Politics

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo crashes, kills one pilot

California, Nov 01 (ANI): Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space tourism rocket crashed during a test flight at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, killing one of the two pilots aboard and seriously injuring the other. The crash of the vehicle, undergoing its first powered test flight since January over the Mojave Desert, 150 km north of Los Angeles, came days after another private space company, Orbital Sciences Corp, lost a rocket in an explosion moments after liftoff in Virginia. Stuart Witt, chief executive of the space port, said officials were not ready to "speculate on the cause" of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending one of its "go-teams" to investigate the accident. George Whitesides, chief executive of Virgin Galactic, said he expected Branson to arrive by Saturday morning.

Nov 1, 2014

Pakistans Jamaat-e-Islami protest against death sentence awarded to party chief in Bangladesh

Karachi/ Lahore, Nov 01 (ANI): Activists of Pakistan’s Jamaat-e-Islami took to streets in protest against the death sentence awarded to the Bangladesh Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party Chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, by the Bangladesh war crimes tribunal. Bangladesh's war crimes tribunal sentenced the chief of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party to death on Wednesday for crimes against humanity, including genocide, torture and rape, during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Denouncing the death sentence of Nizami, more than one hundred activists and supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami marched through the streets in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi. About two hundred activists staged protest in the city of Lahore. A smaller protest was held in the capital Islamabad.

Nov 1, 2014

Bhopal gas tragedy victims voice frustration over death of Union Carbide Chief Warren Anderson

Bhopal/ New Delhi, Nov 01 (ANI): Victims of 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy voice frustration on the news of Warren Anderson's death - the chief of the ill-fated Union Carbide plant under whose stewardship the world's worst industrial disaster took place. An activist, Satinath Sarangi, who works with the victims, said that the Indian government did not put in much effort for convicting Anderson or conducting a fair trial. It was 12 a.m. on December 3, 1984 when 40 tons of toxic methyl isocyanate leaked from the plant. An estimated 574,372 people have been affected in some way by the gas; health activists say more than 150,000 have been seriously affected. People in Bhopal felt relieved on hearing the news of Anderson's death, to whom they refer as a criminal and said that his death will make no difference to the case.

Nov 1, 2014

South Asia Newsline - Oct 31, 2014

Nov 1, 2014

Ebola Scare: Canada to Stop Issuing Visas to People from West African Countries

Canada will stop issuing visas to people from three West African nations where the disease is widespread, the government said on Friday.

Nov 1, 2014

One militant arrested in Uttar Pradesh

Meerut, Nov 01 (ANI): Police in Uttar Pradesh confirmed that a militant was held after a gap of 20 years. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) apprehended a militant under Khatauli police station who was involved in an attack in the state. ATS arrested Salim alias Patla on Thursday night in a joint operation with the team of Khatauli police station in Muzaffarnagar district. The arrested militant was absconding after he had killed two PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary) personnel by lobbing a bomb at a PAC camp near Hapur Adda region on January 26, 1993.

Nov 1, 2014

Petrol price cut by Rs 2.41 per litre and diesel by Rs 2.25 per litre

New Delhi/ Lucknow/ Bhopal, Nov 01 (ANI): Petrol price have been slashed by rupees 2.41 a litre and diesel by rupees 2.25 per litre on the back of falling international oil rates. This is the sixth reduction since August 2014. The reduction in the rates of petrol and diesel came in effect from Friday (October 31) at Indian Oil Corp, nation's largest fuel retailer. Petrol will now cost rupees 64.25 per litre as previous rate being rupees 66.65 in New Delhi. However, the nation's most consumed fuel, diesel will now cost rupees 53.35 per litre in Delhi as compared to rupees 55.60 a litre earlier. BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma said that the government was fulfilling its promises to the common man. Meanwhile, Congress leader Jai Parkash Aggarwal said the prices have decreased due to fall in prices in the international market.

Nov 1, 2014

Foundation laid for world's tallest statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Narmada, Nov 01 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel laid foundation stone of the Statue of Unity - the world's tallest statue of Iron man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The statue is a part of an ambitious project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to his political idol. Patel, marking the 139th birth anniversary Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, laid the foundation of "Statue of Unity" near River Narmada in the state. Patel performed religious rituals before laying the foundation of the ambitious project. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the deputy of first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as well as his home minister, but was often at odds with him.

Nov 1, 2014

MEA clarifies on unwed mothers passport rules, says India don't stand for gender discrimination

New Delhi, Nov 01 (ANI): Foreign ministry denied media reports that an unwed mother would have to declare how she conceived while applying for her child's passport. MEA Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said any single parent had to furnish only two documents - birth certificate of the child and affidavit before a magistrate. Akbaruddin added the government does not stand for such discrimination.

Nov 1, 2014

Budding golfers of India's Kashmir eye Olympics

Srinagar, Nov 1 (ANI): Fired with the ambition of carrying the flag in the games, Kashmir trains its budding golfers for the 2020 Olympics. Authorities of this picturesque Himalayan state have come up with initiatives to train the budding golfers with proper professional techniques and special trainers from outside the state have been recruited for the purpose. Organiser of the special golf training programme, Champa Shawl, said on Friday that Kashmir, with its beautiful golf courses is the ideal state to nurture golfers. The game is attracting a large number of children in spite of the state having faced nature's fury in recent times.

Nov 1, 2014