NEWS IN BRIEF – FEB 13, 2013
1. 350cr Kickback Suspected In 3,546cr Purchase CEO Of Supplier Firm
Arrested, Bribe charges hit Italian copter deal, Defence Ministry
Forced To Order CBI Investigation : New Delhi: A few arrests in Italy
sent ripples down the corridors of power in South Block here on Tuesday,
forcing the government to order a CBI probe into whether bribes
influenced the purchase of 12 swank VVIP helicopters from Italian
aerospace and defence giant Finmeccanica to ferry around the President,
Prime Minister and other Indian dignitaries. [TOI p1]
2. Ex-Air Chief Tyagi was bribed to swing chopper deal, Italy probe
report says : New Delhi : Italian investigators Tuesday alleged that
business conglomerate Finmeccanica bribed S P Tyagi when he was chief
of the Indian Air Force to swing the controversial AgustaWestland VVIP
chopper deal in favour of the company.[IE p1]
3. ED probing 350cr money trail in VVIP chopper scam : New Delhi: The
Delhi unit of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has already begun probing
the trail of alleged payoffs received by some Indian entities in the defence
deal in which Italian company AgustaWestland is suspected to have paid
more than Rs 350 crore to middlemen.[TOI p14]
4. DMK Wants to Call A Raja as a Witness in JPC : NEW DELHI : As the
joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probing 2G allocation was on the
verge of finalising its report, Congress ally DMK insisted on calling former
telecom minister A Raja as a witness. If Raja is to be called, he will be the
last witness.[ET p2]
5. 2G sting not by official agency: CBI, Chandra-Singh Call Tapped
Illegally,Sinha tells JPC : New Delhi: The recording of a conversation
suggesting collusion between Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
prosecutor A K Singh and one of the accused in the 2G scam was most
probably not the handiwork of an official agency, CBI director Ranjit Sinha
told the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Tuesday.[TOI p11]
6. CBI chief tells JPC : 2G tape an eye-opener : New Delhi : CBI chief
Ranjit Sinha on Tuesday informed the joint parliamentary committee that
though alleged collusion between former prosecutor A.K. Singh and
Unitech managing director Sanjay Chandra, an accused in the 2G scam,
had not “polluted” the probe, it was an “eye-opener”. Mr Sinha admitted
such incidents affected the CBI’s reputation.[AA p1]
7. Guru’s secret hanging a human rights violation: Prosecutor: New
Delhi: The very lawyer instrumental in securing death sentence for Afzal
Guru disapproves of the secretive manner in which he has been executed
without being given an opportunity to meet his family. Gopal
Subramanium, who was the special public prosecutor in the Parliament
attack case in the Delhi high court and the Supreme Court, said the
government’s failure to inform the family and let them see Guru before his
execution was a “serious omission in the administration of human rights”.
[TOI p1]
8. We want Afzal Guru’s body, says family : Srinagar : The bereaved
family of Mohammad Afzal Guru, the hanged Parliament attack convict, on
Tuesday clarified that it had demanded custody of his mortal remains for
performing his funeral rites and burial at the local community graveyard in
Sopore.[The Hindu p1]
9. Govt shouldnt have executed Afzal Guru suddenly : New Delhi: As for
the governments claim to have adopted secrecy for security reasons,
Gopal Subramanium said: Even if there was likely to be any kind of uproar
or sentiment,it would have to be dealt with at a different level. By no
means can this be a ground to keep Gurus family in the dark. [TOI p21]
10. CEO of helicopter firm arrested, CBI to probe : New Delhi : The
Defence ministry Tuesday ordered a CBI probe into corruption allegations
in the Rs 3,546 crore deal to procure VVIP helicopters for the Indian Air
Force after the CEO of the Italian firm supplying them was arrested for his
suspected role in arranging bribes to bag the contract.[IE p1]
11. CBI probes Unitechs 280 crore investment : New Delhi: The CBI is
probing an investment of $51 million (about Rs 280.5 crore) by Unitech
group overseas days before 2G licences were awarded suspecting its
erosion soon after indicates a quid pro quo to unknown government
officials. [TOI p11]
12. BJP resists RSS hindutva push for 2014 : New Delhi : BJP and RSS
bigwigs held a four-hour brainstorming session, second in the last
fortnight, to “thrash out” issues that should be projected ahead of the 2014
polls. Early reports suggest that top BJP leaders are not keen on pushing
an aggressive, RSSVHP brand Hindutva agenda ahead of the 2014
polls.[HT p15]
13. BJP, RSS leaders meet again, talk polls : New Delhi : For the second
time in a fortnight, top BJP and RSS leaders held a brainstorming session
on Tuesday. Sources said that they discussed the Assembly and general
elections scheduled in the near future, but not the issue of NDA’s prime
ministerial candidate.[IE p4]
14. Cops probe bid to get Jaitley phone records : New Delhi : The Delhi
Police’s Special Cell is looking into the alleged hacking of an official
account of an Assistant Commissioner of Police which was used to send
an email to Airtel asking for the call detail records of BJP leader Arun
Jaitley. The police have sought a report from the National Informatics
Centre to get to the bottom of the account misuse. The official website of
the Delhi Police and the email ID of all senior police officials have been
assigned by the NIC.[IE p5]
15. PM Upset that Afzal Gurus Family Was Not Informed Well in Time :
NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is unhappy with the home
ministry for not following routine procedures such as informing the family
of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru before his hanging
last Saturday,two people familiar with the matter have told ET.[ET p1]
16. Cabinet to decide on Bangla land swap bill : New Delhi : The Centre
plans to seek Cabinet approval Wednesday for a constitutional
amendment Bill to allow swap of land adversely possessed by Bangladesh
and India as a follow-up to the protocol signed with Dhaka last year even
though the legislation is unlikely to pass because of opposition by the
BJP.[IE p5]
17. MHA rejects plea against Balakrishnan : New Delhi : The Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA) has rejected a plea of a voluntary organisation
seeking a Presidential Reference for removal of National Human Rights
Commission Chairperson K.G. Balakrishnan in view of allegations of
misconduct during his tenure as the Chief Justice and Judge of the
Supreme Court.[The Hindu p5]
18. Shinde may say sorry for Hindu terror comment : New Delhi: Home
minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who is also leader of the Lok Sabha, is likely
to express regret for his Hindu terror comments to the main opposition
BJP in a bid to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament.[TOI p12]
19. Hang Rajoana,says Beants grandson : New Delhi: The government
should follow up on the hanging of Afzal Guru and execute the killer of
former Punjab CM Beant Singh, grandson of the slain leader and
Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu has demanded.[TOI p17]
20. No Passports for Hurriyat Leaders, Apart from Yasin Malik,Hurriyat
delegation too had met Hafiz Saeed & Hizb chief in Dec
: NEW DELHI
: The government appears to have decided against renewing the passport
of Yasin Malik, who shared dais with Mumbai terror attack mastermind
Hafiz Saeed in Islamabad. The central government is also planning similar
action against Hurriyat Conference leaders who travelled to Pakistan
recently.[ET p1]
21. BJP demands action against JLLF chief : New Delhi : As the home
ministry continued to debate revoking JKLF chief Yasin Malik’s passport,
BJP president Rajnath Singh nudged the government to take up with
Islamabad Malik and 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s
anti-India activities.[HT p1]
22. Kurien Writes to Sonia;BJP Joins Left on his Ouster : NEW DELHI : In
the eye of the storm over allegations of his involvement in the Suryanelli
rape case,Rajya Sabha deputy chairman PJ Kurien on Tuesday wrote to
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and House chairman Hamid Ansari
refuting the charges.[ET p1]
23. Lower Juvenile Age in Rape Cases: Venkaiah : NEW DELHI : BJP
leader Venkaiah Naidu, who heads a parliamentary panel, is believed to
have asked the home and law ministries to examine if the cut off age for
juveniles could be made 16 in cases relating to crime against women.[ET
p2]
24. CPM Will Be Thrown Out of India,says Rahul, After Kerala &
Bengal,rid Tripura of Leftists : AGARTALA : Congress Vice-President
Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said his party’s main task was not just to oust
Communists from Tripura but diminish their activities in the entire
country.We have succeeded in voting out Left parties from Kerala and
West Bengal. We would certainly be successful in the February 14 Tripura
polls, Gandhi told a rally here.[ET p1]
25. Right under Supreme Court’s nose, conspiracy hatched to destroy
2G case : New Delhi : The exposure of an apparent conspiracy between
the CBI prosecutor in the 2G scam investigation, A.K. Singh, and the
accused Unitech Managing Director, Sanjay Chandra, could have grave
consequences since it reveals a deliberate attempt to pull the wool over
the Supreme Court’s eyes under whose supervision the entire
investigation and prosecution has been occurring since December 16,
2010.[The Hindu p1]
26. 12 Killed in Police Firing During Assam Elections : GOALPARA :
Twelve people were killed in police firing and seven CRPF personnel and
policemen injured as violence marred the final phase of the panchayat
elections in Assam on Tuesday which registered a 75% turnout.Principal
secretary (home) GD Tripathy told PTI that large groups of people
attacked polling centres forcing police to open fire.[ET p2]
27. Armed tribals storm Assam poll stations, Set 100 Schools
Ablaze,Damage 65 Vehicles : Guwahati: Thirteen tribals,including five
women,were killed in separate incidents of violence related to panchayat
elections in Assams Goalpara district on Tuesday.[TOI p21]
28. Mulayam family gets another govt post in UP : Lucknow : Another
‘son’ has risen in the Samajwadi Party. Aditya Yadav alias Ankur (25), the
elder son of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger brother Shivpal, was
Tuesday elected chairman of the UP Pradeshik Cooperative Federation
(PCF).[IE p3]
29. SP MLA Dead,CM Akhilesh Offers Condolences : ALLAHABAD :
Samajwadi Party MLA Mahesh Narayan Singh died at a hospital in
Gurgaon following prolonged illness,party sources said.He was 55 and is
survived by wife and a son.The MLA,who represented Handia
constituency,breathed his last on Monday at the Medanta Hospital where
he had been undergoing treatment for the past four months.[ET p2]
30. 18 Kashmiri students held in Dehradun for protesting : Dehradun
:The police detained 18 Kashmiri students who held a protest march in
Dehradun on Tuesday afternoon. No legal action was taken against them
till late evening, as saffron brigade workers staged protests at the police
station. [HT p10]
31. Hearing on PIL on Gadkari tomorrow : Mumbai : The Bombay high
court on Tuesday posted the hearing of the public interest litigation filed by
activist Ketan Tirodakar against BJP president Nitin Gadkari to February
14. Mr Tirodkar has raised allegations of corruption against Mr Gadkari
and his company.[AA p2]
32. Sushma tells youth : have faith in democracy: Raipur : Exhorting the
youth in the country not to lose faith in democracy, Leader of the
Opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj called
upon them to bring changes in the society by exercising their electoral
rights. “It is quite disturbing to find that the people currently leading the
young generation are making them lose faith in democracy. [AA p2]
33. Congress, BJP gear up to ensure Rajasthan win : Jaipur : The ruling
Congress and the Opposition BJP in Rajasthan are both gearing up to
prepare their parties’ rank and file for Assembly as well as Lok Sabha
elections. The Congress high command has assigned party general
secretary Madhusudan Mistry to assess the ground situation and collect
feedback.[AA p2]
34. Month-long RLD campaign against UP govt : Lucknow : The Rashtriya
Lok Dal (RLD) on Tuesday celebrated the birthday of its president
Choudhury Ajit Singh and then fanned out into the districts to make people
aware about the misdeeds of the ruling Samajwadi Party government in
Uttar Pradesh.[AA p2]
35. Bihar BJP chief’s executive panel move irks CP Thakur : Patna :
Bihar BJP president Mangal Pandey, a protege of Deputy Chief Minister
Sushil Kumar Modi has invited the wrath of his predecessor CP Thakur
and some other senior leaders for allegedly not consulting them while
constituting the new party executive committee.[Pioneer Daily p6]
36. Swine flu kills 15-yr-old girl, toll touches 4 : New Delhi: A 15-year-old
girl from Patel Nagar, west Delhi has become the latest victim of swine flu
in the capital. The teenager, who was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
on February 3, died due to multi-organ failure caused by the influenza
virus infection, said a health department official. With this, the death toll by
swine flu reached four this year. The influenza virus has affected a total of
154 persons, including 33 new cases of swine flu reported on Tuesday.
[TOI p2]
37. NHRC chief can’t be removed : Govt : New Delhi : In a relief to the
National Human Rights Commission chief, Justice KG Balakrishnan, the
government has refused to make a reference to the Supreme Court for
probing allegations of corruption against him.[HT p10]
38. Lokayukta issues notice to Sheila : New Delhi: The Lokayukta has
issued a showcause notice to chief minister Sheila Dikshit asking her why
an inquiry may not be initiated in a case where it is alleged that she used
her position to bypass regular established instructions for publication and
release of outdoor publicity for various departments and organizations
under the control of the Delhi government. [TOI p9]
39. A reprieve for Congress MLA : New Delhi : Delhi Lokayukta Manmohan
Sarin on Tuesday gave a reprieve to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s former
Parliamentary Secretary Naseeb Singh by allowing a distant family
member and relative of his to withdraw two different complaints pertaining
to land acquisition and use against him.[The Hindu p4]
40. Bihar BJP leaders upset with executive body : Patna : While the BJP
is all agog about “Moditva” across the country, the party’s Bihar unit finds
the word’s new local meaning tough to handle. Senior BJP leaders in
Bihar are grumbling over the newly-formed state executive body, saying it
has too much of deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi in it. Mr S.K Modi of the
BJP, who is known to be close to CM and JD(U) strongman Nitish Kumar,
has become the target of several senior BJP leaders once again after BJP
state president Mangal Pandey announced the new jumbo state executive
body of 62 leaders.[AA p2]
41. TDP chief’s padyatra crosses 2K-km mark : Hyderabad : Telugu
Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu’s padyatra (walk through
the State) on Tuesday crossed the milestone of a record 2,000 km. Naidu
who is presently passing through Guntur district meeting the people from
all walks of life and discussing their problems and the local issues, had
started “Vastunna… Meekosam” ( I am coming for you) padyatra on
October 2, 2012 from Hindupur in Anantapur district..[Pioneer Daily p4]
42. Dwarka to get golf course soon : New Delhi : Residents of Dwarka will
be very soon able to tee off in style at a golf course of their own. The Delhi
Development Authority (DDA) will create an 18 hole state-of-the-art golf
course in Dwarka, where domestic and international championships can
be held. The DDA had last year hired a consultant for the project and a
layout plan has been submitted to a screening committee for approval.[HT
p5]
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
43. SC notice to Centre, Jindal on Zee plea : New Delhi : The Supreme
Court on Tuesday sought the response of Congress MP Naveen Jindal,
the Centre and the Delhi Police on a petition filed by Zee Television. Zee
is seeking quashing of three FIRs, including an extortion case, registered
against the group and its editors.[TOI p3]
44. Anti-Sikh riots victims demand further probe into Tytler’s role : New
Delhi : The victims of a 1984 anti-sikh riots case relating to the murder of
three Sikh men at Gurdwara Pul Bangash on Tuesday took exception to
the CBI giving a clean chit to senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler and
said the agency failed to examine key witnesses in the case.[The Hindu
p4]
BUSINESS NEWS
45. Banks set to sell Mallya’s securities to recover dues: New
Delhi/Mumbai: After waiting for almost a year, lenders led by State Bank
of India on Tuesday decided to recall loans given to Vijay Mallya’s
Kingfisher Airlines and encash shares pledged with banks as collateral.
[TOI p1]
SPORTS NEWS
46. Wrestling hurled out of 2020 Olympics, Biswajyoti Brahma & Ritu
Sejwal TNN : New Delhi: The International Olympic Committee dealt a
crippling blow to wrestling on Tuesday, when its executive board decided
to remove the sport from the 2020 Olympics. The international wrestling
fraternity was immediately up in arms, with the world wrestling body
(FILA) and several leading wrestlers around the world expressing shock.
[TOI p1]
