Month: April 2013

CM to take final call on VAT on Textiles

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The Cabinet Sub-Committee has decided to refer the decision on withdrawing Value Added Tax (VAT) on textiles to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee comprising Ministers Anam Ramnarayan Reddy, TG Venkatesh and Prasad Kumar on Sunday had a detailed discussion on the issue in a meeting held at the State Secretariat with the senior officials and representatives of textiles traders. The demands of textiles traders, concerned GOs and the practice in other States were discussed during the meeting that lasted for over one hour.

Miraculous escape for TRS MLA

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TRS MLA Kaveti Sammaiah had a miraculous escape after the vehicle he was travelling turned turtle in Khanapur forest area on Sunday.

The Sirpur legislator met with the accident while he was returning home from Armoor in Nizamabad district after attending the 12th Formation Day celebrations of TRS. According to sources, the accident occurred when MLA’s vehicle turned turtle after hitting a deer. Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident. (INN)

Handloom clusters for weavers

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Union Minister Panabaka Lakshmi on Sunday said that the Centre would set up handloom clusters or weavers in Guntur and Prakasam districts.

“We will set up handloom clusters in Guntur and Prakasam districts and the government has earmarked Rs 70 lakh for this purpose,” she said. She also visited the famous Panakalaswamy temple here and performed special poojas. (INN)

YSRCP notice to Anam

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YSR Congress has served legal notice to Finance Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy for his remarks against the party leaders.

According to a message sent by the Party office, they have served legal notice to Anam Ramnarayana Reddy for his alleged defamatory comments against YSR, Jagan Mohan Reddy, Vijayamma and Sharmila. (INN)

Mayor wants emergency control centre in Old City

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GHMC Mayor Mohammad Majid Hussain has directed the GHMC Commissioner MT Krishna Babu to set up an emergency control centre in South Zone while upgrading the existing control centre at Central Zone.

The Mayor, in a note to the Commissioner, said that as part of the Disaster Management an emergency control centre has been established in the GHMC Central Zone to take up immediate emergency services to respond during all seasons, particularly rainy season. The said centre is functioning effectively to contain the calamities and minimize the losses of human being and properties, he said.

Prince William to quit Air Force base?

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Prince William is to leave his Royal Air Force (RAF) base within a few months, saying it is the right time to move on, as the father-to-be wants to spend more time with wife Kate, according to a media report today.

The second-in-line to Britain’s throne, William is based at Anglesey, where he is nearing the end of a three-year tour of duty as a Sea King search and rescue helicopter pilot.

According to a report in ‘The Sunday Times’, the 31-year-old father-to-be has told his commanding officer at RAF Valley search and rescue force that he has decided it is the right time to “move on”.

Chitrangada learning Urdu for her next film

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Actress Chitrangada Singh is gearing up for her next film for which she is taking diction and dance lessons.

Chitrangada was last seen in ‘I Me Aur Main’ alongside John Abraham and Prachi Desai. The film, released in early March, did fairly well at the box office. “I am doing workshop for my next film. I am working on my Hindi and Urdu diction, I am taking diction classes. Also, I am taking dance classes, learning Kathak,” Chitrangada said at an event here last night.

India-born UK nurse blamed Australian DJs in suicide note

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The India-born nurse found hanged in London, days after a prank radio call by two Australian DJs to a UK hospital treating a pregnant Kate Middleton, has directly blamed them for her death in a suicide note.

Jacintha Saldanha, 46, who was on the hospital switchboard where Kate was being treated for morning sickness last December and forwarded the hoax call to the Duchess of Cambridge’s ward, has asked her bosses in the hand-written note to make the presenters pay her mortgage, according to a report in ‘The Sunday Times’.

Hussey’s knock counts as Chennai win despite Bisla’s heroics

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Australian batsman Michael Hussey smashed a stroke-filled 95 and effected a crucial run out as Chennai Super Kings survived a scare before eking out a 14-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders in a high-scoring Pepsi IPL match, here today.

Left-handed Hussey was in terrific touch as he batted with ease, taking just 59 balls for knock which was studded with 13 boundaries and led the hosts to a formidable 200 for three after invited to bat.

Indo-Pak forum condemns assault on Sarabjit Singh, seeks probe

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The Indian chapter of Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy has condemned the brutal attack on Sarabjit Singh, an Indian death-row prisoner in the Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail, and sought a probe.

“We feel a high-level, independent inquiry need to be set up to look into the incident. The investigation, inquiry needs to go to the bottom of it and must punish responsible persons, officials however higher they may be,” forum General Secretary E Deenadayalan and Joint Secretary Jatin Desai said in a statement here today.

Doctor who helped CIA track Osama bin Laden on fast in Pakistan jail

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Shakil Afridi, the doctor who allegedly worked for the CIA to help track down Osama bin Laden, is on hunger strike at a jail in Pakistan’s Peshawar city to protest the jail administration’s “ill-treatment”.

Afridi, through a fake vaccination campaign, had reportedly provided a lead for the US Navy Seals operation in which the al-Qaida chief was killed in Abbottabad near Islamabad.

He was arrested for his alleged link to the CIA and also charged with having links to banned religious outfit Lashkar-i-Islam.

Elections in AP still a year away, parties already in poll mode

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The elections in Andhra Pradesh are at least a year away, but political parties in Hyderabad have already started gearing up for the battle and some of them even initiating the process of selecting candidates.

TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu completed a record 208-day ‘padayatra’ across the state over the last seven months, the grand finale of which was held in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

BJP unlikely to repeat 2008 outcome in Bangalore segments

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Saddled with perceptible anti- incumbency sentiments, the ruling BJP is expected to yield ground in Bangalore urban areas that account for a significant 28 seats in the May five Assembly elections.

In the 2008 elections, the party had bagged 17 of those seats under the leadership of B S Yeddyurappa and on the back of a “sympathy factor” after the JDS refused to hand over power to the party, reneging on its promise on the coalition.

Court rejects bail plea of Samjhauta blast case accused

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A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has rejected the bail application of Rajender Chaudhary alias Pehalwan, a key accused in the Samjhauta Express blast case.

The court here yesterday also extended the time for filing the chargesheet by the NIA against Chaudhary from 90 to 180 days.

In his bail plea, Chaudhary had contended that there was no evidence against him and that he had completed 90 days in custody on March 16, but NIA had failed to present a report against him and he was entitled to grant of bail.

A ‘true patriot’ should become next PM: VHP leader

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Amid talk about Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s projection as BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Acharya Dharmendra on Sunday said he wants “a true patriot” to occupy the country’s top post after the next elections.

“I want to see a true patriot becomes next Prime Minister …I don’t think Modi is a traitor…However, we have to see what happens ahead (aage aage dekhiye hota hai kya),” he said when asked whether he would endorse Modi’s candidature for the PM’s post.

Man allegedly kills his 10-year-old daughter

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A man and his aide were arrested on Sunday for allegedly killing his 10-year-old daughter when she protested his attempts to sell her at Jalangi in Murshidabad district.

“Bablu Ghosh and his aide were arrested for strangulating his daughter Rinki Ghosh. Rinki was a student of class-III. Local villagers informed the police on Sunday morning after finding the body on the side of a pond at Chak Chaitanghoshpara village,” Superintendent of Police Humayun Kabir said.

The girl was killed on Saturday night when she protested her father’s plans to sell her to a girl trafficker, he said.

Factory worker allegedly rapes seven-year-old

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A seven-year-old girl was raped allegedly by a factory worker in west Delhi, police said on Sunday.

The incident was reported from Moti Nagar last week and accused Avadh, who is known to the victim, was apprehended.

The girl was alone at her house when the incident took place, they said. Raj works in a fan manufacturing factory.

–PTI

Hosni Mubarak’s appeal rejected, to stay in prison

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The Cairo Criminal Court on Sunday refused an appeal by former president Hosni Mubarak and decided to keep him in prison pending investigations in a case related to illicit gains, state media reported.

The appeal was submitted against the April 24 decision by the illicit gains authority to renew Mubarak’s detention for 15 more days over making illicit gains using his power, Xinhua cited Nile TV as saying.

The court’s decision came after the authority sent a judicial commission to Tora prison and interrogated the ex-president for about five hours over graft and illicit gains charges.

Attack on Sarabjit Singh un-Islamic: Ajmer Sharif head

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The brutal assault on Sarabjit Singh in a Pakistani jail was an un-Islamic act and such incidents could create a negative atmosphere for the minority community in India, the spiritual head of Ajmer Sharif Dargah said on Sunday.

“The attack on Sarabjit by fellow inmates is an un-Islamic act in an Islamic country…Such incidents can create a negative atmosphere for the minority community in India,” Dargah Diwan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan told media in Ajmer.

Ten persons killed in road mishap in Bidar

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Ten persons were killed in a road mishap on the outskirts of the taluk headquarters town of Humanabad in Bidar district of north Karnataka on Sunday, police said.

Their multi-purpose vehicle crashed into a oil tanker when their driver tried to overtake, police said.

The victims believed to be from the same family, were reported to be travelling to Hyderabad.

—PTI

Congress should reveal their CM candidate in Karnataka: Modi

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Addressing the much awaited poll rally here on Sunday, Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi said that inspite of the fact the BJP was going through tough times for the past few months, the party had not compromised as far as the development of the state was concerned.

Lashing out at the Congress, Modi said that the country knows too well as to what the grand old part was capable of and so the voters would not make the mistake of handing over the reins of Karnataka to them.

Saina’s story as told by her father Harvir Singh Nehwal

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Hyderabad has made Saina. It would not be wrong to say that Saina’s luck brought us in Hyderabad. I was Prof. in Haryana Agricultural University. Suddenly I got an offer to work in Hyderabad based NGRI, a research institute of central government. I and my wife thought deeply, either to go or not; finally we decided to go to Hyderabad. Elder daughter Chandranshu was is 10th class and we got Saina admitted into 3rd class in Bhawan’s school. We had never thought that Saina would become a badminton player. 1998 was the turning point of our life. I was made the secretary of ISR games.

Renewed demand for heritage tag for Agra

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Agra, April 27 (IANS) Renewed demands have been made for granting heritage status to Agra, which is home to three World Heritage monuments – the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri – and several other historical structures. This will protect and conserve historical buildings, old havelis, structures, water bodies, forests and even the oriental markets in the old city, experts say.

Meat-starved Goa looks to High Court for relief

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Panaji, April 28 (IANS) For a land known for using copious amounts of beef for curry, roasts or steaks for every meal, a week without red meat feels like forever.

A High Court-imposed temporary ban on the slaughter of animals at a government-run abattoir Tuesday last has left the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government scurrying to file a report before the court that no illegalities are taking place at the complex.

The government has also sought that slaughter of bulls and he-buffaloes be resumed, at the earliest, at Goa Meat Complex, the government-run abattoir.

Peace group seeks probe into attack on Sarabjit

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Mumbai, April 28 (IANS) The Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) Sunday sought a high-level independent probe into the recent brutal attack on Sarabjit Singh, an Indian death row prisoner in a Lahore Jail.

“We feel a high-level independent inquiry needs to be set up to look into the incident. The inquiry needs to go to the bottom of it and punish responsible people, however high they may be,” PIPFPD India chapter said in a statement.

PIPFPD demanded that once Sarabjit is better, he should be released and repatriated to India.