Month: January 2015

Islam supports tolerance with other religions – Khalid Saifullah Rahmani

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Islam believes in the basic principles of mutual coexistence. Quran clearly indicates that if Allah (SWT) wanted, he could have made all the human beings follow only one religion but Islam preaches tolerance with the people of other religion. In the Quran and the Hadees it has been made obligatory on the part of the Muslims to protect the lives and properties of the non-Muslims. In a Islamic State, non-Muslims have full freedom of professing their own religion.

Shahnawaz Hussain roadshow in Wazirpur

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BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain today attended a roadshow in Wazirpur while canvassing votes for party’s candidate Mahendra Nagpal.

The senior leader received a warm welcome in the area and hundreds of residents came out to listen to him as he sought their support in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Before the roadshow, Hussain joined the residents of JJ Colony in offering ‘namaz’.

Attacking his rival, Hussain said the AAP cannot use communal card while contesting the elections this time which, he claimed, AAP had done during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Dargah Jahangirpeeran’s “Ghalla” auction conflict

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The officials of Wakf Board find it difficult to discharge their duties because of political intervention. The latest example is the auction of Dargah Jahangirpeeran’s “Ghalla” which was postponed number of times to benefit the vested interests. On a certain occasion, the concerned MLA approach Wakf Board and forcibly stopped the auction. Wakf Board is also facing pressure from CM’s Office. Wakf Boar perused the case in High Court also which upheld the stand taken by it. Under the political and official pressure, this auction is postponed four times.

Fees reimbursement scheme continues – Construction of Rubath in Ajmer – KCR

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Govt. of Telangana has sanctioned Rs. 862 crore to clear the arrears of fees reimbursement scheme. This decision was taken in the cabinet meeting held yesterday continuously for 7 hours.

Talking to the newsmen after the meeting, Mr. KCR informed that FAST Scheme has been withdrawn and it has been decided to continue fees reimbursement scheme with old rules and regulations. He told the students not to worry. He informed that after careful consideration it has been decided to continue the old scheme.

Yogi Adityanath slams ‘politics of appeasement’

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Criticising the “politics of appeasement”, BJP MP Yogi Adityanath on Friday said his vision for inclusive growth means equal rights for the majority Hindu community as well as for the minorities.

“Inclusive growth means where a graveyard as well as a crematorium gets money. A Muslim’s daughter gets scholarship as well as a Hindu’s daughter. Where madrasas get grants and also Sanskrit schools. My ‘sabka saath, sabka vikaas’ involves no appeasement politics,” the MP said.

Don’t let AAP make backdoor entry this time: Irani

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In a scathing attack on AAP, Union Minister Smriti Irani today asked the people of Delhi not to let the party, which has “now itself become a problem” make a “backdoor entry” in the upcoming election,

“You people must show the same enthusiasm as you had shown during the Lok Sabha elections and give us a full majority to make the government in Delhi…Do not allow the Aam Aadmi Party to a make a backdoor entry this time,” Irani said.

She was making an apparent reference to the AAP government formed with the support of Congress in December 2013, which lasted for 49 days.

RJD, JD-U will merge, say Lalu and Nitish

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Six “Janata Parivar” parties will certainly merge soon as there is no hurdle, former Bihar chief ministers Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad announced Friday.

In the wake of reports of unlikely merger of the Janata Dal-United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal ahead of the assembly polls in Bihar later this year, both JD-U leader Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad said merger was certain.

“Merger is certain, it will take place,” Nitish Kumar told the media in Bihar’s Aurangabad district. He said the “Janata Parivar” would again become one and a united force.

Peace Party of India members join AAP in Delhi

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At least 300 members of the Peace Party of India’s Delhi unit Friday joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The Peace Party of India’s Delhi unit president Sher Mohammad Khan led around 300 workers to join the AAP in the presence of AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Dilip Pandey, a statement said.

The Peace Party of India’s Uttar Pradesh unit general secretary Brij Kishore also joined the AAP.

The Peace Party of India was founded in 2008. It bagged four seats in the 2012 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Russia looks to prevent US-NATO military superiority

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Russia’s top general said Friday that the country will take steps to prevent the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) from being militarily superior.

“The armed forces’ priority is quality improvement of the strategic nuclear forces,” the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, said, according to a Xinhua report.

Obama details initiative to cure cancer, diabetes

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US President Barack Obama Friday unveiled the details of a bold new research effort, which brought doctors “closer to curing diseases like cancer and diabetes”.

According to a Xinhua report, Obama said that the precision medicine initiative “brings America closer to curing diseases like cancer and diabetes, and gives all of us access, potentially, to the personalised information that we need to keep ourselves and our families healthier”.

China to back Pak in safeguarding territorial integrity: Li

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang today promised to firmly back Pakistan in its efforts to safeguard its sovereignty, independence and integrity of its territories.

Li said that China would continue to work on expanding friendly exchanges and cooperation with Pakistan at all levels and in various areas.

Li’s remarks came in the backdrop of a meeting with Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the Chinese government.

Li spoke highly about the relationship and friendship between China and Pakistan.

Senior Navy officer to face court martial for fire in Sindhuratna

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The commanding Officer of INS Sindhuratna will face court martial while six other officers were issued letters of “severe displeasure” after being found guilty for the fire onboard the submarine last year, which led to the resignation of then Navy chief Admiral D K Joshi.

Navy sources said the recommendations of the Board of Inquiry has been accepted by the Naval Headquarters. “The Commanding Officer of INS Sindhuratana has been recommended for General Court Martial. Six other officers have been awarded Letters of Severe Displeasure,” the sources said.

Govt nets Rs 22,557 cr from CIL stake sale; LIC biggest buyer

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In the biggest-ever disinvestment, the 10 per cent stake sale in Coal India today fetched the government Rs 22,557.3 crore in a bumper sale where state-run LIC alone picked up nearly one-third of the public offer.

The issue received bids for 67.52 crore shares of the value of Rs 24,210 crore, over-subscribing the offer 1.07 times.

This is the biggest share sale by any private or public sector company in India and exceeds the previous record of over Rs 15,000 crore made by CIL itself in 2010.

Jayanthi’s charges against Rahul baseless: Digvijaya

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Allegations by former central minister Jayanthi Natarajan that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had interfered in the functioning of the environment ministry were baseless, party general secretary Digvijaya Singh said Friday.

“It’s absolutely wrong to say that our president Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi ever interfered in the functioning of the UPA government. The ministers were free to take decisions,” he told reporters on the margins of a party meeting here.

Has compensation been paid to Bilaspur sterilisation camp victims, asks SC

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The Supreme Court Friday inquired if families of 14 women who lost their lives Nov 11, 2014, following botched-up sterilisation operations at a Chhattisgarh government-sponsored family planning camp in Bilaspur hospital were paid compensation as directed by its 2005 order.

The social justice bench comprising Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit sought information noting that the apex court by its March 1, 2005 verdict had issued nine directions of which the last provided for compensation to the victim of faulty sterilisation.

Separate OPDs for swine flu patients in Rajasthan

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Concerned over the increasing number of swine flu deaths in the state, the Rajasthan government has decided to set up separate out-patient departments (OPD) in government hospitals for patients with symptoms of the disease.

Thirty three persons have died so far in the state due to the disease.

“These OPDs will be set up in all the government hospitals across the state. Besides this, we will start door-to-door screening in and around the areas from where swine flu patients have so far been found,” a senior official of the state medical and health department told IANS Friday.

Building smart cities is challenging but doable: Minister

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Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu Friday asked the states to be ready to make their cities and towns “smart” under the central government’s initiative of building 100 smart cities.

Addressing a meet ‘Consultation workshop with states and stakeholders’ organised by his ministry to take states on board before launching the smart cities initiative, Naidu sought to motivate the states and urban local bodies.

Litchi fruit suspected in mystery illness in India

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A toxin in litchi fruits may be linked to a mysterious and sometimes fatal brain disease that has afflicted children in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, and neighbouring districts since 1995, US researchers claim.

An association between the illness and litchi fruit has been postulated because Muzaffarpur is a litchi fruit?producing region, according to a report by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Indian National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and CDC investigated outbreaks of the illness in 2013 and 2014.

K L Rahul becomes Karnataka’s first triple centurion

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Seen as a future India Test regular, Young Lokesh Rahul today cracked a memorable triple century – the first from Karnataka to achieve the feat in Ranji Trophy as well as first-class cricket – guiding his side to a mammoth total in their match against Uttar Pradesh here.

By stumps on the second day, the hosts declared their first innings at a formidable 719 for five in their Group A Ranji match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Fiscal deficit exceeds budget estimates in 9 months

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The Indian government’s fiscal deficit has exceeded the budget estimate within the first nine months of the current fiscal, data showed Friday at a time it has recovered ground somewhat by earning over Rs.22,000 crore from disinvestment in Coal India.

Latest data by the Controller General of Accounts shows that deficit during April-December period was over Rs.532,000 crore as against the annual budget estimate of Rs.531,000 crore.

Crossing 100 percent of the estimate in the first nine months compares with the figure of 95.2 percent during corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

Cong rakes up corruption allegations against Jayanthi

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Rejecting the attack on Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi by former environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan as being “malicious” and driven by “ulterior motives”, party spokesman Anand Sharma today raked up corruption allegations against her.

Questioning her delayed resignation from Congress and the claims that Gandhi’s office was engaged in a vilification campaign against her after she had stepped down as a Union minister in 2013, Sharma dared her to file a defamation case against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying it was he who used to target her with the “Jayanthi tax” barb.

Elderly parents held for killing son

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An elderly couple, long tormented by violent acts of their 27-year-old alcoholic son, killed him and dumped his body in a drain after chopping it into small pieces and sought to mislead police about his whereabouts but finally confessed to the crime, police said Friday.

Nand Kishore, 68, a mason, and his wife Asha Devi, 60, have been arrested for killing their son Suraj Bhan inside their house Jan 6 night in south Delhi’s Jaitpur.

The victim’s body was found Jan 8 after that police launched an inquiry on finding the behaviour of elderly couple suspicious, a police official said.

More than half a billion people use mobile phones to access Facebook

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More than half a billion people reportedly access Facebook from their mobile devices.

It is reported that nearly 526 million of Facebook’s monthly active users access the social network site using mobile phones, marking another milestone in Facebook’s shift to mobile.

According to Tech Crunch, that’s up from 456 million in the previous quarter, and it’s an increase of around 78 percent from the 296 million mobile-only users that Facebook saw during the same period last year. It also includes about 38 percent of Facebook’s 1.39 billion monthly active users.