Month: October 2009

US unemployment rate highest since 1983

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Washington, October 03: The US economy continued to shed jobs in the construction, manufacturing, retail and government branches, with the unemployment rate rising to 9.8 percent in September, the government said Friday.

The rate compared to 9.7 percent unemployment in August, and was the highest since 1983.

September saw the loss of another 263,000 jobs, bringing the total jobs lost since the recession began in December 2007 to 7.2 million, the biggest decline since the Great Depression.

Three killed in Mexico plane crash

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Mexico City, October 03: Three military personnel were killed when the small plane in which they were travelling crashed in western Mexico, an official said.

“There are three bodies. We believe they are the only ones who were onboard,” state civil defence chief Carlos Mandujano said Friday.

The accident occurred in Michoacan state.

Media reports said that the small Cessna plane crashed during an emergency-landing attempt.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

–IANS–

Man gets over 15 years for incest

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Bogota, October 03: A Colombian man was sentenced to more than 15 years in jail for raping his daughter for 30 years and fathering seven children with her, media reports said.

Arcadio Alvarez Quintero was sentenced to 15 years and seven months in jail by a judge in Fresno in southern Tolima province for incest and rape.

Alvarez, a resident of Mariquita, some 200 km from Bogota, was arrested in March after a complaint was filed against him by his daughter Alba Nidia, who fled her family home after 30 years of sexual abuse and 14 pregnancies.

PM to make first state visit of Obama presidency

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Washington, October 03: Highlighting the strong and growing strategic partnership between India and the United States, President Barack Obama will welcome Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the White House Nov 24 for the first state visit of his presidency, it was announced here Friday.

Red alert against rats

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Toronto, October 03: Canada’s Alberta province is on red alert against rats. Rat patrols have been set up to check intrusion of the rodents from neighbouring Saskatchewan province.

Farmers have been mobilized to keep the province rat-free. Special baits with the help of old tyres have been set up to stop the rats from entering the province. Bags of poisoned grain have been placed inside these baits.

Steps have also been taken to stop the rats from taking rides in cattle-feed-laden vehicles coming into the province.

Sex and violence sells, can’t show only fairy tales: Sharmila Tagore

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Mumbai, October 03: A dash of sex and violence is a sure shot formula for filmmakers to bring in audiences, says censor board chief Sharmila Tagore, who insists she doesn’t run the scissors if the scenes gel well with the script.

“Sex and violence sells. Everybody is not Shakespeare, everybody is not a great director or an Imtiaz Ali whose ‘Jab We Met’ was a clean film and yet worked at the box office,” Sharmila Tagore told IANS in an exclusive interview.

Overweight mothers linked to infant heart defects

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Washington, October 02: Women who are overweight or obese when they get pregnant are more likely to give birth to children with congenital heart defects, according to a US government study released on Thursday.

The study, conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, concluded that women who were overweight or obese at the time they became pregnant were 18 percent more likely to give birth to babies with heart defects, while severely obese women had a 30 percent increased risk.

Economic gloom going but it’s not boom yet: IMF

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Istanbul, October 02: The International Monetary Fund said the global economy is recovering faster than expected–but that governments should not be hasty in withdrawing the added spending and low interest rates that have helped restore growth.

The positive report card on Thursday was likely to feed cautious but widespread relief that–despite a continuing rise in unemployment and worries about credit availability –the downturn has eased and that a 1930s-style depression has been avoided.

Disappointment in Spain as Olympic hopes are lost

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Madrid, October 02: Spain’s Queen Sofia Friday congratulated Rio de Janeiro for having been chosen to host the 2016 Olympics, though Spain was “disappointed” about Madrid having lost the race.

“Congratulations Rio,” the queen told Spanish National Television in Copenhagen, also congratulating Spaniards for the “good job” they had done in promoting Madrid’s candidacy.

Some 6,000 Madrid residents had gathered at the capital’s central Plaza de Oriente square to follow a live broadcast of the presentation of Madrid’s candidacy on two gigantic screens.

Four new flu deaths in Saudi

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Riyadh, October 02: Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday four new deaths from swine flu, taking to seven the number of fatalities recorded in one week and to at least 35 the total for the kingdom.

The four included three Saudis and one foreigner, who were not identified.

On Tuesday, three deaths were reported from the A(H1N1) virus, all Saudis and including two youths in the same family.

Chicago shocked at early exit from Olympics

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Washington, October 02; Thousands of disappointed Chicagoans streamed out of their planned public celebration Friday when their city fell out of the Olympic bidding process unexpectedly at the first round.

The Midwest US city had been widely regarded as the joint favourite with Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 bid, especially following the last minute visit to Copenhagen by US President Barack Obama.

“I am completely in shock,” said Jan Schakowsky, a Chicago congresswomen, speaking to TV reporters from Chicago’s Daley Plaza, as thousands of stunned residents headed for the exit.

Olympic Summer Games – a backgrounder

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Hamburg, October 02: Olympic Summer Games, number of participating countries, athletes, sports and events.

Year City Countries Athletes (W/M) Sports Events

I 1896 Athens 14 241 ( 0/241 ) 9 43

II 1900 Paris 24 997 ( 22/975 ) 18 95

III 1904 St Louis 12 651 ( 6/645 ) 17 91

IV 1908 London 22 2008 ( 37/1971) 22 110

V 1912 Stockholm 28 2407 ( 48/2359) 14 102

VI 1916 Berlin Not held due to World War I

VII 1920 Antwerp 29 2626 ( 65/2561) 22 154

VIII 1924 Paris 44 3089 ( 135/2954) 17 126

IX 1928 Amsterdam 46 2883 ( 277/2606) 14 109

Yemeni rebels shoot down government warplane

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Sanaa, October 02: Yemeni Shiite rebels shot down a government MiG warplane which was raiding their strongholds in the northern region of Saada on Friday, rebels and a military commander said.

The Zaidi rebels, also known as Huthis, said in a statement that the jet was downed “this morning in the Shaaf area of Saada province, while it was bombing civilians in villages and markets.”

A military commander said the aircraft was “flying at low attitude” when it was hit.

PM, Sonia assure Andhra support to tackle floods

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Hyderabad, October 02: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi Friday night assured full support to Andhra Pradesh in tackling the flood situation that has turned alarming.

Both Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi spoke to Chief Minister K. Rosaiah over phone and conveyed their concern over the situation, especially in Kurnool and Mahabubnagar districts.

Rosaiah told reporters Friday night that Manmohan Singh had directed the defence and home ministries to extend all possible assistance to the state in rescue and relief operations.

Beshir pledges free Sudan vote in 2010

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Khartaum, October 02: President Omar al-Beshir on Thursday said he supported a “democratic transformation” in Sudan and promised that general elections scheduled for next year would be free and fair.

He spoke after around 20 political parties threatened on Wednesday to boycott the elections — the first in more than two decades — unless he implements reforms.

“We affirm our commitment for a democratic transformation and multi-party politics as well as holding general elections without influence and pressure,” Beshir told his ruling National Congress Party’s general conference.

Pakistani troops kill 27 Islamist militants

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Islamabad, October 02: Pakistani troops Friday killed 27 militants in the ungoverned north-western tribal district of Khyber that borders Afghanistan, a security official said.

Fazal-ur-Rehman, a spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps, said in a press statement that helicopter gunships targeted various positions of Taliban fighters in Khyber and inflicted heavy casualties on the rebels.

Libya’s Ghanem resignation rumors come to end

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Tripoli, October 02: The Libyan national oil company, NOC, on Thursday said it has named its managing director Ali Sogher as interim chairman, replacing Shukri Ghanem, thought to have resigned.

Sogher, who will remain managing director, stood in for the chairman at the last OPEC meeting in Vienna on September 9 amid reports Ghanem had resigned.

The Financial Times reported on September 8 that Ghanem had formally tendered his resignation after indicating months ago that he wanted to retire.

Teenager killed in Baramulla clashes

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Srinagar, October 02: A 13-year-old boy was killed and eight others, including two policemen, wounded in clashes that erupted in Baramulla in north Kashmir after the Friday prayers.

Police said the violence began in Baramulla town, 55 km from capital Srinagar, immediately after the Friday prayers when groups of youths took to the streets shouting anti-India slogans.

The youths later pelted stones at the police stations, prompting police to baton charge them.

However, when the stone throwing intensified, police began lobbing teargas to control the situation.

Andhra’s Kurnool town faces threat of submergence

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Hyderabad, October 02: The flood situation in Andhra Pradesh turned alarming Friday night as Kurnool town was in danger of being submerged in the backwaters of the Srisailam dam due to unprecedented inflows.

Authorities said they are monitoring the situation closely and that efforts are under way on a war-footing to evacuate people from Kurnool town as the water level in Srisailam dam was rising dangerously.

Iraq foils suicide bomber’s prison break bid

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Hilla, October 02: A would-be Al-Qaeda suicide car bomber who planned to detonate his payload to help comrades escape from an Iraqi prison was foiled after a tip-off about the attack, security forces said on Friday.

The man confessed to planning to blow himself up outside a prison in Hilla, the capital of Babil province, when he was apprehended at his house 35 kilometres (22 miles) north of the city, an Iraqi army official said.

“Our forces arrested a suicide bomber from Al-Qaeda, while he was preparing a car bomb for an operation near the main prison in the centre of Hilla,” he said.

UN: 145 dead in Somalia unrest in September

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Geneva, October 02: Fighting between rival Islamist factions and government forces left 145 people dead and 285 injured in Somalia last month, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday.

“According to a network of our local partners, 145 people have been killed and another 285 injured in heavy clashes in Kismayo, Beled Weyne and Mogadishu in September alone,” said Andrej Mahecic, spokesman for the UN Hight Commissioner for Refugees.

Rio de Janeiro to host 2016 Olympic Games

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Copenhagen, October 02: Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic Games. Rio beat off the challenges of Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago in a vote by International Olympic Committee (IOC) delegates at the IOC Session in Copenhagen Friday.

The Brazilian city won after the third and final round of voting in the International Olympic Council.

Chicago was eliminated in the first round, and Tokyo went out in the second.

It will be the first Olympics in South America. The 2016 Games will come barely two years after Brazil hosts the 2014 football World Cup.

–Agencies

Shoe thrown at IMF chief in Turkey

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Istanbul, October 02: A Turkish journalist threw a shoe at IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn in Istanbul on Thursday ahead of key meetings on the economic crisis, as rallies set to bring thousands into the streets got underway.

The man, who works for a small left-wing newspaper and is also reportedly a university student, shouted “IMF, get out of Turkey!” as he threw a white sports shoe and ran towards the IMF managing director..

Chhattisgarh plans interest free loan to farmers

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Raipur, October 02: Chhattisgarh’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government Friday said is is planning to provide interest free loans to farmers.

“The government plans to further lower the agriculture interest loan in the state to two percent and one percent in phase-wise manner from the existing three percent, and then reduce it to zero percent,” Chief Minister Raman Singh said, according to an official press statement Friday

–Agencies

England set 258-run target for Australia

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Centurion, October 02: Tim Bresnan scored a quick-fire 80 as England made 257 in 47.4 overs against defending champions Australia in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy at the SuperSport Park here Friday.

Peter Siddle picked up three for 55 while Brett Lee and Shane Watson bagged two wickets each.

–Agencies