Five swine flu deaths take India’s toll to 420

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New Delhi, October 20: Five swine flu deaths were reported in India Tuesday, taking the toll due to Influenza A (H1N1) virus to 420, health authorities said here.

Also, 89 new cases were reported in the country, taking the total number of people affected with the flu to 12,969.

All the deaths had occurred earlier, but the laboratory confirmations of the viral infections came Tuesday, officials said.

Of the five deaths, two occurred in Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. With this the toll due to the virus in the state has touched 44.

UP Police recruitment process to begin from Oct 24

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Mathura, October 20: With a view to removing irregularities in recruiting UPP constables, the UP Government has set up a unique strategy to make the recruitment process transparent. The recruitment process is starting from October 24 in each district.

The process will continue for next three months. According to instructions issued by the police recruitment headquarter, a micro chip will be fitted in heel of each aspirant for recording time taken by him to complete the race while the weight and height will be measured through computerised apparatuses.

10 Yemen rebels sentenced to death

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Sanaa, October 20: A Yemeni court on Tuesday sentenced 10 Shiite Zaidi rebels to death and another five to 15 years in prison each over deadly clashes near the capital in 2008 that killed hundreds of people.

The special court in Sanaa convicted the 15 for “associating with an armed group for criminal purposes,” “creating an organised terrorist group” and “(armed) resistance to the authorities.”

Swiss envoys in Libya to rebuild diplomatic ties

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Geneva, October 20: Swiss diplomats arrived in Libya Monday in a bid to rebuild diplomatic ties after a row erupted last year when a son of Libyan leader Moamer Gathafi was arrested in a Geneva hotel.

“A delegation of several people from Switzerland have arrived in Tripoli to hold talks,” said the Swiss foreign ministry in a statement.

The statement said the aim of the talks was to “normalise” diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Iraqi provinces shut schools over swine flu fears

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Nasiriyah, October 20: Two southern Iraqi provinces will shut their nearly 2,500 schools this week in a bid to combat swine flu, officials said on Tuesday.

The mass closures in Dhi Qar and Wassit provinces, due to start on Wednesday and Thursday respectively, are Iraq’s first since the A(H1N1) virus was first reported in Mexico in April.

Universities, however, will remain open in both provinces.

“We took the decision to close the schools because we are afraid for the health of our students,” Dhi Qar’s environmental director Raji Naeema said.

Egypt’s Mussa mulls presidential run

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Cairo, October 20: Arab League chief Amr Mussa said he did not rule out standing for the Egyptian presidency in the next elections in 2011, in comments published on Tuesday.

Mussa, 73, a former Egyptian foreign minister, told the independent Shorouk daily in an interview that it was still too soon to decide.

But he said he appreciated the “the trust expressed by many citizens when they talk of my nomination for the presidency… and it is a message that has reached me.”

He added that he was “among the firmest believers in the need to awaken a project for an Egyptian renaissance.”

100 Iran MPs demand Mousavi prosecution

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Tehran, October 20: Iranian lawmakers on Tuesday demanded the prosecution of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi for challenging President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election as a court convicted an Iranian-US scholar of spying.

Some 100 members of the conservative-dominated parliament complained to chief prosecutor Gholam Hossein Mohsen Ejeie that Mousavi had committed a “national crime” by alleging fraud in the June vote, state media reported.

Kuwaiti women win passport rights

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Kuwait, October 20: Kuwaiti women will now be able to obtain their own passports and travel without the prior consent of their husbands following a ruling on Tuesday by the constitutional court.

The highest court in the Gulf state, whose rulings are final, abrogated an article in the 1962 passports law that prevented a woman from getting her own passport without her husband’s prior approval.

The court said in the ruling that the article was in violation of a number of provisions in the constitution which guarantee personal freedom and gender equality.

Abbas in Cairo for Mubarak talks

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Cairo, October 20: Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas was in Egypt on Tuesday for talks with President Hosni Mubarak after a reconciliation meeting with the democratically elected Hamas movement was put on hold.

“Fatah completely supported the Egyptian proposal… but then Hamas put down obstacles to achieving a reconciliation,” Abbas told reporters in Cairo, in the latest salvo in a war of words.

Fatah has signed a draft accord drawn up by Egypt but Hamas has repeatedly postponed its official response, saying that it needs more time to consider the deal.

Turkey hails Kurdish rebel group ‘surrender’

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Turkey, October 20: Turkey on Tuesday hailed the “surrender” of Kurdish rebels in support of plans to end the 25-year conflict, although rebel commanders insisted they would fight on.

The war of words came after a Kurdish “peace group” of militants and supporters crossed the Habur border gate from Iraq on Monday carrying a list of proposals to end the violence and Turkish authorities questioned them.

Qatar trims Barclays bank stake to 7.13%

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London, October 20: Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund said Tuesday it had trimmed its stake in British bank Barclays to about seven percent, sending the group’s share price sliding.

Qatar Holding, a division of the Qatar Investment Authority, exercised warrants to buy 379.22 million ordinary shares at 197 pence from Barclays and sold them on the stock market.

The transaction, which was carried out in morning London deals, leaves their shareholding at 7.13 percent, compared with 7.40 percent previously, according to a Barclays spokesman.

Iran does not need France at nuclear fuel talks

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Tehran, October 20: Iran said on Tuesday that France is not needed at the Vienna talks on the supply of nuclear fuel to Tehran and that it would negotiate only with the United States and Russia.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki also reiterated that the talks which opened on Monday had nothing to do with Tehran’s uranium enrichment programme and were focused on how to supply the fuel for an Iranian reactor.

Iran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it requires fuel for its research reactor in Tehran, he said.

US scientist charged with attempted spying for Israel

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Washington, October 20: US authorities on Monday arrested a leading American scientist who had worked for the White House and NASA and charged him with attempted spying for Israel.

Stewart Nozette, 52, was apprehended after a sting operation involving an undercover FBI agent, the Department of Justice said, adding that there was no wrongdoing by Israel.

UN General Assembly to debate Gaza report

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New York, October 20: The UN General Assembly will debate this year a report accusing both Israel and Palestinian resistance of war crimes during the Israeli war on Gaza that erupted at the end of 2008, an official said Monday.

Assembly president Ali Triki received the report of a fact-finding mission led by international war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone on Friday with the recommendation that it be considered by the year-end, his spokesman Jean-Victor Nkolo said.

Spain to increase aid to Cuba

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Havana, October 20: Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said here his country’s new policy towards Cuba “has already had one result,” the renewal of aid to the island state, which will continue to increase, a report said.

Jama Masjid to hold global conference against terror

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New Delhi, October 20: The Jama Masjid United Forum (JMUF) is organising an international conference against terrorism later this month, with the aim to dispel notions linking terrorism to Islam.

The announcement about the conference was made by JMUF president Syed Yahya Bukhari and Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal at a function organised here to emphasise the “right understanding of Islam” amongst the general public.

Top names for Masters golf in Digboi

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Kolkata, October 20: A fascinating contest is in the offing as some of the top names of Indian professional golf will tee it up for honours in the Indian Oil Xtra Premium Masters tournament at the Digboi Golf Links course in Digboi, Assam, from Thursday.

The Pro-Am is scheduled for Wednesday with the tournament offering a total prize purse of Rs. 20 lakh.

The field includes Mukesh Kumar, Shamim Khan, Rahul Ganapathy, Harendra Gupta, Vijay Kumar and Feroz Ali Mollah, to name a few.

Former navy chief Mehta is new envoy to New Zealand

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New Delhi, October 20: The government Tuesday announced the appointment of former Indian Navy chief Sureesh Mehta as India’s new high commissioner to New Zealand.

Admiral Mehta is expected to take up his assignment shortly, the external affairs ministry said here.

Mehta took over as chief of the naval staff (CNS) Oct 31, 2006, from Admiral Arun Prakash. He retired Aug 31 this year.

—IANS

Government to make Oil Safety Directorate statutory body

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New Delhi, October 20: Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora Tuesday said the government would take steps to make the Oil Industry Safety Directorate a statutory body as part of its efforts to enhance security for the hydrocarbon industry.

Speaking at the presentation of oil industry safety awards, Deora said the safety of the hydrocarbon industry had become even more apparent after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Army officer’s wife robbed in Noida

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Noida, October 20: The wife of an Army officer was robbed by armed men just outside her house in Sector-34 area of Noida Tuesday morning, police said.
According to police, Tanushree, the wife of Col. A. Prasad and a teacher at a prominent Delhi school, was waiting for her school bus just outside the gate of Nar Vihar-II apartments, where she resided, in Sector-34, when four men on two motorcycles came and brandished a pistol at her.

Reveal details behind hiring of laptop operators for Delhi MLAs: CIC

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New Delhi, October 20: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Delhi government to reveal how a decision was taken to engage operators to run laptops of Delhi legislators at a monthly payment of Rs.10,000.
The CIC direction came on an appeal filed by an RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal who had filed a Right to Information (RTI) application with the Delhi government seeking details of the decision taken by it to provide staff to MLAs of the national capital for operating their laptops.

Panel formed to find gas customers for Reliance Industries

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New Delhi, October 20: The government has formed a ministerial group to find new customers for Reliance Industries so that the Mukesh Ambani-led firm could increase production of gas from its block in the Krishna Godavari basin.
“An Empowered Group of Ministers has been constituted,” Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora said on the sidelines of a function here Tuesday.

Reliance Industries has had to restrict gas production in the KG basin as it had not been allocated new customers.

Soni rules out regulator, calls for media mechanism

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New Delhi, October 20: Ruling out censorship or content regulation, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni on Tuesday called for setting up an independent mechanism that will balance the freedom of expression and sensitivities of civil society.

“The government’s effort is to bring out a road map to ensure that nobody’s constitutional right (to freedom of speech and expression) is violated and the sensibilities of society are addressed,” Soni said here.

CBI takes up Mohit Manchanda murder case

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New Delhi, October 20: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday took up investigation into the mysterious murder of Mohit Manchanda, whose body was found on the railway tracks in Palwal area of Haryana more than two years ago.

The CBI registered the case on the directions of the Punjab & Haryana High Court.

Manchanda’s body was found on the railway track between Palwal and Rundhi railway stations in February 2006.

Kerala opposition seeks removal of all officials in Kannur

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New Delhi, October 20: Alleging irregularities during the poll process in Kerala’s Kannur assembly constituency, the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) on Tuesday asked the Election Commission to remove all officials including the district collector to ensure a free and fair election Nov 7.

The UDF delegation, led by Kannur MP K. Sudhakaran met Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla and requested him to post independent poll officials in the constituency.