Month: January 2015

Modi govt “cementing” India as “subordinate” ally of US: CPI-M

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US President Barack Obama’s India visit will be followed up by “greater neo-liberal reforms” in the country, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury today said as he accused the NDA government of cementing India’s position as a ‘subordinate ally’ of America.

“Already, within the first six months, the Narendra Modi government has undertaken many reforms going to the extent of undermining parliamentary democracy and virtually institutionalising the ‘ordinance raj’.

Another Bodo militant wanted by Assam police held in B’luru

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Another NDFB(S) militant, wanted in connection with the violence in Assam in December last year, was arrested here today, police said.

27-year old Sanju Bordoloi, the organising secretary of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit), was arrested from his hideout in the Electronic City based on specific inputs.

He is the second NDFB(S) militant to be arrested here since last week after the detention of Birkhang Basumatary, also allegedly involved in the Assam violence, on January 23.

Northeast girl raped for 3 yrs on pretext of marriage

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A 16-year old girl from Northeast was allegedly raped by a man for the past three years on the false promise of marriage in Dabri area of South West Delhi, police said today.

The girl, who hails from Assam, had come to Delhi with Jahiruddin (27) and was living with him, according to police.

“The girl has alleged that she was kept at a house in South West Delhi’s Janakpuri area for the past three years, during which the accused raped her,” said a police official.

Panchayat vice-chairman murdered

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A local panchayat vice-chairman was shot dead today by a group of unidentified assailants triggering violence in the Ketugram area of the district, the police said.

Badshah Sheikh (35), the vice-chairman of Berugram gram panchayat was abducted by some bike-borne miscreants when he stepped out of his house this evening and was then shot dead in a secluded spot close by, they said.

Prez, PM pay rich tributes to Laxman

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President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid rich tributes to legendary cartoonist R K Laxman, who died in Pune, describing him as a genius who brought smiles with his wit and humour.

“In death of Laxman, India will miss the genius who made the common man into a national icon,” the President said expressing his condolences.

“I feel personal loss because I was both an avid follower and subject of Laxman’s cartoons,” Mukherjee tweeted.

HC grants bail to woman accused in relator murder case

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The Madras High Court bench here has granted bail to a woman who acted as honey-trap to lure a city-based realtor which ultimately led to his murder.

The case, taken over by CBI on the high court order, related to abduction of K Jamal Mohammed who was found murdered at Kodaikanal in September, 2014 after he went missing.

Fourteen persons, including petitioner Poongodi and former state minister I.Periasamy’s daughter Indira, are among those accused in the murder carried out over a property dispute.

Hours before R-Day parade, body found in kiosk near Rajpath

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The body of an unidentified youth was today found inside a kiosk near Udyog Bhawan, which stands about 100-m away from Rajpath, the venue of the Republic Day parade, just a few hours before the event began, sending security agencies into a tizzy.

The deceased was said to be aged around 20 years and his body bore several injury marks, including a blunt-force wound to the head. The body, which was discovered at around 4 A.M., was immediately sent for post-mortem.

PMANE denies funding by Saradha group for anti-nuke protests

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People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), which spearheaded the prolonged stir against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, today said it had not received any funds from the Saradha Group, the entity which is at the centre of the chit-fund scam, or any other source.

Rejecting a report that the Saradha Group had given Rs 5 crore to organisations protesting against nuclear projects in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, PMANE Convener S P Udayakumar said that “not even a single rupee” was received from the company through any politician.

Laxman’s bond with Thackeray lasted several decades

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Having worked together in the Free Press Journal in 1947 as political cartoonists, the bond between Bal Thackeray and noted cartoonist R K Laxman remained intact through the passage of time, spanning decades.

The last gesture the Shiv Sena chief made to his cartoonist friend was sending a bouquet to Laxman at his Pune residence when the latter turned 91 on October 24, 2012.

Thackeray had earlier visited him in hospital after Laxman suffered a stroke; he had also visited the latter at his Pune house.

5 killed in landmine blast in Pakistan

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At least five people were killed and another was injured today when a pick-up truck carrying them hit a landmine apparently planted by insurgents in Pakistan’s troubled south-western Baluchistan province.

The truck hit the landmine in Chattar area of Dera Murad district killing five people on board and critically injuring another, officials said.

“The blast was intense and four people died on the spot while the fifth person expired later in hospital,” he said.

“The injured person is also in critical condition right now,” he said.

Iraqi officials: Attacks in and around Baghdad kill 8

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Iraqi officials say bombings in and around the capital, Baghdad, have killed eight people.

Police officials say the first of today’s attacks took place in the afternoon when a bomb went off near an outdoor market in the city’s western suburb of Abu Ghraib, killing two people and wounding seven.

Also, a bomb near a market in the northeastern Shiite suburb of Husseiniyah killed four and wounded 13.

Merkel calls threats, attacks against Jews ‘disgrace’

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Chancellor Angela Merkel said today it was a “disgrace” that Jews in Germany faced insults, threats or violence, as she marked 70 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.

Merkel joined survivors of the former camp, created by Nazi Germany in southern Poland, for a somber and moving event in the German capital ahead of tomorrow’s anniversary.

US closes embassy in Yemen to public until further notice

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The United States said today that it has closed its embassy in Yemen to the public until further notice due to security concerns.

“Due to the recent resignation of the Yemeni president, prime minister, and cabinet, and the ongoing security concerns, the US embassy in Sanaa is unable to provide routine consular services and will have very limited ability to assist with emergency cases involving US citizens,” the embassy said on its website.

Greek military jet crashes at Spanish air force base

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Spain’s defense ministry says a Greek F-16 fighter jet has crashed into a hangar at a military base in southeastern Spain while it was participating in NATO maneuvers.

The defense ministry could not immediately confirm reports in Spanish and Greek media that at least two people died and as many as 10 were injured.

It said in a statement today that emergency crews tried to put out a fire caused by the crash.

Television footage showed flames billowing and a plume of black smoke where the plane crashed at the Los Llanos base.

Raj Guv gives President’s Medal to two senior cops

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Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh today gave away President’s Medal to two police officials during a special function at Raj Bhawan this afternoon.

Special Director-General of Police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh and head constable Shravan Singh were given the medals for their outstanding services.

After unfurling the tricolour and taking a salute of a parade at SMS stadium early this morning, the Governor also gave away police awards to 16 officials and employees of the state police services for their remarkable work and duties.

Talks not possible until Pak addresses India’s concerns: Envoy

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India today said that talks with Pakistan were not possible until Islamabad addresses concerns highlighted by New Delhi, including that of terrorism.

Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan T C A Raghavan said that negotiations with Pakistan were not possible in a climate of terrorism.

The talks with Pakistan did not look plausible until the problems India highlighted were resolved, Raghavan told reporters at the reception he hosted to celebrate the 66th Republic Day.

‘Feel personal loss’ on passing away of Laxman: President

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President Pranab Mukherjee tonight condoled the death of eminent cartoonist RK Laxman, saying his death has left a void in the world of creativity which will be difficult to fill.

In his message, the President said he was extremely saddened to learn of the passing away of Laxman.

“I feel personal loss because I was both an avid follower and subject of his cartoons.

Alexis Tsipras, boyish PM out to restore Greek dignity

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Alexis Tsipras is on a mission to restore Greece’s dignity after winning yesterday’s general election and becoming his country’s youngest prime minister in 150 years.

The 40-year-old father of two children brings to the job a burning passion to dump the austerity policies that his party says have brought a “humanitarian crisis” to Greece, and he knows he has little time to lose.

“It would be good to speed up the procedure because we have an uphill road ahead,” he told President Karolos Papoulias as he received his mandate to form a government.

Death toll in Mozambique floods rises to 117

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The death toll from flooding in parts of Mozambique has risen to 117, with more than 157,000 people affected, official figures showed today.

The deaths in the centre and north of the southern African nation were caused by “drowning, lightning strikes, or construction collapses caused by the floods,” Rita Almeida of the Mozambican relief agency INGC told AFP.

“The situation is stable, as we did not record any new recurrences of flooding in the past days. It is still raining, but with much less intensity and without significant impact,” she said.

Saudi postpones biggest festival after king’s death

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Saudi Arabia today postponed its biggest national cultural festival, an event developed by the late King Abdullah, after his death last week.

The Janadriyah festival was to be held on February 4-22, with a special guest pavilion from Germany.

“A royal directive was issued to postpone the National Festival for Heritage and Culture to… Next year,” the official Saudi Press Agency said.

It said the postponement was “due to the death of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud”, who was replaced by his half-brother Salman.

516 ‘Brotherhood elements’ arrested on Egypt anniversary

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Egyptian police arrested more than 500 supporters of the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood when deadly violence erupted on the anniversary of the 2011 uprising, the interior minister said today.

Protesters and security forces clashed yesterday after Islamists called for demonstrations against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government as Egypt marked the fourth anniversary of the toppling of ex-strongman Hosni Mubarak.

Supporters of Mubarak’s successor, Islamist Mohamed Morsi, have regularly clashed with security forces since he was ousted by then army chief Sisi in July 2013.

Millions brace for monster blizzard in US Northeast

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Thousands of flights were canceled today as millions of Americans in the Northeast braced for a winter storm that New York’s mayor warned could be one of the biggest blizzards in history.

Snow, which was already falling across the region, is expected to accumulate steadily throughout the day before turning into a major storm expected to paralyze parts of New York and New England.

Officials in states along the US East Coast have urged residents to stay home as they prepare for Winter Storm Juno, which could dump up to three feet (about a meter) of snow in some areas.

French court rules baby names ‘Nutella’ and ‘Strawberry’ in

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A French court has blocked parents from naming their baby girl Nutella after the hazelnut spread that is a staple in Gallic households, arguing it would make her the target of mockery.

A registrar recording the baby’s birth last September flagged the unusual name to local prosecutors who took it to a family court judge, the prosecutor’s office told AFP, confirming a story in the Voix du Nord newspaper today.

The parents did not attend the court hearing and the judge decided in their absence to rename the baby Ella.

Italian, wife, son among 9 missing in Peru boat accident

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A boat has overturned on a river in Peru’s Amazon region and officials say nine people are missing, including an Italian man, his Peruvian wife and son.

Imazas district Mayor Otoniel Danducho says at least 10 people survived yesterday’s accident on the Maranon River, a tributary of the Amazon.

Amazonas state spokesman Victor Huaman says the missing include 39-year-old Marco Magnani, his Peruvian wife Cristina Akintui and their 5-year-old son Gabriel.

They live in the Italian city of Verona. Officials earlier said a 2-year old girl and 4-year-old boy were among the missing.

Mom on trial accused of killing 5-year-old with salt

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A confounding and heartbreaking murder case alleging that a mother purposely poisoned her 5-year-old son with salt and documented his decline on social media began today in the New York suburbs.

Lacey Spears, 27, who presented herself online as a supremely devoted mother, is charged with depraved murder and manslaughter in the death a year ago of Garnett-Paul Spears.

“This mother was intentionally feeding her child salt at toxic levels,” prosecutor Doreen Lloyd said at Spears’ arraignment.