Month: July 2014

Iraqi forces brace for a major offensive to retake control of Tikrit city, as the troops continued to battle insurgent groups across the country, security sources said Tuesday.

The security forces have been holding control over the perimeter and entrances of Tikrit, 170 km north of the Baghdad, after seizing the areas around the city like Uojah town, lying south of Tikrit, Xinhua reported citing the Iraqi military spokesman Qassim Atta as saying in Baghdad.

Economic partnership between India and Britain remained the focus of discussion as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Tuesday exchanged notes on a “broad canvas” of issues with her visiting British counterpart William Hague here.

“There were discussions on a broad canvas of issues. The external affairs minister focused on economic ties as these are robust,” MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told the media here.

The Supreme Court Tuesday indicated it may favour appointing special public prosecutors to examine the CBI reports and the material of its investigations into various cases related to the coal scam.

Seeking to put in place such a mechanism to independently and objectively examine the CBI report, a bench of Chief Justice R.M.Lodha, Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph asked senior counsel Amarendra Saran for the CBI and Prashant Bhushan representing NGO Common Cause to suggest some names.

A high-level Telangana government delegation led by Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy plans to visit Israel to study agricultural practices followed in that country and replicate them in the new state.

The minister discussed the issue with a visiting Israeli delegation comprising Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission (Embassy of Israel) Yahel Vilan and others here today.

Uttar Pradesh police has asked for 21 companies of central para-military force for its preparedness during the season of sawan and the holy month of Ramazan.

“Thirty districts are identified as sensitive in the state and 21 companies of central para-military force (CPMF) have been requested from the Centre”, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Amrendra Singh Sengar told reporters.

He said the CPMF has been demanded as important date of sawan month and Alvida Namaz would fall on the same day on July 25.

British scientists have identified 10 proteins in the blood which can predict the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, marking “a significant step” towards developing blood test for the disease, according to a scientific report published Tuesday.

The study, published in the scientific journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, was led by researchers at King’s College London (KCL) and Oxford University, Xinhua reported. They analysed over 1,000 individuals and the study is the largest of its kind to date.

The Syrian army is working to fully besiege the rebel-held areas in the northwestern city of Aleppo, as part of the ongoing military operation against the rebel groups there, a senior military source said Tuesday.

“The military operations are ongoing to complete the siege on Aleppo and the army is dealing with terrorists’ positions wherever they are located,” the military officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

He said the majority of the areas in Aleppo are under control of the Syrian army.

At least 10 Palestinians, including four civilians, were killed Tuesday and 40 others were injured at the start of a massive Israeli military operation to prevent rocket attacks aimed at Israel from the Gaza Strip.

Five militants of the radical Islamic Jihad group were killed in an Israeli air strike against their car, an alleged member of the Islamic movement Hamas died in a bombing on the town of Deir al Balah, while four civilians perished when their house was hit in an air attack on the southern town of Khan Younis, said Gaza Strip emergencies’ spokesperson Ashraf al Qedra.

According to Kulsumpura police, deceased T.Manohar Singh, was working as an Attender in State Bank of Hyderabad and residing at Durga Nagar, Jiyaguda with his family members. Anand Singh (27) Resident of Keshava Swamy Nagar, Jiyaguda, Hyderabad, working as Contract Employee in City Civil Court, Hyderabad and both belongs to same community (Dhobi).

On December 10, 2012 Manohar Singh performed his younger daughter Aarati’s marriage with the said Anand Singh grandly, duly fulfilling all the demands of Anand Singh and his family members upto their satisfaction.

A 60-year-old Housewife killed after she was hit by a train while trying to cross the railway track.

According to Nampally Railway Police, the deceased Beejanbi (60) an Housewife W/o Shaik Chand Resident of M S Maqta of Khairtabad, deceased while trying to cross the railway track on Monday morning hours near Necklace road railway station suddenly one speeding train hit due to which she was died on the spot.

The Nampally Railway Police registered a case and dead body shifted to Osmania Hospital Mortuary for postmortem, after autopsy deceased body handed over to her relatives. (INN)

The Langer houz police fished out the body of a man from lake on Sunday evening hours.

According to Langer Houz police, the deceased B Narender (35) an Labourer S/o Ashok Resident of Haridaspur of Langer Houz, deceased while swimming on HUDA Park Lake he accidentally drowned in Lake due to which he was died on the spot on Sunday evening hours. police retrieved the dead body from lake.

Langer Houz Police registered a case and dead body shifted to Osmania Hospital Mortuary for postmortem, after autopsy deceased body handed over to his relatives. (INN)

At least eight people, most of them Indian nationals, were injured in a bomb blast in a restaurant in Tanzania’s northern tourism city of Arusha, witnesses said Tuesday.

The restaurant, which is popular with Indian nationals, is located in a posh area close to Gymkhana and Sekei areas of Arusha.

Juma Bakari, one of the witnesses, said the bomb was hurled into the restaurant at around 10.30 p.m. Monday by unknown people, according to Xinhua.

“I was moving on the roadside before the bomb exploded. It was a very horrifying incident. I had to run away to save my life,” he said.

Oscar winning composer A.R. Rahman is all set to turn film producer later this year. He says he always took keen interest in filmmaking process, but has no plans to take up direction a la Vishal Bhardwaj.

“Our first production is almost ready to roll. It’s in Hindi. I’d be there to oversee it. We’ve out together a wonderful team to take care of the film production,” said Rahman.

The Centre is considering removal of encroachment from Waqf properties and strengthening the regional offices of Waqf Board, the Rajya Sabha was told today.

In her reply to a question, Minister for Minority Affairs Najma A Heptulla said a scheme envisaging assistance for meeting the training and administrative cost of State Waqf Boards, removal of encroachment from Waqf properties and strengthening of zonal and regional offices of the boards are the new schemes under the consideration of the ministry.

A British Indian man who extended his home illegally in London has been fined more than 40,000 pounds (around $68,475), a media report said Tuesday.

Mayur Naturbhai Patel built a major rooftop extension to his four-bedroom terraced house without planning permission in the affluent Kensington neighbourhood in central London, the Trinity Mirror reported.

Isleworth Crown Court in London Monday fined Patel 15,000 pounds and confiscated 25,350 pounds from him.

As many as 91 more youths from Punjab returned to India today from strife-torn Iraq on special flights.

Among those arriving at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here, 24 were from Hoshiarpur, 12 from Gurdaspur, 10 from Kapurthala, nine from Jalandhar, eight from Amritsar, seven from Ludhiana, four each from Pathankot and Tarn Taran, three each from Nawanshahr, Sangrur and Ropar, two from Moga and one each from Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala districts.

A special ladies frisking enclosure was inaugurated at a Delhi Metro station here Tuesday.

The frisking enclosure was inaugurated by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Director General Arvind Ranjan at the Pragati Maidan Metro station.

“The new type of frisking enclosure is a first of its kind for ladies in the entire Delhi Metro network which is designed to enable two women to be frisked at the same time and thus, paving the way for faster checking and movement of female passengers without waiting in queues, especially during peak hours,” a statement from the Delhi Metro said.

Former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday panned down the Railway Budget presented by Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda, saying there was nothing new and concrete in it.

“I heard his speech but there was nothing concrete in it. There was hope amongst the people but he has just explained some generic things in his speech,” said Nitish.

He said that attention needs to be given to safety systems, and but added that there no mention in the budget regarding the improvements that can be made in the present systems.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said that he is ready to bat at number six and thus dropped big hints that his side will look to go into the first Test against England with five bowling options here tomorrow.

“I have to be ready at number six because that’s a crucial phase of the game where you can turn the matches,” Dhoni said on the eve of the opening game of the five-match series.

Loksatta Party today welcomed the “genuine” effort showed by Railway Minister D V Sadananda Gowda in his Budget to “end the era of reckless populism and lay the foundation for improved traffic infrastructure”.

Loksatta President Jayaprakash Narayan said the broad trajectory of the Rail Budget is in keeping with the NDA government’s objective of accelerating economic growth and creating employment.

Indian citizens will be issued a national identity card, Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha Tuesday.

Replying to a query about illegal infiltration in the country, he said the National Population Register (NPR) being prepared will help identify who is an Indian citizen and who is not.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had convened a meeting concerning the NPR and Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and the two agencies will work in mutual coordination, and have been told not to take very long in preparing a comprehensive NPR database, he said.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi Tuesday met President Pranab Mukherjee amid the party’s keen desire that its leader in the Lok Sabha should be accorded the status of Leader of Opposition.

Party leaders said that Gandhi met the President but termed it as “courtesy meeting”.

The Congress is keen on the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, saying that it is the second largest party in the lower house and was the lead party of United Progressive Alliance.

DMK president M Karunanidhi today objected to the move to privatise maintenance operations and attract FDI in railways but hailed the announcement of five new trains for Tamil Nadu in the Rail Budget.

It is welcome that five new trains have been announced for Tamil Nadu, besides super fast trains to be run between Chennai and Bangalore and Chennai and Hyderabad, he said in a statement.

However, he pointed out that the previous Railway Budget by the earlier government had announced nine trains to Tamil Nadu.

Rajesh Kishore assumed the charge of the Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission in New Delhi today. Kishore is a 1980 batch IAS officer of Gujarat Cadre and belongs to Bihar. Prior to his appointment to the NHRC, he was holding the post of Additional Chief Secretary (Health), Government of Gujarat. He has served in various capacities in different departments of the Union and the state governments. (ANI)

All states and union territories have been directed to provide barrier-free environment in important government buildings for the disabled, the Lok Sabha was informed Tuesday.

In a written reply, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Sudarshan Bhagat said that under the Persons with Disabilities Act, the ministry provides grants to all states to build ramps, rails, lifts, adaptation of toilets for wheelchair users, brail signage and auditory signals, tactile flooring etc. for the disabled.