Month: September 2010

Yuvraj, Karthik in Challenger Series

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Mumbai, September 28: Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Karthik will lead India Blue and India Red respectively, while India Green will be captained by Subramanium Badrinath when Airtel Challenger Series for NKP Salve Trophy commences in Indore from October 8-11.

Senior national selection committee led by Krishnamachari Srikkanth on Tuesday decided to give some of the tried and tested faces another lifeline as the senior national team will embark on a long international season with the focus on next year’s World Cup to be staged in the sub-continent.

Parties welcome SC order

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Mumbai, September 28: Congress and BJP on Tuesday welcome the Supreme Court order paving the way for the Allahabad High Court to pronounce its verdict in the 60-year-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit.

We welcome the order. The party has always held that the issue should either be resolved through mutual talks or the court order should be obeyed, AICC General Secretary Janaradhan Dwivedi said.

BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said that the Supreme Court decision had ended the uncertainty over the 60-year-old dispute.

Mining windfall gains dictate politics in K’taka: Ramesh

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Bangalore, September 28: mUnion minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday took a dig at the BJP government in Karnataka, where at least two ministers have mining interests, saying politics in the state is defined by “windfall gains”.

“Mining has resulted in huge private windfall gains,” he said in general terms referring to the mining sector in the country, adding, “And there is no greater example of this than this very state (Karnataka).”

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Moily welcomes SC order on Ayodhya

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New Delhi, September 28: Law Minister M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court decision to dismiss a plea seeking the deferment of the Allahabad High Court judgement in the Ayodhya title suit and said the government has always taken a “secular and objective” stand on the issue.

“It is a welcome decision from the honourable Supreme Court. It is very precise, they have been very clear. They didn’t want this uncertainty to be prolonged. That is the
stand which we have been taking,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

Ayodhya verdict: India put on high alert

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Mumbai, September 28: The Union Home Ministry has put entire nation on high alert ahead of the Ayodhya verdict on September 30.

In an advisory to all the state, the home ministry has asked the security agency to be on high alert on September 30 due to possible backlash after the verdict.

The ministry has identified 16 places as hyper sensitive while 32 cities are sensitive.

Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are among the hyper sensitive.

The government has dispatched 52 battalions of paramilitary forces to the Uttar Pradesh.

Hillary Clinton raises nuclear liability issue with SM Krishna

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New York, September 28: With the US attaching “important priority” to liability matters, secretary of state Hillary Clinton raised the issue of India’s civil nuclear liability legislation with external affairs minister SM Krishna in the wake of concerns by American business to some provisions.

The nuclear liability issue was raised by Clinton during her 30-minute meeting with Krishna here yesterday, which were aimed at laying the groundwork for President Barack Obama’s visit to India in November.

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Israel warships intercept Gaza aid boat

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Gaza, September 28: Israeli warships have intercepted a Jewish aid boat bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip, forcefully diverting the aid vessel to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

“Ten Israeli warships forced the boat to head for (the Israeli port) of Ashdod by force, but without raiding the ship,” Amjad al-Shawa, a Gaza-based organizer told AFP.

“They surrendered because they were surrounded. They had no choice,” he further explained.

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Deadline for abducted Chhattisgarh cops ends

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Bijapur (Chhattisgarh), September 28: Even as the Chhattisgarh government held “secret talks” with Maoists to end the hostage crisis, the fate of the four kidnapped policemen hung in limbo after the 48-hour deadline set by the Maoists ended Tuesday evening.

“The government has established a backdoor contact with a section of the military unit of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist). It is holding secret talks with the rebels,” a reliable source told IANS.

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Deadline for abducted Chhattisgarh cops ends

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Bijapur (Chhattisgarh), September 28: Even as the Chhattisgarh government held “secret talks” with Maoists to end the hostage crisis, the fate of the four kidnapped policemen hung in limbo after the 48-hour deadline set by the Maoists ended Tuesday evening.

“The government has established a backdoor contact with a section of the military unit of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist). It is holding secret talks with the rebels,” a reliable source told IANS.

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Rupee down by 14 paise Vs dlr

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Mumbai, September 28: Snapping its two-day gaining streak, the rupee today ended lower by 14 paise against the US currency following month-end dollar demand amid some weakness in equities.

In active trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic unit closed at 45.15/16, a loss of 14 paise over the previous close.

In last two trading sessions, the rupee had gained 64 paise or 1.40 per cent against the dollar.

Ayodhya suits: Maya tells officials to beef up security

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Lucknow, September 28: With the Supreme Court clearing the way for the Allahabad High Court to deliver its verdict on Ayodhya title suits, the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh today directed officials to beef up security at both Allahabad and Lucknow benches of the Court.

It also directed district administrations to step up vigil around places of religious, public and historical importance, Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar said.

United States-India to keep in ‘close touch’ on Afghan

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New York, September 28: Amid concerns over surge in terrorism and instability in Afghanistan, the US and India have agreed to “keep in close touch” about developments in the war-torn nation as Washington appreciated New Delhi’s efforts in the country’s development sector.

During a bilateral meeting between Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton here, India and US also agreed to embark on a road of “triangular cooperation” in Afghanistan.

Iran warns Russia on siding with US

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Tehran, September 28: Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast warns Russia that siding with the US against Iran will harm Moscow’s long-term interests.

“Russia’s long-term interests will not be realized by getting engaged in US-sponsored games [against Iran],” Mehmanparast said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday, reacting to Russia’s unilateral termination of an arms deal with the Islamic Republic.

I hope BJP will realise that 2010 is not 1992: Digvijay

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New Delhi, September 28: Against the backdrop of the impending verdict on the Ayodhya title suit, Congress leader Digvijay Singh today said the BJP should realise that 2010 was not 1992 when the Babri Masjid was demolished and asked the party to “restrain” its cadre.

“I hope BJP would realise that 2010 is not 1992…They should restrain their cadres from indulging in violence,” Singh, the AICC General Secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, told reporters here.

Will be “huge bonus” if Harbhajan doesn’t play: Clarke

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Chandigarh, September 28: Australia have great respect for Harbhajan Singh but it will be a “huge bonus” for the visitors in case he misses out in the first Test at Mohali in the wake of injury scare surrounding him, vice-captain Michael Clarke said today.

Clarke, however, he was confident that the Indian off-spinner will play at Mohali and they were preparing how to tackle him.

“I am very confident Harbhajan will play. I know how much he loves playing against Australia,” Clarke told reporters at a press conference here.

Police evaluate security arrangements at stadium

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Kochi, September 28: Top police officials today evaluated security arrangements at the Jawaharlal Nehru International stadium at nearby Kaloor, venue of the first India-Australia ODI on October 17.

Headed by Kochi City Police Commissioner, Manoj Abraham, the team visited the stadium to discuss security-related issues for the ODI, a Kerala Cricket Association press release said.

They also visited various entry points and suggested various measures for smooth conduct of the match.

Woman dies after assault by suspected Bangladeshis: BSF

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Shillong, September 28: A forty-year-old woman died and two others injured after they were allegedly assaulted by suspected Bangladeshi nationals along the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border, the BSF said today.

The three women of Nongskhen village were going to a bazar on a jungle road adjacent to the Indo-Bangladesh border when they were assaulted yesterday, the BSF said in a statement, adding Ropal Malngian succumbed to the injuries.

“As per preliminary postmortem report Ropal died due to head injury as she was hit with sharp weapons,” the BSF said.

SC ruling a victory for judiciary: Bajrang Dal

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Bhubaneswar, September 28: Terming the Supreme Court order paving the way for a verdict on the Ayodhya title suit as a victory of judiciary, Bajrang Dal today said both parties should abide by the judgement of the Allahabad High Court.

It would have been a gross injustice to restrict a court to pronounce its judgement on any issue, Bajrang Dal national convener Subhash Chouhan told PTI.

“The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court was hearing the matter since 60 years. It would have been injustice to restrict the court from pronouncing the judgement,” he said.

Student rape: school sealed, 11 taken in police custody

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Kanpur, September 28: A day after a class VI student died allegedly after being raped in her school, police today took into custody 11 staff members, including the principal of the private institution which has been sealed.

According to DIG Prem Prakash, Bharatiya Gyan Sthali School has been sealed. Though no arrests have been made so far, the lady principal, a class teacher and nine other staff members of the institution are being questioned in connection with the alleged rape of the 12-year-old girl.

AI approves appointments in four key managerial posts

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New Delhi, September 28: Air India Board today approved four key appointments, including that of Chief Strategy Officer and COO of its low-cost arm Air India Express.

The Board, which met here, also approved the appointments of Chief Training Officer (CTO) and Chief Information Officer (CIO) in Air India.

It also gave its go ahead for implementation of SAP Enterprise Resource Planning project, which will support the airline’s core business in passenger services planning and development and also its maintenance, repair and overhaul functions.

PDP leader Abdul Madani’s judicial custody extended

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Bangalore, September 28: A local court today extended the judicial custody of PDP leader Abdul Nasser Madani, one of the accused in the 2008 Bangalore serial blasts case, to October 12.

All the 14 accused, who have been arrested in the case including Madani, were produced through video-conferencing before the First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Venkatesh Hulagi and he extended their judicial custody which ended today.

Militant killed in gunbattle with security forces in J-K

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Srinagar, September 28: An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter with security forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman said today. A search party of the army confronted militants late last night at Badi Behak in Nowgam sector, 120 kms from here, triggering a gunbattle, the spokesman said.