Howrah News Service - Latest news and headlines on Howrah,West Bengal and World

Nepal Maoists want good ties with India

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:49:00 -0400

Nepal's Maoists, all set to take power in the Himalayan nation, favour good relations with India, an Indian writer who has close ties with the former guerrillas has said.

Committee to probe lapses at the Eden Gardens

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:28:00 -0400

With the city left red-faced after a power snag and a poor strip took the fizz out from Sunday's Indian Premier League match here, the West Bengal government on Monday formed a three-member committee to probe the lapses while an annoyed Board of Contron for Cricket in India (BCCI) rushed its pitch committee head to rectify the errors in the 22 yards.

India, China to discuss bilateral and regional issues

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:03:00 -0400

India and China will discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues when Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon will meet Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs He Yafei in the city today.

Speaker disagrees with CJI's views on RTI applicability

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:00:00 -0400

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Monday disagreed with Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan's views that the Right to Information Act was not applicable to his office.

Burney files fresh mercy plea for Sarabjit to Pak Prez

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:29:00 -0400

Pakistan's former Human Rights Minister Ansar Burney today filed a fresh mercy petition to President Pervez Musharraf seeking clemency for Indian national Sarabjit Singh, sentenced to death for alleged involvement in the 1990 blasts in Lahore and Multan

12-hour shutdown against price rise in WB begins

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:23:00 -0400

A 12-hour state-wide shutdown in West Bengal jointly called by the Trinamool Congress and the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) began this morning to protest against the Centre and State Government's inability to control the rising prices of essential commodities.

Quota may take away funds meant for new institutes: Parl Committee

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:02:00 -0400

Despite the government's commitment to set up more institutions of higher learning, funds can prove to be a major impediment, as a substantial amount will have to be diverted to implement the other backward classes (OBCs) quota, a Parliamentary Committee has said.

India to ink biggest $2.2 bn defence deal with US

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:40:00 -0400

India is set to sign a $2.2 billion deal, its biggest with the US, for eight long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft, even as the Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta opposed 'intrusiveness' in the use of military hardware the country purchases.

Kalam was ready to appoint Sonia Gandhi as PM in 2004

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 06:36:00 -0400

Ending speculation that has persisted for four years as to whether President A P J Abdul Kalam was unwilling to appoint Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister, it is now being disclosed that he had a letter of appointment ready for her.

Indian envoy to Nepal meets Prachanda

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 06:31:00 -0400

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankhar Mukherjee today held discussion with Communist Party Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) Chairman Prachanda about political developments taking place in the country.

No further postponement of Sarabjit hanging: Pak

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:49:00 -0400

The execution of Indian national Sarabjit Singh, sentenced to death for his alleged involvement in bomb attacks in Pakistan, has not been postponed further, a presidential spokesman said today.

Kolkata Night Riders beats Royal Challangers in IPL

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:22:00 -0400

Shah Rukh Khan's team Kolkata Knight Riders beat Vijay Mallya's Royal Challengers in the DLF IPL tournament's first match.

India to follow hands-off economic policies: PM

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:15:00 -0400

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said his government has followed 'hands-off' policies and will remain committed to liberalisation. The statement has come amid increasing criticism by the Left parties against the free market forces in the wake of price rise.

India did not misread situation in Nepal

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:24:00 -0400

India today said that it did not misread the situation in Nepal, where the Maoists romped to a surprise victory in the recent elections to the Constituent Assembly.

West Bengal still struggles with bird flu

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:34:00 -0400

West Bengal has been fighting the bird flu for three months now. But the epidemic shows no signs of going away, erupting in new places every few weeks. Now, Union Health Minister Ramadoss has said that if the outbreak is not controlled properly, India could see its first human case.

Pakistan sets new date for Sarabjit's execution; scheduled on May 1 claims TV report

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:33:00 -0400

Sarabjit Singh's fate seems to be sealed as an Indian private TV channel’s report suggests that the Pakistani authorities have issued a fresh death warrant. The report says that according to a new warrant, Sarabjit will be now hanged on the 1st of May at Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail.

Creamy layer to be excluded from ambit of OBC quotas

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:27:00 -0400

The Government has decided to exclude the socially and economically advanced among the OBCs, officially called the Creamy Layer, from the ambit of 27 per cent quota for them in higher educational institutions. Speaking to the reporters about the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on Thursday evening

Bangladeshi migrants pose threat to internal security

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:25:00 -0400

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs in its recent report has noted that the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, present in "large" numbers across the country, pose a grave threat to India's internal security.

Gandhi statue in Leicester to be unveiled by top Indian, Briton

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:05:00 -0400

After the city authorities gave its go-ahead for the installation of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Leicester, a local MP, Keith Vaz announced today that two "very prominent" representatives of India and Britain will unveil the statue.

RBI Guv: Indian financial market not vulnerable to global slowdown

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:04:00 -0400

There seems to be more trouble in store for Manmohan Singh's government as the RBI governor Y V Reddy has rejected the suggestion that the Indian financial markets are vulnerable to global turbulence in economies. Amid fears of global slowdown and its adverse impact on the world economy, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) today averred that Indian financial market is not vulnerable to overseas developments.

Pak erected nine mobile towers along Indo-Pak border

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:48:00 -0400

The Government has said that Pakistan has erected nine mobile towers in its territory along the India-Pakistan border which have security-related implications for India.

Mufti repeats demand for Pakistani currency in Kashmir

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:46:00 -0400

Strongly defending his proposal to have dual currency of India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said that it was high time to do so.

Bangladeshi org stalled Moitree Express in Nadia

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:04:00 -0400

The failure of intelligence played enough to make the Indian government embarrassed as an organization of the Bangladeshi refugees stalled the inaugural run of the Moitree Express on Monday on its way as threatened.

History recreates after four decades; Dhaka-Kolkata train link resumes

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:01:00 -0400

It was perhaps the best way to kick start a fresh new year for Bengalis on either banks of Padma. The Kolkata-Dhaka Moitree Express was on Monday flagged off on Bengali New Year's Day by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, resuming passenger train services between the two neighbouring countries after 43 years.

India seeks overhaul of global financial system

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:55:00 -0400

India on Sunday called for a thorough overhaul of the global system of financial oversight and regulatory mechanisms to save the developing world from an economic crisis not of their making.

President recalls common bond between India, Brazil

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:46:00 -0400

President Pratibha Patil, on a state visit to Brazil, has today said that India and Brazil were large democracies and had common historical bond in the form of Portuguese presence in Goa as well as in Brazil during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Despite govt. schemes 20 farmers commit suicides in three days in Vidarbha

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 11:40:00 -0400

Despite the Central Government's unprecedented Rs 600 billion loan waiver, farmers suicides continue unabated in Vidarbha with as many as 20 of them reported from different districts of the region since Friday.

Burney calls for visa-free movement between Indo-Pak

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 10:30:00 -0400

Former Pakistani human rights minister Ansar Burney on Sunday said that India and Pakistan should abolish the visa system to facilitate "unrestricted movement" of people between the two countries.

India to work with Maoists of Nepal

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 10:23:00 -0400

Amid possibility of the Maoists emerging as the largest party after Thursday's elections in Nepal India has said that it was ready to work with them. "We will go by the wishes of the people of Nepal and accept their mandate. India will actively work with whichever party forms the government in Nepal." said India's ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee today

Maoist Leader Wins Seat in Nepal

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 04:21:00 -0400

Nepal's former communist rebels picked up more seats Sunday as they extended their lead in early returns from elections that will shape the Himalayan nation's political future.