Month: December 2009

Congress for reviving committee of MLAs on Telangana

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Hyderabad, December 03: In the backdrop of fast-unto-death by TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao for separate Telangana state, the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh today favoured reviving a committee of legislators, which was constituted earlier this year, to address the vexed issue.

“That committee was constituted to remove apprehensions about the formation of separate Telangana. I feel we are not making use of it. All parties should join the committee. I think it is a wonderful opportunity to sort out the issue,” state Congress president D Srinivas told reporters today.

No proposal to privatise engineering colleges: Assam CM

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Guwahati, December 01: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today clarified that there is no proposal to privatise government engineering colleges and polytechnic institutes in the state.

“There is no such proposal. It is a wrong propaganda and a communication gap. I am making it clear that there is no proposal to privatise engineering colleges and polytechnic institutes,” Gogoi told reporters here.

Abhay and I have similar acting styles: Sonam Kapoor

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New Delhi, December 03: Actress Sonam Kapoor, who is playing the female lead in dad Anil Kapoor’s home production “Aisha”, says she and co-star Abhay Deol have similar acting styles, making it easier for her to give her best.

“It was great working with Abhay. I feel we have very similar acting styles that made working with him so easy. It’s always nice to work with someone who has done the kind of work you would want to do,” Sonam told the media over phone from Mumbai.

Samajwadi Party to observe Babri anniversary as black day

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New Delhi, December 03: The Samajwadi Party (SP) today said it would observe the anniversary of the Babri Mosque demolition on Dec 6 as a “black day”, and accused the Congress-led central government of giving a clean chit to former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao as an “expression of gratitude”.

Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said the Liberhan Commission had given a “clean chit” to Narasimha Rao, who was the prime minister when the Babri Mosque was razed by Hindu zealots on Dec 6, 1992.

Question hour facing crisis: Meira Kumar

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New Delhi, December 03: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar today expressed anguish over the frequent disruptions of question hour.

“The question hour is facing a crisis. We are unable to conduct it properly,” Meira Kumar said when Samajwadi Party MPs advanced towards the speaker’s podium during question hour demanding a statement by the government on the divestment of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).

The agitating MPs returned to their seat after the speaker assured them that their leader Mulayam Singh Yadav would be allowed to raise the matter during zero hour.

Sehwag, Vijay decimate SL bowling with double century

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Mumbai, December 03: Virender Sehwag blazed his way to his 17th hundred, his second in as many matches, and shared a double century partnership with fellow-opener Murali Vijay as India reached 260 for one at tea on the second day of the third and final Test here today.

The 31-year-old Delhi dasher, who completed 6,000 Test runs in the morning session in his 72nd Test, clobbered the visiting bowlers in his typical fashion to race to his hundred off only 101 balls.

He is the third fastest out of eight Indians to reach the milestone in his 123rd innings.

Four injured in Peshawar blast near police post

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Peshawar, December 03: A bomb went off near a police check post in the suburbs of this Pakistani city today, injuring four persons, including three policemen.

The timed explosive device was planted beneath a bridge close to the check post in Regi area near the Peshawar University. The powerful explosion was heard from five kilometres away.

Ambulances rushed to the site to take the injured to nearby hospitals.

Officials said three policemen were among four persons injured in the blast, the latest in a series of attacks targeting security forces in Peshawar.

Four injured in Peshawar blast near police post

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Peshawar, December 03: A bomb went off near a police check post in the suburbs of this Pakistani city today, injuring four persons, including three policemen.

The timed explosive device was planted beneath a bridge close to the check post in Regi area near the Peshawar University. The powerful explosion was heard from five kilometres away.

Ambulances rushed to the site to take the injured to nearby hospitals.

Officials said three policemen were among four persons injured in the blast, the latest in a series of attacks targeting security forces in Peshawar.

Eight suspected Maoists held in Bihar

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Patna, Dec 03: Eight suspected Maoist guerrillas were arrested in Bihar’s Aurangabad district, police said Thursday.

The arrests took place during a joint operation involving police and the Special Task Force.

‘The Maoists were arrested while they were holding a ‘jan adalat’ (people’s court),’ a police official said.

Aurangabad and its neighbouring districts of Gaya, Jehanabad and Arwal are regarded as a stronghold of Maoist guerrillas.

–IANS

RBI may revise upwards FY10 growth forecast

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New Delhi, Dec 03: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to revise upwards the economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year to March when it reviews policy in January, a deputy governor said on Thursday.

Usha Thorat also said money supply in the current year has been showing slower growth.

The central bank at its last review in October forecast economic expansion of 6 percent with an upward bias.

On Monday, government data showed the economy grew at its fastest pace in 18 months at 7.9 percent in the quarter through September.

–Agencies

Minor girl raped, attacked

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Kanpur, December 03: A minor girl was allegedly raped and attacked by two unidentified youths in Bachana village of Knapur (rural) district, police said today.

The 13-year-old girl, who along with her mother had gone to the nearby fields yesterday evening, was forcibly taken to a deserted place and raped, they said, adding, she was attacked on her neck by a sharp-edged weapon when she shouted for help.

The girl was admitted to a hospital in critical condition, they said.

Lok Sabha adjourned as Trinamool MPs create ruckus

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New Delhi, Dec 03: Trinamool Congress MPs Thursday disrupted the Lok Sabha proceedings during Zero Hour over the recent political clashes in West Bengal, forcing the speaker to adjourn the house till 2 p.m.

Speaker Meira Kumar asked Trinamool leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay to first give a notice on the issue they wanted to raise when the MPs led by him rose to their feet soon after the question hour.

‘Give me a notice. I am in the dark (on the Trinamool’s issue) at this moment,’ the speaker told the agitating Trinamool MPs.

Food prices must be reined in: C. Rangarajan

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New Delhi, Dec 03: The Prime Minister’s economic panel on Thursday voiced the need to control food inflation from the current 17 per cent level to check an upward spiral in manufacturing inflation.

“Food prices must be controlled, otherwise they have a tendency to lead to manufacturing inflation,” Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council Chairman C Rangarajan said here.

He said this will require monetary action by the Reserve Bank, especially towards managing money supply.

N-plant processes under review after Kaiga incident: Chavan

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New Delhi, Dec 03: Government on Thursday said it was reviewing processes and procedures at all nuclear power stations following the “deliberate” contamination of drinking water at the Kaiga Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in which 92 employees suffered radiation.

Making a suo-motu statement in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State in PMO Prithviraj Chavan there was no security breach or damage to KAPS and “all the plant systems are operating safely.”

Gogoi appeals to ULFA leaders to come for talks

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Guwahati, Dec 03: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today appealed to all top ULFA leaders to come for negotiations and said the Government has received encouraging signals from the militant outfit to hold peace talks.

He also said that his government favoured safe passage to the outfit’s leaders if they come for talks.

“There must be an end to the mindless violence in the state. We are keeping our doors open for all of them. The top ULFA leaders including Paresh Barua must respond to the peoples’ desire for peace,” Mr. Gogoi told reporters here.

Hottest star in the galaxy discovered

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London, Dec 03: Astronomers have discovered one of the fieriest stars in the galaxy which is 35 times hotter than the sun.

The dying star which has a surface temperature of 200,000 degrees was captured by astronomers at Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics in the University of Manchester by using the recently refurbished Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

The star was located at centre of the Bug Nebula which is about 3,500 light years away in the constellation Scorpius.

Pak maintaining ties with militants as a hedge:Gates

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Washington, December 03: Despite taking strong military action against militants in recent months, the Pakistani establishment has maintained relationship with those extremist groups as a hedge, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said.

“The Pakistanis’ relationship with these groups dates back to when I was dealing with them more than 20 years ago when we were taking on the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. These relationships between the Pakistanis and these groups were established then as the vehicle for taking on the Soviets,” Gates said.
–PTI

US approves use of human embryonic stem cells

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Washington, Dec 03: The National Institute of Health (NIH) in the US has approved the use of first 13 human embryonic stem cells in the country.

The NIH-funded research for this purpose had started in July 2009. Children’s hospital, Boston has developed 11 of these stem cell lines and Rockefeller University, New York City developed two. An additional 96 lines have been submitted to the NIH for either internal review or consideration.

NIA probing Headley’s possible links in Ajmer

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Jaipur, December 03: National Investigation Agency team is probing whether Pakistani born suspected American terrorist David Coleman Headley visited the holy town of Ajmer after 26/11 attacks last year.

“NIA investigators are probing whether the suspected American terrorist David had visited the holy town of Ajmer after the Mumbai terror attacks last year,” Ajmer SP Hari Prasad Sharma told PTI.

However, Sharma did not divulge any further details about the team and details of their investigation.

Ambani brothers’ gas row has echo in Lok Sabha

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New Delhi, December 03: The gas row between the Ambani brothers had its echo in the Lok Sabha today with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav making a strong plea for gas from Reliance at cheaper rates for state-owned NTPC, a plea also being used by the Anil Ambani group.

Yadav regretted that Petroleum Minister Murli Deora has given an affidavit in the Supreme Court, saying it went against the interests of the NTPC as also against the assurance made in the House by its leader Pranab Mukherjee.

BJP asks Centre to bring bill on Telangana

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New Delhi, December 03: With the agitation for separate Telangana intensifying in Andhra Pradesh, the BJP today exerted pressure on the Centre to bring a bill for carving out a new state and accused Congress of “betraying” people of the region.

Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour, Prakash Javdekar said, “If the government brings a bill for separate Telangana, we will support it without doing the vote politics.”

S Jaipal Reddy afraid of going to Parliament

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New Delhi, December 03: Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy is afraid of going to Parliament as the newly-elected MPs besiege him and ask for development funds but the ministry hardly has any money to spare.

“I am afraid of going to Parliament as newly-elected MPs want schemes for their cities. When urban development ministers of states want to see me, I avoid them as much as I can,” he said in a lighter vein.

Lakhvi challenges his indictment in Lahore High Court

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Islamabsd, Dec 03: LeT operations chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, has challenged his indictment by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court in Lahore High Court and claimed the prosecution does not have enough evidence to prove his involvement in the 26/11 strikes.

Lakhvi’s counsel filed two petitions in the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court yesterday challenging his indictment by the anti-terrorism court last month.

I feel like 18-year-old: Lata Mangeshkar

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Mumbai, December 03: The grand dame of Indian music, Lata Mangeshkar, who has been honoured with France’s highest civilian award, the Insignia of ‘Officier de la Legion d’Honneur’ (Officer of the Legion of Honour), says she continues to grow young with age.

“I turned 81 on September last. But I am very young at heart. So I have reversed the order of the figure. I feel like an 18-year-old,” Lata said while accepting the honour here last evening at a function organised by the French government.

Mamata to visit Cambridge University

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New Delhi, Dec 03: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit Cambridge University early next year to share her thoughts on social, economic and industrial development.

In a communication to Ms. Mamata’s aide, a senior university official has stated that the Deputy Vice—Chancellor is keen to host Ms. Mamata for a select round table discussion with specially invited guests in Cambridge.

“We have received a communication from university authorities about the proposed visit to Cambridge and the minister is not averse to the visit,” sources close to her said.