Month: May 2012

Jagan’s bail petition hearing adjourned to May 31

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The CBI court at Nampally on Tuesday adjourned the hearing on bail petition of YSR Congress president and Kadapa MP Jagan Mohan Reddy, who was arrested by the CBI in connection with disproportionate assets case, to May 31.

In the bail petition, Jagan stated that he has to campaign in the ensuing by-elections as the YSR Congress party president and requested that the court grant him bail. He also stated that his arrest was illegal and appealed to court to grant bail to enable him to campaign for his party candidates.

Naidu questions CBI for not arresting KVP

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Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday accused YSR Congress president and Kadapa MP Jagan Mohan Reddy of forcing the industrialists to invest their money in his companies.

Addressing a by-election campaign at Alur in in Nellore district, the TDP chief said that former government advisor K V P Ramachandra Rao played a crucial role in mobilising the investments in the companies floated by Jagan Mohan Reddy. He asked the CBI as to why it has arrested or questioned Ramachandra Rao in connection with the disproportionate assets case of Jagan.

Israel spyware virus on Iran and other Middle East countries

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An unprecedented “cyber espionage worm” considered the most sophisticated spyware virus yet may have been unleashed by Israel to hit Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, with the possible aim of crippling Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Security experts discovered the new data-stealing virus dubbed Flame which they say has lurked inside thousands of computers across the for as long as five years as part of a sophisticated cyber warfare campaign.

Scheme for Muslim girls may be expanded to other communities

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Apprehending adverse reactions from other communities, the Samajwadi Party government is likely to expand the ambit of its scheme of giving a financial assistance of Rs 30,000 to Muslim girls for marriage or pursuing higher education after their Class X examination.

The ruling SP had promised this scheme in its election manifesto. In its very first meeting held on March, the Akhilesh Yadav Cabinet had approved a proposal to this effect. However, the necessary government order to implement the scheme has still not been issued.

Abortion Equals Murder: Erdogan

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Likening abortion to murder, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sparked a heated controversy by criticizing a growing tendency in the country to terminate pregnancy, sparking the fury of feminists.

“Abortion is a crime against humanity,” Ayhan Sefer Üstün, the head of Parliament’s Human Rights Commission, told Anatolia news agency.

“Our society is pulling away from this delusion gradually

“It means depriving unborn babies of the right to life. It’s a delusion to consider that a baby’s life begins only after a certain period of pregnancy.”

I will quit public life if graft charges proved: Manmohan Singh

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Rejecting Team Anna’s allegations of corruption against him, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday declared he will quit public life if the charges on coal block allotments are proved.

“It is unfortunate that irresponsible allegations relating to irregularities in allocation of coal blocks are being made without confirming facts.

“I will give up my public life if allegations are proved against me. My long public career as finance minister, as leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha and now as Prime Minister has been an open book,” Singh told reporters on his way back from Myanmar.

Government FOOLING MUSLIMS on reservation: BJP

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A day after Andhra Pradesh High Court quashed sub-quota in jobs on religious grounds, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday slammed the Congress led-central government for “fooling” minorities in the name of reservations.

BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters at a party briefing here that it was always known that religion-based reservation cannot be sustainable.

“Government announced the sub-quota reservation for OBC Muslims just before the Uttar Pradesh elections. It was clearly politically motivated,” Sitharaman said.

UPA govt a patient on ventilator: Baba Ramdev

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The Congress-led UPA government at the Centre will not be able to complete its full term as its condition is like that of a patient surviving on ventilator, says yoga guru Ramdev.

Addressing a press conference at Rewari on Tuesday, he alleged the accumulation of black money during the UPA regime had crossed all limits.

Ramdev said the white paper on black money presented in Parliament by the UPA government was a “bundle of white lies”.

“Why the government is afraid of disclosing names of those politicians who have stashed black money in foreign banks?” the yoga master asked.

BJP not opposed to Jagan’s arrest: Kishan Reddy

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After its national leaders’ statements on Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s arrest apparently sent wrong signals, state BJP president G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday said his party did not oppose the arrest.

“BJP does not oppose Jagan’s arrest. We are of the view that Jagan is a beneficiary of the misuse of public office by various Congress ministers and politicians.

Religion based quota not legally sustainable: BJP

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Dismissing Law Minister Salman Khurshid’s statement that he will take the 4.5% sub-quota issue to the Supreme Court, BJP on Tuesday said religion based reservation is not legally sustainable and Congress has misled the minorities with this politically-motivated step.

Asked about the government decision to file a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court on the issue, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said though everybody knew this was not going to be sustainable as per the Constitution, Khurshid has every right to go to the apex court.

Allegations by Team Anna against me irresponsible: PM

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said that Team Anna’s corruption allegations against him and other ministers were irresponsible and unfortunate.

Singh also told reporter, while on his way back from Myanmar, that he was willing to give up his public life if the allegations were proved against him.

RGV hit Arjun Rampal and abused his kids

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The shocking reports have come out days after Ram Gopal Varma was said to have gone mad on Sanjay Dutt, accusing him for the debacle of ‘Department’ at the Box-office. We know that the director is extremely moody and can go from being completely friendly at one moment to exactly the drastic opposite at the other. But if the rumours that we are going to tell you about in this story are true by any chance, it is shocking even by RGV’s standards.

At 97, AK Hangal shoots for TV

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A year and a half ago, Avtar Kishan Hangal aka A K Hangal, who had made millions weep with his heart-rending roles on screen was fighting illness and poverty at his residence in Santa Cruz East.

But things are now changing for the actor who had also been an active participant in the national struggle for freedom. The 97-year-old actor after starring in over 200 films, is all set to return to the small screen with brand new show, Madhubala. He has been a part of several shows in the 1990s.

UPA govt a patient on ventilator: Ramdev

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The Congress-led UPA government at the Centre will not be able to complete its full term as its condition is like that of a patient surviving on ventilator, says yoga guru Ramdev.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, he alleged the accumulation of black money during the UPA regime had crossed all limits.

Ramdev said the white paper on black money presented in Parliament by the UPA government was a “bundle of white lies”.

“Why the government is afraid of disclosing names of those politicians who have stashed black money in foreign banks?” the yoga master asked.

‘Hazare not aware of the whole matter on PM’

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After Anna Hazare described Manmohan Singh as an honest man, his team, which had put the Prime Minister on a list of “corrupt ministers”, today said the activist was not aware of the “whole matter” regarding the PM and they will apprise him about it.

Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan said most of the documents are in English and Hazare cannot read the language.

Is Aishwarya Rai now the world’s most beautiful mother?

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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival with confidence that is hard to beat. At least by the constant media battering about how she has put on oodles of weight after giving birth to her daughter, Aaradhya.

She grabbed all media attention and the foreign journalists were quite forgiving as Ash showed off her baby flab.

As she posed on the red-carpet at the Cannes premiere of Cosmopolis, the new mother, full of confidence and style cannot help but gush about her six-month-old baby girl.

Election panel refuses to intervene in Jagan’s case

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The Election Commission of India Tuesday refused to intervene in YSR Congress Party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy’s arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), party sources said.

The commission conveyed to YSR Congress Party’s honorary president Vijayamma that since the matter was in court, it would not intervene, the sources said.

Jagan, as the young leader is popularly known, was arrested Sunday in a case of illegally acquiring assets. Vijayamma is his mother.

CWC meet June 4 to discuss presidential poll, price rice

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With the presidential election on the horizon, a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) has been called June 4 to discuss the “current political situation” and the party’s highest decision-making body is also expected to take up issues such as price rise, party sources said.

Congress sources said the meeting was likely to discuss the party’s choice for president in the wake of talks held with the allies so far. The CWC meeting comes days ahead of the notification for presidential polls, expected by the middle of June.

CBI files chargesheet in CMO murder case

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The CBI on Tuesday filed its chargesheet in connection with the murder of two Chief Medical Officers of Lucknow accusing two shooters and the person who hired them of murder and criminal conspiracy.

In its chargesheet filed before the special judicial magistrate here, the agency has alleged that shooters Anand Prakash Tiwari and Vinod Sharma had murdered the then CMOs Dr VK Arya and BP Singh.

Music legend Yusuf Islam formerly known as Cat Stevens graces the APRA awards

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WITH his quiet demeanour and low-key entrance at the APRA awards last night, you would be forgiven for forgetting Yusuf Islam is a music legend.

The man formerly known as Cat Stevens turned up early to the awards with his son and was keen to congratulate his fellow musicians on their achievements.

He presented the first award of the night to Boy and Bear for Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year.

The band was more excited about meeting Islam than winning any award.

Swamy condemns move to challenge HC order on minority quota

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Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday condemned the government’s decision to challenge the Andhra Pradesh High Court order quashing the proposed 4.5 per cent reservation to minorities within the OBC quota.

“I condemn the decision of the Union government to file a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court against the order of the AP High Court quashing quotas for minorities proposed by government,” Swamy said in a statement.

Justice Hegde disassociates from Team Anna

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Justice Santosh Hegde on Tuesday disassociated himself from the corruption charges levelled by Team Anna against 15 Union Ministers including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

“I am unaware of the proof Team Anna has against the union ministers including the Prime Minister. I don’t know the basis on which the charges were made”, Hegde, a prominent Team Anna member said talking to a private TV channel.

Bill Gates to meet Akhilesh

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Microsoft founder Bill Gates will meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav here Wednesday to discuss healthcare in the state.

The 56-year-old Gates is likely discuss a host of healthcare programmes that the Bill and Melinda Foundation plans to take up in the state.

An advance team from Gate’s office has met senior officials in the state last week and done the ground work for the Gates-Akhilesh meeting.

Modified chocolate to slow down ageing

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Do you love chocolates? Then, here’s some good news for you — eating a modified form of the sweet treat could slow down your ageing process, scientists claim.

Scientists at biotechnology firm Lycotec in the UK have modified chocolate with Coco-Lycosome, an ingredient they have developed, that boosted the power of cocoa flavanols by up to 20 times compared with unmodified chocolate.

Cocoa flavanols are the molecules contained in chocolate that improve skin oxygenation, which is an essential factor in slowing the ageing process, the researchers said.