Pakistani Leader Among 29 Killed In Suicide Bombing

Islamabad :A member of the provincial assembly of Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was among 29 people killed in a suicide bombing Tuesday, media reports said. Over 50 people were injured.

Independent member Imran Mohmand was killed in the blast at a funeral procession in Mardan, Geo News reported.

Police said the blast took place during the funeral procession of Haji Abdullah, a well-known figure in the area who was killed by unidentified gunmen Monday.

Provincial Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai said the blast was a suicide attack.

Yousafzai told Geo News there were threats against Mohmand and two policemen had been deployed for his security.

Regional police chief Jaffar Khan told Xinhua the incident took place when a suicide bomber exploded his explosives-laden jacket amid the funeral gathering in Shergarh village of Mardan.

The injured were taken to the Lady Reading Hospital in provincial capital Peshawar.

Police chief Khan said around 10 kg of explosives were used.

Witnesses said over 500 people were present at the funeral.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack.

No group or militant organisation has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Golden Era Of Music Never Went Away: Joy Mukerji’s Wife

Mumbai:  Late actor-director Joy Mukerji’s wife Neelam, set to release her husband’s 1974 film “Love In Bombay” soon, says the music of the film will be enjoyed by all and sundry as music lovers still enjoy old compositions.
“The golden era never went. It has always been there. The most popular radio programs are the ones featuring the old music. Even music channels, they play more of old film songs. The golden era of music has been there. Even today, the maximum sales are of the old songs or their compilations,” Neelam told IANS.

She feels that old songs still enjoy a longer shelf life compared to the new songs.

“What is marvelous is that we still remember those old songs, their tunes and words. We still hum and sing them,” she said and added that people hear new songs in the theatre, “enjoy them there… but once you are out of the theatre, you don’t even remember them”.

“This is not a personal offence to anyone,” she said.

Composed by Shankar-Jaikishan and penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri, the music album of “Love in Bombay” offers a bouquet of songs sung by Asha Bhosle, Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar.

“Shankar-Jaikishan’s music is evergreen. Then they have teamed up with Majrooh Sultanpuri. Asha Bhosle has sung very well,” said Neelam.

“Rafi saab is my personal favourite singer and I don’t think anyone can match him. Kishore Kumar was my husband’s uncle, he used to make up things on his own during the recording and start singing… I am very sure people will enjoy it,” she added.

The music of the film has been released by Saregama India Ltd. and has great numbers like “Na main boli”, “Majha naav aahe Ganpatrao” and “Saiyan saiyan”, among others.

Joy had directed “Love In Bombay” and he also acted in it along with Waheeda Rehman. Joy’s character is said to be inspired by funny Australian movie ‘Crocodile Dundee’.

Talking about the release date of the film, Neelam said they are “planning to release it by mid or end of July this year”.

India Becomes Kenya’s Largest Asian Trading Partner

Nairobi : India, which has a thriving diaspora in Kenya estimated at 100,000, became the East African nation’s biggest trading partner in Asia in 2012, surpassing China, a government document says.

India exported to Kenya goods worth $240 million, way ahead of Asia’s biggest economy China, which exported goods valued at $148 million.The figure represents a growth of around 30 percent when compared to 2011.

The figures, according to Kenya’s National Economic Survey 2013, represented 18 percent of Kenya’s imports in 2012, asserting India’s growing influence in the east African region.

Exports to Kenya, according to Indian High Commissioner Sibabrata Tripathi, included petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, electrical machinery, steel products, hand and machine tools, yarn, vehicles and paper.

Kenya, on the other hand, exported soda ash, coffee, leather, vegetables, synthetic fibers, wool, cereals and metal scrap to India.

While the figures seem impressive for a small economy like Kenya, with a population of 40 million, Tripathi said they represented less than one percent of India’s total global exports.

“A number of factors contribute to the growing trade between India and Kenya. Relative proximity of the two countries, particularly of ports on the west coast of India, and the quality of Indian products at an affordable cost are among the major factors,” the high commissioner said.

“Close attention is paid by Indian exporters to the specificities of the Kenyan market. The commonality of business language in the two countries also helps,” added Tripathi. Much of the Indian diaspora has its origins in Gujarat and Punjab.

He said Kenya was emerging as a market for Indian tour operators, with some 60,000 of the one million tourists who visited Kenya in 2011 being from India, compared to 47,000 in 2010.

The growth has been spurred by increased direct flights between Delhi/Mumbai and Nairobi, with Kenya Airways and Emirates operating regular flights on these sectors.

“The wildlife safaris of Kenya are increasingly becoming an attractive destination for Indian tourists since they have remained relatively unexplored so far”, Tripathi told IANS.

There was also growing Indian interest in Kenya as an investment destination in areas like communications, petroleum refining, floriculture and medical diagnostics.

Already some 40 Indian firms, including a bank, are operating in Kenya, using the country as a launch pad to the 100 million strong East African Community and the wider Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Among the major companies operating in Kenya are Tata Chemicals, which owns Magadi Soda Ash Company, oil firm Essar and Airtel. The Bank of India has four branches in Kenya.

A major Indian hospital was also planning to open a diagnostic facility in Nairobi, which could cut down on visits to Indian hospitals by Kenyans seeking specialised treatment.

Kenya and the East African region have benefited greatly from Indian education, with thousands of students going through Indian universities via scholarships since the 1960s, a trend that picked in the 1980s.

NATO Hands Over Security To Afghans

London:  NATO Tuesday handed over security to Afghan forces for the whole of Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban were ousted in 2001.
At a ceremony in Kabul, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that from Wednesday “our own security and military forces will lead all the security activities”, BBC reported.

Tuesday’s ceremony saw the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) hand over control of the last 95 districts in a transition process that began in 2011.

The last remaining districts include 13 in Kandahar province – where the Taliban movement began – and 12 each in Nangarhar, Khost and Paktika, along the border with Pakistan.

International troops will remain in Afghanistan till the end of 2014, providing military back-up when needed.

Meanwhile, sources close to the Taliban have told the BBC that the outfit was opening an office in Qatar capital Doha, possibly Tuesday.

Karzai said he would be sending representatives to Qatar to discuss peace with the outfit.

Karzai called it an historic day and a moment of personal pride.

“This has been one of my greatest desires and pursuits, and I am glad that I, as an Afghan citizen and an Afghan president, have reached this objective today,” BBC quoted Karzai as saying.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Afghan forces were taking up the role with “remarkable resolve” but said there was still 18 months of hard work ahead for ISAF troops.

“We will continue to help Afghan troops in operations if needed, but we will no longer plan, execute or lead those operations, and by the end of 2014 our combat mission will be completed,” Fogh Rasmussen said.

The number of Afghan security forces has increased from less than 40,000 six years ago to nearly 350,000 at present.

ISAF currently has about 97,000 troops in Afghanistan from 50 contributing nations, the bulk of whom – around 68,000 – are from the US.

By the end of 2014, all combat troops will leave and may be replaced by smaller forces that will only train and advise.

Allow Betting In Cricket: Vindu Dara Singh

Mumbai:  Actor Vindu Dara Singh, arrested for betting in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and now on bail, says betting in the game should be made legal.
“Cricket is like a religion in India. IPL will be conducted and betting will take place as well,” said Vindu Monday on the sets of his film “Balwinder Singh Famous Ho Gaya” here.

Vindu, who got bail June 4, feels the government should legalise betting in the gentleman’s sport.

“I think the government should interfere and legalise betting,” he said. At the same time, he has vowed not to “watch cricket in my entire life”. “So whether IPL 7 will be organised or not, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Last seen in Ajay Devgn-starrer “Son of Sardaar”, Vindu asserts he is innocent.

“I can guarantee I have not done anything wrong, and that is why I am here and I have started my work. When people will re-build their trust on me, then I will surely get more work. If they won’t, then I would get less work but life will go on,” he said.

Entire SBI ATM Stolen In Bangalore Suburb With Cash

Bangalore:  In a daring heist, a gang of six unidentified men stole an entire ATM, containing Rs.10-15 lakh, from a branch of the state-owned State Bank of India (SBI) in the city’s northeast suburbs early Tuesday, police said.
“The incident came to light when our patrolling team detected the ATM missing from the bank outlet during its late night beat and no security guard around,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) T.R. Suresh told IANS here.

Police registered a case after the bank branch manager R. Gururaj filed a complaint that its ATM was stolen with an estimated cash of over Rs.10-15 lakh.

According to preliminary investigation, the ATM, weighing about 500kg, was not properly fixed to the ground in the outlet and the gang had cut off wires of the closed circuit television camera and its server before decamping from the spot in a vehicle.

“As the bank branch with the ATM outlet is located on a deserted road in Bagalur area, we suspect the gang escaped with the heavy machine in the absence of a security guard and without being noticed by anyone as there was not much vehicular traffic or people’s movement at that time,” Suresh said.

The branch was opened April 25 and the ATM was installed a month later (in May) in the kiosk with just two nuts and bolts fixed to the ground.

“It is a serious security lapse of the bank and its security agency which is entrusted with the operation and maintenance of the ATM. They have not taken precautions to ensure the machine’s safety,” Police Commissioner Jyotiprakash Mirji told reporters after inspecting the bank outlet.

In the complaint, the bank manager mentioned that Rs.20 lakh cash in denominations of Rs.1,000, Rs.500 and Rs.100 was deposited in the ATM Saturday (June 15) by the outsourced security agency.

“We have set up a special team to investigate the case and nab the gang, as the CCTV footage recorded before its camera wires were cut off showed six persons trying to lift and move the machine out of the outlet,” Suresh said.

This is the second such incident in the city a week after about Rs.19.86 lakh cash was stolen from an ATM of the state-run Canara Bank in northwest suburb of the city June 8 in the absence of a security guard and defunct CCTV cameras in the outlet.

City police, however, cracked the case within four days by nabbing the three culprits and recovered Rs.18 lakh in cash from them.

The accused, including an assistant field officer of the security agency, had used a gas cutter to cut the upper part of the machine after opening it with a duplicate key and stole the cash from its safe.

Social Network Users Slam Mamata For ‘Shut Up’ Comment

Kolkata:  Angry netizens Tuesday lashed out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and sternly told her to “shut up and do some work”, a day after she lost her cool and branded as “CPI-M people” anti-rape protestors as also rapists of a college girl.
Facebook users and Twitterati assailed the Trinamool Congress supremo for asking a resident of Kamduni village in North 24 Parganas district to “shut up” and the state government’s failure to curb rising atrocities against women.

Banerjee Monday dubbed as “CPI-M people” some women protestors who shouted slogans about the lack of security while she was leaving after visiting the gang-rape victim’s family at Kamduni near Barasat, 25 km from here, ten days after the June 7 incident.

She even called the perpetrators of the crime as Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) patronised goons.

“Shut up,” she screamed at a woman who was seen pleading before her with folded hands to punish the rapists.

Retaliating against the “Shut up” comment, a twitterati said: “You SHUTUP and do some work to improve.:-/ :-/,” whereas another dubbed her an “arrogant, illiterate lady”.

“BEHAVIOR OF AN ILLITERATE, ARROGANT LADY. AS IF PEOPLE OF THE STATE ARE HER SERVANTS,” wrote one twitterati.

A Facebook post read: “Mamta Banerji is most e responsible and useless chief minister of West Bengal. Why she is always so arrogant she never reply politically, always shouting. Recently she visited Barasat Kamduni Gram How she has re-acted with people, it cannot accepted by any gentleman or gentle women.”

“How long she will keep people ‘shut up’,” said a tweet.

Facebook users were infuriated at her failure to keep promises.

“Mamata ‘maa mati manush’ is betrayed. Your so called 3M magic and its safety and security not guaranteed,” and “Mukhe ‘ma-mati-manush’ bole shobaike bhaota diye godi te boshecho mamata… kintu shamne ‘ma’ ele ma’eder opor chitkar kore khisti diccho… shamne ‘manush’ ele takey arrest koraccho!!… dhikkar mamata! (You sat on the chair by fooling us with Maa Mati Manush but when women come forward you insult them instead and arrest common people, shame on you),” said a post on a Facebook site.

A second-year college student was abducted, raped and killed by a group of youths June 7 when she was returning home after appearing in an examination in Barasat in North 24 Parganas district.

Eight people have been arrested for the crime.

The incident created a furore with political parties, rights organisations and women’s groups criticising the Banerjee administration for its failure to curb crimes against women.

The brutal crime was closely followed by the National Crime Records Bureau’s latest report which put Bengal atop the chart with regard to crime against women. As many as 30,942 such incidents were reported in 2012.

The State Human Rights Commission has also ordered a probe into the incident.

Woman Jailed In Italy For Dumping Baby In Toilet

Rome:  A court in Rome Tuesday sentenced a young Romanian woman to four years in prison on attempted murder charges after she abandoned her newborn baby inside a toilet in a restaurant.
Andreia Grancea, 21, gave birth to the baby in the restaurant in Rome in December last year.

She fled the scene, and the baby was rescued by two girls who entered the toilet minutes later.

The case is similar to the Chinese baby who survived in May after being flushed down a squat lavatory by his 22-year-old single mother.

Underworld Has Betting Syndicates In Vice-Like Grip

New Delhi:  The joke doing the rounds in Delhi Police circles is that they are investigating the betting and spot fixing scandal in the Indian Premier League (IPL) more to keep their chief in the news till his retirement early next month.

Jokes apart, the police are aware that not only in Delhi but in most cities the investigations may not go beyond the sensational breaking-news stage for want of follow-up action owing to the lack of what they call material evidence.

“The police are in possession of every shred of information as to how organized betting and spot fixing are carried out and the men heading the syndicates doing these operations,” a senior police official told .

“We also know how the operations are carried out; yet it is not easy to file a case without evidence that can hold water in a court of law, even with confessional statements,” said the official, pleading anonymity because of the sensitive nature of these investigations.

“In the court, witnesses turn hostile and in the IPL case we have to see what will be the stand of Siddharth Trivedi, who is a prosecution witness, after the Indian cricket board said it was issuing him a show-cause notice for not sharing the information with it or the IPL Governing Council,” the official said giving voice to a fear that is plaguing the investigation agencies.

Then, look at what Umesh Goenka, a bookie and a friend of Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra, did once he was freed after 12 hours of questioning. He accused the police of torturing him to implicate the British national.

The police are not sharing any great piece of information when they say that the underworld is involved in large-scale betting and spot fixing. They are also not tired of invoking the name of the infamous D-Company and its widespread network in the subcontinent and beyond its shores.

The underworld has its own unwritten code of conduct and the last word on all aspects of betting and spot fixing is believed to be that of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar — from inviting bets and offering odds on all features of the game to the mode of payment.

“Fear of gun” and “counter-guarantees for payments” scare punters from reneging or spilling beans.

“No one dare trick the bookie, though everything is done by word of mouth. The cash transactions are usually done quietly every Thursday/Friday,” a middle-level bookie told IANS obviously not wanting to be named.

“Betting has been a full-time occupation for several people. The underworld has a vice-like grip on the entire activity in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities in the country and overseas,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), Madan Mohan Oberoi told IANS.

The betting syndicates operate at different levels and in Delhi the big ones, who deal in crores of rupees, are less than a dozen and they are seen rubbing shoulders with the elite of society.

The betting is not confined to any particular strata of society. It all started with inside trading in the bullion market and they then ventured into sports. An incentive for those indulging in high stakes is that the bookies promise to launder their ill-gotten wealth and convert it into white without any hassles.

“The high and mighty in India place bets with these top-notch bookies and huge amounts of cash change hands on a regular basis and much of the money is routed through the illegal hawala channels,” said Oberoi.

The live TV sport is another encouraging source for bookies and punters to go berserk. They are invariably glued to the television sets betting on any sport, even on sports they have absolutely no clue about.

“What is there to understand? You lose money once or twice and you know the mistake you have committed. In the beginning I used to take help from genuine sports lovers who explained to me the intricacies of the sport,” said a small-time businessman, who got hooked on to betting first for fun and is involved now somewhat seriously.

“Money teaches everything, from nuances of the game to the performance swings of fickle sportspersons, more so when you lose repeatedly,” he added.

Another bookie from Delhi’s walled city says a punter can bet on anything and everything these days. In cricket, it can be right from the toss to runs in the session between strategic breaks and individual scores/wickets/fours/sixes in an over. Thanks to TV, they can keep changing bets and their rates at various stages of the competition.

“Except on the first and last 10 overs of a One-Day international, we place bets on every other slab of 10 overs,” said punter Rehman (name changed).

The accepted betting jargon has both numerical and code words. It could be 67/68, 70/73 when you are talking on the number of runs likely to be scored in a slab of 10 overs.

It is “Khokha”, for a crore, and “Petee”, for a lakh and their multipliers.

In the ongoing IPL spot fixing case, two of the bookies, Ramesh Vyas and Ashwani Aggarwal alias Tinku Mandy, hold sway over the betting syndicates in south India and north India respectively.

“Another bookie Firoz, who was arrested by Delhi Police on June 11 from Mumbai, works as a conduit between Dawood and other bookies. He also takes care of money-related issues, doubling up as the troubleshooter for the syndicates,” said Oberoi.

Will all this information help nail the real culprits? The police themselves are not too sure.

India-Born Amol Rajan Is Editor Of London’s The Independent

London:  Indian-born Amol Rajan has been appointed editor of the London morning daily The Independent, making him Fleet Street’s first non-white editor, the newspaper reported Monday.
Rajan, 29, was previously the daily’s comment editor.

Oliver Duff, who was executive editor and news editor of The Independent, has been named editor of sister title, i, while another executive editor, Lisa Markwell, has been named editor of The Independent on Sunday.

This means two women and two men will serve as editors of the four titles owned by Evgeny Lebedev.

Sarah Sands is the editor of the group’s fourth title, the Evening Standard.

The Independent’s previous editor, Chris Blackhurst, has been given the new post of group content director, charged with the responsibility of overseeing editorial output and content creation across the newspapers, the website, and London Live TV scheduled to be launched next spring.

“Our businesses are at a critical stage and a bold approach is needed for our industry,” Lebedev was quoted as saying in a statement after the new appointments.

“Today I am continuing this approach by appointing as editors two highly talented young journalists. Their energy, creativity and resourcefulness will invigorate both The Independent and i.”

He added that the group’s goal “is to develop a pioneering and integrated newsroom for the 21st century, providing print, digital and television output 24/7”.

According to the Huffington Post, Rajan, who is a columnist for the Evening Standard, has long been seen as a potential future editor.

He had previously served as deputy comment editor and sports and news correspondent in the newspaper.

According to the Post report, he is also a keen cricket fan, and has authored a book on cricket’s best spin bowlers.

Rajan, who was born in Calcutta, as Kolkata was then called, moved to Britain when he was three and studied at a state school.