Month: January 2012

Mumbai, January 27: A school teacher died Friday after remaining in coma for two days following a physical fight with a colleague in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district, police said.

According to police, the victim, Rajkumar Langde, and accused, Lakshman Kure – both teachers at Sushiladevi Deshmukh Primary and Secondary School – had some personal issues and did not get along well.

“On Tuesday, they had a fight where things got out of hand when Kure tore away the flat pad of a school bench and hit Langde with it after an altercation,” Ashok Giri, a police officer, told IANS.

Bahrain, January 27: Saudi-backed Bahraini troops have fired tear gas on mourners attending the funeral procession of an anti-regime protester in Sitra, south of the capital, Manama.

Witnesses say hundreds of Bahrainis took to the streets of Sitra on Friday to mourn the death of 19-year-old Muhammad Yaqoob who was killed by regime forces on Wednesday.

According to the opposition group al-Wefaq, Yaqoob was chased and run down by a police car.

Lucknow, January 27: The Congress Friday released its vision document for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, promising to create 20 lakh jobs in the state in the next five years, rationalise quota provisions for Other Backward Classes, bring a citizen’s charter for services at the grassroots level and check corruption.

Highlighting key aspects of the document, released at the party office here, union Law Minister Salman Khurshid said a Congress government in the state will ensure that land is acquired with consent of owners and those affected get livelihood security.

Syria, January 27: A car bomb has hit a security checkpoint in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib, killing at least six troops stationed there.

According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the car bomb exploded at a security checkpoint in the entrances of the city on Friday. Several others were also wounded.

Six other members of the security forces were also killed in the southern province of Dara’a after armed groups attacked two military buses. Five security personnel were also wounded in the ambush.

New Delhi, January 27: Pushing for an atomic weapons free world, Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar on Friday said he was in discussions with experts from Pakistan and China to launch a Track-II process on universal nuclear disarmament.

“I am in discussions with Chinese and Pakistani experts to have a trialogue on universal nuclear disarmament,” on a discussion on the ‘Report of the Prime Minister’s Group on Nuclear Disarmament’.

New Delhi, January 27: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its manifesto for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls Friday said it was against the announced 4.5 percent reservation for minorities within the backward castes quota and also revived its promise to build a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya.

In its manifesto, released Friday, the BJP also highlighted good governance, removing corruption and remodelling of the many memorials erected by the present Bahujan Samaj Party government as its main poll promises.

Lucknow, January 27: With no choices left BJP which has been struggling hard to regain its pre-eminent position in Uttar Pradesh, today revived the Ram Temple issue promising construction of a grand temple in Ayodhya if voted to power.

The BJP’s manifesto for the state Assembly elections brought back the issue which had once propelled the party to the centerstage of national politics in the 80s and early 90s.

New Delhi, January 27: The Election Commission has said it was keeping a watch on “violent” and “extremist activities” in Manipur, where militants triggered another bomb blast Friday, and asked the authorities to take stringent measure to ensure a peaceful assembly poll Saturday.

“Commission has noticed some violent and extremist activities taking place in certain areas of the state of Manipur in the run up to the polling in that state. This has included attacks on personnel on polling duty,” a statement issued here said.

Hyderabad, January 27: A fact-finding team comprising four state ministers and the Deputy Speaker of Assembly will visit Amalapuram in East Godavari district in the wake of incidents of Ambedkar statues being desecrated in the area.

During their tour of the area, ministers Mr Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad, Mr Pinepe Viswaroop, Mr C. Ramachandraiah, Mr Thota Narasimham and Deputy Speaker Mr Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will interact with locals and report back to Chief Minister Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy with their findings.

New Delhi, January 27: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain PIL seeking to give complete autonomy to CBI and to take suo motu cognisance of any serious crime without taking sanction of state government.

A bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari dismissed the PIL filed by Prakash Singh, a former DGP of BSF, seeking its direction to give autonomy to the investigating agency.

The bench said the judiciary has its own limitation and it cannot pass such an order.

“We may be agree with your contentions but there is limitation for the court,” the bench said.

Mumbai, January 27: Veteran actress Zeenat Aman, who completely transformed the way actresses were portrayed in Hindi films, feels the cinema has evolved technologically and that heroines of today are more beautiful and talented.

“I think today we are making great films. Technologically there is a great deal of advancement. I think girls are more beautiful and talented and so are our men. There is some great stuff happening,” Zeenat said at an awards function ceremony.

Mumbai, January 27: The four-year-old filly Black Magic Woman, who is in great heart, as evidenced by her track movements should score over her rivals in the Sahaan Multi-Million, the feature event of Saturday’s (Jan. 28) races here.

False rails will be placed 6 metres from its original point from 1600m to 1200m and 12 metres away from 800m upto the winning post.

Calgary, January 27: The Canadian Jewish Federation hosted on Friday, January 27, a photographic exhibition that sheds the light on heroism of Muslims who risked their lives to rescue Jews from the Nazi brutality during the Holocaust.

“Exhibits like this one help to showcase the values we celebrate in this country and the importance of respect for fundamental freedoms, regardless of one’s background or religion,” Jason Kenney, Canadian Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, said in a press release on Thursday.

New Delhi, January 27: After courting controversy over his ‘slap for corruption’ remarks, Anna Hazare on Friday distanced himself from it saying that he has never advocated violence and accused section of politicians of conspiring to brand him as a “big criminal”.

In his latest blog, Hazare said he has been fighting against corruption for the past so many years but has never beaten anyone asked anybody to do so.

Imphal, January 27: Militants Friday triggered another blast in Manipur on the eve of the assembly polls, creating panic in the state with a string of bombings since polls were announced.

Suspected militants triggered a blast in the Manipur capital at 11.15 a.m. at Thangmeiban Iikamdewan Leiki locality under Imphal West district. One person received minor injuries in the blast, police said. The victim was rushed to the Regional Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) in Imphal.

Baghdad, January 27: At least 28 people have been killed and 50 more injured in a car bomb explosion in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad, medical sources say.

The blast occurred near a funeral procession outside a hospital in east Baghdad on Friday morning.

An interior ministry official also confirmed the bomb explosion, saying the incident was caused by an attacker driving an explosives-laden car.

The funeral procession was held for Mohammed al-Maliki, a real estate agent who was killed along with his wife and son on Thursday in the west Baghdad neighborhood of Yarmuk.

Moscow, January 27: Moscow says the new draft, due to be discussed on Friday, does not take into account the Russian position on Syria.

The draft proposed by the US, its Western allies as well as the Arab League, calls on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down from power.

Gatilov says that the draft fails to exclude the possibility of military intervention in the country.

Earlier, Russia proposed a resolution for Syria, holding the government as well as the opposition responsible for the unrest in the country. However, the resolution was dismissed.

Yanam/Hyderabad, January27 (NSS): As many as 20 persons were injured, eight of them grieveously, when police resorted to firing to quell the rioting workers of the Regency Ceramics Industry in Yanam adjoining Kakinada of East Godavari district on Friday morning.

Hyderabad, Jan 27 (INN): The CBI special court on Friday remanded Sunil Reddy, an accused in the Emaar case, to CBI custody till January 29.

The special court granted two-and-half days’ CBI custody to Sunil Reddy and asked the CBI official to produce him before the court on Monday by 2 pm.

Earlier, the investigating agency sought 15 days custody to interrogate Sunil Reddy on various Emaar deals. However, the court granted only two-and-half day custody. The CBI in its petition stated that Sunil Reddy tried to evade arrest by frequently changing his residence.

Hyderabad, Jan 27 (INN): Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday rejected the demand of textile traders for withdrawal of five percent Value Added Tax (VAT) imposed on textiles.

The Chief Minister stated that the government has imposed the VAT on textile traders having turnovers of over Rs 10 crores. He said the VAT has been imposed to fund the welfare schemes and programmes launched for poor and downtrodden.

Kadapa, Jan 27 (INN): In a ghastly road mishap, three persons were killed on the spot and six others injured at Bakarapeta in Siddampeta mandal in Kadapa district on Friday.

According to police, the accident occurred when a jeep had a head-on collision with a tractor near Bakarapeta in the wee hours of Friday. The bodies have been shifted to the Government Hospital in Kadapa for post-mortem. The identities of the victims are yet to be ascertained. The condition of all the injured is stated to be serious.

New Delhi, January 27: The Vice President of Indian Olympic Association, Jagdish Tytler has called for the immediate sacking of CWG chief Suresh Kalmadi. This comes as a heavy blow to the latter, who was granted bail last week. Recently Minister of Sports, Ajay Maken also demanded instant action against Kalmadi.

“If Kalmadi is not resigning from the IOA, then he should be sacked with immediate effect. Merely giving soft statements will not work. If he doesn’t resign, he should be kicked out,” said Tytler.

New Delhi, January 27: After courting controversy over his “slap for corruption” remarks, Anna Hazare on Friday distanced himself from it saying that he has never advocated violence and accused section of politicians of conspiring to brand him as a “big criminal“.

In his latest blog, Mr. Hazare said he has been fighting against corruption for the past so many years but has never beaten anyone asked anybody to do so.

Riyadh, January 27: A Saudi mother used a massive screw wrench to murder her seven-year-old daughter after she refused to do exercise prescribed by her doctor treating her hand fracture caused by the mother two months earlier.

The 28-year-old woman from the western Saudi town of Taif told police that she was infuriated by her daughter’s disobedience and started to hit her with the wrench despite her screams.

The lean girl, whose father was out at that time, fled to her relatives but her mother chased her despite her heavy bleeding.

Hyderabad, January 27: As many as 20 persons were injured, eight of them grieveously, when police resorted to firing to quell the rioting workers of the Regency Ceramics Industry in Yanam adjoining Kakinada of East Godavari district on Friday morning.

While a union leader of the workers, Mr. Muralimohan, who sustained injuries in a lathi-charge on Thursday, succumbed to the injuries this morning, the Vice-Chairman of the company, Mr. Chandrashekar, grievously injured after he was attacked by the workers this morning also succumbed.