The Week That Was - June 7 : Srinivasan ‘steps aside’ as BCCI Prez, Dalmiya to head panel

Setback for Centre as opposition CMs oppose NCTC

Chief Ministers of the non-Congress ruled states on Wednesday expressed strong reservations over the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), arguing that the mooted set-up was against the principle of federalism.

Many chief ministers of opposition parties also pointed out that Naxalism was one of the biggest security threats facing the country.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said, "On the NCTC, I think the new draft circulated has taken into consideration some of the concerns raised by the states. However, even on the new draft, some concerns remain. We have strong reservations about the proposed structure and functioning of the NCTC."

By-polls: Boost for Narendra Modi, jolt for Nitish Kumar

In a major boost to Narendra Modi in the party`s prime ministerial race, the BJP swept the six by-elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Gujarat while his detractor Nitish Kumar suffered a blow in Bihar and Congress drew a blank in four states.

Wresting all the six seats from Congress in Gujarat, the BJP won the Lok Sabha by-elections in Porbandar and Banaskantha with a margin of over 1.28 lakh and 71,000 votes respectively and bagged the Assembly seats of Limbadi, Morva Hadaf, Jetpur and Doraji by handsome margins.

Interestingly, the BJP candidate Vithhal Radadia, who defected from Congress after a controversy, last year when he brandished a gun at a toll booth, won the Porbandar Lok Sabha seat. Banaskantha went to Haribhai Chaudhry of BJP.

Leaders mull Narendra Modi`s elevation at BJP meet in Goa

The crucial meeting of BJP’s parliamentary board began on Friday afternoon amid expectations that a broad consensus on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will emerge that will pave way for his elevation as the party’s 2014 Lok Sabha polls campaign chief.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is being touted as the BJP `s possible prime ministerial candidate and the one who will lead the party`s 2014 General Election campaign, was given a rousing welcome by BJP supporters and leaders soon after his arrival here this morning.

He was received by Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and other senior party leaders.

HC stays UP govt’s move to withdraw cases against terror accused

In a major embarrassment for the ruling Samajwadi Party, the Allahabad High Court on Friday put a stay on the Akhilesh Yadav government’s move to withdraw terror charges against those falsely implicated in terror cases.

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, while referring the case to a larger bench, posted the matter for next hearing after six weeks.

The court passed its order after the Samajwadi Party government filed its reply in the case today.

The High Court had earlier questioned the state government’s move and asked it to clarify whether it checked with the Centre before withdrawing the cases since most anti-terror laws are central laws.

Nawaz Sharif sworn-in as Pakistani PM for 3rd time

Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday got his name etched in Pakistan’s history as the first person ever to have sworn-in as Prime Minister thrice.

Sharif took oath as Pakistan’s Prime Minister for a record third time today after he was elected with 244 votes in the 342-seat Parliament.

Contesting the election against Sharif were Javed Hashmi of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and Makhdoom Amin Fahim of the Pakistan People’s Party, which led the previous government.

Makhdoom Javed Hashmi received 31 votes while Makdhoom Amin Fahim received a total of 42 votes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, wife announce divorce

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila announced on Thursday on national television that their marriage was over, ending years of media speculation about the couple’s relationship.

They have been married for under 30 years.

“Yes, you could say this is a civilised divorce,” Lyudmila said in response to a journalist’s question, following the Putins’ joint outing to a ballet performance - the first time they had been seen in public since the President’s inauguration in May 2012.

Both Putins said the reason for their split was the presidential work, which consumes most of his time and requires a very public lifestyle.

15 dead in European flooding, thousands evacuated

At least 15 people have died and four others are missing in the floods that have ravaged central Europe, authorities said on Wednesday as swollen rivers surged downstream toward Germany.

Firefighters said more than 19,000 people were evacuated from the flooding in the Czech Republic. One raging flood that inundated parts of Prague was now heading north toward Germany, particularly the city of Dresden.

The dead included eight people in the Czech Republic, four in Germany, two in Austria and one in Slovakia. At least four other people were missing in the Czech Republic, according to its interior minister.

Authorities are now concerned about the safety of chemical plants next to the overflowing rivers. Some plants have been shut down and their chemicals removed.

FBI collecting phone records of millions of Americans; White House defends act

After a British newspaper reported that the United States has been collecting the telephone records of millions of Americans under a top secret court order, the White House defended the government`s need to collect telephone records of American citizens, calling such information "a critical tool in protecting the nation from terrorist threats".

A senior Obama administration official while defending the practice said it did not confirm the report on Wednesday in Britain`s Guardian newspaper.

The order was granted by the secret foreign intelligence surveillance court on April 25 and is good until July 19, the newspaper reported. The order requires Verizon, one of America`s largest telecommunications companies, on an "ongoing, daily basis" to give the national security agency information on all telephone calls in its systems, both within the US and between the US and other countries.

RIL to invest Rs 1.5L crore over 3 years

Reliance Industries will invest Rs 1.5 lakh crore across energy, petrochem and telecom businesses over the next three years as it looks at expansions to supplement falling natural gas production.

RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani, the world`s richest energy billionaire, however gave few details on plans for its long-anticipated launch of 4G telecom services.

Reliance, India`s fourth-largest company by market value, is eyeing a four-fold increase in revenues from retail business and a sustainable growth in its shale gas business in US, he told company shareholders here Thursday.

The company plans to increase capacity at its existing petrochemical plants and build new ones, drill more wells to boost flagging oil and gas production, open more retail stores and shortly start high-speed broadband service, Ambani said.

"Reliance has embarked on the largest investment programme in its history. We are committed to investing Rs 150,000 crore in the next three years," said Ambani, as his mother Kokila Ambani, wife Nita Ambani and children watched.

Cabinet approves Real Estate Regulatory Bill

A Bill providing for setting up a regulator for the real estate sector and having provisions like a jail term of up to three years for developers who make offences like putting up misleading advertisements about projects repeatedly was approved by the government Tuesday.

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, approved by the cabinet, seeks to provide a uniform regulatory environment to the sector.

It also intends to make it mandatory for developers to launch projects only after acquiring all statutory clearances from relevant authorities.

Builders and developers who become repeat offenders may even face a jail term of up to three years.

Cabinet clears conciliation to resolve Vodafone tax issue

Seeking to resolve the long- standing tax dispute with Vodafone, the Cabinet Tuesday approved a proposal for non-binding conciliation with the British telecom major, the outcome of which will ultimately be vetted by Parliament.

"We (have) accepted the offer of Vodafone to enter into a non-binding conciliation. The outcome of the non-binding conciliation will be brought back to the Cabinet.

"If both sides (Vodafone and the government) agree on the outcome of the non-binding conciliation then the matter will be taken to Parliament by an amendment to the Income Tax Act," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after the meeting of the Cabinet.

Vodafone had been asked to pay Rs 11,200 crore tax on its 2007 acquisition of Hutchison Whampoa’s stake in Hutchison Essar. The demand included Rs 3,300 crore of interest over delayed payment.

Amazon launches online marketplace in India

Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd, an Amazon.Com company, today announced the launch of an online marketplace in India, www.Amazon.In.

Starting with books, movies & TV shows video products, Amazon.In will introduce additional categories including mobile phones and cameras in coming weeks, the company said.

"We`re excited to get started in India and we will relentlessly focus on raising the bar for customer experience in India," said Greg Greeley, Vice President of International Expansion at Amazon.Com.

"Our vision, at Amazon, is to be Earth`s most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover virtually anything they want to buy online, he added.

A failed love affair and acting career behind Jiah Khan`s suicide

Actress Jiah Khan committed suicide at her Juhu residence on June 3. She was found hanging at her flat in Sagar Sangeet Building in the posh Juhu area of northwest Mumbai around midnight.

Jiah was dating actor Aditya Pancholi`s son Sooraj. She was said to be under depression after coming to know of Suraj`s new love interest.

But according to Jiah`s mother, the actress was depressed after having been rejected at an audition in Hyderabad. She wanted to pursue a career in interior designing as she wasn`t happy with the way her film career graph was taking a plunge. Jiah shot into the limelight in 2007 with her debut movie `Nishabd` in which she starred opposite Amitabh Bachchan.

Bill Gates wants to meet Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan is growing popular with time and people overseas are also smitten by his charm. The latest foreign personality to have been left awestruck by Aamir is Bill Gates.

The Microsoft chairman took to his blog to express his desire to meet the Bollywood superstar.

Gates wrote, “I’m also looking forward to meeting Aamir Khan, the Bollywood star and activist. I want to hear about his work as a UNICEF ambassador for child nutrition. I also want to hear about his TV show, Satyamev Jayate (Truth Alone Prevails), which is shining a light on some critical issues facing India. And maybe, if I’m lucky, he’ll show me a few dance moves.”

Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif to make onscreen appearance again?

Actor Salman Khan might shake a leg with his former ladylove Katrina Kaif to an item song.

The song in question may feature in director Sawan Kumar Tak’s untitled film, which will be a sequel to 1983 super-hit ‘Souten’. The veteran filmmaker is believed to have approached Khan and Kaif for the same.

Talking to a tabloid, a source said, “Sawan Kumar wanted to make ‘Souten 2’ from a very long time now. Lot of people thought that the sequel would never work out. But looks like there has been some progress on the project.”

“The film gave some memorable tracks including ‘Shayad meri shaadi ka khayal’ but the sequel will have a different kind of music,” the source added.

Champions Trophy: Dhawan slams maiden ton as India start campaign with win

Opener Shikhar Dhawan bludgeoned his way to a maiden ODI century as a rejuvenated India kicked off their campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy with a comfortable 26-run victory over South Africa here on Thursday.

Chasing an imposing target of 332, South Africa were all out for 305. The Proteas lost three top wickets for six runs in the group B match.

The star of the show was Dhawan, who made 114 of a mere 94 balls to set the tone for India. The left-hander had scored 185 on his Test debut against Australia in March.

Raj Kundra admits to betting, Shilpa Shetty also under scanner

Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar on Thursday said that Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra has confessed to betting in the IPL.

Talking to reporters, Kumar said that Kundra used to bet through his close aide and business partner, Umesh Goenka. Kumar also said that Kundra used to bet on his own team.

"He (Kundra) has admitted to betting. He used to bet on his own team. We have also come to know that he has lost a lot of money in betting. He used to bet through (Umesh) Goenka, who is also a bookie," Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said. He also claimed that investigators have come to know that Kundra has lost a lot of money in betting.

Srinivasan ‘steps aside’ as BCCI Prez, Dalmiya to head panel

In a decision attacked by detractors as "worse than match-fixing", BCCI President N Srinivasan on Sunday agreed to "step aside" till a probe into his son-in-law is completed under a compromise formula that brought back former chief Jagmohan Dalmiya as head of a four-member interim arrangement to run the Board.

More than a fortnight after spot-fixing scandal rocked cricketing world, Srinivasan refused to heed mounting demands for his resignation as Board Chief at a meeting of the Working Committee. He said there were no charges against him.

In a decision that went against the pro-Sharad Pawar group, the Working Committee of the Board decided that 73-year-old Dalmiya will conduct its day-to-day affairs after Srinivasan announced that he will not discharge his duties as the President till such time the probe is completed.