Month: July 2009

EVMs are tamper-proof, says poll panel

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New Delhi, July 05: The Election Commission Sunday asserted the electronic voting machines being used to conduct the polls in the country were tamper-proof and reliable, as it replied to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani’s apprehensions on the gadgets.

“The Election Commission of India is amply satisfied about the non-tamperability and the fool-proof working of the EVMs,” it said in a statement here.

The poll panel also said that the efficacy and reliability of EVMs have been upheld by several courts, including the Supreme Court.

Pro-reform clerical body protests Iran elections

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Tehran, July 05: A pro-reform clerical group protested against the official results of Iran’s June 12 presidential election, in a statement made available to AFP.

Blasting the official electoral watchdog, the Guardians Council, the Assembly of Qom Seminary Scholars and Researchers said it no longer had the “right to judge in this case as some of its members have lost their impartial image in the eyes of the public.”

Iraq will see difficult days ahead: Obama

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Washington, July 05: President Barack Obama warned on Saturday “there will be difficult days ahead” in Iraq and said the U.S. will remain a strong partner to Iraq for its security.

Obama, speaking to military families invited to the White House for Independence Day festivities, praised Iraq’s independence and thanked troops for their service. Because of the courage, capability and commitment of soldiers who have served in Iraq, the country is now “taking control of its own destiny,” he said.

TV ‘Dawah’for Romanian Muslims

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Bucharest, July 05: Reaping the fruits of telecommunication revolution, Romanian Muslims are using television to introduce the message of Islam to the southeastern European country.
“Television is the fastest way to reach out to different sectors of the society,” Abu El-Alaa El-Gheithy, director of the Taiba Foundation, told on Saturday, July 4.

“Through it, you can have an easy access to every home.”The foundation is broadcasting a two-hour weekly show; Islam Today, on DDTV private channel to introduce Islam to Romanian society.

Pranab has promises to keep in Budget of hope

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New Delhi: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to set an aggressive disinvestment target and announce a range of tax breaks when he presents the Union Budget before Parliament on Monday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, after his re-election, said the people of India expect a lot from the United Progressive Alliance government. Mukherjee will have to do a balancing act to meet expectations: he will have to find resources to fund welfare schemes and help the industry too.

Varun alleges plot to kill him, mother Maneka writes to PM

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New Delhi, July 05: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Varun Gandhi today alleged that members of underworld mobster Chhota Shakeel’s gang were plotting to kill him while his mother and party leader Maneka Gandhi complained to the prime minister that the home ministry was treating the threats to his life casually. A day after six sharpshooters of Chhota Shakeel – one of India’s most wanted gangsters – were arrested from various parts of the capital, Varun Gandhi urged Home Minister P. Chidambaram to take urgent action in the matter.

Assam flood situation grim, Brahmaputra crosses mark

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Guwahati, July 05: One person was swept away in Majuli islands as the flood situation in Assam turned critical with river Brahmputra and its tributaries crossing the danger mark, affecting over five lakh people in ten districts.

Normal life was crippled as large parts of Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh districts, Jorhat in upper Assam, Morigaon in central Assam and Barpeta, Kamrup (Guwahati), Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Baksa in lower Assam were submerged by the swollen rivers due to incessant rains in catchment areas.

Michael Jackson’s brain taken out for tests before burial

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London, July 05: King of Pop Michael Jackson, whose funeral is slated for Tuesday morning, will be buried without his brain. The singer’s brain has been taken out for neurological tests.

Following an autopsy at the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office, the singer’s brain has been taken our for further neurological tests, including ones to see what drugs he had taken. Jackson’s family doesn’t want to postpone the funeral. Therefore, they have decided to bury him without his brain, reports dailymail.co.uk.

RJD to move EC seeking probe into ‘tampering of EVMs’

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Patna, July 05: Over a month after the reverses in Lok Sabha polls, the opposition RJD on Sunday urged the Election Commission to inquire into allegations about ‘largescale tampering’ of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) by ruling NDA in Bihar.

“The EC must take the complaints of large-scale tampering of the EVMs seriously and set up an inquiry team to examine,” former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and senior RJD leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan told reporters after participating in the party’s 13th foundation day function.

Bus veers off Howrah rail bridge, 12 killed

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Howrah, July 05 : “Vivekananda told me the steering had jammed. I saw the bus heading straight for the railing and leapt out on to the footpath. Secondslater, the bus’ rear portion slammed into me from behind and hurled me across the railing. The last I remember is me falling through the air and the bus hurtling down after me.”

Clash between Trinamool, BUPC

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Nandigram, July 05 : Trouble broke out at Nandigram’s Sonachura on Saturday when Trinamool Congress supporters allegedly damaged a vehicle belonging to the member of a rebel faction of the Bhumi Uchchhed Protirodh Committee (BUPC).

The incident happened near a place where wives of two arrested BUPC supporters are on a hunger strike since Saturday morning to demand their husbands’ release.

Country bombs kill 2 Pondy boys

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Puducherry, July 05: Two boys were killed when country bombs, which they found in their neighbour’s house, exploded accidentally.

The incident occurred around 11.30am in a hamlet on the outskirts of the Union territory on Saturday. The boys were identified as L Albert (10) and I Anthwan Raj (10), from Korukkumedu, a village near the Puducherry-Cuddalore border.

The boys were playing near their neighbour’s hut when they found the bag with the bombs in a backyard.

—Agencies

HC refuses to let student write exam

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Chennai, July 05: Stressing the need to maintain high level of discipline in professional colleges, the Madras high court has said that courts should go slow in interfering in the matter of enforcement of discipline in educational institutions.

City crime: All-time new is good news

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New Delhi, July 05 : While there has been a surge in cases of snatching, extortion and motorvehicle theft, Delhi has registered a decline in cases of
cognizable offence during the first half of this year. “The IPC crimes per one lakh population have dropped from 372 in 1991 to 264 in 2009. Last year’s figure was 287. This is an all-time low in the history of Delhi,” claimed Delhi Police commissioner Y S Dadwal.

No political will for police reforms: Ex-CJI

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New Delhi, July 05 : Strong attempts are being made to engage civil society in pushing the proposed bill on police reforms in the Parliament. In a seminar
titled `Making our police effective and people-friendly’ held on Saturday, eminent speakers, including former Chief Justice of India J S Verma and ex-CEC N Gopalaswami, talked about ways of improving policing and urged for a change in the law and order system at grassroots level.

Mission to kill city lawyer: 7 Shakeel men held

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New Delhi, July 05: The special cell of Delhi Police on Friday arrested seven alleged henchmen of underworld don Chhota Shakeel who were in Delhi reportedly on a mission to kill a prominent lawyer. While the police refused to divulge the names of those arrested due to operational reasons, they confirmed that the seven were in the capital to avenge the death of Rashid Malabari’s lawyer, Naushad Kasim, who was killed in Bangalore in April this year.

Sheila wants minimum wages for domestic helps

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New Delhi, July 05 : If everything goes as planned by the city government, Delhi and its suburbs would get trained domestic helps in the next few years.
Launching the skill development of domestic workers programme a joint initiative of the Centre, state government and International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Saturday, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit also advocated for fixing minimum wages for domestic workers and said this could be worked out based on the number of hours they worked for.

Jackson family divided over funeral: manager Tohme Tohme

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London, July 5: Michael Jackson’s family is divided over the public memorial and funeral of the ‘King of Pop, his manager Dr Tohme Tohme has revealed.

The Lebanese-born businessman was with the Jackson family at the UCLA hospital when the star died after a suspected cardiac arrest on June 25.

Jackson’s public memorial is scheduled for Tuesday at Staples Centre after the plan to hold a grand public viewing at the pop star’s fantasy-themed Neverland was cancelled.

Sporting ties with India not possible right now: Jillani

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Karachi, July 5: Pakistan sports minister Aftab Shah Jillani does not foresee restoration of sporting ties with India in the near future.

“I don’t think it is possible to restore bilateral sporting ties with India at this stage and in these existing circumstances,” Jillani told reporters at a function in Karachi.

He said the sporting ties were determined by the government level ties between the two countries.

“As soon as conditions improve and official contacts are made the sports ministry will seek advice from the foreign ministry,” he added.

ACA women wing chairman appointed vice-president

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Vijayawada, July 5: Controversy-ridden Andhra Cricket Association has appointed its women wing chairman J Narendra and Anantapur District Association chief M Ferrer as the vice-presidents after three state government officials resigned in the wake of ACA general secretary’s sacking.

The ACA took the decisions in its executive committee meeting yesterday and also accepted resignations from two IAS officers M G U K Bhanu, M Ravichandra and IPS officer AK Khan, ACA president Gokaraju Gangaraju told PTI.

England has edge over ‘ridiculous’ Australia: Chappell

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New Delhi, July 5: Australia have put together a “ridiculous” squad which gives England a distinct edge in the forthcoming Ashes series, according to former Aussie captain Ian Chappell.

“I thought it was ridiculous,” Chappell said of Australia’s team selection, pointing to Phillip Hughes’ shaky form.

Advani finds support from rivals on EVM issue

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New Delhi, July 5: BJP leader L K Advani today found support from rivals CPI(M), JD(S) and LJP for his suggestion for re-introduction of ballot papers in place of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Advani has not cast any doubts on the results of the Lok Sabha elections but feels the country should revert to ballot papers starting with the Maharashtra Assembly elections in October and some more states later unless the Election Commission was able to ensure that EVMs were fool-proof and every possibility of malfunctioning has been taken care of.

With ‘Project Bihar’ in mind, is Cong pushing Lalu away?

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New Delhi, July 05: The Mamata Banerjee-Lalu Prasad faceoff triggered by the Railway Budget 2009-10 seems to be suiting Congress fine, with it appearing that there may be an apparent bid to needle the RJD chief out of the ruling camp.

Prasad’s hostile reaction to Mamata’s barbs about his tenure in Rail Bhavan has been received with anticipation by Congress leaders who feel a message of distancing from him is necessary for the party’s revival in Bihar.

Dhaka protestors, police clash over Indian project, 10 hurt

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Dhaka, July 05: At least 10 people, including five policemen, were injured Sunday when the members of a rights body clashed with the police outside the Indian high commission here, protesting the construction of Tipaimukh dam in India’s Manipur state.

The clash took place around 11:30 a.m. when the police barred the members of the organisation named ‘Lamp Post’ from entering the Indian high commission in down-town Gulshan area, police sub-inspector Mohammad Rafique told The Daily Star newspaper.

Police charged with batons to disperse them. Two protesters were arrested.

One killed, 400,000 displaced in Assam floods

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Guwahati, July 05: One person was swept away in Majuli islands as the flood situation in Assam turned critical with river Brahmputra and its tributaries crossing the danger mark, affecting over five lakh people in ten districts.

Normal life was crippled as large parts of Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh districts, Jorhat in upper Assam, Morigaon in central Assam and Barpeta, Kamrup (Guwahati), Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Baksa in lower Assam were submerged by the swollen rivers due to incessant rains in catchment areas.