Month: October 2010

Bipasha bags her first Hollywood project

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New Delhi, October 31: After sizzling on Bollywood screen for almost a decade, dusky beauty Bipasha Basu has signed her first international project — English-French director Roland Joffe’s “Singularity”.

The 31-year-old is extremely excited and admits she does have butterflies in her stomach.

“I am very excited…but have to admit that I am also a little nervous. Everything happened really fast,” Bipasha told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Bipasha met Joffe in a chance encounter at the Taj Land’s End Hotel in Mumbai in September.

Musharraf responsible for Kargil conflict: Ex-ISI chief

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Islamabad, Oct 31 (IANS) Pakistan’s former president Pervez Musharraf and his close associates were responsible for the 1999 Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan, the then chief of Pakistani army’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) said Sunday.

The retired general Ziauddin Butt, who is now the chairman of chief minister’s inspection team in Pakistan’s Punjab province, has demanded a thorough probe into the matter.

Truck-load of crackers seized

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Kanpur, October 31: A truck-load of crackers, worth lakhs of rupees, was seized from a godown at Sachendi here and two persons were arrested for illegally storing it, police said today.

Acting on a tip-off, police raided a godown at Sachendi and seized about a truck-load of crackers, SP (rural) Lal Bahadur said, adding that two persons Rizwan and Javed were apprehended for storing it without a licence.

The search is on to arrest other people related to the group, he said adding the crackers are worth lakhs of rupees in the market.

–Agencies

11,485 candidates appear for online CAT exam

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New Delhi, October 31: Around 11,485 candidates today appeared for the online Common Admission Test (CAT) 2010, the highest so far since the start of the exam on October 27, with the organisation conducting it claiming that the sessions ended “successfully”.

The first edition of the online CAT exam was marred by technical glitches last year.

“11,485 candidates registered for the CAT today and both sessions have concluded successfully,” Prometric India, which conducted the online exam, said at the end of day four of the test.

At 37, Aishwarya is a director’s delight

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New Delhi, October 31: For most leading ladies in tinsel town, their career takes a downfall after they touch 30. But certainly not in the case of Aishwarya Rai, who continues to flourish in Bollywood as she turns 37 Monday and has two mega projects – ”Action Replayy” and ”Guzaarish” – lined up for release.

Obama better than Bush, so no protests, say Indian Muslims

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New Delhi, October 31: Barack Obama is ”better” than George Bush, say Indian Muslims though they don’t consider the US as Muslim-friendly yet, adding when the American president arrives he can expect a warm welcome from the community members.

There would be no demonstrations by the community to protest the high-level visit from Nov 6, say Muslim leaders who had organized rallies against George Bush’s visit in 2006 to protest his Iraq and Afghanistan war policy.

Categories Uncategorized

Obama better than Bush, so no protests, say Indian Muslims

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New Delhi, October 31: Barack Obama is ”better” than George Bush, say Indian Muslims though they don’t consider the US as Muslim-friendly yet, adding when the American president arrives he can expect a warm welcome from the community members.

There would be no demonstrations by the community to protest the high-level visit from Nov 6, say Muslim leaders who had organized rallies against George Bush’s visit in 2006 to protest his Iraq and Afghanistan war policy.

Categories Uncategorized

Sarah Harding cynical about love, marriage

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London, October 31: Actress Sarah Harding has revealed that she is cynical when it comes to relationships.

The “Girls Aloud” star, whose parents split when she was 14 years old, has been in a relationship with DJ Tom Crane for three years but is still unsure if he’s the one for her.

Obama faces defeat in mid-term elections: Opinon polls

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Washington, October 31: US President Barack Obama faces a humiliating defeat in Tuesday’s mid-term congressional elections, according to opinion polls.

The opposition Republicans are looking at a landslide victory with at least 50 seats almost guaranteed in the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives – they only need another 39 to gain a majority.

The Democrats’ presence in the upper chamber, the Senate, is also under threat, according to the Washington Post, though it looked as if Obama may be able to defend a narrow majority.

One killed in rain-related incident in Andhra Pradesh

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Hyderabad, October 31: One person was killed as heavy rains continued to lash coastal Andhra Pradesh and several places in Rayalseema region for the second consecutive day today.

As the north-east monsoon became vigorous, Chittoor, Nellore, West Godavari, Krishna, East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts in coastal region have been receiving heavy rains.

As many as 51 mandals have been affected due to heavy rains in the coastal district and paddy crop on about 20,000 hectares was submerged besides 1,500 houses inundated.

Central team to visit AP to asses losses during floods

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Hyderabad, October 31: A central team from would soon visit Andhra Pradesh for an on-the-spot assessment of the losses incurred due to floods and heavy rains during June and September.

An eight-member central team would arrive here on November 2 for a two-day visit, an official release from the Commissioner for Disaster Management said here tonight.

A four-member team led by R R Jha, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs would visit Guntur and West Godavari districts on November 2 and 3.

Include artisan work in school syllabus: Sibal

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New Delhi, October 31: Suggesting that work of the artisans should be included in the school syllabus, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today said different nodal departments should join hands for skill upgrade of the craftsmen and providing them with technical know-how.

“Artisan work and their activities should be included in the school syllabus,” he said while distributing artisan credit cards to about 70 craftsmen from Vikas Nagar in Delhi at a function here.

AP Cong leaders remember Indira Gandhi, Sardar Patel

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Hyderabad, October 31: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah and several senior Congress leaders paid homage to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 26th death anniversary today.

Rosaiah, state Congress president D Srinivas and other leaders paid homage to the late leader at her statue on the Necklace road near State Secretariat and Gandhi Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters.

The ‘Iron Man of India’ and the country’s first Union Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was also remembered on his 135th birthday anniversary.

I want to play a scheming, vicious manipulator: Katrina Kaif

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Mumbai, October 31: She came, she saw and she conquered! Bollywood’s reigning queen Katrina Kaif has come full circle. Change is what the lass believes is constant. After playing the

same kind of role again and again, the actress wants to try out something new. Portraying

roles which are often etched on the lines of same old characters she has played earlier, Kat

says she’s game for a scheming, vicious manipulator’s role on screen.

It is also believed that the actress wants to move over from acting to filmmaking. She

3 held with fake currency in TN

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Coimbatore, October 31: Three persons hailing from West Bengal were arrested today with counterfeit notes having a face value of Rs 2.45 lakh from nearby Tirupur, police said.

A shop-owner alerted the police after he grew suspicious of genuineness of a Rs 1,000 note

given to him by one of the three involved in the fake currency trade, they said.

On information provided by him, police searched his house and recovered 201 fake notes in

the denomination of Rs 1,000 and 88 in the denomination of Rs 500. They also arrested two

two of his accomplices from there, police said.

Actor, 5 friends booked for illegal boat ride

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Nagarjuna sagar, October 31: Bind-over cases were booked on Saturday against Telugu film hero Navadeep and five of his friends for breaching the rules and venturing into the Krishna near Anupu, the erstwhile ferry point on the right bank of the river 35 km upstream of Nagarjuna Sagar.

Navadeep and his friends were stranded in the middle of the river as their boat ran out of fuel while returning to Anupu.

When the news was flashed by TV channels, the Macharla police rushed to Vijayapuri South, arranged two private boats and brought the visitors back to the bank and safety.

Sleuths may quiz Headley’s wives

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New Delhi, October 31: Indian investigators may approach for questioning the wives of

Pakistani-American LeT terrorist David Headley as they feel that he had stonewalled

information about his family, who had knowledge about his activities in India and his links

with the outfit.

According to the 106-page dossier of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), prepared after

the detailed questioning of Headley in the US, he had told the Indian investigators that

they should not ask him any questions pertaining to his immediate family.

Where MFIs, belt shops meet in misery

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Guntur, October 31: Pondugula village in Guntur district has eight unofficial liquor vends, popularly called belt shops.

The village falls in the cement and limestone belt of the state, with dozens of companies, big and small, coming up in the last decade. Most of the 9,000 villagers of Pondugula work in the cement companies.

They have money in their pockets after a day’s hard labour.

After the closing siren in the evening, returning workers head to the belt shops. The vends are happy.

Army personnel’s salary to be credited in banks

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Hyderabad, October 31: In a development that should cheer about one million Army personnel, their pay system is going online. It has become a reality with the software developed by the Controller of Defence Accounts (CDA) under project Dolphin.

The software not only helps credit the salaries of the staff directly into their bank accounts but also enables the personnel to view online the details about their promotions and the benefits they are entitled to.

Won’t accept any proposal for Telangana with riders: TRS

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Hyderabad, October 31: TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday said any proposal to

grant statehood to Telangana with riders or conditions would not be acceptable to his party.

“Telangana minus Hyderabad is like a body without a head. We want Telangana state with the

same geographic boundaries that existed when it was merged for formation of united Andhra

Pradesh in 1956. Anything else would not be acceptable to Telangana people,” he said here.

“We are not ready to compromise even on an inch of land. We will be ready for any

sacrifices,” he said.

Six more CBI courts to be opened in AP

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Hyderabad, October 31: Six more CBI courts will be opened in Andhra Pradesh by the end of

this year, with four in Hyderabad and two at Visakhapatnam, a senior official said on

Friday.

At a workshop on ‘Generation of awareness and publicity against corruption’ organised here,

CBI DIG (Hyderabad Zone) V V Lakshmi Narayana said that a total of 71 special courts have

been opened through out the country so as to speed up trial of CBI cases.

The workshop was organised as part of Vigilance Awareness Week, a release said.

–Agencies

Pro-Telangana students protest in Hyderabad

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Hyderabad, October 31: A day ahead of Andhra Pradesh Formation Day, pro-Telangana students Sunday sought to lay siege to the residences of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah and his ministers demanding the day not be celebrated in the region. Many were arrested.

The leaders and members of Osmania University’s Joint Action Committee (JAC) tried to march towards the chief minister’s residence but were stopped by the police.

CM’s advisor Agarwal quits

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Hyderabad, October 31: The state government on Saturday accepted the resignation tendered by retired IAS officer Praveen Kumar Agarwal to the post of Advisor to chief minister K Rosaiah.

Chief secretary SV Prasad on Saturday issued orders accepting the resignation following a request made by Agarwal to relieve him from the post recently.

8 from Karnataka die in road mishap

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Sangareddy, October 31: Eight persons died and six others suffered injuries in a ghastly road accident at Ranjol in Zaheerabad on NH-9 on Saturday.

All the victims belonged to Bidar in Karnataka.

According to police, a family from Bidar were returning home after seeing off their relative on Haj pilgrimage at Shamshabad airport in Hyderabad.

The vehicle in which they were travelling hit a truck coming in the opposite direction. Six persons died on the spot while two others succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital.

Jayaprakash Rao appointed APSCHE chairman

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Hyderabad, October 31: Prof P Jayaprakash Rao has been formally appointed as the chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) for a period of three years.

Jayaprakash Rao has been working as the vice-chairman of the council and was appointed as the in-charge chairman when KC Reddy retired after a six-year term in August this year.

Ever since KC Reddy retired from the service, the names of several academicians came up for consideration for the much aspired post.