Cairo, January 31: A bipartisan group of former U.S. officials and foreign policy scholars is urging the Obama administration to suspend all economic and military aid to Egypt until the government agrees to carry out early elections and to suspend Egypt’s draconian state of emergency, which has been in place for decades.
Washington, January 31: The United States is “losing credibility by the day” in calling for democracy in Egypt while continuing to support President Hosni Mubarak, leading dissident Mohamed ElBaradei said Sunday.
ElBaradei repeated his call for the longtime strongman to step down, going so far as to assert it should happen within the next three days.
“The American government cannot ask the Egyptian people to believe that a dictator who has been in power for 30 years will be the one to implement democracy,” ElBaradei told US network CBS from Cairo.
Cairo, January 31: The anger spilling into the streets of Cairo, Suez, Alexandria and other cities was focused like a laser beam on President Hosni Mubarak on Friday. As the protests move forward, however, the resentment is spreading beyond Mubarak and his immediate underlings, and toward the United States and Israel.
Patna, January 31: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of keeping “silence” over bringing back the black money stashed away in Swiss and other banks abroad.
“Black money worth billions are stashed away in Swiss and other banks abroad… but the PM is maintaining silence over bringing the money back,” Kumar told NDA workers here.
He said the Prime Minister should ensure return of the black money as it would facilitate funding of a plethora of schemes for the poor.
New Delhi, January 31: The government today said it will “insist” that Canadian-manufacturer of BlackBerry provides solution to interception of enterprise mail, deadline for which ends today.
Noting that a decision would be taken soon on whether to allow the BlackBerry Enterprise Mail or not, home minister P Chidambaram said he expected that Research-in-Motion (RIM), manufacturer of the smart phones, would be able to find some solution.
Hyderabad, January 31: All India Congress Committee secretary Ponguleti Sudhakar on Monday urged the police department to initiate investigations into the alleged disappearance of 11 youth who have been missing after being taken to Goa by a recruitment agency.
Talking to media persons at Media Point on Assembly premises, the senior leader said that he had received reports of complaints from anxious parents that a private agency had taken 11 youths, including a girl to Goa on the pretext of providing them jobs.
New Delhi, January 31: The Supreme Court today admitted a bunch of petitions challenging the validity of the Special Economic Zone policy of the Centre and the laws governing it.
A bench comprising Justices D K Jain and H L Dattu clubbed all the petitions filed between 2006 to 2008 concerning the controversial land acquisitions in different parts of the country to set up SEZs.
The bench said it will give a final hearing to the petitions which have been filed both against and in favour of the land acquisition for SEZs.
Mumbai, January 31: Gold prices witnessed profit taking after a sharp weekend surge at the bullion market here today on emergence of stockist selling amidst bearish global outlook.
On the other hand, silver firmed up on better investment buying.
Standard gold (99.5 per cent purity) declined by Rs 60 per 10 grams to end at Rs 19,945 from last Saturday’s closing level of Rs 20,005.
Pure gold (99.9 per cent purity) also fell by Rs 40 per ten grams to finish at Rs 20,055 from Rs 20,095 last weekend.
Mumbai, January 31: The rupee lost 14 paise today to end at a fresh two-month low of 45.90/91 against the dollar on month-end demand for the US currency amid increased capital outflows.
Forex dealers said that the initial dip in the rupee value was due to early steep fall in local equities where the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex was down by over 357 points. Besides, China, all other Asian indices too ended in the red on worries over the instability in Egypt.
Continued capital outflows weighed heavy on the rupee sentiment, they added.
Manama, January 31: A Saudi man who kissed a woman doctor in Saudi Arabia upon hearing that his wife had delivered a baby boy almost ended up in a court of law.
According to media reports, the father was so overwhelmed with the “delightful” news that he could not hold himself and hugged and kissed the doctor on the cheeks in front of the medical staff at a private hospital in the industrial town of Jubail.
The doctor was shocked by the man’s reaction and asked her colleagues who witnessed the incident to act as witnesses in the case, the reported.
Multan, January 31: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the current situation in Egypt or Tunisia cannot be compared with that of Pakistan, as the country’s “institutions are working and democracy is functional”.
“Pakistan’s economy is under pressure, not in crisis. Our foreign exchange reserves are at an unprecedented high level of USD 17 billion. The stock exchange index that was oscillating between 5,000 to 6,500 points when we took over is now touching 12,500 points,” the Daily Times quoted Gilani, as saying.
Thiruvantapuram, January 31: Seeking to downplay the debate over ‘Makara Jyothi’ of Sabarimala temple, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) today said it was known to most believers that it was a man lit-fire, but there was a Hindu belief behind it.
“It is known to everybody that Makara Jyothi is a fire lit up by men at Ponnabalamedu and TDB also recognises this’,TDB President M Rajagoplan Nair told reporters here today.
Mumbai, January 31: An Air India plane, carrying about 300 stranded passengers from strife-torn Egypt, landed at the CST Airport here on Monday afternoon.
The Boeing 747-800 was flown to Cairo on Sunday as a special measure to airlift the Indians stranded there amidst nationwide unrest against the Egyptian government.
Air India has also decided to send its Mumbai-Jeddah flight further to Cairo this evening to pick up more Indians stuck in the Egyptian capital that has been rocked by violent protests for a week now, airport sources said.
Chittoor, January 31: The Chief Minister, Mr Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy, on Monday said that his government was committed to continue all welfare schemes and complete developmental programmes initiated by the late chief minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy besides lending all possible assistance to the poor, downtrodden and weaker sections in the State.
Islamabad, January 31: A seniour Muslim politician in the UK has blamed unhappy arranged marriages between cousins for leading some Pakistani men to prey on white girls to fulfil their sexual needs.
Rotherham’s Lord Nazir Ahmed, Britain’s first Muslim peer, is the first politician to make a link between first- cousin marriages and sex crimes by Pakistani men.
He has spoken out after a spate of highprofile court cases where groups of Asian men have been sentenced for grooming white girls as young as 12.
Cairo, January 31: The fate of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak seems to be entwined with that of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chief Mahmoud Abbas, who is trying to overcome a scandal that has angered Palestinians.
On Sunday, over 3,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip staged a rally in support of anti-government protests in crisis-hit Egypt.
But the gathering soon turned into an anti-Abbas protest, with demonstrators shouting slogans against Mubarak’s protégé in the West Bank.
Kabul, January 31: A US-led foreign soldier has been killed in eastern Afghanistan, bringing the number of troops killed in the war-torn country to more than 30 in 2011.
“An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) service member died following an improvised explosive device attack in eastern Afghanistan today,” an ISAF statement said on Monday without giving more details, dpa reported.
The military did not release the deceased’s nationality or the exact location of the attack.
Niger, January 31: Nearly a year after the military took power in a coup in Niger, people in the West African country go to the polls to choose a new president and parliament in nationwide elections.
Voting opened at 8 a.m. at 22,000 polling places across the African state on Monday with over six and a half million registered voters who are slated to elect the country’s president from among 10 candidates.
The vote is an attempt to restore constitutional order and democracy since the military junta toppled former president Mamadou Tandja in February 2010.
Cairo, January 31: The new Egyptian prime minister Ahmed Shafiq has chosen two new ministers for his cabinet as President Hosni Mubarak faces mass anti-government protests.
The embattled president sacked the previous Egyptian cabinet to calm protestations calling for his resignation.
——–Agencies
Hyderabad, January 31: The Telangana Gazetted Officers’ Association (TGOA) has granted affiliation to the Telangana Commercial Taxes Gazetted Officers’ Association (TCTGOA) and given all rights to carry out various programmes taken up by TGOA, which was recognized by the state government.
In a press note, the TGOA president Mr V Srinivas Goud said that the TGOA was pleased to associate TCTGOA in all activities in furtherance of the cause of Telangana.
NSS
Cairo, January 31: Foreign governments stepped up their warnings Sunday about travel to Egypt, with several urging their citizens to evacuate as soon as possible amid uncertainty over where the Arab nation is headed after nearly a week of mass protests.
The fears of foreign tourists mirrored those of many Egyptians. Dozens with the means to do so rented jets or hopped aboard their own planes in a mad dash that did little to boost confidence in the future of a country long viewed as a pillar of stability in a restive region. Those leaving included businessmen and celebrities.
Hyderabad, January 31: The chairman and managing director, Central Bank of India, Mr S Sridhar met the internationally acclaimed cartoonist Mr R K Laxman at his residence on January 21 for his special sketch on the Central Bank of India. He felicitated him and his wife and thanked him.
In a media release, Mr S S Malik, Chief Manager, Hyderabad Zonal Office, stated that it was noteworthy that Mr Laxman has specially drawn a sketch on the centenary year of the Central Bank of India featuring the common man. He also said that they were proud to have Mr Laxman as their customer.
NSS
Mumbai, January 31: The usually dour and serious Ajay Devgn appeared to have found his humor back on the couch of Karan Johar’s chat show, Koffee With Karan (which aired on Star World on January 30). The show has never seen a guest get so catty.
Ajay, whose film, Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji released yesterday, spared no one from his rapier-sharp, cutting wit – including his Rajneeti co-star Ranbir Kapoor and good buddy Salman Khan.
Says a source from the channel, “Normally known to be reserved, Ajay appeared to have cast aside all his inhibitions on this show.
Mumbai, January 31: On Friday night, Kareena Kapoor drove down from Pune to Mumbai to shoot for her televised act for an award function. What should’ve ended in a matter of hours took forever thanks to Priyanka Chopra.
After finishing her make-up and hair, Bebo arrived on the stage to find it occupied by her arch rival PC. She had to wait for four hours before she could shoot her performance.
Will be here awhile
Reveals a source present at the awards, “Kareena landed at Yash Raj Studios around midnight she found the stage occupied by Priyanka.
Hyderabad, January 31: Politics shorn of ethics is at the root of corruption, said Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan and added that only a return to ethical politics will see the end of corruption.
Taking part in a rally organized by ‘Youth for Better India’ on Necklace Road here as part of a nation-wide ‘India against Corruption’ campaign today, Dr. JP recalled that Mahatma Gandhi tried to build a nation on the foundation of ethical politics. In contrast, politicians today ask what have ethics to do with politics.