Youth leadership conference in Telangana begins today

Hyderabad: The city will host 550 delegates from 135 countries, who will participate in the Telangana Jagruthi International Youth Leadership Conference (TJIYLC) beginning on Saturday. According to Telangana Jagruthi founder president and MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha, the theme for TJIYLC is ‘Mahatma Gandhi’s path to sustainability and innovation’. The conference will focus on UN-Sustainable Development Goals. TNS

Srinivas Reddy takes oath as Telangana Speaker

Hyderabad: Pocharam Srinivas Reddy was on Friday unanimously elected as the second Speaker of the Telangana Assembly. One of the senior-most politicians from Nizamabad district, Reddy is a six-time MLA and was the Agriculture Minister in the TRS government led by KCR. He is credited with path-breaking schemes for farmers' welfare in the state. TNS

Bihar ex-BJP MP resigns, likely to join grand alliance

Patna: Former BJP MP Uday Singh alias Papu Singh on Friday resigned from the party alleging the party leadership had surrendered before the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United). Singh, who had represented Purnea LS constituency of northern Bihar twice, said PM Narendra Modi's stature was on the decline, whereas people had started reposing faith in Congress president Rahul Gandhi whose stature had continuously been soaring. TNS

Weapons haul from BJP leader stuns Maharashtra

Mumbai: A haul of more than 170 weapons from a BJP leader described by the police as ‘deeply religious’ earlier this week has left even seasoned police officials stunned. The police said the weapons, including air guns, over 60 pistols, choppers and button knives, were stored inside the shop belonging to Dhananjay Kulkarni (49), a local BJP leader. The weapons were seized after receiving a tip-off from a gun-runner who was arrested recently. TNS

Maha mulls ordinance against dance bars

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Government is mulling a fresh ordinance to ensure that dance bars remain shut despite the SC striking down a law prohibiting their operation. “We are considering bringing an ordinance to prevent dance bars from starting,” Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said. He said there was demand from across the political spectrum for such law. TNS