Month: April 2010

UK’s Brown says sorry for calling voter ‘bigoted’

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London, April 29: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown apologised in person for describing a voter as “a bigoted woman” on Wednesday in an embarrassing gaffe before next week’s parliamentary election.

A campaign stop to meet locals in a northern English town backfired when Brown let slip the unguarded comment about grandmother Gillian Duffy, a supporter of his own Labour Party. It was picked up by a microphone on his lapel as he was driven away in his car after meeting her.

Govt committed to tax reforms: Pranab

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New Delhi, April 29: The govt on Wednesday reiterated its commitment to carry out reforms on direct and indirect taxes, saying a draft legislation on DTC is likely to betabled in Parliament in the monsoon session and talks with the states are on regarding the design of the proposed GST.

“I am happy to inform that in the case of DTC (direct taxes code), the process of consultation with the stakeholders for revising the first draft is almost over. We expect to place a revised discussion paper in the public domain by next
month”.

Maoists kill forest guard in Orissa

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Bhubaneswar, April 29: Maoist guerrillas killed a forest guard in Orissa’s Nuapada district, police said Thursday.

‘About 30-4O Maoists had come (Wednesday night). They attacked the check gate inside the Bharuamunda forest area and killed forest guard Sangram Swain,’ police said, adding they blew up the check gate.

Nuapada is 580 km from here.

In yet another incident, Maoists blew up a culvert near Laxmipur in Orissa’s Koraput district Wednesday, hitting vehicular traffic.

Centre has new plan to check cyber terrorism

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New Delhi, April 29: The Centre has formulated a Crisis Management Plan to counter cyber attacks and cyber terrorism meant for implementation by all ministries and departments of central and state governments.

The government decided to prepare this new plan after being alarmed by a report of the University of Toronto titled ‘Shadows in the Cloud’. The report elucidates a complex ecosystem of cyber espionage that systematically compromised even sophisticated computer network systems in India.

Malaysians allege graft in French submarine deal

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Kuala Lumpur, April 29: A Malaysian rights group said Wednesday it filed complaints to French prosecutors that allege shipbuilder DCNS paid kickbacks to a friend of Malaysia’s prime minister to aid a $1.2 billion submarine deal.

Malaysia ordered two diesel-electric Scorpene attack submarines in 2002 as part of a naval upgrade. Prime Minister Najib Razak was defense minister at the time.

Air India will incur loss of Rs5,400 cr: Praful Patel

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Mumbai, April 29: Union minister for civil aviation Praful Patel on Wednesday said that Air India is expected to incur a loss of Rs5,400 crore during the 2009-10 fiscal.

Patel also indicated that 77% expenditure of the National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) was on account of aircraft fuel, staff costs, interest on working capital borrowings and aircraft loan, maintenance of aircraft, landing, handling and navigational charges.

UN chief discusses Mideast with Israel’s Barak

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United Nations, April 29: UN chief Ban Ki-moon met with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak here Wednesday and voiced hope indirect Palestinian-Israeli talks would start soon.

A UN statement said the UN secretary general expressed his hope that “proximity talks between the parties would begin shortly.”

Ban and Barak, a former Israeli premier, “reviewed matters of mutual interest regarding the stability of the region, including Lebanon” and exchanged views on the Iranian nuclear issue, it added.

Origin of Cobalt-60 traced to Delhi University

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New Delhi, April 29: The origin of radioactive Cobalt-60 found in west Delhi’s Mayapuri, which led to the death of one person, has been traced to Delhi University’s Chemistry Department where it was lying unused since the last 25 years.

The Cobalt-60 was in a “Gamma Irradiator”, which was bought in 1968 from Canada and was not in use since 1985, police said on Wednesday adding it was bought by scrap dealers in Mayapuri through an auction in February this year.

Ramesh for joint action on hazardous waste management

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New Delhi, April 29: Concerned over recent radiation exposure incident in the capital, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has written to the Finance Ministry on a joint mechanism to sensitise customs department to ensure that no hazardous material is dumped in the country.

“I have written to the Finance Minister very recently that we need to have a joint mechanism between the Ministry of Environment and Forest and the Ministry of Finance so that the customs department becomes much more sensitive to this area,” Mr. Ramesh said in the Lok Sabha during the Question Hour.

3 held for extorting money from 16-year-old classmate

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Mumbai, April 29: The Amboli police booked three youths for allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from their 16-year-old classmate over the past several months. They are now verifying the girl’s claims. Accused Kavish Madan, his brother Karan (both 18 year olds) and their friend Mahesh Devbandi (23) were picked up by the police on Tuesday night.

IPL’s marketing agency will have to pay income tax

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Mumbai, April 29: An internal report by the income-tax department’s international taxation wing has said that the World Sports Group (WSG), the marketing agency of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has to pay income tax on the “facilitation fee” of Rs425 crore, which works out to roughly Rs125 crore.

The T20 World Championship 2010The department has still to get a copy of the agreement between WSG and the IPL.

Ansari warns RS members of shifting Question Hour

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New Delhi, April 29: Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari has warned that he may be forced to shift the timing of Question Hour against the backdrop of frequent disruptions in the House.

“The Chair has watched with great distress constant disruption of Question Hour in this session. If the Question Hour is that irrelevant, then the chair exercises the right of invoking Rule 38 and shifting the Question Hour,” said Ansari as the House saw uproar by opposition, mainly AIADMK, over the spectrum controversy. Ansari said he would decide on the issue soon.

14 crore migrant labourers in India: Govt

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New Delhi, April 29: The government has said there are 14 crore migrant labourers in the country based on the 2001 census emphasising that the question was not of the numbers but welfare.

Replying to a half-an-hour discussion on migration of workers, Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said the government endorsed the views of the members about migrant workers.

“There are 14 crore migrant labourers in the country as per the 2001 census…The real issue is not the numbers but the welfare of the labourers,” he said.

US questions Karzai support, anti-corruption zeal

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Washington, April 29: The U.S. military believes only a quarter of Afghans in key areas support President Hamid Karzai’s government and that political will to tackle corruption “remains doubtful,” according to a Pentagon assessment released on Wednesday.

The 152-page Pentagon report to Congress underscores the extent of concerns about Karzai’s ability to prove himself a viable partner to NATO efforts to turn the tide in more than eight-year-old conflict.

‘Air India paid ineligible staff Rs25 lakh each’

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Mumbai, April 29: Even as the cash-strapped national carrier Air India (AI) struggles to pay salaries to its employees, it had no problem whatsoever doling out a ‘reward’ of Rs25 lakh each to two ineligible employees under its Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) in 2007.

What’s more, the application of a deserving candidate Pradeep Khanna under the scheme was not entertained. The airline, however, maintains that no such thing has happened.

Philippines’ Aquino set for landslide presidential win

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Philippines, April 29: The son of late Philippine democracy heroine Corazon Aquino appears headed for a landslide victory in next month’s presidential election, a survey said on Thursday.

Thirty-nine percent of the respondents said they would vote for Benigno Aquino, two percentage points higher than the previous survey in early April, independent pollster Pulse Asia Inc. said.

“With almost four in 10 Filipino registered voters supporting his presidential bid, Senator Aquino remains the leading presidential contender in the May 2010 elections,” Pulse Asia said.

31 hurt in China school knife attack: report

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Beijing, April 29: A knife-wielding man attacked and injured 28 young children and three adults at a kindergarten in eastern China on Thursday in the third such attack in a month, state media reported.

Five of the children were in critical condition after the attack, which was carried out by a 47-year-old man in the city of Taixing, according to Xinhua news agency, citing officials and police.

The alleged assailant was detained following the incident in Jiangsu province, the report said.

Qatar blasts Israel on Scud claims

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Beirut, April 29: Qatar’s Prime minister has charged Israel with posing new threats against Lebanon and Syria by accusing Damascus of supplying Scud missiles to Hezbollah.

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jaber al-Thani, who arrived in Beirut on an invitation from his Lebanese counterpart Saad Haariri, said Israel fabricated Scud allegations without providing any evidence, Lebanese media reported Wednesday.

BJP pulls out of Soren government in Jharkhand

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Jharkhand, April 29: BJP’s four-month honeymoon with Shibu Soren ended abruptly on Wednesday with the party withdrawing support to the JMM-led government, a day after the Jharkhand Chief Minister sided with the UPA in the Lok Sabha.

A meeting of the BJP top brass, headed by party chief Nitin Gadkari, decided to withdraw support immediately giving indications that the new experiment in Ranchi has floundered.

‘Iran sanctions would solve nothing’

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Tehran, April 29: The Brazilian president has repeated his call for a diplomatic solution to the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, saying that new Iran sanctions would not be helpful in any way.

On Wednesday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that he would also keep working to persuade permanent members of the United Nations Security Council that sanctions against Iran would solve “absolutely nothing.”

“We are convinced that Brazil has the clout to play this role in the world,” Lula added.

India, Pakistan PMs to hold talks in Bhutan

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Thimphu, April 29: The prime ministers of India and Pakistan will sit down face-to-face Thursday, fuelling hopes of movement in the rival nations’ glacial progress towards resuming a substantial peace dialogue.

Despite scant expectation of any significant breakthrough, the mere fact that the two leaders have agreed to hold direct talks marks a step forward for a relationship that has been effectively frozen since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Bomb kills NATO soldier in Afghanistan

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Kabul, April 29: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) says at least one of its soldiers died in a bomb attack in southern Afghanistan.

The nationality of the soldier, who died in an attack on Wednesday, has not been disclosed.

However, most of the troops deployed in the area are from the U.S.

The exact location of the attack has not been announced either.

More than 170 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan over the past four months.

4 die in attack on Gaza tunnels

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Gaza, April 29: Four Palestinians were killed and another 10 injured after Egyptian security forces blew up four tunnels under the border with Gaza.

The Palestinian police blame the Egyptian security forces for killing the Palestinians by destroying the tunnels while they were working in them, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Egyptian security officials have admitted they destroyed four tunnels north of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza.

Three people died of smoke inhalation and a fourth died due to injuries received from flying debris.

Australia proposes tough cigarette packaging rules

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Sydney, April 29: Tobacco companies would be forced to use plain, logo-free packaging on their cigarettes in a bid to make them less attractive to smokers under legislation introduced Thursday by Australia’s government, which dubbed the move a world-first.

The rules, which would take effect July 1, 2012, would ban tobacco companies from including logos, promotional text or colorful images on cigarette packages. A government health warning would be prominently displayed instead, with the brand name relegated to tiny, generic font at the bottom.

California’s gay marriage ban moves to closing in june

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Sacramento, April 29: The federal trial over California’s gay marriage ban moves to closing arguments in June, advocates from both sides of the case said on Wednesday.

Judge Vaughn Walker tentatively set the date for June 16, said Andrew Pugno, a lawyer for the coalition defending the ban passed by voters in 2008. Gay rights activists also said the hearing would be in June, with the date subject to agreement between the judge and lawyers.