Month: November 2009

Modi free of swine flu symptoms: Doctors

by

Ahmedabad, November 03: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is free of swine flu symptoms, doctors attending to him said today.

“Narendra Modi has no traces of swine flu in his body,” Dr Atul Patel, a member of the team said.

However, Modi has been advised rest till Thursday and he could start working from Friday, he said.

The BJP leader had complained of cough, fever and body ache last Friday after his return from Russia and tested positive for swine flu the same day.

–Agencies

Public hearing on climate change on tomorrow in Jaipur

by

Jaipur, November 03: A public hearing on ‘Climate Change: Voices from rain fed region’ aimed at informing global players about the impact that poors are the worst affected of the climate change will be organised here tomorrow.

“Over 300 people representatives and NGOs from 11 rainfed and drought affected states of the country will participate in the hearing organised by organisation ‘Oxfam India’ at HCM-RIPA camps in the city,” Convener, Vijay Pratap told reporters here today.

Dutta faces disciplinary action

by

Kolkata, November 03: Bengal police officer Atindranath Dutta, who was released unharmed after being kidnapped by Maoists last month, faces disciplinary action for not joining work.

“Two days after he returned home on October 24 we served him a notice asking him to resume work after three days, but he didn’t respond,” West Midnapore Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Verma told PTI over phone.

Dutta, the Officer-in-Charge of Sankrail Police Station in West Midnapore district, was given another notice on October 31 to resume duty within three days, but no answer was received, he said.

Arrest me if I have links with Maoists: Mamata

by

Nandigram (WB), November 03: With CPI(M) accusing the Trinamool Congress of having links with Maoists, its chief Mamata Banerjee today dared the West Bengal government to arrest her if the charge is true.

“The government should arrest me if I have any link with Maoists. I challenge them,” Banerjee told a public meeting here at Sonachura here.

She said “we don’t want to oust CPI-M through imposition of President’s rule. The people will do so through democratic means.”

CMs meet on forest rights act, PM to address

by

New Delhi, November 03: Chief Ministers and tribal development ministers from various states will huddle here in a meet, to be addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to review the implementation of the legislation guaranteeing the land rights of the tribals and other forest dwellers.

The three-day conference assumes importance as many states are lagging behind to meet the deadline of year-end to start distribution of title deeds to the tribals under Scheduled Tribes and Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, commonly known as Forest Rights Act.

Police seize marijuana worth Rs 24.80 lakh, arrest six

by

Mumbai, November 03: In one of the biggest hauls of marijuana (Ganja) in recent times, city police seized 12.40 quintals of the drug worth over Rs 24.80 lakh after busting an alleged inter-state racket and arresting six persons, including an former government employee and woman in this connection.

The alleged kingpin of the racket, Ravi, who is operating from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and supplying the drug from there, is still at large, police said, adding some more are likely to be arrested in this case.

Malegaon blast accused remand extended till Nov 16

by

Nashik, November 03: A local court today extended the judicial custody of 11 accused, including Sadhvi Pragnyasingh Thakur, in the Malegaon blast cast till November 16.

All the accused, except Sadhvi Pragnya, were produced before Additional District and Sessions Court Judge Govind Sanap, public prosecutor Ajay Misar told.

Pragnya was being treated for spinal problem in a city based ayurvedic college hospital and thus could not be produced in the court, Misar added.

The blast in Malegaon in September last year had claimed six lives and left several injured.

–Agencies

Bangladeshi national arrested

by

Gurdaspur, November 03: Police claimed to have arrested a Bangladeshi national, while he was crossing over to Pakistan from Bamial sector on Saturday, BSF said today.

The Bangladeshi was produced in a local court in Pathankot on Monday and remanded to police custody for four days and later handed over police at Amritsar for further interrogation.

The arrested Bangladeshi national was identified as Mohammed Rahizul, alias Mian, resident of Jalsuha falling in Habibganj district of Bangladesh.

Baghdad: 7 swine flu deaths in Iraq since May

by

Baghdad, November 03: Seven people have died of swine flu in Iraq since May, the health ministry said on Tuesday, announcing the first deaths in the violence-ravaged country caused by the A(H1N1) virus.

Five people died of swine flu in Baghdad, one in the southern port city of Basra and another in the Shiite shrine city of Najaf in central Iraq, health ministry spokesman Sabah Abdullah said.

Iraq inks mega oil deal with BP, CNPC

by

Baghdad, November 03: Iraq on Tuesday formally signed a deal worth 14 to 20 billion dollars with Britain’s BP and China’s CNPC to almost triple production at a giant southern oilfield.

The venture is expected to boost production at the southern Rumaila field from the current one million barrels per day to around 2.8 million bpd over its 20-year duration.

Rumaila is already integral to Iraq’s oil output, contributing almost half of the nation’s current production of around 2.5 million bpd, and is estimated to have further reserves of 17.7 billion barrels.

Samir Geagea in new/old Lebanon accusations

by

Beirut, November 03: Lebanese Christian leader Samir Geagea made another “wild” accusation on Monday against Iran and Syria, alleging that they are hindering the formation of a cabinet in Lebanon.

Observers say Geagea, a former militia leader accused of ordering four political accusations, is known for his “wild” and “baseless” accusations, especially against pro-Hezbollah sates Syria and Iran.

Lebanon has been without government since a general vote in June.

Iran wants negotiated deal, not US deal

by

Tehran, November 03: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday Tehran will reject any dialogue if its result is pre-determined by Washington, raising the possibility a mooted nuclear fuel deal may be derailed.

“We do not want any negotiation, the result of which is pre-determined by the United States,” Khamenei said in a speech to students on the eve of Wednesday’s 30th anniversary of the US embassy seizure by students in Tehran.

Carter Centre urges Sudanese to agree on poll

by

Khartoum, November 03: The US-based Carter Centre, which has been charged with monitoring preparations for Sudanese elections next April, criticised the Khartoum authorities on Tuesday for impeding poll observers.

The Carter Centre “expressed concerns about the obstacles facing election observers, including delays in finalising their accreditation procedures and delays in election preparations, as well as continued reports of harassment of political party and civil society activity.”

Norwegian Uni mulls academic boycott of Israel

by

Oslo, November 03: The Norwegian University of Science and Technology will decide next week whether to launch an academic boycott of Israel due to its occupation of the Palestinian territories, officials said Tuesday.

The NTNU institute, Norway’s second biggest university located in the western town of Trondheim, said it would consider on November 12 a proposal initiated by more than 30 professors.

Sheikh Khalifa re-elected UAE president

by

Dubai, November 03: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan was re-elected president of the United Arab Emirates for a second five-year term on Tuesday, the official news agency WAM announced.

The Supreme Federal Council, made up of the rulers of the seven emirates in the UAE, selected Sheikh Khalifa, 61.

He first rose to the presidency as oil-rich Abu Dhabi’s ruler in 2004 on the death of his father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, who founded the Gulf state in 1971.

The council designates both the president and vice president.

No precise number for contractors in Iraq

by

Washington, November 03: The US government has no precise figure for how many contractors are employed in Iraq and Afghanistan, inviting the risk of fraud and security threats, a US commission warned on Monday.

“It is both peculiar and troubling that eight years after the overthrow of the Taliban regime, in Afghanistan, and more than six years since the overthrow of Baathist regime in Iraq, we still don’t know how many contractor employees are working in the region,” said Michael Thibault, co-chairman of the commission on wartime contracting.

Obama team loses face on Israeli settlements

by

Washington, November 03: The Obama administration must devise a fresh plan to restart Arab-Israeli peace talks after losing face with a backtracking on its demands for a full Jewish settlement freeze, analysts said Monday.

President Barack Obama’s team has disappointed many Palestinians and other Arabs who long for it to fulfill both its initial tough stance on settlements and a broader pledge to improve ties with the Muslim world, they said.

UAE builds world’s first Arabic speaking robot

by

Abu Dhabi, November 03: A laboratory in the UAE has built what it says is the world’s first Arabic-speaking robot which could soon go into mass production to serve as staff in shopping malls.

Ibn Sina, named after the 11th century Islamic philosopher and scientist commonly known in English as Avicenna, was designed by a team at UAE University in the city of Al-Ain, which is part of Abu Dhabi emirate.

“It is the world’s first Arabic-speaking conversational humanoid robot,” Nikolaos Mavridis, assistant professor of computer science at the university who led the team, said.

The lone woman minister in Karnataka storm is a gritty fighter

by

Bangalore, November 03: Shobha Karandlaje, the lone woman minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) first ministry in Karnataka, whose scalp is being demanded by the rebels, is not perturbed.

“Allegations and insinuations are not new to me,” she retorts in response to dissidents’ charge of her overbearing attitude and interference in other ministries. Karandlaje is considered close to beleaguered Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

Delhi cabinet gives nod to new mediation centres

by

New Delhi, November 03: To provide speedy justice and reduce backlog of pending cases in city courts, the Delhi government Tuesday decided to open mediation centres across the national capital.

“In order to provide speedy justice economically and reduce backlog of pending cases in the courts, it has been decided to get registered Delhi Disputes Resolution society to pave the way for creation of a number of mediation centres in different parts of the city,” Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said after the cabinet meeting here.

Initially four mediation centres will start functioning.

Jamiat issue fatwa against “Vande Mataram”, BJP termed it anti-national

by

Lucknow, November 03: The Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind on Tuesday supported a decree against the national song “Vande Mataram” on the grounds that some of its lines were “against the religious principles of Islam”. The move drew fierce criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which termed the move “anti-national”.

Delhi court issues bailable warrant against Amar Singh

by

New Delhi, November 03: Taking a serious view of the non-appearance of Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, a city court Tuesday issued a bailable arrest warrant against him for not deposing in a two-year-old case.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja issued the warrant against Singh against a bail amount of Rs.10,000 for Dec 22. The court noted that Singh had earlier on two occasions failed to appear before it, citing various reasons.

Babri Masjid demolition act of religious fanaticism: PC

by

Deoband, November 03: Terming demolition of Babri Masjid as an act of religious fanaticism and extreme prejudice, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said communalism in all its forms was deplorable and asserted that it was the duty of the majority community to protect the minorities.

Community colleges in India need government funding: IGNOU

by

New Delhi, Nvoember 03: Community colleges which are making their advent in the country need strong government funding, experts said at an interactive meeting Tuesday at the Indira Gandhi National Open University.

“IGNOU has tried to expand the scope of community colleges in the country. This is an alternative system of education which aims to empower individuals through appropriate skill development leading to gainful employment in collaboration with the local industry and community,” IGNOU Vice Chancellor V.N. Rajashekharan Pillai said.

Nepal Maoists call off airport blockade after world concern

by

Kathmandu, November 03: Nepal’s former Maoist guerrillas, who have kept up a siege on parliament since May and Monday launched fresh street protests against the coalition government, finally capitulated to growing pressure from the international community and called off their proposed blockade of the airport next week.