Month: October 2012

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has declined to part with information related to coal blocks allocation citing ongoing CBI probe in the matter.

“Keeping in view the ongoing CBI investigation in the matter, disclosure of information may be withheld for the present, in terms of Section 8 (1)(h) of the RTI Act,” the PMO said in reply to an RTI query.

The Section bars disclosure of information which would impede the process of investigation or prosecution of offenders.

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets was trading 29.84 points up in the 12.30 p.m. trade Wednesday as oil and gas, health care and capital goods stocks gained.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 18,841.49 points, was ruling at 18,853.75 points, 29.84 points or 0.16 percent higher than its previous day’s close at 18,823.91 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 18,905.62 points and a low of 18,831.94 points in intra-day trade. The BSE midcap index was up 24.48 points while the smallcap index was 48.13 points high.

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma had a task on hand when he sought to turn a cute little girl look scary on the poster of his forthcoming film “Bhoot Returns”.

The poster shows the little girl with optical illusion applied to it. Asked why he opted for such a poster, Varma said, “I have created this kind of poster for two reasons. One is, of course, it draws your attention to the 3D aspect. Second is the fact that there is a very cute looking girl and you are supposed to be scared of her. That’s why I went for this poster.”

After the success of the music of “Bodyguard” and “Bol Bachchan”, music composer Himesh Reshammiya hopes to strike a gold this Diwali with “Son of Sardaar” (SOS).

“We are hoping for a successful Diwali. There is a lot of buzz about the film (‘Son of Sardaar’) and as the music director of the film, I am very, very confident of the film,” the 39-year-old said here in an interview.

“Of course, ‘Raani tu main Raaja’ has already become popular and everyone is liking the title track. So, I am very confident of the music after ‘Bodyguard’ and ‘Bol Bachchan’,” he added.

Hyderabad: A meeting of minority leaders of AP Congress committee, to reflect upon the problems confronted by the Muslims of Andhra Pradesh state, will be held on October 6, at Gandhi Bhawan.

Besides Congress leaders, scholars, clerics and community elders will also participate and discuss issues like implementation of 15 point programme, providing assistance to poor Muslims etc. and the issues will be brought to the notice of concerned authorities.

Siasat news

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that the government will not disturb the retail price mechanism of essential drugs under the price control order while increasing the number of important medicines under the National List of Essential Drugs (NLED).

The apex court bench of Justice GS Singhvi and Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya said this while chiding the government for taking long in finalising the list of essential medicines under the NLED.

By holding that it was not their job to run the government, the court wondered why things were unmoved for nine long years.

Sounding the rallying cry for a new Gujarat, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said Wednesday that the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not against corruption but only against her party.

Addressing a rally in Rajkot, about 200 km from here, Gandhi took on Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who has demanded that the government make public the money spent on her medical treatment last year.

“Yeh log brashtachar ke khilaf nahin, sirf hamare khilaf hain. (These people are not against corruption, just against us),” Gandhi said.

Govt. of A.P. has contemplated to establish a library to preserve old Unani and Ayurvedic manuscripts.

The US does not plan to use military force in Syria, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Asked by reporters what the department’s reaction would be to Russia having “warned the West from intervening in Syria or creating a buffer zone or no-fly zone”, Nuland said: “I think we’ve made clear what we’re looking at in terms of US support for the opposition.”

The Supreme Court Wednesday said that the government will not disturb the retail price mechanism of essential drugs under the price control order while increasing the number of important medicines under the National List of Essential Drugs (NLED).

The apex court bench of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya said this while chiding the government for taking long in finalising the list of essential medicines under the NLED.

By holding that it was not their job to run the government, the court wondered why things were unmoved for nine long years.

To ensure proper sanitation and garbage lifting in colonies, the GHMC has recently launched a special campaign. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has claimed that with the inception of the new plan garbage collection just a call away in the city. The high officials of Municipal corporation have declared the plan as unique and creative.

Actor Gurmeet Choudhary Tuesday filed a complaint on discovering that his car parked at his Goregaon Apartment here was damaged very badly.

Gurmeet, who won the fifth season of “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa” dance show Sunday, told reporters: “Fifteen days back somebody broke the glass of my car and by the time they could rob anything from my car, my security people saw them and they ran away. I got it repaired recently and today (Tuesday) morning again somebody broke the glass of my car and stolen my music system and damaged the car very badly.”

Myanmar plans to set up seven more industrial zones in addition to the existing 18, official media reported Wednesday.

The seven planned new industrial zones will be Tatkon in Nay Phi Taw, Yadanarbon in Mandalay, Hpa-an, Myawaddy and Phayathonzu in Kayin state, Ponnagyun in Rakhine state and Namoum in Shan state, the ministry of industry was quoted by the New Light of Myanmar as saying.

National award-winning filmmaker Shyam Benegal feels films on Mahatma Gandhi should be screened more often as the lack of it would dwindle his memory forever.

“These films (on Gandhi) are important but they should be showed consistently, in schools, colleges and also on television. Unless there is a constant input of this kind, Gandhiji’s memory will become less and less as time goes on,” the 77-year-old said here Tuesday at a film festival titled “Bapu” organised to commemorate the 143rd birth anniversary of the Mahatma.

This film festival runs Oct 2-5.

A gender sensitive parliament can address social problems more insightfully, President Pranab Mukherjee said Wednesday.

“A gender sensitive parliament will have a greater success in achieving gender equality and prioritizing subjects important to women,” the president said while inaugurating the the 7th Meeting of the Women Speakers of Parliament on a gender sensitive parliament.

While a cacophony of protests rose against the anti-ritualistic attack on religion in Umesh Shukla’s “Oh My God”, the film’s leading man and co-producer Paresh Rawal remains unfazed.

The film is an adaptation of his Gujarati play “Kanji Virrudh Kanji” and features him as an atheist.

“There was no fear of backlash at all. We were always very sure of what we were saying and doing on ritualistic religion and the way it controls the life of the common man,” said Paresh.

Actress Sridevi, who is making comeback on silver screen after a gap of almost 15 years with `English Vinglish’, says she would like to continue acting, and insists that she is in a position to be selective about the roles.

“Absolutely, I would continue to work if the script is good….it all depends on how people react to this film. I am glad I am in a position to do whatever is comfortable for me. I am glad I am in a position to select scripts,” Sridevi told PTI in an interview.

A protest agitation was conducted by Telangana Joint Action Committee along with other pro-Telangana organizations on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi.

Several Telangana protagonists tied their mouths with pieces of black ribbons at Bapu Ghat, protesting against the government’s repression during the Telangana March.

Paying tribute to Gandhiji, revolutionary poet Gadar told that the Telangana movement is continued for the last 60 years without any violence, despite that government and police’s claim that anti-social elements are present in Telangana movement is ridiculous.

Undeterred by the recent spurt in insiders attacks in Afghanistan, NATO has said Taliban will miscalculate the situation if they think their situation will be better by the end of 2014, because they will be faced with a very strong and capable Afghan security force.

Ahead of a crucial presidential debate before the US goes to polls next month, President Barack Obama, who eyes a second term at the White House, is enjoying a minor lead over his Republican rival Mitt Romney, an opinion poll has said.

The survey, conducted by NBC/Wall Street Journal, showed Obama now leading 49 per cent to 46 per cent among likely voters, down slightly from the five-point lead he enjoyed in mid-September, the daily said.

In a huge embarrassment to Narendra Modi who has been raising questions on the expenditure on foreign travels of Sonia Gandhi, an RTI activist in Gujarat has accused the state government of not providing details on the travel bills of the Chief Minister and his ministers for the last five years.

Vadodara-based RTI activist Trupti Shah has sent a letter to Modi, saying information about his and his Ministers’ travel-related expenses, mostly by helicopter, during `women empowerment sammelans’ had not been provided till date.

Abu Yahya Suhaib bin Sinan (RadyAllahu anhu) reported that: The Messenger of Allah (Sallellahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, “How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him”. [Muslim].

Commentary:

Smoking post a stroke erodes the brain’s capacity to solve problems, decision-making and memory, a study says.

The study by Hamilton General Hospital, Canada, tested mental abilities of 76 patients, including 12 smokers, with an average age of 67.5 years, using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool.

The MoCA exam tests patients with memory and problem solving questions and gives them a score out of 30. Smokers had a median MoCA score two points lower than non-smokers — 22 out of 30 compared to 24 out of 30.

From the banks of DuPage River in Chicagoland to the Shores of Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad – Telangana people across the world are saying with one voice – “Jai Telangana! Jai Jai Telangana!!”

Telangana families in Chicago area gathered at Riverwalk in Napervillle, a suburban town of Chicago to celebrate Bathukamma Festival on September 30th 20012. More than 500 people attended the event making it a grand success.

This could well be a new record. The top post at Islamabad’s Capital Development Authority (CDA) saw three changes within 24 hours.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf Monday ordered senior officer Javed Iqbal Awan to replace the incumbent Farkhand Iqbal, Dawn reported.

A while later, he had second thoughts and chose Syed Tahir Shahbaz. Awan was reassigned to head the National Highway Authority.

Farkhand Iqbal promptly went to the Islamabad High Court to protest his removal.

The Establishment Division, which processes postings and transfer of government officers, was unruffled.