Month: January 2010

Hong Kong woman paid fake Taoist master with sex, cash

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Hong Kong, January 29: A Hong Kong woman was tricked out of 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars ($190,000) and duped into sex by a man believed to be part of syndicate of mainland Chinese conmen posing as Taoist masters, a court report said on Friday.

Deng Qianxiang, 44, told his victim she would receive a cash gift from heaven of 130 million dollars if she paid him money and followed instructions which included having sex with him and one of his disciplines on nine occasions.

Don’t visit Australia for now: Preneet Kaur

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New Delhi, January 29: Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur on Friday cautioned Indian students against visiting Australia for the moment following the string of attacks on Indian nationals.

“We are doing all that we can. An advisory has been issued not to visit Australia…,” Preneet Kaur told reporters, reiterating that Indian students should stay away from Australia.

“We are pressurising the Australian government to find the reasons behind the attacks, why have they happened and how they have happened. The reasons behind them (attacks) should be investigated.”

Snowfall in Kashmir, Srinagar-Jammu highway closed

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Srinagar, January 29: The Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed on Friday morning following fresh snowfall and slippery road conditions in the Jawahar tunnel area, a Jammu and Kashmir traffic department official said.

“The highway has been closed for traffic today on (Friday) following fresh snowfall in Jawahar tunnel area and slippery road conditions,” the official said.

Snowfall in the mountains and rain in the plains continued as the authorities commenced road clearance operations in hilly areas.

Russia’s fifth-generation fighter jet makes maiden flight

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Moscow, January 28: Russia’s fifth-generation fighter jet, a joint venture with India, made its maiden flight for 45 minutes on Friday in the country’s far east, Russian television reported.

The test flight of the stealth fighter which was scheduled for Thursday was postponed for 24 hours due to bad weather conditions in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

“The plane showed a superb performance. It has met all our expectations for the maiden flight,” said Olga Kayukova, a spokesperson for the Sukhoi aircraft manufacturer.

Huji operative Khaja in police custody

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Hyderabad, January 29: Suspected Huji operative Shaik Abdul Khaja, who reportedly planned terror attacks in the City, was today taken into custody by the police for questioning.

Khaja, who was lodged at the Chanchalguda prison, after his arrest on January 18 was taken into custody by the police today evening.

Khaja alias Amjad, a resident of Malakpet, is a suspected Huji operative who planned to strike in the City and in other parts of South India as per the instructions of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan, police claimed.

Girish Kumar’s appointment as A.P. DGP termed ‘illegal’

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Hyderabad, January 29: The Central Administrative Tribunal on Thursday quashed the promotion of R.R. Girish Kumar to the Director General of Police grade and set aside his appointment as “illegal and invalid.”

Consequently, his transfer and posting as DGP (Head of Police Force) in the Apex Scale was quashed and set aside as “illegal and arbitrary” by a two-member Bench of the Tribunal in their 58-page judgement on Friday.

HC asks Govt to explain TTD CVSO’s transfer

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Hyderabad, January 29: A Division bench of the High Court comprising Justice G Raghuram and Justice Ramesh Ranganathan on Wednesday granted time till February 1 to the government to explain the transfer of Chief Vigilance and Security Officer of the TTD.

The incumbent, Ramakrishna, is sought to be replaced by MK Singh.

Tension in OU as cops foil rally

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Hyderabad, January 29: Mild tension prevailed on the Osmania University campus on Thursday evening after a group of students tried to take out a rally to Tarnaka protesting the fresh statement of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Telangana.

The students, carrying the effigy of Chidambaram, planned to proceed to Tarnaka protesting his statement of constituting a committee to look into the demand of separate Telangana. Police, however, prevented the students from going out of the campus at the Old PG Hostel.

Telangana deadline ends; MLAs to resign

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Hyderabad, January 29: The all-party Joint Action Committee’s (JAC) deadline for the central government to make an announcement on the formation of Telangana state ended Thursday. The legislators belonging to all the parties barring the ruling Congress are determined to quit Friday.

All eyes are on New Delhi as leaders of the Congress from Telangana are still hopeful that the government would announce in the next 24 hours a time-bound programme for carving out the separate state.

Many Cong leaders hail Chidambaram’s statement

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Hyderabad, January 29: Several Congress leaders from the Telangana region today welcomed Union home minister P Chidambaram’s statement that a committee on Telangana would be constituted in first week of February.

Senior leaders K Jana Reddy, R Damodar Reddy and others exuded confidence that separate Telangana State would become a reality in five to six months.

“After our meeting with party president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi we got confidence that Telangana state will become a reality in another six months. We have explained the prevailing situation to her,’’ they said.

No dilly-dallying on T: BJP

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New Delhi, January 29: The BJP has warned the Congressled UPA Government at the Centre against delaying tactics on Telangana.

The party has demanded that the proposed committee to be set by the Centre should complete its consultative process ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament. The Bill for creation of separate Telangana should not only be introduced but passed in the Budget Session of Parliament.

TD prefers to wait for official word on T panel

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Hyderabad, January 29: The Telugu Desam party (TDP) is now waiting for an official announcement on formation of a committee on Telangana since Union Home Minister P Chidamabaram’s statement earlier in the day was `bereft of vital details’’ like when the proposed committee would be constituted to untie the Telagnana tangle.

TDP Telangana MLAs met at NTR Bhavan today and later met party chief N Chandrababu Naidu. In a guarded reaction, the Telangana TDP leaders said that they were waiting for the official announcement from the Central Government.

Bangalore woman, son commit suicide in Tirumala

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Tirumala, January 29: A 55-year-old woman and her 28-year-old adopted son, residents of Bangalore, committed suicide by consuming a poisonous substance.

The mother and son, left a suicide note that says that they killed themselves because they were ‘disgusted with the society’.

The were found dead inside a newly-purchased car parked near Lepakshi junction in Tirumala on Tuesday.

According to police, the deceased used to live in Santhosh Nagar, Thoorpu, near Bangalore.

Illicit liquor trade thriving in Konaseema

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Rajhmundary, January 29: Decades ago, Gangalakurru Agraharam, Bandarlanka and Palagummi villages were known as the most picturesque locations in the Konasema region. Vedic scholars from Gangalakurru Agraharam were popular for their scholarly pursuits. The same places are now hogging the limelight, this time for wrong reasons. They are the hub of illicit liquor trade.

Minor reshuffle of IAS officers

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Hyderabad, January 29: Principal Secretary (School Education) Suresh Chanda has been transferred and posted as Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, replacing Ranjeev R Acharya who is going on leave.

Principal Secretary (Higher Education) CR Biswal will hold the additional charge of the post of principal secretary (School Education). Commissioner for Youth Services G Anantha Ramu has been appointed as Commissioner of Industries.

ACB raid exposes ilegal nexus at RTA ofice

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Hyderabad, January 29: Exposing the corrupt activities and functioning of middlemen in the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), a surprise check by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials on an RTA office in the city unearthed more than Rs 1.06 lakh from the office and the middlemen.

On specific information of corrupt practices and irregularities in the South Zone RTA office, ACB officials raided it on Wednesday evening and recovered the amount.

Narcotics seized from 2 foreigners

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Hyderabad, January 29: Two foreigners, a Nigerian and a national of Republic of Benin, were reportedly nabbed by the Customs Department officials at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad, today and narcotics worth several crores seized from them.

The duo were nabbed when they tried to board a flight to Dubai, customs officials said.

Sources said the Nigerian, Sholaja, and a woman from Republic of Benin, Chibu, concealed huge haul of narcotics in their baggage and came to the RGIA around 8.45 a.m when they were caught. The duo were being questioned.

–Agencies

CAT directive exposes Govt: TD

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Hyderabad, January 29: TDP MLA Gali Muddu Krishnama Naidu today said that CAT’s directive on the appointment of DGP RR Girish Kumar thoroughly exposed the State Government’s attitude in appointing officers.

Speaking to reporters here, he clarified that his party not against the appointment of Girish Kumar, who was a good officer.

What was exercising it was the violation of rules in appointing officers — cases in which the Congress Government had overlooked several seniors.

Star status proved to be Sania’s tie-breaker?

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Hyderabad, January 29: What has led to the break up of tennis sensation Sania Mirza’s six-month long engagement with her childhood friend Mohammad Sohrab Mirza? The 23-year-old star, back in Hyderabad after an indifferent Australian Open, made the decision on her return from Melbourne.

“We were friends for years but found ourselves incompatible.

I wish Sohrab the very best in life,” said Sania in an SMS message to mediapersons forwarded by her father Imran.

4 million students to sit exams Saturday

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Taif, January 29: Four million boys and girls are expected to turn up to write their first semester examinations on Saturday, education authorities have confirmed.

In Taif, Muhammad Bin Sa’eed Abu Ras, the Director General of Boys’ Education, said that 400 education supervisors will act as invigilators during the examinations. He said all the secondary schools have entered their data into a central system. This system will be used to store all secondary school marks, in all specializations.

PM holds talks with Scientific Advisory Council

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New Delhi, January 29: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday held talks with the Scientific Advisory Council to discuss a roadmap to make India competitive and a global innovation hub in science in the next few years.

A team of experts lead by council’s chairman C.N.R. Rao and Minister of Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan discussed future plans and areas that require attention.

Model rules to work right to education sent to states

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New Delhi, Januar 29: The Right to Education (RTE) Act, which promises to make elementary education compulsory, is now a step closer to being implemented as the central government Friday sent to all states model rules under the legislation.

‘The model rules were circulated to the state governments in the meeting of the state education secretaries here,’ a Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry official said.

The HRD ministry is deliberating with state education secretaries on several issues pertaining to school education in the country.

8,000 students to take CAT re-test

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New Delhi, January 29: Nearly 8,000 candidates, who could not appear for the Common Admission Test (CAT) for entry to the country’s top B-schools due to software glitches, would sit for the exam Saturday and Sunday, an official release said.

Nine centres, including two in Delhi, have been identified for students to take the online exam.

The CAT went online for the first time in 2009 but several students could not appear for the exam due to technical glitches in the exam system.

–IANS–

One gets four-year jail in Kandhamal riots case

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Bhubaneshwar, January 29: A fast track court Friday sentenced a person to four years’ imprisonment in a Kandhamal riots case.

“One person named T. Pradhan has been convicted in a riot case for torching the house of Anama Chandra Nayak of Damakupa village under Tikabali police station on 25th August, 2008,” P.K. Patra, the public prosecutor told reporters after the verdict was announced.

‘Don’t visit Australia for now’

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New Delhi, January 29: Indian students are advised against visiting Australia for the moment, Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur said Friday as the body of Ranjodh Singh, an Indian killed in New South Wales was flown into Delhi.

The Australian envoy, however, stressed that the attack on Ranjodh Singh was not racist.

“We are doing all that we can. An advisory has been issued not to visit Australia…,” Preneet Kaur told reporters, reiterating that Indian students should stay away from Australia.