Month: August 2009

India cannot be blamed for Doha deadlock: Anand Sharma

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Mumbai, August 30: Defending India’s stand on the Doha talks, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said it was wrong to blame India for the deadlock and on the contrary New Delhi was making an effort to re-engage in the multilateral global trade deal.

“There has been a deadlock for close to 14 months for various reasons. Sometimes, it has been projected that there was non-agreement and it was India which was responsible. No, that’s not correct. We took a position. Other developing countries took a position,” Sharma said at a function here last night.

German unemployment to stay under 4 mn: Report

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Berlin, August 30: German Labour Minister Olaf Scholz expects unemployment to keep rising in the coming months but believes it will stay below four million, according to a magazine interview to be published Monday.

“The economic collapse will of course lead to a jump in unemployment in the coming months,” the Social Democrat minister told Der Spiegel magazine.

“But this year we will stay under the four million mark.”

Employees aim for up to 5 percent stake in VW: Report

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Frankfurt, August 30: The roughly 370,000 employees of Volkswagen and Porsche are striving initially to acquire a stake of up to 5 percent in the automotive group, VW’s labor chief told a German newspaper.

“I don’t know how much we will end up with. It certainly won’t be 10 percent overnight, but between one and five percent to begin with,” Sueddeutsche Zeitung quoted Bernd Osterloh on Saturday as saying.

It was not clear yet how the employees would finance the purchase of their stake, the paper said.

Iraq budget panel sees 2010 oil price at $60 per barrel

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Baghdad, August 30: A committee reviewing Iraq’s budget proposals for 2010 has recommended spending plans be based on average oil prices of USD 60 per barrel and average crude exports of 2.15 million barrels per day, a government spokesman said on Saturday.

Iraq’s approved federal budget for 2009 was based on income from oil prices averaging USD 50 per barrel.

Iraq hiked oil exports in July to 2.037 million bpd, their highest level since the 2003 US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

GM wants Russians barred from Opel takeover: Report

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Berlin, August 30: US auto giant General Motors wants Russian firms barred from taking over its German subsidiary Opel, but Berlin does not agree, according to the weekly Der Spiegel.

In its forthcoming issue the weekly, which cites no sources, says that the US government, which now owns 60 percent of GM, wants no Russian participation in the future control of Opel.

Suicide attack targets NATO troops in Afghanistan: Officials

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Kandahar, August 30: A suicide bomber blew himself up close to NATO troops in southern Afghanistan today, killing up to two Afghan civilians and wounding more than 20 others, officials said.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, which has 64,500 troops in Afghanistan to fight a growing Taliban insurgency, confirmed “an incident” involving its troops but had no other details available.

The attack happened when Afghan police and NATO troops were walking through a small town in the province of Zabul, the local district governor told.

35 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan

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Khost, August 30: Thirty-five Taliban militants were killed in overnight clashes with the Afghan and US-led coalition forces in eastern Afghanistan, the police said Sunday.

The fighting took place in Khost province in eastern Afghanistan.

‘Joint forces launched an operation against Taliban militants in Sapera district from Saturday night till Sunday morning, during which 35 militants were killed,’ provincial police chief Abdul Qaum Baqizoi told Xinhua.

He added that the joint forces also found assault rifles, ammunition and food items at the militants’ hideout.

Govt to electronically connect 70 ports by 2010

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Mumbai, August 30: The government will electronically connect a total of 70 ports in the country by the end of next year, a move that will help embattled exporters to reduce transaction costs.

The Commerce Ministry is promoting the use of electronic systems with initiatives like EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) ports, electronic message exchange between Customs and the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.

Blast kills 15 police recruits in Pakistan’s Swat

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Islamabad, August 30: An official says a large explosion and gunfire have been heard near a police station in northwestern Pakistan’s Swat Valley.

In the latest news report, at least 15 police recruits are dead in the area, which the Army recently retook from Taliban control.

Television footage from the scene on Sunday showed officers gathering up mutilated bodies.

Police dispatcher Mohammad Akhtar says the blast came as new recruits were being trained near the station. He says at least three are dead and several more wounded.

–Agencies

Four members of family killed in road accident

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Dehradun, August 30: Four members of a family were killed on the spot and eight others injured when a car and a tractor collided near Manglore in Roorkee on Delhi-Haridwar Highway early today.

According to Manglore police, the car was coming from New Delhi and going to Haridwar. The accident occurred near Hotel Godavari, near Manglore on New Delhi-Haridwar Highway as the car which was speeding towards Haridwar collided with a tractor that was coming from Roorkee. The car overturned at around 0400 hrs.

Four people died on the spot whereas eight others were injured.

Major fraud allegations in Afghan vote top 550

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Kabul, August 30: The commission investigating fraud in Afghanistan’s Presidential Election says it has now received more than 550 complaints serious enough to affect the poll’s outcome if proved true.

Nellika Little, a spokeswoman for the independent Electoral Complaints Commission, says it has received more than 2,000 allegations of fraud or intimidation involving voting day or the counting of ballots.

25 year-old woman killed, 19 injured in mishap

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Kancheepuram, August 30: A 25 year-old woman was killed and 19 people, including the driver, sustained serious injuries when a bus in which they were travelling overturned at Sunkuvarchathram near here tody.

Accoring to police the mishap occured when the bus fell into a ditch when the victims were returning to Wallajabad after work. The bus belonged to a private company where the victims were employed.

The deceased Sukanya died on the spot.

Apart from the driver, the other injured were all women. They were admitted to the Government Hospital here.

—-Agencies

US develops success metrics for Pak, Afghanistan

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Washington, August 30: After months of efforts, the Obama administration has finally developed a set of about 50 measurements, which would gauge its progress in the Afghan-Pak war zone.

Currently under ‘test run’ by the White House, the metrics to assess war success would be presented before the Congress on September 24, ‘The Washington Post’ reported today.

35 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan

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Khost, August 30: Thirty-five Taliban militants were killed in overnight clashes with the Afghan and US-led coalition forces in eastern Afghanistan, the police said on Sunday.

The fighting took place in Khost province in eastern Afghanistan.

“Joint forces launched an operation against Taliban militants in Sapera district from Saturday night till Sunday morning, during which 35 militants were killed,” provincial police chief Abdul Qaum Baqizoi told Xinhua.

He added that the joint forces also found assault rifles, ammunition and food items at the militants’ hideout.

Rixon wants Katich to replace Ponting as captain

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Melbourne, August 30: Former stumper Steve Rixon believes Australia has lost their ruthless cutting edge under Ricky Ponting and wants Simon Katich to take over the Test captaincy reins.

According to him, Ponting, despite being a magnificent batsman, has never been a great captain and the team mellowed down under his leadership.

It’s time to allow a stronger character like Simon Katich to take over,” he argued.

Britain’s u-turn on Lockerbie bomber ‘for oil’: Report

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London, August 30: The British government decided two years ago it was “in the overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom” to make the Lockerbie bomber eligible for return to Libya, The Sunday Times newspaper reported.

Leaked letters show Justice Secretary Jack Straw informed his Scottish counterpart, Kenny MacAskill, of the decision to include Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi in a prisoner transfer agreement, the report said.

Five months earlier Straw had said he favoured excluding Megrahi from the agreement.

Australia probes North Korean weapons shipment

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Canberra, August 30: Authorities are investigating whether Australian law was broken after an Australian-owned ship was seized in the United Arab Emirates carrying North Korean weapons bound for Iran, an official said on Sunday.

Shipping Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that the UAE found banned North Korean weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, headed for Iran on the Australian-owned, Bahamas-flagged cargo ship ANL Australia.

Dalit woman raped on gun-point

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Muzaffarnagar, August 30: A Dalit woman has been allegedly raped on gun-point by two youths in Firozabad village of the district, police said toady.

The incident took place yesterday morning when the victim was going to answer nature’s call, they said.

In her complaint, the victim alleged that the youths threatened her to kill if she disclosed the incident to anyone.

The woman has been sent for medical examination and search on to nab the culprits, they added.

–PTI

Iran’s President defends Cabinet amid scepticism

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Tehran, August 30: Iran’s President defended his proposed Cabinet ministers on Sunday as lawmakers began what is expected to be a fierce debate over whether the nominees have the relevant credentials or are simply unquestioning loyalists.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is forming his new government while still under attack by the pro-reform opposition that his re-election in June was fraudulent. But he is also under pressure from fellow conservatives, who have long lambasted the president for hoarding power by putting close associates in key posts.

Russian Army to receive over 3,000 new weapon systems

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Moscow, August 30: Russia’s land forces will receive over 3,000 new weapon systems and military hardware this year, a senior commander has said.

“We will receive over 3,000 pieces of weaponry of various modifications this year. These include Iskander systems, T-90 tanks, and other modern arms,” Deputy Commander, Maj Gen Viktor Batmazov said.

The supply of high precision and modern reconnaissance systems has increased this year. Up to a thousand of military units in the land forces will be put on permanent combat readiness status in 2009.

Wildfire threatens Los Angeles

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Los Angeles, August 30: A raging wildfire on the northern hills of Los Angeles has forced hundreds of people to flee their homes as flames spread to 8,100 hectares of land in the area, officials said.

The authorities Saturday afternoon urged the local residents to move to safer places on the outskirts of the Los Angeles city. The raging fire has threatened hundreds of houses at the foothill.

One person was severely burned when powerlines fell on a ranger station. The victim was helicoptered out of the site, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Australia’s last missing from Vietnam War sent home

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Hanoi, August 30: Veterans and family members of the last two Australian servicemen who remained unaccounted for from the Vietnam War gathered on Sunday to send the airmen’s remains home after 39 years.

“This ceremony marks the end of an era,” Mike Kelly, Australia’s Minister of Defence Support, said to about 100 guests gathered on the tarmac of Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport.

Flying Officer Michael Herbert and Pilot Officer Robert Carver, both 24, were the last Australians whose bodies had not been found after going missing in action during the Vietnam War.

Taiwan wants no politics during Dalai Lama’s visit

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Taipei, August 30: Taiwanese officials said on Sunday they hope the Dalai Lama will stay clear of politics to avoid angering China during his visit to comfort victims of the island’s worst storm in 50 years.

Although the Tibetan spiritual leader has travelled to Taiwan before, many fear his arrival late Sunday could hurt the island’s improving relations with rival China — the signature issue in the 15-month-old administration of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou.

Al Qaeda names man who tried to kill Saudi prince

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Dubai, August 30: Al Qaeda on Sunday identified a militant who tried to kill Saudi Arabia’s security chief on Thursday as Abdullah al-Asiri, a wanted suspect who entered Saudi Arabia from Yemen.

A suicide bomber posing as a repentant militant blew himself up in the Jeddah office of Prince Mohammed bin Nayef in the first known attack on a member of the Saudi royal family since al Qaeda began a violent campaign in the world’s top oil exporter in 2003.