Mumbai, September 03: Aditya Narayan and Adah Sharma are the new young couple in love. If sources are to be believed the young couple is more than just friends, as they claimed, “Adah went to visit him on the set of Shaapit with a special lunch for the two of them. They spent the whole lunch break together, and were even holding hands on the set.”
Mumbai, September 03: It’s marital bliss for Ayesha Takia. But that doesn’t stop her from meeting her mother. She can’t stay a day without meeting her mother Faridah. And as her mother stays in Andheri and she lives in Colaba, they have to travel quite a bit to meet up.
Usually Faridah goes to meet Ayesha in Colaba, but sometimes they meet up in Ayesha’s husband Farhan Azmi’s restaurant in Bandra.
Mumbai, September 03: In Mani Shankar’s next film, Kangana Ranaut will be seen playing a journalist. This film will have her playing a top journo who works for a famous news channel.
The role sounds slightly similar to that of journalist Barkha Dutt.
Kangana is very excited, as this will be her first time [^] playing a journalist. Sanjay Dutt and Irrfan Khan will be playing government agents in the untitled film. She will be cutting her hair for a cropped look.
—–Agencies
Tehran, September 03: Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency says the UN Security Council must legally disengage from the country’s nuclear issue.
In an interview with al-Alam TV late Wednesday, Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh said, “The UN Security Council’s involvement in Iran’s nuclear work lacks legal foundation and thus has to stop.”
He cited ‘political pressure’ as the reason behind the engagement, arguing that the involvement had conversely complicated the issue.
Gaza, September 03: Palestinian Hamas movement says that it will retaliate against Israel for the killing of two resistance fighters in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif Qanu vowed retaliation and said that the Palestinian people will never abandon their legitimate resistance against the Israeli occupation.
Qanu described the killing as a new Israeli crime against the Palestinians, which follows the setting fire on Palestinian fishing boats and opening fire on the Palestinian farmers.
Tehran, September 03: Iranian lawmakers begin casting their votes on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s cabinet line-up, after the president’s calls for the approval of all his 21 nominees.
Before balloting kicked off on Thursday, the Iranian president called on the country’s parliamentarians to send ‘a crushing response to foreign enemies’ by giving their vote of confidence to all of his cabinet nominees.
In a speech that wrapped up five days of cabinet debates at the parliament (Majlis), Ahmadinejad thanked the lawmakers for the views they had expressed and asked them for a full cabinet approval.
New Delhi, September 03: The Andhra Bhavan in the national capital will hold a condolence meeting following the death of chief minister Y.S. Raja sekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash.
“The condolence meet will be held at 4 p.m. It is for the staff members,” an official at the Andhra Bhavan told media today.
The Bhavan, situated in the heart of the national capital near India Gate, houses state government offices including those of the resident commissioner.
–IANS
Tel Aviv, September 03: US special envoy George Mitchell has met Tel Aviv officials over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a week after his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US special envoy said he had a ‘good meeting’ with two Israeli officials on Wednesday and would continue discussions next week.
The Wednesday meeting followed talks between Mitchell and Netanyahu in London last week on bringing about a freeze on Israeli settlement activities on the Palestinian territories.
Tehran, September 03: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s press conference which was initially planned for Thursday has been postponed to next week.
The president was expected to take part in a press conference on Thursday to answer questions by local and foreign media.
The press conference was, however, postponed to next week, local media reported.
Ahmadinejad went to the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) on Thursday morning to attend the last day of debates over his proposed cabinet.
He will have one hour to offer his last words in defense of his picks.
Paris, September 03: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says foreign militaries will not leave Afghanistan until it is secure enough for agriculture, health and education projects to start.
“We want to bring our decisive support to the Afghan population, with projects linked to agriculture, health, and education,” said Kouchner after a Wednesday meeting with international envoys in Paris.
“Of course for that we need to bring security,” he told a news conference.
Kabul, September 03: Frontier Corps Balochistan Inspector General has accused rebels in Pakistan’s volatile province of links with foreign militants crossing through the Afghan border.
Major Gen. Saleem Nawaz said Kabul-based rebel leader Brahamdagh Bugti was directly controlling the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Baloch Republican Army (BRA) militia from Afghanistan.
Islamabad has undeniable evidence regarding terrorist activities in Balochistan masterminded by Bugti, Nawaz stressed during an interview on Wednesday.
Washington, September 03: The CIA has refused to release further documents related to its controversial rendition, detention and interrogation of terror suspects.
In a 33-page court statement made public on Tuesday, the Central Intelligence Agency said the documents contained sensitive information “that implicates intelligence activities, sources and methods, and information relating to the foreign relations and activities of the United States.”
Tehran, September 03: Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi says sanctions imposed against Iran over its nuclear program are as ineffective as a ‘rusty sword’.
“The Iranian nation favors interaction and dialogue but will not surrender to pressure,” Qashqavi said, commenting on the West’s move to consider a September deadline for talks with Iran over its nuclear program.
“Sanction is just a rusty sword which has not any major effect,” IRIB quoted Qashqavi as saying on Wednesday.
Melbourne, September 03: Thousands of foreign students, including Indians and Chinese, have marched in Sydney and Melbourne seeking more measures from the Australian government on their safety, accommodation and travel concessions.
The protests were held yesterday in two states – New South Wales and Victoria – as they are the only states denying international students concession fares on public transport.
About 400 protesters marched through central Sydney to rally outside Parliament and in Melbourne over hundreds rallied to Parliament.
New Delhi, September 03: When it comes to his daughter, Bollywood actor-producer Anil Kapoor wants the best. He has roped in award-winning writer Manu Rishi to pen dialogues for Sonam’s next film “Ayesha”.
“Anil Kapoor met me and said that he had seen ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’. He also told me, ‘You’re very good’. Then he started talking about ‘Ayesha’ and told me that Sonam will be starring in it and that it’s his home production. He said that he really liked my work and wanted my inputs for ‘Ayesha’. That’s how the film happened,” Rishi told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
New Delhi, September 03: Delhiites had to suffer waterlogging woes as heavy rains today lashed several parts of the national capital.
The Central Control Room of MCD received 17 complaints of waterlogging during rains from areas like Pusa Road, Sarai Kale Khan, Panchsheel Garden, Shahdara and Ram Krishan Ashram Marg, officials said.
Three complaints of falling of trees were received from Kailash Colony, Parsad Nagar and Karol Bagh.
Residents have encountered massive waterlogging and traffic snarls every time heavy rains lashed the city this year, with MCD receiving most of the flak.
Kuala Lumpur, September 03: Malaysia will allow Muslims to attend a concert by the US hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas, reversing an earlier ban that was put in place because alcohol is to be sold during the event, officials said Wednesday.
The concert’s official website had earlier said the September 25 “party is only open to non-Muslims aged 18 years and above.” However, a check on the website Wednesday showed that the concert was now open to all those above 18.
Manila, September 03: The Philippines is one of seven countries in Asia facing a serious child trafficking problem, according to a study released Wednesday by the United Nations Children Fund.
The report, Child Trafficking in East and South-East Asia: Reversing the Trend, noted that internal trafficking in the Philippines is more problematic than cross-border trafficking.
“In the Philippines, children are mainly trafficked from the rural areas to urban cities,” it said.
Hyderabad, August 03: After Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Rajashekhara Reddy’s death, the current state finance minister, K Rosaiah has been declared as caretaker chief minister, say reports.
K Rosaiah is the senior most cabinet member. He assumed charge of the portfolio of Finance, Planning and Legislative Affairs in May 2009.
New York, September 03: Russian Marat Safin is counting the days to when he can kiss tennis goodbye, with five events left to play after crashing without regrets from the first round of the US Open.
The two-time Grand Slam champion, who will quit the game in two months when he plays at Paris Bercy for the final time, exited at Flushing Meadows nine years after his shock title victory over Pete Sampras.
On Wednesday, Safin lost to Austrian Jurgen Melzer 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, barely noticing the end of his 11-year run at majors.
The tragic death of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy, who was on his way to launch yet another mass contact programme when the helicopter carrying him crashed in the dense Nallamalla forests, has come as a major shock to the entire nation.
The nation has for sure lost a great leader, who was known for his administrative skills, his ability to feel the nerves of the masse and his strong conviction to transform Andhra Pradesh into a developed and progressive state.
New Delhi, September 03: The death of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was a “tremendous loss”, a shocked Congress party said on Thursday.
“It is a tremendous loss. He was a dynamic chief minister. A towering and successful leader … of the state and the Congress party,” party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said after the bodies of YSR and four others were found in Kurnool district where their helicopter crashed a day earlier in bad weather.
Tehran, September 03: Iran has again rejected the deadline for holding nuclear talks with the world powers and reiterated that the dispute over its atomic programme should only be dealt with by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the official news agency IRNA reported Thursday.
“The nuclear issue only concerns the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and not the member states of the UN Security Council and they (the world powers) should know that Iran will not give in to pressure,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said.
Known as a people’s leader for several initiatives for their welfare, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was on his way
to launch yet another mass contact programme when the helicopter carrying him went missing in the dense Nallamalla forests, before it was found nearly 24 hours later on Thursday.
It was only around 0500 hrs IST on Wednesday that senior police officials in Chittoor district were informed by the chief minister that he would be visiting Anuppalle village to launch ‘Racchabanda’ programme.
Taipei, September 03: The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, called Thursday on China to introduce democracy to avoid a collapse like that of the Soviet Union. The Dalai Lama, invited to visit Taiwan to bless typhoon victims, made the call while receiving disciples at the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taipei.
As he spoke, hundreds of pro-China activists protested outside the hotel, clashing with police and shouting, “Tibet, China all belong to China!” and “Dalai Lama go back to India!”