Month: February 2010

Shun plastic, actress Gul Panag urges Mumbaikars

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Mumbai, February 26: In a bid to save the environment, actress Gul Panag on Thursday appealed to Mumbaikars to shun plastic.

“I believe that the type of people who stay in Mumbai and earn their living, are all aware of their surroundings and if we appeal to them with the objective of this project Say No To Plastic’, I think they will surely be a part of it. With their cooperation, we can take forward this responsibility,” Panag told reporters after the official launch of the Green Commandoes project here on Thursday.

In every 9 min, 1 married man commits suicide

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New Delhi: Is the mounting burden of responsibilities driving men to the end of their tether? Numbers suggest so.

In India, one married man commits suicide every nine minutes. Of the total 1,25,017 cases of suicide in 2008, married men alone accounted for 57,639. While the number of women taking the extreme step did not lag far behind, men appeared more vulnerable to mounting social and economic pressures. In the case of women, the trigger was more emotional and personal.

Lovers’ tiff makes Priyanka faint?

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Mumbai, February 26: Did a heated conversation (with Ranbir Kapoor) stress Priyanka Chopra out? While the whole world is speculating about Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone’s ‘special’ relationship, their exes — Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra — are hitting it off and how! Kapoor and Chopra have been shooting for Siddharth Anand’s Anjaana Anjaani in San Francisco, USA, for over two months now.

“Indian networks behind terror attacks in India”

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Lahore, February 26: Pakistan on Thursday claimed “Indian networks” were behind the terror attacks in Mumbai and on the Samjhauta Express and Indian Parliament.

Without giving any evidence to substantiate the claim, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said a terrorist assault of the magnitude of the Mumbai attacks could not have been carried out without the backing of an “Indian network.”

Dino Morea to tie knot with Nandita

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Mumbai, February 26: Rumour has it that lovebirds Dino Morea and Nandita Mahtani are discussing shaadi this year.

Lovebirds Dino Morea and Nandita Mahtani are serious about each other. And marriage is definitely on the mind, if not on the cards yet. Last week, Dino was seen mingling with Nandi’s family at her brother’s wedding last week.

Curfew in Pattan

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Srinagar, February 26: Curfew was imposed at Pattan in north Kashmir on Thursday evening after a clash between two groups.

Twenty persons were injured and 25 shops and four houses damaged in the clash.

Ghulam Hassan Mir, hit in the head, was declared brought dead at a hospital here, but the authorities later said he was in a critical condition at the S.K. Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura.

At Hyderbaig-pattan, 27 km from here, one group was erecting a board and the other group objected to this. This resulted in the clash.

—–PTI

Afghans wake up to sound of explosion, gunfire

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Kabul, February 26: An early morning explosion followed by gunfire rocks a shopping area in the center of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, witnesses say.

There were no immediate report on the possible casualties in the Friday morning attacks, but there were a few people at the shopping area at the time.

Police exchanged fire with some suspected attackers but there were no reports on whether they managed to target or apprehend any of the suspects.

Sirens could be heard in the aftermath of the blast as thick smoke could be seen rising from the site of the explosion.

Syria’s close ties with Iran angers US

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Damascus, February 26: The US State Department spokesman says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Syria will undermine Damascus’ position in the Middle East.

Philip Crowley told reporters on Thursday that the US has expressed concerns to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad about his country’s relationship with Tehran.

“This is ultimately a decision that Syria has to make,” dpa quoted Crowley as saying.

“But I think as President Assad assesses Syria’s long-term interest, he need only look around the region and recognize that Syria is increasingly an outlier,” he added.

BJP: No objection to Qatar citizenship for MF Husain

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New Delhi: The BJP today said it had no issues with controversial painter MF Husain being offered citizenship by Qatar, adding everybody had a right to reside anywhere in the world but when it came to creative pursuits one should not hurt sentiments of others.

“On this earth, every person has the right to live anywhere. So, we don’t want to blame Husain if he accepts this offer of citizenship made by Qatar,” deputy leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha S S Ahluwalia said.

Prices coming down

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New Delhi, February 26: The prices of essential commodities such as rice, wheat, pulses, sugar and vegetables are coming down as the “worst time is over, and we are on line for better days,” Union Agriculture, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Sharad Pawar said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, amid walkout by the Opposition members.

Australia had warned Israel about forged passports

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Melbourne, February 26: A report says long before the Dubai assassination of a senior Hamas commander, Australia had warned Israel not to use forged Australian passports for secret operations.

The Australian daily said that Former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer confirmed that his country’s government had warned Israel, at least once, against using such fake passports.

“We have raised the issue of Israeli intelligence officers using foreign passports and that they should not consider using Australian passports,” he said.

Arrested Lebanese confesses spying for Mossad

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Beirut, February 26: A Lebanese national arrested on espionage charges by Beirut, has confessed to spying for Israel’s secret service, Mossad.

Lebanon’s police chief, Major General Ashraf Rifi, not disclosing the name of the spy, said that he was arrested two weeks ago after he returned from Israel.

He is currently in custody and will face trial in a military court, Rifi told AFP on Thursday.

“He has visited Israel twice, in 2000 and 2004, and was trained by and met with Israelis abroad,” said the police chief.

Former AIADMK Minister joins DMK

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Madurai, February 26: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam functionary and former Minister V. Sathiyamoorthy on Thursday joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the presence of Union Minister and party’s south zone secretary M.K. Alagiri here.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Alagiri said that this was just a beginning. In the days to come, “you will see more people from different parties joining the DMK. This is because the government headed by M. Karunanidhi has fulfilled its promises to the people of Tamil Nadu,” he asserted.

Man who killed wife, two kids arrested in Mumbai

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Mumbai, February 26: The 42-year-old technician, who allegedly killed his wife and children, was arrested on Thursday.

Ganesh Tambe brutally killed his wife Siddhi, 36, along with daughter Saylee, 7, and son Shubham, 5, after an altercation at their home in Padmawati Complex, Bolinj village on Wednesday.

Top Maharashtra & Goa postal official in Rs2 crore bribery case

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Mumbai, February 26: In what the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claims to be India’s biggest bribe trap case, the agency on Wednesday snared the chief postmaster general of Maharashtra and Goa while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs2 crore.

The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the CBI nabbed Manjit Singh Bali, one of the senior-most officers in the postal department, while he was accepting the bribe to issue a no-objection certificate (NoC) for some construction work.

Israel pushing US to impose crippling Iran sanctions

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Jerusalem, February 26: Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak has urged the US administration to impose crippling sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

“At this stage it’s important to impose serious and crippling sanctions in order to prevent it from achieving nuclear ability,” Barak said referring to Iran during a meeting with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Washington on Thursday.

Barak’s comments come after the US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said that Washington does not intend to impose “crippling” sanctions on Tehran.

US claims it does not want ‘crippling’ Iran sanctions

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Washington, February 26: US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley claims that Washington does not aim to impose “crippling” sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

“It is not our intent to have crippling sanctions that have … a significant impact on the Iranian people,” Reuters quoted Crowley as saying on Thursday.

His comments contradict earlier US sanctions that have directly targeted the Iranian people. Over the past years, the US has imposed sanctions against Iran’s civil aviation. Washington has also stepped up efforts to hinder fuel supplies to Iran.

It’s a national shame

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New Delhi, February 26: The news that India’s most celebrated artist M.F. Husain has been conferred Qatar nationality has touched a nerve within the creative community, with artists terming it a “national shame” that a cultural icon had not been made welcome in his own country.

“Temporary exile was bad enough, but that he should have been pushed into considering this is tragic for all of us as Indians, and especially for us in the artistic community,” said well-known singer Shubha Mudgal.

North Korea warns US over planned military drill

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Seoul, February 26: North Korea’s military has strongly condemned the upcoming joint US-South Korean war games in the tense peninsula.

On Thursday, an army spokesman said in Pyongyang that the drill is a rehearsal for the invasion of the North.

It cautioned that it will respond to any aggression with nuclear weapons, if necessary.

The United States is expected to send 18,000 troops to South Korea for the maneuver, which is scheduled for 8 March 2010.

Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war. The Korean War between 1950 and 1953 ended with a truce but not a peace treaty.

In 2014 India may grow faster than China

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New Delhi, February 26: The government’s crystal-ball is radiating optimism on the Indian economy.

The 2009-10 economic survey, presented to parliament by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday, says the economy is revving up, and growth will be anywhere in the range of 8.25-8.75% in 2010-11. It will breach 9% the year after.

North Korea says holding four South Koreans

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Pyongyang, February 26: North Korea’s state media said on Friday authorities were interrogating four South Koreans who illegally entered its territory, a move that will heighten tensions on the divided peninsula.

There were no further details in a brief dispatch from the North’s official news agency. Fishermen from both the South and the North have drifted into the others’ waters in recent years and are usually repatriated.

Don’t neglect your hair, skin this Holi

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New Delhi, February 26: Busy collecting balloons, coloured powders and pichkaris for Holi? How about investing in some mild cleansers, oils and caps to protect your skin and hair from harsh chemicals and the sun?

Most of the powders used in Holi are not derived naturally and contain chemicals like mica and even lead that not only irritate the skin but also collect on the scalp.

Ajay Rana, dermatologist and director of Berkowits Hair and Skin Clinic, said the first thing everyone should do is to wear a cap for scalp protection and wear full-sleeve shirts for skin protection.

JD-U legislator kills wife, daughter, himself

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Patna, February 26: Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) legislator Abhay Singh was found dead along with his wife and daughter at his official residence here, police said Friday.

They said that Singh, legislator from Jamui and son of Bihar Minister for Food and Consumer Narendra Singh, committed suicide after killing his wife and daughter late Thursday night.

Singh first shot dead his wife and daughter and later killed himself, the police said, adding that the the daughter was less than a year old.

Scheme for e-governance in Panchayat in the offing

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New Delhi, February 26: Government is formulating a Centrally-sponsored scheme for e-governance in Panchayati Raj Institutions.

Under the scheme, the Panchayati Raj Ministry would provide computers and related hardware and software to each village and block panchayats.An information and service needs assessment has already been done.

The Ministry is working closely with National Informatics Centre to build “generic” software solutions that could be used by the PRIs. There are also plans to build some software centrally.

2 oil reserves discovered in Brazil

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Rio de Janeiro, February 26: Brazil’s state energy giant Petrobras announced Thursday that it has located two new significant oil deposits, estimated at a combined 65 million barrels.

Both deposits are in the Barracuda oilfield, about 100 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state and were detected through one single oil well.

One of the deposits, has recoverable reserves of 25 million barrels around 800 metres below sea level, while the second holds an estimated 40 million barrels at a depth of 4,300 metres below sea level.