Month: January 2015

Dams have short life, rivers are eternal: Bharati

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Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati today emphasised the need to ensure that the ecological flow of river is not hampered by construction of dams.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion of Central Board of Irrigation and Power awards ceremony here, she said that new technologies and design should be studied before constructing the super structures to ensure that while river flow is maintained, dams are able to give out electricity and other facilities to people.

IBM-Globalfoundries deal gets Competition Commission nod

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Fair trade watchdog CCI has cleared the proposed deal between technology major IBM and Globalfoundries, saying the deal would not have any adverse impact on competition in the country.

Under the deal, Globalfoundries (GF) would acquire certain assets and assume the liabilities of IBM’s microelectronic business.

Giving its clearance, the Commission said the combination is not likely to have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India.

Competition Commission of India (CCI) keeps a tab on unfair business practices at the market place.

BM-Globalfoundries deal gets Competition Commission nod

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Fair trade watchdog CCI has cleared the proposed deal between technology major IBM and Globalfoundries, saying the deal would not have any adverse impact on competition in the country.

Under the deal, Globalfoundries (GF) would acquire certain assets and assume the liabilities of IBM’s microelectronic business.

Giving its clearance, the Commission said the combination is not likely to have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India.

Competition Commission of India (CCI) keeps a tab on unfair business practices at the market place.

Telangana owes much of its progress to Huzoor Nizam: KCR

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Chief Minister of Telangana Mr. K Chandrasekhar Rao applauded the achievements made during the regime of erstwhile Nizam of Hyderabad Mr. Mir Osman Ali Khan and admitted that Telangana owes much of its developmental works to Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan.

He pointed out that Secunderabad Railway Station, Nampally Railway Station, Nizam Orthopedic Hospital, Niloufer Hospital, Cancer Hospital, Erragadda Hospital, Nizamabad Sagar Dam, Nizam Sugar Factory and several other innumerable achievements were made during Nizam’s rule.

Special bench constituted to hear Jayalalithaa’s appeal today

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The Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court has set up a special bench of Justice C.R. Kumaraswamy to hear the appeals filed by the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and three others who have challenged their conviction in the disproportionate assets case.

The setting up of special bench comes after the Supreme Court had earlier on December 18 directed the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court to constitute it to hear the Jayalalithaa’s appeal.

Brazilian president starts second term

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Dilma Rousseff was sworn-in here Thursday for a second four-year term as president of Brazil.

“I promise to uphold, defend and obey the constitution, to observe the laws, to promote the general welfare of the Brazilian people, to maintain the unity, integrity and independence of Brazil,” the country’s first woman president said during the solemn ceremony in Congress.

The 67-year-old Rousseff pronounced those words for the first time in January 2011, when she succeeded her political mentor, two-term president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

RPF constable arrested for molesting woman

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A railway police constable has been arrested by the police for allegedly molesting a 28-year- old married woman in north Delhi’s Chandni Chowk area.

45-year-old Kuldeep, who was in an inebriated state at the time of the alleged offence, later roughed up the woman’s husband as well, police said.

“The woman was headed towards the market after coming out of the Gurdwara in Chandni Chowk when the accused started misbehaving with her and even touched her inappropriately,” police said.

CCI to probe Great Eastern Energy for alleged unfair biz ways

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Competition Commission has ordered a probe against Great Eastern Energy Corp for allegedly indulging in unfair business practices with respect to sale of coal bed methane gas to entities in West Bengal.

Great Eastern Energy Corporation Ltd (GEECL) is engaged in exploration, development, production, distribution and sale of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) gas.

The Commission has asked its investigation arm — Director General (DG) — to look into the case after prima facie finding violation of competition norms.

Guj AAP launches farmer wing, to oppose investor meet

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Gujarat unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today launched its farmer wing and said it would protest against the upcoming ‘Vibrant Gujarat Summit’, a state government-sponsored event for seeking investment.

‘Kisan Kranti Manch’ will raise its voice against the “anti-farmer” approach of the state and central government and take up issues related to peasants, an AAP leader said.

“To highlight deteriorating condition of agriculture in Gujarat and raise his voice against the anti-farmer approach of the state and the union governments, a young farmer set himself ablaze.

Servant among seven arrested in robbery case

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Seven persons, including the servant of a household, were arrested for allegedly robbing off items worth Rs 7.5 lakh by holding the landlady hostage using a toy gun in West Delhi’s Ashok Vihar, a police official said today.

Police have also recovered the stolen items that included a two watches, a diamond ring, a mobile phone and about Rs 50,000 in cash from the alleged robbers, all residents of Bihar, he said.

‘Balika Vadhu’ star Siddharth Shukla fined for drunken driving

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Popular TV actor Siddharth Shukla was fined for drunken driving in the early hours today and his luxury car was seized, police said.

The 34-year-old small screen star was intercepted in suburban Juhu at around 3.30 AM by traffic police.

Shukla, who was alone in his car and heading towards Juhu beach, a hotspot for New Year revellers, was found driving his vehicle under the influence of alcohol, they said.

He was booked and fined Rs 2,000. The actor’s car and driving licence were impounded by DN Nagar traffic police, they said.

Delhi govt’s direction to private schools on EPW nursery

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To effectively address complaints of parents of economically weaker sections (EWS) in nursery admission, Delhi government today directed private schools to properly display information about grievance redressal committee and its procedure in public domain.

Also, the Directorate of Education (DoE) directed District DDEs to ensure that fixed timings and days are kept for grievance redressal.

“All District DDEs will ensure that fixed timings and days are kept for grievance redressal when the concerned parties will be called and heard.

Accident sparks protests, mob damages police vehicle

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Residents of Kharibari in the Rajarhat area of North 24 Parganas today damaged a police vehicle and a truck while protesting against rash driving and an accident in the locality, where a motorcyclist was killed and another person was injured.

Bidhannnagar Police Commissionarate officers said a motorcycle collided head on with a truck laden with bricks, killing a middle-aged person who was yet to be identified, and injuring the pillion rider.

Two new bird flu cases brings total to 29 in Egypt in 2014

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Two new cases of bird flu in Egypt have brought the total number of people affected by the virus in the country to 29 in 2014, the health ministry today said.

A six-year-old child from Giza governorate is in critical condition after being infected by the H5N1 virus.

The child suffered from fever and cough, before being transferred to hospital.

The other case, a 45-year-old man from the Nile Delta city of Menofiya, suffered from pneumonia, and was referred to intensive care unit and placed under the medical ventilator.

2 New Year revellers killed in road mishaps

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At least two New Year revellers were killed in separate road mishaps here today and nearly 800 cases of drunken driving were registered by Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police Commissionerates during a special drive.

A 16-year-old boy was killed and his brother seriously injured after their two-wheeler hit a tree near Jubilee check post at 5.30 AM.

They were returning home after attending a New Year party when the mishap took place, said Sub-Inspector Mahender Reddy of Jubilee Hills Police Station.

The deceased was identified as Sumanth, a student of Class 10.

Yuvan Shankar Raja gets married a third time

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Music composer Yuvan Shankar Raja, son of popular music director Ilayaraja, today got married for the third time to Jaffrunnisha, a native of Keezhakarai in the district.

Jaffrunnisha, a dress designer, is now settled in Malaysia, the sources said.

The wedding was held in a garden at Senkalneerodai near Keezhakarai amid tight security with only relatives of the bride taking part.

The 35-year-old music director was earlier married to Sujanya and Shilpa and had separated.

Yuvan Shankar Raja has scored music for more than 100 films.

Asst Loco Pilot injured as miscreants hurl stones at train

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The Assistant Loco Pilot of the Nagercoil-Kottayam passenger train was seriously injured this evening when unidentified persons threw stones on the train near Karunagappally in Kollam District, railway sources said.

The Loco Pilot, P P Harikrishnan was first rushed to a hospital at Karunagappally and later shifted to a hospital at Thiruvananthapuram.

The onward journey of the train from Karunagappally has been cancelled, the sources said.

Weather remains a worry in hunt for AirAsia plane

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More ships were deployed today with high-end equipment to locate the fuselage of AirAsia jet even as the weather, which has hindered the search the last several days, remained a worry.

Rear Marshal Henry Bambang Soelistyo, head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, said bad weather was a worry, with forecasts of rain, strong winds and high waves up to 4 meters (13 feet) until Sunday.

Nine bodies have been recovered until now, Soelistyo said as the search in waters off Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan entered sixth day.

Police, opposition protesters clash in Bahrain

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Anti-riot police and protesters demanding the release of Bahrain’s main Shiite opposition leader clashed today for the fifth day in a row, witnesses said.

Iran, across the Gulf from Washington’s ally where the US Fifth Fleet is based, has called for the immediate release of the kingdom’s main opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman.

The US has also expressed deep concern about Salman’s detention, warning that it could only inflame the persistent violence that has gripped the kingdom since 2011.

First AirAsia funeral as bad weather hampers search

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Relatives held the first funeral for a victim of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 today as bad weather hampered efforts to locate the wreckage of the plane which crashed in the sea off Borneo with 162 aboard.

The first funeral took place this afternoon after one of the bodies was formally identified as a woman named Hayati Lutfiah Hami, and was handed over to her family in Indonesia’s second city of Surabaya.

After prayers at her home, the coffin was taken for burial at a Muslim cemetery nearby, with more than a hundred neighbours in attendance.

Shootout at Canadian New Year party injures seven

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Seven people were injured by gunfire in Canada, two critically, after a shootout at a New Year party today in Calgary, police said.

The shooters were not among the victims, and police said they fled the scene after they opened fire.

“Apparently the offenders left in a vehicle,” a police source told AFP.

It is not clear how many shooters there were or why gunfire erupted at the party.

Police received several calls at 5:05 am (1205 GMT) reporting gunfire at the private party, where some 50 people were gathered.

French minister in surprise visit to desert base near Libya

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French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian paid a surprise visit to northern Niger today, to visit a base being built to combat the growing flow of weapons and jihadists from neighbouring Libya.

Le Drian travelled from Chad to Madama, a desert outpost about 100 kilometres from Libya, where he saw in the New Year with troops at a French base.

Madama is situated on the route used by jihadists and arms smugglers in southern Libya to reach northern Mali and Niger.

Russia invites Syria opposition figures for talks

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Russia has invited 28 Syrian opposition figures to Moscow for talks later this month in preparation for a dialogue with the regime, an opposition source said.

“There are 28 opposition figures who have received an invitation to the planned Moscow meeting,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

They include the head of the key Syrian National Coalition opposition grouping, Hadi al-Bahra, as well as two former Coalition chiefs, Moaz al-Khatib and Abdel Basset Sida.

Ex-Corporator M A Basith passes away

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Mr. M A Basith ex-corporator Doodh Bowli and General Secretary Deccan Waqf Protection Society died of heart attack on New Year night. Funeral prayer was performed at Asr prayers while burial took place at Bodki Bi Saheba graveyard.

Brazil’s leader sworn in for 2nd term

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Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff has been sworn in for her second term. Rousseff immediately faces tough challenges after taking the oath of office before congress today.

She must spark a moribund economy that’s seen paltry growth since she first took office in 2011.

She also has to deal with a rapidly expanding scandal over a kickback scheme at state-run oil company Petrobras, with allegations bribes made their way into her Workers’ Party campaign coffers and those of allied parties.