No loss to Cong in by-polls: DS

Hyderabad, August 03: The Congress has not suffered any loss in the recently held by-elections to 12 constituencies in Telangana region, stated Pradesh Congress Committee president D Srinivas.

Talking to media persons after reviewing the performance of party in the by-elections with Ministers, MLAs and party workers at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday, the PCC chief blamed the Telangana sentiment for the party’s dismal showing in the elections. “The elections were held on Telangana sentiment that’s why the Congress and other parties were defeated in the electoral battle,” he stated.

HC orders CID probe into seva tickets scam

Hyderabad, August 03: The state High Court on Monday directed the state government to order a Crime Investigation Department (CID) probe against Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Special Officer A Dharma Reddy, accused of being involved in the Arjitaseva ticket scam.

Rejecting the appeal of the TTD special officer to quash the criminal proceedings pending against him, the High Court division bench directed the state government to appoint a CID team to probe into the entire scandal, which brought disrepute to the TTD.

Thieves break into snuff shop at Chatta Bazaar

Hyderabad, August 03: Unidentified thieves managed to get away with around Rs 4 lakh in cash after they broke into a snuff shop at Chatta Bazaar between the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.

According to Mirchowk police, the thieves broke into SR Cards and Printers by breaking the wooden shutters and then dug a hole into the CG Mudaliar Snuff shop.

Bajrang Dal goons thrash girls

Chatisgarh, August 03: It’s an outrageous incident in Chhatisgarh’s capital Raipur where Bajrag Dal activists thrashed young girls celebrating Friendship Day.

Over 100 Bajrang Dal goons hounded girls in parks and restaurants in Raipur and slapped and kicked girls and even humiliated them by blackening their faces. Most of the victims were teenagers and according to bystanders.

Most of the victims were teenagers. Passers-by looked on in shock and disbelief, particularly at the police inaction.

Pesh imam turns Internet evangelist

Coimbatore, August 03: When you think of a Pesh imam, you imagine a person who spends most of his time in mosque and giving religious sermon. You don’t expect him to be tech savy. But moulavi A Abdul Azeez Fazil Baqavi is a cut above the rest. A double MA in history and an M.Phil student Baqavi is focused on creating awareness about computer literacy among moulavis. To his credit he has developed many Islamic Tamil websites besides blogs.

Anti-Islam party to feature in Dutch

Amsterdam, August 03: Geert Wilders, whose anti-immigration party doubled its vote in June’s elections, is set to play a key role in the new government. His party is to join the Netherland’s first minority coalition since World War II.

Seven weeks after the Dutch parliamentary elections, Geert Wilders, the leader of the anti-Islam, anti-immigrant Freedom Party (PPV), is poised to become a key voice in what could be the most conservative Dutch government in history.

Hip replacement now in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, August 03: The first organized training course on Hip Arthroplasty is being conducted by Mediciti Hospitals, a Hyderabad based hospital, in order to train surgeons for this procedure. This hospital is renowned for being India’s first facility to have excelled in computer navigated hip replacement.

Dr Ramesh Chandra serving in Mediciti Orthopedics department announced in a conference that with cutting edge medicines and surgery, high bearing hip replacements will assist people in leading productive lives.

Mishra report was historic for Muslim

New Delhi, August 03: Diplomat-turned-politician-turned-community activist Syed Shahabuddin, who regularly visits the United States to keep the India Muslim Diaspora apprised of the status of Muslims in India and to mobilize their support to help Muslims in their native land, has once again been elected president of the All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat the apex body of all Muslim organizations and groups across India.

Kayani wants India out of Afghan

Islamabad, August 03: Determined to control Kabul, the Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is pursuing a three-pronged policy, including to keep India out of Afghan affairs, a former top Canadian diplomat has said.

In a write up titled The Huge Scale of Pakistan’s Complicity, a week after WikiLeaks released secret US war documents implicating Pakistan’s double role in Afghanistan, Chris Alexander, a former Canadian envoy to Kabul, said, “The Pakistan army under Gen Kayani is sponsoring a large-scale,covert guerrilla war through Afghan proxies.”

Term ‘Hindu Terrorism’ is a Misnomer

When many acts of terror by people like Pragya Singh Thakur and Dayanand Pandey etc. are coming to fore the word ‘Hindu terrorism’ is being used by many for such acts of terror. The investigations have shown that these groups, inspired by the ideology of Hindu Rashtra; Hindutva, Sangh Parivar, may have been involved in Malegaon blasts, Mecca Masjid, Ajmer, Goa and even Samjhauta express blast. One recalls that immediately after the blasts many Muslim youth were arrested on the ground that they have been part of the conspiracy. The victims were mostly Muslim in these blasts.

Crorepati Watchman!

Bhubaneswar, August 03: Incredible though it may sound, the anti-corruption wing of Orissa government had detected properties above Rs two crore in possession of a class-IV employee, official sources said today.

The government employee was identified as Rajanikant Jena, a watchman at the state owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDCO), posted at Cuttack Division.

Jena, whose monthly salary was about Rs 3,500, owns a fleet of cars, three buildings in the state capital, a luxury guest house in Puri, bank balance, deposits in LIC and other financial institutions, they said.

Canada probes how veiled women boarded plane

Montreal, August 03: Canada’s Minister of Transportation John Baird ordered a probe after a video posted on YouTube showed two fully veiled women boarding a passenger airplane without showing their faces.

Canadian authorities want to ensure that airline personnel are verifying the identity of all of passengers before they board a flight.

The video purportedly shows a group of passengers boarding an Air Canada flight from Montreal’s Pierre-Elliott Trudeau airport to London’s Heathrow airport on July 11.

Website hacked for ‘Trial of Prophet’ book

Cairo, August 03: The website of an Egyptian newspaper was hacked on Sunday after it had announced plans to print a book titled “The Trial of Prophet Muhammad” (PBUH) and deemed to use offensive language in reference to the Muslim Prophet (PBUH).

Al-Youm al-Sabea (The Seventh Day) newspaper stirred a wide uproar when it announced last week it would print the book, which contains chapter titles perceived by critics as sensational and offensive such as: “The red secrets of the Prophet’s (PBUH) relationships with women” and “Why did he fight his enemies with the sword?”

Migrants responsible for malaria, dengue: Raj

Mumbai, August 03: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray reiterated that the influx of migrants from north India was responsible for the outbreak of malaria and dengue diseases in the state.

According to an official of the Public Health Department, more than 12,000 patients were treated for malaria and dengue in the past two days.

Father kills daughter, honour killing suspected

Hyderabad, August 03: A 26-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her father and two brothers in Hyderabad on Monday afternoon. They have reportedly slit her throat with a knife.

The woman was allegedly married but was also having an “extra-marital affair”. The victim was married for the last ten years but she and her husband were living separately. Moreover, she had two children with whom she was staying.

She reportedly got closer to another man and her family objected to the matter.

No Fatwa without approval

Jeddah, August 03: Islamic scholars intending to publish religious edicts (fatwas) on contemporary issues have been told to contact experts at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs or Dar Al-Ifta (the Saudi fatwa authority) before approaching the media.

Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh, who gave the instruction, pointed out that many of fatwas issued by individuals recently lack balance. “They should not publish fatwas except after consulting with other experts,” he told the scholars.

Angel of Death destroying Taliban

London, August 03: The ‘Angel of Death’ is the world’s biggest flying artillery gun the latest weapon being used by the British and US Special Forces to defeat Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.

From a distance the Hercules AC-130 plane – nicknamed the ‘Angel of Death’ because of the shape that its anti-missile flares take when they are fired -looks like a normal troop carrier.

But the aircraft, which is rarely deployed in daylight, carries a powerful 105 mm field gun which can “vapourise” targets at a range of 1,200 yards, reports the Daily Mail.

Telangana suicides force TRS to rework strategy

Hyderabad, August 02: Even while celebrating the resounding victory in the recent bypolls, the TRS seems to be nagged by one worry the continuing suicides of students and youths for the cause of Telangana.

After the December 9 developments, several heartbroken students and youths ended their lives in the region. Since then, whenever the issue flared up it led to suicides somewhere in the region.

PM asks Rosaiah, Chavan for restraint on Babli

New Delhi, August 02: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today counselled Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh to exercise restraint on the controversial Babli barrage issue which is pending before the Supreme Court.

Singh and Union Water Resources Minister P K Bansal held a meeting with Ashok Chavan and K Rosaiah, the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, respectively, in the wake of attempts by TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu to revive the issue of Babli barrage two weeks back.

Venkaiah wants UPA to introduce Telangana bill

Hyderabad, August 02: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader and Rajya Sabha member M Venkaiah Naidu has warned that the Congress would face another miserable defeat in 2014 general elections if it does not deliver Telangana state.

The BJP leader has demanded that the Congress-led UPA government should introduce a bill in Parliament for creation of a separate state without wasting time.

CM to seek demolition of Babli gates

Hyderabad, August 02: Demolish Babli gates’ This would be the stand of the AP government when chief minister K Rosaiah discusses the issue with his Maharashtra counterpart Ashok Chavan at a meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Delhi tomorrow.

This was the consensus that emerged at an all-party meeting convened by Rosaiah at his camp office a day ahead of the Delhi conclave.

Amani’s sister-in-law agrees to out-of-court set

Nellore, August 02: In a complete reversal of her stance, Leelavathi, who cried foul over her husband Srinivas (brother of popular actress Amani) and lodged a dowry harassment case against him, reportedly agreed to an out-of-court settlement.

Amani’s husband Khaja Mohinuddin, a film producer and distributor, who had initially failed to make Leelavathi withdraw the case against his wife and the rest of the family, reportedly succeeded in convincing Leelavathi and her father.

Cops encircle Maoist leader

Hyderabad, August 02: Maoist central committee leader Varanasi Subramanyam is said to have been ‘encircled’ by the police and Maoist sympathisers are fearing harm to him by the police. Virasam member Vara Vara Rao said Subramanyam alias Suraj alias Srikanth alias Sukanth was encircled by police somewhere near Delhi. “We have specific information that Subramanyam is encircled by the police though we don’t know the exact location. It is possible he is in Delhi as he operates mostly in North India,” Vara Vara Rao told Express over telephone.

Buoyed by good rains, State sets record target

Hyderabad, August 02: The government has set an ambitious target of achieving 208 lakh ton of foodgrain production this year, four lakh ton more than the yield in 200809.

Copious rains all over the state and steady progress in agriculture activity are the reasons behind the ambitious plans.

Expressing his happiness over the farm operations that are in full swing, chief minister K Rosiah said, “Encouraged by the favourable monsoon, the state government is now hopeful of bettering the previous record of 204 lakh metric ton foodgrain production in 2008 and reaching 208 LMTs.”

Another Telangana youth threatens suicide

Warangal, August 02: A day after the suicide of an engineering graduate on the OU campus for the cause of separate Telangana, another youngster sent the police and politicians into a tizzy by climbing a high-rise cell tower and threatening to jump down.

He demanded that the Congress legislator from Warangal (East) should resign and fight for Telangana. It took nearly four hours for police, student leaders of the Kakatiya University JAC, TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, K Taraka Rama Rao and the boy’s father to convince him to come down without harming himself.