Month: November 2009

Muslims in J&K must protect Hindus: Chidambaram

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Jammu, November 04: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram tonight said it was the responsibility of the majority Muslim community in Jammu and Kashmir to protect the Hindus in the state.

“The golden rule of democracy is that the majority has to protect the minority and its sub-rule is that those who are in majority at the national level may be in minority at the state level, which is true in J&K”, Chidambaram said addressing Congress leaders and workers at the PCC headquarters here.

Qatar firm to finance Prophet Mohammed blockbuster

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Dubai, November 04: Newly formed Qatar-based company Alnoor Holdings is raising the finance for a 150-million-dollar blockbuster biopic about the life of the Prophet Mohammed, it said on Tuesday.

Barrie Osborne, a Hollywood movie industry veteran of over 40 years whose credits include Lord of the Rings and The Matrix, has signed up as producer of the documentary epic.

“Barrie Osborne has agreed to produce the film and hopefully we should start to shoot in the first quarter of 2011,” Raja Sharif, Alnoor’s vice-president for international affairs, said.

Obama’s Outreach to Muslim World Teetering

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Washington,November 04: U.S. President Barack Obama’s extraordinary efforts since his first days in office to reassure Muslims in the Greater Middle East about U.S. intentions in the region have suffered a series of setbacks that threaten to reverse whatever gains he has made over the past 10 months in restoring Washington’s badly battered image and influence there.

Thousands of Iranians stage anti-US policy rally

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Tehran, November 04: Thousands of Iranians staged a noisy anti-US policies rally in Tehran Wednesday to mark the 30th anniversary of the storming of the American embassy by students.

US President Barack Obama meanwhile said in a statement marking the anniversary of the event that Iran “must choose” whether to open the door to opportunity and prosperity.

Huge crowds from early morning descended on the embassy complex in central Tehran.

The crowd was constantly being swelled by people arriving on foot and by bus, witnesses said.

India allowed perpetrators of terror attacks to escape: Army chief

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New Delhi, November 04: India had repeatedly allowed the perpetrators of terror attacks to get away, Indian Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor said on Wednesday while stressing that the country could not “afford a repeat of 26/11”.

“The US has not allowed a second 9/11, Indonesia has not allowed a second Bali,” Kapoor said, adding that India had allowed those behind the “2001 Parliament attack, Delhi blasts and Mumbai terror attack” to get away.

Narendra Modi likely to resume work Friday

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Gandhinagar, November 04: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who was diagnosed with swine flu last week, has recovered and is expected to resume office work Friday, officials said Wednesday.

Diagnosed with Influenza A (H1N1) virus late Thursday following his return from Russia, 60-year-old Modi has shown rapid recovery.

He was declared “completely healthy” by the team of doctors attending on him Tuesday, but has been advised rest until Thursday when his week-long period of “isolation” ends.

Woman boxer found dead in L.B Stadium

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Hyderabad, November 04: An upcoming woman boxer, who had represented Andhra Pradesh in the national championships, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in her hostel room at a stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

S Amravati, 21, who was found in her room in the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) hostel at the Lal Bahadur Stadium, was suspected to have committed suicide by taking sleeping pills. She had been undergoing coaching for three years.

Ban on pre-paid mobiles stays in Kashmir: Chidambaram

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Jammu, November 04: Home Minister P. Chidambaram Wednesday evening ruled out lifting the ban on pre-paid mobile connections in Jammu and Kashmir in the near future.

Addressing a press conference in Jammu in the evening, the home minister said there were security concerns that guided the decision of his ministry.

The announcement has dealt a serious blow to the leadership of Kashmir that was hoping for an announcement reversing the ban.

The state has nearly four million pre-paid connections. The ban came into effect Nov 1.

—IANS

Paa movie: Big B plays role of slightly retarded boy

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Mumbai, November 04: Taking up challenging roles and doing justice to them is hobby of Bollywood Shahenshah Amitabh Bachchan. This time he has played a different and demanding role in the forthcoming Paa.

Though the character he played is challenging, Big B has magnificently played it. The flick also features Junior Bachchan-Abhishek Bachchan.

In the flick, Abhisek is in role of Big B’s father. The story revolves around the boy (Amitabh) who suffers a critical and rare congenital disease- Progeria.

Khans do not rule Bollywood: Ajay Devgan

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Bhopal, November 04: Actor-producer Ajay Devgn, who is riding high on the success of his latest flick ‘All The Best’, does not believe that Khans (Shah Rukh, Salman, Aamir) rule the Bollywood.

“It is totally wrong to say or assume that the Khans dominate the Bollywood film industry. I try to do the best I can,” Devgn, who was recently seen in Vipul Shah’s ‘London Dreams’ along with Salman, said.

The actor added that he detests going to award functions and would rather prefer his work to speak for him.

India to participate in Abu Dhabi judo tournament

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Abu Dhabi, November 04: Around 30 countries, including India, will participate in the international judo tournament here Nov 20-21, news agency reported on Wednesday.

The two-day event will be held at the Al-Jazira sports and cultural club.

The tournament was earlier organised in Europe and Africa.

Yemen, Iraq, Tunisia, Algeria, India, Iran, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Brazil, Romania, Poland, Latvia, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan have already confirmed their participation in the tournament.

India not deterred by China’s activities in South Asia says Rao

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New Delhi, November 04: Taking note of China’s so-called ‘string of pearls’ strategy of expanding influence in its neighbourhood, India Wednesday said such developments should not “deter or dilute” India’s efforts to seek closer ties with its South Asian neighbours.

“China’s relations with our South Asian neighbours are also growing in many areas with increased trade and economic activity, political level interaction, and cultural and educational exchanges, apart from transportation links and connectivity,” Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said at a conference on South Asia here.

Tribals areas can’t be developed under shadow of gun: PM

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New Delhi, November 04: In a clear message to Maoists, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said no sustained economic activity is possible under the shadow of gun in tribal areas where decades of alienation is taking a” dangerous” turn.

He said there has been a “systemic failure” in giving tribals a stake in the modern economic processes and emphasised that the “systematic exploitation and social and economic abuse of our tribal communities can no longer be tolerated.”

PM ‘deeply regrets’ Chandigarh man’s death

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New Delhi, November 04: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday expressed his “profound sense of sadness” over the death of a man at the PGIMER hospital in Chandigarh for want of timely treatment due to security restrictions in place for his visit there.

The family of Sumit Verma, 32, has demanded compensation and a job for his kin.

Narendra Modi likely to resume work Friday

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Gandhinagar, November 04: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who was diagnosed with swine flu last week, has recovered and is expected to resume office work Friday, officials said on Wednesday.

Diagnosed with Influenza A (H1N1) virus late Thursday following his return from Russia, 60-year-old Modi has shown rapid recovery.

He was declared “completely healthy” by the team of doctors attending on him Tuesday, but has been advised rest until Thursday when his week-long period of “isolation” ends.

South Korea swine flu toll rises to 45

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Seoul, November 04: South Korean health officials said Wednesday three more people have died of swine flu, raising to 45 the number of fatalities from the viral disease in the country, news agency reported on Wednesday.

A three-year-old baby and two men were the latest victims of the H1N1 virus, the health and family affairs ministry said in a statement.

“The baby had no symptoms of pneumonia, but there was a possibility that the virus might have intruded into his brain,” said Kwon Joon-wook of the Korea Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

Satyam scam: CBI team back from Mauritius, second chargesheet soon

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New Delhi, November 04: A second charge sheet in the multi-crore Satyam scam will be filed soon as the CBI team probing the case has returned from Mauritius with some bank details from the island nation.

The CBI team had gone to probe the alleged diversion of funds by disgraced Satyam founder B Ramalinga Raju to the country for further re-routing back in India to the fictitious firms set up by the accused, official sources said.

Two boarding schools, 5-star hotels on LeT target: MHA

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New Delhi, November 04: Two leading boarding schools located in prominent hill stations in a north Indian state and a few five star hotels in popular tourist spots are targets of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a senior home ministry official said today.

According to intelligence input, the terrorist group was planning to attack the two schools and the hotels, regularly frequented by foreign tourists, he said.

India’s Luwang in Asian Indoor Archery meet semis

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Kolkata, November 04: Putting up a confident display, India’s Maisnam Chinglensana Luwang moved into the semi-finals of the men’s compound individual event of the 3rd Asian Indoor Games archery meet in Hanoi, Vietnam, Wednesday.

Luwang will clash with Reza Zamaninejad of Iran at the Haiphong Youth Gymnasium Thursday for a place in the final. Zamaninejad won one leg of the World Cup in 2007.

Other Indian archers did not measure up to the expectation and lost either in pre-quarterfinals or in quarterfinals, according to information received here.

Blast in Chandipur test range kills one, leaves two injured

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Bhubaneswar, November 04: One person was killed and two others were injured Wednesday when a blast took place inside Orissa’s Chandipur test range campus while ammunition was being loaded, police said.

“The blast happened when some people were loading ammunition. The ammunition blasted, leading to the casualty,” said Superintendent of Police (Balasore) Lekha Lohani.

According to informed sources, the accident occurred around 5 p.m. The injured have been admitted to hospital.

Three held for killing two eunuchs

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New Delhi, November 04: Three men were arrested Wednesday for the murder of two eunuchs in the capital last month, police said.

Two eunuchs were found murdered last month in their house in Jamia Nagar, south Delhi.

“We have arrested their driver Rajesh and he has confessed to the crime. We have also arrested his two accomplices, Somveer and Khalil,” a police officer said.

On conducting raids at various places in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, police traced Rajesh and Somveer to a town in Madhya Pradesh and Khalil was arrested from Uttar Pradesh.

Abu Dhabi’s GDP grew 30 percent in 2008

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Abu Dhabi, November 04: Despite the global financial crisis and a sharp rise in commodity prices, Abu Dhabi’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose from 17.2 percent in 2007 to 30 percent in 2008, WAM news agency reported Wednesday.
The Abu Dhabi Economic Report 2009, which made the observations, was released by the Department of Economic Development (DED) here Wednesday.

Tajikistan announces amnesty for 10,000 prisoners

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Kazakhstan, November 04: Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmon has signed an amnesty, granting freedom to some 10,000 prisoners, officials said on Wednesday.

The amnesty was passed to mark the 15th anniversary of Tajikistan’s constitution Nov 6, the country’s presidential news service said.

The prisoners were held for minor crimes and make up nearly half of the inmates lodged in Tajikistan jails, Xinhua reported.

The amnesty excludes those serving sentences for crimes such as terrorism, pillage, fraud, premeditated murder and treason.

Raids at Koda’s places not a political issue says Congress

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New Delhi, November 04: The Congress party on Wednesday denied that it was in the know of the raids conducted on former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda’s residence and his associates’ offices across the country.

“It is totally unfounded. We don’t look at the issue politically,” said Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed, reacting to a question whether the move against Koda was with the knowledge of the party.

The party also maintained that the raids were not a political issue. “It is a question of probity in public life,” Ahmed told reporters here.

Cambodia appoints former Thai PM as advisor

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Phnom Penh, November 04: Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was appointed as economic advisor to the Cambodian government, officials said on Wednesday.

He will also be a private advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Xinhua reported.

King Norodom Sihamoni has formally appointed Thaksin to the posts on Oct 27 at the request of prime minister and in accordance with the country’s constitution, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

Thaksin has been living in self-exile in foreign countries since he was toppled from power in 2006.