Month: September 2011

Islamabad, September 29: A five-year-old child and an elderly man were killed when an explosive device, construed as a “toy” by the kid, exploded in their house in northwest Pakistan, a media report said.

The kid had found the device in a nearby mountain and brought it home in Jawar area to play with it.

The bomb exploded when the grandfather tried to open it, killing the child and himself instantly, the news website Daily Times reported. Neighbours rushed out of their homes hearing the explosion.

–IANS–

Tripoli, September 29: Ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is hiding near the western town of Ghadamis under the protection of African nomadic fighters, a rebel official told CNN.

“We have reliable information that Gaddafi is protected by the Tuareg tribe located between Niger, Algeria, and Ghadamis town in Libya,” Col. Abdul Basit, military spokesman of the interim government, was quoted as saying.

Ghadamis town lies in western Libya on the border with Algeria.

New Delhi, September 29: The UPA remains in damage control mode, trying to downplay the internal crisis sparked off by the controversial note on the 2G spectrum allocation.

On Wednesday, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee did the balancing act when he wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi to explain the ministerial note, reportedly making it clear that the note did not suggest any criminality or indictment of P Chidambaram during his stint as Finance Minister.

Islamabad, September 29: Police in Pakistan’s Sindh province will donate a day’s salary to the flood affected families of police personnel in the region, a media report said Wednesday.

It was decided at a meeting in Karachi Tuesday presided by Sindh Inspector General of Police Wajid Ali Durrani, the news web portal Daily Times reported.

Four trucks of relief materials, including grocery and medicines, will be dispatched to Badin, Mirpurkhas and Sanghar areas.

–IANS–

Hyderabad, September 29: The striking Telangana employees in the Secretariat have given a call to observe Secretariat Bandh on Thursday to protest against the arrest of their members. Three drivers were taken into custody on Wednesday for not discharging their duties.

The employees’ leaders said that they would not allow the other loyal employees to discharge their duties on Thursday. The drivers’ union in the Secretariat also joined the Telangana strike from September 26, which became intolerable for the officials.

New Delhi, September 29: In the late night development Parlimentary Affairs Minister PK Bansal and and Minister of State in the Prime Minister s Office V Narayanasamy tonight visited Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at his residence in what is believed to be a bid to defuse the reported standoff between the finance minister and Home Minister P Chidambaram over the 2G controversy. However, Mr Narayanasamy told reporters after the meeting that it was a routine exercise and no political significance should be attached to it.

Singapore, September 29: A fire continued to burn on Thursday at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s largest refinery, its 500,000 barrel-a-day Singapore plant, but the blaze is under control, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said.

The fire started in the plant on an island off Singapore’s shores on Wednesday, forcing Shell to close a hydrocracking unit that helps make diesel fuel, as a safety measure.

“Fire-fighting operations are still underway,” the Singapore Civil Defence (SCDF) said in a statement early on Thursday.

Hyderabad, September 29: Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Wednesday asked the Police Officials to increase the forces at important places, offices, shopping areas, centres, Industrial areas, coal, power generation centres and other important locations.

New Delhi, September 29: Amid the raging row over the controversial 2G note, three ministers on Wednesday night met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at his residence to find a way out to end the political storm.

P K Bansal, V Narayanaswamy and Rajiv Shukla met Mukherjee after 11 pm when the Finance Minister drove in from his North Block office.

—–Agencies

Hyderabad, September 29: The Haj Committee of India has allotted two additional flights to take 400 Haj pilgrims from Hyderabad to take off on October 2 and 3rd. Clad in the ehram the pilgrims will fly directly to Jeddah.

According to State Haj Committee chairman Syed Khaleeluddin Ahmed the pilgrims would have to pay an extra amount of Rs. 1800 per head towards additional charges for transportation in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Following is the list of the pilgrims of the additional flights:

Hyderabad, September 29: Who plays the role of Munni in Gabbar Singh, remake of Dabangg, is still in the guessing stage as nothing is confirmed,

Though many names from Anushka to sundry were sounded it was just a buzz.

The shooting has entered a crucial phase now with Pawan Kalyan joining the sets after Dasara. He will take part in the 50-day schedule in Tamil Nadu and finishing most part of the film.

Directed by Hrish Shankar, Sruthi Haasan plays the role of Sonakshi Sinha.

The guesswork on who the munni is still on as the Bandla Ganesh babu produced film is progressing.

Hyderabad, September 29: The Army Recruitment Branch located at Trimulgherry, Secunderabad, will hold an army recruitment rally for the posts of various trades in the Army from October 10 to 15 at Prakasham Stadium, Kothagudem, Singareni Collieries in Khammam District. There will be recruitment for different trades including Soldier Technical, Soldier Nursing Assistant, Soldier General Duty, Soldier Tradesmen, Soldier Clerks and Store Keeper Technical.

Hyderabad, September 29: Telangana Political Joint Action Committee Chairman Prof M Kodandaram on Wednesday alleged that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar reddy hatched conspiracy to water down the Telangana agitation.

Mumbai, September 29: Actor Salman Khan is back in town after undergoing a nerve surgery in the US last month and is likely to attend the launch of the fifth season of the reality show Bigg Boss tomorrow.

“He came here last night and will be present tomorrow at the launch of the show at Mehboob studio,” a source told PTI.

The actor had left for US on August 29 for a surgery for Trigeminal Neuralgia, a nerve disorder he was suffering from, which was successful.

Hyderabad, September 29: Leading industry body ASSOCHAM on Wednesday claimed that the renewed struggle for statehood Telangana region groups in the past two weeks has already resulted in a tangible loss of goods and services in excess of Rs 10,000 crore.

According to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) secretary general DS Rawat, the opportunity losses due to the general strike could be even higher. “Sectors like IT/BPO, KPO, manufacturing, power and hospitality are the worst hit which may shake the overall business environment,” he said.

New Delhi, September 29: Incharge of Andhra Pradesh Congress affairs and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday made it clear that no clear-cut deadline could be set to resolve the Telangana issue.

Talking to reporters after he had a meeting with the State Congress leaders in the national capital, Azad informed that he had prepared a report on Telangana after having consultations with the Telangana and Seemandhra leaders. However, he would submit the report to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in the next two days.

Hyderabad, September 29: Even as the Centre was keeping mum on the Telangana issue, the Telangana Rastra Samithi Chief Mr K Chandrashekar Rao made a sensational statement on Wednesday that the Centre was in favor separate Telangana State, but only hesitating on the status of Hyderabad.

Washington, September 28: Three distinguished Indian Americans, two inventors and a researcher, figure among a dozen top scientists and innovators named by President Barack Obama as recipients of the nation’s highest honours in their fields.

New York University’s Srinivasa S.R.Vardhan is among seven researches named to receive the National Medal of Science, while two Indian Institute of Technology alumni, Purdue University’s Rakesh Agarwal, and North Carolina State Univeristy’s B Jayant Baliga are among five named for Technology and Innovation medals.

Hyderabad, September 28: Telugu Desam party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday reiterated his allegation that former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was behind the murder of Telugu Desam Party Anantapur MLA Paritala Ravindra.

Talking to media persons as part of three days visit to Anantapur district, Chandrababu Naidu alleged that YS Rajasekhara Reddy hatched conspiracy to kill a few more TDP leaders apart from Paritala Ravindra in Anantapur district.

Hyderabad, September 28: The ongoing movement for a separate Telangana state appears to be taking a violent turn with suspected protesters allegedly setting afire two private buses and the booking counter of a railway station in separate incidents in Andhra Pradesh, police said.

One Volvo bus was completely destroyed after it was torched by unidentified people around 1 am on Wednesday near Jamia Osmania railway station, they said.

The vehicle belonging to a private operator used to carry employees of a software company, the bus driver said.

Hyderabad, Septyember 28: The TRS and other outfits including the T-JAC have now decided to intensify their agitation. They have now decided to target Hyderabad.

Life has already become miserable in the city with never ending agitations and the ‘Target Hyderabad’ plan will only make matters worse. For the T agitators however it is not the suffering of the people that matters but their own agitation.

London, September 28: More trouble seems to be brewing for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, with a woman accused of recruiting prostitutes for the 74-year-old revealing how she was “hypnotised” by his sexual prowess.

In an interview to a magazine, Sabina Began, who is one of eight people said to have hired the women for Berlusconi’s parties, described how she was swept off her feet by him at a party he hosted at his luxury villa, the Daily Mail reported.

“It was as if I had been hypnotised by him, it was a wonderful night,” the 38-year-old actress told ‘Vanity Fair’.

Geneva, September 28: After France, Netherlands and Belgium, Switzerland is now on its way to become the fourth country in Europe to impose a ban on burqa, with lawmakers today voting for a far-right move to outlaw face veils in public.

Swiss parliamentarians turned inwards on the sensitive issue of immigration today by endorsing a bill authored by a politician of a far-right party, that seeks to ban the wearing of face coverings in public, including in public transport.