Month: September 2009

Ranbir Kapoor: I hate birthdays!

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Mumbai, September 28: Says a 27-today Ranbir Kapoor. He feels b’days are overrated but cuts cakes and has havan at home to bring in the day, nevertheless

Ranbir Kapoor doesn’t like celebrating his birthdays. Today he will spend his janamdin with close friends, family and of course girlfriend Deepika Padukone at his Bandra bungalow. As he turns 27, Ranbir chats about himself, his life, and his Friday release Wake Up Sid. Read on…

I’m nervous because Wake Up Sid is releasing this week.

Bipasha celebrates Durga Puja with John

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Mumbai, September 28: Bips celebrates Durga puja on Ashtami with beau John and nephew and niece; but is depressed as parents are away

No matter how busy her schedule is there is one day in the year that Bipasha Basu keeps for Goddess Durga – Maha Ashtami – when she fasts and does anjali (aarti).

Bips admits, “I always go for Ashtami Puja’s anjali no matter how busy I am. It’s been a childhood ritual. I fast in the mornings and then go and do aarti after which I would eat bhog.”

France, Poland want Polanski released on bail

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Zurich, September 28: The international tug-of-war over Roman Polanski escalated Monday as France and Poland urged Switzerland to free the 76-year-old director on bail and pressed U.S. officials all the way up to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the case.

Polanski was in his third day of detention after Swiss police arrested him Saturday on an international warrant as he arrived in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award from a film festival.

SRK will act and do voiceovers in his production, Fauji 2

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Mumbai, September 28: Buzz is that Shah Rukh Khan will act and do voiceovers in his television production, Fauji 2. The actor is revisiting the soap that was his small screen debut over two decades ago.

It is learnt that SRK will appear as the father of Abhimanyu Singh – the character he played.

Says a source, “Shah Rukh will be seen providing guidance to Abhimanyu. He will appear without recourse to any gray hair. Khan will be providing inspirational and pep talks to Abhimanyu in an army kind of look.”

IPS officer Saji Mohan moves court for bail

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Mumbai, September 28: IPS officer Saji Mohan, arrested in January for allegedly possessing drugs and conspiring to smuggle them, has approached the sessions court seeking bail. Mohan, who was the joint director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and two others — businessman Vicky Oberoi and police constable Rajesh Kantharia — were arrested by the state Anti Terrorism Squad and booked under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

China celebrates 2,560th birth anniversary of Confucius

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Beijing, September 28: China Monday celebrated the 2,560th birth anniversary of ancient philosopher and thinker Confucius.

A ceremony was held in the Confucius Temple in Qufu city in China’s eastern Shandong province, where the philosopher was born Sep 28, 551 BC.

More than 10,000 people, including some of the philosopher’s descendants, as well as scholars and representatives of foreign embassies and international organisations, attended the ceremony.

Murder case accused killed brutually at Chandrayan Gutta

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Hyderabad, September 28: A murder case accused was brutally murdered in Chandrayangutta on Sunday morning. Two persons attacked Mohammed Khalifaa, 42, of Mumtaz Nagar in Barkas with knives while he was coming out of a small cafe in Bandlaguda area. According to Chandrayangutta inspector Syed Fayaz, the assailants slit the throat of Khalifaa and he died due to heavy bleeding.

Khalifaa was the main accused in Saleem’s murder case that happened at Falaknuma in May 2009. Subsequently, Khalifaa was arrested by police and a month ago he got out of the jail on bail.

Manila hit over aid delay after storm kills 140

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Manila, September 28: Philippine officials scampered to send relief aid on Monday to hundreds of thousands hit by weekend floods in and around Manila, while anger mounted over what was seen as an inadequate response from the government.

As the death toll from flash floods soared to 140, analysts said the anger could damage the prospects of Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, the administration’s candidate in the May 2010 presidential election.

“His 0.2 percent popularity could be zero by now,” said political analyst and columnist Nelson Navarro, of Teodoro.

Brazil tells Honduras it does not accept ‘ultimatum’

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Porlamar, September 28: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva here said that it ‘does not accept ultimatums from a coup-making government’. He was talking about the 10 days ultimatum given by the present Honduran government for clearing the status of expelled Honduran president Mel Zelaya who is holed up in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa.

The deposed Honduran leader is ‘the legitimate president of Honduras’ and his status is that of a ‘guest of the Brazilian embassy’ in Tegucigalpa, Lula said Sunday at a press conference during the South America-Africa Summit here.

Harpoon missiles not modified: Pakistan

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Karachi, September 28: Pakistan Monday repudiated reports that it had illegally modified the US-supplied Harpoon anti-ship missile to enable them to strike at land targets in India.

‘We have not and will never violate any convention or principles on that, and all international obligations are being honoured by the Pakistan Navy,’ naval chief Admiral Nauman Bashir said.

The US protest on the issue ‘is based on sheer misunderstanding, which is being clarified at the appropriate level’, he told reporters on the sidelines of an international conference on piracy on the high seas.

SL plans to set up Special Tribunals to try LTTE cadres

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Colombo, September 28: Sri Lanka plans to set up a Special Tribunal to try over 10,000 LTTE suspects who have been involved in various crimes and has even sought help from the US and UK in dealing with the former rebels.

“Our aim is to settle the cases against the LTTE cadres speedily as it could otherwise take years in the normal legal system in courts,” a top government official said.

More than 10,000 LTTE cadres are being held in various centres across Sri Lanka after the end of the 30-year-old civil war with the death of Velupillai Prabhakaran in May.

IRGC: We test fired upgraded missile models

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Tehran, September 28: Iran has tested new upgraded versions of its missiles in the three-stage military drill that is currently underway, says a senior IRGC commander.

“During the first phase [of the drill], which was carried out this morning, we launched Tondar and Fateh missiles, and tested the performance of the Zelzal missile launcher,” Brigadier General Hossein Salami told Press TV on Sunday.

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi pushes sanctions talks

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Yangon, September 28: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has requested permission from the ruling junta to talk about lifting economic sanctions with the US, Australia and the European (EU), opposition sources said Monday.

Suu Kyi, who is currently under house detention, made the request in a letter sent to junta chief Senior General Than Shwe, the National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition party revealed.

Iran: LPG tanks operational at South Pars gas field

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Tehran, September 28: An Iranian contractor has begun storing liquid Butane and propane gases in tanks recently built at phases 9 and 10 of Iran’s South Pars gas field.

The LPG storage tanks in phases 9 and 10 of the South Pars gas field have become operational after their compressor was launched, said Hamid-Reza Mahdavi, the head of the onshore department of the project’s contractor, OIEC.

“The stored LPG will be sent through a pipeline to the export wharf in order to be sent via LPG ships,” Mahdavi said.

Israeli tank targets 2 Palestinian teens

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Gaza, September 28: Two Palestinian teenagers have been wounded by Israeli tank fire in a refugee camp in the impoverished Gaza Strip, Palestinian medics say.

Head of Gaza Emergency Services, Dr Muawiya Hassanein, stated that the incident took place early Monday morning in the Maghazi refugee camp.

He said the victims were a teenaged boy and girl, AFP reported.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the incident until Yom Kippur (the Jewish day of prayer and fasting) ends at sundown.

12-year-old girl dies, first flu death in Punjab region

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Chandigarh, September 28: The Punjab region registered its first swine flu death today after a 12-year-old school girl from Ambala fell victim to the virus. “The girl from Ambala, Harshita, is the first death case reported in the region comprising Chandigarh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh,” Nodal Officer H C Gera said.

Germany’s Merkel preparing for new government

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Berlin, September 28: Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday set about laying the groundwork for her new, center-right coalition as analysts warned that her victory might have a downside for her popularity.

Merkel, 55, who was voted back into office for a second term in Sunday’s elections, will spend the coming weeks building a new government with the Free Democrats, whose leader Guido Westerwelle, 47, is widely expected to be tapped as her deputy and foreign minister.

‘Ghajini’ producers now want both Aamir and Hrithik

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Mumbai, September 28: “Ghajini” producers Allu Arvind and Madhu Mantena are going to make a Hindi remake of Telugu blockbuster “Magadheera” and they are reportedly considering Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan to play the main leads.

“Yes Allu Arvind and I are remaking ‘Magadheera’ in Hindi. As for the cast, it’s too early to talk about it. But ‘Magadheera’ is definitely being planned to be bigger than ‘Ghajini’,” Mantena told IANS.

Released in July this year, “Magadheera” has already grossed over Rs.65 crore in India alone and is said to be the second-biggest Telugu hit after “Ghajini”.

Two held with fake currency

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Etawah, September 28: Fake currency with a face value of Rs 9.60 lakhs was seized from Bakebar area here and two persons arrested in this connection, police said today. On a tip-off, a special Operation Group (SOG) team apprehended two motorcycle-borne persons near Maheba town yesterday and seized fake currency notes from them.

On the information provided by the duo, machinery, equipment and chemical used in printing of the fake notes were also recovered, the police said.

—-PTI–

Saraswati faced threat for his activities: DGP

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Bhubaneswar, September 28: Swami Laxamananda Saraswati, a VHP functionary whose murder triggered violence in Orissa”s Kandhamal district, was facing threat from rival groups and was provided with security by the state, a top police offical said today. “The threat perception was in view of his Hindu assertive activities and the reaction such activities evoked from rival groups.

Disappointed Smith to wait for another ICC event.

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Johanesburg, September 28: Expressing disappointment after yet another failure at an ICC event by bowing out of the Champions Trophy, South African captain Graeme Smith said his side was trying their best but somehow have not being able to cross the line.

“I don’t know why. It is not about lack of performance or lack of trying. Everything has been done at the moment. We have the potential. We have to back ourselves and get over the line at some point of time,” he said last night after side’s 22-run loss against England to bow out of Champions Trophy at home.

Redmond can replace Ryder: ICC

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Johanesburg, September 28: ICC event technical committee have allowed New Zealand to replace Jesse Ryder by Aaron Redmond in the ongoing Champions Trophy here.

Ryder was forced out of the squad after suffering an injury to his left groin during his side’s 38-run victory over Sri Lanka at the Wanderers yesterday and the all-rounder will now be replaced by Redmond.

The confirmation of Ryder’s replacement was conveyed to New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on behalf of the committee later yesterday.

Berlusconi calls Obama ‘tanned’ again

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Italy, September 28: Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is poking fun at President Barack Obama again. Berlusconi has told a rally in Milan 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, Berlusconi raised eyebrows by saying the victor was “young, handsome and even has a good tan.”

This time, Berlusconi took a poke at the First Lady.

“You won’t believe it,” he said on Sunday, “but two of them went to the beach because the wife is also tanned.”Berlusconi is known for his gaffes.

Dhoni hints at playing 5 bowlers

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Centurion, September 28: Going into a must-win situation, MS Dhoni is likely to play five bowlers against Australia. While Dhoni refufed to divulge details of the final eleven, he hinted a that there might be a couple of changes, while talking to the press.

“It sure gets tough with the batsmen if you play an extra bowler, but then it’s one and the same thing if bowlers go for major runs. It again brings the pressure on batsmen. So in this case the batsmen will have to take the responsibility,” Dhoni said while speaking to the press.

Sri Lanka, England fined for slow over-rates

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Centurion, September 28: Sri Lanka and England have been fined for slow over-rates following contrasting results in Group B Champions Trophy matches on Sunday.

Sri Lanka, who lost by 38 runs to New Zealand at the Wanderers, were ruled two overs short in the allotted time, an International Cricket Council (ICC) statement said on Monday.

Captain Kumar Sangakkara was fined 20 percent of his match fees and the rest of the team 10 percent.