Kabul, September 19: The number of violent incidents during Afghanistan’s parliamentary vote was higher than during last year’s presidential poll but significantly fewer were killed and injured, NATO said today.
A total of 485 violent incidents took place yesterday, when Afghans went to the polls beneath a shadow of Taliban threats to attack polling stations, election workers, security forces and any civilians who dared to vote.
New Delhi, September 19: Home Minister P Chidambaram today visited the LNJP Hospital in the city, where two Taiwanese men who were injured in a firing incident near Jama Masjid, are admitted.
Chidambaram enquired about their health conditions and also talked to senior official and medical professionals present there. He did not speak to the media.
Two men on a motorcycle earlier fired several rounds on a tourist vehicle near the historic Jama Masjid in the walled city, injuring the two Taiwanese nationals.
–Agencies
Berlin, September 19: German Foreign Minister and Deputy Chancellor Guido Westerwelle has married his long time gay partner at a secret registry office wedding in Bonn.
48-year-old Westerwelle and businessman Michael Mronz entered the wedlock on Friday when Bonn’s Mayor Juergen Nymptsch personally performed the ceremony as the registrar, local media reports said.
New Delhi, September 19: A red alert has been sounded in the capital following a shooting incident at the capital’s Jama Masjid in which two Taiwanese were wounded.
“A red alert has been sounded and we are conducting checks at various points,” Delhi Police Joint Commissioner Karnail Singh told reporters. He said the police were confident of nabbing the culprits soon.
According to Delhi Police, security has been increased in sensitive areas and suspicious vehicles are being checked.
Srikakulam, September 19: A married woman was gang-raped in Kotturu village in this district on Sunday.
According to the information, three persons waylaid the woman and raped her. Following a complaint from the victim, the police plunged into action and arrested all the three accused. She was sent to the government general hospital for medical examination and treatment. (NSS)
London, September 19: Rattled by the match-fixing allegations against Pakistani cricketers, the South African team is reportedly reluctant to play against them in a series in Abu Dhabi and Dubai next month.
According to a newspaper report, senior South African cricketers are considering making themselves unavailable for the series. The Proteas are due to play five ODIs, three Tests a couple of Twenty20s against Pakistan next month.
“To say we are reluctant is an understatement,” one senior player told the newspaper.
New Delhi, September 19: Two gunmen on a motorcycle opened random fire at one of the entrances to the Jama Masjid here Sunday, leaving two Taiwanese tourists wounded and sparking panic, police said. A man has been detained by the police in connection with the shooting.
The attackers fired at least 10 rounds at a group of tourists alighting from a luxury bus outside the mammoth 16th-century red sandstone mosque in the old quarters of the city.
Machlipatnam, September 19: Four days after he was kidnapped and Rs four lakh were demanded as ransom, the body of an eight-year-old boy was found near a culvert at Musunur village in Krishna district, police said today.
Three persons, Rajesh, Sadhik, Nagaraju have been arrested in this connection, SP Hari Kumar said.
Rahul, son of an autodriver Suresh Kollipara, was kidnapped on September 14 from Nuzivudu in the district.
Suresh lodged a complaint with Nuzivudu One town police station on September 15, Kumar said.
Hyderabad, September 19: Andhra Pradesh is again witnessing protests and counter-protests over the demand for separate statehood to Telangana with a students’ body calling for demonstrations in universities in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions from Sep 21.
The Samaikhya Andhra students’ Joint Action Committee (JAC), which is opposed to the demand for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, has called for protests to counter “increasing attacks by Telangana activists”.
Hyderabad, September 19: A hospital is where surgeries are done on patients. But how about doing a major surgery to a hospital itself to resuscitate it? This precisely is on the agenda of the state government in regard to the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), once prestigious but now afflicted with multiple disorders.
Chief Minister K Rosaiah has constituted a three-member panel to find a director for the institute as the term of the incumbent expires this month-end.
Khammam, September 19: Some treasure hunters attempted to sacrifice a 9-year-old tribal girl at Prammalakunta village in Penuballi mandal to appease the gods. Malothu Nagakalyani and her father Rekhya were taken to Bommanapalli forest by Banothu Ramu, Bhaskar and a few others of Vachya Thanda in Kallur mandal yesterday. After entering the forest, the treasure hunters asked the girl to wear a sari and mangalasutram.
Later, they took the girl deep into the forest chanting mantras for a hidden treasure. The girl fell unconscious after walking a long distance in the forest.
Kadapa, September 19: Congress activists organised a rally from the municipal corporation office to the superintendent of police bungalow here today protesting against filing of a cheating case against mayor P Ravindranath Reddy. They alleged that some political leaders were trying to gain political mileage by defaming the mayor on the fertiliser issue in a planned manner. They appealed to superintendent of police Tarun Joshi to withdraw the “false” cases against the mayor.
CPI activists stage dharna for arrest of Ravindranath
Kadapa, September 19: Alleging negligence by policymakers in allocating funds for the development of the new universities in the state, the All-India Students Federation has called for ‘universities bandh’ in the state on September 24.
Disclosing this to mediapersons here today, AISF state general secretary Lenin Babu said the government had started new universities in the state to encourage higher education but forgot to sufficiently fund them.
Nellore, September 19: An 18-year-old girl, who was raped by an auto driver yesterday, committed suicide by setting herself ablaze this morning at Villipuram village near Sullurpet.
According to the police, K Malleswari (18) who was working as a sales girl in a textile showroom in Sullurpet was abducted by the auto driver yesterday when she was on her way to a Gurukula pathasala in the town to meet her friend.
The driver took Malleswari to a secluded place and outraged her modesty.
Nuzvid, September 19: The two-day kidnap drama of a 9-year-old boy ended on a tragic note today as the kidnappers murdered him.
Giving the kidnap case details, district superintendent of police P Harikumar said K Rahul, son of Kollipara Suresh and Lakshmi of Ramayammaraopeta, was a third standard student of John Karena Public School.
Hyderabad, September 19: Congress leaders from Rayalaseema and Andhra regions seem to be divided on the issue of ‘threats’ being issued to Semmandhra people living in the state capital.
A delegation of party MLAs and MLCs from the two regions, led by government whip S Sailajanath, today submitted a memorandum to director-general of police K Aravinda Rao requesting him to take stringent action against those who disregarded the Constitution and law in the name of seeking statehood to Telangana.
Hyderabad, September 19: The week-long agitation by Telangana advocates ended on Saturday evening with the state government and the agitators coming to an understanding to resolve the issues in three weeks.
The group of ministers (GoM) entrusted with the responsibility of finding a solution to the problem succeeded in convincing the agitators to end their stir while it examines the issues raised by them.
Hyderabad, September 19: In a move to modernise its observation network, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has replaced its old and conventional weather radar with the advanced Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) at its Begumpet unit in the city. The state-of-the-art S-band DWR is capable of weather surveillance up to 500 km around Hyderabad.
Inaugurating the new radar today, chief minister K Rosaiah said the DWR is useful in weather forecast, cyclone warnings, flood meteorological forecast and also helps in safe navigation of aircraft and ships.
Hyderabad, September 19: An IPS officer’s book, purporting to blow the whistle on the rot in the police system, is adding worry lines to the faces of the state’s top cops.
The book, written by Vinoy Kumar Singh, IGP of Vizag range, is said to contain explosive stuff on the rot in the police system and exposes how police officers become successful by playing the system and good cops get sent to the boondocks.
Hyderabad, September 19: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) senior leader T Devender Goud called upon party cadre to retaliate against the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) which has been attacking TDP workers.
Addressing TDP Ranga Reddy district meeting at NTR Bhavan here today, Goud said the TDP was committed to the cause of Telangana. He alleged that TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao had been targeting the TDP as the TRS had a nexus with the ruling Congress. It was the Congress which was in a position to deliver separate Telangana. But Rao was sparing Congress and targeting the TDP, Goud said.
Hyderabad, September 19: High Court justice CV Nagarjuna Reddy, who put in his papers on Thursday, peeved over the protest by Telangana lawyers in his court hall, has withdrawn the resignation.
Justice Reddy’s decision came in the wake of yet another long meeting he had with Chief Justice Nissar Ahmed Kakru on Saturday when the latter impressed upon his colleague not to press his resignation.
New Delhi, September 19: The Indian Mujahideen threatened to unleash violence during the Commonwealth Games in a statement issued Sunday soon after a terror attack at the Jama Masjid injured two foreigners.
While making no direct reference to the Jama Masjid shooting blamed on two men on a motorcycle who escaped, a statement by the outlawed group denounced the killings of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir and pledged to hit at the Commonwealth Games starting here Oct 3.
Hyderabad, September 19: The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) today directed the director general of police (DGP) K Aravinda Rao to submit a report on the alleged misbehaviour of Kushaiguda inspector T Manohar Reddy with an ABVP woman activist.
Reacting to a petition filed by the victim along with the members of the ABVP, the SHRC directed that the DGP should submit the report by September 27.
Mumbai, September 19: Following the firing incident near the historic Jama Masjid in Delhi this afternoon, the city has been put on high alert, police said.
“After the Delhi incident, even Mumbai has been put on high alert. All policemen have been asked to remain alert and increase searches,” city commissioner of police Sanjeev Dayal told PTI.
Two men on a motorbike fired several rounds on a tourist vehicle near Jama Masjid in Delhi, injuring two Taiwanese nationals.
A red alert has been sounded across the capital after the incident.
New Delhi, September 19: To greet or not to greet non-Congress leaders is Sonia Gandhi’s new dilemma. The moment the powerful Congress president dials their number – however innocuous the reason – it sparks frenzied media speculation!