Month: June 2010

Israel Right to Raid Gaza Aid Ship: Biden

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Jerusalem, June 03: In what has been the closest thing to an administration comment on the Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid ship, Vice President Joe Biden today praised Israel for raiding the ship, saying they “had a right to know” what might be on board.

Biden avoided any specific comments with respect to the killings of up to 19 civilian aid workers by the Israeli military, something several members of Congress have championed in previous comments, but insisted that Hamas was secretly to blame for everything that happened.

Ghulam Nabi will launch H1N1 vaccine

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New Delhi, June 03: The first batch of H1N1 vaccine, indigenously developed in India, will hit the market tomorrow that may lead to less dependence on the imported vaccine against the disease which had killed over 1500 people in less than a year.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad will launch the vaccine after taking the first shot. The cost of the vaccine is expected to be Rs. 391 per dose in open market, a Health Ministry official said.

Chhattisgarh: Encounter on between Naxals, security forces

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Raipur, June 03: A fierce encounter broke out between Naxals and security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district Thursday in which three Maoists are believed to have been killed.

Official sources said a group of CRPF and local police noticed movement of Naxals in the area. When challenged, the Naxals fired leading to an encounter between the two sides.

Three Naxals are believed to have been killed in the encounter, the sources said, adding their bodies are yet to be recovered.

Three guns belonging to the Naxals were found in the area.

Chiru to approach PM after meeting displaced families

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Hyderabad, June 03: Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi has decided to approach Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the Polavaram project only after meeting the displaced families.

According to a press release here today, the Prime Minister’s Office responded favourably to Chiranjeevi’s letter this evening seeking an appointment for the PRP delegation to discuss the Polavaram and PranahithaChevella projects.

‘As A Jew’ I’m ‘Ashamed’: Boston Herald representative

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Jerusalem, June 03: Once you have a combat situation and innocent people die, I mean, you know, look at our problems in Afghanistan, and we have an obligation to try and avoid it, Boston Herald, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) Said.

Israel on Wednesday began deporting the bulk of nearly 700 international activists detained during its deadly raid on an aid flotilla bound for Palestinians in the blockaded, Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

 

Ajay-Emraan fight over moustaches

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Mumbai, June 03: Ajay Devgan and Emraan Hashmi are battling each other this time. No film story here. This is for real.

The tug of war this time is over the moustaches the top spot in their upcoming film ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI.

According to our sources, the moustaches that the two heroes spot in the film have become major point of competition between the two. While Ajay feels his look is manlier, Emraan thinks that he is the one who looks completely killer stuff.

Australia can ‘sort out’ Afridi in Tests – Ponting

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Melborne, June 03: Ricky Ponting is confident Australia can get the better of Shahid Afridi, the new Pakistan captain, during the two Tests in England in July. Afridi has not played a Test since 2006 and in 44 games against Australia across all formats, he has only ever scored one half-century.

Afridi will be the third man to captain Pakistan in Tests since the start of 2009 and Ponting is unconvinced that he is one of Pakistan’s best 11 Test players. Ponting said he was confident Australia’s pace attack would be able to counter Afridi’s attacking style in the five-day game.

Afridi will do well as Test captain: Younis

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Lahore, June 03: Pakistan coach Waqar Younis is confident Shahid Afridi would do well as captain in one-day internationals and Test cricket.

Afridi, who led Pakistan in the World T20 Cup in the West Indies, was last month named captain for the Asia Cup and the Test series in England even though the all-rounder has not played a Test since the mid-2006.

“Shahid Afridi led the team well in the T20 cricket and he was positive and communicated well with the players. I think he will produce similar results in one-dayers and Tests as well,” Waqar told the media in Lahore .

Gilchrist backs Finn to be Ashes star

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London, June 03: Australian legend Adam Gilchrist believes young England pace bowler Steven Finn can be a big hit in the Ashes.

Finn earned rave reviews in his first home Test for England against Bangladesh at Lord’s last week as he recorded match figures of nine for 187.

The 21-year-old’s pace, height and bounce have led critics to compare Finn with former England seamer Steve Harmison and even former Australia star Glenn McGrath.

Food inflation rises to 16.55 per cent

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New Delhi, June 03: Food inflation rose to 16.55 per cent for the week ended May 22 on account of high prices of pulses, fruits and vegetables.

Inflation increased by 0.32 percentage point from 16.23 per cent in the previous week.

The uptick was mainly due to a 7 per cent increase in fish marine prices, 5 per cent rise in prices of poultry chicken, 2 per cent in prices of barley and masur each and one per cent increase in prices for fruits and vegetables.

However, coffee turned cheaper by 5 per cent while wheat prices eased by one per cent.

Malik on hunger strike to protest alleged fake encounter

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Srinagar, June 03: Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik today began a hunger strike in Nadihal-Rafiabad in north Kashmir to protest the killing of three youths in an alleged fake encounter by army on April 30.

Malik along with his close associates reached Nadihal this morning and started the hunger strike at the main chowk of the town with locals also joining it, officials said.

The hunger strike comes barely two days after Malik-led JKLF took out a march from party headquarters at Maisuma to protest the killings.

HDFC Bank to double in size every four years: Parekh

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Mumbai, June 03: HDFC Bank can double in size every four years, but it is not in a race to become the largest among all, says Deepak Parekh, Chairman of the private sector lender’s parent company HDFC Ltd.

“Our bank is growing very well, we are satisfied with that. We are not planning to be State Bank of India, we are not looking to grow more than we can chew, what we can handle,” he told PTI in an interview.

“Yet, we (HDFC Bank) have been growing at 25-30 per cent.”

Salman Butt named Pakistan vice-captain

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Lahore, June 03: Pakistan appointed opener Salman Butt vice-captain for the forthcoming Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the subsequent tour to England.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said Salman’s appointment was till September.

Salman, who has been in prolific form in recent times, said he was excited to work with Afridi and would never allow pressure to affect his form.

Jihad against prostitutes

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London, June 03: An imam has been accused of launching a “jihad” against prostitutes in a city in southern Spain by encouraging women to harass and intimidate them.

The streetwalkers in Cartagena, on Spain’s southern Mediterranean coast, complained that the imam, who is now facing a restraining order to prevent him from harassing them, wants to get them off the streets.

Yazid Koudri, president of the Islamic community of Cartagena and the imam of the Ennour mosque, has been accused of sending a team of “Muslim guards” onto the streets to prevent the women from working.

HDFC Bank to double in size every four years: Parekh

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Mumbai, June 03: HDFC Bank can double in size every four years, but it is not in a race to become the largest among all, says Deepak Parekh, Chairman of the private sector lender’s parent company HDFC Ltd.

“Our bank is growing very well, we are satisfied with that. We are not planning to be State Bank of India, we are not looking to grow more than we can chew, what we can handle,” he told PTI in an interview.

“Yet, we (HDFC Bank) have been growing at 25-30 per cent.”

Laxman practices on gravel for Sri Lanka tour

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New Delhi, June 03: Leaving no stone unturned in his preparation for next month’s Sri Lanka tour, stylish batsman VVS Laxman is practising on gravel wickets to fine-tune his technique against spinners.

The elegant stroke player said playing spinners well would be crucial to the team’s success in Sri Lanka and he was not taking any chance.

Soren to attempt cobble up majority; BJP favours polls

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Ranchi, June 03: JMM president Shibu Soren today said he would make an attempt to form an alternative government in Jharkhand, even as his estranged ally BJP demanded mid-term polls if any alliance failed to stake claim within next few weeks.

“I will try to form a government as I am in favour of a popular government and not president’s rule,” Soren told newsmen in Giridih.

Asked whether JMM was prepared for mid-term polls as favoured by BJP and other parties, Soren shot back saying “I am talking of formation of government and you (media) are talking about elections.”

ACC surprised by BCCI’s pull-out from Asian Games

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London, June 03: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC), the body that lobbied to get cricket included in the Asian Games, was caught off guard by the BCCI’s decision to not send its teams to the event in China in November.

“It has come as a surprise for us,” Ijaz Butt, the ACC president, told Dawn. “To pull out at the eleventh hour without any notice or information is surprising to say the least. Everyone had agreed in principle to send teams for the event.”

1,000 fans a day sign up for World Cup TV service

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Hong Kong, June 03: One thousand football fans a day are taking out subscriptions for a pay-TV service in Hong Kong that holds exclusive rights to screen the World Cup, a news report said Thursday.

The rights to screen all games from the South Africa tournament were bought by iCable, which at the beginning of this year had one million subscribers in the city of seven million.

Tens of thousands of new subscribers have since signed up for the service ahead of the tournament, iCable chief executive Stephen Ng told the Standard newspaper, and 1,000 more a day are signing up.

Niall O’Brien postpones finger surgery

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Dublin, June 03: Ireland wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien has decided to postpone surgery on a fractured finger and as a result will be available to play the ODI against Australia in Dublin on June 17.

X-rays revealed that O’Brien, who was suffering from pain and inflammation in his left index finger, had sustained a break and would need an operation. However, after advice from his doctors at his county Northamptonshire, he had a cortisone injection so that he would be able to play Australia.

Bus overturns, one passenger killed, 30 injured

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Bijnor (UP), June 03: One person was killed and 30 others, six seriously, were injured when a tourist bus, on its way to Ayodhya from Haridwar, overturned near Nagina in the district, police said here today. The mishap occurred yesterday when the bus was carrying 70 tourists from Maharashtra.

One of the bus passenger died on the spot, while 30 others injured were admitted to the Nagina Primary Health Centre, they said, adding six of the seriously injured were referred to the District Hospital. The deceased has been identified as Vilas Dada Rao Solanki (30) from Kotlaj of Maharashtra.

IPL: Former CEO Tim Wright sues Deccan Chargers

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London, June 03: More than a year after parting ways with the Deccan Chargers, the IPL franchise’s former CEO Tim Wright has filed a 10 million pound lawsuit against it, alleging breach of contract.

According to a report in ‘The Daily Telegraph’, the lawsuit also “accuses Deccan of illegal payments to an unnamed player which broke the IPL’s salary cap rules.”

Newly married woman burnt

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Muzaffarnagar, June 03: A newly married woman was allegedly burnt to death by her in-laws for bringing inadequate dowry, police said today.

Shabnam was set afire by her in-laws at Miranpur town in the district here yesterday, they said.

The woman was recently married to Gulfam and was being tortured by her in-laws for bringing inadequate dowry, they said.

Police said that the victim”s father Irfan has lodged a complaint against five members of the family, including her husband, in this regard.

—-PTI

Eyes on Rajya Sabha ticket

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Bangalore, June 03: Vijay Mallya is again at the gateway of good times. If all goes well, the liquor baron will get a ticket to the Rajya Sabha (RS) for a second term, thanks to the divisions in the Congress-JD(S) alliance.

By-elections will be held on June 17 to fill the four vacant RS seats from Karnataka. The broken alliance has revived the hopes of Mallya to get elected as the fourth candidate from Karnataka to the RS.

Direct Haj flight from Bhopal

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Bhopal, June 03: Haj pilgrims would now be able to avail a direct Air India flight from Raja Bhoj Airport here to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

This was stated by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel in a letter to Madhya Pradesh Congress President Suresh Pachouri yesterday.

The possibility of operating international flights from the Raja Bhoj Airport here has increased as the length of the runway strip has been increased to 9,000 feet.

Pachouri had earlier written to Patel, seeking introduction of direct air-link to Jeddah for Haj pilgrims.
–PTI