Vidya Balan is Brand Ambassador for Victorias Indian Festival

Bollywood star Vidya Balan will be the Brand Ambassador for Victoria’s Indian Film Festival, announced Premier Ted Baillieu here today. Ms Balan said on the occasion ‘I am delighted to be named as the Brand Ambassador for the Indian Film Festival in Melbourne. I love the format of the festival and the wide range of films screened.

TDP urges Gov to probe ‘massive liquor scam’

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President and Former Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu today called on Governor ESL Narasimhan and urged him to order a probe into the ‘massive liquor scam’ allegedly involving Ministers in the state. Mr Naidu along with Party MLAs and also CPI MLA called on the Governor at Raj bhavan and presented a memorandum to him on the need for a complete probe into the liquor syndicate operations which have caused losses of huge proportion to the state exchequer.

Banks to take part in Gen Strike: Venkatachalam

Several Unions from Banking Industry will take part in the one-day national general strike which will be organised across the country tomorrow against the UPA Government’s ‘anti-labour policies.’ The strike was called by all the Central trade unions in which nearly 10 crore workers are participating. Informing this to UNI today, All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said the Association has called upon all the eight lakh employees, including officers across the country, to join the strike.

3 rapes in capital in 48 hours

Three separate incidents of rape occurred in the capital in the last 48 hours. In the first incident , one Brijmohan, an employee of BSES, was arrested for the alleged rape of his sister-in-law in Vivek Vihar , east Delhi. Police said he had been sexually abusing this secondyear DU student for the last one-anda-half years.

Stage set for general strike

The stage is set for the day’s general strike by employees from various departments and workers from organized and unorganised sector tomorrow. The genral strike call was given by all the major central trade unions cutting across political affiliations and an estimated 10 crore workers from across the country are expected to take part in the strike.

AP bypoll: 20 nominations filed

A total of 20 candidates filed their nominations today for the March 18 by-elections covering seven seats in Andhra Pradesh. So far, 39 candidates have filed nominations for the bypoll, according to official sources. Twelve candidates from respective parties had filed their nominations on February 23 and 24 while seven papers were filed the following day after the nominations were opened on February 22.

10 feared buried alive during mining in Sonebhadra

At least ten labourers were feared buried alive and several others injured when a portion of a hill caved in during mining in Obra area of the Sonebhadra district today. Police, however, has confirmed the death of four labourers so far and claimed that several were still missing. The incident occurred near Sharda temple this evening. Faujdar Singh was the contrator who was mining at the place. Senior police officials have rushed to the spot and relief operations started.

AP Assembly adjourned as liquor syndicate issue rocks House

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly was adjourned for the day without transacting any business after two adjournments as the Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members rushed to the podium holding placards and raised slogans that a judicial inquiry should be ordered by the government on the liquor syndicate scam. As soon as the House assembled for the day, the TDP members rushed to the podium and demanded that the Cabinet Ministers allegedly involved in the liquor scam be dismissed and the ACB report be made public as it conducted raids on the liquor syndicates.

Sheep sold for Dh75,000 in Al Ain

A Saudi farmer paid Dh75,000 for a male sheep owned by an Emirati man during a livestock auction held near the eastern oasis town of Al Ain.

Abdul Rahman Al Arouk bought the Najdi ram from Abdullah Al Nasiri, who said the animal is one of the best sheep species in the Arabian Peninsula.

The deal was struck at a sheep auction which is held regularly near Al Ain and attracts a large number of livestock owners from the UAE and other Gulf states.

Govt to impose PD Act in illicit liquor incident

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Excise and Prohibition Mr Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao today informed the State Legislative Council that the government will impose Preventive Detention (PD) Act against those who responsible for illicit liquor deaths.

Farmers take out a massive rally against tardiness in modernization works.

Farmers here today took out a huge rally and organized a darna in front of the Superintendent Engineer of Irrigation’s office, protesting against ‘tardiness’ in carrying out Krishna Delta East canal modernization work. The farmers converged at the Swarajya Maidan ground and went to the irrigation office in rally. Later they squatted at the office, raising slogans against the government for it lackadaisical attitude in completing the modernization of east canal works.

Andhra high court admits petition for liquor mafia probe

The Andhra Pradesh High Court Monday admitted for hearing a public interest litigation seeking a comprehensive probe into the liquor mafia allegedly involving politicians and bureaucrats.

The court directed the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to submit in a sealed cover a report on the progress it made in the investigations so far and adjourned the hearing for three weeks. The court also issued notice to the state government.

Rs 75 cr share capital for Shtree Nidhi mobilized: Minister

State Minister for IKP, SHGs and Child Welfare V Sunitha Laxmas Reddy today told the State Assembly the Shree Nidhi Cooperative Credit Society has been formed with equal share capital from Mandal Samakyas and Government to address the issue of credit gap being experienced by Self Help Groups (SHP) by providing easy loans at Pavala Vaddi. The Minister, during the question hour, said the loans were being sanctioned to the women through Nidhi Scheme. As against the authorised share capital of Rs 500 crore, as on date an amount of Rs 75 crore share capital had been mobilised, she added. UNI

Fardeen Khan’s sister killed in a car crash

Two people, including the half-sister of Bollywood actor Fardeen Khan, were killed in a collision of two cars in south Delhi early Monday, police said.

Khan’s half sister, Sonia Sethia, wife of businessman Rajendra Sethia, was returning home in New Friends Colony from dinner at a friend’s home in Gulmohar Park, when a Swift Dzire coming at very high speed, rammed into their Honda City car on August Kranti Marg.

Ex-Cricketer, Cong MP Azharuddin to be arrested?

Former Indian Cricketer and Congress MP, Mohammad Azharuddin might be arrested soon. The shocking news came as the former Indian Cricket team captain along with state Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi and many other leaders have been booked during an election campaign for assembly polls 2012 in Uttar Pradesh.

‘Iran ninjas athletes, not assassins’

Iranian female ninjas have rejected recent Western media report describing them as assassins, saying that they are training as regular athletes and martial artists, Press TV reports.

Last month, Press TV aired a report on about Iranian women training in Ninjutsu grabbed media attention worldwide.

Reuters News Agency put a different spin on the story in a separate report published on February 16.

The report claimed that the athletes are undercover assassins in the service of the Islamic Republic.

I’m still able to hope

Ten years have passed since a blistering storm of hate in Gujarat extinguished more than 2,000 lives, and destroyed countless more. It was a moment which altered the course of innumerable lives, including even my own.

I look back on those years with sorrow, with anger, but still also with hope.

Samjhauta accused arrested in Malegaon case

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday formally arrested Lokesh Sharma, already in judicial custody in connection with the Samjhauta train bombing case, for his alleged role in the 2008 Malegaon blast.

Sharma was produced before the special MCOCA court of Y.D. Shinde who remanded him to NIA custody till March nine. The special court had issued a production warrant against the accused on February 23.

The agency said Sharma needs to be questioned in connection with the September 29, 2008, Malegaon blast in which six people were killed.

‘Have enough evidence to nail Modi’

Several civil society groups joined hands on Monday to mark the 10th anniversary of post-Godhra massacre in Gujarat. Some addressed a crowded press conference at the Press Club, denouncing the denial of justice to victims of the pogrom, while others gathered at St Xavier’s College to recall the brutalities perpetrated in Gujarat in 2002.

One dead in US school shooting

One student died in a shooting incident Monday at a high school in the US state of Ohio.

The shooting took place at Chardon High School, Chardon, around 7.30 a.m.

All the victims were students, Xinhua reported.

The shooter, also a student, was apprehended “some distance from the school”.

The school has about 1,100 students.

Geauga County Sheriff Daniel McClelland said the shootings occurred in multiple locations, suggesting the shooter had specific targets in mind.

The students were evacuated from the school after the attack.

———–IANS

Sharp hike in fuel prices likely after elections

With the Indian crude oil basket touching $123 per barrel on Monday and the Union government faced with a mounting subsidy bill that threatens to touch Rs. 1,50,000 crore, a sharp hike in the price of diesel, petrol and domestic Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders is likely to take place soon after the conclusion of the Assembly polls in the five States next week.

Ex-cop, 3 others acquitted in Mumbai gang-rape case

A Mumbai court Monday cleared a high-ranking disgraced former police officer and three others for their alleged involvement in the sensational gang-rape case involving a minor girl in Powai around two years ago, a legal official said.

The accused, Arun Borude (55), was a former encounter specialist and was the head of LT Marg police station in south Mumbai when the incident occurred early 2010, said his lawyer Naveen Chomal.

Immediately after the incident came to light – shocking Mumbaikars and embarrassing the police department – Borude was sacked from the Mumbai police force.

12 injured in Pakistan varsity clash

At least 12 students were injured when two rival groups clashed at a university in the Pakistani port city of Karachi Monday, the Geo News reported.

The two student-groups quarrelled with each other over pasting of a poster near the cafeteria of Karachi University. The argument later turned violent.

Classes were suspended after the clash, and two students arrested by Karachi Rangers.

According to The Nation daily, students associated with two political parties clashed at the Arts Faculty of the university, using clubs. They also pelted stones at each other.

Israeli defence minister heads to US to discuss Iran

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak Tuesday headed to Washington for talks with senior US officials about the Iranian nuclear programme.

The Israeli minister’s two-day US visit comes ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s and President Shimon Peres’ scheduled visits next week, Xinhua reported.

“There are some security issues that apply to the defense minister. These sensitive issues (that will be discussed in Netanyahu’s visit) require early coordination and many talks,” said a senior political source explaining the objective of Barak’s visit.