New Delhi: Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai, who demits office on Wednesday, will be remembered for turning the statutory body into a pugnacious watchdog of good governance and administrative integrity at a time when India is experiencing the need for greater transparency and a rebalancing of power that has tilted over the years towards the executive.
Rai's five-year tenure (2008-2013) has been a tad controversial because of the unprecedented public profile the CAG's office - which the average Indian knew little about previously - acquired and the political storms it generated, with many of the audit reports proving troublesome for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
The CAG's reports on the 2010 Commonwealth Games and allocation of licenses for 2G telecom spectrum and coal mining blocks have severely dented the UPA government's image and provided ammunition to the opposition. There have been also suggestions of the CAG has exceeded its brief.
"Nobody in the political class, except for saying that I have political aspirations or that I am looking for a post-retirement career in politics, has actually made any substantive criticism of my work...Saying that I want a political career is an easy allegation to make," Rai said in an interview. ...
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12:45 PM, May 21, 2013
New Delhi: Modifying a trial court order, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday said the Investigating Officer and the Public Prosecutor can interview the prosecution witnesses "before hand" in the Commonwealth Games-related graft case involving sacked Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi. Justice Kailash Gambhir said, "The order is modified to the extent that the duo can interview the prosecution witnesses before hand." The court modified the trial court's March 14...
03:16 PM, May 14, 2013
New Delhi: Achantha Sharath Kamal and Mouma Das suffered contrasting semifinal defeats in their respective singles as India rounded up its Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships campaign without a single gold medal, here on Friday. At least six of the eight semifinals, including doubles, featured host players but none of them could make the summit clash as India bagged nine medals, including two silvers. The most disappointing result for the hosts...
06:01 PM, May 10, 2013
New Delhi: Soumyajit Ghosh and Mouma Das secured a silver in the mixed doubles at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships here Thursday, a day on which India made sure of at least six other medals. India's top player Sharath Kamal assured himself of a medal after edging past old Singapore rival Yang Zi 11-3, 11-7, 9-11, 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9 for a place in the semi-finals. Losing semifinalists across categories...
08:27 PM, May 09, 2013
New Delhi: Indian men suffered a 0-3 thrashing at the hands of a much superior Singapore as the hosts settled for a silver medal in the team event at the 19th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships here on Wednesday. The Indian paddlers displayed flashes of brilliance to create some excitement among the home supporters at the Thyagaraj Stadium here but the difference in class between the two teams proved decisive at...
08:45 PM, May 08, 2013
New Delhi: Indian men paddlers entered the finals of the team championship event after beating England, while the women went down fighting against the same opponents in their semi-final encounter at the 19th Commonwealth Championship here Tuesday. Even as men prevailed 3-2, the women's team lost 2-3 to settle for a bronze medal. Indian men will now take on mighty Singapore, who defeated Malaysia 3-0, in the finals Wednesday. The...
06:15 PM, May 07, 2013
London: For the first time in 40 years, Queen Elizabeth II will skip the Commonwealth summit to be held in Sri Lanka in November, deciding to send her son Prince Charles instead for the biennial event. 87-year-old Queen will miss the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) for the first time since 1973, Buckingham Palace announced on Tuesday. "I can confirm that the Queen will be represented by the Prince...
04:15 PM, May 07, 2013
New Delhi: Indian paddlers continued to impress as both men's and women's teams assured themselves of at least two bronze medals by progressing to the semi-finals of the 19th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, here on Monday. Both teams have common rival in England in their respective semi-finals, to be played on Tuesday. Men paddlers topped their group by winning all the three matches while women finished second behind Singapore. Women...
10:16 PM, May 06, 2013
New Delhi: Indian women paddlers put up a brave fight before going down 1-3 to Singapore in a league match of the second stage at the 19th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, here on Monday. However, India made a positive start to their campaign overwhelming Scotland 3-0 in the opening match of the day. The eves will now take on Wales to seal a spot in the last four round. Against...
07:20 PM, May 06, 2013
New Delhi: Indian paddlers made a fine start at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships topping their respective groups in Stage I on Sunday. The men's team, led by Sharath Kamal, first saw off Australia 3-1 and then blanked South Africa in Group B matches played at the Thyagaraj Stadium. The women too had it easy in Group C, beating Sri Lanka and Canada with an identical 3-0 margin. They got...
08:54 AM, May 06, 2013
Washington: US President Barack Obama on Tuesday defended the FBI on its investigations related to the suspected Chechen-origin Boston bombers, even as he praised Russia for its co-operation in the probe into the attacks. "I think that all our law enforcement officials performed in an exemplary fashion after the bombing had taken place. We should be very proud of their work, as obviously we're proud of the people of Boston,...
03:26 AM, May 01, 2013
Washington: Boston Marathon bombing suspects were trained in carrying out the attack, top US lawmakers claimed on Sunday and said that it is too early to arrive at the conclusion that there is no foreign connection to this act of terror. Congressman Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev had help, considering the device's level of sophistication and the type of...
10:44 PM, Apr 28, 2013
Boston: An Indian-American orthopaedic surgeon, who participated the ill-fated Boston Marathon, emerged as a 'hero' by providing first aid to victims after the twin bombings ripped through a cheering crowd, killed three people and injured over 180 others. Dr Vivek Shah, who works at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston, was about to cross the finish line when he was put to the ultimate test. Shah and his running mates...
02:56 AM, Apr 19, 2013
London: Britain's most successful Olympian Chris Hoy is to retire from track cycling having exhausted "every last ounce of effort and energy", the six-time Games gold medal winner said on Thursday. Hoy, 37, has decided against competing in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in his native Scotland. "I am officially announcing my retirement. It was not a decision I took easily or lightly, but I know it's the right...
04:49 PM, Apr 18, 2013
Mumbai: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Maharashtra Legislature has indicted former Indian Olympic Association president (IOA) Suresh Kalmadi for irregularities in organising the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008 at Pune and asked the state government to file a criminal case against him. The PAC report, which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, also asked the government to submit an action taken report (ATR) to the committee within...
05:51 PM, Apr 17, 2013
In a major terror strike on the United States of America, three explosions rocked Boston on Monday, killing three people and injuring at least 140 others. ...
11:38 PM, Apr 16, 2013
Here is a list of some of the worst bombings in the US dating to the 1800s, including some famous attempts that failed: - April 15, 2013: Two bombs explode in the packed streets near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing two people and injuring more than 80. - January 17, 2011: A backpack bomb is placed along a Martin Luther King Day parade route in Spokane, Wash.,...
05:37 AM, Apr 16, 2013
Chicago: Google is stepping in to help family and friends of Boston Marathon runners find their loved ones after explosions near the finish line. The site, called Google Person Finder, allows users to enter the name of a person they're looking for or enter information about someone who is there. Cellphone use has been difficult in the Boston area. Phone companies say service is operating, but with heavy traffic. Far-flung...
04:49 AM, Apr 16, 2013
Los Angeles: Police in Los Angeles, New York City, London and other cities worldwide stepped up security on Monday following explosions at the Boston Marathon. Los Angeles police Lt Andrew Neiman said the department was urging officers to be extra vigilant around large crowds and would increase security at sporting events such as the Los Angeles Dodgers game on Monday night. The department was also activating its emergency operations center...
04:47 AM, Apr 16, 2013
Washington: The White House does not yet know who planned and carried out explosions at the Boston marathon but is handling the incident as "an act of terror," a White House official said on Monday. "Any event with multiple explosive devices - as this appears to be - is clearly an act of terror, and will be approached as an act of terror," the official said. "However, we don't yet...
04:35 AM, Apr 16, 2013
