World leaders root for NPT, India remains firm
By IANS,
New Delhi/New York : The United Nations, backed by the US and other countries, Tuesday asked countries that have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to join the NPT regime. India made it clear there is no change in its position that the NPT was discriminatory.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on all nations to join the NPT in his address at the ongoing NPT review conference in New York. "I urge those countries that are currently outside the treaty regime to accede to it as soon as possible," Ban said.
Gujarat to fight terror with special intelligence unit
By IANS,
Gandhinagar : Gujarat, hit by terror strikes last month, Wednesday announced setting up of a special intelligence unit by direct recruitment of cadres for better preparedness.
"We will directly recruit about 60 percent of the field staff," Minister of State for Home Amit Shah told reporters here.
The special intelligence cadre will comprise a deputy superintendent of police, police sub-inspectors and constables.
India to help Jordan set up poll panel
By IANS,
New Delhi : India, the world's largest democracy, has agreed to help Jordan set up an independent poll panel.
Relatives of Ahmadabad blasts accused suspect torture
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Ahmadabad: The relatives of the accused in the Ahmadabad serial bomb blasts have alleged that the state police is torturing their relatives in custody. Moreover the state police have threatened them not to speak any thing about it in the court otherwise the police will implicate their other relatives also in fake cases, they have alleged.
Sarabjit’s family celebrates hanging postponement
By IANS,
Bhikhiwind (Punjab) : This Punjab town Saturday woke up to drum beats as the family and friends of Sarabjit Singh celebrated the news that Pakistan had indefinitely put off the Indian prisoner's hanging.
A large number of people shared their joy with Sarabjit Singh's family at their modest single-storey house here, 50 km from Amritsar. Sarabjit Singh is on a death row in Pakistan on charges of exploding bombs.
Amarnath pilgrimage: Holy mace leaves for cave shrine
By IANS,
Srinagar : Amid a dragging controversy over a plot of forest land involving the management board of the Amarnath shrine, the traditional journey of Lord Shiva's holy mace began from its seat here Monday towards the cave temple in south Kashmir Himalayas.
Nearly 200 devotees led by Swami Dipinder Giri, the custodian of the holy mace, offered special prayers inside Dashnami Akhara temple near city centre Lal Chowk marking the beginning of the conclusion of the two-month-long annual Hindu pilgrimage.
Soren loses by-election, BJP demands assembly polls
By IANS,
Ranchi/New Delhi : Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren Thursday lost an assembly by-election that he needed to win to remain in power, prompting the state's opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to demand his resignation and fresh assembly polls.
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), however, was yet to take a stand on whether Soren should resign, have another candidate contest for chief ministership, fresh elections be declared in the state or the state brought under president's rule.
Jet flight makes emergency landing at Delhi airport
By IANS
New Delhi : A Jet Airways flight with 127 people on board made an emergency landing at the capital's domestic airport Wednesday evening after it developed a hydraulic snag.
"The Varanasi-Delhi Jet flight 9W724 landed safely at the Palam airport in full emergency due to hydraulic failure at around 5.20 p.m. All 127 passengers and cabin crew are safe," said an airport official.
Indian encroachment triggered Nepal violence, says ethnic leader
By IANS,
Kathmandu: The general strike called Sunday by Nepal's former Maoist guerrillas after six people were killed in clashes between security forces and squatters in the far west of the country was caused by continuing Indian encroachment in Nepal, a Nepali ethnic leader has alleged.
Hoax call pushed Pakistan to brink of war with India: Report
By DPA,
Islamabad : Nuclear-armed Pakistan put its forces on alert when its president received a threatening call from someone posing as Indian Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee following last week's Mumbai attacks, a media report said Saturday.
The caller, who was put through to President Asif Ali Zardari late Nov 28 without verification of his claimed identity, warned that India would take "military action if Islamabad failed to immediately act against the supposed perpetrators of the Mumbai killings."
Durrani calls for frank dialogue between Indian, Pakistani spymasters
By IANS,
New Delhi : Pitching for resuming dialogue with India, Pakistan's former national security adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani Saturday called for a "frank dialogue" between spymasters and security services to jointly combat terrorism and bridge mistrust.
In a lecture entitled 'India and Pakistan - Bridging the Gap', Durrani outlined an all-embracing vision of a bilateral relationship based on continuous dialogue, resolving 'doable' issues like Siachen and Sir Creek without much delay and greater interaction between the media, academia and the business community of the two countries.
Parsvnath to set up IT park in Gurgaon
By IANS,
New Delhi : Realty major Parsvnath Developers will develop an IT park in Gurgaon, it said Thursday.
The company is already in possession of the land and will invest Rs.135 crore in the project, Parsvnath Technica, it said in a statement.
Located on the main Gurgaon-Sohna road, the Parsvnath Technica cyber park will have office space of 700,000 square feet in two towers.
Parsvnath expects to realise around Rs.350-Rs.370 crore from the project, which is scheduled to be completed within three years from the commencement of construction.
Sri Lankan PM to open Buddhist centre at Sanchi
By IANS,
Bhopal : Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake would Saturday inaugurate a Buddhist prayer centre at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha district, officials said Friday.
The Rs.84-million (Rs.8.4 crore) centre has been built by the National Physical Planning Department under the union ministry of urban development, Sacred Area Development of the government of Sri Lanka and the Madhya Pradesh public works department, officials of the state information department said.
Orissa to raise special force against organised crime
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Orissa plans to raise a Special Task Force on the same lines as Maharashtra to check the rise of organised crime in the state.
"The state government is planning to raise a Special Task Force, with around 200 to 250 policemen. It will check inter-state crime, drug offences and money laundering cases, among others," a senior state police officer told IANS Friday.
He said the special force would be formed on the lines of anti-terrorism squad of Maharashtra, which has been formed under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
12 labourers killed in Gujarat road accident
By IANS,
Ahmedabad : As many as 12 labourers were killed on the spot and six others seriously injured as the truck they were riding in overturned near Babra village of Gujarat's Amreli district Saturday.
Reports reaching here said 18 labourers were riding in the truck carrying cement from Una near Diu to the Kandla port in the Kutch region when the driver lost control over the vehicle. The truck overturned, crushing the 12 labourers under the cement bags. The dead included seven children, three women and two men, all from Rapar in Kutch.
Students in Kozhikode extend Ramadan relief to Tribal people
By Shafeeq Hudawi, TwoCircles.net
Kozhikode: For Muslims, Ramadan is month of charity and relief. If the figures with Muslim organisations are taken into account, crores...
No contradiction in being pro-business, pro-poor: Finance minister
New Delhi : Finance Minister Arun Jaitley changed his Facebook cover photo and wrote that there is no contradiction between being 'pro-business and pro-poor'.
"Unless...
In Uttar Pradesh, toddler son’s mysterious illness leaves parents hopeless
Azeem Malik, a senior doctor at Aligarh Medical College, said that children with this brain disorder die before they become adults. In Shayan's...
Saudi Arabia bans import of Indian chili peppers
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia, the fifth-largest importer of fresh vegetables from India, has banned the import of Indian chili due to the presence of high...
Police conduct searches in village of blast case accused Atif
By NNN-PTI,
Lucknow, India : A joint team of Delhi police and Uttar Pradesh state Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) today conducted searches in Delhi serial blasts main accused Atif's native village in Azamgarh district, official sources said here.
The team reached Sanjarpur area in Saraimeer village in the wee hours and questioned relatives and conducted searches to find clues relating to the blast case, ATS sources said.
West Bengal culls 2.55 mn poultry amid bird flu spread
By IANS
Kolkata : West Bengal would complete the culling of 2.8 million poultry birds by Saturday even as laboratory tests confirmed that bird flu has spread to new blocks of some affected districts.
"We have culled about 2.55 million birds by Wednesday. We hope to complete the rest in two more days," West Bengal Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahman said Thursday.
He said all poultry and egg sellers would be compensated for the loss and each family losing chickens and ducks either to culling or deaths from the virus would be given Rs.500.
Gadkari denies attacking BJP veterans
New Delhi: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday denied attacking BJP veterans including L.K. Advani and said the party leadership was discussing with them...
India-Chile trade can reach $5 bn by 2014: CII
By IANS,
New Delhi : The bilateral trade between India and Chile can reach $5 billion by 2014 from $2.1 billion last fiscal, according to an industry lobby report released Sunday.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) report, released a day before Chilean President Michelle Bachelet arrives here for a five-day official visit, said India should set up bilateral forums with Latin American countries like Chile to bolster trade.
Meghalaya Police announces reward for capture of militants
Shillong : Meghalaya Police Wednesday announced a cash reward of Rs.10 lakh for the capture of militants belonging of the Garo National Liberation Army...
Indian embassy in UAE moots action plan for labour disputes
By Aroonim Bhuyan, IANS
Dubai : The Indian embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has proposed a four-pronged line of action for resolving all labour-related disputes involving expatriate workers.
"We reject all forms of public agitation and violence in regard to settlement of disputes," India's Ambassador to the UAE Talmiz Ahmad told IANS over the phone from Abu Dhabi.
He laid out a four-point action plan.
Space network guides Chandrayaan’s precise orbit around earth
BY IANS,
Bangalore : The precise orbiting of India's first lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 around the earth is being monitored by the telemetry, tracking and command network (Istrac) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a top official said here Friday.
"Very precise orbit determination of Chandrayaan is in progress for planning its next manoeuvre over the next two days. Health parameters of the lunar spacecraft are also being evaluated," ISRO director S. Satish told IANS.
Lack of rainfall hits Uttar Pradesh plantation drive
By IANS,
Lucknow : Dry weather conditions in Uttar Pradesh, where 58 of the total 71 districts have been declared drought-hit, are hampering a sapling plantation drive of the state government, say officials.
The initiative was jointly launched by the state forest department, the public works department and various civic agencies July 1 with a goal to make the state greener. The government has allocated Rs.70 crore for the plantation drive.
However, officials said they were doubtful of meeting the target of planting 81.9 million saplings by Aug 15 because of scanty rainfall.
Team Anna meets Khurshid
By IANS,
New Delhi : Even as parliament debated the Lokpal issue, Team Anna members met Law Minister Salman Khurshid Saturday.
‘Jagdish Tytler’s UK visit blocked over 1984 Sikh massacre’
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : Former minister Jagdish Tytler was dropped from the Indian delegation for the launch of the Commonwealth Games baton relay in London last week, Sikh groups said after a British MP asked Scotland Yard to arrest him for his role in the 1984 Sikh massacre.
Rob Marris, MP and chair of the British parliament's all-party group on Sikhs, said he objected to Tytler's planned Oct 29 entry to Britain in an emergency meeting with the Junior Foreign Office Minister responsible for India, Ivan Lewis, and in a letter to Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
Two injured in freak firing incident in Andhra
By IANS,
Hyderabad : Two people were injured Saturday when the gun of a legislator's bodyguard accidentally went off in Andhra Pradesh's Prakasam district, police said.
The freak accident took place in Samuel George College in Markapuram area of Prakasam district.
The gunman of legislator A. Suresh of the ruling Congress party was reportedly cleaning his gun when it suddenly went off. A car driver and canteen manager were injured in the accident and were admitted to a hospital.
Efforts on to retrieve black money stashed abroad: government
By IANS,
New Delhi : The government is not sitting idle over the issue of retrieving over Rs.70 trillion of Indian black money stashed in various foreign banks and will detail the actions taken in this regard within "48 hours", the Supreme Court was told Wednesday.
Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam made this assertion before a bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan during the hearing of a lawsuit that accused the government of being oblivious to black money stashed away by tax evading citizens in foreign banks.
Supreme Court stays Kasab’s death sentence
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Monday stayed the death sentence awarded to Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone gunman captured alive during the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai terror attack.
We have not encroached any land: Tata Tea official
By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Tata Tea managing director P.T. Siganporia Sunday categorically denied the charge repeatedly made by Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan that the Tata Group firm had encroached government land in the hill town of Munnar.
"We, the Tatas, are not one to keep with us or encroach upon any land which is not ours. We do not hold even an inch of land that does not belong to us and we will never do that also," Siganporia told reporters here.
Honours for M.M. Jacob and Amartya Sen
By IANS
New Delhi : Former deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha M.M. Jacob and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen would be conferred with honorary doctorates by the North-Eastern Hill University Wednesday.
President Pratibha Patil would present the degrees to them at a special convocation in Shillong.
While Sen is a renowned economist, Jacob has authored several books, besides being the Governor of Meghalaya for over a decade.
86 recruited by Kashmir police
By IANS,
Jammu : Eightysix people, including two women, were recruited by the Jammu and Kashmir Police Wednesday in a special drive on the outskirts of Jammu.
Tens of millions to benefit from India’s right to education act – UN agencies
By NNN-UNNS,
New Delhi : Three United Nations agencies are hailing what they described as a “ground-breaking” new act that legalizes the right to free and compulsory education for all children between the ages of 6 and 14 in India.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates there are eight million children in this age group, mostly girls, who are out-of-school in India.
“Tens of millions of children will benefit from this initiative ensuring quality education with equity,” said UNICEF Representative in India Karin Hulshof.
DGCA to conduct surprise checks to catch drunk pilots, crew
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Indian aviation watchdog Thursday said it will carry out surprise checks and enforce stricter norms to stop pilots and cabin crew getting tipsy while at work.
Why Rose Valley Group is in the news
Kolkata : The Rose Valley Group came into focus after the Saradha ponzi scam broke in early 2013. The same year, the corporate affairs...
CBSE Class 10 results declared
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced the Class 10 board examination results Thursday.
Scores of students were seen at Internet cafes and calling dedicated telephone numbers to know how they had fared in the examination soon after the results were declared at 8 a.m.
This year, 765,095 students appeared for the Class 10 examination in India and abroad. These students from 8,199 schools had written papers at 2,624 centres in March.
Maharashtra governor, chief minister greet Amtes
By IANS,
Mumbai : Maharashtra Governor S.C. Jamir and Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh Thursday paid rich tributes to Prakash and Mandakini Amte who have been jointly conferred this year's Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership.
In a message to the Amte couple, Jamir expressed his joy at the announcement and said it was a “fitting recognition” of their selfless services to the poor people living in the tribal areas of Gadchiroli district.
Laskhar as big a threat as Al Qaeda: former CIA official
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : The Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Pakistan-based terrorist network blamed for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, now constitutes as big a threat to the US and Britain as Al Qaeda, a former CIA official who has advised President Barack Obama was quoted as saying Sunday.
The comment, made to the Sunday Telegraph, comes after Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon told his British counterpart Sir Philip Rickett in London talks Friday that Pakistan must take immediate steps to "wind up" the terrorist infrastructure that continues to operate from its soil.
Children, elderly most susceptible to swine flu, say experts
By IANS,
New Delhi : Children and old people, especially those suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes and heart problems, are most prone to catch the swine flu virus that has created havoc globally, experts here said.
Thirty cases have been confirmed in India since swine flu was first reported on May 16. Of the total, eight children have been tested positive in Punjab, five children in Hyderabad and one each in Coimbatore and Bangalore. The age of the children varies from 20 months to 17 years.
शिवराज सरकार का असली चेहरा : असद को दाढ़ी रखने पर कॉलेज से निकाल...
TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
नई दिल्ली : मध्य प्रदेश में बड़वानी ज़िला के अरिहन्त होमियोपैथिक मेडिकल कॉलेज से दाढ़ी रखने की कारण एक छात्र को निकाले...
Hike in US visa fee to impact Indian IT firms: Nasscom
By IANS,
Bangalore : The proposed sharp increase in the US visa fee to raise funds for its border security needs would significantly impact the Indian IT sector, National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) said Friday.
The proposed hike is expected to be about $4,500 per visa from $2,500 currently.
"The Border Security Bill, passed by the US senate late Thursday, aims to raise about $600 million by increasing fee for H-1B and L-1 visas. This has significant impact on the Indian IT sector," Nasscom said in a statement here.
ULFA chief Arabinda Rajkhowa to be produced in court
By IANS,
Guwahati : Arrested chairman of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) Arabinda Rajkhowa, the deputy commander-in-chief of the outfit Raju Baruah and Rajkhowa's personal security guard Raja Bora would be produced in a local court here Saturday, police said.
"We would seek 14 days police remand of the three arrested ULFA members before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court," a senior Assam police officer said.
On Friday, the ULFA chairman led a dramatic surrender before Indian authorities at Dawki in Meghalaya.
A year after the Gorakhpur tragedy, everyone knows about the problem; no one knows...
By Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net
Last year, BRD College in Gorakhpur shot to worldwide notoriety after dozens of children died due to a critical failure of...
After honour killing arrests, uncle shows no remorse
By IANS,
New Delhi : The father and uncle of a 19-year-old girl who tortured her and her boyfriend to death were sent to two days police custody here Tuesday, with the uncle saying he did not regret the brutal murders.
The unrepentant uncle, Om Prakash, said defiantly that he did not regret the death of Asha and Yogesh Kumar, after they insisted on getting married while belonging to different castes.
Police described the horrific murders as honour killing.
Two more deaths take India’s swine flu toll to 25
By IANS,
New Delhi/Bangalore : With two more deaths in Bangalore, India's swine flu toll has reached 25, even as 165 people tested positive for the virus Saturday to take the total number of infected people in the country to 1,556, officials said.
Two people died of the influenza A (H1N1) virus in the Karantaka capital Friday, taking the toll in the city to three, the officials said.
Shivanna, 55, died at Wockhardt Hospital in west Bangalore and Manjunath, 28, in Vydehi Medical Institute in eastern part of the city.
Text of PM’s speech at National Integration Council meeting
By IANS,
New Delhi : Following is the text of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech at the 14th National Integration Council meeting here Monday:
We are meeting at a time when our nation is facing many and simultaneous challenges. Responding to challenges, at best of times, is a very complex exercise. It gets even more complicated when the security calculus is a matrix of many imponderable factors.
India, China must improve relations: BJP leader
By IANS,
New Delhi : BJP leader Tarun Vijay Sunday said India and China must improve their trust levels to have a sincere handshake.
Railways’ five-year profit will cross Rs.1,000 bn: Lalu
By IANS,
Patna : Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Monday said the Railway's profit during his five-year tenure will cross Rs.1,000 billion ($20 billion).
“I am 100 percent sure that the Indian Railways is set to earn a profit of over Rs.1 lakh crore (Rs.1,000 billion),” he said.
The minister has been travelling across the state during the last one week to lay foundation stones of new rail lines and also to inaugurate railway buildings.
Bus catches fire in Haryana, all passengers safe
By IANS,
Karnal (Haryana) : A Haryana state transport bus caught fire at a village near here Tuesday but the passengers had a miraculous escape, police said.
The Haryana Roadways bus was completely gutted but the passengers, said to be over 40, jumped out of the vehicle in time.
Police officials investigating the accident said the bus caught fire due to a leakage in the diesel tank.
Though the fire brigade was informed immediately, the bus was completely burnt down.
The bus belonged to the Karnal depot of Haryana Roadways and was coming to Karnal, 130 km from Chandigarh.
Australian agency to help resolve perception issues in India
By IANS,
Melbourne : A national agency to oversee standards of higher education providers will help resolve Australia's "serious perception issues" in India, an official of a universities' group said Thursday, adding "we do have a problem in India, and it is our collective problem".
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard Wednesday announced the establishment of Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), which is going to be an independent body to regulate higher education providers.
US alerts travellers to India to Mumbai-type terror attacks
By IANS,
Washington : In the run up to the first anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the US has issued a travel alert on India saying Washington "continues to receive information that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in India." The alert comes even as former president George W. Bush is in India to attend a 'Leadership Summit' in New Delhi Oct 30-31.
Sensex tanks 327 points after Bihar poll verdict
Mumbai: A day after the BJP-led NDA was defeated in Bihar assembly polls, a benchmark index of Indian equities markets, the 30-scrip Sensitive Index...
Indian economy witnessed major changes over years: President
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee Monday said the Indian economy has undergone major changes over the years and no policy can be considered relevant...
Vizhinjam port: Adani calls on Kerala politicians ahead of MoU
Thiruvananthapuram: Adani Ports chief Gautam Adani on Monday morning called on top political leaders of Kerala, ahead of the signing of an agreement with...
New era in Kashmir as trade convoy leaves for Muzaffarabad
By F. Ahmed, IANS,
Salamabad Uri (Jammu and Kashmir) : To the sound of drumbeats and loud cheers, Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra Tuesday flagged off the first trade convoy that will cross the Line of Control (LoC) dividing the two Kashmirs and herald a new era of goodwill.
Chinese experts to upgrade Orissa railway station
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : A team of Chinese experts Tuesday surveyed and inspected the railway station here to re-design and upgrade it to a world class railway station, an official said.
The Chinese railway delegation, led by Wu Wei, director of Sino-India Railway Co-operation Working Group, visited the railway station at the state capital and held discussions with A.K. Goyal, general manager of the East Coast Railway, and other senior officials, the official said.
Pratibha Patil begins Britain visit with Diaspora meet
By Dipankar De Sarkar,IANS,
London : Pratibha Patil arrived here Monday -- becoming only the third Indian President to come to Britain on a state visit -- for three days of close interactions with British royals, politicians and Indian-origin achievers.
Politicians and industrialistS were among some 400 people -- largely of Indian origin and from all walks of life -- set to greet Patil at a reception in central London in a recognition of the importance of a community that has grown to some two million in strength.
Security forces kill 2 militants in Kashmir
By IANS,
Srinagar : Two militants were killed and two soldiers wounded in an ongoing gunbattle in the Wedder Bala forest area of Kupwara district in north Kashmir, police said Saturday.
Security forces surrounded the forest Friday on getting specific information about the presence of militants.
"While searching the forest, troops came under fire from hiding militants. They retaliated, triggering a gunbattle. So far, two militants have been killed," a police officer said.
Two soldiers injured in the gunfight have been taken to hospital.
Moral education is high priority: Pallam Raju
By IANS,
New Delhi : Reviving moral education is high on the list of priorities of new Human Resource Development Minister M.M. Pallam Raju, who took charge Wednesday.
Pitroda calls for 1,000 community radio stations in a year
By IANS
Puducherry : Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission Sam Pitroda has called for at least 1,000 community radio stations to be set up in the country in a year's time.
In a video message to participants at a media workshop in Auroville here, Pitroda also called for greater awareness of radio's usefulness.
Expressing concern over the ban on news and current events under India's radio policy, Pitroda said he believed that "the community radio can fulfil its objectives to facilitate exchange and bring out more information on events of local importance".
HC seeks Delhi government response on play schools
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought a response from the city government on a plea filed against unauthorised and unrecognised...
Speedy trial begins in Japanese woman’s gangrape case
By IANS,
Patna : A Bihar court Thursday began the trial into the gangrape of a Japanese woman on April 16. Three people have been arrested.
The speedy trial began in the court of the chief judicial magistrate in Gaya, a day after police filed its chargesheet against the three accused.
The 25-year-old Japanese woman was allegedly raped near Bodh Gaya by five people, including an autorickshaw driver, on April 16 when she was on her way to the Gaya railway station.
Three of the five accused were arrested and arrest warrants were issued against the two absconding.
IAEA approval sees India-US N-deal cross major hurdle
By Mehru Jaffer, IANS
Vienna : The landmark India-US nuclear deal passed its first global test Friday when the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) unanimously approved an India-specific safeguards agreement that puts New Delhi just one step away from joining the privileged world of nuclear commerce.
CBI probe into irregular allotment of Noida plots upheld
By IANS
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Thursday upheld an order for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the irregular allotment of 1,250 residential plots in Noida to a host of prominent personalities in 2005.
Upholding an October 2005 ruling of the Allahabad High Court, a bench of Justices H.K. Sema and Aftab Alam also endorsed the cancellation of plots and holding of a fresh draw.
Government issues formal orders on OBC quota
By IANS,
New Delhi : The government Sunday issued formal directions to all centrally-run institutions of higher learning, including IITs and IIMs, to implement the 27 percent reservation for the other backward classes (OBCs) from the new academic session beginning later this year.
The human resource development ministry directed all these institutions to exclude the 'creamy layer', or the elite among the OBCs, from the ambit of the reservation as ordered by the Supreme Court April 10, an official statement here said.
Zoo pachyderm release should be closely monitored: Experts
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : The release of zoo elephants into wildlife parks should be closely monitored as they could end up creating difficulties for their peers in the wild, say experts in Kerala, which has a large number of pachyderms.
The Central Zoo Authority had last week sent an order to chief wildlife wardens in the country asking that zoo elephants be moved to national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves so that the animals have more space to move around and graze.
But veteran elephant expert Jacob Cheeran said this should be done cautiously.
Parliament’s winter session from Nov 9
By IANS,
New Delhi: The winter session of parliament is expected to commence on Nov 9 and will conclude Dec 13.
New Mumbai airport terminal to open Wednesday
By IANS,
Mumbai : A month after it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Terminal 2 of Chhhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) here...
Project underway to make Agartala airport international: AAI Chief
Agartala : The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is upgrading Agartala airport to international standards by providing world-class facilities, top official said here.
The ambitious...
Union Carbide plant not to be opened to public now
By IANS,
Bhopal : The Madhya Pradesh government has finally decided not to open the notorious Union Carbide factory to the public on the 25th anniversary of the gas leak holocaust, on the ground that the model code of conduct for the Bhopal Municipal Corporation elections is in force.
Article 370 will be dealt later, peace in Valley a priority: Ahir
Panaji : Abrogation of Article 370, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, will happen in due course of time, but right now...
45 percent Canadians want apology for Air India bombing
By IANS
Toronto : Forty-five percent of Canadians surveyed in a poll want the government to apologise to Air India victims for the 1985 bombing that killed 329 people on Kanishka Flight 182 from Toronto to New Delhi.
In a survey by Angus Reid Strategies, about 30 percent respondents opposed any apology at all. The survey was carried out last month in which 1,085 people were interviewed.
More than half of them blamed the federal police, the airport security and the nation's spy agency for the tragedy. Forty-five percent said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) should be blamed.
Haryana set to welcome Queen’s baton relay
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Haryana is set to welcome the Queen's baton relay for the Commonwealth Games 2010. It will cross this state in September before entering its final destination New Delhi, officials said here Sunday.
According to the officials, the baton relay, which will reach Haryana from Rajasthan Sep 26, will remain in the state for five days. It will cross various cities and towns of the state. New Delhi is hosting the Games Oct 3-14.
India strengthening border security for any eventuality: Antony
By IANS,
Bangalore : India is strengthening its security in the border areas, including in Arunachal Pradesh, to meet any eventuality or external threat, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said Tuesday.
"We are strengthening our security set-up in all border areas, including Arunachal Pradesh, which is an integral part of India," Antony told reporters here on the margins of a defence function.
Centre to widen scope of search committee for Lokpal, SC told
New Delhi : In an important shift in its position, the central government Monday told the Supreme Court that it was considering amending the...
DDA, Spanish group to cooperate in urban planning
By IANS,
New Delhi: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a Spanish group for cooperation in the field of urban planning.
‘Slumdog’ star Rubina up for sale, father asks for 200,000 pounds
By IANS,
London : "Slumdog Millionaire" child star Rubina Ali's father plans to get rid of poverty and become a millionaire by selling his nine-year-old daughter, a British news website reported after conducting a sting operation.
Newsoftheworld.co.uk reports that in a bid to escape slum life, Rafiq Qureshi has put Rubina up for adoption, demanding 200,000 pounds.
Rafiq offered the shocking deal to the News of the World's undercover reporters posing as a wealthy family from Dubai.
Sacked Escorts hospital employees want job back
By IANS
New Delhi : Two staff members of Escorts hospital loyal to eminent cardiologist Naresh Trehan were Tuesday prevented from entering the institute five days after they were dismissed, even as a sacked senior doctor said he wanted to return to work but with dignity.
Apex court clears Posco, Vedanta projects; villagers protest
By IANS,
New Delhi/Bhubaneswar : The Supreme Court Friday cleared the diversion of forest land in Orissa for South Korean major Posco's steel plant and a mining project by Britain's Vedanta Resources, angering villagers and tribals in the region.
The apex court gave its nod for the diversion of 3,097 acres of forest land for the $12 billion Posco steel plant in Jagatsinghpur district, Priyabrata Satpathy, a Supreme Court lawyer, told IANS.
The court also allowed Vedanta Resources to mine bauxite in Niyamgiri Hill in Kalahandi district to build an alumina refinery, he said.
CBSE class 10 results for north and east Tuesday
By IANS
New Delhi : The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will declare its Class 10 examination results for Delhi, Guwahati, Panchkula and Allahabad regions Tuesday.
Singur to start ‘satyagraha’ from Friday against Nano exit
By IANS,
Kolkata : People in West Bengal's Singur along with syndicate members who supplied materials for building the plant for the world's most inexpensive car Nano, will start a 'satyagraha' (sit-in) movement near the factory site from Friday, a syndicate member said Thursday.
Colombian army generals, troopers sacked for killing innocents
By IANS,
Bogota : The Colombian government has sacked three army generals and 20 troopers for killing, during anti-crime drive, scores of innocent young men whose bodies were discovered in a mass grave near the border with Venezuela.
President Alvaro Uribe ordered the sacking Wednesday after an internal military investigation found the generals and the soldiers guilty of colluding with criminals and killing the men to show operational results in the fight against drug traffickers, EFE reported Thursday.
New Delhi reaches out to Bangladesh opposition leader
By IANS,
Dhaka : India and Bangladesh have agreed to hold "discussions at all levels" to consolidate bilateral ties, the Indian envoy said here after a meeting with opposition leader and former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty's two-hour meeting with Zia Thursday was an apparent bid to set records straight in bilateral ties after recent criticism from a section of the media and political circles.
Case filed against BJP MP Pragya Thakur for ‘Hindus, Keep Knives’ speech
On December 25, Thakur said Hindus have the right to respond to those who attack them and their dignity as she spoke about...
Explosive materials found in N Indian city
By Xinhua,
New Delhi : Raw material for explosives has been seized from a spot in India's northern city Kanpur where two men were killed in a bomb blast Sunday afternoon, police said Monday.
On Monday, police recovered some crude hand grenades, lead oxide, red lead, potassium nitrate, timers and batteries from the spot, inside a private hostel in Kanpur, the Indo-Asian News Service reported.
A massive blast took place in the hostel Sunday afternoon, killing two men, police said.
Delhi to release Rs.271 crore for development work
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi government Monday approved the release of Rs.271 crore to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for carrying out infrastructure- related work ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
Finance Minister A.K. Walia said that an amount of Rs.271 crore out of approved outlay of Rs.912 crore for the year 2010-11 has been approved as the first instalment.
"There will be no dearth of funds for public-oriented projects. I am confident that the MCD will be able to present a better image of the city during Commonwealth Games," he said.
Make English optional medium: Tripura’s ruling Left
By IANS,
Agartala : The Left Front government in Tripura Friday demanded that regional languages be reintroduced alongside English as a medium of learning for all degree level courses in the ongoing academic session.
"The union government should introduce English as an optional medium of learning along with other recognised local and regional languages in higher education across the country," Tripura Higher Education Minister Anil Sarkar said in a statement.
Drug that raises good cholestrol can also clear arteries: Study
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS,
London : A study led by an Indian-origin researcher has found that a drug that raises levels of 'good' cholesterol can also help clear clogged arteries in heart patients who are already on standard statin therapy, Oxford University announced Wednesday.
The findings of the study, led by Robin Choudhury of the department of cardiovascular medicine at Oxford University, are published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Mystery surrounds death of tiger in Uttar Pradesh
By IANS,
Lucknow: Mystery surrounds the death of a tiger whose carcass was discovered four days ago in a forest area in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur district as the autopsy report has failed to ascertain the exact cause of death.
"Veterinary doctors have rejected the theory of the forest officials that the feline died of electrocution," a source in the state forest department said here Saturday.
The eight-year-old male tiger was found dead Jan 5 in Paraspur forest under the North Kheri division, about 180 km from state capital Lucknow.
Pleasant morning in Delhi, rains in store
By IANS,
New Delhi: Early morning showers and a cool breeze made for a perfect start to the day in the capital Wednesday. The met office forecast more rains later in the day.
Draft bill for Delhi’s statehood ready: Kejriwal
New Delhi : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that a draft bill for statehood of the national capital was ready.
"Draft bill...
Mayawati shifts top police officials for ‘fair’ Noida probe
By IANS,
Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Sunday ordered the transfer of three top police officials of the Meerut Range to ensure that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Noida double murder is not hampered in any manner.
Mayawati announced the transfer of Inspector General (IG) Gurdarshan Singh, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) P.C. Meena of Meerut Range and the Senior Superintendent of Police of Noida A.S. Ganesh.
Mamata seeks Modi’s intervention in Farakka repairs
Kolkata : In the wake of the collapse of a gate of the Farakka barrage, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to...
IPS officer moves court seeking custody of Lotika Sarkar
By IANS,
New Delhi : A Bihar cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Friday moved the Delhi High Court seeking custody of Lotika Sarkar, former Delhi University Law Faculty head, who he alleged has been taken by some people to Mumbai.
Nirmal Dhondial, IPS officer, in his petition alleged that the octogenarian Sarkar has been taken by Mathew Allure and his wife and daughter to Mumbai. He said he was in constant touch with Sarkar since January till Feb 7, but after that all communication lines were snapped.
Oppose principle of ‘mercy death’, government to SC
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Indian government Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it was opposed to pleas for "mercy death" as this was...
Bank robbery bid foiled in Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : A bank robbery bid was foiled Friday following a timely alert sounded by the bank officials in the capital. However, the robbers managed to escape after firing in the air.
"Four armed robbers entered the Oriental Bank of Commerce branch at Minto Road in central Delhi this morning. However, the bank manger pressed the alarm, startling the robbers who then opened fire and fled the scene in a car," a senior police official told IANS.
An alert has been sounded in the capital to trace the vehicle, the official said, adding no one was injured in the incident.
India, US to cooperate in curbing money laundering
By IANS,
New Delhi : India and the United States Friday agreed to cooperate in investigating money laundering, drug money flow, customs issues and in tracing black money.
AIIMS to guide 40 medical colleges on drug reaction
By IANS,
New Delhi : The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will help at least 40 medical colleges in the country in understanding the adverse reactions from commonly used drugs.
"It is envisaged that the programme will initially start with 40 medical colleges in 2010 and will involve all the medical colleges in India by 2012," an AIIMS official said.
This initiative is part of the health ministry plan to "enhance patient safety by highlighting the adverse drug reactions which can be encountered by commonly used drugs across the country and attempt to minimise them".
Climate, Sustainability Summit in India
New Delhi, Feb 5 (Prensa Latina) Five State and Government Chiefs will join Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to open on Thursday here the summit on Sustainable Development focused on climate change.
Presidents from Iceland and the Falklands Olafur Ragnar Grimsson and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, are expected to attend the meeting as well as prime ministers from Denmark, Norway and Finland, Andres Fogh Rasmussen, Jens Stontenberg and Matti vanhenen, respectively.
Shiromani Akali Dal announces cash award for shoe-throwing journo
By IANS,
New Delhi : Praising Delhi journalist Jarnail Singh for his "courage and bravery" in hurling a shoe at Home Minister P. Chidambaram during a press conference, Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal Tuesday announced a cash reward of Rs.200,000 for him.
"Decisions are not taken by throwing shoes but this incident has showed our pain and suffering. Bhagat Singh had also thrown a bomb in the assembly. We have thus announced a reward of Rs.200,000 for his courage and bravery," Avtar Singh Hit, national general secretary of Shiromani Akali Dal, told IANS.
India will take its place in comity of nations: PM
By IANS,
New Delhi : Minutes after winning a trust vote in parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared this would ensure that India takes in rightful place in the comity of nations with the operationalisation of the India-US civil nuclear deal.
"The vote shows that India is prepared to take its rightful place in the comity of nations," the prime minister told reporters after emerging from Parliament House.
Media reports about my meeting with Irani meant to create controversy, tarnish AMU’s image:...
By TCN News
Aligarh: The Aligarh Muslim University, in a press release, said that the recent reports in the media regarding the meeting...
HC defers plea against 21 AAP parliamentary secretaries
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday deferred the hearing of a PIL challenging the Aam Aadmi Party government's decision to appoint...
Cooking with corpse in kitchen: British Indian loses business
By IANS,
London : An Indian origin restaurateur in Britain has been banned from the food business for life after he was caught making 'kebabs' even as a dead body lay in the same room.
Jaswinder Singh of Pappu Sweet Centre and Catering in Wolverhampton did not stop cooking although one of his workers died and his body lay on a sofa in the kitchen.
A local court refused to give Singh any kind of reprieve after finding that he had a multitude of health violations listed against him in the past. Singh had been in business since 1996.
Jharkhand’s mysterious village of the deaf
By IANS
Ranchi : For generations, a village in Jharkhand has produced people who are hard of hearing. But the authorities have hardly lent an ear to their plight.
Not much headway in containing Maoist rebels, admits PM
By IANS,
New Delhi : Admitting that the government had "not achieved much success" in containing left wing extremism, which he described as the "gravest internal security threat", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday also maintained that infiltration through various routes was going up.
Salman Khan fulfills wish of conjoined twins
By IANS,
Patna : It was a moment the two conjoined twins will cherish for the rest of their lives. Mercurial star Salman Khan showed his softer side, when he flew Saba and Farah to Mumbai and fulfilled their wish to tie a rakhi on his wrist.
The two sisters can't stop raving about their favourite star. "We are lucky that our wish was fulfilled by Salman bhaiya (brother). He invited us to Mumbai, met us and we tied a rakhi on his wrist," Saba and Farah told IANS here Saturday.
Salman also promised the sisters that he would visit their home in Samanpura in Patna after Eid.
Indian fishermen upset by World Bank-assisted project
By Papri Sri Raman, IANS
Chennai : Fishing communities in India's coastal areas are upset by the ministry of environment and forests' call for experts to help prepare an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) scheme under World Bank guidelines.
The government of India has, through the ministry's website, invited "eligible consultant/s to register their interest in one or more components to support the preparation of the World Bank-assisted ICZM project".
Railways explore quota for employees’ wards in jobs
By IANS,
New Delhi : Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked her ministry to explore the feasibility of according some priority or providing some reservation to the wards of lower-grade employees in railway jobs.
A senior ministry official told IANS the minister had recently expressed the desire to know if wards of railway employees could be accorded some quota, even a minuscule one, in the railway jobs.
Eight killed, 20 injured in Gujarat road mishap
By IANS,
Ahmedabad : Eight people were killed and 20 others injured when a truck collided with a tractor parked on the roadside in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district, the police said Wednesday.
The mishap occurred at Mordungri village of Malpur taluka in Sabarkantha district at 1 a.m. Wednesday.
The victims, all in the tractor, were pilgrims returning after visiting the Ambaji temple. The tractor was parked on the roadside when a speeding truck collided with it.
Cop shoots himself at judge’s house in Uttar Pradesh
By IANS,
Lucknow : A police constable posted at the residence of a district judge in Muzzafarnagar in Uttar Pradesh shot himself, officials said Wednesday.
Constable Hakim Singh was posted at the residence of district judge Anant Kumar since Nov 11.
"The incident took place around 12 Tuesday night when Singh, who was on guard duty, shot himself in his chest with the .303 Service rifle. No suicide note was recovered and he died while being taken to Meerut for treatment," inspector Rajiv Sirohi of the Civil Lines police station told IANS over phone.
People’s alliance calls for inclusive growth
By Mohammed Shafeeq
IANSHyderabad : Terming the nine percent growth India is witnessing 'deadly', an anti-poverty agency in Hyderabad has called for bringing people at the centrestage of growth process.
Kerala minister asks DGP to probe officer’s misconduct
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday said state police chief will look into the issue of protocol breach by Additional Director General...
BASIC nations to declare voluntary mitigation by Jan 31
By IRNA,
New Delhi : BASIC nations -- India, Brazil, South Africa and China -- Sunday said they would stick to the January 31 deadline and communicate information on voluntary mitigation actions to the UN climate change panel.
The announcement was made after a seven-hour meeting of the Environment ministers from the four countries, popular as the BASIC bloc, in New Delhi this evening.
Dams, reservoirs in Karnataka brim with rainwater
Bengaluru: Dams and reservoirs in Karnataka are brimming with water after incessant rains over the last four days.
Heavy rains have lashed parts of Karnataka....
Sahara India group launches sports awards
By IANS,
Mumbai: Sahara India group, in collaboration with the Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI), Tuesday launched the Sahara Indian Sports Award to felicitate outstanding sportspersons in various disciplines.
The awards, which would also recognise the contribution of the unsung sports coaches, officials and administrators, will be presented at a gala ceremony Nov 9, cricket legend and chairman of the selectors' jury Sunil Gavaskar said Tuesday.
Bomb found in Assam train, defused
By IANS,
Guwahati : A passenger train carrying about 500 people had a miraculous escape in Assam Friday when police seized a powerful bomb from one of the coaches.
Kedarnath restoration work likely to be over by October
New Delhi : Work on conservation of the Kedarnath temple complex, which was damaged in the massive landslides in Uttarakhand last year, is progressing...
Transport strike disrupts normal life in Bengal
By IANS,
Kolkata: Buses, taxis, and autorickshaws kept off the roads and ferry services on rivers did not ply as normal life in West Bengal was badly hit Saturday following a public transport strike called by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) against the fuel price hike.
Commuters were greatly inconvenienced as they either had to walk for hours or had to shell out astronomical sums to board the handful of buses and taxis that appeared on the roads.