Month: June 2015

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said some names for the chiefs of the Central Information Commissioner (CIC) and Central Vigilance Commission’s (CVC) post had been recommended to President Pranab Mukherjee.

“Today there was a meeting for the CIC and the CVC and the matter was discussed and some names were recommended to the President of India. And after receiving that, the final list will be announced by the President of India,” Kharge told ANI.

Scattered rainfall across some parts of the national capital on Monday brought much needed respite from the heat for the people.

While the maximum temperature in the city stood at 37 degrees Celsius, the minimum was two notches below normal at 25.9 degrees.

Partly cloudy skies, accompanied by dust storms and thunderstorms may be experienced in some parts of the city tomorrow. (ANI)

VHP and Bajrang Dal have set up a helpline to “protect” the public from any harrassment at the hands of youth during the upcoming “Shab-e-Baraat” celebrations tomorrow in the national capital.

VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said the decision was taken at a meeting of its Delhi unit at Jhandewalan where concerns were expressed over “misbehaviour” of youth participating in the “Shab-e-Baraat” celebrations in Delhi during previous years.

Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas (SSUN), an RSS outfit, today proposed introduction of vedic maths in schools across the country and effective implementation of the three language formula across all states.

The Dinanath Batra-headed body favoured incorporating vedic maths along with regular mathematics courses in classes so as to improve the level of “competency” among students in the subject.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today invited the opposition to inspect his gigantic presidential palace for gold-plated toilet seats, vowing to resign if they could prove their allegations of his bathroom bling.

Erdogan’s 1,150-room palace, which was built at a cost of around 490 million euros (USD 615 million), has been condemned by critics as an absurd extravagance and held up as proof he is slipping further into authoritarianism.

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari today said Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s attack on the NDA government over the land acquisition bill was “out of frustration”.

Asked by a reporter about Rahul Gandhi highlighting the farmers’ issues, Gadkari said some people hadn’t been able to come to terms with loss of power, ministership, bungalows and (government) vehicles.

“Out of disappointment and frustration, they make such statements. You should not pay them attention. You should pardon them,” he said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today accused the opposition of politicising the issue of Dhangar reservations and said the Congress-NCP did not bother to resolve the issue when they were in power.

Talking to reporters here, Fadnavis said his government was formed on October 31, 2014 and NCP chief Sharad Pawar wrote to the Centre on the issue on November 8.

“Why did Congress-NCP not send a proposal for reservations for Dhangar community when they were in power in the state and in the Centre?

With Narendra Modi seeking time from ex-servicemen to address the vexed issue of one-rank, one pension, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said Prime Minister’s promise on OROP was another ‘jumla’ as the one on black money even as he favoured inclusion of paramilitary personnel in the scheme.

“Now he (PM) is saying he had not thought that OROP issue would be so vexed… Like black money he also made tall promises about OROP to get vote and has no clue how to move forward on the subject,” Kumar said.

Israeli high school girls have taken to social media to protest against rules that let boys wear shorts in the sweltering summer heat but bar girls from doing the same.

The teenagers, who come from mainstream secular schools across Israel, say their teachers insist on the ban to protect them from unwanted male attention, despite recent temperatures of up to 45C (113F).

“Why does a woman have to suffer sexist and chauvinist comments just because it’s hot?” one anonymous writer posted on Facebook.

Around 30 per cent driving licences in the country were bogus and the Government has proposed a new Motor Vehicles Act to bring in transparency and make the system corruption-free, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari today said.

Pakistan People’s Party chief and Bhutto family scion Bilawal Bhutto Zardari today returned to Pakistan after nearly seven months amid reports of a rift between him and his father Asif Ali Zardari.

After arriving in Karachi, he was driven away under tight security from the Jinnah International Airport to the Bilawal House residence here.

Bilawal, 26, is expected to tour Punjab to address rallies in a bid to revive the party’s fortunes ahead of local government elections later this year.

Ninety more deaths were reported from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha due to the heat wave, raising the nationwide toll to 2338 even as some places like Delhi got respite today from the sweltering weather because of the overcast sky and scattered rainfall.

Delhi received light showers which brought temperature down to 37 degrees celsius from 40.6 degrees celsius yesterday.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh reported death of 42 more people due to the heat wave, raising the toll in the state to 1719 from 1677 yesterday.

A senior Iranian military officer, who was advising Iraqi troops in its battle against the Islamic State (IS), has been killed near Ramadi.

Jassem Nouri, a seasoned Iran-Iraq war commander who had also served as a military adviser in Syria, was killed on Thursday, the Dawn reports.

The slain military officer’s memorial service was attended by his family members and political and military leaders in Ahvaz in southwestern Iran on Sunday, ahead of his burial on Monday.

Iran has provided military advisers and weapons to both Iraq and Syria, but, denies deploying any combat troops. (ANI)

Following a disappointing Australian Open, leading Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth will look to bounce back at the $800,000 Indonesia Open Superseries Premier starting at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium here on Tuesday.

World No.1 Saina, who has won here in 2009, 2010 and 2012, has been seeded second in the women’s singles category, while world No.4 Srikanth is seeded fourth in the men’s singles competition.

A group of students in Mumbai staged a protest on Monday demanding the revoking of the ban imposed by IIT Madras on the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle (APSC).

“We are extending our support to Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle. We actually think what has happened at IIT Madras is wrong. I am from IIT Bombay and there is a concern that such groups are being replaced across the IITs,” said a protester, Kranti.

“We want the ban to be revoked,” he added.

Congress candidate Akula Lalitha secured highest of 18 votes to win the MLC elections in the MLAs quota on Monday.

Of 118 polled votes, Akula Lalitha got 18 votes to win the seat. TRS candidates – Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari, R&B Minister Tummala Nageshwara Rao, K Yadav Reddy, Nethi Vidyasagar and B Venkateshwarulu got 17 votes each to win the elections. According to sources, TDP-BJP combine candidate Vem Narender Reddy got just 9 votes as six TDP MLAs have opted for NOTA (None of the Above) option. (INN)

Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri, advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, called on Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the State Secretariat on Monday.

Stating that this is his second visit to India and Hyderabad after 1996, Akbar informed the Chief Minister that India underwent a sea change in these 19 years. “Hyderabad too has transformed from what it was in 1996,” he added.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will hold a meeting with the elected representatives and senior officials of other departments in connection with ‘Swachh Hyderabad’ campaign.

The meeting will be held at GHMC Headquarters at Tank Bund on Tuesday at 3.30 PM. The meeting will primarily discuss issues related to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.

GHMC Commissioner & Special Officer Somesh Kumar directed the all the Zonal Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners to hoist the National Flag at their circle and Zonal offices in connection with Telangana Formation Day, which is scheduled to be held on Tuesday.

Reversing its earlier stand, India today said it could approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the brutal torture of Kargil martyr Captain Saurabh Kalia by Pakistan in view of the “exceptional circumstances” of the case.

The government will be requesting the Supreme Court to pronounce on the legality of its stand that India cannot invoke the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ in relation to disputes concerning armed conflicts, hostilities etc with Pakistan as they were commonwealth countries.

Salman Khan’s trial under Arms Act in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) here has been put off till July 20 in the wake of the actor challenging the lower court’s verdict in the High Court.

Khan was supposed to present his side in the court today but his counsel H M Saraswat moved an application seeking deferment in the wake of stay on the trial granted by the High Court until the petition was decided.

A top religious institute in Egypt has called attempts by the Islamic State group to fan sectarianism in the region a “malicious” way to undermine modern societies and states.

The statement today by Dar al-Ifta, one of the region’s top religious bodies that advises Muslims on spiritual and life matters, follows a recent audio recording by an alleged IS group member who calls for “purifying” Saudi Arabia from Shiite Muslims.

The audio comes in the wake of recent bombings against Shiite mosques in the kingdom, which has a small Shiite minority.

All the five candidates fielded by the ruling TRS party in the MLC elections from MLAs quota have won. The sixth seat was gained by Congress nominee Akula Lalitha by polling all the 18 votes of that party.
The election was held for six vacancies in the Telangana Legislative Council on Monday. TDP candidate Vem Narendar Reddy lost the election. While five votes were cast under NOTA under TDP-BJP combine, it was not known whether the NOTA votes were cast by BJP or TDP members.

Minister for Forests Jogu Ramanna today charged Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu with hatching conspiracies against Telangana State.
Addressing the media at Secretariat here, Ramanna alleged that Telangana leaders in the TD are living like slaves under Chandrababu Naidu. He also alleged that Naidu’s attempts to malign the TRS leadership have boomeranged with Telangana TD leader Revanth Reddy was caught red-handed while offering Rs 50 lakhs to Anglo-Indian MLA Elvis Stephenson.

Rajahmundry former MP Undavalli Arun Kumar has demanded that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) name Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu as principal accused in the ‘note for vote’ episode.
Speaking to the media here on Monday, Undavalli hoped the ACB, which concentrated all these days only on contractors and officials’ corrupt practices, divert its attention on political corruption from now onwards and root out corruption from politics.