Month: July 2012

Baba Ramdev aide Balkrishna’s judicial remand extended

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A local court on Monday extended by 14 days the judicial remand of Balkrishna, a close aide of yoga guru Ramdev, in a case of forgery and violation of the Indian Passport Act.

Chief Judicial Magistrate SS Rawat extended his judicial remand till August 13, official sources said.

Balkrishna, who appeared before the CJM court, was later sent back to Suddhowala jail, they said.

Balkrishna had filed his bail application before District and Sessions Judge Raj Krishan earlier and it would come up for hearing tomorrow.

Saudi king saves man from death sentence

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A Saudi man sentenced to death for murdering another Saudi during a fight was saved from the gallows after the victim’s father pardoned him in response to a plea by King Abdullah, a newspaper reported on Monday.

Abdullah Nassir Al Qahtani has been in prison for nearly seven years waiting to be beheaded before he was told by his jailers the penalty has been annulled.

“When I was sent to jail, I felt it was the end…I had waited to be beheaded any day and every day was like a year for me,” he told Okaz daily.

Fan seeks inspiration from Salman Khan, commits a murder

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Indian fans idolise their favourite Bollywood celebrities and no one can question that fact, but not all fans like to take home the good things that they learn from Bollywood movies. A recent example of the same would be Salman Khan’s fan Talha Mohammed Munaf Ansari, who murdered a man after taking inspiration from Salman Khan’s masala act in Prabhu Deva’s ‘Wanted’.

According to report published in a leading tabloid, Ansari was inspired by a one-liner from Salman’s film and thereby killed and robbed a courier firm employee to honour his commitment of repaying a loan he had taken.

Kiran Shocked; Leaves For Nellore To Console Victims

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Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy will leave for Nellore by 12.45 pm flight via Tirupati to console the victims of the ghastly fire accident in the Chennai bound Tamil Nadu Express near Nellore Railway Station early hours of today. He will return to Hyderabad via Chennai by evening flight.

The Chief Minister expressed shock and anguish over the accident and said that it is very unfortunate. He conveyed his heart-felt condolences to the members of the bereaved families.

Iran to file complaint against US, EU over sanctions

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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.

Advani visits Shatrughan in hospital

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Veteran BJP leader L K Advani visited actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who is recuperating in a city hospital here after a bypass surgery, and wished him speedy recovery.

Advani went to Kokilaben hospital in suburban Andheri straight from the airport last night and spent over an hour with the actor-turned BJP leader.

“He enquired from the doctors about me and like a family elder told me to strictly follow the medical suggestions prescribed,” Sinha told PTI from his hospital room.

I dunno, says John on marriage plans

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His marriage plans have always drawn public interest, but for now Bollywood actor John Abraham says he has no clue about his marriage.

The 39-year-old, who is said to be dating investment banker Priya Runchal, says his free time is best utilised when he is with his family.

Asked when he is extending that family, John told IANS: “You know honestly, I really don’t know!”

“But I (like to) spend a lot of time with my family. In this hustle and bustle of trying to reach somewhere, that’s the best thing. We are all family people at the end of the day.

7-yr-old raped, murdered by family friend in Nashik

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A seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered by a family friend on the Mumbai-Agra national highway here, police said today.

The girl’s body was found near the Meenatai Thackarey stadium here yesterday, police said.

The seven-year-old went missing from her house on July 28.

Later, the victim’s parents told police that one of their family friends, Yogesh Ramdas Khade, had come to their house on Saturday evening and gone out with the girl, they said.

–PTi

Restore religious places damaged during riots, Gujarat ordered

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The Supreme Court Monday declined to suspend the Gujarat High Court order directing the state government to pay for the repair of religious places damaged during 2002 riots.

However, an apex court bench of Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Justice Deepak Misra left it to the state government to formulate a scheme for the restoration of the religious places damaged during the riots.

PM condoles loss of lives in Tamil Nadu Express fire mishap

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Condoling the loss of lives in the fire accident in the Tamil Nadu Express, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked the Railway Ministry to render all assistance to the affected. Expressing shock and grief over the mishap that took place near New Delhi: Condoling the loss of lives in the fire accident in the Tamil Nadu Express, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked the Railway Ministry to render all assistance to the affected.

Expressing shock and grief over the mishap that took place near Nellore, Singh conveyed his sympathies to the kin of those who died in the accident.

Modi appreciators being victimised, says BJP

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The Bharatiya Janata Party Monday said those appreciating Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi were becoming “victim of the worst kind of vote bank politics” and questioned the “silence” of the Congress over communal riots in Assam.

Addressing media a day after Congress MP Vijay Darda was pulled up for remarks lauding Modi, which he later retracted, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad called it a campaign against the Gujarat chief minister.

Patna prostitution ring busted, Bengal women held

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Patna police have arrested 12 persons — five women and seven men — allegedly involved in prostitution ring in the posh Patliputra colony here, the police said today.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team from the Patliputra police station nabbed the six persons during raids conducted at an apartment building in Patliputra and two other houses in Nehru Nagar locality yesterday.

Most of the women are from West Bengal, the sources said adding six of the arrested men were customers and one was a pimp, the sources said.

liquor bottles, cash and cell phones from these places.

Zardari’s donation to Ajmer Dargah soon: Pakistan‎ Oneindia

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Pakistan on Monday said arrangements are in place to make the donation as announced by its President Asif Ali Zardari to the Dargah of revered Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer in April.

Reacting to media reports on the issue, Pakistan High Commission issued a brief statement terming them as “speculative” and said the “arrangements are in hand” to make the donation as announced.

“The High Commission thanks the Government of India, the State Authorities, and the Dargah Committees for their cooperation in this regard,” it said.

Court convicts 22, acquits 61 in Deepda Darwaza riots case

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A local court today convicted 22 accused in the 2002 Deepda Darwaza riots case in which 11 persons of a family were killed in the aftermath of the Godhra train carnage, but absolved them of the serious charges of murder and criminal conspiracy.

Designated special judge SC Srivastava acquitted 61 others out of the total 83 accused in the case, including former BJP MLA Prahlad Gosa and ex-municipal president of BJP Dayabhai Patel.

PM expresses shock, grief

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(Siasat News)Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday condoles the loss of lives in the fire accident in the Tamil Nadu Express

Expressing shock and grief Dr. Singh Conveyed his sympathies to the kin of the passenger who died in the accident.

He asked Andhra government to coordinate with Railway Department and speed up rescue and relief measures. He also said to assistant the kin of the passenger who died in the accident.

India’s forex reserves rise by $589 mn

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India’s foreign exchange (forex) reserves grew by USD 589 million to USD 287.34 billion for the week ended July 20, central bank data showed.

Foreign currency assets, the biggest component of the forex reserves kitty, increased by USD 565.5 million to USD 255.10 billion for the week under review, according to weekly statistical supplement released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Sensex rallies to one-week high; up 179 pts on all-round buying

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The BSE benchmark Sensex rallied past the 17k mark on Monday to one-week high, up 179 points in because of all-round buying on the back of renewed foreign capital inflows and firm Asian cues.

Sensex resumed higher at 16,919.14 and firmed up further to 17,035.17 before quoting at 17,018.60 at 1015hrs, showing a smart gain of 179.41 points or 1.07 percent from its last weekend close.

The NSE 50-share Nifty also rose further 52.85 points or 1.04 percent to 5,152.70 at 1015 hrs.

China: Patrol ship to protect ‘marine sovereignty’

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China has launched its largest and “most advanced” patrol vessel as part of its efforts to assert “marine sovereignty” amid escalating disputes with neighbouring countries over a host of islands in the South China Sea.

The new vessels Haixun 01 was launched from Wuhan, Hubei province, last weekend.

The new flagship is the first patrol vessel capable of completing both maritime surveillance and rescue missions, the Shanghai Maritime Bureau (SMB), which will manage the ship said.

Anna Hazare’s health stable on second day of fast

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Social activist Anna Hazare continued with his indefinite hunger-strike Monday with a low turnout at his ongoing anti-graft rally at Jantar Mantar here.

The 75-year-old Hazare looked fit on the second day of his fast that he started Sunday.

According to a health bulletin issued by the India Against Corruption (IAC), the group that supports Hazare, the septuagenarian’s blood pressure was recorded normal with pulse rate stable at 89.

His blood sugar level was normal at 98.

Life tough for Pak’s future women judges: Daily

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A Pakistani daily welcomed the government’s decision to appoint women to the Judiciary, but cautioned that “future women Justices are going to find life on the bench no easier than they do in every other aspect of their lives”.

An editorial in the News International Monday said that President Asif Ali Zardari has declared that the government has decided to appoint women to the judiciary, “a move that can only be supported at the same time as noting that it is a move long overdue”.

Bilawal awarded BA Honours degree at Oxford

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Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s son Bilawal has been awarded a BA Honours degree at a convocation of the Oxford University.

The degree was awarded to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party, at the convocation held yesterday, the PPP said in a statement on Sunday.

He was accompanied to the event by his aunt Sanam Bhutto and sister Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari.

Bilawal graduated with BA Honours in modern history and politics.

ISAF rebukes Pakistan over cross-border attacks

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The US-led security coalition in Afghanistan has taken strong exception to a claim by Pakistan that it has done little to stop militants from using Afghan territory as a springboard for attacks on its forces.

Pakistan’s military says it has notified the NATO-led force in Afghanistan 52 times about cross-border movement from Pakistan into Afghanistan by militants, without any response from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

London Olympics: Saina, Jai Bhagwan add lustre to India`s campaign

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India`s star shuttler Saina Nehwal eased out her opening match rival and boxer Jai Bhagwan joined his more illustrious team mate Vijender Singh in the round of 16 to raise India`s hopes on a rain-truncated day at the London Olympic Games here Sunday.

Rower Swaran Singh Virk brought more happy tidings as he entered the men`s single sculls quarterfinals, but the story of success ended there as archers continued to be off target, shooters misfired and the lone surviving paddler crashed out of reckoning.

New type of white blood cell discovered

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Scientists have identified a new type of white blood cell which activates a killing immune response to an external source paving the way for better vaccine strategies to treat cancer.

Researchers in Newcastle and Singapore have identified a subset of dendrite cells that can generate a response to an external source of antigen, for example bacteria, vaccines and tumours.

Most cells can only present antigens from within themselves, and so only elicit an immune response if they are infected themselves.

Africa eyes India`s winning plan to fight AIDS

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A highly successful AIDS prevention programme launched in India by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has evoked great interest in Africa where over two thirds of people with the deadly disease live.

“There is so much demand for these learnings in Africa,” Alkesh Wadhwani, head of the foundation`s India programmes, told IANS.

“Multiple countries visit us and seek all the tools and techniques we use to scale up their programme with sex workers,” said Wadhwani who was here to attend the just concluded International AIDS Conference.