Month: February 2011

Iran seeks lasting global peace: MP

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Tehran, February 02: A senior Iranian lawmaker says strengthening “lasting security and peace” in the world is among major principles of the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy.

“The reinforcement of lasting security and peace in the international scene is among the top priorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy,” ISNA quoted Head of the Parliament (Majlis) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi as saying at a meeting with Polish Ambassador to Tehran Juliusz J. Gojlo on Tuesday.

China to sell bullet train technology

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Beijing, February 02: China is ready to sell its high-speed bullet train technology to other countries, authorities said.

“China is willing to export the high-speed rails technology to any country that wants to buy,” Wang Yongping, spokesperson of the ministry of railways, told the Global Times. “We own the most advanced technology of high-speed rails.”

The statement came after British daily The Sunday Times reported that Chinese-made bullet trains would hit the rails in Britain by 2025.

The bullet train, unveiled in December last year, can run at the speed of up to 486 km per hour.

Islamists not key players in Egypt unrest: Primakov

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Moscow, February 02: Former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov said current developments in Egypt have social, not religious roots.

”We have concentrated in our analysis quite fairly on radical Islamism, which has been gaining strength in the Muslim world, and we have somewhat overlooked ‘traditional’ roots of social revolutionary explosions. Generally, we have erroneously assumed that revolutions, which sweep away conservative and authoritarian regimes, are a thing of the past, including in developing countries.

Congress leader booked under Gangster Act

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Muzaffarnagar, February 2:A case under Gangster Act was registered today against a Congress leader for his alleged involvement in several criminal cases, a senior police official said.

Rajvir Singh, former Uttar Pradesh Congress General Secretary, was arrested for landing his helicopter without permission and later misbehaving with the police when they tried to prevent him at Roorkie on January 27, 2011. The leader has now also been booked under Gangster act, Superintendent of Police (city) K B Singh said.

Quake hits China, damages 678 homes

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Beijing, February 2:A 4.8-magnitude earthquake jolted southwest China, affecting more than 80,000 people and damaging over 600 homes, authorities said Wednesday.

The quake occurred at 3.11 p.m. Tuesday in Yunnan Province. The epicentre was recorded 10 km deep at Yingjiang County of Dai-Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture of Dehong, Xinhua reported.

The tremor forced the emergency evacuation of 64,500 people by Tuesday night, the local government said in a statement.

Authorities have sent out 300 tents, 200 cotton-padded quilts and 200 coats, and 10 tonnes of rice in the affected areas.

KCR promises 12% quota for Muslims in Telangana

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Hyderabad, February 02: Twelve percent reservations would be provided to Muslim minorities in education and employment if a separate Telangana state is formed and the allocation for minority welfare in the state’s budget would be Rs.1,000 crore, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao has said.

Kerala heads for final showdown in this assembly

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Thiruvananthapuram, February 2:Rival fronts in the Kerala political spectrum are getting ready for a final showdown in the last session of the present Kerala assembly beginning Friday with the governor’s address.

The session ends Feb 24 and by then Kerala will get ready for the campaign to the assembly elections as the term of the present V.S. Achuthanandan government ends May 17.

The budget will be presented by state Finance Minister Thomas Issac Feb 10.

State ready to face any challenge: KKR

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Hyderabad, February 02: The Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, on Tuesday said that his government has left no stone unturned in effectively tackling issues impinging on Internal Security. “Our State has a comprehensive strategy that has worked well all these years”, he added.

Building collapses in Bangalore, 5 dead

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Bangalore, February 2:At least 5 labourers, including a woman, were killed when an under-construction building collapsed here Wednesday, police said. Around 15 labourers are feared trapped under the debris.

Police and fire personnel are engaged in rescue operations at the crash site, a police officer said.

Four injured workers have been admitted to a nearby hospital.

The building was coming up on Bannerghatta Road, about 10 km from the city centre.

–IANS

Yemeni president says will not run again

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Cairo, February 2:Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has said he will not seek another term in office, broadcaster al-Arabiya reported Wednesday.

Saleh, aged 64, has ruled since 1978 – first in North Yemen and since the end of the Cold War in the united Gulf country.

The Yemeni leader’s announcement, which also said he would not seek to have his son follow him in office, came just hours after President Hosny Mubarak of Egypt also said he would not seek reelection.

Venkataswamy plans for Telangana Congress

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Hyderabad, February 02: Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and Telangana protagonist G. Venkataswamy Wednesday said he would float a new party if expelled from the Congress for his remarks blaming the Congress president Sonia Gandhi for electoral reverses and corruption.

“If I am expelled from the party, I will form the Telangana Congress to achieve separate Telangana state,” said the octogenarian leader, who stunned the party by demanding Gandhi’s resignation Tuesday.

Afghanistan president to visit India

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Kabul, February 02: Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai is leaving for a two-day visit to India where he is to meet with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior officials, his spokesman said Wednesday.

“President Karzai’s visit is aimed to discuss regional economic capacity development with the Indian authorities,” Seyamak Herawi said. “He will also meet with the Indian president and the prime minister.”

Karzai is also scheduled to deliver a speech at a conference on sustainable economic, political and social development in New Delhi to be held Feb 3-5.

Court pulls up government in Amar Singh tapping case

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New Delhi, February 02: The Supreme Court Wednesday pulled up the central government and other contenders in the Amar Singh wire tapping case for filing a “very casual and vague” affidavit and asked them to file a fresh one.

The apex court bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and A.K. Ganguly said casual and vague affidavits have been filed by all on such a serious issue.

“It is a very serious issue and all the affidavits have been filed in a very casual manner,” the court said.

Dhoni backs Chawla to perform in World Cup

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New Delhi, February 02: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni Wednesday defended the inclusion of Piyush Chawla in the World Cup squad saying the leg-spinner’s experience of playing consistently in the domestic circuit would help the team in the tournament.

Chawla, 22, was one of the surprise inclusions in the 15-member squad as he had been out of the team for two-and-a-half years. Selectors reasoned that besides two off-spinners Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin, Chawla would provide a variation to the spin attack.

Crime In Hyderabad (02.02.2011)

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Rs. 20 lakh stolen by office boy

Hyderabad, February 2 (Siasat News): An office boy working at Sanjay Chemicals located at PG Road in Ramgopalpet stole Rs. 20 lakh kept in the office here on Tuesday.

According to the Ramgopalpet police, the suspect Shankar 20, a native of Nepal, had noticed his employer Mr. V Manoj, keeping the cash in the drawer.

He stole the money and fled. Further investigations are on.

Student stabbed to death

Qaeda has ruined Islam’s image: Yemeni official

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Sana’a, February 02: Yemen’s minister of Endowments and Guidance, the judge Hamoud al-Hattar denounced Qaeda as contradictory to Islamic virtues and doubted Qaeda’s top two strongmen of having any true Sharia knowledge.

“Qaeda has harmed Islam and Muslims worldwide for it smeared Islam’s real message which calls for freedom, justice and equality,” al-Hattar told in a conference on terrorism in the Saudi capital al-Riyadh which was held in Naif Arab University for Security Sceiences.

Injury scare for Praveen Kumar, may fly to England

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Bangalore, February 02: India’s injury woes continued with medium pacer, Praveen Kumar facing fitness problems ahead of the all important World Cup. India will start their campaign against Bangladesh in the tournament opener on February 19th.

According to sources, Kumar is likely to be fit for the World Cup. The right armer had sustained an elbow injury during just-concluded ODI series against South Africa. he returned home from without playing a single game.

Loneliness is a silent killer

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Washington, February 02: Loneliness can affect all age groups but can be particularly harmful to the elderly, according to British campaigners.

A group of charities has warned that loneliness is a ‘hidden killer’ among older people that poses as great a health risk as obesity or smoking.

While people are aware of the emotional problems of loneliness, they said few recognised the physical damage.

Palestinians to hold municipal elections

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Ramallah, February 02: The Western-backed Palestinian government in the West Bank says it will hold local council elections “as soon as possible.”

The move appears to be a response to unrest in Egypt, where demonstrators have staged days of rallies against the authoritarian government. The Palestinian Authority has not held elections since 2006.

Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s Cabinet said Tuesday it will set dates for the vote next week.

Strife-hit Kenya eye second round

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sNairobi, February 02: When Eldine Baptiste was appointed Kenya coach in September 2009, he pledged to reverse declining standards and return the country to the top of the ICC Associate pile.

Baptiste had the right credentials after many years playing for the West Indies and coaching South African regional sides, Eastern Province and Kwa Zulu, Natal.

Kenyan cricket has been plagued by internal squabbles between the national governing board and players, which resulted in the country slipping to 13th spot in the ODI rankings, after being at the top for nearly a decade.

Bomb kills 9, wounds 20 in Pakistan

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Islamabad, February 02: At least eight people, including two children, were killed Wednesday in a powerful blast in Peshawar, capital of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

“The bomb was planted in a vehicle that was destroyed completely,” police said, adding that “several vehicles and nearby shops were also damaged in the blast”.

“At least 15 people have been injured (and they) have been shifted to the nearby hospital,” reported Samaa TV.

A police station seemed to be the target of the blast, but the terrorists could not enter it due to stringent security, police said.

Egypt Turmoil Will Reshape U.S. Role

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Washington, February 02: The protests rocking Egypt could change the political landscape of the entire Arab world and beyond. Possible outcomes range all the way from pro-democracy forces taking charge in Cairo to – in a worst case – an all-out war bringing in Israel and Iran.

In between, there could be a long period of instability that could breed economic chaos across the region and derail economic recoveries in the U.S. and Europe.

England choose to bat against Australia

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Sydney, February 02: England won the toss and chose to bat against Australia in the sixth one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

Australia already have an unbeatable 4-1 lead in the seven-match series.

Both sides were forced to make changes for the match, with England recalling spinner Michael Yardy to replace injured paceman Ajmal Shazad, who has been sent home with a hamstring strain.

Australia promoted Callum Ferguson for the injured Shaun Marsh, also sidelined with a hamstring problem, while paceman Shaun Tait returns at the expense of Doug Bollinger.

More strong winds likely to hit UAE cities

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Al Ain, February 02: Gusty winds are likely to hit different parts of the country on Wednesday.

Gushing winds battered Al Ain and other towns and cities last night in the southern and eastern emirates, creating problems for the people living or deriving in the open areas.

Windy conditions were also reported Wednesday morning from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other cities across the emirates.

CBI quizzes Raja in 2G spectrum case

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New Delhi, February 02: DMK leader and former communications minister A. Raja was Wednesday questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the the 2G spectrum scam for the second time this week.

Raja, who reached the CBI headquarters here Wednesday morning for further questioning, had also been quizzed Dec 24 and 25, 2010.

Raja had to step down as minister in November last year following allegations that second generation spectrum was sold to mobile companies at below market prices causing huge losses to the government.