Month: January 2010

Pakistan willing to help Taliban reintegration process

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Islamabad, January 29: Pakistan’s foreign minister says his country welcomes Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s request for help on reconciling with the Taliban.

Talking to reporters after the Afghanistan Conference in London, Shah Mahmoud Qureshi said, Pakistan wants the reconciliation progress “to be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, and if the Afghan government so desires, we are willing to facilitate.”

At the London conference on Thursday, the Afghan government invited Taliban militants to a peace council of elders as part of efforts to find a way out of the conflict.

China reiterates need for diplomacy on Iran

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Beijing, January 29: China has called for efforts to solve Iran’s nuclear issue through diplomacy, while the US campaigns to pressure other world powers into imposing a new round of sanctions against Iran.

“Iran’s nuclear issue should be resolved through diplomatic efforts and negotiations,” China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told reporters in London, where he took part in an international conference on Afghanistan.

India to vigorously pursue non-nuke heavy water prog

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Mumbai, January 29: With new research opening fresh vistas for its non-nuclear applications, India will continue to sincerely pursue its heavy water programme with cost-effective and energy-efficient techniques, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Srikumar Banerjee on Thursday said.

“India being an established international supplier, we are exploring many more areas of non-nuclear applications of heavy water for societal benefits,” he said inaugurating the first national conference on “Non-nuclear applications of Heavy water and Deuterium.”

US Senate passes legislation on Iran sanctions

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Washington, January 29: The US Senate has approved a bill that would allow President Barack Obama to impose new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear energy program.

The sanctions, approved on a voice vote on Thursday, will deny loans and other assistance to US firms that export gasoline to Iran or help expand the country’s oil-refining capacity.

The US House of Representatives has already passed similar legislation. Differences between the two bills will have to be worked out before the measure can be signed into law by the president.

Rupee slips by 2 paise against dollar in early trade

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Mumbai, January 29: The rupee on Friday depreciated by 2 paise against the U.S. currency in early trade following weak stock markets and mild dollar demand from importers.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic unit traded lower by 2 paise at 46.37 a dollar.

Dealers said that weakness in equity markets and some dollar demand by importers weighed on the rupee sentiment.

The U.S. currency firmed up against other major global currencies which also influenced the trading sentiment.

—PTI

New curbs not aimed at generating revenue: Shirdi Sansthan

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Mumbai, January 29: The Shirdi Sansthan authorities today said the new proposals to charge VIPs for ‘darshan’ at the popular Saibaba temple were aimed at controlling the hordes of devotees with VIP passes and not an attempt to boost revenues.

“The Saibaba temple is one of the richest in the country, with investments of Rs 406 crore,” Sansthan trustee Ashok Khambekar told PTI over phone.

“During last year, the temple received Rs 95 crore ‘gupt dhan’ (secret offering), Rs 107 crore donations, 15 kg gold and 282 kg silver,” Khambekar said.

Obama: I will never waver from supporting Israel

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Washington, January 29: Although US President Barack Obama vaguely acknowledged Israel as the cause of Palestinian “plight,” he affirmed that he will never waver from support for Tel Aviv.

Obama made the remarks in a speech to a crowd in a gymnasium in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday when he was asked about his policy on Israel.

“Here’s my view: Israel is one of our strongest allies. It is a vibrant democracy. It shares links with us in all sorts of ways. It is critical for us, and I will never waver from Israel’s security.” Obama said.

Brown: Security handover to Afghans starts in ’10

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London, January 29: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the transfer of security responsibilities from international forces to Afghan forces will begin in 2010.

Brown said on Thursday that the London summit on Afghanistan marks the beginning of the transition process.

In their final communiqué, delegates from around 70 countries agreed that the Afghan forces could take control of security in some provinces by the end of 2010 and that the process could be completed within five years.

Gujarat’s top cop wants SC remark against her deleted

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New Delhi, January 29: Gujarat Police’s Inspector General Geetha Johri has moved the Supreme Court for deletion of some of the court’s critical remarks against her during her probe into Sohrabuddin Sheikh killing case.

Ujjain man Sohrabuddin Sheikh was killed in a staged gunbatle by a Gujarat police team near Ahmedabad in November 2005. The state police then claimed Soharabuddin was a terrorist and planned to kill Chief Minister Narandra Modi. His wife Kausar Bi and family friend Tulsiram Prajapati, witnesses to the killing, were subsequently eliminated.

‘Attack on Hezbollah is attack on Lebanon’

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Beirut, January 29: Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Thursday that Israel’s threats against Hezbollah are perceived as threats against Lebanon.

“We consider the Israeli threats on Lebanon to be a threat to the Lebanese government as a whole, rather than to one particular person,” said Hariri during a joint news conference with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Reuters reported.

He added that in his country, “everywhere is under the authority of the Lebanese government.”

Mottaki meets with Sarkozy adviser in Davos

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Tehran, January 29: Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s adviser at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.

Whilst there, the Iranian minister is also expected to hold talks with former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim.

Fog breaks 7-yr record, engulfs Delhi airport for 172 hrs

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New Delhi, January 29: Breaking a seven-year-old record, dense fog kept the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi under its cover for 172 hours, so far this month, disrupting schedules of over 1,200 domestic and international flights and causing cancellation of 200 others.

“Dense fog, this January, has broken the record of January 2003 and has enveloped the airport for 172 hours. In January 2003, thick fog had kept the airport under wraps for 168 hours,” RK Jenamani, Director-in-charge of Airport Met Department said.

Protesters say Afghan confab not about peace

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Kabul, January 29: Anti-war campaigners have held a rally outside the Afghanistan Conference in London, saying the meeting has nothing to do with peace.

On Thursday, large crowds of protesters from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and Stop the War Coalition (STWC), gathered at the Lancaster House venue, where the Afghanistan Conference was being held.

Protesters carried a coffin bearing the words “The Blood Price” to represent all of those who have died in the eight-year conflict. They also called for an end to the military presence in the war-torn country.

China eyes India’s western border; to build bases in Pak

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Beijing, January 29: In a strategic move that could potentially pose a threat to India’s security, Beijing has signalled to set up military bases in overseas locations including Pakistan, a Chinese government website said on Friday.

“Setting up overseas military bases is not an idea we have to shun; on the contrary, it is our right…it is baseless to say that we will not set up any military bases in future because we have never sent troops abroad,” said the report.

The move is clearly to exert pressure on India and the US vis-à-vis Pakistan and Afghanistan.

‘Nothing’ stops Russia arms delivery to Iran

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Moscow, January 29: Russia’s state-run arms exporter said on Thursday that “nothing” would stop the country from selling military equipment to Iran.

“Nothing prevents the continuation of military cooperation in those directions of interest to Russia and Iran,” RIA Novosti quoted Anatoly Isaikin, the head of Rosoboronexport, as saying on Thursday.

“Iran has never violated a single commitment it has undertaken with regards to military contracts,” he said.

170,000 bodies of quake victims recovered in Haiti

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Port-au-Prince, January 29: Nearly 170,000 bodies have been recovered from the rubble as the rescue works continued since the devastating earthquake hit this Haitian capital city Jan 12.

A 16-year-old girl, who had been trapped under the debris of a Port-au-Prince school for 15 days, was pulled out alive Wednesday, bringing to 135 the number of people rescued so far.

Rescue workers have recovered nearly 170,000 bodies so far, said Haitian President Rene Preval as he gave the updated figure at a press conference, Metropole reported.

California hints at sending prisoners to Mexico

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California, January 29: California’s governor has suggested relocating an estimated 20,000 prison inmates to Mexico as the state’s overcrowded detention centers are adding to its financial problems amid an imminent bankruptcy.

Arnold Schwarzenegger maintains that by outsourcing prison care to Mexico, California can solve its prison crisis.

“I think that we can do so much better in the prison system alone if we can go and take inmates, for instance, the 20,000 inmates that are illegal immigrants that are here and get them to Mexico,” Schwarzenegger said, according to AFP.

Israeli tanks target Gaza homes, farmlands

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Gaza, January 29: Israeli army tanks have opened fire on houses and farmlands in the eastern parts of the Gaza Strip, according to a report by the International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC).

A number of Israeli tanks invaded lands located near al-Shojayia district and fired at Palestinian farmers near the northern Gaza-Israeli borders on Thursday afternoon, reported IMEMC.

The farmers said that a number of homes and lands were damage but reported no injuries.

Two bomb explosions rock southern Philippine city

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Zamboanga, January 29: Two improvised bombs exploded Friday in a southern Philippine city, but no injuries were reported, a police report said.

The two explosions occurred before dawn in downtown Zamboanga City, 870 km south of Manila, according to city police chief Edwin de Ocampo.

Senior Superintendent De Ocampo said the first blast occurred in a street near the city’s business centre while the second bomb went off at a public plaza near the city hall.

Lost Gandhi ashes to be immersed in S Africa

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Johannesburg, January 29: Some of the last of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes, kept in secret for decades by a family friend, will be scattered at sea off South Africa’s coast on Saturday, 62 years after his assassination, his family said.

After a radical nationalist shot Gandhi on January 30, 1948, he was cremated according to Hindu custom.

Normally, ashes are immersed in rivers or the sea within days, but for Gandhi, his remains were divided to many urns and sent around India and across the globe so his followers could hold memorials.

Modi targets Sonia on price rise, says will write in Italian

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Ahmedabad, January 29: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Thursday had a dig at UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on price rise saying he would now write a letter in Italian to draw Centre’s attention towards the issue.

“I have written number of letters to Central Government on the issue of price rise. I have written letters in the language they can understand urging them to take steps to do something about the rising prices of food items,” Modi said.

Security at Delhi airport beefed up

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New Delhi, January 29: Security at the Delhi airport was beefed up Thursday evening after paramilitary troopers guarding the airport noticed torchlight near the runway, an official said.

According to police officials at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, it received information from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) control room at the airport that the security personnel saw ‘someone flashing a torch near the boundary wall in the evening at the runway end’.

The security personnel were unable to trace the source of the light during a search.

Despite truce call, Saudis pound northern Yemen

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Sanaa, January 29: Saudi aerial and artillery attacks on northern Yemen have continued, despite a call for truce, in line with the terms of which Yemeni Shia fighters say they have withdrawn from their positions on the Saudi border.

The Houthi fighters said on their website that the Saudi army had pounded civilian homes in northern Yemen with artillery on Thursday.

The Saudi army launched more than 570 missiles, and has conducted 21 sorties against the northern areas in Yemen, the Shia fighters said.

Pak cannot guarantee prevention of Mumbai like attacks: Qureshi

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Islamabad, January 29: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that Indian demands from Pakistan seeking guarantee for prevention of Mumbai like attacks in future is unrealistic.

Qureshi ruled out likelihood of meeting with his Indian counterpart Krishna during London Conference, as India is not displaying seriousness for composite dialogue.

In an interview with TV channel, Qureshi asserted I am not sensing zeal and enthusiasm in Indian leadership for resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue therefore I do not expect meeting with SM. Krishna.