Month: March 2011

Post-Davis, 30 US spies halt covert mission, flee Pakistan

by

Islamabad, March 01: At least 30 suspected covert US operatives have suspended their activities in Pakistan and 12 have left the country following the arrest of CIA contractor Raymond Davis late last month, a media report said on Monday.

In the wake of Davis’ arrest in Lahore on January 27 for gunning down two men, Pakistan’s intelligence agencies began scrutinising records of Americans living in the country and discovered “several discrepancies” .

Libyans take aim at despot

by

Benghazi, March 01: Cowed for four decades by Muammar Gaddafi’s oppressive rule, eastern Libya is now awash with cartoons and jokes about him, helping people shake off his personality cult and deep fear of his security apparatus.

In Benghazi, Libya’s second city, one cartoon on the wall of a state building portrays the Libyan leader as ” Super Thief” in a superman costume with a dollar sign instead of an “S” on his chest; another shows him in a dustbin labelled “history” .

Protesters in Oman set supermarket ablaze

by

Sohar, March 01: Protesters set a supermarket ablaze and rallied at two places in this seaside town on Tuesday in a third consecutive day of unrest that has included deadly clashes in the strategic Gulf nation.

Security forces sealed off main roads to Sohar, about 120 miles (200 kilometres) northwest of the capital of Muscat, in an attempt to isolate the protesters and keep crowds from swelling.

All my people love me, Gadafi tells foreign media

by

Tripoli, March 01: Libya’s beleaguered strongman Moamer Kadhafi insisted on Tuesday “all my people love me” in an interview with foreign media, including ABC television.

“All my people love me. They would die to protect me,” the veteran Libyan leader said, according to ABC’s Christiane Amanpour in a message sent on her Twitter account.

Kadhafi, who has ruled his north African country for more than 41 years, also refused to acknowledge there were any demonstrations on the streets of Tropoli, Amanpour added.

SC notices to UCIL, others on compensation to Bhopal tragedy victims

by

New Delhi, March 01: The Supreme Court issued notices to Union Carbide, Union Carbide India Limited(UCIL), Eveready Industries Limited and Dow Chemicals on the Centre’s petition seeking an enhancement of compensation for the families of the victims of Bhopal Gas Leak tragedy.
The notice to Dow Chemical was issued yesterday on a petition filed by the Centre seeking transfer of the petition from Madhya Pradesh High Court to Supreme Court.

No need to reopen Rizwanur case, says SC

by

New Delhi, March 01: The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside the Calcutta High Court’s order for a fresh CBI probe into the mysterious death of computer graphics teacher Rizwanur Rahman, who had married the daughter of industrialist Ashok Todi.

Berlusconi claims he no longer has a cellphone

by

Milan, March 01:Italy’s scandal-mired premier Silvio Berlusconi, who currently faces four trials, has told supporters that he gave up his mobile phone to evade police surveillance.

“Be aware that your prime minister no longer has any kind of cell phone because he is subjected to every kind of wiretapping,” Berlusconi Monday told a meeting of his ruling conservative People of Freedom party in the northern city of Milan.

Kainaat Arora praises Ajith Kumar to heavens

by

Mumbai, March 01: Item girl Kainaat Arora, who has danced with Ajith Kumar for a special number for Mangaatha, has lavished praise on the actor for his humble nature. She has said that working with him was a wonderful experience.

Speaking with a leading daily, Kainaat Arora said that Ajith Kumar is a down to earth person, who is humble by nature. Kainaat also has a special mention for Ajith’s cooking. She has said that the actor prepared boiled chicken, dosas and chicken soup for the entire team and she liked it very much.

Iran opposition leaders arrested

by

Tehran, March 01: Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have been arrested along with their wives and jailed at Tehran’s Heshmatiyeh prison, their websites reported on Tuesday.

The two had been under house arrest after judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani said earlier this month they had committed “treason” and MPs demanded they be hanged.

“Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, and their wives, have been arrested and were transfered to the Heshmatiyeh prison of Tehran,” Mousavi’s website Kaleme.com reported.

Shahid fails to convince Priyanka!

by

Mumbai, March 01: Recently we reported that actress Priyanka Chopra decided to give beau Shahid Kapoor’s birthday bash a miss because of some difference of opinion between them. She was also upset with the failure of the most awaited film 7 Khoon Maaf, therefore the actress flew to US to find her peace of mind.

Tunisian minister quits

by

Tunis, March 01: Tunisia’s industry and technology minister has quit government, state TAP news agency reported.

Minister Mohamed Afif Chelbi resigned from the government Monday.

Ousted Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s prime minister Mohamed Ghannouchi quit Sunday as continuing protests demanded a change in government, AKI reported.

Ben Ali was forced out of power after a mass unrest in January. The uprising is also referred to as the Jasmine revolution that inspired similar protests in Egypt, Libya, Oman, Algeria and other countries.

Iran favors cooperation in nuclear case

by

Tehran, March 01: Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi reiterates that Tehran’s willingness to cooperate in the pursuit of its nuclear program requires a show of goodwill on the part of the West.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has persistently sought cooperation and interaction rather than confrontation and has remained prepared to collaborate within the internationally recognized norms and conventions, IRNA quoted Salehi as saying in a Monday meeting with European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Libya protesters take over military base

by

Tripoli, March 01: Hundreds of Libyans including, children and elderly men, have taken over a military air base in southern Benghazi, hoping to begin training to repel attacks by Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi’s troops.

“We are receiving dozens of civilians who want to get trained and then enlisted. We are ready to defend Benghazi and its suburbs. We are here to help our brothers in Tripoli if they ask our support, but I’m sure that they can defend themselves,” Colonel Maraey Logny said on Monday, Reuters reported.

Karnataka HC bans airing of ‘Nithya sex tape

by

Bangalore, March 01: Allowing actress Ranjitha’s writ petition, the high court of Karnataka on Monday ordered the media to refrain from telecasting a tape, purportedly showing her in a compromising position with self-made godman Swami Nithyananda.

This was the second time the court directed the electronic media from airing the obscene clip, first telecast almost a year ago on March 2.

Godhra verdict: 11 get death, 20 get life term

by

New Delhi, March 01: A Sessions Court at the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad on Tuesday awarded death sentence to 11 people and life term to 20 others. The setence was pronounced by Additional Sessions Judge PR Patel, who had on February 22 convicted 31 people of criminal conspiracy in the Sabarmati Express train burning case.

The prosecution had sought death sentence for all the 31 convicts saying that it was a heinous act.

Kareena is the undisputed monarch of tinsel town

by

Mumbai, March 01: Her arduous climb to the top is indeed admirable .many are dying to step into her shoes.

Rumours are gathering grounds that the acclaimed author Shobhaa De is planning to write a comprehensive narrative account of this Bollywood’s starlet. She has even got a green signal from Kareena. According to sources, the two met several times in the past six months to discuss the details and work on it. “There is a lot of speculation about whether it is going to be an authorized biography on Bebo, but that’s not the case,” says a source.

Gaddafi stashed away $2 bn in Canadian banks

by

Toronto, March 01: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has stashed away more than $2 billion in Canadian banks, according to a media report here Monday.

Canada’s CTV News network said the Libyan leader siphoned the money into Canadian banks after the thaw in their relations in 2004 when Gaddafi admitted to Libya’s role in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, paid $2.7 billion in compensation and renounced his programme of mass destruction.

According to the report, Gaddafi stashed away the money after the visit of then Canadian prime minister Paul Martin to Libya.

Shutdown in Srikakulam to protest police firing

by

Hyderabad, March 01: There was a total shutdown in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district Tuesday, a day after two people were killed when police fired at a crowd protesting against a thermal power plant.

Buses of the state-owned Road Transport Corporation (RTC) went off the roads while shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed following a call by opposition parties.

British Airways worker guilty of plane bomb plot

by

London: A jury convicted a former British Airways computer specialist on Tuesday of plotting with US-born extremist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki to blow up an airplane in an attack intended to kill hundreds of people.

Rajib Karim, a 31-year-old Bangladeshi man, was convicted of four counts of engaging in preparation for terrorist attacks. He had already pleaded guilty to five other terrorism offenses, but denied plotting an attack in Britain.

Put Todi to trial for Rizwanur death: Supreme Court

by

New Delhi, March 01:The Supreme Court Tuesday cleared the deck for the trial of Kolkata-based businessman Ashok Todi in the mysterious death of his son-in-law Rizwanur Rehman.

An apex court bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan upheld the decision of the single judge of the Calcutta High Court directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the case.

Speaking for the bench, Justice Sathasivam said the single judge was “fully justified in asking the CBI to investigate Rizawanur Rehman’s unnatural death case”.

Fish oil fights weight loss from chemotherapy

by

Toronto, March 01: Supplementing diet with fish oil may prevent muscle and weight loss that commonly occurs in cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy.

The process can cause cancer patients to lose muscle mass and become malnourished, leading to fatigue, a decreased quality of life and shorter survival.

Researchers believe that supplementing the diet with fish oil – which contains omega-3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid – may help patients maintain or gain muscle, the journal Cancer reports.

Abhishek is a Gentleman; not Salman

by

Mumbai, March 01: Clearing the rumours about Rajkumar Santoshi’s next project Ladies And Gentlemen, the producer of the film Ramesh Taurani said that whenever the film will go on floors the Gentleman lead will be played by none other than actor Abhishek Bachchan. He also said that he is fed up all the speculations about Salman Khan being the star cast of the film.

Budget Will Widen Gap Between Rich & Poor: Mayawati

by

Lucknow, March 01: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today termed the union budget as a “disappointment” for the common people and accused the Centre of ignoring problems of unemployment, inflation and regional imbalances.

“The budget, which is directionless, will not help in solving serious problems like poverty, inflation, unemployment and regional imbalances,” Mayawati said in a statement here.

“The budget will widen the gap between the poor and the rich,” she added.

Anushka & Ranveer Kissing at Shahid Kapoor’s birthday Party

by

Mumbai, March 01:It seems the Band Baaja Baraat co-stars Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma have decided to go public with their relationship. That’s probably why they locked lips in full celeb attendance at Shahid Kapoor’s birthday bash, media reported

According to the tabloid, the pair entered the bash holding hands and had their arms around each other throughout the party. The couple even burned up the dance floor together. It was clear from their body language that they are more than “just friends”.