Lucknow, February 1:Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati once again stayed away from the chief minister’s meet on internal security in New Delhi Tuesday but reiterated that her state was neglected and demanded central aid for police modernisation.
Like in the past, she sent her cabinet colleague and state parliamentary affairs minister Lalji Verma, who read out a speech on her behalf.
Washington, February 01: A senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee is calling on President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt to resign and for the U.S. to suspend its aid to the nation.
Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) said Monday that in the midst of the popular uprising in Egypt, “it’s time for America to step off of the rhetorical tight rope and stand clearly with the people of Egypt in their struggle for freedom.” Ackerman is the top Democrat on the Middle East subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs panel, and until earlier this month served as its chairman.
New Delhi, February 01: The Haryana government Tuesday appealed to the central government to sanction four India Reserve Battalions (IRBs), including one Mahila (women) IRB, to effectively deal with the emerging new challenges on the law and order front.
Washington, February 01: A senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee is calling on President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt to resign and for the U.S. to suspend its aid to the nation.
Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) said Monday that in the midst of the popular uprising in Egypt, “it’s time for America to step off of the rhetorical tight rope and stand clearly with the people of Egypt in their struggle for freedom.” Ackerman is the top Democrat on the Middle East subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs panel, and until earlier this month served as its chairman.
Washington, February 01: A senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee is calling on President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt to resign and for the U.S. to suspend its aid to the nation.
Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) said Monday that in the midst of the popular uprising in Egypt, “it’s time for America to step off of the rhetorical tight rope and stand clearly with the people of Egypt in their struggle for freedom.” Ackerman is the top Democrat on the Middle East subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs panel, and until earlier this month served as its chairman.
Washington, February 01: The White House called for free and fair elections in Egypt on Monday, but stopped short of saying whether the U.S. believes President Hosni Mubarak should run in those contests.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs dismissed Mubarak’s move Monday to appoint a new government, saying the situation in Egypt calls for action, not appointments. Mubarak named a new government over the weekend in an apparent attempt to defuse the week-long political upheaval in his country.
Jerusalem, February 01: After spending last week and much of this weekend comparatively silent about the uprisings in neighboring Egypt, Israeli officials and pundits are suddenly sounding off on the growing rebellion and lashing out at President Obama for his somewhat incomplete backing of Mubarak.
Israeli President Shimon Peres praised Mubarak, insisting the Israeli government had “great respect” for the aging dictator, while he and others angrily chided President Obama for his modest calls for political reform in Egypt, accusing him of “betraying” Mubarak.
Cairo, February 01: One of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s last options seems to have fallen through today, with spokesmen for the Egyptian military ruling out attacking civilian protesters on the streets of the nation’s major cities.
Assuming the pledge holds, this would mean Mubarak no longer has the option of ordering wholesale massacres, above and beyond those the nation’s police are able to accomplish, in attempting to stifle the growing dissent across the nation.
Cairo, February 01: Already hanging on seemingly by a thread, opposition figures hope to push the Mubarak regime out of office entirely Tuesday with “million man marches” planned in both the cities of Cairo and Alexandria.
Such a rally will likely be a trivial matter in Cairo, a densely populated metro area of nearly 20 million people. Alexandria may be somewhat more difficult, as the city has only 4 million people.
Dubai, February 01: The pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera said Monday that six of its journalists have been blocked from leaving their hotels in Egypt after authorities ordered the closure of the network’s Cairo office.
The Qatar-based network initially reported that the staff members were detained.
But an Al-Jazeera official said it was later learned that the journalists were confronted by security forces and not allowed to leave their hotels. They have not been ordered to leave Egypt, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to brief reporters.
Cairo, February 01: The government of Egypt’s authoritarian president, Hosni Mubarak, shook Monday night, as the Egyptian Army declared that it would not use force against protesters demanding his ouster and, in an apparent response, Mr. Mubarak’s most trusted adviser offered to talk with the opposition.
Those statements, along with the damage to Egypt’s economy, appeared to weaken Mr. Mubarak’s grip on power just two weeks after a group of young political organizers called on Facebook for a day of protest inspired by the ouster of another Arab strongman, in Tunisia.
Islamabad, February 01: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said his government has “no intention” of amending Pakistan’s blasphemy law, which has been at the centre of a heated debate after liberals and rights activists called for its repeal.
Gilani made the remarks during a meeting with a group of ministers and parliamentarians that called on him this evening, said a statement issued by the premier’s office.
He said it was the Pakistan People’s Party government led by late Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto that introduced the blasphemy law.
Hyderabad, February 1:Actor-turned politician K.Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) Tuesday said it would decide within three to four days on the Congress party’s invitation to join its government in Andhra Pradesh or merge with it.
Chiranjeevi told reporters that the party would take a decision in three to four days after due deliberations and consultations within the party.
“We will take a decision which is acceptable to all,” he said.
Chiranjeevi held talks with his party legislators at his residence here before leaving for the temple town of Tirupati.
New Delhi, february 1:Pledging to set an example in the fight against black money, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance on Tuesday said it would direct its Chief Ministers and senior most leaders to declare their assets and asked the government to make all efforts to bring Indian slush funds stashed in tax havens.
Senior NDA leaders held a press conference to present the report of a task force appointed by the BJP to look into the issue of Indian black money stashed abroad and ways of dealing with the issue.
Cairo, February 01: The government of Egypt’s authoritarian president, Hosni Mubarak, shook Monday night, as the Egyptian Army declared that it would not use force against protesters demanding his ouster and, in an apparent response, Mr. Mubarak’s most trusted adviser offered to talk with the opposition.
Those statements, along with the damage to Egypt’s economy, appeared to weaken Mr. Mubarak’s grip on power just two weeks after a group of young political organizers called on Facebook for a day of protest inspired by the ouster of another Arab strongman, in Tunisia.
Cairo, February 01: One of the insults flung at President Hosni Mubarak by Egyptian protesters seeking his ouster was: “Mubarak, you coward! You American collaborator!”
Hostility toward the United States is widespread among the crowds in Cairo’s streets, who feel Washington’s alliance with Egypt — along with billions of dollars in military aid through the years — has helped Mubarak’s authoritarian regime keep its grip on power for nearly three decades.
But there’s also a yearning for U.S. support.
Hyderabad, February 01: A senior Congress leader from Telangana G Venkataswamy today lashed out at the style of functioning of party President Sonia Gandhi and demanded that she step down from her post and make way for an Indian.
He also criticised the party over moves to tie up with
Praja Rajyam Party headed by actor Chiranjeevi.
“I am demanding, Sonia should go,” said Venkataswamy, a former Union Minister and a former member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC).
Washington, February 01: Republicans on Capitol Hill largely are supporting the Obama administration’s take-it-slow approach on the crisis in Egypt, with one notable exception — Sen. Rand Paul, the face of the GOP’s “tea party” wing.
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky both endorsed the White House’s actions in talk-show interviews Sunday.
New Delhi, February 01: Congress today accused BJP of politicising the issue of black money and asked what steps were taken by the NDA government to bring the funds back from foreign countries when it was in power at the Centre.
New Delhi, February 01: A beautician and her paramour were arrested for murdering her husband in north-east Delhi, police said today.
Sanjeeda and her paramour Babu Khan, a lawyer’s clerk, were arrested yesterday for allegedly murdering Mukhtyar Ahmad on January 28 at his residence in New Seemapuri, DCP (North- East) S K Jain said.
During investigations, Jain claimed, it came to light that Babu used to visit Mukhtyar’s house regularly to meet Sanjeeda.
New Delhi, February 1:Government today lodged a strong protest with the US Embassy here over certain “unacceptable” comments by an American official on tagging of Indian students in California.
US Deputy Chief of Mission Donald Lu expressed regrets over the comments by Juliet Wur, Public Affairs Officer at the US Consulate in Hyderabad, when Jawed Ashraf, Joint Secretary (Americas) in the External Affairs Ministry, called him, sources said.
Wur had earlier in the day told reporters in Hyderabad that tagging was a “hip and happening” thing and wondered why Indians were agitated over it.
Jaipur, February 1:A notorious criminal of Haryana was today killed in an encounter with the police in Dholpur district of Rajasthan.
“Teams of Haryana and Rajasthan police were chasing the accused Rajesh alias Tau, who had a cash reward of at least 5 lakh, and killed in an encounter,” SP (Dholpur) Rahul Prakash told PTI over phone.
“His accomplice Tara, who received bullet injuries, managed to escape and is being searched in hospitals and nursing homes in nearby places,” he said.
Mumbai, February 01: Praveen Mutalik, an absconding accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, has been arrested from Karnataka by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
Mutalik, one of the three accused still evading arrest in the case, was picked up last night, ATS sources said today.
He was produced before a special MCOCA court which remanded him in police custody till February 14, sources said, adding two others – Ramji Kalangsara and Sandeep Dange – are still absconding.
Lucknow, February 01: At least six people riding on the roof of a train died and 16 were seriously injured Tuesday after they were thrown off as the train passed under a low over-bridge in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahajahanpur district, police said.
“The roof-riders were mostly aspirants returning after trying their luck at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) recruitment drive in Bareilly today (Tuesday),” said Additional Director General of Police Brij Lal in Lucknow.
Kolkata, February 01: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday accused the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of being unwilling to reveal the names of Indians who have stashed ill-gotten wealth in foreign banks and alleged it was “not at all” serious about recovering black money.
“Congress is not clear on the issue of black money. What Pranab Mukherjee has said was nothing new. What is the government doing to bring back this black money? If the black money can be recovered many problems will be solved,” said BJP’s Shahnawaz Hussain.