Andhra police gun down Maoist husband-wife duo

Police in Andhra Pradesh Friday gunned down a Maoist husband-wife duo in a gun battle in a forested area in Khammam district.Police said the Maoists, belonging to the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist, were killed in a gun battle in the Venkatapuram forest area in Khammam, about 300 km from here. The gunfight took place when policemen engaged in combing operations in the area came face-to-face with a group of Maoists. Police found two bodies after the exchange of fire, which lasted an hour. The Maoists have been identified as K. Pullaiah and his wife Lakshmi, both members of an armed squad of the CPI-Maoist. Police also recovered two weapons, two kit bags and party literature. Police were on alert in the area as several prominent politicians are scheduled to visit Bhadrachalam on the occasion of Ramanavmi on March 24. The combing operations were launched last Thursday after Maoists gunned down a trader on the suspicion he was acting as a police spy. The gun battle took place a week after the killing of two top Maoist leaders in two different incidents March 12. Shakhamuri Appa Rao, a member of the CPI-Maoist, was killed in Prakasam district while Solipeta Kondal Reddy, another top leader, was shot dead in Warangal district.
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Five held for threat letter to Andhra chief justice

The Hyderabad police have picked up five suspects in a case relating to a threatening letter to the chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Nisar Ahmed Kakru.Hyderabad Police Commissioner A.K. Khan told reporters Friday that police were questioning the suspects. "A case has been registered," he said. The suspects reportedly include an advocate and two typists. The police are also looking for a man who dropped threatening a letter at the chief justice's residence in Banjara Hills neighbourhood last weekend. In the typed letter on a stamp paper, an anonymous person warned the chief justice not to say anything negative about pro-Telangana advocates. He claimed that these advocates had the support of Maoists. The letter was dropped a few days after the chief justice objected to the manner in which advocates boycotted the courts and staged protests March 8. The advocates, supporting the cause of separate Telangana state, were protesting an attack on them by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) activists. Police suspect that an advocate who participated in the protest could have written the threatening letter. They have stepped up security for the chief justice.
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Headley case points to threats from home-grown terrorists

Pointing to the David Headley case as illustrative of the “real threats from home-grown and international terrorists,” the US says it will continue working to disrupt, dismantle and defeat terrorism at home and abroad.Commending various US agencies in getting a guilty plea from Pakistani American terror suspect David Headley for his role in planning the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said:“As we have seen, we face real threats from home-grown and international terrorists.”“And we will continue working to disrupt, dismantle and defeat terrorism at home and abroad to ensure the safety and security of the American people,” she said in a statement Thursday.“I applaud the Department of Justice and the FBI for leading the effort culminating in today’s guilty plea, and I commend the men and women of US Customs and Border Protection, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the DHS Office of Intelligence & Analysis who played critical roles as part of a true interagency investigation.”Meanwhile, at the State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid discounted suggestions about India’s disgruntlement over a feeling that Headley is getting off too lightly by pleading guilty.“I wouldn’t react to reports of their disgruntlement. It’s a very large country, and I’m sure that there are a number of opinion centres in India on this issue,” he said.Noting that it is an ongoing trial, Duguid said: “What has been clear is that he has undergone a transparent and fair judicial process. And the United States Government will support the decision of our courts.”The official said he was also not aware whether the State Department has received a request for access to David Headley’s wife. (way2online)
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Headley confession not a setback: Chidambaram

Home Minister P. Chidambaram Friday said Pakistani American terror suspect David Coleman Headley’s confession that he planned the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and his deal with US prosecutors was “not a setback to India”.New Delhi, he said, would “wait and see” and continue its case to extradite or get access to him.“It is not a setback. We have not yet charged Headley. We will charge Headley at an appropriate time,” Chidambaram told reporters here.“We will continue with our extradition plea,” he said after a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.Headley, a Pakistani born US national, has entered a deal with prosecutors in a Chicago court that he won’t be sentenced to death or extradited to India, Pakistan or Denmark after pleading guilty to terror charges. “There is a good chance that he will testify in judicial proceedings where Indian (investigators) will have a right to question him,” the home minister said.Headley Thursday pleaded guilty to a dozen federal terrorism charges in a Chicago court and admitted his role in planning the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.Headley, 49, also admitted that he attended training camps in Pakistan operated by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) on five separate occasions between 2002 and 2005. (way2online)
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Kareena is highest taxpaying actress

Kareena Kapoor has become the highest taxpayer among all actresses in Bollywood, a source said Friday.While what she paid has not been disclosed, it has been said that the 29-year-old coughed up a staggering amount to the income tax department.“Kareena is a style icon and powerhouse performer. She is distinctive and has a loyal base fan which only seems to be growing. Her increasing body of work as a star and popularity with brands reflects in the taxes she’s paid for 2009-10,” said a source.Last year, Kareena was seen in films like “Main Aurr Mrs Khanna”, “Kurbaan” and “3 Idiots”. (thanks to way2online)
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