Month: December 2011

Tehran, December 08: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has signed into law a bill approved by Majlis (parliament) to downgrade Iran’s ties with Britain.

The bill ratified by Majlis on November 27 was approved by the Guardian Council (GC) one day later.

The bill obliges the country’s Foreign Ministry to expel the UK ambassador within two weeks and reduce diplomatic ties with the British government to the level of chargé d’affaires.

The president is required to inform the country’s executive bodies of the law within five days after being notified by Majlis Speaker.

Hyderabad, December 08: After the number game ended in the assembly, it is blame game that came to the fore with accusations, counters and challenges.

The no confidence motion which was moved by TDP on the farmers’ issue was left there and the show of strength took the centre stage.

What were the issues raised by TDP about farmers and what were the assurances given by the government has vanished into thin air. There is no step by step measure the government has mentioned nor did the opposition took the pain to seek the needed data.

New Delhi, December 08: The government is considering a proposal to give reservation to Muslims in government jobs and education, and recommendations made by the Minority Commission in this regard are under inter-ministerial consultations, the Rajya Sabha was on Wednesday informed.

In a written reply, Minister of State for Minority Affairs Vincent Pala said the National Commission for Religious and Linguistics Minorities has given two alternative recommendations for providing reservation to Muslims.

Cairo, December 08: Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi promised to transfer some of his ruling military council’s executive powers to Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri.

The military did not go into specifics on what new powers the Cabinet will have but said only that it will continue to control the judiciary and the armed forces. Military rulers have been tightly in control of managing the country’s affairs since Hosni Mubarak stepped down in February, irking critics who are demanding civilian rule.

Gaza, December 08: Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah says the Obama administration has turned the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) into a servant of Israel.

Addressing a gathering of his supporters in the southern suburbs of Beirut on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (PBUH) – the third Shia Imam – on Tuesday, the Hezbollah leader said CIA agents have become “spies” in the service of Zionist intelligence agencies.

New Delhi, December 08: Syed Akbaruddin a senior diplomat who has served in key capitals, will be the next spokesperson of India’s external affairs ministry.

Akbaruddin will succeed Vishnu Prakash, who was named Wednesday as India’s next ambassador to South Korea.

Akbaruddin’s appointment has not been formally announced, but an order to that effect has been issued, said official sources.

Tehran, December 08: The Western countries are unlikely to support Israel if Tel Aviv launches a war against Iran, as Tehran’s military might and oil leverage will wreak havoc on the West’s interests, a political analyst tells Press TV.

Omar Nashabi made reference to Israel’s war rhetoric against Iran, saying, “This is a matter that will have detrimental effects on the economic level and on the military level. I do not think that the Israelis will have the support from their Western allies to launch such a war.”

New Delhi, December 08: Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt on Wednesday appealed to the Nanavati Commission to either formally summon him or direct him to file a detailed affidavit regarding the alleged role of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in undermining a petition filed by the social activist Mallika Sarabhai after 2002 riots.

Bhatt had last month made a similar request to the panel, probing the communal riots, when he was called during a hearing on an application moved by the danseuse.

New Delhi, December 08: The Supreme Court was told Wednesday that the CBI chief should be made personally accountable to it for taking the probe into the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh staged shootout killing in Gujarat to its logical conclusion.

Court-appointed lawyer Gopal Subramanium said this during a hearing on a petition seeking the recall of the Jan 12, 2010, judgment transferring the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Mumbai, December 08: Ace tennis star Sania Mirza on Wednesday backed the decision of experienced duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi to part ways ahead of 2012 London Olympics.

The Hyderabadi felt the split of the ‘Indian Express’ pair was justified as the duo had played together in the Olympics without much success.

Hyderabad, December 08: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Wednesday appointed its dealer for Hyderabad, marking its return to this historic city where the Nizam had once owned a fleet of over 50 super luxury cars.

Hyderabad is the third city in India after Mumbai and New Delhi to get a dealership of Rolls-Royce, which plans to open two more dealerships in India by March 2012.

The company, which returned to India in 2005, also launched the sixth new Rolls-Royce model, Ghost Extended Wheelbase, in the city.

Kolkata, December 08: The Calcutta High Court Wednesday ordered notices be issued to 16 Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service officers in West Bengal, asking why contempt proceedings should not be started against them for misuse or improper display of the national emblem.

Acting on a petition by K. Dey, a division bench of Justice P.C. Ghosh and Justice Tarun Gupta directed the officers to reply to the notices by Dec 21.

Hyderabad, December 08: Controversies continue to dog “The Dirty Picture” with a city court directing police to book actress Vidya Balan for posing for indecent photographs on the film posters and promos.

Nampally criminal courts ordered the Nallakunta police station in the city to book a criminal case against the Bollywood star.

The court passed the orders on a petition filed by an advocate S. K. Azad.

The judge asked police to book the actress under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and also under Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

Hyderabad, December 08: Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana on Wednesday slammed YSR Congress Party president Jagan Mohan Reddy and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu for the No Confidence Motion against Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to protect their political interests.

New Delhi, December 08: Congress MPs from the Telangana region on Wednesday staged a dharna in front of Parliament in protest against the detention of TRS politburo member Cheruku Sudhakar for 12 months under the National Security Act, 1980.

New Delhi, December 08: Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram is baffled by the Indian selection committee’s decision to opt for Abhimanyu Mithun over an in-form Irfan Pathan for the much-awaited upcoming tour of Australia.

“I would’ve definitely picked Irfan. His previous experiences in Australia would have been a boost to Team India. I don’t know why he wasn’t considered,” said a stunned Akram.

New Delhi, December 08: New Delhi: Accounting regulator ICAI has barred two Lovelock & Lewes auditors from practice for life and slapped a penalty of Rs 5 lakh each on them for their role in the Rs 14,000-crore Satyam accounting scam.

A probe by an ICAI “disciplinary committee has found Chartered Accountants Pulavarthi Siva Prasad and Chintapatla Ravindernath from Lovelock & Lewes guilty of professional misconduct”, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) said in a statement.

Dubai, December 08: The prime minister of the United Arab Emirate (UAE) has ruled out the possibility that Iran’s nuclear program may include a covert military dimension.

“Iran is our neighbor. They are Muslim, and we lived next to each other for thousands and thousands of years. I don’t believe that Iran will develop a nuclear weapon,” Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said.

Hyderabad, December 08: Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Wednesday stated that the government would appoint a permanent commission to look into problems of Sugarcane farmers.

Addressing the Sugarcane farmers from Medak district at his Camp Office where they came to seek assistance from his government, Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the government had released Rs 65 crore to sugar factories to clear dues of farmers. He said that the government was planning to announce a special package for sugarcane factories to rescue the farmers.

Hyderabad, December 08: Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has given nod for taking disciplinary action against 16 Congress MLAs who voted in favour of the No Confidence Motion in the assembly.

The decision was taken in a high level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister and attended by senior ministers including Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana, Ministers – Anam Ramnarayana Reddy, N Raghuveera Reddy, M Maheedhar Reddy, P Satyanarayana and Dharmana Prasad Rao at CM’s camp office.

London,December 08 :A teenage stewardess became pregnant with a married captain’s baby after they took British Airways’ Hug A Pilot scheme a bit too far.

The airline bosses, with the motto ‘To Fly, To Serve’, had ordered the cabin crew to socialise with cockpit colleagues to boost their morale.

It is believed that the stewardess slept with the captain earning 100,000 plus pounds-a-year during a boozy stopover between flights.

“The Hug A Pilot edict was not supposed to lead to this,” the Sun quoted an insider as saying.

Hyderabad, December 07: Three State Government employees including a Village Revenue Officer (VRO) were trapped by the sleuths of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Andhra Pradesh today.

Indurthi Ramachander Rao, Village Revenue Officer of Ambala village in Karimnagar District was caught red handed by the ACB officials at his residence when he accepted Rs 2,000 as bribe from the complainant.

In Mahabubnagar district, Anupati Narasimhulu, a Senior Assistant working in Sub-Treasury Office was trapped by the ACB officials when he accepted Rs 2,000 as bribe.

London, December 07: Legendary actor-filmmaker Dev Anand’s last rites will be performed in London on Saturday, following which his ashes will be flown to India for a memorial ceremony in Mumbai, the centre of the thespian’s work for six decades.

This was decided after the departed actor’s wife Kalpana Kartik, and daughter Devina arrived in London on Wednesday morning from Mumbai.

The family confirmed that the funeral of Bollywood’s ever green hero would be held on December 10 at 11.40 am at the Putney Vale Crematorium in London.

Dubai, December 07: What began as an innocuous house party, involving alchohol in the Al Qusais area of Dubai, ended in death, rape and arrests.

A 30-year old man, of an Asian nationality, fell naked from the balcony of his 11th floor apartment while trying to escape four friends who were attacking him, after allegedly raping his girlfriend in front of him.

According to Dubai Police, quoted in the Arabic newspapers, four of his friends have been arrested and accused of committing the crime.

Riyadh, December 07: A sacked Saudi soldier took it on his wife by torturing her with a screw driver despite earlier court warning to him not to beat her up again.

The woman said she had beaten by her 60-year-old husband many times but agreed to move with him to the western Red Sea port of Jeddah to be with her daughters after he was transferred.

After he was sacked, he started to get drunk quite often and beat her up again, prompting her to report him to the police.