salman_jobs

TAPI countries agree to start pipeline project by 2015

by

Taking another step towards realising the ambitious TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) natural gas pipeline project, petroleum ministers of the four countries met in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan Thursday and agreed that steps will be taken to start the project by 2015.

“It was decided that the next meeting of the steering committee will be held in February 2015 in Islamabad,” the petroleum ministry said in a statement here on the 19th round of TAPI steering committee meeting attended by Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Mike Nichols, director of ‘The Graduate’, dies at 83

by

Mike Nichols, whose 1967 film “The Graduate” earned him an Oscar as best director, has died, media reported Thursday. He was 83.

“He was a true visionary, winning the highest honors in the arts for his work as a director, writer, producer and comic and was one of a tiny few to win the EGOT — an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony — in his lifetime,” ABC News President James Goldston said of Nichols, the husband of ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer.

Myanmar military launches counter-attack against armed group

by

The Myanmar government said Thursday that its troops had launched a counter-attack on the ethnic Kachin Independence Army (KIA) after the armed group disrupted their normal movement.

The statement was in response to KIA’s claim earlier in the day that the government troops had staged the attack Wednesday morning, Xinhua reported citing the Myanmar Radio and TV.

It said KIA had carried out an artillery attack on government soldiers when they were building roads with bulldozers to transport food. The government forces returned fire, resulting in casualties of the KIA side.

Two new metro lines, four flyovers to come up in Mumbai

by

The Maharashtra government Thursday approved two new Metro lines and four flyovers, estimated to cost around Rs.45,000 crore.

The Mumbai Metro Lines 2 and 5 will be 72 km long and are expected to be completed within the next six-seven years, an official said.

The approvals came at a meeting of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority presided over by its chairman, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The 40-km long Dahisar-Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd line will be underground with 36 stations en route and is expected to cost around Rs.25,605 crore.

Cabinet clears Saarc motor vehicles agreement

by

In a boost to regional connectivity, the union cabinet Thursday approved the signing of the Saarc motor vehicles agreement and a bilateral deal between India and Nepal for regulation of passenger traffic.

At a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the cabinet also authorised the road transport and highways ministry to sign similar bilateral agreements like the one with Nepal with other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) member states, an official release said here.

Scholarship for children from leprosy-affected families

by

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and WHO goodwill ambassador for leprosy eradication Yohei Sasakawa Thursday announced a scholarship worth $100,000 a year for the education of children from leprosy-affected families.

The scholarship would be jointly administered and dispensed by Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation (SILF) and Association of People Affected by Leprosy (APAL).

Turkey to cooperate with Iraq in fighting IS: Iraqi PM

by

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Thursday that Turkey has offered military cooperation to fight the Islamic State(IS) militant group.

“There is an agreement on information exchange and security cooperation with Turkey, and moreover, the Turkish prime minister has offered military cooperation in fighting against the terror of Daash (IS’ Arabic acronym), which is not only a threat against Iraq but also against Turkey and the whole region,” Xinhua quoted Abadi as saying in a joint press conference with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Apex court directs CBI chief to step aside from 2G case

by

Suspecting the conduct of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief Ranjit Sinha, the Supreme Court Thursday asked him to withdraw from the 2G telecom spectrum allocation case, but also said this was not a stricture against the premier probe agency.

An apex court bench of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu, Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice A.K. Sikri said the senior-most officer heading the investigating team in the 2G case must now take over the probe into the alleged scam in the allocation of 2G telecom spectrum.

Hisar court sends Rampal to five-day police custody

by

A court in Haryana’s Hisar town Thursday sent controversial sect leader Rampal to five-day police custody.

Rampal, who has been booked for murder, attempt to murder, sedition, rioting, illegal detention and other charges, was brought here from Chandigarh Thursday by Haryana Police.

Rampal’s bail in a 2006 murder case was cancelled by the Punjab and Haryana High Court Thursday and he was sent to judicial custody in that case.

Rampal was brought here for investigations into the latest cases against him.

IANS

Saradha scam: Ahead of CBI grilling, Bengal minister in hospital

by

A day before he was scheduled to appear for questioning at the CBI office in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam, West Bengal Transport and Sports Minister Madan Mitra was Thursday admitted to the state’s largest government hospital with a complaint of breathing disorder.

Mitra, who was admitted in a private nursing home since Nov 18, left the health facility and reached SSKM Hospital Thursday afternoon and was admitted in the Woodburn ward, reserved for VIPs.

Iraqi forces retake town from IS

by

Iraqi security forces Thursday retook control of a town from Islamic State (IS) militant group in eastern Iraq, and are fighting to seize another in the west, security sources said.

In Iraq’s eastern province of Diyala, Iraqi security forces backed by Shiite militias and Kurdish security forces, known as Peshmerga, managed to retake control of Saadiyah town, some 120 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, after two days of fierce battles, a provincial security source told Xinhua.

‘Godman’ Rampal remains calm in court room

by

After his arrest from Satlok Ashram in Hisar by Haryana police, controversial ‘godman’ Rampal today appeared calm and composed when he was produced in Punjab and Haryana High Court in a contempt case.

Wearing cream-colour full-sleeve sweater and keeping a woollen shawl on his shoulder, 63-year-old Rampal did not utter a single word during over an hour-long court proceeding.

Bengal deputy speaker falls ill in assembly, hospitalised

by

West Bengal assembly Deputy Speaker Sonali Guha was Thursday hospitalised after she fell unconscious inside the house when it was in session.

Guha was taken ill in the second half of the day’s session.

Members as well as some assembly staff crowded around her.

She was later taken to the state’s premier government health facility SSKM Hospital in an ambulance.

“She has been kept under observation. She is undergoing tests,” said a hospital source.

IANS

Kotak Mahindra Bank, ING Vysya announce merger

by

Leading mid-size banks Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) and ING Vysya Bank Ltd Thursday announced a merger in an all-stock deal to become the fourth largest private bank in the country after ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank.

The merger, approved by the boards of both the banks earlier in the day, will be in the swap ratio of 725:1000 equity shares, subject to approval of their shareholders, Reserve Bank of India, the Competition Commission of India and other regulators. ING Vysya investors will receive 725 shares of Kotak for every 1,000 shares they hold.

No differences in NCP over support to BJP govt: Sule

by

Asserting that there were no differences in the party over its decision to extend outside support to the BJP government in Maharashtra, NCP MP Supriya Sule today denied that she had reservations about the party’s stand.

Some reports today said that Sule and former state minister Jayant Patil had expressed displeasure over the support to BJP at the NCP conclave at Alibag.

Power to vote game-changer in democracy: Mufti Sayeed

by

The power to vote is the real game-changer in a democratic set-up, PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Thursday said in Ganderbal, near here.

Addressing a party meeting in Ganderbal assembly constituency in the state, Sayeed said: “People’s power of vote is the game-changer in a democratic set-up.”

“A new course for Jammu and Kashmir can only be decided by its people, using their voting right. Let me make it clear that the power to change the destiny of the state lies with the people and not elsewhere,” he said.

SBI defends loan to Adani, says money disbursal after scrutiny

by

Amid controversy over sanctioning a USD 1 billion loan to Adani Group, SBI today said it has only signed a preliminary MoU and will disburse the money only after proper due diligence.

SBI had on the sidelines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia, signed a pact sanctioning USD 1 billion loan to Adani Group’s coal project in that country.

Hyundai to build train factory in Brazil

by

A subsidiary of South Korea’s Hyundai announced Wednesday it will invest 100 million reais ($38 million) to build a train factory in the southern Brazilian state of Sao Paulo.

Hyundai-Rotem said the facility will be the world’s second-largest train factory and that it will create 400 direct jobs in Araraquara, 270 km south of Sao Paulo city.

The director of Hyundai-Rotem Brasil, Andre Han, said the plant will focus initially on supplying the Brazilian market, but with an eye toward the larger region.

F1 driver Bianchi out of coma

by

Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi has come out of artificial coma and is breathing unaided, his family said Wednesday.

The 25-year-old Marussia driver suffered severe head injuries in a horrific accident at the Japanese Grand Prix Oct 5.

The Frenchman has been flown from hospital in Yokkaichi, Japan, to intensive care in Nice, France.

However, his condition is still said to be “critical” and he remains unconscious.

ISL: Chennayin FC beat FC Pune City 3-1 to top points table

by

Chennayin FC took the top spot in the points table of the Indian Super League, beating FC Pune City 3-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here Wednesday.

John Stiven Mendoza (62nd minute), Bruno Pelissari (70th) and Jeje Lalpekhulua (93rd) scored for the Chennai team, which replaced Atletico de Kolkata to occupy the top place on the points table. Eric Djemba Djemba conceded an own goal one minute after Mendoza’s strike.

Chennayin are on top, having scored more goals than Atletico, with same number of points (16).

US has 450,000 illegal immigrants from India

by

As President Barack Obama mulls executive action to give relief from deportation to some of the 11.2 million illegal immigrants in the US, a new report said about 450,000 of them are from India.

In fact, India is the fourth top source country of unauthorised immigrants after top-ranked Mexico, according to the report based on the 2012 census, released Tuesday by the Pew Research Centre, a Washington think tank.

Ranking second, with considerably fewer unauthorised immigrants than Mexico, is El Salvador (675,000 in 2012).

Hope of better ties with Pakistan bordered on naivete, feels Karzai

by

Taking a swipe at Pakistan, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai Wednesday said his efforts to settle issues with the neighbouring country had not borne fruit and peace in the region cannot come till terrorism is used as an instrument of policy.

Delivering a lecture organised here by the Delhi Policy Group and India Habitat Centre, Karzai said he had travelled to Pakistan 20 times during 13 years as president with the hope of having close relations.

Iran says Vienna talks ‘serious, intensive’

by

Iran and the world powers have started “serious and intensive” talks over the Islamic republic’s disputed nuclear programme in Vienna, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said Wednesday.

The expert-level talks are underway, she said, adding that both sides have attended the talks with new initiatives, Xinhua reported.

She also dismissed some western media speculations about the outcome of the ongoing talks.

US launches ‘Mobile Bus Library’ in Pakistan

by

The US on Wednesday launched the Mobile Bus Library programme in Pakistan to promote reading habits among school children and signed an agreement to continue working towards educating the teachers.

The programme was launched by Donald Larry Sampler, Assistant to the Administrator of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and President International Rescue Committee (IRC), David Miliband, at a government secondary school here, the US embassy in Pakistan said.

Sindh assembly censures Imran Khan

by

The Sindh Provincial Assembly on Wednesday passed a unanimous resolution against cricketer-turned- politician Imran Khan for allegedly terming Sindhis as “slaves”.

The assembly unanimously approved a motion introduced by Education Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, days before Imran is due to hold a public rally in Larkana, stronghold of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).