Month: February 2010

PM asks states to bolster food production

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New Delhi, January 01: The Prime Minister sought to share the onus of checking price rise with the States. This stand was first adopted following Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s statement that policy decisions are collectively made by the cabinet including the Prime Minister. It was reiterated by Dr. Singh on Monday.

Under fire over rising prices, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked state governments to tackle shortages of essential supplies while promising all possible assistance from the Centre.

Marriage really scares me: Dannii Minogue

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London, February 01: Australian pop star Dannii Minogue has dismissed rumours that she will marry her boyfriend after the birth of their first child later this year. She says she is too scared to walk down the aisle.

Minogue, 38, was previously married to actor Julian McMahon, but they divorced in 1995 after less than two years of marriage, dailystar.co.uk. She is now dating British rugby player Kris Smith and they are expecting their first baby in July.

Rani Mukherjee sets her eyes on Aamir Khan’s son

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Mumbai, February 01: It seems actress Rani Mukherjee, who was once the undisputed queen of Bollywood, is desperately trying to belt out a hit film. Her last film Dil Bole Hadippa failed in spite of all the hype and hoopla created by her bikini act and weight loss. Now, she seems to be interested in working with Junaid Khan.

But who is Junaid Khan anyway? He is Aamir Khan’s son. It is said that Rani Mukherjee is looking forward to work with this tall and handsome young lad. It maybe recalled that she worked with Aamir in her second film Ghulam, which was released in 1997.

SC rejects PIL of Telangana MLAs on resignation

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New Delhi, February 01: The Supreme Court today dismissed a PIL seeking direction to the Andhra Pradesh Speaker to either accept or decide on the resignation of over 139 legislators on the Telangana issue.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices J M Panchal and Deepak Verma said that the petitioner M Narayana Reddy, a former MP, had no locus standi in the issue.

The apex court said there was no public interest involved in the issue as claimed by the petitioner.

Iraq to file lawsuit against US, Britain

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Baghdad, February 01: Iraq’s Ministry for Human Rights will file a lawsuit against Britain and the US over their use of depleted uranium bombs in Iraq, an Iraqi minister says.

Iraq’s Minister of Human Rights, Wijdan Mikhail Salim, told Assabah newspaper that the lawsuit will be launched based on reports from the Iraqi ministries of science and the environment.

According to the reports, during the first year of the US and British invasion of Iraq, both countries had repeatedly used bombs containing depleted uranium.

Security tightened near OU

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Hyderabad, February 01: With an announcement on separate Telangana by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram likely tomorrow afternoon, the police have stepped up the security in the city in anticipation of trouble by pro-Telangana activists.

Iran celebrates Islamic Revolution anniversary

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Tehran, February 01: Special ceremonies are being held in Iran and other countries to mark the first day of the Ten-Day Dawn period that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi regime.

The celebrations started on Monday on the occasion of the beginning of the 31st anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Americans charged with child trafficking in Haiti

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Haiti, February 01: As survivors of Haiti’s killer earthquake are still trying to cope, Haitian police have charged 10 Americans with child trafficking in the tragedy-stricken country.

On Friday, police arrested 10 members of a US charity group when they were trying to take more than 30 children who had survived the quake.

The alleged abductors, five men and five women with US passports, wanted to cross into the Dominican Republic with 33 children without the proper papers.

Moula Ali Kaman gets heritage tag

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Hyderabad, February 01: The historic `Moula Ali Kaman’ belonging to 1812 A.D has at last been declared a State-protected monument. The Tourism department has recently included it in the list of heritage structures following a High Court direction to protect it.

The decision came at a time when the structure has come close to crumbling under the pressure of relentless vehicular movement. Unless restoration works are taken up at the earliest, the authorities found, the monument can collapse anytime.

Jordan govt. urged to sever ties with Israel

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Jerusalem, February 01: A Jordanian committee, encompassing opposition parties and professional associations, has urged the government to scrap its peace treaty with Israel.

“We urge the Jordanian government and other Arab states that signed peace treaties with the Zionist enemy to abolish these treaties as they are considered a declaration of surrender and the public was not consulted about these treaties,” Jordan’s Higher Executive Committee for Defending the Homeland and Confronting Normalization said in a statement on Sunday.

White House predicts record US deficit

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Washington, February 01: The Obama administration has projected the US deficit will reach a record $1.6 trillion in the current fiscal year, a congressional source has revealed.

The official who spoke on condition of anonymity on Sunday said deficits over the next decade will comprise an average of 4.5% of the size of the economy.

The Congressional Budget Office had originally forecast the deficit at $1.35 trillion. In its budget proposal to be released on Monday, the White House predicts that deficits will fall to $700 billion by the fiscal year 2013.

Shahid v/s Kareena at award ceremony

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Mumbai, February 01: Old wounds take time to heal and Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor seems to still be at loggerheads.

Recently Shahid had taken a dig at Kareena while chatting with Karan Johar on Lift Kara De. At the recent Star Screen Awards the ex-lovers were up against each other. Both Kareena and Shahid insisted that they perform after the other as this is seen as a symbol of status in the industry.

City geared up to tackle terror: Khan

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Hyderabad, February 01: City Police Commissioner A K Khan said the intelligence network has to be strengthened to track activities of terror elements in the city.

He, however, stressed that the city was prepared to deal with any kind of terror strike.

PM asks states to bolster food production

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New Delhi, February 01: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked state governments to tackle shortages of essential supplies while promising all possible assistance from the Centre.

“It will never be possible to insulate ourselves from the pulls and pressures of international demand and supply. The State Governments must forge appropriate strategies to bolster food production and tackle shortages of essential supplies,” he said.

Priyanka Chopra in love with Gerard Butler?

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Mumbai, February 01: Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has not being very lucky when it comes to love, as her relationships keep tumbling down every time she builds one. But she is lucky to have guys trying to woo her wherever she goes, and Hollywood actor Gerard Butler is one of them.

The news is doing the rounds that Gerard Butler of 300 fame went down on his knees and proposed to Priyanka Chopra at her Yari Road residence. However, it is not known if the actress said yes to the proposal.

Saif having problems with his partner

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Mumbai, February 01: It is learnt that their second film together was to start shooting in January 2010, but seems nowhere on the mark, to get set and go. Though Love Aaj Kal was one of the top three hits last year, it still didn’t make a profit for distributors Eros, as it was sold at a very high price.

Got a decision to make? Have some sugar, study says

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Washington, February 01: If you’re about to try to negotiate a pay rise, it might be a good idea to have a sugary drink beforehand, according to a study.

Researchers at the University of South Dakota asked 65 students to answer a series of questions in which they had to choose between getting a smaller sum of money “tomorrow” or a larger sum in the future.

The study participants responded to half the questions on an empty stomach and the other half after consuming a caffeine-free soda sweetened either with sugar or the artificial sweetener aspartame.

Koyna Mitra suffers bizarre interrogation at Bangalore airport

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Mumbai, February 01: Koyna Mitra was Mumbai-bound on the Bangalore- Mumbai flight yesterday morning. Before boarding her flight, however, the actress was subjected to a 45-minute interrogation.
During her security check-in, Koyna was subjected to a bizarre enquiry.

Way weird
The actress reveals that the Bangalore CISF women team subjected her to a weird security check-up.

Muslim meet demands T with Hyd

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Hyderabad, February 01: Prominent personalities and public representatives from different political parties, at a meeting organised by Muslim leaders here today, declared that the Telangana Muslim community would get justice only in a separate State.

The meeting passed a resolution urging the Central Government to form Telangana state by making Hyderabad its State capital.

The meeting decided to organise a massive rally and public meeting on Nizam College grounds here on Feb 7. Prominent national leaders from the Muslim community will speak at the public meeting.

Sangeeta-Sallu to work together?

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Mumbai, February 01: After seeing the special preview of Veer, with Salman Khan’s family, Sangeeta Bijlani, who is close to his sister Arpita passed on a message to her ex, congratulating him on his performance, and expressing interest in being part of Sallu’s charitable cause.

A source says, “Sangeeta is really proud of Salman starting the Being Human foundation and she told Arpita how she’d like to collaborate on a project with him.” Maybe a benefit match between Khan and Azhar’s team?

Meanwhile….

Study weighs benefits of transplants for leukemia

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London, February 01: Leukemia patients who have blood stem cell transplants survive just as long on average as those who undergo the more invasive procedure of having a bone marrow transplant, scientists said on Monday.

But patients with acute forms the blood cancer appear to do better if they have bone marrow as opposed to blood stem cell transplants, the scientists said, suggesting that for some the benefit of the complex treatment is greater in the long run.

Nana Patekar refuses cheque for Paathshaala

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Mumbai, February 01: Shahid Kapoor refused remuneration for Paathshaala because of its topical subject — students and study pressures and also because it was the production debut of Shaira Khan, his buddy choreographer Ahmed Khan’s wife. His co-actor Nana Patekar, too, has followed suit.

Nana Patekar and Shahid Kapoor in Paathshaala

Patekar instructed the production teams to give the cheques to charity organisations of his choice in Mumbai and Pune.

Obama administration seeks to outsource spacecraft

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Washington, February 01: Getting to space is about to be outsourced. The Obama administration on Monday will propose in its new budget spending billions of dollars to encourage private companies to build, launch and operate spacecraft for NASA and others. The U.S. space agency would buy its astronauts a ride into space just like hopping in a taxi.

Nigeria crisis threatens to inflate in President’s absence

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Nigeria, February 01: With Nigeria’s main militant group threatening to resume hostilities, Nobel Laureate and peace negotiator Wole Soyinka has expressed concern over the absence of leadership due to President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s ailment.

Soyinka who is a member of a negotiation team appointed by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) to dialogue with the Nigerian leaders said the talks were proceeding well before the president fell sick.

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is on treatment for a heart ailment in a Saudi Arabia hospital for more than a month now.

Afridi given maximum penalty for ball tampering

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Perth, February 01: Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who was slapped two Twenty20 International ban for ball tampering in the final ODI against Australia here, was booked under article 2.2.9 of ICC Code of Conduct and the match referee imposed him the maximum penalty for his offence.

Afridi, who led the visiting side in place of regular skipper Mohammad Yousuf, will miss Pakistan’s next two Twenty20 Internationals against the same opponents on February 5 in Melbourne and against England in Dubai on February 19.