Month: November 2010

India on alert over parcel bombs

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New Delhi, November 03: India Wednesday sounded an alert at all air and sea ports to closely check all overseas shipments coming into the country following detection of two parcel bombs at Athens and London airports, and a third in Berlin.

Sources said that the union home ministry has directed the postal department to thoroughly check all parcels coming from Yemen and Somalia.

The alert follows last week’s discovery of the two parcels containing explosives on US-bound flights in London and Dubai, sent from Yemen.
–IANS

Earthquake strikes off western Turkey

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Trukey, November : An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale has struck the Gulf of Soros off the Aegean Sea in western Turkey but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

The earthquake occurred at 4:51 a.m. local time (0251 GMT) on Wednesday, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

The quake caused panic among residents in Canakkale, a province near the gulf. People fled outdoors when they felt the first jolt of the earthquake.

The locals returned to their homes when they observed that the quake had not caused destruction.

Chirag Paswan celebrates birthday with Kangana

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New Delhi, November 03: Chirag Paswan, son of politician Ram Vilas Paswan, celebrated his birthday with co-star Kangana Ranaut on the sets of his debut movie “One And Only”.

“Chirag’s birthday was celebrated on the sets. Kangana has started shooting for the film and it is shaping out well,” producer Anuj Saxena said in a press statement.

Made under Saxena’s Maverick productions, it is being directed by Tanveer Khan and also stars Sagarika Ghatge, Neeru Bajwa, Poonam Dhillon, Vinod Khanna and Dalip Tahil.

Bhopal tragedy victims to protest during Obama visit

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Bhopal, November 03: Bhopal gas tragedy survivors who have been fighting for justice for the last 26 years plan to bring their plight to the notice of US President Barack Obama, who will visit India Nov 6-9, a representative of the victims said Wednesday.

For this, they will stage a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in Delhi Nov 8 when Obama will be present in the capital, the representative said.

Tonnes of poisonous methyl-iso-cyanate gas spewed out of the now-shut pesticide plant of Union Carbide India located in a congested part of Bhopal Dec 2-3 night in 1984, killing over 3,000 overnight.

PM invites Shabana-Javed to dine with Obamas

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New Delhi, November 03: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has invited Bollywood veterans Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi for dinner with US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle in the capital Nov 7.

“Javed and I invited by Prime Minister for dinner with Obama on 7th November,” Shabana, a well-known actress and social activist, posted on the microblogging site Twitter.

Shabana seems quite excited about the meeting, and is quite sure that Obama will manage a second term as president.

“USA full of doubts whether he will get a second term. I’m pretty sure he will,” she added.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Hate Their Nickname ‘Brangelina’!

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Los Angeles, November 03: Hollywood super couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who were given the name ‘Brangelina’ by the entertainment media years back, has amazed everyone by declaring that they hate the nickname. Suddenly, the couple realized that it sounds like a ‘breakfast cereal’.

The couple started dating since 2005 when they acted together in the film Mr & Mrs Smith. Soon after their relation started, the couple got this name and it was often used in the media to address them.

Vettori wants to be a better Test bowler

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Ahmedabad, November 03: New Zealand cricket captain Daniel Vettori will become the second player after Stephen Fleming to play 100 Tests for his country when he takes the field in the first Test against India here Thursday.

On paper, the left-arm spinner has already played 100 Tests as he had turned out for the Word XI against Australia in 2005.

Vettori Wednesday said the road till here has been satisfying and he is proud of the achievement, though he would like to bowl better in the longer version of the game.

When Dev Patel punched Freida Pinto

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London, November 03: Freida Pinto remembers how co-star and boyfriend Dev Patel once accidentally punched her in the face while promoting Slumdog Millionaire.

The 26-year-old actress took a blow from Dev while they were promoting Slumdog Millionaire, the Oscar-winning movie that brought them together in the year 2008. She, however, seemed to enjoy it.

“Small things bring so much joy to us, like when we were first doing interviews, there was one time when Dev punched me in my face by mistake,” femalefirst.co.uk reported Freida as saying.

Indian players celebrate noisily: Gibbs

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Abu Dhabi, November 03: South Africa opener Herschelle Gibbs in his autobiography, ‘To the point’, has written that Indian cricketers don’t drink muck but are still loud and noisy in their celebrations.

“My Indian teammates might be frustratingly quiet on the field but put a trophy in their hands and the celebrations are about as loud and as noisy as they get,” Gibbs wrote in a section on the 2009 Indian Premier League final which the Deccan Chargers won at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

Politics should be poor-centric: Varun Gandhi

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New Delhi, November 03: During his visit to the flood-hit areas in Uttar Pradesh, BJP national secretary and MP, Varun Gandhi claimed that politics should be poor-centric, not election-centric.

“I am of the view that politics should not be election centric, instead it should be poor centric,” stated Varun on Wednesday, Nov 3.

Hinting at central government’s negligence towards the poor people in the region, Varun alleged that although nearly one crore people live in the peripheral areas of rivers in Uttar Pradesh, effective schemes had been not chalked out to check floods.

Prank call triggers panic at SRK’s bungalow

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Mumbai, November 03: Panic reigned at Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan’s bungalow and surrounding area after a prank phone call stating that a businessman would be killed by the members of underworld at the actor’s residence in suburban Bandra, police said on Wednesday.

The call was received at the police control room on Tuesday afternoon which said that Gutka baron Joshi, one of the visitors at the bungalow, would be killed by gangster Chhota Shakeel’s members.

After the call, police swung into action and cordoned off the area.

Mulayam brings back SP’s Muslim face Azam Khan

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Lucknow, November 03: Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday revoked the expulsion of senior leader Azam Khan, who was expelled from the party after Lok Sabha polls last year.

“SP National General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav has written a letter to Khan informing him about Mulayam Yadav’s decision to revoke his suspension,” party sources said here.

“I am extremely happy to inform you that the SP national president Mulayam Singh Yadav has revoked your expulsion from the party,” Ram Gopal said in the letter.

Manipur’s Iron Lady completes 10 yrs of fast

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Kolkata, November 03: Irom Sharmila, often called the Iron Lady of Manipur, on Tuesday completed 10 years of her fast-unto-death demanding withdrawal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958, from the state.

Iran reiterates push for Africa ties

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Tehran, November 03: Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani says the Islamic Republic will back efforts by African nations to salvage themselves from arrogant powers’ oppression.

Larijani made the remark in a Tuesday meeting with head of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Senate Jean Claude Mokeni in the Iranian capital, Tehran, Fars news agency reported.

The Iranian official cited Congolese resistance against the expansionist policies of foreign powers as one of the reasons for close ties between Iran and Congo.

Is The Ashmit Patel – Veena Malik Relationship In ‘Bigg Boss 4’ For Serious

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Mumbai, November 03: Is Veena Malik really falling for actor Ashmit Patel? Going by incidents taking place inside the ‘Bigg Boss’ house, she is! While ‘Bigg Boss’ struggles to keep its audiences hooked to the reality series, a fresh controversy has started inside the house.

With Sara Khan has been kept inside the secret room of ‘Bigg Boss 4’, Veena Malik has supposedly taken her position!

Corruption over Pakistan Haj pilgrims: Saudi prince

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Islamabad, November 03: A Saudi prince has told the Supreme Court here that Pakistan’s ministry of religious affairs is indulging in corruption while dealing with Haj pilgrims, media reports said Wednesday.

Saudi prince Bandar Bin Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz said in a letter to the court that the Pakistani ministry had rented out “expensive accommodations at far-off locations for pilgrims going to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj.

“We offered cheaper accommodation within two kilometers of the Haj congregation venue but (this was rejected).

Kareena Kapoor in Aamir’s next film!

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Mumbai, November 03: Since the announcement of Aamir Khan’s next film, his fans have been waiting with bated breath to find out who would be cast opposite him. The film will be co-produced by Farhan Akhtar, Riteish Sidhwani and Aamir.

Obviously…3 Idiots is the biggest hit in the history of Hindi cinema. Naturally, every actress in the country would want to work with the Ghajini actor.

Every B-Town belle has sent him feelers and expressed the desire to woo him on the big screen. But according to our source, Kareena Kapoor has bagged the romantic lead opposite Aamir Khan.

Obama’s tryst with Gandhi and King in Mani Bhavan

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Mumbai, November 03: US President Barack Obama will retrace the footsteps of his “real hero” Mahatma Gandhi when he walks through the Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya, which was the Mumbai home of the apostle of ahimsa from 1917 and 1934 and is now a museum housing rare memorabilia and 50,000 books.

The two-storey building on Laburnum Road, which Obama will visit during his two-day trip to Mumbai Nov 6, was also the peaceful abode for the US president’s other inspiration, Martin Luther King, and his wife Coretta King for two days in May 1959.

US deploys fourth submarine in PG

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Washington, November 03: The United States has deployed its fourth submarine in the Persian Gulf region following the deployment of three others near the Bahrain Port.

This comes as the USS Abraham Lincoln and French Charles de Gaulle aircraft carriers are heading toward the region.

The United States maintains twenty combat vessels, namely the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier, as well as fifty-three logistical vessels, in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

A total of thirty combat vessels are currently deployed in the region, including those belonging to Britain and France.

Bush defends Iraq war, tortures in book

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Washington, November 03: Former US President George W. Bush has defended his decisions during his eight years in office, including the war he waged on Iraq that has so far killed over a million Iraqis.

In a memoir titled “Decision Points,” due to be released next week, Bush claims the invasion of Iraq was justified.

He argues that Iraqi citizens are better off without the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, whom he calls a “homicidal dictator.”

He also defends his decision to allow torture, asserting that it helped save lives.

Toll in rain-related deaths touches 20 in AP

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Hyderabad, November 03: Torrential rains triggered by a depression in the Bay of Bengal and aided by the north-east monsoon wreaked havoc in seven coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh claiming at least 20 lives so far besides shattering the state government’s dreams of achieving a record food grains production of 22 million metric tonnes this agricultural season.

Left, Muslim Obama rift

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New Delhi, November 03: The CPM may have lifted its boycott of American President’s addresses to Parliament for reasons best known to Prakash Karat, but not some minority groups.

At least six Muslim groups, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, All India Muslim Personal Law Board and the Muslim Political Council, have decided to hold a protest rally on November 7, the day Barack Obama lands in Delhi.

Non-Saudis not to teach Qur’an

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Jeddah, November 03: A total of 1,240 non-Saudi Qur’an teachers have been stopped from teaching in Jeddah.

The Makkah region branch of the organization in charge of Qur’an memorization (tahfiz) schools has said reports published in a local Arabic newspaper that expatriate teachers have not been stopped from teaching Qur’an are untrue.

Khans are vulgar: Rakhi

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Mumbai, November 03: The unstoppable and bold Rakhi Sawant has done it again and she is back in news.

This time she is after the Khans of film industry.

Rakhi was questioned about why she is often accused of trying to gain attention everytime by cheap publicity issues but Rakhi was immediate to counter back and quoted as , “People call me melodramatic… but I see Shah Rukh Khan doing such vulgar stuff at award functions.”

10-yr-old girl becomes mom, dad a minor too

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Madrid, November 03: A 10-year-old girl has given birth in southern Spain and authorities are evaluating whether to let her and her family retain custody of the baby, an official said on Tuesday.

The baby was born last week in the city of Jerez de la Frontera, said Micaela Navarro, who is the Andalusia region’s minister of social affairs.

Navarro told reporters the father of the baby is also a minor, and both the mother and the baby were in good health. Her department declined to give further details , such as the sex of baby.