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Russia’s auto production decreases by 61% in 2009

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Moscow, August 26: Russia’s auto production decreased by 61.4 percent in the first seven months of the year, a report said.

The production of vehicles – cars, trucks and buses – stood at 414,100 units in comparison to 1,071,000 in 2008, a report by ASM Holding, country’s automobile industry monitoring agency said.

Between January-July, production of Russia-designed cars dropped by 36.3 percent in contrast to 2008 and amounted to 185,020 cars, report said, adding that the output of foreign-brand cars in Russia went down by 46.9 percent.

DDCA mutiny ends, Sehwag not quitting Delhi team

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New Delhi, August 26: The players` mutiny spearheaded by Virender Sehwag against the all-powerful Sports Committee of the Delhi and District Cricket Association today fizzled out to a tame compromise with former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi brokering peace.

DDCA President Arun Jaitley said that Sehwag and his Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir met him in Pataudi`s presence last night when the compromise was reached.

Ponting has deserted the sinking ship: Thomson

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London, August 26: Australian pace great Jeff Thomson has lashed out at skipper Ricky Ponting for failing to lead the side from the front during Ashes series which they lost to England 1-2.

Australians dominated throughout the five-match series, but eventually failed to retain the urn mainly due to poor captaincy of Ponting, feels the 59-year-old former cricketer.

Players back Ponting’s captaincy after Ashes loss

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Sydney, August 26: Embattled Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting received the support of his players on Wednesday after they returned home following their Ashes defeat to England at the weekend.

Ponting, who is expected back in Sydney later on Wednesday, is the first Australian captain in more than a century to lose two Ashes series in England.

England won the fifth test in London by 197 runs on Sunday, giving Andrew Strauss`s team a 2-1 series victory.

US ranks 28th in Internet connection speed: Report

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Washington, August 26: The United States ranks 28th in the world in average Internet connection speed and is not making significant progress in building a faster network, according to a report.

The report by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) said the average download speed in South Korea is 20.4megabits per second (mbps) — four times faster than the US average of 5.1 mbps.

Japan trails South Korea with an average of 15.8 mbps followed by Sweden at 12.8 mbps and the Netherlands at 11.0 mbps, the report released yesterday said.

Japan govt to ask Google to inform when it takes street footages

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Tokyo, August 26: The Japanese government plans to request Google to alert the residents about when and where it will take a close-up and 360-degree colour footage of the street’s under its ‘Street View service’ as to make sure people’s privacy is not intruded, officials said.

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry on Tuesday made this decision after an advisory panel asked it to demand from California-based Internet firm ‘Mountain View’ to inform both municipal governments and residents beforehand of the time and place when it plans to shoot street film.

SKorea launches first rocket into space

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Goheung, August 26: South Korea’s first rocket blasted off into space Tuesday following an aborted attempt last week and just months after its rival North Korea drew international ire for its own launch.

A problem quickly surfaced, however, when space officials said that an initial investigation showed that the satellite the rocket was carrying apparently failed to enter its intended orbit.

India opens world’s first space tech institute

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New Delhi, August 26: Noting that India’s space programme faces several challenges, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the Space Vision 2025 should reflect how the country could more effectively harness space technology for development.

Exploring new frontiers of space technology aimed at low-cost access to space, development of heavy lift boosters to launch heavier satellites, realising high power and high bandwidth communication satellites and remote sensing satellites with all- weather capacity are some of the challenges, he said.

NASA delays space shuttle launch again

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Cape Canaveral, August 26: NASA delayed a Wednesday morning liftoff of the space shuttle Discovery because of an apparent problem with a valve in its fuel tank.

It was the second consecutive delay, after stormy weather postponed a launch attempt early on Tuesday. Discovery and its seven-member crew were preparing for a 13-day supply mission to the International Space Station.

The valve problem surfaced as technicians began fueling up the shuttle for a launch set for 1:10 a.m. EDT (0510 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Profile of swine flu begins to emerge: Study

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Paris, August 26: More than half the fatalities from swine flu have been among young adults, according to one of the first surveys to gather mortality data from across the globe for the new A(H1N1) virus.

The analysis of 574 pandemic deaths from 28 countries through mid-July, released this week, also found that being diabetic or obese significantly boosted the risk of dying.

Neither children nor the elderly are as vulnerable as initial reports indicated, found the study, published by Eurosurveillance, the monitoring arm of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Internet a tool to connect films with youth: Sharmila Tagore

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Kolkata, August 26: Modern-day communication tools like internet can enhance the interaction among movie buffs across the globe, said film actress Sharmila Tagore here Tuesday.

Launching the website for Big Pictures` Marathi film “Samaantar” at a multiplex here Tuesday, Tagore said the message and trends of Indian cinema can be taken to the young generation better through the internet, as they are the most tech savvy group.

Ken Ghosh`s next is finally titled `Chance Pe Dance`

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Mumbai, August 26: After a musical chair of titles that ranged from ‘Star’ to ‘Yahoo’, director Ken Ghosh`s next film, which has Shahid Kapur in the lead, has finally been titled ‘Chance Pe Dance’.

“Yes, my film would be called `Chance Pe Dance`. It`s final and in fact the first ever title for which I am giving a confirmation. Everything else before this, whether it was `Star` or `Yahoo`, was merely speculation and, as you would have noticed, no one attached to the cast or the crew ever gave an official statement,” Ghosh told reporters.

Amitabh Bachchan not in Farah`s `Happy New Year`

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Mumbai, August 26: Choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan has rubbished rumours that her upcoming film `Happy New Year` will see the coming together of Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan.

The `Om Shanti Om` director said her best friend SRK is the only actor who has been finalised for the movie, which is still in its scripting stage.

“There is no truth in the rumour that Big B is going to star in the film. Besides SRK, I never cast anyone in my film till I have my script ready. As of now, only Shahrukh and me are in the film,” Farah told reporters.

No Hrithik or Abhishek yet for `Agneepath` remake: Karan Johar

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Mumbai, August 26: There have been speculations about who will play the male lead in the remake of the 1990 hit ‘Agneepath’. While the names of Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan popped up, filmmaker Karan Johar clarifies that no one has been finalised to play the part Amitabh Bachchan immortalised in the original.

Recipe savoury vada

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This is a savoury vada recipe from Maharashtra that can be easily made at home and serves as an ideal evening tea snack.

Ingredients :
Cooking Oil —- as required
Mustard seeds —- 1 tspn
Jeera seeds ———1 tspn
Ginger peeled —- 50 gms
Garlic peeled——– 50 gms
Green chillies ——3 nos
Green coriander leaves …1/2 Bunch
Grated fresh coconut —– ½ nos
Besan ——————- 2 cups
Turmeric————–1 tspn
Salt ——————— To taste
Ghee —————— To taste

Procedure:

Medical Check for Returning Workers Mandatory in Ajman

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Ajman, August 26: Ajman Municipality has made it mandatory for all its workers returning from vacation to undergo a free medical check up to ensure health safety in the emirate and prevent swine flu (H1N1).

It is part of a number of several measures that the municipality officials are taking.

CBSE scraps marks system for grades

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Dubai, August 26: It will no longer be a constant competition for marks for children studying at Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools with the authorities decision to display grades on student’s report cards from next year.

The CBSE has planned to scrap the marks system of assessment and replace it the internationally followed ‘grading’ system till class X from 2010. Students will fall into grade categories with ‘ A’ denoting the highest and ‘E’ denoting the lowest grade.

Man Arrested over Dud Cheques Worth Millions

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Dubai, August 26: A man wanted for three years has been arrested by the Dubai Police for allegedly issuing dud cheques worth a total of more than Dh9 million in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman.

CID officers arrested the man recently in Al Qusais area after he had been monitored by police for a week.

Major Ahmed Thani bin Ghalita, Director of the Anti-Crime Department, told Khaleej Times the man had been listed as wanted in the UAE three years ago after several complaints were lodged against him in Dubai, seven in Ajman and one filed in Sharjah.

Saudi Eases Travel Rule to Allow Emiratis to Return

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Abu Dhabi, August 26: A rule issued by Saudi Arabia, banning Emiratis from travelling to the country on identity cards, has been relaxed and authorities have allowed the many stranded to exit on an undertaking not to re-enter without passports.

Many returning home through Al Ghuwaifat checkpoint told Khaleej Times they had been unable to cross until Tuesday when authorities began easing restrictions.

Saudi Arabia announced on Friday it had stopped recognising UAE identity cards, protesting that a map on the ID card did not correspond with the
border agreed by the two in 1974.

Diabetic Patients Need to Take Care when Fasting

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Jeddah,August 26: Fasting is a pillar of Islam and is prescribed for all Muslims, who have to go without food and water from sunrise to sunset.

Those suffering from diseases such as diabetes have to take special care when fasting, according to Dr Safiyul Rahman, internist, Sameera Polyclinic in Jeddah.

He said that fasting in both Type I and Type II diabetes is possible with supervision of the doctor.

The diabetic population in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which was 333 million in 2006, would reach 370 million in 2025.

Number of Tourists to Dhofar Drops Due to Swine Flu

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Muscat, August 26: The Swine Flu scare has apparently made a dent in tourist arrivals in the southern Dhofar governorate during the current Khareef or monsoon season, newly released statistics indicate.

The number of visitors arriving in Salalah between June 21, when the Khareef season started officially, and August 17 decreased to 257,554 from 389,677 during the same period of 2008.

Elder statesmen push to resume Mideast peace talks

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Jerusalem, August 26: A delegation of international dignitaries and veteran world leaders said Tuesday they would use their influence to promote Mideast peace and encourage the region’s people to believe that it is possible.

The elder statesmen, including Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jimmy Carter and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, are visiting Israel and the West Bank for four days to meet political leaders, civic groups and young people to listen to those whose lives are affected by the conflict, said the delegation’s leader, former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

Palestinian wish-list spelt out

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Gaza, August 26: An international airport for a future state of Palestine, national institutions and new rail links were listed by the Palestinian prime minister on Tuesday in a government programme needing foreign funding.

Israel PM seeks compromise on settlements

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Jerusalem, August 26: Israeli PM Netanyahu hopes to defuse an unusually public spat with the US over West Bank settlements when he meets with a top U.S. envoy Wednesday morning.

Netanyahu said Tuesday before his meeting with George Mitchell in London that he wants an agreement that allows Israel to proceed with some settlement construction while at the same time restarting peace talks with the Palestinians.

But he also made clear he sees the spotlight on settlements as unfair and insisted the Mideast conflict is rooted in a deep Arab enmity to Israel that predates them.

Iraq focuses bombings blame on operatives in Syria

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Baghdad, August 26: An al-Qaida front group said Tuesday it carried out last week’s truck bombings on government targets in Baghdad, attacks that Iraq has said also involved plotters among Saddam Hussein loyalists based in Syria.

As the Iraqi government tries to fend off criticism for security lapses, it has focused its anger on Syria and demanded that Damascus hand over two suspected members of Saddam’s ousted Baath Party whom it has linked to the attacks.