Month: June 2015

AP Labour Minister K Achchen Naidu today lashed out at the YSR Congress party for extending support to TRS in the Monday’s MLC elections.
Talking to mediapersons here on Sunday, Achchen Naidu said YSRCP’s move exposes the nexus between YSRCP chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. This is clear that the Leader of the Opposition in AP Assembly has some secret understanding with TRS, he alleged. The YSRCP is aligning with Congress in Andhra Pradesh and TRS in Telangana to target the Telugu Desam, he charged.

The Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, which is determined to achieve world class infrastructure development, now decided to develop Tirupati and Vijayawada Airports as International Airports paving the way for rapid economic development and enhancement of the image of the State at global level.

On the occasion of the first anniversary of formation of separate Telangana State, Govt. has announced two State level awards to veteran journalists namely Mr. Husain Ali Khan (formerly Chander Srivastav) and Mr. Naseem Arifi (Eitamad). Official sources indicated that Mr. KCR will give this award at the function to be held tomorrow at Parade Ground, Secunderabad. This award consists of Rs. 1,00,116.

–Siasat News

An Islamic State fighter who appeared in an online video calling for jihad was trained in counter-terrorism tactics on American soil under a State Department programme before defecting to the dreaded terror group, according to US officials.

Colonel Gulmurod Khalimov, a former police commander from Tajikistan, features in the video in black Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) garb with a sniper rifle and a bandolier of ammunition.

Pakistan’s acquisition of nuclear power “smashed India’s dreams” for regional hegemony, a top advisor to Islamabad said on Sunday.

Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs and security advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, told the Nazaria Pakistan Council in Lahore that Pakistan would never allow India’s desire for regional hegemony and its acquisition of nuclear power in 1998 “smashed India’s dreams”, reports Dawn.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will return to the US on Sunday after fracturing his leg in a cycling accident in France earlier in the day, the State Department said.

Kerry broke his right femur in the accident and, given the injury is near the site of his prior hip surgery, he will return to Boston to seek treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital with his doctor who did the prior surgery, his spokesman John Kirby said.

India’s objections to the 3,000 km-long Pakistan-China Economic Corridor (PCEC) notwithstanding, Islamabad was firmly committed to the $46 billion project and would not permit any attempt to sabotage it, a key advisor to the prime minister said.

Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs and national security advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Sunday that Pakistan’s “enemies” would not succeed in sabotaging the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor (PCEC).

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday that her “only regret” in her year in office has been the failure so far to bring back the 39 abducted Indians from Iraq, which she hoped to do soon.

“My only regret is that while we have evacuated thousands of our nationals from Iraq, Ukraine, Yemen, Libya, but the 39 Indians remain in Iraq. I feel my wait will end very soon and we will be successful in bringing them back,” she said at a press conference.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday dismissed any perception of being overshadowed in her work by a “proactive prime minister”, saying she views it as a “support”.

Taking questions on all issues, including on the perception that she has been keeping a low profile after becoming minister or on being sidelined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been following an active diplomatic engagement, she said the prime minister has not put any restrictions on her.

“A proactive PM is a support, not a challenge. I take it as a support,” she said.

Indian tennis players Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna crashed out in the men’s doubles pre-quarterfinals, while Sania Mirza partnering Swiss Martina Hingis entered the quarter-finals of the French Open here on Sunday.

Paes partnering Canadian Daniel Nestor who were seeded 10th lost to the sixth seed Italian pair of Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 2-6, 4-6 in straight sets.

Ninth seed Bopanna along with Romanian Florin Mergea went down fighting 3-6, 7-6, 3-6 to fifth seed Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands and Romanian Horia Tecau.

Looks like Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and actress Sonakshi Sinha are enjoying the Dubsmash video trend. The duo, who earlier paid a tribute to veteran actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, have come out with another video. This time doing a lip-sync of a dialogue from “Karan Arjun”.

In the six-second video, posted by Sonakshi on Twitter on Sunday, Salman is seen lip-syncing his famous dialogue from 1995 film, where his character is asking his brother Arjun, played by superstar Shah Rukh Khan, to run and escape the goons before he gets killed.

The Finance Ministry today came out with new three-page income tax return (ITR) forms, dropping the controversial provision for mandatory disclosure of foreign trips and dormant bank accounts, while it also extended the last date of filing to August 31.

Hardline Hurriyat Conference today said people will continue to wave Pakistan flags at its rallies in Kashmir, as it termed the neighbouring a “well wisher”.

“Pakistani flags have been waved (in Kashmir) and, In Sha Allah (God willing), will be waved in future as well as Pakistan is our neighbour and a well wisher,” hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani said at a function at his residence here.

Pakistani flags have appeared at several separatist rallies in Kashmir since April 15 this year, leading to severe criticism of the state government by opposition parties.