Month: July 2010

Indo-US higher education summit inaugurated in Mumbai

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Mumbai, July 31: With an aim to increase access and enhance quality of Indo-US higher education, a two-day summit for higher education was inaugurated here Saturday.

The summit is a part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Indo-American Society.

Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal was the chief guest at the inaugural function.

He spoke about his vision of a nation where every child has the opportunity to go to school and get access to higher studies, irrespective of his or her paying capacity.

Orissa launches online service to address grievances

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Bhubaneswar, July 31: Orissa Saturday launched an online service to address the grievances of its citizens, an official said.

The web-based grievance redressal and monitoring system, named e-Abhiyoga, was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here in the presence of state officials, said a senior official of the Chief Minister Office.

‘Orissa is the second state in the country after Haryana to provide citizens such a facility,’ he told IANS.

Chhattisgarh airlifting doctors to diarrhoea-hit areas

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Raipur, July 31: The Chhattisgarh government has started airlifting doctors by choppers to tribal belts in Bijapur and Dantewada districts where dozens of people have died due to diarrhoea, cholera and other diseases in the past few months, a minister said Saturday.

‘We are receiving reports regularly about deaths of poor tribals in the interiors of Bijapur and Dantewada districts due to diarrhoea and cholera. We are rushing doctors by choppers to the affected areas,’ Health Minister Amar Agrawal told IANS.

Integrate tobacco control in medical curriculum: Study

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New Delhi, July 31: In view of increasing tobacco use and its serious health hazards, a study has recommended that information on the hazards of tobacco use and cessation should be formally made a part of the medical curriculum in India.

The study ‘Tobacco Control and the Training of Health Care Providers’ released Friday emphasises that there is an urgent need to integrate tobacco control into public health and the Medical Council of India (MCI) should be responsible for developing a tobacco cessation training manual for medical students and health care providers.

Battle to control Rs.7 bn Lilavati Hospital hots up

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Mumbai, July 31: The ongoing family feud for control over the estimated seven billion-rupee business empire linked to the Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre here Saturday took a new turn with a top trustee hitting out at others.

In a statement issue here, the hospital’s permanent and managing trustee Niket V. Mehta said that he was shocked by a statement issued last week by his relatives, Chetan Mehta, Prabodh Mehta and Rashmi Mehta, claiming that he was not a trustee of the institution.

Six new dengue cases in Delhi

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New Delhi, July 31: Six new cases of dengue were detected in the capital Saturday, taking the total number of people affected by the mosquito-borne disease to 52, an official said.

‘Six people tested positive for dengue today (Saturday) in Delhi. But no deaths were reported,’ N.K. Yadav, chief medical officer of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), told IANS.

Delhi has so far reported one dengue death this year.

–IANS

Games to boost sales in Delhi: Dikshit

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New Delhi, July 31: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Saturday asked local shop owners and market associations to gear up for a major trading opportunity during the Commonwealth Games.

The chief minister said the government and civic agencies – the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) – are already sprucing up some major markets in capital including Connaught Place and Khan market.

Coal India IPO likely between Oct 18-21

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Kolkata, July 31: The country’s largest coal producer, Coal India Limited (CIL), expects to make its maiden public offering of shares between Oct 18-21, a top official said here Saturday.

‘Our IPO (Initial Public Offering) is on track, and is not being delayed further as reported in a section of the press,’ CIL Chairman Partha S. Bhattacharyya told reporters on the sidelines of a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Conference on Leadership and Organisational Change.

The draft red herring prospectus for the IPO would be approved by the CIL board Aug 5, he said.

Central government in favour of banning iron ore exports

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Bangalore, July 31: The central government is planning to ban iron ore exports or restrict the quantum of export to protect the rich mineral wealth of the country, Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh said Saturday.

‘We will ban iron ore exports. If that is not possible, we will restrict it,’ Singh told reporters at the Jindal steel plant in Tornagal near Bellary, about 320 km from here.

Endorsing the Karnataka government’s decision to ban iron ore export from the state, he said it was imperative to ensure that the mineral reserves were first used for value addition to produce steel.

National Textiles Corp sells Worli mill land for Rs.474 crore

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New Delhi, July 31: The first ever e-auction conducted by Indian public sector undertakings (PSUs) ended Saturday with the National Textiles Corporation (NTC) selling a closed mill at Worli in Mumbai for Rs.474 crore. The winning bidder was Indiabulls Infratech Limited.

The 2.39 acre Podar’s Mill, fetched much higher than its reserve price of Rs.250 crore, encouraging the NTC, which plans a series of online biddings planned to rake in Rs.5,000 crore.

Northeast states need uniform power policy: NEEPCO chief

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Shillong, July 31: State-owned North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) chief and managing director I.P. Barooah Saturday advocated a uniform power policy for the eight northeastern states.

‘The region must think in terms of having a uniform hydel power policy so that the power sector can be developed in a coordinated manner,’ he said at a conference on ‘EM-powering North East’, jointly organised by the Meghalaya government and the Indian Chamber of Commerce here.

’10 Crores Paid To Kill Sohrabuddin’

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New Delhi, July 31: In a startling revelation, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) witness Azam Khan has revealed that RK Marbles paid Rs 10 crore to former Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria to get Sohrabuddin Sheikh killed, according to a Media report. Kataria was the home minister when the

Sohrabuddin was allegedly killed in an encounter in a joint operation of the Rajasthan and Gujarat police.

Azam Khan was the cell mate of Tulsiram Prajapati, the witness in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter.

Beggars play hide and seek with Delhi authorities

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New Delhi, July 31: The Indian capital has over 60,000 beggars and getting them off the streets as the city is cleaned up for the Commonwealth Games is proving to be a cat and mouse game for the Delhi authorities.

As the October mega event draws near, the social welfare ministry of the Delhi government has said there should be “intensity of action” on the anti-begging drive. Begging is an illegal activity in Delhi.

“The progress on the anti-begging drive in Delhi is far from satisfactory,” a senior government official IANS.

Hypercity invites all Hyderabadis for it’s 1st Anniversary Celebrations!

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Winners to walk away with exciting gifts! Hypercity to celebrate its first anniversary in style!

The excitement begins on July 31, 2010 and will go on till August 8, 2010. Hypercity will conduct many fun-filled activities like Best Birthday Memory Contest, One Minute’ challenge games, Treasure Hunt, Musical Chair, Darts, Hula Hoops spinning, etc.

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Battle to control Rs.7 bn Lilavati Hospital hots up

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Mumbai, July 31: The ongoing family feud for control over the estimated seven billion-rupee business empire linked to the Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre here Saturday took a new turn with a top trustee hitting out at others.

In a statement issue here, the hospital’s permanent and managing trustee Niket V. Mehta said that he was shocked by a statement issued last week by his relatives, Chetan Mehta, Prabodh Mehta and Rashmi Mehta, claiming that he was not a trustee of the institution.

Student commits suicide over Telangana, situation tense

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Hyderabad, July 31: Osmania University here was tense Saturday as yet another student committed suicide in the campus demanding formation of a separate Telangana state, and hundreds of students joined in the funeral procession.

The procession was joined by Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, revolutionary balladeer Gaddar and Telangana political Joint Action Committee chairman Kodandaram.

The procession was winding its way to Gun Park, Telangana martyrs’ memorial near the assembly, as per the wishes of the student.

School principal found guilty of sexually abusing boys

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Auckland, July 31: A former principal of a Catholic boarding school in New Zealand has been found guilty of sexually abusing teenage boys.

Elvis Dobson Shepherd, now 49, was involved in sexual activity with two teenage boys while he was teaching at the Hato Petera College, a Maori Catholic boarding school in the early 1990s, a court heard Friday.

The jury delivered its verdict after deliberating for five hours in the high court at Palmerston North, 390 km from Auckland, the New Zealand Herald reported.

Down Melody Lane

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When we see his voice sit ‘pat’ on Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand who started out in the ’40s through Shammi Kapoor, Dharmendra and Rishi Kapoor and then go perfectly on someone like Govinda in the 1989 Farz Ki Jung, we realise that Mohammed Rafi and his effortless vocal magic transcends time. But there is more to Rafi than just his huge musical treasury – he is as relevant today as he was in his lifetime, and has been so for 30 years since he passed away on July 31, 1980.

Rafi lives on…

Pakistan floods toll tops 670

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Islamabad, July 31: The death toll in floods rose to 672 Saturday as rescue workers tried to reach thousands of people stranded in north-western Pakistan, officials said.

Rivers bloated by monsoon rains submerged thousands of villages, washed away dozens of bridges and telecommunication installations, blocked roads and inundated millions of acres of agricultural land.

Mujahid Khan, a spokesman for the Edhi Foundation, said that 635 people were killed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the worst-hit area with more than 400,000 people displaced.

Israeli airstrike kills Hamas commander

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Israel, July 31: Hamas has pledged revenge after fresh Israeli attacks on Gaza left one of its members dead and 15 other people wounded.

A young girl and an elderly man are among the injured.

Hamas says Issa Al-Batran, one of its commanders, was killed by a missile that hit his caravan in central Gaza.

Israeli warplanes fired a total of at least four missiles into the coastal strip.

Israel says it carried out the airstrikes in response to a rocket fired from Gaza into the city of Ashkelon. No one was injured by that blast.

Sachin rested, Yuvi recalled for ODI tri-series

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Mumbai, July 31: Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir have been rested for the forthcoming one-day tri-series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, the National Selection Committee announced on Saturday.

While Sachin incurred a groin injury during his marathon knock of 200 during the second Test against Sri Lanka, Gambhir has been left out due to his knee injury.

Yuvraj Singh, however, found his way back into the ODI squad after being dropped from the Asia Cup.

Three crore pending cases? Prez Patil wants review

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New Delhi, July 31: President Pratibha Patil on Saturday called for a review of figures that put the number of pending cases before Indian courts at a staggering 3 crore. She also stressed on innovative ways to clear the backlog.

Patil’s call came in response to Chief Justice SH Kapadia’s contention that more than 50 percent of the cases counted as “arrears” were in fact filed only a year back. He said such cases could be described as “pending” but not as “arrears”.

UPA using CBI as political instrument:Munda

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Jamshedpur, July 31: Accusing the Centre of using the CBI as its political instrument, BJP leader Arjun Munda today said the agency was bent on “harassing” the Narendra Modi government in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.

MDMK will continue to have ‘top’ as symbol: Vaiko

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Chennai, July 31: The MDMK today said it would continue to have ‘top’ as its symbol for the next six years despite the Election Commission derecognising it as regional party in Tamil Nadu.

The EC’s order on the allocation of symbol had clearly stated that a derecognised party would be given the same symbol it had contested for the next six years, party chief Vaiko said here in a statement.

Though the party would not get time allotted for election broadcasts and telecasts, it would have its ‘top’ symbol till July 29, 2016, he said.

Sohrabuddin encounter case: Modi blasts Centre

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Ahmedabad, July 31: Hitting out at the Centre and the CBI, Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said the agency’s plea to the Supreme Court to shift the Sohrabuddin case outside Gujarat was an insult to the judicial system of the state.

He also asked the Centre whether it considered Gujarat as a part of “enemy country”.

“Do you not consider the state as a part of India,” Modi asked.

Accusing Congress of playing vote bank politics on the fake encounter case, Modi lambasted the ruling party at the Centre and also the CBI, which is probing the 2005 killing.