Complete Gulberg trial in three months: SC

The Supreme Court on granted a three-month extension to an Ahmedabad court to complete trial proceedings in the Gulberg Society massacre, one of the nine cases connected to the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

The hearing in the case, which dealt with a mob attack at the Gulberg housing society at Chamanpura in Ahmedabad on February 22, 2002, in which 71 persons, including former parliamentarian Ehsan Jafri, were killed, was by a Bench led by Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu.

The Bench further declined a plea by the accused for bail on the ground that the trial is dragging on.

In a November hearing, the Bench had observed how “people are languishing in jail for over 10 years.”

The case had lumbered on through periodic retirements of trial judges, procedural delays and a flurry of complaints filed by victims against the conduct of the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The case has a total of 73 accused and 580 witnesses. Five of the accused continue to remain in jail, after being denied bail.

Since the Supreme Court started monitoring the nine riots-related cases after a petition from the National Human Rights Commission, the Gulberg case has had a chequered history.

In 2012, the SIT had given a clean chit to then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on a complaint by Mr. Jafri's widow, Zakia, in the case.

International meet on ‘zero hunger’ opens tomorrow

A three-day international conference on achieving “zero hunger” would deliberate on the challenges to improve small holder income and productivity will begin here on 7^th August.

The conference on “Science, Technology and Public Policy for achieving the Zero Hunger challenge,’ organised by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in collaboration with ICRISAT, Harvest Plus and BISA will bring together farmers, scientists, experts and policy makers to evolve strategies for harnessing science, technology and public policies towards ending hunger.

“There is a growing commitment of the international community towards small and marginal farmers,” Ajay Parida, excutive director, MSSRF said on Wednesday. The conference would help also suggest collective action towards ending malnutrition and will deliberate on challenges in addressing different types of hunger such as calorie hunger and protein hunger.

14 months on, nominated Anglo-Indian Lok Sabha member Richard Hay sworn in

After an unprecedented wait of more than 14 months, the Anglo-Indian community got a representative in the 16th Lok Sabha on Wednesday when a former Professor from Kerala, Richard Hay, took oath on Wednesday morning. The second member nominated from the community, actor George Baker from West Bengal, is yet to take oath.

The two nominations were finalised late last month after the All-India Anglo-Indian Association and the Federation of Anglo-Indian Associations in India made several representations about the “disturbing’’ delay in doing so in accordance with Article 331 of the Constitution. Community leaders maintained that in all previous Lok Sabhas, even when the NDA was in power previously, the nominations were made soon after a new government was voted in. In its reminders to the Prime Minister, the community had expressed concern at the delay on two counts. First, the four-lakh-strong Anglo-Indian community had been unrepresented for four sessions, including the Budget Session. And, second, the community lost out an entire year’s allocation of MP’s Local Area Development Scheme. The federation, in one representation, said the delay had “forced’’ the community to believe that “this is yet another cruelty shown by the NDA govt. towards a minority community.”

Since the association has long been identified with the Congress, it had given a written assurance that if one of its nominees was selected, the person would vote for the government in a no-confidence motion. In the case of Mr. Baker, he is with the BJP and was a party candidate for the LS polls from Bengal.

Japan marks 70th anniversary of Hiroshima atomic bombing

Tens of thousands of attendants stood for a minute of silence at 8-30 a.m. at the ceremony in Hiroshima’s peace park near the epicentre of the 1945 attack, marking the moment of the atomic blast. Then dozens of doves were released as a symbol of peace.

The U.S. bomb, “Little Boy,” the first one used at war, killed 140,000 people, and a second bomb “Fat Man,” dropped over Nagasaki three days later, killed another 70,000, prompting Japan’s surrender in World War II.

Hunt wins world high diving championship

Gary Hunt of Britain swept to victory in the final of the high diving at the world championships on Wednesday.

Going into the last round with a 33-point lead, Hunt was desperate to avoid a repeat of the 2013 worlds, where he blew a 38-point advantage to lose by less than a point.

Wild Warriors shoots down Fire Birds, claims title

Wild Warriors beat Fire Birds 3-0 to emerge champion in the inaugural edition of the Badminton Premier League here on Wednesday.

Warriors’s Satwik and Sai Tanuj beat Arun Vishnu and Lokesh 11-15, 15-13, 11-8 in the opening men’s doubles match of the tie.

Sai Tanuj’s height enabled him to fire low smashes from the mid and backcourt while he constantly dealt with net-kills at the forecourt.

He also served up delicate and deceptive shots, and constantly kept encouraging his junior partner.

In the men’s singles match that followed, Shubankar Dey dismissed Rohit Yadav in straight games 15-8, 15-7 that put Warriors ahead with a lead of 2-0 that cornered Fire Birds into a do-or-die battle in the mixed doubles clash.

Alwin Francis and Prajakta Sawant beat Arun Vishnu and Aparna Balan 15-14, 14-15, 11-9 in a match that ebbed and flowed its way to a thrilling finish.

After pipped in the first game, Arun and Aparna showed nerves of desperation and appeared to be going down with the score in the second game reading 3-8.