Month: September 2009

Centre wants Kashmir Pandits to return home, says Chavan

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New Delhi, September 26:The central government wants Kashmir Pandits, who left their homes after militancy hit Jammu and Kashmir early 1990s, to return and is in touch with the state government, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Prithviraj Chavan said Saturday.

“We want the state to become fully normal like earlier days. We are in touch with the state government on this issue,” Chavan told reporters in reply to a question.

Plant proof Iran seeking nuclear weapons, says Israel

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Jerusalem, September 26: ISRAEL said the disclosure of a second nuclear enrichment facility in Iran proved the country was seeking nuclear weapons and demanded an “unequivocal” Western response.

“The revelations of this second nuclear enrichment site in Iran prove beyond any doubt that this country wants to equip itself with nuclear weapons,” Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told public radio.

Yemen ready to fight Shiite rebels for years, says President

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Yemen, September 26: YEME’S President warned that the government could continue its fight against Shiite rebels in the rugged mountainous north for years but said hostilities could end if the rebels agree to a conditional ceasefire.

“We will continue the battle for five or six years. We will not backtrack, we will not stop,” Ali Abdullah Saleh said at a celebration to mark the anniversary of the 1962 revolution that ended the Zaidi Shiite imamate and established the republic.

10 dead, missing in Philippines storm

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Philippines, September 26: At least 10 people have been reported dead or missing and more than 1800 forced to evacuate as tropical storm Ketsana lashed the Philippines today, officials and radio reports say.

The government declared Manila and 25 other provinces to be in a “state of calamity,” Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said as heavy rains brought by the storm caused the worst flooding seen in the capital in some 20 years.

Russia’s Medvedev calls on Iran to cooperate with the IAEA

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Moscow, September 26: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on Iran to allow immediate inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the Islamic republic’s second uranium enrichment facility, Russian media reported Saturday.

Medvedev said the announcement by Iran of a second facility had created difficulties for the international community in the row over Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.

Kannan elected to RS from Pondy

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Puducherry, September 26: Ruling Congress nominee P Kannan was today elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from the lone seat in the Union Territory of Puducherry. Returning Officer M Sivaprakasam announced Kannan”s election in a release here at the end of the deadline for withdrawal of nominations.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveils plan to fight world hunger

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Washington, September 26: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has unveiled a food security initiative launched by the Obama administration to combat hunger worldwide.

“Food security is not just about food. But it is all about security: economic security, environmental security, even national security,” Mrs Clinton told a meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative headed by her husband, former president Bill Clinton.

“Massive hunger poses a threat to the stability of governments, societies and borders,” she added, noting that there had been food riots in over 60 countries since 2007.

Iran defiant in nuclear row ahead of Geneva talks

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Tehran, September 26: Iran voiced defiance on Saturday in the face of Western condemnation over a new nuclear fuel plant, with a senior official saying the facility would soon be operational and make the “enemies blind”.

U.S. President Barack Obama demanded on Friday that Iran come clean about its nuclear programme or risk “sanctions that bite” after the disclosure of the new uranium enrichment plant under construction southwest of Tehran.

Cong attacks Advani for his statement on Ram temple

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New Delhi, September 26: Congress today attacked senior BJP Leader L K Advani for his statement that a Ram temple “should be and will be built at Ayodhya” saying the BJP leader is doing so to “avoid or delay his forced retirement”. “Advani is raising such issues to avoid and delay his forced retirement which is being pushed by senior leaders of BJP and RSS,” party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad told reporters here.

Yesterday, the BJP leader had after offering prayers at the Somnath temple in Gujarat said, “Ram temple should be and will be built at Ayodhya .

‘Smile Pinki’ returns to help children with cleft lips

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New Delhi, September 26: Oscar winning director Megan Mylan will be launching a five-city India tour to share the story of her short film “Smile Pinki” and help thousands of children across the country suffering with cleft lips.

“Smile Pinki” is a 39-minute documentary that shows the story of a poor girl in rural India whose life is transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. The documentary was made in Hindi and Bhojpuri, and won the 81st Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).

Maoists gun down Chhattisgarh MP’s son

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Raipur, September 26: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Baliram Kashyap’s two sons were shot by suspected Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district Saturday, killing one of them, police said.

“Maoists fired several rounds at Kashyap’s sons, Dinesh and Tansen, when they were at a temple performing Mahashtami Durga Puja in their ancestral village Gharguda in Bastar district,” a top police official told IANS.

The site of the attack lies 300 km south of here.

‘Aarumugham’ is just a rehash of hit ‘Annamalai’

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New Delhi, September 26: Director Suresh Krissna seems to have rehashed his big hit “Annamalai” into “Aarumugham”, replacing Rajnikanth with Bharath and Sarathbabu with Sathya.

At a time when movies with innovative themes are the order of the day, Suresh Krishna has gone on a vintage rally to render his “Annamalai” in a new colour. It is the story of friendship and betrayal. The movie has the likes of Priyamani, veteran actress Ramya Krishnan among others in key roles. Deva, who scored the music for “Annamalai”, repeats the act here.

India ensures say for emerging economies in global financial affairs

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Pittsburgh, September 26: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh concluded his engagements at the G20 Summit here with a clear victory for India and other emerging economies in getting a greater say in the affairs of the global financial system and its regulation.

The prime minister also managed to convince the developed world that the time was not ripe to withdraw the stimulus packages aimed at helping countries – especially the developing and poor economies – overcome the worst economic crisis in eight decades.

Interim relief for Bhutia, can play for any club

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New Delhi, September 26: Bhaichung Bhutia got interim relief pending the decision of All India Football Federation (AIFF) arbritator Amarendra Sharan on the tussle between India captain and Mohun Bagan and he can now play for any club of his choice.

Sharan told IANS Saturday that since he will need some more time to submit his report he has decided to allow Bhutia to play with a rider that if the decision goes against him then he will have to sit out the entire season and also pays back the club the advance he received.

Puducherry’s Congress nominee elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

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Chennai, September 26: The Congress candidate for the Rajya Sabha from Puducherry, P. Kannan, was declared elected unopposed Saturday evening.

“The result was officially declared at 3 p.m,” M.Shivaprakasam, the returning officer, told IANS from Puducherry by phone.

Kannan, a former state assembly speaker, had merged his party – the Puducherry Munnetra Congress (PMC) – with the Congress last month.

Apart from him, three Independents had entered the fray. But their nominations were rejected as they did not fulfil the required norms.

Google digs deeper into Internet search results

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London, September 26Google on Friday said it has enhanced its popular Internet search engine to dig deeper into pages to uncover the exact tidbits of information people seek.

While typical search results provide links to websites deemed relevant to queries, Google now weaves in direct connections to spots on pages with snippets of information that might be of interest.

“We’ve enhanced the search snippet with two new features that make it easier to find information buried deep within a page,” Chris Kern of Google’s Snippet Team wrote in a blog post.

Our own probe detected water in June: ISRO chief

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Bangalore, September 26: A day after the ground-breaking discovery of water on the moon hit the headlines, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) G. Madhavan Nair on Friday said the Chandrayaan-1 detected water on the lunar surface as early as June 2009.

The indigenously developed Moon Impact Probe (MIP), which crash-landed at a designated site on the lunar south pole on November 14, 2008, picked up “clear signatures” of water during its 25-minute descent, Mr. Nair said at a press conference here on Friday.

‘Don’t promote alcohol as health tonic’

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Sydney, September 26: Researchers believe that alcohol is still a potentially dangerous drug and should not be promoted as a health tonic.

They say that cardiac protection from alcohol is by no means certain and probably has been over-emphasised in recent years.

Authors of a new study also point out that there are many other health downsides from heavy drinking, and that alcohol is now widely recognised as a dangerous recreational drug.

Speaker yet to decide on Alagiri plea on using Tamil

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New Delhi, September 26: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar Saturday said she is “having a look at” the request of DMK ministers to answer questions in parliament in Tamil.

Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister M.K. Azhagiri had said in Chennai last week that DMK ministers and MPs had requested parliament authorities to allow them to raise and answer questions in Tamil.

“The request is before me. I’m having a look at it,” the speaker told reporters here.

Don’t spank your kids if you want them to be intelligent

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London, September 26: Don’t spank your kids if you want them to be very intelligent. A ground-breaking research has found that children who are spanked have lower IQs.

Corporal punishment is extremely stressful and can become a chronic stressor for young children, says Murray Straus, professor at the University of New Hampshire.

”All parents want smart children. This research shows that avoiding spanking and correcting misbehaviour in other ways can help that happen,” says Straus.

Families separated by Korean War meet at rare reunion

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Seoul, September 26: Hundreds of North and South Koreans separated by the Korean War (1950-53) met north of the border Saturday in the first such reunion in two years, a report said.

Ninety-six South Koreans travelled across the Demilitarised Zone in the morning to meet their families at the Mount Kumgang resort on North Korea’s east coast, Seoul’s Yonhap news agency said.

The majority of participants are above 70, and many are in their 90s. The last reunion was held in October 2007.

Myanmar premier to attend UN General Assembly session

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Yangon, September 26: Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein left for New York Saturday afternoon to attend the 64th session of UN General Assembly, an official source confirmed.

“Prime Minister General Thein Sein left from Nay Pyi Taw via Yangon international airport Saturday afternoon. He will be heading to New York via Bangkok,” an official who requested anonymity said.

Thein Sein is scheduled to speak at the general assembly. He is accompanied by Science and Technology Minister U Thaung and some senior officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the source said.

Naxals shoot Chhattisgarh MP’s son to death

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Raipur, September 26: A day after union home minister P Chidambaram’s visit to Chhattisgarh, the suspected naxalites shot dead son of Bastar’s Lok Sabha member Baliram Kashyap near Bhairaguda temple at Jagdalpur in Bastar around 300 km south of Raipur on Saturday.

In the daring attack another son of the MP was seriously injured. Tansen Kashyap (33) who was president of Bastar Janpad Panchayat, went to the temple to perform puja along with his two brothers Dinesh and Kedar when the rebels fired from very close range.

Eleven scientists to get Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award

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New Delhi, September 26: Charusita Chakravarti of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, Santosh G. Honavar of L.V. Prasad Eye Institute and S.K. Satheesh of the Indian Institute of Science are among the 11 scientists named Saturday for the country’s top science award.

Samir Brahmachari, director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), made the announcement in the presence of Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan at the institution’s 67th Foundation Day celebrations here.

Australia set 276-run target for West Indies

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Johannesburg, September 26: Defending champions Australia made 275 for eight in 50 overs against the West Indies in a Group A match of the Champions Trophy at the New Wanderers Stadium here Saturday.

Skipper Ricky Ponting was the top scorer with 79 while Mitchell Johnson remained unbeaten on 73.

–Agencies