Month: September 2009

Are trade talks nearing conclusion? Not quite, says India

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New Delhi, September 04: In what could dash the hopes of WTO chief Pascal Lamy that the ongoing trade ministers’ meeting here would lead to successful culmination of global trade talks, India on Thursday said the end was nowhere in sight.

“In some quarters, it has been suggested the most issues have been settled and we are almost in end-game. However… there are still a few gaps and large number of unresolved issues. In some instances, the architecture of a solution is not yet fully in sight,” Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said.

Gujarat High Court overturns ban on Jaswant’s book

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Ahmedabad, September 04: The Gujarat High Court Friday overturned the state government’s ban on former central minister Jaswant Singh’s book “Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence”.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state had banned the book Aug 19, two days after it was released in New Delhi and on the day Singh was expelled from the party for his views on Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

The court, hearing a public interest petition, ruled against the ban.

Rupee rises by 3 paise to 48.88 a dollar in opening trade

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Mumbai, September 04: The Indian rupee on Friday strengthened by three paise against the US currency in opening trade on dollar selling by exporters.

Weak dollar against some other currencies and hopes of fresh capital inflows by foreign funds into equity markets, which may open higher also supported the Indian rupee.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic unit gained 3 paise to quote at 48.88 a dollar over the previous close. Yesterday, the rupee closed five paise higher at 48.91/92.

Aides: Israel to build new houses in settlements

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Jerusalem, September 04: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will approve hundreds of new housing units in West Bank settlements before slowing settlement construction, two of his aides said Friday, in an apparent snub of Washington’s public demand for a total settlement freeze.

The aides also said Netanyahu would be willing to consider a temporary freeze in settlement construction, but their definition of a freeze would include building the new units and finishing some 2,500 others currently under construction.

Another exciting series on cards: Strauss

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London, September 04: After having regained the coveted Ashes urn, England are ready for a closely contested seven-match ODI series against the revenge-hungry Aussies.

According to latest cricket updates, England captain Andrew Strauss, who had a great Ashes series both as a captain and as a batsman, expects that they would be up against some new challenges in the ODI series against Australia that starts on Friday at The Oval.

But he also said that the feel-good factor after the Ashes win would help them to beat their arch-rivals and improve their ODI rankings.

Battle Royale on cards as Eng take on Oz

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London, September 04: Strauss`s men can move ahead of their visitors if they win 5-2 or better while Ponting`s side can reclaim number-one position in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship.

Ideal opportunity for both sides to prepare for this month`s ICC Champions Trophy

After consigning Australia to its lowest Test ranking to date, England can leapfrog its old foe in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table as the two sides go head to head in the seven-match ODI series which gets underway at The Oval on Friday.

Pratibha Patil to discuss trade, energy with Russian PM

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Moscow, September 04: Indian President Pratibha Patil will meet Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin here later Friday for talks focusing on bilateral trade and energy.

Patil held talks Thursday with her Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.

India and Russia enjoy close bilateral ties, particularly in the areas of defence, nuclear energy and the space industry. The two countries have completed the design of an unmanned lunar orbiter due to be sent to the moon in 2011-12.

Last year was the Year of Russia in India, and 2009 is the Year of India in Russia.

Time to prove we are the best – de Villiers

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Johanesburg, September 04: AB de Villiers believes the ICC Champions Trophy presents South Africa with an “ideal opportunity” to prove they are the best in the world.

South Africa are currently No.1 in the ICC ODI rankings but their record in ICC tournaments has been below expectations, having only emerged triumphant in the inaugural Champions Trophy in 1998.

Myanmar court accepts Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal

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Yangon, September 04: A Myanmar court has accepted the appeal of Aung San Suu Kyi against last month’s court decision that put her under house detention for the next 18 months, her lawyers said Friday.

‘The Yangon divisional court has accepted our case, and hearing of arguments will start on Sep 18,’ said Nyan Win, one of Suu Kyi’s lawyers.

The attorneys submitted the appeal Thursday on behalf of their client, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years under detention and is currently being detained at her Yangon family compound.

Shahid Kapoor wants to flirt with Madhuri

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Mumbai, September 04: Former Bollywood top heroine Madhuri Dixit may not be in the news [^] of late but she has an ardent admirer in Shahid Kapoor. The actor, who has just delivered a hit in Kaminey [^], revealed that he wants to flirt with Madhuri.

When asked who he would choose between Sridevi, Rekha, Madhuri Dixit [^] or Zeenat Aman for his dream project, he replied Madhuri. Yes, this was what he said to Farah Khan on her chat show Tere Mere Beach Mein.

Arshad says its difficult to break the typecast circuit

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Mumbai, September 04: Arshad Warsi, best known for his portrayal as the lovable goon `Circuit` in `Munnabhai` movies, feels he is typecast in a particular bracket and there is little he can do about it.
“Once a particular character becomes a hit, a slew of similar ones are offered to the actor. I do not have a choice. At times, actors do not really get what they want to do. Most of them are not in a position to pick and choose,” the 43-year-old actor told reporters.

Aamir Khan battling weighty issue

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Mumbai, September 04: The man, who stunned film lovers with eight-pack abs not long ago, is a fat man now. We are talking about Aamir Khan. He has lost his muscular look of Ghajini, as he couldn’t work out regularly for the last three months. He is currently battling this weighty issue.

Yes, Aamir has put on seven kilos. He just couldn’t give attention to fitness regime following the tragedy in his family. His lost his first child with Kiran Rao following a miscarriage. He has gone on a long holiday at an undisclosed location with Kiran.

13 drown during Ganesh immersion in Maharashtra

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Mumbai, September 04: At least 13 people have drowned in different parts of Maharashtra, including five in Mumbai, during the immersion of Ganesh idols, police said Friday.

In the worst incident, five volunteers of the Omkar Ganeshotsav Mandal, Goregaon, drowned during immersion at Versova Beach in northwest Mumbai Thursday – the 12th and final day of Ganesh Chaturthi festival – according to police.

Four of them have been identified as Anil Thakur, 40, Appa Sawle, 25, Deepak Kamble, 19, and Anil Kamble, 22, while the identity of the fifth victim is not yet known.

Pak court dismisses plea seeking police case against Musharraf

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Islamabad, September 04: A Pakistani court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking the registration of a police case against former President Pervez Musharraf and his close aides for the “murder” of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti.

The petition, filed last month by Bugti’s son Nawabzada Jamil Akbar Bugti in a sessions court at Sibbi in Balochistan, was dismissed by the judge who said the matter did not come under his jurisdiction.

Ramzan Special: Tandoori Chicken

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The Ramadan fast is broken with a range of delicacies of which chicken is an integral part. Try out the traditional Chicken Tandoori this time.
Ingredients:

1 chicken cut into pieces
3 small black cloves
5 red dried chilies
1/2 pint of natural yogurt
2 cloves ground crushed garlic
11/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/8 cup of butter
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon powdered red food coloring
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Procedure:

Salman refuses Katrina Kaif to work with Vivek Oberoi

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Mumbai, September 04: Bollywood’s macho man Salman Khan may be liberal and easy going as far as choices and decisions his lady love Katrina Kaif has to make about her career and actors she chooses to work with.

But in a recent interview he admitted that he had to put his foot down to one ‘idiot’. Yes, it is none other than Vivek Oberoi.

Salman feels that all his patching up tactics are full drama which is all meaningless. But rest he doesn’t mind Katrina working with John Abraham, Shahrukh etc. After all it is Katrina’s life.

Well you are a very liberal man Salman!

TCS to open 6 passport offices in October

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Chandigarh, September 04:Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will open six offices across India in October to provide passport services, a company official has said. The much-delayed Passport Seva Project is expected to take off with this move.

With the launch of this Rs.100 billion project, the processing time for issuance of passport is expected to be reduced to three days and to one day under the Tatkal (immediate) scheme.

Sania advances in doubles; Somdev crashes out

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New York, September 04: Sania Mirza has kept her hopes alive in the doubles and mixed doubles at the US open by winning both matches and advancing to the second round.

Sania bounced back from her 6-0, 6-0 drubbing at the hands of 10th seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy to win both her women’s doubles and mixed doubles matches Thursday.

She partnered with Italy’s Fransesca Schiavone to win a see-saw first round match defeating Ekaterina Dzehalevich of Belarus and Renata Voracova of the Czech Republic 5-7, 7-5, 6-1.

I don’t know how to impress selectors: Jaffer

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New Delhi, September 04: He has an abundance of runs in the domestic circuit but nine years after making his debut for India, Wasim Jaffer is yet to cement his place in the national team and the Mumbai opener says he doesn’t know how to impress the selectors, who seem to have overlooked his exploits.

Jaffer made his Test debut for India in February 2000 against South Africa and since then has been on and off the team but everytime he was shown the door, the lanky batsman went back to the domestic circuit and scored runs to strengthen his claim.

Tim May blasts WICB

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London, September 04: The West Indies Cricket Board’s decision of sending a sub-standard team to the Champions Trophy has drawn the ire of Tim May.

May, who is the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricket Associations (FICA), said that the WICB decision devalued the Trophy, and also voiced concerns on the team that was slated to tour Australia later.

Lee eager to make a mark

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Melbourne, September 04: Brett Lee is ready to redeem his so far insipid tour to England and win back his Test spot with a successful one-day international campaign against England. Lee, who was unable to make the starting XI in the Test squad, will lead the Australian attack in the one-dayers and the Champions Trophy to follow.

It has been a frustrating tour for Lee, who was set to play a leading role in Australia’s Ashes defense, but instead had to watch from the sidelines after an injury cruelly laid him low just days before the first Test.

Raina takes Air India-Red to the semis

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New Delhi, September 04: Suresh Raina smashed a sparkling unbeaten 92 to power Air India Red to a thumping seven-wicket victory over India Cements in their last Group D match and book a semifinal berth in the inaugural Sahara BCCI Corporate Trophy limited overs tournament.

Raina sent the India Cements bowlers for a leather hunt in his 107-ball innings which was studded with seven fours and two sixes at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Thousands turn out for YSR’s last journey

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Hyderabad, September 04 (Siasat news): Tens of thousands of grief stricken people turned out Friday to pay last respects to the late Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, whose body first taken to the Gandhi Bhawan for 10 minutes and will be kept at a stadium in Hyderabad before being flown to his native Pulivendula town in Kadapa district for the last rites.

A sea of humanity waited outside the Lal Bahadur Stadium in the heart of the city for the cortege to arrive from his residence five kilometres away.

YSR’s body moved to airport after stampede

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Hyderabad, September 04:Several people were injured in a stampede at the Lal Bahadur Stadium here Friday, forcing authorities to move the body of the late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy an hour before schedule.

Police failed to control the surging mourners, who broke barricades at several points to rush towards the body kept on a pedestal in the middle of the ground.

We don’t want to sit at 2nd: Bracken

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Melbourne, September 04: Australia have a long limited-overs season ahead of them, and Nathan Bracken will be central to their plans of regaining the top ranking, which they lost earlier this year.

“It’s about getting out here playing some cricket and probably getting this side back to where we should be,” Bracken was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

“We want to be the best in the world. We don’t want to sit second, third, fourth or fifth.