WB Panchayat elections: 74% polling in 4th phase, 6 killed in poll violence

Jul 22,  6:39 PM In West Bengal over 74 percent of polling was recorded in Nadia, Malda, Murshidabad and Birbhum Districts in fourth phase of Panchayat Elections in the State today. The voting is still continuing in many polling booths after completion of schedule poll time, which ended at 5 this afternoon. Long queues of voters are still seen at large number of polling booths. The Secretary of the State Election Commission, Mr. Tapas Roy told in Kolkata this evening that, voting was bye and large peaceful barring few stray incidents. Atleast six persons were killed and several others injured in poll related incidents in Murshidabad, Malda and Birbhum Districts. Four children were also injured in bomb explosions in Malda and Murshidabad Districts. Besides, sporadic clashes between ruling Trinamool Congress and opposition CPIM and Congress supporters were also reported from Domkal in Murshidabad, Mahammad Bazar in Birbhum Districts. The warring groups indiscriminately used bombs during clashes. Two persons received bullet injuries at Jalangi and Islampur in Murshidabad District. Tampering and snatching of ballot papers and capturing of polling booths were reported from Nadia, Malda and Murshidabad Districts. SEBI gets direct powers to attach properties, bank accounts Jul 22,  6:1 PM The government has allowed Securities and Exchange Board of India , Sebi to pass orders like search and seizure, attachment of properties, arrest and detention of defaulters .The agency now can pass order to recover the wrongful gains made in contravention of laws. At the same time, the government has also allowed Sebi to seek information from other regulators within India and abroad with retrospective effect. It will paved way for collection of details pertaining to cases pending for over 15 years now. Sebi has been given powers to crack down on illegal investment schemes floated by individuals as well, as against companies only as of now. However, all government-notified schemes would be out of the Collective Investment Scheme framework. Alllahabad HC stays UPSC civil services interviews till further orders Jul 22,  5:11 PM The Alllahabad High Court today stayed the interviews of Uttar Pradesh State Public Service Commission for Civil Services, till further orders. Hearing a bunch of petitions on reservation policies adopted by the Commmssion for combined Civil Services examination, a Division Bench consisting of Justice L.K. Mahapara and Justice Rakesh Srivastava, passed the order. The Court has reserved its judgement. The students are agitated over the reservation policies adopted by the Commission. To maintain law and order in Allahabad, the local administration has closed all educational institutions up to class 12 for two days. SC paves way for Centre to regulate ads of tobacco products Jul 22,  5:15 PM The Supreme Court today paved the way for the Centre to enforce rules on advertisement of tobacco products at their sale outlets that prohibits display of ads larger than 60 centi meters by 45 centi meters at shops. A bench headed by justice G S Singhvi quashed the interim order of Bombay High Court staying Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Rules, 2004, also known as Point of Sale rules, for regulating the advertisements at shops selling tobacco products. The bench also expressed serious concern over how the Centre handled the case in the High Court which had in 2005 stayed the implementation of the rules. It said that High Court had passed the order without considering its consequences. It also raised question on Centre's motive for not taking steps to get the order vacated. Police file charge sheet in 2000 cricket match fixing scandal Jul 22,  6:22 PM The Delhi Police today filed a charge sheet in a 13 year old match fixing scandal involving Hansie Cronje that rocked the cricket world. In the chargesheet filed in a Delhi Court, the police named as accused the former South African captain Hansie Cronje, who was killed in a plane crash in 2002 and five others, including Krishan Kumar- brother of T-Series founder Gulshan Kumar. Police has named Cronje in column 2 of the charge sheet, which lists the accused who are dead or against whom proceedings are abated. The charge sheet was filed before link magistrate Akash Jain as Chief Metropolitan Magistrate , CMM Amit Bansal was on leave. The 90-page charge sheet will come up for consideration tomorrow before CMM Bansal. London-based bookie Sanjeev Chawla, bookie Manmohan Khattar, T-Series owner Gulshan Kumar's brother Krishan Kumar, Delhi-based bookie Rajesh Kalra and Sunil Dara alias Bittoo have also been named as accused. No other cricketer has been named in the charge sheet. According to police sources, the charge sheet is mostly based on King's Commission report, confession of Hansie Cronje and telephonic intercepts. They said Chawla and Khattar are hiding in UK and US respectively. Police will issue red corner notices against them and begin the process of their extradition after filing the charge sheet. In April 2000, Crime Branch of Delhi Police had stumbled upon the match fixing scandal while intercepting calls of a London-based bookie. India achieves record production of pulses in 2012-13 Jul 22,  5:8 PM The country has achieved a record production of 18.45 million tonnes of pulses in the 2012-13 crop year ended June. This augurs well for the country which is dependent on imports to meet the shortfall of around 3 to 4 million tonnnes. Higher support price prompted farmers to grow pulses. According to the 4th advance estimates released today, overall foodgrain production is projected at 255.36 million tonnes, which is lower than the record 259.29 million tonnes achieved in the previous crop year. In foodgrains category, rice production has been revised upward to 104.4 million tonnes from 104.22 million tonnes and coarse cereals to 40.06 million tonnes from 39.52 million tonnes in the third estimates. However, wheat output has been revised downward to 92.46 million tonnes from 93.62 million tonnes. Oilseeds production is estimated at around 31 million tonnes, which is also higher by over one million tonne. Sugarcane production is estimated at 338.96 million tonnes, which is lower by about 22.5 million tonnes as compared to sweetner produced last year.