faheem New Delhi, June 18: When the world was reeling under a severe financial crunch, India went out to prove another point — its banking business was not
only profitable but had outperformed all other sectors.
The icing on the cake was the first quarter advance (direct) tax results when for the first time in the history of corporate India, a bank became the country’s highest tax-payer, leaving behind numero uno Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).
Oviedo, Spain, June 17: Two US engineers regarded as the inventors of e-mail and the mobile phone were Wednesday awarded the highly respected Spanish Prince of Asturias Prize in the category of scientific and technical investigation.
Raymond Samuel Tomlinson and Martin Cooper had produced a communications revolution for billions of people, contributing “decisively to the progress of knowledge” and increasing equal opportunities for developing countries, the jury said in Oviedo.
Tomlinson created the first system to send e-mail between different computers in 1971.
New York, June 17: A suburban “mother-to-be” has infuriated the right-to-life community in America by admitting a blog she had written for more than two months tracking her pregnancy with a child diagnosed with a terminal disease was nothing more than a fantasy, albeit one that had attracted an online audience of a million or more.
Beccah Beushausen, a 26-year-old social worker from the outskirts of Chicago, almost unwittingly hit a nerve in a country where the battle over abortion rights still rages.
Tehran, June 17: Iran’s opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi indicated Wednesday that his supporters would continue their protests until new presidential elections were held. “We peacefully protest against election fraud and all we want is the annulment of the election and the holding of a new election without cheating,” the opposition leader said while calling on his supporters to stay calm and peaceful.
London, June 17: A town was engulfed in smoke and 150 people were evacuated from their homes today after a major fire in an industrial packaging site.
At least 75 firefighters were tackling the blaze at the Skymark plant on Southern Avenue in Leominster, Herefordshire, and a plume of black smoke developed above the town.
A 400-metre cordon was set up around the site and 150 neighbouring residents were evacuated to a nearby sports centre.
Fire crews advised other people whose homes were caught up in the smoke to remain indoors with windows shut until conditions improved.
Patna, June 17: Laxmi Singh, wife of Patna businessman Satyendra Singh whose decomposed body was found in the Ganges river last week, Wednesday demanded death penalty for prime accused Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Vijay Krishna and his son Chanakya.
‘They (Krishna and Chanakya) should be hanged till death. They deserve this punishment. They murdered my husband and made me a widow. They should not be given anything less than death penalty,’ Laxmi Singh told IANS here Wednesday.
Lucknow, June 17: Two policemen were killed today in an ongoing gun battle with bandits in Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot district taking the toll to three, police said. A commander of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and a police constable were killed today morning, a police officer said. A constable of the Special Operations Group was killed on Tuesday night.
The gunfight started after the Commando team of the Special Task Force reached Suruwal Rajapur village in Chitrakoot, 280 km from here, on a tip off that bandits, including wanted criminal Ghanshyam Kewat, were hiding there.
Kathmandu, June 17: Despite efforts by the Nepal government and rights organisations to prevent human trafficking, India still remains the biggest foreign destination for victims, with an estimated 10,000-15,000 Nepali women and girls being sold there annually.
The assessment is part of the 8th annual Trafficking in Persons Report released by the US Department of State in Washington late Tuesday.
The number could be higher in the absence of reliable statistics. NGOs working on trafficking issues have reported an increase in both transnational and domestic trafficking.
New Delhi, June 17: Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has been signed by Swiss luxury watch company Movado as its brand ambassador.
‘I am honoured to be associated with a brand like Movado. It believes in the art of design and is known for its perfection worldwide. I have strong faith in the pursuit of perfection. I am looking forward to a long association,’ said Harbhajan in a press statement.
Other ambassadors of the brand include tennis player Pete Sampras, jazz master Wynton Marsalis, actors Amanda Seyfried and Kerry Washington and dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.
–IANS
Bhopal, June 17: Former Madhya Pradesh minister Rajkumar Patel has been expelled from the Congress party for six years for allegedly giving a walkover to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj during the recently held parliamentary elections, party sources said Wednesday.
Patel was fielded against Swaraj on the Vidisha Lok Sabha seat but his nomination was rejected since he had submitted a photocopy of the Form-A (meant to inform the Election Commission of the candidate’s party affiliation) whereas the rules categorically specify that the form has to be original.
Nottingham, June 17: Criticised by former cricketers for his tactical blunders against England, Mahendra Singh Dhoni faced the wrath of angry fans as he was booed after India’s 12-run defeat to South Africa in their final Twenty20 World Cup Super Eight match here.
Dhoni was booed at the presentation ceremony after the match but the beleaguered Indian captain said it didn’t affect him.
Nottingham, June 17: A hugely confident South Africa will look to continue to unleash their all-round prowess against an unpredictable but resurgent Pakistan in the first semifinal of the Twenty20 World Cup here tomorrow.
South Africa have been on the roll with their five-match unbeaten streak in the tournament, and they are the favourites to win the title after their emphatic wins against the West Indies, England and holders India in the Super Eight stage.
Nottingham, June 17: An intriguing battle is on the cards when favourites South Africa clash with buoyant Pakistan in the semi-final of the World Twenty20 on Thursday.
The South Africans have showed their all-round prowess during an unbeaten run in the tournament, including emphatic wins in all three Super Eight games against the West Indies, England and defending champions India.
The latest success came at Trent Bridge on Tuesday when the Proteas fought back after being restricted to a modest 130-5 on a slow wicket to keep off-colour India down to 118-8.
Sonepat, June 17 : A group of women today alleged that they were harassed by some policemen while travelling in a passenger train, officials said here.
Incensed over the incident, the women passengers stopped the train between Narela and Rathdhanna railway stations by pulling the emergency chain last night, they said.
The women alleged that three policemen from Delhi barged into the coach meant for women and manhandled them, they said.
They also alleged that the policemen molested some passengers who resisted their presence inside the reserved coach.
Mumbai, June 17: Preeti Jain the actress who had accused filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar of rape few years back, was detained by Police officials on Tuesday, June 16th late noon for protesting against rape accused Shiney Ahuja.
Buzz up!Starlet Preeti Jain along with around 50 activists of a social organisation, Human Rights Association of India, held a protest on Tuesday late noon in suburban Mumbai area Jogeshwari to protest against Shiney Ahuja, who has been arrested by police on charges of raping his house maid.
Washington, June 17: The launch of the space shuttle Endeavour for a 16-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) was postponed Wednesday due to a hydrogen gas leak.
The shuttle had been scheduled to take off at 5:40 am (0940 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida after a four-day delay caused by an earlier hydrogen leak. It was to carry the final pieces to the Japanese Kibo module of the ISS.
The latest leak developed during fuelling, NASA said.
Meerut( U.P), June 17: Curfew was imposed in the city in the two hours on Wednesday after two groups of people clashed over parking of vehicles and pelted stones at the police which used batons to quell the mob.
Six persons were injured in the clash, police said. Paramilitary forces, including 200 personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF), have been deployed in the city to bring the situation under control.
West BEngal, June 16: Railways Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Tuesday termed the law and order situation in West Bengal as ‘dreadful’ and asked the administration to speed up the process of securing illegal arms from areas that have witnsessed political violence.
Islamabad, June 17: Waziristan may be home to Osama bin Laden, but it is the much younger Baitullah Mehsud who is the target of the new military operation being launched there, one intended to crush him.
New Delhi, June 16: Two years after its historic victory in Uttar Pradesh riding on a rainbow coalition of the low and high castes, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of Chief Minister Mayawati is caught in a dilemma — whether to continue its inclusive agenda or revert to her core Dalit base.
Mumbai, June 16: More than 20 years after working in “Tezaab” (1988), Anil Kapoor and Chunky Pandey have come together again for the movie “Shortkut – The Con Is On”.
While Anil is producing the film, Chunky is playing the role of an acting guru cum star secretary.
“That’s not all. In fact, you could say that I play an ‘overacting’ guru,” Chunky told media.
The actor admits that coming together with Anil has brought a sense of nostalgia.
New Delhi, June 16: Offended by a TV journalist`s query on whether she was prepared to go nude for a film, actress Kareena Kapoor walked out in a huff from the promotional event of her forthcoming film “Kambakkht Ishq” here Monday evening.
The incident occurred after the question-and-answer session with media persons at a city hotel.
New York, June 16: Military service is in Capt. Kamaljit Singh Kalsi’s blood. His father and grandfather were part of India’s Air Force. His great-grandfather served in the British Indian army. So when US army recruiters talked to him during his first year of medical school, he readily signed up.
But his plans to go on active duty in July are now on hold. An Army policy from the 1980s that regulates the wearing of religious items would mean he would need to shave his beard and remove the turban he wears in accordance with his religious precepts.
Mumbai,June 16: A medical examination of the domestic help who has accused actor Shiney Ahuja of rape has revealed that she may have been forced into
having vaginal intercourse. An X-ray test also revealed that she could be only 17 to 18 years of age.
After the maid lodged her complaint with the Oshiwara police on Sunday, the police sent both Ahuja and the victim for medical examinations at the Nagpada Police Hospital late on Sunday night.
London, June 16: The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday it is yet to decide on the venues of the 2011 World Cup matches that were scheduled to be played in Pakistan, indicating these could be played outside the subcontinent.
ICC had dropped Pakistan as a co-host of the World Cup, to be held in the subcontinent, because of volatile security situation there, following which the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initiated legal action against cricket’s governing body.