Daily wrap: MJ Akbar records statement; Fani kills 12 in Odisha

MJ Akbar records statement in court, gets cross examined

In a heated courtroom drama that lasted for almost two hours, former Union minister MJ Akbar on Saturday (May 4) recorded his statement and was cross examined in a defamation case filed by him against journalist Priya Ramani. Akbar, who appeared before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal, said the allegations made by Ramani were malafide and defamatory. Senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing for Ramani, cross examined Akbar on details regarding Ramani joining The Asian Age, among others.

Fani kills 14, injures 63 in Bangladesh; leaves 12 dead in Odisha

After wreaking havoc in Odisha on May 3, claiming 14 lives and injuring 63, severe cyclonic storm Fani barrelled into Bangladesh through West Bengal on Saturday (May 4). The cyclone, however, had minimum impact in West Bengal. According to IANS, it entered Bengal at 12.30 am through Odisha’s Balasore on Saturday and crossed Kharagpur with a wind speed of 70-90 kmph gustings. Trees got uprooted in places like West Midnapore’s Goaltore, Digha, Mandarmani and North 24 Paraganas district. Bangladesh authorities said more than 1.6 million people have been shifted to safer places as about 36 villages were flooded after the storm surge breached embankments in country’s coastal areas. Deaths were reported from eight districts including Noakhali, Bhola and Lakshmipur — the worst-hit by the cyclone, Dhaka Tribune reported.

SC’s Rafale verdict has no apparent error warranting its review: Centre

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that categorical and emphatic findings recorded by the top court in its December 14 last year verdict in the Rafale deal case has no apparent error warranting its review. It said the petitioners, in the garb of seeking review of the verdict and placing reliance on some press reports and some incomplete internal file notings procured unauthorisedly and illegally, cannot seek to re-open the whole matter since the scope of review petition is extremely limited. The Centre’s reply came on pleas filed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and activist-advocate Prashant Bhushan seeking review of the December 14 verdict by which their plea seeking probe into alleged irregularities in the multi-crore Rafale fighter jet deal was dismissed.

When Tendulkar got a shave from Neha and Jyoti

Sachin Tendulkar has many firsts to his credit but a “first shave” from female barbers Neha and Jyoti is something that he will possibly be proud of, having done his bit in breaking the gender stereotype prevalent in India. Hailing from the Banwari Tola village in Uttar Pradesh, Neha and Jyoti entered the profession, which till now has been strictly considered to be a male bastion. The two young women took over their father’s shop back in 2014, when he fell ill. It wasn’t an easy journey as they had to disguise themselves in order to get work as initially men would be reluctant to get a shave or a hair cut from a woman barber. It was the advertisement of their inspirational story that led to Tendulkar getting a shave from the two barbershop girls.

CSK will look to maintain pole position, KXIP to play for pride

Already assured of a playoff berth, table toppers Chennai Super Kings will aim to maintain their pole position with a victory over a struggling Kings XI Punjab in their last IPL group league encounter on Sunday (May 5). After a defeat against Mumbai Indians in an earlier match, Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK bounced back with a massive 80-run win over Delhi Capitals in their last game, to once again capture the No 1 spot. Heavy loss against Mumbai Indians saw their net run-rate falling and now with just a game left in the league stage, the defending champions need a win to maintain their dominance and cement their position at the top. With 18 points from 13 games, a win will give them 20 points, which is unlikely to be achieved by any other team.

Army is not Modi’s personal property; Rahul’s counter to BJP on nationalism

Taking the BJP’s nationalism narrative in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls head-on, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on April 4 said the Indian Army is not Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “personal property” and it should not be politicised as he also slammed the government on tackling terror, citing JeM chief Masood Azhar’s release during the NDA rule. Asserting that terrorism is a huge issue, Gandhi alleged that the BJP compromises on it, adding that the Congress will deal with it “more sternly” than Modi because it works with a strategy, rather than “events.” Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, he also hit out at the Prime Minister over his remarks that the Congress conducted surgical strikes only “on paper” and the leaders of the opposition party thought those were akin to video games.

Arsenal bid to reverse slump as Brighton fight for survival

Arsenal have one foot in the Europa League final but know they cannot afford the luxury of taking it easy in May 5’s match against struggling Brighton as they chase a Premier League top-four berth. They are two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with two matches remaining, the first at home to Brighton on April 5 and the second away to Burnley the following week. But they still have two chances to reach next season’s Champions League — by winning the Europa League or moving up a place from their current position of fifth in the Premier League.

Anger in TN over Central jobs going to outsiders

A petition at the Madras High Court asking for details of people from other states who got jobs in Railways in Tamil Nadu has raised the hackles in the state. Tamil nationalist and Dravidian outfits announced protests in various cities saying that Tamils are being discriminated against in central government jobs within Tamil Nadu. These protests gathered momentum on May 3, and the issue made its presence felt in social media. The hashtag #tamilnadujobsfortamils got some play on Twitter. In a state where politics has revolved around Tamil identity and a feeling persists that Tamils are being discriminated against and their language is not being given importance, reports of job losses have not gone down well.