By M H Ahssan / Hydrabad
In 2009, even as clean-up crews continued to sift through the debris of 26/11, then-home minister P Chidambaram was ushered into the throbbing heart of the United States’ war against terrorism, its super-secret National Counter-Terrorism Centre. He gazed intently, an aide recalls, at its giant, filmic video-walls, where information from across the world displayed in real time, and asked searching questions about the dozens of classified databases that feed them. He gathered reams of material—perhaps even the promotional video that’s now online.
By Omer Shah / Mumbai
Why does Mahendra Singh Dhoni not feel the need to clarify anything? From poor field settings to lack of intent to bad management practices? Well, one might argue that like BCCI president N Srinivasan, he too feels he is innocent of all charges. So in his mind, he has done no wrong and that means he doesn’t need to answer any questions. But that seems far from the harsh truth.
After the Economic Times broke the story about the Indian skipper’s 15 percent stake in Rhiti Sports, the sports marketing/management company responded with a statement to clear the air. “As on date, MSD holds no shareholding in Rhiti Sports Management (P) Ltd. However, it is made clear that shareholding was allotted to MSD on 22.03.2013 only to secure certain old outstandings which were due for more than one year.
“Further, the payments were cleared in April 2013 and the shareholding was transferred back to promoter of the company on 26.04.2013,” Rhiti Sports chairman Arun Pandey said in the statement.
By Avinash Rawat / New Delhi
A real estate regulator — to be set up in every state — will ensure that private developers get all their projects registered with it before sale and only after obtaining all necessary clearances. The Union Cabinet cleared a legislation to set up a long-pending real estate regulator aiming to protect home buyers from unscrupulous developers and builders.
"It will be mandatory for developers under the law to get every project registered with the regulator before selling any immovable property," an official said. While the commercial real estate has been kept out of purview of the proposed bill, it will apply to residential buildings.
There is a provision for mandatory public disclosure of all project details like credentials of promoters, lay out plan, land status, carpet area and number of apartments booked and status of statutory approvals, addressing a major concern of buyers about incomplete or fraudulent land acquisition and pending clearances.
By M H Ahssan / Mumbai
Rhiti Sports Management and its main promoter, Arun Pandey, might deny that Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni holds any share in the company, but what they cannot deny is that Pandey and Dhoni have been and continue to be business partners, spelling a high probability of conflict of interest for the Indian captain.
Sources accessed documents filed by at least two other firms with the ministry of corporate affairs which show that Dhoni and his family held shares in firms where the only other partners were Pandey and Rhiti Sports.
By M H Ahssan / New Delhi
Chhatrashal Stadium in North-West Delhi is an unusually quiet place. It is also home to some of India's top wrestlers, most of who have been living and training here from the age of seven.
Their day starts at five every morning. Bouts of grappling in the local akhara are followed by a breakfast of almonds and milk. (Almonds contain protein, fibre and vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant.
By Manas Mahopatra / Berhampur
A man who was declared "dead" by his father 11 years ago in Odisha was found alive, police said. The bizarre incident came to light after the crime branch of Odisha Police traced Gajendra Kumar Kar in his hometown of Berhampur in Ganjam district, about 180 km from here and arrested him.
He was arrested as his father's complaint that he was kidnapped and murdered was found false, he said.
By Fauzia Arshi / Jeddah
As the lizard hunting season returns to Saudi Arabia, young men in Buraidah area are heading to the desert to seek out the reptiles, which are considered to be a delicacy in some parts of the Kingdom. The dry and arid land here is the ideal habitat for the dabb lizard, also known as the spiny-tailed lizards.
By Kajol Singh / Delhi
Project proposals submitted to the NBWL routinely make a mockery of the law, bypassing decisions to their own end. A dam, constructed on the Satluj River without any wildlife clearances, will soon destroy and submerge a large tract of the Majathal Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the last refuges of the vulnerable Cheer Pheasant.
Disregarding the law and subverting regulatory Committee decisions, projects across the country pay no heed to environmental legislations.
