NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

CORRUPTION IS THE CANCER WHICH WE ARE TRYING TO GET RID OF FOR LONG NOW BUT HAVE NOT SUCCEEDED. SETTING UP SPECIAL COURTS TO TRY NETAS AND CONVICTING THE LIKES OF MADHU KODA IS THE ONLY WAY OUT TO ENSURE A GRAFTFREE ENVIRONMENT.

MADHU KODA

Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda and excoal secretary H. C. Gupta were on Saturday sentenced to three years imprisonment by a special court in New Delhi in a case of coal block allocation scam. Besides the jail term, the special court also imposed a fine of ` 25 lakh on Koda and ` one lakh on Gupta.

ZAIRA WASIM

In a shocking experience on board an Air Vistara flight on Saturday left 17- year- old Zaira Wasim teary- eyed and compelled her to share the experience on the social media. On the flight from Delhi to Mumbai, a middle- aged man allegedly brushed his feet repeatedly against the actress’ back and neck. The Dangal actress did try to record the man’s actions, but could not to dim lights. She, however, clicked a few pictures. A Russian court on Friday sentenced former economy minister Alexei Ulyukayev to eight years in a penal colony on charges of taking a $ 2 million bribe from an ally of President Vladimir Putin. Ulyukayev is the highestranking official arrested in Putin’s 18 years in power. A Moscow court ruled he must also pay a fine of 130 million roubles ($ 2.2 million) for taking the bribe from Igor Sechin, head of the state oil giant Rosneft, in a sting operation.

THERESA MAY

British lawmakers delivered a blow to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plans on Wednesday by giving Parliament the final say on any exit agreement the government reaches with the European Union. The House of Commons voted 309- 305 to give lawmakers what is a veto on the terms of Brexit, a challenge to May’s fragile authority amid the already strained disentanglement process.

VANELLOPE HOPE

British officials say a baby born with an extremely rare condition has survived three surgeries to place her heart inside her chest. Glenfield Hospital in Leicester said on Wednesday that baby Vanellope Hope was born in late November with her heart growing on the outside of her body. The unusual condition is called ectopia cordis. It is rare for most babies born with this condition to survive. ALEXEI ULYUKAYEV