Month: May 2014

At least 350 dead in Afghan landslide: UN

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A landslide in north Afghanistan killed at least 350 people today, the United Nations said, adding that a major relief operation was underway to rescue those still trapped.

“The number of deceased has increased to 350 and significant displacement is expected,” the UN mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.

“The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is helping with coordinating local authorities to rescue those still trapped.

“A response is being mobilised for those who survived but were displaced, with some partners already on the ground.

Police looking for bald man in Chennai train blasts

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Tamil Nadu Police Friday said they found the movements of a bald man who disembarked from the train and ran away before the twin bomb blasts as unusual and would like to question him during investigation.

Speaking to reporters here, Inspector General of Police at the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) Maheshkumar Agarwal said: “We found the movements of a bald person getting down from the S3 coach and running away as unusual from the CCTV footage. His movements were unusual.”

The two bombs were placed in S4 and S5 coaches.

Rs 1.5 crore seized from vehicle in Nalgonda district

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Police today seized unaccounted -for cash of Rs 1.5 crore from a vehicle in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh.

The money was recovered from a mini-lorry at Chinthapally town, about 100km from here, at around 1 am and the same was handed over to district and IT department officials, a police officer said, adding the matter was under investigation.

The mini-lorry was on its way to Prakasam from Hyderabad.

Delhi gears up for IPL matches

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Elaborate arrangements have been made for the smooth movement of vehicles and pedestrians during IPL matches to be held at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium here, police said today.

“No vehicle shall be allowed to be parked on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg (both the carriageways) on the match day as traffic is diverted due to construction work of DMRC Phase-III. Vehicles parked on these roads shall be towed away and action will be taken as per law,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Shukla said.

Kadapa to be recommended as capital city of AP: Jairam Ramesh

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Union Minister Jairam Ramesh today said a proposal recommending Kadapa as the capital city of the new state of Andhra Pradesh following the bifurcation would be submitted to the committee appointed in this regard.

Addressing party workers here this evening, Ramesh said, he would forward this proposal to the committee.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are like “mother and child” and should cooperate with each other for development, he said.

BJD slams Modi and Rahul, continues to oppose Polavaram project

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With both Congress and BJP backing the controversial Polavaram project in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, the ruling BJD in Odisha today made it clear that the party will continue to oppose the project.

“We are totally opposed to the Polavaram project as it will lead to submergence of a large chunk of forest land and a number of tribal villages in Odisha’s Malkangiri district,” BJD general secretary and state school and mass education minister R N Nanda told reporters here.

Modi challenges Sonia’s secularism

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Questioning the track record of Congress in handling communal riots, Narendra Modi today challenged the secularism of Sonia Gandhi alleging she was not worried about Hindus or Muslims but just wanted her son to get power.

Addressing a 3D rally at 107 locations in Lok Sabha constituencies going to polls in the remaining two phases of voting, Modi attacked Congress for trying to “destabilise” the country by talking about formation of a Third Front government at the Centre.

Reliance Industries moves Delhi HC for quashing of FIR

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Reliance Industries Friday moved the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of an FIR registered by the erstwhile Arvind Kejriwal government, contending that Delhi has “no jurisdiction” in the matter as gas pricing falls under the Centre.

In February, the Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Bureau filed cases against Mukesh Ambani and Petroleum Minister M. Veerappa Moily for allegedly creating artificial scarcity of natural gas and for fixing prices.

EC rules out repoll in any Bengal booth

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The Election Commission Friday announced there would be no repolling in any of the West Bengal booths where balloting was held Wednesday for nine Lok Sabha seats from the state.

“There will be no repoll in any polling stations,” the poll panel said in a press note.

Accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress of “massive rigging”, the opposition parties had alleged that their polling agents were threatened and driven out and voters intimidated.

Eight killed in Libya attack

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Dozens of gunmen Friday launched an attack against the headquarters of the security forces in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi, killing at least eight people and injuring 24, according to security sources.

The Benghazi Medical Centre authorities kept updating the casualties, saying they have now received eight bodies and 19 wounded people while the Galaa hospital have treated five wounded, Xinhua reported.

A security officer said that two policemen and some Special Forces soldiers were among the dead, and there are still four soldiers missing.

Rain water enters room with EVMs in Madurai

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Rain water entered a room at a counting centre in the city where electronic voting machines used in the April 24 Lok Sabha polls here were kept, prompting authorities to unlock the room seal and clean it up.

District Collector-cum-Election Officer for Madurai Lok Sabha constituency L Subramanian opened the seal of the room in the presence of the candidates last night and ordered cleaning of the water that had stagnated in a corner, officials said today.

Cong flays Modi over AP bifurcation remark

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Congress today criticised Narendra Modi for his remarks that the party pressed ahead with the division of Andhra Pradesh without taking people into confidence, saying the BJP prime ministerial candidate is making “wrong” statements to mislead people during the polls.

“Since the polling is yet to take place in Seemandhra, Modi has started campaigning there that Telangana was formed without consulting other political parties,” party spokesman and Union Minister Anand Sharma told reporters.

Modi interview: Prasar Bharati CEO slams Manish Tewari on autonomy

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Acknowledging that certain portions of the Narendra Modi interview on Doordarshan “were apparently edited”, Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar Friday said the public broadcaster had failed to get the autonomy it was seeking and pointed a finger at Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari for the failure to break the stranglehold.

Dalit boy’s murder: Maha govt orders fast track trial

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Maharashtra Government today ordered a fast track trial in the brutal murder of a 17-year-old Dalit boy, allegedly by members of some upper-caste villagers in Ahmednagar district this week.

“We will conduct the trial in the fast-track court. The investigation into the incident will be carried out by the superintendent of police,” Home Minister R R Patil told reporters here.

Nitin Raju Aage was allegedly beaten to death by brother of an upper-caste girl for the former being “friendly” with his sister.

Arrest warrant issued against director, actors of Ram Leela

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A local court today issued arrest warrants against “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela” director -producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali, actors Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh in coonection with a case alleging that few scenes in the movie hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus.

Warrants were also issued against another producer Kishore Lulla, as well as the musicians and lyricists of the movie.

Issuing the arrest warrants, Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) SP Singh directed Mumbai Police Commissioner to arrest the persons concerned and produce them at his court on June 4.

White House report embraces ‘big data,’ privacy rules

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A study ordered by US President Barack Obama concludes that analysis of “big data” can help society in many ways, from improving health care to spurring economic growth.

But the report released yesterday also said the vast expansion of computer analytics of large data banks creates new threats to privacy, and recommended updated rules and laws to protect stored information.

Uddhav not consulted by Saamana editor: R R Patil

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Following the controversial editorial targeting Gujaratis carried by the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana, NCP leader and Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil today alleged that Sena president Uddhav Thackeray was usually not consulted by the editorial writers.

While Uddhav is the editor of the paper, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut is the executive editor. It is Raut who has been writing the editorials for the past many years.

EC examining complaints of ‘inaction’ by spl observer in WB

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Taking cognisance of complaints alleging “inaction” by its special observer in checking rigging of polls in West Bengal, the Election Commission today said it is examining the matter.

CPI, CPI(M) and West Bengal Congress have moved the EC alleging inaction by the officials.

They have alleged that during the April 30 polling in the state, large scale rigging had taken place and the special observer allegedly did not act on complaints.

EC sources said the poll body will thoroughly examine the issue before taking a call.

Jagan flays BJP, TDP, urges people to vote for YSRCP

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Coming down heavily on the BJP-TDP combine, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy ppealed to the people to vote for YSRCP fan symbol that would change the course of the state.

“Though BJP-TDP combo was in power between 1999 and 2004 it could not bring in any development to the state, unabashedly leaders of the two parties have been in Seemandhra doling out promises galore which reflects their politics of opportunism,” said Jagan.

Police ask social media to delete TV anchor’s photos

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Delhi Police Friday asked social networking websites to delete intimate photographs of TV anchor Amrita Rai with Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, a day after she filed a complaint saying her email and social accounts were hacked.

Rai had complained that her accounts on Gmail, Facebook and Twitter were hacked, following which the police crime branch registered a case under the IT Act.

“We have forwarded her request to delete her objectionable photographs to social networking websites,” a police officer told IANS.

Mayawati feels Modi will be a disaster for country

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Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi would be a disaster for the country if he becomes the Prime Minister.

“If such a person becomes the prime minister of our country by chance, then our country could be destroyed and ruined by plunging into communal riots during the reign of such a person,” said Mayawati.

She also hit out at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Curfew imposed in Baksa district and Tulsibil outpost area in Kokrajhar district

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Curfew was imposed in entire Baksa district and Tulsibil outpost area in Kokrajhar district on Friday as a preventative measure following the attack by suspected NDFB (Songbijit) militants in which at least seven civilians were killed.

A group of heavily armed extremists swooped down on two houses in Balaparajan Village-1 under Goreswar police station at around 1 a.m. and opened indiscriminate fire, killing seven persons on the spot.

Ravi Shankar accuses Shinde of “Stoop-Gate” for appointing commission on ‘snoopgate’

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday said that appointing a judge to probe “Snoopgate” is a “Stoop-Gate” conspiracy of Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and his party.

“Congress party is desperate now and therefore they are doing cheap conspiracy. It is a Stoop-Gate of Sushil Kumar Shinde. He has stooped to this level. He is the worst home minister our country has ever had,” said Ravi Shankar.

Kanda launches new party

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Former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, accused of abetting the suicide of a former air hostess, Friday launched his Haryana Lokhit Party here.

Kanda said his party would provide people a “clean alternative” in Haryana and free the state of caste politics. He also said his party will work towards safety of women.

The suicide episode “may be a hurdle in the way of our new party but we are ready to face more such allegations by political rivals”, Kanda said.

The party office is located in the building that once housed Kanda’s MDLR Airlines.