Month: November 2012

The Sharjah Islamic Bank has announced to organise the 6th Sharjah Islamic Bank National Carnival this week.

The carnival, to be held between Nov 28 and 29, will take the form of a national village that will showcase an exhibition for families in collaboration with the Sharjah Economic Development Department.

It will also feature a traditional food tent featuring Emirati bakers, and a photo programme that will take photos upon request and deliver them with a background and frame that are in line with the theme of the UAE National Day.

–IANS–

US inspectors will conduct an inspection flight over Russia under the Open Skies Treaty starting Monday, a Russian defence ministry spokesperson said.

“In the period from Nov 26 to Nov 30, as part of the international Open Skies Treaty, US representatives will conduct a surveillance flight on board a US [Boeing] OC-135B observation aircraft over the territory of the Russian Federation,” the spokesperson said.

Syed Asif Ibrahim, a 1977 batch IPS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, is set to take over as the new director of Intelligence Bureau. Ibrahim, who will succeed incumbent Nehchal Sandhu who is due to retire in December end, will be the first Muslim officer to head the country’s premier intelligence agency.

External intelligence agency RAW will also see a change at the helm, with Alok Joshi, a 1976 batch officer of the Haryana cadre, being chosen to succeed Sanjeev Tripathi as the new head.

Against the backdrop of a string of sectarian attacks that have killed dozens, President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday appealed to people to forget their “petty differences” and to fight the forces that want to surrender Pakistan at the altar of “narrow-mindedness” and “evil”.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh today accused RSS of supporting BJP president Nitin Gadkari even as corruption charges against him were being probed.

“RSS supports Gadkari. Sangh has no policy but goes by person,” Singh told reporters here alleging that Gadkari’s driver is also one of the directors in his company.

While BJP’s senior leader LK Advani was asked by the RSS to resign for praising M A Jinnah, the same Sangh had been supporting Gadkari.

He lashed out at the BJP leadership for “disrupting the proceedings of Parliament” over the issue of FDI in multi-brand retail.

The Centre on Sunday said it is ready for a discussion in Parliament on the statement of a former CAG official on the 2G spectrum allocations issue, if key ally DMK brings forward a motion.

“If DMK wants a discussion and if DMK Parliamentary Party leader TR Baalu requests the Lok Sabha Speaker for a discussion, the Government is ready for it,” Minister of State in PMO V Narayanasamy told reporters at the airport.

According to reports DMK is likely to give a notice tomorrow to Speaker Meira Kumar, seeking a discussion on the fresh controversy over the 2G spectrum allocation.

Targeting Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi over expenses incurred in his 3D campaign, Gujarat Parivartan Party president Keshubhai Patel today alleged that public money was being spent on the BJP’s “illusionary campaign.”

“Is Gujarat number one in doing illusionary campaign just like it is number one in ‘development’?” Patel asked.

Public money is being spent on advertisement campaigns by the ruling BJP, he alleged and added that the word ‘development’ was being “misused” by the saffron party.

Saif Ali Khan, as far as Kareena Kapoor is concerned, is not just the perfect husband but also the perfect actor who can’t be slotted in any genre. Besides, his intelligence and varied work make him stand out in Bollywood.

“Saif is a wonderful actor. He is a thinking actor who is way ahead of time.

Turkey has dismissed Russian and Iranian concerns that the possible deployment of NATO missiles along the country’s southern border with Syria would make the crisis more complicated.

In a televised interview on private news channel CNN Turk, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
said: “We cannot see any point that would justify these concerns. The missile system has a defensive purpose only. This system will not be operational unless there is a risk to our security.

“And it is our government’s obligation to take any measure when there is even the slightest chance of risk.”

The condition of former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral, who is admitted to the Medicity Medanta Hospital here with a lung infection, is “stable but critical”. Gujral, 92, who was admitted to the hospital on November 19, is still on the ventilator. He was on dialysis for over a year now and had suffered a serious chest infection some days ago. “His condition is stable but critical,” Narender Mehta Media Advisor to I K Gujral said outside the hospital today. Reports of some tests would come out tomorrow and only after observing the results, the doctors would comment, he said. PTI

The Government may issue a multi-city visa to Pakistani cricket lovers planning to witness the forthcoming cricket series beginning December 25 if they provide tickets of the matches and return ticket besides having an Indian sponsor. A committee formed within the Union Home Ministry has suggested that tickets to the venue and the return tickets would ensure regulating the visiting Pakistani cricket lovers, official sources said.

Playing Langda Tyagi in ‘Omkara’ was a turning point in Saif Ali Khan’s Bollywood career, but director Vishal Bhardwaj says it was Aamir Khan who was keen to star in the role initially. The movie, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, was released in 2006. Bhardwaj says it was Aamir who inspired him to make the movie and he was willing to play the character of Langda Tyagi. “There was a film we were planning to make, but it got shelved after a year because of some differences.

China today said it has successfully landed a fighter jet on its first aircraft carrier, a move that would help project its growing military might amid simmering maritime disputes with some of its key neighbours. The successful flight landing on ‘The Liaoning’ aircraft carrier also marked the debut of the J-15 as China’s first generation multi-purpose carrier-borne fighter jet, the PLA Navy said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today said his government would soon start recruiting unemployed youths in education and police departments to provide them jobs. “Appointments in education and police departments will be started soon and youths will be given jobs”, Yadav said while talking to reporters here. Yadav said his government was already giving unemployment allowance to youths and now planned to employ them by filling vacant posts in government departments.

Seven students of a private medical college were booked today on the charge of ragging their juniors, police said. A group of seven students studying MBBS third-year allegedly ragged about five of their juniors on November 22 outside college premises by asking them to remove their shirts, they said. Following a complaint, Kadapa II Town police registered a case against seven students under the Anti-ragging Act. However, no one has been arrested so far, a senior police officer told PTI. Further investigations were on. PTI

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley today said that since so many leaders have campaigned in Gujarat, it indicates that the entire BJP is behind Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. “Many BJP leaders are going to address rallies. This is a indication that the entire party is standing behind Gujarat BJP and Narendrabhai. We are here to give our party a historic victory,” Jaitley said. BJP has organised 87 public rallies in the state today and tomorrow in which leaders will campaign for phase one of the poll.

Driving under the influence of alcohol could land one in jail but Delhiites do not seem to be bothered about the law, with over 22,000 people being booked for the offence this year and 6,173 of them landing behind bars. As many as 22,111 people were caught for the offence till November 15 this year and 6,173 of them were sent to jail, Delhi Police said. While the number of offenders caught last year was 15,474, those sent to jail was little over 2,000.

Former President A P J Abdul Kalam today stressed the need for evolving energy utilisation norms for different industries like Cement, Steel, Urea and Textile on per capita basis. He suggested that an ‘Idea bank’ be created to which employees can provide innovative solutions for energy efficiency operations. Kalam was speaking at a function in connection with launching of the project ‘Energy for tomorrow’ (Naleikkithiri Oorjam) by Energy Management Centre (EMC) and Kerala State Electricity Board here.

Authorities shut schools and colleges as para-military forces conducted flag marches in the trouble-torn Sirsa town where curfew, clamped in the wake of a clash between followers of Dera Sacha Sauda and a group of Sikhs, remained in force today. Para-military forces conducted flag marches in the town which remained peaceful today, a day after the violence that left 12 people injured and six vehicles badly damaged near Balmiki Chowk.

BJP Assam unit President Sarbananda Sonowal today accused Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of “failing” to take steps against the perpetrators of “secret killings”. “The ruling Congress has criticised the erstwhile Asom Gano Parishad (AGP) government under Prafulla Kumar Mahanta down the years for being involved in such killings, there have been so many probes but till now the culprits have not been identified which is a failure of the government, which has been in power for last three terms”, Sonowal told a felicitation programme at Chabbua in upper Assam.

England’s batting star Kevin Pietersen today said the difference between the first Test in Ahmedabad, where he flopped, and the second at the Wankhede Stadium here, which was witness to his monumental knock of 186, was his outlook towards defence. “I wasn’t playing well at all in Ahmedabad. I didn’t trust my defence as much as I have trusted my defense coming into this Test match. As a batter, if you don’t trust your defence as much, you try too many things. “You try and force the issue.

Security has been beefed up across Mumbai on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks, which comes close on the heels of the hanging of lone caught terrorist Mohammad Ajmal Kasab. “There is no specific threat but we have been alert for (the) past one week,” Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh said. “Even though there were ‘threats’ to the financial capital but Mumbai Police are well-prepared to tackle any eventuality,” he told reporters at a press conference.

“Congress is already the party of Aam Admi,” AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said today, reacting to the launch of a new party by activist Arvind Kejriwal. “We are already the party of aam aadmi,” he told reporters when asked about ‘Aam Admi Party’ floated by Kejriwal in the national capital yesterday. He said politics should be taken as a system instead of merely as a career. Replying to a question, he hinted that changes are likely in the party’s organisational set up. PTI

A 45-year-old man was killed and over a dozen others were injured following a clash between Telugu Desam and Congress workers at Gollapalem village in Vizianagaram district today. B Papa Rao succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the government hospital in Vizianagaram, police said, adding 15 workers of both the parties were injured in the violence this morning. “The condition of four of them is serious,” they said. According to police, a minor altercation at a tea shop in the village allegedly blown into a full-fledged clash.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh today accused RSS of supporting BJP president Nitin Gadkari even as corruption charges against him were being probed. “RSS supports Gadkari. Sangh has no policy but goes by person,” Singh told reporters here alleging that Gadkari’s driver is also one of the directors in his company. While BJP’s senior leader L K Advani was asked by the RSS to resign for praising M A Jinnah, the same Sangh had been supporting Gadkari. He lashed out at the BJP leadership for “disrupting the proceedings of Parliament” over the issue of FDI in multi-brand retail.