Month: January 2014

Saudi Arabia authorities temporarily suspend text-message tracking for women

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Saudi Arabia authorities have reportedly suspended a monitoring system that text alerts Saudi women’s male ‘guardians’, every time they cross the border.

According to Lt. Col. Ahmad Al-Laheedan, spokesperson of the Passports Department, the suspension has been announced to make amendments to the system and following review by officials, the new improved service will be optional.

The system requires women and children in Saudi Arabia to seek signed permission from male guardians in order to travel to other countries, Independent reported.

Iran’s top negotiator warns nuclear enrichment can resume in 24 hrs if country wants

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Iran’s top negotiator has said nuclear enrichment can begin within 24 hours if the nation’s leaders take issue with the political process in Washington.

Abbas Araghchi told an Iranian audience that Iran can return again to 20 percent enrichment in less than one day and can convert the nuclear material again.

According to the Washington Times, he said that whenever Iran feels the other side is not following through with its commitments, they can move forward with their nuclear programme .

John Kerry urges Syrian opposition to attend peace talks

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Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Syria’s opposition to join next week’s peace talks in Switzerland.

The main political opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, is meeting in Istanbul on Friday to vote on whether to go to the talks.

According to the BBC, Kerry stressed the aim of the so-called Geneva II talks was to begin the process of setting up a transitional government to end the war in Syria.

The three-year conflict has claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people.

After marital row, Sunanda Pushkar found dead

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Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Minister of State Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in a luxury hotel here Friday night, just a day after they claimed they were “happily married” despite an ugly public row.

Police sources told IANS that Pushkar, who married Tharoor in August 2010, was found sprawled on a bed in room 345 at The Leela Palace hotel in south Delhi.

She had reportedly checked into the hotel Thursday night.

Police register case of negligence against private hospital doctors

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The Uppal police registered a case of infant male baby death due to negligence against a private hospital doctors.

According to police, One day infant baby boy dies due to doctors negligence, a Pregnant women Bhargavi W/o Shiv Kumar of Ambernagar was admitted to a private hospital on few days back. On Jan 16 evening hours She was birth a male baby, infant boy was died after few hours of the Birth. However, her relative lodged a complaint before the police alleging negligence by the lady doctors Vijaya and shyamala.

YSRCP slams Sabbam Hari

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Castigating Congress leader Sabbam Hari for his quixotic remarks against the Party President, YSR Congress has said the Anakapalle MP has no moral right to speak against YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who has been working for a united state.

“Sabbam Hari thought he has spilled the beans by leveling false allegations against YS Jagan Mohan Reddy but they boomerang on him as he lacks sincerity on any count right from being a votary to the united state to the reckless statement that he has advised our leader to abide by Congress high command decision or face jail.

Hyderabad Development in Nizam Era, How many educational institutions were set up? Sailajanath

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Legislative Affairs Minister S Sailajanath on Friday insisted that the State Legislative Assembly take up voting on every clause of the Andhra Prdesh State Reorganisation Bill.

Participate in the debate on Telangana Bill in the Assembly, Sailajanath said that in view of future of Telugu people, the Seemandhra leaders were opposing the decision of the Congress High Command to bifurcate the State. The issue of bifurcation is highly sensitive and a decision in this regard could not be taken across the table, he said.

CM reiterates his opposition to Telangana

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Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday reiterated his opposition to the proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Intervening during the debate on State Reorganisation Bill in the State Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister said that the division of the State would cause more harm to the people of Telangana. He said he would explain in detail as to how the bifurcation was not in the interest of Telangana region.

TDP never changed its stand on Telangana: Ravula

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TDP MLA Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy on Friday claimed that the Telugu Desam Party never changed its stand on Telangana issue.

Participating in the debate on State Reorganisation Bill in the State Legislative Assembly here, Ravula said that the TDP politburo took a decision to support the Telangana demand and later party chief N Chandrababu Naidu wrote a letter to the Centre supporting statehood for the region. He said that the TDP never changed its stand on the Telangana issue.

Young India Fellowship

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Eligibility
YIF programme is open to all Indian citizens* with:

Applicants who are 28 years of age or less on 31st May,2014
A recognised undergraduate or postgraduate degree
No more than three years of work experience
The Fellowship promotes diversity and applicants from all areas of specialisation are encouraged to apply. While applicants who have been educated in a vernacular language as their medium of instruction are welcome, it is expected that they will be able to converse, read and write in English.

*Applicants holding PIO/OCI cards are also welcome to apply.

Recipe: Chocolate pudding

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Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups Dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 cup Bread Crumbs
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 tbsp granulated Sugar
• 1/2 cup Condensed milk
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup walnuts

How to make

Heat the dark chocolate till it melts, then add milk to it and mix well.

Mix the bread crumbs to it.

In another bowl whisk butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

Pour condensed milk, vanilla essence, walnuts and Dark chocolate mixture and mix well.

Pour this mixture into a greased cake tin, cover it with a foil paper.

Congress saving Rahul Gandhi for future: BJP

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The BJP on Friday said the Congress did not declare Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate because they were saving him for “future elections”.

“Defeat is written on Congress’ face,” Bharatiya Janata Party leader Prakash Javadekar said.

“They want to save their only leader for future elections, they know what the results are going to be,” he told a news agency.

The Congress has announced that Rahul Gandhi, its vice president, will lead the party in the Lok Sabha election this year but won’t be the prime ministerial candidate.

IANS

General Election not a battle to elect president: Brinda Karat

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By projecting its prime ministerial candidate, the BJP is trying to portray the coming Lok Sabha election as a battle for electing a president, CPI (M) politburo member Brinda Karat on Friday said recalling how the people had rejected its 2009 PM candidate.

“PM election (read Lok Sabha election) is not like presidential form of election which the BJP is trying to convey by projecting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi,” Brinda said at a press conference here.

Snoopgate:’Scurrilous’ allegations against Modi be deleted, says SC

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The Supreme Court on Friday said it will look into the plea for CBI probe into Gujarat’s snooping controversy only after verifying that suspended IAS officer Pradeep Sharma complied with its order to delete “scurrilous” allegations against Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Sharma, who has sought probe into the snoopgate, faced stiff opposition from the Gujarat government, which also slapped several other cases on him including one for attempting to flee the country on fake passport.

SC to hear Jethmalani’s plea on black money on February 19

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The Supreme Court on Friday decided to hear on February 19 an application seeking speedy hearing of a plea by jurist Ram Jethmalani accusing the Centre of not implementing its directions on the issue of black money allegedly stashed in banks abroad.

“We understand it is matter of great importance,” a three- judge bench comprising justices HL Dattu, Ranjana Prakash Desai and MB Lokur said.

Media sees only Samajwadi Party Govt”s negatives: Akhilesh Yadav

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday appealed to the media to be less negative towards his government, and complained that the good work of the administration was failing to attract eyeballs.

“We Samajwadis are ahead in doing development work, but poor in highlighting them… Now, is the time of management… We have to learn some management… They (media) only see the negatives of our government and highlight it… Our good work does not find space for long,” said Yadav at the launch of the state health department”s 102 ambulance service for pregnant women.

NSA collected millions of SMS messages: Report

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The US National Security Agency (NSA) collected almost 200 million mobile phone text messages a day from around the world that allowed it to extract contact networks and credit card data of users, according to the latest leaks from whistleblower Edward Snowden.

British spies have had access to some of the information extracted and stored from SMS messages by the NSA, the Guardian newspaper said in revelations based on files leaked by former NSA contractor Snowden.

Iran says UN experts to inspect Gachin mine this month

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Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation said on Friday that UN nuclear experts will inspect its Gachin uranium mine this month, almost nine years since they last visited the site.

“The inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency will travel to Tehran on January 29 to visit Gachin mine,” AEO spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.

Iran and the IAEA agreed a framework deal in November that includes six steps Tehran must carry out by February 11.

China’s Xinjiang doubling anti-terror budget

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China’s restive Xinjiang region is doubling its budget for fighting terrorism following an unusually bloody year of anti-government attacks, state media reported on Friday.

The northwestern region’s draft 2014 budget proposes an increase to USD 331,000 for fighting terrorism, the China Daily and other outlets said. That’s part of an overall 24 per cent rise in the public security budget to USD 1 billion, they said, citing documents issued yesterday at the annual meeting of the regional legislature.

Prince Harry to quit as helicopter pilot, take up army desk job

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Prince Harry will quit his role as an ace Apache helicopter pilot to take up a desk job in the British Army, it was announced on Friday.

“The Prince will take the position of SO3 (Defence Engagement). His responsibilities will include helping to co-ordinate significant projects and commemorative events involving the Army in London,” a Kensington Palace statement said.

“Prince Harry spent three and a half years in training and operational service with the Apache Force during his attachment to the Army Air Corps,” it said.

Barriers to bilateral trade have to be removed: Pakistan

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Pakistan Thursday said barriers to bilateral trade with India have to be removed.

Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said other impediments to boosting India-Pakistan trade such as non-tariff barriers, lack of adequate connectivity and transportation, issues of standards, customs harmonisation, communication, visa facilitation, payment mechanisms and dispute resolution need to be addressed.

Pakistan police stumped by preaching centre bomb

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Police investigating a bomb attack on a preaching centre in northwest Pakistan said Friday they had no clear idea who could have been behind the blast.

The blast at an Islamic preaching centre in troubled Peshawar city on Thursday evening killed at least nine preachers and wounded more than 50, officials said.

The Pakistani Taliban strongly denied any link to the attack on the centre run by Tableeghi Jamaat, a respected organisation which enjoys good relations with the authorities as well as other religious groups.

Modi a person of great prominence, want to know his views: EU

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The European Union today termed Narendra Modi as a “person of great prominence” on India’s political landscape and said it respects the judicial verdict that has given clean chit to the Gujarat Chief Minister for 2002 riots, on which there were “enormous” concerns around the world.

EU Ambassador to India Joao Cravinho said the views of the 28-member bloc on the Gujarat riots have been based on India’s judicial and political process and it engages with Modi like with any other leader.