Month: November 2012

The world’s sea level is rising 60 percent faster than the central projections of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), says a new study.

Satellite measurements show the sea level is actually rising at a rate of 3.2 mm a year compared to the estimate of two mm a year in the IPCC report.

Results were obtained by taking averages from the five available global land and ocean temperature series, the journal Environmental Research Letters reports.

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Thursday hinted at a hike in passenger fare as he asked Parliamentarians to be “realistic” if they want the railways to move forward.

“All that I would like to say is that I would expect the House to be realistic,” Bansal said replying to a query from Trinamool member Saugata Ray on passenger fare hike.

He said implementation of various safety measures would entail an expenditure of Rs one lakh crore over a five-year period.

Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul will visit Pakistan on Friday to hold talks with his counterpart on Afghan peace process.

Rassoul will hold official talks with Hina Rabbani Khar that will focus on Islamabad’s role in the Afghan peace process, Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

During this visit, Rassoul will also call on the Pakistani leadership, the statement said.

He will be accompanied by a high level delegation from the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A trial of strength over FDI in retail issue will be witnessed in Parliament next week, with the Lok Sabha deciding to have a discussion on December 4 and 5 on the issue under a rule that entails voting, a strident demand of the Opposition.

While Rajya Sabha will also have a similar discussion, the date and timings for it will be decided after consultations with various political parties.

The decision led to an end to the logjam in Parliament today on the issue which had paralysed proceedings for four days with the Left and the Right making a common cause.

Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor says he was once blessed by the Dalai Lama — during a chance meeting on an airplane.

Anil spoke of his meeting with the Tibetan spiritual leader on the sidelines of an event on the occasion of World Compassion Day Wednesday.

“I met him many years ago on a flight. I was going through one of my scripts and I was preparing for my role and the role required me to be kind, tolerant of religions and above all compassionate.

`Salaam India`, a new play presented by Theatre world, a Delhi based company, opened to a warm response from the audience at its UK premiere here.

The play, inspired by well known diplomat Pavan Varma`s book `Being Indian`, is led by a cast of four actors – Shena Gamat, Ashish Paliwal, Andrew Hoffland and Lushin Dubey, who is also the director.

The play features four inter-woven stories set in Delhi that explore what it is to be an Indian in a diverse country of over a billion people.

The four-day logjam in Lok Sabha over the FDI in retail ended today with Speaker Meira Kumar allowing a discussion on the subject under a rule that entails voting.

“I have received 30 notices for discussion on FDI in multi-brand retail under Rule 184. I have admitted the motion to allow the discussion. The date and the time will be decided later,” the Speaker announced in the House.

Three students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) have been suspended for their alleged involvement in an eve-teasing incident on campus.

Shadab Alam, Arpit Maheshwari and Shahnawaz Khan were suspended for the incident that took place at the faculty of law on Monday, and are barred from entering the campus, an official said here today.

The students allegedly tried to intimidate senior university officials, including the dean of faculty of law, upon being reprimanded and fired shots from a country made pistol when the proctorial staff arrived on the scene, the official said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised India as a “super-power” in the field of information technology as he unveiled the country’s first indigenously created low-cost Aakash 2 tablet here.

The tablet was showcased at the UN headquarters yesterday on the occasion of the India’s current Presidency of the UN Security Council.

CEO of Datawind, maker of the Aakash tablet, Suneet Singh Tuli, presented the device to the UN Chief who voiced appreciation for the tablet for being “small and handy.”

Maximum consignments of high quality fake Indian currency notes are being supplied in the country from Pakistan, the Parliament was informed today.

“As per available inputs from central intelligence and investigation agencies, consignments of high quality Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) have been directly or indirectly sourced from Pakistan,” Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

Proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were washed out for the fifth consecutive day today after uproar over issues of FDI in retail and quota for SCs/STs in promotions in government jobs.

As the House met for the day, BJP members led by Venkaiah Naidu and Ravi Shankar Prasad were on their feet along with others, raising the demand for holding a discussion on FDI in multi-brand retail under a rule that entails voting.

A man in Bihar got his wife married to her lover in the presence of hundreds of people, a police officer said Thursday.

The bizarre saga was reported from Navani village in Madhubani district after Shravan Kumar realised that his wife was unhappy with him.

He allowed his wife Ranju Devi to marry her lover Ravindra Chaudhary. The wedding was solemnised at a temple Tuesday, police officer Surendra Kumar Deo said.

The officer called it a “unique marriage”.

Scores of uninhabited masajid in and around the city are constantly being desecrated. Towering buildings are being constructed on the waqf lands under those masajid. Thanks to our apathy, miscreants are emboldened to construct even temples in the masjid premises.

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Thursday rolled out Galaxy Camera based on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, enabling users to upload pictures directly through the high-speed fourth-generation (4G) network.

The Galaxy Camera will be directly connected to Wi-Fi and third-generation (3G) network as well as the 4G LTE network, which will enable users to upload pictures on social media, including Twitter and Facebook, through the wireless networks right after taking them, reported Xinhua.

By sanctioning separate sub plan for scheduled cast and scheduled tribes in the budget, state government has once again done injustice towards minorities. The minorities of the state and their educational and economic status is equal to other backward classes hence government should have announced separate sub plan for minorities too on par with SCs and STs.

Madannapet, Malkajgiri and Amberpet units of Tanzeem-e-Insaf have been set up under the direction and supervision of Senior Communist leader and former MP Mr. Syed Aziz Pasha. General Secretary Comrade Nusrath Mohiuddin, President Insaf Hyderabad comrade Mohammed Yousuf and others were also present.

Welcoming the participants, Aziz Pasha told that the objective behind formation of Insaf is to ensure resolution of problems confronted by minorities and to introduce welfare schemes of the government to poor and helpless people.

An important meeting of Telangana Rashtra Samithi minority leaders was held at TRS office at Azampura. Mohammed Mahmood Ali president TRS Minority cell presided over the meeting. TRS incharge Yakutpura Shabbir Husain, Zahooruddin Yousufi, Abdul Malik, Saleem Ahmed and other TRS minority leaders were present at the meeting.

Inaugural meeting of Telangana pensioner Joint Action Committee was held under the supervision of Mohammed Mahmood Ali president and politburo member TRS. Members of Retd. Employees’ welfare association Malakpet, Telangana Pensioners Forum, All Telangana Employees and Pensioners Association, Telangana retd. Employees Welfare Association, Govt. Employees and pensioners’ Welfare Association and Malakpet Senior Citizens’ Welfare Association attended the meeting.

A meeting of Telugu Desam party Minority Cell Greater Hyderabad will be conducted on Thursday, November 29, 3 pm, at the office of minority cell located at Mansaheb tank. President Greater Hyderabad Telugu Desam minority cell Mr. Shahbaz Ahmed Khan will preside over while politburo member Mr. Zahed Ali Khan and president Telugu Desam Greater Hyderabad Mr. T Srinivas Yadav will attend as chief guests.

Dr. Abul Hasan Ashraf son of late Hakeem Ahmed Ashraf and honourary director Awami Dawakhana has been bestowed with 36th CITD National Navratan Vidyasri Award for his Unani medical services. Speaker assembly N Manohar gave away the award in a function at Jubilee Hall, Public Garden. Minister of information Mr. Ponala Lakshmaiah was also present.

Speaker N Manohar lauded 55 year-services of Dr. Abul Hasan Ashraf’s family and Awami Dhawakhana in Unani medicine. A large number of renowned industrialists, doctors, journalists and dignitaries were present at the function.

Siasat news

Odisha Assembly on Friday witnessed pandemonium with Opposition Congress members storming into the well demanding a special discussion on the plight of farmers, forcing frequent adjournments.

Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat adjourned the House first till 12 noon and then till 3 pm after being unable to run the proceedings due to the uproar. The House functioned for less than 15 minutes before it was adjourned till 3 pm.

The Pakistani Cabinet Wednesday approved a bill to set up a National Counter Terrorism Authority, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said.

The authority will be tasked with drawing up strategies to tackle the threat of terrorism, Xinhua reported.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, who chaired the meeting, condemned the terror attacks on Shias in the country that left nearly 50 people dead in the past 10 days.

The NCTA will coordinate and complement the work of other law enforcement agencies in dealing with terrorism, Kaira said at a press conference.

The number of pregnant women testing HIV positive in Jharkhand is a cause of concern, a Unicef statement said Thursday.

According to data released by the Jharkhand unit of Unicef, based on National Aids Control Society (NACO) findings, till September this year, 66 of 69,200 pregnant women were found to be HIV positive. The number was 76 of 61,500 in 2011.

The adult HIV prevalence was 0.11 percent in 2005 and 2006, which increased to 0.13 percent in 2007 and 2009.

Ahead of the meeting with his Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalithaa, Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Thursday expressed confidence over solving the Cauvery water sharing stalemate.

“Both neighbouring states are in distress. We have to find a solution in the present circumstances,” he told reporters after unveiling the Karnataka Youth Policy-2012 here.

Ms Jayalalithaa and Mr Shettar are meeting here later in the day as per the Supreme Court advice.

—-PTI

Publication of report regarding unauthorised and illegal temple opposite Eidgah Mir Aalam entrance in Siasat, created stir among political, social and religious corners of the city. People were surprised why and how these things are happening in our city. Miscreants are so emboldened that they are trying to construct religious structure on Masjid and Eidgah land.

Soon after reading the report published in Siasat, on the direction of Waqf Board Chairman Maulana Khusro Pasha, special task force team visited Eidgah Mir Aalam.