Month: June 2009

Unveiled, Maya’s creations far from complete

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Lucknow, June 27: Seven of the 15 memorial projects, Chief Minister Mayawati hastily dedicated to public on Thursday evening, are still incomplete. On Friday, work was going on at most of these projects. In case of two of these, only the foundation has been constructed.

When asked about why the incomplete projects were inaugurated, UP Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (UPRNN) Managing Director CP Singh and Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) Joint Director SB Mishra refused to comment.

While LDA is the nodal agency for these projects, UPRNN is executing the projects.

The incomplete projects are:

Woman says rape charge against cops was fabricated

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New Delhi, June 27: The 35-year-old woman, who had accused policemen of raping her, has gone back on her words.

She brought allegations against five officers, including the station house officer (SHO) of the Inderpuri police station, in order to save her husband from arrest, she has said.

The woman from Southwest Delhi’s Inderpuri appeared before a magistrate in Dwarka court on Friday and recorded her statement under Section 164 of CrPC, admitting “she was not sexually assaulted.”

John doesn’t bother about Bips’ Katfight

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Mumbai, June 27: Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif don’t share a cordial relationship.

Now, that’s not exactly new. But Bips’ boyfriend John Abraham says he won’t play mediator between his girlfriend and his New York co-star Kat.

“Bipasha is a grown up, mature woman. So is Katrina. They are both experienced enough to sort out their issues. I was there to play the character assigned to me in the film and not to act as a mediator between Katrina and Bipasha,” says John.

The actor believes he doesn’t need to play the role of a pacifier.

NATO-Russia foreign ministers to open meeting

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Greece, June 27: The foreign ministers of NATO and Russia are set to resume formal military ties when they meet Saturday for the first time since last year’s war between Russia and Georgia.

Relations between the alliance and the Russian military were frozen in the aftermath of that conflict. Although political ties have thawed considerably over the past five months, there have been no formal military contacts since the war.

Iran election violence ‘outrageous’: Obama

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Tehran, June 27: President Barack Obama on Friday praised the bravery of Iranians who protested against a disputed election in the face of “outrageous” violence, while a hardline Iranian cleric called for the execution of leading “rioters”.

Iran’s top legislative body, which had said it found no major violations in the presidential election which set off the worst unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, said 10 percent of ballot boxes would be recounted.

9 killed in Okla. turnpike traffic wreck

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Miami, June 27: Nine people died Friday when a tractor-trailer slammed into a line of cars stopped by an earlier accident on a northeast Oklahoma turnpike, leaving twisted metal and debris strewn on the highway and stranding miles of traffic in scorching heat.

The final victim was found hours after the crash when tow trucks were finally able to dislodge the rig from a car it had crushed.

Iran election violence “outrageous”, Obama says

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Washington, June 27: President Barack Obama praised the bravery of Iranians who protested against a disputed election in the face of “outrageous” violence, while a hardline Iranian cleric called for the execution of leading “rioters”.

Iran’s top legislative body, which had said it found no major violations in the presidential election which set off the worst unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, said 10 percent of ballot boxes would be recounted.

Iranian cleric urges executing some protesters

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Teheran, June 27: A senior cleric on Friday urged Iran’s protest leaders to be punished ‘without mercy’ and said some should face execution — harsh calls that signal a nasty new turn in the regime’s crackdown on demonstrators two weeks after its disputed election.

Hard-liners have ordered long sentences and hangings before, and some fear those awaiting trial by a judiciary whose verdicts reflect the will of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could face the most severe punishments the Islamic system can dish out.

Obama scoffs at Ahmadinejad’s demand for apology

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Washington, June 27: President Barack Obama’s criticism of Iran escalated Friday into an unusually personal war of words. To Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s demand he apologize for meddling, Obama shot back that the regime should “think carefully” about answers owed to protesters it has arrested, bludgeoned and killed.

“The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous,” Obama said. “We see it and we condemn it.”

Swine flu cases rise to eighteen in Hyderabad

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Hyderabad, June 27: One more swine flu positive case was reported here today at the AP Chest Hospital, the nodal centre for H1N1 virus treatment.

According to Superintendent of the AP Chest Hospital Dr S V Prasad, of the nine suspected H1N1 cases admitted yesterday, one of them tested positive for the virus.

A 25-year-old lady from Hong Kong was among the nine who had travelled in the same flight with a 15-year-old flu confirmed compatriot.

Delhi MLAs demand permission to use beacon lights

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New Delhi, June 27: Several MLAs in Delhi assembly today demanded amendments in the relevant law so that they are allowed to use red beacon lights on their vehicles.

Raising the issue in the House, BJP legislator Saheb Singh Chauhan said although an MLA was higher in status in comparison to the Chief Secretary of the state, they were still not allowed to use beacon lights on their vehicles.

Clinton finds a messenger woman for Muslims

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Washington, June 27: United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said Farah Pandith will play a “leading role” in engaging Muslims across the world in her new capacity as Special Representative to Muslim Communities.

Pandith, a Muslim woman whose roots can be traced to India’s northernmost state of Jammu and Kashmir, was appointed by Clinton as the US Special Representative to Muslim Communities early this week. This is part of the Obama Administration’s effort to reach out to the Muslim communities across the world.

Campaign in Mosques on Internet’s Merits and Demerits

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Dubai, June 27: A campaign, launched by the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD), is currently on to make people aware of the merits and demerits of the Internet.

The campaign is targeting worshippers at all mosques in the emirate.

Mohamed Suheil Al Muheiri, head of Guidance and Counselling Section, said the campaign is in line with Dubai Police’s efforts to discourage proliferation of indecent websites, in collaboration with the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.

Job cuts loom as Tata Motors suffers loss

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Mumbai, June 27: Slumping demand drove Tata Motors into its first annual loss in eight years and India’s top vehicle maker warned of more job cuts and plant shutdowns at the loss-making Jaguar and Land Rover unit.

The firm, which controls 60 percent of the world’s fifth-biggest truck and bus market, said it was readying for major belt-tightening, including deferring capital expenditure wherever possible to keep a tight rein on costs.

More Women Converting to Islam

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Dubai, June 27: As many as 1,365 people converted to Islam from January to June this year as compared to 878 over the same period last year, according to Huda Khalfan Al Kaabi, head of the New Muslims Section in the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai.

“This is basically due to the tolerance, modesty, transparency and greatness of Islam which meet people’s needs in all places and times,” she said.

Eight quakes in 13 hours

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Wellington, June 27: A series of eight earthquakes in 13 hours rattled the central region of New Zealand’s North Island Saturday, seismologists at GNS Science reported.

The quakes ranged in magnitude from 2.6 to 4.4 on the Richter scale but all were shallow – one only two kilometres below the surface – meaning they were widely felt in the area.

All were centred within 5 to 10 km of the town of Turangi, situated halfway between capital Wellington and the nation’s biggest city, Auckland.

Fees for engineering seats fixed at Rs 35,000

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Thiruvananthapuram, June 27: The Self-Financing Engineering College Managements Association has decided to fix the annual fee at Rs.35,000.

The Association representatives decided to fix the fees at Rs.35,000 following talks with Education Minister M.A.Baby over phone on Friday night. The Association was demanding a fee of Rs.40,000 earlier.

The announcement of the schedule for centralised allotment process is being delayed owing to the dilemma in finalising the fee structure.

How Anupam Kher got two dancing superstars together

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Mumbai, June 27: You may have heard about Prabhudeva’s meeting with Michael Jackson in November 1996, the only time the King of Pop visited Mumbai. Anupam Kher told MiD DAY how the meeting was arranged.

At a party hosted by Bharat Shah for MJ at the Oberoi Hotel, Kher who was also present at the event broke the pop star’s security cordon and shouted, in excitement, “I love your music.”

Free spirit: Anupam Kher broke Jacko’s security cordon during a private party in 1996.

Critics want to pull down Mayawati, her statues

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Lucknow, June 27: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati didn’t do well in the Lok Sabha elections but she is busy ensuring her presence felt in her state–with lavish memorials of Dalit icons.

As many as 15 memorials, including one of herself, were inaugurated in Lucknow on Thursday. The inaugurations were hurried to avoid any Supreme Court order on a PIL filed by a lawyer against the alleged misuse of funds on the memorials.

Malicious Use of Net, SMS on the Rise

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Dubai, June 27: The malicious practice of the use of blogs and SMS to defame and blackmail people or organisations is spreading fast in the country, according to senior police officers from Dubai and Sharjah

According to police in the two emirates, the trend is affecting the society to a large extent because some innocent youngsters of wealthy families, including girls, are being targeted by mischievous elements.

Jai Ho, MJ!’ says Rahman, Prabhu Deva numbed

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Chennai, June 27: : “Jai Ho, MJ!” said Oscar winner A.R. Rahman, for whom pop legend Michael Jackson symbolised limitless energy, perfection and vision, while the death of his “role model” has left dancing star Prabhu Deva numb.

“MJ, for most of our generation, was an icon who made uncompromising music. He pushed the milestone of pop music to unbelievable levels through the 80s and 90s. I am yet to find an artist with that energy, perfection and vision,” said Rahman, who had recently met the pop superstar following the Oscar awards.

CBSE Plans Separate Curriculum for Schools Outside India

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Dubai, June 27: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in India has formed an international committee to create a separate curriculum for schools that are affiliated to the board outside India.

The committee, which includes principals of schools in Dubai affiliated to CBSE, is working towards a curriculum that will be at par with other international curricula like the International Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge International Examinations.

Parents Happy but Principals Seek Alternative to India Grade 10 Exams

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Abu Dhabi, June 27: The elimination of Grade 10 Indian board exams could come as a pleasant respite for parents and students, but principals of schools in the UAE have expressed the need for an alternative benchmark to assess the students in the first place.

India’s Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday proposed a plan to scrap the Grade X examination system, stating that it is a traumatic phase for both the parents and children.

Malicious Use of Net, SMS on the Rise

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Dubai, June 27: The malicious practice of the use of blogs and SMS to defame and blackmail people or organisations is spreading fast in the country, according to senior police officers from Dubai and Sharjah

According to police in the two emirates, the trend is affecting the society to a large extent because some innocent youngsters of wealthy families, including girls, are being targeted by mischievous elements.