shameen The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre and Air India on a plea seeking a CBI/SIT probe into alleged irregularities, including purchase of aircraft for the national carrier and giving up of profit making routes to private airlines, when Praful Patel was Civil Aviation Minister.
In marginal relief to consumers, the government today abolished import and excise duties on LPG cylinders they buy beyond the 6 per annum quota of subsidised cooking gas, and asked state governments to subsidise the requirements of households at their level.
Life across Pakistan came to a standstill today due to a holiday declared by the government to protest the anti-Islam film which triggered violent demonstrations in several cities, including the federal capital.
The government has called for observing the day as “Youm-e-Ishq-e-Rasool” (Love the Prophet Day) and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has asked the people to protest peacefully.
The photographer who took topless pictures of Kate Middleton while on a holiday with hubby Prince William was a British man spying on the orders of ‘Closer’ magazine, a French paparazzo has claimed.
French paparazzo Pascal Rostain said that the the Royal couple were stalked out at the chateau while on their holiday by an Englishman living in the south of France.
Rostain also sensationally claimed that the photographer was spying on them on the orders of France’s Closer magazine, which was first to publish 13 intimate images of Kate and William last week, the News agencies reported.
Whenever Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad comes to New York, protesters pay attention. They know where he’s staying.
They stand outside the building when he makes a speech, holding signs calling him a dictator and comparing him to Adolf Hitler.
“We want him to see he’s not welcome here,” said Nathan Carleton, spokesman for United Against Nuclear Iran, which is gearing up for Ahmadinejad’s arrival this weekend for the United Nations General Assembly.
Two former Bush administration officials have made a forceful plea to US policymakers not to give up on India amid its “political dysfunction and slowing economic growth”, saying “the logic underlying US-India relations remains sound.”
“For nearly a decade, India has represented Washington’s major strategic bet in Asia, a ‘natural ally’ that was emerging as a strong, globally active and increasingly prosperous partner,” noted Richard Fontaine and Daniel Twining in an opinion piece in the Washington Post titled “Don’t give up on India”.
Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed will attend a meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group that will take a decision on removing Maldives from its agenda after an inquiry found no conspiracy in the ouster of Mohamed Nasheed from power.
President Waheed left for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly today and will also represent Maldives at the Commonwealth meeting there.
CMAG had decided to place Maldives on its agenda after Nasheed raised questions over the February transfer of power and alleged that it was a coup.
Three children were killed and 13 others wounded by an axe-wielding man who attacked a daycare centre on Friday in southern China, local officials said.
This afternoon, local police received the report that a man rushed into a residence and slashed 16 children, who were at the noon care, with a wood chopper, according to Pingnan county government in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
All injured were rushed to hospital.
Three children died in the attack and 13 others were injured, officials were quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency as saying.
Thiruvananthapuaram: Notwithstanding criticism of CAG’s report on the coal allocation issue, Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai has said that the findings are “rational and undisputable” and will stand any minute scrutiny.
“We have no doubt that we will be able to uphold the credibility of our report as we show great precision in planning and execution of our audits”, Rai said in an interview to CPI’s official organ ‘Janayugom’.
Terrorism and other crime have affected normal life of every Indian and all efforts must be made to acquire technology to help security forces beat law breakers, said former Union Home Secretary GK Pillai.
Addressing a security conference, he said every effort must be made to enhance internal security through technological innovation and their proper implementation.
“Issues of crime and terror not only affect the affluent but also the poor who too need security,” he said.
As SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav offered a prop to beleagured UPA after Trinamool Congress walked out of the ruling coalition, BJP on Friday said it has no intention of toppling the government and will “wait and watch”.
“I don’t want to talk about instability in the government. They (Congress) should take care of their alliance partners. We don’t want to topple the government. We have adopted a ‘wait-and-watch’ policy and are watching the developments taking place,” BJP president Nitin Gadkari said.
India’s nuclear operator has started loading enriched uranium fuel in the first reactor of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project after getting the final clearance from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) on Tuesday.
“The fuel loading has started on Wednesday,” a senior official in the nuclear estalishment said.
The Kudankulam nuclear plant had run into a rash of protests following concern in the local communities on safety issues in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in March last year.
Ahead of the release of their mega project `Heroine`, actress Kareena Kapoor and director Madhur Bhandarkar sought the blessings of lord Ganesha here. The duo is happy with the initial response to the movie, releasing Friday.
“We are happy that those who have watched `Heroine` at the trials, their response has been good. They are appreciating Kareena`s work and the movie. I am Ganapati bappa`s bhakt and I also insisted that Kareena come with me this time,” Bhandarkar said here.
Bollywood`s `desi girl` Priyanka Chopra is back in Los Angeles to work on the video of her debut international song ‘In my city’ and says she wants to add an Indian touch to it.
“Off to rehearsal! Let`s show the world what Bollywood is made of! Let`s do this desi style,” tweeted the 30-year-old, who is riding high on the response to her song, as well as to her acting in Anurag Basu`s ‘Barfi!’.
Her peppy song ‘In my city’, featuring international singer Will.i.am, was launched earlier this month. Her entire album will release after a few months.
China plans to control sandstorms and prevent environmental degradation in Beijing and Tianjin cities in the coming decade, authorities said.
A meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao discussed and passed the second-stage work plan for the Beijing-Tianjin Sandstorm Control Program (2013-22), reported China Daily citing a State Council statement.
The statement said Shaanxi will be included in the programme in 2013, as it is a source of sandstorms for the two metropolises.
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said Thursday’s nation-wide strike has caused a huge damage to the Indian economy and the common people.
“In a democracy you have the right to protest against the government’s policies. But it’s rather ironic that the form of protests you are doing will cause great economic losses,” Chidambaram told reporters here, referring to the strike supported by a broad spectrum of political parties.
Perennial under-achievers at big-ticket ICC events, South Africa will start their campaign to shed the `chokers` tag when they take on minnows Zimbabwe in their opening Group C match of the World Twenty20 on Thursday.
The game should not prove too much of an ask for the Proteas as it would take a very special effort from Zimbabwe after being thrashed by hosts Sri Lanka in their opening match on Tuesday.
Continuing scrutiny of coal blocks which failed to meet development timelines, the Inter-Ministerial Group on Thursday recommended de-allocation of two more mines, raising to 13 the number of blocks against which such recommendation has been made.
One of the companies whose block was recommended for de-allocation has the son of former Corporate Affairs Minister Prem Chand Gupta as one of its directors.
Swedish home furnishings major IKEA on Thursday said it has not been asked by the Indian government to re-apply for entering the market through single brand FDI route following the relaxation of sourcing norms.
However, according to a senior government official, the firm would have to revise its application and re-apply after the tweaking of mandatory sourcing norms for FDI in single brand retail.
Comeback man Yuvraj Singh provided three crucial breakthroughs but India were far from convincing as they launched their ICC World Twenty20 campaign with a scrappy 23-run victory over minnows Afghanistan in on Wednesday.
Put into bat, it was man of the match Virat Kohli`s half-century and an useful contribution of 38 from Suresh Raina which helped India reach a decent target of 159 for five in 20 overs.
In reply, Afghanistan batsmen showed patches of brilliance in their strokemaking but their sheer inexperience saw them get all out for 136 in 19.3 overs.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Thursday met top American Senators who are members of a Congressional intelligence committee and briefed them on the efforts being taken by her country in the war on terror.
During the meeting held at the Capitol, Khar told members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that it was important that Pakistan’s priorities, concerns and constraints were better understood by the US.
US President Barack Obama held talks with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai to discuss the recent developments in the country and reiterated his strong support for Afghan sovereignty, the White House said.
Obama, who held a video conference with the Afghan President yesterday, agreed to take additional concrete steps to implement the Strategic Partnership Agreement, including launching of the US-Afghan Bilateral Commission in coming weeks and beginning negotiations on a Bilateral Security Agreement, the White House said.
The US has said that although al Qaeda core in Pakistan has become a shadow of its former self, but other active terrorist groups continue to pose a direct threat to the interests of Washington and its allies.
“Pakistani and Afghan militant groups — Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Haqqani Network, and Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT) – continue to pose a direct threat to US interests and our allies in the region, where these groups probably will remain focused,” said Matthew G Olsen, Director of the National Counterterrorism Centre.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been slapped with a fine of USD 150,000 by US authorities for keeping passengers aboard a plane during an extended ground delay last year.
This is the first fine for an international flight in violation of the new consumer protection rule of the Department of Transportation, which took effect in August 2011, setting a four-hour limit for tarmac delays on international flights.
The US has said its presence in the Asia Pacific region paved the way for a long term peace and stability in the region and thus helped countries like India and China to “rise and prosper.”
“Our presence helped first, Japan and South Korea, and then South-east Asia to rise and prosper, and now, yes, China, and in a very different way, India to rise and prosper,” said the Deputy Defence Secretary Ashton Carter.
He said the US intends to continue to play that positive, pivotal, stabilising role in the region while working with all the stakeholders.