28 Indian sailors released by Somali pirates: Shipping minister

CHENNAI: India has secured the release of 28 of its sailors on two ships held by Somalian pirates and the freed men will be back in the country soon, union shipping minister G K Vasan said on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters here, Vasan said: "Yesterday (Friday) 28 Indian sailors in two ships (MV Royal Grace and MT Smyrni) were freed. They will come back here and joint their families in few days."

He said the matter was handled by the Indian government in very discreet way so that the sailors are secured safely.

Vasan said the hijacking of Indian ships and holding of Indian sailors as captives by Somalian pirates has come to nil since May 2012.

According to him, around 260 Indian sailors were kidnapped by the Somalian pirates and India was able to secure the release of 236 of them.

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Angry fans torch Egypt's soccer federation headquarters

CAIRO: Fans of Cairo's Al-Ahly club have stormed Egypt's soccer federation headquarters, setting it ablaze in anger after a court acquitted seven of nine police officials on trial for their alleged role in a deadly stadium melee last year.

Fire also swept through a nearby police club, but it was not immediately clear whether Al-Ahly fans were responsible for that blaze as well. Heavy black smoke billowed out of the rose-colored, three-story neocolonial building in central Cairo.

The fires followed a court verdict earlier on Saturday that confirmed death sentences against 21 people for their role in the 2012 riot that killed 74 people after a game in the city of Port Said. The court also sentenced two senior police officers to 15 years in prison, but acquitted seven other security officials.

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Students clash during issuing of forms for free laptop scheme

ALLAHABAD: Violence broke out on Saturday at the Allahabad University campus with two groups of students hurling crude bombs at each other and indulging in heavy stone-pelting during distribution of forms for a Uttar Pradesh government's scheme for free laptops.

The students fought pitched battles with personnel belonging to police and Rapid Action Force who rushed to the scene and used batons to quell the mob, police said adding that nearly 20 youths and six security personnel received injuries in the incident.

Trouble began around noon when a large number of students, most of them in their first year at the varsity, thronged the counters to obtain forms for availing the scheme introduced by the Samajwadi Party government wherein free laptops are to be distributed among those who have passed their Intermediate examinations.

A quarrel erupted between inmates of two hostels, apparently over a minor issue, and they came to blows even as the varsity officials tried to pacify the agitated youths.

However, violence escalated with some of the students indulging in heavy stone-pelting and a few crude bombs were also lobbed by both sides.

Security personnel have been deployed in strength at the sprawling University premises though no arrests have been made so far.

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Former West Bengal governor Viren J Shah passes away

NEW DELHI: Former West Bengal governor and industrialist Viren J Shah died in Jordan on Saturday following a heart attack.

He was 86. Shah was on a holiday to Jordan with his wife when he suffered the heart attack. His body will be brought back to Mumbai, where he lived, for cremation, family sources said.

Shah was elected to Parliament from Junagadh in Gujarat in 1967 and was also member of the Rajya Sabha twice from 1975 to 1981 and from 1990 to 1996. He was the governor of West Bengal from 1999 to 2004.

He was the former chairman and managing director of Mukund Limited, engaged in steel business, and held the position for 27 years from 1972 to 1999.

He was also the former treasurer of BJP. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condoled the demise of Viren Shah. Expressing his sadness at the loss of a former Parliamentary colleague and a close friend, the Prime Minister said that he was a "distinguished parliamentarian who also rendered invaluable service in the field of industry and commerce".

Singh also recalled his tenure as governor of West Bengal and said that "the country had lost a public figure of great distinction".

Shah was born in Calcutta on May 12, 1926 and was educated at Bombay University.

He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. The sources said his elder son Rajesh Shah, who is co-chairman and managing director of Mukund Limited, will be leaving for Jordan on Sunday to bring back the body.

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Venezuela election likely on April 14, National electoral council source says

CARACAS: Venezuela is likely to hold a presidential election on April 14, a national electoral council source said on Saturday, one day after the funeral of Hugo Chavez and swearing in of an acting president.

Nicolas Maduro, the late leftist leader's handpicked successor, urged the council to "immediately" organize polls after he was sworn in on Friday in a ceremony largely boycotted by the opposition, which branded it unconstitutional.

The electoral council was due to meet on Saturday to make a decision and the source said "the most likely date" would be April 14. Local media reported the same date and the daily El Universal said candidates may register from Sunday.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who lost to Chavez in the October presidential election, is likely to run against Maduro.

Chavez named Maduro as his political heir before leaving for Cuba for a new round of cancer surgery in December and he urged Venezuelans to vote for the 50-year-old former vice president if he never returned to power.

Chavez lost his two-year battle with cancer on Tuesday at age 58.

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NCW notice to UP minister for making sexist remarks

LUCKNOW: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued a show cause notice and sought explanation from Raja Ram Pandey, khadi and village industry minister in UP for making abjectly sexist and improper comments against a female district magistrate.

Pandey had made these comments as regards K Dhanlakshmi and Kamini Ratan Chauhan, present and ex-DM of Sultanpur. Nirmala Samant Prabhavalkar, member of women commission has asked Pandey to present his detailed para wise comments and a written reply duly supported by an affidavit in response to the complaint filed by RTI activist Nutan Thakur.

Commission has sought reply in 15 days. Thakur had said that these comments are clearly objectionable and come as an insult to the entire women folk. Hence, she had prayed to enquire into the matter and initiate legal proceedings as per the enquiry report.

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No normalization of ties with Pakistan till it ends terror: Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI: On the eve of Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf's visit, India on Friday said there cannot be normalization of ties with it unless the terror machine still active there was brought under control.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India has made sincere efforts to normalize its relations with Pakistan and had achieved some progress.

"People to people contacts have gone up, trade relations have shown improvement," Singh said in the Rajya Sabha replying to a debate on Motion of Thanks to President's address.

"But there cannot be normalisation of relations between our two countries unless and until the terror machine which is still active in Pakistan is brought under control," he said.

Singh said this has been his government's policy for the past nine years and would continue in the coming times.

The Prime Minister's remarks come ahead of the his Pakistan counterpart's visit to India tomorrow.

Ashraf, during a day-long visit, is scheduled to offer prayers at the famous dargah of sufi saint Moinuddin Chisti at Ajmer.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will host a lunch in his honour at Jaipur, but no "substantive talks" are expected to take place.

Ashraf's visit comes at a time when there is a chill in bilateral ties over the ceasefire violations at the Line of Control in Kashmir.

An Indian soldier was beheaded by Pakistani troops while the mutilated body of another was found in January.

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Delhi HC seeks report from civic agencies on toilets for women

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Friday sought status report from civic agencies on the condition of toilets for women in the city.

A division bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Indermeet Kaur asked the three MCDs (zone-wise), NDMC and Delhi Cantonment board to file their status report on the conditions of such toilets within three weeks.

The court also directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to file a separate report in this regard within three weeks after the civic agencies file their report.

The court passed the order on a PIL filed by advocate Ashok Aggarwal seeking direction to the authorities for their alleged failure to maintain toilets for women across the city.

The petitioner referred to a report of a survey conducted in South and New Delhi areas and submitted before the court that several such toilets were non-functional.

He submitted that adequate number of toilets for women were not there and the existing ones were not being maintained properly by the civic authorities.

The court fixed May 15 for further hearing in the matter.

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Gujarat HC frees bonded labourers, asks cops to send them to their native place

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court has directed the Vadodara police to release 30 persons belonging to Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh from illegal custody of owner of brick kilns in Chhaani area.

A bench of Justice M R Shah and Justice S H Vora has asked the police to book train tickets for all 30 persons and send them to their native on Friday only. The businessman, identified as Inthan Sheth, Mushar and Bashim by one of the labourers, have been asked to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 for detaining these people.

One of these labourers, Kalu Rajpal filed habeas corpus petition in the high court complaining that 34 of them have been detained as brick kiln workers by the businessmen. They were ill treated and they got food only once in a day. The owners used to beat them. This was because they were duped by a contractor, who fled with the money. Ever since their arrival in Gujarat in September last, the businessmen have been misbehaving with them. Seven of them were minors.

The court appointed advocate Pratik Barot as amicus curiae in this case, and directed the Chhaani police to inquire into the incident. Rajpal's claims proved true and the court ordered all the bonded labourers to be released immediately. However, four of them managed to escape from the businessmen's custody.

The bench ordered their release and asked the cops to see that they reach their native place safely.

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Chopper deal: CBI questions brother of former Union minister

NEW DELHI: CBI on Friday quizzed the industrialist-brother of former union minister SantoshBagrodia'sSatishBagrodia who is the chairman of IDS Infotech, one of the suspect companies in the alleged bribery scandal in Rs3600-croreVVIP Chopper deal.

CBI sources said IDS Infotech, a software company, has been named in its preliminary enquiry as one of the companies which was allegedly used to route the bribe money from Tunisia and Mauritius under the garb of engineering and other contracts.

The agency has named IDS Infotech in its preliminary enquiry but Satish Bagrodia is not named, the sources said.

They said Satish Bagrodia was questioned about alleged channeling of the bribe money through his company by Italian middlemen.

The sources claimed the industrialist refuted the allegations and said he did not interefere in the day-to-day working of the company which is handled by other senior executives and board members.

The name of IDS Infotech had cropped up in the report submitted by Italian Prosecutor which alleged the share of the bribe money to be distributed in India was routed through it under the cover of fake vouchers for software-related work.

The company had refuted all the allegations.

The report alleged IDS Infotech generated fake bills for software work for helicopter firm AgustaWestland to pump in the alleged bribe money from Tunisia and Mauritius.

The helicopter deal with AgustaWestland came under the scanner after the head of its parent Italian aerospace company Finmeccanica, that is suspected of paying bribes of about Rs 362 crore in India to get orders for the helicopters, was arrested, prompting the government to order a CBI probe.

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