Month: September 2009

Sonia, Rahul to attend INTUC conference from Oct nine

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Kochi, September 26: As many as 6,000 delegates will participate in the National Conference of the Congress party’s trade union wing the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), in which All India Congress Committee(AICC) President and United Progressive Alliance(UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and General Secretary Rahul Gandhi will address the four-day plenary session from October nine. Ms Gandhi will inaugurate the delegates’ meeting on October 10 and Mr Rahul will open an international seminar on ‘World Economy slowdown and its effect on Labour market’ on October 12.

History beckons India ahead of Pakistan clash

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Centurion, September 26: Ravaged by injuries and unsettled by a disappointing build up, India would seek to draw inspiration from history when they clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in their Champions Trophy opener here tomorrow.

Already missing star performers like opener Virender Sehwag and pacer Zaheer Khan, India were dealt another massive blow when middle-order mainstay Yuvraj Singh was forced to return home owing a fractured right-hand finger.

Nitish orders Home Sec to look into Coimbatore assault

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Patna, September 26: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today ordered the authorities to look into reports that around 20 youths from the state were assaulted in Coimbatore.

According to reports, the youths from villages in Rohtas district of Bihar working in a textile mill at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, were assaulted and confined in a room without food and water allegedly by the mill owner for three days.

Iran’s new uranium enrichment plant to be operational soon: Report

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Tehran, September 26: Iran’s new nuclear fuel enrichment plant will be operational soon, head of the office of Iran’s supreme leader Mohammad Mohammadi-Golpayegani said Saturday, according to a media report.

“This new plant, god willing, will be operational soon,” Mohammadi-Golpayegani was quoted as saying.

Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi Friday confirmed that Iran is building a new nuclear fuel enrichment plant, a Fars news agency report said.

UN resolution on NPT not directed against India : US

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Pittsburgh/New York, September 26: The US today assured India that the UN Security Council resolution on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty (NPT) issue is not directed against it and will not affect the Indo-US nuclear deal.

“We have been assured (by the US) that this is not a resolution directed against India and that the US commitment to carry out its obligations under the civil nuclear agreement, which we have signed with the United States, remains undiluted,” Singh, who interacted twice with President Barack Obama during the G-20 Summit, told reporters here.

Security Council call on NPT not directed at India: Manmohan Singh

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Pittsburgh, September 26: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made it clear that neither will India sign pacts like the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) nor does the new UN Security Council resolution make such a demand.

“We have been assured that this not a resolution directed at India and the US commitment to carry out its obligations under the civilian nuclear deal that we have signed remains undiluted,” the prime minister said here Friday night.

Randhawa moves into top-10 with sub-par round in Japan

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Kyoto, September 26: Jyoti Randhawa made another upward move with a one-under 70 as he came up to tied eighth at the end of the third round of the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open golf tournament here Saturday.

Randhawa’s 70 took him to three-under 210, as he lay eight shots behind Daisuke Maruyama (67), who is four clear of the field.

Meanwhile young Gaganjeet Bhullar had a disastrous day with eight bogeys and no birdies in his 79 and skidded down to tied 55th at seven-over, down from overnight two-under total.

Manmohan Singh throws his weight behind Bharti-MTN deal

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Pittsburgh, September 26: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured support to the proposed $23-billion equity swap cum strategic alliance between Bharti Airtel and South Africa’s MTN and hoped the deal would go through.

“I did mention this to President (Jacob) Zuma. I sincerely hope this deal goes through,” the prime minister said while addressing a press conference here Friday night, when asked if he had taken up the matter with the South African leadership.

Mobile phone to authenticate your identity: Nilekani

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New Delhi, September 26: Move over passport and PAN card! Now the mobile phone will be used to verify your credentials, for authentication at banks, gas connection centres or while providing rural jobs, Unique Identification Authority chief Nandan Nilekani said Saturday.

“Our project will provide a unique identification (UID) number not a card. The authentication will be made by using mobile phones,” Nilekani said.

No discrimination against MTN, says PM

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Pittsburgh, September 26: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday assured South Africa that there will be no “discrimination” against the proposed USD 23-billion merger deal between Bharti and MTN, facing the hurdle of dual listing.

“As far as MTN issue is concerned, I mentioned it to (South African President) Jacob Zuma. I sincerely hope that this deal would go through and there will be no discrimination against it,” he told reporters in reply to a question at a press conference here.

Woods seizes Tour Championship halfway lead

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Atlanta, September 26: Tiger Woods took a one-shot lead in the Tour Championship on Friday, missing a chance to build a more comfortable cushion heading into the weekend.

A closing bogey gave Woods a two-under 68 at East Lake, and a five-under total of 135.

He was one shot in front of Ireland’s Padraig Harrington (69) and American Sean O’Hair (70).

South African Ernie Els was a further shot back on 137 after a 66 that included five birdies in his last 10 holes.

Woods looked capable of stretching his lead, but missed eagle and birdie opportunities coming in.

Mexico Police arrest 5 in drug rehab executions

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Mexico, September 26: Police have arrested five men accused of dozens of murders, including two mass killings at drug treatment centers in this northern Mexico border city.

Police say the men were members of the Sinaloa cartel, a violent gang entrenched in a brutal turf war for control of drug routes to the United States.

The men are accused of 45 different executions in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico’s most violent city. They were arrested by law enforcement agents during a routine street patrol, according to a statement released Friday by federal police.

Randhawa 8th, Bhullar slumps to tied 55th in Panasonic Open

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Japan, September 26: Jyoti Randhawa remained in the hunt for a top-five finish, carding a sedate one-under 70 to be placed tied eighth after the penultimate round of the Japan Tour’s Panasonic Open tournament on Saturday.

The seasoned pro has a total of three-under 210 after three rounds.

The other Indian in fray, Gaganjeet Bhullar, however, had a nightmarish day, going eight-over 79 for a total of seven-over 220, which left him tied 55th.

Oudin heads for Hopman Cup

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Perth, September 26: Emerging teenager Melanie Oudin will lead the United States challenge at the 2010 Hopman Cup.

Tournament organisers announced here late on Friday that Oudin and world number 41 John Isner, both of whom recorded huge upsets at this year’s US Open, would attempt to snare America’s sixth win in the unique mixed teams event.

Oudin, 18, is ranked 43rd in the world after her giant-killing run at Flushing Meadows, beating top 10 player and Hopman Cup rival Elena Demetieva, as well as former world number one Maria Sharapova, on her way to the quarter-finals.

Sharapova faces strong field in Tokyo

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Tokyo, September 25: Crowd favourite Maria Sharapova returns to Tokyo where she won her first career WTA title six years ago to face a strong field at the Pan Pacific Open tournament.

Twenty five out of the top 30 players in the world will take part in the two-million-dollar event, which gets under way on Sunday on the outdoor hard courts at the Ariake Coliseum.

Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Serena Williams withdrew with knee and toe injuries, joining Amelie Mauresmo of France with a stomach pain and Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia with a side injury.

Canada says India nuclear deal imminent

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Ottawa, September 26: Canada is close to signing a deal with India to sell nuclear technology and materials, Trade Minister Stockwell Day said on Friday, adding he was confident that remaining security concerns would be resolved.

Day made similar comments in May, saying at that time that a deal was imminent.

He told reporters on a conference call that he was now ironing out a few final stumbling blocks.

Check sweet intake, stay healthy

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New Delhi, September 26:With five percent of India’s population obese, there is a strong need to control intake of sweets and maintain an active lifestyle so as to stay fit.

“Indians by nature have a sweet tooth and sugar is a prime requirement in every household. The consumption of sugar is increasing by four percent annually in the country and so is obesity,” said Rekha Sharma, former chief dietician with the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences here.

11 scientists bag country’s highest science prizes

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New Delhi, September 26: Abhishek Dhar of Raman Research Institute, Santosh Honavar of L V Prasad Eye Institute and Venapally Suresh of Hyderabad University were among the 11 researchers selected for the country’s highest science awards for 2009.

The announcement of prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize was made by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Director General Samir Brahmachari at the institution’s 67th Foundation Day Celebrations here today.

Champions Trophy: Fawad fined for missing Pakistan’s flag-hoisting ceremony

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Karachi, September 26: Young all-rounder Fawad Alam has been fined for failing to report for the flag-hoisting ceremony prior to the start of Pakistan’s opening Champions Trophy match against West Indies at the Wanderers earlier this week.

According to reports, Fawad did not turn up for the flag hoisting ceremony at the ground and also failed to justify his absence. He was fined Rs.10,000 Friday after being found guilty of a breach of discipline.

It was after conducting a hearing that the team management fined him and warned him against any future misconduct.

‘Nine dead, missing’ as storm hits Philippines

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Manila, September 26: At least nine people were reported dead or missing in massive floods in the Philippine capital as tropical storm Ketsana lashed the eastern side of the country on Saturday, radio reports said.

The government declared Manila and numerous 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.

Majority of Argentines want Maradona sacked: Survey

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Buenos Aires, September 25: A majority of Argentines want Diego Maradona sacked as national team coach after their poor results in World Cup qualifiers, according to a survey published on Friday.

The survey carried out by Carlos Fara and Associates, who interviewed 442 people, said 67 percent believe 1986 World Cup-winning captain Maradona should not be in charge of the team, with just 22 percent in support.

Obesity spurs a tide of cancer in Europe

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London, September 26:Obesity caused at least 124,000 new cancers last year in Europe, according to a new study.

The proportion of cases of new cancers were highest among women and in central European countries such as the Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovenia and Bulgaria.

“As more people stop smoking and fewer women take hormone replacement therapy, it is possible that obesity may become the biggest attributable cause of cancer in women within the next decade,” said Andrew Renehan, who led the study.

German football league: Bochum climb out of relegation zone

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Nuremberg (Germany), September 26: Diego Klimowicz scored the only goal of the match to give VfL Bochum a good 1-0 away win at Nuremberg in a Bundesliga game.

Friday’s result sees Bochum climb out of the relegation zone to 12th with seven points from as many games and also gave Frank Heinemann his first victory with the team he took over at the beginning of the week.

Egyptian minister urges swap for Israeli soldier

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Washington, September 26: Egypt’s foreign minister urged Israel on Friday to release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for an Israeli soldier captured in 2006.

Egypt has been mediating a prisoner swap and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Israel needs to show flexibility.

A year ago, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar accused Israel of going back on a promise to release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for Cpl. Gilad Shalit who was captured by Hamas-allied militants in a cross-border raid near the Gaza border in 2006.

Heart disease at 30? Blame lifestyle

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New Delhi, September 26:If you binge on junk food, smoke and don’t exercise, you are at risk of developing heart diseases in your thirties. According to doctors, about 46.9 million Indians between 20 and 69 will suffer from heart diseases by 2010 and half of them will be youngsters.