Month: January 2010

Bus accident kills 18 in Bangladesh

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Dhaka, January 01: A speeding bus lost control and hit a tree before crashing into a canal in south-western Bangladesh on early Friday, killing 18 people and injuring dozens, police said.

Rescuers recovered 14 bodies from the wreckage of the bus after it crashed in Faridpur district, local police chief Awlad Ali Fakir said. An additional four people died while being taken to hospital, he said.

The area is 64 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of capital Dhaka.

Mr. Fakir said 56 injured people were being treated in hospitals, some of them in serious condition.

Sucide Bomber Taliban entered as CIA agent

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Washington,January 01: A breach of security procedure at a heavily guarded CIA base in Afghanistan allowed a lone Taliban suicide bomber, who was posing as aninformant, to inflict one of the deadliest blows ever on the US spy agency.

The bomber, who killed seven CIA officials and injured six others, was allowed to enter the compound without the mandatory security screening and search, the ABC news said on Friday based on information received from CIA officers.

Shabana genetically incapable of relaxing

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Mumbai, january 01: When we meet Shabana Azmi in her beautiful home in Juhu in Mumbai, the purposeful way she strides in, dot on time, makes it clear that this is an actor who values time.

“My husband Javed (Akhtar) says that I’m genetically incapable of relaxing,” she laughs.

For the last few years, Azmi has kept the audiences laughing with comedy films like Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd , Loins of Punjab Presents and Sorry Bhai!! Coming up is yet another funny offering – the Gurinder Chadha-directed It’s a Wonderful Afterlife , a film for which she famously put on more than 11 kg.

Pak criticises Indian army’s new military doctrine

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Islamabad, January 01: Pakistan on Thursday said Indian army’s new military doctrine including scenarios such as a two-front simultaneous war with both China and Pakistan “betray a hostile intent” and a “jingoistic mindset”.

Foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit said in a statement that the Indian Army’s new military doctrine “betray a hostile intent as well as a hegemonic and jingoistic mindset which is quite out of step with the realities of our time”.

Pakistan is prepared to defend itself in the face of all contingencies, Basit said.

No boyfriends in 2010, says Lindsay Lohan

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London, January 01: Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan, who hogged the limelight for her affair with her lesbian lover DJ Samantha Ronson last year, says she will stay away from “boyfriends and other drama” in the new year.

“Starting my new year with friends and family, the way it should be…No boyfriends and the other drama,” the 23-year-old posted on her Twitter page, reports the sun.co.uk.
–IANS

West Indies cricketer Taylor facing charges

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Cape town, January 01: Jamaica and West Indies cricketer Jerome Taylor has been charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest after a confrontation with officers in a bar in which he had been drinking, police said on Thursday.

Taylor, 25, was released on bond on Thursday following the incident late on Wednesday at Junction, St Elizabeth, a rural town southwest of the Jamaican capital Kingston.

Rathore bail plea heard, Abha alleges stepmom drove Ruchika to suicide

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Chandigarh, January 01: SPS Rathore’s bail plea has been heard at the Panchkula sessions court here in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case.
The verdict is expected to be announced at 12:30 pm.
The tainted former Haryana DGP is seeking interim bail against the FIRs filed by Ashu Girhotra, Ruchika’s brother, who’d allegedly been detained and tortured by Rathore and his accomplices.

Bipasha Basu performs at New Year’s Eve bash

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Mumbai, January 01: Bollywood star Bipasha Basu enthralled the audience with her dance performance at the Sahara Star hotel here on New Year’s Eve.

She took the stage twice, grooving to a vibrant mix of foot tapping numbers. During her first appearance she made the audience jig to title songs of her films “Race” and “Bachna Ae Haseeno”.

The second time she took the stage 10 minutes before midnight and charged up the atmosphere by performing to a medley of hit songs.

CIA probes Afghan base security after bomber kills 7

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Kabul, January 01: The CIA vowed on Thursday to avenge the deaths of seven officers in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan and to investigate security breaches that allowed the second deadliest attack in agency history.

The Taliban claimed the attacker was a sympathizer from the Afghan army who detonated a vest of explosives at a meeting with CIA workers on Wednesday. An Afghan was also killed and six CIA employees were wounded, U.S. officials said.

“This deadly attack was carried out by a valorous Afghan army member,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told.

Amritsar witnesses below zero temperature on New Year

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Chandigarh, January 01: The city has witnessed chilled day on the inception of New Year 2010. Mercury has gone to the lowest this season here to 1.2 degrees Celsius, and the weatherman has predicted a further dip. The minimum temperature in Amritsar was minus 0.2 degrees Celsius.

“There is no respite from the cold waves in this region and the minimum temperature at 1.2 degrees Celsius is three degrees below the average. We are predicting this trend to continue in the coming days and we are expecting both day and nighttemperature to fall further,” an official told news agency.

North Korea seeks better ties with US, nuclear-free peninsula

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Pyongyang, January 01: North Korea Friday called for an end to the hostile relationship between Pyongyang and Washington while reiterating it will pursue for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

‘The fundamental task for ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the rest of Asia is to put an end to the hostile relationship between DPRK (North Korea) and the USA,’ Pyongyang said in a joint New Year editorial with Korean reported.

I don’t get preferential treatment: Stuart Broad

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London, January 01: England all-rounder Stuart Broad has denied Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar’s claim that he gets a preferential treatment since his father — Chris — is an ICC match referee.

Gavaskar had recently written in a newspaper column that Stuart always gets away despite his bad behaviour since umpires do not want to spoil relations with his father Chris.

However, Broad junior says that’s not the case.

“I get treated like everyone else,” Stuart said.

Rajini Kanth greets people on New Year day

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Chennai, January 01: Tamil actor Rajini Kanth on Friday greeted people of Tamil Nadu on the occasion of New Year Day.

Thanking his fans for taking various welfare measures during his 60th birthday celebration on December 12 across the state, Mr. Rajini Kanth in a release here, extended his heartfelt New Year greetings to the public and those in the film field.

–Agencies

Telangana “TRAITORS” will be treated Badly

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Hyderabad, January 01: Telangana agitation is not in the hands of either TRS/CONGRESS/TDP Telangana leaders now it seems it has gone beyond their hands, if nothing concrete comes out of 5th January meeting its will the turn of congress ministers who will face the public wrath.

Only time will tell whether the issue of Telangana will give benefit to which party but all the Telangana leaders who fought for Telangana is now tainted in the eyes of today student leaders.

New Year begins on a warm note

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New Delhi, January 01: Relatively warm weather greeted Delhiites on the first day of the New Year Friday. There was a rise in the mercury, with the minimum temperature settling at 6.6 degrees Celsius.

Shallow fog engulfed the capital early Friday, delaying a few morning flights to and from the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).

‘Skies will remain clear during the day with the maximum temperature settling around 21 degrees Celsius,’ an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

Brown warns of ‘evolving’ terrorist threat to UK

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London, January 01: Gordon Brown today issues a stark New Year warning that the terrorist threat to Britain is “evolving”.

He says the failed attempt to blow up a plane over Detroit was a “wake-up call” and pledges new measures to track and detect the “enemies of democracy and freedom” plotting new methods of attack.

In a message on the Downing Street website, he says: “The new decade is starting as the last began, with al-Qa’ida creating a climate of fear.”

Activists allowed into Gaza after days of protest

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Gaza, January 01: Hundreds of protesters gathered yesterday on Gaza’s borders to mark the first anniversary of Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s 22-day ground and air offensive on the territory in which 1,400 Palestinians died.

After days of pressure Egypt said it was allowing nearly 100 of the mainly foreign activists to cross into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip from its territory through the Rafah crossing. Some 1,400 activists from more than 40 countries have been in Cairo since Sunday attempting to march on Gaza, but Egypt has said the action is illegal and a threat to national security.

US missile kills 3 in northwest Pakistan

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Islamabad, January 01: Pakistani intelligence officials say a U.S. missile strike has killed three people near the Afghan border.

The two officials said early Friday’s attack destroyed a car carrying three men in a village near Mir Ali, which is a main town in North Waziristan.

It was the second such attack in the region in the last 12 hours.

A U.S. drone missile strike on late Thursday also killed three people.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly to the media.

South Korean cargo ship sinks, all 22 crew members survive

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Manila, January 01: A South Korean cargo vessel sank off the coast of the northern Philippines, but all 22 crew members were able to abandon the ship, police said on Friday.

One of the 22 South Korean nationals was injured by the ship’s propeller as they fled the cargo vessel Nam Yang 8 on late Thursday, said Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian, a regional police director.

Mr. Damian said the ship was carrying wet magnetite when it capsized off the coast of Claveria town in Cagayan province, 405 kilometres north of Manila.

Obama offers condolences to killed soldiers in East Afghanistan

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Washington, January 01: Paying his last tribute to the soldiers and CIA employees, who were killed in East Afghanistan in a suicide attack, US President Barack Obama offered his condolences and termed them patriots.

In a letter to CIA employees, Obama called those killed “brave Americans (who) were part of a long line of patriots who have made great sacrifices for their fellow citizens, and for our way of life”.

Rupee falls by 7 paise in opening trade

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Mumbai, January 01: The rupee depreciated by 7 paise against the dollar on the first day of New Year on Friday due to firm demand for the US currency which rose to three-month high against other major currencies.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic unit traded 7 paise down at 46.60 a dollar. The rupee had ended 21 paise higher at 46.53/54 a dollar in the previous trading.

Dealers said the dollar rose to a three-month high against Japanese yen after reports that US jobless claims fell to the lowest since 2008 putting pressure on the Indian rupee.

I didn’t criticise Vajpayee: MK

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Chennai, January 01: Reiterating that former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee was a “good man in a wrong party”, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Thursday denied having criticised the erstwhile Vajpayee regime for the delay in according classical language status to Tamil.

In his concluding remarks at the first meeting of the office-bearers of all committees formed for World Classical Tamil Conference here, Karunanidhi said he had been writing a series of articles ahead of the meet only to emphasise that all parties should take part in it, burying their political hatchets.

UN slams US over killing of Afghan civilians

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Kabul, January 01: The top UN special envoy in Afghanistan has said he is concerned over the mounting civilian death toll in the landlocked country.

Kai Eide urged US-led NATO forces to make every effort to minimize civilian casualties in Afghanistan.

He was referring to the alleged killing of ten civilians at the hands of foreign troops on Sunday in northeast Afghanistan.

Military offensives in Kunar, which borders Pakistan, are being led by US Special Forces.

The victims, including eight school-children, were dragged out of their homes in the Kunar province and shot to death.

Dismantle terror infrastructure, India tells Pak

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New Delhi, January 01: India today asked Pakistan to dismantle the terror infrastructure on its soil which is being used to launch attacks in this country.

“It is very bad. It should be dismantled,” Home Minister P Chidambaram said when asked about his assessment of the terror infrastructure in Pakistan.

India is unconvinced about Pakistan’s resolve to take action against anti-India terrorist outfits and has been pressing for removal of terror camps across the border.

Balanced approach must on stimulus continuity: Pranab

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Kolkata, January 01: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said a balance has to be stuck on the issue of continuity of the stimulus packages.

“The aim is to maintain growth,” Mukherjee said while addressing the members of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce here today, adding the package should not be prolonged so as to make public debt hard and prevents the private sector from accessing resources because of huge government borrowing.