Adani’s Oz project faces another hurdle

Melbourne: The 21.5-billion dollar Australian rail and mine project of Indian energy giant Adani Mining faces another legal hurdle after a community group asked the Supreme Court to scrutinise the Queensland government's decision to approve the firm’s Abbot Point Terminal expansion. Whitsunday Residents Against Dumping, claiming to save the Great Barrier Reef, sought a hearing to determine whether the environment department properly considered legislative tests when approving the contentious port expansion. PTI

Prachanda cancels trip due to arrest fears      

Kathmandu: Nepal’s Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda has cancelled his visit to Australia, apparently due to fears he may be arrested for war crimes. An email circulated by the office of the New South Wales premier said Australian human rights activists had lodged complaints citing Prachanda's poor human rights record during the 1996-2006 Maoist insurgency which left thousands dead and many more missing and displaced. ians

Indian-Americans indicted in multi-million fraud        

Washington:  An Indian-American couple has been indicted in a multi-million financial fraud in the US and faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Pethinaidu Veluchamy, 70 and his 65-year-old wife Parameswari, who owned First Mutual Bancorp in Illinois, intentionally hid cash and assets from creditors after defaulting on $40 million in personal and corporate loans, according to the indictment. pti

Colombian President, rebels sign ceasefire      

Havana: An agreement aimed at ending more than five decades of conflict between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group was signed at a ceremony presided over by Cuban head of state Raul Castro. It requires FARC to lay down all of their weapons within 180 days of the conclusion of a final peace accord. The government and the FARC reached agreements on land reform, political participation, drugs and drug crop, and redress for the victims of the strife. IANS

Chicago University welcomes Rajan back         

Washington: Welcoming Raghuram Rajan back to academics, the University of Chicago has said the outgoing RBI Governor's experience will be of great benefit when he returns to research and teaching later this year. "We are eager to welcome Prof Rajan back to the Chicago Booth faculty," said University of Chicago Booth School of Business Dean Sunil Kumar. Last week, Rajan, 53, studied at IIT, Delhi then obtained an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad. He received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. pti