Month: December 2012

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is sending a senior leader of her party Awami League to represent her at the funeral of former Prime Minister I K Gujral here tomorrow. Kazi Zafarullah, a member of Awami League Presidium, the top policy-making forum of the party, will represent Hasina and the party at the funeral. Besides, Bangladesh’s visiting Liberation War Affairs Minister Tajul Islam, who went to Kolkata today, has been asked to return to New Delhi to join Gujral’s funeral. Hasina condoled the death of Gujral and recalled his contribution to Bangladesh’s liberation war.

In yet another case emerging from Palghar town in the district, police here have received a complaint about some “objectionable” matter relating to late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray posted on a “fake” Facebook account of a local newspaper. Mohammed Hussain Nadi Sarwar Khan (30), editor of “Palghar Mirror”, a fortnightly newspaper in Hindi and Marathi, complained to police that a fake Facebook account had been opened in his newspaper’s name and objectionable photo and comments were posted against Thackeray.

The son of a district jail warden, who allegedly shot himself after being harassed by his seniors and colleagues last month, has written to the President demanding action against the accused and protection for his family. Ramchander had killed himself with his service rifle at his jail residence on October 26, and in his suicide note he had alleged harassment by his senior officers and colleagues of the prison.

TRS would undertake a mass contact programme in Telangana region for 40 days to strengthen the organisation. The programme, named ‘Pallabata’ (towards villages), will be taken up from the first week of December, TRS floor leader in the Assembly E Rajender told reporters after a meeting of the party’s executive here tonight. All villages from the booth level would be covered during the programme, he said. TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao has asked party leaders to work towards making the party a formidable force in the region, party sources said. PTI

At least three Pakistani soldiers were killed and eight others were among 18 people missing in landslides triggered by heavy snow and mud in Sharda sector at the Line of Control, a military spokesman said. The spokesman said a rescue operation was under way to trace the missing people. “Three soldiers embraced martyrdom. Eight soldiers and 10 civilians are also missing,” the spokesman said, adding that the landslides were a mixture of mud and snow. The missing civilians were working for the Pakistan army.

Creative leaders need to emerge from educational institutions for India to become a developed nation, former president A P J Abdul Kalam today said. Speaking at the birth centenary celebrations of scientist Brahm Prakash at the Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd here, he said,”For success in all your missions you have to become creative leaders. “Creative leadership means exercising the vision to change the traditional role from the commander to the coach, manager to mentor, from director to delegator and from one who demands respect to one who facilitates self-respect.

Social worker Swami Agnivesh was today manhandled by activists of a local organisation here for his alleged derogatory remarks against lord Shiva. The incident took place after a programme to launch the Maila Mukti Yatra in which Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Jairam Ramesh and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were present. Police immediately intervened and forced away the activists from the spot. “We protested against Agnivesh for his recent remarks against Lord Shiva.

President Pranab Mukherjee today condoled the demise of former Prime Minister I K Gujral saying he has lost a personal friend and the nation an eminent public figure. In his condolence message to Gujaral’s MP son Naresh, Mukherjee said, “Gujral jee’s services to the nation as a freedom fighter, Parliamentarian, scholar, commentator and as an administrator are invaluable.

From rave reviews to overwhelming footfalls, Aamir Khan’s “Talaash” has hit the bull’s eye, despite the fact it has come out during non-festive season. Trade pundits predict that the film is likely to collect Rs.15 crores on its opening day.

Usually, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan choose to release their films during holiday season in a bid to attract more audiences, however, Aamir defied the norm by releasing “Talaash” during a non-festive weekend.

If trade pundits are to be believed the film is likely to rake in Rs.15 crores net at the Indian box office on the very first day.

Breaking his four-decade-old association with BJP, estranged Karnataka strongman B S Yedddyurappa today resigned from its primary membership, but said he would not rock the Jagadish Shettar government.

Bidding an emotional adieu to the party he had helped bring to power as the first BJP government in the South, Yeddyruppa said he had sent in his resignation to party President Nitin Gadkari.

Slamming the Dalai Lama for his attempts to “split China”, Beijing on Friday said it would resolutely oppose his “separatist activities” in any country.

Reacting to reports of a South African court questioning the delay in visa to the Tibetan spiritual leader, Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesman Hong Lei said for China the Dalai Lama is a political exile.

Hong said China would continue to oppose the Dalai Lama’s “separatist activities in whatever capacity and in whatever name in any country”.

In a historic vote at the UN, Palestinians today won a virtual approval from the world for their longstanding quest for statehood with an overwhelming support at the General Assembly that isolated Israel and the US, and set off jubilant celebrations in Gaza and West Bank.

India, which co-sponsored the resolution, was among the 138 countries that voted in favour of the Palestinian request for upgrading its status to non-member observer state from its current entity status at the 193 member world body.

China is ready to find fair, reasonable and suitable solution to border issues together with India, a foreign ministry spokesman said Friday, ahead of an upcoming China-India meeting.

Hong Lei made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to comment on informal dialogues on special border issues to be held next week in China between Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo and India’s National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, Xinhua reported.

Hong said reports from the dialogues will be released at a proper time.

Even though living with inadequate social welfare for the elderly and soaring house prices, and not necessarily satisfied with their lives, Indians have a “more peaceful and satisfied state of mind” than the anxious Chinese, a daily said Friday.

Chen Chenchen, an opinion editor with the Global Times, was recently on a trip to Delhi. He stayed at the home of a middle class family.

The writer’s opinion piece clearly shows his disappointment, as the “surroundings appeared increasingly run-down”, and there were “fewer cars and more rickshaws” on the Delhi road.

A Pakistani man from Rawalpindi has alleged that police tortured him after suspecting him to be a drug dealer and threw him from a four-storey building.

Qasim Khan, a resident of Iqbal Town area, told the News International that he was tortured by police from Sadiqabad over a meagre amount of Rs.3,000, and after breaking his arms the policemem threw him from the building.

Police refuted the allegation, saying that the suspect was a drug-dealer. When a police team raided his hideout, the man jumped from the building in a bid to escape.

Sex between men is on the rise in China, and was a major factor leading to the rise in new HIV/AIDS infections in the country, the health ministry has said.

In the first 10 months of this year, 21 percent of all new HIV infections recorded in China came from male homosexuals, Xinhua reported.

This represented a sharp rise compared to 15 percent cases attributable to homosexuals in the same period last year, the ministry said.

The report also showed that the number of new infections among young people between 15 and 24 as well as people above 50 years of age were rising.