Afghan police killed 17 Taliban militants and wounded five others across the country since Sunday, said Interior Ministry in a statement Monday.
“Afghan National Police backed by army and the NATO-led coalition forces launched seven operations in Nangarhar, Kandahar, Logar, Khost and Helmand provinces over the past 24 hours during which 17 Taliban were killed, five wounded and two others were arrested,” said the statement, reported Xinhua
A 30-year old woman was sent to a shelter home in Rajasthan’s Dholpur Monday after she was rescued from a human trafficking gang which had sold her to four different men over the past one year, police said.
A case of rape has been registered against at least six men, they added.
“The woman was rescued from Basaidaang area of Dholpur district Sunday. We had acted on a tip-off. No one could be arrested from the house as its occupants had fled at the time of the raid,” a police officer told IANS.
Around 150-200 people present at Jantar Mantar, the venue of the protest by Anna Hazare, allegedly broke down barricades and manhandled media persons late Monday, according to a reporter present at the spot.
The incident occurred after Team Anna member Shanti Bhushan claimed that media was not giving proper coverage to the protest, said the reporter who did not want to be identified.
IAC members Manish Sisodia, who is on fast at the venue, and Kumar Vishwas later tried to pacify the crowd.
No police case has been registered.
The following is the medals’ tally of the 2012 London Olympics Monday.
Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
China 8 4 2 14
US 3 5 5 13
Italy 2 4 2 8
France 2 1 3 6
South Korea 2 1 2 5
Russia 2 0 3 5
North Korea 2 0 1 3
Kazakhstan 2 0 0 2
Japan 1 3 3 7
Romania 1 2 0 3
Australia 1 1 1 3
Brazil 1 1 1 3
Hungary 1 1 1 3
Netherlands 1 1 0 2
Georgia 1 0 0 1
South Africa 1 0 0 1
Great Britain 0 1 1 2
Colombia 0 1 0 1
Cuba 0 1 0 1
Mexico 0 1 0 1
Poland 0 1 0 1
Thailand 0 1 0 1
Chinese Taipei 0 1 0 1
Ukraine 0 0 2 2
Azerbaijan 0 0 1 1
Belgium 0 0 1 1
Canada 0 0 1 1
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has reportedly been forced to cancel his two days tour of Ajmer following security concerns, informed sources said Monday. Gehlot’s office however said the trip was cancelled due to his ill-health.
Sources close to state intelligence bureau told IANS that the security concerns were raised following a recent campaign in which posters equating him with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi surfaced in some minority-dominated areas in Ajmer.
India’s doubles entries Leander Paes and Vishnu Vardhan and the seventh seeded pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna crossed the first hurdle in the men’s tennis event of the 2012 London Olympics here Monday.
The unseeded pair of Paes and Vardhan moved into the second round with a hard fought victory over Netherlands’ Jean-Julien Rojer and Robin Haase at the Wimbledon. The Indian pair won 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-2 in an hour and 52 minutes.
Victories for Saina Nehwal in the women’s singles and Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa in the doubles capped of a brilliant day for the Indian badminton contingent at the London Olympics Monday.
Fourth seed Saina made her way to the pre-quarters singles with a straight sets victory over unseeded Belgian Lianne Tan.
The world no.5 won 21-4, 21-14 in just 24 minutes in the group E match at the Wembley Arena.
It was easy going for the Indian in the first game, while complacency got the better of her in the second as Tan, ranked 45, made a valiant effort.
The Election Commission today directed the Krishna district Collector and Election Officer to register a case against Andhra Pradesh secondary education minister K Parthasarathy for filing an “inaccurate affidavit” during the 2009 Assembly elections concealing the fact that he was chargesheeted in a FERA violation case.
The minister was last week convicted in the case and awarded a two-month jail term, besides a fine of Rs 5crores.
–Agencies
A retired Revenue Department official in Andhra Pradesh has been arrested for possessing disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 2.48 crore, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said today.
Thupakula Anjana Devi, a former Tehsildar of Kallur mandal in Kurnool district, was arrested yesterday on charges of amassing assets which were in excess to her known sources of income, an ACB official said here.
–Agencies
Around 100 people fell sick after eating at an iftar party here in North 24 Parganas district, a health official said today.
Chief Medical Officer of North 24 Parganas Sukanta Sil said around 100 people fell ill after having food at an iftar party at Bankra near Birati last night.
Several of them complained of vomitting, nausea and illness, the CMO said, adding all of them were admitted to various hospitals across the city.
–Agencies
Unidentified persons allegedly looted cash and jewellery worth nearly Rs 50 lakh from a house near here.
The incident occurred last night when one Gouri Shankar (70) and his family members were sleeping in their home in Birkhari village. The robbers entered the house by scaling the rear wall of the house, police said.
They allegedly decamped with Rs 2 lakh in cash, silver and gold jewellery and other valuables worth nearly Rs 48 lakh, police said.
–Agencies
Kampli MLA T H Suresh Babu, who is allegedly involved in cash-for-bail scam of former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, on Monday surrendered before the Anti Corruption Bureau officials at Nampally.
According to the ACB soources, Bellary (Urban) MLA Gali Somasekhar Reddy, brother of Gali and Kampli MLA T H Suresh Babu have not been in public view after the scam broke out. The ACB has served notices on these two MLAs directing them to appear before the investigating agency within three days.
The High Court today struck down a Public Interest Litigation against CBI Joint Director V V Lakshmi Narayana that he was leaking information about his investigations.
One Bhavanam Bhushanam of Guntur filed the PIL in which he stated that the CBI officer was leaking information about details of investigation to select media about investigation into cases, including disproportionate assets case against Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, Emaar Properties and OMC cases.
Director General of Police V. Dinesh Reddy inaugurated Central Police Canteen at City Police Commissionerate here on Monday.
Speaking on the occasion, Dinesh Reddy said the Canteen will supply all types of goods to the para-military, CISF, BSF and other Army personnel. He pointed out that Army personnel in 11 States were availing the Canteen services across the country.
He said that it was the first of its kind in the State. He also said that he was making efforts to get the goods exempted from VAT. Some 42,000 families would be benefited by the Canteen, he added.
–Agencies
Two policemen surrendered before a court in Rajasthan Monday in the alleged staged shootout killing of criminal Dara Singh in 2006, a lawyer said.
Inspector Rajesh Choudhary and Assistant Sub-inspector Arvind Bhardwaj were untraceable for the last 14 months.
Additional District Judge Anita Sharma here remanded Choudhary and Bhardwaj in judicial custody till Aug 3, he added.
The number of policemen arrested in the case has now gone up to 13.
The first bio-inspired microbot is capable of not just walking on water but jumping up and down on the water’s surface like the insect, a study shows.
Qinmin Pan and colleagues from Harbin Institute of Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, reported a number of advances toward tiny robots that can walk on water.
However, even the most advanced designs, including one from Pan’s team last year – can only walk on water. Pan noted that real water striders actually leap, the journal Applied Materials & Interfaces reported.
At least five people were killed early Monday in a fire that broke out at a TV studio here, a media report said.
Twelve people were injured in the blaze that erupted in the studio of a private TV channel in Garhi Shahu area, Geo News reported.
The fire broke out during Sehr transmission of the TV channel.
Three of the injured are in a critical condition.
The Delhi High Court Monday allowed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to remove the illegal construction at the excavation site of a purported mosque near the historic Jama Masjid.
A special bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri, Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice Rajiv Shakdher asked the ASI to implement its order dated July 19 in which it directed North Delhi Municipal Corporation to remove the unauthorised construction within 15 days.
Britons in advanced age groups resent being called “pensioners” or “elderly”, a new survey shows.
According to the survey by retirement income specialists MGM Advantage, such people want to be known as grey panthers or even silver surfers.
The study found that both the government and society in general are upsetting 97 percent of over-65s by using terms they dislike.
Other preferred options of these people include “senior citizen” and “retired person”.
In a bid to resolve the dispute over land allotted to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus in Murshidabad, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday said the varsity will be provided with 273 acres of land for setting up the institution.
Initially, during the Left Front regime, the Aligarh Muslim University was allotted 288 acres of land to set up its campus in Murshidabad district. But later on, problems cropped up over 15 acres of land within the allocated 288 acres over compensation and some political issues.
Iran will file a complaint against the US and the European Union (EU) for imposing unilateral sanctions on the country without the approval of the UN Security Council, Press TV reported.
“The complaint will be registered and pursued soon based on international regulations,” said Majid Jafarzadeh, head of the Presidential Center for International Legal Affairs.
Jafarzadeh said the centre that he runs was established to provide consultations to ministries and state bodies as well as to individuals who had been arrested for countering the sanctions.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram Monday visited the violence-affected districts of Kokrajhar and Chirang in Assam and reviewed the security scenario as well as the relief and rehabilitation measures initiated by the state government.
Chidambaram is scheduled to visit some of the violence-affected areas of Dhubri district Tuesday before returning to New Delhi. The over week-long violence between the Bodos and the Bengali-speaking Muslim settlers from July 19 left 56 dead and lakhs homeless.
Congress MP K. Chiranjeevi and Telugu Desam party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu blamed the negligence by the railways for Monday’s train disaster at Nellore.
Both the leaders visited Nellore railway station and inspected the compartment, which was gutted in the fire killing 35 people.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy too appeared unhappy with the railways and pointed out that this is second such incident in the state in less than three months.
A 34-year-old Delhi Police constable was arrested here for cheating a widow whom he married to allegedly extract the compensation amount which she had got after the death of her first husband, police said Monday.
Kumar, who was already married, allegedly married in 2004 Suneeta, 29, whose first husband had died a year ago in a road accident.
Kumar was posted at Delhi Police training centre in Malviya Nagar. He was arrested from south Dehi’s Govindpuri Saturday, said a police official.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday referred the issue of implications of amendment to taxation of portfolio investment on FIIs and portfolio investors to the Expert Committee on general anti-avoidance rule or GAAR.
The amendment to the Income Tax Act relates to the taxation of non-resident transfer of assets where the underlying asset is in India.