Month: June 2012

Sania tears apart AITA, doesn’t spare Paes and Bhupathi

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Indian woman tennis star Sania Mirza ripped apart the All India Tennis Association (AITA) for using her as a bait to pacify warring Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.

Sania, breaking her silence for the first time on the selection controversy, also came down heavily on the two stalwarts and Paes’ father Vece Paes.

Sania lashed out at the AITA for pairing her with Paes in the mixed doubles event as a bait so that the latter agrees to participate in the London Games.

Taliban commander killed in Pakistan

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A Pakistani Taliban commander was gunned down by police, Dawn reported Tuesday.

Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander Dara Adamkhel Umar was killed in Peshawar. Police recovered a grenade and a pistol from his possession.

Bihar to bring IT to madrassas

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The Bihar government plans soon to bring information technology (IT) to the state’s madrassas for modern education, Minority Welfare Minister Shahid Ali Khan has said.

“It’ll help madrassa students to learn about the benefits of IT in day-to-day life,” Khan said.

He said the government would spend Rs.28 crore on the project.

Though the union government began the process of modernising madrassas in 1994, the state government introduced the process in Bihar in 2002.

Zardari commutes Indian prisoner Sarabjit’s death sentence

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Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday commuted to life the death sentence of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh, who was convicted more than two decades ago for terrirism, a media report said.

The law ministry has now asked the interior ministry to take the process forward.

Sarabjit Singh, who is in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail, was convicted following bomb blasts in Multan and Lahore in 1990. His family had appealed to Zardari for his release.

Sania-Bethanie reach second round at Wimbledon

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India’s Sania Mirza and her American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands had it easy in the first round of the women’s doubles of the Wimbledon as they notched up a straight sets victory against Russian Alla Kudryavtseva and American Sloane Stephens here Tuesday.

The Indo-American pair won 6-4, 6-2 against the American-Russian combine in one hour and 24 minutes at the All England Club here.

Bombay Ghap shap : Lootera’ shaping up as memorable film: Ranveer

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Actor Ranveer Singh, who is currently shooting for “Lootera”, is confident that the film will be one of the best of his career.

“I really enjoyed the last three days. I am very happy with the scene we shot today, very happy with the way the film is going. It’s shaping up to be a film I am sure I will look back on with fond memories,” the 26-year-old said.

Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, “Lootera” stars Sonakshi Sinha opposite Ranveer and is slated for a March 29, 2013 release.

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Riteish finds audience bank bigger, dependable

Gilani’s son to contest for father’s seat

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Abdul Qadir Gilani, son of former Pakistani prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Tuesday submitted his nomination papers to contest a by-poll for the National Assembly seat vacated by his father.

Gilani vacated the Multan National Assembly seat in Punjab province after the Supreme Court disqualified him as prime minister.

Tuesday was the last date of filing nomination papers. Ten candidates are in the fray, The Nation reported. The election will be held July 19.

Country facing economic emergency: BJP

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Asserting that the country was facing an “economic emergency”, the BJP Tuesday said that the government is trying to protect the business interests of some foreign corporates and capitalists, due to which unemployment and inflation have touched the peak.

“The government’s economic liberalisation policy has turned into indebtedness to the US, following which the dollar has become dearer and the rupee has hit an all-time low,” said Bharatiya Janata Party vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi at a function here.

Pranab resigns, PM keeps finance ministry

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Pranab Mukherjee, a union minister for decades together, Tuesday resigned from the cabinet to contest the July 19 presidential election as the candidate of the ruling United Progressive Alliance.

“Today, I stand ready to embark on a new journey. I feel honoured and humbled on my nomination as a candidate to contest the presidential election,” Mukherjee told reporters outside the North Block office of his finance ministry before submitting the resignation letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

US stocks open higher

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US stocks opened higher Tuesday as data showed that home prices rose slightly in April.

The S&P/Case-Shiller Home price index, the leading measure of US home prices, showed that on average home prices increased by 1.3 percent in April for both the 10- and 20- City Composites, Xinhua reported.

As for eurozone concerns, Moody’s Monday downgraded 28 Spanish banks’ long-term debt and deposit ratings by one to four notches.

However, investors thought it was somehow too late and had already priced in by the market. Financial shares went up on the morning trading section Tuesday.

Rajasthan girl killed, lover critical in suicide pact

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A 14-year-old girl and her 25-year-old boyfriend consumed poison and then jumped into a well in Rajasthan’s Sikar district Monday, police said. She died while his condition is critical.

The girl’s body was retrieved from the well early Monday morning, while the man is undergoing treatment at a hospital. Police said that during preliminary investigation, it was found both had attempted suicide over opposition to their relations from their families.

According to the police, the incident took place in Sawaipura village in the district, some 150 km from Jaipur.

Odisha gang rape: Doctors protest action

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(IANS) Doctors in Odisha Tuesday protested police action against three medics for allegedly not taking care of a gangrape victim who died after more than six months of treatment at a hospital.

The Odisha Medical Services Association, an organisation of over 4,000 doctors, said the crime branch of the state police has filed charge sheet against the doctors, alleging that they violated the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocity) Act.

Sangma fails to get Mamata’s support

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(IANS) Presidential candidate Purno A. Sangma Tuesday sought support from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee but failed to get it.

Sangma termed the meeting as “very good” and said he was leaving Kolkata with a “lot of hope”. Banerjee told him that a decision on supporting him would be taken after discussions in the party.

“I had come to request Mamatadi for support. The meeting was very good. Apart from the presidential polls, we also discussed the political scenario in the country.

Missing engineer’s wife questions Nitish Kumar’s silence

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(IANS) The wife of Bihar engineer Fasih Mehmood, who has been missing since he was allegedly arrested in Saudi Arabia and deported to India, Tuesday questioned the “silence” of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the central government’s failure to trace him.

“I fail to understand Nitish Kumar’s silence on the issue and his reluctance to give us an assurance of help to trace my husband,” Nikhat Parveen told newspersons here after submitting a memorandum to the state governor.

Kiran retained YSR’s 45 thieves: TDP

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TDP has alleged that administration has come to a stand still in the state and demanded imposition of President’s rule.

Talking to the media here on Tuesday, party senior leaders Bojjala Gopala Krishna Reddy and Gali Muddu Krishnama Naidu said that corruption was rampant in the State as Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy was continuing late chief minister Rajasekhara Reddy’s (Alibaba) 45 thieves in his cabinet. They said it was unfortunate that such a government was being allowed to continue in power.

Pranab to meet AP Legislative Assembly Cong members on July 1

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UPA Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee will have a meeting with the Congress members of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly here on July one, party sources said.

He will meet with the Congress MLAs, MLCs and MPs at Jubilee Hall here. The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has sent a communication to all its legislators to attend the meeting without fail, the sources said.

Congress has a strength of 155 in the 294-member House. The city-based Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), which has a strength of seven MLAs, has announced support for Mukherjee’s candidature.

Habibullah bats for reforms in policing system

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Lamenting that cops who played a partisan role in sensitive situations had gone unpunished, National Commission for Minorities Chairperson Wajahat Habibullah today stressed on the need for police reform which would ensure that the guilty are brought to book.

Habibullah, who was speaking at an interaction organised by the European Union in support of torture victims, said policemen accused of murder in Hashimpura killings even managed to get promotions under the present system.

–Agencies

End uncertainty in state by resolving T issue: Kishen Reddy

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BJP state president G Kishen Reddy on Tuesday demanded the all parties to make their stand clear on Telangana statehood issue to put an end to uncertainty in the State.

Addressing the district president and office-bearers meeting at party office, Nampally, Kishen Reddy appealed to the Centre to take steps for bifurcating the state by moving a bill on Telangana in the parliament and restore the peace and harmony in the State.

CM reviews poll debacle with PCC, ministers

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Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday convened a review meeting with Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana and six other in-charge ministers, who were appointed to look into by-elections in constituencies at his Camp Office over the party drubbing in the recent by-elections.

Ten girls rescued from Delhi brothels

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Ten teenaged girls were rescued from Delhi’s G.B. Road brothels, police said Tuesday.

The girls, aged 15 to 18 years, were rescued Monday.

“They belong to poor families and were brought to Delhi on the pretext of providing them employment,” said Additional Commissioner of Police Devesh Srivastava.

The raid was conducted after an NGO told police that a minor girl who was missing from West Bengal was confined at a brothel.

Of the 10 girls, nine are from West Bengal while one is from Bihar.

Will deeply miss you: PM writes to Pranab Mukherjee

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday conveyed his deep sense of gratitude to Pranab Mukherjee, who quit as finance minister, for his invaluable contribution to the government over the last eight years and said he would be “deeply missed”.

In a letter to Mukherjee, Singh recalled that he and his cabinet colleagues had benefitted from his “wise counsel” on innumerable occasions and will “deeply miss” his presence.

“Our government owes a deep debt of gratitude to you for your invaluable contribution to its work over the last eight years,” he said.

CM announces Rs 1,10,945 crore annual credit plan for 2012-13

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Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday announced Rs 1,10,945 crore annual credit plan for the 2012-13 fiscal with a targeted lending of Rs 82,167 crore to the priority sector, including Rs 52,972 crore for agriculture and allied activities.

Releasing the 2012-13 annual credit plan at the State-Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) meeting at Jubilee Hall, the Chief Minister directed the banks to increase the ‘scale of finance’ by 15-20 per cent this year.

Omar appeals for peace, promises to rebuild gutted shrine

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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday called for peace and assured the people that the 17th century shrine of Peer Dastgeer will be restored to its original glory and the best possible expertise engaged for the restoration work.

Except for some stray incidents of stone pelting in the city by some youths, the day passed off peacefully amid tight restrictions imposed by the authorities in six police station areas of the city.

Preity thanks SRK, Manisha Koirala ‘Dil se’

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Now that Preity Zinta is working with a new actor in her debut production “Ishkq In Paris” (IIP), she says she appreciates Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala’s behaviour towards her during “Dil Se…” even more.

“Must confess that I appreciate Shah Rukh and Manisha being so amazing to me in ‘Dil Se..’ even more now as I am working with a new actor in IIP,” tweeted Preity.

The new actor is reportedly TV actor Gaurav Chanana, who has been rechristened Rhehaan.
Meanwhile, she is excited about having French actress Isabelle Adjani in the cast.

Zardari commutes Indian prisoner Sarabjit’s death sentence

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Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday commuted to life the death sentence of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh, who was convicted more than two decades ago for terrorism, a media report said.

The law ministry has now asked the interior ministry to take the process forward.

Sarabjit Singh, who is in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail, was convicted following bomb blasts in Multan and Lahore in 1990. His family had appealed to Zardari for his release.

IANS