Month: July 2009

England need learn to play without Flintoff

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London, July 02: Controversial all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is past his prime and England should learn to play without him, feels former skipper Mike Gatting.

Gatting said England can win the Ashes against Australia without Flintoff, who now plays more as a bowler, and can be replaced.

“You would not want to because he (Flintoff) gives you so much, but England need to learn to play without him,” Gatting was quoted as saying in the Times.

“We won without him against the West Indies when, to me, Graham Onions was a revelation.

Diets high in protein, cholesterol linked to liver cancer

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Washington, July 02: Diets high in protein and cholesterol are linked with a higher risk of hospitalization or death due to cirrhosis or liver cancer, while diets high in carbohydrates are associated with a lower risk, according to the latest research.

Researchers, led by George Ioannou of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, investigated whether dietary nutrient composition was associated with the subsequent development of cirrhosis or liver cancer in a representative sample of the US population.

Delhi High Court legalises consensual gay sex

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New Delhi: In a historic judgement, the Delhi High Court on Thursday legalised consensual sex among gays.

The court struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

A bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S Muralidhar said that if not amended, Section 377 of the IPC would violate Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which states that every citizen has equal opportunity of life and is equal before law.

No operation in N Waziristan: Pakistan army

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Islamabad, July 02: Pakistan’s military denies intentions of extending its anti-militant campaign to North Waziristan, urging people in the tribal region to cooperate with the army.

Pakistan Army’s helicopters dropped pamphlets in provincial capital Miranshah, calling on the residents to side with the government forces who are fighting pro-Taliban insurgents in neighboring South Waziristan.

The text rejects allegations by miscreants who launch attacks on the military and say the army plans to begin an operation in the area.

Shekhar ki Tedhi Baatein

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Mumbai, July 02: Shekhar ki Tedhi Baatein Shekhar Suman is all set to crack up the screen with satirical talk show “Tedhi Baat Shekhar Ke Saath’ along with Chhupa Rustom fame Gurpaal Singh.

It is neither spoof nor caricature of any talk show. Shekhar will be seen in varied avatars as interviewee and Gurpaal as pokerfaced interviewer. Their Camaraderie as interviewer and interviewee will make you laugh like a drain.

On concept…

Unknown woman’s body parts found on Delhi road

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New Delhi, July 02: An unidentified woman’s charred body parts were found on the Delhi-Noida road near Mayur Vihar early Thursday, police said.

Although investigations are still on, police officials said the woman was aged between 35 and 40, and was wearing a red salwaar kameez.

“From the bag that we found with her, it seemed that the victim belonged to a lower middle class family. The bag had a blue salwaar kameez in it. There were a couple of Rs.10 and 20 notes and coins beside the body,” a police official said.

Saddam’s weapons bluff aimed at Iran: FBI reports

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Saddam Hussein believed Iran was a significant threat to Iraq and left open the possibility that he had weapons of mass destruction rather than appear vulnerable, according to declassified FBI documents on interrogations of the former Iraqi leader.

“Hussein believed that Iraq could not appear weak to its enemies, especially Iran,” FBI special agent George Piro wrote on notes of a conversation with Saddam in June 2004 about weapons of mass destruction.

He believed Iraq was being threatened by others in the region and must appear able to defend itself, the report said.

Iraq starts looking for soldiers missing in action in Kuwait, Iran

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Baghdad, July 02: Iraq has asked for help from both the Iranian and Kuwaiti governments on locating Iraqis who were captured or went missing during Iran/Iraq war and the first Gulf war, officials said Thursday.

Aaround 469 Iraqis were captured and more than 52,000 went missing during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), known as the First Gulf War in Iraq.

“The file of prisoners and missing is one of the important issues adopted by the ministry,” Hussein al-Zuheiry, deputy in the Human Rights Ministry was quoted by al-Sabah newspaper as saying.

Highlights of Economic Survey 2008-09

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New Delhi, July 02: Salient features of a wish list in the Economic Survey for 2008-09 released by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in parliament Thursday:

– Cut fuel, food and fertiliser subsidy leakages

– Raise foreign investment cap in insurance to 49 percent

– Allow 100 percent foreign investment in health, weather insurance

– Raise foreign investment cap in defence production to 49 percent and in high tech defence to 100 percent

– Raise Rs.25,000 crore from divestment every year

– Sell 5-10 percent in profitable non-Navratnas

Court extends Shiney Ahuja’s judicial custody till July 16

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Mumbai, July 02: A Mumbai court Thursday extended till July 16 the judicial custody of rape-accused Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja.

He was produced before the court this afternoon after his 14-day judicial custody ended, a police official said. He had been lodged in the Arthur Road Jail.

Early this week, the police had receive the DNA test reports which confirmed that Shiney had sex with his teenaged domestic help.

Adjusting to SL conditions is a challenge

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Karachi, July 02: Flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi has said Pakistan would face a big challenge of switching over to Test cricket and adjusting to the Sri Lankan conditions after their month-long stint in the cold English conditions during the twenty20 World Cup.

“The series in Sri Lanka would not be easy at all it will be a big challenge for our players to make successful adjustment from T20 cricket to Tests as well the different weather conditions,” Afridi said.

India not a fiefdom of Gandhi-Nehru clan: Bal Thackeray

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Mumbai, July 02: Lashing out at the Maharashtra government for deciding to name the new Bandra Worli Sea Link after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray said Thursday that “the country is not the fiefdom of the Gandhi family”.

In a scathing editorial in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamna’, the ailing Thackeray criticized Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar for proposing Rajiv’s name just because he (Rajiv) was born in Mumbai.

City polytechnic girl student attacked by youth

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Hyderabad, July 02: In yet another bizarre incident, a third year polytechnic girl student was attacked by a final year student of the TRR Polytechnic College with a knife in Almasguda in the outskirts of the city today.

According to police, Sudhakar Naik, a native of Kadapa, was harassing Lavanya of the same college for the last two months to reciprocate his love. He also approached her parents with a marriage proposal which they refused to entertain.

“I personally know of men who are born MCPs” – Akshay Kumar

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Mumbai, July 02: Akshay Kumar is playing a MCP in his forthcoming release ‘Kambakkth Ishq’ who believes that he would never ever get hitched with just one woman for his entire life.

However, his character falls in love, and how! Ending up exclaiming ‘Hai Yeh Kambakkth Ishq’, he goes on to proclaim that while men are from Mars, women are not from Venus, but in fact Heaven. Getting ready for his return to India so as to be in time for the film’s premier, Akshay Kumar chats with Joginder Tuteja over phone from USA where he had gone with his family for a holiday.

Malinga To Sign Up With Tasmania

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Colombo, July 02: Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga will sign up with Tasmania for Australia’s domestic Twenty20 tournament. After signing contract with Tasmania, Malinga will become third International player to play in Australia’s T20 Big Bash tournament.

Earlier, West Indies skipper Chris Gayle had signed with Western Australia, while West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo had joined Victoria for the Big Bash.

BCCI finalizes Venus for Australia’s tour to India

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London, July 02: BCCI finalizes Venus for Australia’s tour to IndiaThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the venues for the Australia’s India tour during which India will play seven ODI matches against Australia, in the meeting of BCCI’s tournament and fixture committee on Wednesday.

The Australian tour is being scheduled to start from October 25 with last ODI match to be played on 11th November.

Twenty20 finalists gear up for Test battle

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Colombo, July 02: Pakistan and Sri Lanka make an emotional return to Test cricket on Saturday, almost four months to the day after a militant attack halted their last contest.

The three-Test series is the first between the two nations since armed gunmen fired on the Sri Lankan team bus while the players were on their way to resume a Test match in the Pakistani city of Lahore on March 3.

Seven Sri Lankan cricketers were injured and eight local security men were killed in the attack that forced the cricket world to abandon Pakistan as a venue for international cricket.

Mumbai local train services hit

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Mumbai, July 02: The morning commuters suffered badly in Mumbai on Thursday after the city’s lifeline, its local train service, was hit following a technical snag.

The rush hour traffic was disrupted after an overhead electric wire snapped at Mulund station.

Train services on one track were suspended, which affected traffic in the central section.

–Agencies

Tribesmen kill 42 militants in NW Pakistan

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Islamabad, July 02: Pakistani tribesmen have launched a massive attack on Taliban-linked militants in the violent northwest, killing more than 42 insurgents.

Tori Lashkar (Tori militia) confronted the terrorists with “full force” and destroyed their hideouts in various parts of Kurram agency, Azmat Ali Khan, a local Shia tribal leader, told Press TV correspondent late Wednesday.

Khan said they killed at least 42 Taliban-inspired militants in the two-day clashes, acknowledging 18 tribal fighters also lost their lives in the skirmishes.

Madni’s custody extended to July 15

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Kolkata, July 02: The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM), Kolkata, on Wednesday remanded Mohd. Omar Madni, suspected linkman of Lashkar-e-Toiba, in police custody till July 15.

Madni alias Mazahar was wanted by Kolkata police for his involvement in a case of fake currency.

Public Prosecutor Krishna Chandra Das pleaded that the Burtolla police had recovered fake notes of face value of Rs 60,000 and arrested four persons on May 7, 2009.

The police came to know about the involvement of Madni after interrogating Mohijur Rehman, Toffazal Hossain and Asit Sarkar.

Two policemen killed in Pakistan blast

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Islamabad, July 02: Two policemen were killed and several others injured in a bomb attack on their vehicles in northwestern Pakistan Thursday morning, the Dawn reported.

The roadside bombing occurred on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital city of militancy-hit North West Frontier Province.
The injured were taken to a hospital and the condition of some are stated to be critical.
No group has claimed responsibility yet.

—Agencies

Manipur dam will not harm Bangladesh, says India

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Imphal, July 02: India’s Tipaimukh dam project, coming up in Manipur on the river Barak that flows into Bangladesh, will not harm that country as feared by its politicians and civil society, say officials here.
“India will not do anything that harms the interests of its neighbouring country,” said T.C. Borgohain, executive director of the North Eastern Electric Power Corp (Neepco), which is developing the Rs.81.38 billion ($1.7 billion) project.

Iran to support families of unrest victims

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Tehran, July 02: Iran has announced that the Martyrs Foundation will support the families of the innocent victims of Tehran’s post-election riots.

Officials say at least 20 people, including eight Basij members were killed in post-election incidents.

The announcement comes a week after informed sources said that terrorists had infiltrated among protesters to foment unrest.

Iran’s Martyrs Foundation supports families of those martyred or maimed in the Iraq-Iran war.

——Agencies

Delhi HC verdict on penal provision of gay sex likely today

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New Delhi, July 02: The Delhi High Court is likely to pronounce its verdict on Thursday on the controversial penal provision on homosexuality even as the government is grappling with the option to scrap it from the statute.

A bench of Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S Muralidhar had reserved its order on November 7 last year after marathon proceedings in which the governemnt had vociferously opposed scrapping of section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which prescribes punishment upto life imprisonment for indulging in unnatural sexual acts.