Month: August 2013

Gadkari asks Delhi BJP councillors to reach out to people

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BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, who is the poll in-charge of Delhi, Wednesday met the party councillors and asked them to reach out to maximum number of people ahead of assembly elections due later this year.

“He met around 100 councillors from north and south Municipal Corporations of Delhi and told them to reach out to as many people as they can in their respective wards,” said a party source.

The meeting went on for two hours. Delhi unit chief Vijay Goel was also present.

According to sources, Gadkari also told them to reach directly to him if they face any problems.

CBI arrests four for taking Rs.30 lakh bribe

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The CBI Wednesday arrested three municipal corporation employees and a Delhi Development Authority official here for taking a Rs.30 lakh bribe from a private firm’s owner for regularisation of a banquet hall, said an official.

The accused were arrested from north Delhi’s Pitampura area, police said.

Rajesh Aggarwal and Manish Tuli, partners of Gurgaon-based private firm Micromax Informatics, have also been arrested for offering the bribe.

The bribe was for granting regularisation in an improper manner to a banquet hall at Wazirpur Industrial area in north Delhi.

Eid Al-Fitr to be celebrated across Gulf today

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Eid Al-Fitr, the festival that follows the fasting month of Ramzan,to be celebrated across the Gulf region today.

The first such announcement came from the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia late this evening.

“Upon testimonies of a number of adult witnesses who confirmed to have seen the new moon of Shawal after sunset this evening, (Thursday) is blessed Eid Al-Fitr 1434 H,” the Royal Court said in a statement.

In the UAE, the Moon Sighting Committee announced that Thursday, August 8, is the first day of Shawwal and is also the first day of Eid Al-Fitr.

No plans to go back to porn films: Sunny Leone

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The 32-year-old Indo-Canadia adult film star, who made her return to India with reality show Bigg Boss, is happy that she has a busy schedule till 2014 end.

“I am getting accepted in the industry and bagging performance oriented roles. I am happy that I am doing all kind of films be it a horror, thriller or action. I have three films lined up – Ragini MMS 2, Jackpot and Tina and Lolo. I don`t have time for anything else as I am shooting them back-to-back,” Sunny said.

Antony should apologise: Sushma

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Antony should apologise for “toeing the Pakistani line” when he stated that the 5 Indian soldiers were killed by 20 heavily armed terrorists and persons in Pakistani Army uniform, while an Indian Army statement said the terrorist were assisted by Pakistan Army.

Obama cancels meeting with Putin

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US President Barack Obama has cancelled his meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that was planned for next month, the White House said Wednesday.

“Following a careful review begun in July, we have reached the conclusion that there is not enough recent progress in our bilateral agenda with Russia to hold a US-Russia summit in early September,” the White House said in a statement, Xinhua reported.

However, it also cited Russia’s decision to grant asylum to former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden as one of the reasons for the decision.

Mid-day meal tragedy: School principal’s jail custody extended by 14 days

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The principal of the government school at Chhapra in Bihar where 23 students had died after eating poisonous mid-day meal was on Wednesday remanded in jail custody for 14 more days.

Chhapra Chief Judicial Magistrate Arun Kumar Jha extended the judicial custody of Meena Devi by 14 days till August 19 in the midday meal tragedy that took place last month. The same court had on July 25 sent her to judicial custody till August 5.

Food Security Bill taken up in Parliament

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The Food Security Bill 2013 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday and will be taken up for discussion on Monday. The Bill was introduced in Parliament a month after the Cabinet passed an ordinance.

Introducing the Bill in the lower house, Union Food Minister KV Thomas said it will come up for consideration and passing on Monday.

The Bill was opposed by AIADMK MP M Thambidurai who said his party is “opposing the bill at the introduction stage as there are many issues in the present format”.

The Gujarat Model for India? Campaign Challenging Modi Launched

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A spirited Roundtable discussion at the ICSSR Hall in Osmania University this morning launched the civil society challenge to Narendra Modi’s prime ministerial aspirations. Organized by 20 student organizations including the Telangana Vidyathila Sangam , All Mala Students Association, Democratic Student Union, Student Federation of India, Bahujan Student Forum and All India Students Federation and, the roundtable featured student leaders and professors including Kancha Ailiah and Balaboyina Sudarshan. Prof.

AAP announces names of six candidates for Delhi Assembly

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The Aam Aadmi Party today announced the names of six candidates, including a retired Delhi Police constable and former leaders of Congress and BJP, for the Delhi Assembly polls slated later this year.

With this, the total number of candidates of the party has reached 40, who would contest in all the 70 assembly constituencies of Delhi.

Ishrat Jahan case: Gujarat HC rejects PP Pandey’s advanced bail plea

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The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday rejected ADGP P P Pandey’s application challenging the order of special CBI court, which had rejected his anticipatory bail plea and declined to offer further protection from arrest by the CBI in the Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter case.

A single judge bench comprising Justice AJ Desai rejected Pandey’s application challenging the order of special CBI court, which had yesterday rejected his anticipatory bail application on the ground that investigation in the case is pending and at a crucial juncture.

Rape victim commits suicide, kin alleges murder

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A 16-year-old rape victim was found hanging today from the ceiling at her residence at Garinda village of Sikar district, 160 kms from here, police said.

The girl was raped in July this year by Nayoom (19) after which her father lodged an FIR against him, they said.

He was under judicial custody since then.

The accused family members had also threatened the girl with dire consequences, police said.

The girl’s parents alleged that the victim was strangulated to death and later hanged on a hook while they were away from the village yesterday.

Mani Shankar Aiyar compares BJP to Hitler and Mussolini

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Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Wednesday compared the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) behaviour in Parliament to Adolf Hitler and Mussolini, saying that the opposition party is mimicking fascism by continually disrupting Parliamentary Sessions. “There is no difference between Adolf Hitler and the BJP. Yes, there is one big difference that Adolf Hitler first came to power and then closed Parliament while the BJP is closing Parliament in the hope that they will come to power.

Pak vows to complete Iran gas project despite US sanctions threats

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Pakistan will complete the gas pipeline project with Iran, Minister for Petroleum Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said, adding that no external pressure would be tolerated in this regard. Talking to a private TV channel, he said that energy policy would be changed to generate cheaper electricity, addressing the energy crisis, the Nation reports.

U.S. soldier admits to Fort Hood army base mass shooting

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The shooter accused of killing 13 and injuring more than 30 others at the Fort Hood Army Base in the U.S. state of Texas in 2009 admitted to committing the violence in front of a jury on Tuesday.

“The evidence will clearly show that I am the shooter,” Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a 42-year-old Army psychiatrist, told the jury, begging his court martial with opening statements that lasted less than two minutes.

Antony did not give clean chit to Pakistan Army: Congress

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As a political storm brewed over Defence Minister AK Antony’s statement on the killing of five Indian soldiers in Poonch, Congress on Wednesday maintained he did not give a clean chit to Pakistani Army in connection with the incident.

The party also rejected BJP’s criticism of the government over handling of Pakistan affairs, saying “war is no solution” and “dialogue and discussion” are the only way to resolve disputes with the neighbour.

US blacklists Pakistan-based terrorist leader Bahawal Khan

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The United States has blacklisted the new leader of a Pakistan-based group that carried out terrorist attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The State Department announced it has added Bahawal Khan”s name to its list of specially designated global terrorists. According to Dawn News, the move will freeze any assets Khan may have in US jurisdictions and bars Americans from transactions with him.

Murdoch’s News Corp books $7.66 bn annual profit

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Rupert Murdoch”s 21st Century Fox, formerly known as News Corp, has reported a boost in annual profit with an increase of 10 percent over 2012 revenue.

The company”s profit from continuing operations rose to 1.10 billion dollars in last three months, News.com.au reports.

21st Century Fox”s annual profit from continuing operations came in at 7.66 billion dollars, the report added.

Earlier, Murdoch”s global media empire News Corp had split its broadcast and publishing operations into separate companies.

Pak Taliban kills three security officers probing Nanga Parbat massacre of foreign climbers

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The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has killed three security officers who were investigating the June massacre of foreign climbers.

According to the Daily Times, two army officers and a senior superintendent of police (SSP) were shot dead, while another soldier sustained injuries during an armed attack on the vehicle near Ronai in Chilas.

Diamer SSP Hilal Ahmad was returning from the District Commissioner’s House along with Colonel Ghulam Mustafa and Captain Ashfaq Aziz, when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle, the report said.

Al Qaeda decimated in AFPAK region, shifting focus to missions in Arabian Peninsula: US

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The U.S. State Department is claiming that the Al Qaeda has been decimated in the AFPAK region, and has now shifted its focus to threatening and possibly attacking American diplomatic missions in the Arab Peninsula.

State Department deputy spokesperson Marie Harf admitted that threat levels in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region from the Arabian branch of Al-Qaeda had decreased, but the changed situation did not warrant a stopping of drone attacks in the region.

US army suicides more due to gay sex, alcoholism than battle stress: Study

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Reasons for frequent suicides among American military personnel are primarily due to gay sex, depression and alcoholism than battle stress, a new study has claimed.

Despite universal access to healthcare services, mandatory suicide prevention training, and other preventive efforts, committing suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. military in recent years.

Beginning in 2005, the incidence of suicide deaths in the U.S. military began to increase sharply.

Earlier, stress and unfavourable combat deployment were cited as factors responsible for suicides.

800 nudity supporters attempt to break Guinness World Record in NYC

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800 men and women, dressed in their underwear, gathered at Times Square, New York City to break the Guinness World Record for the most people in their shorts.

However, the revellers could not break the previous 2,270 record set at the Utah Undie Run in 2011, the Mirror reported.

In July, a beach in the Spanish town of Vera proclaimed itself the world record holder for collective nude bathing with 729 people. (ANI)