Month: January 2013

Women, who constitute 48 per cent of the population, have a crucial role to play if India wants to achieve ‘Vision 2020’ plan of former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, a senior woman scientist in DRDO said here today. “Further, women need to be part of knowledge societies, who gained prominence due to advances in technology and related applications,” Dr Chitra Rajagopal, Associate Director, Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety, DRDO, said.

Hundreds of protestors raised slogans and waved placards outside the Indian High Commission here, demanding justice for the Delhi gang-rape victim. The demonstration organised by a London-based ethnic minority women’s rights organisation Southall Black Sisters, brought together men and women from various backgrounds to protest against the brutal rape and murder of the 23-year-old paramedical student. “The reason I am here is because I have been shaken to my very core by this crime.

A man mercilessly beat up his four-year-old daughter and kept her in a refrigerator for a while in Narayanapuram area in East Godavari district, police said.

The man, identified as Basha, was thrashed by his neighbours for his act before police took him into custody. They also rescued the girl. The victim, who received severe injuries, was admitted to Government General Hospital, where her condition was stated to stable, they added.

The Taliban on Monday claimed it had not received a “serious response” from the Pakistan government to its offer for peace talks, which could be jeopardized by the stance adopted by the army.

The outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan clarified its position on the proposed peace talks in an email sent to journalists by spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan, who said the group had not got “any serious response on our offer for talks”.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on Monday after being accused of raping a deaf and mute teenaged girl at Babubagan area of the city, the police said.

“A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on the basis of complaint of raping a 14-year-old deaf and mute girl. We are waiting for medical reports of the girl,” said Joint Commissioner (Crime) Pallab Kanto Ghosh.

The boy was a neighbour of the girl.

——PTI

Seeking stringent laws to deal with crime like rape, Congress on Monday said it has sought extension in the imprisonment for perpetrators of such atrocities. In its recommendations to the Justice JS Verma committee, the party has also sought a review of the Juvenile Justice Act to allow trial of accused who is not an adult at the time of committing such heinous crimes.

Claiming that an “anti-men” campaign is being driven following the Delhi gangrape incident, spiritual guru Asaram Bapu on Monday cautioned that any new law on crime against women may be misused by vested interests.

“After the Delhi gangrape incident, an anti-men campaign appears to be on. Women should be respected but no new law should be framed which can be misused by vested interests with help from women with loose morals….,” he said addressing his followers in Bhankari village here on outskirts of Delhi.

A 52-year-old allegedly raped his 24-year-old daughter for 11 months at Hunasemakki village in the district and made her pregnant, police said.

The man, who had threatened his daughter with dire consequences if she disclosed it to anyone, was arrested on Sunday on a complaint from her, they said.

The woman, along with her mother, had left the village to an undisclosed destination fearing ostracisation by the villagers, police said.

——PTI

Private space entrepreneur and billionaire co-founder of Paypal, Elon Musk is planning to build a small city on Mars for 80,000 space explorers – but only vegetarians are invited!

Musk, whose Falcon 9 rocket delivers Nasa cargo to the International Space Station, wants to construct a futuristic settlement on the red planet.

The new civilisation would run off sustainable technology and cater only to vegetarians, The Sun reported.
Speaking to the Royal Aeronautical Society, Musk, 41, revealed he had been waiting ten years to share his vision.

Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed Monday said the emigration from Kerala to the Middle East countries has come down significantly and the reasons behind it must be studied.

“These are disturbing trends and we have to take cognizance of this. Keralites led from the front and constituted as high as 80 percent of all emigration to the Middle East during the 1970s,” said Ahamed at the Kerala session at the 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas which got underway here.

“This figure has started to come down and of late it stands at 55 percent,” he said.

An Asian-origin woman who beat her son to death for failing to learn versus of Holy Quran has been jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 17 years.

Sara Ege, 33, was convicted of murder after it was revealed she had burned the body of her seven-year-old boy Yaseen before trying to claim he had died in a house fire, The Sun reported Monday.

A murder trial heard how she repeatedly beat him with a stick for failing to memorise religious texts quickly enough.

Iran Monday backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s new peace initiative, rejected by the Syrian opposition and the West

“Assad’s initiative includes solutions which stress end of violation and foreign interference in the country and describes a comprehensive political process which guarantees the presence of all voices in power based on the country’s national charter,” said Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.

Inspector General of Police (Warangal range) A.B. Venkateshwar Rao told reporters Monday night that the investigating officer found him in a fit condition to face investigations.

Government doctors will examine MIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi Tuesday to find out if he is physically fit for questioning by police in connection with the case booked against him over his alleged hate speeches, police said.

(Pervez Bari): The Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI), has decided to launch a national campaign for reservation of Muslims and Other Backward Classes, (OBCs), in Central Government and State Government and Public Sectors and Private Sectors with Parliament march in New Delhi during the Union Budget session next month in February.

The designated judge hearing the Naroda Gaam rioting case of 2002 today reserved order on an application seeking her recusal from the case.

Jyotsna Yagnik, who had earlier conducted trial in the Naroda Patiya massacre case and now also assigned the Naroda
Gaam rioting case, today decided to pronounce her order in the matter on January 11.

Former state minister Maya Kodnani, Babu Bajrangi and Kishan Korani, who are accused in this case along with 79
others, sought the judge to recuse herself from the case as she had held them guilty in the Naroda Patiya case.

Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray-led MNS today claimed their leaders had never given hate speech and they only highlighted key issues of the day.

“Shiv Sena never indulged in hate and inflammatory speeches. It is a patriotic party,” Sena MP and spokesperson
Sanjay Raut said.

Maintaining that it was Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi who had delivered inflammatory speeches, Raut rued that no action had been taken against the Andhra Pradesh legislator or his party till now.

Saket Bar Association’s resolution that none of its lawyers will defend the accused in the Delhi gang-rape case is against all traditions of the bar and professional ethics, Press Council of India (PCI) chairperson Justice Markandey Katju said today.

In a post on his blog, Katju cited the court ruling in a case (A S Mohammed Rafi vs State of Tamil Nadu) that “every person, however wicked, depraved, or repulsive he may be regarded by society has a right to be defended in a court of
law, and correspondingly it is the duty of the lawyer to defend him.”

Bollywood mega-star Amitabh Bachchan today announced a donation of Rs 11 lakh to Maharashtra Police Welfare Fund.

The actor was in the city this evening to participate in a function as a part of Road Safety campaign organised by the Thane police, where he made the announcement.

The actor presented awards to the winners of ‘Road Safety Competition. In his speech, Bachchan thanked the police for ensuring smooth flow of traffic day after day.

The actor also said he was ready to contribute to a documentary on road safety.

Maharashtra Government has decided to bear the expenses of the last rites of the four deceased and the medical expenses of those injured in the communal violence which rocked Dhule city in north Maharashtra yesterday.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan took stock of the law and order situation and decided that the government will bear the expenses of the last rites of those who lost their lives and medical expenses of the injured, official sources said.

In the violence, four persons were killed, 19 police officers, 102 policemen and 100 locals were injured.

Nearly 100 activists of Bharatiya Samajik Sena, an organisation claiming to fight social evils, today protested here against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu’s alleged remarks that the Delhi gangrape victim should have addressed the rapists as her “brother”.

Condemning Asaram’s comments, Bharatiya Samajik Sena president Sanjay Gadhvi told PTI that “we demand that Asaram
apologise to the women of the country and urge him to take back his words”.

Holding banners and placards reading “Shame on Asaram,Shame on Asaram”, protestors burnt his effigies in

The Ethics Committee of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly will make necessary recommendations to Speaker Nadendla Manohar for initiating disciplinary action against MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi over the alleged “hate speech” he delivered in Adilabad district.

Akbaruddin, who heads the seven-member Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen in the Assembly, is already facing criminal cases in this regard.

The Ethics Committee of the Assembly met here today, under the chairmanship of Bandaru Satyananda Rao, and took a serious view of Akbar’s speech.

Senior CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta today described the Delhi gang-rape victim as a martyr and his friend “a man of real character”.

While paying tribute to the (late) girl by calling her martyr, I also pay tribute to the young man who fought the
assailants…He is a man of rare quality,” he told reporters.

He said the act was a reflection of “consumerism and goondaism”.

Just now, I got a call informing me that the police was harassing the young man. I will meet Home Minister
(Sushilkumar Shinde) and demand explanation as to why the man is being harassed,” he added.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested today after being accused of raping a deaf and mute teenaged girl at Babubagan area of the city, the police said.

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on the basis of complaint of raping a 14-year-old deaf and mute girl. We are
waiting for medical reports of the girl,” said Joint Commissioner (Crime) Pallab Kanto Ghosh.

The boy was a neighbour of the girl.

———————–PTI

Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said that auction for unsold spectrum bands would begin soon at a reduced price of 30 percent from the previous auction after the empowered group of ministers (EGoM) meets to discuss a roadmap for spectrum that remained unsold.

Barack Obama’s inauguration for his second term as US president will not be commanding the excitement of 2009.

It would be difficult to upstage Obama’s starry inauguration four years ago where an estimated 1.8 million came to see Beyoncé, Bono and Bruce perform.

Sources said that this time things are so grim that the Presidential Inaugural Committee members are sweating over the Jan. 21 event.

According to the New York Post, sources said that the number of inaugural balls this year where the president and Michelle Obama will appear has sharply dropped from 10 to two.