Month: July 2009

Gilani gifts 50,000-dollar watch to comedian

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Lahore, July 01: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was so enamoured by the performance of famous comedian Sohail Ahmed that he gifted him his 50,000 dollar wristwatch.

Accordingly, Gilani sent his costly wristwatch along with a letter of appreciation to the stage actor a few days back.

Ahmed, in one of his shows, said Gilani sent him a letter saying that he watched Ahmed’s programme with great interest and was sending him the watch.

An outspoken opponent of obscenity in stage dramas, Ahmed is famous for using improvised dialogue during his trademark comedy plays.

Muslim leaders condemn gay sex

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New Delhi, July 01: Amid government moves for a re-look at criminalising homosexuality, several Muslim leaders have said any attempt to legally permit unnatural sex is an attack on religious and moral values.

Legalisation of homosexuality is an attack on Indian religious and moral values over a dozen prominent Muslim religious leaders said in a statement Maulana Jalaluddin Omari, President of the Jamaat-e Islami Hind, Maulana Muhammad Salim Qasimi, Rector of Darul Uloom Waqf, Deoband, Maulana Mufti Mukarram Ahmad, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Fatehpuri, mong others.

Katrina throws starry tantrums

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Mumbai, July 01: Rumours are rife in industry circleas that Katrina Kaif threw a lot of starry tantrums while shooting for the ad shoot of a famous designer luxury brand soon to be launched in India. If sources are to be believed, Katrina was demanded and was paid a huge fee for the endorsement deal.

Iraqi leaders urge unity as US troops withdraw from towns

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Baghdad, July 01: Iraqi leaders called for vigilance and unity, as the country marked the planned withdrawal of US troops from Iraqi cities and towns.

‘Bless you. Bless you for your efforts to achieve this great success,’ Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told the ministers of defence, interior and national security and associated officers from the security services, in remarks broadcast on state television.

Israeli drones targeted civilians in Gaza: Rights group

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Jerusalem, July 01: Israel killed 87 civilians, including at least eight children, during its offensive against Gaza militants last winter, with missiles fired from remote pilotless vehicles (RPVs), Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report Tuesday.

The report, titled ‘Precisely Wrong: Gaza civilians killed by Israeli drone-launched missiles’, details six specific incidents which resulted in 29 civilian deaths.

Compasses to Muslim detainees to pray facing Mecca

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London, July 01: British TaxPayers Alliance, a campaign group, is outraged over the move to issue a compass to all Muslims detained in cells by the police so that they can face Mecca while praying.

To make sure they face the holy site, the Norfolk police force has already painted the ceiling of some cells to point them in the right direction. Chief Inspector Roger Wiltshire, head of custody services, said either a ceiling compass would be painted or hand-held compasses would be issued to detainees.

The move was attacked by Matthew Elliott of campaign group the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

Present US-India ties unthinkable in mid 80s: US Admiral

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Washington, July 01: The level of military engagement between India and the United States at present was unthinkable in the mid-80s, a top US military official has said.

Commander of the US Pacific Command Admiral Timothy Keating, who returned from a trip to India a few weeks ago, said the Indian government is more willing to talk about engagement and partnership with the United States than they were in the mid-’80s.

Kareena to kick Saif’s butt

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Mumbai, July 01: Bollywood goes bold. If Saif Ali Khan has touched Deepika Padukone’s butt in ‘Love Aaj Kal’ and Kareena Kapoor kissed Akshay Kumar 10 times in ‘Kambakkht Ishq’ then why not Bebo can kick Saif’s butt. Yes, in a rare situation, Kareena will kick Saif’s butt in ‘Agent Vinod’.

The duo will be seen in an absolute dynamic role performing various types of action. As they are going to play Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in the Hollywood remake of ‘Mrs and Mrs Smith’, the duo is going to do all that Brangelina has done.

US pullout from Iraqi cities a ‘milestone’: Obama

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Washington, July 01: US President Barack Obama has described the completion of withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraqi cities as an ‘important milestone’.

In brief remarks made at a White House event Tuesday, he said the drawback meant that Iraq’s future is now in the hands of its leaders and people.

‘The Iraqis are rightly treating this day as a cause for celebration,’ Obama said.

Tuesday was the deadline for US troops to pull out of all Iraq’s cities and towns according to an agreement reached last year between Washington and Baghdad.

Abuse of Power: Cong MP charged with slapping bank manager

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Hyderabad, July 01: A case has been booked against a Congress MP after he allegedly slapped and assaulted a government employee.

MP from Nagarkurnool in Andhra Pradesh, Manda Jagannatham reportedly slapped Ravinder Reddy, manager of a local branch of Andhra Pradesh Grameen Vikas Bank, after a heated argument.

The MP has accused the manager of deliberately delaying the loans for the SCs and STs. However, the manager says the task given to him by the MP could not have been completed in a day and that he was just following the protocol.

Big B’s concern for women in sports

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Mumbai, July 01: Big B’s concern for women in sports Amitabh Bachchan is presently in London shooting for Paa. In his free time he has been exploring London and also managed to experience a few matches of the ongoing Wimbeldon.

But then post his viewing experience he has expressed his concern about the disparity between men and women in sports.

India’s mega cities to get helicopters for policing

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Mumbai, July 01: The Government plans to provide helicopters to police large Indian cities on the lines of major world capitals, Home Minister P Chidambaram announced in Mumbai.

Providing helicopters would be part of the mega city policing project of the Government, he told reporters.

“This is how the police operate in big cities like London and New York,” he said after inaugurating the first of the four elite National Security Guard (NSG) hubs in Mumbai.

–Agencies

Terror threat to the west coast, states on alert

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New Delhi, July 01: Home Minister P Chidambaram said intelligence agencies have indicated a terror threat to the country’s west coast on Wednesday.

“There is an intelligence input (and) as is the practice established recently, we share all inputs immediately with the state governments concerned,” Chidambaram said.

Lopez’s new floral fragrance inspired by her twins

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London, July 01: Actress-singer Jennifer Lopez is all set to launch another follow-up to her fragrance Glow with Coty. She says the new perfume is inspired by her twins.

‘My Glow by Jennifer Lopez will take an ultra-feminine approach, with floral notes including lavender, water lily, white rose peony and heliotrope,’ people.com quoted Lopez as saying.

Hopes dwindle for more Yemenia air crash survivors

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Johannesburg, July 01: Hopes dwindled for finding any more survivors of the Yemenia Air plane crash off the Comoros Islands, as rescue teams continued to scour the seas for more wreckage.

A 14-year old girl is the only known survivor so far of the 153 people on the Airbus A310 from Sana’a, Yemen, which crashed at sea after missing its first attempt at landing in the Comoran capital, Moroni, in bad weather.

After suspending search efforts overnight, there was now ‘practically no chance’ of finding more survivors, Comoros Transport Ministry Secretary-General Abdillah Mougni told DPA.

Grenade planted at mausoleum in northern Tehran

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Tehran, July 01: An official breaks the news of a grenade having been planted at a mausoleum in a northern area of the Iranian capital Tehran.

People working at a mausoleum called Imamzadeh Saleh — located at Tajrish Square — on Tuesday night found a grenade that had been planted in a trash can in the women’s restroom, the Fars news agency quoted the head of the Tehran section of the Charity Organization, Yadollah Shirmardi, as saying on Wednesday.

Racial profiling of minorities persists in U.S. – ACLU

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New Delhi, July 01: U.S. authorities detain thousands of people each year solely on the basis of religion, race or nationality despite efforts by senior law enforcement officials and the government to stop it, the American Civil Liberties Union said.

An ACLU report said racial profiling was often applied to immigrants from South Asia and to North Africans suspected of being Islamic militants following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks carried out by Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda militants.

Chidambaram refuses to comment on Liberhan Commission report

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New Delhi, July 01: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram refused to comment on Justice M.S. Liberhan commission report on Babri mosque demolition in Uttar Pradesh.

“Justice Liberhan has submitted his report to the Prime Minister this morning. I believe that the report will be forwarded to the ministry during the course of day. Since I have not read the report then nothing further I am going to say,” Chidambaram said.

The contents of the report were not immediately known.

Good relations with India essential for people’s welfare: Zardari

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Islamabad, July 01: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said it is important for both India and Pakistan to share a cordial relationship so as to establish peace in the region and fight against extremism.

“Good neighbourly relations were essential for the welfare of the people of both countries and also for fighting militancy,” presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar quoted Zardari, as saying.

Babar said Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, Shahid Malik called on President Zardari to discuss several issues regarding India.

Massive operation to flush out militants from Manipur’s Pumlen Lake

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Imphal, July 01: After a successful operation in the Loktak Lake area, security forces have now focused their efforts on flushing out militants from Pumlem Lake, the second largest freshwater wetland in Manipur.

Pumlen Lake is situated in Thoubal district, 40 km from Imphal.

As a part of flushing out militants from the lake area, a combined team of police commandos along with 21 Assam Rifles and 12 Maratha Light Infantry troops cordoned the Toppa Chingjao hillock at Pumlen Lake.

Taliban beheads 18 of their own operatives

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Rawalpindi, July 01: The Taliban has slaughtered 18 of their own injured men in the Biha valley, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) has claimed.

According to a daily update of the ISPR, the Taliban killed the injured associates as they were unable to move while the Army continued to advance further in their stronghold.

The ISPR also claimed that 18 other insurgents were killed in Swat and Dir and 23 nabbed alive by the security forces from the region.

Three security personnel were also killed in the operation,The Daily Times reports.

Eye on 2012, Cong to redraw battle lines for party cadres

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New Delhi, July 01: The Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are three years away but the state unit of the Congress which is already on a high after its electoral success in the state has started reorganising the party’s structure.

The Congress is giving serious thought on replacing the party’s district and block level units with Assembly and parliamentary level units. In other words, the party’s units will reflect the electoral boundaries rather than administrative borders.

I do not want to waste my money on a Hollywood agent

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Mumbai, July 01: Kareena Kapoor tells on the eve of the release of Kambakkt Ishq, her blockbuster with Akshay Kumar that though her journey has been great as an actor, she would like to grow more because she does not want to become complacent as an actress.

What is your role in the film?

More foreign students killed in Australia than government admits: Report Buzz Up Share

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Melbourne, July 01: Australian coroners have suppressed the details of the death of over 50 international students ‘amid evidence the death toll is higher’ than the government has admitted, a media report claimed Wednesday.

‘Details of the deaths of more than 50 overseas students have been suppressed by Australian coroners amid evidence the death toll is higher than the Federal Government has admitted,’ The Age reported Wednesday.

Sensex slips on weak Asian cues, profit booking

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Mumbai, July 01: Weak markets elsewhere in Asia and profit booking prompted a fall in a key index of the Indian equity markets, which dipped more than 35 points today from its last closing figure, after having risen in early morning trade.

Investors chose to book profits, resulting in the benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Sensex, to fall sharply after opening higher at 14,506.43 points. It was at 14,426.8 points around noon – 35.51 points or 0.25 percent below Tuesday’s closing figure.