Month: March 2013

Inquiry opens into UK troops atrocities in Iraq

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A long-awaited public inquiry into the murder of 20 Iraqi civilians by British troops nine years ago opens in London.

The Al-Sweady Inquiry, named after one of the dead men, 19-year-old Hamid Al-Sweady, will examine claims that British troops unlawfully killed detainees following a gun battle at a checkpoint in Maysan Province, southern Iraq, in May 2004.

It will also look into allegations that detainees captured at the same time were mistreated at a British base, Camp Abu Naji, and at a detention facility at Shaibah Logistics Base between May and September that year.

Mukesh Ambani India’s richest for 6th year; networth $21.5 bn

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With networth of USD 21.5 billion, Mukesh Ambani has retained his title as India’s richest person for sixth year in a row, while Mexican business tycoon Carlos Slim has emerged as wealthiest in the world for the fourth consecutive year.

In the overall rich list of world’s billionaires, as per an annual ranking published today by business magazine Forbes, Mukesh Ambani is ranked 22nd, while the second-richest Indian Lakshmi Mittal is at 41st position with a networth of USD 16.5 billion.

Rape a tool for subjugating women: Delhi HC judge

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Rape and gender-based violence are tools used to subjugate women, Justice Gita Mittal of the Delhi High Court said and called for effective ways, including reforms in laws, to address such crimes.

The judge said the issue of gender-based violence is directly related to equality, dignity and status of women and priority attention should be given in order to address this social ill.

Akhilesh orders CBI probe into cop’s murder

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Bowing to the demands of the widow of slain police official Zia-ul-Haq, killed by a mob in Pratapgarh late Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Monday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the murder of the deputy superintendent of police (DySP).

Haq’s widow Parveen insisted that the chief minister meet the family and assure it justice. She refused to bury her husband until such an assurance was given.

Girl rescued from car thief’s captivity

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Police today nabbed a notorious car thief and rescued a teenage girl from his captivity beside seizing stolen vehicles worth Rs 13 lakh.

The car thief has been identified as Brijesh Dangi (21), SP (Eastern region) O P Tripathi said.

He said 26 vehicles worth Rs 13 lakh stolen from various parts of the city were also seized.

A police team raided a local den of Dangi and found the 17-year-old girl, who had been missing since December 11, there, Tripathi said.

—PTI

14 kg of gold ornaments recovered in Hyderabad

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Police today recovered about 14 kg of gold ornaments at two different places during an ongoing checking carried out in the wake of the last month’s twin blasts here.

While 13 kgs of gold ornaments, stuffed in two bags, were seized from three persons in Dilsukhnagar area, where the blasts occurred, another one kg was recovered from a vehicle parked at Abids junction.

According to preliminary information, the arrested are jewellers, however, they failed to produce documentary proof, police said, adding they were planning to hand over the ornaments to Income Tax department.

—PTI

One die, five serious after consuming poison

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A woman died while five others of her family are battling for life in Saran district after they allegedly consumed poison over some domestic problem, police said tonight.

Superintendent of Police Sujit Kumar said all the six members of the family living in Karichak Imli Muhalla consumed poison tonight following some domestic problem.

While the woman died in the home, her husband, two sons and as many daughters are battling for life in Sadar Hospital here.

—PTI

Class XII student rapes tuition teacher

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A class XII student allegedly raped his tuition teacher at her residence here today, police said.

The 18-year-old student barged into the victim’s house in Kavinagar area here this morning when she was alone at home and raped her, Station House Officer R P Sharma said.

The victim is a B Com student and gave Accountancy tuitions to high school students as a part time job. She had recently asked the accused to stop attending the classes due to his misbehaviour, he added.

Police have taken the boy into custody and a case has been registered against him.

Action against 7 officials in Delhi gangrape case

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The government has initiated action against seven senior officers for dereliction of duty in connection with the December 16 gangrape incident here.

Departmental proceedings have been initiated against a Special CP, a Joint CP, a DCP and an Additional DCP—all IPS cadre—and two DANIPS officers dealing with PCR Control Room and Traffic, official sources said.

Action has also been initiated against one senior DANICS officer posted as Secretary, State Transport Authority, Delhi government.

Crude bomb hurled outside Mukherjee’s hotel in Dhaka

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A low intensity crude cocktail bomb exploded on Monday outside a hotel here, where President Pranab Mukherjee is staying, during a general strike in Bangladesh called by fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami to protest the conviction of three of its top leaders for 1971 war crimes.

Mukherjee was inside the Sonargaon Pan-Pacific hotel when the incident took place around 2 P.M. at SAARC Fountain, about 100 yards away from the hotel in central Dhaka, Deputy Commissioner of Police of Tejgaon Police Station Chowdhury Manzurul Kabir told Indian journalists.

Hyderabad blast accused arrested in Ranchi

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Manzar Imam, an accused in the Feb 21 Hyderabad blast and a member of Indian Mujahideen (IM), was arrested in Ranchi early Monday, police said.

Imam was arrested from the Kanke locality here. He was wanted in the Hyderabad terror attack, in which 16 people were killed and 117 others injured.

“A team of Ranchi police and National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Manzar Imam. We cannot disclose anything further in this regard,” Superintendent of Police Vipul Shukla told reporters here.

The NIA had earlier made several attempts to arrest Imam, a resident of Bariatu in Ranchi.

Congress slams Modi for targetting Gandhis, PM

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The Congress Monday lashed out at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for attacking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Gandhi family.

“The people of India will repel his (Modi’s) utterances with contempt. We do not take him seriously as he is one among the six contenders for the top job in the country which he will not get,” Congress spokesperson P.C. Chacko told reporters.

“The prime minister is the most respected head of state. He turned around the economy in the 1990s. Modi’s criticism will boomerang on him and people will not believe him,” said Chacko.

Scoring a ton for country gives satisfaction: Pujara

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Relishing another superb knock, Cheteshwar Pujara said playing for the country and scoring a hundred always gives a different kind of satisfaction.

“It is always proud to play for the country. I always enjoy scoring hundreds whether I am playing for the country or club team. When you play for the country and score hundred it is a different kind of satisfaction,” said Pujara, who scored 204 on the third day of the second Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here.

Seven illegal Bangladeshi migrants held in Meghalaya

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Seven illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, working as coal miners in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district, were caught by BSF troopers Monday as they were trying to cross back into their country, an official said.

The Bangladeshi nationals were held early Monday from Umkiang village near the India-Bangladesh border, said Border Security Force (BSF) spokesman Ravi Gandhi.

The troopers also seized a mobile phone with a Bangladeshi SIM card and some cash in Indian and Bangladesh currency notes from the Bangladesh nationals, Gandhi said.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra undergoes successful gall stone surgery

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UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Monday successfully underwent surgery at a city hospital here to remove gall stones.

“During a routine check-up, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was found to have stones in the gall bladder and elective (planned) gall bladder surgery was done this morning successfully,” said D.S. Rana, chairman of Sir Gangaram hospital, where the surgery was done.

Priyanka, 41, was admitted to the hospital Sunday and is stable now, said informed sources. A decision on her discharge would be taken Tuesday after a check-up.

Akhilesh orders CBI probe into cop’s murder

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Bowing to the demands of the widow of slain police official Zia-ul-Haq, killed by a mob in Pratapgarh late Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Monday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the murder of the deputy superintendent of police (DySP).

Haq’s widow Parveen insisted that the chief minister meet the family and assure it justice. She refused to bury her husband until such an assurance was given.

Minor girl raped by 25-year-old neighbour

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A minor girl was allegedly abducted and raped by her 25-year-old neighbour here, police said Monday.

The victim, aged around six years, was abducted by the accused, whose identity is not being revealed, while she was playing near her house around 9.30 p.m. Sunday in north Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area and raped at a secluded place, police said.

“The accused fled from the spot leaving her bleeding,” said a police officer.

The accused, known to the victim’s family, has been identified. The girl’s medical report is awaited, police said.

—IANS

Raj Thackeray softens stance on NCP

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After a fortnight of bickering with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray appeared to have softened his stance here Monday.

“I don’t want to fight with the NCP… I will go to Pune March 7 (Thursday), but will not hold the rally there,” Thackeray told mediapersons here while responding to a question on his challenge to conduct a rally in Pune, the bastion of NCP and the Pawar family.

“I had said this because the NCP had dared me to go to Pune for the programme,” an apparently mollified Thackeray said.

Bhubaneswar airport’s new terminal ready

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A new domestic terminal built at a cost of Rs.145 crore at Biju Patnaik airport in Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar would be in use from Tuesday, an official said.

Spread over 18,240 square metres, the terminal is a modern glass and steel structure and the interiors depict the culture of the state through stone sculptures, murals, paintings and textile hangings, an airport official told IANS.

The terminal will be inaugurated by Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ajit Singh Tuesday, he said.

4 killed, 18 injured in firing in Pakistan’s Karachi

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At least four people were killed and 18 others injured when some unidentified gunmen sprayed bullets in various areas of Pakistan’s port city of Karachi Monday evening, reported Xinhua citing local media.

Urdu TV channel ARY said two people were killed and several others injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire at people who were on their way back home after offering funeral prayer for Sunday night’s bombing victims in Al-Asif Square area of the city.

Shortly after the attack, angry mobs set four banks on fire and injured four people in the National Highway area.

Karzai seeks Pakistan’s cooperation in war on terror

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai Monday termed terrorism as the common enemy of Afghanistan and Pakistan and sought firm anti-terror support from Islamabad.

“Terrorism is the common enemy of both Afghanistan and Pakistan and the government of Afghanistan wants Pakistan to honestly cooperate in the war on terror,” Karzai said at a joint press conference with visiting NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, reported Xinhua.

Punjab policemen thrash woman, father in public

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Punjab policemen were caught on camera beating a young woman – who was being sexually harassed by truck drivers – and her aged father here after she called police for help.

The incident was recorded by a bystander on his mobile phone Sunday and was aired by TV news channels.

Three to four policemen slapped the victim, pushed her and hit her with a baton when she complained that she was being sexually harassed by truck drivers in the area.

The policemen also beat up her father.

Shilpa Shinde quits ‘Chidiya Ghar’

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Shilpa Shinde has quit comedy show “Chidiya Ghar” because she doesn’t want to be typecast.

Initially, she had signed a six-month contract with the makers, which got extended to a year.

“Now they want me to extend my contract, but the role has lost its newness. I will now appear on another channel in a new role,” said the actress in a statement.

Shilpa is seen as Koyal in the show, which runs around a patriarchal family. It comes on SAB TV.

Guard held for raping labourer in Gurgaon

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A security guard posted at a construction site here was arrested Monday for raping a woman labourer, police said.

Jitender Kumar, 31, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, sexually assaulted the 20-year-old woman early Monday, police said.

The victim, also from Uttar Pradesh, lived with her labourer husband near the construction site in sector 43, police said.

“After the medical examination, which confirmed rape, the accused was arrested. On Tuesday, he will be produced before a court,” said Gaurav Phogat, station house officer of Sushant Lok police station.

—IANS

Andhra withdraws remission of terror suspect’s life sentence

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The Andhra Pradesh government Monday withdrew orders remitting the life sentence of Syed Maqbool, the suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative, whose role in Feb 21 terror attack in Hyderabad is being probed.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy signed the orders, cancelling the remission granted to Maqbool, convicted for murder, in 2009, official sources said.

Maqbool along with another alleged IM operative Imran Khan, were currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail in 2012 Pune blasts case.