Mohali, October 02: Seeking to clear air over the altercation paceman Zaheer Khan had with Ricky Ponting, India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh today said the whole issue was a misunderstanding on part of the Australian captain.
Harbhajan said Zaheer’s remarks were not directed at Ponting as the paceman was just talking about the rival skipper with teammate VVS Laxman.
Hyderabad, October 02: The Andhra Pradesh government decided to organise the ‘Bathukamma’, a major festival in Telangana region.
The government would provide Rs one lakh to each of the 10 districts in Telangana, State Information and Tourism Minister J Geetha Reddy announced in Warangal.
The decision of the state government came against the backdrop of TRS President K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha’s decision to organise the ‘Bathukamma’ festival by involving one crore women.
Kavitha runs ‘Telangana Jagruti’ a cultural outfit’.
New Delhi, October 02: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday expressed satisfaction with the peaceful law and order situation across the country in the wake of the Allahabad High Court’s verdict in the Ayodhya dispute, saying people’s response to it was “respectful and dignified.”
New Delhi, October 02: The “underlying message” in the Ayodhya verdict is that of coexistence, because India’s Muslims and Hindus have to live together and it is time for them to start praying together, Jamia Millia University Vice Chancellor Najeeb Jung says.
United Nations, October 02: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Friday condemned the bombings in Nigeria that left at least 14 people dead and assured the West African country of “unflinching support” in addressing the challenges confronting the most populous country in Africa.
A statement issued here by Ban’s spokesman, said: “The secretary-general condemns the car bombing today (Friday) near the venue of the National Day parade in (the capital) Abuja, which reportedly resulted in a number of deaths and destruction.”
New York, October 02: Twenty-five Russians have been charged in a banking fraud case in the US, the attorney’s office for the southern district of New York said Friday.The Russians are believed to have been involved in a global cyber crime scheme that resulted in over $3 million being stolen from US bank accounts. Charges brought against them include conspiracy to commit bank fraud, money laundering and passport fraud.
Mexico City, October 02: Thirty-seven people have died in mudslides in southern Mexico, authorities said Friday.
The southern mountainous states of Oaxaca and Chiapas have been hit by massive mudslides, triggered by heavy rains over the last few days, burying people and destroying homes. Three people are missing.
Roads were damaged, and electricity and potable water supplies have been badly hit.
At least 3,000 people have been left homeless in towns near the Oaxaca city.
Islamabad, October 02: An elementary school in China organised a fund-raiser for collecting donations for the flood-hit people of Pakistan.
The principal of the school in Gongyi city in Henan province sent a cheque of 1,506 yuan ($220) to the Pakistani ambassador to China, Masood Khan, the Online news agency reported.
In a letter, the school principal said he was moved by Pakistan’s support and contributions for relief during the Sichuan earthquake.
Jakarta, October 02: At least 33 people were killed and a dozen injured early Saturday when two trains collided in Indonesia’s central Java province, officials said.
According to rescuers, three coaches were derailed and several passengers trapped in a coach which was badly damaged in the accident, Xinhua reported.
The incident occurred around 3 a.m. when train Argo Bromo Anggrek violated the traffic rule and hit the Bisnis Senja Jaya train in Petarukan town of Pemalang district, said Rindang Krisnoputro, a rescue official.
Islamabad, October 02: Pakistan has set up a bread factory in Punjab province that would provide bread at a most economical price of Rs.2, a media report said.
The Sasti Roti Plant, established in Gujar Khan city in Punjab province, would provide bread at a cost of Rs.2, and has a capacity to produce approximately 1,000 bread in an hour, the Online news agency reported.
The poor people of the region would also be provided meals free of cost every Thursday, according to an official.
–IANS—
Beijing, October 02: Health centres in a Chinese province are now offering tests for HIV/AIDS free of charge in a bid to control the spread of the disease.
People in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are also being offered free counselling, Xinhua reported.
Xinjiang reportedly has the fastest spread of the disease in the country, and authorities are now encouraging intravenous drug users, sex workers and those who have suffered other sexually transmitted infections to seek counselling.
New Delhi, October 02: Hussaini Tigers, an organisation of Shia youths, on Friday urged the All India Muslim Personal Law Board not to approach the Supreme Court against the Allahabad high court verdict on Ayodhya title suits and instead let the matter end here for good.
It also announced a financial aid of Rs 15 lakh for construction of the temple at the site. Criticising Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari for their criticism of the verdict, Shamsi termed them as ‘most unfortunate.’
Lucknow, October 01: Justice Dharam Veer Sharma, one of the three judges who gave their verdict in the 60-year-old Ayodhya title dispute, demitted office today.
Justice Sharma, who arrived at the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court in the afternoon, was given a warm farewell by members of the Oudh Bar Association at a small function in the evening.
Earlier, judges led by Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court F I Rebello, wished him good luck for the future at a brief function at the Judges Club.
Mohali, October 01: Sparks flew on the opening day of the first India-Australia cricket Test with Ricky Ponting and Zaheer Khan having a on-field showdown which prompted the match referee to summon the Indian pacer after the end of day’s play.
The incident occurred in the 42nd over which was being bowled by Harbhajan Singh.
All-rounder Shane Watson pushed the fourth ball of that over towards mid-wicket and called Ponting who was batting on 71 for a quick single.
Before the Australian skipper could make his ground, Suresh Raina’s direct throw hit the stumps.
Srinagar, October 01: Describing unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir as the “biggest challenge”, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said efforts were on to engage maximum number of youths in the government sector.
“My government is endeavouring to engage more and more youths in the government sector besides working for expanding employment generation orbit as a whole,” Omar said while responding to a question in the Legislative Council.
He said unemployment in the state was a big challenge and the legislature and government were equally concerned about it.
Karachi, October 01: The Pakistan Cricket Board should stop relying on India or any other Asian nation for support and become self reliant in solving its problems, says the national team’s ODI and Twenty20 skipper Shahid Afridi.
Asked about the continued absence of the Pakistani national Twenty20 champions from the lucrative Champions League, the second edition of which concluded last week in Johannesburg, Afridi said India has never been supportive of Pakistan cricket.
New Delhi, October 01: Greeting the nation on the eve of the birth anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi, President Pratibha Patil Friday asked people to follow the path of truth and non-violence as preached by the apostle of peace.
“On the occasion of the Gandhi Jayanti let us take a pledge to follow the path of truth and non-violence and dedicate ourselves towards promoting peace, tolerance and harmony and work for the progress of the nation,” she said in a statement issued here.
Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated Oct 2 every year.
Dubai, October 01: Osama bin Laden has expressed concern about global climate change and flooding in Pakistan, in an audiotape aired on the Internet, his first public remarks since March, a monitoring group said today.
“The number of victims caused by climate change is very big… bigger than the victims of wars,” said the voice, whose authenticity could not be immediately verified and was made available by SITE Intelligence Group.
The tape would be the first time Bin Laden has spoken publicly since March 25.
New Delhi, October 01: Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswati today welcomed the Allahabad High Court judgement on Ayodhya title suits saying it would bring communal amity while the chief cleric of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari today termed it as “unaccpetable”.
Jayendra Saraswati said the court ruling has paved the way for a negotiated settlement of the issue but the Shahi Imam said “we cannot accept a decision made in a closed room”.
Hyderabad, October 01: Welcoming the Allahabad High Court’s judgement on Ayodhya, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu today asserted that the judgement “vindicated the party’s stand that Ayodhya was birthplace of lord Rama.”
“The party’s stand was vindicated and accepted by judicial authority and there was no need for further dispute on the issue,” the BJP leader told reporters here.
The people of the country received the verdict with maturity, Naidu said, adding the judgement was a permission to built Ram temple at Ayodhya.
New Delhi, October 01: Financial and economic governance, sustainable development and people-to-people contact would be the core themes in the two-day Asia-Europe summit meeting in Brussels to be attended by Vice President Md Hamid Ansari next week.
The Vice President would be accompanied by his wife Salma Ansari and senior officials from his office and the Ministry of External Affairs.
New Delhi, October 01: The government today extended till October 4, the ban on bulk SMSes and MMSes to check any propaganda post the verdict on the Ayodhya title suit case.
“We have decided to extend the ban till October 4 in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs,” a senior DoT official told PTI.
The Allahabad High Court yesterday ruled that the 2.77 acre disputed land in Ayodhya be divided into three parts among Hindus and Muslims, and held that the place where the makeshift temple of Lord Rama currently exists belongs to Hindus.
Islamabad, October 01: Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has said that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s efforts to make peace with India at the cost of ‘selling Kashmir’ had resulted in the 1999 Kargil war.
Defending his actions during the Kargil crisis of 1999, Musharraf who was the then army chief, claimed that Sharif was aware of the Pakistani military’s actions when Pakistani troops occupied strategic heights along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir before they were evicted by Indian forces in July 1999.
Islamabad, October 01: Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has said that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s efforts to make peace with India at the cost of ‘selling Kashmir’ had resulted in the 1999 Kargil war.
Defending his actions during the Kargil crisis of 1999, Musharraf who was the then army chief, claimed that Sharif was aware of the Pakistani military’s actions when Pakistani troops occupied strategic heights along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir before they were evicted by Indian forces in July 1999.
Islamabad, October 01: Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has said that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s efforts to make peace with India at the cost of ‘selling Kashmir’ had resulted in the 1999 Kargil war.
Defending his actions during the Kargil crisis of 1999, Musharraf who was the then army chief, claimed that Sharif was aware of the Pakistani military’s actions when Pakistani troops occupied strategic heights along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir before they were evicted by Indian forces in July 1999.