News

Country will be “ruined” if Modi comes to power: Mamata

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today unleashed a torrent of vitriol against Narendra Modi, saying the country will be “ruined” and plunge into darkness if he comes to power, a day after a furious Trinamool Congress slammed him as “Butcher of Gujarat”,

The no-holds barred attack against the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate came even as the ruling TMC demanded a public apology from him for doubting the integrity of Banerjee over the sale of her paintings and also complained to the Election Commission against him.

BJP opposed to reservation for Dalit community: Mayawati

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BSP supremo Mayawati today hit out at the BJP alleging that the saffron party opposed the Mandal Commission recommendations for the uplift and reservations for Dalits.

“BJP hates Dalits and backwards. When recommendations of Mandal commission were being implemented in the country at that time BJP opposed it,” she alleged while addressing an election rally in support of party candidate Lalji Verma.

EC issues notice to Marandi

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The Election Commission Monday issued a notice to former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi for seeking support from pastors and priests for the general election.

The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik chief was issued the notice based on a report by the chief electoral officer of the state.

Priyanka’s attacks have unnerved Modi: Congress leaders

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Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s pointed campaign against Narendra Modi has unnerved the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, energised Congress workers and created a resonance among people that will benefit the party, Congress leaders said Monday.

Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party were “scurrying for cover” due to the reasonance of the political campaign and energy being generated by Priyanka Gandhi in Rae Bareli and Amethi.

He said the message was spreading as the electronic media was taking it to people across the country.

Now Cong releases CD against Modi

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The war of CDs hotted up with Congress today releasing one purportedly showing Narendra Modi in pictures with one Afroz Fatta arrested in connection with a Rs,1000 crore hawala racket and dared the BJP PM candidate to submit himself to an independent probe.

Claiming Fatta to be a “well known BJP supporter and a protege of Modi”, party spokesman Randeep Surjewala told reporters that he was arrested by the Enforcement Direcotrate of Ahmedabad and Surat which unearthed a major hawala racket after carrying out a raid at his residence.

We do not need gyan on development from Modi: Mamata

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Rebutting the accusation by Narendra Modi that she had done more damage to West Bengal in 35-month of rule than the Left Front in 35 years, Mamata Banerjee today said that she did not need ‘gyan’ from him on development.

“If he comes to power, India will plunge into darkness. We do not need gyan (lecture) on development from the architect of riots,” Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress supremo, said on Twitter.

Heaping scorn on the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate, Banerjee said “The man who is being projected as PM candidate, if he comes to power, India will be ruined.

Six killed in China tourist spot blast

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At least six people were killed Monday in an explosion in northeast China, officials said.

The blast took place at 2 p.m. at a tourist destination in the city of Fushun as two workers were making fireworks, Xinhua reported.

The two workers and four passers-by were killed on the spot in the “Liaoshen Campaign” zone, according to the city’s publicity office.

The “Liaoshen Campaign”, an abbreviation of Liaoning-Shenyang Campaign, was one of the three major campaigns launched by the People’s Liberation Army towards the end of the Chinese civil war.

Polls: Over 20,000 security men deployed in Hyderabad, Secunderabad

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Over 20,000 security personnel will be deployed in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad to maintain law and order and for peaceful conduct of the first phase of Assembly and Lok Sabha polls to be held on April 30.

“In the first phase, two parliamentary seats (of Hyderabad and Secunderabad) and fifteen Assembly constituencies will go to polls on April 30 in Hyderabad city and all security arrangements have been made to maintain law and order and for smooth conduct of polls,” city Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma told reporters here today.

Sharif lauds ISI amid controversy over attack on Hamid Mir

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Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today praised the ISI for “ensuring protection and defence of the country” amid a raging controversy over the recent assassination attempt on senior TV anchor Hamid Mir.

Presiding over a high-level meeting here, Sharif said that all institutions will continue to work in synergy for the protection of public.

“Prime Minister lauded the role and efforts of ISI in ensuring the protection and defence of the country,” an official statement said.

US imposes new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine

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The White House announced fresh sanctions Monday against Russia, targeting seven government officials and 17 companies.

These people, among them two from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, and entities were hit with visa ban and asset freeze in response to what the White House called Moscow’s “continued illegal intervention in Ukraine and provocative acts”.

The Obama administration also took steps against high technology exports to the Russian defence industry, Xinhua cited White House spokesman Jay Carney as saying in a statement.

UN human rights chief to visit South Sudan

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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay will visit South Sudan from Monday to Tuesday to discuss the worsening human rights situation in the war-torn country.

Pillay’s office said in a statement Monday that she plans to meet South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, senior government officials as well as key actors such as the National Human Rights Commission, Xinhua reported.

Approach bar councils if lawyers violate professional ethics: SC

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The Supreme Court Monday said that it had no powers to prevent a lawyer, the child of a sitting judge from practicing in a court where their parent is dispensing justice as it was for the bar councils and not courts to proceed against the lawyers who don’t adhere to professional ethics.

“If any member of the bar who is not following the professional ethics, be it a son of a judge, file a complaint before the bar council. There can’t be a judicial order,” said a bench of Chief Justice R.M.Lodha, Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph.

Syria ‘still holds 7.5 pc of chemical weapons’: OPCW head

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Syria still holds about 7.5 percent of its 1,300-tonne stockpile at one of its sites, the head of the task force in charge of eliminating the chemical weapons has said.

The comments from Envoy Sigrid Kaag came as Syria appeared to miss a Sunday deadline to remove its arsenal from the country.

Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile is scheduled to be destroyed by 30 June.

According to the BBC, Kaag said that the biggest bulk of the chemical weapons material is removed, but not yet destroyed.

She added that there was still some chemical weapons material at one site.

Congress questions Modi’s no-show at Golden Temple

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BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi took time out to address five rallies across Punjab Friday but could not spare time to offer prayers at the holiest of Sikh shrines, Harmandar Sahib, the Congress said.

Claiming that “Narendra Modi was alien to the idea of India and not at all secular”, Congress candidate from Amritsar Amarinder Singh Monday questioned Modi and the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine on why he skipped going to the Golden Temple complex.

Modi did not go to the Sikh shrine, which is visited by millions annually, during his visit here.

Indian expat’s body identified two months after his death

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The body of an Indian expatriate in Oman, who died two months ago following a severe chest pain, has been identified by his friend, media reported Monday.

The repatriation of the body of Vadakkath Appu Rajendran, a native of Thrissur in the south Indian state of Kerala, who died in Oman’s Sohar port city Feb 26 this year, was delayed due to absence of identification documents, the Muscat Daily reported Monday.

Rajendran’s friend Chavakkad Kunhan Suresh, also from Kerala, identified the body and submitted an undertaking in this regard to the Indian embassy.

40 held captive in eastern Ukraine town

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Around 40 people have been held captive in Ukraine’s eastern town of Sloviansk, where pro-Russia protestors seized government buildings, authorities said Monday.

According to Maryna Ostapenko, spokesperson of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), the activists who have captured the people, have not put forward any demand to release the hostages, Xinhua reported.

Ostapenko said Russian Special Forces “might be involved” in the kidnapping of European military observers in the eastern city of Sloviansk.

Five killed in house fire in Britain

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At least five people of Asian origin, including three children, were killed in a house fire in Britain’s Sheffield city Monday.

The fire department confirmed that two women and three “young” children died, the Guardian reported.

Shabbina Begum, their 54-year-old grandmother, and Anum Parwaiz Kayani, 20-year-old aunt, died while trying to rescue the trapped children.

The mother of the three children, however, escaped the blaze. The children’s father was on night duty at work when the incident happened.

Police have not yet been able to ascertain the cause of the fire.
(IANS)

Statehood issue, personal attacks mark Telangana poll campaign

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A bitter campaign for the April 30 elections to 17 Lok Sabha and 119 Assembly seats in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh came to an end on Monday.

While Telangana (statehood) remained the main campaign theme of all parties, vitriolic personal attacks against rivals by some leaders marked the electioneering in the region that will soon become a new state.

‘Renewable energy could address India’s energy needs’

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Harnessing of renewable energy like wind, solar and biomass could address India’s energy needs, a senior Indian official averred here Monday.

Speaking at a National Conference on “Nano Technology and Renewable Energy”, organised by Jamia Millia Islamia, Dr. Alok Shrivastava, additional secretary in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, emphasised that the field of renewable energy, which has witnessed rapid growth in the last few years, could offer a solution to India’s energy security needs.

Campaigning ends in Telangana

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Campaigning ended Monday evening for first phase of simultaneous elections to Andhra Pradesh assembly and Lok Sabha.

Elections to 119 assembly and 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in all 10 districts of Telangana will be held Wednesday.

About 28.16 million voters are eligible to cast their votes to decide the political fortunes of 265 candidates who are in fray for Lok Sabha polls and 1,669 candidates in assembly constituencies.

On the last day, the leaders of major parties criss-crossed the region in a last minute bid to woo the voters.

Anti-dalit comments: Raut demands Ramdev’s arrest

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Maharashtra EGS Minister Nitin Raut today demanded immediate arrest of Yoga guru Ramdev for his alleged “anti-dalit” and “anti-women” remarks and wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee, seeking his intervention.

“Spontaneous protests were taking place in various parts of the country as dalit sentiments have been hurt. Police cases have been filed against Ramdev in Nagpur as well,” said Raut, a dalit leader from Nagpur, while addressing a press conference here.

Campaigning ends for LS, Assembly polls in Telangana

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Campaigning by political parties came to an end today in Telangana, where 2.82 crore electorate are eligible to exercise their franchise on April 30.

Chief Electoral officer Bhanwarlal said as many as 1.40 lakh police personnel, including 162 companies of central security forces, will be deployed to oversee security arrangements on the polling day.

Simultaneous polling for 119 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha constituencies will be held in over 30,000 polling stations, he said at a press conference.

Pharrell Williams keen to start store for hats

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Singer Pharrell Williams definitely has a thing for hats and wants his own concept store with an entire floor dedicated to them.

The “Happy” hitmaker has considered opening a fashion emporium dedicated to hats in Miami, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“A concept store like (Paris’) Colette in Miami could be cool. I don’t know what the best location would be. Perhaps Lincoln Road or even Bayside. Inside, you’d find lots of products imported from Europe as well as my own collections. I would have a whole floor dedicated to hats and caps, I can’t get enough of them,” said Williams.

MH370 may not be found on ocean surface: Abbott

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Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott today said it was now “highly unlikely” that any debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane will be found on the ocean surface, as he announced a more intensive underwater search expanding to new areas that may take up to eight months.

Describing the hunt as “probably the most difficult search in human history”, Abbott said the search for the missing flight MH370 will be entering a new phase that will use private contractors and may cost about USD 60 million.