Month: February 2010

Major fire at Hyderabad hospital; one patient dead

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Hyderabad, February 02: A major fire broke out in a private superspeciality hospital in which around 150 people including 29 patients in ICU and emergency wards had a providential escape today but an old patient on ventilation was not lucky.

The condition of four persons, including three nurses, was critical after they inhaled smoke and jumped from the second
floor when huge flames and thick clouds of smoke leapt from the five-storey hospital building here, hospital sources said.

Priceless Qurans seized, two realtors held

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Hyderabad, February 02: Police today seized priceless manuscripts of the Holy Quran, one of them dating back to the Andalusian period in Spain, from two realtors who were planning to sell them off.

Task Force East Zone sleuths nabbed the realtors, Pankaj Kumar Parkee alias Malik and Vangari Ravi Kumar, at Nallakunta on credible information and seized the manuscripts comprising a big Quran, a medium-size Majmua and a miniature.

Father dies after abducted daughter found dead

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Vijayawada, February 02: Unable to bear the shock of the gruesome murder of his 10-year-old daughter two days after she was kidnapped, a top Andhra Pradesh businessman died of a cardiac arrest Tuesday morning.

Palagani Prabhakara Rao, who was in the liquor, real estate and finance business and was a leader of a backward class organisation, collapsed in Vijayawada Monday evening after hearing the news of his daughter’s killing. Doctors said he had two cardiac arrests and died at a private hospital Tuesday morning.

Man held for molesting Australian in train

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Lucknow, February 02: A 42-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly molesting an Australian woman tourist inside a Mathura-bound train in Uttar Pradesh, an official said Tuesday.

Shekhar Sharma, a resident of Lucknow, allegedly molested 29-year-old Australian woman in the Patna-Mathura Express in the Tundla region in Ferozabad district, some 350 km from here.

“Acting on the complaint filed Tuesday evening by the Australian tourist’s friend in Lucknow, we arrested Sharma,” Government Railway Police (GRP) inspector S.K. Tripathi told reporters here.

There are no terrorists in ‘My Name Is Khan’: SRK

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New York, February 02: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who plays a Muslim suffering from Asperger syndrome in the post 9/11 America in ‘My Name Is Khan’, says the film is about “hope and humanity”.

Bollywood films like ‘New York’ and Kurbaan’ have already explored the theme of 9/11 world and its effect on people especially Muslims living in America but Khan promises that his film is not about terrorism.

“It (film) does not deal with terrorism. I haven’t seen it but ‘My Name… is not at all like New York as far as I know. There are no terrorists in the film,” Khan said.

We don’t have quality spinners on the horizon: Laxman

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New Delhi, February 02: Stylish middle order batsman VVS Laxman is worried with India’s dwindling spin resource and doesn’t see a quality tweaker in the horizon. Laxman said apart from those who have already made their India debut, the spin cupboard is bare in domestic cricket which is a worry for the team.

Fonseka denies coup attempt to unseat Rajapaksa

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Colombo, February 02: Defeated opposition candidate Gen Sarath Fonseka says he never tried to stage a coup to unseat President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a day after Sri Lanka sacked 12 senior military officers, reportedly loyal to the former army chief, for hatching a “political conspiracy” during the polls.

Fonseka denied he ever tried to stage a coup saying, he just had a couple of police personnel protecting him.

“After election the government is saying that we are trying to stage a coup which is a total deliberate lie,” he told reporters.

Sachin’s Bollywood connection

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New Delhi, February 02: Sachin Tendulkar has been a role model for a whole generation of cricketers but when it comes to deriving inspiration for himself, the batting great says he looks up to three Bollywood icons.

Tendulkar said the passion and energy that legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan and melody queens Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle put behind their performance make them really inspiring.

ULFA rejects peace talks with government from jail

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Guwahati, February 02: Outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom’s (ULFA) chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa Tuesday rejected Home Minister P.Chidambaram’s offer for peace talks, saying “there can be no talks while in custody”.

“Question of writing a formal letter for beginning peace talks from inside the jail and with handcuffs on simply does not arise,” Rajkhowa told journalists here.
“There can be no talks while in custody.”

The ULFA chairman, now lodged at the Guwahati Central Jail, was brought to the Regional Dental College here for treating a tooth ailment.

Rahul slams Sena, says India is for Indians

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Patna, February 02: Unfazed by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray’s attack on him, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday maintained that India is for Indians and hailed the sacrifice of NSG commandoes including those from Maharashtra in 26/11 attacks.

“In Mumbai (during the terror attacks), men in the NSG were from Bihar, UP, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. At that time they (Sena) did not say that those from Bihar and UP should be taken out. India has to move forward and all have to be taken forward,” he said addressing a press conference here.

4 health dept vehicles torched during PCPR shutdown

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Jhargram (WB), February 02: Four vehicles belonging to the West Bengal health department were set ablaze in the Jhargram sub-division of West Midnapore tonight as the indefinite shutdown by the Maoist-backed organisation began in the Maoist pockets of the district.

Police said four sport utility vehicles (SUV), which ferried women from nearby villages to Manikpara rural health centre for a family planning programme were torched while returning after dropping the women home.

RS seat is Mulayam’s parting gift to me: Amar Singh

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New Delhi, February 02: Despite the Samajwadi Party announcing moves to seek his disqualification, expelled party leader Amar Singh tonight ruled out resigning from the Rajya Sabha and dubbed the seat as a “parting gift” given to him by Mulayam Singh Yadav.

“There is no question of resigning. It is a parting gift to me from Mulayam Singh Yadav. He has gifted me the remaining tenure of the Rajya Sabha term before my expulsion,” Singh told PTI.

10 killed in US drone attacks in Pakistan

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Islamabad, February 02: At least 10 people were killed in a fresh missile strikes by the US drones in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region Tuesday.

Thirteen missiles were fired from about five unmanned spy aircrafts on a suspected militant compound in Dattakhel village near Afghanistan border, Geo TV reported quoting sources.

The toll is expected to rise.

The attacks came three days after 15 militants were killed when a US drone fired two missile at a suspected Taliban hideout in neighbouring Muhammad Khel area of North Waziristan Saturday.

Pro-Maoist group’s shutdown call has partial response

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Kolkata, February 02: The indefinite shutdown called by the Maoist-backed People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) in three West Bengal districts received mixed response on the first day Tuesday.

“Life has been hit in some particular pockets in Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore districts,” state Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Surajit Kar Purakayastha told IANS.

Woman killed, house ransacked in Delhi

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New Delhi, February 02: A 42-year-old woman was Tuesday murdered in her house in northwest Delhi. Police said burglary could have been the motive behind the killing.

Mamata Thakur was found dead with her throat slit in her apartment in Rohini Sector 9. Her husband Praveen Thakur, a broker, and three children were all out of their Friends Apartments residence at the time of the incident.

Mamata was found dead after their domestic help Raju returned home. According to the police, she was killed between 2 p.m. and 2.30 p.m.

Digvijay Singh to go ahead with Azamgarh visit

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New Delhi, February 02: Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said Tuesday he would go ahead with his visit to Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh town Wednesday, despite objections by some political parties and groups, to probe allegations that some local youth had been picked up by police without reason.

“People have told me that some innocent youth had been picked up (by police). I am going to find out how far it is correct. It is not a political programme,” Singh told the NDTV news channel.

Arrested Maoist magazine editor dies in hospital

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Kolkata, February 02: The arrested editor of the Bengali edition of the banned Maoist magazine People’s March, Swapan Dasgupta, a blood cancer patient, died in a state-run hospital Tuesday, sparking allegations that the authorities had hastened his death through neglect and lack of proper treatment.

A senior official of the SSKM hospital said a post-mortem and forensic examination will be conducted to pinpoint the exact cause of his death.

Qaeda offers to train and arm Nigerian Muslims: SITE

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Dubai, February 02: Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) leader has offered to train and supply Nigerian Muslims to carry out “violent jihad,” in an Internet message, US-monitoring agency SITE said today.

Abu Musab Abdul Wadud, in a message posted on a Jihadist forum yesterday, told Nigerian Muslims that they “must embrace violent jihad as the only means of defence against Christians in the country,” SITE said.

He was referring to last month’s riots between Christians and Muslims in the Nigerian city of Jos that left more than 300 dead.

Rajapaksa can begin 2nd innings in Nov: SLankan SC

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Colombo, February 02: Putting to rest the uncertainty over the question of the current tenure of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court today ruled that the President can begin his second innings this November, an order which will allow him to be in power for an extra year.

The Supreme Court also said 64-year-old Rajapaksa can take oath as President of Sri Lanka for the second time within two weeks of November 19.

Resignations will do no good, Cong to Telangana MPs

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New Delhi, February 02: Congress today told its leaders from Telangana region not to resort to resignations and indicated that the much-talked about mechanism on the issue will be announced soon.

Law Minister and party in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Veerappa Moily told a delegation of MPs from Telangana region to advise local leaders not to resign from their posts.

“He told us that resignations will do no good to the issue and also conveyed to us that the Home Ministry is into forming the mechanism on the issue,” Nizamabad MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud said.

Efforts to bring in more NRI scientists: Antony

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Coimbatore, February 02: Efforts are being made to encourage Indian-origin scientists working abroad to return and work in the country to support India’s collaborative research and development programmes, Defence Minister A K Antony said today.

“By this, we can convert the brain drain of the past into a brain gain for the future,” he said after dedicating the DRDO-BU Centre of Life Sciences here to the nation.

Man arrested for ‘robbing’ forex firm owner

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New Delhi, February 02: A man was arrested here after he allegedly threatened a forex firm owner with a knife and took some money from the cash bag following an argument, police said.

The incident took place in Traveler India, a forex firm in Paharganj.

The firm owner Bhavnesh Gupta had an argument with one Jagtar Singh, after which the latter accused him of not giving him some receipts.

Singh is a regular traveler to Malaysia and had previous dealings with Gupta.

Govt looking for solutions to overcome water challenges

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Hyderabad, February 02: The Centre today said it was trying to get “best solutions” from within the country and abroad to overcome water challenges.

“We have identified 27 types of water challenges like salinity, iron, fluoride, less water and distant source. All these challenges are on one side and there are some 50-60 solutions on the other side, both in India and abroad,” Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan said today.

“We are not standing on formalities and we will get best solutions from anywhere,” Chavan told a press conference here.

Trinamool Congress, Congress to jointly fight elections

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Kolkata, February 06: With the elections to municipalities and a civic body due in May-June and assembly elections next year in West Bengal, alliance partners Trinamool Congress and Congress today announced they would contest jointly.

The announcement was made by Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee after a meeting with state Congress working president Subrata Mukherjee at her residence in South Kolkata.

Antony “too short for the podium”

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Coimbatore, February 02: “I am a small man and I need this kind of help,” Defence Minister A K Antony today said when a one-foot high wooden stand was placed to help him see the audience from behind a podium at a function here, evoking peels of laughter.

As the diminutive Antony took his place behind the podium to deliver his speech after dedicating a DRDO-BU Centre to the nation at Bharathiyar University here, he said because of the height factor neither can he see the audience nor can they see him, prompting the organisors to bring the wooden stand.