnhuber as saying. “Do you want to be part of the generation that screwed up the planet for the next 1,000 years? I don’t think we should make that decision.”

Remembering Srebrenica, two decades on

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Thousands of mourners descend on town where more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered during Bosnian war.

The bodies of the recently identified victims will be transported to the memorial centre in Potocari where they will be buried on Saturday [Reuters]

The bodies of the recently identified victims will be transported to the memorial centre in Potocari where they will be buried on Saturday [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Tens of thousands of people poured into Srebrenica 20 years after more than 8,000 people were killed in the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II.

The remains of 136 newly-identified victims will be laid to rest on Saturday along with thousands of others already buried at a memorial centre just outside the Bosnian town.

Thousands of Muslim men and boys were slaughtered by Bosnian Serb forces after they captured Srebrenica in July 1995 near the end of Bosnia’s inter-ethnic war,

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic arrived at a memorial complex on Saturday morning and spoke with female relatives of the victims.

Dozens of dignitaries from across Bosnia and abroad, were also expected to be present at the ceremony and a day of mourning will be observed throughout the Balkan country.

Former US President Bill Clinton, whose administration brokered the Dayton peace deal that ended Bosnia’s 1992-1995 war only a few months after the Srebrenica killings, travelled to Srebrenica for the memorial.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Britain’s Princess Anne and Jordan’s Queen Noor were also due to attend.

The bones of newly identified victims will be interred beneath marble gravestones in the Potocari memorial cemetery, in what has become annual ritual as more graves are discovered.

“One cannot describe with words how I feel today,” said Zijada Hajdarevic as she escorted the remains of her brother on Thursday from the morgue to the cemetery, where her grandfather and other close relatives are all buried.

“We knew he was gone, but it will be easier now we know where we can visit his grave,” said Hajdarevic, who is still searching for her father.

Disputed term

A UN court has ruled that the killings in Srebrenica was genocide.

Many Serbs dispute the term, the death toll and the official account of what went on – reflecting conflicting narratives of the Yugoslav wars that still feed political divisions and stifle progress toward integration with Western Europe.

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik last month described Srebrenica as “the greatest deception of the 20th century”.

Russia this week vetoed a UN resolution last week that would have condemned the denial of Srebrenica as genocide. Moscow called for all people responsible for the massacre to be brought to justice.

Samantha Power, Washington’s ambassador to the United Nations who was a 24-year-old journalist in Bosnia at the time, said: “You cannot build reconciliation on the denial of genocide.”

Ever since the massacre, the West has faced questions over how it allowed the fall of Srebrenica, a designated UN “safe haven” for Muslims Bosniaks displaced by the war.

Months later, NATO air strikes forced the Serbs to the negotiating table. A US-brokered peace treaty ended the fighting and enshrined in Bosnia a complicated and unwieldy system of ethnic power-sharing that survives today.

The accused chief architects of the massacre – Bosnian Serb wartime political leader Radovan Karadzic and military commander Ratko Mladic – remain on trial at a UN court in The Hague, protesting their innocence.

India beat Zimbabwe by 4 runs

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India beat Zimbabwe

Harare: India earned a narrow four-run victory over Zimbabwe in the first of the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series at the Harare Sports Club here on Friday.

Put in to bat, India scored 255/6 in their allotted 50 overs with Ambati Rayudu scoring an unbeaten 124. He was well supported by all-rounder Stuart Binny (77) as the duo put up a 160-run partnership.

Donald Tiripano and Chamu Chibhaba were the pick of the Zimbabwean bowlers, both clinching two wickets apiece.

In reply, the hosts batted well but fell short by four runs despite an unbeaten 104 from skipper Elton Chigumbura. Binny and spinner Axar Patel took a brace each for India.

(IANS)

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