Month: March 2011

‘Iran tops global science growth’

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Tehran, March 29: A report released by UK’s Royal Society says Iran is the fastest growing country in terms of numbers of scientific publications in the world.

Released on Monday, the report states that Iran has had the fastest rate of increase in scientific publication in the world and its scientific output rose 18-fold between 1996 and 2008, from 736 published papers to 13,238.

The United States is still the world’s scientific leader in authorship of scientific research papers, but its share of global authorship has fallen to 21 percent from 26 percent.

2G case: CBI asks for two more days to file charges

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New Delhi, March 29: The CBI Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it would require two more days to formally file charges in the 2G spectrum allocation case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told the court that it will formally file charges on April 2, instead of its earlier deadline of March 31.

The apex court bench of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice A.K. Ganguly was told that some 80,000 papers were being readied to be filed along with the charge sheet.

Australian PM congratulates Ponting

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Sydney, March 29: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard called Ricky Ponting and congratulated him soon after he announced his decision to step down as cricket captain.

Ms Gillard said she had spoken to Ponting Tuesday and offered him the highest congratulations on his splendid career.

“He’s a great bloke and a fantastic cricketer,” she said.

“He’s our greatest batsman after (Sir Don) Bradman. People will still have the opportunity to see him bat. All of us would wish him well in whatever he chooses to do in the balance of his life.”

Congress hobnobbing with ULFA: Sushma

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Guwahati, March 29: Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj today accused the ruling Congress in Assam of hobnobbing with the banned ULFA for electoral benefits.

”The Congress has been hobnobbing with the ULFA and it is known to all,” she said.
Ms Swaraj, however, added that the Congress’ attempts to get the militants on their side fell apart and hence the party was now being threatened by the same outfit.

A community scared of both Muslim and Hindu extremists

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Chennai, March 29: In a cable sent after the 2006 Mumbai attacks, the United States Embassy reported that its contacts had little faith in the ability of Islamic leaders, political parties, security agencies or the Indian government to prevent a terrorist attack and the anti-Muslim backlash that could follow. “Extremists in Uttar Pradesh barely conceal their activities and seem to operate with impunity,” Charge d’Affaires Geoffrey Pyatt quoted the Embassy contacts as saying in a report on the situation of north Indian Muslims after the serial train blasts in Mumbai.

All the best, Gilani tells Shahid Afridi

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Islamabad, March 29: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called up Pakistani cricket captain Shahid Afridi and asked the team to play its best against India in the crucial World Cup semi-final at Mohali.

“Prayers of the entire nation are with you (the team) for your win in the upcoming semi-final against India,” Geo News quoted Gilani as telling Afridi.

The prime minister also spoke highly of the team’s performance in the World Cup so far.

He said he will be going to India for their encouragement, the News International said.

India Vs Pakistan – Rivalry beyond numbers

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New Delhi, March 29: Arch foes with a bitter political past, India and Pakistan make for a fascinating cricketing rivalry which stokes passions, sometimes to inflammable levels, on both sides of the border whenever the two teams clash.

Shared history — albeit bitter — only adds to the emotional quotient of Indo-Pak contests where victory and defeat is not just a result but a matter of national pride.

Yuvraj may not hit too many sixes in Mohali

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Mohali, March 29: Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in an over remains one of the most cherished moments in Indian cricket but given that the flamboyant batsman has shunned aggression for a bit of caution these days, the number of such lusty blows would come down, said his father and mentor Yograj.

Yuvraj’s sixes came off England’s Chris Broad in a Twenty20 World Cup match in 2007 in South Africa.

However, the 29-year-old left-hander may not oblige his fans at his hometown in the high-voltage semifinals of the World Cup against Pakistan at the PCA grounds on Wednesday.

Ricky Ponting calls it a day as Australia captain

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Melbourne, March 29: Embattled Ricky Ponting today resigned as Australia’s Test and one-day captain, just days after his team’s shocking quarter-final exit from the ongoing World Cup, but said he remained available for selection as a batsman.

“I have resigned as captain of both the Test and one day teams,” Ponting said at a press conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

“I will continue to play and I’ve made it very clear to selectors that I’m available for selection in both the one-day and Test teams.

‘No info about flight that took Anderson out of Bhopal’

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New Delhi, March 29: Details of use of state government plane to ferry Union Carbide Chairman Warren Anderson out of Bhopal in 1984 are not available with the Madhya Pradesh government, state’s aviation directorate has said.

Responding to an RTI application seeking to know who had sanctioned the flight which took Anderson to Delhi soon after the Bhopal gas tragedy in December 1984, the aviation directorate, after nine months of the application having been filed, said information is not available as the matter is 26-year-old.

Shunglu panel submits three more reports

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New Delhi, March 29: The V.K. Shunglu committee, which probed alleged irregularities in the conduct of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Tuesday submitted three more reports to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), an official said.

“The PMO will go through the report and decide on the follow-up action soon,” a senior official told IANS.

The reports deal with several shortcomings of government officials and irregularities by contractors in executing works for the Commonwealth Games held Oct 3-14 last year, informed sources said.

Shaun Tait retires from One-day cricket

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Sydney, March 29: Australia paceman Shaun Tait has announced his retirement from one-day cricket.

The 28-year-old, a 2007 World Cup winner and part of the squad knocked out of the tournament on the sub-continent last week, will quit both international and domestic 50-over cricket to focus on the Twenty20 format.

“I have decided to retire from one-day cricket for both Australia and the South Australian Redbacks,” said Tait, who plays in the Indian Premier League for Rajasthan Royals and will also represent Surrey in England in the shortest format this year.

IAF chopper to fly Gilani to Mohali

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Islamabad, March 29: Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will fly down to India’s Chandigarh city and he will then leave for India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final venue at Mohali by an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter Wednesday morning, a media report said.

The News International qouted sources as saying that Gilani will go to Chandigarh in a special plane and then the IAF chopper will ferry him to Mohali where explosive cricketing action will be witnessed by him and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.

Gilani will return to Islamabad the same night.

US worried about terrorist attacks against India

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Washington, March 29: Worried about terrorist attacks against India, the United States has been “very encouraged” by the anti-terrorism cooperation between Bangladesh and India to thwart plans of groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba to “inflitrate into India”, a senior US official has said.

“We’re worried about terrorist attacks against India, in particular right now,” Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robert Blake told Bangladesh’s ATN News in Dhaka last week, according to a State Department transcript.

BDO arrested for accepting bribe

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Lucknow, March 29: A Block Development Officer (BDO) posted in Gonda has been arrested by a vigilance team for allegedly accepting bribe from a worker for payment of his labour charges, officials said here.

A vigilance team of Faizabad arrested BDO Gopinath Singh for allegedly accepting the bribe of Rs 12,000 yesterday for clearing labour charges of 50 workers, who had constructed a road in Nawabganj area, they said.

An kilometre-long road, sanctioned under MNREGS, was constructed at Rs 2.42 lakhs in which 50 workers had contributed, they said.

Wildlife trafficking through post surges in India

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New Delhi, March 29: There has been a sharp surge in the trafficking of wildlife articles through Foreign Post Offices (FPOs) in India with the latest figures available with the environment ministry revealing an over 400 percent jump in cases in 2009 compared to the past few years.

Sending parcels or even letters containing wildlife articles through FPOs at New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai and four sub FPOs at Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Cochin is perhaps the most common strategy adopted by the traffickers.

Agra mayor makes movie debut with ‘Democracy’

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Agra, March 29: The Taj city’s mayor, Anjula Singh Mahaur, is making her movie debut with “Democracy”, a story about politicians.

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Mahaur, who earlier acted in television serials, is involved in the movie script too.

Her long-term ambition, she says, is to promote Agra as a filmmaking destination.

“(Acting) has been my passion. I am thoroughly enjoying the exercise,” Mahaur told IANS.

“One of my dreams is to make a film to promote my party’s values, a film that would appeal to the youth.”

Scribe roughed up during poll talk show

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Kannur (Ker), March 29: Reporter of a Malayalam TV channel was roughed up allegedly by CPI(M) sympathisers during an ‘open air’ election talk show here, police said today.

“Asianet News” channel, whose regional bureau chief Shajahan was manhandled, alleged that the attack was carried out by a group led by CPI(M) MLA P Jayarajan, who was apparently irked by some sensitive issues that were raised during the show last night.

Youth shot dead in celebratory firing

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Ghaziabad, March 29: One person was shot dead during celebratory firing in a wedding at Loni town here, police said today.

Aamir (22) who had come to attend the wedding of his relative last night, was killed because of celebratory firing by a member of the groom’s family, they said.

A criminal case has been registered against the alleged culprit who is on the run, they said, adding Aamir’s body has been sent for postmortem.

-Agencies

Taj Mahal website wins national award for UP

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Lucknow, March 29: The Uttar Pradesh tourism department has received a national award for innovatively using information technology to showcase the Taj Mahal.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar awarded the trophy to Secretary and Director General of UP tourism Avneesh Awasthi and Regional Director Abhilash Chandra Sharma at a ceremony held in Delhi yesterday.

Union Minister of Tourism Subodh Kant Sahai gave away the certificate for the interactive website which has also been recognised by UNESCO.

Racket involved in diversion of ration busted

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Srinagar, March 29: Police has unearthed another racket in the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department involved in diversion of ration in Kupwara district and arrested eight persons, including four government employees.

“Police seized a truck with 180 bags of CAPD sugar meant for public distribution which were diverted for sale in black market in Kupwara,” a police spokesman said today.

On a tip off, police intercepted a private truck at Gushi in Kupwara, 100 kms from here, he said, adding during the search police found 180 bags of CAPD sugar in the vehicle.

5 police personnel, one dacoit injured in shootout

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Bangalore, March 29: Five police personnel and a dacoit were injured in a shootout at Govindapura here in the wee hours today, police said.

While the policemen are being treated at a private hospital, the dacoit identified as Harsha, who sustained bullet injury, is stated to be “out of danger”, police sources told PTI.

Six to seven police teams were despatched in different directions on a tip-off that a seven-member dacoit gang had hijacked a lorry at Devanahalli.

Mother’s hard work linked to better brain growth in babies

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London, March 29: New moms please take note of this: The more time and energy you invest towards nurturing your babies, the bigger will be their brain’s growth, a new study has found.

Researchers at the Durham University who studied 128 mammals, including humans, found that the growth of brain in babies is determined by the length of the pregnancy and how long they are breastfed.

Food adulteration case: Court upholds trader’s jail term

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New Delhi, March 29: A city court has upheld a year-long jail term to a grocer, caught selling adulterated ‘arhar dal’ by mixing a banned colouring agent ‘metanil yellow’, known for its brain damaging potentials.

Additional Sessions Judge J R Aryan also upheld a fine of Rs 10,000 imposed upon grocer Subhash Chand Garg of Sonia Vihar in east Delhi by a magisterial court, following his conviction under various provisions of Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA) on March 12, 2010.

Mumbai Marathon raises Rs 12 crore for charity

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Mumbai, March 29: The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon held on the streets of the metropolis on January 16 this year garnered Rs 12.16 crore for charity, an increase of Rs three crore as compared to the 2010 event.

The official charity partner of the event, United Way of Mumbai, last night vowed to raise the bar and rope in Rs 25 crore in the next edition of the event which is a gold label event of the International athletics federation (IAAF).