Month: May 2010

IPS officer arrested in Tulsi Prajapati case

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New Delhi, May 04: IPS officer Vipul Agrawal arrested in Tulsi Prajapati encounter case, says Gujarat CID chief V V Rabari.

Tulsi Prajapati, a friend of Sheikh and witness in the encounter case, was shot dead in an “encounter” by Special Operation Group (SOG) of Banaskantha Police in 2006 at a time when CID (Crime), which was probing the Sohrabuddin case, was trying to reach out to him for recording statement.

The Prajapati case is being probed by the State CID (Crime).

BJP yet to take any decision on alliance with JMM

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Ranchi, May 04: BJP remained indecisive today about its alliance with JMM in Jharkhand with top leaders holding a meeting on the future course of action even as its MLAs attended a Cabinet meeting in Ranchi presided over by Chief Minister Shibu Soren.

BJP President Nitin Gadkari, senior leader L K Advani, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and her counterpart in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley held a meeting today evening to discuss the stalemate over alliance with JMM.

Foreign education institutions Bill tabled in Lok Sabha

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New Delhi, May 04: Amid opposition by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the government on Monday introduced the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill in the Lok Sabha.

The Bill, which seeks to regulate the entry and operation of foreign education institutions, had been pending for the past four years due to stiff opposition from the Left. It was also sent to the Committee of Secretaries last year and eventually cleared by the Cabinet in March.

West Indies beat England via D/L method

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Guyana, May 04: West Indies beat England by eight wickets via Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-marred Twenty20 World Cup Group D match here.

Earlier, West Indies were given a revised victory target of 60 runs from six overs against England after their Twenty20 cricket World Cup Group D match was stopped for over an hour due to rain here today.

Chasing 192 to win, West Indies were 30 for no loss in 2.2 overs against England when heavy downpour stopped the match.

Brief score:

England: 191 for 5 in 20 overs (Eoin Morgan 55, Luke Wright 45 not out; Darren Sammy 2/22).

US has 5,113 nuke warheads: Pentagon

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Washington, May 04: The United States has a total of 5,113 nuclear warheads in its stockpile as of September 30, 2009, the Pentagon has revealed, following which Congressmen sought similar move from India, Pakistan, China and Russia.

The newly declassified information was released as part of America’s effort to increase the transparency of global nuclear stockpiles — a step which it thinks is important to nonproliferation efforts.

Chile shakes again

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Santiago, May 04: The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude-6.4 earthquake has struck of Chile’s central coast. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The USGS says the quake’s epicentre was 151 km south-southwest of Concepcion, Chile, at a depth of 20 km.

Radio stations in the Bio-Bio region reported no major damages or injuries from Monday’s tremor.

Don’t use Islam for violence

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Oyo, May 04: Muslim students under the aegis of the Muslim Students Society, Lead City University, Ibadan chapter, have warned terrorists to stop hiding under Islam to foment trouble.

They said terrorism, both domestically and internationally, negated the tenets of Islam.

The society’s President, Mr. Afeez Lawal, made the call on Monday in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, at a news conference heralding the group’s 2010 Dawah (Islamic Preaching) Week.

U.S. has 5,113 nuclear warheads: Pentagon

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Washington, May 04: The United States has a total of 5,113 nuclear warheads in its stockpile as of September 30, 2009, the Pentagon has revealed, following which Congressmen sought similar move from India, Pakistan, China and Russia.

The newly declassified information was released as part of America’s effort to increase the transparency of global nuclear stockpiles — a step which it thinks is important to non-proliferation efforts.

End trust deficit to solve issues

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New Delhi, May 04: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has told his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani that all issues between the two countries can be resolved if the trust deficit could be eliminated, Parliament was informed today.

Making an identical statement in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the Prime Minister’s visit to Bhutan where he met Gilani, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said Singh had conveyed India’s “serious concerns” over terrorism emanating from Pakistan and sought expeditious action against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack.

Aus PM following porn on Twitter

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Melbourne, May 04: Now Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd faces the hazards of online social networking as he becomes the follower of pornographic communities through his official Twitter account.

A bare-breasted woman in handcuffs, an online adult super store and a pornographic blog were among dozens of dodgy accounts followed by the prime minister among his list of supporters, community groups and wife Therese Rein.

It’s a message to Pakistan not to export terror

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New Delhi, May 04: Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said that the conviction of Ajmal Kasab and acquittal of two local accomplices in Mumbai attack case shows India is governed by rule of law but sends a message to Pakistan that it should not export terror.

“The court has convicted certain accused. It also acquitted two accused. That shows the independence, fearlessness and integrity of the court,” he told reporters reacting to the judgement of a Mumbai special court.

Honour killing of JOURNO by mother ?

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New Delhi,May 04 :With the police exploring the angle of honour killing in the death of Delhi-based journalist Nirupama Pathak, her mother Sudha Pathak was arrested today on the charge of murder. Sudha, a housewife, has given contradictory statements to the police on how her daughter died.

Sunanda-Tharoor getting engaged?

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Mumbai, May 04: According to reliable sources, politician Shashi Tharoor may well be getting engaged to the woman he loves Sunanda Pushkar at Sanjay Khan’s luxury hotel Golden Palms Resort and Spa Bangalore on June 27 this year.

Says a source, “Sunanda has been discussing her engagement plans with close friends in Mumbai and Dubai. She’s thrilled and wants to share the good news with friends and family.”

Suicide attack kills 1 outside CIA base

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Kabul, May 04: A suicide attack killed one civilian on Monday outside a CIA base in eastern Afghanistan where the agency suffered one of the worst attacks in its history in December, an Afghan official said.

Two security guards were wounded in the blast outside Camp Chapman in Khost province, said Mubarez Zadran, a spokesman for the Provincial Governor. A suicide blast inside the base five months ago killed eight people.

Fahim was framed :Wife

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Mumbai,May 04 :Dealing a blow to the prosecution, the special court of judge M.L. Tahilyani acquitted Fahim Ansari (36) and Sabauddin Ahmed (25), the two Indians named as co-conspirators in the 26/11 attacks.

Rejecting all evidence against them, the court said, “It is highly risky to convict accused number 2 [Ansari] and 3 [Ahmed].”

Ansari, who was brought up in Mumbai, and Sabauddin, who belongs to Bihar, were accused of being Lashkar-e-Tayyeba operatives and surveying the city, preparing maps of the attack spots and smuggling the maps to the 10 attackers to

Flooding hits Tennessee, nearby U.S. states

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Washington, May 04: A weekend deluge burst rivers and creeks from their banks across Tennessee and neighboring U.S. states on Monday, killing at least 22 people and forcing thousands to evacuate homes and hotels.

The overflowing Cumberland River shut down bars and clubs in Nashville’s tourist district, drove 1,500 guests from the Opryland hotel and closed schools and businesses.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean urged residents to conserve water because one of the city’s treatment plants had to be shut down after more than a foot (30 cm) of rain fell.

US drone strike Pakistan

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Islamabad, May 03: A US drone attack has killed at least six people and wounded several others in the troubled tribal areas of northwestern Pakistan, officials say.

According to Pakistani officials, the drone fired three missiles in the Mir Ali area in Waziristan tribal area near the Afghan border on Monday, DPA reported.

The death toll is expected to rise as some of the injured are reported to be in critical condition, sources said.

According to the sources, those killed were “militants.”

Israel’s Netanyahu meets Egypt’s Mubarak on Mideast

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Cairo, May 03: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday as Tel Aviv is poised to begin indirect negotiations with the Palestinians.

Their meeting in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh comes two days after the Arab League backed proximity talks that were called off in March when Israel said it would build more illegal settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem.

“The two will discuss all sorts of matters, especially the resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians,” an Israeli official said when the visit was announced.

Two ‘rich’ Gulf dailies close under economic pressure

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Kuwait City, May 03: Two Arabic-language Gulf dailies, Kuwait’s Awan and Bahrain’s Al-Waqt, announced on Monday that they are closing due to economic difficulties.

Awan’s editor Mohammed al-Rumeihi said in a front-page article that the newspaper was closing due to “extremely harsh economic reasons,” without elaborating.

The daily, which published its last edition on Monday, is closing after about 30 months of publication.

Kuwait students shun school to protest oil pollution

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Kuwait City, May 03: Thousands of students began a two-day strike on Sunday in protest at high pollution levels caused by oil facilities in a remote residential area of southern Kuwait.

“The strike was total today. All 15,000 students stayed at home,” Ahmad al-Shuraian, head of the area’s environmental protection committee, said after addressing a gathering.

The Ali Sabah Al-Salem area, in an oil-rich region some 55 kilometres (35 miles) south of Kuwait City, is surrounded by hundreds of facilities, including Kuwait’s three refineries, and industrial plants.

Kuwaiti MPs want Iran envoy expelled over ‘spy cell’

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Kuwait City, May 03: Several Kuwaiti MPs on Sunday blasted neighbouring Iran over an espionage cell allegedly busted by the emirate’s security forces, calling on the government to expel Tehran’s ambassador.

“We call for freezing all agreements with Iran… The government should recall our ambassador from Tehran and expel the Iranian ambassador from Kuwait,” MP Mohammad Hayef told reporters.

Hayef, who is well known for his anti-Iran stance, warned that if the government does not clarify its position “we will call for a special debate in parliament over the spy cell.”

South Yemen separatists hold strike

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Sanaa, May 03: One man was killed and two others were wounded as gunmen opened fire on a marketplace in south Yemen during a protest strike called by a separatist movement on Monday, a security official said.

“Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a qat market in the town of Sanah,” 300 kilometres (185 miles) south of Sanaa in Daleh province, the official said, referring to the chewable narcotic leaf beloved of Yemenis.

“One man was killed and two others were wounded,” he added, declining to give further details.

American obesity threatens US army recruitment

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Washington, May 03: Increasing rates of obesity among young Americans could undermine the future of the US military, with potential recruits increasingly too fat to serve, two retired generals said on Friday.

“Obesity rates threaten the overall health of America and the future strength of our military,” generals John Shalikashvili and Hugh Shelton, both former chairs of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote in a commentary.

Obesity disqualified more potential recruits for military service than any other medical factor, the two former commanders wrote in the Washington Post.

Karunanidhi to meet PM, Sonia over water issues

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New Delhi, May 03: The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday.

Calling Tamil Nadu a “water-scarcity” state, Karunanidhi said the Centre should “wake-up” and take responsible and pro-active steps to solve water disputes the state has with Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Karunanidhi, on a two-day visit to New Delhi, said Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have been in a denial mode to release excess water to Tamil Nadu.

Election recount starts in Baghdad

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Baghdad, May 03: A controversial recount that could alter who becomes Iraq’s prime minister began Monday in Baghdad, the latest in a series of pivotal steps threatening the vote’s credibility.

The war-torn country’s March 7 parliamentary poll has yet to produce a government and the outcome remains shrouded in doubt due to the recount and an imminent ruling on whether several winning candidates should be disqualified.