Month: December 2011

Hyderabad, December 3: Amjadullah Khan Khalid regretted that even after the Hindu Vahini activists’ confession regarding planned attack on Muslim youth, the Muslim members of assembly and the leaders of secular parties didn’t raise their voice during assembly session on this matter. In a press note the MBT corporator questioned ‘Has the reconciliation between Muslim members of the assembly and officials of the police department taken place?

Hyderabad, December 03: A CBI team is likely to visit Hyderabad next week to trace seven Greyhounds personnel who allegedly assisted the Gujarat police in the kidnapping of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauserbi, who were later killed in a fake encounter by the Gujarat cops in Ahmedabad. On Thursday, a Supreme Court bench had hauled up the CBI as well as the AP government for not doing enough to identify the cops from the state.

Hyderabad, December 03: With inflation becoming an all-pervading evil, the effect has also been felt on the big fat Hyderabadi wedding. Weddings are important events for every Indian family and in most cases a major portion of one’s savings is kept aside for the ceremony. However, with increasing prices for the past six months, weddings and their business have gone pale, say caterers and owners of wedding halls.

Dubai, December 03: From a small department, set up in 1960 that served just the local population, the Dubai Land Department is today globally recognised, servicing more than 150 nationalities across the world.

New Delhi, December 03: Cricketer and president of his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (movement for Justice), Imran Khan is positioning himself to lead the nation in the next general election. Drawing huge crowds across the country, the former cricketer has suddenly become the new champion of Pakistan’s youth and of those who want change.

Melbourne, December 03: A 22-year-old Indian taxi driver in Australia was attacked by four men who ripped off his turban and repeatedly punched him during the assault.

The men attacked Ravisher Singh on Thursday in the city’s southeastern suburb after an argument with him.

Three men have been arrested on the charges of assault, according to ‘The Age’ newspaper.

Singh said he had picked up the group from the Mentone Hotel and was driving them to the Chelsea Heights Hotel.

Mumbai, December 03: Hollywood heartthrob Tom Cruise is in Delhi for ‘Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol’ promotional tour.

On his first visit, Tom was received by Bollywood actor and ‘Mission Impossible: 4’ co-star Anil Kapoor.

It is believed that Tom Cruise will make a quick visit to Agra, where he will be accompanied to the Taj Mahal by his ‘MI: 4’ co-stars Anil Kapoor and Paula Patton.

New Delhi, December 03: After spending over six months in Tihar Jail here, DMK MP Kanimozhi will finally reach her home in Chennai on Saturday.

Kanimozhi, the daughter of DMK chief M Karunanidhi, who has been granted bail in the 2G spectrum scam case, left Delhi this morning. She would arrive in Chennai by a private airliner post noon.

Karunanidhi had said after Kanimozhi was granted bail by the Delhi High Court last week that the party would organise a big welcome for her when she arrives in Chennai.

Hyderabad, December 03: Old City continues to remain tense a month after the communal attack incidents. With the 19th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition inching closer, the worst hit are asal Hyderabad traders as Old City is once again being considered unsafe by the loyal patrons of the markets here.

Kolkata, December 03: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday told prime minister Manmohan Singh that her party could not support the Congress in allowing 51% FDI in the retail sector.

But Banerjee who is also the CM of West Bengal later said she and her party want the UPA to stay at the Centre. The Trinamool, with 18 MPs, is the second largest constituent of the government at the Centre.

Urging the PM to reconsider the Centre’s decision, she said, “If necessary, the government should talk to all UPA partners and seek suggestions and ensure that the move is withdrawn.”

London, December 03: Mothers-to-be please note: Pregnant women who drink coffee at popular cafes may unwittingly be putting their unborn baby’s health at risk, researchers have warned.

An analysis of espressos from 20 coffee shops in the UK by researchers from Glasgow University found big variations in the amount of caffeine in each cup they offer.

Worryingly, the strongest example contained more than 50 per cent more caffeine in a single cup than a pregnant woman is advised to take over the course of an entire day, the Daily Mail reported.

Washington, December 03: An adult tot store in Alabama has come up with an innovative idea of encouraging people for charity. In this charity drive organised by the Pleasures, the donor will get a complimentary adult toy from a good box that contains lube, blindfolds, edible body paint, vibrating bullets and other risqué items. In addition, the store will donate $1 to the Save the Ta-Tas organization in that person’s name.

Washington, December 03: As a sovereign nation Pakistan has the right to self-defense, so does the US, the Pentagon has asserted amid reports from Islamabad that Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani had issued direction that his commanders on the Af-Pak border can return fire without permission.

Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt John Kirby told reporters that the last week’s NATO bombing that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers along the Afghanistan border has had a chilling effect on the relationship between the two countries.

Murreita, December 03: A man accused of raping and killing a 67-year-old neighbor in Hemet more than three decades ago must stand trial for murder, a judge ruled today.

Shelby Shamblin, 49, could face life in prison if convicted of first- degree murder in the Jan. 17, 1980, beating and strangulation of Elizabeth Crossman.

Following a two-hour preliminary hearing today in Murrieta, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Albert Wojcik ruled there was sufficient evidence to bound the defendant over for trial and scheduled a post-indictment arraignment in the case for Jan. 6.

Mumbai, December 03: Pakistani actress and model Veena Malik, who got her big break in Indian entertainemnt business with Bigg Boss season 4 created quite a stir with her nude magazine cover, but the actress has come out the closet claiming that the picture in question is a morphed one.

Bhopal, December 03: On the 27th anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy on Saturday, victims and survivors, still waiting for relief, will register their protest by launching an indefinite rail roko andolan (stop trains).

“On December 3, please don’t travel by train. Change your reservations now. We are sorry to cause you inconvenience but stopping the trains is the only effective way we can think of to get our urgent and important message through to the Prime Minister and the government,” read a notice on the Bhopal.net website, which is endorsed by five survivor organisations.

New Delhi, December 03: Taking up a matrimonial dispute, the Supreme Court on Thursday concurred with criticism of Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code which punishes a man alone for adultery for having consensual sex with a married woman.

The criticism of the bench of Justices Aftab Alam and R M Lodha was on two grounds – that the provision reduces a married woman to a property of the husband, and that punishment is meted out to the man though the woman with whom he had consensual sex was an equal partner in the alleged crime.

‘Women immune to adultery charges’

New Delhi, December 03: A moderate earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale jolted India’s Nicobar Islands early Saturday.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the temblor hit the Nicobar Islands at 1.07 a.m., Xinhua reported.

The quake’s epicentre, with a depth of 38.70 km, was initially determined to be at 7.7615 degrees north latitude and 93.9754 degrees east longitude.

Located in the south-east of the Bay of Bengal, the Nicobar Islands comprises 22 large and small islands, of which only 12 have inhabitants.

–IANS

New Delhi, December 03: Many Indian Muslims Friday said the government should consider reservations for the community as a whole instead of just the backward classes among them. Some, however, felt it would be a step forward in helping marginalised Muslims.

Their reactions came after union minister Salman Khurshid said the government was considering a share for Muslims in the 27 percent quota in government jobs and educational institutions for other backward classes (OBCs).

Istanbul, December 03: A group of Muslim businessmen have unveiled plans in Turkey for a Facebook-style social networking site that respects Islamic values and offers a healthy atmosphere for young, Islamic audience.

SalamWorld.com, which will make its internet debut next year, “will seek to unify the youth in a common vision and the healthy values of Islam while attempting to not diffuse any unhealthy information,” Akhmed Azimov, the initiative’s vice-president, told Agence France Presse (AFP) on Thursday, December 1.

Mumbai, December 03: The dirty title, livewire promos and the story of a southern bombshell who turned an alcoholic before ending her life – all combined to rake in close to Rs 8crore on the first day of Ekta Kapoor’s Dirty Picture. Kapoor has the knack of choosing film titles that catches one’s attention as well as raises eyebrows.

Hyderabad, December 03: In the Obulapuram Mining Co., illegal mining case, CBI has given a clan chit to Home minister Ms. Sabita Indra Reddy, who was involved in the booty. Senior IAS officer Ms.Y. Srilakshmi who was jailed in the case, but managed to get a conditional bail from CBI court, made an appeal against the Home minister, but it was rejected on December 1. by the court.

New Delhi, December 03: Nearly half of parliament’s 21-day long winter session has been lost to protests mainly over foreign equity in retailing, leaving the government’s elaborate legislative agenda unsettled.

With the opposition and some members of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) vociferously seeking withdrawal of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail, the stalemate over the key reform and other issues continued for the ninth day.

London, December 03: The expelled British ambassador to Iran, Dominick Chilcott, has accused the Iranian government of supporting Tuesday’s storming of British embassy compounds by Iranian students.

“That sort of activity is only done with the acquiescence and the support of the state,” Xinhua quoted Chilcott as saying Friday.

The British envoy left Iran after a group of protesters broke into the British embassy compound and burned British flags in Tehran.

New Delhi, December 03: Terming 2011 as a “difficult year” for the government, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday said though the media could be “harsh and critical” at times it was the only vehicle through which the government could interact with the masses.

“2011 has been a difficult year but an year not without accomplishments. A lot has been accomplished in 2011. It is our sincere wish that 2012 will be better than 2011,” Chidambaram said at the inauguration of the Department of Audio Visual Publicity (DAVP) calendar for year 2012.