Archive for the ‘News’ Category

New Delhi, March 6 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday stressed his government’s commitment to political empowerment of women and said India was moving towards 33 percent reservation for women in the parliament and state legislatures. “We are moving towards providing one third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures,” Manmohan Singh said at a leadership summit for ... Full story

Aizawl (Mizoram), Mar 6 (ANI): Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday laid the foundation stone of Rajiv Gandhi Sports Stadium at the Mizoram Armed Police ground at Mualpui in Aizawl. Expressing her delight, Gandhi said the stadium that would be built here would provide an opportunity to the young talent from North East in Sports arena. The 12th Finance Commission has granted Rs ... Full story

Bangalore, Mar 6 (ANI): External Affairs Minister SM Krishna on Saturday rebuffed the media reports that referred to a World Bank document quoting him as saying that India will not pose any Arunachal Pradesh project to the World Bank under Chinese pressure. Talking to reporters here, Krishna said: “We have not buckled under Chinese pressure. No certainly not, It is not reported ... Full story

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) Bowing to angry protests from opposition parties and farmers, the government Friday agreed to restore the earlier sugarcane prices. The issue was resolved at an all-party meeting convened by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is also Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha. The government has also decided to bring in a new bill on sugarcane pricing in parliament. Coming out ... Full story

Bangalore, Nov 20 (IANS) Nehru-Gandhi family loyalist and long time Congressman B. Shankaranand, who headed the joint parliamentary probe into $1.3 billion Bofors gun scandal, died Thursday of cardiac arrest. He was 84. He passed away at a private hospital in Belgaum, about 500 km from here. He was admitted to the hospital Nov 18 with kidney complications, his family members said. Shankaranand was elected to the ... Full story

Bhopal, Nov 20 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh police Friday ordered an inquiry into the circumstances that led to three prisoners of Central Jail escaping from police custody, an official said. The prisoners escaped in Bollywood style from the heavily guarded police vehicle Thursday evening when they were being taken back to the prison after a court hearing in the state capital. “The daredevil escape of prisoners from ... Full story

By Manish Chand New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) Moving beyond the transformational nuclear deal, India and the US are set to unveil a new template for deepening strategic partnership on key global challenges, ranging from counter-terrorism to non-proliferation and climate change, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets US President Barack Obama in Washington Tuesday. Manmohan Singh begins his four-day trip to Washington Sunday as the first state ... Full story

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has expressed her opposition to the Obama administration’s freeze settlement demands by saying that all the Jews moving to Israel need a place to live. In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, Palin said: “I disagree with the Obama administration on that. I believe that the Jewish settlements should be allowed to be expanded upon, because that population of Israel ... Full story

Kathmandu, Nov 20 (IANS) Nepal’s coalition government has turned a deaf ear to urgent pleas by celebrated French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot to prevent the slaughter of thousands of birds and animals at a religious fair in the Terai plains next week. The sex symbol of yesteryear, who left Hollywood in 1973, became a vegetarian and sold her jewellery to found the Brigitte ... Full story

Intricate carpets, ornate wall hangings, handprinted textiles…all in a melange of colours. Pakistani exhibitors are rolling out their best at an annual trade fair here and Indians are lapping it up. “We are bringing the hardcore tradition of Pakistani culture to India. We are offering carpets and wall hangings in Kutchi prints and Sindhi work, something that is not available in India,” said a representative from ... Full story