Mumbai, September 05: When Sanjay Dutt met Lalit Modi to buy a new cricket team for himself he wasn’t aware that the media would be informed and waiting for him at the hotel in suburban Mumbai.
Apparently the media is duly informed every time a superstar decides to negotiate for an IPL team.
Washington, September 05: Eight security guards at the US embassy in Kabul have been fired in a hazing scandal and two others have resigned, the US State Department said Friday.
The State Department has asked the Armor Group, the private firm that employed the guards under a contract to protect the embassy, to replace its senior management team in Kabul, spokesman Ian Kelly said.
“We did ask the ArmorGroup to remove all personnel involved in these disgusting events that you’ve seen in the photos,” he said.
New York, September 05: Andy Murray and Juan Del Potro fuelled ambitions as dangerous title contenders Friday at the US Open as both powered comfortably into the third round.
Second seed Murray, who lost the 2008 final to Roger Federer, the heavy favourite to lift a sixth straight title in New York, staked his claim on the third round with a defeat of Chile’s Paul Capdeville 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.
Argentine number six Del Potro dispatched Austrian Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 6-3, firing 13 aces and 36 winners to advance to his fifth victory without a defeat against the number 38.
Mumbai, September 05: Just two days ago, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt was going all out to help Pakistani actress Meera who had apparently received death threats from a man in Lahore claiming to be her husband. But now it appears to him a case of Meera’s past catching up with her.
“Yes, Meera did call from Lahore. Some guy claiming to be her husband tried to break into her home and kill her! At that time she seemed quite genuine in her call for help. Meanwhile Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab, was very prompt in taking action, but Meera was still inconsolable, ” Bhatt told.
Mumbai, September 05: The highly-rated Cheeni Kam director Balki is releasing his extremely unusual role-reversal drama Paa on November 13 as a tribute to Children’s Day.
“It’s a film about the child within man and the man within the child. And I can’t think of a better tribute to the child than Children’s Day, ” says Balki who completed shooting the film in England recently.
After shooting his two feature films Cheeni Kam and now Paa in England Balki wants to return to the country again.
Mumbai, September 05: Akshay Kumar, who is busy shooting for Sajid Khan’s House Full, took up his fitness trainer and driver’s challenge to perform a stunt in real. The bet was that Akshay run right in the middle of the busy traffic of London lane. Thus apna Khiladi Kumar started running.
A unit member said, “We all started hooting and shouting that he will not be able to do it. The public would block his way.”
But iron-will Akshay would have none of it, as he dodged through the zooming traffic in full speed.
New Delhi, September 05: In yet another sordid tale of ragging in the city, a 17-year-old boy who had struggled to get an education for himself was allegedly asked to strip and then hit on his private parts by his seniors all in the name of an “introduction”.
The boy, a student of Industrial Training Institute at Vivek Nagar in east Delhi, is recuperating at the GTB Hospital where he received three stitches on his genitals.
Mangalore, September 05: Meeting halfway, the management of SVS College, Bantwal, near Mangalore and the family of Aysha Asmin the girl who insisted on wearing a headscarf in class arrived at an amicable solution.
The college put an end to the issue by introducing uniforms for its students, and granted permission to girls to use the shawl (dupatta) of the uniform as a headscarf.
This decision was taken at a meeting with Mangalore University vice-chancellor, and was attended by local MLAs, representatives of the college and others, on Thursday night.
Los Angeles, September 05: Michael Jackson, his gold coffin topped by a bejeweled crown placed there by his children, was laid to rest Thursday night at a funeral more than two months after his death and, because of his family’s tardy arrival, nearly two hours late.
The King of Pop was mourned by celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor, Barry Bonds and Macaulay Culkin at a private service outside the elaborate Forest Lawn Glendale mausoleum where Jackson was to be entombed.
Palestine, September 05: Amr also joined a long list of top Fatah officials who have accused Abbas of stealing the recent elections for the faction’s Central Committee and Revolutionary Council.
Amr’s attack on Abbas came as a surprise to many Palestinians and is a sign of the continued squabbling within Fatah.
Until last week, Amr was one of Abbas’s closest advisers. About two years ago, Abbas appointed him as PLO ambassador to Egypt. Before that he served as minister of information.
London, September 05: EU Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero Waldner on Friday said that the European Union is close to agreeing an offer to Syria of closer ties, Reuters reported.
“Engaging with Syria is absolutely in our interest,” Ferrero Waldner reportedly told journalists at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Stockholm.
“I would say that we are coming to an agreement. There are still some modalities that have to be found, there are some reserves … but I am confident that in the near future we will get this agreement really going.”
Washington, September 05: Thousands of opponents of Hugo Chavez marched against the Venezuelan president across Latin America on Friday, accusing him of everything from authoritarianism to international meddling.
The protests, coordinated through Twitter and Facebook, drew more than 5,000 people in Bogota, and thousands more in the capitals of Venezuela and Honduras. Smaller demonstrations were held in other Latin American capitals, as well as New York and Madrid.
New Delhi, September 05: Shanno Begum, a 32-year-old Muslim widow, is impatiently looking to carve out a living by breaking into the male preserve of New Delhi taxi drivers.
“My husband died three years ago. I had three children and my parents-in-law to support,” Shanno told.
Shanno signed up last year for a program to launch New Delhi’s first radio taxi-service run by women.
“As a private nurse, I used to earn 4,500 rupees (90 dollars) a month for a 24/7 job,” she said.
“Now, I will earn the same amount working eight hours and can devote more time to my children.”
Washington, September 05: To make good on a pledge of transparency, the White House says it will open its visitors’ books for the first time, posting online the names of most everyone who comes calling.
An exception will be visitors whose appointments “cannot be disclosed because of national security imperatives or their necessarily confidential nature (such as a visit by a possible Supreme Court nominee)”, a White House statement said.
Otherwise, it said, “the record of every visitor who comes to the White House for an appointment, a tour, or to conduct business will be released”.
Kabul, September 05: An airstrike in northern Afghanistan that killed up to 90 people on Friday hit at the heart of plans
for a tactical change in the Western military strategy against Taliban-linked insurgents.
The issue of civilian casualties in the Nato-backed war to rout Taliban from Afghanistan is a thorn in the relationship between the Kabul government and its Western backers – and a simmering source of anger among
Afghan people.
Riyadh, September 05: Young men spray hoses in a car-washing contest and play pool. Children make paper crowns in an art class, while their parents have a picnic. Alongside the fun and games, Muslim clerics answer questions about jihad or give lectures about the proper dress for women.
This is Islamic summer camp, and it’s part of Saudi Arabia’s campaign to eliminate al-Qaida.
London, September 05: Britain and the US on Friday defended their strategy in Afghanistan amid mounting
criticism over the rising death toll from war-weary voters.
The incident of Nato airstrike came as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown delivered a speech calling the
Western strategy against insurgents in Afghanistan “flawed” yet essential to suppressing the worldwide terrorism threat.
Top US military chiefs launched a staunch defence of their campaign against the Taliban before a war-weary public and warned that time was running out to make headway.
Hyderabad, September 05: A pall of gloom descended at the residence of A S C Wesley, Chief Security Officer (CSO) of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy who was among the five killed in the chopper crash in dense Nallamala forest area at Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.
Relatives, friends and colleagues of the police officer started gathering at his residence in Shantinagar colony today after hearing the tragic death of Reddy and four others including Wesley, who was accompanying the Chief Minister.
Wesley (44) is survived by wife, a 10-year-old son and a six-year-old daughter.
Hyderabad, September 05: The tragic death of Y.S.Rajashekhara Reddy is undeniably a loss for Andhra Pradesh’s Muslim community. Among all the current chief ministers he stands out for taking proactive measures to improve the socio-economic status of the Muslim community.
CHARMINAR MEANING “Masjid of the Four Minarets” and “Four Towers”is the most famous and important monument in the city of Hyderabad, capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The great monument is a synonym for Hyderabad and the foundation around which the glory and history of the city has developed. To imagine this 400-year-old city without Charminar is to imagine New York without the Statue of Liberty or Moscow without the Kremlin. Many Westerners refer to Charminar as the Arc de Triomphe of the East.
History
New Delhi, September 04: After two months of performing deadly stunts and struggling to survive in Malaysia’s largest tropical rain forest, TV actress Mona Wasu was voted and crowned the ‘Jungle Queen’ on Friday at the grand finale of Sony TV’s Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao reality show.
“I am very thankful to the audience for recognising my fight and struggle throughout the show,” Mona said after the results were announced.
Jeruselam, September 05: Madonna joined the Israeli prime minister and his family Friday in the traditional ritual welcoming the Jewish Sabbath
A statement from from the prime minister’s office says the singer spent two hours with Bejamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara at their home lighting candles and reciting a blessing together.
Although not Jewish, the 51-year-old pop star claims a special bond with Israel and Jewish tradition.
She’s been exploring Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism, for more than a decade and has taken the Hebrew name, Esther.
Vienna, September 04: Iran accused the U.S. on Friday of using “forged documents” and relying on subterfuge to make its case that Tehran is trying to build a nuclear weapon, according to a confidential letter obtained by The Associated Press.
The eight-page letter — written by Iran’s chief envoy to the U.N. nuclear agency in Vienna — denounces Washington’s allegations against the Islamic Republic as “fabricated, baseless and false.” The letter does not specify what documents Iran is alleging were forged.
Mumbai, September 04: As his bigtime film Wanted comes up for release, Salman Khan decided to give the media something he’s always wanted to — ‘a dose of their own medicine’. And ZOOM gave him that opportunity. To Face-Off with Times Group Editors and grill them (“like tandoori chicken!”). In a no-holds barred, free for all, Salman got to grill Bombay Times Editor — Mark Manuel, Mumbai Mirror Entertainment Editor — Indu Mirani and ZOOM Editor-in-Chief — Omar Qureshi. They, in turn got to air their grievances as well — but Khan proved to be tougher than they thought.
Washington, September 04: H1N1 flu has killed at least 2,837 people but is not causing more severe illness than previously and the virus has not mutated, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
The United Nations agency is monitoring the strain, commonly known as swine flu, to detect any mutation which might signal that it has become more deadly.
‘There is no sense that the virus has mutated or changed in any sense,’ WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told a news briefing. ‘We are continuing to see increased number of deaths because we are seeing many, many more cases.’