Month: January 2012

Indore, January 03: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) recovered one kilogram of heroin worth Rs 2.5 crore after busting a gang of drug-peddlers near Indore on Sunday, an official said.

“The contraband was being transported from Rewa via Indore to Hyderabad in a car when NCB officials intercepted them in the wee hours of today,” Rakesh Kumar, Superintendent of NCB, said.

The drug peddlers, who were arrested include the leader of the gang Ashish Shrivastav, Abhishek Jain, Govind Soni, Sunil Chauhan, Rana Singh (all from MP) and Ravi Singh from Uttar Pradesh, the official said.

Beijing/New Delhi, January 03 : Furious Chinese traders who have held two Indian businessmen Deepak Raheja and Shyamsundar Agrawal to collect their dues running into millions of yuan,forced both of them to eat human excreta and drink urine, the businessmen told the Indian diplomat who had gone to Yiwu city near Shanghai to intervene.

The Times of India reported that the two businessmen working for a Yemeni firm Euro Global Trading were taken hostages by the Chinese traders, after the firm failed to up dues amounting to several million yuans.

Hyderabad, January 03: (Siasat News) The new CEO of A.P. Haj Committee Prof. S.A. Shukoor declared that he will not derive any monetary benefits from Haj Committee. He inspected various sections of Haj Committee. He is a Professor of Urdu of Osmania University and also the Director of Centre of Educational Development of Minorities, Nizam College, Hyderabad. Talking to staff reporter of Siasat yesterday, he told that he will not claim any financial gains from Haj Committee. It is his first priority to maintain transparency in administration.

Hyderabad, January 03: As per the resolution adopted in the World Urdu Editors conference, V.K. Chopra (Punjab Kesari) Vicaruddin (Rahnuma-e-Deccan) Sarfaraz Arzoo (Hindustan, Mumbai) Dr. Majid Hussain (Urdu Action, Bhopal), Muneer Ahmed Adil (Salar, Bangalore) Masoom Moradabadi (Jadeed Khabar, Delhi) Zubair Farooqui (Awaz-e-Qoum, Kanpur) Waseemul Haque (Mashriq, Delhi) S.S.H. Arif (Nadeem, Bhopal) Shahid Lateef (Inquilab, Mumbai) Ibrahim Alvi (Aag) are included in the world Urdu Editors’ Forum.

Hyderabad, January 03: (Siasat News) A delegation of world Urdu Editors’ conference observed Social service activities of ‘Siasat’. After inspecting Personality Development class at Mahboob Hussain Jigar Hall, Mr. Sohail Waraich of Jung Group of Pakistan told that as a Journalist, he has been touring various parts of the world, but at very few places efforts are being made to enable the Muslim youths to enter into the international competitions as is being done by Siasat. After Turkey, Hyderabad is a city where such work is being done. He told that in Turkey, Mr.

Bhopal, January 03: The survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy will hold an indefinite ‘dharna’ (sit-in) starting Tuesday, demanding correction in figures of those killed and injured in the soon-to-be-heard curative petition in the Supreme Court.

At a press conference here, five leaders of five organisations fighting for justice to the victims said yesterday that the state government was yet to make much needed corrections in the figures as promised by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Sydney, January 03: Captain MS Dhoni slammed a quickfire fifty under pressure to guide his team close to 200 runs. Dhoni needed just 67 balls to complete the milestone.

Meanwhile, Ishant Sharma was removed for a duck from the other end by Hilfenhaus who took last three wickets to rattle the Indian lower order.

Male, Maldives, January 03 :The Maldives government has decided to close down all luxury spas, health centres and massage parlours in the islands after Islamists put pressure on the administration to close them down describing them as un-Islamic, reports Daily Mail.

Radical Islamist opposition parties in the tiny archipalego nation have been demanding their closure saying they were offensive to Islam.

Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed issued the decree on Saturday, saying the idea came from opposition parties angry at widespread sales of pork and alcohol.

Washington, January 03: A political analyst says under the provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed into law by Barack Obama, Americans opposed to US policies will be arrested as “suspected terrorist”.

US President Barack Obama has just implemented “Police State USA”, Michel Chossudovsky, the director of the Center for Research on Globalization, wrote in an article published on the Global Research website on Sunday.

Machilipatnam, January 03: Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker N Manohar today said that no time-frame could be put for taking a decision on the disqualification petitions pending with him against some MLAs. He told reporters here today that a decision on the disqualification petitions is at the discretion of the Speaker. “Replying to a notice by the Speaker is at the discretion of the MLAs, but the Speaker need not wait until the response came from a member of the House,” he said.

Ranchi, January 03: Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, who is in jail since 2009, has been asked by the Income Tax (IT) department to deposit Rs 1,200 crore dues, a source in IT department said Monday.

“The assessment wing of IT department found that Koda amassed assets worth of Rs 3,300 crore. He has been asked to deposit income tax of Rs 1,200 crore,” said the source.

The multi-million rupee money laundering scam surfaced in 2009 when the IT department and the Enforcement Directorate raided 69 places across the country, including houses of Koda.

Hyderabad, January 03 (INN): Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, as a New year gift to the Educational sector, on Monday sanctioned creation of 9569 School Assistants’ posts including Telugu, Hindi and other subjects under the Rajiv Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyan.

This will cost the exchequer Rs 241 crore additional budget per annum. This is the first time in the State that School Assistants posts are created and sanctioned on such a massive scale, according to an official release here.

Sydney, January 03: Sachin Tendulkar missed out on his 100th ton as James Pattinson ripped through India’s top order on the opening morning of the second Test to reduce the tourists to 126 for 6 on Tuesday.

Pattinson removed openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag and then VVS Laxman while Peter Siddle dismissed Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli to leave MS Dhoni at the crease.

New Delhi, January 03: Petrol prices will not be raised this fortnight as state-owned oil firms apparently could not get political clearance for the over Rs 2 per litre hike in rates needed to achieve parity with the imported cost on account of the weakening rupee.

Indian Oil (IOC) and other state-run firms, which had last month refrained from hiking petrol prices as the government was wary of protests while Parliament was in
session, are not raising the rates even this fortnight, a source privy to the development said.

Bangalore, January 03: Sulking former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Monday virtually set a deadline for BJP leadership to give him a suitable position, saying he will wait till January 15 for the party to take a decision.

Yeddyurappa, who has been lobbying for a suitable position ever since he was removed from the post of chief minister in August last year on corruption charges, exuded confidence that the BJP high command would take a decision at an “appropriate time” on his demand for which he would wait till January 15.

Baghdad, January 03: Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi Monday criticised the massive human rights violations in the country.

“The human rights in Iraq have suffered massive violations by using violence against individuals and properties, random detention, mistreatment, poor judicial procedures and targeting innocent citizens from different factions,” Xinhua quoted the speaker as saying in a televised address to people of Iraq.

The human rights have not been appropriately achieved amid the deteriorating political process in the country, said Nujaifi.

Bhopal, January 03: Cow slaughter is now a serious offence and could invite a jail term of up to seven years in Madhya Pradesh. Consuming, keeping or transporting beef of any cow progeny will invite the same punishment. A police official not below the rank of a head constable — or any person authorised by a competent authority — has the power to enter, inspect and search any premises “where he has reason to believe that an offence (under this Act) has been, is being or is likely to be committed and take necessary action’’.

Hyderabad, January 03 (INN): Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Monday assured a delegation of Poultry Federation that the Government will extend all possible help, support and incentives to the industry.

The delegation, led by Mr Sudhakar and Mr Rami Reddy, called on the Chief Minister at the Camp Office and sought incentives and assistance to the poultry sector. The Chief Minister said that many incentives are being extended by the 12th Finance Commission to the agriculture and allied sectors including the poultry.

Hyderabad, January 03 (INN): Expressing serious concern over the hooch tragedy, which claimed lives of 17 tribals at Mylavaram in Krishna district on the New Year’s eve, Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi on Monday wrote a letter to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy demanding compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the victims’ families.

Hyderabad, January 03 (INN): Bharatiya Janata Party will take up Rath Yatra from Mahbubnagar to Bhadrachalam in Khammam district from January 19 to February 9 for the cause of Telangana statehood.

Talking to media persons at party office, BJP senior leader Dr K Laxman stated the Rath Yatra would be taken up under the leadership of BJP state president G Kishan Reddy from the banks of Krishna River in Mahbubnagar district. The 3,456 kms Rath Yatra would cover 10 districts and would conclude on the banks of River Godavari at Bhadrachalam.

Hyderabad, January 03 (INN): Communist Party of India National secretary A B Bardhan on Monday expressed confidence that the Third Front would wrest power at the Centre in the next general elections.

Talking to media persons at Makhdhoom Bhavan, Bardhan said that the people were dissatisfied with both the Congress and BJP for their wrong and misguided policies. As the Congress and BJP have failed to check corruption, black money and in bringing an effective Lokpal Bill in the Parliament, the people of country were forced to search for alternative and effective government, he stated.

Hyderabad, January 03 (INN): Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Monday released the special edition of Congress Voice magazine at his camp office.

The one year governance of the Chief Minister was published in the magazine. A New Year calendar was also released on the occasion which was brought out by Jammigunta Market Committee of which T Sammi Rddy is the Chairman, according to an official release. (INN)

Hyderabad, January 03 (INN): Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s camp office was full of film scent and the occasion was the calendar release of a Tamil dubbing film.

The New Year special calendar of the movie Dear was released by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy here on Monday. The film is the dubbed version of the Tamil hit film Yuvan Yuvathi which has Bharath and Reema in the main lead. Komara Velan is the director of this movie which is billed as a romantic love story. Kishore Naidu Arigela produced the film under Matha Media banner.

New Delhi, January 03: Hundreds turn up to catch a glimpse of Amitabh Bachchan outside his Mumbai home Jalsa every Sunday, but the crowd was so huge on New Year’s Day that the megastar found it difficult to enter his own home.

The 69-year-old actor was returning with his family from his other house Prateeksha when the huge crowd caused a traffic jam outside Jalsa and Bachchan had to make a back door entry.

London, January 03: An expert on Mayan civilisation Leonzo Barreno, of Saskatchewan, Canada, says, 2012 will not mark the end of the world, but it would mark the beginning of a new era, reports The Mail.

Barreno says the ‘apocalypse’ concept is a false interpretation of the Long Count calendar.

The University of Regina journalism professor said Mayan elders taught him that December 21 this year simply marks the start of a new calendar.

Barreno, who immigrated to Canada from Guatemala 23 years ago, was trained by Mayan elders to read the calendars, reported CBC News.