Month: February 2010

Nasrallah meets Ahmadinejad in Damascus

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Damascus, February 26: The head of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement travelled to Damascus for talks with allies Syria and Iran, the SANA news agency said Friday.

Hassan Nasrallah attended a dinner banquet in Damascus Thursday hosted by President Bashar al-Assad in honour of his visiting Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the official agency said.

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television in Lebanon reported that Nasrallah and Ahmadinejad met to discuss “the latest developments in the region, and Zionist threats against Lebanon and Syria.”

Senior citizen, daughter found murdered at home

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New Delhi, February 26: A senior citizen and her daughter were found strangled and their house ransacked, police said today.

The incident was reported from Welcome area of north-east Delhi at around 10 pm yesterday and the victims have been identified as Laxmi (78) and her daughter Manju (48).

Laxmi’s son Ravinder discovered the bodies when he returned home and informed police after which they were rushed to a nearby hospital where they were declared brought dead.

Police said they were suspecting it to be a case of robbery cum murder as the house was ransacked.

–Agencies

IEA warns of return to oil price volatility

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Tokyo, February 26: Countries must brace for a return to wild oil price swings as the global economy recovers, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned Friday.

Crude oil prices surged to 147.50 dollars per barrel in July 2008 before tumbling to 35 dollars five months later in the eye of the financial storm. Price are now hovering between 70 and 80 dollars per barrel.

“Volatility has receded compared to the roller-coaster of 2007 and 2008,” Nobuo Tanaka told reporters on the sidelines of an energy forum in Tokyo.

SUV driven by teenager hits girl, four injured

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Greater Noida, February 26: A schoolgirl was critically injured when the cycle she was riding was hit by an SUV driven by a 14-year-old boy here Friday. While the boy fractured his thumb, two other students were also wounded in the accident, authorities said.

Manisha Pal, a Class 7 student of Astor Public School in Greater Noida’s Delta-II area, was hit by an SUV in which three students of the same school were travelling.

Said V.K. Sharma, chairman of Astor Public School: “Manisha Pal was going back home on her cycle around 2.30 p.m.”

Protests over Mamata’s budget hit Orissa rail services

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Bhubaneswar, February 26: Train services were hit in several parts of Orissa as protesters squatted on tracks Friday alleging neglect of the state in the railway budget.

The activists of Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BJD) staged ‘rail roko’ (stop rail) for two hours at several stations in the state.

Hundreds of party activists squatted on rail tracks in the Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Balasore, Rourkela and Bolangir districts.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee presented the railway budget in parliament Wednesday.

Gathafi calls for ‘holy war’ against Switzerland

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Libya, February 26: Libyan leader Moamer Gathafi turned up the heat in his country’s dispute with Switzerland on Thursday, calling for holy war against the country over a ban adopted on the construction of minarets.

“It is against unbelieving and apostate Switzerland that holy war ought to be proclaimed by all means,” Gathafi said in a speech in the Mediterranean coastal city of Benghazi.

“Holy war against Switzerland, against Zionism, against foreign aggression is not terrorism,” Gathafi said.

Budget neutral for steel industry: Tata Steel

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Bhubaneswar, February 26: The union budget for 2010-11 is largely neutral for the steel industry, Tata Steel managing director H.M. Nerurkar Friday said.

“This budget is largely neutral for the steel industry and Tata Steel, but does contain other growth measures which may have an indirect effect on the steel demand,” Nerurkar said in a statement.

“Increase in petro-fuel and energy costs, however, may have an inflationary impact on consumers or margin squeeze for suppliers,” he said.

US returns 1,000 historical artifacts stolen from Iraq

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Washington, February 26: US officials have returned more than 1,000 archaeological and historical items stolen from Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion, Iraq’s ambassador here said Thursday.

Six pieces ranging from an ancient Sumerian stone tablet to an AK-47 rifle bearing Saddam’s image were handed over to Iraq at an embassy ceremony on Thursday.

“As Iraqis, we remain steadfast in our effort to return each and every one of these cultural treasures to their rightful home,” Ambassador Samir Sumaida’ie said at the ceremony.

Tiger skins seized in Orissa

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Rourkela, February 26: Four tiger skins were seized from a private bus in Orissa’s Sundargarh district today, police said.

Seven persons including three staff of the private bus were detained in this connection near Jalda area in the district, they said.

The skins were kept on the roof of the bus, police said.

–Agencies

Dhaka seeks Pakistani investment — and apology for 1971

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Dhaka, February 26: Bangladesh has invited Pakistani entrepreneurs to invest in the country, but also wants Islamabad to resolve all outstanding issues — including “formal apologies for the atrocities” committed during violent suppreession of its freedom movement in 1971.

Receiving new Pakistani High Commissioner Ashraf Qureshi Thursday, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni sought Pakistan’s investment in pharmaceuticals, textiles, information and communication technologies, telecom and agro industries, news reports said Friday.

Acclaimed Indian artist awarded Qatari citizenship

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New Delhi, February 26: Acclaimed Indian artist M.F. Husain, who went into voluntary exile after getting death threats from Hindu extremist, was granted Qatari citizenship this week, a report said Thursday.

The 94-year-old Muslim painter was bestowed nationality by the emirate’s royal family without applying for it, The Hindu newspaper reported.

The paper printed a sketch it said it had received from Husain, including the hand-written words that he had been “honoured by Qatar nationality”.

Death sentence for labourer for raping, killing minor

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Hoshiarpur, February 26: A migrant labourer from West Bengal was today awarded death sentence by a court here for raping and murdering a 5-year-old girl.

Additional Session Judge Surinder Singh Sahni gave the death sentence to Mangal Singh for raping and murdering the minor, who used to live in Adda Saran village of the district.

Singh also used to work in the same village.

Counsel of the girl’s father Naveen Jerth said Singh lured the the victim by offering her some biscuits on March 11, 2009 and took her to a secluded place where after he raped her before killing.

Swiss-French dispute over copyright of ‘fascist’ poster

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Geneva, February 26: A company which created a controversial anti-minaret poster in Switzerland said Thursday it would file a lawsuit against French far-right party National Front for copying its idea.

Alexander Segert, who heads the graphic agency Goal, said his firm has asked their lawyer to lodge the complaint in France for violation of intellectual property.

Segert’s firm had created the poster which was used during a referendum in Switzerland against the construction of new minarets.

Explosives seized in Orissa

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Rourkela, February 26: Police today seized explosives, including detonator wire, batteries and flasher in Orissa’s Sundargarh district.

The seizure was made during a search operation at a jungle in Chandiposh area in the district, 35 km from here, in connection with a Maoists-triggered blast on February 23 on the national highway there, police said.

A culvert was damaged in the blast.

–Agencies

Raj govt dismisses BJP charge of phone tapping

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Jaipur, February 26: The Congress government in Rajasthan today dismissed Opposition BJP’s charge that phones of certain legislators are being tapped and demanded an apology from BJP whip Rajendra Singh Rathore who raised the issue.

Home Minister Shanti Dhariwal said Rathore’s charge made through a “point of information” during Zero Hour yesterday was without any evidence and demanded an apology from him.

“If the member Rathore got any definite documents related to his charges they should be tabled in the House.

Harpreet murder case’s next hearing on March 12

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Patiala, February 26: A court here has fixed March 12 and 13 as the next dates for the hearing of the alleged murder of Harpreet Kaur, daughter of former SGPC chief Jagir Kaur.

Sessions Judge Varinder Kumar fixed the dates for hearing in the case, in which Jagir Kaur is the main accused.

Kamaljit Singh, complainant and Harpreet’s husband, turned hostile yesterday and refused to accept that he had ever moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court or the Supreme Court to register a case or lodge an FIR in this regard.

Singh stated before the court that he had never married Harpreet.

Renewable energy sector earmarked Rs.380 crore more

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New Delhi, February 26: India’s renewable energy sector budget has been increased by 61 percent to Rs.1,000 crore from Rs.620 crore, signalling the government’s commitment to popularising alternate source of energy in the country.

“In pursuance of government’s resolve to implement the National Solar Mission, I propose to provide a concessional customs duty of five percent to equipment required for the initial setting up of solar thermal power generating units,” Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said while presenting the 2010-11 budget in the Lok Sabha Friday.

Petrol, diesel prices to increase from midnight

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New Delhi, February 26: Petrol and diesel prices will increase by six to eight percent from Friday midnight after Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s budget restored basic duty on the fuels and raised central excise duty by Re.1.

This translates into an increase of Rs.2.71 per litre for petrol and Rs.2.55 per litre for diesel in Delhi.

In his 2010-11 budget speech, Mukherjee said that with oil prices rising alarmingly to about $112 per barrel last year the government had exempted fuel from basic customs duty to give relief to oil marketing companies.

Live telecast of heart surgeries to stop

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New Delhi, February 26: The live telecast of heart surgeries for publicity is likely to end as the Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and Indian Association of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons came up Friday with guidelines recommending end to such practice.

Security force camps in Maoist areas need protection: Narayanan

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Kolkata, February 26: West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan Friday met the families of the 24 security personnel killed in a Maoist ambush Feb 15 and said that the camps of security forces in Maoist-affected areas should be better protected.

“All the camps in Maoist regions should be more protected,” Narayanan said.

He said that during his interaction with the family members of the 24 slain security personnel – killed in the Shilda Maoist attack — they had asked for better security infrastructure and better positioning of the police camps located in Maoist belts.

Apex court moved to end Husain’s self-exile

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New Delhi, February 26: Jammu and Kashmir Panthers’ Party chief Bhim Singh has moved the Supreme Court seeking direction to the central government to dismiss various criminal cases filed against noted painter M.F. Husain for allegedly making obscene paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses.

In his lawsuit filed in the apex court, Bhim Singh has also sought direction to the government to bring back Husain to the country from Doha, Qatar, where he is living in self-exile since 2006.

Air hostesses among eight held for prostitution

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New Delhi, February 26: A self-styled godman who preached spirituality while running a prostitution racket and two air hostesses were among eight people arrested for flesh trade here, police said Friday.

The eight, including two men and six women in the age group of 19 to 30 years, were taken into custody near the PVR cinema at Saket in south Delhi Thursday while travelling in two cars.

They included an air hostess who worked for an Indian carrier and another who was employed by an European airline.

Biotech industry hails tax sops in budget

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Bangalore, February 26: The biotechnology industry Friday welcomed the slew of incentives and tax reliefs proposed in the union Budget for the ensuing fiscal 2010-11.

“Though we need to read the fine-print for details, we thank the finance minister for responding to some of our concerns, especially for raising the weighted deduction on all in-house R&D (research and development) to 200 percent from 150 percent,” Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar told IANS here.

Maharashtra calls for Bharat Ratna for Tendulkar

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Nanded (Maharashtra) February 26: Maharashtra will recommend that the central government confer the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, on master cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said here Friday.

“The state cabinet will take up the proposal soon and then we will forward it for the consideration of the Centre,” Chavan told mediapersons here.

He said that Mumbai-born Tendulkar was an outstanding sportsman from Maharashtra and is at the pinnacle of the cricketing world due to his achievements over the years.

Gafoor to head Maharashtra’s anti-corruption bureau

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Mumbai, February 26: Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Hasan Gafoor, who served as city police chief during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, was Friday appointed director general of the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Gafoor is at present the managing director of the Maharashtra State Housing & Welfare Corporation. He will be succeeded in that post by P.P. Shrivastava, who has been promoted to the rank of DGP.

The post of ACB chief was laying vacant after A.N. Roy was appointed the state police chief.