Month: August 2010

Brazil returns 22 tonnes of trash to Germany

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Rio de Janeiro, August 25: A shipment of 22 tonnes of household trash that arrived at a port in Brazil has been returned to Germany, officials said.

The German-flagged ship Rio Negro sailed in the weekend from Rio Grande port for Hamburg, where it is expected to arrive in September, the Brazilian Environment and Natural Resources Institute said.

The trash originated in the Czech Republic, according to documents, but Brazilian officials ordered the shipment to be sent to Germany because it was the last country the waste passed through before arriving in Brazil.

200 homes evacuated due to wildfire in US

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Los Angeles, August 25: Residents from about 200 homes are being evacuated as a fierce wildfire spread in a mountainous area about 96 km northwest of Los Angeles, US.

The fire started around 12.25 p.m. Tuesday near the hills in the Lebec Oaks Road area of Kern county, Sean Collins, a spokesman for the Kern County Fire Department told the Los Angeles Times.

An hour later, residents in the area were told to leave their homes, he said.

Paraguay’s president takes paternity test

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Asuncion, August 25: Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo had a paternity test as ordered by a court following scandals caused by paternity lawsuits that shook his government during his first year in office.

The 59-year-old former Catholic bishop had his blood sample taken at the presidential residence that was ordered Aug 10 by Judge Ana Ovelar.

At the same time, blood samples were taken from the three-year-old boy at the centre of the issue as well as from his mother named Hortensia Moran, who says she became pregnant during an affair with Lugo while working for his election campaign.

‘Yemen ignores rights in fighting insurgents’

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Sana’a, August 25: Yemeni authorities have “sacrificed” human rights and committed unlawful killings of people linked to Al Qaeda and local insurgents as the Arab country tried to confront threats from those groups, Amnesty International said Wednesday.

In a report titled “Cracking Down Under Pressure”, the international rights watchdog called on Yemeni authorities to “stop sacrificing human rights in the name of security” as they fight Al Qaeda, Shiite rebels and southern separatists.

Uranium seized in Moldova

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London, August 25: Police in the eastern European country of Moldova have seized around two kilograms of uranium-238, the radioactive substance used to produce atom bombs, and detained three people who were trying to sell it, media reports said.

From where the uranium was brought has not been established, but was kept in a garage of a former policeman in Chisinau town, Xinhua reported citing the official Moldpres news agency.

S Korea, US to talk Iran sanctions

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Seoul, August 25: Seoul said on Tuesday that Deputy Foreign Minister Chun Yung-woo is headed to the US for talks on sanctions imposed on Tehran.

Delegates from South Korea’s Foreign Ministry and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), a top financial watchdog, will accompany Chun, the ministry said in a statement.

Chun is expected to meet with Robert Einhorn, the state department’s special adviser for non-proliferation and arms control, and other US financial authorities to discuss details of the UN Security Council’s economic sanctions on Iran, the ministry added.

Malaika paid more for Dabanng

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Mumbai, August 25: Malaika Arora Khan is back in news with her Munni Badnaam Hui in Dabanng.

And even as she is getting compliments from all over she admits that there is one particular compliment that she holds closest.

“My husband gave me the best compliment. He said it was great that I managed to create the same magic even after so many years,” she says almost blushing.

The song happens to be a part of Arbaaz’s debut production Dabangg and hence she did it.

Vidya Balan Has A Shoulder Problem

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Mumbai, August 25: Bollywood actor Vidya Balan’s plans of performing a complex item song for Santosh Sivan’s Malayalam film Urumi have been postponed due to an acute shoulder condition, says a media report.

Her doctor has warned her not to do anything strenuous as it could result in permanent harm.

Farah Wants To Keep Katrina’s Look A Secret

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Mumbai, August 25: Film maker Farah Khan has banned camera phones on Tees Maar Khan sets as she doesn’t want Katrina Kaif’s look to be revealed, says a media report.

Farah Khan has issued a strict ‘no cellphone’ diktat on the sets of Tees Maar Khan. The director who’s shooting the Sheila Ki Jawani song with Katrina at Film City is paranoid about photos and clips of the song leaking out.

The crew has been instructed to deposit their mobile phones at the gate before entering the sets. A guard has been hired to frisk everyone and ensure no one smuggles a mobile phone on the set.

Is Meira Kumar wants to quit Speakder’s post?

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New Delhi, August 25: The ‘mock Parliament’ initiated by Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav on the MP’s salary hike issue last week has turned out to be a major irritation for Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, who is reportedly contemplating stepping down.

An unhappy Kumar wants to condemn the three Yadavs for misusing the Lok Sabha premises for conducting a ‘drama’, in the glare of the entire press gallery and some MPs.

Hezbollah: Iran military aid welcome

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Beirut, August 25: The Lebanese resistance movement’s Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah urged the Lebanese Cabinet on Tuesday to ask Iran and Arab states to provide equipment for Lebanon’s army, stressing that “Hezbollah will work hard through his friendship with Iran to equip the Lebanese Army.”

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman has officially asked Iran to equip and modernize the Lebanese Army.

Americans disapprove of Barack Obama

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Washington, August 25: About 72% of Americans in a poll said they were worried about unemployment. 67% also said they are very concerned about government spending.

The survey comes ahead of the congressional midterm elections which begin in November. The US unemployment rate and huge budget deficit are exhausting the Democrats, reported Reuters.

Obama’s popularity is deteriorating at a rapid pace. This comes as more negative economic data surfaced on Tuesday. The statistics showed that sales of existing homes plummeted to the slowest pace in 15 years last month.

Rayachoti MLA’s poser to CM

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Hyderabad, August 25: The Rayachoti Congress MLA, Mr Srikant Reddy, has questioned the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, if all those speaking from the CLP office had his permission. If not, who has given them the permission to speak on his behalf, he added.

In a letter dashed to the Chief Minister and released to the media, Mr Srikant Reddy mentioned about MLAs, Mr D L Ravindra Reddy, Mr J C Diwakar Reddy and Dr Shankar Rao, addressing the media from the platform of the CLP. He also questioned the Chief Minister if they took his permission to address the media.

CM wants more ITIs in private sector

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Hyderabad, August 25: The Chief Minister, Mr K Rosaiah, today asked the Labour and Employment department to increase the number of ITIs in the State, particularly in the private sector with the cooperation of Industrialists since the number of ITIs are quite inadequate compared to the number of Engineering Colleges.

He also agreed to the proposal of the Labour Department to convert the 23 Mahila Pranganams covering all districts in the State into Govt. ITIs.

‘US has more blood on its hands than Al Qaeda’

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Washington, August 25: The proposed mosque near Ground Zero has got embroiled into a fresh controversy with the appearance of an interview of the Imam spearheading the project in which he said the “US has more Muslim blood on its hands than Al Qaeda has on its hands of innocent non-Muslims.”

“We tend to forget, in the West, that the United States has more Muslim blood on its hands than al-Qaeda has on its hands of innocent non-Muslims,” Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said in a question-and-answer session at Australia’s Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre in 2005.

YSR memorial: Minister nails newspaper report

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Hyderabad, August 25: The Minister for Forests and Environment, Mr P Ramachandra Reddy, on Tuesday condemned the news reports that the “YSR Smrithi Vanam” at Pavuralagutta would be confined to 26 acres due to denial of clearance by the Union Forest and Environment Ministry for taking up construction of the memorial in the reserved forest area.

Speaking to mediapersons in the Secretariat, Mr ramachandra Reddy said that there was no truth in the news story published in a vernacular daily that “YSR Smrithi Vanam” would confine to 26 acres of revenue land at Pavuralagutta.

Why terrorists love the BlackBerry

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Islamabad, August 25: Why is the government pressurising the Canadian company, Research in Motion, to hand over the encryption keys for its popular BlackBerry device?

Sources said the decision goes back to the Mumbai terror attacks of November 26-29, 2008, during which the terrorists used the BlackBerry extensively to communicate with their handlers in Pakistan.

Rs 6 cr sanctioned to patch city roads

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Hyderabad, August 25: Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sameer Sharma on Tuesday revealed that Rs 6 crore have been sanctioned for patching potholes on city roads.

Dr Sharma said that the roads are in a pitable condition following continuous rains in the season.

GHMC Chief Engineer R Dhan Singh told INN that the work on patching the potholes would begin as soon as the next week.

He said that the work will begin after the completion of the tender work procedure.

——INN

Saeed calls for jihad to ‘free Kashmir’

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Srinagar, August 25: Continuing his anti-India rant, the chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawah Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, has now said that ‘jihad’ is the only way to free Jammu and Kashmir from the “Indian yoke”. Saeed, who India blames for masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks, made the remarks while addressing a meeting of JuD workers at the Jamia Masjid Mukarram at Daska in Punjab province on Monday.

Local body polls after legal opinion on women quota: Anam

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Hyderabad, August 25: Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy on Tuesday said that the government will soon take a decision on conducting local body elections in the state after clarifying the issue of implementation of 50 percent quota to women in the polls with legal experts.

Mr Ramnarayan Reddy said that the elections to local body were delayed due to enumeration of BCs and implementation of 50 per cent quota for women.

Second Hyderabad City Master Plan released

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Hyderabad, August 25: Ten new flyovers, 13 new bridges, 7 new under bridges and multi-parking facilities have been proposed in the City Master Plan-2031.

Chief Minister K Rosaiah released the Master Plan, Municipal Administration Anam Ramnarayan Reddy told media persons. He said that the Master Plan has been carefully drafted to ease the present and future traffic woes in the city. He said that HMDA officials took 10 long years to draft this Master Plan.

Groom held for demanding dowry ahead of marriage

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Prakasam, August 25: Unwilling to succumb to the last minute demands of additional dowry, a young bride on Tuesday got the groom arrested instead of wailing over her fate.

According to reports coming in, the groom called off the marriage when her family could not meet the demand for additional dowry hours ahead of the ceremony at Garapeta in Marripudi mandal in Prakasam district as The bride, an engineer by education, and her parents refused to let the last minute blackmailing tactics work and lodged a complaint against the groom at the police station.

Gone targets Ramoji Rao, alleges media baron of land grab attempt

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Hyderabad, August 25: Former MLA and APSRTC former chairman Gone Prakash Rao on Tuesday alleged Ramoji Film City chairman Ramoji Rao has erected gates on a public road with a view to encroach some land between Anajpur and Naganpally villages and urged Chief Minister K Rosaiah to initiate action against him.

Appoint chairman members to SC ST Panel: Shankar Rao

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Hyderabad, August 25: Secunderabad Cantonment MLA P Shankar Rao on Tuesday urged the state government to appoint a Chairman and Members for the SC/ST Commission and Andhra Pradesh Women Commission immediately.

Mr Shankar Rao told media persons after submitting a memorandum to Chief Minister K Rosaiah on behalf of Scheduled Castes Rights Protection Society that the appointments were long overdue and the state government should expedite the appointments.

Strong evidence against sex racket involved: AK Khan

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Hyderabad, August 25: Hyderabad Police Commissioner AK Khan on Tuesday said that the police have enough audio and visual evidence against those arrested for immoral trafficking early on Monday.

The police chief denied allegations that the police were systematically targeting the Telugu film industry and said that the recent raids were part of the efforts to cleanse the city of crime.