Month: January 2011

Afridi meets Ijaz for World Cup probables

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Karachi, January 03: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi will meet board chairman Ijaz Butt at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) headquarters in Lahore Monday to finalise the probables for the 2011 World Cup and also the 15-man squad for the ODI series in New Zealand.

Afridi arrived in Lahore Friday night from Christchurch after the end of the three-match TWenty20 series for the meeting. He will leave Monday night to join the team in Hamilton for the first Test against New Zealand starting Jan 7.

Karunanidhi skips dinner for PM

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Chennai, January 03: Indicating an unease in ties between his party and the Congress, Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi tonight skipped a dinner hosted for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by Governor S S Barnala here.

The chief minister”s office said Karunanidhi could not attend the dinner at the Raj Bhavan owing to prior commitment. Karunanidhi, a key ally of UPA, was busy attending a book release function by his close friend and renowned poet Vairamuthu.

‘US, Israel behind Sudan conflicts’

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Tehran, January 03: The Sudanese ambassador to Tehran says the US and Israel play a key role in sowing seeds of discord and fueling the country’s civil war and the unrest in its south.

“The Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, is likely to be escalating the conflict,” Suleiman Abdel Towab told Media on Sunday.

He also said a senior Mossad official has, in a report, singled out seven countries as “real threats” to Israel, among them are Iran and Sudan.

The envoy added Israel sees his country as a threat as Sudan is an Islamic state and very popular in Africa.

Talks fail to end impasse over quota to Gujjars

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Jaipur, January 03: Talks to end the 14-day-old impasse on the Gujjar quota issue failed to make much headway tonight with the agitators unrelenting on their demand for five per cent reservation in government jobs.

The state government and the Gujjar agitators will have another round of talks tomorrow, Energy Minister Jitendra Singh told reporters at the end of four hours of tough negotiations.

“The deadlock persists,” Gujjar leader Sriram Bainsla said but added that the agitators would participate in further talks to find a solution.

Maoists ready for talks if Azad’s killing probed: Agnivesh

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Kolkata, January 02: The Maoists are prepared for talks if the ntral government initiates a judicial probe into the death of rebel leader Azad alias Cherukuri Rajkumar, social activist Swami Agnivesh said here Sunday.

“The Maoists have demanded a judicial inquiry into Azad’s killing. If the central government accepts the demand and begins a probe, then they are ready for talks,” Agnivesh told newspersons.

He said top Maoist leaders Ganapathy and Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji had communicated to him that they would hold talks if the government accepted the demand.

MQM quits Pakistan’s ruling coalition

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Islamabad, Jan 2 (IANS) The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Sunday formally announced it was withdrawing support to Pakistan’s ruling coalition over the hike in commodity prices but Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani ruled out any threat to the government.

The party’s Coordination Committee held meetings simultaneously in Karachi and London Sunday before arriving at the decision, Geo TV said.

The meetings took serious exception to the massive hike in the prices of petroleum products, among other items, by the government.

Jagan to resume ‘yatra’ tomorrow

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Hyderabad, January 02: Former Congress MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy will resume his ‘Odarpu Yatra’ (tour for consoling) in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam district tomorrow.

During the yatra, Jagan will console 18 families whose kin died of shock following the death of his father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, sources said.

The former MP would unveil about 100 statues of his late father during the yatra, they said.

This is Jagan’s first yatra after he quit as Congress Lok Sabha member and also from the party last month.

Property dealer shot in Najafgarh

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New Delhi, January 02: A 35-year-old property dealer was shot at by two motorcycle-borne men in south-west Delhi today with police suspecting it to be a case of property dispute.

The incident took place in Najafgarh at around 3:30 pm, and the victim has been identified as Dilbagh Shokeen.

Shokeen was in his office when two men on a motorcycle came there and opened fire at him. Police suspect the two persons to be villagers who had dispute with him over a property.

Woman, paramour commit suicide

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Udaipur, January 02: A married woman and her paramour allegedly committed suicide by jumping into a pond at village here, police said today.

Chhagani and her paramour Naval Singh, both ageing 25 years, committed suicide by jumping into a pond in Semtal village here, police said, adding that tied bodies of the duo were recovered from the water body today.

According to the suicide note, recovered by the police from the purse of the deceased woman, the duo committed suicide after they failed to consummate this relationship.

Nursery admission process to begin in all Delhi schools Monday

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New Delhi, January 02: Nursery admissions in Delhi will start in a full-fledged manner Monday as parents gear up to brave the cold while queuing up at schools for buying application forms.

‘We are all prepared to start the year by lining up for the admission form,’ said Yashika Malik, a software professional whose daughter turned three last November.

While some schools started selling admission forms Saturday, the bulk of them will start the process Monday. The forms will be sold till Jan 15.

Categories Uncategorised

Former naxalite gunned down in AP

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Karimnagar, January 02: A former naxalite was gunned down by two Maoists at Sarvaipet village near here after they suspected him to be a police informer, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place last night, under Mahadevpur police limits, nearly 90 kms from here, they said.

The naxal-duo forcibly entered the house of Bautu Laxmaiah (25) in the village and took him to the outskirts and shot him dead.

Laxmaiah had surrendered before the police in 2006.

–PTI

Cong should expose Jagan: Hanumantha Rao

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New Delhi, January 02: Senior Congress leader Hanumantha Rao today accused Jagan Mohan Reddy of trying to align with the BJP and said his party would have to expose the rebel leader’s “corruption” and “craze for power” if it had to hold fort in Andhra Pradesh.

“Jaganmohan Reddy is trying to tie up with BJP in Andhra Pradesh. He has already met BJP leaders M Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley. He is speaking the language of BJP to the Congress now,” Rao told reporters here.

Bihar kidnappings shock, scare NRIs

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Patna, January 02: Non-Resident Indians from Bihar are shocked and worried over the rising incidents of kidnapping in the state as the fear of abductions once again returns to haunt the people.

Many NRI’s expressed their anguish four days after Neelesh Kumar Seth, a businessman, was abducted in Bihar’s Banka district last week. His brother Sanjeev Kumar, based in California, appealed to the abductors to free him after police failed to make any breakthrough.

‘I appeal to the abductors to release my brother,’ Sanjeev Kumar said in an e-mail to mediapersons here.

Chiranjeevi meets Andhra Pradesh CM

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Hyderabad, January 02: Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi tonight met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and is understood to have discussed about his visit to rain-affected areas.

There was no official word on the meeting but Chiranjeevi is understood to have told the Chief Minister about his visit to the rain-affected areas and distress of farmers.

The prevailing political situation is also understood to have been discussed during the meeting.

–Agencies

India joins powerful UNSC as key global player

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New York, January 02: India has joined the UN Security Council as its non-permanent member for a two-year term after a gap of 19 years, hoping that the seat at the high table will not only cement its place as a key global player, but also pave the way for becoming a Permanent member of the powerful wing of the world body.

Beginning January 1, India along with Germany, Portugal, South Africa and Columbia became the five non-permanent members of this 15-member body.

Science congress to start Monday

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Chennai, January 02: The 98th edition of the Indian Science Congress (ISC) that gets underway here Monday will not only focus on the quality of education and excellence in scientific research in Indian universities but also on chemistry of the future, nano materials and the challenges of climate change and energy security, amongst other issues.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is slated to inaugurate the five-day event Monday at the SRM University in Kattankulathur near here.

Multifaceted sports personality P.K. Mahanand dead

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New Delhi, January 02: Wing Commander (retd) P.K. Mahanand, a multifaceted sports personality, died here Sunday morning. He was 73. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.

Mahanand, who had been ailing for some time, breathed his last at the Army Hospital R&R.

A national weightlifter of repute, Mahanand had served Indian sport in various capacities, as an administrator, government observer coach, trainer, sports writer and radio and TV commentator.

He had been a vehement crusader against doping in weightlifting.

SJFI condoles Pradeep Vijayakar’s death

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Kolkata, January 02: The Sports Journalists’ Federation of India (SJFI) Sunday condoled the death of noted sports journalist Pradeep Vijayakar in Mumbai.

Calling Vijaykar a writer ‘par excellence’, SJFI president S. Sabanayakan said, ‘Vijayakar, who was popular with young sports writers, was knowledgeable and committed to the profession.’

‘A writer par excellence, Vijayakar had the ability to tackle any sport with ease,’ Sabanayakan said in his condolence message.

Vijayakar, 59, died Saturday evening after batlling cancer. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Chennai Open: Indians bow out in qualifying rounds

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Chennai, January 02: The Indian challenge in the qualifying rounds of the Aircel ATP Chennai Open tennis tournament ended here Sunday with the exit of Vishnu Vardhan, Karunuday Singh and Rupesh Roy.

Vardhan, who had scalped seeded Conor Niland Saturday, went down tamely to Ante Pavic 6-1, 6-4, while Singh and Roy also lost in straight sets in their second round matches.

The results (qualifying):

2010 Chennai Open promises high-octave action

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Chennai, January 02: There is a lot riding on top seed Tomas Berdych going into the Aircel ATP Chennai Open commencing here Monday and it has much to do with his credentials as the 2010 Wimbledon finalist, besides his World ranking of six.

The Indian hopes are firmly on unseeded Somdev Devvarman who is in the top half, where wild card and compatriot Rohan Bopanna plays third seed Stanlislas Wawrinka, also a wild card, in the first round.

RBI launches survey to gauge industry growth outlook

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Mumbai, January 02: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a new round of survey to gauge the growth prospects of public and private sector companies during the January-March quarter.

The Industrial Outlook Survey is conducted on a quarterly basis since 1998. This will be the 53rd round of the survey and provides useful forward looking inputs for policymakers, analysts and businesses.

India plans power lines via Bangladesh

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Agartala, January 02: India is exploring the possibility of building transmission lines via Bangladesh to supply power to that country and to transmit electricity between the northeast and the rest of India, union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said Sunday.

‘We should be very cooperative to meet the growing needs of electricity both in India and our neighbouring countries,’ Shinde said at a seminar here on ‘Opportunities in Power Sector’.

BJP attacks Congress, Mukherjee over remarks on PM’s PAC offer

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New Delhi, January 02: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday said the Congress was ‘not serious’ about fighting corruption, after Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not consult anyone before offering to appear before parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over the 2G spectrum scandal.

‘This shows the Congress is not at all serious about investigating corruption cases. It is making a mockery of the whole issue,’ BJP spokesman Tarun Vijay told IANS.

CII proposes bio-diesel price hike

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New Delhi, January 02: The government should raise the price of bio-diesel obtained from the jatropha plant to support the bio-diesel industry’s sustainability efforts, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) says.

In a proposal submitted to the ministry of new and renewable energy, the industry lobby suggested the price could be increased from Rs.26.50 per litre to Rs.36.

‘A study recommends that the present procurement price of

Devotees flood Vrindavan, Mathura on New Year day

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Vrindavan, January 02: Thousands of devotees from Delhi, Haryana and other places visited the holy towns of Vrindavan and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh to begin the new year with a visit to the temples.

‘There was a record crowd of the devotees who went around visiting temples of Sri Krishna in Mathura, Goverdhan and Vrindavan,’ Friends of Vrindavan director Jagan Nath Poddar said.

‘We couldn’t move out of our homes. There was so much pollution from the speeding vehicles,’ a local said.

At the Sri Krishna Janam Bhoomi complex in Mathura, the turnout of pilgrims was also impressive.