Month: April 2010

Congress’ secularism helps terror: Gadkari

by

Guwahati, April 06: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday accused the Congress of appeasing minorities in the country to strengthen its vote bank and said the concept of secularism propagated by the ruling party is only helping terrorists to carry out their violent strikes in India.

“The Congress is only interesting in appeasing minorities and their slogan of secularism is nothing but appeasing terrorists. The Congress party is doing this only for vote bank politics to win elections and nothing else,” BJP president Nitin Gadkari told a public rally here.

India, Pak not interested in private affairs of Shoaib

by

New Delhi, April 06: The twists and turns in the love story between Sania Mirza and her Pakistani beau Shoaib Malik has the potential of developing into a diplomatic row, considering the volatile relations between the two countries.

Relations have been icy since the Mumbai terror strikes and the previous meeting of the two foreign secretaries did little to ease that. Both governments are aware of this and are trying their best to make sure that a personal affair does not take the dimensions of an over-hyped India-Pakistan script.

Headly agreed to coperate with US and other: FBI

by

Washington, April 06: The question of providing Indian authorities with access to terror suspect David Coleman Headley is now “down to logistics,” a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation said today.

Special Agent Ross Rice of the Chicago FBI said, “As per his plea agreement Mr. Headley has agreed to cooperate with U.S. and other authorities. If he does not do so, it will be a violation of his plea agreement and his case will then go back to the courts for further review.”

Buddhadeb ask PC “mind your language”

by

Kolkata, April 06: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Monday hit back at Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram for his comments that in maintaining law and order the buck stopped at the Chief Minister’s table, and asked him to “mind” his language.

“Buck is not the language of politicians. It is a slang. I will tell him to mind his language. I had asked him to tell the Opposition to cooperate with the government,” Mr. Bhattacharjee told journalists here.

Shoaib: Let Ayesha come out in the open

by

Hyderabad, April 06: Former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza gave a joint press conference monday evening. Answering to questions, Shoaib Malik rejected all allegations against him and said that he had never met Ayesha Siddiqui so there was no question of him admitting his “first marriage”.

Shoaib said that the Siddiqui family should prove the allegations first instead of hurling several accusations against him.

Mamata joins sub-quota

by

New Delhi, April 06: The dice seems loaded against the Women’s Reservation Bill being adopted by the Lok Sabha in the second half of the Budget session starting April 15 with dissent growing louder and gathering strength at Monday’s all-party meeting here.

A terse statement at the end of the two-and-a-half-hour discussion was issued by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal saying “further discussions will continue”. No time-frame was mentioned. Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee, who convened the meeting, refused to say anything after it ended inconclusively.

Seed trader ablaze case: Cong MLA released on bail

by

Varanasi, April 05: Five days after getting bail, a Congress MLA, accused of setting ablaze a seed trader, was today released from the Varanasi district jail.

Ajay Rai, the MLA from Kolasla, was released on a surety provided by the Banaras Bar Association president Kesar Rai and Central Bar Association president Ram Avatar Pandey, after the district administration and police failed to verify the bail bonds of the MLA. Earlier, the district administration had opposed his release on bail.

Rajasthan beat Deccan by two runs

by

Nagpur, April 05: Rajasthan Royals edged out Deccan Chargers by two runs in their Indian Premier League match here today.

Brief Score:

Rajasthan Royals: 159 all out in 19.5 overs (Shane Watson 58, Faiz Faisal 36; RP Singh 3/17, Ryan Harris 2/34, Harmeet Singh 2/25).

Deccan Chargers: 157 all out in 19.5 overs (Rohit Sharma 73; Shane Warne 4/21, Shiddarth Trivedi 3/16).

–Agencies

Mind your language: Buddha tells Chidambaram

by

Kolkata, April 05: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Monday hit back at Union Home Minister P Chidambaram for his comments that the buck stopped at his table on maintaining law and order in the state and asked him to “mind” his language.

“Buck is the not the language of politicians. It is a slang. I will tell him to mind his language. I had asked him to tell the Opposition to cooperate with the government,” Bhattacharjee told reporters here.

Ghaziabad residents block highway to protest double murder

by

Ghaziabad, April 05: Angry Ghaziabad residents blocked the Delhi-Dehradun National Highway-58 for over an hour near the Nand Gram area Monday to protest the murder of two youths, police said.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police Raghubir Lal, the two – Farooq, 23 and Nabi, 15, residing in Bombay Colony in Nand Gram, were murdered by seven people of the same colony.

Krishna arrives in Beijing, boundary, stapled visas on agenda

by

New Delhi/Beijing, April 5 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna arrived in Beijing Monday on a four-day visit, during which India is expected to raise its key concerns over the issuing of stapled visas to Indians from Jammu and Kashmir and Chinese activities in that state.

Krishna was received at the Beijing airport by Chinese officials and Indian Ambassador to China S. Jaishankar and other senior Indian diplomats.

Conjoined twins from Bihar separated after marathon surgery

by

New Delhi, April 05: A team of 27 doctors separated 18-month-old Siamese twins Geeta and Sita after a 14 hour-long rare and difficult surgery in a hospital Monday.

The surgery started in the morning at Batra Hospital and ended just before 9 p.m. The twins are from Bihar and their parents are labourers.

“The surgery is over and the twins have been separated,” Sanjeev Bagai, a senior doctor and chief executive of the hospital, told.

Hyderabad riots: Police arrest 39 key ‘conspirators’

by

Hyderabad, April 05: Over a week after communal clashes in the old city here left two persons dead, police today claimed to have made a breakthrough into the investigations of the violence by arresting 39 key “conspirators”.

It also announced relaxation of the curfew in the riot-hit areas for 10 hours — from 7 am to 5 pm — tomorrow.

“We have today arrested 39 people who conspired to instigate the communal riots. With this, 204 people have been arrested so far,” Police Commissioner A K Khan told reporters.

Prison museum to come up at Hyderabad

by

Rajahmundry (AP), April 05: In a bid to create awareness about jails in Andhra Pradesh, a prison museum would be set up in Hyderabad soon, a top official said here today.

“Necessary arrangements are being made to establish this museum with the support of the Central Government. The museum would help the public to know better about the functioning and condition of prisons,” Director General of Prisons C N Gopinath Reddy told reporters here after inspecting the women’s prison in the city.

No differences with government on food security bill: Congress

by

New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) The Congress Monday said there were no differences between the party and government on the national food security bill and both were working for the “most virtuous coverage” of the needy people.

Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters here that the bill was a revolutionary step and a legislation with pioneering scope. “Inputs from all sections should be welcomed,” he said.

Ranganath Mishra report may be discussed in parliament

by

New Delhi, April 05: Amid political stalemate over introduction of the women’s reservation bill in the Lok Sabha, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government Monday indicated its desire to discuss the Ranganath Mishra report, which recommends 15 per cent quota for minorities in jobs and education.

Congress sources said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee indicated possibility of the report being taken up for discussion during his meeting with leaders of political parties in the Lok Sabha on the women’s reservation bill.

The report was tabled in parliament in December last year.

BJP wins Bangalore civic polls for 1st time

by

Bangalore, April 05: Nearly two years after it formed the first-ever saffron government in the South, Ruling BJP today created history again when it captured the prestigious Bangalore City Corporation for the first time winning the civic polls.

In an emphatic victory, the BJP secured a clear majority unseating the Congress and reasserting its supremacy in the country’s IT hub.

Of the total 198 wards in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, BJP, which formed its first government in May 2008, seized control of the civic body, belying forecasts of a fractured verdict.

Step up efforts to ease Indo-Pak tensions:Obama to admin

by

Washington, April 05: In a secret directive, President Barack Obama has asked his administration to intensify efforts to make India resolve its tensions with Pakistan, a priority for progress of the “US goals in the region”.

He has also asked his officials to intensify American diplomacy aimed at easing tensions between India and Pakistan, asserting that without detente between the two rivals, the administration’s efforts to win Pakistani cooperation in Afghanistan would suffer, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Court orders probe against two Gujarat IPS officers

by

Gandhinagar, April 05: The Gujarat High Court Monday ordered the state criminal investigation department (CID) to probe involvement of two Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in the alleged assault on senior lawyer Yatin Oza during a protest in 1998.

Also called into question by the high court is the “C” summary report filed by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, according to which there was no offence against the two IPS officers. The court has directed the CID to go into the “genuineness” of the report.

No consensus on Women’s Bill,Mamata joins opposition

by

New Delhi, April 05: Government’s efforts to ensure early passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha today received a setback with its ally Trinamool Congress joining Samajwadi Party, RJD and JD(U) in opposing the proposed legislation in the present form.

An all-party meeting called here to break the logjam over the bill failed as differences persisted, prompting even UPA allies and those supporting the proposed legislation not to rush through its introduction till there is consensus.

Shoaib may not get back his passport soon

by

Hyderabad, April 05: Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, charged with cheating by a woman who claims to be his first wife, may not get back his passport soon as the investigations could drag on for some more time.

Hyderabad City Police Commissioner A K Khan today indicated he could not give any time-frame within which the investigations into the case would be completed.

BSF officer judicial remand extended

by

Srinagar, April 05: A local court today extended by five days the judicial remand of a suspended BSF officer and a jawan arrested in connection with the killing of a teeenaged boy.

Commandant R K Birdi and constable Lakhvinder Kumar were produced before the court which further remanded them to 5-day judicial custody.

Birdi was arrested on March four after he surrendered to police in connection with the killing of 16-year-old Zahid Farooq on February five near here.

The killing of the teenager had sparked massive protests across Kashmir valley.

Birdi was suspended on February 14.

Now a ‘Black Pearl’ for young Arabian filmmakers

by

Abu Dhabi, April 05: Debut feature films made by young directors from Arab countries will now be able to get the prestigious Black Pearl Award at the Middle East International Film Festival to be held in Abu Dhabi October 14-23.

Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) 2010 announced Monday an additional category to honour fiction and non-fiction feature films by first- and second-time directors.

The new “Afaq Jadida” (New Horizons) category will focus on the work of new talents from the Arab world.

7 arrested in hooch tragedy, authorities order probes

by

Varanasi, April 05: Seven persons have been arrested in connection with the hooch tragedy which took place here and in Bhadoi district as authorities today ordered probes into the incident.

Varanasi District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar and Bhadoi DM Surendra Singh ordered Magisterial inquiries into the tragedy in which 10 people died after consuming spurious liquor.

The inquiries will be completed within 15 days.

16 IAS officers transferred in Haryana

by

Chandigarh, April 05: In a major administrative reshuffle, the Haryana government tonight transferred 16 IAS officers, including several commissioners.

Among those transferred are Madhusudan Prasad, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Power Department, who has been given the additional charge of Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary (FCPS), Renewable Energy Department in place of S S Prasad.