Month: September 2009

Virender Sehwag appeals for eye donation

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Gurgaon, September 07: Cricketer Virender Sehwag came out for a noble and social cause here and flagged off a “Run For vision” race on the occasion.

“Run for vision” is an effort to provide vision to some 20 lakh people in the country. Virender Sehwag today became a part of the noble campaign.

The “Run for vision” race started from the Gurgan Mega mall and ended at Galaria market.

Virender Sehwag called for eye donation on the occasion and said that he himself would go for eye donation.

Priyanka Chopra gets married

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Mumbai, September 07: Reading this you must have gotten wondered. No, Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra haven’t got married. But Yes, it’s true that the beautiful actress has tied her knot with some one. And that some one is just a child of eight.

Actually the sizzling actress was in a musical show called “Little Champs” on Zee TV. As the lady was present over there some thing could be expected out of the blue.

Iran to ‘Islamize’ Humanities

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Tehran, September 07: Iran is planning to ‘Islamise’ humanities studies following complaints that Western teachings make students question religion and promote secular ideas.

“In our country a large part of the syllabus… is not in line with our Iranian-Islamic culture,” Hamid Reza Ayatollahi, the head of the Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, said.

“This calls for a revision.”

The revision comes after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized human sciences taught in the Iranian universities.

Lalu says bypolls a challenge

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Patna, September 07: After recent Lok Sabha debacle, RJD and its ally LJP have taken the upcoming bypolls to 18 Assembly seats in Bihar as a major challenge.

“We are treating this election as a step ahead of our preparations for the upcoming Assembly polls in Bihar,” RJD Chief Lalu Prasad told joint election rallies with LJP’s Paswan at Ramgarh. He also held rallies in Chainpur and Chenari Assembly segments.

Action against Jinnah supporters: Rajnath

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Rohtak, September 07: Justifying Jaswant Singh’s summary expulsion, BJP chief Rajnath Singh on Sunday warned that the party will take action against all those who “favour” Mohammad Ali Jinnah, against whose ideals the party is opposed to.

Singh said, “If anyone dares to praise Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who was responsible for the partition of our country, along with all the horrific incidents that followed strict action will be taken against them.”

Speaking at a workers conference, the saffron leader said his party has ideological differences on the Founder of Pakistan.

Muslim sisters recite Bhagavad Gita

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Coimbatore, September 07: Muslim girls reciting the Quran is no news. Two Muslim school going girls, sisters, have learnt to recite the Bhagavad Gita and have carved a niche for themselves in singing the shlokas (verses) that have become a regular feature at their school prayer.

Taking a cue from Salma Sulthana of Godur village in Andhra Pradesh, who had mastered reciting Sanskrit shlokas, the sisters M Shajitha Banu and M Madina Parvin developed an interest in this art.

Autopsy report on YSR Reddy handed over to police

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Hyderabad, September 07: The autopsy reports of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and four others killed in the chopper crash were handed over to Kurnool district police on Sunday.

The forencic team that conducted post-mortem submitted the reports in a sealed cover. The reports would be handed over to CB (CID) and Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which are probing the Wednesday’s crash, Kurnool Superintendent of Police Ch Srikant said.

MPs meet on leadership issue in AP

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Hyderabad, September 07: Amid a campaign by Jaganmohan Reddy’s supporters for making him Chief Minister, a group of Congress MPs from Andhra Pradesh today held discussions on the leadership issue in the state.

12 of the 33 Lok Sabha MPs from Andhra Pradesh and three from Rajya Sabha attended a luncheon meeting hosted by Ponanam Prabhakar, convenor of state congress MPs, here.

“We informally discussed the present political situation. We will abide by whatever decision the high command takes. We shall give our opinion after the mourning period is over,” Prabhakar told reporters.

New chopper 2 hours too late

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Hyderabad, September 07: A two-hour window would have put Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy in a new helicopter instead of the 10-year-old one that was apparently readied overnight, a preliminary police report has suggested.

An AugustaWestland 139 chopper, brought three months ago by the Andhra Pradesh government for Reddy’s use, landed in the same airport two hours after the chief minister lifted off.

Supporters of Jagan disrupt condolence meet in Hyderabad

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Hyderabad, September 07: A meeting organised here on Sunday by the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee to condole the death of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ended abruptly as Congress activists kept interrupting proceedings almost from the beginning.

As soon as the multi-religious prayers were over and a two-minute silence was observed, Congress workers, mostly youth and women, raised slogans demanding that Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy be made Chief Minister. Many of them carried posters and banners in support of Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy who was not present at the meeting.

Tension at Khairtabad as miscreants play mischief

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Hyderabad, September 07: Tension prevailed in the CIB Quaters at Khairtabad after the miscreants attacked the youths and pelted stones on the minority community. The miscreants tried to give communal colour to a petty accident that took place early this evening.

No child left hungry: a mid-day meal scheme’s story

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New Delhi, September 07: As the clock strikes noon, the hungry murmur of the children at the government school in Frazer Town, Bangalore, is broken by the arrival of the blue pick-up truck. The kids chorus “Akshaya Patra” as large stainless steel vessels are unloaded from it and the call for lunch goes out. Most of these children are from families where a square meal is not guaranteed every day.

Karzai moves into clear lead

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Kabul, September 07: Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday moved into a clear lead in the controversial race for the presidency, with 48.6 percent of the vote, according to partial results.

Afghan officials announced results from 75 percent of the polling stations used in only Afghanistan’s second direct presidential election, held on August 20 and overshadowed by claims of massive fraud and low turnout.

Gandhi memorabilia to go under hammer at Bonhams

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London, September 07: A bronze statue of a seated Buddhist deity presented by Mahatma Gandhi to his Irish friend Emma Harker will go on sale here on Tuesday.

The 13-inch-high figure, possibly of the Bodhisattva of compassion Avalokitesvara, is estimated to sell for 3,000-5,000 pounds at Bonhams sale of Asian art.

The sale comes at a time when buyers are showing a renewed interest in Gandhi memorabilia. On July 14, three of Gandhi’s autographed letters sold for 4,750 pounds while a signed khadi cloth which was said to have been woven by him fetched 2,125 pounds.

China’s strategy on India: provoke, pressure

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New Delhi, Septembe 07: Chinese troops are challenging India again. Reports say Chinese troops entered the international border in Ladakh and painted “China” in Cantonese on boulders and rocks in Indian territory.

Indian border patrol found on July 3 that Chinese troops had entered nearly 1.5 km into Indian territory near Mount Gya, which is recognised as international border by both countries.

Yasin Malik returns home with Pakistani bride

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Srinagar, Septembe 07: Separatist leader Yasin Malik returned to this Jammu and Kashmir summer capital along with his Pakistani wife Mishaal Mullick on Sunday.

The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman had married the Pakistani artist Feb 22 this year.

As the couple arrived at the Srinagar airport, they were warmly received by friends and relatives. Later, they reached their Maisuma residence where hundreds of supporters, mostly women, had gathered and greeted them with songs.

Germany’s Merkel launches re-election campaign

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Berlin, Septembe 07: Chancellor Angela Merkel has kicked off her conservative party’s campaign for the Sept. 27 German election by calling for a center-right coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats.

Merkel called at a rally of her Christian Democrats on Sunday in Duesseldorf for a new partner in government after four years of an uneasy coalition with her party’s main rival, the Social Democrats.

US-German rift emerges over Afghan deaths case

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Kabul, September 07: An airstrike by U.S. fighter jets that appears to have killed Afghan civilians could turn into a major dispute between NATO allies Germany and the United States, as tensions began rising Sunday over Germany’s role in ordering the attack.

Afghan officials say up to 70 people were killed in the early morning airstrike Friday in the northern province of Kunduz after Taliban militants stole two tanker trucks of fuel and villagers gathered to siphon off gas.

Bottom line on public insurance plan gets blurry

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Washington, September 07:The Obama administration’s bottom line on a government health insurance option blurred Sunday as White House officials stressed support but stopped of short of calling it a must-have part of an overhaul.

As President Barack Obama prepares for a Wednesday night speech to Congress in a risky bid to salvage his top domestic priority, no other issue is so highly charged. Obama’s liberal supporters consider the proposal for a public plan to compete with private insurers do-or-die. Republicans say it’s unacceptable. It’s doubtful the public plan can pass the Senate.

Mukhya mantri without mantris

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Hyderabad, September 07: Konijeti Rosaiah is a chief minister without a council of ministers. Setting to rest the controversy whether the former cabinet
colleagues of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy continue to be ministers, Advocate General (AG) D V Sitarama Murthy is believed to have told the state government on Saturday that it is mandatory for all the former ministers to take oaths afresh if they wanted to stay in the Rosaiah’s cabinet.

Sarkozy to Brazil with fighter jet bid looming

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Paris, September 06: French President Nicolas Sarkozy left Sunday for Brazil with hopes of persuading officials there to choose French-made fighter jets in a hot competition with U.S. and Swedish rivals.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva invited Sarkozy to begin his two-day trip with dinner Sunday evening and as a special guest Monday to Brazil’s independence day celebrations, in which French Foreign Legion troops are to take part.

Shahid and I look great together, says Rani

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Mumbai, September 07: Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand caught up with Rani Mukherjee and quizzed her about everything under the sun, including her about-to-be-released film Dil Bole Hadippa and the much-talked-about ‘impending marriage’. Rajeev Masand also quizzed the actress about her pairing up with Shahid in Dil Bole Hadippa. Here is the complete interview:

Rajeev Masand: Rani, it has been almost a year since we last saw you on screen and I know there has been much speculation in the media about an impending marriage. But your fans really want to know. What have been up to?

Karachi is Asia’s largest slum, not Dharavi: UNDP

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Mumbai, September 07: Dharavi, which is in the heart of India’s financial capital Mumbai, is not the largest slum in Asia as many believe, according to a report
by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

“Dharavi is not Asia’s largest slum, but Karachi’s Orangi Township has surpassed Dharavi,” the Human Development Report for Mumbai, compiled with the help of UNDP and released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), said.

Mexico City’s Neza-Chalco-Itza barrio has four times as many people as Dharavi, it said.

G20 pledges to implement IMF reforms

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London, September 07: Finance ministers of the Group of 20 (G20) countries on Saturday pledged to give India and other emerging economies a greater voice in the running of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other global financial institutions.

In their final communique issued after September 4-5 meetings of the group representing 80 per cent of world GDP, the finance ministers pledged to implement reforms to the World Bank by Spring 2010 and the next IMF quota review by January 2011.

Women Tarawih Blooms in Posh Pakistan

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Karachi, September 07: Women in posh areas of Pakistan are increasingly thronging the mosques during the holy fasting month of Ramadan to join mass Tarawih prayers, while some use the trend as a social and charity tool.
“There is a huge difference between offering Tarawih prayers alone at your home, and with hundreds of other women in the mosque,” Salma Ahmed, a Karachi resident, told Islamonline.net.

Thousands of women from higher social classes are now flocking to the mosques to offer the special Ramadan nightly prayer along with their husbands and children.