Gali Nagaraja

The Pakistan government has allowed export of 200,000 tonnes of sugar.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet, presided over by Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.

An official said the ECC was asked to allow export of 400,000 tonnes of sugar by the commerce ministry due to an expected surplus in the coming seasons.

The committee, however, permitted export of only 200,000 tons in the first phase, reported Dawn.

Every sugar mill would now be given a quota of 10,000 tons.

—IANS

The tomb of a powerful seventh-century Maya queen was discovered at the El Peru-Waka site in the northwestern Guatemalan province of Peten, archaeologists said Wednesday.

The co-director of the expedition, US archaeologist David Freidel, called the tomb “the most important find” of his 43-years working in Guatemala.

K’abel was the wife of King K’inich Bahlam II, but her title, Kalomt’e, or Supreme Warrior, indicates she had greater authority than her spouse, Freidel said.

The couple ruled the Wak kingdom for at least 20 years in the late seventh century.

Over two million wealthy Pakistanis live in palatial houses, possess arms, drive luxury cars, travel abroad and hold multiple bank account, but don’t pay their taxes, said a media report.

There are 2.38 million people in the country who are rolling in wealth, but do not figure on the tax roll at all, reported Dawn.

As many as three million people possess a National Tax Number (NTN), but only 1.4 million of them filed income tax returns last year.

The statistics were compiled by the National Database and Registration Authority.

Hoping to meet the growing demand for power, the Uttar Pradesh government is exploring the viability of setting up two new thermal power plants in the state.

Officials of the energy department Wednesday decided to extend full cooperation to Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) in developing two thermal power generation projects at Jagdishpur and Gonda.

South Africa has lost a total of 430 rhinos to poaching since January, state-run news agency SA News reported.

“The latest rhino poaching statistics indicate that a total of 430 rhinos have been lost to illegal killings since the beginning of this year,” the Department of Environmental Affairs said.

A total of 205 people have been arrested, the department said.

The Kruger National Park has lost 258 rhinos, whereas Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the North West provinces continue to be hit by poachers, collectively accounting for the loss of 141 rhinos.

To the surprise of critics expecting no contest, Republican challenger Mitt Romney held his own against President Barack Obama as the two sparred over jobs, taxes and healthcare in the first presidential debate.

Taking the offensive right from the word go in the 90-minute encounter, Wednesday night in Denver, Colorado, Romney made good use of a gaffe by Vice President Joe Biden to suggest that the middle class had been “buried” under Obama’s economic policies.

Three British nationals have been arrested for unauthorised entry into the rooms of the West Indian cricketers in their hotel here, the police informed today.

“At least three girls of British nationality have been arrested for unauthorised entry by the ministerial security division when they entered the hotel floor of the rooms of the West Indian cricketers,” a statement from the police spokesman and superintendent, Ajith Rohana, said.

They have been handed over to the Cinnamon Gardens police for further investigations.

The song ‘Tata Birla Ambani Aur Bata’ from director Prakash Jha’s upcoming film ‘Chakravyuh’, which ran into trouble with the Censor Board, is not meant to disrespect or hurt anyone, he told reporters here today.

The Censor Board passed the song after a disclaimer, which clarifies that the names have been used symbolically and does not mean any harm or disrespect to any individual or brand.

NASA astronomers were able to make the most precise measurement yet of the Hubble constant, or the rate at which our universe is stretching apart.

The Hubble constant is named after astronomer Edwin P. Hubble who astonished the world in the 1920s by confirming our universe has been expanding since it exploded 13.7 billion years ago. Astronomers used the Spitzer space telescope to measure the constant.

The newly refined value for the Hubble constant is 74.32.1 km per second per megaparsec. A megaparsec is roughly 3 million light years, Xinhua reported Wednesday.

India Thursday test fired its indigenously developed, nuclear-capable ballistic missile Prithvi-II from a test range in Odisha, defence sources said.

The 350-km range missile blasted off from the launch complex No.III at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) of Chandipur in Balasore district, around 230 km from here.

—IANS

India’s energy needs can be met entirely by solar and other renewable sources, says a new study by two professors at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore. Their report published in the journal Current Science may add ammunition to the anti-nuclear agitation in India.

The analysis by Hiremath Mitavachan and Jayaraman Srinivasan of IISc’s Divecha Centre for Climate Change overturns the argument that nuclear power is essential for India because the country does not have enough land to exploit the potential of solar energy in India.

Actress Rani Mukerji, who has attempted a belly dance number in her forthcoming film “Aiyyaa”, was challenged for her skills by comedian Bharti Singh.

Bharti, who takes pride in her huge belly, had also posed such a challenge to Katrina Kaif on reality show “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5”, and now she decided to do the same to Rani during the shoot of “Comedy Circus Ke Ajoobe”.

To bolster their depleting ranks, the Maoist leadership in Chattisgarh have now set their eyes on minor boys and girls as young as 13 years, making the task of security forces combating insurgency more tough.

“Maoist insurgents have stepped up their recruitment drive in Abujhmar region forcing minor boys and girls, mostly in their early teens, to join the rebel ranks,” Bastar Superintendent of Police R.L. Meena told IANS Wednesday.

“They use minors as shield and engage them mostly in gathering information,” he said.

Popular TV crime series CID is set to venture into regional market. The small screen’s longest running show will be launched in West Bengal as “CID Kolkata Bureau”.

“CID”, which is aired on Sony Entertainment Television, will be premiered in West Bengal on Sony’s Bengali language channel AATH, said a statement.

Actor Shivaji Satam, who plays ACP Pradyuman, will announce the launch of their Kolkata team. The new show will have fresh set of officers, who will solve cases in their local areas. The cast and the date on which the show goes on air is yet to be finalised.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi begins a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir Thursday amid panic among Panchayat members who have been resigning due to threats from separatists.

The mass resignations by village council members were triggered by the Sep 23 murder of Muhammad Shafi Teli, the sarpanch (village council chief) of Keeri village in Baramulla district.

Since the panchayat elections of 2011 held in the state after a gap of 30 years, five village heads have been killed in the Kashmir Valley.

Violation of human rights is a combination of communalism, casteism, regionalism and lack of respect for law, said Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Najeeb Jung here Wednesday.

“Universities like Jamia must sensitise their students to be at the forefront of understanding and helping resolve these issues,” Jung told IANS during a ‘Peace Walk for Human Rights in the Northeast’.

The march was organised by the university’s Centre for North East Studies and Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies.

The country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India today said it has hiked prices of its all models by up to Rs 5,250 with immediate effect to offset adverse impact of foreign exchange fluctuation and rising input costs.

“The average hike in the price across models is around 1 per cent and the range will be between Rs 2,500 and Rs 5,250,” a company spokesperson said.

The price increase will take place with immediate effect, he added.

India and Pakistan came together to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi at the UN, celebrated as the ‘International Day of Non-Violence’, a day after they sparred over Kashmir.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri hosted the commemorative event yesterday at the UN headquarters here and was joined by his Pakistani counterpart Abdullah Hussain Haroon.

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who had responded to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s reference to Kashmir in his address at the UN General Assembly, presided over the event.

A 22-year-old female university student in Britain, whose life had become “isolated”, died after drinking two bottles of vodka, a court heard.

Zara Malone was studying English and Classical Literature at Exeter University, the Daily Express reported.

In the last few months of her life, she had become isolated and was drinking heavily, the hearing was told.

Malone’s housemate, Francesca Parker, said that on the night before she died, she had found her drunk.

Parker found two bottles of vodka, one empty and one nearly empty, by her friend’s body.

An astounding 91 percent of British couples describe their marriage as “happy”, according to a new survey.

Among these, 17 percent said married life was just “perfect”, the Daily Express cited the study by online dating agency eHarmony as saying.

A total of 2,077 married people were polled for the agency’s Happy Marriage Index.

Meanwhile, official figures also show that divorce is on the wane in the country — down from 165,000 in 1993 to 120,000 in 2010.

The Kerala government will hand over at the earliest Rs.10 lakh as interim compensation to former ISRO scientist S. Nambi Narayanan, who was framed in a false espionage case, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said Wednesday.

“The high court recently directed to pay him (Narayanan) a compensation of Rs.one million and the cabinet today decided that it would be done at the earliest,” Chandy said.

Last month, the Kerala High Court upheld the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) order directing the government to pay an interim compensation of Rs.10 lakh to the former ISRO scientist.

The Agartala-Dhaka bus service, suspended after India’s ‘Maitree’ passenger bus running between the two cities was burnt by an angry mob in Bangladesh last month, resumed after an 11-day break Tuesday, officials said Wednesday.

“As earlier, from now onwards both Indian and Bangladeshi buses would ply six days a week between Agartala and Dhaka,” Tripura transport department secretary Kishore Ambuly told IANS.

“The Sep 21 incident was an isolated and a stray occurrence, not targeted at the Indian bus or passengers,” Ambuly said.

President Pranab Mukherjee launched the much awaited agricuture roadmap of Bihar at a function in the state capital Wednesday.

President Mukherjee, who arrived here on a two-day visit to the state, was recieved by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and given the guard of honour at the Patna airport.

The five-year agriculture roadmap covers the period 2012-17 with an investment of Rs.1.52 lakh crore. It aims at raising agri-growth to a minimum of 7 percent per year, said Nitish Kumar.

It is the first visit of Mukherjee to the state after becoming the president.

Though authorities have refused to “ban” some popular websites, thousands of mobile users here Wednesday were unable to access social media websites like Facebook and Twitter as well as video-sharing website YouTube.

After Google India blocked an anti-Islam video on YouTube, mobile phone users here have been complaining that they are unable to access GPRS, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter on their devices.

“I have not been able to avail the GPRS services for the last one week. Now, I cannot open my Facebook or Twitter account on my mobile,” said Waseem Bashir, 24, a student.

China, which has one of the world’s busiest railway systems in the world, is aiming to build a high-speed passenger rail network by 2015, the ministry of railways said.

The country also plans to have separate passenger and freight networks, the China Daily reported Wednesday.

According to a five-year plan recently approved by the cabinet, the railway network will feature four east-west lines and four north-south lines by the end of 2015.

The high-speed railway will cover around 18,000 km by then, the ministry said.