Hyderabad, June 28: Senior Congress leaders on Sunday criticised the fast-unto-death undertaken by BC Welfare president R Krishnaiah and said that there are no plans for talks with him over the fee reimbursement issue.
Talking to media persons at the CLP on Sunday, Ministers Gade Venkat Reddy, Botsa Satyanarayana, Pilli Subash Chandra Bose and MLC Rudraraju Padmaraju questioned as to why would the government invite Mr Krishnaiah for talks.
Hyderabad, June 28: The Telangana Rashtra Samithi, if it comes to power in a separate Telangana state, would make education compulsory and free.
Addressing a gathering of TRS supporters on Sunday, party chief K Chandrasekhar Rao said that his party would push for ‘education for all’ policy in the newly carved state. He said that if his party comes to power in the yet-to-be-created state, it would support students from ‘KG to PG’.
Hyderabad, June 28: The Telugu Desam Party on Sunday demanded that the state government send an all-party delegation to the Central Water Commission over the Babli Project.
Talking to media persons on Sunday, senior TDP leaders Kadiam Srihari and Venugopalachary said that a team of TDP leader would submit a memorandum to Chief Minister K Rosaiah urging the government to intervene and stop the works by the Maharashtra government on the Babli Project.
They said that if work on the Babli Project is allowed to continue, the supply of water to the Sriram Sagar Project will be dried up.
Washington, June 28: The top US spy chief believes Osama bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan and Iran is working on a nuclear capability but is still at least a year from making a bomb.
Osama bin Laden remains in “very deep hiding” in the tribal areas of Pakistan near the Afghanistan border, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Leon Panetta told news persons on Sunday.
“He obviously has tremendous security around him,” he said of the Al Qaeda leader sought by the United States in connection with the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Srikakulam, June 28: The second phase of the Vamsadhara irrigation project was one of the top priorities of the state government and the government would release the required funds to complete it on a war footing, chief minister K Rosaiah said here today.
Speaking to mediapersons on the second day of his visit, he said his government would again invite the Odisha government to talks to iron out differences on the project. The government had already extended an invitation to the Odisha government twice in the past, he said.
Gaza, June 28: Dozens of Palestinians have been injured by Israeli forces who used force to stop angry protests in the East al-Quds (Jerusalem) against new Israeli demolition plans.
Israeli troops clashed with Palestinian teenagers and youth late on Sunday in the Aiyn al-Louzam, al-Rajabi, and Bir Ayoub quarters in the middle of Silwan neighborhood, Ma’an news agency reported.
The violence came on the heels of a move by Israeli settlers who took over a Palestinian home in the area.
Kurnool, June 28: The leaders of various political parties and government employees in Rayalaseema issued an ultimatum to the Centre that Greater Rayalaseema should be carved out if separate Telangana was formed. “We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the cause,” they said.
They took a pledge to organise agitations mandal wise and motivate people and continue them till their goal was achieved. Representatives of various NGOs also attended the meet held in Rayalaseema Hakkula Aikya Vedika building here today. The Greater Rayalaseema Government Employees Federation was formed and MLA
Washington, June 28: CIA Director Leon Panetta says Iran probably has enough low-enriched uranium for two nuclear weapons, but that it likely would take two years to build the bombs.
Panetta also says he is doubtful that recent U.N. penalties will put an end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
He says the penalties could help to weaken Tehran’s government by creating serious economic problems. But he adds, “Will it deter them from their ambitions with regards to nuclear capability? Probably not.”
Hyderabad, June 28: Congress leaders from Coastal Andhra region on Sunday questioned the demand by various quarters for a change of design of the Polavaram Project and pleaded politicians from all parties not to hamper the chances of getting a National Project status to Polaravarm.
Talking to media persons at the CLP on Sunday, Ministers Gade Venkat Reddy, Botsa Satyanarayana, Pilli Subash Chandra Bose and MLC Rudraraju Padmaraju asked how anyone can justify the demands of taking the advice of engineering expert Hanumantha Rao on the design of the Project.
Hyderabad, June 28: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, as part of its efforts to check the spread of the dreaded Swine Flu disease, has started an awareness campaign to educate people on precautions to check the spread of Swine Flu.
Talking to INN, GHMC Additional Commissioner (Health and Sanitation) S Aleem Basha on Sunday said that the Corporation is being helped by the state government in this effort.
Mr Basha said that the GHMC is erecting hoardings, pasting posters and distributing leaflets in different languages among the general public.
New Delhi, June 28: Brutal sexual assault on 5-year-old in southeast Delhi; victim’s private parts to be reconstructed
Crime and the Capital have long shared an unhealthy liaison. But certain criminal acts make you wary of the
Bruised innocence: Payal at her home
dark side of the human mind.
London, June 28: Britain’s army chief has called for talks with the Taliban, as part of the exit strategy for US-led forces in Afghanistan, adding that talks should begin “pretty soon.”
General David Richards made the remark in an interview with BBC Radio on Sunday.
“If you look at any counter-insurgency campaign throughout history there’s always a point at which you start to negotiate with each other, probably through proxies in the first instance, and I don’t know when that will happen,” he said.
Washington, June 28: CIA Director Leon Panetta said Sunday that the war in Afghanistan had “serious problems,” but the U.S.-led mission was making progress.
“It’s harder, it’s slower than I think anyone anticipated,” said Panetta, the nation’s top intelligence officer, in a rare media interview with the ABC program “This Week.”
He cited governance problems, drug trafficking and the Taliban insurgency — all in a tribal society — as the major challenges to the goal of “making sure al Qaeda never finds another safe haven from which to attack this country.”
Sydney, June 28: Powers to ban brothels on moral grounds are being sought by a Christian-dominated council in one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions, the BBC reported.
Although regulations vary, prostitution is generally legal across much of Australia and brothels are controlled by planning laws.
However, the mayor of the Hills Shire council in Sydney says there is no place for the sex industry in the ‘Bible belt’ district, home to one of the largest churches in the country. Peter Dimbrowsky said that the community should have the right to outlaw brothels.
Srinagar, June 27: Security in Jammu and Kashmir has been further beefed up following intelligence inputs suggesting that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba was planning to carry out terrorist strikes in the state including assassination of a political or a top separatist leader.
Sources in the security establishment said that some intelligence inputs were intercepted in which Lashkar commanders in the Valley were receiving instructions from across the border to carry out a terrorist strike in Jammu or Kashmir which includes targeting any politician or separatist leader.
Jaipur, June 27: The Rajasthan government has hiked passenger fares of state buses in the range of Rs one and Rs eight per kilometre from midnight today.
The Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation raised fares for all its buses, including ordinary, express, semi delux, delux, AC and volvo, a RSRTC official said.
The fares for Jaipur-Delhi route have been raised between Rs 25 and Rs 50
–Agencies
Coimbatore, June 27: DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said Tamils in Sri Lanka were put to “untold sufferings” and urged the Centre to insist on the island nation to settle “once and for all” the problem faced by them in that country.
“Tamils in Sri Lanka are put to untold sufferings…they are unable to return home. They are still kept in camps. Those who were sent back to their homes have not yet been provided sufficient safety as promised,” he said at the concluding session of the World Classical Tamil Conference here.
Kolkata, June 27: Seeking a rollback of hike in prices of petroleum products, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today said she does not support the move by UPA government.
“I do not support the hike in prices of petro products. I am shocked by this increase in fuel prices which will raise the prices of essential commodities,” she told PTI after returning from New Delhi.
The price of kerosene, diesel and cooking gas had been raised which would burden the common people most as it would push up the price of essential commodities, she said.
Abu Dhabi, June 27: At least 10 people have been detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for allegedly forcing 17 women into prostitution and filming pornographic videos.
The 10 suspects detained in Abu Dhabi have been charged with human trafficking, forced prostitution and physical and psychological torture of the victims. They were also charged with making pornographic videos as well as running a fake commercial enterprise as a cover for their involvement in prostitution.
Chennai, June 27: CPI(M) would conduct an “all India strike” against hike in fuel prices, party Parliamentary Party leader Sitaram Yechury said today.
Talking to reporters here he said that “we will announce the date for holding the strike after talks with Secular parties”.
He said, “In February the Government had increased the taxes on fuel and now they have increased the fuel prices…
this is when the international prices (of crude oil per barrel) have not grown substantially… they (the Centre) will have to explain this (price hike) to people,” Yechury said.
Dubai, June 27: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has asked Indian companies to invest in the Gulf region, while lauding the Indian community for being a major contributor to the comprehensive development of the UAE.
UAE Minister of Economy Sultan Al Mansouri met India’s new ambassador to the region, Lokesh Mysore Kapanaiah, and discussed investment opportunities in the UAE for Indian companies.
New Delhi, June 27: A property dealer shot himself early Sunday in Delhi, police said.
“Ajit Singh, 45, shot himself on a road in Sonia Vihar,” a police official said.
According to police, no suicide note was found but the pistol used was recovered.
“The reason behind the incident is not known,” the official said.
–Agencies
New Delhi, June 27: A gold ornament placed over a statue of a deity in a Jain temple in east Delhi was stolen Sunday, police said.
The temple in Jyoti Nagar had two guards posted at the premises. The gold ornament is said to be worth around Rs.1 lakh.
“We feel the theft could have occurred around 7 to 7.30 p.m. We are investigating the matter and looking at all the angles,” a senior police official told IANS.
–Agencies
Kolkata, June 27: With Assembly polls nearing, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said a gap has emerged between CPI-M and the poor which has dented the Left’s support base.
“A gap has been created with the poor in some places.
But this is not the picture across West Bengal. Despite this, we have to reestablish our links with the poor,” he told a two-day state committee meeting of the party’s which concluded today.
The meeting reviewed reasons behind the debacle suffered in the recent civic elections and discussed the ‘shortcomings’, party insiders said.
New Delhi, June 27: Senior Congress leader Anil Shastri has come out against the fuel price hike dubbing the rise in prices of LPG and kerosene as “disastrous” and asked party chief Sonia Gandhi to urgently intervene.
“Increase in prices of kerosene and cooking gas is disastrous. The common man is badly affected. Soniaji must immediately intervene,” he wrote in his twitter.
Shastri is a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee and is also the editor of party mouthpiece ‘Congress Sandesh’.