Month: July 2009

Imperious Federer too good for Haas

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London, July 04: It is intricate plot development and stunning twists that often make for great sports stories, ones that are celebrated and retold time and again.

Unpredictability is the very soul of sport. You don’t know what comes next; you don’t know whether this great feat or that is possible or not. And the suspense makes it all special.

Amazingly, one of the greatest stories in the history of sport — Roger Federer’s climb up Mount Improbable — has always seemed utterly predictable.

Fire in London’s tower block kills six

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London, July 04: Six people, including three children, have died in a fire in a block of flats in London, the fire brigade said late Friday.

Three children, one just three weeks old, were among the victims of the blaze in the 12-storey block on a housing estate in Camberwell, in south London.

The victims were among at least 18 people taken to hospitals in the area. At least 30 people were rescued from the building.

According to London Fire Brigade (LFB), the blaze was brought under control by about 100 firefighters.

Swine flu ”unstoppable”: WHO chief

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Cancun (Mexico), July 04: World Health Organization head Margaret Chan has warned a forum in Mexico that the swine flu virus worldwide is now unstoppable.

The WHO says most H1N1 cases are mild, with many people recovering unaided.

As the summit opened, the UK alone was projecting more than 100,000 new cases of H1N1 a day by the end of the summer.

“As we see today, with well over 100 countries reporting cases, once a fully fit pandemic virus emerges, its further international spread is unstoppable,” The BBC quoted Dr. Chan, as saying in her opening remarks.

Delhi gets 19 new trains

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New Delhi, July 04: The Capital is set to get 19 new trains, including a pilot service of two new low-priced fast trains that will connect Delhi to Mumbai and Kolkata.

The Rail Budget tabled by Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday stated there will be eight new trains from the city, nine non-stop train services to other cities, and two low-priced ‘Yuva’ fast trains to connect the youth in rural hinterlands to metropolitan cities.

Security idea: CCTV blanket to wrap city

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Mumbai, July 04: A “blanket CCTV network” could soon cover the city, with cameras capturing images of every possible threat to security.

The state government on Friday formed a core group of eight members to look into the possibility of enlisting the aid of Indian Merchant Chambers (IMC) to set up such a blanket.

Since 26/11, the IMC had been discussing with the government how it could contribute towards the city’s security. It proposed setting up of a CCTV network across the city’s 2,000-odd roads and bylanes to monitor traffic and other movements.

Doctor who killed daughters critical in Max, hospital where she interned, met future husband

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New Delhi, July 04: Life has come a tragic full circle for Dr Rupa Kupuri, who allegedly killed her four-year-old twin daughters and then made an unsuccessful attempt to take her own life on Wednesday evening.

On Friday, the 32-year-old was still fighting for life at Pitampura’s Max Hospital — the same hospital where she began her medical career as an intern in 2000 after completing MBBS.

“War on terror” used to target minorities: report

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London, July 04: Countries on the front line in the “war on terror” are using the battle against extremists as a smokescreen to crack down on minority groups, an international human rights group said on Thursday.

For the fourth straight year, Somalia, Iraq, Sudan and Afghanistan topped an annual index compiled by Minority Rights Group International (MRG) of countries where minorities are most at risk of genocide, mass killings or violent repression.

UAE Requests Saudi to Increase Haj Quota

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Abu Dhabi, July 04: The General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Auqaf has submitted a request to Saudi Arabia to increase the UAE’s quota of pilgrims from 6,228 to 16,000 for this year’s Haj season.

Mohammed Obeid Al Mazrouie, head of the official UAE Haj Mission, told Khaleej Times that he expected the Saudi authorities to respond positively to the UAE’s request given the friendly bilateral ties.Al Mazrouie, also Executive Director of Islamic Affairs at the authority, added that Saudi Arabia increased the UAE’s quota of pilgrims from 6,000 to 10,000 last year.

Male Attendants ban in Female section in Sharjah Malls

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Sharjah, July 05: Male attendants have six months to clear out of the women’s section in Sharjah’s malls, department stores, or even individual outlets that are women-specific.

The Sharjah Executive Council (SEC) has recently approved a Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD) proposal to ban male attendants from such outlets beginning January next year.

A top SEDD official told Khaleej Times that a circular in this regard will be sent out soon. That will leave about six months for necessary arrangements.

Shiney tells court: we had sex but with her consent

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Mumbai, July 04: Actor Shiney Ahuja on Friday went on record that he did have sex last month with the domestic help who has accused him of rape. He told the court, however, that it was consensual and she had responded to his advances.

A bail application filed last week had said Ahuja belongs to a “respectable” family and has been wrongly implicated. However, the prosecution has now taken a strong stand, its reply claiming that a respectable family did not reflect itself in Ahuja’s character.

NSG commandos jogging on old airport road

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Hyderabad, July 04: Guess where the elite National Security Guard (NSG) commandos are conducting their daily morning exercises?

The perimeter abutting the 2-km long Begumpet airport runway near Bowenpally side has now turned out to be a suitable place for them to conduct jogging and other exercises. Airports Authority of India (AAI) has already accorded permission to the NSG in this regard.

Software engineer held for abusive e-mails

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Hyderabad, July 04: A software analyst landed behind the bars for allegedly sending abusive and obscene e-mails to his former lover, who is also a software professional.

Cyber Crime cell officials of the Hyderabad Detective Department arrested the accused, Ravichandra Vaidya, in Bangalore on Friday and brought him to the city. The 27-year-old software professional was remanded in judicial custody.

ACB unearths Rs. 3 cr. assets from Co-op MD

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Hyderabad, July 04: A BMW car was among the assets unearthed from S. Amurthaiah, Managing Director, A. P. Physically Handicapped Cooperative Corporation, during searches conducted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) here.

The searches resulted in unearthing of assets worth over Rs.3.16 crore. They included two houses, one each at Habsiguda and Nacharam, a flat at Seri Lingampally, 25 acres land in Shahbad and 18 plots. The immovable properties were worth Rs.1.36 crore. Their market value was Rs.6 crore.

Cop shoots at self day after 2nd marriage

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New Delhi, July 04: A Police officer deputed with the Intelligence Bureau allegedly shot at himself in his East Delhi house on Friday morning, a day after marrying for the second time, the police said. He is stated to be critical and is still fighting for life at a private hospital in East Delhi.

The officer, identified as Alok Bhal, 46, lives in E-1710, Krishna Nagar. He is posted as deputy central intelligence officer in the Capital. According to the police, Bhal had divorced his first wife some time ago.

Abu Dhabi Motorists Urge Malls to Allow Parking Round the Clock

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Abu Dhabi, July 04: Vehicle owners in Abu Dhabi have urged the the authorities concerned to request the malls and department stores to keep their parking lots open round the clock to resolve the parking problem.

Abdul Hamid Abdullah, a government department employee, says, “The managements of shopping centres and malls should open their car parks for the public so that the parking problem is resolved.”

Khalifa Foundation, Unicef to Support Afghan Children

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Abu Dhabi, July 04: A number of humanitarian and development projects aimed at supporting children in Afghanistan have been planned by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation (KBZF) and United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). An agreement to this effect was signed by the two organisations on Thursday.

Immediate Sponsorship Transfer if Employers Delay Dues’ Payment

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Abu Dhabi, July 04: The Ministry of Labour (MoL) will immediately approve transfer of sponsorship of retrenched employees whose employers haggle over payment of end-of-service benefits and delayed salaries.

Speaking at the ministry’s open day on Monday, a senior MoL official said the ministry will suspend the establishment’s licence if a sacked employee lodges a complaint with the ministry, and if a court has issued a verdict in favour of the employee protecting his/her right to transfer of visa.

‘New York’ gets good press in US

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Washington, July 04: ‘New York’, the first big Bollywood film to hit America after the industry strike, has won good reviews from US media with the New York Times praising its portrayal of problems faced by a Muslim minority.

“Indian films often deal with the problems faced by a Muslim minority. Transposed to the American context, those problems continue to resonate,” writes the influential daily about the film that opened across US last week.

Joyride for passengers

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New Delhi, July 04: The Indian Railways’ feel-good deal for the travelling public extended for the sixth consecutive year as the Budget for the fiscal 2009-10 left the fares untouched while also announcing a number of new trains, facilities and a grandiose vision for expansion and diversification.

* No rise in fares, freight;
* White Paper on status of Railway ministry promised

US Muslims on Read Qur’an Mission

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American Muslims are distributing thousands of free copies of the Noble Qur’an to US officials and policymakers as part of a wider campaign to educate Americans about Islam.
“Educating our nation’s leaders about Islam and the Qur’an is the American Muslim community’s responsibility,” Nihad Awad, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a statement e-mailed to IslamOnline.net.

The “Share The Qur’an” campaign includes distributing 100,000 free copies of Qur’an among local, state and national officials.

Dont Play Religion Indonesia Hopefuls Told

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Cairo, July 04: As the presidential vote draws nearer in the world’s most populous Muslim state, Indonesian religious leaders are joining hands in urging candidates to avoid using religion as an election card, reported the Jakarta Post on Friday, July 3.
“In many campaign presentations, religions are used as a political commodity,” Amidhan Sheberah, Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council, said.

Meeting in Jakarta Thursday, leaders of different faiths urged candidates to refrain from using religion for election purposes.

African Union in rift with court

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Johannesburg, July 04: The African Union says it will halt co-operation with the International Criminal Court over its decision to charge Sudan’s leader with war crimes.

President Omar al-Bashir was indicted over alleged atrocities in the Darfur region in March.

But delegates to an AU meeting in Libya agreed a resolution saying they would not co-operate in his arrest.

Analysts say the move means the Sudanese leader can travel across the continent without fear of arrest.

The Sudanese government has been fighting rebels in Darfur since 2003.

North Korea fires Scud missiles

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Seoul, July 04: North Korea test-fired two Scud-type missiles on Saturday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said citing a government official, further stoking regional tensions after the North’s nuclear tests and threats to boost its nuclear arsenal in response to U.N. sanctions.

“North Korea fired two missiles, which appear to be a Scud type, at around 8 a.m. today,” Yonhap quoted the anonymous South Korean official as saying. “The missiles are estimated to have the range of about 500 km (310 miles).”

God’s gift to womankind? Not me!

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Mumbai, July 04: Move over Emraan Hashmi. Akshay Kumar has Hollywood hottie Denise Richards certifying that he is a great smoocher. And he seems to have practised it before with our very own desi sexpot Kareena Kapoor — not once but ten times over in his forthcoming film, Kambhaqt Ishq.

“What to do?” Akshay says in mock modesty. “It’s a new tag and I am fine with it. This role demanded a lot of kisses and I did it.”