Month: July 2009

BJP to frame ‘chargesheet’ against government

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Lucknow, July 28: In a bid to highlight the state government’s misdeeds, the Bharatiya Janata Party will be preparing a chargesheet of the state government.

The party has already formed an 11-member committee, which will be preparing the chargesheet.

Thereafter, it will be released in public through a campaign by the second week of September.

Addressing mediapersons at the party state headquarters, state party chief Ramapati Ram Tripathi, said: “In the eyes of the people of Uttar Pradesh, the BSP-led state government is a history-sheeter.”

Pakistan hit out at ‘detrimental’ Indian submarine

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Islamabad, July 28: Pakistan hit out at India on Tuesday, branding its first nuclear-powered submarine “detrimental” to regional peace and vowing to take “appropriate steps” to maintain a “strategic balance”.

“Continued induction of new lethal weapon systems by India is detrimental to regional peace and stability,” the foreign ministry said.

Arch-rival India on Sunday launched the first of five planned submarines by naming the 6,000-tonne INS Arihant (Destroyer of Enemies), powered by an 85-megawatt nuclear reactor that can reach 44 kilometres an hour (24 knots).

Australia vows crackdown on Indian student scams

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Melbourne, July 28: Australia Tuesday vowed to crack down on migration scams targeting Indian students and condemned a “cowardly” attack on a female reporter who exposed the racket.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Australia was tightening regulations on migration agents after a current affairs TV programme exposed rip-offs exploiting students who have fuelled a booming international education sector.

The expose, screened late Monday, found some Indian families went broke after sending children to Australia for courses that failed to deliver any educational value.

Malalai Joya: The woman who will not be silenced

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Washington, July 28: I am not sure how many more days I will be alive,” Malalai Joya says quietly.

The warlords who make up the new “democratic” government in Afghanistan have been sending bullets and bombs to kill this tiny 30-year-old from the refugee camps for years – and they seem to be getting closer with every attempt. Her enemies call her a “dead woman walking”.

7-month-old boy crushed by car in Sant Nagar

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Ludhiana, July 28: A seven-month-old boy died after being run over by a car in Sant Nagar in Ghumar Mandi this afternoon. The victim, Krishna, who was the son of daily wagers, died after he was crushed by the car of one Lalit Kumar while reversing.

According to information, the deceased had been left sleeping by the roadside as his parents — Ram Khilawan and Rajni — who were engaged in the construction of the road nearby. The family resides in Sunet village.

Gates in plea to Israel for ‘patience’ over Iran

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New York, July 28: The United States has once more urged Israel to remain patient as it attempts to reignite fizzled diplomatic contacts with Iran over its nuclear enrichment programme while indicating that the window for Tehran to respond would not remain open for ever.

The message, which betrays renewed anxiety in Washington that Israel may be tempted to take military action, was carried to Jerusalem yesterday by the US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, who held talks on regional security with his counterpart Ehud Barak and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Obama says US, China to shape 21st century

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Washington, July 28: US President Barack Obama called for a 21st century defined by broad US-China cooperation as the two countries sought common ground on reviving the global economy and fighting climate change.

China and the United States were due to wrap up in-depth two-day talks on Tuesday after Obama laid out a vision of “cooperation, not confrontation” between the Pacific powers but also nudged China on its human rights record.

Govt keen to appoint teachers

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Apprehending difficulty in recruiting teachers after the passage of the Right to Education Bill in parliament, the state government is in a hurry to recruit teachers in primary schools on its own terms and conditions. The government is keen to recruit nearly 58,000 primary teachers, but faces stiff resistance from the PTTI trainees, who insist that despite their diplomas being declared invalid, priority should be given to them in the recruitment process.

Relax your way to perfect health

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Washington, July 28: It’s a piece of advice that yogis have given for thousands of years: take a deep breath and relax. Watch the tension melt from your muscles and all your niggling worries vanish.

Somehow we all know that relaxation is good for us. Now the hard science has caught up – for a comprehensive scientific study showing that deep relaxation changes our bodies on a genetic level has just been published.

Senior college teachers’ strike continues

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Mumbai, July 28: The senior college strike by the Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations (MFUCTO) is set to continue.

The teachers’ union has decided to continue the strike, already in its third week, and has alleged that the state government is indulging in ‘doublespeak and distortion.’

“Rajesh Tope, Higher and Technical Education Minister, had announced earlier this month that the state cabinet has decided to revise the salaries of the striking college and university teachers.

70-tonne whale meets its match after collision with cruise ship

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Canada, July 28: It is a bit like the hedgehog-and-car encounter, scaled-up many thousands of times: a collision where there can only be one winner.

Whales may be the world’s biggest animals, but they don’t stand a chance when hit by a mammoth cruise liner – as has just been proved in Canada.

Everyone Calls You Amazing But I Just Call You Mine

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Washington, July 28: Everyone Calls You Amazing But I Just Call You Mine,The Republican Governors Association announced this morning that Tim Pawlenty will serve as the organization’s vice chair, the latest indication that the Minnesota governor is stepping up his national profile in advance of a likely presidential run in 2012.

Writ Filed Against Musharraf, Shaukat Aziz and Abdul Hameed Dogar

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Islamabad, July 28: A writ petition has been filed in Supreme Court of Pakistan against former President General (r) Pervez Musharraf, former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and former Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar.

The trio has been charged of intentionally committing contempt of court by violating the verdict of 7-member bench on November 3, 2009, against proposed emergency.

The writ has been filed by the principle of a local college of the capital, it was reported.
–Agencies

Tenant sick of Hanif’s house

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Mumbai, July 28: At the Marol house where Hanif Syed lived and where the bombs for the twin blasts were allegedly assembled, the present tenant has had enough of the crowd curiosity. Ahmed Khan (name changed), an airconditioner mechanic, wants to leave with his wife and daughter before August 4, the date for arguments on sentencing.

“I took a holiday today to stay home as I knew all kinds of people would come and harass my wife and infant. I am fed up of this place,” he said.

Astronauts complete final spacewalk

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Washington, July 28: Two astronauts have completed their fifth and final spacewalk installing two cameras on Japan’s Kibo laboratory at the International Space Station (ISS), the US space agency NASA said.

The spacewalk, conducted by Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn, lasted four hours and 54 minutes.

The astronauts performed an electrical cable swap and adjustment of insulation blankets on the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator.

Voters turn against war in Afghanistan

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Kabul, July 28: A majority of the public believes that the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable and British troops should be pulled out immediately, a poll for The Independent has found.

The growing opposition to the military offensive emerged as another two UK soldiers were killed, bringing the number of deaths so far this month to 22. Gordon Brown declared yesterday that Operation Panther’s Claw – the five-week onslaught on Taliban positions in Helmand province – had been a success.

Explosion, accident, broken marriage…

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Mumbai, July 28: The blows never seem to end for the Yadav siblings. The latest to hit them: the man who was supposed to marry Savita, the eldest, has changed his mind. She has also been thrown out of her own Ulhasnagar home by her uncle.

It started when they lost their parents in the Gateway blast. Hanumanta and Sakhi Yadav used to sell flowers and toys at the tourist spot.

The couple left behind five children, Savita was 12 then and the youngest, Narsu, only two. Help started pouring in after broke the news of the orphans. Later, a trust was formed.

More than 15,000 apply for FIFA World Cup volunteers

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Johannesburg, July 28: More than 15,000 people have applied for volunteers at the FIFA World Cup next year, since the South African authorities began distributing applications a week ago, BuaNews reported.

The number of applicants has already exceeded the total number of volunteers required for the event, the World Cup organising committee said here Monday.

A total of 15,042 applications was received from prospective volunteers in 133 countries.

Congress backs PM on joint statement

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New Delhi, July 28: The Congress has finally rallied behind a beleaguered Prime Minister and the government on the issue of the controversial Indo-Pak joint statement.

Ever since July 16 when the controversial Indo-Pak joint statement was signed by the prime ministers of the two countries, not a single Congress leader was prepared to go on record supporting the document. Thus, for a full week, the Manmohan Singh-bashing went completely undefended by the party.

Pak’s Balochistan allegation is baseless: Afghanistan

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Kabul, July 28: Visiting Afghanistan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta rubbished Islamabad’s allegation that India was backing the Balochistan insurgency in Pakistan.

“This is not a new claim by Pakistan,” he said, adding: “But we need to have closer relation against international terrorism in our region.”

Spanta said this during his talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna.

‘200 kids killed at Khmer Rouge prison’

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Phnom Penh, July 28: A former staff member at the main Khmer Rouge torture centre told Cambodia’s war crimes court that up to 200 children were detained and killed at the regime’s notorious prison.

Sous Thy, 58, was testifying at the UN-backed court against prison chief Duch, who is accused of overseeing the torture and execution of around 15,000 people held at Tuol Sleng prison, known as S-21, in the late 1970s.

Is Metro a deadly option in quake-prone Delhi?

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New Delhi, July 28: The news of cracks appearing on Metro piers on its three upcoming rail links is worse than it seems.

This is because Delhi falls in a zone vulnerable to earthquakes, which raises the risk of mishaps on the Metro lines.

The Capital falls under seismic Zone IV, making it highly prone to earthquakes.

But the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which has built overhead rail links through most of the city, claims all its structures have been designed to withstand earthquakes.

Cops now probe role of 6 freed in prof murder

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New Delhi, July 28: The police are now investigating the role of the six ABVP activists, acquitted earlier this month of killing H S Sabharwal, in last week’s murder of an aide of the slain Ujjain professor’s son, according to a police source.

Besides the six, the police are also analysing phone call details of several others associated with Sabharwal’s son Himanshu.

‘We have been sent to gallows by media, people’

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Mumbai, July 28: The three accused, convicted by a special court on Monday for carrying out blasts at various parts of the city in 2003, said they had already been held guilty by the media and public long before the verdict.

A special Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court on Monday convicted Ashrat Ansari, Hanif Sayed and his wife Fehmida for conducting blasts at Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar in south Mumbai and at suburban Ghatkopar, killing 54 persons and injuring 244 others.

Taliban’s Constitution

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Laying down a code of conduct for its fighters, the Afghan Taliban has issued a book restricting the use of suicide bombings and guiding fighters on how to act on hostages and win hearts and minds of the Afghan people. “A brave son of Islam should not be used for lower and useless targets,” says the book obtained.

The book, “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Rules for Mujahideen”, says that Taliban fighters should avoid civilian casualties while launching attacks. “The utmost effort should be made to avoid civilian casualties.”