Railway minister's son seeks anticipatory bail in rape case

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 Bangalore: Karthik Gowda, son of Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Saturday moved a court for anticipatory bail in a rape and cheating case filed against him by Kannada actress Maithreyi.

The actress had filed the case after 30-year-old Karthik got engaged to another woman at Kushalnagar in Kodagu district.

The city sessions court, however, adjourned the case for further hearing to Sep 4 after issuing notice to the R.T. Nagar police station where the complaint was filed Wednesday.

The court also asked the police station if it would file objections to Karthik's anticipatory bail plea.

Though police summoned Karthik Friday for questioning in the case registered under sections 376 (rape) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code, he did not appear till Saturday evening.

The summons to Karthik was issued after the probe team began recording Maithreyi's statement Thursday.

Police also asked Maithreyi to submit some documents and audio proof of conversations between her and Karthik that she said were recorded in her smartphone in the last two-three months.

Maithreyi claimed that Karthik tied the wedding knot (mangalasutra) with her June 5 at his other house in Mangalore, about 350 km from Bangalore, and that they consummated the informal marriage after he forced himself upon her.

The minister and his son, however, refuted Maithreyi's charge and said her claims were part of a conspiracy to malign the family's reputation.

'I am pained and disturbed by Maitheryi's allegations. I will not interfere with the investigation. Truth will come out soon. Law will take its own course,' Gowda reiterated Saturday on the sidelines of an event here.

Meanwhile, Siddaraju, convenor of the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the BJP's youth wing, filed a police complaint against Maithreyi, seeking a probe into her allegations and accused her of blackmailing Gowda and his family.

Five killed as gas cylinder explodes in bus

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Ramanathapuram (TN): Five persons were charred to death and six injured when an overloaded bus from West Bengal, carrying 80 pilgrims, caught fire after a gas cylinder exploded on board at Tiruppullani near here, police said.

The bus was gutted in the mishap that occurred late last night when the pilgrims were en route to Kanyakumari after
visiting Tirupati and Rameswaram.

Police said the driver of the bus had noticed a spark at the back of the bus through the rear view mirror and had
immediately stopped the bus, and asked the passengers to get down. Suddenly one of the two LPG cylinders on board exploded and the fire spread fast helped by strong winds blowing through the coastal area.

The driver of the bus and a tourist guide Srinivasan from Tirukallukundram helped several passengers to get down but 11
persons were trapped by smoke and fire at the rear.

Police said five of them--Viswanath Dass (68) Viswanath Mandal (78), Gopal (70), Durga Sinide (50) and Malathi Nayaki
(60) were killed, while six others who were injured had been admitted to the government hospital where the condition of two
persons is stated to be serious.

Officials said the bus was overloaded and the 80 passengers, hailing from districts like Hooghly and Midnapore
districts, had left West Bengal on August 22. PTI

23 killed in Afghan accident

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Kabul: At least 23 people were killed Sunday in Afghanistan when their bus collided with a truck, an official said.

The accident took place along the Islam Qala highway in Herat province, the official told Xinhua. The victims included women and children.

111-yr-old Japanese recognised as oldest man

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A 111-year-old retired educator from Japan who enjoys poetry has been recognised as the world's oldest living man.

Sakari Momoi received a certificate from Guinness World Records on Wednesday. He succeeds Alexander Imich of New York, who died in April at the age of 111 years, 164 days.

The world's oldest living person is also Japanese: Misao Okawa, a 116-year-old woman from Osaka.

Momoi was born February 5, 1903, in Fukushima prefecture, where he became a teacher. He later moved to the city of Saitama, north of Tokyo, and served as a high school principal there until retirement.

Momoi says he enjoys reading books, especially Chinese poetry. He has five children and now lives at a nursing home in Tokyo.

Mohanlal undergoing physiotherapy

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Kochi: Ace superstar Mohanlal is undergoing physiotherapy at a private hospital here for the past one week as he is suffering from pain in his left leg, a source at the facility said.

The physiotherapy sessions are progressing well, a source at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences told IANS.

The 54-year-old has been suffering the pain for a while and only after weighing different options did he decid to undergo physiotherapy, a close aide of the actor told IANS.

'The pain is on his left knee and is spreading downwards. At one point of time, even bringing in a knee expert from the US was discussed, but after weighing other medical opinions, physiotherapy was decided upon. Things are getting better for him now,' said the aide, who did not wish to be identified.

Once the physiotherapy session is over, Mohanlal is expected to take rest and would be ready to don the grease paint only in October when he teams up with Manju Warrier in a film, to be directed by master storyteller Sathyan Anthicadu.

'Aaram Thamburan' and 'Kanmadam' have been two films that turned out to be a huge success when the duo acted together.

Pakistan PM refuses to resign

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Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has decided not to succumb to pressure exerted by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) to make him step down from his post, Geo News reported late Tuesday.

Presiding over a high-level meet at the Prime Minister House, Sharif said the doors to dialogue would be kept open but he would not resign from his post, sources said.

The meeting agreed to speedup the process of establishing contacts with political forces, sources added.

Cricketer turned politician Imaran Khan, the PTI chief, has claimed that the 2013 elections were rigged and that Sharif has a 'fake mandate'.

Meanwhile, as a protest march continued in Pakistan, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Tuesday announced the army has been entrusted with the responsibility of securing Islamabad's sensitive Red Zone area.

The move came as protesters from Imran Khan's PTI and the PAT persisted with their threat to march to Constitution Avenue in the federal capital city, a Dawn report said.

Pakistan army calls for dialogue as protesters reach parliament

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Islamabad: The Pakistan army Wednesday called for dialogue to resolve the current political crisis in the country as thousands of anti-government protesters forced their way to reach the parliament building demanding resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The current 'situation requires patience, wisdom and sagacity from all stakeholders,' Xinhua quoted military spokesperson Major General Asim Bajwa as saying. He called for 'meaningful dialogue in larger national and public interest to resolve the prevailing impasse'.

The rare statement from the country's powerful army came shortly after the protesters removed all hurdles and reached a highly secured area in the capital city.

Bajwa said that buildings in 'Red Zone' are symbol of state and being protected by army, 'therefore sanctity of these national symbols must be respected.'

The authorities had earlier stopped the protesters from entering the secured zone which houses diplomatic missions and other important buildings including the prime minister's house.

Cricketer-turned politician, Imran Khan, and a religious leader, Tahir-ul-Qadri, led thousands of their supporters to enter the secured area.

Major political parties had earlier called for patience and dialogue to resolve the political deadlock. However all efforts for dialogue have failed so far.

2G money laundering case: Court grants bail to Dayalu Ammal

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New Delhi : A special court Wednesday granted bail to DMK chief M. Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal in a money laundering case relating to the allocation of 2G spectrum.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge O.P. Saini granted bail to Ammal and asked her to furnish a personal bond of Rs.5 lakh and two sureties of the same amount.

However, the court dismissed her plea seeking discharge in the case.

The court said it will pass orders post lunch Wednesday on the bail pleas of former telecom minister A. Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and others.

Raja, Kanimozhi, Swan telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt. Ltd. (KFVPL) directors Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Bollywood producer Karim Morani, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal, Kalaignar TV director Sharad Kumar and P. Amirthan have been chargesheeted by the ED in the case.

The companies named in the case are Swan Telecom Pvt. Ltd. (STPL), Kusegaon Realty Pvt. Ltd., Cineyug Media and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (Cineyug Films), Kalaignar TV (KTV) Pvt. Ltd., Dynamix Realty, Eversmile Construction Company Private Limited, Conwood Construction and Developers (P) Ltd., DB Realty Ltd. and Nihar Construction Pvt. Ltd.

The accused have been booked under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

'The investigation revealed that an amount of Rs.200 crore was paid by promoters of STPL, using their group entity Dynamix Realty, to KTV, through KFVPL and CFPL (Cineyug Films) in the garb of legitimate financial transaction, that is as loan/share application money,' the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said in the chargesheet.

It has said the payment was illegal gratification for and on behalf of Raja and his associates in lieu of illegal favours given to the STPL for grant of UAS licence.

The ED has further added that investigation has revealed that the return of Rs.200 crore has been done along with the additional amount in order to show this illegal payment in the guise of legal and bona fide financial transactions.

4 killed, 3 injured in bus-auto collision

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Perubilav (Thrissur): Four persons were killed and 3 others injured when a bus rammed an autorickshaw at Kadavaloor in Thrissur on Saturday at about 7.30 pm. A bike rider who was behind the auto too sustained injuries. Two of the deceased are yet to be identified. The auto was completely crushed in the collision. Irate locals destroyed the bus near the Ambalam stop.

Auto driver Hassan Bhai (50) and headload worker Kunjumon (65) from Edappal are the deceased. Two of the injured, Sudharsan (45) and Vijayan (51) have been admitted to the Thrissur Ashwini hospital while bike rider Krishnadas (36) to the Perimbilav Ansar hospital for treatment.

The bus from Kozhikode to Thrissur collided with the auto coming in the opposite direction. The passengers in the auto were thrown away and one person's hand was severed in the impact. Local people rushed to the accident spot and took the injured to nearby hospitals.

Eye witnesses say the bus was overspeeding. The bodies of the deceased are preserved at the Ansar hospital and Thrissur Ashwini hospital.

Jaswant Singh remains critical, Modi visits hospital

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New Delhi: 

Prime

 Minister Narendra Modi Saturday met former BJP leader Jaswant Singh, a day after he was admitted to a hospital here in a critical condition.

'Visited Jaswant Singh ji. Met his family and enquired about his health. I pray for his quick recovery,' Modi tweeted after meeting Jaswant Singh at the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) here.

According to a defence ministry statement, he was 'still on life support systems and under constant monitoring by a team of neurosurgeons and critical care intensivists.'

'His vital parameters are stable but he continues to be in coma,' added the statement.

The 76-year-old leader was brought to the hospital with a head injury at about 1 a.m. Friday following a fall at his house here.

His family members had found him lying on the floor in an unconscious state.