subhan

Another Slum Story… Paul Schrader’s To Direct Extreme City For Anubhav Sinha In Mumbai

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Mumbai, July 13: Post the success of Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, Mumbai better brace itself for another slum saga from Hollywood.

Paul Schrader is on the verge of finalizing his script for Extreme City which will be shot in and around the slums of Dharavi.

Back from a hush-hush meeting with the director producer Anubhav Sinha says, “I can’t deny there’s tremendous interest in another Mumbai slum saga after Slumdog Millionaire. But our project was firmed in much before Danny’s film released.”

Israeli settlers burn more Palestinian farms

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Jerusalem, July 13: Israel’s illegal settlers in the West Bank have set fire to more than 120 hectares of Palestinian land, the Ministry of Agriculture says.

In a series of attacks since the spring, settlers have gone on the offensive, attacking Palestinian farmers particularly in villages surrounding the cities of Nablus and al-Khalil (Hebron), the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture said on Sunday.

Ponting left fuming at England ‘sportsmanship’

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Cardiff, July 13: Australia captain Ricky Ponting slammed England for a lack of sportsmanship after a controversial conclusion to a dramatic drawn first Test here at Sophia Gardens.

Ashes-holders Australia were poised to go 1-0 up in the five-Test series before England’s last-wicket duo James Anderson (21 not out) and Monty Panesar (seven not out) held out for the final 40 minutes to salvage an unlikely draw.

Man accused of friend’s murder hangs self in Tihar Jail

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New Delhi, July 13: A 23-year-old man who allegedly killed 22-year-old Kavita Chauhan at a Patel Nagar hostel on Thursday, committed suicide in Tihar Jail on Sunday, within hours of being brought to the prison.

Kapil Sharma was held responsible for the death of Chauhan, who was found dead outside her hostel room in Patel Nagar on Thursday with multiple stab wounds. Sharma was later apprehended by the police after his brother, who lives in Mongolpuri, told them about his whereabouts.

Adams calls for stronger leadership in West Indies board

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London, July 13: Jimmy Adams, the former West Indies captain who is now the president of the Federation of International Cricketers Association, has said the ongoing dispute between the West Indies board (WICB) and the local players association (WIPA) can only be solved by strong leaders in the board. Adams, who is also the WIPA secretary, said the board was currently rife with poor leadership.

Obama orders probe into war crimes in Afghanistan

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Washington, July 13: President Barack Obama has ordered his national security team to investigate reports that US-led troops suffocated 2,000 alleged Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan.

Obama told CNN in an interview on Sunday that if US forces have violated international norms, he wants to know about it.

“I think that, you know, there are responsibilities that all nations have even in war,” Obama said.

Ayesha Takia turns fashion designer post marriage

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Mumbai, July 13: Besides helping restaurateur husband Farhan Azmi set up his boutique hotel in Goa, Ayesha Takia is now getting ready to launch her own designer label.

Says a source close to Ayesha, “She has been working on a fashion line for a while now. She was interested in designing even before she entered films but it took a backseat once she started doing films.” The source adds that the designing bug never left her. “Ayesha would take a keen interest in the outfits she’d wear in her films and give her own inputs to the designers.”

US ambassador to Iraq escapes bomb attack

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Washington, Jully 13: The US Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill has escaped an attempt on his life after a bomb exploded near the vehicle he was riding in.

The incident occurred in Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq on Sunday, the embassy said in a statement. Hill heard a bang and then drove through a cloud of smoke, the statement added.

The ambassador and the embassy personnel remained unharmed in the attack, it said.

Akshay Kumar joins hands with Anees Bazmee again

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Mumbai, July 13: Akshay Kumar joins hands with Anees Bazmee again The “Akshay Kumar and Anees Bazmee’ combo has given super hits such as Welcome and Singh Is Kinng and is considered as one of the hottest combinations in Bollywood.

It is now learnt from reliable sources that the pair is planning to come out with their third film together titled Thank You attempting to strike a super hit hat trick.

Watching Naseer act is like opening a Pandora’s box: Arshad Warsi

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Mumbai, July 13: Arshad Warsi’s next release after Shortkut- The Con is On is going to be Vishal Bharadwaj’s Ishqkiyaan. Interestingly in the film, Arshad Warsi and Naseeruddin Shah are coming together once again after a gap of seven years.

The last time they worked together was in Harry Baweja’s Mujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachao. 

”Ishqkiyaan is a fabulous film I am so glad I did this film. Naseeruddin Shah and I were like two birds of a feather flocking together. In fact Naseer and Arshad play uncle and Nephew in the film.”

DGP offers worship at famous temple,

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Vijayawada, July 12: Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) S S P Yadav and his spouse today worshipped Goddess Kanakadurga on the Indrakeeladri hill here today.

He was received by Temple Executive Officer T Chandra Kumar at the entrance. The temple priests blessed the Yadav couple in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

Mr Kumar later presented portrait of Goddess Durga, the temple prasadam, laddu and a silk garment (‘seshavastram’) to the DGP.

No eligible farmer should be denied crop loans: CM

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Hyderabad, July 12: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today exhorted bankers to grant crop loans to all eligible farmers in the state, including tenant farmers by simplifying procedures and removing needless hurdles.

Ex-Kiwi players rate Tendulkar the most trusted batsman

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Wellington, July 12: Records have tumbled with every stroke of his bat in the 20-year-long career and batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar is still regarded as the most trustworthy batsman in the contemoporary time.

Former New Zealand players rated their choices of batsmen whom they trust the most when it comes to playing Test cricket and although, there were a few names as well, Tendulkar’s experience put him in the lead.

Lightening postpones Endeavour launch again

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Tokyo, July 12: After three failed attempts to launch Endeavour and already a month behind schedule, lightening strikes NASA launch complex, postponing take-off until Sunday.

The launch of space shuttle Endeavour was postponed until Sunday evening so engineers could evaluate the spacecraft following 11 lightning strikes to the Launch Complex 39A area.

NASA confirms none of the strikes hit the shuttle or its external tank or solid rocket boosters, but there were strikes to the lightning mast and water tower.

Cleric raps West over death of Hijab martyr

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Tehran, July 12: A senior Iranian cleric strongly condemns the killing of Egyptian Marwa al-Sherbini, dubbed ‘Hijab martyr,’ in a courtroom in Germany.

Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri, Secretary-General of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, characterized the ‘heart-rending disaster’ in the German court as clear proof of the West’s racist and biased stances towards Islam and Muslims, IRNA reported.

Berlin bans release of Hijab murder case facts

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Berlin, July 12: German prosecutors have banned publication of ‘facts’ that relate to the brutal murder of a Muslim Egyptian woman who was stabbed in a Dresden court.

The decision was made after the German Focus Magazine reported that the murderer had planned to stab Marwa El-Sherbini before he walked into the courthouse, spokesman for the German Prosecutor’s office Christian Avenarius said.

Two weeks ago, the attacker stabbed Marwa El-Sherbini 18 times in front of her 3-year-old son, as she tried to testify against him.

Palin blames Obama admin for resignation

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Washington, July 12: Sarah Palin has indirectly blamed some members of President Barack Obama’s administration for her decision to quit her post as governor of Alaska, a report says.

The former running mate of defeated presidential candidate John McCain announced her resignation earlier this month.

She complained in her resignation speech that she was being hounded constantly by “frivolous” ethics complaints, The Sunday Times reported.

Her spokeswoman Meg Stapleton told Time magazine last week, “A lot of this comes from Washington DC. The trail is pretty direct and obvious to us.”

Political rift widens over Britain’s ‘Vietnam’

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Vietnam, July 12: Political mayhem takes center stage in the UK following deadly attacks on British troops in Afghanistan where soldiers are told to fight an “unwinnable” war.

Voices of strife within the ruling Labor party have unified with the opposition about the recent attacks on British military. High-ranking Labor authorities have even blasted the government’s approach to the ongoing campaign in the southern Helmand province of Afghanistan.

Israel-US F-35 deal ‘targets Iran, Syria defense’

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Tehran, July 12: Israel’s plans to buy US F-35 fighters indicate its desire to be able to penetrate the Russian air defense systems Iran and Syria are set to receive, a report says.

F-35 fighter aircraft can make the S-300 air defense systems ineffective, as computer simulations have shown that the new US stealth fighters outperform Russian missiles, Ria Novosti cited officials in Tel Aviv as saying.

Iran rejects decline in demand for its oil

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Tehran, July 12: Iran’s OPEC governor says a claim that demand for Iran’s crude oil has declined in the world markets is a ‘complete lie’.

Seyyed Mohammad-Ali Khatibi strongly dismissed a report by an international institute, which had stated that the demand for Iran’s crude oil has dropped in the first four months of 2009 as a result of political tension in the country.

“So far no unusual issue has been reported in the amount of demand for Iran’s crude oil,” Khatibi told Mehr news agency in an interview.

Iran, Interpol team up to track down Rigi

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Tehran, July 12: A senior judicial official says efforts to track down Jundullah ringleader Abdulmalek Rigi are proceeding very well with the help of Interpol.

Ebrahim Hamidi, the head of the judiciary in the restive southeast province of Sistan-Baluchestan, said Sunday that Iranian security forces and Interpol– the world’s international police force– are working together to discover the whereabouts of Rigi.

According to Hamidi, the Tehran government has sought help from Interpol because the Jundullah terror group is operating from beyond the country’s borders.

Egypt stops Gaza-bound medical convoy

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Cairo, July 12: Egyptian authorities have refused to allow ‘Viva Palestina’ activists trying to carry humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip to cross into the Sinai Peninsula.

The largest-ever US aid convoy to help the people of Gaza was stopped at the Suez Canal on Saturday on its way to Al Arish, where the rest of the group and supplies will join them before heading for the border crossing into Gaza.

The activists are part of a convoy of at least 200 people — all Americans, including Charles Barron, a New York City Councilman — that plan to be in Gaza by July 13.

Iran bans cabinet officials membership in GC

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Tehran, July 12: With Iran’s president set for major reshuffles in his new cabinet, the Expediency Council moves to ban individuals from being a member of the country’s Guardian Council and having posts in government entities at the same time.

Under the new legislation approved by the Expediency Council, being a member of the Guardian Council is considered as having a governmental post and therefore individuals who already hold a position in other administration organizations have to step down from one of their positions.

Available players to be picked for Champions Trophy – WICB

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Kingston, July 12: The West Indies board has announced that the squad for the Champions Trophy will be picked from among those currently playing Bangladesh and others who have made themselves available for selection.

It also decided to interview prospective captains for future series. These decisions indicate there may be no speedy solution to the stalemate between the board and the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) regarding player contracts.