Month: March 2013

Legal Aid for the innocent Muslim youths arrested by the police

by

Madina Education Society, Nampally, Hyderabad is holding a meeting of legal experts at 10:30 am. On Sunday 31st March at its office in which expert advocates, lady lawyers and others will offer legal guidance and advice to the members of the families whose sons and husbands have illegally been arrested by the police involving them in fabricated and fake cases recently after the two bomb blasts occurred in Dilsukhnagar area. These innocent Muslim youths have been kept in prison illegally without filing their chargesheets.

Dr. Manjula, Chellur is the next Chief Justice of AP High Court

by

Dr. Manjula Chellure will take the oath of office as the next Chief Justice of AP High Court. At present , she is functioning as Chief Justice of Kerala High Court. The post of Chief Justice fell vacant after the elevation of Mr. Justice PC Ghosh as the judge of the Supreme Court. Mr. Justice N.V. Ramana senior most judge was appointed as the acting Chief Justice of AP High Court.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam visits Jadcherla today

by

Former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam is visiting Jadcherla today for laying the foundation stone of MB Medical Centre, Kavarampet in Jadcherla Mandal of Mahboobnuagar District of AP.

He will also lay down the foundation stones of MB Arogya Granam Primary Health Centre and MB Gopal Mega Super Specialty Health Centre buildings.

Dr. B.P. Arnold (MS) told this in a press conference held yesterday in Mahboobnagar.

——Siasat News

Lucky to have Kajol in my life: Ajay

by

Ajay Devgn considers himself lucky that Kajol is his life partner.

The couple, who tied the knot in 1999, have worked together in movies like ‘Ishq’, ‘Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha’ and ‘U Me Aur Hum’.

Talking about the importance of Kajol in his life, Ajay said: “I`m very lucky to have her in my life. She is a very strong support system for me.”

The couple has two children – daughter Nysa and son Yug.

The 43-year-old will be seen talking about his life on UTV Stars` show ‘Yeh Hai Meri Kahani’.

–IANS

India an important country: Hagel

by

Terming India as an important country, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday said that the country would continue to play a stabilising role in the region.

“India is a very important country, will continue to be an important power not just in the region, in the world, economically, diplomatically, in every way,” Hagel told reporters.

“India will continue to play a very stabilizing role in that part of the world,” he said in response to a question on emerging threat from China, as seen by its neighbours, which he described as a great power.

Mumbai wall collapse kills 5

by

At least five people were killed and two others were critically injured as an explosion brought down the wall of a house in densely-populated area of Sakinaka in Mumbai on Friday. The cause of the explosion could not be known as police said they were still investigating the incident.

Police are probing the cause of the explosion, which was reported at around 2 am in the industrial unit in Andheri. Fire officials are on the spot clearing the debris.

According to a news channel, the house whose wall collapsed was adjacent to a small-scale industrial unit.

Katju appeals President to pardon Dutt, Zaibunissa

by

Press Council of India (PCI) Chairman Justice Markandey Katju on Thursday wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee and made an appeal to pardon actor Sanjay Dutt and 1993 Mumbai blasts case convict Zaibunnisa.

In identical letters to Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Katju said that even though Dutt has not requested for his pardon, he is entitled to make such an appeal.

Non-NDA, non-UPA government at Centre after 2014 polls: CPI

by

Non-NDA and non-UPA parties will form government at the Centre after 2014 Lok Sabha polls as people in the country have lost faith in both Congress and BJP, CPI claimed on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference here, CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said the UPA-II government has been reduced to a minority and it was “battling for life in Intensive Critical Care Unit (ICCU)”.

The Congress government in Andhra Pradesh, too, was in a minority, he claimed.

UPSC withdraws mandatory English norm in civil services exams

by

Amid a nation-wide controversy, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has withdrawn changes suggested by it in civil services mains examination, dropping mandatory English language paper requirement.

UPSC, which conducts the prestigious examination to select IAS, IPS and IFS officers among other, issued a corrigendum on Tuesday restoring the earlier practice of two qualifying papers in any Indian language and English, the marks obtained on which will not be counted for ranking.

Manmohan Singh returns home from BRICS Summit

by

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday returned here from South Africa after attending the two-day BRICS summit, where he also interacted with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The leaders of BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — gathered in Durban for the summit whose theme was “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Development, Integration and Industrialisation”.

Manmohan Singh had two significant meetings with Xi — one on the margins of the BRICS Summit Wednesday and the other a more structured two-way engagement hours later.

–IANS

Kate Mara joins Johnny Depp in ‘Transcendence’

by

Hollywood actress Kate Mara is set to play a key role in cinematographer Wally Pfister’s directorial debut “Transcendence”, which also stars Johnny Depp.

Paul Bettany and Rebecca Hall will also be seen in the sci-fi thriller, which is produced by Christopher Nolan.

Although plot details are being kept under wraps, Depp is said to star as an assassinated scientist who has his brain uploaded on a computer, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

According to the sources, Kate’s sister Rooney Mara was first approached to play Depp’s wife and fellow scientist, which ultimately went to Hall.

China to launch Earth-observation satellite

by

China will launch its first satellite for a high-resolution system for Earth observation in April, a government agency said Thursday.

Examinations of the satellite and its carrier rocket — the Long March 2D — have been completed and the satellite is now in the launch stage, Xinhua quoted the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SATIND) in a statement.

China plans to launch five to six satellites before the end of 2015 to build a spatial, temporal and spectral high-resolution observation system, it said.

Obama to nominate new NATO commander

by

President Barack Obama is to nominate Air Force General Philip Breedlove as new NATO commander, after the earlier nominee John Allen decided to retire, according to US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

Hagel announced it Thursday during a press briefing at the Pentagon, saying Obama is nominating Breedlove, commander of US Air Forces in Europe and Africa, “to serve as the new commander of our European Command, Supreme Allied Command”.

Obama initially nominated Allen, who most recently commanded US forces in Afghanistan, to the NATO job, Xinhua reported.

Kingsley went bonkers for ‘Iron Man 3’ role

by

British actor Ben Kingsley says that director Shane Black allowed him to go a bit bonkers to play The Mandarin in “Iron Man 3”.

The Oscar-winner is one of the new faces in the cast of the third instalment of the “Iron Man” franchise. He will be one of the villains of the film.

Kingsley hints that his character is unpredictable.

“He’s a pastiche of anti-American iconography. It’s there to confuse. You don’t know what is coming next,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Kingsley as saying.

Myanmar may use force to curb riots

by

Myanmar President U Thein Sein has warned of using force as a last resort to suppress the current rioting in the country and protect people.

“In general, I do not endorse the use of force to solve problem. However, I will not hesitate to use force as a last resort to protect the lives and safeguard the property of general public,” the president said.

He said it in his special speech to the nation through radio and clarified his stance on the recent violence in the country which started in Meikhtila and spread to several other places, Xinhua reported.

Niall Horan to become uncle

by

Singer Niall Horan has some more responsibilities coming his ways as he will become an uncle soon.

Niall’s elder brother Greg and his wife Denise Kelly are expecting their first child, reports thesun.co.uk.

Greg announced the news when he tied the knot with Kelly, a beauty therapist, March 27 and said: “It’s Niall’s first niece or nephew so he’s delighted.”

Niall, member of One Direction band, was also the best man at Greg and Denise’s wedding.

–IANS

Abu Dhabi, Libya hold talks

by

Abu Dhabi has held discussions with Libya over strengthening of cooperation between them.

The talks were held between Abu Dhabi’s crown prince General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and visiting Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan at the Emirates Palace.

Sheikh Mohamed expressed the hope the Libyan prime minister’s visit would contribute to expanding prospects of cooperation and in strengthening of joint projects to achieve the aspiration of the two countries.

–IANS

Russia questions UN-Arab League envoy’s legitimacy

by

Russia has questioned if the UN- Arab League joint envoy Lakhdar Brahimi can stay as a lawful representative on Syria crisis following the League’s latest move, Xinhua reported.

“A big question arises about the mandate of Lakhdar Brahimi, who is a representative of the United Nations and the Arab League on contacts and negotiations between the (Syrian) government and opposition for the purpose of finding a mutually acceptable solution before the Arab League summit,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

UAE, Canada discuss relations

by

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Canada have held talks over their bilateral relations and the need to enhance them in all fields.

The discussion was held between UAE’s Ambassador to Canada Mohammed Saif Helal Al Shehhi and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird on the sidelines of the Canada-Arab Business Council, held in Ottawa.

–IANS

Mandela responding to medical treatment’

by

Former South African president Nelson Mandela was responding to medical treatment for a recurrence of a lung infection, the presidency said late Thursday.

The 94-year-old, who served as South African president from 1994 to 1999, was hospitalised Wednesday night. He spent 27 years in prison before being elected the country’s first black president after the end of apartheid.

“He remains under treatment and observation in hospital,” Xinhua quoted the presidential spokesperson, Mac Maharaj, as saying.

Charlie Brown losing sleep over song

by

Singer Charlie Brown says he is unable to sleep because he keeps tracking the position of his single “On my way”.

Brown is heading for the Top 10 for the first time with “On my way”.

“I’m following the single’s progress and haven’t had any sleep as I’m refreshing iTunes all the time,” dailystar.co.uk quoted Brown as saying.

“I’m in Twitter jail – everything is instant so I see the response straight away,” he added.

–IANS

Stewart, Lohan best friends in making?

by

Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan has reportedly found a good friend in Kristen Stewart and the two have been spending time with each other.

“They met through one of Lindsay’s friends who also knows Kristen. Lindsay was invited up to Kristen’s house last week, and they hung out with Robert Pattinson, who was back from filming in Australia,” a source said.

“Lindsay and Kristen discussed their careers, creative ideas and how they deal with living under the focus of the media and the paparazzi,” the source added.

–IANS

Drought affects 24 million in China

by

Nearly 24 million people have been affected by drought in China’s various provinces since last October while causing a big financial loss to the government, authorities said Thursday.

The drought has affected 23.7 million people living in Yunnan, Gansu and Sichuan provinces till date, causing economic losses of more than $1.1 billion, Xinhua quoted civil affairs authorities as saying Thursday.

The National Disaster Reduction Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Civil Affairs initiated an emergency response to the drought Thursday and sent work teams to aid in disaster relief.

NIA has poor infrastructure, limited funds:Parliamentary panel

by

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), an elite organisation created to tackle terror in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, has poor infrastructure and limited funds, a Parliamentary committee detected and slammed the government for it. During a meeting of the Standing Committee on Home, members pointed that NIA officials move about in hired taxis and have manpower crunch to deal with increased workload. Members of the committee slammed the Home Ministry and the Finance Ministry for poor infrastructure provided to NIA.

Left seeks support of other parties in AP over power stir

by

Seeking to broadbase their agitation on the power issue, the Left parties in Andhra Pradesh today sought the support of main Opposition TDP and other political outfits. A delegation of Left leaders met TDP MLA A Revant Reddy and others in the party office to seek their support. “The Left parties have called for one-day fast in all district and mandal headquarters on April one and a bandh on April nine to highlight the power crisis. We are appealing to all parties to support us,” senior CPI(M) leader Y Venkateswara Rao told reporters.