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Sat, 20 October 2012
250 printing presses de-sealed in Gujarat
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23:22 250 printing presses de-sealed in Gujarat
The Election Commission which had sealed 250 of the 272 printing presses in the city yesterday for failing to file declaration about printing jobs undertaken by them were de-sealed today after they complied with the directive, district election officers said.
"As almost all of them have filed their declaration, de-sealing orders have been issued," district collector and Chief District Election officer Vijay Nehra told reporters today.
Filing of declaration of printing jobs is mandatory under the Representation of People's Act with the Model Code of Conduct coming into effect following the announcement of poll dates, he said.
22:31 Pak Hindu family overstays visa, held in Mathura
A Pakistani Hindu family has been held from Vrindavan town for overstaying in the country after the expiry of their visa, police said today.
Police detained Raju of Narayanpur in Karachi, his wife, two daughters and a son from Vrindavan yesterday and apprised the Pakistani Embassy of the incident.
The family has been living in different areas of Maharashtra for last six years but they moved to Vrindavan after their visa expired on September 24, sources in the Intelligence agency said.
22:15 Gadkari refutes allegations by Kejriwal
President Nitin Gadkari today denied allegations that Purti Group, a cooperative society with which he was associated, had fictious shareholders and that a company close to him had unduly benefitted when he was the PWD Minister in Maharashtra.
"In any company there are many shareholders. We have to raise the capital.... There are 10,000 shareholders. Some of them are industrialists, traders, businessmen, NRIs. Anybody can be a shareholder," Gadkari told NDTV.
He was responding to allegations that 18 companies which own 80 per cent of the shares in Purti Group were not located on the addresses mentioned on the website of the Group.
Activist Arvind Kejriwal had targeted Gadkari accusing him of being involved in murky financial dealings.
22:09 Iraq: Bombs in market kill 11
AFP reports: Back-to-back bomb blasts in a crowded Baghdad market near a revered Shiite shrine killed at least 11 people today, officials said, shattering days of relative calm in the Iraqi capital.
The bombings, which happened within about a minute of each other, appeared aimed at intimidating Iraq's Shiites, who are a frequent target of Sunni insurgents.
The blasts struck about 500 meters from a shrine where two revered imams are buried, damaging nearby shops and buildings, according to police, who confirmed the casualty figures.
The attacks came as many shoppers were out buying new clothes in anticipation of the Eid al-Adha holiday, which begins in about a week.
20:46 MP stampede: Congress blames state government
Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Ajay Singh has blamed the state government and local administration for the death of three devotees in a stampede at Salkanpur Devi Temple in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh.
Three women were killed and 35 others injured when a stampede broke out early today at the temple.
Expressing grief over the mishap, Singh said despite knowing that a large number of devotees visit the temple during Navratri festival the authorities concerned failed to make any proper arrangements.
As the temple is situated in the home district of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, it's a serious concern that such a tragedy has happened there, he added.
20:23 Nitish Kumar takes a dig at Katju
Without naming Press Council of India Chairman Markandey Katju who had criticised Bihar Chief Minister yesterday, Nitish Kumar today said some people were moving in the state like the 'Ramayana's character 'Kalnemi' to turn a vibrant atmosphere of the state into gloom.
"Bihar is witnessing rapid growth after change of environment conducive to progress...but some people are moving around the state like the epic Ramayana's character Kalnemi to transform an environment of enthuasism prevailing in the state into gloom," Kumar said.
"They appear from nowhere all of a sudden and return after giving sermon," he said.
20:09 Army chief bribe offer: CBI books Tejinder Singh
The CBI today registered a case under anti-graft law against Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh for allegedly offering Rs 14 crore bribe to the then army chief V K Singh for clearing 1676 'substandard' Tatra BEML trucks and carried out searches at seven places in New Delhi and in Mumbai.
During its preliminary enquiry for six months into the allegations levelled by V K Singh, the agency sources claimed it has gathered enough prima-facie evidence to register an FIR against Tejinder Singh under relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act, said.
Tejinder Singh did not respond to messages sent by PTI on his mobile seeking his reaction on the development.
The then Army chief had alleged that Tejinder Singh offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore in his office in September 2010 to clear the purchase of tranche of 1,676 Tatra BEML trucks, a matter he had reported to Defence Minister A K Antony.
19:56 New look Team Anna to meet on Nov 24
Anna Hazare will meet his new Core Committee in Ralegan Siddhi for two days from November 24 and has invited several eminent persons like former Army chief Gen V K Singh, activist Kiran Bedi said today.
The new Core Committee will meet for the first time just as Arvind Kejriwal, who split with Anna Hazare on the question of going political, is set to announce the name of his party in Delhi.
Hazare is looking for a new inclusive core group with individuals who are known for their non-partisanship and are reformist by nature in his new team, Bedi said.
Besides Gen Singh, those who will be approached by Hazare to join the movement include activists P V Rajagopal and Rajender Singh, former IPS officer Prakash Singh, media personality Minhas Merchant and former bureaucrat Bhure Lal.
19:45 Somali pirates free ship after nearly 2 years
AP reports: A pirate commander in Somalia says that a cargo ship was freed after being held captive for nearly two years. Hassan Abdi said today that a $600,000 ransom was paid for the MV Orna yesterday.
But he said six hostages are still being held by the pirates on land. Pirates shot and killed one of the ship's crew members in August over delayed ransom payments. Abdi said that other ships towed the vessel away because it had run out of fuel.
The MV Orna, which is owned by a UAE company, was hijacked 400 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles in December 2010. Indian Ocean pirate hijackings are down drastically this year thanks to improved on-board defences, but pirates still hold six ships and some 170 crew members.
19:27 Rajagopal gets interim bail in OMC case
A special CBI court here today granted interim bail to former vice-chairman and MD of Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation, V D Rajagopal, in Obulapuram Mining Company case.
The court granted Rajagopal the interim relief for 15 days following demise of his father-in-law today, said CBI Deputy Legal Advisor B Ravindranath.
Rajagopal has to surrender before the court on November 4. "Earlier he was given bail to visit his ailing father-in-law with escort. This time he can go without escort. He should surrender before the court on November 4," Ravindhranath told PTI.
19:26 Bihar leaders will campaign in Gujarat: BJP
The BJP today said its prominent leaders from Bihar will campaign in poll-bound Gujarat, rejecting reports that Chief Minister Narendra Modi had asked party leaders from the eastern state to stay away from electioneering there.
"These reports are baseless. Narendra Modi has not said anywhere asking Bihar leaders not to come to Gujarat. A large number of people from Bihar are residing in Gujarat and also campaigning for the BJP in the state. Our leaders from Bihar will also campaign there," party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.
18:59 Gujarat ATS gets Jundal's custody
A Delhi court today handed over the custody of 26/11 key handler Abu Jundal to Gujarat ATS in connection with the 2006 train blast at Ahmedabad station in which he is alleged to be one of the main conspirators.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vidya Parkash handed over Jundal alias Syed Zabiuddin's custody to Gujarat ATS till October 31 for his custodial interrogation in connection with the Karanawati Express blast case.
The order of the court came on a plea by the agency that its application for Jundal's custody has been kept pending before this court since July 20.
It also informed the court that earlier in the day the National Investigating Agency had produced Jundal before a Sessions court which had remanded him in judicial custody until November 3.
18:55 The final moments of Gaddafi's life revealed
Former rebel fighters in the Libyan city of Sirte recall the capture and killing of their reviled dictator a year ago.
Read the full story here
18:54 Faridkot kidnapping: Congress demands CBI probe
The women wing of Punjab Congress today demanded a probe by the CBI into the alleged kidnapping of a minor girl from Faridkot, saying the state police has failed to solve the case.
"We have written a letter to Governor Shivraj Patil and demanded a CBI probe in the kidnapping of a 15-year-old girl on gun point from Faridkot on September 24 as the state police has failed to arrest the main accused," state chief of Punjab Women Congress Malti Thapar said.
It has been more than 15 days since the girl was kidnapped but no major breakthrough has been made yet, she said.
18:41 Actress Hemashri's husband sent to judicial custody
Kannada TV actress Hemashri's husband, arrested in connection with her mysterious death, was today remanded in judicial custody till November 3.
The actress' husband, Surendra Babu, a JDS worker and a realtor, was arrested on October 10 on the basis of a complaint filed by the father of the actress, who died under mysterious circumstances on October 8.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rajshekhar V Patil remanded Babu in 14 days judicial custody, the police said.
Hemashri, who had in the past complained of harassment by Babu whom she married last year, was proceeding to Hyderabad along with him in a car when she felt giddiness and started vomiting. She was rushed to a hospital, but declared brought dead.
18:13 Drop cases against passengers: Achuthanandan
CPI-M veteran and opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly V S Achuthanandan today asked the government to withdraw the cases slapped against six passengers of an Air India Express flight for allegedly storming into its cockpit for diverting the aircraft due to poor visibility at Kochi yesterday.
Criticising the Air India for its alleged bad treatment metted out to Non-Resident Keralities passengers, he said 'yesterday's incident was the latest one'. More than 200 passengers including women and children were not given water and food for 10 hours, he said.
It was shameful that the NRK passengers have to face untold difficulties even after there were six Union ministers from Kerala, Achuthanandan said.
17:45 Another harrowing experience for AIE passengers
In another harrowing experience for Air India passengers, a Kochi bound flight from Bahrain took nearly 20 hours to reach its destination following technical snags and bad weather, prompting some of them to disembark here and stage a protest.
Air India Express passengers protested at the parking bay when the flight flew in here without touching down at Kozhikode. Forty seven of them disembarked, while 119 were bound for Kozhikode.
The passengers landed at Kozhikode by around 2 PM. Air India sources said the Bahrain-Doha-Kozhikode-Kochi flight developed a technical snag at Doha which was sorted out.
On its way to Kozhikode, another snag cropped up and an alarm sounded in the cockpit, following which it was diverted to Mumbai.
17:44 1962, the forgotten front
Shekhar Gupta recalls a bright, shining moment of courage on the western front.
Read the full story here
17:34 PM's constant criticism of the RTI is unhelpful
The RTI is not without problems --the delays in handling submissions, the system of appointing commissioners that has allowed them to be largely former civil servants rather than a mix of people from various professions and the absence of standards and norms on the basis of which information officers can deal with the queries under RTI.
But these can be fixed and the effort to do so continues.
Read the full story here
16:29 Pranab reaches ancestral village for Durga Puja
A correspondent from Kolkata reports: President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday reached his ancestral village of Mirati in Birbhum district, West Bengal to participate in Durga Puja rituals.
Security has been beefed up and the entire road from Kirnahar to Mirati is being guarded by security personnel.
16:25 Omar Abdullah condemns attack on hotel
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today condemned the attack outside a hotel in Srinagar, saying it was aimed at instilling fear among the people and disturbing peace.
"What was the objective of the attack? They want to instill fear among the people and disturb the peace," Omar said while addressing a gathering.
A bell boy of Hotel Silver Star was killed and two others were injured when militants attacked an army convoy and later entered into the hotel premises in Srinagar on Friday.
15:32 Rhino succumbs to injuries in Kaziranga
A rhino, whose horn was sawed away by poachers in Kaziranga National Park about a week ago, succumbed to its injuries today.
Park authorities said the rhino was shot at and critically wounded by poachers at Agoratoli range of the park and its horn was removed on October 13, park authorities said.
So far, 44 rhinos have died naturally or due to floods in Assam this year, while 19 have been killed by poachers at Kaziranga. Another panchyderm which had strayed out died in Nalbari district.
15:27 Take it slow, Hazare tells Kejriwal
In an interview to TV channel CNN-IBN, activist Anna Hazare has urged his protege Arvind Kejriwal to target only one politician at a time in his crusade against corruption.
Hazare said that all political parties were involved in corruption.
Kejriwal, who is all set to launch a political party, has recently targeted Robert Vadra, Salman Khurshid and Nitin Gadkari on charges of corruption.
14:45 DGCA SUSPENDS Kingfisher Airlines' flying licence
Flying license of the beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines has been suspended till further orders, officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said on Saturday.
Officials said the license will remain suspended till KFA came up with a revival plan.
KFA had failed to respond to DGCA's show-cause notice, said media reports.
14:39 Enrique Iglesias rocks Delhi gig!
Spanish pop sensation Enrique Iglesias's hour-long maiden performance in Delhi left the crowd beguiled as he belted out some of his old hits.
The singer started his gig two hours late but the audience did not seem to mind the delay. As he made his way to the stage with a Namaste Delhi, the 10,000 odd crowd went crazy.
The 37-year-old, dressed in casual jeans, t-shirt and his trademark cap, started the gig on Friday night with Tonight I Am Loving You.
14:11 British backpacker suffers brain damage in Mumbai
Here is more story about the heartlessness of the Indian healthcare system.
British backpacker Sean Connolly, who was found unconscious on the streets of Mumbai, has suffered brain damage after the doctors at a public hospital refused to treat him.
14:07 Khalistani forces down but not out in Punjab
The threat of r terrorism in Punjab remains a potent one, especially with Pakistan's ISI actively helping in the resurrection of the Khalistan movement.
13:47 No clean chit for tainted IPL players
The statements of three Indian cricketers implicated in a TV sting operation, which claimed to have exposed corruption in IPL, were recorded by the income tax department today.
"Their statements seem to be believable but we have not given them a clean chit yet," I-T sources said today.
Five cricketers of different IPL teams were caught in a sting operation carried out by a private news TV channel, where a reporter posed as an agent of a fictitious company scouting for players for other teams.
13:46 Gambhir, Sehwag's dip in form is a concern: Kapil
Former India cricket captain Kapil Dev today conceded that the form slump of senior openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag is a big worry for the team ahead of the twin Test series against England and Australia.
"Of course, it is a cause of worry if players of that calibre don't get runs. They have big reputations and when you have such big reputations then there is a case for you to defend that," Kapil said.
13:16 Digvijay digs up Kejriwal's IRS past
Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Saturday targeted Arvind Kejriwal once again by sending the IAC activist a list of questions.
He questioned Kejriwal on the alleged donations by foreign funds to his NGO and whether money from those was used in the activist's current campaign.
Digvijay also asked Kejriwal, a former IRS official, why he and his wife, who also works for the IRS, have never been transferred out of Delhi in their 20 years of service.
12:09 Obama won the second debate: Poll
US President Barack Obama comprehensively won the second presidential debate in New York against his Republican rival Mitt Romney as the latter lost one point in his national lead, new poll numbers released by Gallup has said.
"Americans who watched the second presidential debate say Barack Obama did a better job than Mitt Romney, by 51 per cent to 38 per cent -- a stark contrast to the first debate, of which most named Romney the winner," Gallup said, releasing the results of its latest opinion poll.
12:08 HSBC websites hacked, millions affected
HSBC's websites across the world have been hit by one of the largest cyber attacks to strike a bank, which left millions of customers without access to the bank's online services.
An unknown group launched a so-called "denial of service" attack on Britain's largest bank on Thursday evening.
According to the Telegraph, a spokesman for the bank said full Internet services were restored by 3 am local time, and that no customer data had been compromised as a result of the attack.
12:07 Tata Group launches takeover bid for Orient-Express hotels
India's Tata group subsidiary, Indian Hotels Company, has reportedly launched a bid to take over the London-based luxury hotels chain Orient-Express in a bid to expand its business overseas.
IHC has offered 12.63 dollars per share to buy 93 percent of the shares in the company.
The amount adds a 40 percent premium over the company's earlier closing share price.
According to the BBC, IHC said it launched a bid after Orient-Express indicated it would 'not be interested' in an equity investment.
11:06 Bribery case: FIR against Lt Gen Tejinder Singh
The CBI on Saturday raided seven places in connection with the bribery case of former army chief General V K Singh.
A FIR has been registered against Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
General Singh had alleged that Lt Gen Singh had offered his a bribe of Rs 14 crore.
11:02 5 held for gang-rape of NLS student
Five people have been held for the gang-rape of a student of the National Law School in Bangalore on October 15.
The 21-year-old student was allegedly raped by an eight-member gang inside the adjacent Jnanabharathi campus of Bangalore University.
09:59 Stampede in MP temple: 2 killed, many injured
Two people were killed and several injured in a stampede at Salkanpur Temple in Sehore district in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday morning.
09:58 Declassified documents reveal story behind 1962 war
Recently declassified Chinese documents give Beijing's side of the story during the Indo-China war of 1962.
09:55 The OTHER crisis of 1962
The Indo-China War of 1962 was largely overshadowed by the Cuban missile crisis, but it is the only major conflict till date between the two most populous nations on earth.
03:11 Greek anti-austerity protests turn violent
Tens of thousands of people rallied across Greece Thursday to protest further tough austerity measures, as a general strike essentially shut down much of the country's transportation network.
Clashes broke out in Athens after protesters threw stones and bottles at police and chanted slogans saying they had no place policing a peaceful demonstration.
The rallies come as European leaders gather in Brussels, Belgium, for a summit where they will work on building closer ties between eurozone countries. The move is seen as critical to converting recent progress on fixing the region's debt crisis into a sustainable path to growth.
02:11 Bomb threat at US varsity forces evacuation
Evacuation orders were issued at a US University after a bomb threat was received on the campus, a month after similar warnings created panic at three institutions.
Officials at Texas A&M University ordered all students, faculty and staff to evacuate the campus. The 'Code Maroon' was issued at 11:34 a m and officials asked everyone to evacuate campus by foot immediately.
02:08 Mind-changing Romney has 'Romnesia': Obama
President Barack Obama came up with a biting new term today for what he called rival Mitt Romney's flip-flopping on policy positions, calling it "Romnesia."
"Mr Severely Conservative wants you to think he was severely kidding about everything he said over the last year," the president said at a rally attended by some 9,000 people at a university campus outside Washington.
It marked a clear escalation of the tone Obama is employing to attack his rival in the tight race for the White House, with the election just 18 days away.
02:05 Assad accused as Beirut bomb kills security official
A car bomb blast in central Beirut today killed a top security official linked to the anti- Damascus camp in Lebanon, where leaders pointed a finger of blame at Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The rush-hour bombing in the predominantly Christian district of Ashrafieh, which drew international condemnation, killed seven other people and wounded 86, Information Minister Walid Daouk said, revising an earlier toll.
A government official said the intelligence chief of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, General Wissam al-Hassan, was among the dead -- in one of the highest-profile killings since the 2005 murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri.
02:04 Kuwait opposition to shun polls as emir orders law change
Kuwait today appeared on the brink of a political confrontation after its ruler ordered the Gulf state's electoral law to be amended and the opposition announced it will boycott polls. "I have directed the government to introduce a partial amendment to the voting system" of the electoral constituency law, Emir Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said in a televised speech.
He said he has taken the decision to "safeguard national unity" as the law in its form resulted in tribal, sectarian and factional divisions in the small OPEC member with a native population of 1.2 million.
01:03 Beirut car bomb kills anti-Damascus security official
A powerful car bomb in Beirut today killed a top security official linked to the anti-Damascus camp in Lebanon, officials said, further raising tensions over the war in the neighbouring country.
The rush-hour bombing in the predominantly Christian district of Ashrafieh killed at least two other people and wounded 96, Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil told reporters at the scene.
A government official said the intelligence chief of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, General Wissam al-Hassan, was among the dead -- in one of the highest-profile killings since the 2005 murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri.
00:28 Malala Yousefzai can stand and write: Doctor
The Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban for wanting an education stood up today in a remarkable comeback from her near fatal wound.
Malala Yousufzai also posed for photos in her hospital bed showing her awake and snuggling with a white teddy bear.
"She is doing very well. In fact, she is standing with some help for the first time this morning when I went into see her," said Dr. David Rosser, the medical director of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England.
00:25 Security upped for President's visit during Durga Puja
Security has been beefed up in Mirati village of Birbhum district in view of President Pranab Mukherjee's visit to his ancestral house during the Durga puja rituals, official sources said today.
Security has been beefed up and the entire road from Kirnahar to Mirati is being guarded by security personnel, the sources said. The President will reach N S C Bose International Airport at Kolkata from New Delhi by an IAF plane at around 2.20 PM tomorrow, they said.
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