Month: March 2013

17 Pakistani security personnel killed in fidayeen attack

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At least 17 Pakistani soldiers were killed when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden water tanker into a check post in the restive North Waziristan tribal region of the country.

Six security personnel were killed instantly when the attacker last night rammed the tanker into Esha check post
near Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan Agency.

Eleven other personnel died later, a military spokesman said today.

In last night’s attack on a security forces’ checkpost in North Waziristan, 17 security forces personnel embraced

Pervez Musharraf returns to Pakistan

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Pervez Musharraf on Sunday ended nearly four years in self-exile by flying into Karachi despite Taliban death threat, saying he would face the security, political and legal challenges that lay ahead.

Musharraf, 69, along with his delegation of around 150 people including his party supporters and journalists landed at Jinnah International airport in Karachi by a chartered Emirates flight from Dubai.

Talking to reporters within the aircraft that flew him from Dubai to Karachi, a smiling Musharraf said: “It is (a) very emotional (moment). I’m going back after four years.”

Ashraf assures Misbah of captaincy till CT

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Any threats to the Test and One-day captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq have been dissipated by the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Zaka Ashraf during a meeting with the players in Johannesburg.

Ashraf, who met the players and team management during a visit to Johannesburg to watch the final One-day international between Pakistan and South Africa, told Misbah that he will be continuing as captain for the Champions Trophy in England in June and should be prepared for the challenge.

Mentally disturbed man kills wife, self in Lucknow

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A mentally disturbed man hacked his wife to death on Sunday in Sitapur district and later committed suicide, police sources said.

Hanif (32) hacked his wife Khalikun (30) this morning and later committed suicide in the Babupur village of Mahmoodabad area of Sitapur, they said.

Hanif was mentally disturbed, police added.

—PTI

Myanmar communal unrest spreads: officials

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Dozens of houses and a mosque have been torched as communal violence spread in central Myanmar, officials said today, adding scores of people have been arrested over the unrest.

Altogether 43 houses and a mosque have been burned last night (Saturday)… most of the houses belong to
Muslims,” a ward official in Yamethin town, near the capital Naypyidaw told AFP, adding no-one was injured in the unrest.

“This kind of case has never happened here.”

The Information Ministry said 52 people were arrested with weapons and 13 held in Meiktila town, where lethal riots

Metro train services to be curtailed on Holi

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Delhi Metro services will be curtailed on Wednesday in view of the Holi festival. Trains will resume operations on that day only after 2 pm.

All six metro lines – Dilshad Garden to Rithala (Line-1), Jahangirpuri to HUDA City Centre (Line-2), Noida City Centre to Dwarka Sec-21 (Line-3), Vaishali to Yamuna Bank (Line-4), Inderlok to Mundka (Line-5) and Central Secretariat to Badarpur (Line-6) will remain closed from 6 am to 2 pm.

In addition, Metro feeder bus services will not be available for the whole day on Wednesday.

–PTI

Five men, one woman arrested in separate cases

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Five men and a woman were arrested in the capital in separate cases, including a cheating case, police said today.

Devender Jain was apprehended for allegedly cheating a man by selling him a fake gold watch worth Rs 125 for Rs 3,000.

“Devender has been buying fake cheap watches and selling them as original to innocent buyers for the last two years. He has cheated many innocent passengers at ISBT and other Bus Stands,” Ravindra Yadav, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), said.

Militants attack police party in Sopore, civilian dead

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One civilian is dead and one policeman was critically injured on Sunday in a terrorist shootout in Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore district. The incident happened when two police vehicles were passing through Iqbal Market area.

The terrorists opened fire at the police officials after they got down from their vehicle on seeing some traffic congestion. One policeman and one civilian received bullet injuries in the shootout. The civilian later succumbed to his injuries.

Waqar criticises Afridi

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Former Pakistan captain and coach, Waqar Younis minced no words while criticising allrounder Shahid Afridi’s performance during the ongoing fifth and final One-day International against South Africa at Benoni today.

The former fast bowler, commenting in a television channel as a expert, said he was appalled at the way Afridi
(0) got out today against South Africa in the fifth ODI.

“He got out two balls before the power play was to start.

Need to regulate social media: Salman Khurshid

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“Social media is effective today because we are equal. It is the equality of social media and your ability to manipulate and use technology that gives you the freedom – a freedom which then, perhaps, needs to be regulated. It needs to be regulated because every freedom has to be regulated,” Khurshid said here.

Speaking on the topic of freedom vs equality at The Telegraph National Debate here on Saturday night, he said, “I have never known of equality being regulated but I have known of every freedom (being regulated).”

Fake currency racket unearthed, four held

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Four persons were arrested on charge of printing and circulating counterfeit currency notes in Odisha’s Bargarh district, police said here today.

Altogether 490 fake currency notes of Rs 100 denomination were seized from the four identified as Biswapati
Sahoo, Pabitra Bag, Subha Tripathy and his brother Jyoti Tripathy, Bargarh sub-divisional police officer, Parul Gupta said.

On a tip off, police raided a place in Talapali village under Gaicilat police station and seized the fake

Only BJP can give Telangana, says Kishan Reddy

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State president G Kishan Reddy said that Telangana is possible only when BJP comes to power at the Centre.

“After 2014 elections, BJP will come to power at the Centre and it will announce Telangana,” he said at meeting organized at the party office here on Sunday. Popular leaders from Warangal and Nalgonda Allam Narayana and Etela Ramakrishna joined with their followers in BJP.

Speaking on the occasion, he said, while there is dynasty rule in all other parties BJP works for the people and on principles. (INN)

Criminal carrying Rs 10 lakh reward arrested

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A 41-year-old truck driver, carrying a reward of Rs ten lakh on his head and allegedly involved in murder cases in Haryana, has been arrested, police said today.

Rajesh was apprehended from Vipin Nagar when he came to meet his family two days ago, Ravindra Yadav, Additional
Commissioner of Police (Crime), said.

He told police that he is a member of Kartar Singh Mandothi gang and is involved in two murder cases.

He kept on changing his hideouts to avoid arrest, Yadav said.

GHMC employees relay hunger strike enters 18th day

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The relay hunger strike by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Employees Union entered 18th day on Sunday.

All the Light Motor Vehicle Employees from Zonal office took part in the relay hunger strike at the GHMC Head-office. According to GHMEU President the relay hunger strike will continue for 90 more days.

The relay hunger strike has been started in all the Circles, Workshops and Parking Yards. (INN)

All women bank branch at Muzaffarpur

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An all women bank branch was inaugurated today in MDDM Women’s College here.

The branch of North Bihar Grameen Bank, having all women employees in officer as well non-officer cadre, was
inaugurated through remote control by the Grameen Bank President R S B S Hari Lal from Hajipur.

The branch is 100th of the North Bihar Grameen Bank in the state, bank sources said.

Regional Director of Reserve Bank of India P K Jena, NABARD Chief General Manager D B Despandey and other senior
bank employees were present on the occasion.

———————-PTI

Minister’s nephew arrested for alleged molestation, rioting

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A youth, said to be a nephew of West Bengal Transport minister Madan Mitra, was arrested in connection with alleged molestation of a woman and rioting at Bhowanipore in south Kolkata early today.

Police sources said, Soumya Bandopadhyay, said to be the son of Mitra’s brother-in-law, was arrested this morning for
allegedly molesting a woman and being involved in violence between members of two clubs at around 3 am.

Six other youths were also arrested for indulging in violence and rioting, police said, adding, all seven accused
were produced before a city court later in the day.

Agra balcony jump victim recalls her horror

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The 31-year-old British woman who jumped off a hotel balcony in Agra to escape an alleged sexual assault has vowed to return to India to give evidence against her attackers but said she will “never” travel alone again.

Jessica Davies, a dental hygienist from Greenwich was speaking of her ordeal for the first time since her return to
Britain after she cut-short her back-packing tour of Asia.

No sympathy for rapists: Delhi High Court

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Courts should not show “sympathy” towards rapists who have ruined the lives of young girls to satisfy their lust, the Delhi High Court has said, cautioning that letting them off can encourage others to commit such offence.

Manmohan Singh to attend Durban BRICS Summit

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves for Durban on Monday for the 5th BRICS Summit over the next two days with the leaders of Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.

Besides the BRICs leaders, notably China’s newly-elected President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Manmohan Singh is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with some African leaders on the margins of the summit.

The Prime Minister will be accompanied by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, besides senior officials.

Improved version of Aakash tablet on the anvil: Pallam Raju

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Improved version of the Aakash tablet is on the anvil after the successful launch of three versions, a “fantastic initiative” of the HRD ministry, HRD minister M M Pallam Raju said here today.

It is a fantastic initiative by the ministry to develop Aakash Tablet, a mobile device that can be utilised by
students anywhere.It was successfully tried out.

The second and third versions have come out and the fourth version is on the anvil,” he said.

Skydive instructor, student killed in US jumps

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An investigation has opened into the weekend deaths of a skydiving instructor and a student, both from Iceland, who died during jumps with a group in Florida, a law enforcement official said.

The two men took part with 20 other people yesterday in skydiving jumps from a plane in Zephyrhills, northeast of
Tampa, said Pasco County sheriff’s spokeswoman Melanie Snow.

They were reported missing, touching off an hours-long search yesterday.

Head of Western-backed Syria rebel coalition quits

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The leader of the Western-backed Syrian opposition coalition resigned today, citing what he called the insufficient lack of international support for those seeking to topple President Bashar Assad.

Mouaz al-Khatib, a respected preacher who has led the Syrian National Coalition since soon after its creation in
November, said in a statement posted on his Facebook page that he was making good on a promise to quit if certain undefined “red lines” were crossed.

I am keeping my promise today and announcing my resignation from the National Coalition so that I can work

Over Rs one lakh looted from petrol pump owner

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Two motor cycle-borne youths looted over Rs one lakh at gun point from a petrol pump owner at his filling station on Kosli-Salhawas road today, police said.

While one of them was wearing a helmet, the other had covered his face with cloth, they said.

The robbers struck when petrol station owner Dharambir was counting the sale proceeds in his cabin, police said.

On his complaint, police has registered a case of robbery.

———————————PTI

Naxal training camp busted in Chhattisgarh; six held

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Special Task Force jawans busted a naxal training camp in dreaded Abuzamad area in Chhattisgarh and arrested six ultras, including two women and a minor boy, police said today.

Police seized three muzzle-loading guns, one tiffin bomb and other explosives after the joint team of STF and district police engaged in a brief encounter with naxals holed up in the hideout, a senior officer said.

The Maoists were nabbed in the forest area of restive Abhujmad region under Narayanpur police station in a joint

What’s a “strategy” and what’s “defensive”, questions Dhoni

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Mahendra Singh Dhoni took a dig at his critics who had questioned his captaincy, seeking an answer about what is a “strategy” and what exactly is “defensive”.

You have to answer what’s right and what’s wrong,” Dhoni said at the post-match press conference.

When four fast bowlers play, it’s strategy and when three or four spinners play, it becomes a bad wicket! When a
deep point, deep fine leg and deep third man is kept for Virender Sehwag, it’s a strategy but if M S Dhoni uses a deep point or deep square leg for David Warner, it’s a defensive field set,” said a sarcastic Dhoni.