News

An award-winning Indian writer has been receiving threatening calls for criticising India”s PM-elect Narendra Modi.

A few months ago, UR Ananthamurthy had said that he would leave the country if Modi became India’s PM. The Kannada language writer told the BBC that he made the anti-Modi comments out of frustration, which he later retracted. After Modi’s landslide victory in the election results, a Hindu hardline group, which calls itself NaMo Brigade, said Ananthamurthy should go to Pakistan.

South Asia is the worst region in the world when it comes to corruption, a new report has found. Transparency International found serious problems with anti-corruption efforts in Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Aam Aadmi Party has decided to launch a public awareness campaign against former BJP president Nitin Gadkari for his alleged involvement in land scams following the arrest of its chief Arvind Kejriwal,

“AAP will launch a public awareness campaign to remind the people about the involvement of former BJP President Nitin Gadkari in mega land scams and his attempts to provide favours to private companies in Maharashtra.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has resigned from the Chairpersonship of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.

She also quit from the membership of the government’s National Committee on the Commemoration of the 125th birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, AICC sources said.

This Committee was chaired by outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

A National Committee was constituted under the Chairmanship of Singh to consider policies and lay down guidelines for commemoration events.

–PTI

Accusing Aam Aadmi Party of resorting to “theatrics” to “mislead” people, Congress today questioned why party leader Yogendra Yadav furnished a personal bond of Rs 5,000 when Arvind Kejriwal had refused to do so in a criminal defamation case.

Calling Kejriwal’s refusal to furnish a bail bond to avoid arrest as a “pure drama”, DPCC Chief spokesperson Mukesh Sharma said the AAP leader was trying to get people’s sympathy by preferring to go to jail but it did not work.

An experimental delivery of pizzas using a remote-controlled drone to a customer in a skyscraper here has raised security concerns, with Mumbai police and civil aviation authorities seeking explanation from the company.

Mumbai police officials have decided to seek explanation from the company, Francesco’s Pizzeria in south Mumbai, while Air Traffic Control (ATC) officials said norms stipulate taking permission prior to flying any object in the sky.

The Delhi High Court has imposed a fine of Rs. 2 lakh on the Delhi government for “showing insensitivity” in sensitising people and creating mass awareness about laws dealing with sexual offences and punishments for them.

A division bench of Justice Kailash Gambhir and Justice Sunita Gupta expressed displeasure at the conduct of the Delhi government as no counsel appeared to represent it and for showing apathy towards an issue of public importance concerning the welfare of women and children.

The bench asked the government to deposit Rs. 2 lakh with the Nirbhaya Fund within a week.

A wreath-laying ceremony was Thursday held in Pune to honour a soldier killed while fighting terrorists on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir May 18, an army official said.

Sepoy Bhikale Uttam Balu of the Maratha Light Infantry was killed near the LoC in Nathua Tibba area of Akhnoor sector in Jammu district.

A ceremony was held in Pune, Maharashtra, Thursday where homage was paid to the mortal remains of the soldier, defence spokesman Col. Manish Mehta told IANS in Jammu.

Captain Dharam Pal Singh, father of former Delhi minister Manish Sisodia, died after a heart attack at Hapur in Uttar Pradesh, the Aam Aadmi Party leader said. He was 86.

“He died at 5 a.m. today (Thursday). He had a heart attack,” Sisodia told IANS.

“He was fit. He used to go on walks and meet people” he said.
(IANS)

The Delhi High Court Thursday disposed of a plea filed against the erstwhile Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government’s decision to give 50 percent waiver on pending power bills of 24,036 consumers.

The consumers had stopped payment of their dues during their Aam Aadmi Party’s “bijli satyagraha”, from October 2012 to December 2013.