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Maharashtra polls: Congress has edge, Pawar in decline

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Mumbai.September 26:The Maharashtra assembly elections have assumed an even greater importance for the Congress in the aftermath of its recent setbacks in the by-elections in Gujarat. Besides, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)’s good showing in Bihar, along with that of its junior partner, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), has also been discomfiting to the party.

The only way for the Congress to recover its poise is to fare well in Maharashtra, the home of India’s financial capital Mumbai.

Car bombings kill 13 in northwestern Pakistan

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Islamabad, September 26:A car bomb exploded in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar Saturday, killing at least seven people and injuring another 30, hours after a suicide bombing outside a police station in the restive North West Frontier Province (NWFP) killed six people, police said.

Explosives packed in a car went off just around midday outside a busy commercial centre in Peshawar’s Saddar area, one of the main routes to the army-controlled neighbourhood in the city, police said.

Kalmadi asks sub-committees to gear up

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New Delhi, September 25:Chairman of 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) Suresh Kalmadi Friday said the various sub-committees will have to work towards a succcesful conduct of the Games.

“We have to go in full speed to ensure the Commonwealth Games next year are the best,” Kalmadi told chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the 23 sub-committees formed to help conduct the Games.

“While we have great support from the Central and State Governments, we are dependent on the sub-committees to ensure that we organise a memorable Games,” Kalmadi said.

Case against Sukhram referred to larger high court bench

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New Delhi, September 25: A single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court Friday referred a corruption case against former telecom minister Sukhram to a larger bench, citing several legal issues.

“There are certain legal issues which I have framed in this case and it should be decided by a division bench,” Justice S. Murlidhar said.

“When can a decision be taken whether a minister or an executive member has misused his position? And what is criminal misconduct with respect to minister?” Justice Muralidhar asked and said such questions needed to be answered by a division bench.

Gerard Butler hates to diet for roles

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London, September 25: Scottish actor Gerard Butler hates losing weight for roles because he has to give up the food he enjoys – like cakes and french fries.

The 39-year old actor, who had to slim down for his shirtless scenes in “Law Abiding Citizen”, said: “I want to eat my potatoes and french fries and sponge cakes.”

“When I have to play a role like this where I can’t have my favourite food, I just go crazy,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Butler as saying.

Sexual love is secondary to me: Drew Barrymore

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London, September 25: Twice divorced Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore, who is rumoured to have rekindled her romance with actor Justin Long, says that sexual love is secondary to her.

“I have spent a lot of time in my life dedicating myself to love or the pursuit of love or the understanding of love. But for the last few years, my life just hasn’t been about that for me,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Barrymore as saying.

“Sexual love is secondary to me right now. My life is very refreshing without it and I am trying to understand and relish it,” she added.

Volkswagen India plans to double distribution network

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Chennai, September 25:German auto giant Volkswagen is planning to double its distribution network in India and increase brand spend before its much awaited entry into the country’s small car segment early next year, a top official said here Friday.

“Gearing up to the launch of our high volume model Polo, we are expanding our distribution network. By the end of this year the company will have 40 dealers,” Neeraj Garg, director (passenger cars) of Volkswagen Group India, told reporters here after inaugurating a new dealership.

Priya, Sanjay Dutt support opposing parties in same constituency

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Mumbai, September 25: This is one situation late film star and Congress leader Sunil Dutt may not have imagined. His two children, Priya and Sanjay Dutt are campaigning for opposing parties in the Maharashtra assembly polls — and that too in the same constituency.

Congress MP Priya Dutt will campaign for party strongman and former minister Baba Siddiqui, a close confidant of the Dutt family for over three decades, while Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt would canvas for well-known advocate Rizwan Merchant.

African vistas on artist’s canvas

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New Delhi, September 25: Memories of the sweeping wilderness of Africa seep through the works of urban designer-cum-artist Antonio E’Costa, who spent a better part of his life in Kenya.

His recent solo exhibition in the capital, “Vistas”, at the Gallery Art Motif in Ladosarai, was inspired by nature. The dozen or so oil and mixed media compositions on canvas were about nature and its “boundless barren stretches” executed with a touch of abstraction and graphical representation of reality.

After UN speech, Lucknow teen eyeing another green first

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Lucknow, September 25:After becoming the first Indian teenager to address the United Nations General Assembly on global climate change, Lucknow girl Yugratna Srivastava aims to notch another first – plant one million trees in the country.

“It would be history in the true sense if I manage to accomplish my big plan of planting one million trees in my country,” Yugratna, who arrived here Friday from the US, told reporters.

Iran’s nuclear plant ‘inconsistent’ with peaceful use: Obama

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Pittsburgh, September 25:US President Barack Obama said Friday the size of a second Iranian nuclear plant revealed this week is “inconsistent” with claims that it is being used to produce civilian nuclear power.

Speaking at the G20 summit and standing alongside British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Obama said the “disturbing” news of the second facility demonstrates Tehran’s willingness to deceive the world and violate international norms.

Super clash awaits as India take on Pakistan Saturday

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Centurion, September 25:India should be inspired by the fact that they have never lost to Pakistan in an International Cricket Council (ICC) event when the two clash in the Champions Trophy here Saturday, never mind the state of the team’s physical health with a fair share of injuries.

To be precise, the two sub-continental cricket giants are facing off in the country they last met two years and two days ago when India beat Pakistan to win the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in a breathtaking finish.

Manish Arora unveils futuristic collection for Paris Fashion Week

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New Delhi, September 25: Designer Manish Arora is taking his “futuristic” collection, which combines Indian techniques with geometric designs, to the Paris Fashion Week 2010 and he says the global fashion trend this spring-summer, especially in Europe, is individualistic.

Dikshit launches web portal on diabetes awareness

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New Delhi, September 25: Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit Friday launched a web portal giving “complete information” on constraints of and treatment for diabetes.

The site – www.ddrc.in – was launched by the Delhi Diabetic Research Centre (DDRC) following a study undertaken by the centre on diabetes and its link to depression.

Dikshit reiterated the government’s commitment towards tackling diabetes and hailed the portal as a “complete information platform for people with diabetes to enable them to lead happy and healthy lives”.

ONGC Videsh to increase production in Brazil

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New Delhi, September 23:ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas exploration arm of state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp, Wednesday said it will increase production from its Brazilian oil fields to 40,000 barrels per day (bpd) by year-end.

At present, “oil is being produced from only one well and output is 5,500 bpd,” OVL managing director R.S. Butola told reporters here.

He said the production is projected to “rise to 40,000 bpd by year-end” when five more wells “will be brought into production”.

Abu Dhabi to host Unesco meetings on intangible heritage

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Abu Dhabi, September 23: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital will host the meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Sep 28-Oct 2, WAM news agency reported Wednesday.

Official delegations from 112 countries, which have signed the Agreement on Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and over 50 representatives from regional organisations and non governmental organisations will take part in the event.

Rahul Gandhi on a surprise visit to Uttar Pradesh

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Lucknow, September 23:Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi reached Uttar Pradesh Wednesday on an unannounced visit, to the surprise of his party leaders and state police alike.

Gandhi landed at Lucknow airport around 3.30 p.m. and sped away in his Tata Safari that had arrived here earlier from Delhi along with Special Protection Guards (SPG) securitymen.

An official at the Air Traffic Control, requesting anonymity, said Gandhi came by Kingfisher Airlines in economy class.

Delhi Police official accused of filing false

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New Delhi, September 23:The medical superintendent of a premier hospital here Wednesday accused a senior police official of framing him by registering a false case of cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy against him last month but the latter has denied the charge.

After top cop, Mayawati brings new Lucknow district magistrate

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Lucknow, September 23:Less than a day after replacing the state police chief, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Wednesday named Amit Ghosh as the new district magistrate of Lucknow.

Ghosh replaces Chandra Bhanu, who has been elevated as the state’s trade tax commissioner.

Ghosh is currently the district magistrate of Meerut, where he is to be succeeded by Bhuvnesh Kumar, currently managing director of Central Uttar Pradesh Power Distribution Company.

Implement noise pollution norms in festive season, police told

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New Delhi, September 23:The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed Delhi Police to strictly implement the noise pollution norms, specially during the ongoing festive navratri season.

The court was hearing a public interest petition filed by lawyer Priyanka Aggarwal, who alleged that the noise pollution norms set by the apex court were not being followed by the organisers of functions held during the festival time.

15 workers killed, 50 trapped in Chhattisgarh plant, probe ordered

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Raipur, September 23:At least 15 workers were killed and some 50 were trapped under debris when a chimney of an under-construction power plant of Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (Balco) collapsed in Chhattisgarh’s Korba town Wednesday afternoon, police said.

The state government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident that took place when about 100 workers and engineers were engaged in the construction work at Balco Nagar area, some 250 km north of state capital Raipur.

NHRC sitting on RTI petition seeking details about its Batla encounter probe

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New Delhi,September 23:It’s about one and half months since an application under Right to Information Act was filed with the National Human Rights Commission seeking explanations about the method and procedures of its enquiry into the Batla House encounter, but the apex constitutional body on human rights is yet to respond.

Six killed in Pakistan over cellphone calls

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Islamabad, September 23:At least six people, including two women, were killed in northwestern Pakistan Wednesday after neighbours clashed over annoying cellphone calls, police said.

The gunfight took place following a heated argument between the two groups in the Sarobi Bandai village of Karak district.

The two sides had a brawl four months ago when one of the families received a series of calls from a boy from the other family. The issue propped up again Wednesday.

Anti-Modi government altering Ishrat affidavit: BJP

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New Delhi, September 23:The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday alleged the union home ministry was intending to revise its affidavit before the Gujarat High Court that says college student Ishrat Jahan and her three friends killed in a firefight with police had terrorist links.

YSR chopper pilots knew of bad weather, shows voice recorder

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New Delhi, September 23: A US probe has found that the pilot and co-pilot of the chopper that crashed in an Andhra Pradesh forest, killing chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, early this month knew they were flying in a dangerously bad weather, an official said here Wednesday.

“The US FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) investigated the conversation between the pilot and co-pilot minutes before the chopper crashed. They also spoke of bad weather,” said the senior official of the civil aviation ministry.