Month: March 2010

ArcelorMittal hikes stake in Uttam Galva to 33.8%

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New Delhi, March 25: ArcelorMittal on Thursday said it has acquired another 4.9 percent stake in steel maker Uttam Galva for an estimated Rs 75-80 crore, taking the total shareholding in the domestic firm to 33.8 percent.

“We have completed the acquisition of 4.9 percent stake and now our total shareholding is 33.8 percent in Uttam Galva,” a company spokesperson told a news agency.

Officials from Uttam Galva confirmed the development and estimated the deal to be around Rs 75-80 crore.

Six Indian fishermen arrested in Pakistan

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Karachi, March 25: Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency Thursday arrested six Indian fishermen for allegedly fishing in the country’s sea territory in Krake near Karachi.

The agency also seized their two launches, Online news agency reported. The fishermen have been sent to jail.

—-IANS–

Pak still ‘very focused’ on India: Mullen

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Washington, March 25: The chairman of the US military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, on Wednesday said that Pakistan still considers India as a priority for them.

The US-Pak Strategic Dialogue, he said, is a huge step forward in terms of strengthening partnership. “It is a partnership. (Pak Army Chief) General (Ashfaq Parvez) Kayani has moved troops from east to west; he has trained his people in counterinsurgency; he’s had a huge impact where they have fought,” Mullen said.

‘Taliban arrests by Pakistan merely a tactic’

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Washington, March 25: Recent arrests of high-profile Afghan Taliban leadership by Pakistan do not indicate a strategic change in Pakistan’s counter-terrorism strategy but merely a tactic, says a leading South Asia expert.

In reality, Pakistan wants to assume a leading role in negotiating and reconciling with the Afghan Taliban to ensure a friendlier neighbour after the United States withdraws, concludes a new paper by Ashley J Tellis.

Pak police arrest 2 abductors of Brit toddler

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Islamabad, March 25: Pakistan police on Thursday arrested two key accused involved in kidnapping of Sahil Saeed, the five-year-old boy who was later released on payment of ransom.

The two accused, who were nabbed from Jhelum, have been identified as Imran and Safeer.

More information will be given by police officials later today.

Sahil was snatched at gunpoint from his grandmother’s house in the town of Jhelum, about 100 kilometres (65 miles) south of Islamabad, in the early hours of March 04 at the end of a family holiday.

Pallam Raju’s convoy vehicle hits auto, 5 killed

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Hyderabad, March 24: Five persons were killed when a car which was part of Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju’s convoy hit an autorickshaw in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district Thursday, police said.

Police said five persons including four women, who were travelling in the three-wheeler were killed in the mishap that took place in Perumallapuram in Todangi Mandal.

Seven persons including three policemen were also injured in the accident. They have been admitted to a government-run hospital in Kakinada.

Bangladesh mourns martyrs; to begin trial of ‘war criminals’

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Dhaka, March 25: Bangladesh observes its 40th Independence Day on Thursday, when it also sets in motion the trial of the “war criminals”, the Islamist militia who killed unarmed civilians during the freedom movement.

The intervening night of Thursday-Friday would be mourned as the “black night”, marking the crackdown on civilians by then Pakistan Army. Bangladesh was East Pakistan before gaining independence in 1971.

Pakistan Army launched Operation Searchlight on the night of March 25, targeting civilians, leaving an estimated 7,000 dead.

Italy summons Pak diplomat over attacks on Christians

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Rome, March 25: The Italian government summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires in Rome to discuss the recent attacks reported against minority Christians in Pakistan.

The Foreign Ministry in Rome summoned the Pakistani envoy on Wednesday after reports on Tuesday said that a 38-year-old Christian man in Pakistan’s northern city of Rawalpindi died after he was set on fire by a Muslim mob.

The man’s wife was allegedly gang raped by three police officers, in front of their three children last week, reports said.

One-fourth of Pak Constitution to be amended

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Islamabad, March 25: The Pakistani Constitution is all set to undergo a major overhaul. For the first time in the country’s parliamentary history, one-fourth of the articles in the Constitution are being amended and that too with a ‘consensus’.

Thai Airways plane makes emergency landing at Kolkata

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Kolkata, March 25: A Bangkok-bound Thai Airways plane with 248 passengers on board made an emergency landing at the airport here.

The Thai Airways plane, TG-318, landed under emergency conditions at the NSC Bose International Airport last midnight after a technical snag was detected, airport sources said today.

The passengers were off-loaded and repair work was undertaken, they said, adding the plane was going from Mumbai to Bangkok.

Another Thai Airways plane is scheduled to come from Bangkok to take the passengers back.

Bureaucratic hurdles delay setting up of varsity in Nankana Sahib

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Lahore, March 25: The setting up of the Baba Guru Nanak University under a Rs 5 billion project in Pakistan’s Nankana Sahib, the birth place of the founder of the Sikh religion near here, has been delayed due to bureaucratic hurdles.

After years of promises, the Pakistan government had announced in November last year that it would establish the university as an institute of international learning on 2,500 acres of land in Nankana Sahib, located 80 kms from Lahore.

Official sources said the project had not taken off due to “bureaucratic hurdles”.

Malaysian air force pilot dies in crash

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Kuala Lumpur, March 25: A Malaysian air force training aircraft crashed Thursday during an air show, killing its pilot, news reports said.

The pilot with the Royal Malaysian Air Force had been manoeuvring the Pilatus PC-7 plane during an airshow at the Northern University of Malaysia in Kedah when the plane’s engine compartment exploded and caught fire, the Star newspaper said.

Thousands of students and their family members witnessed the pilot eject from the burning aircraft, which soon crashed just outside the university grounds, the report said.

Will take all steps to implement Muslim quota

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Hyderabad, March 25: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah has promised that his government would take “all required legal steps” for implementing four per cent reservation in jobs and education for backward class Muslims.

“With all seriousness and sincerity, we shall take all required legal steps to ensure that the benefit of reservation is extended to Muslims.

BJP stages walkout in Rajasthan Assembly

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Jaipur, March 25: Opposition BJP today staged a walkout in the Rajasthan Assembly alleging that the state government has failed to provide sugar through public distribution system to BPL families in last one year. The state and the Centre both have looted the BPL families by not providing them sugar on subsidised rate as the authorised sugar mill supposed to deliver the stock was closed, acting leader of the Opposition G S Tiwari alleged.

Spurs boss eager for FA Cup clash with Pompey

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London, March 25: Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp said it would be “a funny old day” after his team set up a Wembley FA Cup semi-final with former club Portsmouth.

But Redknapp urged his players, who face Portsmouth in the Premier League on Saturday, to keep focused on their run-in as they bid for a place in next season’s Champions League.

Tottenham came from behind against London rivals Fulham in Wednesday’s quarter-final replay to win 3-1 at White Hart Lane, setting up a Wembley showdown with Pompey on April 11.

“It’ll be a funny old day,” Redknapp said.

And now, a museum on Sachin

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Mumbai, March 25: The Maharashtra government on Thursday announced that a museum on the career of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar would soon be built in the state.

The museum will depict the life and cricket career of the master batsman, who recently became the first player in the history of the game to score a one-day international double hundred.

Sachin is also the first Indian sportsperson to have his wax statue erected at the famous Madame Tussauds wax museum in London.

Govt yet to initiate talks on Women’s Quota Bill

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New Delhi, March 25: The government is yet to initiate discussions with “all concerned” on the women’s reservation bill, cleared by the Rajya Sabha and slated to be presented in the Lok Sabha when Parliament resumes April 15 after a three-week break.

“I have no idea,” a minister informed Thursday when asked about the meeting with political parties on the contentious constitution amendment bill providing 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies.

Sea link controversy ‘manufactured’: Big B

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Mumbai, March 25: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan today said the controversy over his presence at a function here for the inauguration of the second phase of the Bandra-Worli sea link has been “manufactured”.

“A fresh controversy has been rapidly manufactured on my involvement… The media has been hounding me since the event at the sea link has got over, through incessant SMSs and the electronic (media) has followed me even to the theatre where we were seeing Arshad’s film,” Bachchan wrote in a midnight post on his blog. Actor Arshad Warsi’s film ‘Hum Tum Aur Ghost’ will be released this week.

Yuvarani Nithyananda Sex Scandal Makes Waves

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Chennai, March 25: It appears that Swami Nithyananda, who was known to be a religious person did not follow the path of austerity and led an extravagant life. Few days back, the scandal videos of Swami Nithyananda with two Tamil actresses had hit the internet and have raised the eyebrows of people. Reports indicated that many of his devotees have criticized the act of Swami Nithyananda and expressed doubts about his religious preachings.

I never want to be anonymous: Shah Rukh Khan

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New Delhi, March 25: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan loves his celebrity status and admits he would never want to live without it even for a few moments.

“I don’t want to be anonymous… I’m very honest about that. I love being recognised, I love people liking me, I love the fact that people scream when I go out, I think I’ll miss all that when it’s taken away, and I don’t even think about it,” said Shah Rukh in an interview to CNN’s Talk Asia.

Operation Green Hunt kills 90 Maoists

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Raipur, March 25: More than 90 Maoist militants were killed and 12 terror camps dismantled during the government’s anti-Maoist Operation Green Hunt, Chhattisgarh Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar said Thursday.

“As many as 90 Maoists were killed and 12 of their terror camps were destroyed till Feb 27 this year in state’s Bastar region under Operation Green Hunt,” the minister told legislators during question hour in the assembly.

BREAKING NEWS: SC Says OK To 4% Muslim Reservation

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New Delhi, March 25: The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed 4% reservation in educational institutions and jobs to Muslim belonging to backward communities in Andhra Pradesh.

A bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan passed the order after hearing the petition filed by Andhra Pradesh government challenging the verdict of the High Court striking down a state law providing 4% reservation in educational institutions and jobs to the Muslim community.

Kashmir assembly to debate relations with New Delhi

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Srinagar, March 25: Jammu and Kashmir assembly will discuss a report by Justice (retd) Sageer Ahmad suggesting restoration of greater autonomy to the state, Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone said Thursday.

‘We will discuss the report,’ Lone told legislators.

A working group headed by Justice Ahmad was mandated to submit recommendations on the Centre-State relations vis-a-vis Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in the Indian union under Article 370 of the constitution.

Rahul to visit Amethi Friday

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Lucknow, March 25: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will Friday embark on a two-day visit of his parliamentary constituency Amethi, a party spokesperson said Thursday.

‘Rahulji will review the progress of developmental projects funded by the central government in Amethi,’ Akhilesh Pratap Singh told reporters here.

‘He will participate in the district vigilance committee meeting with the district administration and attend functions organised by self-help groups Friday,’ he added.