The Week That Was - June 14 : Messi may face up to six years in jail

BJP elevates Narendra Modi as poll panel chief for 2014

Riding over dissent and differences within, Gujarat Chief Minister and Hindutva icon Narendra Modi was on Sunday named to lead the BJP into the 2014 Lok Sabha battle, marking the end of the era of the party`s ageing patriarchs.

The Bharatiya Janata Party announced here that the Modi had been named chairman of the election management committee for the Lok Sabha polls, virtually ensuring that Modi, 62, will call the shots in the run up to the General Elections.

Party president Rajnath Singh announced Modi’s elevation as BJP’s poll panel chief.

Addressing party members at the meet, the BJP president said, “The country is looking up to the BJP. We need to get prepared for the elections and Modi is the most appropriate person to lead the party to the elections…he is the most popular chief minister.” He added that the decision was taken on the basis of consensus.

Sulking Advani resigns.... then withdraws

As Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader LK Advani accepted party Parliamentary Board`s decision rejecting his resignation, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday welcomed the party patriarch’s decision.

Expressing his views on social networking website Twitter, Modi said: “I had said yesterday that Advani ji will not disappoint lakhs of Karyakartas. Today, I wholeheartedly welcome his decision!”

Rajnath Singh today said that Advani, who had resigned from all leadership positions, has decided to accept the parliamentary board`s request to stay in the core party bodies.

"Mohan Bhagwat (RSS chief) has asked him to accept the parliamentary board decision and continmue to guide the party in national interest. Advanji has accepted to accept Mohan Bhagwatji`s advise," Rajnath Singh told reporters.

Modi on Monday had made a passionate appeal to LK Advani to reverse his decision to resign from party positions.

"Had a detailed conversation with Advaniji on phone. Urged him to change his decision. I hope he will not disappoint lakhs of (party workers)," Modi had tweeted.

A day after the BJP appointed Modi to lead it in the next Lok Sabha Elections, Advani quit major party posts after accusing most of its leaders of pursuing "personal agendas".

IAF flies home its first Boeing C-17 airlifter

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has flown home its first Boeing Globemaster III, becoming the newest operator of the leading airlifter, giving it the world`s most advanced humanitarian and strategic capabilities.

The first aircraft was transferred to IAF in Long Beach, California, on Tuesday after completion of a flight test programme at Edwards Air Force Base in Palmdale, California, that began following the January 22 delivery.

Boeing is on track to deliver four more C-17s to the IAF this year and five in 2014, the St Louis, Missouri headquartered Boeing Defence, Space & Security, a unit of the Boeing Company, said in a media release.

"The C-17 will equip the Indian Air Force with amongst the world`s most advanced humanitarian and strategic capabilities," said Air Vice Marshal SRK Nair, Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Transport and Helicopters).

"We have looked forward to this day when our Indian Air Force flies the first C-17 to its new home in India."

"Congratulations to the Indian Air Force on this milestone as India joins the worldwide community of C-17 operators," said Tommy Dunehew, Boeing vice president of Business Development for Mobility, Surveillance and Engagement.

Boeing will support the IAF C-17 fleet through the Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Programme (GISP) performance-based logistics contract.

Curtains down for 160-year-old telegram service

Smart phones, e-mails and SMS seem to have pushed the humble telegram service to a quiet corner with the BSNL deciding to discontinue the 160-year-old telegraph service from July 15.

Once the main source of quick and urgent communication, the service delivered many happy and sad news to people spread all over the country.

But with the advent of technology and newer means of communication, the telegram found itself edged out.

As per a circular issued by Shameem Akhtar, Sr General Manager (Telegraph Services) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) Corporate office, New Delhi, the telegraph service is to be discontinued with effect from July 15, 2013.

The circular sent to various telecom district and circle offices as per the instruction of a competent authority denotes that telegram services will be closed from July 15 and as a result all telegraph offices under the management of BSNL will have to stop booking telegrams from July 15.

The circular has also directed the telecom offices to maintain the log books, service messages, delivery slips only for six months from the date of bookings. However, complaints, press reports and other messages from different consumer forum are to be kept for one year.

Prince William has Indian ancestry, proves DNA

Prince William, second-in-line to the throne, will be the first British king with proven Indian ancestry, DNA analysis has revealed.

The DNA analysis of saliva samples taken from the Duke of Cambridge`s relatives has established a direct lineage between the 30-year-old prince and an Indian housekeeper on his mother Princess Diana`s side.

It is his only non-European DNA and means he will become the first head of the Commonwealth with a clear genetic link to its most populous nation - India.

William is now likely to be encouraged to make his debut mission to India soon after the birth of his baby in July.

Researchers have uncovered the details of his lineage via a doomed relationship of William`s Indian great-great-great-great-great grandmother.

Eliza Kewark was housekeeper to Prince William`s great grandfather Theodore Forbes (1788-1820), a Scottish merchant who worked for the East India Company in the port town of Surat in Gujarat.

Eliza`s mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was passed on by her daughters and granddaughters directly in an unbroken line to Princess Diana and then on to Prince William and Prince Harry.

Eliza is claimed to have been Armenian, possibly because her surname is rather like the Armenian name Kevork and letters from her to Forbes have been found which contain Armenian script.

This in turn suggests a degree of Armenian cultural heritage and the possibility that her father may have been of Armenian descent.

India should provide asylum to Edward Snowden: Julian Assange

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said that India should “stand up for human rights” and provide political asylum to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who has exposed the secret US surveillance programs that snooped on internet and phone details from countries including India.

In an exclusive interview to a leading news daily, Assange also lamented on never hearing back from India on his request seeking asylum here.

"I was disappointed and saddened that India, known for upholding human rights, never got back despite several requests by me for asylum. Indians are also great supporters of WikiLeaks. I therefore contacted the foreign office through the Indian high commissioner. I wrote to them but they never responded," Assange said in the interview to a newspaper.

Assange, who is himself holed up in Ecuadorean embassy since June last year, said that if “a small nation like Ecuador could have the guts to provide him asylum, India which has considerable global standing with a billion-plus population should not be afraid of standing up for human rights and giving Snowden asylum”, the newspaper report added.

Pakistan increases defence budget by 15 percent

Pakistan`s cash-strapped new government announced a hefty 15 percent hike in its defence budget to Rs 627 billion, with the powerful Army getting the lion`s share of the outlay.

The government increased the allocation for defence in its budget for fiscal 2013-14 to Rs 627 billion (about USD 6.32 billion), marking an increase of little more than 15 percent over the outlay for the current fiscal.

The allocation for the three defence services amounted to 15.73 percent of the federal budget of Rs 3.985 trillion for fiscal 2013-14.

The Army got the lion`s share of the outlay with Rs 301.54 billion. The Air Force was allocated Rs 131.18 billion while the outlay for the Navy was Rs 62.80 billion.

Dubai inaugurates world`s tallest `twisted` tower

Dubai has inaugurated the world`s tallest twisted tower built at a cost of around Rs 1,578 crores, setting a yet another record for skyscrapers and other engineering marvels.

The 310-metre (1,017-foot), 75-storey residential Cayan Tower is twisted at 90 degrees from top to bottom and was inaugurated earlier this week in Dubai Marina -- a man-made canal overlooking the Gulf.

Developer Cayan Real Estate Investment and Development Company said 80 percent of its residential units have already been sold.

Construction began in 2006, but was delayed due to major technical problems and the 2009 economic downturn in Dubai triggered by the global financial crisis.

The tower was designed by Chicago-based Skidmore Owings and Merrill, the masterminds behind Burj Khalifa, which is the world`s tallest tower and also in Dubai.

The 828-metre (2,717-foot), 160-storey Burj Khalifa broke engineering and architectural records when it opened in January 2010.

Fitch revises India`s credit outlook to stable

New Delhi: Endorsing India`s efforts to tame fiscal deficit, Fitch Wednesday revised the country`s sovereign credit rating outlook to stable from negative that helped halt rupee slide and brought cheer to the government battling slowdown.

The development came as a pleasant surprise and pushed up the value of the rupee, which had touched a low time low of 58.96 against dollar yesterday, to 57.79.

"The revision of the outlook to stable reflects the measures taken by the government to contain the budget deficit, including the commitments made in the FY`14 budget, as well as some, albeit limited, progress in addressing some of the structural impediments to investment and economic growth," Fitch said in a statement.

IIP slips to disappointing 2% in April; raises rate cut hope

New Delhi: Showing no signs of recovery, the industrial output slipped further to a `disappointing` 2 percent in April increasing the clamour for rate cut by the RBI and speedy clearances of projects to boost investment.

The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in April has moderated from 3.4 percent in March on account of dismal performance of manufacturing and mining sectors, although it is better compared to a contraction of 1.3 percent in the same month of last fiscal.

Describing the IIP in April as "disappointing", Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said: "The growth rate that has come out today is low...There is a slight upturn, but its not strong enough."

Coalgate: CBI registers FIR against Naveen Jindal, ex-MoS

New Delhi: In a major embarrassment to the Congress, its MP Naveen Jindal and former Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao have been accused of alleged cheating and graft by CBI in its fresh FIR in the coal scam.

After registering the 12th FIR in coal block allocation scam probe, CBI sources said the agency carried out searches at 15 locations including residence and offices of Jindal in the national capital and Rao in Hyderabad.

The agency team carried out coordinated searches at the 6-Prithviraj Road residence of Jindal and offices of his firms in Bikaji Cama place.

Rupee hits record low of 58.98; RBI steps in

Mumbai: In a roller coaster ride, the rupee Tuesday hit life-time low of 58.98 against dollar but erased a major part of losses to close at 58.39 after RBI intervened in the forex market to stem the slide in the local currency that caused much concern to government, markets and common man.

The rupee still closed 24 paise lower at 58.39 compared to Monday`s close, extending losses for fifth straight day.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic currency commenced lower at 58.30 a dollar from overnight close of 58.15. It dropped further to historic low of 58.98 on bearish stock markets amid reports of selling of government bonds by overseas investors to book profits.

However, intervention by Reserve Bank of India near record lows and weak dollar overseas helped the rupee to bounce back to a high of 58.24, before settling at 58.39.

Jiah Khan underwent abortion, confirms police

Jiah Khan - who committed suicide by hanging herself at her Juhu flat on June 3 - did indeed undergo an abortion earlier this year, it has been confirmed.

According to a leading daily, Mumbai Police revealed on Wednesday that the doctor who conducted the abortion knew the late actress and her boyfriend Sooraj Pancholi.

A few days after the suicide, Jiah’s mother found a six-page “suicide” note in her wallet, in which many claims regarding physical abuse and abortion had been made. The Mumbai Police were, since then, investigating all the charges made in the letter.

In the letter, Jiah had accused Sooraj of rape, threats and cheating, following which he was arrested on Monday on charges of abetment to suicide.

Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri expecting a baby boy?

Shah Rukh Khan seems to be following in his rival Aamir Khan’s footsteps, as the actor and his wife are rumoured to be expecting a third child through surrogacy.

Talking to Mid-Day an insider has revealed that the news of Shah Rukh having a third child through surrogacy.

“The baby is a boy, so Suhana will now have another brother after Aryan. It was entirely Gauri’s decision to go in for surrogacy,” the insider said.

Cold war still on between Kareena Kapoor and John Abraham?

Remember the time when the cat fight between Bipasha Basu and Kareena Kapoor became the talk of B-town?

For those who are unaware of the battle between the two hotties, it all happened when Kareena and Bipasha were shooting for ‘Ajnabee’ way back in 2001. During the Switzerland schedule of the film, Bipasha decided to borrow Kareena’s stylist, Manish Malhotra, without her consent. Poor Bips did not know that this would irk Bebo and would result in a tiff. As a result, Kareena got miffed with Bipasha and even ended up calling her a `kaali billi`!

According to an entertainment website, recently Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Gupta and John Abraham were at the new restaurant in Bandra called Nido to dine out on invitation of their celebrity friend. But Kareena did not even give a single look to John!

Dhoni richer than Alonso, Hamilton, Bolt, Nadal, Djokovic!

Indian cricket team’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been ranked at 16th place on Forbes` list of highest-paid athletes in the world. Golfer Tiger Woods is the highest paid athlete, according to Forbes.

With an earnings of USD 31.5 million (approx Rs 180 crores) Dhoni becomes the highest ranked among the Indian atheletes. The only other Indian sportsman in the list is Sachin Tendulkar. He is ranked 31st with a total annual earning of USD 22 million (Rs 125 crores).

Last year Dhoni was placed at 31 which means that his earnings increased manifold during the last year.

IPL spot-fixing: Sreesanth, Chavan, 16 others granted bail

In a major setback to Delhi Police, a court here on Monday indicted them for slapping the stringent provisions of MCOCA on cricketers S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and 16 others and granted the accused bail in the IPL spot-fixing case.

"There is no reason for believing that the accused are guilty under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) at this stage," Additional Sessions Judge Vinay Kumar Khanna said.

The court said there is prima facie "no sufficient material" against the accused to establish their "nexus" with organised crime syndicate.

Besides the two cricketers, the court also granted the relief to 17 other accused, including 14 bookies, on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with one surety of the like amount.

Messi may face up to six years in jail

Lionel Messi`s legal and fiscal council Angel Juarez has stressed the Barcelona star has not been notified that a complaint has been filed over his alleged tax fraud, and added that the attacker`s lawyers are ready for a potential legal battle with the Spanish tax authorities.

Under Spanish law, Messi could face a maximum penalty of six years in prison if found guilty.

Prosecutor Raquel Amado is investigating claims that the Argentine and his father have avoided paying the charges due from sales of the 25-year-old`s image rights by operating through companies based outside of the country, and filed a complaint with the courthouse in the Gava district of Barcelona on Wednesday.