Pakistan Cricket's Structure Needs Improvement: Shoaib Akhtar
Pakistan’s former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is relishing the prospect of playing a role in improving the country’s cricket structure. After the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that chairman Najam Sethi had appointed Akhtar his advisor on cricket affairs and brand ambassador, the pacer said he would do his best. “I am really happy to be given this position because I have always wanted to do something for Pakistan cricket. We have great talent but a structure that...

PNB Fraud: Two Separate Pleas Filed In SC Seeking SIT Probe
Two petitions were today filed in the Supreme Court seeking an SIT investigation into the over Rs 11,000 crore banking fraud, allegedly involving billionaire jewellers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, and also for a probe into the role of top management of the Punjab National Bank (PNB). The petitions, filed by two Delhi-based lawyers, have also sought apex court's direction to the Centre to initiate process of deportation of Nirav Modi, who has allegedly gone out of India, and others...

Priya files plea over case registered against Adaar Love
Priya Varrier files plea over case registered against 'Oru Adaar Love' Actor Priya Prakash Varrier on Monday filed a plea in the Supreme Court over the case registered against her film 'Oru Adaar Love' in Telangana. Earlier on February 16, the Raza Academy has penned a letter to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani seeking a ban on internet sensation Varrier's song 'Manikya Malaraya Poovi' from her debut movie 'Oru Adaar...

Pakistan violates ceasefire in Poonch
Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire by targeting forward villages and posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, police said. The firing from small and heavy weapons from across the border in the Khari Karmara sector started around 1725 hours and continued for 15 minutes, a police official said. However, there was no report of casualty in the cross-border firing, the official said, adding that Indian troops also fired in...

Kamal Haasan Meets Rajinikanth Ahead Of Political Tour
Ahead of his state-wide political tour, actor Kamal Haasan on Sunday met superstar Rajinikanth at his Poes Garden residence in Chennai. The meet came amidst fervent speculations over whether the two actor-turned-politicians will forge an alliance.   However, Haasan maintained that it was a "courtesy call" and not related to politics. "It's a courtesy call, not a political meeting. I came to inform him about my political tour. He wished me good...

8 held for Kerala Youth Congress leader murder in Kannur
Kerala police on Sunday arrested eight people in connection with the murder of a Youth Congress leader. Suhaib was hacked to death on Monday at Thyroor in the Kannur district of Kerala. When Suhaib was having tea at a nearby teashop at around 11:30 pm, some people came in a speeding van and hurled a bomb at him.   Later, the attackers brutally hacked Suhaib to death and fled from the spot. He was immediately brought to a city hospital in Kozhikkode where he was declared...

PNB fraud case: Enforcement Directorate raids enter third day, seizure value rises to Rs 5,674 crore
Raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its money laundering probe against diamond czar Nirav Modi and others in the alleged Rs 11,400-crore bank fraud continued for the third day on Saturday with the agency saying it seized Rs 25 crore worth diamonds and jewellery, taking the total seizure value to Rs 5,674 crore.   “The ED conducted further searches at 21 locations across India in Nirav Modi case and seized diamonds, gold, precious stones/metals and...

India is giving a befitting reply to the nefarious activities of Pakistan-Rajnath Singh
Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said India is giving a befitting reply to the nefarious activities of Pakistan. Singh, who was here to attend a programme at Rohilkhand University, also said talks and terrorism cannot go hand in hand. "India is giving a befitting reply to the nefarious activities of Pakistan... Talks and terrorism cannot go on concurrently," he told newspersons. Replying to a question on withdrawal of cases against stone pelters in Kashmir, he said it...

Rahul Gandhi questioned Modi's and Jaitley’s silence on the Nirav Modi fraud case
After chairing the first meeting of the party's Steering Committee, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s silence on the Nirav Modi fraud case. Gandhi also alleged that the scam in reality involved over Rs 22,000 crore, as against the Rs 11,400 crore value declared by agencies investigating the case. This Rs 22,000 Crore scam could not have been executed without a high level of protection....

Politicians are so insecure these days
In a state where the line between cinema and politics has always been blurred, Tamil romantic hero Vijay has been no exception as far as political controversy is concerned. It has, however, usually been his father who has spoken on his behalf. Vijay’s own voice has rarely been heard, which is why many i the state have remain unconvinced by indications and allegations, over the years, that he might enter politics.       Vijay’s latest film, Mersel,...

PM hits out at Cong for failing poor on 'garibi hatao' slogan
Varanasi, Sep 18 (PTI) Taking a swipe at the 'garibi hatao' campaign of Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said those who could not bring any real change in the lives of the poor or even open bank accounts for them during their five-decade rule were now questioning his government. The Prime Minister, on his first trip to his Lok Sabha constituency in over eight months, claimed poverty alleviation measures have lacked a proper direction and they are spoken about during...

Devotees take 'Shahi snan' at Kumbh?Mela ?
ashik, Sep 18 (PTI) Amid heavy downpour, thousands of saints and devotees today took 'shahi snan' (royal bath) in the Ramkund here on the last auspicious day of the ongoing Kumbh Mela. Saints belonging to the three akhadas -- Nirmohi, Nirwani and Digambar -- arrived in a grand procession from Laxminarayan Temple in Tapovan area to the Ramkund pond on banks of river Godavari. They were seated in colourfully decorated vehicles and were sporting marigold garlands. Smeared with...

Dalmiya's condition stable
Kolkata, Sept 18 (PTI) The condition of BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya improved today after a clot in his coronary artery was cleared during an angiography at a city hospital. Doctors attending on 75-year-old Dalmiya said, "Today he is clinically better with improvement in ECG. He is being monitored at the hospital with medication as per protocol." They said that he underwent a coronary angiography last night and a "clot was aspirated out to establish good flow in...

Magnitude-7.9 quake hits Nepal, causing big damage, injuries
A strong magnitude-7.9 earthquake shook Nepal's capital and the densely populated Kathmandu Valley before noon today, causing extensive damage with toppled walls and collapsed buildings, officials said. Dozens of people with injuries were being brought to the main hospital in central Kathmandu. There was no immediate estimate on fatalities. Several buildings collapsed in the centre of the capital, including centuries-old temples, said resident Prachanda Sual. He said he...

Quake: PM speaks to Nepal Prez
Reaching out to Nepal which has been struck by a strong magnitude quake, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today spoke to the country's President Ram Baran Yadav. "PM is trying to reach Nepal PM Shri Sushil Koirala, who is abroad. He has spoken to President of Nepal Shri Ram Baran Yadav," the PMO tweeted. A high-intensity quake shook Nepal's capital, causing extensive damage to buildings. Prime Minister has also taken report of the situation in districts of UP and...

Family of five killed in mishap
Six persons, including a five member family from Chattisgarh, were killed on the spot when the car in they were travelling in collided with a lorry at Palladam in Tirupur district today, police said. Those killed included two women and a four-year-old child, besides the car driver, they said. Police said the family, hailing from Mahasamund in Chattisgarh were on their way to Udhagamandalam to attend a marriage on April 27. Since the family had a day to spare, they decided to...

Daredevils-RCB face off in search of winning momentum
High on confidence after convincing victories in their previous games, both Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore will seek the winning momentum when they face off in the Indian Premier League here tomorrow. Daredevils dispatched Mumbai Indians to end their nine-match losing streak at Kotla while RCB returned to winning ways with a nine-wicket thrashing of Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad last night. It will also be a homecoming for RCB skipper Virat Kohli, who is hoping...

Local court rejects Masarat Alam's bail plea
A local court in Budgam today rejected the bail application of hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Masarat Alam Bhat. "The court has rejected the bail application of Bhat.The grounds on which the plea was rejected will be known when we get the detailed order copy," the Hurriyat leader's counsel Shabir Ahmad Bhat told PTI. The 45-year-old separatist leader, arrested last week on charges of waging war against the country and sedition, was booked under Public Safety Act...

Sensex extends losses, down over 103 pts in early trade
Continued its losing streak for the fifth straight session, the benchmark BSE Sensex fell by another 103 points in early trade today on sustained selling by funds and retail investors coupled with weak corporate earnings figure. The 30-share index was trading down by 103.90 points, or 0.37 per cent, to 27,782.31 with stocks of healthcare, IT, teck, FMCG, auto and banking sectors leading the fall. The gauge had lost 1,158.23 points in the previous four sessions.

E-Samiksha launched to monitor rail projects online
With an aim of monitoring implementation of various ongoing projects including Rail Budget proposals, railways today launched E-Samiksha, an online monitoring mechanism. It is a very good beginning and now each and every project implementation can be monitored on real-time basis, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said here after launching the system.

Baby swap case solved in MKCG hospital
A DNA report has helped crack the baby swapping case that rocked MKCG Medical College and Hospital here two months ago. The hospital authorities yesterday handed over the baby girl to Priyadarshini and Anil Biswasray after the DNA report confirmed that they were the rightful parents. "The DNA report was received and it confirmed that the baby belonged to the Biswasray couple. We have handed over the baby to them," said Medical Superintendent A K Behera.

Nine killed as bus catches fire
Nine persons were today killed and six others injured when a roadways bus caught fire in Peeparpur area, a senior police officer said here today. The incident occurred this morning when the roadways bus going to Sultanpur caught fire due to short circuit in the engine near Ramgaon village, Superintendent of Police Heera Lal told PTI. He said 42 passengers were on board the bus. Some passengers managed to escape by smashing window panes of the bus.

RCB to face CSK in a high-voltage IPL encounter
Beaten in their respective last games, both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings will be hungry to prevail over each other in the battle of wits when they lock horns in an Indian Premier League match here tomorrow. The Super Kings are placed second in the table with six points from four games, while the Royal Challengers are languishing at the bottom with just two points from three outings.

Will do whatever we can for Ankit's family: Gambhir
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir has said that his IPL franchise will go all out to support late Ankit Keshri's family after the young Bengal player passed away post a freak on-field collision. Barely five months after the Phillip Hughes tragedy, the cricket world is once again mourning the loss of yet another young player.

Rahul Gandhi returns home from sabbatical
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today returned home from his 56-day unexplained sabbatical which had raised questions over his leadership of the party that is struggling to find its feet after a string of electoral defeats. The 44-year-old leader arrived here at 11.15 AM on a Thai Airways plane from Bangkok, ending days of intense speculation over his return and amidst celebrations by party workers who burst crackers outside his residence.

Saina regains World No.1 ranking
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal today regained the number one position in international rankings after China's Li Xuerui dropped a couple of rungs to third in the latest list issued today. Saina, the first Indian woman shuttler to be world number one after her India Open Grand Prix Gold triumph earlier this month, had dropped to the second place following her semifinal finish in the Malaysia Open Super Series.

Voyeurism case: Chargesheet may include Irani as witness
Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani may be included as a witness in the trial room voyeurism case involving a Fabindia outlet, a senior police official said today. Besides Irani, police is considering to mention two BJP MLAs and a government official as witnesses in the case.

30-year-old woman gangraped in UP
A 30-year-old woman was allegedly grangraped by four persons at her residence in Basdhara village here, police said today. The woman complained that the accused identified as - Matloob, Mehtab, Amil hasan - and one other forcefully entered her house under Shahpur police station area here on April 8 and raped her, followed by threats of dire consequences, SP (Rural) Alok Priyadarshni said. An FIR was registered in the matter on the instruction of SSP KB Singh.

SpiceJet requests deferment on payment of dues, but AAI
Budget-carrier SpiceJet has sought a deferment of three years on the payment of dues of Rs 211 crore to AAI though sources said that the airport operator is disinclined to entertain the request after the airline received a recent infusion of funds.

Modi slams developed nations for denying nuke fuel
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today castigated developed nations which "lecture" India but deny it nuclear fuel for clean energy and reaffirmed the country's commitment to fight against climate change. "See the irony. The world gives lecture on climate but if we tell them that we want to move forward in nuclear energy as it is a good path for environment protection and when we ask them to provide necessary fuel for nuclear energy, they refuse," he said. Modi...