News

Bukhari to announce third front in Bihar tomorrow

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Patna, August 08: Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari today accused the successive Congress, RJD and NDA governments in Bihar of “cheating the Muslims” and said he will launch a third front tomorrow to effectively take on the RJD-LJP combine and the ruling regime led by Nitish Kumar.

“The successive governments of Congress, RJD and now NDA have badly hoodwinked and cheated the muslims…they have used the community to the hilt for the sake of politics of votes,” Bukhari, who arrived here this afternoon, told a group of reporters at Jayaprakash Narayan International airport here.

‘YSR’s death a punishment by God’

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Tirupati, August 08: In the very presence of their chief N Chandrababu Naidu, some TDP leaders described the death of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash as a punishment meted out to him by Lord Venkateswara for indulging in sins against Him.

Addressing the public at the Maha Dharna organised by the party against irregularities in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) here on Saturday, Byreddy Rajasekhara Reddy, Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu and others attributed YSR’s death in a chopper crash to the wrath of God.

UPA assures food for Rats, while people starve: Karat

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Hyderabad, August 08: CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Saturday flayed the UPA government on its poor food management policies. He said the Centre was ensuring “food security for rats” even as the country presented a “shameful spectacle”of having the world’s largest number of hungry people.

“FCI has 60 million tonnes of food grains rotting in its warehouses as the public distribution system has been curtailed through a targeted system which excludes most of the poor,” he said.

–Agencies

Amit Shah quizzed by CBI officials

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Gujrat, August 08: Former Gujarat minister Amit Shah continued to be quizzed by CBI officials here Sunday, a day after he was grilled for nine hours in connection with the 2005 killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a staged shootout.

The former minister of state for home was at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office here in the morning for the final day of questioning. His two-day period of CBI remand ends Sunday night.

Nepal:Ex-King’s son-in-law arrested

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Nepal, August 08: Nepal’s former king Gyanendra’s son-in-law Raj Bahadur Singh was arrested by police from a Kathmandu nightclub for drunken and disorderly behaviour.

Raj Bahadur Singh married Gyanendra’s daughter, Princess Prerana, in 2003, was arrested along with over a dozen companions, including six women, for carousing in Club Platinum, the exclusive night club at the five-star Yak and Yeti hotel, after closing hours.

The former princess, however, was not present in the nightclub.

SMS service re-started in Leh

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Srinagar, August 08: Jammu and Kashmir Government has re-started SMS services in Leh, that had been banned in the state a few months due to security reasons, to help in relief and rescue operations in the region devastated by cloudburst and flash floods that have left 145 people dead.

State government sources said that the step was taken as a goodwill gesture as it will not only help rescue personnel but also locals and tourists to communicate with
their families. The Short Message Service (SMS) was banned in the state few months ago due to security reasons.

—Agencies

No SP candidates in UP panchayat polls

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Lucknow, August 08: The Samajwadi Party on Sunday decided not to field its candidates in the forthcoming panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh.

“During the meeting of the state parliamentary board, which was chaired by state president Akhilesh Yadav, it was decided that the party will neither announce its official candidates nor will it field SP nominees in the panchayat elections,” party Spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said.

No SP candidates in UP panchayat polls

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Lucknow, August 08: The Samajwadi Party on Sunday decided not to field its candidates in the forthcoming panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh.

“During the meeting of the state parliamentary board, which was chaired by state president Akhilesh Yadav, it was decided that the party will neither announce its official candidates nor will it field SP nominees in the panchayat elections,” party Spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said.

We have evidence linking Israel to Hariri murder: Hezbollah

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Jerusalem, August 08: Accusing Israel of assassinating former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Shi’ite militant faction Hezbullah has said that they will present evidence implicating the Jewish state in the 2005 murder, a media report said.

Speaking to Palestinian news agency Maan, Hezbullah spokesman Ibrahim Mousawi on Sunday said that his group’s leader, Hasan Nasrallah, would reveal “thunderous news” at a press conference scheduled for tomorrow, presenting what he called “comprehensive, revealing conclusive information” linking Israel to Hariri’s 2005 assassination.

Bopanna out from Legg Mason Classic

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Washington, August 08: India’s Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan’s Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi’s run ended in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic with a 5-7, 5-7 loss to American Mardy Fish and Mark Knowles of Bahamas in the doubles semifinals.

Bopanna and Qureshi had on Friday taken out multiple Grand Slam winners Bob and Mike Bryan in the quarterfinals.

Fish and Knowles, who are teaming permanently for the first time this season, will take on Czechs Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych in the final.

—Agencies

TRS activists protest ‘anti-Telangana’ remarks by AP ministers

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Hyderabad, August 08: TRS activists today held road blockades across Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh in protest against the reported comments of state ministers from non-Telangana regions that the separate statehood demand is anti-national, an allegation denied by the ministers.

Slamming the alleged comments of the ministers, TRS leaders and workers organised ‘rasta roko’ in Medak, Warangal, Karimnagar and other districts in the region.

Amit Shah’s judicial custody extended till Aug 21

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Gandhinagar, August 08: The Gujarat high court extended the judicial custody of former Gujarat minister Amir Shah till August 21 in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has been questioning Shah for two days.

Shah, who was kept in a lock-up at CBI office on Saturday night in Gandhinagar, was brought for interrogation at the agency’s camp office in block 11 of old secretariat campus.

Shah was grilled by the CBI for over nine hours on Saturday, but the minister gave evasive answers, according to sources.

Government clueless about anarchy in Kashmir: Advani

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New Delhi, August 08: Terming the situation in Kashmir as one “of total anarchy”, with the government “clueless” about dealing with it, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani said Sunday that the presence of security forces in the Valley should not be diluted.

“In the Kashmir Valley, the situation today is of total anarchy. And the government seems clueless how to deal with it,” Advani said in the latest post on his blog.

Rs.2.31 lakh crore in 3 years for RTE: Pranab

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Kolkata, August 08: The Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry would be allocated Rs 2.31 lakh crore over the next three years to establish infrastructure for implementing the Right to Education (RTE) law, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Sunday.

“The HRD Minister (Kapil Sibal) has said Rs.2,31,000 crore will be required for implementing RTE in the next three years for appointment of teachers, setting up schools and building of infrastructure. I said the money will be provided,” he said at a seminar in the city.

Kuwait not planning to ban BlackBerry, says minister

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Kuwait City, August 08: Kuwait said today it had no plans to ban some BlackBerry services over security concerns as neighbouring Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are threatening to do.

“At the moment, I can tell you that there is no intention to stop BlackBerry services in Kuwait,” communications minister Mohammad al-Baseeri told reporters.

He said, however, that the oil-rich state was waiting for solutions to be provided by the Canadian maker of BlackBerry, Research in Motion, to answer the concerns of those governments.

RAF, KSRP commandos to be deployed in Bellary

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Bellary, August 08: Rapid Action Force personnel and Karnataka State Reserve Police commandos would be deployed here tomorrow in view of the culmination of the 16-day Congress rally, police said today.

“Six battalions of RAF and one battalion of KSRP commandos will assist the 5,500 strong security personnel drafted for security cover,” ADGP (Law and Order) A R Infant, who is monitoring security, told reporters here.

He said a bomb disposal squad has been kept at the disposal of security wing.

Godavari floods claim ten lives in Andhra Pradesh

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Hyderabad, August 08: As many as 10 people have died following floods in the Godavari in the past three days even as water level in the river continued to rise alarmingly, severely affecting normal life in nine districts, particularly Khammam and East Godavari districts, officials said today.

Eight deaths were reported in Warangal district while two were reported in Adilabad district, a senior official of the Disaster Management Department said.

Standing crop in over 30,000 hectares was damaged besides 271 cattle deaths were reported following heavy rains and floods, he said.

Flat quota for senior citizens

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Chandigarh, August 08: After fixing the quota for women, the Haryana Housing Board will reserve two per cent flats for senior citizens.

People attaining the age of 60 can now avail two per cent reservation in allotment of flats, a Housing Board release said.

It said for the first time, 1.5 per cent reservation had been provided for accredited press correspondents.

The Board has already reserved 33 per cent flats and houses for women.

–Agencies

Bengal wins Santosh trophy after 11 years

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Kolkata, August 08: Kerala lad Denson Devadas struck twice as Bengal made a spectacular comeback to beat Punjab 2-1, ending their 11 years title drought in the 64th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy here today.

Punjab drew first blood with Balwant Singh finding the net at the 30th minute but Denson scored just at the stroke of the break (45+2nd) to draw parity and then sealed the match with a winner in the 78th minute.

Cong, Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam seen getting closer

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Hyderabad, August 08: In an indication of growing proximity between Congress and Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister K Rosaiah today welcomed the comments of the actor-turned-politician offering to support the ruling party.

“Congress party does not face any danger. Congress is in a stable position. If either Chiranjeevi or someone else are ready to support us, we don’t say no. It is good, of course,” Rosaiah told reporters in Prakasam district where he was touring.

PM to take action on alleged CWG bunglings: Khurshid

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Dehradun, August 08: The Prime Minister will take “appropriate action” on the issue of alleged financial irregularities in the Commonwealth Games projects, Union Minister Salman Khurshid said today.

“Our first priority is the smooth conduct of the Commonwealth Games. Let the games be finished, we are hopeful that the Prime Minister will take an appropriate action (on alleged financial irregularities),” Khurshid told reporters here on the sidelines of convocation of Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA).

Doctors not hospitals guilty in negligence deaths: Court

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New Delhi, August 08: If a patient dies due to medical negligence in a hospital then its management cannot be prosecuted and it is only the doctors who should be penalized, the Delhi High Court has ruled.

However, the court held that the management of the hospital would be liable in case of administrative negligence and failure to provide basic infrastructure to patients.

Russian spy wants fake life

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New York, August 08: A Russian secret agent sent home in a spy swap wants to leave and return with his wife to her native Peru, while continuing to live under the false name he used for 34 years.

A lawyer for the man formerly known as Juan Lazaro says her client wants to leave Russia. She says he doesn’t speak Russian, and wants to be “where his wife is going.”

Lazaro’s Russian name is Mikhail Vasenkov. His wife is Vicky Pelaez, a former columnist for a Spanish-language New York City newspaper. Both were accused of spying for Russia and deported in July in a spy swap.

Tragedy strikes sauna contest

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Helsinki, August 08: The two finalists in Finland’s annual World Sauna Championships were rushed to hospital before the competition ended on Saturday evening and the Russian contestant died, organisers said.

The “Russian competitor has died in (the) Sauna World Championships,” the head of the competition Ossi Arvela said in a statement.

He added that the Finnish finalist had been taken from the competition location in Heinola, 138km north of Helsinki, further south to a hospital in the larger city of Lahti for treatment.

Death toll rises to 43

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Basra, August 08: The death toll has risen to 43 from a spate of blasts in Iraq’s southern port city of Basra which officials said on Sunday were caused by bombs and not a power generator short circuit as first believed.

“We received 43 corpses, and 185 people have been wounded,” said Dr Riyadh Abdelamir, director of Basra province’s health department, adding that women and children were among the wounded in Saturday’s attacks.