Month: February 2010

Opposition walkout over hike in petroleum product duties

by

New delhi,February 26: The proposed changes in duties related to petroleum products in the Budget stirred a hornet’s nest on Friday with the entire Opposition staging a walkout from the Lok Sabha and warning that they will not allow Parliament to run till a rollback is announced.

“This is a move that would lead to rise in prices of diesel and petrol and hit the common man already burdened by price rise,” Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said immediately after the walkout.

High-fat diets raise stroke risk in women

by

San Antonio, February 26: Eating a lot of fat, especially the kind that’s in cookies and pastries, can significantly raise the risk of stroke for women over 50, a large new study finds. The new study is the largest to look at stroke risk in women and across all types of fat. It showed a clear trend: Those who ate the most fat had a 44 per cent higher risk of the most common type of stroke compared to those who ate the least.

Injured Duminy heads home

by

Ahmedabad, February 26: Out of form South African middle-order batsman J P Duminy has returned home owing to injuries, making him unavailable for the third and final one-dayer against India.

Duminy, who sustained a left hand injury during the second ODI in Gwalior, also developed tooth pain and took the flight back home last night.

“He had developed tooth pain and left last night,” South Africa’s media manager Micheal Owen-Smith said.

Lee in Australia’s probables list for World T20

by

Melbourne, February 26: Injury-ravaged pacer Brett Lee, who recently retired from Test cricket, was picked in Australia’s 30-member preliminary squad for the April-May ICC World Twenty20 Championship in the West Indies.

Lee, who quit Tests to prolong his ODI and Twenty20 career, is currently nursing an elbow injury. The squad would be pruned as the World Cup draws closer.

The squad doesn’t offer any surprises and features players who have been part of the squad of late.

Demoted Razzaq severs ties with Lahore Lions

by

Karachi, February 26: Abdul Razzaq has refused to represent Lahore Lions in the upcoming RBS Twenty20 Cup, choosing instead to join an already powerful Sialkot Stallions side, after he was overlooked for the captaincy of his hometown team.

Mom and I have great emotional connect: Shahid Kapoor

by

Mumbai, February 26: Contrary to reports, Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor spent his 29th birthday with his family. He was especially delighted with the presence of his mother with whom he has “a great emotional connect”.

Referring to all the plans that had been reported for his birthday Thursday, Shahid says: “Everyone made plans that I didn’t know about. It was quite annoying. Even my guest list was prepared.

“But no, the truth was there were no plans beyond the family.”

Sub Inspector accused arrested

by

New Delhi, February 26: In this story one wonders whether to be moved by the victim’s courage or get shocked by the audacity of the perpetrator of the crime.

Radhika Sharma (name changed) was beaten black and blue in full public view but she held her ground. The accused was none other than a 56-year-old sub inspector in the Delhi Police.

The 23-year-old employee of an event management company was on her way home from work last week. She took a shared auto rickshaw to her house in Karawal Nagar, northeast Delhi.

Himesh and Rude Shaan’s Emotional Attyachaar

by

Mumbai, February 26: This week, emotions run high in Music Ka Maha Muqabla as Himesh reiterates on why he insists on rehashing his hackneyed ‘rozi roti aur barkat’ and later Shaan adds to the ‘attyachaar’ by eating his words of hate rant against Shankar. All of this kiss-and-make up makes a great watch for the Holi special and here is the run-down…

This week we will see the persuasive and emotional Himesh Reshammiya reveal that his family had been through many crises in the past.

Opposition joins hands to slam government on budget

by

New Delhi, February 26: The entire opposition, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Left parties, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samajwadi Party (SP), joined hands Friday to condemn the union budget as “anti-people”.

Party leaders addressed the reporters jointly to slam the government over the hike in central duty on petrol and diesel.

“This is a anti-farmer, anti-poor, anti-people budget,” Sushma Swaraj, BJP leader and leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, told reporters shortly after walking out of the Lok Sabha in what was a departure from the norm.

Blast hits Iraq’s Finance Ministry

by

Baghdad, February 26: At least four civilians have been injured as a massive explosion was heard near a temporary building being used by Iraq’s Finance Ministry in eastern Baghdad.

“The explosion took place on Thursday afternoon and ripped through areas close to the government building, leaving two passenger vehicles charred,” a local security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

The attack was a reminder of Iraq’s militancy as the country prepares for a national election in the first week of March.

Sonam Kapoor spending her break in France

by

Mumbai, February 26: Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor has been working ceaselessly ever since getting into films through Sawaariya. Now, she has decided to take a break and relax a bit. It is said that she is spending her holiday in France.

Sources said that Sonam has been waiting for a break, after having worked really hard for the films Aisha with Abhay Deol and I Hate Luv Stories with Imran Khan. It added that she has been looking forward to this much-deserved break.

Sonam has been linked with young director Punit Malhotra of late. However, she has denied having any affair with him.

Priyanka Chopra cuts off ties with Shahid’s friend

by

Mumbai, February 26: Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra seems to be in no mood to get back to her ex boyfriend Shahid Kapoor. It is said that she has cut off ties with Shahid but also his close friend Mubina Rattonsey.

The news is doing the rounds that Priyanka had a major fall out with Mubina for leaking their confidential talks to Shahid. She confronted Mubina the first time it happened but she denied leaking out any information. But she decided to severe ties with her after she repeated the same mistake.

Deepika-Ranbir reunion just a publicity stunt?

by

Mumbai, February 26: All sorts of stories started surfacing, as the release date of Karthik Calling Karthik drew near.

First, it was reported that the lead pair of the film Farhan Akhtar and Deepika Padukone were having affair. Now, another news is doing the rounds that Ranbir Kapoor is trying to reunite with his ex-girlfriend Deepika.

Katrina Kaif in the footsteps of Madhuri Dixit

by

Mumbai, February 26: Katrina Kaif is no doubt one of the most popular heroines in Bollywood today. But can she match up to the steps of the ‘Dhak Dhak Girl’ Madhuri Dixit? Don’t think Katrina can dance as well as Madhuri but she has the guts to do her steps.

Yes, Katrina will be performing a hot item number for Farah Khan’s film Tees Maar Khan. She will be seen in a naughty ghaghra choli designed by Aki Narula. It’s not a cake walk for the actress, as she is going to shake like Madhuri, who was known for dancing. She will practice for 15-20 days for the particular dance number.

Court rejects Suu Kyi appeal

by

Washington, February 26: Myanmar’s Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her house arrest, a ruling diplomats said would cast further doubt on the legitimacy of this year’s election.

Suu Kyi, detained for 15 of the past 21 years, was sentenced to a further 18 months of house arrest in August for allowing an uninvited American to stay in her lakeside home after he swam over to see her.

BJP leaders injured during protest in UP

by

Lucknow, February 26: A BJP protest against price rise on Thursday turned violent, with top party leaders and workers getting injured after a clash with police who prevented them from marching to the assembly.

Former party president Rajnath Singh, 58, who was leading the workers, was injured. So were the Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Ravindra Patni and Ravi Kant Garg.

The BJP called for a bandh in Uttar Pradesh on March 2. It will burn an effigy of Chief Minister Mayawati on Holi, March 1.

Car makers to hike rates after excise duty increase

by

New Delhi, February 26: Major auto makers in the country today reacted to the government”s decision to increase the central excise duty to 10 per cent by saying they will increase car prices — possibly by up to Rs 25,000. While the country”s largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI), said its car will become costly by two per cent, Hyundai Motor India said it will result in a price rise of Rs 6,500-25,000 on average.

IT slabs changed; rate cut for income up to Rs 5 lakh

by

New Delhi, February 25: In a relief to individual tax payers, the Government on Friday changed the slabs cutting the rate to 10 per cent for income up to Rs 5 lakh, while leaving the threshold limit for tax-free income unchanged at Rs 1.6 lakh.

Income between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh will attract 20 per cent tax against the current slab of Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. Hitherto, the income between Rs 1.6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh was taxed at the rate of 10 per cent.

Suicide bombers strike in heart of Kabul; 17 dead

by

Kabul, February 25: Suicide bombers attacked in the heart of Kabul on Friday, triggering a series of explosions and gunbattles that killed at least 17 people in an area that’s home to small residential hotels used by foreigners, police and witnesses said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying five suicide bombers conducted the early morning attacks on two buildings used by foreign citizens, while police said the attackers numbered at least three. Police said Indians were among those killed.

20 feared killed in Andhra quarry mishap

by

Hyderabad, February 26: At least 20 workers were feared killed in a landslip in a granite quarry in Andhra Pradesh’s Prakasam district, police said on Friday.

Police said two bodies were recovered late on Thursday while two injured people were shifted to hospital. The work to clear the debris was still on.

The mishap occurred on Thursday evening at Chimakurthi, near Ongole in Prakasam district.

Over 20 people were working 60 to 80 feet deep in the Hamsa granite quarry when the landslip occurred. Three bodies were completely buried in the mishap.

Man commits suicide

by

Raipur, February 26: A 32-year-old alcoholic man killed his wife and two children with a sharp-edged weapon and set their bodies on fire before burning himself to death in Chhattisgarh, police said Friday.

The incident took place Wednesday night at Siharpur village in the state’s Jashpur district, about 500 km north of capital Raipur but the police only learned about the incident Friday when a few villagers reported it.

Outlay for school education goes up to Rs.31,036 crore

by

New Delhi, February 26: The union budget for the next fiscal has pegged an outlay of Rs.31,036 crore (Rs.310.36 billion/$6.7 billion) for school education, an increase of Rs.4,236 crore from the previous year, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Friday.

The minister said a lot of this money would go for the implementation of the Right to Education Act, which aims at mandatory education to all students between the age of six and 14.

‘The act will provide good quality and equity education,’ Mukherjee said while presenting the budget in parliament.

—-IANS

Crop loan at 5 pc interest for farmers

by

New Delhi, February 26: The government today announced loans at a subsidised interest rate of five per cent — two per cent less than market rate — for farmers who pay their dues in time.

Announcing this in his Budget speech for 2010-11, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also said that the credit target for the agriculture sector has been increased to Rs 3,75,000 crore for the next fiscal from Rs 3,25,000 crore 2009-10.

He had vowed to fight corruption

by

Mumbai, February 26: Last month, Chief Postmaster General MS Bali had assured the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that he would give it a list of corrupt employees in the postal department.

When Bali made this promise to Joint Director, CBI, West Zone, Rishi Raj Singh, during a meeting in January, the CBI had no idea that Bali himself would top that list. Bali, who heads the postal department in Maharashtra and Goa, is in the CBI net for accepting a bribe of Rs 2 crore.

Raj has a new line: irrigated land only for Marathi Manoos

by

Mumbai, February 26: Taking a new line to push his son-of-the-soil campaign, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has decided to hit the streets for a new state law which will deny a non-Maharashtrian possession of any land under irrigation.

Raj Thackeray stated that following the “successful agitations” for conducting railway examinations in Marathi and making taxi-drivers learn Marathi, he and his party have decided to press for a legislation which will ensure that land under irrigation is not given to a non-Maharashtrian.