Month: December 2010

Former ministers asked to vacate their chambers straight away

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Hyderabad, December 1: To allot chambers to new ministers of the state cabinet to be formed today headed by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy state Public Administration Department has asked the former ministers to straight away vacate their chambers.

Acting upon the directive without more ado former chief minister Dr. K Rosaiah was the first to hand over his chief minister’s chamber as well as chamber allotted to him as finance minister to the Public Administration Department.

K’taka HC to hear rape case against Nityananda

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Bangalore, December 01: The chargesheet filed by the CID against self-styled godman Swami Nityananda and four of his disciples for alleged rape and unnatural sex will come up for hearing in Karnataka High Court on Wednesday.

A 430-page charge sheet was filed by CID on November 27, named Nityananda, Nitya Bhaktananda, Nitya Sachidananda, Nitya Sadananda and Maa Sachidananda alias Ragini on the basis of two FIRs filed against them.

Vidhu Signs Sharman Joshi For Ferrari Ki Sawaari

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Mumbai, December 01: Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra has signed actor Sharman Joshi to play the lead in his upcoming film ‘Ferrari Ki Sawaari’.

Chopra as a producer returns with Ferrari Ki Sawaari after the hugely successful ‘3 Idiots’.

Sources close to the filmmaker described the decision to go with Joshi in the lead as “bold”.

US, S Korea plan more joint naval drills

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Seoul, December 01: Amid a growing tension between North Korea and the South, the US and South Korea plan more joint naval drills as early as this month as they wrap up war games in the Yellow Sea.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Wednesday, South Korea and the US were discussing holding a joint naval exercise this month or in early 2011.

“Discussions are still under way on when and where the drill would take place and on what scale,” AFP quoted the JCS spokesman as saying.

Hunt Wikileaks founder like Al-Qaeda: Palin

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Washington, December 01: Ex-governor of Alaska believes that Julian Assange, who is on the run, should be hunted down like terrorist Osama Bin Laden

Julian Assange branded as “an anti-American operative with blood on his hands” by the prominent Republican Sarah Palin has asked why he has not yet been caught by the authorities.

Amisha Storms Out Of Film Over Steamy Scenes

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Mumbai, December 01: Bollywood actor Amisha Patel, who was in the news recently for signing Rajdhani Express opposite Leander Paes, has developed cold feet and dumped the film; she has no interest in acting in it anymore supposedly because it has many steamy scenes in it, says a media report.

Apparently, the actress was not at all comfortable with doing some very crucial scenes in the film, as they were explicitly bold.

Most importantly, she was required to play a flirtatious woman, who would do just about anything for money. So, the role was too brash for Amisha’s comfort.

Mazhar Exposes 4 More Players Involved in Spot-Fixing

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Islamabad, December 01: Pakistan cricket plunged into fresh crisis with the bookie Mazhar Majeed revealing that four more players were involved in fixing international matches besides the suspended trio of Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir.

Mazhar Majeed, the UK based bookie who was at the centre of spot-fixing scandal three month back, claimed that Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz, Kamran Akmal and Imran Farhat were also on his payroll, helping him do spot fixing.

‘IAEA approves Iran’s nuclear projects’

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Tehran, December 01: Iranian envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh says the agency has approved all the projects proposed by Iran.

Soltanieh made the remarks at the end of the annual meeting of the IAEA’s Technical Assistance and Cooperation Committee (TACC) in Vienna on Tuesday evening, IRNA reported.

Iran’s envoy to the UN body said that after two days of deliberation on the projects for the application of nuclear energy, the committee approved all the projects proposed by the Islamic Republic to the Vienna-based international agency.

New Andhra Cabinet sworn-in, Jagan loyalists axed

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Hyderabad, December 01: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy today constituted a 39-member new Council of Ministers by dropping five ministers, including two loyalists of rebel MP Jagan Mohan Reddy, whose uncle also got a cabinet berth. As expected, two Jagan loyalists Balineni Srinivasa Reddy and Pilli
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Subhash Chandra Bose were axed while Kiran Kumar’s bitter rival in Chittoor district, P R Reddy, was also shown the door.

Israelis unleash dogs on Palestinians

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Gaza, December 01: Israeli forces have unleashed their dogs on the Palestinians decrying the oppressive policies Tel Aviv implements on the occupied Palestinian territories.

The forces used the “savage” animals, sound bombs and tear gas to suppress the protest which erupted before the Israeli troops razed two residences in the Arab neighborhood of Issawiya to the ground, the Palestine News Network (PNN) reported Tuesday.

One of the protesters sustained injury from a dog attack and four other Palestinians were tear-gassed by Israeli forces, AFP reported.

35 Pakistani government websites hacked

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Islamabad, December 01: At least 35 Pakistani government websites were hacked Tuesday by a group calling itself the “Indian Cyber Army”, a media report said.

The government took action to secure the hacked websites and most of them were restored by afternoon, an official spokesman was quoted as saying by the Online news agency.

Among the sites that were hacked was that of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

A message posted by the hackers – who claimed to have gained access to the server hosting the government websites – read: “Hacked by Indian Cyber Army”.

Kamala Harris is California attorney general

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Washington, December 01: Four weeks after election day, Democrat Kamala Harris, daughter of an African American father and Indian Tamil mother, finally sealed a narrow but historic win making her the first woman attorney general of California.

“I stand before you today humbled to be chosen to be the next attorney general of this state,” Harris said, her voice breaking with emotion as she spoke to supporters at the Millennium Biltmore in downtown Los Angeles.

Sohrab case: Farm house owner applies for bail

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Ahmedabad, December 01: Rajendra Jeerawala, an accused arrested in Soharabuddin fake encounter case, today applied for regular bail in the Gujarat High Court.

Jeerawala, owner of Arham farm where Soharabuddin Sheikh and Kauser Bi were kept before they were killed, has contended in his bail plea that he was innocent and was not involved in the fake encounter case.

The CBI investigating the fake encounter case had arrested Jeerawala on July 27 for his alleged involvement in the killing of Shorabuddin’s wife Kausar Bi.

Shankar Rao gets threatening calls

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Hyderabad, December 1: Musheerabad police has registered a case following a threatening call received by the member of Assembly cantonment Mr. Shankar Rao from unknown persons.

It is said that a person calling from mobile phone number 7411238889 abused Mr Shankar Rao and later threatened him to kill; following which Mr. Shankar Rao lodged a complaint with Musheerabad police in this connection.

Musheerabad police has started investigations on the basis of the phone number by which the call has been received.

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YSR’s brother pledges loyalty to Congress

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Hyderabad, December 01: Late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s brother Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy Tuesday said he would remain in the Congress and denied his nephew Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy’s allegation that the party was trying to divide the family.

After a brief meeting with Jagan, as Rajasekhara Reddy’s son is popularly known, Vivekananda told reporters that he would follow in the footsteps of his elder brother by remaining in the Congress till his last breath.

Eminent Muslim scholar Omar Khalidi dies in US

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Hyderabad, December 01: Eminent Muslim scholar and writer Omar Khalidi died in a train accident in Boston Monday, according to his family sources here.

He was 57 and survived by his wife and a daughter.

Hyderabad-born Khalidi, who articulated voice of Indian Muslims during many crises, was Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture librarian at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Interpol issues warrant for WikiLeaks founder

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Lyon/Stockholm, December 01: International police agency Interpol issued an order Tuesday for the arrest of WikiLeaks website founder Julian Assange in connection with a Swedish investigation of sexual assault allegations.

In a notice posted its website, Interpol listed Assange on its “red” list, or highest-priority fugitives to be held for deportation to the country where they are wanted.

The investigation follows rape allegations made by two women in August, when Assange was in Sweden for the publication of thousands of leaked Pentagon papers relating to the war in Afghanistan.

K V P’s security cut down

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Hyderabad, December 1: State government has cut down Rajya Sabha member Dr. VP Ramchander Rao’s security. Mr Rao had resigned two days ago on the instruction of new chief minister Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy as the security advisor of the government.

According to high placed sources till now 5 to 7 personal security officers were present in the security of V P Ramchander Rao but after the government’s decision the cover has been down sized to only two body guards.

AP Singh appointed as CBI’s new director

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Hyderabad, December 1: Central government has appointed A P Singh as the new director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday.

AP Singh belongs to IPS batch of 1974 and had been serving as special director in the agency for the past one year.

Mr. A P Singh from Jharkhand cadre held the post of superintendent of police and DIG in CBI during 1987 to 1995. He succeeded Ashwani Kumar after the later retired from the post.

It has been told that Mr. A P Sing completed his post graduation studies from Stephen college of Delhi University.