Thane, August 30: Close on the heels of controversial book on Mohammad Ali Jinnah by senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh, one more such work is fast taking its shape and is sure to create another controversy in the party.
The book, ‘Sanch-ki-Saja’ (meaning: Punishment for truth) is being written by senior BJP leader Om Prakash Sharma.
Bangalore, August 30: India’s first lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 has been terminated abruptly after repeated attempts to restore radio contact with the spacecraft failed, a top space official said Sunday.
“We had to terminate the mission as we don’t have contact with the spacecraft. Though we are disappointed with what has happened, we have managed to salvage a large volume of data,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G. Madhavan Nair told reporters at Panaji.
Bhopal, August 30: Terming the crisis-ridden BJP as a “political instrument” of RSS, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat today said the Sangh was dictating terms to the party.
“BJP is not a normal party. It is a political instrument of RSS,” Karat told reporters when asked for his comments on the developments in BJP.
The day RSS claimed that it is a cultural organisation after the crisis in BJP reached a crescendo, the very next day, they started dictating terms to BJP to put its house in order, he said.
London, August 30: One of the Spice Girls- Geri Halliwell was seen flashing her six-pack-abs in St. Tropez.
According to TMZ online, “Mother of one/former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell showed off her sick six-pack while sunnin’ herself on a boat in St. Tropez.”
Not just hunks are capable but these superb figure can also carry out them easily, as the picture suggests.
—Agencies
Jammu, August 30: Police today arrested an ex-army man on the charge of sodomy in Rajouri district.
Hardesh Kumar is accused of sodomising an 11-year-old boy in a maize field in Chingus belt of Rajouri district, police said.
His parents lodged a complaint after he told them about the incident and Kumar was arrested, police said.
—Agencies
Mangalore, August 30: Twelve persons were injured when two groups clashed over a eve teasing incident at a sports meet at Mondakapu maidan, about 25 km from here today, police said.
Two buses were damaged in the ensuing violence, following which prohibitory orders were clamped in the area, they said.
Police said trouble broke out after one group teased women athletes participating in a sports meet. This was objected to by the other group, who assaulted one of them, leading to a tense situation in the area.
All the injured have been hospitalised, police said.
London, August 30: Union bosses at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) have warned members not to take part in the documentary about late pop legend Michael Jackson’s doomed “This Is It” tour.
Sony Pictures have purchased rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage from concert promoters AEG Live, filmed at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, as Jackson prepared for his residency at London’s O2 Arena.
Belgium, August 30: Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella created history by giving India their first-ever Formula One race point, finishing a sensational second in the Belgian Grand Prix, even as Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen overtook the Italian, who started from the pole, to win the race.
Fisichella, who created history for Force India, said he was bit saddened by the result.
Thane, August 30: Congress today removed the chief of its women’s wing, Malti Bhoir, replacing her with another senior leader Rekha Mirajkar.
Spokesperson of the Thane city district Congress said a decision to this effect was taken by All India Mahila Congress Chief Vidhya Thakur and a formal announcement would be soon made. The decision has been taken in wake of the forthcoming assembly elections, the spokesperson said.
Recently, Thane Congress chief Kanti Koli too was replaced with Balkrishna Purnekar.
—Agences
Jammu, August 30: Jammu and Kashmir government today suspended the functioning of a pesticide unit here with immediate effect on charges of violating Insecticide Acts.
Acting on a report on the pesticide unit, director of agriculture, Vinood Bala, ordered suspension of the functioning of Jai Bharat Crop Chemical Private Ltd.
The unit was found violating the provisions of the Insecticide Acts — 1968 and 1971 — by manual filling of hazardous chemicals.
—Agencies
Mumbai, August 30: Firing fresh salvo against his erstwhile party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray today blamed Shiv Sena for mushrooming illegal slums in Mumbai.
“Shiv Sena has failed to curb this menace despite they being at the helm in the corporation,” Raj said adding in fact, slums are increasing day by day.
Speaking at a public programme held here at suburban Vile Parle, he said, “I have been raising this issue even when I was with Sena, though within the party only.
Chennai, August 30: The Election Commission today said that Electronic Voting Machines cannot be tampered with, as alleged by some political parties, including the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK, and its ally, PMK.
“As far as I can see, there are no problems… the EVMs cannot be tampered with,” Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla told reporters at the airport here.
To a question, he said the EC had given more time to PMK to prove its allegations that the machines can be tampered with.
London, August 30: Pop singer Christina Aguilera paid an emotional tribute to her husband Jordan Bratman in a TV interview crediting their union with helping her overcome her abusive past.
Aguilera insists it’s Bratman’s loving influence that’s helped her conquer her fears after growing up with an abusive father and she has vowed to stop the cycle of abuse since starting their own family, reports express.co.uk.
New Delhi, August 30: Ahead of India’s title clash against Syria in the Nehru Cup football Monday, skipper Bhaichung Bhutia was clearly upset with All India Football Federation (AIFF) after being summoned for a meeting Sunday morning to resolve the ongoing tussle with his club Mohun Bagan.
“Tomorrow I will be playing an important match to defend the Nehru Cup title and today morning I was called for a meeting. You can realize how difficult it becomes for a player (to perform) under these circumstances,” Bhtuia told reporters after the team’s practice session.
New Delhi, August 30: A 28-year-old property dealer was allegedly shot dead by four men in northwest Delhi, police said Sunday.
“The incident took place around 11.30 p.m. Saturday in the Mangolpuri area. The victim, Budh Bachchan, was returning home on his motorcycle when four men stopped him. They then entered into an argument which was followed by a fight,” a senior police officer said.
New Delhi, August 30: Swine flu cases in the country continued to swell with 128 more people testing positive for the viral infection today, taking the total number of H1N1 cases to 3,881, an official release said here today.
Uttar Pradesh reported the maximum with 27 cases followed by Delhi (22), Tamil Nadu (21), Karnataka (17), Maharashtra (12) and West Bengal (10).
Till date, samples of 21,477 people have been taken, of which 3,534 were found positive, the release said.
New Delhi, August 30: Anil Ambani group firm RNRL today said RIL’s communication to the government is a conclusive evidence that there were no takers for the gas at high prices offered by it.
Commenting on RIL’s letter, an RNRL spokesperson said, “RIL’s letter conclusively demonstrates that customers are not willing to buy gas at these high prices”.
Panaji, August 30: India Sunday decided to terminate its first unmanned moon mission as contact could not be re-established with the spacecraft Chandrayaan, Indian Space Research organisation (ISRO) Chairman G. Madhavan Nair said, adding that he would meet the prime minister next week to brief him about the development.
“We are disappointed with what has happened, but we have managed to salvage a large volume of data,” Nair told reporters here.
“We are content with the result,” he said, adding that nearly 95 percent of the mission’s objectives have been completed.
New York, August 30: Somdev Devvarman, who Saturday became the first Indian in seven years to qualify for the Grand Slam singles main draw, making to the US Open, hopes to become a regular feature in all the four Majors.
The 24-year-old India No.1, who narrowly failed to qualify for the Australian Open and then tried in vain to make the French Open and Wimbledon main draws this year. Los Angeles-born Prakash Amritraj was the last Indian to appear in a Grand Slam singles and that,too, came at the Flushing Meadows here in 2002.
Jammu, August 30: Police today arrested son of a leading business man here for allegedly opening fire at a man, who was out on bail in connection with a recent incident of firing at Jammu University premises.
The critically injured Amandeep Singh is son of a former National Conference (NC) legislator.
Police today intercepted a car and arrested prime accused Jitender Singh alias Raju, son of Choudhary Nagar Singh alias Nago, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, Manohar Singh said.
However, co-accused Royal Singh is at large, he said.
New Delhi, August 30: India coach Bob Houghton is confident that his boys are capable of defending their ONGC Nehru Cup football title against higher-ranked Syria in the final here Monday.
“My boys are exceptional and have done well in the last three years. They have made four finals in last three years and won thrice. The success graph has been going up and I am sure they can beat any team in the continent in front of a packed Ambedkar Stadium,” Houghton told reporters on the sidelines of the practice session here.
Hyderabad, August 30: Telugu Desam Party’s women’s wing president and popular south Indian actress Roja today met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy here, fuelling speculation that she is likely to join the ruling Congress.
She, however, told reporters after the meeting that she came to appreciate the Chief Minister for getting a Rs 6,000 crore NTPC-BHEL power equipment manufacturing unit to her native Chittoor district.
The Chief Minister himself had indicated earlier this month that Roja is likely to join the Congress.
New Delhi, August 30: Six people died Sunday due to swine flu, including four in the worst-hit Maharashtra and one each in Gujarat and Kerala, taking India’s toll to 93, health ministry said.
Besides, 128 people were found positive to the influenza A (H1N1) virus. While Uttar Pradesh reported 27 fresh cases, 22 cases were detected in Delhi, 21 in Tamil Nadu, 17 in Karnataka and 10 in west Bengal.
New Delhi, August 30: A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh commented about the problems within BJP, the party today expressed its ire saying instead of worrying about it he should concentrate on tackling drought and price rise even as party president Rajnath Singh wrote a letter to him on the twin issues affecting the country.
New Delhi, August 30: Heavy showers today drenched the national capital and most parts of the Northern region as the overall flood situation showed no signs of improvement in Bihar where 1.5 million people continued to reel under the deluge.
Mercury dipped appreciably across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and the national capital due to incessant rains bringing much needed respite from hot and humid conditions.
Day temperature dropped around nine degrees in Delhi this morning as torrential showers lashed the city, which was reeling under sultry weather for the past two days.