saleem A jawan of Andhra Pradesh’s anti- Naxal force ‘Greyhounds’ was killed in an encounter with Maoists in the jungles of Chhattisgarh’s Bjiapur district today, a senior police official said.
The jawan, whose identity was not disclosed, was part of the commando squad which on Tuesday conducted an anti- Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, where ten Naxals were gunned down.
–Agencies
City Police Commissioner ANURAG SHARMA today notified for the information of the public in general in order to maintain smooth flow of traffic, prevent danger and inconvenience to the public, the following traffic diversions are imposed on the movement of traffic in the limits of Tr. PS. Goshamahal and Tr. PS. Sulthanbazar on the occasion of Sri Rama Navami Shobha Yatra which will start on April 19 at 10 am from Mahakaleshwari Mandir (Rani Avanti Bai Function Hall), Upper Dhoolpet to Ram Mandir Gowliguda.
The Meteorological Department has stated that heat wave, which was showing its impact on the State will continue in the next two days. The impact will be more on Krishna, Guntur, Prakasham and Nellore districts.
TDP MLC Babu Rajendra Prasad said Y S Jaganmohan Reddy also would merge his party in Congress like Chiranjeevi who merged his PRP earlier.
Talking to the media here on Thursday, he said Jagan and Gali Janardana Reddy were twins of corruption. He described Gali as mining mafia. He has reminded that TDP had already published ‘Raja of Corruption’ on the late Chief Minister drys and his family. He said Jagan had plundered the state indiscriminately. He demanded that the properties of Gali Janardana Reddy be seized and distributed to the people.
The Qurrah (draw of lots) for selection of Haj pilgrims for the Haj 2013 will take place at 12 noon on April 23 at the Haj House Nampally here.
Minister for Minorities Welfare Mohammed Ahamdaullah, will be the chief guest and State Haj Committee chairman Syed Khaleeluddin Ahmed will preside over the function. Abdul Hameed said the Qurrah will be computerized and the selection of the Hajis will be done district wise.
Gudivada rebel MLA Kodali Nani said that he was still in touch with hero Jr. NTR. He however said NTR might not come to campaign for him in the next elections.
Nani and others who defied their party whips had on Thursday met the speaker Nadendla Manohar and gave their explanation to the notices issued by them.
Two Nigerian nationals have been arrested here allegedly with over one kg of heroine worth around Rs 1.25 crore meant to be couriered to China, police said today.
Christopher Chibuike (35) and Ifeya (22) were apprehended from Janakpuri two days ago with the contraband, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav said.
“They were allegedly indulging in the export of heroin through cargo to various foreign countries by concealing it in auto spare parts.
–Agencies
The FBI says preliminary tests on a letter sent to President Barack Obama indicate the presence of poisonous ricin. The letter is undergoing further testing because preliminary field tests can be unreliable, creating false positives.
The letter was intercepted at a facility away FBI sees no link between suspicious letters and Boston attack
from the White House. It comes the day after officials said a letter sent to a US senator contained poisonous ricin. That letter was intercepted at a Senate mail facility just outside Washington.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday raked up the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in his address to the joint session of the legislature of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
He also threatened that Pakistan will continue to highlight the Kashmir “cause” at international forums.
“The hanging of Afzal Guru through the abuse of judicial process has further aggravated and angered the people of Kashmir,” he said.
Autopsies were performed on the bodies of nine Maoists who were killed in an encounter with security forces in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh yesterday, police said.
The bodies, earlier brought to Bhadrachalam in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh, were taken back to Kunta in Chhattisgarh where post-mortem procedures were conducted and they were then handed over to family members, a senior police officer said.
–Agencies
Rayalaseema senior Congress leader JC Diwakar Reddy has said that the Chief Minister has to take a decision on whether to sack the tainted Ministers or not from his Cabinet.
Speaking to the media at CLP office here on Wednesday, JC said that the exercise was going on in Delhi on strengthening the party. He said that both Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC Chief Botcha Sathyanarayana have been discussing with the AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the ensuing 2014 general elections. He said that he don’t know whether there might be a change in PCC Chief post or not.
TDP legislators M Narsimhulu and Y Dayakar Rao have launched a vitriolic attack on the TRS chief and Mahaboobnagar MP K Chandrasekhar Rao, alleging that he had mortgaged the Telangana movement for Polavaram tenders.
Speaking to the media here on Wednesday, the two MLAs said that KCR is playing political dramas and because of his provocative speeches, nearly 1000 students have lost their lives.
Terming paid news as “moral turpitude”, the Election Commission Wednesday regretted that there is no law yet to define it.
“Paid news is an area we can ignore only at our peril. But there is no law to define it,” chief election commissioner VS Sampath told an interactive workshop in New Delhi.
According to the panel, paid news is a “complex menace” for elections since it relates to any news appearing in any media for a price in cash or kind as consideration.
A passenger was arrested today for allegedly trying to smuggle 12 gold biscuits worth Rs 40 lakh hidden in his body cavities and clothes at Rajiv Gandhi international airport here.
Mohd Riyaz, who belongs to Tamil Nadu, was found to have concealed eight out of the twelve gold biscuits, each weighing 116 gms, in his rectum and the rest in his socks, according to a Customs official.
–Agencies
The Court of Additional Sessions Judge K K Tantrapale today heard arguments on alleged international terrorist Abu Jundal plea to acquit him of the charges.
Defence lawyer Advocate B F Pande told the court that Jundal had not been given a copy of the complaint, his confession was false, he was not given an opportunity to send the application, the complaint does not bear his name. Jundalhas no relations with other accused, there is not a single proof against him, nothing has been seized from him, no proof is visible to take cognisance against him and so he should be acquitted.
Ten Nigerian nationals, allegedly involved in an online fraud, have been arrested by Andhra Pradesh police in Mumbai.
The accused, who were involved in a lottery fraud, were arrested yesterday at Chandansar gaon in Virar (East).
They were brought before a court here today and were sent to judicial remand, Additional Director General of Police (CID) T Krishna Prasad said here.
The state CID officials had launched a probe following a complaint lodged in February last year.
–Agencies
As many as 15 motorcycles were completely gutted when fire broke out in the cellar of a residential complex in NRT Colony of Sanathnagar industrial area in the city.
The fire, which began in the cellar soon, spread to the three floors in the morning causing widespread panic and tension among the residents.
Those residing in the complex began rushing down using the stair case even as the fire tenders began arriving on information.
The Qurrah, the lucky draw to select the pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh for Haj 2013 will be held at Haj House, Nampally on April 23.
This year, the State Haj Committee has received as many as 16,972 applications for the Haj 2013. Of them, 8,700 are males, 8272 are females and 20 infants. Hyderabad with 8,345 applications stands first followed by 960 from Kurnool, 844 from Nizamabad and 782 from Mahbubnagar. Only seven applications were received from Vizianagaram and there was no Haj applicant from the Srikakulam district.
The Telugu Desam Party on Tuesday threatened to intensify agitation if the State Government fails to resolve the drinking water and power crisis.
Talking to reporters in the Assembly premises, TDP MLA Sunita Dayakar Reddy alleged that the State Government was not serious on resolving the on-going power crisis. She said besides urban, most of rural areas across the State were facing severe crisis of drinking water problem. However, she said that the government was not taking serious measures to resolve the crisis.
Former PCC president K Keshava Rao on Tuesday denied allegations that he was trying to exploit the Congress MPs for his own political gains.
Rejecting the allegations that YSRCP President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been violating the Mulaqat rules of Chanchalguda jail, the party on Tuesday dared the Congress Government to hold an inquiry to find the out the truth.
YSR Congress Legislature Party Deputy Leader Sobha Nagi Reddy told a media conference here that the allegations were only part of conspiracy to move Sri Jagan Mohan Reddy out of the state. “A plan was afoot to move Sri Jagan Mohan Reddy to some other states,”
A gram panchayat official and his friend were today arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1.7 lakh from a complainant in Andhra Pradesh’s Ranga Reddy district, ACB said.
Ch Narahari, executive officer at Medchal gram panchayat, demanded and accepted a bribe of Rs 1.70 lakh through his friend M Narasimha Reddy last night at a restaurant at Boinpally, a release from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said.
Narahari accepted the bribe from the complainant, Rami Reddy, for doing favour by issuing permission for construction of a building at Medchal.
A war of words broke out between TRS and Congress loyalists while indecisiveness had driven the fence sitters into a deep confusion.
While TRS leader K Taraka Rama Rao said that influx into the party is not a new phenomenon, Union Minister Sarve Satyanarayana said that jumping the fence amounts to opportunism. “Congress will strive to get Telangana and it can give it. I firmly believe in it,” he said.
In a major setback to the Maoist movement, nine extremists, including a top gun, were killed in an encounter at the Khammam-Chattisgarh border Toda.
Malla Raji Reddy is also believed to be among those killed in the encounter. He carries a reward of RS 12 lakhs on his head and hails from Manthani in Karimnagar district. He has been accused in attack on former chief ministers N Chandrababu Naidu and N Janardhan Reddy.
The Andhra Pradesh State Haj Committee on Tuesday asked the aspirant for Haj 2013 to collect their Cover Numbers from the SHC office in Haj House at Nampally.
SHC Chairman Syed Khaleeluddin Ahmed and Executive Officer Abdul Hameed, in a media statement, said that the Haj Applicants who have submitted their Haj Applications and were issued Token Numbers but not obtained their Cover Numbers Acknowledgments should obtain the Cover Number Acknowledgment after producing the Token Number receipt.