Month: April 2011

UN: Libya on brink of food crisis

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Tripoli, April 29: The UN Security Council’s political chief has urged for immediate action to prevent a food crisis in Libya following a closed door meeting.

B. Lynn Pascoe has announced that immediate actions have to be taken to improve the flow of commercial goods, including food stocks and provisions, a Media correspondent reported.

According to the UN, people currently have access to food, but officials say they are trying to get ahead of the curve to stave off the real possibility of severe food shortages a month or two from now.

Russia to suspend gasoline exports

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Moscow, April 28: The Russian Energy Ministry has halted the exports of refined petroleum products for May, 2011, since the country has run out of fuel in some regions.

Since Prime Minister Vladimir Putin suggested that pump prices be restrained in February, the oil situation in Russia has entered a period of crisis, and fuel companies have sought higher prices in other countries, The Moscow Times reports.

Classic cars showcased in Tehran

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Tehran, April 29: An exhibition of classic cars has been held at Tehran’s Arg-e Azadi Cultural Complex, bringing a total of 80 antique automobiles from days gone by into the public gaze.

Various classic cars kept at Sadabad Palace Museum as well as a series of old but still dazzling French, American and German automobiles belonging to private collectors have been put on display in the event, Fars new agency reported.

US tornado death toll reaches near 300

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Tornado, April 29: The death toll from the heavy storms and tornados ripping through the southern US has reached nearly 300 people with Alabama taking the brunt of the atmospheric turmoil.

Governor Robert Bentley told a press conference on Thursday that a total of 194 fatalities have been recorded so far in the US state of Alabama, as the worst outbreak of tornadoes in almost 40 years left a trail of destruction in at least six states, the Associated Press reported.

Sai Trust set to pick its new boss

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Puttaparthi, April 29: Amid growing apprehensions about a protracted struggle to control the powerful Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, the trustees on Thursday tried to present a united front saying that a new chairman would be elected soon as Sathya Sai Baba had neither left a will nor named any successor. Two Trust members would also be given the power to sign cheques in place of the ‘godman’.

Delhi shoe factory on fire, ten feared killed

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New Delhi, April 29: A massive fire broke out at a three-storey shoe factory in northwest Delhi, claiming the lives of ten people as per reports on Thursday.

The blaze erupted at the shoe-factory in H-9, Udyog Nagar in Peeragarhi area at around 7.10 pm on Wednesday.

According to a senior fire department official, twenty-six fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the blaze. However, the fire is still out of control and all efforts are being made to control it.

Cricketers up ad rates after World Cup win

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New Delhi, April 29: India’s top cricket stars have hiked their endorsement tags, hoping to cash in on the historic World Cup triumph, according to industry sources. But things haven’t quite gone according to plan: advertisers are opting for IPL players who come a lot cheaper and have good brand value while the T20 league is on.

Status quo at Ayodhya site extended

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Lucknow, April 29: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court Thursday extended till Aug 31 its order for maintaining status quo at the Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya town.

The earlier order was to expire May 31.

While a special appeal against the high court’s verdict on the issue was pending before the Supreme Court, an application was moved by the Faizabad commissioner seeking extension of the status quo before the special bench which gave its judgment in September 2010.

No divorce if spouse withdraws consent: SC

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New Delhi, April 29: Divorce cannot be granted to a Hindu couple if either of the spouse withdraws the consent before the judicial decree is passed, the Supreme Court has ruled.

A bench of justices D K Jain and H L Dattu said that the most important requirement for grant of a divorce by mutual consent is free consent of both the parties.

Winning close matches will make KKR better: Gambhir

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New Delhi, April 29: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir said Thursday that winning close matches will give his boys a lot of confidence and make them better in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Knight Riders defended a below par total of 148 and defeated Daredevils by 17 runs at the Ferozeshah Kotla and jumped to the second spot in the league with eight points from seven matches.

Gambhir lauded the team for turning out an all-round performance and admitted that he expected his team to get 160.

WikiLeaks releases all Guantanamo files

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WikiLeaks, the whistleblower site on the Internet, released secret documents on Thursday relating to the majority of 779 prisoners detained by the United States since 9/11 at Guantanamo Bay.

Most of the prisoners have now been released but 172 still remain in the offshore U.S. prison, located in Cuba. During his 2008 election campaign, President Barack Obama promised to shut down the prison, notorious for its use of torture and other brutal coercive practices during interrogation.

Report on Kolhapur rape case in three days

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Mumbai, April 29: The probe into the Kolhapur police training school sex scandal will be completed within two to three days, said home minister R R Patil. Also, the report submitted by Maithili Jha, additional superintendent of police, Nashik (rural), will be examined by Pune police commissioner Meera Borwankar, before any action is taken.

“The state government has taken the issue seriously. No one will be spared in this case. The probe will be completed within next two to three days,” he said.

Man arrested for singing ‘Kung Fu Fighting’

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London, April 28: A singer has been arrested for racial abuse after singing the song “Kung Fu Fighting.” 34-year-old Simon Ledger was performing with his band at a bar when a Chinese man made a gesture to him.

Ledger was later arrested by the police for singing the song. He told newspapers in Britain that the performance at the Driftwood Beach Bar was not the first for his band. According to him, the band has performed several times without any complaint for anybody.

Simpson trying to get in shape for wedding

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London, April 29: Singer Jessica Simpson is trying to lose weight in time for her wedding, which she has now set a date for.

Simpson, who is engaged to former National Football League (NFL) player Eric Johnson has revealed that she has set a date for the big day and is exercising to make sure she looks her best when she walks down the aisle.

“I have a date – I’m really excited! I am going to dance around my bedroom and hopefully lose some weight – and lift some weights and do what I can!” femalefirst.co.uk quoted the 30-year-old as saying.

Fake passport racket suspected with Indian mission in US’

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New Delhi, April 29:Suspecting a fake passport racket operating allegedly with the help of Indian embassy officials in the US, Delhi Police has written to the External Affairs Ministry drawing its attention to 19 cases in three months in which people travelled from the US to New Delhi
using forged documents.

The letter was sent in the wake of investigators finding out that the fake passports detected bore the signature of a senior official at the Indian mission in Washington and was in the same series.

My son cut me out of his life: Elton John’s Mom

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London, April 29: Singer Elton John’s mother Sheila Farebrother has revealed that her son has cut all contacts with her ”completely” after a bitter falling-out.

“He has cut me off completely. It happened three years ago this June. He has had nothing to do with me since then. I don’t want to go into what caused it. It is a painful subject. My son cut me out of his life for good,” contactmusic.com quoted Sheila Farebrother, mother of Elton John,as saying.

Storms leave nearly 300 as dead in southern US

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New York, April 29: Severe storms that have been heavily hitting southern US since last week have left nearly 300 people as dead in six states, devastating entire neighbourhoods and crippling towns, CNN reported.

The grim toll continued to rise across the region, with 283 counted in six states.

The vast majority of fatalities occurred in Alabama, where at least 194 people perished, Gov. Robert Bentley said.

Syrian ambassador’s invite for royal wedding withdrawn

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London, April 29: Syrian ambassador to London Sami Khiyami has had his invitation to the royal wedding withdrawn in the light of controversy over his presence on the guest list, Daily Telegraph reports.

According to the the British foreign Office, it was decided Sami Khiyami’s presence at the royal wedding ceremony would be “unacceptable” in the wake of the killing of up to 450 pro-democracy demonstrators in recent weeks.

12 dead in two bomb blasts in northern Iraq

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Baghdad, April 29: Two separate bomb attacks on Thursday left at least 12 people dead and many injured in northern Iraq, the Aswat al-Iraq news agency reported.

In Diyala province, a suicide bombing targeting a Shiite mosque killed eight people and injured 18 others. A man with an explosive belt strapped to his chest blew himself up inside the mosque in Baladruz district, near the provincial capital Baaquba.

10 killed in factory fire in India

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New Delhi, April 29: Ten people were killed after a fire broke out in a plastic factory in the Indian capital of New Delhi, the Hindustan Times reported Thursday.

The blaze erupted in the premises located in the Peeragarhi area of New Delhi on Wednesday evening. According to eyewitnesses, fire broke out on the first floor of the building when at least 30 people, including children working as casual laborers, were inside.

Delta employees arrested for drug smuggling

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Detroit, April 29: Federal agents on Thursday arrested 12 people, including ten current or former Delta Airlines employees, for their alleged participation in international drug trafficking operations at airports in Detroit, Michigan and Houston, Texas.

78 soldiers killed in Syria in six weeks

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Damascus, April 29: At least 78 soldiers and 70 civilians had been killed in Syria since the unrest broke out six weeks ago, Arab News Agency SANA quoted an official military source as saying.

The source dismissed allegations made on some satellite TV channels about the withdrawal of some members of the ruling Bath party and it also denied reports that 450 people were killed since the unrest erupted, calling it “poison of false propaganda.”

Lohan’s troubled life turned into comic book

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London, April 29: Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan’s struggling life has been turned into a new comic book which is set to release in September, this year.

Titled “Infamous: Lindsay Lohan” from Bluewater Productions, the comic book will feature Lohan’s drama-filled life and career.

Also Publisher Darren Davis has offered to hand over proceeds from the book’s sales to Lohan’s favourite charity, reports dailystar.co.uk.

“If she contacted us and wanted us to donate some of the potential profits to a charity of her choosing, we would happily do,” he said.

–IANs–

Saleh not to sign power-transfer plan in Qatari envoys’ presence

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Sana’a, April 29: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has said he will not sign the power transfer plan brokered by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) if Qatari representatives attend the signing ceremony, Xinhua reports.

“We will reserve the right of refusing to sign the GCC plan if Qatari representatives attend the signing ceremony because it has conspiracy against Yemen,” Saleh told Russia Today’s Arabic- language channel Thursday.