Man jailed for spitting on Putin’s portrait

A man in Russia has been sentenced for 15 days in prison for spitting on President Vladimir Putin’s portrait, RIA Novosti reported.

Dmitry Karuyev, an opposition activist who is a member of the Other Russia movement, was detained as he staged one-man protest outside the offices of the ruling United Russia party in Cheboksary city on the eve of Putin’s May 7 inauguration for a third term.

Police said Karuyev’s actions could have triggered disorder.

NRI nurse threw pills into UK patients’ mouths

An Indian-origin nurse, who was so wary of germs and infection from patients she was attending to that she often threw tablets into their mouths from a distance, may be struck off the nursing register and banned from the profession.

Sarita Mittal, 46, lobbed pills into patients’ mouths as if she was “playing darts” because they were “dirty”, according to a hearing at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Mittal worked at the Poplars Nursing Home in Smethwick, Birmingham.

Will gift PM a set of saffron clothes: Uma

Taking pot shots at the prime minister, firebrand BJP leader Uma Bharati on Wednesday said if Manmohan Singh quits public life over allegations of corruptions she would gift him saffron robes.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader was commenting on Prime Minister’s statement that if charges of graft levelled by Team Anna members were proved, he would quit public life.

“If the Prime Minister is serious about his statement, I will welcome him to ‘political sanyas’ by gifting him a set of saffron robes,” Bharati said on the sidelines of a programme she had come to attend in this temple town.

Soldier’ VK Singh retires today

General V K Singh, who took over the reins of the army 26 months ago with an image of an anti-corruption crusader, will retire as Army Chief today bringing to an end a controversial tenure that was marred by rows over his age and fissures among the military brass.

62-year-old Singh, who will hang up his boots after 42 years of service, will be succeeded by Eastern Army Commander General Bikram Singh, who will have a tenure of two years and three months.

Delhi records highest temperature this season

Heat wave condition intensified all across northern India on Wednesday with national capital, Delhi, scorching at 45 degrees Celsius, five notches above normal.

The Indian Meteorological Department had warned yesterday that the coming few days would experience very high temperatures, adding to the woes of Delhiites who have been experiencing heat wave conditions over the last few days.

The minimum temperature this morning was also a notch above average at 28 degrees Celsius. Humidity was at 36 percent.

Prostitution racket busted in Delhi

With the arrest of seven women, Delhi Police on Wednesday claimed to have busted an international prostitution racket run in the capital by women from Uzbekistan.

According to a police officer, six women, including a woman pimp, were arrested on Tuesday. The racket was being run from a rented accommodation in south Delhi’s Chhatarpur farms by a woman pimp Gulnaaz (33), he said.

“All arrested women, who hail from Uzbekistan, are between the age group of 27 and 33 years,” said the officer.

Fresh violence in Karachi 10 killed

At least 10 people have been killed in Karachi, indicating no respite in the fresh wave of violence that has engulfed Pakistan’s financial hub since last week.

Sixteen people including political activists and a senior police official have been killed in the city since Monday, while unidentified gunmen wounded a civil judge yesterday.

Police said that 10 people were killed and at least nine others were injured, including four in the posh shopping area of Tariq road, in firing incidents yesterday.

Shutdown begins peacefully in Maharashtra

The Opposition-sponsored shutdown started in Mumbai and the state peacefully Thursday, barring sporadic incidents of violence in Thane and Pune, officials said.

There were at least four incidents of government buses being stoned in Pune and Thane as the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena, Left, Samajwadi Party and others called for a nation-wide shutdown to protest the recent hike in petrol prices.

Besides, the shutdown is being supported by anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare and even Mumbai’s ‘Dabbawallas’ who will not provide their regular tiffin delivery services today.

Failure makes you humble: Shah Rukh Khan

Revelling in the success of his team Kolkata Knight Rider’s win at the IPL season five finale, superstar Shah Rukh Khan says the last five years made him realise that he can also fail. This year is KKR’s maiden win at IPL finals and the 46-year-old owner of the team said that past failures have made him more humble.

EC rejects AP govt’s plea to permit reduction of tax on petrol

The Election Commission of India is said to have flatly rejected the Andhra Pradesh government’s plea to permit it to reduce sales tax on petrol by three per cent to “provide relief to people in view of the recent price hike.” With a clear eye on the June 12 by-elections, state Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy directed officials of the Commercial Taxes Department to obtain permission from the ECI to “review the tax structure on petrol” so as to bring down the price by Rs 1.80 per litre in the state.

Congress may create trouble in MP during Bharat bandh: BJP

The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday claimed that Congress workers under the garb of saffron activists may create “disturbance” during the day-long nationwide bandh tomorrow on the issue of steep hike in petrol prices.

“We have received credible information that some Congressmen under the garb of VHP, Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal workers may create disturbance in major cities of the state to defame the ruling party,” the state unit BJP president Prabhat Jha told reporters.

The Congressmen will don saffron clothes with an intention to create disturbance in the state, he added.

UPA government may not last full term: Naqvi

The UPA government is likely to fall in 2013 and the country will have to face the mid term polls, BJP national vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi claimed on Wednesday.

“There is every possibility that allies of Congress that are present in UPA today will desert the government due to large-scale corruption, price rise and policy and decision paralysis that has plagued this government,” he said.

“This government is likely to fall in 2013 and country will have to face mid-term poll.”
UPA government may not last full term: Naqvi

Chandrababu Naidu hails Anand for winning laurels

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu has congratulated Viswanathan Anand on winning the World Chess Championship for the fifth time today. The former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, who was in Narsapuram campaigning for the by-elections, sent a special message to Anand hailing his victory. “You have done India proud. You are a real icon for the youth of the country. The youth should take Anand as an inspiration and win laurels for the country in varied fields,” Chandrababu said.

—–PTI

Hundreds of tourists stuck in Sikkim

An estimated 4,000 tourists are reported to be put up in shelters provided by the army at their bases beyond 15 Mile en route to Tsomgo Lake and Nathula here after they were stuck because of bad weather. Incidentally, today was also the first day of the week when Nathula is open to tourists as any traffic up to the India-China border remains closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The tourists had gone sightseeing and were stuck after rains brought down heavy boulders on to Jawaharlal Nehru Road, the link road between Gangtok and Tsomgo Lake.

Husband-wife duo murdered by villagers in AP

A man and his wife were murdered in a village near here today over a love affair involving the couple’s son, police said. The incident took place in Chandapalli village, nearly 40km from here. The deceased were identified as Godugu Pochalu (45) and his wife Rajeshwari (40). The daughter of a villager, N Chandraiah, was in love with the couple’s son, who was, however, not interested in the relationship, police said.

Gutkha, Pan Masala banned in Bihar

Bihar government today banned the sale of tobacco and necotine mixed Gutkha and Pan Masala for one year in the state. According to Food Security Commisioner, Sanjay Kumar the banned would take effect from today for the next one year. Those who would found violating laws would be slapped fine upto Rs three lakhs, he said.

——PTI

TDP wants Jagan’s ‘special class’ prisoner status withdrawn

The Telugu Desam Party today demanded that Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, arrested by the CBI in the disproportionate assets case, be lodged in Tihar jail to prevent his interaction with other top accused in the case lodged in the Chanchalguda jail here. TDP also wanted that the “special class” prisoner status of Jagan be withdrawn.

Pak SC tells Malik to submit documents on citizenship

Pakistan’s Supreme Court today gave Interior Minister Rehman Malik a day to submit documents to back his claim that he had renounced his British nationality. A three-Judge bench led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry issued the order while hearing a petition challenging the dual nationality of some members of the two houses of parliament.

MBC body demands CBI to free Mopidevi

Most Backwards Castes (MBC) Welfare Association general secretary Suryarao has demanded that former minister for Excise Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao, who was illegally arrested by the CBI be released immediately.

The MBC welfare association organized a round table with BC leaders against the arrest of Mopidevi Venkataramana on Wednesday.

OU Examinations put off

The Osmania University authorities have informed that all examinations, scheduled to be held on May 31, have been postponed due to Bharath Bandh on May 31. (NSS)

Govt. urged not to view Liquor as Chief Revenue Source

The Liquor Control Movement Committee has appealed to the State government to prepare new Excise policy in such a way that it is not revenue to the State exchequer.

Committee chairman former chief justice of Allahabad High Court Ambati Laxmana Rao and other leaders met incharge Minister for Excise K. Parthasarathi and submitted a memorandum seeking new excise policy.

Congress MLAs joining YSRC with selfish motives: Botcha

APCC Chief Botcha Satyanarayana has said that party MLAs were deserting the Congress with selfish motives like YSRCP Chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. Like Jagan, who amassed thousands of crores of rupees within a short time illegally, some Congress MLAs wanted to grow speedily in politics and hence they were switching their loyalties to YSRCP, he added.

CM’s districts’ tour from May 31 to June 2

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy will leave Shamshabad Airport by regular flight at 3.35 pm on Thursday and arrives at Gannavaram in Krishna district at 4.35 pm. Later he will go to Naraspur in West Godavari district at 5.20 pm by helicopter and attend locally arranged programs from 6.10 pm to 8.10 pm. He will have night halt at the residence of Kothapalli Subbaraidu.