Nikita Venkatesh

Senior JD(U) leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Tuesday said he was not surprised at rise in prices of petrol and diesel besides, soaring rates of food items under Narendra Modi government which could not deliver on tall promises made so far.

“I am not surprised. The rise in petrol and diesel prices along with soaring food prices have come as surprise to those who harboured expectations from the new government which had made tall promises of ‘Achhe din’ (good days) on election eve,” Kumar told reporters emerging from the Legislative Council.

Describing the speech of Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal as “shocking and obnoxious”, the CPI(M) Tuesday demanded that Parliament should act against him and that cases be filed for criminal intimidation and incitement of violence.

“The speech of the Trinamool Congress MP, Tapas Pal, inciting violence and rape against CPI(M) workers and women is shocking and obnoxious. He threatened murder, destruction of homes of CPI(M) men and to send his boys to rape women there,” the CPI(M) politburo said in a statement.

Two Delhi Police head constables have been sentenced to three years in jail by a Delhi court for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 100 each from bootleggers for permitting them to sell liquor illegally.

Special CBI Judge L K Gaur awarded the jail term to Haryana’s Jhajjar resident Ram Kumar and Jind’s resident Ram Kumar. The two were suspended in 2004 in connection with the inquiry ordered into a video tapes showing policemen taking bribe from bootleggers.

LDF opposition led by CPI-M members in Kerala on Tuesday staged a walkout in the Assembly over refusal to admit an adjournment motion regarding the murder of a DYFI activist allegedly by BJP workers at Pannathadi panchayat in Kasargod district.

Replying to the notice for the motion moved by James Mathew (CPI-M), Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala made it clear that the murder of activist Abdul Sherif was not political and it was a result of a “local dispute”. Sherif was stabbed on June 26 and died at a hospital next day, he said.

A father and his son were allegedly killed in a clash between two families over a land dispute in Khosa Kotla village here Tuesday, police said.

Five members of family allegedly armed with fire arms and lethal weapons today attacked the father-son duo identified as Darshan Singh (50) and his son Kirpal Singh (25), killing them on the spot, police said.

The other family members allegedly involved in the brutal attack are identified as Pyara Sngh, Mukhtiar Singh, Avtar Singh, Jaspal Singh and Rachpal Singh police said.

Expressing disbelief at Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal’s alleged remarks threatening to kill CPI(M) workers and have their women raped, eminent director Aparna Sen on Tuesday wondered whether jumping into politics had changed the nature of the “sweet” actor.

“I am shocked and stunned. This is not the Tapas Pal I knew for so long. He was a sweet boy and we had worked together in some films. We had good relations and he was gentle. I used to like him,” Sen, the National Award winning director, said.

Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International Tuesday slammed the Odisha government for not collecting Rs.68,700 crore penalties the state imposed on mining companies about two years ago.

Although fines were imposed for excess mining in September 2012, the government has not been taking steps to realise the amounts, Transparency International (TI)-India member Biswajit Mohanty said in a statement.

An Australian report reveals that Apple may lose half of iPhone 6 buyers if it does not increase its screen size.

Figures from Telsyte`s Australian Smartphone Market Study reveal Apple`s big risk, showing two in five people intending to buy a new iPhone would change their minds if the handset did not have a screen larger than four inches, CNET reported.

The sudden drop in Apple customers could cripple the company`s chances of leading the smartphone market again, a position it once held by a large margin.

Kerala will soon set up a CyberDome in the Technopark campus to tackle cyber crime in the state, the assembly was informed on Tuesday.

Replying to a calling attention motion moved by Congress legislator V.P. Sajeendran who pointed out that innocent women and children are getting trapped by unscrupulous elements who target them through the internet and the social media, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the government is seized of this new generation crime that has become a social evil.

A railway loco pilot was arrested on Tuesday on charges of molesting a woman in a running train in Bihar, police said.

Manoj Pandey, who was travelling in the Mahananda Express, was arrested by the Government Railway Police on charges of molesting a woman passenger near Mokama railway station in Patna district.

“Manoj was arrested following a complaint lodged by a woman that he molested her,” said a police official.

Manoj Pandey told police that he is a railway loco pilot, posted at New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal.

Police have begun investigation into the case.

…..IANS

President Pranab Mukherjee will receive the first copy of a coffee table book, “First Citizen: Pranab Mukherjee in Rashtrapati Bhavan” Wednesday, an official release said on Tuesday.

Congress leader Karan Singh will release the book in the presence of the President and Philip Mathew, The Week magazine’s managing editor at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The book, published by The Week magazine, is a compilation of articles that have appeared in The Week under the title “First Citizen” from January 2013 to May 2014.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has congratulated renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik on winning an award at the World Cup of Sand Sculpting 2014 in the US.

The 37-year-old sculptor from Odisha and his American teammate Mathew Roy Dieberthas were declared winner in the double category at the just-concluded competition in Atlantic City in that country.

The duo worked in the double’s category creating a sand sculpture of “Taj Mahal with Sah Jahan & Mumtaj.”

The Congress Tuesday walked out of the West Bengal assembly demanding action against Trinamool MP Tapas Paul over his rape remark.

“He (Paul) says he roams around with a gun and will shoot down people, the government should have initiated suo motu case and arrested him for saying such things,” Congress Legislature Party leader Mohammad Sohrab said.

At least 22 people have died due to scrub typhus infection from ticks since 2012 in Mizoram, a state health department official said today.

492 patients suffering from scrub typhus infection were treated during the same period, Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma, Nodal Officer for the state Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) said.

Lalmalsawma said that the ticks carrying scrub typhus virus were mainly concentrated in Champhai district bordering Myanmar, while ticks carrying Indian Tick Typhus virus were mainly found in south Mizoram’s Lunglei district.

Eating a handful of almonds every day can reduce the risk of heart disease by keeping blood vessels healthy, a new study has claimed.

Researchers from Aston University in the UK found that almonds significantly increase the amount of antioxidants in the blood stream, reduce blood pressure and improve blood flow.

These findings add weight to the theory that Mediterranean diets with lots of nuts have big health benefits, researchers said.

Tech giant Samsung has reportedly launched four new budget Galaxy devices – Galaxy Core II, Galaxy Star 2, Galaxy Ace 4, and Galaxy Young 2.

Samsung is making efforts to capture more market share and launch something for every segment. Just last week, Sprint announced it would exclusively offer the new fitness-focused, water-resistant, and dust-proof Galaxy S5 Sport.

The Korean company is focusing on `affordability` with the new devices. However, they have not disclosed the pricing for the devices.

A welder kidnapped by militants for ransom was Tuesday rescued in Meghalaya following a gunfight in which security forces killed one abductor and arrested two others.

During the gunfight at Rongge village of South Garo Hills district, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commandos killed one abductor and nabbed two others, Inspector General of Police (Operations) GHP Raju told IANS over phone.

Welder Manoranjan was Sunday abducted by A’chik Songna An’pachakgipa Kotok (ASAK) militants for Rs 25 lakh ransom.

The fifth batch of 1243 pilgrims today left for Amarnath shrine from Jammu base camp amid tight security, police said.

The pilgrims comprising 839 men, 283 women, 20 children and 101 sadhus and sadhvis left in a cavalcade of 35 vehicles, including 28 buses and 7 light motor vehicles, from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu at around 0400 hours today for Amarnath, a police officer said.

Meanwhile, over 37,000 yatris in total have had the ‘darshan’ of the ice lingam at the holy cave shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas till this morning. And, over 2500 pilgrims had ‘darshan’ today.

A Naxal, wanted in several incidents of crime, has been arrested during a search operation in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Kanker district.

The cadre, identified as Daya Ram Dhruve (21), was nabbed from Bilaikachhar village under Siksod police station limits last evening, Kanker Superintendent of Police RN Dash said today.

A joint party of BSF (Border Security Force) and district force was on a combing exercise in Siksod region, located around 200 kms away from the state capital, when they got a tip-off about the movement of a man with suspicious motives near Bilaikachhar.

The ten-hour hartal called by the United Democratic Front and BJP in protest against the attack on a sit-in organised by the Azhimathi Virudha Janakeeya Munnani, in Kozhikode district affected normal life Tuesday.

DYFI activists had allegedly attacked the activists of the anti corruption forum last evening.

Students and office goers, who depend mostly the city bus services, were the most affected with rains adding to their woes.

Most of the business establishments remained closed.

Israel’s military says a Palestinian was shot dead when he threw a grenade at forces carrying out an arrest raid hours after the discovery of the bodies of three Israeli teenagers who went missing over two weeks ago.

A spokesman said the clash occurred in the West Bank town of Jenin early today. It was the first casualty since the bodies were found.

A slipper manufacturing factory was Tuesday gutted to fire in Vishwakarma industrial area but no loss of life was reported, police said.

The fire broke out on the second floor of the factory where raw material in large quantity and the final products were stored, police said.

A petrol pump was also located nearby the factory but the flames were controlled by fire fighters.

“20 fire brigades were pressed into service. No loss to the petrol pump and the life occurred,” a fire department official said.

Air Marshal PP Reddy has taken over as the Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee on Tuesday.

Commissioned as a fighter pilot in the Air Force in June 1977, Reddy is an alumnus of the Rashtriya Indian Military College, the National Defence Academy and the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.

He is a qualified flying instructor and an experimental test pilot who has flown 3600 hours on various types of fighter and transport aircraft, including the SU-30 MKI.

The Indian government has streamlined the visa policy for Afghan nationals to stay in India on humanitarian grounds from Tuesday.

“The government is introducing a new liberal visa policy for Afghan nationals to stay in India on humanitarian grounds for two years with effect from July 01, 2014. The new policy further streamlines procedures being implemented in the current visa policy for citizens of Afghanistan,” said a Home Ministry release here.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Tapas Pal’s derogatory comments about sending his men to the homes of Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders to rape their women have been strongly condemned by both BJP and Congress.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nalin Kohli termed the MP’s comments as inhuman, disgusting and totally deplorable.