Month: March 2014

Five babies die in Medical College;parents allege negligence

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Five new-born babies died at the Medical College and Hospital,Kolkata, in the last 12 hours,sparking protests from parents who alleged that it was a case of medical negligence.

The babies were admitted to the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU), hospital authorities said.

Parents of the babies have alleged that medical interns were left to take care of the unit, as a result of
which the deaths occurred.

Denying medical negligence in the case, hospital superintendent Sikha Banerjee told reporters that they would

RSS apex body to meet in Bangalore from March 7

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RSS’ highest policy making body, Akhil Bharateeya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), is holding its annual three-day meeting here from March 7, when it would review its activities and discuss important national issues.

RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat and General Secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji would chair the meeting, in which representatives
elected from different Shakhas all over the country, state-level office-bearers and national functionaries of Sangh
affiliated organisations would take part.

UN deputy envoy to Syria wants to quit post: spokesman

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The Damascus representative of UN-Arab League Syria envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has asked to quit his post, a UN spokesman said today.

Mokhtar Lamani, who heads Brahimi’s Damascus office, “has submitted a request to the United Nations to be relieved of his duties, but he has not officially resigned,” UN spokesman Khaled al-Masri told AFP.

The spokesman did not provide an explanation for Lamani’s decision.

He was appointed to represent Brahimi in Damascus in September 2012.

Azam asks BJP to build mosque at Ayodhya

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Days after BJP offered to apologise to Muslims over any “mistake”, UP Minister Azam Khan today asked the party to build a mosque at Ayodhya to show its true repentance.

BJP people are offering to apologise to Muslims, but these people cannot be believed. If they are really repentant,
then BJP president Rajnath Singh should get mosque constructed at Ayodhya and we will look after Kumbh works,” Khan said.

On February 25, without mentioning the 2002 Gujarat riots, Singh had made an offer of apology to the Muslims, in a bid to reach out to the community ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Amid suspense over alliance, Lalu hits campaign trail

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As the issue of alliance with Congress lingered, RJD President Lalu Prasad today hit the poll campaign of his party for the general elections and gave a clarion call to defeat the “communal” forces.

At a rally near ‘Lalu More’, a crossing named after him, in Rajauli in Nawada, Prasad asked the poor, backward, dalits and minority people to unite against the “communal forces” to save the country.

JD-U rules out alliance with Congress, sparks speculations

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The decision of the Janata Dal United (JDU) to rule out an alliance with the Congress in Bihar triggered volatility in state politics in the run-up for 2014 national polls.

The rejection limited Congress’s options in Bihar for general elections, with Ram Vilas Paswan, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief having already walked out, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad getting restless, and making it clear that he cannot offer the Congress more than 11 of Bihar’s 40 Lok Sabha seats.

Oust Congress to make India strong, safe: Jayalalithaa

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Monday urged people to throw out the “corrupt” Congress-led government at the centre to make India strong and safe.

Launching the AIADMK’s election campaign from the textile-temple town of Kanchipuram, the party’s general secretary faulted the central government’s economic, defence procurement and other policies.

She said wrong economic policies followed by the centre like pricing of oil resulted in spiralling prices of essential goods.

I have to undergo an endoscopy: SRK

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Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is recovering from an injury that he recently sustained on the sets of “Happy New Year”, says he will undergo endoscopy.

On the sidelines of the IAA Leadership Awards here March 1, SRK was asked if he was recovering well.

He said: “I have to undergo an endoscopy now. Inshallah, I don’t have to go under surgery, but endoscopy for sure.”

Shah Rukh had suffered a shoulder fracture on the sets of “Happy New Year” Jan 23. It also left his left knee’s patellar tendon torn and doctors advised him complete rest for two to three weeks.

Pune FC goalkeeper surprised with India call-up

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From being a trainee at the Pune Football Club Academy to getting his maiden call-up to the national football team, goalkeeper Amrinder Singh has come a long way.

Amrinder was pleasantly surprised after he was named in the 20-member national squad for the international friendly game against neighbours Bangladesh here Wednesday.

China railway station attack suspects arrested

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Chinese police Monday said three suspects involved in the terrorist attack at a railway station in the southwestern city of Kunming have been captured.

The ministry of public security said in a statement that a terrorist gang of eight members led by Abdurehim Kurban was responsible for the attack, Xinhua reported.

Police shot and killed four of them and captured an injured female at the scene Saturday night, the statement said.

FAPCCI shocked over power cuts & holidays

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FAPCCI senior vice-president Shivkumar Rungta and vice-president V. Anil Reddy on Monday expressed concern over power cuts and power holidays for industrial consumers in the State as announced by the DISCOMs.

Venkaiah faults centre for extension given to Mohanty

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BJP senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday faulted service extension of Chief Secretary P K Mohanty.
Speaking to the media here, Venkaiah said the Government extended service of Mohanty on pretext of bifurcation of the State. He questioned need to extend Mohanty’s service when many senior IAS officers of Stae cadre were available for the post. He charged the Centre with violating the rule that service period of higher officers should be extended only when eligible officers were not available.

Erraballi resigns from TDP Telangana convener post

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Facing serial setbacks of some TDP leaders of Telangana region deserting the party, party president N Chandrababu Naidu started efforts to prevent the exodus after Erraballi Dayakar Rao sent his resignation from party’s Telangana Form convener’s post.
Apparently on directions from party supremo, senior leader Revuri Prakash Reddy was also trying to contact Erraballi to prevent him from quitting the party. Rumors are doing rounds that Erraballi may quit the party and joining the Congress.

Sharing stage with Paswan, Modi attacks Nitish Kumar

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Sharing the stage with foe-turned-friend Ram Vilas Paswan, Narendra Modi today attacked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying Bihar has become a safe haven for terrorists as he has failed to act tough in his bid to win over Muslim votes.

Addressing a big rally in which LJP chief Paswan and his son Chirag appeared for the first time with him after the two parties stitched an alliance last week, he said the country’s polity was now divided into two camps.

Sex workers demand basic rights, inclusion in voters list

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An umbrella group of sex workers Monday requested the Election Commission to register the entire community as voters, and also urged political parties to clarify their stand on pension rights for sex workers.

The All India Network of Sex Workers, which represents 90 sex worker organisations across 16 Indian states, in its letter stated that due to the stigma attached to their profession, sex workers are not treated as “equal citizens” and their inclusion into the social security framework is often denied.

Pakistan government likely to include militarily in peace talk team

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A top security service member is most likely to be included in the Pakistan government’s new peace team to engage the Tehreek-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leadership in a constructive and positive peace dialogue, a media report said.

The existing peace team will either be completely replaced with a new team or continue with some changes, The Nation reported Monday citing source.

The report said some think-tanks of the Pakistan government have advised direct contact with the Tehreek-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) with a new team.

Corruption, Lokpal to be key poll issues: Google survey

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Corruption and Lokpal are likely to be the two decisive factors on which young people are going to vote in the Lok Sabha polls, search engine Google has said.

After a three-month survey, Google concluded that the Lok Sabha elections have evoked unprecedented interest among online users who want to know about the various issues influencing national politics.

Punjab sets new record for waving Pakistan’s national flag

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Punjab has broken the world record of waving the National flag of Pakistan for more than seven minutes.

Sixty thousand people waved the national flag at the National Hockey Stadium and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also took part in the event witnessed by ambassadors of 14 countries, Dawn reported.

Sharif, who inaugurated the Punjab Youth Festival 2014, congratulated the nation on setting the world record and said that the youth festival was held for promoting a soft image of the country.

Congress demands CBI probe in MP recruitment scam

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Levelling serious allegations of corruption against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Congress demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Professional Examination Board (VYAPAM) recruitment scam.

Congress party members wearing plastic sheets with messages reading in Hindi marched towards the assembly premises, and shouted slogans against the Madhya Pradesh government.

Delhi defeats Himachal Pradesh in Sehwag’s absence

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Unmukt Chand, Jagrit Anand and Milind Kumar struck fighting half centuries in Delhi’s five-wicket win over Himachal Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (North Zone) at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Monday. Out of form Virender Sehwag pulled out of the game at the last minute owing to “sickness”.

Delhi played cautiously to get past Himachal’s 230 all out in 49.1 overs. Milind (57 not out off 68) played a handy knock to get his team home after Chand (51 off 80 balls) and Anand (61 off 89) set the tone for a successful chase with a 79-run partnership.

Rahul confidante Meenakshi Natarajan wins Mandsaur primary

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Sitting Congress MP from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, Meenakshi Natarajan today emerged as a consensus candidate through the primary, which is piloted by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, to contest upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Natarajan’s victory came against the backdrop of former Neemuch district Congress president and Lok Sabha aspirant Surendra Sethi’s allegation that the primary was rigged. Sethi had boycotted the election.

The concept of primary is aimed at decentralisation of power and encouraging inner-party democracy in Congress.

Anand Sharma criticizes Modi’s developmental model, says ‘packaging good, product substandard’

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Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Anand Sharma, took a jibe at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for his developmental model, and said that his packaging was attractive, but the product may be substandard.

Sharma, along with the Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, signed agreements related to the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project.

Jibing at Modi, Sharma slammed him for making boastful announcements of investments.

Only one Kashmiri migrant family has returned to Valley: Govt

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The Jammu and Kashmir government today said only one Kashmiri migrant family had returned to the Valley since 2009.

In a written reply to a question in the Legislative Assembly, minister of State for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Aijaz Ahmed Khan said only one Kashmiri migrant family had returned to the Valley since 2009.

He said so far 1446 migrant youths had joined various departments under the Prime Minister’s Employment Package in the Valley.

Besides, 22 junior engineers and five draftsmen were appointed during January this year, the minister said.