Month: June 2011

New Delhi, June 29: A frustrated Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday denied “a growing perception” that his coalition government was under siege and said that he was doing his best to curb corruption.
In a free and frank interaction with a group of editors here, Manmohan Singh moaned that India’s economic story would be hit because of “constant sniping” between the government and the opposition.
“I think there is a growing perception that this government is in siege, that we have not been able to deliver on our agenda,” he said in his opening remarks.

Hyderabad, June 29: Rain occurred at a few places over Telangana, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema.

A bulletin from Meteorological Centre here today said Venkatapuram (Khammam dist) received 2 CM of Rainfall and Bhadrachalam, Mahabubnagar, Araku Valley (Visakhapatnam dist), Eturnagaram & Narsampet (both Warangal dist), Kalwakurthy, Kodangal & Shadnagar (all Mahabubnagar dist), Karimnagar (Karimnagar dist),Koida & Yellandu (both Khammam dist), Polavaram (West Godavari dist), Rajahmundry (East Godavari dist), Ramayampet (Medak dist) 1 CM each.

Hyderabad, June 29: A consultative meeting of Muslim was organized to consider various sections of Wakf Amendment Bill by Madina Education Society and Muslim Think Tank. Mr. Nayeemullah Shareef told that under the revised Wakf Act, wakf properties could now be sold out with ease, given on lease or allotted for developmental purposes.

Mumbai, June 29: Aishwarya Rai will be a beautiful mother, says Sushmita Sen, a mother of two.

“Aishwarya has always been known to be a beautiful woman. She has brought great laurels to our country. Both of us are international winners. She is a beautiful woman who is going to be a mother, and that will increase her beauty manifold,” Sushmita told reporters here.

“Whether you become a mother biologically or through heart, you feel beautiful entering that phase of your life. She will be a very beautiful mother,” she said.

Hyderabad, June 29: In a surprise move that reflects the change in the functioning of Kiran Kumar Reddy, the chief minister is likely to induct his rival, Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, into his Cabinet.
The MLA from Piler, who is a fellow Chittoor native, will be among the old and new faces taken into the Cabinet in the reconstitution that is expected soon. Ramachandra Reddy was inducted into the Cabinet by the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy when he returned to power for a second term in 2009. Kiran Kumar was miffed but was placated with the post of speaker.

Hyderabad, June 29: The hearing on the disqualification petition pending against Kovur MLA Nallapureddy Prasanna Kumar Reddy commenced in the Assembly speaker’s court on Monday.
Speaker Nadendla Manohar, who heard the arguments of the Telugu Desam, will hear the arguments of Prasanna Kumar Reddy on Tuesday.
TDP representative D Narendra Kumar, MLA, told the speaker that Prasanna Kumar Reddy had been indulging in anti-party activities since 2009 and submitted documents and CDs in support of the party’s charge.

Puttarpathi, June 29: The following are the questions posed by newsmen and the replies given by Satya Sai Central trust member V Srinivasan and council member Nagananda on Tuesday.
Q:Why have trustees responded differently to the seizure of Rs 35.5 lakh in cash at Kodikonda Checkpost? One said it did not belong to the trust and another pointed to L&T.
A: It was due to lack of proper coordination among the trust members. The money actually belonged to devotees.

Hyderabad, June 29: Minister for major industries J Geetha Reddy, after a meeting with chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy in his chambers at the Secretariat here on Tuesday, said that the state government did not intend to play any role in the affairs of Sri Satya Sai Baba Central Trust or intervene in their internal affairs.
Based on media reports, the government had sought report on the goings-on at Prashanti Nilayam in Anantapur within 10 days and had said it would consider action based on the report.

Hyderabad, June 29: The State government has decided not to further pinch the aam aadmi who has been hit hard by the recent fuel and LPG price hike.
It has decided to collect value-added tax (VAT) of only 4 per cent on sugar and textiles. In other words, it means the prices of both will not rise.
According to sources, the government, though it had the option of collecting up to 14.5 per cent VAT following removal of additional excise duty by Centre, has decided against imposing the same.
By doing so, it stands to lose a revenue of Rs 600 crore.

Hyderabad, June 29: Journalists have warned of launching a nation-wide agitation if the central government further delayed issuing a notification implementing the recommendations of the Justice Majithia Wage Board for working journalists and nonjournalists.

Hyderabad, June 29: Heavy industries minister J Geeta Reddy, who is not very forthcoming on the Telangana issue, made it clear on Tuesday that nothing short of statehood to Telangana would be acceptable to the people of the region.
She said she would not hesitate to resign if the Telangana Congress leaders’ meeting on July 1 decided that they should quit.
As regards deletion of Clause 14F from the presidential order, she said the issue was before the Centre.

Hyderabad, June 29: Deputy chief minister Damodar Rajanarasimha has expressed the hope that the Centre will take a decision on Telangana favourable to the people of the region.
The deputy chief minister, after conferring with AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad in Delhi on Monday night, said in the national capital on Tuesday that he would, however, abide by whatever decision the Centre would take on the issue.
He denied discussing with Azad the proposal to constitute a council for Telangana.

Vishakapatnam, June 29: Incidents of murder, gang rivalry, extortion, rape, cyber crime and burglary in the district have been on the rise in the past few months.
After Hyderabad and Vijayawada in the state, Visakhapatnam is slowly emerging the crime city. If the latest cases (murder, cyber crime, chain and purse snatching, gun use and thievery) are anything to go by, the city is likely to emerge as the next crime capital of the state.

Guntur, June 29: Five persons died and six others received serious injuries when a lorry hit an autorickshaw at Piduguralla on Tuesday. Auto driver and four passengers died on the spot.
The injured were rushed to the government general hospital in Guntur.
The deceased were identified as T Chalamaiah (50) of Takkellapadu in Dachepalli mandal, B Venkataratnamma (48) of Nulakapet in Tadepalli mandal, auto driver Pathan Khasim Khan (25) of Gurajala, and Nalli Venkateswarlu of Venkatareddypalli in Nellore district. The identity of another deceased person is yet to be established.

Vijaywada, June 29: The Central Government has decided to construct more cyclone shelters in the coastal areas of the state with the World Bank funds. The disaster management project will be implemented in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore districts in the state. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has cleared the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP).

Rajahmundry, June 29: Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) chairman Srighakolapu Sivarama Subramanyam has said plans are afoot to provide incentives to the farmers who help the APIIC in land acquisition for setting up industries in the state.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, he said apart from paying compensation to the farmers for the land acquired, 10 per cent of it would be allotted to the farmers or their family members to set up small scale industries. The APIIC had already approved the proposal.

Hyderabad, June 29: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao Wednesday warned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that “Telangana will burn” if he fails to implement his promise of carving out a separate Telangana state.
The Mahabubnagar MP said people of Telangana will not tolerate it if the prime minister further delays a decision on the issue.

Hyderabad, June 29: Following the arrest of a qazi on Monday for trying to forcibly marry off a young poor Muslim girl to an Arab Sheikh, police on Tuesday arrested two Sudanese nationals, two qazis and two female pimps for forcing a minor girl to enter into a contract marriage with one of the foreigners. The Sudanese national Mohammed Elshafie Mohammed Elhassan alias Ansari of AC Guards, who is in the city on a student visa, married the girl to exploit her and later leave her when he completes his studies, police said. His friend also tried to take advantage of the girl.

Kabul, June 29: The first sign that militants were attacking one of Kabul’s premiere hotels was an explosion that pierced Jawid’s eardrums, prompting him to jump out the window of his room on the first floor into a chaotic scene that quickly turned into a grisly morass of bodies, gunfire and shattered glass.

Nineteen people died — including all eight suicide bombers — in a more than five-hour standoff at the Inter-Continental that ended early Wednesday after NATO attack helicopters fired missiles to kill three suicide bombers on the roof.

London, June 29: Iran has been carrying out covert ballistic missile tests and rocket launches including testing missiles capable of delivering a nuclear payload, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday.

He told parliament the tests were in clear contravention of U.N resolution 1929.

Meanwhile, Iran denied testing a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

“None of the missiles tested by Iran is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.

Islamabad, June 29: A top Taliban commander has threatened to carry out attacks on nine more key installations in Pakistan similar to the strike on Mehran Naval Base in Karachi to avenge the death of Osama bin Laden.

“The revenge game has already been started from Pakistan. The attack on Mehran Naval Base in Karachi was the first in the line of 10 that Taliban has planned to avenge the death of bin Laden,” Wali-ur Rehman, head of Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) in South Waziristan, told Al-Arabiya in an interview.

New York, June 29: Police say three armed men broke into a Rhode Island apartment and raped a woman who is seven months pregnant while her 9-year-old son was home.

Authorities say the attack happened in Central Falls on Saturday morning.

Police say the victim was asleep with her son in a bedroom when three men kicked in the door to her home. One of the men raped her in a bathroom. Police say her son was in the bedroom during the rape.

The woman tells WLNE-TV that the boy saw “everything.”

Capt. James Mendonca says one suspect was taken into custody and charged on Saturday.

Mumbai, June 29: Filmmaker Punit Malhotra is all praises for Aamir Khan”s ”Delhi Belly” and predicts that the film will boost actor Imran Khan”s career.

“Saw ”Delhi Belly” last night. What a fantastic film. Wonder how Aamir Khan does it again and again. This one”s gonna do really well for IK (Imran Khan) :))),” Punit said on micro-blogging site twitter.

“”Delhi Belly” is a genre of its own. Super bold and hilarious. Watch it and shock yourselves. ”Bilkul alag film hai boss” (Its a very different film),” the ”I Hate Luv Storys” director said.

Mumbai, June 29: Mahesh Bhupathi became Lara Dutta’s ‘pati’ (husband) – four months ago and now here’s news that the former Miss Universe is all set to do what former Miss World Aishwarya Rai is done get pregnant. Lara was shooting last with Shah Rukh Khan for Don 2 after which she went in for a lavish Christian styled wedding in Goa.

The news has not completely been confirmed by sources close to the Bhupathi family, but they are saying that she could be pregnant because the couple had visited the docs recently and came out all happy and excited.

Hubli, June 29: A BJP councillor today referred the late M F Husain as a “traitor”, triggering unruly scenes at a meeting leading to its abrupt adjournment.

Trouble broke out during the general body meeting of the Hubli-Dharawad civic corporation here while the members were paying homage to departed leaders and eminent personalities.

In his remarks, Shivanand Muttannavar referred Husain as a “traitor”. Enraged Congress and JDS councillors threw a water bottle at the Mayor Poorna Patil”s table and demanded that Muttannavar tender an apology for the remark.