Month: November 2012

Italian authorities say six people have died when a regional train slammed into a car that crossed the tracks.

Marco Mancini, spokesman for the Italian state railways, says all those killed were riding in the car, which was struck today afternoon. No one aboard the train was injured.

The incident occurred near Cosenza, a southern city in Reggio Calabria, in the “toe” of boot-shaped Italy.

Italian news reports said most of those killed were Romanian farm workers.

–PTI

Local television stations are reporting that a fire at a multi-story garment factory on the outskirts of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, has killed at least eight people and injured scores more.

Television stations Boishakhi and ATN News reported that the fire broke out late today in the factory in the Ashulia industrial district, just outside Dhaka.

Fire Department Control Room Official Mohammad Ali would not confirm any casualty figures, but says firefighters are trying to douse the flames racing through the factory operated by Tajnin Fashion. He would not provide any further details.

Egyptian police today stopped Shia worshipers from entering a mosque housing the Imam Hussein shrine after a Sunni activist filed a complaint with police demanding they prevent any mourning rituals inside the mosque.

A number of Shia mourners were turned back from the Hussein mosque in Cairo this afternoon where they had gathered to observe the day of Ashura, marking the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammad’s grandson.

A force from the Gamaliya Police Department was stationed in front of the main door of the mosque yesterday, state-run newspaper Al-Ahram reported.

District of Columbia fire officials say three people were seriously injured after a fire broke out at the State Department’s headquarters in Washington.

Fire and EMS spokesman Lon Walls said the fire broke out at around 11 am yesterday in the ductwork on the 7th floor as crews were working on the building. Workers were able to put the fire out before firefighters arrived, but not before three people suffered burns.

Walls said one person suffered life threatening injuries and two others had serious but non-life threatening injuries.

Demanding cancellation of the appointment of Ranjit Sinha as the CBI Director, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu today alleged that UPA government was trying to use the constitutional bodies to gain political mileage.

Speaking to reporters here, Naidu said the manner of Sinha’s appointment, which was made before the Select Committee of Rajya Sabha tabled its report, indicated that government wanted to pre-empt the Committee’s recommendations. Congress tried to undermine or defame institutions whenever it faced trouble, Naidu said, dubbing Sinha as “yes-man”.

(Siasat News)The State Government announced the timetable for Intermediate and SSC exams to be held in March 2013.
Minister for secondary education K. Partha-sarathy said that Intermediate (theory) first-year exams will be from 6th March to 22nd March and second-year exam from 7th March to 23rd March, where as practical exams will be held from February 6th to 25th.
SSC exams will be held from March 22 to April 9. Timing for the exam will be 9 a.m. to 12 noon for Intermediate and SSC exams from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.

BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha on Saturday said he was ‘ideologically’ with Ram Jethmalani and Yashwant Sinha who have sought the resignation of party president Nitin Gadkari over allegation of corruption.

“The issue raised by them (Jethmalani and Yashwant Sinha) should be looked at seriously,” Sinha, BJP Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib, told reporters here.

Jethmalani, while demanding Gadkari’s resignation, had claimed some other BJP leaders were with him on the demand for Gadkari’s exit as party chief.

Russian military inspectors will begin a survey flight this week above the US under the international Open Skies Treaty, according to Russian defence ministry.

Russian experts will conduct the survey flight over the US territory in a Tupolev Tu-154 M/LK-1 aircraft between during the period from Nov 25 and Dec 3, a spokesman said.

The flight will start from the Travis Air Force Base, California. Its maximum range will be 4,250 km.

An array of personalities from politics, business and Bollywood circles including Union Heavy Industries minister Praful Patel, NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra today attended the wedding of Puru Sethia, son of UK business magnate Nirmal Sethia.

Puru tied his knot with Ritika, the daughter of famous liquor businessman Nirmal Raval this evening at the City Palace, Jag Mandir.

The medical termination of the six-week pregnancy of a minor girl, who was allegedly abducted and later recovered from Goa, was carried out after the consent from her parents, official sources said on Saturday.

According to her parents, the medical termination of the girl’s pregnancy was carried out at Civil hospital last night, and she was discharged today.

The Civil Surgeon had constituted a panel of doctors to perform the termination of her pregnancy, sources said.

After making a highly successful directorial debut with ‘Taare Zameen Par’, actor Aamir Khan is contemplating another stint behind the camera. His 2007 film ‘Taare Zameen Par’ received accolades from both critics and viewers.

Singer-actress Miley Cyrus received a rescued pig on her birthday from animal rights organization PETA.

The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) gifted the pig named Nora to honour the “So Undercover” actress, who turned 20 on Friday. The pig has found a new home at Kindred Spirits Sanctuary in Florida.

PETA knew that sponsoring a rescued pig was the perfect birthday present for a young woman who spends so much time
encouraging others to help animals,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said.

Promising that Maharashtra Government will act on the recommendation of the inquiry report on the arrest of two girls for posting Facebook comments against the shutdown for Bal Thackeray’s funeral, Home Minister R R Patil today said “strict” action will be taken against cops, if found guilty.

“The report will be forwarded by the DGP to the government today.

I will discuss the report with Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and strict action will be taken against the officers if found guilty,” Patil told reporters.

He said the government has taken the incident very seriously.

The BJP will organise election rallies at 55 venues across Saurashtra and South Gujarat today to be addressed by its senior leaders, party sources said here.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Arun Jaitley, former UP chief minister Rajnath Singh, senior leader Venkaiah Naidu, BJP national
vice-president Purshottam Rupala, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jharkhand chief minister
Arjun Munda will be among those who would address rallies tomorrow, they said.

Jaitley, the leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha,will address rallies in two Assembly constituencies in

A nine-member parliamentary delegation from Britain has arrived on a four-day visit of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The delegation aims to observe life in the UAE and strengthen partnership between the two countries. It will meet UAE’s political and business leaders and visit Dubai, Al Ain and Abu Dhabi.

—IANS

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today accused the Congress party of being a “dyed-in-the-wool exponent of votebank politics”.

The difference is fundamentally that of style of politics. The BJP is forever committed towards politics for
the development, whereas the Congress is a dyed-in-the-wool exponent of votebank politics,” Modi wrote on his blog,
countering Congress’ attack on ruling BJP’s development initiatives.

A BSF jawan was injured after being beaten up by a mob today for allegedly outraging the modesty of a woman at Mawpat in Meghalaya, near the Bangladesh border.

A senior police officer said the 28-year old jawan, identified as Ratheesh, allegedly molested the woman by
sneaking into her house near the headquarters of the 83 battalion of the border guards while she was asleep yesterday.

He was thrashed by local people when the matter came to light. He was later taken to the hospital of the border
force in a serious condition.

In a brave gesture of defiance against suicide bombers, Afghanistan’s “girl-in-green” today revisited the scene of a Shiite Muslim holy-day massacre that made her image world famous.

Tarana Akbari, now 13, was pictured screaming in horror among piles of bodies moments after a suicide bomber killed 80 people at last year’s Ashura day ceremonies at a Shiite shrine in Kabul.

The image, taken by AFP photographer Massoud Hossaini, was splashed on front pages worldwide and won the Pulitzer
prize this year.

Sacked Uttarakhand minority commission chairman Sukhdev Singh Namdhari was on Saturday remanded in police custody for five days by a Delhi court with the police accusing him to be the main conspirator in Ponty Chadha shoot out case and saying that he fired at Hardeep Chadha.
Metropolitan magistrate Sandeep Garg sent Namdhari to five days police custody saying ‘the investigating agencies should be given an opportunity for their endeavour to recover the weapon used in the crime.’

“In view of the same, accused is remanded in police custody for five days till November 28,” the judge said.

Rebels who have besieged Sheikh Suleiman army base for nearly two months are confident it will fall in days, giving them full control of a swathe of northwest Syria from Aleppo to the Turkish border.

Their optimism has been buoyed by a steady stream of defectors from the ranks of the several hundred troops defending the strategic base, the last major garrison still in army hands between the border and Syria’s northern metropolis.

—PTI

Yemeni security officials say that four Shiites were killed when unknown assailants fired a rocket-propelled grenade into a gathering of worshippers observing the holy day of Ashoura.

Officials say the attack took place today in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, near the airport road.

The assailants fired the weapon at a celebration hall where worshippers had gathered, killing four people outside.
No further details were immediately available.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to release the information.

Though the BJP did not support the Trinamool Congress sponsored no-confidence motion against the UPA government, the party is open to the idea and will take a decision on the issue at an appropriate time, a senior party leader said on Saturday.

“The party will discuss with other political parties to assess the situation and take a decision at an appropriate time. The party has an open mind (on the issue),” BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said in response to a query on moving no-trust motion against the Congress-led UPA government.

Two young salsa dancers from Kolkata’s Bivash dance academy were crowned winners of the fourth season of TV reality show India’s Got Talent.

The dancer duo, Shonali Majumdar (7) and Maraju Sumanth (13), had impressed the judges right from the auditions with their whirlwind salsa moves and emerged as the people’s choice tonight at the show’s Grand Finale on Colors.

I was confident about their talent, but the win was unexpected. Last year I had participated in this show with two

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said Saturday he hoped that the remaining 88 years of this century would be peaceful. He said that for peace to endure, it should begin in the heart of man.

“Peace will not fall from the skies or emanate from the earth. No resolution of the United Nations and no feat of science or technology can bring peace. It should originate from the heart of man,” said the Dalai Lama, while speaking at 80th Sivagiri pilgrimage at the Sivagiri Madhom, 40 km from here at Varkala, Saturday.

As many as 61 people were injured at a mass opposition rally, calling for Thaliand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s ouster, in downtown Bangkok Saturday, local authorities said.

At least 10 police officers and 51 protesters sought medical help. Two police officers were hospitalised with serious injuries, according to the Thai health ministry’s emergency centre.

Anti-government protesters gathered here early Saturday to call for Shinawatra’s ouster. Police responded with tear gas and over 100 were arrested.