India, China should work together for peace in Asia: Yang
By IANS,
Kolkata : India and China need to work together for ushering in peace in Asia, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here Monday.
"India and China should work shoulder to shoulder to bring about peace in Asia," Yang told reporters at the state secretariat Writers Buildings after meeting West Bengal Chief Minster Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in the morning.
He said he and Bhattacharjee discussed opportunities for Chinese investment in sectors like telecom, power and infrastructure in the state.
Ahmedabad policeman lauded for catching a fugitive
By IANS,
Ahmedabad : Ahmedabad Police Commissioner O.P. Mathur Monday awarded a certificate of merit and a cash prize of Rs.2,000 to police constable Nagjibhai Baldevbhai Desai for catching a prisoner who had escaped last week.
Jayesh Ramjibhai Parmar was brought from the central jail here to the civil hospital for treatment when he gave the police a slip and escaped Sep 4. Desai managed to nab him Sunday after a chase at the Adalaj crossroads on Mehsana-Ahmedabad highway.
12 injured in court lock-up blast in Jharkhand
By IANS,
Ranchi : Around a dozen prisoners and a police officer were injured when a blast was allegedly triggered in a Jharkhand court lock-up Monday to free an undertrial accused in a murder case, the police said.
According to the police, 14 undertrails were brought to Chatra district court and were kept in a lock-up there for a hearing in various crime cases.
The police said, an unknown person who had come to meet one of the undertrials blasted two crude bombs near the lock-up to free Diku Paswan, who is undergoing a trial for his alleged involvement in a murder case.
Tibetans protest during Chinese foreign minister’s visit
By IANS,
New Delhi : At least eight Tibetan activists were taken into custody when they tried to barge into a hotel where External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was holding talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi Monday evening, the police said.
Carrying Tibetan flags and shouting anti-China slogans, the activists tried to break the security cordon thrown around the Taj Mahal Hotel at the Mansingh Road around 5.30 p.m., police officials said.
Relative arrested for murder of MGR kin
By IANS,
Chennai : A woman was remanded to judicial custody Monday for allegedly masterminding the murder of her relative, Vijay Kumar, a kin of former Tamil Nadu chief minister M.G. Ramachandran, the police said.
"Sustained investigation revealed that Bhanumati, Vijay Kumar's sister-in-law, enlisted the services of a police constable, Karuna, 39, who in turn hired other mercenaries who killed the deceased on June 4. The motive was a dispute over control on property left behind by the late chief minister," Archana Ramasundaram, additional director general of police, told reporters.
Employees of gutted Chennai supermarket denied bail
By IANS,
Chennai : Courts in Tamil Nadu Monday declined to release on bail two employees of Saravana Stores, a city supermarket where a fire tragedy claimed two lives last week, and also its owner's son, dismissing their pleas.
While the Madras High Court rejected the anticipatory bail petition of Shanmugha Durai, son of Yogaratnam, one of the owners of Saravana Stores, the bail pleas of two senior employees of the establishment arrested for culpable homicide and negligence were dismissed by a local court.
27 Indian youth arrested in Colombo for overstaying
By IANS,
Colombo : Sri Lankan Immigration officials arrested a batch of 27 Indian youth here during the weekend for staying on though their visas have expired, a senior official said Monday.
Sri Lanka's Immigration and Emigration assistant controller William Deivendrarajah said the Indians were sent to Sri Lanka allegedly by a foreign employment agent in India and were arrested at a lodge at Maradana here for overstaying in the country.
Nano ancillary units will not move: West Bengal
By IANS,
Kolkata : The West Bengal government Monday ruled out relocating ancillary units away from Tata Motors' Nano plant in Singur, hours after the company objected to any such move and reduction of the project size from 997 acres.
A day after a deal with the opposition Trinamool Congress-backed farmers group, which had been demanding return of 400 acres "forcibly" taken from "unwilling farmers" for the project, Industry Minister Nirupam Sen said: "The Nano project is an integrated project and the mother plant and the vendors' park are inseparable."
50 injured amid violent shutdown in Kashmir
By IANS,
Srinagar : Over 50 people, including protesters and security men, were injured in clashes across the Kashmir Valley Monday amid separatist sponsored shutdown coinciding with the meeting of all mainstream political parties called by the Election Commission for assembly polls in the troubled state.
According to the police, armed guards of a senior doctor opened fire as angry protesters attacked the medic's car in the old city area of summer capital Srinagar.
"Two protesters sustained bullet injuries and were taken to a hospital," a police officer told IANS.
Special tribunal to probe Sangh Parivar activities demanded
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
New Delhi: In growing pressure on the Central government to check terrorist activities of Hindutva extremist organizations, noted social activists and retired judges have urged the Prime Minister to set up a special tribunal to probe the case.
Renowned social activist Teesta Setalvad, filmmaker and social activist Mahesh Bhatt and Justice (Retd.) B J Kolse have submitted a memorandum to the government in this regard, says a report in Urdu daily Rashtriya Sahara.
Bush hopeful of Congress approval of Indo-US nuclear deal
By Xinhua,
Washington : US President George W. Bush is hopeful that the Congress will approve the US-India civilian nuclear cooperation agreement before his term ends early next year, US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Monday.
"We will work with the Congress to get this agreement approved. We're hopeful," he said.
Bush has welcomed Saturday's approval by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to lift nuclear trade embargo against India, a move that will pave the way for the Congress approval of the US-Indian civilian nuclear cooperation deal.
CyberLearning launches Microsoft business certification programme
By IANS,
Ahmedabad : CyberLearning, the exclusive Microsoft Office certification provider for India, Monday launched its latest programme - new business certification for Microsoft Office system 2007 and Windows Vista operating systems.
"I am delighted that we have partnered with the ACTUniv Group to bring these new credentials to Gujarat," www.cyberlearningindia.com chief executive Pankaj Rai said.
The ACTUniv Group, which is in alliance with CyberLearning, is one the largest computer education and training companies in Gujarat.
Two Czech nationals convicted for theft of butterflies
By IANS,
New Delhi : An Indian court Monday convicted two Czech nationals, in custody since June 22, of illegally collecting butterflies in West Bengal's Singhalila National Park in violation of wildlife protection laws.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Darjeeling Monday pronounced the two guilty of violating the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as well as the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, according to a statement issued here by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), an NGO helping the prosecution.
Mumbai blast suspects turn out to be ‘innocents’
By IANS,
New Delhi/Mumbai : In a major embarrassment to the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI), a Mumbai court Monday said the two suspects the agency nabbed in Nepal last week were not the accused in the March 1993 serial bomb blasts.
Special Judge U.D. Mulla of the designated court under Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, ordered the CBI to send back the arrested duo - Ashfaq Ahmed and Riyaz Lone - to Nepal.
‘The Last Lear’ producer worried about Thackeray threat
By Radhika Bhirani, IANS,
New Delhi : Arindam Chaudhuri, the producer of Amitabh Bachchan's forthcoming "The Last Lear", fears he may suffer losses to the tune of almost Rs.70 million if the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) carried out the threat to prevent screening of all films starring the superstar or his family members.
“Film producers invest millions in making a film and spend volumes of money on publicity. Due to some unfortunate incident, a film shouldn't be dragged into any controversy,” Chaudhuri told IANS Monday.
UK firms turning to India for cost-effective solutions
By IANS,
New Delhi : Hit by credit crunch, British companies are now turning towards Indian firms for cost-effective solutions to cushion the effect of the global economic slowdown, officials of a bilateral trade promotion group said here Monday.
Denying reports that the economic slowdown would have negative impact on bilateral trade, UK Trade and Investment chairman Andrew Cahn said there was no evidence of such, with trade fast approaching $10 billion and investment continuing to escalate.
A day in the city of flood relief camps
By Mahtab Alam for TwoCircles.net from flood zone,
I on Monday was with a relief-cum-survey team from New Delhi. Our van was on a road which, our driver told us, was in 10-feet deep water a week ago. Now the water was gone and with it signs of several villages on either side of the road. Now there were relief camps run by government, NGOs and Muslim organizations.
US wants India to be full NSG partner: official
By IANS,
New Delhi : The US wants to make India a "full partner" in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) after helping it secure a waiver from the nuclear cartel, according to a senior US official.
The US will continue to strive to "make India a full partner in this group (NSG) which we think is crucial... from a strategic, political, economic and energy standpoint", David Bohigian, assistant secretary (market access and compliance) of the Department of Commerce, told reporters here Monday.
What’s the fuss? China says it worked for NSG waiver
By IANS,
New Delhi : Amid a row here over China's perceived negative role in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, an unfazed Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Monday that Beijing always "played constructive and responsible" role and "worked for consensus" in the NSG.
"We worked for consensus in the NSG. We have been a responsible player," Yang, who is on his maiden visit to India after becoming China's foreign minister, told reporters after his talks with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Singur breathes easy, wants Nano plant to start operation
By Soudhriti Bhabani,
Singur : A few scattered bamboo structures, dumped tarpaulin, and trucks filled with decorators' cloth for covering podiums were all that remained Monday at the the Tata Motors Nano project site here after days of sit-in protest by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.
Ground zero breathed easy as protest podiums were dismantled after a solution to the Singur land row was reached between the ruling Left Front government and the opposition, which wanted 400 acres inside the factory site, acquired for the project from farmers, to be returned.
Mistaken identity: CBI to send two people back to Nepal
Mumbai : In a major embarrassment for the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI), a Mumbai court Monday established that two people it had nabbed in Nepal last week were not the accused in the March 1993 serial bomb blasts in the city.
Special Judge U.D. Mulla of the designated court under Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, also ordered the CBI to send back the arrested duo - Salim Abdul Ghani Ghazi alias Ashfaq Ahmed Shah and Riyaz Khatri - to Nepal.
The two are Ashfaq Ahmed (instead of Ashfaq Ahmed Shah) and Riyaz Lone (instead of Riyaz Khatri).
Himachal Pradesh to carry out compensatory afforestation
By IANS,
Shimla : Compensatory afforestation under the Catchment Area Treatment (CAT) plans worth Rs.3.34 billion is being implemented in the state, for which user agencies have deposited Rs.1.84 billion so far, Himachal Pradesh Forest Minister J.P. Nadda said Monday.
Reviewing the progress of the CAT plans activities in the state, Nadda directed the user agencies to deposit the balance amount at the earliest.
Prioritise literacy to build tolerant society: President
By IANS,
New Delhi : President Pratibha Patil Monday asked the government to give highest priority to literacy to build a tolerant society and fight social evils.
The president gave away the Satyen Maitra Literacy Award to various districts of India for successfully implementing government sponsored literacy schemes like Total Literacy Campaign (TLC), Post Literacy Programme (PLP) and Continuing Education Programme (CEP).
Orissa Congress observes black day against communal violence
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Thousands of Congress activists in Orissa observed 'black day' Monday to protest communal violence in the state that killed at least 16 people and made thousands homeless.
Wearing black badges, they staged protest in front of government offices in most parts of the state, shouting slogans against the Naveen Patnaik government for its alleged failure to maintain law and order.
Call to issue boat licenses only to traditional fishermen
By IANS,
Kozhikode : With fish catch shrinking substantially, the fishermen in Kerala want the government to issue registration and licenses only to fishing boats belonging to traditional fishermen.
The fishermen organisations put forward this suggestion Monday at the sitting of a panel of experts and officials formed to examine ways to conserve the fish resources of the state.
The panel was headed by B. Madhusoodana Kurup, advisor to the minister of fisheries.
State information commissions a hurdle in implementing RTI: survey
By IANS,
New Delhi : The main bottleneck in the implementation of the RTI Act in the country are the State Information Commissions (SIC), which are meant to facilitate the dissemination of the information sought, according to a study by an NGO released here Monday.
The study was conducted by the Society of Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) across 10 states in early 2008. A total of 420 citizens who have used Right to Information Act were interviewed.
Southeast Asia region should cooperate for public gains: India
By IANS,
New Delhi : The emerging economies of Southeast Asia, which are setting global health agendas, should join hands for public gains in health care, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Monday.
“I would like to say that with the increasing role being played by our emerging economies in setting global health agendas, taking our cooperation forward would result in public health gains for all of us and enable us to meet the aspirations of our people for equitable and accessible health care,” he said.
Fight female foeticide through literacy: Himachal governor
By IANS,
Shimla : Himachal Pradesh Governor Prabha Rau Monday underlined the need to promote female literacy to combat the social evil of female foeticide.
Rau said: "There is a need to encourage female literacy to eradicate social evils like female foeticide."
Addressing a function here organised by Himachal Gyan Vigyan Samiti to mark International Literacy Day, Rau said "higher literacy levels would also bring about economic freedom for women and empower them."
The Governor commended the state government for its efforts to increase literacy in the state.
Himachal Pradesh government gets tough with winemaker
By IANS,
Shimla : The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to get tough with leading winemaker Indage Ltd for its failure to procure apple and grape crop from within the hill state, a senior leader said Monday.
"A notice has been issued to Indage Ltd as it's not procuring apples and grapes from the farmers here. It has not fully operationalised its two plants," state horticulture minister Narender Bragta told IANS.
Government soon to unveil text of the NSG waiver
By IANS,
New Delhi : Amid allegations by the Left parties that the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) waiver granted to India was “neither clean nor unconditional”, the government Monday said it will soon unveil the text of the waiver.
"The text that has appeared in the media is not accurate," external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said. “We would make the text available as soon as it is issued by the NSG in Vienna,” he added.
Government ready to remove Calcutta High Court judge
By IANS,
New Delhi : In only the second case of its kind, the central government Monday expressed its willingness to abide by the chief justice's recommendation to sack Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High court for misappropriating Rs.5.8 million of court funds.
Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan's recommendation, sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Aug 4, has been referred to the law ministry, which is set to move a motion in parliament for removal of Justice Sen.
Tamil Nadu lawyers clash with police
By IANS,
Chennai : Tension gripped the vicinity of the Madras High Court Monday after a group of lawyers attacked a police station within the court precincts, the police said.
Documents pertaining to over a dozen cases were destroyed in the attack, an official claimed.
A spokesman representing a forum of the lawyers told reporters that the action was a manifestation of his colleagues' righteous indignation at the police filing a charge sheet against some advocates without following proper procedure.
VHP shutdown over attack on BJP MP gets mixed response
By IANS,
Lucknow : A Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)-sponsored shutdown in eastern Uttar Pradesh to protest the alleged attack on the rally of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Yogi Adityanath saw business affected in many parts of the region Monday.
Meanwhile, two people were arrested in connection with the killing of a man in the clashes that followed the attack on the BJP leader in Azamgarh district.
Adityanath's convoy was attacked Sunday afternoon while he was returning from an "anti-terrorism Hindu awakening rally".
Calcutta High Court judge faces the sack
By IANS,
New Delhi : In only the second case of its kind, Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan has recommended removal of Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court for "criminal misappropriation" of over Rs.58 million of the high court's funds.
"I write this to recommend that the proceedings contemplated by Article 217 (1) read with Article 124 (4) of the constitution be initiated for removal of Justice Soumitra Sen, judge, Calcutta High Court," Chief Justice Balakrishnan wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Aug 4.
Karnataka to set up Rs.60 bn power plant in Chhattisgarh
By IANS,
Raipur : The state-owned Karnataka Power Corp Ltd (KPCL) Monday signed an agreement with the Chhattisgarh government to set up a 1,200 MW thermal plant on an investment of Rs.60-billion in Chhattisgarh.
The plant will come up in the state's northern region, where India's state-owned coal producer South Eastern Coalfields Ltd has its mines.
The first unit of the plant will be commissioned by October 2012. This is the first project being taken by the KPCL, set up in 1970, outside Karnataka.
Lakshmi Mittal wins Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award
By IANS,
New York : Lakshmi Mittal, the London-based NRI steel tycoon, is being conferred the Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest recognition of global business success bestowed by the US business magazine for what it calls "a hero of entrepreneurial capitalism".
Mittal is set to get the award Monday night at Forbes Global CEO Conference 2008, being held in Singapore and expected to be attended by over 400 business leaders. Speakers at the three-day conference include quite a few Indians and NRIs.
No work at Singur till clarity on deal: Tatas
By IANS,
Kolkata : Tata Motors Monday said it would continue to suspend work on producing little Nano at the Singur car factory as it was unsure of the project's viability and “distressed at the limited clarity" in the deal struck with protesters over the land acquired for the project.
"Tata Motors Limited is distressed at the limited clarity on the outcome of the discussions between the state government of West Bengal and the representatives of the agitators in Singur," the company said in a statement.
Unseasonal rains behind rise in dengue: Ramadoss
By IANS,
New Delhi : Around 30 people have died of the mosquito-borne dengue in the country so far this year and many more are afflicted, which Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said was largely due to the unseasonal rains the country has been experiencing.
“It's been an unusual year as far as the vector-borne diseases are concerned. Mosquitoes die a natural death when the temperature is above 40 degrees Celsius. But this year, we are seeing unseasonal rains, because of which we are seeing a growth of vector borne diseases,” Ramadoss told reporters here Monday.
India working on herbal cure for AIDS: Kalam
By IANS,
New Delhi : Indian and Japanese scientists are working on developing herbal and Ayurvedic formulations to treat the dreaded HIV/AIDS, former Indian president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said here Monday.
“Indian and Japanese scientists are working together on nearly 60 plant species and have found 16 plant species which have properties to fight AIDS,” said Kalam, an eminent scientist himself.
Stone India at final bid stage for European firm
By IANS,
Kolkata : Stone India Ltd, a G.P. Goenka group-company, is in the "final bidding stage" of acquiring a European railway equipment maker, said a top company official here Monday.
"The European company we are targeting is privately held and its turnover is bigger than ours," managing director Amitava Mandal said at a press meet.
Stone India, which registered a turnover of Rs.920 million last fiscal, is a multi-product engineering company located in Kolkata, and has been serving the Indian railroad industry for over seven decades.
Chief Justice recommends sacking high court judge
By IANS,
New Delhi : Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan has recommended removal of Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court for "criminal misappropriation" of over Rs.58 million of the high court's funds.
It is only the second case of its kind where the sacking of a judge of the higher judiciary has been recommended.
Ignoring warnings, many in Bihar return to marooned villages
By Imran Khan, IANS,
Patna : As floodwaters started receding in affected areas of Bihar, thousands have left relief camps and temporary shelters to return to their homes in still-marooned villages, afraid that their belongings might be stolen.
Their return en masse has left government agencies engaged in rescue operations worried.
“Some people have started returning to their villages despite being warned against it. It is a big worry for us,” disaster management department additional commissioner Pratyay Amrit said.
VHP shutdown call gets mixed response in Uttar Pradesh
By IANS,
Lucknow : A Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)-sponsored shutdown in eastern Uttar Pradesh to protest the alleged attack on the rally of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Yogi Adityanath received mixed response Monday.
The administration Monday closed down schools and colleges in the eastern districts, or Poorvanchal area, for three days in view of the prevailing tension after Sunday's attack on the BJP leader's rally in Azamgarh district that left one killed and three injured.
Russian firms to service Indian early-warning planes
By RIA Novosti,
Gelendzhik (Russia) : Russia's state-run arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, said Monday a number of Russian companies will provide India's A-50 airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft with after sale services.
"Rosoboronexport has signed contracts with the Beriev Aircraft Company, the Perm Motors Group and the Vega concern to provide after-sale maintenance to India's airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft," a Rosoboronexport official told reporters at an air show in the Krasnodar region of south Russia.
Karnataka to add 5,000 MW capacity in next four years
By IANS,
Raipur : Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa Monday said his government planned to add 10,000 MW of power before the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan period ending 2017, and 5,000 MW of this would be added over the next four years.
"Karnataka has embarked upon an ambitious plan of adding 10,000 MW of power before the end of the 12th plan,and 5,000 MW (of this) would be added in the next four years, during the 11th plan itself," Yeddyurappa said.
China hopes India’s NSG waiver is for peaceful use
By IANS,
New Delhi : In its first response to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) waiver for India, China Monday hoped the decision will contribute to "peaceful use of nuclear energy" and international cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation.
Flood swallowed families, separated many others
By Mahtab Alam for TwoCircles.net from flood zone,
Araria (Bihar): Azra (10) and Gulshan (12) are shocked. The flood has made them speechless. They are unable to talk about them. Their neighbours in the relief camp at Alia Madrasa in Forbesganj (Araria) say that the Kosi River has swallowed their parents.
These two girls are from Lalpur in Supaul, one of the districts badly affected by the flood. They are not alone. There are a number of people who have lost their dear ones to the flood while the calamity has separated many others.
Two held with huge explosives in UP
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
Lucknow : The UP police arrested two persons, Vikas and Rajju with 500 detonators, 3 bundle fuse wires and 25 kg of gelatins sticks from Govindpur village in Banda district.
The duo confessed during their interrogation that the explosive materials were brought from Madhya Pradesh, says a report in The Inquilab.
Till now the police couldn't find out the real purpose behind bringing the explosive materials from M.P.
Bilateral nuclear pacts with others after US deal: Pranab
By IANS,
New Delhi : Two days after the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) granted a waiver to India to resume global nuclear trade, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday said India would enter into bilateral pacts with other countries after the US Congress ratifies the India-US 123 pact.
High ridership for metro, but Monday blues for commuters
By IANS,
New Delhi : Yet another Monday morning, yet another ride of push and pull and overcrowded metro to board for work. As evident from the statistics, the Delhi metro gets an overwhelming number of commuters in the beginning of the week, making some regular commuters coin a new name for the metro - an air conditioned Blue line bus!
Sakshi Tanwar, for instance, takes the metro each morning to work and then back home. Safe, hassle free and fast - the metro to Tanwar, like to most others, is the most preferred mode of transport.
But come Mondays and she simply dreads the ride.
To tide over shortage, Uttar Pradesh to cut power to industries
By IANS,
Lucknow : The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to impose an eight-hour power cut on heavy industries to tide over the shortage for domestic consumers plagued by the severe heat and humidity.
According to the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL), the power cuts would save around 400 MW of electricity, which would in turn be supplied to the domestic consumers.
Relative arrested for murder of MGR kin
By IANS,
Chennai : A woman was arrested Monday for allegedly masterminding the murder of her relative, Vijay Kumar, kin of former chief minister M.G. Ramachandran, police said.
The six men that Bhanumati, Vijay Kumar's sister-in-law, reportedly hired to kill him have also been arrested.
Vijay Kumar, 53, was killed in a posh southern suburb here over a property dispute June 4.
A week later, the case was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department under the control of the Director General of Police K.P. Jain.
Karnataka offers help to Chhattisgarh in IT, BT sectors
By IANS,
Raipur : The Karnataka government Monday offered to help mineral rich Chhattisgarh in the information technology (IT) and biotechnology (BT) sectors.
"Karnataka is in the forefront in IT and BT sectors, not only in India but also in the whole world. I am willing to extent any assistance to Chhattisgarh," Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said here.
Business community in Kolkata upbeat on Singur decision
By IANS,
Kolkata : The city's business community is upbeat following the resolution of the dispute Sunday over land allotted for Tata Motors' Nano project at Singur in West Bengal.
"We are back in business. This is a victory for Bengal," Indian Chamber of Commerce president and Patton Group managing director Sanjay Budhia told IANS.
The entire world is watching the developments at Singur, 40 kilometres from here, where global automobiles major Tata Motors is building a factory that will produce the world's cheapest car.
Death of man after free eye surgery, relatives cry foul
By IANS,
Erode (Tamil Nadu) : Relatives of a man who died under mysterious circumstances after an eye surgery here have alleged wrongdoing by the hospital that conducted it.
The victim, C. Thambi, had undergone a free corrective eye surgery a week ago and had complained of pain. He was found dead Sunday in the precincts of the Arasan Eye Hospital that conducted the operation. The death was termed as "suicide" by the hospital authorities.
Police registered a case and began investigations Monday into the death in this textile town, 350 km southwest of Tamil Nadu capital Chennai.
Pilot, trainee killed as aircraft crashes in Hyderabad
By IANS,
Hyderabad : A flying instructor and a trainee pilot were killed when a small aircraft crashed on to a residential area of the city Monday.
The mishap took place in the densely populated Sanathnagar neighbourhood at around 11.30 a.m. minutes after the Cessna 152 aircraft of the Andhra Pradesh Flying Club took off from Begumpet airport.
Eyewitnesses said the aircraft first hit an electric pole and then a building before crashing on a street in the congested Noor Mohammed Colony.
Court dismisses bail petitions of supermarket employees
By IANS,
Chennai : A local court has dismissed Monday the bail petitions of two senior employees of Saravana Stores, a supermarket where a fire tragedy claimed two lives last week.
The employees were arrested for culpable homicide and negligence.
Sessions judge Ramalingam upheld the prosecution's contention pointing to the possibility of destruction of evidence by the suspects as their bosses Rajaratnam and Yogaratnam, owners of Saravana Stores, were fugitives evading arrest.
More and more working women shun the ‘married girl’ look
By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : 'Solah singhar', the traditional decked up appearance for the new bride is now out of fashion with more and more working women shunning their gold and glitter for a more westernised look.
Today's hard pressed working women find it a headachet o wear to traditional symbols of wedded bliss preferring to flaunt the single and smart look.
The job scenario also seems to encourage such trend with Kiran, who has been married for six months, and is on a job hunt preferring to dress in formal shirt-pant, sans any bangles or bindi.
Australia not to sell uranium to India till it signs NPT
By NNN-PTI,
Melbourne : Australian government will not sell uranium to India despite welcoming Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) decision to end the 34-year long embargo on nuclear trade with India, official said.
"However, Labor is committed to supplying uranium to only those countries party to the NPT. Australia will therefore not be supplying uranium to India while it is not a member of the NPT," Australian trade Minister Simon Crean was quoted as saying in 'The Australian' newspaper report today.
McCain, Obama hall NSG waiver for India
By NNN-PTI,
Washington : The US presidential nominees today welcomed the NSG waiver to India, with Republican John McCain asking Congressional leaders to act "expeditiously" to pass the Indo-US nuclear deal and Democrat Barack Obama seeking its quick submission before lawmakers.
"I welcome the decision by the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group to lift the global ban on civilian nuclear trade with India," McCain said in a statement in Virginia on Sunday
Indian Defence Minister Antony arrives in US on four-day visit
By NNN-PTI,
Washington : Defence Minister A K Antony has arrived here on a four-day official visit to the United States during which he will hold talks with several officials of the Bush administration.
Antony who is accompanied by high-level delegation will hold talks with his counterpart Robert Gates from tomorrow morning.
Prior to the start of official talks with his counterpart that day, Antony is scheduled to inspect a military guard of honour at the Pentagon, followed by a visit to the Arlington National Cemetery as well as the Air Force and the Pentagon memorials.
Rice praises India’s effort in Vienna
By NNN-PTI,
Washington : Terming the waiver granted to India by the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers group (NSG) as a "huge step" in the relationship between the US and India, the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has complimented the role played by the Indian government in Vienna.
In comments made to the travelling press in Algiers on Saturday, Rice said India showed a lot of leadership skills in Vienna, where everybody took everyone else's concerns seriously and found the ways to bridge it.
Debt-entrapped Kolkata couple kill daughter, themselves
By IANS,
Kolkata : A 43-year-old trader in a debt trap commited suicide along with his wife after poisoning their five-year-old daughter in West Bengal in a Kolkata suburb, police said Monday.
"Nirmal Chakraborty, a garment manufacturer, along with his wife Arpita poisoned their five-year old daughter Shristi at their Jadavpur residence Sunday. Afterwards they too consumed poison. Police found Chakraborty and his daughter's body in the bedroom while Arpita's body was found after some time floating in a nearby pond," district police superintendent Ajay Ranade told reporters here.
Russia to provide after sale service to Indian AEW planes
By RIA Novosti,
Gelendzhik (South Russia) : Russia's state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, said on Monday it had contracted a number of Russian companies to provide India's A-50 AEW aircraft with after sale services.
"Rosoboronexport has signed contracts with the Beriev Aircraft Company, the Perm Motors Group and the Vega concern to provide after sale maintenance to India's airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft," a Rosoboronexport official told reporters at an air show in the Krasnodar Region.
New Zealand compromises on India nuclear deal
By Xinhua,
Wellington : The New Zealand government said on Monday that it got the best deal it could on nuclear trade with India.
The Nuclear Suppliers Group in Vienna has agreed to an U.S. proposal to allow the sale of nuclear reactors and fuel to India.
New Zealand is one of 45 members of the group, which had been pushing for limits on the deal, including an immediate halt in trade if India tests another nuclear bomb.
India to host International Herald Tribune luxury conference
By IANS,
New Delhi : After success in Paris, Moscow, Istanbul, Dubai and Hong Kong, International Herald Tribune's (IHT) eighth annual conference on "the global business of luxury" will be held here Dec 3-4.
Following its inception in Paris in 2000, this conference targets emerging markets where international luxury businesses are growing in strength.
"India is a unique marketplace for luxury and its heritage and culture of exceptional objects goes back in an unbroken line to the Mughal era," IHT's fashion editor Suzy Menkes said in a statement.
Rowdy behaviour by some overseas Indian students decried
By Neena Bhandari, IANS,
Sydney : Unruly and abusive behaviour of some newly arrived overseas Indian students, mostly from Punjab, is causing much concern among the Australian-Indian community here.
"In recent months there have been several incidents of aggressive behaviour by these students, making families scared to attend community functions," Moninder Singh, chief executive officer of the privately-owned Australian Academy of Management & Science in suburban Quakers Hill, told IANS.
Major reshuffle of Jammu and Kashmir police top brass
By IANS,
Srinagar : The Jammu and Kashmir government Monday ordered a major reshuffle in the police top brass, changing eight inspectors general of police and six deputy inspectors general.
As per the government order, B. Srinivas will be the new inspector general of police (IG) for Kashmir zone, replacing S.M. Sahai who has been made IG crime. Srinivas was serving as IG (operations) of north Kashmir.
S.P. Vaid has been posted as IG homeguards/civil defence, Dilbagh Singh as IG traffic and Muhammad Amin Shah as IG telecommunications.
Indian worker dies in UAE
By IANS,
Dubai : An Indian expatriate died when a bag of cement fell accidentally on him at a construction site in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Ramaluwa Kusta Buram, 38, was working at an under-construction building in the Al Tawun area of Sharjah when a bag of cement fell on him killing him instantly Sunday. On receiving information, Sharjah police had immediately dispatched a team along with an ambulance.
Tension grips Tamil Nadu village over Dalits’ entry into temple
By IANS,
Salem (Tamil Nadu) : Tension gripped a village in this Tamil Nadu district Monday after a Hindu temple was thrown open to Dalits on the orders of the Madras High Court, prompting the protesting upper caste Vanniyar community to leave the village, officials said.
Trouble arose after a temple dedicated to Hindu goddess Draupadi in Kandampatti village was opened to Dalits Monday on the orders of the court after being locked up for nine months due to a dispute with the upper castes over temple entry, police sources said.
India launches ‘Shared Histories’ festival in Johannesburg
By Fakir Hassen, IANS,
Johannesburg : Three exhibitions and a Bollywood musical performance by jazz group 'Indian Ocean' over the weekend marked the beginning of a six-week-long Shared Histories Festival of Arts and Culture organised by the Indian Consulate-General here that takes place in Durban and Cape Town as well.
Hononary doctorate conferred on UNIDO chief
By IANS,
New Delhi : The University of Madras has conferred an honorary doctor of literature (D.Litt) degree on Kandeh K. Yumkella, the director-general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
University of Madras vice-chancellor S. Ramachandran conferred the degree on Yumkella at the special convocation and valedictory function of 150th year celebrations of the university, a UNIDO statement said.
Tatas to continue suspension of work at Nano plant
By IANS,
Kolkata : Saying there was "limited clarity" on the outcome of the talks between the West Bengal government and the Trinamool Congress-led protesters, Tata Motors Monday said it would continue suspension of work at its Nano plant in Singur.
"Tata Motors Ltd is distressed at the limited clarity on the outcome of the discussions between the state government of West Bengal and the representatives of the agitators in Singur," the company said in a statement.
NSG waiver means India has arrived as a power
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS,
India had always strongly supported the nuclear nonproliferation regime. In 1965, India with Ireland and other nations sponsored Resolution 2025 which laid down the balance of obligations between the five nuclear weapon powers and the rest of the international community. The nuclear weapon powers were to enter into negotiations in good faith to stop the arms race and reduce their nuclear arsenals.
Two killed as aircraft crashes in Hyderabad
By IANS,
Hyderabad : A trainee pilot and an instructor were killed when a small aircraft crashed on to a residential area of the city Monday.
The mishap took place in Sanathnagar neighbourhood minutes after the aircraft belonging to Andhra Pradesh Flying Club took off from Begumpet airport.
Police said the instructor and the trainee pilot died in the crash. There were no casualties on the ground.
The aircraft crashed amid houses, sending panic among people in the densely populated area. The aircraft caught fire immediately after the crash. Part of the debris fell on a few houses.
Tata Motors to continue suspension of work at Singur
By IANS,
Kolkata : Tata Motors Monday said it would continue suspension of work in the Singur Nano plant.
In a statement, the automobile major expressed distress over the "limited clarity" on the outcome of the discussions between the West Bengal government and the opposition Trinamool Congress over the resolution of the land row reached between them late Sunday night.
Railway officials booked for tiger’s death under speeding train
By IANS,
Lucknow : Four railway officials, including a senior, have been booked under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act for negligence after a tiger was killed by a speeding train in a forest reserve in Uttar Pradesh, an official said Monday.
A passenger train ran over the tiger late Friday night in the Katarniyaghat forest reserve in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district.
"We have booked the railway officials for their negligence that led to the unnatural death of the animal," said divisional forest officer (DFO) R.K. Singh.
Indian-American says cholesterol drugs lower stroke risk for elderly
By IANS,
Washington : The elderly who take a cholesterol drug after a stroke or mini-stroke lower their risk of having another, just like younger people in the same situation, according to a study led by an Indian-American scientist.
"Even though the majority of strokes and heart attacks occur in people who are 65 and older, studies have found that cholesterol-lowering drugs are not prescribed as often for older people as they are for younger people," said study author Seemant Chaturvedi, of Wayne State University, Detroit and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.
Every sovereign country has right to express its views, says Minister Pranab
By NNN-PTI,
Kolkata : Reacting China's stand at the Nuclear Suppliers Group meeting in Vienna which gave New Delhi the waiver to have nuclear commerce, India today said "every sovereign country has its right to express its sovereign will".
Asked to comment on China's negative role at Vienna, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters here on Sunday that "I don't want to comment on what role was played by which country in the NSG." "This is their internal matter. "Every sovereign country has its right to express its own sovereign will", he said.
Four Railway personel booked after train runs over tiger
By NNN-PTI,
Lucknow : Four Railway personnel, including a top official, have been booked after a tiger was run over by a speeding train in Katarnia Ghat wildlife sanctuary in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh state.
An eight-year-old tiger was killed on September five after being hit by passenger train between Majra and Khairatiya railway stations, police said today.
NSG waiver text in media not accurate, says External Affairs Ministry spokesman
By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Government today said the text of the NSG waiver for India, which has appeared in a section of the media, was not accurate.
"The text that has appeared in media is not accurate," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said.
The ministry will release the text of the NSG waiver as soon as the 45-nation grouping does so, Sarna said.
Mothballs shaken out of woollens early in Kashmir
By IANS,
Srinagar : Early snowfall in the mountains and intermittent rain across the Kashmir valley have forced people to take out their woollens earlier than usual this year.
“There has been early snowfall this year in the upper reaches of the valley, which has brought down the temperatures. This coupled with the intermittent rains during the last three days has added to the chill factor.
Fuel tanker crushes five to death in Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : Five people including an assistant sub-inspector of police were crushed to death, and five others injured by a speeding fuel tanker in the capital, the police said Monday.
The incident occurred after the tanker driver lost control over the vehicle in Timarpur in north Delhi late Sunday night, the police said.
Jyoti Basu’s health ‘in control’
By IANS,
Kolkata : Veteran Marxist leader and former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu, who sustained a head injury after a fall in the bathroom of his residence Friday, is keeping well at a city nursing home, its spokesperson said Monday.
"Basu is keeping well. He slept well Sunday night and is being given normal diet. His clinical conditions are in control and we are closely monitoring his cardiac and neurological functions," the nursing home vice-president Satyabrata Upadhyay told IANS.
China’s call to maintain integrity of nonproliferation regime
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Commenting on the Nuclear Suppliers Group's (NSG) waiver for India, China Monday urged global cooperation to maintain the "integrity and validity of the international nuclear nonproliferation system".
"China always advocates that all countries are entitled to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and carry out international cooperation in this regard. However, relevant cooperation should help maintain the integrity and validity of the international nuclear nonproliferation system," foreign ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said here.
10 more Kerala centres to offer non-surgical heart treatment
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : A non-surgical procedure to treat heart ailments, which was being conducted at just one centre here for over a year, will now be offered at 10 more centres across Kerala.
Called Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP), the totally non-invasive treatment is currently being offered by Medlinks Cardiocare Pvt Ltd under the aegis of the Doctors Diagnostic Nuclear Medicine and Research Centre (DDNMRC) in the heart of the state capital.
Hindujas group planning Rs 300 crore healthcare facility in Tamil Nadu state
By NNN-PTI,
Chennai, Indian : A Rs 250-300 crore healthcare facility in Tamil Nadu state with a capacity of 200-300 beds is being planned by the Hinduja Group of Companies.
"We are planning to create a healthcare facility in Tamil Nadu currently evaluated at a cost of Rs 250- Rs 300 crore similar to that of the company's healthcare facility in Mumbai," group Chairman Srichand P Hinduja said addressing the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the conglomerate's flagship company Ashok Leyland's here last night. (One Crore: ten million)
Russia loans $250 mn for Gorshkov work
By Gulshan Luthra, IANS,
New Delhi : The Russian government has loaned $250 million to the Sevmash shipyard to ensure that rebuilding work on aircraft carrier Gorshkov - to be operational as INS Vikramaditya under the Indian Navy - continues without any interruption.
Australia not willing to give India uranium despite NSG support
By Neena Bhandari, IANS,
Sydney : India is unlikely to get Australian uranium in the near future even as pressure mounts on the Labour government to reverse its ban on uranium exports to India to meet its growing energy demand.
Despite supporting New Delhi at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) over the weekend, Australia has reaffirmed that it will not export uranium to India unless the latter signs the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
House panel chief not ready to waive rules for India deal
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : As the Bush administration prepared to present the India-US civil nuclear deal to the US Congress for final approval, a key lawmaker reiterated his opposition to a change of rules to ensure its quick passage.
"I support cooperation on civilian nuclear energy with India," said Howard L. Berman, Democratic, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Sunday, noting he had voted for the Hyde Act, the US enabling law for the India deal.
Bus service across LoC becomes weekly affair
By IANS,
Jammu : People in the border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir had reason to cheer Monday as the fortnightly bus service across the Line of Control (LoC) to Rawlakote in Pakistan-administered Kashmir became a weekly affair.
"Now onwards the service will be on a weekly basis, instead of fortnightly," said Divisional Commissioner (Jammu) S. Pandey, who had visited the cross-LoC route last week to oversee the arrangements.
Judge reduces Indian-American actor Malil’s bail
By IANS,
Washington : A California judge has reduced the bail of Indian American actor Shelley Malil, accused of stabbing a woman more than 20 times, from $10 million to $3 million.
Malil, who has pleaded not guilty to the charge, was initially held behind bars on $2 million bail, but that was subsequently increased to $10 million. However, the judge had brought the figure down to $3 million during a hearing last Friday, reports contactmusic.com.
The 43-year-old Virgin star is accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend Kendra Beebe at her home in San Diego, California last month.
Will Tata Motors resume work at Singur?
By IANS,
Kolkata : Will Tata Motors restart work at Singur to produce their small car Nano? As its employees failed to show up for work Monday morning, that's the question being asked, a day after farmers called off their 15-day strike to demand a part of the land acquired for the project back from the government.
"I do not have any comments," a spokesperson for Tata Motors said after the West Bengal government and the Trinamool Congress, that was spearheading the agitation, reached a far-reaching pact late Sunday evening to resolve the 28-month dispute.
NSG waiver marks turning point in Canada-India ties: minister
By IANS,
Toronto : Canada's decision to join the consensus in the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) for a special waiver to allow nuclear trade with India is a turning point in the relations between the two countries, says Canadian Foreign Minister David Emerson.
In a statement, the outgoing foreign minister said: "Canada's decision to join the NSG consensus marks a turning point in our relations with India and will help to facilitate a more comprehensive and robust bilateral relationship."
No work in Singur factory morning after resolution
By IANS,
Kolkata : No employee of Tata Motors or its contractors had entered the factory in Singur Monday morning, the day after an agreement was reached to lift the siege on it, local residents said, as the company refused comment.
A Tata Motors spokesperson refused comment on whether work at the factory slated to make the world's cheapest car Nano would resume Monday. The factory in West Bengal Hooghly district is about 40 km from here.
Getting empowered: women train to become security guards
By Azera Rahman, IANS,
New Delhi : Rama Devi lost her husband a few years ago and is in dire need of a job. Illiterate and not interested in the usual "female-oriented" jobs like that of beauticians and tailoring, she came across an option that caught her fancy and is also in big demand - that of a female security guard.
Devi is just one of the 32 women in the Swami Sivananda Memorial Institute of Fine Arts and Crafts in East Punjabi Bagh in the capital who are getting trained to become security guards in malls, retail shops and the metro.
Stray dogs close down schools, colleges in Orissa town
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : All educational institutions including schools and colleges are closed for three days starting Monday in an Orissa town after stray dogs went on a rampage and attacked dozens of its residents, police said.
"All the schools at Bamra town in the district of Sambalpur, some 400 km from here, will be closed three days because stray dogs are attacking people," officer in-charge of local police station Biswapati Panda told IANS on phone.
‘Protocol should have been forgone for Manekshaw’s funeral’
By Ritu Sharma, IANS,
New Delhi : Marshal of Air Force Arjan Singh has said the government should have forgotten protocol to attend Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw's funeral, an event that saw very low-key official representation.
"The whole country should have forgotten the protocol issue and attended Manekshaw's funeral," Singh, 91, told IANS here.
As Bihar reels, mega project to check floods hangs in balance
By Rajeev Ranjan Roy, IANS,
New Delhi : Even as India struggles to tackle one of the worst-ever calamities to hit Bihar, poor communication with Nepal has stalled a Rs.750-billion ($17 billion) project to save the state from such floods.
The ambitious project aims at building three river barrages in Nepal, including one on the river Kosi, which changed course this year, leaving over three million people uprooted.
The other barrages are to be built across the rivers Bagmati and Gandak; the three rivers cause the maximum damage in north Bihar.
Tripura’s Rudrasagar lake to be conserved
By Sujit Chakraborty, IANS,
Agartala : Among three wetlands in the northeast that will be conserved under a Rs.150-million government project is Tripura's Rudrasagar lake, large parts of which have been encroached upon despite being home to the splendid Neermahal palace.
Deepor Beel in Assam and Loktak lake in Manipur are the other lakes that have been brought under the project, according to the union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MEF).
Australian ban on uranian sales to India remains
By NNN-Bernama,
Melbourne : The Australian government will not lift its ban on uranium sales to India despite the move by supplier nations, including Australia, to end a 34-year embargo on nuclear trade with New Delhi.
The 45 countries which make up the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) moved on Saturday to endorse a waiver of its rules for India, which has so far refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
India has arrived as a power – the meaning of NSG waiver
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS,
India had always strongly supported the nuclear nonproliferation regime.In 1965, India with Ireland and other nations sponsored Resolution 2025 which laid down the balance of obligations between the five nuclear weapon powers and the rest of the international community.The nuclear weapon powers were to enter into negotiations in good faith to stop the arms race and reduce their nuclear arsenals.
Delhi Metro commuters asked to exercise
By IANS,
New Delhi : In a drive to motivate commuters to exercise as well as use its lifts and escalators less frequently, The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has put up posters with the tagline "stay fit use stairs" in all its stations.
“Genuinely old people and physically handicapped people should use escalators and lifts. But the situation is little different here - even young and healthy people are using them and leaving the stairs empty,” said a DMRC spokesman.
Teenager killed, three injured in mortar shell explosion
By IANS,
Jammu : A 15-year-old girl was killed and three of her siblings were injured in an accidental mortar shell explosion in Surankote area of Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said Monday.
The explosion took place Sunday evening when the children were playing with a mortar shell they found in Chitta Bitti village, about 230 km north of here.
Tbiiy, 15, died on the spot, while her siblings Sonu, 12, Imran, 9, and Asif, 7, were critically injured. They were rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital here for treatment.
Indian seeks ruling on open-air cremations in UK
By IANS,
London : An Indian-born Briton is seeking the intervention of the courts in reversing British laws to allow open-air cremations according to traditional Hindu custom.
Davender Kumar Ghai is challenging Newcastle city council's decision to deny him an open-air cremation when he dies. In 2006 the local authority blocked his attempt to establish Britain's first approved site for burning bodies in the open, ruling it would breach cremation laws.
Australia baulks at selling uranium to India
By DPA,
Sydney : Australia will not sell uranium to India despite voting with other members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to end a 34-year embargo on nuclear trade with Delhi, officials said Monday.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd took office in November pledged to withhold uranium sales so long as India remains outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
John Howard, his conservative predecessor, held that India's refusal to sign the NPT should not debar it from importing uranium from Australia, custodian of 40 percent of the world's known reserves.
Road finally cleared for Tatas to roll out Nano
By IANS,
Kolkata : The road has been cleared for Tata Motors to roll out the world's cheapest car Nano as planned following a far-reaching pact between the West Bengal government and the opposition Trinamool Congress here Sunday night over the disputed farmland acquired for the project at Singur.
West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi mediated the talks, held over three days since Friday, that finally put an end to the protest that had started 28 months ago following the acquisition of 997.11 acres of land at Singur, 40 km from here, for the car plant and ancillary units.
Chinese foreign minister dodges queries on NSG
By IANS,
Kolkata : Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Sunday parried queries about his country's stand during the Nuclear Supplies Group (NSG) meet in Vienna where the 45-nation bloc agreed by consensus to alter its guidelines for India, ending New Delhi's 34-year nuclear isolation.
Responding to questions by reporters here on the NSG meet, Yang said: "Your foreign minister (Pranab Mukherjee) is a good friend of mine. You will have all the answers tomorrow (Monday), when I meet him."
Nano saga: twists and turns so far
By IANS,
The agreement between the West Bengal government and the Trinamool Congress-backed agitating farmers Sunday night has removed the roadbloack before Tata Motors' project to produce the world's cheapest car Nano. Here's the timeline of the Nano saga:
May 18, 2006: Tata group chairman Ratan Tata announces small car project at Singur, 40 km from Kolkata, on the day when Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was sworn in the state's chief minister.
May 25: Angry demonstrations by farmers over "forcible" acquisition of land for the Tata car project.
86-yr-old Church Burnt Down in Ratlam town of MP
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: An 86-year-old St Bartholomew Church was completely burnt down in the wee hours of Sunday in the Railway Colony of Ratlam town of Bharatiya Janata party ruled Madhya Pradesh allegedly by saffron forces. The local Christian community is reported to be shell-shocked at the incident.
The district collector has ordered a magisterial enquiry into the matter. This is the sixth district after the Orissa communal riot that has claimed 25 lives and property loss.
Don’t handicap US firms eyeing $100 bn nuclear pie: Rice
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : The US has said it would talk to India about not "disadvantaging" American companies eyeing the $100 billion nuclear pie if the US Congress is unable to approve their civil nuclear deal quickly.
"Well, I hope we can get it through Congress," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday when asked if the delay in approving the India deal did not pose a risk of disadvantaging American companies with the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) also clearing the way for nuclear trade for the French and the Russians.
Text of Singur agreement
By IANS.
Kolkata : The following is the text of the agreement reached by the West Bengal government and the Trinamool Congress-backed farmer agitators after the talks at Raj Bhavan Sunday on Tata Motors' Nano project at Singur:
"The government has taken the decision to respond to the demand of those farmers who have not received compensation, by means of land to be provided to the maximum within the project area and the rest in adjacent areas as early as possible.
Singur imbrolgio resolved, Trinamool withdraws agitation
By IANS,
Kolkata : The deadlock following the farmers' agitation against Tata Motors' Nano small car project in Singur was resolved late Sunday night as the West Bengal government agreed to form a committee to look into the demand and the opposition Trinamool Congress suspended its campaign against it.
Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who mediated the talks between the Left Front government and the Trinamool, told reporters after several rounds of talks and some twists that the imbroglio was resolved.
Mamata backtracks, Nano’s future hangs in balance
By IANS,
Kolkata : Within hours of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee ostensibly hammering out “an acceptable formula” to break the Singur imbroglio Sunday evening, the opposition leader has done a volte-face, officials said.
The sudden turnaround in Banerjee's stand caused the chief minister to rush back to Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi's official residence, Raj Bhavan, late Sunday night for a quick second round of talks that were slated for Monday.
Rice to approach US Congress Monday for n-deal approval
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Armed with the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) waiver for India, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to speak to US Congress leaders Monday or Tuesday to push for a quick approval to the India-US civil nuclear deal.
Noting that "the time is very short", Rice said she had already talked several weeks before the NSG's Vienna meeting "to relevant committee chairs about trying to get it done".
VHP threatens nationwide stir
By IANS,
New Delhi : Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia Sunday threatened to launch nationwide stir if the killers of a Hindu leader and his four associates shot dead in Orissa Aug 23 were not arrested immediately.
The VHP international general secretary demanded that a special bench be set up for hearing the case of murders of Swami Laxmananand Saraswati and his four disciples whose killings sparked off widespread communal violence in Orissa.
N-deal, NSG waiver good for country: Kalam
By IANS,
New Delhi : Former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has said the India-US nuclear agreement and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) waiver were good for the country but New Delhi may break its "voluntary moratorium" on further nuclear tests in "supreme national interest".
Kalam made it clear that if the need arose, "India will do the test in the supreme national interest and nobody can stop it", and stressed that when it comes to national interest all political parties must come together.
Nano solution ‘big benchmark’ for West Bengal, says Amit Mitra
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) Sunday welcomed the solution to the Singur deadlock, calling it a "big benchmark for the state as well as industry".
Soon after West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee cobbled together an "acceptable formula" on the Singur impasse, Ficci secretary general Amit Mitra told a private television channel: "The deal is a very important compromise."
Separatists call for Kashmir shutdown, poll panel calls meeting
By IANS,
Srinagar : Separatist leaders Sunday called for a shutdown to be observed Monday when the Election Commission of India will hold meeting of all mainstream political parties here for assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
Members of coordination committee of two factions of the separatist Hurriyat Conference met at the residence of hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani to decide on the programme for the week starting Monday.
Waiver not clean, n-deal should be cancelled: Karat
By IANS,
New Delhi : Terming the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) waiver as neither clean nor unconditional, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat Sunday called for cancellation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, which is just a step away from realisation.
The deal, which is awaiting the US Congress' approval for its realisation, would be cancelled in case a government supported by the CPI-M-led Left Front comes to power, Karat said after the party's two-day politburo meeting here.
Buddhadeb, Mamata meet for first time, find Nano solution
By IANS,
Kolkata : The Tata Nano will roll out from Singur, after all.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee met for nearly two hours at Raj Bhavan, Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi's official residence, to cobble together "an acceptable formula" on the Singur imbroglio.
"An acceptable formula has been found, but some more discussions are still needed," Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) central committee Shyamal Chahraborty told reporters after the meeting.
Sikhs’ hold protest rally in Haryana town
By IANS,
Chandigarh : The ad hoc Haryana Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HGPC) Sunday took out a protest rally in Haryana's Karnal town.
The rally, "Sarbat Khalsa", was held to press for HGPC's demand for creation of a committee separate from the Amritsar-based Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to manage the gurdwaras in the state.
"We do not want the unnecessary interference of (Punjab Chief Minister) Parkash Singh Badal in the affairs of Sikhs based in Haryana.
President lays stone for model railway station in hometown
By IANS,
Amravati (Maharashtra) : President Pratibha Patil Sunday laid the foundation stone for a model railway station here even as Railways Minister Lalu Prasad flagged off an Amravati-Mumbai super-fast train.
Lalu Prasad announced two more trains from the town - to Nagpur and Surat in Gujarat.
He also announced the decision to set up a divisional railway office in Amravati to be housed in the model railway station building. This will be the sixth divisional railway office in Maharashtra after the five in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Solapur and Bhusawal.
One killed, 3 injured in Uttar Pradesh communal clash
By IANS,
Lucknow : A youth was killed Sunday and three people were injured in arson and communal violence that followed a rally by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh town, the police said.
Yogi, who apart from being the party MP from Gorakhpur town, is the founder chief of Hindu Vahini, a hardliner Hindu fundamentalist organization that commands a large following in major parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Court to hear developers’ plea in Goa SEZ muddle
By IANS,
Panaji : The controversy over special economic zones in Goa is headed for a showdown with the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court scheduled to hear Monday a bunch of petitions filed by SEZ developers against cancellation of land allotted to them.
The Goa government, under public pressure, was forced to take a policy decision to scrap the mammoth SEZ projects, but the central government has refused to play ball.
The union commerce ministry has maintained that once the Board of Approvals, a nodal agency for SEZs, notified a project, the state has no powers to scrap it.
Former Himachal chief minister, Congress leaders booked
By IANS,
Shimla : The Himachal Pradesh police has registered a case against state Congress leaders, including former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and leader of the opposition Vidya Stokes, for violating orders banning assembly of more than five persons, an official said Sunday.
"They have been booked for addressing a protest rally of temporary teachers outside the Vidhan Sabha Friday, where Section 144 of the CrPC was imposed," Shimla's superintendent of police R.M. Sharma told IANS.
Independence not a viable option for Kashmir: Omar Abdullah
By IANS,
New Delhi : Independence or accession to Pakistan are not viable options to solve the Kashmir dispute, says National Conference chief Omar Abdullah.
"I do not believe that independence for Kashmir is a feasible or a viable option and I stand by that," Abdullah told Karan Thapar in an interview on CNN-IBN TV news channel.
"I believe that you can give Kashmir independence but you cannot give Kashmir freedom under the circumstances that prevail within the subcontinent - India, Pakistan and China," Abdullah argued.
Tata Nano urged to relocate to Sri Lanka
By P. Karunakharan, IANS,
Colombo : Sri Lanka has invited India's Tata Motors to relocate its controversial Tata Nano car manufacturing plant to the island nation, an official said Sunday.
An official of the Board of Investment (BOI) said that Sri Lanka's Enterprise Development and Minister of Investment Promotion Sarath Amunugama made the offer last week.
This followed objections in West Bengal's Singur area to the Nano small car project. Nano is described as a small, affordable and rear engine passenger car aimed primarily at the Indian market.
Waiver neither clean nor unconditional, charges CPI-M
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Sunday contested the government's claims saying the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) waiver was "neither clean nor unconditional" and "reflected continuous concessions" India has made to the US over the last three years.
"The NSG waiver opening the doors to nuclear trade for India after a three-day-long meeting is neither clean nor unconditional and reflects the continuous concessions that India has made on this issue," the CPI-M politburo said in a statement entitled "On NSG Waiver: Another Surrender".
Farm activists hail hike in support price for cotton
By IANS,
Nagpur : Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), a people's movement group fighting for remunerative prices for agricultural produce, has hailed the government decision to raise the minimum support price (MSP) for cotton in the up-coming procurement year beginning next month.
"It's a good step to help the dying cotton farmers," said VJAS president Kishor Tiwari, appealing to the state government to open all 516 procurement centres of the Maharashtra State Cotton Marketing Federation on time to fully reach the benefit to the cultivators.
Goa government summons murdered Scarlette Keeling’s mother
By IANS,
Panaji : The Goa government has opened a fresh broadside against the mother of Scarlette Keeling, the British teenager who was found dead on a beach here in February.
Even as the spotlight on the investigations into the Keeling's sensational murder has dimmed after seven months of the crime, the government summoned the girl's mother Fiona MacKeown to enquire into charges of neglecting her teenaged daughter.
India has political will to transform ties, PM tells Zardari
By IANS,
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday congratulated Pakistan's President-elect Asif Ali Zardari and underlined India's "political will" to "transform relations" with the neighbouring country.
"As you assume this high office, I convey to you the desire of the government and people of India to build close ties of friendship and partnership between our countries that respond to the aspirations of our two peoples," Manmohan Singh said in a felicitation message to Zardari.
New government should cancel n-deal: Karat
By IANS,
New Delhi : Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat Sunday called for cancellation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, which is just single step away from realisation, when the new government comes to power at the centre after the general elections next year.
The deal, which is awaiting US Congress' approval for its realisation, would be cancelled in case a CPI-M-led Left front-supported government comes to power at the centre, Karat indicated after the party's two day politburo meeting here.
Armed with NSG waiver, Manmohan readies for US, France tour
By IANS,
New Delhi : Armed with the India-specific waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is now ready to face the world. Later this month, he will go on a 10-day visit that will take him to the US and France and give him a chance to meet and thank US President George W. Bush, who made it all happen.
Big turnout at Radha’s birth place in Uttar Pradesh
By IANS,
Barsana (Uttar Pradesh) : Thousands of devotees of Radha, Sri Krishna's beloved, turned up at her birth place in Barsana, Uttar Pradesh, Sunday to celebrate herb birthday.
The main celebrations were held at the Sreeji temple atop the hill overlooking the Braj landscape in Mathura district - the area where Lord Krishna is believed to have been born and spent his youth. Festivities started Saturday evening with singing and kirtans or devotional songs.
Radhashtmi like Janmashtmi is a big festival in Braj Mandal. In Vrindavan, the celebrations will be held Monday.
Pranab to host dinner for Chinese foreign minister, NSG on menu
By IANS,
New Delhi : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is hosting a special dinner and a cultural show in honour of Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi here Monday though the Indian leadership is also likely to express disappointment over Beijing's perceived negative role in the NSG.
Yang arrived in Kolkata Sunday on a three-day official visit - his first as foreign minister.
In New Delhi, Yang will have talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mukherjee and senior officials in the foreign policy establishment.
Chandigarh on way to become world’s greenest city
By IANS,
Chandigarh : It has the greenest cover in Asia and is aiming to become the greenest city in the world. The 'Greening Chandigarh Action Plan-2008' has set a target of planting one million saplings this year.
According to official records, 970,000 saplings have already been planted by various agencies by Aug 31.
It was launched by Gen. (retd.) S.F. Rodrigues, Chandigarh administrator, on World Forestry Day March 21, 2008.
Labour strike hits Kerala house boat industry
By IANS,
Alappuzha (Kerala) : A flash strike by nearly 1,500 Left-backed employees here, demanding higher pay, has left the money-spinning houseboat industry crippled since Saturday.
The strike was called by the Houseboat and Resort Employees Union, part of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-backed Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), after two rounds of talks with the houseboat owners failed.
Alappuzha, a famous tourist destination in the state, is home to more than 400 houseboats and has an average daily business of Rs.2.5 million during the peak season.
Pranab dodges question on China’s role in NSG
By IANS,
Kolkata : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Sunday skirted a query on China's role during the Nuclear Supplies Group (NSG) meeting in Vienna where the 45-nation organisation agreed by consensus to alter its guidelines for India, ending thecountry's 34-year-old nuclear isolation.
Buddhadeb at Raj Bhavan to meet Mamata over Nano
By IANS,
Kolkata : In a major development, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee came to visit Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee at the Raj Bhavan here late Sunday afternoon to find a solution to the controversial Nano project in Singur.
This is the first time that the two are meeting over the row over the acquisition of agricultural land for the Rs.1,500-crore (Rs.15-billion or $25-million) Tata Motors' project to roll out Nano, the world cheapest car.
NSG waiver will give access to latest technology: ISRO chief
By IANS,
Chennai : The lifting of the 34-year embargo against nuclear supplies to India would help the nation access latest global technological advancements, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair said Sunday.
"Though we are fairly advanced in this field, thanks to the NSG nod we will have access to uninterrupted supply of global inputs and technological advancements as the development is a clear recognition of our nuclear capability," Nair told reporters.
Pranab to host special dinner for Chinese foreign minister
By IANS,
New Delhi : Ignoring suggestions of a "negative" role played by China at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting in Vienna, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is hosting a special dinner and a cultural show to receive Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi here Monday.
Yang arrived in Kolkata Sunday on a three-day official visit - his first as foreign minister.
In New Delhi, Yang will have talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mukherjee and senior officials in the foreign policy establishment.
Save fishermen from Lankan navy, Karunanidhi’s urges PM
By IANS,
Chennai : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi Sunday expressed anguish over the alleged killings of Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait by the Sri Lankan Navy and requested the central government to ensure its immediate cessation.
"In spite of assurances given by the government of India, the fishermen of the state feel insecure for fear of attack from Sri Lanka without any warning," Karunanidhi said in a personal letter addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, requesting him to intervene in the matter.
Waiver will pave way for entering civilian n-trade: Pranab
By IANS,
Kolkata : A day after the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) agreed to a waiver for India ending its 34-year nuclear isolation, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Sunday that it would pave the way for the country to enter into civilian nuclear trade with the international community.
Giving details, Mukherjee said: "International trade in civil nuclear area will have to be executed through bilateral agreement. We have already entered into a treaty with the United States in the form of the 123 India-US bilateral agreement."
Nearly six million Delhiites vulnerable to TB
By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS,
New Delhi : Nearly six million Delhiites of its population of 15 million are vulnerable to tuberculosis, a health ministry official said.
“At least 40 percent of the population is vulnerable to TB,” L.S. Chauhan, deputy director general (TB), ministry of health and family welfare, told IANS.
“This does not mean that Delhi is home to six million TB patients at this point of time. But yes they are vulnerable. Unless they take precautions, many of them can fall victim to the disease,” Chauhan said.
Taj group opens new five-star hotel in Kerala Monday
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : The Taj group will open its eighth luxury hotel in Kerala, Taj Residency-Thiruvananthapuram, Monday.
The Rs.1 billion property, owned by Dodla International Ltd (DIL), which is in collaboration with the Taj group, has many attractive facilities, including state-of-the-art technology infused bar, several conference halls, a pool side facility, energy-efficient components and sewage treatment plants.
The hotel has 137 rooms with tariff ranging from Rs.6,500 to Rs.7,500 and has a staff strength of 265.
India has political will to work with Zardari: PM
By IANS,
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday told Pakistan's President-elect Asif Ali Zardari that India had the "political will" to work with him and said: "In your new office, you will find a friend in India."
Congratulating Zardari on his being elected president, Manmohan Singh said in a message that the government and people of India desired to build close ties of friendship and partnership between the two countries.
Antony goes to US as India gets NSG nod
By IANS,
New Delhi : With the India-US nuclear deal inching close to fruition, Defence Minister A.K. Antony Sunday embarked on a four-day visit to the US to enhance military ties.
Antony will meet US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defence Robert M. Gates during the Sep 7-10 trip.
Antony is travelling to the US at the invitation of Gates, who visited India in February.
MPJ welcomes Shailesh Gandhi as CIC (RTI)
By TwoCircles.net news desk,
Mumbai: The Movement for Peace & Justice has welcomed the appointment of Shailesh Gandhi for the post of Central Information Commissioner (RTI).
“It’s a historic decision felt by MPJ in this regard, as an activist has being chosen from the ground not a politician or retire bureaucrat,” says a statement from MPJ.
Punjab govt. to use religious preachers to reform inmates
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
Sangrur (Punjab): In a good move to reform under-trials and prisoners and instill in them a sense of responsibility and good social and human values, the Punjab government has decided to send preachers of all religions to jails throughout the state.
The programme is aimed at reforming the jail inmates and inspiring them to get involve in social work when they come out of prison, says a report in The Tribune.