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Vested interests behind stone pelting incident: Minister

Housing and District-In-Charge Minister V Somanna on Tuesday said that vested interests who were unable to witness the growing popularity of BJP in the stronghold of Janata Dal (Secular) pelted stone at him during a public meeting held in Arsikere on Monday.

Rs 400 crore fraud uncovered at Citibank’s Gurgaon branch

A big banking fraud was uncovered at the Gurgaon branch of Citibank that saw a bank employee fraudulently diverting an estimated Rs 400 crore from 20 accounts of high-networth clients. Citibank has already lodged an FIR and commenced internal investigation into the fraud. "We recently initiated an investigation into a certain set of suspicious transactions based on documents forged by an employee involving a few accounts in our Gurgaon branch," a Citi India spokesperson said in a statement.

Somali pirates seize ship carring oil to UAE

The hijacked cargo ship has a crew of one Romanian and seven Filipinos Nairobi: The European Union Naval Force said on Tuesday that Somali pirates have seized a ship with eight crew onboard.

Now a chip that makes computers 20 times faster

An ultra-fast computer chip that is 20 times faster than the ones found in the current desktop computers has been created by scientists. Modern PCs have a processor with two, four or sometimes 16 cores to carry out tasks. But the central processing unit (CPU) developed by the researchers effectively had 1,000 cores on a single chip, Daily Mail reported Tuesday.

Expatriate workers with six-month visa ban in UAE get reprieve

In a bid to reform its labour market, the UAE has introduced a new work permit which will allow foreign workers, including Indians, in the country to switch jobs after two years without facing a six-month ban for leaving their work. Expatriate workers in the UAE who have received a six-month ban on leaving their jobs recently will be able to obtain new work permits from the beginning of the new year, a senior official has said.

City safe for women, assert top cops

Crimes against them are coming down and stats don’t give an accurate picture, they say Bangalore is becoming increasingly unsafe for women, considering the various crimes committed against them. Over the last two years, there has been a perceptible increase in the number of murders for dowry and other reasons, attempts to commit suicide due to dowry harassment, abetment to suicide, cruelties committed by husbands and in-laws, molestation, and abductions.

Mahindra to raise prices of all models in January

Auto-maker Mahindra and Mahindra on Tuesday said it will raise the prices of its products across all categories in January due to increase in commodity rates. "There will definitely be a price increase in January and we are finalising it at present... It will be across all categories (passenger and commercial vehicles)," Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) Senior Vice-President (Sales and Customer Care, Automotive Sector) Arun Malhotra told reporters here.

Stone thrown at BSY

A stone was thrown at Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa during an election campaign in Banavara in Arasikere taluk on Monday. However, he escaped unhurt.

India plans to launch 30 satellites in next decade

India is mulling to launch at least 30 earth observation satellites in the next one decade, a senior official at the Department of Space (DoS) said on Tuesday. "We expect not less than 30 satellites," Director of the Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), under the DoS Dr V Jayaraman said. NRSC is responsible for remote sensing, satellite data acquisition and processing, data dissemination, aerial remote sensing and decision support for disaster management.

Two charged for murder of Indian student in Texas

United States authorities have filed capital murder charges against two men in the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old Indian student during a 20-second robbery ’blitz’ at a Pasadena convenience store in Texas on Christmas day. Daniel Jacob Stiner, 22, and Michael Ray Morris, 29, both from Pasadena, were charged in the death of Jayachandra Elaprolu, a computer engineer, who worked as a convenience store clerk. Elaprolu was living in the Seabrook area, working on a master’s degree in computer engineering at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, a relative said.

Patel inaugurates seaplane service

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel yesterday inaugurated the country’s first seaplane service to improve connectivity and tourism in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. “This is the first time seaplane operations are being introduced in India. The scheme (aims to give) impetus to the tourism infrastructure in the islands,” said an official statement. The service will be operationalised under a memorandum of understanding signed between the Andaman and Nicobar administration and Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL). The service, which will be operated through a Cessna 208A that has a capacity of eight passengers and two pilots, will connect capital Port Blair with Havelock Island and subsequently other islands in the North Andamans to promote tourism. The statement added that seaplane operations will also be introduced in Lakshadweep, Goa and Orissa among other places, and that the government has allowed 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in the sector.

Dubai police chief calls for expat quota system - paper (Comments)

DUBAI - Expatriates are a threat to the UAE’s national identity and the country should impose quotas on all nationalities to keep the population in check, Dubai’s police chief said in remarks published on Monday. “Today Emiratis are very concerned about their national identity, as the number of foreigners is rising rapidly and nationals are now a minority in their own country,” Lt General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim told local daily Khaleej Times.

Indian origin man charged with Britain terror plot

Nine people, including a man of Indian origin, have been charged with conspiracy to cause explosions and plotting terror attacks in Britain, a media report said Monday. The suspects, who were arrested a week ago during a series of dawn raids by police, will appear in a London court Monday, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Karnataka not in favour of single common entrance test

Karnataka Government today said it was not in favour of a single common entrance test (CET) at the state level for admission to professional courses, as it would not benefit the state students. The government had no objection to the existing system of CET conducted by the Karnataka Examination Authority and COMED-K, a consortium of private medical, engineering and dental colleges in the state, Higher Education Minister Dr V S Acharya told reporters here.

Brides abandoned by NRI husbands on rise

A velvet-bound album of wedding photographs and two unused train tickets for her honeymoon are the only remnants of Amanjyot Kaur’s marriage. One week after the grand wedding ceremony in a small village in the northern state of Punjab, Kaur’s husband, who lives in Montreal, Canada, returned home, promising to send his new wife documents she needed for a visa.

Saudi-made passenger car on the way

A Saudi university has signed a deal with a South Korean firm to produce passenger cars. The Korean company is investing $500mn in the project. Abdullah al-Othman, president of King Saud University, said the first car, a five-passenger model, is expected to roll out within two years.

All eyes on a Mangalore-bound ’terror’ ship

Intelligence agencies have sounded a terror alert against a Mangalore-bound ship which would be coming in from the United Arab Emitates via Pakistan. The Intelligence Bureau has stated that terrorists could be on board this ship and could infiltrate into Mangalore from where they may try and launch a terror attack in the country.

No New Year holiday for UAE public sector

Dubai: Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Federal Authority for Human Resources, issued a circular to all ministries and federal government bodies regarding the New Year’s Day holidays.

Indian worker to be cremated in RAK

RAS AL KHAIMAH —The Ras Al Khaimah Public Prosecutor has ordered the cremation of the body of a 35-year-old Indian worker according to his religion, after keeping it for more than six months in the morgue at Seif Obaidullah Hospital in the emirate. The order followed a request by the RAK Police to bury the body of Falsiyu Salfani as his family in India informed the police that they had failed to raise money for the repatriation of the body. Salfani’s family had requested the authorities to help them cremate the body as per the belief of Hindu religion and to conduct the last rituals on their behalf.

Bird strike forces Saudi flight to return: paper

DUBAI - A Saudi Arabian Airlines flight with some 200 passengers on board had to make an emergency landing after one of its engines caught fire, Bahrain’s Gulf Daily News reported on Monday. The engine caught fire following a collision with a bird, forcing the Bahrain-bound flight to return to Medina, according to the newspaper.