Month: October 2009

Sherlyn Chopra nominated out of Big Boss house

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Mumbai, October 31: Item girl Sherlyn Chopra today became the third inmate to be nominated out of Big Boss house.

Chopra who had earned maximum nominations with housemates voting against her continuously for four times, spent about a month in the house.

She was nominated along with Dara Singh’s son Bindu.

The other inmates who had earlier been nominated out of the house were Rakhi Sawant’s mother Jaya and actor- producer Kamal R Khan, who had thrown a bottle at fashion designer Rohit Verma.

Chopra, however, has a chance to return through wild card.

Indonesia Braves Hajj Swine Flu Fears

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Jakarta, October 31: The Indonesian government has decided to go ahead with sending its citizens to the annual spiritual journey of hajj, braving fears about a possible swine flu epidemic.
“Indonesia is one of the biggest numbers of pilgrims,” Professor Dr Nazaruddin Umar, Deputy Religious Minister for People Guidance Affairs, told IslamOnline.net.

“You can imagine what will happen if we canceled more than 200 thousands people from going to hajj.”

The first batch of 207,000 Indonesian pilgrims left the country for Saudi Arabia from eleven airports nationwide last Friday.

Source: Abdullah may pull out of Afghan runoff

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United Nation, October 31: Talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah have broken down, and Abdullah is likely to pull out of next week’s presidential runoff, a person with knowledge of the talks said Friday.

An announcement could come as early as Saturday but more likely Sunday, the person said.

South Korea to send troops to Afghanistan

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Seoul, October 31: South Korea will send troops to Afghanistan to protect its civilian aid workers there, WAM news agency reported citing the Korean foreign ministry.

The decision came as Seoul plans to increase the number of its reconstruction workers to at least 130 in the war-torn country and operate an independent Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).

UN chief encouraged by deal resolving Honduran crisis

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United Nations, October 31: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday he is encouraged by news that an agreement has been reached to resolve the political crisis in Honduras that began when President Jose Manuel Zelaya was ousted from power in June.

The secretary-general “hopes Honduras is now on the path to the full restoration of democratic, constitutional rule”, his spokesperson Michele Montas said in a statement.

Beyonce to perform in Moscow Monday

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Moscow, October 31: The US rhythm and blues queen Beyonce will perform here Monday as part of her world tour.

Beyonce will bring a crew of 100 dancers, singers, hairstylists, make-up artists and other support staff with her.

According to the singer’s rider, she requires 10 identical Mercedes so that photographers will not be able to keep up with her and know where she is at any given time. She will also eat only Chilean sea bass and Dover halibut served on Eastern-style dishes. A flower composition of white tulips should also be in her hotel room…with the stamens removed.

World’s largest cruise liner begins maiden voyage

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Moscow, October 31: The world’s largest cruise liner Oasis of the Seas has begun her maiden voyage after leaving Finland Friday.

The 1,200 feet ship is worth nearly $1.5 billion. The vessel has 16 decks and 2,700 cabins. It started its journey in the Finnish port of Turku and is en route to Florida.

The ship took over two years to build at a shipyard in Turku by STX Finland Cruise Oy and will first visit the British port of Southampton.

UN agrees to begin talks on first arms trade treaty

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New York, October 31: The UN General Assembly’s disarmament committee agreed Friday to begin discussions aimed at establishing an arms trade treaty with the support of some the world’s biggest arms traders.

The committee voted 153-1 to adopt a timetable whereby negotiations would begin for a “strong and robust” treaty that would regulate global sale of weapons worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Zimbabwe was alone in opposing the resolution.

New train between Vijaywada-Guntur from Nov 1

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Vijayawada, October 30: South Central Railway would introduce a new train between Vijayawada and Guntur from November 1.

The train will depart Vijayawada every day at 1230 hrs and arrive at Guntur at 1330 hrs. It will depart Guntur at 1400 hrs and reach Vijayawada at 1500 hours, a release by South Central Railway said today.

It will halt at Krishna Canal, Mangalagiri, Namburu and Pedakakani, it said.

The railway authorities also informed that the inter city express between Guntur and Secunderabad will stop at Mangalagiri from November 1.

TRS chief to go on ‘fast unto death’ for Telangana

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Hyderabad, October 30: Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president K.Chandrasekhara Rao Friday announced that he would launch a ‘fast unto death’ in November to achieve separate statehood for the Telangana region.

The TRS politburo, which met here, decided that Rao and other leaders along with thousands of party workers would launch the fast at Siddipet in Medak district.

PM hosts lunch for Bush, thanks him for n-deal

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New Delhi, October 30: It was nostalgia time Friday when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday hosted a lunch for former US president George W. Bush and lauded him for bringing the landmark India-US nuclear deal to fruition.

Manmohan Singh held wide-ranging talks with Bush on an entire spectrum of India-US relations at the prime minister’s 7 Race Course residence. He thanked Bush for his crucial role in ending India’s decades-long nuclear isolation through a landmark nuclear deal last year, sources said.

AP minister wants Jagan as CM, resigns

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Hyderabad, October 30: Unhappy over the Congress party’s decision not to make Y.S.Jaganmohan Reddy the Andhra Pradesh chief minister, state Women Development and Child Welfare Minister Konda Surekha resigned from the cabinet Thursday night.

Surekha submitted a six-page resignation letter to Governor N. D. Tiwari at Raj Bhavan.

“It was unfortunate that the high command has believed a few so-called seniors and denied the chief minister post to Jaganmohan Reddy, without showing any regard to the people’s wishes,” she said.

Surekha quits Rosaiah cabinet

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Hyderabad, October 30: Women and Child Welfare Minister Konda Surekha resigned from the Cabinet of K Rosaiah today, obviously certain that she would not be retained for long for her outspoken comments in favour of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy occupying the top post.

Having publicly declared more than once that she would not remain in the Cabinet if Rosaiah was to be continued as the Chief Minister and with the party high command indicating exactly that, Surekha was perhaps left with no option if she was to keep her word.

Special court for Satyam case

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Hyderabad, October 30: A special court will be established in Hyderabad for the trial of the Satyam scam. The decision has been taken as per the recommendations of the AP High Court and the Deputy Inspector General of the Central Bureau of Investigation at Hyderabad.

No Congress manifesto for GHMC poll: DS

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Hyderabad, October 30: Making it clear that there would be no party’s manifesto for the GHMC elections scheduled to take place on Nov 23, Pradesh Congress Committee chief D Srinivas said today that the Congress would contest in all the 150 divisions and its mayoral candidate would be finalised only after the elections.

Bar dancers hold sway as cops look away

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Hyderabad, October 30: As the wooden door opens, the song Babuji zara dheere chalo floats in the smoke-filled bar.

A young Nepali welcomes the guests with a warm handshake followed by “How are you sir?” The moment one steps inside this bar located on the first floor of an old building in Secunderabad, the decibel levels shoot up. As the eyes adjust to the darkness, one can see people of all age groups showering money on the girl who smiles continuously as she does her ‘jhatkas’ amid cheers, whistles and clinking of glasses.

Boy crushed to death under water tanker

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Hyderabad, October 30: A six-year-old boy was crushed under the wheels of a water tanker at Rajendranagar on Thursday.

The boy, along with his mother, was collecting water from a water tanker that came to their locality when the incident took place.

The water tanker rolled down the slope crushing the boy to death.

According to the police, the boy, Mazhar, was a resident of M M Pahadi in Rajendranagar.

He was studying LKG in a local school.

On Thursday afternoon, a water tanker came to the locality to supply water to the residents.

Text of Surekha’s resignation letter

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Hyderabad, October 30: The following is the text of the resignation letter submitted by Women Development and Child Welfare Minister Konda Surekha to Governor ND Tiwari here today:

Respected State Governor

ND Tiwari,

My submission to you is that in 2009 elections the people of Andhra Pradesh have brought Congress party into power for a second time since they were attracted towards the schemes undertaken by Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy and have trust in UPA Government being run at the Centre under Sonia Gandhi’s leadership.

Rajasekhar ’s young driver found dead

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Hyderabad, October 30: The 27-year-old driver of actor couple Dr Rajasekhar and Jeevitha died in the servant quarters of the couple’s house at Jubilee Hills on Wednesday.

Sudhakar, a native of Mahaboobnagar district, started work under the couple recently as a driver and was staying in the servant’s quarters of Rajasekhar’s residence at Road No 78, Jubilee Hills.

Sudhakar had been suffering from high fever since the past four days and collapsed in the house on Wednesday, police said.

1,000 ABVP activists join TDP

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Hyderabad, October 30: The Hyderabad city would regain its glory only if the TDP was voted to power in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections, Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu said today.

Addressing a meeting after admitting around 1,000 ABVP activists into the party, Naidu said the Congress Government had failed to develop the city.

On Chief Minister K Rosaiah’s announcement that Hyderabad would be developed by spending Rs 4,000 crore, Naidu termed it a false assurance.

TRS Politburo meet today

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Hyderabad, October 30: The Politburo of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) will be convened tomorrow at Telangana Bhavan to take a decision on several key issues like GHMC elections, Hyderabad Free Zone and the indefinite fast announced by the party chief K Chandrasekhara Rao.

TRS chief today met important leaders at his residence and discussed several issues and reviewed yesterday’s `Jail bharo’ programme. The leaders expressed different opinions on GHMC elections and party chief ’s indefinite fast porogramme.

Must bring effective healthcare to common man: Tharoor

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Kolkata, October 30: Union Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor Friday said the government should work towards bringing the effective healthcare system to the ‘aam aadmi’ (common man) as a vast majority of population lacks access to affordable medical services.

“We’ve to bring effective healthcare service to the aam aadmi. The vast majority of Indian men and women are still far away from the affordable healthcare facilities,” Tharoor told an interactive session organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) here.

Election fever rages in all party offices

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Hyderabad, October 30: The city offices of major political parties which wore a deserted look till yesterday have suddenly become the beehive of activity. This follows the announcement of polls to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) by the State Election Commission (SEC) on Wednesday.

Court orders Lotika Sarkar’s house to be sealed

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New Delhi, October 30: The Delhi High Court Friday said the house of former Delhi University law faculty professor Lotika Sarkar – in an ownership dispute for almost a year – would be sealed till the matter was resolved.
Hearing an urgent application by Preeti Dhoundial, wife of Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Nirmal Dhoundial, Justice S.N.Dhingra said: “Till the final disposal of the appeal, the house will be sealed.”

‘3 Idiots’ likely to come out on December 25!

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Mumbai, October 30: Get ready to laugh as “3 Idiots” is likely to come out on December 25, 2009. The movie, which is a comedy, revolves around three friends.

According to sources, they are fast friends. But one of them goes missing. Two friends launch an intense search for him. The flick is likely to be a hit comedy.

Director Rajkumar Hirani has magnificently interlaced the story, said a source. The movie features Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor in lead. The acting gem Boman Irani is also part of the movie. His presence is enough to create laugh-riot.