Bhopal, January 07: The government is enhancing security features in notes to help curb counterfeit currency, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Saturday.
“The reforms related to security features will also ensure that the incidences of fake currency are reduced considerably,” Mukherjee said while commissioning the new note printing line of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) at Dewas, 150 km from here.
Chennai, January 07: Madras High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of former disciple of controversial self-styled godman Nithyananda and another person, who apprehended arrest in connection with a blackmail complaint.
The complaint by one Nithya Atma Prabhananda had accused the duo – Lenin alias Dithya Dharmanantha and K Kumar – of having blackmailed Nithayananda using a video film showing the godman in a compromising position with an actress.
Pune, January 07 The mortal remains of 23-year-old engineering student Anuj Bidve, who was shot dead in Greater Manchester in the UK in an ‘unprovoked attack’ ten days ago, was brought back to India here today.
The body of Anuj arrived at Mumbai airport this afternoon and it was brought to Pune by ambulance late this afternoon.
The Bidve family had travelled to United Kingdom to collect Anuj’s body on Wednesday.
Hyderabad, January 07: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) today flayed the Congress government for its ”nonchalant” attitude towards the problems of farmers in the state.
Addressing a press conference after a politburo meeting chaired by its president N Chandrababu Naidu here, senior TDP leader Yerran Naidu said concerned over the plight of the farmers, Mr Chandrababu Naidu had undertaken ”Rythu Porubata” programme.
Hyderabad, January 07: The opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh today said it would bring in an effective Lokayukta if it was voted back to power in the next assembly elections.
”We will bring a Lokayukta Act for which the system should be effective,” TDP senior leader K Yerran Naidu told reporters at a press conference after a politburo meeting chaired by its President N Chandrababu Naidu here.
Jaipur, January 07: A woman was arrested in Rajasthan on the charge of killing her one-year-old daughter by throwing her into a well, police said Saturday.
The incident took place Friday in a village near Guda Engla town of Pali district, some 300 km from here.
The woman, identified as Kuldeep Kaur, was arrested Saturday after her husband Jagtar Singh registered a first information report (FIR) against her implicating her in the murder.
Mumbai, January 07: National Investigating Agency today opposed the bail plea of a key accused in the Malegaon 2008 blast, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, in the special MCOCA court, saying she aided and abetted the other accused with the full knowledge of the strike and had offered all support.
On November 18, Thakur had filed a bail application in the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court for the third time saying that she was falsely implicated in the case.
New Delhi, January 07: Probe against former IPS officer Kiran Bedi for allegedly misappropriating funds meant for her NGOs and inflated air tickets was in progress and efforts are on to finalise the investigation at the earliest, the Delhi Police has told a court in New Delhi.
In a status report police said the investigation has revealed that Microsoft had provided Rs 48 lakh to Bedi’s NGO, India Vision Foundation (IVF), besides 62 laptops and two desktop computers for promoting computer education.
New Delhi, January 07: Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Saturday hit out at the opposition for “obstructing” key legislations in Parliament including a Bill that can help tackle the problem of fake academic degrees.
Referring to the National Academic Depository Bill, currently pending in Parliament, Sibal said that the opposition should not adopt a regressive attitude towards such measures.
New Delhi, January 07: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody of a central excise official and an alleged middleman were Saturday extended till Jan 10 by a special court here for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs.60 lakh from mobile phone importers.
The CBI Special Judge Talwant Singh extended the custody of central excise superintendent Lallan Ojha and alleged middleman Hemant Gandhi.
Lucknow, January 07: The Election Commission Saturday ordered that all statues of Chief Minister Mayawati and her Bahujan Samaj Party poll symbol, the elephant, in Uttar Pradesh should be covered till assembly elections in the state are over.
Addressing a press conference here, Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi said the statues in Lucknow, Noida and other places should be covered so that they are not visible till the seven-phased polls — from Feb 4 to 28 — are over.
‘The commission has decided that statues of the CM and elephants will be draped,’ he said.
New Delhi, January 07: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for a probe into the issue of “illegal” picking up of Muslim youths in terror cases by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in the last week of November 2011. The rights panel has ordered the police to investigate the matter and submit a report within four weeks.
In a letter dated December 22, 2011, the NHRC has ordered the Sarita Vihar Deputy Commissioner of Police to “issue notice to the concerned authority calling for the report within four weeks.”
New Delhi, January 07: Special NIA judge H S Sharma today adjourned till January 21 the hearing for taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency against LeT operative David Headley and eight others in 26/11 Mumbai attack. The NIA filed the charge sheet against Headley, LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and two ISI officers for plotting and executing terror attacks in India (including 26/11 Mumbai strikes). The NIA had registered a case against Headley and his accomplice Tahawwur Rana.
Chandigarh, January 07: Upset over being denied a Congress ticket for the Jan 30 state assembly polls, Malwinder Singh, the younger brother of Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh, Saturday quit the party and joined the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal.
Malwinder Singh, who openly opposed the Congress allotting a poll ticket for the Samana assembly seat to Amarinder Singh’s son Raninder Singh, was welcomed into the Akali Dal fold by its president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is also the deputy chief minister.
Chandigarh, January 07: Faced with a situation when his own younger brother has quit the Congress and joined the Akali Dal after being denied the party ticket for the Jan 30 assembly poll in Punjab, state Congress chief Amarinder Singh Saturday tried to downplay the development saying that the rebellion by some party leaders was “only an initial reaction”.
Refusing to agree that there was large scale rebellion among Congress leaders who did not get the party nomination, Amarinder said: “Yes, there are some initial reactions which will calm down with due course of time.”
Hyderabad, January 07: National Investigation Agency on Saturday claimed to have busted a gang which circulated Pakistan-made fake Indian currency notes (FICN) worth crores of rupees, with the arrest of 11 persons.
Sleuths of NIA Hyderabad branch, along with BSF and West Bengal Police, arrested 23-year-old Morgen Hossain from Malda district of West Bengal today and seized FICN with a face value of Rs 27,000 from him.
Seattle, January 07: Hundreds of Washington State Muslims are planning to march together to the Capitol Building, meet state lawmakers in their offices and urge their legislators to speak out against Islamophobic rhetoric and hate crimes.
“This event will provide an opportunity for Muslims from the majority of our state’s legislative districts to learn more about the political process and to meet their elected representatives,” said CAIR-WA Executive Director Arsalan Bukhari.
New York, January 07: The negative impact on American children created by the educational system.
Families have lost control over the raising of their children in the same manner that craftsmen have lost control over the manufacture of their products.
Hyderabad, January 07: A city-based businessman, who was picked up by the Afzalgunj police and handed over to a Gujarat police team in connection with a criminal case, which eventually turned out to be a case of mistaken identity, on Friday approached the AP State Human Rights Commission seeking action against the policemen and also sought security fearing threat to his life.
Karachi, January 07: Pakistan’s banned fast bowler Muhammad Asif has filed an appeal against his five-year ban by the ICC with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland.
The ICC anti-corruption tribunal had banned Asif and two other Pakistani cricketers, Salman Butt and Muhammad Aamir in February last year after finding them guilty of involvement in spot fixing during the fourth Test against England at Lord’s in 2010.
Jerusalem, January 07: Seeking closer ties with Israel, former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf said the Jewish state is a fait accompli, relations with it can help Islamabad come closer to the strong Jewish lobby in the US and in its conflict against India.
Musharraf, who is planning to return to Pakistan on January 25 or 27, in his first interview to an Israeli daily ‘Ha’aretz’ said getting closer to Israel would be in the interest of his country as “Israel has always been pro-India and against Pakistan”.
Mumbai, January 07: Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan have been named the most profitable actors of the Hindi film industry in India and abroad respectively by ETC Bollywood Business Awards. Kareena Kapoor, who featured in Bodyguard and RA.One in 2011 opposite the two actors, has been titled the most profitable actor in the female category.
Hyderabad, January 7: A hadeeth of prophet Mohammad (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) says: “If any one of you were to sit on a live coal until it burns his garment, that would be better for him than to sit on a grave.” [Jami at-Tirmidhi – sahih hadith].
Hyderabad, January 7: Reserve Bank will shortly issue Rs 500 notes with rupee symbol bearing signature of governor RBI Dr. D Subba Rao. The Rs 500 notes will be of the Mahatma Gandhi-2005 Series without inset letter.
Year of printing i.e. 2011 will be mentioned on the back of the banknote. Except for the rupee symbol the design of the notes will be similar in all respects to the existing Rs 500 in Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005 issued earlier.
However, all the banknotes in the denomination of Rs 500 issued by the RBI in the past will continue to be legal tender.
Siasat news
Mumbai, January 07: The stage is all set. After spending 98 long days inside the ‘Bigg Boss’ house, finalists Juhi Parmar, Mahek Chahal, Sidharth Bhardwaj, Amar Upadhyay and Sky Wlker are keenly waiting for the result. The winner will get to take a whopping Rs 1 crore as the winning amount.
The grand finale is all set to host a bevy of stars. From ex contestants to Bollywood stars to filmmakers, all will be present to make the finale a gala event.