Month: October 2009

Russian FM: Iran enrichment deal needs finalizing

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Moscow, October 05: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that a plan for Russia to help enrich uranium for an Iranian reactor has yet to be finalized, in the highest-level Russian confirmation of a tentative agreement reached between Tehran and six world powers last week.

Lavrov said that experts would have to work out specifics of the deal involving the United States, France, Russia and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran insists its nuclear program is purely peaceful, and needs the fuel to power a research reactor in Tehran.

Ahmadinejad: Enemies can’t harm Iraq

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Tehran, October 05: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the Iraqi nation will finally persevere despite all the problems that have been created for the country.

“With fine qualities such as theirs, the Iraqi nation has a bright future ahead of it. It will undoubtedly stop its enemies in their tracks and take up its responsibilities with the understanding and foresight that it has,” Ahmadinejad said in Tehran on Monday.

“The region will benefit from a strong and united Iraq, a point which creates great fear for enemies, but something they can do nothing about,” he added.

UK offered Ghaddafi money to end IRA support

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London, October 05: Britain offered 14 million pounds to Libyan leader, Moammar Ghaddafi to end his support for the Irish Republican Army (IRA), a new report has revealed.

According to National Archives documents seen by the British daily, The Independent, former UK premier, Harold Wilson’s Labor government offered the sum during negotiations to halt the supply of weapons from Tripoli in the 1970’s.

Wilson’s offer was part of a wider deal to settle financial claims against the UK and help open up British trade with the north African state.

Landmine explosion kills 2 civilians in Turkey

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Ankara, October 05: Two Kurdish civilians have been killed when a bus hit a landmine in southeastern Sirnak Province, a security source says.

Local authorities blamed the Sunday night blast at Beytussebap on the separatist Workers’ Party (PKK), AFP reported on Monday.

Kurdish rebels often plant home-made explosive devices on roads used by the army.

The bus was taking supplies to a military base when it struck the mine.

The bus driver and a passenger were killed on the spot, the source said.

China, North Korea laud ties on scrutinized visit

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Pyogyang, October 05: China and North Korea cheered their close if strained relations Monday during a visit by the Chinese premier that is being watched to see if Pyongyang will agree to return to nuclear disarmament talks.

Before the meetings, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited a cemetery to honor Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War against the U.S., an excursion that highlights relations that the communist allies refer to as forged in blood but that have been strained in recent years.

Zelaya sets preconditions for talks

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Venenzuela, October 05: Deposed President Manuel Zelaya says he will negotiate with the Honduran regime only when civil liberties are restored and the siege of the Brazilian embassy is lifted.

Zelaya, who was forced out of his country in June, lay a new set of preconditions for problem-solving talks with the military-supported interim government led by Roberto Micheletti.

According to the ousted president, the interim government should restore civil liberties and reopen two pro-Zelaya broadcast stations that has been occupied in recent months.

2 more NATO soldiers die of wounds

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Kabul, October 05: Two more NATO soldiers, one of them an American, have died of wounds in Afghanistan after Saturday’s attack resulted in the death of eight US soldiers.

NATO said in a statement on Monday that the US soldier died of wounds acquired during an attack on Sunday in southern Afghanistan.

According to the statement, a second service member, whose nationality has not been disclosed, died of wounds from a roadside bombing on Monday in southern Afghanistan.

The eight soldiers, who were killed in the country’s eastern sector on Saturday, were serving under ISAF command.

Israeli official cancels UK visit on fears of arrest

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Jerusalem, October 05: Israeli vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon has canceled a planned trip to Britain over fears of being arrested there, Israeli sources have said.

Ya’alon was invited to London to attend a fund-raising dinner for Benji’s Home, a group home for soldiers with no family in Israel.

The British branch of the Jewish National Fund had invited Ya’alon to attend the dinner.

He had said he would travel to Britain if the Foreign Ministry’s legal department approved it.

Iran says Geneva talks ‘national success’

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Tehran, October 05: After Iran held wide-ranging talks with the West based on its latest package of proposals, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi hails the meeting as a “national success”.

“We achieved the outcome of Iran’s resistance [to foreign pressure over its nuclear program] in Geneva talks,” Qashqavi told reporters at his weekly press conference Monday.

Vipul stops all publicity on Salman Khan

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Mumbai, October 05: Vipul Shah’s London Dreams has turned into a bit of a nightmare. First, there is the Salman Khan spree of 3 back-to-back releases to be dealt with. Now, Vipul Shah has another biggie dropping into the same space. As of now Vipul has stopped all Salman-centric publicity for London Dreams.

The Salman season has begun full swing. After the whopping Wanted, it is Salman’s home production Main Aur Mrs Khanna on October 16 followed by Vipul Shah’s London Dreams on October 30.

Phone users may soon get to pay per second

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New Delhi, October 05: Indian telecom operators may soon be asked to compulsorily give their customers the option of paying tariff based on usage per second instead of the current per minute pulse, sector regulator TRAI said on Monday.

“We may ask all the operators to consider per-second pulse as a mandatory tariff option along with their other tariff plans,” Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman JS Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of the International Telecommunication Union conference in Geneva.

Kashmera is stronger than Krushna

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Mumbai, October 05: Recently in a press conference we had a talk with Kashmera Shah, the Jungle girl about her talent and power and the actress seems to be very fussy about her performance and power when compared with Krushna or any other guy.

Who is more talented as a dancer, you or Krushna? “I am more graceful as a girl and Krushna is more energetic as a guy, but truly speaking I am stronger than any other guy when it comes to dance,” Kashmera quips.

One person arrested with fake currency notes

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Meerut, October 05: On person was arrested and fake currency notes worth Rs 1.75 lakh recovered from his, police said today. According to ADG Law and Order (west zone), AK Jain, the ATS following a tip-off on Sunday arrested Brijvir, a resident of Atulpur and seized fake currency notes from him.

Police also a scanner and printer used by the accused in printing the fake notes, he said.

—-PTI–

Lost a bag at airport? Log on

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New Delhi, October 05: Lost your luggage at the airport? Don’t fret. In a move that will come as a relief to all such harried travellers, the Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) has launched a ‘lost and found’ section on their website which will help one trace missing baggage.

Handling the security of 57 airports in India, this initiative by the CISF is bound to come as a relief to many. The CISF website is www.cisf.gov.in

Five killed in blast at Islamabad’s UN office

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Islamabad, October 05: Five people, including a foreigner, were killed when a suicide bomber detonated himself inside the lobby of the UN World Food Programme office in an upscale locality of this Pakistan capital.

The UN temporarily suspended its operations following the attack that was condemned by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Ishrat Rizvi, national information officer for the UN Information Centre in Islamabad, said: “We have temporarily suspended our operations in Pakistan due to the security risks to the UN staff.”

Its judwa for Aashka Goradia

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Mumbai, October 05: One of the cutest actress of television, Aashka Goradia aka Kumud of Kkusum is soon going to reenter on idiot box with a new show. The actress was last seen in one of the series of Madhur Bhandarkar and now its like a comeback for the lady with this new venture.

“I am doing a serial of Cinevista production in which I will be playing the role of both mother and daughter. All i could reveal is that the character is very much close to my heart” Aashka quips.

7 injured in protester-police clashes in north Kashmir

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Srinagar, October 05: Seven people, including two policemen, were injured in clashes between protesters and police in the twin north Kashmir towns of Sopore and Baramulla Monday.

A protester, identified as Farooq Ahmad Wandroo, 23, was injured critically in Sopore town when police used batons and fired tear smoke canisters to disperse an irate mob that indulged in heavy stone pelting at the police.

“Farooq Ahmad Wandroo has been shifted to Srinagar for specialised treatment after he was injured in clashes with the police”, a senior police officer said here.

R-Com launches new mobile tariff plan

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Mumbai, October 05: The Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications (R-Com) Monday announced new mobile tariff plan here – all calls at 50 paise – effective from Tuesday.

Under the new “Simply Reliance Plan” scheme, consumers need to pay 50 paise per minute for all incoming, outgoing, long distance incoming and outgoing calls while roaming.

It will be available on both CDMA and GSM platforms for both prepaid and post-paid users.

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India to participate in South-South cooperation

Ban condemns attack on UN agency in Pakistan

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Geneva, October 05: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Monday condemned the “terrorist attack” on the office of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Pakistan that killed four of the agency’s employees.

“I condemn in the strongest terms the attack at the office of WFP in Islamabad, Pakistan,” Ban said in Geneva.

The UN has named the victims of Monday’s suicide bombing at the WFP compound in the capital Islamabad as Iraqi Botan Ahmed Ali and three Pakistani nationals Abid Rehman, Gulrukh Tahir and Farzana Barkat.

Juventus crash at Palermo, lose chance to go top

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Rome, October 05: Juventus spoiled their unbeaten Serie A record as Edison Cavani and Fabio Simplicio stunned them in a 2-0 defeat suffered at Palermo.

After the Sunday’s loss, Juve remained rooted on 14 points, while Sampdoria drew 1-1 at home to promoted Parma earlier Sunday to go level with Inter Milan at the top of the Italian Serie A.

Inter, who snatched a last-gasp 2-1 over Udinese Saturday, and Sampdoria both have 16 points from seven games, with Inter enjoying the better goal difference.

‘India needs to curb cost hikes, corruption in road projects’

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New Delhi, October 05: Some 40 percent of road construction projects in India face cost escalations of 25-50 percent, even as corruption and the shortage of skilled labour may inhibit the sector’s growth over the next eight years, says the World Bank.

“The effectiveness of dispute resolution mechanism is another area of concern with $1.8 billion estimated to be locked in various disputes and arbitration,” says the bank in a new study on India’s road construction industry.

Cops to verify nabbed Pakistani man’s story in Nepal

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Bhopal, October 05: Police in Madhya Pradesh are planning to send a team to Nepal and Malaysia to ascertain the veracity of the story of a 27-year-old Pakistani man – arrested from the Chhindwara district for entering India on a false Nepali passport – who claimed he had come to search for his “wife”, police sources said Monday.

Mohammad Asghar Ali, 27, who has been identified as a resident of Chheena village near Lahore in Pakistan, told the police after his arrest Sep 29 that he sneaked into India via Nepal in search of his “wife”, 22-year-old dancer Ratna Soni.

Orissa imposes ban on strike of private bus owners

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Bhubaneswar, October 05: The Orissa government Monday decided to impose Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against private bus owners who went on an indefinite strike from Sunday after the state refused to roll back the toll fee collected along the national highways.

“ESMA would be applied today (Monday) in particular against those bus owners who are on strike. The strike has inconvenienced millions of people of our state. This should not be allowed to continue as it has inconvenienced our people very badly,” Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik said.

Safina remains top of unchanged WTA rankings

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Hamburg, October 05: Dinara Safina continues to head an unchanged top 10 tennis rankings released Monday by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

Russia’s Safina has 8,250 points, with American Serena Williams 7,806 and sister Venus on 6,367.

WTA top 10 as of Oct 5 (previous ranking in parenthesis):

1. (1) Dinara Safina, Russia, 8,250 points

2. (2) Serena Williams, United States, 7,806

3. (3) Venus Williams, United States, 6,367

4. (4) Elena Dementieva, Russia, 6,015

5. (5) Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark, 5,710

6. (6) Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia, 5,201

‘Wake Up Sid’ edges out ‘Do Knot Disturb’

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New Delhi, October 05: Debutant director Ayan Mukerji’s unconventional romantic tale of a guy falling for an older woman in “Wake Up Sid” has not only wowed the critics, it has pulled the crowd too, completely sidelining its co-release “Do Knot Disturb”.

The box office received a shock with Ahsutosh Gowariker’s “What’s Your Raashee” that released Sep 25 and went awry in terms of business, courtesy its length and 13 songs.