Moscow, July 05: The Kremlin says a new agreement with the US over reducing nuclear warheads requires Washington to reconsider its plans for a missile defense system in Europe.
President Dmitry Medvedev clarified Russia’s stance ahead of US President Barack Obama’s visit on Monday.
The two leaders are expected to discuss ways to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) before it expires in December.
Pretoria, July 05: A woman’s body was found in a burning suitcase on the banks of a stream in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon, Lyttelton police said.
Spokesperson Eveline Hardaker said the suitcase with the body was discovered by a passer-by who alerted the police.
The body’s head, arms and legs had been cut off and its torso was missing, she said.
The body was dressed in a white and orange T-shirt.
—Agencies
Mumbai, July 05: Actor Shiney Ahuja has not admitted before court that he had consensual sex with his domestic help and taken a stand that he was being framed up on rape charges, his lawyer Srikant Shivade said on Sunday.
“What the actor had said in his bail petition was that even if it is assumed for the sake of argument that he had consensual sex, no offence had been made out against him,” Shivade said.
Phulbani, July 05: BJP leader and a prime accused in last year’s communal riot in Kandhamal, Manoj Pradhan, was released from jail here on Sunday, a day after being granted interim bail to be able to take oath as an MLA.
Pradhan, who was lodged in jail since his arrest in October 2008 on charge of murder, riot and arson, was set free after furnishing required documents, a day after a fast track court here granted him conditional bail for 15 days in two cases. He had earlier got bail in 12 other cases.
Tehran, July 05: Head of Iran’s Council of Experts Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani has praised the high turn-out in Iran presidential election but criticized later events.
“People from across the country created a very positive and epic scene by showing up at the polls, but unfortunately the events that followed and the problems that were created for some turned bitter,” Hashemi-Rafsanjani said.
“I do not believe that any alert conscience to be content about the circumstances that have unfolded,” he added.
New Delhi, July 05: The ruling Congress party Sunday dismissed as a ‘stretch of imagination’ Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani’s comments that India should revert to the ballot paper for elections unless adequate safeguards are in place against malfunctioning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Advani told The Sunday Express that ballot papers should be reintroduced in the state assembly elections scheduled later this year unless the Election Commission is able to ensure foolproof functioning of EVMs.
New Delhi, July 05: With a few States opposing his agenda of educational reforms, including making class X board examination optional, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has hinted at dropping some of his proposals if there is a “rationale” behind it.
“These reforms are good for the country. These reforms are required. If there is a public outcry that it is not possible and if I think there is a rationale in that, I certainly will not go ahead with it,” Sibal told a news channel.
He said the issue of reforms has been put in public domain and discussions have already started on several forums.
Hyderabad, July 05: The CEO and vice-chairman of a software company, who collected Rs 2 crore as “security deposit’’ from 200 youngsters with a promise to refund the same, but subsequently wound up the company, were arrested by sleuths of the Central Crime Station (CCS) today.
They arrested B Surya Prasad (CEO) and Sita Kumari, while another accused — B Narasimha Rao — is absconding.
Hyderabad, July 05: Giani Gurbachan Singhji, Jathedar of Akal Takht Saheb, the Supreme temporal authority for Sikhs across the world will perform `Ardas’ (a Sikh prayer that is performed for a significant task) for rains in Andhra Pradesh. The Jathedar is in the City to participate in the 414th birthday celebrations of sixth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Hargobind Sahebji which would be celebrated at Maharana Pratap Function Hall in Amberpet tomorrow.
Hyderabad, July 05: Internal differences in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to the fore again at the State executive committee meeting which began here today.
BJP national secretary N Indrasena Reddy and party State general secretaryDr Laxman have boycotted the meet. Several prominent leaders and chiefs of several district units reportedly said that the leadership should be held responsible for the poor performance of the party in the recently held general elections.
Hyderabad, July 05: A four-year-old boy was allegedly murdered by his stepfather on Saturday at Kulsumpura for not obeying his words.
Kulsumpura police said Sayed Moinuddin was hit on his chest by Sayed Nasir, the stepfather of Sayed Moinuddin, for not obeying his words. Zareena Parveen, mother of Sayed Moinuddin, parted away with Gouse Moinuddin, her first husband, two years ago. Both used to stay in Rajendranagar along with four children.
New Delhi, July 05: Youth in India and China face huge risks from party drugs like Ecstasy and Adam because of their large populations and increasing disposable income, a senior UN official has warned.
Besides, these synthetic drugs are easily available as they can be produced in the kitchen unlike heroine or cocaine, says Christina Albertin, who heads the UN Office on Drugs and Crime for South Asia.
Attari (Punjab), July 05: The Border Security Force (BSF) is investigating two blasts that occurred in a village along the fenced border between India and Pakistan Saturday night.
BSF officials said two shells landed on the Indian side of the border in paddy fields of Dande village near the Attari-Wagah land border joint check post, 30 km from Amritsar city.
‘Villagers told our officials that two projectiles landed in the paddy fields last night,’ a BSF official, who visited the spot, told IANS.
New Delhi, July 05: India is set to prepare new rules to save its 7,517 km coastline after deciding to let a controversial notification under attack from the fishing community to lapse.
The decision came after Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told a delegation of fishermen here Thursday that existing regulations that date from 1991 would not be changed without consulting them. The fishermen’s objection was to the draft of the coastal management zone (CMZ) notification of 2008 which they alleged would displace their settlements along the beaches and halt fishing near the coast.
New Delhi, July 05: Amid high expectations in a slowing economy, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will present India’s national budget for this fiscal Monday, seeking a fine balance between the need for resources to fund welfare schemes and minimising the burden on the average citizen and industry.
The veteran politician will need to draw from his experience of having presented three regular budgets as finance minister between January 1982 and December 1984 and push forward the agenda listed in the interim budget he tabled in February.
New Delhi, July 05: The ruling Congress party Sunday dismissed as a ‘stretch of imagination’ Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani’s comments that India should revert to the ballot paper for elections unless adequate safeguards are in place against malfunctioning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Advani told The Sunday Express that ballot papers should be reintroduced in the state assembly elections scheduled later this year unless the Election Commission is able to ensure foolproof functioning of EVMs.
New Delhi, July 05: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) may wax eloquent about empowering the downtrodden, but in the last five years it has denied the Scheduled Castes (SCs) a whopping Rs.72,500 crore ($15.16 billion) that should have been earmarked for them under a special scheme.
This has been underlined by voluntary organisation National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) after a study of India’s budget documents.
Guwhati, July 05: One person drowned and at least four rpt four lakh people affected as the flood situation in Assam turned critical today with upper and lower parts of the state coming under water overflowing from Brahmaputra river and its tributaries whose water level was above the danger mark at several places.
The water level of the river and its tributaries was about danger mark in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Morigaon, Barpeta and Guwahati following incessant rain in catchment areas, official sources said here.
Jeddah, July 05: With the beginning of the summer vacation, many Saudi students are preparing to travel abroad to study English in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or other countries where English is the native language.
Proficiency in the English language has become increasingly important for Saudis because of the globalization of the world economy and the investment of foreign firms in the Kingdom’s massive infrastructure projects.
Jeddah, July 05: Police’s patience wore thin over the Jacob Brothers’ illegal visa business, arresting the three brothers at their den in the Jeddah downtown area Saturday in a major sweep on illegal visa dealers.
Police described it as one of the highly-guarded and profitable illegal businesses.
The gang of three brothers targeted foreign workers who wanted to come to the Kingdom on work visa at a tag price of SR10,000 each.
Baghdad, July 05: The Iraqi government is hoping that a second major auction of oil and gas fields later this year will help revive a struggling oil industry where a first auction this week fell short, a government spokesman said.
“We think that the first (bidding) round didn’t achieve the full objectives of the Ministry of Oil,” government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters on Saturday.
Jizan, July 05: The Jizan Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the Hai’a) arrested a group of young men Saturday for electronically sending out the photos of a newly married woman to her husband, who eventually divorced her for being involved in an old relationship.
When the married woman resisted the demands of her ex-boyfriend to date her once again, he went ballistic and sent her photos to her husband and brothers.
But it did not end there.
New Delhi, July 05: Youth in India and China face huge risks from party drugs like Ecstasy and Adam because of their large populations and increasing disposable income, a senior UN official has warned.
Besides, these synthetic drugs are easily available as they can be produced in the kitchen unlike heroine or cocaine, says Christina Albertin, who heads the UN Office on Drugs and Crime for South Asia.
Jeddah, July 05: One thousand couples got married in one night as part of the tenth mass wedding ceremony at Al-Harthi Center for Exhibitions and Ceremonies here on Saturday.
On behalf of Prince Khalel Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah Region, the ceremony was patronized by Prince Mish’al Bin Majed, Governor of Jeddah.
About 5,000 people attended the mass wedding ceremony which was organized by the Charitable Society for Assisting the Youth for Marriage and Family Consulting.
Mahboobnagar, July 05: Mild tension prevailed at Shadnagar in Mahboobnagar district today when Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders organised protests over arrest of their leader Ibrahim and his followers. The rasta roko held by them led to heated argument between the police and TRS activists.
When police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd, TRS leaders protested against the police high handedness and alleged that the local DSP Bapu Reddy had manhandled TRS leader Harish Rao.