Month: July 2010

Muslim parents banning children from music

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London, July 02: Some Muslim parents are withdrawing children from music lessons because their beliefs forbid them from learning an instrument, it has been claimed.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said music lessons were potentially unacceptable to about 10% of Muslims.

This could equate to hundreds of Muslim children being withdrawn from the lessons, the MCB said.

It said passages from a collection of the Prophet Mohammed’s(PBUH) teachings banned instruments.

Why did Salman skip Aish’s Raavan???

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Mumbai, July 02: While the entire cast and crew of ‘Ready’ went to watch Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan’s latest film Raavan, in Sri Lanka, Salman Khan preferred giving it a miss.

Salman did not want to anger Tamil community that is already furious over him shooting in Sri Lanka. But the actual reason behind not turning up for the movie was, he couldn’t stand his ex flame Aishwarya Rai with Abhishek.

Aamir Khan lived up to his promise

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MUmbai, July 02: As promised, perfectionist Aamir Khan joined the super popular social networking site; Twitter today.The moment he posted his first mail as test mail in the social networking site, he has attracted more than 40,000 followers in a duration of 12 hours.

The most interesting part is, his number of followers is more than Amitabh Bachchan who actually inspired Aamir Khan to join Twitter. On the first day, Big B earned 37,500 followers while Aamir 50,000.

Aamir Khan first thanked Mr. Bachchan.

Iraq war illegal, Tony Blair was told

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London, July 02: Former British prime minister Tony Blair was warned that the invasion of Iraq would be illegal in a secret memo from Attorney General Lord Goldsmith three months before the war began, a media report said.

The British Cabinet Office has published the first draft of Goldsmith’s legal advice which confirmed he had doubts about the legality of the conflict without a new UN mandate, express.co.uk reported.

Google buying travel software firm for USD 700 million

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Washington, July 02: Internet titan Google plunged into the online travel market, buying ITA Software, a flight information software company, for USD 700 million in cash.

Google’s purchase of the Massachusetts-based ITA yesterday raises prospects of a battle over the lucrative sector between the Web search giant and Expedia, Kayak, Orbitz, Microsoft’s Bing Travel and other sites.

Indian Tsunami Early Warning System:INCOIS

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New Delhi, July 02: With nearly 400 million people living along coastal India, a system was needed to send off tsunami related warnings, prevent damage and save cost of evacuation in case of a false alarm

Religious Intolerance Grows Worldwide‎

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London, July 02: A leading minority rights organization says religious intolerance has become one of the main causes of persecution of minorities around the world.

The London-based Minority Rights Group International, in its 2010 report, calls religious intolerance the “new racism” and says its impact is felt on religious minorities across the globe.

It says such minorities also face increased persecution and reduced freedom stemming from strict government anti-terrorism measures imposed after the September 2001 terror attacks on the United States.

Zardari, Gilani condemn Lahore blasts

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Islamabad, July 02 : The blasts at Lahore’s Sufi shrine that killed 38 people show that terrorists have no respect for any religion and such acts will not deter us to fight them, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said Friday.

Such terror acts cannot dent the government’s resolve to fight the menace of terrorism and militancy to the end, Zardari said.

A double suicide bombings inside the Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh shrine (Data Darbar) Thursday night killed at least 38 people and injured 175.

US strategy in Afghanistan ‘not working’

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Washington, July 02: A renowned French Army general has called for a review of the US strategy in war-torn Afghanistan, saying the current strategy is ‘not working.’

Vincent Desportes, the head of elite Interforces Defense College, told Le Monde newspaper that the strategy employed by former US war commander in Afghanistan Stanley McChrystal had made the situation in the country “worse than ever,” AFP reported on Thursday.

The traditional counter-insurgency strategy, adopted by McChrystal for about a year ago, has failed to yield result, Desportes said.

A Sri Sri sex video?

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Bangalore, July 02: Is a ‘fake’ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar sex video on its way? A day after the Art of Living (AOL) Foundation was accused of land grabbing, the AOL chief yesterday claimed that don-turned-social-workers were trying to blackmail him with a ‘fabricated video of a woman’.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar urged his followers to be patient and not take law into their hands because he believed that truth would ultimately triumph.

Agni Sridhar had earlier alleged that Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s AOL had encroached upon land that belonged to Dalits and poor farmers

38 killed at Sufi shrine in Lahore

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Lahore, July 02: At least 38 people were killed and more than 175 injured in double suicide bombings at a shrine in Lahore late Thursday, government officials said.

“There were two suicide bombings. We have found the severed heads of the attackers and the ball bearings used in the suicide vests,” the city’s civil administrator Khusro Parvez told reporters.

The bombers struck when thousands of worshippers were visiting the white marble mausoleum of 11th century saint Abul Hassan Ali Hajvery, commonly known as Data Ganj Baksh, for traditional Thursday prayers.

New power tariff likely by July end

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Hyderabad, July 01: Amidst people demanding quality power supply and prompt redressal of grievances, the public hearings of Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) for deciding retail supply tariffs for the financial year of 2010-11, concluded here today . The new tariff order which is already delayed by over six months, will be announced by July end.

ATC denies permission for Naidu to fly

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Hyderabad, July 01: The Air Traffic Control (ATC) Thursday denied permission to former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to fly in a helicopter due to bad weather.

The leader of opposition had to cancel his visit to Warangal and Ongole towns as ATC refused permission to his chopper to take off from here in view of bad weather.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president was to fly to the towns to attend marriages of the children of two party leaders, party sources said.

One more dies of swine flu in Visakhapatnam

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Hyderabad, July 01: Dreaded swine flu has claimed one more victim in Visakhapatnam, taking the toll to five in the state so far this season. Interestingly, four of them were women.

A woman from Srikakulam – N Nagamani – who was admitted to Chest Hospital here on June 25, died of the infection.

Nagamani first complained of fever and when she found that the fever was continuing, consulted a doctor in Vizianagaram on June 17. Later she was shifted to a private hospital on June 23 in Visakhapatnam.

Talk of more subsidy on LPG 100% gas!

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Hyderabad, July 01: There may not be any relief for the aam aadmi in the State, as far as the Rs 35 burden imposed by the Centre on cooking gas is concerned.

According to sources, the state government is not willing to bear either in full or in part the burden in view of the precarious financial position though it had initially showed some inclination to soften the blow by bearing at least a portion of the burden. The general feeling in the state government is that as it is already bearing a burden of Rs 25 per cylinder, any further relief would put the exchequer under severe strain.

Clouds of uncertainty hover over AKNU

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Rajhmundary, July 01: Clouds of uncertainty continue to hover over the future of Adikavi Nannaya University (AKNU), as the efforts of revenue officials to survey land for the university in Vengayammapuram village of Jaggampet mandal were thwarted by locals.

Blames government for Maoists attack on CRPF

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Hyderabad, July 01: Revolutionary writer Varavara Rao today demanded that the Centre immediately put an end to `Green Hunt’ in Chhattisgarh to pave the way for peace and possible talks between the government and Maoists.

Responding to Tuesday’s attack on CRPF personnel by Maoists, Rao blamed the government for such incidents. “It is time the government at the Centre decides whether it works for the poor and tribals or for multinational companies. Deployment of huge number of paramilitary personnel will invariably lead to counter attacks and loss of lives,” Rao averred.

Maoists set off mines injuring 3 CRPF jawans

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Hyderabad, July 01: Hours after 26 jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were massacred by the CPI Maoists in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh, the rebels set off pressure mines injuring three CRPF personnel in Bijapur district on Wednesday.

A probe is already on to ascertain what went wrong with the forces yesterday. Two of the slain CRPF personnel belong to Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, the Maoist sponsored bandh started today in five states including Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, and Bihar.

Fee reimbursement only to the poor & meritorious

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Hyderabad, July 01: The Rosaiah government will continue the fee reimbursement scheme but with a lot of riders. The Cabinet sub-committee, which went into the controversial issue, has finalised its recommendations which would be placed before the Cabinet on Thursday.

The one condition that the government intends to implement strictly is the limit on family income — Rs 1 lakh per annum.

Though this stipulation existed even in the past, it was not implemented effectively leading to a large number of students — over 20 lakh — availing the benefit of fee reimbursement.

Hold bypolls in Sircilla, Vemulawada: HC tells

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Hyderabad, July 01: Decks have been cleared for the conduct of elections to Vemulawada and Sircilla constituencies along with 10 other segments in Telangana for which bypolls are scheduled to be held next month.

Earlier, the Election Commission did not announce the schedule for Vemulawada and Sircilla apparently because petitions were pending in the High Court. Challenging the EC decision, the TRS approached the court.

KBR Park murder mystery solved

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Hyderabad, July 01: Police on Wednesday solved the mystery behind the murder of an woman at KBR Park. The deceased was raped and murdered by two persons, with whom the woman was moving freindly, since the past three months.

Investigating into the murder, police identified the woman as Radha Bai (24) of Tumkur in Shamirpet mandal in the outskirts of the city. Radha Bai reportedly had a quarrel with her husband and came to the city three months back.

South Central Railway to run 28 new trains

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Hyderabad, July 01: The South Central Railway (SCR) would introduce 28-new train services soon. These train services would operate between SCR and Southern, South Westren zones.

The SCR would also operate four more local MMTS train services in the twin cities for passenger convenience.

M S Jayanth, General Manager, South Central Railway released the new Southern zone timetable and MMTS of twin cities here today.

US honours IGP for anti-trafficking drive

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Hyderabad, July 01: US Embassy Charge d’ Affaires Steven White today felicitated Inspector General of police (CID) S Umapathi for being named in the 2010 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report.

Umapathi was named the TIP hero by US Department of State’s office for monitoring and combatting trafficking in persons. White said that anti-trafficking efforts has been an important bilateral issue between India and USA.

Umapathi is the first Indian government official to be honoured for his TIP work.

Haj application date extended

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Hyderabad, July 01: The Ministry of External Affairs has extended the last date for submission of Haj applications from June 30 to July 15. According to a press release by AP Haj Committee, APSHC EO Habeebuddin Ahmed has requested the Haj piligrims to avail the opportunity and submit their applications at the earliest.

Ahmed also invited applications from the eligible male government employees between 25 and 50 years of age, through proper channel for deputation as Haj volunteers.

–Agencies