Beirut, November 08: Lebanese prime minister-designate Saad Hariri was preparing to announce a new government on Saturday after granting concessions to his rivals in the Hezbollah-led opposition on key cabinet posts.
A statement on the new government was expected within 48 hours, officials from both camps said, after the Shiite Hezbollah and its allies agreed to Hariri’s latest government line-up.
Saudi Arabia, November 08: Four Saudi soldiers are missing after clashes on the southeastern border with Yemen-based Shiite rebels, Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan said in remarks published on Sunday.
He rejected rebel claims to have captured several soldiers after seven Saudis and an unknown number of Yemenis were killed in five days of fighting in the rugged terrain.
Speaking to troops near the front in Jizan province late on Saturday, Prince Khaled also said Saudi forces had recaptured all territory seized by the rebels earlier in the week.
Tehran, November 08: Thirty-three Iranians have so far died from swine flu and more than two thousand have been diagnosed with the illness, the reformist Etemad newspaper reported Sunday quoting the health ministry.
“So far, 33 people have been reported dead from swine flu, while 2,153 have been diagnosed with this illness,” the newspaper said.
Etemad also reported that 271 classrooms in various schools across Tehran were closed after reports that the A(H1N1) virus was spreading there.
Iran reported its first swine flu death on August 26, that of a 36-year-old woman drug addict.
Bangalore, November 08: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday not only resolved the crisis in its first government in Karnataka but also became the first major political party in the country to set up a sort of oversight panel over its own government.
The party has proposed a coordination committee, likely to be headed by senior leader Sushma Swaraj, to ensure that all major decisions of the Karnataka government are ‘unanimous’.
London, November 08: Former Spice girl Victoria Beckham is going to start a modelling agency.
The singer-turned-designer who already has her own fashion label is reportedly in talks with her manager Simon Fuller to set up a new business venture in New York, reports gossip.ie.
“Simon knows that Victoria is very savvy when it comes to fashion. His first foray into fashion was to team up designer Roland Mouret and Victoria, which was a huge success. Victoria is a key asset to Simon and he wants her to take on a major role,” said a source.
Naihati, November 08: The Railways will set up a research centre named after novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay if the West Bengal government failed to start work on the project in three months, Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee said Sunday.
At a programme here in North 24-Parganas district, Banerjee said the Railways had handed over the land to the state government in 2007 for the research centre dedicated to Chatterjee, who composed India’s national song “Vande Mataram”.
New Delhi, November 08: The Bharatiya Janata Party Sunday ended the two-week-old crisis in its first government in Karnataka by assigning a key role in the state affairs to senior party leader Sushma Swaraj in return for dissidents dropping their demand for removal of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.
“From now onward Sushma Swaraj will play a lead role in solving any dispute in the government,” a legislator close to dissident leader and Tourism Minister G. Janardhana Reddy told IANS on phone from Hyderabad where dozens of rebel legislators have been staying for nearly ten days now.
New Delhi, November 08: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran L.K. Advani turned 82 on a quiet note Sunday, meeting well wishers at home – but not attending any political functions – on what could be his last birthday as leader of opposition. President Pratibha Patil sent him a bouquet and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh greeted him.
It was a marked change from last year when Advani on this day launched a website virtually heralding his campaign for prime ministership – an effort that proved unsuccessful.
Greater Noida, November 08: Angered over his father’s refusal to hand over his entire property to him, a man shot him twice and when that did not prove fatal, poured kerosene over him and burnt him alive in a village here Saturday, police said on Sunday.
According to police, Mangat Kumar, 80, of Kiswana village under Dankore area of Greater Noida, had transferred his agricultural land in the village to his three sons equally some time back.
However, his eldest son, Ramesh, 35, opposed the decision and wanted the entire land to be made over to him.
Lucknow, November 08: A criminal case was registered against 28 people, including 26 women, in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh district on Sunday for drawing widows’ pension on forged documents.
The accused involved the village head of Rasoolpur Nandlal village, Harendra Yadav, and a village panchayat officer, Dashrath Yadav.
“The complaint was filed by the district probation officer, O.P. Saini. The 26 women of the village were getting the pension for the past couple of years,” Inspector Ashok Dixit of Kotwali police told.
Bangkok, November 08: Indian women’s hockey team put up a brave fight before losing 3-5 to China in a pulsating Asia Cup final here on Sunday.
Skipper Surinder Kaur gave India the lead as early as in the eighth minute while Mamta Kharab (47th) and Deepika Thakur (54th) struck after the breather. Chinese struck thrice in the first half (13th, 18th and 27th) and twice (47th, 51st) in the second to lift their second Asia Cup title after 20 years.
Islamabad, November 08: Defying hardliners and the Taliban, models clad in off-shoulder and backless gowns wowed audiences during Pakistan’s first fashion week, which was “bigger, better and sexier” than anything seen before.
The Karachi Fashion Week, which was postponed twice because of security fears, finally got underway last week with 30 top models sashaying down the ramp in short, off-shoulder and midriff showing dresses designed by the country’s top 30 designers.
The venue of the four-day event — Marriott Hotel — was guarded by the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers.
Kolkata, November 08: Four Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) troopers were killed in an ambush by Maoist rebels in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district Sunday, hours after Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee wrapped up his two-day visit to the district by throwing a challenge to the Left-wing ultras.
“Four policemen have been killed. The bodies have been brought to the Jamboni police station from the spot,” an officer manning the state police control room here told IANS.
“We have heard that some policemen have also been injured. But we don’t know the numbers,” he said.
Greater Noida, November 08: Anirban Lahiri bagged the highest prize money ever on the Aircel-PGTI when he won the BILT Open 2009 golf with a mammoth seven-stroke margin here Sunday.
Bangalore-based Lahiri came up with a sublime effort on the final day to take home the winner’s cheque of Rs.1,616,500 at the at the Jaypee Greens Golf Resort.
The 22-year-old ended the tournament with a total of 20 under 268, having shot one under 71 in the fourth round on Sunday. He thus broke Jyoti Randhawa’s course record of 19 under 269 for 72 holes that was set during the BILT Open last year.
London, November 08: “Lord of the Rings” star Sir Ian McKellen is upset with Whoopi Goldberg after she confused him with a wizard from Harry Potter movie on live TV.
According to the reports, the actor who played Gandalf in the hit trilogy was on “The View” when host Whoopi asked: “Are you coming back in Harry Potter?”
Sir Ian, 70, looked annoyed as he closed his eyes, paused and said: “I don’t play Dumbledore-I play ‘Lord of the Rings’.”
Embarrassed Whoopi apologised before him immediately.
—IANS
New Delhi, November 08: The Delhi Metro services were hit on Sunday and hundreds of passengers were stuck on a newly introduced train for over two hours due to power failure on the Dwarka-Yamuna bank line, police said.
The incident was reported between the R.K. Ashram Marg and the Rajiv Chowk Metro stations around 3.15 p.m.
“Power failure led to non-functioning of signals and the train was halted on the slip track,” a police officer told.
Jizan, November 08: Shiite rebels said Saudi Arabia bombed their positions inside Yemen again Sunday, six days after a cross-border fighting pulled Riyadh into its neighbour’s campaign against the insurgents.
The Zaidi rebels, who were forced towards the mountainous Saudi border by Yemeni troops, told AFP “the Saudis are continuing their air and land shelling of Yemen territory near the border with Saudi Arabia.”
The rebels said that as well as capturing several Saudi soldiers, they also downed a Yemeni government aircraft.
New Delhi, November 08: As Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrived in Arunachal Pradesh on a week-long visit amid opposition from China, foreign policy experts said India has stuck to its position even though the communist nation has been asserting itself on the issue.
Former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra said India has done what it had been doing on the issue in the past.
Jerusalem, November 08: As India and Israel move to deepen their military ties, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor arrived here on a key visit where he is scheduled to hold talks with top military officials.
General Kapoor will hold discussions with senior defence officials as ‘part of regular ongoing exchanges’ to tighten bilateral defence ties. The three-day visit will also allay fears that the CBI enquiry into controversial Barak missile deal may disrupt the robust defence ties between the two countries.
Dhaka,November 08: Bangladesh on Sunday accused Indian border guards of “unprovoked shooting” that left a 12-year-old girl dead at a frontier village two days back and lodged a strong protest asking New Delhi to rein in its forces.
The foreign office handed over a protest note to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka saying “such shooting incidents are in clear violation of the Bangladesh-India Border Guidelines of 1975”.
Mumbai,November 08: Police are investigating whether David Coleman Headley, arrested by the FBI for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror attacks in India, had any role in the Mumbai terror attacks, a senior crime branch official said on Sunday.
“We are probing if Headley was involved in various terror activities here including the 26/11 terror strikes. He had an office in AC market building in Tardeo in south Mumbai. Crime branch team has earlier visited the building,” Joint Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria told a news agency.
Nalbari (Assam), November 08: Parents of ULFA ‘Foreign Secretary’ Sashadhar Choudhury, who surrendered to the BSF in Tripura on Friday, today said that the banned outfit should sit for talks with the government to restore peace in Assam.
Dinabandhu and Bhadravati Choudhury, both in their 80s, told PTI in their house at Helasa village of Nalbari district that they were overwhelmed to see their son on television yesterday after more than 25 years and were eager to meet him.
New Delhi,November 08: Senior Indian Foreign Service officers and colleagues Sunday paid homage to CB Muthamma, the country’s first woman diplomat, describing her as “the stuff of legends” and thanking her for breaking the “glass ceilings”. Muthamma died last month at the age of 85.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao paid warm tributes to the woman who broke the glass ceiling and led the women’s entry into what until then was all-male domain of the prestigious Indian Foreign Service.
New Delhi, November 08:David Coleman Headley, arrested by the FBI for plotting a major terror attack in India at the behest of the LeT, had visited the country, including Mumbai, several times, Home Secretary G K Pillai said on Sunday.
“We do know that Headley had visited India a number of times. That is being investigated,” he told reporters here when asked about media reports which said that the US citizen had visited the country.
“He has been in Mumbai and some other places,” the Home Secretary said to a question about the places Headley had visited in India.
New Delhi, November 08: BJP parliamentary party leader Sushma Swaraj on Sunday announced an end to the Karnataka political crisis. She said that a deal had been reached between the Reddy brothers and BS Yeddyurappa.
“Yeddyurappa and Reddys will work like brothers,” Swaraj said.
The deal comes after Yeddyurappa met the Reddys at Sushma Swaraj’s residence. The crisis seemed headed for a resolution early today when the both the Reddys and Yeddyurappa hinted that an announcement could be made by evening.