More arrests in PMC Bank scam case, 3 directors held by Mumbai Police
Three directors of PMC Bank - Jagdish Mookhey, Mukti Bavisi and Trupti Bane - were arrested following extensive interrogation in connection with credit facilities provided by the bank to Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) and its group companies. Police is investigating the alleged Rs 4,355 crore fraud which has put savings of thousands of depositors in jeopardy. The Enforcement Directorate is also investigating the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act. ........Read more
Karti Chidambaram termed the arrest of his father P Chidambaram as a “political vendetta” and vehemently denied any association with either Peter Mukerjea or his wife Indrani Mukerjea, the promoters of INX Media. Karti arrived here this morning from Chennai, hours after his father was arrested on Wednesday night after high drama at his residence here in the INX Media case. “This is not merely targeting of my father but the targeting of the Congress party. I will go to Jantar Mantar to protest,” said Karti as he stepped out of the Delhi airport. Karti said there was no legal necessity for Chidambaram to appear before the CBI and denied that his father had been in hiding. He said despite several efforts by the CBI, the agency didn’t have a case against them. “First and foremost we are being targeted. There is no legal requirement for my father to be available to anybody...My father is a vehement, vocal and articulate critic of this government. Case has no legal basis, charges trumped-up,” said Karti, who said that he knew the processes agencies use and never has the CBI given two hours notice to anyone. “I have been summoned 20 times and raided four times. Nobody has ever been raided as many times but they still don’t have a case....each time I (was summoned) was given a week’s notice,” he said.........Read more
SC dismisses PIL challenging dissolution of J&K Assembly by Governor
The Supreme Court dismissed a PIL challenging the dissolution of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly by Governor Satya Pal Malik. The bench said that “We are not inclined to interfere (with the decision of the Governor).........Read more
Shopian Encounter: Major success for security forces, 5 terrorists killed in overnight operation
Four more terrorists were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Saturday. With these deaths, the number of terrorists killed in the overnight operation reached five.........Read more
Govt Proposes To Allow Premature PPF A/c Closure
To make the PPF investment more investor friendly, the govt has been reported to mull over a proposal to allow pre-mature closure of the account which has the highest lock-in period otherwise. In the current regime, the account cannot be closed prematurely unless it completes 5 years.........Read more
The State Election Commission of Uttar Pradesh has initiated a process to remove the name of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee from the voter list ahead of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation election. Atal Bihari Vajpayee‘s name has been struck off the electoral rolls for being “inactive and absent” from Lucknow for several years now. Vajpayee‘s name had been registered from the Babu Banarasi Das ward in Lucknow.........Read more
109 years and counting, Bengaluru’s State Central Library’s treasures still draw bibliophiles
The colonial beauty was constructed in 1908 in memory of Sir Seshadri Iyer (Diwan of Mysore) for his service and allegiance to the British Raj. It began functioning as a public library with 4750 books and 215 members in the year 1915. The Karnataka Government took over the library in 1966 and converted the public library into the State Central Library in 1986, where it was opened to the public only for consultation of the documents within its premises.........Read more
In certain movies and sitcoms, movie props play a central role in setting the tone and also advancing the plot. Movies based on wars in the medieval era draw authenticity from battle armour and realistically choreographed fight sequences. When it comes to the former, it might interest you to know that a Dehradun- based company, Lord of Battles, has been playing a big role in bringing to you your daily dose of excitement.........Read more
South Korea, U.S. warn of punishment for North Korea; U.S. stresses sanctions
South Korea and the United States agreed on Thursday on "swift punitive measures" against North Korea in the event of more provocation, although the United States signalled sanctions and diplomatic pressure were its priorities for now.........Read more
ED yet to file formal charges against me, claims Lalit Modi to Interpol
India's efforts to get an arrest warrant issued by the Interpol against Lalit Modi in a money laundering probe in Indian Premier League faced a setback with the agency stated to have accepted the former IPL chief's plea against the move.........Read more
Another online fraud worth Rs 500 crore suspected in Noida
Amit Kishore Jain, a Ghaziabad resident, filed a complaint at Sector 20 police station alleging that the company’s owners duped nearly two lakh people who were promised handsome returns by clicking on web links and made Rs 500 crore in the past four months. Webwork Trade Links Private Limited is located at D 57, Sector 2 and has shut operations till April 20.........Read more
Sharad Yadav does it again, says vote is bigger than daughter’s honour
In yet another shocking statement, Janata Dal United leader Sharad Yadav has said, “Beti ki izzat se badi vote ki izzat hai (Vote’s honour is better than a daughter’s honour).” Speaking in Patna on Tuesday, Yadav said, “Beti ki izzat jayegi to gaon aur mohalle ki izzat jayegi, vote 1 baar bik gya to desh ki izzat, aur aane wala sapna poora nahi ho skta (With the daughter’s honour, a village aur area loses its honour, but once a vote is sold away, the whole country loses its honour)”........Read more
China: We will be on Mars by the end of 2020
Wu Yanhua, deputy chief of the National Space Administration, said Beijing aims to launch its first Mars probe around 2020 to carry out orbiting and roving exploration, followed by a second mission that would include collection of surface samples from the red planet.........Read more
How India’s Trade With The World Will Look Like In 2030
India Trade Report, is quite optimistic on this front. Working out scenarios for the 2016-2020 and 2021-2030 periods, the report says India’s services exports will more than triple by 2030, taking its share in world services exports to 4 per cent. India’s current share is 3.27 per cent. Services exports, the report says, will grow at 8-9 per cent a year for the next 15 years.........Read more
Raid At Call Centres Near Mumbai For Scamming US Residents
Nearly 500 employees working at various call centres in Thane, near Mumbai, were detained by the police for allegedly threatening and extorting money from US citizens. The raids were conducted late last night and continued till the early hours of Wednesday morning.........Read more
Cognizant reveals corruption probe in US, replaces president
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. on Friday said it was cooperating with US authorities in an investigation related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and carrying out its own probe to determine whether some payments made in India breached the law.........Read more
Cognizant reveals corruption probe in US, replaces president
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. on Friday said it was cooperating with US authorities in an investigation related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and carrying out its own probe to determine whether some payments made in India breached the law.........Read more
New species known as 'Ghost snake' discovered
A new species of snake, called "ghost snake," has been discovered by researchers in the rocky Madagascar plateau. These snakes are pale gray in color and are covered with a pattern of black and white spots and hence get the name "ghost snake."........Read more
IS spokesman al-Adnani killed in US air strike: Pentagon
The Pentagon has confirmed that a US air strike killed Islamic State leader and spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani in northern Syria last month. "The strike near Al Bab, Syria, removes from the battlefield ISIL's chief propagandist, recruiter and architect of external terrorist operations," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said yesterday, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. ........Read more
Rs 2000 crore hawala scam unearthed in Mumbai
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has blown the lid off a hawala scam, wherein documents of common people were stolen to transfer large amounts of money........Read more
Has somebody blocked you on WhatsApp? Know how to unblock yourself
Follow a few simple steps and unblock yourself on your friend's WhatsApp.........Read more
Happy World Internaut day! 23 August has been celebrated as World Internaut Day since the creation of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee and his associates in 1991.........Read more
Direct talks with Pakistan military won't work: India must engage Pak govt on terror - Firstpost
In the backdrop of Pakistan's escalating proxy war on India, a cross-section here is rooting for India to open direct talks with the Pakistani military.........Read more
AoL event ‘completely destroyed’ Yamuna floodplains, expert panel tells NGT
The ‘World Culture Festival’ extravaganza organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living (AOL) on Yamuna has “completely destroyed” the riverbed, an expert committee has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT).........Read more
Martina Hingis Says Recent Poor Results Main Reason For Split With Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis, who began their partnership in March 2015, have ended their 16-month partnership due to a string of recent poor results.. latest Olympics 2016 news........Read more
Seas Aren't Just Rising, Scientists Say - It's Worse Than That. They're Speeding Up.
On a warming Earth, seas inevitably rise, as ice on land melts and makes its way to the ocean. And not only that - the ocean itself swells, because warm water expands. We already know this is happening - according to NASA, seas are currently rising at a rate of 3.5 millimeters per year, which converts to about 1.4 inches per decade.........Read more
Email fallout: 3 Democratic National Committee executives resign
CEO Amy Dacey, CFO Brad Marshall and Communications Director Luis Miranda quit in the wake of email hack........Read more
NEET: Its journey and how it will effect you
It will obviate the expenses over multiple entrance tests and curb the menace of capitation fees........Read more
Another jolt for Rio-bound India as shot putter Inderjeet Singh fails doping test
Another jolt for Rio-bound India as shot putter Inderjeet Singh fails doping test - 28-year-old Inderjeet, the reigning Asian Champion, tested positive for a banned steroid two days after Narsingh Yadav and his roommate Sandeep Yadav failed doping tests.........Read more
Narendra Modi govt may roll out fixed term jobs for all soon; may face flak from Unions
Fixed-term employment with benefits akin to the permanent workforce’s will soon be made a reality across all industrial sectors........Read more
239 rhinos killed in Assam since 2001, most killed in Kaziranga
A total of 239 one-horned rhinos have been killed by poachers in Assam from 2001 to 2016, and despite high security, most were from Kaziranga National Park, which accounted for 161, the state assembly was told on Friday.........Read more
Apple to make billions from Pokémon GO
Apple Inc stands to rake in $3 billion in revenue from the Pokemon Go craze in the next one to two years as gamers buy "PokeCoins" from its app store, brokerage Needham & Co said.........Read more
Clean chit to Shirish Kunder's 'Kriti'
Shirish Kunder's 'Kriti' is back on YouTube as BOB makers fail to back copyright claims; to be made into a feature film or web series........Read more
India to show way to the world in managing diabetes
Reports show that in India, almost 70 million people have diabetes and another 40 million are insulin-resistant while more than four in five diabetics on medication in India do not have their blood gl........Read more
With Anil Kumble as Coach, Indian Cricket Now Run By 'Famous Five'
The BCCI has ensured that the five top men of Indian cricket - Kumble, Sachin, Ganguly, Laxman, Dravid - are back together to run the show.........Read more
Seven reasons why Bengaluru is growing to become an unlivable city
A research paper published in this week’s ‘Current Science’ magazine mentions seven major implications for India’s fastest growing city........Read more
Mohenjo Daro trailer: Hrithik Roshan is here to save an entire civilisation
Hrithik Roshan dominates the first trailer Mohenjo daro, the upcoming Ashutosh Gowariker epic set in the era of Indus Valley civilisation, also starring Pooja Hegde and Kabir Bedi.........Read more
Lewis Hamilton Wins Canadian GP, Dedicates Victory to Muhammad Ali
Lewis Hamilton secured his second straight victory of the season and his fifth on his favourite circuit on Sunday when he revived his title defence with a memorable triumph at the Canadian Grand Prix.........Read more
Ajit Jogi's new party could make a dent in Congress votebank in Chhattisgarh
Will Ajit Jogi, former Congress leader and first chief minister of Chhattisgarh, rise like a phoenix with his new party on 6 June?........Read more
India's chief selector Sandeep Patil applies for coach's job
Sandeep Patil, the former India batsman and current chairman of selectors, has applied for the post of national head coach........Read more
Crosstalk between left and right brain is key to language development
Proper communication between the left and right sides of the brain is critical for the development of advanced language skills, according to new research by UC San Francisco scientists. In most people, areas related to language processing are located in the brain's left hemisphere. The researchers suggest that autism-like problems with language comprehension seen in people with defective connections between the two hemispheres may occur because these individuals tend to use the right side of the brain to process language instead of the left.........Read more
Hrithik unveils Kaabil motion poster, film to clash with Shah Rukh's Raees
SRK had apparently met Hrithik to discuss whether Kaabil’s release date can be shifted, but the later simply refused.........Read more