Month: September 2009

Batman voted greatest superhero

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London, September 04: (IANS) Gotham city’s Dark Knight, ‘Batman’ has vanquished his comic book rivals ‘Spider-man’ and ‘Superman’ to be named the greatest superhero of all time in a new poll.

Mirror.co.uk reports, the Caped Crusader, who has been fighting crime in comics, on TV and in numerous film adaptations since 1939, beat Peter Parker’s arachnid alter-ego to second place in the survey by SFX.co.uk.

The Man of Steel flew into third place ahead of X-Men hero ‘Wolverine’, who clawed his way to number four. ‘Iron Man’ rounds out the top five.

MMS finally coming to the iPhone

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Washington, September 04: The long awaited ability to send MMS messages via the iPhone will soon be a fact, at least for some, AT&T said on Thursday.

“We’ve been working for the past several months to prepare our systems and network to ensure the best possible experience with MMS when it launches,” the company said in a statement. MMS for iPhone 3G and 3GS customers will be available from Friday, September 25 after a software update during the day.

S.M. Krishna’s flight diverted to Karachi

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New Delhi, September 04: A Delhi-bound Emirates flight carrying Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna was diverted to Karachi Thursday due to inclement weather in the Indian capital, an airlines official said.
The flight EK-514 DXB-DEL, which took off from Dubai at 15.40 p.m., was to land in New Delhi, but due to bad weather it was diverted to Karachi, an Emirates spokesman told IANS Thursday night.

The flight carrying 101 passengers, including the Indian minister, was refueled at Karachi airport and then sent back to Dubai, the spokesman added.

AP declares seven days of mourning for YSR

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Hyderabad, September 04: The Andhra Pradesh Government anounced seven days of mourning for State Chief Minister Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy who died in a helicopter crash along with four others on Wednesday.

Reddy’s body is placed in State at the Lal Bahadur Stadium.

The burial will take place on Friday in Reddy’s native village Balpanur in Cuddalore District, which will be attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi.

Safina struggles, Dementieva dumped in US Open

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New York, September 04: Shaky top seed Dinara Safina turned in another patchy performance to escape with a victory, while American Melanie Oudin produced the shock of the event so far with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 knockout of fourth seed Elena Dementieva Thursday.

It was hit-or-miss for Safina, troubled by doubts over her status as a world number one who has yet to win a Grand Slam title.

The Russian got past Kristina Barrois of Germany 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-3, no thanks to 15 double faults and 38 unforced errors in their second-round match-up.

UN Sex Education Guide Draws Fire

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Paris, September 04: A set of UN sex education guidelines for children are drawing fire from conservative groups in the US and around the world for being explicit and graphic for young children and damaging to cultures and religions.

“If you ever have a situation where kids need to be taught earlier than their adolescence, this is not the way to do it,” Colin Mason of the Population Research Institute, a Virginia-based anti-abortion organization, told the New York Times on Thursday, September 3.

YouTube in Hollywood talks on movie rentals

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Los Angeles, September 04: YouTube is in advanced talks with major Hollywood studios about adding a movie rental service, in a move that could boost online movie rentals and finally allow Google to make a profit from the hugely popular video site, according to a media report Thursday.

YouTube executives are talking to representatives of Lions Gate Entertainment, Sony Corp, MGM and Warner Bros about charging for new movies on the site, the Wall Street Journal reported.

US Open to increase troops in Afghanistan: Pentagon

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Washington, September 04: The US is open to the possibility of sending more troops to the Afghanistan war, where President Barack Obama’s government has “limited time” to show improvement, top defence officials said Thursday.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told a press conference at Pentagon that he has received the assessment report on the Afghanistan strategy by Army General Stanley A. McChrystal, US top commander in the country, and informally forwarded a copy to President Obama.

Astronauts to install ammonia tank during spacewalk

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Washington, September 04: Two astronauts from the space shuttle Discovery were working outside the International Space Station Thursday to install a new ammonia tank that is crucial for keeping the orbiting laboratory cool.

US astronaut John “Danny” Olivas and Swede Christer Fuglesang left the ISS at 2212 GMT on a planned six-and-a-half hour spacewalk. They got started nearly an hour later than planned because of problems with a communications device in Olivas’ spacesuit.

Bin Laden “present” to Muslims

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Dubai, September 04: A website often used by al Qaeda supporters said it would soon carry a “present” to Muslims from Osama bin Laden on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Islamist website gave no further details, but messages by the al Qaeda leader have usually appeared within about 48 hours of being announced on the Internet.

In his latest message in June, bin Laden said U.S. President Barack Obama had planted the seeds of “revenge and hatred” toward the United States in the Muslim world.

The other four: two veteran fliers, a cop and an officer

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Hyderabad, September 04: “I will be back tomorrow night for dinner,” Captain M Satyanarayana Reddy said to his mother before he left home on Wednesday morning.

The co-pilot of the helicopter carrying Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy then drove to Begumpet airport, Hyderabad’s old airport which is now used for military and VIP movements. Half an hour later, he was airborne, with the CM on board.

We heard noise, but thought it was thunder

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Nalla Kaluva, September 04: Around forenoon, dark gray clouds hovered above the Serai Salem hills in Nallamalla forests, about 250 km south of Hyderabad, as if to mourn the death of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

But 25-year-old Maabu couldn’t stop grinning. He has made an unlikely killing: sold more than 500 ice creams in less than half-a-day, that too in a remote hamlet of Nalla Kaluva.

Such was the irony of the situation. Adventure overtook emotion with the heavy influx of crowds coming into the area, where the helicopter of the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh crashed.

Hyderabad prays for Reddy

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Hyderabad, September 04: A mixed feeling of nervousness and hope was prevailing at the state secretariat and the state Congress headquarters Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad as hundreds of men and women gathered there waiting to hear about the safety of the Chief Minister YSR.

As the news of Chief Minister’s helicopter disappearing spread like a wild fire, Congress workers gathered at the party office praying for the safe return of their leader.

At the secretariat, work came to a standstill and C Block, where Chief Minister’s Office is located, became the focus of attention.

Andhra Pradesh mourns death of YSR

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Hyderabad, September 04: The bodies of Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajashekhara Reddy and his four co-passengers were brought to Kurnool for autopsy at about 1430 hrs IST on Thursday.

A huge crowd of mourners had gathered near APSP parade grounds in Kurnool where an IAF helicopter carrying the bodies landed. Security personnel had a tough time controlling the crowd.

The bodies, which have been charred beyond recognition, have been airlifted by a MI-8 helicopter of the Indian Air Force and have reached Hyderabad.

Hyderabad shuts down

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Hyderabad, September 04: Grief swept through Andhra Pradesh and much of the country on Thursday with the tragic death of Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy who died when his helicopter crashed into a hilltop and exploded.

The mortal remains of Reddy and four others, who were also killed in the crash, were brought to Hyderabad by an Indian Air Force helicopter this evening from Kurnool district.

The Indian Air Force helicopter carrying YSR’s body landed at the old airport at Begumpet. State ministers and senior leaders of the ruling Congress received the casket at the airport.

34 die of YSR shock in Andhra

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Hyderabad, September 03: Shocked by the sudden and tragic end of their leader, 34 people died in different parts of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. Six people died in East Godavari, five in Chittoor, while another YSR fan got a cardiac arrest in Vishakhapatnam. Two others died in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam.

YSR body kept at Camp office, tommorrow funeral at Pulivendla

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Hyderabad, September 03: The chief minister’s body has arrived at Hyderabad Airport. The dead body of the CM was taken to his residence right from the Begumpet Airport this late evening. The Government has planned to keep the YSR’dead body from 9 am to 1 pm tomorrow, at Lal Bahadur Stadium for public viewing. He will then be taken to his village, Pulivendula, for last rites.

YSR Reddy and four other people were killed when their helicopter crashed in the dense jungles of southern India during a pounding rainstorm, media reported. The body of the Chief Minister arrived in Hyderabad.

Bangladeshi jurists oppose military law to try border guard mutineers

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Dhaka, September 03: Most of the eminent jurists who appeared before Bangladesh’s Supreme Court have opposed the use of military law to try border guard troopers who staged a mutiny earlier this year, killing 71 people.

The apex court Thursday concluded hearing a batch of ten amici curiae (friends of the court) on the presidential reference seeking a ruling on the law to apply while trying the mutineers, Star Online reported.

Sanjay Dutt- The Japanese Samurai!

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Mumbai, September 03: The so called hard life of Sanjay Dutt will now be depicted through two new tattoos that he is soon going to ink on his body apart from at least five tattoos that he already sports.

The tattoos will be inked on the right arm, one upon another two samurais will be done. It is being said that this will tell, how Sanjay fought through the bad times of his life like a samurai.

One tattoo will be quiet and the other will be loud upon which Japanese would flinging flowers to celebrate the victory of the samurai.

—Agencies

US, France, UK condole Reddy’s death

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New Delhi, September 03: The US, France and United Kingdom today condoled the death of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy and others in yesterday’s helicopter crash.

Paying tributes to Reddy, US Ambassador Timothy J Roemer said “the Chief Minister was a strong supporter of the US-India friendship and our bilateral partnership, visible in the strong economic and family ties between the people of Andhra Pradesh and the United States.”

ONGC in Corporate Trophy semifinals

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Visakhapatnam, September 03: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation made it to the semifinals of the inaugural Sahara BCCI Corporate trophy after their last Group B match against Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rains here today.

Umpires SD Ranade and MR Singh took the decision to call off the match at the Andhra Cricket Association ground.

ONGC, who had beaten Madras Rubber Factory by 81 runs yesterday, topped the group with seven points to move to the semifinal stage.

Only the group toppers make it to the semifinals.

‘Jai Ho’: A.R. Rehman

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Mumbai, September 03: The music maestro “A.R. Rahman” is increasing the boundaries of his love globally for the music with his strings and magical voice. The magician of music has added one more feather to his awards hat as he has triumphed “The Grassroot Grammy” award for the soundtrack of the Tamil film ‘Varalaru’ in the ‘Best Indian album’ category at the 2009 Just Plain Folks Music Award held in Nashville, US on 29 August.

He was joined by yet another South Indian Music maestro Ilayaraja and popular Bengali band Krosswindz as they were also nominated in the same category.

Civil Aviation Ministry sets up panel to probe chopper crash

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New Delhi, September 03: The Civil Aviation Ministry tonight set up a four-member committee to probe the cause of Andhra Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s helicopter crash in which he was killed.

The committee has been asked to complete its inquiry and submit its report to the government within two months.

R K Tyagi, Chairman and Managing Director of Pawan Hans Helicopters will head the committee, the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement.

The committee will also take the assistance of other experts from Indian Air Force wherever required, it said.

Three arrested in connection with elderly woman’s murder

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New Delhi, September 03: Three persons, including two cable operators, were arrested in connection with the murder of an elderly woman at her residence a week ago, police said today.

The arrested persons were identified as Ravinder, Sushil and Manish, who had rented a portion of the building owned by the victim Santosh Sharma.

Sharma (54), vice president of Mahila Congress Mandal, was found murdered at her house in Shiv Vihar of north-east Delhi on August 27 by a neighbour’s son, who came to deliver her lunch. Some of her belongings were also missing.

Four more die of swine flu; toll climbs to 34 in Karnataka

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Bangalore, September 03: Four more persons have succumbed to swine flu, taking the toll in the pandemic to 34 in Karnataka, health officials said today.

A 27-year-old man died in a private hospital here yesterday. His test reports which arrived today confirmed the death due to the virus, they said.

A 38-year-old woman and 31-year-old man died of swine flu on September 1 at different hospitals in the city.

Swine flu also claimed life of a 41-year-old man on August 29, they said.