Month: July 2011

Washington, July 24: A draft report by a bipartisan congressional panel shows that the United States has wasted or misspent USD 34 billion on contracting for services in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The three-year investigation comes from the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, which was established by Congress in 2008, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The report, which is expected to be sent to Capitol Hill in the next few weeks, lays out in detail the failure of federal agencies in American wars.

Hyderabad, July 24: Telugu Desam Party Telangana Forum convenor Erabelli Dayakar Rao on Saturday alleged that the sustained rhetoric by Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders was instrumental in driving young people of Telangana region to resort to suicides.

Talking to media persons at the NTR Trust Bhavan, Mr Dayakar Rao said that provocative speeches and the frequent false assurances were giving false hopes to the people, only to be dashed by the delay in the formation of the state. “This was the primary reason behind the students resorting to suicides,” the TDP leader stated.

Gulbarga, July 24: Congress In-Charge for Party Affairs in Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday said that any final decision on the contentious Telangana statehood demand would be taken after exhaustive consultations with leaders of all the three regions of the state.

Talking to media persons in this dusty city, which was once part of the Princely State of Hyderabad Deccan, Mr Azad disclosed that the exhaustive discussions would be held at an appropriate time and place.

Hyderabad July 24: The Telangana Employees JAC will meet on July 26, to chalk out the future course of action on how to circumvent any possible attempt by the government to thwart their proposed strike from August 1.

Various employees unions and trade unions will attend the meeting and with their advice the future course of action will be decided, said the JAC convenor Swamy Goud on Saturday.

Hyderabad July 24: The Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FAPCCI) has announced Excellency Awards to 21 industries in different fields.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy will present the awards on July 28 on the occasion of 93rd annual function of FAPCCI, Hyderabad.

This was announced by FAPCCI chairman V S Raju, Chairman Award committee Suraj Prasad Agarwal and secretary general M V Rajeshwara Rao in a media conference on Saturday.

Hyderabad, July 24: The Bharatiya Janata Party urged Governor ESL Narasimhan to prevail upon the state government to hold talks with the Employees’ Unions who have served the strike notice from August 1.

A delegation of the state BJP led by senior leaders Bandaru Dattatreya and Dr Lakshman met the Governor at the Raj Bhavan on Saturday and submitted a memorandum to him.

Hyderabad July 24: The Telangana Political JAC has strongly condemned the incident in which a pregnant woman and three youths from Telangana were severely beaten up when they went to Trupatamma temple to offer prayers.

TPJAC convenor Kodandaram lashed out at the attackers, saying that they did not spare even women, especially a pregnant woman, and termed this act in most inhuman and cruel. He demanded stern action against the culprits.

Hyderabad, July 24: The city police on Saturday claimed to have made a vital breakthrough in the murder of Deputy Director of AP Text Books Printing Press Michael Angelo, whose body was found at Gandicheru on Friday with the arrest of three persons.

According to the police, the Saidabad Police apprehended three accused persons for their involvement in the murder for gain. The three accused have been identified as Rajesh Sharma (21), Santosh Kumar Sharma (27) and Jeetu Lal (32), all residents of Neredment, but originally hailing from Uttar Pradesh.

Hyderabad, July 24: Claiming that he was a witness to the unsavoury incidents at the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan on Thursday when Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLA Harish Rao slapped Officer on Special Duty Chander Rao, senior Congress leader and former minister Paladagu Venkat Rao on Saturday said that the OSD was not to be blamed for the incident.

Hyderabad, July 24: The state government will soon launch a pilot project to safeguard the interests of poor fishermen in the state who have long been exploited by middlemen.

“A pilot project would be started in every district to eliminate the aggressive meddling of the middlemen at the cost of the profit of the fishermen community,” said Minister for Animal Husbandry P Vishwaroop before media persons at the state Secretariat on Saturday.

Hyderabad, July 24: The Sarvajana Satta, a Lok Satta affiliate representing weaker sections, on Saturday complained to the SC, ST Commission that cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have been lying unresolved for months in police stations throughout the State.

As many as 1600 cases have been pending in police stations, a Sarvajana Satta delegation represented to Officer on Special Duty R Subba Rao at the Commission’s office.

Hyderabad, July 24: Law and Courts Minister Erasu Pratap Reddy maintained that the issue of Telangana should be solved amicably and through discussions, as this was the only option.

“Whether it is one month or two months discussions must be held to thrash out a solution,” said the Minister on the spur-of-the-moment interaction with media persons at the Secretariat on Saturday.

The Minister said that he been told by Congress In-Charge of Andhra Pradesh Affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad during a meeting recently that he (Azad) would speak to all the leaders on the said issue.

Hyderabad, July 24: Strongly defending Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s petition in the Supreme Court to quash the Andhra Pradesh High Court order of a preliminary probe by the Central Bureau of Investigations into his assets, Congress MLA Srikanth Reddy on Saturday said that the YSR Congress Party president had approached the Apex Court to defend himself against the political vendetta launched by leaders of the Congress and Telugu Desam Party.

Hyderabad, July 24: Telangana Vimochana Samithi president and MLC Kapilvai Dilip Kumar on cautioned Congress leaders from Telangana not to fall into the trap being set by party In-Charge of Andhra Pradesh Affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad.

“Mr Azad is trying to snare you into his trap and push through his ‘divide and rule’ policy. He is trying to split the Congress leaders from Telangana into splinter groups and then pit them against each other,” the MLC, who had earlier split from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi to launch the TVS, told media persons at the Assembly Media Point on Saturday.

Hyderabad, July 24: Pointing out that the people of Telangana were getting desperate and resorting to suicides, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha Member V Hanumantha Rao on Saturday appealed to the conscience of Seemandhra leaders to realise the seriousness of the situation and not obstruct the formation of a separate state.

Speaking to media persons at his residence in Amberpet, Mr Hanumantha Rao stated that the suicide of Yadireddy of Moinabad was a reflection of the growing desperation of the people and the Seemandhra leaders must taking note of the incident.

Kolkata, July 23: Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on Saturday reviewed ongoing railway projects with special emphasis on those in West Bengal, railway sources said.

At a high-level meeting here, Trivedi stressed on the need for categorising the projects in terms of priority and then reviewed the projects of all zonal railways, the sources said.

Chennai, July 23: DMK meets to chart out new path Coimbatore: The two-day meeting of DMK’s top decision making body beginning here on Saturday is expected to give a new direction to the party amidst criticism over the first family’s domination and its strained relationship with Congress.

Party patriarch M Karunanidhi is reluctant to continue the seven-year old alliance with the Congress as he was reportedly sore that enough had not been done to bail out his daughter Kanimozhi, languishing in Tihar jail in the 2G spectrum scam.

New Delhi, July 23: BS Yeddyurappa could become the albatross round the neck of BJP if it failed to remove the Karnataka Chief Minister by the monsoon session of Parliament beginning August one.

This appears to be the feeling in Congress circles which say the party and the government would be a “relieved” lot if BJP does not dump Yeddyurappa in the wake of indictment by Lokyaukta in the illegal mining issue.

New Delhi, July 23: Former Commonwealth Games (CWG) organising committee (OC) chief Suresh Kalmadi, who is under judicial custody in a corruption case, Saturday moved a Delhi court for permission to attend the monsoon session of parliament starting Aug 1.

In an application filed before Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge Talwant Singh, Kalmadi sought custody parole.

The plea said that appropriate directions be passed regarding his travel and he be allowed to travel in his private vehicle during the session.

Srinagar, July 23: Two youths were killed in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district Saturday when an explosive device they had found in the forests and were fiddling with suddenly exploded, police said.

“Two youths, identified as Ashfaq Ahmad Khan, 21, and Babar Khan, 20, both residents of Markote (Dangiwacha) in Baramulla district, died while fiddling with an explosive object in the jungle area of Nardargi meadow falling under the jurisdiction of police station Dangiwacha, Sopore,” a police statement here said.

New Delhi, July 23: Blaming non-state actors for terror no excuse: PC Thimphu: In a veiled attack on Pakistan, India on Saturday said that no country can escape its responsibility by blaming non-state actors for terrorist activities emanating from its soil.

As long as the territory of a country is used by non-state actors to prepare for terror attacks, that country owes a legal and moral responsibility to its neighbours and to the world to suppress those non-state actors and bring them to justice, Home Minister P Chidambaram said.

New Delhi, July 23: As India and Pakistan prepare for yet another round of Foreign Ministerial talks, this time in New Delhi, official sources indicate that some confidence building measures will be announced, but the general pace of the talks will be slow.

New Delhi, July 23: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday condemned the entry of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the multi brand retail sector as recommended by a government panel.

The Cabinet of Secretaries (CoS) recommended 51 percent FDI in the multi-brand retail sector on Friday paving the way for the entry of many global retailers like Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco.

Addressing mediapersons in New Delhi, BJP spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government should arrive at a political consensus over the issue.

Hyderabad, July 23: Michael Angelo (56), deputy director of the government printing press at Mint Compound, who had gone missing 10 days back, was found murdered on the outskirts of the city on Friday. Police suspect the driver of a woman, with whom Michael was allegedly moving closely for some days, could be behind the murder. Michael was a resident of Star Apartments at Saidabad. According to the police, Michael called up a woman, with whom he allegedly had an affair, on July 13 and asked her to send her car as his vehicle was under repair.

Hyderabad, July 23:Taking exception to Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad holding talks with Congress leaders from different regions of the state as part of efforts to resolve the Telangana problem, BJP has asked whether the statehood issue is an internal matter of the ruling party.