Month: May 2014

Time for India, Pak to remove mutual mistrust: Sharif to Prez

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Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said India and Pakistan should move forward in their relationship and remove mutual mistrust as governments in both the countries had received a strong electoral mandate.

Sharif conveyed this to President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday during his meeting before returning to Pakistan.

The President expressed his appreciation of the “gracious response” of Sharif to accept the invitation to attend the oath-taking of Narendra Modi as PM despite the short notice, Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesman Venu Rajamony said in a statement today.

Irom Sharmila tells court she wants to settle in life

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Human rights activist Irom Sharmila Wednesday told a court hearing a case of attempted suicide during her fast-unto-death at Jantar Mantar here in 2006, that she wants to lead a settled life now.

Dubbed the “Iron Lady”, 40-year-old Sharmila from Manipur, who was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain in pursuance of a production warrant issued against her, told the court that she believes in non-violence and wants to settle in life.

“I want to settle in life and enjoy it,” she said.

Sharmila said she wants the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to be repealed.

Super Kings opt to field against Mumbai Indians

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Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field against defending champions Mumbai Indians in the eliminator of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Brabourne Stadium here Wednesday.

Teams:

Mumbai Indians: Lendl Simmons, Michael Hussey, Rohit Sharma (captain), Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Corey Anderson, Aditya Tare (wicketkeeper), Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Jasprit Bumrah

Van der Vaart ruled out of World Cup

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Dutch star Rafael van der Vaart was Wednesday ruled out of the FIFA World Cup due to a calf injury.

Van der Vaart sprained a calf muscle during Tuesday’s training in Lagos, Portugal. On Monday he had already missed training due to a mild fever and he did not arrive fully fit at the training camp after a disappointing second half of the season with his club Hamburger SV, reports Xinhua.

Knight Riders march into IPL final

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Kolkata Knight Riders marched into their second Indian Premier League (IPL) final with a convincing 28-run win over Kings XI Punjab in the Qualifier 1 at the Eden Gardens here Wednesday.

Chasing a target of 164, Kings XI Punjab could make only 135 for eight in 20 overs. Knight Riders pacer Umesh Yadav picked up three wickets for 13.

Kolkata Knight Riders came up with an all-round show to romp into the final with a clinical 28-run decimation of Kings XI Punjab in qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League here Wednesday.

Drugs worth Rs.2.5 crore seized, four held

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Four people have been arrested here and drugs valued Rs.2.5 crore in the international market seized from them, police said Wednesday.

Police claimed to have busted two drug trafficking gangs with the arrest of the four people – Belraj Sheikh, 30, Gulsher, 25, Sudhir Rathee, 30, and Jatin Manchanda, 21.

Sheikh and Gulsher were arrested last week from Minto Road in central Delhi while Rathee and Manchanda were arrested from Rohini Sunday.

World Cup to produce 1.4 million tons of greenhouse gas

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The Brazil 2014 World Cup will generate 1.4 million tons of greenhouse gas, according to a report released by Brazil’s environment ministry.

Izabella Teixeira, Minister of Environment, said direct emissions of greenhouse gases have reached 60,000 tons. Before this, said Teixeira, the government acted by making a public call to the companies to reduce their emissions in April.

Narasimhan gets additional charge of Governor of Telangana

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Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan has been given the additional charge of Governor of Telangana.

President of India Pranab Mukherjee has asked Narasimhan to discharge the functions of the Governor of Telangana, in addition to his own duties until a permanent arrangement is made. The appointment will take effect from the date he assumes charge of his office. (INN)

Lightning kills two children in Tripura

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Two school students were killed and three other people were injured in lightning strikes in Tripura Wednesday, officials said.

An eight-year-old boy and his 10-year-old brother died on the spot when lightning struck at Khowai in western Tripura while they were playing in a field near their house.

Three other people suffered burns due to lightning in different places.

Lightning and thunder, accompanied by high velocity winds, have been lashing Tripura over the past several days, damaging crops and uprooting electric poles and trees.

SJVNL earns net profit of Rs.1,114.63 crore

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Power utility Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL) Wednesday declared that it earned a net profit of Rs.1,114.63 crore in the last fiscal which was around six percent more than that of the previous fiscal.

In 2012-13, SJVNL’s net profit was Rs.1,052.34 crore, the company said in a statement here. It said the board of directors of the company, which met in New Delhi Wednesday, recommended a dividend payout of Re.0.98 per share.

The net dividend payout, excluding taxes, for 2013-14 was Rs.405.39 crore, the highest so far.

Teenaged girl from Bangladesh rescued from Gurgaon

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A 15-year-old girl from Bangladesh, who was lured from Dhaka on the pretext of a better life and job in India but was pushed into prostitution, was rescued from a house in Surya Vihar area here, police said Wednesday.

A 30-year-old man, identified as Safikul Islam alias Akash from West Bengal, is said to be the main accused but is yet to be arrested.

“The accused worked at a factory in Dhaka a few months ago and lured the girl to Gurgaon for a better life and job,” police officer Mohammad Sharif told IANS.

Ponnala visits Delhi to brief Sonia on poll debacle

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Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Lakshmaiah left for New Delhi on Wednesday to meet the Congress High Command.

According to sources, Ponnala would be meeting AICC President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi to brief them about the party’s performance in the recent elections. Besides submitting a report on the party’s dismal performance, he would also submit a list of suggestions to rejuvenate the Congress party in Telangana region. (INN)

Gambhir back in Test squad, Zaheer dropped

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Gautam Gambhir Wednesday returned to the Test side after a year-and-a-half while there was no place for veteran fast bowler Zaheer Khan in the 18-member India squad for the five-Test series in England starting July 9.

Keeping in mind the whitewash the team suffered in 2011, the Indian selectors decided to pack the team with six fast bowlers and also recalled tall Rajasthan pacer Pankaj Singh, who last represented India in ODIs in 2010.

Nripendra Mishra appointed Modi’s principal secretary

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Former TRAI chief Nripendra Mishra was Wednesday appointed principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The formalities of his appointment have been cleared today,” a senior official told IANS.

Mishra, a 1967 batch Indian Administrative Service officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has served in various administrative field positions.

He was chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in 2006.

Diya Aur…’ inspires most Indian women: Survey

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“Diya Aur Baati Hum”, about a girl’s grit and gumption to become an IPS officer, has turned out to be the most inspiring fictional story on Hindi general entertainment channels, according to a survey.

Conducted by online matrimony portal Shaadi.com, the survey was undertaken to understand the influence of TV shows on Indian women.

When they were asked about the soaps they believed empowered women, “Diya Aur Baati Hum” topped the chart with 47.8 percent votes, followed by 27.3 percent votes for “Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai”.

Nine killed in road accident near Ghaziabad

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At least nine people were killed and five, including four children, injured in a road accident near Ghaziabad Wednesday, police said.

The incident occurred around 4.30 a.m. on national highway-24, about 30 km from Delhi near Pilkhuwa town near Ghaziabad.

Police said 14 people from a Ghaziabad family along with their Delhi-based relatives were returning after attending a ceremony at Brijghat.

The injured people told police their car was hit by a vehicle from the front, and a speeding vehicle which was following it also hit the car from behind. However, both the vehicles sped away.

Governor of Andhra Pradesh gets additional charge of Telangana

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President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday gave E.S.L Narasimhan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, the additional charge of Telangana. In a press communiqué released by the Rashtrapati Bhawan it said President Pranab Mukherjee is pleased to appoint E.S.L. Narasimhan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, to discharge the functions of the Governor of Telangana, in addition to his own duties until a permanent arrangement is made. The above appointment will take effect from the date he assumes charge of his office. (ANI)

HC seeks report on deaths in Tihar Jail

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Taking suo moto cognizance of media reports about increasing number of deaths in Tihar Jail, the Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the city government to file a detailed report on the issue.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw asked Delhi government to look into the issue and submit a detailed report by July 23.

During the hearing, Delhi government’s standing counsel Zubeda Begum told the court that judicial inquiry is going on in the death cases and action will be taken after the completion of probe.

Article 370 cannot be repealed until Constituent Assembly is formed again: Omar

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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday reiterated that the Article 370 cannot be repealed until and unless the Constituent Assembly is constituted all over again. “I have expressed my opinion on this issue. You cannot repeal Article 370 until the Constituent Assembly is constituted all over again. Constituent Assembly gave its assent to the merger of Kashmir with India,” said Omar. He also said that through such statements the relations between Kashmir and the rest of the country are not strengthened and instead the people of Kashmir are actually drifting apart.

Uma Bharti asks about Sonia Gandhi’s qualifications

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Reacting to Congress leader Ajay Maken’s comments aimed at Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani, Union Minister Uma Bharti on Wednesday asked about the qualifications of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “The Congress is asking about the qualifications of Smriti Irani, but I want to ask what the qualifications of Sonia Gandhi are?” Bharti asked. “She was heading the UPA Government and was taking all the major decisions. I want to see her certificates. Then only the Congress has a right to ask about the qualifications of Irani,” she added.

Hot Wednesday in Delhi, no relief expected Thursday

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It was a hot, sunny Wednesday in the national capital with the maximum temperature settling at 40 degrees Celsius, average for this time of the season. No respite is expected from the searing heat Thursday as well, the Met office said.

“The hot weather will continue tomorrow (Thursday) as well and the sky will remain clear,” said an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The maximum temperature is expected to rise further and settle at around 42 degrees while the minimum would settle around 27 degrees.

M F Husain’s last paintings go on display in London

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A set of eight rarely-seen paintings by celebrated artist M F Husain went on public display for the first time at the famous Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum here today.

The ‘Indian Civilisation Series’, also known as ‘Vision of India through Mohenjo-Daro to Mahatma Gandhi’, was commissioned by Usha Mittal, wife of steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, in 2008 as a tribute to the richness of India’s
history.

The ambitious set of triptych paintings went on to form part of Husain’s final work before he passed away at a London

Contradictions in Smriti Irani’s election affidavits

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Even as a controversy rages over her educational qualification, it has now emerged that HRD minister Smriti Irani had given contradictory declarations in her affidavits in 2004 and 2014 when she contested Lok Sabha election from two different constituencies.

While contesting in 2004 elections from Chandni Chowk in Delhi, the actor-turned politician had claimed that she had a Bachelor of Arts degree.

“B.A. 1996 Delhi University (School of Correspondence)”, she had written in the column which seeks details of University education and the year in which the course was completed.

Respond to woman lawyer’s plea in manhandling case: SC to Delhi Police

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The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Delhi Police chief to respond to a plea seeking transfer to the CBI of investigation into the alleged manhandling of a woman lawyer by policemen.

Directing protection for the woman lawyer, the bench of Justice B.S. Chauhan and Justice A.K. Sikri said the affidavit spelling out the police response should be by an officer of the rank of joint commissioner.

The court said the police response should reach it by June 3.