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Kejriwal takes battle to Khurshid’s home turf
Swamy targets Sonia, Rahul
Canada to be conveyed concerns over pro-Khalistan elements
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Copter deal
DRDO, PM’s adviser websites come under cyber attack
No favours to Mukesh Ambani’s RIL, says OilMin
Cong brainstorming session on Nov 9
Bansal: Need to de-politicise rail fare-setting mechanism
cabinet panel meet
Standard packaging for 19 items
Judicial remand for footballer, cook
Prez poll: SC allows Sangma’s plea
Bengal threatens legal action against
Haldia cargo
NRI gets 5-yr jail for drunk driving deaths
Cellphone towers
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Kejriwal takes battle to
Khurshid’s home turf
Lucknow, November 1 He urged people to replace Khurshid with a “differently abled” candidate during the 2014 elections. The rally turned into a bitter tirade against the entire political
class. In spite of a heavy police arrangement, the minister’s supporters and IAC activists clashed at several places, forcing the police to resort to lathicharge. Charging Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with not taking cognizance of the allegations of corruption against the minister’s NGO - Dr Zakir Hussain Trust - regarding irregularities in the distribution of appliances to the differently abled, Kejriwal said the Prime Minister had ignored the demand of the IAC to arrest Khurshid. Speaking from the grounds of Awas Vikas Colony, Kejriwal said: “I have come knocking at your (people’s) doors as you are the ‘malik’. Please don’t repeat the mistake of 2009 by re-electing Khurshid in
2014.” “I have come here and will also return safely by the night train. No one is scared of empty threats any longer as the people of the country have awakened,” maintained Kejriwal, while referring to the threat to his
life. Hitting out at the entire political class for being hand in glove in covering up corruption and scams, he wondered why Congress president Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi had not spoken up against Khurshid, Vadra or
Ambani.
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Swamy targets Sonia, Rahul
New Delhi, November 1 He said Sonia and Rahul had floated "Young Indian" firm which acquired Associated Journals, founded by late Jawaharlal Nehru, that published the National Herald and Quami Awaz. He said Associated Journals obtained loan of over Rs 90 crore from the AICC, which was illegal under the Income Tax Act because a political party cannot give loans for commercial
purposes. The Associated Journals was later sold by transfer of shares to Young Indian, which is not a newspaper or journal-producing company. The deal, Swamy alleged, was to grab prized property. — PTI
Rahul may sue Swamy
Rahul Gandhi tonight threatened to pursue “all legal actions” against Swamy. “The allegations made by you are utterly false, entirely baseless and defamatory,” Rahul Gandhi’s office said in a communication to Swamy. —
PTI
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Canada to be conveyed concerns over pro-Khalistan elements
New Delhi, November 1 However, what may come as a big surprise to the Indo-Canadian community, Canada’s super visa scheme does not seem to be part of the agenda of talks between the two leaders as of now. Indo-Canadians, particularly from Punjab, are not happy with the scheme and want it to be
amended. Briefing reporters here this evening, Vikram Doraiswamy, Joint Secretary (Americas) in the External Affairs Ministry, however, said no representation had been received from the community over the scheme, dubbed by many as a ‘super flop’
project. The super visa scheme was launched by Canada in December last year as an option for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to visit their families in Canada for an extended period of
time. Super visa seekers use the same application form as applicants for the standard six-month visitor visa. Applicants for the super visa must also submit proof that the host child or grandchild meets a minimum income, demonstrate that they have purchased comprehensive Canadian medical insurance and undergo the immigration medical
examination. The Canada Government had argued that with super visa, it was adopting a common sense approach that allowed parents and grandparents to spend extended periods of time with their loved ones in Canada, while at the same time, acting responsibly in protecting Canadian taxpayer.
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Copter deal
New Delhi, November
1 M Ganapathi, Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, yesterday handed over an aide-memoire (an informal diplomatic message) underlining the importance of responding to India’s inquiry, MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told reporters here
today. Earlier, India's ambassador to Italy also took up the issue with the Italian authorities on October 29. “Both in Delhi and Rome, they understand our concern and promised to revert to us. We look forward to it,” said the spokesperson.
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DRDO, PM’s adviser websites come under cyber attack
New Delhi, November
1 Government sources said some "suspicious and unwanted" activity was observed on these websites, maintained by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), following which these were shut down for a couple of
hours. “After checking the websites, these were restored," a source said, adding that the information contained by these websites is already in the public domain. "There are no secrets on these websites," they
stressed. Among the sites that came under the attack were those of the prime minister's adviser on public information, infrastructure and innovations - http://iii.gov.in, and Recruitment and Assessment Centre (RAC) of the Defence Research
and Development Organisation(DRDO) www.rac.gov. in <http://www.rac.gov.in>. —
IANS
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No favours to Mukesh Ambani’s RIL, says OilMin
New Delhi, November 1 In a statement, the Petroleum Ministry said it had been “constrained to note that certain baseless and frivolous allegations with regard to audit and gas pricing” have been made. Refuting Kejriwal’s charge that the government had been unduly favouring RIL, the statement said the UPA I and II governments under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had consistently been protecting national
interest. In a detailed reply to Kejriwal’s allegations, the Petroleum Ministry said it was committed to uphold the rule of law and that decisions were taken objectively, without any fear or favour. “The system is not influenced or guided by the whims and fancies of any individual or group of individuals. The ministry will continue to function and take decisions with firmness, after due diligence and strict adherence to principles of transparency and probity,” it
added. It termed as "baseless" allegations of the government favouring RIL in award of KG-DWN-98/3 or KG-D6 block, where subsequently 18 gas and one oil finds were made. The ministry said under the New Exploration Licencing Policy (NELP) approved by the government in 1997 and implemented by the BJP-led NDA government in 1999, areas such as KG-D6 were offered for exploration through open international competitive bidding. "The contract is a generic template and not specific to RIL," it
said. Rejecting IAC allegations that Jaipal Reddy was shifted out of the Oil Ministry to facilitate RIL getting a higher price for gas, the ministry said a revision of gas price before 2014 was rejected in 2010 itself.
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Cong brainstorming session on Nov 9
New Delhi, November
1 Looking
within The informal meeting will discuss the economic challenges facing the country and the implementation of the party's manifesto The “baithak’, the first of its kind, comes soon after the substantive revamp of the Prime Minister’s ministerial team which was aimed at taking away the focus from the ongoing narrative on corruption and presenting a young, new and purposeful team in place ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha
elections. This session will be preceded by a public meeting in the Capital on November 4 when the Congress leadership will touch upon the current political and economic situation. The November 9 dialogue session will be attended by top Congress leaders, including party president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, members of the party’s working committee, Cabinet Ministers and Minsiter of state with independent
charge. Giving details about this meeting, AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said it would be an “informal meeting which will discuss the economic challenges facing the country and the implementation of the party’s manifesto”. A “chintan shivir” with larger representation of party leaders will be held shortly after this session, Dwivedi added.
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Bansal: Need to de-politicise rail fare-setting mechanism
Chandigarh, November 1 In city for the first time after taking over charge of the ministry, Bansal hinted towards a nominal fare hike and a slew of other measures to improve the financial health of the railways.
“The alliance partners of the government had been preventing fare hike of passengers trains.The railways should be kept free from bi-partisan polity if the quality of services and safety issues have to be addressed, said the
minister. “My immediate concern is to reduce accidents, especially at unmanned level crossings and improve cleanliness at stations,” Bansal said, adding that he has given three days to his officials to workout various proposal to reduce expenditure. It has been seen that while the railways and passengers end up paying for unnecessary items on the food menu, the contractors were pocketing the margin, said the Rail Minister.
He said to check bogus online bookings by travel agents, instructions had been issued to check the original identity documents of passengers from next month onwards.
On various projects, Bansal said apart from three dedicated freight corridors, including the corridor between Mumbai and Amritsar, focus is on early completion of the Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link and fast trains between Delhi and Chandigarh. Improved rail connectivity between towns of Punjab is also on the agenda.
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Govt defers decision on wheat MSP
Vibha Sharma/TNS
New Delhi, November 1
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved raising the minimum support price (MSP) of gram to Rs 3,000 per quintal and masur to Rs 2,900 per quintal for 2013-14 (April-March). The current support price of the two pulses was Rs 2,800 per quintal. Oilseeds, however, have got a good increase as per the recommendations of the CACP (Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices). The MSP of mustard seed has been increased to Rs 3,000 per quintal and safflower to Rs 2,800 per quintal, both up from Rs 2,500 per quintal in the review period. But the barley MSP has remained unchanged at Rs 980 per quintal, which officials say is due to excess supply of the foodgrain in the market and the government’s decision to shift focus to oilseeds and pulses. However, if the logic of “excess supply” as in the case of barley is also applied to wheat, the wheat MSP may go unchanged for now and a bonus could be given sometime later to appease the farmers. Officials said all prices had been fixed keeping in mind inflation and other issues. There is a complete lack of consensus among two key ministries - food and agriculture - over wheat. The CACP had recommended freezing of MSP at last year’s level of Rs 1,285 per quintal considering huge stock in the central pool.
Standard packaging for 19 items
To check unfair trade practices, the government today made standardised packaging mandatory for 19 items, including food items like baby food, bread, biscuits, tea and pulses and non-food products like cement, paint and soaps.
Manufacturers of these commodities will now have to package their products in standard sizes or invite penal action. The list includes items like tea, coffee and
salt. The government had observed that some manufacturers were reducing quantity of packaged products by small fractions without making a change in the price of the product.
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Judicial remand for footballer, cook
Kolkata, November 1 The girl returned home in the evening and disclosed the matter to her parents. Her father along with some neighbours went to the flat and caught hold of Jagpreet and Ravi. The two were later handed over to the police and an FIR was lodged. East Bengal came
forward in Jagpreet’s defence, claiming he had allegedly been implicated in the case.
Club vice-president Dr Santi Dasgupta suspected his involvement in the incident as Jagpreet was reportedly undergoing training at the Sports Authority of India’s complex at Salt Lake when the incident took place.
“The club will investigate the matter and take action accordingly. We must ensure that an innocent footballer is not wrongly penalised,” he said. Authorities of Prayag United have, however, suspended Baldeep Singh. Club secretary Alokesh Kundu said: “Let Baldeep prove his innocence
in court and then only will the club welcome him back.” The arrest of well-known footballers has caused a stir in the sports circle of the city. This is the first time that footballers from Punjab have been involved in such a case in West Bengal.
In February, three Nigerian footballers belonging to Mohamedan Sporting and Milan Sangha were detained by the police along with a woman from a red light area in north
Kolkata. The players were forced to leave the city soon after their clubs refused to protect them legally.
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Prez poll: SC allows Sangma’s plea
New Delhi, November 1
The Bench, headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, passed an order slating the hearing for November 20. The SC came to the view after hearing the contentions of Attorney General GE Vahanvati and Mukherjee’s senior counsel Harish Salve and PH Parekh, besides senior advocate Ram Jethmalani who appeared for Sangma, for more than one-and-a-half hours today.
Quoting SC rules, Salve said there had to be a preliminary hearing and the case should be closed if the petition was found to contain wrong facts.
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Bengal threatens legal action against
Haldia cargo
handler
Kolkata, November 1 Endorsing his Chief Minister’s claim, he said everything was absolutely normal at Haldia and the loading and unloading work had been continuing smoothly and
normally. Bose was talking to mediapersons at the Writers Buildings. He said the
government would take legal action against the cargo handler if it was pulling
out from Haldia in violation of agreements with the port authorities and the state government.
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NRI gets 5-yr jail for drunk driving deaths
Mumbai, November 1 Nooriya Haveliwala, then 27, was also fined Rs 5 lakh that will be paid as compensation to the kin of the two men killed by her car. Haveliwala was tried by a special court under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act since she was suspected to have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the
accident. Acquitting her of drug charges, the court found the woman guilty under various sections of the Motor Vehicles Act and the Indian Penal
Code. Haveliwala was arrested after she knocked down a motorcyclist, Afzal Ibrahim, at a police checkpoint while returning home from a party on the night of January 29, 2010. Subsequently, she ran over several policemen who tried to stop her car.
While police sub-inspector Dinanath Shinde died in the mishap, constable Shailesh Jadhav suffered serious injuries. Three other policemen on patrol were also injured in the
incident. Today, the NDPS court awarded Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to Jadhav. The others who received injuries have been awarded Rs 15,000 each.
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Cellphone towers New Delhi , November 1 A Bench comprising Justice HL Dattu and CK Prasad said the government had stipulated the emission norms only in September this year and as such it should be given some more time to enforce it and tighten these further if necessary. “For the present , we are not inclined to admit” the PIL filed by the Centre for PIL (CPIL), the Bench said in the order. Arguing for the petitioner, counsel Prashant Bhushan pleaded against giving any more time to the government as it had sat on the issue for more than five years. It was in 2007, a group of 14 eminent scientists had released a research report highlighting the health hazards of electromagnetic radiation. The report had provided evidence to show that exposure to such radiation could result in childhood leukemia, brain tumours, genotoxic effects, neurological effects and neurodegenerative diseases, immune system de-regulation, allergic and inflammatory responses, breast cancer, miscarriage and some cardiovascular effects, he said. Bhushan also contended that the government had set the radiation norm at a unit of 0.92, while in China , Italy , France and Poland the permissible limit was one-tenth of 0.1. The Bench was, however, not convinced. It said the government had been amending various laws going by experience and people’s requirements. It might review the present radiation norms after some time. The supreme court can step into the issue only if the govt utterly failed" to minimize the health hazards arising from such emissions, it said." Right now we can't step into its shoes and fix the emission limits," the court said. The court said the 90 countries, where the limits was more lax, formed a big chunk. Nevertheless, the govt might bring down the limit at later date at the instance of NGOs and the scientific community,": it said. "We have not yet reached the stage of judicial intervention. Let us give free hand to the legislature in the initial stage," the bench clarified.
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India Against Corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal today took the battle to Union Minister for External Affairs Salman Khurshid’s home turf Farukkhabad, as he challenged him to prevent him from campaigning against him in his
backyard.
“The MSP of wheat required further consultation,” an official statement
said.
The two footballers and their two accomplices had allegedly gang-raped a minor girl in a flat of Diamond City North at Dum Dum on Monday.
The girl’s father complained to the local police that his daughter, working in the housing complex as a domestic help for the past few months, was lured and taken to Jagpreet’s flat, where she was raped by the accused under the influence of liquor.