Month: May 2010

Pakistan calls Waziristan attack internal

by

Islamabad, May 30: Pakistan has clarified that the decision to launch a fresh offensive against the Taliban in the North Waziristan region would be made by Islamabad rather than Washington.

“We are a sovereign country and don’t make our decision on dictation from external forces. The decision to launch an offensive in North Waziristan will be made by the Pakistani army after assessing the entire situation and not due to US pressure,” Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told reporters on Saturday, a Media reported.

Tobacco kills 1.5m women each year

by

London, May 30: The United Nations has warned against the use of tobacco among women and calls for global action against it as 1.5 million women die each year from its usage.

UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon said in a message to the World No Tobacco Day, May 31, that, “Around the world, more than 1.5 million women die each year from tobacco use,” UN Information Center in the Iranian capital, Tehran, reported.

A recent survey in 151 countries, showed use of tobacco products is about equal among boys and girls, said the World Health Organization.

Israeli warplanes double strike Gaza

by

Jerusalem, May 30: Israeli warplanes have launched a double air strike on the Gaza Strip, bombarding certain areas of the coastal sliver, Palestinians say.

Military jets belonging to the Israeli Air Force twice struck an area near the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on Saturday night, a Palestinian medical source said.

The latest assault caused further damage to the inoperative Gaza airport at Rafah, AFP reported on Sunday.

There have been no reports of casualties so far.

Netanyahu no peace partner: Abbas

by

Gaza, May 30: Ahead of a meeting with US President Barack Obama, acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas says the Israeli premier is not a real peace partner.

Abbas, who has been invited by the US president for discussions over indirect peace talks, has reportedly told US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell that the Palestinians do not consider Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as committed to peace negotiations, the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper reported.

ECB, players on collision course over contract

by

London, May 30: Leading English players, including captain Andrew Strauss are at loggerheads with the ECB over the new central contract, tabled last October.

While the players are preparing for the Ashes, which is just six months away, eleven players are reportedly unhappy and have refused to sign the central contracts by their Board.

BJP attacks Mamata for doling out clean chit to Maoists

by

New Delhi, May 30: Observing that the bodies of the victims of Gyaneshwari Express accident are yet to be retrieved even after 72 hours, the BJP today said Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee was more interested in politics rather than helping affected families. BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said it was unfortunate that Ms Banerjee was doling out clean chit to the Maoist elements before the probe had begun when it was a fact that the villagers had witnessed the involvement of these elements in the ghastly sabotage, claiming the lives of 137 people so far.

Israel rejects new drive to ban nukes from Mideast

by

Jerusalem, May 30: Israel, thought to be the Middle East’s only nuclear power, has rejected a new U.N. call to come clean about its secretive nuclear program, calling it a “deeply flawed and hypocritical” act that ignores the threat posed by its sworn enemy Iran.

Israel declared late Saturday that it would not take part in a 2012 conference on establishing a nuclear-free Middle East — an Arab-led initiative backed by top ally U.S. and the 188 other signatories to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Queen not to attend Commonwealth Games in India

by

London, May 30: The British Queen will not be attending the Commonwealth Games (CWG) to be held in India Oct 3-14, an official said.

The queen will not be attending the event for the first time in over 40 years. Prince Charles will be representing the royal family instead.

Daily Mail reported Sunday that Queen Elizabeth won’t be able to attend the event due to heavy workload. It is perhaps for the first time since 1966 that the Queen will not be attending.

S Korean nabbed for exploiting North refugees

by

Seoul, May 30: A South Korean man has been arrested for running Internet sex sites involving female North Korean refugees hiding in China, a report said on Sunday.

The 53-year-old identified only as Na is accused of recruiting about 160 North Korean women and ethnic Koreans in China to engage in sex talk with South Korean clients or to strip on web-cams, Yonhap news agency said.

The report gave no further details. It is illegal in South Korea to operate Internet sex sites.

Facebook is king of the Internet: Google

by

San Francisco, May 30: Google on Friday released web traffic data indicating that Facebook is king when it comes to online visitors despite criticism about privacy at the social-networking service.

Facebook.com is visited monthly by 540 million people, or slightly more than 35 per cent of the Internet population, according to Google Ad Planner worldwide data gathered using recently-acquired Double Click.

Maoists blow up Orissa village council building

by

Bhubaneswar, May 30: Maoist guerrillas early Sunday blew up a panchayat (council) office building in Orissa’s Malkangiri district, police said.

About 30-40 rebels came to Kankurukunda village at about 1 am and blasted the building using explosives, a senior police officer told a news agency.

No body was inside the office when the blast took place, he said.

The rebels blew up the building, constructed by the government two years ago, as they suspected that it was being used by paramilitary forces engaged in anti-Maoist operations, the officer said.

Israel to stop aid ships

by

Gaza, May 30: The standoff between Israel and international supporters of the Gaza aid flotilla is coming to a head with the deployment of the Israeli warships on Saturday to stop the convoy once it entered Israeli controlled waters.

According to the Israeli navy, eight ships are sailing towards Gaza.

The convoy named Freedom Flotilla is likely to set sail towards the Gaza Strip from the international waters off the shores of Cyprus on Saturday afternoon, Israel Radio said.

China coal mine blast kills 17 near Chenzhou: Report

by

Beijing, May 30: A coal mine accident killed 17 miners and injured one in a mining and metals-intensive region in southern China’s Hunan province, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the provincial work safety watchdog.

The miners died after mining explosives stored in the shaft blew up and released clouds of toxic gas at a township coal mine near Chenzhou on Saturday, the report said.

Last August, the provincial government suspended all of Chenzhou’s 270 coal mines for the rest of 2009, after an accident at a graphite mine killed 15 people.

Congress responsible for Mahabubabad violence: BJP

by

Hyderabad, May 30: Senior BJP leader and former union minister Bandaru Dattatreya on Saturday alleged that the ruling Congress government was solely responsibile for the Mahabubabad violent incicent on Friday in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Mr. Dattatreya said, “Had the Rosaiah government taken preventive action to stop the Kadapa MP Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy’s ‘odarpu Yatra,’ the violence incident would not have happened.

‘BCCI forced Sri Lanka to oppose Howard’s nomination’

by

Melbourne, May 30: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reportedly forced Sri Lanka to join South Africa and Zimbabwe in their oppositon to John Howard’s nomination for the ICC vice-presidency.

The Indian board threatened to cut off all its ties with Sri Lanka if it supported former Australian Prime Minister Howard’s nomination for the ICC job.

”The Indian cricket board had threatened to cut off its ties with Sri Lanka if no support is extended to oppose John Howard,” The Daily Telegraph quoted well placed sources in London as saying.

Politicians, mining and land mafia ruling roost in AP: Naidu

by

Hyderabad, May 30: Accusing the ruling Congress of failing to maintain law and order, Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said “political mafia, mining mafia and land mafia” were ruling the roost in Andhra Pradesh.

“There is no security for people in the state because of the political mafia while the mining mafia has been plundering precious national wealth,” he told the valedictory session of the TDP’s three-day meet at Gandipet near here.

Naidu alleged that the police was being misused by the ruling party to serve its vested political interests.

Children turn mute by tragedy

by

Jhargram, May 30: While the death brought grief to hundreds of families in the horrific Gyaneshwari Express tragedy, it is harrowing time for many a little sibling to come to terms with a life sans their parents and other family members.

Saukat Ali, a playful two-year-old who survived the accident with minor injuries, seems to be oblivious of the disaster that struck the passengers of the ill-fated train. He has become a darling of the hospital nurses in just 24 hours.

CPI leader R Chakrapani passes away

by

Tiruchirapalli, May 30: Veteran Communist Party of India (CPI) leader R Chakrapani passed away here yesterday after a brief illness.

He was 86.

He had served as member of Tiruchirapalli Municipality for five terms. He was one time member of the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation. He had also served as Director of various cooperative institutions.

He is survived by three sons and three daughters.

—-Agencies

Now 1 Lakh can be withdraw from ATM, HDFC permit

by

New Delhi, May 30: Bank customers can soon withdraw up to Rs 1 lakh in a single day from ATM machines, and can shop for even an higher amount of Rs 1.25 lakh with their debit cards.

Also, as much as Rs three lakh can be transferred in a day to another account through ATMs as also over the phone.

India dismisses Pak charges on water theft

by

New Delhi, May 30: Peeved at Pakistan’s oft-repeated allegation that it is being deprived of its share of common waters, India today said such charges were aimed at diverting the attention of their people from their “own inefficient” use of the vital resource.

On the eve of the bilateral talks on water here, India asserted that it has never deprived Pakistan of its share of water, not even during wars and had no intention to do so ever.

CBSE yet to decide on report by Ruchika’s school

by

New Delhi, May 30: A report submitted by a Chandigarh school on expulsion of Ruchika Girhotra, who was molested by former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore, is under consideration of CBSE and no decision has been taken on it.

“The school has submitted the report about its action of expelling Ruchika. The report is being considered by a committee. No decision has been taken in this matter,” CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi said.

Three women injured in separate rape attempts

by

Muzaffarnagar, May 30: Three women, including a girl, were injured in two separate incidents of rape attempts in the district, police said today.

Unidentified miscreants allegedly tried to murder 30- year-old Malti after she resisted a rape attempt in Dolatpur village, they said.

She had gone to collect grass in the fields last evening when the miscreants slit her throat following her resistance, police said.

The victim was rushed to a hospital in a serious condition, they said, adding search was on to nab the culprits.

After Pak, Bangladesh bans Facebook over Prophet cartoons

by

Dhaka, May 30: After Pakistan, Bangladesh has now blocked social networking site Facebook for hosting pages featuring blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)and “obnoxious” images of the country’s leaders.

No official announcement was made yet on the decision but the Daily Star newspaper quoted an unnamed Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission official as saying that “part of the reason (of blocking the network) is the posting of some anti-religious and porn links by users across the globe”.

Fire in Delhi building, no casualty

by

New Delhi, May 30: A fire broke out early Sunday in a three-storeyed building in north-east Delhi. No one was injured in the incident, officials said.

“A fire started around 3 a.m. on the third floor of a building in Seelampur area. Twenty fire tenders were rushed to the spot immediately. The fire was doused within an hour,” a fire official said.

The building had a warehouse where cotton and plastic waste were stored. “There was no casualty,” the fire official added.

“The cause of the fire and details of the damage are yet not known,” a police officer said.
–IANS