U.S. government will not get secret company Internet data

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Washington, August 09: Telecommunications providers will not have to give the government sensitive revenue and Internet speed data for a program to map broadband use in U.S. homes and bring high-speed Internet service to more people.

The U.S. Commerce Department said on Friday that companies such as Verizon Communications Inc, Comcast Corp and AT&T Inc do not have to share how much money they make from each Internet subscriber. Nor must they say how fast their Internet connections typically run.

India, China to set up hotline

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New Delhi, August 09: India and China have decided to set up a hotline between Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Wen Jiabao as a confidence building measure. The decision was taken during the 13th Round of India-China Special Representatives talks on the boundary question which concluded here on Saturday in a “cordial and friendly atmosphere.”

Bilateral relations and regional issues were also discussed.

Shahid unhappy over `A` certificate for `Kaminey`

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Chandigarh, August 09: Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor, who is looking forward to the release of his latest film `Kaminey`, is upset over the `A` certificate it has been given by the censor board.

“I am quite surprised with the decision of censor board to have given an `A` certificate to `Kaminey`. One should not go by the title of the movie as there is no other offensive word or abusive language used in the entire film,” Kapoor told reporters here Saturday.

Each district hospital to be given 10,000 Tamiflu tablets: Azad

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New Delhi, August 09: As swine flu cases rise sharply across the country, each district hospital will be given 10,000 Tamiflu tablets, the only medicine against the deadly disease, on a priority basis, the government said on Saturday.

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the tablets will be given to keep the stocks ready.

He said doctors and scientists have succeeded to a great extent to restrict the spread of the disease.

Azad said the government yesterday decided to send Tamiflu to eight major cities including Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai.

NRI in Ahmedabad dies of swine flu, toll rises to four

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Ahmedabad, August 09: A 43-year-old man died of swine flu early on Sunday morning at the city civil hospital here, a senior official said.

Confirming the first swine flu death in Gujarat, State Health Secretary Ravi Saxena said Praveen Patel, an NRI, died of swine flu at city civil hospital at around 1.30 am.

“He was admitted to the hospital in critical condition yesterday morning. His left lung was badly damaged,” Saxena said.

Patel, who had returned from Atlanta (in US) on July 31, was admitted to a private hospital for pneumonia and common flu on Friday.

Discount Offers Under Scanner

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Ajman, August 09: Promotional and discount offers will be under the scanner as part of Ajman Municipality’s efforts to ensure that buyers are not taken for a ride before or during the holy month of Ramadan.

There are shops which offer up to 70 per cent discount on certain items, and the civic body’s effort will be to ensure that the offers are genuine, Yahya Al Rayaysa, head of the municipality’s Licensing Section told Khaleej Times.

Licensing inspectors will be also supervising the raffle draws organised by some commercial outlets so that there is no malpractice.

Thailand in Bid to Boost Tourist Arrivals from UAE

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Abu Dhabi, August 09: The governments of Thailand and the United Arab Emirates are discussing a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost tourism, Thailand’s Ambassador to the UAE Karn Chiranond told Khaleej Times.

The ambassador said the UAE serves as one the largest tourist markets 
in the Middle East for Thailand. 
Tourists from the UAE consist of holidaymakers as well as those seeking medical treatment.

Abu Dhabi Students Back from Germany

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Abu Dhabi, August 09: A group of 20 university students from the emirate of Abu 
Dhabi returned home this week after attending a five-week internship program in Dresden, Germany.

The students learned about the basics of chip technology and manufacturing through a mixed schedule of lectures, observation and hands-on experience in the foundry.

The initiative, sponsored by Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), is designed to encourage high-achieving engineering students to develop their skills and acquire practical experience that complements their studies.

Awareness, Precautions Curb Fire Incidents

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Sharjah, August 09: Increased awareness among building owners and cooperation with Civil Defence authorities in implementing safety measures led to a decrease in the number of fire incidents in Dubai and Sharjah.

According to the Director-General of Dubai Civil Defence, Maj-Gen. Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, there was a drop of 42 per cent in the number of fire incidents in Dubai during the first half of the current year, as compared to the same period last year.

Controversial Private Detective Services ‘Common in UAE’

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Controversial Private Detective Services ‘Common in UAE’

Dubai, August 09: Jealous husbands and wives are paying private detectives up to Dh73,000 for a few weeks’ work to stalk their partners in the UAE, despite the practice being severely limited by the law. Three international firms have said that they offer infidelity checks in the UAE, which involves following spouses and making notes on their whereabouts.

Hospitals, Clinics Call for Guidelines on Swine Flu

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Dubai, August 09: Private hospitals and clinics in the UAE have demanded for the immediate release of guidelines to handle suspected and confirmed cases of swine flu (H1N1) after the health ministry warned them of legal action against failure to notify cases.

The Supervisory Committee for Combating Swine Flu on Monday warned healthcare facilities that legal action would be taken if any of them failed to comply with the Ministry of Health (MoH) directives and the Federal Law pertaining to the notification of infectious diseases, for prevention 
of epidemics.

India reports 2nd H1N1 fatality as woman dies in Mumbai

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Mumbai, August 09: India on Saturday recorded the second swine flu death with a 53-year-old woman succumbing here five days after a teenaged Pune girl died of the dreaded disease as the number of people afflicted by the virus went up sharply across the country.

Seventy two fresh positive swine flu cases were reported from across the country, with 34 of them in Pune, the epicentre of the disease, alone and the first person to get the disease in Lucknow is a five-year-old boy.

IGNOU to teach bankers how to recover loans

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New Delhi, August 08: Criticised for using force and unfair means to recover loans, personnel from several cooperative banks will get training on how to recover loans legally at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) here.

Around 20 senior administrators of urban cooperative banks from various parts of the country will start their education on legal aspects of recovery management beginning Monday, varsity officials said Saturday.

The training programme is organised in collaboration with National Federation of Cooperative Urban Banks and Credit Societies Ltd (NAFCUB).

IITs must act as catalyst to boost technical education: Sibal

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New Delhi, August 08: Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Saturday said the country’s premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) must focus on quality research and act as a catalyst to boost technical education in India.

At IIT-Delhi’s convocation ceremony, the minister said: ‘The great challenge before the IITs is to act as a catalyst in the growth of quality technical education in the country.

University politics: Jammu to shut down Monday

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Jammu, August 08: A students’ organisation Saturday called a complete shutdown here Monday over ‘vague’ statements by the Jammu and Kashmir government on setting up a central university near the state’s winter capital.

The shutdown call comes even as the Omar Abdullah government Wednesday said the first central university in Jammu and Kashmir will come up near here. There was simmering discontent among student organisations here who were protesting the government’s reported move to shift the varsity site to the Kashmir Valley.

Google admits ‘mistake’

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New Delhi, August 08: Search engine Google today admitted its “mistake” of wrong depiction of certain areas of Arunachal Pradesh as parts of China and said its maps would be rectified shortly.

“Earlier, this week, as part of routine update to Google earth, we published new data for the Arunachal Pradesh region that changed the depiction of certain place names in the product. The change was a result of a mistake in our processing of new map data,” a spokesperson for the search giant said in a statement.

No one would go hungry, assures PM

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New Delhi, August 08: Observing that the country was facing a “difficult situation” following delayed and deficient rainfall, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the Centre has adequate foodgrains and would not hesitate to take strong measures and intervene in the market if the need arose.

Taliban leader Hakimullah killed in succession fight

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Islamabad, August 08: Spokesman of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Hakimullah Mehsud and another Taliban leader Wali-ur-Rehman have been killed in an armed clash erupted during the Tehreek’s Shura meeting, according to media reports.

Amidst reports of Baitullah Mehsud’s death the Pakistani government had received reports that shooting broke out between two rivals for the leadership of the Pakistani Taliban.

India confirms second Swine flu death

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Mumbai, August 08: A 53-year-old woman died of swine flu here Saturday evening, as the influenza A(H1N1) virus claimed its second victim in India in less than a week, officials said.

The woman, identified as Fehmida Panwala, a Mumbai resident, died at Kasturba hospital here, Maharashtra’s Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sharvari Gokhale told a media service.

A resident of Jogeshwari suburb in northwest Mumbai, Fehmida was Tuesday admitted to a hospital near her residence for diabetes and hypertension problems.

Swine flu scare grips E. Province

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Dammam, August 08: With the third death due to swine flu in the Eastern Province announced by the Ministry of Health on Thursday, residents here are now worried about the spread of the disease, despite reassurances from the ministry that the situation is under control.

Most people here have expressed their concern over the incorrect diagnosis of the Indonesian housemaid which resulted in her death from swine flu.
Dammam is prone to seasonal flu outbreaks and the severe sandstorm that hit the region recently triggered respiratory diseases and flu-like symptoms in many.

Jeddah to have Tourism College

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Jeddah, August 08: The Mayor’s Office in Jeddah has launched 42 private and publicly-funded projects, prominent among them the creation of a College of Tourism, to train staff working in the field.

The plans, according to an official source, will take ten years to come to fruition and center on the historical Al-Balad district of Jeddah, and include an institute for handicrafts and other educational facilities.

Negligence alleged again

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Al Ahsa, August 08: Yahya Bin Mubarak Al-Dhuwei’an whose daughter Fatima died of swine flu Wednesday has accused Al-Jafar General Hospital in Al-Ahsa of “negligence” which he believes to have led to her death.

“When I first took my daughter to the hospital they treated her as if it were any other normal case despite her high fever and severe diarrhea,” Al-Dhuwei’an said. “The doctors gave her nutrients and medicine to bring down the fever before telling me to go home.”