Month: July 2009

Maoists hijack two buses in Bihar

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Patna, July 04: Suspected Maoists Saturday hijacked two buses in Gaya district after letting the passengers get off, police said.

The Maoists stopped the two private vehicles near Dumaria and asked the passengers to get down, police said. ‘After the passengers got down, they took away the buses,’ a police officer said.

Police said they drove the hijacked vehicles to a nearby forest area, considered their stronghold.

Police have launched a search operation to recover the buses.

—Agencies

State Bank Of India $1 Bln Loan Offer To Bharti For MTN

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New Delhi, July 04: State Bank of India has offered a loan of up to $1 billion to Bharti Airtel to partly fund the Indian telecom firm’s planned stake buy in South Africa’s MTN, two sources said.

The government-run bank, which along with its associates controls a quarter of Indian bank loans and deposits, will join a clutch of foreign lenders interested in funding the deal that aims to create the world’s third-biggest wireless group with more than 200 million subscribers and combined revenue of $20 billion. “Bharti is our customer.

Largest commercial satellite for cellphones launched

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Los Angeles, July 04: A new satellite designed to allow the convergence of cellphones and satellite phones throughout the United States was successfully launched Thursday, mobile communications provider TerreStar announced. Weighing 6,910 kg, TerreStar-1 is the largest commercial satellite ever and was launched by Arianespace from Kourou, French Guiana on Tuesday.

High Court Directed Exhumation Of Shopian Rape Victims

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Srinagar, July 04: Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Saturday directed exhumation of the bodies of two women allegedly raped and murdered in Shopian last month to collect their DNA samples subject to the consent of their family.

Noting that the DNA report is missing and post-mortem was done in a proper way, a division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Barin Gosh and Justice Mohammad Yaqub Mir ordered exhumation of the bodies of Asiya and Nelofar.

Justice Gosh directed the principal of medical college Srinagar to set up a team of doctors to perform the tests.

Pact signed with private Engg college managements

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Thiruvananthapuram, July 04: Kerala government has signed an agreement with managements of self-financing engineering colleges in the state on fee structure and admission criteria in the institutions run by them.

The agreement was signed late last night after days of talks with representatives of engineering colleges while the talks with private medical colleges were progressing, sources at the Education Minister’s office said.

Jackson to be buried in a $25,000 coffin

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London, July 04: King of Pop Michael Jackson is likely to be buried in a $25,000 solid bronze casket, just like soul legend James Brown.

Known as the Promethean, the coffin has a hand-polished 14-carat gold-plate finish and blue velvet-lined interior, reported media.

It is the same model chosen by relatives of James Brown for the Godfather of Soul’s burial. The coffin is made by the Indiana-based Batesville Casket Company.

AIMC demands special package for Muslims

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Jaipur, July 04: All Indian Muslims Council (AIMC), an organisation working for socio-economic development of Muslims, today asked Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to include special packages for welfare of the community in the budget for financial year 2009-10.

“The community needs special attention for uplift and we expect a lot from the Congress government in Rajasthan,” Abdul Kayyum Akhtar, state general secretary, said here.

Woman, three children commit suicide

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Jalandhar, July 04: A woman and her three children allegedly committed suicide early today by consuming a poisonous substance at their residence in village Budhanwal near Tehsil Shahkot, police said here.

The victims–Baljit Kaur (45) and her children Prabhdeep Kaur (22), Varinder Kaur (20) and Gobind Preet (20)– took this extreme step due to prevailing tension in the family, they said.

Baljit, wife of a policeman, had a pending divorce case in a court. She was living separately with her three children and was the sole bread winner.

Andhra panel proposes upper fee limit for private schools

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Hyderabad, July 04: Andhra Pradesh is now mulling fixing an upper limit on the fees charged by private schools. A panel constituted by the state government has recommended that private schools in urban areas should not charge more than Rs.24,000 per annum as tuition fee up to Class 5 and Rs.30,000 up to Class 10.

The six-member panel was constituted last month following public complaints that several schools effected a steep hike in tuition fees from the academic year 2009-10.

People losing interest in poll process: Meira Kumar

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Bhopal, July 04: Expressing concern over the decline in polling percentage, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar today called upon lawmakers to introspect why people were losing interest in the poll process. Inaugurating a two-day orientation programme for Madhya Pradesh legislators, Meira Kumar said legislature was the most powerful body and the lawmakers should use their powers for the welfare of the common man.

Three militants killed in Manipur

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Imphal, July 04: Three militants were today killed in separate encounters with security personnel in Chandel and Imphal West districts of Manipur. A gunbattle between personnel of 29th Assam Rifles battalion, combing the Nilam Centre in Tengnoupal area, and unidentified militants left two ultras dead in the wee hours, official sources said.

Chandrayaan-II to be launched by 2013

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Kolkata, July 04: India’s second lunar mission Chandrayaan-II is likely to be launched by 2013, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair said Saturday.

“Chandrayaan-II should take place by 2013. Our first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-I, has given us a substantial understanding about entering the moon’s orbit. But ensuring the safe landing of the rover on the lunar surface is still an obstacle,” Nair told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony here.

SBBJ cuts lending rate by 0.5 per cent

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Mumbai, July 04: State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ), the largest associate bank of State Bank of India today slashed its benchmark lending rate by 0.5 per cent to 12.25 per cent. The Benchmark Prime Lending Rate (BPLR) of the bank has been revised from 12.75 per cent to 12.25 per cent with effect from July 6, SBBJ informed the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Jayaprada, SP workers hold demonstration

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Rampur, July 04: Samajwadi Party MP Jayaprada alongwith party workers today sat on dharna here protesting against load shedding in district.

In a memorandum submitted to the district collector Shanker Lal Pandey, she demanded improvement in power supply, as erratic power supply has affected students, farmers, and businessmen.

She also took part in a procession from Gandhi Samadhi to Collector’s office.
–PTI

President releases stamp on administrative academy

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Mussoorie (Uttarakhand), July 04: President Pratibha Patil today released a postal stamp on Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration here.

The stamp in the denomination of Rs 5 was released during inauguration of the training institute’s golden jubilee celebrations.

The first day cover of the stamp carries picture of the historical building of the administrative academy.

Authorities arrest 35 in northern Iran

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Tehran, July 04: Up to 35 people have been detained in the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran over their role in the post-election unrest in the country, says an official.

“Twelve of the detainees are among the ringleaders of the unrest. These individuals were carrying out their activities in the guise of students at Mazandran universities,” the chief prosecutor of the provincial capital of Sari, Asadollah Jafari said on Saturday.

According to the Etemad daily, Jafari added that the 35 detainees were among 200 people who were originally arrested and later released.

Abhishek Bachchan’s rocking grand finale act at IIFA Awards 2009

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Mumbai, July 04: Abhishek Bachchan has performed the grand finale act at the IIFA 2009, held at Macao. Those who have missed out watching it live at The Venetian, Macao shall now get a chance to watch it during the telecast of the IIFA Awards 2009 on Sunday.

A source present at the awards nite told us, “Abhishek began his dance performance with the super hit track Genda Phool from his last release, Delhi 6. He followed it up with three back to back Dostana songs – Maa Da Laadla, Jaane Kyu and Desi Gal.”

Iran asks new IAEA head to stay impartial

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Tehran, July 04: An Iranian nuclear official says the country expects Japan’s Yukiya Amano, who will soon take on as the new UN nuclear watchdog chief, to stay impartial.

“Iran expects the new director general to help countries use peaceful nuclear energy and increase their cooperation according to the guidelines of the agency’s charter, independently and without bias,” Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh, said in a Friday interview.

Mumbai take on Punjab in Ranji opener

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Mumbai, July 04: Mumbai will open their Ranji Trohy title defence in the 2009-10 season by taking on Punjab in the Elite Division Group A tie at Mohali from November 3-6.

Mumbai had clinched the Ranji Trophy for the 38th occasion defeating Uttar Pradesh in the final in Hyderabad last season.

Elite division groupings:

Group A: Mumbai, Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Railways, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Orissa

Group B: UP, Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Karnataka, Bengal, Delhi and Baroda

Elite division schedule:

Punjab FM faced with tough task on weak fiscal position

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Chandigarh, July 04: Amid rising debt, mounting pay revision liabilities, inflating subsidies and ballooning deficits, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal has a tough task in hand to consider all this while presenting his third budget on July 7. The minister would be under severe pressure to propose new tax or cut non-plan expenditure for resource mobilisation to reduce the strain on state finances.

Strong quake rocks Panama City

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Panama, July 04: A strong earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale jolted the Panama capital Saturday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The quake occurred at 1.49 a.m. local time. There was no report of casualties.

—Agencies

BJP follows democratic process for allocation of seats to MPs

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New Delhi, July 04: To avoid heart burning among its leaders, BJP has followed a democratic process for allocation of seats to its members in both the Houses of Parliament.

In the seating arrangement submitted to the Lok Sabha Speaker, BJP has followed a system where Leader of Opposition, Deputy Leader of Opposition, party president, former party president and former Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha would occupy the front seat in the Lok Sabha.

The seat next to the Leader of Opposition will be occupied by the Deputy Speaker as per convention.

We didn’t handle Lee well: Hilditch

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Melbourne, July 04: Cricket Australia bungled in its handling of Brett Lee after his divorce and should not have sent the “under-prepared” pacer to last year’s tour of India, where the slump in his form started, concedes CA selection panel chief Andrew Hilditch.

“The situation with Brett was extremely difficult, there is no doubt about that and in hindsight I think a lot of people would have handled that differently,” Hilditch was quoted as saying by the ‘The Daily Telegraph’.

Bus falls off bridge in Howrah; ten dead

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Kolkata, July 04: Atleast ten persons, including three women, were killed and 40 others injured when a mini bus carrying passengers fell from the over bridge onto a railway track of the Howrah station here on Saturday.

All trapped passengers have been rescued and shifted to a nearby hospital. Doctors have been rushed to the spot to rescue the injured.

Captaincy is like facing an oncoming train: KP

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London, July 04: Captaincy had bogged down fiery English batsman Kevin Pietersen to such an extent that he now equates the job to facing an oncoming train and says it gets worse when the team performs badly.

“All day every day, it’s like facing an oncoming train. It absolutely hammers you,” Pietersen told ‘The Daily Telegraph’.

“Then if you’re not playing well, like we weren’t in India, it’s just negative press conference after negative press conference and eventually it affects the way you play. It just weighs you down,” he added.