Month: November 2009

UN still worried about refugees in Sri Lanka

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Colombo, Nov 09: The UN has said that while the pace of Tamil refugees returning to their homes has accelerated in Sri Lanka, the condition of the temporary camps in which the remaining continue to be is deteriorating.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Andrej Mahecic told journalists that in the past two weeks, an estimated 39,000 people have returned to their former villages – mostly in the north and east of Sri Lanka – as part of the government’s resettlement plan.

Specializing in one sport can damage your health

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Washington, November 09: Gifted young athletes are increasingly under pressure to play only one sport round the year. But a new study has found that such specialization increases the risk of injury.

Researchers from the Loyola University Health System (LUHS) examined 519 junior tennis players and analysed 3,366 matches in junior competitions in the US and found that players who specialized in only tennis were more likely to withdraw from tournaments for medical reasons, typically injuries.

38 injured as 6.7-magnitude quake hits Indonesia

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Jakarta, November 09: At least 38 people have been wounded and scores of houses, school buildings and a health clinic have collapsed after a quake of 6.7-magnitude on the Richter scale rocked the eastern parts of Indonesia Monday morning, officials said.

In Bima town of the Indonesian province of West Nusa Tenggara, the hardest-hit and the closest area to the epicentre of the quake, one health clinic, four school buildings and ten houses have collapsed, and over 50 houses got damaged, a Xinhua report quoted Disaster management agency Priyadi Kardono as saying.

Dalai Lama stresses on peace as 30,000 attend Tawang discourse

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Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), November 09:Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Monday called for universal brotherhood and peace among all communities as he addressed more than 30,000 devotees in India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

“Compassion and peace are the two words that should be remembered by all,” the Dalai Lama said at the opening day of the three-day religious discourse at the Polo Ground in Tawang.

Delhiites start week with a warm Monday

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New Delhi, Nov 9: A cloudy sky led to a slight rise in temperature Monday morning in the capital, paving the way to a warm day.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature recorded at 8.30 a.m. was 16.3 degrees Celsius three degrees above the average.

‘The skies will remain partly cloudy throughout the day because of the influence of the western disturbances that are prevalent over the Jammu and Kashmir region,’ an IMD official said.

The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius.

I ‘ll make a peace video: Yash

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Mumbai, November 09: Yash Chopra says that people don’t make films on controversial subjects because of the ease with which ‘objections’ and ‘protests’ can bring down a costly production.

Yeddyurappa not to drop cabinet ministers

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Bangalore, November 09: Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Monday ruled out the question of dropping any of his ministers, a demanded made by the dissidents, but vowed to change his style of functioning.

“No, that question does not arise at all,” he told reporters at his residence on arrival from New Delhi where the party evolved an “amicable settlement” to end the two-week- long stalemate following the revolt in the state unit.

He was replying to a question on the issue of dropping of ministers from his government.

Federer beaten by Djokovic in home final

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Basel, Nov 09: World number one Roger Federer missed out on a fourth successive Swiss Indoors title when he lost to third-ranked Novak Djokovic in the final of his hometown tournament on Sunday.

The Serbian won 6-4 4-6 6-2 to record his third win over Federer in five meetings this year.

The Swiss, who was once a ball boy at the tournament, was returning after a six-week mini-break following his US Open final defeat to Juan Martin del Potro.

A year after 26/11 attacks, Patil back as Maharashtra home minister

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Mumber, November 09: R R Patil is back as Maharashtra’s home minister, reinstated to the post he had to step down from almost a year ago after the deadly 26/11 terror attacks. Patil had to quit the post after making a statement in Hindi that appeared to play down the deadly attacks.

Your baby delivered by staff for a price!

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Hyderabad, November 09: Babies born at government maternity hospitals in city are being delivered to parents with a price tag, threats extra: You can get a glimpse of your baby boy/girl only if you cough up Rs 500/Rs 400 respectively; at some hospitals it costs even more.

Blueline bus runs over student

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New Delhi, Nov 09: A 17-year-old student was run over by a speeding Blueline bus in Northeast Delhi this morning, triggering protests by locals.

According to police, Aditya Jain, a Class IX student, was hit by the Seemapuri-Fatehpuri route bus in Usmanpur at around 8 am when he was on his way to school. Police said Aditya died on the spot.

The victim was a student of the Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalya School at Mori Gate. Enraged by the incident, residents took to the streets and held protests at the site.

A case of negligence and rash driving has been registered against the driver.

–PTI

ABVP strike call shuts Himachal colleges

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Shimla, Nov 09: Colleges across Himachal Pradesh were closed Monday following a one-day strike call by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) youth wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Over 100,000 students in 150 colleges have been affected by the shutdown.

ABVP’s national secretary Umesh Dutt said the education shutdown was being observed private and government colleges across the state.

“The call for the shutdown was given following the failure of the government to take action against the deputy commissioner of Mandi,” Mr. Dutt told.

Police: Suicide bomber kills 3 in Pakistan

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Peshawar, Nov 09: A suicide bomber in a rickshaw detonated his explosives near a group of police constables in northwest Pakistan’s main city of Peshawar on Monday, killing three people, police said.

The attack was the latest in a weeks-long string of strikes that have killed more than 300 people and appear aimed at distracting the government from its offensive against the Taliban in the South Waziristan tribal region. Security forces have been the primary targets.

Depressed individuals exaggerate their symptoms

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Hamburg, November 09: Depressed individuals tend to over report their physical symptoms particularly the pain that they actually experience, a new study finds.

Previous studies had reported that neuroticism — a condition characterized by irritability, sadness, anxiety and fear — accounts for the exaggerated reporting of physical symptoms in affected individuals.

A new study, however, pronounces the influence of depression in causing over reporting.

LeT planned to attack Dhaka Indian High Commission

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Dhaka, Nov 09: The Indian High Commission in Bangladesh, along with the embassies of the U.S. and the U.K., was the target of Pakistan-based terror outfit LeT whose operatives were arrested here recently, police said on Sunday.

Bangladesh police arrested three terror suspects, including two operatives of Lashkar-e-Taiba, and their HuJI accomplice from the south eastern port city of Chittagong this week, claiming to have foiled a plot to attack the U.S. embassy.

U.S. university approves new course on Hinduism

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Washington, Nov 09: A prominent US university has approved a new course under which students would examine the rise of Hinduism from colonial period to the present day.

The new course called “Modern Hinduism” was approved by the faculty of the DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana — a private, national liberal arts college.

Founded in 1837, the university has Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University — named after Francis Asbury, the first American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Sanath is an important player: Sangakkara

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Mumbai, November 09: Maintaining that Jayasuriya was very much in the reckoning for the 2011 World Cup, Sangakkara said the team was waiting to see how he performs in his new role on this tour.

“Sanath has been wonderful he’s always been positive accepting of the decisions made about him and supporting those ideas. We are going to wait and see how Sanath comes out from this tour. He’s a very important player for us going towards the next World Cup,” he added.

Sangakkara warned that no excuses like in the past about the food in India or conditions would be tolerated.

Ponting fights against Twenty20 threat

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Guwahati, November 09: Ricky Ponting has taken another step in his crusade to ensure playing for Australia remains the pinnacle for his country’s cricketers.

Ponting, who guided a patched-up squad to a series win over India on Sunday, is concerned that the lucrative Twenty20 domestic leagues will sway emerging talent to push for dollars over international caps.

PCB approves budget after four-month delay

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Karachi, November 09: The much-delayed and much-objected budgets of the PCB from 2007-08 and 2009-10 have finally been approved by the board of governors.

The budget for the current year was approved after a four-month delay – it should’ve been approved by July 1 – amounting to, according to reports, roughly Rs1.5 billion.

Sohail Khan sets sights on comeback

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Karachi, November 09: Pakistan right-arm fast bowler Sohail Khan has set his sights on making the team for the tour of Australia next month, having got back to full fitness and impressing with Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

“I’ve had some calf problems in recent times but I now feel 100% fit” Sohail told Pakpassion.net. “It was one of those irritating injuries that kept on recurring and just when I thought I had overcome the injury it would come back, which was quite frustrating. In fact I played some cricket when the calf was not totally right.

Oil rises above $78 as US dollar slides

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Singapore, Nov 09: Oil prices rose above $78 a barrel on Monday in Asia as a weaker U.S. dollar offset signs of slumping consumer demand.

The benchmark crude for December delivery was up 94 cents to $78.37 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Crude has traded inversely to the dollar for months as investors buy commodities such as oil as a hedge against inflation and a weaker U.S. currency. Oil rose to $82 last month, its 2009 high, from $32 in December.

Aamir Khan Can’t Decide

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Mumbai, November 09: Aamir Khan threw a cosy bash for wife Kiran Rao at their Panchgani house on November 7.

Before Aamir drove down to their sprawling weekend getaway, he was in a dilemma on what to choose as Kiran’s birthday gift.

As is his habit these days, he posted a query on his networking site, and got as many as 2,500 suggestions on what he should get Kiran. While someone suggested he get her riding gear, someone else asked to him to buy her jewellery, so on and so forth.

Ajay Devgan Likes Bengal Tigresses

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Mumbai, November 09: Ajay Devgn has a weakness for Bengali women it seems. The actor is married to one (Kajol) and one of his favourite co-stars is Bipasha Basu (another hot and happening Bong).

He was paired with Bips in All the Best; and is also going to seen with her in Priyadarshan’s next.

Two killed by strong Indonesian quake

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Jakarta, Nov 09: A strong undersea earthquake killed two people and damaged buildings on the remote island of Sumbawa in central Indonesia, officials said on Monday.

At least 20 people were hospitalised on the island after the 6.7-magnitude temblor, many of them with broken bones, said Rustam Pakaya, the head of the Health Ministry’s crisis centre. He said at least 40 people were injured.

Aamir-Kareena get sizzling and erotic

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Mumbai, November 09: If you thought Kareena Kapoor could only shoot intimate scene with beau Saif Ali Khan you are wrong. Kareena recently shot a sizzling and erotic dance sequence with Aamir Khan for the movie 3 Idiots.

Sources close to the movie reveal that the dance which was shot in artificial rain is one of the most sizzling scene in Aamir’s career. The focal point of the movie is the romance between Aamir and Kareena and the dance establishes it all.