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HC confirms death for convicts in BPO murder case

  The Bombay High Court upheld the death sentence of two people in the 2007 rape and murder case of a Pune BPO employee Jyotikumari Chaudhari. Chaudhari, 22, was raped and killed in November 2007 by her office cab driver Purshottam Borate and a friend of his, Pradip Kokatewhile they picked her up for a late night shift. Her body was found at Wadgaon, off the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, on the outskirts of Pune a day later. The men worked for a logistics company which used to supply vehicles to the call centre. Purushottam Dasharath Borate, 31, and his friend Pradeep Yashwant Kakade, 26 - both residents of Gahunje in Maval tehsil of Pune district - had filed appeals challenging their conviction. According to the prosecution case, the duo hatched a conspiracy and abducted, gang-raped and brutally killed a BPO employee working with Wipro BPO Company at Hinjewadi in Pune. Borate was the driver of the car that picked up the victim, working in night shift, from her residence around 10.15pm on November 1, 2007. However, instead of dropping her at the office, the duo took her to a secluded place near their native village and raped her. They then slashed her wrist with a blade, strangulated her using her own dupatta, and thereafter smashed her head with a stone in order to make it difficult to identify her. Next day, a local spotted the blood-soaked body and informed the police, who arrested the duo two days later. On March 20, 2012, sessions judge AM Badar convicted the accused and handed down two counts each of death sentence and life imprisonment for conspiracy, murder, gang-rape and kidnapping. 

Modi says Rahul can contest elections in Italy

  Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today lashed out at Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, saying that the young leader was an international leader who could contest election in Italy. Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh had described Modi as a regional leader, and termed Rahul a national leader. Saying that he is happy being a regional leader, Modi said he did not consider Rahul as a national leader. The Gujarat Chief Minister also criticized the Manmohan Singh-led UPA 2 Government for not fulfilling promises made in its election manifesto in 2004.  

Expedition 32 crew lands safely as Sunita takes over command

Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams has taken over the command of the International Space Station, becoming the second woman in history to do so, even as a three-member crew of the Expedition 32 returned safely to earth, wrapping up a mission lasting more than four months. The three-man crew onboard a Russian-made Soyuz capsule touched down successfully in central Kazakhstan steppe this morning after spending 123 days at the Space Station. Just after the Soyuz spacecraft separated from the space station yesterday, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams took over command of Expedition 33 at the station from Commander Gennady Padalka, becoming the second woman in history to do so. Williams will be sharing the Space Station with veteran Russia cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide until mid-October, when three more astronauts, including NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, will arrive and round out the full crew of Expedition 33. Flight Engineer Joe Acaba of NASA, Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin of the Russian Federal Space Agency, landed north of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan this morning. They arrived at the station on May 17 and spent 125 days in space, 123 of which were aboard the orbiting laboratory. The trio are expected to have a difficult time readjusting to life on earth, especially Mr Revin and Mr Acaba, who are coming off their first long-term stay aboard the orbiting international space lab, NASA sources

Congress has forgotten Bofors lesson, says BJP

The Opposition has taken strong exception to Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s remark that people would soon forget the coal scam like the Bofors case, with the BJP pointing to the Congress’ massive loss in the general election after that episode. In Pune Shinde said that earlier the Bofors was a talking point... people forgot about it. Now it is coal… this too will be forgotten. Janata Dal president Sharad Yadav asked his old friend to concentrate on the working of the Home Ministry rather than making reckless comments.

Nupur Talwar Gets Bail in Aarushi Murder Case

Aarushi Murder Case, Nupur Talwar Bail: The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to murdered teenager Aarushi Talwar's mother Nupur. The court has said that she should be released by September 25th. Nupur's lawyers argued that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was dragging its feet in the case and it would take two years for the case to be decided. The lawyers argued that important material and critical witnesses had been presented and questioned, so there was no chance of Talwars influencing any one. She has been in judicial custody for four months for her alleged role in the double murder of her daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj.

School student dies after taking de worming tablet

A Government programme in which students are given de-worming tables went awry here on Saturday. Khusbhoo, a fifth standard student of the Marwawri Hindi Vidyalaya school died soon after she took the tablet. An enquiry has been ordered. The autopsy suggested that the death was due to asphyxia. The girl was the eldest of four children of Beni Mandal and Mamata who migrated to the city from Bihar. The girl was normal when she left home in the morning. Her younger sister, Madhuri and brother Shankar are in fourth and third classes respectively in the same school. The albendazole 400 mg tablet was given to about 140 students after the interval at 10 a.m. The student complained of pain in the throat to her teacher Rama Devi. Within minutes, she struggled for breath. The school staff rushed her to a nearby urban health centre. As her condition deteriorated, she was taken to the government hospital at Pan Bazar before being rushed to the Gandhi Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead. Initially, the body was handed over to the parents, they took it to home. Advised by the neighbours, they later approached the Ramgopalpet police who registered a case of suspicious death under Section 174 of Criminal Procedure Code and got the autopsy done at the Gandhi Hospital morgue. The Medical and Health Department officials present during the post-mortem said no traces of the tablet were found in the girl’s body. However, the forensic experts are yet to finalise the cause of death and submit a report. The government announced Rs. 1.5 lakh compensation and a house to the victim’s family.

8 women killed in NATO airstrike

Afghan officials say a NATO airstrike killed eight women and girls who were out gathering firewood before dawn on Sunday in a remote region on the east of the country. The coalition says it believes only insurgents were hit. Villagers from Laghman province’s Alingar district brought the bodies to the Governor’s office in the provincial capital.Seven injured women and children, some of them as young as 10-years-old, were brought to area hospitals for treatment. NATO forces at first said that about 45 insurgents and no civilians were killed in the attack. Later that they took the charge of civilian deaths seriously and were investigating the allegations. He said, however, that initial reports showed only insurgents were killed in the airstrike. Airstrikes have been a particularly sensitive issue between the Afghan people who say civilians often end up killed along with or instead of insurgents and NATO forces who maintain that they are a key tactic for going after insurgent leaders.

Actor Suthi Velu Died

  Comedian Suthivelu dies, Actor Suthi velu dead: Senior actor and veteran comedian Suthi velu died of heart attack in chennai early on sunday. He was 65. Known as Suthivelu by his screen name, Kurumaddali Lakshmi Narasimharao was born on August 7, 1947. He acted in more than 200 films and received a Best Supporting Actor Nandi Award in 1985 for his performance in the movie 'Vandemataram'. In a 1982 film 'Naalugu Stambalata', his screen name is 'Sutthi' and with the super success of that flick people used to call him that way. Apart from films, Sutthivelu is a part of various serials aired on Doordarshan, ETV and Gemini. He is survived by wife, three daughters and a son.

Salman Khan Joins Facebook

Bollywood star Salman Khan has become the latest celebrity to join social networking site Facebook after Aamir Khan, Piyanka Chopra and Amitabh Bachchan. In a video message posted on his page, Salman said, "Many people have asked me why am I not on Facebook and that there are so many fake accounts which create confusion. Now that I am on Facebook, all the fake accounts should either join here or fake away," Salman said.   This page will be a one stop destination for the 46-year-old actor's fans to connect, interact and engage with him. It will also provide up-to-date information about Salman's upcoming movies, exclusive pictures, videos, as well as exclusive pictures from his private collection. The actor's Facebook page has already got 2.6 million likes. It also gives a sneak peak into the chain of Being Human stores opening in October.

Andhra Minister's son Caught Driving Drunk

Son of a cabinet minister in Andhra Pradesh was caught Saturday by police while driving his vehicle in an inebriated condition. Krishna Reddy, son of Animal Husbandry minister P. Viswaroop, was stopped by the police in the posh Banajara Hills. Police said a breath analyzer test was done on him, which indicated that he was drunk while driving. Banjara Hills police detained the Volvo car he was driving and registered a case. The police have summoned the minister's son for counselling Monday.

BCCI terminates Deccan Chargers’ contract

BCCI has terminated the contract of the debt ridden Deccan Chargers, bringing an end to the suspense on the fate of the beleaguered franchise. The decision to terminate Deccan’s contract was taken at an emergency governing council meeting of the IPL in Chennai. BCCI president  Srinivasan took the final call to end Charger’s contract after discussing the issue with other members. BCCI working committee will decide the future course of action whether to float a fresh tender for a new team or allow PVP Ventures, a Hyderabad based urban infrastructure and film production company, whose Rs. 900 crore bid was rejected by Deccan at the auction on Thursday, to take the team. Deccan Chronicle Holdings, the owner of Deccan Chargers, received a bid of Rs. 900 crore by PVP Venture Capitals but surprisingly chose to reject it at the auction, as it considered the price and terms unsuitable.

Actress Accuses Husband of Abusing her

Actress and former Miss World Yukta Mookhey has filed a complaint of domestic violence against her husband Prince Tulli at a police station.     "Based on her claims, a non-cognizable offence has been registered. She claimed that her husband had abused her and beaten her up often," said an official from Amboli Police Station in northwest Mumbai said. Officials, however, refused to give further details and said that they have registered only an offence and there is no FIR registered in the case yet.Mookhey was crowned Miss World in 1999 and at the age of 20 and had later acted in a few Bollywood films.Tulli is a businessman and financial consultant.

Happy Engineers Day 2012

Engineers, Engineering: Engineer's Day is observed in India on September 15 in honour of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya who was born on the day in 1860. He was the chief designer of the flood protection system designed and built for the city of Hyderabad, as well as the chief engineer responsible for the construction of the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Mysore which created the largest reservoir in Asia at that time. He also designed and patented a system of automatic weir water floodgates that were first installed in 1903 at the Khadakvasla Reservoir near Pune. These gates were employed to raise the flood supply level of storage in the reservoir to the highest level likely to be attained by a flood without causing any damage to the dam. Based on the success of these gates, the same system was replicated at the Tigra Dam project in Gwalior and the Krishna Raja Sagara project in Karnataka. A recipient of India's highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1955, he was knighted as a Commander of the British Indian Empire by King George V before Independence. He died on April 14, 1962

Former RSS Chief K Sudarshan died

RSS Chief K Sudarshan dead: Former RSS chief K S Sudarshan died of heart attack in Raipur in Chhattisgarh early on Saturday. He was 81. The ex-RSS chief, who had arrived in the city two days back, died at the RSS office here at 6:50 AM. He was in the city for a book launch function. His body shall be brought to the RSS national headquarters in Nagpur on Saturday evening and kept in its Reshim Baug premises. The last rites will be conducted in Nagpur on Sunday afternoon. Sudarshan led the RSS between 2000-2009, before seeking voluntary retirement due to health problem.

Diesel price up, LPG cylinders cut

The diesel price will go up by Rs. 5 a litre and a household will get only six domestic LPG cylinders per annum. These decisions were taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs. The decision to go in for the sharp diesel price hike, which excludes value added tax, will take effect from midnight on Friday.  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, also decided to reduce the excise duty on petrol by Rs. 5.50 a litre from Rs. 14.78, adjusting the recent spurt in international crude prices, which have touched $114 a barrel. The restriction in supply of LPG cylinders is likely to help in reducing the under-recovery of OMCs by about Rs. 5,300 crore for the remaining part of the financial year. The under-recovery during 2012-13, even after this measure, is estimated to be above Rs. 32,000 crore. Any number of cylinders will be available over and above the cap of 6 cylinders at market rate. The number of cylinders available to each consumer in the remaining part of this financial year will be 3 cylinders, an official statement said.

Early elections possible, Mulayam’s prediction

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said that he was “not a saint” to refuse the post of prime minister if such an opportunity arises after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Yadav also did not rule out the possibility of early elections. Asked about the prospect of him becoming prime minister, he said his party would not campaign for his candidature but he was “not a saint” either. The SP would emerge as the biggest party in Uttar Pradesh in the parliamentary elections and would surprise everyone with the large number of seats it would win. It would also contest the polls in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Jharkhand. On the role of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi in the national politics, he described him as a “young politician” and wished him luck for a future in good politics.  As for the likelihood of Gandhi becoming prime minister, he said that it is his party that is going to make him prime minister. It will not be to the others give him the post on a platter. Mulayam said that the third front would be formed only after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections after considering the political situation.

Centre orders removal of anti Islam video on Internet

In case of Protests in the Arab nations against uploading of a video on YouTube allegedly targeting Islam and Prophet Muhammad, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology has ordered removal of all such inflammatory content from the Internet. The move comes after the Home Ministry forwarded a J&K request to the DEIT seeking immediate ban on the alleged blasphemous content.

Mamata will have to think about continuing in UPA

unhappy, dissatisfied and surprised at the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs to hike the price of diesel by Rs. 5 and restrict the number of cylinders of cooking gas to six per household per year, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said here on Thursday that the party would have to now consider whether to continue supporting the Congress-led government at the Centre. deedi who had in a previous occasion threatened to pull out of the UPA government if there are any further hikes in the fuel prices, was quick to point out that if I withdraw support to the Centre other parties will fill in. Mamata said that she would take to the streets here on Saturday demanding an immediate rollback of the hike in prices. Her party had not been consulted on the matter even though it was in the ruling coalition.

US warships en route to Libya

Two US warships and a special unit of roughly 50 members of the Marine Corps are en route to Libya following Tuesday’s attack on the U.S. embassy compound in Benghazi. Following the death of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, and three other Americans, in that assault , reports here suggested that one destroyer, the USS Laboon, had moved to a position off the coast by Wednesday, and the USS McFaul was said to be is on its way to be stationed off the coast within days. Commenting broadly on U.S. ships in the area, said to be loaded with Tomahawk cruise missiles or Aegis-equipped. US officials are said to be investigating whether the violence was linked to an anti-Islamic video the trailer for which was posted on the Internet, the theory that the assault was a terrorist attack planned to coincide with the anniversary of 9/11 appeared to be gaining credence in official circles here.