Politics

Human skulls, skeletal remains found in Imphal

Imphal, Dec 28 (ANI): Around seven human skulls and other skeletal remains were found while digging a school compound for the construction of a new market complex in Imphal city. The discovery has created a tension among the families whose members have reportedly gone missing in the past few decades. The deputy Chief Minister of Manipur, G. Gaikhangam, said one can reach the conclusion only after thorough investigation. The school which has been shifted to a different locality was housing paramilitary forces and state police commandos before it was brought down for the construction of the market place. General Secretary of Families of the Involuntarily Disappeared’s Association in Manipur, Muhammud Baniyamin, said DNA profiling of the remains would provide the missing link.

Dec 28, 2014

Security arrangement in place in Bodh Gaya, says Bihar DGP

Bodh Gaya, Dec 28 (ANI): Director General of Police (DGP) of Bihar, PK Thakur visited holy town Bodh Gaya to monitor security measures. Security has been tightened at holy Buddhist shrine Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya after the recent Taliban attack in a school in Peshawar. The DGP took stock of the situation in and around the temple and expressed satisfaction with the security. The holy shrine was last year in July hit by a series of bomb blasts that were described as “terror” attacks by the government. Two people were injured. The Mahabodhi Temple complex is the place where the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment. Buddhist scriptures describe Bodh Gaya as the "Navel of the Earth", where pilgrims and tourists from Sri Lanka, China, Japan and the entire of southeastern Asia throng to this holiest of Buddhist shrines every year.

Dec 28, 2014

Congress celebrates its130th Foundation Day at AICC headquarters

New Delhi, Dec 28 (ANI): Congress party on Sunday celebrated its 130th Foundation Day at the All India Congress Committee headquarters in the national capital. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were present at the celebrations. Gandhi unfurled the national flag after which a brief ceremony began with 'Vande Mataram' and ended with the National Anthem. The foundation day celebrations comes in the backdrop of the party's sliding base and its disastrous electoral performance this year.

Dec 28, 2014

Dense fog envelopes northern India, cold wave tightens grip

New Delhi/Kanpur/Nagpur, Dec 28 (ANI):Dense fog engulfed northern India on Sunday, disrupting rail and air operations. The intense cold wave continued to tighten its grip, forcing people to stay indoors and sit around bonfires. Visibility in New Delhi was reduced due to thick blanket of fog and people sat around bonfires and drank hot tea to keep themselves warm. According to reports, Delhi recorded the second lowest temperature of the season with mercury dipping to 2 degrees Celsius. Dense fog affected train services in Kanpur city with about 70 trains being rescheduled. The cold wave has added troubles to lives of daily wage labourers and homeless people as they have no alternative but to bear the chill and earn their living.

Dec 28, 2014

Bangladesh Finance Minister expecting fruitful cooperation from India in energy sector

Kolkata, Dec 28 (ANI): Bangladesh Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, who is on visit to India, said that he is expecting a fruitful outcome of the energy cooperation between the two countries after getting a positive nod from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier this month Modi had said India is ready to meet Bangladesh’s energy needs. India granted in-principle approval to Bangladesh’s request to enhance thermal electricity sales from 500 MW to 1,100 MW (mostly through open market purchase), but discussions are also on to collaborate in harnessing renewable energy sources.

Dec 28, 2014

Situation of northeast violence-hit state improving, says official

Sonitpur, Dec 28 (ANI): Administrative officials of Assam said with relief materials being provided to victims and army initiating operation in the woods, the overall situation is improving after a tribal militant group had shot dead at least 80 people in the state earlier this week. Political department's commissioner and secretary, Prateek Hajela and chief executive officer (CEO) of Assam state disaster management authority P.K. Tiwary, during a news conference, said total 81 relief camps have been set up across the state and over 101000 people have taken shelter in the camps. Meanwhile, Tiwary said over 50 companies of paramilitary Central Reserve Police force (CRPF) have been deployed in the sensitive areas and more force are coming from neighbouring states like Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

Dec 28, 2014

India is welcomed to participate in Kazakhstans development programme, says envoy

New Delhi, Dec 28 (ANI): Kazakhstan ambassador invited India to participate in its recently announced signature programme ‘Nur Zhol’, an innovative and development-linked initiative to take the country on the path of growth. Kazakhstan ambassador to India, Bulat Sarsenbayev, said ‘Nur Zhol’ is new and unusual as it focuses on making the country an industrial hub based on innovative ideas to ensure a better future for its citizens. He said the objective of the “Nur Zhol” policy was to ensure stability in the country. Sarsenbayev said his country’s programme is similar to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative as Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Modi want their countries to move forward.

Dec 28, 2014

Egypt cuts jail terms in gay wedding case

An Egyptian appeals court Saturday reduced jail sentences given to eight men over a gay wedding video that went viral on the Internet to one year each, from three years.

Dec 27, 2014

Stone pelted at Kejriwal at a public rally in Deoli, AAP leader unhurt

New Delhi, Dec 27 (ANI): AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal escaped unhurt after a stone was hurled at him during a pubic rally at Deoli on Saturday. The stone thrown by a youth barely reached the dais. The youth was apprehended by the police and taken to the Neb Sari police station. Kejriwal while reacting over the incident said that stones don't scare him and the incident shows that the opposition parties who are behind these attacks are scared of them. Kejriwal had been slapped and 'attacked' several times during last year's election campaigning.

Dec 27, 2014

Rajnath Singh slams reports of PM Modi speaking to Pak PM about Dawood Ibrahim, calls the news 'untr

Lucknow, Dec 27 (ANI): Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday slammed the reports of Prime Minister Narendra Modi having talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif about Dawood Ibrahim. The news surfaced after a web portal Newsmobile.in revealed tapes of Dawood Ibrahim's conversation thereby getting him traced by international agencies in Pakistan. Singh said that he has not said anything like this and that the news running is untrue and he has not idea from where the news surfaced.

Dec 27, 2014

Assam attack: Hundreds of people stranded in relief camps after attack leaves at least 80 dead

Alipurduar/Kokrajhar, Dec 27 (ANI): Hundreds of people are stranded in relief camps in Assam after tribal separatists killed at least 80 people, including women and children, early this week. The first round of attack began on Tuesday where militants fighting for a separate homeland for indigenous Bodo tribesmen targeted plantation workers. Survivors said they were forced to abandon their homes as there was no security in interiors. Government officials are also camping in these temporary shelters to look after their arrangements. Armed security personnel are guarding the camps. The Tuesday attacks on plantation workers were blamed on a faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland in retaliation for an offensive against them launched by security forces a month ago.

Dec 27, 2014

France issues snow and ice warnings

Meteo France, the country's national meteorological service, has put parts of the northeast and northern Alps on alert for snow and ice until at least Sunday morning.

Dec 27, 2014

Government officials with especially-abled kids exempted from compulsory transfer

New Delhi, Dec 27 (ANI): Science and Technology minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said that the government has exempted officials with especially-abled children from compulsory transfer. Singh was releasing an e-book on governance. The e-book cites good governance initiatives taken by the department of Personnel and Training, which Sing heads. The Minister said the government would launch a pilot project in Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra for training of state government officials to improve governance.

Dec 27, 2014

Restoration work of first astro turf in Kashmir nears completion

Srinagar, Dec 27 (ANI): Kashmir will soon boast of a football astro turf as authorities gear up to complete the restoration work. The newly constructed stadium in Srinagar was badly damaged in September in the worst flooding in more than a century. The state's sports council, which is carrying out the repairs, has laid the turf again. Officials say the stadium will be ready in a month's time to host international football matches. Manager of Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council -Synthetic Turf Football Stadium, Sheikh Tulal, said the stadium will be thrown open to public once it gets the nod from FIFA (The Federation Internationale de Football Association). A football player, Dilbag Singh, said the stadium, once complete, will help the budding players in the state.

Dec 27, 2014

PDP seeks assurance from BJP over Article 370 and AFSPA, RSS says matter to be decided by central le

Nagpur, Dec 27 (ANI): RSS Ideologue MG Vaidya on Saturday said that BJP central leadership over PDP seeking assurance from BJP over Article 370 and AFSPA. Hinting that it is ready to do form government in Jammu and Kashmir with BJP, the PDP, which has emerged as the single largest party in the assembly elections, sought assurance from its prospective partners over contentious issues like safeguarding Article 370 and revocation of AFSPA. PDP had maintained that there are certain issues which form the core agenda of the party and therefore requires an assurance that these will be accepted by their potential alliance partner, whichever party it might be.

Dec 27, 2014