Month: January 2011

Parenting classes help Helena Carter lose stress

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London, January 29:The King’s Speech” actress Helena Bonham Carter says her life has been changed by parenting classes because she can deal with her children and partner Tim Burton without getting so stressed.

“Calmer, easier, happier parenting is the answer to almost everything. It helped me tremendously with the kids – Billy Ray and Nell – and I also found it invaluable in dealing with Tim. It’s terrific he’s a changed man,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted her as saying.

Kim Cattrall loved gaining wieght

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London, January 29:Actress Kim Cattrall says she loved having the opportunity to put on weight for the role of an ageing stripper in “Meet Monica Velour”.

“I play an over-the-hill stripper. I gained 15 pounds, then through the course of shooting, I gained another five. It was heaven putting it on and hell taking it off,” contactmusic.com quoted her as saying.

The 54-year-old actress admits the story about a boy who falls in love with her character is “very sweet”.

Students’ strike hits medical college hospitals

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Thiruvananthapuram, January 28: Normal functioning at the five medical college hospitals in Kerala continued to be hit for the fourth day on Friday as post-graduate students have struck work, demanding a stipend hike and fee reduction.

The strike called by Kerala Medical Post Graduates’ Association turned more serious after the house surgeons also joined it on Thursday.

In all, more than 2,000 professionals are on strike.

Taj Hotel is honored to be part of Harvard study

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Mumbai, January 28: The Taj Hotel is honored to be part of a Harvard Business School case study following the inclusion of the heroic response of its employees during the 26/11 terror attacks here, a hotel spokesperson said in a statement.

“We are honored to be a part of the Harvard Business School case study in which the spirit, loyalty and resilience of our employees during the crisis has been recognized as an exemplary display of leadership,” the spokesperson said.

IBAB, IGNOU announce new masters course in science

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New Delhi, January 28: In a new venture, the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB) on Friday announced it was collaborating with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) for a science discipline course.

The programme, masters in bioinformatics and biotechnology, will be a regular course the IBAB campus in Bangalore and students with bachelor’s degree in any branch of science or technology will be eligible to pursue it, according to an IBAB official.

NCC strength to grow to 15 lakh – Prime Minister

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New Delhi, January 28: The National Cadet Corps (NCC), India’s tri-services movement to groom school and college students into disciplined citizens, will grow in strength by two lakh and touch the 15-lakh mark soon, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here on Friday.

“I am very happy to inform you that in recognition of the good work done by the National Cadet Corps, the government has sanctioned an enhancement in its authorized cadet strength from 13 lakh to 15 lakh,” Singh said addressing the cadets at the Prime Minister’s NCC Rally.

BCCI asks ICC to reconsider decision on Eden

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New Delhi, January 28: The Indian cricket board Friday asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to reconsider its decision of taking away the India-England World Cup match from the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata.

‘We have written a letter to the ICC to reconsider its decision. Now it is up to the ICC to decide, but we are confident that the stadium can host the crucial India-England match,’ Ratnakar Shetty, tournament director and chief administrative officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told IANS.

Butt flouts ICC directive, claim reports

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Karachi, January 28: After Mohammad Aamer, another suspended Pakistan cricketer -Salman Butt – has allegedly flouted International Cricket Council (ICC) directives by featuring in a club match in Lahore.

According to reports, the former Pakistan captain featured in a club game played at his home ground in Model Town, Lahore, even though the ICC has in clear terms told the suspended players and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that they cannot take part in any cricket activity that come under the umbrella of the PCB or its affiliated units.

Ragging is violence, not to be tolerated: President

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New Delhi, January 28: President Pratibha Patil Tuesday strongly condemned incidents of ragging in educational institutions, saying it is violence and should not be tolerated.

‘Cases of ragging in educational institutions are also disturbing. Ragging is violence,’ Patil said in her address to the nation on the eve of the 62nd Republic Day.

Students must get level playing field in competitiveness: President

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New Delhi, January 28: President Pratibha Patil Tuesday said that there should be a level playing field so that students from all sections of society can attend premier institutions like Indian Institutes of Technology.

‘Our endeavour should be to create a level playing field in educational competitiveness so that students from all sections of society can enter premier institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs),’ Patil said in her address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day.

Maoists blast school building

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Ranchi, January 28: Maoists blasted a school building and hoisted black flags in Jharkhand’s Palamau districts during Republic Day Wednesday, police sources said.

The guerrillas used detonators to attack the building in Rajharaa Khutti village. Black flags were put up on two schools.

–Agecies

Jharkhand children hoist tricolour despite blast by Maoists

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Ranchi, January 28: Maoists’ move to disrupt Republic Day celebrations early Wednesday with a bomb blast could not deter Jharkhand’s school children from hoisting the national flag and celebrate the auspicious occasion.

Maoists blasted a school building and hoisted black flags in Palamau district, police sources said.

The guerrillas used detonators to attack the building in Rajharaa Khutti village. Black flags were put up on two school buildings.

Vedanta University: Apex court orders status quo

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New Delhi, January 28: The Vedanta University project in the holy city of Puri in Orissa will continue to remain stalled as the Supreme Court Friday ordered status quo in respect of land acquired or sought to be acquired for the varsity.

An apex court bench of Justice D.K. Jain and Justice H.L. Dattu ordered status quo on the ‘nature, character and possession’ of the land acquired or sought to be acquired.

VHR cautions partymen against supporting Jagan

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Hyderabad, January 28: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao today cautioned the party MPs, MLAs and others who were supporting former Kadapa MP Jagan Mohan Reddy to ‘think’ how people would react if they go alongwith a person on whom the court has served a notice relating to ‘illegal’ assets case. All facts, including the persons and money transactions involved in Jagan’s assets, would come out after enquiry by the court, he said.

Oil mafia thriving in Andhra too

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Hyderabad, January 28: The oil mafia’s long arm covers not just Maharashtra but also has in its vicious grip Andhra Pradesh. Oil companies’ officials themselves admit the bitter fact.

If you are in Hyderabad, though, the danger of the precious fuel in your car/ bike being diluted is considerably…lesser.

Truck rams 10 vehicles, eight people killed

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Hyderabad, Jan 29:In a ghastly accident, a truck spun out of control and hit 10 vehicles, crushing eight people to death at Nagole on the outskirts of Hyderabad Friday night, police said.

The truck hit a van, an auto-rickshaw and eight two-wheelers. Twenty people were injured in the accident.

The injured were admitted to various hospitals and the condition of 10 is stated to be critical.

Tejdeep faces music for rights violation

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Hyderabad, January 28: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday directed the State government to pay interim relief of Rs 4 lakh to a couple who were allegedly threatened and beaten up by Additional DGP (Sports) Tejdeep Kaur Menon in 2003.

The government is also likely to give the nod to the Crime Investigation Department to initiate criminal action against her.

Durga temple officials fail to carry out repairs

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Vijayawada, January 28: Even six months after a technical committee had suggested measures to strengthen the new retaining wall of the Indrakeeladri ghat road and repairs to Mallikarjuna Swamy temple’s leaking slabs, nothing has been done so far.

Kiran’s Rachabanda turns violent in Telangana

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Hyderabad, January 28: Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s Rachabanda programme in Mahboobnagar district, his first in the Telangana region, ran into rough weather on Thursday as Telangana activists went berserk raising slogans, hurling chairs, damaging buses and cars.

The Telangana workers, comprising TDP and TRS cadre, appeared hell bent on disrupting the programme right from the outset. The venue at Singaryapalle in Koderu manda, Mahbubnagar district, turned into a war zone for a brief while.

Couple threatened by ADG paid Rs 4 lakh compensation

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Hyderabad, Jan 29:Following a direction from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Andhra Pradesh Police today paid a sum of Rs 4 lakhs to a couple here who was allegedly threatened and beaten up by Additional Director General of Police (Sports) Tejdeep Kaur Menon in 2002.

Bhanu stayed in Gurgaon, says aide

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Hyderabad, January 28: Investigators probing the murder of faction leader G Suryanarayana Reddy alias Suri believe that the prime suspect Bhanu Kiran alias Bhanu stayed on the outskirts of New Delhi for nearly 10 days after killing Suri.

This came to light after the Central Crime Station (CCS) sleuths nabbed Bhanu’s associate and gunman, Manmohan Singh recently.

3 college students die as RTC bus overturns

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Tirupati, January 28: Three engineering college students died and 20 others were seriously injured when a Tirupati-bound RTC bus from Madanapalle overturned at the Narasingapuram railway level crossing in Chandragiri mandal this evening.

According to the Chandragiri police, the accident occurred when the bus driver tried to overtake another vehicle and lost control over steering. The bus lost purchase of the road and turned turtle.

Locals, who rushed to the spot, alerted the police. Rescue operations are continuing when reports last came in.

All-party leaders, irrigation experts to meet

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Hyderabad, January 28: The state government will convene an all-party meeting here on February 4 to deliberate on the recommendations of experts on the petition to be filed before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT) seeking certain explanations over its verdict on distribution of Krishna river waters.

Cong, MIM workers come to blows at Uppuguda

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Hyderabad, January 28: In an unusual turn of events, ruling Congress workers created a scene at the Rachabanda attended by a MIM legislator in the Old City protesting against the delay in construction of a flyover.

Scores of TRS and BJP workers were taken into preventive custody when they tried to disrupt the official government programme at three other places in the city and its outskirts.

Tension prevailed at the Rachabanda programme held at Begum Bazar with the followers of marketing minister M Mukesh Goud chasing away the TRS and BJP workers who tried to disrupt the programme.