Suryanelli rape case: Court rejects girl's plea against PJ Kurien

IDUKKI (KERALA): In a relief to Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien, a local court on Saturday rejected a plea by the victim in the Suryanelli gangrape case for a reprobe into the alleged involvement of the Congress leader, holding there was no new ground for a fresh investigation. The victim had filed a petition for a fresh probe into Kurien's alleged involvement in the light of the recent...

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Prepared for arrest on return: Yasin Malik

ISLAMABAD: JKLF chief YasinMalik, who created flutters in India by sharing dais with 26/11 mastermind HafizSaeed in Pakistan, said on Friday he is prepared for confiscation of his passport or his arrest on returning home next week. "I will be flying back to Delhi from Lahore on the regular PIA flight on March 9," Malik said. Asked about calls for the revocation of his passport after Saeed joined...

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Left pulls off emphatic win in Tripura sweeping 50 of 60 seats

AGARTALA: The Left Front on Thursday retained power in Tripura for the fifth consecutive time, sweeping 50 of the 60 seats and leaving the Congress badly bruised with just 10 seats.Hundreds of Left activists, mainly from the Communist Party of India-Marxist CPI(M), celebrated across the state as election results left the Congress in gloom. The CPI(M) bagged 49 seats while the Communist Party of...

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Helicopter scam: I feel ashamed, taxpayers' money can't be wasted, Antony says

NEW DELHI: Defence minister AK Antony has said that the culprits in the VVIP helicopter scam will be punished and any company found guilty in the deal will be blacklisted.Responding to the debate on the chopper deal in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Antony said, "I feel ashamed of this scam."It's a matter of shame for us every time a scam is reported," Antony said, adding that I want to find the truth...

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Suryanelli rape: Govt defends Kurien in Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI: Government on Tuesday defended Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien, who has been under attack in connection with the Suryanelli rape issue, with parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath saying that police inquiries and courts have cleared him of all charges."A section of media and some political members have sought to drag Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Kurien in a rape case. It has...

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Gun-toting Congress strongman Radadiya, son quit party; to join BJP

GANDHINAGAR: In a major blow to Congress in Gujarat, influential leader Vitthal Radadiya, who was embroiled in a gun-toting controversy, and his son Jayesh, on Monday resigned as MLAs and are set to join BJP. Accompanied by his son, Radadiya visited the legislative assembly and submitted their resignations to speaker Vaju Vala. They later drove to Ahmedabad, where the state Congress headquarters...

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PM greets Jayalalithaa on 65th birthday

CHENNAI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday greeted Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on her 65th birthday. A statement issued by the state government here said the prime minister greeted Jayalalithaa over the phone on her birthday. Tamil Nadu governor K Rosaiah, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj of the BJP, Communist Party of India national secretary D Raja, many MPs,...

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Won't tolerate any tampering with Ram Setu: BJP

NEW DELHI: BJP today warned the government against going ahead with the Sethusamudram project, saying the sentiments of crores of Hindus are attached to the issue and it will not tolerate any tampering with the Ram Setu. "We would like to warn the government on the Ram Setu issue. It is ignoring the recommendations of the R K Pachauri Committee report and going ahead with the project. This is an...

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Two gets life term in Saccha Khera gangrape and suicide case

ROTHAK: Five months after the rape and suicide case of a minor girl in Saccha Khera village of Jind district evoked outrage across the state and the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi also visited the family to assure speedy justice, a Jind district court sentenced the two accused to life imprisonment on Friday. The trial against fifth accused, who is a minor, is pending in a juvenile court while two other...

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Rahul talks of 'aligning' talent as he prepares for 2014 polls

NEW DELHI: Amid talk of possible changes in Congress in the run up to LokSabha polls next year, Rahul Gandhi today said there was "tremendous talent" which needed to be aligned and he was "very excited" about the exercise. "As I am speaking to all the people in the Congress party, I am finding a tremendous talent there. And it is just a question of aligning it and getting on with it," he told reporters...

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Violence marks countrywide strike, millions stay away from work

NEW DELHI: Sporadic violence broke out on Wednesday as labour unions began a two-day strike to protest rising prices and government policies to open the economy. Millions of factory and bank employees stayed away from work and public transport was shut down in most big cities after major trade unions called the countrywide strike. A labour leader was fatally crushed when he tried to stop buses from...

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Govt to appeal against Gwalior court order blocking sites critical of IIPM

NEW DELHI: The government will appeal against Gwalior district court order asking it to block website pages on internet publishing defamatory material about ArindamChaudhuri-ledIIPM institute. "Minister ( Kapil Sibal) has asked the department of electronics and information technology (DEITY) to appeal against Gwalior court order. The order was passed without DEITY made party to it. No notice was...

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Let Parliament decide on Afzal Guru's body, Manmohan says

NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR: Let Parliament discuss whether the body of Afzal Guru should be taken to Jammu and Kashmir as demanded by his family, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday. Afzal Guru was hanged and buried in Tihar Jail on February 9 for his role in the 2001 attack on Parliament. "Let Parliament discuss whether the body should be brought back or not," Manmohan Singh said. Life returns...

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Yeddurappa's political outfit seeks coconut as party symbol

MANGALORE: The Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) headed by former CM BS Yeddyurappa has moved the election commission to allocate the coconut as its party symbol, V Dhananjay Kumar, senior KJP leader said. The state election commission has recognised KJP as a regional political party and has been allocated serial number 47 as mentioned in a special Gazette published on February 15. The party has also...

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Election Commission team seizes Rs 1 crore from chopper in Nagaland

KOHIMA: An Election Commission surveillance team on Saturday seized Rs 1 crore cash from a helicopter allegedly being used by a candidate of the Nagaland Peoples Front (NPF) in the poll-bound state. A team of EC-appointed observers seized the cash from a chopper, which was allegedly hired to ferry Nyemli Phom who is contesting the Assembly polls from a constituency in Longleng district, official...

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You can't always win, Finmeccanica CEO told US delegation with champagne bottle

NEW DELHI: "You cannot always win". This is the message Finmeccanica chief Giuseppe Orsi sent along with a bottle of champagne to his rivals American Sikorsky in a five star hotel in New Delhi, a day ahead of the award of the Rs 3,600 crore contract in February 2010, according to report of the Italian investigators. Sikorsky and Italian Finmeccanica were the two companies shortlisted for the Indian...

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New generation of Kashmiris will identify with Afzal Guru: Omar Abdullah

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has said that the new generation of Kashmiris will identify with 2001 Parliament Attack accused Afzal Guru because the latter belonged to their generation, and added that every generation of Kashmiris has his or her symbol. He said that to understand this phenomenon or feeling, there was need to have a deep knowledge of the Kashmiri history...

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Court issues production warrant against Om Prakash Chautala in disproportionate assets case

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday sought the presence of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala in a disproportionate assets case in which he is an accused. Special CBI judge Manu Rai Sethi issued the production warrant for Chautala for March 2 as the 78-year-old Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief was not brought to the court from jail, where he is lodged following his sentence...

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Will come to Tihar only to take Afzal's body: Family

SRINAGAR: The family of Afzal Guru, who was hanged last week for his role in 2001 Parliament attack, welcomed the Centre's decision to hand over his belongings, but said they would come to Tihar only if the government agrees to hand over his body. "They are mixing the two things, we don't understand what they mean. We can pray even from here. We want the body to be handed back, nothing less than...

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Railways struggling to deal with Kumbh rush as stampede toll reaches 36

ALLAHABAD: Frantic relatives mobbed officials on Monday seeking information about victims of Sunday's stampede which has claimed 36 lives even as the railways had a tough time dealing with the rush of three crore Kumbh devotees thronging the city. There were chaotic scenes at the railway station and local hospitals here treating the 39 injured in the tragedy with relatives running from pillar to...

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