Month: September 2009

Death toll from flooding in Philippines hits 240

by

Manila, September 29: Rescuers pulled more bodies from swollen rivers Monday as residents started to dig out their homes from under carpets of mud after flooding left 240 people dead in the Philippine capital and surrounding towns.

Overwhelmed officials called for international help, warning they may not have sufficient resources to withstand another storm that forecasters said was brewing east of the island nation and could hit as early as Friday.

India expects tangible action

by

New Delhi, September 29: India has told Pakistan that the resumption of broad-based dialogue hinges on tangible investigations and purposeful prosecution by Islamabad of all those involved in last November’s Mumbai terror attacks.

The message was conveyed by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna during a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York.

“Well, that has always been India’s position and I think very rightly so. I think that is a sensible approach,” Mr. Krishna later told newspersons.

Ban Ki-moon demands release of Suu Kyi

by

United Nations, September 29: UN Chief Ban Ki-moon has demanded the release of detained pro-democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his meeting with the Myanmarese Prime Minister Thein Sien who is attending the opening session of the General Assembly.

“The Secretary General made clear that the onus was on the government to create the necessary conditions for credible and inclusive elections, including the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, as well dialogue with all stakeholders,” Michele Montas, the spokesperson for Ban said.

Iran says advanced missiles can target any threat

by

Tehran, September 29: Iran tested its longest-range missiles Monday and warned they can reach any place that threatens the country, including Israel, parts of Europe and U.S. military bases in the Mideast. The launch capped two days of war games and was condemned as a provocation by Western powers, which are demanding Tehran come clean about a newly revealed nuclear facility it has been secretly building.

Peace talks can’t succeed amid terror: India to Pakistan

by

New York, September 29: Demanding concrete action against terror groups, India on Sunday told Pakistan in no uncertain terms that an environment free of violence and terrorism was essential for the success of a meaningful dialogue process.

“We told Pakistan that India still has serious concerns about the threat which groups and individuals in Pakistan continue to pose to us,” External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told reporters after a 100-minute meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi at New York Palace hotel here.

Ramdev’s 2m pound wellness retreat in Scottish isle

by

Glasgow, September 29: It’s nothing quite like the buyout of Anglo firms by the Tatas, but iconic yoga guru Ramdev has acquired a Scottish isle for about £2 Yoga guru Baba Ramdev at the island.

The Little Cumbrae Island, off the fishing town of Largs in Scotland, will also serve as the guru’s base overseas, where his teachings of yoga as a means to cleanse the body and mind are gaining popularity.

Swine Flu Hits Saudi Religious Tourism

by

Riyadh, September 29: Saudi religious tourism business, particularly hotels and tour operators, are bracing for major losses during the annual hajj season with many Muslims reluctant to travel to the holy lands because of swine flu fears.

“We’re receiving cancellations from all over the world,” Waleed Abu Sabaa, who runs 20 hotels in the holy cities of Makkah and Medina, told.

“If it goes on like this, we’re going to be in big trouble.”

More than two million Muslims flock to Saudi Arabia every year to perform the spiritual journey of hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Muslims Repulse Jewish Attempt to Storm Aqsa

by

Occupied Jerusalem, September 29: Dozens of Palestinians were hurt, two seriously, when crack Israeli policemen attacked worshipers who had just repulsed an attempt by Jewish extremists to hold Talmudic rituals at al-Haram al-Sharif.

“When the zealots were repulsed rather peacefully, the police became very outraged,” Mahmoud Abu Atta, an eyewitness, told.

“As many as 70 policemen attacked us indiscriminately, young and old, with full force, using rubber-coated bullets, truncheons, tear gas and even poisonous gas.”

Rain halts India-Australia match

by

Centurion, September 28: Australia were 234 for four in 42.3 overs against India in their Group A Champions Trophy match when rain stopped play at the SuperSport park here today.

Cameron White (35) and Callum Ferguson (2) were are the crease for the defending champions.

Earlier, Australia won the toss and elected to bat.

—Agencies

Four more die from swine flu

by

New Delhi, September 28: Four persons, including a 12-year-old girl from Ambala and a 14-year-old boy in Surat, died of swine flu today even as 177 fresh cases of the viral infection were being detected across the country.

Punjab registered its first swine flu death when a 12-year-old schoolgirl from Ambala fell victim to the disease.

The girl had been brought to Chandigarh from Ambala on September 25 and admitted to a hospital here.

The swab samples of the victim’s younger sister, who studies in in the same school, had also been collected for tests.

Man cuts off his tongue to appease Goddess in city

by

Ahmedabad, September 28: A man has cut-off the tip of his tongue and offered it to appease Goddess Amba in a temple in Meghaninagar area of the city, police said today.

The incident took place yesterday, where 35-year-old Ranveer Singh Baghel, a staunch devotee of Goddess Amba cut off the tip off his tongue and offered it at a temple, they said.

“It was the Goddess who wanted me to offer her my tongue and so I did it, nothing will happen to me,” Baghel, who migrated to the city from Madhya Pradesh 20 years ago told PTI.

BJP condemns Air India’s move to suspend flights

by

New Delhi, September 28: BJP today condemned Air India’s move to suspend operations, saying the step during the festival season was akin to “daylight attempted murder” of the national carrier.

“The decision to suspend Air India operations in the festive season on flimsy grounds is atrocious. This is daylight attempted murder of the national carrier,” BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.

BJP MP maintained that the precarious financial health of Air India was a result of the decisions of the government and mishandling of the Airline by the Civil Aviation Ministry.

Five die in boat capsize, 12 others missing

by

Khagaria, September 28: Five people died and at least 12 others were missing when an overcrowded country boat capsized in Baghmati in Bihar’s Khagaria district this evening, SP Indranand Mishra said.

Eye-witnesses, however, put the death toll at 15.

At least 42 persons were returning from a fair on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami in the boat when it was suddenly caught in gusty wind and torrential rain in the midstream and toppled.

Five bodies were recovered from the spot, while around 25 persons swam to safety. Twelve others were reported to be missing.

Chief engineer in irrigation department suspended

by

Dehradun, September 28: Uttarakhand Government today suspended the departmental head and chief engineer in the minor irrigation department for allegedly not cooperating in a probe.

Chief Engineer Asgar Ali was suspended for allegedly not cooperating in the ongoing probe into recruitment scam in the department, official sources said, adding Secretary Vinod Phonia was also removed from the department.

Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank has taken a serious view of the matter and ordered the action. Amarendra Sinha will have additional charge of the department, they said.

6 children fall ill after consuming fruit drink

by

Noida, September 28: Six children fell ill after consuming free fruit drink served by a private agency to slum dwellers here today.

The incident happened at a jhuggi in Morna area in the city. JCM Agency distributed around 150 carton of apple flavoured drink on the occasion of Dussehra to the slum dwellers, police said.

After consuming the drink, some children complained of vomiting and were immediately rushed to hospital, police said, adding that they were discharge within hours.

—Agencies

Unlicenced guns recoveered

by

Erode, September 28: Eight persons were taken into custody for posessing guns without licence at two places in the district today, police said.

The guns were found with them by a patrolling police team at Karukkampalayam and Thudupathy areas.

It was suspected that they used the guns for hunting, police said.

—Agencies

Bhambri enters doubles quarter finals in ITF Future tennis

by

Kolkata, September 28: Davis Cupper Yuki Bhambri partnering Yung Jun Kim of South Korea entered the quarter finals of the ONGC-ITF Future Tennis championship at the Bengal tennis Association complex on the opening day of the meet here today.

Yuki and his partner defeated U P Chandril and Lakshit Sood 6-4 and 6-4.

In the other matches of the day, host Bengal had mixed luck as the third seed pair of Rupesh Roy and Vivek Shokeen cruised into the quarters of the doubles. They defeated Srirambalaji Narayanswamy and Ranjeet Virali-Murugesan 6-3,6-4.

minor crack delays trains

by

Kozhikode, September 28: A minor crack was noticed on the railway track between Mahe and Vatakara stations in the Palakkad division of Southern Railway.

Trains which were halted following noticing of the crack resumed their journey after clearing the track after 30 minutes, railway sources said.

—Agencies

Iran makes its largest privatisation deal

by

Tehran, September 28: A majority stake in Iran’s only state-owned telecommunications firm was sold on Sunday to a private consortium in an eight-billion-dollar deal, the largest privatisation in the republic.

Three Iranian firms, part of a consortium named Etemad Mobin Development, bought 50 percent plus one share of Telecommunication Company of Iran for 78.191 trillion Iranian rials (7.8 billion dollars or 5.3 billion euros), state television reported.

Occupied Jerusalem tense after Aqsa clashes

by

Jerusalem, September 28: Tensions ran high on Monday after clashes erupted in occupied Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday at Al-Aqsa mosque compound, a site revered by Muslims and Jews that has been a major faultline in the Middle East conflict.

Palestinian youths – living under illegal Israeli occupation – hurled rocks at Israeli forces, who were deployed throughout the winding narrow streets of the Old City, and the Israeli forces retaliated with stun grenades, witnesses said.

Obama’s Intriguing Use of the J-Word

by

Washington, September 28: Obama spoke of “a Jewish State of Israel, with true security for all Israelis; and a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967.” Instead of achieving justice, this outcome would actually undermine it, says Nadia Hijab.

Gulf sovereign funds lost $350 bln in global crisis

by

Kuwait City, September 28: Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) of four oil-exporting Gulf states lost around 350 billion dollars last year due to the global financial crisis, according to a UN report.

However, the funds — those of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Abu Dhabi — almost maintained their total asset value at the end of 2008 after governments injected into them huge returns from oil income, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report.

Al-Qaeda number two calls Obama a criminal

by

Dubai, September 28: Al-Qaeda’s second-in-command slams US President Barack Obama as a criminal who turns a blind eye to the expansion of Israeli settlements, in an audio tape broadcast by Al-Jazeera news channel on Monday.

“Have we realised the truth of Obama the criminal, or do we still need more crimes to be carried out in Kabul, Baghdad, Mogadishu and Gaza to be sure of his criminality?” Ayman al-Zawahiri asked.

“Have we realised the lowliness of America under the leadership of the smiling and wooing Obama?” he asked in the recording which could not be independently authenticated.

Few swine flu cases among Ramadan pilgrims

by

Riyadh, September 28: Only a few swine flu cases and no deaths were reported among millions of Muslim pilgrims during the holy month of Ramadan despite fears of a massive outbreak, the Saudi health ministry said on Monday.

Just 26 cases of A(H1N1) influenza were reported in Mecca and Medina during Ramadan which ended on September 20, a ministry statement carried by the state news agency SPA said.

Several million Saudis and foreigners had descended on Islam’s two holiest cities to perform the umrah or minor pilgrimage.

Jagan likely to meet Sonia in October

by

Hyderabad, September 28: The Congress high command has agreed to meet Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy in the first week of October, following a formal request from the latter.

AICC sources said Jagan’s interaction with the high command would be more of thanksgiving session. The sources said Jagan’s meeting with the high command assumes significance in the backdrop of unruly developments within the state Congress, especially by YSR loyalists who have been trying to do everything possible to grab the attention of the high command.