Venezuela will continue oil exports to US: Chavez

Lima, September 01: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that Caracas will continue exporting oil to the United States because it is in the interest of his country.

Chavez said in a statement published in the Lima daily El Comercio that “many people don’t know” that Venezuelan state oil giant PDVSA, through its Citgo subsidiary, has seven large refineries and more than 10,000 service stations on US soil.

“Venezuela can’t take a decision against ourselves. We send the oil to our refineries and to our distribution systems in the US,” he said.

Driver returns $460,000 to passenger

Buenos Aires, September 01: A bus driver returned a suitcase containing more than $460,000 to a passenger who left it on the vehicle while going to a bank in Argentinean city of San Juan.

Bus driver Alberto Rios got an $80 reward for his efforts from the passenger, a business executive, who said he was under great stress after losing track of the money belonging to the company he works for.

Rios found the suitcase, which contained pesos, dollars and euros, earlier this month while inspecting his bus at the end of a shift, the Diario de Cuyo newspaper reported.

Summons to Mush, Malik as plea claims hand in Bhutto murder

Lahore, September 01: A Pakistani court on Monday asked former President Pervez Musharraf and Interior Minister Rehman Malik to appear before it on September 28 for the hearing of a petition alleging their involvement in the assassination of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto as part of an “international” plot.

Besides Musharraf and Malik, the Lahore High Court also issued notices to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Babar Awan, former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and 12 others.

Power couple Aishwarya and Abhishek to appear on Oprah

Mumbai, September 01: Married to the highflying, globetrotting Indian belle with an overbearing international repute, Abhishek Bachchan has often been spotted as Aishwarya’s much-priced accessory at global events.

Be it the Cannes or Hollywood premiers, the dashing hunk, dressed in matching outfits; compliments his gorgeous wife’s classic frame.

And after making it apparently clear to the foreign bigwigs that he and his wife are a package deal, Jr Bachchan has now been invited to keep his wife company on the Oprah Winfrey show.

Imran Khan proposes, gets engaged to ladylove Avantika

Mumbai, September 01: Heartthrob Imran Khan really seems to doing really well for himself, not just in his career but also in his personal life.

If the latest reports are to be believed, the actor recently got engaged to his ladylove and longtime girlfriend Avantika Malik, but their wedding date is still a secret.

Our source reveals that the actor recently proposed to Avantika and she said a ‘yes’! Imran reportedly threw a surprise birthday party for Avantika on July 18. He proposed to her in front of very close family and friends, and she accepted.

Brisk walk a day ‘can add years to your life’

London, September 01: It will not only add life to your years, but a brisk walk a day can also add years to your life, a new study has claimed.

Researchers from the Veterans Affairs Medical Centres in Washington and Palo Alto in California have carried out the study and found that brisk walking for 20 to 40 minutes daily can halve the chance of dying for elderly men.

“The overall message is that although ageing and death are inevitable, the rate for both can be modulated by simply maintaining a physically active lifestyle at any age,” said lead researcher Peter Kokkinos.

Astronauts transfer cargo carrier to ISS

Washington, September 01: The crews of the space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station Monday transferred a container holding 816 kilograms of cargo to the station.

In the first day of joint operations at the station, the crews used a robotic arm to take the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module out of the shuttle’s payload bay and install it outside the station for easy access during spacewalks.

US book on Mohammed cartoons stirs frenzy

The cartoons that shocked the world will be discussed in great detail in a new book about the 2005 protests over Prophet Mohammed caricatures, but readers will have to use their imagination after Yale University Press refused to publish any of the 12 sketches over “security concerns.”

“There is a repeated pattern of violence when these cartoons have been republished,” University Vice President and Secretary Linda Lorimer said.

” There is a repeated pattern of violence when these cartoons have been republished ”

Teen Convert Stirs Muslim-Evangelical Row

Orlando, September 01: A custody battle is raging between Christian evangelicals in the US and a Muslim family over a runaway teenage girl who converted to Christianity.

“We feel frustrated because this is a family problem of a certain family,” Imam Tariq Rasheed,6 director of the Islamic Centre of Orlando, told.

“The way it has been portrayed is defaming Islam and giving a negative picture of our religion.”

Rifqa Mohamed Bary, a 17-year-old of Sri Lankan origin, left her Muslim family in Ohio in July and went to Orlando, where she converted to Christianity.

Hajj Preparations in Full Swing

Jeddah, September 01: With cameras to guarantee pilgrim’s safety, buildings to accommodate more worshippers and a monorail to ease the faithful’s movement, Saudi preparations are in full swing for the spiritual journey of hajj.

“Fixed and mobile cameras have been established in various parts of the holy sites to monitor the movement of pilgrims in order for the security forces to intervene whenever required,” the Supreme Hajj Committee said in a report.

Haj committee is creating confusion for Indian hajis

Deoband, September 01: Because of the everyday day change in the policy of Haj Committee of India the Haj aspirants are facing a lot of problems.

The everyday changing policies are creating confusion among the Haj aspirants. These were the expression of Maulana Haseeb Siddiqui, chairman of All India Muslim Economic Council.

He said that the change in rules by Haj Committee creates more problems than the easiness for the Hajis. Like earlier this year too The Haj aspirants are facing many problems due the many changes and some confusing rules of Haj Committee of India.

Young British Muslims angry with police and media

London, September 01: Many young British Muslims feel demonised by the police and the media and say they have come under pressure to prove their loyalty since the Sept. 11 attacks and the 2005 London bombings, a study has found.

The report for the Policy Research Centre, an Islamic think tank, was intended to give young Muslims their own voice to counter assumptions made by outsiders.

It said young Muslims had been portrayed in the media as a threat to society and often struggled to convince people that they can be both British and Muslim at the same time.

Probe ordered into fire at AP High Court

Hyderabad, September 01: An enquiry has been ordered into the fire incident at the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday.

The fire, which broke out in the wee hours, gutted eight judge chambers and damaged a library and a conference hall following which a probe has been ordered into the incident, Fire Brigade DG Aruna Bahuguna told reporters after inspecting the site.

Preliminary investigations point out that the fire started with a short circuit, she said.

Three government employees arrested in graft case in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, September 01: Three state government employees including prohibition and excise superintendent were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in an illegal gratification case in Andhra Pradesh today.

Acting on a tip-off, the sleuths of the ACB caught Ch Srinivas Rao, a constable working in prohibition and excise department on Saturday at Telani in Guntur district while taking a bribe of Rs1 lakh as share money for his two officers, a release from ACB said here today.

Plenty in the midst of poverty

Hyderabad, September 01: The proof of the pudding, they say, is in the eating. Going by that yardstick, the ‘Development Review Meet’ convened by Municipal Administration Minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy on 29 August, 2009 can be described as an unqualified success.

Rahman to perform in Hyderabad

Mumbai, September 01: Oscar-winner A R Rahman is all set to rock Hyderabad on October 24.

According to a GMR Hyderabad International Airport release, over 50,000 people are expected to attend Rahman’s Jai Ho concert at a specially created arena near the airport.

After bagging two Oscars at this year’s Academy Awards for his work in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, Rahman has become a sensation overseas. So it’s good to see he’s still in touch with Indian fans!

-Agencies

Heavy rains lash Hyderabad, many low lying areas hit

Hyderabad, September 01: Even as moderate to rather heavy rains have been forecast for tomorrow in Andhra Pradesh, heavy rains lashed the state capital inundating several low lying areas last night.

The state capital received 10 cm of rainfall from midnight till 0830 am this morning.

Rain water entered into nearly 20 low lying areas including some housing colonies causing hardship to the people, officials said.

2,000 criminals arrested in a single day

Lucknow, September 01: Nearly 2,000 criminals were arrested from different parts of Uttar Pradesh since last evening during a special drive launched by the police, a senior officer said here today.

“During the drive, 1947 persons wanted in different cases and 53 criminals carrying cash reward were arrested from different parts of the state. Non-bailable warrant was served on 1833 accused,” he said.

Tragic legacy of Arab men and Hyderabadi women

Hyderabad, September 01: They are the tragic legacy of Arab men and Hyderabadi women. Born to such marriages, they are returned to Hyderabad and abandoned, sometimes alone, sometimes with their mothers.

In some cases, they have been abandoned in the Gulf countries itself. At least 100 such children are said to be languishing either in the Gulf or in Hyderabad, having been foresaken both by their ‘mother’ city as well as the city of their birth.