Month: September 2009

Pak increasing nuclear weapons: US scientist

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New Delhi, September 01: An American scientist has claimed that Pakistan has increased the number of its nuclear warheads from 60 to 90 and has kept them ready for use at any time.

Hans M Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists in an article on the federation’s website has also put up a picture of possible Pakistani nuclear weapons storage area about 12 km from Karachi.

The scientists say Pakistan is keeping its missiles with nuclear warheads in a completely assembled form and can launch them at a very short notice.

Insurer can’t be compelled, says Supreme Court

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New Delhi, September 01: Reversing a number of its own decisions, the Supreme Court today ruled even courts cannot compel insurance companies to pay compensation to a claimant if the insurer has no liability to pay.

“If the insurance company has no liability to pay at all, then, in our opinion, it cannot be compelled by order of the Court in exercise of its jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution of India to pay the compensation amount and later on recover it from the owner of the vehicle, a bench of Justices Markandeya Katju and Asok Kumar Ganguly said in a judgement.

UK faces power cuts within eight years

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London, September 01: The UK faces widespread power cuts for the first time since the 1970s, according to the Government’s own predictions.

Demand for electricity from homes and businesses is set to exceed the available supply within eight years.

Power rationing has not taken place in Britain since the 1970s, when a three-day week was brought in to preserve coal during a miners’ strike.

The latest figures cast doubt over the Government’s pledge that renewable sources can make up for lower output from nuclear and coal.

Indian high commissioner to Pakistan visits trading post on LOC

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Srinagar, September 01: Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharad Sabharwal Tuesday visited the Salamabad trade facilitation centre and Kaman Post on the Line of Control (LOC) in north Kashmir to familiarize himself with the modalities of the trans-LOC trade between the two parts of the divided state.

“The high commissioner was also informed about the modalities of passenger inflow and outflow through the trade facilitation centre”, a senior official said here.

Striking migrants jam Dubai highway

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Dubai, September 01: Hundreds of migrant workers hired by a major construction company in Dubai have gone on strike over low wages, in the first sign of unrest in the emirate since the economic crisis.

Asian labourers from development company Al Habtoor, which built the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel, stopped work on Monday morning and blocked roads, causing chaos on the streets.

The labourers, now building an extension to a shopping mall in the Diera district and a convention centre in the Jabal Ali industrial zone, say their pay is not enough to survive on.

Won’t quit parliamentary panel: Jaswant Singh

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New Delhi, September 01: A combative Jaswant Singh on Tuesday said he would not quit as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, a day after the expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was told by his former party to quit the parliamentary post.

Asked by reporters if he would oblige the BJP by quitting the PAC, Jaswant Singh said he would not.

“The decision (to ask him to quit the PAC) is of the (Lok Sabha) Speaker, and not of a political party,” he said.

Designer Anand Jon gets 59 years in jail for rape

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Los Angeles, September 01: Celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon was sentenced to a minimum of 59 years in prison on Monday for sexually assaulting aspiring models as young as 14, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.

Jon, 35, who had dressed socialite Paris Hilton and singer Janet Jackson before his arrest in 2007, was last November found guilty of 16 counts, including rape, sexual battery and performing lewd acts on a child.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Wesley sentenced Jon to 59 years to life after denying his motions for a new trial.

Dalai Lama leads prayers for Taiwan storm victims

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Kaohsiung, September 01: The Dalai Lama led thousands of Taiwanese in a colorful prayer service for the survivors of Typhoon Morakot on Tuesday during a visit that has provoked an irritated but relatively measured response from China.

While Beijing canceled an event meant to highlight improving relations between the sides and scrapped at least two planned exchanges, analysts said the mainland mostly appeared eager to protect the gains made during Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou’s 15-month-old administration.

IndiGo flight makes emergency landing at Hyderabad

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Hyderabad, September 01: A Bangalore-Delhi IndiGo flight Tuesday had to make an emergency landing at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here due to a technical snag. All 99 passengers and crew on board were safe, an official said.

“The Bangalore-Delhi IndiGo flight number 122 made an emergency landing at RGIA at 5.57 p.m. due to technical reasons. All 99 persons on board are safe,” a spokesman of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, the airport operators, told IANS.

Onam celebration all around

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Kerela, September 01: India is a multicultural country and now-a-days the festival of Onam is being celebrated in Kerala.

India have of cultures and languages, In terms of festivals we have plethora of festivals. Some are little know while some are very famous; Onam is a festival which is celebrated with much fanfare.

People consider Onam as festival of Kerala but the culture of country speaks that a festival is a festival for all the plebs of the country.

The story of the Onam like some other festival has some significance, talking about the Onam legend, the story goes as follows.

Swine flu kills more young, middle-aged people: study

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New Delhi, September 01: Swine flu is killing more young people and those suffering from associated diseases like diabetes and chronic heart ailment, says a health ministry study released Tuesday as the toll in India rose to 101.

“We have conducted a study and found that more than 50 percent of those affected by the virus were in the age group of 15-45 years,” R.K. Srivastava, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, told reporters.

“Deaths were also due to late reporting to identified health facilities and delay in initiation of Tamiflu,” he said.

Pawar, Antony fail to meet on Maharashtra poll alliance issue

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New Delhi, September 01: The issue of Congress-NCP alliance for the Assembly elections in Maharashtra continued to be unclear today with the much talked about meeting between NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress leader A K Antony failing to materialise.

The two did attend a Group of Ministers meeting concerning the Food Ministry but had no separate talks on the alliance issue, sources in both the parties said.

After the GoM meeting, Pawar left for Mumbai and is expected back later in the week.

Gay sex: Govt unlikely to oppose Delhi HC verdict in SC

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New Delhi, September 01: The Centre is unlikely to oppose the Delhi High Court ruling decriminalising gay sex and a cabinet decision on this is likely to be taken soon.

Sources said a note prepared on government’s likely stand would be put before the union cabinet by the Home Ministry in the coming days.

The note contains the opinions of the three nodal ministries — Health, Home and Law — on the issue of legalising gay sex, they said.

India’s swine flu deaths 101, preventive homeopathy advised

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New Delhi, September 01: India Tuesday reported one more swine flu death, taking the total toll due to the influenza A (H1N1) virus to 101, health authorities said here.
The latest death was reported from Goa. While two deaths in Karnataka were suspected to be due to the virus, lab reports were still awaited.

Of the 101 deaths, Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of deaths, 55, followed by 27 in Andhra Pradesh.

Homi Sethna backed K Santhanam slams APJ Kalam

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Mumbai, September 01: Homi Sethna, a former top atomic boss, on Tuesday waded into the 1998 Pokhran row when he backed ex-DRDO scientist K Santhanam’s assessment that the nuclear test was not a full success and slammed former President A P J Abdul Kalam for rubbishing the claim.

“I fully support Santhanam and I stand by his statement that India needs more nuke tests to be conducted,” Sethna, the guiding force behind India’s first nuclear test in 1974, said.

Punjab CM asks PUDA to construct DACs in districts

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Chandigarh, September 01: The Punjab government today decided to construct the District Administrative Complexes (DACs) in eight districts of Amritsar, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Bathinda, Kapurthala Tarn Taran, Barnala and SAS Nagar (Mohali) at a ccost of Rs.210 crore with in one-and-a-half year.

A decision to this effect was taken at a high level meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in his office here today.

National Highways to have new numbers: Kamal Nath

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London, September 01: National highways in India will be renumbered so that they reflect a “scientific pattern”, Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath said here Tuesday.

“Today is the 100th day of my government in India, so I can announce it: we are renumbering our national highways,” Kamal Nath told reporters.

He said the way Indian highways were currently numbered was haphazard – “Your National Highway number two and three have no relevance to each other. There could be a part going in a completely different direction.

National Highways to have new numbers: Kamal Nath

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London, September 01: National highways in India will be renumbered so that they reflect a “scientific pattern”, Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath said here Tuesday.

“Today is the 100th day of my government in India, so I can announce it: we are renumbering our national highways,” Kamal Nath told reporters.

He said the way Indian highways were currently numbered was haphazard – “Your National Highway number two and three have no relevance to each other. There could be a part going in a completely different direction.

Tata Motors may return Singur land, won’t block development

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Kolkata, September 01: Auto major Tata Motors, which pulled out its small car Nano project from Singur in West Bengal last October amid controversies, Tuesday said it would return the factory land to the state government if it was paid the money it had spent to set up the now-abandoned plant.

At the same time, it emphasised it would not stand in the way of any development on the land, the acquisition of which sparked off violent protests by a section of local farmers led by the main opposition party of the state, the Trinamool Congress.

Model Concession Agreement to be amended by September-end: Kamal Nath

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London, September 01 : Parts of the agreement spelling out the policy and regulatory framework for foreign investment into India’s roads infrastructure will be changed by the end of September to meet investor concerns, Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath announced here Tuesday.

“There have been concerns about some aspects of our Model Concession Agreement (MCA). By the end of September we will correct all those. We are modifying these, so that these become much more investment friendly,” Kamal Nath said after a meeting with British consultants and investors.

Swine flu death toll touches 56 in Maharashtra

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Mumbai, September 01: The death toll due to swine flu has touched 56 in Maharashtra, while 1,931 patients are undergoing treatment for the deadly virus at various hospitals in the state, the worst-hit by the pandemic.

Pune has recorded the highest number of 32 deaths, followed by Mumbai and Thane (10), Nashik (7), Latur and Beed two each and Dhule, Aurangabad, Jalna have seen one death each.

Now, Jawahar Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir open 24×7

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Srinagar, September 01: The Jawahar Tunnel connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country would remain open for traffic round the clock from Tuesday onwards, officials said.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had ordered Monday that the 2.5-km long Jawahar Tunnel, which remained closed for vehicular traffic from midnight till 8 a.m. for the last 18 years, should be thrown open for two-way traffic round the clock from Tuesday.

Farmers leaders meet Anand Sharma, want agri out of WTO talks

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New Delhi, September 01: Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma today held consultations here with leaders of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) who are demanding that agriculture be kept out of the ambit of WTO talks.

Sharma told the BKU office-bearers, comprising its President Mahender Singh Tikait and others, that he would apprise Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about their apprehensions and promised the leaders a meeting with the PM soon.

The Commerce Minister also assured the farmers that their interests will be protected.

Panthers Party asks Omar to step down

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Srinagar, September 01: Opposition National Panthers Party today asked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to step down and demanded removal of four “tainted” ministers in the interest of the security of the state.

“We ask the CM to step down in the interest of security of the state and its functioning as well as in his own interest,” party chief Bhim Singh said while addressing a two-day meeting of workers of the party here.

He said killing of two CRPF personnel in broad daylight yesterday proves that his government has failed.

Mary Kom, Sushil signed by IOS Sports

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New Delhi, September 01: Khel Ratna awardees – boxer M.C. Mary Kom and wrestler Sushil Kumar – have been signed by the sports management company Infinity Optimal Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (IOS Sports) for four years.

As per the agreement, the company will coordinate their endorsements, media activities, rights, brand management and their overall growth as an athlete.

Beijing Olympic bronze winning boxer Vijender Singh, who alongwith Mary Kom and Sushil received the Khel Ratna award last week, is already managed by IOS.