Month: August 2009

Modi writes to Pranab; seeks relief in interest on crop loans

by

Patna, August 31: The Bihar government has written to Union Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee seeking extension of interest subsidy for three years on short term crop loans in 26 drought hit districts.

Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who wrote to Mukherjee said the state government’s decision to stay the recovery of farm loans in 26 drought hit districts would cost heavily as banks have made it clear that they were unable to extend the interest subsidy for three years given the existing banking rules.

Briton arrested for trying to sell sister

by

London, August 31: Police have arrested a British man who tried to sell his sister to an illegal immigrant.

Michael Wright, a 22-year-old man from Swindon, tried to sell his 24-year-old sister, who has learning difficulties, to a 33-year-old Chinese man in order to help him gain British residency.

But the sham marriage was prevented when police raided the registrar’s office in the city of Reading, Berkshire, and arrested Wright and three Chinese men last week.

The woman, who has not been named, is now in the care of social services.

Chinese chopper had violated Indian airspace in J & K

by

New Delhi, August 31: Admitting that a Chinese military helicopter had violated Indian airspace in Jammu and Kashmir two months back, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor today said New Delhi has taken up the matter with Beijing.

“Let me inform you one incursion of a Chinese helicopter (along the Line of Actual Control in Leh) took place some time back,” he told reporters after taking over as the new chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee here.

He, however, said the matter has been taken up by India during the border personnel meet with the Chinese immediately after the incursion.

Russia says kills al Qaeda agent in North Caucasus

by

Moscow, August 31: Russian security forces said on Monday they had killed an al Qaeda agent and a second rebel fighter in its troubled North Caucasus region of Dagestan. Russian officials say cash from foreign-based radical Islamic organizations is funding the recent surge of violence in Dagestan and the other two North Caucasus regions of Chechnya and Ingushetia in which dozens of people have died.

Pak denies illegally modifying Harpoon missile

by

Islamabad, August 31: Pakistan has categorically rejected the US accusations that it illegally modified design of the anti-ship Harpoon missile to make them capable of hitting land-based targets.

”The accusations made in a New York Times are incorrect and based on wrong intelligence,” Pakistan Ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani said.

Three killed in road accident

by

Bangalore, August 31: Three people were killed on the spot and 10 others injured when a minibus in which they were travelling collided with a state transport bus at Gubbi in Tumkur district of Karnataka today.

Police said they were returning from Badravathi when the accident occurred.

The deceased were identified as Nagendra Rao, Krishnoji Rao and Jaya Bai. The injured were admitted to hospital here.

—Agencies

3 youth killed in car-truck collision

by

Rajgarh, August 31: Three people were killed on the spot when a truck collided head-on with their car on the Agra-Mumbai Highway five km from near this district’s Bioara town this morning, police said.

Alim Sheikh (25), Mohammad Azim and Pankaj Sindhi were on their way to Mumbai after paying obeisance at Vaishno Devi temple at Jammu. The victims died in the accident.

The truck driver was absconding.

—Agencies

Major fraud allegations double in Afghan election

by

Kabul, August 31: Major fraud complaints in the Afghan Presidential election have surged to nearly 700, raising concern that the volume of cases that must be investigated will delay announcement of a winner and formation of a new government.

President Hamid Karzai is leading with 46.2 percent of votes from the August 20 ballot, followed by ex-foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah with 31.4 percent, according to official figures from 35 percent of the polling stations. Karzai must win over half the votes to avoid a run-off.

AIFF to take legal opinion on Bhutia-Mohun Bagan stand-off

by

New Delhi, August 31: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) Sunday said it will seek legal advice to break the impasse between Bhaichung Bhutia and Mohun Bagan.

After the executive committee meeting, AIFF president Praful Patel said that since both parties are not willing to climb down, the national body was left with no option but to take a legal opinion.

“Both the parties have some firm opinions and now we are forced to take legal advice to solve the issue,” Patel said.

Israeli strike on Iran’s nuke plan ‘imminent’

by

Los Angeles, August 31: If Iran does not accept international proposals to roll back its nuclear programme by next month, it faces an imminent Israeli strike, a newspaper article said.

In an opinion piece Sunday authored by Micah Zenko who is a political scientist with expertise in national security issues, the Los Angeles Times said Israel will act alone to stop the Islamic Republic from developing a nuclear weapon.

2 criminals killed in police encounter

by

Ghaziabad, August 31: Police today gunned down two criminals who allegedly fled in a vehicle of a doctor here after threatening him. The two unidentified outlaws in their 20s, beat up a doctor around 2.30 AM today and took away his car, SSP Ghaziabad Akhil Kumar said.

Following a complaint by the doctor, the police swung into action and challenged them, he said adding that in the exchange of fire the duo was killed. Some arms were recovered from the spot.

A policeman was injured in the encounter and was rushed to hospital, he said.

—-PTI–

Israel, Hamas in controversy over school history education

by

Israel, August 31: Israel, Hamas in controversy over school history educationTel Aviv – As the new school year gets underway in Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, the sides found themselves Monday embroiled over a new controversy concerning history education in schools.

The Islamic Hamas movement has accused the United Nations, which educates refugee children in the Gaza Strip, of planning to include in its curriculum the Holocaust – the Nazi murder of 6 million Jews in Europe during World War II.

I can’t see Kat in a mini: Salman

by

Mumbai, August 31: Salman Khan recently appeared on a show with mom Salma, where she spilled the beans on the actor’s personal life.

Asked if his mother knows all his secrets, even about his girlfriends, Salman confesses, “She knows everything, even before I know, she knows.”

Deepika travels solo, but not Kat, Sallu

by

Mumbai, August 31: Is it insecurity, loneliness, or just love for company that drives Bollywood stars to ensure that they never travel alone? Meena Iyer analyses the phenomenon….

When Shah Rukh Khan was put through secondary interrogation at the Newark airport recently, one thing that appeared odd was the fact that he was travelling without an entourage. On this occasion, SRK was travelling by himself except for his assistant Subhash Jain. His bodyguard Yasin Khan was denied a visa.

Pakistan army: 30 Taliban killed in Swat battles

by

Islamabad, August 31: Pakistan’s army says it has killed at least 30 Taliban in battles across the troubled northwestern Swat Valley.

Army spokesman Akhtar Abbas says soldiers looking for militants after a suicide bombing encountered resistance in several areas and that battles raged into the early morning Monday.

The military has said it is restoring security in the valley after a three-month operation to retake control of areas overrun by Taliban militants. Still, suicide attacks and skirmishes continue.

Colombian President tests positive for swine flu

by

Bogota, August 31: Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has swine flu.

Social Protection Minister Diego Palacio says the 57-year-old Uribe is not considered a high-risk patient and his case is “developing satisfactorily”. He is being treated at the presidential residence.

Palacio said on Sunday that Uribe began feeling ill on Friday, the same day as a summit of South American leaders in Bariloche, Argentina that he attended. He was confirmed to have the swine flu on Saturday.

Colombian officials are contacting leaders and officials who may have had contact with Uribe during the summit.

First casualty of swine flu reported in Bangladesh

by

Dhaka, August 31: Bangladesh registered its first Swine flu casuality when Mita Chakravarty(37) succumbed to the dreaded virus at Lab Aid hospital in the capital tonight, hospital sources said.

Media Coordinator of the Lab Aid Hospital, Mesbah Azad confirmed the death of Mita of Swine flu. She was admitted to the hospital on August 18 with positive syndrom of the flu.

So far, 199 people have been affected by H1N1 virus in the country.

—-Agencies

RSS chief says Advani, Rajnath will decide role in BJP

by

Haridwar, August 31: Virtually giving credence to reports that top BJP leaders L K Advani and Rajnath Singh may have to give up their posts, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today said they will decide on their role within the party. “Rajnathji, Advaniji and others will decide on their role (in the party).

Everything will be fine in the BJP in future,” he told reporters here. “There are people with moral standing like Advani and under their guidance, they will solve all problems.

We have nothing to do with this.What we had to say we have said,” he said.

Dalai Lama arrives in Taiwan on controversial visit

by

Taipei, August 31: The Dalai Lama arrived in Taiwan Sunday on a controversial visit to bless typhoon victims – despite China’s protesting that the visit was aimed at “splitting the motherland”.

Smiling and waving, the Dalai Lama arrived at Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei from New Delhi on a China Airlines flight.

He was due to travel by high-speed train for the two-hour ride to the southern city of Kaohsiung for Monday’s scheduled visit to the disaster areas and victims.

Japan polls: Triumphant Hatoyama pledges consensus-building

by

Tokyo, August 31: Yukio Hatoyama, who led his Opposition party to a landslide win in Japan’s weekend elections on Monday promised to build consensus and avoid “arrogance” in pursuing his party’s political programme.

Media projections show that Hatoyama’s centre-left Democratic Party of Japan won 308 seats in the powerful 480-member Lower House of Parliament in the yesterday’s poll, ending more than 50 years of almost unbroken conservative rule.

“It is an incredible number,” Hatoyama told a live televised interview with public broadcaster NHK.

“We will not just bulldoze our policies.

NATO tankers on fire after explosion in southwestern Pakistan

by

Islamabad, August 31: At least 15 oil tankers, trailers and containers last night caught fire in Pakistan’s southwestern Chaman town after a blast in a vehicle carrying supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan. Hundreds of vehicles have been stuck in the border town over the past two days because of suspension of traffic between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The powerful explosion took place in an old tanker parked near the Chaman bypass, one of the two main crossing points for supply of goods for NATO troops operating in Afghanistan.

Communist rebels attack military outpost in Philippines

by

Manila, August 31: Communist rebels attacked a military outpost in the eastern Philippines, wounding two militiamen and a civilian, an army spokesman said Monday.

Major Armand Rico said about 50 guerrillas on Sunday swooped down on the outpost in Basey town in Samar province, 525 kilometres south-east of Manila.

He said troops briefly withdrew to get reinforcements because they were “overwhelmed and outnumbered.”

Rico said 11 guerrillas were “either killed or injured” when reinforcements arrived to drive away the assailants.

Children in Punjab being slowly poisoned

by

Punjab, August 31: Pollution from coal-fired thermal plants at Bathinda and Faridkot in Punjab has caused an alarming increase in the number of birth defects, physical and mental abnormalities and cancers in newborns, according to a visiting scientist.

The matter came to light when the scientist, Dr Carin Smit, the South African clinical metal toxicologist, carried out tests at a German laboratory. The results found high levels of uranium in the newborns, in one case more than 60 times than the World Health Organisation’s maximum safe limit, The Observer reported.

Raging California wildfires gain ground, 2 firefighters killed

by

Los Angeles, August 31: Officials say two firefighters have been killed when their vehicle rolled off a mountainside as they battled a massive wildfire in northern Los Angeles County.

County Deputy Fire Chief Mike Bryant said at a news conference that the two men were amid intense fire near Mt Gleason in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday afternoon when the vehicle crashed.

A tearful Bryant said the men’s families have been notified. He did not release their identities or give a cause for the crash.

Dalai Lama tells Taiwan he’s dedicated to democracy

by

Kaohsiung, August 31: The Dalai Lama, on a controversial humanitarian visit to flood-ravaged Taiwan denounced by China, steered clear of talking about Tibet on Monday but said he was dedicated to the promotion of democracy.

China has lambasted the visit by a man it brands a separatist, but it is considered unlikely to jeopardise growing economic ties between the long-time political rivals, and even on Monday the two sides launched their first regular direct flights in decades.