Month: September 2009

Three walk from Tibet to Bodh Gaya to pray for Dalai Lama

by

Patna, September 26: Three Buddhist devotees have travelled hundreds of kilometres on foot from Tibet and reached the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya to pray for the long life of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

Kelsang Dondup, 56, Sangau Dolma, 62, and Chultim Lama, 43, offered prayers to Lord Buddha and sought blessings for the Dalai Lama at the temple after they reached Bodh Gaya in Bihar from a village in Tibet. They reached Bodh Gaya Thursday.

Pak militant gets lifer in bombing case

by

Srinagar, September 26: A Pakistani militant has been awarded life imprisonment by a local court here for planting a bomb in a matador van in 1994 which left seven persons dead.

Third additional sessions Judge R S Jain in a judgment yesterday, said that the convict Sanaullah had confessed to the crime.

The court sentenced Sanaullah to life imprisonment for planting and exploding the bomb in a matador van where seven passengers were killed and 16 were injured.

Maharashtra polls: Congress has edge, Pawar in decline

by

Mumbai.September 26:The Maharashtra assembly elections have assumed an even greater importance for the Congress in the aftermath of its recent setbacks in the by-elections in Gujarat. Besides, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)’s good showing in Bihar, along with that of its junior partner, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), has also been discomfiting to the party.

The only way for the Congress to recover its poise is to fare well in Maharashtra, the home of India’s financial capital Mumbai.

Rat in aircraft delays Toronto bound flight

by

Amritsar, September 26: A rat found in an Air India flight preparing for take off to Toronto today created panic among authorities, who arranged for an alternative flight for passengers.

The Air India flight AI-187, which had arrived at the Rajasansi international airport here from Delhi, was scheduled to go to Toronto via London, airport officials said, adding, it was stopped just before take off and all the 147 on board were asked to disembark.

However, all efforts to track down the rodent failed and an alternative plane was arranged for the passengers for their onward journey.

Maoists shoot MP’s sons in Chhattisgarh

by

Raipur, September 26: In a daring attack, suspected Maoists in Chhattisgarh Saturday opened fire on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Bastar Lok Sabha MP Baliram Kashyap’ sons Dinesh and Tansen, police said.

‘Maoists fired several rounds at Kashyap’s sons when they were at a Mahashthami Durga Puja celebration in Bastar district,’ a top police official told IANS.

Police sources in Bastar said that both victims have been taken to Maharani Hospital in Jagdalpur, the district headquarters of Bastar. Tansen is said to be in critical condition.

—IANS–

Ahmadinejad dismisses anger over new nuclear site

by

New York, September 26: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brushed off Western criticism over a newly disclosed uranium enrichment plant, and said he was hopeful about upcoming talks to defuse the nuclear standoff.

In a one-hour news conference in New York on Friday, Ahmadinejad took a relatively moderate stance after US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tehran admitted to the UN nuclear watchdog that it had built a second enrichment plant. Uranium enrichment explained.

Car bombings kill 13 in northwestern Pakistan

by

Islamabad, September 26:A car bomb exploded in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar Saturday, killing at least seven people and injuring another 30, hours after a suicide bombing outside a police station in the restive North West Frontier Province (NWFP) killed six people, police said.

Explosives packed in a car went off just around midday outside a busy commercial centre in Peshawar’s Saddar area, one of the main routes to the army-controlled neighbourhood in the city, police said.

Obama warns Iran: ‘come clean’ on nukes

by

Pittsburgh, September 26: Backed by other world powers, President Barack Obama declared Friday that Iran is speeding down a path to confrontation and demanded that Tehran quickly “come clean” on all nuclear efforts and open a newly revealed secret site for close international inspection. He said he would not rule out military action if the Iranians refuse.

It’s the new, improved Salman

by

Mumbai, September 26: Over a decade ago, he caught audiences by surprise when he appeared shirtless for a song and instantly won over thousands of female fans with his chiselled good looks and buffed body.

The song Oh Oh Jaane Jaana went on to become a major hit and sparked off a fitness craze of sorts with every man attempting to achieve Salman Khan’s torso. Even years later, the requests for Salman to strip haven’t stopped. “I feel better off now than I did 20 years ago,” says the actor who admits not being regular with his gymming. “

Katrina to romance Shahid?

by

Mumbai, September 26: Strong rumours suggest that Katrina Kaif, now a huge favourite with Aditya Chopra’s production house, will romance Shahid Kapoor in their next film.

Katrina refuses to confirm the story. “I have signed two films,” is all she will say. The actress says her producers will make the announcements in due course and so she will neither confirm nor deny the news. Fair enough!

—Agencies

Boy thrown out of running train

by

Muzaffarnagar, September 26: A 12-year-old boy was thrown out of a running train allegedly by some unidentified persons in the district here, police said.

The boy identified as Makim Ahmad, who was travelling with his mother, picked up a quarrel with some persons, who in a fit of rage threw him out from the running train near Balwa railway station yesterday, they said.

Ahmad was later found unconscious near the railway tracks and rushed to a hospital at Shamli.
–PTI

Former minister’s son gets seven-months imprisonment

by

Faridkot, September 26: A local court here has convicted and sentenced to seven months imprisonment jail to the Managing Director of Cooperative Bank in Bathinda and his driver in a five-year-old assault case.

The Court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate J S Kang yesterday awarded the sentence to Gurpreet Singh, son of former Punjab Irrigation Minister Sikander Singh Maluka, and his driver Mewa Singh.

A case was registered against Gurpreet Singh, his mother Surjit Kaur and Mewa Singh for assaulting Jagsir Singh, a resident of Maluka village.

Sallu’s sona words…

by

Mumbai, September 26: When Salman Khan came to town recently for a Gitanjali event, he sent the journos into a tizzy.

The organisers cried themselves hoarse trying to get the photogs to give clicking a break and let him speak, lekin woh kahan maane? They even began to fight among themselves in trying to get a photo op of Sallu.

Palestinian president to meet Raul Castro

by

Havana, September 26: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be meeting Cuban President Raul Castro in Havana during his official visit, the Cuban Foreign Ministry said Saturday morning.

Abbas is travelling from New York, where Friday he addressed the UN General Assembly and urged Israel to halt all settlement activity in the West Bank.

The ministry said that during Abbas’s two-day visit, he will take part in an ‘Act of Solidarity’ of the Cuban and Palestinian peoples, and meet top officials.

Abbas will also lay a wreath to Cuban heroes at the Jose Marti Memorial in Havana.

Cong leaders taken into custody

by

Bangalore, September 26: About 30 Congress leaders, including KPCC President R V Deshpande and leader of opposition in the state Assembly Siddaramaiah, were today taken into custody when they tried to lay siege to the state Secretariat to protest the BJP government”s “failures”. Defying prohibitory orders, the protesters including MLAs and former legislators headed towards the Vidhana Soudha to highlight what the party termed as failures of the B S Yeddyurappa government but they were blocked by police, who had set up barricades at all entry points.

Kat is Rambo’s sis Sambo!

by

Mumbai, September 26: It’s not very often that you see a heroine outdo the hero while performing stunts. But, Katrina proved to be a tough cookie and outsmarted Ranbir during the shoot of their forthcoming film, Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani. Now, after this incident, Ranbir has christened Katrina ‘Rambo ki sister Sambo’.

Three killed, dozen injured in road accident

by

Barabanki, September 26: Three persons were today killed and a dozen injured when a tempo in which they were travelling collided with a bus near Pathari village here. The incident occurred when the tempo was hit by a state roadways bus on its way to Azamgarh this morning, Superintendent of Police Alok Singh said.

Toyota raises world ’09/10 sales f’cast 3 pct -media

by

Tokyo, September 26: Toyota Motor Corp, has raised its global sales forecast for the year to March 2010 by 3 percent to 6.7 million cars, the Tokyo Shimbun daily reported on Saturday, in the latest sign of a nascent recovery in auto demand.

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, is also raising its global production by 8 percent to 6.45 million vehicles for 2009/10, thanks to the impact of government subsidies and tax incentives on new fuel efficient cars, the paper said.

Officials at Toyota could not be reached for comment.

Pyar ke side effects for Bebo

by

Mumbai, Septembre 26: Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC) has approached Kareena Kapoor to star with Akshay Kumar in Pyaar Ke Side Effects 2.

Pritish Nandy is clearly in the mood to extend the olive branch to Kareena after he had recently commented on a social networking site that Kareena looked like a joke in Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kambakkht Ishq, and if anyone wanted to see her in a stunningly beautiful avatar, they should watch her in his 2004 film Chameli.

Advani and Geet Sethi to clash in the national billiards

by

Agra, September 26: World champion Pankaj Advani and Geet Sethi will clash in the final of the National Senior Billiards Championship 2009 being played here.

In the semifinals last evening, Pankaj Adevani of Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) defeated Devendra Joshi of PSPB while former world champion Geet Sethi got better of Dhruv Sitwala of PSPB to enter the final.

The final match is scheduled to take place in the evening.

—Agencies

Saudi Interfaith Dialogue Promotes World Peace

by

Jeddah, September 26: The interfaith dialogue initiated by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz would contribute to strengthening world peace and stability, according to Abdullah Al Turki, secretary-general of the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL).

Three Palestinians killed in Gaza air raid

by

Gaza City, September 26: Three Palestinians were killed on Friday in an Israeli air strike north of Gaza City, medical sources and witnesses said.

Another three were reported to have been seriously wounded. All six had been in a vehicle that was targeted by two Israeli helicopters, the sources said.

The same sources said that at least four of the victims belonged to the radical Islamic Jihad group.

Those killed were named as Kamel al-Banna, Mohammed Marshoud and Kamal al-Dahtur, the son of an Islamic Jihad commander killed in an Israeli raid two years ago.

Kirsten denies encouraging players for pre-match sex

by

Centurion, September 26: Coach Gary Kirsten on Friday denied that he encouraged Indian cricketers to engage in sexual activity to boost their on-field performance.

An Indian daily reported on Wednesday that Kirsten and mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton have come up with the suggestion that pre-match sex is good for the players.

A “deeply offended” Kirsten said the leaked article was compiled by Upton.

“My family and I have been deeply offended and hurt by the many allegations that I encouraged the Indian players to engage in sexual activity before a match,” Kirsten said.

Heroine ‘Aaj Kal’

by

Mumbai, September 26: He is desperately looking for the packet of condoms stored for the occasion. “Chhodo na, hum dono ke beech koi teesra aa jaaye mujhe bilkul accha nahi lagta,” she says with a sexual candour rare in Hindi films. Then she is all over him. The expression, woman on top, acquires a rather literal meaning in Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminey.

After Wanted wait for Most Wanted

by

Mumbai, September 26: Buoyed by the success of Salman Khan starrer action flick Wanted at the box office, producer Boney Kapoor is now planning to make a sequel to the film with the Bollywood superstar.

“Wanted is doing superb. And there could be a sequel to Wanted, which would be called Most Wanted. One of the writers of the film came up with the idea, and we thought that since this is such a big hit, so why not encash on this property,” said Kapoor.