Yeddyurappa openly supporting Congress, Jagadish Shettar says

GULBARGA:Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar today charged KJP president B S Yeddyurappa with openly supporting Congress in the March 7 urban local body polls to free himself from CBI cases over his alleged involvement in illegal mining. "Yeddyurappa is under the tight grip of Congress due to CBI cases and wants to come out of it. Hence he is openly supporting Congress in the March 7 urban...

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Congress is synonymous with price rise, Nitish Kumar says

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar today attacked the UPA government by saying that the Congress was synonymous with price rise. "Congress party ka dusra naam mahangai party hai....jab tak ye log satta mein rahenge mahangai badhti rahegi (Congress is synonymous with price rise .... as the Congress is in power prices will rise)," Kumar told reporters here. On the phone tapping of BJP leader...

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Hyderabad blasts: NIA interrogates Indian Mujahideen operatives

HYDERABAD: Two suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives are being questioned by the NIA today in connection with the February 21 twin blasts here that left 16 people dead. A court in Delhi had yesterday granted the NIA five-day custody of Syed Maqbool and Imran Khan for their interrogation following which the two were brought here by the agency. The agency had told the court that it would take both...

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Union Budget 2013: No IT exemption for cash donations to political parties by cos

NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday proposed to take away the income tax benefit on donations made in cash by corporates to political parties from April 2014 onwards.Under the existing provisions of section 80GGB of the Income Tax, contribution by an Indian company to any political party or an electoral trust in the previous year, is allowed as deduction in computing the total income of the firm.Currently,...

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Accountability must for rights violations in Sri Lanka: Govt

NEW DELHI: In the wake of fresh allegations of rights violations against ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka, India on Wednesday said there should be accountability for such issues but remained evasive on the position it will take at the UN on a resolution against that country.External affairs minister Salman Khurshid made it clear that India would not intervene directly in Sri Lanka's sovereign affairs...

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Railway to introduce modern coach 'Anubhuti' in Rajdhani, Shatabdi trains

NEW DELHI: Railways on Tuesday proposed to introduce a modern coach "Anubhuti" with good ambience in the premier Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains providing higher travel comfort to passengers.The travelling fare in such a coach will be priced separately, railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal announced in his Budget speech."With increased popularity of Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains, there is also a demand...

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Akbaruddin Owaisi asked to appear before court on March 1

BANGALORE: A city court today directed Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi to appear before it on March 1 in connection with a criminal case filed against him for alleged hate speech. Chief metropolitan magistrate Rajashekhar V Patil directed Owaisi to appear before the court on March 1 after he kept aside the application filed by him seeking exemption from appearing before...

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Promised to return home before blast, Hyderabad cloth merchant meets death

HYDERABAD: 45-year-old cloth merchant Mohd Amanulla Khan had called up his family before the twin blasts here promising to return home soon. But he fell victim to the deadly blasts that left a total of 16 dead. Khan had called his family members around 5.30pm on Thursday to say that he is going to Dilsukhnagar for some work and that he would return home after that. As fate would have it, he never...

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Afzal, Sri Lanka protests mar President's address

NEW DELHI: Protests over the hanging of Afzal Guru and alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka marred President Pranab Mukherjee's speech in parliament Thursday. As Mukherjee was speaking at the start of the budget session, G.N. Ratanpuri of the National Conference got up and raised the issue of Afzal Guru's hanging here Feb 9. Meanwhile, members of the DMK, AIADMK and MDMK shouted that India should vote...

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BJP leader fails to get US nod for Modi

WASHINGTON: Bureaucrat-turned-politician K J Alphons, who tried to convince US lawmakers to revoke visa restrictions on Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, has failed to receive any firm commitment on the issue. However, he exuded confidence that the US may change its stand soon. A national executive member of the BJP, Alphons primarily came to the US to attend the Annual Prayer Breakfast with...

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India, UK to start negotiations on civil nuclear pact

NEW DELHI: Adding a new dimension to their strategic ties, India and the UK today decided to start negotiations on a civil nuclear pact to facilitate entry of British companies into emerging atomic power sector here. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made the announcement after delegation-level talks with visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron during which both sides reviewed entire gamut...

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British PM David Cameron seeks 'special' relationship with India

MUMBAI: British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday began his India visit seeking a "special relationship" between the two countries, saying it is "about the future and not the past" for which sky is the limit. "I want Britain and India to have a special relationship...this is a relationship about the future, not the past," Cameron said in his first public engagement here-- an interaction with...

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Markandey Katju must quit press council, BJP leader Arun Jaitley says

NEW DELHI: BJP leader Arun Jaitley Sunday asked Press Council chairman Markandey Katju to quit, saying a person holding the post much be impartial.The Bharatiya Janata Party leader made the demand after accusing Katju of attacking non-Congress governments in Bihar, Gujarat and West Bengal on the basis of "his political preferences". In an article on the BJP web site, Jaitley said Katju's attacks...

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Sushilkumar Shinde should clarify on Arun Jaitley surveillance issue: BJP

NEW DELHI: Condemning the "unauthorised surveillance" on its leader Arun Jaitley, BJP on Saturday said it will not take things "lying down" and asked home minister Sushilkumar Shinde to clarify on who ordered the collection of his call details.BJP president Rajnath Singh also termed the issue as "serious" and demanded that all those involved in the incident should be brought to book. "Further investigations...

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Suryanelli rape case: Absconding lone convict arrested in Karnataka

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dharmarajan, the absconding lone convict in the Suryanelli gang rape case over which Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P J Kurien is facing heat, was on Friday arrested by Kerala police from Sagar in Karnataka. The third accused in the 17-year old case, Dharmarajan was arrested by a five-member special team of Kerala police, Kottayam Superintendent of Police C Rajagopal said. Speaking...

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TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu falls, suffers minor injuries

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader N Chandrababu Naidu suffered minor injuries when a makeshift dais collapsed while he was garlanding a statue in Guntur district on Thursday, a party leader has said.The incident took place at Kolakaluru village in Guntur district during Naidu's 'padyatra' (march).A TDP leader said Naidu escaped with minor injuries to his leg as his security guards tried...

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Is Railways’ 2,000cr train food business on track?

DELHI: Pawan Kumar Bansal, the Union minister for Railways, announced just a few days ago a slew of measures to improve the food on trains. But it's clearly an uphill task for the network to reclaim the faith its passengers earlier had on the dishes served to them. With meals that are just about palatable, limited menu options and a take-it-orleave-it attitude, the Indian Railways has not been...

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Electioneering picks up in Mizoram bypoll

AIZAWL: With only nine days left for campaigning, electioneering has picked up for the by-poll to Chalfilh assembly seat in Mizoram to be held on February 23. The ruling Congress nominee Dr Ngurdingliana began the second phase of campaigning from yesterday with ruling legislators and senior party leaders reaching different villages in the constituency yesterday. More Congress leaders and legislators...

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BJP condemns Omar Abdullah for 'sympathetic chord' towards Afzal Guru

NEW DELHI: BJP on Monday charged Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah with "provoking" the situation in Kashmir Valley and condemned his interview for having a "sympathetic chord" for Afzal Guru who was hanged last week for his role in the Parliament attack case. Talking to reporters, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the Congress should clear its stand on the interview given by...

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Hurriyat leaders Farooq, Geelani placed under house arrest in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Chiefs of both factions of Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, were on Saturday placed under house arrest in the national capital as a preventive measure following the hanging of Afzal Guru in the Parliament attack case. While Geelani was here for medical treatment, the Mirwaiz was camping in the national capital trying to secure a passport so that he...

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