Abu Dhabi, November 06: Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) inaugurated yesterday the new location of the Arts Workshop in the presence of Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director General of ADACH, Sawsan Khamis Director of the Atelier, officials from ADACH in addition to art teachers and students.
Chandigarh, November 06:The Congress government in Haryana led by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will induct new ministers Saturday, 15 days after the assembly poll results came Oct 22, an official said Friday.
Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia will swear in the new ministers.
The swearing-in ceremony was earlier slated for Friday morning but was called off at the eleventh hour, ostensibly owing to differences within the Congress party and with its supporting legislators over sharing of ministry berths.
Iran, November 06: For opportunistic reasons, the Greens are now accusing Ahmadinejad of selling out Iran’s nuclear rights. That very fact explains why it’s wrong for the United States to try to game Iranian internal politics, notes Robert Dreyfuss.
The Green Movement opposition flexed its muscles again in Iran this week, taking advantage of anti-American protests on the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran (aka “the nest of spies”) to rally thousands of anti-Ahmadinejad protestors into the streets.
Washington, November 06: In Egypt, the 28-year rule of US-backed president Hosni Mubarak has been most notable for political intimidation of opponents, suppression of dissent, and silencing any and all who dare challenge his authority, notes Rannie Amiri.
Washington, November 06:The US unemployment rate surged to 10.2 percent in October, the highest in 26 years, as another 190,000 people lost their jobs during the month, officials said Friday.
The figure reported by US Labour Department came after the 9.8 percent jobless rate in September. The worst-hit sectors were construction, manufacturing and the retail trade, the department said.
Unemployment has now climbed above 10 percent for the first time since 1983. The rise was worse than expected – economists predicted 175,000 jobs lost and a 9.9-percent rate in October.
Tel Aviv, November 06: Israel kept mum on Friday on Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas’s announcement that he would not seek re-election, but officials said Tel Aviv is keen on Abbas remaining in office.
The government has refrained from official comment on Abbas’s announcement late on Thursday that he would not stand in the Palestinian general elections he has called for January.
“This is an internal (Palestinian) affair,” Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told public radio. “We don’t interfere in others’ internal affairs.”
Cairo, November 06: Despite a number of positive economic indicators, Egypt has a hunger problem: Nearly a third of all children are malnourished, according to a new report compiled by the Ministry of Health and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
The Egyptian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) 2008, published in March 2009, recorded a 6 percent increase in undernourishment severe enough to stunt growth in children under five, pushing the percentage of stunted Egyptian toddlers to 29 percent from 23 percent in 2000.
New Delhi, November 06:Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday condoled the death of veteran journalist Prabhash Joshi, describing him as “a man of extraordinary intellectual courage and professional integrity”.
“Joshi was a man of extraordinary intellectual courage and professional integrity. He acquired an iconic status as the founder-editor of the Hindi daily, Jansatta. A whole generation of journalists drew inspiration from him, especially in questioning the current orthodoxy,” Manmohan Singh said in his condolence message.
United Nations, November 06: The UN General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on Israel and the Palestinians to probe war crimes allegedly committed in Gaza nearly a year ago.
The vote, capping a two-day debate in the 192-member assembly on a controversial UN report that has accused both sides of war crimes during the 22-day conflict in the Gaza Strip, was 114 in favor and 18 against, with 44 abstentions.
Abu Dhabi, November 06: The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) has launched a new photography competition for young talents aged 16-21 year-old.
The competition is open for all residents in UAE to encourage youngsters to practice the art of photography which is an important factor of cultural and artistic movement.
The theme of the competition is open for all kind of pictures with new ideas.
Washington, November 06: At approximately 1:30 p.m. CST today, a soldier went on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, killing 12 people and wounding at least 31 others, according to base commander Lieutenant-General Bob Cone.
Truthout spoke with an Army Specialist who is an active-duty Iraq war veteran currently stationed at the base. The soldier spoke on condition of anonymity since the base is now on “lockdown,” and all “non-authorized” military personnel on the base have been ordered not to speak to the press.
Ludhiana, November 06: Rail traffic on the busy Amritsar-New Delhi section was severely hit Friday as mobs demanding justice for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, stopped trains at various places in Punjab, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
Over 20 trains were either halted for a few hours or diverted to alternate routes due to the widespread agitation. The protesters also pelted stones at an engine in Ferozepur division.
Bhopal, November 06: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minsiter Shivraj Singh Chauhan on Friday did a Raj Thackeray when he said workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were not welcome in his state.
“We create industries in Satna and people from Bihar & UP come to work here- this will be unacceptable. We should train our own youth and give then jobs,” he said
Hyderabad, November 06: Reprimanded by her mother for not eating properly and taking care of her health, a degree student tried to end her life by consuming sleeping pills on Thursday. The 18-year-old girl, B Swarnalatha, is a BCom First Year student of Lal Bahadur College at Asif Nagar. She stays with her mother, Saroja, at NBT Nagar in Banjara Hills. Swarnalatha had gone with her mother, Saroja, to attend a family function at Bholakpur on November 3. From there, they went to her aunt’s house at S R Nagar the next day.
New Delhi, November 06: The Supreme Court Friday sought advocate Prashant Bhushan’s response to a plea seeking launch of contempt of court proceedings against him for allegedly accusing a sitting apex court judge S.H. Kapadia of judicial impropriety.
Prashant Bhushan, in a recent interview to Tehelka magazine, raised the issue of judicial corruption and also whether a judge having any stake in a business firm should hear and decide cases involving the firm.
Mumbai, November 06: After a 15-day long wait, Maharashtra chief minister-elect Ashok Chavan Friday staked formal claim to forming the new government with the support of 170 legislators.
The swearing-in ceremony of the new Democratic Front government will be held here Saturday evening.
Chavan, along with deputy chief minister-designate Chhagan Bhujbal and top office-bearers of both Congress and Nationalist Congress Party met Governor S.C. Jamir at the Raj Bhavan and submitted the letters of support of 170 legislators.
New Delhi, November 06: Telecom service provider Bharti Airtel Friday launched a centre where functions relating to human resource, supply chain, finance and tax would be undertaken for the entire company.
The unit, Centre for Shared Services for Taxation, was inaugurated by Central Board of Excise and Customs chairman V. Sridhar.
“The shared services initiative is part of an overall transformation programme undertaken by us to improve the efficiency, speed and quality of service,” said Bharti Airtel chief executive and joint managing director Manoj Kohli.
New Delhi, November 06: Smokers beware! Ticket examiners and Railway Protection Force (RPF) assistant sub-inspectors have been authorised to take action against those found smoking in trains and on railway platforms.
The health ministry has issued a notification in this regard.
As per the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules 2008, the law imposes strict ban on smoking in public places. Those found smoking in public places can be charged up to Rs.200.
New York, November 06: Four persons of Indian origin are among those charged in America’s largest ever insider trading case replete with all the elements of a classic television crime drama – wiretaps, clandestine cash handoffs and people with nicknames like “the Greek” and “the Octopussy”.
As outlined by federal prosecutors in New York Thursday, a trader known as “the Octopussy” is at the centre of the ring which included two Indians, Deep Shah, a Moody’s Investors Service analyst, and Gautham Shankar, a former proprietary trader at Schottenfeld Group in New York.
Japan, November 06: A Japanese man collecting mushrooms in a mountain area today found the severed head of a young woman, believed to be a college student missing since last month, news reports said.
The man made the grisly find near the 1223-metre peak of Mount Garyu in the north of Hiroshima prefecture, where he was gathering wild mushrooms, Jiji Press reported, quoting police sources.
Police suspect the head may be that of a local 19-year-old college student who has been missing since October 26, Jiji said.
—Agencies
Hyderabad, November 06: A student of the Villa Marie College at Somajiguda here jumped to death from the fourth floor of the college building on Thursday allegedly unable to bear the humiliation meted out to her by her friends.
Police registered a case against four students for driving the victim, B Anusha (20) of B.Com final year (foreign trade), to suicide.
Ranchi, November 06: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Friday made its first arrest in the Rs.2,500 crore money laundering scam allegedly involving Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda by nabbing an associate who was later sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
Kolkata, November 06: At least 3 kg of explosives, five guns and two improvised rocket launchers were recovered Friday from Maoist-affected Bankura district in West Bengal, police said.
“Two suspected Maoists rebels, riding a motorcycle, were spotted by police while carrying explosives with them. They left the jute bag on the spot and fled towards the bordering West Midnapore district,” Bankura Superintendent of Police Vishal Garg said.
“The explosive recovered is generally used for making land mines. No one has been arrested in the case so far,” he said.
New Delhi, November 06: Commerce Minister Anand Sharma Friday said there would be no review of present policy on foreign direct investment in the retail and aviation sectors.
The statement comes after S. Robson Walton, chairman of global retail giant Wal-Mart, met him and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently to push for removing the restriction on foreign direct investment in organised multi-brand retail.
Kolkata, November 06: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Friday announced that former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly will lead the side in the Indian Premier League (IPL) season-III next year, replacing New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum.
The management in a statement also appointed Australian Dav Whatmore as the new coach.