Month: February 2013

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban, spoke publicly for the first time today since she was attacked last October, saying in a video statement that she was recovering and thanked everyone for her “second life”. “It does not feel like I had a very big operation,” she said in a short video statement, recorded yesterday just after her latest five-hour surgery to reconstruct her skull and restore her hearing at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Just hours after inaugurating a special fast-track court to exclusively deal with crimes against women, acting Chief Justice of Orissa High Court P K Mohanty today came across a writ petition alleging that a session’s court was sitting over a gang rape case for the last 16 years. Expressing concern over the matter, the Chief Justice asked the government counsel to get instructions on it and directed the court registry to list the matter for further hearing next week.

The Mumbai police today was left red-faced after the sessions court refused to charge the alleged murderer of city-based lawyer with attempting to rape her, though it charged the accused with molestation. “The main charge is murder and we are hopeful that he will be convicted under that charge,” said a senior police officer, confirming the development. On December 27 last year, the police had charged Sajjad Mughul (22) with attempt to rape and attributed his motive to murder Pallavi Purkayastha allegedly for “resisting his advances”, claiming that he used to ogle at the 25-year-old victim.

A gunman of Congress MLA Kottapalli Subbarayudu was arrested by the police, for filming secretly a woman taking bath in the guesthouse of APTransco on Monday.

According to the information, the woman guest observed that the gunman Siva Kumar was secretly watching her while taking bath and was shooting it with his mobile phone.

Police have taken the gunman into custody on a complaint from the woman and her husband.

YSR Congress MP Mekapati Raja Mohan Reddy has expressed anger at the remarks of the TDP chief Chandra Babu Naidu that the signatures collected for his party chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy were fake.

Telangana Congress senior leader and Rajya Sabha member V Hanumanth Rao has countered Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal’s announcement that he was taking up ‘Kanuvippu’ yatra against TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu. He said it could be better if Lagadapati take up ‘Kanuvippu’ yatra against YSRCP Chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

TDP politburo member Yanamala Ramakrishnudu has said it was the corporate companies that were benefited during late YSR’s rule were now helping the YSR Congress in getting defections from other parties.

Condemning the remarks of Minor Irrigation Minister TG Venkatesh that the State would remain united if the Congress wins Cooperative Societies’ elections in the State, TRS leader and politburo member B Vinod Kumar has said the Cooperative Societies’ elections could be held irrespective of party affiliations.

Speaking to the media here on Monday, Vinod hurled a challenge to Venkatesh whether he was ready to contest in the MLC elections in the Telangana region on Samaikyandhra plank.

Senior journalist Syed Khader Moiuddin Hashmi passed away on Sunday morning due to heart attack. He was 66.

Hashmi, who lost his wife Prof. Ruksana Sultana of Department of Urdu in Osmania University a few years ago, leaves behind his only son.

State BJP president G. Kishan Reddy here on Monday announced that his party would not contest in the North Telangana Graduates Legislative Council seat.

Speaking to mediapersons, Kishan Reddy said his party has decided not to field its candidate against former president of Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers’ Union Swamy Goud. He also announced that his party would extend its support to Lakshma Reddy in the North Telangana Teachers constituency.

Congress MP from Vijayawada Lagadapati Rajagopal on Monday exuded confidence that the State would not be divided as there was no consensus among the people of the three regions of the State.

Curiously, at the same time, he admitted that the ruling party was not against creation of Telangana State.

CPI State secretary Dr. K Narayana has said the Congress high command was calling Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to New Delhi frequently like a chaprasi (peon).

Talking to the media here on Monday, Narayana wondered whether AICC president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh did not know the volatile situation in the Telangana region. He demanded that the Centre resolve the statehood issue immediately and restore peace.

Vexed over the Centre’s inordinate delay in announcing separate Telangana State, a first year student of VITS Engineering College in Gurugonda village under Atmakur mandal, on Monday morning attempted suicide by burning himself.

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, accused of sedition for his “hate speech”, was today booked in a similar case, police said.

Based on a complaint filed by city corporator Raja Singh, a local court had last month directed the Mangalhat police to investigate a speech made by Akbaruddin at Nanded in Maharashtra in 2012, which allegedly targeted a particular community.

Following a direction to probe the Nanded speech and file a report by February 11, the police, accordingly, booked

Being obese may increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in children and teenage girls, according to new research.

“Over the last 30 years, childhood obesity has tripled,” said study author Annette Langer-Gould, MD, PhD, with the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

Family history is one of the strongest predictors of heart disease, according to an expert.

“If you look at how heart disease occurs, about 80 percent takes place in people with a strong family history,” said University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Epidemiology Professor and Chair Donna Arnett.

The Supreme Court today decided to examine the constitutional validity of the provision giving the definition of juvenile in the Juvenile Justice Act which treats a person as a minor till he or she attains the age of 18 years.

The apex court accepted a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), which challenges some of the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.

Attorney General G E Vahanvati was asked by the apex court to assist on the issue raised in a petition, which seeks to strike down the definition of juvenile from the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

Some women in Malaysia are offering men massage services at home, while their husband takes care of their children according to a reported.

According to Metro Ahad, which reported about the service under the heading “Wives for hire,” when a customer comes at the house, the husband and children of the woman would stay in another room or in the kitchen until the job is done.

It is understood that there is a mutual agreement between the wife and her husband that sex would not be on the menu, the Star Online reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi Monday said he was “optimistic” that the new US administration was shifting its approach to his country’s disputed nuclear programme.

Referring to US Vice President Joe Biden’s proposal of bilateral dialogue between the two countries, Salehi said he believed it was a sign of change of the new US administration’s approach, Xinhua reported.

“As I have said yesterday (Sunday), I am optimistic,” he said at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin, a foreign policy think-tank.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Monday said the party should address basic problems first to face future political challenges, and added the party would be stronger if its constitution was implemented in letter and spirit.

Nine states will have assembly polls this year with the big battle of the next Lok Sabha elections scheduled in 2014, which will test the leadership skills of 42-year-old Gandhi, who heads the coordination panel for the 2014 polls.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday alleged that the Congress-led central government was talking about the food security bill to hoodwink people before next year’s general elections.

The chief minister flayed the Congress-led central government for repeatedly raising diesel, petrol and fertilizer prices and ridiculed union ministers for claiming that the state government was only implementing central government schemes.

Around 300,000 Russians die from cancer every year – 10 times more than in traffic accidents across the country, the head of an anti-cancer non-profit organisation said Monday on World Cancer Day.

“Almost two percent of the population are oncology patients,” said Dmitry Borisov, who heads the Equal Rights to Life NGO.

“Unfortunately, cancer is still not the priority for our state leaders,” he said at the opening ceremony of the Movement Against Cancer forum.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari Monday promised to exert efforts to reach a peace settlement for Afghanistan within six months, following a trilateral meeting hosted by Britain here.

All sides concerned should “take all necessary measures to achieve the goal of a peace settlement (on Afghanistan) over the next six months,” Xinhua quoted a statement released by British Prime Minister David Cameron’s office as saying.

This was the third trilateral meeting in a year to discuss the Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process.

Former captain Mohammad Azharuddin has expressed his desire to coach the India cricket team in future if the BCCI approaches him with an offer.

“Whatever little cricket I have played, I have learnt a lot and I would like to impart those skills to young players. It is up to the board (BCCI) to use me in the best way. I would certainly like to be involved with Indian cricket,” Azhar said.

Activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyardhi Parishat and Telangana Rashtra Samithi Vidyardhi wing on Monday stormed the house of BC Welfare Minister Baswaraju Saraiah demanding his resignation.

They shouted slogans demanding that the minister quit immediately as the Centre was dragging its feet on Telangana. The students and police personnel pushed each other. When the students broke wind shields of a police jeep, the cops swung their lathis and dispersed the irate students.