New Delhi, August 13: Taking on Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee for her purportedly pro-Maoist speech in Lalgarh in West Bengal, Pranab Mukherjee on Friday sought a written reply, asking her to explain her stand.
The Railway Minister has been asked to explain in detail what she said there and why. Mamata had called top ranking Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad’s encounter killing as “murder”.
Karachi, August 13: Pakistan cricket star Shahid Afridi today launched a campaign to help assist millions afflicted by devastating floods in his country`s worst-ever humanitarian disaster.
The 30-year-old all-rounder visited Nowshehra, one of the hardest-hit parts of the northwest, to take part in a flood-relief campaign and distribute funds he raised recently in the United Arab Emirates.
“I feel it is my duty to help my countrymen in time of need,” Afridi told AFP. “I raised a good amount in Dubai recently and this campaign will go on even in England early next month.”
Washington, August 13: In a fresh warning, the US has said it has “credible evidence” that terrorists may be planning terror attacks at places frequented by its citizens in India, Pakistan and Middle East and asked them to be alert and take precautionary measures.
In a “Worldwide Caution” issued on Thursday, the state department said it continues to receive information that terrorist groups in South and Central Asia, including in India and Pakistan, may be planning attacks in the region, possibly against US government facilities, citizens or its interests.
Islamabad, August 13: The World Bank has announced a grant of USD 900 million for relief and reconstruction work following the floods in Pakistan that have cost the nation around Rs 250 billion, a media report said on Friday.
Pakistan is grappling with its worst ever floods that have left over 1,600 people dead and affected over 14 million people. A report in the Dawn put the total economic loss due to floods at around Rs 250 billion.
Washington, August 13: The President of United States Barack Obama is all set to sign into law a legislation to secure the US-Mexico border with $600 million raised by hiking work visa fees.
“Today’s action by Congress answers my call to bolster the essential work of federal law enforcement officials and improve their ability to partner with state, local and tribal law enforcement” to stop the flow of undocumented immigrants, Obama said Thursday hours after the final passage of the bill.
New Delhi, August 13: The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) on Thursday refuted the charges made against it by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
The CAG, in its interim report blamed the CGF president, chief executive officer and the chairman of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) for dubious broadcast deals.
CGF chief executive Mike Hooper said: “I strongly refute any wrongdoing. It is for the Organising Committee (OC) to follow proper processes in accordance with Indian law. The OC has to decide who it will appoint in outsourced roles.”
Maharashtra, August 13: The Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan held a meeting on Thursday night of two ruling coalition partners for better coordination between them.
Apart from Chavan, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Manikrao Thakre and Mumbai unit chief Kripashankar Singh are members of the co-ordination committee.
The party is yet to announce two more names.
The 10 member committee was formed in the backdrop of differences between the two allies on various issues, including Chavan’s style of functioning.
New Delhi, August 13: Delhiites woke up with cloudy and humid morning on Friday.The Met officials are predicting rains in some pockets of the city later the day.
Delhi reported a minimum temperature of 27.4 degrees Celsius, a notch above the average for this time of the season. However, the maximum humidity was on the higher side at 92 percent and minimum was 54 percent.
The official said that the humidity levels will continue to remain high for some time. The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 32.5 degrees, a notch below average.
Srinagar, August 13: The security forces haveunearthed a militant hideout in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday night and recovered a hoard of arms and rifles.
The police and troops of 12Rashtriya Rifles launched a cordon and search operation in Taparwan Pogal area of Banihal tehsil and recovered arms and ammunition from a hideout last night. The police said that the militants were planning to carry out attacks on security forces.
An AK-56 rifle, one magazine, 75 AK rounds, 16 Pika rounds, two Chinese grenades and five UBGL grenades were recovered from the hideout.
Uttar Pradesh, August 13: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has rapped the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh for destruction of sports stadium at Gomati Nagar in Lucknow district of Uttar Pradesh for the expansion of a monument with statues of icons of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP).
The CAG report tabled before the state assembly on Thursday took serious note of the fact that the stadium and its adjoining research centre cum museum buildings were barely six-10 years old.
New Delhi, August 13: Pranab Mukherjee on Friday sought a written explanation from the Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee on her speech in Lalgarh in West Bengal.
In her speech in the Lalgarh valley, Mamata had termed the killing of top ranking Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad’s encounter as “murder”.
Even the Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday in Lok Sabha had slammed Banerjee for her controversial rally in Lalgarh. He said that no one should support Maoists and the Government will not encourage anybody who does so.
Pakistan, August 13: The World Bank on Thursday has granted $900 million for Pakistan flood relief and reconstruction work that have cost the nation around Rs.250 billion.
The flood in Pakistan have left over 1,600 people dead and affected over 14 million people. A report in the Dawn put the total economic loss due to floods at around Rs.250 billion.
The World Bank’s Pakistan Director Rachid Benmessaoud met with Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and announced a grant of $900 million for relief and reconstruction.
Srinagar, August 13: A youth on Friday was killed and two others were injured in fresh violence in Kashmir, when police fired at the stone-pelting mob in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The incident occurred in Trehgam when the protestors took out a procession at Kralpora-Trehgam,150 kms from Srinagar. The police first asked them to disperse but they denied.
They started pelting stones at the security forces, consequently, police had to fire at the furious mob in which a youth Muddasar Ahmed and two others were injured.
Mumbai, August 13: In a major reprieve, the Supreme Court on Friday provided major relief to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in connection with the 1984 anti-sikh riot case.
The apex court stayed the trial in lower court against Sajjan Kumar and ordered CBI to submit its report within two weeks.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had dismissed a petition, challenging the framing of charges against him by a trial court here in an anti-Sikh riot case of the Delhi Cantonment area.
New Delhi, August 13: Enhancing opportunities for education and equitable share in economic activities would be the focus of the prime minister’s new 15-point programme for minorities, parliament was told Thursday.
In a written reply to Ratna De (Trinamool Congress) and others in the Lok Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said employment through credit schemes and efforts to increase the representation of the minority members in government jobs and public sector units will be other major schemes.
Mumbai, August 13: No one can forget the supreme sacrifices of two brave NSG Commandos, Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan and Hav Gajender Singh who made the supreme sacrifice and laid down their lives valiantly fighting the terrorists during ‘Operation Black Tornado’ in Mumbai.
The brave commandos of country’s elite force ‘National Security Guard’ (NSG) accomplished the task assigned to it when Pakistani terrorists stormed into the Financial Capital of India on November 26, 2008.
Bhopal, August 13: Sixty-one Madhya Pradesh-bound trucks loaded with explosives and gelatin sticks worth Rs 1.30 crore have gone missing on its way to Sagar district in the state, police said today.
Sagar IG Anvesh Manglam told PTI that the trucks carrying around of 600 tonnes of explosives were sent from Rajasthan Explosives and Chemicals Limited (RECL) in Dholpur to a trading company in Sagar ”Ganesh Magazine”.
Tehran, August 13: A senior Iranian military official says the US knows well that Iran needs no nuclear weapons to defend itself against its enemies.
“The United States knows that we do not need nuclear weapons and they [US officials] try to create a phobia about the Muslim nations in the world by claiming that they are aggressive in order to make Americans follow their policies,” Brig. Gen. Hossein Hamedani said.
“The West and arrogant powers have definitely understood that nuclear weapons are futile against a united and resistant nation,” IRNA quoted Hamedani as saying on Thursday.
Washington, August 13: Whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks is preparing to release 15,000 more secret intelligence documents about the Afghan war, leading the Pentagon to warn that it has “already put far too many lives at risk”.
An estimated 92,000 secret US military records about the war in Afghanistan were leaked to the media by Wikileaks in July. Countries across the world are now pouring over the documents.
“We are about halfway through them,” WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was quoted as saying by the CNN. “This is a very expensive process.”
Dubai, August 13: Multilingual publications about Islam will be distributed to build a bridge between local people and Muslims from other countries settled in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) will distribute 20,000 packets containing booklets and CDs to public and private organisations in Dubai and an additional 30,000 booklets and 10,000 CDs in English and Urdu to non-Arabic speakers in the Emirates.
The programme will target public, non-profit, private organisations, hospitals, shopping malls, parks and sports clubs.
Washington, August 13: US police have arrested an Israeli man suspected of killing five people and wounding 13 others in three US states over three months.
Elias Abuelazam was seized at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport late Wednesday as he tried to board a flight to Tel Aviv, the Associated Press reported.
The 33-year-old man was charged Thursday in just one case out of Flint, Michigan, the city where most of the stabbings occurred.
Authorities said more charges are expected in Flint and in Ohio and Virginia.
New Delhi, August 13: Poonam Mahajan, the daughter of late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan, has been appointed a vice president of the party’s youth wing.
Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president Anurag Thakur Thursday appointed Mahajan as one of its vice president.
Kamlesh Paswan, a party MP from Bansgaon in Uttar Pradesh and Raghav Lakhanpal, an MLA from the state, have also been made vice presidents.
Poonam Mahajan had lost the last assembly polls in Maharashtra.
Hyderabad, NAugust 13: A UAE national suffering from a heart ailment collapsed at the check-in counter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad after a heated argument by the staff on the issue of excess baggage.
New Delhi, August 13: With Rajiv Gandhi under attack from Opposition in Bhopal gas leak case, government today put the onus of any wrong-doing on three Prime Ministers between 1989 and 1996 who included Congress leader P V Narasimha Rao.
Home Minister P Chidambaram, while replying to a debate in the Rajya Sabha on Bhopal gas tragedy, said the elected political class had let down victims of the 1984 disaster and things could have been dealt with in a more satisfactory manner.
Lucknow, August 13:) The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has rapped the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh for pulling down a sports stadium here to make room for the expansion of a monument with statues of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) icons.
The CAG report, tabled before the state assembly Thursday, took serious note of the fact that the stadium and its adjoining research centre-cum-museum buildings were barely six-10 years old. “It was absolutely illegal for the government to have blown off these buildings with dynamite,” the report observed.