Amnesty targets Pakistan and SLanka rights records

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London,May 28: The conflicts in Sri Lanka and Pakistan have added to human rights abuses in Asia this year, Amnesty International said in its annual report.

As the global economic downturn bites, Amnesty said millions of migrant workers in China who have lost their jobs face “an uncertain future”.

On a more positive note, the rights group noted that the devastating cyclone in Myanmar last year prompted China and other nations in Southeast Asia to take rare steps to ensure that survivors received desperately needed aid.

Ash gets grace marks with Sonam

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Mumbai, May 28: After the Cannes’ red carpet fiasco, Sonam Kapoor who is a die-hard Aishwarya Bachchan fan (as per her own confession) walked up to the latter at Karan Johar’s birthday party on May 25 and extended an olive branch.
Sonam was excited about walking down the red carpet with Ash during the Cannes Film Festival, however, that didn’t happen.

Sonam and Ash represent the same beauty brand and chances are that these actresses might have to walk the red carpet at some event in the future. So the young Sonam wanted all to be well between her and Ash.

Amnesty criticises tough crackdown on terror after 26/11

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New Delhi, May 28: Tough crackdown on terror in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, activities of anti-naxal force Salwa Judum and anti-Christian riots have been listed by Amnesty international among others as alleged human rights issues facing the country.

In its annual report for 2009, the international human rights organisation, has said, authorities responded to the November Mumbai attacks by tightening security legislation which includes “sweeping and broad definitions of acts of terrorism and of membership of terrorist organisations.”

It’s official: Salman-Katrina have broken up

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Mumbai,May 28: It’s been almost a year since the tense strains of the Salman-Katrina relationship have been visible to the public, and now, after months of speculation over the outcome of this growing tension, the couple has finally called it quits.

This breakup seems to have been in the pipeline for a while now, since rumours of both Salman’s and Katrina’s relationships with the likes of Asin and Ranbir Kapoor have made headlines for the last few months.

US ‘misused’ Bible to sell ‘holy’ war on terror

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Washington, May 28: Religious authorities have lashed out at the former US administration’s recently-exposed manipulation of the Holy Scriptures to glorify their ‘anti-terror’ campaign.

The former officials have been revealed to have quoted biblical verses out of their context in the classified reports which would be submitted for high-level consideration, Los Angeles Times reported on Monday.

Calling wife ugly may become offence in Malaysia

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Kuala Lumpur, May 28: Calling one’s wife ugly may soon be considered an offence under a Malaysian law that seeks to protect a woman both physically and emotionally.

One of the clauses proposed to be amended in the Domestic Violence Act 1994 pertains to emotional violence against women who are currently only protected against physical abuse, the Star newspaper said Thursday.

Women’s Development Department director-general Noorul Ainur Mohd Nur said emotional violence was a form of abuse that scars women deeply and lowers their self-esteem, dignity and self-confidence.

West Bengal cyclone toll reaches 100, situation grim

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Kolkata, May 28: The death count in floods triggered by Cyclone Aila reached 100 in West Bengal on Wednesday as the Sunderbans faced a severe drinking water crisis and lack of civic amenities led to protests in Kolkata.
Two days after the cyclone pummeled coastal areas of the state, uprooting trees, snapping power cables and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, vast areas remained submerged affecting 4.6 million people as victims complained of lack of relief.

Deccan Chargers reach Hyderabad to a rousing welcome

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Hyderabad, May 28: Deccan Chargers, the winners of the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa, arrived here Wednesday night to a rousing welcome from fans.

The fans were, however, disappointed a bit as only three players – Tirumalsetti Suman, Harmeet Singh and Shoaib Ahmed – arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.

The crowd was hoping to catch a glimpse of captain Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs, R.P. Singh and Rohit Sharma, who played key roles in the team’s victory.

India asks Oz to ensure security of students

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New Delhi, May 28: Expressing outrage at the attack on its students in Melbourne, India has asked Australia to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Foreign minister S M Krishna reminded Australia about its responsibility to ensure the well-being and security of Indian students studying in that country.

“I have been appalled at the attack on our students in Melbourne,” Krishna said in a statement here while commenting on the assault on four Indian students, one of whom is battling for life in a hospital there.

No change in TDP’s stand on Telangana

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Hyderabad, May 28: Telugu Desam’s two-day Mahanadu began with its president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, making it clear that there is no change in its stand on separate Telangana.

Inaugurating the annual meeting, Mr. Naidu sought to put at rest speculation that the party could reverse its stand towards Telangana in the wake of the poll debacle. He ruled out the possibility of such a change asserting how it was included in the manifesto after a long debate.

‘Pak has 60 nuke bombs, is building more’

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Washington, May 28: Pakistan with about 60 nuclear warheads; primarily targeted towards India, is continuing production of fissile material for weapons and adding to its weapons production facilities and delivery vehicles, a US Congressional report has said.

The latest report by Congressional Research Service (CRS) – a research wing of the US Congress which prepares reports for Congressmen – has confirmed the recent statements and media reports that Pakistan was expanding its nuclear arsenal.

Lick your lips, a mango bonanza is in town

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Hyderabad, May 28: With an impressive array of 229 varieties of the ‘king of fruits’, the Annual Mango Show organised by the Horticultural Department took off, much to the delight of curious visitors and invitees alike.

Earlier slated to be inaugurated by the Chief Minister, the event instead saw reappointed Minister for Agriculture, N Raghuveera Reddy take the dais as chief guest for the function at Public Gardens on Tuesday. The three-day event at Jubilee Hall would showcase some of the finest produce from orchards and farms spread over 4.83 lakh hectares in the State.

Photos show rape and sex abuse in Iraq jails

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London, May 28: Photographs of Iraqi prisoner abuse which US President Barack Obama does not want released include images of apparent rape and sexual abuse, Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Thursday.

The images are among photographs included in a 2004 report into prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison conducted by US Major General Antonio Taguba.

Taguba included allegations of rape and sexual abuse in his report, and on Wednesday he confirmed to the Daily Telegraph that images supporting those allegations were also in the file.

Photos show rape and sex abuse in Iraq jails

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London, May 28: Photographs of Iraqi prisoner abuse which US President Barack Obama does not want released include images of apparent rape and sexual abuse, Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Thursday.

The images are among photographs included in a 2004 report into prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison conducted by US Major General Antonio Taguba.

Taguba included allegations of rape and sexual abuse in his report, and on Wednesday he confirmed to the Daily Telegraph that images supporting those allegations were also in the file.

Internet Serves Da’wah in Brazil

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Brasilia, May 28: In a vast country like Brazil, the inte is emerging as the most effective tool to spread the message of Islam, says a leading Muslim scholar in the South American nation.

“The inte is one of the most successful contemporary da`wah tools,” Al-Sadiq Al-Othmani, head of the Islamic Affairs Department at the Center of Islamic Da’wah in Latin America, told.

“That’s why I encourage scholars to spread the word to broader masses through the web, especially in such a vast country.”

CM angry over encroachments

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New Delhi: After the trifurcation issue, MCD officials were on the receiving end of the CM’s displeasure on Tuesday for the increasing encroachments and unauthorised constructions springing up in Delhi.

The review meeting, which saw the entire top brass of the civic authority as well as NDMC turn up, also had issues relating to Commonwealth Games 2010 such as removal of hoardings, encroachments and improvement of sanitation as other main topics of discussion.

City boy gets 98.6% in CBSE

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Mumbai,May 27: It’s an irony of sorts that, while the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) pass percentage for the Chennai region – which includes Mumbai has been inching upwards over the last three years, the pass percentage for Maharashtra is marginally lower than what it was in earlier years.

The CBSE Board announced its results for the Class X board examinations in three regions, Chennai, Ajmer and Panchkula, on Tuesday.

Mumbai cong to fund Slumdog kids’ homes

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Mumbai,May 27: : The Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) led by Kripashankar Singh will bear the cost of the two Mhada tenements to be allotted to Slumdog Millionaire child stars-Mohammed Azharuddin and Rubina Qureshi. Each tenement has a carpet area of 180 sq ft and costs Rs 3 lakh.

The decision was taken in New Delhi. Speaking to TOI, Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh said, “I requested CM Ashok Chavan to expedite the process of allotting houses to these actors.

Govt names directors of six new IITs

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New Delhi,May 27: The government on Tuesday announced the names of directors of six new IITs five months after TOI first reported the matter.

While U B Desai will be director of IIT, Hyderabad, M K Surappa will head the one in Ropar. Sudhir Kumar Jain will head the one in Gandhinagar, Madhusudan Chakraborty in Bhubaneswar and Anil Bhowmick in Patna. Prem Kumar Kalra will be the director of the IIT located in Rajasthan.

HRD ministry sources said that the Cabinet clearance has been secured and the new directors have been given the appointment letters.

Tigress enters home to escape cyclone fury

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New Delhi,May 27: A family hit by the ferocity of cyclone Aila in a village near the Sundarbans had a bigger shock awaiting them when they found a full grown tigress crouching in their home.

Pintu Mirdha and his family members in Jamespur village under Gosaba police station in South 24 Pargana district were trapped in their home encircled by flood waters as the cyclone raged outside on Monday.

As the water level rose, Pintu was petrified to find the predator in one of the rooms.

MBA student murdered in Qutab Area

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New Delhi,May 27: On the day he was supposed to fly to Switzerland on a study trip, a 26-year-old MBA student was found brutally murdered in south Delhi in what appears to be a case of rivalry in love.

The body of Anand Tiwari, a fourth semester student at Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), was found in the bushes inside Sanjay Van area of Qutab Institutional Area on Tuesday morning, with his head badly battered.

90 arrested in child porn sting

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Paris, May 27: A French police official says 90 people have been detained in a nationwide sweep of suspected consumers of online child pornography.

The official says Tuesday’s operation stemmed from the 2004 arrest of an 18-year-old man who was running a child pornography ring.

The teenager, from the northern city of Clermont, traded pornographic photos and videos of children as young as babies. He has since been incarcerated.

Salman throws Katrina out of his life

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Mumbai,May 27: Salman Khan finally seems to have taken a final stand on ladylove Katrina Kaif. After repeatedly proposing her for marriage and being turned down each time, Salman seems to have had enough of Katrina Kaif.

He is now trying to remove Katrina’s memories from his house and has started removing all her belongings from his house.

Salman who recently left for London to shoot for his upcoming movie Veer made sure none of Katrina’s memories were left in his Galaxy Apartments den. Salman shares the apartment with his family and Katrina used to be a regular visitor.

Down the memory lane with Kimmy Katkar

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Mumbai, May 27: Once sex symbol, now glam-mom. In her first interview in years, Kimmy Katkar opens up on her gritty fight for her son’s life and life after Bollywood

For starters, she was never Kimi. “It’s Kimmy Katkar. Someone spelt it wrong and it stuck. I hated it, ” says Katkar. She of the arched eyebrows and long legs, desi Jane to an eminently forgettable Tarzan, Jumma to a lusting Amitabh Bachchan in Hum, has just welcomed me to her home with a cool glass of iced tea.

Akram says Pakistan hungry

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Karachi, May 27: Former Test player Sanjay Manjrekar put his money on defending champions India but pace great Wasim Akram reckons Pakistan, mostly bereft of international cricket, would be hungry for success in next month`s ICC World Twenty20 in England.

Manjrekar had no doubt that Mahendra Singh Dhoni would lead the most formidable squad to try and defend the title they won in 2007 even though he was candid enough to admit it doesn’t necessarily mean they would win the title again.