Month: July 2014

A relative of an Assam legislator was arrested in Meghalaya for his involvement in the abduction of a State Bank of India official, police said here Thursday.

Hanif Ali, the nephew of Independent MLA from Mankachar constituency Zabed Islam, was arrested Wednesday from Garobadha area in Garo Hills region in connection with the abduction of SBI’s Ampati branch manager Arvind Kumar.

“Ali was arrested on charges of masterminding the kidnapping of SBI manager Arvind Kumar June 16 from Rangatari area,” Mukesh Kumar Singh, police chief of West Garo Hills district, told IANS.

Former Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Ahmed Chaudhary’s son has resigned as the vice chairman of Board of Investment Balochistan (BIB) after nearly two weeks into the job, following a raging controversy over his appointment.

Arsalan Iftikhar sent his resignation to Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch, who had appointed him as the BIB vice chairman — an honorary post sans salary and allowances — on June 21, government sources said today.

Continuing with the re-jig of the state bureaucracy he started after the Lok Sabha election debacle, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Thursday ordered transfer of 35 senior IAS officials.

This included district magistrates of Etawah, his home town, Sambhal, Sultanpur, Gorakhpur and Hathras, an official spokesman said. Divisional commissioners of Gorakhpur and Devipatan have also been transferred.

Aditi Singh has been made the new district magistrate of Sultanpur while Pawan Kumar has been sent to Sambhal and Shubhra Saxena to Shahjahanpur.

Tensions soared in Arab-dominated areas of east Jerusalem today following the death of a young Arab boy in a suspected “revenge” attack by rightwing extremists as Israel moved troops to its border with Gaza Strip amid heavy rocket, mortar attacks by Hamas militants.

East Jerusalem, where an overwhelming Arab majority resides, remained tensed a day after clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators occurred following the discovery of the body of the 16-year-old boy, bearing signs of violence.

Telangana Irrigation Marketing and Legislative Affairs Minister T Harish Rao was today alloted additional portfolio of mines and geology.

Governor E S L Narasimhan issued orders to this effect, an official release said here.

Twelve students of a government school here, aged between five and 12, were admitted to a hospital Thursday afternoon when they complained of stomach ache after their mid-day meal, police said.

Students of Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Patparganj area of east Delhi fell ill after eating ‘Rajma Chawal’ that was served to them.

“They were rushed to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital where they are being treated,” a police officer said.

Controversial International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman N.Srinivasan, who continues to insist that he has done nothing wrong, has said that countries like Sri Lanka and Pakistan who initially had reservations about the “new arrangement” in world cricket have now realised that it is good for them financially.

Srinivasan was unanimously elected the first chairman of the ICC despite the fact that he was asked to step aside as the Indian cricket board chief by the Supreme Court pending an investigation into corruption in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Cricket World Cup trophy will be in India from July 19-23 during its visit to countries that will participate in the extravaganza to be staged in Australia and New Zealand early next year, the International Cricket Council said today.

The first stopover of the trophy will be Sri Lanka, which won cricket’s ultimate prize in Lahore when India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka jointly hosted the tournament in 1996.

Bihar plans to set up two film cities to give a fillip to the film industry in the state, Art and Culture Minister Vinay Bihari Thursday said.

“We have decided to set up film cities in Valmikinagar in West Champaran and Rajgir in Nalanda districts,” he told media persons here.

Bihari, himself a Bhojpuri singer, said the proposed film cities would help local film industry, particularly Bhojpuri, to prosper.

“The state government would help in setting up the film cities as it will generate employment and help local artists,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced that the Government of India plans to introduce four new vaccines as part of India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).

Vaccines against rotavirus, rubella and polio (injectable) will collectively expedite India’s progress on meeting the Millennium Development Goal four targets to reduce child mortality by two-thirds by the year 2015 and meet global polio eradication targets.

In addition, an adult vaccine against Japanese encephalitis will be introduced in districts with high levels of the disease.

A delegation from Telangana led by Bangaru Dattatreya, Member of Parliament and former union minister, G. Kishan Reddy, MLA and President, Telangana BJP and Chandra Shekhar, National Executive Member met Minister of State (Independent charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan here on Thursday.

An official statement said they discussed the issue of CNG/PNG expansion, provision of natural gas for gas-based power plants and exploring the possibility of new gas-based power plants and fertilizer plants during their interaction. (ANI)

A court here has urged exercising of zero tolerance in female foeticide cases, observing that the illegal sex determination tests are giving rise to human trafficking.

Citing the figures of sex ratio in India and statistics that said that nearly 10 million female foetuses have been aborted in the country over the past two decades, Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau said that “courts have to exercise a zero tolerance for those prima facie involved in the crime of female foeticide”.

Senior JD (U) Minister Narendra Singh today said former chief minister Nitish Kumar was “undisputed” leader under whom the party would go to the next Assembly polls.

Singh’s clarification came a day after he said any leader, including incumbent Jitan Ram Manjhi, can become chief minister if JD(U) returns to power.

“Like after every election, legislators could choose Nitish Kumar or somebody else as their Legislature party leader to become CM then,” he told reporters.

As part of a special drive, 7,000 rowdy elements have been caught from outside schools and colleges in the state capital in the past six months, the state government informed the Legislative Council today.

Those caught by the police were taken to respective police stations and were let off only after filling of bonds in presence of their parents, minister in-charge for Home department Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said in a reply to a short notice question of BJP Nawal Kishore Yadav in the Council.

An Indian-origin accountant has been jailed for five years for running a sex trafficking ring in Britain, a media reported Thursday.

Kunal Chaudhary, 32, was arrested along with four other accomplices, including ring leader Vishal Chaudhary, 35, for running a criminal ring in London in early 2013, the Manchester Evening News reported.

The Croydon Crown Court Wednesday jailed Kunal’s London-based elder brother Vishal Chaudhary, who led the sex trafficking gang, for a total of 12 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said his meeting with Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg was “very fruitful” as they discussed ways to use this platform for governance and better interaction between the people and governments.

“Had a very fruitful meeting with Sheryl Sandberg. She pointed out that India is a very important country for Facebook, considering the high number of active Facebook users in India,” the prime minister said in his Facebook post.

Suspected Al Qaeda militants launched an armed attack Thursday against a local government complex in Yemen’s southeastern province of al-Bayda, leaving at least two soldiers and three assailants dead, a police officer said.

“The local government headquarters came under heavy fire by rocket-propelled grenades from Al Qaeda. Two soldiers and three attackers were killed in the exchange of gunfire,” the officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

“The situation is now under control,” the source added.

Sidharth Malhotra is on a mission. The well-built actor is working on gaining so much weight that he can’t slip into his clothes. All this just for his upcoming film – the remake of American sports drama titled “Warrior”.

After his recent successful film “Ek Villain”, Sidharth is now tied up with his next.

The controversy into the Sunanda Pushkar death probe deepened Thursday as senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a CBI probe into the matter.

“I have written to the prime minister seeking a CBI probe into Sunanda Pushkar’s death,” Swami told IANS.

Pushkar, 52, the wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in her room at a five-star hotel in south Delhi Jan 17.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will install three new solar power plants in its premises, an official said Thursday.

The three rooftop solar power plants, with a total capacity of 250 kWp, will be installed at Anand Vihar and Pragati Maidan Metro stations and DMRC’s residential complex at Pushp Vihar.

Approved by the Solar Energy Corporation of India, the power purchase agreement for the installation of these plants was signed Thursday between DMRC and Noida-based private developer Jakson Engineers in the presence of DMRC managing director Mangu Singh.

It was an emotional Tony Fernandes, CEO of Air Asia India, who Thursday landed in Goa, a shore which the aviation tycoon’s father had left decades back for Malaysia.

In a jocular vein Fernandes said he still has a house here somewhere and hoped it was near liqour baron Vijay Mallya’s grand villa, but he occasionally flipped back into nostalgic mode, recalling conversations with his father about cashewnuts, wine, Goan sausages and the good life here.

The US economy added 288,000 jobs in June, much higher than the market expectation of 215,000, the Labour Department said Thursday.

Non-farm payroll employment increased by 288,000 in June, posting the fifth consecutive month with job gains above 200,000, much higher than a revised figure of 224,000 in May, the department said.

The unemployment rate unexpectedly declined from 6.3 percent to 6.1 percent, Xinhua reported citing the department.

The Supreme Court Thursday issued notice to the Rajasthan government on spiritual guru Asaram Bapu’s plea for bail in an alleged rape case in the state’s Jodhpur while asking him to approach the Gujarat High Court for bail in another alleged rape case registered against him in Surat.

While asking Asaram Bapu to approach the Gujarat High Court for seeking bail, a bench of Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice C. Nagappan asked the Rajasthan government to file its response on his plea and directed the listing of the matter in August.

With the media continuing to highlight the nationwide outrage over Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Paul’s rape and violence speeches, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday accused her detractors of carrying out a campaign of “canards and misinformation”.

Addressing an official programme, Banerjee said while “good work” was never publicised, small matters were getting highlighted.

Road safety think-tank SaveLIFE Foundation Thursday recommended to the government a comprehensive legislative framework for road safety in India.

The foundation welcomed last month’s announcement by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to replace the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 with a stronger Road Safety law.