Maoists kill CPI-M cadre, abduct three in West Bengal
By IANS,
Kolkata : In separate incidents, suspected Maoist guerrillas killed a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activist and kidnapped three others in West Bengal's West Midnapore district, an official said Thursday.
CPI-M activist Tapan Mudi, abducted from his residence late Wednesday by a group of Maoist rebels, was found shot dead Thursday morning.
"Mudi's body was found at Binpur this (Thursday) morning with bullet injury. He was shot dead by his abductors," West Midnapore District Magistrate N.S Nigam told IANS.
Curb terror to create ‘maahol’ for talks, PM tells Pakistan
By F. Ahmed and Sarwar Kashani, IANS,
Srinagar : Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday ended a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir saying that curbing terrorism by Pakistan was not a precondition but "a practical way" to create an atmosphere conducive for peace talks.
Revenue officials’ strike continues in Madhya Pradesh
By IANS,
Bhopal : Revenue officials in Madhya Pradesh continued to strike work for the fifth day Thursday to protest the arrest of a land revenue official in an alleged land scam.
Narendra Singh Thakur, spokesperson of the Madhya Pradesh Revenue Officers Association, said the strike was "cent-per-cent" successful as all 1,100 tehsildars and naib tehsildars across the state struck work.
Police arrested naib tehsildar of Katni district Rajesh Kaushik Oct 23 from Anooppur district in connection with a land transfer case.
Operation Bluestar did not go as planned: P.C. Alexander
By Manish Chand, IANS,
New Delhi : Indira Gandhi decided to send the army to the Golden Temple in 1984 as a last resort and only after getting repeated assurances from then army chief A.S. Vaidya that not a brick of the Sikh shrine would be harmed, recalls P.C. Alexander, the powerful principal secretary to the former prime minister.
New lemongrass variety brings hope for drought-hit farmers
By IANS,
Lucknow : In an attempt to diversify the income of farmers, particularly those in the drought-affected areas, the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) here has come up with a new commercial variety of lemongrass plant that can be grown in places with water scarcity.
"The new lemongrass variety named 'suwarna' will definitely be a boon for farmers living in drought-affected areas, who till now were unable to reap the benefit from lemongrass that has a good market value," CIMAP head of technology and business development A.K. Singh told reporters Thursday.
The moment that scarred India
By Tarun Basu, IANS,
New Delhi : It was a moment in time; it shook India and stunned the world. As prime minister Indira Gandhi walked briskly up to the picket gate dividing her home from her office that fateful Wednesday morning 25 years ago, a hail of gunfire from two of her Sikh bodyguards sent her crumpling to the ground in a blood-soaked heap.
Her daughter-in-law Sonia Gandhi, still in her nightdress, ran out to the garden as R.K. Dhawan, Gandhi's additional private secretary and shadow of many years, scrambled to help the 66-year-old leader.
Karnataka minister’s mining firm denies receiving notice
By IANS,
Hyderabad : Obulapuram Mining Co, owned by Karnataka Tourism Minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, Thursday said it has not received any notice on alleged illegal mining in Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh.
"We came to know through the media about the notice issued to the company," said Obulapuram managing director B.V. Sreenivasa Reddy in a statement.
"We will respond once we receive the same (the notice). We are surprised that the officer concerned approached the media before the company was served a notice," Sreenivasa Reddy said in the statement.
Meghalaya outfit suspends road blockade against uranium mining
By IANS,
Shillong : The Khasi Students Union (KSU), a dominant student-youth body, has temporarily suspended its road blockade against uranium mining in Meghalaya after the government invited it for talks, officials said here Thursday.
The KSU was to begin its third phase of a night road blockade Thursday to protest proposed uranium mining in the West Khasi Hills district of southern Meghalaya. But it has relented.
India’s child mortality rate sees marginal dips: NGO
By IANS,
New Delhi : India's infant mortality rate (IMR) has seen a dip from last year but an international NGO here said that India, with current IMR of 53 deaths per 1,000 live births, is still a long way off the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) targets.
According to the latest figures of the Sample Registration System (SRS), the IMR of 2008 is just two deaths less than that of 2007 at 55 deaths per 1,000 births.
In 2006, the IMR was 57 deaths per 1,000 births.
Indian reforms here to stay, President assures City of London
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : President Pratibha Patil told a gathering of top British figures from the world of business and finance that economic reforms unleashed in 1991 have been accepted by all political parties in India.
"Our economic policies have acceptance across our political spectrum. India is, undoubtedly, among the most attractive destinations globally for doing business," Patil said at a banquet Wednesday in Guildhall, the 800-year-old home of the City of London Corporation.
Punjab National Bank net up 31 percent
By IANS,
Mumbai : State-run banking major Punjab National Bank (PNB) has posted a 31.09 percent increase in its net profit at Rs.926.96 crore for the quarter ended Sep 30 as compared to Rs.707.09 crore reported in the like period last year.
The bank's total income grew 14.35 percent to Rs.6,075.86 crore during the quarter under review as against Rs.5,313.18 crore for the quarter ended Sep 30, 2008.
Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) stood at 1.58 percent in the quarter under review, down from 2.18 percent a year earlier.
Jammu and Kashmir scribe visited LeT headquarters: Police
By IANS,
Jammu : A Jammu and Kashmir journalist, who was arrested Oct 25 on charges of working as a spy for Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), had visited the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters during his visit to Pakistan in 2006, according to police.
Police sources here said Farooq Ganie, who runs a news agency called NAK or News Agency of Kashmir, revealed during questioning that he had visited the Muridke headquarters of the LeT in Pakistan and had met several militant leaders there.
Shun violence for peace talks, says Indian PM
By IANS,
Srinagar : A day after declaring he was ready to embrace anyone to win peace in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday asked separatists to give up the gun and begin a dialogue.
"Violence must end in Jammu and Kashmir. We are willing to carry all stakeholders with us. We need to end all the violence to begin a dialogue," Manmohan Singh told reporters here at the end of his two-day visit to the state.
No India hand in Peshawar, Kabul attacks: Pakistani editorial
By IANS,
Islamabad : No Indian group could be blamed for Wednesday's deadly attacks in Peshawar and Kabul that claimed over 100 lives as they were planned "within a few miles" of where they occurred, an editorial in a leading English daily said Thursday.
Another wondered whether the Peshawar attack was an attempt to cause the national mood to swing against ongoing military operations against the Taliban in Pakistan's restive northwest.
Maoist violence to be dealt with in ‘holistic way’: PM
By IANS,
Srinagar : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday that Maoist violence needed to be dealt with "in a holistic way", with a combination of security measures and administrative steps to end the alienation of the tribal people.
"We have to deal with it in a holistic way. Every state has to maintain and enforce law and order. Law and order is a precondition for any sustained social and economic development," the prime minister told reporters at the end of a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
Kashmir police to play dominant role: PM
By IANS,
Srinagar : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday said that the Jammu and Kashmir Police will "increasingly" play a role in combating militancy in the state.
The responsibility of maintaining law and order "will increasingly fall on the Jammu and Kashmir police", Manmohan Singh told reporters, concluding his two-day visit to the Kashmir Valley.
He said he had "a very good interaction" with the paramilitary and Jammu and Kashmir police officers.
Orissa super cyclone victims get a sandy tribute
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Victims of the Orissa super cyclone, which killed more than eight thousand people and rendered scores homeless, were given a sandy tribute on the tenth anniversary by artist Sudarsan Pattnaik on Orissa's Puri beach.
The artist erected a five foot sand sculpture on the beach along with his students from the Golden Sand Art Institute.
Pakistan needs to end terror to talk to India: PM
By IANS,
Srinagar : A day after extending a hand of friendship to Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday that no peace dialogue will succeed unless Islamabad cracks down on terrorists active against India.
"If negotiations to deal with all outstanding issues are to make any headway, it is essential that the terrorist elements should be brought under control," the prime minister told reporters here, referring to Pakistan and the many Islamist groups based there.
PM denies India is linked to Taliban
By IANS,
Srinagar : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday denied Islamabad's allegations that India was backing the insurgency in Balochistan and the Taliban to destabilise Pakistan.
"What was said about the Indian role in Balochistan has no basis. Those who are levelling these false charges know it jolly well," the prime minister told a news conference marking the end of his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
India not satisfied with Pakistan’s action on 26/11: PM
By IANS,
Srinagar : A day after extending a hand of friendship to Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made it clear Thursday that he was not satisfied with the action taken by Islamabad against those who organised the Mumbai terror attack.
"We are not satisfied. That goes without saying. We hope Pakistan will take effective measures to bring to justice all the perpetrators of 26/11," the prime minister told reporters here at the end of a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
Give up violence for talks: PM
By IANS,
Srinagar : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday asked separatists in Jammu and Kashmir to give up the gun and come forward for talks to resolve the problems of the troubled state.
"Violence must end in Jammu and Kashmir. We are willing to carry all stakeholders with us. We need to end all the violence to begin a dialogue," Manmohan Singh told reporters here at the end of his two-day visit to the state.
Disgusted with crime, northeastern students plan protest
By IANS,
New Delhi : Students here from the northeast are planning to hold a massive rally in the capital Friday to protest the rising number of crimes against the community. A sensitization drive on the issue is also on the agenda, a Naga student union member said.
The latest episode in this rising trend of crime against the northeastern community in the capital was the gruesome murder of a Naga girl by a PhD scholar of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi Oct 24.
Homi J. Bhabha: the man who visualised India’s nuclear capacity
By IANS,
New Delhi : He laid the foundation of India's huge atomic energy establishment almost singlehandedly, nurturing and expanding it with his dynamic vision. Thanks in no small measure to Homi J. Bhabha's dream, India's atomic energy programme has acquired global stature today, capable of designing and testing nuclear weapons and aspiring to meet its growing demands for nuclear energy.
Friday will mark the birth centenary of the physicist.
As Asia rebounds, India set to grow faster in 2010: IMF
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : As Asia rebounds rapidly from the depth of the global crisis, India's growth is expected to accelerate to 6.5 percent in 2010 from 5.33 percent in 2009 on the back of strong domestic demand, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.
"In particular, the normalisation of financial market conditions is expected to support a rebound of private investment, sustaining demand even as the fiscal stimulus wanes," it said in the latest Regional Economic Outlook (REO) for Asia and the Pacific, released in Seoul Thursday.
Why are politicians exonerated? asks Sanatan Sanstha
By IANS,
Panaji : Why do politicians go free when their cadres indulge in murder, asks the rightwing Hindu group Sanatan Sanstha, questioning what it says is victimisation of its members after two of its workers were killed while ferrying detonator rigged gelatine sticks.
Vedanta subsidiary under investigation
By IANS,
Mumbai : Sesa Goa, an Indian unit of the Britain-based metals and minerals giant Vedanta group, Thursday said the company and its subsidiary Sesa Industries were being investigated by the Serious Frauds Investigation Office for malpractices, financial and other irregularities.
The SFIO, at the instructions of the ministry of corporate affairs, initiated the enquiry after one of the shareholders of Sesa Industries lodged a complaint against the company with the registrar of companies, who in turn recommended such an investigation.
Cycling through India’s blue mountains – for culture and cause
By IANS,
Bangalore : Come December and 70 cyclists will set off on a 900-km-long tour from Bangalore to the beautiful Nilgiris mountains in Tamil Nadu, soaking in not just natural beauty but also the culture and cuisine of the region. And, of course, they will push the cause of the humble bicycle.
The eight-day tour - Tour of Nilgiris (TFN) - beginning Dec 15 will pass through Bangalore, Mysore, Hassan, Mercara, Irupu, Sultanbathery and Ooty. The Nilgiris are popularly known as the blue mountains in the Western Ghats of India.
Minister status for Bangladesh envoys to Delhi, Washington
By IANS,
Dhaka : The Bangladesh government has accorded the status of ministers of state to its high commissioners in New Delhi and London and its ambassador in Washington.
The three envoys were hand-picked by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The ministerial status with all facilities is being accorded to Bangladesh's US envoy Akramul Qader, High Commissioner to Britain M. Sayedur Rahman Khan and High Commissioner to India Ahmed Tarique Karim, as per a gazette notification issued last week, The Daily Star said Thursday.
Another pleasant day in store for Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : Delhiites were greeted with a pleasant nip in the air Thursday with the met office predicting more such mornings and evenings as winter slowly sets in.
According to the met department, the minimum temperature in the morning was about three degrees below average.
"On Thursday morning, the minimum was 13.7 degrees Celsius around three degrees below average for this time of year. Temperatures in the morning and evenings could lower in the coming days," an India Meteorological Department official said.
When Oommen Chandy took a lorry ride and other stories!
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : From eating at a hotel without enough money in his pocket to being given haircuts by his wife while reading the morning papers, here come anecdotes about former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy that will delight his fans.
They are part of a book about the veteran politician that will be released Nov 5. P.T. Chacko, his press secretary, has written "Kunjunju Kathakal, Alpam Kariyengalum" about little nuggets from the life of Chandy who is now opposition leader in the Kerala assembly.
Nehru to Salman: Visiting Delhi’s parantha paradise
By Rahul Palhania and Nakshab Khan, IANS,
New Delhi : If the aroma of hot paranthas draws you while walking down a narrow, crowded lane in Chandni Chowk in Delhi's old quarter, you must have ventured into Paranthe Wali Gali. Some of the shops came up more than 100 years ago, but even today the crispy, spicy and even sweet fare on offer seldom disappoints.
Mithu the parrot forgotten – year after Assam blasts
By Syed Zarir Hussain, IANS,
Bongaigaon (Assam) : As Assam completes a year of the horrific serial bombings Friday, little Mithu's heroics have been completely forgotten. The casualties would have been much higher had the pet parrot not alerted her owner Bijoy Banthia.
Mithu went berserk on that black Oct 30 morning - shouting and jumping in her cage in the heart of Bongaigaon town in western Assam.
Economic reforms accepted across India’s political spectrum: President
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : President Pratibha Patil told a gathering of top British figures from the world of business and finance Wednesday that economic reforms unleashed in 1991 have been accepted by all political parties in India.
"Our economic policies have acceptance across our political spectrum. India is, undoubtedly, among the most attractive destinations globally for doing business," Patil said at a banquet in Guildhall, the 800-year-old home of the City of London Corporation.
Three militants killed in Jammu
By IANS,
Jammu : At least three militants were killed in a gun battle with security forces in Mendhar area of Poonch district in Jammu early Thursday morning, army officials said.
Acting on a tip off, security forces raided a militant hideout in Talwa area of Mendhar, about 200 km north-west of Jammu. Three militants were killed in the shoot out that followed.
Woman doctor charged for assaulting minor domestic help
By IANS,
Lucknow : A criminal case was lodged against a woman doctor here Wednesday for allegedly assaulting an 11-year-old girl, who was employed in the medico's house as a domestic help, police said.
The accused, Aruna Bharti, is a faculty member at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) here.
The girl was rescued by the Child Helpline Monday evening from Bharti's flat from inside the SGPGIMS campus after her neighbours called up the helpline complaining that they are hearing the cries of a girl from the house for the past few days.
Sikh groups lend support for Nov 3 shutdown
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Various Sikh organisations, including Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), Wednesday announced they would support the call for a Punjab shutdown Nov 3 to mark 25 years of anti-Sikh riots.
"All educational institutions and other offices falling under the management of DSGMC would remain close on Nov 3 to pay homage to thousands of innocent Sikhs who were killed 25 years ago on this day," said Parmjit Singh Sarna, the president of the DSGMC in a statement.
West Bengal to suggest ways to beef up railway security
By IANS,
Kolkata : The West Bengal government will submit proposals to the railway ministry to step up security at various railway stations in the state, a top police official said Wednesday.
Varanasi forum cancels ‘Diwali of the gods’
By IANS,
Varanasi : The tradition of celebrating 'Deva Deepawali' or the Diwali of the gods, on the banks of the Ganga river here would not be observed this year.
The occasion falls every year on the night of 'Kartik Purnima', according to the traditional Hindu calendar. The day is on Nov 2 this time.
A decision to call off the celebration was taken late Wednesday night by the Ganga Nidhi (Ganga Trust), the organisers of the unique festival which is marked by lighting of diyas all along the 80 ghats of this ancient Hindu city, better known as the abode of the gods.
Haryana woman booked for killing teenaged daughter
By IANS,
Jind (Haryana): A woman has been booked on charges of killing her 19-year-old daughter in a village in Haryana's Jind district, police said Wednesday.
The father of the girl had lodged a complaint against his wife that she had hammered the girl to death in a fit of rage Monday night in Bibipur village.
Manisha was studying in BA first year and her mother suspected that she had an affair with some boy. In a fit of anger, she hit Manisha with a wooden hammer, leading to a serious head injury, police said.
Patil meets British PM Gordon Brown
By IANS,
London: President Pratibha Patil Wednesday met British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at his official residence 10, Downing Street for a half-hour exchange of views.
Patil was accompanied by Minister of State for Human Resource Development Daggubati Purandeswari, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and other senior Indian officials, including Joint Secretary (Europe) Rajesh Prasad.
The meeting between Patil and Brown is the first such since India and Britain signed a landmark strategic partnership agreement in 2004.
West Bengal’s airport city project gets first chunk of land
By IANS,
Kolkata: The West Bengal government Wednesday handed over 533.51 acres to the proposed aerotropolis project, an airport city near Durgapur that will house aviation-intensive businesses.
The land was handed over to Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) by West Bengal Industrial Development Corp (WBIDC).
"The 99 years' lease agreement was signed between BAPL and WBIDC under which the total lease premium paid by BAPL is Rs.44.37 crore," the company said in a statement.
NRI fugitive takes angry swipes at photo journalists in Goa
By IANS,
Panaji: Ajay Kaushal, 50, the Britain-based NRI who was arrested in Goa, lashed out at media photographers twice within 24 hours, once even yanking at a lensman's shirt, while he was being taken to a court under police escort.
Kaushal, who was on the run evading a 15-year sentence in Britain for assaulting and kidnapping a businessman at Burnley, Wednesday made a wild lunge at the video camera of a cameraperson Siddharth Mehta, who works for a local cable news channel, all in the presence of five police constables who were escorting him.
Government moots scheme to combat social evils against women
By IANS,
New Delhi: If all goes well, the government will soon launch a national programme, called the National Mission for Women, to combat social evils against women. This will be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Proposed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the 'umbrella mission' will cover all existing programmes for women's welfare and evaluate and monitor their efficacy.
‘India’s climate policy should not compromise development needs’
By IANS,
New Delhi: Expressing concern over media reports that suggest a change in India's climate policy, 43 organisations have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging that any such change should not compromise the country's development index.
"India's climate policy must be founded on the development needs of the majority of its population and the needs of India's future development. Any moves that run counter to this overarching objective would certainly be against the long-term development and strategic interests of the country and its people," the letter said.
Boeing ready for production of fighter jets in India
By IANS,
New Delhi: After successfully completing trials for the contract of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft with India, US firm Boeing Wednesday announced its intention to transfer technology to build F/A-18IN Super Hornet fighter jets in India.
"We fully intend for Super Hornet to be built in India," said Boeing Military Aircraft Integrated Defence Systems president Christopher M. Chadwick here.
While Russia has been giving technology transfer to India more readily, US firms have a strict code when it comes to technology transfer to their customers.
Pakistan faces direct threat from extremism, not India: Clinton
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Warning Pakistan that the direct threat from violent extremism it faces could destabilise the entire region, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has voiced the hope that the India and Pakistan will resume their stalled dialogue.
"But what we see as the direct threat to Pakistan right now comes from the violent extremism," she said.
Police cremate youth’s skeleton two years after death
By IANS,
Lucknow : A youth's skeleton lying on the terrace of a police station in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district since July 2007 has allegedly been cremated by the police two years on, but the dead man's father has cried foul.
Officials at the Ahraula village police station late Tuesday night cremated the skeleton of 22-year-old Chukkan Nishad, who went missing July 21, 2007.
Sadharan Nishad, Chukkan's father, alleged that the police threatened the family before cremating his son's skeleton.
Two Nepali nationals murdered in Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : Two Nepali nationals were found murdered in their rented house here Wednesday morning, police said.
Bhola, 25, and Kartik Yadav, 24, were found murdered in their Mundka village house in outer Delhi, police said.
The police suspect their roommate, also from Nepal, to be behind the double murder.
Their heads had been smashed with an iron rod, which was recovered from the house, police added.
The duo used to sell Chinese food at a roadside stall in the area.
London duo hand over Gandhi letters to Patil – a gift to India
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : Describing Gandhi as a "spirit, not an individual," President Pratibha Patil Wednesday accepted the gift of Gandhi memorabilia on behalf of India from two leading members of the Indian diaspora in Britain.
"I feel that Gandhi was a spirit, not an individual - 'vyakti nahin, shakti'," Patil said departing from her prepared speech after accepting a series of letters written by Gandhi and a piece of khadi cloth signed by him.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan extends ‘hand of friendship’ to Pakistan
By IANS,
Anantnag : Taking a cue from his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday chose the Kashmir Valley to announce a "hand of friendship" to Pakistan but insisted that Islamabad needed to crush terrorists on its soil.
Just a month before the first anniversary of the terrorist savagery in Mumbai, Manmohan Singh declared that the "era of violence and terrorism" was ending in Jammu and Kashmir and that he was ready to talk to anyone who desired peace.
Court pulls up MCD for building indoor stadium in park
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the sanction plan for constructing an indoor basketball stadium in a park in Karol Bagh area for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Reserving its final order, a division bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S. Muralidhar said: "We cannot allow any activity in the park until and unless a proper sanction plan is submitted to us."
Soni pitches for self-regulatory mechanism for media
By IANS,
New Delhi : With a deluge of notices to TV channels for violating programme code, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni Wednesday said the electronic media needed to follow a self-regulatory mechanism.
"The self-regulatory system, to which the broadcasters are also giving importance, should be so effective that the ministry does not have to send notices again and again," Soni told reporters here.
Workers hold rallies to protest government policies
By IANS,
Chennai : Various central trade unions Wednesday held protest meetings across the country against price rise, retrenchment and divestment in public sector undertakings (PSU), and demanded proper implementation of labour laws.
"Lunch hour gate meetings at various factories and offices across the state (Tamil Nadu) were held. Across the country, such meetings were held depending on convenience of the state and district units," A. Soundararajan, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), told IANS.
Court asks government to deport Pakistani national soon
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the union home ministry to make arrangements for the deportation of a Pakistani national, who has alleged that he is in illegal custody as he has completed his prison term for staying in India without valid documents.
Akhtar Ali, in a plea, submitted that since he has already undergone the prison term of two years given by a trial court in 2007, he should be deported back to his country.
India-UAE trade to be discussed at upcoming conference
By IANS,
Dubai : Trade relations between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would be the focus of a conference organised by the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in the Indian city of Mumbai Oct 29.
Omar Bin Sulaiman, governor of the DIFC and Vice Chairman of the UAE Central Bank, will lead the DIFC delegation, which includes a number of the region's eminent business leaders, WAM news agency reported Wednesday.
Tracking Jammu and Kashmir’s rail history
By IANS,
Srinagar : When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday flagged off a train bedecked with flowers on the 18-km stretch between Qazigund and Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley, he actualised a dream that Jammu and Kashmir's Dogra rulers had seen more than a century ago.
Maharaja Pratap Singh first explored the possibility of a railway line connecting Jammu with Srinagar in 1898 but the idea was put on hold because of complications involved in laying the track over a hilly terrain.
Forest land belongs to tribals: Soni
By IANS,
New Delhi : Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni Wednesday vigorously defended the right of tribals on forest land and said that "unscrupulous elements mislead and use them to further their interests".
"Violence has no place in this century but we have to see the reasons behind it. Tribals are right when they say that forest land belongs to them," Soni said here.
Court asks civic agencies to remove concrete around trees
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed all civic agencies in the capital to expeditiously remove concrete tiles and slabs around trees, so that trees can "breathe" and concretisation of pavements does not kill them.
A division bench comprising of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S. Muralidhar asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to remove concrete from six feet periphery of trees.
Indian-American uses supercomputer to make HIV evolutionary tree
By IANS,
Washington : Researchers are deploying 'Roadrunner', the world fastest supercomputer, to analyse vast quantities of genetic sequences from HIV infected people in the hope of zeroing in on possible vaccine target areas.
Tanmoy Bhattacharya, physicist at Los Alamos National Lab, and HIV researcher Bette Korber have used samples taken by the Centre for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI) from both chronic and acute HIV patients, worldwide.
Shakeel Ahmed is new Hindustan Copper chief
By IANS,
Kolkata : Public sector undertaking Hindustan Copper Wednesday said Railway Board advisor Shakeel Ahmed will be its next chairman and managing director.
Ahmed replaces Satish C. Gupta.
Prior to this, Ahmed was the projects advisor to the Railway Board. He joined the Indian Railways in 1975 and served for 34 years in various capacities, Hindustan Copper said.
Security forces begin hunt for West Bengal train attackers
By IANS,
Jhargram (West Bengal) : Security forces Wednesday began combing the jungles near Jhargram in West Midnapore district to hunt down the Maoist-backed rebels who held the Bhubaneswar-Delhi Rajdhani Express and its 667 passengers hostage Tuesday.
Apart from the Antapani jungles near Jhargram town, paramilitary forces and the police conducted door-to-door searches in several adjoining villages to look for Maoist guerrillas and members of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) responsible for the daring attack on the express train.
Anil Ambani group says oil ministry favouring Reliance Industries
By IANS,
New Delhi : Anil Ambani-led Reliance Natural Resources Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the oil ministry was siding with Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries to scuttle their pact for natural gas from the Krishna-Godavari basin at $2.34 per unit.
The allegation was made by Ram Jethmalani, senior counsel for Reliance Natural, before a three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, which is hearing the dispute between the two companies.
Krishna terms Pakistan charge on funding Taliban ‘most ridiculous’
By IANS,
Bangalore : External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Wednesday termed the accusation by Pakistan that India was funding Taliban as the most ridiculous statement he had ever heard.
"It is the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard. We condemn Taliban as the most dreaded element. We told Pakistan to ban Taliban, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jammat-ud-Dawa as these organisations breed terror," Krishna told reporters a day after he held a trilateral meeting with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese foreign minister Yang Jeichi.
Make travel between India, Pakistan visa-free for kids: NGO
By IANS,
Chandigarh : A city-based NGO Yuvsatta has demanded that travel for children between India and Pakistan should be made visa-free.
The NGO has roped in Chandigarh MP and union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal for their efforts.
India ‘shocked’ at attack on UN guest house in Kabul
By IANS,
Bangalore : External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Wednesday expressed the country's shock over the terror attack on a United Nations guest house in Kabul in which 12 people, including six UN staff, were killed.
"We are shocked by the dastardly attack on the UN guest house in Kabul. We convey our deep sympathy to the UN for the loss of life and hope more security measures will be taken to prevent such attacks," Krishna told reporters here.
GAIL profit down 30 percent
By IANS,
New Delhi : State-run gas utility GAIL India has posted a 30 percent fall in net profit for the quarter ended Sep 30 at Rs.713 crore as compared to Rs.1,023 crore reported in the like period last year.
The company's half-yearly net profit also dropped by 29.1 percent to Rs.13,690 crore this fiscal from Rs.19,200 crore in 2008-09.
GAIL board, which approved the results, also decided to raise Rs.500 crore through a bond issue in early December.
Hunt on for abducted Jharkhand official
By IANS,
Ranchi : The Jharkhand police were Wednesday searching for district official Nirmal Toppo, who was kidnapped by suspected Maoists Tuesday evening and is the third government functionary to be abducted in the last two months.
Toppo, circle officer of the Keredari block of Hazaribagh district, was kidnapped Tuesday evening while he was returning to the district headquarters. Police said Toppo's car was stopped by armed rebels near Patra bridge of Hazaribagh, around 130 km from here. The driver of the car was later freed by the rebels.
Enquiries on studying in Australia drop in India
By IANS,
Kolkata : Enquiries on studying in Australia have dropped in the country following attacks on Indian students down under, according to the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI).
"There's been a significant impact on the number of enquiries," said Gulshan Kumar Pathania, president of AAERI, an independent organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act of India.
Chhattisgarh serves notice to 15 industries for pollution
By IANS,
Raipur : The Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board Wednesday served notices to 15 steel making units ion the state for defying pollution control norms.
These small scale industries, located at Urla, Siltara and Borjhara industrial areas on the outskirts of Raipur, have not adopted pollution control measures and are not using electro-static precipitator (ESP) -- an air pollution control device -- during night period, officials said.
Subir Gokarn to be fourth Reserve Bank deputy governor
By IANS,
New Delhi : Subir Gokarn, chief economist for Asia Pacific with global rating agency Standard and Poor's, will be appointed as a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Wednesday.
"It (the appointment) will be done in due course," Mukherjee said after a meeting with finance secretaries of states.
RBI has four posts of deputy governor, with one falling vacant after Rakesh Mohan quit in June.
Usha Thorat, K.C. Chakrabarty and Shyamala Gopinath are the other three deputy governors.
MICA announces post graduate programme in Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA), known for its post graduate courses in advertising, marketing research and communications, has announced the launch, through video conferencing, of a certificate programme in research and analytics in New Delhi aimed at marketing professionals.
Text of PM’s speech at the inauguration of new Kashmir train service
By IANS,
Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) : The following is the text of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech at the inauguration of the historic Anantnag-Qazigund rail link in the Kashmir Valley Wednesday:
"I am delighted to be back in the valley of Kashmir in the lovely season of autumn. We will soon see the beautiful golden hues of the season and the magnificent chinar will soon be flaming red.
PM, Sonia do without bullet-proof screen, Kashmir safer: Omar
By IANS,
Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said here Wednesday that he felt the situation in his state was improving as both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi did not use a bullet-proof screen while addressing the people.
"Today I felt for the first time that things have changed here since the prime minister and the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) chairperson would not be addressing people from behind a bullet-proof screen," he said.
Armed forces last resort against Maoists: Antony
By IANS,
New Delhi : Defence Minister A.K. Antony Wednesday urged Maoist guerrillas to abjure violence and said that involving armed forces in the "anti-naxal" operations would be as a last resort.
"What we are demanding is that they should abjure violence - whether in West Bengal or in other areas. In our view, deployment of armed forces for internal security is the last resort," Antony told reporters here.
Agreeing that Maoist violence had grown into a "serious threat", Antony said it had to be tackled by the paramilitary forces and the police.
India extends ‘hand of friendship’ to Pakistan with curb terror rider
By IANS,
Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) : Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday reached out to Pakistan, saying "the hand of friendship that we have extended should be carried forward", but declared that Islamabad had to turn off the terror tap if there was to be forward movement.
Calling on Pakistan to show "sincerity and good faith", the prime minister said India would not be found wanting in response as this was in the interests of the people of both countries.
Chandigarh firm told to refund Canadian job permit fees
By IANS,
Chandigarh : An immigration company here has been asked by the consumer forum to refund, along with the cost of litigation, the processing fees it charged a customer for securing a Canadian work permit.
The district consumer disputes redressal forum Tuesday directed the city-based Canadian 4UR Immigration Services to refund Rs.322,340 and pay Rs.5,000 as litigation cost to Satvir Tandon, a resident of Ropar town in Punjab who had approached the company for securing a Canadian work permit.
Thekkady boat had serious defects: Expert
By IANS,
Kochi (Kerala) : The ill-fated Thekkady boat that capsized in Kerala last month leaving 45 tourists dead had serious defects, K.S. Pyarelal, head of the department of shipping at the Cochin University of Science and Technology, said Wednesday.
The boat carrying 87 passengers capsized in the lake at the Thekkady wildlife sanctuary Sep 30.
After submitting his detailed report to the investigating Crime Branch, Pyarelal told reporters here that the capacity of the boat was just 42 passengers.
India, Nepal sign treaty
By NNN-Bernama,
Kathmandu : India and Nepal Tuesday signed a new treaty making it easier for the Nepalese manufactured products to enter the Indian market duty-free, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
Besides, the two countries signed the agreement to control unauthorised trade.
Under the new treaty, which replaces the 1996 agreement, the validity of the trade pact between the two neighbouring countries has been increased from 5 to 7 years, making the business regime stable.
Indian government yet to decide where to keep Gandhi items
By NNN-Bernama,
London : Indian government has not decided yet where it will keep Mahatma Gandhi's memorabilia, including some rare letters written by him, which will be received by President of India Pratibha Patil from members of Indian community here on Wednesday during her ongoing four-day state visit, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
We need a new disability law, says rights group
By IANS,
New Delhi : The government is planning to amend the Persons with Disability Act and align it closely with the UNCRPD. Despite the proposed amendments, an NGO here says that it will not meet the needs of the disabled community and suggests that a new disability law be framed.
Javed Abidi, convener of the umbrella organisation Disability Rights Group, said that the proposed amendments reflect that disability is still treated like a disorder and that it does not try addressing the everyday barriers that a disabled person faces in his or her everyday life.
Main vessel for India’s fast breeder reactor to be lowered in two weeks
By IANS,
Chennai : Armed with the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board's (AERB) clearance for erection of major nuclear reactor components, officials of Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (Bhavini) building the Rs.5,600 crore fast reactor near here are gearing up for lowering the huge main vessel.
India's first indigenously designed breeder reactor - which breeds more material for a nuclear fission reaction than it consumes - is being built by Bhavini at the Kalpakkam nuclear enclave, 80 km from here.
Bush’s India visit: Last-minute security details being fixed
By IANS,
New Delhi : Former US president George Bush, who arrives here Thursday, may not get the same level of security as in his 2006 India visit, but Delhi Police are nevertheless working closely with the US Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to provide him with an impregnable security cover.
"A series of meetings are being held with the officers of the US Secret Service and the FBI regarding George Bush's security. We are working on all security related aspects," a senior security official told IANS on condition of anonymity.
Friendship, cooperation vital for India and Pakistan: PM
By IANS,
Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here Wednesday that the traditional tensions between India and Pakistan needed to be eased.
Addressing a large gathering before the inauguration of the 18-km Anantnag-Qazigund railway link, the prime minister, who spoke in Urdu, quoted an Urdu couplet in support of his future vision in India-Pakistan relations.
Haryana to launch loan, interest waiver scheme
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Haryana will launch a cooperative bank loan and interest-waiver scheme for landless labourers, rural artisans and petty shopkeepers, state Governor Jagannath Pahadia said Wednesday in his maiden address to the newly-elected assembly.
The governor's address in the first session of the assembly, however, did not refer to Haryana as India's "number-one state" -- the most-heard slogan of the ruling Congress Party in the run-up to the assembly poll this month.
Pahadia merely described Haryana as "one of the fastest growing economies of the country".
Walking in the crystal footsteps of Indira Gandhi
By Minu Jain, IANS,
New Delhi : This is where she sat poring over files late into the night, here is where she slept, that is where she greeted visitors and over there is where she walked her last steps. Twenty-five years after Indira Gandhi's assassination, an eerie mise-en-scene of a life well lived and cruelly ended.
The Indira Gandhi Memorial in the heart of Lutyen's Delhi was once a home and is now a museum with the lives of former prime minister Indira Gandhi and her son - another former prime minister - Rajiv Gandhi, encased forever behind glass.
Four poachers arrested in Uttar Pradesh
By IANS,
Lucknow : Four poachers have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district and several tortoises have been seized from their possession, police said Wednesday.
The four were nabbed Tuesday night along with 12 tortoises in Badaun's Bagrain area, some 280-km from Lucknow. Their four aides, however, managed to escape with sacks containing nearly 90 other tortoises, police added.
Highlights of PM’s speech in Kashmir
By IANS,
Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) : The following are the highlights of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech here in Jammu and Kashmir Wednesday:
-- We have to reverse the brain drain that has denuded the state of its teachers, doctors, engineers and intellectuals.
-- I would also urge that the elections to local bodies be held quickly.
-- The IT sector in Jammu and Kashmir can be as developed as in other states of the country.
When 31 bullets felled Indira – R.K. Dhawan remembers
By Murali Krishnan, IANS,
New Delhi : It was Oct 31, 1984, a day like any other with R.K. Dhawan, Indira Gandhi's special assistant, arriving at 1, Safdarjung Road at 8 a.m. to find the prime minister getting her famous tresses - with the distinctive streak of white rising from the centre - trimmed for a television interview.
Kingfisher Airlines posts loss of Rs.419 crore
By IANS,
Mumbai : Private carrier Kingfisher Airlines has posted a net loss of Rs.419 crore for the quarter ended Sep 30 as compared to a loss of Rs.483 crore reported during the like period last year.
The airline, owned by liquor baron Vijay Mallya's UB Group, said in a regulatory statement Wednesday that its income from operations declined over 13 percent to Rs.1,142 crore during the quarter under review from 1,323 crore a year earlier.
Era of violence ending in Kashmir: PM
By IANS,
Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) : Prime Manmohan Singh Wednesday said the era of violence was "coming to an end" in Jammu and Kashmir and that the people wanted "peace and peaceful resolution of all problems".
"The era of violence and terrorism (in Jammu and Kashmir) is coming to an end. The public sentiment is for peace and for a peaceful resolution of all problems," Manmohan Singh said.
Queen wore a dress made from forgotten Indian cloth
By IANS,
Windsor : The British Queen wore a dress fit for royals at her state banquet for President Pratibha Patil Tuesday night - after finding the Indian fabric lying unused in a cupboard for decades.
Elizabeth II's stunning pale gold lame dress made its debut at the banquet after being delivered to her in the morning by her dresser.
Tamil Nadu should allow new dam at Mullaperiyar: Achuthanandan
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Wednesday asked Tamil Nadu to agree to its demand for a new dam at Mullaperiyar as the present one had outlived its life.
Achuthanandan said that a recent study conducted by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Roorkee had found that the dam would collapse if an earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale occurred.
Main vessel for India’s fast breeder reactor to be built in two weeks
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Chennai : Armed with the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board's (AERB) clearance for erection of major nuclear reactor components, officials of Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (Bhavini) building the Rs.5,600 crore fast reactor near here are gearing up for constructing the huge main vessel.
India's first indigenously designed breeder reactor -- which breeds more material for a nuclear fission reaction than it consumes -- is being built by Bhavini at the Kalpakkam nuclear enclave, 80 km from here.
Young couple found hanging from tree in Haryana
By IANS,
Jind (Haryana) : A young couple was found hanging from a tree in a Haryana village, police said Wednesday adding that investigations are underway into the deaths.
The bodies were discovered hanging from a tree in Sapa Kheri village, 30 km from here, late Tuesday, villagers told the police.
According to residents, the two were in love but their families were opposed to their relationship.
Later, the bodies were brought down and cremated by one of the families.
Terrorism thwarted India’s most dynamic phase with Pakistan: PM
By IANS,
Anantnag(Jammu & Kashmir) : The most productive and fruitful association with Pakistan was during 2004-07 when "militancy and violence began to decline," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Wednesday, but lamented that the progress achieved was "repeatedly thwarted by acts of terrorism".
Without referring to former president Pervez Musharraf, who was in power then, Manmohan Singh said there was actually a feeling then that "durable and final peace" was achievable.
Suicide squads to stage massive terror attacks in Assam: report
By Syed Zarir Hussain, IANS,
Guwahati : Two influential separatist groups in Assam have decided to form suicide squads and stage joint terror attacks in crowded places, including the police headquarters, says a government report.
According to an Assam home department report, top leaders of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) met somewhere in Bangladesh last month and finalised the terror blueprint.
‘Unprecedented resources’ for ‘comprehensive reconstruction’ of Kashmir: PM
By IANS,
Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said the government had committed "unprecedented resources" for the "comprehensive reconstruction" of Jammu and Kashmir but regretted that the benefits were reaching people "slowly".
Goa BJP leaders support us: Sanatan Sanstha
By IANS,
Panaji : Goa Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders like Manohar Parrikar have expressed support for the Sanatan Sanstha, the Hindu outfit blamed for the pre-Diwali blasts that killed two people said Wednesday.
Virendra Marathe, managing trustee of the Sanstha, named BJP state president Shripad Naik, leader of opposition Parrikar and party legislator Dayanand Mandrekar as politicians who stood by them in the aftermath of the blasts in Margao, 35 km from here.
Police say the blasts were engineered and executed by members of the Sanstha.
Bomb on Jharkhand tracks hits train services
By IANS,
Ranchi : A bomb was found on railway tracks in Jharkhand's Simdega district Wednesday, disrupting train services, police said.
The five kg bomb was discovered near Bano railway station in Simdega, nearly 200 km from here, by railway authorities. Two trains were halted at Bano and two trains were cancelled.
PM seeks reversal of brain drain in Kashmir
By IANS,
Anantnag : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday called for a reversal of the brain drain in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure the return of professionals to the state.
"We have to reverse the brain drain that has denuded the state of many of the teachers, doctors, engineers and intellectuals," the prime minister said in a speech before inaugurating a rail link to link the northern and southern parts of the state that will fulfil a long-felt need of its people.
"We have to create the conditions for them to return and to be the instruments of change and development," he said.
Mizoram to deport non-domicile citizens without valid permits
By IANS,
Aizawl : Police in Mizoram have been asked to deport non-domicile Indian citizens staying in the state without valid inner line permits, state Home Minister R. Lalzirliana said here Wednesday.
"Indian citizens, who are not domicile to Mizoram, cannot live in the mountainous border state without valid Inner Line Permit (ILP)," Lalzirliana told the state assembly while replying to a query from B. Lalthlengliana of the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF).
Punjab zoo introduces battery-run vehicles for visitors
By IANS,
Zirakpur (Punjab) : In order to curb pollution and maintain the environment's ecological balance, visitors who come to Punjab's Chhatbir zoo can use a battery-operated vehicle rather than their personal car inside the premises, officials said Wednesday.
The idea was introduced by the Punjab forests and wildlife department.
By using the battery-operated vehicles, visitors can avoid the hefty charge they would usually pay for using their personal car.
Indian PM reaches out to Pakistan
By IANS,
Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday sought to reach out to the Pakistan government by saying that it was the desire of India and the people of Pakistan to live in peace.
Addressing a mammoth gathering in Anantnag before flagging off a train service between south and north of Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister, however, underlined that Pakistan needed to curb terrorism directed at India.
Vice president in Sikkim to lay foundation for rail link
By IANS,
Gangtok : Vice President Hamid Ansari arrived here Wednesday on a hectic three-day visit to Sikkim during which he will lay the foundation stone of a rail link between Rangpo in the Himalayan state and Sevoke in West Bengal.
Ansari was received at the Libing Army Helipad by Governor B.P. Singh and Chief Minister Pawan Chamling.
Prime Minister appeals to youth to help build new Kashmir
By IANS,
Anantnag : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday asked the youth to join the government's endeavour in building a new Kashmir and carve a new future for themselves, while promising all effort to sharpen their skills, especially in information technology and hospitality sectors.
"The central government will make all efforts to involve the youth of the state in constructive work," the prime minister said at a function here, some 80 km from the state capital Srinagar, to inaugurate an 18-km railway link to Qazigund.
PM asks Pakistan to curb terror against India
By IANS,
Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said his government was ready to discuss all issues with Pakistan, but asked Islamabad to "curb the activities of those elements that are engaging in terrorism in India".
After underlining that his government was ready to discuss all subjects with Pakistan, he said: "For a productive dialogue it is essential that terrorism must be brought under control."
US envoy hails foiling of anti-India plot by FBI
By IANS,
New Delhi : The US Wednesday hailed the arrest of two men, including an American, by the FBI in connection with a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) plot to launch terror attacks in India and stressed the commitment of the two countries to bring terrorists to justice.
"We congratulate our law enforcement agencies on this important breakthrough in the fight against terrorism that challenges both the United States and India," US Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer said here.
Indian firm seeks to manage water supplies in Africa
By Devirupa Mitra, IANS,
New Delhi : India's state-owned water and power consultant, Water and Power Consultancy Services (Wapcos), is looking to expand its reach in Africa by offering to draw up national plans for integrated water resources management.
Wapcos's chairman and managing director R.K. Gupta has been a strong advocate of taking his company's consultancy capabilities to Africa.
PM inaugurates historic railway link in Kashmir
By IANS,
Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday flagged off a new train service on the 18-km track linking south Kashmir with Srinagar and other places in the north of the valley. With this, the 129-km railway line in the Kashmir Valley is complete.
The 18-km stretch, not so long in terms of geographical distance, will be of huge socio-economic and political significance to the militancy-affected Kashmir Valley. The stretch is part of the government's Kashmir rail link, which has been declared a project of national importance.
India ready to talk to anyone desiring peace: PM
By IANS,
Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said the government was ready to talk to any group in Jammu and Kashmir that wants peace in the troubled state.
"I wish to say again today that we are willing to talk to anyone who has any meaningful ideas for promoting peace and development in Kashmir. We want to carry all sections of the people with us in resolving the political and economic problems of Jammu and Kashmir," the prime minister said.
Farooq hopes train in Kashmir will bring development
By IANS,
Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) : Former chief minister and Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah Wednesday hoped that the Kashmir Valley would soon be linked by train to the rest of India.
"I hope the train will soon connect the valley with the rest of the country. There are lots of places within and outside the railways has to link with the state. This will end many of our difficulties. I hope we will see the train from Kashmir reaching other parts of the country soon," Abdullah said.
Continental joins Star Alliance, but Air India waits on tarmac
By Mahesh Daga, IANS,
Newark (New Jersey) : US carrier Continental Airline has become the 25th member of Star Alliance even as Air India continues its struggle to put its systems in order to join the world's oldest, largest and most comprehensive interline pact.
The formal induction of the US carrier was announced at a ceremony at the swanky Newark Liberty International Airport here Tuesday, attended by the top brass of all the member 25 carriers, besides Air India.
Bhilai Steel gets iron ore mining rights in Chhattisgarh
By IANS,
Raipur : Bhilai Steel Plant, the most profitable unit of the state-owned Steel Authority of India, has got the mining rights lease for over 2,028 hectares of iron ore reserves in Chhattisgarh for 20 years, a senior company official said Wednesday.
Steel Authority, India's biggest steel maker, was trying for about 25 years to get the mining rights to the Rowghat deposits to feed the Bhilai unit, located in Durg district of Chhattisgarh, some 30 km west of state capital Raipur.
Security for trains passing Maoist areas to be upgraded
By IANS,
Kolkata : Concerned over the daring attack on the Bhubaneswar-Delhi Rajdhani Express by Maoist-backed agitators, it has been decided to upgrade security in trains and intensify vigilance around tracks in strongholds of the left rebels, officials said Wednesday.
"Yes, security will be enhanced. We will not allow any repeat of yesterday's (Tuesday's) incident. But I cannot divulge operational details," Additional Director General (Railway Police) Dilip Mitra told IANS Wednesday.
A year on, Assam blast victims’ families yearn for peace
By Maitreyee Boruah, IANS,
Guwahati : A year ago, a powerful explosion beneath a flyover here blew her husband Sagar into pieces and fatally injured their four-year-old daughter. Guwahati resident Sunita Sarma has accepted the vacuum in her life.
Oct 30, 2008 - when serial blasts ripped through the state killing nearly 100 people and injuring over 500 - is a day that will remain forever etched in 29-year-old Sunita's memory. Her husband was one of the victims and so was her daughter Marami who succumbed to her injuries in hospital.
Journalist tipped off Goa police about NRI fugitive
By IANS,
Panaji : It was a tip-off from a journalist that helped police in Goa arrest Ajay Kaushal, the NRI from Britain who was fleeing a 15-year sentence for assault and kidnapping, an official said.
Kaushal, 50, who is on the most wanted list of the Lancashire constabulary, was arrested Tuesday from a hotel in the coastal resort town of Colva, 40 km from here.
Kaushal's presence in Goa was noted after the media extensively reported the death of his companion William Scott, 39, a Scottish national who was found mysteriously dead in his hotel room.
Omar to raise climate change issue with PM
By IANS,
Srinagar : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is likely to raise the issue of climate change when he meets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Wednesday.
Disturbed over the deteriorating environmental situation in Jammu and Kashmir, where forests are being vandalised, glaciers are receding and there is unplanned construction all over, the chief minister is likely to ask the prime minister for special help to mitigate the effects of climate change, official sources said.
Government system failure killing mothers in Madhya Pradesh
By Sanjay Sharma, IANS,
Bhopal : A complaint by a patient that a doctor in a government-run hospital left her unattended in the operation theatre has turned the spotlight on the role played -- or not played -- by these hospitals in reducing deaths at childbirth in Madhya Pradesh, a state with one of the highest maternal mortality rates (MMR) in India.
Vidhya, wife of Anil Magarde, was admitted to the Betul district hospital Oct 3. She has said in her complaint: "Dr. Renuka told me on Oct 5 that an operation will have to be conducted and demanded Rs.2,500 for the same.
Sibal in US, to seek partnership for innovation varsities
By IANS,
Washington/New York : India's Human Resource Development minister Kapil Sibal is in the US to seek partnership with leading American universities for an initiative to set up 14 innovation universities in India to push research and development.
Sibal will meet senior officials at the Departments of State and Education as also presidents of several US universities as part of an endeavour to forge greater collaboration in the field of education.
He is also set to meet academicians of Indian origin.
Hindi speaking American professor to teach in Mumbai
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : An American professor, who has lived in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and speaks Hindi well, has won a Fulbright scholarship to teach and study at the University of Mumbai during spring semester 2010.
"I am thrilled and excited by my selection, not only for the opportunities it allows for study, but also for the opportunity it offers to be an ambassador for Idaho State University (ISU) and American higher education," said Alan Johnson, ISU Associate Professor of English, who was raised in India.
Indian, another charged in NY with trying to aid Hezbollah
By IANS,
Washington : An Indian citizen living illegally in the United States and another person have been charged in New York with attempting to provide weapons to the Lebanese Hezbollah organisation, designated by US as a terrorist group.
Indian national Patrick Nayyar, 46, and Conrad Mulholland, 43, were charged Tuesday by federal prosecutors with agreeing to supply an FBI undercover agent with guns, ammunition, vehicles, bulletproof vests and night vision goggles.
Migratory birds start descending on Himachal’s Pong Dam wetlands
By Vishal Gulati, IANS,
Pong Dam (Himachal Pradesh) : With the onset of winter, thousands of migratory birds from central and northern Asia have started descending on the Pong Dam wetlands in Himachal Pradesh for their annual sojourn.
Nestled in the Kangra valley, the area surrounded by grassy swamps and rich flora and fauna, is again filled with the flapping of wings.
India, Britain natural partners: President Patil
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
Windsor : Drawing a parallel between the traditions of diversity and democracy embraced by India and Britain, President Pratibha Patil Tuesday described the two countries as "natural partners" who are set to shape the course of the 21st century.
Assam’s travelling theatre coming to Delhi
By Syed Zarir Hussain, IANS,
Guwahati : One of Assam's popular travelling theatre groups that play to packed houses in both urban and rural areas is all set to entertain crowds in the national capital.
The National School of Drama (NSD) has invited the mobile theatre group Kohinoor to stage six shows in New Delhi in April.
Patil invites British Queen to India
By IANS,
Windsor : President Pratibha Patil has invited Queen Elizabeth II to visit India, saying a "warm welcome" awaits her on what would be her fourth visit in 57 years as British monarch.
"India is hosting the Commonwealth Games in October 2010. Your Majesty, I take this opportunity to invite you to visit India on that occasion," Patil said in speech at a state banquet hosted in her honour by the Queen at Windsor Castle.
"A warm welcome awaits you there. It will also give you an opportunity to see how much India has changed since your last visit in 1997."
Queen condemns 26/11 attacks
By IANS,
Windsor : Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has condemned last year's "appalling" terrorist outrage in Mumbai and praised Indians for showing courage.
"We are mindful that in a month's time India will mark the anniversary of the appalling terrorist attacks on Mumbai, in which so many Indians were killed," the British monarch told a state banquet hosted in honour of President Pratibha Patil Tuesday night.
FBI foils LeT plan to carry out major terror attack in India
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), blamed for the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack, was planning to use an American national to carry out another major terrorist attack in India, the FBI said Tuesday.
The man, identified as David Coleman Headley, was arrested early this month by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force at O'Hare International Airport before boarding a flight to Philadelphia, intending to travel on to Pakistan.
Bengal minister talks of probing freed cop’s ‘Maoist links’
By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal's Western Region Development Minister Sushanta Ghosh Tuesday indicated that police officer Atindranath Dutta, abducted and released by the Maoists last week, could have some connection with the left-wing ultras.
"There are some questions in the minds of the people. They feel he has some connection with the Maoists," Ghosh told media persons here.
Massive anti-encroachment drive in Chandigarh
By IANS,
Chandigarh: A massive anti-encroachment drive was carried out in this union territory Tuesday to recover illegally occupied land for the development of third phase of Chandigarh, officials said.
"Unauthorised encroachments made on nearly 46.30 acres of land in village Palsora were removed today (Tuesday). Administration has taken over this land for the development of third phase of this city in a planned manner," an official spokesman said.
Karnataka governor hosts dinner for RIC foreign ministers
By IANS,
Bangalore: Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj Tuesday hosted dinner for the foreign ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) and their accompanying delegates at Raj Bhavan in the heart of the city.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi were also treated to a fusion music concert on the occasion by renowned musician L. Subramaniam before dinner on the sprawling lawns of the governor's official residence.
Asia’s first dining-in-sky venue shut after dispute
By IANS,
Chandigarh: Asia's first 'Dining In The Sky' (DITS) that was launched in this union territory (UT) Nov 24, on the occasion of Chandigarh Crafts Mela, got into trouble Tuesday after a dispute erupted between the main local organisers and service providers at the venue.
Owing to the dispute, the operation of DITS remained closed for few hours here Tuesday.
Freed Rajdhani Express resumes journey
By IANS,
Jhargram: The New Delhi-bound Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express resumed its journey after a nerve-wracking saga when Maoist rebels held it hostage for over four hours at a station in West Bengal's West Midnapore district.
Escorted by a pilot engine, the train, freed by security forces, moved ahead from Banstala Halt station, where the Left-wing ultras held it and its 667 passengers hostage for over four hours.
Two brothers, who fell into bore-well, found dead
By IANS,
Agra: Two brothers, who fell into a 50-foot deep bore-well in a village in Agra district Monday evening, were found dead Tuesday after an over-27 hours long rescue operation, first by the police and later by army personnel.
Masons Lal Singh and Netrapal, both in their early forties, were cementing the peripheral wall of a widened, open bore-well, in Burhan village, 30 km from the city. The two had almost finished their work around 4 p.m. Monday, when a part of the wall caved in and they fell into the well, an official said.
Haryana agriculture university gives tips to farmers
By IANS,
Chandigarh: Scientists of a Haryana agricultural university Tuesday recommended new varieties of wheat and gave tips to farmers to increase crop production in the state, officials said.
"Farmers should complete wheat sowing in less irrigated areas between the last week of October and first week of November. Higher yields could be achieved by sowing C-306, WH-147 and WH-1025 varieties of wheat in these areas," said R.P. Narwal, research director of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, here Tuesday.
Wife raped, husband murdered for flouting community norms
By IANS,
New Delhi: A married woman was raped and her husband murdered as the couple, who were from the same caste, married despite the opposition of her family members and other villagers, police said Tuesday. Four men have been arrested for the crime.
Daya Singh, 50, Sandeep, 23, Inderjeet Singh, 19, and Krishan, 19, were arrested from Sonepat in Haryana Monday, for murdering Virender Singh, 24, in Narela area of outer Delhi last week and taking his body to Sonepat, where it was tied with a heavy stone and dumped in a canal.
Rousing welcome as bus enters isolated Kashmir village
By IANS,
Srinagar: An isolated village in Kishtwar district of Jammu region wore a festive look and its entire population moved out on the road to have a glimpse of the first ever bus to enter the village.
There was jubilation all around in Inshan village Monday with the residents waiting for hours for the bus to finally reach their village from the adjoining Anantnag district in south Kashmir after passing through the treacherous hilly terrain.
Two PU students invited by Rahul Gandhi for meeting
By IANS,
Chandigarh: Two students of the Panjab University (PU) here Tuesday were invited by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to come to New Delhi Nov 5 for discussions on the issue of granting central status to this varsity.
Gandhi interacted with over 350 students of PU Oct 13.
During the interaction, Shivani Negi and Barinder Dhillon raised the long-pending issue of granting central status to the PU, one of the oldest in the country.
Manipur scribes protest police assault on colleagues
By IANS,
Imphal: More than 100 journalists in Manipur Tuesday surrendered their accreditation cards issued by the government to protest the alleged assault on two of their colleagues by police.
"Carrying a press identity card in Manipur could invite trouble as security forces simply do not respect the profession and threaten to kill journalists. So, we decided to surrender our cards issued by the government," Arun Singh, editor of the mass circulation language daily Ireibak, told IANS.
3G spectrum auction will take place as per schedule: Pilot
By IANS,
New Delhi: The auction of radio waves to start third generation (3G) telecom services in India will take place as scheduled, Minister of State for Communications and IT Sachin Pilot said here Tuesday.
"The 3G spectrum allocation process will go on as per schedule in January," Pilot told reporters on the sidelines of a business meet.
His remarks came amid controversies over the allottement of 2G spectrum to private telecom players last year.
Russian paraglider killed in Himachal, one still missing
By IANS,
Shimla: Five days after Russian paraglider Alexey Ashurov went missing in the hills of Himachal Pradesh, his compatriot was found dead Tuesday, police said.
"This (Tuesday) evening, we came to know that Russian pilot Elliyayudin died in the remote Tang area in Kangra district," Kangra's Superintendent of Police Atul Kumar Fulzele told IANS.
He said one injured pilot, identified as Tenis Soyawa, was rescued from the hills.
"The injured paraglider was rescued from the spot where the body of Elliyayudin was recovered," he said.
Maoists hold Rajdhani Express hostage for hours in Bengal
By IANS,
Jhargram/Kolkata/New Delhi: A New Delhi-bound Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express was released from Maoist clutches by security forces Tuesday evening , after rebels held it and its 667 passengers hostage for over four hours in West Midnapore district. All passengers are safe, the union government said.
MCD leaders to meet PM over transfer of powers
By IANS,
New Delhi: Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Municipal Corporation of Delhi Tuesday decided to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and request him to ensure the Delhi government does not interfere in their day-to-day work.
Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain said that he would lead the delegation of municipal councillors to the prime minister and request him to ensure that the transfer of powers of the central government under some of the clauses of Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act should not be misused by the Delhi government.
Maoists abduct government official in Jharkhand
By IANS,
Ranchi: Maoist rebels abducted a government official Tuesday evening from Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand, police said.
According to police, suspected activists of the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), a Maoist organisation, abducted Nirmal Toppo, Circle Officer of Keredari block of Hazaribagh district when he had gone to inspect development work in a rural area.
According to police, Toppo's car was stopped by armed rebels near Patra bridge of Hazaribagh district, around 130 km from Ranchi. The driver of the car was later freed by the rebels.
Apex court asks Karnataka to expedite corridor project
By IANS,
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday suggested that Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa convene a high-level meeting for removing hurdles in implementation of the ambitious Rs.750 crore Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project.
A bench of Justice Tarun Chatterjee, Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice Deepak Verma gave the suggestion while demanding a status report from the Karnataka government on the implementation of the project.
India should be front-runner in space technology: Air chief
By IANS,
New Delhi: Without mentioning China by name, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik Tuesday said India was against "militarisation" of space but the country should aim to be the front-runner in the field of space technology.
"We are against militarisation of space. In fact, the entire world is against this," Naik told reporters when asked about China's future plans to launch a space station.
"Our aim should be to be a front runner in everything, including in space," he added.
Maoist-held train secured, passengers safe
By IANS,
New Delhi/Kolkata: After over five hours of high drama, a New Delhi- bound Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express was freed from Maoist-backed tribal activists who held the train hostage at a station in West Bengal's West Midnapore district Tuesday.
Railway and police sources said the 2443A UP Rajdhani Express was stopped at 2.45 p.m. in South Eastern Railway's Kharagpur division by a group of people who were squatting on the track at Banstala Halt station a little after the train had left Jhargram in West Midnapore district.
Viscera tests to fix cause of Briton’s death in Goa: police
By IANS,
Panaji: The cause of death of a 39-year-old Briton, whose body was found in his room in a coastal resort village in South Goa, would only be known after a chemical examination of his viscera, police said Tuesday.
Forensic experts, who conducted a post-mortem examination, identified the dead British man as William Scott - found dead in his room at Colva village -- and said they have reserved opinion on the cause of his death, pending the chemical analysis of his viscera.
Panel raises gas quota from Krishna-Godavari basin
By IANS,
New Delhi: The Empowered Group of Ministers Tuesday decided on additional allocation of gas from Reliance Industries' D6 block in the Krishna-Godavari basin, allowing the company to ramp up production.
The high-level ministerial panel, chaired by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, decided on the allocation, which will allow Reliance to ramp up production to 60 million units by December. The current production rate is around 40 million units.
Tricolour flies in Windsor for Pratibha Patil
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
Windsor: Indian flags fluttered in a gentle autumn breeze as a 21-gun salute boomed out Tuesday for Pratibha Patil in the first ceremonial welcome accorded an Indian President in the British royal town of Windsor.
Hundreds of people carrying the Tricolour and Union Jack lined the main cobbled street of the town, lying 40 km from London, leading up to Windsor Castle, at the start of what is only the third state visit to Britain by an Indian president, and the first in nearly 20 years.
Bharat Biotech’s rabies vaccine to touch 20 million doses
By IANS,
Hyderabad: City-based vaccines and biotherapeutics manufacturer Bharat Biotech expects to more than double sales of its anti-rabies vaccine, INDIRAB(r),in two years to touch 20 million doses.
INDIRAB sales crossed the 10-million-dose mark in a period of three years. With increase in demand for its vaccine from public health organisations, health ministries from India as well as over 30 countries, tthe company expects the sales to soar further.
The company in a statement aid it currently has an annual capacity to produce eight million doses.