Month: November 2009

People have tried to pull me down: Emraan Hashmi

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Mumbai, November 06: One of Bollywood’s most bankable stars, Emraan Hashmi, says people have contantly tried to pull him down. He also believes the new film “Tum Mile” will present him in a new avatar, having mostly essayed roles with shades of grey.

“In the kind of industry I am, every creative person has a judgement to make about someone else’s performance. After doing a movie, I may think that I have come up with my best act, but others may think otherwise. You can’t help it,” shrugs Emraan, 30.

FIR against RJD MP and Lalu’s brother-in-law

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Patna, November 06: An FIR was today lodged against RJD Rajya Sabha member and Lalu Prasad’s brother-in-law, Subhas Yadav and five others charging them with threatening family members of a government employee.

The complaint was lodged with Sastri Nagar police station here by Manoj Yadav, an upper division clerk, in Bihar Legislative Council.

Manoj Yadav alleged that Subhas Yadav and others had intimidated his family members and threatened them with dire consequences after Manoj’s wife stopped visiting the MP’s house here for domestic work since November 3, official sources said.

Was Narayani partial towards Gaurav?

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Mumbai, November 06: Pati Patni Aur Woh is gearing up for a competition between the families which will be judged by the dance maestro Saroj Khan and Narayani Shashtri. There were two families who took away the cake.

“Firstly there was a competition between the children where Parth, the child of Gurmeet and Debina won the title from Saroj Khan,” chirps the source.

We broke the law, admits CIA agent convicted of rendition

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Washington, November 06: One of the Americans convicted in absentia by an Italian court for her part in the 2003 abduction of a Muslim cleric by CIA operatives has acknowledged they “broke the law” and complained she was given insufficient protection by her superiors in Washington.

Sabrina deSousa, employed in the US consulate offices in Milan at the time of the abduction, made clear in an interview with ABC News that she was disgruntled that she and the other 22 Americans who were convicted by a Milan court on Wednesday had been left to fend for themselves by their country.

Taliban calendar with suicide bombers’ portraits found in Pakistan

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Islamabad, November 06: A calendar showing portraits of Taliban suicide bombers and children involved in terror activities has been found during the army assault in South Waziristan, a media report said Friday.

Security forces found the calendar showing portraits of suicide bombers from a madrassa in Spankai area during Operation Rah-e-Nijat Thursday, Geo News reported Friday.

According to security officials suicide bombers were trained in Spankai area.

9/11 police chief pleads guilty to corruption charges

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New York, November 06: Former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik has pleaded guilty to a slew of charges in his high-profile corruption trial.

Kerik, who was New York’s head of police at the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, admitted accepting 255,000 dollars worth of renovations for his apartment from a construction firm angling for government contracts.

The company — which is suspected of having mob ties — installed marble bathrooms, a jacuzzi and a new kitchen in the former police chief’s apartment in the upscale New York suburb of Riverdale.

Tendulkar’s innings terrific: Ponting

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Hyderabad, November 06: Australia skipper Ricky Ponting was effusive in his praise of India batsman Sachin Tendulkar’s brilliant 141-ball 175 that brought the hosts to the doorsteps of a heart-stopping victory in the fifth one-dayer here today.

“Sachin’s innings was terrific. It was a great innings under pressure,” Ponting said after his team snatched a narrow three-run victory and a 3-2 lead in the seven-match series.

Tendulkar also became the first cricketer in the game’s history to complete 17,000 runs during the one-dayer.

Larijani warns of plots to cause Iran-Iraq rift

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Tehran, November 06: Iran’s top lawmaker says efforts are underway to create a rift between Tehran and Baghdad, but stresses that all such efforts are in vain.

“Iran and Iraq have great potential for economic cooperation. That is why serious attempts are made to prevent them from establishing deep ties,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said during a Wednesday meeting with Iraqi lawmakers in Baghdad.

Qassam Brigades ready to resist next Israeli war

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Gaza, November 06: The military wing of the Islamic resistance movement (Hamas) says it is fully prepared to save Palestinian nation from harm should the next conflict with the Israel army erupts.

“In any next confrontation with the Zionist army, the Brigades will not keep silent; we will take any measure to protect the Palestinian people,” Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades Abu Obeida stated.

B S Yeddyurappa hints at compromise formula

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New Delhi, November 06: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today hinted at a compromise formula under which he may have to axe some ministers and transfer some officials to end the crisis in the BJP government in the state.

“Any important issue…whatever our all India leaders direct me, I am bound to do it. I have already agreed,” he told reporters during his morning walk.

Abbas makes shock decision not stand in Palestinian poll

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Jerusalem, November 06: The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, last night chided the US and announced that he did not want to stand for another term in elections officially scheduled for January.

The surprise move reflects deep disappointment in the moderate West Bank-based Palestinian leadership at the lack of US progress in persuading Israel’s premier, Benjamin Netanyahu, to end the building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Trinidad Police Sorry for Hajj Visas

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Cairo, November 06: Trinidad and Tobago police have apologized to a Saudi diplomat, who was searched and questioned for processing hajj visas, after their action infuriated local Muslims, Trinidad News reported on Thursday, November 5.

“I apologized to Alshabaili for any inconvenience,” Police Deputy Commissioner Raymond Craig told a press conference.

“I want to say categorically that at no time did the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service attempt or try to embarrass any Muslim individual in our society.”

Saudi air force hits Yemen rebels after border raid

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Riyadh, November 06: Saudi Arabia has launched heavy air strikes on rebels in northern Yemen and is moving troops nearer the border after a raid into its territory by the Shi’ite insurgents, a Saudi government adviser said on Thursday.

Saudi government officials said only that the air force had bombed Yemeni rebels who had seized a border area inside the kingdom, which they said had now been recaptured. The officials said at least 40 rebels had been killed in the fighting.

Recession buried, IIM back with recruitment plans

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Ahmedabad, November 06: In a sign that the corporate world has put the recession behind, companies have started returning to IIM campuses with aggressive recruitment plans.

According to data released by the placement cell of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) on Thursday, the fourth day of their summer placement, big companies that stayed away from the campus last year are back this year.

Pak suffers from its own wrong policies: Azad

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Srinagar, November 06: Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said rulers in Pakistan had made their country an “epicentre of terror” and that the present turmoil in the neighbouring nation was a result of the “wrong policies” of its army and various governments.

“Pakistan rulers created Frankenstein’s monster and made their country epicentre of terror two decades before. Now they are facing the same monster,” Azad, the Union minister for health and family welfare, said.

I would like to see Saifeena together: Soha

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Mumbai, November 06: Indore: Hindi film star Soha Ali Khan today said she would like to see her brother Saif Ali Khan and his lady love Kareena Kapoor together.

“Saif and Kareena look good together in reel as well as real life,” Soha told the Press Trust of India. “I wish them a very happy life and want to see them happy.

“They are happy and this happiness reflects on screen too,” said the daughter of former Indian Test star Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore.

New govt in Maha expected by Saturday

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New Delhi, November 06: A new government in Maharashtra is expected to be in place on Saturday, with the Congress and NCP breaking the 14-day deadlock over portfolio allocation that had prompted Governor SC Jamir to ask the coalition partners to honour the mandate of the people.

“Our negotiations with NCP for government formation is over. We have settled everything,” defence minister AK Antony, who is in-charge of party affairs in Maharashtra, said after a meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Deadlock over, NCP manages to hold on to key ministries

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Mumbai, November 06: After 15 days of negotiations, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday resolved their differences over portfolio division, thus paving the way for government formation on Saturday. However, the NCP, the smaller stakeholder (with 62 MLAs to the Congress’s 82), appears to have outsmarted its alliance partner by conceding just one significant portfolio, that of health.

Even this concession, say party insiders, has been made to provide the Congress which was insisting on the key portfolios of home, finance and energy with a face-saver.

I have acting offers from Bollywood: Atif Aslam

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Mumbai, November 06: Pakistani singer Atif Aslam, who crooned his way into the hearts of Indians with Bollywood songs, has revealed he has acting offers from the industry and is open to them. “Artists don’t belong to any nation,” he says.

“I would like to act in a Bollywood film. It’s not my forte, but I want to give it a try,” Aslam told IANS on telephone from Lahore. He is appreciated not just for his singing abilities but also for his suave looks and style statement.

Doctors, seniors endorse US health reforms

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Washington, November 06: President Barack Obama’s hopes of overhauling the US health care system were given a major boost Thursday as two advocacy groups representing doctors and seniors backed the reforms.

The American Medical Association (AMA) and AARP both issued statements in support of health legislation currently before the House of Representatives, which could vote on the measure Saturday.

Both groups had been withholding their support amid a divisive debate among politicians that has taken up much of Obama’s first year in office.

UAE was world’s top cast iron rods importer in 2008

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Abu Dhabi, November 06: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has imported cast iron rods worth $6.77 billion in 2008, a 237 percent increase over last year and 14 times more than the global growth rate of imports, WAM news agency reported.

Turkey was the UAE’s main source of cast iron rods in 2008, contributing 87 percent of supply. China came second at 12 percent, while the remaining one percent coming from other global sources, the foreign trade ministry said in a report Wednesday.

US Congress extends welcome to Manmohan Singh

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Washington, November 06: To welcome Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his upcoming state visit to the US, the first of the Obama administration, a resolution has been introduced in the US Congress commending the maturing of relationship between the two nations.

The maturing of relationship between the two countries that would be exemplified by Manmohan Singh’s official visit had deepened bilateral ties on matters of international security, world trade, technology, science and health, the resolution introduced by four senior lawmakers noted.

It was one of my best knocks: Tendulkar

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Hyderabad, November 06: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar rated his 175 against Australia here Thursday as one of the best knocks of his career.

Tendulkar scored 175 off 141 ball, enroute to his record 17,168 runs, but couldn’t prevent India from losing the fifth ODI to Australia by three runs.

Aamir works hard for 3 Idiots

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Mumbai, November 06: While Aamir Khan is an extremely talented actor but he was faced by a challenge when he had to “look’ like he was in his 20s for his role in 3 Idiots. He had to work hard on looking, behaving and dressing like youngsters these days do. His inspirations were mostly his son Junaid’s friends.

His character in the film, Rancho, is apparently based on his cousin Pablo, who is Mansoor Khan’s teenaged son. Aamir likes the way Pablo is so fidgety that he can’t stay still for a minute. He doesn’t stop to even talk.

Ayesha Shroff upset with Kaizad Gustad

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Mumbai, November 06: Recently, Ayesha Shroff tipped off producer Ambika Hinduja to not produce a film for director Kaizad Gustad.

This happened after Kaizad met Ambika to ask her if she would produce a film for him claiming that Sanjay Dutt was interested in the film. Ambika didn’t give it much thought as she is currently busy with Teen Patti. Sanjay Dutt Productions’ also stated that he is busy at present but would like to work with Kaizad in future.