SP govt has failed Muslims, says Mehmood Madani

The Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh has failed to fulfil promises it made to Muslims during the state polls, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind general secretary Maulana Mehmood Madani today claimed, and announced a "massive campaign" in the state to remind the ruling party of its unfulfilled promises. "Akhilesh Yadav government has completed four years but failed to deliver on electoral promises made to Muslims. This government is useless and incompetent. If they fail in fulfilling them in time left with them, people will teach them a lesson in the Assembly polls," Madani told newspersons here. He said that the party had promised to put pressure on the Centre to implement Sachchar and Rangnath Misra committee recommendations on coming to power, but nothing has been done so far. "Samajwadi Party in 2012 Assembly polls promised to exert pressure on the Central government for implementation of Sachchar and Rangnath Misra committee recommendations on coming to power and had also vowed to do what it had to do on its part for their implementation," Madani said. The cleric also raised the issue of Muslim reservation. "Besides, they had also promised that Muslims would be given separate reservation like Dalits on the basis of their economic, social and educational backwardness and release innocent Muslims arrested on terror charges. But nothing has been done on any of them," he said. The Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind leader, who earlier in the day took part in the state executive committee, said a decision has been taken to start a massive campaign against the "failure", under which meetings will be held in different parts of the state to remind the Samajwadi Party of its "unfulfilled promises". "Its beginning will be made on January 17 from Lucknow after which another meeting will be held on February 13 in Meerut," he said stressing that this drive of the Jamiat should not be linked with elections as the SP government still had time to rectify its mistakes.

Project to eliminate drunken driving launched

A pilot project aimed at eliminating drunken driving incidents and spreading awareness about road safety was launched in the city with support from Telangana Government and various stakeholders. The programme, "Drink Safe and Smart Ride" aims to achieve "Zero DUI" (driving under the influence). "Telangana is first State in the country to adopt and implement this Mission Smart Ride initiative in collaboration with various stakeholders - Government, insurance companies, corporates, taxi service providers and restaurant operators to ensure Zero DUI," B Nanda Sandilya, CEO and Founder, Mission Smart Ride, told reporters. This initiative is a framework to introduce anti-DUI policy combined with procedures and products to offer services, intelligent applications and integrated tools and infrastructure to enable Zero DUI. The service will be available for customers at various establishments within Telangana, where liquor is served. The mission integrates with an intelligent "One Touch" call routing application which provides call forwarding service to the nearest cab service, Sandilya said. "The Mission Smart Ride for Zero DUI will include services like enabling integration of insurance applications with major cab service providers and establishing automated call forwarding to the nearest taxi services from the calling area." Telangana IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said, "This initiative aims to eliminate DUI incidents by promoting responsible drinking habits and improve road safety." The project uses technology to address gaps and reduce the incidents of DUI in Telangana by deploying various smart products, services and solutions, Ranjan said. The mission also encompasses structured awareness programmes for parents and students, identifying the DUI patterns and townships or highways with most drunken driving incidents to achieve Zero DUI in the state.

Petrol price cut by 63 paise per litre, diesel by Rs 1.06, effective midnight.

KCR announces sops for different sections of the people before GHMC polls

Man sets himself on fire after employer denies him leave

A 30-year-old man, working at a petrol pump in a village here, today allegedly tried to commit suicide after he was refused leave by his employer, police said. Tripathi Masthan poured petrol over himself and then set himself afire at Avanthipuram village under Miryalaguda mandal in the district, they said. He had apparently been asking his employer for leave for the past three days. Today also he asked for leave, but the petrol pump owner refused following which Masthan set himself ablaze, police said. He sustained about 90 per cent burns and was admitted to district government hospital, they said. Miryalaguda rural sub-inspector Sardhar Naik said a case has been filed in this regard and further investigation is on into the incident.

Adnan Sami gets Indian citizenship

Pakistani singer Adnan Sami has been granted Indian citizenship with effect from January 1 following his request to the Centre to legalise his status in the country on humanitarian grounds. Officials in the Union Home Ministry said Sami will be an Indian citizen with effect from tomorrow. As of today, Sami is on a three-month visa extension which was given to him on October 6 by the Ministry. The 46-year-old singer, who has made India his second home for the past few years, had made a representation to the Home Ministry on May 26 this year requesting his stay in India on humanitarian grounds. Lahore-born Sami had first arrived in India on March 13, 2001 on a visitor's visa with the validity of one year which was issued by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. His visa was extended from time to time. His Pakistani passport issued on May 27, 2010 expired on May 26, 2015 and his passport was not renewed by the Pakistan government which led him to approach the Indian government with the request to legalise his stay in India on humanitarian grounds. Sami's two songs from the album, 'Kabhi To Nazar Milao' and 'Lift Karaa De', whose music video starred actor Govinda, were a sensation in the early 2000s. This year the singer tasted success after his song 'Bhar Do Jholi meri' in Salman Khan-starrer 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' was a smash hit.

President Pranab Mukherjee returns to Delhi after annual Southern sojourn

President Pranab Mukherjee today left for Delhi from here after his 14-day southern sojourn. Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana E S L Narasimhan, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, his cabinet colleagues and several other officials accorded farewell to the President at the Hakimpet Air Force station, a release from Rao's office said. Rao presented Mukherjee an album containing photographs of events attended by the latter during the sojourn, it said. During the sojourn that began on December 18, the President participated in the convocation of Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME) and a meeting of the Indian Economic Association here. He inaugurated a 'Veda Pathasala' of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh and offered prayers at the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirupati. The President also visited Karnataka during the sojourn. It is customary for the President to visit the Rashtrapati Nilayam here at least once a year on a southern sojourn. The Rashtrapati Nilayam is one of the Presidential Retreats in the country. Located at Bolarum, Secunderabad here, the Nilayam was built during the Nizam era and it was handed over to the Government of India after Independence. The single-storey building is located in a 90-acre estate.

The year that was ......

2015 saw its share of turmoil across the world with terrorist attacks and natural disasters taking a heavy toll. At least 130 people were killed in two terror attacks in November in Paris, which was also rocked earlier in January when the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a supermarket were attacked by gunmen. In March, the co-pilot of a Germanwings jet rammed the plane into the French Alps, killing all 150 people aboard. A mass shooting in California, twin bomb blasts in Ankara, a devastating earthquake in Nepal, a stampede at Haj which claimed over 700 lives including 14 Indians and the influx of refugees and migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea and other regions into Europe made headlines this year. Coordinated efforts were made to evacuate Indians trapped in the Yemen civil war. In neighbouring Nepal, Bidhya Devi Bhandari was elected its first woman president. Following is the diary of international events: Jan 2: Colombo: Sri Lanka's beleaguered President Mahinda Rajapaksa appealed to the minority Tamils to back him, the "known devil", in the January 8 presidential polls as he campaigned in the former LTTE bastion. Jan 4: Jakarta/Singapore: Four more bodies and a fifth large object belonging to the crashed AirAsia jet were retrieved from the Java Sea as rescuers battled bad weather in their efforts to reach the fuselage believed to contain the remaining victims besides the crucial black box. Jan 4: Islamabad: At least 10 militants, including a top Taliban commander, were killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan's restive North Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border, the first such attack this year by CIA-operated pilotless aircraft in the country. Jan 5: Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry has not issued any certificate to the Congress on the progress made by Pakistan in taking action against terrorist groups, his spokesperson says. Jan 5: Peshawar: The government of Pakistan's restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province announced a combined bounty of Rs 760 million for 615 high-profile militants, including a Rs 10 million bounty for information leading to the arrest or death of Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah. Jan 6: Dhaka: Bangladesh authorities threatened to slap murder charges on the country's besieged opposition leader Khaleda Zia and arrested her deputy for inciting a series of deadly street violence by party supporters. Jan 7: Islamabad: Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar, who was at the centre of a controversy involving former union minister Shashi Tharoor, says that she was ready to answer any question on the issue. .

DGP denies Hyd more prone to IS radicalisation

Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma today denied that the state was more vulnerable to radicalisation by the IS in the wake of arrest of three city-based cousins for allegedly planning to join IS and similar terror groups. When asked if he thinks that Telangana, and Hyderabad in particular, are more prone to radicalisation when compared to other states, the top cop said, "No it is not like that and it can happen anywhere. Only thing is that we are detecting the (such) cases". "As far as we see, we have a large number of people whom we think may have been influenced. But still unless it is confirmed we cannot go ahead with that," Sharma said while responding to queries on how many youths from the state may have got influenced and radicalised by IS through online. He said a total of 20 youths who got attracted towards "anti-national activities" through social media were counselled during this year. "With regard to IS, we are alert," Sharma said. Police are monitoring them (such persons) on social media, he said, adding "Definitely, we are keeping a close watch on any such persons who are coming to our notice and this a fact that these three youths, we knew about them and once they went there (Nagpur) and we could track them back (to Hyderabad)". Mohd Abdulla Basith, Maaz Hasan Farooq and Syed Omer Farooq Hussaini were arrested by Hyderabad Police on December 27 for allegedly planning to join jihadi terror groups and IS. According to police, they had planned to meet the Kashmiri separatist leader, Asiya Andrabi and seek her help in crossing the border. They are presently lodged in a jail here. Asked on de-radicalisation programme by the police, the top cop said, "(In case of) Two of the three youths, we had told their parents to look after them. In fact, the parents went one step ahead and they took their cell phones and I think that frustrated them a bit. "...the community and the parents are definitely against any such movement which itself goes to say that maximum influence can be given only by the community as well as the family. At the same time, I would also like to say that wherever they transgress with the line we are not going to spare anybody," Sharma added.

President hosts reception at Rashtapathi Nilayam

President Pranab Mukherjee, who is on a customary southern sojourn here, today hosted a reception at the Rashtapathi Nilayam where Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his cabinet colleagues were in attendence. Besides Rao and his ministerial colleagues, Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana E S L Narasimhan, Andhra Legislative Council Chairman A Chakrapani and his Telangana counterpart K Swamygoud, among others, were present on the occasion. Ace shettler P V Sindhu and other prominent personalities from various walks of life also attended the event. Mukherjee's 14-day southern sojourn ends tomorrow. It is customary for the President to visit the Rashtrapathi Nilayam on a sojourn at least once a year and conduct official business from there. Rashtrapathi Nilayam is one of the presidential retreats. Built during the Nizam era, the single-storeyed estate was handed over to the government after Independence.

Modi wants early completion of Hyd Metro

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday pushed for early completion of the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project as he reviewed the progress of vital infrastructure projects in road, railway, metro rail, power and food processing sectors spread over various states. The projects in Indian states like Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Telangana were reviewed by Modi at the eighth meeting of PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation), an IT-based platform of tele-conferencing with top officials of states. Reviewing the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project, the Prime Minister exhorted all authorities concerned to complete this PPP project at the earliest and with the best possible quality, a PMO statement said. Among other significant projects reviewed were the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor and the Delhi-Haryana-Uttar Pradesh Eastern Peripheral Highway, it said. Reviewing the Food Park Scheme, he called for a comprehensive evaluation of the benefits from the Parks that have already been completed. Modi also reviewed and pressed for early completion of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport and Rih-Tedim Road Project in Myanmar, which he described as one of the corner stones of India's 'Act East' policy, the statement said. He also took stock of the progress towards Direct Benefit Transfer under MNREGA, and end-to-end computerization of Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) operations. PRAGATI meetings are held on last Wednesdays of every month.

Andrabi dismisses allegations of any IS link

Separatists leader Asiya Andrabi today dismissed allegations about having any connection with Islamic State as a concocted story. The Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief said there was no connection between the separatists of Kashmir and the international terror group Islamic State and the allegations against her were "fabricated" and without basis. "This is a concocted story and has nothing to do with me," Andrabi told PTI. The hardline women's separatist leader said this was not the first time that false charges were levelled against her. "We do not have any connections with any other group outside the state," she claimed. Three Hyderabad-based cousins, who allegedly planned to join "jihadi terror groups", were picked up from Nagpur international airport while on their way to Srinagar, months after they were put under watch for being influenced by online ISIS propaganda. The trio allegedly aspired to meet Andrabi using the name of their late uncle, former chief of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Syed Salahuddin.

MLC results: TRS bags four seats, Cong wins two

In Telangana, the ruling Telangana Rastra Samithi (TRS) has bagged four MLC constituencies while opposition Congress won two seats. TRS candidates secured two seats from Ranga Reddy district and one each from Khammam and Mahabubnagar districts. The Congress emerged victorious from one seat in Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda seats. Despite Congress and TDP-BJP support, the left parties’ candidate Nageswar Rao has been defeated by 31 votes. Out of total 12 seats where elections were held, TRS candidates have earlier won unopposed from six seats.

J&K govt to probe revelation by Hyd youths

The Jammu and Kashmir government and police will verify claims with regard to the alleged plan for meeting separatist leader Asiya Andrabi by three youths who have been arrested for trying to join jihadi terror groups, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh today said. "Definitely, the government and police will verify these facts. There is every apprehension of such a thing. If it is proved, then the government will act as per law," Singh told reporters here. He was replying to a question on the revelation that three Hyderabad-based cousins who were arrested for allegedly planning to join jihadi terror groups had been looking to meet Andrabi using the name of their late uncle, the former chief of Students Islamic Movement of India, Syed Salahuddin. "Mohd Abdulla Basith, Maaz Hasan Farooq and Syed Omer Farooq Hussaini had no direct connection with Andrabi, nor did she know them. "After reaching Srinagar, they wanted to meet her using their uncle's name and seek her help to cross the border and reach Jalalabad in Afghanistan," said a senior officer of the special investigation team of Hyderabad police. Andrabi is a leader of the separatist Kashmiri women's group, Dukhtaran-e-Millat. The trio, all students (aged around 20-22), were picked up from Nagpur airport last week and arrested by Hyderabad police on December 27. During interrogation, they confessed to holding jihadi ideology and said they were trying to go to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Palestine via Kashmir to join jihadi forces of ISIS/ISIL to wage war against the state (India or elsewhere), the officer said.

97 youths including 17 minors taken into custody for roaming unnecessarily on roads in different parts of old city last night ' says South Zone Police

IS Youths planned to meet Andrabi: Hyd Police

The three city-based cousins, arrested for allegedly planning to join jihadi terror groups, aspired to meet the Kashmiri separatist leader Asiya Andrabi using the name of their late uncle, former chief of Students Islamic Movement of India Syed Salahuddin, police said today. Andrabi is a leader of the separatist Kashmiri women's group Dukhtaran-e-Millat. "Mohd Abdulla Basith, Maaz Hasan Farooq and Syed Omer Farooq Hussaini had no direct connection with Andrabi, nor did she know them. After reaching Srinagar they wanted to meet her using their uncle's name and seek her help to cross the border and reach Jalalabad in Afghanistan," a senior officer of the special investigation team of city police said. "From Srinagar they wanted to explore options for joining some terror organisation to wage jihad. They did not have any well-prepared plan and wanted to meet Andrabi or leaders of Hizbul Mujahideen," he told PTI. The trio, all students (aged around 20-22), were picked up from Nagpur airport last week and arrested by Hyderabad police on December 27. The SIT today moved the local court seeking their custody for another ten days. During the interrogation they confessed to hold jihadi ideology and said they were trying to go to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Palestine via Kashmir to join jihadi forces of ISIS/ISIL to wage war against the state (India or elsewhere), according to the officer. "In the past few weeks, the accused read a great deal of ISIS propaganda online, besides watching a documentary on Kashmir on YouTube, and also read a newspaper article on rise of militancy in Kashmir," the officer said. The three have been booked under IPC section 121 (waging war against the government) and relevant sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Cases of crime against women rise by 8% in Cyberabad in 2015

Cases of crime against women rose by eight per cent in 2015 under Cyberabad Police Commissionerate limits here as compared to last year. The total cases of crime against women were 2,518 this year as against 2,335 recorded in the previous year. Rape cases increased to 152 this year in comparison to 139 of last year while 577 cases of outrage of modesty were registered as against 503 in the corresponding period. Harassment cases rose sharply to 1,487 as against 1,352. "There was an eight per cent increase in cases under crimes against women. This eight per cent increase in reporting is taken as a good sigh that women are coming out more for complaining," Cyberabad Police Commissioner C V Anand told reporters today at the annual press conference here. FIRs increased by six per cent to 30,527 during this year as compared to 28,790 last year. However, there is an decrease in property crime this year (4,980 cases) as compared to 5,404 (cases), he added. "Total property lost was Rs 28.80 crore and total property recovered was Rs 22.61 crore showing recovery percentage of 79 per cent which is the highest in Telangana and is a record for Cyberabad too," he said. 193 cyber crime cases were reported in 2015 as against 259 last year, Anand said, adding 21 Nigerians who were involved in matrimonial cheating by creating fake profiles in matrimonial sites and chatted with women by various modes and made them deposit several lakhs of rupees. Total accidents under Cyberabad limits increased by 18 per cent with 3,896 accidents reported during this year as against 3,293 last year resulting in death of 1,156 persons and injuries to 3,499 this year as against 1,033 and 3,329 last year respectively.

Hyderabad police conducts house to house search at some places including Bahadurpura in old city' several suspects in custody, vehicles seized

2015 was a hectic year for Minority Affairs Ministry

With issues like Dadri lynching and row over beef eating kicking up a political storm in 2015, Minority Affairs Ministry had to act as fire fighter for the NDA government in addition to envisaging welfare schemes for minority communities. During the year, the ministry came up with some new programmes aimed at providing skill-based training to youth from minorities, restructuring educational institutes and bringing in transparency the way in which scholarship funds were distributed to children from the six communities -- Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Parsis and Jains. Allegations of "growing intolerance" by renowned authors and the intelligentsia against the government and the 'award wapasi' campaign pushed the ministry into a damage control mode, holding conferences and meetings with stakeholders concerned and interacting with the media to assure communities about the government's commitment to peace. The year saw the government approving doubling of authorised share capital of National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation, a Central Sector Public Enterprise in the ministry to Rs 3,000 crore. In the 2015-16 budget, the government announced launching of an integrated education and livelihood initiative 'Nai Manzil' for the benefit of minority youths who do not have a formal school leaving certificate, enabling them to seek better employment in organised sector. The scheme, launched by Minister Najma Heptulla on August 10, seeks to provide bridge courses to madrassa-educated youth to enable them to pursue higher education. The government recently approved Rs 650 crore for the scheme. The pre-matric, post-matric and merit-cum-means scholarship schemes that aim at educational empowerment of minorities were operationalised on National Scholarship Portal (NSP) from July. Wherever available, bank accounts are being linked with Aadhaar number for direct benefit transfer (DBT) of scholarships. Under the 'Seekho aur Kamao' (Learn and Earn), a placement linked skill development programme for minorities, the ministry started an ambitious plan to train 1.13 lakh beneficiaries in the year, with budgetary allocation of Rs 192.45 crore. .

5 kg gold seized from two passengers at Shamshabad airport

3 Hyderabadi youths arrested for ISIS links sent to Cherlapally jail

MHA asks Telangana to get tough on ''repeat offender'' youths

The Union Home Ministry has asked the Telangana government to get tough against three youths, who were intercepted in Nagpur minutes before they were to fly to Srinagar to allegedly join jihadi groups first and then ISIS. The youths -- Mohd Abdulla Basith, Syed Omer Farooq Hussaini and Maaz Hasan Farooq -- were arrested last night upon arrival in Hyderabad after a clear instruction from the Home Ministry not to let them off for the second time, official sources said. The three youths were let off earlier in September 2014 when they attempted to go to Afghanistan, Iraq-Syria via Bangladesh, along with two others -- Abrar and Noman. At that time, the youths were neither arrested nor slapped with any criminal case. Security officials were of the opinion that first time offenders can be handled with a lenient approach but repeat offenders have to be taken seriously and action have to be taken, sources said. "A message has to be sent to everyone that if anyone willingly tries to commit same mistake again and again, he or she has to face law. The message has to be loud and clear. There will be no leniency to the repeat offenders", they said. Basith, Hussaini and Farooq, all cousins and aged around 20-22, were brought to Hyderabad yesterday and after sustained interrogation put under arrest. The youths were today produced in a local court which remanded them in judicial custody. The youths, related to former president of Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) late Syed Salahuddin, were booked on charges under sections of IPC 121 (of waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the government), 121-A (conspiracy to wage war against government), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), and also under relevant sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Police is expected to seek their custody tomorrow for further investigation and examine witnesses. Sources said the trio have reportedly confessed to have jihadi ideology and in this regard they entered into criminal conspiracy and tried to go to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Palestine via Kashmir for furtherance of unlawful activities and in order to join hands with jihadi forces of ISIS/ISIL to wage war against states - India or elsewhere. They also confessed to have decided to meet Asiyan Andrabi, chief of Dukhtaran-e-Millat in Kashmir and seek her help to cross the border to enter PoK. The three youths were nabbed in a joint operation by Maharashtra ATS and Telangana police when they were about to board a flight to Srinagar on Saturday.

Fall in crime rate in Hyderabad this year: police commissioner

Hyderabad witnessed 14 per cent fall in overall crime in 2015 compared to the last year, though, in a notable development, 17 youths were counseled by the police after they got attracted to on line propaganda of the ISIS. The number of cases registered under the Indian Penal Code and other laws by city police this year was 18,375 against 21,285 in 2014. "There has been a reduction of 14 per cent in overall crime and 16-17 per cent in property offences, 35 per cent in loss of property cases. Under all the heads of crime there has been by and large decrease, except in robbery cases where we have registered chain snatching too as robbery cases," police commissioner M Mahender Reddy said at a press conference here. In 2014, 54 robbery cases had been registered and number rose to 92 this year. As to the crime against women, 2,244 cases were registered this year against 2,241 last year, with majority of the cases being about harassment (1,523 this year against 1,303 last year). Reddy noted that 17 youngsters, found to be "self-motivated" towards ISIS activities through social networks, were counselled in the presence of their parents. The crime was under control and police undertook several initiatives for building communal trust, reaching out and forging partnership with the community for crime prevention and detection and maintenance of law and order, Reddy said. The fall in crime could be attributed to measures like action under the Preventive Detention Act against habitual criminal, crime tracking system, intensive patrolling, cordon and search operations, integrated criminal verification of known offenders and installation of community CCTVs, he said. As to the cyber crime, 352 cases were registered in 2015 against 392 last year, and 154 persons including 13 Nigerians were arrested. Sixteen cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and 37 persons including eight Nigerians were arrested.

State minorities commission seeks Prez's help on beard issue

Andhra Pradesh State Minorities Commission today sought the intervention of President Pranab Mukherjee in the row regarding allowing Muslim NCC cadets to sport beards on the lines of the exemption given to Sikhs. A few Muslim youths who were not allowed to sport beards during a camp of National Cadet Corps here earlier this year had complained to the commission. The Commission chairman Abid Rasool Khan and others met the President here and raised the issue, it said in a release. The Commission had recommended to the Defence Ministry to consider allowing Muslims to sport facial hair/beard as in the case of Sikhs because both the communities are minorities. "The recommendations were discussed in Rajya Sabha on December 2 by way of answer submitted by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has replied that this matter is being examined by the Ministry and necessary orders will be passed," Khan had earlier said. The President should recommend to the ministry that it should grant such a concession, the commission members requested. They also requested the President to advise the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments to consider the 'Protection of minorities and other marginalised sections (prevention of atrocities) Act', a bill drafted by the commission. The delegation also requested Mukherjee to grant pardon on health grounds to Abdul Khadeer, a former head constable convicted for killing an assistant commissioner of police during communal riots in Hyderabad in 1990.

KCR to perform another Yagam!

After "successfully" performing the 'Ayuta Chandi Yagam', Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has said that he would be performing 'Prayuta Chandi Yagam' if all the projects being undertaken by the state government are successful completed. "During Telangana agitation I prayed the goddess that I would perform 'Ayuta Chnadi Yagam' if the statehood is granted. I will perform another Yagam - 'Prayuta Chandi Yagam' if all the government schemes including 'Mission Bhageeratha', 'Misssion Kakatiya' are implemented successfully and farmers of Telangana prosper," KCR said after the completion of five-day-long 'Ayuta Chandi Yagam' yesterday. According to Vedas, 'Prayuta Chandi Yagam' is 100 times tougher then 'Ayuta Chandi Yagam'. About 2,000 priests from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu took part in 'Ayuta Chnadi Yagam' performed for universal peace at KCR's farmhouse in Medak district. 'Ayuta Chandi Yagam' involved chanting of 700 shlokas called 'Saptha Shathi' for 10,000 times to appease the Goddess Durga, while 'Prayuta Chandi Yagam' calls for chanting the Saptha Shathi for one lakh times. The 'Ayuta Chandi Yagam' drew to a close yesterday at 1.30 PM with the priests performing 'Mahapoornahuti', the concluding rituals. Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah, Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Bandaru Dattatreya, NCP President Sharad Pawar, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chnadrababu Naidu were among the prominent personalities who visited the Yagam. President Pranab Mukherjee, who was expected to attend the ritual on the final day of the event, "cancelled" his visit reportedly following a minor fire that broke out at the venue.

Hyd airport becomes first to offer e-boarding facility

GMR group-run Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) today became the first airport in the country to offer e-boarding facility to domestic fliers. The seamless facility, inaugurated by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, covers all the boarding processes right from entry into the terminal building of the airport to boarding the aircraft, a release said today. Fliers, however, would have flexibility to follow the traditional process of showing a photo-ID to gain entry into the airport in case the Aadhaar number is not available. Developed in-house, the e-boarding Solution eliminates the need to manual stamping of boarding cards even for physical boarding cards issued by CUSS (Common Use Self Service) machines or the check-in counters, it said. Besides, the facility also covers end-to-end all the key passenger processes including entry to terminal, check-in, security check, boarding gate and boarding bridge check before entering the aircraft. With the implementation of E-boarding at RGIA, now a domestic passenger will need only a mobile e-boarding card and his Aadhaar Card number to gain entry into the airport, it said. Fliers, however, would have flexibility to follow the traditional process of showing a photo-ID to gain entry into the airport in case the Aadhaar number is not available. "We are happy to announce a comprehensive end-to-end E-boarding solution, first time at any Indian airport. After the successful pilot of the project and a go-ahead from Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), we have used our internal capabilities to commence E-boarding (facility) in shortest possible time," GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) Chief executive Officer SGK Kishore said. The in-house built e-boarding solution is in line with the 'Digital India' programme envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said. GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) is a four-way joint venture with GMR Group holding 63 per cent stake, while Airports Authority of India and Telangana holding 13 per cent each. The rest 11 per cent stake is held by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad.

Telangana govt seeks Microsoft's cooperation in varied areas

The Telangana government has sought IT giant Microsoft's cooperation in areas such as digitisation of classrooms and last mile connectivity to rural areas, the state's IT Minister KT Rama Rao said today. Nadella today visited the T-Hub, a technological incubator for start-ups set up by the Telangana government with the support of Nalsar, IIIT-Hyderabad and ISB. "We (both Nadella and Telangana government) have explored several avenues of collaboration, one of which is start-up ecosystem. We requested Satya (Microsoft) to participate in building the start-up ecosystem in Hyderabad. He has shown keen interest in that," Rao said. "We also talked about collaboration in the white space technology in which the Microsoft is pioneering. We want to build the last mile connectivity using Microsoft white space," the minister told reporters after the meeting with the Microsoft chief at T-Hub. According to Rama Rao, Nadella wanted local entrepreneurs to come forward to partner with Microsoft in various areas. The IT minister also said they requested Microsoft to engage with the government to provide cloud technology that is useful to small and medium entrepreneurs. "The last initiative we talked about is in the field of education. Telangana is focused on providing best education. Therefore, we requested the Microsoft to work with us in digitising our classrooms," he said. The minister further said that the government would closely work with Microsoft in taking forward the initiatives. According to him, Nadella is impressed with the government's IT initiatives and T-Hub.

Notification for GHMC Election to be issued in two days' says State Election Commissioner Nagi Reddy

Kirti Azad demands CBI probe into graft charges against DDCA

Suspended BJP MP Kirti Azad today demanded a CBI probe into graft allegations against DDCA and insisted that his fight was against corruption in the cricket body and not against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Rejecting BJP's charge that he had indulged in anti-party activities, Azad, who was suspended after his strident attacks against Jaitley, said he had done nothing against BJP or the central government. "It has nothing to do with BJP. It is about corruption in sports. I have been fighting against corruption in sports for years and will continue to do so," he told the media. "Don't bring Arun Jaitley into this." Azad claimed he has "evidence" of corruption in Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) including about few-month old companies being given contract worth crores of rupees which he was willing to share with the agency. He claimed he had shared the evidence with the then DDCA head, a reference to Jaitley, but nothing happened. He brought CBI in his line of fire, questioning its notices to the DDCA instead of raiding it, saying attempts were being made to hide "corruption" Replying to a query, Azad said he was willing to share details with the commission of inquiry ordered by the Arvind Kejriwal government into the DDCA issue. "If they call be, I will definitely go. It is not a big thing. It is a government commission, not a private commission. It is set up in accordance with the rules and if I am called them I will definitely go," he said. Naming a number of private firms which, he alleged, made money through illegal means, he asked his detractors to find out if they really existed as he wondered if this was not "fraud". "I want to ask those who are throwing muck at me that where are these companies. Double and triple payments were made," the three-time MP from Darbhanga alleged. He also asked BJP leaders targeting him to be "careful" about their words as he was not attacking the party but corruption in sports and any unfair criticism can harm it. He also sought to play down a Serious Fraud Investigation Office report, which BJP says had found no scam in the DDCA, and said Registrar of Companies was fighting cases against some auditors in a local court. Jaitley and DDCA have denied allegations made by Kirti Azad.

Elderly Sikh attacked in alleged hate crime in US

A 68-year-old Sikh man has been brutally assaulted by two persons in the US state of California, prompting police to launch a "hate crime" probe into the latest such incident in the country. Amrik Singh Bal was attacked on Saturday morning in California's Fresno area, a report in the Fresno Bee said. The incident happened as Bal was waiting alone for a ride to work when two white men stopped their car in front of him and started yelling obscenities at him, Fresno police Sergeant Greg Noll said. Fearing for his safety, Bal tried crossing the street but the suspects backed up their car and hit Bal with their back bumper. The two men then got out of the car and attacked Bal, hitting him in the face and upper body. Bal fell to the ground and hit his head. During the assault, one of the suspects yelled "Why are you here?", the report said. The suspects fled only after they heard another vehicle approaching. Bal, who was taken to a local hospital, suffered abrasions to his nose and right hand and a broken collar bone. Noll said police have started a hate-related criminal investigation into the attack on Bal adding that the Fresno police would coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security and FBI to solve this case. The attack is the latest in a line of hate crimes against Sikhs in America. Earlier this month, a Gurudwara in California was vandalised with hateful graffiti, including the word 'ISIS', in the aftermath of the mass shootings in San Bernardino. In September, a Sikh American father was viciously assaulted in a suburb outside of Chicago after being called 'Bin Laden'. In 2014, Sandeep Singh, a Sikh American father in New York City, was run over and dragged 30 feet after being called a "terrorist". In May 2013, 82-year-old Piara Singh was attacked outside the Nanaksar Sikh Temple in south Fresno by a man who later allegedly made inflammatory comments about Muslims. In 2012, a gunman with Neo-Nazi ties walked into a Sikh gurdwara and shot and killed six innocent Sikh in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. "Sikhs have been mistaken for terrorists and radicals and continue to suffer after 9/11," member of the Sikh Council of Central California Ike Iqbal Grewal said. "This is the latest episode of what Sikhs have been enduring when they are very peace-loving and hard-working citizens of this great country and not members of al-Qaida or ISIS or any other radical group." Rights group The Sikh Coalition said its thoughts and prayers go out to Bal and his family. "We are quickly investigating and will share updates when we have them," it said.

Nepal pays tribute to Mirza Ghalib

A special programme was organised here to pay tribute to noted Indian poet Ghalib on his 218th birth anniversary for his outstanding contributions in the field of Urdu poetry. The programme was jointly organised by the Embassy of India and B P Koirala India-Nepal Foundation at the Nepal-India Friendship Library in Kathmandu. The programme started with paying tribute to Ghalib for his outstanding contributions in the field of Urdu poetry. Sanath Kumar Basti briefed on Ghalib's works and contributions on the occasion. He said that Ghalib started composing poetry at the age of 11. Before Ghalib, the Ghazal was primarily an expression of anguished love but Ghalib expressed philosophy, the travails and mysteries of life and wrote ghazals on many other subjects, vastly expanding the scope of the Ghazal. THe programme had eminent poets, including Manoj Neupane, Tripura Poudel, Abdul Momin, Momila Joshi, Gopal Ask, Imtiaz Wafa, Gyanuwakar Poudel and Krishna Jung Rana, reciting their poems in Nepali and in Hindi. The powerful recitations by these poets were well received by the audience. On the occasion, Abhay Kumar, First Secretary, press and culture, Indian Embassy recited his own poem on Ghalib and Laxmi Prasad Devkota, the poet from Nepal. On the occasion, a book titled 'Dhupchaya' authored by Dr Krishna Jung Rana, which includes dozens of melodious Ghazal pieces, was also released.

Hyderabadi youths who allegedly wanted to join IS questioned

The Hyderabad police today began questioning of three city-based students picked up from Nagpur airport yesterday while on the way to Srinagar to join "jihadi terror groups" like ISIS. "They are being questioned in front of their parents," a senior official of intelligence wing of Telangana police told PTI. The three youths, cousins in their 20s, were nabbed in a joint operation by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and Telangana police when they were about to board a flight to Srinagar after arriving in Nagpur from Hyderabad. Earlier, their parents had registered missing cases after the trio left without telling anyone about their plans. The officer said that investigators would be analysing contents of a cell phone recovered from them. "We are going to replace them (sections applied in missing person cases) with appropriate sections if needed, as it all depends on the outcome of investigation. We need to analyse the cell phone and it will take some more time," the officer said. One of them would be let off after mere counselling as his role didn't look to be very serious, he said. The other two had been counselled by the police last year after they were caught while allegedly planning to join ISIS. They were under watch ever since. Police had claimed yesterday that they had "jihadi kind of mindset". "The trio wanted to reach Srinagar from where they wanted to explore joining some terror organisation. They did not have any well-prepared plan," the police had said

Indian family values acted as deterrent to IS: Rajnath

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that global terror outfit Islamic State has failed in its attempts to establish roots in India due to strong family values in the society which act as deterrent to radicalisation. "Today, IS is being talked across the globe. But India is the lone country in the world where it has not been able to establish its roots due to family values of the Indian culture," he said. Citing an example, the Union minister said,"A Muslim youth got caught in radicalisation in Mumbai and his parents came to me with the request to save him. Such are the values of our country. I have full faith that IS can never have supremacy in India." Singh was addressing a conference here. He said that it was a miracle of the country's culture that Imams took out a procession against IS. "It is our responsibility to preserve this culture. If we can keep it intact, no one can prevent India from becoming a superpower," he said. The Union Home minister said that the Britishers attempted to tell that India was cypher, but the concept of zero originated from here. "India has given a lot to mathematics, medicine and astronomy. It has been the centre of knowledge even before foundation of Oxford and Harvard was laid," he said. The Union minister said that life values of the country teach tolerance to the people. The values also teach not to discriminate of the basis of caste, religion and sect. Singh said that India was the only country where all 72 sects of Muslims lived together. "It does not happen even in any Islamic country," he said. "When the Persians were exiled from their own country, they were given most respect in India. It is the wonder of education and culture of this country," he said.

India, Pak and Bangladesh can become a ''''federation'''': Paswan

Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan today favoured India, Pakistan and Bangladesh becoming a "Mahasanghatan" (federation) with a common currency and open trade, a move, he claimed would put an end to terrorism to a large extent. "We cannot say if they can reunite or not; if they (the three countries) reunite, it's very good thing. At least if they don't become one nation (again), it can become a federation ('Mahasanghatan' as he put it)," Paswan told PTI in an interview here. "Bharat, Pakistan and Bangladesh were all in one nation (earlier)," the LJP chief said when asked for his views on BJP general secretary Ram Madhav's recent statement that RSS believes that the three nations would one day reunite again not by war but through "popular goodwill". "These three nations can become a 'federation'", Paswan said, mooting the idea of common currency, open trade and lifting of restrictions on movement of people. "This will put an end to terrorism to a large extent," he added. His comments have come after BJP's National General Secretary Ram Madhav said that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh will reunite one day to create "Akhand Bharat" or an 'Undivided India'. Madhav had told Doha-based Al Jazeera: "The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) still believes that one day these parts, which have for historical reasons separated only 60 years ago, will again, through popular goodwill, come together and 'Akhand Bharat' will be created." Paswan also described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's last week's surprise visit to Lahore as a "masterstroke" and said it is an attempt to link the hearts of the people of the two countries. "People on both the sides of the border want 'permanent friendship' between the two countries. Only terrorists oppose good bilateral relations between New Delhi and Islamabad," he said. The Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said the LJP is fighting for reservation of SCs and STs in private sector. "Not that you give reservation in all posts... where there is available -- Class-III and Class-IV posts, you can give (reservation)". Paswan rejected suggestions from opposition parties that 'Ache Din' is yet to come for 'aam aadmi' even after one-and-half year tenure of the Modi Government, as he listed various initiatives of the Centre, including Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bhima Yojana and Mudra Bank.

Chandi Yagam concludes

The five-day mega religious ritual organised by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for universal peace and people's welfare drew to a close today in the presence of his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu. The 'Ayutha Chandi Maha Yagam', which began on December 23 at Rao's farmhouse at Erravelli village in Medak district, around 75km from here, involved non-stop chanting of mantras on all days besides devotional programmes, including bhajans and 'harikatha' (recital of religious stories). On the first day, Rao undertook a circumambulation of the 'yagashala' before performing 'Garu Prarthana' in front of the idol of 'Chandi Matha', marking the beginning of the event. As many as 1,100 rithviks (priests), assisted by juniors, performed a slew of rituals at 101 'homagundams' (sacred fire pits) and recited 'veda mantras' several thousand times during the ceremony. Governor of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh E S L Narasimhan, Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu, Bandaru Dattatreya and Sujana Choudhary, Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao, his Tamil Nadu counterpart K Rosaiah and NCP President Sharad Pawar were among several dignitaries and spiritual leaders who attended the event on different days. Naidu attended the final day of the 'yagam'. The event had earlier drawn sharp criticism from Opposition BJP and CPI(M), which accused Rao of misusing Government machinery and wasting public money. Telangana CPI(M) alleged that the 'yagam' was against the Constitution as it promoted superstition among people. Rao had claimed no Government money was being spent on the event. The Chief Minister had said, "It is purely my own yagam. Some of my friends are supporting it. I am spending money from my own account. Not a single naya paisa from Government will be used for it." The stated objective of the ceremony was to promote universal peace and people's welfare.

Satya Nadella to visit T-Hub tomorrow

Software giant Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Satya Nadella is scheduled to visit the city-based T-Hub tomorrow. "Nadella will visit T-Hub in the city tomorrow. T-hub is the technological incubation centre set up by the Telangana government. He will interact with start-up entrepreneurs," Telangana IT secretary Jayesh Ranjan told PTI today. When asked about Nadella's four-day visit, Jayesh said, "He (Nadella) is on a private visit". Telangana's IT Minister K T Rama Rao had earlier said "Satya Nadella is coming on December 28. He is visiting T-Hub. We are planning to inaugurate some of our initiatives during that time. We are also inviting some other dignitaries." This will be for second time Nadella is visiting Hyderabad. During his visit in September last year, the IT giant chief addressed Microsoft's employees at its India Development Centre (IDC) here. T-Hub is a technology incubator with collaborative efforts from the Indian School of Business (ISB), the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-Hyderabad) and NALSAR University of Law, besides various other organisations. The Telangana government had put in Rs 40 crore on the 70,000 sq ft facility constructed on the IIT-H campus.

Polls held for 6 Telangana Legislative Council seats

Elections to six seats in the Telangana Legislative Council from the local bodies' constituency in four districts were held today. "The polling was completed peacefully without any untoward incident," said Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Bhanwar Lal. As many as 19 candidates are in the fray in the elections to the six seats -- two each in Ranga Reddy and Mahabubnagar districts and one each in Nalgonda and Khammam. Ranga Reddy district recorded 99.74 percentage polling followed by Mahbubnagar at 99.7 while the figures for Nalgonda and Khammam stood at 99.1 and 95.32 per cent, respectively, officials said. Candidates of TRS, Congress, Telugu Desam, YSR Congress, CPI as well as independents are among the contenders in these polls. As many as 19 polling stations were set up at sub- divisional headquarters to facilitate polling by a total electorate of 3,869 voters. The counting of votes will take place on December 30. The ruling TRS has already won six seats unanimously in the Karimnagar, Warangal, Nizamabad, Medak and Adilabad districts of the state.

Agra awaits memorial for Mirza Ghalib

As the city of Taj remembers the doyen of Urdu poetry Mirza Ghalib on his birth anniversary today, litterateurs lament that plans to build a memorial for the son of the soil have been gathering dust for years. Ghalib was born in the city in 1797 and later moved to Delhi where his poetic talent blossomed and found new expression. For years admirers of Ghalib's poetry have been demanding a fitting memorial for the great poet, but there have only been assurances and promises from officials. A proposal to set up a Mirza Ghalib chair at the Agra University to promote Urdu literature has also been gathering dust, say litterateurs. "Similarly, the haveli in Kala Mahal area of the city where Ghalib was born was to be acquired by UP government when SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister, but now no one talks about it now," lamented Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, which celebrates the Urdu poet's birthday every year with cake cutting and poetry recitals at a hotel. Sharma told PTI that the house where Ghalib was born should be converted into a memorial for a poet whose contribution to Urdu literature is as great as Shakespeare's to English literature. "Unfortunately despite our persistent demands over the years this city does not have a proper memorial for Meer, Nazir and Ghalib, all three had association with the city of the Taj Mahal," Sharma lamented. "Minus Ghalib, Meer and Nazir Akbarabadi, all from the Taj city, what would be left in Urdu literature.Unfortunately, due to lack of patronage, Urdu language and poetry both have suffered and Agra stands as a virtual wasteland in terms of creativity," says Shiv Pratap Singh, a young poet. Sachin Saini, an activist said had it not been for Bollywood, Urdu language would have by now become extinct.

Prez Pranab to inaugurate 98th annual conference of Indian Economic Association today

President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the 98th annual conference of the Indian Economic Association in Hyderabad today. The three-day conference is being organized by Indian Economic Association and the Centre for Economic and Social Studies in Hyderabad. Later in the day, Mr Pranab Mukherjee will take part in the ‘Ayutha Maha Chandi Yagam’ being performed by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandra Sekhara Rao at Erravelli village in Medak district. The President is currently staying at Rashtrapathi Nilayam in Hyderabad as part of southern sojourn.

Cold wave warning in Telangana for five days

A cold wave warning has been issued for Telangana for five days beginning today. Severe cold wave to cold wave conditions would prevail over some parts in all districts of Telangana during the five days, the Meteorological department said in a statement.

Polls for six council seats will be held tomorrow

Elections to the six seats in Telangana Legislative Council from local bodies' constituency in four districts would be held tomorrow. All arrangements for smooth conduct of the polling, to be held from 8 AM to 4 PM tomorrow, are completed, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Bhanwar Lal, said today. As many as 19 candidates are in fray for the elections under the local authorities constituency quota, to be held for six seats, which include two each in Ranga Reddy and Mahabubnagar districts and one each in Nalgonda and Khammam. Candidates belonging to TRS, Congress, Telugu Desam, YSR Congress, CPI, besides Independents are contesting the elections. As many as 19 polling stations have been setup at sub-divisional headquarters wherein a total of 3,869 electorate will exercise their franchise. The counting will take place on December 30. The ruling TRS has already won six seats unanimously in Karimnagar, Warangal, Nizamabad, Medak and Adilabad districts of the state.

Sultan Bazar traders say HMR's 'agreement' claim false;protest

A group of traders from Sultan Bazar today held a protest in front of Metro Rail Bhavan here against proposed alignment of Metro Rail route in their area, a day after Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) officials claimed achievement of a "breakthrough" on the contentious issue. The members associated with 'Sultan Bazar Building Owners Association' and 'Sultan Bazar Hawkers Association' under the banner of 'Sultan Bazar Traders Association' assembled in front of Metro Rail Bhavan holding placards with message 'keep your promise KCR, save Sultan Bazar' written on them and raised slogans. The members condemned the statement issued by HMR yesterday which said that "we have settled the matter with Hyderabad Metro Rail". They said no officials of either HMR or government have invited them for discussion on the proposed Metro route passing through the busy commercial market. "The announcement that an agreement was reached on a special package between traders, owners and hawkers operating in Sultan Bazar and officials is false," said S Sudhir Kumar, president of Sultan Bazar Building Owners Association. He said that yesterday's meeting with HMR officials was attended by those people who are not associated with the body. "Only certain people attended the meeting and they are not associated with us. We were never consulted and we have not reached any agreement. We request the government to verify the reality in the market and know about the genuine affected people of the market (sic). "We once again request HMR and government to look into our demand to realign the Metro route from Sultan Bazar as promised by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao earlier and save the livelihood of thousands of people and the heritage market," the members said. HMR officials had said that an agreement on a special package between traders, owners and hawkers operating in Sultan Bazar and officials was reached in yesterday's meeting. At the meeting with Traders' Joint Action Committee, HMR Managing Director NVS Reddy had informed the gathering that the Chief Minister had directed HMR officials to arrive at a mutually agreeable special package to Badi Chowdi-Sultan Bazaar-Koti area, given its special place in history and culture of Hyderabad.

Three Hyderabad based youth suspected to have links with ISIS, arrested from Nagpur airport

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Telangana police arrested on Saturday three people from Nagpur airport on suspicion that they were trying to leave the country to join terrorist outfit Islamic State (IS). Maharashtra officials handed them over to the Telangana ATS after the joint operation yielded success. Residents of Hyderabad, all three youth are aged between 20 and 25 years. The youth were reportedly planning to board a flight to Srinagar from Nagpur after arriving from Hyderabad on Friday, a senior ATS official said. “We got information that the youth would be boarding the early morning flight,” the official said. “The youth, who came to Nagpur by cab, were handed over to the Telangana Counter-Intelligence cell.” So far, around 20 young men, mostly from Telangana, have been prevented from travelling to Syria, ostensibly to join IS. Indian security establishment suggests that around 20-odd Indians are currently fighting for the banned outfit in Iraq and Syria. They include two youths from Kalyan on the outskirts of Mumbai, an Australia-based Kashmiri, one youth from Telangana, one from Karnataka, one Oman-based Indian and another Singapore-based Indian. Last year, a youth from Kalyan had returned home after spending about six-months with IS. He was arrested upon arrival in Mumbai. Among the six Indians, who fought alongside IS and got killed were three Indian Mujahideen terrorists, including Sultan Ajmer Shah and Bada Sajid, who had joined its ranks after being in Pakistan, two from Maharashtra and one from Telangana. On September 15, the UAE deported four Indians suspected to have links with IS. The UAE had also sent back in September a 37-year-old woman, Afsha Jabeen alias Nicky Joseph, who was allegedly involved in recruiting youths for IS. In January, Salman Mohiuddin of Hyderabad was arrested at Hyderabad airport when he was preparing to board a flight to Dubai on way to Syria via Turkey. Last week, a 16-year-old college girl, who was allegedly in touch with arrested Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) executive Mohammed Sirajuddin, was put under surveillance for her suspected links with the IS in Pune.

Modi to meet Nawaz Sharif in surprise Pakistan visit today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would meet Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Lahore on Friday in first visit to Pakistan by an Indian premier in more than 10 years. “Looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi,” Modi said on Twitter. “Spoke to PM Nawaz Sharif & wished him on his birthday,” he said. The Indian prime minister made the surprise announcement as he concluded his visit to Afghanistan with an address to the Afghan parliament. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed the meeting between the two leaders. “That’s like a statesman,” Swaraj said on Twitter. “One should have such relations with the neighbours,” she added. Earlier Friday, in his speech to the Afghan parliament, Modi urged closer cooperation between India, Pakistan and other neighbours for Afghanistan’s progress. “We know that Afghanistan’s success will require the cooperation and support of each of its neighbours. And, all of us in the region — India, Pakistan, Iran and others — must unite … behind this common purpose,” Modi said.

Sadhna passes away

Veteran bollywood actress Sadhna passed away today in Mumbai after a brief illness. She was 74. The yesteryear beauty, who enthralled masses with her graceful performances in Hindi films in the 60s and 70s had retired from public life long back. Born in Karachi in 1941, Sadhna studied at Jai Hind College in Mumbai before joining films. Though she played a cameo in Raj Kapoor’s Shree 420, it was the 1960 film 'Love In Shimla' which made her a household name. Her other famous films include Hum Dono, Asli Naqli, Mere Mehboob, Waqt, and Woh Kaun Thi. The actress also famously introduced the fringe hairstyle also known as Sadhna cut in Indian cinema. She was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by IIFA in 2002.

Syed Kirmani to get Lifetime Achievement Award

India's former wicket-keeper batsman Syed Kirmani has been nominated for this year's Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award. According to a BCCI release, the Awards Committee met at Cricket Centre, BCCI headquarters, Mumbai, and unanimously nominated Kirmani for the Award for 2015. The committee consists BCCI President Shashank Manohar, Secretary Anurag Thakur and N Ram, former Editor-in-chief of The Hindu Group. The BCCI celebrates the birth centenary of Col. Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu, the country’s first Test captain, by instituting an annual Lifetime Achievement Award, to honour individuals for their unparalleled contribution to Indian cricket, on and off the field. The Award comprises a trophy, citation and cheque for Rs. 25 lakhs. Kirmani, who made his Test debut in 1976 against New Zealand, kept wickets against India’s famous spin quartet and did the job remarkably well. He also excelled in batting scoring two Test centuries in the lower order. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1982. Kirmani was the vice-president of KSCA and also the chairman of the national selection committee.

Youth kills self after 'quizzed' by police

An 18-year-old youth, who was "questioned" by police for allegedly taking away cell phone and other items of his friend, has "committed" suicide at his house, police said today. The family members of the deceased Tarun Yadav, however, alleged that he killed himself due to harassment by police. According to a release issued by Hyderabad Police, one J Nani came to Lallaguda police station on December 22 and lodged a complaint stating that his friends Tarun Yadav, Sandeep and Mukhesh took his tab, mobile phone, wallet, ATM card and Rs 800 in cash and warned him to not to disclose to anybody about this incident, otherwise they will kill him. On the complaint, police brought Sandeep and Tarun Yadav, working as a tele-caller, along with the tab, cellphone, ATM card and produced them before the inspector of Lallaguda police station yesterday afternoon, it stated. After seeing the tab and cell phone, the complainant said that his friends had taken the things to make fun. After this the inspector summoned the parents of the respondents to the police station for counselling. The release stated that only Sandeep's father Samuel came to police station and responded in a positive manner. However, nobody came on behalf of Tarun Yadav. Since all the four were friends and the parents of accused had requested to take a lenient view, police booked a petty case and released them on bail after counselling. At about 11 PM yesterday, police came to know that Tarun Yadav after reaching home, quarrelled with his mother, elder step-brother and committed suicide by hanging to the ceiling fan at his residence, the release stated. A case under section 174 of CrPc was registered by Malkajgiri police station for further investigation. "In the case registered at Malkajgiri police station, it is mentioned that, he quarrelled in the house, and later committed suicide. However, we are further going through the facts to ascertain the truth," the release added.

Quran found at UK varsity belonged to Hazrat Abu Bakr?

An ancient copy of the Quran found at the University of Birmingham in July may have belonged to Hazrat Abu Bakr, one of the world's first ever Muslims, British media reported today. Radiocarbon dating carried out in July found the fragments to be at least 1,370-years-old, raising the possibility that it could be the oldest copy of the Islamic holy book in existence. Now Jamal bin Huwareib, managing director of the UAE's Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Islamic studies, has suggested that such an early document could have been commissioned by a very small number of people the most likely of them being Abu Bakr, The Independent reported. Abu Bakr is widely understood to be the first person to convert to Islam outside the Prophet Mohammed's direct family. He served as a friend and trusted advisor to the prophet and became the first ever Muslim caliph in 632, ruling for 27 months until his death 634. The age of the Birmingham Quran means it is likely to have been created in Islam's very earliest years, when the world's global Muslim population was only in the low hundreds. "I believe this is the Koran of Abu Bakr," bin Huwareib told BBC News, adding: "It's the most important discovery ever for the Muslim world." The quality of the Birmingham Quran's parchment and handwriting suggests the 200 leaf document could only have been created for an incredibly important figure, he said. "This version, this collection, this manuscript is the root of Islam, it's the root of the Koran.... This will be a revolution in studying Islam," bin Huwareib said. But everybody is not convinced that the Birmingham Quran was Abu Bakr's personal version on the holy book. David Thomas, Birmingham University's professor of Christianity and Islam, said bin Huwareib's claims amounted to "a very big leap indeed", adding that he believes the radio carbon dating suggests the manuscript was actually created around 20 years after the first caliph's death. While he concedes that "the person who actually wrote it could well have known the Prophet Muhammad", Thomas believes too much emphasis has been placed on dating the document on "graphical evidence", such as handwriting trends. But staff at Oxford University's Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, which dated the parchment, are convinced their findings are correct, no matter how inconvenient. Researcher David Chivall told the BBC that the accuracy of dating has improved in recent years, with a much more reliable approach to removing contamination from samples. In the case of the Birmingham Quran, Chivall says the latter half of the age range is more likely, but the overall range is accurate to a probability of 95 per cent. "We're as confident as we can be that the dates are accurate." Prophet Muhammad lived between AD 570 and 632.

Minor among 15 named in Dadri charge sheet

Nearly three months after Mohammed Ikhlaq was lynched by a mob in Dadri, police today filed a charge sheet against 15 people, including a minor, but there was no mention of beef in it. 52-year-old Ikhlaq was killed over rumours that he had stored beef in his house but police said a forensic report on the type of meat was yet to be received. Ikhlaq's daughter, Shaishta, has been made the prime witness in the case. "Charge sheet has been filed against 15 persons. Additional charge sheet will be filed against few more persons whose names figured in the statement of Ikhlaq's daughter, Shaishta, recorded before the court. Two persons were arrested today while two others are absconding," Deputy Superintendent of Police Anurag Singh said. "Forensic report is yet to be received on whether the meat sample taken from the fridge of the deceased's house was that of goat or cow. In the charge sheet it is stated that the accused persons had attacked the house of Ikhlaq after announcement from the temple about cow slaughtering. The accused had found pieces of meat stored in fridge and they had claimed it to be that of beef," Singh said. One of the accused is reported to be a minor. Police said his age certificate is being verified and he will be produced before the juvenile court accordingly.

King Salman blames Assad for IS rise in Syria

Saudi King Salman accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad today of having aided the rise of the Islamic State group and called for a political settlement with moderate forces to end the war there. The solution would be to form "a transitional government made up of moderate opposition forces, ensuring the unity of Syrians and the departure of foreign forces and terrorist organisations," the king said in an annual speech to the consultative Shura Council. These organisations "could not have found fertile ground in Syria, had it not been for the Syrian regime's policies, which have exterminated hundreds of thousands... and displaced millions" of people, said the monarch. More than 250,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict broke out in March 2011. The kingdom, a key-backer of Syrian opposition groups, has repeatedly insisted on Assad's departure. Earlier this month, Riyadh hosted a meeting of various Syrian armed and political opposition groups who agreed to negotiate with the regime but set Assad's departure as a condition for any eventual political transition process. The kingdom "calls for a political solution to end Syria's crisis," said King Salman, who turns 80 later this month and who made only a brief appearance at the council. He read only part of the speech, the entire text of which was later published on the official SPA news agency. In November, foreign ministers from countries that back and oppose Assad's regime agreed on a roadmap to end the conflict. This would see a transitional government set up within six months, after regime-opposition talks, and elections within 18 months.

No plan to accord minority status to more communities

The government has no plan to accord minority status to more communities at present, the Lok Sabha was informed today. "No madam," Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said in a written reply. He was asked whether government proposes to accord the status of minority to some other communities also. Naqvi said, the government has so far notified six communities -- Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains as minority communities under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. He said there is no specific function conferred under Section 9 of NCM Act to identify any community as a minority.

Year of consolidation for Telangana & KCR

2015 was a year of consolidation for Telangana and its Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao as the newly-launched welfare and development programmes of the TRS government started taking shape in the second year of the new state. However, the revenue-surplus state reeled under drought conditions this year due to scanty rainfall and a central team of officials visited the state this month to study the situation. In his meeting with the team, Rao sought input subsidy for farmers in 231 mandals and raising the number of working days under MNREGA to 200 days, besides granting national status to a major irrigation project in the state. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) government initiated a number of schemes for the state's "reconstruction" during the 18 months since its formation in June last year. Rao, who spearheaded the separate statehood agitation, alleges that Telangana was destroyed due to the discrimination of "Andhra rulers" in undivided Andhra Pradesh. He announced a slew of decisions and programmes for the benefit of different sections. The state government employees, who were in the forefront of the statehood stir, received a bonanza from him with a massive 43 per cent hike announced in their salaries. Promising to build a "golden Telangana", the government initiated a 'water grid' scheme to supply piped drinking water to every household in the state and 'Mission Kakatiya' for renovating tanks and other water bodies. The ruling party had vowed not to seek votes in the next Assembly elections if it failed to provide piped drinking water. The two flagship programmes are under different stages of implementation. TRS promised providing two-bed room houses for the poor during elections and a model colony of such flats has been constructed in Hyderabad. A major success for the TRS government is the improved power supply situation during the year against predictions by some that Telangana would be power-starved after its formation. Opposition Congress, TDP and BJP alleged that hundreds of farmers committed suicide due to agrarian crisis in the state and the state ministers blamed the previous governments for the distress in agriculture sector. Alleging that the promise of farm loan waiver has only been implemented partially, the Opposition during the monsoon session of Assembly demanded waiving of farm loans at one go. The TRS government's plans to further expand the brand value of Hyderabad received a fillip with technology giant Google announcing its decision to build a new campus in the city..

'Maha Yagam' at KCR's farmhouse, draws flak from Opposition

The five-day 'Ayutha Chandi Maha Yagam', being performed by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for people's welfare, began today at his farm house in neighbouring Medak district, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition BJP and CPI(M) which accused him of misusing government machinery and wasting public money. Rao has dismissed the charge, claiming that no government money was being spent for the 'yagam' (ritual). The BJP disapproved of the "exorbitant splurge of money and misusing government machinery for a personal event", though the party said that it supported performing "yagnas and yagas" for the larger public good. "BJP supports yagnas and yagas for the larger good of the society. We have no issue with his personal events either. However, the exorbitant splurge of money and misusing government machinery for a personal event is unacceptable," Telangana BJP spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao said. "BJP demands the expenditure involved in laying roads to KCR farm house, security and logistics also be borne by the CM," he said. The Chief Minister had last week said that, "It is purely my own Yagam. Some of my friends have come forward to support it. I am spending money from own account. Not even single naya paisa from government will be used for it." Earlier this morning, the Chief Minister was accorded a traditional welcome when he arrived there at his farm house. He undertook a circumambulation of the 'yagashala' before performing 'Garu Prarthana' in front of the idol of 'Chandi Matha' marking the beginning of the rituals, a CMO statement said. Governor of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh E S L Narasimhan also took part in the puja. 'Gou puja', 'Maha Mantapa Sthapanam', 'Chandi yantra lekhanam', among others, formed part of the rituals on the first day, it said. Massive arrangements have been made for the 'yagam' in the sprawling premises at Rao's farm house at Erravelli village in Medak district. President Pranab Mukherjee would visit the place on December 27. The Telangana CPI(M) unit alleged that the 'yagam' being performed by the CM is against the Constitution as it promotes superstition among people. .

Student attempts to jump to adjacent building, dies

A 19-year-old engineering student died today after he "accidentally" fell from a three-floor hostel while attempting to jump to an adjacent building here, police said. Sai Krishna, a B Tech first-year student at a private college, was trying to cross over to an adjoining building from his hostel last night in Petbasheerabad area, but failed to place his foot properly on the bordering wall of the adjacent building and suddenly fell, Petbasheerabad Police Station Inspector D V Ranga Reddy said. "Sai sustained serious head injuries and was immediately taken to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to injuries in the early hours," he said. "Sai's friend had crossed over by leaping to the adjoining building, but for Sai it was unfortunate. As per preliminary investigation, it was a habitual practice for some of students to jump to adjacent buildings (hostels). But it seems it was the first time that Sai had tried such an act," the officer said. Local TV channels aired CCTV camera footage showing Sai "unsuccessfully" trying to cross over to another building and falling down from the building. A case under Section 174 (suspicious death) of CrPC has been registered in connection and further probe is on, police added.

Swaraj to visit Israel, Palestine next month

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visit Israel and Palestine next month to intensify India's engagement with West Asia. Amid a flurry of planned visits, coming close on the heels of President Pranab Mukherjee's historic visit to West Asia in October, Swaraj would be visiting the region from January 16 to 19. The minister, whose appointment was highly appreciated by Israel for her comments in the past dubbing the Jewish state as a "reliable partner", earlier served as the Chairperson of Indo-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group from 2006-09 and had visited Israel during her tenure. There has been a lot of hype in Israel over the strenghtneing of Indo-Israel ties since the NDA government came to power, and the "personal chemistry" between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu has been the subject of media discussions. Netanyahu, who was invited by Mukherjee to visit India, constently refers Modi as his "friend" and the two leaders have met twice on the sidelines of UN forums with the Israeli leader emphasising that "sky is the limit" in strengthening bilateral cooperation in different potential areas. With agriculture being one of the major areas of cooperation, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh will visit Israel a few days before Swaraj's arrival to explore further possibilities. Israel has set up several Centres of Excellence in India to promote bilateral cooperation in agriculture. Drip irrigation, water management, renewable energy are among major areas of focus during the planned visits even as a parliamentary delegation comprising five MPs from different political parties of India are currently in Israel as part of diverse efforts to promote Indo-Israel ties. Indo-Israel defence ties have been highlighted by joint ventures with the Jewish state showing inclination towards sharing technology and even doing joint marketing of products. The recent test of jointly developed Barak 8 anti-missile system has built confidence in such ventures with many others being in the pipeline. Israel has emerged as the second largest defence equipment supplier to India after Russia. Swaraj would also be meeting Palestinian leaders to re- affirm India's consistent support for the Palestinian cause. India is executing several projects in Palestine to improve the living conditions of people and has been active in capacity building through extending scholarships to Palestinian students and building schools.

MIM's Jalsa e Rehmat Ul lil Alameen Sallam will be held tonight at Darussalam

Sania, Hingis named as Women’s Doubles World Champions by International Tennis Federation

Formidable pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis has been named as Women’s Doubles World Champions by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). This is in recognition of their stupendous success in season 2015. Hingis is an ITF World Champion 15 years after last being named World Champion in singles in 2000. Sania and Martina joined forces in March this year but proved a force to be reckoned with in 2015, winning two Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the US Open, and seven further tournaments. They won their last 22 matches from the start of the US Open through wins in Asia at Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing and the WTA Finals. The duo ended the year with a 55-7 record. The ITF also announced American Serena Williams and Serbian Novak Djokovic as the 2015 ITF World Champions. Williams is named Women’s World Champion for the sixth time, while this is the fifth occasion that Djokovic has received the honour.

Techie sexually abused by ex-colleague, rescued by police

A techie, who was allegedly confined in an apartment and sexually abused by her former colleague, was rescued, police said today. Acting on a complaint by the victim's brother that his sister, who stays in Dubai, came to Hyderabad five days ago and was confined in an apartment at Tolichowki, the 'She Team' of the city police formed a team to rescue her, a police release said. "When the team reached there, the victim was found confined in a bathroom and she was in a state of shock with injuries on her head and face. She was rescued from the accused, who had confined her under threat," it said. The accused, Syed Imad Hasan (26), a private employee in a software company and a native of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, developed intimacy with the victim, while she was working in the same office, it said. "The victim left for Dubai in September, 2015 on office work. The accused continued to torture her on social media and phone threatening her of uploading obscene pictures and matter and compelled her to marry him. He forced her to leave Dubai and came to Hyderabad and marry him at any cost," it said. Later, he booked a return ticket for her and forced her to come to India. She came to India five days ago to settle the issue. "He picked her from the airport itself and took her to his flat situated at Toli chowki. From then onwards, he took away her phone, passwords of her e-mail, Facebook, and started using them in her name. She was denied access to anybody," the release said. The accused allegedly procured a litre bottle containing petrol, a knife, a rope and threatened the victim and forced her to give consent for marriage. He also allegedly tore the passport of the victim, beat her severely on head and face and subjected her to sexual abuse, it said. "The victim secretly contacted one of her friends through Facebook and texted him about her condition. He informed this to her brother, who was in Karnataka and both approached the She Team for help," it said. Based on the victim's statement, the accused, the seized material and the victim were handed over to the Humayun Nagar police station for necessary action as per law. A case under relevant sections of IPC was booked and the victim was sent for medical examination. The accused was being produced in the court along with the remand report, the release added.

Gang of 3, including 'film producer', held for robberies

A three-member gang, including a "producer" of a yet-to-be-released film, involved in various bank robberies and house burglaries, was today brought to the city after their arrest in Bangalore, Cyberabad police said today. The gang members-- N Bala Murugan, his nephew P Suresh and V Dinakaran-- all natives of Tamil Nadu were arrested by Bangalore police yesterday. "They had formed a gang in 2008 and started committing offences even as 20 non-bailable warrants are pending against Murugan and Suresh in Bangalore city," the police said in statement. In a bid to settle in the tinsel world and produce movies, the gang started committing bank and house burglaries in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to fulfil their motive. "In 2012, Murugan produced a movie by name 'Manasa Vinava' (not yet released) with a budget of Rs 50 lakh, in which Suresh acted as a protagonist. It is pertinent to state that the inauguration function of this movie was held in Rajahmundry and police/ and revenue officers also attended this function," police said. When contacted, B Naveen Kumar, DCP (Crimes) said the arrest of the gang was possible due to the efforts of Bangalore and Cyberabad police jointly.

Ayodhya: UP CM meets top officials, reviews situation

UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today held a meeting with top officials and reviewed the law and order situation in the backdrop of two stone-laden trucks arriving in Ayodhya on Sunday. Taking note of media reports in this regard, Yadav summoned top officials of Home and Police departments and directed them to take effective measures to maintain law and order in the state. "No one should be allowed to vitiate the law and order situation in the state. The matter of Ayodhya dispute is pending in the Supreme Court. The state government will follow the SC order in letter in spirit. No nuisance will be tolerated by anyone in the state," Yadav said. "You (Police) should keep an eye on rumourmongers and anti-social elements and remain alert," the Chief Minister said. He also directed to keep social media platforms under careful observation to prevent posting of "objectionable" content. The state government had yesterday sought a "confidential" report from Intelligence Department on two stone-laden trucks arriving in Ayodhya six months after the VHP announced a nationwide drive to collect stones for construction of Ram temple.

10 dead as BSF Superking aircraft crashes in Delhi

At least 10 people have died after a chartered aircraft of the Border Security Force (BSF) carrying them crashed near Badpola village in Sector 8 of Dwaraka area in Delhi. The Ranchi-bound BSF Superking aircraft was carrying technicians who were reportedly headed to the border areas when the incident took place. The 10 people on board the flight included the pilot and Deputy Commandant of BSF. The deceased include Insp R P Yadav, Pilot Rajesh Shivrain, Pilot B P Bhatt,Dy comdt D. Kumar,Insp s n sharma, SI Ravindra Kr,SI Chotte Lal,ASI D P Chouhan, SI Sunder Singh, Ct K Rawat. The incident took place soon after the Ranchi-bound plane took off from Delhi at 9:40 am, the BSF said, adding that the aircraft was carrying technicians.

Techie attacks people with sword before being shot

A 26-year-old 'mentally depressed' software engineer today went on a rampage in Karimnagar as he attacked people on the street with a sword and severely injured as many as six persons, including his parents and two policemen, before being fatally shot by police. Balvinder Singh alias Babloo, resident of Laxmi Nagar locality of Karimnagar town, was undergoing treatment for mental depression and other psychological problems following his failure in the civil services examination recently, said Deputy Superintendent of Police, J Rama Rao. An employee with a multinational IT firm in Bengaluru, Balvinder was staying with his parents for the past one month and undergoing treatment. "This morning, he attacked his parents with a sword. Thereafter, he came out on the street and started attacking people aimlessly. He also attacked two police constables. Sensing the danger, our police inspector (Vijay Sarathi) shot him," Rama Rao said. After being informed about Balvinder's violent turn, police rushed to the spot in a van and tried to overpower him. An eyewitness said that Balvinder also injured himself with the sword and damaged the windshield of a vehicle parked in the area. "Balvinder attacked a constable and tried to strike him with the sword. He was shot and then taken to the government hospital. He died there. Initial information says that six persons were injured by him," the DSP said. Officer on Special Duty, Karimnagar, L Subba Rayudu said that Balvinder's father was severely injured in the attack. "His mother is recovering though she is not able to talk to anybody at the moment. His father is severely injured. We will be able to get more details only when they talk. Then only will we be able to assess as to what actually prompted him (Balvinder) to behave like that," Subba Rayudu told PTI. Further inquiries are on into the case, police added.

San Francisco police arrest man in threats to Muslims

Bomb squad crews safely detonated a possible explosive device at the house of a San Francisco Bay Area man and arrested him in connection with threats against Muslim people, a newspaper has reported. Officers in Richmond received a tip that a man had said he wanted to harm Muslim community members, the Contra Costa Times reported on Sunday. Detectives said they learned the man might have made an explosive device at his home. Authorities evacuated nearby residents Sunday before serving a search warrant at the man's house and destroying the possible device. No one was injured. Police said the man was arrested without in incident. His name and age were not released. No further details were released.

Special one day session of Delhi Assembly today to discuss DDCA case and CBI raid

Delhi Cabinet has approved setting up of commission of inquiry to probe the alleged irregularities in Delhi District Cricket Association, DDCA. In a tweet, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, Government has also called for one day special session of assembly today to discuss the alleged scam and CBI raid at Delhi Secretariat. The one member commission of inquiry will be headed former Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium.

How serious is the Saudi led alliance alliance against terrorism?

Treat Muslims on par with SC, ST communities' Akbar Owaisi to Sudhir Commission

19 US-bound students stopped from boarding AI flight

Air India last night barred 19 Indian students from boarding its flight to San Fransisco so they are not "inconvenienced" after being told by the US authorities that the two universities to which they had secured admission were under "scrutiny". The national carrier, which did not allow these students to board the flight at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, has decided not to accept students headed to these universities till the time it got clearance from Air India's US office for their travel. "Air India received communication on December 19, 2015 from the US Customs and Border Protection agency that two universities namely Silicon Valley, San Jose, California and North Western Polytechnic College, Fremont, CA are under scrutiny and students who arrived into San Francisco were not allowed to enter the US and were deported back to India," an Air India statement said. "In the past, we have witnessed that students who secured admission in those institutions have been deported to India as soon as they land there. To avoid embarrassment to them and save their money, we prevented them from boarding the flight," an AI official said in Hyderabad. Air India has offered full refund and waived all charges such as cancellation and rescheduling fee. The airliner said it will start accepting students travelling to join these universities, at no additional cost, as soon as clearance is received from Air India's US office. The statement said so far 14 students who travelled on Air India flights to San Francisco have been deported. Students travel on a one-way ticket to the US and, in the event of deportation, incur huge expenditure to buy a ticket back to India on first available service. Further, seats are often not available on any airlines to travel back," it said. "Considering the situation, as a precautionary measure and to avoid inconvenience, students booked for travel to take admission to these universities are not being accepted on Air India flights," the statement said. US Consulate officials in Hyderabad said they are trying to gather information on the episode. "We are indeed aware of the reports that some students were denied entry on the flights to the US. At this time, we don't have any further information to share with you on this particular issue, but we are seeking clarity on the situation. "As soon as we have new information, we will get back to you immediately," an email reply from the US Consulate said. When contacted, an immigration official at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport said that clearance for boarding a flight has to be given by the airline concerned through the issuance of boarding pass. "The students were not issued boarding passes. It is the airline's responsibility to clear passengers. We have nothing to do with the issue," he said.

Centre approves Rs 678-cr aid for housing scheme in Telangana

The central government has approved an assistance of Rs 678 crore for 73 projects to build houses in Telangana for people belonging to economically weaker section, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said today. "Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation today sanctioned 73 projects involving 45,217 houses for economically weaker sections in 19 cities and towns in Telangana under the Prime Minister's Awas Yojana (urban) with a total central assistance of Rs 678 crore," Labour Ministry said in a statement. The Telangana government has proposed allocating 45,217 houses for urban poor in 27 cities involving 73 projects with a total cost of Rs 3,716.40 crore. The Telangana State Housing Corporation is to take up the projects for 2 bedroom houses along with development of basic infrastructure. Out of 73 projects, 52 belong to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and 21 projects to 18 urban local bodies (ULBs). Of the sanctions, as many as 29,531 houses are to be build in Hyderabad, Karimnagar (1,038), Janagaon (800), Zaheerabad (400), Bodhan (231), Nagerkurnool (250), Medak (2,353), Palvancha (1,903), Vikarabad (291), Wanaparthy (592), Nalgonda (405), Siricilla (1,680), Achhampet (500), Metpally (1,250), Mahaboobad (800), Nirmal (500) and Armoor (500). Dattatreya also urged Naidu to consider 31 more cities/ULBs under Housing for All Mission of the Prime Minister, to which the latter responded positively.

AP House passes Bill to set up, regulate private universities

Aiming to promote higher education, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly today passed a Bill for establishment and regulation of private universities in the state. The Bill aims at creating world-class centres of learning with an objective to establish universities, said Minister for Human Resource Development Ganta Srinivasa Rao. He said the Government would like to see world-class universities like Stanford set up institutions in the State. "Ultimate intention is to develop Andhra Pradesh as a sustainable 'Knowledge Hub' which would provide high quality, research-oriented and industrial relevant education," he said. Speaking on the Bill, BJP floor leader Vishnukumar Raju said the private universities should not become money- spinning institutions and Government should exercise control on them. The courses offered by them should be guided by requirements of the country and state. Sravan Kumar (TDP) said the Government should have a role in appointment of Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors of these varsities. A Satyanarayana (BJP) said the State should not acquire land for the private universities and let them do it on their own. Replying to the debate, the Minister said there will be no compromise with regard to public interest. An expert committee and a screening panel have been proposed to look into establishment and regulation of the private varsities. The House also passed the Andhra Pradesh Metropolitan Region and Urban Development Authorities Bill, Andhra Pradesh Value Added Tax (Third Amendment) Bill and Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board Bill.

AP enacts law; no money lending without license now

In the wake of the call money racket issue that rocked the state in recent weeks, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly today passed a bill aiming to regulate the private money lending business. Andhra Pradesh Money Lenders Bill, moved by Deputy Chief Minister (Home) N Chinna Rajappam, was passed by the Assembly. The act provides that money lending cannot be done without a license, and the government may, from time to time, specify the maximum rate of interest chargeable by money lenders for any local area. As per the act, accounts of money lenders shall be audited at least once a year and punishment for charging a rate of interest higher than that shown in the account is up to one year and may extend up to three years. TDP's G Buchaiah Chowdary and BJP floor leader Vishnukumar Raju said the borrowers are getting into a vicious cycle as the private lenders charge exorbitant rates. However, the opposition YSR Congress boycotted the proceedings in protest against the House not taking up debate on the call money racket and not reviewing the suspension of its member R K Roja who was suspended for one year last week for alleged unparliamentary comments on the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Call money racket refers to harassment and exploitation of borrowers by private money lenders who provide easy loans 'on telephone call'. As many as 188 persons were arrested in connection with the racket in the state after it surfaced earlier this month, CM Naidu had said on December 18.

SC dismisses DCW's plea against juvenile's release

Supreme Court today dismissed the plea of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief to stay on Juvenile convict's release in December 16, 2012 gangrape case. "If anything has to be done, it has to be done according to the law.", said the vacation bench comprising justices A K Goel and U U Lalit, while refusing to entertain the petition. The bench did not agree with the submission that the juvenile offender can be subjected to the reformation process for a further period of two years under the juvenile law. There is nothing in the law to take away somebody's right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, the bench said when the counsel for DCW cited provisions to drive home the point that the delinquent juvenile can be allowed to go through the further reformation process. On Saturday, DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal had moved the Apex Court seeking a stay on the convict's release. The convict, who is 20-years old now, was released yesterday evening amidst wide protests. He was sent to an NGO at an undisclosed destination with police no longer guarding him. In her reaction, DCW chief Swati Maliwal said that a proposed law which could have allowed stronger punishment to the juvenile convict remains pending in Rajya Sabha. Talking to reporters outside the Court campus, Maliwal said, the Judges shared DCW's concerns but there is no provision to subvert the existing law. She added, the time for candle marches is over. Instead, women should pick up mashaals (torches) to demand for justice. Saying that their fight against the system will continue, the Gangrape victim's parents in their reaction on Court's judgement asked how many Nirbhayas would it take for the laws to change. Meanwhile, a demand for expeditious passage of the amendments to allow children between 16-18 years to be tried as adults in heinous crime cases was made in the Rajya Sabha today, soon after the Supreme Court's verdict. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas assured house the bill is listed for tomorrow. However, if all agree it can taken up for discussion today itself, added the Minister.

Maha govt in ''dilemma'' over demand for liquor ban on Milad un Nabi

Maharashtra government is in a "dilemma" on whether to prohibit liquor sale on Eid-e-Milad, which is falling on Christmas eve, days after a delegation of Muslim MLAs sought a ban on booze citing religious sentiments. "This is the first time that the government has got a request to ban alcohol on Eid-e-Milad. No legislator or a private citizen has ever made this demand," Khadse told PTI. "On one hand, we respect the sentiments of Muslims whose religion forbids them from consuming alcoholic beverages, and on the other it is Christmas Day on 25th," he said. "Sentiments of both these religions have left us in a dilemma. Though we have not decided on what has to be done, we will reach a final conclusion in a day or two," he said. A delegation of Muslim legislators had on Friday submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking that December 24, which will be celebrated as Prophet Mohammed's birthday, to be declared a 'dry day' (no liquor sales). Senior Congress leader and former minister Naseem Khan, who led the delegation, in a statement had said that they urged Fadnavis to consider their demand, like it is done on Mahavir Jayanti and Gandhi Jayanti every year. Khan was accompanied by Waris Pathan and Imtiyaz Jalil (both belonging to the AIMIM) along with Samajwadi Party state president Abu Asim Azmi and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil.

YSRC boycotts AP session over call racket, Roja's suspension

The Opposition YSR Congress today decided to boycott the ongoing winter session of AP Legislative Assembly in protest against the House not taking up the debate on the 'call money racket' and reviewing the suspension of party MLA R K Roja. Opposition leader Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy led his party members out of the House. The five-day winter session, which began on Thursday, has been rocked by opposition protests on the 'call money racket' issue. Roja was suspended for one year last week for her allegedly unparliamentary comments against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Legislative Affairs Minister Y Ramakrishnudu said the debate on 'call money racket' had already concluded. He also made it clear that there is no question of reviewing the suspension of Roja. The 'call money racket' involves the allegations of harassment of borrowers by private lenders who provide easy loans on call at exorbitant interest rates.