• NATIONAL

Bofors case: Apex court buries Quattrocchi link

The Quattrocchi component of the Bofors pay-off case in Supreme Court was given a burial on Tuesday with the court asking an advocate to withdraw his PIL questioning defreezing of the Italian businessman's bank account in London. The PIL filed by advocate Ajay Agrawal had begun its journey in the apex court four years ago, questioning the surreptitious manner in which the government had allegedly allowed defreezing of Quattrocchi's London bank account, in which the kickback money was allegedly deposited.

Movement of dhows in piracy-hit routes banned

With seven to eight small Indian vessels suspected of being hijacked by Somali pirates over the last few days, India on Tuesday banned the movement of its dhows to the south of Salalah in Oman and Male with immediate effect. The ban order was issued by the directorate general of shipping in Mumbai. This comes after the Navy repeatedly warned the shipping ministry to strictly regulate the operations of Indian dhows in the piracy-infested regions at the earliest.

Land to Satyam: CAG raps State

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has found fault with the State government for passing on undue benefit of Rs.165 crore to erstwhile M/s Satyam Computers in allotment of 50 acres in Visakhapatnam district According to the CAG report for the year ended 31st, March 2009, which was tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday, the company was entitled to 7.5 acres at a concessional rate of Rs.10 lacs per acre whereas the government allotted 50 acres of land at that price.As per the conditions of allotment of land for IT policy, the company selected was entitled to 0.30 acres of land for every 100 jobs created at concessional price. M/s Satyam Computers was therefore eligible to a rebate of Rs.5 crore or 7.5 acres at concessional price and the market value was payable for the remaining land.

Bihar can't challenge Lalu's acquittal: SC

In a huge relief to Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi in the disproportionate assets case, the Supreme Court said the Bihar government is not competent enough to challenge the acquittal of Lalu and his wife by the trial court when they were prosecuted by the CBI. The apex court was hearing a petition filed by RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his wife challenging the decision of the Patna High Court admitting the appeal of Bihar government against their acquittal in a disproportionate assets case.

A Fundamental Right

With its new law that makes education a fundamental right with effect from 1st, April 2010, India joins a small group of countries with such a statutory provision. All children in the 6 to 14 age group can exercise the right under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. An estimated one crore children who do not go to school now are expected to benefit.

Govt. convenes all-party meet on Women's Bill 

The government has convened an all-party meeting in New Delhi to find a way out of the impasse on the Women's Reservation Bill that has met with strong opposition from the Yadav trio, who make for a significant presence in the Lok Sabha. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is Leader of the Lok Sabha, has convened the meeting of all parties over the issue as government wants an early resolution of the deadlock.

Mining problem

This newspaper extensively documented last month in an exhaustive investigative series that the Reddy brothers of Bellary in Karnataka have so far succeeded in evading a suitably careful investigation of their mining activity. The series reported the extensive allegations against their companies, particularly their flagship Obulapuram Mining Company or OMC; and laid out the various points at which OMC was given a free pass by the state governments of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Soon after that, the Supreme Court suspended several Reddy mining leases to allow a fact-finding team investigate claims that the extent of the Reddy lands had been illegally increased; a report will be submitted to the court on April 9.

No general amnesty for Nalini, says Madras High Court

The woman who has spent 19 years in prison for assassinating former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has been told she is not eligible for general amnesty. The Madras High Court said, on Tuesday, "She had committed a crime which was cunning in conception, meticulous in plans and reckless in execution, taking away the life of the former prime minister."

Nalini was arrested in 1991 and sentenced to death by the Supreme Court in 1999. After she had a baby girl in prison, Rajiv's wife, Sonia, intervened, and Nalini's sentence was changed to life imprisonment.

Indian investigators to soon get access to Headley: FBI

Indian investigators would soon get access to terror suspect David Headley as US authorities are working out logistics of where and when they can question the Pakistani-American in connection with the Mumbai attacks. India is expected to get access to Headley within 30 days of sending a letter of request, which is being prepared. US Ambassador Timothy J Roemer told Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi that the issue of access to Headley was being dealt with at the highest level in the Obama administration

China says willing to work with India on UN reform

China said during a visit by the Indian foreign minister that it was willing to work with New Delhi on UN reform but stopped short of backing its bid for a permanent Security Council seat. India has long voiced hopes for a permanent seat on a reformed UN Security Council, which currently only had five veto-wielding permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

HC rejects Nalini's plea

Nalini Sriharan, a life convict in a crime that was cunning in operation, meticulous in planning and ruthless in execution in taking away the life of the former Prime Minister of India, cannot seek premature release as of right, though she can have a right to seek for consideration of her plea, the Madras High Court has ruled.

26/11 killers quietly buried in January

The bodies of nine Pakistani terrorists killed by security forces after the 26/11 terror strike were secretly buried by the police in January, Maharashtra home minister R R Patil told the legislative council. He said the bodies were buried at a secret location.

BSF Commandant charged with Zahid's murder

Two months after 16-year-old Zahid Farooq was shot dead on the outskirts of Srinagar, the Jammu and Kashmir Police charged suspended Border Security Force (BSF) Commandant Randhir Kumar Birdi and Constable Lakhwinder Kumar with murder.

LeT eyes India's core sector: US think tank

A US defence department think tank has warned that India's transportation, economic infrastructure and political establishment are on the Lashkar-e-Toiba's radar. It has also confirmed India's charge that the terror outfit still enjoys funding from ISI.

Court asks Geeta Johri, Jha to keep off probe

The Supreme Court restrained senior IPS officers Geeta Johri and Shivanand Jha, who are members of the Special Investigation Team, from associating themselves with the probe/trial of the 2002 Gujarat riot cases until further orders. The bench also directed that Raghavan's report submitted to the SC, as a rejoinder to these allegations, and other papers, be given to the Gujarat government and amicus curiae Harish Salve.

Justice Dinakaran shifted to Sikkim High Court

Karnataka's controversial Chief Justice P D Dinakaran has been shifted to the Sikkim High Court in a late night meeting. The decision was taken by the Supreme Court collegium consisting of Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan, Justice SH Kapadia, RV Raveendran and Dalveer Bhandari on April 1. The collegium had asked him to go on leave. The proposal of shifting Justice Dinakaran is being sent to the Centre for approval of the President.

India warns Australia on student attacks

India has warned the Australian government over continued attacks on Indian students in Melbourne, complaining about a lack of official data on the nature of the violence against Indians. The Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal who is visiting Australia says, "We would expect the State government to actually share that data with us."

Court notice to IITs on joint entrance examination

The Delhi High Court has sent notices to 15 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the ministry of human resource development to clarify their process of selection through the annual joint entrance examination (JEE), a teacher who filed the case. Every year tens of thousands of students appear for the JEE seeking a berth in the elite technology schools. Currently India has 15 IITs including the eight new ones who have started operation in the last two years.

• INTERNATIONAL

Open Zardari case: Pakistan to Swiss government

In what could trigger another face-off between Pakistan's judiciary and the government, the country's National Accountability Bureau has asked Switzerland to reopen a money laundering case against President Asif Ali Zardari, a day after the country's supreme court threatened to imprison the anti-corruption agency's head unless it moved to reopen the case.

Outrage in China after 21 dead babies found in river

As many as 21 fetuses and bodies of babies, some with hospital tabs, were found discarded in a river in east China's Jining city. Reports suggest most of the dead babies were female who had been dumped because parents wanted to keep the option open for a male child within the one-child system. Human rights groups and international experts have for long voiced their protest against wide scale female foeticide in China but it is only now that specific instances of how it is one is coming up to the surface. The actual number dumped in the water may be much larger.

Sri Lanka's national parks reopen after 25 years

After remaining closed for more than 25 years because of the civil war between the security forces and the Tamil tigers, Sri Lanka's national parks are once again set to see tourists flocking there.Designated as a sanctuary in 1905 and upgraded to a national park in 1938, the country's largest wildlife area, Wilpattu, had been closed to visitors after the Tamil Tigers killed 23 wildlife officers in 1985. With the war ending in May 2009, the park reopened to visitors last month.

Eugene Terreblanche 'killers' in South Africa court

Two South Africans are due to be formally charged with the murder of white supremacist Eugene Terreblanche. The two farm workers, aged 28 and 15, have admitted beating him to death in a dispute over unpaid wages, police say. About 200 supporters of Terreblanche's paramilitary AWB group have gathered at the court, and small crowds from the local black community are also there. The court proceedings are not in public because one of the accused is a minor.

Russia to withdraw from arms reduction deal if U.S. increases missile defense

Russia may withdraw from the arms reduction treaty if Washington significantly increases its missile defense, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama are to sign a new strategic arms treaty on Thursday in Prague. The pact will replace the START 1 treaty, the cornerstone of post-Cold War arms control, which expired on December 5.

Baghdad Explosions Kill 28

Iraqi officials say several explosions have rocked central Baghdad, killing at least 28 people and wounding more than 75 others. The multiple bombings destroyed several apartment buildings and a restaurant in the Allawi district . Officials had feared security could deteriorate as disputes on election results continue, and opposing factions work to create a unity government.

UK election at-a-glance: 7 April

Gordon Brown is set to clash with David Cameron and Nick Clegg at Prime Minister's Questions, possibly for the last time, on day two of the general election campaign. After the half-hour session, all three leaders will hit the campaign trail in different parts of the country. Labour sources say Mr Brown will make a major speech on political reforms.

Obama's New Nuclear Strategy Is Intended as a Message to Iran and North Korea

At the heart of President Obama's new nuclear strategy lies a central gamble: that an aging, oversize, increasingly outmoded nuclear arsenal can be turned to the new purpose of adding leverage to the faltering effort to force Iran and North Korea to rethink the value of their nuclear programs.