Abu Dhabi, November 03: With the advent of the electronic age and instant messaging, the age-old custom of sending postcards has vanished from our day-to-day lives. The Emirates Post in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has now launched a campaign to revive the tradition and has issued an exclusive collection of picture postcards.
New Delhi, November 03: The uproar over CWG and Adarsh Housing Society scams notwithstanding, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday remained silent on the scandals involving party member Suresh Kalmadi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan at the AICC meet here.
Even Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who along with Defence Minister A K Antony is inquiring into Chavan’s role in the Adarsh scam, remained mum on the matter while addressing the session.
Washington, November 03: With less than 100 hours left for Barack Obama to leave for his historic trip to India, the White House has said that the U.S. President is looking to elevate the Indo-U.S. relationship to a whole new level, far away from the misunderstanding and differences of the Cold War.
Mumbai, November 03: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan may be busy shooting for ‘Don 2’ in Berlin but he rang in his 45th birthday in style today, partying with his family and Hrithik Roshan in the German capital.
“Have not had so much fun on my birthday before,” tweeted Shah Rukh adding that he had partied with his children, Hrithik, Sussanne and the gang of ‘Don 2’
“Thanks for making me feel so special everyone around the world. I am half way home now…but promise to keep u all happy in the next half,” wrote the actor who is fondly called King Khan by his fans.
New Delhi, November 02: Mini-ratna public sector undertaking (PSU) Airports Authority of India today presented a dividend cheque of Rs 142.5 crore to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, who received it on behalf of the government.
During the last fiscal, AAI earned a revenue of Rs 4,615 crore against Rs 4,186 crore in 2008-09, the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a release.
The profit before tax in 2009-10 was Rs 1,228 crore against Rs 1116 crore in the previous year and the profit after tax was Rs 712 crore in 2009-10 as against Rs 687 crore in 2008-09, it added.
New Delhi, November 02: Mini-ratna public sector undertaking (PSU) Airports Authority of India today presented a dividend cheque of Rs 142.5 crore to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, who received it on behalf of the government.
During the last fiscal, AAI earned a revenue of Rs 4,615 crore against Rs 4,186 crore in 2008-09, the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a release.
The profit before tax in 2009-10 was Rs 1,228 crore against Rs 1116 crore in the previous year and the profit after tax was Rs 712 crore in 2009-10 as against Rs 687 crore in 2008-09, it added.
New Delhi, November 02: Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh Tuesday said that it appears that Mumbai’s controversial Adarsh housing society had violated environmental laws and demolition of the building was one of the options before the government.
“We sent a letter to the Maharashtra government on Oct 26 and we received an interim reply on Oct 27, saying there has been no approval given by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Aauthority (MCZMA). So there is clear violation of the coastal regulation zone (CRZ),” Ramesh told CNN-IBN in a interview.
Coimbatore, November 02: Without nutritional security, talks about food security to the Indian population is incomplete, a top International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) official said today.
To achieve this, more investments and policy changes are needed in the production of cereals and pulses, to feed the growing population, particularly those below the poverty line, said ICRISAT Director General Willian D Dar.
Washington, November 02: Two years after his triumphal election as the first black leader of the US, President Barack Obama and his Democratic Party were bracing Tuesday for major losses in mid-term legislative elections.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 37 seats in the 100-member Senate are up for grabs as well as governorships and many state and local positions.
Baghdad, November 02: More than 30 people have been killed in Iraq from a series of car bombings, suicide bombings and explosions from improvised devices that rocked various parts of Baghdad Tuesday evening, according to security sources and witnesses.
Witnesses said that more than 70 others were injured in the attacks that targeted cafes, restaurants and popular markets.
There were around 11 car bombings and attacks by suicide bombers, according to witnesses who spoke to DPA.
Panaji, November 02: Eight senior members of the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) managing committee today resigned, days after the duplicate tickets controversy for the One-Day International between India and Australia surfaced.
Three GCA vice-presidents, three joint secretaries, secretary and treasurer tendered their resignation from the committee today, a GCA release said.
Kanpur, November 02: Mother of a 12-year-old sexual assault victim today told a National Commission for Women (NCW) team here that the Kanpur police was “harassing” the family while probing the case of her daughter, district administration sources said.
During the visit of a two-member NCW team to the victim’s house, the mother of the girl student, who died on September 27 following the incident, accused the Kanpur police of “harassing” her family in connection with the case, they said.
Hyderabad, November 02: Senior IAS officer Bhanwarlal today took over as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Andhra Pradesh.
Bhanwarlal, a 1983-batch IAS officer, was recently appointed as the CEO following the transfer of I V Subba Rao as Establishment Officer in the Department of Personnel at the Centre.
Talking to reporters, the new CEO said his priority is to see that 100 per cent voters registration is done.
–Agencies
New Delhi, November 02: Chief ministers of two non-Congress ruled states today attacked Sonia Gandhi for her statement that state governments could not escape the blame for inflation.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati said states were only following the national policy while her Orissa counterpart Naveen Patnaik asked the Centre to stop the “blame game” on inflation.
Addressing the AICC meet here, Gandhi said that states easily take credit for the schemes which are formulated and funded by Centre but when it comes to inflation, they blame the Centre.
Bangalore, November 02: Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa Tuesday dropped plans to fill up vacancies in the ministry, apparently in the face of a growing number of aspirants.
“The cabinet expansion, slated for Nov 3 at 9.30 a.m. at the Raj Bhavan, has been postponed,” an official release said late Tuesday, within hours after an invite was sent to the media.
The statement did not give any reason. There was no indication from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) when the expansion will take place.
Jaipur, November 02: There was no end to the woes of Hyderabad as they are heading for a massive defeat in the Ranji Trophy Plate division match against Rajasthan after yet another batting collapse.
Hyderabad, who yesterday recorded the lowest total in the Ranji history after being bowled out for 21, are trailing by 318 runs with just four wickets in hand after being reduced to 63 for six in their second innings.
Only a miracle can save them from an innings defeat.
Rajasthan, who began the day at 220 for two, 183 more runs to their total before being all out for 403 runs.
Aligarh, November 02: Indian universities hold great potential, and are the powerhouses of knowledge, former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said at a convocation here Tuesday.
“Our universities hold great potential for preparing India’s next generation to face the upcoming challenges. They are the powerhouses of knowledge,” Kalam, a Bharat Ratna awardee, said while addressing students at the Mangalayatan University here.
“The universities not only need to focus on employment generation, but should also make students excel in knowledge and performance,” he added.
Kolkata, November 02: For the first time since the Maoist menace surfaced in a big way in West Bengal nine years ago, the state government today said that it was open to dialogue with the ultras.
“The government is open to dialogue with the Maoists and wants to open a channel of communication,” Additional DGP (law and order) S Karpurakayastha said ten days after the abduction of police officer Partha Biswas and his friend Soumyajit Basu.
Lucknow, November 02: CPM general secretary Prakash Karat today accused the UPA of serving the interests of capitalists, saying it had resulted in wealth being limited to the privileged few.
“Economic development is being done by keeping in mind the interests of capitalists. In its second stint UPA government is working in this direction with wealth getting confined to just a few people,” Karat alleged during a meeting of party workers here.
Algiers, November 02: Al Qaeda militants are now shopping for arms in Chad in Africa, Algerian intelligence agents have said.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is using an estimated $100 million earned between 2003 and 2010 from ransom and drug trafficking to purchase weapons for use in terror operations in Algeria and Mali, Algiers-based newspaper Ennahar reported.
The outfit is also investing in real estate, the report said. They have bought large tracts of land and villas in Niger, Mali and Mauritania, the report said.
New Delhi, November 02: Public sector lender IDBI Bank hiked deposit and lending rates by up to 50 basis points today, hours after the RBI announced a slew of measures to tighten the monetary policy.
The bank also raised rates on high value housing loans in response to the RBI action to tighten norms for these advances.
However, other bankers said they will not raise interest rates immediately.
Interest rates on deposits across various maturities have been raised by 10-50 basis points, a senior IDBI Bank official told PTI.
New Delhi, November 02: As the leaders of India and the US get ready to discuss the China challenge next week, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon Tuesday said that New Delhi has an “overriding strategic interest” in developing better relations with China, but asked Beijing to be sensitive to each other’s core concerns.
New Delhi, November 02: Delhi may get a new police chief after the high profile visit of US President Barack Obama with incumbent Y.S. Dadwal moving to a new assignment, informed sources said Tuesday.
Dadwal, who was praised by Home Minister P. Chidambaram for his successful security management of the Commonwealth Games, is likely to be moved as the new head of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
The sources told IANS that chief of Tihar prisons B.K. Gupta and special commissioners Neeraj Kumar and Ajay Chadha were being considered for the post of Delhi Police chief.
Sangareddy, November 02: Activists of TRS and Congress clashed with each other at the Nirmal Gram Puraskar awards function in the presence of information, public relations and tourism minister J Geeta Reddy here on Monday.
Medak district collector S Suresh Kumar and SP Sundarkumar Das were also present.
Sarpanches of villages in which sanitation was maintained were given awards and felicitated at the function. While taking the award, the sarpanch of Magdoompur raised pro-Telangana slogans and he was joined by the TRS ZPTC members among the audience.
New Delhi, November 02: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said his tours across the country in the past six years have made him understand the two “Indias” – one which is fast moving while the other that is lagging behind – and noted that only his party could connect the two diverse sides.
Rising to speak after vociferous demands from party workers, Gandhi, 40, said that his tours also made him understand that only the poor can take the country forward.