shameen

Opposition mounts to Ahmadinejad cabinet

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Tehran, September 01: Leading Iranian MPs voiced strong opposition on Monday to some of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s proposed ministers, including women, on the second day of a heated debate on his cabinet line-up.

Parliament is due to hold a vote of confidence on the 21-member cabinet on Wednesday but the hardline Ahmadinejad is battling to win support even from conservative MPs who complained about the inclusion of women and charged that many of his nominees lacked experience.

Palestinians warned not to declare de facto state

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Jerusalem, September 01: Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Monday warned the Palestinians against a plan to establish a state by 2011 regardless of the outcome of the Middle East peace process.

“If the unilateral initiative presented by (Palestinian prime minister) Salam Fayyad is promoted, Israel will respond,” Lieberman was quoted by his office as telling EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Mideast Quartet envoy Tony Blair.

US welcomes Armenia-Turkey normalization plan

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Washington, September 01: The United States on late Monday welcomed the plan by Armenia and Turkey to establish diplomatic ties, saying it was “ready to work closely” with both sides in support of improved relations.

“The United States warmly welcomes the joint statement made today by Turkey and Armenia,” said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly, referring to the plans to establish diplomatic relations and re-open their border in a bid to end decades of mutual distrust and resentment.

Armenia, Turkey move toward diplomatic ties

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Ankara, September 01: Armenia and Turkey moved closer to establishing diplomatic ties and reopening their border on Monday, saying they would sign accords within six weeks.

The neighbours have no diplomatic ties, a closed border and a history of animosity stemming from the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War One.

Both sides said they would hold domestic consultations before signing two protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations and development of bilateral relations.

Pakistan to Part Finance Construction of Sports & Recreation Club in Dubai

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Dubai, September 01: Pakistan Prime Minsiter Yousuf Raza Gilani has promised that the Pakistan government will partly finance the construction of the Pakistan Sports and Recreation Club in Dubai.

While speaking to the media and Pakistani community members during a brief stopover in Dubai on Sunday, Gilani reiterated President Asif Ali Zardari’s earlier pledge to provide more than 25 per cent of the Dh25 million cost of the long pending construction.

DEWA Campaigns To Save Energy in Govt Offices

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Dubai, September 01: To reduce energy demand during peak summer hours in the emirate, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is raising awareness with government departments as part of its Summer Peak-Load 
Campaign 2009.

During peak hours in the summer season, between 12 noon to 5pm, energy consumption in Dubai registers a dramatic increase, with air-conditioning alone accounting for nearly 60 per cent of the total power intake by residential and commercial users.

CBSE Makes Class X Board Exams Optional

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Dubai, September 01: Students studying under India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) can rejoice over a 
decision taken by the government which allows them to skip the board exams for Class X. One of the biggest reforms to have been made in the board’s system, it will affect more than 51 schools in the UAE.

The proposal to make Class X board optional was made by Human Resources Minister, Kapil Sabil in June. The decision, which is to me implemented from the next academic year, has received a mixed response.

Mixed Reaction to Rail Timings

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Dubai, September 01: The Dubai Metro will be closed at midnight for maintenance reasons but the timings may be changed after the train system is launched and based on passenger feedback, said a Roads and Transport Authority
(RTA) official.

Residents had mixed reactions to the timings, with some highlighting that malls closed late. However, mall officials said there will be ample free parking time available.

17 New Feeder Bus Routes

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Dubai, September 01: New feeder bus routes will be launched today ahead of the opening of Dubai Metro on September 9, the Roads and Transport Authority announced on Monday.

RTA Public Tranpsort Agency CEO Essa Abdul Rahman Al Dosari said 17 new feeder bus routes will help serve the stations Rashidiya, Financial Center, Mall of the Emirates and Nakheel Harbor & Tower at Dubai Marina.

Accordingly the number of routes of Bus Feeder Service of Dubai Metro Stations rises to 25 in which standard type buses are used.
New Routes

Hundreds from Dubai Firm in Strikes over Wages

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Dubai, September 01: Hundreds of workers went on strike claiming unpaid salaries, and though the Ministry of Labour found no labour discrepancies, the protests continued till late on Monday.

About 300 workers of Al Habtoor Engineering demonstrated peacefully at a Deira labour accommodation on Sunday night. By Monday morning, the protests spread to the accommodation in Jebel Ali and a worksite in Deira.

Though these sporadic incidents were brought under control by the police and labour ministry officials, amid claims of resolution, it was clearly far from over.

Boom Time for Generators as Sharjah Stays on Blink

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Sharjah, September 01: Demand for generators has shot up in Sharjah and supplies are running out as hundreds of businesses and residential areas continue to endure power outages. Although power has been restored in most areas, power fluctuations have continued with industrial areas 1, 13, 17, and 12 worst hit during the past four days. At their peak the power problems, which began a fortnight ago, caused a blackout that affected more than
70 per cent of Sharjah.

Polls in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Arunachal on October 13

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New Delhi, September 01: Assembly polls in the three Congress-ruled states of Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh will be held simultaneously on October 13, the Election Commission announced on Monday.

The counting of votes will take place nine days later, Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla told reporters here. Nominations will be filed in all three states from September 18 to 25 while the last date of withdrawal of papers is September 29, Chawla said.

BJP: Jaswant Should Quit
as Parliament Panel Chief

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New Delhi, September 01: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday said expelled party veteran Jaswant Singh should on moral grounds step down as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) 
of parliament.

Party spokesperson Ravi Shanker Prasad told reporters here that Jaswant Singh, elected to the Lok Sabha from Darjeeling, should quit the parliamentary panel post on the grounds of “morality”, while the party would take a call on what course it would take on it.

Japan’s Democrats start forming government

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Tokyo, September 01: Japan’s Democratic Party began talks on Monday on forming a new government, faced with the challenge of reviving the economy and reshaping ties with key allies after its crushing election win.

Yukio Hatoyama’s centre-left Democratic Party of Japan (DPK) is under heavy pressure to get to work quickly on addressing the huge hurdles facing the country and pulling it out of its long economic malaise.

Germany, France issue call to curb bank bonuses

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Berlin, September 01: France and Germany called Monday for stronger international rules regarding bankers’ bonus payments during talks in Berlin ahead of next month’s G20 summit in Pittsburgh.

The proposal formed part of a joint demands by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy for “tangible achievements” at the summit of the Group of 20 leading nations on September 24-25.

2 American, 2 British troops killed in Afghanistan

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Kabul, September 01: Bombs killed four NATO troops Monday — two Americans and two Britons ending the deadliest month of the war for U.S. forces as the top NATO commander called for a new strategy to confront the Taliban.

The U.S. military said the two Americans were killed in separate explosions in southern Afghanistan but gave no further details. Their deaths brought to 47 the number of U.S. troops who have died in the Afghan war in August — three more than in July which had been the deadliest month.

Germany, France reinforce Iran sanctions threat

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Berlin, September 01: Germany and France on Monday reinforced a call for Iran to respond to concerns about its nuclear program in September or face tougher sanctions, and said they wanted wide international agreement on those measures.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pointed to a Group of Eight leaders’ agreement in July to reevaluate their position on Iran at a G-20 summit in late September. President Barack Obama has set a Sept. 15 deadline for Iran to respond to U.S. overtures about negotiating over its nuclear program.

Japan’s Democrats vow to battle bureaucrats

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Tokyo, September 01: Japan’s newly empowered Democratic Party said on Tuesday that it was ready to do battle with the mighty state bureaucrats to reduce their tight grip over the world’s number two economy.

The centre-left Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which scored a landslide victory in Sunday’s general election, has made wresting power from civil servants one of its main policy goals.

US health reform estimates need long view

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Washington, September 01: The Congressional Budget Office may be missing potential savings from various health reform proposals by not looking at efforts to manage or prevent expensive, chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, researchers said in a study released on Tuesday.

The study, published in the Tuesday edition of the Health Affairs journal, comes as members of the U.S. Congress prepare to return to Washington next week and again take up legislation to revamp the U.S. healthcare system.

Australian marriages soar to 20-year high

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Melbourne, September 01: The number of Australians tying the knot has hit a 20-year high, reversing the trend for an institution that appeared to be going out of fashion only a few years ago, according to official data.

The figures show 118,756 marriages were registered in Australia last year, up 2.1 percent on 2007 and more than 12 percent on the recent low of about 104,000 in 2001.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics said the increasing popularity of marriage coincided with a fall in the number of divorces, which hit a 20-year low of 47,209 in 2008.

Dangerous hurricane heads for Mexico resort

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Los Cabos, September 01: Hurricane Jimena grew into a highly dangerous storm as it raced toward Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Monday, scaring tourists, prompting residents to sandbag homes and disrupting a top-level finance conference.

Jimena’s winds strengthened to nearly 155 mph (250 kph), almost reaching the threshold of a deadly Category 5 storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Category 5 hurricanes are the top of the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale and can be devastating if they hit land.

Obama may helm Netanyahu, Abbas meeting

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Washington, September 01: US President Barack Obama may moderate a meeting between the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority at the United Nations next month in talks that could lead to the resumption of the peace process, Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Monday.

Plans are for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to meet during the U.N. General Assembly to discuss the future of stalled Middle East peace negotiations, Peres said in a Fox News interview.

Hot chillies could wallop heart disease, diabetes

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Sydney, August 31: An Indian researcher has found that the flavour-potent chilli could wallop diabetes and cardiovascular disease which are the leading cause of mortality in developed countries.

University of Tasmania School of Human Life Sciences research fellow Kiran Ahuja said it was possible that one day chillies would replace aspirin, or be combined with aspirin as a medication for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

“Aspirin… has a nasty side effect, which causes stomach bleeding in patients,” said Ahuja.

Aspirin can do more harm than good for healthy people

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London, August 31: Taking aspirin to prevent heart attack can do more harm than good for healthy individuals without any history of heart attack, revealed a study.

A large number of people – including a substantial number of the “worried well” – take a daily dose of the drug in the belief it will keep them healthy.

However, at a conference for leading doctors, British scientists have claimed that they have found that for healthy people, taking aspirin does not significantly reduce the risk of a heart attack.

US shuttle Discovery homes in on space station

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Washington, August 31: The US shuttle Discovery was closing in on the International Space Station
to deliver food, a lab freezer and a treadmill to the orbiting outpost.

As the shuttle sped toward the ISS, the astronauts conducted a routine inspection of Discovery’s heat shield by manoeuvring a sensor on a robotic arm to look for possible damage.

Pilot Kevin Ford and mission specialists Patrick Forrester and Jose Hernandez took turns at the controls of the sensor system to inspect the shuttle’s nose cap and its right and left wings, NASA said.