Pakistan government today handed over the security of capital Islamabad to the army for three months under a controversial decision taken recently, days ahead of a major anti-government rally by Imran Khan’s party. Interior minister Nisar Ali Khan had announced last week that military will remain here from August 1 till October end, under article 245 of the Pakistani constitution.
An Indian man and a Pakistani psychiatrist are among four persons who were indicted in New York on charges of human trafficking and hiring female dancers in India and forcing them into prostitution and making them dance at nightclubs.
Rashmikant Patel, Riyaz Mazcuri, Sabja Khimani and Mehmood Hassanali Dhanani have been charged with four counts of forced labour conspiracy and visa fraud in an indictment brought by US Attorney in Manhattan Preet Bharara.
A report has revealed that former United States President Bill Clinton had said just a day before the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attack that that he let go of a chance to kill Osama Bin Laden.
Slamming the conduct of MPs who disrupted proceedings in Parliament on UPSC issue with one of them throwing paper towards the Speaker, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said the members should uphold the dignity of the House
“It is becoming a habit with some people, to come to the well, to the front seat and throw papers. Such actions are not dignified. The entire country is watching and they are not going to benefit from this action,” Naidu told reporters outside Parliament.
The chief of the CIA today apologised for the US spy agency’s surveillance of computers used by lawmakers and their staffers involved in investigating the organisation’s harsh interrogation techniques.
In a statement, the CIA said its employees had “acted in a manner inconsistent with the common understanding reached” between the agency and lawmakers in 2009, when a Senate committee started an investigation into the CIA’s harsh interrogation techniques.
Top senators were fuming over report of CIA spying over them, which was reported by the CIA Inspector General.
Cheteshwar Pujara slipped a couple of rungs to 10th but remained the best-placed Indian batsman, while the off-colour Virat Kohli dropped one spot to 15th in the latest ICC Test rankings issued today.
India lost the third Test in Southampton by 266 runs, which helped England to make it 1-1 in the five-match series.
The crushing loss reflected in the ICC rankings as well and the only positive news for the team’s batsmen was the improvement in Ajinkya Rahane’s standing. The middle-order batsman scored 54 and 52 not out to rise nine places to a career-best 26th position.
Trace amounts of lead in modern and historical human teeth can give clues about where they came from, a new study has found.
The discovery led by University of Florida geology researcher George D Kamenov could help police solve cold cases.
For instance, if an unidentified decomposed body is found, testing the lead in the teeth could immediately help focus the investigation on a certain geographic area.
That way, law enforcement can avoid wasting resources checking for missing persons in the wrong places.
US president Barack Obama is fond of singer Katy Perry and finds the pop star wonderful as a person.
Perry, who performed at the White house yesterday at a dinner celebration honouring the 46th anniversary of the Special Olympics and its founder, was introduced by Obama as one of his favourite people, reported E! Online.
“We have just one of my favourite people performing tonight-Katy Perry. We are so grateful to her. I love Katy Perry,” the leader said.
Perry was accompanied by her mother and Obama was all praise for her.
The victims of custodial deaths in Maharashtra appear to be only from the minority community, observed the Bombay high court.
A division bench of Justices P D Kode and V M Kanade made the comment after they enlightened advocate Yug Chaudhry of their decision to appoint him as amicus curiae (friend of the court) in a case where a 23-year-old resident of Nalasopara (East) inexplicably died in Thane Central Jail.
Observing that custodial deaths are taking place routinely, the HC added,
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Inspector General confirmed on Friday that the death toll has risen to sixty and eight people have been rescued in Pune’s Malin village, where a landslide had occurred a day before yesterday due to heavy rainfall.
Rathore said, “Our team has recovered sixty dead bodies by now and the people who were rescued live remain same as yesterday i.e. eight. Nevertheless, the operation is in full swing. The NDRF along with the state agencies are operating there. They have picked up little bit of momentum depending on the clearance of the weather.”
Superstar Salman Khan, who has been delivering hit films back-to-back, feels his arch rival Shah Rukh Khan is the ‘King of Bollywood’.
Salman has become the first Bollywood actor to give seven Rs 100 crore hit films in a row, including his recent release ‘Kick’.
“You can say whatever you want. But there is a king (hinting at Shah Rukh) anyways. You have problem with him being the King? I don’t have problem with him being the king,” Salman said yesterday when asked if after delivering so many hit films he feels like the new king of Bollywood.
Former MLAs of Telangana Congress on Friday criticised the TRS Government for its stand on fee reimbursement issue and nativity.
Congress MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy on Friday demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao take an all-party delegation to President of India Pranab Mukherjee during latter’s visit to the city on Saturday on the Polavaram issue.
Festivals play an important role in bringing together people and fostering a spirit of brotherhood. The holy festival of Eid was recently celebrated across the northeast with much fervor.
A large number of Muslims gathered at the Gedu Mia mosque in Agartala to offer prayers on Eid-ul-fitr, the end of holy month of Ramzan.
They exchanged greetings and embraced each other. The message was to promote peace and tranquility in the region and the entire country.
“This is a festival of brotherhood, happiness and together for everyone and every Indian,” said Sofikul Rehman, a local.
Holding that Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has been hounded for her novel ‘Lajja’, Press Council of India chairperson Justice Markandey Katju today demanded that she be given a permanent visa to reside in India.
In a statement released here, Katju said he had read in the newspapers that Nasreen’s visa has been extended by the Indian government by only 2 months.
“In my opinion she should be given a permanent visa to reside in India,” Katju, a former judge of the Supreme Court said.
Seeking an explanation from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on alleged misuse of discretionary quota in land allotment, senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra today demanded a CBI probe into the matter in which Comptroller and Auditor General has also found illegalities.
“It seems land mafias are ruling the state. The truth in illegalities committed in land allotment will come out if all deals made since 2002 is handed over to CBI for a thorough investigation,” Mohapatra told reporters here.
Known for supporting new talents and films in Bollywood, superstar Salman Khan has devoted three days for editing actor Nikhil Dwivedi’s upcoming film ‘Tamanchey’.
Dwivedi, who shares a warm rapport with the ‘Kick’ star, said Salman gave valuable inputs to make the film more appealing.
“He did give us inputs which were valuable. We are thankful to him. He is a large-hearted man and he himself doesn’t know what all he does (for others),” Nikhil told reporters here at the trailer launch of ‘Tamanchey’.
Jharkhand Assembly Speaker Shashank Sekhar Bhokta today described the creation of Telangana state as a “pleasant event.”
In his address to the House on the opening day of the monsoon session, Bhokta said after relentless struggle the people of the region got Telangana as the 29th state of the country.
Former President A P J Abdul Kalam today stressed the need for scientific community to develop a ‘focus on people’ approach in dealing with global challenges like poverty and illiteracy.
“…Today the challenges of the nation and the world are poverty, illiteracy, safe drinking water, clean and green energy, equitable distribution of resources, quality education with values for all, overcoming societal imbalances, quality healthcare for all and good living conditions,” Kalam said.
A 72-hour ceasefire brokered by the US and the UN was in jeopardy just two hours after it began today, with the Palestinian militant groups accusing Israel of killing four persons in the Gaza Strip by artillery shelling and Tel Aviv blaming militants of firing rockets.
Four Palestinians were killed and 20 others injured in an Israeli artillery attack near the southern Rafiah area today, Palestinian news agency Ma’an reported.
Palestinian sources claimed that three others were shot by Israeli sniper fire in the southern Gaza Strip.
The real estate advertisement what appeared to be selling of wakf land in Maheswaram, alarmed the AP State Wakf Board (APSWB) State Wakf Bo on Thursday and an inquiry was ordered into the matter.
The advertisement was to be found in regional language newspapers reportedly by Pride India Builders (PIB) which is selling independent houses and plots in an “approved layout“.
The advertisement fails to cite survey numbers.
Players from the northeast have yet again brought laurels for the country. At the ongoing 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, four women from Manipur have bagged medals in weightlifting and judo events.
While K Sanjita Chanu and S Mirabai Chanu bagged gold and silver respectively in 48 kg weightlifting, Sushila Likambam won silver in 48 kg Judo and Kalpana Thoudam won bronze in 52 kg Judo event.
Back home in Manipur, the family of gold medalist K Sanjeeta Chanu is happy for her success.
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) after about two years has again starting issuing minority certificates to eligible schools across the State.
Since 2012 the department was not granting the status because of stay by the HC on the BJP government’s definition of minority, which prescribed that 75 per cent of the students should belong to a minority community.
Recently, the Congress government revised the definition to a minimum of 25 per cent students from a minority community.
A report revealed that former United States President Bill Clinton had spoken about having passed a chance to kill Osama Bin Laden just a day before the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attack.
India-focused offshore funds and ETFs registered inflows worth 294 million during the first quarter of this fiscal on improved investor sentiments after formation of a stable government at the Centre.
An offshore India fund is one that is not domiciled in India but invests primarily in Indian markets.
This net inflows were seen after witnessing outflows of USD 909 million in the January-March quarter.