Month: September 2013

Hrithik supports charitable cause for tribal girls

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Actor Hrithik Roshan, who was asked to stay away from crowded and noisy places since his brain surgery recently, could not stop himself from taking part in a Dahi Handi celebration here, which supported a charitable cause for tribal girls.

Going against the advise of his doctors to take it easy, the 39-year-old actor took part in the festivity at Ghatkopar, the proceeds of which went to a NGO working for tribal girls

suffering from malnutrition and starvation.

Court orders FIR against Dikshit for allegedly misusing funds

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A Delhi court today ordered registration of FIR against Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and others for allegedly misusing government funds for a 2008 pre-assembly poll advertisement campaign.

Special Judge Narottam Kaushal pronounced the order in an open court on separate complaints filed by BJP leader Vijender Gupta and RTI activist Vivek Garg against Dikshit.

Both of them in their complaints have alleged that Dikshit misused government funds to the tune of Rs 22.56 crore in an advertisement campaign ahead of the 2008 assembly polls.

Prez should dismiss UPA govt, bring polls forward: Rajnath

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Lashing out at the Congress-led UPA ruling coalition at the Centre for its alleged all-round failure, BJP today urged the President to dismiss the Manmohan Singh government and bring forward the Lok Sabha elections which are slated for next year.

“UPA government has failed on all fronts – economic, security and diplomatic.

“It is in the interests of the country that UPA should go,” BJP national president, Rajnath Singh, told reporters here.

“The country is facing economic and security problems and the UPA should leave the government.

US moves toward strike, UN experts leave Syria

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The US on Saturday moved closer to military intervention in Syria with President Barack Obama saying he was considering a “limited, narrow” strike with “no boots on the ground” even as UN experts probing the alleged use of chemical weapons left the war-torn country.

Obama said Washington was “looking at the possibility of a limited, narrow act” and there would be no “long-term campaign”.

Badal slams Centre for hike in petrol and diesel prices

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Slamming the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the hike of petrol and diesel prices was a “criminal conspiracy” to extend benefit to big oil companies at the cost of common people.

In a statement issued here, Badal claimed the Centre was well aware of the fact that it would be thrown out of power in the coming Lok Sabha elections and was extending largesse to oil companies at the fag end of its term.

The hike in petrol and diesel prices would further propel inflation and accentuate woes of common man, he said.

Union minister gheraoed by pro-united AP protesters

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Anti-Telangana protesters today gheraoed the Union Minister of State J D Seelam and demanded he quit for the cause of a united Andhra Pradesh.

The incident took place at J M J College at Tenali town in the district where he had come as chief guest for the college’s diamond jubilee function.

He was gheraoed at the college gate but police later safely took him inside.

The agitators squatted on Guntur-Tenali highway for more than an hour.

–PTI

22-year-old girl gang raped by landlord’s son, friend

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A 22-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and gang raped by her landlord’s son and his friend when she was returning home from work in Kavi Nagar area here, police said today.

Based on a complaint filed by the girl, a case has been registered against 27-year-old Rishi and his friend Raju at Kavi Nagar police station, they said.

The girl lived with her family in a rented accommodation in Rishi’s property where around 30-35 rooms have been given on rent, police said.

Decision on Singh-Sharif meeting after assessing Pak response

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India on Saturday said it will take a decision on possible talks between Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharif in New York next month after assessing the steps Pakistan takes to address India’s concerns on recent “unacceptable” incidents.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said government is adopting a wait and watch approach and wants Pakistan’s “civilian government to take responsibility for what has happened and find a methodology to address it to our satisfaction”.

Govt. must restore people’s faith in police and justice delivery system: Hamid Ansari

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Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari today said the government must restore people’s faith in police and justice delivery system.

Vice President Ansari, who released the Delhi Human Development Report 2013 here, said the issues of safety and security has been agitating the public mind.

Underlining the need of ensuring a safe and secure environment for vulnerable groups like children, elderly people and women, he said that lack of safety and security in public places affects the daily lives of all citizens.

India looks forward to continuing close cooperation with Bhutan, says Pranab Mukherjee

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President Pranab Mukherjee said on Saturday that India looks forward to continuing close cooperation with Bhutan on issues of national interest, including mutual security interests.

Welcoming Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay and his delegation, who called on him at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here, President Mukherjee congratulated him and his party for the impressive victory in the second democratic elections in Bhutan.

Two cops among four held for Noida gang rape

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Two Uttar Pradesh Police personnel and two others were arrested Saturday for gangraping a woman here.

The incident occurred in Sector 105 late Friday night.

Police said PAC head constable Banshiram Sharma and constable Subhash Chaudhary along with their three friends barged into the office of a property dealer at about 11 p.m. and gang raped a woman.

The five left the office after issuing threats to the dealer and the victim against revealing the incident to anyone. Before leaving, they also snatched the woman’s mobile phone.

UPA is dead, says Mamata after fuel price hike

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday pronounced the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) as “dead” following yet another hike in fuel prices.

“Yet again hike in petrol and diesel prices !!! Economy on Red Alert. People are unfed. UPA is dead,” Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said on her official Facebook page.

Petrol and diesel will cost Rs.2.35 and Rs.0.50 more per litre, excluding state taxes, from midnight Saturday, state-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) announced.

Lawyer hacked to death in Haryana

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A lawyer was brutally hacked to death in full public view in Haryana’s Fatehabad town Saturday during a government auction of a piece of disputed land.

Police said that the lawyer, S.K. Bansal, was attacked with swords and other sharp-edged weapons in full public view by a group of people at the Fatehabad panchayat bhawan. The victim bled to death even as the assailants escaped from the spot.

Obama to seek Congressional nod for Syria strike

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Failing to find support at home and abroad for military action in a hurry against Syria, US President Barack Obama said Saturday he will seek the approval of Congress before carrying out a military strike.

The United States “should take military action against Syrian targets” for its alleged use of chemical weapons in an Aug 21 attack on areas controlled by the opposition, he said in a Rose Garden address Saturday with Vice President Biden standing by his side.

Asaram held for sexual assault on minor

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Spiritual guru Asaram Babu was arrested here late Saturday night by Jodhpur police over allegation of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in his ashram, official sources said.

“He has been arrested,” a senior police official told IANS.

Asaram was arrested after lengthy questioning in his ashram here, sources said, adding that he would be taken to Jodhpur.

Pakistan condemns US drone strike

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Pakistan has strongly condemned the US drone strike which killed four people in the country’s tribal region of North Waziristan Saturday, the foreign ministry said.

“These unilateral strikes are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” reported Xinhua citing Pakistan’s foreign ministry in a statement.

The statement stressed upon Pakistan’s repeated emphasis on bringing an immediate end to drone strikes.

Mixed day for Indians at US Open as Bhupathi bows out

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Mahesh Bhupathi went down in his first round men’s doubles encounter at the US Open , where he partnered Germany’s Philipp Petzschner to the Canadian pairing of Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil, losing 3-6, 6-7.

However, Leander Paes got through his match comfortably partnering Radek Stepanek, as they defeated the Finnish-Russian pairing of Jarkko Nieminen and Dmitry Tursunov, winning 6-4, 7-6.

Sania Mirza and her Chinese partner Jie Zheng, too, did not have much work to do in their victory over Annicka Beck and Puerto Rican Monica Puig, winning 6-2, 6-2.

Women served more aces per game than men during Wimbledon

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Women tennis players served up more aces per game than their men counterparts during this year’s Wimbledon, raising the question about which gender made the better players once again.

According to tennisworldusa.org, using performances of some of the world’s top players during Wimbledon, it was found that women served 0.3 aces per game while men served 0.296.

However, the men were the clear winners in the double faults department, making just 0.072 per game while women made 0.259 per game.

‘Record-breaker’ Finch hopes T20 ton can be ‘career-defining’

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Australian record-breaking batsman Aaron Finch has indicated that he hoped that his historic Twenty20 knock, which announced his arrival on the international stage, could define his career.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Victorian opener scored a world-record 156 of 63 balls, which is the highest individual score in a T20 international, in Australia’s 39-run win over England in Southampton on Thursday.

Actor Om Puri arrested, released on bail in assault case

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Noted actor Om Puri was today arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife, and later released on a bail bond, police said.

“The actor was arrested after he surrendered before the police and later granted bail on a bond of Rs 10,000 today,” Senior Inspector Harishchandra Parmale of Versova police station told PTI.

As per complaint by Om’s wife Nandita, the actor assaulted her with a wooden stick on August 22 at their suburban residence.

Syria’s ‘finger on trigger’ expecting imminent attack

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Syria today said it has its “finger on the trigger” as it braces for what it considers an imminent Western military strike, as US President Barack Obama plans to address the nation.

“The Syrian army is fully ready, its finger on the trigger to face any challenge or scenario that they want to carry out,” Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said.
And a security official, asking not to be named, told AFP that Syria was now “expecting an attack at any moment.”

The White House said Obama would speak to the American people at 1715 GMT, but would not announce imminent military action.