Month: November 2011

Panaji, November 01: Senior BJP leader L K Advani on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was heading the most corrupt government since Independence.

Singh is presiding over the most corrupt government since Independence. Corruption has attained gigantic proportions in the country in the last two years, he said at a rally at Polem, about 80 kms from here.

The octogenarian leader claimed that his Jana Chetana Yatra was receiving an over-whelming support due to the public anger against the UPA government.

New Delhi, November 01: Defence Minister AK Antony on Tuesday left for Japan on a daylong visit when he is expected to explore opportunities for furthering the bilateral military relations in global and regional security matters, maritime security, anti-piracy operations, counter-terrorism and humanitarian assistance.

During his stay in Tokyo on Wednesday, Antony will meet with Japan’s Defence Minister Yasuo Ichikawa when these issues will figure prominently in the talks, Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar, who is accompanying the minister, said here on Tuesday.

New Delhi, November 01: In the wake of Anna Hazare’s letter to the Prime Minister on the Lokpal issue, BJP on Tuesday indicated that its priority now is to perform the role of a “constructive and active” opposition in Parliament to pass the legislation in the Winter Session.

Asked about its response to Hazare’s letter in which he has threatened to launch a fresh agitation if the government fails to pass the Lokpal Bill in the winter session of Parliament, the main opposition said dealing with the issue is the responsibility of the government.

New Delhi, November 01: The Supreme Court was told Tuesday that the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts were linked to the demolition of Ayodhya’s Babri Masjid Dec 6, 1992 and the subsequent riots targeted at the minority community.

In pursuance of narrow ideological designs, “the house of God was demolished in the name of God”, said senior counsel Jaspal Singh appearing for Yakub Abdul Razak Memon, who was awarded death penalty for the explosions.

–Agencies

New Delhi, November 01: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has nominated Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha K Rahman Khan to lead a 22-member official Haj delegation to Jeddah.

Khan also called on the Prime Minister in this regard today and apprised him of the arrangements for the official Haj delegation to Saudi Arabia, a release by Rajya Sabha secretariate said.

–Agencies

Jeddah, November 01: A total of 1,23,254 Haj pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from India, the consulate general of India said here Tuesday.

So far, 432 flights, carrying Haj pilgrims, have come from India, according to a statement issued by B.S. Mubarak, India’s consul for Haj.

Till Tuesday, 73 pilgrims have died, it said.

–Agencies

New Delhi, November 01: Telangana Nagara Samithi chairman Nagam Janardhan Reddy on Tuesday alleged that the Congress party hatched a conspiracy to make Telangana leaders as scapegoats by not accepting their resignations submitted for the cause of the Telangana statehood agitation.

Talking to media persons, Nagam slammed Speaker Nadendla Manohar’s attitude for not accepting resignations of elected representatives. After understanding the aspirations of people in the region, he said that the elected representatives submitted their resignations.

Hyderabad, November 01: Congress legislator Komatireddy Venkat Reddy Tuesday launched an indefinite hunger strike to ask the central government to initiate the process to carve out a separate Telangana state.

Venkat Reddy, who resigned as minister last month to protest the delay in forming Telangana, began the fast in Nalgonda town in the presence of some party MPs from the region.

“I am ready to sacrifice my life for the cause of Telangana. There is no question of calling off the fast,” he told a huge gathering.

New Delhi, November 01: State-owned oil companies are pressing for a Rs 1.82 per litre increase in petrol prices; it would be the fourth this year. Petrol prices were hiked by Rs 3.14 per litre in September.

Oil marketing firm Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has cited the depreciation of the rupee and the hardening of crude oil prices as the reason oil companies want to hike prices. “From today, there are some losses on petrol. To cover them, we may have to increase prices,” HPCL Director (Finance) B Mukherjee said.

London, November 01: A pregnant man from Arizona who had a partial sex swap, has decided to have no more babies after giving birth to his third child.

Thomas Beatie, who was born as a female Tracy Lagondino, stunned the world when he became pregnant in 2007, and since then he has had three children.

Beatie, 37, who is planning to have a hysterectomy now, had a sex-reassignment surgery in 2002 and legally changed from female to male in Hawaii, but he did not get his bottom half changed.

Hyderabad, November 01: The 56th formation day of Andhra Pradesh was marked by protests and black flag demonstrations in Telangana with almost all ministers from the region staying away from the celebrations.

Telangana activists in various districts of Telangana hoisted black flags on government and private buildings in response to the call given by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) to observe ‘betrayal day’.

Berlin, November 01: A German company has canceled a major advertising contract with an Italian-American model after she described her passionate relationship with Muammar Gaddafi’s son Muatassim and praised his family.

Telecommunications firm Telefonica Germany and its subsidiary Alice will stop working with 23-year-old model Vanessa Hessler and remove her face from its website within hours, spokesman Albert Fetsch said Monday.

“Vanessa Hessler has failed to distance herself from her comments on the conflict in Libya,” Fetsch said.

Mumbai, November 01: Ritiesh Deshmukh and Genelia D’souza are making the most of working together, Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya.

These pyar ke panchchi apparently used to go off for cycle rides in between shots as they were shooting at a hill station.

-Agencies

Mumbai, November 01: The actor may have had the Born This Way singer performing at his nighspot in New Delhi but Rampal kuch zyaada hi fida ho gaya Gaga par.

And Shah Rukh Khan prefers to play safe this time.

Lady Gaga has left special gift for Shah Rukh Khan – she gave away her sunglasses to the superstar for his 11-year-old daughter Suhana, a huge Gaga fan.

“Lady Gaga is all heart and soul. Gave me her glasses for my daughter. yippeee..brownie points unlimited, ” Shah Rukh posted on his Twitter page.

Mumbai, November 01: Vidya Balan is on cloud nine ever since she graced Amitabh Bachchan’s quiz show. The actress got an opportunity of asking Big B to dance with her on ‘The Dirty Picture’ song and the megastar duly complied.

Talking to a daily, an eyewitness said, “Vidya was looking gorgeous in a blood red saree as she stepped in to the sets at Film City Goregaon. It was the same saree she is seen wearing in her film ‘The Dirty Picture,’ the film she had come to promote on the show.”

Mumbai, November 01: ‘Bigg Boss 5’ contestant Pooja Misrra has been drawing reactions (read flak) more than her usual share from the viewers of India’s biggest reality show.

Many would think that Pooja Misrra’s violent behaviour on ‘Bigg Boss 5’ is nothing but a publicity gimmick, but that is not the case.

There are reports that Adam Bedi has reacted heavily on Pooja’s aggresive behaviour towards his half sister Pooja Bedi.

Adam points out that him and Siddharth Khanna who appeared on the show `Big Switch last year remembers Pooja as an overly aggressive individual.

Mumbai, November 01: Ever since his debut in `Murder`, Emraan Hashmi has owned the patent of being a “serial kisser” in Bollywood. The actor who is busy working on his upcoming flick `The Dirty Picture`, with Vidya Balan has refrained from kissing his co-star!

Reportedly, Emraan did not want people to code this film as a “typical Emraan Hashmi film” on seeing the promos of the film that showed him locking lips with Vidya.

Hyderabad, October 1: Very filthy drains flow in Zehra nagar Banjara Hills on which there is no slab. This is continued for years. Human feces flow through these drains. The local people is very much troubled by this situation. There lives have become a living hell. They are forced to live there putting up with foul stench that assaults their noses.

The place is becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes which are harmful for human health. Some of the open drains have been transformed into death traps for commuters still GHMC doesn’t care to put slabs on them.

Hyderabad, November 1: Construction work for Golf club continues at new fort Golconda despite strong opposition rather the work is in full swing these days which is causing restlessness among the locals. Therefore the local social activist Mohammad Afzal his other friends with nearly 200 persons along with the revolutionary balladeer Gadar and TRS leader Mahmood Ali, Ved Kumar besides Mujahid Hashmi launched a strong protest at Golf club.

Bangalore, November 01: RSS GENERAL secretary Dattatreya Hosabale may have declared that scam- tainted former chief minister of Karnataka, B. S. Yeddyurappa, is an embarrassment to the BJP because of his involvement in various land scams.

But the RSS was among the major beneficiaries of Yeddy’s land largesse.

Islamabad, November 01: Pakistan supports military actions against terrorists to safeguard its own interest and for global peace, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.

Gilani told reporters, “We are supporting military action against terrorists and extremists. The terrorists are working against the interest of my country and we are fighting for the peace, prosperity and progress of the entire world.”

The Prime Minister spoke in the Australian city of Perth where the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held.

Srinagar, November 01: In a relief to Jammu and Kashmir Chief minister Omar Abdullah, a special anti-corruption court on Tuesday rejected a plea for CBI probe into National Conference activist Haji Syed Mohammad Yousuf’s death.

The family of Yousuf, who allegedly died in police custody last month, had demanded a CBI probe in the case involving Omar.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court had sought the Union government’s response on a plea for CBI probe into the mysterious death of Yousuf.

Makkah Moazzama, November 1: There has been a sharp increase in the incidence of divorce during the holidays of Eidain in Saudi Arabia. The reasons for divorce are not financial troubles or bickering over expenses but divorce is given or sought for petty reasons such as dispute over going to natal or in-laws house or purchase of new dresses on the occasion of Eid.