Month: July 2009

Bebo now bored of bikinis

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Mumbai, July 04: Kareena Kapoor donned a two- piece in Tashan and a one- piece in Kambakkht Ishq, but now she claims she has had enough of bikinis on screen.

Talking about the dare bare scenes, she says, “ I don’t regret I did them because at that time I went with what I believed in — the demand of the script. I was comfortable on screen and enjoyed the response I got for Tashan and am still getting for Kambakkht Ishq. But now my mother has asked me to stop as she didn’t like watching me in a bikini.”

Oxford, McGill universities tie up on brain research

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Toronto, July 04: Two prestigious universities – Oxford in Britain and McGill in Canada – have joined hands for research on the human brain. The two universities are among world leaders in neuroscience research.

Montreal-based McGill University said Friday that it is partnering with Oxford ‘to broaden understanding of the human brain and take research to new heights’.

Under the collaborations in training and research in neuroscience, the two universities will have regular exchanges of students and professors.

Lackluster trading across Gulf bourses

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Dubai, July 04: Telecom operator Zain surged to lift the Kuwait index yesterday and Oman’s benchmark rallied as new index weightings were introduced, but trading was lackluster across the Gulf Arab region.

Dubai’s index rose 1.4 percent, Bahrain made its largest gains for two weeks with a 0.5 percent rise and Kuwait edged 0.2 percent higher after a late rally. Egypt’s benchmark climbed 2.8 percent on the final day of the Egyptian fiscal year.

Two boys injured in bomb blast

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Puducherry, July 04: Two boys sustained serious injuries when a few country-made bombs which they handled went off, at Andiyarpalayam village in Bahour police limits near here this morning.

According to police, Albert and Anthuwan Raj, both aged 10, who were staying as guests in the house of one Ms Sahayam in the village noticed a bag lying in a bush near the house when they were playing.

When the boys took it into their hands and opened it, the country- made bombs hidden inside, exploded.

The two boys were admitted to Government General Hospital here.

North Korea defies U.S. with new missile launches

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Pyongyang, July 04: North Korea fired five ballistic missiles on Saturday, South Korea’s defence ministry said, in an act of defiance towards the United States that further stoked regional tensions already high due to its nuclear test in May.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said the missiles test-fired were “Scud-type”, marking an escalation of recent sabre-rattling by the reclusive North, which has fired several non-ballistic, short-range missile since the May 25 nuclear test.

North Korea is barred by United Nations resolutions from firing ballistic missiles such as the Scud.

Accidents cost SR26bn a year: Official

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Jeddha, July 04: The growing number of road accidents in the Kingdom causes heavy human and economic losses to the country. According to one official, the annual costs of treating accident victims are enough to build three refineries.

As many as 485,931 accidents took place on the Kingdom’s roads last year, killing 6,458 people and injuring 36,486. The number of accidents has been found to increase during the summer vacation.

U.N.’s Ban denied Suu Kyi meeting

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Washington, July 04: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Saturday he was “deeply disappointed” that military-ruled Myanmar’s top general had rejected his request to meet with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ban, who was made to wait overnight for the decision, said junta supremo Than Shwe’s reason for the denial was because Suu Kyi was on trial and he did not want to be seen to interfere with the judicial process.

“I’m deeply disappointed,” Ban told reporters after his 30-minute meeting with the regime’s reclusive 76-year-old leader.

Adopt a proper diet ‘to control diabetes’

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Washington, July 04: Suffering from diabetes? Fret not, just adopt a proper and healthy diet, for a new study has revealed that using lifestyle interventions on top of existing drug treatments can help controlling high blood sugar levels.

A team at University of Otago has provided intensive dietary advice to improve blood sugar control in diabetics — even though they’re on what is regarded as the best available medication.

Bacteria-killer proteins may yield new medicines

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London, July 04: Scientists are focussing on bacteria-killer proteins known as colicins to potentially open the way to new medicines.

A team led by Colin Kleanthous, biology professor from the University of York, will study how colicins use decoys to mimic key parts of the cells’ own protein machinery to evade their defences.

Bandh call evokes partial response, tension continues

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Mysore, July 04: The bandh call given by a Hindu outfit to protest the attack on a BJP youth wing leader evoked a mixed response here on Saturday, even as tension continued in some areas in the wake of clashes sparked by the alleged desecration of a madrasa.

City transport services operated a few buses, while some private vehicles and autorickshaws plied on the roads.

A few persons have been arrested in connection with the clashes and stabbing incidents, police said, but did not give details.

Black money, Maoist threat impede electoral process: EC

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New Delhi, July 04: Role of black money in elections, threat to voters from Maoists, mushroom growth of political parties and casual approach of urban voters impede the electoral process in the country, Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has said.

“Role of black money is the biggest problem. We admit that we have failed to curb it. In the 30 days’ of the election process we cannot contain black money,” he said last night at a seminar on ‘Indian Elections 2009 – Trends and Perspectives’.

Iran plans major gas investments

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Tehran, July 04: Iran has unveiled plans to invest around $75 billion in its two major gas fields by 2015 to exploit their huge undeveloped reserves.

Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Seyfollah Jashnsaz said that the country would finance a $40 billion investment in the South Pars gas field in a five-year plan to produce some 28 billion cubic meters of gas annually from the field.

Iran and Qatar share the largest gas field in the world in the Persian Gulf, where the Iranian part is divided into 24 phases.

Iranian hardliner calls opposition leader US agent

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Tehran, july 04: A top aide of Iran’s supreme leader has called the country’s main opposition figure a U.S. agent and accused him of committing crimes against the nation.

Prominent hardliner Hossein Shariatmadari cited “undeniable documents” linking opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi to foreign powers in a Saturday editorial in the daily Kayhan.

He called for Mousavi and former reformist president Mohammad Khatami to be tried in court for treason.

This is the first time Mousavi has been publicly called a foreign agent.

2 US troops killed in Afghanistan blast, 4 injured

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Kabul, July 04: A blast outside a U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan killed two American troops and wounded four others Saturday, a military spokesman said.

The troops were attacked outside the base in eastern Paktika province, but there were no immediate details about the nature of the blast, said Tech. Sgt. Chuck Marsh, a U.S. military spokesman.

Insurgents also attacked the base with small arms fire before U.S. troops called in airstrikes on their positions, Marsh said.

Japan parliament speaker: Judge Iran on facts

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Tokyo, July 04: Tokyo has taken a neutral stance towards the recent post-election unrest in Iran, undermining the mainstream portrayal of the events in Tehran.

“We believe all countries have a unique culture and history, so they must be judged based on factual information,” Speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives Yohei Kono said.

Kono was addressing members of an Iranian delegation to Tokyo, led by the head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi.

BSP leader, 2 aides booked for raping woman

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Lucknow, July 04: A Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and his two aides have been booked for allegedly raping a 25-year-old married woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district, police said Saturday.

“BSP leader Sumer Singh, who is in charge of the party’s affairs in the Nawabganj assembly constituency of Bareilly, along with two of his friends raped the woman after abducting her,” police Inspector Veer Singh Nayak told IANS on phone.

A case was registered against them Friday on the complaint of the victim’s husband.

Akshay, Kareena smoulder in comically chaotic ‘Kambakkht Ishq’

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Mumbai, July 04: There’s no business like show-off business. And “Kambakkht Ishq” has plenty to show off. Fabulous Hollywood locales, Hollywood icons like Sylvester Stallone and Brandon Routh doing cameos and above all, crackling and smouldering chemistry between the film’s lead pair.

Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor make a super glamorous couple. Even when they’re ready to bite off each others’ heads, call each other names and scream like a double-banshee delight at a horror festival, there is just no way the compatibility of the combo can be repeated … even by them.

Michelle Obama bringing glamor to Moscow

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Moscow, July 04: Michelle Obama brings her superstar glamor to Moscow this weekend as she accompanies her husband on his summit with the Russian president.

But the American first lady, who has wowed publics in the U.S. and Europe with her easy elegance and charm, will perhaps face a bigger challenge in winning over a Russian public that has scant respect for women who grab the limelight from their powerful husbands.

CPI-M politburo to decide fate of squabbling Kerala leaders

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New Delhi, July 04: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which began a special politburo meeting here Saturday, is expected to announce measures to curb the infighting in its Kerala unit – between Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan – that was seen as a major reason for the party’s debacle in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

The two-day politburo meet is being held at the party headquarters here.

“All politburo members except West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee are attending the meeting,” a party source told IANS.

Man commits suicide after killing wife, sons

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Raipur, July 04: A man in a Chhattisgarh village allegedly murdered his wife and two young sons before killing himself, police said Saturday.

Vishwanath Rathia, a resident of Samarsigha village in Raigarh district, killed his wife Uma Bai, 28, and his two sons – eight-year-old Devnath and six-year-old Jainath – with a sharp-edged weapon Friday night, a police official said.

Rathia, 30, then hanged himself in his house minutes after he killed his wife and sons.

Raigarh is some 220 km from state capital Raipur. The village is in the middle of a forest.

Madonna upsets Russians

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London, July 04: Pop diva Madonna has upset dignitaries in St. Petersburg, Russia, by using foul language.

The 50-year-old singer said “It’s (the show) f**king great” at the beginning of an online audio teaser for her “Sticky and Sweet” concert in Palace Square which will take place Aug 2.

Reports suggest members of the legislative assembly in St. Petersburg have addressed Governor Valentina Matvienko with a proposal to sue Madonna for her comments, reported contactmusic.com.

Bangladesh government faces political furore over Indian dam project

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Dhaka, July 04: The Bangladesh government is coming under increasing pressures from its own ministers and ruling Awami League lawmakers to hold urgent bilateral talks with India, which is planning to build a dam on the Barak river the two neighbours share, a media report here said Saturday.

Pressures are mounting as the government prepares to send a delegation of parliamentarians and experts to visit the project site. No date for the visit has been announced.

Indian markets crawl as investors await budget

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Mumbai, July 04: Indian equities markets went up and down in volatile trading last week, but ended close to where they were a week ago, as investors waited anxiously for the budget to be unveiled Monday. A key index moved up from its previous weekly close, but only 1.01 percent.

The 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) rose 148.41 points (1.01 percent) over previous Friday’s close and ended trade at 14,913.05 points.

Black Magic Practiced In Asaram Ashram: Gujarat CID

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Ahmedabad, July 04: : Gujarat CIDAs per the affidavit submitted by the officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) before the Gujarat High Court, black magic may have been practiced inside the Asaram ashram in Ahmedabad.

In the court, CID said that lie detector test conducted on the three sadhaks of the Asaram ashram, reveal that black magic is being performed inside the ashram and that the three are aware about the same.

The disclosure comes almost one year after the puzzling death of two boys: Dipesh and Abhishekh Waghela. The two were studying in Asaram Bapu’s gurukul.

Bandh call in Mysore puts security forces on high alert

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Mysore, July 04: Security forces are on high alert in Mysore in the wake of a bandh called by Hindu groups following communal tension in the town since Thursday.

In fresh violence on Friday, two more persons received serious stab wounds. Giridhar, a BJP activist, and his friend Wajid were attacked with sharp weapons by two motor-borne persons at Pulikeshinagar area last evening, police said.

The two were chatting in front of their house when they were attacked, police said, adding the accused were yet to be identified. Javed, brother of Wajid, immediately rushed both to a hospital.