New Delhi, December 07: In a move that puts L K Advani and other BJP leaders in the dock, Congress today gave a clean chit to Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the conspiracy to demolish Babri masjid in the discussion on Liberhan Commission report in the Lok Sabha, while the BJP dubbed it as a “political document full of grave errors”.
Bangkok, December 07: Two people were killed and 11 others wounded when a bomb exploded in Thailand’s far south on Monday, police said, in the latest attack in the troubled region bordering Malaysia.
The bomb was hidden in a motorcycle and was detonated at a busy market in the main town in Narathiwat, one of three mainly Muslim provinces where more than 3,700 people have been killed in nearly six years of violence.
New Delhi, December 07: The Supreme Court today adjourned to January 12 hearing on the Special Leave Petition filed by Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan challenging the acquittal of former state Power Minister R Balakrishna Pillai of Congress.
A bench of Justices P Sathasivam and H L Dattu adjourned the matter after the state government sought further time to produce before it “necessary material” relating to a case of alleged corruption involving the former minister.
The Kerala Chief Minister had earlier moved an application for early hearing of the matter.
New Delhi, December 07: An Indian Navy warship successfully repulsed a pirate attack on a US-owned tanker in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia coast.
“A Navy ship in the Gulf of Aden prevented an attack of pirates on a private tanker flying a Norway flag and owned by US company today,” a Navy spokesperson said here.
MT Nordik Spirit, the tanker owned by the Nordik Shipping Company, was sailing in the Gulf of Aden around 1500 hours when the pirates made an attempt to hijack it and fired small arms at the crew members.
Hyderabad, December 07: THE Andhra Pradesh BC Welfare Association has strongly opposed the decision of the State Government to give weightage to Intermediate marks up to 50 per cent in deciding the ranks of students in EAMCET.
In a press release here today, association president R Krishnaiah said the decision would affect the prospects of students with rural background.
Students of government colleges would get less marks in practicals and fell back due to lack of proper infrastructure in their institutions.
Corporate college students would corner all the seats in the new system.
Jeddah, December 07: Sources have said that “large amounts” of water have appeared at the surface of the construction waste material pit in Al-’Asla Valley despite authorities pumping out 45,000 cubic meters of water a day from the nearby Misk sewage reservoir to address the water level and relieve the pressure on its embankments.
Hyderabad, December 07: About eight IPS officers, who had earlier worked in the city but are now serving in different wings of the Andhra Pradesh Police, are being roped in as part of the bandobust arrangements for the ‘‘Chalo Assembly’’ protest on December 10 planned by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Osmania University students.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner B Prasada Rao, who discussed the matter with DGP RR Girish Kumar, held a meeting with the eight officers here on Sunday.
Hyderabad, December 07: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandraekhar Rao’s fast entered the eighth day today.
PCC president D Srinivas, Telanagan ministers and senior Congress leaders and MPs visited the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) and met Rao and enquired about his health from doctors.
Hyderabad, December 07: Congress Working Committee (CWC) member G Venkataswamy today urged AICC president Sonia Gandhi to direct the State Government to introduce a resolution on Telangana in the winter session of the State Legislative Assembly beginning tomorrow.
In a three-page letter to Sonia Gandhi, he urged her to fulfill the aspirations of the pepople of Telangana.
Addressing a press conference here today, he said that it was the right time to grant statehood to Telangana a long-pending wish of the people of the region. He said he would die only in a separate Telangana State.
Hyderabad, December 07: The Telangana Settlers Forum today extended support to the demand for statehood and to the 48-hour bandh.
In a press release here today, forum convener Katragadda Prasuna and co-convener Kanuri Jayasri said industries, educational institutions and business establishments set up by settlers would in fact help Telangana develop. “Let us all unite to achieve separate Telangana,’’ they appealed to the agitators.
The forum leaders said they identified with Telangana culture and were committed to the development of the region.
Hyderabad, December 07: With the agitation for separate Telangana intensifying, the private bus operators from Andhra region have scaled down their operations to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and are contemplating total withdrawal of services.
The private travel managements have already curtailed the services by 40 per cent as the agitators targeted private buses and have decided to terminate services temporarily if the agitation continues in the Telangana region for some more days, said G Ganesh, regional coordinator of Kesineni Travels and Tours.
Ahad, December 07: Some evacuees here have complained that they are waiting for more than a month for financial compensation from the government after leaving their homes because of the conflict on the Saudi-Yemeni border.
Parents are expected to receive SR2,000 each a week and each child SR200 a week.
The amounts have to be paid out by the Ministry of Finance with the cooperation of officials from the Ahad Al-Masareha province.
These amounts are to be paid out under an order from King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
Chennai, December 07: Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan’s conclusion that the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 was a pre-planned act by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the RSS is a “big lie”, said Ashok Singhal, president, VHP.
Thiruvantapuram, December 07: Kerala leader of opposition Oommen Chandy Sunday said arrested Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative T. Nazeer had reportedly come under the state police scanner twice but had been let off.
The former chief minister was criticising Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan for complaining that the state was not informed of Nazeer’s arrest.
Chennai, December 07: On the 17th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, more than 1,500 activists from Muslim organisations were arrested when they held protests in different parts of the city on Sunday.
Over 500 activists, including 180 women, of the Tamil Nadu unit of Indian Tauheed Jamaat gathered near a five star hotel in Nungambakkam at 10.50 am and tried to march towards Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s house on Haddows Road.
New Delhi, December 07: Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), the country’s second largest car manufacturer today said it has rolled out over 25 lakh units from its manufacturing facility located at Sriperumbedur, near Chennai.
Out of the total 25 lakh units that were produced approximately 16 lakh units were sold in the country while the remaining 9 lakh units were exported, a company statement said.
New Delhi, December 07: Legendary actor Shammi Kapoor has been admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital here with a chest infection — and one of the many fans visiting him was old friend Amitabh Bachchan.
Amitabh made it a point to visit Kapoor, 78, Sunday itself, a day after he had been hospitalised.
“The evening started with a visit to Breach Candy Hospital where the great Shammi Kapoor has been admitted with a chest infection,” Amitabh wrote on his blog bigb.bigadda.com
New Delhi, December 07: State run telecom major BSNL today announced a cut in its National roaming tariffs by launching a new mobile phone tariff plan with 49p/min as well as 1p/sec. The new plan will bring down the national roaming rates from Rs 1.00/Rs1.50 per minute to 49p/min for those who will be using ‘all @49’ first recharge coupon or special tariff vouchers. Similarly, customers using special vouchers for per second billing shall have a roaming charge of 1p/sec for on net calls & 1.2p/sec for off net calls, a company statement said.
Kancheepuram, December 07: Six people were killed and two injured in various mishaps across this district yesterday.
Two persons on a motorcycle were killed when their motorcycle rammed into a stationary lorry on Baanurpalem near Chengalpet.
The victims were identified as Sankar (21) and his friend Karuppuswamy (24).
Another man, Ezhumalai (40), was killed on the spot when his motorcyle was hit by a lorry VRT Chatram.
A youth from Orissa was killed when he was hit by a van at Chettipunyam near Maraimalainagar. He was identified as Deenabandhupaatra (25) of Sandarpur district.
Aligarh, December 07: Religion does not matter when it comes to becoming the prime minister and a Muslim can get the top job provided he is the most capable person for it, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said here today.
“It is not about what religion or community you come from, it is what you bring to the table, what capability you have,” he said in an interaction with students of the Aligarh Muslim University.
He was replying to a question that having come a long way after Independence how much more time will it take for India to have its first Muslim prime minister.
Athens, December 07: Riot police in Greece fired tear gas canisters at youths Monday during a second day of protests commemorating a teenager shot dead by police last year, an incident that sparked the country’s worst unrest in decades.
Some of the 3,000 demonstrators, most of them high school students, threw stones at police during the protest in central Athens. There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.
Hyderabad, December 07: The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly today paid glowing tributes to former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who was killed in a tragic helicopter crash on September 2.
Moving the condolence resolution in the House, Chief Minister K Rosaiah lauded the services of the former Chief Minister, stating ‘YSR’ was a committed leader, who fought for the welfare of the downtrodden.
Baghdad, December 07: A bomb exploded at a school in Baghdad’s Shiite district of Sadr City, killing five people, including four students, Iraqi officials said.
The bombing took place at about 1 p.m. in an area where large attacks have been infrequent because it is encircled by US and Iraqi security forces and has its own neighborhood security.
The blast also wounded at least 34 people, said an Iraqi police official. A Ministry of Interior official confirmed the casualties.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Hyderabad, December 07: The Congress High Command is likely to intervene later today to persuade Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K Chandrasekhara Rao (KCR) to call off his nine day-old fast-unto-death, at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS).
Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, incharge of Andhra Pradesh affairs, reportedly called Chief Minister K Rosaiah this afternoon for an update on the situation, amidst reports of continuing violence in Osmania University campus.
Jerusalem, December 07: Israeli forces have shot dead an Israeli man who tried to cross a barrier surrounding the Gaza Strip near the Erez crossing, the Israeli military says.
The Israeli man was shot dead in the early hours of Monday, when he tried to enter the Gaza Strip at the main border crossing between Israel and the Palestinian coastal enclave, Reuters reported. The man’s motive was not clear.