Coal scam: CBI names Congress MP Naveen Jindal, former minister Dasari Narayan Rao
New Delhi: In
new cases filed today in the coal scam, Congress MP Naveen Jindal and
former Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao have been named as
accused by the CBI. The FIR or case against Mr Jindal says his company Jindal Steel and Power misrepresented crucial information to land valuable coal fields from the government. Sources in the CBI allege that Mr Jindal's firm provided kickbacks to Mr Rao in exchange for coal licenses.
Mr Jindal's home and offices were raided this morning by the CBI.The developments are embarrassing for Mr Jindal's party, which has been scalded heavily by "Coal-Gate."
The CBI has said that coal licenses between 2004 and 2009 were assigned by a committee that did not conduct adequate background checks on firms and made allocations without transparency.
For some of the years under scrutiny, the Prime Minister held direct charge of the Coal Ministry, which has led to the opposition demanding his resignation.
Mr Jindal has in the past denied allegations of wrong doing. The FIR against his company lists cheating and conspiracy as charges.
In March last year, a report by the government's auditor criticised the allocation of 155 coalfields to about 100 private and some state-run firm.The Indian subsidiary of ArcelorMittal and steel makers Tata and Jindal Steel and Power, are among the companies named in the report.
In May, the CBI's investigation had serious repercussions for the government. Ashwani Kumar was forced to quit as Law Minister after allegations that he had tried to alter the contents of a report that the CBI had prepared for the Supreme Court with an update on its inquiry.
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BJP's parliamentary board rejects LK Advani's resignation
New Delhi: LK Advani, senior BJP leader, has refused to reconsider his resignation from party posts a day after he was over-ruled and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was chosen to head the party's campaign in elections due next year. (Full coverage)
The top decision-making of the BJP, its parliamentary board, decided "unanimously" this evening to reject the stalwart's resignation.
In a show of unity, senior party leaders like Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj stood with party chief Rajnath Singh as he announced,"I will not accept his resignation in any form" and stressed the party "needs him and his guidance more today than ever before." Sources say that despite the overtures to Mr Advani, it will not reconsider Mr Modi's elevation to the chief of the BJP's election campaign committee, a move reportedly driven by the party's powerful ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh or RSS.
The top decision-making of the BJP, its parliamentary board, decided "unanimously" this evening to reject the stalwart's resignation.
In a show of unity, senior party leaders like Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj stood with party chief Rajnath Singh as he announced,"I will not accept his resignation in any form" and stressed the party "needs him and his guidance more today than ever before." Sources say that despite the overtures to Mr Advani, it will not reconsider Mr Modi's elevation to the chief of the BJP's election campaign committee, a move reportedly driven by the party's powerful ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh or RSS.
Mr Modi, who is a member of the parliamentary board, did not fly to Delhi to attend today's meeting. He tweeted that in a phone call, he had urged Mr Advani to withdraw his resignation. He also posted that he will "stand by whatever decision the Board takes."
Mr Advani has resigned as a member of the BJP's parliamentary board, its national executive and its election committee. To an array of leaders who visited him today and exhorted a reversal, he reportedly said that "Mr Modi is not the right leader for India."
In a resignation letter he released to the media, despite an appeal for confidentiality from the BJP president, Mr Advani offers a dark assessment of the party he helped found in 1980. "Most leaders of ours are now concerned just with their personal agendas," he writes. (Read the full letter)
Mr Advani is allegedly hurt by this weekend's protests outside his home by a mob that shouted slogans in support of the Gujarat Chief Minister. He is also upset that the RSS, ordered the announcement of Mr Modi's promotion at a BJP conference in Goa though Mr Advani was missing.
French Open: All that you need to know before Nadal vs Ferrer final
Penpix of Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer who will contest the French Open men's final at Roland Garros on Sunday:RAFAEL NADAL (ESP)
World ranking: 4
Age: 27
Birthdate: June 3, 1986
Birthplace: Manacor, Mallorca, Spain
Residence: Manacor, Mallorca, Spain
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
Weight: 188 lbs (85 kg)
Plays: Left-handed
Turned Pro: 2001
Coach: Toni Nadal
Website: www.rafaelnadal.com
Twitter: @RafaelNadal
Career singles titles: 56
Grand Slam singles titles: 11 (Australian Open 2009; French Open 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012; Wimbledon 2008, 2010; US Open 2010)
Career prize money: $53,801,264
Best French Open result: Champion (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012)
- No man has ever won eight singles titles at the same Grand Slam event and Nadal, with a 19-4 record over Ferrer, is the overwhelming favourite. Took his record in Paris to 58 wins from 59 matches with his epic five-set triumph over Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
DAVID FERRER (ESP)World ranking: 5
Age: 31
Birthdate: April 2, 1982
Birthplace: Javea, Spain
Residence: Valencia, Spain
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
Weight: 160 lbs (73 kg)
Plays: Right-handed
Turned pro: 2000
Coach: Javier Piles
Website: www.davidferrer.com
Twitter: @DavidFerrer87
Career singles titles: 20
Grand Slam singles titles: 0
Career prize money: $18,544,109
Best French Open result: Final (2013)
- In another era, Ferrer, nicknamed 'The Bulldozer', probably would have earned a respectable haul of major titles. Has reached his first Grand Slam final at the 42nd attempt and has reached the final without dropping a set.
Head-to-head record for Sunday's French Open men's final (year, tournament, surface, round, winner, score; x denotes seeded player):
Rafael Nadal (ESP x3) v David Ferrer (ESP x4)
Nadal leads 19-4
2013 Rome Clay QF Nadal 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
2013 Madrid Clay QF Nadal 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-0
2013 Acapulco Clay F Nadal 6-0, 6-2
2012 French Open Clay SF Nadal 6-2, 6-2, 6-1
2012 Rome Clay SF Nadal 7-6 (8/6), 6-0
2012 Barcelona Clay F Nadal 7-6 (7/1), 7-5
2011 Barcelona Clay F Nadal 6-2, 6-4
2011 Monte Carlo Clay F Nadal 6-4, 7-5
2011 Australian Open Hard QF Ferrer 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
2010 Rome Clay F Nadal 7-5, 6-2
2010 Monte Carlo Clay SF Nadal 6-2, 6-3
2010 Miami Hard R16 Nadal 7-6 (7/5), 6-4
2009 Montréal Hard R32 Nadal 4-3 - retired
2009 Barcelona Clay F Nadal 6-2, 7-5
2008 Barcelona Clay F Nadal 6-1, 4-6, 6-1
2008 Monte Carlo Clay QF Nadal 6-1, 7-5
2007 Shanghai Hard RR Ferrer 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
2007 US Open Hard R16 Ferrer 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2
2007 Barcelona Clay SF Nadal 7-5, 6-1
2005 French Open Clay QF Nadal 7-5, 6-2, 6-0
2005 Rome Clay SF Nadal 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
2005 Miami Hard SF Nadal 6-4, 6-3
2004 Stuttgart Clay QF Ferrer 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 7-5
Paths to Sunday's French Open men's singles final (x denotes seeded player):
Rafael Nadal (ESP x3) v David Ferrer (ESP x4)
Nadal
1st rd: bt Daniel Brands (GER) 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-3
2nd rd: bt Martin Klizan (AUT) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
3rd rd: bt Fabio Fognini (ITA x27) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-4
4th rd: bt Kei Nishikori (JPN x13) 6-4, 6-1, 6-3
QF: bt Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x9) 6-2, 6-3, 6-1
SF: bt Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 9-7
Ferrer
1st rd: bt Marinko Matosevic (AUS) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
2nd rd: bt Albert Montanes (ESP) 6-2, 6-1, 6-3
3rd rd: bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-1, 7-5, 6-4
4th rd: bt Kevin Anderson (RSA x23) 6-3, 6-1, 6-1
QF: bt Tommy Robredo (ESP x32) 6-2, 6-1, 6-1
SF: bt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x6) 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2
I don't want the guys to change their way of playing, says George Bailey
Birmingham, United Kingdom: 
Stand-in captain George Bailey urged Australia to remain true to themselves despite a defeat by England that dented their hopes of retaining the Champions Trophy.
In what could be the first of 26 Anglo-Australian clashes across all formats between now and February 2, England beat their arch-rivals by 48 runs to win Saturday's Group A opener at Edgbaston.
Australia, still without injured captain Michael Clarke due to a recurrence of the star batsman's longstanding back problem, were set 270 to win after England's Ian Bell made 91 on his Warwickshire home ground.
But their batsmen struggled against disciplined bowling led by James Anderson (three for 30), who in the course of the innings became England's outright most successful one-day international bowler, surpassing the record of 234 wickets he'd shared with Darren Gough.
Openers David Warner (nine) and Shane Watson (24) both fell cheaply, to seamers Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan respectively.
And for all that Bailey and James Faulkner made fifties, Australia were rarely in the hunt before finishing on 221 for nine.
Bailey though urged his openers not to curb their attacking instincts.
"The one thing I don't want to see and the one thing we're certainly pushing for is for guys not to change the way they play," Bailey said.
"I want to see David Warner going after balls. I want to see him crashing the ball everywhere. I want to see Watto doing the same thing. And that is the way we've got to keep playing.
"That's why we've picked guys, and that is the challenge, while all that other stuff is going on around you, to make sure that you stick to your own game plan and to find a way to make it work," Bailey, added.
Bailey, Australia's Twenty20 captain, said they knew what was coming from England's seam attack -- they just weren't able to do much about it on Saturday.
"There was nothing that they bowled today that we weren't expecting. They just executed very, very well."
While Australia's seamers rarely got the ball off straight, it didn't take long for England's pacemen to utilise reverse-swing.
"It was good skill that," admitted Bailey. "Once they started reversing, they could hit a good length throughout the entire innings."
Meanwhile there were few crumbs of comfort for Australia fans hoping for Clarke's return in time for Australia's next match against New Zealand, who first play Sri Lanka in Cardiff on Sunday.
"I know he's desperate to get back," said Bailey. "But chatting to him yesterday (Friday) he felt like progress has been pretty slow.
"I know all the talk is 'save yourself for the Ashes', but every time I talk to him he's desperate to get out here, get some training under his belt and then play."
As to whether Ashes-holders England had laid down a 'marker' ahead of next month's first Test in Nottingham, Bailey said it was too soon to tell.
"It's England versus Australia. It's a huge rivalry. Every game means something. But it's not a marker, or it might be, but we can only say that in hindsight, I reckon."
Bell, whose innings was the cornerstone of England's 269 for six, was also keen to limit the context of the result, saying: "The important thing was to win, it doesn't matter who we were playing."
Stand-in captain George Bailey urged Australia to remain true to themselves despite a defeat by England that dented their hopes of retaining the Champions Trophy.In what could be the first of 26 Anglo-Australian clashes across all formats between now and February 2, England beat their arch-rivals by 48 runs to win Saturday's Group A opener at Edgbaston.
Australia, still without injured captain Michael Clarke due to a recurrence of the star batsman's longstanding back problem, were set 270 to win after England's Ian Bell made 91 on his Warwickshire home ground.
But their batsmen struggled against disciplined bowling led by James Anderson (three for 30), who in the course of the innings became England's outright most successful one-day international bowler, surpassing the record of 234 wickets he'd shared with Darren Gough.
Openers David Warner (nine) and Shane Watson (24) both fell cheaply, to seamers Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan respectively.
And for all that Bailey and James Faulkner made fifties, Australia were rarely in the hunt before finishing on 221 for nine.
Bailey though urged his openers not to curb their attacking instincts.
"The one thing I don't want to see and the one thing we're certainly pushing for is for guys not to change the way they play," Bailey said.
"I want to see David Warner going after balls. I want to see him crashing the ball everywhere. I want to see Watto doing the same thing. And that is the way we've got to keep playing.
"That's why we've picked guys, and that is the challenge, while all that other stuff is going on around you, to make sure that you stick to your own game plan and to find a way to make it work," Bailey, added.
Bailey, Australia's Twenty20 captain, said they knew what was coming from England's seam attack -- they just weren't able to do much about it on Saturday.
"There was nothing that they bowled today that we weren't expecting. They just executed very, very well."
While Australia's seamers rarely got the ball off straight, it didn't take long for England's pacemen to utilise reverse-swing.
"It was good skill that," admitted Bailey. "Once they started reversing, they could hit a good length throughout the entire innings."
Meanwhile there were few crumbs of comfort for Australia fans hoping for Clarke's return in time for Australia's next match against New Zealand, who first play Sri Lanka in Cardiff on Sunday.
"I know he's desperate to get back," said Bailey. "But chatting to him yesterday (Friday) he felt like progress has been pretty slow.
"I know all the talk is 'save yourself for the Ashes', but every time I talk to him he's desperate to get out here, get some training under his belt and then play."
As to whether Ashes-holders England had laid down a 'marker' ahead of next month's first Test in Nottingham, Bailey said it was too soon to tell.
"It's England versus Australia. It's a huge rivalry. Every game means something. But it's not a marker, or it might be, but we can only say that in hindsight, I reckon."
Bell, whose innings was the cornerstone of England's 269 for six, was also keen to limit the context of the result, saying: "The important thing was to win, it doesn't matter who we were playing."
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Champions Trophy 2013: New Zealand bowl out Sri Lanka for 138
Sri Lanka were shot out for 138 by New Zealand after electing to bat first in a Champions Trophy group A match in Cardiff on Sunday.
Scorecard | Schedule | Stats | Points Table | Teams and Squads
Left-arm seamer Mitchell McClenaghan claimed four wickets. Kumar Sangakkara top-scored for Sri Lanka with 68.
Left-arm seamer Mitchell McClenaghan claimed four wickets. Kumar Sangakkara top-scored for Sri Lanka with 68.
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IPL should not be scrapped: Ashanta de Mel
The spot-fixing and betting scandal in Indian Premier League matches is unfortunate but IPL should not be scrapped, former Sri Lanka fast bowler Ashanta De Mel said.De Mel, who played 17 Tests and 57 ODIs besides serving in the Sri Lankan Cricket Board, said IPL has its positives.
"It provided opportunity to the young cricketers to showcase their talent. It also enabled youngsters and promising players to learn and gain experience by playing alongside top players in the game," he said.
De Mel, who is an avid bridge player and represented Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Games in the card game, is here participating at the ongoing Bridge Federation of Asia and Middle East (BFAME) Championship.
"IPL should not be stopped. But at the same time, cricket authorities here should find ways and take proper action to eliminate spot fixing and betting," he said.
Asked whether BCCI President N Srinivasan should have resigned following the spot-fixing scandal, de Mel said, "I don't want to make any comment as the inquiry is going on now".
To a question whether Sri Lankan cricket had any incidence of spot-fixing, he said, "In Sri Lanka, we don't have involvement of this kind of money, so chances are very less."
De Mel, who was also a national selector, said young cricketers should first earn experience in the longer version of the game before playing in T20 cricket and IPL.
Regarding his taking up the card game, De Mel said he inherited the passion from his father Robert De Mel who also represented Sri Lanka in international tournaments adding "it stimulates my mind to a great extent".
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Sreesanth's arrest painful for fans in Kerala, says Shashi Tharoor
Minister of state for HRD Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said the arrest of Kerala pacer S Sreesanth for alleged spot fixing is "very painful" for cricket fans in the state.Asked if it was fair for Delhi police to have invoked stringent provisions of MCOCA against Sreesanth and 24 others, Tharoor said, "It was for the court to decide on it."
"The enthusiasm of young fans should not wane due to the IPL episode," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Kohli.
Tharoor said 18-year-old Sanju Samson from Kerala, who played for Rajasthan Royals this year had become a star and added that Kerala has become a serious cricketing state. The IPL episode should not be a 'setback' for cricket, he said.
Sreesanth and his Rajasthan Royals teammates Ankit Chavan and Chandila were arrested in Mumbai by Delhi police on May 16 for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing in IPL matches for payments upto Rs 60 lakh for giving away pre-determined number of runs in an over.
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