Month: February 2011

US varsities refuse admissions to TVU students

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Hyderabad, February 04: Indian students caught in the Tri-Valley University’s immigration scam are finding it hard to get admissions in other varsities in the US.

Faced with the prospect of deportation, the students are racing against time to join other universities as, for now, it appears to be the only way to avoid the ignominy of being packed back home. Besides, a majority of the affected students are unwilling to return without a degree from the US.

Govt has no magic lamp to control inflation: Pranab

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New Delhi, February 04: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said steps have been taken to tame inflation but the government has no magic lamp to bring it down immediately.

“You cannot expect that there is any magic wand or like Alladin’s magic lamp that you rub it and your problem is solved,” Mr. Mukherjee told reporters here.

He said the Reserve Bank has taken steps, including tightening of the monetary policy, to control inflation.

Court asks CBI Director to explain leak of Aseemanand’s testimony

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New Delhi, February 04: A Delhi court on Friday asked the CBI Director to explain how the confessional statement of Swami Aseemanand, an accused in the Ajmer dargah blast case, was leaked to the media.

“Issue a notice to the Director CBI to give report regarding the circumstances under which the copy of the confessional statement has been leaked to the media,” Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Bansal said.

The court asked the probe agency to file its response on February 15.

Commonwealth law meet to discuss impact of globalisation on rights

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Hyderabad, February 04: The impact of globalisation on socio-economic rights, human rights and rule of law are among the wide-ranging issues to be discussed during the 17th Commonwealth Law Conference beginning here Saturday.

Chief justices, judges, eminent lawyers and other legal experts from 53 countries of the Commonwealth will be participating in the five-day conference, which will be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday.

Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls for Islamic regime in Egypt

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Tehran, February 04: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today called for an Islamic regime to be installed in Egypt, saying the wave of Arab revolts is an “earthquake” triggered by the 1979 Iranian revolution.

The all-powerful Khamenei said the Arab uprisings, if successful, would lead to failure of US policies in the region and that the revolts were the most worrying for the Islamic republic’s arch-foe Israel as its alliance with Egypt could be broken.

Muslim Brotherhood ready for transition in Egypt

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Dubai, February 04: Egypt’s banned opposition Muslim Brotherhood is ready to hold talks on a “transition arrangement” in the violence-wracked nation on condition that embattled President Hosni Mubarak steps down, the organisation’s supreme leader has said.

Govt has no magic lamp to control inflation: FM

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New Delhi, February 04: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said steps have been taken to tame inflation but the government has no magic lamp to bring it down immediately.

“You cannot expect that there is any magic wand or like Alladin’s magic lamp that you rub it and your problem is solved,” Mukherjee told reporters here.

He said the Reserve Bank has taken steps, including tightening of the monetary policy, to control inflation.

Afridi retained as Pakistan captain for World Cup

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Karachi, February 04: Ending weeks of speculations, Pakistan today named experienced all-rounder, Shahid Afridi as the captain of the national team for the ICC cricket World Cup to begin in Dhaka on February 19.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said that Afridi would lead the team while Test captain and another front-runner for the job, Misbah-ul-Haq would be his deputy in the mega-event to be jointly co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

`Ave Maria’ wins main event at Hyderabad winter race

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Hyderabad, February 04: `Ave Maria’, ably ridden by P B Beggy (jockey up), won The A P Race Horse Owners Association Trophy, the chief event of the 27th day of the Hyderabad winter races held here today.

The winner trained by Prasad R.

Three favourites obliged in a card of nine events.

–Agencies

150-200 CISF guards to man Metro Airport Line

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New Delhi, February 04: Ending days of uncertainty, the Home Ministry today formally decided to hand over the security of Delhi Metro’s most sensitive corridor that connects the city with the airport to CISF, paving the way for the opening of the line.

The go-ahead for the central security agency to guard the line was taken at a meeting chaired by Home Secretary G K Pillai, senior CISF officials, the Reliance Infrastructure-led consortium, which will operate the line, and DMRC.

Five highway robbers arrested in Delhi

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New Delhi, February 04: Five youths were arrested in south-east Delhi for their alleged involvement in a series of highway robberies, police said today.

The arrested have been identified as Shakeel (22), Umardeen (20), Yunus (21) — all residents of Mewat in Haryana; Rakesh (34) from Jhunjhnu in Rajasthan and Munna Alam (22) from Kishanganj in Bihar.

They were arrested from near Sarita Vihar Metro Station yesterday on a tip-off, DCP (Special Cell) Arun Kampani said.

Gold, silver bounce back on strong global cues

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Mumbai, February 04: Gold and silver prices bounced back smartly at the bullion market here today on fresh buying support from speculators and stockists triggered by sharp rebound in global markets.

The yellow metal settled on a two-week high in New York in its overnight trade with escalating Egypt crises and a weakening Euro pulling up the metal again to the safe haven destination.

In domestic trade, standard gold (99.5 per cent purity) recouped by Rs 240 per 10 grams to end at Rs 20,065 from Thursday’s closing level of Rs 19,825.

Sachin’s presence lifts the team’s morale: Dhoni

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Ranchi, Febuary 04: Sachin Tendulkar’s mere presence in the dressing room is enough to lift the morale of the players, feels India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Dhoni also urged the other players in the team to perform and take the pressure off the champion batsman.

“When Sachin is with the team, the morale of the players is very high. But it is not right to put pressure on him. All the players should perform and take the pressure off him,” said Dhoni.

Air India posts operating surplus in Dec

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New Delhi, February 04: Air India today said it has posted an operating surplus for the second month in a row with flights to 106 out of 179 destinations registering cash profit in December.

The ailing national carrier posted Rs 49.48 crore worth of operating surplus as against Rs 21.66 crore in November, an Air India spokesperson said.

The continuing trend of making cash profits was largely due to “a significant improvement in efficiency parameters and adoption of better yield management strategies”, the spokesperson claimed.

Paid news, opinion polls a concern: CEC

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New Delhi, February 04: With five states going for assembly polls before May 2010, Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi on Friday said that paid news was a matter of grave concern for the election panel.

He also suggested that opinion polls should be banned during elections.

Elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry are scheduled to be held by May.

Congress demands probe into release of SIMI members

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Bhopal, February 04: The opposition Congress in Madhya Pradesh Friday alleged that a Bharatiya Janata Party minister and officials took Rs.3 crore bribe to release five activists of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) from jail on Republic Day.

Congress spokesperson K.K. Mishra Friday demanded a high-level inquiry into the issue.

“The Congress party has serious allegations against the BJP leaders and Madhya Pradesh government officials that they conspired in the release of the SIMI activists,” he said.

Advani to Flag Off NDA Rally Against Centre

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Kanpur, February 04: Senior BJP leader L K Advani will be arriving here tomorrow to flag off a campaign against the Central government, highlighting the issues of corruption and price rise.

With many prominent leaders having already arrived in town to back the ‘Mahasangram Rally’, other senior BJP leaders like Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj as well as top leaders from allies Shiv Sena, JD(U) and Akali Dal, are also likely to attend it.

Zardari marriage rumour swirls, PPP denies

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Islamabad, February 04: The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Friday rejected rumours that President Asif Ali Zardari has secretly tied the knot in the US with a Pakistani doctor based in Boston.

Rumours abound on Zardari’s remarriage with Tanveer Zamani, 40, who has declined to comment.

The president’s office has not only rebutted but also condemned the report as baseless propaganda against Zaradri’s personal life, The Nation reported Friday.

Prosecutor in Taseer murder case quits

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Islamabad, February 04: The prosecutor who was pursuing slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer’s murder case in a Pakistani court has withdrawn from the case citing security concerns, a media report said Friday.

Prosecutor Saiful Malook cited security concerns and lack of instructions from the government while withdrawing from the case, the Express Tribune reported.

Salman Taseer was killed Jan 4 by his own bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri, who said he killed Taseer because the latter spoke out against the blasphemy law.

Ganguly, Bhajji chickened out of Nagpur Test: Hayden

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New Delhi, February 04: Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has re-opened a seven-year-old controversy by claiming that ex-India captain Sourav Ganguly and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh chickened out of the series-deciding 2004 Nagpur Test due to a fear of the green-top pitch there.

In his autobiography ‘Standing My Ground’, Hayden writes that the Australians felt at that time the nature of the pitch had led to the sudden withdrawal of Ganguly and Harbhajan from the Test, which the visitors eventually won to clinch a historic series win.

Australia the team to beat in the WC: Johnson

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Perth, February 04: After embarrassment at the Ashes, Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson says the defending champions are still the side to beat at the upcoming World Cup.

Australia’s horrific 3-1 belting in the Ashes series has given way to a dominant performance in the seven-match one-day international series against England, with the home side leading 5-1 against the tiring tourists.

Flower worried by Bresnan injury

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Melbourne, February 04: England coach Andy Flower says Tim Bresnan’s tour-ending calf injury is the biggest worry for his team ahead of the upcoming World Cup.

The English play the final one-day international of their marathon Ashes tour at Perth’s WACA Ground on Sunday, before heading home for what is only a brief break for most of the players.

The 15-man English squad for the World Cup departs on February 12 and five members of that squad are currently injured, including Bresnan.

ICC warns against fraud emails

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New Delhi, February 04: Cricket’s governing body on Friday warned the public to beware of fraudulent emails that seek personal details to give away non-existent cash rewards ahead of the World Cup.

The International Cricket Council said tricksters have been sending out emails to announce prizes supposedly won in sweepstakes and other competitions organised by it.

Recipients are asked to provide bank account information and told to wire funds to a third-party bank account in order to facilitate their receipt of the award, the ICC said.