Even as the Central Bureau of Investigation has decided to send a team to Italy to gather details on the VVIP chopper scam, evidence regarding links with the Emaar-MGF is slowly coming to light, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
The Rs 1,700 crore contract is for 98 Blackshark heavyweight torpedoes for the navy's six Scorpene submarines. Ajai Shukla reports
Fourteen priests, including 'sevaks' (assistants), were injured in a fire that broke out in the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on Monday during 'bhasma aarti', an official said.
Cracking the whip, India on Friday initiated action to scrap the deal for purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters from Italian firm AgustaWestland in the wake of allegations that kickbacks to the tune of Rs 362 crore were paid to bag it.
In a script straight from a Bollywood thriller, a man accused of attempt to rape fled in a state helicopter used by the Chief Minister and other VVIPs after he conned the police in Rajouri by mingling with accident victims being airlifted to Jammu.
The ED also told the special court that Christian Michel had spoken about 'the son of the Italian lady' and how he is going to become the 'next prime minister of the country'.
Indian Air Force fighter planes will be on standby to keep a close watch on any suspicious activity in the Delhi sky, including UAVs or drones, as the national capital gets ready to host the G20 summit, a senior official from a department engaged in airport operations said.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday said India has sought details from the United Kingdom in connection with corruption allegations in the VVIP helicopter deal with Italy and "strong action" would be taken in case any foul play is detected in the procurement process.
Wedding preparations for Parineeti Chopra and AAP leader Raghav Chadha are in full swing.
Michel, who was extradited from Dubai recently, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on December 22 and sent to a seven-day custody of the agency over money-laundering charges in the scam by a court.
Facing the threat of cancellation of its Rs 3600-crore deal for VVIP choppers, AgustaWestland has asked the government to release its payments saying withholding it was a 'breach of contract'.
Former Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi, who faces an 'instant trial' in June over allegations of corruption in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal with India, was on Saturday released from jail.
There will be no separate samadhis for VVIPs in Delhi as the government on Thursday decided to have a common complex for memorials of departed national leaders like Presidents, vice presidents and prime ministers. The Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to set up 'Rashtriya Smriti' along the Yamuna river in central Delhi in view of the paucity of space as around 245 acres of prime land in the national capital has already been occupied by separate samadhis.
Though Antony did not name the IAF chief in his reply, former Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi's role in the deal is being inquired by the CBI. Tyagi's bank account was recently frozen by the investigative agency and he was also questioned by them.
Terming this occasion as special, CM Yogi said that liquor shops should be kept closed in the state on January 22.
Officials said Michel's driver, Narayan Bahadur, was questioned at length by ED sleuths in the last few days.
The Comptroller and Auditor General on Tuesday slammed the Defence Ministry and Air Force for "several instances" of deviation from rules in the procurement of VVIP choppers in the Rs 3,727 crore AgustaWestland deal.
Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma is scheduled to visit London on Saturday for the ADD on Monday there where the issue of payment of kickbacks to the tune of Rs 362 crore in the deal is expected to come up, defence ministry sources said in New Delhi.
A bomb disposal squad will sanitise the Islamabad Sports Complex every morning, and two escort vehicles will shadow the Indian Davis Cup team during its travel as part of multi-layer security arrangement, which is usually accorded to the Head of State, to ensure the visiting tennis players' safety and security.
The deal to procure 12 VVIP choppers for the IAF is under scanner as an American-Italian person is being investigated for allegedly paying kickbacks for securing the deal for Agusta Westland.
The ex-IAF chief was questioned in the same case by CBI for the last three days. This is the first time that the ex-Chief of Staff of the Indian Air Force has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate.
The Pakistan government on Thursday said former premier Nawaz Sharif along with his brother Shahbaz would be provided with VVIP-level security in view of "serious threats" to their lives, shortly after the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief accused the "high-ranking" officials of plotting to kill him.
Two Indian associates of alleged middleman Christian Michel James were on Saturday granted bail by a special court in a money laundering case relating to the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal.
The Pakistan government will provide the South Africans security cover, normally given to visiting statesmen.
A special court on Saturday issued fresh summons against three accused in a money laundering case related to the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal in which it had earlier issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against British national and alleged middleman Christian Michel James.
Enforcement Directorate has issued summons for appearance to Sanjeev Tyagi, cousin of former IAF chief S P Tyagi, in connection with its money laundering probe into the Rs 3,600 crore AgustWestland VVIP helicopter deal.
The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to give an urgent hearing to a public interest litigation seeking apex court-monitored probe by a special investigation team or central vigilance commission into the alleged kickbacks in the Rs 3600-crore VVIP chopper deal.
In a clear mockery of the sanctity of the press box, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to accommodate VVIPs inside enclosure reserved for the scribes at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai during next week's farewell 200th Test of senior player Sachin Tendulkar.
Officials said the agency has sought property details on ten serving and retired officials of the ministry of defence and the IAF.
Enforcement Directorate on Thursday questioned former Indian Air Force Air Marshal Gautam Nayyar in connection with its money laundering probe in the multi-crore AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal.
The latest gadget in the armour of Special Protection Group, the crack commando force that protects the Prime Minister and four other VVIPs, are electronic stunners that look just like an ordinary laptop.
Trudeau stayed at the Lalit Hotel in the national capital during his stay for the G20 Summit.
The defence ministry has handed over some documents received from an Italian court to the Central Bureau of Investigation to verify if there was any breach of contractual obligations by Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland in the Rs 3,600 crore deal for 12 helicopters, official sources said on Tuesday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday questioned West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan as a "witness" in connection with its probe into allegations of bribery in the Rs 3600-crore VVIP chopper deal with Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland.
India has been made a party in the VVIP chopper scam trial in Italy which is expected to begin in the third week of June. The Indian side is in the process of hiring a law firm there to present its case in the Italian trial procedures, government sources said.
Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer on Friday said it has signed an agreement with the Indian government for the sale of five 'Legacy' executive jets for VVIP use.
Conspicuous by their absence with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, her political secretary Ahmad Patel and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi, and Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
Delhi has been wrapped in a security blanket for Tuesday's 77th Independence Day celebrations, with more than 10,000 personnel manning the area in and around the Red Fort from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation, the police said.
The Enforcement Directorate has filed a fresh charge sheet, delving specifically into the role of British national and alleged middleman Christian Michel James and his few Indian associates, in connection with its money laundering probe in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal.
The West Bengal government has decided to upgrade the security cover of former Indian captain aSourav Ganguly to Z category
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