Cotabato, August 30: Philippines—Bursts of gunfire greeted the end of the month-long daylight fasting of Muslims in Cotabato City and environs despite repeated appeals from authorities for gun owners not to use their weapons in welcoming the feast of Eid’l Fitr.

As early as 6:30 p.m. Monday, gun bursts were heard around the city and in the adjacent province of Maguindanao.

At about 4 a.m. Tuesday, gunfire reverberated throughout the city and Maguindanao, signaling the end of fasting month of month during which Muslims abstained from food and drink dawn till dusk.

Kabul, August 30: The US government has acknowledged its involvement in conducting direct secret negotiations with Taliban militants, following the disclosure of the clandestine talks by Afghan officials.

The talks had mostly revolved around the whereabouts and release of US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was seized by Taliban forces in eastern Afghanistan over two years ago, AP reported Monday, citing statements by Afghan and American officials.

Sanaa, August 30: Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh says he is ready to conditionally sign an agreement proposed by a regional Arab alliance as a potential means of diffusing the political crisis in the country.

After backing out of inking the deal three times, Saleh claimed on Monday that he would put his signature on the proposal drafted by the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC), Xinhua reported.

Hyderabad, August 30: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation officials demolished a few unauthorised buildings in Sardar Patel Nagar in Kukatpally on Monday, amidst demonstrations by Telugu Desam corporators and locals.
Nine buildings were demolished in Kukatpally on Monday.

Jaipur, August 30: Ugly scenes were witnessed in Rajasthan Assembly on Monday when an opposition BJP MLA flung a sandal towards Congress members and a ruling party lawmaker retaliated by brandishing his shoe following a heated exchange between two legislators.

Bhawani Singh Rajawat, MLA from Ladpura constituency in Kota district, was suspended from the House for one year for hurling the footwear. The sandal, however, did not hit anyone.

The incident occcured when Congress MLA Raghu Sharma interrupted BJP MLA Pramila Kundara while she was speaking in the house during the zero hour.

Hyderabad, August 30: Political circles in the State, particularly in the corridors of power, are agog with only one topic-how many more legislators would jump onto the Jagan bandwagon and by when.

The return of the `aya ram, gaya ram’ phenomenon is putting Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy in a piquant position. Fearing a threat to his Ministry in the wake of intensified wooing operations by the Jagan camp, Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy is embarking on a visit to New Delhi. He is likely to air dash to the party headquarters on Tuesday to discuss the issues threadbare.

Chennai, August 30: Even as politics has begun over the hanging of three persons on death row for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, officials at the Vellore Central Prison are a facing a bigger problem – they are yet to find a hangman.

As per a media report, Tamil Nadu does not have a hangman, thereby making the lower rung personnel at the prison fear that they may be drafted to carry out the execution of Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan on September 9.

President Pratibha Patil had rejected their mercy petitions last week.

Hyderabad, August 30: Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Telugu Desam Floor Leader Singi Rreddy Srinivas Reddy on Monday urged Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy to take immediate steps to close all gambling dens in the city. He contended that they were destroying lower middle class sections.

In his memorandum submitted, he expressed grave concern at the light of the family members, whose sole bread-earner was succumbing to gambling.

Mr Reddy also alleged that anti-social elements were having a field day as they controlled most of such centres

Hyderabad, August 303: Release of excess water that is hampering irrigation works from the SRSP dam is being taken up on an extensive note.

Expressing serious concern at the low depression in Bay of Bengal, irrigation officials wanted the Chief Minister to step up operations.

Incessant rains, particularly in Nizamabad and Adilabad districts have resulted in quick inflows into the reservoir.

Framingham, August 30: An uncle of President Barack Obama has been charged with drunk driving in Massachusetts and is being held by immigration officials.

Onyango Obama was arrested last week in Framingham after police said he made a rolling stop and nearly caused a cruiser to strike his sport utility vehicle.

Police said that when asked if he wanted to make a phone call, the 67-year-old Obama said, “I think I will call the White House.”

The White House had no comment yesterday. Onyango Obama is from Kenya and is the half-brother of the president’s father.

Hyderabad, August 30: Speaker Nadendla Manohar on Monday gave a patient hearing to the submissions aired by rebel Telugu Desam member N Prasanna Kumar Reddy here on Monday.

The Speaker later said that he sought to know the reasons behind Mr Reddy’s resignation along with 26 Congress members.

However, Mr Manohar did not elaborate further on the hearing. He, however, said that the disqualification issue, which is pending in his office, was not discussed at all,

In a separate media conference, Mr Reddy said that had given his explanation on the issue of his resignation.

Hyderabad, August 30: The Railway Protection Force has gone on an over drive to put a check on the hawkers’ menace.

The drive, initiated by A N Sinha, senior divisional security commissioner RPF, fetched nearly Rs 2.8 lakh after 360 hawkers were rounded up this month. Seven of the offenders have been put in jail.

Meanwhile, around 50 eunuchs were arrested and three jailed for their indecent behavior.

Most of the operations were at Kazipet-Sirpur Kaghaznagar and Warangal-Vijayawada stations.

——Agencies

Hyderabad, August 30: Andhra Pradesh Teachers Eligibility Test Director Sheshu Kumari on Monday stated that the results of Teachers Eligibility Test would be hosted on the official website http://aptet.cgg.gov.in Tuesday afternoon.

In a press release, Director Sheshu Kumari said that the pass certificates would be dispatched to the respective candidates within the next twenty days.

Sheshu Kumari said that around six lakh candidates had appeared for the test, which was held on July 31. This is the first time the test has been overseen by the Education Department in the state.

Hyderabad, August, 30: Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is a worried man and he has been showing his desperation quite openly.

His frustration stems from the possible floor-crossing by fence-sitters.

Stung by the reversals in the form of resignations by Legislators owing allegiance to Kadapa Member of Parliament Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Chief Minister has gone into a massive damage-control mode.

New Delhi, August 30: Issue Privilege Motion notices for calling politicians ‘naalayak, ganwar, two-faced’

Angry with the remarks made by actor Om Puri and social activist Kiran Bedi against politicians at Ramlila Ground recently, members of both the Houses of Parliament on Monday gave Privilege Motion notices against the duo.

The 61-year-old actor apologised for calling politicians ‘naalayak’ (incompetent) and ‘ganwar’ (a word often used to describe a backward and an illiterate person).

Farrukhabad, August 30: An official of a “spiritual university” in this Uttar Pradesh district was Monday booked on charges of abducting a minor girl and holding her captive, police said.

A 16-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Banda, who went missing Aug 23, was freed Sunday from a centre of the `Adhyatamik Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya’ controlled by Virendra Dixit.

Mirzapur, August 30: Spreading the message of communal harmony, a Muslim performer here is winning hearts by singing Hindu devotional songs for a living while the people hail him for bringing the two communities together.

With a scarf wrapped around his shoulders and his head covered with a skull cap, Mohammad Mushtakeem Ahmad starts his day by offering Namaaz in a Pathan suit. Once it is over, he slips into saffron clothes, sports a sandalwood `tilak’ on his forehead, and gets ready for singing praises to Hindu deities.

Hyderabad, August 30: Heavy rains are playing havoc across the state with as many as 14 deaths being reported from different districts. Hundreds of people have been evacuated and special health and medical teams are being rushed to the affected areas.

Hyderabad, August 30: It is the season of peaceful agitations and even the Telangana Joint Action Committee is going the Anna Hazare way.

Taking cue from the 87-year-old Gandhian, T-JAC chief Prof M Kodandaram on Monday announced that he will stage a sit-in hunger fast in order to pressurize the Government on a Statehood for Telangana.

Talking to media at the JAC Office here, Prof Kodandaram said that they had waited enough on the issue of bifurcation of the State.

Hyderabad, August 30: The Telangana Advocates Joint Action Committee leaders have urged the State Government to order a full-fledged CBI enquiry into the de-notification of 9-acre land in Ameerpet during the reign of former chief minister K Rosaiah, which resulted in a loss of Rs 200 crore to the government.

Tripoli, August 30: Muammar Gaddafi’s son Khamis, whose death has been prematurely announced several times during the Libyan conflict, was killed south of Tripoli and buried, a rebel spokesman said.

“One of the rebel leaders confirmed to me that Khamis was killed somewhere near Tarhuna, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Tripoli,” the opposition justice and human rights minister Mohammed al-Allagy told AFP.

Hyderabad, August 30: With just three days left for Ganesh Chaturthi, the State Pollution Control Board has intensified its campaign to use mud idols to prevent pollution.

As part of the campaign, the Special Secretary of AP Pollution Control Board M C Pargaien on Monday formally launched the distribution of mud Ganesh idols in a programme at his office. He said the PCB has decided to distribute 5 feet Ganesh Idols in the 150 wards in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits as part of preserving lakes from the pollution.

Hyderabad, August 30: Textiles Minister Dr P Shankar Rao has demanded that the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy reconstitute his council of ministers and remove all tainted ministers from the cabinet.

Talking to reporters here on Monday, Dr Shankar Rao said that the ongoing CBI’s enquiry against Kadapa MP Jagan Mohan Reddy’s alleged illegal assets has necessitated the removal of some ministers from the cabinet. Without naming any minister, he said anyone, including himself; facing charges of corruption must be removed from the cabinet.

Tripoli, August 30: Members of the family of fugitive Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi have taken refuge in Algeria, but Gaddafi’s whereabouts are still unknown.

Muammar Gaddafi’s wife Safia, sons Hannibal and Mohammed, and daughter Aisha arrived in Algeria on Monday morning, according to the Algerian Foreign Ministry.

The revolutionary leadership has been angered by Algeria’s acceptance of Gaddafi’s wife and relatives.

A Libyan National Transition Council spokesman accused Algeria of an act of aggression and said the council would seek the extradition of the Gaddafis.

Hyderabad, August 30: The Congress party has foiled an attempt by Kadapa MP Jagan Mohan Reddy to lure over a dozen first-time MLAs to his fold. Sources say that Jagan was trying to lure the Congress and PRP MLAs asking them to join his camp by resigning from the posts.