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Government to bring education reforms soon: Sibal

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New Delhi, June 24: Stating that the government was committed to improve and reform education standards in India, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal said Wednesday an apex panel on higher education will be formed soon.

The autonomous National Commission for Higher Education and Research, which will encompass in itself the existing professional councils and regulatory agencies, including the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Medical Council of India and the AICTE, will be formed within the first 100 days of the new government, Sibal told reporters.

Couple held for kidnapping child from India Gate

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New Delhi, June 24: A couple who allegedly kidnapped a two-year-old girl from India Gate Thursday last week and abandoned her a day later, has been arrested, police said Wednesday.

Jugal Kishore and Rekha were caught by a team of Delhi Police from outside the national capital. The police, however, refused to say from where and when the couple were arrested.

“We are taking the couple to Delhi,” a senior police officer said.

The girl, Gungun, was found at a temple in central Delhi’s Jhandewalan 40 hours after she went missing from India Gate lawns Thursday.

Delay in rains hits sowing operations in Andhra Pradesh

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Hyderabad, June 24: The delay in rains that prompted rituals to appease the gods across temples in Andhra Pradesh Wednesday has hit paddy sowing but agriculturists are hopeful that the situation would improve in the coming days.

The sowing operations in the fertile Godavari delta, known as the rice bowl of the state, have been hit by the delay in rains. The two districts of East and West Godavari together account for paddy cultivation in 300,000 hectares.

The delay in releasing water through irrigation canals has also led to farmers in the delta area not raising paddy nurseries.

Woman promised marriage, sexually exploited

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Noida, June 23: A woman from Maharashtra, who left her family to look for a job in Delhi, was allegedly repeatedly raped by a bus owner, who befriended her and offered to marry her, police said.

The woman from Amravati came to Delhi in search of a job. She met Rishi Raj, a private bus owner, who assured her help in getting a job.

The two developed friendship and Rishi Raj offered to marry her, and allegedly sexually exploited her several times. Later, he refused to marry her.

Angelina Jolie to join politics?

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London, June 23; Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie is eyeing a career change. She is reportedly planning to swap her life as a movie star for politics.

The “Tomb Raider” star is a goodwill ambassador for the UN and spends much of her time championing the rights of refugees and dedicating herself to philanthropic activities.

She is now reportedly planning to quit acting so she can concentrate full time on her political ambitions, reports the Daily Express.

Air India seeks Rs 10,000-crore bailout

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New Delhi, June 23: India’s flagship carrier Air India, which is struggling to cope with a cash crunch, will ask for a Rs.10,000-crore (about $2 billion)
bailout package from the central government, a senior official said.

Airline officials, who discussed the airline’s financial problems with Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Tuesday night, will meet top government officials again seeking help.

The minister arrived here on Tuesday after attending the Paris air show.

Islamic burka ‘not welcome’ in France: Sarkozy

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Paris, June 22: The Islamic burka is “not welcome” in France because it is not a symbol of religion but a sign of subservience for women, President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday.

“The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience,” he told lawmakers. “It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic.”

A group of French lawmakers has been calling for a special inquiry into whether Muslim women who cover themselves fully in public undermine French secularism and women’s rights.

–PTI

Four IPS officers transferred

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Hyderabad, June 22: Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday transferred four IPS officers, including three district Superintendents of Police (SP), official
sources said.

M Stephen Ravindra, who was heading chief minister’s security group, has been posted as the new SP of Karimnagar district. The incumbent in Karimnagar Vikram Singh Mann has been asked to report in the Director General of Police office.

Guntur SP Mahesh Chandra Ladha has also been asked to report in the DGP’s office for a new posting.

Pakistan crowned with T20 World Cup

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Lords, June 21:Who would have wrote this script that would unfold on 21st day of June in 2009 at London’s Lord’s cricket ground? Pakistan who were rated as the team capable of hardly beating any gully team in Lahore or Peshawar or Rawalpindi were crowned the Badshah of T20 cricket after they chased down the 139-run target set by Sri Lanka.

Courtesy a sparkling innings of 54 runs from Shahid Afridi, Pakistan successfully chased down the target with 8 wickets in hand and set off wild celebrations way back in the streets and gullies Karachi to Peshawar.

Satyam Computers is now ‘Mahindra Satyam’

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Hyderabad, June 21: Scandal-hit Satyam Computers has been named Mahindra Satyam. The logo will be adopted from the Mahindra Group. Speaking on the rebranding initiative, Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Mahindra Group, said, “Customer centricity, high standards of corporate governance, unimpeachable ethics form the cornerstones of the Mahindra Group.

There is intolerance of freedom in India: Ketan Mehta

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New Delhi, June 21: Director Ketan Mehta, who is awaiting the release of his movie “Rang Rasiya”, based on the life of legendary artist Raja Ravi Varma, feels India’s socio-political milieu does not favour artistic freedom.

“I think the socio-political milieu of our country does not favour artistic freedom. Look at what’s happening to artist M.F. Husain – the kind of controversy he has courted. It shows an intolerance to freedom,” Mehta told IANS on phone from Mumbai.

Varun being made scapegoat for poll debacle: Maneka Gandhi

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New Delhi, June 20: Varun Gandhi, whose alleged hate speeches triggered a row during the elections, should not be made a scapegoat for the BJP’s poll
debacle, his mother Maneka Gandhi said at the party’s national executive meet on Saturday.

Launching a strong defence of her son, Maneka alleged that those who lost the elections were wrongly blaming their defeat on Varun’s speeches. In an apparent reference to chief poll strategist and in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Arun Jaitley, she alleged he was not accessible even on the phone and was mainly involved in planting stories in the media.

Modi rejects amendments to GUJCOCA

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New Delhi, June 20: Striking an aggressive posture, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Saturday rejected the amendments suggested by the Centre to GUJCOCA, saying it would amount to taking away the “teeth and nails” of the legislation. “The amendments suggested by the Centre amount to taking away the teeth and nails of the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Act (GUJCOCA),” he told reporters on the sidelines of the BJP National Executive meeting here.

Hyderabad Police arrests Two judges in dowry case

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Hyderabad, June 20: A father-son duo, both judges in Andhra Pradesh, was arrested and remanded to judicial custody by a local court in connection with a
dowry harassment case.

T Kiran Kumar, a junior civil judge at Anantapur and his father T Narasimha Rao, a district judge at Mahaboobnagar were arrested on charges of dowry harassment levelled by T Shashikala, wife of Kiran Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (detective department) R S Praveen Kumar said on Saturday.

Iran rally organiser says no plan to demonstrate

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Tehran, June 20: The Iranian group which planned to organise a rally on Saturday said it will not go ahead with the demonstration as it did not have the required permission, state television said.

Earlier, an aide to defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi had said that the country’s opposition will go ahead with a planned rally in Tehran despite a government warning against new protests.

“I have not heard anything indicating that the rally has been cancelled,” he said on condition of anonymity.

Queer and happily so: Bangalore readies for special fest

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Bangalore, June 20: In a country where same sex activities are considered a crime comes a colourful, weeklong event to assert the rights of sexual minorities – the Karnataka Queer Habba beginning Sunday.

The festival, which will include a parade, will not only try to create awareness about sexual minorities in society but also up the visibility of various groups that lead their lives under the shadow of fear and discrimination, be they lesbians, gays, transgenders or bisexuals.

‘Paying Guests’ – a failed attempt at comedy

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Mumbai, June 20: Film: “Paying Guests”; Cast: Shreyas Talpade, Javed Jaffrey, Ashish Chowdhary, Vatsal Seth, Celina Jaitley, Neha Dhupia, Riya Sen, Sayali Bhagat; Director: Paritossh Painter; Rating: *

What can we say about a comedy where the main characters get inspired watching Riteish Deshmukh’s drag act in “Apna Sapna Money Money”?

‘Let’s Dance’ launches dance genre again in Bollywood

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Mumbai, June 20: Film: “Let’s Dance”; Cast: Gayatri Patel, Ajai Chowdhary, Aquib Afzal, Abhaas Yadav, Anjan Srivastava; Director: Aarif Sheikh; Rating: **

When “Let’s Dance” arrived at the theatres, it raised curiosity as unlike in Hollywood not many films with dance as the central themes are made in Bollywood. “Aaja Nachle” with Madhuri Dixit in the lead role or Antara Mali’s “Naach” had dance as the central theme, but the Hindi film industry still has a long way to go before it comes up with a quintessential dance drama on the lines of “Shall We Dance” or “Dirty Dancing”.

New global programme to save tigers to link India

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Washington, June 20: In a bid to save wild tigers from extinction, the Smithsonian Institution and the World Bank Group plan to link relevant institutions in India, China, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand and other tiger range countries with global conservation science and professional training centres.

The National Zoo’s Conservation and Research Centre located in the Shenandoah Mountains in Front Royal, Virginia, will serve as one of the initial launch-pads for development of the proposed conservation and development network.

K Chandrasekhar Rao quits as TRS chief

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Hyderabad, June 19: TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday quit his post saying he was sad over personal attacks made against him by rebel leaders in the wake of the party’s electoral defeat.

In a three-page letter addressed to the party’s state executive committee, Rao said he was sad over the personal attack mounted against him and his family members by the rebel leaders, who, have “joined hands with those trying to defeat the Telangana movement”.

Terrorism cannot be linked to Islam, says Nawaz Sharif

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Lahore, June 19: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif said terrorism cannot be linked to Islam and there is a need to focus on the root cause that leads to violence, Online news agency reported Friday.

Sharif made the remarks during his meeting with former Pakistani president Rafiq Tarar and religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jameel here.

“We will have to work together – beyond party political considerations to face this challenge. Every one has to play one’s role in this regard,” said Nawaz.

They also discussed the prevailing political situation in the country.

Khamenei backs Ahmadinejad, calls for end to protests

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Tehran, June 19: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Friday threw his weight behind re-elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and called for an end to protests challenging the results of the June 12 polls.

In his first public remarks since last week’s presidential election, the cleric insisted that no cheating had taken place and issued a stern warning to protestors that illegal initiatives were not acceptable.

“Political decisions are made at the ballot box, not in the streets,” Khamenei said.

Arms seized from NCP leader Padamsinh Patil’s home

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Mumbai,June 19: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has seized a large quantity of arms and ammunition as well as incriminating documents from two houses owned by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Padamsinh Patil, accused of murdering his cousin and his driver.

A CBI team supervised by Western Region Joint Director Rishi Raj Singh raided two apartments owned by Patil in Colaba in south Mumbai late on Thursday, a CBI source said.

Mehsud masterminded Benazir’s murder, says former aide

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Islamabad, June 19: A militant leader who broke away with Pakistan’s Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud has accused him of killing former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, a media report said Friday.

Haji Turkistan Baetani, former right-hand man of Mehsud, claimed that Mehsud had planned the assassination of Bhutto.

Baetani told Geo TV that he heard Mehsud say, “I have moved two of my associates to Rawalpindi (for) slaying Mohtarma B.B. (Benazir Bhutto).”

Israelis see Obama as pro-Palestinian: Poll

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Jerusalem, June 19: A new poll shows 50 percent of Israeli Jews see President Barack Obama’s administration as pro-Palestinian and only 6 percent see it as pro-Israeli.

According to the poll, 36 percent of respondents see Obama as neutral. That is a dramatic change from the previous US administration of George W Bush, which 88 percent termed “pro-Israel.”