Politics

Families of AirAsia crash victims pray for loved ones

Relatives of those who died in the AirAsia crash cry and pray for their loved ones. Duration: 01:15

Dec 31, 2014

Pradeep Kasni probing land scams gets transferred by Haryana govt

Gurgaon, Dec 31 (ANI): IAS Officer Pradeep Kasni was transferred by the Haryana government allegedly in wake of land deal mafia threats as Kasni was on the verge of exposing land scams. The move comes days after Kasni sent a report on nexus between developers and revenue officials. The development comes within a month Kasni took over the post. He had only a month ago been given his posting as Divisional Commissioner of Gurgaon. Kasni said that he has been transferred many times by various governments. He added that whenever new government comes to power it does not want the previous officers to continue working.

Dec 31, 2014

One BSF jawan killed, another injured in fresh firing by Pak troops

Samba, Dec 31 (ANI): One Border Security Force (BSF) jawan has been killed, while another was injured when a patrolling party of the force came under fire from the Pakistani side at the International border in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. There was heavy firing by Pakistan on the patrolling party of BSF along IB in Suchtegarh forward belt in Samba sector.

Dec 31, 2014

Saradha scam: Idris Ali on his controversial statement

Kolkata, Dec 31 (ANI): TMC MP Idris Ali from Basirhat on Wednesday gave clarification over his controversial statement on Saradha scam. Earlier, he threatened to resort to violence in West Bengal if Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is framed in the Saradha scam.

Dec 31, 2014

Adequate security arrangements for New Year in Capital, says BS Bassi

New Delhi, Dec 31 (ANI): Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi said on Wednesday that adequate security arrangements have been made for New Year celebrations in the capital. He said that additional security forces have been deployed for the security of citizens and to ensure peaceful celebrations. Bassi also added that inputs of threats are being considered and security has been tightened in its wake.

Dec 31, 2014

Palestinian statehood resolution defeated in UN vote

The UN Security Council failed Tuesday to adopt a resolution on Palestinian statehood that was strongly opposed by the United States. Duration: 00:58

Dec 31, 2014

Akhilesh makes PK tax-free in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow, Dec 31 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has come out in support of Aamir Khan starrer PK. The Chief Minister has made the film tax-free in Uttar Pradesh.

Dec 31, 2014

Eight women die in a week after caesarean section in Tamil Nadu

Coimbatore, Dec 31 (ANI): Eight pregnant women have lost their lives in a week after undergoing caesarean section in Ooty town of Tamil Nadu. Most of the deaths occurred between December 24 and December 30. Some of the patients, who were referred to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital after developing complications, also did not survive. Relatives said most of them died of excessive bleeding post surgery. Anandraj, husband of a victim Saraswati, said she was keeping fine till she was brought to the hospital. Relatives of the victims allege the absence of qualified doctors on duty when the operations were carried out. Meanwhile, a medical team from Coimbatore Medical College Hospital has been sent to Ooty to probe the matter.

Dec 31, 2014

BSE closes points 95.88 up on Dec 31

New Delhi, Dec 31 (ANI): Trading at the Bombay Stock Exchange today closed 95.88 points up to stand at 27,499.42. At the National Stock Exchange the Nifty closed 34.45 points up to stand at 8,282.70. ICRA and GPPL were among the top gainers of Group A with an increase of 8.62% and 7.96% along with AMTEK AUTO LTD and SUZLON with an increase of 7.84% and 7.02% respectively, while the top losers of Group A include PMCFIN and RASOYA PROTEINS LTD. with a decrease of 5.00% and 4.44% along with ABB and TUBE INVESTMENTS OF INDIA LTD. with a decrease of 2.63% and 1.99% at the close of the markets. The Auto sector is down 36.27 points at 18,646.06 while the banking sector is up 64.63 points at 21,429.72 and the reality sector is up 16.17 points at 1,555.76. The Indian currency is down 0.19% at Rs 63.19 per dollar.

Dec 31, 2014

Police arrest 32 Maoist sympathisers in Chhattisgarh

Bijapur, Dec 31 (ANI): In a major crackdown, police in Chhattisgarh arrested at least 32 Maoist sympathizers. The operation was carried out in Bijapur district, hotbed of Maoist rebels. Most of the accused had several cases pending against them. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Bijapur, Indira Kalyan Elesela, said some of them faced serious charges like murder etc. The rebels have operated for decades across a wide swath of central and eastern India, and grew in strength during recent times in areas where poor, tribal villagers came into conflict with mining companies seeking resources for industrialization.

Dec 31, 2014

Over 100 people reconverted to Sikhism in Amritsar

Amritsar/ New Delhi, Dec 31 (ANI): Around 120 people from 15 families were re-converted to Sikhism from Christianity in a 'ghar wapsi' (homecoming) event in Amritsar city of Punjab. Lately, there have been a lot of cases of religious conversions - mainly to Hinduism - in the country and politicians have slammed ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not taking any action against it. The families stated they originally belonged to Mazhabi Sikh community and were lured into Christianity. Reportedly, the conversion function was organised by Dharma Jagran Manch, a body associated with Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), after people expressed desire to return to Sikh faith. Many have accused that these conversions are done forcefully but Kumar said no one forced him to change his religion.

Dec 31, 2014

Kashmir winter festival aims to attract tourists post devastating floods

Srinagar, Dec 31 (ANI): A three-day winter festival organized by the tourism department of Jammu and Kashmir is attracting people as the arrival of tourists to the state has picked up months after floods devastated the valley. Kashmir saw a major decrease in number of tourists after September deluge in which hundreds of people were killed and thousands of villages were destroyed. However, the tourism department is trying to regain what it lost with its winter event called 'Jashne Chilai-e-Kalan'. Chilai kalan is the coldest 40 day winter period in the northern state that starts from December 21. The Kashmir valley is witnessing intense cold wave with sub-zero temperatures. The purpose behind organizing this winter festival is to let people know that Jammu and Kashmir is back to normalcy.Various cultural activities are being held during the festival where dancers and musicians perform, comedy and folk theatre acts are showcased and people dress up as snowman to entertain the kids. A visitor to the event, Majid, said that such events will help promote Kashmir's culture and traditions.

Dec 31, 2014

Fire at hotel in Siliguri kills two

Siliguri, Dec 31 (ANI): Two people died in a late night fire at a hotel in Siliguri city of West Bengal on Wednesday (December 31). The fire broke out at around 1.00 am (1930 GMT) when the hotel guests were sleeping in their rooms. The fire fighters managed to rescue few people, who were immediately rushed to a local government hospital for treatment. The cause of the fire was not ascertained immediately. Preliminary reports suggested it broke out due to a short circuit. Other guests were shifted to hotels nearby.

Dec 31, 2014