6.7-magnitude quake hits northeast New Zealand

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake has reportedly hit northeast New Zealand.

The US Geological Survey said that the quake hit the remote uninhabited Kermadec Islands, 50 miles northeast of L”Esperance Rock.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that the quake did not generate a tsunami threat. (ANI)

Pak condemns latest US drone strike in N. Waziristan

Pakistan has condemned the latest US drone strike in North Waziristan tribal region on Monday, which killed three people and injured four others.

The Foreign Ministry said that the unilateral air strikes are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity adding that the country has repeatedly emphasized the importance of bringing an immediate end to drone strikes.

The ministry reiterated that drone strikes are counter-productive, entail loss of innocent civilian lives and have human rights and humanitarian implications.

Centre using CBI to threaten us: Modi

BJP’s prime ministerial nominee today launched a fresh attack on Congress-led UPA government at the centre, accusing it of misusing CBI to target him and asserting he would not be cowed down by such threats.

“The government in Delhi wants to stop our march to power. They have fielded the CBI to threaten us. CBI can silence Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati but not me,” he said addressing BJP supporters at the airport here.

India needs a realistic PM, not an economist: BJP president

The country needed a ‘realistic’ Prime Minister to pull it out from the deep economic crisis it is passing through and not an economist like Manmohan Singh, BJP president Rajnath Singh said today.

Singh, an MP, said, “The Prime Minister is on the silent mode and soch raha hai (thinking what to do). The Prime Minister is a big economist. Vajpayee was not an economist but a realist. You compare the economy during the NDA and UPA regimes.”

Secrets of successful marriages revealed

Have you ever wondered what are the reasons that keep a married couple together for years?

To answer your question, YourTango.com has compiled a list of secrets of real-life couples, who have seen their ups and downs, but managed to stick together.

According to the site, it is important for married couple to be best friends and one should be willing to give up on his or her personal belongings that irk their partners.

Sonia backs PM, slams BJP for ‘making fun’

Congress president Sonia Gandhi Monday lashed out out BJP for “making fun” of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and asserted that the “whole party stands behind him”.

“They make fun of our party, they make fun of our prime minister,” she told a huge Congress rally in this town, about 80 km from Bangalore.

“The whole party stands behind the prime minister,” Gandhi declared at the rally held to thank people of Karnataka for electing the Congress to power in the state in the May 5 assembly elections.

Asaram’s judicial custody extended till Oct 11

A court in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur town Monday extended, till Oct 11, the judicial custody of spiritual guru Asaram Bapu, arrested for sexually assaulting a minor girl, police said.

The 72-year-old Asaram, lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail since Sep 1, was Monday presented before court of the district and sessions judge (Jodhpur rural), which passed the order.

“Asaram was presented in the court following completion of his judicial custody today (Monday). Earlier, he appeared before the same court Sep 16,” prosecution counsel Anand Purohit told IANS.

President calls for rural growth strategy to end poverty

President Pranab Mukherjee Monday called for a rural growth strategy in order to make a decisive impact on poverty and to trigger a development process that combines growth with equity.

Addressing the 19th meeting of the governing council of the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP), Mukherjee said technology has to be the vehicle to bridge distances between rural and urban areas.

“A rural growth strategy has become necessary to make a decisive impact on poverty and to trigger a development process that combines growth with equity,” he said.

7 Police Officers retired in Cyberabad

Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad C V Anand has introduced the scheme of handing over pension papers to retired Officers on the date of their retirement as a welfare activity. 7 Police Officers retired in Cyberabad Police Commissionerate on Monday. Joint Commissioner of Police M Shiva Prasad felicitated them and handed over retirement pension papers to the retired Officers.

Ranveer Singh’s condition stable

Actor Ranveer Singh’s condition has shown no improvement but it is stable, a source close to the actor has revealed.

“Ranveer’s condition is still the same ever since he was hospitalised. There is no improvement but his condition is stable and that’s how it happens with dengue,” the source said, adding, “There is nothing to worry about.”

The actor was admitted to a suburban hospital here Sep 27 following high fever. Doctors have diagnosed him to be a severe case of dengue.

–ians

How neutron star can change from radio pulsar to X-ray pulsar and back

Astronomers have uncovered the mystery behind a neutron star, which has the peculiar ability to transform from a radio pulsar into an X-ray pulsar and back again.

This star’s capricious behavior appears to be fueled by a nearby companion star and may give new insights into the birth of millisecond pulsars, the astronomers said.

Serial Baghdad car bombings kill 13 people

At least 13 people have been killed and 55 other have been wounded in a series of car bombings that hit Iraqi capital Baghdad on Monday.

One car bomb went off in the Shiite bastion of Sadr City district in eastern Baghdad, claiming lives of three people and wounding 10, while the other that was detonated in the southeastern New Baghdad district killed two people and injured 11.

Theatre festival throws light on Delhi schools

A day-long theatre festival in government schools in the national capital Monday highlighted the poor condition of the schools.

A total of 50 students from various Delhi schools enacted plays which focused on issues like poor hygiene in schools to absence of teachers and lack of open playground spaces.

The festival was organised by Child Rights and You (CRY), a non-governmental organisation and the Alliance for People Rights (APR).

CM releases “Budget Handbook”

The Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy released a “Budget handbook” this afternoon at Camp Office and complimented the author of the book, Pushpa Subrahmanyam, Principal Secretary, Finance. He said that the book will benefit the staff of the Budget department.

Minister for Finance, Anam Ramnaryana Reddy, Chief Secretary Dr P K Mohanty, Chairman, APERC, V Bhaskar, Special Chief Secretary to Government, S P Tucker, Principal Secretary, Finance, D Sambasiva Rao, Secretary, Finance, L Premachandra Reddy and Senior Officials from Finance department were present.

Sensex down 348 points; banks stocks lose

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Monday closed 348 points, or nearly two percent, down in volatile trade on negative global cues and in anticipation of poor quarterly current account deficit figures later in the day.

Markets showed concern over a possible shutdown of the US Federal government services due to a political deadlock over so-called Obamacare plan in the budget and with Italy likely to face new elections.

Diet and exercise combo alleviates pain in obese adults with knee osteoarthritis

Eighteen months of intensive diet and exercise together lead to less knee pain and better function among overweight and obese adults with knee osteoarthritis, a new research has revealed.

Stephen P. Messier, Ph.D., of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C., and colleagues conducted a study to determine whether a 10 percent or greater reduction in body weight induced by diet, with or without exercise, would reduce joint loading and inflammation and improve clinical outcomes more than exercise alone.

China cracks down on mobile news apps

China has punished a number of mobile news applications that lack qualifications as news services and ordered them to correct their behaviour within a certain time limit.

According to a statement issued by China’s State Internet Information Office (SIIO) Monday, some mobile news apps provide news services without qualifications prescribed by internet regulators and even publish false information, reported Xinhua.

Pakistan province Balochistan’s CM escapes rocket attack

The chief minister of Pakistan’s Balochistan province Abdul Malik Baloch escaped a rocket attack Monday in the province’s earthquake-hit Awaran district, a media report said.

The chief minister was on his way to a camp set up for relief work in the district when unidentified militants fired a rocket at the convoy, Dawn News reported.

However, there were no reports of any casualties in the incident. The area was cordoned off by the security forces following the attack.

———IANS

No hope from Manmohan-Sharif talks: Badal

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Monday said there was hardly any hope of a positive outcome from the talks Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held with Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharif in New York Sunday.

Badal, while talking to media in Fatehgarh Churian in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, said there were bleak chances of any resolution of bilateral issues between the two countries in view of the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan.

He said the dialogue process was meaningless until the ongoing tension was defused.

25 Taliban fighters killed in Afghanistan

At least 25 Taliban fighters have been killed in Afghanistan’s Helmand province in police operations that lasted 17 hours, police said Monday.

“The operations which were launched Sunday evening in Nawzad district and concluded after 17 hours Monday afternoon left 25 Taliban rebels dead,” Xinhua reported quoting Ghulam Sakhi Ghafori, a police officer from Nawzad, some 555 km from the national capital Kabul.

He added that several Taliban fighters were injured, while only a police constable sustained injuries during the operations.

———–IANS

Revanth blasts KCR for provocative speeches

TDP official spokesperson Revanth Reddy today said the announcement of separate Telangana state by Congress party has come as a bolt from blue to TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Chandrasekhar Rao had a dream that his party can win more seats in the name of Telangana state in the 2014 elections, but the announcement of Congress party has shattered his dream, he said and alleged that the former after losing hope to grab more seats, is now indulging in provocative speeches.

Prasada Rao named interim DGP of Andhra Pradesh

AP government today appointed B Prasada Rao, an IPS officer of 1979 batch, as the Director General of Police (DGP) on an ad hoc basis following retirement of incumbent V Dinesh Reddy.

Chief Secretary PK Mohanty issued a Government Order (GO) this afternoon placing Prasada Rao in “full additional charge” of the DGP’s post “until further orders”.