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Sat, 06 October 2012
I oppose retail FDI, but support UPA govt: Mulayam
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23:21 I oppose retail FDI, but support UPA govt: Mulayam
Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday said that though his party will continue to oppose the "anti-people" proposals offered by the government, it will support the UPA to keep the "communal forces" at bay.
"I am supporting the government to keep the non-secular forces away but I will oppose FDI in retail. I will speak in the Lok Sabha regarding this. I cannot say when elections will take place but whenever they will, we are ready," said Singh.
21:50 Blast in oil tanker at Alang kills 5 labourers
Five labourers were today killed and two others seriously injured after a blast in an oil tanker at Alang ship-breaking yard in Bhavnagar, police said.
"Labourers were working on the tanker when the blast took place. Soon, the tanker caught fire that killed five labourers and their bodies were charred. Two persons, who were seriously injured in the incident, were admitted to a local hospital," Bhavnagar SP Mahendrasinh Pawar told PTI.
The cause of the blast was yet to be established and officials of the Forensic Science Laboratory had started their investigations, he said.
To a question regarding fire-safety measures on the tanker that was being broken down, Pawar said, "As of now, we have no idea whether the labourers had a safety kit with them or not.
"We also do not know about the fire-safety measures inside the oil tanker. But, if any criminal negligence is found on the part of the owner who had purchased the tanker, we will take necessary action," Pawar said.
20:43 I can handle all the negativity: Vadra on Facebook
Congress party president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra on Saturday reacted on Facebook against allegation levelled by anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal and said that "he can handle all the negativity".
Reports said he posted his reactions on Facebook. India Against Corruption leader Kejriwal and his lawyer colleague Prashant Bhushan alleged on Friday that Vadra had bought property in Gurgaon and other places at below market rates and sold them at a huge profit.
20:26 52 injured in US highway crashes
At least 52 people were injured in 12 separate highway crash incidents involving 47 vehicles in Florida, authorities said on Saturday.
No fatalities have been reported in the massive pile-up on Interstate 75 near the border of Sarasota and Manatee counties that left the highway closed for six hours.
Florida Highway Patrol attributed the series of collision to heavy rain coupled with fast driving.
The first crash happened in heavy rain and a chain reaction of collisions followed, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kenneth Watson said.
"When one person got into that crash that vehicle began to rotate. You had what you would call a domino effect," he told The Tampa Tribune.
20:10 Cong MPs from Telangana to target ministers
Congress MPs from Telangana are joining hands with the Joint Action Committee to target ministers from the region on the statehood issue.
The MPs and the Telangana JAC, at a meeting in Hyderabad on Saturday, reportedly decided to prevent ministers from the region from taking part in official programmes related to Andhra Pradesh Formation Day on November 1.
They are also planning to organise protests in the constituencies represented by the ministers to step up pressure on them to take up the cause of a separate Telangana state.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee has already announced that it would mount pressure on ministers from the region to achieve statehood for Telangana.
19:18 Sebi, NSE to take appropriate actions: FM on Nifty crash
A day after stock market benchmark Nifty witnessed a 900-point flash crash, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said the matter is being investigated and regulator Sebi would take necessary actions in this regard.
Addressing the media after meeting Sebi top officials in New Delhi, he said that he has been told that there was no systemic risk in the capital market and the stock exchange NSE had come out with a statement explaining the incident.
He said the NSE had said it is investigating the matter and market regulator Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India) would take necessary actions.
He was replying to queries on fall of about 900 points or close to 16 per cent in Nifty within seconds in a flash crash like situation yesterday morning, which led to a halt in trading at NSE for about 15 minutes.
19:16 FM confident insurance, pension bills will be passed
Promising more reforms, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday expressed confidence that the bills on FDI in insurance and pension will be passed in Parliament for which he will soon open dialogue with the opposition parties including the BJP.
"There is a difference of opinion (on the issue of 49 per cent FDI in insurance). I intend to meet with the leaders of opposition and convince them. I can convince the opposition parties that this clause (of raising the FDI cap) can be kept," he told a press conference on his first visit to the financial capital after taking over as finance minister.
The minister said that he was convinced that the two amendment bills crucial for the economy bills will be passed by Parliament and sought media's cooperation in this regard.
Asked by a reporter as to whether there would be more reforms after the second instalment that was announced during the week, he said, "I don't know why you are saying this is second instalment. There will be more. There will be more issues to be addressed. There will be more."
19:12 LPG price hike, 'very bad, very sad': Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Facebook: "Do you know, how many times prices have been increased, affecting the interest of the common people during UPA-II? Today again, the Central Government has hiked LPG prices by, Rs 11.42 per cylinder ... Very bad, very sad."
18:02 Pope's butler jailed for gravest Vatican breach
The pope's butler was convicted on Saturday of stealing the pontiff's private documents and leaking them to a journalist in the gravest Vatican security breach in recent memory. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but the Vatican said a papal pardon was likely.
Judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre read the verdict aloud two hours after the three-judge Vatican panel began deliberating Paolo Gabriele's fate.
Gabriele stood impassively as it was read out in the tiny wood-paneled tribunal tucked behind St Peter's Basilica.
The sentence was reduced in half to 18 months from three years because of a series of mitigating circumstances, including that Gabriele had no previous record, had acknowledged that he had betrayed the pope and was convinced, "albeit erroneously" that he was doing the right thing, Dalla Torre said.
Gabriele was accused of stealing the pope's private correspondence and passing it on to journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, whose book revealed the intrigue, petty infighting and allegations of corruption and homosexual liaisons that plague the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.
He has said he leaked the documents because he felt the pope wasn't being informed of the "evil and corruption" in the Vatican, and that exposing the problems publicly would put the church back on the right track.
17:16 Odisha: Boat capsizes, 14 miraculously saved
At least 14 people, including women and children, had a close shave when a country boat capsized midstream in Odisha's Bolangir district today.
The boat ferrying passengers from one side of the river to another near Kushkela in Titlagarh area when it lost balance and overturned, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Titlagrh), Dilip Purohit said.
Acting swiftly, local fishermen and divers jumped into the river and rescued all the 14 passengers who had fallen into water, he said adding all those on board the boat are safe and secure.
Though the exact cause of the mishap was yet to be ascertained, eyewitnesses claimed that some motor-cycles loaded on the small country boat might have caused imbalance.
17:15 Nitish castigates Laloo, Rabri for ruining Bihar
Lambasting RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today alleged that fifteen years rule of the 'husband and wife' (Laloo-Rabri) had ruined the state.
The governments of the husband (Prasad) and wife (Rabri Devi) had ruined Bihar during their rule between 1990 and 2005, he told a public meeting in Purnia.
Taking on the RJD supremo for questioning lack of development in Bihar, Kumar said the NDA government built the roads on which Prasad was travelling to take out his 'Parivartan yatra'.
Denouncing the violence during his 'Adhikar Yatra' by protesters, including contractual teachers, Kumar said there was no place for violence and arson in democracy.
16:16 BJP slams Cong for 'double standards' on FDI
Alleging that Congress has been following double standards on FDI policy, BJP today said the party leading the UPA has no moral right to seek the support of the Opposition and the nation for its so-called reforms.
The Congress had opposed foreign investment in retail during the NDA regime and it was also against raising the FDI cap in insurance to 49 per cent. But now it is seeking support of the Opposition and the nation on these issues to suit its opportunistic politics, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters in Hyderabad.
"It (Congress) opposes while in Opposition and proposes while in power," he said, adding allowing FDI in multi-brand retail and raising foreign investment cap in insurance shows sheer "double standards of the ruling party".
16:13 Former DMK minister arrested in sand quarrying case
Senior DMK leader and former minister K Ponmudi was today arrrested in connection with a red sand quarrying case, police said.
Police said Ponmudi was picked up from his residence in Villupuram district, over 160 km from Chennai.
The Madras high court had yesterday rejected his anticipatory bail plea.
16:11 JMM to continue supporting UPA at the Centre: Soren
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha President Shibu Soren has said he would continue to support the UPA government at the Centre.
Talking to reporters in Bokaro yesterday, he however, said that he was opposed to policies that hurt the common people.
He said that he would speak to Chief Minister Arjun Munda to give three additional subsidised LPG cylinders to consumers in Jharkhand.
15:04 Geetika suicide case: Police chargesheet Kanda
Former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda has been chargesheeted by the Delhi police in the Geetika Sharma suicide case.
The chargesheet also mentions the name of Aruna Chadda, aide of Kanda.
14:33 LPG price hiked by Rs 11.42; petro rates may go up
Cooking gas (LPG) price was today hiked by Rs 11.42 per cylinder following government decision to raise commission paid to the dealers.
Petrol and diesel prices too may go up marginally as the Oil Ministry considers raising dealers commission by at least 23 paisa and 10 paisa a litre respectively.
The ministry yesterday issued orders raising commission paid to LPG dealers from Rs 25.83 per 14.2-kg cylinder to Rs 37.25, government officials said. The 44 per cent or Rs 11.42 per cylinder increase in the commission on the subsidised cooking fuel is being passed on to consumers, they said.
For the consumer, subsidised LPG in Delhi will now cost Rs 410.42 per cylinder, up from Rs 399.
The hike comes within weeks of the government deciding to restrict supply of subsidised cooking gas to 6 cylinders of 14.2-kg size per household in a year. The remaining supplies would have to be sourced at market rates.
Officials said the commission paid on market price or non-subsidised LPG too has been raised by Rs 12.17 to Rs 38 per cylinder. Accordingly, a non-subsidised LPG cylinder price will go up from Rs 883.5 to Rs 921.5.
14:06 Sue me if Vadra charges proven wrong: Kejriwal
Activists-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal has said he is ready to face a defamation case if the corruption charges he made yesterday against Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra proved wrong.
13:14 Panetta says Karzai should thank allied forces
AP: US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta lashed back at Afghan President Hamid Karzai, saying the Afghan leader should say thank you now and then to the allied forces who are fighting and dying there, rather than criticising them.
Panetta was responding yesterday to Karzai's complaints that the US is failing to go after militants based in Pakistan, and instead is concentrating on the insurgents in Afghanistan.
"We have made progress in Afghanistan because there are men and women in uniform who have been willing to fight and die for Afghanistan's sovereignty," Panetta snapped, as he spoke with reporters traveling with him to South America.
13:14 Panetta says Karzai should thank allied forces
AP: US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta lashed back at Afghan President Hamid Karzai, saying the Afghan leader should say thank you now and then to the allied forces who are fighting and dying there, rather than criticising them.
Panetta was responding yesterday to Karzai's complaints that the US is failing to go after militants based in Pakistan, and instead is concentrating on the insurgents in Afghanistan.
"We have made progress in Afghanistan because there are men and women in uniform who have been willing to fight and die for Afghanistan's sovereignty," Panetta snapped, as he spoke with reporters traveling with him to South America.
13:12 NCP demands CBI probe into Nifty 'flash crash'
NCP today demanded a CBI probe into the 900-point 'flash crash' of National Stock Exchange index Nifty, which had halted trade on the exchange for about 15 minutes.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said a CBI probe was necessary to find out the "conspiracy" behind the incident.
"This was a conspiracy to destabilise the economy which was looking good after the Centre's reform measures. Small investors have been looted and the need of the hour is to go into the root cause of the conspiracy," NCP spokesman Nawab Malik said.
A huge 900-point 'flash crash' in stock benchmark NSE Nifty on Friday morning caused panic in market, prompting regulator SEBI to begin a probe into the incident, which briefly erased about Rs 10 lakh crore in market wealth.
The incident occurred on a day when expectations were high for an upward rally on bourses, following some big-ticket reform measures approved by the government on Thursday evening, including on FDI in sectors like insurance and pension.
12:05 Imran Khan starts anti-drone protest march
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has begun a march to Pakistan's restive tribal areas to protest against US drone strikes.
The two-day march started in Islamabad and is due to end in South Waziristan, a major focus of strikes. Mr Khan expects large numbers to join him. It is not clear if authorities will allow the march to reach its goal.
10:57 Contrary to govt claims, leprosy on rise in Maharashtra
Contrary to the official claims of elimination of leprosy in Maharashtra, the state is witnessing a constant increase in the number of fresh cases detected 2007 onwards.
"It was officially declared in 2005 that leprosy has been eradicated in Maharashtra. However, fresh cases are still being detected in the state," Sharadchandra Gokhale, founder president of the International Leprosy Union claimed.
There is a further increase in the number of Multi-Bacilliary cases with child population accounting for 12 per cent of total detected cases, he said.
The ILU, which is headquartered in Pune, had in its search campaign conducted in 173 blocks in the state last year had detected as many as 2,515 fresh cases, Gokhale said, emphasizing the need for a door-to-door campaign to unearth fresh cases and timely treatment.
10:40 Unemployment rate at its lowest since I took office: Obama
US President Barack Obama has said America is moving forward and the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since he took office four years ago.
His remarks came hours after latest figures revealed that America's unemployment rate has dropped to 7.8 per cent in the month of September, the lowest since 2009.
"Today I believe that as a nation we're moving forward again," he said during an election campaign meeting in Ohio.
"When I was sworn into office, we were losing 800,000 jobs a month. Now our businesses have added 5.2 million jobs over the past 2 1/2 years. This morning we found out that the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since I took office. So more Americans enter the workforce, more people are getting jobs," Obama said.
According to the latest report by the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the unemployment rate in the US dropped to 7.8 per cent in the month of September during which the economy added 114,000 jobs.
10:37 Short-circuit aborts Indigo flight's take-off
A suspected short circuit in a Kolkata-bound Indigo flight, carrying 161 passengers, led the pilot to abort it moments before take-off in Chennai today.
Airport sources said the pilot noticed smoke in the engine and immediately alerted airport officials. The passengers of the Indigo Airlines were offloaded safely, they added.
09:59 Abu Hamza among 5 'terrorists' extradited to US
Five terror suspects, including the radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, have flown out of the UK on a jet bound for the United States.
Officers from Scotland Yard's extradition unit handed the men to US marshals at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk.
09:41 Cauvery bandh paralyses life in Karnataka
The anti-Cauvery water release bandh in Karnataka has hit normalcy in capital Bangalore and other parts of the state.
Buses, cars, autorickshaws remain off the roads as schools and colleges are closed and petrol pumps remain shut.
Meanwhile, former CM Yeddyurappa has attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, alleging that he has taken all crucial decisions from New Delhi without taking into consideration the ground realities. The PM wants to save his government, and thus favouring (Tamil Nadu CM) Jayalalithaa, he also alleges.
With Cauvery-related protests spilling over to the city, police have tightened security to deal with the 'Karnataka Bandh' called by Kannada outfits on Saturday to protest the release of 9000 cusecs of Cauvery water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
09:32 US, Pak discuss steps to deal with IED threats
The US and Pakistan have agreed to work together for improving their efforts to combat the threat posed by improvised explosive devices in the Af-Pak region.
During a meeting of the US and Pakistan Convene Law Eforcement and Counter-terrorism Working Group yesterday, the two countries discussed means to disrupt illicit networks that supply the components and financing for IEDs in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik and William Brownfield, the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs co-chaired the meeting at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department.
03:28 Thousands rally for political change in Jordan
Thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Amman, Jordan, Friday to demand political change.The demonstration came less than a day after King Abdullah II dissolved the country's parliament and called for early elections close to the new year.
The peaceful rally called for constitutional reforms, with protesters complaining that the king has too much power. They demanded that representatives be able to run for election in a democratic system rather than be under his control.
02:50 Turkish shells hit north Syria's Raqa province
Turkey shelled today a Syrian military position south of the rebel-held border post at Tal al-Abyad, in the northern province of Raqa, a monitoring group. "The new shells landed near a military post south of the border crossing with Turkey," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman, citing witnesses.
Turkey fired at the position after a new Syrian shell landed on its territory in the Turkish town of Altinozu, in Hatay province near the border, at around 1630 GMT, Turkish media reported. Hatay province is opposite the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, while Raqa is further to the east in the strife-torn country.
02:14 Trial begins for Spaniard involved in fatal Cuba crash
A Spanish politician charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a leading Cuban rights activist denied at his trial here today that he was speeding at the time of the accident.
"The last time that I looked at my speedometer, I was not going faster than 80 or 90 kilometers per hour," Angel Carromero told the presiding judge as the proceedings -- which were expected to last just one day -- got underway.
Carromero testified that he felt "profound sorrow" over the July 22 car crash near this town in eastern Cuba, which claimed the life of Oswaldo Paya, 60, a 2002 recipient of Europe's Sakharov prize for defence of human rights.
01:04 Abu Hamza set for US extradition
Five terror suspects including Abu Hamza al-Masri have left jail to begin extradition to the US after losing the last appeal in a long legal battle.
The high court ruled Hamza, Babar Ahmad, Syed Talha Ahsan, Adel Abdul Bary and Khaled al-Fawwaz did not show "new and compelling" reasons to stay.The men left Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire in a police convoy.Officers from the Metropolitan Police's extradition unit will hand them over US marshals at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk.
00:47 Syria rebels threaten to execute Iranians
Rebel fighters will execute dozens of Iranians they kidnapped in August unless Syria's army withdraws from the embattled Eastern Ghuta area of Damascus province, a rebel commander said today.
"We gave the regime 48 hours starting yesterday to withdraw completely from the Eastern Ghuta area," Abul Wafa, commander of the rebels' Revolutionary Military Council in Damascus province, told AFP via the Internet. "We also have other secret, military demands.
If the regime does not fulfill them we will start finishing off the hostages," warned Abul Wafa. It is the second time the rebels have issued such a threat against the Iranian hostages.
00:46 Spain clears way to host US missile interceptors
Spain gave the final green light today for the US navy to deploy four ships equipped with missile interceptors in its territory as part of NATO's ballistic defence shield.
Equipped with Aegis defence systems, the ships are to be deployed at a US naval base in Rota, southern Spain by 2013, along with 1,400 US personnel, under a deal agreed a year ago, the government said. The government authorised the signing of the deal under a joint defence agreement at a cabinet meeting today, it said in a statement.
00:24 Bin Laden movie to premiere in US ahead of election
A big-name Hollywood fundraiser for Barack Obama is releasing the first feature film about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden two days before the US presidential election.
"SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden" is distributed by Harvey Weinstein, the respected movie mogul who hosted the president at a celebrity-studded fundraising event in New England last month.
In a press release, the National Geographic Channel said it would premiere "SEAL Team Six" on November 4 after its president Howard Owens and Weinstein discussed "the insight the film is sure to evoke in all Americans."
00:22 Americans in Pakistan to protest drone strikes
A group of American anti-war activists are in Pakistan to join a march into the country's tribal belt to protest US drone strikes in the rugged northwest territory. Their presence has energised organizers behind the protest but also added to concerns that Islamist militants will target the weekend event.
The two-day march, in reality a long convoy , is to be led by Imran Khan, the former cricket star-turned-politician who has become a top critic of the American drone strikes in Pakistan. It is to start tomorrow in Islamabad and end in a town in South Waziristan, a tribal region that has been a major focus of drone strikes as well as the scene of a Pakistani army offensive against militants.
00:09 This World Cup is gonna be ours: Gayle
Opener Chris Gayle, who hammered an unbeaten 75 to help West Indies reach the finals, today sounded the battle cry against Sri Lanka, saying his team will definitely win the World Twenty20 on Sunday.
Riding on Gayle's blistering 41-ball 75, West Indies today mauled Australia by 74 runs in the second semifinals to set up a summit clash with Sri Lanka on Sunday and the flamboyant opener declared they will definitely come on top. "World Cup is definitely ours, sorry Sri Lanka, but I think it is our World Cup.
The support will be more for West Indies on Sunday. We love Sri Lanka, but sorry, it is going to be West Indies all the way. The final will be a good final but We will on top, definitely," Gayle said after the match.
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