Amsterdam, July 27: Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders, whose anti-Islamic stance is a major part of his programme, on Tuesday condemned the terrorist attacks in Norway as the acts of a ‘madman’.
Wilders distanced himself completely from Friday’s attacks and rejected any suggestion that his own policies and statements could contribute to an atmosphere conducive to such acts.
New Delhi, July 27: The government will present its draft anti-corruption Lokpal Bill to the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, for approval this week.
There is only one draft that will go to the Cabinet. The draft prepared by the Department of Personnel and Training incorporates the provisions agreed to by the civil society group on the joint-drafting committee, chaired by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, as also some other suggestions.
Rabat, July 27: A military transport plane slammed into a mountainside in bad weather in southern Morocco on Tuesday killing all 80 people on board, hospital and military sources said.
The army said 78 people were killed on the spot and two rushed to hospital after the Hercules C-130 crashed on the edge of the Sahara desert in Morocco’s worst military aviation disaster.
A hospital source later told that the injured died of their wounds.
New Delhi, July 27: Hina Rabbani Khar is on her first visit to India as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister. On arrival, the 34-year-old hospitality graduate outlined her recipe for Indo-Pak ties.
Khar said, “I hope that these two countries have learnt lessons from history, but are not burdened by history and we can move forward as good, friendly neighbours.”
India too has struck the right note. Nirupama Rao surprised many when she told that Pakistan’s attitude to terror had changed and that India should take note of it.
New Delhi, July 26: A youth was on Tuesday arrested for allegedly strangulating his sister-in-law who objected to his sexual advances, police said. Ashu Sharma (24) allegedly killed Mamta (30) at her residence on July 24 after she refused to have physical relations with him, DCP (Outer District) BS Jaiswal said.
Acting on a tip-off, Ashu was nabbed from his sister’s house at Poothkalan area.
New Delhi,July 26: Visiting Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday to convey greetings of top leadership from her country to sustain the dialogue process with India.
After her talks with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Khar will also meet Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.
She is also likely to call on United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
–Agencies
Gaza City, July 26: Two Palestinians were hanged Tuesday for collaborating with Israel, the Hamas said.
Hamas is the Islamist movement that governs the Gaza Strip.
The two were executed after the government two weeks ago made a decision to execute Palestinians convicted of collaboration with Israel, the Hamas interior ministry said in a statement.
Since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, at least 15 Palestinians have been executed after being found guilty of working for Israel.
Thirteen were killed by the firing squad and two were hanged.
–Agencies
Hyderabad, July 26: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Tuesday submitted to the Andhra Pardesh High Court a report on the assets held by YSR Congress Party chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.
The report was submitted in a sealed cover. The court is likely to fix the date of next hearing after going through it.
The court had asked the CBI to conduct the preliminary investigations and submit its report in two weeks.
Dearborn, July 26: TV network TLC is making a reality series following the lives of Muslims living in America.
The programme – called ‘All American Muslim’ – will follow five Muslim families in Dearborn, Michigan hoping to expose the ‘misconceptions and conflicts’ they face ‘outside and within’ their own community’.
Dearborn has one of America’s largest Muslim populations and has the largest mosque in North America.
In a statement TLC’s general manager Amy Winter said: ‘Inviting viewers into a world they might not otherwise experience.
Srinagar, July 26: The BJP on Tuesday asked the Central government to obtain all information about ISI operative and separatist Kashmiri leader Ghulam Nabi Fai from the FBI and share it with people of the country.
“We want the Congress-led government to get factual information about Fai and his network and the then share it with the people,” BJP Secretary Kirit Somaiya told a press conference here.
Hyderabad, July 26: Yoga guru Ramdev on Tuesday said he was not aspiring for any political power but was only seeking “political purity” to lead the country on the path of value- based development.
“I have no ambition for political power. My mission is political purity. This is my first and final declaration,” he told reporters here after enlisting the support of TDP for his fight against corruption and black money.
Ramdev said his vision was to see a “healthy and wealthy India” by rooting out corruption and ensuring value-based development.
Sharjah, July 27: The Dh3.4million required for the release of 17 Indians accused of killing a Pakistani national in Sharjah will be handed over to the court on Wednesday.
SP Singh, owner of Grand Hotel in Al Qusais, said the total amount required to be paid to the family of the slain Pakistani man is ready and will be handed over tomorrow.
Speaking to Emirates 24|7 on Tuesday evening he said, “We paid the token advance earlier. The remaining amount is ready. We will be handing it over in the court tomorrow, following which the pardon letter will be issued,” he said.
New Delhi, July 26: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is keeping its options open on Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who might be strongly indicted in the ombudsman’s report on illegal mining in the state to be submitted Wednesday, sources said.
Though the party has refrained from reacting to reports about Lokayukta N. Santosh Reddy indicting Yeddyurappa, it has not ruled out the possibility of Yeddyurappa being asked to go.
New Delhi, July 26: Nineteen child labourers found slaving away in shoe, sticker and bag manufacturing units here were rescued by police with the help of an NGO, it was announced Tuesday.
‘The children were rescued from chappal, purse and sticker units in Anandpur Gaon, Kurala and Madanpur Dabas in northwest Delhi,’ the Bachpan Bachao Andolan said.
The children hailed from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Hyderabad, July 26:Yoga guru Baba Ramdev today said he was not aspiring for any political power but was only seeking “political purity” to lead the country on the path of “value-based development.”
“I have no ambition for political power. My mission is political purity. This is my first and final declaration,” he told reporters here after enlisting the support of TDP for his “fight against corruption and black money.”
Ramdev said his vision was to see a “healthy and wealthy India” by rooting out corruption and ensuring “value-based development.”
New Delhi, July 26:A 32-year-old man was murdered in outer Delhi allegedly by his brother who was having an illicit relationship with the victim’s wife, police said today.
Chunbuda (26), who hails from Chitrakoot in UP, was apprehended soon after the murder of his brother Devi Dayal at an under-construction building in Bawana, B S Jaiswal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer), said.
The younger brother had initially told the police that some unidentified persons murdered Dayal when they were sleeping along with other labours in the under-construction factory.
Mangalore, July 26: Union Minister for Corporate Affairs M Veerappa Moily today alleged that Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa had a ‘criminal involvement’ in illegal mining and said the BJP government resorted to phone tapping and leaking the Lokayukta report to wriggle out of the tight spot.
New Delhi, July 26: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday said Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s comments linking its campaign against the government to probe into right-wing terror cases will only help terrorists across the border.
‘There is no right and left terror, Mr. Chidambaram, it is the corrupt deeds of this government. You are only increasing the courage of the terrorists and their patrons across the border,’ BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
New Delhi, July 26: Union Rural Development Minister, Tuesday, announced that the new Land Acquisition Bill would be ready by end of the week.
Ramesh said that the process of acquiring land will be completely transparent. He said that as per the news policy, the rules for acquiring land in urban areas will be different from what would be employed for rural areas.
He added that the compensation in urban areas will be around six times higher than the sale price.
—–Agencies
New Delhi, July 26: Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Tuesday made light of arguments put forth by former telecom minister A Raja in a court while opposing the framing of charges against him in the 2G case, saying lawyers often say things to defend their clients.
“You do know, when lawyers appear for someone, they look for anything possible to help their own clients. It is not always that thought is given to what will happen to some other person who is named in this manner,” he said here.
New Delhi, July 26: Home Minister P Chidambaram has said political parties in Andhra Pradesh must help the Centre find a solution to the Telangana issue but they are divided and a solution cannot be thrust down their throats.
“This is a unique situation where political parties in Andhra Pradesh are divided down the middle. Congress, Telugu Desam, CPI, CPI(M) are all divided. The only party which claims to be undivided is BJP because it has only one member,” he said.
Imphal, July 26: A 35-year old man and his wife were shot dead in front of their three children at an isolated village in Phungyar sub-division of Manipur’s interior Ukhrul district bordering Myanmar, a delayed official report said Tuesday.
The report said about six suspected militants in military uniform barged into the house of Vareingam Mahonao Shimray at Lungphu village on Sunday night and gunned down Shimray and his wife, Ngaherla (33) in front of their three children.
Srinagar, July 26: An Army jawan was arrested Monday after a teenage girl accused him of passing indecent remarks at her in Pattan area of Baramulla district in north Kashmir, officials said.
Local residents staged protests and blocked the Srinagar-Baramulla National Highway after the 15-year old-girl alleged that an Army jawan had passed indecent remarks while she was passing by the Army camp at Haiderbeg in Pattan area, 30 kms from here, the officials said.
Drass, July 26: Army Monday began the two-day celebrations of the 12th anniversary of its victory in the 1999 Kargil war in this sub-sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
A presentation, marking the beginning of the two-day fiesta, about the war at the Umpa La ridge, which provides a panoramic view to most of the battlefields around Drass town, 150 kms from summer capital Srinagar, where Indian and Pakistan forces battled each other in rough terrain and extreme conditions, was held.
Srinagar, July 26: Jammu and Kashmir government will prepare a theme-based development model for the welfare of artisans with a focus on community-centric initiatives, officials said Monday.
Chief Secretary Madhav Lal has directed the officials to identify small pocket areas of traditional artisan communities for their socio-economic development.
Lal was chairing a meeting on development of artisan areas and clusters in interior city known as ‘Shehar-i-Khas’ Sunday, they said.