Politics

Confusion persists over LOP ahead of budget session

New Delhi, July 6 (ANI): Confusion continues to persist over the selection of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the parliament ahead of the budget session. Politicos from rival parties continued to create public opinion on the subject with senior leaders saying that it would be appropriate to take the matter to court if the decision does not go in their favour. The Congress, reduced to just 44 MPs in the House, said that denial of the LoP status could be dangerous for the democracy of India. The BJP, however, stressed that the electorate has not given the Congress the numbers to enable it to get the LoP status.

Jul 6, 2014

PM pays tribute to Dr Syama Prasad Mookherjee at Parliament

New Delhi, July 06 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tribute to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) founder Dr Syama Prasad Mookherjee at the Parliament on his 113th birth anniversary. Veteran BJP leader LK Advani, Defence and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, and Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptullah also paid floral tribute to Mookherjee at the Parliament.

Jul 6, 2014

BJP leader promises Bihari wives for Haryana men to marry, draws flak

New Delhi, July 6 (ANI): BJP leader OP Dhankar's statement that the party would get girls from Bihar to ensure that men in Haryana can get married has drawn flak from opposition leaders. Haryana has one of the most skewed sex ratios in the country. The state has 879 women per 1000 men as per the 2011 Census.

Jul 6, 2014

Job offers and proposals pour in for Kerala nurses post their return

Kochi, July 06 (ANI): The Kerala nurses who returned from Iraq on Saturday are making headlines in the local as well as national newspapers. Television channels, online media and social networking sites are filled with reports of the nurses who are being highlighted as war heroes returning back home. Local, national and international channels flew to the tiny coastal region to cover the news of their reunion with their families. From the government's side, a formal notice has been released by the Health Minister V.S. Shiva Kumar offering jobs at Shree Uthuradam Thirunal Hospital Trivandrum.

Jul 6, 2014

Hike tobacco tax to 50%: Harsh Vardhan to states, UTs

New Delhi, July 06 (ANI): In a bid to discourage smoking among youths, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has written to heads of states and UTs to consider levying a uniform VAT of at least 50 per cent on all tobacco products. He has also urged to develop a tax policy to make tobacco products less affordable over time, according to an official statement. Vardan had earlier written to the Finance Ministry seeking to increase the taxes on cigarettes in June, wherin he had urged Arun Jaitley to increase the price of cigarette by Rs 3.5 per stick irrespective of its length.

Jul 6, 2014

A member loyal to the ISIS waves the flag in Raqqa

200 More Indians Airlifted from Iraq, Government to Bring Home 600 More in Two Days

200 more Indians from the strife-torn Iraq reached home in the early hours of Sunday, following Saturday's evacuation of 183 Indian nationals, including 46 female nurses.

Jul 6, 2014

200 stranded Indian workers return home from war torn Iraq

New Delhi, July 6 (ANI): A group of 200 Indian workers, who were stranded in war torn Iraq, arrived in New Delhi on Sunday. An Indian worker, Upendra Singh, said that the situation in Iraq has worsened as conflict is going between Shiite and Sunni. Another worker Mohammed Alam complained that the company they worked for did not provide them any help to return back to the country. Alam further added that India embassy was helpful and provided them ticket ensuring their safe exit. Earlier on Saturday, 46 freed nurses, who were abducted by suspected Islamist militants in Iraq, also arrived home in Kochi city of Kerala. A group of 78 workers belonging to Andhra Pradesh also reached India. While many have returned to India, 40 Indian construction workers are reportedly still in captivity.

Jul 6, 2014

Wall collapse reportedly claims 11 lives in Tamil Nadu

Tiruvallur, July 6 (ANI): Eleven people were killed and many are still feared trapped after compound wall of a godown collapsed in Uparapalayam in Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu on Sunday. Reports say that one person has been rescued after the compound wall of a godown collapsed in Tiruvallur. The injured was rushed to Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai. All of them of are said to be construction workers from Andhra Pradesh. Rescue operations are going on at the construction site to save those who are still trapped under the debris of the wall collapse.

Jul 6, 2014

BJP leaders pay tribute to Dr Shyama Prasad Mookherjee on 113th Birth Anniversary

New Delhi, July 6 (ANI): BJP leaders on Sunday paid tribute to Dr Shyama Prasad Mookherjee on his 113th birth anniversary. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and veteran BJP leader LK Advani paid floral tribute to the nationalist leader Mookherjee. Also Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan paid tribute to Mookherjee and said that everyone should take inspiration from him to make this country the way he dreamed about it.

Jul 6, 2014

No FIFA official quizzed over ticket scandal

According to FIFA, Brazilian police have not yet spoken to any federation official suspected of involvement in an illegal ticket-scalping ring dating back as far as 2002. Duration: 00:46

Jul 6, 2014

Devotees participate in seven-day long Hindu festival in Tripura

Tripura, July 06 (ANI): Thousands of devotees gathered in Tripura to celebrate the festival of fourteen gods, 'Kharchi Puja'. The festival, celebrated annually during the months of June-July, claims to be the pride of Tripura, a state also known as the 'Land of Fourteen Gods'. An essential trait of the festival is the deities are locked in a room throughout the year and are brought to open for the devotees to see only during the seven-day period.

Jul 6, 2014

UK wants to help India develop renewable energy sector, says British minister

Kolkata, July 06 (ANI): United Kingdom has said that they would like to work together with India on various clean energy initiatives. Minister of the Department of Energy and Climate Change, UK, Baroness Sandip Verma, talked about ensuring a greener and safer planet at an interactive session at Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce (MCC) in Kolkata city of West Bengal. She also said that India can explore the possibility of having a Green Investment Bank like that of the United Kingdom.

Jul 6, 2014

Students fall ill after eating mid-day meal served at school in Bihar

Bihar/ Chittoor, July 06 (ANI): More than 50 students fell ill in Sitamarhi district of Bihar after consuming mid-day meal served at school. 54 children fell ill after eating the food in which a dead snake was found. BJP leader Manish Kumar said he got the information from a villager who informed them about a dead snake being found in the meal served to students. The children reportedly showed symptoms of nausea and all of them fell unconscious after eating the meal. In a similar incident, reportedly more than 60 children fell sick in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh after consuming the mid-day meal on Saturday.

Jul 6, 2014

India village council loosens iron grip on rural life

For centuries residents of a north Indian village have been barred from marrying who they wanted, but a shortage of eligible brides in the region has led the local council to ease restrictions. Duration: 02:16

Jul 6, 2014

People urge Indian Railway Minister to improve facilities, cleanliness and security in trains ahead

Uttar Pradesh/ West Bengal/ Gujarat, July 06 (ANI): Indians urged the Railway Minister Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda to improve facilities, cleanliness and beef up security in trains ahead of his maiden budget in the parliament. They also hoped that the upcoming railway budget will make travelling more comfortable and economical.

Jul 6, 2014