Month: December 2009

Govt’s latest Telangana move evokes mixed reactions

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Hyderabad, December 31: The decision of the central government to call a meeting January 5 of leaders of eight recognised political parties of Andhra Pradesh to discuss bifurcation of the state to carve out a Telangana state evoked contradictory reactions within the ruling Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

With the two major parties vertically divided on regional lines, the leadership is now in a dilemma on the stand to be taken at the meeting.

Telangana denting Brand Hyderabad

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THE Telangana tussle seems to be affecting industrial investments in Andhra Pradesh. Some industrialists from the state have claimed the ongoing agitation has caused severe damage to Brand Hyderabad.

The industrialists, representing a powerful lobby from coastal Andhra, met chief minister K. Rosaiah and governor ESL Narasimhan on Tuesday evening and submitted a report. (Narasimhan has been given the additional charge of Andhra Pradesh after N.D. Tiwari resigned from the post on ‘health grounds’).

New amendments to empower victims: Report

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New Delhi, December 31: The Centre will amend the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to empower victims to appeal against a court order acquitting an accused, or convicting the accused of a lesser offence, an Indian daily reported on Thursday.

“Under the amended Section 372 CrPC, the victim will not need the permission of any law enforcement or prosecuting agency to appeal a court order,” the daily reported. Till now an appeal can be made only if the prosecution decides so.

Government employees in Kashmir on strike

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Srinagar, December 31: Government employees Wednesday struck work across the Kashmir Valley, demanding implementation of the agreement signed between their representatives and the Jammu and Kashmir government this August.

Government offices in the state’s summer capital Srinagar and other district headquarters in the Valley wore a deserted look as employees went on a day’s protest strike.

‘Slumdog’ star Rubina’s shack smashed

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Mumbai, December 31: After walking the red carpet at the prestigious Oscars, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ child star Rubina Ali now sits on the ruins of her home in Mumbai.

The 10-year-old Rubina has been rendered homeless as her slum shack was bulldozed to make way for a new railway track here. With no alternative accommodation for her, Rubina will now have to spend several nights in the open.

AMU teacher receives Scientist of the Year Award-2009

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Aligarh, December 31: Riaz Ahmad, a teacher at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has been conferred the Scientist of the Year Award-2009 by the National Environment Science Academy in New Delhi, an AMU spokesperson said.

“The award carried a gold medal and a plaque as a token of appreciation for the contributions of Riaz Ahmad in the area of biochemical and molecular genetics,” AMU’s assistant public relations officer Zeeshan Ahmad told reporters in Aligarh.

Ruchika’s school faces heat; principal to be grilled today

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Chandigarh, December 31: In the latest development in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case, the Chandigarh police are scheduled to grill the principal of Sacred Heart School, Sister Sebastina, on Thursday.

The development is the fallout of the Chandigarh administration’s magisterial probe into the reasons behind the Sacred Heart School in Chandigarh for expelling the teenager in September 1990, just a month after she was molested by former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) SPS Rathore on August 12, 1990.

No compromise on Hyderabad: TRS MP

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Hyderabad, December 31: Telangana crisis has been dominating headlines ever since K Chandrashekhar Rao(KCR) of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) started his fast unto death giving a massive impetus to the movement.

Though the demand of Telengana goes back to 1953, it was the defiant politics of KCR that finally made the Centre gives its nod to carving out a separate state from Andhra.

Sensex rises 139 points on buying by funds

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Mumbai, December 31: The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Thursday rose by over 139 points, or 0.80 per cent, in early trade after on selective buying by funds and retail investors in power and metal stocks.

The 30-share index gained 139.81 points, or 0.80 per cent, at 17,483.63 points. the barometer had closed lower by 75.74 points in the previous session.

The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty also regained 5,200 level in the first five minutes of trading rising by 40.45 points to 5,209.90 points.

NATO Shot Dead Afghan Teens: Probe

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Kabul, December 31: Afghan government investigators concluded on Wednesday, December 30, that foreign troops dragged 10 civilians, including eight children, from their homes and shooting them dead.

“A unit of international forces descended from a plane and took 10 people from three homes, eight of them school students in grades six, nine and 10, one of them a guest, the rest from the same family, and shot them dead,” Asadullah Wafa, head of the presidential investigating team, said in a statement.

At least 12 Pak cricketers available for IPL players auction

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Krachi, Dec 31: Eager to participate in the third Indian Premier League despite the many glitches, at least a dozen Pakistani cricketers have made themselves available for the event’s players’ auction to be held on January 17.

“None of the players have contacted the IPL through the PCB; they have done this directly themselves,” said Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt.

Abhishek will die in Delhi-6!

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Mumbai, December 31: A year after the release of the ill-received Delhi-6, director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is set to release the film with a new tragic ending. Still from Delhi 6.

The film was originally planned with Abhishek Bachchan’s character’s death at the end. Mehra, apparently with considerable pressure from his producer, UTV, decided to alter the ending to a happy one. Incidentally, Abhishek had strongly advised his director-friend against the ending.

Cold winds continue to lash Delhi

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New delhi, Dec 31: Piercing cold wave continued to sweep the capital on Thursday even as the mercury climbed slightly to settle at 6 degree Celsius.

On Wednesday, the minimum was 5.2 degree Celsius.

The MET department has predicted a comparatively warmer New Year with minimum and maximum temperature expected to hover around 7 and 21 degree Celsius respectively.

A thin layer of fog engulfed the city but there was no disruption in flights at the airport as the runaway visibility was above 1000 metres.

PCB reluctant to send Younus Khan to Australia

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Karachi, December 31: The Pakistan Cricket Board is not too keen on sending senior batsman Younus Khan to Australia despite the desperate plea for his inclusion by the touring team management.

PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt said it would be hard to justify sending Younus as he has played just one domestic match in the last two months and scored 11 runs in that game.

“How does one justify that? But I will be meeting with the national selection committee on Thursday in Lahore to discuss this request from the team management in Australia,” Butt said.

Google smart phone may be launched Tuesday

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New York, Dec 31: Apple’s iPhones will have a big competition on their hands as Google is set to launch its much discussed smart phone next week.

The new smart phone, Nexus One, may be unveiled Jan 5 when the internet search engine giant holds a media briefing about its smart phone business at its Mountainview headquarters in California. The Google-branded device will use its latest Android operating system called Anrdoid 2.1.

Android is already being used in more than a dozen smart phones by many vendors, including Motorola and Samsung.

2009 witnessed rise of Congress, decline of BJP

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New Delhi, December 31: Rise of Congress, further decline of BJP and the relegation of the Left and some regional parties to the margins marked the highs and lows of politics in 2009 as price spiral poses an intense challenge to the government in the new year along with Naxal and cross-border terror.

Woods had ‘fat lip’ 4 days after accident: Report

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Orlando, December 31: Tiger Woods had a “fat lip” but no other visible facial injuries when he met with Florida state troopers four days after the car accident outside his home, according to a television report.

Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Kim Montes told WESH-TV in Orlando yesterday that Woods and his attorney met with troopers on December 1.

Montes and other FHP officials did not immediately return several phone messages and e-mails from The Associated Press.

Hunger drove me to the gun: Pakistani militant

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Srinagar, Dec 31 -Pakistani national Tanveer Ahmad, 22, is tough, but now he’s willing to talk. He speaks of how in a bid to earn a living, he was lured into militancy, indoctrinated in camps, pushed into India – only to find himself in custody of Indian security forces.

Tanveer is an uneducated youth belonging to a poor family in Manshera in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan- administered Kashmir. He was caught by the Indian Army Nov 15 while attempting to cross over into the Indian side from the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch sector.

Not part of Pakistan’s Test plans anymore: Razzaq

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Karachi, December 31: Retirement may still be a long way off for Abdul Razzaq but the veteran Pakistan all-rounder says with selectors not too keen on him anymore, his Test career is now as good as over.

Razzaq yesterday said the selectors had conveyed to him that they were not considering him as part of their Test team plans and wanted him to focus more on one-dayers and Twenty20 matches.

Shutdown paralyses life in stir- hit region

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Hyderabad, December 31: THE shutdown in Telangana called by the Joint Action Committee ( JAC) of all political parties paralysed normal life there on Wednesday.

More than 9,000 buses run by the Andhra Pradesh state road transport corporation went off the roads. The south central railway cancelled as many as 165 trains as a precautionary measure.

In the morning, the New Delhibound Andhra Pradesh Express started from Hyderabad, for the first time with a pilot train with an engine and bogey full of armed paramilitary personnel to preempt pro- Telangana agitators from stopping it.

Delhi courts punish influential offenders in 2009

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New Delhi, December 31: The principle-justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done-was the driving force for Delhi courts in the year gone by as they punished clout-wielding offenders like Sukhram and Dawood Ibrahim’s alleged front-man Romesh Sharma.

Octogenarian former Union communications minister Sukhram was sentenced to three years jail term in a 13-year-old corruption case by a court which also ordered forfeiture of Rs 4.25 crore disproportionate assets amassed by him during his tenure in the P V Narasimha Rao government.

US plane blowup bid: White House attacks Ex-VP Cheney

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Washington, December 31: Politics over the failed al Qaeda attempt to blow up a US plane turned ugly today with the White House entering into a verbal duel with former Vice President Dick Cheney, who had attacked President Barack Obama for “trying to pretend” America was not at war.

The White House today hit back on Cheney, charging that the “bellicose rhetoric” of the Bush-Cheney regime had failed to reduce the threat from al Qaeda.

Michelle, Hillary Clinton more popular than Obama

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Washington, Dec 31: President Barack Obama may be America’s most admired man this year according to a new poll, but two women edge him out as the most popular person according to another.

A Gallup poll released Wednesday rated Obama as clearly America’s most admired man with 30 percent of those surveyed voting for him. Former President George W. Bush came in a distant second with 4 percent while former South Africa President Nelson Mandela scored 3 percent in the poll.

Muslim leader skeptical about justice in Babri case

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Jeddah, December 31: Muslims do not expect any action against those behind the Babri Masjid demolition but are hopeful of a favorable judgment in the suit for the land over which the mosque was built in Ayodhya, about 650 km from New Delhi, said the head of an umbrella body of Indian Muslim organizations.

Zafarul Islam Khan, president of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, said the fact that the Liberhan Commission, which investigated the Babri Masjid demolition for 17 years, absolved then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao reflects the intentions of India’s present Congress government.

Iran, Kazakhstan deny secret uranium deal

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Tehran, December 31: Iran on Wednesday denied as “baseless” a report it was close to clinching a deal to import 1,350 tons of purified uranium ore from Kazakhstan to restock its depleted reserves.

Any such deal would violate United Nations sanctions imposed on Iran in 2006 over its nuclear program. Uranium ore, also known as “yellow cake,” can be enriched to use for fuel either for reactors or nuclear weapons.

The report by the Associated Press news agency cited an intelligence report by an unnamed member nation of the International Atomic Energy Agency.