Saharanpur (UP), March 02: RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav offered prayers at the house of a Muslim cleric here last night.
The former Bihar Chief Minister, who stayed at Maulana Adil’s residence for 20 minutes, told mediapersons he came here on a personal visit.
Adil also said Lalu came here on a personal visit.
Sources said he offered prayers at Maulana’s house for the well being of his family and friends.
-Agencies
New Delhi, March 02: Three BSP leaders, who had contested the last assembly elections in Delhi, today joined the BJP alongwith their supporters here.
Ved Prakash Maan, Lal Pradhan and O P Malhotra, who had contested the 2009 assembly polls on BSP tickets, joined the BJP in the presence of state party chief Vijender Gupta, a release said.
-Agencies
London, March 02: Director Tim Burton is likely to team up with actor Josh Brolin for the remake of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.
The film is based on Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel. The book was first turned into a film for 1905’s “Esmeralda” and remade with the same title in 1922.
The last major adaptation was in 1996 as an animated Disney movie and a TV action picture starring Mandy Patinkin and Salma Hayek, reports contactmusic.com.
Greater Noida, March 02 (PTI) A 5-year-old boy went missing from outside his house in Kakore area, police said today.
In a complaint filed today, Nekpal said that his son Sumit, who had gone outside the house to play, was missing since last night in Jhhhar village.
Family members were looking for the boy at the residences of their friends and relatives but when they could not trace him till this evening, they filed a complaint at Kakode police station.
London, March 01: Oscar winner Natalie Portman has lashed out at fashion designer John Galliano for his anti-Semitic remarks.
“I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano’s comments that surfaced today. In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way,” telegraph.co.uk quoted Portman as saying.
“I hope at the very least, these terrible comments remind us to reflect and act upon combating these still-existing prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful,” she added.
New Delhi, March 01: The body of a 33-year-old labourer who was allegedly murdered was found on the premises of a Municipal Corporation of Delhi school under construction here Tuesday, police said. One man has been detained for questioning.
The dead man was identified as Devender, who was working at the school in Jagatpuri area in east Delhi. “We have detained a 20-year-old man Zahid in this connection,” said a senior police officer.
New Delhi, March 01: The International Cricket Council (ICC) today advised India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to read the rules related to UDRS before questioning the implementation of technology during the matches.
Dhoni, who is not in favour of using the the Umpire Decision Review System, had yet again posed a question mark over the system following the controversy surrounding Ian Bell’s decision in the tied World Cup game with England on Sunday.
“Adulteration of technology with human thinking is bad.
Ahmedabad, March 01: Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shaktisinh Gohil today demanded an inquiry by an independent agency into the allegations levelled against Chief Minister Narendra Modi by a state bureaucrat.
“There should be an independent inquiry into the allegations of the IAS officer…. The officer has written to the state chief secretary seeking an inquiry,” Gohil said during discussion on Governor’s address in the Assembly.
Shillong, March 02: The Bangladesh authorities have handed over two more leaders of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to Indian border guards in Meghalaya, an official said Tuesday.
“‘Sergeant Major’ Anupam Sonowal and Robin Biswas alias Rajbhonshi of the ULFA’s 28th Battalion were handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) yesterday (Monday) morning at Dawki,” the official told IANS on condition of anonymity.
Dawki, in southern Meghalaya, is a border post on the 443-km-long Meghalaya-Bangladesh border.
New Delhi, March 01:The Delhi High Court today issued a notice to veteran Congress leader N D Tiwari on a petition filed by a man who claims to be his biological son, to modify the directions passed earlier by the joint registrar regarding collection of blood samples for DNA test.
Rohit Shekhar Singh, the man who claims to be the son of the octogenarian leader, filed an urgent petition before the court asking to modify the name of the centre where the blood samples of Tiwari have to be sent for conducting DNA test to ascertain his paternity claim.
Mumbai, March 01:The Rupee remained steady at 45.18 against the dollar today after the local equity markers closed stronger, traders at the Interbank foreign exchange said.
The Rupee had gained by nine paise to 45.18 against the US Dollar in early trade as against previous close of 45.27 on the greenback’s weakness against major currencies.
The indian unit fluctuated in a range between 45.18 and 44.91.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) today fixed the Reference ratefor the US dollar at 45.18, up by 19 paise as compared to itsprevious close of 45.37.
Mumbai, March 01:Select metals in ferrous and non ferrouscategories ended on a mixed note on the Bombay Metal Exchange (BME) today.
In ferrous metals, Copper utensils and Aluminium utensils both went up by Rs 300 per quintal. Brass Utensils too reported a rise of Rs 100 per quintal. Copper Heavy though dropped by Rs 100 per quintal, traders said.
In non-ferrous metals, Tin slabs and Nickel cathode went up marginally by Rs ten per kg and Rs 15 per kg, traders said. Copper wire bars slipped by Rs 100 per quintal. Aluminium ingots , Zinc slabs and Lead ingots remained flat.
Pune, March 01:Partly cloudy weather conditions will prevail in
all the districts of north Madhya Maharashtra.
Sky will be sunny mainly in all the districts of south Madhya
Maharashtra, Marathwada, Konkan and Goa.
The outlook for the next 24 hours is no large change.
Following observations for the past 24 hrs were recorded at
0830 hrs today.
Temperature (Deg C)
——————-
Max Min
Ahmednagar 32 18
Kolhapur 34 21
Nashik 32 16
Ratnagiri 35 22
New Delhi, March 01: The process for formation of a 30-member joint parliamentary committee to probe the 2G spectrum allocation scam was completed with the Rajya Sabha Tuesday naming 10 of its members on the panel. Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar is expected to announce the panel and the chairperson this week.
Communications Minister Kapil Sibal moved the motion in the Rajya Sabha for constituting the JPC which will investigate the 2G spectrum policy introduced in 1998 by the then National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
New Delhi, March 01: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry will elect new assemblies in April-May in the biggest national referendum since the 2009 Lok Sabha election, it was announced Tuesday.
Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi said some 150 million voters will be eligible to take part in the staggered elections that will begin in Assam April 4 and conclude in West Bengal May 10.
The vote count in all five states will take place May 13, Quraishi told reporters at his office.
New Delhi, March 01: Four people have been arrested for their involvement in seven burglaries here, police said Tuesday.
Vishnu Dev Singh, Narayan, Sher Singh Jadu, Farooq and Mohammad Jafar were held Monday from Bawana area on the capital’s outskirts, a senior officer said.
The arrest followed a Feb 26 complaint by businessman Nitin Aggarwal, a resident of Rajouri Garden in west Delhi, about a burglary in his factory.
The officer said that the men were also involved in six more burglaries in the area.
-Agencies
Chennai, March 01: Indian automobile giant Tata Motors Tuesday showcased the Pixel – its new city car for the European market based on the its compact model Nano – at the 81st Geneva Motor Show, a statement said.
Tata Pixel is just over three metres in length and is the most package efficient four-seater in the world, the company said in its statement issued in Geneva.
It can comfortably accommodate four adults unlike a typical city car which is either a two-seater or can accommodate two adults and two children only, the statement added.
Sana’a, March 01: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh Tuesday dismissed governors of five provinces, amid growing demands by protestors across the country for him to leave office.
Saleh issued decrees moving governors of the southern provinces of Aden, Lahej, Abyan and Hadhramout and the western province of Houdieda to government posts in the capital Sana’a, the official Saba news agency said.
The five governors are members of Saleh’s ruling General People’s Congress party. They were elected in the county’s first direct election of provincial governors in 2008.
New Delhi, March 01: The first check of electronic voting machines (EVMs) to be used during the April-May assembly polls in four states and a union territory has been done in the presence of political parties, Chief Election Commissioner S. Y. Quraishi said Tuesday.
Chennai, March 01: The Congress’ Tamil Nadu unit Tuesday welcomed the announcement of single-phase polling for the state assembly April 13 and said it hoped to soon wrap up seat-sharing talks with the ruling DMK.
“We are happy with the announcement. We wanted single-phase polling and the Election Commission has announced accordingly,” Tamil Nadu Congress chief K.V. Thangkabalu told IANS.
Geneva, March 01: A Bahraini minister urged opposition protesters Tuesday to sit down for a national dialogue with the government, as another mass rally was expected later in the day in the capital, Manama.
“We cannot have a fruitful discussion unless we sit at one table. Everyone can bring his ideas and his thoughts about the future of Bahrain,” said Minister of Social Development Fatima al-Balooshi, speaking with reporters in Geneva.
New Delhi, March 01: Five property dealers have been arrested for accepting bets on Sunday’s India-England World Cup match, police said Tuesday.
Kuldeep Jain (32), Ajay Jain (34), Manoj Jain (39), Suresh Chand (42) and Avdhesh Sharma (44), all residents of Uttar Pradesh, were arrested from East of Kailash in south Delhi Sunday, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Chand said.
He said that they were not taking bets directly but operated through 32 associates at different places in Delhi.
Police also recovered 32 mobile phones being used to convey betting rates to the associates.
Amman, March 01: Hundreds of relatives protested in Amman Tuesday to press for the release of dozens of Islamists, 27 of whom are currently on hunger strike in prison.
The protesters chanted slogans and held posters in front of the Grand Husseini Mosque in central Amman to urge King Abdullah to release their jailed relatives held at Swaqa prison, 50 km south of the capital.
“The place of those who fight the Zionists should not be jail,” read one slogan on a poster, in reference to those who are jailed for plotting attacks against Israeli targets.
Kolkata, March 01: With the dates announced Tuesday for the West Bengal assembly polls, state election officials here said no government advertisement – be it that of the state government or the railways – showcasing their achievements can be published and hoardings carrying such advertisements have to be removed.
New Delhi, March 01: Three men intercepted a toll tax collection van on the outskirts of Delhi Tuesday and looted Rs 1.25 lakh at gunpoint, police said.
“The assailants, who were on foot, gathered near the van when it stopped near Bawana toll tax office and then dragged the security guard and the two employees out at gun point, snatched the cash bag and fled,” said a senior police officer.
“We have registered a case and are investigating the matter,” the officer added.
-Agencies