Month: March 2012

Putin documentary to be shown after presidential poll

by

A German documentary highlighting the “human side” of Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin will now be aired after March 4 presidential elections, Russia’s NTV television has said.

The film “I, Putin. Portrait” was initially scheduled to be shown in the night segment on NTV television Friday, only a few hours before Russia goes into “election silence,”.

A day prior to the presidential elections any form of election propaganda is prohibited.

Kohli’s knock, the catalyst to restore India’s faith

by

Virat Kohli’s blitzkrieg of an innings the other night was so much more than a route to beat Sri Lanka and keep alive India’s hope of a place in the tri-series finals in Australia.

It was also the catalyst that ought to restore India’s faith in its ability and jolt its senior players from complacency. It affected fan and player; mediapersons and administration men; and so it should have done.

Sri Lanka pips Australia in thriller, eliminates India

by

The air was suffused with tension as the ball travelled towards long-off. The valiant David Hussey had not quite achieved the required elevation as he launched into seamer Nuwan Kulasekara. Amid intense pressure, Tillakaratne Dilshan held his nerve to take the catch.

The crowd, dominated by typically colourful and vibrant Sri Lankan supporters, erupted. Skipper Mahela Jayawardene punched his fists in delight. Kulasekara let out a cry of relief, while Kumar Sangakkara leapt in joy.

Blame me, not Rahul if UP poll results not in our favour: Digvijay

by

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Friday said he and not Rahul Gandhi should be held responsible if election results in Uttar Pradesh are not in favour of the party.

He also refused to put the blame on Rahul, who had led the party’s campaign in Uttar Pradesh, in case of such an eventuality.

Singh told Star News that he as the AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, Rita Bahuguna Joshi as PCC chief and the candidates, have to be held responsible if the party’s show was not as per the expectations in UP polls.

Yemen national held for selling banned leaves

by

A Yemen national pursuing his MBA in the city was arrested by the Task Force sleuths for allegedly possessing 95 bundles of contraband Kath leaves at his residence in Syed Aliguda, Asif Nagar on Friday.

City police, in a press release, said that Mohammed Ahmed Abdullah,28, had been selling Kath leaves to persons who were addicted to chewing it. He was selling each bundle for Rs 600. He claimed that he had procured the leaves from a person called Ram, a resident of Colaba in Mumbai.

Motive yet unclear in Shehla Masood murder case

by

The motive behind the murder of Madhya Pradesh RTI activist Shehla Masood continues to be shrouded in mystery even after investigators arrested three persons including a woman interior designer, in this connection.

While the CBI arrested interior designer Zahida Pervez and Shakib Ali ‘Danger’ from here, the UP police has apprehended one person from Kanpur.

‘Military action against Iran, Syria to violate international laws

by

Moscow: Russia views the decision to carry out military operations against Iran and Syria as a step in violation of international laws, Xinhua reported.

“None denied a key provision of international laws — a decision to use force against a sovereign state should be taken only by the UN Security Council,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview to a newspaper Thursday.

“I truly hope that the international community will be wise enough not to allow such a scenario to happen,” he said.

Zardari Knew About US Raid on Osama Compound: Ijaz

by

Controversial Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, a key figure in the memo scandal, today claimed that President Asif Ali Zardari had advance information of the US military raid that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad last year.

Ijaz further claimed that Zardari had telephoned army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on the day of the US raid and asked him not to use F-16 combat jets to target the helicopters carrying the American troops.

Journalists will be protected: Katju to international media watchdog

by

Press Council of India (PCI) Chairperson Justice Markandey Katju on Friday told delegates from International Press Institute (IPI), a Vienna-based media watchdog, that he had taken up with state governments issues of protection of journalists and safeguarding them from undue pressure.

During the meeting, Justice Katju told the delegation that he was committed to preserve the freedom of the media. The delegation comprised IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel Mckenzie and Senior Press Freedom Advisor Barbara Trionfi.

‘Ready to fight battle for Telangana in court’

by

Expressing support to the separate Telangana statehood demand, Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy on Thursday said he is ready to fight a legal battle for the cause.

He said he is ready to file a petition over the demand either in Supreme Court or in the High Court here and asked the pro-Telangana lawyers to send him details of the issue.

Citing the examples of his “legal victories” in Rama Sethu issue and 2G spectrum scam case, he said a similar success can be achieved on Telangana issue as the government allegedly went back on its promise to form a separate state.

Madrasa teacher gets 10-year jail for rape

by

A session’s court on Friday awarded 10 years rigorous imprisonment to a 34-year-old seminary teacher for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl student at the residential school here.

Principal sessions court judge P Sreesudha after examining as many as 16 witnesses convicted Mohammad Younus Noumani for rape and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000.

The judge also directed that Rs 9000 out of Rs 10,000 be paid to the victim as compensation while asking the district collector to sanction Rs 1 lakh to the teenager.

Gujarat HC cancels complaint against Sanjiv Bhatt

by

In a relief to suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, the Gujarat High court today quashed a complaint filed against him for furnishing false information with the intention of evading summons in connection with a case pertaining to illegal confinement of a police constable.

The court also set aside all the proceedings initiated against Bhatt by the magistrate calling it an “abuse of law”.

President Obama warns against premature strike on Iran

by

US President Barack Obama has warned that a premature attack on Iran would allow it to play the “victim” in the nuclear crisis just days before key talks with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

In some of his toughest comments yet on Tehran’s nuclear drive, Obama also warned that Israel and Iran should take seriously possible US action against Iranian nuclear facilities if sanctions fail to stop the country’s atomic ambitions.

UK police questioned King Khan

by

Shah Rukh Khan may well be loved by all but probably not as much by the London Police.Shah Rukh, who is shooting in London for Yash Chopra’s next with Katrina Kaif was reportedly questioned by the UK Police.

US couple becomes world’s oldest bride and groom

by

A couple have become the oldest ever bride and groom – with a combined age of 193, The Sun newspaper reported Friday.

Lillian Hartley, 95, and 98-year-old Allan Marks have finally tied the knot after “living together in sin” for 15 years.

It is thought the pair have set a new Guinness World Record for the oldest combined age of a couple on their wedding day.

The pair – who have seven children between them – were 193 years, eight months, and three days old when they wed, beating a French couple who set the record at 191 years and 126 days in 2002.

17 Jaganmohan loyalists MLAs Disqualified

by

YSR Congress got a relief after Speaker disqualified 16 MLAs belonging to Jagan party ,ending the long suspense, the Andhra Pradesh assembly speaker on Friday disqualified 16 rebel lawmakers belonging to the ruling Congress party who were loyal to YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

The speaker has also accepted the resignation of another Jagan loyalist Shoba Nagi Reddy of Praja Rajyam Party.A statement about the disqualification was released from the office of Speaker Nandendla Manohar on Friday night.

Vitamin pill a day keeps cancer at bay!

by

A daily vitamin pill could help prevent skin cancer – particularly among women, the Daily Mail reported Friday.

Scientists say taking food supplements containing vitamin A can make people less likely to develop melanoma, the deadliest form of the disease.

A study found that retinol – a key component of Vitamin A – could protect against the illness.

The strongest protective effects were found in women and in sun exposed sites, suggesting retinol actually combats skin cancer.

Men more prone to stroke during extra-marital-sex

by

Men who cheat on their other halves are more likely to die during sex.

The revelation emerged from a report published by the American Heart Association, looking at whether patients with heart problems could safely resume their sex lives after treatment, the Daily Mail reported Thursday.

The study found patients could resume sex as soon as one week after a relatively mild heart attack, as long as they could walk up a few flights of stairs without discomfort.

Queen leads Kate, Camilla on shopping trip

by

The British royal family’s three leading ladies were “like kids at Christmas” after a shopping trip with a difference to the Queen’s grocer, the Daily Express reported Friday.

There were tasty treats on offer for the Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge when the trio visited Fortnum & Mason in central London Thursday.

Colour-coordinated in blue on their first official joint engagement, they enjoyed a giggly girlie morning browsing around the top people’s food store in Piccadilly, the newspaper said.

Hands chopped off over Rs 300 DEBT

by

In times of high inflation, a sum of Rs 300 may be considered paltry. But physical mutilation was the price that Ram Sagar Chandravanshi, 20, had to pay for not being able to repay a debt of mere Rs 300. His hands were chopped off and he was dumped in an unconscious state. The incident happened in a village in Arwal district, barely 80 km south-west of Patna, some 10 days ago.
As he lay on the floor in the MN ward of the Patna medical college hospital (PMCH), Chandravanshi’s two bandaged hands bore testimony to the terrible tragedy he has suffered.

Kings XI sign youngsters Gurkeerat, Awana for IPL

by

Kings XI Punjab have included local boy Gurkeerat Singh Mann, a hard-hitting middle order batsmen, and Delhi fast bowler Parvinder Awana in the squad for the forthcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Arvinder Singh, chief operating officer of the franchise, hoped the two youngsters will boost the squad.

“Kings XI Punjab is pleased to announce the addition of two exemplary players, namely Punjab based Gurkeerat Singh Mann, hard – hitting middle order batsmen, and Delhi based Parvinder Awana, right arm medium pacer, to its registered squad today,” Singh said.

Image of beer drinking Jesus outrages Christians in Gujarat

by

A monthly catholic community magazine carrying an image of Jesus Christ holding a beer can in one hand and a cigarette in the other in its February issue caused outrage amongst subscribers of the journal. The image was a tweaked version of the Christ and the sacred heart reported Times of India.

The magazine, Pavan Hruday Doot, is printed at the Gujarat Sahitya Prakash Society in Anand town, which is the publishing house of the catholic Jesuit community for South Asia. The magazine is an official mouthpiece of Catholics in Gujarat.

Campaigning over, UP politicians unwind

by

A day after campaigning ended in Uttar Pradesh, politicians relaxed in their own ways. Mulayam Singh Yadav hit the treadmill, Kalraj Mishra slept till late while Vinay Katiyar visited the Ram temple at Ayodhya.

And by his own admission, Mishra, who was at the forefront of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) campaign and travelled all over the sprawling state, spent a relaxed day.

“I am an early riser, I generally get up at 6.30. But today was an exception,” Mishra told IANS.

India major market for motor sports: GT1 boss

by

Formula One and GT1 are the ultimate in motor racing and India presents a great opportunity to become a major market for the sport, says founder and promoter of GT1 Series Stephane Ratel.

“India was on our list of key destinations, particularly as it is a growing market for luxury cars,” Ratel told IANS in an online interview.

Defence ministry denies bugging in Antony’s office

by

The government Friday vehemently denied that Defence Minister A.K. Antony’s office was “bugged”, but clarified that routine security sweeps were done at his office and nothing was found during such checks.

“Reports of ‘bugging’ in the South Block in a section of the media is, hereby, denied,” defence ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said in an official statement here.

“Routine checks are conducted in the offices of the defence minister and other officers in South Block. Nothing has been found in these checks,” Kar said.