Hyderabad, August 12: Director General of Police RR Girish Kumar on Wednesday cautioned his counterparts from the Southern States that Naxalites are trying to spread their presence all over the country.
London, August 12: As millions of Muslims around the world began observing the holy month of Ramadan today, modern technology has stepped in to help them through the 30 days of fasting.
Perhaps inevitably, applications for the iPhone and iPad are now available to provide inspiration, support and practical information during Ramadan, the dates of which are determined by the lunar calendar.
Hyderabad, August 12: Congress MLAs Srikanth Reddy and Adinarayana Reddy on Wednesday criticised party MLA DL Ravindra Reddy for raising sensitive issues before the media instead of the party fora.
Talking to media persons at the CLP office, the two leaders opined that it would have been better if Mr Ravindra Reddy had raised the issue of alleged irregularities in land allotment by the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation before the responsible party leaders instead of before the media as this could damage the image of the party.
Tehran, August 12: The Iranian woman whose sentence to death by stoning sparked an international outcry is feared to be facing imminent execution, after she was put on a state-run TV programme last night where she confessed to adultery and involvement in a murder.
Jerusalem, August 12: The Israeli military lacked enough intelligence, especially about the main organisers of the Gaza-bound aid vessels, before its raid on the flotilla May 31, the army chief said Wednesday.
‘We didn’t know enough about the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), and we didn’t investigate it. It was not on our list of priorities like other groups,’ Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told the Turkel Commission on the third day of the testimony into the raid, during which nine activists were killed.
Washington, August 12: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday urged Republican Senators to support the passage of a nuclear arms treaty with Russia, warning the failure of approval could hurt the country’s national security.
Clinton said the Senate has enough time to review the detailed information of the treaty, it must act because the national security is at risk, Xinhua reported.
Last week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee had delayed a vote on ratification of the treaty until the middle of September.
Washington, August 12: The Obama administration told Congress on Wednesday it planned to sell Kuwait the latest production version of Raytheon Co’s Patriot interceptor missile to bolster defenses against a perceived missile threat from Iran.
Kuwait is seeking as many as 209 MIM-104E Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missile-T (GEM-T) interceptors valued at up to $900 million, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a notice to lawmakers.
Washington, August 12: The US military remains on track for ending combat operations in Iraq by the end of this month, the White House said Wednesday after President Barack Obama held a meeting with key advisors.
‘Nothing was brought up with the president that would necessitate us needing to turn back,’ spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Obama met with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defence Secretary Robert Gates and via videoconference with General Ray Odierno, the top commander of US forces in Iraq.
Jerusalem, August 12: The Israeli military lacked enough intelligence, especially about the main organisers of the Gaza-bound aid vessels, before its raid on the flotilla May 31, the army chief said Wednesday.
“We didn’t know enough about the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), and we didn’t investigate it. It was not on our list of priorities like other groups,” Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told the Turkel Commission on the third day of the testimony into the raid, during which nine activists were killed.
Wellington, August 12: New Zealand diplomats fear terrorists will attack a “soft target” in India ahead of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October, according to cables reported in a newspaper Thursday.
One of the cables, obtained by the Dominion Post under the Official Information Act, said: “The pre-Games environment could be overshadowed by some form of soft target attack such as the recent attack on the German Bakery in Pune, which would be unsettling and capture media attention.”
New Delhi, August 12: Accusing the government of neglecting Muslims, the Samajwadi Party created a ruckus in the Assembly on Wednesday, which was used by the ruling BSP to pass the supplementary demands for grants for the current year without debate.
Expressing unhappiness, the Congress and the BJP staged a walk-out and even accused the SP of helping the government. BJP leader Om Prakash Singh and Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said they wanted a discussion on supplementary demands, particularly the provision of about Rs 500 crore made for parks and memorials.
Hyderabad, August 12: The Praja Rajyam on Wednesday asked the Andhra Pradesh government to conduct a probe into the allegations of irregularities against a blood bank run by party chief Chiranjeevi.
Chiranjeevi’s brother-in-law and film producer Allu Aravind has submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister K Rosaiah requesting for the probe.
Telugu actor-couple Rajasekhar and Jeevita, known detractors of Chiranjeevi, had alleged that the Praja Rajyam president was “selling off blood donated by his fans to the blood bank run by him”.
New Delhi, August 12: Home Minister P Chidamabaram on Wednesday rejected an Opposition demand for a probe into the killing of Maoist leader Azad. The demand arose following Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s assertion that the encounter of the top Maoist leader was a “murder”. Chidamabaram asked those alleging that Azad’s killing was a fake encounter to petition Andhra Pradesh government for an inquiry.
New Delhi, August 12: Opening a discussion on the Bhopal gas tragedy in the House by calling it “corporate manslaughter”, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj called upon the Government to trash the out-of-court settlement with Union Carbide and seek a higher compensation from current owner Dow Chemicals.
Drawing a contrast with the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, in which the BJP’s former Gujarat minister Amit Shah has been arrested, Swaraj said in the Bhopal case, the CBI had failed to serve the summons twice on Anderson.
Washington, August 12: The first unofficial US-India Strategic Dialogue organised by The Brookings Institution and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce in Washington, DC threw up some interesting facets on the bilateral ties, finds out Aziz Haniffa. The third in a six-part series.
India’s exponential economic prowess has made Boeing covet that country like never before, said Thomas Pickering, former under secretary of state and former ambassador to India, who after he retired was a vice president with Boeing and who remains a consultant with the aviation giant.
New Delhi, August 12: The government on Wednesday, Aug 11 sought to clarify that there is no evidence to prove China’s support to Maoists but mentioned “one unconfirmed report” on alliance between a Nepalese organisation and the red rebels.
“We have no evidence on reports that China is lending support to them (Maoists),” home minister P Chidambaram informed the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour.
Thiruvananthapuram, August 12: The arrest of Abdul Nasser Madani, an accused in the 2008 Bangalore bomb blasts case, is likely to be delayed in view of President Pratibha Patil’s scheduled visit to his home state of Kerala. Madani was to be arrested on Thursday from Kollam, the day Patil will arrive in Kochi for a two-day visit.
The Kerala government is worried that his arrest could spark angry reactions in Kollam and other parts of the state.
Madani was arrested in 1998 for his role in blasts in Coimbatore that year. He was acquitted in 2006.
Hyderabad, August 12: The Muslim holy month of Ramzan began in Hyderabad and in other parts of Andhra Pradesh with the sighting of the moon on Wednesday. The moon sighting committee comprising religious scholars announced that the Ramzan moon was sighted in some towns. Sirens blared from mosques across Hyderabad as Muslims began preparations for the fasting month.
People were seen greeting each other on the beginning of the holy month. Taraveeh or special Ramzan prayers began at the mosques. Large number of Musalis gathered at Historic Makkah Masjid to offer Taraveeh.
Hyderabad, August 11: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah is slightly indisposed as he is suffering from fever.
Doctors have advised him to take complete rest for two days, a release from the Chief Minister’s Office said tonight.
In view of his indisposition, all official engagements of the Chief Minister for today and tomorrow stands cancelled, it added.
–PTI
Hyderabad, August 11: 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
New Delhi, August 11: The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Chhattisgarh government to respond to a plea seeking the disbanding of state-sponsored vigilante group Salwa Judum set up to counter Maoist violence.
An apex court bench of Justice B. Sudershan Reddy and Justice Surinder Singh Nijjar asked the state government to respond to the plea of petitioner and Delhi professor Nandini Sunder seeking withdrawal of security forces from schools and ashrams (welfare homes), where they have been lodged.
Chennai, August 11: The Madras High Court today ordered the arrest of a Maldives registered ship lying at the anchorage of Kannur port in Kerala following alleged non-payment of dues to a Tuticorin-based company.
Justice V Periya Karuppiah passed the interim order on an application from Hari and Company alleging that the owners of the ship M/v Dhuvaafaru Galaxy had not paid for various items worth 248,386 USD (approx Rs 1.27crore) supplied to the ship.
The firm said despite repeated appeals, the vessel owners had not made any payment which was outstanding since February 16 last.
New Delhi, August 11: The government today said that charges against former Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson were not watered down and even patted the CBI for standing on its ground to seek his extradition on serious charges despite the then attorney general opining to the contrary.
“The CBI you ridicule has stood by its ground and asked to seek Anderson’s extradition under grave charges of 304 whereas the case was registered under 304A,” home minister P Chidambaram said while replying to a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Bhopal gas tragedy which was marred by acrimony.
New Delhi, August 10: The Supreme Court will take up tomorrow the status report filed by the CBI in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter case in which Amit Shah, a former Gujarat minister and a close aide of chief minister Narendra Modi, has been arrested.
The CBI on July 30 had filed the status report in a sealed cover into its six-month-old investigation in the case in which it has questioned not only Shah but several senior IPS officers, who were associated with the state police when the fake encounter took place in 2005.
New Delhi, August 11: Scotland today confirmed their participation in the Sevens rugby event of the Commonwealth Games and announced their 12-member squad for the October 3-14 mega-event here.
“We are delighted that our participation in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi has been confirmed today,” Head coach Stephen Gemmell said.
“The Commonwealth Games is a major event on the world sporting calendar and Scottish Rugby and Scotland 7s are hugely honoured to be part of it.