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World / Social Life

Londoners likely to stay put as national downturn hits the capital

08.07.2008 04:20 Source

safestore.co.uk

Homeowners in London are unlikely to be able to take a step up the property ladder anytime soon now that prices in the capital are beginning to join in the national downward trend.

Great Britain Category

Social Life

Germany Proposes Plan for Ending Violence in Abkhazia

08.07.2008 03:37 Source

dw-world.de

With recent bombings killing four people in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia, Germany has proposed a plan for ending the ongoing conflict in the region.

Germany

Social Life

Jammu and Kashmir Governor N. N. Vohra has accepted the resignation of the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and his Council of Ministers. He has however, requested Azad to continue in office till alternate arrangements are made. Azad met the Governor at Raj Bhawan this afternoon and handed over resignation letter after withdrawing confidence motion in the Assembly. His government reduced to minority after alliance partner People’s Democratic Alliance (PDP) withdrew support on the Amarnath shrine land issue. If the PDP had not issued a whip to its members there was a chance of some members supporting the government. But after the PDP issued a whip it became unlikely. Earlier, in his emotionally charged speech in the Assembly, he said, “I am satisfied with my work. The motive I came with, I have largely achieved it. I don''t care who will be the Chief Minister. I don''t care whether the government survives or falls. I have shown the way. After spending life in serving the nation and party, I wanted to serve the people of my state. I have worked at a stretch for 20 hours.” The term of the State Government was to expire on November 2. The Congress has 21 members in the 87-member strong Assembly and is backed by two CPM MLAs and eight Independents. The PDP had 18 MLAs and its support was crucial for running the government. Vohra had summoned a special session of the State Assembly following the withdrawal of support by the PDP. The PDP, which entered into a power sharing agreement with the Congress and an assortment of Independent MLAs following a hung verdict in 2002 polls, pulled out from the Congress-led government and had withdrawn support to it on June 28. Earlier, a few days ago, the main Opposition party the National Conference, which has 24 members in the House, had announced that it would not support the State Government. The National Panthers Party, which has four members, too does not enjoy a good relationship with the government after Azad kept its MLAs out of his ministry. Only a split in either the National Conference or the PDP may save the State Government, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jammu Mukti Morcha are unlikely to support the Congress during the floor test. (ANI)

India

Social Life

Kerala to submit report on Mullaperiyar dam to SC

08.07.2008 03:37 Source

b4uindia.com

Kerala Government will soon present before the Supreme Court, a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi stating the113-year-old Mullaperiyar dam being hydrologically unsafe and in dangerous condition. The study would be submitted by the Kerala Government, as the base to support its case in the court for construction of a new dam that is being opposed by Tamil Nadu Government. Kerala Irrigation and Water Resources Minister N. K. Premachandran, said here today that the State would submit the report to the apex court as evidence to support its case for construction of a new dam at about 1,300 metres below the existing dam. Premachandran said the key finding of the study was that the water level would go up to 160.22 feet in the event of a ''maximum probable flood'' even if the storage level were kept at 136 feet. The study suggests the Mullaperiyar dam as being hydrologically unsafe for passing the estimated probable maximum probable floodwaters even when all the existing 13 spillways are opened. However, the Tamil Nadu Government has said the Central Water Commission, which inspected the dam, had told the apex court the dam was strong. Tamil Nadu is opposed to the construction of a new dam and wants the storage level to be raised from 136 ft to 142 feet. Kerala is opposed to raise the level from the present 136 feet, sighting the dam’s safety as the reason. (ANI)

India

Social Life

Three die as two train engines ram into each other in Pune

08.07.2008 03:37 Source

b4uindia.com

Three people died and two sustained injuries when two train engines collided head on in Pune on Monday. “Fire Brigade was informed at 8.30 in the morning about the accident. We found that the two engines were badly collided with each other. We also found a few bodies trapped in between the trains,” said Pradeep Ranapise, fire brigade official. The collision took place in the early hours at the Ghorpadi yard, killing three railway personnel, including a driver and a guard, on the spot. One engine ran over the other. Rescuers have recovered all the bodies and the injured have been hospitalized. The cause of the accident in not known. Railway authorities have begun investigations. India has one of the largest railway networks in the world. Experts say that slow modernization of the Indian railways is one of the main reasons of the train accidents in the country. (ANI)

India

Social Life

India to approach IAEA on Indo-US nuke deal very soon: PM

08.07.2008 03:37 Source

b4uindia.com

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has said that India would approach the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal very soon. Dr. Singh said this to media on his way to Japan. PM is on a visit to Japan to participate in the G-8 summit. PM’s statement has come barely hours after the Left parties'' announcement that they would submit the letter of withdrawal of support to President Pratibha Patil on July 10. Earlier today, Defence Minister A. K. Antony said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was "moving ahead" with Indo-US nuclear deal and Left parties should wait till the next UPA meeting for a response. The deal is essential for the country to obtain nuclear energy from other countries and the UPA government has decided to go ahead with the same considering national interest, Antony said adding there was no question of Congress compromising on national interest. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to meet US President George Bush and discuss the progress of the Indo-US nuclear deal with him during the two-day Summit beginning Tuesday. During his visit, Dr. Singh will discuss various topics, including climate change, energy and food security with G-8 leaders and those from the outreach countries like China, Brazil and South Africa. Prior to the meeting with the G8 leaders, the Prime Minister will attend a meeting of the G5 group of outreach countries being hosted by the President of Mexico on Tuesday. India has been attending G-8 outreach meetings since 2003. An important outcome of the last year''s G-8 summit in Heiligendamm in Germany was the initiative to launch a high-level dialogue between the G-8 and the five-outreach countries to be completed at next year''s Summit in Italy. (ANI)

India

Social Life

Thousands of devotees visit Ajmer Sharif for 796th Urs ceremony

08.07.2008 03:37 Source

b4uindia.com

Thousands of devotees converged at the revered Ajmer Sharif shrine in Rajasthan on Sunday to offer prayers on the occasion of 796th Urs of Khwaja Moin-ud-Din Chishti, the Sufi saint. "Urs"marks the death anniversary of Khwaja Moin-ud-Din Chishti who is popularly called "Garib Nawaz", or the "Messiah of the poor. This year the six-day ceremony started on Friday (June 5). Residents, on this occasion, bedeck the lanes leading to the shrine with colourful decorations. Devotees queue up in front of hundreds of small shops selling the “Chadar” or the holy spread that is laid over the mausoleum of Sufi saint as an offering. Both Hindus and Muslims throng the shrine in large numbers with a belief that all their wishes would be realized by praying at the famous shrine that is also a symbol of communal harmony. "My family has been coming here for past many years. We can experience the presence of some mystic powers at this shrine which draws us to this shrine," said Kalpesh, a Hindu devotee. An estimated a million devotees from India and abroad visit the saint''s shrine during the six-day long Urs. The shrine also attracts devotees from neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh. "Whatever we ask for from our heart is fulfilled, that is why people come here from far off places to get their wishes fulfilled," said Zahid Hussain, a devotee from Bangladesh. Through the fair, devotional music and reciting from the saint Chisti''s own works and other Sufis are presented in traditional Qawali style and sung in chorus. The annual event culminates with readings from the holy Quran and special prayers. The annual gathering is considered to be second largest congregation of Muslims at one place after Mecca. Legend has that in 1236 A.D, the saint had entered his cell to pray in seclusion for six days, at the end of which he died. Since then, Urs is celebrated for six days every year. Chishti, some historian have recorded, came to India after a dream in which the Holy Prophet asked him to do so and eventually settled in the tiny town of Ajmer, where his firm faith in the unity of human beings and equality won him reverence amid the common people. It was in Ajmer that he laid the foundations of the Chishtiyya order, which interprets religion in terms of human services and lays stress of the renunciation of material goods, self-discipline and generosity to others. (ANI)

India

Social Life

Medvedev says no progress on key issues after talks with Bush

08.07.2008 03:36 Source

rian.ru

Russia's president said on Tuesday talks with his U.S. counterpart yielded little progress on key controversial issues, but both sides said they were willing to continue discussions.

Russia

Social Life

Russia starts large-scale naval exercise in the Pacific

08.07.2008 03:36 Source

rian.ru

Over 20 combat and auxiliary ships from Russia's Pacific Fleet started on Tuesday a large-scale naval exercise in the Sea of Japan, which includes live firing drills, a fleet spokesman said.

Russia

Social Life