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

Price rise a global phenomenon: Congress

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:12:00 -0400

With rising prices turning into a political hot potato, Congress on Monday said that the current inflation is a global phenomenon and cited China's example, where it is at a 12-year high.

Karat compares Tibet to separatist demands in India

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:05:00 -0400

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Monday warned that supporting an independent Tibet would be a 'great disservice' to India, which has faced many separatist movements.

Stringent action to be taken in Kerala woman case,assures Centre

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:42:00 -0400

Taking serious view of a 29-year old Kerala woman landing in a prostitution racket in Oman after being lured with a housemaid job, India has asked its mission in Muscat to take up the case with the Omanese Government and seek action against her sponsors

Govt considering elimination of import duties: Kamal Nath

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:44:00 -0400

Government today said that it is considering elimination of import duties on a host of items, mainly food products, to improve their supply and rein in rising inflation. Interacting with media in the national capital ahead of the crucial meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Prices, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath on Monday said, “With international prices going to be steep, we are looking at cutting duties on many products, on food front, on edible oil and a whole range of products; in fact, bringing them to zero, if necessary.”

India should boycott Chinese goods: Fernandes

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:39:00 -0400

Criticising the Centre's policy on China, former Defence Minister, George Fernandes, has urged the nation and other countries to pressurise the communist nation to change its stand on Tibet by boycotting Chinese goods.

CPM favours long term political alternative to Congress, BJP

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 12:46:00 -0400

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) today said it was not in favour of cobbling a "cut and paste" third front for elections, but wanted to establish a long term political alternative to the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

Exchange of prisoners' list to be done on monday

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:15:00 -0400

India and Pakistan would exchange the lists of prisoners languishing in each other's jails on Monday. According to the Indian Government, currently 372 Indian fishermen and around 199 other Indians are in Pakistani jails.

China potential threat number one: Fernandes

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 03:05:00 -0400

Describing as an "error" the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government's decision to recognise Tibet as a part of China, former defence minister George Fernandes has said the Communist nation was "potential threat number one" to India and flayed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) dispensation for allowing it to be "bullied".

Kashmir is central issue: Pak PM

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:41:00 -0400

The newly sworn in Pakistan Prime Minister Makhdoom Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the success of the confidence building measures introduced jointly by his country and India since 2004 would depend on the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

IIM-A to hike fee by over 100 per cent for PGP programme

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:58:00 -0400

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has decided on Saturday more than 100 per cent hike in the fees for its post graduate programme from next academic year.

Dalai Lama says China deserves to host Olympic games

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:45:00 -0400

According to the Tibetan spiritual leader and head of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, Dalai Lama; despite the killing of innocent Tibetans, China deserves to host the Olympic games.

Culling begins in Jalpaiguri after bird flu outbreak

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 04:46:00 -0400

Culling of affected birds began at Jalpaiguri on Friday after bird flu was confirmed in the district. A day before Holi the blood samples of dead chicken from Mondolghat, close to Jalpaiguri was sent to Bhopal for examination. The reports, which came back on Thursday afternoon, confirmed a blood flu outbreak in the district.

CPI-M wants to undo India-US military alliance

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 04:18:00 -0400

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) is committed to opposing the India-US military alliance and the civil nuclear deal, party general secretary Prakash Karat said today while criticising the central government that his party supports from outside. The CPI-M chief's inaugural address at the party's 19th congress was marked by a strong reminder of the Left's role in Indian politics, as he asked around 700 delegates assembled at Anil Biswas Nagar in the city to "disentangle India from the strategic embrace of the US".

Big B reacts to verbal attack

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:45:00 -0400

Close on the heels of repeated verbal assaults by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief, Raj Thackeray, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan today said that it is his fundamental right to live anywhere in the country.

Government announces the locations of 4 IITs and 6 IIMs

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:39:00 -0400

Government today announced the location of four new Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), six new Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and 14 Central Universities. The new IITs will come up in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab, while the IIMs will be set up in Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Haryana.

Viru follows Bradman and Lara, creates history

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:41:00 -0400

Flamboyant opener Virender Sehwag created history and blazed the quickest triple hundred in the 126-year-old Test cricket history in Chennai on Friday. Sehwag becomes only the third batsman and joins the elite club of Sir Donald Bradman and Brian Lara, to pass 300 twice in Test cricket. Matthew Hayden took 362 balls against Zimbabwe in 2003 and Walter Hammond an estimated 355 in New Zealand in 1933.

Lashkar-e-Toiba takes over D-Company: report

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:05:00 -0400

The notorious 'D-Company' is now officially part of the Lashkar-e-Toiba's terror network, with Pakistan's notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) getting Dawood Ibrahim to merge his gang with the fundamentalist terror organisation as part of a gameplan to crank up its anti-India campaign, according to a report published prominently in a national daily in India on Friday.

Mithun Chakraborty unveils Royal Bengal Tigers

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:09:00 -0400

Actor Mithun Chakraborty on Thursday promised to take his Indian Cricket League (ICL) team, Royal Bengal Tigers, to various districts of West Bengal for charity matches and convert the side into a "winning machine". Speaking at a grand re-launch of Kolkata Tigers as Royal Bengal Tigers, which the Bollywood megastar of the 1980s has bought for a fortune, he said: “I have several plans with the side. But that would be seen in June.”

Cabinet approves Farmers' Debt Relief Fund

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:57:00 -0400

The central government today has decided to set up a Farmers' Debt Relief Fund with an initial corpus of Rs 10,000 crore to implement the farm loan waiver scheme announced in the general budget to help about four crore peasants.

Top SIMI leaders held by Spl Task Force in Indore

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:55:00 -0400

Special Task Force (STF) of Madhya Pradesh Police today achieved a major breakthrough when they caught hold of All India General Secretary of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Safdar Nagori in the city. He was arrested along with SIMI's southern zone chief, Qibli, with ten other members of the banned student organisation.

Jalpaiguri declared bird flu-affected

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 06:35:00 -0400

Jalpaiguri became the third district to be declared bird flu-hit for the second time after Malda and Murshidabad, with death of 112 chicken reported from its Sadar sub-division, official sources said on Thursday.

Takeover tycoon Tata gets JLR for USD 2.3 billion

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:10:00 -0400

Creating history, India's top corporate Tatas today acquired luxury auto brands -- Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) -- from Ford Motor for USD 2.3 billion, stamping their authority as a takeover tycoon.

Maruti Suzuki launches Swift DZire

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:09:00 -0400

India's leading car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki, today launched its new entry level sedan Swift DZire in the national capital, with plans to consolidate its position in the big-car segment. Having a 1.3 litre engine, DZire is another edition of Maruti's other models in the series of Swift and SX4, but unlike previous models DZire is more powerful.

Tata Motors acquires Jaguar, Land Rover

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:20:00 -0400

Homegrown auto major Tata Motors has clinched the Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) deal estimated to be valued between 2-2.5 billion dollars.

'India keen on nuclear deal, but not at the cost of government'

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:04:00 -0400

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday reiterated India's desire to implement its stalled civil nuclear deal with the US, but made clear that the ruling coalition was not prepared to sacrifice the government for it. Addressing a press conference at the end of his two day visit to the US in the city, the Minister said, “At this juncture I cannot indicate any time frame by which we can complete the process of resolving problems with the government's Left supporters who are opposed to the deal.”

SC to form Special Investigating Team for post Godhra riots cases

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:50:00 -0400

Giving hopes to the godhra riots victims who time and again have questioned the sincerity and intentions of Gujarat police in the investigation of the post Godhra riot cases, the Supreme Court today indicated that it will form a new special investigated team (SIT), which will further investigate the major cases of Gujarat riots.

India won't allow a separate Tamil state: Sri Lankan PM

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:44:00 -0400

India will never allow a separate independent state for Tamils to be carved out from Sri Lanka, the island's Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayaka said. "It should be borne in mind that India will never allow a separate independent state for Tamils in Sri Lanka because such a development will have a disastrous effect in India," Wickremanayaka, who is the first Sri Lankan Prime Minister to visit Israel, said while addressing a gathering.

Goa decides to hand over Scarlett murder case to CBI

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:43:00 -0400

Under pressure on the credibility of the police probe, Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat has said that the state government is willing to hand over the the case of death of British teenager, Scarlett Eden Keeling, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

US to continue work with India on nuclear deal

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

India has briefed the US about its political constraints that have stalled their landmark civil nuclear deal while assuring it that it was still "interested in implementing the agreement". "We are interested in implementing the landmark agreement reached between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W Bush" in July 2005 and March 2006, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters after a 30-minute meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the city.

CPM not against nuclear energy says Sitaram Yechury

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:42:00 -0400

The Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M) today said that it was never against nuclear energy per se but asked how the Indo-US nuclear deal would help India in this field.