Month: December 2011

Chennai, December 30: Cyclone Thane, packing wind speed of 130 kmph, was expected to cross the coast between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry around 9 a.m. Friday, officials of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) here said.

“The cyclone is in the process of crossing between Cuddalore and Puducherry coast. The wind speed is around 130 kmph at Puducherry and Cuddalore. Waves measuring 1.5 metres height are hitting the shoreline,” an IMD official told IANS.

At 2 a.m. the cyclone moved closer to about 90 km east of Puducherry, 125 km south-southeast of Chennai, IMD said.

Bhopal, December 30: In comparison to last year, 9,000 more infants in Madhya Pradesh have been saved from the jaws of death during the year 2010-11. Thus, a fall of five points has been registered in infant mortality rate during year 2010-11. During the last five years, 25,000 infants have been saved in the state, an official Press release claimed.

Tehran, December 30: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the United States will eventually overthrow the beleaguered governments that pin their faith on Washington.

“Some of the regional governments, clinging to the hope that cooperation with the US and its allies, and the implementation of their plans will help them stay in power, have been ensnared in a trap, which will finally” lead to their downfall in the hands of the US, Ahmadinejad said at a Wednesday speech for a gathering of people in the southwestern province of Ilam.

Hyderabad, December 30 (INN): The district administration is put on high alert with the cyclonic storm Thane, which lay centered 300 kms off south east Chennai, likely to cross the coast between Nagapatnam and Chennai on Friday.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Chief Secretary Pankaj Dwivedi held a meeting with concerned officials to review the preparedness to tackle the contingencies arising out of the cyclone crossing the coast which results in heavy rain and squally winds along the coastal region.

Hyderabad, December 30 (INN): PCC President Botsa Satyanarayana On Thursday wrote a letter to Chief Minister K Kiran Kumar Reddy to order a CBI probe into the allegations leveled against him in the liquor scam.

Srinagar, December 30: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said there was no need for special laws like Lokpal as the state already had such provisions.

“What Anna Hazare is demanding today, our state has already enacted such laws long back,” he told a public meeting in Ganderbal district.

Jammu and Kashmir was the first state in the country which had implemented the Public Services Guarantee Act, Omar said.

Hyderabad, December 30 (INN): CBI special court on Thursday extended to January 12 the judicial remand of Koneru Rajendra Prasad, the key accused in the Emaar-APIIC properties case.

The court examined the case through video conference with Koneru Prasad, who was in Chanchalguda jail.

Prasad complained to judge that the probing agency has been harassing his family members and targeting his business.

Mumbai, December 30: Having moved into his “dream house”, ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has now secured his five-story Bandra residence with a staggering Rs 100 crore insurance cover, one of the biggest insurance deals by an individual.

The cricket icon has bought the insurance from a consortium of general insurers, according to industry sources.

Puducherry, December 30: Very severe Cyclone Thane on Friday morning hit the coast of Tamil Nadu, making landfall between Puducherry and Cuddalore and causing heavy rainfall.

Under the influence of the cyclone, isolated rain is predicted over north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry till Saturday afternoon. Heavy rainfall is also predicted over south coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema.

Tehran, December 30: A senior Iranian commander says Iran’s Navy exercises complete control over the Persian Gulf and is constantly monitoring the activities of trans-regional forces.

“The naval and air forces of Iran’s Navy tracked a trans-regional aircraft carrier that left the Persian Gulf area and entered the Sea of Oman,” Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, the Iranian Navy identified and recorded footage and images of a US aircraft carrier in the area where Iran is currently holding its navy military exercises.

Mumbai, December 30: Vidya Balan’s ‘The Dirty Picture’ has been banned in Qatar, weeks after it was allowed for release in Pakistan and Abu Dhabi, says a media report.

The film makers are upset and fail to understand what the authorities found objectionable in the film.

“Our distributors applied for a censorship certificate in Qatar and they received a notice saying that the movie can’t be released there. The film is currently being screened in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other Middle East countries, but it will not go to Qatar,“ says Tanuj Garg, CEO Balaji Motion Pictures.

Hyderabad, December 30: Former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy today filed an interim bail petition at a court here seeking permission to visit Bellary to participate in his mother’s death anniversary ritual.

Hyderabad, December 30: Chief Minister Kiran Reddy has left for Delhi to bring about a few changes in his ministry which means inclusion of Chiranjeevi’s erstwhile Praja Rajyam MLAs in the cabinet. He is also expected to remove some non-performing ministers and seek the removal of Textiles Minister P Shankar Rao and Transport Minister Botcha Satyanarayana.

Mahbubnagar, December 30 (INN): TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday stated that the statehood agitation reached a`critical stage’ and he would announce his course of action on January 17.

Participating as chief guest in the Poru Prabhanjanam at Palamuru in Mahbubnagar district, KCR reiterated that he would intensify his agitation after Sankranthi.

This time the agitation would be `very serious’ and the Centre has to bow down to the demand of statehood respecting the sentiments of people, he said.

Hyderabad, December 30: As per the instructions of the Chief Minister Sri N.Kiran Kumar Reddy, the Chief Secretary Mr Pankaj Dwivedi reviewed the preparedness for the ensuing cyclone ‘Thane’ with the Commissioner Disaster Management Mr T Radha, Principal Secretary Energy Mr Dinesh Kumar and Commisioner Fisheries K Praveen Kumar at the secretariat on Thursday.

Mumbai, December 30: When it comes to friendship, Shah Rukh Khan finds it really hard to maintain relationships in real world.

Apparently, SRK lost another ‘good’ friend to archenemy Salman Khan. Buzz has it that Sachiin Joshi joined Sohail khan’s celebrity cricket team, Mumbai Heroes, whose star player in none other than Salman Khan.

Hyderabad, December 29: Hyderabad Police proposes to augment the security apparatus by installing over 2,000 surveillance cameras in different parts of the city, besides procuring weaponry vehicles for effective crime control.

A proposal has been sent to the state government for procuring advanced communication equipment and weaponry vehicles, besides a plan to install over 2,000 surveillance cameras in Hyderabad city, including upgradation of Zonal control rooms, Hyderabad Police Commissioner AK Khan told reporters here on Thursday.

Washington, December 29: Around 300,000 teddy bears sold in the US and Canada are being recalled due to risks of children choking, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced.

The “Colorful Hearts Teddy Bears” were sold by the Build-A-Bear Workshop, CNN reported.

The government agency has warned that while no injuries have been reported, the teddy bears’ eyes could fall out, posing a choking hazard to children.

The China-made stuffed toy is roughly 40 cm tall with black plastic eyes. It is sold in the US for $18.

—-Agencies

Cairo, December 29: An Egyptian has ordered the country”s military rulers to stop conducting ‘virginity tests’ on female detainees, a practice that has outraged many activists and rights groups.

The virginity test allegations first surfaced after a March 9 rally in Cairo’s Tahrir Square that turned violent, when men in plain clothes attacked protesters, and the army cleared the square by force.

The rights group Human Rights Watch claimed that seven women were subjected to the tests.

New Delhi, December 29: Pakistan has formally conveyed to India that its nine-member judicial commission will visit here next month to interview key persons linked to the probe into the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

New Delhi was informed on Tuesday that the Pakistan judicial commission will visit India in January 2012 and the mutually convenient dates of the tour will be finalised soon, official sources said.

Behrampore, December 29: A picnic organized by some policemen turned sour after an ugly scuffle between an OC and a constable at a park near Behrampore on Wednesday.

New Delhi, December 29: Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Thursday said she would prefer non-passing of Lokpal bill as of now as it will save CBI from further dilution.

“I had appealed for ‘save CBI’ campaign. Non passing of Lokpal Bill as of now will at least save CBI from further dilution,” she said.

She also commended BJP leader Arun Jaitley for his speech in Rajya Sabha opposing the bill saying his words echoed Team Anna’s concerns.

“Jaitely’s every word is echoing our concerns most effectively,” she added.

—-PTI—-

Chennai, December 29: The AIADMK’s general council and executive committee meeting will be held on the outskirts of the city Friday, a party official said.

‘The meeting will be held Friday afternoon,’ a party functionary said.

It is the first meeting after the AIADMK stormed Fort St.George, the seat of power in Tamil Nadu, in May this year under the leadership of J. Jayalalithaa.

Srinagar, December 29: Accusing Anna Hazare of directing his agitation against the Congress, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday said he hoped the activist calls off his fast permanently.

‘While fighting for the country’s independence, Mahatma Gandhi went on fast just five times while Anna Hazare has already done so thrice this year,’ Abdullah told reporters in Bandipora district where he inaugurated a bridge across the Jhelum river connecting Ganderbal and Bandipora.

Islamabad, December 29: An offensive launched by Pakistani security forces across the country’s troubled northwest has resulted in the deaths of at least one soldier and 20 pro-Taliban militants.

The offensive carried out in response to an earlier ambush by insurgents against a convoy of soldiers, also left at least two others injured in the Tasakhel area of upper Orakzai tribal region.

Security forces retaliated using artillery bombing.

The injured soldiers said to be in critical condition, have been taken to a local hospital.