Month: January 2015

Two new cases of swine flu in Telangana, AP

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Two women, one each from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, were today found infected with swine flu, a health department official said.

“A woman from Kadapa in AP and another woman from Telangana tested positive for swine flu,” said Dr K Subhakar, the nodal officer for the disease in Hyderabad.

In 2014, 88 cases of swine flu were reported in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh together; of them 22 cases were reported in the last week of December alone.

Around 10 persons reportedly died of swine flu last year.

Make Delhi safe for women this year: Kejriwal

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AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday appealed to make Delhi a safer place for women this year, as in 2014 Delhi’s trial courts witnessed an “alarming rise” in cases of sexual offences against women and children.
“May 2015 be a year where we make Delhi safe for women,” Kejriwal tweeted.

The party has made women security a major issue in the upcoming Delhi Assembly election and has announced a slew of measures for their safety.

–PTI

Egyptian court orders retrial of Al Jazeera staff

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Egypt’s top court has accepted the appeal of three Al Jazeera journalists who have been in prison for more than a year, and ordered a retrial for aiding the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, media reported Thursday.

“They will not be released until they appear before the new chamber, which will decide whether to release them or not,” Al Jazeera quoted Mostafa Nagy, a defence attorney, as saying.

The court denied bail to Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed and said the case had to go back to the criminal court.

Women employees ‘strip searched’ in a Kochi firm, 3 booked

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Three women staff of a surgical gloves manufacturing company here have been booked for allegedly conducting strip search of more than 30 women employees to find out who left a used sanitary napkin in a washroom.

Police today said they have registered cases against the three women staff under various sections of IPC, including 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) on a complaint by the other women staff.

India to lodge protest over ceasefire violation by Pak

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India on Thursday said that it will lodge a strong protest with Pakistan over the Islamic Republic’s ceasefire violation at the International Border at Jammu and Kashmir.

Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar condemned the latest incident of breach in ceasefire by Pakistani forces.

Earlier in the day, Inspector General of Border Security Force (BSF) Rakesh Sharma had said that Pakistani Rangers had violated the ceasefire by firing on thirteen border outposts in the Samba sector. The BSF had retaliated, resulting in exchanges which continued till 6 am.

Mining ban results in one million jobs loss: Study

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Ban on mining and exporting of iron ore has led to jobs loss for a million people in the two mineral-rich states of Goa and Karnataka, a joint study by an industry chamber and a private bank said on Thursday.

“Export ban after the 2008 global meltdown resulted in drastic fall in mineral production, as export of iron ore from Goa and Karnataka plunged to 14 million tonnes last fiscal (2013-14) from 117 million tonnes in 2009-10,” said the study conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (Assocham) and Yes Bank.

In a first, Hyderabad Metro Rail conducts automatic trial run

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In a technological breakthrough, Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) operated a train in automatic mode for the first time in the country.

The test run of a metro train in Automatic Train Operation (ATO) mode was conducted from Nagole to Mettuguda here on Tuesday night.

Under ATO mode, a train operates on its own and self controls its movement, speed, performance, with automatic application of brakes without intervention of the driver, a release from the HMR said today.

Rajnath felicitates retiring officers, successors

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Home Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday felicitated top officers of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) upon their retirement and welcomed their successors.

RAW secretary Alok Joshi, IB director Syed Asif Ibrahim and ITBP director general Subhash Goswami were felicitated on their retirement.

Rajnath Singh also welcomed their successors — RAW secretary Rajinder Khanna and IB director Dineshwar Sharma.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General Prakash Mishra is presently holding additional charge of the ITBP.

India’s Mars mission hits a century

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India’s Mars Orbiter completed 100 days of its Martian orbit on the New Year’s Day 2015 Thursday, space agency officials said.

The Mars Orbiter was inserted in Martian orbit Sep 24, 2014 is in good health, said officials of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The Mars Orbiter has sent different pictures of the red planet’s surface which are being studied by the scientists.

India had sent its Mars Orbiter Nov 5, 2013 using its own rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The mission cost around Rs.450 crore.

Grenade thrower nabbed near PM’s office in Turkey

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An armed man, who threw a grenade that failed to explode Thursday in front of the Dolmabahce Palace that houses the prime minister’s office in Turkey’s capital of Istanbul, has been detained, police said.

The man threw a hand grenade at the sentry post, but it did not explode. Police quickly overpowered and handcuffed him. An automatic weapon and a homemade bomb were also found on him, Xinhua reported.

Tight security measures were taken around the palace after the incident and the man was taken to the police station for interrogation.

–IANS

KCR to make ‘numaish’ better than Delhi exhibitions

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Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao Thursday promised to develop Hyderabad’s famous ‘numaish’ better than Delhi’s Pragati Maidan.

Inaugurating 75th All India Industrial Exhibition, he said the government would do everything to make the annual exhibition an ideal event in the entire country.

KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, called for modernizing ‘numaish’ in line with the innovations around the world.

He offered to share his own experiences to further promote ‘numaish’, as the exhibition here is popularly known

Pilgrims make a huge rush to Mathura, Vrindavan

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A huge rush of devotees and pilgrims to the twin pilgrim towns of Mathura and Vrindavan on the New Year day choked roads and jammed traffic in all directions.

“The influx was unusual. Evidently people want to start their New Year on a religious note with a darshan of Bihari Ji,” said a panda at Vrindavan, Madhu Mangal Shukla.

“Today (Thursday) being an auspicious day of Vaikunth Ekadashi coinciding with New Year, the rush was expected,” explained a priest of Daan Ghati, Gopi Nath.

Ghaziabad prepared to tackle swine flu, say officials

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Ghaziabad administration is fully prepared to tackle swine flu, said the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Ajay Agrawal, adding that the isolation wards have been set up in MMG Hospital.

Although no official confirmation about any swine flu patient in the city has arrived at CMO’s office, the Ghaziabad health department has put its hospital on alert after media reported that 65-year-old Vinod Sharma tested positive for swine flu and was later referred to a Delhi hospital by local Yashoda Hospital.

Iran’s militant group refutes report of supporting IS

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Iran’s Mojahedin Organisation has rebutted reports by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency and Press TV that it has expressed support for the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

“Disseminating and spreading lies by the mullah’s state-run media against the Iranian Resistance is nothing new and is only to be expected,” the National Council of Resistance of Iran said in a statement.

The statement said that “the people’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran not only has never supported the IS, but has continously and firmly condemned the heinous crimes of the IS”.

Chandrababu celebrates New Year in Vijayawada

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AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said his government has successfully completed six months in office.
Speaking to mediapersons at Vijayawada, the Chief Minister described 2014 as a horrifying year. The people taught a fitting lesson to the Congress party for bifurcating united Andhra Pradesh in haste. While debt was slapped on AP in proportionate to population, revenue was not allotted on the same proportion, Naidu said, adding that in spite of huge losses his government fulfilled its promise of waiving of crop loans.

KCR opens 45-day Numaish; plans signal-free roads in city

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Inaugurating the 45-day platinum jubilee All India Industrial Exhibition-2015 (Numaish) at Exhibition Grounds near Nampally here on Thursday, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao declared that land of the trade fair will be handed over to the Society in seven days.

Minister launches Fine Rice scheme

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Minister for Commercial Taxes and Cinematography T Srinivas Yadav today said that fine rice will be distributed to hostels and help children get healthy food. Launching a fine rice scheme at a Social Welfare Hostel in Mahendra Hills in Secunderabad here, Yadav maintained that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao wanted to provide square meal a day to poor and deprived class for just Rs 1 a kg, whose actual price at market is from Rs 40 to Rs 50 a kg. The government is committed to implement welfare schemes he said adding that fine rice scheme being implemented across 10 districts.

Mixed World Cup emotions for Stephen Fleming

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Former skipper Stephen Fleming has said he is satisfied yet frustrated as New Zealand have reached the semi-finals of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup six times but failed to win the title.

Fleming felt their six semi-finals appearance speak about the country’s consistency in the World Cup and it is something to be proud of.

“If you have ever wondered whether it is possible to be frustrated by and yet satisfied with the same thing then, in my case, the answer is yes,” Fleming wrote in a column for icc-cricket.com.

TS seeks 4, AP urges 3 IAS officials

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Telangana Government today wrote to the Centre seeking permission to retain four senior IAS officers.
In a letter addressed to the Centre, the Chief Minister’s Office is said to have asked the Centre to allow it to continue the four senior officials, including Jayesh Ranjan, Poonam Malakondaiah and Ronald Ross. The State’s appeal assumes importance as Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved bifurcation of AIS officials among the two States. The IAS officials were given two weeks time to take a final call.

Ministers launch Fine rice distribution scheme

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To cater to the food needs of poor and BPL category people, the TRS government today launched Re 1-a-kg fine rice scheme across the State. The ministers concerned launched the rice distribution program at their respective districts.

Narasimhans worship Lord Balaji at Srinagar Colony

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On the occasion of Vaikunta Ekadasi on Thursday, Governor ESL Narasimhan and his wife Vimala Narasimhan visited Sri Venkateshwara Swami temple at Srinagar Colony here.

The first citizens of the two Telugu States participated in special pujas in the temple in the early hours. The couple entered the temple from the Vaikunta Dwaram and worshipped the Lord.

Similarly, Jubilee Hills MLA Maganti Gopinath and others also visited the temple and worshipped the presiding deity. (NSS)

Batting with McCullum was overbearing, says Williamson

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New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson has described batting alongside the destructive Brendon McCullum as an overwhelming experience, terming the feeling similar to being a “library in a theme park”.

McCullum set a new record for fastest Test century by a New Zealander when he thrashed a 74-ball century against Sri Lanka in the first Test at Christchurch.

He was on course to beat the fastest Test double century (off 153 balls) mark but was dismissed for 195 off 134 deliveries. He hit 13 boundaries and 11 sixes during his mammoth innings.

Ministers, officials, TRS leaders greet KCR

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Deputy Chief Ministers Mahamood Ali and Dr T Rajaiah, Ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs other TRS leaders today greeted Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Camp Office here on the occasion of New Year 2015.
Chief Secretary Dr Rajiv Sharma, Principal Secretary, Narasinga Rao and DGP Anurag Sharma also called on the Chief Minister and exchanged pleasantries by handing over bouquets to KCR on the occasion. The Chief Minister also greeted the leaders and people on the New Year. Later, the CM called on Governor at Raj Bhavan and exchange greetings. (NSS)