Karunanidhi attacks Kerala government on Mullaiperiyar

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Chennai, October 20:Coming down heavily on the Kerala government for its stand on the Mullaiperiyar dam, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi Tuesday said people would start wondering which state is ruling the country.

In a statement issued here Tuesday, he said: “If the Kerala government thumps its chest for trampling upon the law of the land and believes that the Tamil Nadu government should accept that bowing its head, then people will wonder which state is ruling the country.”

Movie producer arrested for links with chit fund scam

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Bhubaneswar, October 20: Naseer Khan, the producer of Hindi movie “Shadow”, was arrested Tuesday in connection with a chit fund scam in Cuttack and later released on a personal bond, police said.

“He was arrested today from Cuttack. Later he was released on a personal bond of Rs.25,000,” said A.K. Roy, inspector general police, crime branch.

The crime branch of the Orissa Police had filed a case against Khan’s company, Greater Entertainment, for allegedly diverting the money raised through chit funds and multi-level-marketing to produce “Shadow”.

Nuclear talks held up by Iran’s rejection of France

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Vienna, October 20: Multilateral talks on processing Iran’s uranium abroad were held up Tuesday by Tehran’s refusal to accept France as a direct partner in a deal, according to a source close to the talks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in Tehran that Tuesday his country does not want France at the Vienna talks, and that it would negotiate only with Russia and the US, the other parties on the table.

Congress leader appears before court in ‘hate speech’ case

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Chandigarh, October 20: The Congress aprty’s national minority cell chief Imran Kidwai Tuesday appeared before a local court here in a case of a “hate speech” he allegedly gave during an election rally here.

Kidwai submitted a bail bond of Rs.20,000 in the court. The next date of hearing is slated for Jan 8 next year.

The Congress leader had allegedly asked Muslim voters not to vote for anyone other than his party in a rally here March 15.

Akram’s wife admitted to private hospital in Chennai

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Chennai, October 20: Former Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram’s wife was admitted to a private hospital here today after an air ambulance carrying them, besides four others made an unscheduled landing at Chennai airport.

Akram, wife Huma and a team of medical professionals were travelling in the Lahore-Singapore air ambulance when the pilot sought a request to land in Chennai, according to airport officials here.

The plane was on its way from Lahore to Singapore, where Akram’s wife was to receive medical treatment.

11th Osian’s to honour Gulzar with lifetime achievement award

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New Delhi, October 20: The 11th edition of the annual Osian’s-Cinefan Film Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema will confer legendary lyricist Gulzar with the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award for cinematic contribution.

The award will be given to the Oscar-winning lyricist-writer-director at the opening ceremony on Saturday in the presence of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

The award focuses on the 73-year-old’s creativity and contribution to entertainment that goes beyond cultural, linguistic and other boundaries, said a press statement released here Tuesday.

Intelligence reports warn of imminent attacks: PM

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New Delhi, October 20: Noting that both state and non-state actors are engaged in the “business” of terrorism, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said regular Intelligence reports had warned of “imminent attacks” in the country and security forces needed to be prepared to meet any challenge.

Addressing the top commanders of three Services here, he also said that the situation in India’s immediate neighbourhood had worsened, apparently referring to the developments in Pakistan which he did not spell out.

Troops shifted from Kashmir Valley to Doda

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Jammu, October 20: Two battalions of the Indian Army shifted out last week from the Kashmir Valley have been deployed in the mountainous Doda district of Jammu region, officials said Tuesday.

The two battalions – one each from Qazigund, 80 km south of Srinager, and the other from Handwara, 100 km north of Srinagar — were shifted out last week, giving an impression that the troops were being reduced in Kashmir, where Kashmiri separatists and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have raised demands for the withdrawal of troops.

Mishap or sabotage, Congress divided on YSR chopper crash

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Hyderabad, October 20: Was it an accident or a conspiracy? The debate continues nearly 50 days after former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy was killed in a helicopter crash.

The ruling Congress party appears divided on the question, just as it stands vertically divided on whether YSR’s son Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy should be made the chief minister.

Chief Minister K. Rosaiah Tuesday said the agencies investigating the Sep 2 helicopter crash were also probing the sabotage angle.

Karzai accepts runoff vote to be held in two weeks

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Kabul, October 20: Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced Tuesday that he failed to win an outright election in the first round and accepted the results for the second round of voting to be held in two weeks.

The president told a press conference at his palace that the decision for the second round of the election announced by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) was in accordance with the Afghan constitution.

–Agencies

BJP demands CBI probe in Goa blast case

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Panaji, October 20: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into last week’s Goa blast case in which two people were killed.

Speaking to reporters in Panaji Tuesday, Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar said Home Minister Ravi Naik was “sabotaging the police investigation for political ends” and only a central agency could conduct an effective probe into the Diwali eve blast in Goa.

80 percent marks not a must for IIT entrance exam: Sibal

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New Delhi, October 20: Scoring high in the Class 12 examination would not be a prerequisite for taking the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) entrance exam, Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal Tuesday said, appearing to backtrack from his stand a day earlier.

Boat tragedy: Kerala government, tourism agency also responsible

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Kochi, October 20: The Kerala High Court Tuesday held the Kerala government and the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) also responsible for the Thekkady boat tragedy because they did not act on earlier recommendations.

Justice K.T.Sankaran made this observation while granting bail to five of the six people who were arrested by the Crime Branch during investigations into the tragedy.

The double-decker boat, owned by the state-run KTDC, capsized in the lake in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary at Thekkady last month, leading to the death of 45 tourists.

‘Shadow’ actor Naseer Khan arrested by Orissa Police

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Bhubaneswar, October 20: Naseer Khan, the blind actor and co-producer of ‘Shadow’ fame, was arrested today for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore chit fund scam in Balasore district.

“We arrested Khan from Cuttack. He will be interrogated,” Inspector General of Police, Crime Branch, A K Ray told PTI.

Ray said that Khan was among several persons wanted by the CB in the case. He was one of the directors of Fine India, a chit fund company that allegedly siphoned off crores of rupees from gullible investors in Balasore.

Water shortage: involve foreign experts, says SC

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New Delhi, October 20: The Supreme Court today asked the high-powered committee constituted for doing scientific research for solving water crisis in the country to explore the possibility of involving foreign experts to find inexpensive methods of converting saline water into fresh water.

“Are you consulting foreign experts? You have to do scientific research to find out inexpensive method of converting salt water into fresh water. You can take the help of foreign scientists,” a Bench comprising Justices Markandey Katju and A K Ganguly said.

Kingpin arrested in trafficking case

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Kohima, October 20: The women cell of Dimapur police has arrested an alleged kingpin of the human trafficking case in which three young Naga girls were lured by offering jobs and sold to brothels in Mumbai .

The alleged kingpin, Jamal Chowdhury (25), was arrested from Khermahal area of the town yesterday, police said adding investigations were on to trace the other two Naga girls who were taken to Mumbai along with the escaped victim last year.

Unemployed youth arrested for aunt’s murder

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New Delhi, October 20: Police today claimed to have solved the murder of a 50-year-old woman in the national capital with the arrest of her unemployed nephew who allegedly strangled her to death and robbed gold ornaments.

They arrested Bharat Aneja (29) from Meerut on Friday for allegedly murdering Rita Aneja and recovered a blood stained cricket bat which he allegedly used to attack her.

Second rung RAW officers on protest leave

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New Delhi, October 20: The country’s external intelligence gathering agency RAW is in a churning as six of its senior officials have gone gone on leave after they were superseded by an IPS officer who came from the Intelligence Bureau,

The six Additional Secretaries continue to be on leave even after Cabinet Secretariat conducted a meeting of Departmental Promotional Committee (DPC) for the officials, who were ranked as Additional Secretaries in the external spy agency, to ascertain if they could be promoted further, sources in Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agency said today.

Detention of two cricketers unfortunate: Mehbooba Mufti

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Srinagar, October 20:Terming the detention of two Kashmiri cricketers in Bangalore last week as unfortunate, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said incidents like it add to the Kashmiris’ “alienation”.

“This is unfortunate (detention of cricketers). We are living under seige both within and outside the state. We are suspected. Incidents like Bangalore add to Kashmiris’ alienation,” Mufti told reporters here today.

Charas worth over Rs 1.5 crore seized in Bihar

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Motihari, October 20: Charas and ganja worth over Rs 1.5 crore were seized during raid by a special police team in Bahuari village of Bihar’s East Champaran district today, a senior police officer said.

Acting on a tip-off, police raided the house of Md Sajjad, an alleged smuggler and seized 119 gram Charas (intoxicating drug) and 34 kg of unprocessed Ganja, besides five live cartridges, Superintendent of Police Umesh Kumar told reporters.

The value of charas was estimated to be around Rs 1.5 crore in international markets, he said.

I have nothing to do with FIR: Bachchan

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Agra, October 20: Actor Amitabh Bachchan, whose name figured in the FIR filed against Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh for alleged financial fraud, today said he had nothing to do with the episode.

“I have also read (about FIR) from newspapers. I have not received any document and Amar Singh has also commented on this,” Bachchan said when asked what he had to say on the FIR.

When pressed further to react on the FIR, he told reporters: “I have no connection with that fraud.”

The megastar was in Agra to attend an event of the insurance company Max New York Life.

Bengal all-rounder responds to verbal commands

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Kolkata, October 20: Bengal all-rounder Avik Chowdhury, who met an accident on Sunday, responded to verbal commands today and doctors said the cricketer’s condition had improved though he continued to be on a ventilator.

According to the CEO of Ruby General Hospital, Dr SB Purakayastha, the 24-year-old cricketer, who is in the intensive therapy unit after his accident on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass on Sunday afternoon, showed good signs of recovery.

Bachchan happy with polio campaign results

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Mumbai, October 20: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who had campaigned for polio vaccination, is happy that his “tireless” efforts have yielded results and the actor has hinted that he may carry on with the project.

Youzhny eases into second round in Moscow

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Buenos Aires, October 20: Third seed Mikhail Youzhny eased into the second round of the Kremlin Cup with a 6-1, 7-6 victory over Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos.

The Russian world number 30 claimed seven consecutive games to win the first set in 26 minutes and take a 1-0 lead in the second before Zeballos put up more of a fight.

Youzhny, who reached the final of the Japan Open earlier this month, was finally able to subdue his 54th-ranked opponent by clinching the tiebreak 7-5.

He next faces Italian Potito Starace or Russian Evgeny Donskoy for a place in the quarter-finals.

Prakash and Alex in quarters of US Challenger event

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New Delhi, October 20: Prakash Amritraj and his American partner Alex Kuznetsov scripted a come-from-behind win to advance to the doubles quarterfinals of the USD 50,000 ATP Challenger event in Calabasas, United States.

The fourth seeded Indo-US pair defeated the local duo of Rylan Rizza and Kaes Van’t Hof 6-7 (1), 6-2, 10-8 in the first round, last night.

Prakash has been given a wild card entry in the singles event and will open his campaign against Serbia’s LLIija Bozoljac.