Month: August 2011

Washington, August 07: In response to the humiliating downgrade of the Americas AAA debt rating by S&P, The White House has urged political rivals to unite and fix the economy.

“The bipartisan compromise on deficit reduction was an important step in the right direction. Yet, the path to getting there took too long and was at times too divisive. We must do better to make clear our nation’s will, capacity and commitment to work together to tackle our major fiscal and economic challenges,” AFP quoted White House spokesman Jay Carney as saying.

Sanaa, August 07: Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh has reportedly left a hospital in Saudi Arabia two months after he sustained serious injuries in an attack on his palace in early June.

“The Yemeni president left the military hospital this evening at 9:00 p.m. (1800 GMT) after receiving the necessary treatment and was taken to a temporary residence for a recovery period,” a Saudi official speaking on condition of anonymity said on Saturday, AFP reported.

The Saudi official says Saleh will stay in Riyadh for a recovery stage, but gave no specific time period.

Hyderabad, August 07: Senior Telugu Desam Party leader K Kala Venkat Rao on Saturday alleged that the in spite of crop holiday being declared in Andhra region, the state government has failed to take any relief measures.

Speaking to media persons at the NTR Trust Bhavan on Saturday, Mr Venkat Rao said that the situation has come to a stage where the farmers are compelled to committing suicides and the government is not taking any action.

Hyderabad, August 07: A six-year-old girl died of dengue fever in Idumulavaripalle in Ramapuram mandal of Kadapa district on Saturday.

According to information reaching here, the six year girl died on Saturday due to dengue. Around one hundred people are affected due to the epidemic in the village, reports suggest.

In the nieghbouring Tamil Nadu, state the dengue cases are reported to be on the rise. In Chennai many cases are being referred to the hospitals with some cases being admitted in the intensive care unit.

Hyderabad, August 07: Lok Satta Party president Jayaprakash Narayan on Saturday warned people against missing the wood for the trees by focusing their entire attention on the constitution of a strong and independent Lokpal at the national level.

The people who are demanding freedom from corruption should appreciate that the Union Government accounts for only 15 percent of governance, whereas States and local governments account for 85 percent of governance and corruption.

Hyderabad, August 07: Criticising former chief minister K Rosaiah for requesting that the separate Telangana agitation be put on hold since Congress president Sonia Gandhi is unwell, Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday said that the separate Telangana agitation will not be stopped for any reason.

Hyderabad, August 07: The people of Telangana will be in a fix again with the Telangana Employees JAC leaders remaining adamant and government also neglecting them, relying on the ESMA handle.

Labour Minister Danam Nagender categorically stated before media persons at the Secretariat on Saturday that apart from the essential commodities like rice, wheat, salt etc, fee reimbursement also is an essential service in the absence of which poor students suffer.

Hyderabad, August 07: Reacting to requests by some senior state Congress leaders that the Telangana statehood agitation should be put on a temporary pause till the time Congress president Sonia Gandhi recuperates and returns to active public life, TNGOs president Swamy Goud on Saturday said that this was impossible.

“The separate Telangana agitation was not paused even when the separate statehood spearhead Professor Kothapalli Jayashankar passed away. Why should it be put on hold when Ms Sonia Gandhi is ill?,” Mr Swamy Goud questioned.

Hyderabad, August 07: The city police on Saturday made it clear that the Ganesh idols can only be installed in public places only after the organizers obtain prior written permission from the concerned Divisional Assistant Commissioner of Police.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner AK Khan said that the Ganesh Festival, set to commence from September 1 this year with the installation of idols, will conclude ten days later on September 11, with the final immersion procession.

Hyderabad, August 07: Stating that the reason behind the demand for a separate state was because the people of Andhra Pradesh were divided, Karimnagar MP Ponnam Prabhakar said that Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s statement in the Lok Sabha on Friday that the divisions among political parties in Andhra Pradesh is the main stumbling block to the formation of Telangana does not hold water.

Hyderabad, August 07: Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh, who toured some of the districts in Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday emphatically stated that the only way out to check Naxalism was to concentrate on development in rural areas particularly in districts where majority of the villagers were tribals.

He admitted that Naxalism could be brought under check only through development.

Hyderabad, August 07: The Afzalgunj police on Saturday revealed that it has nabbed a 19-year-old youth on charges of stealing 12 laptops worth around Rs 3.5 lakh from him.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Zone) Y Gangadhar, the youth Pembarthi Mahendra hails from Mumbai and is a native of Mumbai of Maharashtra state.

The 12 stolen laptops were recovered from his possession.

Hyderabad, August 07: “There are many people who are taking part in the struggle for Telangana. Some of them are ‘part timers,’ some ‘full timers,’ but Professor Jayashankar was a ‘life timer,’ said Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday.

KCR was paying homage to Telangana ideologue Professor Jayashankar at a function held at Telangana Bhavan to mark the departed leader’s birth anniversary.

Hyderabad, August 07: The Ministry of Rural Development on Saturday agreed to release Rs 120 crore over the next three years for providing at least one job per household in the LWE districts as part of the Rajiv Education and Employment Mission of AP.

A host of proposals were cleared on Saturday during the visit of Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh to Hyderabad. Among these proposals cleared is the provision of Rs 10 crore from the MPLAD funds for improving the storage facilities in tribal areas of LWE districts of Khammam and Adilabad.

Hyderabad, August 07: Telangana Lawyers Joint Action Committee on Saturday urged the police personnel to join in the proposed general strike from August 17 to push for a separate Telangana state.

The appeal by the lawyers comes at a time when the state government is engaged in talks with the various employees’ unions’ leaders, trying to get them to reconsider their decision of going on the mass strike across the region.

Hyderabad, August 07: In a partial modification of their stand, Telangana Congress MPs on Saturday decided to attend the monsoon session of Parliament, but only on the days when their presence is required, for instance when passing bills.

The steering committee of the Telangana Congress peoples’ representatives, which met here on Saturday to discuss whether to continue their boycott of the session, finally decided to climb a step down. The meeting was attended by eight MPs, eight ministers, two MLCs and six MLAs.

New Delhi, August 07: A five-year-old minor Reena (name changed) was raped and sodomised by a 30-year-old man living in her neighbourhood in Trilokpuri near Mayur Vihar area on Friday night. The accused Deepak is a labourer, who lives near the victim’s house in Trilokpuri. Victim’s family had recently shifted to the place, and they were not much acquainted with people living in the vicinity.

The accused took advantage of the situation and sexually assaulted the minor. He abducted the girl while she was playing with other children.
–Agencies

Hyderabad, August 07: The decision to create a separate State has never been a smooth affair. Many factors, often conflicting, give rise to the demand. The whole issue is complicated even at the start, but gets messier as it grows into a popular movement.

Washington, August 07: President Barack ObamaCan we all agree that the worst thing about “Fox & Friends” is how clumsy and obvious they are with their political agenda? (Ok, the second-worst thing, after Steve Doocy’s face. And voice. And the things he says.) Good propaganda is supposed to be sort of covert and insidious, right?

A Muslim woman arrives for afternoon prayers at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, MI.On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Gallup has released a major new study on attitudes of the Muslim community in the United States, as well as views of Muslims among other religious groups.

Warangal, August 07: Within 24 hours of a court sentencing a man to death for killing his baby girl in Vizag, two more cases of parents wanting to get rid of their girl children came to light in the state on Saturday. While a man abandoned his wife after she gave birth to a baby girl in Vizag, a couple tried to sell their girl child in Warangal district.

Jammu, August 07: The holy month of Ramadan is celebrated around the world. Over one billion Muslims throughout the globe are fasting and practicing the Islamic rituals. However, here in Indian controlled Kashmir it is different.

The death of a young man in police custody last Sunday instigated mass protests across the region As a precautionary measure to take control of Kashmir situation, the administration has placed the top pro independence leadership under house arrest. Authorities claimed their presence could lead to fresh wave of unrest in the region.

New Zealand, August 07: A muslim scholar and jurist has waded into New Zealand’s burqas-on-buses debate – saying the women should be made to removed their face veils. The debate erupted in May when two Muslim women were refused entry to Auckland buses because they were wearing face veils or niqabs.

Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, who hit the headlines when he issued a fatwa against terrorism and suicide bombing, told the Sunday Star-Times “covering the face, according to the Koran, is not mandatory”.

London. August 07: A British guy tied the knot with his schoolgirl sweetheart, nine years after becoming father to her child just at the age of 13.

Michael Fernandes, now 22, and Cheryl Holden, 24, ended all speculations that their relationship would not last, by getting married in Manchester.

They already have three sons – Liam, 8, Bryan, 3 and Archie, 1 – all of whom were taken along in the ceremony, reports the Sun.

Fernandes had proposed to Holden in 2009 but could not afford to marry until they won a competition to pay for it – and accommodate 40 guests.

New Delhi, August 06: Gold prices zoomed to yet another record of Rs 24,770 per 10 grams by adding Rs 420 in the National Capital on Saturday on frantic buying by stockists and investors, driven by a firming trend overseas.

On the other hand silver held steady at Rs 58,600 per kg on reduced off-take at prevailing high levels.