Diberdayakan oleh Blogger.

Popular Posts Today

1984 riots: Delhi HC defers its verdict on Sajjan Kumar till May 15

Written By Unknown on Senin, 29 April 2013 | 17.34

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Monday said "further hearing is required" in the plea of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who had challenged the trial court order framing charges against him in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case related to the killings of six persons.

Justice Suresh Kait, who was scheduled to pronounce the verdict today, said, "While dictating the judgement, I felt this matter should be heard further".

Justice Kait fixed May 15 as the date for further hearing in the matter. The judgement was reserved in the case by the high court in December last year.

The trial court is scheduled to pronounce the verdict tomorrow in a similar case against Kumar and five others in which the former Outer Delhi MP is accused of instigating the mob to kill Sikhs in Delhi Cantonment area during the 1984 riots.

In the Sultanpuri case, besides Kumar, co-accused Ved Prakash Pial alias Vedu Pradhan and Brahmanand Gupta had also moved the high court against framing of charges against them.

Complainant Sheela Kaur had filed a cross-appeal in the high court seeking to invoke the charges of criminal conspiracy against Kumar and other four accused in the case.

In July 2010, a trial court had framed charges against Kumar, Brahmanand Gupta, Peru, Khushal Singh and Ved Prakash in connection with the case in which six persons were killed in Sultanpuri in anti-Sikhs riots that erupted in Delhi and elsewhere after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.

Besides charges of murder and rioting, the court had also framed charges for the offence of spreading enmity between two communities against the accused.

The CBI had filed two charge sheets against Kumar and others in January 2010 in the cases registered in 2005 on the recommendation of Justice G T Nanavati Commission which probed the sequence of events leading to the riots.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pak investigators to quiz Rehman Malik in Benazir Bhutto killing case

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani investigators probing the 2007 assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto have decided to quiz Rehman Malik after being told by Pervez Musharraf that the former interior minister had decided details of her security on the day she was killed.

Malik was head of Bhutto's security when she returned to Pakistan from self-exile in late 2007.

Federal Investigation Agency officials who questioned the former president after his arrest over the assassination were told that Malik decided details of security for the December 27, 2007 public meeting in Rawalpindi where she was killed.

Musharraf denied his involvement in the killing and said Bhutto was killed because of a security breach for which Malik was responsible, the Dawn newspaper quoted its sources in the FIA as saying.

Musharraf reportedly made the revelation when he was questioned on Sunday.

The FIA worked under Malik during his stint as Interior Minister in the Pakistan People's Party-led government.

It was during Malik's tenure that the FIA was tasked with investigating the assassination. The joint investigation team for the probe was constituted by Malik and it never examined him in connection with the assassination.

Musharraf said it was Malik's responsibility to persuade Bhutto not to come out of her bulletproof vehicle because police could not force her to remain inside, the report said.

He further claimed that Malik was a mediator between his regime and the PPP and he negotiated with police for security arrangements at the election meeting at Liaquat Bagh, where Bhutto and 23 others were killed in a terrorist attack.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

2G report: Chacko ready for amendments in form of dissent notes

NEW DELHI: Amid demands by opposition members for the outright rejection of the draft report on 2G, JPC chairman P C Chacko on Monday said he was ready to take their amendments in the form of dissent notes but would not change the text of the documents.

"I am willing for a detailed discussion on each of the (10) chapters. The text cannot be changed. The opposition's amendments can be in the form of dissent notes...let the two (draft and the dissent notes) be presented so that Parliament is aware of the two views," he told reporters outside Parliament House.

He said following the demand by 15 members of the JPC for his removal, he had met Speaker Meira Kumar to get clarity on whether he can convene the meeting.

"I had met the Speaker. Today itself I will announce the next date of the meeting," he said.

On Friday, he had said that the next meeting could take place on May 2 or 3.

Chacko had also expressed his willingness to consider amendments to controversial aspects of the draft report which has given a clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and finance minister P Chidambaram.

He had said that amendments could be considered if opposition members were able to convince him through discussion about anything wrong in the draft instead of indulging in politics.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pro-Khalistan group's proximity to US lawmakers raises concern

WASHINGTON: A marginalised Sikh group, which in the past had known supporters of Khalistan, have once again gained access to the powerful corridors of the Capitol Hill, raising concerns for India - this time piggybacking on the issue of hate crime that the community is facing in the US.

When more than two dozen lawmakers announced formation of the first-ever Sikh American Congressional Caucus last week at the Capitol Hill, it was the presence of quite a number of individuals and representatives of organisations, who in the past have openly supported Khalistan, raised eye brows among the friends of India in Washington.

"Sikhs who were present in the Sikh Congressional Caucus event in Washington were of the ideology of pro-Khalistan," said Dalwinder Singh Dhoot, chairman of California-based North America Punjabi Association (NAPA) said in a statement.

A number of eminent Sikh American organisations including NAPA were not invited either to the announcement ceremony on April 24 or at the reception held at the Capitol Hill. Neither was there any representation from the Indian Embassy.

"Neither we had any information about this Sikh Congressional Caucus nor were we invited to attend the event due to the reasons unknown to them (organisers)," NAPA spokesman Satnam Singh Chahal, said, adding that it looks like that the 28 US Congressmen who are its founding members have been "taken for a ride" by this pro-Khalistan group.

"Yes, yes, yes" Chahal told PTI when asked if the Congressmen "have been deceived" by this pro-Khalistan group.

"It is a big mystery as to why the majority of Sikh community were kept out of this," he said.

The bi-partisan Sikh American Congressional Caucus is co-chaired by Congresswoman Judy Chu from the Democratic Party and David Valadao from the Republican Party.

Chu told PTI last week soon after announcing the formation of the group that their focus would be on solely "domestic issues" mainly hate crime and enlisting Sikhs in the US Army and that they will not use this platform for "foreign issues" including the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India.

However, Sikh supporters of the group, who helped in pulling this together, noted that this is the first step in their larger goal.

"Our objective remains the same, but the path has changed. Now we will pursue our goal through dialogue and debate," a Sikh leader present at the launch had told PTI.

Veteran community leaders told PTI that several of the individuals present at the launch event and at the reception have been blacklisted by India and in the past have had not only supported militancy in Punjab but also had held protests in front of the Indian Embassy in support of Khalistan.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chinese join rush to live in Mars, 600 apply for Dutch project

BEIJING: Over 600 Chinese have applied to join an ambitious Dutch aerospace project that plans to send humans on a one-way trip to Mars for permanent settlement.

The Dutch project, while triggering enthusiasm to explore outer space, is also under fire with the trip being viewed by some as a suicide mission, with applicants being shipped to a planet that is uninhabitable by humans.

The project, Mars One, is being launched by a Dutch non-profit organisation, and is scheduled to take four humans to the Red Planet in 2023.

In the first three days after it was launched this week, over 20,000 people from all over the world submitted their applications online, with more than 600 coming from China, state-run China Daily reported.

Bas Lansdorp, co-founder of Mars One told the media in Shanghai that he is confident of turning the dream into reality, and plans to attract more than five lakh applicants.

The Chinese enthusiasm to travel to Mars is building up as China, which has a well funded space programme focussing on Moon missions and building a space station is planning a three-phase Mars space missions to collect samples from the Red Planet by 2030.

The three stages are remote sensing, soft-landing, exploration and return after collecting automatic sampling, according to Ouyang Ziyuan, China's Chief scientist for Lunar missions.

But India may steal the march as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is bracing to launch its first Mars mission in November to become the first Asian country to accomplish it.

NASA has already landed a rover on Mars remaining well ahead of other space programmes of the world.

India's Mars Orbiter Mission is expected to be launched in mid-October this year, will carry five experimental payloads with a total weight of 14.49 kg.

Lansdorp said that when about 40 candidates have been fully trained, the final decision on choosing the first settlers will be made by a TV audience vote.

Lansdorp said Mars One chose Shanghai as the second stop for the application press conference after New York because he believes many Chinese, including youngsters, are very interested in becoming astronauts, especially as the country already has its own astronauts.

Ma Qing, a 39-year-old bookseller, said, "I think the chance to be part of the project is a cool way for me to change a dull daily life.

Besides, the air on Mars must be much cleaner and easier to breathe," he said with sense of sarcasm referring to China's vows with pollution.

But Chang Tianxing, a space-lover from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, said, "I think such a task is only suitable for senior, experienced astronauts.

Exploring life on Mars, with everything starting from scratch, is mission impossible for us.

Pang Zhihao, a space expert, said the trip to Mars will require a four-member crew, including an experienced astronaut who can drive the spaceship.

Lansdorp said that by selling live coverage of the Mars mission, it will be easy to raise the USD six billion needed to fund the project.

"There will be 4 billion Internet users by 2023, much more than for the Olympic Games," Lansdorp said, adding that organisers of the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics earned USD one billion a week.

But Pang said the project may cost more than Lansdorp imagines. Pang said the distance between Earth and Mars means the trip will take eight to nine months using existing technology.

Pang also referred to the harsh environment on Mars, saying sandstorms there can last half a year and be six times stronger than severe typhoons on Earth.

Lansdorp said the first Mars settlers will be able to live on vegetables.

According to the project brochure, applicants will pay an administration fee based on their country's per capita GDP.

For example, a Chinese applicant would pay USS 11 to join the space trip.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russian police detains 140 suspected Islamic extremists

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 27 April 2013 | 17.34

MOSCOW: Russian police and security agents detained 140 people at a mosque in Moscow on Friday on suspicion of involvement with Islamic extremism.

A statement from the Federal Security Agency reported by Russian news agencies said among those detained were 30 citizens of unspecified foreign countries.

The detentions come a week after the two suspects in the fatal Boston Marathon bombings were identified as Russian-born ethnic Chechens who sympathised with Islamic extremists.

There were no immediate reports of charges being filed. The security agency referred to a district office, where the telephone was not answered.

The reports cited the agency as saying the mosque previously has been visited by people who had been involved in preparing or carrying out terrorist attacks.

A Chechen separatist insurgency that began in the 1990s increasingly took on a fundamentalist Muslim character and spread to neighbouring Russian Caucasus regions, including Dagestan, where Boston bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and their family lived for a period before emigrating to the United States in 2002 or 2003.

The Tsarnaevs' parents later returned to Dagestan, and Tamerlan, who was killed in a shootout with police last week, made a long visit in 2012. Investigators are trying to find out details of what he did on the six-month sojourn, especially whether he met with any extremists.

Caucasus extremists have carried out gruesome attacks on civilians in Russia, including the 2004 seizure of a school in the town of Beslan that ended in the deaths of 330 people, about half of them children. They also claimed responsibility for the 2011 bombing of Russia's busiest airport, killing 36 people.

In 2011, US authorities questioned Tamerlan Tsarnaev at Russia's request, but found nothing that sparked their interest and stopped watching him.

Today, officials briefed on the investigation told the AP that US intelligence agencies had added the mother of the suspects, Zubeidat, to a government terrorism database 18 months before the bombings. The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak publicly about the ongoing case.

The mother called the information "lies and hypocrisy" and said she has never been linked to crimes or terrorism.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

WikiLeaks suspect won't be US pride parade marshal

SAN FRANCISCO: The US Army private charged in a massive leak of US secrets to the WikiLeaks website will not be an honorary grand marshal of San Francisco's annual gay rights parade after all.

SF Pride Board president Lisa Williams announced in a statement yesterday evening that an invitation extended to imprisoned intelligence specialist Bradley Manning this week had been the work of an employee who acted prematurely based on internal discussions.

Williams says a committee of former San Francisco Pride grand marshals did select the 25-year-old Manning, who is openly gay, for the distinction. But she says the Pride Board decided his nomination was a mistake.

The parade recognizes about a dozen celebrities, politicians and community organizations as honorary grand marshals each year for their contributions to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Coalgate: Fresh case against Chhattisgarh-based firm

NEW DELHI: CBI has registered a fresh case against a Chhattisgarh-based company in connection with alleged misrepresentation of facts while applying for coal blocks and carried out searches at 11 locations across the country.

CBI sources said that Pushp Steel and Mines Ltd and several of its directors including Atul Jain and Sanjay Jain have been named in the new FIR taking the total number of cases in the coal allocation to 11.

Following the registration of cases, the agency carried out searches at the offices of the company and premises of its directors in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, Narwana in Haryana and Ajmeri Gate and Punjabi Bagh localities here.

CBI sources claimed that it was alleged in the FIR that the company got mining lease on the basis of recommendation from the Chhattisgarh government despite having no experience and lacking enough capital required for starting mining operations.

The agency had earlier booked some companies for alleged cheating, forgery and misrepresentation of facts in their applications for coal blocks.

Last year, the CVC had entrusted CBI to probe into a complaint filed by BJP leader Prakash Javadekar with regards to alleged irregularities in the allotment of coal mines for captive use.

Following the complaint, MPs of Congress also filed complaints into coal block allocation during NDA tenure.

Based on these complaints, CBI had registered three preliminary enquiries - to probe alleged irregularities in coal block allocation to private companies between 2006 and 2009, allocation of the blocks between 1993 and 2004 and allocation of coal blocks to joint venture companies which included a private player.

The FIRs registered by the agency have arisen from the first preliminary inquiry which focuses on the allotments made between 2006 and 2009.

Last August, CAG had said that 142 coal fields allocated between 2004 and 2009 allowed beneficiaries to make staggering benefits of up to Rs 1.86 lakh crore as mining rights were given at undervalued rates instead of using auction route.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pak army officers protest humiliating treatment to Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: A group of Pakistan's military officers have protested, before a parliamentary panel, the treatment being meted out to former president PervezMusharraf, a media report said on Saturday.

The delegation of 75 officers from Command and Staff College, Quetta, led by Col. Saqib Ali Cheema, met the chairman of the senate standing committee on defence and defence production Mushahid Hussain Sayed at the parliament house to express concern over Musharraf's arrest, reported Dawn.

"The military officers were of the opinion that under the constitution, the armed forces cannot be criticised," a source was quoted as saying.

Hussain said: "We are all proud of professionalism of our armed forces and in the constitution, judiciary and armed forces are national institutions which should not be subject to any kind of criticism."

He later told the daily that the officers had asked him if there was anything in the constitution which allowed anyone to humiliate any institution, and he answered that there was no such provision.

Musharraf, who returned to Pakistan March 23 after over four years of self-imposed exile in Dubai, was keen to contest the May 11 general elections. However, his nomination papers were rejected from four constituencies.

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan Friday granted to investigators custody of Musharraf in the assassination case of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, lawyers said.

Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, has been accused of failing to provide adequate security to Bhutto when she returned to Pakistan from exile in 2007.

Musharraf has already been arrested in the case of keeping judges in illegal confinement when he imposed Emergency rule in 2007.

The former president is also facing charges of high treason for the abrogation of the constitution, that paved the way for the declaration of Emergency.

Five people have filed petitions for proceedings related to high treason in the Supreme Court. However, the interim government has refused to pursue the case because of its limited role, and petitioned the apex court to leave the case to the next elected government.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Maoist chief Prachanda to press for economic assistance on his India visit

KATHMANDU: Just ahead of his India visit, Nepal's Maoist chief Prachanda has hinted at playing hardball with India, saying that India's security concern would not be addressed if his call for economic assistance to his country don't get a positive response.

59-year-old Prachanda is embarking on a four day visit to India this evening, along with a four member delegation. He will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior leaders of the opposition parties during the visit.

"I will raise the issue of Nepal's economic development during my India visit. If India doesn't cooperate, we too won't help address their security concerns," the Unified Communist Party of Nepal- Maoist(UCPN-M) chairman was quoted as saying by a national daily here.

Prachanda is coming to India shortly after returning from a week-long visit to China, where he held meetings with top level Chinese officials and political leaders, including newly elected President Xi Jinping.

"It is immature for a senior politician like Prachanda to play politics while dealing with sensitive matters, such as security concern of India, the rising power of Asia," said Mathawar Singh Basnet, a senior journalist and political analyst.

"If the Maoist leader tries to play cheap political game with the friendly neighbour of Nepal for his vested interest, his party would have to bear its repercussion," said Basnet, the Editor of 'Punarjagaran Weekly'.

Though economic agenda will be on top during Prachanda's high level parleys in New Delhi, he will also seek India's support in conducting Constituent Assembly elections to draft a new constitution, said standing committee member of UCPN-M, Dinanath Sharma.

"We need the support from both India and China for conducting the CA elections. UCPN-Maoist is committed to multi-party competitive democracy," he said.

Prachanda, who is known for his anti-India rhetoric after his removal from power when he had tussle with president Ram Baran Yadav over the issue of sacking the then Army chief Rukmangad Katuwal, "will also try to clear past mis-understandings with the southern neighbour", Sharma said.

UCPN-M has however softened its stance against India a couple of years ago, when Baburam Bhattarai was elevated to power with the backing of Madhesi parties.

Nepal plunged into a political and constitutional crisis in May 2012, when then Bhattarai dissolved the Constituent Assembly without drafting the constitution.

The political crisis further deepened as Bhattarai failed to conduct new polls in November last year, despite his promise to do so.

At present, Nepal's major parties have formed an Election government led by Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi and agreed to hold fresh polls at the earliest.

Though political parties had earlier reached an agreement to conduct elections in June, it is unlikely to be held before November due to the absence of necessary regulations and lack of political consensus.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ethiopian Airlines becomes first to resume Dreamliner flights

AFP | Apr 27, 2013, 02.36PM IST
ETHIOPIA: An Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner jet took off on Saturday on a commercial flight, becoming the first carrier to resume flying the Boeing 787 that were grounded worldwide three months ago due to battery problems.

The flight took off from Addis Abbaba and headed to Nairobi, according to an AFP journalist.

"I am very happy to see the airplane is back to the air now and I am very happy also we are the first one," Ethiopian Airlines CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam, told journalists ahead of take off.

The 787 will head back to Addis Ababa later Saturday, airline officials said.

The 50 Dreamliners in operation worldwide were all grounded in mid-January after failures of their lithium-ion batteries on two separate aircraft.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Corporate affairs ministry may order probe into functioning of Saradha group companies

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 25 April 2013 | 17.34

NEW DELHI: The corporate affairs ministry on Thursday decided to order a probe into the affairs of Saradha group companies, amid a growing controversy over alleged defrauding of investors by the Kolkata-based entity.

The decision to conduct a probe followed a meeting held this morning by the corporate affairs minister Sachin Pilot with the senior officials from the ministry, sources said.

Besides Saradha group, the meeting also deliberated on steps required to check suspected fraudulent activities of other chit fund companies, they said, while adding that a formal announcement of the probe would be made soon.

The alleged scam at Saradha group is said to have defrauded thousands of investors, including poor people, in West Bengal, while its chief Sudipta Sen has been brought to Kolkata after being arrested in Kashmir valley two days ago.

In the past, the ministry had received complaints of alleged ponzi schemes at 73 companies of about a dozen different groups operating in West Bengal. These complaints, which include those against Saradha group entities, had been referred to concerned agencies and departments by the ministry.

Market regulator Sebi is also probing the fund-raising activities of Kolkata-based Saradha group. Besides, the income tax department would also investigate investments and finances of Saradha group. It is already probing five other similar cases in West Bengal.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lok Sabha adjourned after condoling death of TMC member

NEW DELHI: LokSabha was adjourned on Thursday without transacting any business as a mark of respect for Trinamool Congress member AmbikaBanerjee who died early this morning.

Banerjee, who was an MP from Howrah, was 84. As soon as the House met for the day, Speaker Meira Kumar condoled his death.

Banerjee was a member of the West Bengal assembly five times and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009. He was a member of the standing committee on urban development and committee on public undertakings.

Lok Sabha also condoled the death of former member S Kuppuswamy, who was a DMK MP from Chennai North. He was 86.

The Speaker adjourned the House till Friday after members observed silence as a mark of respect to them.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Uproar in Rajya Sabha over coalgate scam, Chinese incursion, Saradha chit fund scam.

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha was on Thursday adjourned till noon after opposition BJP and UPA ally SP created ruckus in the House over separate issues. When the House re-convened the protests, however, continued.

While BJP persisted with its demand for resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the coalgate scam, SP members trooped into the Well raising the issue of the Chinese incursion in Ladakh.

Hardly had Chairman Hamid Ansari called the House to order, BJP, SP and Left members were on their feet. BJP members shouted slogans demanding resignation of the Prime Minister while Left members held banners on the multi-crore chit fund fraud in West Bengal. "Protect interest of subscribers and agents of Saradha chit fund scam," the posters read.

As Ansari took up the first listed question, BJP and SP members trooped into the Well. "Sharam karo, sharam karo, Pradhan Mantri sharam karo (shame, shame, prime minister)," the BJP members shouted. Ansari asked members to go back to their places saying it was Question Hour. As his pleas went unheeded, Ansari adjourned the House till noon.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Society should introspect: President on rising rape cases

BHUBANESWAR: Noting that rising cases of "brutal assault" of women and "child rape" has shaken the conscience of the nation, President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said society should introspect at its repeated failure to ensure safety and security of the fairer sex.

He said the country must identify the cause behind such criminal depravity, and exhorted educational institutions to take a lead in imparting moral education to meet the challenges of the present time.

"The recent increase in cases of brutal assault on women and child rape has shaken the collective conscience of the nation. These unfortunate incidents underscore the urgency for our society to pause and introspect at the erosion of values and our repeated failure to ensure safety and security of women and children," Mukherjee said addressing the 45th convocation of Utkal University here.

Observing that "such criminal depravity is a threat to civilized functioning of society", he emphasized the need to identify causes and solutions behind such acts.

"The society must ensure dignity and respect for women," he said.

The President, during his address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day, had also stated that it was time for the nation to "reset its moral compass".

He called upon the teachers responsible for educating youngsters and "who wield moral authority in the society" to set the process in the motion.

"Our universities and academic institutions must take a lead in imparting education which will help us meet the moral challenge of our time. It must help us build a modern democracy based on values of human dignity and equality," he said.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Attacks on Sri Lankan monks were isolated incidents: Indian high commissioner

COLOMBO: India has said that the recent attacks on Sri Lankan Buddhist monks in Tamil Nadu were isolated incidents and did not reflect the strong people-to-people bonds.

"These were isolated incidents and did not reflect the strong people-to-people bonds that have been an integral part of the close historical, cultural and civilisational ties between the India and Sri Lanka," Indian high commissioner Ashok K Kantha has said.

He was making farewell calls on the two Buddhist high priests located in the central town of Kandy yesterday.

The attacks on two Buddhist monks triggered protests here which even caused the wrath on Sri Lankan cricketers playing in the IPL.

The protesters urged the cricketers to boycott IPL. The Indian envoy told the two high priests that "the state government of Tamil Nadu had taken immediate action to identify and prosecute the miscreants responsible for these incidents and that the Government of India, in consultation with the concerned state governments, had taken and would continue to take all possible measures to ensure the safety, security and well-being of Sri Lankan visitors to India, including to Tamil Nadu," the Indian high commission said.

Kantha's remarks came just days after Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had said that Sri Lanka and India continued to enjoy good relations despite the rumblings in Tamil Nadu.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Punjab and Haryana HC summons singer Honey Singh over vulgar songs

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday ordered Punjabi rap singer Honey Singh to present himself before the court on May 14 to respond to the allegations levelled against him for singing a song "Main Hoon Balatkari".

HC has passed these orders while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by NGO HELP of Nawanshar in Punjab. The petitioner NGO had sought directions to set up some effective mechanism for curbing the menace of obscene/vulgar/lewd songs from the state of Punjab, such as setting up a censor board or framing some other policy.

The petitioner had referred to a news report published in " The Times of India" for bringing home the fact as to how vulgar/ obscene songs are being recorded and played by certain Punjabi singers. A specific reference was made to a song "Main Hoon Balatkari" sung by Honey Singh. The petitioner stated that all limits of decency are being violated by such songs. The petitioner referred to provisions of section 294 of Indian Penal code (IPC), according to which singing of lewd/ obscene songs at public places is an offence. It was further stated that women have the right to protect their dignity, as a facet of their fundamental right of "right to life", and thee fundamental right to dignity of a human being cannot be violated under the garb of "right to freedom of speech".

According to the petitioner, there is a spurt in the quantum of such obscene songs being recorded and played these days, but the Punjab government has not taken any steps to curb this growing menace. Earlier on March 1, the Punjab government had informed the HC that they are in the process of finalizing a policy to ban vulgar, misogynist and sexist songs in the state.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Akhilesh heads for Harvard to share Mahakumbh success mantra

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 24 April 2013 | 17.34

LUCKNOW: Accompanied by a battery of officials and two ministers, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday left for the US to deliver a lecture at the Harvard Business School on organising the Mahakumbh and the challenges faced by the administration.

Urban development minister Mohammad Azam Khan, minister of state for science and technology Abhishek Mishra, deputy chairman of the state Planning Commission N C Bajpai, chief secretary Jawed Usmani, Kumbh management officials as well as inspector general Alok Sharma are amongst those accompanying Akhilesh Yadav to Boston for the Kumbh 13 lecture.

Akhilesh Yadav is the first chief minister of Uttar Pradesh to get the Harvard invite.

Officials said the chief minister would address the students and faculty of the prestigious business school April 26.

His address would follow a five-minute video presentation "Magic of Mahakumbh", and a 25-minute power point presentation detailing the challenges the administration faced while organising the mega event in Allahabad town that began January 14 and concluded March 12.

The power point presentation has been prepared by management consultancy firm Ernst and Young, whose consultants were stationed in the state for more than 10 days during which they met several officials in the state capital Lucknow and Allahabad, and took extensive notes.

The presentation was later reviewed by the chief secretary thrice, an official said.

Government sources said the chief minister took out time twice from his busy schedule to review the presentation, which contains 60 graphical slides along with speaker notes.

Although it is not clear whether the chief minister would make this presentation himself or get the chief secretary to do so, an official said that Akhilesh Yadav had "rehearsed the speech many times" before leaving for the US.

The 10-minute speech in English would see the chief minister sharing his upbringing, his schooling and the vision he has for the most populous state of the country, the official added.

The power point presentation - 'Harvard Without Boundaries: Mapping the Kumbh Mela' - would focus mainly on urban planning, traffic and crowd management during the mega event, billed as the biggest religious congregation in the world and attended by millions of people from across the world.

The chief minister and his team would also participate in an interactive session with students and faculty of the Harvard Business School and answer their queries. They would be staying at the Taj Mahal hotel on the Arlingston street in Boston.

Officials said his work would be overseen by public works department minister Shivpal Singh Yadav.

"There is nothing like officiating CM (chief minister). We can reach him (Akhilesh) anywhere at any time," said a senior official, adding that all policy-related decisions have been put on hold till April 27 when the chief minister would return.

Akhilesh Yadav also met his father and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and governor B L Joshi before departing for the US.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shamshad Begum's singing style had set new benchmarks: Manish Tewari

NEW DELHI: Condoling the death of ShamshadBegum as an "irreparable loss" to the world of music, information and broadcasting minister ManishTewari on Wednesday said her singing style had set new benchmarks.

"The film industry has lost one of its most versatile singers. Shamshadji's style of singing set new benchmarks. Her melodious voice with powerful lyrics gave us songs that have remained popular even today," Tewari said in his message.

"Her death is an irreparable loss, a void which will be difficult to fill," he added.

94-year-old Begum, who was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry and voice behind hit songs like 'Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon', 'Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar' and 'Kajra Mohabbat Wala', died in Mumbai on Monday.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rahul Gandhi in Madhya Pradesh for two-day visit

DHAR: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday arrived in Mohankheda, about 40km from here, as part of his two-day visit to Madhya Pradesh.

Rahul arrived in Mohankheda from Indore along with state Congress president Kantilal Bhuria, in a helicopter at around 10.30am.

Rahul went to a Jain temple there immediately after his arrival and offered prayers for about 20 minutes.

Later, he went to hold a meeting of Congress leaders and workers from 14 parliamentary constituencies in Madhya Pradesh.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, leader of the opposition in the Madhya Pradesh assembly Ajay Singh, state youth Congress president Priyavrat Singh, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and party general secretary (in-charge of Madhya Pradesh) B K Hariprasad received Rahul Gandhi in Mohankheda.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rahul Gandhi in Madhya Pradesh on two-day visit

DHAR: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday arrived in Mohankheda, about 40km from here, as part of his two-day visit to Madhya Pradesh.

Rahul arrived in Mohankheda from Indore along with state Congress president Kantilal Bhuria, in a helicopter at around 10.30am.

Rahul went to a Jain temple there immediately after his arrival and offered prayers for about 20 minutes.

Later, he went to hold a meeting of Congress leaders and workers from 14 parliamentary constituencies in Madhya Pradesh.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, leader of the opposition in the Madhya Pradesh assembly Ajay Singh, state youth Congress president Priyavrat Singh, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and party general secretary (in-charge of Madhya Pradesh) B K Hariprasad received Rahul Gandhi in Mohankheda.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cong promises interest-free farm loan, laptops to preuniversity students in Karnataka

BANGALORE: The Congress on Wednesday promised interest-free loans to farmers, free laptops to pre-university students and rice at Re one per kg to BPL card holders if it came to power in Karnataka, where assembly elections will take place on May 5.

Interest-free loans up to Rs 2 lakh and on three per cent interest up to Rs 5 lakh, establishing of a Rs 1,500 crore natural calamity relief fund and supply of three-phase quality power for eight hours continuously per day were some of the highlights of farmer-friendly programmes in the manifesto, released by defence minister AK Antony.

The party promised to provide free laptops/digital notepads to all PUC students and making Kannada the medium of instructions compulsory and teaching English as a subject from the first standard.

It expressed commitment to total implementation of the Food Security Act and offering Re 1 per kg of rice up to 30 kgs for below-poverty-line ration card holders.

A one-time loan waiver to SC/ST/OBC/women/child/fisheries and minorities development corporation, and carrying forward unspent budgetary allocations of special component plans were some of the promises under the social welfare department.

The party government would establish fast-track courts to try terrorism-related cases and heinous crimes on women and children, and also constitute a state-level committee under the chairmanship of a retired high court judge to look into cases of detention implicating innocent individuals in terrorism related cases.

"We will establish statutory state agricultural prices commission and district committees, with members from among farmers, and give 75 per cent subsidy for solar energy-run irrigation pump sets up to 10 hp", president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee G Parameshwara said.

The party also promised to develop a greater Bangalore interconnecting second Tier cities around the state capital, and review existing structure of Bangalore city corporation and make it administratively viable.

Union ministers Mallikarjuna Kharge, M Veerappa Moily, Rahman Khan, K H Muniyappa and Jitendra Singh and senior Congress leaders Ambika Soni and Oscar Fernandes, former Chief Minister N Dharam Singh, besides leader of opposition in the assembly, Siddaramaiah, were among those present.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

UP govt forms panel for implementation of Sachar committee recommendations

LUCKNOW: The Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh has constituted a six-member committee to prepare a draft resolution on the recommendations of Sachar committee. The proposal will be tabled in the next assembly session.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) had promised in its election manifesto last year that if voted to power, it will implement recommendations of Sachar committee which fall under state's jurisdiction. It had also promised to provide reservation to the Muslims in proportion to population and on the basis of their economic, social and educational backwardness. However, nothing was done after assuming office, drawing flak from the minority community which voted overwhelmingly for the party in 2012 assembly elections.

Now, the government has acted with an eye on Muslim votes for next Lok Sabha elections. Minorities welfare minister Mohd Azam Khan, who is also Muslim face of the party, has directed the committee to prepare the draft resolution to be tabled in next assembly session. The committee has been mandated to segregate state and central issues mentioned in the report for its implementation.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

German ambassador in Canada assures to help in Bhullar's case

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 23 April 2013 | 17.34

AMRITSAR: Gerrman ambassador in Canada has assured World Sikh Organization (WSO) to continue to pursue the case of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, on death row, with the Indian government.

Legal counsel, WSO, Balpreet Singh informed TOI on Tuesday that German ambassador in Canada Werner Wnedt informed them that Germany would continue to talk to India on the highest level about the case of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar.

Notably, Bhullar had applied for asylum in Germany in 1994 but was deported back to India where he was sentenced to death in 2001 in case of bomb blast. Balpreet said that WSO had sent an urgent appeal to the Canadian, German and Indian governments last week and had received reply from Werner Wnendt .

In his letter, Werner Wnendt said, "On April 12, 2013, when the Supreme Court of India has refused to relief Bhullar from the death penalty, the Federal President, Joachim Gauck, has talked to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in order to plead his case. Germany will continue to talk to India on the highest level about this case."

Balpreet further informed that the ambassador informed that the government of the Federal Republic of Germany was strongly against the death penalty and had encouraged the government of the India on numerous occasions to return to the moratorium on the death penalty.

The letter reads "Germany has followed the case of Bhullar closely and has asked India on a number of occasions to relief him from the death penalty on humanitarian reasons".


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

German ambassador in Canada assures help in Bhullar's case

AMRITSAR: Gerrman ambassador in Canada has assured World Sikh Organization (WSO) to continue to pursue the case of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, on death row, with the Indian government.

Legal counsel, WSO, Balpreet Singh informed TOI on Tuesday that German ambassador in Canada Werner Wnedt informed them that Germany would continue to talk to India on the highest level about the case of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar.

Notably, Bhullar had applied for asylum in Germany in 1994 but was deported back to India where he was sentenced to death in 2001 in case of bomb blast. Balpreet said that WSO had sent an urgent appeal to the Canadian, German and Indian governments last week and had received reply from Werner Wnendt .

In his letter, Werner Wnendt said, "On April 12, 2013, when the Supreme Court of India has refused to relief Bhullar from the death penalty, the Federal President, Joachim Gauck, has talked to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in order to plead his case. Germany will continue to talk to India on the highest level about this case."

Balpreet further informed that the ambassador informed that the government of the Federal Republic of Germany was strongly against the death penalty and had encouraged the government of the India on numerous occasions to return to the moratorium on the death penalty.

The letter reads "Germany has followed the case of Bhullar closely and has asked India on a number of occasions to relief him from the death penalty on humanitarian reasons".


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Afghan Taliban say foreign captives are well, moved to 'safe area'

KABUL: A group of foreigners abducted by Taliban insurgents in eastern Afghanistan are well and have been moved to a "safe area" inside the country, a spokesman for the militants said on Tuesday.

The Taliban leadership will decide what to do with the group, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP.

Eight Turks, a Russian, a Kyrgyz man and an Afghan were seized after their helicopter made a forced landing on Sunday.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Opposition disrupts Parliament; BJP demands PM's resignation over coalgate issue

NEW DELHI: Keeping up the heat on the government, the BJP on Tuesday demanded resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the coalgate issue as other parties raised various matters leading to adjournment of Parliament till noon.

Members of BJP, Trinamool Congress, SP, Left parties trooped into the well of both the Houses raising issues like coal block allocation, alleged neglect of West Bengal in grant of central funds and reported Chinese incursions in Ladakh.

In the Lok Sabha, soon after Speaker Meira Kumar made a reference to Panchayati Raj Day, opposition members rushed to the well raising slogans and waving placards on various issues.

BJP members rushed to the well demanding resignation of the Prime Minister over the issue of coal block allocations.

A group of Congress members were seen waving placards and demanding a separate Telangana state. A TDP member waved a banner in the well demanding immediate introduction of the Bill in Parliament to create Telangana state.

SP members were also in the well raising the issue of security of India's borders with neighbouring countries.

Trinamool Congress members showed banners claiming neglect of West Bengal in disbursal of central funds.

Members of Left parties were also in the Well protesting the 'state-sponsored' violence in West Bengal.

The Speaker tried to continue with the question hour but soon adjourned the House till noon as members were unrelenting in their demands.

In the Rajya Sabha, almost the entire opposition was up on their feet immediately after chairman Hamid Ansari made a reference to Panchayati Raj Day.

While BJP demanded the Prime Minister's resignation over the allegations of CBI report on coalgate scam being vetted by law minister, TMC held banners that read "No Funds for West Bengal."

BJP members, who shouted slogans, also demanded dismissal of law minister Ashwani Kumar who is alleged to have vetted the CBI report to the Supreme Court.

Ansari asked members not to display banners and called for the first listed question of the day.

Soon, slogan shouting BJP members trooped into the well forcing Ansari to adjourn the House till noon.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Child rape: 5-year-old victim active, recovering, doctors say

NEW DELHI: The five-year-old girl, who was raped allegedly by two youth eight days ago, is active and recovering as "expected", doctors said on Tuesday.

"She has had a good breakfast. Her fever has come down. And she is afebrile (not feverish) now. Her colostomy is functioning normally," Dr DK Sharma, medical superintendent of AIIMS, said in a medical bulletin.

"The five-year-old female child is recovering as expected. She is active and taking adequate liquids and semi-solid food," he said.

The child was raped at a residential building in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar on April 15 and was recovered 40 hours later only. She was shifted to AIIMS on April 19 evening from Swami Dayanand Hospital.

Doctors said it will take another two weeks for her discharge from hospital.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Uproar over coalgate issue stalls Parliament, Lok Sabha adjourned for the day

NEW DELHI: BJP's demand for the Prime Minister's resignation over coal block allocations and a host of other issues stalled Parliament proceedings on Tuesday, leading to the abrupt adjournment of the LokSabha without transacting any business.

Proceedings were also disrupted with Samajwadi Party slamming the government over Chinese incursions in Ladakh and Trinamool Congress accusing the Centre of treating West Bengal in a step-motherly manner.

Rajya Sabha witnessed two adjournments till 2pm, while the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day due to unabated slogan-shouting by protesting members in the well.

While BJP also sought sacking of law minister Ashwani Kumar alleging his interference in preparation of CBI report to the Supreme Court on the coal scam, DMK sought resignation of PC Chacko as the chairman of joint parliamentary committee looking into the 2G scam.

At one point, Yashwant Sinha of the BJP walked up to DMK leader T R Baalu and had some discussion.

As Lok Sabha reassembled at noon after the first adjournment, members of BJP, Trinamool Congress, SP and Left parties trooped into the well raising slogans on their respective demands.

A group of Congress members raised vociferous slogans and waved placards demanding a separate Telangana state. A TDP member was also in the Well with a similar placard.

Left members raised slogans against "state-sponsored violence" in Mamata Banerjee-ruled West Bengal.

Slogan-shouting DMK members were also in the Well as former telecom minister A Raja was seen standing in the aisle and Baalu seeking to raise the telecom issue in the din.

As the din continued, AIADMK leader M Thambidurai who was in the chair, adjourned the House for the day.

Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha with slogan shouting BJP members trooping into the well demanding Prime Minister's resignation, forcing its adjournment first till noon and later till 2pm.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Protesters in final bid to block France gay marriage law

Written By Unknown on Senin, 22 April 2013 | 17.34

PARIS: Tens of thousands of opponents of government plans to legalise gay marriage marched in Paris Sunday two days before a final vote on the bill, which has provoked fierce and sometimes violent protests.

Clutching French flags, dressed in pink and blue, the colours of the movement, carrying children or pushing buggies, protesters shouted slogans against President Francois Hollande as they made their way through the city.

"We've been to all the protests," said a 32-year-old mother who only gave her first name Camille, as she breast-fed her four-month-old son.

"We're here for children's rights. We don't want the state to be complicit in a child being deprived of a father or a mother," she said.

The mass protest was staged just two days ahead of a decisive parliamentary vote on the bill, which also allows adoption by gay couples. If passed it will make France the 14th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.

Organisers and security forces were on alert after violence marred anti-bill protests last week and amid fears that far-right extremists intent on sparking unrest had infiltrated the opposition movement.

The leader of the far-right "Nationalist Youths" group, Alexandre Gabriac, was among those marching. "We have around 50 nationalists in the protest," said Gabriac, who last week was detained after clashes with security forces.

"We want a peaceful demonstration and we reject all groups that directly target homosexual people," said the humorist known as Frigide Barjot, spokeswoman for the "Manif pour Tous" group driving the anti-bill protests.

Police sources said officers had detained three protesters carrying tear gas canisters.

Paris police estimated the march attracted 45,000 people, while organisers said 270,000 turned out on a sunny afternoon in the French capital and the march passed off peacefully.

Late on Sunday however, on the Esplanade des Invalides near parliament, police scuffled with a few hard-core protesters who had stayed on after the rally, and made some arrests. But there were no major clashes.

Opinion polls regularly show that while a slim majority backs same-sex marriage, a similarly narrow majority opposes adoption by gay couples.

The bill tackling both issues has proved hugely divisive in a country which, while officially secular, is still predominantly Catholic.

Tension over the imminent adoption of the bill reached breaking point last week.

In parliament's lower house, the National Assembly, a final debate on the legislation was marred by scuffles between deputies early Friday.

On the streets of Paris, opponents of the measures marched for three nights in a row and activists, some wearing masks, clashed with police, who made more than 100 arrests. Two journalists were attacked during one march and cars were vandalised.

Rights groups have also reported a rise in verbal and physical assaults against homosexuals, and two gay bars came under attack last week, in the northern city of Lille, and in Bordeaux in the southwest.

Elsewhere in the capital Sunday, supporters of the legislation gathered in Place de la Bastille, one of the city's main squares, to protest against homophobia -- around 3,500, said police. Organisers put the number at 15,000.

"Those who are for more equality must also make themselves heard," said the mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, who is himself gay. He denounced the recent violence as "a form of barbarism and regression".

Supporters of the bill, while less vocal than those against it, have also staged large-scale demos in recent months.

"We wanted to show that sexual minorities can be visible, that we are there and that our lives have the same value as those of others," said Laure Pora from the pro-gay marriage group Act-Up.

The bill is largely supported by the ruling Socialists, their allies in the Green Party and the Communists, and opposed by the main opposition UMP and other right-wing and centre-right parties.

The UMP has accused the government of rushing the bill through its final legislative stages.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Court adjourns additional 2G spectrum allocation case to April 29

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Monday fixed April 29 for hearing the matter in additional 2G spectrum allocation case in which Bharti Cellular CMD Sunil Mittal, Essar Group promoter Ravi Ruia and others have been summoned as accused.

Mittal, Ruia and former Telecom Secretary Shyamal Ghosh appeared before Special CBI Judge O P Saini and the court adjourned the matter in pursuance of the order passed by the Supreme Court on April 18.

The apex court on April 18 had postponed the matter pending before the trial court till April 29 after Justice A R Dave had recused himself from hearing the case.

Earlier, apex court judge Justice Vikramajit Sen, who was part of a three judge bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, had also recused from hearing the petitions filed by Mittal and Ruia challenging the order of the trial court summoning them as accused in the case.

The Special CBI Judge today marked the presence of Mittal, Ruia and Shyamal Ghosh and posted the matter for April 29, saying "in view of order dated April 18 of the Supreme Court, the matter is adjourned for April 29". The court extended the personal bonds, furnished by Mittal and Ruia on April 16, till the next date of hearing.

One of the accused, Canada-based NRI Asim Ghosh, who was the then Managing Director of accused firm Hutchison Max Telecom Pvt Ltd, is yet to be served with the summons issued against him in the case.

The special court had on March 19 summoned Mittal, Ruia, who was then a Director in one of the accused companies Sterling Cellular Ltd and Asim Ghosh.

Their names were not mentioned in the charge sheet filed by CBI on December 21, last year, in the case.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Court refuses to quash FIR against accused in Nirbhaya case

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Monday dismissed a plea by two accused in Nirbhaya case seeking the quashing of the first information report (FIR) and subsequent proceedings in the case.

Justice Pratibha Rani dismissed the petition filed by accused Mukesh and Akshay Thakur challenging the order of fast-track court hearing Nirbhaya case. They also sought that the trial be held on alternate days instead of day-to-day.

Asking the court to quash the FIR, the accused said police had manipulated it as the "original complaint was silent about the names of the accused".

Seeking rejection of the entire proceedings arising out of the FIR, the plea said: "All evidence has been procured through torture to implicate the petitioners. They belong to poor families and have no means to fight."

The accused had challenged the March 28 trial court order that had dismissed their petition to hold the trial on alternate days, ruling that such pleas are made to delay the proceedings.

The plea also alleged that police failed to provide them the Hindi translated copy of the FIR and chargesheet.

It said: "The accused are Hindi speaking people and it is difficult for them to understand the facts as they don't know English. Petitioners till date never knew what are the true facts as the entire documents are in English."

The two are accused in the gang-rape of a woman in December last year. She died of her injuries two weeks later in a Singapore hospital where she had been taken for treatment.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aam Aadmi Party denies any tie-up with NCP, PPA in Arunachal Pradesh

ITANAGAR: The Arunachal Pradesh unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday denied any decision to enter into poll alliance with NCP and Peoples' Party of Arunachal (PPA) for the ensuing Panchayat and Municipal elections slated for May 16 next.

"We are not going to field any candidates in the ensuing polls and the question of putting up joint candidates by entering into a poll alliance with NCP and PPA does not arise," party's National Executive Member and in charge of North East, Habung Payeng clarified in a statement.

Payeng's clarification came in the backdrop of NCP's claim of putting up joint candidates in the ensuing elections following the decision in a joint meeting.

"The AAP never attended any such meeting in the state to decide on seat sharing.

We appealed to the NCP media secretary not to mislead the public by such false information," Payeng said.

However, the party would support and appeal to the voters to vote for those candidates who have a clean image and are ready to serve the people as per the principle and ideology of the AAP, he added.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

UP officials still working with 'BSP mindset': Samajwadi Party leader

BAREILLY: A senior Samajwadi Party leader has alleged that even after one year of Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh, officers in the state are still working with a "BSP mindset" and SP might suffer due to this in the next Lok Sabha polls.

"After a year of SP government formation, the officers are still working with the BSP mindset... They are working against agenda of the governemnt...the situation might botch political prospects of the party in coming Lok Sabha polls", SP national secretary and MLA Ata-Ur-Rehman said.

He alleged that common man were not heard in police stations and police is misbehaving with party workers and office bearers.

"Lok Sabha polls are approaching. If workers are not taken care and not give due weightage, it would be difficult to win elections..", he said and alleged that officers were not implementing welfare schemes being launched by the government.

The leader also met IG, DIG and SSP and informed them about incidents of misbehaviour by the police.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Take exemplary action against erring officials: Delhi LG to top cop

NEW DELHI: Amid public outrage over the brutal rape of a five-year-old girl, Delhi's lieutent governor Tejendra Khanna on Monday asked police commissioner Neeraj Kumar to take "exemplary" action against police officials accused of showing laxity in tracing the missing child and offering money to the family for hushing up the case.

At a meeting here, Khanna expressed anguish over the gruesome incident and directed Kumar to speed up the investigation into the case which has sparked an outcry.

"The lieutent governor has issued a clear cut instruction to the police commissioner not to spare any police personnel who allegedly showed laxity in handling the case. Khanna asked Kumar to take strict and exemplary action against the erring officials," sources said.

They said Khanna asked the police chief to handle the case in the best possible professional way and told him to direct his force to take cases of violence against women very seriously.

The lieutent governor also asked the top cop to brief the media regularly about investigation into the case.

On Friday, Kumar had suspended ACP B S Ahlawat for slapping a girl inside the Swami Dayanand Hospital when she and others were on protest. The five-year-old victim was admmited in the Swami Dayanand Hospital.

SHO Dharampal Singh and sub-inspector Mahavir Singh, who was the first investigating officer, were placed under suspension for alleged dereliction of duty pending an inquiry.

A vigilance inquiry was also ordered into allegations that some policeman offered Rs 2,000 to the rape victim's family for hushing up the case.

The horrific incident took place in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar. The girl, who was missing from April 15 evening, was rescued on April 17 from the ground floor of the building where her family was staying.

A second man allegedly involved in the crime was arrested in Bihar early this morning.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

One jawan killed, eight others injured in Manipur ambush

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 21 April 2013 | 17.34

IMPHAL: A Manipur Rifles jawan was killed and 14 others including an executive engineer and six security personnel were injure in two bomb explosions by suspected insurgents in Manipur's Chandel and Imphal West district today, official sources said.

The insurgents exploded a powerful bomb by using a remote-controlled device and then opened fire at an official team led by executive engineer Milan Singh and escorted by Manipur Rifles personnel when they reached a place between Khudengthabi and Kwatha Lamkhai, about 110km southeast of here in Chandel district bordering Myanmar at around 7.45am, the sources said.

Eight persons - four civil officials including the executive engineer and four Manipur Rifles jawans - were injured by the splinters of the bomb, sources said, adding, the Manipur rifles jawans of 8th battalion were escorting the officials from border town of Moreh to Imphal.

The jawan who was killed was identified as Sushil Singh, they said adding that the injured were taken to a hospital for treatment.

In the second incident suspected insurgents exploded a bomb planted at a roadside at Sekmai area of Imphal West district, by using a remote controlled device while a CRPF team was passing through the area at around 11.30am, the sources said.

Four civilians and two security personnel were injured by the splinters of the bomb, sources said adding that it was not exactly known whether the injured security personnel were CRPF or some other security personnel posted at the area.

The six injured were taken to a nearby hospital where their condition is stated to be 'not critical', sources said.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for both the incidents.

Official sources said police and security posts in the state particularly in four valley districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishenpur and Chandel hill district have been alerted in view of stepped up activities of different insurgent groups in recent months.

They have also been asked to step up patrolling within their jurisdiction to intercept movement of insurgents, sources added.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Minor's rape case: Delhi Police to produce accused in court tomorrow

NEW DELHI: The 22-year-old man, arrested for allegedly raping a five-year old girl, will not be produced before court on Sunday as police have time till Monday to do so.

"The accused Manoj Kumar of Gandhi Nagar rape case will not be produced in the court today," Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said.

Kumar, a labourer in a garment factory in north-east Delhi, was arrested by a team of Delhi Police and their Bihar counterpart from Muzafarpur district.

A court in Bihar had given a 72-hour transit remand to Delhi Police to bring him to the national capital.

The accused was flown to Delhi on Saturday evening. In normal circumstances, a person should be produced before a court within 24 hours of the arrest. In this case, police have time till Monday to produce him before a court as the transit remand ends tomorrow.

"Police can keep him in custody till tomorrow. They can question him and when produced in court, we can seek his remand. We will ask for his police custody tomorrow in the court," a senior police official said.

The five-year-old girl was brutally raped and assaulted allegedly by Kumar while being held captive and starved for two days in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar. She also contracted infection from foreign objects inserted in her body.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Delhi rape case: BJP women activists protest outside Sonia's residence

NEW DELHI: Scores of BJP women activists were detained on Sunday when they staged a protest outside Congress president Sonia Gandhi's residence against the rape of a five-year-old girl here.

The activists of the BJP's Mahila Morcha marched from party headquarters on Ashoka Road to Gandhi's 10-Janpath residence.

They broke the barricades near Gandhi's residence, but were prevented from moving forward.

The protesters, numbering around 75, were detained and taken to a nearby police station.

BJP supporters were on Saturday stopped by police near the Parliament House when they tried to take out a candlelight march towards India Gate to protest the rape of a five-year-old girl here.

Police had arrested a number of protesters, including Delhi BJP chief Vijay Goel, but later released them.

The five-year-old girl was brutally raped and assaulted allegedly by her neighbour while being held captive and starved for two days in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sikkim gets PM's award for excellence in public administration

NEW DELHI: Sikkim was on Sunday given Prime Minister's award for excellence in public administration for extraordinary and innovate work done for rural development.

The country's highest award for excellence in public administration was presented by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Sikkim's secretary for rural development and management DR Nepal at a function held here on Civil Services Day.

"Sikkim is the only state in the northeast to get this highest award for excellence in public administration for the year 2011-12," an official release said.

The state has been conferred with the national level prestigious award for its initiative "Excellence in Rural Management and Development in challenging physical environment of the Sikkim Himalaya" and for achieving visible contribution made in improving the quality of life of the rural people in the state.

Sikkim is the first and only "Nirmal Rajya" in the country to achieve hundred per cent success under Total Sanitation Programme in 2008.

At least 87.2 per cent of the household have access to toilets within their homes (2011 census) as compared to 36.3 per cent in the year 2001.

In Sikkim, poverty has reduced from 30.9 per cent (2004-05) to 13.1 per cent (2009-10) which is significantly lower than national average of 29.8 per cent in 2009-10.

The 17.8 per cent rate of poverty reduction in Sikkim is second best in the country.

A significant BPL population of 90,000 persons have been brought above poverty line during these years in the state and the rate of poverty reduction is 3.6 per cent which is double than national average of 1.5 per cent.

The accessibility to tap water has been increased from 70.3 per cent in 2001 to 85.3 per cent in 2011.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel, US see 'exactly same' Iran threat, Hagel says

TEL AVIV: A major US arms deal with Israel sends a "very clear signal" to Tehran that military action remains an option to stop it from going nuclear, US defence secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters on Sunday.

Asked if a multi-billion dollar arms package with Israel was designed to convey a message that a military strike remains an option, he said: "I don't think there's any question that's another very clear signal to Iran."

Hagel was speaking just before his plane touched down in Tel Aviv at the start of a six-day tour of the region focused on plans to sell $10 billion worth of advanced missiles and aircraft to Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in a bid to counter the threat posed by Iran.

The deal will see Israel obtaining anti-radiation missiles designed to take out enemy air defences, radar for fighter jets, aerial refuelling tankers and Osprey V-22 tilt-rotor transport aircraft.

It will also see the sale of US F-16 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates and sophisticated missiles to Saudi Arabia.

Details were unveiled on the eve of Hagel's departure on a trip which will focus heavily on tensions over Iran's nuclear programme and the civil war raging in Syria.

American and Israeli leaders have been at odds over Iran, with President Barack Obama's administration arguing that tough sanctions and diplomacy need to be given more time to work.

But Israel, believed to be the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, has repeatedly warned that time is running out and has refused to rule out a pre-emptive military strike to prevent Iran from obtaining an atomic weapons capability.

Hagel plans to discuss with his counterparts in the region the final details of the arms deal, and US officials have said it would be months or more for the new weapons and aircraft to be delivered.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Direct cash transfer to curb wastages, leakages: Prime Minister

NEW DELHI: Centre's ambitious direct cash transfer scheme will help in better targeting of subsidies and reducing delay in delivery of benefits besides curbing wastages and leakages, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday.

Addressing the 8th Civil Services Day, Singh said his government has made sustained efforts to curb corruption and enhance transparency and accountability in public works.

He also said the government needs to make full use of new and modern technology not only in delivery of public services but in governance in general.

"A good example of such use is the Aadhar programme for providing all the residents of our country a unique identity, and also the Direct Benefits Transfer scheme based on Aadhar numbers that our government launched a few months back....

"It will lead to better targeting of subsidies and reducing delays in the delivery of benefits such as scholarships and pensions to the intended beneficiaries. It will also help in curbing wastages and leakages, and result in greater financial inclusion," Singh said.

The Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme now covers 121 districts of the country.

"I think it is also important to recognise the fact that the programmes like the Direct Benefits Scheme also give a sense of empowerment to the people, increase their faith in the processes of governance and therefore have a far larger positive effect than can be measured by the direct advantages they give," he said asking the bureaucrats, involved directly or indirectly in its implementation, to ensure the scheme is a success. The DBT scheme provides for cash transfer of subsidy from the government directly to an Aadhar-linked beneficiary's bank account. "Our government has also made sustained efforts to curb corruption and enhance transparency and accountability in the work of public authorities. There are several legislative initiatives that we have taken in this regard, for example the Right to Information Act, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill and the Whistleblowers Protection Bill. "These are intended to also help in improving the standards of delivery of public services in our country," the PM said.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Macabre tweet to Boston from terror suspect: 'stay safe'

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 20 April 2013 | 17.34

BOSTON: A Monday message on Twitter — "stay safe people" — seemed aimed at soothing Bostonians rattled by deadly terror attacks earlier in the day. But that entreaty was apparently sent by the prime bombing suspect.

With the city of Boston on lockdown for most of Friday and suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev still on the loose, attention has focused on the 19-year-old's social media accounts for clues about his life and his potential motivation for apparently setting bombs that killed three people and wounded more than 180.

The focus has zeroed in on the still-active Twitter account @J_tsar, which one of his Twitter friends confirmed to AFP as belonging to Dzhokhar.

"Ain't no love in the heart of the city, stay safe people," he tweeted at 8:04 pm on Monday, just hours after Boston was rocked by twin explosions which police say he set with his older brother Tamerlan, who was killed Friday in a shootout with police.

It was one of a dozen messages he posted on the microblogging site in the hours and days after the tragedy.

A tweet one week prior to the blasts may have offered cryptic hints at what was to come: "If you have the knowledge and the inspiration all that's left is to take action," @J_tsar tweeted on April 8.

Twitter said as a policy it does not confirm the identity of users, but there seemed little doubt Friday that @J_tsar, with the handle "Jahar," was in fact Tsarnaev.

"Tat my name on you girl so i know it's real oh and make sure to spell it right, its spelled Dzhokhar," he posted last May 5.

His followers, just a few thousand by early Friday, soared to more than 58,000 in the hours after he was named a prime suspect.

His Twitter page is adorned with the emblem of the FC Anzhi Makhachkala soccer team, in the southern Russian region of Dagestan where, according to his uncle who spoke to reporters, Dzhokhar was born.

A perusal of the 1,099 tweets posted by @J_tsar portray an everyday kid with a wide variety of interests: sports, hip-hop lyrics, girls, Islam, TV shows like "Breaking Bad," and cars.

"I need me a tall beautiful woman, but just beautiful works too," he wrote last April.

On January 23, he sounded down on college life. "Back to terrible food, hot pockets and school bs."

Some friends who say they went to high school with him have posted their disbelief at how a classmate could be responsible for the worst terror attack on US soil since the September 11, 2001 suicide plane strikes.

"Yeah he went to rindge, he graduated with me and we had a few classes together," wrote a longtime Twitter friend "Samantha" on Friday, referring to their time at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, in Massachusetts. Dzhokhar had exchanged tweets with Samantha as far back as November 2011.

One message from August 2012, a response to a user who has since locked his tweets and made them unviewable, provides a jolt to those scrolling through Dzhokhar's account.

"Boston marathon isn't a good place to smoke tho," he wrote.

The final message on his account is a Wednesday retweet of a comment by Mufti Ismail Menk of Zimbabwe.

Afterward Menk condemned the Boston attacks on his own Twitter feed, saying "the perpetrators must face justice."

One of Dzhokhar's post-bombing tweets was a hair-raising response to a fellow Twitter user.

"What 'god hates dead people?' Or victims of tragedies? Lol those people are cooked," Dzhokhar wrote.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

US readies new non-lethal military aid for Syria opposition

WASHINGTON: The United States plans to provide about $100 million in new non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition that could include for the first time battlefield support equipment such as body armor and night-vision goggles, a US official said.

Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to announce the new aid package, which would mark a recalibration of U.S. policy toward rebel groups in the Syrian civil war, at an international conference on Syria that he will attend in Turkey this weekend.

The new assistance would still stop short of supplying weapons to insurgents fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It is also far less than what is being sought by Syrian opposition leaders, US allies like Britain and France and some US lawmakers.

But even the limited new steps under consideration suggest that the White House, amid difficult internal debate, is continuing to move slowly toward a more direct role in bolstering the Syrian opposition.

Providing body armor and night-vision goggles "would be consistent with the president's directive to look for ways to increase assistance to the opposition," the US official said.

Kerry is expected to formally unveil the US decision at a meeting in Istanbul on Saturday with Syrian opposition leaders and their international backers. Fresh US humanitarian aide for Syrian refugees is also likely.

The 11-nation "core group" of the Friends of Syria, including the United States, European and Arab nations, has been deadlocked over how to remove Assad, whose security forces killed and arrested thousands of protesters who took to the streets to demand democratic reforms in March 2011.

More than 70,000 have been killed in the revolt and subsequent civil war. But a military stalemate has set in and much of Syria is left in ruins because of a divided and ineffective opposition, a lack of action by foreign allies and Assad's ability to rely on support from Russia and Iran.

The latest US expansion of non-lethal aid will follow Kerry's announcement in Rome in late February that Washington would shift policy to provide medical supplies and food directly to opposition fighters, an option it had previously rejected.

The exact amount and composition of the aid package was still being finalized, and it was not yet decided whether the new military equipment would go directly to certain rebel groups or be channeled through the civilian opposition, the official said.

The United States so far has provided $117 million in non-lethal assistance, the White House said. That has included communications gear and governance training for the civilian opposition.

Despite pressure from some members of Congress and recommendations even from among his own advisers, Obama has refused to supply arms to the rebels, reflecting concern that such weapons would fall into the hands of Islamist militants in the ranks of the fractious insurgency.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar are among Arab states believed to be arming rebel factions.

"We continue to weigh the risk that any weapons we might contribute that would make a real difference could wind up in the hands of extremists - and come back to hurt us and our partners in the region," White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said. "Other countries are making their own decisions about lethal assistance."


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bird flu cases reach 91 in China; 17 dead

BEIJING: The number of people affected with H7N9 avian influenza, or bird flu risen to 91 Friday evening, with four new cases being found in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Seventeen people have died of the flu so far.

Confirming the upswing in the bird flu cases in its daily update Friday, the country's national health and family planning commission said of the total, seven H7N9 patients have been discharged from hospitals, Xinhua reported.

The other 67 patients were being treated in designated hospitals, it said.

A total of 32 cases, including 11 that have ended in death, have been reported from Shanghai city alone.

The country officially confirmed the occurrence of humans infected with the H7N9 virus late last month.

According to the commission, China's confirmed H7N9 cases are isolated and there has been no sign of human-to-human transmission.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama declares emergency after Texas plant blast

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama has issued an emergency declaration and pledged disaster relief aid to Texas to help in the recovery efforts following this week's deadly fertilizer plant explosion near Waco.

Obama's order on Friday night authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts in the town of West. Wednesday's explosion at the West Fertilizer plant killed at least 14 people, injured more than 200 others and demolished buildings for blocks around.

After addressing the arrest of the second Boston Marathon bombing suspect Friday night, the president extended his sympathies to the community of West and everyone else affected by the explosion.

Obama said he's spoken with Texas Gov. Rick Perry and West's mayor, and he pledged that the community will have the resources it needs to rebuild.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iraqis vote in first local ballot since US troops withdrawal

BAGHDAD: Iraqis voted for provincial councils on Saturday in their first ballot since US troops left the country, a key measure of political strength before parliamentary elections next year.

Iraqi politics are deeply split along sectarian lines with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government mired in crisis over how to share power among Shi'ites, Sunni Muslims and ethnic Kurds who run their own autonomous region in the north.

Violence and suicide bombings have surged since the start of the year with a local al-Qaida wing vowing a campaign to stoke widespread confrontation among the country's combustible sectarian and ethnic mix.

For Maliki, a strong showing by his Shi'ite State of Law alliance may consolidate a shot at a third term in 2014 elections when he has hinted it is time to form a majority government of Shi'ite and moderate Sunnis.

More than 8,000 hopefuls are running for nearly 450 provincial council seats across the OPEC oil-producing country. More than a dozen candidates, mostly Sunnis, were killed during campaigning.

Washington weighed into the election process, asking the government not to alienate Sunni voters after the Cabinet postponed voting in two mostly Sunni provinces because local officials warned they could not provide security there.

Since December, thousands of Sunni Muslim protesters have taken to the streets to demonstrate against what they say is the marginalisation of their sect by Maliki's Shi'ite-led government.

Three provinces in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, run by ethnic Kurds since 1991, and the ethnically mixed, disputed city of Kirkuk, will not be voting on Saturday.

Many Iraqis are concerned about security, jobs and basic services that are lacking a decade after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and the rise of the Shi'ite majority through the ballot box.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Congress leaders resent Kerala minister's meeting with Modi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Labour minister and RSP(B) leader Shibu Baby John has run into trouble over his recent meeting with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, with leaders of Congress and its UDF allies taking exception to it, holding the BJP leader's development model unacceptable to Kerala.

With the issue becoming controversial, chief minister Oommen Chandy today sought an explanation from John, though the latter held that he had only spoken on issues concerning skill development and training during his meeting with Modi.

"I have sought a clarification from John. But I would like to make it clear that the Gujarat model of development is not at all acceptable to Kerala," Chandy said.

Joining issue, CPI(M) veteran and Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan said it was difficult to believe that John had met Modi without Chandy's knowledge.

Sources close to Achuthanandan also said the CPI(M) leader might stay away from a function next week at Sree Narayana Mutt at nearby Varkala, where Modi is chief guest.

Though initially he sought to play down the row holding that the meeting had no political dimension, John later said he should have avoided it.

"I only sought to know Gujarat's model in skill development and training when I met Modi. This is part of my department. I first met the labour minister there (in Ahmedabad) and he suggested I meet Modi also, saying he has been in overall charge of the state," John told reporters here.

What apparently annoyed Congress and UDF leaders is that the meeting took place when BJP is thinking of projecting Modi as NDA's Prime Ministerial candidate to take on UPA in the next Lok Sabha polls.

When his reaction was sought, senior Congress leader and Union minister Vayalar Ravi said the Gujarat model was not acceptable to Kerala. "I don't think there is any area of development for which Kerala should take Gujarat as a model," Ravi said.

Kerala PCC President Ramesh Chennithala also criticised John for meeting Modi and discussing development issues with him, maintaining that the Gujarat chief minister is no model for Kerala.

Echoing similar views, Union minister K C Venugopal said it was for Chandy to clarify on his cabinet colleague's meeting with Modi, adding, "We don't accept Modi's model as it is something puffed up by his publicists."

Senior BJP leader O Rajagopal, however, expressed surprise at the Congress leader's reactions and said "it only betrayed their intolerance."

"He (John) has met Modi in his capacity as a minister. Gujarat is widely recognized as a good development model.In an open society it is quite natural to try to know each other's developmental experiences and share views," Rajagopal said.

A few years back, former CPI(M) MP A P Abdullakutty had faced the heat for praising the Gujarat model, with Left leaders taking him to task over his statement.

Abdullakutty, who had also troubles over other issues with the CPI(M) leadership, later left the party and is now a Congress MLA.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gunman shoots police officer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Report

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 19 April 2013 | 17.34

BOSTON, USA: A gunman shot and seriously wounded a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) police officer in an eruption of gunfire at the prestigious university late Thursday, Boston television stations reported.

The university said the situation was "extremely dangerous" and warned students in an emergency alert on its website to stay indoors. It said one building on campus had been surrounded by police.

The police officer suffered "life threatening" injuries, according to several local channels which quoted state police.

MIT is in the suburbs of Boston, where two bombs at the city's marathon on Monday killed three people and injured 180. However, no link between the two incidents has been immediately made.

The university alert said the gunshots started at 10:48pm (0248 GMT) and that the building where the shots were fired had been "surrounded by responding agencies."

"The area is cordoned off. Please stay clear of area until further notice," added the alert.

There was a major police presence in the district including officers with rifles and a search helicopter overhead, news reports said.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earthquake hits ocean off Japan, Russia; no damage reported

TOKYO: A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck in seas off far northern Japan and far eastern Russia on Friday, but no damage was expected.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said sea changes were possible. No tsunami warnings have been issued.

The tremor struck around midday in the Pacific Ocean at a relatively shallow depth of 10km (6.2 miles). The US Geological Survey measured a stronger 7.2 magnitude.

Japan and Russia both claim some of the sparsely populated islands in the remote region.

The epicentre was 58 kilometers (160 miles) east-northeast of Kuril'sk, Russia, and 528km (328 miles) northeast of Nemuro, Japan.

The nearest land is the volcanic islands of Urup, Iturup and Sumushir. Hokkaido officials said the islands were not under Japanese control.

The area is about 1,500km (930 miles) northeast of Tokyo.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Election council to audit vote in Venezuela

CARACAS: Venezuela's electoral council announced Thursday night that it would audit the 46 percent of the vote not scrutinized on election night in a concession to opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, who said he believed the stolen votes that cost him the presidency are among the unaudited.

"We are where we want to be," Capriles, looking satisfied but wary, told a news conference after the announcement. "I think I will have the universe of voters needed to get where I want to be."

Capriles had demanded a full vote-by-vote recount but said he could live with the National Electoral Council's ruling, an apparent turnaround for President-elect Nicolas Maduro, whose government had looked all week to be digging in its heels.

Maduro, the late President Hugo Chavez's anointed successor, is being inaugurated on Friday and was in Lima, Peru, on Thursday night for an emergency meeting of South American leaders to discuss his country's electoral crisis."We know where the problems are," said Capriles, referring to the votes cast in the 12,000 voting machines that council President Tibisay Lucena said would be audited beginning next week and would take a month to complete.

The 40-year-old state governor called on his supporters to back down from confrontation and play music, preferably salsa, instead of banging on pots, as they have been nightly all week since the council ratified Maduro's victory in order to protest what they considered a stolen ballot.

Venezuela's opposition had been battered for years by Chavez and many say political repression has only increased under Maduro.

Capriles said he will insist that every single vote receipt be counted and compared to voter registries as well as to voting machine tally sheets. In announcing the audit, Lucena did not say whether authorities would do that.

But a council spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was not permitted to be named, said the audit would be done as Capriles specified.

Venezuela's electronic voting system emits receipts for every ballot that are boxed up with the tally machines.

Maduro was declared the winner of Sunday's election by a slim 260,000-vote margin out of 14.9 million ballots cast.

He had squandered a double-digit lead in the polls as Venezuelans upset by a troubled economy, rampant crime, food shortages and worsening power outages turned away from a candidate they considered a poor imitation of the charismatic leader for whom he long served as foreign minister.

Capriles maintains the vote was stolen from him through intimidation and other abuses and presented a long list of abuses.

No international election monitors were scrutinizing the vote.

Lucena's announcement seemed a clear turnaround from a government that has a stranglehold on all state institutions and had waged a crackdown on protest all week and followed the Supreme Court chief's announcement on Wednesday that the full recount Capriles demanded was not legal.

Maduro was sworn in as acting president after Chavez died last month after a long fight with cancer.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

China bird flu not spreading easily in humans: World Health Organization

BEIJING: There's no evidence a new bird flu strain is spreading easily among people in China even though some of those sickened were close to patients with the virus, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

Fifteen global and Chinese health experts are on a mission in Beijing and Shanghai to learn more about the H7N9 bird flu virus that has killed 17 people and sickened 70 others, said Dr. Michael O'Leary, head of WHO's office in China.

O'Leary says a major focus is to learn how the virus infects humans. "The evidence suggests still that poultry is a vehicle for transmission but epidemiologists haven't yet been able to establish a clear and strong link," O'Leary told reporters in Beijing.

The source of the virus remains unclear because only a handful of birds - out of tens of thousands that have been tested - have been found to carry the H7N9 virus. Also, many of the patients have no reported history of contact with birds.

Still, Chinese health and agricultural authorities have closed live poultry markets and slaughtered birds as preventive measures based on suspicion that sick people had contact with infected fowl.

On Thursday, the State Forestry Administration said wild bird sales have been suspended to prevent the spread of the virus.

The team of WHO, Chinese and global experts will also study a few "clusters" of confirmed and potential infections that have emerged in the past three weeks, O'Leary said, though he maintained that there has been no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission.

This week, Chinese health authorities confirmed that a son of an 87-year-old man in Shanghai who was the earliest known H7N9 case was also infected with the virus. The man had fallen sick in mid-February and died in early March.

At the time, two of his sons, aged 69 and 55, had also been hospitalized with pneumonia. His younger son died and no samples were available for later testing but the older son, who recovered, tested positive for the virus.

O'Leary said, however, that Chinese health authorities have closely monitored hundreds of family members, caregivers, health workers and friends who have been in contact with patients and that only a handful have signs of H7N9 infections.

Even within the rare and isolated examples of potential clusters it is hard to determine if one person got it from another or if they were all exposed to the same source of infection, he said.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

10 people injured in clash between two communities

RAMESWARAM: Ten persons were injured in a clash between two communities at nearby Terkuvadi over riding a motorbike at high speed, police said.

The clash ensued when two youths of one community were questioned by those of the other community on riding their motorcyle at high speed, resulting in the clash.

Eight persons from both communities have been arrested, police said, adding additional reinforcements have been sent to the area to bring the situation under control.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

10 people injured in clash between two communities in Tamil Nadu

RAMESWARAM: Ten persons were injured in a clash between two communities at nearby Terkuvadi over riding a motorbike at high speed, police said.

The clash ensued when two youths of one community were questioned by those of the other community on riding their motorcyle at high speed, resulting in the clash.

Eight persons from both communities have been arrested, police said, adding additional reinforcements have been sent to the area to bring the situation under control.


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

President-elect Maduro trades barbs with US over Venezuela election

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 18 April 2013 | 17.34

CARACAS: Venezuela's opposition leaders feared persecution over post-election protests while the US government backed their calls for a recount and said on Wednesday it was still deciding if it would recognize President-elect Nicolas Maduro.

The narrow victory by Maduro in Sunday's presidential vote has been rejected by his rival, Henrique Capriles, who is alleging thousands of irregularities at polling centers and wants a full audit of the ballots.

Eight people have died in opposition-led protests, and the government has vowed legal action against Capriles and others whom they accuse of stirring violence against its backers.

Washington said it had not decided whether to recognize Maduro, a former bus driver-turned-foreign minister who was picked as successor by the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

"We think there ought to be a recount," secretary of state John Kerry told US lawmakers. "Obviously, if there are huge irregularities, we are going to have serious questions about the viability of that government ... I'm not sure that's over yet."

Maduro responded by accusing Washington of directly supporting the Venezuelan right-wing "like never before" in a war against the people and Chavez's revolution.

"The US intervention in Venezuelan internal affairs in recent months, and particularly during the election campaign, has been brutal, vulgar," he said in a televised speech.

"Its direct coordination with the 'yellow bourgeois', with the oligarchs, has been truly obscene ... Take your eyes off Venezuela, John Kerry! Get out of here!"

During Chavez's 14-year tenure, Venezuela was the US government's main irritant in Latin America and the former soldier frequently invoked "imperialist" plots against him.

The latest instability in the OPEC nation with the world's largest oil reserves has sent Venezuelan bond prices tumbling.

The unrest, just weeks after Chavez's death from cancer, has laid bare the deep polarization of a country split down the middle between pro- and anti-government factions, and left its 29 million people on edge.

Capriles has accused the government of ordering gangs to attack his supporters and even his official residence in Miranda state, where he is the governor.

"Anything that happens to me in the official residence at Los Teques is the responsibility of Nicolas Maduro!" he said.

Dozens of government supporters gathered peacefully outside the building on Wednesday, chanting "Capriles is a murderer!" and "Fascist!" while being watched by troops.

Though demanding legal action against his opposition rival, Maduro nevertheless said he would be protected by the state.

Opposition march off

Another prominent opposition leader, Leopoldo Lopez, said there was a plan to arrest him on charges of destabilization.

Capriles had planned to lead a march on the National Electoral Council headquarters in Caracas on Wednesday, but Maduro banned it. Capriles later called it off, saying the government had plotted to start trouble and then blame him.

"To all my followers ... this is a peaceful quarrel. Whoever is involved in violence is not part of this project, is not with me," the opposition leader said. "It is doing me harm."

Monday's scenes of opposition supporters attacking ruling Socialist Party offices, government-run clinics and people celebrating Maduro's victory were damaging to Capriles' cause, which he casts as one of democracy versus autocracy.

Evoking the emotive memory of a 2002 putsch against Chavez, which lasted only 48 hours but led to a radicalization of the government and a discrediting of Venezuela's opposition, Maduro has accused Capriles' camp of planning another coup d'etat.

About 135 people were arrested and more than 60 hurt during Monday's clashes, officials said, including one woman whom a mob tried to burn alive. Tuesday's protests were much quieter, with thousands of Capriles' followers holding peaceful rallies outside Electoral Council (CNE) offices around the country.

The most successful and charismatic leader the opposition has had since Chavez took office in 1999, the 40-year-old Capriles says the government is responsible for the violence because it denied reasonable requests for a full recount.

Maduro won with 50.8 percent of the vote against Capriles' 49.0 percent, according to the electoral authority. He is due to be formally sworn in on Friday.

Maduro campaigned on a promise to continue his late boss's hardline socialist policies. He had a big lead in polls but that evaporated in the final days and the result was much closer than his team had expected.

They have defended the legitimacy of his narrow win with repeated references to the 2000 U.S. election dispute, when the US Supreme Court halted a recount in Florida and George W Bush was declared winner in the state by just 537 votes.

Capriles says he is sure he won and that his team has evidence of 3,200 irregularities, from voters using fake IDs to intimidation of volunteers at polling centers. Opposition sources say their count showed Capriles had an extra 300,000 to 400,000 votes not shown in the official tally.

The CNE has refused to hold a recount, saying an audit of ballots from 54 percent of the polling centers, in a widely respected electronic voting system, had already been done.

Maduro initially said he was open to a recount but has changed his position. He has called on his supporters to demonstrate all week, culminating in a big rally in Caracas on Friday to coincide with his inauguration ceremony.

Maduro's narrow victory has raised doubts about whether the disparate alliance that formed around Chavez can hold together without him. The opposition is also a wide-ranging coalition of parties from right to left on the political spectrum.

Maduro jumped on Capriles' cancellation of Wednesday's march, saying his rival had started to backpedal.

"No matter how much they retreat, they'll have to face justice sooner rather than later," Maduro said, blaming Capriles directly for the bloodshed. "Don't disguise yourself as a pacifist. You were the one who sent the people to the streets."


17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More
techieblogger.com Techie Blogger Techie Blogger