Month: September 2009

Advani expresses desire to retire from politics

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New Delhi, September 28: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani Monday expressed his desire to retire from politics.

He made this remark during a visit to the Udupi Pejawar Math here, Swami Vishwesh Teerth, the spiritual leader of the math, told IANS.

But he advised him not to be away from politics.

The swami said: “He (Advani) came here on a religious visit. While chatting, he expressed his desire to retire from politics. But I suggested him not to take any hasty decision,” the swami said.

Zawahri calls Obama a ‘fraud’

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Al-Qaida’s deputy leader on Monday seized upon President Barack Obama failure to bring about a freeze in Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and called him a “fraud” in a new audio message.

Ayman al-Zawahri’s 28-minute audio message was mainly to deliver a eulogy for slain Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, but he also took the opportunity to slam NATO member states operating in Afghanistan, including Germany, which he criticized for keeping troops there.

Somali insurgents execute pair accused of spying for US, AU

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Mogadishu, September 28: Somalia’s main insurgent group on Monday executed two men in the capital Mogadishu, saying they had een caught spying for the United States and the African Union.

Hundreds of people watched militants from the Islamist group al- Shabaab execute the pair by firing squad in a marketplace.

A commander for al-Shabaab in Mogadishu said that the two men had been spying for the US Central Intelligence Agency and the African Union peacekeeping force in the nation in the Horn of Africa.

Akshay, John team up again after four years

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Mumbai, September 28: His maiden underwater thriller “Blue” is yet to be out, but director Anthony D’Souza has already convinced his producer Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. to produce his next that will star Akshay Kumar and John Abraham.

“Akshay was on board for the next project from the word go. After ‘Blue’, I can’t dream of making a film without him. ‘Blue’ couldn’t have been made without Akshay. As for John, it’s strange that with his physique and body language he has never done a full-on action film,” D’Souza told IANS.

No ISI safe haven for Mullah Omar: Official

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Islamabad, September 28: Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency has categorically rejected a report saying that it was providing a safe haven to Taliban leader Mullah Omar, describing it as a ‘propaganda blitz against an institution which has played pivotal role in the eradication of terrorism’.

The report was ‘ill motivated and sheer mudslinging’, a senior ISI official told Online news agency.

‘ISI works within a set framework and any question of providing haven to Mullah Omar or the Taliban leadership stands ruled out.

Pakistan bid to host 2014 T20 WC

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Karachi, September 28: Pakistan’s cricket chief said the country will bid to host the 2014 World Twenty20 championship and vowed to revive international cricket in the troubled nation, a paper reported on Monday.

Speaking to the English-language newspaper The News, in Johannesburg, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt said he was battling to improve Pakistan’s reputation as foreign teams snub the country over security fears.

China confirms Wen to visit North Korea from Oct 4-6

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Beijing, September 28: China on Monday confirmed that Premier Wen Jiabao would visit North Korea from October 4-6, as the international community increases the pressure on Pyongyang to return to nuclear disarmament talks.

“Premier Wen will hold talks and meet with North Korean leaders, and exchange views on developing China-North Korea relations as well as issues of common interest,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement.

Julia is Warm And Pleasant; Aishwarya Rai Throws Tantrums

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Mumbai, September 28: Julia is Warm And Pleasant; Aishwarya Rai Throws TantrumsNew Delhi: Indian media has apparently been cribbing about not having an access to Hollywood actress Julia Roberts, who is here to shoot for her film ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, because of her hard to crack security shell.

But recently, at an event in a hotel, Julia was spotted moving about with minimal security, while Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who had also come for the event, could be seen with her entire security entourage.

ECB outlines rotation policy

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London, September 28: England are set to send a weakened squad to Bangladesh for their tour early next year after Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, confirmed the board would manage the workload of senior players during another packed year.

Reifer seeks one last hurrah

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Johanesburg, September 28: West Indies captain Floyd Reifer wants his players to improve their game as they head into their last Champions Trophy Group A match on Wednesday against India.

Despite being without their top-flight players – after a players’ dispute with the board – West Indies have drawn Pakistan and Australia close in their two previous encounters and have reason to go into the match in Johannesburg with their heads up.

“We have played pretty well,” Reifer told the Caribbean Media Corporation. “The important thing for us is to know that we are improving.”

Seven killed in road accident in MP

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Anooppur, September 28: Seven persons were killed and 47 others injured today when the mini truck in which they were travelling overturned near Gundakona village, about 60 kms from here, police said. The victims, who hailed from Bhejri village, were on their way to Amarkantak to immerse the idol of Goddess Durga, they said.

Iran urges West to heed package of proposals

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Tehran, September 28: With few days ahead of a planned meeting between Iran and the West, a senior Iranian lawmaker urges the major world powers to set its proposals as the framework of the talks.

“If the US President [Barack Obama] and other members of the P5+1 really want to break the deadlock, they should set Iran’s package of proposals as the framework for the negotiations,” Head of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi told Press TV.

15 militants killed in Pakistan

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Miranshah, September 28: At least 15 militants and a security personnel were killed in fighting in South Waziristan area of Pakistan Monday, the Online news agency reported.

The fighting started when the militants fired a rocket at the camp of security forces in Razmik area, killing a security personnel and wounding five others.

The soldiers retaliated and killed 15 militants, the report said.

A curfew was clamped in the area after the incident.

—-IANS–

Huthis: Yemeni troops destroy mosques

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Sanaa, September 28: Yemeni troops have stepped up their crackdown on the Shia opposition by launching attacks on mosques in the northern sector of the country.

The office of the leader of Opposition Leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, has declared that the army forces have destroyed some 90 mosques in “different conflicts”.

The opposition fighters say the Yemeni military have neither respect for the religious views of the people nor for human values.

US officials: Digging, clues revealed Iranian site

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Washington, September 28: Seven years ago, when Iran revealed the existence of its first secret uranium enrichment site at Natanz, U.S. intelligence agencies had a hunch it wouldn’t be Iran’s last attempt to illicitly produce fuel that might one day power a nuclear warhead.

So the agencies started looking and, several years ago, hit pay dirt, literally: It pinpointed a second site hidden inside a mountain near Qom, a Shi’ite holy city and a religious nerve center of the Iranian regime, according to U.S. officials.

Riyadh ‘offers airspace’ for Israel attack on Iran

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Tehran, September 28: Israeli fighter jets have been allowed to use Saudi airspace to launch go-it-alone air strikes on Iranian nuclear installations, says a recent report.

The issue ahs been discussed in a closed-door meeting in London, where British Intelligence Chief Sir John Scarlett his Israeli counterpart, Meir Dagan, and Saudi official have been present Daily Express.

According to the report Scarlett has been told that Saudi airspace would be at Israel’s disposal should Tel Aviv decide to move forward with his military plans against Iran.

6 drivers killed, 1 kidnapped in Afghanistan

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Kabul, September 28: Afghanistan Interior Ministry has announced that six drivers have been killed in an attack in the eastern province of Kunar.

“Enemies of Afghanistan attacked a convoy, set fire on six trucks and killed the drivers in Marawora district on Sunday,” the ministry said in a statement Monday.

All the victims were innocent civilians and another driver was kidnapped by Taliban, the statement added.

Investigations have been launched on the incident by police forces, Xinhua reported.

Manila ask for help as storm death toll rises

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Manila, September 28: The Philippine government has appealed for urgent aid for the damage from the Saturday’s tropical storm which lashed the Philippines.

“We are concentrating on massive relief operations, but the system is overwhelmed, local government units are overwhelmed,” Anthony Golez, the deputy administrator of the National Disaster Co-ordinating Council (NDCC), told reporters on Monday.

The floods have been described as the worst flooding in the northern Philippines in more than four decades.

Celebrating kids’ birthdays greatest pleasures: Angelina Jolie

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Los Angeles, September 28: Angelina Jolie says celebrating her children’s birthdays is chaotic but at the same time she and her partner Brad Pitt love organising parties and try to make the best of it.

“We have birthdays all year round! It’s chaos but we do manage somehow. We just try to have a wonderful time. Now the older kids get involved in planning the birthdays for the younger kids. It’s one of the greatest pleasures of life,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Jolie as saying.

2 shot dead in Muzaffarnagar

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Muzaffarnagar, September 28: Two persons, including a Dalit, were shot dead in two separate incidents in the district today, police said here. Ram Prasad (35), a Dalit, was shot dead by some unidentified men at Barwal village early this morning while he was returning home from work.

In an another incident, a 60-year-old farmer was killed allegedly by his nephew over some property dispute, police said. Mangeram shot his uncle Satyaprakash dead at Rasulpur village and escaped.

BJP leaders demand dismissal of Maha minister

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Mumbai, September 28: Maharashtra BJP leaders today met Governor S C Jamir, demanding immediate sacking of Minister of State for Rural Development Siddharam Mhetre who along with 28 others has been booked in the murder case of a BJP activist at a poll rally in Akkalkot constituency of Solapur district. “Mhetre should be immediately dismissed from the Congress-NCP government in the state,” a delegation of BJP leaders including state BJP unit Vice President Kirit Somaiya and General Secretary Vinod Tawde told the Governor.

Italian PM Berlusconi calls Obama tanned, again

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Rome, September 28: Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi is still talking about US President Barack Obama’s ”tan,” and this time the gaffe-prone Italian leader has made a wisecrack about Michelle Obama’s skin color as well.

Berlusconi told a Milan rally of conservative supporters on Sunday that he was bringing greetings from the United States from ”What’s his name? Some tanned guy. Ah, Barack Obama!”

Shortly after Obama’s election in November 2008, Berlusconi raised eyebrows by saying the victor was ”young, handsome, and even has a good tan.”

‘Tum Mile’ has shock element: Emraan Hashmi

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Mumbai, September 28: Films coming from Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt are known for their shock value. Now Emraan Hashmi says his upcoming film with the Bhatt brothers, “Tum Mile”, will carry forward the tradition as it has ample shocking moments.

“Yes, there is that shock element in ‘Tum Mile’ as well, just like every film of the Bhatts has. They always bring in something which touches audiences in a big way,” Emraan said.

Deepika Padukone was awarded the Fashion Icon

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Mumbai, September 28: Deepika Padukone was awarded the Fashion Icon of the Year trophy at the Indian Youth Icon of the Year award held at Gurgaon, Haryana, on Friday.

Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra were given the Indian Youth Icon of the Year award for their contribution in the field of entertainment. Rahul Bose earned the title of youth icon in the field of social work.

—–Agencies

Tajikistan to build world’s largest mosque

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Dushanbe, September 28: Tajikistan is planning to build the world’s largest mosque here by 2014 with help from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a presidential spokesman said Monday.

UAE firm Adnan Saffarini will construct the mosque, while Qatar will finance the project.

‘The mosque is expected to accommodate about 150,000 people. Its construction is expected to start in Dushanbe in October,’ the spokesman said.

The building, which is to reflect Tajikistan’s traditional architecture, will cover 7.5 hectares (18.5 acres) of area, the spokesman said.