Month: October 2009

Nifty crosses 5,100-mark, Sensex extends gain

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Mumbai, October 01: The wide-based national stock exchange index Nifty crossed the crucial 5,100-points level in early morning trade while the BSE benchmark Sensex rose over 68 points on sustained buying by funds.

The BSE-30 share benchmark Sensex, which had gained 273.93 in previous day’s trading, added further 68.77 points at 17,195.61 points in first the five minutes of trading.

Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty crossed 5,100 points level by rising 26.55 points at 5,110.50 at the same time.

Report: Iran releases opposition figure on bail

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Tehran, October 01: Iran has released one of the country’s most prominent pro-reform figures on bail after jailing him for more than three months on charges of inciting the country’s post-election unrest, state media reported today.

Saeed Hajjarian is considered a top architect and ideologue of the movement pushing for more social and political freedoms in Iran.

Man arrested for confining wife, daughters in house for 7 yrs

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Mumbai, October 01: A 60-year-old man, who had allegedly locked up his wife and three daughters in a room for seven years fearing they would be raped if they ventured out, has been arrested.

“After preliminary investigations, we arrested the accused, Francis Gomes, late last night, for causing hurt to the victims and wrongfully confining them,” Thane police inspector Ashok Pawar said today.

The hapless women were rescued by police on September 29 with the help of an NGO from their second floor flat in Neelambha Cooperative Housing Society at Naigaon in neighbouring Thane district.

IAF seeks permission to open fire at Maoists: Air Chief Marshal

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New Delhi, October 01: Committing itself to a greater role in the government’s fight against Maoists, the IAF today said it has sought permission from the Defence Ministry to open fire at the Left extremists if its helicopters or air crew came under attack.

“The IAF has sought permission from the Defence Ministry to open fire in self-defence whenever our helicopters or air crew operating in the Maoist-infested areas come under attack,” Air Chief Marshal P V Naik told reporters here.

Mukesh-Anil fight to impact energy blocks auction: DGH

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New Delhi, October 01: The global economic meltdown and the gas dispute between the Ambani brothers may trip India’s largest ever auction of oil and gas
blocks as the two factors are likely to keep major foreign firms from bidding, the sector regulator feels.

“I will be happy if we get an average of two bids per block,” said V K Sibal, Director General of Hydrocarbons, the upstream regulator that is conducting the eighth auction of blocks under New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP).

‘India-Egypt trade to grow to $5 bn by 2011’

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New Delhi, October 01: India and Egypt has set an ambitious bilateral trade target of USD 5 billion by 2011 up from USD 3.38 billion, said an Egypt high official. Indo-Egypt trade was $597.38 million in 2004-2005.

“Still much more needs to be achieved since India’s total trade with Egypt is even now less than 1%,” said Ahmad Fathalla, Ambassador Assistant (Asian Affairs) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt.

Hoarding, poor monsoon drive up food inflation by 16.32%

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New Delhi, October 01: At a time when the WPI-based inflation is hovering below 1 one percent, the food inflation has surged to 16.32 percent for the week-ended September 19 mainly on account hoarding and fears of shortage due to poor monsoon, believe say.

The rate of increase in prices of food items was only 8 percent in same period last year, though general inflation ruled as high as 12 percent.

Experts pointed out that the government’s poor planning and lack of investment in farm infrastructure have led to food shortage in the country, which is been capitalised by traders.

Obama announces $5-bn plan for new medical research

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Washington, October 01: The US will provide $5 billion in new grants for medical research, which will also create thousands of new jobs, President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday. The funds will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as the $787-billion economic stimulus package passed in February is known, to “conduct cutting-edge research all across America, to unlock treatments to diseases that have long plagued humanity, to save and enrich the lives of people all over the world,” Obama said at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) outside Washington.

More than 18,000 H-1B visas yet to be grabbed

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Washington, October 01: Reflecting the dire straits of the job market and strict regulations imposed by the US Congress, more than one-fourth of the H-1B, once the most sought after visas, is yet to be grabbed.

According to the latest figure update by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), approximately 46,700 of the H-1B visas in the general category were filled up by September 25; against a Congressional mandated figure of 65,000.

SKorean leader urges strong army, citing threat

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Seoul, October 01: President Lee Myung-bak said that South Korea should strengthen its armed forces to cope with a continuing nuclear threat from North Korea despite recent conciliatory gestures. After raising tensions with nuclear and missile tests earlier this year, North Korea released several American and South Korean detainees, announced it would resume joint projects with Seoul and offered direct talks with the US.

World out of recession, to grow by 3% in 2010: IMF

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Istanbul, October 01: The world economy has pulled out of its worst recession since World War II and will stage a sluggish recovery in the coming year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in an economic forecast released Thursday.

But the IMF warned the recovery was largely due to massive public spending by governments. The underlying economy remains weak, unemployment will continue rising and the pace of the recovery will be slower than usual in coming years, according to the IMF’s semi-annual World Economic Outlook.

Cisco to buy Tandberg for $3 billion

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Oslo, October 01: US network equipment maker Cisco System (CSCO.O) is to buy Norway’s video-conferencing equipment maker Tandberg ASA (TAA.OL) for an agreed 17.2 billion crowns (USD 3.0 billion) in cash, the companies said on Thursday, lifting Tandberg shares.

The offer, worth 153.5 crowns per Tandberg share, represented a premium of 11 percent to its closing price on Wednesday, Tandberg said on Thursday.

“Tandberg’s board of directors has unanimously decided to recommend to its shareholders to accept the offer,” the company said.

Terrorist sentenced to death in Jammu and Kashmir

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Srinagar, October 01: In the first ever death sentence pronounced on a terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir, a court in Rajouri district Thursday sentenced Mohammad Younus alias Amir Khan, convicted for the murder of five members of a Hindu family, to be hanged to death.

Younus and four others had entered the house of Munshi Ram in Rajnagar village in Budhal in Rajouri district, 180 km north-east of Jammu, on Oct 9, 2005 and slit his throat as well as of his brother, his two sons and a nephew.

Younus was arrested in 2006.

Eight more bodies found; Kerala boat mishap toll rises to 39

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Thekkady, October 01: The toll in the Thekkady boat mishap climbed to 39 with eight more bodies being fished out today even as the Kerala government ordered a judicial inquiry into the tragedy.

The mishap occurred when the state-run double decker boat ‘Jalakanyaka’ carrying 74 tourists tilted after several tourists moved to one side on sighting elephants in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary on the banks of the lake yesterday.

A team of rescuers which included divers have extricated 39 bodies from the partly submerged boat, officials said.

Don’t rule me out of South Africa tour: Pietersen

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London, October 01: England Batsman Kevin Pietersen, who underwent surgery to cure a long-standing tendon problem, has refused to be ruled out of the winter tour to South Africa, despite fears over his Achilles injury.

The star batsman has not featured for England since the second Ashes Test. His rehabilitation has since been delayed, with the scar becoming infected during the healing process.

Pietersen does not yet know if he will be ready for the trip to South Africa, which includes two Twenty20s, five ODIs and four Tests, but is hopeful of making the cut.

Johnson completes 100 ODI wickets

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Centurion, October 01: Following are the statistical highlights of the Champions Trophy match between Pakistan and Australia played here.

# After New Zealand and South Africa, Australia became the third team to post a last-ball win in the ICC Champions Trophy.

# Kamran Akmal has posted his highest innings in South Africa. Kamran`s 44 off 63 balls is his best innings score in the ICC Champions Trophy.

India register first CT victory against WI

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Johannesburg, October 01: Following are the statistical highlights of the Champions Trophy match between India and the West Indies played here.

# West Indies (129) have posted their lowest score against India in the ICC Champions Trophy. West Indies` lowest ever in the ICC Champions Trophy is 80 against Sri Lanka at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on October 14, 2006.

# Virat Kohli (79 off 104 Balls) has recorded his highest innings in Limited-Overs Internationals – an innings which has fetched him his first Man of the Match award.

We need bowling all-rounders: Dhoni

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Johannesburg, October 01: After crashing out of the Champions Trophy, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni stressed on the need of having bowling all-rounders to get a better balance in the side.

Despite registering a win against West Indies yesterday, India were knocked out of the Champions Trophy after Australia beat Pakistan in another Group A league match earlier in the day.

“I have often said if guys can improve by 15 to 20 per cent, it would help in bowling and fielding. Similar is with run-outs: if your fielding improves, it helps you in running between the wickets.”

Man keeps 3 women locked up for 7 yrs in his house

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New Delhi, October 01: For over seven years, three women, a mother and her two daughters, were allegedly locked up in a house with no electricity by the family patriarch.

The man allegedly chained the women to pieces of furniture in their Vasai home in Mumbai.

Neighbors and NGO workers were in a state of shock after seeing the women’s plight.

“When we rescued them, the condition of the house was deplorable. The stench was so strong that we couldn’t stand there even after covering our faces with handkerchief,” an NGO worker Gopal Krishnan said.

Akram slams Dhoni for dispirited leadership

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Johannesburg, October 01: Disappointed with India`s early ouster from the Champions Trophy, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has came down heavily on Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his listless captaincy.

“I think body language of the Indians in this tournament wasn`t good at all. I remember when Harbhajan came on to bowl and start conceding runs behind the wicket. If I was Dhoni I would have had a word with him, telling him I don`t mind if you are hit through the covers but not (bowl) this line,” Akram said.

6 or more Afghan civilians die in airstrike

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Kabul, October 01: An airstrike on a compound in southwestern Afghanistan killed at least six civilians, a local tribal leader said Thursday, after the U.S. military reported that ground forces were coming under fire from inside the residence and called in aircraft.

Civilian deaths have been a source of friction between President Hamid Karzai and U.S. military commanders and have infuriated many ordinary Afghans, who claim international soldiers use heavy-handed tactics.

Air Force pilots save five children from drowning

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New Delhi, October 01: In a “daring” heli-borne operation, Air Force pilots on Thursday saved five school-going children from drowning in a rivulet in Mehboobnagar district in Andhra Pradesh.

“Daring operation by our pilots Group Captain Rajesh Issar and Squadron Leader Ramesh flying a Chetak helicopter helped in saving five school-children from drowning in a rivulet in Ashampet village in Mehboobnagar,” IAF officials said.

US ‘to loosen control’ over the Internet

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New Yorkm, October 01: As Internet use expands worldwide, the United States said Wednesday it will give other governments and the private sector a greater oversight role in an organization whose decisions affect how computers relay traffic such as e-mail and Twitter posts.

The move comes after European regulators and other critics have said the U.S. government could wield too much influence over a system used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Those critics have complained, among other things, about the slow rollout of Internet addresses in languages other than English.

‘Humans also to blame’ for Asia’s natural disasters

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Manila, October 01: Environmental damage, shoddy urban planning, corruption and other man-made problems are magnifying the human cost of natural disasters almost every time they strike in Asia, experts said.

Thousands of people have died across the region this week in a relentless string of events that at first may seem to be the fault of Mother Nature, but the enormous death tolls can be equally blamed on people, they said.

ISRO develops tech to boost satellite life by five years

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Bangalore, October 01: For the first time, India’s space scientists have developed electric propulsion technology that is expected to boost the life of geostationary satellites by upto five years.

In other words, the satellites which today have a lifespan of ten years, could last upto 15 years.

The system — plasma thrusters – would be tested in GSAT-4 spacecraft slated to be launched on board GSLV later this year, ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair said.