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Obama gearing education system to compete with India, China

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Washington, July 15: President Barack Obama says his administration is building a 21st century education system in America to compete with “China and India and everybody else all around the world”.

The US has “to ensure that we’re educating and preparing our people for the new jobs of the 21st century”, he said, talking about the “American Graduation Initiative” on Tuesday at a Community College in Warren, Michigan.

“We’ve got to prepare our people with the skills they need to compete in this global economy.”

Haj passports to be issued without police verification

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New Delhi, July 15: The government has decided to waive police verification of the intending Haj pilgrims so that the issuance of temporary passports becomes less time consuming, an official said Tuesday.

The decision was taken after two high-level meetings in the light of the Saudi government’s decision that Haj visas will be issued on international passports only.

Husband killed wife while reversing car

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London, July 15: South Yorkshire Police are appealing for witnesses to the collision on a driveway on Halifax Road, Sheffield, which they said was probably a tragic accident.

A spokesman said the 84-year-old woman, who has not been named, was fatally injured when her 85-year-old husband reversed his black Mercedes E270 automatic saloon car into her as they prepared for a day out together yesterday.

The spokesman said: “An investigation is under way but at this stage it appears to be a tragic accident.

“Anyone who saw what happened is asked please to ring the victim helpline.”

Shocking suicide toll on combat veterans

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London, July 15: Britain faces a “ticking timebomb” of mental illness and suicide among young Army veterans who return from hand-to-hand combat in Afghanistan, the Conservatives will warn today.

A lack of mental health care for veterans, combined with the stress of fighting the Taliban, will mean many survivors of the conflict pay a heavy price in psychological problems and self harm, according to David Cameron and the shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox.

India can have 500 mn internet users by 2012: MAIT

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New Delhi, July 15: India could have 500 million internet users, 100 million broadband connections and 100 million connected devices by 2012, provided infrastructural bottlenecks are removed and 3G and Wi Max networks are rolled out early, industry body representing the IT hardware MAITT said .

“MAIT has set for itself an ambitious target–Goal 511– for achieving 500 million internet user, 100 million broadband connection and 100 million connected devices by 2012.

New software to make clearer portraits of suspects

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New Delhi, July 15: Investigators may soon get clearer portraits of accused persons or suspects to aid them in probe.

The Home Ministry is evaluating a beta version of a new software for developing clearer and better portraits of suspects or accused persons than the staid black and white versions during investigation.

The sofware has been developed by Dharamsinh Desai Institute of Technology at Nadiad in Gujarat, an MHA report said.

A beta version of the software, development of which had been delayed by at least three years, was handed over to the Home Ministry earlier this year.

Heavy rains continue to lash Mumbai, no traffic disruptions

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Mumbai, July 15: Heavy rains continued to lash the financial capital for the third day today.

However, there was no water logging and road and rail traffic was not disrupted. Flights were delayed by a few minutes due to poor visibility at the airport.

Rainfall recorded in the last 22 hours since 8.30 am yesterday was 240.1 mm, according to the weather office here.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea for the next 24 hours as the sea is rough to very rough with southwesterly to westerly waves, the Met office said.

Sensex rises 131 points in opening trade on global cues

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Mumbai, July 15: The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex rose over 131 points in opening trade today, rising for the second straight session on higher capital inflows by foreign funds and a firming global market.

Short-covering by speculators too supported the rise in stock prices.

The 30-share index, which had surged 453.38 points in the previous session, gathered another 131.21 points at 13,984.91 points in opening trade.

Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved up by 44.55 points to 4,155.95.

AP govt to provide packaged drinking water to villagers

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Hyderabad, July 15: The Andhra Pradesh government will supply bottled water in select villages of the state from Independence Day but the villagers will have to but it from private partners who will run the scheme.

“Purified and packaged drinking water supply will be launched in 1100 villages (one per mandal) on August 15 and water will be provided in a cost-effective manner,” according to Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

The Chief Minister reviewed the scheme at a meeting here today, a press release issued from CM office said.

Coach, team manager conspired against Akhtar: Qadir

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Karachi, July 15: Former Pakistan chief selector Abdul Qadir yesterday accused coach Intikhab Alam and manager Yawar Saeed of conspiring against fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar to keep him out of the national team.

Qadir, who appeared before the national assembly standing committee on sports, said Intikhab had told him twice that he didn’t want Shoaib in his team.

“I don’t want Shoaib in my team. Intikhab told me when we met to select the team for the T20 World Cup,” Qadir told the committee.

Humans can smell fear, German scientists say

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Washington, July 15: Dusseldorf- Humans can smell fear, detecting molecules in sweat odour which indicate another person is afraid, according to German psychologists on Tuesday. Previously it was thought that only animals such as fish, flies and rodents had such a faculty.

But the detection in humans is unconscious.

“We are the first in the world to prove that emotions can be communicated chemically between humans,” said Bettina Pause, a psychology professor at the University of Dusseldorf who led the study.

Shruti Haasan makes ‘adventurous’ debut

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Mumbai, July 15: Although it is usually the screen heroes who are known for their daredevil stunts, it’s not often that a debutante heroine goes adventurous.

But, actor Shruti Haasan, who makes her debut in a romantic lead opposite Imran Khan in Soham Shah’s ‘Luck’, says she likes to tread the path less taken.

Recalling her experience during the shooting, the singer-actress said while doing a crucial scene in Africa, she was required to stand in front of a running train with her hands tied to the sides.

Clinton not visiting Pakistan during her trip to India: US

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Washington, July 15: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has no plans to visit Pakistan and Afghanistan during her upcoming trip to India and Thailand, the State Department has said.

“I am sure that she will visit Afghanistan and Pakistan, but not on this visit. It is just to India and Thailand,” State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters at his daily press briefing.

It is believed that certain quarters in the State Department, friends of Pakistan in the US and Islamabad itself wanted Clinton to make a stopover in Pakistan during her trip to India later this week.
–PTI

Jackson’s former wife denies cash-for-kids claim

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Los Angeles, July 15: The lawyer for Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe on Tuesday angrily denied a report that she had agreed to forego her parental rights in exchange for a huge cash settlement from the Jackson family.

Rowe, mother of Jackson’s two older children, Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11, and is considered to have a strong legal case to be granted custody even though Jackson in his will named his mother, Katherine, as the children’s guardian.

Flower on the attack over cheat allegation

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London, July 15: In case the dramatic Ashes series was beginning to look too routine, Andy Flower injected a little spice into it yesterday. England’s team director rejected totally the assertion that his side had been guilty of gamesmanship – if not cheating – as the opening Test reached its spellbinding climax in Cardiff on Sunday by seeking to waste time.

Shot Uighurs called for holy war, China says

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Beijing, July 15: Three Uighurs shot by Chinese police in the far western city of Urumqi had tried to take over a prayer meeting and called for a jihad, or holy war, state media said on Wednesday. About 150 people were inside an unnamed mosque on Urumqi’s Jiefang Road on Monday afternoon when one of the three men tried to grab the microphone from the imam.

The man was stopped but stood up several minutes later, unfurling a green banner, shouting “jihad” and calling on other Uighurs in the mosque to follow him, the newspaper quoted the imam as saying.

582 UK Drummers Set New world Record Playing The Same Beat Together

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London, July 15: A total of 582 artists have smashed a previous world record for the largest group of drummers playing the same beat at the same time.

Hundreds of drummers, as young as five and as old as 50, reached Birmingham’’s National Indoor Arena to beat the previous record of 533 drummers, set in the US, on July 13.

“It’’s been absolutely fantastic. Everyone has really enjoyed themselves – it was a really good atmosphere. We did a simple rock groove and played for at least 10 minutes,” The Telegraph quoted Craig Glover, an organiser, as saying.

Al-Qa’ida threatens revenge on Chinese workers in Africa

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Urumqi, July 15: Amid reports that al-Qa’ida in north Africa had vowed to take revenge for Uighur deaths by attacking Chinese workers in Algeria, the situation in the ethnically divided Chinese city of Urumqi is on a knife edge, with thousands of paramilitary police patrolling the streets yesterday.

There are 50,000 Chinese workers in Algeria and Chinese projects are spread across north-west Africa.

After 54 years together, they decided to die together…

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London, July 15: It was, said their family, a very civilised way to die. Sir Edward and Lady Downes, a shared lifetime of personal and professional triumphs behind them, held hands for their final moments together before climbing on to separate beds to drink the clear liquid containing a fatal dose of barbiturates. Within 10 minutes, watched by their weeping family, they were dead.

African leader denies murder, rape, torture – and cannibalism

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Johanesburg, July 15: Charles Taylor, the first African leader to stand trial for war crimes, opened his defence in theatrical fashion yesterday, arguing that the case against him was nothing but a concoction of “disinformation, misinformation, lies and rumours”.

The former Liberian president is on trial in The Hague, not for atrocities committed during the 14 years of bloody carnage in his own country, but for stoking civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone. He has been charged on 11 counts, including for rape, murder, torture, sexual slavery and recruiting child soldiers.

Israeli soldiers reveal the brutal truth of Gaza attack

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Jerusalem, July 15: Israeli troops were repeatedly encouraged by officers to prioritise their own safety over that of Palestinian civilians when they embarked on the ground invasion of Gaza in January, according to the first direct testimonies of soldiers who served in the operation.

Accused Of Prof Sabharwal Murder Released From Nagpur Jail

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Nagpur, July 14: All six Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists, who were acquitted by a sessions court in connection the H S Sabharwal murder case, were released from the Central Prison in Nagpur on Monday night.

The court on Monday said it was acquitting all ABVP activists as the prosecution had failed to prove their involvement in the murder.

According to the lawyer of the accused, the court further noted that the prosecution had failed to file conclusive evidence to prove that the six were present at the murder site.

Kareena Kapoor Too Much: Deepika Padukone

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Mumbai, July 14: Although Saif Ali Khan’s first home production, Love Aaj Kal, stars Deepika Padukone opposite Saif, it is Kareena Kapoor who’s constantly talked about.

Strangely, it’s not because Kareena has anything to do with the film but because she’s not in the film.
This constant reference to a Rebecca-like presence in Love Aaj Kal has irked Deepika. She has apparently been wondering to her friends if Love Aaj Kal should be dedicated to Kareena.

Credit Card Steal Case, Pak Women Become Cautious

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Islamabad, July 14: Women from all strata of Pakistani society have become cautious after a woman legislator belonging to PML-N Shumaila Rana allegedly stole credit cards and bought jewellery and clothes worth Rs 80,000 with it.

Police sources said the three PPC sections 420, 468 and 471 were added to the case of MPA Shumaila Rana for committing fraud and cheating the complainant woman.

Earlier, the case was registered against the accused MPA only under section 379 of PPC.

Confidential Evidence Against H Saeed For Case Withdrawl: Pak Punjab Govt

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Islamabad, July 14: The government in Pakistan’s Punjab province has decided to disassociate itself from the Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed case and filed a plea for its withdrawal.

On Monday, the provincial government informed the Supreme Court that it has challenged the release of Saeed due to certain “confidential evidence” against him.

According to Punjab Advocate General Raza Farooq, Saeed was put under house arrest on the directive of the federal government, which failed to provide solid evidence to maintain his house arrest.