News

Footballer caught cheating with teen escort

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Spain, August 14: As lurid details of English footballer Peter Crouch’s alleged romp with a 19-year-old “escort” in Madrid come tumbling out, his model and TV star fiancee is reported to be livid and heading home to a “showdown” with him.

“You b******, how could you do this to me?” Abbey Clancy is reported to have screamed when she phoned him.

Ironically, the alleged one-night stand happened a year to the day after the Tottenham striker and Clancy announced their engagement, media reported.

‘US knows Iran needs no nukes’

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Tehran, August 14: A senior Iranian military official says the US knows well that Iran needs no nuclear weapons to defend itself against its enemies.

“The United States knows that we do not need nuclear weapons and they [US officials] try to create a phobia about the Muslim nations in the world by claiming that they are aggressive in order to make Americans follow their policies,” Brig. Gen. Hossein Hamedani said.

Iran to fuel Bushehr plant next week

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Tehran, August 14: The director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran says the fuel needed to launch the Bushehr nuclear power plant will be transferred to the plant building next week.

Ali Akbar Salehi said it will then take another seven to eight days to transfer the fuel to the reactor.

Earlier in the day, Russian officials said the power plant in Bushehr will be launched next week when fuel is loaded into the reactor on August 21. The reactor, however, will not be operational until September.

Thousands barred from praying in Al-Aqsa

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Ramallah, august 14: The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine Sheikh Mohammed Hussein said that the Israeli restrictions prevented thousands of Palestinian worshipers from attending the first Friday prayer of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Hussein told that only around 40,000 worshipers succeeded in entering Jerusalem for the prayer. The Israeli police in Jerusalem confirmed the number. It added that thousands of police and border patrol officers were stationed near Al-Aqsa Mosque, Old City and East Jerusalem, in order to prevent disturbances.

Obama backs mosque near ground zero

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Washington, August 14: President Barack Obama on Friday forcefully endorsed allowing a mosque near ground zero, saying the country’s founding principles demanded no less.

“As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country,” Obama said, weighing in for the first time on a controversy that has riven New York City and the nation.

Muslim man has to maintain divorced wife till she remarries

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Delhi, August 14: A Muslim man is bound to maintain his divorced wife and minor children till she gets remarried, the Delhi High Court has said in a recent judgment.

The court said that irrespective of Muslim personal laws, under which the husband is bound to maintain his wife only during the Iddat period (three months after divorce), the wife is entitled for maintenance under Criminal Procedure Code till she remarries.

New technology toilets introduced in Delhi : MCD

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New Delhi, August 13: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Friday introduced bio-toilets and electronic toilets based on innovative technologies, which they said, will save water, energy and space and also be aesthetically more appealing.

The bio-toilets technology has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the defence ministry.

11 dead in China rail accident

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Beijing, August 14: Eleven people were killed in a train derailment at a railway construction site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Friday, authorities said.

The accident happened when a train carrying stones, which are used to pave the railroad, derailed at the construction site, Xinhua reported. The new 85-km line is to link Inner Mongolia’s Baotou to Mandalt, a border town neighbouring Mongolia.

One person was severely injured in the accident and rushed to a hospital.

–IANS–

Palestinians await quartet statement to decide on talks

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Ramallah, August 14: The Palestinian Authority is waiting for a statement from the international Mideast quartet containing certain guarantees before making a final decision on joining direct negotiations with Israel, a senior Palestinian official said Friday.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Thursday that the quartet – composed of the EU, US, Russia and the UN – is working on a statement that would encourage Palestinians and Israelis to start direct negotiations and that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is very close to deciding on going to the direct talks.

Killing spree leaves three family members dead in China

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Beijing, August 14: Three persons of a family died during a killing spree in southwest China’s Guizhou province, police said Friday.

A woman with the surname Jiang, and two of her sons, aged 2 and 14, were found murdered in their home at Xiaozhai Village in Weining County at around 7 p.m. Thursday, the provincial department of public security said.

Another son, 13, was rushed to a hospital as he showed signs of life and is still in critical conditions, Xinhua reported.

–IANS–

US continues push for Middle East direct talks

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Washington, August 14: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called key regional leaders, continuing the America’s push to start Middle East direct talks, the State Department said Friday.

“Secretary Clinton discussed with Israeli Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu on issues to be resolved for direct negotiations to begin,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in his Twitter messages.

“Secretary Clinton also talked with Jordanian Foreign Minister Judeh and Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit about negotiation details,” Crowley was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Lalu, Rabri, Paswan to appear in court on Aug 25

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Patna, August 14: A Bihar court on Friday asked RJD Chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan to appear before it on August 25 for allowing their petition seeking exemption from further appearance in a case in which they are accused of damaging public property.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Ramesh Malviya passed the order on a petition filed on their behalf pleading that the three leaders be permitted not to appear in the court in person because of their busy schedule.

Ayodhya is not pvt property, its a religous faith: VHP

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Hyderabad, August 14: VHP International President Ashok Singhal on Friday said the only way to resolve the Ayodhya dispute was to pass a legislation unamimously in Parliament to construct a Ram temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi site.

“Ayodhya dispute is not property dispute but a religious faith dispute which could not be solved by court verdicts,” he told reporters after offering worship at the hill temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala near here.

Certificates on sale for Asians in UK College

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London, August 14: A college run by a Pakistani citizen in Manchester is under investigation following reports that it created a fraudulent gateway to British citizenship by selling English language certificates to hundreds of Asian immigrants, including those from India.

The cash-for-qualifications investigation was launched after The Times discovered that recent students of Oxford College of Management Sciences appeared to have little or no knowledge of what, when and where they had studied to gain their certificates.

I’ve slept with 5,000 men: British blonde

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London, August 14: A 25-year-old British blonde has boasted that she has slept with 5,000 men and says she doesn’t ‘want to be cured’ even if she is considered a sex addict.

Nikki Lee has had sex in nightclubs, alleyways, parks, cinemas and discotheques. She has also gone on sex holidays, where she did it in clubs, on beaches and on balconies.

She knows about the number of men she has slept with as she maintains a little red notebook in which every detail of each sex session is written down. Not only that, she gives a scores to each man out of 10.

KKR signs paki Aslam Khan

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Kolkatta, August 14: NATIONALITY of cricketers should not matter in the Indian Premier League and franchises should be allowed to pick the best players from around the globe, feels Kolkata Knight Riders ( KKR) CEO Joy Bhattacharya, who recently signed a deal with rookie Pakistan pacer Muhammad Irfan.

“ It shouldn’t matter which country they belong to. But we want to be in a position where we can sign on the best available players,” Bhattacharya told Geo Super channel on Wednesday.

Normalcy in Kashmir will return if army is withdrawn: Mirwaiz Umer Farooq

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Srinagar, August 13: Moderate Hurriyat Conference headed by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq today said normalcy will return to Kashmir only if the government withdraws troops, revokes “draconian” acts and releases all prisoners unconditionally.

Responding to prime minister Manmohan Singh’s statement asking people to give peace a chance, Mirwaiz said, “Peace will not return unless the government withdraws its troops, revokes armed forces special powers act, disturbed areas act, removes army and security camps and bunkers from civilian areas and releases all the prisoners unconditionally.”

US imposes extra charges of $2,000 per annum for skilled workers from India

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Washington, August 13: The Indian IT outsourcing firms have been saddled with combined costs of around $200 million (Rs930 crore) a year, after the US increased skilled-work-visa charges by nearly $2,000 (Rs93,000) perperson per year. There are an estimated 70,000-1,00,000 Indians in the US, nearly all of them IT professionals, working on 3-7 year visas in the US who will be impacted by the change.

Abhinav Bindra elected in ISSF’s athlete committee

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New Delhi, August 13: He may not have clinched a medal at the World Championships this time but Olympic gold-winning Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra continued to rise in stature by getting elected to the International Shooting Sport Federation’s (ISSF) Athlete Committee.

The rifle shooter, who became the first individual Olympic gold medallist for India by finishing on top in the 2008 Beijing Games, was voted into the four-member panel by his fellow marksmen competing in the 50th World Championships in Munich, Germany yesterday.

Swine flu claims one more victim

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Udaipur, August 13: One more person died of swine flu here taking the toll in the city this season to two and raising fears about spread of the virus with authorities asking schools to suspend prayer assemblies.

A suspected swine flu patient, who died here yesterday within hours of being admitted to a hospital, was today confirmed to be H1N1 positive, health officials here said.

Schools have been asked by the administration to hold morning prayers inside classrooms and not in the open as the virus spreads faster in crowded places, they said.

–Agencies

Case registered against 16 Andhra ministers

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Hyderabad, August 13: Complying with a court directive, the Hyderabad city police today booked a case against 16 ministers of Andhra Pradesh on the charge of promoting enmity and defamation for allegedly terming as “anti-national” the demand for Telangana statehood.

Jagan to begin tour in Prakasam in September

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Hyderabad, August 13: Having completed two spells of his controversial yatra despite the reservations of the Congress high command, Kadapa MP, Mr
Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, is gearing up to begin his next round of tour in Prakasam district next month.

“Jagan’s ‘Odarpu yatra’ would begin from September 3 in Prakasam district. It likely to be held for 12 days. I believe majority of the MLAs and other public representatives would participate in the yatra,” the mines minister, Mr B. Srinivasa Reddy, who is a close relative of Mr Jagan, told reporters.

Vanzara, others file affidavit opposing Amin as approver

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Ahmedabad, August 13: Arrested police officer D G Vanzara and seven others today filed an affidavit in a CBI court raising objections against another accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing case N K Amin turning an approver.

In a written reply to Amin’s request for turning approver and recording his confession, eight other accused in the case, including Vanzara, claimed since Amin was at one point of time the investigating officer in the case, he should be treated as an accused and not be made a prosecution witness and granted pardon by the court.

Zardari curtails Russia visit to few hours

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Islamabad, August 13: Stung by criticism of his decision to travel to Europe at a time when Pakistan is grappling with the worst floods in its history, President Asif Ali Zardari has decided to curtail an upcoming visit to Russia to only a few hours.

Zardari’s original schedule was to visit Russia two days to participate in a quadrilateral summit of heads of state of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Russia convened by the Russian government.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar today said Zardari had curtailed his visit in view of the devastating floods in the country.

Trinamool Congress defends Mamata’s Lalgarh rally

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Kolkata, August 13: Trinamool Congress today defended party supremo Mamata Banerjee’s rally at Lalgarh and slammed CPI(M) and BJP for “joining hands” to target her over the issue.

“Mamata has said the politics of killing must stop. When the police are asking Maoists to take money and return to the mainstream what wrong has she done by asking them to come back to the path of peace and democracy?,” Trinamool Congress Secretary-General Partha Chatterjee said in an oblique reference to the West Bengal government’s recently announced surrender and rehabilitation package for Maoists.