Month: August 2012

Kejriwal, other anti-corruption activists detained, released

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Several anti-corruption activists, including Arvind Kejriwal, were detained but later released when they tried to stage a protest outside the residences of the prime minister and Congress president here Sunday, police said.

The activists would hold their protest at Jantar Mantar, an India Against Corruption member said.

Manish Sisodia and Kumar Viswas were the other leaders who were detained early morning and taken to the police station.

Giant Persian rug sets Guinness record

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A gigantic Persian carpet woven in the Iranian city of Nishapur has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest handmade rug.

Iran’s Press TV reported that the 133-by-48 metre rug weighs 48 tonnes and took 1,200 people 18 months to make.

Iran Carpet Company head Mohammad Reza Abed said the carpet currently adorns a mosque in Abu Dhabi, where it receives some 2,000 visitors a day.

Iran accounts for about 75 percent of the worldwide trade in Persian carpets.

4 killed as roof of building collapses

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Four people were killed when a part of the roof of a 120-year old building, housing shops collapsed in Mysore today following heavy rains in the city, police said.

Fire force officials extricated four bodies from the debris, they said. The deceased included the owner of a book shop and a woman employee.

Heavy rains lashing the city for the past two to three days probably weakened the roof of the Landsdowne Building, a landmark structure in the heart of the City of Palaces, police said.

Rajasthan panchayat bans use of mobile by girls

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After girls in a Uttar Pradesh village were banned from using mobile phones about a month ago, a village panchayat in Rajasthan has prohibited minor girls from carrying mobiles and directed them to cover their heads when going out of home.

The village council has also ordered minor boys not to play music on their mobile phones.

The restrictions have been imposed in Kishorpura village near Udaipurwati town of Jhunjhunu district, some 200 km from here.

4 killed in military helicopter crash

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Iran says a military helicopter has crashed near the Iraqi border, killing all four people aboard.

The official IRNA news agency says a technical problem caused the chopper to go down on Saturday as it was preparing to land in Sardasht, about 10 kilometres from the Iraqi border in northwestern Iran.

The report says one Revolutionary Guard member and three crew members were killed.

No other details were immediately available.

–PTI

TDP holds protest at Krishna barrage in AP

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Principal opposition Telugu Desam Party on Saturday held a sit-in protest at Krishna barrage here demanding immediate release of water from Nagarjunsagar dam to four coastal districts reeling under scarcity conditions.

Besides TDP legislators and MPs from the districts of Krishna, West Godavari, Guntur and Prakasam, a large number of farmers from Krishna Delta too participated in the agitation against the “failure” of the Andhra Pradesh government in protecting their interests.

China road accident kills dozens

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At least 28 people were killed early Sunday in a collision between a bus and a methanol-loaded tanker in northwest China’s Shaanxi province, police said.

The two vehicles caught fire after the collision in Yan’an city around 2 a.m., Xinhua reported.

Three people survived, but suffered injuries, police said.

A total of 28 bodies have been found in the vehicle wreckage.

The exact toll is not known as the number of people in the 39-seater bus could not be determined.

–IANS

Two crore vacancies to be filled in govt organisations

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There were over two crore vacancies across many government organisations ranging from the bank sector to the CBI, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, V Narayanasamy, said here on Saturday.

These vacancies were in different sectors and would be filled soon, he said, inaugurating the ‘Question Bank Workshop on English Language and Comprehension’ organised by the Staff Selection Commission’s Southern Regional Office here.

Finance Min P Chidambaram hits back at BJP

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Hitting out at BJP for disruption of Parliament on coal block allocations issue, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today asked the party why it was not not ready for a debate, daring it to face questions on allocations made during the NDA rule.

“If the BJP has such a strong case, why don’t they debate the subject in Parliament,” he said, reacting to BJP leader Arun Jaitley’s criticism of the government and his assertion that his party is in no mood to allow Parliament to function till its demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s resignation is met.

Bring in no-trust, Congress challenges BJP on coal gate

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Dubbing the coal blocks allocation controversy as a ‘non-issue’, Congress today challenged the BJP to bring in a no-confidence motion against the UPA government instead of stalling Parliament proceedings.

The BJP would not be bold enough to take such a course of action as it would not only expose its “true colour” but also fissures in the party-led NDA, Congress spokesman and JPC chairman P C Chacko told a meet-the-press programme here.

Kuwaiti husband and wife kidnapped in Lebanon

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Kuwait’s ambassador to Lebanon said two nationals of the Gulf Arab state had been kidnapped in the Bekaa region, Kuwait News Agency reported today.
‘The efforts to free two abducted Kuwaitis in Lebanon are ongoing and the embassy will do its best to bring them
back,’ ambassador Abdul-Aal al-Qana’ei was quoted as saying by KUNA.
He named the hostages as Issam al-Houti and his wife,whom he said were seized in Bekaa, and did not say which

Violence rocks Assam; five dead, curfew imposed

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Five people were found killed in communal violence-hit Chirang district in Assam’s Bodo areas, police said. The victims were yet to be identified. Police said that the bodies were recovered from a paddy field in Choudhuripara near Mangolian Bazar in the district. Inspector General of Police (Bodoland Territorial Areas District) SN Singh said that the bodies were recovered after local residents informed police. The deceased were yet to be identified, he said.

Explosion kills 24 at Venezuela’s biggest refinery

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(Reuters) An explosion tore through Venezuela’s biggest oil refinery today, killing atleast 24 people, wounding more than 80 and halting operations at the huge facility in the OPEC nation’s worst
industrial accident in recent memory.
State TV showed footage of flames and billowing clouds of smoke coming from storage tanks at the Amuay refinery. Nearby homes were damaged by the blast at 1215 hrs IST, and officials said a 10-year-old child was among the dead.
‘Unfortunately, 24 people have died, the majority of them members of our National Guard,’ Vice President Elias

Delegation of MPs from Pakistan call on Nitish

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UNI) A delegation of MPs from Pakistan today called on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and stressed on
need for better relationship with India by further opening the channels of dialogues and interactions among the people of both the countries.
A delegation of MPs from Pakistan led by senator Mohammad Jehangir Badar, during the interaction with Mr

Tainted Min’s resignation: Kiran in wait & watch

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Andhra Pradesh Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, facing corruption charge, will continue in his post for some more time as Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy appears to be in no hurry to accept his resignation.

Kiran Reddy is said to be in no mood to accept the resignation of Dhamana, who holds the Road and Buildings portfolio, any time soon and leave him “exposed”. The CM reportedly gave this indication when a few Ministers met him this morning upon his return from a two-day trip to New Delhi.

CJI: Judges should not rule nation, ridicules “right to sleep”

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Asserting that the judges should not govern the country or evolve policies, Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia today wondered what would happen if the executive refuses to comply with judiciary’s directives.

He asked judges if they would invoke contempt proceedings against government officials for not complying with their decisions and disapproved a recent Supreme Court judgement which said “right to sleep” was also a fundamental right.

“Judges should not govern this country.

–Agencies

Delayed water supply in some areas on Sunday

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The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board on Saturday informed that there will be delayed water supply to Banjara Hills, Yellareddyguda and parts of Jubilee Hills on Sunday.

According to the Board, the delay would be in view of a six-Hour shutdown to be taken up on August 26 (Sunday) from 12.00 noon onwards on Lingampally-Banjara pipeline for replacing two valves.

–Agencies

Solve power crisis in two days: TDP to Govt

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Telugu Desam Telangana Forum Convenor Errabelli Dayakar Rao on Saturday set two-day deadline for the State Government to resolve the power crisis in the State.

Talking to media persons after lodging a complaint with State Consumer Forum at Khairatabad seeking its intervention, he accused the State Government of having failed to supply of promised power to the people and farmers. In the petition, Errabelli Dayakar said that the government has cheated the farmers by promising seven hour power supply and demanded that the government compensate for the crop loss.

Administration in AP in a state of paralysis: Lok Satta

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Administration in Andhra Pradesh has come to a standstill with the Chief Minister and his colleagues making the rounds to New Delhi engrossed in their bid to safeguard positions of power in the wake of allegations of incompetence against some and corruption against some others, commented Lok Satta Party General Secretary Katari Srinivasa Rao here today.

T people want state,not change of CM: Palvai

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Telangana senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Palvai Goverdhan Reddy has said that the Telangana people were not demanding the change of Chief Minister and PCC Chief, and their only wish is separate Telangana.

Shankar Rao deplores filing cases against TRS leaders

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Finding fault with the police department for registering serious cases against the TRS leaders, particularly Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao, former Minister Dr P Shanker Rao has said that the TRS MLAs had staged dharna at Vidyuth Soudha for the sake of the people and not for them.

Kiran, Botsa will continue on posts till 2014: TGV

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Minor Irrigation Minister T G Venkatesh on Saturday dismissed media reports that the High Command would replace Chief Minister N Kuran Kumar Reddy in the State.

Talking to media persons at the Secretariat, Venkatesh stated that the High Command gave clear indications that Kiran Kumar Reddy would continue on the Chief Minister’s post till 2014 elections. He suggested media to stop filing speculative and baseless stories. Further, he claimed that Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana would continue on the post.

At 49, I’m still looking for love: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

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Sanjay Leela Bhansali is 49, a bachelor, and says he truly believes in the concept of his sister Bela Sehgal’s directorial debut “Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi”, which deals with love between two 40-plus individuals.

“I love Bela’s concept of love striking two people who are seen as past the age of marriage. Love can strike at 45 or 85. I am 49, and I am still waiting for love to happen,” said Bhansali in an interview. He was once rumoured to be tying the knot with choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant.

He also opened up about the agony of watching Sehgal’s directorial debut being delayed.