Banker-turned-politician Meera Sanyal no more

Mumbai: Banker-turned-politician Meera Sanyal died on Friday after a brief illness. Sanyal, 57, had joined the Aam Aadmi Party after quitting as the country chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, and contested the LS polls in 2014. Kochi-born Sanyal had also served as the head of corporate finance and chief operating officer for ABN Amro for Asia. PTI

Agusta accused Michel allowed consular access

New Delhi: An official from the UK High Commission in New Delhi has been granted consular access to British national Christian Michel, who extradited to India from the UAE in December 2018 in connection with the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal scam. TNS

Justices Maheshwari, Khanna recommended as SC judges

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the names of Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Delhi High Court judge Sanjiv Khanna for evevation as judges of the top court. The five-member Collegium took the decision on Thursday. TNS

India allows Pak to inspect Indus Basin, Chenab projects

New Delhi: India has given the green signal to Pakistan to visit the Indus Basin, including the Ratle, Lower Kalnai and Pakal Dul hydro projects, on the Chenab. An official said the tour was originally scheduled for October 2018 but was postponed because of local bodies elections in Jammu and Kashmir. TNS

‘Honour killing’: Weavers protest arrest of girl’s parents 

Patna: Thousands of weavers in Gaya on Friday went on strike protesting against the arrest of parents of a 16-year-old girl whose mutilated body was found a day earlier. The police suspect this to be a case of honour killing. Protesters alleged the police had deliberately ‘framed the girl’s parents’ who had already got registered a case of kidnapping, gang-rape and murder of their daughter on January 4. Gaya Weavers Association chief Gopal Patwa said: “Police have implicated innocent parents and family friends, instead of arresting the culprits. Our strike will continue till a CBI probe is ordered into the incident.” OC

Glut to shortage, tomato prices soar in M’rashtra

Mumbai: It took less than six weeks for tomatoes to disappear from vegetable markets across Mumbai and other cities with prices swinging from Rs 8 per kg to Rs 60 a kg. According to traders at the Agriculture and Produce Marketing Committee market at Navi Mumbai, poor rains in the latter part of monsoon resulted in lower crop production in and around Nashik. The buzz in the market is that tomato prices could surge to Rs 100 per kg in the coming weeks as supply is likely to fall further. TNS

BSF seizes Pakistani fishing boat in Kutch

Bhuj: The Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday seized a Pakistani fishing boat in the Indian territory at Vyanvari Creek in Kutch district near the Indo-Pak border, an official said. The fishermen on the boat fled to the Pakistani side after spotting BSF patrol boats, said officials. Given the sensitive nature of the area, even Indian fishermen are barred from catching fish in the creek. PTI

Loan default: Rotomac promoter granted bail    

Lucknow: The Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court on Friday granted eight-week bail to Rotomac Global promoter director Vikram Kothari in connection with alleged Rs 3,695-crore loan default case. The CBI had arrested Kothari in Delhi in February 2018. He is presently admitted to the SGPGI. PTI

CBI arrests EPFO officer on bribery charge    

New Delhi: The CBI arrested an enforcement officer of the EPFO in Vadodara on Friday for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from a builder, officials said. Enforcement Officer RK Tiwari apparently had demanded Rs 20 lakh from the builder in Vadodara for passing a favourable order in a case related to not depositing PF of his regular employees, a CBI spokesperson said. PTI