Hyderabad, November 15: Former vice-chairman and managing director of the AP Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) V D Rajagopal was arrested by the CBI in the illegal mining case in which former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy is the prime accused. Sources in the agency said the ground is now set for the arrest of more government officials, including IAS officers, who allegedly played a role in the scam.
Hyderabad, November 15: The success of opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu’s recent Rytu Poru Bata padayatra in two Telangana districts has enthused Telugu Desam cadres who perceive it as an indication of the change in the mood of the people in favour of the party. The response to Naidu’s tour of Khammam and Nalgonda districts was not hostile and was more than anticipated at some places.
New Delhi, November 15: Resignations of 12 MPs from Telangana region including TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao were rejected by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar today, raising the spectre of a fresh turmoil in Parliament over the statehood issue.
The resignations were “not accepted” by the Speaker as they were not in proper format, Parliament sources said.
The MPs included eight from Congress and two each from TRS and TDP. They had resigned en masse on July four to press for separate Telangana.
Washington, November 15: The U.S. has said that there is no change in its visa policy with regard to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, and asserted that the state has a very welcoming environment for American business to flourish.
“No, there are no new developments on that,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake told reporters here when asked if there is any review of giving visa to Mr. Modi.
The U.S. has previously denied visa to Mr. Modi, apparently holding him responsible for the communal riots in Gujarat in 2002.
Raipur, November 15: Home minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday condemned the corporate sector for paying “protection money” to Maoists so that they can operate in mineral-rich areas like Chhattisgarh.
“Small contractors or traders paying ‘protection money’ could be understandable because of the situation
prevailing in the interior areas but big corporate houses paying ‘protection money’ is highly condemnable,” Chidambaram remarked after presiding over a marathon meet in Raipur to review anti-Maoist strategy in the state.
Lucknow, November 15: The Allahabad police on Tuesday registered an FIR against two Congress central ministers, its UP legislature party leader and a party MLC for assaulting a youth.
Abhishek Yadav, an LLB first yA state government spokesperson gave the information saying that the FIR was registered after the youth alleged that the Congress ministers and leaders attacked him during Rahul Gandhi’s Phulpur rally in Allahabad on Monday, when he tried to reach him (Rahul) to demand students’ union elections.
London, November 15: British prosecutors today dropped charges against underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s close aide Iqbal Mirchi in connection with a case in which he was accused of threatening to kill a man, citing lack of evidence.
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service said today that it has decided to discontinue the charges against Muhammed Iqbal Memon, also known as Iqbal Mirchi, who is wanted in India in connection with the 1993 Mumbai blast case.
Hyderabad, November 15: Tirupati MLA Chiranjeevi has received a call from Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday. He is preparing to leave to Delhi on Wednesday.
Never did Chiranjeevi meet Sonia alone in a one-to-one meeting after he merged his PRP in Congress. As Sonia was unwell, Chiranjeevi entered Congress in her absence. It is heard that Sonia who returned after her recovery from USA, has responded to the request of Chiranjeevi for audience.
New Delhi, November 15: BJP Tuesday said a decrease of Rs2 per litre in petrol prices was not enough and expressed concern over inflation reaching 9.73 per cent which it maintained was due to the failure of the government’s economic policies.
“This decrease of Rs2 per litre is too little, too late. The last two hikes were totally unjustified. People will not be satisfied with this. The government has imposed this burden by increasing petrol prices five times in the last few months. We want that the decrease should be at least Rs5 per litre,” BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
Somalia, November 15: The attack occurred in a civilian region near the town of Dhobley in southern Somalia on Tuesday.
Somalia is the one of the countries where the United States has used remote-controlled drones to launch deadly missile strikes.
In October, Washington admitted to flying unmanned aerial vehicles from Ethiopia over some North African countries.
The US military has used assassination drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq, and Yemen.
Hyderabad, November 15: International terrorist Abbas has been arrested by police in Hyderabad on Tuesday. There are many cases against him. Police who simply said Abbas was arrested have not stated where and how he was nabbed.
Abbas is an accused in a case in which police officer Krishna Prasad was killed in an encounter between police and terrorists some time ago. There are also allegations that he has supplied weapons to Indian terrorists, smuggling them from the Pakistan embassy, through Nepal.
New Delhi, November 15: The issue of including the Prime Minister within the ambit of Lokpal saw the Parliamentary panel looking into the matter divided on party lines with the UPA and its outside supporters opposing the idea while the opposition demanded his inclusion with riders.
Consensus eluded the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances and Law and Justice on the issue with Congress and its allies, as well as Lalu Prasad-led RJD and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, opposing the inclusion of Prime Minister within the purview of Lokpal.
New Delhi, November 15: A Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed a plea for prosecution of social activist Anna Hazare and his aides for allegedly instigating the public against the government during their anti-graft campaign.
Metropolitan magistrate Tyagita Singh rejected the plea by Satbir Singh of Haryana who had sought registration of a criminal case against Hazare and team members for allegedly giving provocative speeches at Ramlila Maidan.
The court had earlier asked Singh to explain as to what criminal offence had been committed by Hazare and his associates.
New Delhi, November 15: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday demanded an apology from Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi for his statement on the migration of people from Uttar Pradesh to other states of India.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said that the people of Uttar Pradesh were only migrating to other states because of the failed policies of the Congress Party in the past fifty years and of the state government in the past five years.
He further said that the people of Uttar Pradesh would make the Congress Party beggars in the forthcoming state elections.
New Delhi, November 15: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar Tuesday rejected the resignations of MPs from Telangana region, including eight from the Congress and that of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao, parliament sources said.
The resignations were ‘not accepted’ by the Speaker as they were not in proper format, the sources said.
The resignations were not as per rules.
The MPs include eight from the Congress and two each from TRS and TDP. The MPs had resigned in July to press for their demand for a separate state of Telangana.
Mumbai, November 15: The Mumbai Samajwadi Party (SP) Tuesday filed a defamation complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his comments in Uttar Pradesh the day before, a party leader said.
SP city vice-president Farooque Ghosi lodged a complaint in Bandra East in south Mumbai, protesting against Gandhi’s comments in which he allegedly referred to people of Uttar Pradesh in Maharashtra as ‘beggars’.
New Delhi, November 15: A day after a key auditor said the figure of Rs.1.76 lakh crore in 2G scam report was a mathematical guess, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday attacked the official, saying he had given a different answer earlier.
‘During the earlier PAC (public accounts committee) meet, R.P. Singh had convinced the members that the loss in 2G spectrum was Rs.1.76 lakh crore. But when he went before the JPC (joint parliamentary committee), he said it was only Rs.2,600 crore,’ BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
Pune, November 15: The Pune Cantonment Court Tuesday charged Anushree Kundra, an IT professional, for the murder of her former lover’s fiancee and remanded her to judicial custody till Nov 21, police said here.
Nearly a month ago, Kundra tried to burn alive Juhi Prasad and her former lover Nimesh Sinha in a fit of rage. The latter was, however, saved after he sustained minor burns and injuries.
Anushree was taken into custody by Pune police Tuesday morning.
Prasad, 26, a lawyer and relative of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy, was killed on Oct 13 in Pune.
Sanaa, November 15: Yemeni regime forces have attacked anti-government demonstrators in the southern city of Taizz and a village near the capital Sana’a, Press TV reports.
On Tuesday, clashes broke out between forces loyal to Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh and anti-regime protesters in Taizz and the village of Arhab, located on the northern outskirts of Sana’a. One demonstrator was injured during the turmoil.
Yemeni regime forces have continued shelling residential areas in Taizz in the past few days.
New Delhi, November 15: BJP on Tuesday termed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s decision to divide the state into four parts as a “political stunt” before the Assembly elections and indicated that one of these states will have a Muslim majority which could lead to “Kashmir-like” problems.
BJP leader Uma Bharti said this decision was “completely a political stunt” and Mayawati had consulted other political parties to form a consensus on the issue before making the announcement.
New Delhi/Lucknow, November 15: Major political parties have described the Uttar Pradesh cabinet’s decision to divide the state into four as a political stunt aimed at the coming assembly elections.
The Congress party said the proposal of division was a very sensitive issue and any decision should be taken only after wide-ranging consultations.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it had been championing the cause of smaller states, but Chief Minister Mayawati’s announcement Tuesday was just an “eyewash to befool people on the eve of the polls”.
Islamabad, November 15:The Pakistani government should stop all kinds of operations against the Taliban if it is serious about holding a peace dialogue, a top leader of the outfit said Tuesday.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan leader Maulvi Faqir Mohammad told BBC from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan that a peace dialogue and military operation against the Taliban were not possible at the same time.
He said if the government continued operations against the “mujahideen” on the directives of “pagan powers” then it would create a lot of disappointment among the Muslim community.
Kolkata, November 15:India’s stylish batsman V.V.S. Laxman showered praise on cricketing genius Sachin Tendulkar, who completed 22 years in international cricket Tuesday, saying it was an honour and privilege for him to play with the batting maestro.
“Great!! I am sure he will cross many more years for the country. Everyone knows what a legend he has been and what a match-winner he has been for the country for so many years,” Laxman said when asked about Tendulkar’s new achievement.
Tendulkar made his Test debut for India at Karachi, Pakistan, on this day in 1989.
New Delhi, November 15: Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday termed as an election gimmick Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s proposal to split the state in four.
Talking to reporters in New Delhi, party leader Shahnawaz Hussain asked how come Mayawati remembered about dividing the state after four-and-a-half years of her government.
‘Elections have come, and Mayawati has remembered the upper caste after four-and-a-half years… she also remembered division of the state,’ Hussain said, taking a dig at Mayawati.
Tehran, November 15: At least six Iranian passengers have been injured in an armed attack on an Iranian bus in Turkey’s eastern province of Van.
The bus came under attack in the Ercis district of Van on Tuesday.
Gunmen inside an unknown vehicle reportedly opened fire on the bus after failing to bring it to a stop.
The six injured Iranian passengers were transferred to nearby hospitals.
There have been no further details about the incident.
—-Agencies