Month: July 2009

Biden visits Iraq as takes new role in US exit

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Baghdad, July 03: US Vice President Joe Biden flew in to Baghdad on a surprise visit just two days after a long-planned pullback of American troops from conflict-hit Iraq’s towns and cities.

Biden was greeted at Baghdad airport by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, who said the vice president would hold talks with Iraqi political leaders, expected to focus on military issues and efforts to reconcile the country’s sects.

“This visit comes at a very important time after the withdrawal of US forces,” Zebari told AFP.

Iran unrest shows tension between ultras and reformers

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Brussels, July 03: The political unrest in Iran over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election marks a key point in the ideological struggle between ultra-conservatives and reformers, according to analysts.

Thirty years after the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the two factions are finding co-habitation increasingly difficult and the show of force in the wake of the disputed elections has unleashed a chain reaction.

The final effect on the nature and orientation of the regime in Iran remains unpredictable with some influential figures yet to take sides.

Two killed, 23 feared drowned as bus falls into river in Dehradun

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Dehra Dun, July 03: Two persons were killed and 23 others were feared drowned when a bus fell into the Bhagirathi river in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand on Friday.

Two bodies have been fished out of the swollen river, police said, adding nine passengers have been injured.

Around 40 people were travelling in the bus which was mostly carrying ‘kanwarias’ (devotees of Lord Shiva). The bus was going towards the Gangotri shrine.

-Agencies

Four-match series against WI ridiculous: Manjrekar

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New Delhi, July 03: Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has questioned the logic behind Indian cricket team`s on-going four-match one-day series in the Caribbean and said with an already crammed international schedule in place, such tours only add to the players` exhaustion.

India flew straight to the West Indies after their disappointing ouster in the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup in England.

Air India workers to go on flash strike today

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New Delhi, July 03: Air India on Friday said it has taken adequate steps to ensure smooth operations across airports in view of the proposed two-hour agitation by a section of its employees to protest delay in payment of salaries.

“Air India is taking requisite steps at airports to ensure that passengers do not face any inconvenience if and when the section of employees walk out between 1300 hours and 1500 hours today,” Air India spokesperson told a news agency.

Efforts to ensure normalcy at the airport have also been taken, he said.

Our kissing scene is not censored

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Mumbai, July 03: Presenting you the scintillating face launched by Satish Kaushik – Sheena Shahabadi in conversation with the new found talent Ruslaan Mumtaz. !

How does it feel to be the newest leading lady of Bollywood?

Sheena Shahabadi: It feels great. As far as I can remember, I always wanted to become an actress since childhood. It’s a dream come true for me.

You’ve started your film career working with one of the veterans of Bollywood, Satish Kaushik.

England’s little Afghanistan

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Sindh Kalay, July 03: The aroma of freshly baking flatbread wafts through the air as a unit of British soldiers position themselves for a quick patrol around the village of Sindh Kalay.

Market vendors hawk grapes and melons, as a group of village elders sit smoking water pipes and suspicious-looking men lurk beside battered motorcycles. What should the soldiers do? Conduct a weapons search? Approach the village elders first? In the complex political and cultural terrain of Afghanistan, what is the best course of action?

Where has the ultra hot Riya Sen vanished?

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Mumbai, July 03: Riya Sen finally has a film she can tell her illustrious grandmother the legenadary Suchitra Sen about.

In Kolkata for the last 3 weeks Riya has been shooting for Rituparno Ghosh adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s Nauka Dubi.

It’s been a career-changing experience for the saucy Sen

“I’m sitting with my grandmother telling her proudly about Nauka Dubi, ” Riya said on the phone from Kolkata. “All my career I’ve been known as this sexy chick and offered roles accordingly. I’ve been dying to do a Bengali film.

Beware Abhi: Aishwarya Rai gets Karate training

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Mumbai, July 03: Rajnikant’s mega budget next Endhiran starring him along side Aishwarya Rai seems to have garnered a lot of curiosity as the makers are keeping the production a close guarded secret.

But the audience interest about it seems to be multiplying day by day as inside details are being leaked out. We managed to find out one such inside info about Aishwarya Rai’s character in the film.

Our sources reveal, “After having learnt sword fights for her English movie The Last Legion, Aishwarya has been training herself in Karate for Endhiran.

Trinamool steals the show in civic polls, Congress trails ally

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Kolkata, July 03: The Trinamool Congress has fared much better than its ally Congress in the civic polls held on June 28, the results of which were announced. The Left Front was routed by the Opposition alliance across 10 districts where 16 civic bodies went to the polls.

Congress, which won four municipal bodies in 2004, lost one to the CPM in North Bengal and could not wrest any civic body from the ruling Front. While the Trinamool, which had only one civic body in 2004, wrested nine from the CPM in South Bengal.

Looking for Mr. Right

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Mumbai, July 03: Shweta Gupta knows exactly what kind of groom she wants: he should be educated, well settled and live in a good location — one that must be in India.

Indian brides and grooms from the Adivasi tribe take part in a mass marriage ceremony.

Love may be recession proof in India, but arranged marriages are not.

China opposed to tariff plan in US climate bill

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Beijing, July 03: China said it opposed part of a landmark US bill to cut greenhouse gas emissions, saying tariffs should not be imposed on countries that do not cut emissions.

“We are firmly against such attempts to advance trade protectionism under the pretext of climate change,” Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei told reporters in Beijing.

The US House of Representatives narrowly passed sweeping legislation Friday that calls for the nation’s first limits on pollution linked to global warming. One provision could impose tariffs on imports from countries that do not make similar cuts.

Scientists identify immune system link to schizophrenia

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Washington, July 03: In a landmark finding a team of international scientists have identified the immune system link to schizophrenia, the devastating mental disease thought to be caused by the interaction of both genetic and environmental factors.

The researchers also showed the condition is genetically similar to bipolar disorder also known as manic depression.

India seeks exemption for CFC based asthma inhalers for 2010

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New Delhi, July 03: In a bid to give much-needed breather to lakhs of asthma patients as well pharma majors like Cipla, India has sought exemption for ozone-depleting choloroflurocarbons (CFC) based metered-dose inhalers (MDI) under Montreal Protocol for 2010.

The exemption request has come after five drug companies including Sun Pharma, Cadila, Midas and Cipla expressed their inability to switch-over from CFC based asthma inhalers to non-CFC based inhalers by the target period of 2009, citing financial and technical reasons, environment officials said.

Air France plane hit the sea belly first

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Le Bourget, July 03: Air France Flight 447 slammed into the Atlantic Ocean, intact and belly first, at such a high speed that the 228 people aboard probably had no time to even inflate their life jackets, French investigators have said in their first report into the June 1 accident.

Likening the investigation to a puzzle with missing pieces, lead investigator Alain Bouillard yesterday said that one month after the crash, “we are very far from establishing the causes of the accident.”

New transplant method helps cancer victims have babies

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London, July 03: A new method developed by researchers helps women whose ovaries have been struck by cancer to have babies. Pascal Piver, who manages the in vitro fertilisation centre at Limoges University Hospital in France, described a new, two-step method of ovarian transplant that has produced excellent results in women whose ovaries have been frozen because of cancer treatment.

He said that his team’s technique worked to restore ovarian function quickly and already one patient from his clinic had had a baby and another had become pregnant.

It was Raja who threatened HC judge, claims Jayalalitha

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Chennai, July 03: For the first time in India a sitting HC judge had accused a Union minister of threatening him

While Madras High Court Judge R Reghupathi has refused to name the minister who allegedly threatened and pressurised him, Tamil Nadu’s Leader of Opposition J Jayalalitha on Thursday said Minister for IT and Communication A Raja was the culprit.

UP govt wants chargesheet to be filed against Varun

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Lucknow, July 03: Uttar Pradesh Law Department has favoured filing of chargesheet against BJP MP from Pilibhit Varun Gandhi for his alleged hate speeches, government sources said today.

The opinion on whether to prosecute the BJP leader was sought by the state Home Department in connection with the alleged hate speeches of Varun during public meeting at Barekhera and Lalauribagh on March 7 and Deshnagar on March 8.

No need to put judges assets in public domain: CJI

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New Delhi, July 03: Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan today said there was no need put the assets of judges in public domain as it would send a “wrong message” to litigants.

“Judges do declare their assets at the time of taking oath. All their details are with the registrar. There is no need for the assets to be disclosed before the public as that would send a wrong message to litigants,” Justice Balakrishnan told a news channel.

He was responding to a question regarding Law Minister M Veerappa Moily’s call for disclosure of judges’ assets to the public.

Pak seeks France’s cooperation in civil nuclear energy

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Islamabad, July 03: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sought “pragmatic cooperation” from France in the field of civil nuclear energy to meet Pakistan’s growing energy needs.

During a meeting here with visiting Admiral Edouard Guillaud, the chief military advisor to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Gilani proposed that the governments of Pakistan and France should chalk out a roadmap for pragmatic cooperation in civil nuclear energy.

A working group could be established to “develop an agreed way forward on nuclear cooperation”, Gilani said.

Community rejoices over verdict

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New Delhi, July 03: Even as the gay community erupted with joy after the Delhi High Court’s judgement, activists are readying for future battles for providing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community their rightful place in the society, which may include another legal battle at the apex court.

Definition of sexual assault needs to be ‘widened’

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New Delhi, July 03: The definition of sexual assault needs to be “widened” to include molestation while the judicial process in rape cases should be fast-tracked, NCW Chairperson Girija Vyas said here today.

Vyas said there was an imminent need to bring about a change in law to deal with sexual violence against women, the proposal for which has been sent to the government by NCW.

John auctions personal stuff for a good cause

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Mumbai, July 03: John Abraham has reportedly raised $5 million for charity. The actor made an appearance for the Habitat for Humanity and plans to help them build 7,000 homes in India and most of the money for these homes will come through the auction of John’s personal belongings.

“As superficial as this sounds there are people out there who want things that you possess, so why not give it away for a good cause? So I gave away my helmet, my jackets – things that I really cherished and enjoyed at a certain price. The only thing is that I asked for a lot of money for it.”

Largest commercial satellite for cellphones launched

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Los Angeles, July 03: A new satellite designed to allow the convergence of cellphones and satellite phones throughout the US was successfully launched Thursday, mobile communications provider TerreStar announced.

Weighing 6,910 kg, TerreStar-1 is the largest commercial satellite ever and was launched by Arianespace from Kourou, French Guiana Tuesday.

Workers strip naked to boost business

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London, July 03: A GROUP of office staff have discovered they work better together when they are NAKED.

Workers at a design and marketing company onebestway in the UK stripped off at the encouragement of their boss, who thought the move would boost business.

The ailing company had seen six redundancies since the start of the credit crunch when business psychologist David Taylor was brought in to boost team spirit.

The event, dubbed Naked Friday, was deemed a huge success and is even credited with turning around the firm’s fortunes.