Month: March 2011

Security problems hindering UN relief efforts in Libya

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New Delhi, March 31: With unrest escalating in several countries of the Middle East, the UN’s humanitarian agency says its efforts to deliver much-needed succour to the violence-affected people are being hindered by security problems and lack of access to several areas.

With over a month of civil and political unrest claiming several lives and displacing thousands of people in Libya, the UN agency says it is yet to get access to all areas, especially in the west of the country, and is hence yet to arrive at a comprehensive conclusion of the extent of the humanitarian intervention needed.

“Shamsher Singh” the connecting link between Urdu and Hindi”

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Hyderabad, March 31: Shamsher Bahadur Singh was a great poet of Hindi, with heavy influence of Urdu. He had a great aesthetic taste & was fond of playing with letters & colours, Dr. Namwar Singh, eminent Hindi Scholar, expressed these views today while delivering keynote address at the inaugural session of two day national seminar on “Shamsher Bahadur Singh” being jointly organized by Dept. of Hindi (MANUU) & Dakshin Bharat Hindi Parchar Sabha (Hyderabad Centre) as part of Shamsher Centenary Celebrations.

Rihanna won’t talk to Brown again

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London, March 31: Singer Rihanna says she will never talk to ex-boyfriend Chris Brown again.

The singer was left battered and bruised after her 2009 bust up with Brown. She has relaxed her five-year restraining order against Brown. But she’s adamant they will never talk again, contactmusic.com reports.

“It doesn’t mean we’re gonna make up, or even talk again. It just means I didn’t want to object to the judge. We don’t have to talk again ever in my life. I didn’t want to make it more difficult for him,” she told Rolling Stones magazine.

Chandigarh airport handled record 130 flights for semifinal

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Chandigarh, March 31: A record number of 130 flights, mostly chartered, arrived and flew back from the Chandigarh airport within a span of less than 24 hours for the India-Pakistan semifinal clash, officials said Thursday.

According to airport officials, 65 flights were operated between 6.30 a.m. Wednesday to 1.30 a.m. Thursday. On a normal day, just 12 flights arrive and take off at the airport. So, in effect, Chandigarh airport set a record of sorts with 130 flights arriving and taking off.

Jackson’s sister begged passersby for drive to hospital

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London, March 31: Singer La Toya Jackson has revealed that she was so devastated after hearing that her brother Michael Jackson is dead that she had to ask passers-by to drive her to the hospital.

The pop star revealed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in America that she was on her way to visit Michael and got lost. She called up Michael’s home for an update and was told he had died, reports contactmusic.com.

Bhopal gas tragedy widows to get Rs.1,000 pension

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Bhopal, March 31: The Madhya Pradesh government has issued orders for monthly pension of Rs.1,000 for the next five years to the widows of victims of the Union Carbide gas tragedy, a release said here Thursday.

The statement said that the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Relief And Rehabilitation Department has issued directives for the distribution of pension among the widows.

The Gas Relief Commissioner has already awarded compensation in 5,245 death cases.

The widows, who had been paid Rs.1 lakh after the death of their husbands, will be eligible for the pension.

Pressure on Japan to widen nuclear evacuation zone

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Sendai, March 31: Japan said on Thursday there were no immediate plans to widen the exclusion zone around its stricken nuclear plant, hours after the UN atomic watchdog agency voiced its concern over the issue.

Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy was due to arrive on Thursday, the first leader to visit since a devastating earthquake and tsunami sparked the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.

Karzai blasts US troops for gruesome Afghan deaths

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Kabul, March 31: Afghanistan’s President on Wednesday condemned the actions of a group of US soldiers charged with murdering three unarmed Afghans, charging they killed for entertainment after taking drugs.

It was Hamid Karzai’s first public mention of the actions of five soldiers from the 5th Stryker Brigade who have been charged with murder and conspiracy in the deaths of the three men in southern Afghanistan.

Civilian deaths in Afghanistan have created tensions between his government and NATO forces.

AP Government asks bankers to provide relief to farmers

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Hyderabad, March 31: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy today asked the bankers in the state to extend the time for rescheduling of crop loans up to June.

The extension of time for loan repayment would help the farmers, who have been battered by frequent heavy rains and cyclones, he said, addressing a meeting of State-Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) here.

Reddy appealed to bankers to reduce the interest on the rescheduled loans.

Aseemanand says confession was coerced

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New Delhi, March 31: In a significant development, Swami Aseemanand, who is under scanner for his role in Ajmer, Mecca masjid, Malegaon and the Samjhauta Express blasts, has retracted his previous confessional statement, saying it was “coerced”.

According to reports, the right-wing spiritual leader has made a submission before a court in Ajmer that he was mentally and physically pressurized by the investigating agencies to ‘confess’ that he was the man behind those blasts.

AP Congress denies Jagan group charge over House panel

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Hyderabad, March 31: Congress in Andhra Pradesh today rejected the allegations of the Jagan group that it had a tacit understanding with Opposition TDP over constituting a House Committee to look into allegations of irregularities in land allocations for industries in the state. “Even when Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was alive, there were instances of House Committees being appointed.

Anti-climatic end to Shoaib’s intriguing career

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A career that began so promisingly 14 years ago with Shoaib Akhtar refusing to take off his first Pakistan kit for three days, ended with a dressing down on Wednesday when the fast bowler was reduced to being a ‘waterboy’.

The man who was nicknamed the ” Rawalpindi Express” for his ability to bowl at high speeds had been hoping for one last hurrah in Wednesday’s high-octane World Cup semifinal against traditional foes India.

However, Pakistan’s defeat by India brought one of the most controversial careers in cricket to a screeching halt.

Sachin Tendulkar targets final glory in Mumbai

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Mohali, March 31: India’s Sachin Tendulkar led a charmed life to hit a crucial 85 in Wednesday’s semifinal win against Pakistan before targetting his first World Cup title in front of his home fans in Mumbai.

Tendulkar was dropped four times in his man of the match innings to anchor India to 260/9 against their arch-rivals before his team’s bowlers applied the pressure and the brakes to secure a 29-run win in the hotly-anticipated clash.

Gunshots replaced by silence as India beat Pakistan

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Islamabad, March 31: The volley of gunshots that marked every big hit by a Pakistani batsman was replaced by a stunned silence as India beat Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup semifinal at Mohali that was watched by the Prime Ministers of the two countries.

As the game began, thousands of people gathered at parks and stadiums across Pakistan where giant screens were put up to beam the match described as a showcase of one of the world’s most intense sporting rivalries.

ICET-2011: Free coaching for minority communities

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Hyderabad, March 31: According to Dr. S A Shukoor Director CEDM, Centre for Educational development for Minority communities under the aegis of Andhra Pradesh Minority Welfare Department, is conducting free coaching for minority candidates (Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi) who want to appear in ICET-2011.

Coaching classes will be held from 19-4-2011 to 13-5-2011 at Nizam college Basheer Bagh, Hyderabad.

Cricket mania grips Hyderabad

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Hyderabad, March 31: Cricket mania gripped Hyderabad Wednesday as India and Pakistan clashed at Mohali for a berth in the World Cup final.

Most roads were deserted and people rushed home from their work places early to catch the thrilling action that began in the afternoon.

There were fewer vehicles on the roads in upmarket Banjara Hills, Panjagutta, Begumpet, Secunderabad, Khairatabad, Basheerbagh and Charminar.

“You can’t afford to miss when India plays Pakistan. I was waiting for this match for a long time,” said Srikant Reddy, an employee of a private company.

Security lapse: Fake bomb in cake box travels on jet

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London, March 31: Britain is investigating the security lapses that lead to a fake bomb concealed in a wedding cake box travelling to Istanbul undetected in a cargo flight, police said on Wednesday.

The device travelled undetected to Istanbul on a flight operated by UPS two weeks ago, the same airline that carried a bomb disguised as a printer ink cartridge to East Midlands airport in October.

It had been delivered to a UPS office in north London by a Turkish man two weeks ago, according to ITV News. It had a timer, wires and detonator and was placed inside a wedding cake box.

US Marines being sent to Japan for nuclear response

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Washington, March 31: The US military on Wednesday ordered a Marine unit specializing in emergency nuclear response to deploy to Japan to assist local authorities in addressing the massive crisis, officials said.

Some 155 Marines from the service’s Chemical Biological Incident Response Force are scheduled to leave the United States on Thursday and arrive in Japan Friday, a US defense official said.

Libya’s foreign minister defects, arrives in Britain

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London, March 31: Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa, one of Muammar Gaddafi’s closest advisers and a former spy chief, defected and flew to Britain on Wednesday in protest at attacks by Gaddafi forces on civilians, a friend said.

A British government source described his resignation as “a significant blow” to Gaddafi and Koussa’s predecessor at the ministry said he was “part of the regime’s spinal cord … Koussa is a pillar of the temple”.

Choose dialogue or war, North Korea tells South

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Seoul, March 31: North Korea told South Korea on Thursday to choose between dialogue or war, as Seoul made its first concession on aid since the North’s deadly bombardment of a border island last November.

The communist state accused Seoul “warmongers” of whipping up hysteria and confrontation over two deadly frontier incidents last year.

Relations have been icy since the South accused the North of torpedoing a warship in March 2010 with the loss of 46 lives.

Tensions rose further after the shelling of the South’s Yeonpyeong island, which killed four people including civilians.

Misbah to blame, say Pak fans!

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Islamabad, March 31: Disappointed Pakistani cricket fans blamed a sluggish Misbah-ul-Haq for defeat in the World Cup semi-final thriller with arch-rival India.
 
India defeated Pakistan by 29 runs in an action-packed match to set up a World Cup final showdown with Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Saturday, leaving fans across cricket-loving Pakistan dejected.

“We lost because of Misbah, as he did not score well when it was most required,” angry fan Awais Shakir told AFP on Islamabad’s main Jinnah Avenue as thousands of disappointed viewers were leaving screenings of the match.

Shiney gets 7 years for rape

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Mumbai, March 31: Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja was on Wednesday sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment by a fast track sessions court here for raping his maid despite the victim turning hostile during the trial.

While convicting the accused, Judge P M Chouhan relied mainly upon the FIR in the case, Shiney’s lawyer Srikant Shivade told reporters who were not allowed in the court as the trial was held in-camera.

The court has also not accepted the maid’s evidence in the court that she was not raped as the judge felt that she had given false evidence.

Syed E Hasnain’s term as VC of UoH ended

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Hyderabad, March 31: After serving University of Hyderabad for five years till March 31, 2011, Prof. Syed E Hasnain will serve as prof. in IIT Delhi from April 1, 2011.

Though President Pratibha Patil had extended his services until June 2011, Prof. Hasnain accepted the invitation of IIT Delhi.

He informed University of Hyderabad about this through E-mail.

Siasat news

0-6 age group population declines by five million

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New Delhi, March 31: The population of children (0-6 years) in the country has recorded a decline of about five million over the previous census, according to provisional results Census 2011 released here Thursday.

The total number of children in the country in the age group of 0-6 years is 158.8 million, about five million less than the 2001 census figures and marks a negative growth of 3.08 percent, Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner C. Chandramauli said here while releasing the report.