Washington, July 06: The US President Barack Obama and Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev are to announce a framework deal on arms cuts at a Kremlin summit on Monday intended to “reset” difficult relations between Moscow and Washington.
A US official told Reuters that negotiators from both sides had agreed the text of an outline deal on cutting Russian and US nuclear arsenals to put to the two presidents.
–Agencies
New Delhi, July 06: The Centre has approved a revised scheme for recruitment of constables in the central Para Military Forces aimed at making the process more objective and maximising the use of technology in recruitment.
St Lucia, July 06: A fiery mid-afternoon spell from Mohammad Aamer and stable, stock bowling from Younis Khan (yes, Younis Khan) unhinged Sri Lanka’s middle-order and left them struggling to set Pakistan a fighting target on a pitch that has assisted fast bowlers more than spinners.
While Aamer has been the revelation of this match, Younis proved to be the wild card yet again after breaking two vital partnerships in the first innings.
New Delhi, July 06: The government on Monday said it will soon introduce a Bill to enact a Food Security law that will provide 25 kg of rice and/or wheat at Rs 3 to each family below the poverty line – a key poll promise of the Congress that heads the ruling coalition.
Presenting the Union Budget 2009-10, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, the Bill will soon be introduced after consultation with different stakeholders.
A draft Food Security Bill will be put up on the website of the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution for public debate on this issue, he added.
Ahmedabad, July 06: The Gujarat High Court judge hearing the petition challanging the probe by Special Investigation Team (SIT) against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and 62 others, day declined from hearing the case on Monday.
When the matter came up for hearing in the court of justice HN Devani she said, “not before me” and declined to hear the matter due to some personal reasons. The case will now be referred to another court based on instruction by the High Court Chief Justice.
Srinagar, July 06: An alleged close associate of two self-styled Lashkar-e-Toiba commanders working in the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution department was on Monday arrested in Doda district.
On a tip off, police raided a hideout in a forest belt in the district and arrested Nissar Ahmed.
Ahmed, who is a store keeper in the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department, is an associate of two Pakistani commanders of LeT – Abu Ans and Abu Amaj operating in Thathri belt of the district, police said.
Mumbai, July 06: Real estate giant DLF Limited is likely to raise Rs 600 crore through sale of its non-core assets by the end of this month, a source close to the development told Hindustan Times. The company is in talks with potential buyers to sell off some of its projects across Goa, Mumbai and Gurgaon.
In June, DLF raised around Rs 1,000 crore by selling some of its hotel and commercial plots across Delhi, Mumbai and Baroda. DLF plans to raise up to Rs 5,500 crore through asset sales by the end of March 21, 2010.
London, July 06: Angry with himself for yet another disciplinary transgression, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff plans to take out the pent up frustration on Australia during the Ashes starting on Wednesday.
Flintoff had missed a team bus during a weekend trip to Belgium recently, which had upset the England management.
Flintoff himself is no less unhappy with his conduct but has vowed to make amends by tormenting Australia with both bat and ball.
New Delhi, July 06: Making employment generation as the stepping stone towards women’s empowerment, the Government on Monday increased the corpus of the women’s Self Help Groups to Rs 500 crore from the existing Rs 100 crore.
Presenting the annual budget for the year 2009-2010 in Parliament, Mukherjee said the Government proposes to enroll at least 50 per cent of all rural women in the country as members of SHGs over the next five years and link these SHGs to various banks.
Khartoum, July 06: Sudan’s president said on Sunday sanctions could not block development in his country, as he unveiled its first home-manufactured aircraft — a $15,000 training plane that runs on car fuel.
President Omar Hassan al-Bashir spoke at the latest in a string of defiant rallies mounted after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him in March, to face charges of masterminding atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region.
Geneva, July 06: The head of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan, said Monday that the global economic crisis was causing people to ditch healthy foods that this would lead to health problems.
“When money is tight, the first thing that drop out of the diets are the healthy foods,” said Chan, adding that these are “almost always more expensive” than processed items.
This was particularly true in the developing world, where chronic diet related diseases were on the rise, she noted.
Bangkok, July 06: The Myanmar junta’s refusal to allow U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to visit detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will likely prompt a new push for Security Council action, but all depends on China.
The 15-nation council has been unable to take serious action in the case of the former Burma because China, the nearest Myanmar has to a major ally, has been opposed.
Like the United States, Britain, France and Russia, China is a permanent veto-wielding member of the council and can block any action.
Mumbai, July 06: The Bombay Stock Exchange”s benchmark Sensex fell below the 14,000-mark in late afternoon trade as there was no respite in hectic selling triggered by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee”s pegging of higher fiscal deficit in Budget 2009-10. The bellwether index declined to 13,960 points at around 1500 hrs, down by more than 952 points from its previous close.
—PTI–
Tehran, July 06: Amid growing relations between Iran and Qatar, the Emir of Qatar Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani has lashed out at efforts aimed at destabilizing mutual ties.
Qatar will not allow anyone to damage relations between Tehran and Doha, al-Thani said in a meeting with the visiting Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani on Monday.
He added that Iran has always supported Arab nations and the oppressed Palestinian people in particular, Fars news agency reported.
New Delhi, July 06: The government on Monday announced loans at a subsidised interest rate of six per cent for farmers who pay their dues in time, which is one per cent less than what others would get.
“I am also happy to announce that for this year the government will pay an additional subvention of one per cent as an incentive to those farmers who repay their short term crop loan on schedule. Thus the interest rate for these farmers will come down to 6 per cent per annum,” Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in the Budget 2009-10.
Where political leaders have failed to come up with a plan to save the planet from global warming, religious leaders have succeeded. On July 6, Islamic leaders from over 50 Muslim countries, including heads of states of Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, will meet in Istanbul to sign an agreement on environment conservation.
An announcement is expected on Haj pilgrimage becoming green from next year and environment studies being included in religious schools. Already, a mosque in Leicester, Britain has become the world’s first green mosque.
London, July 06:A British soldier has been killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, the Defence Ministry said, the fifth to die in five days as UK forces take part in a major U.S.-led offensive against Taliban strongholds.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the soldier from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards was killed by a blast in an operation near Gereshk in central Helmand Province. Next of kin have been informed.
Sydney, July 06: The tropical zone is expanding into what have been humid temperate climate zones, according to a review of scientific data.
The authors of a recent study concluded that the effects of a pole-ward expansion of the tropical and subtropical zones were immense, manifesting a variety of social, political, economic and environmental outcomes.
The study has been conducted by Joanne Isaac, post-doctoral fellow at James Cook University (JCU), with Steve Turton, professor at its School of Earth and Environment Sciences.
Seoul, July 06: North Korea has spent over 700 million dollars on rocket and nuclear tests since April, a South Korean newspaper estimated on Monday.
The seven rocket tests on Saturday alone cost an estimated 43 million dollars, South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo reported citing government figures.
The launch of a long-range rocket in early April cost around 300 million dollars and the country’s second nuclear test, carried out on May 25, cost as much as 400 million dollars, the report said.
Moscow, July 06: US and Russian officials have agreed the text of a declaration to be signed by Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev setting out a framework for renewing a key Cold War-era weapons reduction treaty, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday.
“The text of the document has been agreed,” the agency quoted a source in the Russian foreign ministry as saying, a few hours after Obama left Washington for Moscow.
New Delhi, July 06: Now that the M.S. Liberhan commission has submitted its report on the Ayodhya issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party has developed cold feet. The party has gone on the defensive.
Gros Islet, July 06: Yuvraj Singh is the backbone of India’s batting line-up, said skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni lauding his deputy’s contribution in the 2-1 series triumph over the West Indies.
“He is the backbone of our batting line up. Coming in at number four he always takes up the responsibility and sets up the platform for the batsmen down the order to contribute,” Mr. Dhoni said after the fourth and final match was abandoned due to rain.
“When he sets himself up, rest assured he is in for a big score,” Mr. Dhoni, who was adjudged the Man of the Series, said.
New Delhi, July 06: With the national budget being presented in parliament Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be heading for the Italian mountain town of L’Aquila Tuesday to take part in discussions with leaders of the world’s most powerful and
industrialized nations who meet for their annual G-8 summit. The town was devastated by an earthquake just three months ago.
India is one of the five emerging economies or G-5, comprising China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, which have been specially invited for the G-8 summit meeting (July 8-10).
London, July 06: Pakistan’s intent to seek legal recourse on hosting rights issues may have cast a shadow on the 2011 World Cup but the ICC today made it clear that there was no risk of the event being shifted out of the Indian sub-continent.
Pakistan’s share of 14 matches has been allotted to other three co-hosts and the strife-torn country has threatened to take legal action against the move.
Tel Aviv, July 06: Israel would not comment Monday on a signal by US Vice President Joe Biden that Washington would not stand in the way of an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The US was not in a position to dictate to any sovereign nation what they could or could not do, Biden said in an interview Sunday with the US broadcaster ABC.
Israel could itself make those decisions that it thought in its best interests, Biden added, sparking speculation that this meant a “green light” in case Israel decides to strike in Iran.