Month: February 2011

‘Mubarak’s thugs shot, stab protesters’

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Cairo, February 03: Early reports suggest that six people have been killed, however, fierce clashes which have erupted in different parts of the capital city indicate the number of victims could sharply rise, a Media correspondent in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, reported on Thursday.

More than 830 protesters have been wounded as they were attacked by government vigilantes with knives, petrol bombs and guns, the report added.

People, shouting “God is Great,” in Cairo’s Tahrir Square fought gun battles with Mubarak’s under-cover police, who fired artillery at them.

Shruthi-Mahesh Babu to pair up

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Hyderabad, February 03: Shruti Haasan, who entered the Tollywood with ‘Anaganaga O Dheerudu’, had reportedly bagged another important offer in the Telugu film industry.She was reportedly contacted by the maverick director Puri Jagannath for his forthcoming film with Maheshbabu, ‘The Businessman’.

Yemen braces for ‘day of rage’ protests

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Sanaa, February 03: Yemen is bracing for its “day of rage,” with massive protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, despite his pledge not to seek another term.

About one million protesters are expected to rally in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, on Thursday.

So far, more than 20,000 Yemenis have taken to the streets of Sana’a, Reuters reported.

On Wednesday, the opposition groups welcomed Saleh’s decision not to run for the next term, but said that they would not call off a planned rally in the capital on Thursday, dubbed a “day of rage.”

Don’t Target J&K Residents Unecessarily: Centre

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New Delhi, February 03: The Centre today asked all states and Union territories not to target people from Jammu and Kashmir for police reporting for merely being residents of the state, an issue that was vociferously raised by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

The views of the Chief Minister were reflected by the three interlocutors appointed by the Centre for finding a lasting solution to the Kashmir issue.

Indian firm gets court nod for Islamic banking concept

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Kochi, Feb 3 (IANS) The Kerala High Court Thursday gave the green signal to a company registered under the tenets of sharia to start operating a financial institution based on the principles of Islamic banking with the participation of a state-run firm.

Such institutions cannot charge interest.

Dismissing the petitions of Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy and others, a division bench headed by Chief Justice J. Chalameshwar gave the go ahead to Al-Baraka Company to start the institution with Kerala State Industrial Development Corp as an investor.

ECB in soup over Stanford funds

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Bangalore, February 03: The ECB is caught in a legal tangle to return around 2.2 million (US$3 million) received from Allen Stanford, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.

Receivers acting for creditors of the collapsed Stanford empire are behind various sports bodies which had collaborations with Stanford.

“There has been a running fear in the ECB that the receiver could come after them, and this could be the knock on the door they have been dreading for two years,” a source told Daily Telegraph.

Sri Lanka need to fix middle order: Ranatunga

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Mumbai, February 03: Kumar Sangakkara or Mahela Jayawardene should drop down and bolster a concerning middle order if Sri Lanka are to be successful at this month’s World Cup, former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga told Reuters.

Ranatunga, the burly left-handed batsman who led Sri Lanka to the title the last time it was played in the subcontinent in 1996, believes the island nation are the favourites, besides India, to win the World Cup for a second time.

Yusuf, Sachin will be key: Uthappa

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Vishakapatnam, February 03: Out-of-favour batsman Robin Uthappa reckons impact player Yusuf Pathan along with Sachin Tendulkar will be India’s trump cards in the forthcoming cricket World Cup to be held in the sub-continent from February 19.

The hard-hitting Karnataka opener, who has been out of reckoning since 2008, said Yusuf apart, Sachin Tendulkar’s form over the next couple of months will also be crucial to India’s fortunes.

Sports Min backs Afridi to lead Pak in WC

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Karachi, February 03: Pakistan Sports Minister Ijaz Hussain Jakhrani believes that flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi is the best man to lead Pakistan in the forthcoming Cricket World Cup in the sub-continent.

Jakhrani threw his weight behind Afridi while speaking to the media here, insisting that the all-rounder had the capability to inspire the team to win the mega event.

“I would tell the Pakistan Cricket Board don’t change the captain now and stick with Afridi. He is experienced and he is leading the team. There is no reason to change him now before the World Cup,” Jakhrani said.

Chiranjeevi authorised to decide on tie-up with Congress

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Hyderabad, February 3:The Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) Thursday authorised its president K. Chiranjeevi to take a decision on the proposed alliance with the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh.

A crucial meeting of PRP attended by its senior leaders and 15 legislators at the party office here unanimously passed a resolution authorising Chiranjeevi to take decision in this regard.

PRP leader C. Ramachandraiah told reporters after the meeting that Chiranjeevi would visit New Delhi by this weekend to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and take a decision on the tie-up with that party.

Don’t make Raja, Kalmadi scapegoats, says Gadkari

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New delhi, February 3:The BJP on Thursday said the government should not make A. Raja and Suresh Kalmadi scapegoats in the 2G spectrum issue and Commonwealth Games scams, and asserted that since all decisions were taken by the Union Cabinet and the Prime Minister, a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe alone could bring out the truth.

“The decisions by (former Telecom Minister) A. Raja and other ministers, were taken with the permission of the Union Cabinet and the Prime Minister some where or the other during the process…

Bengal Chief Minister writes to Chidambaram on Trinamool-Maoist nexus

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Bengal, February 3:West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today wrote to the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on suspected Maoists sheltering in Trinamool Congress run relief camps.

After two inmates of a Trinamool-run relief camp were arrested by joint security forces on Monday for alleged links with Maoists, Bhattacharjee had issued a late night statement saying that he would inform the Home Minister about ‘Trinamool-Maoist nexus’ and would be forced to take administrative steps against Trinamool leaders involved in sheltering Maoists.

Raj Thackeray travels by local train

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Mumbai, February 03: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray on Monday travelled on a suburban local train, reminding the people of a similar journey by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi last year.

Raj travelled from suburban Dombivali, to Dadar in central Mumbai (where he lives) on the train, and blamed increasing number of “outsiders” for the rush.

He also said that he was not aping Rahul Gandhi. The Dombivali-Dadar road was very bad, and people prefer trains, he said.

Mallika Sherawat roped in for Jism 2

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Mumbai, February 03: Mallika Sherawat has been roped in for Pooja Bhatt’s Jism 2. The Murder actress, who lost out the sequel of the same to Jacqueline Fernandez, has finally pocketed the sequel of this 2003 super hit film.

London bombers ‘instructed by phone from Pak’

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London, February 03:: The ringleader of the July 07, 2005 suicide bombings on London’s transport system received advice from a mystery figure in Pakistan just days before the attacks, the inquest heard on Wednesday.

Mobile phone records showed a series of calls made from phone boxes in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi to bomber Mohammed Sidique Khan, a police officer told hearings in London into the deaths of 52 people.

Bipasha in trouble for her topless stunt

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Mumbai, February 03: Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu got lots of publicity for posing topless on the cover page of Maxim Magazine, but the same has put her in trouble. The latest news is that a local advocate has filled a complaint against her for obscenity.

Advocate Nisar Mohammed filled a complaint against Bipasha in the magistrate’s court in Bhopal, alleging that her topless picture in the Maxim magazine is vulgar and obscene. The advocate said that he came across the picture when he purchased the latest issue of the magazine.

——–Agencies

Priyanka Chopra kisses Shahid Kapoor

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Mumbai, February 03: It seems that Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor are taking their relationship to next level.

We mean more than a friendship after the Income Tax raid at Kamine Girl’s residence.

Recently, Piggy Chops kissed Shahid Kapoor infront of her mother. Yes, you read it right. After the Income Tax department raids, Priyanka and Shahid are emotionally bonded.

On last Sunday, Priyanka Chopra hugged Shahid and also kissed him infront of her mother for his emotional support.

Shahrukh to rub shoulders with Hollywood biggies

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Mumbai, February 03: Secretively and unknown to the media world, Percept Ltd has launched a new global concept in entertainment. Called ‘Champions Of World’, the concept will bring together under one roof, the most celebrated super-icons of sports, cinema, music, business and other fields of entertainment and entrepreneurship.

Percept has chosen to kick off the iconic series with cricket. On Wednesday, February 2, six of cricket’s most iconized captains from the world over would be coming together for a live interaction with fans everywhere.

Abhishek turns the men in black to white

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Mumbai, February 03: Abhishek Bachchan has achieved the impossible! He made men-in-white director duo Abbas-Mustan and their brother, editor Hussain Burmawala wear black for the first time on the sets of Players in New Zealand.

Says a source close to Abhi, “He keeps everyone on the sets of Players buoyed with his liveliness. They’re shooting in New Zealand and the weather recently turned freezing cold. The crew was given black jackets to wear. And since Abbas, Mustan and Hussain always wear white, they were in a dilemma.”

Kareena spoke to Shahid because of Shahrukh?

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Mumbai, February 03: Once bitten, twice shy. It is surprising that Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor have not spoken to each other since they broke up a few years ago. However, they bumped into each other at the recently held Filmfare Awards function and spoke to each other.

It happened when Kareena returned to the stage after her performance at the award function. She saw Shahrukh Khan and her ex beau Shahid having a conversation back stage. On seeing them, she walked up to them greeted them. They talked for a while and went on to do their respective works.

PCB to get $400K per WC match it lost

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Karachi, February 03: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) may have lost its share of World Cup 2011 matches due to security concerns, but it still stands to gain from the snub. The PCB will be paid around USD 400,000 for every match it was supposed to host in the tournament.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had moved away Pakistan’s share of 14 matches and distributed them among the other three joint hosts – India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – but the PCB would still be paid the hosting fees.

India warned US of “white faces” in Pak terror camps

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Washington, February 03: Some five months before the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack, India had warned the US about increasing “white faces” in terrorist camps along Pak-Afghan border and the attempt by jihadi groups to acquire fissile material to “fabricate a crude bomb beyond a dirty bomb”.

According to a US diplomatic cable dated May 30, 2008, released by WikiLeaks the then National Security Advisor M K Narayanan had said this during a meeting with the visiting American Senators Russ Feingold and Bob Casey in New Delhi.

‘Iran’s Armed Forces cripple invaders’

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Tehran, February 03: A top Iranian military commander says the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic will “cripple” intruders in case of any possible attack against the country’s sovereignty.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Armed Forces, in particular the Ground Forces, are fully prepared and should a threat emerge, these forces will defend Iran’s sovereignty powerfully … and will cripple the enemy,” IRNA quoted Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan as saying on Wednesday.

Turkish protesters call on Mubarak to go

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Ankara, February 03: Some 300 protesters have gathered outside Cairo’s embassy in the Turkish capital, Istanbul, calling on the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to leave power.

The protesters chanted slogans against beleaguered Mubarak and burnt his posters on Wednesday night.

They slammed the incumbent Egyptian president for siding with Israel against Palestinians, and helping it as its key regional ally, the Associated Press reported.

In 1979, Egypt was the first Arab nation signing a peace accord with Israel which it has tightly observed.

Ayat. Khamenei to lead Friday prayers

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Tehran, February 03: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei will lead this week’s Friday prayers at the University of Tehran.

Ayatollah Khamenei will lead the Friday prayers on February 4, which marks the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Reza (PBUH), the eighth Shia Imam and the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

A large number of people will attend the Friday prayers congregation, the office of Tehran’s Friday prayers announced on Wednesday.

——-Agencies