Cairo, January 31: Washington’s double standards on Egypt developments have become more evident as the US, which has supported Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s dictatorial rule for years, is now claiming it favors a democracy in Egypt.
“America’s message has been consistent. We want to see free and fair elections and we expect that will be one of the outcomes of what is going on right now,” said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Kolkata, January 31: CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya on Sunday termed ICC’s rejection of BCCI’s appeal to reconsider its decision to take away India-England cricket World Cup match from Eden Gardens as “unfavourable and disappointing”.
The experienced cricket administrator, however, said that the stadium will be cent per cent ready before the February 7 deadline, when an ICC inspection team travels to Kolkata.
Kanpur, January 31: A gangster, who was wanted for several cases of murder and abduction, was gunned down by police here early Monday, but his accomplice managed to escape, an official said.
Shanu alias Boss carried a reward of Rs.50,000 for his capture.
He had over 20 cases of heinous crimes pending against him, and was killed in a joint operation carried out by the Special Task Force (STF) and the district police.
Malappuram, January 31: A Malaysian team will soon arrive to study mosque structures in Kerala as the first collaborative venture between the International Islamic University, Malaysia (IIUM),Jharkhand Liberation Tiger and Madin Islamic Academy (MIA) here.
In what is believed to be its first such accord with an Indian institution, the IIUM has entered into an agreement for academic cooperation with the MIA.
A team from IIUM is expected to arrive in the state next month to commence the groundwork of a research study on mosque structures in Kerala.
Washington, January 31: Engineers have developed a new laser sensing technology that may allow soldiers to sniff out hidden bombs from a distance.
“We are able to send a laser pulse out and get another pulse back from the air itself,” said Richard Miles, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University in the US.
“The returning beam interacts with the molecules in the air and carries their finger prints,” said Miles, who led the study, the journal Science reports.
Ranchi, January 31: Maoist guerrillas slit throats of three people and set a bus on fire at two places of Jharkhand, police said Monday.
The guerrillas of Jharkhand Liberation Tiger (JLT) raided Hulsu village situated on the outskirts of Ranchi late Sunday.
Around 10 to 15 JLT Maoists abducted three youths Alok, Mahabali and Bhola, and later killed them by slitting their throats.
The incident is said to be a result of the Maoists’ effort to establish their supremacy. Police have launched an operation to arrest the Maoists involved in the killing.
Islamabad, January 31: The consequences of the changes in Egypt will “inevitably impact us”, a Pakistani daily said Monday, adding this will serve as a “stark lesson as to what happens when rulers fail to hear the voices and heed the wishes of those they rule”.
An editorial in the News International said the events in Egypt “are moving at a pace faster than the global diplomatic community is able to keep pace with”.
It said the actions of President Hosni Mubarak have done “nothing to quell the anger of the crowds calling for his ouster”.
London, January 31: Fathers transmit their smoking habits to their sons, while mothers do the same for daughters. However, if a mother smokes it does not seem to induce the son to smoke, and similarly a father who smokes does not affect his daughter, says a new study.
The research is based on information from the British Household Panel Survey 1994-2002, the journal Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics reports.
Dharamsala, January 31: A Dharamsala hotelier and a Haryana bank manager have been sent to police remand after they were arrested following the recovery of nearly Rs.7 crore in unaccounted foreign and Indian currency from Tibetan leader Karmapa Lama’s monastery, an official said here Monday.
“Both K.P. Bhardwaj (the hotelier) and D.K. Dhar (manager of the Corporation Bank of Ambala) were sent to police remand till Feb 5 by an Una court Sunday night,” Inspector General of Police P.L. Thakur told IANS.
Mumbai, January 31: Frantic efforts were on Monday to save Indian Navy warship INS Vindhyagiri after a major fire engulfed it following a collision with a merchant vessel off Mumbai Harbour, official sources said here.
The warship of the Nilgiri class had collided with the container vessel MV Nordlake around 5 p.m. Sunday but there were no casualties.
Islamabad, January 31: Islamabad is “watching what is happening” in Egypt and will evacuate its citizens if the situation worsens, authorities said.
Express Tribune reported Monday that the Foreign Office did not make it clear as to when it plans to bring back around 150 Pakistani families.
Anti-government protests in Egypt Monday entered the seventh day as demonstrators demanded the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak who has been in power for the past 30 years.
New Delhi, January 31: With India becoming a favoured destination among gay travellers, many international gay travel agencies are keen to open shop in India to cater to this niche travel segment.
“There is a lot of interest by LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) travel agencies and related services to start operations in India, as the country has such a rich culture and history,” product manager (south Asia and Pacific region) for ITB Berlin, one of the world’s leading travel trade shows, Rika Jean-Francois, told IANS.
Mumbai, January 31: Abhishek Bachchan had a poor show last year but he is now looking forward to bouncing back with a vengeance this year, says a media report.
With six films under his belt, what’s kept Abhishek despite the flops is the fact that the filmmakers still have faith in his acting prowess.
“No one can predict the film’s outcome. As actors all that we can ensure is putting in our best, and I am glad that film-makers here consider that and look beyond the BO results,” says Abhishek, who is currently shooting for Players in New Zealand.
Colombo, January 31: West Indies players take part in a practice session at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo on January 30. West Indies captain Darren Sammy elected to bat after winning the toss against Sri Lanka in the opening one-day international on Monday.
West Indies players take part in a practice session at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo on January 30. West Indies captain Darren Sammy elected to bat after winning the toss against Sri Lanka in the opening one-day international on Monday.
Ankara, January 31: Turkey has begun evacuating its citizens from Egypt, as anti-government demonstrations against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak gain momentum.
The Turkish government dispatched three planes to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and two to the city of Alexandria on Sunday, to fly out its anxious citizens from Egypt.
Some 102 Turks have already landed at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport.
Cairo, January 31: Oil prices rise as Egypt’s popular protests persist.
World oil prices are rising in world markets amid fears that mounting political unrest in Egypt might disrupt supplies through the Suez Canal.
US crude for March delivery has gained nearly two percent, trading above $ 90 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier on Friday, US crude surged more than four percent as the protests in Egypt rattled markets.
Some analysts believe that the ongoing turmoil in Egypt may affect the oil supply to Europe more than the US.
New Delhi, January 31: The ICC on Sunday rejected BCCI’s appeal to reconsider its decision to take away India-England World Cup match from Kolkata but its president Sharad Pawar said the Eden Gardens can host the other three ties if it is ready on time.
“The first match may not take place there but the rest of the three matches could have a chance if the requirements are fulfilled,” Pawar told reporters here.
“We have written to BCCI regarding this. I spoke to BCCI president Shashank Manohar to get the stadium ready so that other matches are staged there,” he added.
New Delhi, January 31: Royal Challengers Bangalore owner Vijay Mallya on Sunday backed the Mumbai Indians in its fight against the alleged rigging of the IPL 4 auction and called for more “transparency” and “inclusive approach” in the administration of the Indian Premier League.
The Mumbai Indians had shot a letter to the IPL governing council, asking why the auction was changed from “selection of sets at random” to pre-decided “order of auction list” for the January 8-9 players auction.
Kolkata, January 31: With ICC president Sharad Pawar reportedly setting February 7 as the deadline to prepare Eden Gardens for the India-England World Cup match, the West Bengal PWD on Sunday stepped in to help the Cricket Association of Bengal complete the work within the deadline.
“Yesterday (CAB president) Jagmohan Dalmiya requested me to involve PWD in the work for preparing infrastructure. A team of engineers will visit the site today to see what needs to be done,” PWD minister Kshiti Goswami told newsmen.
London, January 31: England batsman Kevin Pietersen has blasted the Cricket World Cup schedule, saying that the six-week fixture is too long and playing matches with six-day intervals is “ridiculous”.
“It`s far too long. How can the England team play once and then in six days` time play again, and then in six days` time play again?” Pietersen asked.
“It`s ridiculous but there`s nothing we can do about the schedules,” he added.
The outspoken cricketer also slammed England`s hectic schedule leading up to the World Cup, starting on February 19 in the sub-continent.
New Delhi, January 31: The ICC has formally conveyed to the BCCI about its inability to hold the India vs England World Cup match at the Eden Gardens, February 27.
The BCCI issued a release to the ICC conveying its inability to hold the match at Eden Gardens on February 27. The Cricket Board said it has recommended Bangalore as the alternate venue for the match.
“The ICC has conveyed to the BCCI that it will not be able to hold the India Vs England match of the ICC CWC 2011 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on 27 February 2011.
New Delhi, January 31: Union Minister Mr. Vayilar Ravi has assured that the Indian government would do everything to help the Telugu students who were stranded because of a Visa fraud committed by the Tri Valley University of California in the USA.
Melbourne, January 31: Embattled Australian captain Michael Clarke said he had no concerns about being booed by local fans in Sunday’s one-day international win against England at Brisbane’s Gabba ground.
Clarke received a harsh response from the home fans when he came out to bat in the match, which Australia won by 51 runs to secure the seven-match series by taking an unbeatable 4-1 lead.
The 29-year-old went on to top score for Australia with 54 in a sign of a return to form and after the match said he was not bothered by the boos.
New Delhi, January 31: Harbhajan Singh believes that the India’s impressive performance in South Africa will be of little consequence when they embark on their World Cup journey against Bangladesh next month.
“From my personal experience, I can tell you that our good show in South Africa may give us a bit of confidence but that’s about it. Doing well in bouncy pitches in South Africa and playing in the World Cup is a different ball game altogether,” Harbhajan told PTI in an exclusive interview.
Mumbai, January 31: The Indian rupee fell by 21 paise to a two-month low of Rs 45.97 per US dollar in early trade today, weighed down by the gains registered by the greenback against other major currencies.
Dealers said the rupee weakness was due to the dollar gains against other Asian currencies, coupled with a weak opening in the domestic stock market.
The rupee had depreciated by 19 paise against the US currency to close at Rs 45.76/77 in the previous session on Friday amid sluggish domestic equities and fresh dollar demand from importers.