The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) provides equal opportunities to all without any discrimination, its chairman D.P. Agrawal said here Tuesday.
“Muslim youth will have to first shed their fear that discrimination prevails against them in government jobs,” he said, addressing the inaugural session of the Aligarh Muslim University alumni meet. Agarwal is also an alumnus.
———–IANS
Stating that they were not backing any political party or individual, Vishwa Hindu Parishad International Working President Pravin Togadia has asked people to vote for candidates with a clean slate and stature in Lok Sabha elections.
“VHP has no political agenda and the organisation is not supporting anyone. We are with those who are credible and committed to protect the interests of millions of Hindus,” he said.
Union Minister Salman Khurshid on Tuesday described Narendra Modi as “impotent”, a remark that invited a sharp condemnation from the BJP.
The External Affairs Minister’s fresh salvo against the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate at a rally here came as he raised questions on the Gujarat Chief Minister’s handling of the post-Godhra riots in 2002. Khurshid had once compared Modi to the proverbial frog just out of the well.
Victoria Beckham was tipped to be designing a kit for her footballer husband David’s Miami soccer team, but not anymore. She is said to have been beaten by sportswear giant Adidas.
“It has surprised many in Miami that he would not ask his wife to design the kit. Not only would it be the most stylish kit ever, but it would help sales,” dailystar.co.uk quoted a source as saying.
David is said to be in talks with Adidas, which wants to provide his team’s logo, kit and accessories.
He has plugged several products for the company since 2003, when he signed up to endorse them.
Australia intents to prioritise satisfactory resolution of its purchase of a USD 4.5 million Shiva statue stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu by an Indian art dealer, a senior minister said today.
“We are going to deal with the Indian high commission with a view to pursuing the matter to a satisfactory outcome,” Senator George Brandis told Senate’s legal and constitutional affairs hearing yesterday.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud will arrive here Wednesday on a three-day official visit, during which the two countries will sign an agreement on defence and on cooperation in hydrocarbons and security.
Crown Prince Salman’s is the highest level political visit from the kingdom after the January 2006 landmark trip by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations.
The crown prince will be accompanied by a delegation comprising cabinet ministers, senior officials and captains of industry.
South Africa’s Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa Tuesday fielded a bill to parliament with the aim of restricting foreign ownership of private security companies.
The Private Security Regulations Amendment Bill seeks to strengthen control over the regulation of the private security industry, including security services rendered from South Africa to other countries, Mthethwa told MPs, Xinhua reported.
With Telangana conundrum leaving little time for other bills to be pushed through in Parliament, the government looks to set to go for the ordinance route to ensure that Rahul Gandhi’s pet anti-graft bills become a reality before the Lok Sabha polls.
Besides the two anti-corruption bills, three other legislations could not be passed during the just-concluded Parliament session.
Reports said ordinances were ready on Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill and Right of Citizens for Time-Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill.
US President Barack Obama Tuesday announced the launch of two new public-private institutes for manufacturing innovation in the administration’s latest effort to boost advanced manufacturing and spur high-quality jobs.
The two manufacturing innovation institutes are led by the Department of Defence and supported by more than $280 million, half from the federal government and half from private partners, Xinhua reported.
The AMU Tuesday remembered its alumnus K.A. Abbas, who shone as an author, journalist, filmmaker and screenplay writer.
Inaugurating a national seminar on “Bread, Beauty and Revolution: Exploring the Kaleidoscopic World of Khwaja Ahmad Abbas”, Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi said Khwaja Ahmad Abbas was creative genius who started his career as a journalist while still studying at the AMU.
Abbas was an activist of Progressive Writers’ Movement and a true democrat with secular thinking, he said.
US President Barack Obama, in a phone conversation with Afghan President Hamid Karzai Tuesday, raised the possibility of no American troops left in Afghanistan beyond 2014.
“Specifically, President Obama has asked the Pentagon to ensure that it has adequate plans in place to accomplish an orderly withdrawal by the end of the year should the United States not keep any troops in Afghanistan after 2014,” Xinhua quoted the White House as saying.
Protests erupted in 11 Turkish cities Tuesday evening demanding Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s resignation after an audio recording of him discussing a plan to hide money from police got leaked.
Thousands of people took to the streets in the capital Ankara as well as Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya and other cities, Xinhua reported.
In the recording, Erdogan and his son Bilal allegedly discussed a plan to hide $1 billion worth of cash in several houses on the day when police raided a number of venues in a massive corruption investigation.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday voiced his concern over the signing into law of the anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda, urging the authorities to revise or repeal it “at the earliest opportunity”, Xinhua reported.
“The secretary general reiterates that everyone is entitled to enjoy the same basic rights and live a life of worth and dignity without discrimination,” his spokesperson was quoted as saying in a statement.
This concept is embedded in the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Ugandan constitution, the spokesperson added.
A toddler was allegedly raped by her 35-year-old neighbour in outer Delhi’s Alipur area, police said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred when the accused, Manjeet Pandey, took the two-year-old girl out on the pretext of playing with the toddler. However, he took her to a secluded place and allegedly raped her, police said.
Meanwhile, the girl’s family members began looking for her and found her crying inconsolably and bleeding profusely.
Manjeet was caught by locals and roughed up before being handed over to the police.
A special court on Tuesday reserved its order on suspended Gujarat IPS officer DG Vanzara’s plea seeking a copy of the supplementary charge sheet filed by CBI in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate HS Khutwad, presiding over the CBI court, reserved his ruling after hearing the arguments of counsel of Vanzara, one of the accused in the case who is currently in jail.
Vanzara’s counsel VD Gajjar said even after 20 days of filing of the charge sheet it has not been taken on record by the court.
A new Tatkal Licensing Scheme has been implemented with regard to grant of licences which will avoid delay in the process of grant of licence. The scheme will be applicable only for applicants applying for grant of BIS Certification Marks Licence for the products covered under mandatory certification listed in the BIS Website. The processing time for applications received under the Tatkal Scheme has been reduced to 30 days. Application fee and Inspection Charges, charged under the Tatkal Licensing scheme will be at double the rates to that applicable for application under normal scheme.
MA Gaffar Education & Welfare Society honorary secretary MA Mujeeb has stated the society was engaged in the activities of increasing the percentage of Muslim Minority in the Civil Services (IAS, IPS etc) and Indian Army. In order to achieve goals, the society has been running guidance programs at its office situated at 301 &303, Silver Oaks Complex, Masab Tank, here for the Civil Services aspirants. The society has commenced guidance for Civil Services (Mains) for two optionals of Anthropology & History.
Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit Tuesday moved the high court against the AAP’s plea to withdraw the erstwhile Congress government’s appeal against a trial court order for lodging a complaint against her for alleged misuse of government funds ahead of the 2008 assembly polls.
Seeking impleadment in the case, Dikshit also objected to the Arvind Kejriwal government’s move to withdraw the plea filed by her government.
TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu today said he would develop the two States if an opportunity was given to him. “With one opportunity, we will show development of two new States”, Naidu added.
Speaking after admitting several leaders including retired government employees and Industrialists from Visakhapatnam and East Godavari today, the former chief minister alleged that AICC president Sonia Gandhi and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao reached an agreement. He also alleged that YSRCP president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy had looted the State.
The Centre seems to be getting ready to make a crucial announcement on a new government to be in place in Andhra Pradesh in a day or two. It is holding hectic parleys with all leaders of Seemandhra and Telangana to rope in a new Chief Minister.
CPI State secretary K Narayana today flayed the Centre for failing to take remedial measures in the wake of political crisis in the State. He also alleged that Telugu Desam Party and BJP played dramas in Parliament with regard to Telangana Bill as per their “Secret Agenda” to prevent bifurcation process.
Several Muslim organizations actively participated in the Telangana movement will organise a round-table on February 27 at MP Garden Function Hall, near Mehdipatnam Bus Depot, on the subject “Future of Muslims in Telangana”.
A war of words is going on between the Congress and TRS leaders over the merger of the pink party.
Speaking to the media on the issue, former minister D K Aruna said it was not proper for TRS supremo KCR to put conditions for merger of his party with the Congress. She reminded that KCR once had said that if Congress announces Telangana State, he would merge his party in the Congress unconditionally. “Our party president Sonia Gandhi ensured passage of Telangana Bill in Parliament under tremendous pressure from various quarters.
BJP national executive member P Ramachander Rao today appealed to Telangana people to support his party for expeditious development of the new State.
Speaking to the media here on Tuesday, he alleged that the State has become bankrupt during the regimes of Congress and TDP. He urged the people of Telangana to support BJP for bright future of the region.
Chief Secretary PK Mohanty will submit a report pertaining to distribution of officials and staff, assets and liabilities to Union Home Ministry on Wednesday.
The Chief Secretary held a high level meeting with principal secretaries of all the main departments and said to have obtained adequate details in this regard, as President Pranab Mukherjee will be giving his assent to Telangana statehood bill. The meeting assumes significance as Mohanty was summoned to the national capital for his report on steps needed to be taken in the wake of bifurcation of the State.