Mumbai
hooch toll rises to 63
Mumbai:
Within a short span of five days, two hooch tragedies
have raised the death toll in Mumbai to 63. According to
reports, the authorities are looking into reports that an
elected representative is involved in selling spurious liquor.
In a bid to crack down on the racket, Mumbai police confiscated
hooch worth lakhs from Desai Village in Thane and Dahisar
in suburban Mumbai. The state police has also suspeneded
several officers for neglect of duties.
Appu
admitted to Cuddalore Hospital (Go
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Cuddalore:
One of the prime suspects in the Sankararaman murder
case, Appu alias Krishnasamy, was admitted to a hospital
last night after he complained of chest pain. Presently
lodged in the Cuddalore prison, Appu was admitted to the
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Cuddalore Government General
Hospital at 11 p.m., police said. Doctors attending on him,
however, said he was fine. As a precaution, the Tamil Nadu
government has posted security in front of the hospital
and restricted public entry to the premises. Appu is believed
to be the kingpin behind the Septembwer 3, 2004 killing
of Sankararaman, who was the manager of the Varadaraja Perumal
Temple in Kancheepuram. Shankaraman was hacked to death
inside the temple and according to the police, Appu was
paid Rs.10 lakh to carry out the assignment. Appu was arrested
on December 19, after he agreed to surrender at his brother-in-law's
house in Balakrishnapuram, 50 km from Tirupati in Andhra
Pradesh.
Jiang
to step down as military chief in March (Go
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Beijing:
Former China's President Jiang Zemin will step down
from his last remaining government post in March, the official
news agency reported on Wednesday. According to The News,
Jiang, who holds the largely symbolic title of chairman
of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic
of China, has asked for permission to resign at the next
meeting of the nation's legislature, the agency said. The
move was expected, and the legislature will almost definitely
endorse it. Jiang, 78, already stepped down from his more
powerful position as the head of the Communist Party's Central
Military Commission in September. President Hu Jintao took
over the post.
Ex-US
attorney general joins Saddam defence team (Go
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Amman:
Former US attorney general and left-wing activist Ramsey
Clark is to join the defence team of Saddam Hussein, a spokesman
for the toppled Iraqi president's lawyers said today. According
to The News, Clark, who held the office of attorney general
under US president Lyndon B. Johnson, "is one of the members
of the defence team of president Saddam Hussein," Ziad Khassawneh
said. "This honours and inspires us." Clark told reporters
in the Jordanian capital that his principle concern was
protecting the rights of Saddam, who only saw a lawyer for
the first time this month, a year after his capture.
BSE
crosses 6,600 marks (Go
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Mumbai:
Bombay's key share index inched up to its fifth straight
new high today after breaching 6,600 for the first time,
with many traders cashing in on a market which has risen
by more than 1,000 points in just three months. The 30-share
Bombay Stock Exchange index ended just 0.07 percent ahead
at 6,567.94 after scaling a new intra-day peak of 6,617.15
points in early trade. In heavy trade of 363 million shares,
losers outnumbered gainers by nearly 2-1, reflecting the
pressure to sell at high levels. The 50-issue National Stock
Exchange index eased 0.08 percent to 2,069.60 points.
