News

Passenger train derails, all safe

by

Mahabubnagar, August 12: Commuters on board the Guntur bound Secunderabad-Guntur Passenger had a miraculous escape when the train’s engine derailed early on Thursday morning.

According to railway officials, the incident took place near the Jedcharla railway station, even as the train was slowing down to pull into the platform.

The railway officials immediately rushed to the spot to ensure that the passengers were safe and no further damage is done by the derailment.

PC passes buck on cases against students to state govt

by

New Delhi, August 12: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday clarified that he was could not withdraw cases registered against students during the widespread agitations over the separate Telangana issue, since the matter rested with the state government.

Mr Chidambaram however assured a delegation of Congress Members of Parliament from Telangana region who had met him on Thursday that he would write to the state government on the issue.

CM indisposed, advised bed rest

by

Hyderabad, August 12: Doctors treating Chief Minister K Rosaiah for fever advised him bed rest for two days on Thursday.

The doctors said that Mr Rosaiah’s health condition is stable and there is no cause for worry.

Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, Health Minister Danam Nagender and Mayor Karthika Reddy visited Mr Rosaiah at his residence and inquired about his health.

All official engagements for Wednesday and Thursday were cancelled following the doctor’s advice.
–INN

Hari forefront in backstabbers list: Jeevan Reddy

by

Hyderabad, August 12: Former Congress minister Jeevan Reddy on Thursday stated that Telugu Desam Party Rajya Sabha Member Nandamuri Harikrishna was forefront in backstabbing the Telugu Desam Party during the tenure of former chief minister N T Rama Rao.

Talking to media persons on Assembly premises, Mr Jeevan Reddy stated that, during the tenure of NT Rama Rao, hi son-in-law N Chandrababu Naidu and son Harikrishna hatched a conspiracy to dislodge the TDP founder from the chief minister’s post.

Malaysian state launches Islamic currency

by

Kuala Lumpur, August 12: A Malaysian state on Thursday launched the Islamic dinar and dirham as an alternative currency, allowing the golden and silver coins to be used as legal tender alongside conventional banknotes.

Authorities in northern Kelantan state, which is ruled by the Islamic opposition party PAS, said the Islamic currencies would be used in many shops in the state in addition to the national currency, the ringgit.

BSP leader Iliyas Azmi expelled from party

by

Lucknow, August 12: Former MP and BSP leader Iliyas Azmi has been expelled from the party for his alleged involvement in anti-party activities, party activists said today.

Azmi, who contested last Lok Sabha elections on BSP ticket from Lakhimpur, was expelled from BSP as he indulged in anti-party activities, a party spokesman said, adding the BSP also took the decision after the former MP was defeated in the elections.

The party took the step after reports came that Azmi had announced to quit BSP in Lakhimpur yesterday.
–PTI

Preparations for Haj pilgrims on smooth track: Krishna

by

New Delhi, August 12: Preparations for the Haj pilgrimage are on fast track and nearly 80,000 accommodations have already been secured, the government said Thursday.

“A senior level officer of the external affairs ministry is in Saudi Arabia to look after the preparations,” External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna informed the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour.

The minister said nearly 160,000 pilgrims will go for Haj this year.

CWG: Onus on Kalmadi, says Congress

by

New Delhi, August 12: Beleaguered Commonwealth Games chief Suresh Kalmadi was in graver trouble on Thursday after the Congress party distanced itself from the mess by putting the onus on the IOA chief to clear his name.

Brushing off any responsibility over the corruption in the Commonwealth Games, the Congress party said, “Kalmadi is not a representative of Congress on CWG panel. The OC must respond to CAG report,” adding that it has ‘nothing to do with the politics of sports’.

Bus rams into roadside store 4 injured

by

Hyderabad, August 12: Four persons, including a woman, were injured when a bus rammed into a stationery store at a crowded place here today apparently after its brakes failed, police said. The incident took place in the posh Banjara Hills area at around 2.30 pm when the Road Transport Corporation (RTC) bus was on its away to Ranigunj depot from Nandinagar.

Govt surprised over UK scientists linking bug to India

by

New Delhi, August 12: Government today expressed surprise at scientists in the United Kingdom linking a new superbug resistant to antibiotics to India and said that it was drafting a reply to an alert issued by Britain in this regard.

Govt for transparency in pvt operators role in Haj pilgrimage

by

New Delhi, August 12: Greater transparency will be ensured in the role of private operators involved in Haj pilgrimage, considering that several petitions related to them are pending in courts, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today said. “Private tour operators have been involved in Haj pilgrimage.

We cannot overnight wish them away. We will have to bring them on board and ensure greater transparency, as around 28 petitions are pending in various high courts,” he told Rajya Sabha during Question Hour.

Chidambaram opposed to inquiry into Azad killing

by

New Delhi, August 12: Home Minister P. Chidambaram made it clear that he was opposed to the demand for an inquiry into the encounter killing of Maoist leader ‘Azad’.

“Please tell me under which law the Centre should initiate inquiry into the encounter killing of Maoist leader ‘Azad’, I am asking my non-lawyer friend Yashwant Sinha,” Chidambaram said, replying to a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Bhopal gas tragedy.

Guj HC transfers Ishrat case to SIT

by

New Delhi, August 12: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday ordered the transfer of Ishrat Jahan encounter case probe to Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by former CBI director RK Raghavan.

The division bench of Justice Jayant Patel and Justice Abhilasha Kumari, while transferring the case to SIT, also dismissed a petition filed by Ishrat’s mother Shamima Kausar’s seeking the transfer of the case to CBI.

The court further directed the state government to issue notifications to the concerned officials to facilitate the SIT investigation into the case.

Crime In Hyderabad (12.8.2010)

by

Gambling den raided at Jubilee Hills

Hyderabad, August 12 (Siasat News): Jubilee Hills police conducted a raid on a gambling den situated and arrested 20 gamblers and seized lakhs of rupees.

According to the police, it was revealed that a gambling den namely Elite Club was illegally conducting gambling activities in the club premises.

Hence the raid was conducted and all were arrested who were present at that time. Further investigations are on.

World’s biggest clock begins ticking in Mecca

by

Jeddah, August 12: A giant clock on a skyscraper in Islam’s holiest city Mecca began ticking on Wednesday at the start of the fasting month of Ramadan, amid hopes by Saudi Arabia it will become the Muslim world’s official timekeeper.

The Mecca Clock, which Riyadh says is the world’s largest, has four faces measuring 43 metres in diameter.

It sits 400 metres up what will be the world’s second-tallest skyscraper and largest hotel, overlooking the city’s Holy Grand Mosque, which Muslims around the world turn to five times a day for prayer.

Pleasant morning in Delhi

by

New Delhi, August 12: Delhiites started their day with a pleasant but cloudy morning on Thursday even as overnight rains drenched the capital and led to massive traffic snarls in the city.

The capital received 20.6 mm of showers for a period of 24 hours ending late night on Wednesday.
The city received a total of 363.2 mm of rain since July five when the south-west monsoon hit the capital.

Last evening’s heavy rains had led to massive water logging at various places. The rains also claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy who was electrocuted in New Friends Colony.

Threat of drought in West Bengal

by

West Bengal, August 12: With uneven monsoon and variation in day temperature the threat of drought is alarming across eight south districts of West Bengal that have recorded 31 percent deficient rainfall till first week of this month.

State agriculture minister Naren De told media that the state government will wait and watch till August 15 before declaring the affected areas.
He said that 50 percent deficient rainfall causes a near drought condition and has put a question mark on paddy and agricultural production.

Osama bin Laden’s cook sent to 14 years in prison

by

Washington, August 12: A Sudanese man accused of being Osama bin Laden’s cook and driver and helping the Al Qaeda mastermind avoid capture has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi, 50, pleaded guilty in July to two charges for his support to the Al Qaeda and for conspiring to plan terror acts from August 1996 till his capture in December 2001, Xinhua reported.

A military commission at the US Naval station in Guantanamo Bay gave the sentence, according to which Qosi agreed to a prison term that would be kept secret till the Pentagon reviews it.

Lok Sabha adjourned over Caste Census

by

New Delhi, August 12: The Lok Sabha on Thursday was adjourned till 12 pm after the ruckus created over the caste census at the biometric stage.

The Group of Ministers, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee cleared caste-based census, which will be done from December 2010 onwards.

The Political parties like the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Janata Dal-United have been demanding the inclusion of caste in the census.

The main opposition party Bharatiya Janata Party has been in favour of caste based census.

—Agencies

US discussing Visa fee hike

by

Washington, August 12: The United States Administration on Wednesday began talking to the lawmakers, business and within the government on the issue issue of increasing the visa fees for highly skilled professionals.

“This is an issue that we’ve had conversations with leaders on the Hill about,” State Department spokesman Phillip J Crowley told reporters Wednesday when asked to comment on similar bills passed by both chambers of Congress.

135 Americans affected in Leh: US

by

Washinton, August 12: The Obama Administration on Friday said that about 135 US nationals have been affected by the flash floods in Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, though no deaths have been reported so far in this disaster.

“I think we’re aware right now of about 135 US citizens affected by the floods. We have no reports of deaths or injuries,” State Department spokesman P J Crowley said.

Vice-principal booked for molestation

by

Hyderabad, August 12: A vice-principal of a private school at Chandanagar locality here was booked by police on the charge of molesting the mother of a student, police said today.

The incident occurred in a classroom in the premises of the Thayal Grammar High School yesterday when the school’s vice-principal Lateef-ur-Rahman, allegedly asked the 30-year old woman to have sex with him and bolted the door from inside, when the woman was at the school to attend the Parents Day meeting, they said

Address root cause to change Pakistan’s India focus: Former ISI chief

by

Washington, August 12: A former Pakistani spymaster credited with helping create the Afghan Taliban says Pakistan’s India focus would not change unless what he called the “root cause” of “Indian state terrorism in Kashmir” was addressed.

“It is for two reasons this kind of terrorism which is going on in Pakistan,” Hamid Gul, former director of Pakistani spy agency ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), said on CNN ‘Connect the World’ programme when asked why the Pakistani military admittedly remains India-centric.

Reject aid from West: Taliban

by

Islamabad, August 12: The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan on Wednesday have urged the Pakistan government to reject Western aid for flood victims, saying it would only be siphoned off by corrupt officials. The call came as the US on Tuesday stepped up aid for victims of the floods that have killed more than 1,600 people, forced 2 million from their homes and disrupted the lives of close to 14 million people in the country.

Pak to get another USD 16.25 mln from US as flood aid

by

Washington, August 12: The United States has announced another USD 16.25 million in aid for flood relief work in Pakistan, thus totalling more than USD 71 million in less than a week while more is on its way.

On Tuesday, Washington had announced USD 20 million for the humanitarian effort to help more than 14 million people affected by the devastating flood in Pakistan — the worst in more than eight decades.