Month: January 2010

Does ‘3 Idiots’ have answer to spate of suicides, ragging?

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Mumbai, January 05: Rattled by three students committing suicide, including by an 11-year-old, and a major incident of ragging at a medical college, the Maharashtra government said it would look for answers in the hit movie “3 Idiots”.

Responding to speculation that the movie – dealing with ragging incidents and even a suicide case – could have inspired the incidents in Mumbai, Medical Education Minister Vijaykumar Gavit said he would have to watch the movie soon.

“If anything objectionable is found in this regard, then we shall take appropriate action,” Gavit told the media.

Attacks could vitiate ties, India tells Australia

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Bangalore/Melbourne, January 05: Taking a stern view of the fatal stabbing of an Indian student in Australia, India today said that “unfortunate incidents” like these could “vitiate” relations between the two countries.

Australia has condemned the incident and assured Indians that it is a “welcoming and accepting country”. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna on Monday said the Australian government was “duty bound and morally bound to investigate and bring the culprit to book” in the killing of student Nitin Garg.

Haryana govt registers abetment FIR against Rathore

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New Delhi, January 05: The Haryana police on Tuesday registered an FIR against former DGP SPS Rathore under Section 306 in the Ruchika Girhotra suicide case.

The Haryana police has filed the FIR four days after Ruchika’s brother filed complaint with the cops for abetment of suicide against SPS Rathore.

This is the third FIR in the Ruchika suicide case.

Commenting on the abetment to suicide FIR against Rathore, Ruchika’s advocate, Pankaj Bhardwaj said, “This is a huge blow to Rahore.”

Elusive Aamir gives Nasreen Munni Kabir the miss

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New Delhi, January 05: She introduced the west to the ‘inner worlds’ of two of the biggest names in Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan, but documentary filmmaker Nasreen Munni Kabir’s dream project now is to chronicle the life of actor Aamir Khan.

The UK based filmmaker who is currently working on a biography of the ‘Mozart of Madras’ A R Rahman, says that Aamir is the “most elusive” of them all.

India-Australia officials to meet up over latest racial attack

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Melbourne, January 05: Tension roused after murder of 21-year-old Indian student in Melbourne, and taking initiative to bring down diplomatic pressure between two nations, the Indian diplomats are expected to meet Australian officials in this regard.

According to V K Sharma, Indian deputy high commissioner in Canberra, told that the High Commissioner Sujatha Singh would be meeting Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials (DFAT).

Honda to launch new compact in India by 2011

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New Delhi, January 05: Japan’s Honda Motor Co said on Tuesday it would begin selling a new compact car in India in 2011 as it seeks a foothold in the fast-growing segment.

The 5-seater family car will be based on the “Honda New Small Concept”, unveiled at the Delhi Auto Expo on Tuesday, and is being developed especially for India and other emerging markets, the company said.

Japan’s No.2 automaker said it would aim to offer the model at an “affordable” price by leveraging its global parts sourcing network.

Maruti to create new segment with 7-seat family car

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New Delhi, January 05: Maruti Suzuki will create a new segment with the launch of its new family car and hopes to maintain sales growth in calendar 2010, managing director and chief executive officer Shinzo Nakanishi said on Tuesday.

The company showcased its new seven-seater family car at the auto show in Delhi earlier in the day.

Nakanishi said despite the pressure of raw material costs, inflation and the rise of the yen against the rupee, the company hopes to maintain its growth in calendar 2010.

All-party meeting on Telangana crisis begins

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New Delhi, January 05: An all-party meeting chaired by Home Minister P Chidambaram to devise a mechanism and a road map to resolve the vexed Telangana issue began here today with TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, spearheading the movement for a separate state, and Chief Minister K Rosaiah attending it.

The meeting being held at the Home Ministry here is being attended by eight registered political parties in Andhra Pradesh – Congress, TDP, TRS, Praja Rajyam, CPI(M), CPI, BJP and MIM.
–PTI

Get a facelift without surgery

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New Delhi, January 05:For those who dread surgical methods to enhance their beauty, non-surgical stem cell facelifts have come as good news.

Facelift surgery involves removing excess skin and fat and making tissues firmer. Stem cell facelift, in contrast, is a facial rejuvenation without surgery.

“Stem cell facelift is carried out under local anaesthesia and fat is harvested from the patient’s body manually using a syringe, usually from the lower abdomen where there is a plentiful supply,” Anup Dhir, senior cosmetic surgeon at Apollo Hospital, told IANS.

Rupee at month high, up 8 paise at 46.22 a dollar

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Mumbai, January 05: The rupee on Tuesday appreciated by 8 paise to hit a month’s high of 46.22 against the US currency in early trade, in line with other firming Asian currencies.

Continued capital inflows by foreign funds also supported the Indian rupee.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the Indian rupee strengthened by 8 paise to trade at about a month’s high of 46.22 a dollar. The currency had ended 32 paise higher at 46.29/30 in yesterday’s trading.

Genetic fingerprints of germs ‘to be mapped’

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London, January 05: Scientists are on track to map the genetic fingerprints of germs, which they claim would help prevent the spread of infections by identifying the source of outbreaks of diseases.

A team in Britain is in fact working on a DNA database that will help doctors to exactly determine the route by which patients have picked up bacteria and thus to control spread of infection.

Deepa Mehta to begin filming ‘Midnight’s Children’ in September

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New Delhi, January 05: Canada-based Indian filmmaker Deepa Mehta says she has finished writing the script for the big-screen adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Booker Prize winner “Midnight’s Children” and will start filming in September this year.

“We’ve just finished the screenplay (for ‘Midnight’s Children) and we’re going to do the casting in the next couple of weeks. We hope to start filming September,” Mehta told IANS.

“It (the movie) is totally based on Salman’s book,” she added on the sidelines of the first Pravasi Film Festival that started here Sunday.

Federer wants to stay on top in 2010

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Qatar, January 05: Federer, who faces Christophe Rochus of Belgium in the Qatar Open in his first competitive match of 2010, reclaimed the No. 1 ranking last year from Rafael Nadal.

“I would like to stay No. 1 for an obvious reason – getting to No. 1 from No. 2 was very hard work,” the 28-year-old Swiss player said.

“Nadal played so well to stay No. 1. Now, I want to stay No. 1 for as long as possible. I am sure if I stay healthy, I can win tournaments and stay No. 1.”

‘Chance Pe Dance’ not biopic on Shahid Kapoor: Ken Ghosh

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Mumbai, January 05: “Chance Pe Dance” is not a biopic on Shahid Kapoor, clarifies director Ken Ghosh even though it does reflect the actor’s real life struggle.

“When the idea to make the film came, Shahid’s real life struggle was at the back of the mind. He is one of the very few actors who actually struggled to make it where he is. He didn’t have any godfather to launch him,” said Ghosh, who gave Shahid his first break with his directorial venture “Ishq Vishk” (2003).

Oil rises to near $82

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Singapore, January 05: Oil rose to near on $82 a barrel Tuesday in Asia after a jump in U.S. stock markets boosted investor confidence and helped extend a four-week rally in crude prices.

Benchmark crude for February delivery was up 31 cents to $81.81 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract climbed $2.15 to settle at $81.51 on Monday.

Quakes rock Solomon Islands; no injury, damage

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Solomon Islands, January 05: The Solomon Islands was shaken by a string of earthquakes Monday — including one registering a powerful 7.2 magnitude — but officials in the South Pacific country said there were no immediate reports of injuries or widespread damage.

The tremors were centred beneath the ocean floor near the town of Gizo, which was badly damaged in April 2007 when a 8.1 magnitude quake sent a tsunami crashing into the coast, killing more than 50 people.

Michelle Obama’s ‘racist’ chimp picture reappears online

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Washington, January 05: A caricature of US First Lady Michelle Obama as a chimpanzee has reappeared on the Internet, two months after the morphed “racist” picture first provoked a major controversy.

The image has now been reappearing at the top of the results when the words “Michelle Obama” are put into Google’s picture search engine.

Despite complaints that it is “racist”, the US Internet giant has refused to remove the offensive image from its picture search listings, citing its commitment to “free expression”, the media reported.

BJP, JD (U): Centre must step carefully on Telengana

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New Delhi, January 05: A day before an all-party meeting called by the Centre here on the issue of a separate Telengana, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (United) have warned the Centre it needed to handle the emotive subject carefully and it would have to create a peaceful atmosphere, in which the matter could be discussed further.

Rathore charged with abetting Ruchika’s suicide

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Panchkula (Haryana), January 05: A fresh case against former Haryana police chief S.P.S. Rathore was registered here Tuesday, charging him with abetting the suicide of teenager Ruchika Girhotra three years after he had molested her.

The first information report (FIR) has been registered against the former director general of police, Panchkula superintendent of police Maneesh Chaudhary said here.
–IANS

Commonwealth presiding officers meet

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New Delhi, January 05: Presiding officers from 42 Parliaments of the Commonwealth will attend the five-day Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) that is being hosted by India for the third time in 41 years.

Announcing this here on Monday, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said the conference would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the capital on Tuesday. Besides presiding officers from Parliaments of the Commonwealth, the conference will be attended by presiding officers of legislatures across the country.

It’s ‘Divorce Day’ today!

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London, January 05: Relationship experts have predicted January 4, 2010 to be the D-Day for divorces.

Experts point out that the first working day after the New Year often witnesses a sharp rise in divorces.

According to Divorce-online.co.uk , it had a record number of clients in December 2009.

Nearly 12 couples divorce per 1,000 married people and Mark Keenan, divorce-online’s managing director, believes the rate will see a 2percent boost this year.

Railways to cancel 88 train services today

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Hyderabad, January 05: In view of rail blockade call given by ‘Samaikyandhra Joint Action Committee’ and Telangana JAC in three regions of Andhra Pradesh tomorrow, the South Central Railway (SCR) is cancelling 88 train services.

Due to the proposed ‘rail roko’ in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, the SCR has decided to cancel 39 passenger trains and 49 MMTS (a local service) to prevent damage to railway property, an SCR release said on Monday night.

Destructive tsunami crashes over Solomon Islands

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Honiara, January 05: Authorities in helicopters flew over remote coastlines in the Solomon Islands on Tuesday assessing the damage from a large earthquake and tsunami that crashed ashore a day earlier, devastating at least one village.

No injuries were reported some 24 hours after the biggest in a series of quakes churned a tsunami wave that was up to 10 feet (3 meters) high as it plowed into the coast.

Union Govt.’s minority scholarships to be given to all eligible students: Salman Khursheed

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Indore, January 05: (Pervez Bari) Salman Khursheed, the Union Minister of State for Corporate & Minority Affairs (Independent Charge), has announced that from next year the Government of India’s minority scholarships will be given to one and all who are eligible.

The rules and regulations are being amended for this and cent per cent minority scholarships will be distributed from next academic session. The amount earmarked for the minorities as such would not be allowed to relapse.

Salman loves Meherbaniyaan

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Mumbai, January 05: Eros International and Vijay Galani’s VEER starring Salman Khan Bollywood’s biggest epic film till date is very close to the leading actor’s heart.

Since the movie is penned by Salman Khan himself he wished to leave no stones unturned for his magnum opus. Hence he brought together Sajid Wajid and Oscar winner Gulzar to compose the music for VEER which is set in the 18th century.

Ask Salman what’s his favorite song – and promptly he replies ‘Meherbaniyaan’- sung by Sonu Nigam.