Month: October 2009

‘Why aren’t ministers praising brave Gujjar girl?’

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Jammu, October 01: Leaders of the Gujjar community in Jammu and Kashmir Thursday said the act of bravery by 18-year-old Rukhsana Kausuar, who killed a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant, was praised by everyone except Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his state ministers.

“The act of bravery has come in for praise from one and all, but the chief minister and his ministers have not uttered even a word on it,” Anwar Choudhary, a Gujjar leader, said in a statement.

Student ragged at gunpoint in Meerut, taken to hospital

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Lucknow, October 01: Five senior students of the law department in Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU) in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district allegedly ragged and beat up a fresher at gunpoint, following which he had to be taken to a hospital, police said Thursday.

The ragging took place Wednesday on the campus, where the senior students forced Dev Singh Bhadana to stand on a chair and perform objectionable acts. When Bhadana protested, the seniors beat him black and blue after holding him at gunpoint, police said.

India wants enhanced economic cooperation with Europe

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Brussels, October 01: Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi has called upon the European Union (EU) to strengthen its “strategic economic engagement” with India as the country offers “immense opportunities” for investors, EuAsiaNews reported.

“I stand before you to invite you to develop a medium to long-term strategic economic engagement with a country that offers immense opportunities,” he told an EU-India business conference here Wednesday night.

Six countries, Tehran to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme in Geneva

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Moscow, October 01: Six countries Russia, Britain, China, France, Germany and the US are meeting Iran in Geneva later Thursday for talks on Iran’s nuclear programme and its second uranium enrichment facility, a report said.

The delegations of the six countries will be headed by their deputy foreign ministers. Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and EU’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana will also participate in the meeting.

Western countries suspect Iran of attempting to build nuclear weapons. Tehran says its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.

RJD MP Subhash Yadav booked for assault

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Patna, October 01: A woman in Bihar has filed a complaint against Subhash Yadav, a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP and brother-in-law of former railway minister Lalu Prasad, accusing of him of assaulting her for resisting a bid to capture her land.

Ahmadi Khatun, a resident of Line Bazaar in Gopalganj, lodged the case in Mirganj police station Wednesday night. Gopalganj is around 120 km from state capital Patna.

‘I was assaulted and threatened by Subhash Yadav and his henchmen for opposing bid to capture my land,’ Khatun said in her written complaint.

Boat tragedy: Kerala admits lapses, lifejackets to be mandatory

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Thiruvananthapuram, October 01: Admitting that there had been lapses, the Kerala government Thursday said the Thekkady boat tragedy was “an accident” and would not hit tourist inflow to the state that is promoted abroad as ‘God’s own country’.

“It is a waterway accident like a road accident. There is no gravity or impact beyond that. It will not hit Kerala’s tourism sector,” Kerala Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran told IANS over phone from Thekkady.

India wants enhanced economic cooperation with Europe

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Brussels, October 01: Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi has called upon the European Union (EU) to strengthen its “strategic economic engagement” with India as the country offers “immense opportunities” for investors, EuAsiaNews reported.

“I stand before you to invite you to develop a medium to long-term strategic economic engagement with a country that offers immense opportunities,” he told an EU-India business conference here Wednesday night.

‘Consciousness is brain’s Wi-Fi network’

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Washington, October 01: Your fingers start to burn after picking up a hot plate; should you drop the plate or save your meal? New research suggests it is your consciousness that resolves these dilemmas by serving as the brain’s Wi-Fi network.

“If the brain is like a set of computers that control different tasks, consciousness is the Wi-Fi network that allows different parts of the brain to talk to each other and decide which action ‘wins’ and is carried out,” said Ezequiel Morsella.

Morsella, who led the study, is professor of psychology at San Francisco State University (SFSU).

Injured Murray pulls from Tokyo

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Tokyo, October 01: Andy Murray dealt a second pullout blow to next week’s Japan Open event as the Scot withdrew Thursday with a wrist injury.

His pullout came just days after Roger Federer also cancelled, citing the fatigue of a season where he reached all four Grand Slam finals, winning two.

Murray pulled the plug on his website the day before the tournament draw.

“Andy is disappointed not to be competing in Japan, but on the basis of medical advice, he has decided to give his left wrist further time to recover.

‘Consciousness is brain’s Wi-Fi network’

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Washington, October 01: Your fingers start to burn after picking up a hot plate; should you drop the plate or save your meal? New research suggests it is your consciousness that resolves these dilemmas by serving as the brain’s Wi-Fi network.

“If the brain is like a set of computers that control different tasks, consciousness is the Wi-Fi network that allows different parts of the brain to talk to each other and decide which action ‘wins’ and is carried out,” said Ezequiel Morsella.

Morsella, who led the study, is professor of psychology at San Francisco State University (SFSU).

Heavy rain kills 36 in Karnataka, Andhra

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Bangalore, October 01: At least 36 people have been killed due to heavy rain in several north Karnataka districts and Andhra Pradesh, officials said Thursday. The downpour has inundated several villages, damaged crops and has disrupted communication and transport links.

In Karnataka, the worst affected was Bijapur district, about 580 km from Bangalore, with 17 deaths. The victims were either washed away in flooded rivers or died when their homes collapsed.

Amravati Mayor wants President’s posters removed

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Amravati, October 01: President Pratibha Patil’s son Rajendra Shekhawat is upset over Amravati Mayor Ashok Dongre’s decision to remove posters of his mother.

Several political leaders, too, feel Shekhawat shouldn’t try using his mother’s status to woo voters.

Dongre has demanded that the President’s posters and banners should be removed from all public places in the city as they give an unfair advantage to Congress candidate Rajendra Shekhawat in his campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Hyundai’s domestic sales grow 25 percent in September

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New Delhi, October 01: India’s second largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Thursday said domestic sales grew 24.6 percent to 27,803 units in September from 22,311 units it sold in the corresponding month last year.

“The festive season has been encouraging as customers have returned to the showroom. We hope this will be the turning point for the automotive industry,” said Hyundai’s senior marketing and sales vice president Arvind Saxena.

“If sales remain strong during Diwali, then we can look at double-digit growth figures for the current year,” Saxena added.

SRK dubs Hindi version prologue of `Pazhassi Raja`

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Mumbai, October 01: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has dubbed the prologue of the Hindi version of multi-lingual film `Pazhassi Raja`, a film on the revolutionary hero from Kerala.

King Khan has dubbed the prologue for the Hindi version of the Mammootty-starrer movie, which is releasing simultaneously in five languages including Hindi and English.

When the film`s director T Hariharan approached Shah Rukh for the movie, the actor readily agreed to do the prologue without even charging a penny.

RJD MP Subhash Yadav booked for assault

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Patna, October 01: A woman in Bihar has filed a complaint against Subhash Yadav, a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP and brother-in-law of former railway minister Lalu Prasad, accusing of him of assaulting her for resisting a bid to capture her land.

Ahmadi Khatun, a resident of Line Bazaar in Gopalganj, lodged the case in Mirganj police station Wednesday night. Gopalganj is around 120 km from state capital Patna.

“I was assaulted and threatened by Subhash Yadav and his henchmen for opposing bid to capture my land,” Khatun said in her written complaint.

John Abraham smitten by Jacqueline Fernandez’s charm!

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Mumbai, October 01: Hottie John Abraham seems to be in awe of Jacqueline Fernandez, who is all set to make her Bollywood debut with Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Aladin’. Not even one film old yet, Jacqueline has apparently impressed John so much that the actor has signed her in his next, to be directed by good friend Sabal Shekhawat.

A source reveals, “John has seen some rushes and promos of Jacqueline`s debut film ‘Aladin’ and really liked her. They both work out in the same gym and also have known each other for quite sometime.”

Sonia expresses grief over Thekkady boat tragedy

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New Delhi, October 01: Congress president Sonia Gandhi Thursday expressed grief and concern over the “terrible boat tragedy” in Kerala’s Thekkady wildlife sanctuary that claimed 37 lives.

“I am deeply distressed to learn of the terrible boat tragedy at the Thekkady wildlife sanctuary that claimed so many innocent lives,” Gandhi said in a message issued here.

Expressing sympathy with the families who lost their loved ones, she said authorities should “take appropriate steps to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again”.

India offers to reduce negative trade list with Bangladesh

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Dhaka, October 01: The Indian envoy to Bangladesh has offered to reduce the number of negative items on the bilateral trade list to facilitate commerce between the two neighbours.

High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty has also mooted joint investments to boost bilateral trade between the two South Asian countries to offset the trade balance that is at present heavily tilted in New Delhi’s favour.

The negative trade list, already reduced from 700 to 400 items, could be shortened further, New Age newspaper said.

South-bound Hansika says Bollywood is her ultimate destination

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Mumbai, October 01: Hansika, who has been away from Bollywood after `Money Hai to Honey Hai` opposite Govinda, says her ultimate aim is to work in Hindi movies.

“I have done three Telugu movies which have done excellent at the Box Office. My Tamil movie, still untitled, is lined up for release. Still my ultimate aim is Bollywood
only,” Hansika said.

“It is not that there is anything wrong with the South Indian Film Industry. I am aware that today regional cinema is also equally powerful and is going places,” she said.

Foreigners in Kerala boat tragedy are safe: MP

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Thiruvananthapuram, October 01: Foreign tourists in the boat that capsized in the Thekkady lake at the Periyar wildlife sanctuary are safe, Kerala MP P.T. Thomas said Thursday.

“There were four foreigners in the boat. Two women and two children. All of them are from Cape Town, South Africa. I met them in the Kumily Central Hospital yesterday (Wednesday) night. They are safe,” Thomas told IANS over telephone from Kumily, near Thekkady.

Thomas represents the Idukki Lok Sabha constituency under which Thekkady falls.

China tightens screws on Nepal for 60th anniversary

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Kathmandu, October 01: Under pressure from Beijing to prevent protests by Tibetan refugees on China’s 60th anniversary celebrations, Nepal Thursday began rounding up Tibetans here and sending them to detention centres.

As the crackdown started on refugee leaders suspected of leading anti-China protests in the past, police arrested 45 Tibetans from different parts of the capital.

Though seven people were released, 38 were sent to various police lockups to prevent demonstrations before the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu and other public places. The detainees included eight women.

Red Fort picks up another 4 percent in Parsvnath project

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New Delhi, October 01: Realty major Parsvnath Developers has sold an additional four percent stake in a luxury residential project in Delhi to private equity fund Red Fort Capital for Rs.25 crore.

Red Fort had earlier picked up an 18-percent stale in the Parsvnath La Tropicana project in north Delhi’s Civil Lines area from Parsvnath in June for Rs.90 crore.

BA Mumbai-London flight makes emergency landing

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Mumbai, October 01: A British Airways Mumbai-London flight with 207 passengers on board made an emergency landing here early Thursday following a fire warning in the cockpit, an official said.

The captain of the BA-138 flight, which took off from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 3 a.m., heard a fire alarm in the cockpit about 30 minutes after take-off.

He immediately decided to return and a full emergency was declared at the airport, the official said.

After recession, world economy to grow by 3 percent in 2010: IMF

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Washington, October 01: As the world economy comes out of a deep global recession, global activity is forecast to expand by about 3 percent in 2010 after contracting by about 1 percent in 2009, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projections.

Though well below the rates achieved before the crisis, these projections in the October 2009 World Economic Outlook (WEO) reflect modest upward revisions to those in the July 2009 WEO Update.

The WEO was released Thursday in Istanbul where the IMF-World Bank group is holding its annual meeting this year.

RSS, US arms lobby complicate India-China ties: Karat

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New Delhi, October 01: Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat has accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the US arms lobby of creating complications in India-China relations.

“There has been a revival of the bogey of the threat from China among sections of the corporate media and strategic experts,” Karat said in an article written on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China Thursday.