Saudi Arabia’s top religious cleric has criticised the social media website Twitter, calling it “a council for jokesters” and a place for unjust, incorrect messages.
Grand Mufti Sheik Abdul-Aziz Al-Sheik made his remarks late yesterday during a speech to other Saudi clerics.
Twitter has been used by youth activists to galvanize protests in the Arab Spring uprisings, as well as by regional governments seeking to communicate with the public.
RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya today criticised the “hue and cry” about the jail sentence to actor Sanjay Dutt under the Arms Act in the 1993 Mumbai terror blast case and said he actually got away with a light punishment.
On the one hand there are family members of the victims who are looking for lines in the verdict that would cool their anger which has been simmering for the last two decades.
On the other hand are those who are crying for the star… that he has two small kids and hundreds of crores are
Vishwa Hindu Parishad National President Praveen Togadia today said that the BJP will choose its Prime Ministerial candidate after next elections and VHP has no role in it.
BJP will decide who will be its candidate for the Prime Ministerial post…VHP will not make public comments on
the subject,” Togadia told reporters after a VHP function here.
Asked if the Dharam Sansad during Kumbh at Allahabad recently discussed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s name for the PM’s post, the VHP President replied “the sansad only discussed about construction of a Ram temple and no other issue.
Amid a row over arrest of some Muslim youths on terror charges, Union Home Ministry has backed a proposal to set up special courts for expeditious trial of terror cases and promised action against officers responsible for “knowingly” holding innocent persons in custody.
MIM Floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi on Saturday indulged in a wordy duel with Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy in the Assembly.
When the TRS MLAs stalled the proceedings in the House demanding that the government release their and TJAC leaders, who were arrested by the police during ‘Sadak Bandh’ on March 21 leading to adjournment of the House twice, the Speaker invited the Floor leaders and discussed about the business and decided the agenda for the day.
Pakistan’s former President General Pervez Musharraf confirmed on Saturday that he will be returning home despite facing criminal charges and death threats from the Taliban. Musharraf, who has been living in self-exile in London and Dubai for the last five years, said that he plans to return to Pakistan on Sunday, despite facing the possible risk of being arrested on landing on home soil. According to media reports, the Pakistan Taliban has said that it has an assassination team ready for Musharraf if he steps foot in Pakistan.
The opposition parties on Saturday accused the Congress Government of misusing the police force to harass its political opponents.
Speaking on the arrests of Telangana workers and leaders during Sadak Bandh programme, TRS MLA T Harish Rao said that the government was trying to terrorise the pro-Telangana leaders by booking cases against them. He said that his party leaders were ready to jail to achieve statehood for Telangana region.
Ridiculing TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu’s remarks that YSR is responsible for the present power crisis, YSR Congress has demanded an inquiry into power management during the YSR and TDP terms will bring out the facts.
“It is absurd to blame YSR for the power crisis and as the Fuel Adjustment Surcharge (FSA) is levied year-on-year basis. We demand an inquiry to be ordered into the PPAs of short gestation projects allotted during the TDP term along with power situation during YSR governance,” the party senior leader Konathala Ramakrishan told reporters here on Saturday.
A local court has given bail to Prof. M Kodandaram and seven others ending the suspense over the uncertainty.
Kodandaram and seven others were granted bail in the cases booked against them during the sadak bandh. Since Kodandaram is a government servant, he job was at stake if he remains in custody for more than 48 hours.
The bail has put curtains to that uncertainty. However, MLA K Sammaiah and two others were not given bail. (INN)
BJP national leader M Venkaiah Naidu said mid-term poll was the only solution for the corruption and chaos the country was facing now and that the people were waiting for a new government to take over the responsibility of the nation.
Talking to the media here on Saturday, he said the UPA partners were themselves vexed with the ways of the government and quitting one after the other. He claimed that the government was now a minority and mid-term poll might happen any time now. He called upon his party ranks to be prepared for elections.
The Banjara Hills Police have registered a criminal case against Marketing Minister M. Mukesh Goud’s son Vikram Goud and three others.
The ruling Congress party in Andhra Pradesh has sought disqualification of nine of its legislators who voted in favour of the no confidence motion tabled by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) last week.
The Congress Legislature Party Saturday submitted a petition to assembly speaker Nadendla Manohar, seeking disqualification of the legislators who switched loyalties to the YSR Congress party.
Government chief whip Gandra Venkataramna Reddy called on the speaker and submitted the petition. With this, the ruling party has sent out a message that it is prepared to face by-elections.
Slamming ministers and officers for tarnishing the image of Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh by indulging in “sycophancy”, party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday asked his son and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav to be a strict administrator.
“Akhilesh, the government is not run by flexibility, but by (taking) tough stand,” the SP supremo said during a speech here on the occasion of the 103rd birth anniversary of Ram Manohar Lohia.
TRS MLAs on Saturday entered the Assembly with hand-cuffs demanding the release of MLAs, MLCs and other leaders arrested during the sadak bandh.
They accused the Kiran Kumar Reddy government of demeaning democracy with arrests of leaders of a popular movement and demanded their immediate release. Meanwhile, TRS leader Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said that it is not fair on part of the government to foist cases against Prof Kodandaram, Etela Rajendra and others and confining them to jail. It is undemocratic to book cases against them.
YSR Congress started giving reverse punches to Chandrababu Naidu’s son Lokesh’s tweets on Jagan and the party.
YSRCP is using U Tube to ridicule Lokesh, his dad and the TDP. YSRCP activists posted a small film with cartoons and comments on Chandrababu.
The film showed the statements of Naidu made during different occasions and their distorted versions. The comment “Adirandayya Chandram” was made several times.
Speaker Nadendla Manohar disallowed the adjournment motions moved by TRS and TDP which led to strong protests from the parties.
As soon as the assembly was convened, members of TRS and TDP rushed to the podium pressing for their adjournment motion and demanded a discussion in the house. The speaker said that the motions were disallowed, which led to commotion. The TRS moved the adjournment motion on a resolution on Telangana and the arrests of Telangana leaders during the Sadak Bandh.
Congress MP K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao Saturday appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) here in the disproportionate assets case against YSR Congress party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.
KVP, as the Rajya Sabha member is popularly known, was being questioned by the CBI officials with regard to certain decisions taken by then government of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, benefiting his son Jaganmohan Reddy.
Finance minister P Chidambaram on Saturday rejected any suggestion that Jammu and Kashmir was “back to square one” after the execution of Afzal Guru and hoped that people of the state will not heed to call of separatists.
“I don’t get the impression that we are back to square one…I agree that after the execution of Afzal Guru (Parliament attack convict) there have been some protests and agitation and rise in the level of violence. I sincerely hope that violence will subside,” he said.
Opening batsman Murali Vijay crossed the 1000-run mark here Saturday during his knock of 57 in India’s first innings on the second day of the fourth Test against Australia.
In the process, Vijay became the 59th India batsman to reach 1000 Test runs and fourth from Tamil Nadu after Kris Srikkanth (2062), Sadagoppan Ramesh (1367) and Dinesh Karthik (1000).
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal Saturday began an indefinite hunger strike against increased power and water bills in the national capital.
Kejriwal began his fast in the morning at a house near the sub-divisional magistrate’s office in Sunder Nagri area in east Delhi. According to the AAP leader, the house owner had to borrow money to pay his water and electric bills.
“The time has come to motivate people against illegal rise in taxes by the Delhi government,” Kejriwal had said Friday.
Ten persons were feared drowned and many others missing when a country boat capsized in the Ganga in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district on Saturday morning.
There were at least 25 people, including women and children, on board the boat at the time, sub-divisional officer, Kahalgaon, Satyanarayan Rai said.
The passengers were mostly labourers and were on their way to Rani Diara village when the boat capsized.
—PTI
Seven persons, including some senior officers, have been booked in connection with an explosion at a chemical plant in Boisar here, police said on Saturday.
Yesterday, four industrial workers were killed and 18 others injured, two of them seriously, in the mishap at Aarti Drugs in Tarapur MIDC area.
The headmaster of a government-aided residential school at Lakahndur taluka in neighbouring Bhandara district, was booked on Saturday for allegedly sexually exploiting tribal girls studying there, police said.
Pralhad Wasudeo Bhusari, 47 was sexually exploiting the girls of his school for sometime in Sarandi Budruk village following which one of them lodged a complaint against him and his assistant Vivek Atmaram Chawle yesterday.
Offences under relevant section of IPC and under Prevention of Atrocities on SC/ST were registered against the duo.
Man murdered in Kukatpally
(Siasat News): a man was brutally killed by some unidentified persons in suspicious circumstances. However, police is yet to term his death as murder.
According to police sources, D Laxman, 35, was a labour and was residing at Mainma Nagar in Jagatgirigutta. He had shifted from Medak to Kukatpally recently.
Last night he took the extreme step of hanging himself for the reasons best known to him. On the other hand, his relatives alleged that he was first killed and then his body was hanged to mislead the police.
Announcing further liberalization of FII investment norms, finance minister Chidambaram on Saturday said the government is “steadily and surely” working on next generation of reforms to put the economy back on high growth path.
Addressing the National Editors Conference, he said with liberalization of FDI and other measures, the government has travelled considerable distance on the road to fiscal consolidation and reforms.