Month: May 2010

U.S. arrests Pakistani-American over failed car bomb

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Washington, May 04: The Pakistani-American arrested on suspicion of driving a bomb-laden car into New York’s Times Square told U.S. authorities he acted alone, but skeptical investigators are looking into his recent trip to Pakistan, a law enforcement source said on Tuesday.

Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, was arrested late on Monday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York as he tried to take a flight to Dubai, local and federal officials said.

Arms racket: CRPF commander under scanner

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Lucknow/New Delhi, May 04: A Commandant of the CRPF has come under the scanner of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in connection with the arms racket busted recently.

Official sources said the STF is looking into the role of the Commandant in the supply of stolen government arms and ammunition to criminal outfits and possibly Naxals.

While senior officers are tight-lipped about the role of the Commandant, sources said, his name was given by those arrested in connection with the case.

Girl falls to death at a mall

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Lucknow, May 04: A 22-year-old girl today died after falling from the fourth floor of a city mall in Gomti Nagar area, police sources said here.

Shruti Agarwal, who hailed from Meerut and was studying architecture in a private engineering college, died after falling from the fourth floor of Zee Mall in Gomti Nagar this evening, they said.

Police said that Shruti had gone there with her friend Raj Kumar and the duo allegedly had a spat over some issue before the incident took place.

Raj Kumar has been detained and is being quizzed by the police, they said.

–Agencies

Mann fires 63 to lead by three strokes

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Mumbai, May 04: Chandigarh pro Gurbaaz Mann shot a seven-under 63 to establish a three-stroke lead over his rivals on day one of the PGTI Players Championship at the Bombay Presidency Golf here today.

Mann is closely followed by Gaganjeet Bhullar, Anirban Lahiri, Abhishek Jha and Mohd Siddikur Rahman at the second spot with identical scores of four-under 66.

Mann made an ideal start to the week as he hit it close on the front nine to earn birdies on the first, fourth, fifth and seventh.

Rajasthan ATS lets off Patidar

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Jaipur, May 04: Vishnu Prasad Patidar, picked up from Madhya Pradesh by Rajasthan ATS in connection with the 2007 Ajmer Dargah blast, has been let off after verification.

“Patidar was picked up by a Rajasthan ATS team from Khardon Kala village in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday last. He is a witness and was not arrested. He was given permission to go after his verification yesterday,” a senior Rajasthan ATS official said.

Patidar may be called again if necessary, he said.

India lifts ban on travel to Iraq

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New Delhi, May 04: India Tuesday lifted the ban on grant of emigration clearance for Indians wishing to travel to Iraq, but added a cautionary advisory that they take care of their personal security while working or visiting the oil-rich Gulf country.

“The government of India has decided, in order to facilitate travel by Indian nationals to Iraq on work and/or for visits, not to extend the ban on the grant of emigration clearance, which had been issued under Section 31(1) of the Emigration Act, 1983,” the advisory said.

U.S. degree as a proof to green cards: Senators’ proposal

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Washington, May 04: If a proposal by top Democratic Senators is accepted, degree from U.S. universities may well prove to be a passport for a U.S. green card, or permanent residency.

India, which sends the highest number of students to the U.S., is likely to benefit most from the proposal put forward by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senators Charles Schumer and Bob Menendez.

IT jobs promote English school enrollments

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New Delhi, May 04: Over the last two decades there has been a large increase in the outsourced jobs in the country. It has directly boosted enrollment in schools, shows a study.

A study done by Emily Oster and Bryce Millet of the University of Chicago, and another by Robert Jensen of the UCLA School of Public Affairs in the US, released last month, indicate the opening of ITeS centres has directly boosted enrollment in English schools, locally.

Only five schools in Dubai make the top grade

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Abu Dhabi, May 04: Only five of the 210 schools inspected in Dubai have been awarded full points in the second round of scrutiny that concluded in March.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) confirmed on Monday that three public schools were among the five that received the rating of “outstanding” from the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB).

National ID must for immigration transactions

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Abu Dhabi, May 04: AM EIDA has announced that ID cards will be compulsory to stamp, renew residence visa at all naturalisation and residency departments countrywide. Starting before the end of this year with the Abu Dhabi department.

Ali Mohamed Al Khouri, Deputy Chairman of Higher Management Committee at The Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA), told mediapersons on the sidelines of the ID World Abu Dhabi 2010 forum on Monday that the ID cards will be eventually obligatory to process any transaction at any ministry.

Advani to meet Kothari in final

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Mumbai, May 04: Top seed Pankaj Advani will meet Petroleum Sports Promotion Board team-mate Sourav Kothari in the final of the Rs 3.10-lakh prize money Nahar-MIG All India Invitation Snooker Championship here tomorrow. In today”s semifinals, Advani, who is to take part in the Asian championship in Thailand soon after the conclusion of this tournament, scored an easy 5-0 win over Kamal Chawla of the Railways.

US captain stole Iraq funds

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Portland, May 04: A man who stole $690,000 from the U.S. government while serving as an Army captain in Iraq was sentenced to 30 months in prison Tuesday.

Michael Dung Nguyen, a graduate of West Point, acknowledged stealing more than $690,000 entrusted to him for distribution to Iraqi humanitarian relief, rebuilding projects and security services. The 28-year-old pleaded guilty to theft and money laundering charges in December.

Italian city fines woman for wearing burqa

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Rome, May 04: Italian police fined a Muslim woman for wearing a full Islamic veil in a street in the northern city of Novara, possibly the first such incident in Italy, city officials said on Tuesday.

“City police ticketed her last night and she will have to pay a 500-euro (650-dollar) fine,” Mauro Franzinelli of the Novara municipal police told reporters.

“As far as I know this is a first in Italy,” he said adding that the woman could appeal.

Alcohol banned for Muslims in Bahrain

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Dubai, May 04: Bahrain’s lawmakers approved a law that will impose a ban on drinking alcohol to Muslims only; allowing non-Muslims to drink in places specified by the government, a local newspaper reported on Tuesday.

In the session where the modification of several articles in the Bahraini penal code was put to vote, Ali al-Saleh, head of the Consultative Council, called upon members not to exaggerate in their interpretation of Islamic laws and to look at the different levels of the issue, the Bahraini daily independent al-Wasat reported.

Three NATO soldiers among 11 killed in Afghanistan

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Kabul, May 04: Three NATO soldiers were killed in incidents in southern Afghanistan, while Afghan and coalition troops killed five Taliban fighters in the central region, officials said Tuesday.

Taliban militants in the northern province of Kunduz also killed three men suspected of spying for the government, officials said.

One NATO soldier died in a vehicle accident, while two others were killed by separate roadside bombs, the alliance said. All the three soldiers were killed Monday in the volatile southern region.

Embassy blasts: Iraq dismantles militant network

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Baghdad, May 04: A top Iraqi security official said Tuesday that authorities have dismantled the militant network allegedly behind suicide car bombings in April against three embassies in Baghdad, which killed 46 people.

Military operations spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said police on April 14 arrested members of the network based on evidence given by a failed bomber caught on the day of the attacks against German, Iranian and Egyptian embassies.

Evidence presented before court in Ruchika case

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Chandigarh, May 04: Former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore”s counsels today presented their evidence in a local court which has begun hearing on a day-to-day basis his plea challenging his conviction in Ruchika molestation case and petitions of the CBI and the victim”s family seeking enhancement of his six-month prison term. “Rathore”s lawyer wife Abha and her partner counsel presented their evidence in the court,” Ruchika”s family lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj told reporters outside the court after day-long in-camera proceedings held before Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Gurbir Singh.

Lok Sabha passes two bills without discussion

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New Delhi, May 04: Lok Sabha today passed within few minutes a bill on minority educational institutions and another on energy conservation without any debate because of uproar over a remark by a Trinamool member against a Left MP. The bills — National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (Amendment) 2009 and Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2010 — were put to vote even as BJP members protested the way these were rushed through by Speaker Meira Kumar. Chanting slogans like “this is murder of democracy”, BJP members said there was no order in the House.

3-year murder mystery solved

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Hyderabad, May 04: Police on Monday solved the mystery behind a murder case that had lain unsolved for three years within the Balanagar police limits in Mahabubnagar district. The 25-year-old victim, Mahender Reddy, was from Jangammet in Hyderabad and used to work for a bootlegger.

West Zone Task Force sleuths caught the bootlegger and two hired assassins who killed Mahender Reddy. They recovered a dagger and two mobile phones from them.

According to the police, Mahender Reddy used to work for Nishannam Thomas alias Thomas, a bootlegger from Gowlipura.

Beautiful women bad for men

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London, May 04: Meeting a beautiful woman can be bad for your health, scientists have found.

Just five minutes alone with an attractive female raise the levels of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, according to a study from the University of Valencia.

The effects are heightened in men who believe that the woman in question is “out of their league”. Cortisol is produced by the body under physical or psychological stress and has been linked to heart disease.

Kasab’s sentencing on May 6

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Mumbai, May 04: The 26/11 court today fixed May 6 for sentencing Ajmal Kasab in the Mumbai attacks case after the prosecution pitched for death penalty for the Pakistani terrorist and the defence pleaded for leniency given his young age.

Special judge M L Tahaliyani reserved his judgement for Thursday after public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and defence counsel K P Pawar wrapped up their arguments on the quantum of sentence to 22-year-old Kasab, who was held guilty of mass murder and waging war against the nation yesterday.

Vitamin D critical to fighting infections

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Washington, May 04: University of Copenhagen researchers report vitamin D is crucial to activating immune defenses to fight off serious infections in the body.

Carsten Geisler said when specialized immune cells — T cells — are exposed to a foreign pathogen, it extends a signaling device or “antenna” known as a vitamin D receptor, with which it searches for vitamin D.

“T cell must have vitamin D or activation of the cell will cease,” Geisler said in a statement. “If the T cells cannot find enough vitamin D in the blood, they won’t even begin to mobilize.”

Many women unaware of heart disease signs

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Washington, May 04: More than 430,000 U.S. women die each year of heart disease, but many women are unfamiliar with signs, U.S. researchers say.

To better spot cardiovascular disease Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas began a new Heart & Vascular Wellness Program for women including a detailed heart health history, blood pressure check, HbA1C and C-reactive protein blood test, cholesterol and diabetes screenings, and one-on-one discussions with a medical provider

Acupuncture for pregnancy depression

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Washington, May 04: U.S. researchers say acupuncture may effectively treat depression during pregnancy.

The researchers say the rates of depression for pregnant women — about 10 percent meet the criteria for major depression and almost 20 percent have increased symptoms of depression — are similar to rates among similarly-aged non-pregnant women.

However, using antidepressant drugs raises concerns for the developing fetus.

Syrian-Turkish relations excellent

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Sana, May 04: President Abdullah Gul of Turkey said the Syrian-Turkish relations are excellent and run by institutions on all levels, adding that the Syrian and Turkish peoples look at these relations in a positive and special vision.

In a statement to Syrian al-Watan newspaper to be published on Wednesday, President Gul stressed that these relations are not only limited to exchanged visits by citizens of the two countries, but there are also reciprocal visits by the leaderships of the two countries.