Bhadrachalam, December 09: Welcoming Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member Sitaram Yechury’s remarks about the possible merger of the two Left parties, CPM state secretary B V Raghavulu on Thursday stated that the party would react once the CPI responds favourably to the merger.
Hyderabad, December 09: The power crisis gripping the state is set to worsen further with domestic consumers in the Greater Hyderabad region slated to be subjected to as much as six-hour power cuts daily this coming summer.
“The power supply situation is very grim as the demand has reached new heights. The situation in the coming months is going to be even more critical,” APTransco chairman and managing director Ajay Jain told to media on Thursday.
Washington, December 09: Amid fierce criticism from several Republican White House candidates of following a policy of appeasement on the foreign policy front, President Barack Obama on Thursday offered an icy riposte: “ask Osama bin Laden.”
“Ask Osama bin Laden and the 22 out of 30 top al-Qaida leaders who’ve been taken off the field whether I engage in appeasement –or whoever’s left out there, ask them about that,” Obama said at a news conference here.
Panchkula, December 09: A 20-year-old student was allegedly raped on Thursday in Pinjore by a youth who had been stalking her for a while. The girl was abducted from close to her house while she was going to college on foot. The accused, identified as Hitesh, 22, threatened her with a knife to come with him but when she resisted, he dragged her to a deserted house in the neighbourhood.
New Delhi, December 09: From the 27% reservation for OBCs, UPA-II govt proposes to introduce a quota for the backward among Muslims, a move made with an eye on the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections.
What exactly is the UPA II government proposing for Muslims?
It is proposing fixing a quota for backwards among Muslims out of the 27 per cent already earmarked for OBCs. Importantly, not all Muslims will be covered. The details are yet to be okayed by the Cabinet.
Apart from the UP elections, what are the gains the UPA is looking at?
New Delhi, December 09: Parliament proceedings were again disrupted on Thursday with the Opposition demanding the resignation of Home Minister P. Chidambaram for his alleged role in the controversial 2G spectrum allocations.
Bangalore, December 09: On the orders of the Special Lokayukta Court here, the Lokayukta police on Thursday filed FIR against three former Chief Ministers as well as 11 senior civil servants of Karnataka.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, and MPs N. Dharam Singh and H.D. Kumaraswamy will be investigated by the Lokayukta police in a case in which they have been accused of complicity in the alleged multi-crore mining scam.
The investigating agency will also probe the role of one IPS and 10 IAS officers.
Ahmedabad, December 09: The controversial Gujarat cadre IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt has requested the G.T. Nanavati-Akshay Mehta judicial inquiry commission to summon him for questioning in the Godhra probe, claiming he was witness to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s role in subverting a 2002 communal riot-related petition before the Supreme Court.
Kolkata, December 09: At least forty one people are feared dead and several others seriously injured after a massive fire broke out at the AMRI hospital in Dhakuria of south Kolkata early Friday.
Although, no official announcement about the casualties has been made as yet, the death of at least two people has been confirmed.
According to police and witnesses, the fire is suspected to have originated in the electrical department in the basement of the AMRI hospital at around 3 am, which quickly spread to the first and second floors, trapping patients.
Hyderabad, December 09: An advocate has moved a special court here seeking a direction to the CBI to probe the role of six ministers and eight senior IAS officers in connection with the assets case against MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy.
Nellore-based advocate P Sudhakar Reddy filed a private petition in the special court for CBI cases here urging it to direct the agency to bring under their purview of probe six ministers and eight senior IAS officers, working under Jagan’s father YS Rajasekhara Reddy when he was the chief minister of the state.
Washington, December 09: Just years after US resumed weapons sales to New Delhi, India has jumped to become third biggest arms purchaser from America logging contracts worth over USD 4.5 billion last year alone.
Had the US firms bagged India’s biggest ever deal for fighter jets, New Delhi would have been on the top spot of American arms sales worldwide, according to a Pentagon report.
Hyderabad, December 09: Telugu Desam Party general secretary Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdhary on Thursday ridiculed Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s announcement of a permanent commission for farmers’ welfare.
Hyderabad, December 09: Lok Satta Party president and Kukatpally MLA Dr Jayaprakash Narayan on Thursday clarified that he had exercised the vote to reject both the ruling party and the Opposition in the no-confidence motion against the Kiran Kumar Reddy Government in the assembly.
Addressing media on the occasion of the party headquarters moving to Banajara Hills from Adarsh Nagar, Dr JP said that although many appreciated the stand he took in the Assembly, a few raised certain doubts.
Hyderabad, December 09: The last batch of Haj pilgrims from the State would return to the city from Jeddah by Friday.
While one flight of Saudi Airlines will arrive at 12.15 am on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, the last flight will land at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad at 8.30 pm on Friday. These two flights would carry 475 Haj pilgrims including 45 children.
Hyderabad, December 09: Telugu Desam party senior leader Gali Muddu Krishnama Naidu on Thursday demanded that the state government give an explanation on planned expenditure in the budget.
Tehran, December 09: Iran has released video footage of the most advanced US reconnaissance drone which was downed by the Iranian Army in the eastern part of the Islamic Republic earlier this week.
On Sunday December 4, the Iranian Army’s electronic warfare unit downed with minimum damage the US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft which was flying over the Iranian city of Kashmar, some 140 miles (225km) from the Afghan border.
The aircraft had crossed into Iran’s airspace over the border with neighboring Afghanistan.
Hyderabad, December 09: The legislature-bureaucracy nexus is turning soar by every passing day after the Bellary mining scam has come into the open.
Even during the discussion on no confidence motion, an enraged TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu pointed out, “ why should Y Sri Lakshmi go to jail and Sabita be in the open?”
The point Naidu wanted to make is if bureaucrats can be made accountable, why not the politicians. The point will be well taken if it applies for both the parties. Y Sri Lakshmi, it is believed, was the blue-eyed bureaucrat of Naidu.
Hyderabad, December 09: Telangana Political Joint Action Committee on Thursday announced that it would observe December 9 as the “Telangana Atma Gauravam Divas” (Self Respect Day). It was on the same day in 2009 when the Centre announced that it would begin the process for formation of Telangana state.
Hyderabad, December 09: The Andhra Pradesh Youth Congress is gearing up to launch a massive membership drive in the State.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Indian Youth Congress Election Commissioner Prakash Joshi and IYC – AP in-charge Jyothi Mani said that a 21-day pre-membership drive has already been launched in the State. “This will be followed by membership drive for 28 days during January and February,” Joshi said.
Hyderabad, December 09: The Congress party will hold a meeting with the representatives of farmers’ organisations to discuss the possible solutions to the problems being faced by farmers in the State.
Hyderabad, December 09: Former Endowments Minister Gade Venkat Reddy on Thursday demanded that the Congress Legislature Party initiate the process of disqualification of MLAs who voted in favour of No Confidence Motion against the government.
Talking to reporters at the CLP office, Venkat Reddy said that the party should ensure that all the rebel MLAs are disqualified at once, instead of taking action in phases. He said it would send wrong message among the people if the party spares the rebel MLAs.
Hyderabad, December 09: The City Police have apprehended an alleged thief who was involved in at least nine cases of thefts in the limits of different police stations.
Visakhapatnam, December 09: Andhra Pradesh Police chief V Dinesh Reddy on Thursday asserted that anti-Naxal operations in the state would be intensified.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fitted with powerful surveillance cameras would be pressed into service from February to track the movement of Naxals, DGP V Dinesh Reddy said at a press conference in Visakhapatnam.
Naxal activities in Andhra Pradesh had been largely brought under control in the past few months, he said.
New Delhi, December 09: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who turns 66 on Friday, will not be celebrating her birthday this time to “avoid inconvenience to people”.
Like last year, keeping in view the inconvenience caused to people, Sonia has appealed to party workers not to come to Delhi on her birthday, party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.
She does not want people to take a lot of trouble and spend money to come all the way to Delhi from far off places to greet her, he said.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has appealed to party workers not to come to Delhi on her birthday.
New Delhi, December 09: 11 children go missing every hour in the country, a child rights NGO claimed on Thursday, citing data collected from government between 2008 and 2010 and a survey.
The Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) said it collected the data using RTI from 392 districts across the country in a span of two years and claimed it found nearly 11 children go missing every hour.
In its book ‘Missing Children of India’, the NGO claimed 1,17,480 children went missing across the country between January, 2008, to January, 2010, as per data collected from government agencies.