Over four mn visited Sheikh Zayed mosque in UAE

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi received over 4.6 million visitors in 2012.

Out of approximately 4,685,000 visitors, 2.56 million were tourists and 1.16 million were worshippers.

The mosque last year received a number of important international officials, including queen of the Netherlands Queen Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, Crown Prince Willem Alexander and his wife Princess Maxima.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also visited the mosque.

–IANS

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SCR runs Spl Train between Renigunta and Gorakpur

The South Central Railway will run a special train between Renigunta and Gorakpur via Guntakal, Raichur, Secunderabad, Kazipet and Balharsha in order to clear extra rush of passengers..

As per the schedule, the Train No 07490 Renigunta – Gorakpur Special Train will depart Renigunta at 08.45 AM on February 3 and arrive Secunderabad at 11.00/ 11.25 PM and will reach Gorakhpur at 05.30 PM on February 5.

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Ahmedabad doctor accused of selling babies

The crime branch here today claimed that Bharat Atit, the city-based doctor who had approached the Gujarat High Court to evade arrest, had sold off two new-born babies for Rs 8 lakh.

The sessions court had denied relief to Dr Atit earlier this month, after which he approached the High Court, which asked him to cooperate with the Detection of Crime Branch.

He is yet to be arrested, but was questioned by the police.

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18 school children injured in bus-truck collision

18 school children and their bus driver were injured today when their vehicle collided with a truck here, police said.

The incident took place near Mohanpur village when the bus with 40 children in it was on its way to school, a police spokesperson said.

The 18 injured students have been admitted in a private hospital here, while condition of the bus driver Sunil and his assistant Nikku is stated to be critical and therefore, they have been referred to PGI, Rohtak,” police said.

There was heavy fog and the truck tried to overtake the bus, school principal V K Mishra said.

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Man sentenced to lifer in murder case

A local court sentenced a man to life imprisonment today for mudering a man in 2011.

Additional District Judge L.L. Srivastava awarded the the sentence to Bulla Manjhi and imposed Rs 1000 fine on
him after finding him guilty in the murder case of one Shiva Manjhi lifer.

Shiva was fatally hit on the head by Bula with a stick in a dispute at Rahmatpur village on May 15, 2011.

——————————PTI

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Egypt factions seek dialogue, condemn bloodshed

Rival factions today condemned the violence which has killed dozens in a week of unrest and pledged support for a national dialogue to resolve the political crisis gripping Egypt.

We come out of these talks with some sort of optimism,” despite “the difficult challenges ahead,” former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei, a leader of the opposition National Salvation Front (NSF), told reporters.

Top Islamic scholar Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayyeb chaired talks between liberal opposition heads, Islamists, youth

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Police take ex-minister Shankar Rao into custody

The Alwal Police on Thursday took former minister Shankar Rao into custody to question him in connection with the Green Field land scam.

Shankar was taken into custody from his residence at Ram Nagar and shifted to the Neredmet police station.

It may be mentioned that the police have been making efforts to arrest Dr Shankar Rao since October last year after the Andhra Pradesh High Court lifted the stay on his arrest warrant. However, he went to Shirdi for pilgrimage and then underwent a heart surgery after making a dramatic appearance before the Police Headquarters.

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Vizag court summons KCR, Kodandaram

A local court has summoned TRS President, K Chandrasekhara Rao and’T-‘JAC Convenor Prof. Kodandaram on February 15 in connection with a case filed against them for making controversial remarks.

Admitting a petition filed by Samaikhya Andhra JAC, the Visakha Nyaya Sadan court asked the two leaders to appear before it on February 15.

Several petitions were filed against the two leaders in Seemandhra region for their remarks against Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and against the nation. (INN)

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Mumbai: 3 acquitted in robbery-murder case

Citing lack of evidence, a local court today acquitted three persons, accused of killing two women in 2009 here.

Pramila Gawde (56) and Krishnabai Gawde (58) were found murdered at their residence in Parel in central Mumbai in July 2009. The victims, both spinsters, lived with their brother Keshav Gawde.

Some ornaments and cash were missing from the house, so robbery was suspected.

On the same day, police arrested family’s driver Rohan Gaikar, Deepak Talawdekar, Kiran Sanchate and a minor. They
were charged with robbery and murder.

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Dr JP decries rot in co-op movement

Lok Satta Party national President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today held the Government, the ruling party and other traditional parties squarely responsible for the sad state of affairs that characterize elections now under way to cooperatives in Andhra Pradesh.

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T-Cong MPs put in papers; to stay with Congress

The seven Congress MPs from Telangana said that they would continue in Congress till their resignations are accepted and said they will also send the letter to Speaker Meira Kumar if there was any delay in the announcement of Telangana.

The MPs who came to Delhi with the resignation letters had left them with Congress President Sonia Gandhi office and said they will send them in the proper format this time if the issue is delayed.

S Rajaiah said they will continue in the party till the resignations are accepted.

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Minor boy commits suicide after being rebuked for studies

Apparently upset for being reprimanded by parents, a minor school boy allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his residence in suburban Jogeshwari, police said today.

According to senior inspector of Oshiwara police station D Rupwate, 11-year-old Ajay Devnath, a class VII student, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his Roshan Nagar residence at Jogeshwari last night.

Both his parents were out for work when the incident took place, Rupwate said.

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Seemandhra leaders distorting history: Amos

Senior Congress leader Amos has alleged that Congress leaders are distorting the history of the state formation.

Potti Sriramulu went on indefinite fast only for a separate Andhra state and it has nothing to do with the formation of Andhra Pradesh State. He died while on fast only to separate Andhra from the composite Madras state and wanted Madras as the capital of Andhra.

Seemandhra leaders are distorting history and spreading lies as no resolution was passed in Hyderabad assembly for the formation of Andhra Pradesh State. (INN)

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T-Cong leaders lodge complaint against Botsa

A complaint was lodged against PCC President Botsa Satyanarayana with the Congress high command to take action against him for participating in a regional meeting.

PCC Vice President Indrasena Reddy wrote a letter to Congress chief, Sonia Gandhi stating that Botsa had attended the Samaikyandhra Meeting held at Rajahmundry in the capacity of PCC president which has sent wrong signals to people of the other regions.

He urged the Congress President to take disciplinary action against Botsa as he has hurt the feelings of people of other region by attending the meeting.

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Indian boy threatened with axe in armed robbery

A nine-year-old Indian origin boy was threatened with an axe during an armed raid on his home in Birmingham.

Property developer Rajinder Auluk, 40, spoke of the terrifying moment when the gang burst into their home in Great
Barr, in the West Midlands, on Monday evening and demanded cash and car keys.

West Midlands Police have launched an appeal to help catch the violent robbers, who were also carrying crowbars.

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Young woman found dead with her face half burnt

A young woman was found dead in west Delhi with her face half-burnt and police suspected she was raped before being murdered.

The woman’s body was recovered from a plot in west Delhi’s Vijay Vihar.
The body of the woman was found half-naked,” a senior police official said.

———————————PTI

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BJP leaders meet RSS functionaries

Top BJP leaders, including L.K. Advani, Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj, Thursday met senior RSS functionaries against the backdrop of some demands from within the party for declaring Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate.

Rajnath Singh, who was last week elected president of Bharatiya Janata Party, however, described the meeting as “routine”.

He said such meetings take place every three months.

Party Sources said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionaries present at the meeting included Bhaiyyaji Joshi and Suresh Soni. Advani left the meeting early.

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Methi Khakhra

Methi Khakhras make a good tea time snack.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup chopped fenugreek/methi leaves or kasuri methi(dried leaves)
• 2 teaspoons carom/ajwain seeds
• ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon oil more for making the khakra
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

Mix all the ingredients and knead by adding little water at a time, till it becomes stiff dough. Keep aside covered for 15 minutes.

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Israel informed US before Syria border air strike

Israeli officials informed their US counterparts prior to an air strike along the Syria-Lebanon border, media reports said Thursday.

The Israeli air force’s target Tuesday night was a convoy carrying anti-aircraft weapons and Russian-made anti-aircraft SA17 missiles from Syria to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Xinhua cited the New York Times as saying.

No official comment was made by the Israeli Defense Forces or any official.

The Syrian army said Israel bombed a “scientific research centre” northwest of the capital city of Damascus.

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I will quit India if this happens again: Kamal Haasan

Actor-director Kamal Haasan warned Thursday that he would “seriously leave” India if similar protests again envelop his films.

The versatile actor, who threatened Wednesday to quit India over the opposition to his Tamil-Telugu movie “Vishwaroopam”, said that he wanted justice.

“In anger and in an emotional outburst I had said I will leave the country,” he told the media. “But if this happens again, I will seriously leave. It is not that I will leave this fame and glory. I enjoy that.

“I was angry (when I spoke earlier) and I am still angry,” he added.

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Rushdie cancelling Kolkata trip unfortunate: Netaji’s daughter

Saying that religious intolerance was “unnecessary”, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s daughter Anita Bose Pfaff Thursday dubbed as “unfortunate” the circumstances that forced Booker prize-winning author Salman Rushdie to cancel his visit to the city.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a CII-organised programme here, Pfaff said the Indian National Army founded by her father could be taken by the country as a model for co-existence of various communities and religious groups.

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‘Apply Justice Verma panel’s AFSPA suggestions in J&K’

Welcoming the assurance of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the implementation of Justice Verma Committee’s recommendations, Jammu and Kashmir unit of CPI(M) today said the part of the report with regard to AFSPA needs prompt implementation in the state and Northeast.

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Two children killed in Rajouri grenade blast

A suspected grenade attack killed at least two school going children in the Thanamandi area of Jammu and Kashmir’s border Rajouri district on Wednesday.

“The children were going to their school. We do not know how these children became the victims of the blast, in which they were killed,” Mohammad Shabir, a resident of the area told media.

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Ranbir, Deepika shoot in snowy Kashmir

As peace returns to Kashmir, Bollywood too is returning — with cast and crew to shoot in dream outdoor locales of the snow-filled valley — much before almond and cherry blossoms herald spring.

Reports say at least six Bollywood film units will be arriving in the valley by March for shooting.

The first such unit to descend here is of “Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani” — with actors Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone.

The film, produced by Karan Johar, is being directed by Ayan Mukherji (of “Wake Up Sid” fame) and will be released in May.

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Jet and Etihad delegation meet Anand Sharma

A delegation of Jet Airways and Etihad Airlines of UAE met Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma here today.

The delegation, which included Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal and Etihad Airways President and CEO James Hogan, briefed Sharma about their plans in India in the wake of liberalization of FDI regime in the aviation sector.

Sharma on his part said ”we have put in place an enabling policy and any investment under the policy is welcome”.

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