Month: July 2010

Gadkari accuses Cong of spreading lie that BJP is anti-Muslim

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Haridwar, July 09: BJP President Nitin Gadkari today accused
the Congress of launching ” false propaganda that we are against Muslims.”

” If we were against Muslims, then how could we make Dr APJ Abdul Kalam the President of the country,” Mr Gadkari said addressing a largely attended workers’ meeting at the community centre of Bharat Heavy Electricals

Mr Gadkari alleged that leaders of the Congress in different
states have encroached the ‘Waqf’ properties of about Rs 25,000
crore.

He asked the Muslims how can such a party be trusted to

Death threats for ‘psychic’ Paul the oracle octopus

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Berlin, July 09: Paul the oracle octopus has predicted that Germany will beat Uruguay in the World Cup third-place play-off tomorrow, but is now the target of death threats from angry German fans.

The octopus, who has become a World Cup sensation by correctly predicting all six Germany games, plumped for his country of residence today, carried live on national television.

The two-year-old mollusc medium then took a rest before predicting the result of the final between Spain and the Netherlands.

Bangladeshi killed, BSF wants BDR to check infiltration

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Shillong, July 09: A Bangladeshi national has been killed after entering India at Khaliang in Meghalaya, prompting the BSF today to state that the Bangladesh Rifles was not checking infiltration into this side.

A statement issued from the BSF’s Assam-Meghalaya Frontier headquarters said the village defence party (VDP) of Khaliang in Meghalaya spotted three Bangladeshis chopping trees inside India on June 8 morning.

When the village defence men challenged them, the intruders attacked them with sharp weapons, prompting the VDP men to fire in self-defence from licensed weapons.

Headley confession links ISI to LeT

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Washington, July 09: Indian investigators’ interrogation of Pakistani American David Coleman Headley has yielded key disclosures linking terrorists behind the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks to Pakistani intelligence, according to a US terrorism research group.

I am considered as ‘Ravana’ to development projects: Jairam

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Bhopal, July 09: Unhappy with his critics, Union Forest and Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday said that he was being considered as ‘Ravana; to the development projects.

“I am being considered as Ravana to the development projects,” Ramesh told the NGOs at the sixth public consultation organised about the Green Mission at Indian Forest Management Institute here.

Poll panel receives application for registration of ‘YSR Praja Party’

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Hyderabad, July 09: The Election Commission has received an application for registration of a new political party ‘YSR Praja Party’, named after former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who was popularly known as YSR.

The poll panel, in a statement Friday, said one S. Venkataramana Reddy of Kadapa district submitted an application July 5. It could not be confirmed if Venkataramana is a follower of YSR’s son Jaganmohan Reddy or had filed the application at his behest.

“This application is being examined in the Commission in accordance with due procedure,” the panel said.

CBI given case of two minors’ rape in police station

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Lucknow, July 09:Allahabad high Court Friday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the alleged rape of two minors by four policemen inside a police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district.

The court has directed the CBI to complete its investigation within three months and submit its report to the court.

According to officials, on April 15, 2010, two minor sisters were allegedly raped by four policemen and a village head inside the Kuber Sthan police station in Kushinagar, some 300 km from Lucknow.

Telangana bypolls: EC mulls voting through ballot system

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Hyderabad, July 09: The Election Commission (EC) may have to conduct the upcoming bypolls in 11 out of 12 Assembly constituencies in Telangana region through the ballot paper system as a huge number of independents have filed their papers.

As many as 986 candidates have filed their nominations for the 12 assembly seats after filing of nominations came to a close today, State Chief Electoral Officer I V Subba Rao told reporters.

“If the same figures continue on July 12, the last day for withdrawal of nominations, then we will have to go for ballot paper system,” he said.

NIA begin investigation into Modasa bomb blast

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Ahmedabad, Jul 09: A team of the National Investigation Agency arrived in Modasa town of Sabarkantha district to investigate into the 2008 blast that killed one person and injured 10 others, police said today.

“The NIA team came to Modasa yesterday and started investigating into the Modasa blast case of 2008,” Sabarkantha Superintendent of Police R B Bhrambhatt told PTI.

“They are doing preliminary investigation into the case,” he said, adding that the NIA team has not contacted them yet.

Army to return to barracks in a few days: Pillai

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New Delhi, July 09: The army deployed in Kashmir valley in the wake of recent violence would go back to barracks in the “next few days”, the Centre said tonight.

“I am quite hopeful that army will be derequisitioned at the earliest. We expect that the army would go back in the next few days. I think in a very near future,” Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said.

He said so far the curfew has been holding well and there would be some relaxation from tonight till tomorrow evening because of a festival in holy Hazratbal.

Headmaster booked for allegedly molesting girl student

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Dharmapuri (TN), July 09: A 52-year old headmaster of a government higher secondary school near here was today booked for allegedly molesting a student, police said.

A case has been registered against K Panneerselvam for offences, including sexual harassment and kidnapping, on a complaint from the girl studying in 12th standard, District Superintendent of Police R.Sudhakar said tonight.

Earlier, villagers, including the girl’s parents, staged a protest near the school at Mahendramangalam, 48 km from here.

‘Acquittal on benefit of doubt not grounds for dismissal’

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Gandhinagar, July 09: The Gujarat High Court Friday ruled that the acquittal of an individual on benefit of doubt cannot be the ground for his dismissal from government service.

The ruling came from a division bench of Justice Bhagwati Prasad and Justice S.R. Brahmbhatt, hearing the petition of Himmatsinh Vankar, who contended that a case registered against an individual cannot be a ground for dismissal from service.

Maoists’ bid to blast police vehicle fails

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Raipur, July 09: Maoists Friday made a failed bid to blow up a police vehicle in Chhattisgarh’s restive Bastar region, police said.

Maoists triggered twin landmine blasts in Bijapur district on a forested stretch, about 410 km south of capital Raipur, on the Geedam-Bijapur road targeting a vehicle carrying several state policemen but the blasts missed the target.

“The explosives went off just after the vehicle crossed. It was a lucky escape, everyone escaped unhurt,” Bijapur superintendent of police Avinash Mohanty told IANS.

Roberto Cavalli to dress Shakira for World Cup final

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London, July 09: Pop star Shakira will dazzle in a special Roberto Cavalli outfit while performing at the closing ceremony of the World Cup.

The outfit features a silk-fringed skirt covered in pink flowers and ethnic prints, while a separate top is embroidered with multi-coloured pearls. The look will be accessorised with leather bracelets ornately decorated with floral silk, reports contactmusic.com.

Shakira will groove to her song “Waka Waka – This Time For Africa”, the official anthem of the soccer event, just as she did at the opening ceremony.

Agnivesh seeks inquiry into Azad death, HM says no

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New Delhi, July 09: Prominent social activist Swami Agnivesh today met Home Minister P Chidambaram and demanded a judicial inquiry into the death of top Maoist leader Azad and his associate, killed in an alleged police encounter a few days back.

The demand, however, was turned down by Chidambaram saying such a step could only be taken by the Andhra Pradesh government as the encounter took place in Adilabad, Agnivesh told reporters after the meeting.

Koda’s bail plea rejected again

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Ranchi, July 09: A court today rejected the bail petition of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, now in judicial custody in connection with corruption charges.

The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court of Pankaj Kumar rejected the petition citing that Koda had not been taken into remand by the Enforcement Directorate.

This was the third time his bail petition has been rejected.

Earlier the High Court and the special vigilance court rejected Koda’s bail pleas.

Youth Congress members clash with each other

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Lucknow, July 09: Youth Congress workers clashed with each other here today when the scrutiny of nomination papers for the organisational elections at the ward and panchayat level was going on.

The incident took place at the UP Youth Congress office when a party worker Asif Sheikh, who wants to contest for the president’s post of the central zone, objected to the rejection of some of the nomination papers.

Invitations for investors summit soon: Gujarat

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Gandhinagar, July 09: The Gujarat government will soon send senior officials to various countries to meet prominent industrialists and diplomats and invite them for the Global Investors Summit 2011, slated to be held here Jan 11-12, an official said Friday.

According to the official spokesperson here, as part of this exercise, the state government Thursday evening organised an interactive meet with the ambassadors and diplomats of various countries in New Delhi.

Tamil Nadu BSP legislator joins Congress

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New Delhi, July 09: In a severe blow for the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Tamil Nadu, a group of party leaders and workers, led by legislator K. Selvaperunthagai, Friday decided to join the Congress.

They met party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad “and expressed their desire to join the Indian National Congress. The Congress party welcomes their decision,” general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said in a statement here.

“Selvaperunthagai and his supporters will formally join at the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) office, Satyamurthi Bhavan, Chennai,” the statement said.

Zardari optimistic about China-Pakistan road link

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Beijing, July 09: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari Friday expressed optimism over a possible road link with China, saying its construction would boost bilateral trade.

Zardari is on a five-day visit to China, the fifth tour to the country since he took over as the president in 2008.

The president said he had his own “concept” for improving Pakistan-China trade relations. A road connection with China was one of his ideas to make this happen.

Diplomat spy’s judicial custody extended

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New Delhi, July 09: A city court Friday extended to July 20 the judicial custody of Madhuri Gupta, a junior Indian diplomat arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Gupta, 53, alleged before the court that the jail authorities in Tihar are harassing her.

“Tihar jail authorities were harassing me and threatening to implicate me in different cases,” she said in a handwritten application submitted before the court.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja sought a response from Tihar jail authorities by July 13 on Gupta’s application.

India to take up with Lanka attacks on TN fishermen: PC

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Chennai, July 09: Centre today informed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi that the External Affairs Ministry would take up with Sri Lankan Government the issue of attacks on the state’s fishermen allegedly by Lankan Navy.

Responding to Karunanidhi’s letter yesterday on recent killing of a fisherman allegedly by Lankan Navy, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said he had discussed the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

SC adjourns hearing on RPL land acquisition case

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New Delhi, July 09: The Supreme Court today adjourned the hearing on a petition filed by the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, challenging an Allahabad High Court verdict that quashed an Uttar Pradesh government notification to acquire land for the company?s 8,000-MW Dadri power project.

A bench, comprising Justices B Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar, accepted ADAG’s plea to defer the hearing for three months after its counsel said that Anil Ambani was in talks with his brother Mukesh Ambani over the family business.

Dhoni conferred MCC honorary membership

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Chennai, July 09: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today recalled memories of his long association with the city and his Test debut here as he accepted the honorary membership conferred on him by the 164-year old Madras Cricket Club for his contribution to the game in the country.

“I am extremely happy and privileged to be a member of this historic age-old club, which has an history of supporting games and sport. I cherish happy memories of this venue (Chepauk) where I made my Test debut in 2005,” Dhoni said after being conferred the honorary membership at the Chepauk stadium complex.

Court quashes case against Sania, Khushboo

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Indore, July 09: A local court has quashed a case filed against tennis star Sania Mirza and actress Khushboo over their views on pre-marital sex saying every citizen has the right to freedom of expression.

Judicial Magistrate Suman Srivastava said both Sania and Khushboo had expressed their views on pre-martial sex keeping in mind the AIDS factor.

“Therefore, prima facie there is no merit in taking cognizance of the case,” Srivastava said and dismissed the case on July 7.

“Every citizen, according to the Constitution, has the right to freedom of expression,” Srivastava observed.