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Heavy
rain lashes Delhi causing traffic snarls
New
Delhi: Heavy rains lashed several parts of the national
capital this evening leading to traffic snarls in many parts
of the city. The downpour resulted in water-logging and
traffic snarls in some areas. Traffic jams were reported
from Noida DND flyway, Pragati Maidan, Moolchand underpass,
Dwarka underpass, Tilak Bridge, Vikas Marg and Ashoka Road.
According to TV reports, all flights originating from Delhi
have been cancelled.
Haryana
Assembly dissolved Top
Chandigarh:
Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia dissolved the state assembly
on the recommendation of the State Cabinet on Friday evening.
Earlier in the day Haryana Cabinet recommended the Governor
to dissolve the State Assembly. The decision was taken in
the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupinder
Singh Hooda. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Hooda
said the state cabinet has decided to call for early polls.
"The cabinet meeting has decided to recommend the Governor
to dissolve the state assembly. It is now for him to decide
when to dissolve," Hodda said. Hooda added that going for
early polls is in the interest of the state. The 90 member
Haryana Assembly was to end its term in March 2010. According
to sources the Congress high command has made its mind to
go to polls in Haryana after winning nine out of ten Lok
Sabha seats in the general elections. Now Haryana is likely
to go polls with Maharashtra and Raunchily Pradesh, scheduled
to be held in October or November.
Congress
wins nine out of 17 seats in Assembly bye-polls Top
New Delhi:
The Congress and its allies on Friday won nine of the 17
seats in assembly by-polls spread over five states. In Tamil
Nadu, the win for the Congress and its ally the DMK was
largely helped by the boycott of opposition AIADMK and its
partners. The DMK bagged three seats -- Cumbum, Burgur and
Ilayankudi. The remaining two seats Srivaikuntam and Thondamuthur
went to the Congress. DMK President and Chief Minister M
Karunanidhi attributed the performance to achievements of
the UPA Government and his government in the state. In Karnataka,
the Congress fared badly. Of the five seats that were up
for grabs, it could retain only Govindarajanagar. In Chitapur,
Priyanka Kharge, son of Union Labour Minister M Mallikarjun
Kharge, lost to the BJP's Valmiki Nayak. The Janata Dal-Secular
won two seats retaining Ramnagara and Chennapatna. The BJP
bagged Chitapur and Kollegal. BJP's strength in the 224-member
Karnataka assembly will now go up to 117 and that of JD-S
to 27 while Congress tally will decline to 74. In Uttar
Pradesh, BSP put up a good show, winning three seats --Moradabad,
Malihabad and Bidhuna. Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal retained
Morena. The Samajwadi Party failed to win a single seat.
In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress won
the Bowbazar and Sealdah seats. In Meghalaya the Congress
nominee and Meghalaya Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh
won the by-poll to the Laitumkhrah constituency defeating
the United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate Malcolm Tariang
by a margin of 2327 votes.
India
hands over fresh evidence on Mumbai attacks to Pak envoy
Top
New Delhi:
India on Friday handed over more evidence on the 26/11 terror
attacks on Mumbai to Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik.
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao handed over the fresh
proof to Malik during a meeting at her South Block office.
The meeting went on for nearly half-an-hour. According to
sources, Malik had requested a meeting with Rao reportedly
to discuss the forthcoming engagement between the leaderships
of the two countries on the sidelines of UN General Assembly
next month. It was during this meeting, that fresh evidence
was handed over by the Indian side. The Indian External
Affairs Minister and Foreign Secretary are expected to meet
their Pakistani counterparts on the sidelines of the UNGA
next month. Although the details and nature of evidence
was not divulged immediately by the concerned authorities,
sources told ANI that this move was prompted by the release
of JuD chief and LeT founder Hafiz Mohammad Saeed who could
not be prosecuted for involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks
in the absence of "concrete evidence" against him. The latest
documents given to Pakistan reportedly provides the maximum
evidence against Saeed. India expressed dismay over Saeed's
release, whom it sees as the mastermind of the Mumbai terror
attacks. Federal Bureau of investigation officials have
also testified and submitted their report to a special court
that is investigating the 26/11 attacks.
Pak
starts production of indigenous drone 'Falco' Top
Islamabad:
Pakistan has started production of indigenous unmanned aircrafts
commonly known as drones from its leading aeronautical factory
in Kamra in Punjab province. The Pakistani version of drone
called Falco is being produced in collaboration with an
Italian company at the Kamra based Pakistan Aeronautical
Complex (PAC), the Daily Times reports. "Falco is an advanced,
tactical UAV designed by Selex Galileo Italy. It would address
current and future surveillance and reconnaissance needs
of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF)," a Pakistan Air Force (PAF)
spokesperson said. Islamabad has been pushing United States
to provide the drone technology, if not the aircrafts, so
that it could carry out operation against the Taliban and
other extremist groups on its soil. While Pakistan says
the missile hits are proving counterproductive in the war
on terror with more civilians being killed, America maintains
that the drone strikes are proving to be very effective
against the militants based in the lawless tribal regions
along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. During his meeting
with the visiting US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan,
Richard Holbrooke, earlier this week, Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani had urged the US to provide drone technology
to Pakistan. Gilani, during the meeting, told Holbrooke
that Pakistanis were concerned about the US drone attacks
inside their country, and that the missile hits were proving
counterproductive in the war on terror. Gilaini said the
strikes by unmanned predators are promoting 'anti-Americanism'
in Pakistan. "Drone attacks remain a matter of public concern
in Pakistan. The US should provide drone technology to Pakistan,
enabling its armed forces to take action against terrorists,"
he said.
Pak
selectors axe Razzaq, bring in Asif, Imran Nazir for Champions
Trophy Top
Lahore:
The seven member selection committee of the Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) on Friday controversially recalled paceman Mohammad
Asif and opener Imran Nazir, but omitted all-rounder Abdul
Razzaq from their 15-man squad for next month's Champions
Trophy in South Africa. Pakistan is placed in Group A of
the eight-nation Champions Trophy to be held from September
20 to October 5. The selection committee met at the PCB
offices in Lahore. Sources told the Dawn that the chief
selector Iqbal Qasim had consultations with head coach Intikhab
Alam and PCB chairman Ijaz Butt before finalising the squad.
"There's no doubt in my mind that this is the best available
team selected for the mega event," Qasim was quoted by a
foreign news agency, as saying. Squad: Younus Khan (capt),
Imran Nazir, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umer Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid
Afridi, Rana Naved-ul Hasan, Fawad Alam, Moahmmad Yousuf,
Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamir, Mohammad Asif, Rao
Iftikhar and Saeed Ajmal.
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