PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd. back issues from August 2005:
US body endorses democratisation of Middle East.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Washington, Aug 1 (PTI) Strongly endorsing US President George W Bush's goal of democratising the Middle East, a Council on the foreign relations task force has said it does not necessarily mean pro-American governments will be elected. "The US should support democracy ...
NASA studying dangling ceramic cloth on Discovery's belly.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Seema Hakhu Kachru Houston, Aug 1 (PTI) NASA engineers are determining whether two strips of heavy insulating cloth dangling from Discovery's underbelly could lead to overheating and endanger the shuttle's re-entry into Earth. The agency may order the first spacewalk ...
Andaman & Nicobar leaves Tsunami behind, hardsells tourism.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Port Blair, Aug 1 (PTI) Undeterred by last year's tsunami that claimed 10,000 lives, the administration of the Indian archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar continues to hardsell the region's tourism, the mainstay of the island's economy. The administration here is contemplating ...
Heavy rains predicted in Mumbai.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Mumbai, Aug 1 (PTI) Rain-battered Indian megapolis Mumbai is set to witness another round of disruption in normal life with the Meteorological Department predicting heavy to very heavy rains till Tuesday morning. "There would be heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours ...
Maruti sales up three pc in July.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) India's leading car manufacturer Maruti Udyog on Monday reported a three per cent rise in sales in July this year at 44,753 units against 43,419 units in the same month last year, boosted by a revival in exports and healthy sales of hatchbacks. The ...
US to reduce troops size in Iraq next year.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New York, Aug 1 (PTI) The Pentagon has developed a detailed plan to scale down the US troops presence in Iraq to about 80,000 by mid-2006 and 40,000 to 60,000 by the end of that year, a media report said on Monday. "Emerging US plans assume that 14 out of 18 provinces in Iraq ...
NDA leaders may meet President on Bihar reshuffle.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) India's Opposition alliance NDA on Monday said it would consider petitioning President APJ Abdul Kalam against the recent bureaucratic reshuffle in the eastern state of Bihar. NDA leaders, who met here on Monday, also decided to back former Prime Minister ...
Five militants killed in Kashmir, shootout in Srinagar.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Srinagar, Aug 1 (PTI) Five militants were killed by security forces in separate encounters in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir while one militant was injured and arrested in the heart of capital Srinagar on Monday after a hot pursuit by police, officials said here. ...
CIA was told Iraq had no nuclear programme: lawsuit.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Washington, Aug 1 (PTI) The Central Intelligence Agency was told by an informant in 2001 that Iraq had abandoned a major element of its nuclear weapons programme but the agency did not share the information with senior policy makers, a former agency employee has charged. In a ...
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 1 (PTI) Heavy rains and flood in.
Aug 01, 2005 ... central Kerala has caused massive destruction to crops and property besides disrupting traffic and affecting normal life. Train services were hit on the Alappuzha-Eranakulam sector. Landslides occured at many places including Kottayam, Idukki and Malappuram districts. However, ...
L&T announces first manufacturing venture abroad in China.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Anil K Joseph Wuxi (China), Aug 1 (PTI) Larsen & Toubro (L&T), the Indian engineering and technology conglomerate on Monday announced its first manufacturing facility abroad in China with an investment of USD 11 million to make high-end switchgear in the eastern city of Wuxi. ...
Nepal villagers protest against Maoist violence.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Kathmandu, Aug 1 (PTI) Thousands of villagers of Nepal's Dhading district held demonstrations over the weekend to protest against the Maoist violence, official sources said on Monday. Armed with guns, swords, khukris and knives, more than thousand villagers of the district ...
Honda hopes to touch peak production in 2-3 days.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) As it resumed normal operations after the end of a month-long bitter labour dispute, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) on Monday said it would take about 2-3 days to touch peak production levels. "Things have to be synchronised, including raw ...
India's fiscal deficit up 31 pc to Rs 545.17 bn in Q1.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) India's fiscal deficit shot up by about 31 per cent to Rs 545.17 billion in the first quarter of this fiscal due to higher expenditure. However, buoyant tax collections kept revenue deficit marginally higher at Rs 473.11 billion in Apri-June this fiscal as ...
Miandad blames media for Indian friends not attending wedding.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Karachi, Aug 1 (PTI) Former Pakistan cricket captain Javed Miandad has blamed the Indian media for creating a contoversy over his son's wedding with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's daughter which, he said, prevented his Indian friends from attending the ceremony held in Dubai on July 23. ...
Rains continue to lash Mumbai, disrupt rail, road air traffic.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Mumbai, Aug 1 (PTI) Incessant heavy rains lashed this megapolis in the western Indian state of Maharashtra for the second day on Monday, inundating low-lying areas and disrupting rail and air services while 150 families were shifted to safer places from flood-affected areas of Koyna. ...
Maoist bomb drinking water project in Nepal.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Kathmandu, Aug 1 (PTI) A man was killed and five others were injured when Maoist rebels exploded a bomb in Arghakhachi district in western Nepal, army sources said on Monday. The bomb planted at the source of the ...
Pakistan to issue machine-readable visas.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) Pakistan government will soon issue machine-readable visas to foreigners intending to visit the country. "We will start issuing machine-readable visa to foreigners within the next six to eight weeks," Director General Passport and Immigration Brig (retd) ...
Govt tells SC not to entertain petition on tainted ministers.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) The Federal Government on Monday categorically told the Supreme Court not to entertain a petition challenging inclusion of "tainted" persons in the Council of Ministers. The Government said the selection of ministers was the sole prerogative of the Prime ...
Govt looking at independent inquiry panel for ONGC fire.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) The Federal Government is looking at the possibility of setting up an independent inquiry committee to look into the recent fire at an Oil and Natural Gas Corp's oil installation at Mumbai High that killed 10 people. "Very possibly.. we are looking into ...
Bhutanese King arrives on a four-day India visit.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Bhutan's King Jigme Singye Wangchuk arrived here on Monday on a four-day visit for talks on a range of issues to further strengthen bilateral cooperation with India in diversified fields. The King will call on President A P J Abdul Kalam and have meetings ...
SAIL lowers steel prices by 4-8 pc.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) India's largest steel producer Steel Authority of India (SAIL) on Monday lowered its prices by four to eight per cent and owed it to correction in global prices due to liquidation of invetory across the countries. However, a spokesperson of the state-owned ...
Inzamam wants match bans on captains abolished.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Samiul Hasan Karachi, Aug 1 (PTI) Welcoming the decision to reduce the ban on Sourav Ganguly from six to four matches, Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq has stressed that the International Cricket Council should scrap suspensions on captains since it put a question mark on their ...
Oppostion walkout in Kerala assembly.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 1 (PTI) Kerala's Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) members on Monday staged a walk-out in the the Legislative Assembly protesting against the government's 'laxity' in controlling 'goonda mafias' operating in the state. Replying to an adjournment ...
No cause for worry about Periyar spill over: Chandy.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 1 (PTI) There was no cause for worry about spill over of water into Iudkki reservoir from Mullapperiyar dam after its storage level reaching the permissible limit of 136 ft due to heavy rainfall, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told the state assembly on Monday ....
Islamic extremists regard Britain as safe haven - Musharraf.
Aug 01, 2005 ... London, Aug 1 (PTI) Accusing Britain of providing Islamic militants a safe haven in a bid to "project" itself as a champion of human rights, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said the UK should ban extremist groups. "Many people around the world find it convenient to leave ...
Nepalese police, students clash in Kathmandu.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Kathmandu, Aug 1 (PTI) Six persons were injured Monday when riot police clashed with Nepalese students protesting the detention of their colleagues here, student sources said. The clash occured after police intervened during a demonstration by students protesting the detention ...
My heart is with F1: Narain.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Agnes Carlier Budapest, Aug 1 (PTI) After coming up with his personal best of the season in the Hungarian Grand Prix, India's Narain Karthikeyan said his heart beats for Formula One and that he cannot imagine being anywhere else. Narain was reacting to recent ...
Unpaid wages: 27 labourers in UAE move authorities.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Dubai, Aug 1 (PTI) At least 27 labourers, including those from India, have filed a complaint with the UAE labour authorities against their company for not paying wages for months. The labourers who work for Nimr Al Khaleej Contracting Company in a complaint filed Sunday alleged ...
Wipro plans foray into Sri Lanka, Bangladesh markets.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Ramnath Shenoy Singapore, Aug 1 (PTI) Wipro Infotech, the IT arm of New York Stock Exchange-listed India's Wipro Ltd, is planning to expand into Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to tap the growing telecom and banking market by leveraging on its expertise in system integration and IT ...
American woman electrocuted at five star hotel in Jaipur.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Jaipur, Aug 1 (PTI) An American social worker was reportedly electrocuted at a hotel here when she came in contact with a water cooler, police said Monday. According to the First Information Report lodged against the hotel management, the accident occurred Saturday when 21-year ...
Accelerate peace processs, say delegates from PoK.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Srinagar, Aug 1 (PTI) A delegation from the PoK Monday said more frequent people-to-people contact among Indians and Pakistanis would be one way to facilitate and accelerate the peace process between the two countries. The delegation from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir was ...
Pak to ban Indian films even if they feature Pakistani actors.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) Maintaining its ban on import of Indian films, Pakistan has decided not to exempt even those jointly produced by Bollywood and Lollywood or those featuring Pakistani actors to the chagrin of Pakistani film-makers and artistes. The new order banned ...
Ganguly says performance will be his priority.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Ashish Shukla Dambulla (Sri Lanka), Aug 1 (PTI) India's Sourav Ganguly Monday sought to allay apprehensions of a power struggle in the team, saying he would have no problems in playing under his one-time deputy Rahul Dravid and his only concern was to perform for the team. ...
India asks South Korea to be an investor in oil sector.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) India Monday invited South Korean oil companies to invest in the country's upstream and refining sector and also work jointly to explore opportunities in other countries as well. "We have invited them to invest in India both in upstream and refining and ...
Anguished over family feud Asgari Bai wants to return honours.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Tikamgarh (MP), Aug 1 (PTI) Anguished over squabbles among her children on government grants, celebrated exponent of India's classical Dhrupad stream of vocal music, Asgari Bai has said she would return the nation's civil decoration bestowed on her in order to maintain its dignity. ...
Navy admits "procedural lapses" in handling of stored info.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug one (PTI) The Indian Navy Monday admitted that "certain procedural lapses" in handling of the information stored in computers in its war room here had come to light and said a Court of Inquiry set up to go into it would give its report in the next 10 days. Vice ...
"It is something nice for me and the institute": Shanta.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Chennai, Aug 1 (PTI): "It's something nice for me and the Institute", said directorof the Cancer Insitute here Dr V Shanta Monday on learning that she is among the winners of this year's Magsaysay award. Shanta, an eminent cancer specialist in the country, said the award would ...
US university offers course in Hawaii 'pidgin'.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Washington, Aug 1 (PTI) For the first time ever, the Hawaii Pacific University is offering a college-level course in 'pidgin' or English as spoken by natives of Hawaii. Experts said that Hawaii pidgin was previously scorned by academia but over the past 10 years it had undergone ...
S Korea making earnest efforts to improve relations with North.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) South Korea Monday said it was making earnest efforts to transform relations with North Korea from the old binds of cold war confrontation to a new formula of mutual trust and practical cooperation. "With regard to North Korean nuclear issue, I am very ...
Govt to observe a day's mourning in memory of King Fahd.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) The Indian Government has decided to observe a one-day state mourning tomorrow as a mark of respect to King Fahd of Saudi Arabia who died early Monday. During the ...
Govt working on a plan to counter bird flu threat.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delh, Aug 01 (PTI) With outbreaks of bird flu already reported in several neighbouring countries and fears of emergence of a human-to-human transmitting strain getting strengthened, the Indian government Monday decided to work out a preparedness plan to counter any eventuality. ...
Heavy rains lash Mumbai, Maharashtra, toll crosses 900.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Mumbai, Aug 1 (PTI) Battered by the worst monsoon they knew in a hundred years, this western metropolis of Maharashtra Monday was fighting hard just about to keep a truncated civic life on the move as Army, Navy and Air Force launched relief operation in many districts of the state that ...
President condoles King Fahd's demise.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Indian President A P J Abdul Kalam Monday condoled the demise of King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia In his condolence message to the new King of Saudi Arabia King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the President said "in the passing away of ...
Normalcy returns to Honda factory: About 1,500 workers return.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Gurgaon, Aug 1 (PTI) About 1,500 workers Monday resumed work at the Manesar factory of Honda Motors, bringing to an end a month-long bitter labour dispute that severely crunched production and led to losses to the tune of billions of rupees. The company, which till last week was ...
India, Seychelles agree on closer ties.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 01 (PTI) India and Seychelles Monday agreed to explore prospects of forging closer ties in education, health and other diversified areas. The need for enhancing bilateral economic cooperation was also highlighted during wide-ranging discussions visiting Seychelles ...
Maoist commander shot dead in Nepal; two rebels surrender.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Kathmandu, Aug 1 (PTI) A hardcore front-rank Maoist guerilla leader was killed Monday during a search operation while two women rebels surrendered to district authorities in Nepal's western district of Darchula. The Maoist area commander of Darchula district, known as Binayak, ...
India, Pak to discuss nuclear, conventional CBMs next week.
Aug 01, 2005 ... K J M Varma Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) The talks on confidence building measures between India and Pakistan next week will focus on ways to deal with nuclear emergencies as also an agreement on pre-notification of missile tests and military excercises. During the ...
Four Indians in Asian XI for Afro-Asian ODI series.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Karachi, Aug 1 (PTI) Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq would lead a 15-member Asian XI side named Monday for the Afro-Asian one-day cricket series to be played in South Africa later this month. Rahul Dravid was named the vice-captain of the squad, which has four Indians, six ...
Pak leader of Oppn. detained at Dubai airport; being deported.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) Pakistan's leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman has been detained at Dubai airport by immigration authorities and was being deported. Rehman, General Secretary of pro-Taliban Islamic alliance Muthahida Majlis Amal (MMA) and ...
Failed gyroscope removed during second spacewalk.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Seema Hakhu Kachru Houston, Aug 1 (PTI) Two astronauts aboard the Discovery shuttle Sunday stepped out for a second spacewalk to replace a faulty gyroscope equipment needed to maintain the International Space Station's position. American astronaut Stephen Robinson ...
Ranjitsinhji's emerald necklace to go on sale at Christie's.
Aug 01, 2005 ... H S Rao London, Aug 1 (PTI) A dazzling emerald and pearl necklace of cricket legend and former King of a Gujarat's Nawanagar province Ranjitsinhji Vibhaiji, will go on sale for an estimated 1.6 million pounds at Christie's auction in London on September 23. The two ...
US visit instilled a "deep sense of pride" in me: PM.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Observing that his recent visit to the US instilled in him a "deep sense of pride", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday said the world looks up to India as a "laboratory" for successful functioning of a democracy. "When I went to Washington, I came to ...
Bush appoints controversial Bolton as US envoy to UN.
Aug 01, 2005 ... T V Parasuram Washington, Aug 1 (PTI) Bypassing the Senate, the US President George W Bush Monday appointed controversial nominee John Bolton as envoy to the United Nations, ending a five-month impasse with the Democrats. "This post is too important to leave vacant ...
India, Korea for strategic ties, ink pact on visa exemption.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) India and South Korea Monday agreed to develop strategic partnership as they signed a pact for exempting visa requirement for Diplomatic and Official Passport Holders and decided to ink soon agreements on defence industry and customs cooperation. After the ...
Sania 59th in WTA rankings.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Sania Mirza's consistent performance is paying well for the increasingly popular player on the international circuit as she jumped another five places to be placed 59th in the latest WTA rankings Monday. Sania, who climbed up to 64th from 70th last week, ...
Pak Govt slams MMA's Taliban style Hisba bill as "draconian".
Aug 01, 2005 ... Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) Pakistan Government Monday flayed the Taliban-style Hisba Bill promulgated by the Islamist alliance government in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) to appoint religious Ombudsmen to supervise observance of Islamic practices as a "draconian law" aimed at ...
Pakistan downplays criticism that US selling it old F-16s.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) Pakistan Monday sought to downplay criticism that the US was selling it only old and used F-16s, saying the two fighter jets to be delivered soon were just a beginning of transfers and "more will be coming." The Pakistani Air Force had said on Sunday that ...
South Korea to assist India set up strategic oil reserves.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) South Korea Monday agreed to assist India in setting up strategic oil reserves here based on its experience as the two sides noted collaboration in exploration of hydrocarbon resources between the companies of the two countries would lead to a "win-win" situation. ...
Pentagon should destroy stockpile of outdated weapons: HRW.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Washington, Aug 1 (PTI) Despite some positive developments in its cluster munition policy, the United States retains and still is willing to use at least 728 million old, unreliable and inaccurate cluster weapons, Human Rights Watch said Monday. The Pentagon should destroy its ...
Blair is a liar claim Muslim leaders.
Aug 01, 2005 ... London, Aug 1 (PTI) Describing British Prime Minister Tony Blair as a "liar", a London-based radical Islamic group has urged more than 1,000 Muslims attending a conference here to join a global campaign to spread the word of Islam. Speakers for the Hizb ut-Tahrir Party, which ...
India, S Korea decide to arrange visit of Kalam to Korea.
Aug 01, 2005 ... New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Agreeing that high-level exchanges and contacts are conducive to reinforce their cooperative relations, India and South Korea Monday decided to arrange a visit of President A P J Abdul Kalam to Korea in early next year. During the talks between External ...
Heavy rains wreak havoc in Kerala.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 1 (PTI) Heavy rains continued to lash Kerala for the third consecutive day Monday causing huge property and crop loss in many parts of the state. Kottayam, Idukki, Palakkad, Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts bore the brunt of the monsoon fury and a large ...
Notice to US to quit Uzbek base marks three-corner struggle.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Washington, Aug 1 (PTI) The six months' notice given by Uzbekistan to the US to quit the key airbase it has been using since the war against the Taliban marks a three-cornered struggle for influence in Central Asia among America, Russia and China, according to analysts. Uzbek ...
Modi expands ministry, rejigs portfolios, 1 dissident refuses.
Aug 01, 2005 ... Ahmedabad, Aug 1 (PTI) Chief Minister of western Indian state of Gujarat Narendra Modi Monday expanded his council of ministers for the first time since returning to power three years ago inducting 11 MLAs including two dissidents, one of whom refused the offer, and reshuffled portfolios ...