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Air India plane engine catches fire in Mumbai, passengers safe

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Mumbai, September 04: Nearly 215 passengers and crew of a Riyadh-bound Air India flight had a narrow escape here Friday morning when they were evacuated quickly after one of the plane’s engines caught fire while proceeding for take-off.

The fire was noticed by the ground staff while the aircraft had begun to taxi toward the runway and was immediately doused, Air India spokesperson Jitendra Bhargava said. The AI 829 flight was bound for Saudi Arabia’s capital.

Indian Air Force joins search for YSR’s missing chopper

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New Delhi, September 02:The Indian Air Force (IAF) Wednesday afternoon joined the search for a missing helicopter carrying Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, pressing four choppers into service, an official said.

“We have deployed four helicopters for the rescue mission. They include two Chetaks, besides one Mi-8 and one ALH (advanced light helicopter),” an IAF spokesman here said.

Gmail outage challenges Google engineers

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San Francisco, September 02:A disruption to Google’s Gmail service frustrated users throughout the world Tuesday and flummoxed engineers at the giant internet company.

Google said the problems started early in the morning and were not resolved until approximately 2330 GMT.

The problem prevented users from accessing Google email and stymied customers who use the popular software to sync their information with the Microsoft Outlook email programme.

US support for war in Afghanistan at all-time low

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Washington, September 02:Support for the war in Afghanistan has fallen to an all-time low in the United States, according to a national poll published Tuesday by CNN.

Fifty-seven percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey said they opposed the war, while 42 percent backed the mission. The number of respondents against the war is up by 11 percentage points since April and was the highest in a CNN poll since the conflict began in October 2001.

Shashi Tharoor to celebrate his first Onam in Kerala

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Thiruvananthapuram, September 01:For Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor it will be his first Onam in Kerala, his home state. He is to celebrate the traditional Thiru Onam lunch Wednesday at an orphanage here.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here Tuesday, Tharoor said this is going to be his first Onam in Kerala. As a student, he always celebrated the harvest festival either in Mumbai, Delhi or Kolkata, where he was studying at different times.

Government rejects Black Widow’s ceasefire offer

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Guwahati, September 01:The central government Tuesday rejected a unilateral ceasefire offered by the Black Widow separatist group in Assam and instead gave an ultimatum to the rebel group to surrender within 15 days and then begin peace talks.

“It was decided to give an ultimatum to the Black Widow, asking them to surrender and lay down arms by Sep 15 and stay in designated camps and then only we would hold peace talks with them,” Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.

Taiwan’s former first lady, children sentenced for corruption

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Taipei, September 01:Four members of former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian’s family were sentenced on corruption charges Tuesday but Chen himself is not scheduled to be sentenced until next week.

The Taipei district court sentenced ex-first lady Wu Shu-chen to one year in prison and the other three family members were given reduced sentences because they admitted their wrongdoing.

‘Lahore’ to premiere at Salento film fest

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New Delhi, September 01:Debut-director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan’s “Lahore”, that has Nafisa Ali and Farouque Shaikh in important roles, will be premiered at Italy’s Salento International Film Festival starting Sep 3-14.

“Lahore”, about competitive sports, is the opening night film and is also in the World Competition Section of the fest. The organisers will also honour Chauhan for his directorial debut.

Boy ‘sacrificed’ in Ghaziabad

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Ghaziabad, September 01:The body of an eight-year-old boy was found here Tuesday with injuries and vermilion marks. The police suspect it to be a case of human sacrifice.

The body was discovered in an agricultural field, police said. The child, a student of Class 3, went missing Sunday evening when he left his home to buy biscuits.

According to police, the child was abducted Sunday evening and murdered that night by a man and three women. Various sacrificial rituals were also performed on the child.
————-IANS

I don’t live in past, says Subrata Paul

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New Delhi, September 01:India goalkeeper Subrata Paul has moved on in his life. The Nehru Cup win Monday night against Syria is now a thing of past for him and the youngster is looking to scale greater heights.

“The Nehru Cup is over for me. I don’t live in the past. Now my target is to keep up the good work for my club Pune FC in the IFA Shield,” Paul told IANS from Kolkata.

His three brilliant saves that won India the Nehru Cup title are still the talk of the town, but Subrata is back at his Sodepur residence in the suburbs of Kolkata, enjoying his new star status.

Four men wanted for 211 murders arrested in Mexico

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Ciudad Juarez (Mexico), September 01: Four men suspected of committing 211 murders in northern Mexico have been arrested, authorities said.

The killings occurred in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico’s most violent city, where the Juarez and Sinaloa drug cartels have been waging a turf war.

Cristian Enrique Franco Franco, 22, charged with killing 16 people, Edgar Flores Martinez, 30, who faces 87 murder counts, and Omar Castro Rivera, 28, who is suspected of killing 93 people, were arrested by the security forces.

Rising prices put potatoes out of commoner’s reach

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Agra, September 01:Rising prices of essential items seem to be taking their toll on the common man here. First it were the pulses and now it is the king of vegetables – potatoes – that is burning a hole in the pocket of the consumers.

The price of potatoes has more than doubled to Rs.25 per kg this year compared to Rs.10 last year. This has hit the common man badly in Agra.

Indian-origin designer Anand Jon gets 59 years for rape

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Los Angeles/New Delhi, September 01:Indian-born fashion designer Anand Jon, convicted of sexually assaulting several girls and young women, has been sentenced to 59 years in prison by a Los Angeles court.

The designer, who appeared on the reality television show “America’s Next Top Model”, was Nov 16 convicted of 16 charges, including rape and sexual assault.

According to prosecutors, he enticed the girls, mostly aspiring models, with the promise of modelling jobs and forced them into sex, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Australian varsity to train Indian primary teachers

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New Delhi, September 01:Helping India attain universal primary education, an Australian university Tuesday joined hands with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) here to train elementary teachers in rural regions.

The teachers training programe will be conducted through IGNOU centres across the country, authorities of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) said.

Sami yet to get pending dues from ICL

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Karachi, September 01:Former Pakistan Test pacer Mohammad Sami claims the Indian Cricket League (ICL) is yet to clear his dues of more than Rs.10 million.

Sami, 28, Tuesday said he has been making efforts to get his last few instalments from the unofficial Twenty20 league but to no avail.

The Karachi-based fast bowler said he has requested Moin Khan, a former Pakistan captain and ICL’s representative in the country, to get his dues cleared.

International RTI Film Festival in Delhi in October

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New Delhi, September 01:Aimed at highlighting the common man’s struggles and the role of Right to Information (RTI) in bringing a change in his life, an International RTI Film Festival (IRFF) is being organised by a team of NGOs and civil society groups here next month.

“The films made on RTI have played a major role in spreading awareness about its importance and usage among people. This usage of Right to Information and its effect on the life of the common man has been beautifully taken up by various filmmakers,” Neeraj Kumar of Kabir, an NGO, told IANS Tuesday.

Film production firm to bid for IPL team franchise

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New Delhi, September 01:Film and television software production house K Sera Sera Tuesday said its board has approved the investment of surplus funds in buying the franchise of an Indian Premier League (IPL) team.

“The board has constituted a committee headed by Sanjay Lai, the Managing Director of the Company and authorized him, to take all the necessary decision, actions pertaining to the IPL investment,”, the company said in a regulatory statement.

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Nagarjuna bags projects worth Rs.481 crore

Two Maoist rebels killed in Jharkhand

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Ranchi, September 01:Two Maoist rebels were killed in a gunbattle with security personnel in Jharkhand’s Gumla district Tuesday, police said.

According to police, the gunbattle between security forces and Maoist rebels belonging to the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) took place in Sursang jungle, which comes under the Kamdera police station in Gumla district, some 140 km from Ranchi.

Police raided the Maoist hideout in the jungle on a tip-off. Five Maoist rebels started firing when police asked them to surrender.

Raje get well soon – and quit, says BJP

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New Delhi, September 01:Hoping to resolve the prickly problem of its defiant Rajasthan leader, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is waiting for Vasundhara Raje to recover from her illness and resign as leader of opposition in the state.

A day after the former Rajasthan chief minister conveyed to the party leadership that she was unwell and could not submit her resignation, party leader M. Venkaiah Naidu sought to play down all speculations about Raje’s health.

Three more swine flu cases push Sri Lanka tally to 86

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Colombo, September 01:The Sri Lankan health officials Tuesday confirmed three more cases of swine flu, raising the number of people affected by the viral disease to 86 in the country.

The health ministry said 90 percent of swine flu patients in the country contracted the disease abroad, while 10 percent of the patients contracted it locally. The new patients had come from Malaysia and India.

Sri Lanka reported its first case of swine flu on June 16.

Rahul to tour Tamil Nadu to rev up Congress workers

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Chennai, September 01: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi would be in Tamil Nadu next week on a two-day visit to rev up party cadres, its leaders said here Tuesday.

“The actual dates of Rahul Gandhi’s visit and his programme are being finalised,” Tamil Nadu Congress chief K.V. Thankabalu said, speaking to IANS by telephone from New Delhi.

With the elections for the State Youth Congress slated to be held soon and the party mobilising youth members, Gandhi is expected to hold discussions with state leaders on how to strengthen the Congress in Tamil Nadu.

RSS chief Bhagwat to visit Gujarat next week

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Ahmedabad, September 01: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat would be on a two-day tour of Gujarat from Sep 6 to meet senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sangh Parivar leaders of the state.

Bhagwat would first meet senior RSS leaders and later call on BJP leaders, including Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Sep 7 in state capital Gandhinagar, a top BJP functionary here said.

Delhi to banish beggars ahead of Commonwealth Games

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New Delhi, September 01: The Indian capital will be made beggar free in the run up to next year’s Commonwealth Games, the authorities said Tuesday while launching two mobile courts to prosecute beggars.

To begin with, citizens who spot beggars can reach the mobile courts through a control room. The courts will reach the spot and take away the beggars, Delhi Social Welfare Minister Mangat Ram Singhal said here.

BJP internal war won’t affect Maharashtra prospects: Shiv Sena

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Mumbai, September 01:The Shiv Sena Tuesday said the factionalism in the Bharatiya Janata Party, its alliance partner, would not effect the performance of the coalition in the Maharashtra assembly elections.

“The factionalism in the BJP would have no impact on our prospects in Maharashtra,” Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told IANS.

Raut said since “Shiv Sena is the bigger party in the coalition (in that state), the BJP’s internal politics would not hamper our prospects.”

He said the seat sharing formula with the BJP for the 288 assembly seats in the state has been finalised.

IIT-Delhi earns more from research than government grants

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New Delhi, August 30:Contrary to perceptions that Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are not doing enough research, IIT-Delhi has earned over Rs.102 crore (Rs.1.2 billion) in a year from research projects — more than what the government gives it as annual grant.

Sponsored research saw a major growth in the number of projects as well as in revenue earning during 2008-09.