Month: October 2009

Mumbai, October 05: A consumer rights activist has sued Swiss luxury company Mont Blanc for using Mahatma Gandhi’s name and image to sell a Rs 14-lakh pen.

The limited edition ‘Gandhi’ pen was launched in New Delhi by Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of the Father of the Nation, on September 29.

The Kerala High Court on October 1 admitted a public interest litigation challenging the marketing of the luxury pen in India and issued notices to Mont Blanc International, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affair and others.

Singapore, October 05: A 42-member strong rescue contingent from Singapore has arrived Padang, Indonesia to render help, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Monday.

Following ground assessment done at several locations, The SCDF Operation Lionheart Contingent was deployed to carry out search and rescue operations at two locations.

An 11-man team led by the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team ( DART) has been deployed to the collapsed 4-storey building Hotel Dipo International, southern area outside of Padang.

Washington, October 05: US President Barack Obama called up Greece’s next prime minister, George Papandreou, to congratulate him on his success in Sunday’s elections, the White House said.

Obama “wished all Greeks well who participated in the democratic process. The president reiterated the importance of the US-Greece relationship and said he looks forward to working with Mr Papandreou”, according to a statement released by the White House.

Phnom Penh, October 05: A police officer, who was less than a week into his post in Cambodia’s anti-drugs squad, has been arrested after police found 10 kg of heroin stashed at his home in the capital, national media reported Monday.

The raid on the house of Bun Pov, a first lieutenant in t he anti-drugs squad, also uncovered two kilogrammes of methamphetamines as well as large quantities of chemicals used to process and make drugs.

Toronto, October 05: Responding to an invitation from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will visit India next month.

Though no official announcement of the prime minister’s visit has yet been made, Canwest news agency quoted official sources in Ottawa as saying that Harper will be India Nov 15-18.

During his meetings with the Indian prime minister, Harper will in all likelihood ink a free trade agreement to boost bilateral trade between the two countries.

Verona (New York), October 05: Jeev Milkha Singh took a big step towards securing his card for the PGA Tour next year with a solid tied seventh place finish at the Turning Stone Resort Championship. Jeev, riding a brilliant bogey-free 64 finished at 14-under.

At the top Matt Kuchar and Vaugh Taylor were tied at 17-under. Neither managed to win after two holes of a sudden-death playoff Sunday. They birdied the first extra hole, parred the second before play was suspended, and will resume play on Monday on the 13th tee for the $1.08 million top prize.

Nashville, October 05: A week ago, Maria Gurrolla was celebrating the birth of her fourth child. A blue yard sign announced: “IT’S A BOY!” She visited a local welfare office that helps low-income mothers.

Then an attacker posing as an immigration worker arrived at her home south of Nashville, stabbed the 30-year-old mother and snatched away her 4-day-old son. The newborn was found safe, but after a brief reunion, state officials took the baby away from Gurrolla again, along with her other three children.

London, October 05: Britain secretly offered to pay 14 million pounds to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi as part of a deal to end his country’s support for Irish paramilitary group the IRA, according to a report Monday.

The offer, worth 500 million pounds (800 million dollars) today, was made during negotiations in the 1970s the government of then prime minister Harold Wilson held with Libya aimed at halting the supply of weapons to the now-defunct Irish Republican Army, documents seen by The Independent show.

Athens, October 05: Greece’s Socialists under the leadership of George Papandreou won elections Sunday after voters expressed their discontent over the conservative government’s handling of the economic crisis and corruption.

With nearly 30 percent of ballots counted, the Socialist PASOK party was leading with 44 percent of the vote and an absolute majority in parliament. The Conservative New Democracy Party came in second with 36 percent.

Apia (Samoa), October 05: Samoa health officials said people who have been affected by the infectious diseases after the devastating tsunami in the South Pacific island are not coming forward for treatment.

Hundreds of people have been killed after a tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake hit the island Sep 29.

Palanitina Toelupe, head of Samoa’s health ministry, said people affected by infectious diseases in the wake of tsunami were not coming forward for treatment.

Kabul, October 05: Hundreds of insurgents armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades stormed a pair of remote outposts near the Pakistan border, killing eight U.S. soldiers and capturing more than 20 Afghan security troops in the deadliest assault against U.S. forces in more than a year, military officials said.

The fierce gunbattle, which erupted at dawn Saturday in the Kamdesh district of mountainous Nuristan province and raged throughout the day, is likely to fuel the debate in Washington over the direction of the troubled eight-year war.

New York, October 05: “Zombieland”, the horror comedy with Woody Harrelson (of Cheers fame) and Jesse Eisenberg, debuted as the top favourite of weekend cinema crowds in North America.

According to studio estimates, it took in $25 million with backing from critics, who liked the story of two unevenly matched men who make their mark in a world of zombies.

Zombieland pushed “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” – the animated 3-D adventure story of a young inventor – into second place, with $16.7 million. Cloudy has grossed $82.4 million since its release three weeks ago.