Month: February 2013

Declining to react on Pedana MLA Jogi Ramesh’s remarks against him, PCC Chief Botcha Satyanarayana has said those who (Congress MLAs) were criticizing party president Sonia Gandhi and the party were not being treated as Congress leaders.

It may be recalled that Jogi Ramesh had alleged a few days ago that the PCC Chief, who had said that nine MLAs have been suspended from the party for indulging in anti-party activities, was actually trying to unseat N Kiran Kumar Reddy from the Chief Minister’s post.

A local court on Tuesday sentenced two men to seven-year imprisonment in as many rape cases. The Special Court for Crime against Women and additional sessions judge Gurdaspur Baljinder Kaur Sidhu pronounced the judgement in the two cases.

In the first case, the court sentenced Kaptan Singh, a resident of Basarpura village, for raping a married woman in Rangar Nangal area of Batala sub-division in 2007.
In the second case, the court sentenced Lakhbir Singh alias Lucky, a resident of Sikri village in Hoshiarpur district, for raping a woman in Sri Hargobindpur area in 2009.

—PTI

Three persons of a family ended their lives consuming pesticide in Bhimavaram of Vatsavai mandal in Krishna district on Tuesday.

Financial problems are suspected to be the reason for the extreme act.

An MBBS student died after allegedly falling from his hostel building in the district, police said.

Amit Kumar, MMBS third year student, fell off the roof of his hostel last night, police said.

He was taken to a hospital where he was declared brought dead, they said.

The matter is under investigation to ascertain whether it was an accident, they said.

–PTI

The controversial press note regarding 2G licences was changed at the last minute by then Telecom Minister A Raja in 2008 with a different pen, former Solicitor General G E Vahanvati told the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Tuesday, contending that his trust had been betrayed in the process.

Mr Vahanvati, who was Solicitor General in 2008 and is now Attorney General (AG), denied there had been discussions with him as claimed by Raja about his going ahead with “preemptive and proactive” decisions in a letter.

Arguing that the unresolved Kashmir issue poses a threat to the region and the world, Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Tuesday asked the international community to push India to resolve the lingering dispute.

“The Kashmir issue is not only a threat for the peace and prosperity of South Asia but also for the entire world and the world should take notice of this vital issue and pressurise India to resolve this lingering issue on the UN agenda according to the wishes of the people of Kashmir,” he said.

A local court today sentenced to death to a man, who had raped and murdered a 14-year-old girl in Payali village in Mandla district in December last year.

As per the case information, on the night of December 26, the girl’s father had gone to his fields, while his children were sleeping at home, police said.

At that time, the accused Rajkumar entered the house and raped and subsequently murdered the minor girl. The victim’s father had lodged a complaint with the Nainpur police station the next day and Rajkumar was immediately arrested.

President Barack Obama declared Monday on a campaign-style trip to promote gun control that a consensus is emerging for universal background checks for buyers, though he conceded a tough road lay ahead to pass an assault weapons ban over formidable opposition in Congress.

The president unveiled his gun-control plans last month after the shootings at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school. But many of the proposals face tough opposition from some in Congress and from the National Rifle Association.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Manda Sangma Tuesday exuded confidence that the state’s people will give a clear mandate to the Congress in the Feb 23 assembly elections.

“We are getting a good response from the people. As we come closer to the polling day, I am sure there will be a swing in favour of the Congress,” Sangma told IANS after filing his nomination paper.

The chief minister and his wife Dikanchi D. Shira filed their nominations for the Ampati and Mahendraganj seats in Garo Hills respectively.

Authorities in Abu Dhabi will build five new mosques in the new district of Al Falah.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments signed a contract with Palm Contracting General Maintenance Establishment to build the mosques.

Around 300 worshippers will be able to pray at each mosque.

–IANS

Hitting out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her predecessor and CPI-M leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Tuesday alleged that a temple-mosque agenda was surfacing in the state with the government’s decision to pay allowances to imams and muezzins.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will Saturday give away the prestigious Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar and Kalakiran Puraskars 2012 for excellence in theatre and performing arts, an official statement said.

Among the winners this year are Yamunabai Vikram Jawle and R. Nageswara Rao for lifetime achievements in performing folk arts.

“Durgabai Vyam, Dineshchandra Kumhar, Anandilal Kurmi and Umar Fahrukh Mewati will be awarded for being most promising folk artists,” the statement said.

A teenaged Class 9 student fought off a rape bid in her own house here by an electricity contractor who thrust an iron rod into her throat to quell her cries for help, police said Tuesday. The accused has been arrested.

The victim, 19, who was attacked around 8.30 p.m. Monday in south Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, underwent a surgery in throat in the morning and is said to be in a critical condition, police said

Anil Kumar, an electricity distribution contractor, tried to rape the victim finding her alone at her house.

Russia has started large-scale military exercises in the disputed Kuril islands in the country’s far east, a military official said Tuesday.

The Kuril islands, known to neighbouring Japan as the Northern Territories, are a contentious issue in Russian-Japanese relations.

The exercises are taking place just two days before Japan marks its Northern Territories Day Feb 7.

Russia does not produce the type of fuel necessary for the French-made Mistral-class amphibious assault vessels it has ordered, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Tuesday.

The Mistral class are powered by electric motors supplied by diesel-powered turbogenerators, according to naval-technology.com.

Diesel fuel can suffer from a condition known as waxing or gelling in cold conditions, causing it to clog up fuel injection systems, naval systems engineers say.

The condition can be corrected by use of certain chemical additives, or pre-heating the fuel, as is done in some cars.

Hosts India were knocked out of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s World Cup as they suffered a shocking 138-run defeat against Sri Lanka in a must win Group A match at the Brabourne Stadium here Tuesday.

Chasing a stiff target of 283, the Indian eves were bowled out for 144 in an embarrassing way in 42.2 overs.

For India, it was their first defeat against the neighbours in 18 matches. India have won the last 16 encounters and there was no result in one.

Questioning West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s honesty, her predecessor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Tuesday asked the media to probe her family condition after she came to power as compared to what it was earlier.

Asked to comment in an interview with Bengali television channel Chobbis Ghanta on the Trinamool Congress projecting Banerjee as a symbol of honesty, Bhattacharjee replied: “I am unable to agree”.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Tuesday said that women’s safety is a leading concern of her government and she will do everything possible for the purpose.

“My government will do everything possible to provide a conducive atmosphere for the women in the city,” Dikshit said while chairing a meeting called to discuss issues relating to safety of women.

She also stressed the need for deploying of women police personnel in adequate numbers at all police stations so that women in distress do not hesitate to file complaints.

Dating disasters, awkward sex and the struggle to get a dream career – all experienced by the 20-somethings – have been laid bare in hit TV show ‘Girls.’

Now, a new survey has found that life really imitates art for today’s young women, as many experience the same regrets as the characters in the New York based comedy drama, the Daily Mail reported.

Readers of glamour.com were quizzed on the trials and tribulations they experienced in their twenties, covering everything from dating and sex, through to their finances and attitudes to drinking, with fascinating results.

“Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns”, second instalment of 2011 talked-about crime drama “Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster”, is yet to hit the screens and the makers are already planning part three of the series.

Tigmanshu Dhulia, the creative brain behind both the movies, wasn’t keen to comment upon the plans, but when probed, the director said: “I can’t talk much, but maybe we go for part three as well.”

When asked Rahul Mittra, co-producer of the film, he toed the same line.

A court in Medak district today granted bail to jailed MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi in connection with a case for preventing officials from performing their duties, while another court in Nizambad district turned down his bail plea in a “hate” speech case.

Medak Additional Principal and Sessions Judge granted bail to Akbaruddin and directed him to submit two sureties of Rs. 10,000 each.

Seeking bail for Akbaruddin, his counsel had yesterday pleaded before the court that his client will be present before the court whenever directed to do so.

The U.S. counterterrorism practice known as extraordinary rendition, in which suspects were quietly moved to secret prisons abroad and often tortured, involved the participation of more than 50 nations, according to a new report by the Open Society Foundations (OSF). The OSF report, which be released on Tuesday, puts the number of governments that either hosted CIA “black sites,” interrogated or tortured prisoners sent by the U.S., or otherwise collaborated in the program at 54, reports the Huffington Post.

A 56-year-old Briton has been banned by court from speaking to women for 10 years after he told a woman he was a rapist who had just been freed from prison.

David Delahunty, 56, faces up to five years in jail if he just says hello to a woman he does not know, The Sun reported.

A judge imposed the ban after the man admitted sexual assault.

The order bans him from speaking to any woman he does not know in a public place for the next 10 years, except in an emergency.

He said he walked up to a woman stranger at a bus stop, kissed her on the cheek and told her she was a “bonny lass”.

As America heatedly discusses immigration reform, President Barack Obama continues to enjoy a majority job approval rating from Hispanics, according to a poll. Gallup, which polled 1,288 Hispanics throughout January, showed that Obama”s job rating stood at 70 percent. While this is a 12 percentage point increase since August 2012, his approval did fall by 5 percentage points, from when he gained a hefty 75 percent approval from the group in December, reports Politico.

Putting the Arab uprisings into categories such as “democratic revolutions” or “Islamist revolutions” leads “to distorted expectations and understandings” about the issue, according to an expert.

Tim Niblock, professor emeritus, University of Exeter, Britain, made this remark here Tuesday while commenting on the ‘Arab Spring’ that began in 2010 and led to the ouster of rulers of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

He was delivering the valedictory address at the two-day International Conference on “The Arab World: March Towards Democracy and Its Implications”.