Taking objection to Hyderabad Metro Development Authority (HMDA) plans to auction plots in Hyderabad this week, Telangana Rashtra Samithi issued a warning that it would be compelled to launch ‘save Hyderabad lands’agitation to expose conspiracy of government to loot prime lands of Telangana.
It also warned prospective buyers about the fact that all illegal land allotment agreements stand to be nullified in the newly formed state of Telangana.
A Pakistani woman, living in India for over 25 years, died here after prolonged illness, police said today.
Bilkis Begum, 85, died at Gangeru village in Prabudhnagar district last evening, they said.
Begum was living in the country on a long-term visa since 1985 and had applied for Indian nationality.
The woman had come to India around 30 years ago and had got married. Three years back her husband had died and since then she was living alone.
–PTi
The CBI special court, Nampally, on Thursday adjourned the hearing on bail petition of industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad to July 4.
The special court after hearing the arguments of CBI in connection with his bail posted the petition to July 4. Earlier, the court asked the CBI to file counter petition against Nimmagadda Prasad’s bail.
The CBI arrested Nimmagadda Prasad, the promoter of VANPIC project, in connection with disproportionate assets case of Jagan Mohan Reddy.
–INN
Agitating Air India pilots today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress top brass to step in to resolve the impasse over the 52-day long strike, as the condition of some of them on protest fast worsened.
The Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG), which is spearheading the agitation and the five-day-old hunger strike, shot off letters to Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, seeking their “urgent intervention to resolve the prolonged agitation”.
-0–Pti
Telugu Desam MLA B Durga Prasad on Thursday came down heavily on the state government for diverting the funds allocated for welfare of SC/STs.
Talking to media persons at Telugu Desam Legislature Party Office, he alleged that the government did not change its attitude despite the Central Planning Commission clearly issued directives not to divert SC/ST sub-plan funds and using those for cleaning of Musi river, construction of houses and other development programmes of various departments.
There will be no change in timings of Train No 12738 Secunderabad-Kakinada Port Gautami Express.
The South Central Railway, in a statement said that Gautami Express will run to its present timings and will depart at 21.15 hrs from Secunderabad and will reach Kakinada Port at 07.30 hrs on the next day instead of the new schedule advised with effect from July 1, 2012 recently.
The arrival / departure timings of this train at intermediate stations will also remain unchanged, the statement said.
—INn
Minister for Panchayati Raj K Jana Reddy on Thursday stated that the main goal of Telangana leaders was the formation of separate Telangana state, the long-pending demand of people.
Talking to media persons, Jana Reddy said that the financial packages for development of backward districts and offering of posts to Telangana leaders would not resolve the injustice meted out Telangana people. “Justice can be done to Telangana people only through the formation of separate state,” he stated.
UK-based HSBC is likely to sell stake in private sector lenders Axis Bank and Yes Bank as part of its global strategy and is understood to have appointed merchant bankers for the deals.
To be done through block deals by HSBC Securities, the two stake-sales could be worth about Rs 2,430 crore at the prevailing market price of the India-based lenders.
HSBC has 4.75 percent stake amounting to 1.9 crore shares in Axis Bank through HSBC IRIS Investments Mauritius Ltd, as per the latest BSE filings available.
A two-day brainstorming session of the Chhattisgarh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) began here Thursday to decide a strategy for next year’s assembly elections.
State BJP president Ramsevak Paikra told IANS that the meeting will discuss the achievements of the state government and preparations for the elections.
About 40 leaders of the party and the government including Chief Minister Raman Singh are taking part in the meet, also attended by representatives of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).
—IANS—
Telangana Political Joint Action Committee Chairman Prof M Kodandaram on Thursday stated that the Telangana leaders would not ready to accept the proposal of ‘Rayala Telangana’ as proposed by a section of Telangana and Rayalaseema Congress leaders.
Talking to media persons after chairing the JAC Steering Committee meeting at his office, Kodandaram said that except Telangana state formation, the people of region are not ready to accept any proposal made by these leaders.
Reliance Industries on Thursday refuted suggestions that it may have inflated KG-D6 gas reserves, saying they were certified by leading independent international certifiers and KG fields are facing problems similar to those confronting ONGC’s Imperial Energy.
The D1&D3 fields in KG-D6 block were originally certified to hold 10.03 Trillion cubic feet of proved plus probable (2P) reserves, of which about 2 Tcf have already been produced in last three years.
Minister for Backward Classes Welfare Basavaraj Saraiah on Thursday stated that the Telangana leaders oppose tooth and nail declaring Hyderabad as Union Territory.
Talking to media persons, Basavaraj Saraiah said that the proposal of making Hyderabad as union territory and separate Telangana state without Hyderabad was not acceptable to region people under any circumstances. However, he said that the leaders are ready to accept the Rayala Telangana, formed with the merger of four districts in Rayalaseema region.
In a setback to 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy victims, a US court has held that neither Union Carbide nor its former chairman Warren Anderson were liable for environmental remediation or pollution-related claims at the firm’s former chemical plant in Bhopal.
In a first, the Central Vigilance Commission has been chosen to lead a global task force to promote international cooperation in enforcement and prevention of corruption offences.
The objectives of the task force is to facilitate exchange of information about anti-corruption organisations, systems, procedures and practices.
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee Thursday again appealed to the Trinamool Congress to support his candidature for the country’s top post.
Mukherjee, who filed his nomination Thursday for the July 19 presidential election, said he will start his campaign from June 30 and it will continue till July 15.
Hamas on Thursday said that one of its members was assassinated in his home in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
An official in the Palestinian militant movement said Kamal Ghanaja was a former aide to Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior commander who was assassinated in Dubai in 2010.
The official said Hamas had been informed that a group of people entered Ghanaja’s home, killed him and took some files. He said a senior member of the movement has gone to Damascus to follow the official investigations.
He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
US President Barack Obama has discussed current volatile situation in Iran and Syria as well as global energy prices with UAE’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the White House said.
The two leaders discussed the ongoing negotiations with Iran on its nuclear programme and the three Gulf islands whose sovereignty is disputed between the UAE and Iran, said a joint statement issued after the meeting held at the White House yesterday.
Former Pakistani minister Sheikh Rashid, known for his pro-LeT leanings, was detained at Houston airport on arrival for his possible links with the terror group’s founder Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks.
61-year-old Rashid, leader of the Awami Muslim League of Pakistan, was detained soon after he arrived by an Emirates flight last evening and was freed after five hours of interrogation.
Sources said Rashid was detained for his possible links with Saeed.
It is understood that he was scheduled to attend a fundraiser and meetings with his supporters in the US.
Agitating Air India pilots today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress top brass to step in to resolve the impasse over the 52-day long strike, as the condition of some of them on protest fast worsened.
The Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG), which is spearheading the agitation and the five-day-old hunger strike, shot off letters to Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, seeking their “urgent intervention to resolve the prolonged agitation”.
Jammu and Kashmir police have launched a crackdown on youths allegedly involved in stone-pelting incidents that erupted in the old city following the destruction of the 200-year-old shrine of Dastageer Sahib in Khanyar area on Monday.
Using video footage and photographs taken by undercover cops, the police has so far detained two dozen youths from various parts of the old city where stone-pelting took place on Monday after the Dastageer Sahib shrine was destroyed in a fire incident, police sources said.
The race to elect India’s 13th president formally began Thursday with both UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee and his rival Purno Sangma filing their nominations for the July 19 contest.
The result will be out July 22.
While Mukherjee sought the “blessing of god and cooperation of all” to get elected, Sangma termed his candidature “a victory of tribal unity.”
Both Mukherjee and Sangma said they will start their campaign Saturday, and expressed the hope that the mercurial Mamata Banerjee would rally on their side.
While opposed to Mukherjee, Banerjee has still not supported Sangma.
The US would have to rely on “more extensive” use of airlift during the 2014 drawdown of troops from Afghanistan if the ground routes closed by Pakistan do not open in time, a top Pentagon commander has said.
He also acknowledged that the closure of ground lines of communication (GLOCs) by Pakistan in protest against the NATO raid that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November last year has proved to be costly for the United States.
In volatile trade, Sensex rose for the third straight day today edging up 23 points, led by FMCG, power and PSU stocks, amid hopes that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will take steps to boost the economy and halt the rupee slide.
The BSE benchmark index, which had gained 86 points in the last two trading sessions, traded in a narrow 115-point range and closed at 16,990.76, up 23 points or 0.14 per cent.
In 30-share Sensex, 15 counters including Tata Steel, Hero MotoCorp, NTPC, ITC, Coal India, Tata Power and TCS gained in the 1-1.8 per cent range.
Around 4.5 kg of heroin was seized from a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft bound for London and staff at the Karachi airport have been identified as prime suspects, a media report said on Thursday.
The heroin was placed within panelling in the toilets of the aircraft, Customs spokesman Qamar Thalho was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.
The narcotics, wrapped in plastic bags, were found by the Drug Enforcement Cell on Wednesday.
Pregnant women who work more than 25 hours a week and those who stand “often” in jobs more likely to have smaller children, a study has found.
They weigh up to half a pound (200g) less than average at birth.
One explanation is that more physically demanding work may reduce the flow of blood to the placenta, limiting the amount of nutrients and oxygen going to the foetus.
Experts do not know why working long hours in an office job would have a similar effect, but it may be due to stress, Daily Mail reported Thursday.