Month: February 2011

Mamata loses cool, shouts at journalist

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Kolkata, February 02:Trinamool Congress chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday lost her cool with a woman journalist who posed an uncomfortable question, sternly telling her not to be a “mouthpiece” of the West Bengal’s ruling Marxists.

The journalist asked Banerjee to comment on the Left parties’ allegation that the railways was splurging money in advertisements. An angry Banerjee shot back: “First tell me from which media house you are”.

When the journalist replied, Banerjee asked her to repeat the question.

Google, Twitter offer Egyptians Speak to Tweet

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San Francisco, February 02:Hoping to circumvent the blackout of the internet and social networking in Egypt, Google and Twitter announced a new service Tuesday that allows anyone to send tweets over the phone.

People can use the service by leaving a voicemail at one of three international numbers (+16504194196 or +390662207294 or +97316199855). The service will instantly tweet the message using the hashtag #egypt.

No Internet connection is required. People can listen to the messages by dialing the same phone numbers or going to twitter.com/speak2tweet, Google said in a blog posting.

Iran lifts Afghan fuel supply restriction

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Tehran, February 2:Iran has lifted all restrictions on fuel supplies to Afghanistan in response to the Afghan government’s declaration that it will not provide the fuel to NATO troops stationed in the country.

The Afghan ambassador to Tehran thanked the Islamic Republic for allowing the transfer of fuel to the country and promised that Iranian supplies would only be used by the Afghan people.

Ambassador Obaidullah Obaid also stated that Kabul wants to maintain friendly relations with Tehran.

Mubarak says he will not seek another term

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Cairo, February 2:Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Tuesday night that he will not seek re-election when his current term in office expires in September.

“I never sought power and influence,” said Mubarak, who has ruled for nearly 30 years, in a speech on state television.

The 82-year-old president said: “I did not intend to run for the coming presidential election,” promising that in his remaining time in office he would “work to ensure the peaceful transfer of power.”

“I take pride in my long years serving the people. … I will be judged by history by my merits,” he said.

Turkish PM calls for democratic solution in Egypt

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Istanbul, February 2:Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday called on the Egyptian leadership to ensure a democratic solution to the political unrest, the semi-official Anatolia Agency reported.

“No power can remain deaf to the democratic demands of the people. No power can remain standing in defiance of the people,” Erdogan said at a meeting of members of his ruling AK Party in the Turkish parliament.

The Mideast Burns

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America’s Mideast Raj is now on fire. Whether it survives or not remains to be seen.

One cannot escape a sense that we may be looking at a Mideast version of the 1989 uprisings across Eastern Europe that brought down its Communist regimes and then the Soviet Union. Americans should be uneasy seeing crowds of Egyptians pleading for freedom and justice watched over by US-supplied tanks.

AI reschedules timing of US-bound flights on Feb 1-2

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Mumbai, February 01: Air India today said it has rescheduled some of its US-bound flights in view of adverse weather conditions forecasted over USA in the next few days.

The airline has rescheduled its flights to the US on February 1-2 to ensure minimum inconvenience to its passengers, a press release said here.

Air India Mumbai-Delhi-New York (JFK) flight AI-101 scheduled for February 1 has been rescheduled at 02.40 am (on February 2). The flight will reach Delhi at 05.00 am and will depart from Delhi at 06.45 am and reach New York at 1145 hours (Local Time).

There was an attempt to blackmail me: Nityananda

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Bangalore, February 01: Self-styled godman Swami Nityananda Tuesday claimed that he faced blackmail bids by some people in positions of power to cough up a whopping Rs.100 crore for not releasing a sex romp video allegedly involving him and an actress.

“In the days ahead of telecasting the video clippings on local television channels March 3, 2010, I was threatened and blackmailed by some powerful people to pay Rs.100 crore or else get exposed. The ransom was reduced to Rs.60 crore later,” he told reporters at his ashram in Bidadi, about 40 km from here.

Dhoni confident over handling WC pressure well

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Mumbai, February 01: Weighed down by the pressure of expectations four years ago, the Indian squad crashed out of the World Cup at the preliminary stage itself but current captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is confident his team would handle the burden better in the upcoming mega-event.

“We take pressure as an added responsibility. We will stick to the basics and prepare well. We have the potential to do well in the tournament. For a change we will not be the underdogs,” said Dhoni at a promotional event here.

CIC slaps showcause notice on AMU Registrar

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Aligarh, February 01: The Central Information Commission has served a notice to the Registrar of Aligarh Muslim University, Professor V K Jaleel for allegedly providing “incomplete information” to an RTI applicant.

It also asked Jaleel, who is also the Public Information Officer of the AMU, to appear before it on March 14.

Tariq Islam, an RTI activist, had sought some university documents. However, the PIO allegedly provided “incomplete documents” to the applicant, the CIC said.

High-tension wire kills man, reduces vehicles to ashes

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Ghaziabad, February 01: One person was burnt alive and two vehicles reduced to ashes when a high-tension electricity wire collapsed at a petrol pump in the district, police said today.

Sachin, the deceased, was sleeping inside a vehicle parked close to Reliance Petrol Pump last night when the incident took place in Chhapraula town, they said.

A case of negligence has been registered against the electricity department and the petrol pump owner.

–Agencies

PM wants Delhi Police to be role model

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New Delhi, February 01: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said that he hopes the “Delhi Police becomes a model for other police forces to emulate”.

“I would like the Ministry of Home Affairs to carry forward this exercise (of police reforms) to its logical conclusion in the Union Territory of Delhi during the coming years so that Delhi Police becomes a model for other state police forces to emulate,” Manmohan Singh said at the chief ministers conference on internal security here.

No possibility of PMK joining DMK-led front, says Karuna

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Chennai, February 01: DMK president M Karunanidhi tonight said there was no possibility of PMK joining the DMK-led front for the coming Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu.

“There is no question on this after PMK founder S Ramadoss had denied my statement made at Delhi that PMK would be part of our alliance,” he told reporters here after arriving from New Delhi.

He said he made the remarks on his assumption that PMK wanted an alliance with the DMK. His statement was based on the talks between various leaders of both the parties, Karunanidhi said.

Farmer shot dead in Ghaziabad

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Ghaziabad, February 01: A farmer was allegedly shot dead by two persons in village Vat under Simbhaoli police station, police said here today.

Chaman, 32, was fatally shot by Nadeem and Babloo last night and later rushed to a hospital in Hapur city.

The duo are presently absconding, they said, adding that an FIR has been filed in this regard.

–Agencies

NDA rally to highlight corruption, price rise

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Kanpur, February 01: The BJP-led NDA will flag off a campaign against the central government at a rally here on February 5, highlighting the issues like corruption and price rise.

The ‘Mahasangram Rally’ is likely to be attended by senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Nitin Gadkari, and Sushma Swaraj, besides top leaders from Shiv Sena and Akali Dal, a BJP legislator said.

“The main focus of this rally will be to highlight rampant corruption in the country and inflation. The (participating) leaders will reveal the wrongdoings of the UPA government,” BJP MLA Saleel Vishnoi told PTI.

Pak, Bangla pilgrims pay obeisance at annual Urs

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Fatehgarh Sahib (Punjab), February 01: A delegation of 194 pilgrims from neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh today paid obeisance at annual Urs near here today.

The festival is celebrated in the memory of Sufi saint Sheikh Ahmad Farooqui Sirhindi.

The delegation, which comprised of 182 Pakistanis and 12 Bangladeshis, paid obeisance at Rouza Sharif on the second day of the festival.

The Pakistani pilgrims led by Manawar Bhatti reached at Sirhind railway along with two officials from Pakistan embassy.

Somali Govt ‘Very Sorry’ as Soldier ‘Accidentally’ Massacres Civilians

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Mogadishu, February 01: Officials from the Somali government are “very sorry” today following a massacre in the city of Mogadishu, in which a member of the self-proclaimed government’s military turned an anti-aircraft gun on a crowd of civilians, killing at least 17 and wounding 81 others.

Officials say that the soldier “accidentally” aimed the gun at the civilians then “accidentally” turned it on, at which time it got stuck in the fire position and tore through the crowd of civilian onlookers. They have promised an investigation.

Protests Spread to Rural Yemen

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Sanaa, February 01: After a week of major protests in the capital city of Sanaa, the Yemeni government now has more opposition to contend with, as protesters are beginning to crop up across the nation’s rural south and mountainous central provinces.

Yemen’s government is no stranger to vocal opposition, as the country has been dealing with two active separatist movements on opposite sides of the country for years, as well as insurgent operations by the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) movement.

Mercedes relaunches premium car Maybach

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New Delhi, February 1:Mercedes Benz India, the German luxury car manufacturer’s Indian subsidiary Tuesday relaunched its super-luxury sedan Maybach’s two variants — the 57 S and 62 — with a price tag of Rs.4.85 crore and Rs.5.10 crore .

“This car is only for luxury segment. Designed with meticulous attention to detail and knitted out of 21st century automotive technology, the cars are writing the next chapter in history,” Peter Honegg, managing director and chief executive of Mercedes Benz India, told reporters.

Protests Spread to Rural Yemen

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Sanaa, February 01: After a week of major protests in the capital city of Sanaa, the Yemeni government now has more opposition to contend with, as protesters are beginning to crop up across the nation’s rural south and mountainous central provinces.

Yemen’s government is no stranger to vocal opposition, as the country has been dealing with two active separatist movements on opposite sides of the country for years, as well as insurgent operations by the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) movement.

US ‘Bought’ Jordan Escalation in Afghanistan

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Washington, February 01: Amongst the major escalations in the war in Afghanistan came the Jordanian government, which committed a growing amount of troops to the nation in 2010. The contribution, however, did not come for free.

Rather, the Obama Administration came at the cost of increased aid to the Jordanian government, in effect meaning the government was renting out its troops to the US as mercenaries to play a ro le in the ongoing Afghan occupation.

Government questioned on school’s refusal to admit poor

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New Delhi, February 1:The Delhi High Court Tuesday sought a response from the central and Delhi governments on a plea opposing a private school’s refusal to reserve seats for poor students claiming exemption from provisions of the right to education law.

Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw issued the notice to the human resource development ministry and the directorate of education, Delhi government, and sought their replies by March 30.

Mass protests reflect aspirations of Egyptian people:India

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New Delhi, February 1:Marking a shift in its stand on the popular uprising in Egypt, India Tuesday described mass protests in the north African country as “an articulation of aspirations of Egyptian people” for reform and hoped that the current situation will be resolved in a peaceful manner.

“India continues to closely follow the mass protests in Egypt which are an articulation of the aspirations of the Egyptian people for reform,” India’s external affairs ministry said in a statement.

Eight arrested for firing at police from MLA’s flat

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Bhubaneswar, February 1:A group of people fired at policemen from a Congress MLA’s residence here today, following which eight persons, including three with criminal antecedents, were arrested, the police said.

An FIR was also registered against the MLA Ramesh Jena who had been accused under section 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 353 (assaulting government servants), 307 (attempt to murder) and 332 (causing hurt) of the IPC.

The MLA was, however, not arrested though his associates were taken into custody.