Politics

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa visits Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in AP

Tirupati, Dec 10 (ANI): Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the wee hours on Wednesday offered prayers at Tirumala Venkateswara Temple with his family in the revered Hindu temple town of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh amid tight security. Rajapaksa was in the temple for about an hour, participating in the ‘Suprabhatam' recitation ritual conducted by a group of priests inside the temple. Police had made elaborate security arrangements to prevent any untoward incident, as some of the political parties in neighbouring Tamil Nadu state are hostile to the leader due to ethnic Tamil issues in the island nation. Reportedly, Rajapaksa is visiting the temple on the advice of his astrologers which would help him win the Presidential poll in Sri Lanka scheduled for January 08, 2015. Thereafter, the Sri Lankan president left for airport ending his visit to India. Meanwhile, MDMK supporters staged protest and shouted slogans in Tirupati against Rajapaksa’s visit.

Dec 10, 2014

Lure of Ration Cards Led Muslims of Agra to Convert

The RSS outfits' leaders claim that the Muslims had Hindu ancestors, hence, they were re-converted to Hinduism.

Dec 10, 2014

The 480-page report will be the first public accounting of the CIA's alleged use of torture on suspected 9/11 terrorists held in secret places.

CIA Torture Report: China, North Korea Slam US 'Hypocrisy', Call for UN Action

The remarks seem to be a desperate effort by North Korea to throw the ball on US side after being rattled by UN condemnation of its human rights record.

Dec 10, 2014

Government in favour of swapping boundaries with India: Bangladesh High Commissioner to India

New Delhi, Dec 10 (ANI): Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Syed Muazzem Ali said the government supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to swap territory with Bangladesh and hopes the matter is finalised in the ongoing winter session of the parliament. Ali said Bangladesh is looking forward to the early resolution of Land Border Agreement among many other issues including Teesta river dispute. The Land Border Agreement will benefit the people of Bangladesh living in the country as refugees. Meanwhile, Bangladesh envoy also emphasised on his government's firm stand to eliminate all forms of militancy in the country.

Dec 10, 2014

AAP questions Home Minister over lack of women's safety

New Delhi, Dec 10 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party questioned Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh over the lack of safety for women after the Delhi rape case. Leaders and supporters of Aam Aadmi Party had also held a demonstration outside the residence of Singh on Monday and condemned the government for the incident. AAP Spokesperson Atishi Marlena said there is a need to have a holistic solution for the safety and security of the women. Meanwhile, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) met Uber officials in New Delhi. Earlier in the day, DCW had summoned Chief Executive Officer (India operations) of Uber cab service to interrogate him about the alleged rape incident and its services in India.

Dec 10, 2014

Lord Raghunath's 17th century idol worth crores stolen from Kullu temple

Kullu, Dec 10 (ANI): A 17th century idol of Lord Raghunath, worth crores of rupees was stolen from a temple located on the premises of Kullu Palace in Kullu town's busy Sultanpur locality. It was in wee hours that temple priests Pappu and Hemraj noticed the missing idol and immediately informed Dhanvender Singh, son of Maheshwar Singh-- who is the principal guardian of the deity. The idol made of pure gold, which measured a little more than three inches, was removed from the shrine on the intervening night of December 08 and December 09. Burglars also took away the idols of Lord Ganesha, Hanuman, Narsangh and Salig Ram from the temple along with some silver and gold ornaments. Inspector General of Police, PL Thakur said the thieves had broken the roof to enter the premises.

Dec 10, 2014

Security measures in cab services tightened after Uber rape case

Gurgaon/ Bengaluru/ Mainpuri/ New Delhi, Dec 10 (ANI): In the wake of alleged rape of a female passenger in New Delhi by a driver contracted to US cab company Uber, security measures including background verification of drivers, have been tightened across India. Reiterating the need to monitor taxi drivers and fit cabs with GPS, Gurgaon launched a verification drive aimed at preventing crime against women professionals travelling in cabs. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Vinod Kaushik said the police had instructed the company owners to verify the background of the drivers and to monitor the cabs through GPS for tracking purposes. The case has revealed a failure to regulate the booming market for app-based taxi services in India. Meanwhile, Police Commissioner in Bengaluru city, MN Reddi and Transport Commissioner Rame Gowda held a joint news conference with an aim to improve safety measures of cabs in the IT hub. Reddi said cabs must follow 25 permit conditions issued by the transport department to ensure passengers' safety and proper functioning of cabs.

Dec 10, 2014

Pakistan bound bus meets with accident in Jalandhar

Jalandhar, Dec 10 (ANI): A bus commuting between India's national capital and Pakistani city of Lahore met with minor accident. However, no one is injured. The Pakistan-bound bus collided with a police vehicle on national highway number 1 and two personnel of police received injuries. The accident took place in Kapurthala district near Jalandhar city of Punjab. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mukesh Kumar said total 18 passengers including five females and 13 males were travelling in the bus. The Delhi-Lahore Bus, officially known as Sada-e-Sarhad (Call of the Frontier), is a passenger bus service connecting New Delhi with Lahore, via the border transit post at Wagah border.

Dec 10, 2014

SC pressurised to not make IPL spot fixing case probe report public: Aditya Verma

New Delhi, Dec 10 (ANI): Efforts are being made to not let the investigation report in the IPL spot fixing scam surface in public, said petitioner Aditya Verma in New Delhi. Verma said he is surprised at the pressure being created by BCCI to brush the matter under the carpet in interest of its former chief. Meanwhile, Supreme Court said that only an independent body can take up the case against Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of suspended BCCI president Narayanaswami Srinivasan, in the IPL scam. The court rejected all options given by BCCI and Srinivasan in the investigation. A report prepared by BB Mishra, key member of the panel, was submitted to the Supreme Court but the contents of his findings have not been made public. Meanwhile, Justice Mudgal said they have submitted their report to the court for the review and will act as per court's directions.

Dec 10, 2014

Real estate sector witnesses a growth in Assam

Guwahati, Dec 10 (ANI): Guwahati city in Assam is a growing hub for trade and commerce activity in the Northeast. And, this has opened up new vistas for the real estate industry. Shopping malls, showrooms, apartments and hotels - the changing face of the city has made it a favorite destination for investors. Real estate developers are venturing in to the city to tap the potential. In recent years, the city, like most of the other bigger cities in the country has witnessed a sharp rise in the demand for flats, both for residential and commercial purpose. A large number of real estate developers, including from abroad, are eying to develop housing and commercial infrastructure in Assam. They participated in a recently concluded four-day long Realty summit. Organized by the Assam Real Estate and Infrastructure Developers' Association (AREIDA), it invited experts from various infrastructure development related fields to discuss wide range of issues. The exhibition gave a chance to the public to know about the various housing projects and home development items besides a chance to avail loans from a number of banks.

Dec 10, 2014