Month: September 2009

Deshmukh wants Cong to replicate UP success story in Maha

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Bangalore, September 01: Refusing to react on the issue of continuing electoral pact with NCP in the coming assembly elections in Maharastra,Union Minister for Heavy Industries Vilasrao Deshmukh today said he wanted Congress to try to replicate the party’s performance in Uttar Pradesh.

“Our young leader Rahul Gandhi did this in Uttar Pradesh and succeeded to some extent in Bihar too”, Deshmukh,who has been pushing for the party going it alone in his home state banking upon the performance of the party-led government, told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

Coca Cola to sponsor under-16 Mir Iqbal Hussain football tournament

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New Delhi, September 01: A day after the national team retained the ONGC Nehru Cup title, Indian football received a boost from Coca Cola, the company announcing that it would sponsor the under-16 Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy.

The beverage company said Tuesday its association with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the first step to promote football at the grassroots level.

Coca Cola’s president and chief executive Atul Singh said 16 best players would be chosen for the Coca-Cola International Football Camp during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa in June.

50 carriers globally lose $6 bn in first half

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Geneva, September 01: Over 50 global carriers lost $6 billion (Rs.30,000 crore) in January-June this year, according to the sector’s representative body International Air Transport Association.

In a statement Tuesday, IATA also said the losses stood at $2.02 billion (Rs.10,000 crore) in the second quarter this year (April-June) and forecast cumulative losses of $9 billion (Rs.45,000) for the year.

Communal tension in Banswara

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Jaipur, September 01: Prohibitory orders were issued by the police after groups of two communities clashed during a religious procession in Banswara district of Rajasthan.

The incident happened last night when youth belonging to a particular community resorted to sloganeering when the religious procession was being taken out by the other community, police said today.

“Four policemen were injured, an idol and few vehicles were damaged in stone-pelting by one side,” the police said.

Fresh clashes in Pakistan’s Swat valley; dozens killed

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Mingora, September 01: Pakistani troops killed 15 militants in fresh clashes in Swat, the army said on Tuesday, taking the death toll to 45 in five days after a lull in the campaign to clear the Taliban out of the northwestern valley.

Security forces also launched an operation to flush out militants in the northwestern tribal region of Khyber, bordering Afghanistan, a government official said.

The army went on the offensive in Swat in late April and says it has killed over 2,000 militants, and lost 312 soldiers in the fighting. Independent casualty estimates are unavailable.

Punjab plans a statewide crackdown on stray dogs

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Chandigarh, September 01: Dogs, especially strays, may not have an easy life in Punjab with the the state government Tuesday announcing a sustained plan to sterilise them – even engaging a Bangalore-based expert agency to help in the campaign.

State government officials said Tuesday that the plan has been mooted following the rising number of dog-bite complaints, especially bites of stray dogs, from across the state.

Nuclear negotiator: Iran ready for talks with West

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Tehran, September 01: Iran’s top nuclear negotiator said his country is ready to hold talks with world powers to ease fears over its nuclear activities and has prepared a revised package of proposals for Western countries, state TV reported Tuesday.

Despite the suggestion of possible international cooperation, parliament sent a defiant message to the world by supporting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s nominee for defense minister, who is under an international arrest warrant for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina that killed 85 people.

Delhi gets 29 new police stations

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New Delhi, September 01: In view of the threat perception in the national capital, the government today sanctioned 29 new police stations in Delhi in addition to 6,478 personnel for the force.

Announcing this at a press conference here, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said the total number of police stations in the capital will increase to 155.

Delhi Police have another 14 police stations for wings like Crime Branch, Economic Offences Wing, Delhi Metro, Special Cell, Crime Against Women Cell, Narcotics and Indira Gandhi International Airport.

PM pats Nitish for ‘good job’

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New Delhi, September 01: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today lauded Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for doing a “good job” as the latter called on him to seek more Central assistance for developmental projects and tackling the drought situation in the state.

Kumar listed a host of projects, including Kosi rehabilitation and reconstruction, for which he sought special packages and reimbursement of the spent funds running into thousands of crores.

Punjab to have World Kabaddi League in February

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Chandigarh, September 01: In a bid to revive traditional sports, the Punjab government is all set to organise a ‘World Kabaddi League’ in February 2010 featuring top teams.

“There will be a record prize money of Rs.10 million (Rs.1 crore) and Rs. 5 million (Rs. 50 lakh) and Rs. 2.5 million (Rs. 25 lakh) to the first and second runners-up. It would be the biggest tournament of kabaddi,” said the official spokesperson of Punjab here Tuesday.

SC reverses its own orders, says insurer can’t be compelled

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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.

Iraq Shiite leader reaches out to political rivals

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Baghdad, September 01: The son of the late leader of Iraq’s largest Shiite political party acknowledged setbacks and reached out to political rivals Tuesday as he formally replaced his father at the party’s helm.

Ammar al-Hakim, 38, takes the reins of the Iranian-backed Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council amid skepticism about whether he can hold the organization together as the group struggles to regain its footing ahead of January’s parliamentary elections.

Shop till you drop during Fashion Night Out

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New Delhi, September 01: If you love shopping, then the Fashion Night Out being organised by an international magazine Sep 10 is definitely the place you should be heading to.

International fashion magazine Vogue has initiated this shop-till-you-drop Fashion Night Out in almost every fashion capital around the world from London to Paris, to New York to Milan, Beijing and now to New Delhi.

During the event, various international luxury brands will offer exciting discounts, prizes and various services like free foot spa, tarot card reading and in-house styling tips.

TC leaders demand deployment of paramilitary forces

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Siliguri, September 01: The Congress and Trinamool Congress (TC) leaders today demanded that the local administration deploy the paramilitary forces to hold route marches to ensure peace and put an end to the alleged ‘political hooliganism’ as the city goes for corporation election on September 13.

Krishna meets Brazil president ahead of IBSA summit

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New Delhi, September 01: External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Tuesday called on Brazilian President Lula da Silva ahead of the fourth IBSA summit of India, Brazil and South Africa, and stressed the need for accelerating connectivity between the three emerging economies.

Krishna emphasised India’s abiding commitment to IBSA, which symbolises the spirit of South-South cooperation, the external affairs ministry said here.

During his meeting, Krishna stressed the need for improved air links and enhancing investments for IBSA to achieve even more tangible results.

‘Lahore’ to premiere at Salento film fest

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New Delhi, September 01: Debut-director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan’s “Lahore”, that has Nafisa Ali and Farouque Shaikh in important roles, will be premiered at Italy’s Salento International Film Festival starting Sep 3-14.

“Lahore”, about competitive sports, is the opening night film and is also in the World Competition Section of the fest. The organisers will also honour Chauhan for his directorial debut.

Indian films galore at Toronto fest, NFDC film to participate

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New Delhi, September 01: Joining the league of commercial Hindi films like “Road Movie”, “Delhi-6”, “What’s Your Raashee?” and “Dil Bole Hadippa” being screened at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the latest one to gain entry at the fest is NFDC’s Konkani film “The Man Beyond The Bridge”.
Directed by National Award-winning Laxmikant Shetgaonkar, the Konkani feature film will be screened under the Discovery Section of the fest and will have a total of five screenings during the gala.

14 missing in Nepal landslide

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athmandu, September 01: At least 14 people were missing and presumed dead after a landslide hit a remote village in western Nepal, police said Tuesday.

The landslide hit the village of Jaleswor in Khotang district, about 120 km east of Kathmandu, early Tuesday.

The victims were sleeping when their homes were swept away by falling mud, rock and other debris, police said.

Rescue teams were scouring the area but had not found any trace of the victims, district police in Khotang said.

Astronaut takes a second, closer look at Brahmaputra

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Guwahati, Septemebr 01: US astronaut Mike Fincke Tuesday took a close look here at the river Brahmaputra, which he had viewed from space some months ago.
“I saw the Brahmaputra from space. Today I have seen it with my own eyes. It is indeed a pleasure to be by the side of this great river,” Fincke told IANS.

Fincke and his wife Renita, an engineer with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), arrived here to attend a series of functions.

The visit is special for the couple as Renita originally hails from Assam.

Swine flu cases rise to 247 in Bangladesh

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Dhaka, September 01: The number of people affected by the swine flu virus in Bangladesh has risen to 247 after 34 new cases were detected Tuesday.

Health Minister A.F.M. Ruhal Haq told reporters that patients suspected to have contracted the disease should get treatment first instead of waiting for a confirmation report of the influenza A (H1N1) virus.

On Sunday night, a 35-year-old woman died of swine flu at a hospital in Dhaka, becoming the country’s first victim of the viral disease.

Court asks private schools to provide paternity leave

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New Delhi, September 01: The Delhi High Court Tuesday asked private schools here to grant paternity leave to their employees just as the state-run institutions do.

Justice Sunil Gaur accepted the state government’s contention that all private schools should give paternity leave to their employees as per the Delhi Education Act and Rules.

The ruling came as a relief to Chandramohan Jain, who had contested his salary cut by the Bagrodia Public School when he was on paternity leave after his wife had given birth through a caesarean operation in December 2008.

Train journey honours war-era saviour of Jewish children

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Prague, September 01:A steam train left Prague Tuesday on a four-day journey to London in honour of Sir Nicholas Winton, a Briton who saved hundreds of Jewish children from deportation to Nazi concentration camps.

Winton, who turned 100 in May, saved 669 Jewish children from former Czechoslovakia on the eve of the World War II. He arranged to bring them to Britain by train and place them in foster families.

The Winton Train, as it is known, retraces the journey that had saved the children’s lives seven decades ago.

IAEA report positive, Western charges political, says Iran

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Tehran, September 01: Iran’s nuclear chief Ali-Akbar Salehi termed the latest report by the UN nuclear watchdog as positive and rejected continued Western charges over a possible nuclear weapons programme as politically motivated, state media reported Tuesday.

Salehi told the Al-Alam news network that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report was a “big achievement” for Iran containing many positive points, including the non-diversion of nuclear material in Iran’s peaceful nuclear projects.

I don’t live in the past, says Subrata Paul

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New Delhi, September 01: India goalkeeper Subrata Paul has moved on in his life. The Nehru Cup win Monday night against Syria is now a thing of past for him and the youngster is looking to scale greater heights.

“The Nehru Cup is over for me. I don’t live in the past. Now my target is to keep up the good work for my club Pune FC in the IFA Shield,” Paul told IANS from Kolkata.

His three brilliant saves that won India the Nehru Cup title are still the talk of the town, but Subrata is back at his Sodepur residence in the suburbs of Kolkata, enjoying his new star status.

Iran ready for talks, make new proposals

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Tehran, September 01: Iran is ready to hold a new round of talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (5+1), state media reported Tuesday.

Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeid Jalili told reporters in Tehran that the Iranian proposals have been updated and are ready to be presented to the 5+1 group.

Jalili added that the package of proposals dealt with political, economic and security issues and hoped that new talks could be resumed on the basis of the proposals.