Shashank

BJP demands resignation of three more ministers

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Bhubaneswar, February 06:A day after ruling BJD’s women wing chief Pramila Mallik resigned from Naveen Patnaik cabinet over multi-crore Dal scam, opposition BJP today demanded resignation of three other ministers accusing them of being involved in other irregularities.

“We demand resignation of Urban Development Minister Badri Narayan Patra, School and Mass Education Minister Pratap Jena and Steel and Mines Minister, Raghunath Mohanty,” said BJP’s state President Jual Oram.

MLA, four others injured in mishap

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Etawah, February 06:A BSP MLA and four other persons were today injured when their vehicle was hit by a truck on Etawah-Kanpur highway, police said.

The incident took place in Bakewar area when BSP MLA Mahendra Singh Rajput was coming to Etawah.

His vehicle was hit by a truck from behind after which it fell into a roadside ditch.

All the injured were taken to a hospital from where they were discharged after first-aid.

–PTI

PRP’s merger will strengthen Congress: Andhra chief minister

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Hyderabad, February 06:Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy Sunday welcomed the merger of Telugu superstar K. Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) with the Congress and said this would strengthen the state’s ruling party.

Congratulating Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the merger of PRP, he said the merger had provided an opportunity to work together for the welfare of the poor and the development of the state.

State Congress chief D. Srinivas said the merger would be an added advantage to the Congress party.

Sonu Nigam to perform during Muscat Festival

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Muscat, February 06: Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam will perform on February 11 at the City Amphitheatre as part of the Muscat Festival.

Two Bollywood actors Minissha Lamba and Prachi Desai are accompanying the versatile singer, who has also made name for his uncanny ability to mimic most artistes during his stage show.

Nigam has performed at the same venue three years ago but the two actors will be making their Muscat debut.

According to the organisers Areej T, Fortune Promoseven and Gazelle International, tickets are priced at 50, 35, 25, 15 and seven Omani riyals.

Nov 3, 2007 turning point for Pakistan’s judiciary: Chief Justice

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Hyderabad, February 06:Pakistani Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Sunday described Nov 3, 2007 as the turning point for the country’s judiciary, when the Supreme Court asserted its power and declared as unconstitutional the imposition of an emergency.

Delivering the keynote address at the 17th Commonwealth Law Conference here, he said for the first time in the history of Pakistan, the judiciary asserted itself and the Supreme Court declared those measures as unconstitutional and illegal in its landmark order on the same day.

Mind and Body – Keep up your energy

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Hyderabad, February 06:Eight high-energy foods to keep you going all day, every day

The human body is an amazing machine. Put in the right amount of activity and eat energy giving foods… and you will truly start feeling fantastic.

Nursery admissions: more lists, more struggles!

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New Delhi, February 06:Struggling for your child’s nursery admission?

And if your child does not fall in categories like sibling, alumni, girl child, management or EWS quota, the chances of getting admission this year become even bleaker
With many schools having now released their lists for pre-school admission, it appears that there is very little room for the kids belonging to the general category.

Many parents, whose wards have failed to get through in the schools they have applied for, allege that the points system developed by the schools have come in their way.

Iran begins trial of Amricans held for spying

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London, February 06:The trial of the three Americans held in Iran for spying began Sunday in an Iranian court.

The details of the proceedings were not known, but according to local journalists, the closed-door trial was underway, the Guardian reported here.

Tehran’s revolutionary court imposed a blanket ban on observers, including the Swiss ambassador, Livia Leu Agosti, who represents US interests in Iran.

Six-coach trial run on Delhi-Gurgaon Metro line

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New Delhi, February 06:Trial runs of two six-coach trains were conducted Sunday evening on the Metro line connecting Delhi to its satellite town Gurgaon. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) targets 95 such trains on its entire network by the yearend.

The trains stopped at all the stations on the Jahangirpuri-HUDA City Centre route.

The trials were conducted to ensure full safety of the “rolling stock, signalling, electrical and other systems of the six coach trains”, a DMRC statement said.

Four-coach trains on the line continued to run without any change, the statement said.

Woman gangraped in Ghaziabad, boyfriend thrashed

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Ghaziabad, February 06:A woman was gangraped by five youths, who also thrashed her boyfriend in Kamla Nehru Nagar here, police said Sunday.

The incident happened late Saturday when the woman was on her way to meet her boyfriend Krishna Singh.

In his complaint, Krishna said that he was on his motorcycle when he heard a woman crying for help. He slowed his bike and was overpowered by two youths, who thrashed him till he became unconscious. They also snatched his phone, laptop and money.

UK, Singapore respond to Letters Rogatory on Satyam scam

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Hyderabad, February 06:In a development that will facilitate further unravelling of the multi-crore Satyam scam, the CBI has received a response from authorities in the UK and Singapore to Letters Rogatory (LOR) issued by the special court trying the main accused here, a senior officer said.

LORs — a formal request sent from the court of one country to a foreign court for judicial assistance — were sent to six countries: USA, UK, Belgium, British Virgin Islands, Mauritius and Singapore, seeking information in connection with Satyam case.

Iran bans state TV from teaching foreign recipes

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Tehran, February 06: A state-owned news website says Iran’s broadcasting authority has banned Iranian TV channels from showing cooking programmes that present recipes for foreign cuisine.

Jamejamonline reported late Saturday that the deputy head of Iran’s state broadcasting company, Ali Darabi, announced the ban during a visit to one of the country’s 30 state-run TV channels.

Some cooking programmes on Iranian stations present recipes for foreign cuisine, such as Italian and French.

Over 40,000 childhood cancer cases in India every year: Experts

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New Delhi, February 06:Over 40,000 cases of cancer in children are being reported in India every year, experts said here Sunday, adding that only a fraction of them manage to receive proper treatment.

“The number of cases of childhood cancer is increasing in India. Of the 40,000 that is reported, only 20-30 percent manage to get proper treatment,” senior consultant pediatric oncologist at the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute Gauri Kapoor said at the institute’s 10th annual conference here.

Kuwaiti youth call for protest on Tuesday

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Kuwait City, February 06: A Kuwaiti youth group called Sunday for a mass rally outside parliament on Tuesday to protest the government’s “undemocratic practices” and to press for its ouster.

The group, Fifth Fence, said it is using Twitter, the US-based microblogging service that allows people to use mobile phones and computers to broadcast short text messages, to urge people to gather in large numbers for the protest.

CJI asks judges to adopt ways to enhance social welfare

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Hyderabad, February 06:Asking the courts to implement a minimum core approach to help the needy, Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia today said the paramount duty of judges is to adopt ways to enhance social welfare.

He also favoured a government policy to provide food security to people below the poverty line.

“It is enforceability, which is the very essence of rule of law, that is important,” he said at the 17th Commonwealth Law Conference here earlier inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Actress Amita Pathak doing two comedy films

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Mumbai, February 06:Bollywood actress Amita Pathak, known for her role in Priyadarshan’s ‘Aakrosh’, will be soon seen in two comedy films.

Amita made her debut alongside actors Adhyayan Suman and Nakul Mehta in Anil Devgan’s ‘Haal-E’Dil’ (2008) that was produced by her father, Kumar Mangat. The film fared poorly at the box office.

JuD boss Hafiz Saeed threatens India with war

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Lahore, February 06: Alleged mastermind of 26/11 attacks Hafiz Muhammad Saeed continues to roam freely in Pakistan. The militant leader of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) on Saturday warned India to “quit” Jammu and Kashmir or be prepared for a “war” even as the extremist group organised protests at several places in Pakistan to mark Kashmir Solidarity Day.

Snow likely in Kashmir Valley, avalanche alert sounded

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Srinagar, February 06:Widespread rain and snowfall were forecast across the Kashmir Valley while an avalanche alert was sounded Sunday in the higher reaches like Machil and Tangdhar.

The weather office said rain and snow was likely across the Valley Kashmir during the next two days while the provincial administration issued an avalanche warning in the higher reaches, advising people to remain indoors or move about very cautiously.

SC issues contempt notices to UP govt, Noida authority

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New Delhi, February 06:The Supreme Court has issued contempt notices to the Noida Authority and the Uttar Pradesh government for allegedly charging stamp duty on properties on the basis of present market rate in violation of its order.

A bench of justices H S Bedi and Chandramauli Prasad issued the notices and sought their response within eight weeks.

The court passed the order on a bunch of petitions filed by housing societies including Army Welfare Housing Organisation of Noida.

Railways to set up four biodiesel plants

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New Delhi, February 06:In one of the biggest initiatives for bio-fuel production in the country, Indian Railways is poised to set up four bio-diesel plants costing about Rs 120 crore.

While two bio-diesel esterification plants are going to be commissioned at Raipur and Chennai during the next two years, the other two units will be set up subsequently, a senior railway ministry official said.

Each plant, estimated to cost around Rs 30 crore, will produce 30 tons bio-diesel per day, which means more than 9,000 tons a year, the official said.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry relevant even today, says daughter

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Mumbai, February 06:Be it “Mujhse pehli si mohabbat” or “Hum dekhenge”, the works of Pakistan’s Faiz Ahmed Faiz – a leading Urdu poet of the 20th century – still capture the essence of social and political challenges for the world, says his daughter.

Moneeza Hashmi says she derives hope from her father’s poetry, adding that it’s fascinating that his work continues to be relevant even 26 years after his death. His birth centenary this year will be marked in India too with a function in Delhi Feb 25.

Walk down memory lane for lovers of shuttle game

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Mumbai, February 06:Nostalgia took centre stage as “Badminton 45”, a private body comprising lovers of the shuttle game in this metropolis, felicitated champions of yesteryear here.

Those honoured included former greats who are no longer with us, and the glittering function was organised on the Bombay Gymkhana lawns last evening.

255 border outposts to come up along B’desh, Pak border

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New Delhi, February 06:Aimed at strengthening security along frontiers, government has finalised a blueprint to construct 255 outposts on the country’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

As per the decision, there will be 129 border outposts (BOPs) along the Indo-Bangla border and 126 BOPs along the Indo-Pak border by the CPWD.

“The design of the BOP is being finalised and it is estimated to cost about Rs four crore to construct one BOP,” said a senior CPWD official.

There will be barracks, generator room, kitchen, toilet block and officers’ chamber at the BOP.

US may extend stay in Iraq

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Baghdad, February 06:American officials suggest that tens of thousands of US troops in Iraq may extend their stay in the country well beyond the 2011withdrawal deadline.

US Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey said on Friday that more US military forces may be needed to counter what he called “threats to Iraq’s stability, [and they] will remain in 2012.”

The prospects of a longer US military stay in Iraq contradict the clauses of a 2008 agreement between Baghdad and Washington.

US may extend stay in Iraq

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Baghdad, February 06:American officials suggest that tens of thousands of US troops in Iraq may extend their stay in the country well beyond the 2011withdrawal deadline.

US Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey said on Friday that more US military forces may be needed to counter what he called “threats to Iraq’s stability, [and they] will remain in 2012.”

The prospects of a longer US military stay in Iraq contradict the clauses of a 2008 agreement between Baghdad and Washington.