London: British fighter jets escorted a Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane to Stansted Airport near London on Friday, where police went on board and arrested two men on suspicion of endangering an aircraft. Passengers were leaving the plane and no one was hurt in the incident, a spokesman for the airport said.
Flight PK709 from Lahore in Pakistan had been due to land at Manchester in northern England with 297 passengers on board, but was diverted shortly before arrival. Britain is on high alert after a soldier was hacked to death on a London street on Wednesday in what the government are treating as a terrorist incident.
A security source said early indications were that the plane was not the target of a terrorist attack. A passenger who had just got off the plane told the BBC the pilot had informed passengers after landing that he had diverted to Stansted because of threats.
The passenger, named by the BBC as Mr Munsif, said two men had been handcuffed on board and removed. "We landed safely and then he announced that they had some kind of threat from someone and that's why he landed the plane," the passenger said, speaking by telephone....
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09:13 PM, May 24, 2013
New Delhi: The core group of the Congress will be meet on Friday to decide whether to call for a special session of Parliament or to pass an ordinance on the controversial Food Security Bill. There has been a divide within the government on calling a special session or passing an ordinance. The Congress core group meeting on May 17 to decide the fate of Food Security Bill was inconclusive....
06:48 AM, May 24, 2013
The controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act is in place in Manipur for the last 55 years. While the forces claim it is impossible to improve the security situation without it, its frequent abuse has led to the death and disappearance of many youths, it has led to rape of women by security force personnel. While Irom Sharmila's marathon fast has kept the focus on the issue, 55 years is...
05:57 PM, May 23, 2013
New York: Twitter is adding an extra security measure to users' accounts in an effort to prevent unauthorized logins. Twitter said in a blog post Wednesday that users will be able to enroll in a login verification program. For those who sign up, Twitter will send a six-digit code using a text message each time they sign in to Twitter.com. Besides their username and password, users will have to enter...
08:47 AM, May 23, 2013
Imphal: It has been 55 years since the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was first introduced. The longest demonstration against it has been on in Manipur with Irom Sharmila on a fast for over 12 years now. This April, Rashida Manjoo, the United Nations envoy on Violence Against Women listened to a group of 40 women, including the mother of Manorama Devi. In 2004, Manorama, a 32-year-old was...
08:41 AM, May 23, 2013
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday appealed to the opposition to cooperate with the government in passing the key food security and land acquisition bills in the interests of the people, while expressing her disappointment that parliament was not allowed to run to enable the passage of the bills. "I make a plea to the NDA and other opposition parties...let us come together to ensure passage of the...
02:23 AM, May 23, 2013
New Delhi: Distancing himself from the UPA's falling fortunes, Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav may skip the dinner which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will host on Wednesday for its allies and supporting parties, according to sources. An invite has also gone to the BSP's Maywawati. However, sources say she may skip the dinner too, but the key aide Satish Mishra will be attending. Both SP and BSP support the...
10:08 AM, May 22, 2013
Washington: The United States and India on Tuesday asked the international community to take effective steps towards eliminating sanctuaries and infrastructure that support terrorism. After talks between visiting Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, a joint communique said the two countries also agreed to enhance bilateral co-operation to combat terror financing and currency counterfeiting. The communique, issued after Napolitano and Shinde co-chaired...
12:30 AM, May 22, 2013
New Delhi: The Chinese embassy was on Sunday turned into a fortress as Premier Li Keqiang arrived on a state visit while a tight security ring was thrown around the Taj Palace Hotel where he is staying. Delhi Police have deployed more personnel and shut down certain roads, including those near the Chinese embassy, as a precautionary measure. All the inner roads leading to the hotel have been barricaded and...
05:43 AM, May 20, 2013
New Delhi: The CRPF, which recently took over the duties of guarding RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani, has raised concerns in ensuring a 'fool proof' Z category security to the business tycoon in the absence of local logistical support to its squad. The para-military force has written to the Union Home ministry alerting it about possible limitations its personnel may face in the event of an attack on Ambani who has...
02:02 PM, May 19, 2013
New Delhi: With the image of his government in tatters, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will present the last Report Card of UPA-II on May 22 in which he is expected to list the positives such as Direct Benefit Transfer and FDI in retail in a bid to boost the sagging morale of Congressmen with elections less than a year away. Battered by series of scams and the recent sacking of...
12:58 PM, May 19, 2013
New Delhi: Director General of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Guy Ryder on Saturday expressed concern over recent cases of crime against women and stressed on the need to ensure a climate where women can work with respect, security and equality. "Sadly, recent crimes against women have renewed our awareness of the need to act and to ensure that women in India and everywhere else are able to live and work...
02:08 AM, May 19, 2013
New Delhi: Holding the opposition's "disruptionary tactics" responsible for not allowing passage of the Food Security and Land Acquisition Bills in Parliament's Budget Session, the Congress on Saturday expressed its willingness for a special session if the other parties were agreed. Congress spokesperson PC Chacko also said that the party will take "disruptionary tactics" of the opposition to the people, alleging they had displayed "least inclination" towards passing pro-people legislations...
11:22 PM, May 18, 2013
New Delhi: The BJP on Friday hit back at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that the Opposition was responsible for the UPA's failure to pass the Food Security Bill, saying the UPA government should emulate the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act. The Bharatiya Janata Party said the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act covers a higher proportion of the population and provides foodgrain at a cheaper cost. "If the Congress...
04:12 AM, May 18, 2013
New Delhi: BJP on Friday made clear its reservation over the Food Security Bill being keenly pushed by the government, saying it is a "half-hearted attempt", and hit back at Rahul Gandhi for saying opposition was stalling it. Till now BJP had said it was disrupting Parliament in the second phase of the Budget session due to more pressing matter of resignation of two Union ministers - PK Bansal and...
10:11 PM, May 17, 2013
New Delhi: Congress top brass, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi, on Friday deliberated on the way ahead on the issue of Food Security Bill. All options were considered, was the response of party sources who said no decision has been taken about the future course of action on the ambitious legislation as also on the Land Acquisition Bill. Food Minister KV Thomas was specially invited...
09:28 PM, May 17, 2013
New Delhi: A 28-year-old man was shot dead by a relative following an argument, police said on Thursday. The relative and his two sons have been arrested. "Rajeev Kumar, a private security guard, was shot dead by three of his relatives, identified as Than Singh, 47, and his two sons Dheeraj, 23 and Rajkumar, 20, near Shakarpur police station (in east Delhi) late on Wednesday night," said a police officer....
04:59 AM, May 17, 2013
New Delhi: "Special session is an option, monsoon session is an option, ordinance is an option - what is not an option is the non-passage of these two bills," Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said while talking about the government's plan of getting its ambitious food and land bills through. Ramesh preferred that the bills should be passed "the democratic way" through debate in Parliament while ordinances should be the...
03:32 PM, May 14, 2013
Jamshedpur: At least two Maoists were killed and three jawans got injured in an encounter between the ultras and the security forces in a forest in Seraikela-Kharswan district in Jharkhand, police said on Tuesday. Earlier police had said one Maoist was killed and two jawans were injured in the encounter on Monday. "At least two Maoists were killed while three jawans suffered injury in the encounter that lasted over one...
02:21 PM, May 14, 2013
New Delhi: With the crucial Food Security Bill and Land Acquisition Bill still pending, sources say the government is mulling a Special Session of Parliament to get the bills passed. Reports also say the government is looking at the option of introducing an ordinance instead too. But the government had earlier denied any such move. Sources say that the Food Ministry is opposed to bringing an ordinance. The government may...
11:14 AM, May 14, 2013
