Rabat, April 02: Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi mounted an intense artillery bombardment of rebel-held Misrata on Friday and pro-Gaddafi troops attacked shops and homes in the city centre, residents said.
Misrata is the last big rebel stronghold in western Libya but after weeks of shelling and encirclement, government forces appear to be gradually loosening the rebels’ hold on the city, despite Western air strikes on pro-Gaddafi targets there.
Palestin, April 02: People of Gaza have celebrated Orphans Day to alleviate the sufferings of those Gazan children that lost their parents during the 22-day Israeli-imposed war in late 2008.
Officials from the Amal Orphanage say that the extreme conditions caused by the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip has made the orphans of the enclave different from all other orphans,
“The war on Gaza created many orphans. Now the city is unable to meet the growing demands of this particular group,” said Noha Atawna, the event organizer.
Hyderabad, April 02: The World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka at Wankhade Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday seem to have triggered off an unprecedented betting by cricket crazy punters all over the state involving an estimated amount to the tune of Rs.5000 crores.
Tripoli, April 02: The Libyan government Friday turned down a ceasefire offer from the rebels, Xinhua reported.
What rebels offered was not peace, said a government spokesman.
The opposition said earlier Friday they will ceasefire if the government forces stopped the attacks.
The spokesman accused the Western coalition of “crimes against humanity”.
—IANS
United Nations, April 02: Some 400,000 people have fled the violence in Libya, the UN said Friday.
Some 83,000 foreign nationals have been repatriated, but 12,000 more remain at the border transit points and are in need of evacuation, Xinhua reported quoting the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
The World Food Program (WFP) has delivered food in the violence-hit eastern Libya and is also providing logistics and telecommunications support to humanitarian workers.
Agra, April 02: The tourism profile of Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal, is all set to change with a line-up of projects that would bring in more revenue and extend basic amenities at its world famous monuments.
The focus of development will now also be on promoting religious and cultural sites, other than historical monuments.
According to Agra’s Divisional Commissioner Amrit Abhijat, “an integrated plan to broad-base facilities and promote lesser known monuments and cultural sites” would be implemented in phases.
London, April 02: Actor Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett has defended her decision to let her two children start their showbusiness careers at such a young age, insisting they don’t shoulder the same burdens as other pre-teen stars because they have no financial pressures.
“This isn’t about fame or money. They were still going to have their trials because of who their parents are. As much as I wish I could figure out a way I could protect my children, they have their destiny. I’m not going to put brakes on that out of fear,” dailystar.co.uk quoted her as saying.
Hyderabad, April 02: With the World Cup final match between India and Sri Lanka set to be played on Saturday, both teams have been christened as Rama and Ravana fighting it out for Sita (the coveted cup).
The mobiles in the twin cities are buzzing with messages like “Is baar bhi Ram hi Raavan ko harakar Sita ko ley ayenge’’ (“This time too, Ram will defeat Ravana in the battle and bring Sita back”). The quirky messages have taken over the web world as well. Social networking sites refuse to remain out of the cricket battle that has caught onto the city.
Melamara, April 02: Giving a call for a “jihad” against corruption, senior BJP leader L K Advani on Friday said the menace has engulfed the UPA at the Centre and the Congress-ruled Assam.
“Corruption has become a deep-rooted problem which has engulfed the UPA-led government at the Centre. People should be ready for a ‘jihad’ (war) to root out corruption from all levels of the government,” he said.
He was addressing an election rally in the tea-tribe dominated Melamara in the Golaghat Assembly constituency.
New Delhi, April 02:The ICC on Friday night lifted the ban on news television channels covering the world cup finals following intervention by Information and Broadcasting Ministry, but will seek legal action against them for alleged violation of media guidelines.
“…the ICC has decided to commence legal action against the companies involved and will also seek to recover damages through the courts in India rather than bar the stations from the ICC Cricket World Cup final,” cricket`s global governing body said in a statement.
Gainesville, April 02: An evangelical pastor whose church burned a Quran last month said he was “devastated” but did not feel responsible for the killings on Friday of seven UN workers in a violent protest in Afghanistan.
“We are devastated by that information, that news,” Terry Jones, the head of the Dove World Outreach Centre in Gainesville, said. “We don’t feel responsible for that.”
New Delhi, April 02: Best wishes poured in from people of different walks of life today for the Indian cricket team to lift the World Cup tomorrow with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi hoping the `Men in Blue` would emerge victorious.
As the nation waited with bated breath to know the outcome of the World Cup final, a car bonanza awaited the Indian players if they beat Sri Lanka with auto major Hyundai Motor promising its yet to be launched Verna sedan to all 11 players.
New Delhi, April 01: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will watch the cricket World Cup final in Mumbai Saturday while Congress president Sonia Gandhi is unlikely to attend.
According to BJP sources, Advani will be watching the final at the Wankhede stadium Saturday. Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley will be also there in his capacity as a cricket administrator.
However, Sonia Gandhi, who was at Mohali Wednesday during the India-Pakistan semifinal, would not go to Mumbai, Congress sources said.
Sana’a, April 01: At least one person was killed and several others were injured in clashes between the army and residents in Yemen’s southern province of Abyan Friday, a local official said.
Residents of Lodar city of Abyan, however, said soldiers shot dead six of their kinsmen gathered in front of the main gate of the military barracks. Then the shoot-out erupted, Xinhua quoted an official who requested anonymity.
Kolkata, April 01: In separate incidents, a CPI-M activist and a Trinamool Congress worker were killed Friday in poll-bound West Bengal, police said. The Election Commission has voiced alarm over the violence.
Communist Party of India-Marxist leader and councilor of Barrackpore Municipality Jamil Akthar was shot dead in North 24 Parganas district.
Jamil was chatting with his friends in a tea shop when a man on a cycle shot him from close range, North 24 Parganas Police Superintendent Rahul Srivastav said.
Mumbai, April 01: There is a last minute scramble for that elusive ticket for the World Cup final featuring India and Sri Lanka here Saturday but only a pot-full of money can get you the prized possession, to go by what many hopefuls say.
Adding to the woes of the spectators is the fact that stadium can accomodate only 33,000. By mid-March, all the seats have been sold out for the final match!
And still there are more than three million hopefuls praying to somehow get a ticket to watch the biggest cricket spectacle.
New Delhi, April 01: With the arrest of a person, police today claimed to have solved a murder case in which body of a man was recently found in a park in Sarai Rohilla in North District.
“With the arrest of Roshan Kumar alias Munna, 23, police has solved the murder case of 40-year-old Punjab Singh, whose body was found in 56 Bigha Park in Sarai Rohilla yesterday,” said Rupinder Kumar, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, North District.
New Delhi, April 01: Targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the V.K. Shunglu panel report, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday said he should spell out the action intended against those involved in alleged irregularities in the preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
“The BJP would like to ask the prime minister to tell the nation as to what action he proposes to take against those involved and what level,” BJP’s chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said here.
Mumbai, April 01: All eyes will be on master blaster Sachin Tendulkar Saturday as India take on Sri Lanka in the cricket World Cup final. The Mumbaikar is one short of completing a record of 100 international centuries as he takes part in what seems to be his last outing in the quadrennial showpiece.
Tendulkar, who turns 39 later this month, is rated among the greatest batsmen of all era, with all conceivable records already in his bag.
Tumkur (Kar) April 01: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today said he would expand his ministry after the bypoll to three assembly constituencies on April 9.
There are currently seven vacancies in the ministry.
Speaking to reporters, Yeddyurappa lashed out at opposition Congress and JDS for attempting to destabilise his government and said they would not succeed in their attempt.
He also said the government was taking all steps to augment power supply to tackle the energy shortage being faced in the state.
Yeddyurappa was here en route to Jagalur for electioneering.
Chamba (HP), April 01: Two persons were killed and 15 others injured today when a private bus fell into Saal rivulet, a tributary of Ravi river near Proutha on the Chamba-Rajeendu road, about 22 km from here, police said.
The accident reportedly took place when the driver failed to negotiate a sharp curve and the bus, carrying 17 passengers, plunged into the rivulet killing two persons on the spot and injuring 15 others.
The deceased have been identified as Usuf and Sukur Patni and their bodies were handed over to their family members after post mortem, the police said.
Kohima, April 01: Nagaland Pradesh Congress has urged the Election Commission to reschedule the by-election to Aonglenden constituency in Mokokchung district saying the announced date being a Sunday would be inconvenient for the voters.
The by-poll in the prestigious constituency, long represented by former chief minister S C Jamir, has been scheduled for May 8 following the death of Congress MLA Nungshijungba Longkuler last year.
Kohima, April 01: A musical soiree was today held as a solidarity benefit concert here to help the victims of earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Billed as ‘Nagaland Contributes’, the concert was organised by Music Task Force (MTF) under the Nagaland department of youth resources and sports.
Besides the noted Christian choirs of the town, musical bands such as Divine Connection (MTV reality show winner 2010), OFF, XTC, Dementia, De Band, Ebenezer Band and soloists performed in the event where entry was free and music lovers contributed voluntarily to the cause.
Kolkata, April 01: Law and order situation in poll-bound West Bengal has improved but the Election Commission is not at all satisfied with it, a senior election official said Friday
“Law and order situation in the state is improving but we are not at all satisfied. A through monitoring of the situation is being conducted by the officials. In last month, three deaths of political activists and 94 incidences of political violence, resulting in injury of 120 people, were reported,” said state chief electoral officer Sunil Kumar Gupta.
Mumbai, April 01: A Tamil political party today held a demonstration here against the visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa protesting against killings of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the mid-sea allegedly by the Lankan Navy.
Members of Naam Tamilar Party torched and tore the photos of Rajapaksa at Dharavi.