faheem Jeddah, July 24: The Saudi companies demanded the government to lift ban on cement export, as they have 10 million additional stock of cement with them.
The cement manufacturing companies said this ban has caused to dwindle their income to a great extent.
Saudi Cement Company, the country’s second-largest producer, said its second-quarter net profit declined 2.3 per cent as a government export ban hit sales.
Washington, July 24: Facing the toughest test yet of his young presidency, Barack Obama flew to the American heartland to make a direct sell of his ambitious healthcare reform plans to an American public that may be as sceptical about its wisdom and workability as Republicans and some conservative Democrats are on Capitol Hill.
Mumbai, July 24: It is common knowledge that Kareena Kapoor has ten kissing scenes with Akshay Kumar in the recently released Kambakkht Ishq. Her kisses have paid rich dividend as the film has turned a hit. But her boyfriend Saif Ali Khan seems to be not very happy with her. He is set to take revenge by kissing Deepika Padukone.
Madrid, July 23: Wildfires continued raging Thursday around Spain, with thousands of hectares of vegetation burned down and hundreds of people driven from their homes, officials said. Half a dozen fires devastated more than 8,000 hectares in the northern region of Aragon, where 1,500 people were evacuated from six villages. About 130 children were also evacuated from a holiday camp.
The environmental damage in Aragon’s Teruel province was described as the worst in 15 years. Spain was considering seeking French or Portuguese help against the fires, local officials said.
Hyderabad, July 23 (NSS):- The Chief Minister, Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, the Telugu Desam president, Mr N Chandrababu Naidu, and the Finance Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah must change their behavior to run the House properly during the Budget session, the BJP floor leader in Assembly, Mr G Kishen Reddy, has said.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Thursday, Mr Kishen Reddy thanked the Chief Minister for describing the Assembly as a temple and people as gods and his ‘determination’ to ensure discussion over the people’s burning problems in the House.
Hyderabad, July 23: The Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, on Thursday asserted that there would be no bar on the day-to-day live telecast during the Budget session except that only proceedings within the House will be permitted to be televised.
Addressing the media on the eve of the Budget session, which commences from Friday, the Speaker tried to justify certain restrictions being imposed, for the first time in the annals of the State legislature, including on the media, especially on TV channels.
New Delhi, July 23: The Lok Sabha began proceedings on a chaotic note today with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MPs noisily protesting against the government’s reported move to downgrade security for their leader, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, forcing adjournment of the house.
Irate BSP members took up the issue as soon as the house met at 11 a.m. and rushed towards Speaker Meira Kumar’s podium shouting slogans against the government after reports that the Z plus security cover being given to Mayawati might be downgraded.
Kabul, July 23: It is a year since I last saw Malalai Joya. She was at Stansted airport preparing to return to Afghanistan: a tiny figure clutching a large holdall and a gold-coloured trophy.
It was the Anna Politkovskaya Award for human rights campaigning and Ms Joya was the second recipient. Some might say the trophy brings with it a curse. It was created in memory of the Russian journalist gunned down outside her Moscow apartment in 2006.
Seattle, July 23: Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday it is releasing the code for Windows 7 to PC manufacturers, keeping the software company on track to have machines running its new operating system in the stores by late October.
The move means Hewlett-Packard Co, Dell Inc, Acer Inc and other computer makers can start to load up new PCs, laptops and netbooks with the operating system, the successor to the unpopular Vista.
Mumbai, July 23: The Election Commission today issued notification for holding elections to three vacant Rajya Sabha seats in Maharashtra.
The vacancies have arised following the resignation of Sushilkumar Shinde (Congress), Praful Patel and Supriya Sule (NCP) after they were elected to the Lok Sabha in the recent General elections.
The 288 member Legislative Assembly is the electoral college for the elections. At present, the total strength of the Assembly is 278, Assistant Returning Officer S S Mayekar said here.
Dehra Dun, July 23: Urdu is all set to get boost in the hill state with the Uttarakhand government today saying in the Assembly that an Urdu teacher will be appointed at government schools, where more than 25 students express their willingness to study Urdu language.
Replying to an adjournment motion moved by BSP member Taslim Ahmed, Minister of state for Education Govind Singh Bist said that there are 115 posts of Urdu teachers in the state. Out of 115, only 12 posts are vacant and they would be filled as early as possible.
Riyadh, July 23: Arab health ministers agreed on Wednesday to ban certain people including the elderly and young children from pilgrimage to Makkah in an effort to control the spread of swine flu.
“Hajj and Umrah will continue with some conditions,” Ibrahim al-Kerdani, World Health Organisation spokesman in Egypt, said after a meeting of Arab health ministers in Cairo.
“Some groups will be excluded from hajj: people over the age of 65, people under the age of 12 and people with chronic illnesses,” he told reporters.
New Delhi, July 23: Former President A P J Abdul Kalam is “yet” to receive the apology from America’s Continental Airlines for breaching the protocol norms by frisking him at Delhi’s international airport.
“I have not yet received it,” said Kalam when asked about the apology sent by the airline.
On Wednesday, Continental Airlines had apologised to Kalam following a political uproar in the country over the frisking of the former President at Delhi’s international airport before he was to board a Newark-bound flight on April 21.
Bhopal, July 23: In a major crackdown on alleged tax evaders, the Income Tax Department today raided premises of private institutions in five cities.
Raids were being carried out at People’s College, RKDF group of institutes, Globus and LNCT college, which offer various professional courses, official sources said.
Forty premises of these institutes in Bhopal, Mumbai, Delhi, Rewa and Jabalpur were covered under the raid conducted by a team of nearly 350-400 Income Tax officials, they said.
Washington, July 23: Microsoft says Windows 7 is complete. The software maker sent the final code for its next computer operating system to manufacturers, and said it’s still on track for an 22 October launch.
Mike Angiulo, a general manager in the Windows group, said in an interview that getting up and running on a Windows computer will be “a lot smoother” than it was when Windows Vista launched in 2007.
New Delhi, July 23: Gold prices continued to rise in the second straight session by adding Rs 90 to close at Rs 15,190 per ten gram in the bullion market today on persistent buying by jewellery fabricators to meet the coming festival demand amid firming overseas trend.
Silver also rebounded to trade higher by Rs 130 to Rs 22,400 per kg on increased offtake by industrial units.
Trading sentiment remained firm as gold rose to the highest in almost six weeks on London as a weaker dollar increased demand for the metal as an alternative investment.
Mogadishu, July 23: A Somali official and witnesses say insurgents have attacked government soldiers and African Union peacekeeping forces in southern Mogadishu in fighting that killed 16 people.
Wednesday night’s attack was unusual because most recent fighting in the capital has occurred in northern Mogadishu.
Somali army spokesman Farhan Asanyo said Thursday that three government soldiers were among the dead. Witnesses said 13 other people died, including a 5-year-old boy and his mother, and at least three insurgents.
Kyrgyzstan, July 23: People in Kyrgyzstan, a Muslim nation key to U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan, streamed to the polls on Thursday in a presidential vote watched closely for any signs of unrest that could disturb peace in Central Asia.
From its nomadic settlements in the north to the ethnically divided south, Kyrgyzstan’s 2.7 million voters started casting their ballots at 0200 GMT in a poll certain to extend incumbent Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s rule by another five years.
Imphal, July 23: A woman along with an ultra were killed and another person was injured in an encounter between militants and security personnels here today. According to official sources, the incident took place at a market run by women in the heart of the city at 10.30 am.
A militant was shot dead, while a woman was killed and another injured in the cross firing, they said. The police cordoned the market and combing operations were on, the sources added.
—-PTI–
New Delhi, July 23: A day after Pakistani media carried reports of a dossier presented to the Indian PM carrying details of India’s alleged role in fomenting trouble in Balochistan and other areas, sources in the PMO have rubbished the reports saying Pakistani allegations are ‘baseless’.
Los Angeles, July 23: ‘Kill Bill’ star Uma Thurman will play the heroic nun who rescued Ugandan schoolgirls forced into slavery in the film ‘Girl Soldier’ which is based on real life incidents.
The Hollywood beauty will star in the drama based on the 1996 incident which saw 140 schoolgirls being abducted from a boarding school in the African country by a band of armed rebels, reported Variety.
The girls were forced to fight as child soldiers or serve as sex slaves.
New Delhi, July 23: Congress today upped the ante against the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh, saying it will launch a ‘jail bharo’ movement from August one if it fails to recommend a CBI inquiry into the arson at the residence of PCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi in Lucknow.
“The jail bharo agitation would be launched from August one if a CBI probe into the incident is not recommended by the UP government,” AICC General Secretary in-charge of the state Digvijay Singh told reporters here.
New Delhi, July 23: Inflation rose to (-)1.17 per cent for the week ended July 11 compared to (-)1.21 per cent in the previous week as food articles like pulses, cereals, fruits and vegetables turned expensive.
The wholesale price index during the corresponding week a year ago was as high as 12.13 per cent.
Despite inflation remaining in the sub-zero level for the sixth consecutive week in a row, the Reserve Bank of India is unlikely to cut key policy rates when it reviews the credit policy on July 28.
Karachi, July 23: The Pakistan Cricket Board is still trying to convince Younis Khan to reconsider his decision to step down as Twenty20 skipper of the country.
Younis had announced his retirement as the T20 captain after leading the country to the World Cup title in June, but PCB said they will talk to the player to make him understand his importance at the helm of the team.
Lucknow, July 23: The state government has directed the Uttar Pradesh Technical University (UPTU) to start its counselling for admissions in various courses from July 26, official sources said here today.
The counselling scheduled earlier for July 10 was deferred following the High Court stay order on a petition filed by private institutes, which opposed quota system.
In its order issued yesterday to the UPTU, the state directed it to conduct admissions as per reservation norms. It will continue till September 3.