Month: November 2013

CM, PCC chief calls for party meet on Monday

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Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana has called for a meeting of ministers and other party leaders to discuss the issue of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

The meeting, to be held at party headquarters Gandhi Bhavan on Monday, will also be attended by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy. Interesting, the PCC president has convened separate meetings with the leaders from Telangana and Seemandhra regions. While the meeting with Telangana leaders would be convened at 11 AM, Botsa and CM would meet the Seemandhra leaders at 4.30 PM.

Cong, TDP in tight spot over AP division issue

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The ruling Congress and main opposition TDP find themselves in a tight spot over giving their response to Union Home Ministry, which has sought the opinion of eight political parties in Andhra Pradesh on the terms of reference of the GoM on the issue of division.

The two major parties are vertically divided on regional lines on the division issue, which make it difficult for them to come out with a singular response.

The Telangana leaders are in favour of furnishing a response, while their Seemandhra counterparts feel that giving any response to GoM amounts to accepting division.

Islamic Calligraphy needs Govt. patronage- Zahid Ali Khan

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Mr. Zahid Ali Khan, Editor of Siasat Urdu Daily told that Calligraphy should be included in the educational curriculum. If competent calligraphers are appointed as teachers by Central and State Govt., the art of Calligraphy gets promoted. Calligraphy is a visual art. Many people do not understand writing but they can enjoy visual art. Every line and every circle invites people to think. As the Govt. takes care of historical monuments, in the same way, it should also promote calligraphy. These thoughts were expressed by Mr.

Molestation: Actress withdraws charge against MP

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In a U-turn, Malayalam actress Shweta Menon tonight withdrew her complaint of molestation by Congress MP N Peethambara Kurup, a few hours after the politician was booked by police.

According to local media, Shweta made the climb down within hours after she stood by the charge against 71-year-old Kurup in her statement given to the police, based on which a case was registered against the latter.

Sachin, Team India arrive for Eden Test

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Even as the frenzy around his farewell series continues to intensify, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and other members of Team India Sunday arrived in the city for the Nov 6-10 Test match at the Eden Gardens against the West Indies.

While 11 members of the team, including skipper M.S. Dhoni arrived in the afternoon, Tendulkar, along with Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav touched down later in the evening.

Five killed in Pakistan grenade attack

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At least five people were killed and two others injured Sunday evening in a hand grenade attack at a meeting in northwest Pakistan, media reported.

The incident took place when a person hurled a hand grenade at a tribal elders’ meeting in Madrah area of Lower Orakzai, Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region, said media reports, Xinhua reported.

The attack killed four people on the spot while two others sustained injuries.

The attacker tried to escape after the attack but a local resident opened fire at him and killed him on the spot.

Giant screens for Sachin’s penultimate match in Bengal

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The West Bengal government plans to set up 200 giant screens across the state to enable fans to watch the India-West Indies cricket Test match at Eden Gardens, beginning Nov 6, the penultimate test of ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

State Sports Minister Madan Mitra said Sunday he has requested the premier sports clubs to allow the installation of the screens in their premises.

Maldives president warns against foreign interference

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Maldives President Mohamed Waheed Sunday said that foreigners should not interfere in the domestic issues of the Maldives.

In a speech to mark the National Victory Day, Waheed said that foreign intervention could negatively affect the independence and sovereignty of the Maldives, Xinhua reported.

The president’s office quoted him as saying that it was important for the Maldives to strengthen the unity among the people.

He said the best way to do this is by addressing the current polarisations and tensions and refraining from actions that could further affect national unity.

BESAN LADOO RECIPE

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Ingredients of besan laddoo :

2 cups gram flour (besan)
11/2 cup sugar (grinded)
1 cup ghee
1 tsp each almonds, pistachios, cashew nuts (chopped)

Preparation of besan ke ladoo:

In a kadhai mix gram flour and ghee over a low heat.

Keep constantly stirring to avoid lumps.

When it releases an appetizing smell, it is ready.

Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.

Add sugar and nuts to the gram flour and mix thoroughly.

Now form ping-pong size balls of the mixture.

Besan Laddoo are ready to be served.

BJP hits back at opposition for criticising Narendra Modi’s Patna visit

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday criticised the opposition for attacking the party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, after he visited the family members of the Patna serial blast victims.

“The blasts that happened in Patna were terror attack. And if Narendra Modi has gone to Patna to visit the victims, where is it written that this is wrong?” he questioned.

The opposition has maintained that Modi’s Patna visit is politically motivated.

Indian-origin man in New Zealand brutally assaulted

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A 25-year-old Indian-origin man in New Zealand is in a critical condition after he was brutally attacked by a man.

Tarun Asthana, a trainee teacher, is on life support in Auckland City Hospital, after he was attacked by the boyfriend of a woman whose dress the victim had complimented at 5.10 am on Saturday, The New Zealand Herald reported on Sunday.

A 27-year-old man has been arrested in central Auckland in connection with the case and charged with assault.

India, Pakistan forces exchange sweets at Wagah border on Diwali

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Indian and Pakistani forces at the border here exchanged sweets on the occasion of Diwali on Sunday.

Border Security Force’s officiating DIG, Deby Joseph, along with other officers and jawans, gifted different types of traditional Indian sweets to their Pakistani counterparts.

Pakistani Rangers Wing Commander Mohammed Asheer Khan returned the gesture with an assortment of choice Pakistani sweets.

A relaxed atmosphere prevailed at the joint checkpost at the International Attari/Wagah border here today.

PTI

CPI leader D Raja asks EC to convene all party meet to discuss opinion polls

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Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja on Sunday said that the Election Commission (EC) should convene a meeting of all political parties to discuss the issue of opinion polls.

“The question of ban on opinion polls needs to be further discussed. Election Commission cannot take a decision like this. It should convene a meeting of all political parties and discuss these issues on the basis on consensus before taking the decision,” he said.

5.0 magnitude quake jolts eastern Japan, no tsunami warning

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An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5 jolted eastern Japan including the capital, Tokyo, on Sunday, the NHK public broadcaster and witnesses said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, and no tsunami warning was issued.

Reuters

‘Barack Obama’s cell phone could be tapped’

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US Senator Rand Paul has said the NSA spying has “gone too far” and is speculating about whether the agency has tapped into President Obama’s cell phone.

The Kentucky GOP’s comments came after revelations that the NSA spied on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the agency purportedly had access to the servers of Internet giants Yahoo! and Google.

According to Fox News, Paul made the comments during an interview with Bloomberg’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt” and acknowledged being ‘a bit’ fastidious about the President’s cell phone because it is almost certainly encrypted.

Will press ahead with reforms: Jordan King

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Jordan’s King Abdullah II says he will press ahead with a wide-ranging package of reforms, amending elections laws that the opposition says favor pro-palace candidates and overhauling a public sector widely seen rife with corruption and nepotism.

Addressing Parliament’s opening session today, Abdullah says his “white revolution” is part of home-grown reforms he initiated weeks before the outset of the Arab Spring that saw four of his peers deposed in uprisings.

Xinjiang military chief punished after Beijing attack: Report

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China’s Communist Party has expelled the military commander of Xinjiang from its ranks, state media reported on Sunday, after an attack in Beijing officially blamed on members of the Uighur minority in the troubled northwest region.

General Peng Yong, who was named commander of the Xinjiang military region in July 2011, was dismissed from his post as a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party of Xinjiang, the Xinjiang Daily said in a terse dispatch.

Iran’s Khamenei backs N-talks, criticises US alliance with ‘illegitimate’ Israeli regime

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Iran’s supreme leader said on Sunday he is not optimistic but supports revived talks with world powers over his country’s nuclear drive as they are incapable of hurting the Islamic republic.

The remarks by the all-powerful Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came ahead of a new round of negotiations with the so-called P5+1 group of world powers in Geneva on November 7 and 8.

“I am not optimistic about the negotiations but, with the grace of God, we will not suffer losses either,” Khamenei said, quoted by his official website Khamenei.ir.

John Kerry meets Egyptian counterpart, says Cairo a “vital partner”

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US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo on Sunday and said Egypt was a “vital partner” that Washington was committed to working with.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy, Kerry said there were indications Egypt’s generals would restore democracy, after the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in July following mass protests against his rule.

Pakistan PM to hold meeting on US ties after Hakimullah Mehsud’s killing

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Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will preside over an important meeting later Sunday to discuss his country’s relationship with the US following the drone strike which killed Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, officials said.

Pakistani officials claimed the US action has scuttled the government peace dialogue plan with the Taliban.

Riot Victim raped in relief camp by 2 youth

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A riot victim at a relief camp here was allegedly gangraped by two youths at Jogya Kheri village in the Fugana area of the district, police said.

Tension prevailed in the area after the victim, whose family was displaced from their home at Fugana village, was
raped yesterday by two accused — identified as Sachin and Sunil Kumar.

The duo have been arrested after a complaint was lodged in the matter by the victim’s father.

Villagers had caught and thrashed the two accused before handing them over to police.

Hakimullah was a wanted man, provided safe haven to al Qaeda: US

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Amid accusation by Pakistan that America deliberately sabotaged peace talks by killing Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, the US on Sunday said the militant group has a “symbiotic relationship” with al Qaeda and acts like its force multiplier besides providing “safe haven” to terrorists.

The US Embassy here said it was “not in a position” to confirm whether Hakimullah was killed in a CIA drone strike on Friday in lawless North Waziristan tribal region.

UK visa bond: Britain to scrap proposed scheme

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The controversial 3,000-pound “security bond” for some “high-risk” foreign visitors to the UK, including those from India, is to be scrapped, the Home Office has confirmed.

The scheme, announced by Home Secretary Theresa May in June, was to come into force this month.

A Home Office spokesman confirmed a Sunday Times report that the policy would be scrapped.

Hugo Swire, Britain’s Minister of state for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs said recently that “no decision was taken on the visa bond scheme”.

Ferrer ousts Nadal, faces Djokovic in Paris final

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Spaniard David Ferrer produced one of his finest performances to edge world number one and compatriot Rafael Nadal 6-3 7-5 in the Paris Masters semi-final on Saturday and keep alive his hopes of being the first player to retain the crown.

Third seed Ferrer, who won his first Masters Series title in Paris last year, will face Novak Djokovic in the final of the indoor event on Sunday after the Serb earlier subdued Roger Federer 4-6 6-3 6-2 in a battle of former world number ones.

Cashless health card scheme for Andhra employees

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The Andhra Pradesh government Sunday presented a Diwali gift to its employees by announcing “cashless health card” scheme, said to be the first of its kind in the country.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy approved the scheme under which free health services would be provided to 14 lakh employees, pensioners and their family members. It will benefit a total of about 70 lakh people, said a statement from the chief minister’s office.