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Serious design deficiency led to metro mishap:Reddy

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New Delhi, July 28: The recent accident at the Delhi Metro site in South Delhi that claimed six lives was caused by “serious deficiency” in design and inadequate concrete strength, Lok Sabha was informed today.

Following an enquiry, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has blacklisted the design consultancy firm for five years, debarred the structural consultant for two years and issued a show cause notice to M/S Gammon India asking why it should not be blacklisted for two years, Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy said in the House.

Strauss wants ECB to regulate players’ IPL romp

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London, July 28: The lure of lucre may be too strong to resist but England captain Andrew Strauss wants the cricket board to maintain a hard line over the players’ participation in the Indian Premier League to ensure that the strongest possible side is available for national duty.

I had a better technique than Gavaskar: Boycott

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New Delhi, July 28: Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott believes he was technically superior to Sunil Gavaskar even though his Yorkshire teammate Dicky Bird feels otherwise.

The England opener with a reputation for straight talking said he and Gavaskar were similar in many respects but he had the better technique.

“There is no question that Sunny was a fantastic batsman.

JK Chief Minister Omar Abdullah resigns

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New Delhi, July 28: With Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today threatening to quit after PDP alleged that he was involved in a sex scandal, coalition partner Congress is trying to prevail upon him not to take such a step.

Congress in-charge of state Prithviraj Chavan has spoken to Omar Abdullah asking him not to resign as it was a trap to get him out of office, party sources said here.

Chavan has also spoken to Omar’s father Farooq Abdullah so that he stops him from resigning, they said.

Mideast peace a ‘top priority’ for Obama, says US envoy

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Jerusalem, July 28: US special Middle East envoy George Mitchell Monday called on Israel, the Palestinians and Arab states to take steps to promote a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, calling it one of President Barack Obama’s ‘top priorities’.

‘We believe that a full, comprehensive peace presents the best way for all the people of the region to achieve the security, peace and prosperity all its citizens deserve,’ he told reporters in Cairo after meeting Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak and Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.

Now send free SMS to Middle East

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Hyderabad, July 28: City-based 160by2.com, one of the leading free SMS service providers in the country, has launched a service for its customers to send free text messages to and from the Middle East.

‘The first-of-its-kind service is open to all internet users in India and enables free SMS connectivity to mobiles in these countries and vice versa. 160by2 users from the Middle East can also send messages to India and between those countries,’ said a company release.

Sensex up 80 points in early trade

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Mumbai, July 28: The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex rose by 80 points in the early trade today on fresh capital inflows by foreign funds, boosted by encouraging quarter earnings by some blue-chip companies, ahead of RBI’s quarterly credit policy to be announced today.

The 30-share index, which closed almost flat yesterday after highly volatile session, moved up by 79.32 points to 15,454.36 in early trade.

The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty gained 23.50 points, or 0.50 per cent, at 4,595.80.

I was the Salman Khan of my days: Dharmendra

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New Delhi, July 28: With a physique his contemporaries could only dream of, Bollywood’s original action hero Dharmendra says he was almost like Salman Khan in his early days when it came to leading life on his own terms.

“Salman reminds me of myself. I was almost like him in my early days. I like his attitude and the way he leads his life.

He has a great body too,” the actor told PTI.

Madonna shocks with her super skinny frame

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London, July 28: Pop superstar Madonna is famous for her grilling fitness regime but it seems that her pursuit to acquire the perfect body has backfired.

The 50-year-old star shocked onlookers as she stepped out here wearing a short-sleeves top revealing her arms. Her fresh faced appearance was clearly in contrast with her protruding muscles and thick bulging veins, visible through her ageing and wrinkled skin, the Daily Mail reported.

Strauss pins England’s hopes on Flintoff playing through the pain

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London, July 28: With the Ashes at stake, England are prepared to take Andrew Flintoff through hell. Since the warrior himself is willing to make a similar journey there are likely to be no arguments, although both parties must hope that going to Birmingham this week and Leeds next will be quite enough.

Mother says devil made her stab and decapitate her baby

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Texas, July 28: Police found a three-week-old baby boy decapitated and stabbed in a Texas home and his mother “screaming that she killed her baby” after the devil told her to do it.

The mother, Otty Sanchez, 33, of San Antonio, was taken to hospital in a critical condition with self-inflicted stab wounds to her chest and stomach, said San Antonio police spokesman Joe Rios.

Investigators took a sword, a machete and a kitchen knife from the home.

Officers also found two children unharmed at the home, though it wasn’t immediately clear where they were taken.

Malalai Joya: The woman who will not be silenced

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Washington, July 28: I am not sure how many more days I will be alive,” Malalai Joya says quietly.

The warlords who make up the new “democratic” government in Afghanistan have been sending bullets and bombs to kill this tiny 30-year-old from the refugee camps for years – and they seem to be getting closer with every attempt. Her enemies call her a “dead woman walking”.

Gates in plea to Israel for ‘patience’ over Iran

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New York, July 28: The United States has once more urged Israel to remain patient as it attempts to reignite fizzled diplomatic contacts with Iran over its nuclear enrichment programme while indicating that the window for Tehran to respond would not remain open for ever.

The message, which betrays renewed anxiety in Washington that Israel may be tempted to take military action, was carried to Jerusalem yesterday by the US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, who held talks on regional security with his counterpart Ehud Barak and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Relax your way to perfect health

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Washington, July 28: It’s a piece of advice that yogis have given for thousands of years: take a deep breath and relax. Watch the tension melt from your muscles and all your niggling worries vanish.

Somehow we all know that relaxation is good for us. Now the hard science has caught up – for a comprehensive scientific study showing that deep relaxation changes our bodies on a genetic level has just been published.

70-tonne whale meets its match after collision with cruise ship

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Canada, July 28: It is a bit like the hedgehog-and-car encounter, scaled-up many thousands of times: a collision where there can only be one winner.

Whales may be the world’s biggest animals, but they don’t stand a chance when hit by a mammoth cruise liner – as has just been proved in Canada.

Everyone Calls You Amazing But I Just Call You Mine

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Washington, July 28: Everyone Calls You Amazing But I Just Call You Mine,The Republican Governors Association announced this morning that Tim Pawlenty will serve as the organization’s vice chair, the latest indication that the Minnesota governor is stepping up his national profile in advance of a likely presidential run in 2012.

Writ Filed Against Musharraf, Shaukat Aziz and Abdul Hameed Dogar

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Islamabad, July 28: A writ petition has been filed in Supreme Court of Pakistan against former President General (r) Pervez Musharraf, former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and former Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar.

The trio has been charged of intentionally committing contempt of court by violating the verdict of 7-member bench on November 3, 2009, against proposed emergency.

The writ has been filed by the principle of a local college of the capital, it was reported.
–Agencies

Voters turn against war in Afghanistan

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Kabul, July 28: A majority of the public believes that the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable and British troops should be pulled out immediately, a poll for The Independent has found.

The growing opposition to the military offensive emerged as another two UK soldiers were killed, bringing the number of deaths so far this month to 22. Gordon Brown declared yesterday that Operation Panther’s Claw – the five-week onslaught on Taliban positions in Helmand province – had been a success.

‘Garib Raths not well received by passengers’

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New Delhi, July 26: Despite being launched amid much fanfare a couple of years back, some of the Garib Rath trains have not been well received by passengers, according to the CAG.

In its report for the year 2008-09, the Comptroller and Auditor General has said that the occupancy rate in some Garib Raths has been as low as eight percent and suggested the need to consider minimum occupancy norms prior to introduction of such trains.

Mayawati don’t know ground realities: Cong

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Lucknow, July 26: AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Sunday accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati of not being aware of ground realities in the state as she is surrounded by a select few people and acts on their advice.

“People cannot meet Mayawati due to which she is not aware of the ground reality of the state. As she is surrounded by a select few people, she issues statements on their advice,” Singh said while addressing a press conference in Lucknow.

Can Brasa inspire India’s hockey revival?

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Mumbai, July 26: After being down in the dumps since failing to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since 1928, the Indian men’s hockey team is aiming to resurrect itself under the guidance of Spaniard Jose Brasa.

The first step in the bid to revive the sagging fortunes of the country’s national game, is the four-nation European tour that the team has now embarked on under new chief coach Brasa.

Kurdistan awaits election result

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Arbil, July 26: Preliminary counting was underway on Sunday in presidential and legislative elections in Iraqi Kurdistan, with the region locked in disputes with Baghdad over land and oil.

Nearly 80 percent of the region’s voters turned out in what election officials trumpeted as a transparent poll, with official counting due to take place in the Iraqi capital and full results not expected for days.

Haas aims for LA Open hat-trick

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Los Angeles, July 26: Tommy Haas will bid for a Los Angeles Open title hat-trick from Monday while soon-to-retire Russian Marat Safin ticks off another tournament box in his season-long farewell to the game.

Wimbledon semi-finalist Haas will have it all to play for after his solid showing final four at the All England club.

The 31-year-old will try to back up titles here from 2004 and 2006 after losing in a first-round shock at UCLA a year ago to American Donald Young.

Haas rested after Wimbledon and has had three clear weeks to get ready for the summer hardcourt season.

PCB chief says ready to resign

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Karachi, July 26: Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ejaz Butt said he is ready to resign if President Asif Zardari is not happy with his performance, as media reports claim.

Before leaving for Dubai, Butt told the “Express” newspaper that he was doing his best to fulfill his duties as Chairman of the board and if Zardari was still not happy, he would not mind quitting.

“I am trying to bring about improvement in Pakistan cricket with honesty and dedication but if the President is not satisfied with my performance I will hand in my resignation and go home,” Butt said.

Massa crash raises safety concerns

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Budapest, July 26: Racing figures called on Formula One to re-examine safety procedures after Felipe Massa sustained life-threatening skull injuries in a high-speed accident during Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying.

The 28-year-old Ferrari driver was in stable condition in the intensive care unit of a military hospital following surgery on Saturday.

Massa slammed into the protective tire barriers at Hungaroring at a speed of about 120 mph after being struck in the helmet by a loose spring. The common car part had fallen out of the rear suspension of Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn GP car.