Heat wave conditions likely to continue in AP, Telangana till monsoon

In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh the day time temperature will go up after three four days and heat wave conditions are most likely to continue till the onset of monsoon. Director in Meteorology Department in Hyderabad, Y.K. Reddy told AIR correspondent that the maximum Temperatures will remain 4-5 degrees above normal and heat wave conditions are most likely to prevail all along during the month of May. He said, due to thunder showers at some places in Telangana during the past two days and moving of upper air trough towards westerly side, the temperatures have come down by 1-2 degrees at many places in Telangana. He further said, the mercury will again rise after three to four days and the maximum temperatures may even touch 47 degrees at some places. Asking people to play cautious and less expose to sun, he said the heat wave conditions will continue till the onset of monsoon some time during June. Attributing the reason for continuous heat wave conditions to El Nino factor he said heatwave reported for ten days between 14th and 26th of this month at several parts of Telangana while it was 6 days in Rayalaseema of Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, the death toll due to sun stroke in Telangana has gone up to 137 with 15 deaths reported yesterday alone. Worst drought affected Medak district reported 34 deaths while Mahabubnagar reported 64.

Pak committing atrocities against Mujahirs: MQM to US

In Pakistan, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has alleged that the country's army and paramilitary forces are committing atrocities against the Mujahir community in Karachi. In a memorandum submitted to the Special US Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Olson today, it said, over 20,000 MQM workers and supporters have been murdered by the Pakistan Army and other law enforcement agencies since the formation of the party in 1984. These facts have also been confirmed in the latest human rights report of the US State Department, it said. It alleged that high ranking officers of Pakistani intelligence agency ISI are threatening MQM lawmakers to either join an ISI-sponsored political party, or face devastating consequences. It said, Pakistani military's main priority is to pave the way for a right-wing or right-leaning military-sponsored setup in Pakistan, particularly in MQM-dominated cities of urban Sind province.

Priyanka Chopra slams Donald Trump's anti-Muslim comments

"Quantico" star Priyanka Chopra has criticised Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's call for banning Muslim immigrants, saying generalising a type of people is "really primitive". Priyanka was named by Time among 100 most influential people thanks to her blossoming career in Hollywood. Trump is also on the list and both attended the gala last night. "I just think you can't put a ban on anyone. Generalizing a type of people is really primitive," she said. The 33-year-old star said the fight against domestic terrorism has grown so complex that "you can't put a face on it anymore," she added. Trump has been already criticised by celebrities like George Clooney and wife Amal for his controversial comments.

Farmers to get 24/7 electricity by 2019-end: KCR

The TRS government would ensure uninterrupted power supply to the farming community in Telangana by the end of 2019, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today said. Farming community in the state will be provided round- the-clock electricity by the end of 2019, he said, speaking at the TRS plenary held at Khammam, about 200 km from here. The government has prepared a plan to provide irrigation,facility to one crore acres and Rs 25,000 crore have been allocated this year for the same, he said. "My wish is to see such Green Telangana. I do not have any other wish," the Chief Minister said. Noting that different rivers flow in Khammam district, he asked why there is still water problem in the district and what the previous governments did to meet the shortage. The government has introduced a scheme to provide double-bedroom houses to the poor and such a programme is "unprecedented" in the country, he said. The TRS government is implementing welfare schemes like no where else with Rs 35,000 crore allocated for them, the chief minister said. He appealed to the voters of Palair Assembly segment in Khammam district to support TRS candidate Roads and Buildings Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao who is contesting the bypoll scheduled on May 16.

Five dead as truck hits tractor near Hyderabad

Five persons, including a 10-year-old boy and a woman, were killed and four others injured after a truck hit the tractor-trolley they were travelling in near here this evening, police said. The incident occurred near Gagilapur on the outskirts of the city, they said. The victims, residents of Suraram area, were on their way to Medak district to attend a function when the truck hit the tractor from the opposite direction, a police officer attached to the Dundigal police station said.

Hyderabad airport eyes Aera nod for expansion in a few months

The GMR Group-operated Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is awaiting regulatory nod to begin second phase of expansion of the terminal, which has already reached its capacity of 12 million passengers. "We expect the regulatory (Airport Economic Regulatory Authority) nod in a few months to begin work on the second phase of expansion. We already handled 12.5 million passengers last fiscal, which is above our installed capacity of 12 million. So, there is an urgency to have new capacities," CEO SGK Kishore told PTI here. "The first leg of the second phase of expansion will take the annual capacity to 18 million (hopefully by FY19, depending on how soon the nod comes) and 20 million in the second leg. We need 18-20 months to complete the project." The third phase is expected to take the capacity to 40 million. He refused to share investment details, saying it has to be okayed by the regulator. He also did not share any fund-raising plans to finance the expansion. Located 20 kms off the city at Shamshabad, the airport was completed in a record 31 months for Rs 2,478 crore and commissioned in March 2008. "In the next five years, we will be expanding in phases. After the expansion, we will have a bigger terminal facility, more security lanes, more check-in counters and rooftop solar panels. As our growth is steady, we are expecting to reach 20 million passengers in the next five years," said Kishore, a Kerala-cadre IAS officer. With over 12.5 million passengers, the greenfield airport is already the sixth-largest airport in the country with two runways, which are the second-largest in the country. On his outlook over traffic growth, he said that while growth was 20 per cent in 2015-16, a high double-digit growth is likely to continue this year as well, but refused to quantify. In 2014-15, the growth was higher at 22 per cent at 10.5 million. Cargo grew at 11 per cent in 2015-16. Of the total passengers, one-third are international ones. .

Lecture on the art of Editing and Translation - part 3

Beheading' remark mere response to Asad Owaisi: Ramdev

Yoga guru Ramdev today appeared to be backtracking from his controversial remark that if not for the law, he would have "beheaded" people for refusing to chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', saying he was merely responding to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's statement that he won't raise the slogan even if a knife is put to his throat. Addressing a press conference here, Ramdev said insulting religions like Islam or Christianity would be as "idiotic" as Owaisi's remark. "I believe in non-violence, coexistence and oneness. It would be wrong to say that behead me but I won't respect the Quran or the Bible. I take pride in my religion but that does not give me the licence to insult other faiths. That would be as idiotic as Owaisi. "He says at the drop of a hat that behead me but I won't say 'Bharat mata ki jai'. So I responded in rustic language that I would have done so but I believe in the Constitution. No one needs to be scared of me...'Woh toh baat ki baat thi'. If someone wants to say 'Bharat mata ki jai' then let him, what's the point in protesting against it," Ramdev said. The yoga guru said JNU and NIT Srinagar incidents are "offshoots" of a crisis of ideology, principles and policy in the country. Asked about Amitabh Bachchan's name surfacing among the Indians listed in Panama Papers, Ramdev said the Bollywood megastar appeared to be a "good person" but he needs to come up-front and say that he is ready for a probe into the matter. Answering a range of questions, Ramdev also said he does not have any role in the political turmoil in Uttarakhand. On the black money issue, on which he had been vocal in the past, Ramdev said he has left the issue to "Modi ji" to handle. "I have my full focus on Yoga," he said. Ramdev also praised the anti-pollution measure 'odd-even' enforced by the AAP government and the liquor ban imposed by the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar, saying other political parties should follow suit.

Naxals have close links with groups in Philippines, Europe: Govt

Government today said the Naxals have close links with Maoist organisations in the Philippines and Turkey and get support from several organisations in Europe. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said, the CPI(Maoist) has close links with foreign Maoist organizations. He said that the outfit is a member of the Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia. The Minister also said, Left Wing Extremist groups have also participated in conferences and seminars conducted in Belgium and Germany. The Minister informed that so-called 'People's War' being waged by the CPI(Maoist) against the Indian state has also drawn support from several Maoist fringe organisations located in Germany, France, Turkey and Italy. He said, the government is closely monitoring the situation and taking appropriate action as required.

Understanding the Yemen conflict - Part 3

Understanding the Yemen conflict - Part 2

Understanding the Yemen conflict - Part 1

Its raining and I m lovin it

Lecture on the art of Editing and Translation - part 2

Lecture on the art of Editing and Translation - part 1

Hillary Clinton says half of her Cabinet would be women

Eyeing to become the first woman president of the US, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has said that if elected to the White House half of her Cabinet would be comprised of women. "I am going to have a cabinet that looks like America, and 50 per cent of America is women, right?" Clinton said during a MSNBC town hall last night on the eve of the crucial East Coast primaries in five states - Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Her remarks comes a day after her campaign manager John Podesta said that he would like to see Indian-American Neera Tanden in Clinton's Cabinet. Tanden had worked for Clinton for more than 14 years and currently is head of the Center for American Progress (CAP), a think-tank which has made its own mark at the national and international level under her leadership. In July, Clinton is likely to be the first woman to be nominated as a presidential candidate by a major political party. The former secretary of state, who as the First Lady had said that women s rights are human rights, has made women policies a central part of her campaign. "I've devoted a lot of my public life to advocating for women's rights being human rights, and making the case that we have to do everything we can, through laws, regulations, culture, to change the still-existing stereotypes that hold women back," Clinton said during the MSNBC town hall. "I think it's also really important to recognize that we have made progress but we are still a long way from where we need to be. I know that if you look at pay, for example, equal pay is still a problem, and it's a problem that gets worse as you get older," she said. "So young women coming right into the workforce often are paid pretty close to equal, if not actually equally. But within a few years there begins to be a disparity. And it's hard to explain all of the difference because people claim, well, women make different choices and therefore they have a different kind of work life because of those choices but that does not explain all of it," she added. Clinton said she wants to really make a big, big push on equal pay for women. "This has to finally be accomplished. I believe that if we start early and we are absolutely determined we can make a big change there. I want to make a big push for early childhood education because we can talk all we want about our schools," she said.

Thirsty elephants enter villages in search of water

Water scarcity has hit wild life in Andhra Pradesh with four thirsty pachyderms in search of water entering into human habitations in four villages in Srikakulam district neighbouring Odisha. The incident occurred in Bhamini mandal of Seethampet village when a herd of four female elephants entered the villages damaging mango, cashew and coconut plantations. Elephants like water very much and they walk miles together in search of food and want to rest in large water bodies. The forest department too dug nearly 220 artificial water tanks in the forest area of the district under Neeru-Chettu (water and tree) programme for safeguarding the welfare of forest animals. However, due to no rainfall and severe heat conditions prevailing this region most of the tanks have dried up. The forest officer Ch. Santhi Swaroop said that the jumbos came to the villages in search of water as some of the waterholes in the forest might have dried up due to insufficient rainfall last year and the scorching heat this summer. The forest staff have taken all measures to see that the herd which accidentally walked into human habitations in search of water does not hurt people and damage crops.

KCR to handle Comm Taxes & Rural Water Supply depts

Hyderabad, Apr 25 (PTI) Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would handle Commercial Taxes and Rural Water Supply portfolios from today in addition to the existing portfolios. A notification making changes in portfolios in the council of ministers was issued by Chief Secretary Rajeev Sharma today. Commercial Taxes and Rural Water Supply were held by T Srinivas Yadav. He would now look after Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Dairy Development Corporation and Cinematography. Rao's son K T Rama Rao has been given the important portfolios of Industries and Commerce, Public Enterprises, Mines and Geology and NRI Affairs in addition to the existing portfolio (Municipal Administration). Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, held so far by Rama Rao, have gone to Jupalli Krishna Rao. Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy has been given additional charge of Cooperation, according to the notification.

CPI (M) to field candidate for Palair bypoll

The CPI(M) today decided to field its candidate for the Palair Assembly byelection in Telangana, scheduled for May 16. CPI (M) state secretary T Veerbhadram said the party had decided to field its candidate as the efforts by Congress to avoid a contest were not succeeding. Sudarshan Rao will be the CPI (M) nominee. The poll is necessitated by the demise of sitting Congress MLA R Venkata Reddy. Congress had appealed other parties to let his wife, Sucharita Reddy, get elected unopposed. TDP and YSRCP agreed not to put up candidates. But the ruling TRS, however, announced the candidature of Roads and Buildings Minister T Nageswara Rao. Meanwhile, Telangana BJP president K Laxman said today his party was discussing whether to contest the byelection. His party is opposed to both Congress as well as TRS, he said.

Asaduddin Owaisi demands apology from Congress, NCP on Malegaon verdict

Elderly mother stripped, tortured as son 'runs away' with girl

A 60-year-old woman was stripped and tortured in a village under Tikonia Kotwali limits this afternoon after her son "ran away" with a girl, police said. The woman's face was blackened and chilly powder allegedly thrown in her private parts to "punish" her, they said. It was only when her husband ran to the villagers for help, the woman was rescued and police informed. Kheri SP Akhilesh Chaurasia said the son of the aggrieved woman had eloped with a girl from the accused family yesterday which became a matter of dispute between them. Both the families belong to the same village. Chaurasia said an FIR has been lodged against five persons, including four women, who are absconding.

Saudi Cabinet approves plan outlining reform priorities

Saudi Arabia's Cabinet today approved a long-awaited plan laying out reform priorities for the next decade and a half, setting in motion what is likely to be a period of significant economic change in the oil-rich kingdom. The project, which includes plans to float a stake in the world's largest oil company and set up one of the world's largest government investment funds, is meant to provide a blueprint for sweeping changes to steer the OPEC kingpin sharply away from its decades-long reliance on cheap-to- produce oil. King Salman announced the approval for the "Vision 2030" plan in a short televised announcement today in which he called on Saudis to work together ensure its success. The king's son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, spelled out some details of the programme in a pre-recorded interview aired shortly after the announcement on Saudi-owned broadcaster Al-Arabiya. The powerful prince is second in line to the throne, serves as the country's defence minister and chairs a committee formed soon after his father's ascension last year overseeing economic policymaking. That committee, the Council on Economic and Development Affairs, has been focused on reorienting the kingdom away from its heavy reliance on fossil fuels, creating jobs and boosting foreign investment. In the wide-ranging interview, Mohammed bin Salman described the country as having become addicted to oil and said a planned partial initial public offering of the state- owned oil company Saudi Aramco was part of the reform program. He valued the oil giant at more than USD 2 trillion, and said that less than 5 per cent of Aramco would be offered to public shareholders. The Aramco shares would be listed on the Saudi stock exchange, known as the Tadawul, and on an international exchange, possibly in the United States. "The vision is a road map of our development and economic goals," he said. "Without a doubt Aramco is one of the main keys of this vision and the kingdom's economic renaissance." The prince discussed plans to set up a USD 2 trillion sovereign wealth fund that would be managed by an outside board of directors, and not Aramco. The fund's revenues would go into developing the kingdom's cities, he said. He said the economic goals of the reforms are intended to eliminate housing and unemployment problems and ensure that water and energy subsidies go to those most in need. Another way to drive up non-oil revenue, the prince said, is by investing more in mineral mining and boosting the kingdom's own military production capacity. Saudi Arabia was the world's third largest arms buyer last year, with purchases of more than USD 87 billion last year. The prince also said the kingdom, which annually welcomes millions of Muslim pilgrims to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, would become more welcoming to other types of tourists - in line with Saudi Arabia's values. A new residency visa programme could generate additional revenue and would allow Muslims and Arabs to live for extended periods in the country, he said.

Congress MLA Ajay Kumar joins TRS

Congress MLA from Khammam in Telangana P Ajay Kumar today quit the party and joined the ruling TRS. Kumar joined TRS in the presence of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who presented him a party 'khandua' (scarf) at a function to mark his admission into the ruling outfit. "Ajay is young and educated. He has passion to develop Khammam district. The party will utilise his services in an appropriate manner," Rao said at the function held at his residence. Kumar had yesterday alleged Congress did not recognise the services he had rendered to strengthen the party in the district.

Mairaj wins India's first skeet medal at a shooting WC

Indian shooter Mairaj Ahmed Khan has won the silver medal in the Men’s Skeet event of the ISSF Shooting World Cup in Rio De Janerio. Mairaj's feat, gave India its first skeet medal at a World Cup. The 40-year-old Indian shooter finished with an overall tally of 14 in the gold medal match, but lost out to Marcus Svensson of Sweden. Earlier in the year, he became India's first ever skeet shooter to win an Olympic quota place after finishing at sixth place in last year's ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Italy.

Severe heat wave conditions to prevail in Telangana

There is no respite for the people of Telangana that is reeling under the scorching heat for the past several days with many places in the state recording maximum temperatures above normal. The met officials informed that the severe heat wave conditions likely to prevail in the state for next three days. Meanwhile, the drinking water shortage has become severe across the state, with water levels in major reservoirs are falling drastically. The harsh summer made agriculture crisis further deep in most parts of the state. According to farmers organizations, about 15 lakh people have migrated from mainly Mahabubnagar, Medak, Nizamabad and Adilabad districts of the state to other parts of the country in search of work.

JNU rusticates Umar, 2 others, Rs 10,000 fine on Kanhaiya

The Jawaharlal Nehru University, JNU has rusticated Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhhatacharya in connection with an event organised in the campus to mark the death anniversary of Afzal Guru. JNU Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar who was also charged with sedition and arrested in connection with the incident has been fined Rs 10,000. Umar has been rusticated for one semester, Anirban Bhattacharya till 15th of July and Mujeeb Gattoo for two semesters. As per decision, Bhattacharya has been barred from pursuing any course in JNU for next 5 years. The hostel facilities have been withdrawn for Ashutosh Kumar for a year and Komal Mohite for three months. The committee also found ABVP member Saurabh Sharma, who had objected to the event, guilty of blocking traffic on the day of the event and imposed penalty of twenty thousand rupees. The University had appointed a high-level committee to probe the February 9 event, where anti- India slogans were allegedly raised triggering a controversy.

Court sets free all eight Muslim accused in Malegaon blast case

A Special Mumbai Court today discharged all 8 Muslim accused of 2006 Malegaon blast case. The nine men were arrested in 2006 by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for the Malegaon blasts that killed 37 and injured over 100. In November 2011, they were granted bail. One died during trial. Later, CBI, which took over the investigations, also confirmed the charges against them. Subsequently, NIA was asked to probe the case and the agency arrested right wing activists, who continue to be accused in the case. Sessions Judge V V Patil while hearing a discharge applications said that he was accepting the discharge application filed by the 8 accused as there was no evidence to prove their guilt.

India cancels visa to Chinese dissident Dolkun Isa to visit Dharamsala.

The son of former AP Assembly speaker Suresh Reddy booked for rash driving

Chandrababu inaugurates AP Secretariat complex in Amaravati

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu formally inaugurated the state's interim government complex (temporary Secretariat) at Velagapudi village in capital region Amaravati early today. As there is no other auspicious 'muhurtam' in the coming few months, the Chief Minister completed the formalities today amid vedic chants and a Ganapati 'homam' (religious ritual). A 2,000 sqft office space was hurriedly readied for use by the Chief Minister and Chandrababu occupied it to mark the inauguration. He signed a file relating to waiver of loan for horticulture farmers on the occasion. The government is determined to begin operations from Amaravati region from June 15, Chandrababu said. The construction of the government complex has been going on at a brisk pace to meet the deadline. Later, the Chief Minister announced that a five-day working week would be implemented for employees who come to work at Velagapudi from Hyderabad. Also, they would be paid an additional 30 per cent as house rent allowance. "In the first phase, we will build 5,000 houses for the employees within a year in the new capital region. More number of houses will be built in the subsequent phases," Chandrababu said. "Make use of technology and our e-office system. I only want that files are cleared in time and there is no corruption," the Chief Minister said. On the occasion, he also announced that an additional 50 square yards of land would be given to farmers of the region who parted with their lands under the Land Pooling Scheme for the development of the capital. Deputy Chief Minister N China Rajappa, Ministers P Narayana, P Pulla Rao, Devineni Umamaheswara Rao were among others who attended the event.

Jagan and other YSRCP leaders left for Delhi to meet Prez, PM on defection issue

YSRCP Chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy along with his party leaders has left for Delhi on Monday for ‘Save Democracy’. The party leaders would be staying in Delhi for the next two days will be meeting President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh and discuss about how the ruling TDP was luring the YSRCP MLAs with money and positions of power.They would also raise the issue of the unethical political practices of AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. It may be recalled that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday met Governor ESL Narasimhan AM at Rajbhavan in Hyderabad. YS Jagan explained how the ruling Telugu Desam Party was engineering defections in Andhra Pradesh and how was using the kickbacks from the corrupt deals to lure the Opposition MLAs to defect. YSRCP has also launched 'Save Democracy’, an awareness drive on the TDP's machinations across the state. As part of it, the party workers will hold candle light processions on Saturday evening. Public meetings were held to highlight the misdeeds of the ruling party.

Sania-Hingis lose in Final of Stuttgart Grand Prix tournament in Germany

The Indo-Swiss pair of top seeded pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis have lost the women's doubles finals to second seeded French duo of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in the Stuttgart Tennis Grand Prix tournament being held in Germany. They lost to the pair of Garcia-Mladenovic 6-2, 1-6, 6-10.

Odisha, Telangana continue to sizzle due to heat wave

Normal life in western Odisha was completely thrown out of gear due to severe heat wave conditions. Western Odisha town Titilagarh which has turned the country’s hottest spot in the month of April, yesterday recorded temperature of 48.5 degree Celsius. Prior to this, in April 30, 1999, the maximum day temperature in Titilagarh was 48.1 degree. Besides, several other parts of Odisha continued to reel under severe heat wave and mercury hovered above 40 degree in 17 places. The Met department warned that a similar condition would prevail during next couple of days. The India Meteorological Department forecast that the heat wave situation was likely to prevail for some more days. In Telangana, severe heat wave conditions continue to prevail over several parts of the state with day time temperatures recording above 40 degrees Celsius in almost all districts. Nalgonda recorded maximum temperature of 45.2 degrees Celsius during the past 24 hours while Khammam and Ramagundam recorded 45 degrees Celsius. Met department officials warned people in the state not to venture out between 10Am and 4PM as severe heat wave condition prevail over some parts in the state for next 5 days. Meanwhile, the State government has begun providing summer midday meal in over three thousand drought affected villages in the state.

A mother and daughter brutally murdered at Murtuza Chowni area under Chatrinaka PS limits in old city. The husband of the deceased woman is at large.

Kanhaiya to campaign for fellow 'comrade' in Kerala elections

JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who had earlier ruled out campaigning in the West Bengal and Kerala Assembly polls, has now decided to plump for a fellow JNU comrade who is in the fray for the May 16 elections in Kerala. Ever since he walked out of Tihar jail, where he was lodged in a sedition case over an event on campus, Kanhaiya had been maintaining he was a student and not a "politician" and that he had no plans of campaigning in the Assembly polls. However, the 29-year-old research scholar says he decided to join the campaign after Muhammed Muhassin, CPI candidate for Pattambi seat in Palakkad, mooted the idea. "He has stood by me, so I decided to hit the campaign trail," Kanhaiya said. Muhassin, is a student at JNU's School of Social Science (SSS) and is about to complete his PhD in Adult Education. He is also the Vice President of JNU unit of All India Students Federation (AISF), the student wing of Communist Party of India (CPI). Kanhaiya, who is the first AISF member to be elected JNU Students Union president, was arrested in February in a sedition case over an event on JNU campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. Muhassin, was among those who led the agitation for Kanhaiya's release. "I still maintain that mainstream politics is not my calling and I have no intention of joining it. I still plan to stick to my goal of being a teacher but with Muhassin it was different. He has stood by JNU, stood by me all the time, I couldn't refuse him," Kanhaiya said. "And not only me but the entire AISF unit of JNU will support him. Besides, the JNU unit of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) will also travel to Kerala to campaign for him," he added. Asked about the campaigning schedule, Muhassin told PTI over phone from Kerala, "Kanhaiya along with the IPTA group and JNU students is expected to be here in the second week of May. He also plans to go to Patna before that where he will address a public meeting. He may also visit his family during the same trip." After the electrifying speech Kanahaiya delivered on his return to the campus from jail, the CPI-M General secretary Sitaram Yechury had said the student leader would be campaigning for Left parties in the Assembly polls. However, he later stated that Kanhaiya will not travel to Kerala and West Bengal to campaign citing the bail conditions and other issues. Kanhaiya too had ruled out campaigning, saying mainstream politics is not his calling. Kanhaiya had campaigned in south Delhi during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and in Begusarai, when his home state Bihar voted last year.

Now an attack on Kanhaiya Kumar in Mumbai-Pune flight!

JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar today said that a co-passenger allegedly tried to attack him on a flight from Mumbai to Pune. A man identified as Manas Jyoti Deka has been detained in connection with the incident, police said, adding no FIR has been so far registered. "A person has been detained for allegedly attacking Kanahiya onboard a Pune-bound flight. The matter is being probed further," a senior police official said. Later, Kanhaiya was offloaded by the airline citing safety, forcing him to take the road route to Pune. Kanhaiya, who hit the headlines after being arrested on charges of sedition in the aftermath of an event on the JNU campus where alleged anti-India slogans were raised, said in a tweet, "Yet again, this time inside the aircraft, a man tries to strangulate me". The man's attempt to attack Kanhaiya was evaded by his colleagues who were on the same flight, according to All India Students' Federation national president Syed Waliullah Kadri. "Kanhaiya, I and two others from JNU had boarded the flight from Mumbai. This man suddenly got up and tried to attack Kanhaiya," Kadri claimed. Following the ruckus, the four approached Mumbai Airport authorities to file a complaint in this regard. "After the incident @jetairways staff completely refuses to take any action against the man who assaulted me," Kanhaiya alleged in another tweet. Hitting out at the airline further, Kanhaiya also said that it sees no difference between "someone who assaults and one who is assaulted". He appeared to also suggest that the one who is attacked will be "deplaned" by the service provider "if he complains about it". "Basically @jetairways sees no difference between someone who assaults nd d person who is assaulted. They will deplane you, if you complain," the 29-year-old student union leader said in another tweet. Meanwhile, Jet, in a statement, said some guests on board flight 9W618, Mumbai to Pune, have been offloaded in the interest of operational safety. "Some guests on board Jet Airways fight 9W618 from Mumbai to Pune have been off loaded at Mumbai airport in the interest of operational safety. At Jet Airways, the safety and security of our guests and crew is always of prime importance," the spokesman added. He is scheduled to attend an event in Pune later in the day.

Samajwadi party insecure: Asad Owaisi

A day after he was denied permission to hold public meetings in Azamgarh, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi today said the ruling Samajwadi party was "insecure" of him. "Yesterday did a roadshow in 4 districts UP very good public response esp from youth for 12 hours peaceful but stopped Azamgarh SP is insecur (sic)," he wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter this morning. "Samajwadi party is stopping from holding public meetings, enter Azamgarh remember @yadavakhilesh power is not ETERNAL I will be coming more (sic)," he tweeted. AIMIM chief was yesterday denied permission by authorities to hold public meetings in Azamgarh in the wake of tension in Mubarakpur area there. Application to hold public meeting was received from Owaisi's party but he was denied permission, Azamgarh District Magistrate Suhash L Y had said. Addressing his partymen at a meeting, Owaisi had exhorted them to prepare for the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. "Start preparations for the elections so that our people could have representation in the Vidhan Sabha," he had told party workers in Siddarthnagar. "We are neither against any religion nor against any person," Owaisi, who was on a UP tour, said.

Palair by-poll to see fight between Cong and TRS

The May 16 by-poll to Palair Assembly segment in Telangana is expected to witness a contest between the ruling TRS and Congress as TDP and YSR Congress have decided not to field their candidates. The by-poll is necessitated following the death of sitting Congress MLA R Venkata Reddy and the party has decided to field his widow, Sucharita Reddy as its nominee. The ruling TRS has chose State Roads and Buildings minister Tummala Nageswara Rao as its candidate. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's son state IT and Panchayat Raj Minister K T Rama Rao has been appointed as party in charge for the election. Congress has appealed to all the other parties to let Venkata Reddy's widow be elected unopposed as per a tradition in undivided Andhra Pradesh and also in view of the departed leader's clean image. State Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy has written to the parties to let the Congress nominee be elected unopposed. Party working president M Bhatti Vikramarka also called on TDP Telangana unit president L Ramana, YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy and leaders of other parties with the request. Heeding to the request, YSR Congress and TDP have announced their decision not to field their candidates. Thanking the TDP for its support, Vikramarka today hoped that the CPI and CPI(M), which have a presence in Khammam district, would also not field candidates. Responding to other opposition parties supporting the Congress in the bypoll, Rama Rao criticised them for the move. "TDP and YSR Congress, which are anti-Congress in nature, have now come together to defeat the TRS in the Palair bypoll," he alleged.

Congress MLA to quit party

Congress legislator from Khammam in Telangana P Ajay Kumar today said he has decided to resign from the party claiming it did not give him "due importance". "I tried to save the party in the district (Khammam). However they (the party) failed to recognise my services. I was discriminated against others in the allotment of party posts also," Kumar told reporters. In the 119-member Telangana Assembly, Congress presently has 16 MLAs.

Younis Khan triggers another controversy in Pakistan cricket

Senior batsman Younis Khan has triggered another controversy in Pakistan cricket by returning home midway from the ongoing Pakistan Cup one-day tournament in Faisalabad. A reliable source told PTI that Younis had left the tournament after match referee Aziz Rehman fined and summoned him for a disciplinary hearing. He was captaining the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa outfit. "Younis left because he felt his reputation was being tarnished at this stage of his career and this was not acceptable to him," the source said. "Younis was not happy with the standard of umpiring and when the referee summoned him for a disciplinary hearing over some remarks he had made to fourth umpire Rashid Riaz after Friday's match (which KPK won) and he decided to leave the tournament in protest," another source confirmed. The manager of the KPK team, Mukhtar Hussain, confirmed that Younis had left for home and Test batsman Ahmed Shehzad would now lead the team in the prestigious competition being televised live and being played under lights. "Younis first had a run-in with umpire Shozab during the match against Federal Areas Islamabad which Misbah ul Haq was leading," the source said. "In that match one appeal was turned down against Misbah and Younis was also not happy with the general standard of umpiring and when he asked the umpire why he didn't give Misbah out he got a funny reply," the source said. Younis, after the match which KPK lost narrowly, said at the prize distribution ceremony if umpiring had been good his team would have won the match. "The matter heated up when during the toss for the KPK game against Sindh on Friday the match referee requested Younis to go easy on the umpires. Younis, in a discussion with the fourth umpire later, gave him a piece of his mind and told him what needed to be done to improve the umpiring standards," the source said. He said the fourth umpire than went and complained to the match referee that Younis had offended him and violated the code of conduct. "The referee summoned Younis for a hearing which the senior player refused to attend after which the referee fined him 50 percent of his match fees.

Clashes at Aligarh University campus, former student killed

One person was killed when violence erupted at the Aligarh Muslim University campus late last night following a clash between two regional student groups. Police said, he was shot dead near the Proctor's office where the warring groups exchanged fire with each other. The deceased has been identified as a former student of the University. DIG Aligarh Range Govind Agarwal, who led the police operations, said trouble started when a resident of Mumtaz hostel was assaulted and his room was set on fire. Meanwhile, Rapid Action Force has been deployed at all sensitive spots especially in view of the entrance test for the engineering college being held today. Over 13,000 candidates are expected to appear from the Aligarh campus centre alone.

MEA revoks Vijay Mallya's passport

The Ministry of External Affairs today revoked businessman Vijay Mallya's passport under different sections of passport act. External Affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, after getting replies of Mr Mallya, the ministry took this decision. Earlier, armed with a non-bailable arrest warrant against him, the Enforcement Directorate, ED has approached the External Affairs Ministry seeking initiation of deportation proceedings against Vijay Mallya in connection with its money laundering probe against him.

Permission denied to Asaduddin Owaisi to hold meeting in Azamgarh

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi was today denied permission by authorities to hold public meetings in the district in the wake of tension in Mubarakpur area. Application to hold public meeting was received from Owaisi's party but he was denied permission, Azamgarh District Magistrate Suhash L Y said. Owaisi is on a two-day visit to Uttar Pradesh. Earlier in the day, about 100 activists of Hindu Yuva Vahini were taken into custody in neighbouring Siddarthnagar when they were staging a protest at Bhadariya crossing against the visit of Owaisi. The Yuva Vahini had announced that they would protest against Owaisi's refusal to chant 'Bharat Mata ki jai'. Local BJP MP Jagdambika Pal had also demanded a ban on his visit to the district and alleged that SP government was assisting him in vitiating the atmosphere. Addressing his partymen at a meeting, Owaisi exhorted them to prepare for the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. "Start preparations for the elections so that our people could have representation in the Vidhan Sabha," he todl party workers in Siddarthnagar. "We are neither against any religion nor against any person," Owaisi added.

Jagan meets Governor; complaints about TDP "luring" his MLAs

YSR Congress President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy today told Governor E S L Narasimhan the ruling TDP in Andhra Pradesh was indulging in misuse of power and "luring" his party MLAs into the ruling TDP. The Leader of Opposition also sought action against Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for the latter's alleged involvement in various "scams". "We have urged the Governor to intervene and see that action is initiated against the Chief Minister, who is facing serious corruption charges and is involved in various scams. He has been using the ill-gotten wealth to lure MLAs from other parties in an undemocratic method," Reddy told reporters here after submitting a memorandum to the Governor. "I challenge Chandrababu Naidu to disqualify the MLAs (of YSRC who have joined TDP) and go to the people seeking a fresh mandate which will stand as a referendum on his governance and undemocratic methods being employed ever since the party came to power," he said. The YSR Congress President's attack on the TDP came in the wake of 13 Congress MLAs switching over to the ruling party. The YSRC observed 'Save Democracy Day' today by holding candle light protests at district headquarters. The party leaders would go to New Delhi on April 25 "to apprise the President, Prime Minister and leaders of all political parties about the rampant corruption and blatant violation of democratic norms by Chandrababu Naidu and his government," he said. The YSRC leader demanded that the MLAs who switched loyalties should be disqualified and by-elections held immediately in their constituencies. Reddy said the party has complained to the Legislative Assembly Speaker about the legislators who have switched side but no action had been taken against them. "The party would seek legal recourse if the same continued," he added.

Heat wave claims 49 lives in Telangana

Heat wave in Telangana has so far claimed 49 lives and there seems no respite from soaring mercury as the hot weather is likely to prevail at few places in the state for at least two days, a Disaster Management department official said today. "Till yesterday, we have reports that 49 persons died due to heat wave in the state (during this summer season)," the official told PTI. Mahabubnagar district topped the chart of heat-related deaths at 39. Temperature has been hovering above 40 degrees Celsius in most parts of the state since last fortnight prompting the government to issue a heat wave alert in all districts. The government had announced Rs 50,000 as ex-gratia to the kin of those who died due to sun stroke. According to a bulletin issued by India Meteorological Department today, heat wave conditions are likely to prevail at a few places in Telangana today and tomorrow. "Appreciable rise in maximum temperatures is recorded at one or two places over Telangana. They were markedly above normal at one or two places over Telangana," it stated. The highest maximum temperature of 45 deg Celsius was recorded at Bhadrachalam, Khammam, Nalgonda and Nizamabad. The Met report further said that rains occurred at one or two places in the state. In view of the weather conditions, the government had advanced summer holidays for schools to April 16 from scheduled date of April 24. The government has also launched a web portal for heat wave predictions and necessary resources available at respective places in case of emergency. Telangana Deputy Chief Minister (in charge of Revenue) Mahmood Ali had earlier said that Medical and Health department has advised to keep sufficient stocks of ORS and IV fluids in all hospitals to cater to patients in the event of sun strokes.

Congress to field Ramreddy's widow for Palair Assembly bypoll

The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) today decided to field Sucharitha Reddy, widow of Congress MLA Ramreddy Venkat Reddy, who passed away recently, for the Palair Assembly bypolls in Khammam district. "The party has decided to field Sucharitha Reddy for the bypoll," TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy said. Reddy said the party is in talks with other political parties to support Sucharitha Reddy. The Congress high command is likely to announce Sucharitha Reddy's name officially soon. A senior Congress leader said YSR Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and CPI have in principle agreed to support the Congress candidate in the bypoll. The ruling TRS has already announced that it would nominate minister Tummala Nageswara Rao for the bypoll. The polling will be held on May 16, the Election Commission had announced.

"Brahminical system" should be rooted out ' says Kanhaiya Kumar

JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar today came down heavily on the Narendra Modi dispensation, terming it a "Government of selfies and jumlas" as he pushed for enactment of a law to prevent caste-based prejudice in educational institutions. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) President who hit headlines after being arrested on charges of sedition in the aftermath of an event at the JNU campus where alleged anti-India slogans were raised, went hammer and tongs against the NDA-led Centre and its pet projects. "The Modi government is coining only jumlas (idiomatic expressions) such as Make in India, which should actually be Fake in India; Stand Up India, Start Up India, Selfie with Daughter etc. It has become a government of selfies and 'jumlas'. "The reality is these are only tall promises by which the government is fooling the public as nothing positive was coming off the ground," he said. The 29-year-old was speaking on the topic 'Student-Youth Assembly Against Discrimination' at an event in suburban Tilak Nagar. Kumar said at a time when entire Marathwada region in Maharashtra was reeling under drought, "RSS-led government" was busy holding IPL matches in the state. "I heard a wax statue of Modiji has been carved out. I also heard a 12-year old girl in Marathwada died as she ventured out to fetch water in scorching heat. Let that wax statue of Modiji be put in Marathwada," he said. Kumar, on his first visit to the metropolis after being granted bail in the sedition case, also touched upon issues related to Mumbai during his 50-minute speech mixed with sarcastic jibes and hard-hitting words. He said the government should pay some attention to improve commuting in suburban trains, which are usually overcrowded leading to death of passengers many a time. The JNU leader said it was high time "Brahminical system" was rooted out and an egalitarian society established in the country. "I am not against Brahmins or any particular caste. But I am against social structure built around Brahminical system and Manuvaad. I want an end of this system and its replacement by Babasaheb Ambekar's vision (of casteless) society," he said. He slammed those who were asking Muslims to prove their nationalism and trying to determine the food habits of the countrymen. These issues are being seen with an eye on the next year's Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, he said. Kumar pitched for a new law, 'Rohith Act', to stop caste-based discrimination in educational institutions, a demand made in the wake of suicide by Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad University in January

Sania -Hingis enter final of Porsche Tennis Grand Prix tournament

Top seeded Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis of Switzerland have entered the final of Porsche Tennis Grand Prix tournament at Stuttgart in Germany on Saturday. In the Women's doubles semi-finals, the Sania- Hingis duo defeated Sabine Lisicki of Germany and Lucie Safarova of Czech Repubolic in straight sets 6-4,7-5.

Salman Khan named goodwill ambassador for India at Rio Olympics

Bollywood actor Salman Khan was on Saturday named goodwill ambassador of the Indian contingent for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The announcement was made in the presence of Olympic medalists and Rio star athletes such as boxer M C Mary Kom, hockey captain Sardar Singh, and shooter Apurvi Chandela, among others. Salman said Olympics do not get the viewership it deserves, and as a goodwill ambassador, he will try to popularise the games. Indian Olympic Association President N Ramachandran said, Salman's association will not only attract sports lovers but also help motivate the players to do well in the Olympics.

1 more YSRC MLA joins ruling TDP in AP

One more MLA from the YSR Congress today crossed over to the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh, taking the total number of defectors to 13. Attar Chand Basha, MLA from Kadiri constituency in Anantapuramu district, joined the ruling party in the presence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu here this morning. The move comes even as Leader of Opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy met Governor E S L Narasimhan in Hyderabad to complain about the 'purchasing' of his legislators by the ruling party. Local leaders of YSRC from Kadiri also joined the TDP along with Basha. Like his 12 other colleagues, who claimed they deserted the lone opposition party for the sake of "development", Basha too said he joined the TDP for the development of his constituency. It may be recalled that exodus of MLAs from YSRC began on February 22 when four of them crossed over to the TDP. Since then, legislators have been switching to the ruling party at regular intervals with the number now touching 13. The YSRC submitted a petition to Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao seeking disqualification of the defectors. It also sought to build a case against them by issuing a whip for voting on two no-confidence motions (one each against the government and the Speaker) in the Budget session last month but the TDP outwitted the YSRC in the political game. Though it eventually issued a whip to its members for voting against the Appropriation Bill, the YSRC's strategy fell flat as "rules" did not permit voting. As his legislators continue to ditch him, a baffled Jagan petitioned the Governor against the "immoral" acts of the TDP in luring and 'purchasing' the opposition MLAs and sought action against Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Trump mocks Indian call center

Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump has used fake Indian accent to mock a call center representative in India. At the same time, he described India as a great place, asserting that he is not angry with Indian leaders. The billionaire from New York said that he called up his credit card company to find out whether their customer support is based in the US or overseas. "Guess what, you're talking to a person from India. How the hell does that work?" he told his supporters in Delaware. "So I called up, under the guise I'm checking on my card, I said, 'Where are you from?'" Trump said and then he copied the response from the call center in a fake Indian accent. "We are from India," Trump impersonated the response. "Oh great, that s wonderful," he said as he pretended to hang up the phone. "India is great place. I am not upset with other leaders. I am upset with our leaders for being so stupid," he said. "I am not angry with China. I am not angry at Japan. I am not angry with Vietnam, India...all these countries." Trump mentioned the fake call to India during his remarks on what he described as "crooked banking." Delaware, is a hub for the America s banking and credit- card industry. Topping the list include Bank of America, Citibank Delaware, M&T Bank and PNC Financial Services Group. "They are making a lot of money," he said. "You can't allow policies that allows China, Mexico, Japan, Vietnam, India. You can t allow policies that allows business to be ripped out of the United States like candy from a baby," Trump said in his address. "The manufacturing jobs are being stolen. Our jobs are being taken. We are losing at every front. There is nothing good. Our country does not win anymore. The jobs are being stripped. Factories are closing. We are not going to let this happen anymore," he said. Trump said he has as many as 378 companies registered in Delaware, where the Republican presidential primaries is scheduled on April 26 along with several other states. He is leading in polls against his other primary rivals. In his speech, Trump praised Delaware's status as a tax shelter and slammed President Barack Obama for not using the term "radical Islamists" in the fight against terrorism. "I want to run against crooked Hillary," he said, reiterating that a Trump vs Clinton race would bring the greatest turn out in the history of the American elections. "We will stomp on Hillary Clinton no one s ever done." He was also critical of Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who did not endorse him during the primary. Delaware has 16 delegates. Trump has 845 delegates, followed by Ted Cruz (559) and John Kasich (148).

Drought condition to remain maximun for 30 to 45 days

The India Meteorological Department, IMD, has predicted that the drought condition prevailing in the country now will remain maximum for 30 to 45 days. Participating in the current affairs programme of All India Radio, IMD director B P Yadav said farmers faced two deficient rainfall years consecutively and the immediate solution is good monsoon. He, said IMD has predicted good forecast and the South-West monsoon rainfall will be above normal in this year. Earlier, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the central government is making all efforts to deal with drought situation . He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed to provide all assistance to the affected States.

Severe heat wave conditions continue in Telangana

In Telangana, severe heat wave conditions prevailed in several parts of the state with day time temperatures continue to record above 40 degrees Celsius across the state. The highest maximum temperature recorded at 45 degrees Celsius in Nalgonda during the past 24 hours and Nizamabad recorded 44.9 degrees while Adilabad and Bhadrachalam recorded 44.8 degrees. Meanwhile, the Met officials warned that severe heat wave conditions likely to prevail over some parts in the state for next five days. The maximum temperatures are marked 4-5 degrees above normal at almost all places in the state. AIR correspondent reports, Telangana state is reeling under scorching heat coupled with severe water scarcity as the state is facing drought conditions for the third consecutive year this time. The bore wells and hand pumps that were serving the water needs of people have dried up at many places. Besides an unrelenting heat wave, the villages in Telangana state are facing a long gap between demand and supply of water as the water levels at various reservoirs are touching zero levels. Even Hyderabad is facing the dry spell as four major reservoirs that supply drinking water to the capital city went dry for the first time in 30 years facing about 47 per cent deficit in water supply. On rural side, despite best efforts made by the state machinery to deal with the crisis and supply water through tankers, the much needed relief is evading. The heartrending scenes of shifting cattle to slaughter houses has become common in villages these days as the drought conditions hit hard the supply of water and fodder to the cattle.

Union Minister Nadda, 5 others escape unhurt in lift mishap

Union Health Minister J P Nadda and five others, including two Telangana BJP legislators, escaped unhurt when a lift in the party office here fell from the ground floor to the cellar. Nadda and the five others boarded the lift in the ground floor to go to the fourth floor, but it suddenly came down with a loud noise, BJP MLC Ramachandra Rao, who was inside the elevator, told PTI. Policemen and party activists brought them out safely and none sustained any injuries, he said. The reason for the lift falling was not known immediately and that the matter would be looked into, Raosaid. Nadda was here to attend an event organised in connection with new Telangana BJP President K Laxman assuming charge today. Along with Nadda, Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Bandaru Dattatreya also attended a public meeting organised on the occasion.

TRS gets conditional EC nod for plenary in bypoll-bound Khammam

The Election Commission today gave conditional permission to the ruling TRS in Telangana to hold its 15th plenary and a public meeting in Khammam district, where model code is in force for a bypoll next week. In view of the model code of conduct prevailing in Khammam district due to by-election to Palair Assembly constituency, TRS had sought permission to conduct its 15th plenary and a public meeting on April 27 in Khammam town, a release from the Chief Electoral Officer's office said. "Accordingly, the Election Commission has considered the matter and has allowed TRS to conduct the plenary and public meeting on April 27. "The permission is subject to the condition that all the expenses in this respect are met by the party and no official machinery is used or involved in any of the arrangements and all ministers and the Chief Minister make no official visits to this function," the release said. The bypoll, to be held on May 16, is is necessitated by the death of sitting Congress MLA from Palair R Venkata Reddy.

TRS nominates Nageswara Rao for Palair seat bypoll

The ruling TRS has decided to nominate minister Tummala Nageswara Rao for the Palair Assembly constituency in Khammam district of Telangana. The notification for the bypoll to the Palair Assembly constituency would be issued today and polling will be held on May 16, the Election Commission announced. The bypoll is necessitated by the death of senior Congress MLA and former minister Ramreddy Venkata Reddy. The bypoll assumed significance after the TRS decided to field Roads and Buildings Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who is an MLC now. Congress had earlier appealed to the other parties to let a family member of Venkata Reddy elected unopposed in view of the "services and clean image" of the departed leader. Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy has called up his Telugu Desam Party counterpart L Ramana and sought the cooperation of the party in the bypoll, TDP said in a release today. Ramana has promised to get back to the PCC president after consulting TDP chief and AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, it said. TDP leaders in Khammam district, however, had earlier discussed the name of former MP Nama Nageswara Rao but the party has not made any official announcement on the matter. The former MP and Tummala Nageswara Rao were understood to be at loggerheads when the latter was in TDP. Besides TDP, the Left parties and YSR Congress also have significant presence in Khammam district. The TRS has been on a winning streak, since it assumed power in the 2014 elections, emerging victorious in the bypolls held for Warangal Lok Sabha and Narayankhed assembly constituencies and also the civic body elections in Hyderabad.

Telangana experiences hottest April

In Telangana, maximum temperatures have gone to a record high level during the past 24 hours with Ramagundam recording maximum temperature at 46.1 degree Celsius. Met officials informed that several swathes of the State also recorded high day time temperatures in unprecedented manner. Nizamabad recorded 45.1 degrees while Adilabad recorded 44.8 degrees Celsius. Weather men attribute the severe heat wave to the global factors like El Nino effect and north westerly winds. So far, 45 persons died in the State during the current season. With an aim to prevent such incidents, the state government has issued orders not to make daily wagers to work in heat and provide them shade especially during the peak hours. The Met records indicating that the state witnessed this time the hottest April first time in the past decade time.

Meeting Azharuddin's first wife emotional: Prachi Desai

Actress Prachi Desai, who is essaying the role of Mohammad Azharuddin's first wife Naureen in "Azhar", says she met her in real life and their date turned out to be very emotional. "I did meet Naureen. After all the assumptions and notions that I had heard about her, my perception completely changed for the better when I met her. It was very emotional to see her in reality. There was an instant connect with her, may be because of the script, the character I was playing," Prachi told PTI. The 27-year-old "Rock On" star was left inspired by some of the insights Naureen shared with her, even though she is a private person. "In her personal capacity, she shared a lot of insights with me. She's a very private person but there is so much respect and dignity I have for her. She is inspiring." "Azhar" stars Emraan Hashmi in the titular role and also features Nargis Fakhri, Lara Dutta among others. For the "Once Upon A Time In Mumbai" actress, it was "extremely" challenging to put a face to the name, as not much was known about Naureen. "Naureen is a mystery. She was Azhar's first love, wife, got married at an early age of 16 years but nobody knows much about her. It was extremely challenging to put a face to the name," Prachi said. "She saw Azhar excel in his career, she saw his growth from the start, from teenager to the early twenties. We know other details of his life but not about her," she added. To prepare for her role, Prachi relied on the research put by the film's director, which included a lot of first had account of Naureen's life. "It was daunting a task. Since there was not much information.. We had to rely on other people's notion about her. Those were first hand, but still notions. Initially I was worried on how will we go about it, but Tony and the team had done a fantastic research." The film is scheduled to release on May 13.

Sania-Martina move into doubles semis in Germany

Top seeded Sania Mirza of India and Martina Hingis of Switzerland have stormed into semifinals of Porsche Tennis Grand Prix tournament. They defeated Czech Republic pair of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova 6-1,6-3 in doubles quarter-final match in Stuttgart, Germany today. Sania-Martina are now pitted against Sabine Lisicki of Germany and Lucie Safarova of Czech Repubolic in semi-final. Sabine-Lucie moved into semi-final after upsetting third seeded Andreja Klepac and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovania 2-6, 6-1,10-7.

Attempt being made to spread fear among minorities: Asad Owaisi

AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi today alleged "oppressors" are in power and an attempt is being made to creat an atmosphere of fear among minorities in the country. "The country is going through a situation...The oppressors are in power," Owaisi said at an event organised by Anjum-e- Haidari here. "Power will be in their hand but not for long. Today, an attempt is being made to create an atmosphere of fear. "I want to tell those occupying the seat of power that you have an example of the Batle of Karbala, you have example of Imam Hussain and Ali Akbar. They never surrendered before oppressors. Instead, they gave a befitting reply. Even if our heads are chopped off, we will not bow down before oppressive powers," he said.

Inter first year and second year results in Telangana to be declared on Friday

Results of the intermediate exam in Telangana​ will be announced on Friday at 11 AM, as per reports. The exams were held in the month of March. The state board will declare results for both first year and second year intermediate examinations. The results will be declared for both general and vocational courses. As per reports, more than nine lakh students had taken the exams. Students can check the results on - bie.telangana.gov.in and bietelangana.cgg.gov.in. We wish all the students best of luck.

RTO officer is allegedly worth Rs three crore

The Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau today claimed to have discovered assets of Rs 3 crore belonging to an RTO official based in Medchal in the neighbouring Ranga Reddy district. The ACB, on September 19 last year, had caught red-handed assistant motor vehicle inspector Dugni Venkateshwarlu while taking a bribe. This was followed by searches at his and relatives' residences. A case of possessing disproportionate assets was registered against him yesterday, an ACB release said. He allegedly possesses four houses, three cars, Rs 13 lakh in fixed deposits, Rs 74 lakh in bank, 2 kg of gold jewellery, silver articles worth about Rs 32 lakh. While as per the documents seized alongwith the assets they are worth Rs 3 crore, their market value could be upto Rs 6 crore, the ACB release said, adding that the officer was being questioned.

Techie kills self over 'failure' of his app

A 35-year-old techie allegedly committed suicide by inhaling nitrogen gas as he was depressed that an app developed by him had failed, police said today. Lucky Gupta Agarwal was found dead by his family members in a room wearing a nose mask-connected to a small nitrogen gas cylinder, at his S R Nagar residence here. Police said he inhaled the gas as it was a "painless" method to commit suicide. "He decided to inhale nitrogen gas to end his life as it was a painless method...he also did some research on ways to commit suicide," Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) A Venkateswara Rao said quoting a suicide note purportedly written by Lucky. "He was under depression as the app which he developed for the past several months did not succeed and he suffered financial loss," the DCP said. Agarwal had earlier worked as a software professional before quitting his job and had started developing software and mobile applications, police said. His body has been sent for post-mortem and a case has been booked under section 174 of CrPC, Rao said.

Causes for split irrelevant, we are for merger with CPM: CPI

Maintaining that the reasons for the split in the undivided Communist party more than half a century ago are "irrelevant" now, the CPI today favoured an early merger with CPI(M) citing "general urge" among the people for unification of the Communist movement in India. "Our party is for reunification of the Communist movement. We do believe duplicity of work by various communist parties is meaningless," CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said here. He referred to a letter written in Hindi by a ninth class student in which the teenager put election symbols of CPI and CPI(M) and wondered what's the difference between them and why the two parties are separate. "There is general urge among the people that it (Communist movement) should unite and I feel it is justified and the reasons.. and causes for the split (in 1964) are irrelevant," Reddy said. As for CPI(M)'s response to CPI favouring merger, he said: "They (CPIM) still say that the time (for merger of two parties) has still not come. "But I believe slowly there is a change among them in the recent period. More closer work is there. Now, when the right reactionaries are in such a big offensive, it's time to rethink about these things. So, we would like to appeal to them once again that this is the time to discuss, think about it". Denying that CPI was in a hurry to merge with CPI(M), Reddy said: "We are not in a hurry but we feel it (the merger) should not be eternally postponed like that. We don't force anything." CPI(M) and CPI split in 1964 owing to Sino-Soviet tensions, attitude towards Congress and Communist doctrinal differences.

KCR invited to clean energy meet in US

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has been invited by the Governor of California to attend a meet on clean energy. Edmond G Brown Jr, Governor of California, has invited Rao to the 'Sub-continental Clean Energy Ministerial' to be held in San Francisco in June, an official release said here today. US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Biswal handed over the invite to K T Rama Rao, IT Minister and son of the CM, during her visit to the city today. "Both Telangana and California are facing similar challenges in terms of rainfall shortage and reduced green cover in their respective states. In this context both the states should work jointly to overcome these challenges," the release said, quoting Brown in the invite. Meanwhile, Rama Rao explained to the visiting US official about the initiatives being taken by the Telangana government for the promotion of industrial growth in the state.

Telangana govt gives nod to try Akbaruddin Owaisi

Telangana government today accorded sanction for prosecution of AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in a case related to alleged "hate speech". "The government of Telangana hereby accords sanction for prosecution of the accused (Akbaruddin) for the offences punishable under Section 153-A of the IPC in Crime No.01/2013 of Nirmal Police Station of Adilabad district," a government order said here. Section 153-A of the IPC deals with promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony. The legislator, who represents Chandrayangutta constituency in the city, is also the floor leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) in Telangana Legislative Assembly. He is facing charges of sedition and waging war against the nation among others, under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for his alleged "hate speech" in Adilabad and Nizamabad districts. Police had filed two suo motu cases in Adilabad and Nizamabad districts against the legislator after he allegedly used inflammatory and derogatory language against a community during his public speeches in December 2012. Akbaruddin was arrested and subsequently granted bail in both the cases.

Police raids at two Hookah Centers in Neredmet limits' 4 in custody

C V Anand appointed special observer for TN, Puducherry polls

The Election Commission of India has appointed Cyberabad Police Commissioner C V Anand as 'Special Observer' in the general election to the Legislative Assemblies of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for a period of five days. "He has been deputed by the ECI to randomly check whether all the sytems and directions given by the ECI for expenditure control by the various parties like Static Surveillance Team, Flying Squad, Video Viewing and Surveillance Teams, GPS enabled vehicles, booth level awareness groups, CPMFs deployment, excise and distilleries activities, Banking and other transactions, paid news etc are being followed or not," a release from Cyberabad Police said today. Last year, C V Anand had been conferred the Election Commission of India's National Special Category Award for the Best Electoral Practices-2014. Anand had been bestowed the National Special Award by ECI for the "commendable" election related measures taken by him in the area of 'Expenditure Monitoring and Tackling Money Power' during the General Elections of 2014. Cyberabad Police Commissionerate had the highest cash seizures in the country in the run up to the election on April 30, 2014 of Rs 21.97 crore and also the single largest cash seizure of Rs 8.33 crore in the country in its drive to control election expenditure.

How OIC failed to address Muslim issues in Istanbul Summit?

Dilip Kumar to be discharged today

Veteran actor Dilip Kumar, who was hospitalised for respiratory problems, will be discharged this evening. Kumar, 93, was admitted to Lilavati hospital in suburban Bandra on April 15. "He is much better and is on road to recovery. He will get discharged today at 4 PM," Dr Jalil Parkar, who is attending to him along with other doctors, told PTI. Kumar's wife, actress Saira Banu had earlier said that the actor was hospitalised as he was suffering from high fever, chest infection and respiratory problems. The legendary actor, whose real name is Mohammad Yusuf Khan, acted in many superhit films during his six-decade long career such as "Madhumati", "Devdas", "Mughal-e-Azam", "Ganga Jamuna", "Ram Aur Shyam" and "Karma". He was last seen on-screen in the film "Qila" in 1998. He was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke award in 1994 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015.

Telangana seeks more central aid for drought relief

Telangana Government has sought more central assistance for drought relief and to tide over the drinking water problem. State Panchayat Raj Minister Taraka Ramarao urged the Centre during a review meeting with Union Rural Development Minister Choudhary Birender Singh and Minister of State for drinking Water Supply Ram Kripal Yadav in Hyderabad last evening. He informed the central ministers that the Centre released only 791 crore rupees for drought relief though the state had sought an assistance of over three thousand crores and 72 crore rupees towards drinking water supply against 555 crore sought. He requested the centre to release more funds. An official statement said the two central ministers however informed that Niti Aayog is likely to provide more funds for drought relief. Meanwhile, the Met officials predicted that heat wave conditions will prevail over Telangana for next three days. The mercury levels crossed 40 degrees Celsius in almost all districts during the past 24 hours. Nizamabad recorded the highest maximum temperature of 43 degrees Celsius while it was 42.8 degrees in Adilabad and Medak. The state government has asked the labour and employment department to ensure that outdoor workers are not made to work between 1pm and 4 pm.

Trump, Hillary Clinton win pivotal New York primary

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have moved a step closer to securing the Democratic and Republican tickets for US Presidency by winning their respective primaries in New York state. Trump easily won his nominating contest on Tuesday, moving closer to capturing enough delegates to clinch the nomination and avoid a contested convention in July. The billionaire's big victory in his home state gave him renewed momentum in the Republican race and pushed him closer to the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the nomination. Clinton also won in New York, which she once represented in the US Senate, blunting the momentum of rival Bernie Sanders and taking a big step toward wrapping up the nomination. The victories for Trump and Clinton set both up for strong performances next Tuesday, when they are expected to do well in five other Northeastern state primaries.

Govt monitoring rising pulse prices, states told to act against hoarders

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar today said government is keeping an eye on the prices of pulses. On a query, Mr Javadekar said that State governments have been given instructions to check hoarding of essential commodities. There has been a rise in prices of pulses in the recent past and the government has imported it to meet the growing demand.

Centre making all efforts to tackle situation in drought-hit states

The government says all efforts are being made by the Central government to deal with drought situation in some States of the country. Replying to a media query in New Delhi, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is concerned over the situation and has directed to provide all assistance to the affected States. He said financial assistance has been extended and will be given to the States as and when required. Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet today approved India Chile preferential trade agreement (PTA). The agreement is aimed at promoting economic cooperation between the two countries. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar also informed that compensatory afforestation bill will be passed in the next session of Parliament.

Iran-Saudi hajj talks halted because of visa hurdle

Talks between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia on this year's hajj pilgrimage have stalled because of a disagreement on how visas can be processed when no formal diplomatic relations exist. An Iranian delegation last week travelled to Saudi Arabia, which cut ties in January, for discussions on the pilgrimage to the Muslim holy places in the kingdom. Said Ohadi, head of the Iranian Hajj Organisation, said on state television late yesterday that four days of negotiations had achieved progress on security issues and travel to the kingdom. But the lack of a functioning Saudi embassy in Tehran - both it and the kingdom's mission in Iran's second city Mashhad are closed - means there are currently no visas being issued to Iranians. "The problem of visa issuance has not been solved yet," said Ohadi. "Saudi Arabia has not yet offered a clear solution." Tehran wants visas to be issued inside the Islamic republic. In the absence of its own representatives, Switzerland looks after the interests of the Sunni-dominated kingdom in mainly Shiite Iran. Ohadi said the foreign ministry had offered to provide "all means necessary" to help Saudi Arabia issue visas inside Iran but did not elaborate on how that could be done in the absence of an embassy or consulate. He said Saudi Arabia had agreed that Iranian aircraft could land for the hajj, an exception since all flights from the Islamic republic were barred after the diplomatic crisis. Security was another contentious issue in the talks, after a massive stampede in last year's hajj killed more than 2,000 foreign pilgrims, including 464 Iranians. "The Saudis offered good solutions on security," introducing electronic tracking bracelets for all hajj participants, Ohadi said. Other officials in Tehran also waded into the row. "Saudi Arabia is stonewalling on the visa issue," Culture Minister Ali Jannati said yesterday. "We say that if the Swiss government is protecting your interests in Iran, then it should issue visas too. Issuing visas in a third country is absolutely unacceptable for us." Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran on January 3 after its diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad were stormed and set alight by mobs following Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric and activist, Nimr al-Nimr. This year's pilgrimage to Mecca - a trip that all Muslims who are able to are expected to perform at least once in their lifetime - is due to take place in September.

Heatwave likely to prevail over Telangana for next two days

Heatwave conditions are likely to prevail in many parts of Telangana during the next two days, Indian Meteorology Department said here today. Light to moderate rain or thundershowers are likely to occur at isolated places; most places may record the maximum temperature between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius, it said in a release. "Appreciable fall in maximum temperatures at one or two places (today). They were above normal at many places.... The highest maximum temperature of 43 degrees Celsius was recorded at Adilabad, Hanamakonda and Nizamabad," the release said. In the next five days dry weather condition is likely to prevail and most places may record maximum temperatures between 40 and 45 degrees, the IMD said.

Govt rolls back decision on tightening PF withdrawal norms

Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya today announced roll back of the proposal of not allowing employee to withdraw 3.67 % of employer's share in the Employees Provident Fund till retirement. He said the implementation of the notification in this regard issued on 10 th Feb has been cancelled. Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, he said the existing system will continue to be in force. He said after discussing the matter in the tripartite meeting and considering the demands from various trade unions, ministry has decided to continue the existing system. Stating that keeping the social security interests of the employees in view, he said the ministry proposed a system in which the employee will not be allowed to withdraw 3.67 per cent of the employer's share till his retirement. The notification was supposed to come into force by 1 st May this year. The minister said the decision to roll back the proposal came in the light of some objections raised by some sections of the stakeholders. He further said, the government has taken the decision only to protect the social security interests of employee. Stating that there was some anti-government campaign underway by some sections, the minister said there was no need for apprehensions on the EPF issue.

How OIC failed to address Muslim issues in Istanbul Summit?

Plot to attack Asad Owaisi?

Amit Jani, leader of the UP Navnirman Sena, has claimed that the country-made pistol found on a Delhi Transport Corporation bus at the JNU campus on Thursday, April 14 was meant to be used to kill All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader and member of parliament Asaduddin Owaisi. The pistol had been found with a letter threatening to kill JNU Students’ Union President Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid. Jani has been absconding since Thursday. In a statement sent on Whatsapp on Monday, Jani said he had purchased this pistol in September 2015 and had planned to attack Owaisi during his visit to Muzaffarnagar to campaign for the AIMIM candidate for the assembly by-election there. The plan was to attack Owaisi at the Daurala toll plaza, Jani has said. But his plan fell through as the AIMIM had withdrawn its candidate from the bypolls. Jani, who had earlier been booked for vandalising Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati’s statues in Uttar Pradesh and who had also attacked the offices of the Shiv Sena in several parts of the state following attacks on non-Maharashtrians in Mumbai, had in March threatened to attack Kumar and Khalid for allegedly calling the army “rapists”. Although Jani had claimed he would attack Kumar before April 10 if the latter would not apologise for his remarks by March 31, when the deadline passed it seemed that he had had a change of heart. However, over the past week, Jani has made several controversial statements to garner publicity. Ever since the Delhi Police recovered the weapon and cartridges, Jani has been updating the media on the progress in the case and the investigations. Besides, he has also been regularly issuing statements declaring his intent. On Monday, he claimed that with the help of his “boys” he had been keeping a watch on Owaisi’s residence. But then when the JNU episode happened, he wanted to “instil fear” in the heart and mind of those he felt had raised anti-national slogans. Jani claims that he had been told by a JNU student, who was apparently close to Kumar and Khalid, that although it would nearly impossible to take weapons onto the campus, given the increased security, these could be smuggled in through the Route No. 615 DTC bus, which originated at Minto Road and went right inside the campus, terminating near Purvanchal Hostel. However, Jani claims, the student friend mislead him and informed the Delhi Police about the plan. Subsequently, the pistol, some cartridges and a letter, purportedly written by Jani, were recovered by the police from a bag in the bus. On Sunday, April 17, Jani’s brother, Saurabh Agarwal, and his associate, Sulabh Bharadwaj, were arrested for writing the letter, and leaving the weapon and cartridges in the bus. The police claimed that Agarwal had allegedly plotted to kill Kumar and Khalid while he was at a hotel in Paharganj. Prior to their arrest, Jani had claimed they had been picked up by the police to mount pressure on him despite them trying to assist in the investigation. Jani had also said his offices in Delhi had been raided by the police. The Delhi police are still searching for Jani, who remains the prime suspect in the case that has been registered at Tilak Marg police station. It is also learnt that the Central Bureau of Investigation has been making enquiries into the case, considering its serious ramifications.

Arabic-speaking student kicked off Southwest flight in US

A 26-year-old Muslim student in the US, who was talking on the phone about a question on the Islamic State he asked to the UN Secretary-General, was booted from a Southwest flight after another passenger felt threatened when he spoke in Arabic. Khairuldeen Makhzoomi, student at University of California, who came to the US as an Iraqi refugee was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight in California after another passenger became alarmed when she heard him speaking Arabic. Makhzoomi, was taken off a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Oakland after he called an uncle in Baghdad to tell him about an event he attended that included a speech by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. "I was very excited about the event, so I called my uncle to tell him about it," Makhzoomi was quoted as saying by the New York Times. At the end of the conversation, he and his uncle shared a customary farewell "inshallah," which translates to "if God is willing." He told his uncle about the moment when he got to stand up and ask the secretary general a question about the Islamic State. A nearby passenger overheard Makhzoomi's conversation with his uncle and felt alarmed by his "potentially threatening comments," according to a statement from Southwest Airlines. When he made eye contact with her, the woman left her seat and proceeded to the front of the plane. "She kept staring at me and I didn't know what was wrong," he said. "Then I realised what was happening and I was just was thinking 'I hope she's not reporting me'," the report said. Later, an Arabic-speaking Southwest Airlines employee of came to his seat and escorted him off the plane a few minutes after his call ended, he said. The man introduced himself in Arabic and then switched to English to ask, "Why were you speaking Arabic in the plane?" Makhzoomi said he was afraid, and that the employee spoke to him "like I was an animal." Three FBI agents took Makhzoomi to private room for questioning. They told him that the Arabic-speaking employee had been offended by his insinuation of anti-Muslim bias. The woman had told airline staff that she heard him say "Shahid," meaning martyr, a term associated with jihad. Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said there had been at least six cases of Muslims being pulled off flights so far this year, she said.

Telangana govt launches web portal for heatwave predictions

Telangana government today launched a web portal for heatwave predictions and necessary resources available at respective places in case of emergency. Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali, after launching the website, said sensors have been installed at as many as 885 points across the state to grasp the real time data on weather. "The data will be analysed to arrive at conclusion if there is any heatwave-like condition (is) expected. Accordingly people will be warned though SMSs. Additionally the portal will also maintain statistics of the historic temperature trends in the state," he added. Medical and Health Department has advised all hospitals to keep sufficient stocks of ORS and IV fluids to take care of the public in the event of sun strokes, he added. Replying to query, Ali said as many as 19 deaths due to heatwave were "officially" reported so far. Earlier the state government in an official release said the deaths due to heatwave were 66. Later another senior official put the figure at 35. When asked about the discrepancy in the figures, Ali said they the government will verify. Meanwhile, the state government in a statement said thunderstorm accompanied with squall or hail is likely to occur in the districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Medak, Mahaboobnagar, Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Warangal and Nalgonda. "No large change in maximum temperatures over Telangana. They were appreciably above normal at many places over Telangana. The highest maximum temperature of 44 degrees Celsius was recorded at Adilabad, Nalgonda and Nizamabad," it said. Heatwave conditions are very likely to prevail over many parts of the state, it added.

Anti-cyclone behind heat wave

An anti-cyclone in Bay of Bengal, coupled with high temperatures in central India, is leading to a heatwave in eastern parts of the country where mercury has shot up over 40 degrees Celsius. Talking to media, Director General of IMD, Laxman Singh Rathore said due to the anti-cyclone, the sea breeze that helps in cooling the temperatures is not flowing. As per IMD data, several places in Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have recorded temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius. Met department has forecast heatwave conditions tomorrow at a few places over Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, at isolated places over Vidarbha and Marathwada in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal and north interior Karnataka. However, heavy rains have been forecast in some parts of the northeast tomorrow.

Old city youth found dead in London

A 34-year-old man from Hyderabad, pursuing an MBA in London, was found dead there last Tuesday. Mir Baquer Ali Rizvi, a resident of Miralam Mandi, had left for London in 2009 after completing his graduation from Hyderabad. The victim’s family has requested the Government of India to help them bring back the body as soon as possible. "Three years ago, he had an accident in which he got seriously injured. After getting treated there, he came to India for around 45 days in 2014. After that he went back. He had a case filed against him in a UK court which he won," Taqi Haider, the victim's brother-in-law, said. "This year on April 14, there was a marriage reception of his brother. He sent his best wishes to us over phone. The next day the police told us about him that he was found dead," he added. Haider requested External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to look into the matter. "I also request the government to handover the body to us," he added. Last Friday, Baquer’s family got information through police that their son was found dead near Osterley Railway station in the British capital. Officials suspect Baquer was in a car crash but the details are still unclear. A communication to the family from the Central Bureau of Investigation said Baquer was found dead near the train station on Tuesday night at around 9 pm. According to reports, British Transport Police (BTP), which led the investigation, said it is not treating the death as suspicious and it does not believe a third party was involved. "We were called to Osterley London Underground station at 7.45pm on Tuesday, 12th April, following reports of a person being struck by a train," a BTP spokesperson said. "The man's death is not being treated as suspicious and his family have been made aware. A file will be prepared for the coroner." The official cause of death will only be confirmed by a coroner at a future date, but murder is being ruled out at this stage.

HC asks Telangana, Andhra Pradesh govts to prevent heat wave deaths

The common High Court of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh has asked the state Governments to take all possible measures to prevent heat wave deaths in the two states. Disposing of a set of Public Interest Litigations, a divisional bench of the High Court comprising of Chief Justice of Justice Dileep B. Bosale and Justice P Naveenrao asked the Governments of the Telugu States to consider providing compensation to the kin of the heat wave victims. Meanwhile, despite people getting a bit relief due to thunder showers at several places across Telangana , the mercury levels crossed 40 degrees Celsius at many places in almost all districts in the state during the past 24 hours. Nizamabad city recorded 43.9 degrees Celsius while five persons died due to sunstroke on a single day yesterday in Mahabubnagar district. Met officials warned of very likely heat wave conditions prevailing over Telangana state today.

Heatwave continues in Telangana despite spell of rain

In Telangana, day time temperatures remained alarmingly high in several parts of the state yesterday with mercury crossing 40 degrees Celsius and above despite thunder showers and hailstorm at many places. According to met officials, the maximum temperatures recorded 3-5 degree Celsius above normal at all districts with Karimnagar recording the highest of 45 degrees Celsius while Medak and Adilabad districts above 43 degrees. The rest of the districts recorded maximum temperatures at above 42 degrees. Some parts of Hyderabad and surrounding districts however had a brief respite from the scorching heat as they witnessed drizzles in the afternoon. Rain and Gale winds were also reported in Medak and Karimnagar districts. The Met officials informed that though it rained in a few parts, temperature was observed at above 42 degrees in Hyderabad and parts of Medak and Mehaboobnagar districts. They cautioned that the Heat wave warning still prevailed for next 24 hours. The Met department issued heat wave warning for all ten districts of Telangana state for today.

Dilip Kumar recovering well

Veteran actor Dilip Kumar, who was admitted to hospital on Saturday for respiratory problems, is recovering well. Doctor attending the actor said that he is much better than at the time of admission and is recovering well. However, he may have to be in the hospital for another four to five days. 93-year old Dilip Kumar was admitted to Lilavati hospital in suburban Bandra early morning on Saturday.

Dipa becomes 1st Indian woman gymnast to qualify for Olympics

Dipa Karmakar today created history by becoming the first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for Olympics as she booked a berth for the Rio Games after a strong performance at the final qualifying and test event here. The 22-year-old garnered a total score of 52.698 points in the Olympics qualifying event to book a berth for artistic gymnastics in Rio Games to be held here in August. Apart from being the first Indian woman, she will also be an Indian gymnast qualifying for the quadrennial extravaganza after 52 long years. Since the independence of the country, 11 Indian male gymnast have taken part in the Olympics (two in 1952, three in 1956 and six in 1964) but this will be the first for an Indian woman at the Olympics. The International Federation of Gymnastics (Federation Internationale de Gymnastique) has confirmed Dipa's Rio Games qualification in its official release. "Following the Women's Qualification Competition at the Gymnastics Test Event in Rio, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) herewith confirms the list of nations and individual gymnasts that have qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games," the world body said in its release. Dipa has been listed as the 79th gymnast among individual qualifiers in the list of women's artistic gymnast who have qualified for the Rio Olympics. Her first vault, the much difficult Produnova, gave Dipa 15.066 points, the highest among the 14 competitors. But a poor show in the uneven bars took her points down as she collected 11.700, the second worse among the 14 participants. The Tripura girl secured 13.366 and 12.566 points in beam and floor exercises. Deepak Kagra, an international referee, said that after's Dipa's strong performance it was certain that she would qualify for Rio Olympics. "It was a very good score from Dipa and we were certain that she would qualify. Now the world body has published the names of the gymnasts who have qualified for the Olympics and her name is there. The gymnastics community is proud of Dipa's achievements," he told PTI. The 22-year-old could not clinch an Olympic berth in the World Championships in November last as she finished outside the podium (fifth place). She was earlier put as second reserve for the ongoing Olympic Test event in Rio but was informed last month that she had sneaked into the shortlist of participants. Dipa had created history by becoming the first woman gymnast to win a medal -- a bronze -- in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. He then became the first Indian woman gymnast to feature in the finals of World Championships in November last. The sport of gymnastics has been in turmoil in the country in the the last few years with rival factions holding elections and claiming to be the national federation. Even the camps for the gymnasts has been held under the aegis of Sports Authority of India.

Muslims should "relocate" to countries where Shariat is practiced: Adityanath

Controversial BJP MP Yogi Adiyanath today said Muslims should "relocate" to the countries where the Shariat law is in force as he asserted that India will not be run according to that system, comments that came in wake of the AIMPLB claiming that attempts are being made to "interfere" in Shariat law through courts. "Muslims should relocate to the countries where Shariat laws are in force. "The country will be run according to the Constitution and the legal system and not according to Shariat law," the Gorakhpur MP told reporters here. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has alleged that attempts are being made to "interfere" in Shariat laws through courts and appealed to the Centre to maintain its earlier stand on the matter. AIMPLB member Zafar Jinali alleged courts' "interference" in Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act. His remarks came weeks after the Supreme Court sought the Centre's response to a plea challenging the constitutionality of Muslim practices of polygamy, triple talaq (talaq-e-bidat) and nikah halala.

KCR suffering from fever, cancels engagements for three days

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is suffering from fever and has cancelled his engagements for three days. Doctors examined Rao yesterday and advised him complete rest for 2-3 days, a release from his office said yesterday. Rao is taking rest at his farm house in neighbouring Medak district, it added.

No toilet in groom's house, woman refuses to tie knot

A woman refused to tie the knot with a man here because he failed to get a toilet built at his residence in time for the wedding, agreeing instead to a match with another suitor who had a toilet at home. Facilitated by a local NGO, the match between the 25- year-old woman hailing from Lucknow and the man was finalised after he agreed to her demand for a toilet to be ready at his house by the date of the wedding, which was to be organised as part of a mass ceremony today. However, the woman, who has completed high school education, yesterday called off the wedding after she found that the toilet had not been built, the NGO said. The woman's family members backed her decision to not marry the man over the lack of a toilet at his residence, they added. Although the woman's family members claimed that police were approached in this regard, officials at Barra police station said they were not aware of any such matter. The NGO, after hearing about the woman's stand against marrying if there was no toilet at her future husband's place, found another match for her and she gave her consent for the same as there was a toilet at the new suitor's residence.

Centre to increase monthly minimum wages to 10,000 rupees for contract labourers

Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has said that the government has decided to bring out an executive order to increase minimum wages to 10,000 rupees per month for contract labourers across the country. He said a gazette notification will be issued within a week in this regard. Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad today, Mr Dattatreya lamented that though the government wanted to bring amendment to Minimum Wages Act to ensure hike in the wages of contract labourers, inordinate delay has occurred in the passage of amendment to this Act in Parliament due to non-cooperation from opposition parties. He said the executive order is being issued keeping in view the interests of contract workers and made it clear that all state governments are expected to implement the order without fail. The Union Minister further said that six regional conferences will be held next month to review all labour laws in the country.

Thunder showers in Hyderabad! What a relief

Belgian minister says many Muslims 'danced' after attacks

Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon said today that a "significant" part of the Muslim population celebrated attacks, blaming the country's policies for failing to integrate migrants into society. He did not explicitly refer to last month's jihadist attacks on Brussels' airport and metro system that killed 32 people "A significant section of the Muslim community danced when attacks took place," Jambon said in an interview with the Flemish-language De Standaard newspaper. The Belgian minister also accused Muslim residents of Brussels' largely immigrant Molenbeek neighbourhood of attacking police during an operation last month to arrest a suspect in connection with the deadly attacks in Paris last November. "They threw stones and bottles at police and press during the arrest of Salah Abdeslam. This is the real problem. Terrorists we can pick up, remove from society. But they are just a boil. Underneath is a cancer that is much more difficult to treat. We can do it, but it won't be overnight," he said. Jambon, whose New Flemish Alliance party has been a key part of Belgium's ruling centre-right coalition since 2014, previously offered to resign in the wake of the Brussels attacks. In today's interview he said that the danger linked to the radicalisation of youth from third and fourth generation families is "too deeply rooted" in some areas because Belgium "have for many years ignored the warning signs". Following the November 13 attacks in neighbouring France, Jambon sparked controversy when he promised to "clean Molenbeek" when it emerged that several of the attackers had links to the impoverished district of the Belgian capital.