Month: February 2010

HM suspended for molesting girl students

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Bhubaneswar, February 26: A headmaster of a residential school in Orissa’s Koraput district was suspended Thursday after allegations that he molested two girl students a number of times in the school premise, an official said.

Benu Hantal (35), a tribal, allegedly harassed the girls a number of times in the past month at the state-run residential school for tribal girls at Nuagoan village, about 500 km from here, a senior district administrative official said.

Six killed in plane crash

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Lima, February 26: Six people were killed when their small plane crashed while flying over southern Peru, authorities said.

The Cessna 206 plane went down Thursday just 17 minutes after it took off from Pisco airport, an air traffic control official told.

The cause of the accident was yet to be ascertained.

—-IANS

Shimla to have government nursing college

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Shimla, February 26: The Himachal Pradesh government Thursday gave approval for opening a state-run nursing college in Shimla, a minister said.

“The cabinet this (Thursday) evening gave consent to open a nursing school in the premises of Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla. This would be the first government college in the state,” Health Minister Rajeev Bindal told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

He said the nursing college would conduct M.Sc. (nursing), B.Sc. (nursing) and post-basic B.Sc. (nursing) besides one specialised course.

U.S. renews Yemen travel warning

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Washington, February 26: On Thursday, the Department of State renewed a warning for U.S. citizens regarding the high security threat level in Yemen due to terrorist activities, the Bureau of Consular Affairs informed.

American citizens are advises to defer non-essential travel to Yemen. American citizens that must travel or stay in the Asian country should monitor the U.S. Embassy website and should make contingency emergency plans. This travel warning extended the one issued in June 2009.

Himachal to check school dropouts

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Shimla, February 26: In a bid to check school dropouts, the Himachal Pradesh government Thursday decided to set up school management committees to ensure involvement of parents and teachers to motivate more children to join schools.

“The state cabinet this (Thursday) evening decided to set up school management committees to ensure involvement of parents and teachers in the school functioning and motivate children to join schools,” an official statement after a meeting of the cabinet said.

New York Man guilty for selling pirated computer software

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New York, February 26: A New York Man pleaded guilty for selling pirated computer software, prosecutors said on Thursday.

Robert Cimino, 59, of Syracuse, New York advertised the sale of discounted popular software programs on several Internet-based advertising forums.

Operating under the business name “SoftwareSuite,” customers would contact Cimino via e-mail, normally making payments through PayPal. Customers would receive infringing copies of Adobe, Autodesk, Intuit and Quark programs that he had burned to CD or DVD.

Hunger striker buried with heavy security

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Havana, February 26: Amid shouts of “Zapata lives,” about 100 people mourned Cuban political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo as he was buried on Thursday in his hometown of Banes following his death by hunger strike this week.

According to Zapata’s family and dissidents in Havana, the funeral, held under a rainy sky, took place with dozens of state security agents looking on as the Cuban government clamped down to prevent the event from becoming a rallying point for dissent.

6 killed in Peru plane crash

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Lima, February 26: Six people were killed when their small plane crashed while flying over southern Peru, authorities said.

The Cessna 206 plane went down Thursday just 17 minutes after it took off from Pisco airport, an air traffic control official told EFE.

The cause of the accident was yet to be ascertained.

–IANS–

21 killed in fire at Bangladesh garment factory

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Dhaka, February 26: At least 21 people, including 15 women, were killed and 50 injured in a major fire which broke out in a garment factory in Bangladesh’s Gazipur town, around 50 km north of Dhaka, police said Friday.

The blaze engulfed the Garib & Garib Sweater factory at around 9:30 P.M. Thursday when workers were preparing to leave, said Suman, one of the workers who escaped the fire.

At least 50 were injured, suffering burns or smoke inhalation. Of them, 20-25 were taken to hospitals, a senior police officer said.

Pentagon urges Congress to wait on gays in military

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Washington, February 26: U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates and military leaders want Congress to hold off on lifting restrictions on homosexuals in the armed forces until a yearlong review is completed, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

“Taking action now would pre-empt the review process that everybody agrees is needed to do this smartly,” Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.

EU welcomes India, Pakistan talks

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Brussels, February 26: The European Union has “warmly welcomed” the foreign-secretary level talks between India and Pakistan and expressed hope that the step would lead to a serious and responsive dialogue between the two countries.

EU’s representative Catherine Ashton has “warmly welcomed” Thursday’s talks between Indian foreign secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir in New Delhi, EuAsiaNews reported.

Al Qeda linked Iran’s rebel group selects new leader

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Tehran, February 26: Al Qaeda linked Sunni militant group Jundullah has announced its new leader three days after founder of the Iranian rebel group arrested in Pakistan.

Judullah’s central committee has unanimously approved the appointment of Haj Mohammad Zaher Baluch in place of Abdelmalek Rigi, the organisation said on its website.

The group, which has been accused by the Iran government of sowing discord between the Shiite majority and the Sunni minority, claims that it is fighting against discrimination towards Sunnis in the country.

British lawyer’s conviction overturned by Italian court

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Rome, February 26: Italy’s top appeals court Thursday overturned a four-year-and-a-half prison sentence against British lawyer David Mills in a corruption case involving Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The Court of Cassation ruled that the statutes of limitations had expired in relation to the crime for which Mills had been convicted in 2009 – accepting a bribe to lie in court to protect Berlusconi.

UN to call for another probe into Gaza conflict

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New York, February 26: Fourteen months after the outbreak of the Gaza war, the UN General Assembly was set to again tackle the conflict with a new draft resolution to be debated Friday.

Similar to a resolution the Assembly passed last year, Friday’s draft would again urge Israel and the Palestinian Authority to each investigate the Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza Strip in the winter of 2009.

The draft resolution, already endorsed by 19 Arab states and the Palestinian Authority, calls for an investigation that is ‘independent, credible and in conformity with international standards’.

UN to call for another probe into Gaza conflict

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New York, February 26: Fourteen months after the outbreak of the Gaza war, the UN General Assembly was set to again tackle the conflict with a new draft resolution to be debated Friday.

Similar to a resolution the Assembly passed last year, Friday’s draft would again urge Israel and the Palestinian Authority to each investigate the Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza Strip in the winter of 2009.

Shahid on spiritual quest before next film

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Mumbai, February 26: A sudden change in work schedule made Shahid Kapoor a nervous wreck last month. A timely visit to his father Pankaj Kapoor’s spiritual guru in the hills however revealed to him the virtues of stillness in an overactive lifestyle.

Having finished all his assignments, the actor has no projects on hand at the moment apart from his dad’s film “Mausam”.

Hafiz Saeed is not fiction, India reminds Pakistan

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New Delhi, February 26: India Thursday said it has given ‘enough evidence’ about the involvement of Hafiz Saeed, the founder of the outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawa, in the Mumbai carnage, but Pakistan sought to treat it as ‘literature’ and insisted that it does not need a lecture from New Delhi on terror.

‘We have once again reiterated the need for strong action against Hafiz Saeed, who has ranted and raved about a violent agenda against India,’ Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told reporters after talks with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir.

8 supporters of BJP MLA arrested for rioting

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Mumbai, Februaqry 25: Eight supporters of BJP MLA Prakash Shendge were today arrested on charges of rioting and assaulting five bank employees, including an officer and a cop, over a property related issue at Worli in central Mumbai.

Armed with a court order, five bank employees of Sangli Bank went to the flat belonging to Shendge in Sukhada building in Worli to declare that the apartment could be auctioned by the bank as the MLA had not cleared over Rs 10 crore of arrears despite reminders, police said.

Omar Abdullah defends his government’s record

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Jammu, February 25: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday evening took on his critics and claimed that under his rule Jammu and Kashmir was marching toward progress and prosperity.

Replying to a debate on the motion of thanks on the governor’s address to the joint sitting of the two houses of the state legislature tabled on Monday, Omar took point by point all the issues in the assembly Thursday evening and told the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party not to “rake up non-issues”.

Andhra Pradesh governor meets PM, HM

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New Delhi, February 25: Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram and is understood to have discussed the latest situation in the state in the wake of agitations over the contentious Telangana issue.

Narasimhan, who arrived here this morning on his maiden visit after taking over as the Governor of the state in late January, met Singh at the Parliament House and is understood to have discussed the current situation in the state.

Bali in CBI custody till March 3

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Mumbai, February 25: Chief Post-Master General of Maharashtra and Goa Manjit Singh Bali, arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2 crore, was remanded to CBI custody till March 3 by a special court.

Bali and two others Arun Dalmiya and Harsh Dalmiya were arrested by the CBI in the graft case. The bribe was allegedly accepted for issuing a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) for the construction of a post office in neighbouring Thane district.

Power-holiday in the offing for industries in Orissa

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Bhubaneswar, February 25: Faced with acute power crisis, Orissa government has decided to ask industries and other big commercial centres to have an extra holiday.

This was decided at a meeting chaired by Energy Minister Atanu Nayak.

“We will soon issue letters asking the industries and malls to have atleast one power holiday in a week,” Nayak told reporters.

The state which required about 2900 MW of power during peak hours, was facing a shortage of about 400 MW to 500 MW of power every day in view of low electricity generation in its six hydel projects.

Two killed, 15 feared trapped as hillock caves-in in AP

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Hyderabad, February 25: Two labourers were killed and at least 15 others were feared trapped when a hillock caved-in at a granite quarry in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh this evening, police said.

The mishap occurred near Chimakurthi village when a group of labourers were engaged in digging work inside the quarry spread on 24-acre, owned by a private company, they said.

Police officer killed in encounter with Maoists in WB

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Bankura (WB), February 25: A police officer and a Maoist guerrilla were killed in an encounter between security forces and the extremists in West Bengal’s Bankura district, police said today.

The incident took place yesterday at Sarenga area in the district when a team of police and joint forces rushed to the spot on getting information that a group of armed Maoists had raided the home of CPI-M leader and panchayat member Tarashankar Patra, SP Vishal Garg told PTI.

Pune blast: Court bans broadcast of CCTV footage

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Pune, February 25: Broadcast of CCTV footage of the bombed German Bakery here has been banned by a court to protect witnesses and ensure unhindered investigations in the case.

The court issued its directive on an application filed by the Maharashtra ATS, Pune Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh said.

The order also applies to the CCTV footage from the five star hotel adjacent to the site of the blast on February 13, he said. Sixteen people have died in the blast.