Man hacks wife, five daughters to death

In a brutal act, a 38-year-old man Monday killed his wife and five daughters in Chhattisgarh after doubting the character of his spouse, police said.

The incident took place at the small village of Mohadipat in Balod district, some 150 km from Raipur.

Emraan, Vidya team up for ‘Ghanchakkar’

Now this one’s an ‘ooh la la’ pairing! Bollywood’s serial kisser Emraan Hashmi and “The Dirty Picture” star Vidya Balan have been cast opposite each other for comic-thriller “Ghanchakkar”. The two hope to rock it.

A UTV Motion Pictures’ project, the quirky film is expected to go on floors in August and will be directed by Rajkumar Gupta, who worked with Vidya in “No One Killed Jessica”.

Gupta, who claims “Ghanchakkar” is one of his “best projects till date”, says a lot of thought went behind casting the two actors in the movie.

Of irresistible barbeques at Srinagar’s Khayam Chowk

The aroma of spiced meat, cooked on charcoal fire, hangs in the air. Kashmiris, of late, may have been flooded with trendy coffee shops and restaurants, but barbecues at Khayam Chowk in the old quarter of Srinagar continue to be a big draw.

There are around a dozen barbecue sellers on the street, once famous for the Khayam cinema hall. People swear by their wares, saying such barbecues can only be found in this area, dominated by the butcher community.

Of irresistible barbecues at Srinagar’s Khayam Chowk

The aroma of spiced meat, cooked on charcoal fire, hangs in the air. Kashmiris, of late, may have been flooded with trendy coffee shops and restaurants, but barbecues at Khayam Chowk in the old quarter of Srinagar continue to be a big draw.

There are around a dozen barbecue sellers on the street, once famous for the Khayam cinema hall. People swear by their wares, saying such barbecues can only be found in this area, dominated by the butcher community.

Man survive two months in car in -30C

A Swedish man was pulled of a snow-covered car after having survived two months in sub-zero temperatures.

Peter Skyllberg, 44, had eaten nothing but handfuls of snow since Dec 19 when his car became bogged down in drifts near the town of Umea in northern Sweden, the Daily Mail reported Monday.

The vehicle’s dashboard and seats were covered in ice after temperatures plunged to -30 Celsius.

Experts think he went into a kind of human hibernation which slowed down his metabolism and pulled him through the ordeal in what they have described as the “case of a lifetime”.

Farmer kills daughter for refusing to marry chosen groom

A farmer in Maharashtra’s Satara killed his 25-year old daughter after she refused to marry within her caste and insisted on an alliance with a man from a lower caste, police said Monday.

In a fit of rage, Shankar B. Shinde, 65, battered Asha’s head with an iron rod while she slept in their home in Aundh town early Sunday, said Police Inspector Rashid B. Syed.

Though Asha’s mother, elder brother and his wife were also present in the home, nobody went to her rescue as Shinde hit her head repeatedly, leaving her in a pool of blood.

Light intensity tremor rocks Kashmir

A light intensity earthquake rocked Kashmir Monday, officials said but added no damage has been reported from anywhere in the valley so far.

“An earthquake measuring five on the Richter scale occurred today (Monday) at 7.29 p.m. with epicentre at Kashmir (Ladakh)-China border,” Aamir Ali, officer on special duty at the provincial headquarters, told IANS.

“The coordinates of the quake are 35.8 north, 79.7 east, which is approximately 280 km northeast of Leh town and 496 km northeast of Srinagar. No damage has been reported till now,” he said.

Pakistani PM hints at early elections

Pakistani PM hints at early elections
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Sunday hinted at the possibility of holding early parliamentary elections.

The parliamentary elections are scheduled in early 2013.

The prime minister said the issue of early elections will be discussed after next month’s Senate elections and the presentation of the annual budget in May, Xinhua reported.

Elections for 54 Senate seats will be held on March 2 and Gilani’s ruling Pakistan Peoples Party is set to get a simple majority in the 104-member upper house.

Road accidents cost India $20 bn every year

India suffers a staggering hit of Rs.1 lakh crore ($20 billion) every year due to road accidents, according to the International Road Federation (IRF), which says the country lacks “political will” to tackle the menace.

“The losses due to road accidents have crossed Rs.1 lakh crore annually. The sad part is the establishment knows it. These figures are present in their own records and despite this, there’s no political will to resolve the problem,” IRF president K.K. Kapila told IANS.

Sanju-Ameesha ” fight

Controversy of Sanjay Dutt abusing Ameesha patel for wearing skinny dress or romours of Sanjay touching Ameesha are no way near truth as both of them are very close and Sanju Baba treats her like little sister.
Ameesha Patel is miffed with the buzz about her relationship with Sanjay and Maanayata Dutt going sour. Trashing the reports of the senior actor touching her inappropriately and commenting on her outfit at Rohit Dhawan’s wedding in Goa, the actress maintains, “The relationship Sanjay, Maanayata and I share is too rock solid for anyone to destroy over a costume.”

Stones pelted at Salman Khursheed’s wife Louis

Louis Khursheed, Congress leader and wife of union Law Minister Salman Khursheed, had a narrow escape Sunday evening as a group of people pelted stones at a polling booth here, from where she is contesting the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, for allegedly promoting bogus voting.

The protesters charged her with “facilitating voting by her supporters” inside a booth at a primary school in Bibiganj after the 5 p.m. deadline.

Advani accuses Congress of communalising UP polls

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani Sunday accused the Congress of “deliberately communalising” the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, a day after the poll panel served notice on Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma for promising a
sub-quota for Muslims.

“Never before have the Congress party or its leaders communalised an assembly election as consciously and deliberately as it has done in UP in 2012,” Advani said in his latest blog post.

57 percent turnout estimated in UP poll’s fourth phase

Starting on a sluggish note, voting across 56 constituencies, including Lucknow, in the fourth phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections Sunday picked up pace through the day to end at an estimated 57 percent, officials said. Polling was peaceful.

The turnout was a marked improvement over the 2007 state elections when the turnout stood at a paltry 42 percent and an all time low of 36 percent in Lucknow, where Sunday it shot up to about 55 percent.

Australia beat India by 110 Runs

Australia recovered from a wobbly start and smashed 110 runs in the final 10 overs to post a competitive 288 for 5 in their tri-series cricket one-dayer against India in Brisbane on Sunday.

Half centuries by Peter Forrest (52) and Mike Hussey (59) and their century stand for the fourth wicket help set the base before impressive cameos by Daniel Christian and David Hussey lifted Australia to 288 for 5.

Christian (32 off 18 balls) and Hussey (24 off 20 balls) plundered 58 runs from the final five overs, the penultimate over by Vinay Kumar yielding 18 runs.

Women not alloted bjp seat :Sorry

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday publicly apologised for not fielding a single woman candidate for the forthcoming March 3 polls in Goa.

Replying to a question from a woman mediaperson here about the absence of women party candidates in the 28 constituencies that the BJP is contesting, former chief minister Manohar Parrikar said: “I can only say sorry. We could not find a right candidate… That’s why the BJP supports 33 percent reservation for women in elections.”

A 7 kg baby is born in China!

A baby boy weighing 7.4 kilograms at birth has set a record for China’s heaviest newborn.

Chunchun was born via caesarean section that lasted about 20 minutes on Feb 4.

Both mother and the baby are doing fine, according to doctors in Henan province’s Xinxiang city, the Global Times reported.

His 29-year-old mother Wang Yujuan said Chunchun’s elder sister was four kilograms at birth who is now six years old.

“I clearly felt that my body was more clumsy than when I had been pregnant with my daughter. My belly was bigger than it was then,” Wang said.

We will do better than 2007: Mayawati

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati expressed confidence Sunday that her party would win the 2012 elections and again form the government in Lucknow.

Mayawati, while casting her vote in a Lucknow school, said: “My party will do even better than 2007. And looking at the mammoth turnout at my rallies, let me tell you, we will once again form the government here.”

Mayawati was accompanied by her party general secretary Satish Misra, widely known as the Dalit party’s Brahmin mascot.

Zaradari angry with”SUVAR “

Despite stringent security and fortified walls, wild boars are increasingly intruding into the Pakistani presidency much to the annoyance of its staff.

“Despite foolproof security arrangements these boars enter the presidency freely,” an official told the Dawn newspaper requesting anonymity.

Fencing and other preventive measures failed to stop wild boars from creeping into the area. They come from the nearby Margalla Hills National Park, he added.

When a tiger scares away 350 voters

The overzealous state machinery might be sparing no effort to facilitate safe voting for a security-conscious Chief Minister Mayawati inside the premises of a school in Lucknow. But, just 28 km away in rural Malihabad constituency, people are afraid to vote, living as they do in the fear of being stalked by a tiger on the prowl.

The apathy on the part of local authorities was clearly spelt out by Lucknow DIG Police D.K.Thakur, who told mediapersons Sunday morning: ‘Why should people be scared of the tiger during the day, when the animal has been striking only at night?’

India 111/5,Facing uphill task

Australia recovered from a wobbly start and smashed 110 runs in the final 10 overs to post a competitive 288 for 5 in their tri-series cricket one-dayer against India in Brisbane on Sunday.

Half centuries by Peter Forrest (52) and Mike Hussey (59) and their century stand for the fourth wicket help set the base before impressive cameos by Daniel Christian and David Hussey lifted Australia to 288 for 5.

Christian (32 off 18 balls) and Hussey (24 off 20 balls) plundered 58 runs from the final five overs, the penultimate over by Vinay Kumar yielding 18 runs.

Four Pakistani girls come under acid attack

Unidentified miscreants allegedly threw acid on four girls in Pakistan’s Faisalabad city Saturday, Geo News reported.

The men after throwing the acid fled the scene in Ghulam Muhammadabad area.

The girls were on their way home after finishing work at a hosiery factory when the attack took place. They were taken to hospital where they were provided treatment.

Hospital sources said two girls’ faces were affected while the hands of the other two were injured.

Police said the incident was the result of a personal grudge.

Taliban commander held in Pakistan

A Taliban commander named Commander Bakht Rawan has been arrested in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan, Geo News reported.

Swat district police Saturday arrested the Taliban leader from Namal area, police said.

Bakht Rawan is the uncle of another Taliban commander named Ibne Amin.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team led by Momin Khan raided the suspect’s hideout and arrested the wanted outlaw.

Work from Home ,Earn in lakhs ?

Good news for women and specially the educated women who dont venture out of their houses for job or who are not allowed to go out for jobs and this oppurtunity will releive you of financial tensions.

A small entrepreneur need not maintain a full-fledged office anymore. He can recruit staff and get his work done online. He saves a lot this way and his “staff” can enjoy the privilege of working from the comfort of their homes.

Polling begins for UP election’s fourth phase

Polling for the fourth phase of Uttar Pradesh’s staggered elections in 56 assembly seats began Sunday at 7 a.m.

The total electorate numbering 17,414,545 (men 9,583,429, women 7,830,718 and others 398) will seal the fate of 967 candidates, including 91 women candidates, in the fray.

The political parties contesting in this phase are Bahujan Samaj Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Samajwadi Party and others.

The number of EVMs being used in this phase is 50,795, while the total number of polling stations is 18,609.

India’s Sufi pictorial takes Islam to children worldwide

“O Imam Ali, can you tell us how far it is to heaven?” asked a group of Muslim pilgrims to which the wise one replied, “Just Two Steps Away”… The cover of a new Islamic text reaches out to children worldwide with its witty quips.

A pictorial anthology, “40 Sufi Comics” by Bangalore-based entrepreneurs and creative artists Arif and Ali Vakil, has brought anecdotes, fables, lessons and traditions from Islam and Sufism in English for younger generations of Muslims across the world.