Month: August 2012

SC directs fresh trial of Delhi 1997 blast accused

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The Supreme Court on Friday directed a fresh trial of a terror accused whose conviction and sentencing had been set aside by a court bench on grounds that the accused was not provided with legal assistance but was split on the future course of action.

Directing the de novo trial of Mohammad Hussain alias Zulfikar Ali, accused in 1997 bomb blast in Delhi, the court said: “The nature of the incident and the circumstances in which it occurred speak volume about the very grave nature of offence.”

Build one lakh houses for poor: Kamal Nath

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Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath Friday said the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) should construct at least 100,000 Economically Weaker Section (EWS) houses every year.

“Houses for the Economically Weaker Section and Lower Income Group (LIG) is the priority for Delhi. DDA has already started construction 20,000 of EWS houses,” Nath said Friday.

The minister also said that the need for EWS housing could be met only if one lakh houses are built every year.

Bias against girl child unacceptable: President

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President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said bias against girl child prevailing in some sections of the society is totally unacceptable and suggested raising public awareness to check it.

In a meeting with the participants of ‘Save Girl Child’ skating rally here, the President congratulated the organisers for taking up the responsibility of building awareness on an important subject relating to the girl child.

Kejriwal & group tries to placate Bedi but with little success

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Activist Arvind Kejriwal on Friday reached out to placate erstwhile Team Anna member Kiran Bedi, who was distancing from them on targeting BJP, an issue which remained unresolved even after the meeting.

Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Kumar Vishwas and Sanjay Singh went to Bedi’s residence this evening and held discussions for over an hour to explain their position.

Sharad Yadav flays Digvijay for attacking CAG

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Janata Dal(U) chief Sharad Yadav on Friday hit out at Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh for attacking CAG and asked all political parties to refrain from openly criticising constitutional bodies.

“This kind of controversy never took place on the report given by CAG. It is wrong to criticise CAG openly and in this manner. The remarks by Congress General Secretary (Digvijay Singh) are even worse,” Yadav told reporters here.

Congress trying to dilute coal block issue: Sinha

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Taking strong exception to Congress president Sonia Gandhi reportedly asking her party men to launch a counter-offensive against the BJP, former external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha on Friday accused Gandhi of being “arrogant” as her party was trying to “dilute” the coal block issue through debate.

NSA asked to tackle cyber security threat

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On Board PM’s Special Aircraft: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has directed the National Security Advisor to find a viable policy to tackle cyber terrorism threat.

“I have been asking my NSA to zero in the gaps to find a viable policy to tackle the menace of cyber terrorism threat,” Singh said.

The remarks were made in the backdrop of the exodus of NorthEastern people triggered by the rumours spread through using cyber space which carried morphed images and inflammatory videos after the Assam violence.

Tanker blast: 5 more succumb, toll touches 11

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With five more people succumbing to injuries in the last 24 hours, the toll in the August 29 night gas tanker blast at Chala in Kannur District of Kerala has risen to 11. Police said Abdul Razaq (58), Lakshmanan, Homeo Dr Krishnan (78), his wife Devi and Nisha Rajan (19), who were admitted to different hospitals with severe burn injuries, succumbed. Remlath and Nirmla, wives of Razaq and Lakshmanan respectively, were among the six people who had died earlier. As many as 12 people, who had sustained severe burn injuries in the blast, were undergoing treatment.

1 killed, 3 injured in road accident

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One person was killed on the spot and three others, including two doctors, seriously injured when the car in which they were travelling collided with a lorry at Kalpadi Section road near here today. Police said the deceased was identified as Prabhakaran of Madurai. The occupants of the car were on their way to Chennai when the accident occurred. The injured were admitted to a private hospital at Tiruchirapalli, police added. Investigation was underway, police added.

—-UNI

BJP mum on Maya Kodnani’s sentence

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday refused to comment on the 28-year-sentence awarded to the party’s Gujarat legislator Maya Kodnani.

Kodnani was sentenced to 28 years in jail for her involvement in the Naroda Patiya riots during the post Godhara violence that erupted in Gujarat in 2002.

The BJP had earlier downplayed her conviction as being a “legal process”, saying it was just the decision of a lower court.

IANS

Going to the President’s House

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What would you do if you were invited to the President’s House for a friendly visit? If I was invited, I would feel very special, as the President of the country has selected me to come over! I would let my relatives and friends know about this great news. I would wear the best clothes, the best perfumes and try to look my best. I would postpone all my other activities for later and cancel any plans that I might have had for that day. If I met any friends on the way, I would tell them where I was going. Overall, I would be very excited to visit the President’s house.

Tech-savvy Modi chats live on net

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Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, an avid tweeter with almost 900,000 followers on the social networking site, Friday went a step further – becoming the first major Indian political leader to chat live on the net.

Modi hosted an interactive session on Google+ Hangout Friday evening with Bollywood star Ajay Devgn as host. The subject of the session was “Strong and Glorious India Long Cherished by Swami Vivekananda”.

Splitsville for fast couple

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A couple in China who got hitched barely 10 minutes after an online chat have broken up eight months later.

Jin Qiying, a farmer in Heilongjiang province, divorced his wife, Zhang, as they used to have quarrels over trivial matters, reported Shanghai Daily citing Chongqing Economic Time.

Last February Jin had undertaken a journey to find a soulmate. His journey took him to more than 260 cities where he shouted out for his love in public squares.

Moved by Jin’s story, Zhang had an online video chat with him and they decided to tie the knot 10 minutes later.

Russians polled ‘worst dressed tourists’

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Russians have been found as world’s worst dressers in a poll involving over 12,000 people from six countries.

Conducted by Skyscanner, Europe’s leading travel search site, the survey found the Russian tourists have a bit of a style problem and are the worst dressers in the world.

The travel search site, surveyed people in six countries and asked them who they believed to be the home to the most stylish people and who were the biggest losers on the catwalk.

The Russians scored lowest with 13 points out of 60, especially in the eyes of the British, Spanish and Dutch.

Nargis Fakhri is HCL Infosystems’ brand ambassador

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Bollywood actress Nargis Fakhri has been signed on by HCL Infosystems Ltd., India’s premier hardware, services and ICT systems integration and distribution company, as its brand ambassador for its computing products.

Fakhri, whose Bollywood debut in “Rockstar” was one of the most awaited female debuts in recent times and was voted the most promising newcomer of 2011, “aligns with the youth-centric image of HCL Infosystems’ latest range of computing based offerings”, the company said Friday.

Mosque row: Irked by crowd, HC restricts presence in court

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Irked by the presence of a large crowd in the court room, the Delhi High Court today directed that only a restricted number of people may be present during hearing on alleged illegal construction by a local MLA and his supporters near Red Fort where purported ruins of a Mughal-era mosque were found.

UPA looting national resources: Prakash Karat

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The UPA government has been giving opportunities to multi-national and private companies to loot India’s natural resources, including coal, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said here Friday.

Demanding probe into the coal block allocations, Karat said: “The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government is providing scope to multi-national and private companies to ransack country’s resources.”

UN extends peacekeeping mission in Lebanon

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The UN Security Council has extended its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon for another year by unanimously adopting a resolution Thursday.

The resolution extends the mandate of the 11,500-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until Aug 31, 2013, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists.

The UN force has been in southern Lebanon since 1978 but was expanded after a 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon’s political party and militant Shia Muslim force, Hezbollah.

UNIFIL is tasked with overseeing a peace along the border between Lebanon and Israel.

Gawli gets life term for murdering Sena corporator

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Gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli was today sentenced to life imprisonment by a special MCOCA court in Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar murder case.

Special MCOCA court judge Prithviraj Chavan, while pronouncing the judgement here, also imposed a fine of Rs 17
lakhs on Gawli, failing which he will have to undergo an additional three-year imprisonment.

Ten others were also awarded life imprisonment in the case while accused Sunil Ghate was convicted only under Arms Act and has been sent to three years’ rigorous imprisonment.

Join armed forces, AMU chief says

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Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice chancellor Lt. Gen. Zamir Uddin Shah has urged students to consider armed forces as a profitable career option.

Gen Shah said that joining the military would bring both fortune and glory to them and their families besides providing them a great opportunity to serve their country.

Gen Shah was addressing a large gathering of school students at the orientation programme here.

He highlighted the benefits and advantages associated with a military career. He recalled his personal experiences.

Aamir Khan on Time cover as India’s ‘first superstar-activist’

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(IANS) Aamir Khan’s hugely successful TV show “Satyamev Jayate”, that focusing on burning issues facing India and ways of tackling them, has landed him on the cover of prestigious Time magazine as India’s “first superstar-activist.”

“He’s breaking the Bollywood mold by tackling India’s social evils. Can one actor change a nation?” asks the blurb on the cover of the Asia edition of the Sep 10 issue of the US magazine, which features a close-up of the actor looking intensely into the camera.

Nargis Fakhri is HCL Infosystems’ brand ambassador

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(IANS) Upcoming Bollywood actress Nargis Fakhri has been signed on by HCL Infosystems Ltd., India’s premier hardware, services and ICT systems integration and distribution company, as its brand ambassador for its computing products.

Fakhri, whose Bollywood debut in “Rockstar” was one of the most awaited female debuts in recent times and was voted the most promising newcomer of 2011, “aligns with the youth-centric image of HCL Infosystems’ latest range of computing based offerings”, the company said Friday.

CAG unravels Rs.14,000 crore cost overruns in hydro projects

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Delays in implementing 16 hydro power projects by four state-run generators, including NHPC, resulted in cost overruns of more than Rs.14,700 crore, India’s official auditor said Friday.

The CAG reviewed NHPC, SJVN Ltd, THDC India and NEEPCO and said the delays in commissioning of projects had led to the opportunity loss of generating 26,282.97 million units of electricity annually.